#The 3 phrases are actually song titles

[suchine-toki]

Ever since I found out he was Otsuu’s music producer, I... I couldn’t look at him the same way.

[johnslittlespoon]

you're a dog (i'm your man) ch4 update !! <3

DON'T QUOTE ME ON THIS because knowing me, i could dream up a whole new scene to try and squeeze in, buttt it's looking like i'll hopefully get chapter four done by the end of this week ahhh <33 if i say it out loud surely it'll make me hold myself accountable LOL

working title and a timeline hint sorta kinda:

'How Long Do I Have Left With My Dog?'

this one has been emotion heavy (and some of those emotions are quite fitting for the month we're in lmaoo i know what you are gale cleven) and hard to write bc i'm much more a dialogue over internal thought writer, but i hope it does the boys justice and makes the timeline progression filler feel less filler–y <3

also gonna be the longest chapter yet– already passed the 5k word threshold, guessing it'll be closer to 7k oopsie. thank youuu for the patience as always while i've been a sickly victorian man on my death bed SDGKJS appreciate it so so much :')

i'm SOOO excited for what i have planned for ch5, it's motivating me to wade thru the 'less fun' (read: angst) parts of ch4 because there are some scenes coming up that i've had planned in my head since before i even decided to make this fic into anything other than a collection of dog–coded oneshots <33

there's a scene i think i briefly drabbled about here back in like. february. that will slot into ch5 (or 6 if i have to split it up again lmfao) and it's crazy to see my shit come so full circle AND TO SEE HOW LONG DOG CODED BUCKY HAS HAD ME IN A CHOKEHOLD. embarrassing truly!!! wtf. i love these boys

ok that's my little (long) updateee, thank you again for putting up with my slow updates and replies and lack of brainrot lately <3 hope ur having a lovely pride month so far!!

[30somethingautisticteacher]

Buck's favorite words

Just a little idea I couldn't get out of my head so enjoy this ficlet 🙂

***

Buck isn't sure why he likes the word so much, but every time he says it, it's like sugar on his tongue. It makes him feel warm and fuzzy and like everything is right with the world.

"Sorry, I'm flattered but I'm seeing someone," Buck says to the pretty girl he's just evacuated from a 3-alarm blaze. His voice is kind but firm, a far cry from the Buck of old who might have preened at the attention.

"Oh come on, handsome hero man. Give me your number," she purrs, reaching out to touch his arm.

Her relentlessness gives Buck a little push, and he finds himself using the word for the first time in public. It rolls off his tongue easily, filling him with a quiet pride.

"Sorry, but like I said, I'm taken," he says, gently stepping back. Then, with a smile that's both apologetic and genuinely happy, he adds, "I have a boyfriend."

The word 'boyfriend' sits in the air between them, and Buck feels a warmth spread through his chest.

From then on, he finds himself saying it as often as he can, each time feeling that same warmth, that same quiet joy.

At the flower shop, where he's picking out a bouquet for his and Tommy's dinner date, the florist asks, "Do you need help picking something out for your girlfriend?"

"Boyfriend, actually," Buck replies with an easy smile. "And I'm good, thanks."

At the coffee shop, he leans on the counter, eyes scanning the pastry case. "Do you have any cranberry orange scones? My boyfriend loves them," Buck asks the barista warmly.

Later, at the bar waiting for Tommy, a pretty girl sends a drink over. Buck catches her eye, raises the glass in thanks, and then gently shakes his head. When she approaches, he's ready with a now-familiar phrase: "I'm flattered, but I have a boyfriend."

Each time he says it, 'boyfriend' feels more natural, more right. It's not just a word anymore—it's a declaration of who he is, who they are together. And Buck finds he loves that feeling almost as much as he loves Tommy.

There's nothing better than the word boyfriend. That is, until a new word takes its place.

At a restaurant, the waiter approaches with menus in hand. "Would you like to order an appetizer while you wait?"

Buck's eyes light up, a grin spreading across his face. "No thanks, my fiancé should be here soon." The word 'fiancé' rolls off his tongue like honey, sweet and perfect.

On a work call to a new gym, Buck finds himself pacing with excitement. "Wow! This place is nice. Do you have a free trial? I bet my fiancé would love to try it out." He can't help but emphasize the word, feeling a thrill every time he says it.

Later, meeting with the wedding caterers, Tommy sits right next to him, their hands intertwined. Buck squeezes Tommy's hand as he says, "No, we definitely don't want German chocolate cake. My fiancé is allergic to coconut." He glances at Tommy, catching his soft smile at the word.

With each use, 'fiancé' becomes more than just a title. It's a promise, a future, a declaration of forever. And Buck realizes that while 'boyfriend' was wonderful, 'fiancé' is magical—a constant reminder of the commitment they've made and the life they're building together.

But the magic of 'fiancé' only lasts for so long before it's also replaced with something even more profound.

At the hospital, Buck's heart races as he approaches the reception desk. "Hi, I'm Evan Kinard. I just got a call that my husband was here." The word 'husband' feels both new and familiar on his lips.

The receptionist nods reassuringly. "Oh sure, it looks like your husband has just been discharged. Just smoke inhalation and a minor concussion."

Later, at Maddie's place, Buck finds himself chuckling as Chimney and Tommy argue about movies. He turns to his sister with a grin. "I don't know whose husband is more stubborn, yours or mine."

At the 118's karaoke night, Buck takes the stage, his eyes locked on Tommy. "I'd like to dedicate this song to my husband," he announces, his voice full of love. As the opening notes of "I Can't Help Falling in Love With You" begin to play, Buck starts to sing, his voice soft and sincere. Tommy's face flushes with a mix of embarrassment and deep affection as Buck serenades him in front of their friends and colleagues.

Each time Buck says 'husband', he feels a surge of pride and love. It's more than just a word—it's a testament to their journey, their commitment, and the life they've chosen to share. And Buck knows, without a doubt, that 'husband' is his favorite word yet.

[koolades-world]

one of my besties had me watch the madison beer mv of make you mine and it's actually such a good song. i love that the entire thing is jennifer's body themed. you know it's bad when i think of fictional characters while i listen to the song haha. sorry if mephi's dialogue seems a little ooc, not super familiar with his speech patterns yet

i'm really bad at giving things titles as you can see haha. highly recommend giving it a listen or listening while you read this <3

also i just learnt mephisto has an undercut? it's actually black so is purple not his natural hair color? he'd look really pretty with black hair but part of me wonders if he dyed it purple to look different from lucifer

anyways sorry this is so late! got busy hanging out with friends and the thing i had originally wanted to post wasn't ready, and i just really wanted to post this haha. enjoy :)

make u mine (mephisto x reader)

Mephisto had never meant to end up in such a compromising situation with the human exchange student, of all people. Not that it being anyone else would have made it better, but at least You looked absolutely ravishing in your party wear, and despite everything in him telling him to look away, he couldn't tear his eyes away from you. Had you placed a spell on him?

It all started with a few words overheard in a conversation between Diavolo and Lucifer. Of course, he hadn't meant to overhear what they were saying on purpose. He could thank the journalist inside him unconsciously picking up on many side conversations at the same time, and that one in particular happened to catch his interest. Listening to Mammon and Asmo talk about the latest party they were going to could wait. His attention was fully captured when he heard the phrase "exchange program." That phrase always meant a scoop was just around the bend.

He had no clue that this "scoop" would slowly consume every waking moment he occupied.

Once the time came that for the program to start, he didn't expect to be greeted with two very different humans. One was a powerful sorcerer he knew rather well, from a distance of course, and the other was a seeming nobody. He thought it was odd, but he wanted to interview you nonetheless to get your thoughts on the program. He was interested in learning about you. It started as the beginnings of an article he knew would perform well, and morphed into personal curiosity.

Getting you alone proved difficult. One of those pesky brothers was always with you, and they seemed very insistent on keeping you two apart. They must've received some kind of instruction from Lucifer, as even Satan seemed intent on staying between the two of you. He had been sitting the the RAD newspaper room, alone, pondering over this exact dilemma, when his problem resolved itself when you came barreling the room, slamming the door shut behind you.

"Hey." You were out of breath. Your hair was a mess and a half smile on your face. Your back was pressed to the door. The moment he made eye contact with you was a moment he couldn't quite put words to, despite being excellent at that. He found it hard to look away from you.

He was speechless at first at the crazy coincidence, as if his thoughts had summoned you. "Ehem. How may I help you?" He raised an eyebrow at you.

"Will you do me a tinsy little favor and hide me? Pretty please?" The way you batted your eyelashes at him made his heart immediately cave to your demands, but he knew he had a reputation to uphold.

"Will you agree to do an interview with me if I do?" He spun the question around on you. He had wanted to ask anyways. He wasn't one to pass up an opportunity presented to him on a silver platter.

"Deal. Quick, Lucifer probably wasn't far behind me." You rushed towards him, taking his hand. This shook him for the second time in less than a minute. Hurriedly, he shoved you behind the printing press that occupied one side of the room and turned it on to cover up any noise you might make. No sooner than he had done this, Lucifer threw the door open.

"Didn't you hear me knocking?" The demon looked just out of sort as you had, but angry rather than amused like you were. He hadn't seen anyone get such a rise out of Lucifer in a while. He was interested in hearing your story. Lucifer's eyes scanned the room in search of you, but only grew more irate upon finding nothing out of the ordinary.

"No. I'm busy." Mephisto turned his back to Lucifer to conceal his growing grin.

"Mc isn't in here, are they?" Lucifer remained in the doorway.

"What do you think? This a writing sanctuary, not a daycare." Mephisto picked up one of the papers printed, pretending to look busy. Lucifer huffed, annoyed.

"Watch yourself, cocky journalist." With that, Lucifer spun around and left the room. He left the door slightly ajar, making Mephisto the most annoyed he'd been during that entire interaction. After pushing the door shut, he called out to you.

"He's gone. You have quite the story to tell, hmm?" He grabbed his notepad and pen, beckoning you to take a seat on the couch beside him.

"Turn off the noisemaker, then we can talk." You sat beside him after coming out of hiding. With a playful sigh, he got back up to shut it off so he could really begin to talk to you.

That was his first real conversation with you without one of the brothers present, and he suddenly understood their desire to keep you to themselves. Thankfully, after that day, he had his foot in the door and you were more than happy to speak to him despite the brother's protests. The scowl on Lucifer's face from over your shoulder as you happily chatted with him was worth the world to him because Mephisto knew that Lucifer wouldn't try anything; not with you with your hands all over him, anyways. He adored being the center of your attention despite the fact that several brothers were watching closely. You often slipped away from the brothers and escaped to the room you knew he'd be in. He didn't know if what you were doing was intentional or not, but he began to grow conditioned to seeing you laid out on the plush sofa by his desk, or parked on the desk itself, waiting for him with a smile and open arms. It got to the point where he was certain he saw more of you that any of the brothers did.

He was unsure about how to feel, but he welcomed you into his life readily. It became more than just being with you to make Lucifer mad. It became being with you just to be with you, because he enjoyed your company. However, he always felt as if he left something to be desired when he thought about you. You always left his heart aflutter with your touches, even though he wanted to assume it was just how you behaved normally.

A hand on his shoulder, a hand on his arm, a hand on his. Sometimes, a hand on his waist, fingers looped through his belt loops. A hand on his chest, playing with his tie. A hand on his face, thumbs gliding over his cheeks. A hand on his thigh, hidden under the table.

They all drove him insane.

It was then he realized he harbored some sort of feelings for the human who'd initially started as just the topic of an article he was writing. He craved your attention and wanted to be as close to you as possible. He knew that went past what he'd initially thought about himself. While you were simply a human, you were a human who'd managed to capture the affections of the seven demon lords, and beyond.

A party at his place was what finally unraveled everything. Despite it being his party and therefore, the center of attention, he was only interested in one person. He knew you'd gotten ready in his bedroom as an effort to prevent the brothers from stopping you from going. They, of course, weren't invited, but he wouldn't be surprised if they showed up always once they realized where you were. He knew at this point, he should just give you your own room. It wasn't like he couldn't afford it. He had many empty bedrooms and could easily make one into yours, but he loved sharing his space with you. Something inside him loved seeing your things intermingled with his, and he didn't want to part with that.

But, he hadn't seen you since he went downstairs to begin greeting guests. His eyes scanned the room, searching for you. He thought he saw the flash of a familiar blond head of hair, but he swept past that. His gaze soon settled on the person he was looking for: you. You were chatting with another guest, but as soon as you noticed his stare, you excused yourself from the conversation to make your way over to him. He began to think about you, and how much happier he'd be once you were by his side. He greeted you enthusatically and told you how amazing you looked. You naturally slotted into his side, hands on his shoulders.

In his haze, he failed to notice someone behind him. They bumped into him, causing him to spill his drink all over you. He quickly turned to reprimand them, and to catch their face, but they had vanished into the crowd before he could. Mephisto clenched his fists, but there was nothing he could do. The perpetrator had been swallowed by the evermoving crowd of people. Instead, he went back to you, and decided to help you get cleaned up. You seemed nonchalant about the entire situation, and were happy holding his hand as he dragged you up the stairs to his room.

"Mephi, there's no need to be so worked up. It's a simple fix. If the stain doesn't come out, it was only twenty bucks anways." You kept pace with him.

"It's a matter of dignity. Whoever that was embarrassed me, and now I look like a total moron." He couldn't look at you. His face was most certainly red.

"Not to me you don't." Those words quelled the inner calamity he had a little.

"Well, either way, the stain will set in if we don't do something about it now." He pulled you into his room and locked the door behind you. The last thing he wanted was some nosy demon wandering in after the two of you. If you didn't care what they thought, why should he? But, he didn't want his time with you to be interrupted.

He peered into his closet for something for you to wear. Usually, you had clothes here, hung up, something he was rather proud of, but everything but a couple R.A.D. uniforms were gone. Earlier that day, he'd instructed his staff to wash all your laundry, clean or not, with a new detergent that the both of you quickly fell in love with at the store. It had become both of yours, in a way, and he went feral over the idea of the brothers constantly being reminded of him even when he wasn't around through you.

"Do you want to go back to the party?" He leant out of his closet to yell to you.

"Depends. Anyone important down there?" You responded through the shut bathroom door.

"Not really. Lord Diavolo couldn't make it tonight." He already knew what you were going to say in responce.

"Then we can just get ready for bed. My RAD bag is in here somewhere, so I don't technically have to go home. If you'll let me stay, that is." He heard you laugh through the door. He chortled to himself at that too. You didn't even need to ask anymore. You slept in his bed with him, for crying out loud. You even had your own D.D.D. charger for his house at his side table, right next to his.

"Are you alright with wearing my pajamas to bed? Yours are in the wash." He riffled through his wardrobe to find a very nice pair for you. He eventually settled on one of his sets of black silk pajamas. He wasn't sure if the pants would fit you, but at least you'd have a shirt.

"You know me." You extended your hand through the cracked bathroom door, to which he tossed the clothes into your open hand. You caught them, and snapped the door shut again to put them on. "Mephi, the pants are a little big." He heard you say through the door. Just as he thought. He'd never actually seen you in a set of his clothes before, so he silently prepared himself to feast his eyes. Despite this, he was not ready for you when you stepped in from the bathroom. The blank pants were draped over your arms, and the black button up top fell to your mid thigh. "Just hang these back up. No use in trying that." You put them back into his hands, and threw yourself down onto his bed. He did as you asked, and sat next to you.

"Are your other clothes still in the bathroom?" He studied your side profile.

"Yeah, on the counter." You answered his questions.

"I'll be right back. I'll give those to one of my staff, who'll get the stain out and get it looking brand new." He moved to get back up, but was stopped by your hand reaching out to him.

"Not yet. Let me enjoy a little time with you first." You whined. He couldn't help but chuckle.

"I'll be quick." He moved to get up again, but this time, you got up before him and pushed him back down onto the bed. You straddled him, hands on both of his shoulders, pressing him into his bed.

"You've got no choice now." You triumphally smirked down at him. He knew he could easily get up, but he knew he wouldn't. You knew that too.

"Mc..." He was rather amused, but he couldn't stop from thinking about his feelings for you. Most of his confidence went out the window with that thought.

"I win." With that, you draped yourself over him fully, and Mephisto basked in your attention. As he thought more, while he really didn't want to, his heart told him now would be a great time to tell you how he felt. With the thought of now or never echoing in his brain, he opened his mouth again.

"Mc, I have a confession." He was nervous, more than he'd ever been. But, he was too deep in now to back out.

"Hmm?" You didn't sit up, and remained with your head on his chest.

"I think I'm in love with you." For someone usually so eloquent with his words, these were raw. Thankfully, they seemed to strike a chord with you. You perked up. He studied your face closely for any sort of negative reaction, but none came.

"Can I kiss you?" He was almost stunned by your reciprocation. He wasn't quite sure exactly how you felt yet, but that could wait until after his kiss.

"You may." Spilling that drink on you may have been the second best choice he ever made, the first being deciding to write about you to begin with. He was one lucky demon.

(end was a little rushed cause i'm sleepy haha)

[swarvey]

paper rings | harvey x f!reader

summary -> you decide to surprise harvey with a belated birthday gift; harvey tries to fight off some unwelcome thoughts. warnings -> none! harvey just has some horny thoughts. wc -> 3357

a/n: surprise, an update!!

i loved writing this chapter. i actually feel like this song could have fit well as this story's title as well!! very excited for the upcoming chapters, though i am a little sad to think this will eventually have to end </3

well, either way, hope you enjoy ! <333 seeing y'all comment and stuff honestly is so heartwarming, so thank you all!!!

ch. 10 | ch. 11 | ch. 12

paper rings masterlist

chapter eleven: state of grace -> "this is the golden age of something good and right and real."

Your eyes opened to the warmth of sunlight flowing through your window, a relaxed breath escaping you. A pleasant smile settled on your face as you sat up, rubbing your eyes and remembering the words Harvey had confessed to you the previous night.

I love you.

For a split second, you wondered if you dreamt it all, if it’d all been too good to be true.

Then, you saw that the bouquet was still missing from its usual spot on your wall, and you knew it had all been real.

You grinned, sitting up with a renewed energy. Finally, you were able to wrench out the phrase you craved to hear from your best friend. Despite the efforts — and pain — it took to get there, you still managed to do it, which, in your eyes, was all that really mattered. 

You recalled the insecurities Harvey had spilled to you; more so, how he felt he didn’t deserve you. Out of everything that happened, those words hurt by far the most. You saw the torn, broken look in his eyes, knowing him well enough to see past it and realize his wounds weren’t fresh. You didn’t even want to know how long his horrid thoughts had stewed in his head. Probably way too long. What a terrible way to spend his birthday.

Then, an idea struck you — one that you knew would take the majority of the day and your best efforts, but you felt in your heart it would all be worth it to see his face light up. Besides, Harvey had never hesitated in the past to put you at the top of his list of priorities.

You figured it was time to give back.

-

“Forgive me.”

“Elliott, please—”

“I know,” the overly dramatic poet choked out, grasping Harvey’s hand with both of his as if his life depended on it. “It’s terrible of me to ask you this, I know, but please, forgive me for the trouble I caused, my friend. I just . . .” Elliott looked up at the doctor, his bottom lip trembling and eyes filled with guilt. “I just couldn’t stand the feeling of lying to Leah, and I knew she had no ill intentions, either, but— oh, I know it’s no excuse for what I did!” 

After his birthday, Harvey decided it was finally time to reconnect with his two supportive friends, shooting them both quick texts to meet him at the Stardrop the following evening. He roughly explained everything that happened with you, not forgetting to mention the stinging silence he initially left you with. Elliott’s face dropped when he got to the part where you told him you knew about everything, how Leah had taken the big step to be the one to tell you. Fortunately, his friends were as understanding as ever, more happy than anything that he got the chance to reconcile with you. 

Unfortunately, Elliott decided the guilt weighing on his shoulders could only be lifted by apologizing for nearly twenty minutes straight.

“And here I thought my life couldn’t get any worse,” Shane gruffed, only half joking. He proceeded to roll his eyes so hard Harvey worried he would hurt himself. “Fuckin’ hell, just forgive him already, would ya, doc? I can’t stand this anymore.” 

Harvey scratched the back of his neck before placing his free hand on Elliott’s shoulder, squeezing it reassuringly. “It’s fine, Elliott, I promise,” he replied, unable to keep the amusement out of his tone. “It’s my fault for not telling her, after all. Besides, it all worked out, anyhow.”

“A-are you certain?” He leaned forward, nearly toppling over his seat onto the Stardrop’s floor. “How can you be so kind? It’s truly inspiring, doctor, you must let me buy you a meal for your generosity!”

“With what money, pal?”

Elliott fell back into his seat with a huff, managing a glare at his friend before sipping his drink. “With the money I made from selling my first novel, thank you oh-so very much.”

Harvey blinked in surprise, while Shane gawked at him. “Are you being serious?”

Elliott’s chest puffed up in pride. “Completely. Of course, my first patron was Leah, but I’m planning on having a live book reading at the library soon!” Harvey smiled warmly at the sight of his friend’s joyful expression, proud to see his hard work come to fruition.

Then, Shane frowned slightly and shifted in his seat. “What, so you didn’t even bother to ask me for one? C’mon, the least you could do after buggin’ me about this damn book for nearly a year is offer me a copy. Geez.” 

A pause. “You . . . actually want one?”

“Yeah, yeah, save the sap, it’ll make me barf.” He paused. “It’s kid-friendly, right? I’ll get two, give one to Jas. Maybe one for Vincent, too, fuck it.”

Harvey could only laugh as he watched Elliott pull Shane into an unreciprocated hug, his eyes gleaming with grateful tears and he tightly wrapped his arms around him. Despite his loud, profanity-filled protests, there was a light in Shane’s gaze that hadn’t been there a couple seasons ago. After promising to see the therapist Harvey recommended to him, he’d slowly begun to make progress, even deciding to replace his usual beer at the saloon with a glass of pop instead. 

“Alright, enough!” Shane finally regained his stance in his seat, running a hand through his ruffled hair. He mumbled something neither of them could hear, but Elliott beamed nonetheless.

“I hope you’ll save me one, Elliott,” Harvey said sincerely. “Though, by the looks of it, you might have quite the fan already.”

“Shut it, doc.” 

Elliott let out a hearty laugh and gestured to Emily for an order. “Well then, my dear doctor, you must emphasize on your reunion with your lover,” he pressed on, looking at him eagerly, “but not before I order you a promised meal.”

“What’ll it be, gentlemen?” Emily asked as she wandered over, looking at the three with a bright smile. Her gaze stopped at Harvey. “Hey, what a nice surprise! I haven’t seen you here in a bit. I hope you’re doing alright, people have been saying they haven’t seen much of you lately.”

He cleared his throat, nodding. “There were a few . . . things, I had to deal with, but it’s all cleared up now.”

She hummed, but something about her look was a little too knowing. “Well, that’s all that matters, right? As long as you’re okay.” She leaned in a little then, close enough so she could whisper in his ear. “Haley’s just about ready to murder you, though. Thought I should give you a heads up.”

She smiled sympathetically when Harvey groaned, covering his face with his hands. He didn’t even bother to hear what Elliott ordered him and focused on the fact that one of your closest friends in town was probably plotting his murder.

“Everyone knows, don’t they?” he asked, voice muffled. He lowered his hands to see Shane hiding his smirk with his drink while Elliott sighed.

“I wish I could tell you otherwise, but yes,” the writer responded promptly. “I wouldn’t fear too much, though, especially if the two of you are on good terms! I’m sure she’ll clear the air.”

The door to the saloon opened, and — as if your mentioning had summoned you — you walked in wearing your work clothes, dirt and grass stains covering the front of your overalls. Your eyes met his immediately, and Harvey instantly looked away, feeling as if he had just seen his crush in the hallway. You tended to have that effect on him.

After the two of you shared a kiss the night before, he insisted on walking you home, tightly holding your hand the entire way. He was visibly reluctant to leave your side, allowing himself to, for once, be as clingy as he felt. When the two of you reached your front porch, he’d grabbed your hips and drew you closer to his body, looking at you with nothing but pure adoration.

“We have a long way to go, don’t we?” he asked softly, bringing a hand up to caress your cheek. 

You hummed in agreement, turning slightly to kiss his palm. “Good thing we’ve got all the time in the world, right?” Your eyes seemed to glitter when he looked at you, his breath faltering.

Harvey didn’t know why your words made him feel the way he did — then again, he couldn’t explain a lot of things he felt when it came to you — but in that moment, a wave of gratefulness washed over him, and he couldn’t help but pull you in for another gentle kiss. He thought back to what you had told him all those years ago, how he had good karma, and he decided you might have been right after all. There was no other explanation as to why you were still in his arms after all the trouble he caused.

“You truly are my weakness,” he blurted suddenly. “My vulnerability, the crack in my defense. I think I would do anything for you.”

You laughed at his words, and the sound made his heart race. “You’ve been hanging out with Elliott too much.” You paused then, leaning in closer to his ear. “Is that a promise, Harvs? Anything?”

He shivered, swallowing hard. “Of course.”

Just when he thought he’d earned another taste of your lips — a rougher one maybe, one that led to your bedroom — you pulled away, sporting a mischievous half-smile.

“I’ll keep that in mind,” you chirped happily. “Goodnight!”

Harvey let out another groan at the thought, trying to ignore the stir in his pants. We’ll take it slow, he reminded himself, not even noticing your figure appearing beside him. We have all the time in the world.

“Earth to Harvey, hello?” you sang, waving a hand in front of his face. “You there? Or is nobody home?”

He scowled as his friends stifled their laughter, though managed a smile when he turned to greet you. “Hello,” he sighed, pushing his glasses up. “Ignore them, please. I’m not sure why I associate with them.” 

“Hey, a ‘thank you’ would be nice, buddy,” Shane said, voice dripping in leftover humor. “We’re the ones who’ve listened to all your little love-sick rants.”

You perked a brow. “Love-sick, huh?”

“Let’s go for a walk, shall we?” Harvey desperately suggested, taking out his wallet and throwing some coins on the table for his drinks. “I’ll talk to you two later. And, thank you,” he rushedly added. As he grabbed your hand and practically dragged you out of the saloon, he missed their lopsided grins at his words.

Harvey let out a long breath as he stepped outside, resting his hands on his hips. “I felt like I was suffocating in there,” he admitted, finding your hand once again.

You snorted. “Looked like it,” you replied, lacing your fingers with his. “I was looking for you, anyway. Did you get my text?” 

He blinked, grabbing his phone out of his pocket with his other hand to find one unread message from you.

Y/N : you at the saloon? i’ve got a surprise for you

“A surprise?” he wondered aloud. “For me?”

“Yes, Harvey, that’s what I said.” You smiled at his embarrassed frown, leading him through the plaza toward the clinic. “C’mon, I’ve been working on it all day!”

Just as he was about to question you further, a figure with long blonde hair and a blue tank top marched in front of him, successfully cutting off his hold on you.

“Don’t think I’ll forgive you as easily,” Haley snapped, and Harvey flinched at her furious tone. “You’re a real lucky guy, you know that, right? ‘Cause if I were her, I would have taken those glasses and shoved ‘em right up your—”

“Haley! There you are,” Leah laughed awkwardly as she grabbed the blonde’s arm, attempting to tug her away. “We’re going to miss the movie, dear. Let’s go.” She turned to Harvey, and he was glad to be met with much kinder eyes. “I’m glad you’re alright, Harvey. We’ll see you around.” Leah’s eyes lit up. “Oh, and happy birthday! Even though it’s a day late.”

“Thank you,” he responded, anxiously glancing at Haley. A pout rested on her lips as her partner nudged her.

“Yeah, whatever, happy birthday, I guess,” she mumbled, and you laughed at her reaction. Her expression lightened after that, the ends of her mouth lifting slightly. “I expect a call later, okay?”

“Will do.” You waved at the couple as they walked away, grabbing Harvey’s arm and continuing to lead him. “She’s pretty mad, if you couldn’t tell.”

“Really?” he asked dryly, fiddling with his tie. “I thought she seemed quite happy to see me.” You rolled your eyes, excitedly bringing him up the stairs to the fountain. “What is it, exactly?”

“What’s, what?”

“The surprise.”

You huffed, walking past the fountain. “Well, it wouldn’t be much of a surprise if I told you, would it?” 

“I . . . suppose not, no.”

“Then be patient, we’re almost there.”

You only stopped when the two of you reached the Community Center, two birds chirping curiously down at your arrival. Harvey examined the building, noticing how, despite it looking as beat up as it usually did, it felt more welcoming.

Before he could continue, you swiftly snatched his glasses off his face, covering his eyes with your hands.

“What—”

“Just go with it, Harvs, please? ”

The pleading tone of your request nearly sent him spiraling. Nearly.

Take it slow.

He nodded, swallowing thickly once again. You’re going to be the death of me, he thought. He almost voiced it to you the door opened, but was interrupted before he got the chance.

“I felt a little bad yesterday night,” you admitted, leading him somewhere unknown. “With everything going on between us, it was hard to plan something for your birthday.”

He sighed, a pang of guilt running through his chest. “Now, you know none of that is—”

“It doesn’t matter,” you interrupted. “It’s over now, and we’re . . . good. Better than good, I think.” Harvey smiled, wishing he could see your face. “And, even though it’s not really your birthday anymore, I still wanted to give you something better than a dried bouquet.”

“That bouquet means much more to me than you think. It’s all I need, really,” he said softly, then willed himself to say his next words. “You’re all I need.”

“And you’re being a big ‘ol softie.”

Suddenly, he felt your hands drop, slowly blinking his eyes open. Of course, at first, all he could make out were blurbs of green and white.

“Um—” Although he couldn’t see, Harvey could practically hear you roll your eyes as you passed him his glasses.

“Surprise.”

He couldn’t believe it.

In front of him was a completely refurbished room in the Community Center, the walls smooth and the flooring void of any faults. That, in itself, was impressive to him. 

The room wasn’t exactly what caught his eye, though.

No, what caught Harvey’s attention was the various model planes scattered across the room, along with the small workbench in the corner.

“I had to go into the city to find those, it took me all day,” you explained, trying to read his reaction. His mouth remained parted as he walked around, taking his time to take in everything. “This is meant to be the Crafts Room. Mayor Lewis asked me to fix this place up a while ago, and that’s where I met the Junimos. Thought I’d add my own touch, though.” 

Harvey nodded absentmindedly. He couldn’t bring himself to speak. Quite frankly, he was in shock, unable to believe what you had done for him. His gaze only pried away when a familiar squeak sounded beneath him. He smiled as Blueberry hugged his foot. 

The spirit looked at him expectedly, as if asking, Do you like it? 

“It’s—” He stopped then, finally turning to face you. Warm tears filled Harvey’s eyes as he stepped forward and engulfed you in his arms, burying your face in his neck. “It’s more than I could have ever asked for. Thank you.”

He felt you slump in relief, gladly wrapping your arms around him. “I’m glad you like it,” you breathed, pulling back to see his face. “You had me worried there for a second. I thought it was too much.”

“No, this is perfect.” Harvey laughed, bright and unlike he’d ever laughed before, and kissed you. “I can’t even find the words to explain how I feel.”

You grinned. “Maybe ‘happy’ could give you a good start.”

“No, that’s too big of an understatement.”

“Hm. ‘Joyous,’ then?”

“I believe those are synonyms, honey.”

You blinked, a blush creeping up your neck. Harvey didn’t notice, too busy walking over to the desk that seemed made for him. Blueberry poked your ankle, and you took it as a sign to stick out your hand. The Junimo happily walked up your arm, settling down on your shoulder and closing its eyes. 

“This . . . this looks just like the one I had in my grandparents’ house as a kid,” he realized, eyes widening.

“You used to spend so much time sitting there, working on your planes, ignoring me,” you added playfully. “If you ever get bored, you can come here, now. Add to your collection. You can show them off to everyone, too, after I finish rebuilding everything.”

He flushed at that, turning to meet your eyes. “No, I couldn’t, i-it’s too embarrassing—”

“Harvey. If this —” You swept your arm around the room. “—is what you enjoy, you shouldn’t hide it. It’s an important part of you, and I know everyone in town would be impressed.” You gently tugged at his hand, holding it strongly in your own. “Plus, I find it very endearing, you know.”

He raised a brow, grabbing your other hand. “Really? Building model airplanes is something you look for in a partner?”

“Of course. Why wouldn’t I?”

Harvey shook his head, tilting it as he studied your gaze. “This is still so surreal,” he muttered, glancing down at your interlaced fingers. “I feel like I’m dreaming.”

You nodded, then smiled. “You know, I never would have guessed this.” You lifted your hands slightly, giving him a reassuring squeeze. “Now that it’s real, though, I’m not sure I’ll ever let you go.”

Harvey’s heart was just about ready to leap from his chest.

“You won’t ever have to,” he vowed. “Never again.”

“That’s a big promise.”

“It’s one I’m willing to make.”

“When did you get so bold?”

“When you became mine.”

Your eyes narrowed, flicking between his eyes and lips. “Is that what I am?” you questioned, voice light and innocent. “Yours?”

Slow, Harvey. You said you would take it slow.

He feigned a cough, looking away. “That’s what the bouquet meant, right?” he asked, raising one hand to swipe his mustache. “It means we’re official.”

The look you gave him was teasing, dangerous, but you covered it up with a laugh, starting to walk with him back towards the door. Blueberry had disappeared from your shoulder at some point; Harvey guessed even spirits grew tired of couples dancing around each other.

“Come on. Let’s go home.”

“‘Home’?”

You looked back at him, huffing. “We’re official, right? That means you get to help me finish up the chores for the day.”

He thought for a moment, then nodded. 

Chores. He could do chores. He’d done plenty of chores with you before, when the ache in your grandfather’s back became too much and he needed a couple extra pair of hands. Chores would be good for him, Harvey thought. They would keep his mind off the uncomfortable tightness in his pants that’d been taunting him for hours, keep his dirty thoughts at bay, hopefully even keep some distance between the two of you, just for a little. Just until he could calm himself down and remind himself he was supposed to be going slow.

“You can spend the night, too.”

His face fell.

I’m screwed.

[plutoccult]

OUT OF THE WOODS

pairing: levi ackerman x gender neutral reader

description: you were notorious for following levi’s every order without hesitation. it was practically unbearable for him, but the one time you disobey him is when he is eternally grateful.

word count: 2.8k

also available to read on my ao3 here

author’s note: this is something i’ve never done before aka write for levi! i’m hoping i haven’t strayed too far from his character, but it’s worth trying something new. i must admit, this is a little messy and i’m quite iffy about it, but i at least tried my best. i almost named this “the monsters turned out to be just trees” because i 1. love taylor swift and 2. thought those lyrics captured this almost perfectly, but i decided it was too long and just went with the song title those lyrics are from. this is something entirely new and never before posted anywhere else, but it will also be shared on ao3 as everyone has their preferences on where they like to read. as always, i hope you enjoy <3

you always obeyed levi’s every order, and god, he hated it.

“yes, captain.” you’d say. “right away, captain.” was another one of your go-to phrases. you could just… talk to him? like a normal human being? yes, he was your captain, but levi craved a normal conversation with you.

oh, wait. why did he want that so badly? why did he want to hear your voice say things other than replying to his commands for you and the squad? it’s not like he liked you. no, no! he couldn’t stand you. that’s what this was. right?

levi was particularly known for only listening to commander erwin’s orders and no one else’s, but he didn’t see himself of such importance. it wouldn’t kill you to protest a little bit for once. he even tested your obedience by demanding you glue a broken vase back together. you then proceeded to spend hours restoring it to its former glory. he was surely impressed, but at the same time, he couldn’t believe you actually did it. dare stubborn ol’ levi ever admit it, but he found it kind of cute.

when it came down to the 57th exterior scouting mission, your final order was simple; retreat back to your horses. things didn’t exactly go as hoped, and while the scouts learned something new that day, there was still so much work to do. you wished for everyone’s sake that one day you all could share a proper victory, but it didn’t seem possible just yet with something as stubborn as the female titan.

you and the rest of levi’s squad did as told, but it all went by the wayside when gunther was attacked out of the blue by a figure hidden under the disguise of your scout gear, their green hood concealing their face. there was no time to go along with the plan, now was time to fight back. the squad couldn’t let whoever killed their comrade get away.

as you all attempted to attack, the disguised assailant transformed in front of your very eyes into the female titan you all failed to successfully capture before. now this truly meant war, but the squad was simply no match for this monster.

it all seemed to happen in the blink of an eye. you lost your squad members one after another. you were the last one remaining, you knew this was it. this was your time to die, wasn’t it? part of you always thought it would end in the middle of battle, but not like this. this couldn’t be the end. you didn’t want it to be.

your brain struggled to catch up with everything happening so fast and hitting you all at once. it was impossible to think straight, to get your head together and fight properly. but it was also impossible to realize eren was turning into his titan form until it was too late. the impact of his transformation knocked you straight into a tree, leaving you unconscious as he avenged your fallen squad members, all while your captain had yet to head to the scene of the crime.

levi immediately knew something was wrong the second he saw the sudden glow of eren’s transformation from afar. of course there was something more to this mission. he had to get there quick before it could possibly get any worse, but his idea of “any worse” had already become true; his squad was gone.

he couldn’t do anything to stop eren just yet, levi knew that. this fight between two titan shifters was to be expected. if only the hothead wasn’t so blinded by rage. levi knew better than to let emotions get to the best of him, no matter how much it hurt seeing his squad like this, dying under his wing.

his eyes scanned the states of everyone. gunther, eld, petra, oluo, and then… you. you, who laid there motionless. the life taken out of you, or so levi thought. he couldn’t let this affect him. levi kept all emotions hidden, tucked and buried in deep where no one could find them, no one except the one person who was capable of bringing them out.

“captain…”

huh?! was his mind playing tricks on him? who dared to deceive his ears? it couldn’t be real. it was nothing. nothing at all. you were dead, levi was sure of it, just like the rest of the squad. he was left alone once again, seemingly cursed with this fate from the day he was born.

but then you let out a cough, blood coming out of your mouth and splattering onto the grass. my god, it wasn’t some sick joke from his brain. you miraculously were alive, and levi was too stubborn to let you die out.

he immediately rushed over to you and flipped you off your side so you laid on your back. you breathed heavily and coughed violently, muttering out weak apologies as blood stained your hands, but levi didn’t care. he’d stain himself over and over for your sake.

“you disobeyed orders.” levi said, trying his best to force himself to stay his usual coldhearted self, but it was a losing battle, just like today’s mission. he placed a hand on your cheek, his eyes once filled with anger now becoming soft. “you disobeyed me.”

you could’ve sworn the sight in front of you was like seeing heaven. the impact from earlier made your memories quite hazy, and while you knew you weren’t dead, you sure wouldn’t hate it if this was it. levi’s head blocking the sun made him look like an angel sent from the very land itself, and it was pure bliss.

you closed your eyes with a smile on your face, unbeknownst to you what had truly occurred. to your captain, it seemed like you had left him for good this time, but when he pressed his ear against your chest, he felt the rhythm of your heart as if it were a symphony.

levi couldn’t stand to leave you like this. he had to make sure you got to safety and were treated right away. even if it took you god knows how long to recover, it didn’t matter. but with the female titan trying to take eren alive, he had to remember why he was here in the first place and attempt to clean up the mess the scouts created. you were able to hold out for a little while longer by some sort of miracle, and when levi was able to capture eren back with the help of mikasa, he took you back to where you belonged; with him and the scouts.

by the time you returned to base, you were fast asleep, worn out from the mission. as there wasn’t enough room for all those who were injured, levi took matters into his own hands and tended to your wounds himself, even giving you his bed as he had a much bigger room and it wasn’t like he slept that much anyway. it seemed almost wrong and unprofessional to do so, but when it came to you, he couldn’t help but be a little selfish. it’s what a good captain would do anyway, right?

after what felt like ages, you finally woke up, your mind struggling to remember everything from yesterday. you grew confused as you found yourself in what wasn’t your room, and it became even more puzzling as you saw your captain sitting in a chair next to the bed waiting for you to wake up.

the look of impatience and worry was all you could read from his face and body language. his arms crossed, index finger tapping repeatedly like a drum on his bicep. he was looking away from you, watching the wind blow on the trees outside. levi had been using that view to pass the time and keep himself calm, but it didn’t really help much. only the sound of your voice was medicine to him.

“captain?”

levi lightly jumped in his seat and turned to see your face. you had been bandaged up, not a single wound left dirty. you were also quite bruised, and you immediately winced when you tried to adjust the way you sat. you couldn’t help but wonder what happened to you. if only you hadn’t hit your head so bad.

“you’re awake.” he said plainly. he didn’t want to show too much enthusiasm and freak you out, but on the inside, levi was so glad to see you were okay. the look of confusion on your face made him worry, and he felt the need to overshare and explain what was going on. “uh, this is my room. i took care of you since there wasn’t enough help.”

“oh?” you furrow your eyebrows. “what… what happened?”

“i think i could ask you the same thing, y/n.” levi replied. he had been waiting all this time to hear the truth of what happened. you saw what had happened to your fellow squad members, but with the way you lost consciousness, you had a hard time remembering it all. you could only draw blanks, and you felt as if you disappointed your captain.

“i’m… not sure. i don’t remember. i’m sorry.” you frown.

“i figured.” he sighed. he couldn’t get too mad, but part of him longed for an explanation so he could know where everything went wrong.

“where is everyone? surely petra must have helped you with this, right?” you ask, the question paining levi without you knowing a thing. “you couldn’t have done all of this by yourself.”

levi found himself unable to think about how to go with this. he wanted to let you down easy, lessen the blow, but with that look of innocence in your eyes, you just made it so damn hard for him. “y/n, they’re all gone.”

“gone?”

“gone.” he hated having it come out so harsh, but he had to get the point across without any sugarcoating. levi couldn’t lie, it would be an incredible disservice to you.

“no…” then you began to recall all that happened yesterday; the forest, that god damn female titan, it all replayed in your mind like a never ending horror movie. “no, this is all just one big nightmare. you can pinch me now, okay?”

your delusions only made it worse for levi. he couldn’t let you fool yourself thinking there was the slightest chance they weren’t gone, but he saw, he knew. all the life had been taken out of them, and whoever was behind the monster did it so cold-heartedly. it made him seem a little more humane in the eyes of his peers, as shocking as that was.

“i found all of you scattered on the ground. i thought you died just like they did.” levi said, those last few words coming out strained as he struggled to keep it together. he couldn’t let you see him like this, no way. he had to find an excuse to leave you be so he could go somewhere and let it all out without anyone seeing him.

“this can’t be, oh god.” you sob uncontrollably, making levi uncomfortable. he felt this way because it only made him want to cry with you, but at the same time, it felt wrong to feel like that.

“i can give you space to process this.” he began to stand up, but you tug on his sleeve to stop him, much to levi’s surprise.

“no, no, no. stay.” you giving him orders? he couldn’t believe it, but he would let you stop him, just for a moment.

“it is typically me who gives orders, you know.” levi spoke deliberately.

“well.” you pause, trying to find the right words. “i order you to stay.”

and just like you always did with him, he couldn’t help but obey your order. you let go of levi’s sleeve as he sat back down in his chair, too flustered to look you in the eye.

“i just… i wanna say i’m sorry i failed the squad, but most importantly, i’m sorry i failed you.” you say, your words full of utter shame, feeling like a complete failure. it was like you had just harshly tugged at levi’s heartstrings, despite it being crazy to think that levi ackerman did in fact have a heart.

“there was nothing you could do. the female titan outsmarted all of us.” he replied in that typical monotone voice. it almost started to irritate you. you were trying to have some sort of heartfelt conversation and it seemed like he couldn’t take you seriously. levi wanted to take all of it seriously, but he continuously battled with his mind and heart, and his mind kept winning.

“but it shouldn’t have happened.” you try to protest.

“we can’t turn back time, y/n.” levi argued back.

you can’t help but roll your eyes at him, a huge shock on levi’s end. “god, your words are terrible.”

“excuse me?”

“don’t you know it’s okay to feel things, captain?” you ask him. “i know they call you “humanity’s strongest soldier,” but is being emotionless a requirement?”

he’s unable to form words. where had this fire in you come from? had it been hiding this whole time? where had this disobedient soul been during the entirety of levi’s reign? he couldn’t help but be shocked yet amazed at the same time.

“that squad was like family to me.” you say with tears streaming down your face. “i thought you would’ve felt the same way, but i guess that suspicion i desperately tried to push away was right.”

“…and that is?”

“that you never liked any of us, not one bit, especially…” your lips tremble, but you force yourself to finish your sentence. “especially me.”

when you said those last two words, levi almost gasped. it made him feel so… terrible. so goddamn terrible he knew he couldn’t let his mind win anymore. it was time he chose his heart for once. “that’s nowhere near how i feel, y/n.”

“and how is it that you feel, captain?” you question, refusing to let your tears stop you from standing your ground.

this was it. this was the moment levi would pour his heart out to you. you were a rare jewel who was capable of giving him those pangs in his chest. not everyone could do that, but you sure could without trying or realizing it whatsoever.

“all my life, i thought that there was no point in caring because you’ll lose it eventually, but…” he began to speak, almost tempted to hold back, but he refused to do so any longer. “all i’ve ever been given here is a reason to care, and i didn’t want to show it. i didn’t want anyone to see it, and i wish they could know that i did. i did care, more than what’s possible to express.”

your hardened expression turned soft. to think he didn’t have such feelings made you feel so stupid. it’s easy to judge a book by its cover, isn’t it? but you read levi all wrong. oh so wrong. “you did?”

“i do, even now. that applies to you too, you know.” levi replied without shame.

“i didn’t think it did.” you avert his gaze.

“it’s almost disgraceful to admit how often you cross my mind, y/n.” your eyes widen when those words escape his mouth. was this real life? it seemed too good to be true. levi immediately thought he crossed a line, so he tried to shut the situation down as quickly as he could without ruining this moment. “i’m sorry if that came out weird, i—”

“no, no! it’s not weird!” you swiftly interrupt him. “i… i could say the same thing.”

“you could?” he said in amazement. it was like he was completely oblivious. why else were you always so eager to obey his orders and make sure you never let him down? you wanted him to notice you, and now he has given you his attention in the best way possible.

“yes, which i guess is kind of odd considering this is the first real conversation we’ve ever had.” you say with a faint giggle towards the end. “it’s a shame it had to be under these circumstances, really.”

“i know, and i’d like more, if you do too. it’s not an order, i swear.” levi replied eagerly, which was a pleasant surprise.

“i’d like that, captain.” you grin.

“can i… give you an order though?” he asked with a bit of hesitance.

“seems like poor timing to me, don’t you think?” you question, almost tempted to laugh at him, but you were going to see where this went.

“it’s not. i just… would prefer it if you called me levi from now on, please.” as if this couldn’t get any better. levi was saying “please” to you. god, you loved it.

“okay, levi. now i have an order for you.” you say with a smirk. “have a cup of tea with me, and you’re making it.”

levi smiled at the thought of what he would say next. “right away, y/n.”

© plutoccult / 310802. please do not copy, repost, modify, or translate any of my content in or outside of tumblr. reblogs are appreciated <3

[always-andromeda]

aaaAAA valentines prompts are here!! (⁠≧⁠▽⁠≦⁠) weeee please spare some white chocolate truffle for love of my life dwayne? thank you dearest, compliments to the chef (⁠ ⁠˘⁠ ⁠³⁠˘⁠)⁠♥

– 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐒𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐦

𝐃𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐧𝐞 𝐇𝐨𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐱 𝐆𝐍!𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫

𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫'𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐞: aHH okay this was super cute!! I hope you enjoy this one, anon!! also lmao, yes, the title is a song. it's from Yellow House and it always reminds me of Dwayne. <3

𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬: Dwayne is aged up to be high school senior, pure fluff, bits of Dwayne being a little pessimistic guy, nothing else I can think of!

First period hadn't even started yet and already you could tell that Dwayne was itching for the final bell. He sighed, folding his hands together and resting his chin on top of them. You watched him peer out from under his curtain of dark hair at a few students around you both exchanging cards, candies, and little stuffed toys. 

"Doing okay there, Dwayne?" you asked as you unloaded your textbook and your binder.

He threw you a sideways glance and replied blankly, "I'm a ray of sunshine." Whatever modicum of patience he usually had in school was drained entirely by Valentine's Day.

"Oh, yeah. You're looking especially chipper today."

This time, Dwayne turned to look at you fully with his brow furrowed.

"It's a joke."

"Have you seen what's been going on today?"

"Uh, yeah, it's a holiday," you shrugged.

"It's bullshit. It's an excuse for fucking candy and card companies to make a killing," he sneered. "Because if you don't buy your boyfriend or girlfriend a stupid piece of paper that says 'I love you' then you're obviously a bad person, right?"

You scoffed, "Not exactly."

That earned another scowl from Dwayne.

"Listen, I get what you mean. It can be superficial and overbearing sometimes, I guess." You struggled to conjure the right words to explain yourself in a way that Dwayne would understand, "But...it's nice sometimes, ya know? It's nice to have someone show that they thought about you."

"Please," Dwayne dismissed. "It's not about thought or care. It's all...bullshit social transactions that no one is gonna give a shit about after we graduate anyways. It's just...dumb."

Placing a hand over the top of your binder defensively, the more Dwayne spoke, the more you found a lump forming in your throat. It made it even harder to speak as you choked out, "Dumb?"

"Yeah. And...gross," he huffed with an air of stubbornness. He'd never been particularly fond of the holiday; the unnecessary drama of couples asking each other to be their Valentine and the gossip that came from rejections for days afterwards. But...you thought...

With a new wave of frustration, you flipped open the cover of your binder and pulled a card out from the inside flap. You slid it across the top of the table in Dwayne's direction. "Then there's a stupid card for you, Dwayne. Happy Valentine's Day," you added bitterly.

Dwayne froze. Already, the cover threw him off. There was the haunting phrase of the day written out in your handwriting and above it, a drawing of a bouquet of flowers in glitter gel pens. Slowly, he opened the card, finding more of your handwriting hiding inside.

I know this is super cliche. And you're probably going to roll your eyes at me when you read this. Promise me you won't hate me too much. Or at least promise me you'll spare me the embarrassment and forget this immediately after you read it. I just had to try at least once. But I really like you. Will you be my Valentine?

With your head hidden in your folded arms, you could only guess what you and Dwayne looked like to the rest of your classmates. Already, you were anticipating how that scene would get spun. Everyone talked about how you and Dwayne were bound to end up together, seeing as you're one of the only people that would willingly hang around with the reclusive guy. And one of the only people that he would actually let hang around him.

Your first thought after that was to think about Dwayne. He didn't like being the center of attention. Being talked about like this would be the most aggravating thing in the world. And god, it frustrated you that even when he was being a jerk, you still worried about him.

Then you felt a poke on your shoulder. You raised your head and found Dwayne, still looking at the card and tracing the flowers on the cover. But this time his hand was on the table, open with his palm facing up. Inviting you to grab it. Which you do, quickly.

"I'm sorry for what I said," he muttered.

You sniffed softly. "That's okay."

"I like the card."

"Thanks."

“And I'll be–" Dwayne paused. "I'll be your Valentine."

The exhilaration inside you flared so intensely that you couldn't help but squeeze his hand in return. And Dwayne also couldn't help the tiny smile that formed on his lips when he felt the warmth of your sweaty hand enveloping his. Maybe both of you could be right about Valentine's Day. It was gross. But...nice. Very nice.

[david-goldrock]

Id like to compliment your hebrew song choices for translation, if youd like no criticism stop reading here and סופ״ש נעים

If you dont mind, id like to note that the approach you seem to be taking prioritises approximating a 1:1 ratio between the original lyrics and your translations rather than conveying the meaning and imagery more eloquently. I feel that a lot of the beauty of the original text is lost when you go about it like this, maybe you should read english prose to get a feel for a natural and smooth lyricsm. Much love.

first of all, THANKS!

second of all, you are VERY right, this is a very deliberate choice, and it has its downsided

For the monolinguals: any complicated text CANNOT be actually translated one-to-one. all translations flow between "literal text oriented" and "meaning oriented", between "original grammar following" to "translated grammar following", and how much the meter and rhymes are kept.

My favorite example is the second verse of Ecclesiastes. In hebrew it goes like this:

"הבל הבלים אמר קהלת, הבל הבלים הכל הבל"

How would you translate it?

Let's start by writing the text in english letters, so the problem is more easily shown:

Hevel Havalim amar Kohelet, Hevel Havalim haokl Hevel

Now let's tackle the easy words

Hevel Hevels said Kohelet, Hevel Hevels everything is Hevel

Now there are 3 stuff to tackle

Kohelet: it is used as a name, but most scholars agree it's a title for Solomon, meaning something like "He who gathers a crowd". should it be translated as a name or a title? maybe as the name of the book in the christian world, Ecclesiastes?

Hevel: It's a very complicated word, it represents a fleeting breath, but also fleetingness itself, and also meaninglessness itself. many choose meaningless or meaninglessness in this verse, but another verse the author calls childhood Hevel, should we believe that the author means that childhood is meaningless? maybe it should be fleeting in this context?

<x> <x>s: a hebrew expression meaning "The most something of something", for example "king of kings" would mean "The most king of the kings" or "The most important king of the kings" or "The king over all the kings". Should it be translated in the simplest way (king of kings) or with added interpretation (the king over all the kings)?

How did the official translators handle it? they didn't Here are a few options they chose:

I could continue for ages, it seems like every single translation translated these lines differently

Add to that the fact that even though I read english prose and listen to english songs, my vocubulary is obviously smaller than a mother-tongue speaker, and the choice becomes very easy

I translate as literally as I can (most of the time). I often add context in (red brackets), but no more than that. The reader can use their imagination to find the english version (or native language for a double-translation mess) they think fits the most, but I will make a very literal translation

That is with one main exceptions: phrases that mean different things in hebrew and english. for example, the hebrew לעשות חשבון does have a literal translation: doing math. but in english, doing the math means something like "adding one plus one", and not at all the hebrew meaning of "caring about what people think of you". In cases like these, I try to add a bit of interpretation, and sometimes write the original in red brackets

These are not strong rules by any means, I am doing this for fun after all, sometimes I get lazy, sometimes I forget that something is a phrase and automatically translate the meaning etc. But this is the reason

If someone else wants to go after the translations and add more interpretation so it sounds poetic, I'd be ecstatic. But to do that, I'd need to be able to write english songs and prose myself, and I am not of that level yet

If someone wants to see what that approach to translation looks like, may I recommend the amazing translation of "hallelujah" to Yiddish. it translated the meaning to Yiddish, and then the literal text to the english subtitles, showing exactly what it looks out

[worldismyne]

Iceberg Bing for layer 3 and 4.

My memory is really bad, so some of these might have already appeared in earlier layers.

AMVs - Either specific songs that were popular to use in the fandom, or any fanmade content from during the manga's run that was popular

Soul and Maka Split up - Apparently this interpretation of Maka and Soul's final discussion in the manga is a hot take. There was a lot going on in the final chapter, but here are the phrases from the manga that gave me that impression.

Will cross this box off for any analysis from that final chapter tho.

Thompson Twins - Can't remember if this specific reference was pointed out, but stands in for any pop culture references brought to light.

The Dress - This is a newer development, but at some point this dress got listed on Devil Inspired and advertised heavily on instagram.

A bunch of Chrona cosplayers independently saw it and adopted it. (There were at least 3 or 4 at the first con I went to after it was listed). It's so prolific I've seen it in fanart of Chrona now.

Mary Shelly Theory - Saw someone in the tag a while back theorize Marie might be an allusion to Mary Shelly. It would add a layer to the electricity power outside of the Mjolnir reference.

New Art - Any mention of the 20th anniversary drops. (It didn't fit well in the square)

Purple/Pink Gate - Another one I can't remember if it's already been covered. Despite most fan artists color picking a dusty rose for Crona's hair, lavender wigs are still more common for cosplayers. I am a pink wig truther.

Shinobi - Okay, this is a PS2 game that predates the manga by two years. The main mechanic is a katana that sucks the lifeforce/soul of the user unless it's constantly fed other souls. I am fairly sure this is the inspiration of the uncanny sword. Even the cover art gives post time skip vibes.

If not, both pieces of media have to be referencing the same thing.

Zagreus + Dionysus : Death the Kid's role in SE has similarities with the god of the rebirth. Particularly the part of the legends where he's dismembered and eaten. There is some confusion in greek mythology if these are just different names for the same god or just two gods whose roles overlap, thus why I put both names.

Ragnarok - Particularly how he stops being a character after Salvage. Will also check off for mention of the war of the gods.

Merch - There's a lot of merch out there. Apparently they made a speaker inspired by bonus art. I'm sure there's a bunch of official stuff I haven't seen before.

Official Cosplay - There's a few talking points here that come to mind. Like how Soul is the only weapon with an official cosplay prop. Any Spirit, Ragnarok or Tsubaki props you see were made by the cosplayer. Death the Kid rings get sold one at a time, even if they're advertised as a set.

Translations goofs - There's little things like Afreet and Kishen being used interchangeably in the sub. The Witch hunter evolutions have a few different names. I'm sure there's other translation stuff that I don't know about that might pop up.

Demi-god Black Star - Another umbrella square. Black Star's arc towards the end seems to be referencing something specific. Idk what it is, but Marie goes out of her way to put him and Death the Kid on the same level and snubs Maka at the end of the manga.

The Dread Queen - Comparing Chrona to Persephone is really common in the Kirona crowd. After listening to some deeper dives on the topic there's actually precedence for them to be an allusion ancient underworld goddess that predates Persephone and Hades, but not the abduction myth. They're never referred by name only by titles. Crona's name being literally Dark One in Japanese fits with this theme, as well as usually being referred to as the Demon Sword rather than by their given name. This could be more coincidence than anything else though.

Unlocalized content - The iceberg has already covered the games, but there might be audio dramas or other in-character content that didn't make it's way over when SE was popular in the US.

[local-crying-boy]

Not me who made a Hadir Karim playlist because I couldn't find any and had to put matters into my own hands..

Playlist link for those who actually want to listen here

Not like it's a very long one or one that might be very connected to Hadir, just songs that make me think of him every time they start playing.

Here are the songs that are on the playlist:

1. waiting Room (Phoebe Bridgers)

“Know it’s for the better” He stole the gas and used it because he wanted Urzikstan to be free. And “Plus, I know whatever happened to me, I know it’s for the better” because let’s be honest he probably knew he was going to die at some point, and he knew that it most likely wasn’t going to be from natural causes, not with the war he grew up in.

2. Fool (Bôa)

“You and I, born as fools now.” I don’t know what it is about this line, but it hits and it makes me think of Hadir. Maybe because he used the gas, making Farah despise him. “You and I think, think we rule now” this mf became Commander at some point, which just ENRAGES Farah, no?

3. O Superman (Laurie Anderson)

Well, does this song need any explaining? I found this song on a Farah playlist (made by one of my favourite Tumblr accounts, hence me making a post about the Hadir playlist). So if this song makes me think of Farah, it immediately makes me think of Hadir.

4. Love and War (Fluerie)

Love and War, says it in the title, no? Plus, “the truth begins to show”? Him using the stolen gas to save Farah and Alex, but only killing the Russian army and some ULF soldiers (if I remember correctly). And don’t even get me started on “lover, hunter, friend and enemy, you will always be every one of these.” UGHHH it's such a good line and I think that it represents Hadir very well, maybe alongside Farah too.

5. In the house - In a Heartbeat (John Murphy)

Do I really need a reason for this song? It's so good and it makes me think of numerous edit ideas (despite the fact that I give up on editing the minute I open Capcut), just the vibe and sound reminds me of Hadir, makes me think of his whole character development, his story, ect:

6.Forest (Twenty One Pilots)

"The situation's becoming dire" The line makes me think of the moment when Hadir calls Alex to help him get the gas, making it be used and everything kicking off and him becoming the enemy. "And for some reason I smell gas on my hands" well, this needs no explanation. "This is not what I had planned" Although I think that Hadir knew that Farah would have gone against him the moment he decided to use the gas, I feel like he wouldn't expect her to basically turn on him so much that it seemed like she didn't love him anymore.

7.Army Dreamers (Kate Bush)

I think everyone can see why I put this song on here, not only because it is such an amazing song, but also because Hadir is obviously a solider. Also, I know the song's meaning is about a mother grieving her son dying because of war. HOWEVER, the song does heavily remind me of PTSD that soldiers suffer from (more so from the music video where all their eyes are wide, which kinda is like Shell Shock/PTSD), and I'm 100% certain that Hadir, like any other character is CoD, would suffer from some type of mental illness, or nightmares, or grief/guilt from being soldiers.

8. I know it's over (The Smiths)

The repeat phrase of 'Oh mother, I can feel the soil falling over my head" just makes me think of how he died and, in my head, I have an image of him just dead and, well, we know his and Farah's parents are dead. I don't know how to explain it exactly, been staring at this paragraph trying to figure out what the hell I'm trying to say. But it just makes me think a lot of him and his mother, because I seriously get vibes from him that he was a mama's boy before she passed.

9. Advice (Alex G)

"The world is full of fishes, but I trust you" really makes me think of him and Farah, because the two of them would have had to relied on each other at a young age after their parents died and when they were building up ULF and during their time in prison. They would have had a lot of trust in one another, which makes sense with the amount of pure betrayal and rage we hear in Farah's voice when she finds out Hadir stole the gas and then used it. The two of them would have had such an almost unbreakable relationship, not only because they are siblings, they trusted one another and they went through so much, they would have HAD to have trusted each other.

10. Poison Tree (Grouper)

This song alone has so much emotion to it, it ALTERS my brain chemistry. I love this song, so it just meant I had to link it to one of my favourite characters. Which, therefore, means it has a place on the playlist.

11. The Hand that feeds (The Crane Wives)

This song screams Farah, but I feel like it could apply to both Hadir and Farah. Afterall, the both of them are doing a tiring job that is going to both mentally and physically drain them. It's dangerous and they know it. "My papa taught me how to growl, how to bear my teeth and growl", although in the scene where we see of kid Farah and Hadir, their father turns to Hadir and says to 'stay strong for Farah', this is probably one of the many reasons why he does so much for her, even if makes her fucking despise Hadir for what he's done.

12. I wait for you (Alex_g_offline)

"I wait for you" I don't know what is it about the repeated line that makes me think so much about Hadir, about his whole character, but for some reason it really does.

13. If we have each other (Alec Benjamin

The song that makes me, really, think of any two characters that are related. "So I'm thankful for my sister, even though sometimes we fight" the line is more so towards the usual sibling type fights that happens throughout with growing up with siblings, which would easily be able to apply to the two of them. However, it also makes me think about the fact that Hadir still loves Farah and calls her sister, even when she hates him. When he was dying, he even said to her that he still loves her even though she hates him now (something along those lines)

14.Where'd all the time go? (Dr. Dog)

"There ain't no way to sweep up the mess that we've made" I know it says 'we' but I think that Hadir regrets what he did, even if he believes that it helps winning against the Russian army, I don't think he likes that fact that Farah hates him over it and he knows that he can't do anything to fix that, to 'sweep up the mess'. There's no fixing that, there was no fixing that broken trust between them after that.

[dreamstone28737]

AO3 Wrapped 2024

Just doing this one for funsies — but any of my writer friends please feel free to participate! I like looking back on the year at the end of it.

This is sort of lengthy so I’m putting the questions under the cut!

1. How many words have you written this year? 194,581

2. How many works did you publish this year? 11

3. What work are you most proud of? I actually haven’t reread this even one time, so it might be terrible, who knows? But I think I’m proudest of “Make the Whole Place Shimmer.” It felt really daunting to write the Kanthony wedding in the Midnights series, but it was also sweet to “watch” them get married as this culmination of their love story. I don’t know if that’s silly, but it’s true. It made me feel really happy for them — even if they’re not real! 🤣

4. What work of yours has the most hits? “Get It Off My Desk”

5. What work of yours got more feedback than you expected? “Dear Reader”

6. Favorite title you used: I probably like “Karma is My Boyfriend” the best. Maybe because it’s a phrase that feels both happy and silly to me, and that’s the tone of the fic itself.

7. If you use song lyrics, which artist’s songs did you pull from the most? 😆 it’s only Taylor Swift

8. Pairing you wrote the most this year? Kanthony exclusively, baby!

9. Favorite pairing you wrote this year? Kanthony

10. What work was the quickest to write? “A Step You Take” — I wrote it in two sittings from start to finish. That’s never happened before.

11. What work took you the longest to write? “Get It Off My Desk.” I started outlining it summer of 23 and kept trying to start it over and over again, but it’s like the story wasn’t ready because it never worked. I finally wrote it in the summer of 24.

12. How many WIPs do you have in your docs for next year? I think I only have 3 that I actually have outlines for, but I have like 3 or 4 other ideas that I wrote down and then abandoned… maybe they’ll make their way back to my mind one day?

13. What’s your longest work of the year? “Coming Home to Aubrey Hall” was literally a funny idea I had while decorating my Christmas tree and it was supposed to be like a silly two- or three-chapter fluff piece… and it’s turned into a monster!! 😂

14. What’s your shortest work of the year? “Love Dreams”

15. What WIP are you taking into next year with you? “Coming Home to Aubrey Hall” 😫

16. Your most-used additional tag: Probably “Modern AU” but I don’t know how to find that out.

17. Your favorite character to write this year? Newton!

18. The character that gave you the most trouble to write this year? Weirdly, Siena. I adore her, but I just couldn’t find her voice at first. I watched her scenes from season 1 over and over again to try and get it right.

19. What’s one pairing you want to explore next year? As a writer, I’m really only interested in Kanthony at this point. As a reader, I’ve been diving into the Fiyeraba fandom! And with the new movie coming out next year, I don’t see my interest waning any time soon.

20. Which work of yours have you reread the most? I must have gone over “Karma is My Boyfriend” with a fine-toothed comb a thousand times because I needed all the moving pieces of their Valentine’s Day mishaps to fit together.

21. How many kudos total did you get this year? 2,185. Thanks guys 🥰

22. Which work has the most comments? “Dear Reader”

23. Did you do any collaborative works this year? My dear friend @mimix007 helped me so, so much a lot of these fics felt collaborative! ❤️ But not officially.

24. Did you write any gifts this year? I wrote two fics for @mimix007 😘 “Just Like Clockwork” and “Dear Reader.”

25. Did you receive any gifts this year? I remember that Allatonceyouaretheone wrote a fic inspired by “Just Like Clockwork” and that felt like a gift!!

26. What’s your most common category? F/M — if that’s what that means.

27. What do you listen to while writing? I’m not really a music-while-I-write person most of the time. Generally, I prefer some kind of white noise to help me focus. I like to write in public spaces for that reason — ambient noise is my favorite.

28. Favorite work you wrote this year? This is too hard. They’re all my babies.

29. Favorite line/passage you wrote this year? Gosh. I don’t know. I remember that I had Newton call Anthony a “stray human” in “Just Like Clockwork,” and I really enjoyed that.

30. Biggest surprise while writing this year? Hmm… probably writing regency-era fics within the canon. Honestly, two years ago I didn’t consider myself a competent writer, so finding out that I could branch out beyond the one-trick of the Midnights AU was a really gratifying surprise.

Amount of comment threads in 2024: 711

Amount of times people subscribed to your fics in 2024: 391

Amount of words written in 2024: 194,581

Amount of kudos in 2024: 2,185

Amount of bookmarks in 2024: 388

Amount of hits you received in 2024: 50,720

[theartless]

LIKE U NEED LOVE, ryomen sukuna.

𝗪𝗪𝗪. 𝗦𝗨𝗚𝗢𝗥𝗜𝗜.𝗖𝗢𝗠. ?!

⁺‧₊˚ ཐི⋆ SUKUNA!DEMON/INCUBUS & READER/!SUCCUBUS. 

🍓title: talk dirty like u need love (let’s see who gets this song reference hehe). 

🍓 warnings. pls minors do NOT interact in this shot. sorry if i had mistaken something, i´ve translated the entire shot from my native language which is not english…  

this shot contains pure SMUT. i will say again this shot contains NSFW, +18 content. a little content of OOC (out of character) sukuna!slightly soft, alcohol / illicit substance, blood scene, gore, slight cannibalism mentioned but NOT between the main characters, little mention of supernatural world and magical creatures, demonic love, pet names (sweetheart, little lamb), slight biting, size kink, no protection, slight choking, groping, nipple play, fingering, masturbation, cunnilingus, dick sucking. 

🍓summary. when you have a crazy party night with ieiri, suguru and satoru, you didn’t realise that your glass had a special substance… 

🍓slight description. where sukuna teaches u how to control your own body (meow). 

🍓a/n: sooo finally is here, i´m so glad i could finish it before new year hehei really, really hope u like it, it would be soo nice if you comment your opinions below, and if i should make more parts of this shot <3

must admit i have used deepl in order to check the correct verb tenses (i´m not proud about that), but all the words are mine, i also have the entire shot in spanish. 

i honestly would appreciate sm if you repost it or comment smt <3

🍓 credits abt the banner: roseschoices.

🍓word count. 5k.

🎧♱★ playing promiscuous!, nelly furtado. ★♱🎧

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

It's not how you start, but how you finish.

That phrase stayed highlighted in your mind during that night. Especially since the before and after of that underworld party you attended with your group of best friends, you started off well, but ended up much worse than any other day. To begin with, you were immediately overwhelmed by the crowd, something that never used to happen to you. To continue, you suddenly felt very tired and you almost had just started the party. 

These were two quite rare specific events for someone who could stand in a party till very late at night and even one entire night if you wanted to.

"Another drink? " Getō asked. But you shook your head in a negative response. " I'm fine with the last one, thanks."

The black-haired man shrugged and took the violet shot for you, followed by Shōko and Satoru, who also finished their glasses in one row. You felt obliged to accompany them to the bar to order another round, this time, only for them. 

You had to stop drinking that exotic beverage because continuing doing that only would affect your actual bad state. And you didn't want to go home in that situation. Or at least, in an extremely lousy one. 

Although in fact you didn't even want to go back to your 'home' with your human parents who didn't even care about you. They had adopted you in order to integrate more easily into the society of creatures of the night and to acquire a certain prestige within it. Once they had achieved their selfish goal, they left you completely aside, going by their own way and so you too.

You didn't know if that would be bad, since your parents had always been checking up on you… Until they stopped.

Although actually, you quite enjoyed that fact, as long as you got good grades in college. And since there was no exam in sight at the very near moment and they had a business trip, you decided to go out with your group of friends.

You just wanted to forget about your miserable life for a little... Was it so much to ask? You only wanted to have a good time with your friends and maybe, just maybe, why not, finish the night with some handsome vampire who could bite…

You had heard that they were very good lovers. But since you'd never been allowed to go out of the house too much, you had hardly experienced anything. You just wanted to try one miserable night. Hopefully, with a little luck, maybe this would be that night. 

You went out from time to time, if your parents were traveling or just not at home, monitoring what you were doing.

You only had one partner in your short life, although well, he was human and never fully understood your nature.

But you weren't sure which one it was either. You certainly knew you had magic, you knew you had power, but you still couldn't figure out what it was… Even though you secretly fantasized about being a witch or a vampire, your power still hadn't fully manifested. And until it did so, you wouldn't know what kind of creature you would be. 

The marks could be of many types.

Those of vampires were their noticeable fangs, as well as having very pale skin. On the other hand, those of witches was to accentuate a unique feature of your appearance, whether it was a mole, a different colored eye, hair... There were many different ones, and you studied them all. Someday you hoped you could become something similar. 

One of your biggest insecurities was staying like this, without access to any power. Or if you would just keep looking like an average human.

All your friends had a more or less recognizable brand... Except you. You hoped to get it someday. Satoru with his unusual hair color, Getō's mark was more subtle, his pretty jet hair and the gift of clairvoyance, but that was something. And then there was Shōko with her extreme paleness… 

When this topic came to your mind, occasionally you used to recall your past relationship with Nanami with yearning. 

Kento was very patient with you, until he cheated on you with the baker of a store in his neighborhood. You were still ached from the surreal situation you lived through when he blamed you for all the times you left home with your best friends, firmly believing that you cheated on him with one of them.

What a cruel joke of fate that he was the one who ended up doing it. Without any explanation, moreover. You guessed he got tired of waiting for you to open up to him more. But, honestly, you just couldn´t. Everytime you tried to do it, he didn't look interested. 

Of course, your adoptive parents also took his side. It was a disgusting week where you just wanted to cease to exist. Fortunately, after that unlucky relationship attempt, they left you alone, allowed you to do pretty much anything you wanted and never meddled in your love life again, considering the awful failure that resulted. 

That early morning you really felt worse than any other day you had ever partied and drank beverage prepared by seelies or any other magical being of the underworld.

You didn't even know the reason, because you didn't change the type of liquor, you didn't even mix energy drinks with your drink. You felt drained of energy, severely short of breath and totally dehydrated.

You warned Suguru and Gojō that you were going outside for a moment, and they both asked if you wanted company, but you simply shook your head in refusal. You would probably go home afterwards if you continued like this; your head was spinning despite you drank little and your nausea was increasing more and more. 

You were absolutely sure that you just needed to breathe; you felt your windpipe closing up while you were inside the club where a certain white-haired friend of yours took you. 

You snorted, pushing your way out of the room, throwing a few elbows and dodging bodies until you reached the door. " At last." You whispered. The reverberation of music could be heard in the background, even having left the venue behind.

Something was definitely terribly wrong with you.

Instead of feeling relieved, your whole body was beginning to consume you. Your body temperature, already elevated because you had been dancing with a large group of numerous shapeshifters, seelies, lycanthropes, vampires and other creatures, felt much higher than usual. Your blood pumped and flowed rapidly in your veins, your heart beated more frantically than usual and an unfamiliar thrill whipped through your body.

Surprisingly, and in spite of everything, you were very, very hungry. Your stomach was roaring urgently for food.

Your legs began to tremble, so you leaned against the wall. Your balance was precarious, as was the state you were in. Finally, as the feeling of dizziness wouldn't go away, you decided to sit down for a while to rest. With your head leaning back, your body trembling and with an incredible thirst that you had never experienced before.

You tossed your hair back not quite knowing what to expect. You sighed, exhaling to try to get some reassurance. You didn't. Your head began to pound more, and you even swore you felt an indescribable pain in your gums. You were very hot. In fact, you were sweating, too much to be a normal reaction. Your breathing was irregular and rapid, the sticky beads of sweat were getting more and more annoying, and you didn't even have enough energy to move.

You were suffocating and didn't know how to act.

Nor did you remember the moment when you closed your eyes, settled against the wall and decided that a little sleep was a good option, but by the time you woke up, you only knew that you were no longer in the same place where you fell asleep.

In fact, you didn't even know where you were. Lost in a street that was not even remotely familiar to you, you looked around.

It was a dark alley whose only illumination came from a streetlamp on its last legs. You checked your phone, expecting a myriad of messages, but found to your surprise that there were none. Apparently, whether or not you were unconscious, or whatever happened in that time lapse, you were lucid enough to let your friends know that you were definitely leaving the party. For some reason you sighed with relief. You didn't want them to worry too much unnecessarily.

A little glance down made you turn away from the wall where you were. You were covered in blood. It wasn't yours, you could deduce, because you didn't hurt at all, nor did you see, nor did you feel any scratches on your skin. "What the f-?" you murmured, but no one answered. There was only you on that street. The howl of the wind was the only thing you could hear. The warmth you once had was gone and in its place, you had an optimal temperature.

You turned around, staring in horror at the most vomitous scene of your life. A man whose corpse was wide open, had human bites on his neck, torso and arms.

Blood was the main decoration of the scene, it was everywhere you looked. Holding a hand to your mouth, unable to believe that all this was your fault, you called the one person you knew would not judge you in spite of everything.

"H-Hello? " You called, your voice cracking. "Please, please, please, please... Answer me." You whispered, trying to make as little noise as possible. Because anyone who saw you there would think what indeed happened. There were four rings of the call before a gravely voice answered.

"Asura? "

He found you standing next to the corpse, with your arms around your body, and staring blankly. You didn't even know how to feel about this, because you remembered absolutely nothing of what had happened. But you knew it had been bad. Otherwise, you wouldn't have that fucking feeling of guilt gnawing at your insides, would you?

"Sweetheart? "

You back at him, but said nothing. Guilt consumed you. And he could see it through your eyes. He pursed his lips. Without a word, he rolled up his sleeves, held the remains of the corpse and finally wrapped it in a bag that he took out of the car, only to then put it in the trunk of the car. It hardly took him the slightest effort from what you could see.

"K-Kuna..." You murmured, as he turned to hold you in his arms, caressing your cheek. You held each other like that for a short period of time. You were still processing the shock, and, you speculated, it would take a little longer for you to wake up and make you aware.

"This makes things so much easier." That's all he mentioned, before holding you below the knees and carrying you over to the passenger seat of his sports car.

"What do you mean? " You decided to venture to ask, once he lent you his jacket, draped over you and began to drive to, you guessed, his apartment. His cologne was a combination of spice and bergamot that lingered on you. You inhaled deeply, taking in its scent, knowing that it was the only thing that could calm you in that catatonic state.

He placed his hand on your thigh and an electrifying sensation ran through your body. You shuddered involuntarily. "About your nature, Sura." You didn't know why he said it with a strange smile on his face. "I'll explain when we get home. It's better... if I demonstrate certain aspects to you in private." He settled the matter, but his hand never left your leg.

The ride in your car was tense and uncomfortable. At least, for you. Sukuna, for his part, looked like his usual self.

The silence didn't help either, and even less so the fact that his hand was gradually moving up by your tender flesh of your thigh, giving you gentle caresses and occasionally pressing his thumb and forefinger. You felt totally disoriented, because you didn't even know what he was about to warn you. However, once you got out of the car and reached the elevator that would take you straight to his floor, you decided to stand up to him and intervene, since he didn't utter a word in the whole ride.

"So, what do you have to tell me? " You folded your arms, waiting for an answer, in order to distract you from the fact that he had a corpse in his car. Really though, you didn't know what to expect. That night was being weird in every way.

"My sweet and impatient little lamb." He whispered, crossing the short distance that separated you, cradling your face in his hand and moving his mouth to your neck. You felt his lips brush your ear gently, only to then give it a little tug with his teeth. Your skin bristled. That one gesture was what ignited the spark in your body again. "I know how desperate you were to know what your magic was about, my dear. And I just found out right now."

"Is that so?" You asked, with the curiosity glinting in your gaze. He smiled slyly, bringing his hands closer to your waist, waiting for his next move like a cunning predator.

"Sweetheart, you are a succubus. I'm surprised no one noticed that before." He didn't even give you time to process it. He pushed your hair away from your neck with unbecoming gentleness as his lips took over your skin, nibbling, licking and teasing you further. A low trembling sigh escaped your lips. You clung to his shoulders; that simple kiss flustered your entire system.

"I don't get out much, you know." You replied, your breath hitching. Without saying anything, he stood behind you. Despite the fact that he didn't touch you, you could perfectly perceive his dark aura hovering over you. But you didn't care; something in you said to trust him, that he would make you feel good.

You didn't need to think twice; you decided to listen to that little voice in your conscience. You shortened the distance by taking a single step and he pressed your back to his chest, while he wrapped one of his arms around your waist. Your reflection returned the unseemly look in the elevator mirror at what was about to happen between you. You just let yourself go, you knew you would be safe with him and acted on instinct. And he could say more of the same.

"Yes." His free hand traveled down your anatomy, sliding ever so gently under your clothing.

"However..." Your breath was cut off as his hand found the valley of your breasts, and moving up a little further, he found your bra and tugged at it, breaking the cloth immediately. Suddenly, you heard the soft rattle of the metal of the underwire against the floor and the shredded fabric. The cold enveloped your skin for a few seconds, but soon the warmth and energy Sukuna emitted, ignited your body, enveloping you, creating an internal combustion in your soul.

"Yes? " He asked mockingly about you, as his fingers explored your newly uncovered nipple. Squeezing, pulling, circling it and repeating such actions.

"How did you figure that out... Now?" You gasped when he gently pinched it. "And before me? I just… don't understand..."

"The signs were there, you just had to pay some attention. But surely you must have taken or done something that triggered the reaction." He hissed, moving his mouth down your neck, throat and collarbone and descending with his other hand further and further south.

You immediately thought of that violet potion and the gore scene you woke up in. " Also, sweetie, you're forgetting one little detail. I am your counterpart."

The hand that was located lower down began to fiddle with the zip of your pants.

"Which means..." He unzipped and yanked your pants aside, leaving you with only your panties on.

"That I feel the kind of energy you're radiating, little lamb." His index finger slid across your skin.

"And what is it?"

"An absolutely delicious one that I can't wait to devour already."

You leaned your head back, seeking more support on his chest as he lubricated you with your own fluids and quickly inserted two fingers inside you, yearning to be the one inside you. You didn't even need more preparation; your fluids were already trickling down your thighs. His other hand went to your clitoris. It was quick, sudden and effective in making you shudder with pleasure. "Which in turn, means you need to be fed from me, even though you have already eaten." You shivered again at remembering it, but his direct contact with you calmed any extraneous thoughts of you in that situation. In that elevator. Your body temperature rose, as did his. 

With one of his hands moving scissor-like inside you and the other caressing your clitoris in slow circles, you felt how between his fingers you fell apart, closing your eyes and almost losing consciousness as he hit that sweet spot non-stop. Once, twice, three times. Your legs began to tremble without him offering you a single breath. Thanks to him, you felt your body just as warm as before you fainted. Burning, but this time it was because of being satiated in the most delicious of ways.

"What will you do with the body?" You didn't even know how you could articulate the required words to speak. His touch made you lose your sanity, you had never experienced anything this intensely glorious.

"Do you even really care about it?" He brought his right hand up, pinching your nipple, cupping your breast in his hand and finally resting on your neck, squeezing it lightly so he could control your breathing.

"Hm." You were only able to say that, before he pulled the rest of your clothes off.

He suddenly pulled his fingers away, to bring them to his mouth and let out a slight gasp. "Ah, sweetheart. Your taste drives me crazy."

"Kuna, please." You requested without knowing exactly what. Your body was acting according to your basic needs. You were sure that if he asked you to worship him, you would do it without a moment's hesitation. The only thing you were aware of was that he was emitting an appetizing scent that you wanted to have permeate your entire body. You needed it. Urgently. You had never experienced such a pressing need that hurt, but right now you felt on the verge of convulsing into an unstoppable frenzy if he didn't keep touching you. You had a suspicion that he knew how you were feeling and that he just wanted to make you wait a little while until he made you explode with pleasure.

"My pretty little flower wants more, huh?" You nodded frantically, sticking closer to him. "Stay like this." He commanded, holding you by the waist and pulling your anatomies even closer together, you could feel the noticeable erection he had.

"Uh." You moaned, as his fingers reached deeper inside you, exploring that juicy area again, moving the phalanges back and forth. You melted with his touch, you couldn't take it anymore. You let him know so, but he smiled condescendingly and pulled his hand away.

"Patience, my dear. The first dish will be here soon." You sighed as his fingers stopped filling you.

You felt the torrid heat his body was emitting and wanted to pull back for more. You wanted to clench your legs in desperation, but one of his hands stopped you. With the other one he pulled away and with one thrust he pulled you up on top of him, wrapping your legs around his waist. 

You had already reached the right floor.

"Now, honey, get ready for the only thing coming out of your mouth tonight, gonna be my name." 

He made you appear in his room. With you still in his arms, he advanced to the bed and settled you in the middle of the mattress, which sank when he placed his knee on one of the edges. You didn't even glance around, you just decided to make your mouth collide with his, sharing that vehement, irrepressible desire for each other. Your tongues met, his wouldn't let you breathe and you tried to keep the same rhythm by lining his lower lip.

The enthusiasm with which he devoured you was impulsive, rabid and violent, but you let him do as he pleased because you didn't want it in any other way. You bit down hard on his lip, so that a thin trickle of blood spurted out, which you licked from the corner of his mouth with a small mocking smile.

"Careful, little lamb. Two can play at that." As he spoke he brushed his lips against yours, provoking you, daring you and finally slipping his tongue between your lips as his hands ended up fumbling the rest of your body, already being completely exposed to him.

He ended up with his head on your nipple, licking and giving little nibbles along the path he had traced from your mouth, passing through the valley between your breasts and ending at the aureole surrounding that little pointed nipple due to his caresses and twisting the other one with his free hand.

"K-Kuna, please..." You moaned, trying to move, to reach something more than small, satisfying moments of relief... " Mph..." He continued to fondle your breasts, something that really stimulated you and caused your body temperature to rise, but always without reaching the final orgasm.

"Allow me to enjoy this a bit, sweetheart. After all, I can't always taste energy as sweet as this."

He traced a path of kisses from your sternum to your belly, descending further south, crouching on the edge of the bed.

He grabbed you by the legs and dragged you until you were facing him. "Now that the main course is coming, feel free to not hold it back. Here no one but me can hear you, and whoever does it, he's a dead man." The promise gleamed in his scarlet orbs. It left no room for doubt. You nodded, granting him full consent to do whatever he wanted with you. Though you would let him do anything to you.

He began by placing kisses on your right thigh, ascending very slowly. "This could be considered torture." You groaned, trembling at the expectation.

"Is that so, little lamb?" You replied with a slight nod. He smiled lasciviously. The stroke on your leg ended.

He slid his tongue loosely along your outer folds, up and down, but never in the center, enjoying your extreme exasperation because of his moves. With the warmth of his breath he further soaked your folds, basically, wherever his tongue found its way. Soon, he began to zigzag his tongue over your vagina before he began to lick and suck in circles over your hardened clitoris for a couple of passes until he turned his attention back to your outer lips, sucking on them, nibbling them gently and making your lubrication drip down your thighs again.

You moved your legs, trying to get him to focus on that other area, but it was totally useless to fight against the firmness of his grip.

"Be my good girl and be still." He ordered. "Or it ends here." You stopped immediately, trying to stop fighting your more primal urges. "That's the way I like it." His tone of voice betrayed his excitement, but for some reason, you saw him as very calm. Without any kind of worry, without any concern. As if this came naturally to him.

Like he'd done this one too many times.

A slight grunt came out of your mouth unconsciously. It felt as if a dormant part in you had awakened as you turned your mind to those thoughts. Sukuna's gaze met yours for a few seconds, watching you curiously, but he smiled with amusement, as if he could guess the line of your thoughts.

He just continued to go over your folds with his mouth with extreme gentleness, focusing on your neglected clitoris as he inserted a single finger inside you, moving it diagonally, pulling it out and inserting it again. "Kuna..."

"Yes, beautiful?" He looked at you through his bushy eyelashes.

"I want to taste you." You said breathlessly, a reaction due to his intense and constant caresses all over your body.

And you swore you could feel it nowhere and simultaneously, everywhere. In your breasts, between your legs, your folds... but you also wanted to be able to feel him in your mouth at least once or as long as this daring and seductive nighttime adventure would last. His gaze met yours and you watched the glowing flare around his scarlet irises again after he heard you say that.

"On your knees." He imposed with his voice low and hoarse, almost with the words coming out in a pressured, choked up voice. You couldn't identify whether it was due to excitement, anticipation of the moment or both. "Spread your legs wider and don't lean on your heels." You obeyed, opening up and leaving more space for him.

You felt a small draft between the bare skin of your thighs, before palpating your lover's epicurean torso with your hands; he had appeared beneath your body. "Ready for the principal dish on this menu?"

You didn't even respond when he held you by the hips with both hands, placed you over his mouth and pushed down until you again felt his warm tongue going over your entrance, teasing you. 

"Oh my..." You exclaimed, closing your eyes at his sudden intrusion.

"That's it honey, let yourself go. Sit on your throne, princess." He murmured, kissing your lips. A shiver ran down your lower back; you wouldn't hold out much longer.

His lips opened you up and devoured your interior without leaving a single hole untraveled while his fingers teased you, making you desire much, much more.

You gasped as you felt that slippery and warm tongue exploring you without hesitation, slightly delving inside you, before you began your work. Leaning forward, managing to position yourself well over her body, you started to return the favor.

With one hand you managed to balance yourself while with the other you held his cock, sliding it in and out of your mouth, running your tongue over the tip and sucking gently, the same that he had had with you so far, even though you thought he wouldn't be like that.

"Mph, hm." The lustful, high-pitched sounds coming out of your mouth combined with his as he licked and caressed you from every corner. Sliding your tongue down his length and enjoying the movements he made with his hips, with you accompanying the rhythm he setted.

"Fuck it, beautiful. If you keep this up I'll finish right now."

You felt the same way. Especially when again, he inserted two of his fingers now, which slipped very easily between your legs.

"I-I can't take it anymore... I need you now..." You murmured between whimpers for every thrust that delved deeper inside you. Your walls clung to his hand tightly, squeezing, squeezing his fingers as he delved deeper into you, moving gradually.

"Move over for me, baby."

His fingers stimulated you faster and faster, his tongue connected with your sensitive clit and arching your back slightly but still touching his penis, you ended up on his face while he continued to lick you without leaving a trace of what happened.

"Good girl." He gave you a light pat on your trembling thigh.

"P-please..." You insisted, closing your eyes and letting yourself go on that ecstatic adrenaline rush that only he had given you from his touch so far. And frankly, you doubted anything else would be able to even match it.

"If my little lamb asks me like this, I'll have to supply your needs. Because we don't want you to remain hungry, do we?" You shook your head, turning away from his body.

He took you back to the center of the bed, kicked off his shoes, yanked down his pants and along with them, he also got rid of his boxers. He climbed into bed with that same look in his eyes that promised you that neither of you were going to get any rest that night. You didn't care. In fact, you wanted to challenge him. You held his gaze as slowly hovered over you.

He seemed to stalk you like a predator, because you were going to be his prey that night. And it would be seen for the rest of the days... Although judging by the desire of both of us, the answer was already clear without the need to say it in words.

"I won't be gentle."

"I don't want you to be." You wanted to see his more primitive, wilder side.

"So my little lamb is into rough-and-tumble games, huh?"

He moved closer to you, grabbed you by the waist and with his free hand, again stroked you between your legs, stimulating your already wet entrance and opening you wider for him, though it wasn't necessary since he fitted himself inside you in a single move in which you both tilted your heads back with a pleasurable sigh.

"You receive me so well, Sura. Look at us." You obeyed and looked down to where you were connecting. "Look how we fit together so well."

You wrapped your legs around his waist, drawing him down. You placed your hands around his neck and pulled him towards you to capture his lips while you kept moaning between impudent sighs only smoothened by his mouth.

Your breathing was becoming more and more erratic and your legs were shaking and more.

With one hand, he held them so they wouldn't fall off. With the other, he continued to rub your nipples, hardening them and making you wetter. Apparently, they were one of your most sensitive spots and he found out.

"So does this turn you on?" He licked, sucked and nibbled eagerly at one of them while kneading the other with his hands. Your back arched, seeking more of his touch. "They're so pretty. And pink. I can feel how hot this makes you, how you drip on me." He kept nibbling all around, wringing pure cries of satisfaction from you.

You felt the pressure of his member making its way into your sensitive and tender flesh, and when it sank in completely, calmness spread through your system and the tingling in your stomach began to flutter, spreading throughout your body. Without you moving a single muscle, pleasure overwhelmed your senses, intoxicating you with an uncontrollable ecstasy to which you would become addicted.

"Mph... Ryo..." Sukuna kept moving with that relentless back-and-forth that drove you to madness.

When he slowed his pace you could feel him better. How he brushed against your walls and how they molded to his size, hitting the same spot his fingers had brushed. It was a unique sensation you never thought you could experience. Who said the best lovers were vampires? Of course they were wrong.

Your body moved suddenly with slight spasms, your vagina throbbed and you felt how Sukuna was also on the edge.

"Please, please…Don't stop." You mumbled. You didn't even know how it was possible for him to hear you, but he did.

"Oh, honey. I wasn't planning to stop even if I could. We still have a long night ahead of us."

Then, he abruptly separated your legs causing a small cry of surprise on your part, he held you by the waist and turned you around, leaving you with your back to him. He began to kiss your neck, your shoulders, your back... Then, his lingering citrus scent reached your nose and seduced you again, making you shiver in anticipation.

"This is so intense..." You mumbled against the pillow, pushing your hips up so he could get better access to you.

"Well, you haven't seen the best yet, my dear. Now, cum again for me."

"Su- ah!" You exclaimed, as you again felt his electric touch run all over your sensitive skin. "I don't think I can do it again..." You began, but when he turned you over and held one of your nipples between his lips again, moved his hand down to the vortex between your legs and began stroking your clitoris in slow circles, you again experienced an out-of-body sensation in which your legs trembled again and your muscles began to contract around him.

"You're going to cum twice more, to start with." He stated. "Fuck." He murmured. "Keep squeezing me like that, baby and... like this. Yes, yes. Oh, holy shit.."

"Don't stop..." You stammered, clinging more and more to him, to the thread of energy you felt between you. You wanted to pull and pull and absorb that strength, that vigor he still was carrying.

"Keep it up, beautiful. Wrap your legs around my waist." He ordered, helping you with one of his hands. That's when he gave the last lunge, intense, forceful and that was the one that made you squirm in his arms. You closed your eyes, letting yourself go.

"I-"

"I know, Sura. I feel how you are squeezing me. Move over for me." You didn't even hear the rest. You had surrendered to that sensation ever since you felt it.

"Sukuna..." you murmured, breathlessly. It had reached your most sensitive spot and had spilled inside you, producing a pleasurable burning sensation and warmth, which made you want to repeat.

"I know, honey, I know." He stroked your thigh.

"It's been… fucking great."

"Ten minutes."

"What?" You asked, in confusion.

"That's the time I'll let you rest before continuing with the next round."

[cillianmurphysdimples]

Random music old-fashioned survey under the cut, feel free to ignore!

Totally Random Music Questions Quiz

Do you have a favorite genre of music?

Umm, no. I like too many different ones to narrow it down.

Which singer do you think is totally bangable?

Jensen Ackles 🫢

What song makes you dance/move every time you hear it?

Rocky Road to Dublin - you gotta do the diddly music leg bump!

What song affects you deeply and why?

Scorn Not His Simplicity, especially since having my 2 sons; they both have additional needs so that song hits hard.

Your top 3 favorite bands are?

No particular order: Radio Company, Shed Seven, Green Day

Your top 3 favorite songs currently are?

They change all the time, but right now: Angeles - Jensen Ackles, Permanent - David Cook, Lemon 7s - A Lazarus Soul

Whats your favorite lyric/line/phrase from a song?

"Do we know, can we understand just his he feels or have we really tried?" - Scorn Not His Simplicity

Who is your "guilty pleasure" band - the one no one knows you listen to?

Jonas Brothers haha

What song title describes you at the moment?

Lost in Space - Lighthouse Family

Which 3 artists/bands could you not possibly go a day without listening to?

The Dubliners, Westlife, Jensen Ackles

Do you sing as loudly when your alone?

I haven't a note in my head, but yes I do!

Do you actually go and listen to the bands that request you as a friend, even though you've never heard of them?

Always! That's how you find new music. Love doing that.

If so, who do you feel is the best so far that you were recommended?

I took Cillian Murphy's advice on the 'Plastic Ono Band' album. I liked John Lennon, but hadn't listened to this one before and it has become a firm favourite.

Which broken up (or quiet) band do you miss the most?

Oooo... Maybe Fun?

Which singer who has passed would you ressurect?

Luke Kelly 💙

Which CD/album is most played in/on player now?

A full list from The Dubliners

[silawastaken]

it’s me again. new Taylor swift album. ssk thoughts?

first, i woke up at 4:30 in the morning to listen to this album the moment it came out. And I WAS going through it thinking about skk when I wasn't bawling my eyes out over certain lyrics that were personal attacks

I do want to take a moment to talk about the actual album itself on its own for a moment just because omfg i love it, and something I really liked with tpd in comparison to more of her recent albums, is the music seems very simple, with a focus on lyricism, which had always been a theme with her music, that the lyrics are more important, but it just. It's so well done here.

Also, there's a very nice mix between the synth pop of midnights, and the more acoustic vibes from folklore and evermore in this album, when i listened to the first song i thought the whole album was going to have that same vibe, and was very pleasantly surprised at the first piano track.

Also a lot of the lyrics are very reminiscent of her earlier albums, thinking speak now and fearless. it feels most obvious with i can do it with a broken heart and who's afraid of little old me- which by the way, based off the title I thought i would HATE whos afraid of little old me, but i actually really like it??? like it's a very 'cringe' phrase, it's made fun of mercilessly, but it works surprisingly well.

The songs all seem to have an earlier album they could tie back to, with the same vibes or styles of lyrics, and it's so nice to listen to while thinking of what it could possibly tie back to.

This definitely isn't my favourite album, i was expecting something different i think, but it's still really good, and there are quite a few really good songs on it. guilty as sin? and clara bow are my personal favourites i think :3

But I would like to direct your attention to the second song on the album, 'The Tortured Poets Department'

I LOVE a title drop in a song, it drives me insane for real, and i actually screamed. But more importantly, in reference to this, it is VERY skk to me, like I listened to it and instantly was thinking of how i was going to reference this song in an au some day.

But imo, this song is 100% Chuuya pov skk and well the autism is working overtime so I will be doing an analysis I'm so sorry this is what I'm using my time for but AUGH brainrot im sorry i have interests

'You left your typewriter at my apartment' - starting off by mentioning that this is what i thought of when considering references, because im a sucker for writer skk, and i thought a really cool thing would be Dazai leaving a typewriter behind when he left for some reason, and then Chuuya picking it up and eventually using it, especially with one of the following lines being 'who uses a typewriter anyway?', something he used to judge Dazai for then becoming something he does himself is just *polite clapping* i love it and I will be giving dazai a typewriter at somepoint

'But you're in self sabotage mode, throwing spikes down on the road' - Dazai is very mentally ill, and likely does self sabotage, ESPECIALLY if it were to be his relationship with Chuuya, his bandages are an allegory for the fact that he doesn't let anyone see below the surface of his personality, and that does go for Chuuya as well. He doesn't allow for that kind of vulnerability and in all likelihood, if he were to end up in a situation where he did need to be vulnerable, he'd self sabotage and try and fuck it up just to get out of that situation. However, there's also the next lines;

'But I've seen this episode and still love the show, who else decodes you?' - which is to say that regardless of the 'episode' dazai would be having in that moment, chuuya would still love him, and can decode him to understand what he is doing, which is a VERY skk thing, being able to decode what the other is thinking when they do things, and their intentions. He would be able to work out what was going on, and be able to work things out.

'And who's gonna hold you like me? And who's going to know you, if not me?' - skk have that insane bond that they don't have with anyone else, they know each other better than anyone else, and they both probably know it, regardless of whether they admit it or not, and (don't attack me im a multishipper) they're genuinely unmatched as a duo, there's not another team with either of them that are stronger than the two of them together. Nobody is going to know them the way that they know each other, it's just impossible given how close they had to be, and the environment they were in. The entire Dazai makes Chuuya feel human and Chuuya makes Dazai feel alive thing. As the post chorus says, nobody will do it the same.

'I scratch your head, you fall asleep, like a tattooed golden retriever' - rare moments of vulnerability my beloved, but my specific picking of this line is Dazai's constant insistence that Chuuya is his dog, while frequently behaving in a way(esp ada dazai) that would be more suited to a golden retriever. There's also something I want to say here about the comparison to a dog, by a person he loves. But it is canon that Dazai at the very least does not like dogs, and in fanon he is frequently portrayed as afraid of them.

Here, this could be translated as it being a metaphor, Dazai being vulnerable like a dog, something he is scared of/hates. He isn't just scared of dogs, he's scared of vulnerability in any form, and comparing him to a dog when he is like that would be to emphasise that point, that he hates them both. This also opens the implication that Chuuya is aware of both of these fears.

But he is like a dog, and being vulnerable, and in that moment, he would be exactly what he hates most, his is everything he hates. And Chuuya loves him anyway, despite knowing how much he hates himself. And he makes himself vulnerable around Chuuya, regardless of how much he's scared of it.

'Sometimes i wonder if you're gonna screw this up with me' - this lyric makes me think of concerns about Dazai leaving again after they reunite at 22, perhaps Chuuya's own concerns of getting too comfortable only for one of their many issues to come and blow everything up in their faces, like how in a earlier lyric the relationship in the song is referred to as a cyclone, the fear is that it gets out of control, even if they know what they're doing, or trying to do.

'But you had told Lucy you'd kys if i ever leave, and i said the same to jack so i felt seen' - oh boy toxic co-dependency time. skk are so co-dependent it's literally insane, their lives often genuinely rest in each others hands, not even mentioning whatever the fuck went on in mersault. From Chuuya relying on Dazai to nullify corruption, to Chuuya being the reason Dazai decided to try living a little in 15, there have been multiple instances in which if it wasn't for the other they would be dead. They trust each other with their lives, and could very easily end up in a state where if one were to leave, the other would make an attempt on their own life (moreso dazai than chuuya, but it really could go either way).

'Everyone we know understands why it's meant to be, cause we're crazy, so tell me, who else is gonna know me?' - Anything else aside, skk are fucking insane. they deserve each other just so they don't bring danger to literally anyone else they interact with. They're insane, especially around/about each other, and again, they're the only ones who fully understand each other. Dazai is the only one left from during stormbringer as well, which is think is important to mention. Dazai was there during sb and the dragons head conflict, both times that Chuuya's friends were killed, if anyone was going to understand how he might have felt after that experience, or what happened, it would be Dazai. They understand each other in ways others would never manage.

'At dinner, you take my ring off my middle finger, and put it on the one people put wedding rings on, and that's the closest I've come to my heart exploding' - skk are literally married guys. dating six years, married four years, divorced eight times and broken up 52, but also never stopped dating and are best friends who plan how to kill the other for fun. They're married, but they're also not, but also their souls are tied together in ways not made for the human brain to comprehend. This feels very much like domestic skk fic interactions and i'm 100% here for it.

Anyway, this song is very skk coded and I love it so much, tell me why i spent an hour on this. I don't think this was what you were looking for but... this is what you got. If you want me to go through any other songs like this then i'll do it. I love skk and taylor swift so much i can't even think like im afaifiegbi im pretty sure taylor has a tumblr account so there is like a 0.0000001% she would see this and that has me... panicking but anyway :D i have lots of thoughts all the time and thank you for indulging me with this ask i NEEDED to get this out of my system before i exploded!!!

[binniesoob]

The Name Chapter: Freefall Concepts Analysis

let's analyze the concept pictures and trailers for the new upcoming TXT album! there are a lot of details hidden everywhere 👀

looks like my predictions were mostly right btw 🤭 if you haven't yet, i suggest you read them here before reading this post because they are strictly connected!

— REALITY VERSION

We didn't get an obvious autumn setting, but we did get colder rainy weather:

TXT just fell down to earth, to the harsh reality of things, they don't have nowhere to run away to anymore.

The vibes are very reminiscent of the Mess concept for Minisode 2, after all, TXT's feelings are the same: in Mess they just lost their first romantic love, their other/new Neverland.

Mess was also connected to the You version of Freeze, through props as well (the teddy bear, the flowers, the helmet, etc.), and Reality is now connected to You as well, because of the rain and umbrellas it looks like a darker sad version of it.

Just a quick recap...

1) YOU in Freeze = TXT found their first romantic love (aka Moa, very y/n fanfic of them ik ik) and invite them on a date.

2) MESS in Tuesday's Child = Moa doesn't show up to the date because it's actually tootiming all five of them 🤡 (see Lo$er=Lo♡er mv and Good Boy Gone Bad Japanese version mv). TXT are now about to go back to their childhood Neverland to mend their broken hearts and refuse the pain that comes with growing up.

3) REALITY in Freefall = TXT are heartbroken again, this time because they had to leave Neverland too and there's no way of escaping growing pains... 😔

(i swear i'm gonna complete the storyline summary with Minisode 2 by the end of the year 🧍‍♀️)

This version is also FILLED! TO! THE! BRIM! with hints through words and phrases written everywhere, on walls, signs, clothes...

If you zoom in the pictures you should be able to read them, i'm gonna list all those i found and collected and what i think they stand for:

• "step to earth" = TXT are back to earth/reality

• "tel: 03042019" and "fax 08222019" = the numbers contain the dates of TXT debut and moa day: TXT should talk their feelings out with eachother and connect with Moa again (are we going to see TXT coming in contact again with Moa in the music video? 👀 are we gonna get love songs again in this album?)

• “find my feet” = TXT need to let go of escapistic fantasies and come back down to earth. the meaning of this phrase also is "to start becoming comfortable in a new situation"

• “parachute” = it probably references something that represents a "saviour" for TXT during their harsh return to reality, it could be Moa and the Star 🤔

• “loadstar” = the STAR they need to light up again rembering their promise song and singing it together, also pretty sure the it's the title track name or part of it 😧 looks like they weren't fooling us in the end with the signs on the beach pic from Temptation-Farewell 🤡👍

• “dive” also written as "•Di♡E!•" in the black&white running-in-the-rain group pic = could be a track name, perhaps referencing Lo$er=Lo♡er 😮!!

• “rags rags rags” = could be the remains of TXT's inner selves after not having Neverland/Magic Island anymore 🤔

• "lost of found " = TXT lost themselves at Neverland and when they forgot their true names as children, but are now going to find themselves again once they remember them.

• " Running Instead of crying" = TXT shouldn't cry mourning Neverland (but focus on what's ahead of them instead and run towards it ?)

• "kicking tomorrow kicking" = they need to hold on, accept that tomorrow is coming, keep going and keep fighting

• "stand tall, walk tall, stand still" = they should be proud and confident of who they are but ? stay the same ? 🤔

• "one dream" = TXT's motto, they need to remember what they are really fighting for and what's truly their goal

• "in dreams begin responsibility" = if TXT dream to turn the world into a brighter place again, where people believe in their dreams, through awakening the Star, they have to take responsibility for it.

This should be all but if you notice i missed something feel free to point it out <3

Now let's focus on the store behind TXT in the group pictures! Credits to @/txtbook on twitter because i included what they wrote as well.

The shop is called LOADSTAR and it's in the building 304... remember the train also called 304 that previously showed TXT memories and predictions? The shop offers repairings for VCRs 👀

@/txtbook:

(at the shop) they repair the DVD that contains memories and we have the theme of memories & "remembering the name" in txt concept + since the building number is 304 it's great connection to their "start line" aka magic island but now in reality!

Loadstar is a guiding star used in navigation and MOA are always referenced as Stars + morse code was used for txt debut album TDC: STAR & questioning films words (true names?) — (me: yes, their true names👍)

The LoadSTAR shop that also sells music instruments & radio can fix their "melancholy DVD" & give back memories about their start line, dream & magic, music, song of a star 😭

And guess what Beomgyu holds in the CLARITY version? 👀 a video camera

but first let's analyze...

— MELANCHOLY VERSION

On a recent Weverse Live Soobin, Taehyun and Hueningkai opened up about their trainee days, in what conditions they rehearsed in the old basement of the old BigHit building (in 2014-16 -ish if i'm correct) here's a extract:

🐰 when we were in the basement practice room, there was a time when the ventilator wasn’t working…the ventilator was broken, the air conditioner was broken, there as water leaking onto the floor, there was mushroom growing on the floor 🐧 the mushrooms were really… 🐰 and since we’d have dance lessons in that situation for like 8-9 hours, the mirror was barely visible 🐧 because of the humidity 🐰 the mirror would get all fogged up because of the humidity making things barely visible 🐰 so we’d practice and… 🐿️ we used to wipe it down with newspaper 🐰 oh right! we’d all wipe it away with newspaper 🐰 and then we’d open the window for ventilation but leaving the window open in the middle of winter…opening the window when you’re already sweating makes you feel super cold 🐰 so we’d be shivering while trying to get some ventilation in the room 🐰 at that time, i kinda really hated the company, i hated our teachers… 🐰 but when else would we be able to experience something like that? 😅

source

This concept seems reminiscing of that. They were a group of boys working hard for their dream of debuting and making music, holding on despite the hard reality and injustices they had to face everyday.

This concept also features a wolf dog !

we already saw one in Frost mv

Yeonjun's real name is "promise" and the hint for it is "the one who shall not eat dogs"

5:53 is the hour between ‘dog and wolf’ from the French expression "l'heure entre chien et loup", it's the time when you can't distinguish a friend from a foe: it might reference how TXT will have to fight eachother and themselves in the rest of The Name Chapter

— CLARITY VERSION

This concept reminds of TXT abandoning Neverland in the The Name Chapter Concept Trailer. TXT used to travel to Neverland at Blue Hour (the sunset), but they don't go this time: when night comes they are still on earth.

honestly, the first thing that came to my mind when i saw these pictures was the last line from from Dante's Inferno: "E quindi uscimmo a riveder le stelle", translated "and thence we came forth to see the stars again". After all, Neverland has been hell for TXT, a nightmare dressed as a daydream, and now that they have a clear mind, freed from the temptations, they can see the reality of things again and the real stars, amongst which there's their Star!

If these pictures seem familiar there's a reason...

they are actually a replica of The Dream Chapter: Eternity, Starboard Version.

TXT are in the same exact order: in Can You See Me mv (title track of TDC: Eternity) we saw Beomgyu and Taehyun fighting, and on The Name Chapter Concept Trailer we saw that Beomgyu and Taehyun are the last ones to fight eachother. In addition everyone but Beomgyu is facing to the right: Beomgyu is the last one left after they fight eachother in the concept trailer.

Taehyun stands opposite to Beomgyu and is not holding hands with him = they fight, but let's remember as well what we said about him experiencing the fall back to reality differently from the other members in the Temptation analysis and Freefall predictions. That is further confirmed by the fact that in the solo pictures for this version everyone is out in the open, while Taehyun is the only one inside a window. The same as Taehyun's boat being the only one flipped around in the Farewell concept.

They also are on a rooftop 👀 like in 0x1lovesong Japanese Version mv, and on the mini posters for this version looks like they are either falling or on the ground after the fall 👇

... but it also could be something else, judging by the colors that remind of the Nightmare concept in Temptation... we'll see 👀

edit: forgot to add that Kai has odd eyes like a certain someone...

Kai is not the cat but has been the most tempted beside Yeonjun by the devil/peter pan/cat because he doesn't want to leave childhood most of all members. We saw him hesitant to leave Neverland at the end of Sugar Rush Ride, and we know his evil doppelgänger (see Frost mv) is going to fight Kai himself and the members (see TNC concept trailer) inside a labyrinth he built (see TNC concept trailer and Run Away mv when Kai draws blue and yellow - like the cat eyes - intertwined circles around the school), he probably was tempted to take over by the devil/cat, that's why the odd eyes.

Also didn't notice that the glass dome that we had in TDC: Eternity, Starboard Version pictures has been shattered by TXT literally - there are glass pieces and metal bars on the ground at their feet in the Clarity pictures - and metaphorically!

TXT broke the barrier that locked them in eternal dream. (@/0X1ZEROBASEONE on twitter/X)

Remember how TXT were surrounded by glass pieces at the end of 0x1lovesong Japanese Version mv too? 👀 It's all coming together.

This is all i have for now! If i need to add more details i'm gonna either edit the post or use a reblog. Thank you for reading <3 see you in the next TXT LORE O'CLOCK 👋 :)

[tomorrowxtogether]

Tomorrow X Together are rebels with a cause in first-look photos for Minisode 3: Tomorrow

From rebellious rockers to fairytale princes, there’s no concept that Tomorrow X Together can’t pull off. 

The K-Pop group (pronounced ‘Tomorrow By Together,’ or TXT for short) is officially back with its sixth mini-album Minisode 3: Tomorrow, and to celebrate, Entertainment Weekly is exclusively revealing five never-before-seen concept photos that highlight Soobin, Huening Kai, Taehyun, Beomgyu, and Yeonjun’s versatile style. 

The snapshots are part of the group’s "Ethereal" and "Romantic" photo concepts for the album, each of which, Taehyun tells EW, “distinctly encompasses a unique story and emotion that we wanted to deliver visually through Minisode 3: Tomorrow.”

They’re also completely different from one another aesthetically. The "Romantic" photoshoot draws upon Snow White-inspired imagery with the quintet's dreamy outfits, while their "Ethereal" snapshots turn TXT into modern-day rock stars — complete with their own winged guitars, amps, and big rig. Minisode 3: Tomorrow's final two concepts — "Light" and "Promise" — further expand upon the group's artistry as they're seen outfitted in ballet slippers, angel wings, and crowns.

“We wanted to [experiment] with a diverse range of fashion styles,” Yeonjun says. “I think, at this point in time, one of our greatest strengths as a band is our versatility, not only in music and performances but also in aesthetics, which we always aim to absorb and make our own.” 

And yes, in case you were wondering, those winged guitars were seriously hefty. “During the 'Ethereal' version concept shoot, I was surprised by the weight of the guitar!” Beomgyu recalls. “It was quite cold on set, and I thought it was so cute how we would huddle around the heater during breaks, which added a heartwarming touch to the experience.”

TXT fans, called MOA (short for 'moments of alwaysness'), will also spot that the concepts directly relate to the group's past albums. “The props like the truck and guitars are reminiscent of our previous releases ‘0X1=LOVESONG (I Know I Love You)’ and ‘LO$ER=LO♡ER,’” Taehyun says. “I hope MOA enjoy the throwback!”

That connection can also be heard on Minisode 3: Tomorrow. Leader Soobin says the group is “connecting the dots from our previous releases" with the record, especially on their title track, “Deja Vu.” He adds, "Including lyrics such as ‘I ran away countless times,’ and ‘be my eternity,’ from ‘Run Away’ [from their 2019 album The Dream Chapter: Magic] added a nostalgic touch that I think our fans will enjoy rediscovering."

While TXT is honoring its past, the album still has its own story to tell. One of EW’s concept photos (below) features the group sitting on a truck that reads, “We made a promise when we were young. That’s the reason I have to live for tomorrow.” 

“The phrase hints at the underlying story of Minisode 3: Tomorrow,” Soobin explains. “It means that we will remember our past promises and embark on a journey to find 'you' to charge forward and face a hopeful 'tomorrow' together.”

Beomgyu describes the seven-track album as a “treasure trove of diverse sounds” that “represent the stories of today's generation.” Throughout their careers, TXT has never been afraid of openly and honestly discussing the physical and mental hardships that come with adolescence and, now, young adulthood — the 23-year-old’s favorite track on the album, “Quarter Life,” is actually about navigating a quarter-life crisis.

“Taehyun, Huening Kai, and I participated in the lyric writing to express the inner thoughts that we have at this point in our lives,” Beomgyu says about the song. “I love the track's mood and melody, too!” 

In fact, four of Minisode 3: Tomorrow's tracks were penned in part by the members of TXT. Yeonjun — who co-wrote “I’ll See You There Tomorrow,” “The Killa (I Belong To You),” and “Miracle” — says that the album’s lyrics “have greater depth and uniqueness” this time around because they’re framed through the members' worldview. 

“We have collectively been improving in our lyric writing, and I think it shines through in this album,” he says. “As we aim to give voice to the common experiences of our generation, we tried to focus on applying our own stories in the lyrics.”

And, just like in their "Ethereal" concept photos, TXT will soon find themselves hopping aboard a tour bus and hitting the road when their upcoming Act: Promise tour kicks off stateside next month. The 11-date concert series will see the members perform across the country, including two nights at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

“We are visiting even more cities across the U.S. this time around, so I'm thrilled to meet and interact with more MOA!” Huening Kai says. “Our fans will be able to see some brand new performances of tracks from our new album, so I hope they can look forward to it. Just like our album's opener, ‘I'll See You There.’”

Minisode 3: Tomorrow is available now.