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#also i accidentally put a spoiler there and not so accidentally left it in
kamyru · 2 days
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The first to block Ushiwaka and the first to... (Tsukishima Kei x Reader)
Summary: A television crew who wants to film a documentary about one of the strongest generation of volleyball players, accidentally gets some "classified" information from Ukai. To which, your boyfriend decides to change the situation for the best.
CW: Spoilers for Haikyuu ending
Words counting: 1,2k
Takeda-sensei and Ukai-sensei were prepared for what was about to come. They even got in touch with their former students to confirm that they can answer this type of question and how. Truth be told, it was Takeda-sensei who came up with the idea. Ukai didn't care. He just agreed that it had been a good thing that they were that sensible. And there it was. The coaches knew it was coming before the reporter could open her mouth. It was obvious by the small smile that formed at the edges of her lips, how she subtly changed her position, getting closer to the two men, as if they were old friends sharing secrets and gossip at two in the morning. 
"So… This is the question that a lot of fans want to know the answer to. How were the monster rookies' romantic life during the school? Is there any difference from now?"
Ukai looked away. He wasn't going to be the one to answer it. Takeda smiled softly. 
"Out of the four rookies we had that year, I knew that one of them would have a way easier time than the rest of them getting a girlfriend, and I was right."
At this, the reporter started to grin. She wasn't trying to note anymore in her small notebook. The topic interested her too much to leave a single idea without her total attention. Ukai smirked: he knew Takeda was a little bit more sadistic than the people were giving him credit for. 
"Yamaguchi was the only one who didn't go pro, though. Tsukishima, Hinata, and Kageyama had anyone during high school. And no, before you want to ask it, it wasn't just because they were obsessed with volleyball. It was just the way they were."
"Is Yamaguchi the former captain of the Karasuno for the 2014-2015 school year?"
Takeda nodded and smiled again, but this time a little stiff. He heard the years, and it was so long ago, nearly ten years passed. 
"I still wonder how all four of them found someone to date now," the words left Ukai's lips before he could remember that a television was in front of him, and he wasn't gossiping with his friend during the night. There was no way they wouldn't put this in their documentary. Considering how long it would take them to prepare the material for the viewers, a year or two, every interviewer would ask his former players about their relationships. Ukai knew that Takeda got permission from all of them to admit they had someone, but he could also clearly see Tsukishima preparing quite a few snarky remarks for the next time they saw each other. God help the reporter who would go with the same question to the Sendai Frogs' middle blocker. 
****
"To sum it up, that is all that happened today. We knew there was no way to hold the training with the crew there, but none of us thought that the filming would last this late. That's why I'm calling you right now. I thought it would be better if Tsukishima knew about this before a reporter went to him with personal questions."
You smiled. It wasn't as if Kei's fans didn't already have some guesses about his personal life. Now, Takeda-sensei just made it obvious, to your boyfriend's dismay. Maybe the coach was lucky to accidentally get to you instead of him. 
You reassured the poor teacher that everything was alright and Kei wouldn't come after him or the other coach. You nearly dropped the phone between your cheek and shoulder when you chuckled at his apologies. Listening to Takeda replaced the usual videos you were putting in your headphones while doing chores in the house. However, this time wasn't necessarily a chore. Sudden inspiration hit you in the middle of the night, and you decided to rearrange your library while your boyfriend wasn't there to stop you. So, after you took out the largest tome on the shelf, the phone fell, scaring the talker from the other line. You immediately reassured him that everything was okay and finished the conversation. Takeda would probably think that Tsukishima returned home, to his slight disappointment, considering that he loved your soothing voice. 
Your eyes fell on a small velvet box you have never seen in your entire life. Okay, you saw something similar in movies and while passing by jewelry shops, but definitely in none of the houses you had lived in since moving away from your parents. You froze for a moment, internally debating whether or not to open the box. However, you got the answer faster, hearing the apartment door opening. The giant tome found its place back, and you rushed to greet your boyfriend. 
A hug, a kiss on the forehead, and then one of the lips. Kei smiled at you through the obvious tiredness on his face. He wasn't hungry, he took a shower at the gym, he had to wake up tomorrow morning, so he preferred to go to sleep as soon as possible. When he entered your bedroom, his eyes instinctively fell on one of the bookshelves. He had been doing this for a few months already. And like always, nothing changed. The tome was… Wait a minute. Tsukishima Kei could swear that the tome had always been put upside down on the shelf. Okay, he knew it because he did it at first, to know for sure where he hid the box. It wasn't needed anymore, but he didn't change its position. Yet now, the tome was sitting like all its siblings, not catching anyone's eye. You moved it. He looked at you after watching the shelf for a little too long. You knew he knew you knew. 
"Takeda-sensei called and told me that your former coach accidentally told the reporters about you having a significant other," you said in a false cheerfulness, trying to distract Kei from his thought process. It wasn't working. Both of you knew this. Tsukishima Kei hadn't been one of the nation's best block readers for nothing. You also knew it. People-watching was one of your shared interests, a thing that made you closer to each other. 
"Let me think for a while about the chances of Ukai-sensei accidentally deceiving the reporters."
It was one of the few times you didn't know what your boyfriend was talking about. Suddenly, he kissed you on the cheek and reached for the giant tome on the shelf. For a single second, he thought about putting it back in its place in the way he had been already used to these months. But he knew not to postpone the sudden burst of courage he felt now. One millisecond of hesitation and it would be all gone. Tsukishima Kei hadn't been confident enough in high school to dream about blocking the Ushijima Wakatoshi himself. Now, he wasn't confident enough about being a good boyfriend. Yet, he was the first to ever block the Shiratorizawa's cannon. 
"I know it's not the perfect timing, or place, or whatever. I wanted to make it memorable for you, to make it a story you can tell everyone. I wanted so much… But right now, I want a single thing," at this, Tsukishima opened the small velvet box and slowly went down on one knee. "Would you marry me?"
And while Tsukishima Kei wouldn't be the first man to marry, he would definitely be the first out of his friends. 
Ukai Keishin accidentally deceived the reporters. Tsukishima Kei didn't have a girlfriend. He had a fiancee. 
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writerfae · 2 years
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The Knights of the Alder - What if…
…Talon was part of the Knights?
*
When Aiden woke up again, the first thing he noticed was how dry his throat felt. The second thing he noticed was that he wasn’t alone.
The boy from earlier was there, the blonde with the sharp eyes. Talon, if he recalled right.
As the fae noticed that he was awake, he made his way over to the prisoner, perching down in front of him, too close for Aiden’s liking.
“Look who’s finally awake.”
Instinctively Aiden tried to move away, but the rope that tied his hands to the pole behind him held him in place.
Talon smirked. “So you’re the one that caused us all this trouble?”
The boy tilted Aiden’s chin upwards with a finger, amusement shining in his golden eyes.
“I would have expected someone more… impressive.”
Aiden huffed and jerked his head to the side to try and escape the other, but Talon grabbed his chin and turned his head back towards him.
“Did no one tell you that it’s impolite not to look at the person that talks to you?” he scolded.
“Has no one taught you that it is impolite to pester innocent defenseless people?” Aiden pressed through gritted teeth.
Talon regarded him with an expression of mock hurt.
“Pestering you? Oh no. I’m just talking to you, that’s all. Don’t you want to talk? Also,” he let go of Aiden’s chin, letting his finger wander down Aiden’s throat.
“I don’t think you’re as innocent as you claim to be.”
Aiden gulped, suddenly too aware of the dry feeling in his throat. As if the fae had noticed what he was thinking, he stood up and went over to the little desk, returning with a flask in his hand.
“Here.” Standing in front of him, the blonde held out the water bottle.
Aiden’s eyes immediately jumped to the movement of the water inside the clear glass of the flask.
He was thirsty, but he didn’t trust the fae one bit. Who knew what he put in there.
Gathering all his mental strength, he shook his head violently.
Talon rolled his eyes. “You can drink, you idiot.” He nudged Aiden with the flask. “It’s not poisoned or anything. We still need you after all.”
Aiden looked down at the water bottle in the other’s hand. “You could’ve still put something in it,” he mumbled.
The other boy shrugged. “Sure I could have, but I didn’t. If you rather want to dehydrate though, be my guest. I don’t mind.”
With his free hand he reached out and brushed a stray strand of hair out of Aiden’s face. Aiden flinched.
“But you mortals waste away so easily when it comes to things like this, so if I were you I’d drink. Who knows when you’ll get a chance again.”
He held out the flask to Aiden once more. Hesitantly Aiden leaned forwards and drank, eyes not leaving the gold-eyed fae.
The blonde watched him with a smirk. “Good boy.”
After he decided Aiden had enough Talon took the flask away from him and raised it to his own lips to drink.
Aiden’s eyes followed the movement, lingering on the other’s lips for just a second too long, which Talon noted with amusement. He attached the bottle to his belt.
“It’s a shame, really,” he said. “that our lady wants to shed your blood.”
Aiden froze at the mentioning of Morena’s plans for him. The other boy grinned, seeing how his words affected his prisoner, and the look he gave Aiden made him shiver.
“You’re quite cute for an insignificant halfling. What a waste.”
Aiden absolutely refused to blush, not wanting to give that asshole the satisfaction.
His cheeks colored a little anyway and Aiden cursed himself, because there was no way the fae didn’t notice.
Aiden snarled, irritated. He was mad at the fae with the golden eyes, mad at himself for letting him get to him so easily.
“I can’t be that insignificant when you need me to reawaken your stupid king. I bet I am of far more significance for your lady’s plans than you are.”
Talon laughed. “So he does bite back. Who would’ve thought. Maybe there’s more to you than I thought.”
The fae smiled. Leaning down, he whispered close to Aiden’s ear. “Who knows which skills may lie behind this pretty facade.”
“Talon,” a voice from behind them said and Talon pulled away. Aiden couldn’t help but to feel relieved.
“Leave the boy alone,” said a young woman with dark hair that Aiden hadn’t seen before. “And leave, it’s my turn to watch him now.”
“And it was just about to get interesting,” the blonde mumbled, but he turned to the other fae and bowed.
“Very well, Lady Nyx.”
He threw Aiden a mischievous look over his shoulder and winked.
Then he left and Aiden felt like he could finally breathe again.
*
Background info: in this scenario Talon (as well parts of his family) is part of the group who want to reawaken the Alderking (the knights of the Alder).
I had that idea because it might as well be possible, since Talon’s family used to be part of the Alder court before the king fell. And if his father would be interested in getting the family’s former status back, naturally Talon would follow him.
I’m not sure if he’d be fully convinced about the plans though, so it could be possible that something -or someone- could change his mind
wip intro / masterpost
tag list: @gr3y-heron @soupopoireau @harinawa @vibinwiththehomies @elisabethrosewrites @charleeyy @violetcancerian @that-one-potato-blep @imstillherebitch @stardustspiral @thewalkingnerdx @abalonetea @andifthestarsweretodie @myhusbandsasemni @contes-de-rheio @rhikasa @phantasticdomains @thegirlwithnonickname @marewriteblr @kimblewrites @writingbyjillian @write-for-your-life2 @deadlycupid @nora-theteawriter @ladywithalamp @the-writing-avocado @writing-is-a-martial-art @bloodlessheirbyjacques @sleepy-night-child @athenixrose (if you want to be added or removed from the tag list let me know!)
also @pen-of-roses cause you showed interest in this one 🙈
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cantstoptheimagines · 11 months
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Hunger (Carmy Berzatto | The Bear)
Summary — Things boil over between you and Carmy.
Warnings & Other Tags ➳ Smut (including a lowkey ‘Chef’ kink, Reader being referred to as ‘good girl’, also like one mention of birth control); Carmy mentions never having a girlfriend, so I’m rolling with that (aka Never-Been-Kissed!Virgin!Carmy is upon us!!); a little bit of angst on the side; mentions of childhood trauma and resulting body insecurities (Carmy); cursing (especially the canon-typical ‘Fuck!’); coworkers to lovers with a touch of idiots in love; some typical Original Beef arguments in the kitchen (including Carmy getting put in his place after being extremely mean); Reader accidentally gets burned by hot food; Reader is a waitress with an attitude; my attempts at casual, non-flowery, awkward, quiet conversation between Carmy and the Reader, so please don’t come after me if it sucks, lmao.
Notes ➳ Word Count is 7,942. This is a slow, slow, slow burn! Enjoy it, baby! ➳ Reader uses feminine pronouns (she/her). ➳ This is slightly inspired by the chaos of Season 1, Episode 7. I also want to add that this draft was started before the release of Season 2, so absolutely no spoilers in this one!
FAQ | Masterlist | Fandoms | Requests | Coming Soon | Schedule  
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Everything was a complete mess. An expected lunch rush had sent everything and everyone at The Beef into chaos.
You had a line of customers waiting on takeout orders while others were hoping for a table to open up. Some had immediately turned around at the door after seeing the crowd.
Richie stood behind the counter, trying his best to keep up. He gave you a nod as you cleared another table. The fake, ‘customer service’ smile on your face fell as soon as you left the dining room and entered the kitchen. Angel and Manny were both instantly by your side, taking the dishes from your arms. 
Your sigh of relief, however, didn’t last long. As soon as you turned, you were met by Sydney, who shoved a dish at you, shouting, “Hands! Once that’s out, I need you to come back for a sandwich and a salad!”
You barely caught the plate, replying, “Heard!” 
The plate was warm against your hands. The food, however, was burning hot when it flew off the dish and onto your exposed skin as someone interrupted your cry of, “Corner—!”
The plate shattered once it hit the floor, covering the tile in a mess of food. Sauce dripped down your clothes and practically seared your flesh. Amidst the hectic kitchen, only Sydney seemed to notice. She stared at you with a shocked expression as tears welled up in your eyes from the pain.
“—fucking going?!”
You blinked, clutching your blistering hand. You could already feel your skin becoming overly tender. Tears began to slide down your cheeks. Nearby, Tina had paused to see what the commotion was about with concerned eyes.
In front of you stood Carmy. Out of everyone who worked at The Beef, he was the person you were closest to. However, that didn’t mean he wasn’t an asshole sometimes, especially when the restaurant was busy like today.
Your eyebrows furrowed, and then you quietly asked, “What?”
The flaring pain you were feeling made it almost impossible to focus on what anyone was saying or doing. Carmy’s words, on the other hand, were loud and clear as he took a step closer and shouted, “I asked if you can watch where you’re fucking going?!” 
Your cheeks were wet with tears, which you couldn’t stop from falling, no matter how hard you blinked. Carmy was toe-to-toe with you. He was so close that you could see the sweat on his skin and the red flush of his cheeks. His teeth were gritted as he stared at you with fiery eyes. 
“Carmy,” you took a deep breath, closing your eyes for a moment, “don’t yell at me.”
He came even closer, shoes nearly slipping on the sauce that covered the tile. You avoided meeting his gaze as you continued holding your injured hand. Thankfully, the other one wasn’t as bad, though it still ached. 
“Why the fuck not, huh?!” he continued. “Open your damn eyes next time—!”
“Carmy, stop!” you demanded. “I’m hurting right now and you’re not helping—!”
“Maybe you wouldn’t be if you used your fucking brain!” he snapped, taking two fingers and harshly tapping them against your temple.
You tried to take a step back, only for him to follow. You pressed your lips together in an effort to contain yourself. Sure, you were used to Carmy’s regular outbursts, but this was on a whole other level.
His nose brushed against yours with how close he was standing. Sydney reached out, placing an arm between the two of you, though it wasn’t much help. Tina was slowly coming closer. Everyone else in the kitchen had stopped working to cautiously watch the scene. Even Richie had paused service in the front to stand in the kitchen doorway, ready to step in if he needed to.
“Don’t fucking talk to me like that, Carmy—!”
“I’ll do whatever I fucking want—!”
Richie finally spoke up, “Hey, cousin, leave ‘er alone, alright—?”
“I’m gonna fuck you up if don’t get outta my face—!”
Sydney was beginning to sweat, “Chef! Please calm down—!”
“If you can’t handle the heat, stay out of my fucking kitchen—!”
SLAP!
“¡Ay, mierda!” exclaimed Tina, mouth agape as your uninjured hand suddenly struck Carmy’s cheek.
The silence that took over was almost deadly. Carmy licked his lips and clenched his jaw. His cheek was already turning bright red with your handprint. A million thoughts ran through his mind as he stared at you.
“If you don’t have anything nice to say to me,” you glared, “then don’t fucking talk, Carmen! You can fuck off instead!”
Carmy kissed his teeth, refusing to open his mouth. Instead, he watched as you whipped around and stormed away from him. You were once again holding your injured hand, in which the pain was only growing worse by the second, as you disappeared around a corner without looking back.
Carmy closed his eyes and ran his hands over his face. He didn’t even need to look at the expressions of his coworkers’ faces to know that he had fucked up big time.
His eyes met Sydney’s as he tugged at his thick hair. She, however, only turned away and returned to calling out orders after shaking her head. Richie, meanwhile, gave him the finger before going back to the front to continue lunch service. Everyone else in the kitchen either gave him harsh glares or stares of disappointment.
“Chef!” he called out, gaining Sydney’s attention. “I’ll be back in a few!”
Sydney slowly nodded, “Heard!” 
Carmy glanced down, looking at the mess that covered the kitchen tile, along with his work shoes. Pieces of the shattered plate were spread about as well.
“I’ll clean this up when I get back,” he said, gesturing to the floor.
“Heard!” repeated Sydney, though Carmy could tell she wished he would just leave already.
“Thank you, Chef,” he muttered.
As he passed by Marcus, the usually kind pastry chef glared at him, “You’re a real mess, Berzatto.”
Carmy sighed, slowly making his way around the same corner you disappeared behind only moments ago, “Tell me about it.”
Ebra shouted after him with a bark of laughter, “We don��t have to! You’re gonna find out when you go back there!”
Carmy rolled his eyes, turning the knob on the door that led to the back lot. That was where everyone, including you, disappeared whenever they needed to be alone.
He immediately spotted you sitting on the ground with the restaurant’s first aid kit in front of you. The injury on your hand was now covered with some burn relief gel.
You barely even glanced in his direction when the door closed behind him. The air outside was rather cold and Carmy could see the chills that covered your skin.
He nervously wrapped his hands in the hem of his apron, and then cleared his throat, “I’m sorry.” 
“Whatever,” you shook your head.
He paused, unsure of what he should say next as he blinked a few times. Finally, he licked his lips and stared down at his shoes, “Are you—uh—are you okay? I mean, you’re good?”
You scoffed quietly, shaking your head with a sardonic smile as you finished wrapping your injury with some gauze, “No, Carmy, I’m not good. Fucking asshole.”
Carmy took a deep breath, nodding slowly, “Yeah, yeah, alright. I deserve that. You—uh—gonna go early? Home, I mean? Go home early?”
You slammed the first aid kit closed, the latch snapping into place with a click! Standing up, you shoved it into Carmy’s arms, causing him to grunt at the impact against his chest. 
“Yes,” you said, “I’m going fucking home early.” 
He groaned as you pushed past him to go back inside. He slowly trailed behind you, watching you collect your coat and keys. He grimaced at the loud SLAM! of your employee locker. He knew everyone in the kitchen secretly had their ears open, each of them trying to figure out how badly Carmy had messed things up with you.
As you tried to slip past him once more, he reached out to place an arm across your front. He remained facing the empty room of employee lockers while you were facing the kitchen, forced to endure the cautious eyes of your coworkers.
With a sigh, you finally turned your gaze to him, unsure of what to make of his actions, “What?”
“Go to the doctor, alright?” he muttered, eyes gliding over your features.
Everything was much calmer now. Everyone in the kitchen seemed to have finally cleared out some of the crowd, leaving only a few stragglers. Each of them took an occasional glance at the two of you.
You bit your bottom lip. You couldn’t help but be fully aware of the way Carmy’s startling blue eyes suddenly dropped to focus on your mouth. And you definitely couldn’t stop your own gaze from doing the same, admiring the soft pink shade of his lips.
Maybe it was wrong to be so attracted to your boss. But when your boss was Carmy, you didn’t really care. And there were times, like now, when it felt as though he didn’t care either.
Sure, he could be a real asshole sometimes, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t easy on the eyes. Your eyes, more specifically.
“Yo, cousin, we’ve got—! Oh!”
Carmy finally tore his stare away from you, and said, “Just a sec, Richie.”
“Yeah,” nodded Richie, tossing his hands into the air. “Yeah, sure. Didn’t mean to interrupt... whatever this is.”
Carmy rolled his eyes before finally returning his attention to you. His stare softened and his fingers dug into the clothing that covered your hip with a gentle squeeze.
“Doctor,” he whispered, “‘kay?”
You finally muttered, “Okay, Bear.”
Carmy gave you a nod, heart pounding when he heard his nickname fall from your lips. Your hip received a few pats and a gentle rub before his arm disappeared from your path. As you walked away, he finally turned to face everyone in the kitchen, all of whom had their eyes on him.
“Well,” he said, running a hand through his hair, “get back to fucking work!”
At the same time, he could hear you ordering Richie, who had followed you to the front, to ‘shut his fucking mouth’.
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You unlocked the back entrance of The Beef. It was way past closing time and each of your coworkers had already gone home. In fact, you had only come back to get the tips you had left behind after your argument and semi-reconciliation with Carmy.
You flicked on one set of smaller lights before making your way through the kitchen and into the front room. Richie always cashed out your tips for you before his shift over and tonight was no different. On the counter, right next to the register, you found a wad of cash and a sticky note with your name on it.
Unfortunately, you were too focused on counting out the money to notice someone appear in the doorway. That is, until they spoke, “Hey.”
You gasped in surprise, clutching at your chest in a failed attempt to stop your pounding heart, “Fuck! Are you trying to kill me?!”
Carmy smiled down at his feet as he leaned against the kitchen’s door frame. He watched you shove your tips into the pocket of your heavy coat. He nodded towards your hand, and asked, “Rent due?”
You nodded back, “Yeah. Tomorrow morning.”
He hummed quietly, “See a doctor?”
“Yeah,” you replied. “Gave me some stuff to put on it. They said it should be good in a week or two. It wasn’t as bad as I thought it was gonna be.” 
“Right,” he said, twisting the hem of his apron around his hands.
He watched your eyes drift to where his fingers wrapped themselves in the blue fabric. The realization that the two of you were alone, without the stress of your loud coworkers or a line of customers, overwhelmed him.
“You do that a lot, ya know,” you said, gesturing to his hands, “when you’re nervous and stuff.”
He shuffled awkwardly, shook his head, and then shrugged, “Hard not to be. We cool?”
Your eyebrows furrowed. One of Carmy’s hands rose to his lips, allowing him to anxiously bite his nails, while the other disappeared into his pocket. The soft glow coming from the back of the kitchen made him look like an angel.
A tired, fidgety, nervous wreck of an angel.
It was hard for him to breathe when you suddenly moved closer and closer until you stood mere inches away from him. He stared at your hand that untucked itself from your coat pocket. Yet, it wasn’t until you gently wrapped your fingers around his forearm, tugging his hand away from his nail-biting habit, that he knew it was over for him. 
“Carmy?”
Fuck.
“Yeah?”
His mind flashed back to all the times Richie had caught him staring at you and made fun of him for doing so.
And how after Sydney had first met you, she turned to him after you had walked away and quietly asked if you were his girlfriend.
And the way Tina almost beat his ass earlier for shouting at you so viciously after everyone else had left for the night, leaving him to wallow alone in his office.
Or the way he couldn’t stop his eyes from drifting to your lips while your hand gently rubbed his arm, listening closely as you whispered, “We’re cool.” 
“Good,” he muttered.
Your lips parted with a soft, shuddering gasp. Slowly, Carmy had tilted his head and began leaning in. Your grip on him tightened just as his free hand untucked itself from his pocket. His palm slid under your coat and landed on the same hip he had held earlier that day.
His nose brushed against yours. His fingers dug into you, splayed out against your clothed waist. His eyes slowly fell shut as did yours. After that, it didn’t take long before your lips met his.
You could feel the warmth of his cheeks when you placed your palms against them. You pulled him closer until you could wrap your arms around his broad shoulders, intertwining your fingers in his hair.
Carmy’s lips moved against yours tentatively. His other hand slowly slipped beneath your coat to caress your back. He groaned at the feeling of you gently scratching his scalp as your fingers ran through his hair.
Slowly, he pulled away, but only slightly. Your hands dropped to his shoulders and then traveled along his strong arms before finally wrapping around his waist. His apron loosened when you tugged at the strings.
Carmy felt his cheeks warm as he allowed you to remove the blue fabric from his body. He watched it fall to the floor and then made an effort to copy your movements, gently pushing your coat off your shoulders before letting it join his apron.
He sighed softly when you pressed your lips against his in a series of short, gentle kisses, “I’ve—uh—I’ve never…”
He trailed off quietly, feeling slightly embarrassed. Richie had always given him shit for being a virgin. But Carmy had gone through life without friends, let alone girlfriends.
“Carmy?”
His lip quivered when his eyes met yours again. He was surprised to find your gaze void of judgment. Instead, you gave him a small smile and gently pressed your hands into his lower back. He hummed quietly when you repeated his name.
Glancing at his lips, you murmured, “Do you want to?”
Despite the millions of thoughts running through his mind, he was still very clear, albeit quiet, with his answer, “With you? Yeah.”
You nodded silently. One of your hands gently pushed some of his thick, messy hair behind his ear. His eyes fell closed at the feeling.
“Was that your first kiss?”
“You gonna laugh at me if it was?” he asked.
You smiled at the way his cheeks flushed with red, and replied, “‘Course not. It’s like that for lots of people.”
He licked his lips, opening his eyes. His fingertips went deeper into your hips. Fuck, you were being so nice to him.
“It was,” he confessed. “That was my first kiss. I’ve never done any of it. Dates, girlfriends, none of it.”
“Okay,” you said, still allowing your fingers to trace through his hair. “You still want to?”
He paused, eyes exploring your features, “Yeah.”
“We can stop any time you want,” you said. “Don’t be afraid to tell me if you’re uncomfortable.” 
Carmy licked his lips again, hooded eyes drifting to your mouth. Slowly, he nodded and pressed his forehead against yours. His eyes closed and your noses brushed. He could his heart pounding in his chest, briefly wondering if you could as well as he collided his lips with yours once again. 
His fingers delved deeper into your hips. Your hands, meanwhile, tugged at his thick hair, forcing a grunt out of him. He was surprised by how much he liked the feeling. 
Pulling away, though not far enough to avoid the kisses that were now being pressed onto his jaw, Carmy quietly gasped for air, head tilting back as he asked, “Can we go to my office?”
He felt you nod against him in response. He then tugged you along in the direction of his office, biting his lip at the feeling of your mouth on his warm skin. He turned the two of you so that he could see where he was going. Not that doing so was much help since his eyes began fluttering at the feeling of a gentle bite sinking into the flesh of his neck.
One of his hands left your hip momentarily. His palm gripped at one of the metal counters in the kitchen, barely steadying himself. He was nearly tripping over his own feet, distracted by the pleasure you were already sending throughout his body. 
His hand quickly left the countertop. It found a new place on the back of your neck, but only after the two of you finally made it into his office, where he immediately pulled you into another kiss.
Slowly, your hands disappeared from his hair, opting to slip beneath the fabric of his shirt and gently scratch his back instead. You smiled against his lips, nearly breaking the kiss, upon noticing him shiver at the feeling. He practically arched into you, both of his hands moving to your cheeks in order to deepen the kiss.
His white shirt complimented the golden chain around his neck. It was something you had seen him wear plenty of times. And for Carmy, he wasn’t sure if he wanted that to change just yet.
He paused when you began to slide his shirt up, obviously preparing to remove it from his body. He gently wrapped his hands around your forearms to stop you. His lips then moved away from yours. His head ducked as he cleared his throat, avoiding your concerned gaze. 
“I’m sorry,” he muttered, eyes beginning to burn. “I’m—uh—It’s just—I don’t—I don’t think—! Shit, I’m sorry! Sorry! Sorry—!” 
“Hey, hey, hey,” you interrupted, gently wiping away any tears that had started to make an appearance on his cheeks. “It’s okay. You’re okay, Carmy.” 
He sniffled, cheeks warming with embarrassment, upon having felt your hands withdraw from underneath his shirt. His breathing had quickened, along with his heartbeat.
Carmy hid his face against your neck when one of your arms wrapped around him. You softly rubbed the space between his shoulders. Your other hand gently stroked the back of his head, fingers running through his hair once more. Meanwhile, his hands had dropped to your ribs in an effort to steady himself again. 
“We can stop—”
He interrupted you within seconds, shaking his head as he finally met your eyes, “No. I don’t want to. I—uh—I’m just—my childhood wasn’t the best, ya know? Parents were always fightin’ over stupid shit. And sometimes, my dad—well, he—uh—he’d take some of it out on us—”
“Oh, Carmy,” you whispered, leaning your forehead against his.
He continued, caressing your ribs with his thumbs, “He didn’t do it a lot, but, ya know, my back’s kinda, like, got scars and stuff.”
Pulling him closer, you nodded, still allowing him to lead the conversation, “Okay. Okay.” 
“I promise I wanna do this,” he sniffled again before taking a deep sigh, “but I wanna keep my shirt on. For now anyway. For this time.” 
You nodded again, giving him a small smile and lightly tracing the variety of small freckles on his cheeks, “Of course. Anything you want.”
Carmy hesitantly met your eyes. The startling ocean blue sent chills down your spine, especially when he muttered, “God, you’re so fucking sweet.” 
He didn’t give you a chance to reply. Instead, his hands traveled to your back and pushed you against him in a quick, unwavering motion. He groaned at the feeling of your fingertips imprinting themselves into the fabric of his shirt. His lips moved against yours in yet another heated kiss, though this one was much more desperate than the others had been. 
In that moment, as your hands wandered along his clothed back, venturing to the waistband of his pants, Carmy could picture himself falling in love with you.
In the space between your kisses, gasps of air escaped your throat, “Let me make you feel good, Bear.”
Carmy nodded. His lower back gently collided with the edge of his desk. He watched as you slowly undid his pants. He groaned and his cheeks flushed red at the sight of you lowering to your knees. One of his hands shifted to grip his desk while the other raked through his hair.
Before he knew it, his pants were pooling around his ankles and his hard-on was showing prominently through his briefs. His head tilted back and his gaze met the ceiling as your fingers delved into the waistband of the fabric covering his throbbing cock.
“Fucking hell,” he muttered, closing his eyes.
“Carmy?” your quiet voice cut through the tension. “You still okay?”
“I’m fucking perfect,” he whispered. “Please keep going.”
Your amusement was obvious. Carmy hissed when your smiling lips met the flesh of his stomach. He slightly tugged up the hem of his shirt in order to give you more access to his briefs, trying to prepare himself for his first blowjob ever.
The hand that had been in his hair quickly entangled itself in your own. His briefs were slowly being removed with every kiss you gave his skin, your movements trailing lower and lower with every passing second. You stopped at the last possible moment, pulling away and giving a final tug at his briefs.
At last, they fell, finding their place around Carmy’s ankles, alongside his pants. He couldn’t help but watch as his cock sprang free, nearly slapping against his stomach. You eyed it for a moment, licking your lips at the sight of the dark vein on the side and the way it curved slightly to the left. 
Carmy took your pause for negativity. His thumb softly caressed your temple as he murmured, “You alright—? Oh, shit!”
He was suddenly on cloud nine. Fire burned in his chest. Both of his hands moved to tightly grip the back of your neck. One of your hands grasped onto his tense forearm while the other held his cock. Your tongue traced over the vein that you had been admiring. 
His eyes closed and his head tilted back. He could feel you smiling as you pressed a kiss against his cock’s mushroom-shaped head. Your lips trailed along his length until you reached his balls. 
“Fuck!” he groaned, mouth falling open.
The way your tongue lapped at his balls while your hand stroked his swollen length set his stomach on fire. He could feel a layer of sweat beginning to appear on his forehead.
You were a fucking god. And Carmy felt ready to worship you.
Suddenly, you were at the head of his cock again, slowly taking him into your warm mouth. Carmy looked down to watch it happen and nearly came at the sight of you.
Your lips stretched around him. His hands moved to be on either side of your face, gently caressing your temples with the pads of his thumbs. Both of your palms wrapped around his bare thighs.
Carmy hissed at the feeling of his cock disappearing into your mouth as you began bobbing your head along his length. Though when he felt you fondle his balls with a sudden squeeze, he couldn’t stop an abrupt buck of his hips. 
You gagged when the head of his cock hit the back of your throat. He furrowed his eyebrows, concerned, as you pulled away, gasping for air. He wiped away the saliva that had built up at the corners of your lips, “Shit! You okay? I didn’t—I didn’t mean to do that!” 
You sniffed, laughing as you brushed off the small tears that came from your eyes, “Yeah, I’m good.” 
Unsure of what to say, Carmy nodded silently. He continued tracing your temples in an effort to comfort you, trying to ignore his cock, which continued to throb between his legs. Meanwhile, you rubbed at his thighs, still trying to catch your breath. 
“Hey, hey,” he muttered, tilting your head upwards to meet his gaze, “you sure you’re alright?” 
Your eyebrows rose, your fingertips dug into his flesh, and then you smiled, “I’m fine. But Carm?”
“Yeah?”
“You’re fucking huge.” 
And in yet another wave of shyness, Carmy couldn’t stop the blush that appeared on his face. You chuckled, leaning forward to kiss the space above his pelvis, slowly wrapping a hand around his cock once more. Your eyes remained on him as his lips fell open and moans escaped his chest.
“Hey?” you muttered. 
He watched as you leaned against his stomach, resting your chin atop the fabric of his shirt to stare up at him. He shivered at the way your pupils grew. They nearly overtook your irises, leaving only a sliver of their nature shade. 
“Yeah?”
Your teeth dug into your lower lip. Carmy admired the glow that had overwhelmed your skin. He shuddered when your hand tugged particularly hard at his cock.
“Can you fuck my face, Chef?” you whispered. “I want your cock down my throat ‘til I can’t breathe.” 
“Fuck,” he muttered, thumbs softly caressing your cheeks. “You sure? I don’t wanna hurt you.”
“Yeah, I’m sure,” you breathed. “I want you to feel good, Carmy.” 
He hissed at the sudden feeling of your tongue once again tracing over his length. The head of his cock was then repeatedly kissed in a soothing pattern. One of his hands moved to tightly grip the edge of his desk. The other continued smoothing over the skin of your cheek as you took him back into your mouth.
With a hand on his thigh and the other shifting to wrap around his forearm, you slowly dragged his hand to the back of your neck. Carmy panted heavily at the feeling of his hard cock sinking deeper into your throat. He successfully held back his quivering hips, not wanting to accidentally choke you a second time. 
His fingers dug into your skin, his mouth fell open, and heat rose beneath his skin. He looked down to find you with nearly his entire cock in your mouth. The sensation of your tongue swirling around him made him want to cum on the spot. And he nearly did so when your lips finally met the base of his cock. 
Your nose dug into his pelvis. He then felt the mushroom-shaped head of his cock reach the back of your throat, only you didn’t pull away for a fresh burst of air this time. He caressed the back of your neck in an effort to ease the tension. 
Tears welled in the corners of your eyes, soaking your eyelashes. You were doing your best to breathe through your nose. His grip on you tightened when your eyes suddenly looked up at him.
The sight of you staring at him with tear-filled eyes and your lips stretched around his cock made him curse. Both hands quickly returned to your face so he could brush away the glistening tears. After admiring your flushed appearance, he muttered, “You ready?” 
He took the moan you let out around his length as confirmation. The vibrations of it, along with the way your fingers were now tightly grasping at the backs of his thighs in preparation, made him hiss with pleasure. 
He groaned at the wet sounds of your mouth as he began gently thrusting in and out of your throat. He cursed repeatedly, especially when you continued to moan around him. Upon seeing you shut your eyes, however, he patted your cheek to bring your focus back to him.
He smiled down at you when you met his gaze, “Eyes on me, alright? You’re makin’ me feel so—ah!—good right now. Oh, fuck! You’re fucking amazing, ya know that? Oh!” 
Heat was growing in the pit of your stomach when you realized how much pleasure you were giving him. You could feel yourself becoming wetter and wetter by the second. 
You couldn’t help but gag around him when he suddenly gave a rough thrust. You were sure his thighs would have finger-shaped bruises by the end of the night with how strong your grip on him was. 
Carmy’s thrusts were picking up pace. He tossed his head back, eyes shut tight and his mouth agape with silent moans. You wanted him to fuck your face? Then he would do exactly that. 
He repeatedly shoved you down to the base of his cock. With every thrust of his hips, he felt his balls slap against you. The sounds of you practically gasping for air as you choked on his length made him shiver with a blissful expression.
“Fuck!” he groaned. “So fucking good! You’re perfect, ya know?”
His moans continued. The echoes of his cock pumping in and out of your mouth caused warmth to slowly build up within the pit of his stomach. With a few final thrusts, he pressed himself as deep as he could into your throat.
You choked around the sudden release of cum that flooded your mouth. Your eyes squeezed shut as Carmy pressed you further onto his length. Your nose dug into the skin of his pelvis and you were slowly losing the ability to breathe.
Carmy grunted, now gazing down at you with heavily lidded eyes, as his cock released thick, white ropes of his cum. He huffed in an effort to regain his breath. You, however, made that difficult with each and every time you swallowed around him, taking in all of his cum without a second thought. 
His cock was still hard when you finally pulled away. Your tongue ran over the tip while one of your hands moved to stroke his length. Before you could send him tumbling into overstimulation, Carmy tugged you upwards. 
His lips met yours in a searing kiss, barely able to keep hold of you between heavy pants. You could practically feel his confidence finally starting to bloom within him. 
Twirling in order to switch your positions, you tugged him closer, urging him to help you onto his messy desk. He quickly did so after reaching out to shove aside what seemed like a million unorganized papers. They fell to the floor, some even crumpling beneath his shoes as he stepped on them. 
His large, tattooed hands slipped beneath your shirt as he moaned at the feeling of your lips against his neck. He grasped onto the back of your bra and tugged... to no avail. Thankfully, you didn’t seem to notice. 
His face flushed red, especially when your clothed thighs squeezed closer to his hips. His cock began to throb as it met the covered space between your legs, desperate and eager for what was to come. 
Carmy furrowed his eyebrows and tried a second time to unclasp your bra. When it refused to budge, he couldn’t help but curse. And he nearly let out another when your affections came to a pause. 
Your kisses slowed. Pressing one against his ear, you whispered, “You okay?”
“Yeah, yeah,” he replied. 
You tried not to laugh when you felt another tug, “Carm? D’you need help?” 
He cursed a little louder. You bit down on your bottom lip, trying to conceal a grin as you tucked your face into the crevice of his shoulder. When he confirmed your suspicions, you leaned away and did your best to give him a warm, comforting smile. You unhooked your bra and removed it from beneath your shirt with ease, tossing it aside. 
Carmy’s expression shifted into one of frustration, though his eyes shined with a bit of awe, “How the fuck did you do that?” 
Your hands ran over his shoulders as you asked, “Really wanna have that conversation right now?” 
He paused for a moment, seemingly taking some time to think over your words, “Fuck no.” 
You allowed yourself to laugh that time, “Then come here.” 
Carmy found it difficult to breathe when you tugged him closer. The scent of your shampoo fogged his mind as he hid your face against your neck. Your hands guided his, leading them beneath your shirt. He let out a deep sigh when his palms met the warmth of your skin. 
As his hands began tentatively exploring your breasts, he tried to ease his nerves by layering a series of open-mouthed kisses against the column of your throat. Meanwhile, you busied yourself with undoing your pants. 
“You have big hands, Carm,” you muttered, leaning your cheek against his messy head of hair as he indulged him in his affections. 
Big, warm, tattooed hands. His thumbs ran over your nipples occasionally as he gently squeezed you. His fingers dug into the plush of your skin. 
Despite having little room with the way Carmy was leaning against you, you managed to push your pants off your waist, shifting your hips in order to do so. As he continued palming at your breasts, he flushed a deeper shade of red, thankful his face was still hidden from your view. 
“Is that a good thing?” he questioned. “Big hands?” 
He felt you nod in response, “It’s hot.” 
In more ways than one, he believed, due to the heat building up in his stomach. His forehead had developed a thin layer of sweat as well. He followed your lead when you directed his hands to your hips instead. When his fingertips met the hem of your underwear, he inhaled sharply. 
“Think you can get these off without any help?” 
He stopped pressing warm kisses against your neck to meet your gaze. With narrowed eyes, he tilted his head at your teasing tone, licking his lips with an amused grin, “Shut up. What happened to the nice, sweet, good girl from before?” 
Holy shit. 
His comment made you pause. Your semi-arrogant smile fell, becoming one of shyness instead. Carmy’s, on the other hand, brightened. He had somehow managed to turn the tables. Seems like it was your turn to be embarrassed. 
He ran his hands over your thighs, gently pulling you closer. He continued to smile as you avoided his gaze. 
“Hey,” he muttered, placing a hand on your cheek and encouraging your eyes to meet his, “d’you like it when I call you that?” 
His smile was softer now. His body language, however, was giving off a newfound confidence, something you didn’t get to see very often. But with the way he caressed your skin, palms rubbing you soothingly in a steady pattern, you could tell he genuinely wanted to know. 
He furrowed his eyebrows when you offered a mumbled reply, “Hmm?” 
With shivers running along your spine and an affirming nod, you repeated yourself, “I do. Yes.”
“Yes, who?” he asked, cursing himself only seconds later for the question.
You couldn’t stop yourself from taking a deep breath in surprise. Your eyes fell to his lips, thinking about feeling them on yours again. Carmy watched you carefully when they did so. His cock throbbed heavily between his legs as the head gently bumped against your clothed entrance with every move he made. 
You met his eyes again when his fingers delved into the flesh of your thigh. Admiring his blown pupils, you answered, “Yes, Chef.” 
Both of his hands came to your hips. His fingers sunk into the hem of your underwear as he whispered, “Can I?” 
He slowly slid the fabric down your legs when you gave him a whispered confirmation. Wrapping an arm around his shoulders, you pulled him closer. His lips hovered over yours with a groan as your free hand wrapped around his cock.
“Are you sure?” 
Carmy’s eyes, which had been squeezed shut, slowly fluttered open. They flew over your features before he finally nodded, “Yeah.” 
Your lips met his in a soft kiss before your forehead came to rest against his. With your hand gently stroking his length, Carmy couldn’t stop himself from letting out a gasp. He looked down to watch your movements with desperate, hooded eyes. 
You ran the mushroom head through your wet folds. Carmy would’ve been embarrassed by his fascination at the way his cock glistened with your wetness if he wasn’t too busy groaning in pleasure. 
“Gotta go slow, okay? I’ll have to adjust,” you said, and then a quiet laugh filled the air between the two of you. “Like I told you, you’re big.”  
Carmy was sure his skin was cherry red by now, due to a combination of the growing heat in his stomach and your compliments. His mouth fell open and his eyebrows furrowed when your hand eased the head of his cock into your entrance. He couldn’t stop his fingers dug into your skin, creating indents on your thighs. 
Arms encasing your lower back, he pressed himself closer, furthering the reach of his cock. His chest met yours, both of your shirts rubbing against the other. He could both see and feel your hardened nipples through the fabric. 
Your hand that had been guiding him moved upwards, threading through his thick, unruly hair. He didn’t even need to move for you to start letting out a series of gasping moans. The sheer size of him was enough. 
Wrapping your legs around his waist, you nudged him as close as you could. His warmth melted into yours. His skin was aglow with heat, effort, and sweat. His length sinks deeper, stretching you wide and open for him. You hiss at the feeling. 
Oh, yeah. He’s definitely the biggest you’ve ever had. 
You kiss the bridge of his nose as you adjust to his size. Carmy quickly raises his head so his lips can meet yours. It’s a struggle, given how difficult it is for either of you to properly breathe at the moment. 
Carmy’s cheeks are flushed red entirely. He’s burning on the inside with a newfound desperation for you. His cock throbs inside your walls and he feels as though he’s being drowned in your body by the pressure. Meanwhile, you can hardly focus on anything besides the noises he continuously lets out. 
He hisses and groans with every shift, not expecting the feeling to be so tight. You’re dripping with so much arousal that it’s nearly soaking his pelvis and thighs. As his hands traveled under the fabric of your shirt to practically claw at your back, he can’t help but think about how the feeling of you around him is infinitely better than that of his own fist. 
In that moment, Carmy knew you had ruined him for anyone else. He was completely, without any doubt in his mind, yours. And fucking proud of it too. 
“You can move,” you whispered, strengthening your grip around his shoulders and tugging at his hair. 
One of his arms curled further around you. His palm landed between your shoulder blades, slowly gliding over your skin that was hidden beneath your shirt. The other wrapped around your lower back. 
His cheek leaned against yours as he gasped heavily into your ear after the first roll of his hips. Your hand continued to pull at his dark strands of hair, the other tangling itself in his shirt. 
Slowly, he rocked into you, the pace starting off easy and unhurried. Given his size, you could already feel the head of Carmy’s cock gently bumping against your cervix. You gasped heavily with each of his movements. Your body writhed against him. 
“Faster,” you muttered. “Carmy, go faster. Oh, fuck, please.” 
Carmy melted at the way your moans echoed throughout his office. He huffed repeatedly with effort as his thrusts steadily increased. The slapping of skin, along with the slick sounds of your wet entrance, filled the room. Carmy couldn’t help but curse when your teeth suddenly sunk into the crevice of his neck. 
“Shit!” he exclaimed. “Fuck, you feel so fucking good! Could stay inside you forever! Damn it! Wanna stay, wanna stay!”  
Your mind felt empty of anything besides Carmy. His warm breath hitting your skin as he rambled on and on. The way he clawed at you desperately, trying to bring you impossibly closer. How his balls were repeatedly slapping against your dripping arousal. 
“Carmy!” you whined, trying your best to redirect his grip on you, which was rather difficult due to his lightning pace. “Here! Touch me here! Make me cum! Make me let go on your cock! Oh, shit, you’re—ah!” 
You guided his fingers against your clit. Despite his state of pleasured delirium, Carmy seemed to understand what you wanted from him. He massaged the bundle of nerves, sending shockwaves down your spine. 
The tightly wound cord within you finally snaps. You cry out, gripping onto Carmy in order to gain at least some sense of stability. He continues to rut in and out of you like no tomorrow.
The only inclination that he knows you’ve finally cum is the pitchy moan he lets out when your walls constrict his cock with every wave of release. His hand is covered in your cum and he can’t stop himself from pulling his face out of hiding.
With one arm still around you and his hips still slapping loudly, he’s quite the vision when he suddenly brings his fingers to his mouth. It’s then, as he gets a taste of you, that he decides you’re his new favorite meal. In just one night, you’ve made him insatiable.
His hand goes for another round, trying to collect more of your wetness on his fingertips. Meanwhile, you’re beginning to collapse into overstimulation. You take to pressing your forehead against Carmy’s shoulder, panting and huffing as his throbbing length continues to delve deep into your dripping hole. 
Carmy’s trying his best to take in every bit of you that he can, repeatedly collecting your release to press against his tongue as he pounds into you. He rubs at your clit with reckless abandon, craving more of the taste. 
“Please, please,” he begged, distressed at the very idea that you might not cum again. “Wanna keep tasting you! You’re so fucking good!” 
He’s unaware that your moans are no longer coherent. The only thing that continues to tumble from your lips is the sound of your uncontrollable gasps for air and an occasional curse.
Given it was his first time, you hadn’t expected him to have so much stamina. His thrusts seemed impossibly fast, pistoning in and out of you at lightning speed without a second thought. 
Sinking against him, another orgasm washed over you as your mouth fell open in a silent scream. Carmy groaned at the feeling of your walls tightening around his cock, “Fuck, I can’t—! I’m gonna cum! I’m gonna cum, fuck, oh—!” 
His entire lower half rolls into you. He can feel crescents forming in his skin with how deep your nails are digging into him. He thrusts again, once, twice, and then a third time before he’s spilling into you. His cum seeps out around his cock, forming a white ring at the base. 
Despite hardly being able to breathe, he pulls you into a kiss. His lips move against yours in gentle movements. It’s a stark contrast to the way he had been pounding into you only seconds ago. His length is beginning to soften inside you, which you’re slightly grateful for. You weren’t entirely sure you’d make it through another round of that. 
“Are you okay?” he muttered, lips haphazardly meeting yours as his cock leaves you. “Shit, I didn’t mean to cum inside. I’m sorry.” 
You shook your head, “I’m on birth control. And I can get a morning-after pill.” 
He nods in response and then his eyebrows scrunch up. You almost laugh, wanting nothing more than to smooth out the ridges between them. Your hands glide over the fabric of his shirt, tracing over his chest absentmindedly. 
Pressing another kiss against his jaw, you ask him just to make sure, “Are you okay?” 
“Yeah, yeah,” he nodded, hands slipping beneath your shirt in order to rub your back. “It’s just—uh—I don’t know, it’s stupid—”
“I’m sure it’s not,” you interrupted, not wanting him to lose the confidence you had seen in him only minutes prior. “What is it? You can tell me anything.” 
His eyes quickly darted to the side. Although they only did so for a split second, you still noticed. Following the direction of his glance, your gaze lands on your discarded bra.
Carmy lets out a quiet curse as he zips up his pants, realizing that he had been caught. He ignores your smirk while he pulls you off his desk and helps you do the same. Even though helping you put your clothes back on is something no one else had ever done for you after sex before, you knew it was at least partially meant to distract you from your new revelation.
You quickly decide, however, that you can’t help yourself. With a smile, you quietly say his name in an effort to bring his attention back to you. 
“Hmm?” he muttered, trying to ignore the way your hands trace gently over his shoulders while he rebuttons your pants. 
You slowly tilt his head, leaving him with no choice but to meet your eyes. You repeat his name in a sing-song voice, “Carmy!” 
He grasped your hands in his and pulled them away from his face. He quickly distracts himself by playing with your fingers. After a moment, he sighed before looking at you with softened eyes. 
“Can you teach me the bra thing now?” 
Your face brightens with an amused laugh. Carmy instantly groans in embarrassment, throwing his head back and swatting gently at your backside with a muttered, “Stop that! I told you it was fucking dumb!” 
“No, no,” you shook your head, still chuckling as he rolled his eyes. “Pass it here, Berzatto. Then you can keep it as a homework assignment.” 
He muttered a curse under his breath, which only made you fall into another fit of laughter. He then picked your bra up from the floor and handed it over. With an arm on either side of your hips, he rests his palms on his desk that sat behind you. All his weight leans onto them and you can’t help but smile at how close he is while he stares intently at your hands, waiting for you to begin your lesson.
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novalpha · 1 year
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𝘝𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘰𝘯 𝐹𝑖𝑐 𝑅𝑒𝑐𝑠
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♡ Fluff || ୨୧ Angst || ★ Smut || ꗃ SMAU || ⌗ Series || ✿ Drabble || ♤ Mature (No smut) || ✹ Humor
❙❘❙❙❘❙❚❙❘ ⌕ Buy A Boyfriend ♡★⌗ -> @sluttywoozi Part 1 , Part 2 , Part 3 , Part 4
Summary: Being a professional boyfriend on SVTHub is great - all Vernon has to do is respond to a few texts, send out a couple selfies, do a stream every now and then, and he makes enough to cover tuition. Things get a little tricky when he finds himself wishing he actually was your boyfriend.
❙❘❙❙❘❙❚❙❘ ⌕ By hook or by cross ♡୨୧★ -> @kabira
summary — so you punched a guy, and now he wants you to teach him how to fight, because clearly, you know how to do it better. well, fine, you say. as long as he keeps his distance. (spoiler alert: he doesn’t.)
❙❘❙❙❘❙❚❙❘ ⌕ divorce child ♡★ -> @lovelyhan
summary: you like to think that your most recent breakup with vernon ended on relatively good terms. there’s only one issue left to sort out: who’s getting custody of the cat you got together?
❙❘❙❙❘❙❚❙❘ ⌕ Cold hands, Warm hearts ♡ -> @duhnova
synopsis: this holiday season, your daughter decided the best present she could give to you was a new boyfriend, which is why she and her best friend yujin have taken it upon themselves to play matchmaker. their candidate? yujin’s father.
❙❘❙❙❘❙❚❙❘ ⌕ Operation : Hot girl summer ♡✹★ -> @shuaflix
SUMMARY ▸ the summer you started putting more effort into your appearance also happens to be the summer where vernon chwe's piercing gaze leaves you feeling like you're floating high up in the clouds.
❙❘❙❙❘❙❚❙❘ ⌕ Not a virgin ♡✹★ -> @ncteez
Vernon, a friend of your friend spills his spicy sex life and accidentally reveals to an entire group of near-strangers (including you) that he’s had sex one and a half times and that it was sick.
or the one where despite vernon not being a virgin, he is somehow more of a virgin than an actual virgin. 
❙❘❙❙❘❙❚❙❘ ⌕ High and fucked ★ -> @rubyreduji
summary: hansol is nothing to you but your ex-boyfriend's roommate, but you still find yourself alone with him while you get high together
❙❘❙❙❘❙❚❙❘ ⌕ Risk it all ★ -> @sluttywoozi
Summary: Vernon's got a crush on his tutor, and everything gets harder when you start wearing thigh high socks. Everything.
❙❘❙❙❘❙❚❙❘ ⌕ The soulmate service ♡✹୨୧ -> @dkfile
the soulmate service has one purpose: to help those who drew the short end of the stick and ended up without a person to live their forever with. after the heart wrenching realization that the boy you’ve loved since you were thirteen isn’t the one meant for you, you put your love life in the hands of vernon chwe — which, now that you think about it, is probably a very bad idea.
❙❘❙❙❘❙❚❙❘ ⌕ Work husband ♡✹ -> @wondernus
synopsis: falling for the young and flirty high school history teacher is inevitable especially when he pays for your groceries and calls himself your work husband
❙❘❙❙❘❙❚❙❘ ⌕ Trillium ♡★ -> @beahae
Summary: Vernon is flying in to see his girlfriend. Oh shit, that’s… you. Being away from him for the past few months ago makes it hard for it to feel real, especially after two years of what you both convinced yourselves was a purely platonic friendship. Now that he’s here in the flesh, you are determined to make it feel real. And very non-platonic.
❙❘❙❙❘❙❚❙❘ ⌕ Say you love me (i love you) ♡✹ -> @viastro
synopsis: three heavy words. you’re so used to saying this to the one person that’s always been by your side, because you know that he’s your other half; platonically. these words have always held some sort of meaning whenever you say it to vernon, in hopes that maybe one day he’ll say it back to you.
❙❘❙❙❘❙❚❙❘ ⌕ Distraction ♡✹★ -> @minghaoyoudoin
summary: typically, when a person’s house smells like fire, you call the fire department. when your house smells like fire, you know it’s because Vernon is cooking.
[ More Vernon fic recs will be updated ]
Want more Seventeen fic recs? -> Click here
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j4gm · 8 months
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SPOILERS!!! REFERENCES AND EASTER EGGS IN F&C ep. 8: JERRY
The last of four posts for today.
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This episode has a very dark setting. This is the universe where The Lich wished for the extinction of all life. There is nothing here. This establishing shot features the Squirrel's apple cart, from a few episodes ago, but he is long dead and it is long abandoned.
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We are introduced to a new cosmic entity, Orbo, who is Scarab's boss but is not to be mistaken for Prismo's boss, whose identity remains a mystery.
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Simon name drops a whole bunch of magical items from the original Adventure Time series; the Armour of Zeldron from Blood Under the Skin, the Wand of Dispersement from Sons of Mars, the Porcelain Lamb from Beyond This Earthly Realm, and the magic beans from The Pods.
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This episode suggests that the nature of Simon and Betty's relationship was initially quite unhealthy. He was one of her lecturers, and she had an infatuation with him from first sight.
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This illustration features the ancient wizards who sealed Coconteppi beneath Wizard City in the Distant Lands episode of the same name.
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Simon's expedition to find the Enchiridion was first mentioned in the newspaper clipping in I Remember You, and was mentioned again in Temple of Mars.
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BMO apparently survived The Lich's wish because he isn't technically alive. I wonder where Neptr and the other MOs are. Cannibalised for batteries, perhaps. Also, that BRB note is very sad and is identical to the one Finn wrote in Blenanas.
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There are various familiar items in the thawed out remains of the Ice Kingdom; ninja paraphernalia from The Chamber of Frozen Blades, Ice King's diary from The Empress Eyes, and of course the tape collection from Holly Jolly Secrets.
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Here's a deep cut: That machine in the background to the right of Simon is the machine that held the lightning power that Finn went to steal in What is Life, so that he could power up Neptr. The Demonic Wishing Eye is also in this shot.
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For a single frame, Ice King and Gunter can be seen reduced to skeletons. Presumably this was the exact moment that the Lich's wish took effect. Everyone died instantly, in less than a frame.
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When I watched this episode for the first time I was confused about where Fionna got the working crown. But you can just about see it inside the drum in this shot, where Ice King mentioned he had put it in his tape.
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This is the exact moment the photograph was taken for the newspaper clipping seen in I Remember You.
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We first heard the story about how Simon met Betty after they tried to check out the same library book in Broke His Crown. It's cool to see it playing out for real.
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Simon throws a pebble at the window and accidentally hits Babette in the face, exactly like Finn and Jake did to Kim Kil Whan in the episode Ocarina.
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This is the second time Simon caused Betty to miss this research trip to Australia. She says in Temple of Mars that she never got the opportunity to go, and resolves that her life might not have been so messed up if she'd followed her own dreams instead of following Simon's.
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The song in this scene, the motif of which has been heard throughout the series, is by Half Shy, who also wrote "Monster" for Obsidian.
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BMO is buried with a paper flower because there are no real ones left alive. His death seemed pointlessly cruel.
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THE LICH! He is in his half-disguised Billy form, confirming that this is his wish-altered reality. Like in his other appearances, the first line he speaks is a single word command. This time, the command is "Cease." But with nothing left to do he has become depressed, and he doesn't bother killing our protagonists.
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And finally, we are left on this cliffhanger. Fionna and Cake have returned to their world. Scarab has convinced the boss that Simon must be destroyed. And GOLBetty is here to claim them both while the Lich watches on.
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This episode's dream features a pair of Lich skulls either side an effigy of GOLB.
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luxaryllis · 9 months
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hi!! if you're accepting requests rn could you pls write just pure angst of azul with a younger sibling who he was super close to before, but when their parents got divorced they grew distant bc the sibling went to live with their dad instead of with him and his mom. then a few years later sibling ends up attending nrc and azul recognizes them and is excited to talk to them again only to discover that they're not the same as before.
rlly loved your scared younger sibling fics. they gave me chest pains bc of how damn sad they were. keep up the good work :)
Brother Knows Best
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Note: OMG!! What is this!? I, Lux, FINALLY finishing something and posting it?! Has a miracle truly happened?!
Anyway, I'll just write the sibling of this one as a year younger than Azul, and the sibling was also be an octopus merfolk. I'm going to mention the reader having interests in some stuff, so please don't get offended if it doesn't apply to you. You can always just replace the traits I put as a trait of yours!
And imma just use Ashengrotto as the family name, cuz idk if Ashengrotto was the last name of Azul's bio father, or step-father, or the maiden name of his mother.
Warning/s: Parents divorcing, Split custody, Angst, Spoilers to Azul's backstory and past, Spoilers to Azul's Ceremonial Robes vignettes, Reader is mentioned to have somewhat similar features to Azul (specific features aren't specified), Tell me if I missed anything
Full post under the cut!
-----
"Big brother! Why are you crying?" A slightly smaller mer-octopus swam closer with a concerned expression.
Azul, who was hiding in an octopus pot, looked up to his sweet and innocent little sibling. The 7-year-old boy's eyes soften, and Azul knew that it was only a matter of time before his baby sibling, [Name], would go through all the bullying and teasing as well.
But Azul didn't want that. He wanted [Name]'s cute smile to last forever. He wanted [Name] to not have to see and experience the horrors of simply being themself. He wanted to protect [Name] from everything and everyone who dared hurt them.
Azul's heart squeezed in his chest as he realizes that he can't. He can't protect [Name]. Azul couldn't even protect himself! He truly was... a weak, dumb, slow little octopus...
Tormented by his thoughts, Azul continued sobbing, hiding further into the octopus pot, hiding his chubby face from his little sibling.
"Don't look at me!!" Azul cries out, accidentally spitting out ink from his tentacles, staining the waters around them. The mess caused Azul to cry even more, the ugly black liquids reminding him of what the other kids told him.
[Name] frowns softly, they didn't know why their big brother was upset. The younger mer-octopus moves closer to the octo-pot, trying to coax their older brother to come out.
"Zul-ie.. what's wrong? I don't like seeing you sad..."
Upon receiving no response, the younger child purses their lips in a pout.
"Come onnn...! Mom and dad made dinner! They made fried chicken! Your favorite!!"
---
"Big brother!! Look, look! Wanna hear this song I learned on the piano?!"
Piano keys played a gorgeous melody under [Name]'s fingers, and Azul watched with wide eyes full of wonder and pride. Azul felt a small sense of envy in him, but he couldn't find it in himself to acknowledge the jealousy, because Azul was too proud of his younger sibling to do that.
And yet...
As [Name] learned more and more, Azul couldn't help but feel... left behind.
As though [Name] doesn't need him anymore.
But... but that isn't true right? [Name] needs Azul... right...?
As days and years pass by, nagging feelings of envy and worthlessness bubble up in Azul as he watches his sibling shine.
'I should be proud of them,' he thinks to himself as his mind wanders while he was studying.
---
'Mom and dad don't love each other anymore...'
Those were the thoughts in the two siblings' heads while they listened to their parents argue for what felt like the umpteenth time. And today, it seemed as though everyone in the house had finally had enough of the screams and shouts.
Around a month or so later, the Ashengrotto family were in court, for a divorce trial. It was a somewhat long process, but the judge's words hit the two children like a truck.
"Mrs. Ashengrotto is to be given custody over Azul Ashengrotto. Whilst Mr. Ashengrotto is to be given custody over [Name] Ashengrotto."
When the Ashengrotto family split up, Azul and [Name] were desperately trying to stay together. It went to the point that their parents had to pull the crying siblings apart because [Name] and their father had to leave.
"Big brother!!! NO!!"
"[Name]!!! Don't leave me please!!"
---
"DON'T LEAVE ME!!"
Azul wakes up with a start, sitting up from the bed with wide eyes and heavy breathing. His hair was frazzled in a bedhead, and he quickly looks around.
The Octavinelle Dorm Leader recognizes his dorm room, and breathes a sigh. Not one of relief, but one of exhaustion. Azul reaches to his bedside table and takes his glasses, putting them on as he checks the clock. 5 am.
Next to the clock, Azul sees the small picture he placed. A family picture of him, his mother, his father, and his younger sibling. It was taken before his parents had divorced. When they were all happy...
Azul stares at his younger sibling in the picture, yearning to see them again. He reaches out a bit, but stops himself and shakes his head. 'Now is not the time', he thinks to himself. He shakily stands up and starts getting ready for the welcoming ceremony of the new first years of NRC.
Azul leaves the room and passes by Jade and Floyd's shared room. The house-warden could hear Floyd's complaining through the door and he sighs, knocking on the door and speaking.
"Floyd, would you stop complaining? Jade and I have to get ready for the Welcoming Ceremony, and you and the others have to start preparing for the welcome party for our new first years."
Almost immediately, Floyd replies with a slight whiney tone. "Says the person who wasn't wrung out like a rag for some lotion! I can barely walk!!" Azul could almost hear the pout in Floyd's voice and sighs in exasperation, listening to Jade trying to calm his brother down.
Deciding to leave the twin eels alone, Azul starts to walk away and head to the Lounge to make sure the preparations are going smoothly. As he walked, his mind can't help but wander to thoughts like if he and his own younger sibling would have a similar dynamic to Jade and Floyd. Hm, or would their dynamic be more like Idia's and Ortho's? Likely not, perhaps.
These thoughts weighed in Azul's mind, and he feels himself shaking his head, trying to rid himself of those thoughts. He hasn't seen his younger sibling for a long time; but Azul certainly hopes that [Name] didn't have such a drastic change like he did.
For some reason, Azul couldn't bear the thought of his previously happy-go-lucky and outgoing [Name] to be anything else other than such a happy mer-octopus. It was wishful thinking, but what kind of older brother would he be if he didn't wish only the best for his younger sibling?
---
When the time came for the Welcoming Ceremony to begin, the Housewardens (exceot for Malleus Draconia, who likely didn't receive the invitation, Azul thinks) were all lined in a circle surrounding the mirror, waiting for students to be sorted into their own dorms.
As each student was being sorted to their dorms, Azul takes the time to look at each student that seemed to catch his attention. None seemed very relevant thus far, maybe a few people he could exploit here and there.
"Next student!"
A student dressed in the NRC Ceremonial Robes stepped out of the crowd of the unsorted first-years. Their hood was on and casting a shadow down their face as they walked towards the mirror.
"State thy name." The mirror said when the student stepped up.
Suddenly, the student spoke a name that ran a shiver down Azul's spine. A name that Azul never thought he would hear no matter how much he wished to hear.
"[Name] Ashengrotto."
Jade raised an eyebrow and turned to Azul curiously, and some other students who recognized the last name also snuck some glances to the Octavinelle Dormleader. Azul could vaguely hear Idia's voice through the floating tablet, saying things like, 'Plot twist?!', but he paid no heed to it.
Azul's eyes were wide, and his mouth was lightly agape in surprise. His younger sibling... studying in NRC?!?
Questions ran through Azul's head in that moment. How is his younger sibling doing? Do they still like to play the piano? Or perhaps they still continued collecting those sea shells? Did [Name] still want to be a singer when they grew up? Do they still enjoy chasing their tentacles like a dog liked chasing its tail? Do they still have that same smile they always did; the one that brightened any room they were in and made their eyes glimmer like the stars land-folk liked to gaze at?
The Dark Mirror spoke again, "The shape of they soul is..."
Azul was beside himself with worry and anticipation. What dorm would his younger sibling be sorted into?
'Octavinelle, Octavinelle, Octavinelle', Azul chanted in his head, hoping for the Dark Mirror to sort [Name] in the dorm he was in.
"... Octavinelle!"
It took almost everything in Azul not to let out a sigh of relief, but he was celebrating in his mind. Suddenly remembering that he was the Dorm Leader of Octavinelle, he stepped up and made himself known to his beloved younger sibling.
Azul mustered up an amicable smile (and those who knew him were rather surprised at how genuine Azul's smile looked), and spoke. "Welcome to Octavinelle, right this way please."
[Name], not having realized who the person underneathe the hood was, nodded and walked to the crowd of Octavinelle students, waiting for the Welcoming Ceremony to be over.
---
After a rather tiring Welcoming Ceremony, with an entire fire getting started by a racoon-cat-monster named Grim, all the students (save for that one student who couldn't get sorted to a dorm) were allowed to leave and go back to their respective dorms.
The Octavinelle first-years were granted a delicious meal and celebration, and were all briefed on their duties in the Mostro Lounge. The entire time, Azul kept sneaking glances at [Name], which wasn't really left unnoticed by the twins or by [Name] themself.
Azul eventually mustered up the courage to approach his younger sibling and struck up a conversation.
"[Name], it's very nice to see you..! I'm Azul, remember? Your older brother?" Azul's voice was one of slight anxiety, did [Name] eveb remember him? It has been a while since they last even heard from each other..
[Name] turns to look at Azul and nods a bit, smiling a little. "Ah, right. It's so nice to see you again, Zulie."
Being referred to his favorite childhood nickname made Azul smile softly, but he couldn't shake off the surprise at seeing the change of demeanor in [Name]. Back when they were younger, [Name] was much more outgoing and enthusiastic compared to this [Name], who seemed to want to curl up in a ball when someone else tried making conversation with them.
Not even their smile fully reached their eyes anymore. Just what had happened to his beloved younger sibling in the time he was gone?
Internally hoping that his younger sibling hadn't changed too much, Azul tried to continue the conversation. "Ah, do you.. still play the piano?"
[Name] shook their head and smiled a little sheepishly in reply. "Oh, no I don't anymore. Atleast, not as often as before. I still play it occasionally, but I don't exactly find it as fun now."
"What about collecting sea shells? Surely, you still find that enjoyable?"
"Dad and I lived in a more colder part of the ocean, and there weren't a lot of sea shells to collect. So, no, not really."
"Ahh, I see... what do you like doing nowadays, then, [Name]?"
"Oh, well..." [Name] then proceeds to tell their older brother of their interests; though most (if not all) the things the younger Ashengrotto listed were things Azul weren't very interested in.
Regardless, Azul nods in understanding, trying not to mind how much his sibling had changed.
The next few weeks after that, Azul had found it hard to approach [Name]. Why? Well, maybe it was because of the fact that his younger sibling had grown rather attached to the Ramshackle prefect and a certain trouble-making trio (Ace, Deuce, and Grim).
Azul had enough of it, seeing his younger sibling get roped into trouble from their group of friends. When [Name] had came back to the dorm with the Heartslabyul's dorm leader's collar on them, Azul had to pull his younger sibling aside to talk.
"[Name], may I ask exactly why you have Riddle's collar on you? What did your friends bring you into this time?" Azul asked [Name] as they spoke in Azul's office. Azul was looking at his beloved younger sibling with furrowed brows and a scrutinizing expression.
[Name] replied, "It's a.. long story, big brother. Yuu, Ace, Deuce, Grim, and I were at Heartslabyul's Unbirthday Party. Dorm Leader Rosehearts got mad at us and collared us and kicked us out of the party because a rule was broken.."
Azul sighs in disappointment and exasperation. He can't believe his younger sibling associated themself with such troublemakers.
"[Name], honestly, why do you even hang out with such people?! They're getting you into trouble!"
[Name] tries to defend themself, "They don't mean to! And I can't just stand by and watch as my friends suffer on their own!"
Azul starts to get a little frustrated. Can't they see, those group of 'friends' as [Name] calls them are terrible influences. It's only a matter of time before they start using [Name] for their own benefit, Azul is sure about that. After all, [Name] has always been rather straightforward in the way that they won't hesitate to help (such values were strange to see in a school like Night Raven College). And Azul knew what happened to people like that; they get exploited, wrung out like a rag, draining them out until there's nothing left to give.
If [Name]'s friends were anything like the other students of NRC (like how Azul would treat his 'clients'), it would be so, so much worse for [Name]. Oh, Azul could practically see it now; it'll start small, like helping out with homework or lending some money. Eventually, it'll be like his younger sibling got the life and kindness sucked out of them, leaving them burnt out like a poor, unfortunate soul!
And Azul can't and won't let his beloved younger sibling go through that. He won't let [Name] fall from grace so terribly like the people who've broken their end of the deal with him.
And that is what Azul tells [Name] (leaving out the parts that paint Azul as the scheming businessman he is, of course) in an effort and attempt to dissuade his sibling from staying friends with their troublemaking friends.
"Don't you see, my dear sibling? They're only using you and their troublemaking schemes would run your student record through the mud. They're getting you involved in so much drama and troubles, and as your older brother, I'd hate for you to be surrounded by such terrible influences," Azul says.
[Name] frowns a bit. Azul worded it as though they hadn't done anything wrong, which wasn't all that far from the truth, though. However, [Name] also knew that Azul was thinking that they were being dragged against their will to help out, which they weren't.
"Big brother... I'm helping out willingly, because I want to. Besides, they're my friends. Didn't the Sea Witch always help other people? We're Octavinelle students, we must always follow the Sea Witch's values."
[Name] replies. The facts about Octavinelle and the Sea Witch were things that the younger Ashengrotto used to try convincing Azul to let them go.
Azul clicks his tongue, his eyes narrowing as he pushes up his glasses that were starting to fall a bit. "Then perhaps you should try getting better, more behaved friends instead of the ones you have right now. What happened to the well-behaved [Name] I used to know?" Azul mutters under his breath, but [Name] could still hear Azul's words.
[Name] frowns at the last question. "What 'happened' is that life happened, Azul. Not everyone stays the same! I've changed!!"
Azul, however, has difficulty getting behind the thought, shaking his head in denial, "Then change back!! [Name], I want the old you! The one who'd listen and trust me without a second thought! The one who was dependent on me! The one who actually made me feel special!!"
That was the last straw for [Name]. They have grown tired of their older brother trying to keep them the same as they used to when they were a child. Can't Azul just let go of the past? "Well that [Name] is gone!! I'm independent now, Azul! I'm not a child! Stop treating me like one!"
[Name] shouts in a burst of anger, before their eyes widen, not having expected themself to actually blow up like that. Not necessarily regretting it, though, the young Ashengrotto quickly turns away and leaves Azul's office, ignoring their older brother's shouts for them to come back.
---
Azul breathes heavily as he falls to his knees, watching as his younger sibling walks away from him, closing the door behind them. The sight can't help but remind Azul of the time when he and [Name] were separated; just this time, [Name] was being pulled away by their 'friends' instead of their father.
Azul can't believe this!! Did [Name] really just walk away from him?! After everything Azul did in hopes of having his dearest sibling back?! How dare they!
How dare they change! How dare they change so much to the point Azul barely recognizes them! How dare they move on from the past so quickly, as if it didn't bother them! And how dare they even think of choosing their friends over him!
How dare they make him cry! How dare they say words that hurt far more than when those pesky merfolk would bully him!! How dare they leave him there, with tears falling down his eyes and with a heart aching for family!
How dare they, how dare they, how dare they!!
Azul takes a deep breath of resolution, his eyes narrowing behind the glint of his glasses. Never mind, then. He'll show them, he just knows it.
Azul calls the Leech twins over to the office, preparing to make a plan for the upcoming exam season, a list of specific names he wants them to target.
He'll show [Name]. He'll show them that he's right. That big brother knows best.
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yuus-sentient-teddy · 6 months
Text
"You're staying here."
A/N: Spoilers for Prologue, Books 1-6, and certain events. Sorry! I've had this story in my drafts for so many months. I hope ya'll enjoy it and please let me know what you think.
EDIT: I accidentally posted this while in the middle of editing and decided to still work on it while it was posted XD
". . . What? Hang on--"
"Calm down, we just need you to be our in-between in case the beast gets to us. Having you up here means you can get to the Headmaster faster--"
"Wait, stop. Stop." Yuu squinted at Leona, incredulous. "You could have one of your dormmates do that. Your dorm is based on athletics, I'm pretty sure whoever he is could get to the Headmaster faster than me. Not to mention, I'm a Beast Tamer, I should be going with you guys!"
"You're also magicless." Leona was mercilessly blunt with that fact. The words reminded Yuu of all the jabs of random bullies throughout the schoolyear, and they gritted their teeth. Before they could argue back, Leona said, "I'm not saying that that makes you useless, but let's face it: you're not going to survive that oversized house cat unless you can put up a barrier or counter a spell."
"I probably wasn't meant to survive a lot of things since coming here, but look what happened--" Yuu spread their arms out--"I'm alive anyways."
"It's probably because you had one of us or Grim with you," Ace said. "Dealing with the ghosts at Ramshackle the first night and every other thing after that, Grim. Fighting the Phantom in the mines, the three of us. All of the Overblots, a group of us." He was counting off each instance with his fingers, clearly not sorry for making a case against Yuu. "I know you're not thrilled about being left out of something as big as this, but without Grim, you're not going to be able to do much, let alone protect yourself. We can't keep an eye on you either, so it's basically better if you stay here."
He didn't shrink away from the look of betrayal and anger on Yuu's face and stood still when they marched up to him. "Okay, first of all, when have I ever asked any of you to keep an eye on me? Yeah, never. And second in case you forgot, I've handled myself pretty damn well when it came to random magic crap. I literally can't count how many times I almost got burnt by fireballs, impaled by ice, and struck by lightning by people that can't aim, and there are a lot of them at this school. Yeah, Vargas's 'catch-up' lessons helped with my speed, but my point still stands."
They held up a hand, stopping Ace from rebutting. "And if you're going to bring up Grim probably throwing out spells with weird side effects, don't. I've suffered enough curses getting thrown at me and potions being snuck into my food to get used to weird effects."
"Wait, people have been doing those things?!" Kalim's eyes were wide in disbelief and shock. "Why?"
Yuu half-heartedly tossed their arms, palms turning upward, as a form of a shrug. "Probably because they're assholes and I'm an easy guinea pig. If we're being a little pessimistic, it's probably also because no one would miss me. Magicless nobody from another world and all that."
"That's a horrible thing to think about!" Kalim cried. The Ramshackle Prefect was a helpful person and tried avoiding trouble the best they could. Not to mention, they weren't in line for something major like a merchant business or a throne. How could anyone want to trouble Yuu? (And how could Yuu think no one would miss them?)
"No surprise they'd think that," Idia mumbled.
"Hate to break it to you, but even if you got potioned and cursed a lot, there's still going to be something you won't be able to handle," Ruggie said. "I get what you mean, though. I got cursed and potioned a bunch of times before I started working for Leona and still a little after. At some point, you're more annoyed than bothered by whatever happens to you."
There were times he saw his freshman self in Yuu. Struggling to understand the lessons, having to bear with a handful of cruel upperclassmen or fellow classmates, left to carry out a difficult task on their own... he sometimes may or may not have been at the right place at the right time to offer help--in exchange for a favor, of course.
"That still doesn't mean you should throw yourself into a fight without knowing what could happen to you," he added, almost scolding.
"I know, but I still helped with the Overblots, didn't I? I think that's enough proof that I can handle being in dangerous fights," Yuu said, crossing their arms. Their sleeve got pushed up and a healing scar on the back of their wrist was revealed, which caught multiple eyes.
Savanaclaw and the Leech Twins remembered the cry of fear and pain when the Octopus Phantom's tentacle snatched their arm, right after they had stepped out of the way of a funnel of water. Octavinelle and Kalim remembered Yuu being sent flying after the Genie Phantom shot a spell that created a force upon impact. They would have hit the wall like a rag doll if Azul didn't catch them with wind magic. The VDC group members remembered them on the ground, twitching sporadically as one of the Hag Phantom's regular sized apples innocently rolled away like it didn't poison them through touch. (Deuce panicked so hard he summoned a cauldron to crush it even though just stepping on the apple was all that was needed.) And who could forget Yuu yanking their arm out of a nest of thorny branches that had been summoned by the Dragon Phantom? They had scars from thorns that got particularly stuck.
After realizing they were staring, Yuu followed the gazes and put their hands in their pockets as casually as they could.
"If you're worried about us thinking less of you, I assure you we wouldn't," Azul said. "There's nothing about the offer that you should be worried about. Again, it's not because your magiclessness makes you less valuable. It's simply letting you avoid another troublesome fight."
He didn't turn on the charm; no smiles or overly fawning words. He was dead serious and it made Yuu uneasy. Why did he want them to take the offer? Although--and this uneased them much more--it was starting to feel like most of the boys were conspiring to keep them out of the fight.
"After everything you've gone through, you pretty much deserve this. Don't worry about Grim, either." Deuce pounded his chest. "We'll be sure to bring him back in one piece."
"I. . . appreciate. . ." Yuu gestured vaguely while also feeling that 'appreciate' was a strange thing to say. They didn't appreciate being pushed out of something important without being heard, and they weren't sure how to feel about the unexpected concern for their wellbeing, especially at a time like this. "I appreciate you guys wanting to give me a break, but I really am serious about coming with to save Grim."
They saw shoulders slumping and heard frustrated huffs. "Listen!" they yelled, starting to feel frustrated themself. "I almost lost Grim once! I need to be there to make sure I don't lose him again. I know you guys can do what I can't, I've seen you all fight before, and I know you all will be able to handle what's coming, but I can't stand being on the side again! So, like it or not, I'm coming with. And why do any of you care about me getting a few scratches or hits from magic, anyway? It's not like it hasn't happened before."
No one responded.
". . . Guys?"
Finally, Leona clicked his tongue. "So annoying. I told you all it would've been pointless to do this."
"What's going on?" Yuu scanned the faces around them, noticing how uneasy Jack and Riddle looked, how Ace and Deuce seemed to have something to say, how irritated or hesitant everyone else appeared. Malleus approached them and they immediately noticed his brows furrowed in concern. "Tsunotaro. . . ?"
"Two night ago, we all shared a prophetic vision, likely similar to what you have been experiencing as of late. All of us were gathered together battling the chimera form of Grim in the same area as the current one. He casted spells that were beyond his usual abilities, including one that made it hard to breathe. Somehow, in the blink of a moment, you ended up alone with him trying to get him to come to his senses."
Yuu held their breath as Malleus said, "But then he opened his mouth and lunged towards you, and the vision ended. Forgive us for not telling you sooner. It is difficult speaking of someone's prophesied death and we did not want you to lose your confidence."
Multiple eyes carefully watched Yuu process everything he said. Some wondered how this would affect their character (Malleus admired them for their courage, considering their circumstances, and Ace liked them for their gutsy and surprising moments; hopefully nothing would change).
Others hoped that Yuu would relent and let the group fight Grim without them (Rook was regretful of leaving Yuu behind, but someone as special as them needed to be kept safe; Riddle simply didn't want to lose a dear friend).
And others prepared to rebut Yuu if they were still stubborn about going (Leona was mentally groaning and Vil shared his sentiment; aside from the Freshman Squad's reputation for having hard-heads, the two understood how much Grim meant to Yuu).
The Ramshackle Prefect started to observe them in turn with an unreadable expression.
Then they scowled. "You all realize how fucked up it is to keep that a secret, right? I mean, shouldn't I be told I might be walking to my death? Or is it--I don't know. You all think I can't make my own decisions?"
"That's the thing, Yuu. You care a lot about the people around you, and when it comes to Grim, you'd do anything to keep him safe. Even if we told you about the vision, I'm willing to bet you'd try to convince us to let you come anyway," Ace said. "You're right, it was fucked up to keep the vision from you, but we can't let you be so careless about yourself, especially since it's basically confirmed you might die."
"That cat has no idea how lucky he is to have a patient and caring person like yourself," Sebek said. "It wouldn't do for him to learn it through severely injuring you."
"And actually, none of us would be able to stand it if you got hurt or worse and we had the opportunity to prevent it," Ortho said. "You've done a lot already. Just this once, we want to handle this without troubling you."
Yuu silently stared at their Squad, mouth agape.
"When we found out you had gone with Epel and Hunt to find S.T.Y.X.'s headquarters, we seriously thought wouldn't see you again," Deuce said. "You gave us a heart attack with what happened in Scarabia. What you did then was unbearable."
"I know it's pointless to think about, but I sometimes worry over what would have happened if I didn't get my Unique Magic in time," Epel said. "Seeing that vision of Grim pouncing on you, though. . . it's made it harder to sleep at night."
"Frankly, the headmaster could be more considerate of you," Jack said. "Having to take care of Grim and being a Prefect can't be easy. Not to mention, what was he thinking tasking you with stopping Azul?"
He rubbed the back of his neck, looking to the side. "On top of being a little reckless, it makes it hard to not want to pull you back from any trouble."
"So, whatever you tell us, we're not taking no for an answer," Ace concluded.
The anger they had towards everyone for their audacity to keep the vision a secret was dimmed a little (just a little) by their friends' worry for their well-being. At the same time, the worrying made their heart tremble and throat tighten. They closed their eyes and took a deep breath. "You know, this whole time I was expected to be a stone wall. I forgot what it felt like to be cared about."
"Huh?" multiple voices chorused.
"What do you mean by that?" Deuce asked.
"Well, I was pretty much thrown into a lion's den and expected to survive it. I wasn't given much sympathy either by nearly everyone I met, especially during the first month." (A few of the boys internally cringed, remembering the hurtful words he had said.) "There's also the fact that most of the school consists of pricks who are self-absorbed year-round. It's not very comforting to know that if something happens to me, there's a good chance no one's going to give me a hand, except if it's people I get along with or people who can benefit from my suffering."
"I don't blame you for wanting certain attitudes to change, but you know as well as I do that you'll encounter pricks and predators anyway beyond the school walls," Vil said but not without some sympathy.
"I do," they said bitterly. "Look, I get it. I shouldn't expect the world to hold my hand or offer me everything on a silver platter. But--god damn it, would it have killed anyone or even any of you guys to have some sympathy? To be a little more decent?”
"I was able to bear the atmosphere of NRC for a while, but at some point, it gets so fucking tiring. A student population that can't be a smidge nicer unless they're beaten up or more upfront about their actual intentions." They shook their head, then made a derisive sound. "That's why I'm having a hard time processing this. I'm sorry, but I can't wrap my head around the fact that you guys, who come from Night Raven College, are actually showing that you care."
The corner of their lip twitched upward, forming a broken smile. Concern was visible on everyone's faces.
"Yuu," Ace said, "are you okay?"
". . . No. I haven't been okay since coming here, or maybe I wasn't okay before coming here and it just got worse. I don't really know."
They turned their face to the side, but it was too late: everyone saw a tear slide down their cheek. Except for Grim and the rest of the First Year Squad, no one ever saw the Ramshackle Prefect cry. It strangely made everyone concerned, and some reached out a hand.
"Yuu..."
"Prefect..."
They raised a fist to their face, as though it could stop the tears before they could spill. They took a slow, deep breath to calm themself, but they never let that breath go in fear a sob would escape.
"Yuu." A hand gently touched their shoulder. "It's all right."
They shoved the person away. They couldn't see who it was from the torrent of tears that suddenly spilled and blinded their sight. "It's not!"
"I was starting to believe people when they said I wouldn't be anything! They told me I was useless and dumb and a nobody. They told me I should've stayed a janitor because I couldn't do anything right. They'd try to beat me up for some etiquette I didn't know or for some stupid reason."
Insulting Yuu's parents and them. . .
Riddle noticed Trey setting aside a big cookie during preparations for the Unbirthday Party. It was for Yuu. Earlier that day, someone or some people had stolen their bag and stuffed it with crumpled paper and empty food wrappers. Their notebooks--thankfully still in tact--had been tossed haphazardly around the school and led to the field where the bag was left. Trey found all this out when Ace and Deuce returned to Heartslabyul dorm scowling. The Unbirthday Party went on as usual, and Yuu seemed cheered up by the cookie and receiving the honors of petting a hedgehog. Much, much later, Riddle caught a bully red-handed and dished out the consequences for breaking Rule #53: You must replace anything you steal. Sadly, it didn't deter other bullies from stealing Yuu's bag, but Riddle still punished whoever he could for breaking an important rule and troubling someone so undeserving.
Threatening to take a tooth. . .
Leona overheard a conversation while napping in the botanical garden. In between sleep and waking, he initially thought he was dreaming the times he overheard the servants whispering disapprovingly about him. What made him wake up was hearing plots to get Yuu kicked out. He couldn't be bothered to care what ridiculous crap the herbivores in the other dorms or his juniors in Savanaclaw got caught up in, but this was something different. Joke or not, someone had to step in before either party gets kicked out--and that's what he did, telling the students off for planning something ridiculous and highly risky (and glaring harshly when he recognized some of the students as members of the Magift Club). After the students scrammed, he settled back down to sleep and his mind wandered to Yuu. He felt a little deja vu when he thought how they needed a tutor to keep themself from failing (and Grim too even though that fur ball could pay to be less annoying). It would dig into his rest time, but he had an idea for what Yuu could do to make up for that. Say, help a certain hyena finish his given tasks quicker.
"It feels like I'm only here for people to use or take from. I keep wondering why it always happens. Is there something wrong with me? Was there some invisible sign telling people I was a tool that didn't need repairs? Was I cheap labor because I'm on the bottom of some hierarchy?"
Taking Ramshackle Dorm away. . .
Once, Azul came across a group of students playing 'keep away' with Yuu and their lunch box. For a moment, he was reminded of his child self, trying to get back a seashell from a couple of bullies who were tossing it to each other over his head and taunting his slowness. He snapped out of his memories when Ace, Deuce, and Grim entered the scene, magic ablazed and yelling. It wouldn't be the first time he would see this happen: anytime anyone picked on Yuu while using magic, their friends would come to their aid. (If Azul had to be honest, he envied the Ramshackle Prefect for having people like the First Year Squad look out for them.) But then, some time after his Overblot, he came across a couple of students on brooms waving Yuu's homework from their perch. The sight particularly irked him, but before he could step in, one of the bullies lost his grip and a couple of papers got blown away. The rest of the homework got lost when he and his accomplice tried grabbing the sheets. It all drifted onto the wet grass below or sailed over the trees, and the bullies, suddenly remembering they had something more important to do, left Yuu scrambling to salvage what they could. Azul wouldn't forget the Prefect's face when they asked, defeated, what he wanted in exchange for helping them with the missing papers. He neither wouldn't forget their face when they asked how he had been able to deal with being picked on so much. For once, he didn't feel the urge to strike a deal.
Using them for a plan. . .
When the high of partying in the desert died down, all Jamil could think about was how he would tell his family that he Overblotted and why. It churned his stomach picturing their horrified faces, and it was made worse when he wondered what the Al-Asim family would do if they heard that their heir had been caught in a dangerous situation by none other than the loyal best friend. What would happen to him and his family then? Amidst the inner turmoil, the Ramshackle Prefect and Grim were far from his mind until he and Kalim found them practicing for the VDC tryouts. A proper apology was due, but he didn't have one prepared. It didn't seem to matter to the two, though, as they acted like nothing happened. As though he didn't force them to "solve" another dorm problem right after Grim expressed not wanting to. When Vil Overblotted, he saw Grim rearing to fight while voicing how troublesome it was to deal with yet another Overblot. His eyes slid over to Yuu. . . and it was crystal clear they didn't want to deal with anything anymore. They stared at Vil's cackling, levitating figure with despair, eyes telling of exhaustion and mouth tugging into a grimace, a sign of reluctant acceptance. He tried to protect them when he could from poisonous spells--emphasis on tried, since he still had Kalim to keep safe--and afterwards, offered leftover food whenever Scarabia had parties.
"Was an Overblot all it took for people to see me differently? I can't control how other people act, only how I respond. All I can do is take things easy and forgive, but I don't know if I can keep doing it. It's just. . ."
Their voice trembled. "So hard to keep going when it seems like barely anyone wants to consider you."
Word spread fast around Night Raven College and it wasn't long before Vil recognized that Yuu was in a challenging position: they lived in a literal ramshackle dorm, had to live on a small budget, and were entirely new to this world. He had to hand it to them, they possessed quite the will and backbone. After all they experienced, he counted himself lucky that they warmed up to him rather quickly--which was why he noticed how tensely quiet they became the night after their friends snuck a bite of unknowingly cursed dessert. When asked, they told him bluntly that it was painful seeing food used like that. They were struggling to pay off lunch debts and it was made much worse when already broken windows broke a little more or parts of the roof had to be patched up after a short downpour. Vil could see a little hunger in their eyes as they talked of instances where they had to decide between repairs and eating dinner that night, even the next two nights. He didn't know about their struggles in the first place, but he nonetheless felt terrible about what he did and deeply apologized. For the rest of the VDC training camp, he ignored any footsteps that came from the Prefect's bedroom and headed downstairs, even as they made the floorboard creak loudly.
Idia sometimes thought about how the Prefect looked when they thanked him for listening to their rambles of all the anime they watched back on Earth. The two of them were sitting in Ramshackle Dorm's lounge, waiting for the next level of the game to finish loading, when he glanced over. Serene and distant, like they had recounted a fond memory. He thought back to all the isekai manga, anime, and video games he consumed. Some protagonists seemed pretty eager to be in another world, others were immediately wishing to go back home, but those who expressed homesickness did it in a cool way, like staring at a moon while sitting next to a best friend (he did remember reading fanfiction where it was more emotional, though.) None had a protagonist talk about something as mundane as the shows they loved to watch, let alone a protagonist who would talk to someone awkward like him. Didn't Yuu have their squad for these sort of heart to heart things? But they insisted that he was the guy they wanted to talk to; according to them, he was the most similar to the friends they rambled to about anime and would very likely 'get' what they would be talking about. Idia was simultaneously flattered and frightened: flattered because his expertise in the media was recognized and frightened because he was in a position reserved for those with high relationship levels. In fact, he panicked when Yuu suddenly got teary-eyed. The saving grace was the next level finishing loading and the characters getting thrown into chaos. The next time he came to Ramshackle Dorm, he brought with him some anime he thought Yuu would appreciate.
"And that's the thing. I don't understand how people forget there's more to a person than whether they have magic. There were times I wished no one had magic so they'd just shut up and stop acting like they're better than me or anyone else. It's like having magic is an excuse to be an ass."
Yuu sometimes joined Malleus on his nighttime strolls. Most nights they would be sound asleep, which was why he treasured the times they were awake enough to walk with him. The two talked about anything that came to mind: gargoyles, schoolwork, differences between Earth and Twisted Wonderland. Then one night, Yuu casually mentioned that many of the students were rather. . . unwelcoming. "Some of them act like I don't exist, but it's better than getting my homework stolen and thrown to the wind." He was surprised, but not unfamiliar with bullying from Lilia's recollection of cruel humans and various history lessons. He asked why. They shrugged, answering, "Probably because I'm low on the hierarchy. I don't have basic knowledge on magic on top of being magicless." When he said it still didn't warrant such behavior, they smiled sadly and replied, "Well, that's how it goes when you got something another person doesn't, and that other person just so happens to not really fit in a certain place." Later, Malleus was distraught to hear from Lilia that some of the students who were unkind to Yuu were of Diasomnia. The dorm was founded on the elegance of the Thorn Witch, surely the students would act with decor. But Lilia told him not to worry, he had a word with those students on being more open. But Malleus still wondered if there was something he could do. It turns out the answer was simple (even though it took place after his Overblot): hang out with Yuu during the daytime. They were a fellow student, were they not? So why should they be treated any different?
"Sometimes, I wonder if anything would change if I Overblotted. Would anyone wonder then why it happened and be nicer? Or. . ." Yuu let out a bitter scoff. "Would nothing change and people just see me more as an alien freak?"
They scrubbed the tears in their eyes. "Maybe I'm just a dumb ass and my Phantom would just eat me. It's not like I have anything else to offer it. God, what am I doing?"
The weight of what they had spilled for the past couple of minutes started crashing down like a crumbling shelf. They didn't want to see what the others' reactions were and continued to wipe their eyes with their hands and sleeves, even if there wasn't much to wipe. Their mind cycled through anything they could say to escape such an embarrassing situation. So sorry, I didn't know where it came from. Let's go back to arguing why I can't come with you guys to save my cat. He has been nothing but a pain in the ass, I should know, but he's become nicer and been my primary protector. He keeps insisting he'd protect me because he's the boss and I'm his henchman, and it's so endearing sometimes. And he's comforted me when I become so sick and just need someone to hold me--
"How long has this been going on for?" It was a gentle question. Yuu lowered their hand and found Ace and Deuce standing before them, the worry on their faces making their heart clench.
"A long time."
"Why didn't you say anything? We could have done something, you know," Deuce said.
Yuu shook their head. "This school runs on sink or swim. 'Losers don't have the right to complain.' And did you guys forget that we're freshmen? What can you guys do against the whole school? I actually talked about this with the school counselor and all he could do was apologize and tell me he'll put in a note for the headmaster."
Yuu almost laughed at the faces Ace and Deuce made. "I'm pretty sure I'm his first case for something like this."
"Still, you shouldn't just take everything lying down," Deuce said.
"I don't want to anymore, but I'm so tired of fighting. At what point can I stop?"
Yuu was once again seen under a new light. The viewpoint was different for each boy: from magicless outlier to honorary dorm member, notorious problem solver to exhausted errand runner, doe-eyed student to determined but kind mastermind, just to name a few. Yuu had laid bare wounds previously covered up by uniform sleeves, things they couldn't talk about or didn't feel comfortable sharing because otherwise they'd go against the school norm and grab negative attention to themself. Their closest friends knew of these wounds; others caught glimpses of certain parts. With the revelation, they all shared a similar viewpoint: an ordinary person so far from home, dropped into a magical, chaotic world and more vulnerable than what anyone realized. More exhausted and heavily scarred than what anyone realized.
"When Leona told me to stay here, I thought all along you guys didn't think of me as someone who could stand beside you and that everything had just been you all tolerating me." Yuu's voice dropped to a whisper. "That had hurt me more than any of you could know."
". . . Anyone who thinks you're undeserving of your position knows absolutely nothing," Riddle said. "Not counting your grades, you've proven yourself enough to have a place in this school."
Yuu gave Riddle a wobbly smile and he found himself feeling a little bashful. "Thanks, Riddle."
The smile suddenly became strained and they looked away. "I'm sorry. I know I said I took things easy and forgave, but--" they grimaced--"I can't bring myself to let go of some things you and the others did."
A/N: This accidentally became a two parter
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dreamingalto · 1 month
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I was slightly bored and couldn't decide on what to do... and then I remembered the Hunger Games Simulator existed.
And I have been watching too much Dan and Phil lately...
One thing lead to another and I eventually ended up with the following:
The Phangry Games
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Naming logic went something like this: Hunger to Hungry. Gotta insert the infamous Ph at the beginning. Phangry.
Also yes Pastel Phil is accidentally named Punk Phil I didn't notice the mistake until after I began.
And it turned out 1000% more entertaining than I ever thought it could be.
So right off the bat, we have BIG Dan and Craftie Dan planning their fishing trip while Hiatus Dan is staying in character and fucking right off.
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Then a couple of them are fighting for bags but the bloodbath is staying pretty safe right now.
In fact, there is only 1 death during the bloodbath.
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Thought that meant that Day 1 was going to be a slow start but I SPOKE WAY TOO SOON! First, one of the craftie boys bites the dust to an infection of all things. Apparently HE doesn't provide medical care for infections.
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Interactive Introverts Phil also tried to get rid of the current Phil but he managed to escape. So really, no harm no foul.
Then the Acid Rain started and DAMN DAN AND PHIL (spoiler: especially Dan) CAN NOT SURVIVE ACID RAIN VERY WELL AT ALL!
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The day ended with only 11 survivors. 7 Phils and 4 Dans. PINOFs, Punks, Crafties, and WAD Era have all been completely eliminated!
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At this point, I decide I am rooting for the 2009 boys, Sister Daniel, or COTY and Revival (AKA the Current/2024) Phil. But I was also just immensely amused at how quickly the simulator popped off this time.
The first night was pretty quiet with no deaths or anything occuring. Some of the Phils snuggled up together while Revival Phil snuggled up with 2009 Dan.
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Then almost immediately on Day 2, a group with both the 2009 Boys, COTY Phil, and Sister Daniel actually raid Revival Phil's camp. So 10/10 on the betrayal there 2009 Dan.
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It stays quiet the rest of day 2. AND INTERESTINGLY ENOUGH ON NIGHT 2!
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Phil STOP TRUSTING 2009 DAN HE LITERALLY HELPED RAID YOUR CAMP EARLIER!
But besides the whole trust and betrayal plot with those two, we have both of the hiatus boys deciding that it was time to start the hiatus for everyone else.
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Hiatus Phil going for the more strategic kill as Pastel Phil is only Phil who has a kill up to this point.
Day 3 brings the feast. And just like BIG Dan tripped and died during the acid rain...
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Coming out of the closet apparently involved tripping out of the closet.
The feast also included the continuation of the Hiatus Boys kill streak with them getting rid of half of the remaining Dans.
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I really apperciate Hiatus Dan's commitment to lore accuracy.
This left only 6 tributes for the rest of Day 3.
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Which turned to the final five tributes almost immediately with 2009 Phil finishing off the TATINOF era team.
All that is left in the Final Five is the 2009 Boys, the Hiatus Boys, and Revival Phil.
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Night 3 is pretty quiet. But Day 4 ends up leveling the playing field with Hiatus Phil accidentally eating toxic berries.
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Nothing in particular happens on Night 4 EXCEPT for the fact that 2009 Dan is now snuggling up with Hiatus Dan.
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AND WITH A TASTE OF HIS OWN BETRAYAL MEDICINE FROM THE BEGINNING OF THE GAME, Hiatus Dan tries but fails to eliminate 2009 Dan in the morning of Day 5.
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After the failed attempt to eliminate 2009 Dan, Night 5 is actually pretty quiet. But on Day 6, Hiatus Dan sets his sights on the 2009 team again.
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This brought us to the final three. 2009 Dan and Revival Phil, who both have no kills so far. And Hiatus Dan, who has brought a hiatus to at least three other Dans/Phils.
I don't have that much faith in either 2009 Dan or Revival Phil, but anything can happen in this simulator.
And on Night 6:
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Revival Phil, in a bit of an ironic twist of following lore accuracy, put an end to Hiatus Dan while 2009 Dan actually ended up on fire.
No I am not sorry for that last sentence.
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THIS MAKES PHIL THE WINNER OF THE ENTIRE PHANGRY GAMES!
The simulation turned out a lot more dramatic than I have experienced in the past (with the whole underlying Trust/Betrayal Plotline that ended up emerging with the final three) and was so funny to go through.
Here is a link to the simulator in case this post reminded you this simulator existed and you wanted to try it for yourself.
(The above link should load up the DnP Season as shown in the first image but it might not work after around three months due to the websites saving policy)
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sesshous · 6 months
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pers: the ultimate wing“man” [freminet x reader]
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summary: freminet makes a new friend (you!)
genre: fluff (gn)
a/n: reader isn’t from fontaine, also takes place after 4.2 archon quests (no direct spoilers to anything though),  this fic kicked my ass i started writing this on the NINTH. but i really wanted to get it done because i adore him ♡ (can also be read as platonic despite the title!)
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when most people think of the self-proclaimed greatest magician in all of teyvat, lyney, they also thought of his magic assistant, lynette. when most people think of the magic assistant, lynette, they also thought of the once again self-proclaimed greatest magician in all of teyvat, lyney. when most people thought of freminet, they also thought of… diving? he was the most talented diver in all of fontaine, so it was no surprise that it was anyone’s first thought to connect him with the “only thing” he was actually good at (his words, not anyone else's). and for someone who spends more time underwater than on land and is probably in his own shell more than those armoured crabs you’ll find on the shore, it’s unlikely for him to be associated with other people.
there was one individual that some people didn’t consider..
pers.
how could they not think of him? okay, well pers wasn’t a human, but he was freminet’s most trustworthy companion! he practically brought him everywhere, including to his latest diving session. 
half an hour earlier, freminet had accidentally bumped into estelle, who had signalled him over and told him about how her ore supplier didn’t give her enough beryl conches for a project she was working on and requested him to get her some. originally, he had planned on going home since it was so late into the evening, but then he remembered talking with lyney and lynette about ‘wanting to socialise more’. he already finds it difficult to be around estelle with how much she talks, but he thinks that maybe this could be some kind of first step to becoming more comfortable with her. after agreeing to help her out, he set off to fontaine’s shoreline.
freminet was quick with gathering the beryl conches. after he collected enough, he went back to the surface to sort them out, examining them to make sure that they were in good condition. he did have to admit, diving while it was nearing night was pretty relaxing. it was just him, pers and the sea…
which is why he was now suddenly confused when he heard a sudden laugh. there shouldn’t have been nobody else around with how late it was. did he imagine it? he turned around to see where the laugh was coming from, he saw a figure crouched down with.. pers?
pers must have waddled off while he was so focused on the beryl conches... he swears his attention was only off him for a few seconds! freminet’s mind was at a blank here, but even he knows how rude it would look if he just walked up, snatched pers, came up with some excuse to leave and left, but he didn’t know who this person was- he was just concerned for pers safety! but while he was watching, he saw stranger pat pers lightly on the head and boop his beak with their finger, with the penguin flapping his mechanical wings in response. well, they seemed pretty gentle with how they interacted with pers. and he did remember talking to lyney and lynette about wanting to socialise more (that's why he was out diving so late after all), but normally they were both there with him to help guide him through conversations with people he didn’t know… but maybe this time, he could take this chance to try by himself?
quickly putting away the conches in his bag, he stood up, took a deep breath and nervously walked over to where they both were.
“um…” still anxious, he kept his gaze focused in on pers, however from the corner of his eye, he could see the stranger look up at him, with a smile.
“oh, hello! is this lil guy yours?”
“um,” clearing his throat, “hi. yes- yes, well he’s my friend…”
“really? what’s his name?” you moved you head a above pers in order to view his face, making direct eye contact with him. freminet felt his face heat up, quickly looking away.
“oh, it’s pers...”
“pers? that’s cute! i think it suits him.” moving back to your original position and taking pers’ flippers in your hands to lift them up and down slightly.
“thank you…” he glanced back over at you both (at pers, specifically), and stood silently as he watched the two of you play. 
“what were you doing out here?” you questioned.
“i was just diving for beryl conches…” he mumbled.
“beryl conches?!” you perk up. freminet flinched back a bit. he wasn’t expecting that much excitement for beryl conches of all things. “i saw them in the book i was reading about fontaine’s local specialties! they look pretty, i wanted to get one for myself, but i’ve never dived before…”
“oh… there’s someone who sells them in poisson… in the belleau region.”
“but it would be more special if i got one myself, you know?” freminet tilted his head and slightly nodded.
“yeah, i understand what you mean…” he murmured, silence following through. all he could hear now was the gentle tides against the shore and the squawking of some angler gulls. is this silence awkward for you? he feels like he needs to say something to keep the conversation going. you read a book about fontaine’s local specialties? you must be new to fontaine, did you move here? or are you just travelling- no, that’s definitely too personal... how about your favourite colour? or food? but those are boring, are they not? he could also ask you what you were doing out by the shore so late, but is asking the same question back okay? oh wait! your name-
“you mentioned that you were diving, right?” your voice snapped him back to reality, with you now standing up in front of him, holding out your hands with pers in them for him to take. “have you ever taught anyone how to dive?”
“i was diving, yes. and no, never. i don’t really think i would be the best teacher.” he looked down at your hands, reaching out and taking pers from them, face slightly blushing at your fingers making contact. it’s probably not too noticeable (he hopes). but now, he can ask for your name-
“how will you know if you never try?” you asked.
“well- well i guess you’re right, but i don’t know who would want me to-”
“wait, you can teach me! can be your first student?” your eyes lit up.
“i don’t… i don’t think… i…” he’s stuttering now. great, he made a fool of himself! (he didn’t)
“it’s okay if not!” you reassure him, putting up your hands. “i don’t want to pressure you or anything!” freminet shakes his head.
“oh, no- no, um maybe if i don’t have a lot of assignments tomorrow, i could show you the basics?” he clutches pers tighter to his chest.
“really? great!” you clap your hands lightly, “if you’re done collecting beryl couches, want to walk back together with me to the court of fontaine?”
“yes, i’ve finished. and sure, i don’t see why not…” okay! this time he’s really going to ask-
“that sounds awesome- wait!” you put out your hand to stop him. did he do something wrong?  “i forgot to ask you what your name is! i’m sorry!” laughing awkwardly, following up with your name. ah, you also forgot to ask, and your acting this nice towards him without knowing his name? …that puts him a little at ease.
“no worries, it’s freminet.” even he couldn’t help but give a small smile.
“freminet… i like it! you have a really pretty name.” okay his blush was most definitely noticeable now. 
“ah, thank you...” freminet grip on pers lessens.
“alright, let’s go. i’ll let you lead the way!” 
freminet thinks on the walk back, it should be a good time to ask you those questions he thought of earlier. and for once, he really hopes he doesn’t have a lot of diving requests tomorrow.
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“wait, i never got the chance to ask you what you were doing out so late”
“i was exploring around fontaine!… and then i got lost exploring around fontaine… but i guess it’s good that i got lost since i got to meet you and pers, right?’
“...yeah, right.”
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xcrust · 7 months
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Not very punk?
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A little drabble I wrote while procrastinating doing work for school. Its not super detailed and I accidentally made Sal a little more stoic than intended.
Gender neutral reader X Sal Fisher
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The first time that you met Sal was definitely not the greatest look for you. In fact to this day you sometimes get small bursts of cringe attacks thinking about it. Of course you believed that you can only make a moment embarrassing if you make it. But considering how much you hold him so dear to your heart today. Maybe meeting him and remembering all that embarrassment shows how impactful it was to have met him.
"You know for a guy that has blue hair, you're not really that punk"
Every few days you head towards the Addison apartment to visit the resident stoner of the small town of nockfell. You like to claim that you were not someone that frequently gets high. though wouldn't that be a little bit of a fib to the guy that's standing a few feet away.
"Im Sal, my dad and I actually just moved upstairs."
Another person that is going to be a subject to the freakshow of this building. Don't get that thought wrong though, you lived down the road with your parents. Like everywhere else on the planet there are always characters of people you see everyday but something about this complex just has such loud personalities whether it's intended or not. You would've been living amongst the apartment if it weren't for their parents having extremely weird auras of the place. Though it would be hypocritical to trash on it since you're spending half your time there.
“Man, that's a really cool mask! Ignore them. They're actually crazy” Larry got up from his bed to head towards the new guy.
“Larry literally shut your face before I kick you. I can also bet that the mask is a prosthetic.” So actually you are the only one that is high right now. Usually it's you both that get high all the time but as of the past few days Larry has been so freaked out that getting high would just bring one that's super freaked out. So here you were, in a ball.
“They’re actually right about that one” sal speaks out adjusting the straps around his head. For a little guy he does have quite a deep voice.
“See that is really badass!” If anyone saw you or to be more specific if any of your parents saw you then it would be so embarrassing and maybe the usual nerve being around a new person has been washed away. 
“They seem cool…you know that's a lot of big talk for someone that can barely keep their head up” the new guy speaks again. Mainly pointed to Larry because the target of that comment was already out like a light.
“Trust they're honestly very chill. I just don't think that they're even on the same planet as us” the host of the room started while heading towards his speakers. “What's your place in music? Let me show this band that i'm loving right now” 
“You sure that they won't wake up?” Sal asked while approaching the speakers as well. He had no idea but seeing the small bursts of spunk that you maintained while conscious was very alluring. That's not even mentioning the way that they knew what the prosthetic was.
“I have no idea but their loss, with my mom gone it's my rules in my room”
"Oh my gosh sally stop bringing that up" You're covering your face. It's in the middle of the day at school. Actually you and Sal were in the middle of bio class. Having been checked out of the lesson for such a long time now. "i promise i've never been that high before in my life and never will be again"
The thing about the first time you met him you were beyond greened out. Actually when you thought he left to search for whatever it was at the time you ran to the bathroom to throw up. Spoiler alert! He was still in the room.
"Im sorry im just trying to make punkness be stronger" He responds holding his heart. The sass of this kid is going to put you in a coma.
In all honesty you didn't know how you got so close to the over dramatic boy in front of you. Larry and Sal got closer before you both started hanging out one on one. Half of the first few months of meeting him the only times that you both interacted was in Larry’s basement. It's not like you avoided him but it's not like you didnt after embarrassing yourself so badly.
“You two in the back! Stop talking and pay attention” 
“Sally, count your days because the minute we are out of this classroom I'm putting you six feet under” You giggled out trying to be quiet. The teacher really only made it all more funny. Beside you sal was holding his mouth scrunched over in the textbook. You reflected looking at him, being in his presence really boosted all good emotions. The connection that you both got from each other has been such a 180 change. Not saying life was terrible before him but a large spark was given to you being together. 
“Ok (Y/N) five second head start and you're dead” 
You leaned back with the biggest smirk on your face. A minute from the bell and you're already stuffing all your things into your bag. Counting yourself lucky that the door is right beside you in the back of the class. 
*RiNG * *RING* *RING*
Before the second ring you're already halfway down the hall. Literally no agility was in your body unless it meant that you can beat any of your closest friends. Take the time you were hanging out with Ash. Putting a bet on whoever got to your house first would mean that the one that got there gets to ride your new motorcycle. The school isn't far and you did win but you could have been mistaken for an asthmatic by the time you got to your house. 
Running into Larry by the lockers you hid around him to make the escape. 
“Who are you getting away from no-” a flash of blue hair came zooming towards you both. If it weren't for the tall resident of the addison basement you wouldn't have gotten away. Pushing Larry to Sal before making it to the courtyards. You'd have to apologize to him when you win. For now it's all for one out here. 
The courtyard was very quiet. It being lunch didn't change the fact that no one was coming here. Though you wouldn't expect that much of a difference with the teachers lounge nearby. Luckily since no one comes here maybe it was time to text him your success. Pulling out your phone to say he didn't catch you within the first few minutes of the bell. 
A second later you're being put into a chokehold. 
“I win”
Sally stands behind you still interlocked. Damn that was kinda- No. Nope that's so wack. Crazy thoughts are reserved for crazy people. Inseconds though you lose your balance and completely fall on the ground. Him landing on top of you
“Woah sal take me on a date first” you said groaning in a choked out laugh. Eyes still not opened from the impact. 
“Wait! Don't open your eyes just yet” he sounded panicked so you followed going back to being relaxed laying down. The sound of buckles and straps being pulled explained the panic. It's been almost a two years since he moved in and to this day it has still been a touchier topic. It's no rush at all to see him though. Sometimes you long for moments to look at his face for long periods of time. Of course at sleepover you would maybe get a small glimpse in the middle of the night but light or lack thereof were basically the cockblock of the century. That being said, if he's not ready then no way in hell would you ask.
“Sorry, I'm good now,” he spoke out. You opened your eyes to see he moved himself a few feet away.
“Sal, you have no reason to apologize! did you do anything wrong? i dont think so” you reaffirm 
He sighs but looks at you with the same look that only you've been bestowed. Both teenagers sit in silence for a bit. You had shifted to sit closer to him to look up at the sky. 
“You know I care about you a lot… you've made this place so much more fun. Feel free to always feel comfortable around me and i'll bother you the same amount.” Talking to Sally like this comes from pure truth. You love him a lot. It could just be platonic or you're just telling yourself that. 
Getting up you grab his hand and start pulling him to the cafeteria. instead of letting go he interlocked your hands a bit tighter than the average person. Though it gave you a bit of happiness. He might not be the best with words sometimes but you appreciated that hand squeeze.  
“Come on! We need to make sure Todd isn't boring everyone to death.”
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After yet another ghost hunting sesions around the town it was pretty fair to say that the group was entirely pooped. So this brings us to the garage band party? More like a treehouse makeshift acoustic party. The tree was way too far from any extension cord to work so now we work with what we got. It is crazy to think that you've all been fending and mystery solving for nearly four years. In that time it was almost a joke to be called the mystery gang with a bit more emo flavor. During those four years, the relationship between you and Sal seemed to only grow more tense by the second. That's not in a bad way though.
“Hey , Sal and I are going to be getting some munch!” Larry says half way down the tree already. 
“YOOO WAIT, get some barbeque chips! You literally have to or else you're making the children starve!” Ash exclaimed, putting away the guitar.
Sal starts getting up from right beside you. The treehouse was not huge so most of us were sharing seats. You both were rocking in the bean bag. Somehow you both made it work even if it was definitely made for toddlers only. The position that was there was incredibly comfortable until Larry was continuously shouting from the ground.
“I'll see you in a bit” sal says before pushing your head slightly. Looking over to him while he walked out practically put you in a trance. 
Glancing over to Todd and Ash at the other corner of the room you can see them practically frothing at the mouth. The second Sal got out of sight they both pounced onto you. 
“Y/n, you're actually killing us over here” todd reclaimed. “Its been the longest fucking four years of my life watching you both eye fuck eachother.”
Wow, that is the most out of character thing that you've heard him say ever in your life. But like it was such a call out on your name.
“Dude that is so out of pocket” you're grinning while speaking out. “You need to stop hanging around Larry he's ruining your good guy persona”
“Stop it! You're trying to deflect that conversation! You and Sally are actually making us all lose our minds! When are you guys going to get together? ” Ash says. Looking at this intervention with Ash and Todd was almost comical to look at. Both of them really are not fighting the girl and gay best friend stereotype. 
“In my defense, I'd like to know if you ever cornered Sal like you are with me!” In front of them you look like you're taking this as a joke but on the inside you've been shitting yourself trying to think of a way out of this. In actuality you've had such a massive crush on him for so long. 
“Unlike popular belief we have eyes, so of course we've cornered him.” Todd rebutted. 
“Well damn, Uhh im not sure if there is anything that I can say… say what did he say about me?” In response to that, Todd and Ash really deadpanned so hard it almost stabbed you. 
“Depending on the information you tell us then we can decide what we can tell you” He continued.
“You guys suck– so maybe I like him an extremely small itty bitty bit but that really doesn't matter if he doesn't like me back” If they both couldn't deadpan anymore somehow they managed to do it in this instance. 
Just a moment goes by and you hear shuffling at the bottom of the tree. A hushed voice started exclaiming.
“Sal! You just stepped on my foot you whore” 
So this was a set up? You had no idea that Your friends were suicidal. Turning around you see the romance twins looking really nervous. In a flash all hell broke loose.
“Move! LARRY get out OF THE WAY!” Ash yelled while sprinting to the door of the treehouse. 
-
Cut to you with a bag of ice on your ankle. Sitting in your room with Sally holding your ankle to make sure nothing falls off. Long story short while you were trying to hunt the three devils, you fell down a few of the steps in the ladder. 
“So I heard you like me and itty bitty bit? Didn't know you were talking like a 5 year old now” Sal says.
“Oh come off it, maybe that toddler bean bag gave me a lobotomy while you were out” The feeling of it all being so tense. “But what if I do like you?” it's been so long that it really scared you that there was a chance that you could lose him.
“Then I would tell you to not stop. Maybe… for the past few years I really like you more than a bit”
“You know for a guy with blue hair, You’re really hot and maybe a little badass and maybe a little bit punk”
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secretswiftymarvelfan · 2 months
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Burnin' On - Firefighter!Chris x Reader (2 am)
A/N: Okay it was no secret that I absolutely love these two and I couldn't stop writing them! So here's the extensions series! There's no real over-arching plot, just interconnected one-shots as and when I think of them! This will contain spoilers to the original series so go check that out of you haven't already
Summary: After a very long day you return home surprised to find Chris had waited for you
Word Count: 1k
Warnings: Fluff!
Dividers by @firefly-graphics​​
Meet the Characters!
Burnin' Up Masterlist / Series Masterlist / Masterlist
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2 am
Your eyelids felt heavy as you finally pulled up outside the house. You let out a long sigh as you dragged your hands down your face before glancing at the time. 
It was well past 2 am.
Glancing back up at the house you could see no lights were on. You had texted Chris the code to tell him it was going to be a late one so he no doubt had gone to bed hours ago. There was nothing you wanted more than to climb into bed and snuggle up next to him, if Dodger had left you any space that is. 
Even though you were exhausted you remained sat in your car for another couple of minutes just gathering the energy to move. It had been an exhausting day, not just physically but emotionally too.
Eventually, you did manage to bring yourself to climb out of the car and head inside. You made sure you were as quiet as possible as you closed the door, took off your shoes and jacket. You didn’t want to accidentally wake Chris. 
Even though you didn’t have much of an appetite you knew you needed to have something to eat. The last proper meal you had was lunch and that was over twelve hours ago. You also knew you’d just wake up hungry again in a couple hours if you didn’t and you really wanted to sleep for hours after today.
Walking into the living room you flicked on the light only to be startled by Chris startling awake from his spot on the couch. You clutched your chest as you tried to get your breathing back under control.
“Chris what the hell? You scared the shit out of me!” You complained as your heart rate finally returned to normal.
“Sorry,” he said rubbing the sleep from his eyes “I didn’t mean to scare you, or fall asleep, I was trying to stay awake until you got home” he explained.
“Why? I texted to say I’d be home late so you didn’t need to stay up” you told him, pulling out your phone to double-check you’d actually sent the code.
“I know” Chris said pushing himself up from the couch and walking over to you “I also knew tonight was gonna be a hard night and I didn’t like the idea of you getting home and being alone” he explained placing his hands on your arms.
You instantly softened hearing his reason, stepping into his embrace, burying your head in his chest as you let out a shaky breath. Chris instantly wrapped his arm around you pressing a soft kiss to the top of your head.
“Wanna talk about it?” He asked softly, rubbing your soothingly.
“Not yet, I think I’m still processing it all, I just wanna sleep but I should eat first” you sighed pulling away enough to look up at him.
“Okay, I saved you a plate so I’ll go warm it up, make yourself comfortable” Chris smiled softly, nodding to the couch. 
“Not too comfortable otherwise I’ll be asleep before you even get into the kitchen” you pointed out. 
Chris lets out a small snort of laughter “Okay make yourself uncomfortable” he chuckled.
You give him a tired smile as you sit down on the couch, sitting on the edge as you knew that if you sat too far back sleep would be too inviting. Thankfully it wasn’t long until Chris returned with a plateful of food for you, and a smaller plate for himself. 
The two of you sat in comfortable silence as you ate. Once you were finished you set your plate down on the coffee table and let out a long sigh.
“We found the body,” you told Chris.
You heard him let out a long sigh as he put his hand on the small of your back. He didn’t say anything though, he knew to just give you time to talk it all through.
“We still have to confirm it's her because there was a lot of decay but she was in the exact spot he said she was” You continued rubbing your hand over your forehead “I just… I feel so sorry for the families…. Both of them… one lost their daughter and the other has just found out their son isn’t who they thought he was” 
Chris let out another sigh as he shifted closer to you, wrapping his arm around you and pulling you closer into his side. He knew exactly where your mind was going, it hadn’t been that long since you found out your own father wasn’t who you thought he was.
You let out a shuddering sigh as you wiped away the stray tears that fell “Sorry” you muttered.
“Hey, hey, hey,” Chris said shaking his head “You have nothing to apologise for”
“I shouldn’t be thinking of him though” you pointed out looking up at him.
“It's okay, it’s natural and you always will it’ll just be easier to move on” Chris reassured you “And I know it sucks and it hurts but it means you understand what they’re going through and feeling and you’ll be able to provide them the correct support”
You sighed nodding your head “Yeah you’re right, thank you” you say looking up at him.
Chris gave you a soft smile “It’s nothing, now let's get you up to bed, you deserve it” he said as he pressed a gentle kiss to your forehead.
“I don’t think I have the energy to stand” you admitted making Chris chuckle.
“Don’t you worry about that” he said with a lopsided smile before he stood up, hooked his arms around you and lifted you into his arms.
You let out a squeak of surprise before quickly snuggling into his arms. You smiled up at him forever grateful that you had him in your life to look after you after tough shifts, providing you a safe space that you never had before. He hadn’t even made it all the way upstairs before you fell asleep in his arms.
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Sharing is caring so please reblog if you enjoyed this and maybe even leave a comment to make my day!
This series has no schedule, please don’t ask when it will be updated!
Burnin' Up Masterlist / Series Masterlist / Masterlist
I don’t have a tag list but follow @secretswiftymarvelfanlibrary​ and turn on post notifications to stay up to date!
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v4mpgutz · 6 months
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Peppers, Slytherin Boys [ DRABBLE ]
— the slytherin boys + band au. this will include theodore nott, mattheo riddle, lorenzo berkshire, draco malfoy, blaise zabini and tom riddle (bc i said so) also the bandname.. ur probably thinking "how original" /sar but i couldnt think of anything JENDN
slytherin boys band
warnings ! — a little bit suggestive in some parts (hehehaha), mentions of smoking/cigarettes, mentions of eye pulling
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thinking about these boys starting a band together. they decide the positions will go as such: tom as lead guitarist + sub-vocals, mattheo on drums, theo as the bassist, draco on keyboard, enzo as main vocals and blaise as sub-guitarist.
they sit there in the common room, everyone bickering about who can come up with a better band name. tom sighs and pulls at his eyes with a groan. do they ever shut up?
draco scoffs and turns to tom, "alright then. think you've got a better name?"
tom blinks and gives him a blank look before saying, "uh yes. i've got plenty of better names actually." the boys look at him expectantly and suddenly tom is realising he has to give them a name suggestion, (spoiler alert: he actually had none.)
the usually quiet prefect clears his throat, "how about the deatheaters?" he asks. good, he thinks, that came out more certain than it did in my head.
mattheo raises his eyebrows in surprise and clicks his tongue. "damn, that's actually kind of sick. vote?" he glances around to see multiple grins and aggressive nodding from lorenzo (he gets excited easily.)
they practice for months, sometimes missing dinner and even breakfast just to get more acquainted with their positions and instruments. they finally convince dumbledore to let them play at a school dance — he's definitely slightly regretting it but he figures he can't take it back now.
theo swallows anxiously as he sees just how many students showed up to the dance and blaise sighs as he places a hand on the boy's shoulder. "chill, mate. we're going t' kill it out there."
"why are there so many people?!" theo attempts to whisper as he turns to his bandmates with wide-eyes. tom shrugs, draco shakes his head and continues reading over his music sheet, lorenzo chews his lip — just as nervous as theo... and mattheo? well...
"duh," the curly-haired boy gives a crooked smirk, cocky as ever. "they're here to see us — and by us i mean me."
tom smacks his brother in the shoulder and mattheo winces, rubbing it in a soothing manner. "i was kidding!"
dumbledore calls them onto the make-shift stage while the curtains are closed and mattheo throws his cigarette onto the floor, digging into it with his foot to put it out. blaise gags, "that's a disgustung habit."
mattheo shrugs and the band make their way onto the stage, taking their places. enzo up front, tom on his right and a little behind, mattheo at the back with his drumkit kind of floating in the air (magic perks), theo in the same place as tom but left, draco diagonally to mattheo's left and blaise just next to enzo.
lorenzo and tom clear their throats and take a sip from their water bottles before scrambling to peg them into the wings (accidentally hitting professor slughorn for which tom winces and apologises.) mattheo counts in with his sticks before starting in with a relatively quick beat, guitars being strummed and keyboard notes being played.
enzo's voice is a little deeper than usual and the crowd's reaction made it clear that they weren't expecting it. people from different houses looked up at the band, mesmorised.
mattheo had a grin on his face, his curls bouncing gently against his sweaty forehead as he hit the drums. blaise was focusing on the neck of his guitar, making sure not to mess up any notes, his skin so pretty under the gold stage light. tom couldn't care less about the audience but when his fingers moved quickly, so smooth against the strings of his guitar as he backed enzo's vocals and girls started screaming — it definitely boosted his ego a little. theo was more relaxed now, his eyes showing excitement as his stomach settled. draco blew strands of hair that fell out of his slicked back style away from his face, messing up a few chords but he was certain nobody noticed anyway.
when they finish up, the boys felt a rush of adrenaline and pride as everyone starts whistling and clapping.
they rush off the stage all giddy, smacking eachother on the back as they whoop and grin at eachother.
"whose idea was this again?" blaise asks, raising a brow.
tom shrugs with a sly smirk and hands a lighter to mattheo after he whines about needing a light for his cigarette. "no idea, but it was genius."
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giggling kicking my feet twirling my hair hehehaha, definitely will be writing oneshots for each of them with this band au in the future theyre so hot
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ackermonie · 2 years
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like a hot dad
content: nsfw, long haired levi, breeding kink, daddy/mommy kink if u squint, dilf levi, post war canon
warnings: +18 content, mild manga spoilers, f!bodied reader.
wc: 1.5k~
tags: @motherfckerrr bc they commented ehe
a/n: i genuinely had no idea where this was going i just kept writing and somehow ended up with being h word for dilf long haired levi and idk how to take it back tysm
also pls reblog if u can!! i’m tryna gain back my old followers from my previous blog due to shadowban, so spreading the word could def help!! tysm either way<3
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do you think levi would grow his hair out post-war?
idk mahn but the vision of him with a short wolf-ish is really getting to me.
i feel like maybe he’d let it grow accidentally. with the healing process for his knee and the rest of his wounds i feel like he wouldn’t really care about his hair, and you’re totally in for it.
it’s a huge change. for years, you’re used to levi’s neat hair and infamous undercut, and you were 100% into it. but now as he finally lets you cut his hair for him instead of doing it himself, you kinda slowly fix it in a wolf cut and let it grow gradually.
you’d come up with excuses every time he asks you to cut his hair.
“i have so much to do around the house today, my love. maybe tomorrow?”
“oh, i’m on my period today. i can barely stand up.”
“oh! i forgot i have to go get stuff from the market! i’ll be meeting gabi and falco, i can’t be late, can i?”
once he gets frustrated with you, the raven silk was already down to his nape. it shaped his face beautifully, and once you caught him with a pair of scissors in the bathroom, your soul left your body.
“WAIT!” you dash to him, holding down the armed left hand. “you’re not left handed! you wanna ruin your hair??”
“shut up,” he rolls his eyes at you. “you’ve been putting me off for months. look how long it’s gotten!” he gestures with a hand to the mirror in front of you two. “i look hideous.”
you slip the scissors from his hands, and levi catches the little sly smile that slips on your face as you squeeze yourself between his body and the sink.
you watch the realization fall on his face while your hands slip in his hair.
“is this what i get for letting my guard down around you?”
“you look beautiful,” you tell him, love struck as you are, never missing the pink dust that rushes to his cheeks “everyone compliments you for it. you still wanna cut it off again?”
“i don’t give a shit about anyone else.” he grumbles and looks down between you both, leaning on his cane. “i don’t look representable.”
“you don’t have to look representable,” your tone lowers in sincerity. a thumb grazes the scar on the right side of his face. “you’re not a captain anymore, my love. you’re free to do whatever your heart pleases.”
he looks up at you, features blank, but you know well how your words are tossing and turning in his brain.
“besides,” your smile returns back to your face, and you pull him a little closer. “you look extremely hot.” a hand trails down to the hem of his shirt, your eyes following the movement, then you return your gaze back up to him. “like a hot dad.”
his eyebrows shoot up, playfulness making an appearance on the previous stoic features. “like a hot dad?”
“mmhm,” you affirm with a mock-nonchalant nod, and you slip away from him jjjuuust when he was about to pull you in. you look at him over your shoulder, mischief pure in your gaze. “i’ll go check on dinner for the guests coming tonight. feel free to join.”
only except that ten minutes later, the kitchen is completely empty and you two didn’t manage to make it past the living room. he was seated on the sofa, head throw back with his fucking hair framing his delicious expression like that, you swear you could cum untouched in your position between his legs as you get to work.
“like a hot dad, huh?” he mumbles, all breathless and shit once you were seated in his lap, his length stretching you perfectly. a hand reaches up to wipe away the remaining of his previous climax on the corner of your lips. you throw your head in the crook of his neck, the pleasure of your hips rolling skillfully against his hitting you bad. “you could’ve just asked, lovely. wanna make me a daddy?”
you manage a shaky nod when he begins to meet your hips halfway.
a hand trails up from your waist to garb your neck, squeezing deliciously as he pulls you away from his neck to take a good look at you. “words, my love.”
“yes,” you nod, eyes closed in bliss. one of your hands grab the wrist of the hand around your neck. “wan’ make y-you a…hhah… daddy.”
“fffuuck…” he groans out when you squeeze around him, letting himself gather enough strength before he throws you off of him and onto the sofa. when your thighs are squeezed together at the painful loss of contact, a palm falls on one of them, leaving a flushed mark in its wake.
“open wide, baby.” he grabs a hold of his cock while he holds the back of your opening thigh to keep the pair apart. the years upon years in the survey corps leave you as flexible as you can be, so when he presses your thigh back, your joints bend easily at his will. pumping himself a few times as he gazes at your glistening folds, another groan breaks out from deep in his chest.
“god, look at you.” he rolls his hips in, and you feel him slip through so pleasurably that you can’t hold back the loud whimper that escapes you.
because damn, how could you not from this view? this is a face of a determined, pussy-drunk man. sweat broke on his forehead, a few strands sticking to the skin while the rest of his hair falls around his face perfectly. you see a ting of pain on his features, and you scatter to try to change your position for a more comfortable one for him, but he is quickly pushing you back down to the couch, a hand falling to your lower abdomen.
the pressure he puts there makes you forget your own name, and it shows on the way your body shivers with bliss. his thrusts increase in velocity, the maddening roll of his hips against yours throwing you in a whole other dimension.
a hand reaches out to grab yours, and through the dizzying pleasure, you realize that levi is pressing your own hand to your abdomen underneath his.
“look how deep inside am i,” he grumbles, leaning down to press a kiss on your bouncing tits. you feel his length stroke in and out of you the more levi puts pressure on your hand. “taking me so well. always so well, baby.”
he takes control of your hand once more, feeling you squeeze familiarly around him, and he pushes your fingers through his hair. you yank on the strands immediately, pulling out a fucking growl out of the man as he leans down until your chests were touching, putting a bit of his body weight on you for support.
you latch onto him like a koala, the burn of your core muscles stretching as he pushes you in a mating press mixes well with your pleasure-high brain. levi kisses, licks, bites down on your neck to leave marks you’ll have trouble hiding later, but you don’t give a shit. you arch your neck more, letting out a long moan when he nips at a certain spot, the bliss turning you mad.
levi is breathless. his puffs of air fan your face when he brings his face on top of yours. a whimper escapes past his lips, his features twisted with pleasure uncontrollably, and you drown in the sounds he makes.
“wann’ make you a mommy too,” he mumbles, open lips landing on the corner of your lips. “wanna…hhah… fill you up. over,” he pauses, delivering an especially harsh thrust that you feel at your cervix. “and over again.”
“levi, i’m so—,”
your body begins to curl into him, eyes closing uncontrollably, and the poor man barely has any chance to ready himself for the way you tighten impossibly around him as you give him your first climax.
your body shivers and quivers, shaking as he overstimulates you chasing after his own pleasure. he leans back up, hands harshly grabbing your lips as he manages to pull you even deeper, and you tightness milk him.
it isn’t the first time he cums inside you, but this one sure hits different. after a few more thrusts that manage to abuse your cervix, levi stills stiffly with a strong groan, and you feel his warmth coat your walls .
he gives you a few more deep strokes as he leans down to kiss you deeply, making sure he fucks all his load deep enough.
his hips still once more, but you keep devouring his lips. weak moans are erupted from both of you as you two calm down gradually, before levi throws sway your attempts of calming down your still-raging arousal when he pulls away, leans up, and slowly pulls out of you.
and he watches the mixture of both your orgasams begin to pool out of you, and you watch as he takes two fingers to push everything back in. you shamelessly roll your hips against bis digits once more.
he looks up at you, fingers still engulfed, snd a smirk takes over his handsome features.
“one more time for good measures?”
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grape-eating-vampire · 5 months
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things that happened so far in my first bg3 playthrough ever that i found so funny that i put them in my notes (slight spoilers below)
forgot that i put nonbinary as my tavs gender and continously got confused whether people meant me or my whole party when using the they/them pronouns
rejected lae'zel and got passive aggression for many dialogues after
spent about 2 hours re-playing the harpy fight (because i suck) and getting down to the hide-out only to be immediately told off by a child
also got mugged by a different child and threatened them
got called bitchless by a skeleton
let some woman and her zombie husband loose and got disapproval from half the party for it
killed a mushroom and got other mushrooms dancing because of it
killed someone else's husband, felt terrible, found out he was a bitch anyway and immediately felt better
got stuck in walls A Lot
repaired karlach's heart twice and got to hug her (yippie)
accidentally romanced wyll bc i didn't realise the dancing was supposed to be romantic
but honestly i couldn't reject him bc when you ask him what he thinks of you he goes "if you were a song, i'd never stop singing. if you were a psalm, i'd never stop praying" or some similar bs
anyway
had a partayy with lots of tieflings and went to speak with halsin, only for everything to glitch out and be confronted with t-posing volo instead
licked a dead spider and got immediately slutshamed by astarion for it
made shadowheart lose her religion (oops)
argued with gale about please not killing himself for his terrible ex and got what i learned was supposed to be a romance scene. i just told him he's cool and left, though
i'm now about to look for a tragic but butchy grandpa in his tentacle basement (what a sentence to write..)
wish me luck ♡
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I just watched Jurassic world chaos theory and here’s a list of all my thoughts
Spoilers ahead
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- LIMB DIFFERENCE BROOKLYN??? SHE LOOKS SO BADASS. I LOVE ALL HER NEW HAIRSTYLES. They’re so much better than the old ones (not that I didn’t like her old hair, I liked it when her roots grew in but I HATED the weird timeskip haircut at the end of cc)
- secondly, kenji getting a taste of his own medicine cause he now gets to know what it felt like to think you were betrayed by your closest friend.
- but yeah, rip kenji. That guy has been through enough. Like, if you put all his trauma in order it’s depressing. Dad abused him, manipulated him, left him on a Dino island and tried to kill all his friends. THEN he tried to make a new shady business and guilt kenji instead of just, giving him info about Brooklyn
- also Darius having a crush on Brooklyn I jokingly guessed AND WAS RIGHT
- New villain is really cool. The way she controls raptors is soooo interesting. I haven’t gotten to see any of the new Jurassic movies (I only saw Jurassic world) so idk if she’s in that one
- I really liked Mateo but I was getting flashbacks from season 2 (or was it three?) and totally thought he was gonna die. He talked too much about his daughter I totally thought he would’ve died and Darius break the news to her.
- DO THE COPS THINK THE NUBLAR SIX ARE DEAD AGAIN??? BECAUSE THEY ACCIDENTALLY (and purposely for some) FAKED THEIR OWN DEATHS WITH THE CAR AND NOT ANSWERING BRAND SHIt
- also Darius was scaring me at the beginning, he seemed really depressed. I had seen 5 seconds of spoilers by accident of him in a bathtub and kenji walking in AND I WAS CONVINCED IT WAS SOME DARK TWIST AND THE SHOW WOULD END WITH HIM killing himself! I know it’s a kids show! But I watched legend of korra… so. There.
- Also at first I was uncomfortable with the way Yaz was being characterized as traumatized the most, but I ended up loving because it felt like a Purposeful Mis characterization only for it to be turned on it’s head. Let me explain, at the beginning us as viewers are told that Yaz has been really fucked up by all the monster attacks, and had to go to therapy in Wyoming. So we as viewers get worried that she’s going to relapse her ptsd after learning they’re being hunted. But while yes, she has normal reactions to Dino’s (fear) we learn therapy actually WORKED and she wasn’t SHELTERED. She ACTUALLY LEARNED COPING SKILLS and ended up being the most well adjusted among them. It was written so well. Because now we see Sammy who we thought was doing well, have horrible coping skills and fall into an anxious attachment style because her parents don’t talk to her anymore, her girlfriend is ignoring her (avoidant attachment kinda) and all of her friends are going through their own shit on their own and don’t talk to her. She’s having panic attacks and struggling, and Yaz got to be able to pay her back for all the compassion by showing her how she handles all the fear and sadness. I FUCKING LOVED THAT. THAT WAS SO GOOD. AND I ONLY REALIZE HOW GOOD IT WAS THE MORE I SIT IN IT. I spread out my watching because if I binged I wouldn’t have enjoyed it as much.
- I also loved that they all represented different outcomes of trauma, and different coping mechanisms. Darius with the survivors guilt (again), Sammy with keeping herself busy so she doesn’t have to think about it, Ben becoming even more hyper vigillant/conspiracy theorist. Etc.
-Sammy was season mvp. She was the best character by far for me.
-She definitely needed to give Yaz her space tho, but I also hated how Yaz just assumed Sammy thought she couldn’t handle herself only because Sammy hadn’t seen her since her breakdown after the Dinos got loose. I loved watching it tho, the argument was so needed.
- I didn’t once think “there’s no way they’d act that way” because they were all characterized so well as trauma survivors.
- the only things I was like ehhh about were Kenji being a climber (since when??) and Ben having a girlfriend 😂.
- I loved that Darius was living on his own and brand was calling a ton because he was worried about him. Because Darius has only gotten MORE independent, his way of dealing with this problems is having alone time and doing things himself. I LOVE THAT AGGHHH.
- I was disappointed kenji had a new voice actor tho. He didn’t necessarily do a bad job, it was just really distracting for me.
- Not with Brooklyn though, I didn’t notice at all, I just thought Jenna Ortega was going something different now that Brooklyn is older. Her voice actor did so well. I loved all the layers I felt in all the flashbacks.
- One thing tho, I would’ve loved it if Brooklyn was actually dead (although the way they handled it made me REALLY believe she was dead, and I was pretty positive she was alive for most of the show)
- I love brooklyn!! But I do think killing one of the main characters would’ve upped the stakes more. But all of the drama and new dinos did that by itself. I felt on the edge of my seat the whole show!
- I also liked that Brooklyn and Kenji broke up. Might get some hate for that but it’s true. I never shipped it. But this show actually did make me like the ship more if that’s insane. Because I do think the dynamic of “we’re both jokingly egotistical and we bring out each other’s worst sides in a silly way”. I also think kenji needs happiness.
- And while I’m disappointed Ben has an off screen girlfriend, hopefully she shows up as a character later. Or they at least break up so he can have his bisexual king moment (go cry about it)
- I would also love mateo’s daughter becoming a character later, like her being a part of Brooklyn’s secret crew to take down the DPW etc. I don’t usually like the new characters super late in a series, but because of the way they’ve hinted at these characters, it makes me want to see them.
- I think she’d be a hacker or someone like Brooklyn just cause of what we’ve been shown of her.
- One thing I didn’t love, was not getting to see a complete wrapped up conflict. Like, kenji and Darius got better but mostly cause the action distracted them from getting to be genuinely hurt. And ESPECIALLY Sammy and Yaz’s conflict, although by Yaz helping her breathe it did kind of solve the conflict without words. But that’s just me.
- I also thought that Ben should be a lot less well adjusted. He’s had A LOT of trauma throughout the show, basically breaking his entire original archetype and replacing it with a new one. His whole character development was going from being scared and being a burden, to getting immensely used to hurting and living in the wild just to survive. When I originally thought of how he’d be out of the island, I thought he’d really struggle getting into fights to solve his problems, (like when he got into a fist fight with kenji) and being a little too wild for “civilization” (school, work etc.) and not fitting in. We also don’t really know why he’s not in college anymore. Did he graduate? Is he taking a gap year? We saw him in a dorm and it’s only been six years. Wasn’t he like, 15 at the start of the show? Well, I guess he would’ve graduated by then, but idk it depends. We actually have a lot of loose ends I want to be explored, like where is Sammy’s family? Why don’t her parents talk to her anymore? Is it cause she’s gay? I thought she had siblings?? Idk.
- tldr, I want ben to have more violent tendencies because he can’t work through his emotions. Not everyone heals in non harmful way 🤷‍♀️
- also cause I want his pyromania to come back idc if it was a facade to protect himself.
- ALSO IM SO GLAD KENJI’S DAD IS DEAD I ALMOST FORGOT
- AND ALSO IM SHOCKED THEYRE EVEN INSINUATING THAT BROOKLYN IS EVIL NOW CAUSE REMEMBER HOW PISSED SHE WAS AT KENJI FOR DOING BASICALLY THE SAME THING? DAMN, HYPOCRITICAL MUCH?
- BUT IT WOULD BE COOL IF HER MORALS ARE NOW MORE MORALLEY GREY LIKE HATING DINOS OR HURTING PEOPLE FOR THE GREATER GOOD
- LIKE NORMAN FROM THE PROMISED NEVERLAND MANGA OR ROSE QUARTZ
- THATS MY FAVE TYPE OF CHARACTER
- That’s why I liked it so much when Darius said “I don’t chase dinosaurs anymore, just one…” BECAUSE IT INSINUATED HE WANTED TO KILL A DINO WHEN HES A DINO LOVER. Him not liking Dinos as much would’ve been badass but also out of character I guess
- it also made me think of that meme from totally spies “I don’t want to kill all the world! Just half! THE MALE HALF-“
- but omg this made me realize… if his boss that he talked to during that scene was talking to Brooklyn this whole time… if brook asked how Darius was she could’ve told her about how bad he was doing and Brooklyn wouldn’t have been able to tell him at all that it wasn’t his fault.
- although… I’ll be real with u… it totally was. When we found out WHY he wasn’t there? Eyah it was his fault 😭💀. I know that’s horrible it say and if I was him I would’ve done the same (just cause it’s awkward and he wanted to give her space) BUT THAT WAS ALMOST INCEL-LIKE BEHAVIOR FROM HIM, WHAT???
- anyways I made a lot of jokes I might copy and paste in a reblog we’ll see
That’s about it for now. Thanks if you read this far.
@riftwirecrystal tag
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m1dori-eyes · 4 months
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Be wary of linguistics rant, Elden Ring ahead
Ok so I just made a different post about this but I need to elaborate: The Elden Ring messaging system is legitimately such an interesting microcosm about how language is used as a tool and shaped to suit the needs it's being used for. I could actually make an entire study about how this can be used to better understand the formation of pidgin languages in the same way that epidemiologists studied the Corrupted Blood Incident in World of Warcraft to better understand the mechanics of how disease affects human behavior. Video games as an academic lens into peoples' minds has always been a fascinating topic to me, and by the end of this, you'll see why.
First off, message.
So for those not indoctrinated into the series/game, Elden Ring is a big open world game made by From Software, which won game of the year 2022 among some other awards (if you've played it or know anything about it, just skip to the next header). Each player plays as a Tarnished and explores this massive environment called The Lands Between individually, but if another player is walking in the same area that you are, you can see their "ghost" moving through the world, and you can "invade" or "be summoned" into another player's iteration of the world in order to briefly interact with it before returning to your own iteration. This occupies a weird space in between singleplayer and multiplayer, with these heavily limited and kind of random methods of interaction between players, but that's not the most interesting way of communicating with your fellow Tarnished; that title goes to the messages system. You can write a message onto a small stone, and leave it on the ground, and then that little stone with the message on it will have a random chance to appear in any player's iteration of the world for them to read. This is a tradition which has been going in From Software's games long since before the inception of Elden Ring, although I'm mostly going to be focusing on the message system of that title, because documenting the history of the 13+ years running Soulsbourne franchise is way too much, even for a nerd like me. The point is that messages are a lot more likely to be seen than any other method of player-to-player interaction, and you can even leave little "gestures" to go with them, where the reader can see your character striking a pose while they read the message. What a neat little mechanic, which definitely doesn't have any hidden layers of depth, and certainly wouldn't spawn an entire emergent system of pseudolinguistics, right?
No message ahead, be wary of mimicry
Well, when I said that messages are written by other players, that was a lie. To make a message, you don't type it out with your keyboard, you select what you want to say, from a big list of preset phrases. It works that way for a lot of reasons, foremost of all as a profanity filter, but also to prevent too many spoilers and maintain atmosphere. The sets of phrases are incredibly limiting, famously requiring players to use weird fake old-english diction in order to express a simple thought (Strong foe ahead, be weary of death. Look carefully ahead, visions of item. Suffering, o suffering, why is it always bad luck? etc). This seems like a limitation which would put a serious damper on anyone trying to actually communicate their thoughts, but gamers are a persistent sort, and have a lot of trouble taking no for an answer. They also have way too much time on their hands, and like to solve puzzles, a terrifying combination of traits, and the perfect one to accidentally create a conlang. With the unexpectedly massive audience that this game picked up on launch, millions of people left messages desperately trying to get something across, and if the game's preset vocabulary didn't contain the phrases to express it, they would forge their own path. Any big fans of linguistic history can already tell the direction that this might be going, as we move on into the next chapter:
Teacher, Liar, Lovable Sort
When the game released, there was chaos. The Lands Between are fraught with hidden passages, deception, and blatant bullshit, and the first kind of players leaving messages tried to helpfully communicate what you could trust, and what you couldn't. This is what the message system was intended for after all, giving advice to your peers, and what many people still use it for today. The second kind of players tried to do the opposite, deliberately leading people to their doom, just because they could. The third, and most numerous sort, were simply awestruck at everything the game had to offer, and left a series of remarks on the beauty and humor of the world. The messages left by each group are pretty easy to differentiate to the trained eye, which is the main feature causing me to point out this division of players. Let's call these groups the teachers, the liars, and the lovable sorts. A teacher can be recognized if their messages suggest something within reason, and being backed up by the peer-review of nearby messages to the same effect. If three messages are all sitting on the ground next to eachother, each saying something along the lines of "seek up, look carefully ahead", then a local collage of teachers are trying to let you know about a secret path ahead leading you up towards a hidden objective. However, a single message next to a bloodstained cliff-edge stating "jumping required ahead" is almost certainly a liar, trying to deceive an unsuspecting player into making a dubious leap. Liars sometimes use slightly simpler grammar than teachers do, being less committed to getting their point across. Wait a minute, linguistic variance based on intent? No no, this is just a video game about fighting monsters, surely such an interesting emergent system wouldn't arise from something like that. Lastly, the lovable sorts have the most ranging grammar, spanning from a simple word such as "dog" (a word used colloquially to describe all creatures, from turtles to dragons), to complex sentences requiring the combination of many phrases. However, a lovable sort can be differentiated by the fact that they merely remark upon the world as it is, instead of trying to offer advice to other players, as a teacher or liar might. Some of their most iconic phrases are "Elden ring ahead", used to sarcastically denote a dead end where a player might have been expecting treasure, "you don't have the right, o, you don't have the right" which indicates a locked door, or the world-famous "try finger, but hole", a phrase which explains itself. The most incredible thing about the words of the lovable sort, is that they all require a little bit of thinking to understand their actual meaning, but once you get the hang of it, it becomes like a second language to you! Wait a minute, a second language?
Message? Wasn't expecting introspection
As time went on, the three main groups of message-writers still kept chugging along, creating new works of writing every day, but advancements in understanding of the game's inner workings allowed these messages to become more and more complex. Compound words started to be formed to represent concepts outside of the preset vocabulary, like "skeleton, house" for coffin, "dung, key" to describe the donkeys accompanying traveling merchants, and "edge, lord" being used to refer to the NPC Ensha, a man wearing flamboyant armor made out of bones who takes himself way too seriously. It's worth noting in this section that for a specific period of time, The Lands Between were overtaken by a horde of messages stating only the words "fort, night". Despite the crude and humorous nature of the entire thing, it was clear to see that the linguistic patterns of the Elden Ring community were evolving into their own beast, far beyond the usages that the developers had intended. Words had shed their original meaning, to instead take up contextual meanings based on how players used them, effectively becoming different words entirely. Depending on how you define this, it's either a microcosm of incredibly fast and severe linguistic drift, or the emergence of a new pidgin or conlang entirely. If you really stretch things, you could almost call the message system of Elden Ring an entirely new language in and of itself.
Well done, victory ahead!
I think that video games are an excellent way to observe human behavior under conditions which are controlled, accelerated, and completely recordable, and this is the closest that we've ever seen to an entire language growing completely from scratch. People are always the same, whether you want to call it instinct or just cyclical tendencies, but normally the formation of a new language can take incredible periods of time, hastened only by tragic events like diaspora or massive losses of cultural knowledge (research what's been happening to Gaelic as a spoken language for more info about this sort of thing, it's kind of depressing but is also important to learn about, and there's a lot of people on this site talking about it who can do the topic way more justice than I can). Even for other topics which either require great passage of time, or great tragedy in order to research (I.E. geology or epidemiology, respectively), there are a lot of simulations and predictive models which can tell us how these systems behave without actually experiencing them. Linguistics has never had this sort of thing...until now, perhaps. Obviously there won't be any academic breakthroughs based on a bunch of people online all writing "rump ahead", but it's an incredibly interesting thing to see happening for a field which is so hard to actively advance, and it could lead to actual scientific methods of generating new languages via human interaction for research purposes. Of course, there's always the sizable chance that this goes nowhere and I just wrote this insane rant because I like to type, but if nothing else, I at the very least exposed some of my mutuals to "try finger, but hole".
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