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#i haven't seen anyone mention this yet so i thought i might as well go ahead
whats-mine-is-hers · 7 months
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"you've got a type"
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fallingdownhell · 1 year
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Genshin men dealing with separation anxiety.
You didn't really specify any characters except for the men, so I just picked out some who I think fit this description. Hope you're okay with that.
Characters Included: Xiao; Wanderer; Tighnari; Diluc
Content: gender neutral reader; separation anxiety; mentions of insecurities; reverse comfort
Word count: 1,8k words
Thanks again for your request!
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Xiao
Xiao is relatively new to the whole concept of dating and relationships in general
He tries to get used to it, but it's difficult for him. For so many years, he saw himself as nothing but a weapon. So this new situation is just something he never thought would happen to him
once he fully trusts you with everything about him would be when this particular "problem" starts to show itself
would have one of the worst cases, in my opinion
he is so used to loss, yet he can't imagine having to deal with your loss. He's sure that should this day ever arrive, it would ultimately destroy him, too
he can deal with a few hours alone, he doesn't need you by his side 24/7
but, once a certain time frame has been reached and he hasn't heard or seen anything from you, he starts to grow restless and anxious
Xiao tries to play it cool, but deep down, he worries about you
are you okay? are you hurt? could you possibly need his assistence? But you haven't called for him.. so everything should be fine, right? But what if you just didn't get the chance to call for him and you were already....
he tries to keep his thoughts under control, but he can't seem to redirect the course his mind has taken
he tries to reason with himself, not wanting to immediately assume the worst possible things
but soon, he can't take it anymore, so he starts looking for you. He searches the places you frequent the most, while maintaining a safe distance so you don't immediately spot him
he soon finds you in the streets of Liyue Harbor, talking to one of the vendors, laughing happily
as he sees you like this, his heart suddenly grows lighter, the impending feeling of dread slowly going away as it's replaced by this warm, loving feeling he always gets when looking at you or spending time with you
he waits until your done with your chat, watches you as you walk away from the booth. Once you're in an area with less people around, he appears in front of you
you're slightly startled, but you start to get used to his random entrances and dissapearances
you smile at him, and the last bits of Xiao's worries are instantly blown away as he allows himself to take in your calming presence
somehow, he always feels at peace with you. No matter what life might throw at him in the future, he's sure he will be able to conquer it, as long as you're there with him..
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Wanderer
definitely the worst case out of all the others
but can you really blame him? He endured so much already, has experienced so much pain and heartbreak... can you blame him for not wanting to loose you as well, after he let you in?
it takes time and effort to convince him that your feelings for him are genuine and that you would never, ever leave him behind
it's not like he doesn't want to believe you. He really does, but he just can't imagine anyone being actually interested in him and wanting to maintain a relationship with someone like him...
like I said, time and effort is the key into his heart. And even once you managed to take your place there, he won't openly show it. He's awkward about those kinds of things, it's a whole 'nother issue
once you've successfully broken down the walls around his heart and marched your way in, he really can't handle being away from you for more than a few hours
as soon as you talk about leaving (be it to go to work, or groceries) he begins to feel anxious
because... what if you don't return after all? What if you finally realized how insufferable he is and you decided to not deal with it anymore? He knows you proclaim your love to him daily, but he can't help it
the doubts just start to act up like it's second nature to him, and no matter how hard he tries to suppress it, he can't seem to win against his own mind
his imagination runs wild, painting a hundred different scenarios on how you might leave him and run away
he wants to get up and out there, looking for you, but that would make him seem desperate and he most definitely does not want to be percieved in that way
so he sits it out at your shared home, trying to deal with all those intrusive thoughts in his head, intently watching the clock hanging on the wall, counting the minutes until your return
as soon as he hears the door opening, he is up and "greeting" you at the door
"Took you long enough. Where have you been all this time?"
he tries to sound indifferent, but to you, you can clearly tell that his voice lacks the ususal bite and he seems to be frantic
instead of an answer, you pull him into an embrace, lightly stroking his scalp
the Wanderer is taken by surprise at your actions, but that quickly fades and he melts into the touch, knowing that this was your silent reassurance to him
he acknowledges it, but doesn't comment on it
maybe one day, he'll be able to openly talk to you about everything that bothers him and be completely vulnerable to you. But that day is not now...
he just hopes that you can wait for him until this day finally arrives..
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Tighnari
as cool and composed as the fox hybrid likes to think that he is, he has his weak moments as well
although... this problem probably won't arise until after the two of you are mated
he's not becoming overprotective of you and he's also not controlling or anything. He just.... he can't really deal with being alone anymore
in the past, before knowing you and even while dating you, it never really bothered him. He was used to not seeing you for a few days, sometimes even weeks, thanks to your position in the academiya
but now... he can't seem to deal with it anymore. Whenever you tell him that you have to leave for a few days, he dreads for those days to arrive
He's perfectly fine for the first two or three days, but anything that comes after that... total nightmare for him and his crew
He is restless, anxious, constantly thinking about you and your well being
Tighnari knows that you're more than capable of protecting yourself, but still! He's not there to protect you, how can he be sure that you're fine?
Sure, you write letters to him almost daily to keep him up to date and reassure him that you're fine... but what if those letters are written by someone else, who just happens to be extremely good at forging handwritings?
During that time period, Tighnari is also not able to sleep very well, if at all
he tosses and turns througout the entire night, hugging your pillow close to him, imaginig that it was you laying next to him, hugging him and stroking his back like you always do
he thought that this might help him to calm down, but all it does is increase his intense longing for you
he whines, calling out your name in the dead of the night, hoping that by some miracle, you would hear his cry and return to him
when you do come back to him, he doesn't care for any work he has to take care of that day
he will leave it for the other rangers to take care of, he has more important things to attend to now
namely, cuddling you in his bed, wrapping his tail around your thighs and burrying his nose in your neck, breathing in your scent that he missed so much while you were gone
he feels your fingers stroking along his back and he can't help the shiver that runs down his spine when you do so
he won't let you out of bed for the next few hours, after all... he has to make up for the days that you and him were separated..
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Diluc
oh boy.. another one with a pretty bad case
Diluc has lost so many important things in his life, he couldn't bear losing you as well
He is a busy man, he knows he can't be by your side 24/7, even if he really wants nothing more
time spent with you is always the most treasured to him. With you, he always feels safe and loved. He had no idea how much he has missed feeling like this until you walked into his life
Now that he has those feelings back again... he won't trade them for anything else in this world
being as busy as he is, he doesn't really have much time to see you. Sometimes, you both go days without seeing each other, this fact made worse thanks to Diluc's unpredictable time management
only when his anxiety keeps getting worse, when thoughts from back then start to flood his mind again, does he give into his desires
in the dead of night, he seeks you out, knocking on your door, hoping, praying to the Archons above that you're not asleep yet
and it seems like his prayers were heard, as he can hear footsteps cautiously approaching the door
"It's me, darling. Please... can you open the door?", he calls before you even have the chance to ask who is out there
without hesitance, you open the door, seeing him standing there causes your heart to ache
without questioning him, you pull him inside, closing the door and then immediately turn to hug him. You instinctively know that he needs this right now
Diluc wastes no time in reciprocating your show of affection, burrying his face in your hair, breathing in and commiting your smell to his memory
standing here like this for a few minutes, you are the first to pull away, asking him to lay down with you
he nodds his head in agreement, following you to the bedroom where he pulls you close into him as soon as you are both comfortable on the bed
night like this have become a common occurance for you, knowing where the roots of his actions lie
without him having to ask for the much needed reassurance, you give it to him, trying to further the comfort with your touches to his arms and back, lightly stoking the skin there until his eyes start to grow heavy and he falls asleep
he has never told you the full story about the things that had happened in his past, and you don't pressure him to do so. Once he's ready, he will come to you on his own, you're sure of that
Until that day arrives.. you can wait and help him in any other way that he needs..
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basilpaste · 2 months
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i had a whole big idea for this, but im afraid im not terribly good at comics! or drawing fast!!! but its isas birthday!!! happy birthday!!
(the gifts are under the cut! written out!)
"Thank you! But, oh Change, you really didn't have to get little ol' me anything, ehe!"
"Nonsense, Isabeau." Odile huffs fondly. "You're part of our little team, after all. Did you think we'd forget?"
Maybe a little? You don't even entirely remember telling them about your birthday! From the look on Mira's face, though, you must have told her. It seems like she orchestrated the whole thing.
She claps her hands together cheerfully, "So! Who wants to go first!"
Bonnie waves their hands wildly, hopping up and down. "Oh!! Oh me! I want to give Za my gift!!!"
Heh! It doesn't seem like anyone's willing to fight them on it. After a moment of silence, they cheer, rushing off to heft up a small gift bag. They hurtle back towards you and present the bag dramatically.
You gingerly take the bag from them and pull it open. Inside is a-
"WAUGH?" You yelp, dropping it!
The bag falls on its side, sending the contents tumbling out. A spider?! A spider!
A... spider-shaped pin cushion.
Oh.
Bonnie lets out a long hard laugh, pointing at you, "Hahah!!! You thought it was a real spider!! Spiders don't get that big, dummy!"
"You'd be surprised," Sif speaks up, batting their lashes oh-so innocently.
You shiver. Bonnie also shivers.
"Thank you Bonbon for the pin cushion." You say, grabbing it off the ground.
... Stabbing a spider-shaped thing might feel kinda nice, actually. It was obviously a prank gift, but you'll still get plenty of use out of it!
Bonnie grins at you brightly.
Odile steps up next, bowing her head to you. She passes you a neatly wrapped box. You carefully remove the paper (its pretty!) and unfold the box.
Oh! A book!
Colour Me Curious: A History Of Colour Theory.
"Back in Dormont's House," she glances back at Sif when she says the word Dormont, you pretend you don't see, "you mentioned having an interest in colour theory. A librarian a few towns back recommended this to me. I figured you might enjoy it."
You nod rapidly. Oh!! You're surprised you haven't looked into it yet! You're not sure how you forgot! Especially considering the weird shade - colour - you all have seen! With your eyes!
"Thank you, m'dame!!" You say, trying to be mindful of your volume.
She smiles, "Of course. I'd like to hear what you take from it."
"Of course!!"
"Okay! Okay, um... me next!" Mira pulls two boxes from her dress pocket (?????) and holds them anxiously, "I shouldn't have gotten two! I don't want to overshadow anyone else! But! I think you'd like these both! So! So. I got them both! Happy birthday, Isabeau!!"
You scoop them from her arms, "I don't think anyone is worried about you overshadowing them, Mira!"
The rest of your friends hum in agreement.
"Okay."
A beat.
"Start with the smaller one!"
The smaller one turns out to be a light novel of some sort. Oh! She's talked about this one before!! How she thought you'd like it because it's super cute! You thank her and place it softly on top of Odile's gift before turning your attention to the larger box.
This is...
"Oh?" You squeak, feeling a little choked up.
"Oh?" Mira echoes, "Oh no! Do you- do you not like it?"
You grab the gift from its box, running your hand along the grain. Oh no! You might cry! Oh Change!
"Mira!! Mira this is so expensive? This is so much?" You feel unworthy to even hold it.
This is like... three meters of silk?? It's dyed such a rich lightless shade? That's unbelievably expensive!! It's beautiful and so well made that you're not sure what to do with yourself. Oh crab.
"It wasn't so bad, really!!" She yelps, worry clouding her expression.
You very softly (very, very carefully) tuck the silk back into its gift box. Then you throw yourself at Mira, sweeping her up into a tight hug. She cries out, clinging to you. And then bursts into a fit of giggles.
"Thank you thank you thank you???"
"Waaa!!" She laughs, "I'm glad you like it!!!"
"I know I know lightless isn't really your shade but you HAVE to let me make you a bow with this, Mira!!"
"Ah!! If you want to!!"
"I Do!!"
"Okay!"
You pull away from the hug, glancing back at the silk. You feel your chest swell with joy!! Oh Change!! This is so much stuff! And you're still not done!
Sif looks... a little bit nervous. They shift the box they're holding in their hands and shuffle up to you. After a moment of hesitation, he holds it out.
"... Happy birthday, Isa."
You take the box with care. It's small, but heavier than you're expecting. There's a bow on top that Bonbon snatches after you take it off. All of these gifts have been a surprise! But you're really not sure what Sif got you!
You open the box.
A piece of lightless fabric sits under the lid. It's embroidered! Not perfect or flawless, but done with care. Darkless spots are scattered on its surface and in big capital letters, it reads "You're A Star!"
Oh!! You get this joke, now! It used to only make sense to Sif but you know now!! Your chest feels light. You laugh.
"There's more." They say quietly.
You nod, gingerly removing the embroidery and setting it to the side. It reveals... a wood carving!! You pull the carving from the box, turning it over in your hands. This is you!!! It's a carving of you!!
How did you not notice him working on it??
"Sif!!" You gasp, "Sif it's perfect!!!"
"O-Oh?"
"This is beautiful!!! You made this? And the patch??"
He looks away, hiding his face in his cloak, "Um... yeah."
"I love them!" You grin so wide it hurts your face, "I love you! All of you!! This is all so... ah!! I need to start thinking about gifts for your birthdays, now!!"
"How about we finish celebrating yours first?" M'dame hums.
You feel light as a feather. You love your friends - your family - more than you can say.
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char-chats · 6 months
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Tired
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Cw: mentions of depression
To say the least you were tired.. Mentally and physically. You felt drained, and you knew that depression was creeping up on you. You no longer wanted to do the hobbies you wanted to do it was uninteresting. You almost always felt irritated, anytime Hobie would try and talk to you you would feel this irritation grow in you but.. Why? He was only trying to help because he loves you. So there you were bundled up in your warm sheets. It was better this way right? The world could not hurt you and you could not be a burden to anyone especially Hobie, right? You were just on your phone scrolling through apps, buy even that seemed boring it. It was around 10 pm and you haven't eaten yet, because you felt like you didn't deserve it nor feel like it, you've lost your appetite. Hobie has seen you go through your episodes and has always been there and will continue to. But this one seemed way more worse, he doesn't really know what might have triggered it, maybe to many negative thoughts? , the time of year of a certain event? Or maybe just a pile up of many emotions.
Whatever it was he was going to help you through it. Your back was turned to him, and you hear his heavy boots against the floor trying his best to keep quiet. You then feel some weight at the edge of the bed, feeling that familiar hand lightly being placed on your leg. "Hey luv.. You doin' okay?..." Silence... " 'ungry? I know you haven' eatn' all day..". He says his voice full of worry and concern. You just shake your head no. Hobie sighs, so he kicks off his boots and takes off his jacket , you then feel pressure in the space beside you and feel his long arms wrap around you. "It's okay... I know it's hard.. I will always be 'ere for you not matter what.." You feel your cheeks burn as you feel tears well up in your eyes... You just need a break.. You need someone to comfort you and be there for you.. And that someone was Hobie, he was going to love you at your best and at your worst. You slowly turn around still wrapped in your warm sheets. You press your head into Hobies chest. He starts to gently stroke your hair, you didn't have to say it but he knew you loved him, you didn't have to say it.
Soon enough you let your tears fall, Hobie holding you close, you let all your thoughts out of what you've been feeling out sobbing into his chest. Hobie just continues to stroke your hair gently, wiping away your tears as he listens to your struggles and worries and in return he gives you words of affirmation and affection. "Don't worry, I'll be here you know that, you've going throug' this so many times and I know you can do it again... You 'ave my full support.." You nod your head, knowing full and well he means each and every one of those words.. "Let's make an appointment yea'? " you nod your head once again wiping away your tears. Your cup was overflowing with emotions and you needed to spill then out. You got this and you will work your way up once again to feel and be your best self. You felt like shit and that's okay, it's okay to have bad day's.
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aromanticbuck · 19 days
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Tommy was nowhere to be found when Buck was in the gym though. That was 100% about Eddie. As was the Christopher thing because he didn't want to be replaced in Eddie and Christophers lives by anyone, for any length of time. The only time I really felt him trying to get Tommy's attention was their first scene together. But that was purposeful by the writers. They wanted to have it both ways and needed Buck to want both of their attention but have no idea why.
I've sat here for almost a full day wondering how to respond to this, and honestly, I very nearly deleted it without responding because... I barely go here. I just shifted over to 911 as my main fandom. I was a One Chicago blog a little over a week ago and yeah, one well timed rewatch might put me back on that train.
I just came over here because I watched the show, enjoyed it, and wanted to have fun with other fans. My posts are my opinion and my observations, and are obviously not meant to speak for all of canon or even any faction of the fandom besides myself (and maybe Kit, but our opinions vary sometimes too, and we live together). I just pointed out what I noticed, and the trends that I picked up on, and how I thought they were intending to establish Buck wanting Tommy's attention - which, in my opinion, they did really well.
So, I'm just gonna put a screenshot of the post this is referring to right here:
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Here's the thing. If you watch every single episode of the show looking for Buddie moments whenever Buck or Eddie is on screen (and I saw a lot of that after last night's episode to the point that I'm getting exhausted and annoyed), then that's all you're going to see, even if that's not what they're trying to show us.
It's been especially bad since 7x04 and the BuckTommy kiss. Everyone is looking at his canon queerness through a Buddie lens and ignoring everything else around it. They're making his coming out to Maddie about Buddie, and they're making his attraction to Tommy about Buddie, they're making episodes we haven't even seen about Buddie.
In reality, none of that is about Buddie or confirming future Buddie or anything of the sort. He and Maddie mentioned Eddie in that scene because the conversation started when he said he felt like he was lying to Eddie and he didn't like it. Yes, Eddie and Tommy are similar, and I understand joking about Buck having A Type, but that doesn't make his attraction to Tommy any less genuine. And we don't know anything about 7x06 yet, but everyone is talking about Buddie getting drunk and sleeping together, or Tommy seeing them interact - as he's already seen because the three of them have had scenes together and he's canonically spent time with Chris - and immediately stepping back from the relationship because there might be something there.
Buck is going to his sister's wedding with Tommy. Buck told Maddie and Eddie about Tommy. Buck wants to dance at the wedding with Tommy. He wants to try for something with Tommy. Eddie encouraged him to go call Tommy and work things out. Buck is going to be out to everyone at the Madney wedding because he wants to be there with Tommy as his date.
I don't know. It's just frustrating to see this really good queer relationship tossed to the side because it's not the Popular Ship. Just because you don't ship it or you aren't looking at it directly, it doesn't mean it's not still there.
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lady-of-the-puddle · 6 months
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Good Omens 2 Opening-What are they marching toward?
Hi, there's something about the opening credit sequence that immediately caught my eye upon the first viewing. @metatronhateblog and I have discussed the whole opening credits at length (helps that we're siblings and can sit in the same room to talk about it) and we both will probably make some posts about things we haven't seen addressed yet.
I haven't seen anyone mention this particular thing yet, but forgive me if this has already been pointed out.
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This mountain they are marching up? This is Zion.
I'm almost certain. It's a very interesting word that's used several times in the Old and New Testament, most notably for me in the book of Revelation, which I read a lot as a former Christian (I liked it cause it was the least boring thing to read).
It has a few different meanings from what I've gathered (a note: this is not about z*ionism.), which I will try to give brief explanations on.
Originally I believe it was meant to be an actual location in Jerusalem, a hill/mountain that held the City of David. Literally called Mount Zion I think.
In the Old Testament it also is described as being the place where God rests, where they are enthroned.
Now look at this.
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Pretty sure that's a throne room? It looks like a Greek temple, so I think that's the vibe it's going for. The place where God is located.
Most interestingly, Zion is symbolic of the city of heaven, which will come to earth and God will dwell with the people upon Jesus' return and judgement (at least that's what I'm getting from the text? It can be difficult for me to decipher sometimes). Revelation 14:1 states
"Then I looked, and there before me was the Lamb, standing on Mount Zion, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads."
I believe this is the first time Jesus appears during(after maybe?) the great Tribulation (aka, all the torments the earth endures during this time before his return) with those who have been chosen by God. "The Lamb" refers to Jesus, for those who may not know.
I thought it was odd that this possible Zion reference was placed here in season 2 since it's not something that we've seen or heard mentioned thus far, but I think we can safely assume it has to do with season 3 and the Second Coming.
A side note, there's something else I caught while looking at this as well:
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I could be wrong, but it looks like these cherubs are tipping bowls. BOWLS!
In John's visions in Revelation 16, we see seven angels with bowls pouring out plagues to the earth. Bowls of God's wrath. I could go into what they are but that's a whole other post. For some reason I always remembered the bowls the most, I have no idea why. There's so much to find in the opening, it's like a scavenger hunt and my little brain loves it! Anyway.
Fascinating that Zion is what the people and our heroes are marching toward. Are they simply moving toward the end times (again)? Are they marching straight to God's house to get some answers (Aziraphale might be)? Are they moving toward that utopian heaven on earth as they begin eternity, forever and ever amen (as Michael mentions in the forbidden heavenly footage)? Maybe all three.
It may not be all that important and just be purely symbolic, but I thought it was neat. There really is so much in the details!
Thanks for coming to my rambling! I'm going to go try finding more references now.
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loustat-0 · 3 months
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Here's the reasons why I don't connect well with Loumand in the book :
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So one of them is because Louis never even once admitted to Lestat or Claudia so ruthlessly that he loved Lestat and suddenly with Armand he became more free in love & more open , I don't think it was because Armand listened to him or understood him better because there are some parts of iwtv book where Lestat was capable of those yet Louis thought it was manipulation 🙄 . Why didn't he ever think the same about Armand ? 😏 The answer is simple because Armand didn't exactly shown his mind powers to Louis yet . And even when he told Louis he did that & he used it on Louis to make him turn Madeline Louis still forgave him ??? And just asked not to do it again ! And Armand didn't do it ? 😏 What makes us sure he didn't ? Cause there are two sentences which showed he most probably did use it again . 1. " Go to sleep Louis " after Louis burnt the theater & wanted to escape Paris & 2. When he admitted that when he heard Lestat survived he said this :
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While it is true that Armand might have kept the fact that Lestat was alive from Louis to protect him it is also worth mentioning Armand does many manipulative things to help the people he loved too . Armand is able to read anyone's mind & if he had read Louis's he must've known if Lestat being alive will make Louis feel anything or not , right ? And why didn't he tell Lestat about Louis being alive ? 😏 What was he protecting Lestat from ? Other than the fact that if he knew he would probably do whatever he could to find Louis again & talk to him & they would probably leave Armand again & get back together ? 😬 So no it wasn't all about protecting Louis from himself or anyone it was for himself too .
All I can think of is how numb Louis became when Claudia died & Armand & Louis kinda fell apart & just lived together because there were no other vampires who would accept them & they were both afraid of being alone & not finding anyone who could love them again as they once loved each other . In my opinion they practically stayed together out of desperation for not being alone & for Louis because he didn't have anyone else to lean on as powerful as Armand . And Armand was emotionally so obsessed with Louis & he couldn't end it easily.
Armand tried to make Louis separated with Claudia a lot he wanted Louis for himself & he didn't want to share him which in the book Lestat never tried to do . And then he orchestrated a whole show to get rid of Claudia & make Louis believe Lestat was responsible for her doom 🙄 although poor Claudia was already doomed because of Lestat's selfishness of making someone so young but let's not forget that they punished her for killing her maker & one of their kind . Another attempt of Armand to separate Louis & Lestat & let's not forget did Louis ever actually ask himself if Lestat was still in the theater or not when he burnt it down ? Yes He didn't even care at that moment he was angry & he was mourning & that can make you not think of whatever you're doing at that moment . Because later when Louis said this :
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Doesn't this indicate that Louis cared who was burnt in that theater ? He said I didn't really care I hadn't thought of Lestat at all the night I torched the theater . Isn't it weird to you that he thought of Santiago & Celeste but didn't really care about Lestat ? 🤔 And if he didn't then why did he burn Lestat with them ? He said he didn't hate him for Claudia's death . Don't you sense some mind power here ? 👀
And look what Louis said about Lestat being alive : I cannot convey to you the feeling that came over me when I heard this .
I mean what does that say ? Why does Louis say this ?
And one more thing if Lestat had escaped the theater who helped him escape ? He didn't escape in fact Armand had taken him again to the tower 😏 .
4. Finally this is why I don't like book Loumand . No hate on AMC Loumand what so ever because I haven't seen anything from them but if the show runners want to do the books they have to at least notice one of these flaws & voids in Louis & Armand's relationship as much as they did in Louis & Lestat's relationship . 😉
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idyllic-affections · 10 months
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Ok so I’ve seen you do dad Kaveh and Pantalone, but what if Cyno and/or Tighnari (they are a old married couple prove me wrong) adopted a (another) child? Have I nice day/night <3
fatherly duties.
summary. what is cyno like as a father?
trigger & content warnings. no applicable warnings.
tropes, pairings, fic length, & other notes. fluff. dad!cyno & reader. 0.6k words. they/them pronouns for reader.
author's thoughts. hello dear! i went with cyno for this particular post simply because i haven't really touched on what cyno would be like as a parental or otherwise male familial figure in any of my posts yet. i've done tighnari and kaveh as dads, but have never really talked about what cyno would be like as a father c: i projected all of my father issues onto this post LMAOOO
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i personally think that cyno would be a slightly more strict father than some of the other sumeru characters.
he's not strict to the point where his child would not be able to trust him. he does not create a child that feels the need to lie and hide things from him. archons know he would never forgive himself if the child he loved so dearly was afraid of him to the point where they felt the need to be dishonest with him.
no, he does not raise a child like that. rather, cyno raises a responsible child who's first thought upon getting into trouble would be "i need to tell my dad" instead of "my dad is going to be so mad at me."
sure, he'll scold them if they get into trouble, especially trouble that could have been avoided, but punishing them for it? that's generally out of the question. they've likely already suffered the natural consequences of their actions. they don't need any more punishment than that.
he refuses to parent his child with fear.
he does not want terrified obedience. he wants genuine trust and respect. scaring his child into obedience would not create the respect he seeks.
cyno's coworkers probably think he's the cruelest, most emotionally unavailable father to ever exist LMAO
contrary to popular belief, cyno is neither of those things.
he's the kind of dad to cherish the moment rather than obsess over how that moment might impact their future. some fathers get angry when their child is resting during times they could be doing work. cyno does not. some fathers think that enjoying time with their children is a waste because said children could be doing work in that time. cyno does not.
i like to think he would encourage his child to go to the akademiya, but wouldn't push it. their value as his kid is not determined by academics or academic ability. if they don't want to go? cool. if they want to go? also cool, he'll just encourage them to be very careful and tell them to make sure that their classes don't consume their entire life.
after all, an excess of desire is a dangerous beast that needs to be tamed. cyno knows very well that this also applies to academics.
he will not raise his kid to believe that the pursuit of knowledge is more important than them as a person or more important than their health—mental, physical, or otherwise.
oh yeah, also...
bro makes ALL the dad jokes. he has told every single terrible dad joke imaginable.
he thrives on seeing his kid smile, even if they're laughing at how awful his jokes are rather than because they actually find the jokes funny. he just loves their smile.
he totally would teach his kid to play tcg
^ imagine if they beat him effortlessly during their first time playing LMAO
i think cyno would sometimes take them along with him on his nighttime desert strolls. he's fond of the desert, the place he hailed from; he would very much like it if his child could appreciate its beauty as well.
he is very protective. that's a given, i think.
"you're not dating anyone until you're 30" kind of vibes HSKRJHBKJSS
he's only joking, believe it or not. he's fine with his kid dating, but as i mentioned, he is very protective; if their partner turns out to be an asshole...
well, cyno would not take that lightly.
don't fuck with his kid.
he does not tolerate that kind of thing. his child is probably the most precious thing in his life. as their father, their parent, it is his responsibility to protect them and shield them from the many dangers that teyvat has to offer.
and believe me, protect them he will.
please consider reblogging, it helps me out quite a lot!
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allur1ngs · 4 months
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could you give more information on hyo? we all know bada + bebe because they’re of course real but since hyo is an oc, we don’t know a lot about her. like her hair color/style, height and age, hobbies and personal things like that <3
okay, here's an official deep dive on Hyo!!
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this is her official face claim, kim hieora's appearance in bad and crazy!! (i actually haven't seen the show...lmfao)
full name: kim hyo
she's 5'8, making her slightly shorter than bada and lusher, has dark brown (black in low lighting) hair, fair skin, and is 25/26 years old (i haven't decided yet hehe).
style: she loves a super laid-back and casual style when she's not wearing her normal suit, which is basically almost never...
hobbies: ...she doesn't really have time for any... but if on the off chance she takes a day off (literally once in a blue moon) she enjoys reading!! she's an avid reader and loves history!! she did very well in her studies, but history was always hyo's strong suit!!
likes: she LOVESSSS chocolate. that might be her only weakness. she likes sweets in general but not to the extent that she likes chocolate. she also likes cold showers and cold weather.
dislikes: disappointing bada. i feel like i've beat this point into the ground but it's such an important part of hyo's character!!
i'm going to go into a small rant so you've been warned but...
i'm not sure if anyone picked up on it from AWOOL, but hyo is the daughter of chung-hee, bada's bodyguard when bada was younger. hyo always looked up to her father because he was so dedicated to his work and she thought that the idea of protecting another person is such a noble cause/job to choose in life. so when she grew up she idolized her father greatly, and the few times she met bada while she was young, she also grew to idolize her too. bada has always been strong and independent, even before the death of her mother, so when hyo got to see how she took charge in her life without being arrogant and using the influence of her parents, hyo was like "yeah, i want to be just like her."
adding onto that, the lees basically kept hyo's family afloat. they paid her father an incredible sum of money for his work, and before that hyo grew up very poor, so she was basically taken out of poverty by the lee family.
(let's also not forget that chung-hee and mr. lee were also best friends since like childhood, so naturally hyo appreciated him a lot)
so after her father retired, bada--still recovering from the lingering affects of her mother's death and having no trust in almost anyone, somehow managed to trust hyo (because she was chung-hee's daughter)--who was now much older, to become a part of bebe.
hyo wasn't bada's bodyguard although she wanted to be--lusher got that privilege--but the second you stepped into bada's life she was assigned to protect you, and after that hyo felt like that was her calling. to protect the person most precious to bada like ji-ah (the man who killed bada's mother) didn't do. because of all that, she greatly respects you and thinks of you as a little sister she has to protect with her life.
okay rant over🤗
other things hyo dislikes includes, traitors--i'm sure you can guess why--snobby rich people, which in her line of work are literally everywhere so..., and people who disrespect those who have given them so much. in bloody knuckles, you'll see a bit of hyo's frustration with reader come out when she realizes that she lied to bada. she does, to an extent, understand and sympathize with reader's reasoning, but she sort of grows cold with her after that.
and before anyone starts to get any ideas, because i'm sure they will...hyo would never NEVER date reader or bada!! she thinks of reader as a little sister (not to mention bada is in LOVE LOVE with her and hyo would never betray bada like that), and bada is hyo's boss and someone she idolizes, she would never be in a relationship with either of them in the canon. and even out of canon bada is NOT hyo's type at all
okay that's all i can think of for now so let me know if you'd like to know more :D 🩷
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anathemaloren · 2 years
Text
In the end...
Carl GallagherxGirlfriend!reader
Requested?: yes
Request: Heyy! Could you please do a Carl Gallagher X Girlfriend!reader like maybe angsty and fluffy. Like in the last season or something (where carl is a cop) and they have been together since he came out of juvie and now they find out she‘s pregnant? Thank you so much! - requested by anon
Summary: A visit through the relationship of Carl and y/n, since they met at 14 until the biggest and best surprise of their lives.
Warnings: cursing (not much honestly); ANGST; death (mentioned); like, one fight; pregnancy; slight mentions of Carl's shitty life honestly.
Words: 1889
A/N: Thank you so much, lovely person. I'll try my best to meet your expectations. I'm not English, so there might be some mistakes. And. I also haven't seen the whole series YET, but I searched the whole Internet so I hope this is accurate, even tho I changed a bit the request to be a few years after the last season bc our boy Carl was 19 at the last season and, well... keep reading. Not proofread, tho. Enjoy! - Thema.
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She doesn’t really know how or why she fell for him. It made absolutely no sense. Really. No sense at all. I could sound a bit rude, but in the end it was kinda true.
---
They had met when they were 14. He was fresh out of juvie, with his “White Boy Carl” shit that she found absolutely stupid. He wasn’t a big fan of her. Carl used to say that “she’s just a chick who thinks she’s better than anyone just because she’s fucking perfect”. They were 14 and despised each other.
---
But at 15, poor Carl and poor y/n got paired for a project. At that project, they discovered that they worked pretty well together. They became very good friends and basically each other’s confident. Their friendship was a safe space. One night they told each other everything they thought the other needed to know.
Carl told her about his huge family and all of the shit he had with his father. He told her about juvie and explained to her the “White Boy Carl” phase and why and how it ended. He told her his problems with Dominique and all the shit he had gone through those past years.
Y/n told him about all her problems, all her dreams, her ambitions, her family, her friends. Carl listened to her, mesmerized. He fell in love harder that night than ever.
After going out together a few times and Carl asking for advice to almost his entire family (he asked Lip, Fiona, Debbie and even Ian) he kissed her. It was nothing too big for any of them individually, but it felt like the best kiss of their lives anyways.
They started dating that week and never let go of each other. They were attached by the hip. He was sweet and caring with her and all of his siblings catched him daydreaming about her more than once.
After a few months dating, Carl thought it was moment for his family to meet y/n. He had met y/n parents a few weeks before and they adored him. His family was a mess, so that was kinda the final test for y/n. But all of his siblings were absolutely enchanted by her, just like him, and loved her instantly. She especially got along with Ian and Liam, and shared Fiona’s efforts for Carl’s wellbeing. 
When Monica died, y/n was the one who had to tell Carl. She was of course invited to the funeral. She could swear she had never attended a funeral so… special. They laughed, danced and enjoyed their time together as a family in a weird way. After Carl went with Frank, he immediately went with y/n. They promised to be each other's anchors that day.
When Carl went to military school, Carl’s family supported y/n, and vice versa. She hung out with Lip and Ian sometimes; she went with Liam to the park, or the cinema, or wherever he wanted to go; helped with the groceries or the cleaning or whatever they needed; she helped with Frank kicking him out of the house when necessary; and she had diner with the Gallaghers, Kev, V and the twins, who she also babysat sometimes.
---
Fast forward to when they were 18. They both graduated and they also celebrated the fact that they had been together for 3 years, and, in Carl’s words, “that’s like 10 years for a Gallagher in a relationship”. So they decided to take the next step. He searched for a job while she started studying Periodism, which was her dream since she was little. They determined that they were going to live together. Since they had no money, they started living together at the Gallagher’s house. She also started working and tried to get as much money as she could to the household, but the biggest help she offered was helping with all the kids. She spent whole nights helping Liam with school, she played with Kev and V’s twins and she also took care of Franny and Freddie when needed. She actually didn't care at all, as she loved being with kids and was actually pretty good at it.
The change was probably the hardest challenge of their relationship. They fought, and they screamed. They said very ugly things about each other. 
“I don’t need you here if you’re just going to be an ungrateful bitch” he said to her during one of their arguments.
“I won’t stay either if you think I’m just an ungrateful bitch. You know very well that I do everything, EVERYTHING I can do to help your fucking family and you’re here all mighty telling me what? That I don’t do shit? After helping Liam with a project until 2 am last night? After having changed more diapers than the rest of this family? After giving every fucking penny I gain to YOUR family? Are you seriously in any position to say anything to me?” She replied with silent tears running down her face.
“…I’m sorry” He said after a few long seconds of silence. He got close to her and hugged her stronger than ever. They cried together promising each other never arguing like that again.
---
After a lot of effort and a VERY big amount of fights, kisses and a lot of shared love, Carl and y/n were attending Ian and Mickey’s wedding. They both cried during the whole thing, and they truly thought that they had the best brother-in-law in the world. They smiled until their cheeks hurted and Carl knew at that moment that the woman that was hugging his brother and husband with more strength than she had ever shown was going to be by his side forever.
---
2020 was a very challenging year for everyone. But it was also one of the happiest for the pair. Carl started at the police academy and became a cop. Y/n said after the ceremony “who would’ve guessed that” and he realized that he was the luckiest man alive for being able to keep her by his side all of those years.
2020 was also the year that they decided to move out of the family house. They loved all the Gallaghers, but they definitely needed a place just for them. They found a shitty flat very cheap and made it their home.
While y/n kept studying, Carl planned proposing to her. He had been saving for a while, and he had enough money to buy her a decent ring. 
He proposed in August, not wanting to wait anymore. He got on one knee while they were at the roof of the building, where he had put lights and made everything perfect just for her. She was shocked and lasted a while in answering, a thing that scared Carl out of his mind. He knew that they were only 19 and she maybe wanted to be legally single for a few more years. But then she smiled as brightly as the sun and said yes. 
---
Their wedding was a very little event when they were 20. Only family. Unlike at Ian's wedding, Fiona did attend. Y/n looked beautiful and Carl felt like he was getting married to an angel. Everything was very cheap and intimate, but they wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.
---
After little more than one year of being married, y/n discovered a very big thing. She was pregnant and very. She couldn’t understand how she had missed the signs. She was almost 2 months and a half pregnant, or so had the doctor said. 
She immediately went to see Ian and Mickey after her appointment, wanting to see someone of her husband’s family without her husband knowing anything about the pregnancy. She was scared out of her mind, not knowing if Carl would want the kid. She knew that he would want them, having said that he wanted to have a family with her.
But, what if he didn’t want them now? Or what if they couldn’t? They didn’t have that much money. Or maybe they weren’t prepared. Was she prepared to have kids with Carl?
Ian and Mickey advised her that she had to tell him. So y/n started preparing how she would tell him.
She wanted to proceed carefully, so she didn’t do anything big. Enough for him to be surprised but not as much for him to feel pressured.
When he arrived home that night, y/n was about to vomit, or scream, or cry, or something in between.
She got up from the couch and went to greet him with a kiss, like everyday. Carl also made the bad joke he did everyday. “Look what we have here. Is your husband around, hottie?”. She did her routine roll of eyes. She smiled and kissed him again.
“I have a surprise for you” she said, dragging him to the kitchen.
“You do?” he asked. 
Y/n felt Carl’s eyes through her whole body. “Not in that way, asshole”.
He laughed defeated. They arrived to the kitchen and y/n handed him a little box. He raised an eyebrow seeing her very nervous, biting her inside cheek.
“You ok?” he asked concerned.
“Open the fucking box, I’m struggling here” she said, now biting her nails.
He decided to open the box to see what had his wife so nervous. The only thing he saw was a pacifier. He didn’t understand at first, looking to y/n and back to the pacifier a few times.
Y/n took a positive pregnancy test off her pocket and placed it on the kitchen counter. Carl then looked at the test, then to her and back to the pacifier.
Anxious, y/n said “do you need me to spell it out for you or are you getting the fucking hints?”.
He smiled a bit looking at his wife again. “Is this true?”
“Of course it is true!” y/n answered, getting impatient.
“This is not a joke, right?” he said with glossy eyes.
“Why on Earth would I make a joke like this one?” she said, getting close to him.
She placed her hands on his cheeks to wipe the tears that were already escaping his eyes.
He finally snapped out of his long trance and wrapped his arms around her waist, raising her a bit from the floor, kissing her entire face and saying “I love you” again and again.
“Carl!” she exclaimed, a bit surprised by the sudden burst of energy.
“Sorry! Sorry! That’s probably not good for the baby, right? I never- Sorry. How far along are you? Can we-” he started rumbling before she stopped him.
“God, you’re going to be an amazing father, aren’t you?” she said, completely amazed by her husband.
“We’re going to be pretty cool parents, that’s true” he said, giggling like a little kid, hugging y/n tight once again, making her laugh heartily.
---
It didn’t matter that they were completely different, or that she didn’t even know how she fell for her.Because in the end, the only thing that mattered was that they loved each other more than they loved anyone in the entire world. Except maybe that little human that was going to change their life forever completely.
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A/N: Well, I know this was not exactly what was requested, but I tried my best to stuck to it, with a lot of creative liberty. I hadn't wrote that much on a while, so I don't know how to feel about this. Hope you enjoyed it tho!
All the love, A.
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Note
Hello, I hope you're well.
I've always wondered why Alice couldn't have gone to Volterra on her own at the end of New Moon to stop Edward? Couldn't she have gone to Forks, seen and spoken to Bella, gone and found Edward and shown him her thoughts? I vaguely remember Alice saying something along the lines of Edward not believing anyone apart from Bella, but I imagine Alice would've been faster if she didn't spend the time taking Bella along too. And surely sending Bella to sprint through Volterra while Alice sorted out the car wasn't the fastest option available?
I imagine Alice could've sped through the Italian countryside unseen once she arrived, and she would've had a great deal more strength than Bella to push Edward out of the sun. (Bella certainly seemed to struggle in the film). I haven't reached that part of the book yet, so maybe it's different to the film? Would Edward have been killed if Bella hadn't been there maybe?
So, the thing about the movies, is that they explain jack shit and then will change some things so they don't make any sense.
Why does Aro have Felix nearly murder Edward in Volterra only to then let him go two seconds later? It's unclear, I guess they ran out of run time for Michael Sheen. Why do the Cullens even do this human thing? Hold that thought.
So, there's a lot that the books do explain in some detail, that either never get a mention in the films or are extremely glossed over for run time, toning down, difficulty to explain in the medium, and various other reasons.
No offense if you like the movies, anon, I just hate them.
So, here's what Alice tells us in the book.
Bella and Jacob ask what you just did: why doesn't Alice go herself? Bella will only slow Alice down and Alice has to get Bella out of the country right this second when at the moment of asking she could only pray that Bella had a passport (Bella did so it worked out but if she hadn't I imagine Bella would have been placed in the cargo hold instead).
Alice responds that she has had visions where she runs through the city, yelling at Edward mentally that Bella is alive, but that Edward would not only not believe her but step into the sunlight sooner as he knows Alice is there to stop him. The reason he wouldn't believe her is that he would know Alice would know this is the only way to stop him from doing this. This is why, even if Alice doesn't think "Bella's alive!" she still can't go as Edward will realize his suicide attempt will be quickly thwarted.
Add in that it was a very sunny day in Tuscany and Alice would have had to take a very roundabout path to get to Edward where she would stay in the shade. Because she's dealing with vampires, not humans, this matters: Edward will kill himself before Alice can ever reach him.
Similarly, we have a problem in that Edward can't hear Bella's thoughts. As a result, even when Bella shows up, she can't stay outside the city/in range of Edward's gift if not his person, as he can't hear her think and wouldn't be able to recognize she's alive. Moreover, Edward's so fucking focused on killing himself dramatically, that he's not paying attention to thoughts around him, who might happen to see Bella's face but would likely think nothing of it. Edward's not looking for her.
The only way they can stop the suicide is if Bella runs and manages to catch him in time. It's not about pushing him out of the way, it's about getting there just in time to say "WAIT, I'M ALIVE, DON'T KILL YOURSELF".
Which is what fortunately happens.
What Alice doesn't mention is Edward's a little in love with the idea of killing himself over this. So, it's not shocking that nothing else will stop him.
Which yes, means she ultimately risks Bella's life, takes her to the den of the enemy, so that she can save Edward and does not make this clear to Bella.
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echologhia · 2 months
Text
ok i just wanted to add my two cents to the analysis of reuenthal's thought train in ep 93 of logh. no major spoilers but it's better to come back later in case you haven't seen the ova yet
so people have already analyzed the hell out of this particular frame (i apologize for the blurry screenshots i took hastily from laserdisc rip on archive.org, might fix that later) with reuenthal imagining his mother looking as himself and her lover as a guy who looks suspiciously like mittermeyer
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well i just found more proof that this is not a flashback or an accurate retelling of the actual events. rather this is some sort of elaborate fantasy that reuenthal orchestrated in his mindscape.
even though it's extremely on the nose i haven't seen anyone else before me pointing that out! so i apologize if somebody did and i missed that.
anyway, let's go back to ep 28 (portraits). this is the first time we see reuenthal talking about his mother and his family in general. and what we see is that ova actually shows us a portrait of his mother (not just in one frame but in two):
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yeah that's right. her hair isn't dark it's blond-ish. and despite that, oskar still imagines her as having dark hair (just as himself) a few seconds later.
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might have been an animation blunder but i want to believe that this decision was deliberate. there are more things hinting at this whole thing being made up (others have pointed them out already), such as the inconsistency of the "flashbacks": the suicide of reuenthal's mother is portrayed very differently in ep 28 and in ep 93. since he couldn't possibly remember her death accurately (even the books mention this) the most likely scenario is that his father is at fault, and he shifted the blame onto the child - probably telling oskar that he's "just like his mother", and he internalized it. gender delirious
i also think that ova creators specifically chose to go this route. i haven't read the source material in its entirety but from what i understand there's no mention of reuenthal being a carbon copy of his mother appearance-wise. moreover, in die neue these (which some praise for being truer to the books than ova) it is the father who looks exactly like him. so ova constructed this personal freudian hellscape just for my boy reuenthal. i rest my case
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chaotic-on-main · 10 months
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Chapter 8: June - Part Two
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☾ Pairings ➼ Levi Ackerman x fem!mute!Reader (she/her pronouns), set in a modern semi-fictional world
☾ Summary ➼ Due to childhood trauma, you find yourself an adult without the ability to speak. After years of working on it, you have found ways to live without a voice. Now here in your late 20s, you are 5 months in getting used to a new town. On a fateful day in late November, you and your adopted sister visit a local bookstore-café, unaware of the friendships about to blossom. Throughout the months, one friendship in particular develops into something more.
☾ Content/Warnings ➼ fluff, slowburn, oblivious feelings, romance, angst, mention of minor character deaths, trauma, illness, adoption, mentions of fire, disabilities, alcohol use, very light nsfw mentions, references to child abuse, smoking and alcohol abuse mentions, domestic violence mentions, light assault
☾ Author's note ➼ AAAAAAAA okay last part before shit starts ramping up. I HOPE Y'ALL ARE READY. This one might be a little rough as it's still some set up but hey, that's what makes slow burns so good right? See y'all with the next part soon. But in the mean time, beach episode anyone? :3
ALSO IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN MY SUMMER EVENT CELEBRATING 250 FOLLOWERS YET PLEASE GO HERE!! I AM ACCEPTING REQUESTS UNTIL JULY 31ST!
☾ Word Count ➼ ~7.1k (whoops)
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The smell of cooking meat wafts into your bedroom, waking you up gently from your deep sleep. You pop an eye open and are greeted by bright sunlight shining through the open glass door, the salty breeze making the sheer curtains around it dance. Shrieks of laughter make their way up to you from the beach below. Reaching over to your phone, you check the time and see it is barely past three in the afternoon.
Considering you didn’t get back to bed until late, you’re not surprised to have slept in so long – though part of you wonders why no one had come to wake you earlier. You turn onto your back and stare up at the ceiling, a smile creeping up your face. Last night was nice, strolling on the beach with Levi in the dead of night. You recall the way he said goodnight to you softly before closing his door in front of you.
You lie there for a moment longer, focusing on the noises coming from the other side of the bedroom door. The sounds of metal pans and dull chatter slip under the crack, too muffled to really make out words but there’s a few bursts of boisterous laughter from Erwin. You hope Levi got to sleep in as much as you did.
It takes a bit to assemble yourself, humming to yourself as you do. You even make your bed, thinking about what Levi might say if he saw you do that. The thought makes you blush. Once dressed, you do a double take in the mirror then nod to yourself before throwing the bedroom door open.
At first glance, you see Hange busy at the stove, their hair pulled up in a messy ponytail. Levi is at the bar drinking a cup of tea as he scrolls through his phone. His eyes slide over to your movement in his periphery but says nothing. Instead, he leans over and pours another cup of tea, dropping in a couple spoonfuls of sugar as well as some milk. He slides it to the seat next to him on the bar then goes back to his cup, not looking your way.
“There you are!! Good afternoon!!” Hange yells over to you while they flip what looks like a piece of grilled chicken.
After sitting down on the stool next to Levi, you give him a grateful smile. When you take a sip of the warm tea, you sigh internally at the smooth flavor. Levi knew how you liked your tea and never failed to get it perfect every time - you adored him for that. Setting it down carefully, you look around the rest of the living space.
‘Where’s Erwin?’
“He’s on the phone.” Levi says, pointing behind him.
You follow his finger and find it pointing to the main balcony attached to the living room. Erwin is pacing back and forth as he speaks through the mouthpiece, his best customer service smile brightening up his face. A laugh shakes his upper body as he continues to converse.
‘What is he doing?’
“Who knows with him.” Hange cuts in as they take the grilled chicken out of the pan and place it into a glass dish sitting off to the side. There are already a few pieces of the same chicken piled into it.
“They had a little farmer’s market this morning out in the square that I just had to visit. I saw a flier for it in the elevator yesterday. You would not believe the things they were selling.” Hange says cheerily. They reach over to you and set down a small bowl of mixed fruits before plucking a blueberry off the top and popping it into their mouth. “Speaking of, I know what we’re doing tomorrow night and you and Levi are not allowed to say no.” Hange then turns around to check on the sizzling meat.
You eye Levi, curious to see if he had any idea what Hange meant but he just rolls his eyes, grumbling something about ‘shitty-glasses’ under his breath. You shrug to yourself and start digging into your fresh fruit starting with the plump strawberries hiding at the bottom.
The sound of the sliding door opening and closing behind you makes your ears twitch. You swivel in your barstool mid-bite to the sight of Erwin walking over with a big smile. He’s wearing his light blue button down that matches his eyes perfectly, unbuttoned to show his white t-shirt underneath.
“That should be the last of the plans and reservations made for this week.” Erwin chirps. The weariness he wore yesterday is completely dissolved. In place is the essence of pure joy.
“Nice! Good job, Erwin. But uh- what are these ‘plans and reservations’?” Hange inquires as they lean against the island with their chin sitting in their palms, the spatula they were using currently dripping oil all over the counter. Levi scowls and shoves a paper towel underneath.
“Well, tomorrow we’re going to visit Liberio’s local museum. They have a lot of history and culture here that I think we would all be interested in. Then there’s a block party in the town square to celebrate the beginning of the summer. Hange should have told you that already, though.” Erwin chuckles as he sits himself down on the last barstool next to Levi. He pulls his phone out and starts scrolling for something.
You take this chance to side-eye Hange, shooting them a raised eyebrow. They lift their hands up in defense and turn to focus on the last chicken breast currently popping in the pan.
“Hmmm. Oh!” Erwin sits up as he finds what he was looking for. “The day after tomorrow, I scheduled a lovely all afternoon spa date for you two.” Erwin’s crystal blue eyes flick up over his phone screen to look at you and Hange, though their back is still turned.
“I can’t imagine you scheduled the spa for us, Erwin?” Levi mutters over his teacup before taking a sip.
“As much as I think it could be fun, no. You and I are going golfing.” Levi sputters on the dark liquid, staring at Erwin in disbelief.
“Seriously?”
“Just a small game. It’s been a while.” Erwin says nonchalantly as he continues to scroll through his digital itinerary.
“Just let me stay here.” Levi’s tone is dry, but you can’t help but laugh internally at the bratty disposition he gave off. His eyes narrow at his blonde friend.
“It’s too late, we’re both reserved for the course at 9am.”
Levi only huffs in return.
“Then we’ll meet up before going out to dinner. I’ve seen nothing but great reviews at this one place down the street. Apparently, the owner’s eighteen-year-old son is a prodigal chef.”
‘Oh yeah, I read about something like that before we left home. How did you get reservations so last minute?’ You pop a raspberry in your mouth while you eye him with surprise.
“I had these reservations set months ago. I just had to call and ask if we could add a couple more chairs.” You don’t press after that, pinching your lips together in a thin line.
“Last but not least is the Liberio Summer Festival.” He continues. “After that, we have one more day to rest up before we fly back home to Paradis.” Erwin locks his phone before placing it down onto the marble countertop. 
“I think these are all great ideas.” Hange comments with a smirk. Your blond friend scoffs in amusement.
“You thought of half of them, Hange.”
“Yeah, yeah. I’ve been thinking about stopping by some local shops too. Sounds like we’ll have time to do that tomorrow afternoon, huh?” Hange says as they shut the stove off and then turns to wiggle an eyebrow at you.
You’re in the middle of wiping off the sticky colorful fruit on a napkin as they direct the attention to you. You shrug but shoot over a reassuring smile regardless. You’ve never been one for shopping, but it made Hange happy and that was enough for you.
The rest of the conversation dwindles into today’s plans for the beach. Hange cuts in and excitedly showed off the chicken that they had just finished cooking. They were happy to announce that they just needed a little more time to prepare but then you all could leave. You hear them mention something about a beach picnic for dinner, but your ears quickly tune them out as you find your mind wandering elsewhere.
Levi’s steely gaze falls on you for a moment. You both exchanged a look. At the time, you think it’s from the ridiculous antics your sister was up to as usual. But if you had looked harder, you would have seen there was something else there dancing in his eyes. He looks away and back down to his almost empty teacup as he grumbles something to Hange.
You excuse yourself a bit later to gather your things for the beach and Hange follows so they can grab their own bag from their messy corner of belongings. You note their bathing suit top peeking out from their loose shirt and wonder how long they have been up.
“Don’t forget to change into your bathing suit.” Hange shoots you with a finger gun and then slips out of the door, shutting it and leaving you in silence. Your hands hung midair as you were signing to them before they had left. They drop to your sides as you roll your eyes.
 A sigh escapes your lips as you walk over to your suitcase sitting on the floor. You had stuffed your swimsuit in a small compartment meant to separate it from the rest of your clothes in the off chance it was still wet when you packed later. Reaching in, you feel the soft texture and you’re instantly suspicious. This isn’t the bathing suit you had packed.
When you pull it out, your fears are confirmed. Sitting in between shaking fingers is the pink two-piece Hange had semi-jokingly gifted for your birthday last month. You don’t know how they found it considering you had shoved it so far back into your closet.
You thrust your hand back in the same pocket to check just in case and come up empty. You dig through the rest of the neatly organized suitcase to make sure you didn’t place the original somewhere else. You find nothing.
Long gone is the black set you had packed a couple days ago, leaving you with this abomination as your only option. Considering you had to leave soon, there was no time to go out and buy another. If you had a voice, you would have screamed your now dead-to-you sister’s name. Instead, you stomp your feet and take a shaky breath. You resign yourself to your fate and start changing.
.
By the time you all make it down to the sand, your phone reads a few minutes before 4:30 in the afternoon. It had taken a little longer than planned to get the beach-side picnic packed. Hange had found a large wicker basket the owners currently used for blanket storage that they claimed would be great to transport food in. Levi had adamantly disagreed, but Hange promised they would clean it out before putting the blankets back in. That was that.
Now, you sit under the protection of a comically large umbrella in the comfort of your baggiest clothes. Levi sits next to you covered up about the same. He hadn’t worn shorts since you all had gotten here so seeing his extremely pale legs in the sunlight was almost blinding. Before you had even left, he covered himself in sunscreen, grumbling under his breath about ‘not taking any chances.’ He didn’t appreciate the laugh he got out of you for saying that.
The beach wasn’t too packed to begin with, something you and Levi both sighed in relief at. There was enough space in the back to find the spot you all settled into easily. A couple walks by as they swing their toddler between them, tiny giggles escaping into the summer breeze. A few teens scream in delight a little way off, laughing and yelling at each other. Erwin and Hange are digging around in the wet sand looking for shells in front of you, the sound of their chatter getting lost in the summer breeze.
A loud rumbling comes from your stomach as you stretch your legs out onto the beach blanket. Your face heats up from embarrassment at the noise and you hope it wasn’t loud enough for Levi to hear. Unfortunately, he has sensitive hearing.
“Hungry?” He looks over to you, his eyes shaded in black sunglasses. You can’t tell if he’s even looking at you.
You give him a small nod, puffing your cheeks out. This is what you get for only eating a bowl of fruit for lunch. Levi’s hair flutters in the wind, pushing it back and out of his face. You can already see the sweat sheening on his face from the excessive summer heat.
“Oi! Shitty-glasses!” He shouts to Hange who was currently on their way to you as he spoke.
“What, shorty?” They grab the water bottle they had set out earlier and unscrew it as they sit down on their towel a few feet away.
“When’s dinner? Your sister’s stomach is about to eat her from the inside out.” He points to you with a thumb.
“I’m thinking about another hour. Can you hang in there until then?” Hange frowns to you with concern.
You didn’t want to interrupt their fun, so you sign a ‘yes’, resulting in a wild grin from your sister. You could wait a little longer, you hope.
“Great! You two are missing out. Get your asses up!” Hange tucks their bottle under their clothes to keep it from the sun and push up from the ground.
Erwin trots over, saltwater dripping off of him with every step. With his blond hair slicked back, you could have sworn he was made for the beach. He resembles what you would imagine the god Apollo would look like. Meant for the sunshine.
“Why are you two still sitting here, fully clothed at that? The water is this way.” He points behind his shoulder. He beams his award-winning smile down to the two of you as he waits for a response. He doesn’t get much from Levi other than an eye roll. You fidget with the blanket underneath you, curling your fingers into the cloth. The anxiety you had pushed down from earlier starts to bubble up again.
‘I’m just keeping Levi company.’ You sign what you believe to be half-truth. Before you all had left Paradis, Levi had warned he wasn’t going into the ocean. He had said something about it being gross and that fish defecated in it all day. So, Levi wanted to stay on the blanket, and you decided to stay with him.
“Then I guess Levi has to go in.” Hange glances over to Erwin with a smirk. Erwin starts to step over to Levi, still dripping wet from his plunge earlier.
“Don’t even think about it.” Levi’s voice comes out in a low warning. You can already see the gears turning in everyone’s head and you were afraid of what might happen if you let things continue. In a hurry, you stand yourself up and place your hands out to calm everyone down.
‘Fine, fine. I’m coming. Leave Levi out of this.’ You sign with shaky hands. You dreaded this the moment you saw yourself in the mirror before leaving. Hange nods in approval and crosses their arms as they wait. The corner of their lips twitched in anticipation at what they knew was about to happen.
Your fingers tremble as your thumbs lock into the belt loops of your shorts. Carefully, you slide them down your legs, being careful not to fall over as you step out of them. As if you were pushing off the inevitable, you fold them neatly and place them on top of the beach bag that sat next to the food basket.
Taking a deep breath, you grip the soft fabric of your shirt and lift it over your head. You hear a sharp intake of breath followed by a little cough and you don't have to look over to see who did it. Your face is about the same shade as the bathing suit you had so desperately tried to hide.
Now, the suit was really cute, you won’t deny it. And it was very flattering on your body as well as against your skin tone. But it was not a style you would have chosen yourself nor like anything you’ve ever tried on before. It was salacious in nature despite the fact that it covered the important bits.
The top has built-in cups that push everything up and together, giving even those on the smaller side an illusion of a heavy bust. You were afraid that any wrong move you made would result in a spill out from how low cut it was on you. Your bottoms were high waisted, much to your relief. But with the high waist came the high hips so your thighs and most of your ass was on full display. It hugs your body just right, and you never felt more vulnerable.
Hange wolf-whistles at the sight of you, prompting you to use the shirt you still had in hand as a cover up. You can’t bring yourself to look at anyone, mortified at the unwanted attention.
“See, what did I say? She looks cute, does she not?” Hange wraps her arm around your shoulder, almost knocking you over. You hug the shirt closer to your chest as you stare down to the sand your toes are currently digging in.
“Hange, why do I have a feeling she didn’t pack the suit?” Levi’s voice cuts in. Your eyes flicker to him quickly before looking away. Despite Levi’s casual tone, the tips of his ears are bright red and you’re pretty sure it’s not from the heat.
“Okay fine, I swapped it out. But she looks good!”
“Her comfort is important, Hange. She’s obviously not comfortable.” The way Levi dismissed their question while simultaneously coming to your aid makes your heart jump.
“Okay you guys, there’s nothing to be done about it now.” Erwin looks to you now, a gentle smile gracing his also rose-colored cheeks. “You don’t have to go in. We can stop for another suit before the next beach day.”
You were uncomfortable, yes. But…
Your eyes glance over at the waves crashing towards the shore. Multiple people splash around with joy, indicating the water must be nice today. You were looking forward to this day, and you would be mad at yourself for allowing your discomfort to ruin it. You fold your shirt and place it on top of your shorts before putting on a smile for everyone.
‘No. I’ll be okay.’
“Thatta girl. Let’s get you slathered up with sunscreen first.” Hange walks around to one of the beach bags and grabs one of the aerosol sunscreen cans they had bought earlier in the day. Even for a hot day, the impact of the cool mist hitting your skin creates goosebumps all over your body. You cough at the chemicals going up your nose after they spritz your face.
Once satisfied, they toss the can back into the bag before turning and jogging back into the clear ocean where Erwin currently floats in. You twist around to face Levi, ignoring the palpitations your heart is currently going through. His gaze snaps up to yours, eyes still covered by his dark spectacles.
‘Are you coming?’ You shoot him a soft smile.
“Just go.” He mumbles quietly. His words hold no malice, but you can’t help but internally recoil at his short response. You nod in his direction and take off towards the water. Had you looked behind you, you’d notice that you never left Levi’s sight.  
You hesitate as you get to the shore, just as you did last night. The frothy seawater quickly makes its way to your bare feet, crashing over them and retreating just as fast. You laugh to yourself at the feeling of the sand displacing from the rushing water underneath your toes. The water is much warmer than when you had first greeted it so many hours ago. With a child-like grin, you run into the opposing current.
.
You had been splashing around with Hange for about 20 minutes when the sudden dizzy spell hits you. With the waves bouncing you up and down, you feel tingles in your feet that were currently suspended from floating in the salt water. You needed to get out.
Without saying anything to your companions, you start wading back to the shore as best you can. You didn’t realize how far out into the ocean you were until now. With each stroke you made back to land, the more static that filled your head. You blink hard a few times trying to fight the lightheaded feeling as your feet dig in the wet sand in an attempt to push yourself forward more.
By some miracle, you’re able to make it back to where the waves just crash on land before your legs collapse from under you. You’re able to catch yourself so you don’t face-plant into the firm sand beneath you, but your arms are shaky and the water slamming into you doesn’t help. Hange’s and Erwin’s shouts from behind come to you muffled. You shake your head, trying to knock back the nausea that came from feeling like the earth was spinning.
Suddenly, there’s a hand on your back as another pulls your chin over to look into the stormy gray eyes of Levi. His face is laced full of worry as his eyes scan your weary features. The blood rushing to your ears is almost as loud as the ocean and because of that, you have a hard time understanding anything he’s saying now. It takes a moment for you to realize he isn’t even talking to you, and instead to the people coming up from behind you.
Your eyes shut tight as you feel him lifting you off the ground and into his arms. He holds you close to his chest as he starts speed-walking back over to the spot you all had claimed. With the motion of his steps mixed in with the world already spinning around you, your nausea grows worse.
You grab the shirt Levi still had on in a tight fist, hoping it will help ground you. You notice his shirt is currently getting soaked from your wet body, adhering to his seemingly toned chest underneath. If you weren’t on the verge of throwing up, you would have been more aware of how fast his heart was racing holding you so closely with such little clothing on.
“Don’t worry about it.” Levi grunts down to you. He kneels into the soft blanket and sets you down gently before reaching over into the basket. Pulling out a soda, he makes quick work of popping it open and bringing it to your lips. You blink a few times at him. The worry behind his eyes is ever present as he watches you carefully. Your hesitation, however, makes him scowl.
“Drink.” He orders.
If you weren’t on the brink of passing out, you would have found this situation embarrassingly intimate. You put your mouth on the metal lip and Levi helps to tip it for you, carbonated sugar dancing on your tongue as it goes down. It’s like this for a couple minutes. Levi tipping it back every few minutes, and you're staring anywhere but his face.
Eventually, the world feels like it’s slowing down. The sounds around you trickle in with clarity and you’re finally more aware of your surroundings. Your eyes trail back over to Levi, still on his knees next to you with the can in hand. His eyes haven’t let your face, nor has the concern lessened. You shift around to get comfortable and notice that your shirt has been placed back over your head somehow.
Gently, you place your hand over Levi’s and push it down and out of your face.
‘I’m okay, now. I think.’  You sign, your hands still visibly shaking.
“You dumbass, this is why we should have eaten earlier.” Levi’s voice is gruff. He shoots daggers over to where your sister currently sits.
“I didn’t pay attention. That’s on me, I admit. We’re eating now, though.” Hange’s voice is drenched with guilt. They nod over to Erwin who was currently pulling out plates as well as miscellaneous covered dishes filled with what you expect is dinner.
“How is she?” Erwin asks as he pops open the top of the chicken salad Hange had made earlier.
Levi’s eyes meet your gaze again, waiting for your response.
‘Better.’ You offer a small smile. In truth, you did. The soda brought your heart back to a normal rhythm and you could finally feel your fingers.
“She says better.” Levi mumbles. He sits back down on the blanket before gingerly rubbing at his knee he had been kneeling on.
“Good, let’s dig in then.” Erwin smiles over to you as he hands you a plate filled with chicken salad, crackers, and various chopped up veggies.
Hange crawls over to you, most of their skin now dry from sitting out in the sun during this whole ordeal. They lean against you, resting their head on your shoulder. You can’t see their face very well from this angle, but you suspect they might be frowning.
“Sorry, my little berry. I’ve messed everything up for you today.” You see Levi open his mouth to say something, but you subtly shake your head. He closes it quickly and looks away.
You pat Hange’s head in reassurance with your other arm, feeling the grainy sand that currently sits between their hair strands. Erwin starts talking about something marine life related and you find yourself checking out as you slowly eat at your plate. And just like that, the group is back to silly conversations and taunting statements. The whole time, you find yourself throwing appreciative glances over to Levi and sometimes he’ll catch you, but he says nothing about it.
.
The sun hangs lower by the time you all finish cleaning up after yourselves. There were probably a couple hours until sunset. Erwin had asked if you wanted to come back into the water with them but denied their offer, instead opting to use this time to sunbathe. In all honesty, you still needed time to recalibrate after almost passing out. They were much more understanding and left you to your own devices. And Levi, of course, stayed behind with you.
Unfortunately, with the absence of Hange, you struggle a bit with the sunscreen. You were able to get everything in the front but when it came to getting your back, you found yourself fighting with the canister. That is, until you feel slim fingers taking it from you after you spray your hair for the third time.
“Tch, if you need help just say so.” Levi grumbles from behind you. Your heart jumps by his sudden proximity to you, his voice practically right by your ear. You hear him shaking the can before quickly spraying a layer of mist along your back, making sure to get your shoulders well covered as well.
“Some of the sunscreen isn’t sitting right. You might need to rub it in.” You glance back at Levi, eyebrow raised. You raise your hands to where he can see without having to turn around.
‘I can’t reach back there, dummy. Will you help?’ You keep a calm and collected face. Internally, however, you were freaking out at your request. With Hange gone, you had no one else to ask. A moment passes. Just as you think he had left in refusal of your bold invitation, you feel his slender fingers rubbing the oily sunscreen into your soft skin.
This isn’t the first time Levi has touched you, recalling the brief hand holding in the past. Not to mention him carrying you an hour ago. But this is the first time he did it with the sole intention of touching you, even if it was to help you stay protected from the sun. You’re not sure if he was doing it deliberately or not, but the pressure his nimble fingers used to massage the oils in was enough to make you shift your weight in an attempt to fight the feeling that was burning at your core. Levi’s fingers leave you all too soon.
“How’s that?” His voice comes out thickly. You turn back around to face him with a forced smile.
‘Great, thank you.’ He nods stiffly and turns back around before curling back up under the umbrella. You stand awkwardly before remembering why he helped you in the first place.
Taking Hange’s towel they had laid out, you fluff it up to get the sand off before stretching out on top of it. You’re still self-conscious of the fabric that hugs your body, so you find yourself lying face down and in the direction of the umbrella. You fold your arms under your head and rest your cheek against them. A content sigh escapes your lips from the sun rays kissing your skin. 
 It stays like this. You can hear Levi a few feet away, shuffling in place every couple of minutes. You also hear the cacophony of seagulls off in the distance, probably in search of food. There’s more laughter, some from Erwin’s very distinctive spirited self. All this mixed with the crashing of waves really adds to your blissful mood.
Your mind wanders, gravitating towards Levi as it always does. You can’t imagine this is his favorite place to be right now, despite his willingness to walk with you last night. You pull your head up to where your chin rests in between both folded arms and you stare over to Levi. He currently sits with his feet tucked under him in a crossed position, currently messing with something on his phone. Sitting up on both elbows, you snap to get his attention.
His face raises up slightly, but you can’t tell if he’s even looking at you with how dark his sunglasses were. Had you read his mind, you’d have known he was doing his best not to glance down where your breasts currently sit squished against the towel. His face gives nothing away, but his heart skips a few beats at the sight of you and the thoughts that lingered. Levi clears his throat before sitting forward and setting his phone down. You had his undivided attention.
“What?”
‘Just checking on you.’ You purse your lips at him. You get a sense of simmering attitude just threatening to bubble up in him.
“I’m fine.” He mumbles, shrugging his shoulders.
‘You don’t sound fine.’ You narrow your eyes at him.
“Well, it’s hot and this grainy shit is very annoying.” He sweeps at the sand that had transferred onto the blanket earlier. You raise an eyebrow at him and frown.
‘Why didn’t you stay back then?’
“Someone needed to make sure you wouldn’t drown.”
‘You don’t trust Erwin or Hange?’ Levi huffs at that.
“That’s funny.” He says without humor.
‘Want me to go drown so you don’t have to worry about me anymore?’ You stick your tongue out at him.
“Sure, just make it quick. I think I can fit in some time to clean the kitchen before Hange comes back to wreck it.” Your shoulders shake in silent laughter at his serious disposition. The corners of his mouth quirk up as well. You puff your cheeks out, your smile fading from your face slowly.
‘It’s not fair to you if you’re so miserable, Levi.’
“I’ll be fine. Stop worrying about me and focus on yourself, tch.” Levi mindlessly pulls at the small grains of sand still plaguing the area around him. A moment later, he pushes his sunglasses up so it’s holding his hair back, his whole face on display for you. “Are you having fun?”
You rest your chin in your palm as you eye him, giving him a nod in response. Due to the angle, Levi’s unblinking gaze peers through his long eyelashes. That feeling you had earlier, that burning sensation through your core. It’s ever present as you both continue to watch each other. Your eyes flicker down to his pouty lips before looking away shyly. After some silence between you two, you decide to lie back down, tucking your face into the crook of your elbow.
After a while, your back starts feeling like it’s on fire, so you turn over to give your front an opportunity for some sunlight. You tilt your head back to peep a glance up at Levi to see what he was doing, only to catch him staring straight back. He mumbles a sorry and looks back down at his phone clenched in white knuckles. You can’t help it, a smug smile teases at your lips as you flatten back out. Maybe this bathing suit isn’t so bad, you start to think.
You get about another fifteen minutes of peace until you hear Hange’s quiet laughter. Your first mistake is believing they were coming back for a drink break, so you kept your eyes closed. A shadow passes by and then suddenly you feel a cascade of warm water fall on your face.
You’re in such shock that you sit straight up and splutter at the water that has gone up your nose and straight down your throat. Everything burns from the excessive salt. You wipe your eyes in time to see the culprits running back to the ocean. Hange is laughing so hard that they’re not paying attention and end up tripping on their own feet. They take a nosedive into the surf.
You push yourself up from the now soaked towel and run after them, almost losing footing in the hot, soft sand. You’re still able to find enough momentum though. Erwin’s in the middle of laughing at Hange’s misfortune with his back turned to you that he doesn’t see you in time to stop you from tackling him from behind.
Erwin, of course, isn’t fazed by any of this. He stands almost half a foot taller than you with broad shoulders, so you were not taking him down any time soon. At best, you were able to koala around him.
You’re not sure how he did it but suddenly you were being picked up like a surfboard by his big hands and then tucked under an arm like a football. No amount of kicking and hitting makes him stop his amble into the ocean. During this whole time, your hoarse laughter escapes from your lungs.
Before you know it, he stops just as the water is up to his knees and stands staring off in the distance. Erwin is purposefully oblivious to your protests as he scans the distance with his hand as a visor to block out the setting sun. Suddenly, he stiffly picks you up like a surfboard again and your eyes widen at the realization of what he is planning to do. With your feet still kicking as they dangle below you, in one swift movement Erwin chucks you a good few feet away into the air. You only have time to pinch your nose before you crash back into the blue water like a cannonball.
When you break the surface, you come out laughing and coughing at the salty water you accidentally ingested. Hange is back on the surf and sitting down as the waves crash around them, laughing along with you. Erwin, however, is back at the umbrella talking to Levi. They’re too far away to hear what they’re talking about, but you can tell it’s a calm argument. Much to your surprise, you see Levi getting up just as Erwin turns around to head back. He has a satisfied grin, mixed with slight mischief. This wasn’t going to go well.
Eventually, Levi makes his way down to right where the furthest waves meet the sand and stands next to Erwin. His shoes are off as is his shirt. All that adorns his short stature is a pair of swim trunks and his sunglasses. Lean muscles ripple all throughout his body as he stands with both feet planted into the moist sand. He crosses his arms over his chest, eyebrows knit in annoyance.
“Okay, I’m here. Happy?” He calls out to all of you, voice loud to be heard over the waves.
Hange looks over at the source and raises their arms in excitement while screaming, “Yay Levi! Glad to see you make it. Come on in, the water’s fine!”
“Tch, yeah, no thanks. That water is fucking disgusting.” His eyes land on you as you bob up and down from the waves, his gaze noticeably softening when he sees you smiling at him. Unfortunately for Levi, you were too good of a distraction for Erwin’s antics.
You watch in bewilderment as Erwin lifts Levi up from the armpits like a toddler. The horror-stricken look that blanketed Levi’s face would have been comical if you weren’t so afraid for Erwin’s life. You’ve never seen someone go through the 5 stages of grief in such a short amount of time. Levi accepted defeat the moment right before he’s tossed into the water a few feet from you.
You guard your face from the inevitable splash, mouth agape at the audacity of Erwin’s actions. Hange starts laughing even harder until a wave larger than the others comes out of nowhere and hits them square in the face. Erwin loses it after that.
When Levi resurfaces, his anger is palpable. He starts to wade towards Erwin who was currently doubled over on his knees in a fit of laughter but your fingers clamp over Levi’s forearm to stop him. In a knee jerk reaction, he yanks his arm out of your grip and whirls around on you. The dark look in his eyes diminishes quickly as he realizes it’s you. The anger never leaves his face though, every muscle tense with his jaw locked.
You grip Levi’s arm gently and start tugging him opposite of where your friends currently sat laughing. Keeping yourself afloat in one place was hard enough on your own, but dragging someone behind you was another story. Fortunately for you, Levi doesn’t resist as you trudge through the sand and ocean currents to the shore. Eventually you both make it until you’re ankle deep in water and you turn to face him.
Levi’s face is contorted less so than before, only showing pure annoyance. His eyes don’t meet yours, instead staring off to somewhere off in the distance. You release his arm and reach over with both hands to cup his face in them, twisting his face in your direction. His eyes widen, stunned at your sudden touch.
One of his hands reaches up, three fingers curling around the back of your hand and pulls it down off his face. He continues to hold on to your hand though, refusing to let go. 
“Don’t even think about apologizing.” His voice comes out gravelly. His eyes narrow over your shoulder, probably to Erwin if you had to guess. You pull your hand out of his to sign, but you can feel the lingering warmth of his skin still pressing into your palm.
‘I won’t. Are you okay?’
“No.”
‘Do you want to leave?’ Levi’s eyes drift back to yours, and you can see the gears turning in his head.
“The beach or the ocean?” He kicks his feet in the clear shallow water. Levi is obviously uncomfortable. You recall the way he had stuck up for you earlier in his own Levi way, and it was your turn to help him, if he wanted it. 
His gaze softens as he stares back at your sun kissed face. He grips your wrist and starts walking back to the group’s belongings, tugging you along with him. As he passes Hange and Erwin who are currently eying the two of you, he flips them both off. You don’t get to see their reaction as you’re being pulled away quickly.
When you both get back, Levi grabs two towels stuffed into one of the bags. He hands one to you before using his own to ruffle his hair dry. When he pulls the towel off, your heart threatens to explode at the sight. Levi’s hair sticks up in different ways and you can’t stop the blush from creeping into your cheeks. He wasn’t being fair, being this attractive.
You walk over to your clothes, planning to pack everything up once you dry yourself off more. He surprises you, however, by sitting down in the shadows of the early evening sun instead of getting his things to leave. His knees pull up against his chest as he looks up to you and offers a hand. Was his face pink from the heat or…?
“I’m fine. Just come sit.”
‘Are you sure?’ You frown down at him as you wring the saltwater out of your hair. He says nothing and instead continues to watch you intently. You roll your eyes at him and lightly take his hand. You lower yourself down next to him, shoulder to shoulder with him facing the horizon.
You were fine spending the rest of your life watching the ocean glitter gold under the setting sun with him by your side. Content, even.
.
You could have sworn you only blinked once, but the bright sands you were once staring at suddenly turned into the soft cloudy lavender sky and the jaw of one Levi Ackerman. He carries you against his bare chest, both arms cradling you in a bridal style. Your eyes blink slowly from sleep, the distance between blinks growing longer with every rhythmic step that Levi took. You were about to be lulled back into sleep. As if one more defiant act, you glance up. Those eyes of his, your favorite shade of steely gray, stare down at you just as you shut your eyelids for the last time. You hear him whisper just as you’re drifting away.
“I’ve got you.” 
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☾ Previous Chapter: June Part One
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56 notes · View notes
liauditore · 6 months
Note
hi i have returned opinions on secret life so far? (also any idea why bigb’s secret animation was different to everyone else’s?) :D
hi hi i have so many Thoughts that i will definitely miss Something but. lots of things. spoilers for ep1 under the cut obvs.
why is every ship getting crumbs. literally all of them. what is wrong with everyone wtf. (except treebark. treebark girlies stay losing)
new mechanic is insanely hype and i am going a little bit feral over it. i've been wanting a UHC-style season for a long time and this seems a great way to kind of. entertainment-fy it i suppose? cus as much as i wanted straight up UHC i can totally understand why players like joel or skizz or scar would struggle hard in that sort of ruleset and it wouldn't be very fun to watch as a result.
i'm a bit.. tentative about the more acknowledgment of the Lore this time around? On one hand i love it and i think it's incredibly cool but on the other hand i know well that lore can eat a series alive if let out of control. Especially when fans start getting pushy about their theories and disappointed when inevitably things aren't as explained or thoroughly confirmed or straight up forgotten. (<-- fnaf fan. i have seen it. it is horrible)
that being said i have trust in grian specifically to handle it well and not go off the deep end with it cus a good chunk of the viewers don't know/care for the lore and if it becomes a Big Thing then a lot of people are gonna end up feeling alienated and confused.
i LOVED Bigb's episode and i think it's like. the ideal way to incorporate lore into a series like this. the way you can Feel that something is off rather than it being explicitly shown. you can choose to write it off or dig deeper. it's good juice. I've mentioned this before but I'll say it again -- Bigb is easily one of the strongest roleplayers on the entire server and his editing REALLY sells it hard. He really melts into what's happening rather than getting up on a platform and shouting THIS PART IS IMPORTANT. LOOK AT ME. which i really appreciate as a kind-of honorary former theatre kid.
but yeah tl;dr i think lore/fan theories should be left to the fandom mainly otherwise it starts getting weird. that being said i trust the life series ppl and can't wait to see what's going on with this season.
now if i may be unhinged myself. i def agree with the theory that Something is up with Bigb's task and maybe whatever gave it to him is trying to mess with the game.
Bigb and Mumbo specifically I felt were acting.. a little OOC the whole episode? Bigb was very much on purpose i think and i reckon mumbo's just excited to be back lol but its fun to think about
the task system has a lot of potential for. fanfic symbolism fuel. i mentioned this on my spam blog i think but something something about the way the players' tasks almost seem to. mock them? a little bit?
like pearl's being to "earn" people's hearts after she failed to make any connections throughout double life and has been somewhat isolated the whole series. bdubs being known for his efficient and beautiful builds being told to make something ugly and useless. scott being implicitly called a parasite with his history of teaming and latching onto one specific person each season. etc. etc.
the teams this time around are looking interesting and i think it's worth noting how it almost feels like.. the opposite of limlife a bit? with how slow and cautious everyone has to play. it seems like over half the server haven't really even joined up with anyone yet which is intriguing. (im personally praying for a scar/jimmy team up. just cus scott said they wouldn't make it lol)
which is great for me cus i loved limlife but the chaoticness of everything did kind of. make deaths less impactful i think? if i see another sky bridge i might scream
im very. of two minds about the scott and impulse team up. because if you dig through my blog you'll see i have kind of a history of being unhinged about those two and their parallels. but i have the sneaking suspicion that their actual dynamic will be like nothing i had in mind lmao
overall i am very excited but trying to control my expectations
also um MUMBO AND LIZZIE ARE BACK AND GEM IS IN THE SERIES AND MUMBO AND LIZZIE AND THUBS ETHUBS ETHUBS ETHUBS ETHUBS--
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tleeaves · 5 months
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what did cassie get wrong w Jem iyo? like to me he’s very proud and stubborn in an Asian way (it’s hard to explain but there’s something very chinese about it, culturally, how he’s optimistic and dramatic in equal parts but needs to be seen as separate from his illness so badly) and very conscious of the value of life yet resigned to his own fate yet holding his head up the way people in inspiration porn do (but it’s from a place of wanting to be normal, wanting to fit in and live and have meaning and love and responsibility in his life like a teenager). I’m curious though how could his character have popped more? and what does not seem realistic?? actual so curious
Okay love, bear with me, I'm just going to go on a bit of a ramble. I haven't put a lot of thought into my answer so it may be a bit incoherent.
So, as context for anyone else, I mentioned in another post where I was examining chronic pain and illness in fiction using TSC characters that I felt that while Jem was done quite well (he means a lot to me as a character and I relate to him like I haven't been able to with other characters before), there were some missed opportunities for his character to really pop and some things I felt Cassie didn't really do realistically.
Honestly, I think the two kind of tie together. While my illness is not terminal, there were many times I either wished for death or wished to live a fuller life unhampered by the pain and sickness. This still happens sometimes, but more of the latter. It's hard to look at healthy, able-bodied people. I marvel at just... how much easier existence must be for them. And I wish we saw more of this perspective with Jem.
While we do see him having a crisis over feeling like he's only half-living, half a man, and so he must take more yin-fen to be his full self for Tessa (this really hit hard as someone who was on steroids and felt unshackled for the first time in years, only for the pain to come back again and trip me up again sometime after I had stopped taking the meds), I also feel that we didn't quite reach a catharsis or angst that truly would have rounded his experience as a character. Optimism, pride, stubbornness, and his own subtler dramatics all do come into this, but I really would have liked to see a moment of weakness.
I think that night when he first kisses Tessa and is ranting about how she acts like a nurse and as if he is her patient, that he knows she cannot even see him as a full man, one who might desire her -- that was good. That was a moment of weakness. Emphasised when he sent her away because he did not want her to see him on his knees dusting up the drugs that give him life. That was so frickin' YES. I cannot even tell you the amount of times I feared as a teenager and even now into adulthood that I will not be seen romantically because I am just someone to take care of, a liability, and I try so hard to compensate for that to not be a burden, because I need to be seen as a "full person" to anyone able-bodied. This was just chef's kiss fantastic as a demonstration of something Cassie did so, so right to me with Jem. It's a common insecurity but not to be overlooked. For Jem it is his weakness and shorter life span, for me it's physical disfigurement (so far it's just one funky collarbone) that may worsen with age and limited physical ability (I say it so many times, but it really haunts me that I turned down a dance offered by a guy I had a major crush on because I was in too much pain to move much let alone dance, and the fact that many people avoided me when I was in my worst bouts of pain because they didn't know what to do).
Anyway, that was an example of something Cassie did right. What I would have also liked to see though is a moment where Jem is not calm and it has nothing to do with Tessa (well, it's at least not centred around Tessa). For a long time, I just wanted the pain to end. I had made peace with death because I wished for it. And there was a calmness to it. The same everyone sees in Jem. Acceptance. He argues not willingness because he fights for every second of life he gets to spend with those he loves, but I really think what would have popped is seeing him realise how much he wants for there to be a cure. He does give everyone permission to look before he calls it off to take the last resort option he never wanted before to be a Silent Brother, but I wanted to see him break down -- even if it's in private because most of our battles are when you're chronically ill -- and realise he wants to live because there is so much more he wants.
I know it's seen as very cool to accept a death that's coming to you in a lot of media, but honestly once I got past wishing for it, I became so absolutely terrified of it. The idea of losing control over my body, of my joints being too stiff and painful to create or do simple tasks, and the idea of any of my chronic illnesses being severe enough to become what might kill me in the end, before my time, scares me so much. There is a frantic need in me to do and see everything before I am unable to. I feel like I am constantly in a rush for everything in life.
It's basically rule of thumb in writing that a character who is calm needs a scene where they are not calm, when they snap, when the unthinkable happens, where the unshakeable are suddenly shook, and I needed that deep, deep terror in Jem to be about him, and not just Tessa or the people he's leaving behind that he does not want to cause grief for.
Not every person who can "put up" with their chronic illness is a saint with infinite patience. I see this a lot. To me it feels unrealistic that Jem feels okay about his illness, about his impending death, about all of it, that the only thing he might feel bad about is making his bride a widow too soon and leaving his best friend who might not cope without him. This is more of a typical trope in media, and by god do I just want to see someone else who isn't me go through what I do and also scream and cry at the injustice of it all. We didn't choose this life, it was given to us, and it feels so unfair. It is rare that I ever break down right in front of a person, I've gotten good at the detachment when talking about my chronic illnesses, but in private it is a whole other monster.
Not only that, but the Jem we see post-Brotherhood is so... different. Granted he had over 100 years to come to terms with no longer dying too early or being ill and weak. But chronic illness really takes its toll on a person. You don't have to make their whole personality their illness, I think we'd all rather not, but there is a fear that every little health problem might be something worse, there is even a begrudgement of those who take their bodies for granted, the fear that your children might inherit your weaknesses and that maybe you have sentenced them to a life of pain like yours was/is, that one day the chronic illness will come back and you've only got so many healthy years left before you get old and start to lose your body all over again.
For every moment of optimism and hope, there are hidden moments of despair and fight and pain. Sometimes we have to claw and bleed for that ounce of hope, for the strength to act "normal" and fit in and not be a downer around everyone else. As restless as you can be, sometimes you just want to sleep it off, even though you know this illness isn't something you can sleep off. I would have liked to see more of that with Jem.
Again, what Cassie did was really good, and I appreciate Jem so much since I have not seen many other chronically ill characters who I relate to in fiction. I just felt some things could have added to his story and character.
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aprillikesthings · 2 months
Text
It's Fridayyyyy
TIME FOR MORE SHE-RA
s1 ep11 Promise
oh shit I remember this one it's a heartbreaker
(good stuff for my fic though)
Hey remember when I swore up and down I wasn't going to liveblog my entire rewatch? Good times.
Part of me is like: I would get through these so much faster if I didn't insist on screenshotting them and commenting and making jokes
But the rest of me knows damn well I probably just wouldn't bother watching them?? This way feels a bit like watching it *with* someone, which I always prefer to watching things alone.
Also tbh if I did just marathon them while knitting or something I wouldn't remember anything!! Which would defeat the point!! So here I am.
If you're new to these posts: I am doing a rewatch of She-Ra with the specific purpose of taking notes for a fic I'm working on--but because this is me we're talking about, I also post a ton of screenshots with the purposes of commentary, squeeing at specific scenes, and making jokes. Because it's a rewatch, I don't comment on every plot point and I often mention things that happen later in the show--in other words, these might be confusing if you haven't seen the show yet.
EDIT: yeah this was another one where I hit the image limit, will have to reblog to finish it
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I know people have figured out the "alphabet" of the first ones what does this sayyyyy
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I mean wouldn't they all be portable in some sense? The one that recharges Glimmer could be taken down and moved somewhere, couldn't it? We know the one from Scorpia's kingdom was taken and moved to the Fright Zone, for instance.
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"Query not recognized."
Adora's frustration here is exactly why I don't use Siri, like, ever.
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Light Hope reminds me of a specific model? actress? from the 1980's but I can never remember who and it drives me CRAZY
*does some googling*
GRACE JONES I AM THINKING OF GRACE JONES
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TELL ME I'M WRONG
Grace Jones also did disco music, TIL
back to cartoon lesbians
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yeah that couldn't have been important for anything no worries it's fine
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you didn't notice anyone else there until She-Ra destroyed something lolol
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ehehehehehehh
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Look I know it's the point of the whole show but I grin every time they're supposed to be on opposite sides and one saves the other's life (Does Adora do it more than Catra does? surely someone kept count)
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don't mind me
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little shit
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🎵BUT YOU DID IT ANYWAYYYYYY🎶
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"how many times are you going to make that joke" well how many times does Catra say it lolll
"where are your friends?" "you mean the ones you KIDNAPPED and CURSED???" "uh, yeah?"
lol
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I just like the art style here
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Okay so I can't screenshot audio, but that little moment of Catra saying "Adora? Adora???" where the tone goes from "hey look at this" to that almost-panic and then she turns around and it's kid!Catra is just so, SO well done.
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ugh these scenes are such a punch in the gut
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I'm not getting emotional at cartoon characters remembering the happier bits of their shitty traumatic childhood together, YOU ARE
;_;
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man this shot is just good, ugh, you can see so much of their characters on display: Adora's self-righteousness vs Catra's sullen defensiveness
anyway they should've made out
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lol
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they're 1:1 so far this episode
(even though this cliff probably isn't even real)
"Did you really think I'd just let Shadow Weaver erase your memory like that?" oh so she DID know
Adora: "I don't know, probably" I mean I thought she would
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I've been CALLED OUT lol
Adora: "Can you blame me? Catra: "*scoffs* Not really"
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😏
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John Cena.gif
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BABIES (okay a little older like maybe 13)
(still babies)
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I mean, true
I'VE HIT THE IMAGE LIMIT FOR THIS POST lol I knew I would
gonna post and reblog
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