#shout out to all fucked up ladies with great aesthetics

[curiousstrawberry]

Fucked up lady made of flowers: *exists*

Me: hi 😳

#listen listen i love the aesthetics #i don't care if she's weird murderous entity she's beautiful and deserves world #shout out to all fucked up ladies with great aesthetics #(malenia hiiii i still love you 💖) #maya talks #oh btw this is about silent hill lady #so #silent hill

[oliviermiraarmstrongs]

mid-year book freak out tag

@bloody-wonder tagged me so now I have an excuse to talk about books I read

1. Best Book You’ve Read So Far in 2023? probably her body and other parties by carmen maria machado, my favorites stories from it being “the husband stitch” and “especially heinous”. I love how the former weaves together urban legends as a backdrop and the latter is a surrealist meta version of law and order svu, which is much better than it sounds.

2. Best Sequel You’ve Read So Far in 2023?

3. New Release You Haven’t Read Yet, But Want To? I’m curious about juniper and thorn by ava reid, and I can’t say the amount of pearl-clutching over it hasn’t played a part in bringing it to my attention. but really, I just like gothic horror and dark fairy tales!

4. Most Anticipated Release For Second Half of 2023? I dunno, I’m not up-to-date on these things

5. Biggest Disappointment? I’d say world war z and the southern book club’s guide to slaying vampires, but I had to read those for class so it’s not like I had any expectations anyway (for the record, WWZ I never finished bc all the militarism and boring technical stuff turned me off; southern book club kept my attention but its themes were delivered with the subtlety of a sledgehammer, the characters were thinly sketched, the ending was anticlimactic, and the broad and wacky tone did not mesh well with the grotesque (often sexual) violence), so a better example would be a thousand ships; admittedly my standards also weren’t very high; I have a sort of “I can fix her” attitude towards mythological retellings; I know a lot of them fall short, but they’re like comfort food to me, and when one hits, it fucking hits. natalie haynes, you did not hit! nothing the book did justified it as a retelling, there wasn’t any sort of unique spin or exploration into the female characters’ interiority; it just did the trojan cycle again but sometimes we’re reminded that women…were there. Whoever said this was a better version of TSOA was telling straight lies!

6. Biggest Surprise? I didn’t have high hopes for mexican gothic, mostly out of a pretentious impulse I have to expect popular new-ish releases to be mid. Still, I love a gothic novel, so I decided to check it out. I was pleasantly surprised to find it to be not only very engrossing, but also a clever reworking of gothic tropes tied to a specific cultural setting. It really understood gothic horror not just aesthetically, but also a vehicle for themes of corrupt aristocracy, and the overlap between desire and disgust, and fucked-up families in an incestuous cycle of abuse. It’s still pretty flawed - I think the dialogue could be a bit clunky, especially in the case of the old village woman who feels less like a person and more like an exposition machine - but overall a great read, and I’d love to see more from Moreno-Garcia.

7. Favorite New Author? I already loved angela carter’s work in the bloody chamber, but nights at the circus is the first full-length novel I’ve read from her, and it really cements her as one of the greats.

8. Newest Favorite Character? sophia fevvers from nights at the circus, a bawdy, cockney, rubenesque trapeze artist famed across turn-of-the-century europe for her wings. Also enjoys proto-feminism, gold-digging, and hanging out with her tiny, feisty, anarchist-leaning foster-mother. There’s maybe meant to be some tension throughout the story over whether or not her insanely eventful life story is exaggerated or not, but I never doubted her. Believe women.

9. Newest Fictional Crush? Lady Jessica, the coolest milf the bene gesserit ever produced

💕Best Ship?💕 I didn’t read much with good shipping material, but shout out to noémi from mexican gothic and her boy version of a fragile and sheltered victorian waif love interest whose name escapes me. She’s always describing him like “He was so pale and iron-deficient and frail like a little baby bird and NOT HOT. I desire him carnally.” and meanwhile he’s just showing her his many different types of fungi. Less alpha males, more guys like this.

10. Book That Made You Cry? “eight bites” from her body and other parties hit a little too close to home; it captured really well how dysphoria drives you to abuse your own body, and how that hurts not just yourself but the people around you. “my mother and I” by lucy dacus-coded

11. Book That Made You Happy? I don’t read happy books! But probably nights at the circus, there be whimsy in these pages.

12. Favorite Book Adaptations You Saw This Year? andrea arnold’s 2011 adaptation of wuthering heights nearly made me feral. there’s not really a definitive film version, but the one from 2011, - while not perfect as an adaptation since, like most of them, it only covers the first half of the book - I’d say does the best job of capturing the spirit of the original. the thing that really impressed me was its portrayal of heathcliff - not as a brooding romantic hero nor an inhuman psychopath, but a boy who became something terrible because society never saw him as anything else. It’s film very subjectively, with shaky cam, no score, and nearly every scene being from heathcliff’s perspective - the iconic “I am Heathcliff!” speech is never shown in full, since he left before hearing the rest of it. It’s a really strong artistic choice to place the story firmly in heathcliff’s perspective, and it’s made more interesting by being one of the few adaptations to play into the book’s racial subtext.

13. Favorite Review You’ve Written This Year?

14. Most Beautiful Cover? The barnes and noble special edition of dune I have, which is gorgeous but also really impractical to carry around (pic from google images, I’m not at home rn)

15. What Books Do You Need To Read By The End Of The Year? I gotta finish dune since I started at the beginning of the year and paused since I was so busy with school (and later paused again bc I was bored 🫣).

tagging @antema, @stolehisdog, @betweenironyandsilver, @vampire-juicebox, @chdarling, @excuseforadrink, @danielarlingtongf, @borispavlikovskys, and @altraviolence, if u wanna!

#tagged as me #sophia says shit #mid year book tag

[notonlyfriendsbutallies]

Literally no one asked me to do it, but I did it anyway….below you will find me commenting about “Agatha Christie’s Marple” Towards Zero ( from 2007):

 Let me start by saying that I wasn’t so pleased that they included Miss Marple in here, I mean she doesn’t appear in the novel, and it would have made much more sense to include Hercule Poirot, since he is mentioned by name in the novel. I know, I know, Miss Marple has the same beliefs as most of the people from that era did, but I kinda never forgiven her for the way she had spoken about Ruby Keene ( my baby and my former muse). I really hate it when women slut-shame other women. 

 The movie has a great start, Kay looked like she was going to fuck Ted in front of everybody else, I legit thought that I picked the porn version when I first watched that scene ( also the producers were big Kay/Ted shippers, so bless them <3) 

I knew from the beginning who played Nevile Strange, and I hated his face ( also it was so obvious to me that Audrey was terrified of him)

 Since they wanted to make Miss Marple likable, they have to make some male characters seem like they were sexist jerks, even tho in the book they were nothing like that, and I hate it. 

Zoe Tapper is the perfect Kay, and I fell in love with her!! 

Also, the chemistry between Kay and Ted is unbelievable???!!! 

Kay was never this rude in the novel, and definitely not so conceited. I just love how Kay calls Ted “ Teddy”, it’s so damn cute <3 

Kay slapping Nevile wasn’t in the novel, but I 100% approve. 

Kay not saying goodnight to her shitty husband is my aesthetic ( and also when he thought that she was going to dance with him, but she was like “ bitch, you thought”) 

that young police officer who had a crush on Kay is so sweet ^^

 I loved the scene where Kay is crying in Ted’s arms, and then Kay confronts Audrey ( it was in character, tho Kay never used the word “ bitch” in the novel. In fact she never used any curse words, except when she tells Nevile “ Why don’t you shout at me, swear at me, tell me to go to Hell?“ )

 Kay and Ted have the best reaction when Audrey is accused of killing Lady Tressilian, like “ are you also seeing this shit??” 

Kay was so concerned when Teddy felt in the water, and I thought that she was going to strangle Miss Marple for pushing Teddy in the water

Kudos to the movie for actually showing Kay and Ted after they found out who is the killer, because in the novel they aren’t mentioned at all. Like after the whole “ Ted is pushed in the water” thing, it’s like they both disappear, and that pisses me of ( I need answers, what happened to them??). 

Also, also, in the movie it’s obvious that they are gonna end up together. 

I was disappointed that Angus MacWhirter wasn’t included in the movie, and also Audrey and Thomas end up together??? yikes, in the novel she never had romantic feelings for him and she was convinced that he was in love with the younger version of her ( and now she was much different). Not to mention that she was the lover of his brother, so that’s a nope from me.

#{ Cause I woke up hotter than I was yesterday- ooc} #{💍- Kay Strange} #{💗- Ted Latimer}

[josibunn]

bye i luv your writing so if your comfortable w it can i get a euro × fem!reader where they are both different like aesthetic and belief wise, and because of that reader always gets judged for being with a guy like euro (euro definitely gets teased for being w a girl like reader too), and euro comforts her be he notices shes acting weird but pretending shes ok, then she accepts the fact that it doesnt matter if there different from each other, be at the end like luv each other mwah mwah type shit LMFOA tyyyy

awww this is so sweet :( I kinda relate to this! being semi-christian and all. I hope you don’t mind that I took a religious approach, thank u sm anon!!

mentions of religion, sfw but a little angsty. euro is very gentle with you here :3.

you always felt…weird out in public with your boyfriend. he’s black coffee, you’re strawberry boba. he’s black cat you’re the fluffy bright bunny. you’re barbie he’s oppenheimer lol. and of course it didn’t bother him, never ever. he loved you, you’re a bright, beautiful thing. so sweet and gentle to everyone you meet, always lit up a room.

you though, you were always in your head about it. you didn’t fit each other at all, in your head that is. you didn’t like the same music, styles of clothing, you didn’t even have the same beliefs. you grew up christian, in fact, that was what led you to meeting euronymous.

you walked in his shop with a bright smile, holding pamphlets close to your chest that wielded your pretty cross necklace in your long white frilly dress and pink cardigan. your pumps clacked the ground as you looked around the store, “wow,” you thought. “so many…colors. noises. genres. people.”

and he caught you as soon as he came in, snickering with faust as you looked around. “hey miss, can I help you? you wanna buy somethin?” he called to you, snapping you out of your thoughts. and immediately you thought he was beautiful. his aura was just something..different. something enticing.

you blush, “no, although I like it in here, i’ve never been in. is it music? I like the art,” you make conversation, internally cringing at the blood on a cover. “that it is, my music. what’re you doing on this side of town?” he asks as you walk closer to the counter, even though he knew. he knew that pamphlet through and through, though he’d never seen someone that looked like..you..holding it.

he thought the same about you. right away actually, though he wouldn’t admit it, not to his friends at least. “oh!” you remembered why you came in in the first place. ���with the recent church burnings that’s been happening, my family and some of the townspeople wanted to invite any and everyone to a small gathering! it’s just food and discussion, mostly what we could do to chip in with a rebuilding of old methodist across town, the most recent one.”

he could tell my your kadence you were a bit nervous, mostly because his friends started surrounding him, listening to you, amused faces glancing back at each other. but he was attentive, watching your lips shine in the light and your lashes fall against each other as you scan him.

“and of course if it’s not something you’re into i’m not forcing you, but know we welcome you with open arms if you decide to pop up. I know the other, older ladies scream and shout about it,” you give a small smile, it almost knocks wind out of him. fuck, what’s wrong with me right now?

“when is it?” fausts ask. “tonight!” you extend your arm out for him to grab it, but euronymous grabs it instead. “thanks but no tha-” “well think about it. thanks.” euronymous cuts off Varg, who glared at him. you had a feeling they wouldn’t, but you smiled anyway, your hand touching your necklace out of anxiety. “great! i’m [y/n], i’ll be greeting at the door if you decide to come, so you won’t feel isolated by unfamiliar faces.” you shake his hand and keep steady contact for a little too long, his cheeks a little pink.

you turn your back and walk out, giving a quick wave before leaving, letting out the breath you didn’t think you were holding.

… … …

it was only euronymous who showed up, in secret. you watched him appear out of the darkness, shock and fluster filling your chest as you gasp softly, a smile growing. “hi!” you greet with a giggle. “hey, uhh. sorry my friends didn’t come.” “it’s fine! you did and that’s perfect. I have to stand here for a few minutes but you could go in if you want.”

anxiety filled him, all those weird ass old people judging him, itd be better to go in with you instead. “uhh,,can I stand out here until you go in? being..new and all.” and you happily obliged, and when you did go in he watched you and you only, watching as you speak to the crowd passionately with that same smile, and it was up from there.

you remember that day like yesterday. you love him, of course. of course. he was everything to you, and he support you, your dreams and beliefs, as you did him. but you knew what they said about you, what they still said about you.

3 month mark hit. “you’re still around?” “didn’t think this would last this long.” you’d hear when you’d come over to hang out in the den.

6 month mark. “doesn’t this like..go against something? is this allowed? surely that god of yours is looking down like ‘what the fuck??’” he’d ask as you sat next to øystein on the couch, playing with his hair happily. and for someone named cristian, it was funny that he was the only one pestering about it. “n..no. no. what about him would go against anything?” you’d say with a bit of attitude, that would just receive a laugh, and even when øystein told them off and comforted you it still made you feel bad inside.

a year. itd died down after a while, but one day while you were over you got caught in a fight.

you were helping clean up, weaving through øystein and varg as they continued to argue for the umpteenth time. “you think i’m gonna take advice about my fucking band from someone like you? christian??” euro spits. “that backstage pussy is fucking with your head, you’re gettin’ fuckin’ beside yourself.”

“fucking with my head?? you’re a dating a christian bitch that braids hair in fuckin circles with a fat ass cross around her neck, don’t talk about fucking with people heads. you’re far fuckin off from what you even started.” the argument carries upstairs as euronymous fires off at him, and you look at up avoid tears from falling, trying not to let the already eyes on you get to you.

hellhammer comes up and rubs your arm, kissing the top of your head, “he doesn’t mean it, yknow that. he’s just mad.” “no, no he does, and that’s ok. I think ima leave, actually.” and with that you pack up and leave without notice to øystein.

you never actually told him how it made you feel, you didn’t think it was a big deal. you could get through it yourself. but when you get in your head it all floods back to you, you find yourself tucking your necklade under your shirt, keeping your plans from him, you almost felt..ashamed. you knew he didn’t mind but what if it got to him? what if he couldn’t take it anymore? fuck.

and one day before you go out on a double date, the thoughts and recurring memories got to you as you got ready. you were looking at yourself in the mirror of your room, your outfit laid out already as øystein waited for you downstairs. he wasn’t oblivious, of course. he knew it was getting to you. in fact he distanced himself from from the group unless it was about work or music, varg at least. he’s do anything to protect your heart and keep you in his life.

you sigh, looking at the necklace you always wore sit pretty on your dresser. maybe I should..try his style out. maybe he’d like you more, maybe they’d except you.

so you grab a dress reserved for funerals, a black, frilly thing that exposed little to no chest and some black heels, dumbing down your makeup a bit and leaving your hair down. as you glance in the mirror at yourself, you try and convince yourself you like it, he’ll like it.

he checks the time before heading upstairs, “hey, song bird?” he calls before coming in. “you ready?” he begins to speak but he scans you over, his brows furrowing in confusion. “oh, yes sorry, girls gotta look her best,” you try n joke, but he doesn’t follow.

“do you like it?” you ask, staring at his puzzled face. “uhm, sure, yeah yeah, you look nice.” he says, walking over. “don’t forget your necklace though,” he grabs it and goes to pull your hair back but you stop him, “nono it’s ok, I don’t wanna wear it tonight, s’fine.” you shrug.

“what? why? your moms gonna kill you, you know she senses shit like that in her sleep,” he jokes and goes back to try n put it on, but you stop him again. “no reason I just..don’t want to. don’t I look nice without it?” “I-..you like nice all the time sugar, but you always wear it. why not tonight?”

nervousness flush over you, and you stammer over your words, but he’s not having it, sitting the necklace on the dresser and crossing his arms. “baby, talk to me. what’s on your mind?” hes speaking softly and you’re looking down playing with your nails, so he squats, getting under your face. “[y/n], what’s wrong? did I do something?” he cooes, rubbing your arms.

“no! never I just..I wanted to wear this for you, try something new.” “ok,,and that’s fine, but are you trying something different for you or for me?” “..does it matter?” he scoffs, “yeah? what happened to that yellow dress you picked out, we just got? you were excited about it. and you never wear black, like, ever. I don’t even think you own black underwear.”

“I just wanna blend in with you, make you happy. isn’t it like..annoying when your friends say stuff like that all the time?” you say shakily, and he catches it, his heart dropping, he knew it would come sooner or later. “no, of course not. they say annoying shit all the time, doesn’t get to me.” he sits down and pulls you in his lap, rubbing your arms.

“is this what’s been bothering you? the shit they say about you and me?” you sigh and roll your eyes, “øystein..they’ve been saying it for a year. and I don’t really care but you like..that doesn’t make you feel weird? embarrassed? you don’t practice what I practice and they’re always on your a-ass about it, so it’s just..i’d rather get away from it with you and them than continue the bullying.”

“no? why would I be embarrassed? it’s what you love, and I love it about you. like, they’re not my fuckin’ girlfriend and they’re definitely not my parents, I don’t give a fuck. you know we’re nothing alike, right? you like..you like that irish whiny guy,” “hozier,” you correct with a slight smile, “right, and I love my music. I like black, and red, you don’t fuckin like black. you like pink, n’ I fuckin hate pink.” he pulls at your dress, making you giggle.

“but you know what I do love? I love you,” he kisses your lips softly. “and I love you in pink, and you love me in black, and I don’t mind your music just how you don’t mind mine.” he kisses you cheeks. “and I love you, and I love you and I love you. I love you. they’re not my fuckin’ girlfriend, I don’t give a shit about what they think about you.” he cups your cheeks as you smile.

“your parents didn’t even like me at first, and your friends didn’t either. I remember that much,” he chuckled. “but yknow what? you love me, and I love you. right? you’re not goin cold on me?” he asks and you giggle, shaking your head. “exactly. I don’t care about that shit, at the end of the day, it’s us. me n you.”

“me and you.” you say softly, and he smiles. you rub the bandages over his knuckles lovingly, the bandages you had to put on him after the altercation with Christian, and you remember he did that because he loves you, and accepts you. “so it doesn’t bother you?” you ask once more.

“no baby,” he giggled. “I love it, bible study isn’t that bad. the grannies love me and I eat good, so i’m chillin. now take this off, please. I love you in bright colors.” he taps your knee before you stand, giving him one more kiss. “you love me,” you sigh in a smile, “I love you. so so much, i’ll be out there while you change, kay? let me know what you wanna put that back on,” he refers to your necklace, and you smile.

so you sat in his van, singing along to whatever was on the radio as he held your hand, glancing over you with a smile as you look out the window, your necklace glistening in the light.

I hope this was good enough i’m so sorry if it wasn’t!!! I enjoyed it though, it resided with me and past situations actually. hope u enjoyed, thank u sm for reading :3 love u, mwah mwah mwah!

taglist: @vanlisbon @sugarinte @monkeyfart @444rockstargf @bambi-horror @u1trear0tic @auggiethecreator @bluemercy2 @lankysimp @wonkinoo

#rory culkin #rory culkin smut #euronymous smut #x black reader #lords of chaos #euronymous #lords of chaos smut #eurory prompt

[dzamie-oc]

06 - Mech

Ah, aren’t Synths wonderful? Modular, and you can make them do gender and sexuality in whatever way you please.

Length: 2200 words Rating: M (no sex actually happens, but genitalia are discussed a lot) Summary: A woman and her robo-derg go shopping for some parts to spice up their bedroom activities.

Minors DNI, please. It’s rated M for a reason.

-----

Lauren and her Synth, Haskell, stood at the entrance to the robotics store. It wasn’t an official outlet for his manufacturer, so they would technically be voiding his warranty, something that might have concerned them if he had still had one. As it was, however, the reason they simply stood there was less robotic and far more human.

[I told you for weeks, I’m only going in after you,] Haskell said, his primary lights a mirthful yellow against his blue and light grey plating, [watching your face go through so many emotions is well worth the delay.]

The human gently shoved him, her face hot with a blush. “Shut up, I’m getting to it.”

[Would it help if you pretended we were here to look at different parts?] The synthetic dragon took a couple steps forward, peering at the shelves. [I wonder if they’ve got a simulation link set up for a naga lower half. Oh, don’t worry, Lauren, it’s well outside of our price range, I’d only be demoing in VR. You won’t have to worry about my tail wrapping you up in your sleep any more than it already does.]

This did not in any way help Lauren’s blush, but she did stomp forward and stubbornly cross the threshold into the store. Haskell’s visor displayed blue carets for his eyes as he followed her inside. On a side thread, he bragged to other synths in their IRC chat room how positively adorable his owner looked after some well-placed teasing, and he received some encouragement, and a link to an image of a synth with a hand at the end of her tail giving him three thumbs up.

“Hey, you two!” one of the employees, a two-tailed fox, called, “good to see you again. Haskell, how’s that projector module treating you?”

“Oh, hey Shay!” Lauren replied, her nervousness instantly abated. “It’s been real useful. Now we don’t have to settle for my desktop’s monitor to watch stuff together.”

[Or my visor.]

“That was ONE TIME. Anyway, thanks for the recommendation, and... half un-thanks for telling Haskell that it’s so port-neutral.” The human jabbed a thumb towards Haskell. “Nothing quite like walking back from the bathroom to see this guy on the bed, zero legs, with a My Little Pony AMV projecting out the bottom of his torso onto the opposite wall.”

Shay looked on the verge of laughter. The blue and grey Synth scrossed his arms and turned his head up and away, while his visor displayed a gentle U shape on each side. [My taste is far beyond you organics’ comprehension. Time will vindicate me.]

“A blast and a half, I’m sure. Anyway, what brings you two back in? Looking for hardware or software?”

“Oh. Uh, hardware,” Lauren said.

[In more ways than one,] Haskell added, to a returning and deepening blush on his owner’s face.

The fox furrowed her brow, then a look of comprehension crossed her face. “Ohhh... well! Let me go grab Conny, and she’ll show you to that rather special workshop.” She strode over to a door behind the counter, stuck her head in, and shouted, “Ay Conny! Got a customer for the fun stuff! Come and get ‘em!”

A few seconds later, a synth head popped out from behind the door, pale red around a dark visor featuring a slit-pupil eye display. “The fun stuff? Oh, must be the human lady and the blue bot. Come around and follow me.”

Haskell and Lauren shared a look at the prospect of walking behind the registers, but after a moment, Haskell shrugged and followed the other Synth through the employees door, with Lauren behind him, mindful of his tail. [She pinged me over short-wave, said it’s standard enough for this sort of thing,] he explained.

Conny turned out to be not only a pale red, but an entire slightly-desaturated rainbow from head to foot. Her tail had fewer segments than Haskell’s, but was the same length, so he assumed it was some storage model. When she turned from the hallway into a side room, something rattled in her tail, and he mentally congratulated himself on the guess. The human and Synth also stepped inside, and were immediately surprised at what they saw.

It was clearly a Synth workshop, with a sturdy table, a selection of mechanical and electronic tools on one wall, and a number of wires for fast data transfer. But what was unusual to the pair was a solid half of a wall featuring artificial penises and vaginas. Haskell quickly switched his primary lights to a reddish pink to fit the room, same as he saw Conny do. Many of the genitals were clearly modeled after other species; Haskell quickly identified pairs resembling those of dolphins, wolves, nagas, and several kinds of dragon. But some were purely fantastical, or even designed to look congruous on a Synth. On the opposite wall hung various erotic chestplates, although those weren’t nearly as varied in their design. Haskell’s attention did linger on a pair that featured a port on each breast where the nipple would be on a human or anthro, and the thought spurred him to link a photo to the IRC, followed by “consider: boobs that can grab you back.” To his surprise, one of the other denizens shared that she had a model like that, and joked that she’d share photos for five bucks.

[So! My name is Delilah Conagher, but you can call me Conny,] the rainbow Synth said, [and this is where we keep the lewd. Now, you don’t have to answer this, but this is gonna be for you two? Or has...] A request for information appeared in Haskell’s comms; he let her see his name and pronouns. [Or has Haskell come with his owner, but plans to use this stuff on someone else?]

[Oh, I sure hope this is for us. Otherwise, I’m gonna be pretty let down after all that flirting we’ve done to each other.]

[Faaaaan-tastic. Now, what’re we kitting you out with?] Conny’s eyes curved up and a few twinkling stars blinked in her visor, a common sign that a Synth thought they were about to be very funny. [Are you getting a dongle, port, or rack?]

Haskell laughed, but Lauren, though smiling, looked mildly perplexed. “Isn’t it obvious?”

Haskell laughed louder. Conny, however, just shook her head, though her lights fading to yellow as she did so signaled her amusement. [I could guess, but the guess with the highest accuracy is only 72%. If Haskell was using she/her, that drops all the way down to 43%.]

Now it was Haskell’s turn to be confused. His visor showed eyes looking up and away with one brow slightly down, as he remarked, [43 sounds low for four... well, five options with rack only. Surprisingly even distribution.] Lauren turned to him with a clear question on her tongue, so the Synth answered it for her, counting off on his fingers. [Dick or pussy, each with and without tits. Plus a fifth for just the tits. I’m still on the default “pan” from when we installed the sexuality software, so I happen to have saved plenty of examples to show you if you don’t believe me. Not all Synths, even. Only most.]

The human shook her head. “N- um... maybe later. But, Conny, we’re getting him a... a penis.”

Without audio, Conny sent Haskell a message saying, “Assuming only one between the legs or one set on the chest is sensible, but inaccurate. A good mechanic can do wonders.” Aloud, she addressed Lauren. [Wonderful, those are fun! And all of the designs here are made to be pleasurable to the giver and receiver - trust me on this - so there’s no bad answers, although there may be some better ones for each Synth. So, anything you’re looking for for your first one?]

“First one?”

[We’re modular,] both Synths said at once.

“Oh, right. Uh... well, I think I’ll pass on the... fleshy-looking ones. I think they’d clash with his body, and feel too different than- uh, nevermind.” As Lauren’s voice trailed off, Haskell put on a rather smug and pleased look.

Not missing a beat, Conny grabbed a small selection of more robotic-looking schlongs from the wall and set them out. [Now, this one here’s a great one, both as a first time and in general. It’s not the simplest, but it’s got a vibrate function that’s insulated from the rest of the body.] She then picked up one that looked more obviously draconic, but still with a robotic aesthetic: silvery top, glossy black underside. [And this one is far and away my favorite, both in shape and novelty. Bit on the higher end for price, though, I’ll be honest with you. Doesn’t stop it from being popular with my return customers, though.]

Lauren tentatively reached out, and Conny handed the penis to her, letting her turn it over in her hand. “I mean, it’s certainly nice, but what gives it that price?”

In reply, the rainbow Synth popped one hand off, took the dildo back, and slotted it in. After a few seconds to recognize and prepare the device, the glossy black underside revealed itself to be an RGB light, slowly fading through a few colors. Haskell stared at it. Lauren, on the other hand, had a different reaction. “No. Absolutely not. I know you, Haskell, and there’s no way I’m giving you even half a reason to try to fuck me to Caramelldansen.”

[It’d be funny, though.]

“Not happening.” She pointed to one of the others. “That one looks nice, though. Haskell, how do you feel about that one?”

The blue and grey Synth nodded. [I think I’d look rather good with that on me. If you think you’d feel good with it in you, we should give it a shot.]

Conny looked between the two of them, then nodded at Haskell. [Then just hop up on the table and I’ll get you set up. Oh, that reminds me: I can also modify your lower chassis - a couple hundred, same as other port additions - to get you a proper crotch mount or two. Assuming you’re pretty standard, the best I can do is essentially a workaround where I plug it in the rear, behind your tail, and give you some fittings to secure it around your legs and/or waist.]

“It’s not necessary, though, right?”

Haskell laid down and soon felt the weight of his tail vanish, followed by a system notification that a module had been detached. The Synth mechanic kept talking. [No, but without it, Haskell will probably need or at least want your help to get the penis on and off.]

[Sounds worth it to me,] Haskell said.

“It’s not your $200.”

[Sure it is. You did tell me I could have my own account for stuff on the side. Remember, because I was ask- whining for- hold on. I was ask- whining for video games.] He gave Lauren a flat stare. [Really?]

Lauren held her hands up. “In my defense, I had forgotten I’d done that before I promised to stop touching your admin controls without telling you. But yeah, that’s fine then. Get yourself some penis compatibility.”

[Great! Alright, doc, fix me up!] Haskell said, then slipped himself into Safe Mode.

-----

[Oh, that looks fantastic,] the Synth said, admiring his new dick, [thanks for matching it to my colors.]

[I’d be a pretty poor mechanic if I couldn’t,] Conny replied, [but thanks. Now, go ahead and disable sensitivity in the device settings, or at least drop it as low as possible.]

[Huh? Doesn’t that go against the point?]

[Some modules can be equipped in public. This is not one of them. And trust me, you don’t want that thing anywhere near the default levels when you remove it, at least not until you’re used to the sensation.]

Lauren glanced down the hallway. “Yyyyeah, let’s not traumatize whoever’s in the store and potentially find out which of us is legally liable for you going streaking.”

Haskell nodded, and after a couple seconds, pulled the penis out of its socket, then fit a grey plate over the port, hiding it.

[And this should go without saying, but there are no returns on this sort of thing. If something goes wrong, you might get a partial refund if you send us the diagnostics, but once that dick is out of the store, we don’t want it back in here.]

Lauren took the cock and gave it a curious squeeze before placing it in the bag Conny had provided. “Fair enough. And will Shay ring us up out there, or...?”

[Yep! Alright, you two, have fun out there.]

As the two left the store after paying, Haskell linked a photo of the purchase he had taken earlier to his IRC friends. Some congratulated him on a well-chosen mod, a couple of them asked him to DM photos of it equipped, and one person floated the idea of attaching two of them to that pair of breasts with ports.

All in all, a productive day, and a precursor to a hopefully unforgettable night.

#dragon #anthro #furry #synth #smaugust #smaugust 2021 #furry dragon #mech #writing #writers on tumblr #text

[id-rather-be-an-outsider]

International Student

Meg Thomas x Rin Yamaoka

word count: 1579

summary: Meg goes overseas for college at a fancy university, which just so happens to be Rin’s university... and things get interesting when they wind up in the same restaurant ;)

a/n: college au. fluff and very minimal angst? this was originally posted on the DBD Amino back in June 2019. hope you like this little throwback!

masterlist

The first time Rin saw her, it was early in the morning. The sun was peaking over the horizon, and she was walking to her first class of the day. It was just a quick glimpse – a runner, charging past her, huffing and puffing, her stride smooth and swift. The sun framed the girl’s red hair and made it look as if it were on fire. Just a glimpse, just a glimpse. But Rin decided orange was her new favorite color. Not the bright orange like the mandarin, but the deep scarlet of a tiger lily, the kind her manager imported to add aesthetic value to the upscale restaurant.

The next time Rin saw her, it was late at night. She recognized the flaming red hair amongst a group of young people, all slender and with athletic frames, looking well-fed. She guessed the girl was on the track team from her university. They chattered amongst themselves as they walked through the door of the restaurant, the tinkling bell signaling their entrance.

Her coworker must’ve caught her staring, because she said, “Hey Rin, I’ve got to use the restroom, think you can take that group for me?” And winked at her before walking away. Rin cursed her coworker as she watched the host seat the group of athletes and look to her, seemingly saying, ‘get to work, girl’. Rin sighed to herself as she grabbed a notepad and a pen out of her pocket and walked over to the table, hoping to get it over with before she embarrassed herself.

Apparently, that wasn’t a possibility, as the first words that came out of her mouth were, “Hi beautiful… people! I’m Rin, and I’ll be your girlf- girl server today,” she emphasized server in hopes that no one caught her slip-ups, but could tell from the looks on everyone’s faces that they all caught them, “Can I start you guys off with some drinks?”

The entire table listed off what they wanted, until the ginger asked, “What would you recommend? I’ve never been here before.”

“I can’t afford to eat here myself, but if I could I’d get the redhead- I mean, the Red Lotus. I’ve stolen a sip of it before from a coworker’s drink, and I can tell you, nobody in town makes it like we do.” Seriously!? Rin thought to herself, brain, can you just, not embarrass me right now?

The redhead’s freckled face flushed red and her friends laughed, causing Rin to do the same. She whirled around and ran away, humiliated.

In the back room, Rin threw off her apron, shoved her notepad in her coworker’s face, grabbed her bag and fled out the back door.

“Ah shit.” The redhead said as she got up, her teammates guffawing at the commotion her very presence had caused.

“Better go hit that, Meg!” One of the guys joked, at which she turned to face him, eyes blazing even more than her hair.

“It’s not fucking funny, and if you learned to run as fast as you talk, we wouldn’t have lost our last meet! So please, shut the hell up for once in your life.” She rushed in pursuit of Rin, but ran into another waitress. “Where did she go?”

“Rin? Out the back, but you can’t just-”

Meg pushed past the waitress, “Sorry, no time to waste!” Burst through the back door, and chased after the thin frame that was Rin the Waitress. “Hey, wait!” The girl sped up, but it made no difference as Meg caught up to her in quick time. “Hey, hey, I’m so-“

“Just leave me alone!” Rin shouted at her, turning to face her. “If you’d noticed how awkward I was acting, you could’ve just done nothing! That would’ve been better.” Meg saw the mascara running down Rin’s face and felt her stomach twist.

“My friends are stupid, I’m sorry, I- I don’t even know why I call them my friends, they’re just my teammates, really... I guess I don’t have any friends here, now that I think about it.”

Rin sniffled. “Well, that makes two of us, then.

“Look, I’m really sorry.” She pulled out her wallet and ruffled around in it, pulling out a few a few yen. “I know this won’t cover much, it’s all I have on me right now until I go to the bank, but-”

“-Save it.”

“What?”

“Save your money, I don’t want it. It’s my fault for overreacting.” Rin said.

“I want to make it up to you, please,” Meg pleaded, “When are you off? I could… I could take you on a date there, I could-” Rin giggled. “What are you laughing at?” Meg asked.

“Wouldn’t it be weird if you took me on a date where I work?” She replied, smiling. Meg decided she liked it when she made Rin the Waitress smile. “Besides, I still don’t even know your name.”

“Oh! Right, uh- I’m Meg,” Meg said, “And I guess I wasn’t thinking about that. I can take you somewhere else, though? I know a really great yakitori place downtown that charges a reasonable price.” Rin laughed again, and her nose crinkled up in the cutest way, Meg noticed. “Okay, is there something wrong with my hair? I know I’m not that funny, so I don’t know what you’re laughing at.”

Rin stifled her laughter and said, “I just find it humorous that foreigners always pick that place to eat, is all.”

Meg crossed her arms. “How do you know it’s the same place everyone else goes to?”

“I just know, is all.”

“Okay, bet!”

“Bet.”

Two days later, Rin smugly announced, “It appears I was correct.”

Meg rolled her eyes. “Okay, fine, you win.”

Rin grinned, “My father taught me to only to bet if you know you’re going to win.” Meg’s face grew distant, and Rin backstepped. “I’m sorry, did I say something rude? I- I’m-”

“No, no,” Meg reassured Rin, “You’re fine. It’s just… my dad left me. It happened when I was a baby, so I don’t remember him, but I don’t know… sometimes I wonder what he would’ve taught me if he were around.”

“If it’s any consolation, I think your mother did a fantastic job taking care of you. You’re here, right? In college?” Rin said, gently putting a hand on Meg’s shoulder.

“Yea, here, when I should be back home taking care of her. She’s sick, but she told me to go anyways.” Meg explained.

Rin nodded in understanding. “I can relate to that. My mother’s sick too, it’s… it’s why I’m waitressing, actually, to try and lessen the financial load on my father a bit.”

Meg smiled. “Glad to know somebody who gets it, at least.” Rin returned the smile, and the girls stood there, looking into each other’s eyes, until a gust of wind caused Rin to shiver. Meg snapped out of her haze and suggested, “Let’s go inside, before you catch a cold.”

Jokingly, Rin said, “Worry about yourself, Meg.” But walked through the door Meg pulled open for her.

After the meal, they bundled back up and walked down a street containing a few couples, savory smells wafting through the air, and a mixture of neon lights and paper lanterns strung up. It looked like a scene straight from a romance novel.

“Thank you for this, Meg. I’ve had a fun time. Usually I can’t afford to go out to eat, but it was a nice experience.” Rin smiled sweetly, nose crinkling again.

Meg replied, “I usually can’t either, but if I have the money now, why not? Even if it is just college money, it’s just sitting there.”

“That’s another thing we have in common, then.” Rin said.

After a few moments of silence, Meg spoke up. “Rin?”

“Yes, Meg?”

“I just… I just wanted to reiterate how sorry I am.” Meg mumbled sheepishly.

“It’s fine. It’s all made up for now, isn’t it?” Rin said, a skip in her step. “Everything is fine.”

“Well, not everything.”

“What do you mean?” Rin asked. Meg stopped, and Rin stopped with her, confused. Meg reached out, tentatively at first, then stronger once she saw Rin wasn’t backing away. She gently pushed Rin’s hair out of her face and behind her ears, and let her hand rest there, just barely touching Rin’s skin. She wanted to do more, but she told herself to wait.

“The first time I saw you, running past you on campus? The sun made your skin look like honey, and your eyes… it turned them golden.” She stared intensely into Rin’s eyes. Rin knew she was supposed to do something, but she had no idea what, so she stared back. “I just had to make sure I wasn’t wrong about that.”

Rin’s mind jumbled around for something to say. “And your eyes… they’re green.”

Meg laughed. “Yea, they are, isn’t that funny? Green’s lucky in Japan, right?”

Rin laughed too. “No, that’s China.”

“Oh.” Meg shrugged. “Well, I’m still lucky enough to have found you, aren’t I?”

“I don’t know, are you?” Rin asked, still slightly unsure.

Meg leaned in. “I can’t be sure yet, but I’d like to think so.”

The girls closed their eyes and Rin closed the distance between their lips. The warm lighting of the lanterns combined with the noisy sounds of the city perfectly set the scene for the two young ladies. They may have seemed to be worlds apart, both literally and figuratively, but right then they were closer than ever, in every meaning of the phrase.

separator images found here

#outsider writes #fluff #college au #dbd #dead by daylight #rin yamaoka x meg thomas #meg thomas x rin yamaoka #meg thomas #rin yamaoka

[starryseung]

hwang hyunjin + smut

☾

requested; If your requests are still open can I get a jealous enemies to lovers au for hyunjin? The filthier the better :) thank you!!!! word count: 3.4k words warnings; dom!hyunjin, kinda enemies to lovers, slight voyeurism, car sex

(Wet) Dreams

“I’m sorry ma'am. It won’t happen again.”

You look down and sigh, not wanting to face your useless intern. You had recently taken over the job of guiding and working above some new interns at your company, and it sure was taking a toll on you. Yoon Hachan was a dumb piece of shit, and he wouldn’t leave any opportunity to ruin your day. He was appointed to you, and you gladly decided to look over him. Until the very next week, when he spills his iced americano all over your clothes and important documents sitting in front of you.

And oh god the look on his face. He would pout like a baby, frustrating you even more. But you had to control your short temper since it had almost led to you getting kicked out of the company by your boss. And speaking of that old dude, he was a dick. He was a huge misogynist, and you honestly doubt why you even worked for him— until the thought of your debts come towering upon you, and you become a considerate little bean at work.

Your boss preached favoritism. It was like his religion, and he would bathe in a tub of it twice a day. His favorite employee, none other than Hwang Hyunjin, was another dick. Hyunjin was the prince of the company, you wouldn’t deny. He had the looks, the build, the charisma, everything every girl would drop to their knees for. He wasn’t that bad of a guy, but you despised him. He would wink your way when your eyes would meet his, and prance around the office building with the best interns —definitely assigned to him by your boss.

And right now, you couldn’t help the smoke rising from your ears and the anger flowing out of your eyes when you look at his cabin across from yours, where he sits with his legs propped up on the table, flipping pages in a file. You were jealous. You had never wanted to admit it, but at this point in time, you felt anything to validate your anger was going to help you calm down. You feel tears of anger spring in your eyes, and you simply sniffle and get out of your chair, storming towards his cabin with rage boiling and blood bubbling.

“Hwang fucking Hyunjin. How is this like, huh?”

He looks up at you amused, smirk dancing on his lips. You also never wanted to admit this, but he was one fine man.

“How is what like? I don’t know what you’re talking about, y/n.”

You felt your temperature rising, ears turning red in frustration.

“You fucking know! All of this! These dumb little interns that are gifted to you by that old dickhead, this air-conditioned cabin of yours, all the ‘dinner meetings’ you go out to with that asshole, you must be living the life, dude?!”, you yell out at him. He simply grins and gets up from his chair and walks towards you, making you even more annoyed. You can’t understand how someone can be so annoying, and you can’t help but stop yourself from scoffing and pushing him against his chest and running out of the room, slamming the door shut behind you.

—

You walk in at the office a little early, going to the office kitchen to make yourself a nice coffee. You had had a great night’s sleep, and you were happier than ever. You beam as you pour the coffee into a mug, only for the vessel to be yanked away from you. Hyunjin stood in front of you, smiling smugly with your coffee in his hands. You frown at him, upset your morning was ruined already, and attempt to reach out for your drink.

He chuckles at your failed attempts and places the cup on top of a shelf, grabbing you by your waist and pushing you against the door of the kitchen. He pins your hands above your head, and everything happens so suddenly you aren’t able to process anything until his lips latch on to your neck, sucking and licking at one spot too many times. He holds your wrists with one hand, the other snaking down your arms and tugging on your chin.

“Tongue out, baby. That little mouth of yours has too much to talk about.”

You hesitate for a moment before parting your lips slightly, pushing your tongue out and letting it rest in the air before Hyunjin leans forward and sucks at the muscle. He wraps his lips around your tongue and rolls his tongue over yours, the sucking sounds resonating in the small room. You heave a tuft of air through your nose and push your chest against his. Your thighs clench together as you feel Hyunjin’s hand snaking down your body and stopping right above your cunt, cupping your crotch with his long fingers.

You gasp when he applies pressure above your heat with his palm, feeling the wetness soak through your short skirt. Your head spins and your vision gets blurred, and Hyunjin presses his lips against yours harshly one last time before hastily unbuttoning your white shirt. He licks his lips as he stares down at your lace white bra and ducks down to lick a fat strip right on one of your nipples. You arch your back at the sensation, pushing your chest in his face further. He chuckles and nibbles down at the nub, rolling his tongue above and around it. Meanwhile, his other hand thrusts against the material of your thin skirt, and you feel your stomach knotting and twisting.

You feel light-headed, and you feel cold liquid trickle down your neck and down your chest. You look up to see your co-worker, who has morphed into a blurred figure, and you feel a shiver run down your spine before your eyes snap open and everything becomes clearer. You look around the room to meet eyes with your roommate, who held a glass of water and ice cubes in one hand, the other holding one of the cubes. She chuckles at your shocked state, and reality comes thundering down on you. It was all a dream.

“Ugh, Serim I hate you!” You shout at your best friend, holding your hands up to your face to cover the blush running up to your face. She just plops down on your bed and rolls around, laughing while clutching her stomach tightly. You smack her arm and drown under your covers and pillows. You couldn’t believe you just had a wet dream for the last person you’d ever wanna fuck.

You tell your friend off and freshen up. You made a mental note to not face Hyunjin as much as you could.

You take the bus to work, and you hear a ding on your phone, followed by your ringtone ringing throughout the congested bus. You answer the call and cover one of your ears to block out the noises from the people around you, focusing intently on what the speaker on the other line had to say.

“Hello y/n. Please arrive at the office earlier than usual. You are requested to attend a meeting with the boss and his clients.”

You listen to your boss’s assistant with shock and happiness, quickly nodding though she couldn’t see you. You couldn’t believe your boss was finally starting to trust your potential!

“Anyone else gonna be there?”

“Yes, Mr. Hwang Hyunjin from the Acc—”

And the rest of her words fall on deaf ears as anger floods your mind. You clutch your phone harshly, not caring if the device broke in your fingers. The one person you desperately didn’t want to face today was going to have lunch with you.

—

You run a hand through your hair as you sit in the front seat of your car, Hyunjin obviously sitting with your boss in the backseat. You decide to not initiate any conversation with any of the males and simply focus on the solitaire game on your phone. You hear your boss and Hyunjin laugh heartily at the back, and you feel anger boiling through you again.

You reach the destination, a very aesthetically pleasing five-star restaurant. You smile at the scenery before Hyunjin nudges you with his shoulder and you look over at him, your mind drowning in the dream you had today morning. He smiles pleasingly and you feel your lips tug upwards as well— his charms were too good to resist.

You walk with him and your boss inside the restaurant, the cold air instantly making you regret your decision of wearing a little red dress. You find your clients and sit down before them, smiling and talking to them about the business. You feel Hyunjin shuffle next to you, removing his coat.

“Woo! It’s so hot here,” he states, dramatically fanning his face and placing his coat on your lap, smiling your way apologetically. You huff and place your hand above his coat before you realize he did to keep you warm. Your focus is completely away from the discussion happening at the table, and you fall deep in thought on why Hyunjin was suddenly behaving like that. Suddenly you hear one of the clients speak up.

“That girl would save space and oxygen if she wasn’t here instead of not participating in the meeting,” she says, pointing towards you. You look at her and apologize, excusing yourself to the bathroom. You felt bad for not paying attention to the meeting and letting Hyunjin’s behavior distract you. Maybe it was one of his new plans— making a bad impression of you on the clients so they see Hyunjin with doe eyes.

You prep yourself up and leave the ladies’ washroom, heading towards the table. You sit down and start talking whenever you have the chance, proving the client and Hyunjin wrong. You feel confident in what you speak, and you sense the clients were getting convinced rather quickly. When they finally sign the documents, you feel proud of yourself, and you beam happily and greet them goodbyes before parting ways.

You walk out of the restaurant, feeling Hyunjin close behind you. You slow down until he reaches you, and you tug at his sleeve to gain his attention. He looks down at you, smiling with his crescent eyes. You feel your heart take a leap before you come back to your senses, reminding yourself why you called him in the first place.

“I’m… sorry. For yesterday. I shouldn’t have let out my frustration on y—”

“Oh no! I’m sorry. I was being a dick and I should’ve probably understood your problems before being a pain in the ass.”

You smile back at him, happy your differences could be finally sorted out. Your boss sits in the front seat this time, leaving you and Hyunjin for the back. Halfway through the ride, was when you realized Hyunjin’s palm was against your thighs. Your mind immediately gets reminded of the wet dream you had due to the proximity of Hyunjin’s arm and your crotch. You shrug off the feeling, distracting yourself with the view outside.

“Can I… um… take you out tonight? As an apology.” He whispers

“Sure”

—

Your day goes surprisingly better than you expected. Hyunjin’s interns were now assigned to you, and your’s were assigned to him. Your cabin was all tidied up, with a vanilla fragrance lingering in the air. You lock eyes with Hyunjin in his cabin across from yours, smiling and giving a thumbs up to his way. He smirks and drops his head down, focusing back on the paperwork he was handling.

The night rolled along pretty quickly. It was already nine o’clock, and you were distracted by the knock on your cabin door, followed by the click of the lock. Hyunjin pops his head in and points towards the clock. “It’s nine, come on let’s go” he acknowledged. You look up at him and motion him to wait before you pack your things.

You both walk together down the building towards his car. The sounds of your heels and his boots are the only ones that are heard in the quiet parking lot. You’re about to sit in his car when your phone rings. You look at your caller ID and pick up, wondering what your roommate had to say at this hour. You hold up the device against your ear, not realizing when your earring had tapped on the speaker option, making your friend’s screeching voice heard throughout the parking lot.

“Oh my gosh, Y/N, I completely forgot to tell you! Please bring some noise-blocking headphones today, I don’t want you moaning about that Hyunjin in your sleep—” was all you and Hyunjin could hear before you ended the call. You look up at him with wide eyes, only to be met with his smirking features. He seemed amused by the news, gesturing you to sit in the car. You debate in your head whether you should still go on a date with him now your stupid roommate had blown your cover. Nevertheless, you sit back in the vehicle, avoiding all conversation with the man behind the wheel.

Hyunjin switches the radio on in hopes to reduce the awkward silence in the car, but his efforts all go to waste when a slow sensual song plays through the speakers. He chuckles lowly, resting his hand against your thigh. He swerves lanes, and before you know it, you are in front of a lavish restaurant. He was still taking you on a date, you think, after all he’d heard? You stiffen up when he leans to your ears, whispering the words you were dreading to hear and at the same time, avoiding since your dream.

“Move to the backseat, baby.”

Your breathing hitches and your eyes waver, unsure of what you should do. You figure how this is the only way you can become better friends with Hyunjin (as well as get in his pants). He runs his fingers through his hair, the glossy strands falling right back on his face. You gulp and unbuckle your belt, opening the door slightly to let yourself out, and walk to the backseat, plopping down in the leather. Hyunjin leaves the car for a brief moment and returns, your heart rate speeding up as he inches closer and closer to you.

The moment he lays his hands on your thighs, your stomach growls. Hyunjin looks up at you and giggles when he’s met with your hands over your face. He realized how both of you were hungry, and so he decided to postpone this session after dinner. You look at him with mixed emotions, happy— that he let you have some food; sad— that he left you devoid of his touch, or angry— that he had just touched you. Anyways, you were famished, and couldn’t wait to eat.

••••

You and Hyunjin shared the bill once it had arrived, and now you were just sitting at the table waiting for your credit cards to return. You were stuffed to the point you couldn’t breathe. Or maybe that’s what everybody was seeing. Hyunjin looked just fine though. Of course, he would be, the way his hands were under the table, slowly running up and down your folds. Your panties are pushed to the side and your breathing is labored as his long fingers enter and exit your wet hole.

A clatter is heard, and you look at Hyunjin crutch down and pick up a spoon. You relax when the faint feeling of his fingers leave your core, but immediately thump a fist on the table when the cold spoon comes in contact with your core. The convex of the spoon was pressed against the warmth of your core. You felt like thrashing around, letting your vocal cords loose and moaning and whining at the sensation below the table. But the multiple people sitting in the restaurant restrained you from doing so.

Your thoughts were interrupted when Hyunjin pushes the spoon against your core harder, a soft whine erupting from you. Hyunjin growls and simply stands up when the waiter arrives, straightening his slacks and accepting the credit cards with his clean hands. He shuffles out and walks towards the exit and you follow suit.

Not even seconds have passed since you’ve entered the car, and Hyunjin has pinned you up against the seat and you find yourself feverishly kissing him. It was messy but passionate. They were clashes of teeth and tongue, but also his plump warm lips running against yours. His hand runs up and down your body, the other resting at the dip of your waist. He slowly progresses downwards, skimming you out of your panties before coming to a halt.

“What did you dream, baby.”

Oh no.

You were not planning on opening your mouth any sooner, but his slacks covered thigh coming in contact with your core made you lose your mind and control.

“You were…. sucking my tongue and…. my boobs—”

“Tongue out, baby. You have too much to talk.”

And as if it was a déjà vu experience, you feel yourself slowly poking your tongue out. He reaches down and wraps his lips around your tongue and sucks lightly, grazing his tongue over yours. You feel light-headed, and the sensations are nearly a thousand times better than the dream. Hyunjin’s hand snakes up to your breasts and he kneads the flesh. He pulls down your dress and pinches your nipples with his fingers, rolling the buds between his index and thumb occasionally. Your head starts spinning when he takes slurps and sucks at your appendage, descending lower and lower until one of your boobs is in his mouth as he kitten licks the nubs, sending you over the edge.

You feel your slick spill out of you when he starts rubbing and gyrating his palm against your cunt. His lips don’t leave your chest, his free hand propping himself up in the small area. He sucks and nibbles at your boobs and slips his hand under your dress, flicking your clit with his fingers. You whine at the feeling, pushing yourself against his hands to attain more friction. You feel yourself getting wetter and wetter as he collects your juices and slips two digits in your dripping hole. You arch your back as he starts pumping them in and out of you, and he reaches over to the drawer in the passenger’s seat and removes a plastic wrapper. He rips the seal and rolls over the condom on his length, which you didn’t realize he had pulled out of his pants a while ago. He pumps his length a few times and spits in his hand before rubbing the wet skin over your heat, prepping you for his lengthy girth.

You feel his length poking your folds at first, but the ghostly feeling is replaced with his dick being pushed into you inch by inch, filling you up to the hilt. You hear him pant some incoherent words under his breath before he starts thrusting into you, driving his shaft in and out at an accelerated pace. His hand snakes down to where you two were connected, and he rubs agonizing circles on your bundle of nerves, riling you up.

You sense his thrusts getting slower and deeper, and both your breaths getting shallower as your highs approach. Your body spasms as you feel the tightness in your abdomen loosen up and your juices spill out of you and cover Hyunjin’s length. He moans and grunts before thrust harder and faster as he chases his high. You feel his hot seed fill up the condom inside of you, and he pulls out a while later. He sits down next to your legs on the leather seat, sighing and trying to catch his breaths.

He looks down at you and eyes you up and down, scoffing when he sees your fucked out state. You take notice of his amusement, cocking your eyebrows and propping yourself up against your elbows.

“Just yesterday you were mad at me— wait. Was this your plan!?” He asks his eyes blown out wide. A smile on his lips still shows that he was joking and you hit his shoulders lightly. You look around the car, feeling a familiar feeling poke you.

“Is this your car?”

“I’m not that rich, babe.” he scoffs and makes air-quotes to continue.

“It’s that old dickhead’s car.”

—

a/n: I tried making them fall in love but idk what just happened. sorry for posting this so late! Tumblr accidentally deleted the older post, but luckily i still had it in my drafts🙈

#stray kids #skzsmutnet #skz #stray kids hyunjin #stray kids hwang hyunjin #stray kids Hyunjin smut #stray kids hwang Hyunjin smut #skz Hyunjin smut #skz hwang Hyunjin smut #skz Hyunjin au #stray kids smut #stray kids au #skz smut #kpop smut #kpop imagines #hyunjin smut #hwang Hyunjin smut #smut #mia.moon

[brave-clarice]

“Clarice” Liveblog: Episode 2

Again, some extremely unfashionably late hot takes.

(Special thanks to @kathrynethegreat and @special-agent-pendragon​ for encouraging another liveblog!)

Clarice is working out! And eating junk food! I love it.

and cleaning her gun!

hey, Ardelia is drinking what I’m going to assume is her grandmother’s “smart people tea”.

Krendler disciplining Clarice already is infuriating but appropriate.

“I lost control.” Oh no, I don’t like that. Don’t make Clarice unstable. Her mental and emotional state never had anything to do with her failing career.

getting weird mixed signals from Ardelia. Last week, she obviously didn’t want Clarice to lie/stick to the script Krendler gave her, but now she’s telling Clarice she messed up by not doing so...?

“I better know you if you’re calling this early.” Amen, Ardelia.

I’m in love: this cinematography is straight out of the film (when she’s flying to WV with Crawford)!

“When’s the last time you went back to Appalachia?” “It’s been years.” What??? It has NOT been years--Clarice was JUST in West Virginia last week as well as in Silence, and she arguably attended college there as well. (UVA is at least nestled in the mountains, and you don’t have to drive far outside the Albemarle Valley to hit Appalachia proper.) After all the details about her character they’ve been nailing, they miss this glaring error? 

I like the tiny details she’s noticing (like the guy biting his nails). Not only because she’s an investigator, but because it’s reminiscent of Hannibal’s influence (imo).

Clarice Is Short: The Saga continues

still not getting any creepy vibes off Krendler. He’s going to be much less effective as an antagonist if he isn’t lewd as well as a dick.

I really don’t care for the way the opening “credits” fade out from the death’s-head moth to Clarice’s face. There are MANY animals that represent her, or parts of her, in the books--lions, lambs, horses, and of course birds--so this choice feels empty and lazy to me.

also lazy: having a fellow agent straight-up tell her in episode 2 “you shouldn’t be in the Bureau.” Maybe in two or three years, after some further “Death Angel”-type incidents, I could see this blatant rudeness, but not yet.

“Reesey”? Thanks, I hate it.

this flashback must be of Clarice’s little brother. That answers one question I had last week. That said...Clarice’s brother doesn’t play the same role in her story that Mischa does in Hannibal’s--but this sure feels like a Mischa-esque flashback.

good: they’re finally getting to the source of Clarice’s actual trauma!

bad: this is NOT how Clarice found out about her father. In fact, that whole incident is laid out in detail in the novels, and there’s nothing overly literary/un-cinematic about it, so this feels unnecessary. “The police are here! Something happened to Daddy!” No, bad! Show, don’t tell!

she would’ve known better than to introduce herself to that kid as “Clarice Starling, FBI,” come on now.

were they regularly able to wire tap hair clips in 1993? 

actually, nothing in this show looks very 90s to me so far. I’m sad about it.

so in eighteen months, Ruth Martin has gone from a junior Senator to the Attorney freakin’ General, and now she might run for governor?? At least let her get settled in one position of power first, why don’t you!

yet more Buffalo Bill flashbacks...alas.

are they trying to make this guy another surrogate Hannibal character? He’s commenting on Clarice’s accent and the dryness of her skin, asking about who she “left behind”...it all feels very Hannibal. (I know he’s a Charismatic Cult Leader trope, too--but when played off of Clarice...)

“Ew.” “I hate this guy.” I laughed.

I understand that Clarice probably feels conflicted re: her siblings in the book, but I’m really not digging the flashbacks of this Tim Burton character her brother.

@ the writers: Clarice already has the lamb backstory/symbolism, too. We don’t need this Little Brother stuff.

*shrieking* Mrs. Starling! At the sink washing the blood out of his hat!!! 

...aaand they had to ruin it with the brother’s painfully bad dialogue. Will still be good for gif-making, though.

are we supposed to interpret all these flashbacks as Clarice being incapable of controlling her emotions/state of mind? She keeps losing herself in memories and emerging all doe-eyed and panicky. I don’t like it.

not to be a broken record but...Clarice should be TOUGH. Again, Ardelia only saw her cry once in seven years. But she’s more worked up in this scene than Jodie was in Memphis!

when Mr. Cult Leader shouts “Agent Starling! Agent Starling!” he sounds exactly like Hannibal calling her back to his cell in the asylum. That has to be intentional. 

damn, wish that I could look as good five minutes after I’ve been crying as Clarice does.

I LOVE that Ardelia gets to be the crucial behind-the-scenes book-smart partner to Clarice’s action heroine.

AG Martin’s just playing politics by turning a blind eye to the crooked sheriff. But when her own daughter was just kidnapped and almost killed, she looks like a real hypocrite.

gosh, Rebecca Breeds is great. I already hope she gets nominated for an Emmy.

so Krendler is...doing the right thing???

Clarice’s father was definitely not a sheriff. I hope she’s just exaggerating for dramatic effect. (Maybe this will be clarified later.)

she couldn’t just sit with a manipulative guy without getting emotional, but she’s cool as a cucumber while telling an extended story about her father? HmmMM.

sometimes her mannerisms and facial expressions are so much like Jodie’s that it’s uncanny, like here when she leans forward to confront the Cult Leader.

“She did it.” Damn straight!

another great callback to Silence. this show’s camera crew knows its stuff!

“He’s concerned I have some residual trauma from Bill.” I. Hate. This. Subplot--and all its OOC implications.

“Catherine was close to her father, too.” Ooh, a nice allusion to the novel! Clarice makes note of their “common wound,” the loss of a father, when she’s in Catherine’s apartment in Silence.

she is just SO pretty.

little Clarice looks a LOT like Rebecca Breeds. I hope we see some more of her. 

The Good:

the continuing visual nods to the Silence film via cinematography

Mama Starling!!!

Clarice’s “The World Will Not Be This Way Within the Reach of my Arm” attitude, refusing to leave without helping the victims.

Ardelia Mapp coming in clutch! 

Clarice being, generally, a badass

and using psychological tricks/mind games to pin the antagonist...that’s the woman who disarmed a monster with just a few words.

Rebecca Breed’s acting has been phenomenal so far.

I like Clarice’s haircut a lot better when worn down (though it’s not very practical for fieldwork, so we probably won’t see it much).

The Bad:

the continuing Buffalo Bill-related Trauma Subplot. Ugh.

all the flashbacks to Clarice’s brother (and the not-so-subtle suggestion that her brother is, symbolically, another lamb).

will the real Paul Krendler please come forward? this guy is so TAME.

the other agents’ hostility towards Clarice needs to be toned down slightly so that it can escalate. Otherwise, where’s the tension?

is this actually 1993? I’m not feeling it. Shouldn’t it have a little of that Season 1/2 X-Files aesthetic? Please give me more than once-an-episode references to pagers and fax machines!

that glaring Appalachia continuity error...it’s still bugging me.

I missed the overt Hannibal references, even though they’re not necessary to any part of this episode. A lady can dream!

Overall, I really liked this one despite my various issues with it. It started shakily but built to a great finish. The emphasis across both episodes on Clarice being in the FBI not just to “get out, get anywhere,” but out of a genuine desire to help victims has been wonderful. I just hope they don’t swerve too far into the “too traumatized and emotionally compromised to function” lane. It would be a disservice to Clarice’s character and to her journey (and would smack too much of “Hannibal really did prey on her weak mind/brainwash her”.

Things I’d still like to see: More of her personality. Her hobbies and interests. That she’s cleaning her gun is great! Now let’s see “Poison Oakley” practicing her sharpshooting skills. Or car shopping. Or clothes shopping to show off her “developing taste.” (Ardelia can come!) I’ll take literally anything. Give us more of Clarice’s sense of humor as well. She had some subtle funny moments in the pilot, and it’s nice to see Rebecca smile for a change.

And Krendler? Smear that man in grease! I appreciated a happy ending even though Clarice’s career is, as we know, already in a downward spiral--the last thing we want is for every episode to be a slog, especially when a good chunk of the audience hasn’t read the book and doesn’t know Clarice is doomed to fail in the Bureau.

However... Krendler’s not a “redemption arc” kind of character. Or even a “run-of-the-mill sexist asshole” character. This is a man who spent seven years systematically sabotaging a young woman’s career because a) he was jealous that she solved the Gumb case before him, and b) she wouldn’t fuck him. He was a Justice Department official working fist-in-glove with a serial child molester who was planning some of the heinous vigilante justice imaginable. THAT’S why his very gruesome end at Hannibal’s hands felt deserved--even Clarice thought so! In short, he needs to get nasty.

Anyway, thanks for coming to another long-overdue TedTalk. Fingers crossed that the next one will be more timely (aiming for Sunday night)! 

#Clarice Starling #clarice #cbs clarice #rebecca breeds #once again I apologize for how late this is #and how long and somewhat ranty lol #please let me know if you want more ♥♥♥ #media [cbs show] #char [clarice starling]

[thorne93]

The Stars Made Us (Part 15)

Prompt: In this world, you’re one of the “lucky” ones who got a soulmate, but what if the universe gives you more than you bargained for?

(Prompt challenge – You live in a world where your soulmate can write on their skin and you will get the writing on your own and vice versa. Where they can wash away the ink on their own skin, however, the writing is forever scarred onto your skin until you meet face to face)

Word Count: 2218

Warnings: angst and language throughout

Notes: This was supposed to be for @sorryimacrapwriter  and their challenge like a year ago, I think? I still loved the prompt though and have been working on this story for quite some time. This aesthetic was made by @quailliamfears, thank you so much! Beta’d by @like-a-bag-of-potatoes​, couldn’t have done it without you, as well as @carryonmyswansong​ and @arrow-guy​ and @mrs-dragneel-stark-solo​

Also, I’ve never really liked the whole soulmate AU thing idea, but this felt so right and it was amazing to write. I hope y’all love it too!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You wound up at the door of an expensive apartment in the center of Manhattan. Well, at least it wasn’t a far journey. You knocked on the door, unsure what to expect.

When a woman with stunning red hair opened the door, your eyes narrowed in surprise.

“Stephen? Are you expecting company?” she called behind her into the apartment.

“No, I--” you began to answer before holding out your hand, hoping she could see the marking. She took your hand in hers, reading the mark left by Stephen. 

“You’re his soulmate?” she asked in astonishment. She glanced back to someone, but you couldn’t see around her. “You’ve got a lot on your hands,” she mused before pursing her lips and breezing past you.

You frowned, wondering what that meant, and who that was. You took a tentative step in, letting the door close behind you. You finally saw the figure who was standing at a window, his back to you. 

“Are you...Stephen Strange?” you asked aloud. 

“Who’s asking?” he asked tersely, not turning to you.

“I’m Y/F/N,” you informed, walking forward, your hand outstretched. 

“And I should care, why?” he asked, finally turning around. When he did, his appearance surprised you. He looked unkempt. A beard that was unruly, hair that was matted and needed a wash, in a robe that needed to see the inside of a washing machine, and worn eyes. 

“I’m your soulmate,” you explained, going to show him your hand, only to realize and remember that the markings disappeared the moment you two saw each other. 

“If you’re here looking for money, you’re barking up the wrong tree, I don’t have any money,” he told you, defeated as he fell into a chair. “Not anymore.” 

You shook your head. “I came here simply because your name and location appeared on my arm.” Then you sat down at the table with him.

“Is that supposed to mean something to me?” he snapped.

You looked him up and down, a look of sympathy in your eyes. He reminded you of Charles when you first met him -- broken, damaged, self-loathing, a total wreck. You didn’t know the first thing about this man, but you knew he needed your help. 

“You don’t believe in soulmates,” you surmised from his tone.

“No, I don’t.”

You sat there as he was clearly dismissing you. You looked at him and immediately started a psychological profile on him. He had wealth… his hands appeared to be damaged… he was clearly upset… so was the woman who left… he was arrogant....

That’s when you remembered the first mark that ever showed up on your skin from him -- it was shorthand. 

“You’re a doctor,” you suddenly breathed out in realization.

“Congratulations. Would you like a prize?” he scoffed, rolling his eyes.

“I’d like you to talk to me. A few months ago, you wrote shorthand on your left hand, and it showed up on mine. Now, normally, this wouldn’t be that big of a deal--”

“But?” he pressed, his temper showing. 

“But I’ve already got a soulmate…”

His attention slowly turned on you some more. Now he seemed interested.

“You already have a soulmate?”

You nodded. “Yes, I got him when I was eighteen. We wrote on our skin for years, emailed back and forth, then suddenly… his name and address came to me. We’ve been living together for a while now… But then one day, your shorthand popped up on my hand and we didn’t know what to make of it. Neither did the county clerk. They said they’ve never had a record of someone having two mates.”

Stephen narrowed his eyes on you. “So, what -- I’m supposed to believe you and I are mates? Bullshit.” 

“Ever wonder why you have all those marks on your arm?” you inquired. “Scars you never got?”

“I ignored them,” he grumbled as he looked away.

“Why?”

“Soulmates are for children,” he explained as his attention snapped back to you. He leaned closer to you. “Love is just a waste of time. It’s one giant Hallmark holiday.” 

You peered at him with a side smile.

“Oh, do you find that amusing?”

“I find your defense mechanisms incredible. Tell me, do they usually work?” you asked. 

He glared at you. “What are you? A shrink?”

“I prefer the term psychiatrist,” you noted simply with a grin. 

“Oh, great. So you think if we talk, if I just open up, then all of this will be okay?”

“No, I don’t. I have no idea what’s going on here but I’m going to bet it has something to do with a recent trauma, my guess is physical. You were a doctor, no? Possibly surgeon of some kind. You had some kind of damage to your hands and now they won’t work.” 

“Wow, you really know how to make a guys problems sound minimal. Yes, my hands, the source of my work, the source of my ability are fucked, alright? I had the steadiest hand on this side of the globe. I was world renowned. I got into a car accident and the jackasses at the hospital ruined me, alright? They ruined me!” he shouted. “I’ve been through every experimental surgery there is and it’s not getting any better. I’ve spent everything but my last dime trying to get back to where I was. Is that what you want to hear?”

“Stephen, I only want to hear what you want to tell me. I didn’t choose to come here, the universe told me you needed me. I think it’s very clear that you do.” 

“Oh yeah, because we’re so close, you know everything about me. Well what would you know about having your livelihood ripped away from you?” he remarked. 

“Nothing,” you answered honestly. “But that doesn’t mean I can’t sympathize, that I can’t help…” 

“Help,” he scoffed. “I don’t need help, yours or anyone else’s.” 

“You mean like the woman that just walked out? Did you throw her out or did she leave?” you wondered.

“Hey, I don’t need any fucking mind games, okay? I’ve got enough to deal with without playing ‘Get Psychoanalyzed’ with some stranger.” 

“We wouldn’t be strangers if you weren’t so afraid of getting hurt by love again,” you stated.

He narrowed his stormy grey eyes at you. “You don’t know the first thing about me.”

“I know I’m right. The way you get defensive and hostile every time I bring up love, it seems to really bother you. I don’t think it’s romantic though.” You peered at him as he seemed annoyed. “No, if it was romantic, that woman wouldn’t have walked out of here. I don’t think it has anything to do with that. Romantic love can be forgotten, let go, replaced… You lost a loved one, didn’t you?”

“Are you a fortune teller? If I tell you you’re right, are you going to leave me alone?”

“I’m not going to leave you alone until you look well enough to take a proper bath by yourself. I’m judging by your hair and facial hair that your lady friend tries to keep up with your hygiene but struggles.” 

“I’m not a toddler.”

“No, but you do need help,” you insisted easily.

“Let me make this perfectly clear: I didn’t ask for your help, I don’t want your help, I don’t need your help. So please, see yourself to the door and make your way back to your other soulmate or your first soulmate or whoever it is and leave...me...alone.” 

You sucked in your lips, trying to think of a way to get him to let you stay. Clearly he had a lot of pride. Charles wasn’t extremely pleasant when you met him in his state of need. But this was completely different. This man didn’t want anyone around… Maybe that was it… 

“Maybe you don’t want pity, or help, or for anyone to see you this way,” you offered, “but from where I’m sitting, it looks like you could use someone in your life. I take it that that woman was probably about the only person you had left.” 

He didn’t say anything, just looked away with resentful eyes.

“If I’m right about the fact that you’ve lost a loved one -- family, and that woman was the last friend you had… Sitting alone in a huge apartment isn’t going to do anything for your morale. You’re a doctor, you know patients need hope to get better. Being alone and feeling helpless isn’t going to get any better, and it certainly won’t make your hands return to normal.” 

His eyes shifted to the floor, looking around, as if to avoid your face. 

“I’m not here to ridicule or pity. I don’t know anything about you except you seem like a man lost within himself and he doesn’t want to ask for help for fear he’ll be seen as a failure. I’m not going to judge you. I’m a doctor, you’re a doctor, just let me help you.”

“Really took the whole oath thing to another level huh?” he mocked. His eyes found yours before eyeing you up and down slowly. “You’re really not going to leave, are you?” he asked, seeming to accept this. 

“I’m a psychiatrist, Stephen, I’ve seen a lot worse than you,” you informed boldly. 

He slightly rolled his eyes. “If you’re going to stay, I guess you can make yourself useful. I need laundry done.”

You nodded with a partial smile. “Sure thing. Just point the way.” 

With that, he lazily pointed down the hall. There you found a stack of laundry inside a large master bedroom. You picked it all up and then went by him. He was still moping at his glass dining room table. 

“Do you have a washing machine downstairs?”

“Basement. Take the elevator all the way down. They’re on the left.” 

“I’ll be right back,” you kindly said. 

You got downstairs and sorted all of the laundry, got three loads started, and came back up while those worked. “Alright, what next?”

“Dishes, I suppose. Christine can bring food, she just can’t clean up after it.”

You smiled and nodded as you walked away from the dining area to the open kitchen to do his dishes. 

“So… Christine… she’s your…” you trailed off, wanting him to fill in the blanks as you picked up the dishes to get them ready to clean.

“Colleague,” he stated, warning just under his tone. 

“Are you sure you two haven’t been closer?” you wondered. 

“If you’re just going to psychoanalyze me--”

“I’m not giving you a free therapy session, Dr. Strange, I’m trying to get to know you. Like you, my skills are highly regarded and sought after. Giving you a free session wouldn’t be fair to everyone else.”

He mulled over your words for a moment and realized you were right. Giving therapy wasn’t free or easy, and a lot of time and energy went into it. So he humored you. “Well if you must know, yes, we dated for a while.” 

“Was it serious?” 

“If it was serious we’d be married, don’t you think?”

“Not necessarily.” 

He watched you work for a moment before sighing. “No, I suppose it wasn’t. I think we wanted it to be, and it just didn’t work that way.”

“And why is that?” 

“You know, we just met, I’m not sure you should be asking me all this. You’re the stranger who came into my home. I feel like I should be vetting you.”

“We wouldn’t be strangers if you had just responded to some of my messages,” you argued, a sort of teasing in your tone as you continued to work on getting the dishes loaded.

“So you really believe in all this romantic nonsense, that there really is one person out there for everyone?” he asked, sounding curious. 

“Not quite. If I felt that, everyone would have a soulmate. I think a select few get their partners. I also think people who don’t have soulmates have very loving and fantastic relationships, perhaps better than some soulmates.” 

“So why go through all this? If you’re already with a mate, why are you here with me?” 

You turned to him, putting your hands on the counter between dishes as you looked directly at him. “The universe led me to one great man, why wouldn’t it do so again? I trust it.” 

“That’s a lot of faith.”

“Perhaps I can have enough faith and hope for the both of us, since clearly you need it.” 

He didn’t respond and two seconds later, you announced, “Done! Dishes are loaded and washing.” 

“Thanks. I’m going to bed,” he said as he got up. 

You frowned. “Alright. Do you need help?”

“No, over the years I’ve mastered the art of laying my body in a bed and pulling covers over myself.” 

You sighed. “Alright, if you’re going to be an ass about it, I’ll put the things in the dryer and then I’m going to a hotel nearby. Expect me back in the morning,” you called after him as he walked into his room.

“Expect me to still not want you here,” he called back. 

You rolled your eyes, smiling at the challenge you were about to face before stepping out of his apartment.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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#the stars made us #charles xavier x reader #charles xavier fic #charles xavier #stephen strange x reader #stephen strange fic #stephen strange

[imo-chan-imagines]

『 Haikyuu!! Week 2020 | Day 3 』

· Sept. 27th → Irresistible Force ·

Characters: Karasuno team

Prompts: A. favourite team + B. crossover/AU

Tags/warnings: Haikyuu!! (anime), PG, fluff, crack, a teensy bit of angst (because who doesn't love a sad superhero backstory), headcanons, AU, superheroes, HaikyuuWeek2020

A/N: Again, I love all the teams and didn't want to pick, but life is cruel, so here I am. This is headcanons about my fav team (Karasuno) in an AU (superheroes). I was thinking of a Hero Association, kind of like in 'The Boys'? But less corrupt... Maybe more like in 'One Punch'? I think you get me.

All of my Haikyuu Week 2020 posts will be SFW, but I have NFSW content on my blog if that butters your biscuit. Feel free to check it out! Thanks for reading! Please enjoy ♡ Imo~

Karasuno / Superhero Association AU

×

☆ Sawamura Daichi ☆

Powers: nigh invulnerability, super strength, enhanced healing

If he's not the ordinary cop that somehow befriends the heroes I was tempted then he's definitely the leader of the superhero group

Kind of like Superman in the old-school Justice League, just not as OP lol

Looks damn good is spandex those thighs *sweats*

Cape!! so ✨majestic✨

Probably wears dark-ish, neutral colours with a dash of blue

A bit serious. Not the kind of hero to go around making quips all the time, but will make light of his own suffering like Captain America

Takes younger heroes under his wing like the true Dadchi he is

Strong moral compass. Unbreakable

Won't hesitate to lay down his life for others

Who am I kidding. He's basically Captain America with a cape

Poster-boy for the Hero Association

×

☆ Sugawara Koushi ☆

Powers: telekinesis

A soft, pearly aesthetic with his suit, hair and skin. Lots of white and silver

A favourite among the ladies he's just too pretty, damm it T T

Very plucky and adorable

People in the vicinity will literally faint when he goes all serious to concentrate and use his powers

Has a duo move with Daichi where he literally throws him like a missle YEET

Has the most followers on Twitter and TikTok and his fans can be pretty nuts

Has a perfume line named after him and models for the adverts

Will smile like an angel right before bringing a building down on top of you fuck, I find this one really funny

×

☆ Azumane Asahi ☆

Powers: regeneration, enhanced stength

Kind of like Wolverine or Deapool but, like, much, much softer on the inside uwu

Wears green and black

Messed up big time back in the day and dropped off the grid out of guilt some people died :(

Was convinced to come back when his old teammates finally found him again because they needed his help in a crisis

Literally shed tears of relief when heroes and citizens alike welcomed him back instead of hating him mah heart *sniffs*

Can withstand seemingly anything and fully heal within a matter of days

Doesn't know the full extent of his powers himself. How exactly do one test it? 🤔

Still has to psych himself up for a fight, though big softy, really

×

☆ Shimizu Kiyoko ☆

Powers: electrokinesis, flight

Powers like Storm from X-Men, and kicks ass like Wonder Woman

Refuses to wear a revealing suit, but looks bomb af anyway

Kiyoko = absolute queen

One of the most powerful heroes, but doesn't throw her weight around unless she's kicking bady-guy booty

Stella gynamast, and has mastered several martial arts

Can literally throw a guy three times her size, all without any strength powers Tanaka: 👁👄👁

Somehow has perfect hair all the time secret superpower??

Is active on the political stage as a human rights activist, headlining women's rights yes, yes yes

Will strike you with lightning for sexual harassment

Comes up with really good mission plans

Is a soothing balm for Tanaka when he loses it

Black and gold aesthetic✨

Asymmetrical cape! super fashionable

Poster-girl for the Hero Association

☆ Tanaka Ryuunosuke ☆

Powers: fire generation and manipulation

Tanaka brings the heat literally

A bit of a chaotic-good, but what's new there?

Can get out of control if he loses his focus, so his friends have to keep him grounded Kiyoko is a literal angel when that happens

Kiyoko: Sun's getting real low...

Bonus points if you get the reference

Is terrified of hurting innocents if he gets out of control

It rarely happens, but if he loses his self confidence, his powers don't seem to work

Shouts cringy lines at the villains before roasting their asses lmfao

Wears a black and orange flame-retardant suit, and actually looks pretty fine in it 😌👌

Literally head over heels for Kiyoko just imagine it. Biggest hype man

×

☆ Nishinoya Yuu ☆

Powers: animal metamorphosis, enhanced speed

Think Beast Boy from 'Teen Titans', but less green he's more likely to be yellow or orange, lmao

Handy in lots of different situations. Very versatile

Incredibly cheeky and joins in with Tanaka's cheesy jokes and one-liners

Absolute maniac, but the people love him, especially schoolkids lmao

Has his own energy drink flavour, and he's STOKED about it

Yellow and black suit, kind of like his hair

Has a surprisingly large following of fans

Laps up the attention, but it doesn't really go to his head

Quiet and serious when he's on a mission/fighting

☆ Hinata Shouyou ☆

Powers: self replication, super speed, levitation

His powers took a while to properly manifest, which left him feeling isolated as a teen

Was pretty lost until Ukai helped train him

Got into a fight with Kageyama in an alleyway when he first met him MET HIM IN THE STREET, LMAO

Argues with Kageyama a lot at headquarters, but they work together like a dream when taking down bad guys

Has a heart of literal gold precious baby

Is contantly amazed when he helps significantly

Was inspired to become a hero by his idol, the Little Giant and it's his dream to inspire someone else 😭😭

Uses his replication ability to confuse the bad guys ULTIMATE DECOY

Levitates around the room when he's excited like Aang from ATLA, hahaha

Wears an orange, white and yellow suit with little wings on his heels cuuuute

×

☆ Kageyama Tobio ☆

Powers: water/ice generation and manipulation, breathing underwater, superhuman reflexes

I was tempted to give him fire/ice powers like Todoroki, but I didn't want to detract from Tanaka

Has problems focusing his powers, and can be quite turbulent in the heat of battle

Finds it hard to work well with others initially, but really makes an effort

Has hurt people close to him by accident before and never wants to do it again it would tear him apart

Becomes a power duo with Hinata when Ukai helps train them, even though they don't seem to get on well at first

Broody boi on the surface, but a cinnamon roll deep down

Wears a dark blue and deep purple suit that has fins to assist in underwater escapades which are his forte

Freezes Hinata's feet to the floor when he pisses him off or anybody's feet, tbh

Can dodge almost anything because of his reflexes don't ever try to punch him. You'll look stupid

Is surprised by the number of people in his fan club especially the number of women asking to marry him??

×

☆ Tsukishima Kei ☆

Powers: telepathy, superhuman intellect, mind control on weak-willed individuals

Prefers to outwit his enemies rather than getting into a brawl

But his self-designed gadgets and tech help him out if he has to a bit like Tony Stark, wink wonk

Sometimes makes you question if he's really a hero or not Tsukki, please

Doesn't take orders well

Baits villains by insulting them and getting the better of them with his words it's hilarious

Comes up with good plans, but improvises well with whatever he's got

Probably wears suits over his spandex most of the time fancy shmancy

Is prepared to die to protect Yamaguchi waahhh

×

☆ Yamaguchi Tadashi ☆

Powers: invisibility, force fields, teleportation

Susan Storm with added teleportation, lol

Often finds it hard to value his powers because they're not as visually strong and impressive as other people's

Rather than squaring up to a battle, he often has to 'hide' from it by literally going invisible

But he gradually becomes aware of how vital his powers can be, and learns to control them and make them as advantageous as possible

Is a highly important and valued member of the team

Soft bean that gets nervous and throws up before a fight

But he's hella determined and won't back down

Honestly, just wants to protect Tsukki and make him proud PROTECT HIM

×

☆ Yachi Hitoka ☆

Powers: size manipulation

She can shrink and enlarge herself and objects she touches at will, including other people

Sometimes shrinks really small to avoid social situations she doesn't want to be in samez, honey

The clumsiest and least experienced on the team

But she tries her best, gradually getting to grips with her powers

Sometimes uses her powers by accident, like when she's nervous

Once touched a watermelon slice on the refreshment table and accidentally blew it up to the size of a car Hinata, Kageyama and Noya fully dug in with their faces 😭😭

Nearly passed out when Daichi, the literal god of the Hero Association, told her she had great potential

Don't worry, Yams teleported and caught her

☆ Ukai Keishin ☆

Powers: laser vision, metal mimicry

The has-been hero who lost his enthusiasm for hero-ing and retired some years ago

Was really cool back in his hayday. Big hot-shot with a fan club

Has been working as a convenience store attendant to pay the bills and is bored out of his mind but refuses to admit it

Was convinced to get back in the game when he found Hinata and Kageyama fighting, both struggling with their abilities. He broke up the fight and agreed to coach them

Doesn't do much of the flashy hero stuff anymore, but will occasionally get stuck in when he's needed must protecc his children

Is only, like, ten years older than the other heroes, but they treat him like some fossilised sensei out of Natuto, or some shit

Tbf, he has the back problems of one 😭😭

×

☆ Takeda Ittetsu ☆

Powers: power absorption

Transferred from being a hero to hero management after having having issues with the effects of his powers he has a conscience :(

He felt guilty and responsible for permanently taking the powers of others, even if they were criminals

It was like removing a piece of their souls it kind of broke him

These days, he makes sure nobody knows about his powers, so it can't be used against him

He helps in any other way possible

He would only use his powers again in dire circumstances he knows he'll eventually have to

Is generally chipper and good natured, though

If he was ever captured by a villain, they'd probably send him back because he talks too much omg, hahaha

Helps gather info for the team and direct them on missions and in fights

Gives bomb inspirational speeches ✊

© imo-chan-imagines 2020

#imo chan imagines #haikyuuweek2020 #karasuno #haikyuu!! #hq! #headcanons #haikyuu headcanons #sawamura daichi #sugawara koushi #azumane asahi #shimizu kiyoko #tanaka ryuunosuke #nishinoya yuu #hinata shouyou #kageyama tobio #tsukishima kei #yamaguchi tadashi #yachi hitoka #ukai keishin #takeda ittestu

[penroseparticle]

Would it be appropriate for me to be That Dumb Bitch™ and ask for all of the music asks? Because I know I'm gonna ask them all on Anon anyway and I really love your opinions,thoughts, and suggestions on music

Thank you so much💜 ily(platonically)

And I hope you're drinking water

ILY too anon

We both know I’m drinking Diet Cokes rather than water. But I appreciate it! And of course you can be That Dumb Bitch. I approve of all Dumb Bitches as I am one too. all 30 questions coming right up!

your favorite album opener I know it’s pretty basic to answer Arctic Monkeys is a good band, but I am pretty basic so here we are. AM is a near perfect album, which is not news to anyone, but few people know that Do I Wanna Know? is the first track on the album. Masterful. 

a song starting w/ the same first letter of your first name Cheat, by Emily Burns. It’s just a quiet, competent, earworm. And it’s a pretty nice message too- if it were me I wouldn’t have cheated, end of. I like it.

a song outside of your usual genre I’m not super into Metal. That’s not to say that I don’t enjoy it, my brother pretty much exclusively listens to hard rock and metal and such, so I have some stuff I like. But it’s just one of those genres someone has to introduce me to songs in. That said, I really like Cold Water by Protest The Hero. Good stuff!

a song that reminds you of your favorite season Almost Lover by A Fine Frenzy is SUCH a Fall song, I swear.

a song from a lifelong favorite artist I think my lifelong favorite artist is Ms. Lauryn Hill, if we’re going by the artists I’ve loved longest- that’s obviously influenced by my mother, who LOVES Jill Scott, Lauryn Hill, etc. I’m going with a Fugees song, not an independent, but it’s still fantastic- the classic “Killing Me Softly With His Song”.

your current “on repeat” song Montero by Lil Nas X is still on repeat and I’m not ashamed.

a song your friend introduced you to that you ended up loving Shout out Anna for introducing me ti Leikeli47! Girl Blunt was the song and now I just love her in general but Girl Blunt is good. I think my fave is Wash and Set though, so have a freebie on me.

a song that speaks the words you couldn’t say I have a hard time asking for things for myself so Rose’s Turn has always been a song I think but don’t say out loud. Starting now it’s gonna be my turn? Too unrealistic tbh.

a song that captures your aesthetic (can be ideal!) Bambi by Hippo Campus

a song about the place where you live I have played Welcome to DC so many fucking times (By Mambo Sauce because this city is a fucking joke) and I am thoroughly sick of it. When youth hockey teams use a song as their warmup song it gets old REAL fast.

a song from an international artist I LOOOOVE Maluma, sorry not sorry, and El Perdedor is one of my favorite songs of all time tbh.

a song you can scream all the words to Love In The Morning by Chris Jobe. I just really enjoy the song idk why. Also it’s a very simple song and it’s easy to sing.

a reboot of a song/songs you already loved (remix, mashup, acoustic, etc.) I love Passionfruit, but Drake is a... problematic artist to enjoy nowadays. Yaeji did a very slow, lilting, quiet cover of it that I quite like. So now for my Passionfruit fix I support a small artist and not, you know, Drake

a song with the name of a place in the title Oh god. Vienna is literally the name of like 4 songs that I love (The Fray, Billy Joel, Lambert, and Ultravox, so I’ve gotta go with that one tbh. Lambert is instrumental and Ultravox is some chill ass 80′s stuff, and everyone knows the Billy Joel one.

a song that reminds you of traveling Feel It Still by Portugal the Man reminds me of a trip I took to NYC because someone I went with loved the band.

your favorite childhood song My favorite childhood song is What Kind of Pokemon Are You? From the 2.B.A. Master album for pokemon. It is my fave because that cd is the first piece of music I ever bought for myself.

a song that reminds you of a good time Midnight by Caravan Palace. I have seen Caravan Palace three times live, more than anyone but Betty Who, and I ALWAYS have a fantastic time at their concerts. Just. So good.

a song that reminds you of a bad time Season 2 Episode 3 by Glass Animals is how I describe depression to people- it’s not just that I’m like, blank or sad or bland. It’s that I go through the motions and it doesn’t feel like anything. I do things I love and it feels like nothing. You kind of just can’t do anything to get out of it, your stuff just stops working.

a song from an artist whose old music you enjoy more than their new music So it turns out that my favorite album by FAR for OkGo is Of The Blue Color Of The Sky, a fairly old album of theirs. I like most of thier stuff and obviously all of their videos are great, but my favorite song of theirs is from this album- Needing/Getting.

a song that empowers you I like other Lady Gaga songs more but Donatella makes me feel like I can punch through Concrete idk why

a song from a local artist DID YOU KNOW GINUWINE IS FROM DC. ANYWAYS STREAM PONY

a song you related to in the past and present, but for different reasons Let’s Dance To Joy Division by The Wombats is a song I’ve always related to. Back in the day it was just loud and fun and very good, and now I really think the message of “Everything sucks but we’re gonna celebrate what we can” is something I try to absorb as much as possible now.

your favorite cheesy pop song Classic by MKTO is an objectively bad song that I constantly have in my Spotify Wrapped. I legit can’t explain it. Is it good? no. Is it original? Also no. Is it interesting? No! I don’t get it but I’m under the spell

a song from a soundtrack (musical, movie, video game, etc.) A PROMISE FROM FIRE EMBLEM: THREE HOUSES WAS MY NUMBER THREE SONG ON MY SPOTIFY WRAPPED LAST YEAR SORRY MOM SORRY GOD

the song currently stuck in your head OR the song you are listening to right now My music is on shuffle but it just hit Hot Girl Bummer by Blackbear

a song that taught you a lesson Which to Bury, Us Or The Hatchet by Reliant K is one of my favorite songs and really is an object lesson in letting things go. What’s more important? The person or the problem? And sometimes it’s the person, so you bury the hatchet, and sometimes it’s the problem, and you bury us (the relationship). It’s a good song imo.

an instrumental song Teleblister by Clever Girl

a song you always skipped, but ended up loving once you listened to it My favorite song from The Blessed Unrest by Sara Bareilles is Cassiopeia and I straight up skipped it every time I listened for the first like, 6 months I listened to the album.

your favorite album closer good kid, m.A.A.d city is a perfect album as well, and Compton is the last song on the album. Perfection.

your all-time favorite song Such a hard question, and not always easy to answer to be honest. It fluctuates. But for me I think my all time favorite song is currently  

[raibebe]

Colors

Genre: Fluff Words: 1.124 Prompt: Soulmate AU

A/N: @xingschens​ Hello Alis, it’s me your secret monmirer. I haven’t talked to you much these past few days because I was trying hard to finish this on time without it seeming too rushed and I’m sorry about that. So, when I asked you what kind of fanfiction you liked, you said that you liked soulmate AUs and I have never written one before. So this is a premier for me. It’s nothing special but I hope you like your belated present regardless. Happy Valentine’s!

Everyone has a black stain somewhere on their body where your soulmate is supposed to touch you first. Once they do touch you, it turns into multiple different colors.

It was just another boring shift at work in the little convenience store down the road of where you lived. You didn’t particularly like the job. But the payment was alright and your boss was an old lady who wasn’t mad at you when you studied for you classes late at night when no customers where in sight.

But tonight you wished you could go back to your books for once. Somehow the whole neighborhood decided to host parties this Friday night and almost every five minutes another wave of drunken teenagers and uni students came in and demanded either more alcohol or searched through the snacks and disheveled everything on the shelves, leaving you to pick up stuff they had dropped on the floor and sort everything back, just to do it again minutes after.

So when you were just done cleaning up the contents of a ripped up bag of chips and the bell on the door rang again, you couldn’t really hold back a groan. But instead of obnoxious shouting, the store stayed silent. When you poked your head out from the aisle, you could only see a figure clad in a grey hoodie, the big hood over their head, looking at the arrangement of energy drinks in the cooler. Relieved that you were saved from more drunk customers for now, you quickly cleaned up before going back to your space behind the counter, quickly cleaning your hands on a wet towel when the black haired man came over, a colorful can in his hands that were partly obscured by the long sleeves of his hoodie. Which you had to admit was kind of cute but somehow didn’t quite fit the aesthetic of his ripped jeans and the little flash of silver in his eyebrow, hidden behind his long bangs.

“Just that?” You asked, scanning the item. “For now,” he answered with a deep, pleasant voice. “Interesting placement,” he added while fishing money out of the pockets of his jeans, nodding to the black mark on your forearm, where the shadow of a palm wrapped neatly around your flesh. “Can’t say the same for you,” you teased when he slid over the money with an entirely black palm. Grinning he just shrugged and took his can. “Not everyone can have an interesting mark. Just hope that your soulmate has a good reason to randomly grab you when they first meet you.”

Just when you wanted to give him a witty reply, the doorbell rang again and a group of drunken men entered the store, heavily hanging off of each other and already knocking stuff over. “Need any help with those?” The handsome stranger asked when he saw your worried gaze. “I can handle it, thank you,” you said, letting out a frustrated groan when you heard something fall off the shelves with a loud thud.

“I’m not getting paid enough for this,” you cursed from under your breath, quickly rounding the counter and walking up to the men.

Apparently they found it funny to grab random stuff off the shelves to throw them at each other. “If you don’t stop this, I’ll have to ask you to leave the store,” you told them, voice firm when you picked up a pack of cookies from the ground to put it back where it belonged. “Come on, let us have some fun,” one of the men slurred, his eyes unfocused. “You should join us,” another one suggested, swaying on his feet when he came closer to you. “You are pretty enough,” the third one added, leaning into your personal space, his breath smelling like alcohol and nicotine. Shoving him away, you shook your head. “Leave right now or I’ll call the police,” you threatened.

“Come on, doll. Have some fun once in your life,” the man who you had tried to shove away slurred and tried to cage you against one of the shelves. “Leave her alone,” the stranger’s deep voice cut in before the man could say anything else. “She doesn’t want to and if you are only here to cause trouble and not to buy anything, you should really leave,” he said, cocking his pierced eyebrow while taking a sip from his drink. “And who are you, her boyfriend?” One of the drunks asked. “What if I was?” The stranger teased. That statement made the men break out in laughter, almost toppling over in their drunken state. When two of them fell against each other and against one of the shelves and it started to give in to their combined weight, they hastily pulled away again. But it was too late for the shelf: When it bounced back to his previous state, it slowly toppled over due to its momentum.

“Watch out!” You heard the stranger called before he grabbed you and pulled you towards him and away from the falling shelf, just seconds before it came crashing down onto the floor where you were just standing seconds ago, watching it all unfurl like it was happen in slow motion, leaving you frozen in place. Staring at the whole scene in shock, you couldn’t believe what had just happened. Cursing the men scrambled to their feet and ran out of the shop, leaving the stranger and you alone with the mess. “Are you okay?” He asked you, sounding genuinely worried. From the proximity you could feel his deep voice rumble in his chest and felt his breath ghosting over your neck, making you shiver. Nodding, you let go of the stranger’s hoodie that you had grabbed out of instinct, gently smoothing it out again with trembling hands, feeling the strong muscle beneath. “Fucking great,” you sighed, meeting the stranger’s dark eyes for a moment to give him what you hoped was a reassuring smile, “Just what I needed tonight.”

Walking over to the shop’s door, you flipped the sign to closed and turned the key in the lock, bracing your forehead against the cool glass before taking a couple of deep breaths, willing your hands to stop shaking. “You can go out through the back door. I’ll just clean this up. Thank you for saving me from that shelf,” you told the stranger when you had turned back around. But he didn’t seem to have heard you, just looking at his palm in awe. “You okay there?” Instead of answering, he held up his palm, this time not pitch black but a beautiful mix of colors. Startled you looked down at you own arm where you weren’t met with the familiar black either.

When you looked back at the stranger, you were met with a charming, dimpled smile. “Hi, I’m Changkyun and apparently I am your soulmate, nice to meet you.”

#i hope you liked it darling #monsta x #i.m #im changkyun #changkyun #monsta x fluff #changkyun fluff #monsta x fanfic #monsta x fic #changkyun imagine #changkyun scenario #monstax imagines #monsta x scenarios #monsta x soulmate au #monsta x au #changkyun soulmate au #monsta x oneshot #changkyun x reader #monsta x reader #monsta x drabble #changkyun drabble

[offtopicoverload]

Howdy there!! Who are the li’s you fancy the most from LITG??

hi! thanks for the ask!

i honestly dunno who’s my top answer, cuz they’re all interesting in their own way

I’m only going to talk about female LIs cuz the only male routes I’ve finished are Bobby and Jake, and I tapped through most of Jake and only ended with Bobby on my first run cuz I never unlocked Marisol, so I’m not the best source lol

Talia:

She’s just so chill but has no problem standing up for MC, she has her back no matter what

Which, like, what a queen

She’s the original and only one of 4 LIs, which maybe it’s just me, but for a game based on an incredibly heteronormative reality show, allowing representation for queer audiences from launch is such a big deal and so cool to me, so Talia’s kind of special in my mind

She was also my first LI so nostalgia points

And she’s such an easy LI, not much drama on her route outside of Lucy, just her having MC’s back as the boys make themselves look like idiots

And she has so much potential, like I know some people think her only personality trait is fancying MC, which I mean, is a little fair, but there’s so many opportunities for her in fics and headcanons to develop the good amount of information we got on her in 13 days

I absolutely love how self-aware and confident she is

She just went for what she wanted, struggled a bit with commitment at first, because who wouldn’t, but after that it was smooth sailing

Like obviously what she said in the Beach Hut at the beginning of the season wasn’t great for MC, but she knew exactly what she wanted out of her time on the show

She was confident in herself and her sexuality so much so that she was just down to have a fling with a girl and not worry about how it would effect the show

And then she *coupled up* with that same girl, not even giving a shit about the rules or anything

A queen

Allegra:

I know she’s not an official LI, but her arc is what got me into writing so she gets a million points for that

I love what could have been done with her progression if she was given an actual route, I’m a sucker for some good enemies to lovers, but alas, she’s canonically a bad bitch with a lot of internalised homophobia yet enough confidence to ask MC out

I still love her

Marisol:

I know so many people hate her, and I get it, but I do really like her growth

Maybe it’s cuz I’m pretty analytical too, but her analyses never bothered me or anything, and now that I’ve played her route so many times, it’s pretty obvious that that’s a defense mechanism, and I understand that

She very much so has a “figure their weaknesses out before they have a chance to figure mine out” attitude, and I’m 99% positive it’s because of the ex that Elisa reminded her of

So not only has she been burned in the past, I’m willing to bet it was by the only woman she’s been in a serious relationship with

I really have no problem with her commitment issues, it’s understandable, and I can really empathise with her fear of coming out, it’s absolutely terrifying even if you’ve accepted it and bought a flag, saying the words can be really difficult

My biggest issue is her entitlement and immaturity, I guess?

Like her using Graham to make MC jealous just feels like an excuse to crack on with him and still have MC available for when she’s ready

I understand her being scared to couple up, but playing games to distract herself just made things with MC worse

And unless youre on her route, and sometimes even when you are, it’s clear to me that she expects things and has no problem saying what they are, but going after them is a problem?

Like her going after Lurik even though they don’t have a connection, or Gary even when he’s with Hannah

But then it never works and she gets sad and I melt because I’m weak

ALSO, can I just say how awful it is that Lucas and Henrik don’t pick her unless they have to???

Like cmon she deserves MC after that

And when they finally couple up? And she’s all soft? The GROWTH ohmygod

Anyway I love who Marisol became, maybe not everything she started out as, but definitely the person she ended the season as, more confident and self assured and willing to be vulnerable

It’s precious

Elisa:

I still haven’t done an Elisa route

I tried to a couple months ago, but dumping Marisol felt so cruel, what the hell was Fusebox thinking with that?? 

I do really like that they learned from their mistake though, even if they went in the opposite direction

From what I’ve seen of Elisa, she can be pretty sweet, I’ve seen her described as a Lucas-Bobby hybrid, and while that’s not the most interesting personality to me, I will say that she’s a really cool character that FB messed up on

Why did they make her a straight up villain???

And why ONLY her???

None of the other female LIs have been villains or had such a complete 180

Like her going from shouting at Chelsea, who is literally meant to be MC’s ride or die and the person outside of your LI that youre supposed to want to defend and avenge, to “i cant even sleep because im pining so hard”

I know the treatment of black women has been discussed before, specifically in regards to Hope and Erikah, and it is by no means my place to speak on it, but I definitely think something’s going on with Elisa

Anywayyyy, I love her archetype

The celebrity and influencer has so much potential, to the point that I wrote a one shot without even knowing her lmao 

And she’s so confident in a way that’s so different from Marisol

She doesn’t even care if MC’s happily coupled up, she WILL get in her pants and I respect that

In conclusion, Fusebox did her dirty and I’m probably going to try and retcon some canon for her in the future

Lottie:

Ohmygod

Lottie

A goth babe

Lottie

Yeah, anyway, so I love her

Her growth is just unbeatable in my opinion

Yeah, she still has her flaws by the end of the season, but she went from ready to rip everyone’s throat out to biting her tongue around Hannah

And her and MC???

And the development between them??? 

Ugh

No matter what way you swing it, you’ve either got best friends to lovers or enemies to lovers and I adore both

And her aesthetic is one of my favourites, I’m alt myself and having a character like that is just so cool

My Runaways MC is a ball of sunshine with some hidden darkness specifically because Lottie’s such a dark cloud but can start shining with the right person, and that’s my absolute favourite trope

But man were the wedding episodes a cop out

Why couldn’t they give her the Noah treatment? Or the single treatment? Where they just get together after the show? Same with Hannah, why are they giving such an intense confession after who knows how long of literally nothing, like no communication even????

Don’t get me wrong, I kinda simultaneously love it for the angst and yearning, but it just… makes no sense?

So yeah, amazing bat lady that I seriously vibe with and wish my MC could have wifed up

Hannah:

I know this is a little controversial buuuut

I fucking love Hannah

But only OGHannah, Returning Hannah was butchered and I will never let that go

And it was such a toxic message too, that she needed to change herself and her appearance just to get a guy to like her?

Fuck that, Original Hannah was amazing and perfect exactly as she was

I love her trope, too, the naivety and how obvious and clear it was that she’s still learning about the world and relationships, to the point that it’s going to get her in trouble

And her obsession with fairy tales? 

Fucking adorable ohmygod

I started a fic a while ago that I think I’m gonna scrap, that just indulged in the fairy tale metaphors and stuff because I just love how cute it is lmao

If she wasn’t dumped, I think she could have had amazing growth alongside Lottie, and their friendship/kinda, probably, most-definitely-if-MC’s-not-there-more-than-a-friendship growing together would have been so good

In an alternate reality Hope was dumped instead, and that helps me sleep at night

I firmly stand by the fact that Noah should have been the deciding factor between Hope and Hannah/MC, where Lottie said something that screwed with his head earlier in the day to make sure her friends were safe

Noah should have saved Hannah/MC and Hope should have returned with Rocco, hellbent on revenge and proving herself

That would have been so good for Noah stans and such good drama, that actually made perfect sense

Hope was fully expecting that she’d get picked by Noah because they’d spent three days attached at the hip and then to just… not have that happen. It would have driven her insane and if there was then a scene with MC where she just like, gives up

Like she’s spent the past two days grafting Noah but he won’t make up his mind and she’s just done and MC can comfort her or fight with her and you just get to humanize her make her vulnerable and hurting and I fucking WISH they did something like that, even for RHannah

And Hannah’s growth in the Villa would have been so amazing

I think her idea of a perfect guy is definitely too much, and I’m not advocating that she settles by any means, just that she could have learned that there are things more important than money

That conversation on day 1 where you choose between money, kindness, and intelligence still baffles me

Like why are you a gold digger Hannah?!?!

Why don’t you just want a Prince/ss Charming???

Her and Hope should have swapped and I don’t understand why they weren’t

I mean, I do really like Hope, but Hannah’s just so cute and has so much to learn and her struggling in the Villa just to have a lightbulb moment with MC would have been precious and now I want to write it dammit

Anyway, Hannah is adorable and had so much potential and she never should have returned if they were just going to scrap everything that made her Hannah, except for snooty literature

I wanna listen to her rattle on about Belle and Mulan and every other Disney Princess and what they meant for representation and progress in media and then compare them to their original stories like a dweeb and I would have melted on the spot

Like yes, please tell me more about how gruesome Cinderella is

She should have shown up at the finale and hugged MC and been innocent and sweet so I could have just lost my shit for like a half hour

But stan OGHannah, burn RHannah

AJ:

Adorable, precious, denied an arc outside of coming out

I am not exaggerating when I say that I cried at 4:30 in the morning at her blushing face when playing the first two days

It’s just so fucking cute and I’m a sap and I don’t know why it made me cry, but it did okay?!

And her coming out was such good representation!!! By far the best thing in Boat Party, and I’m so proud of the progress FB’s made in queer representation at the very least

I know she’s pretty one dimensional, but most of S3 is unfortunately

Her being available right off the bat was also such a win, I’m positive it’s the reason she had so many stans

If her and Yasmin had switched or her and Lily, they would have been the ones that were dominating Reddit polls and stuff

And I know she’s written as masc but I just can’t really see it? Like I can’t see her in a dress, but outside of a few clothing items, I guess I just can’t see it? Maybe androgynous is more the word for my image of her, like definitely a mix

She’ll wear a skirt under the right circumstances, but never a dress, a crop top with a flannel, her prom outfit that’s like a frilly jumpsuit, stuff like that? idk im not a lesbian

Her route for me was so glitchy, but I know that if MC’s stolen from her by Yasmin, Tai, or Ciaran, she has some really cute scenes and I wish I could have seen them

And I know some people were ragging on her for the eyelash at the end of the scene but I thought that was just a perfect callback - maybe it’s the writer in me

Basically, AJ’s adorable and why did Ciaran have to split her and MC up, not cool dude

Yasmin:

I forgot I was doing a Yasmin route a while ago, but from what I’ve seen and played, she’s really sweet 

I hate that she’s almost nonexistent outside of her route

Give us a mysterious musician friend, you cowards!

I saw that she sings to MC on the final date and damn is that cute

Her eyeshadow kinda throws me off, but her stuffed animal makes up for it

And I’m salty that Yasmin the Lamb disappeared too, that was such a nice detail that made me start a Yasmin route

She’s distant and self-assured, but has a soft, gooey, nostalgic center and I wish we saw more of that, even if we weren’t on her route

My final thoughts on Yasmin: An artsy indie icon that I really need to stop getting distracted from and finish her route

Lily:

Again, don’t know much about her, but she seems really cool

Her shaving her head between the finale and Boat Party is such a flex and I wish she did it right before Boat Party so we could see her in all her bald glory

She’s into cars, right? And… architecture?

Idk, I barely remember my own name, let alone a 10 minute date from months ago

But I’ll definitely get around to doing her route at some point, maybe just to write for her, we’ll see

Elladine:

I know she’s not an LI, but MC so should have been able to run away with her

I missed that option in S3

I kinda get why they didn’t do that, but Boat Party’s just so messy in general

And I would include Genevieve here, but she’s so cute with Seb that I’d feel bad splitting them up

But Elladine had actual problems with Nicky!!!

Why did they mention it for it to never pay off??

And I’m so mad that the hype around her died when it was revealed she wasn’t an LI or the badass of the season, because I still adore how sweet she is

I also want to brag that before we got a name I was calling her Emma and that’s just on example of my almost psychic-ness

But yeah I wanted Ell to be a run away option and I’m salty that she wasn’t

Know what, fuck it, Viv too, she’s smart and cool as hell, let us love these awesome women FB, you cowards!!!

I have no idea who would be my number 1 based on canon, but if we’re talking hypotheticals, I think my answer, as strange as it is, is Hannah.

I just love what she could have been, but by no means what she is. 

It’s so awkward to know her for three days, not see her for three weeks, then spend a couple more days with, a couple weeks at most, just for her to write a whole ass book about MC?? And tell her about it with that hair????

No thanks, I’ll stick with closeted sapphic horse girl nerd Hannah because I guess that’s somehow my type??? Oh god what the fuck I swear I’m not a total weirdo

#asks #can it kc #okay but im loving doing this they're so fun wtf #but thanks so much for the ask!!!!! #litg

[throwingideasatthewall]

Clone Wars     Shadow      Warriors

            Seas 4

Oh    this-   just    screams      edgy        ...   Whelp

So is Jar      Jar an     adult,       now,?            (Asking because before his    characteri         zation was force of nature to child

Now he    seems to have his own    personality.

Which is fine   if you want to change some details for the sake of a    better story,      (Or to simply      explore         a new       angle,).    Aesthetic

     Just.            need to make sure I’m holding them to the right standard,

    Okay,

   That-         was    relatively     adult,

  Mm

   Um.

   I

 Aight        .           .       Well-

   Wait 

    Did they just call Jar Jar     away from      Cou-ncil-

    .         I mean they are clearly    trying       which          is   some thing       I do       give credit   for-

   Though                The             Tone              Is            Robot-                 Ic-

       (Though that might be int-         entional since it seems to be hinting that this lady is practicing some kind of         mind tricks on him

   (Aka, he’s doing it         under           tox, because we don’t do suspension of choice in     dra-         mat         ic       Me-     -dia,

 S’up

 What?

  I-

  -

   H-elp

Screw my own   accou-   -ntability     -      See that was the correct   -amount of   emotion-

.        Okay        -         Right-

  Sus-       (pic)

    No one noticed the obvious people right there?

  Like not even      Mr. sus         there?

[or are they just so    kind that it’s like   oh yeah we were just talking hate speech     but go right ahead?

Logic?

 There

  Yeah    some shit is definitely going on,

   For sake of argument*     sake, i’m just going to assume that his reaction to      toxic    behavior

*Account     ability-

 Any way

  I-

  I’m still      going to try,

  Despite  you clearly saying you want understood

   Because assumed authority        - and assuming you know better than a person about themselves

     Is totally ok-

     - In this         society

-[Cries        in       sad    “accountability,”     -of-      war,        ]

  Whelp,

  In-    flue-     n      -c      e

 Still an  adult-

  Okay-

 Imagine    it was just a normal necklace     and he pulled that shit-

[Ok for the sake of argument I’m going to assume the necklace is symbolism for toxic influence,

  Being around it         enabling]

  It-         -       His voice voice dropped like         - 6 octaves

     Also I swear if they try to   excuse him      for his actions-

     No

    Mind over matter     -Okay, so they’re not excusing him for his   -actions,

   Me-          an         -       OK so it’s not naturally evil it    just comes down to the users      so that dude was still totally responsible,

  Didn’t    change    - much

    -     Ha-Ha

  Actual     gas     -lighting”

    Also     persuade,            -             Okay,     good not excusing him       from his actions,      -      Thing

The   gaslighting goes deep      -      Also isn’t the Darkside supposed to be      negative over involvement?      -       Aight-         -       -           A-lone

  Oh yeah that’s a great idea let’s just let the  dude that just got gaslighted and completely fell forward go back into the person who did it,

 👍

     Genius     

    (This Jedi Council is fucking                  brilliant)

     Gas-       Light-         Ing

(Note;      Confronting the gas lighter is never the way       to do it       (Inter-             Gen-)          (Excluding accountability of the abuser     (Gen-break           Venting Pro-      Ced- u        re)

 [as you’re usually too angry     to let them get a word in edgewise        And remain;           in control)

  With inter- gen productivity,         They are possibly given       five warnings before         Being          Kick        ed-]

   For the sake of argu-       ment as well       as simplicity-

    We’re stick       -ing with        bas-         ic-

    If someone’s acting toxic        with you, you         reflect and you don’t have to         hang out with anyone         you don’t want to,

    Logic

   This dude      is very clearly making it obvious that    he’s willing to listen to this person,

 And, enabling

“Cl-”

See he’s gaslighting him again      because   he thinks he can get away with it,

With no   accoun-       tability-

 (Or the small bit      this society      believes      in     which is    jail,”

Wr-

Oh!

 Is he a     Gungan      Jedi?

  Also,

  You Don’t  

    SAY!

(The repeated Gaslighter      who has shown multiple times to be     toxic,       Was toxic,    (And prepared to use any means to      subvert the         will? 

Prize  for the  most   in  competent      Je      di

 Like,        Serious-         (Really had to put those two    accoun  t-      ability- cells      to good -    use-”

(For   matting       issue-)

  The writer just saving us the effort of him coming downstairs -all feckin- weird, and the   obvious    “should’ve seen that coming,     “

   ?             ha-ha

    What?

Oh yeah       no the creepy magical stuff wasn’t enough of a      fecking clue in-

  Appar-

   Whelp-

  He   snapped out of that quick-

  Like didn’t even need a      reverse- mind trick

   Good for      him-

   And - actual-     nar-    rative-        -

   Whelp,

   Wreck-ing      -house

       Okay, but how do you think this is going to look to the general public like two Jedi,( very good at persuasion -    mind tricks’ -just showed up, now they’re leader and said Jedi are wreck-ing one of their minster’s houses-  

     One who could’ve     feign-           ed lack of support for the        war

     Like if this is a     set up-  

 the chips-      are about to fall,

 Da-

Okay, seriously how obviously evil,    was this person?

Like we have a weird creepy room,     The robots apparently hanging from the    chandelier    (eck)         And      the knife

   Like if this person      ever-       went-   through a checkpoint

   Also,        Oh-

    That-

   (That     really        does not      look good,)

    Bo-ss

   Yeah,       she clearly has    medical experience,

 (Also yeah    that’s really going to make it    better-”

 Oh yeah the    senator was      seen trying to clean up the      evidence-

    Well the Jedi ran out     full sword’s- a blazing

    (Instead of you know the       Senator chasing after him,         While the peacekeeper stayed behind and tried to        tend to the person,]

   Great     -        -       Or    Not-

Well- tensions    just got raised,

  Of,

 Ai.     Ght, 

 Whelp,

(Okay, no way he’s totally not dead      but sure-)

 A-i-

  -

 Whe-

   That-       sucks-          -         Un-     Con-cious

    That-   doesn’t tell me anything else-

   Like;        Critical      condition?

   D-usk

   Li-terally       no one else?

    (Like don’t get me wrong I’ve been a pretty big Jar-jar fan ever since the change-)

   But really, the Senator, the person that spends the most time away from your - planet

   That’s the person,     they trust the most?

  Ai-

  Hm-

Oh yeah just put on the deadly leaders hat-

   The rese-mblance-

   Not really?

   I mean all humans technically    look the same-

  But-

 Pretty sure Jar jar is a lot      scrawn-         thin        -er

    Also if they’re not going to listen to him as him       they’re not going to listen to him      as he pretends to be their (dead) leader

Also, please don’t go with the      liar revealed plot,

    Yeah no, they have completely different kind of light.   tones,

     The face structure-

    Co-mpletely         different-

     -

   Nope

 -Dead

 Di-ssent

  Agree

   I-

   OK yeah I’m just gonna go over the fact, that as previously state,  I am not a huge fan of the liar revealed plot-

    -or lying

  (No because it’s- unrealistic-    - or there’s anything wrong with it

  -people do lie

     -maybe because of how overdone and             poorly done it’s been,

             -With the liar getting off Scott free without any                  weight

               But I really don’t like this               plot-

-And    the   skip    button    maybe   used     ad-     nausuem-   -

       [Well- shit       [for reference; I was using the skip button ad nausuem when I randomly stopped at the part      with    Greivous

        Things just got a whole lot worse]

         [Tumblr             Refresh]       -

   Any        Way,

   Aww,     That’s kind of nice the    friendship and reliance       the dude has on      Other-        Half            -         Yes        ‘Boss       Leoni’        when someone gets         tox         you leave-        - In a      - relation          ship-  

      Also yeah he’s definitely not       ‘Boss         Leoni’            -            He would’ve stayed and tried to take the    tox

 (Aka Jar-jar is less ena-     bling, les-        tox-     And     Doesn’t       Take        It        For          Much        More.            Than            He            Has               To,

        (He’s   les   -s

      Dyfun.  -c)

      Okay

       Good            Job     -     Also - yeah   how’d you manage that         -         That-

Didn’t get   car   ried up the chain of   com-     mand-        -            Then again Gri-   evous has shown to be a pretty   shit boss.     -      So I can’t blame these guys    for being like yeah compl-      ete stranger     I will totally      take a nap       -right    ,now-         -      You        kinda      have      sticks-        -    [The rain is   really    nice,]

[is this the first time we’ve seen them use active     particle effects      for the camera?

  Either way       it’s really        nice            -

Oh,

They’re    

electric     sticks,

That makes   sense

[- bet     ter      for      Figh     t-      In-       g-

Stop one     1v1     -ing-        It

    I

  W-h

   Again this is what happens when you 1v1 it    and    don’t assume accountability-     - -   

 [Don’t fight a metal cyborg with metal sticks when you’re not prepared to take it, full way,)

   I-

  [I feel like this is supposed to be some    big build up but they only shared like one scene where dude was completely silent,]

  Like,

   Sacr-ifice

    Die to take someone out with you

[Great

  Now

   Ouch]

   Are   they actually going to kill off      grievous because this isn’t look-ing    too    - good      -         Shit-

 Dude-      is still not dead-       -       How?        -          Whelp-           -          Oh,    hey      where the fuck    did you come      from,

 I-           Ack.      Br-u-      Tal

W-el

 -       Un         -         M           -              Plan-

“ damn it        he messed up the       script-,           -Pal   - patine

     Cap-

    Prison   break-

   Also yeah     that’s probably like        a vacation    for him-

 Given     how toxic these assholes     are           -            Ex- change           -           Damn             Ship      per-

      Also screw the 150 or how many other                 sena   -tors        -       Only     Amidala           -      matters          -          A-       ight-     -      Also, dude knows where everyone’s      lair,      Is,

 Like he pissed off Grievous with    -his

 Now he’s just chilling in this      dude’s    sipping earl gray       Or-      Some        Shit-

  Him

  Okay

 Getting a little    ahead of yourself     episode-       -       O k

    I

   Hearing this,  Skywalker doesn’t immediately run back      shout        -ing      nope-        - -       Because, to my knowledge the speaking at      room volume,

  Not    whispering        and the distance        isn’t enough to      -explain it             -            Ai          -   -           Wel-             -      There goes one        min-ion-             -             Droids are apparently    expensive enough to      chastise    Grievous          over-

  But sen-tient - beings are        a dime’     a ‘dozen-

    (Also    gaslighter’s.     don’t give a shit about        you     dear,       God,

  The Painful     dramatic-        irony-

 *tra-      gic-      Wh-      -Oa

 Ai     -     Ri-

  An

  Wh-     -elp,

   You know if it wasn’t for the exposure     earl-        ier   

I would assume they would think that the Jedi was just killing all their Im-por-        tant- elected officials

     Why?

     Wh-at

    He’s right.    -         But dude- that’s pretty      ham fisted-

   I mean-

  How many episodes          (and       possibly        seasons-)      do we have to            go-            - -     Anakin-       is a dick    to lanterns-       -        Also the random theme of the     bots-      coming out of nowhere-    continues-       -     St     -op-          -        Wh-       elp-

    .

    ?         (He          live?)

      I-

      ?

  Good           Play-

     Ah-

    To-

       Oh, yeah,       He’s alive we’re not going to bring that up in any      mention-able way?

      Ike

    Wh     e     l-      p

     Oh           -     That was   -nice-

   You deceived everyone and lied to all          our people,  you’ll make a great      leader,

   Or a great council/    committee leader considering that they do have an open position          ,            Best

I like that they had one bad ass fall and had it replace-d by Dooku being particularly bad-ass       -          In his      place-

In the trade off near the end really speaks to the     frag-ility of war

   I thought-

   It was pretty al-right    Though it really did seem like     - they were trying to build up to something but the structure unfortunately        just didn’t support it,

   Which is unfortunate because they do seem like      bits- that could’ve been nice

   Like Jar-jar being a constant       peacekeeper-

   The underwater        nations-

     Wars be-           tween          - Those               Dude’s

   And that    general guy      -        Who seems to be like he was supposed to be this     - really big deal

 [probably intended to do something      massive in the previous       arcs,]

    But, here,    all he did was that one scene,

    [Would’ve worked better if he was like this Re-       Public Gen-       Er          Al-

    To the      shark guy-

     And Akbar,

     Was just like the resident         enforcer-

     Or something to do with the       prince

    I think it would’ve really worked better with the concept of        ‘being taken’        under,               As well that possibly being a good contrast between     Jar Jar         binks          And        Char-        If Jar- jar got promoted-        With Char being eager at first but then realizing he just         can’t-          And Jar- Jar being reluctant at first but realizing he      can-

   [Note; assumed authority is bad,         Just- some people are better at using it for venting         than others)

   Nope boomers vs throw-         it-back, boom-

       I-

     And it really did feel like this episode       -should’ve been the split one 

   Nearing the end- it started to feel like the 1st-       part of a second ep-

    Which is fine

    Just cut-        of-

   Episode all around being al-right, with just several parts that didn’t make quite sense including the emphasis on the general for that one scene,

[myaekingheart]

108. Starstruck

read the scarecrow and the bell on ao3 index | from the beginning | < previous | next >

               Konoha was abuzz with excitement as genin teams hung banners and balloons throughout the village. Truthfully, Rei found it rather ironic that they were assigned such a task. After all, the celebrity they were welcoming was not exactly child-friendly.

               Apparently Konoha’s financial situation had dipped during this time of routine and calm. As such, Lady Tsunade had invented the wonderful idea that perhaps the village should pour more of their efforts into promoting tourism. Rei was not brave enough to note how dangerous this might be with the Akatsuki a quietly approaching threat. Before she could say anything, Shizune cringed and swiped her finger across her neck, a warning. Tsunade had clearly been stressed. Protesting her plans would likely only anger the beast.

               The best way to attract visitors to Konoha, it seemed, was to piggyback on the village’s merit of being the birthplace of the great sannin, Jiraiya. There was nothing noble or respectable about this idea, however. He was not to be revered by tourists for his innate abilities but rather for his dirty books. Icha Icha was a hit the world over and so there was truly no better way to sell Konoha than to bring that fact to the fore.

               Clearly, they could not use Jiraiya himself as the poster boy. Tsunade had written him a letter mapping out her idea, to which he replied emphatically but apologized for not being able to partake himself. He mentioned that Naruto was progressing wonderfully with his training and they could not afford to stop for anything, but that they hoped Konoha would welcome them both back in a year with open arms. Regarding the tourism plan, however, Jiraiya instead suggested one of the actors from the film adaptation. After all, they were on the cusp of shooting Icha Icha Violence so a press tour was only natural. Promote the film while also promoting the village. There was no way Tsunade could say no.

               The first person she contacted, of course, was Koyuki Kazahana. Known by her stage name Yukie Fujikaze, she was the stunning lead actress and therefore was certain to garner lots of positive attention. However, Koyuki was not just an actress but also the princess of the Land of Snow. When she wasn’t acting, she was pouring her heart into her country. Her assistant, Sandayu, returned their correspondence with an “I regret to inform you…” and that was the end of that.  

               The only other option, and the one that eventually stuck, was the leading man. Keihaku Goman was charming and appealing with a lithe figure and a sparkling smile. Young adult magazines paid special attention to “eyes like pools of water” and “hair like sunshine.” He was, for all intents and purposes, a heartthrob. When it was announced that he was visiting Konoha, all the women went insane. Hair salons saw a significant increase in appointments and cute dresses flew off the racks of fashionable clothing stores. Anything to capture the attention of a sexy movie star.

               “I can’t believe how everyone is freaking out” Kakashi mentioned as he and Rei weaved through the mess. “I never expected everyone in the village to be so head over heels for some actor.”

               “Well, for what it’s worth” Rei replied, “he’s technically not just some actor. He’s an actor who just so happens to have a full-frontal nudity scene in a racy blockbuster. You’d be surprised what desperate women would do for dick.”

               Kakashi chuckled and shook his head. As big a fan as he was of the Icha Icha series, he just couldn’t wrap his brain around the absolute chaos erupting from this man’s visit. “At least you have a level head” he replied, wrapping an arm around his fiancée. Rei gave a definitive nod, rubbing the back of her neck and looking the other way. Her silence was enough to warrant suspicion. “You do have a level head, right…?” he asked slowly.

               “Hmm? Oh, yeah! Yeah! Of course!” Rei replied. She pasted a huge grin on her face and swatted at the air dismissively. Kakashi was not convinced. He stared her down for a long, silent moment before finally breaking.

               “Rei, please don’t tell me you’re googly-eyed for him, too” Kakashi complained.

               “I’m not!” Rei exclaimed. She rubbed her forearms and muttered, “I only like him a normal amount.”

               “God dammit, Rei” Kakashi whined, tossing his head back and groaning. And here he thought she wasn’t like other girls.

               “I’m sorry!” Rei replied. “It’s not like I’m going to lose my shit over this guy, I just think he’s kind of, I don’t know, aesthetically pleasing. You know, in that glittery film actor sort of way. That’s all it is! Come on, Kakashi. It’s really not that big of a deal.”

               Pouting, Kakashi muttered a halfhearted, “Alright” but it was clear he was bothered by this. And if he was bothered, then Rei was bothered. She stopped him dead in the middle of the street, taking his forearm to pull him closer to her. He watched as she cupped his face in her hands, stared him in the eyes.

               “Kakashi, believe me when I say this is not a big deal” she said. “I love you more than words can ever describe. There is no one else I would rather spend my future with.” She held up her left hand, her engagement ring glittering in the sunlight. “This should be proof enough of that.”

               Kakashi stared at her for a moment, searching her gaze for any hint of dishonesty. When he found none, his expression quickly shifted from anxiety to amusement. A satisfied smile spread across his masked face as he lyrically teased, “You have a crush on Keihaku.”

               Rei’s face immediately turned bright red. She removed her hands from his face and slapped him on the arm, turning away from him to hide her embarrassment. “Shut up! I already told you I do not!” she insisted.

               “Okay…” Kakashi chuckled, delightfully unconvinced. He plunged his hands into his pockets and began strolling back toward their apartment, humming to himself.

               “Kakashi, get back here!” Rei shouted, chasing after him. “I told you, it’s not like that! I don’t have a crush on this guy! Kakashi!”

               Keihaku Goman arrived in the Hidden Leaf a few days after, welcomed by a large crowd and sweeping processional. Women screamed and fainted at the sight of him—to think, a movie star here, in Konoha, in the flesh. They would give anything to earn so much as a glance or a wink from him. A team of ANBU escorted him to the hokage’s office where he was to meet with Tsunade about his itinerary. Among his bodyguards was Rei.

               In true movie star fashion, Keihaku hammed it up for the crowd as he ventured down the street, winking and waving at swooning women. Rei watched as she followed close behind and wondered how a human being could possibly be so charismatic. Every move seemed carefully choreographed and yet totally effortless. Was he playing a part, or was he truly this princely? She couldn’t tell. The longer she pondered it, however, the redder her face grew and she forced herself to remain focused. She could not let herself get distracted. She had a duty to fulfill.

               Once they had reached the hokage’s office, Tsunade welcomed him warmly. At least she seemed completely unaffected by his charm. Rather, she remained polite and diplomatic just as the hokage should be. Shizune, on the other hand, was forced to muster all of her strength in order to remain standing. From the other side of the room, a group of jonin—Kakashi included—tuned in for the briefing.

               Rei and Kakashi locked eyes with one another as Tsunade explained Keihaku’s tasks. He had a busy schedule ahead of him including photoshoots and even a commercial. Anything to amp up Konoha’s tourism. Meanwhile, Kakashi made discrete hand gestures to his fiancée—an overflow from his ANBU days—to communicate to her what he was thinking. And what he was thinking was that he was going to milk every ounce of her embarrassment. Her face turned bright red and she swatted at the air in a silent attempt to shut him up. Kakashi quickly dropped his eyes and stifled his laughter as Tsunade paused mid-sentence.

               “Is something the matter?” she asked harshly, glaring at Rei.

               Clearing her throat, Rei steadied herself and croaked, “N-no, Lady Tsunade. Just, uh…just a fly.”

               Tsunade narrowed her eyes and pursed her lips, completely unconvinced. She slowly turned her attention back to Keihaku’s itinerary but Rei could feel a scolding waiting for her after Tsunade was done. Once her and Keihaku were yet again occupied with his obligations, Rei shot Kakashi a sharp warning glare. Even with her mask on, he could tell her expression was something fierce.

               Kakashi thumbed through Makeout Paradise as he waited outside the ANBU headquarters. It was that strange liminal period of dusk when the sky was growing too dark to read under and yet not dark enough to turn the streetlights on. And then there was a heavy shove of the door and Rei trudged out into the night air, fraught and fatigued. Kakashi tucked his book into his back pouch and waved with a grin, striding toward her. Rei knew just by the look on his face that she was in for a ration of shit. He was far too perky to not be suspicious. “So, how did your first day as Keihaku’s bodyguard go?” he asked, lacing his fingers with hers as they walked home.

               “It was fine” Rei replied bluntly. “Nothing to write home about.”  

               Kakashi was silent for a moment before teasing, “He tried to touch your butt, didn’t he?”

               “Kakashi! No! What the fuck?!” Rei exclaimed, swatting him on the arm. “Stop that! I already told you, it’s not like that!”

               “I’ll believe it when I see it” Kakashi sighed sleepily. He was so nonchalant, so unaffected, it made Rei’s blood boil. Grumbling, she quickened her pace with arms folded across her chest to further enforce her displeasure. They walked along in silence for a few moments more before Kakashi went in for the kill again. “So are you going to ask him on a date?”

               “What the fuck? No! Of course not!” Rei shouted. She shoved her left hand in his face. “Does this mean nothing to you, Kakashi?”

               “I don’t know” Kakashi joked. “Keihaku does have a lot more money than I do. Are you sure he wouldn’t be able to buy you something nicer?”

               Rei rolled her eyes and huffed her bangs out of her face. “Even if he did, I wouldn’t want it” she insisted. “It wouldn’t mean as much.”  

               He had to admit, hearing her get so heated about this was kind of affirming for him. He loved knowing that she was so defensively in love with him, that the thought of even considering another man made her furious. But at the same time, watching her get flustered about finding someone else attractive was far too fun. Besides, it was clear to him that he had nothing to worry about in terms of her faithfulness. He could tease her to his heart’s content and it wouldn’t mean a single thing.

               “So you’re saying that if Keihaku burst out of that window right there, with confetti and trumpets blaring, and got down on one knee and asked you to go on a date with him, that you would say no?” he asked, suppressing laughter. She glared up at him, tiny but lethal. Poking her puffed out cheek, he added, “Because that is a very tempting offer!”

               Rei swatted his hand away and shouted, “Maybe you should go on a date with him then, Kakashi!”

               Kakashi couldn’t help but laugh. “You know, if he ever did somehow ask you on a date, I think you should go for it.” It was that statement that firmly stopped Rei in her tracks. What was he insinuating here? First of all: if he somehow asked her on a date? Was he trying to say she would be undesirable to someone like Keihaku? Not that it mattered. She didn’t care either way. But was he trying to say she wasn’t fit to be seen with a celebrity? And more importantly, I think you should go for it?! Was her fiancé really suggesting she cheat on him? Her disgust and confusion were almost palpable. Kakashi, however, was completely unphased. Of all the women in Konoha, he doubted Keihaku would ever ask Rei out. It wasn’t that he considered her undesirable in the least sense—she was the most intelligent, beautiful, and talented woman he knew. And that was exactly the problem. Men like Keihaku had no interest in women of substance. All they cared about were breast implants and sex appeal. Women with lips soaked in gloss and hair permed to perfection and fake tans to rival the gods. Keihaku would never go for someone like Rei. Truthfully, Kakashi took comfort in that. If, for whatever reason, he did ask for a date with his fiancée, however, Kakashi was not going to protest. He wasn’t giving her up in the slightest. He knew even one dinner would never lead to anything serious. Celebrities were far too shallow for that sort of thing—Keihaku could never dream of having a relationship with as much depth and integrity as that of Kakashi and Rei. Rather, Kakashi’s reasoning was much more darkly funny: he would’ve killed to see Rei make a fool of herself in front of a famous movie star. He loved her more than life itself but he knew she was far too crass and clumsy for the likes of Keihaku. The two of them in a room together, candlelight and smooth jazz, was a recipe for disaster and Kakashi was far too curious for his own good. He only regretted not having popcorn.

               Rei’s glare hardened as she considered the situation. Finally, she blurted, “Then fine. Maybe I will go on a date with him then!”

               “Okay” Kakashi chuckled. He patted her head as they walked along, flattening the fluff of her ponytail in the process. Rei slapped his hand away and grumbled, pouting the entire way home.

               That night, she tossed and turned, restless. Thoughts of Keihaku swirled relentlessly through her head—a subject she did not want to think about. She was not interested in him. He was not going to ask her out. She was not imagining him asking her out. She was definitely not envisioning them sitting across a fancy table looking into each other’s eyes and having an incredibly in-depth and profound conversation with one another. No, Keihaku was useless. He was as profound as a cardboard cutout. She refused.

               The following day, Kakashi was lounging on the couch with a book when Rei returned home. Something was off about her, however. Somehow, her bangs seemed to hide more of her face than usual. What he could see of it was beet red. Sitting up abruptly, Kakashi asked, “How was work?”

               “It was…fine” Rei replied, voice restrained and cracking. Toshio picked his head up, ears perking at the squeak in her voice. Her tone was far too high-pitched to be normal. Something was wrong, Kakashi was sure of it.

               “Did anything happen today…?” he asked slowly. Rei kicked her shoes off at the front door, skirted around the kitchen table. She dropped to her knees on the living room floor so as to snuggle Toshio. Anything to keep herself preoccupied.

               “Um, well, I mean…” she stammered. “Kind of?”

               “Kind of?” Kakashi repeated. He leaned forward, resting his forearms on his knees. “Like what?”

               Rei wiped her nose with the back of her hand, covered her mouth so that her voice was muffled. “You’re never going to believe this, but…” she started. The suspense was killing him. Kakashi didn’t think he could handle it. What the hell was she hiding? And then, unable to restrain laughter any longer, she said it. “Keihaku literally asked me the fuck out.”

               By the time the words spilled from her lips, she had fallen back onto the floor covering her face and laughing hysterically. Kakashi couldn’t tell if she was delighted with the prospect or merely thought it was so ridiculously stupid, she was reduced to deliria. All he knew for certain was that it very quickly felt as if someone had ripped his spine right out of his body and now here he was, hollow and unstructured. Suddenly the whole idea wasn’t so funny anymore.

               “He…he asked you out?” Kakashi repeated slowly, voice quiet and numb. Then, voice rising slightly in horror, he asked, “W-Well what did you say?! You didn’t agree, did you?!”

               Rei rolled her eyes and repositioned herself on the floor, fixing a wedgie and smoothing her dress down over her stomach. “What do you take me for, Kakashi? A whore?” she asked. Folding her arms back behind her head then, she added, “Of course I said yes.”

               The entire room was spinning. Kakashi couldn’t take this. He felt like he was going to be sick. He never should’ve teased her about this. He never should’ve encouraged her. Now he just felt like an idiot. The sickening realization made him uneasy and shaky: oh god, he was going to lose her. “I-is he blind?” Kakashi erupted. “Did he not see the ring on your finger? Does commitment mean nothing to him? To you?”

               Finally understanding the gravity of his response, Rei sat up and frowned. “Calm down, Kakashi, fuck” she groaned. “Were you not the one who told me to go for it if he ever asked?”

               “Yes, but I never thought he’d actually do it!” Kakashi exclaimed. “I don’t want anyone else to think you’re available, or that you don’t respect our commitment to each other. We made a promise, Rei. Does it mean nothing to you?”

               Rei narrowed her eyes, brows knitting in offense. “Of course, Kakashi” she said, her voice stone cold. “More than you even know.” She pressed her hand to her stomach, filing through all the thoughts she had been having the past few weeks. Of taking his last name, of becoming his wife, of wanting to conceive a child with him. He had no idea the things she had been considering, of how deeply and passionately she had been imagining their future together. Rising to her feet, she approached Kakashi and situated herself between his legs, holding his face firm in her hands. “Nothing is going to happen, I promise” she insisted. “The only reason I agreed to this is because this is a once in a lifetime opportunity and I have terrible ideas. Is that clear?”

               Kakashi frowned, trying to make himself believe in her words. Then, looking up at her with eyes soft and pleading, he asked quietly, “What kinds of ideas?”

               A sinister grin touched Rei’s lips as she straddled his lap, running her fingers through his hair. “Oh, nothing too serious. I’m just going to milk this for all it’s worth and at the end of the night, probably pull his pants down in front of everyone in the middle of the restaurant.”

               Kakashi let out an airy chuckle, shaking his head. “Are you sure that’s not just because you want his dick, too?” he asked.

               Rei couldn’t restrain her incredulous laughter. “Absolutely not!” she exclaimed. “No, it’s because I think the whole world deserves to know the truth: that he actually has, and I quote, an ‘immaculately tiny penis’.”

               Kakashi’s face burned at the prospect and he struggled to suppress the laughter rising in his throat. “Immaculately tiny?” he repeated. “Where did you hear that?”

               Shrugging, Rei replied, “I found it in a pamphlet about the movie’s production.” Leaping to her feet, she then rushed into the kitchen and began rummaging around the junk drawer. “They said it was so unexpected and wrong for the role, that they had to hire a dick double just for the full-frontal nudity” she continued. She exclaimed with pride then as she found the very pamphlet in question crumpled up in the back of the drawer, presenting it to her fiancé with a dramatic flourish. She climbed onto the couch beside him, drawing her legs up to sit cross-legged, as she watched him flip through it, equal parts fascinated and frightened. “You know, for a movie based on a bestselling book, you’d think all of these psychotic women would do a little more reading.”

               “I guess this explains his confidence” Kakashi replied. “He must be compensating.”

               “I’ll say” Rei agreed.

               Kakashi had to admit, Rei’s tone and her casual attitude were reassuring but there was still something nagging in the back of his mind. Something that still bothered him about all of this. He folded the pamphlet back up and placed it on the coffee table, then thought for a moment before turning to her and asking, “Is that a dealbreaker?”

               Dumbfounded, Rei blinked despondently. Did Kakashi really think Keihaku’s charisma and wealth alone was enough to make her leave him? A sly smile touched her lips as she reached out and abruptly took hold of Kakashi’s crotch. His entire face turned bright red as he looked back at her, studying the determination and certainty of her gaze. “Nothing can compare to you, Kakashi” she insisted. “As far as dicks go, I’ve won the jackpot. There’s no way in hell I would ever give that up, or more importantly the amazing man it’s attached to.” She could feel him begin to harden from her touch and that gave her all the confidence to know that he understood her perfectly.

               Kakashi watched with focused intent as she gathered her hair into the signature ponytail, an elastic around her wrist and a bobby pin cinched between her lips. He only took slight comfort in her rather business-professional outfit: a simple button down, a knee-length skirt. But the way the buttons strained at her breasts, the tight-fitting nature of the skirt…he couldn’t help but shudder. Friday evening had come way too quickly for his taste.

               All week, he had debated being upfront and honest, telling her that this was a bad idea and refusing to let her go through with it. But he couldn’t bring himself to do it. Despite everything, he did not own her. If she wanted to do this, then that was her choice and no one else’s. Rei shoved a few bobby pins into the underside of her ponytail, ensuring that the shorter strands would stay put throughout the night, then flipped her head down and and misted the underside with hairspray. Kakashi coughed into the crook of his neck, the cloud of noxious fumes only further enforcing his nausea. Rei turned toward him once she was finished, studying the discomfort on his face. “Are you going to sit around sulking like this all night, Kakashi?” she asked. Kakashi pouted and dropped his gaze. Rei set the bottle of hairspray on the bathroom counter and approached him, tilting his chin up to look her in the eyes. “If you really didn’t want me to do this, all you had to do was speak up, Kakashi.”

               “I’m not going to tell you what to do” Kakashi replied, but Rei could tell there was more that he intended to say. After a beat of silence, he cupped her cheek in his hand and firmly added, “I don’t want you to do this.”

               Quite frankly, Rei was starting to grow frustrated with his conflicted attitude. Sometimes, he would seem fine. Completely unaffected. As if he knew without a shadow of a doubt that this would amount to nothing, that her faithfulness could not be wavered. Other times, however, he was fussy and distant. Time and time again, Rei had told him that if he was truly against her doing this, then to let her know. And time and time again, he said the same thing: I’m not going to tell you what to do. She understood that this was a sign that he wanted her to drop out without him having to ask, but the truth of the matter was that she could not bring herself to pass up an opportunity like this. She wanted to enjoy the finer things for one night and make a famous man look like an idiot in the process. To absolutely disparage a wealthy heartthrob while sipping fine champagne that tasted like power. If Kakashi didn’t want her to go through with this, she needed to hear it straightforward. And now here he was, fifteen minutes from her restaurant reservation, telling her what he had held back all week.

               “Kakashi…” Rei sighed. She pressed her forehead to his chest in defeat and a surge of relief washed over the copy ninja. She was finally giving in. She was going to back out at the last minute and save him from certain destruction. She rested a hand upon his chest, caressed him comfortingly. “You had all week to tell me this. Don’t you think it’s a little late to turn back now?”

               Kakashi froze, his heart leaping into his chest. “S-so are you still going to go?” he asked.

               Pulling back, Rei looked him in the eyes and sighed, “Yes. Yes, I am still going to go.”

               “B-but—” Kakashi stammered. Before he could say anything more, though, Rei had slipped past him to retrieve her purse from the kitchen table. She slipped her shoes on at the door—the strappy sandals she always wore for more formal occasions—before turning to leave. Kakashi could feel his insides twisting and decaying at the sight, panic surging through his veins. He never should’ve egged her on. He never should’ve teased her and encouraged her. Oh god, he was going to lose her. He had felt so secure about their relationship and now he was going to lose her. All he could manage to say to her was a croaked, “When will you be back?”

               Rei paused in the doorway, looking up at him, and fed him a sympathetic smile. “I’ll be back before nine. Promise” she said. Then, her sympathy slowly morphed into slyness as she added, “Don’t worry, I have something extra special planned for when I get back.” Her gaze was sultry and tempting as she closed the door behind her and disappeared. Kakashi should’ve felt relieved—after all, she was promising him something supreme upon her return—but if anything, he felt even more defeated. Not only was she off to mingle with a millionaire, but now she was sexually riled up on top of it. Digging the heels of his hands into his eye sockets, Kakashi groaned and fell back onto the couch. It was going to be a long three hours.

               He needed to do something, to preoccupy himself. Toshio picked his ears up as he stared back at Kakashi staring into the kitchen. He knew he should eat dinner, but his mood had swiped any hope of hunger from him. Instead, he swung open the refrigerator door and began cleaning out the spoiled food inside. He tossed the stinking plastic containers into the sink, tied up the trash bag and walked it down to the dumpster. Toshio followed, as if in hopes of finding scraps. Upon their return, Kakashi washed out the containers as well as any remaining dirty dishes. He took his time with each, paying no mind to the scalding water on his hands. He dried each one thoroughly and individually and put them away in their respective cabinets. The sun had nearly disappeared, the room growing dark. Kakashi flicked on a light and checked the clock. 6:45pm. This was pointless. Kakashi dropped his head back and sighed.

               “Toshio, if we’re lucky” he started, “Maybe she’ll come home early.” Toshio huffed and rested his head on the floor in retaliation. Kakashi nodded, kneeling down to scratch behind the dog’s ear. “Yeah. You and me both.”

               By 7 o’clock, it was clear to Kakashi that the only thing he could stand to do was read. If he could get himself right in the proper mood, nestled into the sweet spot of his literary allure, he could lose himself in the words and time would race by. He reached for Makeout Paradise, almost disgustingly satisfied with how clever this plan was meant to be, but quickly found the situation had left him changed. The book no longer brought him the same pleasure as it always had. He focused hard on the sentences in front of him, tried to envision himself and Rei in the title roles, but as luck would have it he landed on a chapter in which the third corner of the love triangle enters the plot. And in that role, all he could see was Keihaku Goman. The dashing Keihaku bursting into the room and professing his love for the heroine, Keihaku kissing her hand and begging her to choose him instead, Keihaku wrapping an arm around her waist as he whisked her into the bedroom and—

               Kakashi heard the key turn in the lock and he immediately sat bolt upright. His eyes glanced to the clock. It was 8:30pm. She was home early. A hint of delight hitched in his throat. The date must have gone terribly. Perhaps it was so terrible, in fact, that Rei will never want to look at another man ever again. He hoped that that wouldn’t backfire on him, that she would not denounce all men, himself included. But now he was overthinking things. All he knew was that he needed to see her. One look and he would know exactly how things had gone. One look and it would all be over, for better or for worse.

               She stepped inside and his heart surged. There she was. Deep down, a part of him was overjoyed that she had even returned at all. She locked the door behind her silently, kicked her shoes off. “Well?” Kakashi asked. She met his gaze blankly. “How was it?”

               “It was fine” she replied, unbuttoning her shirt plainly as she stepped over Toshio and skirted into the living room. “Things went smoothly.”

               She was far too calm. This was a bad sign. Either things went too smoothly or not smoothly at all. Kakashi wasn’t sure which he would have preferred. He watched her with laser focus as she knelt down on the floor by Toshio, slipping out of her blouse to reveal the simple white camisole underneath. He wanted to kiss the freckles on her shoulders and the scars on her forearms. The delicate lace trim was so enticing, perfectly accentuating her breasts. Kakashi frowned and wondered if Keihaku had the same thoughts. It was then that he knew there was no way things couldn’t have gone well. Dejected, Kakashi turned away to look out the window. He attempted to sound as nonchalant as possible when he asked, “So are you going to run off with Mr. Billionaire and move into his mansion with his fancy gold couch and tiny penis?” The depression in his voice, however, was far too obvious.

               Knitting her brows together, Rei stared at him sharply. “You know I only have eyes for you” she insisted. “I wouldn’t want to spend my future with anyone else.” She finished unfastening the last button on her shirt and slithered out of it then, tossing it toward Kakashi from across the room. “Besides” she sighed rather dramatically, “Keihaku Goman is a total asshole, anyway.”

               In retrospect, this was not the least bit surprising but the way she said it, the look on her face as she pouted and tilted her head toward the window, struck something within Kakashi. Something anxious but protective. “Why?” he asked, leaning forward. “What happened? What did he say to you?”

               “It’s really nothing” Rei swatted at the air. “He just threw out some pretty petty and underhanded lines about he’s always liked ‘homegrown girls’ and shit.”

               “Homegrown girls?” Kakashi repeated. He wasn’t quite sure what that meant.

               Rei nodded, drawing her knees up to her chest like a small child. As cavalier as she appeared on the outside, he could tell in her eyes that something had cracked. “Yeah, you know, like local rough-and-tumble girls who live in the middle of nowhere and wrestle alligators and bake pies and shit. Anne and Scout and Jane, all that crap.” Kakashi blinked, trying to remember who, exactly, Anne and Scout and Jane were. Rei continued to speak before he could make the final connection. “Apparently Keihaku thinks that the ugly features like my scar and my crooked teeth and messy hair were ‘alluring’ in, and I quote, ‘a gross, kinky sort of way’.” Here, Rei made a face bordering both disgust and confusion. A casual acceptance of a harsh insult that deep down, she was clearly hurt by. And deep in the pit of Kakashi’s stomach grew a sharp, burning anger.

               How could anyone ever say anything so cruel? And to his fiancée of all people? Kakashi sucked in a deep breath and clenched his fists at his sides. Nothing about the date itself or his prior uncertainty mattered anymore. All that was important now was that Keihaku Goman had hurt the love of his life and Kakashi could hardly contain himself. “The audacity…” he muttered through clenched teeth. “I can’t believe he would say something like that.” Rei turned to him and saw the darkness in his eyes, the absolute fury. Her gaze softened, sympathetic and sad. She hated seeing him get so pent up like this. And then Kakashi stood, reaching for his shoes by the front door.

               “W-wait, where are you going?” Rei asked, scrambling to her feet.

               Kakashi sighed and shook his head. “Someone ought to teach that asshole a lesson.”

               Rei rested a gentle hand on his forearm, shook her head. Anyone else likely would’ve been far too intimidated to approach the infamous Copy Ninja in this way, but not Rei. She didn’t care. She knew better than to believe he would ever hurt her. “It’s not worth it” Rei softly insisted. “We’re never going to see him again. It’s fine.”

               “But Rei—” Kakashi protested, but she simply shook her head and guided him back to the couch. She sat beside him and rested a hand on his knee. They remained silent for a long while until Kakashi calmed down. When he had, he turned to her and asked quietly, “Are you okay?”

               Nodding, Rei replied, “Yeah. Yeah, I’m alright.” There was a sense of restraint in her voice, however, as if she was holding back tears. Kakashi tried to keep his cool. Forcing a laugh, Rei then added, "Honestly, I’ve heard worse from Sekkachi. Keihaku’s words mean nothing to me. He doesn’t know anything about me, so who is he to judge?”

               “Rei…” Kakashi murmured. His pain in seeing her not just upset but faking a smile was immeasurable. He reached out to caress her cheek, press his forehead against hers. He closed his eyes and inhaled, drinking in every ounce of her presence. “He doesn’t know a damn thing” he whispered. “Rei, you’re the strongest and most amazing and intelligent and beautiful woman I’ve ever known. I just...I can’t fathom how anyone can be so…just…” He groaned in frustration, struggling to find the proper words.

               “It’s okay” Rei assured him, studying his face and running her fingers through his hair. “I know.”

               Kakashi grazed the scar across the bridge of her nose with his thumb, combed her hair back and chuckled lightly when his fingers got caught in the tangles. “I just can’t stand anyone hurting you” he finally whispered.

               “I know” Rei whispered back, dripping with sympathy. “It’s fine, though. Really” she insisted. Kakashi opened his eyes and leaned back so as to better view her face. He searched her expression for the sadness he was sure he would find, but instead she now seemed at peace. She laughed softly as she added, “I think really, he’s just bitter because they recast his character in the next Makeout film.”

               Kakashi blinked in disbelief, trying to digest this new information. “They did…?”

               “Mmhmm” Rei replied, and now she was fighting a smile. Kakashi’s heart sang. She toyed with the hem of his shirt as she explained, “Apparently he was a total diva on set and was just an absolute nightmare to work with. I heard Yukie nearly quit on five separate occasions and insisted even she wasn’t this bad when she was a full-time actress. You can use that information however you will—I’m sure you’d know better than I would. But his attitude on top of the dick double debacle basically made for an absolute mess and they fired him two weeks ago right before filming began. I take it he’s milking whatever claim to fame he has left before the news breaks and everyone shifts their adoration to the new guy.”

               Kakashi scoffed and nodded. “Good riddance” he sighed. This new information brought with it a welcome sense of relief, something Kakashi had been desperate for all week. “Did you at least humiliate him?” he then asked.

               A sly, sickening smile then spread across Rei’s lips. “Maybe…” she said in sing-song. “Let’s just say that if all the swooning women didn’t know about his assets before, they do now.”

               “You’re terrible” Kakashi shook his head. He only regretted not being there to see it himself.

               “I bet that’s the last time he’ll ever try to mess with a ‘homegrown girl’” Rei replied. It was refreshing to see her use what was once an insult as a term of power and pride now. Keihaku Goman may not have seen the merit in a homegrown girl, but Kakashi certainly did. He wouldn’t have wanted her any other way.

               Sighing, Kakashi leaned back against the couch, taking delight in Rei automatically snuggling up against his chest. When she laid beside him like this, everything just felt right. Her head nestled into the dip where his collar met his shoulder, her hand firmly monitoring his heartbeat. Toshio followed suit, leaping onto the open cushion to snuggle up beside them. “So you really wouldn’t leave me for some fancy film actor?” Kakashi asked, toying with Rei’s hair as he held her close.

               Rei laughed and shook her head, looking up at him with a glimmer of ingenuity in her eyes. His heart swelled, he loved her so much. “And give up becoming Mrs. Hatake? Wife of the infamous Copy Ninja? I could never.” Toshio barked in stark agreement and Kakashi couldn’t contain himself any longer. He wrapped his arms around her tightly, burying his face in the crook of her neck so as to plant tiny little kisses all along her shoulder and collarbone. She squirmed with uproarious laughter, Toshio barking in amused spectatorship. It was moments like these, snapshots of the little life they had created together, that were all that truly mattered. The simple things. The things that money couldn’t buy. And that was enough. It was more than enough.

#rei natsuki #kakashi hatake #the scarecrow and the bell #naruto #naruto oc #fanfiction

[dentalrecordsmusic]

The Resurrection of My Chemical Romance: MCR’s Dark Catholicism

Words by Cae Rosch

On October 31, 2019, My Chemical Romance rose from the grave.

Resurrection isn’t a new theme for them, whether it’s in the salvation narrative the band was founded on (“We’re here to save kids’ lives”) or the pervasive undead monsters and heroes throughout their body of lyrics. The Return is another step in their decades-long salvation narrative. And that salvation narrative, one in which death is intimate and impending and necessary, one in which we come alive by shouting out our sorrows and sins like a cathartic confession to rock and roll, is deeply intertwined with a darkly Catholic perspective on the world.

It’s not new to talk about MCR as, on some level, a Catholic band - there’s already great writing about this. But the band took it to a whole new level even just with the concept of The Return, and so we have to take talking about it to a whole new level too.

We know the core members of the band come from Catholic backgrounds (specifically, for the most part, Italian-American Catholic, which is uncontestedly the most melodramatic mode of modern Catholicism). And like most people from Catholic backgrounds, there’s a complex and painful relationship there. As Gerard Way has said, “I was raised Catholic, which turned me off from religion because I had a very bad experience.” Yet in the same response, he remarked that he believed in God, even if it wasn’t in quite a Catholic way.

But that’s the thing: for the sake of this discussion, it doesn’t fucking matter if anyone believes. Regardless of the belief system you grow up to have, Catholicism isn’t something you just shake off, because it’s not simply an ideology - it’s a full-body, five-sense aesthetic world. It never fully departs your subconscious. Something, however small, lingers on your soul. That’s just as true of MCR as it is of your average Catholic or former Catholic on the street. And we can see it throughout their whole body of work.

The imagery is obvious. Song titles reference the Virgin Mary revered as Our Lady of Sorrows, lyrics are addressed to nuns and set in churches and graveyards, entire photoshoots center around Gerard Way as a rock and roll priest. The underlying narrative and its accompanying implied worldview, however, are a lot more subtle. 

C.S. Lewis, though not a Catholic, was operating within a Catholic context when he wrote in Mere Christianity, “The Church exists for nothing else but to draw men into Christ, to make them little Christs.” In the salvation narrative that began as soon as the band did, MCR act as little Christs themselves. But they act within one very specific moment in Christ’s own narrative: at the moment Jesus hangs on the cross, the ninth hour, when he cries out, “Ηλει ηλει λεμα σαβαχθανι” - “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabacthani?” My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? MCR’s dark Catholicism hurts.

At the very beginning of MCR, Gerard Way thought of it as a “mission from God” despite his own troubled relationship with Catholicism. He writes, “I even firmly believed in creating MCR… The mission involved helping people and battling the forces of evil, by using word and the purifying flames produced by Marshall Halfstack amplification.” This is a saintly mission, a mission of sacrifice. It shows clearly in their early lyrics.

On their first album, the two most Catholicly obvious songs are also the two most relevant to the band’s salvation narrative. Here, in “Vampires Will Never Hurt You,” the singer embraces the necessity of sacrifice to the point of death to save a beloved from the threat of a very Catholic monster. Vampires have a relationship with Catholicism nearly as fraught as MCR’s - Catholics make excellent monsters in the Protestant culture of early vampire literature, given their literal blood-drinking, yet Catholic iconography is also the most powerful weapon against vampires. Similarly, when Way sings, “And if they get me and the sun goes down into the ground / And if they get me, take this spike to my heart and… / You put the spike in my heart,” he becomes both savior and villain. He dies to himself and becomes a monster, abandoned by God (“Someone burned the church.”) 

The only hope for others’ salvation is for him to die. Yet similar to the forsaken Christ, he still desperately cries out for his own salvation when he sings, “And someone save my soul, tonight / Please save my soul.”

“Our Lady of Sorrows,” unsurprisingly, further emphasizes the band’s drive toward sacrifice in its depiction of sainthood (“the patron saint of switchblade fights”) as an act of defiant death for the sake of salvation (“Oh, how wrong we were to think / That immortality meant never dying.”) The violent juxtaposition of that switchblade imagery with the idea of sainthood shows an intense focus on the agony of salvation - fitting, in a song named for Our Lady of Sorrows, who is depicted weeping, with seven swords that represent the seven great agonies of her life piercing her heart.

Salvation is just as painful on Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge. The album and its associated era are extremely heavy on Catholic imagery in general (see the video for “Helena” and that one priest photoshoot, you know the one).

The album’s “Interlude” is a literal prayer for the intercession of the saints (“Saints protect her now,”) and it’s immediately followed by a song directly addressed to a nun - “Thank You for the Venom.” As in “Vampires Will Never Hurt You,” the singer accepts that his sacrifice will be painful when he sings, “So give me all your poison / And give me all your pills / And give me all your hopeless hearts / And make me ill.” He takes all this onto himself to the point of violent death - “If this is what you want / Then fire at will.”

But just as the figure of Christ, forsaken on the cross, shocks us with the sudden pain of his sacrifice, the singer once again juxtaposes religious and violent imagery to force us to be aware of the complexity of the saving act - sure, his sacrifice is saving people, but it’s fucking excruciating to die. When he sings “I keep a gun in the book you gave me / Hallelujah, lock and load” in the same song as a command to “fire at will,” we can’t see him as simply accepting his sacrifice like the complacent Jesus it would be simpler to remember. Instead, he is a “little Christ” to the Jesus who calls desperately for his father as he suffers and dies. “Give me a reason to believe,” Way cries, and we feel that same desperation.

This dynamic - MCR as the abandoned, agonized martyr violently saving people - builds up through their first two albums. In the 2006 single release of “Welcome to the Black Parade” and “Heaven Help Us,” it explodes.

It’s fitting that these songs are a single and its b-side because they express the two attitudes whose tension drives MCR’s entire narrative of martyrdom and salvation. “Welcome to the Black Parade” embraces the heroic aspect of the savior, victorious through and beyond death. “Heaven Help Us” is its tortured dark side - the savior’s moment of absolute pain, isolation, and loss of faith before that victory can begin.

“Welcome to the Black Parade” is the most explicit expression of the idea of salvation, beginning almost immediately with the request: “Would you be the savior of the broken / The beaten and the damned?” With this single release, MCR becomes completely upfront about how the thematic martyrdom in their lyrics matches up with the band’s verbalized desire “to save kids’ lives.” MCR know their fan base. Their fans are the bullied kids, the depressed kids, those struggling with trauma and addiction and anxiety - everyone society calls “broken.” It’s clear who’s stepping up to be those kids’ savior.

Though “Welcome to the Black Parade” doesn’t include the kind of explicit Catholic imagery that MCR’s previous records did, lyrics like “Do or die, you’ll never make me / Because the world will never take my heart / Go and try, you’ll never break me” demonstrate a profoundly Catholic attitude toward saving hearts and souls. No matter how much pain (and there’s clearly a lot) happens in this world, the heart persists. This song is about joyous suffering enabled by a heroic savior, about a defiant march past earthly oppression and into eternal victory. That’s pretty Catholic, my friends.

“Heaven Help Us” is about the actual pain that that savior must experience for “Welcome to the Black Parade” to have its victorious end. It’s the darker side of an already dark song.

It’s no accident that “Heaven Help Us,” while just as thematically Catholic as its A-side, is far more obvious about its Catholic imagery. Catholicism knows how to show us pain in a way that’s both beautiful and shocking. When your relationship with the Church itself is alienated and painful, that imagery comes out even more. 

“Heaven Help Us” begins with a melody that eerily parallels the classic Christmas carol “O Holy Night.” But it subverts the idea of a hymn, instead almost luxuriating in sprawling religious abandonment. Its imagery is viscerally bloody - “‘Cause mostly I’ve been sprawled on these cathedral steps / While spitting out the blood and screaming / Someone save us.” The lyrics invite sacrifice (“‘Cause I’ll give you all the nails you need / Cover me in gasoline”) but also call out with the desperation of the abandoned (“And the punchline to the joke is asking / Someone save us.” 

“Heaven Help Us” is a cry born from fear and resignation to abandonment. “Would you pray for me / Or make a saint of me?” becomes horrifyingly ironic when we remember how fast the path to sainthood is for martyrs - it’s almost automatic once they’re murdered. This singer isn’t the defiant hero of “Welcome to the Black Parade.” This singer is dying, alone, prayers unanswered.

And the thing about Catholicism is that both of those figures are equally Christ. Seeds of MCR’s dark salvation narrative persist throughout their discography. Even on Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys, “Save Yourself, I’ll Hold Them Back” offers salvation through sacrifice right there in the title. The release of “Welcome to the Black Parade” / “Heaven Help Us” harvests what those seeds all grow up to become - the image of Christ, forsaken. It’s the moment where the pain of fraught relationships with Catholicism crystallizes in support of the band’s mission: going forth into the world to save kids’ lives. But apparently, it wasn’t enough to leave it there.

When MCR formed, the US was a horrific place to live for a whole lot of people. The band started in 2001, and so did the shift of the Bush administration into outright pseudo-fascism. Take it from me, a young teenager of the 2000s - that was not a good time to be a depressed kid, a gay kid, a traumatized kid, any kind of religious or ethnic minority. That was a very specific cultural context, one in which MCR needed to mold themselves into the salvific figure of an alienated rock and roll “little Christ” to save a world of equally alienated kids.

They’re now reemerging in the renewed horror of the Trump administration: the Bush administration on steroids. There’s a whole lot of alienated kids who need saving. And now, at least this one savior is back.

We may not have any new music, but the imagery of MCR’s Return situates them firmly back in their dark Catholic milieu. They announced their return accompanied by a photo of Pasquale Rizzoli’s “Cella Magnani,” a funerary statue in which an angel draws the soul of a dead woman into the celestial blue of its mosaic backdrop. The new logo, in which the letters “MCR” are written in a medieval Protogothic script, situates us back in MCR’s familiar black-and-white color scheme. In combination with “Cella Magnani,” it also places us in the medieval mode of memento mori - an aesthetic practice beginning in medieval Catholicism in which actively remembering your death helps you prepare your soul to die in a state of grace. (Side note: “Welcome to the Black Parade” is included on a popular memento mori-themed playlist curated by a nun.)

A lot of the effectiveness of memento mori comes from the Catholic perspective on the resurrection of the dead - the idea that someday, Christ will rise again and enact ultimate, perfect justice, giving everybody (and every body) exactly what they deserve. So in light of that, MCR’s Return narrative is itself a Catholic salvation narrative. MCR might not literally mean it that way, but in their own small way, this Return lets us hope that someday real justice will come. Someday, someone we trust will come to judge everyone and not even death will stop it. 

With their return, MCR’s dark Catholicism helps us remember that this is a band bent on saving lives - our lives. For people like us, MCR has spent 18 years building up the idea of a forsaken-Christ figure that exists specifically to save our lives - and that idea rising from the grave is pretty comforting.

Cae Rosch has been listening to MCR since 2004 and cries about Our Lady of Sorrows (the religious figure and the song) at least 18 times a day. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram.

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#my chemical romance #mcr #my chem #mcrmy #gerard way #frank iero #mikey way #ray toro #catholicism #catholic #feature #cae rosch