Tumgik
#sometimes i feel like i am watching myself on screen
klara-rosa · 16 days
Text
as a certified soft, gentle, calm person I just love so much that characters such as Cash exist because everytime I see him on the screen, he just resonates such gentleness, like he is shy and socially awkward sometimes and he cares about people and just lets them be and he falls in love and lets it happen even though it probably scares him and HE HAS A PET DUCK because he just wanted to save ONE so he did. Like I don't know why, can't put my finger on WHY exactly but it's just always immediatly clear to me that this is someone soft, with a gentle soul, like this is a sweet person, someone who is sensitive because they just are and they lean into it. I LOVE IT I love it I love it, I want to see more softness on screens, I want calm gentle people, I want people that exude angel energy 👼👼👼
150 notes · View notes
Text
Nothing quite as humbling as looking back at your old takes and realizing that you were completely wrong
#this happens for me when i'm emotionally invested in a character or show and won't let myself acknowledge that it's bad#like i thought the wandavision finale was 'great'...i did so much meta-writing about loki before finally admitting it sucked...#theory-wise i'm not typically incredibly off but when it comes to evaluating quality i do have a subjectivity issue#like moon knight--i really loved that show and did not recognize most of the pacing or plot issues until the finale#to be clear i still love the show because despite its imperfect story the character exploration and acting really held it together#and i love that they took things in a new direction with how deep they were willing to go with exploring trauma#but it was definitely not as good as i was feeling like it was...and it's ok to like things in spite of flaws#i just have to be aware of them haha#but also sometimes i'll absorb other people's critical takes even when they're off-base (e.g. worried about something that doesn't happen)#like with the season finale to the mandalorian season 2--there was some strong criticism of it and i jumped on that train#because i was worried that they were completely abandoning the story and relationships that they had put in place#and canon has since confirmed they aren't (although i still haven't watched bobf) so those worries were at least largely unfounded#but i am still concerned about how they intend to treat din's religion and what his arc will be bc it can still go badly#however those concerns should not make me evaluate existing content unfairly#all of this is why i am so absolutely resistant to seeing any criticism of kenobi#because i am enjoying this show so thoroughly that i don't want anything to burst my bubble#if it is truly not that great i'll recognize that soon enough once the joy of seeing my BOY on screen again wears off#but i am being so positively affected by this show that i don't want anything to burst that bubble#especially because as stated above a lot of criticism comes from people being worried that they'll do something that they aren't doing#like making the show all about vader was a common preemptive criticism. it is clear that is not what's happening#anyway that's an awful lot of thoughts but in short yeah my takes are not perfect and sometimes i am too forgiving#but also i (and others) have been too harsh before and really all it does is kill the joy! i just wanna enjoy the things i love#kay can i just catch my breath for a second#kay has a party in the tags
20 notes · View notes
allthoseotherworlds · 4 months
Text
Kudos to everyone who likes to acknowledge the flaws in their favorite characters. Couldn't be me though, my favorite characters have done nothing wrong ever actually and are good people that I look up to and admire.
0 notes
remember-redbeard · 5 months
Text
Was talking to the mom of one of my little girl clients who is AuDHD & the mom told me she wanted to work in her daughter not being overwhelmed during movies bc it disrupted her social time. And obviously I was like ok how do mean? Is she watching scary movies, upsetting movies, too loud?? Mom said her daughter will get up and leave if she knows something awkward is going to happen or a character is going to make a mistake or if they are VERY very happy and hugging someone they love, etc. And the little girl will like, stand and peak around the corner to see the TV with her ears covered, but can’t be in the same room. Which is…what I still do in my late 20s if I watch a movie with a group & can’t handle suspense or ~emotions~. And have been doing since I was about 6 🫠 So anyway, I let the mom know that she can try offering her daughter earplugs and reminding her she can close her eyes, mom can mute the movie and let everyone else read subtitles during intense scenes, or just let her kid leave the room. But a desensitization program wasn’t likely to be helpful for *checks notes* empathy????
0 notes
saerotonins · 6 months
Text
ponytail
ft. nanami kento x fem!reader
content warnings: fluff, based on THAT nanami episode, reader's hair length is not specified but it can be tied into a ponytail, suggestive, welcome to the first installation of actor!nanami  and actor!jjk au 🫶🏻 more to come!
wc: 1387
note: he is so HAWT pls i cannot contain myself
Tumblr media
"tell me the numbers of your allies and their places," you heard your husband say through the  tv screen.
as terrifying as he sounds, you can't deny that your husband really looks good in this shot. especially the way his voice sounds so stern and so commanding—
and then you see him pull haruta's ponytail while asking the same question. dear god was he so attractive when he says his lines. you remember him trying to practice them with less ferocity and feelings as to memorize them.
your husband is not the type to ask you for help in these kinds of scenes since he doesn't have the heart to speak to you in such harsh voices. sometimes however, he asks you to listen to him say lines that doesn't require any emotions like anger. you also hear him having an online meeting with his co-actors (particularly gojo) and practice their lines together while giving each other comments on what to improve on.
but seeing this scene come to light and be alive, you can't help but feel something burning inside of you—
but then it hits
"that should have been me!" you whine into the air and hitting the throw pillow with annoyance at the same time with giddy because god does your husband looked so fucking good doing it.
you finish the episode with a huge smile on your face and a brilliant plan in your mind.
Tumblr media
nanami comes home exhausted, finishing another shoot and meetings for new promotion and magazine releases. all he wants right now is to lie down in your arms and get a good night's sleep.
however, he is welcomed with silence instead of you cooking or watching some reality show you were currently into. he was confused but it didn't ring any alarm bells in his mind. 
"darling, i'm home," he calls out trying to get some kind of response. he doesn't hear you answer back but the pitter-patter that he hears towards him is enough to know that you're in there.
"kento! you're home," you greeted him with a wild smile on your face while standing a few feet away. your hands are on your back as you swing your body left to right.
nanami finds your behavior quite strange today but decided to brush it off and smiles anyway. he then takes a few steps to give you a chaste and careful kiss on your forehead. you close your eyes at the sensation and savor the affection that your husband gives you.
"i'm gonna go change for a bit then we can have dinner, yeah?" nanami says but before he even gets to walk to your shared bedroom, you stop him.
"wait!" you say which puts his steps into a halt, he turns his back to face you with a confused expression painted on his face.
"hmm?" he asks, waiting for your response. instead, all he sees is you swaying your head left to right which makes him even more confused.
"what is it, hon?" he says, trying to gently lure out some answers as he also realize that you have been acting weird ever since he got home.
"do you... notice anything new?” ignoring his question, you turn your back at him showing him the back of your head.
nanami is an observant man, of course he notices you put your hair into a ponytail the moment he saw you, but it's not something alarming or drastically different to the point that he needs to say it out loud. however, basing on your actions, he decides that maybe he does need to say it out loud.
"you tied your hair into a ponytail?" nanami says, his voice having a tinge of confusion, because he really doesn't know what is this all about.
you quickly face him again enthusiastically with an excited nod and 'mhm!' your smile stretching out on your face. "do you like it?"
"yes, you look good at any hairstyle but what is this all about? am i missing anything?" now his mind is starting to worry as to what he had missed, but seeing the smile on your face tells him that nothing is wrong.
you pouted and blinked, and then tilted your head, and pointed on you ponytail, further emphasizing it to nanami.
"yes, darling, i see you're wearing your hair in a ponytail but what is this really about?" at this point you're surprised why he's not mad and that's what you love about him, always so patient and puts up with your antics— even the stupid ones.
you give him one last hint and started on tugging your ponytail with a straight face. you see your husband racking his brain for answers, his eyes blinking as he stares at you.
finally, it clicked.
"oh, did that episode air today?" he says, now with a sly smile on his face. 
your husband is never the type to tease (unless it's in the bedroom), but you see a glint of mischief in his eyes and that's enough for you to know that he plans on provoking you as long as the energy left in his body can. with the voice he used to ask you, all confidence is left in your body and suddenly the walls of your home looks more interesting than him.
you hear footsteps towards you and once it halts, you feel his hands on your chin, lifting it up to meet his eyes. "i asked you a question, angel,"
"yeah," you croaked out, your throat suddenly feels dry because of the distance. 
three years of marriage and seven years with each other, he never fails to make your heart beat faster whenever he does little things like this.
you suddenly feel your stomach churn, from nervousness, anticipation, or excitement, maybe all of them, you don't know, but you opt to close your eyes instead. but what you didn't expect is you feel nanami's hands glide from your chin, to your nape, to the back of your head—
and then you feel a sudden pause that made you open your eyes. 
there's a smirk plastered on his face, practically mocking you. you frown and you see it grow bigger.
"what are frowning about?" he asks, a hint of playfulness in his voice didn't go unnoticed.
"you know what i want, kento," 
"oh dear, we're using government now?"
you sigh out of faux irritation, "ugh, fine, if you don't want to– ah!"
a yelp goes out of your lips as you feel nanami tug on your ponytails harshly, but careful enough not to hurt you. "is this what you wanted, darling?" he says, as you feel his the heat of his breath in your ears. 
"yes," you managed to breath out. it was a shock but you loved it nonetheless as you swallow a thick lump of your saliva.
you closed your eyes again when you feel nanami kissing your jawline, going closer towards your lips as he grips your ponytail tighter which gives your head a nice, dull ache. you hold onto his forearm for support as you feel your legs turn into jelly, and the moment his lips reaches the corner of your lips, he stops.
"what the— why'd you stop?" you whine as you grip his arms tighter, not wanting to let go.
"i just remembered i have a quick online meeting with the magazine team and crew for our next campaign photoshoot," he says, quickly letting go your hair and walking towards his study.
"babe, you can't just rile me up like that and leave me all alone!" you say as you quickly follow him.
"you're a big girl, y/n, you can wait for a few minutes," 
"but i'll be suffering!" you say as you stomp your feet on the carpeted floor along the hallway.
"face the consequences of your actions, i've got a boner while on a meeting, i'm lucky we're doing this online," he then opens the door to his study but before he goes to his desk, he looks at you through the ajar of the door. "wait for me, this'll be quick, then we can solve our issues," he says before finally closing the door.
that statement brought a huge smile on your face.
that haruta bitch character ain't luckier than you, after all.
Tumblr media
1K notes · View notes
pocketjoong · 6 months
Text
❥𓂃𓏧EARLY MORNINGS
Tumblr media
ꕥ𓂃𓏧 (SYNOPSIS): You wake up to find Hongjoong in your studio. What started with you helping Hongjoong, turns into an unexpected confession from the idol himself.
ꕥ𓂃𓏧 (PAIRING) idol!Hongjoong x afab!producer!Reader
ꕥ𓂃𓏧 (GENRE AND AU/TROPE): friends/co-workers to lovers. idiots in love.
ꕥ𓂃𓏧 (WARNINGS) smut. pwp. use of pet names (princess, love, etc). choking. oral (f!recieveing). orgasm denial. soft joongie. joongie is whipped. lmk if I am missing something. MDNI.
ꕥ𓂃𓏧 (WORD COUNT) 3.3k
ꕥ𓂃𓏧 (NOTES) Happy Hongjoong Day everyone!! I wanted to write something sappy, but I'll just keep it to myself, mostly bc I really don't have the words to express my admiration and love for this precious little human. So, if you enjoy this, please do consider reblogging or leaving feedback! shoutout to @joong-of-gold for beta reading this! TYSM
Tumblr media
You awaken to the distant, muffled rumble of thunder, a gentle intrusion on the stillness of your soundproof studio. The first glimmer of awareness reveals the early morning hour, for light filters through the curtains, casting a soft glow throughout the room, but the sun is nowhere to be seen. You can also tell that it rained a few minutes back because you can see the wet streaks on the window and the fog that lingers outside. 
In the haze between wakefulness and sleep, you realise that you are covered with a jacket that is definitely not yours. Inhaling deeply, you catch the scent of familiar cologne that clings to the soft material. Your gaze shifts, and sure enough, you spot him seated on your chair, bathed in the soft, ethereal glow of the computer screens. Hongjoong looks beautiful in the soft light of your studio, akin to an angel, as he works on something you’re unable to discern from the couch. You blink away the remnants of sleep, confused as to why Hongjoong is using your studio when he has his own a couple of doors away.
“Hongjoong?” Your voice is a mere whisper in the silence of the studio as you sit up, absentmindedly watching the way his jacket falls and pools onto your lap.
“Oh, Y/N, you’re awake?” Hongjoong leans back into the chair, his fingers running through his recently dyed hair, which appears somewhat tousled as if he'd been frustratedly tugging at the strands. His hair is a dirty blonde and way shorter than it was when you saw him yesterday morning, a few inches away from being a buzz cut, but it suits him well. But then, you suppose he looks good in all hairstyles. After all, you’re yet to see him in one he’s unable to pull off.
Your curiosity is piqued, and you tilt your head as you regard Hongjoong, noting the fatigue etched across his features. A quick glance at the wall clock tells you that it’s just past five in the morning, prompting you to wonder how long he has been in the building. Given that the last time you checked, the time was before 4 a.m., it dawns on you that he must have entered your studio sometime within the past hour. The realisation that he didn't return to the dorms last night tugs at your heart, and a sigh escapes at the thought as worry for him grips your heart.
“Sorry for barging in unannounced,” Hongjoong begins, his voice carrying slight remorse. “I was working on something, but then I got stuck. I thought being here would provide some inspiration... But..." He trails off, shoulders lifting in a half-hearted shrug. As he begins to rise up from your chair, you quickly shake your head to signal him to remain seated.
"Just," you reply with a sigh, pushing yourself off the couch and stretching, wincing at the satisfying crack of your joints. "Lemme freshen up and get some caffeine into my system. Would you like some?"
Hongjoong politely declines with a shake of his head, already returning his attention to the screens. “It’s fine. I had a cup about twenty minutes ago.”
“Mmhkay,” you mumble as you exit the studio to wash up. Upon your return, you feel notably more alert, though you're confident that a cup of strong coffee will definitely help you more. You search the closet for the coffee grounds, tiptoeing to reach the packet.
“You know, you look…” Hongjoong’s voice trails off, his gaze sweeping over your figure as though he's searching for a gentler way to phrase his thoughts. You've barely managed an hour of sleep in the past 48 hours, and you’re sure exhaustion has taken its toll.
“Like a mess?” You interject with a wry chuckle, playfully finishing his sentence while switching on the coffee machine.
“Nah, you're too pretty for that,” he smirks, causing you to roll your eyes in response, even though his words send a delightful pang through your heart. “But you look like you haven’t been getting much sleep, which is surprising since you were in dreamland when I arrived.”
“That's because I haven’t,” you admit, watching the coffee streaming into the cup you've placed beneath the machine. You hum happily when the smell of coffee permeates the room, making you relax further. “If you don't count the one-hour nap I managed after finishing that video call.”
"Video call?" Hongjoong echoes, his voice tinged with curiosity.
“Yeah, there's this American band that's eager to collaborate on a track with me, so we were hashing out the details until the wee hours, around four a.m.,” you explain, picking up the cup of coffee and turning to look at Hongjoong, who now appears to be deeply engrossed in the contents on the computer screen. “You sure you don't want some coffee, Joong-ah?”
"Mhmm, I’m good," he responds, brows furrowed as his attention is momentarily diverted by your offer.
You nod, even though he can’t see it and take a sip from the cup, savouring the rejuvenating warmth. It breathes life back into your tired form, revitalising you in a matter of moments. Crossing the studio, you lean against the wall, observing as Hongjoong plays with the sounds. 
You both share a quiet moment, with Hongjoong immersed in his work and you taking intermittent sips of your coffee. In the silence of the studio, your thoughts drift back to the day Eden introduced the two of you. Despite being Hongjoong's age, you had already earned a degree in music production and established a modest reputation in both the Korean and Western music scenes. Eden had recognised your talent and had been quick to scout you, asking if you'd like to work for KQ. It was an appealing proposition, one that offered you the flexibility to pursue personal projects without forfeiting your earnings from outside ventures. So you had agreed without any hesitation.
Not long after, the older man introduced you to Hongjoong. You had already heard of him, the sole trainee at KQ for several months, eager to delve into the realm of music production. So, Eden entrusted you with the task of guiding Hongjoong’s musical journey since you had a professional degree. Although you were initially hesitant, circumstances conspired, and over time, a strong friendship blossomed between the two of you.
“So,” you begin, finally setting down your half-empty cup of coffee on the cabinet on noticing Hongjoong’s visible frustration. “What's got you all worked up?”
“I want to remix a track for the new album,” he replies, gesturing toward the computer screen in a state of vexation. “I had this vision when Eden hyung told me about it, but nothing seems to click.”
“Can I see what you’ve done so far?” You inquire, moving closer to lean over his shoulder, regarding the screen with pursed lips. You hold out your hand, requesting for the headphones. When Hongjoong doesn't immediately pass them to you, you turn to face him, only to find him peering at you through half-lidded eyes, his expression inscrutable. In a sudden, surprising move, he pulls you onto his lap, eliciting an involuntary squeak from you and a hearty laugh from the mischievous idol.
“Sorry, love,” he says, though there is a distinct lack of remorse in his tone. “It'll be easier for both of us this way.”
He removes the headphones from around his neck and allows you to wear them before pressing play. As the music fills your ears, you’re acutely aware of Hongjoong’s arms encircling your waist and his chin resting on your shoulder. Despite the delightful distraction, you focus your attention on the remixes he's crafted thus far. It becomes evident why he's been wrestling with frustration; each track seems to lack the spark that’s needed for them to stand out.
“Did you have any other ideas?” you ask, swallowing hard as he nonchalantly shrugs while still entwined with you. His movement causes his chest to press against your back, and you can’t help but be flustered. You knew that he had been working out, but actually feeling his defined muscles beneath his shirt is a different sensation.
“Not really,” he murmurs, his breath tickling your ear as he responds.
“Hmm,” you hum, doing a run-through of ATEEZ’s songs and attempting to conceive something more fitting while nestled against the group's leader. The endeavour turns out to be a more difficult enterprise than you initially anticipated. But you won’t complain; after all, he isn’t one to indulge in casual skinship, so you attribute it to sheer exhaustion and his mounting irritation. “I don't know if you've considered this... but there might be something that could work. Remember the beats I shared with you last week?”
“Do you mean this one?” he responds by humming a fragment of the track you had shared with him. With his chin still resting on your shoulder, his lips linger perilously close to your ear. You muster every ounce of restraint not to shiver pleasantly at his honey voice. “I had thought about it initially, but I didn’t want to use it without asking you.”
“Allow me to give it a try. I’m not entirely convinced either,” you assert, clearing your throat as you carefully get off Hongjoong’s lap. Retrieving your coffee mug, you lift it to your lips for a sip to regain your composure. Yet, in the very next moment, Hongjoong deftly snatches the mug from your grasp and takes a sip himself, letting out a light chuckle as your eyes widen in astonishment. You could swear you catch a whisper of “so cute” slipping from his lips under his breath, but you can’t be entirely certain, as he surely wouldn’t utter such words about you. Or would he?
Opting to dive into work, you retrieve the laptop and settle onto the couch, immersing yourself in the process. Lost in the task at hand, you’re completely unaware of Hongjoong’s intense gaze on you. It is only after you have a basic idea ready that you glance up and freeze. Shifting awkwardly in your seat for a brief moment, you bite your lips before patting the vacant space beside you on the couch. Silently, you press play as he takes his place by your side, watching him curiously as he focuses on the music filling the room.
“Wow,” Hongjoong breathes when he's done listening to the raw remix you’ve created. It's nothing extraordinary, merely an attempt to know if you’re going in the right direction, but the way his eyes sparkle as he looks at you tells you that you’ve struck gold. Before you know it, his lips are lightly grazing your cheek in a tender kiss, his proximity allowing his nose to gently brush against your skin. 
It should alarm you, how quickly you’re melting into his touch, so easily giving into him. This feels inappropriate; you're coworkers first, friends second, and you're uncertain about the ethical implications, considering you both work for the same company. But as he nuzzles into your cheek, all rational thoughts fly out of the window.
“Damn it, Y/N,” you shiver at the rawness in his voice. “You're so cruel. How am I supposed to contain my feelings for you when every time I convince myself I'm content with just being your friend, you do something like this, and I'm head over heels for you all over again?”
“Hongjoong,” Your voice is breathy, and the way you say his name with a gasp almost sounds like a prayer.
He swears, drawing you closer and gazing into your eyes with an intense longing that leaves you wordless, “Don't say my name like that if you don’t want me to kiss you senseless.”
“Who's stopping you?” You whisper, fisting the front of his shirt in your hands, desperately searching for something to ground yourself.
Eagerly, he closes the distance, lips meeting yours with an ardour that takes you by surprise. He nips at your bottom lip, and you feel your resolve crumble. You allow him to dip his tongue into your mouth. As he pulls you onto his lap, you straddle him, your hands finding purchase on his shoulders, drawing him closer. Abruptly, Hongjoong breaks the kiss, resting his forehead against yours.
“Tell me to stop,” he breathes, closing his eyes when you shake your head. “If I don’t stop now, I won’t be able to hold back.”
“Joong,” you murmur, cradling his face between your hands, your lips finding his jaw. “Please.”
“Are you sure?” He whispers, his voice tinged with uncertainty. “I’d planned on asking you out on a date first, to be honest.”
You giggle at both the unexpected confession and his endearing hesitance, causing him to pout in response. You understand where he’s coming from; he’s usually steadfast, not easily swayed by desire or impulse, but it appears that his usual unwavering patience is slowly unravelling.
“We can do that later, I’m not going anywhere,” you say, a soft smile playing on your lips. “Although, if you're not comfortable going further, we can stop.”
Hongjoong shakes his head, his lips finding yours once more in a slow, sensual kiss. “I want you,” he mumbles between each lingering kiss. “I always have.”
His words elicit a whimper from you, and you grind your hips against him, causing the denim of his jeans to rub deliciously against your aching clit. Gasping at the contact, you meet his gaze, finding his lips swollen and rosy from your kiss, his pupils dilated with desire. The next moment, he pulls away from you and eagerly tugs at the hem of your shirt, pulling it over your head. You giggle at his eagerness, “Greedy, are we?”
Hongjoong smirks and leans down to press his lips against the top of your chest, murmuring, “Only for you, my love.”
A quiet moan escapes your lips as your hands find their way into his dishevelled, dirty blonde locks, tugging just hard enough to coax a groan from him. Hongjoong retaliates by sinking his teeth into your neck, biting down gently before withdrawing. When you practically melt into him, he smirks teasingly, “You like that, princess? Want more?”
You nod, gasping as one of his hands darts to your back, skillfully snapping open your bra. His other hand slips to your throat, exerting gentle pressure, almost experimentally, just enough to encourage a deeper breath.
“Mmm. Not like that, doll. Use your words,” Hongjoong pulls away fully, allowing you to see the smouldering desire in his eyes, a sight that sends your head spinning. It takes you a moment to find your voice, long enough for him to caress your cheek with one finger, prompting you to close your eyes. “Don’t leave me hanging, Y/N.”
Your eyelids flutter open, and you gaze at him with a sultry intensity. “I want you to touch me.”
A sly grin curves his lips as he leans in, nipping your lower lip provocatively. “See, now, that wasn’t too difficult, was it, princess?”
You let out a whine as his thumbs rub over your breasts, teasingly tracing patterns. He lowers his head to suck on the skin around your nipple, his lips leaving faint marks. Hongjoong’s mouth is warm and wet, and every time his tongue brushes over your sensitive flesh, your body arches up against his in yearning. When his teeth graze over the tender area, you can’t help but grind against his pulsing erection, desperately needing friction against your clit. “Joong, please.”
“I’ll make you cum, princess. I promise,” he says, offering an innocent smile that contradicts the desire blazing in his eyes.
You're on the verge of delivering a clever retort, but any semblance of wit vanishes when his fingers push your panties aside and plunge into your heat. Your mouth falls agape as his skilled fingertips find the sweet spot deep inside of you, making your toes curl. A primal need stirs within you, and you roll your hips to meet his fingers, and it’s not much later that your legs begin to tremble. You’re close, so close, but just as you're on the cusp of ecstasy, Hongjoong yanks his fingers back, causing you to let out a desperate sob.
He hushes you softly with a soft kiss, his lips a tender apology, “Just a bit more, princess. Can you hold on for a bit longer for me?”
As Hongjoong gently eases you down on the sofa, you notice that he’s still dressed. You pout, tugging at the edge of his shirt, “Joong… off, please?”
“Patience, my dear. I promised I’ll make you cum, didn’t I?” He moves off the couch, pulling you closer to him to spread your folds.
“Fuck—” You arch off the couch, a sharp gasp escaping your lips the second his lips close around your throbbing clit. One of his hands keeps your legs pressed to the side, not allowing you to close them. For what feels like an eternity, he keeps you pinned, fucking you with his tongue and fingers but never allowing the release you so desperately seek. You’re a sobbing, sensitive mess by the time he pulls away for what seems like the hundredth time and sweetly wipes away your tears. It’s not until you hear the crinkling of a condom wrapper that you realise Hongjoong is kneeling on the couch, already undressed and ready.
“You did so well, princess,” he smiles warmly, guiding your legs to wrap around his hips. “I think you deserve a reward, don’t you?”
You nod eagerly, your voice almost desperate as you implore him, “Please… Joong, yes.”
He takes his time as he eases into your folds, knowing that you’re sensitive and you’re grateful for his consideration. Once he’s fully inside of you, he withdraws slowly, repeating the motion with a gentleness that leaves you breathless. Your nails dig into his shoulders, pulling him to you as you yearn to be as close to him as possible.
“Y/N, my love.” Hongjoong coaxes your eyes open gently, his eyes filled with concern. “Loosen up, please. I won’t be able to move otherwise.” 
Taking a shaky breath, you relax, prompting him to smile. “That’s my good girl,” he murmurs, pressing a tender kiss to your forehead.
He slowly works up a rhythm, and it doesn’t take long for you to feel your high approaching. Sensing that you’re close, his warm fingers close around your throat to apply just the right amount of pressure. You clench around him in response, making him moan, deep and loud, as his eyes roll back.
“That’s it, princess,” he whispers, his hands trailing down to rub at your clit while he thrusts in and out slowly. His eyes draw shut as he revels in the sounds of your moans, your words unclear as you gasp out his name. “Will you cum for me, Y/N? Hm?”
You finally snap, your body feeling like fire as you succumb to pleasure. Hongjoong grabs you to keep you still. “You feel incredible, princess.,” he gasps, voice laced with desire. “You’re so good for me.” 
All the sensations are too much for him, and he curses, his thrusts becoming sloppy as he chases his own release. The room fills with the sounds of both of your moans before Hongjoong collapses on top of you, showering affectionate kisses on your face and neck.
For a brief moment, neither of you utters a word, still caught in the hazy aftermath. Your legs feel like jelly, and you’re still a bit woozy, so you simply watch as Hongjoong eases back. He ties off the condom and drops it into the trash can near the door, dressing quickly. Then, he returns to you with damp tissues that he borrowed from your cupboard. “Are you okay, love? Feeling sore?” He inquires, concern evident in his gentle voice.
“A little, but it was absolutely worth it. I knew you had it in you,” you tease, playfully winking at him, and both of you share a tired yet content chuckle.
“Good,” he responds with a warm smile, leaning in to press a soft, lingering kiss to your lips. “Do you need anything?”
“Cuddles?” You pout, gazing up at Hongjoong.
“Anything my princess wants, she gets.”
905 notes · View notes
babyflorencee · 3 months
Text
Peach Boy
Tumblr media
Timothée Chalamet x fem!Reader
As the set buzzed with activity, I found myself in the midst of the action, watching my best friend Timothèe embody the character of Laurie in the scenes of "Little Women." His transformation was captivating to me; the boy that I had known for years seemed to dissolve into the persona of a charming, albeit sometimes aggravating, young man.
I couldn't help but admire Timothèe's talent. Each gesture, each inflection of his voice, painted a portrait of Laurie, distinct from the Timothèe I knew off-screen. His portrayal was captivating, drawing me in despite my best efforts to keep my emotions in line.
Throughout the filming, Timothèe's occasional glances in my direction sent ripples of warmth through me. His winks and smiles, though brief, reassured me of our undeniable connection.
As the hours flew by, a chill settled over the set, causing me to grab Timothèe's abandoned jacket, draping it around myself, as I was enveloped in the scent of his perfume, making a familiar comfort surge through my body.
Then, as abruptly as it began, the director's voice rang out, signaling the end of filming. Timothèe approached me, a mixture of exhaustion and amusement dancing in his eyes as he saw my motionless figure, wrapped up in his jacket.
"What's up, Peach boy?" Florence quipped, slightly messing up Timothèe's hair with a playful affection.
Her glances spoke volumes, and he couldn't help but wonder if she saw what he dared to not admit.
Timothèe's laughter filled the air, a melody I knew by heart. "Oh, you know just hanging," he replied awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck, shooting an awkward grin in my direction.
Florence looked at my figure, then back at Timothée, a smirk immediately going on her face as she leaned in close, pressing her mouth against his ear, before whispering, "have fun," and sending him a wink, causing a light shade of pink to take over his face.
Feeling a presence surrounding me, I opened my eyes. Letting a sigh of relief once I realized who the presence belonged to. "Hi," I said, tiredness evident in my voice, as Timothée's attention immediately became directed at me.
"Hey, thought you'd never wake up" He teased, his lips quivering into a smirk.
"Oh hush up," I said, rolling me eyes
"Am I just that boring to you, that my acting, that my JOB put you to sleep?"
"Yeah, I hated it," I joked laughing at his shocked face.
In that moment, our playful banter was a shield against ou unspoken truths lingering between us. As Timothèe's gaze met mine, a rush of anticipation coursed through me. His proximity was intoxicating, like there was a silent invitation hanging in the air, as the tension crackled between us, a palpable energy begging to be acknowledged.
"No, you were amazing. Your acting skills could never keep me away," I said softly, a smile tugging at the corners of my lips.
His laughter was a familiar symphony, a melody that resonated deep within me.
In the hush that followed, our eyes locked in a silent exchange, the unspoken becoming increasingly louder, then, in a daring move, Timothèe closed the distance between us, his lips brushing against mine in a tantalizing caress.
In that moment, time stood still, the world falling away as our hearts beat in unison.
But our moment was interrupted by the sound of an applause, a gentle reminder of the world outside our bubble of intimacy.
As Florence's voice broke through the silence, her joyous laughter filled the air, a testament to the bonds that bound us together.
With a shared glance, Timothèe and I embraced the inevitable, our laughter mingling with the echoes of our newfound connection.
"About time! Tim, I'll trust that you won't mess this up," Florence said, a hint of teasing evident in her voice.
"Fucking asshole." Timothèe's laughter echoed through the air, as he looked down at me, shaking his head.
"Do you want to go back to the hotel?" I nodded in agreement, "But, can you carry me to the car, I don't want to walk," I said with a pout.
Timothèe gave me a small smile before he lifted me effortlessly into his arms, I couldn't help but smile as well, the weight of our shared secret had finally been lifted.
Once we made our way back to the familiarity of the room, the only sounds to be heard were the sounds of our footsteps ringing through the quiet night, as I smiled to myself, looking up at Timothée, then down to where our hands were connected, and in that moment, as the world finally faded into the background, I knew that our journey was only just beginning.
327 notes · View notes
hitomisuzuya · 7 months
Note
more roommate scara? but sfw. cold scara but also soft? idk
Roommate Scaramouche x fem!reader. SFW. Fluffy at the end. Drabble.
I hope this was along the lines of what you were asking for..yes I have watched the TV show referenced in this. I absolutely love trash TV.
Even though Scaramouche would vehemently deny it, he absolutely ate up reality TV shows for the drama. You were sitting on the couch, watching one about idiots who partied, drank, and fought with each other almost on a nightly basis.
It was your typical trash TV show.
Looking at Scaramouche even now, there was the tiniest hint of a smirk on his face. Yeah, he was eating this show up.
Scaramouche sighed. "What total wastes of space. These people don't even deserve to breathe the same air as me."
Haughty little brat, isn't he?
You scooted closer to him on the couch, resting your head on his shoulder. "Do you think I am a waste of space?"
The only dignified answer you received was his trademark scoff and, "So needy," He didn't take his eyes off of the screen.
You couldn't tell if Scaramouche was considering his answer, just flat out brushing you off or if he thought you were being a pest.
You knew this was just how he was, but honestly it stung sometimes. Showing affection to Scaramouche was largely hit or miss sometimes.
You sighed, and started to pick your head up off of his shoulder. You were making a move to go back to your original spot when his hand on your head stopped you.
Scaramouche put your head back on his shoulder. Who said you could move away from him like that? All he'd needed was a little time to consider an answer that would be worthy of you.
Your breath hitched in your throat feeling his hand stroke through your hair. "I am the waste and you are the space," He said, scoffing at the two girls fighting on the screen. It was over a letter and a cheating boyfriend.
God, he was glad he didn't have to deal with any of the shit these girls dished out.
You were a little baffled by his answer. "Huh?"
Scaramouche let some of your hair cascade through his fingers. "I am the waste, and you the space that I can be myself in," You could see his cheeks flush.
Essentially, Scaramouche had just said that he loves you.
You nuzzled your cheek into his shoulder, hearing him laugh softly, like he had totally expected it. "So needy," The corners of his lips twitched into a soft smile.
Scaramouche patted his lap, taking his eyes off of the screen for the first time to raise an eyebrow at you when you didn't move right away.
Smiling at him, you moved so that you rested your head in his lap. "Now who's being needy?" You teased.
He sighed again, rolling his eyes. "Quiet, you."
459 notes · View notes
milaisreading · 3 months
Note
Isagi sister y/n x Sae? She was in love with y/n for a long time and he was planning to confess to her. While all this time y/n was thinking that Sae was gay for Shidou after she saw their matches together. When he confessed to her, y/n told him that isn't he is gay for Shidou.
🌱🩷: I was supposed to be studying this morning, but your idea was funny so I had to write it. Thanks for the request!
Warnings: Reader uses she/her. Requests are open
⚽️Blue Lock belongs to Muneyuki Kaneshiro and Yusuke Nomura ⚽️
"Hmmm..." Sae muttered as he looked at the screen of his phone. Over the past few days that was how most people could find him, just sitting and looking at his phone. From time to time, his expressions would change, but that was only if you looked at him fast enough. A lot of people might say it was pre-final game jitters, but whoever knew Sae enough knew that wasn't true. Rin, Isagi, and Shidou would sometimes ask if je was ok, but all they would get is a short nod from him.
'I hope he won't be acting weird tonight. We really need to have his head in the game if we want to win the World cup.' Rin sighed as he received another short nod from Sae.
"What's up with Undereyelashes senior? Did you two have another fight?" Shidou snickered, earning an annoyed look from Rin. But, before the younger could yell back at him, Isagi stepped in between them. They didn't need all of this hours before their final game with Germany!
"Just calm down everyone. Let's leave Sae-san alone for now."
'Be honest when confessing, and also be smooth about it?' Sae frowned as he read through the guide.
'I hate these internet advice sites.' Sae groaned, putting the phone away and rubbing his eyes. He was tired, very tired from all the training, but also from keeping all these emotions under wrap for the past few months. Sae Itoshi wasn't someone who saw himself falling in love with anyone, heck, he never saw himself having a crush! But, here he was, hours before his final game at the World cup, he was busy figuring out a way to confess his feelings for (Y/n).
'This is ridiculous. I should have done this before the game. But, only if I win tonight will I see myself worthy of her.' Sae shook his head as a blush spread across his face.
"I will take a walk." The rehead muttered to himself as he walked out of the room Rin  Shidou, and he shared.
"Are you not nervous? The final game kept mom, dad, and I up all night." The older Itoshi froze in his footsteps as he heard the voice of the one person that's been haunting his thoughts for the past months.
'(Y/n)...' Sae gulped as he observed her and Yoichi's interaction.
"I was nervous days prior, now I am just numb to everything." Yoichi shrugged his shoulders as (Y/n) poked his cheek.
'Wish she would do that to me-Is that Yoichi's jersey she is wearing?!' Sae gulped as he noticed the familiar clothing item, which caused a weird wave of jealousy to hit him.
"Hm?" Feeling eyes on them, (Y/n) turned to look at Sae, and gave him a smile and wave.
"Sae-san! Ready for the game later?!"
Yoichi looked back as well, noticing the blush on the older's cheeks.
"You finally got out of your room?"
"Finally?" (Y/n) asked in confusion, but instead of getting an answer, the boy turned around and quickly walked away.
"Maybe he is nervous?" (Y/n) suggested, watching in sadness as Yoichi chuckled a little.
"Hard to imagine. He basically breaths football." He answered back, earning a nod from (Y/n).
'I think he might be panicking because him and Shidou are in the same team again. After all, I know all to well how it feels to be close to someone you love, but can't tell them that.' She thought as her expression fell a little.
'I wish he liked me like I like him. But, Shidou is the one he wants.'
"Let's go and get some food. I can't play on an empty stomach." Yoichi said as he pulled (Y/n) towards the exit.
"Sure..."
'Maybe,in another life he would like me back.'
Meanwhile, Sae was having a small breakdown in the bathroom.
'That smile... shit, it's so cute! She is so sweet and caring, how can one not fall for her.' Sae thought as he washed his face, hoping the cold water might help his blush.
"That smile, the voice, the eyes, everything is way too ethereal about her. I need to get this off of my chest as soon as possible." Sae took a few deep breaths.
"Shit, get your head into the game, Sae. You can't embarrass yourself in front of (Y/n) tonight."
A few hours later, the game was about to start. The stadium had a special euphoria haunting it, something neither the Japanese or German team felt before. Was it because it's the final game? Was it the loud cheers from the Japanese fans? They didn't know, but they definitely enjoyed it... some more than the others.
"Sae-chan! Ready for the game? You finally got off your high horse?!" Sae flinched as Shidou jumped on his back and yelled into his ear.
"Get off!" Sae yelled, shoving Shidou off of his back and looked back to where (Y/n) was sitting (he had to beg Yoichi to tell him where her seat was). Sending her a small wave, the girl returned it, then she looked back to where Yoichi was.
"YO-CHAN, DO YOUR BEST!!"
Sae sighed dreamily as he heard her yell, ignoring the small jealousy he felt for Yoichi at the moment.
'I wish she would cheer me on like that.'
"I WILL!!" Yoichi was heard yelling back, looking away from Kaiser for a moment.
"Hmm? Who is that? Your girlfriend?" Sae froze for a moment as he heard Kaiser's voice, then looked at the blonde, who had an amused smirk as he stared back at (Y/n).
'Don't look at her, you creep.' The redhead narrowed his eyes and walked over to where Kaiser and Yoichi were.
"Eww! That's my older sister, you dumbass." The blue-eyed boy cringed, which only amused Kaiser more.
"Even better, then. Hope the cutie will not faint from all the magnificent goals she is about to witness from me."
Hearing his words Yoichi recovered from his disgust and sent a warning glare in Kaiser's direction.
"Stay away from her."
"And if I don't?" Kaiser challenged as Sae arrived at Yoichi's side.
"Just shut up. The game is about to start."
Although his voice sounded monotone, that was far from what he felt inside.
It was a tiring 95 minutes of the game. With Sae, Rin, and Yoichi scoring on one side, and Kaiser and Ness on the other, but they made it. Neither the players or the fans could believe it. Japan actually won the Cup. The players of the Japanese team collapsed on the ground after Yoichi scored the final goal, too tired and excited to do much, while the fans were the ones erupting in screams of joy and crying.
"YOICHI!! YOU DID IT!!" The said boy laughed a little as (Y/n) ran up to give him a tight hug, tears streaming down her own face.
"I am so proud of you!" She cried out as Yoichi hugged her back.
"Thanks... without you and our parents' support I wouldn't be here." The boy said back as they separated.
"You are too humble." She pouted, but before she could say anything else, Sae interrupted the conversation.
"(Y/n), can I talk to you for a moment?" The boy asked, looking oddly nervous to the two siblings.
"Sure." She nodded her head as Sae led them to a more private area, or at least a spot where there were no cameras.
"What did you need? And congrats on winning! Your goal earlier was amazing!!" (Y/n) said, which boosted Sae's ego even more up.
"Thanks, glad that you liked it. But, I called you here to talk about something else."
"What is it?" (Y/n) wandered, part of her wanting to ask why he was with her, when he could be celebrating with Shidou.
'Maybe he needs dating advice?' She mused.
"I wanted to tell you this for a while now... I really like- I mean, love, I really love you."
(Y/n)'s eyes widened in shock and her face turned red as Sae continued.
"You are always so calm and kind to others, you were even kind to me after I acted like a jerk the first time we met. I am not really one to fall in love, I never imagined myself in this position, but I am glad that it is you who I fell for."
"Sae... wait, so... so you don't like Shidou-san?" She asked, trying to process everything. Sae stopped talking and looked at the girl in bewilderment.
"Why would I like him of all people?"
"It's just... you both look so close. And your interactions during the U-20 match, I thought that you like him..." (Y/n) admitted, nervously playing with her fingers. Sae was pretty much speechless for a good 2 minutes, ignoring everyone around himself as he sighed.
"I only love you. Shidou is a friend, I will admit that, but I don't see hin as anything more." Sae spoke as he took her hands into his. (Y/n) got more flustered as she avoided Sae's eyes for a moment, but eventually spoke up as well.
"I.... I love you as well. I have for a while now." She stuttered out while looking up at Sae. The boy felt a variety of emotions hit him, but the one that stood out the most was happiness. Pure, utter happiness.
"That makes you mine, from now on. And I will be yours." He said, kissing the embarrassed girl on the cheek.
"I am glad then." She laughed a little.
214 notes · View notes
whokilledjared · 1 month
Text
the sluttiest thing a man can do is be himself. (& takes on social media)
Hi.
I'm lonely.
The moment I got "two weeks off school" in sophomore year, life went to 4x speed & I can't turn it off no matter how hard I try.
Maybe COVID-19 adolescence did numbers on me. Somewhere between the iPhone 5c and ChatGPT, 14-hour screen times have live-streamed to me a steady, homogenous death of culture.
Nothing is cool anymore. Nothing is sacred. Every movement is a trend, and every cult classic a sequel.
The value we place on things being beautiful, on being "cool," and our gatekept appreciation of how hard these things were to find: it's been co-opted, or perhaps stolen. It's been stolen by the new merchant class. "Disruptors" and "innovators" turning our lives into a burgeoning black mirror prequel. Soon, we'll graduate too, and we'll wring every morsel of value in each others' lives dry for cash.
Plain and simple, I think we're being manipulated.
Your dates are an algorithm. Your music is a social signal. And Zuck knows when you sleep.*
God. What the fuck are we doing???
“Individuation is becoming the thing which is not the ego, and that is very strange.” — Carl Jung
Recently, I deleted Instagram. My first impulse was to post a story or something, announcing my departure. But then, I thought that would be lame.
I got rid of my account, too. Kinda. Over 1 year, over 800 followers removed, and what remains of me is a little grey icon, and "JM_0000000010" where my name and face used to be.
yay.
There were many people I wish I could have been friends with, but I wonder, too, why I find myself so drawn to the validation of others. Does social media affect me worse, or do we all just choose to ignore it, languishing in private?
At any rate, this last year has almost felt like re-learning how to be a human being.
Personally, I think one of the biggest markers for maturity is when you become willing to disappoint the people you know in favor of what feels right to you, when you start to unravel the stories you’ve told yourself (or been told) about who you are and what you should be. In short, the sluttiest thing a man can do is be himself.
And sometimes, I think about every college student that has ever lived. My grandmother, my dad, and so on. Just consider for a moment all kids who graduated before 2010:
What was it like for the ones in 1940? To walk around, before a campus had computers? In 2006: To meet someone pretty, but forget their number? In 1999: To cram into dorms, and watch Seinfeld live on-air?
Would I, like my dad in 1988, have braved cold night, brisk wind, & landline phone-call just to knock and see if my friends were too busy to hang?
What stories could I tell if there was even the slightest chance of getting lost on the way home from a party?
Humans are social creatures. We crave our friends like water. To me, the clearest difference between Dasani and Instagram is that one of them comes in a bottle.
Yet despite these distractions and comforts we have in 2024, somehow, we still have engineering students. People who carve out time in their day to sit down, look at paper, and solve differential equations. But then, that's not so hard, is it? It just takes time. Precious, fucking, time.
At Meta, leagues and leagues of these engineers power behavioral scientists, who are competing for the highest salary. Their benchmarks? Your FOMO. Guilt. Anxiety. Obsession. The worse you feel, the more you engage with their content. The more you engage with their content, well, you're starting to get the point.
Try something for me: Open up Instagram, but don't tap anything. What happens? How many little animations? How many tiny nudges prompting you to get lost? Our home-pages are billion-dollar diving boards, hoisting us over engineered catacombs of subconscious quicksand.
My homepage is my FOMO, my envy, and my crushes. The pain and struggle of trying to be someone who I am not. My little existential crises, bundled-up, packaged, and shipped with a like button.
To abandon your social networks entirely, however, requires a safety net of close friends. After all, your friends are online, and you'd be miserable without them.
This is the problem with our monkey brains. Millennia of sociological natural-selection have made us quite great at feeling terrible. We're damn good at making tribal status games to play with, too.
Seeking refuge in quirked up septum piercings and boygenius listeners, my time in counter-cultural, alternative "scenes" between St. Louis and Tampa has shown me that even the weirdest of folks and the most removed can accidentally find themselves reduced to nothing more than high-school popularity contests. Even if I love them. Even if they're amazing people. We're human.
We can't "quit social media" as much as we can't "quit bottled water" Sure, we can, but it's inconvenient. And even without a bottle, we're still drinking water.
So I lost touch with my friends. I got no new updates on their lives. I forced myself into the inconvenience of not having a phone to reach for in fleeting moments of boredom. Suddenly, I was out of the loop. Suddenly, I was bored. And suddenly, nobody missed me. My only friends were the ones I had the time to text. Everyone else ... does not exist.
Weekends have become more valuable than ever. Without the empty social calories of seeing my friends' pictures, I find myself planning hangouts as often as my schedule allows. I have more lunches, more study sessions, and more is done in the company of less.
And I have the time to breathe.
And in this calm, I think I found my answer: it's my misplaced ambition. These fears of anxiety and people I thought I would miss, they seem represent something I want to see more of within myself. Something I want to develop, lean into more deeply, as an individual. And I think that's quite normal; to look out into the world and feel attracted to things we want to see more of. This is, I think, how everyone develops their own definition of beauty — and of coolness. It's largely the intersection of what we find most interesting, and what we want to see more of in the world. Because beauty and coolness, by definition, are rare and hard to find. If they were everywhere, nothing be beautiful, nor would anything be cool.
When we all turn into wrinkles and cataracts, bad backs and heart attacks, for a brief, glorious moment, our lives are going to flash before our eyes. In this moment, you'll see your story. The ultimate progression of you.
How much of that will be skibidi toilet and reaction clips? How much of that will be arguing on the internet? Can you tell me, just how much of your life will you have skipped over to pacify your intentionally-lowered attention span?
That girl whose number you couldn't find Those passing questions over coffee that you couldn't search on Google The boredom of a subway ride
Those are not inconveniences, they're what the older generations refer to as "life."
* (oh, but if you can't sleep, consider this aside: Google knows the angle you walk at, how fast you're walking, and they've got crowdsourced pictures of everywhere around you at all times of the day. fun bedtime thoughts <3)
189 notes · View notes
16bruises · 10 months
Text
Parasocial
word count: 1.5k
purple is other miguel
important information for writers who use google docs
Our eyes met through a screen long before we did.
Tumblr media
“Even an obvious fabrication is some comfort when you have few”
-Margaret Atwood
The everyday misery makes it so my nights and days blend too easily for me to keep any form of a normal or healthy life. I don’t want one without them anyway.
Them.
That beautiful family.
All I’ve ever wanted.
I could’ve had them… but it wasn't meant for me. Not the version of me that I have the misfortune of being. The version I am is only allowed to long for something I can’t have and suffer. But ever since I found them… I’ve suffered less and longed more.
I imagined them with me. I could’ve been so good at having a family if I was only given time. I won’t ever admit it, it would be bad for the morale of the spider society– but I hate being a spider person. I hate that it’s taken so much. I hate that I can watch a version of me through a screen have what I long for. I hate it.
I have so much love for them. The other Miguel’s family. Sometimes I feel so sure that I love them more than that.. alternate version of me that has them. But other times I feel like any version of me would love them more than anything.
But that can’t be true– I’ve suffered for so long alone. I’m the Miguel that suffers and loves them more than any other Miguel could.
The first moment I saw this version of me, he had everything already. He was happily married to her, (y/n). The way she looked at that Miguel made me so sure that she’d love me. She would love me even though I’m not her Miguel. I could be, I’d happily be her’s.
She was pregnant with their baby the first time I saw her.
That Miguel wanted the baby to be a girl. I would’ve told her that I just want the baby to be healthy and for the delivery to go smoothly. I would’ve made sure she knew I could care less about the sex of our baby and that I would love our baby no matter what.
I will admit, I was hoping for a baby girl. But, If the baby had been a boy I wouldn’t have cared. The baby was perfect because it was hers and looked like it could’ve been mine.
That version of me was late getting to the hospital and almost missed the birth. I wouldn’t have been late. I wouldn’t be away from her that close to the baby’s due date.
I cried tears of pure joy when Gabriella was born. I loved her the moment I saw her. She was such a tiny baby, such a beautiful baby.
Since the moment she was born, the longing got worse. It was harder to focus on my duties as Spiderman and as head of the Spider Society. But, I didn’t care. I loved her and Gabriella too much to care.
—-
Everything in that Miguel’s life was so perfect. I found myself resenting myself for not being that version of me.
I hated him. I started watching him, trying to find out what it is about him that made it so he wasn’t destined to suffer while I was. Why did he get to have such a beautiful life and I didn’t?
And I found the reason.
That Miguel was destined to die. That Miguel was destined to die and leave that beautiful family behind.
That Miguel wasn’t destined to suffer because he was destined to bring suffering and longing to them.
I couldn’t let them suffer as I have. I couldn’t let it happen. I had to save her and Gabriella from the painful feeling of mourning.
I didn’t hesitate to step out of my universe and into theirs.
I looked down at that universe’s Miguel, it felt strange. The feeling must be what it’s like to be a Peter Parker, constantly seeing yourself but… not quite.
I dragged that Miguel deeper into the alleyway, away from sight. Then walked home.
She was more than I dreamed of. She kissed me the moment I walked through the door. She was real. She was everything.
The baby. My baby– Gabriella. She wasn’t a newborn anymore, 5 months old now. But, still so tiny. She giggled when I held her.
I knew they could love me. I hadn’t noticed before, how heavy the suffering and longing felt until then. The heavy feelings were suddenly gone.
I held her closer than the other me had. I hugged her more.
I held Gabriella longer and gently rocked her cradle longer after putting her to bed.
Because I loved them more.
—-
My destiny was to suffer. Leaving the universe that demanded such of my life wouldn’t change that. I should’ve known.
Maybe I was too lovestruck by her. She was mine now, my (y/n).
Maybe I was too proud that Gabriella had slept through a full night.
Maybe I was just not thinking because I’d been too excited to be with them to notice the weak rise and fall of this universe’s Miguel’s chest when I arrived.
I should’ve made sure he was dead. It would’ve been easy.
But no, I had been sloppy and too eager to go to them.
I realized he wasn’t dead when I had gone back to my home universe, telling (y/n) that I had to spend a late night at work. I had to check on the spider society and make sure my home universe wasn’t falling apart. Everything seemed fine, a few minor things had happened in my absence but nothing I couldn’t fix.
I went to check on them and saw him. He was alive. He was in a hospital. He wanted to go home, to see his fiance, his baby girl. And he would be doing just that.
I panicked. I rushed back to them.
I was so sure that the next time I was gone, he would come back.
(y/n) would be so confused. I can’t let him come back. He’d explain where he’d been but (y/n) wouldn’t understand because I had been there.
—-
When I was attacked it felt like the end. I thought it was over. I thought about (y/n), our baby, our life together. We wanted to do so much. We were going to get married soon.
Then it felt quiet. Then loud, very very loud.
I could hardly open my eyes enough to make out my surroundings.
The image of (y/n) with baby Gabi, the first time we brought Gabi home, flashed through my mind.
I forced my eyes open.
I strained my arms to lift myself off the concrete.
I strained my voice calling for help.
I pushed and strained until any sign of help appeared.
Once it did, I let myself stop straining.
The next thing I can remember is opening my eyes, no force necessary this time.
The fluorescents looked so bright, and so did the pale walls. The sterile smell and people dressed in scrubs confirmed my suspicion that I was safe. I was safe, I felt better, and I knew where I was.
The hospital staff wanted me to stay for another week after I woke up but I just wanted to go home. I need to make sure (y/n) and Gabi are alright. I need to go home.
After much debate, the hospital agreed to discharge me as long as I agreed to come back within the next two days for a checkup.
And with that– I was on my way home.
It’s not something you’re ever prepared for. I think maybe only identical twins who were separated at birth could understand… the confused terror.
Whatever this thing was… it was expecting me. It was waiting for me.
What had it done to (y/n)?
Or our baby?
Were they ok? Were they even alive? Had this ?thing done something to them?
It was standing in front of the door. Watching me. Neither of us spoke.
It looked just like me. I’ve heard of body snatchers before but I never thought they could be real.
This can’t be real. I was sure I was hallucinating, some negative side effects of the medication I’d been given at the hospital.
It was real though.
It slammed me against the floor when I reached for the doorknob.
It wanted me dead, and with how aggressive and violent it was I knew it would get what it wanted.
—-
I loved them more.
I would do anything to keep them.
Nothing would take me away.
NOTHING.
I killed him. I had to.
After I did it I took a shower. Cleaned the last bits of him off of me.
I hid him better this time.
He was dead, in another universe. Far far away from here.
That night I held Gabriella longer than I had before.
I kissed (y/n) longer, I made love to (y/n), held her until she fell asleep.
I loved them more than any Miguel could.
Tumblr media
Part 2
Part 3
467 notes · View notes
taerple · 5 months
Text
JOHN PRICE - HIDE AND SEEK
— warning: in no way this is meant to sexualize anyone, this is all entertainment purposes only. thanks for reading.
- stalking. obsessive behavior. harsh language. mention of killing. knife play and smut scenes.
Tumblr media
It’s pathetic, I’m pathetic. Knowing that I feel safe and peaceful when my deranged fucking stalker is around everywhere that I am? I do, it makes me sick to even admit it. The safer his presence makes me feel around him, I get terrified of him twice as much. It’s horrifying to know that I could lose my life any day now, not that he wants to kill me, quite the opposite actually.
He wouldn’t— but he could if he wanted to, and I can’t win against him. He loves to see the terrified look etched on my face every time he’s outside of my house, vulnerable and anxious. He wants me to be scared of him.
He loves seeing me cover in the safety of my own house, unable to do anything more than watch as his face contorts with glee whenever he sees me. I hate myself for not being able to fight back, I stand no chance. This man knows me inside out— he can probably predict what I’d do in any and every situation.
I can’t let him get the satisfaction of seeing me tremble within my skin. I can’t let him win every single time he decides to scare me by roaming outside my house, trying to instill a sense of dread inside me. I can’t even talk to anyone without making sure they don’t lose their lives— especially guys.
I know that if a guy even wishes to talk to me, he’s probably going to sew their vocals chords shut. No, he’s definitely going to. No amount of security can confine this man. Nothing. Everything I’ve tried has failed. He always finds some way to maneuver around the system. But that’s okay, because this time I’ll show him that I’m not scared of him. Even if I am, like every night, he’ll stop by— he’ll roam around my house like always, sometimes would send me a text message, and then he’ll leave.
But this time I’ll find the perfect moment, just a small crack in his plan and I’ll flee away from here. He’ll be here soon…
Just the thought of him makes my hair stand. I focused on my breathing, listening intently to outside noises. My head whips towards the noise of a branch cracking outside. He’s here.
I grab a knife just in case things don’t go accordingly— and tiptoe towards a window in my living room. I peeked through the tiny opening while looking at his hooded figure, my breath hitches. He halts in his steps, taking out his phone, seeing his fingers rapidly pressing on the screen.
I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket before slowly taking it out…
I must be looking good today, seeing how hard you’re staring at me.
Furrowing my brows, I look away from the screen and back at him just to see him looking right directly at me. Shit…
He begins walking west from my front door, starting to roam around my house like usual. I wait for a minute, knowing that he’ll be on the opposite side from my front door, and then I rush towards the door. But I immediately freeze hearing keys jingle. Wait a damn minute, why is he here? He’s supposed to be on the other side.
I hear him inserting the key in the lock. My legs develop a mind of their own as I dashed to the nearest wall and hid behind it. The door cracks open, revealing a tall hooded figure as he starts to walk around. Few minutes later, I hear his footsteps going upstairs. Now’s my chance.
I charge for the door when suddenly I stopped dead in my track. “Going somewhere, my love?” I gulped and slowly turned around and there he was, walking downstairs. I feel the liquid adrenaline pumping through my body. I just froze, I couldn’t even move an inch. His deep British accent voice rings inside my skull.
“You’re too scared to run, aren’t you?” I whimper involuntarily. He’s right. My knees begin to tremble while he grin widens, knowing he got under my skin. I come back to my senses before holding my knife up— my hands slightly shaking violently.
“Stay the fuck away from me.” I muttered out, my voice slightly cracking.
“Do you like games, sweetheart?” He questions challengingly, his words drenched in cockiness. I shake my head slowly. He slightly smirks before continuing.
“How about a game called Hide and Seek? If you can hide for ten minutes without being caught, then I’ll leave, forever.” He raises his eyebrows, studying my face. For someone who has been infatuated with me for almost three months, disappearing altogether in ten minutes doesn’t sound promising. Either way, I don’t care. I’ll do whatever it takes— and if ten minutes is all it takes, then so be it.
“Start counting.” He commands, before he exits out of the front door and circling my house— making sure I don’t try to officially run away in the process. There are absolutely no hiding spots in my fucking house. I managed to find a compact space in my closet, just enough for my body to squeeze in.
A few minutes later, I hear the front door close— and his heavy boots clanking on the floor. I count the minutes in my head. Approximately seven minutes later, I realize that I don’t hear him.
I quietly crawl out, making sure I don’t creak my floors— which ends up taking some time to reach. He’s nowhere. I have about fourteen seconds, and it’s over. I swiftly moved— being cautions of my surroundings as I make my way to the front door. Counting down the seconds in my head, I reached for the doorknob, twisting it and flipping the door opened on the last few seconds.
Before I could dashed out, someone grabs me by my waist and pushed me on the hard cold floor— my back colliding harshly with it. “Gotcha. Did you think you can really outsmart me? You have no fucking idea who I am. You can’t get past me even if you wanted to. I hope what I’m going to do next answers your previous questions, yeah?” He hisses before hovering above me— his hands are on my throat, slightly knocking the air out of my lungs.
I struggled, attempting to shove him away but my efforts are futile. Suddenly, he leans down close to me and presses his lips onto mines— this shouldn’t feel good— I shouldn’t like this. The way his lips mould with mine, leaving no space between us. How is tongue explores my mouth greedily, licking into me. How he touches me everywhere. I don’t have a damn choice— I managed to roughly push him off of me, gasping for air. My chest was slightly burning while my heart was racing rapidly.
One of his hands is around my throat while the other grabs the knife is my hand that I had long forgotten about. “What should I do with you, hm?” I struggle against him, but his strong hold is tight. He waves the knife around my cheek, my shaking body risking getting sliced. “Or maybe I should cut that pretty tongue of yours.” He slightly scoffs, the tip of the knife slightly pushing onto my bottom lip, making a tiny cut as blood tickles down my chin.
“Open your mouth.” He orders, and I comply, feeling his grip on my throat slowly loosen. I opened my mouth which was slightly twitching and trembling in fear before he slowly inserts the knife, the flat blunt surface of the cold metal on my tongue— being careful not to cut the inside of my mouth. “Or maybe I should…” his sentence trails off as his eyes set on my throbbing cunt. He slowly leads the tip of the knife between my legs, only a centimeter away from my core. “Take it off.” He demands, gently gazing against my clit through my shorts.
“Come on sweetheart, take ‘em off.” His tone sounds so reassuring but his actions are the complete opposite. My fingers move and hook around the hem of my shorts, pulling them off roughly. I can feel the pool of my arousal painting my thighs and soaking my panties.
His orbs instantly latch down there. “Does this excite you? How fucking adorable.” His smokey laugh pinches my ears, and I feel the humiliation swell my skin. The knife slips under the hem and cuts off the string on both sides.
I gasped— completely bottomless, and aching. He turns his knife around so he grips the sharp metal, the tight grip making his palm start to bleed. The handle stops at my opening— then I feel it slowly pushing inside, causing me to moan slightly. “Come on baby, let it out.” He commanding voice booms out while he thrusts deeper— his thumb circling on my clit roughly.
The pleasure builds more and more until it explodes inside of me, flooding my system with immense pleasure. My eyes flutter shut and my mouth hangs open as my entire body tenses— it’s almost unbearable. He moves my hair aside, pressing his warm lips on my neck and placing featherlight kisses there.
“Good girl.” He praises, before embracing me in his strong arms. “No matter where you go or what you do, you’ll always be my prey— and I’ll always hunt you down.”
240 notes · View notes
justanotherwriter140 · 2 months
Text
Kung Fu Panda 4 - The Movie
The last really, really long discussion post (for now).
Major spoilers ahead!
This review is full of spoilers, so please refrain from reading through it until you've watched KFP4. I would highly suggest doing so, as I want everyone to form their own opinions without my influence. The movie has its flaws (some of which admittedly being a bit distracting), but it's a fun film that has things to offer.
Tumblr media
Kung Fu Panda 4 is a fun movie (take that as you will) that takes its audience on an action-packed, surprisingly funny, yet relatively contained adventure on which Po doesn't really do much. It's an inconsequential, safe sequel that doesn't really hurt the franchise but adds close to nothing.
I had a good time watching the movie. It was obviously produced with its theater experience in mind and the action scenes especially reflected that priority. The humor was actually funny sometimes and I enjoyed Po and Zhen's dynamic. During the film, I was able to put most (most!) of my grievances aside and take the movie for what it is. I've discovered that the best way to watch KFP4 is with low expectations and an open mind.
I have a lot of things to say about KFP4, both complaints and compliments (though the former might be taking the forefront in this review), and I hope this review can help those of you who have seen the movie organize your thoughts. I've been having a lot of trouble with that specific aspect of things myself. Those who get it get it.
With that said, let's get into my full review of KFP4! I've been waiting for nearly 2 years to write this and I'm so excited to share every single thought.
I'm going to follow the format of my first discussion post and curate a bulleted list of my thoughts, followed by an analysis of each of these points. Keep in mind that everything I say is IMO and this is more of a rant post than anything else.
Here are my main points:
The Furious Five's role is comically minuscule in the context of the film. Their actions are inconsequential and add nothing to the plot (a confirmed last-minute add), and they have 30~ seconds of screen time. Shifu is also largely irrelevant.
Mr. Ping and Li's presence has little to no effect on the movie (though I won't complain too much because they were pretty fun to watch and this movie has bigger problems). In almost any scenario, I am adamantly against having characters present that don't add anything to the narrative; however, Mr. Ping is an exception. I love Mr. Ping. James Hong is a gem.
Zhen's screen time is not utilized well and her character is underdeveloped. She definitely wasn't annoying, but I didn't find her either compelling or funny enough to warrant the screen time she was given, especially considering it wasn't used to establish a backstory/strong motives. This makes me feel bad for the character because the movie kind of screwed her out of any substantial development.
The Chameleon, while complimented greatly by Viola Davis, is an underwhelming villain. Viola Davis is amazing in this film and I would suggest watching it for her performance if for nothing else, but the Chameleon is underwhelming considering the super cool concept behind the character.
The film feels very rushed. Apologies to those who disagree, but I think the pacing is atrocious and the final fight is anticlimactic. The movie felt like a word-vomit with no discernible intermissions that stops abruptly when the film ends.
I felt as though Po didn't change/grow as a person and the audience never had a chance to either bond with or relate to his character. His internal struggle is kept to a minimum and we don't spend a moment alone with him as an audience, which is disorienting and distracting. Watching the film felt like running into an old friend at the store who's too in a rush to have a real conversation.
The action scenes were strong with few exceptions. Creative art direction was utilized and I thought the martial arts choreography was entertaining and dynamic. I love the color palette of the film and many scenes were very impressive visually.
With my main points established, I do believe it's ranting time. Strap in, folks.
Tumblr media
Let's start strong with the Furious Five: I'm gutted. Chagrined, despondent, crestfallen, etc.
The lack of the Furious Five negatively affects KFP4 so much, because not only does their absence hurt the atmospheric integrity of KFP as a franchise, it also forces KFP4 to bring in a slew of different characters—all while still noncommittally including the FF at the very end because I believe the marketing team required it—that clog up the cast a bit. It all goes to show how important strong, established side characters are.
The Furious Five are side characters, but the role of "side character" does not equate to being irrelevant, expendable, or exchangeable. I recognize that the Furious Five aren't super developed as characters beyond a handful of lines that allude to traits sprinkled sparingly among the members; however, I believe that the tiny bits of development we have been given have proved impactful in the past. Tigress's development in KFP2 is a prime example of how much narratively conscious changes (however small they may be) can positively affect these movies.
Because of limited runtimes, the Furious Five often operate as more of a singular unit than five individuals. Even so, I don't think discarding them is valid. They're so important to the KFP universe (to Po's universe!) and not having them with him feels so wrong. The Furious Five are fully integral to the heart of Kung Fu Panda, which is why I believe a lot of those who have seen the new movie have expressed something feeling "off" or something being missing.
I agree with this sentiment. To me, KFP4 didn't feel like a KFP movie. I don't need a Furious Five spin-off movie and I can be fully content with a KFP5 centered around Po's journey as an individual as was intended from the beginning, but he can't carry an entire movie on his back. As strong as he is in every sense of the word, he is only one character. He's the centerpiece of the franchise, but a centerpiece can only go so far without the rest of the design, so to speak.
For me, the Furious Five's absence is one of this film's biggest faults. It's huge and glaring. I know I'm not the only one who feels this way, either, because the friends with whom I saw the film refused to talk about any other aspect of the movie after seeing it. Seeing them at the end was better than nothing, of course, but it was a disappointing culmination after eight years of waiting.
That all is to say I feel robbed. Despite all of this, though, I understand that there were reasons why the Furious Five weren't included in the movie. I don't believe the production team would exclude the Furious Five unless they weren't given a choice.
Tumblr media
Shifu and Po's dynamic continues to be thoroughly delightful but their interactions are short and simplified. I would have loved to see more of them in this film, especially considering the extreme relevance of teacher-student relationships in KFP4. I (somewhat) digress, though, because the idea of Shifu having to live at the Jade Palace with only Po for an extended period of time is hilarious enough on its own. Maybe that's what the short film is about!
Tumblr media
The comedy is odd but has some jokes that stand out. Po maintains a healthy relationship with his inner sass, which I think makes him more fun to watch and kind of eradicates the man-child verdict. Some jokes don't land, of course, but I genuinely thought KFP4 had some funny moments. Mr. Ping was consistently awesome and Po had some good lines sprinkled throughout the film.
As for Mr. Ping, he and Li Shan are the subjects of the film's B-plot as they follow Po to Juniper City out of shared concern for their son's safety. In my mind, they don't add anything to the story that couldn't have been brought about by other characters, but they had their moments of being entertaining. I enjoyed their silliness and thought they had a cute dynamic if nothing else.
Speaking of other characters, I want to discuss KFP4's deuteragonist and why I genuinely feel bad about the way her character was treated.
Tumblr media
I want to let it be known that I'm still not on board with Po passing the Dragon Warrior torch to another character. While I agree that his arc is now calling for him to have a student, I disagree with the notion of him retiring from his DW role.
As I stated in my first discussion post:
Didn’t the initial significance and nuance of the title come from the fact that there is only one person who can be the Dragon Warrior, because the concept of the “Dragon Warrior” isn’t so much a title as it is Po himself? The universe (Oogway) must choose the Dragon Warrior because they are a singular being of legend. It is one person, and that person is Po. Wasn’t the point of the first film that the title ultimately doesn’t really matter because there is no “secret ingredient,” so to speak? The title doesn’t actually give Po anything. “It’s just you,” Po says, and that was the resolution.
When it comes to Zhen as a character, contrary to what I predicted I would think of her, I thought she was okay. While I was still a bit distracted by how out-of-place her design looks, I wasn't truly annoyed by her at any point and she and Po had some cute moments. Even so, I think their relationship could have been a bit more refined and developed.
While it's evident that Po and Zhen are meant to have a teacher-student/mentor-apprentice dynamic, I think their relationship feels half-baked. There were parallels that contradicted one another and ended up being confusing come the film's conclusion, and the nature of their relationship seems to vacillate depending on the scene. Additionally, the strength of their bond goes from zero to one hundred within thirty-ish minutes and left me with a bit of whiplash.
We're shown that Po and Zhen care about one another, but we're never shown why. They have a brief conversation during which they bond over being orphans, and Zhen says at one point, "You're actually a good guy," but that's it. This obvious lack of development is a bit disorienting because we're later led to believe that Zhen and Po care very deeply for one another when there's almost nothing to back it up.
Tumblr media Tumblr media
A scene that sticks out to me when discussing this is when Zhen attack-hugs Po in a way that explicitly mirrors Tigress's hug from KFP2. This happens around the beginning of the third act, and while it had the potential to be an endearing moment, I think it fell flat.
The impact of Tigress's hug was brought on by her character's hardcore nature and reputation of being heartless, further strengthened with the knowledge that she was hugging Po (which was obviously way outside her comfort zone) as a show of companionship and fundamental understanding. Tigress hugged Po because he needed someone to recognize his strive for closure.
Zhen's hug had little to no impact because she had no reason to do it and it didn't indicate growth. She hugs Po because she's sorry for betraying him and doesn't want him to be killed by the Chameleon, but neither of these things are newly-established via this hug; we have already gathered by now that Zhen regrets betraying Po and doesn't want him to get hurt.
The hug is far from the movie's weakest point, but I think it's unnecessary given the context. I'm big on hugs in movies (an underutilized form of platonic affection, in my opinion), but it didn't fit here. I don't hate it, and I see it as an honest effort to bring emotionality to Po and Zhen's relationship, but it seems arbitrary.
Zhen and Po's relationship has a lot of potential and I'd be open to seeing more of them in the future, but I think some more thoughtful development needs to occur before I can humor it further. Even so, I can see myself featuring Zhen in some future post-KFP4 one-shots—sparingly, of course, because we have a lot of Furious Five content to compensate for.
Overall, they had a cute dynamic and some sweet moments but I'm not attached. I'm on board with Po having a student but I think their relationship needs a lot more development, something that this film unfortunately didn't give them time to either accomplish or earn.
Now, onto the Chameleon!
Tumblr media
The concept of the Chameleon's character is admittedly super interesting. She's the deuteragonist's fastidious mother figure who feels that Zhen owes her a debt and as a result holds her to an impossible standard. That dynamic had the potential to be so interesting but I didn't think it was explored at all. There is no indication of Zhen having any internal conflict about fighting the Chameleon, no emotional complexity between them at all; it's disappointing because I think it would've added a bit of earnestness to the film.
Additionally, the idea of a shape-shifting villain is versatile. A shape-shifting villain gives those telling the story a lot of room to experiment with the protagonist and different ways in which the main character can be challenged and tested. It's yet another good idea utilized poorly. Just one idea: the Chameleon could have disguised herself as one (or several) of Po's family, friends, etc. and brought to fruition a new arc with his character (seeing as he arguably doesn't have one in this film), but she only disguises herself as Zhen very briefly in the movie.
Furthermore, the Chameleon completely relies on the powers of previous villains to pose any sort of threat to the main characters. She summons Po's former nemeses from the Spirit Realm (despite there being little logic in doing so considering Kai's literal evisceration) and takes their kung fu abilities for herself.
An excerpt from my first KFP4 discussion post that I think is relevant to the point I'm trying to make:
I don’t think it would be in the best interest of anyone if the past villains were to come back in any way that’s not a flashback (even then, I’m not sure I’d see the point). In all honesty, I thought that the whole point of the villains was that they died and stayed dead. They were defeated by Po once and for all as a testament to the idea of establishing Po's character growth and journey as a person through the bad things he’s able to overcome. It’d be highly contradictory to the messages of the other films if these villains were to suddenly come back.
While there was an honest effort made to portray the Chameleon as intimidating, I never felt as though any of the characters were endangered by either her or her army of lizard henchman. She's a visually appealing character (aside from her eyes, which I thought more resembled those of a gecko than a chameleon) and I greatly enjoyed Davis's performance, but overall I don't see the Chameleon as a notable villain.
Tumblr media
The return of Tai Lung (had he been on his own) had the makings to be an excellent story, especially considering the importance of teacher-student dynamics in KFP4. To see him interacting with Shifu would have been incredible and could have led to further closure on Tai Lung's end (because I think that's kind of what the team was going for anyway), but it didn't happen.
It was nice to see Ian McShane reprise his role, but I wish Tai Lung's characterization had been more reminiscent of the way he was in the first film and more complimentary of his overall character arc. Tai Lung isn't a one-dimensional villain with a singular goal and motivation, and I couldn't help but feel as though the complexity of his character was simplified for the sake of KFP4's narrative.
Tai Lung's presence in KFP4 may be odd, but Shen and Kai's appearances are even more so. Kai, if I remember correctly, was fully obliterated by Po, reduced to literal particles on screen (which is kind of wild now that I think about it). Shen being in the Spirit Realm makes sense all things considered; however, Po and Li had no visible reaction to his presence, which seemed a bit unlikely considering Shen's deeds. This plot hole can likely be attributed to the fact that Shen and Kai's cameos (to my knowledge) were last-minute additions to the movie.
Tumblr media
I have to talk about the pacing. I have to. I'm sorry, bear with me.
To me, the film's pacing is erratic and disconcerting. While I can appreciate a quick-moving narrative that doesn't dawdle on storylines that aren't interesting/important, KFP4 kind of flings itself too far in the opposite direction and ends up being frighteningly fast-paced. Once the credits began, I felt like I had been holding my breath for the entire movie.
KFP4 is confusing because while the runtime is standard for a KFP movie, it feels incredibly short. At the same time, the film's story moves at a breakneck speed and leaves little time for heart and development. These things culminate into a barreling boulder of a movie that simply doesn't have time to let its characters, story, or audience take a breath.
A fast pace is not inherently negative, but I don't think it worked in the favor of KFP4. The KFP franchise has always been very emotionally grounded (and just very grounded in general), so to see a film in which emotion/heart takes an aggressive backseat in comparison to action and comedy is jarring. While I think it's unreasonable for fans to expect the same emotional integrity as the original films to be present in the current and upcoming ones, I still think there's room for Po to grow and I felt as though the notion of him developing further was brushed aside in this film.
Tumblr media
As for Po's growth, I felt it was nearly nonexistent. The previous trilogy wrapped up his character's journey beautifully and I know that KFP4 was bound to struggle with this particular aspect of making another KFP film; however, just because the strongest pillars of Po's character are established doesn't serve as a valid excuse to reverse his development and repeat what he learned in KFP3.
In KFP3, Po learned firsthand that he is capable of spreading wisdom and teaching kung fu. He also learns that he is constantly growing and that change is inevitable; there is always something more to learn.
"If you only do what you can do, you will never be more than you are now."
"I don't want to be anything more, I like who I am!"
In KFP4, Po pushes against this narrative despite fully accepting it in KFP3, actively reversing crucial parts of his character development achieved in the latter. KFP3 was non-ambiguously about learning to cope with change and responsibility, and I can't help but feel like KFP4 is simply copying this message while not adding anything to it.
Additionally, I felt that KFP4's Po generally felt less personal than he has in the past. In every KFP movie up to the franchise's most recent addition, I felt very connected to Po as an audience member. I felt like I was truly seeing the world of KFP through his eyes. I consider this to be one of the franchise's most impressive feats; it's incredibly difficult to build a universe around a character without making the audience feel limited to one perspective and one part of the world.
With KFP4, I felt both limited and disconnected. The world didn't feel as vast and all-encompassing as it has in the past and Po didn't seem fully like himself. This could be me nitpicking (as I'm prone to do), but I can't recall a single moment in the movie in which Po was alone on screen. Scenes like these are crucial for me because I see them as a meet-cute between the character and the audience, a moment for us to cross the bridge into their world in a way that's silent and intuitive. These little bonding moments are absolutely integral to feeling connected to a character.
Po's dream sequence in the first KFP movie is one of the best examples of this. It presents his aspirations, alludes to his way of life up to the point of the movie, and showcases his personality. During Po's dream sequence, the audience is quite literally inside Po's mind; we're there with him, seeing what he sees, subsequently feeling what he feels. Po is a dreamer at heart and makes the audience feel like dreamers, too.
In KFP4, I felt like I little to no point of reference when it comes to how Po was feeling. I didn't feel immersed in him and his world.
Tumblr media
I know I've been very "doom and gloom" throughout this post, which is an exhausting mindset for everyone involved. I want to end my critique with something positive because I think some praise is deserved. Let's just say the movie could have been a lot worse, the details of which I'm sure you're all well aware.
The color palette of the movie is beautiful and somewhat reminiscent of the first film. While the animation style of KFP4 is far more simplistic than its predecessors, I was very impressed with its use of shadow and light. Po's many faces were also hysterical, props to those who helped make him as expressive as he is.
Additionally, the movie's action sequences were clearly thought out and discussed in great detail. The experimentation with camera angles was really fun to watch and I enjoyed the majority of the film's fight scenes. They were fun, bouncy, and entertaining, and quite likely reinstated audiences's love of watching a cuddly panda kick butt.
Tumblr media
Congratulations, you've reached the end! Thank you so much to all of you who took the time to read this unnecessarily long and detailed review. As long as I help someone translate their conflicted feelings into coherent thoughts, I'll call it a win.
I want to reiterate that I don't hate Kung Fu Panda 4 and I had fun while watching the film. It has its flaws and there are a lot of aspects that I dislike, but the effort of the crew is obvious and I greatly admire and respect the hard work put into the film by those who worked on it. This does not at all excuse my issues with the movie, but it's worth saying.
As for the future of the series, I only hope that the next installment is more considerate of the franchise's origins and why Po's story is being told in the first place. I fully believe that another sequel could be good given a strong, passionate crew with a great understanding of the characters and world (and I wouldn't be averse to some previous directors returning, just to put it out there).
Thanks again to those who took the time to read this crazy excuse for a movie review. Feel free to either disagree with me or add things in the replies/reblogs, I'm always looking for more thoughts to think.
Until next time!
Tumblr media
103 notes · View notes
delacyrose224 · 1 year
Text
Late Night Talking
Tumblr media
Pairing: Lee Minho x reader
Genre: Fluff, established relationship
Word Count: .9k
Author's Note: Song of the day is Late Night Talking by Harry Styles!
---------------------
“...do you miss me?”
It’s so quiet, you almost think you’ve made it up.
“What?”
Minho clears his throat softly and repeats himself.
“Do you miss me?”
He looks at you earnestly, but can’t hold eye contact for very long before he’s glancing off to the side, running his fingers through his long hair making it even messier than it was to start off with.
You smile, though he doesn’t see it.
“Of course I miss you. Who else can I bother on a daily basis?”
A small smirk works its way across his face as a signature glint of mischief sparkles in his eyes.
“It better just be me. If not, I’ll start sending you those memes you hate. And spam you with pictures of Jisung.”
You roll your eyes, huffing out a laugh.
“Ah, so that’s who you’ve replaced me with since you can’t bother me in person.” Though you’re joking, Minho notices the small frown on your face, even through his phone screen.
“You know I miss you, right?” His face is devoid of any joking, complete earnestness coloring his expression (and his ears, which are turning pink). “I’ve never felt this way about anyone this quickly.” Minho is matter of fact, succinct when it comes to his feelings. That’s how you know he’s telling the truth.
“Minnnnnn…” You hide behind your hands, embarrassed. One of the reasons the two of you had bonded in the first place was because of your difficulties in sharing deeper emotions.
He’s got a full blown smirk on his face now. “Glad I can still make you flustered, even from thousands of miles away,” he laughs. “How was your day?” His eyes soften, genuinely interested in what you have to say.
“It was…dumb, to be honest.”
“Tell me why.” Minho lays across his bed in the hotel room he’s sharing with Changbin, propping his phone up against the pillows.
“Well, I was running late this morning to start things off. Maybe because I made a stop to see your kids…” you laugh. Minho can feel his heart skip a beat in his chest at the mention of you caring about his cats.
“And then once I got to work, I ended up spilling coffee on myself-” You see Minho’s mouth start to open in protest, but you cut him off. “I didn’t burn myself, I just stained my new dress, don’t worry. But then I had meetings most of the day, and you know how my students sometimes just try my patience. But then I came home and changed into comfy clothes and watched a few episodes of that new show we talked about before. And here I am, talking to you-easily the best part of my day.” You smile softly at the man in front of you.
“Well one, I’m sorry you had a bad day. Two, did you put stain remover on your dress? Three, how dare you start that show without me. Four, this is the best part of my day too.”
“You’re worried about the stain on my dress?” You can’t help but laugh-what other man would be so concerned with laundry?
“Well, you spent your hard earned money on it!” he huffs, brows knit together in agitation.
“Yes, Mr. Clean, I put stain remover on it and immediately put it in the wash. And you said you didn’t like period pieces, that’s why I started it without you!”
“Well, I wanted to watch it with you,” he pouts.
“Fine…I’ll rewatch the first episode with you,” you concede. 
“Right now?” Your eyes widen.
“Do you have time right now? Where’s Binnie? And you had a show earlier, you must be exhausted!”
“Not exhausted enough to not spend time with my best girl. And Binnie’s just left to go to the gym, he won’t be back for a while.”
Your cheeks flush at his pet name for you, but you’re excited to spend more time with Minho. After a quick setup and syncing of the show you were going to watch, the two of you settle into your respective beds.
It’s just as good as the first time…well, as much as you sit through. 45 minutes in, you’re both nodding off, and before you know it, you’re sound asleep.
—-------------------------------
A bright beam of sunlight hits your face, forcing your eyes open. 
“What…happened?” You push up onto your elbows, rubbing out sleep out of your eyes, only to flop back down on the bed in protest. A deep groan comes from next to you, but there’s no one there.
Shoving your hands underneath the covers, you search until you grab your phone from the tangle of blankets. There on your screen is Lee Minho, yawning with long hair almost completely covering his face.
“Hi sleepyhead,” you giggle, watching him push the long strands out of his eyes.
“Hi love,” he yawns. “I’m guessing we fell asleep watching that show last night?” You nod. “Guess we were both more exhausted than we thought.” He lays his head on his hand, smiling softly at you.
“You’re smiling an awful lot lately, aren’t you?”
“Yeah, well, it’s hard not to when you’re around.” His smile widens, his eyes staying just as soft as before.
“You keep this up, and Stay is gonna figure out something’s up. The cold Ice King is melting,” you laugh.
“I think they’d be happy that I’m happy,” he muses, then starts to frown. “I have to go get ready for a schedule soon before Chan yells at me…can we do this again soon? In person?”
You nod.
“...it’s a date, then.”
-----------------------
Taglist: @alpacaparkaseok @hyungieyoongi @derinxfam
You can find more of my work here!
436 notes · View notes
wayfayrr · 7 months
Text
This is based on @sketchyspook's Mask - the hero of terminal! he's a lil gremlin who in this decided to pull a sky and break out of his game. He just wants a sibling though so can you blame him?
Tumblr media
“Hey we were thinking about going out tonight [name], you want to join us?”
“Nah, I’ll be honest I was planning to stay in tonight. Just want a rest you know, got some old games I’ve been planning to replay.” “Fair, if I hadn’t promised someone I’d join them I’d probably be doing the same. See you around sometime [name].”
After how hectic everything has been recently it’ll be nice to have a night in where I can just zone out and do next to nothing; really what better way is there to do that than by playing through Majora’s mask for the, what 50th time? It’s such a nostalgic game to me that it can’t be anything other than my go-to relaxing game. Besides that though, really it’s just fun to fish using the fierce deity mask. Something about an ancient war god going fishing like that? It’s a fun break from the rest of the game.
Something feels different this time though. I can’t quite pinpoint what but even the opening cutscene feels different. There’s more static than there should be, it just feels wrong. There’s also this feeling, I’m probably just being paranoid, but I swear someone’s watching me. Judging me even. Like they’re trying to evaluate me for something, I just can’t tell what. It’s nothing I’m sure. Just need to shake it off and carry on playing. 
Saving it after getting the deity mask feels like a good point to leave it off for the evening, how long have I even been playing? I could’ve sworn it wasn’t that long but - It’s past 2?? It’s never taken me this long to get to this point before, maybe it’s been glitching way more than I thought. I mean it felt like every few minutes I lost control over Link, oddly enough it was only when his model was facing the screen. My controller must just be acting up, I knew buying the cheapest one on eBay would’ve been a bad idea, of course, it’s gonna have some issues. Just turn off the game and go to bed, it’s that easy [name]. Your bed’s comfortable anyway, you’ll fall asleep in no time. 
What’s that sound? It’s barely enough to wake me up, am I hearing things? What’s gotten into you tonight [name], first being paranoid while playing, now hearing things? Am I coming down with something? Just try to go back to sleep and deal with this in the morning. 
Okay, I can’t just be feeling things now, did something fall on me during the night?
No, it feels far too much like a person, but then who is lying on me? And how did they get here? Opening my eyes to a blonde kid who looks suspiciously like Link doesn’t feel quite real, maybe I’m still asleep and something fell on me and affected my dream? Oh, what am I kidding myself? I’m awake. I’ll just try to gently wake him up to get some answers, if he doesn’t wake up then at least I can move him so I can get a look at just how he got here. 
“Bewegen Sie mich nicht, ich fühle mich hier wohl.”
So he didn’t like that then, my german is rusty but even then it’s clear enough what he meant by how he’s trying to get closer to me in his half-asleep state. He’s going to be staying right where he is for as long as he can get away with it. All I can hope for in the meantime is to try and find out he got in here without moving. There isn’t any broken glass or windows so he didn’t get in that way, it would be insane for a kid to break in just for hugs as well so that rules out that possibility. 
There is broken glass though… by my laptop… what?Of all the - my laptop is shattered. How did that - did he? My laptop is broken and there is a game character in my arms, that has to be related, doesn't it?  
There are tiny cuts and fresh burns on his arms, ones that look like they could be - did he?
That would explain how my laptop broke. There are more questions from that though. Such as how did a video game character get out of my laptop and into my arms?? And why? Answers aren’t going to show themselves and theres only one person who knows why he did this. 
“Kid? I know you don’t want to move, but can you tell me what’s going on? How you got here at least?” That seems to have woken him up a little, enough for him to look at me now even though he looks very bitter he’s had to move. Now that I’m getting a better look at his face though, he’s certainly link but he looks a little different to how he does in the game. White streaks in the front of his hair, paler eyes and far too many scars for someone his age. It’s like he’s picked up traits of the fierce deity mask, you know what if he’s here in my room real like this why couldn’t he look different from in game?
“Ich kann, ich tue es nicht - I don’t want to be in the game any more, so I got out.”
“Can I ask how you got out?”
Alright no answer for that besides a quick look at his hair, must be a sore point for him. I won’t press him on that until he feels more alright to talk about it.
“Is there any reason you wanted to well, be like this link?”
With a gesture to how he’s decided to lay on me, he has at least a little bit of shame as he looks away from me before mumbling something just loud enough that I could hear.
“After you playing through it for so long, you uh, you feel like an older sibling to me. So I’ll stay here with you [name]?”
It’s either he can stay with me or he’ll go out to the street, not that I have the heart to throw him out, after everything I know he’s been through. That I’m partly responsible for putting him through? If I didn’t play his game, he - he wouldn’t have had to go through that would he. It’s my fault. 
“[name]? You aren’t upset at me are you? I didn’t - I didn’t mean to make you cry, I can - Nun, ich denke, ich kann - if you don’t want me here I can go back.”
“No I don’t - of course I don’t think that. I’m sorry link, I made you keep reliving all of that. I never even knew that you were - oh god I’m so sorry link.”
He paused at that to think things over for a second, most likely about to say something although I can’t tell what from his body language. Is he crying now? Shaking slightly while leaning towards me like he wants a hug, I wouldn’t be surprised if he was crying after everythin-
“AUGH! WHAT WAS THAT FOR?”
“You wouldn’t stop crying because you were blaming yourself for ‘hurting’ me. Now we’re even so you can stop crying about it.”
As much as I hate it he is right, somewhat, one single bite doesn’t exactly make up for everything that I put him through but I’m not going to say that aloud incase he bites me again. Inspecting my arm there is a neat mark from his teeth, kid’s got a strong jaw I’ll give him that.
“Alright [name] I’ve seen a few things of your world when you were playing, but um would you mind showing me what it’s like? You’re my big sibling now so I think that’s just what you have to do.”
“Oh about that, why do you see me as a sibling?”
A shrug with yet another glance at his hair like it holds the answer. 
“I’m not the only one who sees you as my sibling, I know the deity has kinda unofficially adopted you as well.”
“Huh? The deity? Like the mask, the thing you use in game? Has adopted me?”
“Mhm, he’s the one who encouraged me to get out, it’s a little complicated but basically I wore the mask a bit too much.”
Just another thing I’ve done wrong then, or maybe not seeing as he seems to be fine with what is happening and the fact that it’s gotten him out of the game. 
“You gonna explain what you mean by that?”
“Nah not yet, gotta come to terms with it myself as well before any of that.”
182 notes · View notes
redtsundere-writes · 15 days
Text
Jinx | Sukuna Ryomen
Tumblr media
mmafigther!sukuna ryomen x femcoach!reader
Part 10. Doubt
Beginning. ← Previous | Next →
Synopsis: Sukuna is a world champion with anger issues. It's believed by many that he is untrainable. Yeah, you can't train him, but you can dominate him. Contents: Fighting. Sukuna being Sukuna. Female reader being dom. Jinx AU (the BL, not the character from lol) Warnings: Cursed words. Fighting. Sexual harassment. I only read it once, lmao Word count: 3656 words. A/N: Sorry for not posting this yesterday, my life has been a fucking mess lately, but that's what makes it fun, isn't it? I tried weed for the first time, it helps a lot.
Btw I made a PLAYLIST
Tumblr media
Aoi Todo, the champions’ destroyer. In the beginning, he was just another boxer on the big MMA scene. One more rookie among the candidates desperate for a fight. No one seemed to be impressed by his skills until he stepped into the octagon for the first time. Overwhelming victory after victory, climbing steady until he reached the champion of his division, Toji Fushiguro, a feared opponent due to his great career in the UFC. For being 40 years old, he still moved as if his bones were made out of rubber.
The first fight for the title of the heavyweight division was on everyone's mouths, the stakes went through the roof. A complete rookie threatening one of the most talented champions in the industry to take his place. Aoi defeated him on his first attempt by unanimous decision. Toji took it personally so he asked for a rematch that same night and the rest is history.
“Aoi Todo is a strategist by nature, we must plan this fight carefully,” Gojo commented while reading a sports article about our future opponent that Yuuji had found on the internet.
The official Sukuna team was back in the meeting room to plan what we would do to defeat the threat that attempted against the kingdom of the king of the ring. Sukuna couldn't take his eyes off the screen that was playing the last fight Todo had against Toji, the one we watched in the penthouse a month ago.
While he couldn't take his eyes off his opponent, I couldn't stop looking at him. He looked very attractive when he was focused. His crossed arms, his slightly raised eyebrow and his penetrating eyes caught my attention every time. Sometimes I just wanted to come up behind him, hold him against my body and… “What the fuck am I thinking?” I scolded myself, forcing myself to snap back to reality.
I was trying my best to get rid of my feelings towards Sukuna. It was unprofessional, and it was obvious that it wasn’t going anywhere. He still doesn't give me any signs of romantic interest in me, he avoids me when we are in the penthouse sometimes, and he still has his “special sessions” with Shoko. I feel like a fool for getting my hopes up just because he makes me to live with him and gifted me pajamas. It didn't help that I found him attractive long before I met him in person. “Just ignore it and the feeling will go away on its own,” I thought.
“He is a boxer by specialty like Sukuna, it would be best to stay in that area. Gojo will be in charge of training this time,” Nanami wisely recommended, attracting me again to the conversation.
That was good news for me. I would still be in training, but I no longer had to be helicoptering all the time to get him to do floor exercises correctly. Plus, I could watch him train and make mental notes on how to improve my boxing skills for when I make my big comeback to the octagon. It was a unique opportunity to learn from one of the best boxers on the scene.
"That seems fine to me,” I nodded.
"He will not be an easy opponent," Yuuji commented. "Not everyone can send a legend to retirement.”
After the legendary 3 out of 3 fight, Toji Fushiguro officially announced his retirement to the press. He wasn't doing it for Aoi Todo, but because he is already over 40 years old and knows his own bodily limits. In addition, he wanted to give the spotlight to the next generation of fighters, especially his son, whom he will personally train from now on. Which means Megumi had to quit Team Black immediately to return to his father's gym. Yuuji was a bit sad because he won’t see him as often anymore, but they promised to talk to each other daily.
As we left the meeting room, we saw that almost all the members of Team Black were gathered by the entrance, watching as several delivery men left large packages at the lobby. All professionally packaged. Sukuna didn't pay any mind to them and went to train with Gojo so as not to waste time.
"What are they giving away or what?" I asked Yuuji.
"Today is the best day at the gym! Tomorrow is Sukuna's birthday,” he answered with a twinkle in his eye.
I already knew that. For a week I have been looking for the perfect birthday gift for him, but it was more complicated than I thought. When Sukuna wants something, he just buys it without paying attention to the price, an enviable custom. What can you give to someone who can pay for almost anything with their black card?
"Every year he receives hundreds of gifts from sponsors, important gyms and other athletes who want to work with him,” Yuuji explained to me.
When I used to be the champion, I also got gifts like that, but they were 10 or 20, not 80 boxes that you can turn into a tower if you stack them. Yuuji excitedly took my arm to approach the pile.
"But those gifts are for Sukuna, why are we standing in line?” I asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Sukuna never wants their gifts because he says it's a “waste” of space, so he give it to us," Yuuji explained with a smile.
Once the delivery men finished their work, everyone rushed over to the boxes to see what they had inside. Everyone opened the boxes and exchanged the loot depending on what it was. There were expensive sports clothes, top brand protein powders, energy drinks, cutting-edge electronics, flashy watches, leather wallets, etc. It looked like a crazy Black Friday sale.
"Nikes! Good thing I share shoe size with Sukuna," Yuuji commented as he opened a pair of red sneakers with his brother's initials engraved in gold on the heel.
I took one of the boxes that were at the bottom. It had the Adidas logo printed in black all over it. I opened it to take out a black t-shirt with “Ryomen” and the number 1 written on the back. It looked like an average soccer player's jersey. It was size L, so it was too baggy for me, but I could wear it as pajamas.
"What are you going to get him, Yuuji?" I asked him directly while hanging my shirt on my shoulder.
"A compression shirt like every year, Sukuna is a simple man," he answered without giving it much importance.
That was great advice. He always wears neutral-colored clothes, the penthouse has a minimalist style, and he sticks religiously to his routine. His only hobbies are swimming in his large pool and watching old movies at night. He doesn't go out with friends, eat sweets, nor go on dates. If Sukuna wasn't a talented fighter, he would be a very boring man.
Sukuna cornered Yuuji against the ring. His fists flew towards his face, sides, and abdomen. Yuuji raised his gloves towards his face to prevent him from knocking him out. He was among the other fighters who looked up to Sukuna as if he were the new messiah. His posture was perfect, his movements were balanced, and the power of his fists were impressive. My eyes analyzed the position of his feet, the distance between his torso and his fists and the slight curvature of his back.
Yuuji has a love-hate relationship when it comes to training with his brother. He likes training with him because that way they spend more time together, and he learns to fight better, while he hated it because Sukuna never holds back. He treats every training session as if it were a championship fight. Yuuji was hurting inside, but he was doing a good job of holding on. The older one focused on getting the knockout, so Yuuji put his guard up. Bad move. Sukuna changed his strategy mid-move and began to hit him at full power in the abdomen. His little brother doubled over in pain and fell against the floor.
"Son of a bitch, I can’t breathe," Yuuji murmured, taking off his helmet.
"Don't be a crybaby. C’mon, get up," Sukuna asked him, annoyed.
"The crybaby can't fight anymore," Gojo announced. Sukuna sighed exasperatedly.
"Fast. Someone get in the ring.,” the king ordered his subjects.
Since Megumi was not there to replace Yuuji as usual, the fighters looked at each other to see who would be brave enough to go up to face the monster. They all knew that they would face the same fate as Yuuji or worse. Since there were no volunteers, I decided to get into the ring.
"Really?" Sukuna asked me with an evil smile as I helped Yuuji take off his protective gear. He seemed to be in a good mood.
"I can learn a thing or two from you," I said as I put on the protective helmet.
"Aren't you going to hurt yourself?" He scoffed. He spoke as if we were in a showdown at an official weigh-in. Sukuna was trying to intimidate me, but I was going to erase his smile.
"My doctor said that my neck is completely healed, do you know what that means?" I asked him as I put on Yuuji's boxing gloves.
Sukuna and I approach the center to continue training. Sukuna started with a hook to the liver that I evaded with the body. Our feet moved simultaneously, making the canvas squeak.
"Are you going to leave?" He asked me before punching me in the face. I pulled up my gloves to avoid the impact.
"I already told Nanami, I'll leave after the fight and leave you in the hands of another coach," I told him before throwing a hook to his cheek. It didn't connect.
"Who gave you permission to leave?" Sukuna spat, approaching me suddenly.
"Myself," I backed away.
"What if I tripled your salary?" Sukuna hit me on the shoulder.
"It's not about money," I told him once to regain my balance. "I want to return to the octagon and get back my title."
"Are you going to fight or what?" Gojo scolded us with his arms crossed. We talked a lot and fought little.
Sukuna clicked his gloves and launched a killer combo at me. I barely evaded it and went ahead to close the distance, entering his territory abruptly. I threw the best punches I could, but it wasn't enough. I was so used to using my legs to win fights that I felt completely helpless if I could only use my fists. My hooks, jabs, and uppercuts were no match for Sukuna's powerful punches. They were direct and fast. With each blow, my resistance decreased. I could barely stand.
"Coach Gojo, it's time," Shoko asked out loud so we could both hear her. Gojo ended the fight. I was saved by the physiotherapist.
Sukuna pulled himself aside from my body to sigh heavily. I took off the helmet to lighten my body. He took off his gloves without looking at me, he was focused on his thoughts. Maybe processing the news I had given him.
"When I saw you in the ring after beating Naoya, I realized that I miss fighting a lot," I explained as I approached him shyly. What he was going to say next would only be for him. "I want to be like you," I whispered without looking at his face out of embarrassment.
Sukuna’s POV
It's been a couple of months since I've been living with Y/n, and I've learned a few things about her. She is direct, strong, knows what she wants, independent and... she is extremely cute without even trying. She walks around the house in giant shirts that look like short dresses, drags her slippers across the floor in the morning before drinking her coffee, and dances with her headphones on when she thinks no one is watching. How can a girl be so docile but so dangerous at the same time? She was like a cute kitten that can transform into a fierce cheetah in a second.
Little by little, my eyes have been drawn to her daily actions. How gently her hands move when putting on another fighter's boxing gloves, how his eyes move quickly when analyzing me from head to toe and how she pulls hair away from her face, tucking her unruly hair behind her ear. I would like to stop time, so I could admire her all as long as I wanted. I was starting to like her, but there was a problem…
"Do you think Choso and Y/n make a cute couple?" Yuuji asked me through the phone.
I removed the wet towel from my face to look at him through the camera with a frown. The hot water caressed my skin, the bubbles reflected my profile in a blurry way and the flame of the aromatic candle moved subtly. It was a great evening in the comfort of my tub, but Yuuji seemed to be in the mood to ruin it.
"What the hell is that question?" I scoffed.
"Do you want to know what Choso just told me?" Yuuji asked me while raising his eyebrows.
"Someday they are going to kill you for gossiping". I sighed in annoyance. My little brother is a good guy, but he often shares things that he shouldn’t. That's why I prefer to keep my thoughts to myself instead of telling him.
"It is not gossip, it called being informed," he defended himself. "But you really want to know this. Maybe your relationship with Choso will get better soon.”
Since we were kids, Choso and Yuuji have followed me like loyal soldiers. They accompanied me anywhere at any time, we were the powerful Ryomen trio for as long as I could remember... until that blonde bitch decided to ruin everything with her poisonous presence. Every time I think about what happened, my head hurts. I miss having Choso in my life, but I wasn't going to beg him to come back. It's not my fault he doesn’t want to believe the truth.
"Choso told me that Y/n would call him when she's the protector again. Basically she confessed to him!” Itadori exclaimed excitedly.
I closed my eyes and put the warm towel back on my face. I knew Y/n liked Choso since I saw it in her eyes when we were at the bar after my victory against Fushiguro, but I didn't see Choso as in love as he was with the unmentionable. Maybe it was because I was constantly seeing them, Choso tends to get nervous easily.
When Yuuji first told me, I didn't give a damn, but I overlooked one small detail. “…when I'm the protector again” What the fuck that’s supposed to mean? Did she perhaps believe she was a superhero, chosen by God or a WWE wrestler? I thought it was an weeb joke between them or something, but I was wrong.
"When I saw you in the ring after beating Naoya, I realized that I miss fighting a lot," Y/n approached me without looking at me, her eyes looking at the floor. It was strange to see her act so shy. "I want to be like you," she whispered so that only I could hear her.
My heart skipped a beat in confusion. I knew this would happen one day. She would be leaving soon. I didn't know whether to be offended or flattered by her words. Did she really have to tell me something as cheesy as that? She is the only coach capable enough to teach me how to do floor techniques, the only one who makes me give my 110%, the only one who pays attention to the details and makes sure I achieve perfection. I couldn't lose the only coach who tolerates my attitude.
But he knew he couldn't stop her. He is a free and wild soul, he will always do whatever he wants. There was nothing to fight if he had already made a decision,I knew it why she is similar to me in that aspect. She is a champion before being my coach. If the world doesn't move, she will move it.
"That's why I want to ask you to let me train with you," she bowed in respect. It was a sight worth capturing in my mind and admiring.
"I'm not going to be nice just because you're my coach," I warned her.
"I didn't expect you to be," she told me with a smile. Y/n looked relieved for some reason.
"We start tomorrow," I told him before leaving with Shoko to the therapy room. The last thing I saw when I looked back was her sweet smile that her lips let escape thinking I wasn’t looking.
The fucking alarm woke me up at 5 in the morning as always. I turned it off with a smack and sat on the edge of the bed to fully wake up. I checked my phone and the screen was flooded with happy birthday messages that people had sent me since midnight. I threw the phone on the other side of the bed to go get some breakfast.
The crash of a metal pot caught my attention. I peeked into the kitchen expecting to see the cook, instead I found Y/n in front of the stove wearing an oversized t-shirt with my last name on the back and her hair in a messy ponytail. My eyes couldn't help but roam the length of her legs. I knew she was wearing shorts, but the length of the shirt made it look like she wasn't. It was like she was my girlfriend wearing one of my t-shirts. My face flushed at the thought. “Shit, my last name looks great on her,” I thought.
"Good morning, birthday boy," she greeted me upon realizing my existence.
"And Mrs. Kim?" I asked her as I looked over to see what she was preparing, pretending that I hadn't spent a good time looking at her. On the stove there was an egg white omelet with spinach, the toaster had a couple of breads and in the blender a green juice.
"I told her to take the day off. I will be your cook today, that will be my birthday gift,” she responded with a smile.
"And this shirt?" I asked pinching the fabric.
"Adidas I sent it to you, but since you don't want it, I kept it,” she answered without further ado.
“Well, she looks better than me,” I thought, looking at her thighs when she wasn’t looking.
While we were having breakfast, the doorbell rang. Y/n went to see who it was, there were 4 delivery men ready to delivery more boxes full of gifts. By winning 2 consecutive championship fights, sponsor gifts tripled. Y/n watched open-mouthed as the gifts continued to accumulate at the entrance. All this was a nuisance.
“More garbage,” I huffed once the mailmen left. “Take care of this," I ordered Y/n before I left to get ready to go to the gym.
"Why me?” she wondered, offended.
"I don't have time to send everything to the gym," I answered without paying attention.
"But I'll be late for training!" She exclaimed annoyed.
"So what? We don’t need you much,” I answered with a mischievous smile, I knew that answer would upset her.
"Sukuna!" She squealed in annoyance once I locked myself in my room.
End of Sukuna’s POV
I made myself a cup of coffee to start opening the boxes and putting the gifts in plastic bags so it would be easier to transport to the gym. I sat on the floor to carefully dissect each box. Backpacks, accessories, and hundreds of special socks for athletes. I felt like a little girl opening presents on a crazy Christmas morning.
I opened a box that felt extremely light. Inside was a small red leather box with the Cartier brand engraved in gold. It seemed to be really expensive. Inside was a thin gold chain with a pendant with the initials “S R” engraved on it. Quickly notice that there was a note taped to the cover. This gift wasn't like the others, it gave off a more personal vibe. My curiosity got the best of me and I opened the note.
"Happy Birthday. I hope you take advantage of this.” -Yuki
"I'm leaving," Sukuna caught my attention.
"Wait!" I exclaimed before he opened the door. If this was a special gift for him, I'll have him wear it. "This bracelet will look great on you," I grabbed his left hand to put it on his veiny wrist.
"I don't like bracelets,” He released his hand from my grip and took it away.
I was going to tell him that it was from someone called Yuki, but when he grabbed my hand, my brain went blank. His large, veined hand held mine, so I wouldn't move it. His fingers brushed my skin and I could barely breathe. My heart was beating a mile an hour and I didn't know how to react.
"It looks better on you," he said before turning the chain so that he could see the initials on it. "Matches with your shirt," He winked at me and disappeared through the door.
He closed the door and left me with my mouth on the floor. Did I dream, imagine or wish it? Sukuna had bewitched me with a spell I didn't know existed. I looked at the thin gold chain decorating my wrist in disbelief. It jingled when I turned it to read and saw the engraving again that shone in the light. Sukuna, what does this mean? I don't want to get hurt again.
Tumblr media
Next →
Masterlist.
Order your own fanfic! (Starting price: $5 USD)
Tag list: @maskedpacific @thepurpleempath @mazzd4 @charlie-xo @s0uldarling @sunako-0120 @berranurates @00frenchfries00 @crowned-gemini @alialucille @azuremyst99
Let me know if you want to be tagged in the next one! :)
92 notes · View notes