#what does he even desire? we'll never know

[barnbridges]

there's something visceral about.... marion probably knows well enough that bunny doesn't have a fucking bank account at the age of 24 but randomly believed her friend when she said she saw him at a bank, that he randomly became obsessed with murder out of the blue one day and then died and his friends didn't miss him, that his best friend was absolutely ... a sight to behold at the funeral, that the corcorans are neither warm nor really fond of her (where is she talking to his mother? they were planning on having kids together and his parents never spoke to her the whole time she was there), that brady corcoran specifically is described as the least like bunny himself, that they invited "a ton" of people from hampden college but none of her friends (but random people they don't know??? and bunny didn't know that well either??? sure) are ever mentioned being there, they didn't even speak to her when he was presumed missing, but she went right back there and dealt with them for at least another 10 years, and tied herself to them eternally through blood.

#again love in this book is literally #the twisted and the ugly and the bizarre #a feeling that's not aesthetic nor is it really based off what's normal but rather what's visceral and raw and mildly rotten #and their relationship is just... #ripe #it's so.... 50s nuclear family but bunny corcoran never had a nuclear family. how can he desire something he never had. #the secret history #bunny corcoran #what does he even desire? we'll never know #anyway something visceral and ripe and rotten at the core in their relationship and they were married ok #they might as well have been #there's something so.... ugly #in everything they ever do #but at the same time what is true love if not trying to ressurect your dead boyfriend in richard papen words #“for reasons known only to themselves” #bitch they dont miss him #his parents dont care #they never cared #his brothers probably are too traumatized and emotionally stunted themselves to have one thought about it #she cares she brought him back #she's such a delulu girl i adore #her straight audacity

[personasintro]

Mutual Help | #03

𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐭: @kithtaehyung

↳ 𝐬𝐲𝐧𝐨𝐩𝐬𝐢𝐬; in order for you to pretend to be his girlfriend, he helps you with your sexual desires ⏤ he calls it mutual help

⇢ 𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠: jungkook x reader

⇢ 𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: fake dating au, fluff, angst, smut, slow burn

⇢ 𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬: explicit language

⇢ 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭: 2.1k+

⇠ 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐯. | 𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐱 | 𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐭 ⇢ 

One week later and you're walking into the club, hands in hands, trying to act like a real couple. It feels weird, although it's not the first time you're holding Jungkook's hand. But this time, it's a different concept and his fingers are tightly laced with yours. On the other hand, it does feel nice. His hand is way bigger than yours, and it's almost ridiculous how much comfort and security you feel.

It happened too fast. You haven't got the chance to talk about basic rules or how this is going to work. But apparently, Mr. Mutual Help thought it's a great way to show yourselves off when Jimin asked you both to go clubbing. One thing is sure – they can't know your relationship is fake. Of course, at first you were against it. You can't lie to Jimin and Taehyung, they're your friends. Although, Jungkook made sure you knew he doesn't want to lie to them either, but it's the only way to make sure it's believable. Words spread fast, and it doesn't matter if you trust that person. It can slip out accidentally and the whole plan would be useless.

"It's only for a month. We'll say we just wanted to try it and that there was no spark." he told you before you got out of the cab, lacing your fingers together that made you jump in shock.

"Stop jumping whenever I touch you. This has to be believable." he even scolded you.

That audacity.

You've never liked clubs that much. Besides the smell and proximity of sweaty and horny bodies, you never got the thrill behind it either. There's no toilet paper in the restroom which is always annoying, especially when you spend the rest of the night drinking and having to use the restroom all the time. But this is your chance to show yourselves, as a couple.

Jungkook leads you through the crowd, holding your hand even more tightly while he glances over his shoulders at you from time to time. Two minutes later, he manages to find Jimin sitting in a booth with Taehyung and some woman you've never seen before.

"Hey guys!" Taehyung waves excitedly, his cheeks slightly flashed showing off his boxy grin that makes you grin at him.

"Finally!" Jimin yells over the rap music, waving at you before his eyes drop to your locked hands. It's only a matter of a split second, before he smiles back at you as the both of you greet them properly.

"Oh, this is Hattie," Jimin says, introducing the woman with beautiful dark skin and curly hair that's sitting beside him. "We just met her before you guys got here, she's visiting for a few days." he explains, letting her introduce herself more properly.

As you're sitting down, Taehyung goes to order some drinks while you listen to her. She seems to be super nice, explaining how this is her fourth time visiting Seoul before Jimin starts to talk about Busan, his hometown, trying to persuade her how she should visit it as well. You talk back and forth for a couple of minutes, or at least try to through the loud music, before Taehyung is back and you're sipping on your drink.

There's slightly more alcohol in it than you'd appreciate, but you don't mind it that much.

Jungkook's hand is outstretched behind you, something you haven't noticed, until he taps your shoulder causing you to glance at him. He's sitting so damn close that you can smell his cologne that you've always loved and see his soft skin illuminating in the gloom lightening.

"I don't think we're doing a good job." he leans, lips brushing against your ear as you hear his husky voice causing you to almost shiver.

"What do you mean?"

You know exactly what he means by that. You've been in the club for a few minutes, but nobody can tell that you're dating together. Fake dating, of course.

"I think," he says, fingers brushing over your exposed shoulder since your denim jacket slipped down. "You know exactly what I mean." he breathes into your ear, your eyes anxiously dancing between your friends.

Your breath gets caught in your throat when you notice Jimin's eyes on you, watching how close Jungkook is. From his angle, it might look like Jungkook is kissing your neck or whispering sweet things into your ear. You shudder, staring with widened eyes when Jungkook pulls away, satisfied smirk adoring his lips. And then you get it.

He knew Jimin was watching. He wanted him to watch.

"You're a better actor than I thought." you comment, making sure he's the only one who can hear you.

"You've no idea." he smirks, licking his lips before he reaches for his drink.

Jeon Jungkook is going to be the death of you.

It seems like Jungkook has it all planned out to the details. Considering Hoseok, Jungkook's and Kiko's mutual friend that introduced them to each other, is here as well. He walks up to the booth you're all sitting in, grinning at everyone with red cheeks that mimic Taehyung's. He's not drunk though, speaking perfectly fine as he's catching up with everyone. You almost forgot how social and happy he is all the time.

He talks with all of you for a few more minutes, before he checks the time on his watch causing his eyes to slightly widen. 

"It was so good to see all of you again! But I'm supposed to bring drinks to friends I came here with, they're probably gonna kill me." he explains, glancing at everyone.

"Oh, with whom are you here with?" Taehyung asks cheerfully, back straightening in an almost cheerful manner of the thought of meeting new people. You know it's just a pure curiosity.

Hoseok says names you don't know, but when Jimin lets out an occasional Ah, you know he must know some of those people. It's that moment when Kiko's name leaves Hoseok's mouth, his own eyes cautiously glancing at Jungkook who seems to look unbothered. Although, you feel his shoulder tense against you. Still, he doesn't react to it verbally, calmly sipping his drink as Hoseok excuses himself.

"You wanna dance?" Jungkook asks loudly, leaning into you while you can smell vodka on his breath. It's not strong, nor uncomfortable. It's very faint.

"I can't dance," you almost whine, protesting at the idea of you dancing.

You're confident in a lot of things, but unfortunately, dancing between a bunch of bodies that can dance way better than you, is not one of them.

"I need more booze for that." you tell him, knowing he's aware of your drunken phase.

You don't care about dancing, as long as you're drunk enough not to care. It barely happens, but still.

"Oh, come on. I'll lead you." he insists, already standing up as he outstretches his arm for you.

Well, you can't say no now. So with a roll off your eyes and telling him how annoying he is, your hand clasps into his before he leads you into the crowd. Luckily, he stays at the edge, so no one's pushing into you as he grabs your hips. Your arms automatically wrap around his neck, trying to follow the way his hips move before he presses you closer. Your chests bump against each other, causing you to let out a surprised gasp while you're looking into Jungkook's eyes. He's grinning at you, leading your hips with his hands.

"You knew she's here?" you ask him, having an urge to say something.

You don't have to say her name, he knows exactly who you're talking about.

A soft sigh leaves his  mouth, almost unnoticeable but you still notice it, before he nods curtly. "Yeah, Hoseok texted me over the week and he might have mentioned he's gonna be here tonight. Usually, where Hoseok is, Kiko is there as well." he explains.

For some reason, you just wished he'd tell you. You'd appreciate to be included in his small plans because now, you just feel like a figure in his own game. You're supposed to be in this together, whilst you're completely clueless about what's going on. It makes you more annoyed than it should have.

"Are you mad?" he asks, eyes watching you with worry, noticing the sour look on your face.

"I just wished you'd tell me, that's all." you tell him, voice almost inaudible because of the loud music that makes your whole body vibrate with each bass.

He turns you around, quickly catching you when you almost stumble from the sudden movement, your back pressed against his firm chest. Your naked back brushed against the material of his black dress shirt, his silver necklace cold against your skin. He leans down, lips brushing against your ear once again while you're trying to distract yourself from the way his belt digs into your lower back.

"I'm sorry," he apologizes quietly, but still loud enough for you to hear him. "I'll tell you everything from now on."

With a quick nod, that's all he needed for him to relax, intensifying his dance moves as he rolls his body into yours. He makes it feel easy, leading your body as if you were some doll, while you brush against him. You don't think you've ever danced with him this hard, especially when his belt brushes against your ass every now and then. He turns you around, your forehead almost bumping into his chin, while your eyes meet right away.

"Hi," you blurt out, blinking at him as he grins at you.

"Hello," he tells you back, reaching for your denim jacket that managed to slip off your shoulders as he puts it right back, covering your skin. He cups your face, while his other hand is placed securely on your hip. "I think it's time for me to find out what kind of kisser you are."

Wait, what--

Before you can react in any way, his head dips down as his lips softly brush against your own. You almost flinch back, but he holds your face close to his, nose brushing against your cheek before he pokes your nose with it. It's cute and you'd almost giggle at the soft touches, but he presses his lips more firmly now, moving them much more eagerly and harder. You gasp, feeling him to lick your bottom lip. You can't even react, standing there in pure shock at the way he's kissing you because fuck, this man can kiss really good. You've never been kissed this way. So passionately and impatiently, yet with elegance and no imposition.

He takes your moment of surprise to invite himself, tongue slightly brushing against your own. It's not uncomfortable and he's not forcing his way inside, letting himself to test waters with you. He's back with kissing you, biting into your lower lip before he tugs it, eyes boring into yours. Your whole body feels hot, insides quivering with anticipation mixed with lust. But he pulls away, catching a breath which you do as well, noticing you held your breath this whole time.

"Sometimes it's good to dominate your partner," he tells you, causing you to blink at him in confusion before it clicks. He's giving you advice, doing his part of the deal. "And stop staring at me so shockingly. We're supposed to be dating." he jokes, brushing his dark locks out of his eyes, that are currently crinkles in amusement.

"How can I not? My best friend just kissed me out of nowhere!" you exclaim, realizing what has just happened.

Your best friend just made out with you and it left you breathless, and not just because your air was cut off for a minute.

"You better get used to it," he tells you with a grin, his body moving against your own again. "We're dating now." you hear him say, his eyes moving somewhere behind you.

The slight shock is switched with dark eyes on the same spot, causing you to subtly turn around. You don't see it at first, eyes following his line of vision before you notice Kiko standing just a few meters away from you, her eyes boring into Jungkook's before one of her friends catches her attention.

"I didn't know she was there." Jungkook tells you as soon as you turn back to him, and you almost laugh at his sudden distressed face. He's really being honest with everything right now.

"I mean... It's a good thing that she saw, right?"

He lets your words sink in, eyes flickering between yours before his lips curl into a satisfied smirk. "Yeah."He's not sure whether she saw you two kissing, but he could recognize her shocked eyes from miles away. Bingo.

#networkbangtan #ksmutclub #ficswithluv #btswritingcafe #bts smut #jungkook x reader #bts angst #bts fluff #bts au #jungkook fic #jungkook au #mutual help #personasintro

[bluecollarmcandtf]

Yes Coach!

The second the basketball team heard their coach blow the whistle, something clicked in each of their minds. They didn't actually know what was happening. All they were aware of was the uncontrollable urge to drop to their hands and their knees and listen. So, in the middle of practice, each of the sweaty jocks crashed to the floor in a series of loud thuds.

"Listen up, boys!" the Coach's voice blared loud and robotically, "You're all a bunch of weak pansies! Aren't you?"

"Yes, Coach!" each and every one of the basketball players yelled back.

"Tonight, we have some real men stopping by to show us a thing or two," the Coach continued to yell at the top of his lungs, "You need a real man to show you how it's done, don't you?"

"Yes, Coach!" they all barked again in response.

"As we know, these men are to be obeyed to the letter!" he sprayed his words with artificial rage, "They deserve our respect and gratitude for the mental re-conditioning they gave us last week!"

"Yes, coach!"

"Andre!" the Coach suddenly whipped his head towards the point guard, "You remember what you learned last week, son?"

Andre's stomach dropped as the Coach's steely gaze scorched down at him. For a second, he couldn't remember what the man was talking about. Andre barely even remembered last week's re-conditioning session, but then it all came flooding back.

"Yes, Coach!" Andre reported, "I'll be the men's foot slave."

"Good boy," the Coach's lifeless voice replied, "And what does that mean, maggot?"

"It means I'll be taking care of the men's foot related desires. I'll clean their shoes, massage their feet, and that kind of stuff."

"That's right, boy, and don't forget that the men said you'll be using your tongue!"

Andre couldn't believe he'd forgotten that little detail. He cringed at the reminder, but as he thought about it more, he began to wonder what a real man's foot might taste like.

"Now, who's next? Nicholas!"

"Yes, Coach?"

The tall and lanky forward glanced up nervously. This whole ordeal just didn't seem right to him. Mr. Johnson never yelled at the players like this, and that deadpan expression on his face only added to the eeriness.

"You remember your job tonight, maggot?"

"Yes, Coach," Nicholas grimaced at the thought, "I'll be in the corner, face down, and ass up."

"That's right, son. Why don't you go get a head start on it!"

"Yes, Coach," the athlete grumbled and crawled away to the corner of the gym.

Nicholas couldn't shake the feeling that something was off, but he knew that whatever it was could wait. It was just best to plant his face on the floor and prominently display his rear end. It was a really uncomfortable pose, but he sort of zoned out after a few minutes.

"The twins are next!" Coach barked, "Lance! Kyle!"

"Yes, Coach!" the identical athletes answered together.

"You two idiots remember you're jobs?"

"Yes, Coach," Lance answered for them, "We'll be stripping down to nothing to stand by the door like identical coat racks."

"That's right, and make sure each one of your extremities is rigid. The men will be expecting you to keep all their clothing off the ground," the Coach added, "Now, get on with it! Our guests should arrive soon."

"Yes, Coach!" the twins answered and hastily pulled off their sweaty jerseys.

The gym fell quiet for the next half hour or so as Lance and Kyle took their positions on either side of the main entrance. They silently extended each body part they could like a pair of awkward mannequins. Meanwhile, Nicholas snored away in the corner with his ass high in the air, while more and more drool leaked from Andre's mouth as he anticipated meeting some real men's feet.

"We're heeeeeere!" a distant squeal broke through the still quiet.

Suddenly, the "men" arrived, and a small crowd of overtly nerdy guys rushed into the gym and all hell broke loose!

Clothes were excitedly ripped off and tossed carelessly onto either one of the petrified coat racks. The basketball team's point guard got busy tongue-polishing each of their guests' worn loafers. A pair of geeks ran straight for the jock in the corner, already pulling his shorts down and slapping the hairy ass beneath it.

Tim, the scrawniest of the new arrivals surveyed his friends. They were all busy fighting over which athlete they wanted to personally boss around, but he was more interested in confirming that his science project was still running smoothly.

"Coach," Tim asked calmly, "You successfully delivered the trigger. Your work is done here."

"Yes, sir!" Mr. Johnson yelled in Tim's face.

"Geeze, stop yelling!"

"Yes, sir!" he repeated quietly.

Tim shook his head at his imperfect work. Mind control was a finicky science, but he was still proud that he'd managed to pull it off. Every single one of the basketball jocks seemed totally under their control.

Tim turned back to the Coach, "You remember what you're supposed to do next?"

"Yes, sir," the Coach's voice was as monotonous as ever, "I will reward you for conquering my team with a blowjob."

"That sounds perfect, buddy," Tim giggled, already placing a hand on the back of Mr. Johnson's head.

"You'll stay late tonight," Tim instructed the guy between moans, "My friends will want to take most of the jocks home, but whoever's left can be on clean up duty with you."

Coach began to pull his mouth away to answer a submissive "yes, sir," but Tim just grabbed his head and shoved it back down.

"Enough with the affirmative phrases already," he rolled his eyes, "Just say it in your head!"

#gay hypnosis #gay mind control #hypno story #gay ai #gay basketball

[notfreetoday]

The Importance of Amae in My Personal Weatherman

Masterlist || Language Analysis Part 1

I have seen a lot of discourse in the English-speaking fandom surrounding Segasaki's apparent dismissal or trivializing of Yoh's desire to pursue his manga, and most of it is negative. His comments about wanting Yoh to remain dependent on him, or that Yoh does not need to earn money are seen as patronizing or controlling at best and oppressive at worst. It appears that Segasaki does not understand nor respect Yoh's need for independence, and that is what strains their relationship.

But what if I asked you to consider that Segasaki's behaviour is actually an invitation to Yoh to reinforce their relationship? And what if I told you that Yoh's withdrawal from Segasaki constitutes a rejection of that invitation, and it is that rejection that strains their relationship instead?

Of course, the end result is the same - a strained relationship - and in reality there is never one side wholly responsible for this. The point of this is to simply challenge the cultural notion that a successful relationship is the coming together of two equally independent individuals, as opposed to the co-creation of a relationship formed by two interdependent individuals.

"If only you could stay drunk forever..." "It's okay to feel down again for me too you know" - Segasaki, Ep 4, Ep 5

This isn't about Segasaki wanting to keep Yoh is helpless and dependent on him, but about wanting Yoh to be able to be true to his feelings and express his own desire for affection honestly, without having to hide behind "I hate you" or rejection.

Or, let's try and talk about how Segasaki and Yoh reinforce their relationship through the use of amae (featuring a brief mention of tatemae/honne) who am I kidding this is not brief at all

First: Cultural Context

The way people conceptualize and make meaning of the Self differs between Western and East Asian cultures, and this plays into the differences we see in the basis for our self-esteem, the personal attributes that we value, and even what constitutes the behavior of a mature individual. Broadly speaking, Western cultures tend towards the Independent Self Construal (whereby the Self is a distinct entity separate from others) whereas East Asian cultures tend towards Interdependent Self-Construal (whereby the Self is connected to and defined by relationships with others). Thus, in the West, expressing one's individuality is very important for one's self-esteem, and being able to communicate clearly and confidently is valued and a sign of maturity. Conversely, in the East, one's ability to integrate and become a member of the group is prized, and contributes significantly to one's self esteem. In order to be seen as a mature individual, one must learn not only to read a social situation but also how to modify one's behavior in order to respond to the changing demands of that situation, with the ultimate goal being to maintain group harmony.

tl;dr - In East Asian culture, behaviors and attitudes that emphasize interdependence and promote group harmony actually play a big role in reinforcing relationships and one's membership towards the group.

Segasaki is an expert at this - his "public mode" that Yoh refers to actually shows us how good he is at social interactions. This is the Japanese concept of tatemae/honne (crudely translated as public self/private feelings) - which I could link to a bunch of articles for you, but I'm going to suggest you check out this 9 min street interview instead. At 6:41, one of the interviewees comments that another is sunao, or "honest" (we'll cover this later too) and at 6:49 specifically talks about how reading situations is important as an adult. Segasaki reads the room well, but most importantly, he reads Yoh well.

Yoh is not good at this, at all. In Ep 6, we see that he does not integrate well with the group, and he doesn't realize how he might appear to others when he stares and sketches from afar. Yoh does not read the room well because he doesn't pick up on social cues and does not adhere to social norms (I'll point these out in Ep 6's corrections). He cannot read Segasaki, and especially cannot read Segasaki's amae, or his attempts at reinforcing their relationship. Part of this is because his low self-esteem causes him to withdraw from Segasaki's affection as a means of self-protection, and so he valiantly tries to deny his feelings for Segasaki. As Man-san commented in Ep 4, Yoh is not sunao - he has difficulty with being true/honest about his feelings, even to himself.

Sunao is another term that usually pops up when talking about feelings/relationships. It can be used to describe one's relationship with oneself, as well as the relationship with another/group. With oneself, it is usually used to mean "being honest/truthful/straightforward/frank/open-minded about one's feelings". With another person/group, it is usually used to mean "to cooperate/listen/be obedient, or "to be humble/open-minded". In essence, the word encompasses an ideal virtue that is often taught from early childhood - that we should treat both ourselves and others with humility and honesty, because that is how we accept ourselves and stay in harmony with other. This is what becoming an adult, or gaining maturity, means (not gaining independence, as adulthood is often equated to in the West - do you see a running theme here 😂). Of course, that's actually really hard to do, so you'll often hear children (and immature adults too) chided for "not being sunao" (this can therefore sound patronizing if you're not careful). We'll revisit this in a little bit.

Second: What is Amae?

Amae is a key component in Japanese relationships, both intimate and non-intimate. It happens every day, in a variety of different interactions, between a variety of different people. But it is often seen as strange or weird, and those unfamiliar with the concept can feel uncomfortable with it. This stems from the difference in self-construal - because independence is tied so strongly to an individual's self-image in the West, it is very hard to fathom why behavior that emphasizes interdependence could be looked upon favorably. It is telling that every possible English translation of the word "amae" carries a negative connotation, when in Japanese it can be both negative or positive. The original subtitles translated it as "clingy", for example. Other common translations include "dependence", "to act like a child/infant", "to act helpless", "to act spoiled", "coquettish", "seeking indulgence", "being naive" etc.

From A Multifaceted View of the Concept of Amae: Reconsidering the Indigenous Japanese Concept of Relatedness by Kazuko Y Behrens

*Note - the word "presumed" or "presumption" or "expectation" or "assumption" used in the above definition and in the rest of this post, can give the impression that all of amae is premeditated, which adds a calculative component to this concept. Whilst amae can indeed be used in a manipulative manner (benign or otherwise), it is not the case for every single situation, and often amae that seeks affection is often spontaneous and without thought, precisely because the situation allows for it to appear organically. This is the amae that Segasaki and Yoh most often exchange - so think of these assumptions and expectations as "unconscious/subconscious" thought processes.

Third: Amae Between Segasaki and Yoh

Yoh shows a lot of amae when he is drunk:

He whines, buries himself into Segasaki's embrace, refuses to move or let go of him, and keeps repeating "no". In these interactions, Yoh wants Segasaki's affection, but instead of asking, he does, well, this, and he presumes that Segasaki will indulge his behavior. Leaving to get some fresh air might not be as obvious - but it is a form of amae as well, because Man-san is his guest, not Segasaki's, and he shouldn't be leaving Segasaki to entertain her. The expectation that this is okay, and that neither of them will fault him for it, is what makes it amae.

Segasaki obviously enjoys indulging Yoh when Yoh does amae, because he recognises this as Yoh's request for affection from him. It's not that Segasaki enjoys Yoh in this drunk, helpless state; it's not even that Segasaki feels reassured by Yoh's requests for affection. Segasaki knows Yoh likes him, and recognizes that Yoh is struggling with those feelings. That Yoh is actually able to do amae to Segasaki is what delights him the most, because it is something that requires a lot of trust in Segasaki and a willingness to be vulnerable in front of him. This is how amae reinforces relationships - when a request for amae is granted, both the giver and the receiver experience pleasant feelings.

That said, an amae request can also be perceived negatively - if amae is excessive, or if the person responding feels they are obligated to do so. In Ep 5, Man-san chides Yoh for his amae - the fact that he expected to do well from the beginning, and became upset when he failed. He told her about his unemployment, presuming that she would comfort him, but alas.

Segasaki also does amae - but unfortunately Yoh misses many of his cues, and so neither of them really gain pleasant feelings from the interaction (ok so maybe Segasaki does, but I will argue that is more because Segasaki also enjoys it when Yoh obeys him - see @lutawolf's posts for the D/s perspective on this!).

Did you catch it? Segasaki wants Yoh to pass him the Soy Sauce, which, clearly, he is capable of getting himself. He tells Yoh to feed him, because he wants Yoh's affection. And the real kicker - he asked for curry, and expected Yoh to know he wanted pork. In all these interactions, Segasaki presumes that Yoh will indulge him and do for him things he can do himself perfectly well (and even better at that) - this is what makes this amae. But look at Yoh's reactions:

Yoh just stares between the Soy Sauce and Segasaki, between Segasaki and his food, and then just at Segasaki himself. He doesn't recognise any of this as amae, and in the case of feeding Segasaki makes the conclusion that this is somehow a new slave duty he's acquired. And therefore, he does not gain pleasant feelings from it.

In Ep 3 we see a turning point in Yoh's behaviour - his first (sober) attempt at amae (the argument in Ep 2 is debatable - it's not amae from Yoh's POV, but Segasaki responds as if it were, with a head pat and a "when you get drunk, you talk a lot don't you?").

Here, Yoh wants to express his desire for Segasaki's affection, but he can't bring himself to say it aloud. Instead, he dumps bedsheets on Segasaki's lap, as if the bigger the scene he makes the greater the intensity of his desire he can convey. It is the presumption that Segasaki will understand him that makes this amae. And then, we get this:

Not only a happy Segasaki and a sweetly shy Yoh, but also a Yoh who's emboldened by Segasaki's response, and who finally, for the first time, reciprocates touch, and considers the possibility that Segasaki might actually like him.

With every episode, Yoh gets more and more comfortable with doing amae towards Segasaki, because Segasaki picks up on his cues and always responds to them. In Ep 5, Yoh's amae comes out naturally, triggered by the stress of his unemployment, and we see it in all those moments he sounds and acts like a child, and as I mentioned, Segasaki spends the whole episode reassuring Yoh that his amae is welcomed, and that Segasaki likes responding to it. If you've been wondering why the relationship between Segasaki and Yoh can, at times, feel somewhat parental in nature - this is it. It's because Segasaki sees the contradiction between Yoh's childlike insistence that he does not like Segasaki and his desire for Segasaki's attention and affection, for what it really is - Yoh's struggle with accepting himself. When Yoh is able to be sunao, he does amae naturally, and Segasaki responds to him in kind.

Now, all we need is for Yoh to recognize when Segasaki does amae, which will likely happen soon, given that Yoh has grown with every episode.

As always, thank you for reading :))

#my personal weatherman #taikan yohou #体感予報 #segasaki x yoh #MPW language analysis #sociolinguistics #japanese language #japanese cultural tidbits #mytranslations #MPW subtitle corrections #my meta is creeping into my sub corrections #need to get it out here instead #sorry for the length #tbh posting such crazy long posts and expecting that people will actually read it #can be considered amae too 🤣🤣 #Ep 6 corrections will be out next #I just needed to get this out before 7 #and i sorta made it

[jahiera]

see the thing about Astarion to me is I don't actually think he has a clue who he actually is beneath all of the everything he's got going on. he's got impulses, he's got drive, a will to live, he's got desires and amusements and cravings, but an actual selfhood?? no. there's a blue error screen where the person of him should be, the person -- whoever that was, I'm personally of the mind he likely wasn't good then either, but we'll see where the story takes us -- before Cazador. the man in front of us today is this mishmash of interior delight at freedom and sunlight but also capable of true unapologetic cruelty and willingness to be ugly in a multitude of ways. so he follows the impulse. he follows what intrigues and amuses, and nothing will take that freedom from him again. and he reflects back onto others the violence that was done unto him. a lack of power kept him down? now he wants to accumulate power, so it can never be turned on him again. but he also misses the sun while he's underground. he's mean and desperate and ruthless and it's interesting because he's unapologetic about it, he's unflinching about it. he's vindictive and mean and desperately floundering around throwing stuff at a wall to see what sticks in terms of personhood because who is he now. 200 years of horrific servitude and now he's just out and about and he's in the mud.

and he can be horrible. and yet when you take the routes of prying open the faaairly shallow veneer he has of smug and snark and snappiness, he'll give you pieces of the raw and the desperate -- "I want to know what the world sees when it looks at me. what you see." is a line you only get if you're earnest with him. any other path in the dialogue will have him continue the shallow persona you've come to know. and in all of that I think nothing is "this is real, this is an act," set in stone because I just don't think he even knows, I don't think he has a CLUE what's his and what's the protective measures and what's the real delight and what's the cruel mockery of his surroundings and what he's willing to give vs what he needs to hide vs what he lets slip out on accident. the inconsistencies in his own ideas and what he says and what he does. I think most everything about him is in a weird place of deeply uncertain. is it a lie? is it a glimmer of truth? for me, I like to interpret him in this weird menagerie of half-truths and shallow lies and omissions, because we've only known him a short while and maybe also he doesn't even know the answer yet. who is he? fuck if HE knows. anyways. smash.

#this is NOT coherent or well put together I'm just chewing on him right now like a dog toy in my brain #I do think it's so vital to not miss the point that he's shallowly horrible in so many ways #like. objectively. #not that I don't love the 'I can fix him' but imagining him soft diminishes the character for me #It feels VITAL to him that he's gnarly in so many respects. and yet floundering and insecure in so many others #self-preservation at all costs but what are you preserving babyboy! you have no clue only that you must protect yourself #he approves of and finds amusement in minor cruelties in a way that feels so .... soooo .... #I don't know. like if he can turn it on someone else that means /he/ is finally beyond the reach of someone doing it to him #because as soon as it's done to him he goes OFF THE RAILS #call him a slave and he shows a startling aggression that is fairly rare (he doesn't often yell -- merely sly and slink and snarks and digs #it's just. HIM. #I'm putting him in the microwave for around 4 minutes to see what comes out. #astarion #bg3 meta

[mellowwillowy]

Love, Longing and Lust

Not proofread, contains slight nsfw (noncon)

"Princess, where are you heading to?"

The crown prince just wouldn't stop tailing you. It was a mistake to reunite with him. It was a mistake to reunite with both of them.

"... Princess?"

Both, of them.

You accidentally tripped yourself and was caught mid way by the second. His grip tightened a bit before he steadied you.

"Princess, what are you doing running around? It does not paint a... great portrait of you..."

While the second one was more 'calm', he was no exception to the unhingeness of this castle. This whole nation, you should have brought it down to fire.

"Tell him to stop tailing me around then perhaps I can finally act in modesty!"

You spat, while leaving them both, grumbling.

"What did you do?"

"Not much, just following her here and there!"

"... be mindful of your actions. She will soon be a part of our lineage"

".... .... I don't like that."

The first one was not pleased about it. To see you be wedded to another children of that bastard? He was the crown prince, so why couldn't he choose who to marry?

Simple. Because you were lower than the woman he was arranged with.

"We'll do something about that, I've asked someone to handle your fiancee personally"

"Hmm, then how are we going to share... in the end, only I get to marry her~ while you are nothing but a pristine man"

The first snickered at the second.

"Silence, for I am no longer tempted with earthly desires"

Lie.

Liar.

....

..

.

"What?! Why is it suddenly rearangged?!"

"Why does it even matter?! Look! We got someone who is even better than that cow!"

Both of them handled it well. The supposed fiancee? Only history knows what happened.

"But I don't want to! He is nothing but a creep! Urghh, just thinking about him made me feel, urph-"

The dispute between you and your father never found its own ending. In the end, you were wedded to the crown prince. While it was questionable, your family paid no mind of it. If their daughter could be wedded and mentioned into the lineage, who wouldn't accept?

The whole wedding was opulent, the lights illuminated in the whole building painted everyone in awe. But not for you.

"Do you think you can vow your love for eternity?"

"Formalities"

"We'll consummate tonight though"

"Formalities."

"With a witness, that is"

"!! Huh?"

You should have questioned him further but you didn't. His hands just wouldn't stop pestering you enough. One squeezing your hip while the other one just traveled wherever it wanted to be.

"I think you should really mind your manner"

"Why? We are both spouses to each other now"

"You-"

"Let's stop bothering her, alright?"

If your internal organs could scream, they'd be screaming happily to see your spouse sulking. Of course it didn't last long when the night fell.

Your first night.

".... what? Come again?"

"I said~ we need a witness for what we are about to do?"

"Witness?! Are you nuts?! Let go of me!"

Why must he told you that when you guys are mid way of playing around now? And who exactly was this witness? Just when you were about to get yourself off the bed, he held you back by the ankle and,

"He's going to watch us and swear to god that we have done it well~"

You looked toward the door. It's the second. Obviously you stated throwing tantrums, telling him to leave.

"Darling...", his grip tightened, almost painful.

"You get to choose. Either I prepare you really well for our first time or..."

He grabbed your chin and made you face the second.

"I penetrate you dry and plainfully bloody"

"Hiii-!"

"Now then, I'd be pleased if you beg yourself for the first!"

Humiliaton. Endless humiliation. Not only did you have to beg for the first one, you also had to bear the shame of someone else watching your bare body and expressions changing.

"Please... huk-"

Your tears wouldn't stop rolling. But no one cared. No one cared.

No one.

...

..

.

(I just wanna get to the Second's turn)

"... do you think God really exist somewhere?"

Your question caught him off guard while he was praying. God?

"If so... I wonder how much indecencies he wanted me to bear"

Right, the Second did not stop what he had to do every time they did it. 'Witnessing the love they were bearing' was nothing but a joke.

"... I believe this is no question you should pose in the holy-"

"Do you even conside yourself holy?"

"...Pardon?"

"... of course not, excuse me", you scoffed at him before leaving.

He started to think. Think. Think. And think. He was thinking hard enough to stop you by the wrist and,

"... I think, you are not holy enough.."

"Wha-?"

Splash!

The holy water, you are literally inside it now, drenched from top to toes!

"What the hell do you think you are do-"

A kiss to seal your lip from bickering, a really deep kiss. It's way too scandalous! You tried to free yourself from his grip but he just wouldn't let go!

"I said, I don't think you are holy enough"

His hands started to undress you.

"That's why, I'll do my best,"

Another kiss.

"To make you, the holiest."

You tried to get off from the water itself until you felt someone pushed your head down into the water.

"Great~ great~! Now then, let's proceed!"

You brought your head back to the surface.

"You-! What are you doing?! Can't you see what he's doing to your wife?!"

"But he's done nothing wrong right?"

"What?"

"Kekeke, we already promised each other that if we, or one of us, decided to make you bear our love... the other one will make sure to watch everything. To ensure that the whole thing was proceeded well and safe!"

Your heart dropped. No, no, no. Don't.

The second grabbed you by your jaw and made you faced him.

"God wanted you to bear our love and I shall carry it out, please, accept the blessing from the child of God"

Ah.

..

.

"Hmmm~ whose child is it, I wonder!!"

".... one thing for sure is that it is undoubtedly, the new child of God"

"Or perhaps children?! I can't wait to see them!"

You were not excited to see them.

But if God wanted otherwise,

Who were you to complain.

- ??? ; Love, Longing and Lust ; ???

First : Childe , Kaeya , Ayato , ?? , Kaveh

Second : Zhongli , Diluc , Thoma , ?? , Alhaitham

#yandere thoma #yandere thoughts #yandere kaeya #yandere diluc #yandere alhaitham #yandere kaveh #yandere childe #yandere zhongli #yandere ayato #yandere male #yandere male x reader #yandere childe x reader #yandere blade #yandere sampo koski

[lurkingshan]

Love for Love's Sake Episodes 7 & 8

Well holy shit, that went in some directions I never imagined, and it was very dark indeed. I can't believe this intriguing little show is already over. So let's unpack what happened here.

My interpretation of everything we learned in these final episodes is that Myungha already died by suicide in the real world after a series of hardships, including the death of his grandmother, a long-term struggle with depression, and rejection from his ex and his mother, and the author gave him a chance to live again in the game world. The ending suggests he will now stay in the game world with Yeowoon and get another chance at life where his core objective is to make himself happy, and any expectation we had that he would have to return to the real world is out the window, because his life there has already ended.

But what exactly is this game world? I don't think we'll ever fully know for sure. Certainly, the show did not explain the how of it, or tie together all the vignettes we saw of Myungha and the author discussing their philosophy on life in a clear throughline to how we got to the game. The game world was purportedly based on the author's fictional novel, but all along it has taken on the features of Myungha's real life, including all the significant people we saw in his first life flashbacks. His grandma is here, his mother is here, his ex is even here in the guise of Yeowoon's agent. Myungha's memories and consciousness seem to inform the way this world was built, even as he did not create it. The author is given the role of Creator, somehow designing this world for Myungha to try to find happiness via seeking to make someone with very similar experiences to his happy.

Now, on this point, I don't think everything that happened in the original iteration of the game totally holds up. The way the author was messing with Myungha and forcing cruel choices on him really does not track with a desire to help him find happiness, and the point where Yeowoon seems to discover the game and somehow intervene to pull Myungha back in was lacking some clarity. And I wish the show had grounded us in Myungha's experiences earlier on rather than holding everything back for the sake of mystery--I do think that choice got in the way of a more coherent emotional arc for our protagonist.

But despite those quibbles, I still was able to connect with Myungha's struggles. This is a boy who has been so mired in his own misery that he doesn't know how to let anyone else in. He is too afraid to trust and let someone care for him in the way he cares for others. I wanted to reach through the screen and strangle him when his own emotional paralysis caused him to destroy the game--Yeowoon was telling him exactly what he needed, but he couldn't find the strength within himself to give it to him. And this is why knowing Yeowoon is exactly what he needed to see a different path for himself, because Yeowoon has experienced many of the same hurts but still finds within himself the ability to trust and rely on Myungha. Yeowoon is the stronger of the two of them, and Myungha needed to learn from him to overcome his own cowardice. Their happy reunion in the game world felt earned, and I believe in Myungha's ability to try again at both life and this relationship without holding back this time.

This show definitely wasn't perfect, but it really did some interesting things and left us with a lot to think about. I am looking forward to reading everyone else's interpretations of these final episodes, and Myungha and Yeowoon will be staying with me for a long time.

#love for love's sake #korean bl #kdrama #shan shouts into the void

[acourtofthought]

I have no doubt that Lucien loved Jesminda with his entire heart. But in romance books, the author does typically want to write the endgame pairing in a way that lets readers know that their story is the ultimate love, something that could not have even been topped by a characters first love. I sometimes think on how SJM will go about convincing both Elain and the readers that Elain is his soulmate and not only because they share a bond but because of who Elain is as an individual and why she as an individual is everything he could want, why even if Jesminda were alive he would still choose Elain (something I do think Elain might have fears over). It's easy to see why Graysen was never going to be right for Elain, the red flags were already included in ACOMAF for us but Jesminda is on a pedestal for us, her death truly seems a tragedy for Lucien. However........ "She had teased him taunted him - seduced him so thoroughly that he hadn't wanted anything but her."

"She had chosen him."

I wonder if there is something in those lines because Lucien spent his youth being tormented by both his father and his brothers, he was clearly unwanted by 7/8th of the people around him and the one who loved him (the LoA) did not seem to have enough agency to prevent what was done to him. Lucien loved Jesminda, no doubt, but is she who he would have chosen for himself? We aren't given hints that he was initially drawn to her, we're told she was drawn to him. Was he overwhelmed by the fact that someone made him their priority, that they wanted him and him alone when he had spent so much time being unwanted and that is why he dove into their relationship with his whole heart? Jesminda was his escape from a terrible life and I can understand why he put his everything into it, she would have been the brightest light in the darkness. He would have been willing to leave everything behind for her, the court, his title, but that's because those things were his curse. Had he loved his court, his family, his brothers, would he have still been willing to leave that all behind for a female who was too wild and free to remain trapped in a life with structure and expectation?

I realize it's important for Elain to choose Lucien but I think it's important for Lucien to also choose someone who hasn't made it easy for him. He did not have to put effort into Jesminda to win her heart, Jesminda made her intentions very clear and all Lucien had to do was say yes. He was able to easily find female companionship even after that (though it's evident he never opened himself up emotionally to any of them). So yeah, I think the Elucien stalemate is actually a good thing for Lucien because it shows that he longs for Elain even when she does not seem to be reaching out to him, is not chasing him. She is not his current escape from sadness, from loneliness and he's not clinging to her because it's the one good thing in his otherwise uncertain life. He still wants her despite the fact that she's part of the reason he is struggling (the hallmark of all epic love stories, am I right?). Lucien has suffered in his life, no doubt. But he has never suffered for a female to earn her love and that is the one thing that Elain can believe in if she's ever in doubt as to his desire to be with her. She is the one person who he wanted regardless of what she felt for him. She is the one person who he waited for, regardless of how long it took. She is the one female who didn't fall at his feet, making it easy for him which is proving to the reader that he would stand by her side through the highs and the lows and I hope we'll find that it's because of who Lucien has seen Elain to be and how she is exactly who he would have chosen for himself.

#pro elucien #elucien #lucien vanserra #elain archeron

[thelesbianluthor]

Saw people talk about the fact that the trio knows every single threat they have to face before they have to confront them in the show vs in the books they actually fall into traps and then have to find a way to escape it.

This is one of the main issues i have too honestly. I understand the choice of making annabeth pick up on the statues and the name of the place and obviously guess "oh that is medusa". It works bc medusa is important and connected to her mother and like the context clues are staggering.

But comparing that moment to the start of episode 7 (which i actually really enjoyed especially compared to ep6) makes the show lose most of the tension they could have.

Like why make it an immediate exposition dump on "oh you are this and you do that and we are here for this and that" i don't mind the change of making the shop the entrance of hell but why can't they just for once fall into a trap like? They are 12 years old trying to avoid a war and fix a situation way bigger than them, they are smart and quick witted but let them make mistakes and NOT KNOW some things.

I feel like a lot of the potential of the first scene went out of the window and it just became a "here's an exposition of a scene that happened in the book" and that way even if you cut it you don't lose anything really.

Changes are a GOOD thing and that is not my issue with the show at all! I have already said that I mostly enjoy the changes that were made and I am not expecting nor want a scene for scene copy but it does make it a lot less interesting imo if they go into EVERY SINGLE SITUATION knowing what they are up against for no real reason.

You can have them know some things and guess who they are up against but like if it happens every time the tension of the danger gets lost a lot and it becomes repetitive imo.

On the good side of things tho I think you can see in general that the trio has gotten a lot more comfortable in the characters and the improvement it's very visible. I already said how I really love the casting and I only expect them to get better at portraying the characters that is a no brainer.

The flash backs were probably my favorite part of the episode along with the way they decided to visually represent Hell.

I love that we get to see a peak of Sally and Poseidon's dynamic and how hard it was for Sally to raise Percy, not only bc of the risks his godly heritage brings but also bc she was a single mother and society in general tends to give up on people that don't fit the mold.

Small Percy thinking his mom wanted to get rid of him and saying "I would never do that to you" even tho she has spent every moment doing her best to protect him vs an older Percy having to choose to leave his mom behind so he can do the right thing even tho everything he has done has been fueled by the desire to save her. That was beautiful and tragic.

Casting in general is incredible bc even with the little we saw of Poseidon (I knew the actor from black sails so I knew he would be great) I think he really nailed it.

Hades is maybe a BIT too silly but I can live with it honestly. Like we'll have time to explore and make other characters deeper later on so i don't see this as an issue.

The decision to make them aware of Kronos and tell Hades is interesting and I do like that he offered to protect Percy if he believed to be at risk.

I understand that with how things are now you never know if a show will be renewed and if you'll get to actually finish your story so I don't mind them making certain stuff known sooner and sprinkling references to future events or call backs (MOA percabeth reference I am talking abt you).

Overall I think that the strongest suit of the show right now is the cast and the way they show characters dynamics and their potential.

Like I have said before my criticism stems from my love for the material and my wish for it to do well. I have opinions that maybe will not match with others and it's okay! Not everyone has to like something! I WANT the show to keep going and grow and evolve into a better adaptation with each step because I really love the basis they laid down, the story and the characters and I see the potential most of all. I can't wait for the last episode.

#pjo rant #pjo rambles #percy jackson #i really like episode 7 in general #i think it was a lot better than 6 like that one was maybe the weakest #i am excited for the last one bc i think it will be even better #most of all baby percy and Sally moments almost made me cry with each scene #he was so small and sally was trying so hard #love them #percy jackon and the olympians #pjo tv show #pjo spoilers #pjo series #pjo

[50cal-fullauto-astarion]

Blah blah blah, massive jerking off motion, sugar daddy Colonel König with a f!reader!30 year old, established sugar baby doing it for a laff fic bullet point idea I've been bullshitting around with under the cut:

Again, bc y'all know me, this is just my fuckin oc dressed up as a reader but yknow what whatever. It’s my maladaptive daydream and I’m generalizing enough to share it.

You’re a doctor of organic chemistry, working in pharmaceutical forensics at a lab that largely deals with multinational jurisdiction drug offenses for various state agencies. The work pays pretty well, as it’s government scale, but it is dull and repetitive.

To get your kicks, you sugar baby casually on a semi-regular to regular basis. It suits you. You’ve never established a meaningful long term relationship, flings come easily to you, and older would-be romancers have always taken interest in you in ways that people from your own age bracket haven’t.

Sex or no, it all depends on who is approaching you, the decision ultimately yours.

And they don’t have to provide monetarily, no. You’re well established, more than that even. Once they understand that aspect of you, they shift their approach, and that’s when the fun starts.

Gifts, trips, concerts, dinners—whatever you want, all of it a discreet text away.

None of your entanglements last terribly long. You’re off-putting, in your way, your mannerisms, your directness. Most of your paramours find that it doesn’t click for them. If you’re having sex, it doesn’t matter how mind blowing it is—usually for your partner, though you’ve had the occasional winner—one way or another it ends. And you have been the one to end it, especially when you feel it growing strained and pointed toward what services you provide your temp partners. You’re no stranger to the sudden and surgical cut.

One such situation leads a Colonel to a spot at your feet.

One of the dudes who wandered into your carousel was Declan O’Conor, of KorTac. He’d been intrigued by your intensity at first, and the sex was some of the best he’d ever had, though you thought he lacked skills in foreplay. He was generally brusque however, and tended to ignore the trade of attention and gifts in favor of his desires, which left you cold and unimpressed.

gonna be real, i left off here like two days ago, and i'm 2 hours into my last work day before my weekend, so i'm not bothering with extra detail, we're wheelin' and dealin' now, lads.

a certain colonel gets a hold of your email through declan, a nanosecond before you dump declan's ass. the timing? immaculate. the colonel could not have done better. isn't he fucking lucky.

he's heard declan bragging about his new bird. she's smart, she's discreet, she fucks like a succubus. she doesn't even want money, or a relationship. shit, she doesn't even care if you're married or have kids, she wants no part of your real life. she just wants fun and stimulation.

well. ain't that just what the colonel is looking for, he lies to himself. könig is almost half convinced you're an escort dressed up as a woman looking for a good time, but what the fuck does he know. and from what he's gathered, the way people approach you is myriad, but you're picky as for how long things go on.

he's drowned at work, has no desire to go bar crawling or trying to pick up a dumbass hobby to try and meet someone, and he, if he's honest with himself, does not have the time to dedicate to an actual relationship, is mildly horrified at the idea of using an app to date, and is approaching his mid 40s. his work is too demanding, he travels too much, he's too burnt out. fun sounds fun.

he shoots off the email.

what he gets in return: "interesting that o'conor seems to be recommending me around, as that's not part of the agreement. but i'll meet you. tell me when you're next in berlin, and we'll set a date. should it cross your mind, bring me something interesting."

smth smth, time moves on, you end up meeting up with him for dinner. he insisted. he knew a place. you hoped like hell it wasn't some overblown officer's club. that shit was always dead boring and full of the most disgusting braggadocio you've heard in your life. testosterone beating off against testosterone, trying to find out which one nuts first.

but, nah. he hauls you to a korean bbq joint that's a real down and dirty hole in the wall, and immediately you're impressed. the food is amazing. it's quiet. he is ENORMOUS, but has an air of cinders about him.

you can tell he used to run off rage, almost solely. it must've burned down over the years, or his fuel had taken a hit that it could never recover from. he's tired. he's looking for ease.

he wears a gaiter covering the bottom half of his face and neck, and you find it curious as the dinner starts, your booth in the far back, away from prying eyes.

thought it was for your comfort. he'd already spoken of your discretion, that he was well aware, and interested in the same. his position in his org is high up, he works with sensitive info, his clearance is big time spooky. things you're familiar with from your own work.

he calls his work security, and you call your own science. it is enough.

he warns you about his facial scarring before the meal begins, giving you the choice to avoid seeing him eat, and you turn down that offer. "i can assure you that i've seen worse," you say, confident, unshaken at what he might be hiding. your history is a darkness, it runs deep, and ruin is not unfamiliar to you.

he seems pleased, or at least mollified, and pulls down the gaiter. the lower half of his face is a wreckage, almost at odds with the wheat colored curls - all shot through with silvery-gray - tied into a tail at the base of his skull, and the blue of his bag-bruised eyes. a botched cleft lip surgery, exposing big, fuck-around-find-out teeth in a scar that leaves him always snarling. rippling burn scars crawling up from his ravaged neck, pulling at the corner of his eye.

at least he will eat, if nothing else.

it is one of the rare times he will allow you to see this.

at the end of the meal, after some good conversation, dancing light around heavy realities, secrets that can't be told, you sit back and watch him with curiosity-heavy eyes, a contentedly full stomach, the foot of your crossed leg hovering in the air between you under the table.

he's pulled his gaiter back up, peeling euro bills off a fat clip he pulls from his pocket, dropping them on the table, overpaying the meal. perhaps the privacy. perhaps the server. perhaps the flash of it.

"i didn't forget," he laughs, voice still higher than you'd expected, but rasping and rough as gravel churning mud and blood.

"apologies. i'm impatient. it is my nature."

"hah. have that in common, then, hm?" he laughs, going for another pocket.

usually, you expect jewelry on the first date. it hasn't been uncommon with the people you run with. perhaps even technology. you were afforded an iphone 14 pro max a month before they'd even come out, but you'd held onto it and resold it later.

and this fascinating könig pulls out a box, as well. you almost feel your stomach sink. you'd been hoping...well. it doesn't matter what you'd hope. and maybe it was foolish to harbor a small, chittering desire that he'd be different, after the turns your conversations took.

he plunks it down on the table in front of you, rapping two long, powerful fingers on the plain lid. it's not even that impressive of packaging. oh, your stomach churns with impending disappointment. sometimes these men end up cheap. you steel yourself, falling into your resolve.

a fossilized horse tooth is what is presented to you when you open the package, as well as a business card for a fossil and crystal dealer. you catch sight of a beaded bracelet on his wrist, carnelians.

"didn't know what sort of science you're in, but figured i couldn't go wrong with a fossil. or a horse. you have horse girl energy."

he's smirking. you tip your head back and cackle, mind flooded with your years on your school's equitation team and the summers you spent trekking across continents with your grandmother by horseback.

the energy shifts perfectly, and you pull your head down, beaming at him. running the toe of your heels up his calf under the table, you roll the fossil-black tooth between your fingers, following the grooves, feeling the age. this horse would've been about nine when it died. not bad for a wild thing. most of them didn't find the miracles of old age.

"what gave it away? the posture?"

"oh ja. jawohl. it's the posture. even leaned back, sit like you're setting your ass in a saddle."

"mhm. sounds like you've done some riding yourself."

"when i was younger, yes. half-sway-backed plow nag, though. nothing so fancy as what people might picture, with the accent."

"not everyone can afford warmbloods, it is true."

you fold the tooth into your closed hand, silence falling comfortable between you. and here it is.

"i think we should find a place for the night, don't you?" you ask, and you can see his mouth pull into a smirk under the mask.

"hah. good thing i thought ahead then. i booked a room--some place nice. you'll like it." his confidence would be off-putting. it should be off-putting. but it isn't. it's almost a relief. it's definitely a turn on. he's not feeling out your approval, at least not visibly.

you were both looking for fun. and perhaps you've found it. at the very least, he is not treating this as a fight to be won. maybe he would not've been crushed or vitriolic if the night ended with nothing further, ever again. you don't know. you let him help you into your coat, and into a cab, and you find your flesh-ripping want yelling louder and louder with his arm draped casually across the back of the seat behind you.

and good christ, does can he fuck.

okidoke, i'm cutting this one here, sry. i will probably continue it more formally (? idk) later once i've worked on some other stuff, but i wanted to get this one out, yeehaw. hope u enjoyed!

#konig #könig #call of duty #cod mw2 #mw2 #konig mw2 #konig call of duty #konig x reader #my work #my hcs #??? don't know boss this has just been rattling in my head forever

[nalyra-dreaming]

Hi! Do you think Armand was like ''Lestat Lestat Lestart' because he can see Louis hallucinating Lestat by reading his mind. It would be really awkward. Do you also think Louis can read Armand 's mind? As an old vampire he can probably block his thoughts but if I was Louis it would be weird for me to have my companion hiding his thoughts,like, do you have something to hide from me even after 77 years??

Sooooo....

Armand can definitely read Louis' mind, though it is debatable if he always does it. However, we have seen in the scene from August (at the Murder Mansion) that he does indeed do so, because he comments on Louis withholding and Claudia being able to mask her thoughts (contrary to Louis).

The thing about Armand and Lestat is... I mean you've seen the trailer. There's history. Armand... loves Lestat. Wants him. Desires him. Lestat rejected him, for reasons. Good reasons, and actually valid reasons. But... that hurt, of course. It's a complicated relationship.

(In the book Lestat goes to Armand to beg for Louis' life, and tells him about Louis, which makes Armand even more interested in Louis. We'll see how they spin it here.)

So along comes Louis, Lestat's lover (/partner / (arguably) husband) (and fledgling). But lover is way more significant here, because of the history Armand has with Lestat. Louis, and Claudia, who dared to hurt Lestat. (And which is ultimately why Claudia will die. Louis only does not because Armand (luckily) actually falls in love with him.)

Armand... is canonically into kinky shit. Not kidding. Cuck chairs, spanking. I believe "The Vampire Armand" is generally still listed as erotica.

So. With that in mind...

Armand didn't mind Louis envisioning / hallucinating imho. At first. He probably found it funny, stimulating, interesting, fascinating, arousing. Depending on the situation.

(For example here. That is in the bar. The bar we know Lestat "shows up in" as well from the BTS photo.)

He probably ... let's say supported those visions, too, given his gift to spellbind. Conjure illusions.

It must have been very entertaining - for a while. Even while having sex. (Can I have a vision-Lestat/Loumand threesome? Pretty please?!^^)

Eventually though... it must have started to grate. (Understandably so.)

That shot of him doing that "Lestat, Lestat, Lestat, Lestat" rant - that is in that apartment the interview was in. So we KNOW that Louis was still going on about Lestat at that time.

(credit to @virginiaisforvampires, sorry couldn't find it in the search)

Now, in the book there is this speech by Armand, and I can see that happening in the show, too:

"I used to believe you would get over it—that when the pain of all of it left you, you would grow warm again and filled with love, and filled with that wild and insatiable curiosity with which you first came to me, that inveterate conscience, and that hunger for knowledge that brought you all the way to Paris to my cell. I thought it was a part of you that couldn’t die. And I thought that when the pain was gone you would forgive me for what part I played in her death. She never loved you, you know. Not in the way that I loved you, and the way that you loved us both. I knew this! I understood it! And I believed I would gather you to me and hold you. And time would open to us, and we would be the teachers of one another. All the things that gave you happiness would give me happiness; and I would be the protector of your pain. My power would be your power. My strength the same. But you’re dead inside to me, you’re cold and beyond my reach! It is as if I’m not here, beside you. And, not being here with you, I have the dreadful feeling that I don’t exist at all. And you are as cold and distant from me as those strange modern paintings of lines and hard forms that I cannot love or comprehend, as alien as those hard mechanical sculptures of this age which have no human form. I shudder when I’m near you. I look into your eyes and my reflection isn’t there...."

He actually thought Louis would... get over it.

Over Claudia's death. Over what happened with Lestat.

In the books, Louis and Armand part then. We'll see how they spin it here. Louis says they've been together for 77 years, but that might be hyperbole - Jacob said that Louis chose that relationship "again", and that would then fit with canon once more.

(I personally think this is one of the good-byes, if not "the".)

But either way... it probably wasn't awkward at first. But it was beyond annoying eventually.

As per Louis reading Armand's mind: yes, if and when Armand permits. Armand is a very, very powerful mind and spell gift user. Louis would not be able to do so against his will.

#Anonymous #asks #ask nalyra #amc iwtv #iwtv #amc interview with the vampire #interview with the vampire amc #iwtv amc #iwtv 2022 #interview with the vampire #louis de pointe du lac #armand #loumand #book quotes

[shankss-magnificent-ass]

I would love to have a King x reader (female reader if you are ok with that) where the reader is a mythical zoan type very similar to Kaido’s mythical zoan but because it was a fruit made by Dr Vegaounk, the reader ends up with a dark green dragon instead. King’s just infatuated with the reader and the reader knows it but won’t say anything. The reader is fairly new to the Beast Pirates and Kaido puts King in charge of making the reader feel welcome. Thanks in advance if you are able to do this!!

Imagine having a dragon smile fruit

This led me down an interesting line of thought. How would King act around his crush. He's a deeply traumatized individual, but he hides it well. King has like zero emotional intelligence, he never learned how to really deal with them. Also, I'm making the reader around the same size as King for reasons.

This ended up being kinda long.

Kaido: I'm told you have a devil fruit.

You: it's a smile fruit, sir, Dr. Vegapunk made it for me.

Kaido: Vegapunk *casts a glance at king, but can't see his emotions due to that damn mask* when did he make it for you?

You: a few years back upon my request, he owed me a favor.

Kaido: may I see?

You: we'll need to go outside, I would hate to destroy your lovely house.

Kaido: Ookay?

Outside

You: *transforms into a large emerald green dragon with pitch black fur, talons, and horns.*

Kaido: Worororo, we're gonna be unstoppable!

King: ( 💖0💖 ) !!

You: So I can get settled in?

Kaido: yes, Queen! Get their rooms ready, put them in the east wind of my castle.

You: absolutely not, I refuse to work with Queen, he's annoying.

Queen: EHH! Annoying! Who are you calling an idiot, you moron. You wanna go! *Starts to climb up on one of the coils of your body*

You: *flicks him off* And loud.

Queen: *skips like a rock over the ocean towards mainland Wano and disappears with a twinkle*

Kaido: Would you prefer Jack?

You: Jack is too unpredictable, plus I'm not a fan of the baby bangs he's sporting, they make me wanna bully him. King seems tolerable though, he's quiet which is preferable if I have to deal with a man.

King: 😱💢

Kaido: Very well, wouldn't want you to lose your temper and kill one of them. I need all three of them... well actually with you here, I might not.

You: I don't want a position of responsibility, those usually come with a lot of paperwork. I want money, food, a place to crash, and to fight, and when I’m not doing any of those to lounge in comfort.

Kaido: and you shall have anything you desire. King take them to the Black Tortoise wing.

King: I think they'd appreciate the views and quiet of the Blue Halls in the Vermilion Bird wing. You yourself once told me your dragon enjoys the open sky.

Kaido: how thoughtful King, to share your Vermilion Bird wing with our new recruit.

King: such a valuable member of the crew deserves the best we have to offer, especially one with a power so similar to your own.

Kaido: then can I trust them to you?

King: Of course.

The next day

King: how are you liking the Blue hall? Is it to your liking?

You: It's almost perfect, it just needs some personal touches.

King: I'll set up an appointment for our artisans to come over to receive instructions on what you want.

You: don't you have an assistant for that?

King: no? Are you volunteering?

You: hmm, only when I'm bored.

King: very well, in the meantime care to join me for a training session in the gym? *Hoping to show off his strength and physique for you*

You: Sure, let me change into something more breathable.

At the gym

King: would you spot me?

You: sure?

King: *lifting way more weight than he usually does while trying to keep his face as neutral as possible.*

You: *not sure how you'd be of any help to him if he actually needed help*

Queen: *leans over to Jack to shit talk* is it me, or is that feather-brained idiot trying to impress the newbie?

Jack: Yeah, he's even puffing up his wings and fire to make himself appear bigger.

Maria: right? And you you see the way he looks at them.

Queen: he's clearly displacing his affections for Kaido on them, probably they're more attainable to him than Kaido.

Kaido: *leans in* he's just not my type what can I say? Although, he does have those big titties like I like.

You: I'm gonna go get a water bottle, you want one?

King: sure *waits for you to leave before turning to his crew members* what the fuck are you jack asses whispering about over there?

Queen: You like (y/n) right?

King: what? No, they just got here, I don't even know them.

Kaido: she doth protest too much, methinks.

King: ugh, you all are seeing things.

Maria: yeah, we see you making bedroom eyes at (y/n).

Queen: Don't act like you're not, look at yourself, you're all puffed up like you're a horny teenager all over again.

King: *flattens his feathers* shut up dickhead.

You: *comes back in the room* I got us a few waters!

King: *puffs up again and realizes they're right.

Yamato: *peaking out from one of the floorboards* that explain why he wanted them in the Vermilion Bird wing with him.

King: *Puts his foot on the board and pushes it down*

That evening after dinner

Kaido: did we really upset you earlier? You seem like you're still... huffy like you were in the gym.

King: I'm disgusted with myself for being attracted to a human.

Kaido: *nods his head empathetically* I know the feeling bud. From what information that I have gathered about them, they seem like a decent human. They were once instrumental in the escape of a slave rebellion in the Ballywood Kingdom and Vodka Kingdom. Both of which were predominately composed of non-humans.

King: really?

Jack: yeah, they came to us through a recommendation of one of contacts in the Ryugu Kingdom.

You: wha'cha talking about?

King: *puffs up and feels his embarrassment and panic well up in his chest* Nothing!

You: *squints at him in suspicion* Really? Because I don't believe you.

King: Are you calling me a liar?

You: I ain't callin' you a truther, big man. Now spill the beans, what were y'all whispering about?

King: *his heart flutters happily when you call him 'big man' * Kaido told us you helped in some slave rebellions.

You: Oh yeah, I have quite a few tales from that time of my life.

King: If we're going to work together we should know more about you. So if you wouldn't mind, could you tell us those stories?

Kaido: *subtly gives him an encouraging slap on the back and a wink*

Queen: *whispers* fuckin' simp!

King: *makes Queen's cigar erupt in fire*

List of Up-and-coming works

Support me on Kofi and Patreon

#one piece #one piece x reader #one piece imagine #king the wildfire #king the conflagration #king the wildfire x reader #king the conflagration x reader #beast pirates #animal kingdom pirates #kaido #kaido one piece #queen the plague #jack the drought #black maria #yamato #one piece yamato #from the depths of the dragon's hoard #tma original #9/5/23 #no beta we die like men

[erajoie07]

Feral animal : Aemond x Fem reader

Warning: not suitable for younger ages, straight up sex

Once they were exhausted and filled to the brim with pleasure and want, and their bodies tainted with the liquids of lust and sex, and their sanities driven out of their bodies; they fall on their backs. One still clearly needy, the other moves to lie on her side. YN does not bother to wipe the residues that squirted upon her face and chest. She feels exhausted and wants to sleep after giving in to his requests, but Aemond will only stop if he wants to, not when he needs to. The bites on the sides of his neck, the lusty scratches on his back, and that cum flowing, are nothing compared to that strong, lusty desire for another round of sex that overpowers his senses.

"We are fucking animals, darling. It's a curse and bliss to be with me-" Aemond flips her over to her knees, she slumps her upper body back on the mattress as her ass is in the air. "A curse that is to never test my patience or stand before me to stop me, if you don't want to face my solemn wrath."

YN's pussy is wet and glistening with cum that he slips his dick inside easily so that in one thrust, his pelvis meets her ass, earning a gasp from her, putting Aemond on a pedestal again. He whispers to her ear, "A bliss, that although I am a horror to be with, I can give you otherworldly pleasure in any way, any time, and any place. To experience bliss, you must first experience horror." He thrusts fully inside her in a pace like the previous rounds they had. He grunts like a mad man when she does not give him the same energy, thus, he wraps his hand around her throat to restrict her breathing.

"Aemond, stop, please," she pleads , tapping his wrist. Aemond then pulls her away from the bed for her to face the wall as he pounds his dick inside her.

"I want nothing else than for you to beg, but we both know begging won't do anything. Now suffer."

Together naked in their bed locking themselves in each embrace; with the blanket barely hanging around them. He solely kicks it off in annoyance as he bucks his pelvis towards her in close contact as he continues to thrust back and forth. Like a dog fucking his bitch in a pace like a jackhammer's pace. The mattress is stained with the aftermath of their previous session. She squirts clear liquid followed by his that he busts inside her, stuffing her more like a turkey. Aemond pulls his wet dick away from her and gets off the bed with his face in a smirking manner. YN looks at him curiously. This man is unpredictable and can do things that she cannot figure out what he'll do.

"Let me taste you again, squirt for me."

YN widens her eyes in disbelief of what he requested. She sits back away, angering Aemond for her disobedience.

"Why are you backing away? We are not even done yet. We'll finish when I want to." Aemond coercively pulls her ankles, startling her making her heart drop to the stomach due to the abruption. He pulls her ankles until her legs dangle off the bed. He hangs her legs on his shoulders and begins to ravish her glistening and open pussy.

YN pushes and pulls his head away from her aching pussy, knowing the course of consequences that may follow.

"Aemond–please, ah-ah-ah" she moans meekly, squirming, and uneasy "Aemond, finger me please." She bites her fingers in an attempt to stop her moaning.

Aemond shoots her another smirking face, looking directly into her eyes like an eagle. There he gathers his saliva inside his mouth, evident by the way his mouth, jaw, lips, and cheeks move before he spits over her moist pussy.

Lick after lick, stripe after stripe, sucking and licking her clit like a mad man lusting for sex and power over her. He draws his tongue up from her ass past her navel where he places a rather sweet and gentle kiss. He presses his finger over where he kissed and looks at her lovingly. Unpredictable, she thinks.

"I was here, love."

She slumps back to bed when he begins to thrust his four fingers inside her gaping pussy while he sucks her clit.

"Please Aemond, I can't take it anymore. It's too much for me already. When will you stop?" She complains notwithstanding his lusty gestures.

"You're doing so well, love." He says before he shoots her in the face in a smirking manner.

YN hears something inside her. A sound of water being played in a tub. That's when she feels pressure building up to the brim, eager to be released. Aemond keeps up his pace while his eyes pierce her every expression of lust and sex, and want to release the tension.

"I'm cumming!"

She squirts and Aemond greedily puts his mouth over the sprinkling lusty liquid, savoring its taste.

She breathes heavily and Aemond stands.

The whole bed is in a disarray. YN looks like she is about to give up. Aemond feels content and smiles while he rubs his softened dick as if a pet.

"I can't feel my legs. I don't think I'll be able to walk on my own, Aemond."

#aemond x y/n #aemond fic #aemond imagine #aemond one eye #house of the dragon aemond #hotd aemond #aemond targaryen #aemond x reader #aemond fanfiction #hotd smut #hotd fanfic #hotd #house of the dragon aemond targaryen #house of the dragon #smutty fic #smutty #smut #lemon fic #lemon #reader #female reader #reader insert

[whysojiminimnida]

Remember When I Said Taehyung Might Not Be As Gay As We Thought?

Don't judge a man by his milfy wardrobe, he looks goooood.

It was... awhile ago. Maybe as far back as 2021 although I do not feel like link-searching it. It's in the archives if I didn't kill it.

Granted, there was a lot going on, then. There's still a lot going on and until now I had no desire to ever - EVER - return to this hellsite. Because Taekookers are fucking weird, yo. And some of y'all got a lil bit up in my shit too as I (fuzzily) recall. Which: it's whatever. I'm extremely unsocial, don't even answer my own DMs. And it's not personal, so I get it. I don't need or want to defend myself, but I will protect people I care about. With my absence, if necessary.

OT: I also totally kicked the big C while I've been out so that was nice. Yoongi the cat is pleased that his noms will continue uninterrupted. I will be in wigs for at least another year. It's all good. Oh LOOK at what we have here. Don't come at me for publishing this, I will explain.

I got it from actual media days ago, okay, and also: there was no expectation of real privacy. Keep reading. Or don't, I'm not telling you what to do.

ANYWAY. I had to come back, mainly to say TAENNIE IS REAL I TOLD Y'ALL IDK WHY NOBODY EVER BELIEVES ME BUT HERE WE ARE. I'm gloating. Honestly, it's so rude, I'd apologize if I cared. But I am rude and snorfling into my cheerios about this. Tae just made me so damn happy, is all.

LET THE MAN BE BI OR HETEROFLEXIBLE OR EVEN STRAIGHT IDC. Jennie clearly makes him happy. Look at his "I'm going to Paris to see my girlfriend" face!

And in that very specific jewelry look, no less. Foundrae. Again. Still. Hm.

Here's what I can tell you based on my limited third hand no sources no receipts this is probably utter bullshit usual disclaimer: It's a soft open, kids. This whole "oopsie we just so happened to get caught taking a lil walk in public with our managers in tow during which date at least one of us signed several autographs, what a surprise" is in fact a soft open for what will likely be a public confirmation PRETTY DAMN SOON. It might happen before I get this thing published, actually, depending on when I get it up. If it's before May 22 at noon my time, no idea. If after, well. Guess we'll see. Jennie's supposed to show up at the screening of HBO's The Idol that day, screening at the Grand Lumiere at 10:30 CEST. One wonders if she will arrive alone, or bring a plus one. It's a big ask, and if he does it they're probably getting married, that's how big a deal it would be. So I'm not holding my breath, but.

This seems like a reasonable prospect for a plus-one viewing. Might not be the only one but... Jennie's IN IT so.

I'M NOT SAYING THIS IS GONNA HAPPEN. I think it would be a fucking POWER move if it did, but I also do not necessarily expect that it will. It COULD. It... MIGHT. It might not. Either way they're a thing, I'm telling you. They are, have been, a thing. For awhile. And it is apparently quite serious - like up to and including talk of engagement serious.

Remember when a bunch of folk thought that one gummy bear dude was going to jail for "hacking" Jennie's phone only there's been no actual movement on any "investigation"? Yeah. Trickle truthing, they call it. Give 'em a little bit, let them deny it and yell and chew on it for awhile before you give 'em a little more. But c'mon, nobody's wearing half the love-themed couple pieces at Foundrae for no damn reason.

Seriously they got the whole collection almost and both have been seen wearing them almost exclusively. For a year.See airport pic above.

Look, I don't have inside info on Taehyung. I do not. I ain't hang with his friends and I don't know him personally. Never met the guy. But I know a PR move when I see one and this is exactly that.

We all know how toxic stan culture can be. Some ToadlicKKers (and a few of us house elves) are certifiably bonkers, if stan twitter is anything to go by. And the guys, the company, they expect a whole meltdown. They know this is not gonna make half their fans happy. I mean the tkkers have a point in that it looks like they wanted to be seen. BECAUSE IT'S A SOFT OPEN. What Taejen/Taennie/Jenhyung and the companies also know is that based on historic shipper behavior, this is gonna come back on Jimin, Jungkook, maybe Rose' and Lisa. And by extension, the other members. Maybe not as much due to their respective distance, but still. I bet by the time I finish this it will have already started.

Oh look there it is. Fuck those bitches, really.

Good LORDT. I'm not adding the audio, if y'all are that hungry for psycho hose beast Jimin hate hie thee to stan twt.

But, totally off-topic kinda...

... wouldn't it be cool if Jennie, who speaks great English, was hanging out with Troye Sivan and was like "so you know my boyfriend tells me that his bffs..." I'M JUST SAYING NETWORKING IS COOL AND FRIENDS OF FRIENDS GET THINGS DONE OKAY.

You know that girl has the scoop. If Tae knows it, she knows it. Oh heeeeyyy Troye.

Also OT: I love that Taekook have been hanging out a little more lately. It's refreshing. I genuinely think having Jennie in his life has been good for Tae in several ways. And you know, I'm kinda surprised Taennie has lasted this long. I didn't honestly think they would. It warms my decrepit, sad old heart a bit. Turns out I have a lot more to say so IDK IDK, if I feel okay about it I might be back. Right now I'm just waiting for the official Taennie nod and the continued total meltdown.

#oh shit here we go again #taennie #stan twt #cannes #taehyung #kim taehyung #jennie #meanwhile the jeon parks continue unabated but that's another thing #tae in paris #random troye sivan #cannes 2023 #yoongi the cat not the man #why the hell am i even here

[lilyrizzy]

silly little something about max & daniel watching 'how to build a sex room'. day 6 of the 12 days of maxiel advent calendar for @catofthecanals289

"I think this lady thinks she is much more kinky than actually she is."

It's winter break, which means they are in the middle of the rare collection of lazy weeks, that feel both endless and never quite enough. During this time they can be normal people, can spend days getting tanned- or sun burnt, in Max’s case- and evenings lounging on sofas, cuddled close despite Australia's scorching summer, can drink a beer and watch crappy TV.

Like, 'how to build a sex room.'

Max's head lifts from where it was resting on Daniel's chest to give his scathing review of Melanie, the British host who is strangely obsessed with floggers. The rest of his body stays tucked securely underneath Daniel's arm, where it belongs.

"I don't know baby," Daniel says, shrugging only one shoulder so as not to jostle Max around. His fingertips trace patterns across the top of Max’s pale arms, imaginary tattoos Daniel would like the idea of putting there, if the idea of defacing Max’s skin wasn’t worse. "There are like, different levels of kink I guess."

Max snorts, apparently unimpressed by Daniel's reasonings.

"This, of course, I know," he says petulantly, "but why is she always pulling out her metal butt plug like it is the wildest thing ever. I know even people who are not gay use those. Martin does."

Daniel laughs at Max’s idea of not kinky being his world famous DJ friend, who must have a shag in every major city. The sound bounces around the ranch’s living room, the entire house having become an echo chamber of happiness recently, their giggles never too far away.

"Well, not everyone can be as wild as you, Max Verstappen," he says easily, watching Melanie reveal another sex dungeon that must have a few too many clichés for Max’s liking, if the way he wrinkles his nose up at it is any indication. "Not everyone can be as lucky as me, I guess."

This seems to please Max. Enough to have a pink flush spread across the top of his cheekbones, and for him to watch the remainder of the show with significantly fewer critiques. It gives Daniel time to ponder.

Butt plugs, spanking and handcuffs were all things he didn't try until his late twenties. Until Max, really, until he had someone in his bed enough nights in a row that it felt safe to bring up ideas of what he might want or like, outside of head and a good fuck. Things he’d been worried would be too strange, would say something about him to strangers he wasn’t quite ready to say to himself.

Max, on the other hand, had been shameless. Since the very first time Daniel had braved a conversation starting with, ‘don’t you think it could be fun to try,’ he had been willing and ready for any of Daniel’s wants, but he’d also wanted in return. Had opened his eyes to a whole new collection of Max’s desires only for them to become Daniel’s too.

It is one of the thing Daniel loves so much about him. Not his kinkiness, but how he is never ashamed of being anything other than wholly himself.

"I still do not understand why there is the room," Max half mumbles, his voice bringing Daniel back to the TV. His lips catch on Daniel's nipple as he speaks. Its too hot for t-shirts. "Can these people not just be kinky in their bed?"

Daniel hums, considering. Then, thinking back to comments both their sisters have made-

"Maybe it's hard," he suggests, "like if they have kids and stuff."

Then again, because he's feeling brave-

"Maybe we'll be commissioning Melanie to build us a whole sex house, you know, when we have little terrors."

Max's breathing catches; Daniel sees the way it stops and then shudders out from his chest in one long exhale. When he rolls his head back to look up at Daniel again, his cheeks are pinker, but his smile softest one he knows how to curve his mouth into, reserved usually for their nieces and nephews.

"Okay," is all he says, like it really is that easy. Daniel still remembers realising years ago and with a shock, that for them maybe it could be. "A sex house, for when we have babies. I'm holding you to that promise."

“Deal,” Daniel says, holding this his hand up for Max to shake. The awkward angle of it while cuddled together makes them both laugh again, and Daniel can’t resist letting the laughter linger by tickling Max’s side.

There are no more serious questions to ask about their future that they don’t already know the answer too, deep down. Some things in life have been a given to him since Max Verstappen joined Red Bull Racing; he was going to be a world champion, Daniel was not, and they were going to spend their lives loving each other in spite of that. Whatever each of them wanted that life to look like, the other would be on board.

There are some things Daniel doesn’t know though. Some things he has to ask. Like-

“Can it be cowboy themed?”

#i've not had time to reread this so any errors etc are my own #its just something silly and fun #max/daniel #fic

[bi-bard]

I Dial Drunk, I'll Die a Drunk, I'd Die for You - Carmen "Carmy" Berzatto Imagine [The Bear]

Title: I Dial Drunk, I'll Die a Drunk, I'd Die for You

Pairing: Carmen "Carmy" Berzatto X Reader

Based On: Dial Drunk

Word Count: 1,907 words

Warning(s): drunk character, a lot of cussing, argument, mention of unhealthy coping/bad mental health

Summary: A night of drunken grief lands Carmy in more trouble than he thought it would. He calls the one person that he remembers being able to rely on. His night of calls brings up old memories of the person that seems to be hellbent on ignoring him.

Author's Note: I knew that this song was going to be for Carmy since I first heard a clip of it on TIkTok.

**Flashbacks are indicated by "--" and italics**

NOAH KAHAN - STICK SEASON [WE'LL ALL BE HERE FOREVER] WRITING CHALLENGE MASTERLIST

--------------------

The first missed call was understandable.

Carmy would've missed it too if someone decided to randomly call him at damn near three in the morning. He couldn't fault (Y/n) for that one.

But the second missed call made him close his eyes and shut his eyes.

He never wanted to be here.

He never planned to spend his night in a fucking cell. He never planned to be leaning his head on a payphone, trying to get in touch with the one person that probably never wanted to hear his voice again.

He had originally planned to spend the whole night alone. He was going to drink until he could pass out on his sad couch in his sad apartment and have a few hours where he didn't have to think about the world around him. A night without the pressure and guilt and anger seemed comforting.

He didn't truly remember why he left his apartment.

Truly, his only vivid memory was the cop pulling up next to him on the bridge as he drunkenly stumbled around. He didn't know what had led the cops to him, but he didn't truly feel like he had enough time to question it before he was getting placed in the back of the car.

Now, his head was starting to hurt, and he was getting more and more upset with the ringing on the line.

--

There weren't many people that Carmy tried to reconnect with.

That was usually because either they didn't have any desire to or because he didn't have any desire to find that out.

(Y/n) was an exception.

They had tried to keep in contact when he went to school. Carmy was the reason that such a plan didn't work. He didn't try like they did. It was some twisted consequence of his anger and self-worth issues and a million other problems that he didn't even acknowledge enough to try to solve.

When he came home, they were one of the first to find out.

Through all of the stress and chaos, they basically grabbed his wrist and dragged him out of the restaurant for a while.

He ended up spending the morning with a cup of arguably shitty coffee and following (Y/n) around while they ran errands.

Somehow, he got dragged into a bookshop. He felt entirely out of place there. He spent most of his time looking at the covers and giving random feedback on how books looked.

"Thank you for coming out with me today," (Y/n) said after a while. "It really does mean a lot."

"Yeah, you're welcome," Carmy replied, admittedly zoned out before the fact. "Why did you want me to come with you?"

(Y/n) shrugged. "You just seemed so... overwhelmed. I thought that something like this would be a nice enough escape from whatever the fuck is going on in that restaurant."

"Oh," he nodded. "Thanks."

"You're welcome," they chuckled.

Something in Carmy's mind seemed to click at that point. It was as if his body was moving without his conscious thought catching up.

(Y/n) was about to round the corner of one of the aisles before he caught their hand. They went to question him but didn't get the chance to do so before he leaned in and pressed his lips to theirs.

There were a few moments where (Y/n) froze where they were, but that soon wore off. Their arms wrapped around Carmy's neck as they kissed him back.

They started to grin into the kiss after a few moments.

And Carmy couldn't help but mimic them.

--

"Alright, come on."

Carmy snapped out of his thoughts when the cop spoke up.

"You clearly aren't gonna get an answer," the cop explained. "I can't let you spend all night on the phone."

"Fuck that," Carmy said simply before holding out his hand for another coin. "They'll answer. I know it."

The cop glanced around at the room around him. He knew that he shouldn't even entertain this idea. But, against his better judgment, he held out some more change for Carmy to use.

Carmy nodded as a silent thank you before turning back to the phone, silently begging for this to be the time that (Y/n) answered.

--

He didn't mean to slam the door.

In all of his anger and stress and poor coping abilities, Carmy wasn't thinking straight enough to stop himself.

He should have thought about it more. He got home at almost one in the morning. He knew that (Y/n) had been waiting for him. He knew that they probably had fallen asleep after work. But some part of him refused to acknowledge any of that.

"What the fuck," (Y/n) grumbled as they sat up from where they had fallen asleep on Carmy's couch.

Guilt found a place in Carmy's chest as he looked at their tired face.

(Y/n) rubbed the sleep out of their eyes before looking back at him. Their face went from tired to concerned in a matter of seconds. They had always been better at understanding his emotions than anyone else... even himself.

They made it over to him in a matter of seconds. Their hand found the side of his face. The feeling of their skin on his made his eyes fall shut for a moment as he took a deep breath.

"What happened," (Y/n) asked.

"Nothing," he replied. "I'm just... I'm really fucking tired."

He had a love-hate relationship with the knowing look that crossed (Y/n)'s face. It was great that he didn't need to perfectly explain his every emotion for (Y/n) to understand him, but it was awful to know that he had little chance of ever hiding how he truly felt from them.

With almost no words spoken, (Y/n) dragged Carmy to bed, letting him slip his shoes off and lay on top of the covers. They laid down next to him. He laid on his stomach and they laid on their side. Their hand ran through his sweaty hair, leaning over to press a kiss to his temple.

His eyes slowly closed as another kiss was pressed to his cheek.

He fell asleep that night feeling comforted for the first time in years... and he never knew how much he truly craved that.

--

"I don't know who the fuck this is, but you need to stop fucking calling me."

Carmy jumped when he finally heard a voice on the other end.

"Leave me alone-"

"(Y/n), wait!" he said quickly. "Please, don't hang up the phone."

There was a short pause. "Carmy?"

"Yeah," he let out a quiet huff.

"What do you want," they asked.

"I... I got myself in a bit of trouble," he explained. "I just... I need your help."

There was another pause between them. It was longer this time. Carmy wondered if he had been just a little less focused on himself, would he have heard the building anger from (Y/n)'s end of the call?

"You have some fucking nerve, Berzatto," (Y/n) snapped. The words came out like venom, stinging as they hit Carmy's ear. "I tried to help you! I always fucking have! No fucking more! Go fuck yourself, you selfish fucking prick!"

Carmy flinched a bit when the call suddenly dropped.

His jaw clenched.

"Come on-"

"Let me try again," he cut off the cop before the sentence could be finished. "Just... Just one more call."

He watched a pitiful look cross the cop's face. That was when he realized that tears had filled his eyes. The cop didn't know him or (Y/n) or why they were so quick to hang up the phone.

Another coin was placed in Carmy's palm.

Maybe it was for the best that the cop didn't know the truth.

--

He started the yelling.

(Y/n) didn't deserve it.

They had just been pushing so much. Pushing to know his thoughts and feelings. They wanted to help him so much.

He knew that. He knew that every intention was good.

But that didn't change the boiling anger sitting in his chest. He wanted to ignore and avoid everything, and he couldn't do that with (Y/n) constantly there. With them constantly asking the right questions and perfectly explaining what he needed to hear.

His foundation may have been unsteady and broken, but it was his. He didn't want to be pushed to change it. No matter how good that may have been for him.

"Shut up!" he snapped, cutting off (Y/n)'s words completely. "Stop trying to fucking fix things for two minutes!"

"I... I wasn't trying to-"

"Don't act like you don't know what the fuck you're doing," he shouted. He didn't stop to notice how (Y/n)'s eyes changed into this mix of sadness and fear. "You always fucking do this! You try to fucking fix me and the situation and everything! Do you have any idea how irritating that shit is?"

They didn't respond to him. They just sat there with their mouth opening and closing a bit as they contemplated if they should speak or not... and what they would say if they did.

"Guess what? If you gave a shit about me, then you would be able to be with me without trying to fucking- I don't know- mold me into... whatever the fuck you want from me!"

The silence that followed felt a million times louder than Carmy's yelling. It was tense. It felt heavy and suffocating. If he hadn't been such a stubborn asshole, then maybe Carmy would have apologized to bring an end to the feeling.

And then, (Y/n) finally moved.

They shoved past him and stormed out of the room. They only stopped at the door because they had to grab their shoes and jacket.

"Running away instead of talking to me now, huh?"

"Go fuck yourself," (Y/n)'s response was quiet, spoken through gritted teeth and embarrassing tears. "I never wanted to mold you into anything. I just... I wanted you to stop hurting."

"Not your job-"

"Yeah, you're fucking right, it's not," they turned back to him. "But would you have ever fucking done anything about it on your own?"

His jaw clenched and he didn't respond.

"And I let you treat me like shit in the name of you getting better... but you never fucking worked to do anything about the shit you were dealing with!"

He almost jumped at the yelling.

Their voice went back to that quiet, angry tone, "Never fucking contact me. Forget that I fucking exist if that's what it takes for you to leave me the fuck alone. I don't care. I am done."

He didn't move to stop them as they pulled the door open.

"Go fuck yourself, Berzatto."

The last thing that Carmy heard that night was the sound of the door slamming shut.

--

Carmy's muttered a few curses to himself before slamming the phone back on the hook.

"Let's go," the cop instructed. "Before you get embarrassed anymore."

Carmy sighed and ran his hands over his face before following the cop. Neither one of them spoke until it was time for the cop to finally leave Carmy to sit in the cell in his own misery.

"For what it's worth," the cop said, "I think it was shitty that you were treated like that."

Carmy just nodded.

He didn't have the heart to respond... to tell the cop the truth...

that Carmy deserved to have his calls ignored.

--------------------

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