#and why would he it has literally never failed him

[coldilikeit]

Isekai reader x Batfam (Neglected au)

Chapter 10- You're too poor for that

Mild time skip*

____________________________

"Dick if you keep being hostile, I'll have no choice but to send you back to Bludhaven, it's best if you don't join us for tonight" Bruce says firmly

"What the fuck."

It was movie night and it was your turn to pick, Viviana excitedly said she had a movie she wanted everyone to watch and snatched the remote away from you, only for Cassandra to snatch the remote back from her and give it to you "it's not your turn yet" she says, in another attempt to get the remote Dick pushed her slightly but she fell to the ground and wailed

"S-s-sorry... I'm so weak and petite, it's not your fault....."

You see Stephanie's face physically recoil while Barbara looks away completely to hide her stifling laughter, you were sure everyone was laughing, As Dick was about to help her up, Bruce's vexed voice cuts through the laughter "Your sister is hurt and you laugh?"

"It was all fun, she's not even hurt that much, the floor's carpeted" Jason reasons but Bruce is having none of it "Richard apologize."

Viviana smiles and gets in between Bruce and her brothers "it's fine! I'm fine! I'm sure Dick didn't mean to hurt me" she turns to Dick "You're my brother... So.. I forgive you" then she reached out her hand to him and as if on cue, the moon shines through the window to give Viviana this glowing effect

Damn... This girl got the manhwa lighting you think

Protagonist! The moon has shined a halo on your hair, you look like an angel! Would you like to add a wind effect for 500 points?

"yeah, yeah sure" she whispered

A cool breeze flowed into the living room and Viviana's hair danced with the wind

"why is there wind here aren't the windows shut?" You ask confused, Bruce clenched his fists and looked at Dick expectantly, hoping he'd apologize and they can have a nice night together

But when has Dick ever backed down?

"I barely touched her, she fell on her own, and it never would have happened if she hadn't tried to take the remote away from Cass and (Name)"

"That doesn't matter you still pushed her"

"She's a vigilante, she'll be fine" Tim backs Dick up "I don't condone family hurting family!"

"Sure wasn't a problem when they were hurting me" you decided to butt in, you get that Viviana is supposed to be the loved one, but isn't this a bit biased? He's even turning on the others

"Dick if you keep being hostile, I'll have no choice but to send you back to Bludhaven, it's best if you don't join us for tonight" Bruce says firmly

"what the fuck."

"I'm serious Rickard!"

"fine then" Dick leaves the living room, you sigh and leave as well heading for your room, and everyone (except Viviana) followed

_____________________________

"this wasn't supposed to happen"

"this wasn't supposed to happen"

"this wasn't supposed to happen"

Viviana grits and teeth, she was supposed to be an angel, she read this once in a manhwa, where the protagonist forgives someone who hurt them and was seen as an angel by all, so what if in that story the person who was forgiven was literally trying to kill the main character and Dick just pushed her onto a soft carpeted floor

She even spent points for dramatic effect.

Protagonist, this is bad. Your story is supposed to be a happy family, you've created a rift, and it's not looking good, you'll fail at this point

"I don't know what's going wrong! Listen I've done my best to look like a saint!"

Maybe you should try being a good person

"I am a good person! That's my character, I'm so kind and good and patient that the family can't help but gravitate towards my kind soul!"

Brainwashing someone isn't a kind thing to do...

"Shut up!" Viviana throws a picture frame on the screen, the screen fuzzes out for a few moments before going back to normal

(⁠｡⁠ŏ⁠﹏⁠ŏ⁠)

Bruce: 100/100

Dick: 0/100

Jason: 0/100

Tim: 0/100

Damian: 0/100

Duke: 0/100

Stephanie: 0/100

Cassandra: 0/100

Barbara:0/100

"How much is the love potion?"

15000 points, You're too poor for that. Make them love you manually

____________________________

Bruce didn't come home for a few days, he apologized to Dick and left, Sometimes superman keeps on stopping by to check in on the kids and Gotham

Life went like normal, Dick decided to stay cause Bruce wasn't there and as for Viviana?

She uhh... Keeps trying to frame you

She had no assignment? It's because you poured water in her bag and ruined it

She couldn't do her presentation? You broke her laptop

It didn't go well.

"Oh please, (Name) doesn't drink water, all she has is (Favorite unhealthy drink), you can't even get your lie straight"

"She probably had a good reason, you're so shitty"

Then Bruce came back.

He came back with a grim expression, a grim expression that disappeared when he looked at his children, then came back harsher than ever when he looked at Viviana

"You." He grumbled

"Let's talk."

____________________________

Dick: I'm running away y'all won't see me again

Bruce: Runs away first*

Also if you guys didn't notice, the student who kept on asking (Name) uncomfortable questions after she was attacked by the Scarecrow was also Viviana

___________________________

@jellyedkazoo @vanilliona @shyenemyperson @popboomcha @plsfckmedxddy @devotedlyshamelessdetective @dorkatron-2000 @yuyuzi-ling @sweetsugerskull @butratherbutrather @yu-reiii @clementinesyummy @lfiee @iamapotatoe @type-ink @unknownloner1345 @randomlyappearingartist @justatimidcreator @sirenetheblogger @00hellohello00 @the-dumber-scaramouche @wizzerreblogs @tinybrie @pearlyribbons @cruzeforce4256

[dearwhs]

the ultimate 10 steps to confessing (jaehyun's idea) ★ hts — 한태산

★ genre: 80% crack, 10% fluff wc: 2.4k warnings: nothing, down bad loser taesan... watch out

꒰ ☆ ꒱ notes: TAESAN'S FIRST PASS? WE CHEERED. FINALLY OUT FRM THE DRAFTS + its lacking cute scenes but ure gonna ijbol i hope

★ part 1 here !!! > 10 steps to NOT fall in love (100% works?)

꒰ ☆ ꒱

remember jaehyun's "what about 10 steps of confessing to yn now?"—well, that thought is flying over taesan's head now, messing him up, contemplating. is jaehyun's suggestion really a good idea?

probably not. definitely not. you're just his crush. it's bound to fade, right? well, despite failing all the 10 steps of how to NOT fall in love. why's he still in denial?

okay, maybe ever since that day—acting like your parent or something, being concerned about you—you lived inside his head rent free. he'd replay the moment you two shared that now he's openly smiling in front of jaehyun whenever he thinks about you.

safe to say we lost taesan to you. you had him wrapped around your fingers.

maybe he really needs to do something about this crush thing. his actions? not normal. he's experiencing all the symptoms you'd get when you're crazy in love—and the smartest move he could do to fix whatever this was? ask jaehyun for help. after all, he's in this mess because of their silly bets.

which is as to why taesan is now in jaehyun's habitat, cause he cannot bare to see you right now. he's afraid he's heart would go badum badum again 'til it explodes.

now, taesan's face is buried on the pillow, groaning. and what is jaehyun doing? laughing. mhm, he's laughing over taesan's despair because this is a side he never saw in their years of friendship ever, like EVER. he'll even take a video if he can, but you know what'll happen if he does... maybe that wasn't part of his best ideas yet.

"hey, taesan. i'll help you, dude. i've got an idea. " jaehyun grinned, nudging taesan's shoulder.

taesan just looks up at him thinking, he's up to no good again, isn't he?—either way, he's so lost that he just accepted his faith under jaehyun's hands. here goes nothing.

"the ultimate 10 steps to confessing!" (jaehyun partially plagiarized taesan's first plan), after hearing that? taesan didn't even bother to argue on why they're doing this 10-step thing again, but instead he's just hoping whatever this plan was, it better work.

and again, just like that, "the ultimate 10 steps to confessing" has been reborn. let's just hope it works.

꒰ ☆ ꒱

Jaehyun's Ultimate 10 Steps To Confessing!

STEP 1: admit you like her

– first step, stop being in denial. pretending to be all cool when she passes by doesn't add aura, taesan—the moment you're gone, he'll smile like a freak IN PUBLIC (which is an automatic -800 aura for our fake emo).

– okay, easy! he just gotta admit he likes you. except, he's outside the apartment mumbling to himself as he takes out the trash, "i like–" you got this "i like h–" — "you like?" yup, of course you were there, accidentally creeping up behind him.

– despite being caught off guard, he just plays it off, coughing. "oh, i like pancakes." (in fact, he doesn’t. STEP 1: PASSED! even if he didn't admit it—his actions did, let's cheer!)

꒰ ☆ ꒱

STEP 2: start acting normal

– according to jaehyun, taesan's normal mode is currently turned off. because recently, he had been so conscious of his actions when you're around. it's like he's overlooking things—is he staring for too long? should he look away?– or does that makes him look weird?

– you'd be in a convenience store eating out—his treat. you're rambling to him how you did so well on your quiz, you'll subconsciously high-five him. you don't know the impact that high-five had caused to him, cause the moment your hand touched against his, his hands just freezed in place, literally. once he noticed his hands were paused up in the air, he just awkwardly plays it off as scratching his head, "why is my head suddenly itchy, haha." (STEP 2: failed...?)

꒰ ☆ ꒱

STEP 3: stop overthinking EVERYTHING

– after over-reading his actions detail by detail—he's slowly latching now over yours. even searching on google, "what does it mean for someone to..." yep, he's cooked. (he needs to be stopped..)

– curious what made him head to google?— it was the way you said good morning to him, earlier. somehow, he caught the fact that your voice was two notes lower than usual. did it even make sense for him to notice that? maybe. he is studying music, after all. (STEP 3: failed, once again…)

꒰ ☆ ꒱

STEP 4: planning the actual confession!

– so, at this point, jaehyun thinks taesan had finally calmed down (which i don't think he did) and is finally ready to plan the confession: their og plan.

– though, taesan's a little bit stuck on step 3. he ended up questioning himself—what if i mess up?— like what if you laugh at him? what if he ends up messing up? what if you ignore him forever, or worst.. what if he confesses to the wrong person!? (okay, maybe the last bit is unlikely, but we can see how bad his overthinking can get.)

– jaehyun pats taesan's back, "it'll work as long as you follow my steps, okay man?" he said with determination in his voice.

– oh, jaehyun's the biggest taeyn shipper—now listing all the steps using his pencil with bite marks (we don't talk about that – jaehyun) and a dream.

꒰ ☆ ꒱

STEP 5: figuring out your interests (secretly...!)

– easy! — "what's your favorite..." he said, for the 30th time, practicing his words as if he was reading a script, even putting efforts on his facial expression. (which he had never done—well, not until now)

– upon entering the bus, someone yells your name, and of course, it was taesan—you automatically sit on the chair he saved for you, right beside him.

– you two sat quietly—well, not until he broke the silence (little did you know, he'd been practicing in his head), "sooo, what are you into these days?" wincing at his own voice as soon as the question came out, trying his very best to awkwardly not look away—like he usually does.

– you pour your interests all over taesan—the cafe you've been currently obsessing over, your new favorite drink, your favorite band: guynextdoor, you spilled everything. and taesan? he just nods as if he understood everything your mouth blabbered.

– in reality, he didn't. though, he now has an idea! you like this new cafe, new drink alert for the nth time, and guynextdoor—which he considers that band his enemy for now for owning a place in your heart. (STEP 6: a somewhat success—back to researching he goes.)

꒰ ☆ ꒱

STEP 6: drop little hints

– how is this in any way useful? well, according to jaehyun, if you drop little hints, maybe, just maybe, you'll notice, and then you and taesan get together and live happily ever after. but, i wish it was that easy, jaehyun. i wish. still, taesan does it anyways.

– first thing he does? he tries to compliment you—keyword, tries. "hey. i um, like your handwriting," — "thanks!" it was unusual, but you appreciated whatever that was. him? he's whispering under his breath, did i do okay? was that obvious?

– taesan told jaehyun—it made him slam his own face, because how could you fail COMPLIMENTING??? he told you to try again. (he's locked in)

– at this point, he's showering you compliments everyday, when you see him outside the apartment, when you're on campus, wherever you are, he'll make sure he gets to throw you at least one compliment. he hopes you don't find it too weird, though. (STEP 6: passed...)

꒰ ☆ ꒱

STEP 7: learn from the professionals (aka kdrama)

– jaehyun wrote this idea, cackling to himself, "this is the best step yet," he's totally just not gonna make taesan watch kdrama with him—totally. according to jaehyun, you could never go wrong with kdramas!

– now, jaehyun and taesan are slouching on the couch. taesan's arms crossed, squinting at the television, "so, if i surprise her with flowers, it'll make her like me...?" he muttered in confusion, jaehyun just pretends to nod—he's too busy giggling at the kdrama in front of him.

– then, as they were watching, the male lead spouts their usual cheesy lines, "i've loved you from the moment i saw you,” which made taesan groan, covering his face with a pillow. “no way i’m saying that without cringing.” he'll totally use that scene as a reference. (STEP 7: might work)

꒰ ☆ ꒱

STEP 8: TESTING THE WATERS

– okay, for this, they had to make sure what you think of taesan before going all in. he needs proof that you're comfortable with him or something, so that he won't fall flat on his face scarring the rest of his life with this confession. so, what's their plan? simple. they decided to test the waters with totally not so obvious questions. they'll try their best to fish out your reactions at the mention of someone secretly admiring you—or if your face lights up when taesan is brought up.

– you'll be walking around campus with taesan, and... jaehyun who coincidentally bumped into you two. he casually started the conversation with "so, what do you guys think if, um, someone you know secretly likes you? or uh if they confesses?"—that made taesan's eyes size up because that was NOT in their plan (sadly, he wasn't informed), you gave jaehyun's thinking a thought, "hmm, i guess it depends? if they're sweet and romantic, i'd fall for that."

– jaehyun nods, trying not to hold his grin as he stares at taesan who's quietly biting his lips to stop himself from giggling, mentally taking a note: sweet and romantic, got it. (STEP 8: HAPPY TAESAN AND A SUCCESS)

꒰ ☆ ꒱

STEP 9: going all out >:)

– it's time to prepare taesan's confession. taesan's in jaehyun's little jungle, avoiding you for now to not spoil or slip anything about the confession. in reality, he knows he'll fold if he sees you next door.

– jaehyun's step are pacing back and forth, thinking of the greatest way to confess to you, "what about... you accidentally fall in her arms and confess?" "what? no." "hm, what about you write her name using those drones stuff?" "no? i'm broke." "broke and unromantic? tsk." — taesan just glared at him before stuffing his face on a pillow as jaehyun continues his little brainstorming, not until taesan randomly gets up after getting an idea.

– "wait, she said she wanted something sweet and romantic, right?" taesan suddenly mutters, his eyes lighting up. "and… i kinda know what she’s into, so… maybe we can combine those?" jaehyun just blinks, "i liked my suggestions better, but i guess yours could work. (STEP 9: CHECK!)

꒰ ☆ ꒱

STEP 10: CONFESSION TIME

– they're basically prepared now, flowers? check! chocolates? check! plushies? check! all they've gotta do now is to execute it well—hopefully.

– taesan and you are walking, heading back to the apartment after an exhausting class today. the sky fading from orange to a beautiful purple, casting a soft glow on the environment—it's as if everything came out from a kdrama which is perfect. everything seems to be going to plan.

– the plan was simple: he'll ask to hang out in your place for a bit, then casually pick up your guitar to play a song you've been practicing lately—not knowing he was also getting guitar lesson from the guitar master sungho, then after that, jaehyun will pop up with the gifts. simple and easy, right?

– as you two arrived, he instantly heads for your guitar, "mind if i play something?" you just checked up on him from over the kitchen, "sure, go on." okay, just relax, he can do it. jaehyun's voice enters in his head, "don't mess it up."

– so far it had been going so well, you two were vibing, sitting next to each other, locking eye to eye with the sweetest smiles—it made a somewhat romantic atmosphere. all are going according to the plan, until "TING" his finger caught the wrong string which caught him off guard, making him continuously go off tune—okay, he messed up a little, flustered taesan just slowly puts down the guitar, glaring at his hands for betraying him 'til the guitar slid, clattering on the floor. this is awkward.

– what made it worst? the creaking sound of the front door opening, "CONGRATS TO TAESAN, MY MAN!" it was jaehyun putting on the biggest smile, holding the gifts taesan prepared, even wearing sunglasses indoors... wrong timing, jaehyun, wrong timing...

– the room was insanely silent—you could only hear the flowers and chocolates rustling. you blinked at jaehyun, taesan blinks at jaehyun, and well, jaehyun just blinked, "i saw you through the window proposing..." taesan just slammed his face, "i was apologizing for knocking her guitar down."

– taesan stood up, facing your way, "yn, i like you. i'm sorry this confession thing turned for the worst. it didn't really go my way- but i swear if you give me a chance, i'll properly confess next time-"

– your laugh escaped your mouth, you couldn't barely hold it anymore. "wait, why are you laughing-" you cut him off as you grasp for air— you couldn't stop smiling your cheeks started to hurt, "taesan... you've been too obvious. i've known for a while." which made him look down as he scratch the back of his neck, deeply embarrassed.

– "i like you too, just so you know." he immediately looks up, "really?" that sent him straight to fully crazy in love final level, if you could only hear his heart going crazy to the point that it might actually jump out, and suddenly, ta-da, pretty pink petals started falling down, the same as the one in dramas—except it doesn't make sense at all, well, since you're inside... it was actually just jaehyun sprinkling the petals, "sweet and romantic!"

– taesan couldn't stop himself from laughing at the fact you liked him too despite the ridiculous, awkward, and gone wrong confession. he realized that maybe it wasn't so bad at all, but rather memorable. he ended up leaning closer next to you, holding both of your hands, "i'll make it up, i swear," with the sweetest tone as he squeezes your palms. (STEP 10: it all worked out)

꒰ ☆ ꒱

if you liked this, a like, reblog, or comment is highly appreciated, thank you! ><

[superfallingstars]

Ok my actual take on the Greasecourse™ (which I’m sure everyone was hotly anticipating) is something I’ve said over and over again on this blog, which is that nearly anything can work with the right framing. In other words, you can pick basically any reason for Snape’s hair to be greasy as long as you can make it make sense within the story that you're trying to tell. There just has to be a reason (a good reason – that’s the part that gets a little more arbitrary) why you picked one explanation over another. This will probably make more sense if I give some examples

Snape’s hair is greasy because he never developed good hygiene habits due to poverty and neglect -> Emphasizes how his childhood and upbringing still deeply affects him

Snape’s hair is greasy because he has poor hygiene habits due to depression -> I’m not going to go through all the reasons this guy could be depressed, there’s literally so many

Snape’s hair is greasy because of sensory issues -> This is probably one of many ways his sensory issues/neurodivergence/autism manifests, how else does that affect him?

Snape's hair is greasy because of potion fumes -> Imo this one runs the risk of being boring if you make it sound like it’s totally out of his control... the important part would be to consider how Snape feels about and reacts to it. But depending on how you deal with that, I think you can make it work in a few ways. Maybe it shows that Snape is industrious and always working, even to the detriment of his hygiene, or it could show that he cares more about the things that interest him than he does about what others think of him... or a secret third thing

Snape actually tries to make his hair look nice, but it’s just naturally very greasy -> I quite like this one as a follow-up to the first one (the never developed good hygiene habits one). Even when he tries to do the right thing (the correct thing?), he still ends up failing lol. Emphasizes his wet pathetic side

Snape’s hair is greasy because he’s a loser and a bad person -> Well I think it’s very boring to make a character ugly to indicate that they are Morally Bad but it's certainly a strategy... sometimes it's very clear that an author is trying to make the reader dislike a character when they describe them as gross/ugly/whatever. Hell Rowling did this literally all the time (Not that that was a good thing lol)

Alright I'm going to stop myself there because omg I didn't think I would have so much to say about Snape's greasy hair. Good lord

[lvrrgirlll]

A Life of Our Own

★・・・・・・★・・・・・・★・・・・・・★

pairing: knight!patrick x princess!reader

word count: 5k

warnings: smut, p in v, mentions of god and oppressive societal structures, fem!reader

a/n: long awaited part 3 (“official” final part) of the knight patrick au!! I’ve literally been writing and rewriting this for over a month so I feel really accomplished in finishing it. I feel like this mini series has really been a labor of love and is the type of writing I really love doing, so I hope you all love it!! (Also I’ll openly admit, this was very hastily proofread so there’s a chance there’s mistakes and whatnot)

★・・・・・・★・・・・・・★・・・・・・★

After that night, you and Patrick became inseparable. Of course, he was meant to follow you at all times, so by order, you were inseparable, but you both made certain to take full advantage of that. You spent days in the garden chatting away as he tried to stand stoic, obeying his orders but ultimately failing when you would place a woven flower crown onto his head or flick water from the fountain onto him. And there was many a night where he would sneak into your chambers when the rest of the castle wasn’t listening, sometimes to fuck, sometimes to talk into the wee hours of the night, and other times to just to be held. Your attraction was more than just sexual or lustful or something simple of that nature. You were in love.

On a particularly cool night in the castle, in which you and Patrick found yourselves wrapped in each other’s embrace in your bed, a plan was hatched.

"I wish we could be married..." you muse mindlessly as you trace the toned muscles on his bicep.

"Why can't we," he asks softly, turning towards you just a bit more to gauge your reaction. The smile painting his face is boyish and charming, purposely oblivious to the great divide between the two of you.

"Patrick... you know why," you sigh sorrowfully. He sees in your eyes that you long to be his in every sense of the word, in the eyes of the law and the kingdom and God. He frowns, then.

Letting out a thoughtful hum, Patrick thinks. "What if I were to speak to your father...?"

"My father? He would never allow it... he'd find it... preposterous. He'd likely banish you even for thinking it." You thought for a moment, the silence between the two of you tense, but not uncomfortable. “Perhaps,” you faltered for a moment, “we could run away..." Slowly, you move to lock your gaze on him, hope dancing behind your irises.

He smiles, but it feels as if his warmth is masking a sort of grimace. “I couldn’t ask that of you. To leave your life, your world, behind all for me. I would never think to take you away from your life here.” It was simple, straightforward, almost even cold, but he was honest.

“What life can I have if I must love you in secret?” Your response was so plain yet so true. “Patrick, my life is yours. My life is in your hands here, why should that change anywhere else? I am already stifled in my station here as a woman and, at the same time, unfairly lauded for the circumstantial chance I was born into. With you I am equal. In you I find my freedom, my salvation, my devotion. You would not be taking me away from anything here, but instead offering me the life I truly desire.” He sat momentarily in awe, chest pounding as your words lingered in his head. You two had exchanged many a sweet nothing, but these were no longer sweet nothings. These were sacred vows.

Continuing, you sat up, taking his hands in yours to ground yourself as well as find your strength in being together with him. “It would not be a sin, a crime, none of it would be a fault. To love as we do, how we do, that is the holiest thing, is it not?” You searched his face for an answer, longing to hear him relent and give in. The way his eyes scanned your features, a deep line growing between his brows as he was deep in thought, left you feeling bare in a way you’d never felt before. This was how he was, he could see you, all of you, through the layers of petticoats and lavish fabrics, he could see through the makeup and intricately done hair. And you wanted nothing more than to feel seen like that for the rest of eternity. His eyes flitted away quickly, as if he could no longer bear to face his feelings so boldly as you did.

With a shaky sigh, his eyes returned to yours, softening. “It is…” he affirmed. “You are the holiest thing, my dear.” A gleeful smile spread across your features and you leaned in, kissing him gently on the cheek. Your hands roamed his body, his face, through his hair. It is like you were trying to trace his form, memorize it (as if you hadn’t already done so long ago) and prove to yourself that this was real.

“When shall we leave,” you asked in a hushed voice, eager to begin your life -a real life- with him as soon as possible.

“Is tomorrow night too soon,” he returns, his desire to be your husband just as strong as yours to be his wife. Every second you two are just another secret in the palace walls breaks him. He wants to give you more, even if that means leaving the world you have always known behind.

“I would leave this minute if we could,” you whisper, close enough now that you can feel his warm breath dancing along your skin.

“I will fetch my steed tomorrow and tie him up around the back of the castle. By nightfall, once everyone has gone to sleep, we can take our leave.” He pauses, a look of fear crossing his features, but it appears to be mixed with something much warmer… enthusiasm perhaps? “A friend of mine lives in the neighboring town and we can sleep in his cottage for the night,” he continues. “We should be gone by sunrise, though. The moment they find you missing they will be searching all surrounding areas, and we don’t want to be found, do we?”

“No,” you shake your head.

He looks away from you yet again, the same conflicted look washing over him. “Please,” he begins, stopping again to catch his breath, though he has hardly spoken enough to be breathless. “Please, if you change your mind, do not hesitate to tell me, darling. Once we are gone we cannot return, but if you call it off I will obey your wish.” It is clear he is ridden with guilt, feeling as if he has made up your mind for you; as if he is some venomous force pulling you from your true life.

“I won’t change my mind, Patrick, I assure you.” Your hand traces his face, following his cheekbones down to his jaw. “I wish to spend the rest of my life with you… I cannot dream of calling that off.” Gently, your thumb brushes over his lower lip, a bit chapped from the cool temperature, but yours nonetheless. “I only ask, if I leave behind the crown, will I still be your princess?” Your eyes meet his, wide and pleading.

“Always, my princess. Always.”

The two of you fall asleep in each other's arms, Patrick waking up early in the morning to take his position again at your door like always. When you woke, you felt a nervous pit in your stomach. To think that this would be your last day in the palace you had spent your entire life in, grown up in, stirred an unexpected fear in you facing the reality of the secret promise you and Patrick had made. Those same walls that raised you, though, consumed you, leaving you powerless, unknowing, and trapped. You reminded yourself that while the palace had offered you warmth through your nurse, your ladies in waiting, and of course Patrick, it also represented an institution that would never see you win. Already, you had heard talks from the King and Queen of marrying you off to the warring kingdom’s young, arrogant prince, and the thought was sickening. You knew you were not a political pawn, not a mere princess, but a woman, a human, flesh and blood, a beating heart that held more power than any monarch. And you knew above all that Sir Patrick, your knight in shining armor, saw all of that and more in you.

The day passed with menial succession, similar to most of your days. Patrick followed closely, as usual, though the air between the two of you felt tense –not with any sort of malice, but with a mutual concern for the risk you two were soon to take. “M’lady, if I may,” he begins, pulling your focus from the book you held. Truthfully, the words in the book passed you by, your thoughts too crowded to focus on the pages. Upon your attention, he continued cautiously. “Should something,” he paused again, regaining his composure, “should something go wrong… can you promise me you will allow me to take the blame? If we are found out–”

Not wanting to hear any more, you interrupted, bringing your soft hands to cup his stubley face. “We won’t be. We’re careful, we’ve thought it out… Please, have faith, and put these worries aside. I shan’t leave you, even if the worst may come.” Your fingers played with the curls at the nape of his neck as you offered him the softest gaze imaginable, like a warm sheet of silk or cashmere washing over him.

“Of course, my love.” He brings a chaste kiss to your lips, speaking yet again in defense of his concern. “I only want what’s best for you…” The words rolled off his tongue quietly, as if it was a secret. As if he had not already devoted his post, his life, to protecting yours.

At nightfall, while you ate supper, Patrick excused himself to ready his horse for your departure. You found great difficulty in smiling and feigning merriment at a grand dining table surrounded by those who had kept you in your gilded cage. More upsetting, those who would shrink and take disgust in the love you share with a humble night. As if nobility and royalty are so distinct anyways. It is all a joke like those told by a court jester, though, in this instance you felt like the court jester and the audience wasn’t laughing. Patiently, you waited until the table had cleared, save your parents, the King and Queen.

“Dearest, is something wrong,” the rich voice of your mother calls from across the table. Panic rushes through every fiber of your being, afraid you have been much too obvious with your disdain for your present situation. As you were trained to do, though, you conduct yourself calmly and cautiously, as though your heart were not pounding at the seemingly simple question.

“Only tired, Mother,” you assure with a calculated smile, just sweet enough but clearly forced in an attempt to back up your claims of tiredness.

“Why? You can rest easy now that we have appointed Sir Patrick as your knight. Of course, you could rest easier if you were to be wed, as that is the greatest security a woman can have. And if you married we could dismiss Sir Patrick back to his original post.” Your father’s booming voice yet again reminded you why your only option was to escape. Even Patrick being your personal knight was meant to be temporary, and how could you go on if you lost him in your life for good. Would you be doomed to stealing glances and chance encounters like that of your first? It was not worth thinking of. You shouldn’t even consider it, because you knew tonight would change everything. Or, God rest your soul, you hoped.

Cutting your father off (you had tuned out his ramblings long ago), you stood. “Might I be excused? I’d like to adjourn to bed if it is agreeable.” You could take no more of the royal foolishness. Thankfully, you were dismissed, allowing you to return to the safe haven of your room. As you sped through the hall, you lost your footing when a hand reached out from an alcove, grabbing your wrist and pulling you in. Before you could react, Patrick clasped a hand over your mouth, smiling down at you and bringing a finger up to his mouth in a shushing motion.

“It’s only me, my love,” he whispers softly, tenderly. In the low light of the candles illuminating the hall, he looks breathtaking. Bathed in hues of gold and orange, the shadowy contours of his face are only further deepened, emphasizing his angular features in a way more romantic, you think, than even the finest poets could describe. “The servants won’t retire until roughly midnight, maybe later, but they linger about, so we need to be sure they see you enter your chambers before we take our leave.” You nod, understanding and appreciating the caution he has taken to ensure your safe passage.

As he guides you to your chambers, a strong hand subtly held on the small of your back, you think of just how close to freedom you truly are. How soon enough, you and Patrick could truly live and love freely. How you could have a chance at a real future together; marriage; children. Your nerves were shot, both excitement and fear thrumming through your entire body in a way that was hard to contain. When you reached your room, Patrick took his post outside your door, nodding in quiet reassurance. Inside, however, alone with your thoughts, you felt like a mad woman.

It was impossible to rest, let alone sleep for the few hours before you would take your leave. All you could manage was pacing your room, back and forth, endlessly. You felt consumed by your overwhelming love for the man right outside your door, but equally consumed by woe and anxieties that rolled and swelled like waves through your mind. Selfishly, your fear that a terrible fate would befall Patrick outweighed your fear of God. After all, sin was the last thing you were concerned with anymore. Busying your mind to distract from your nerves, you decided to try to memorize every detail of your room, the room you had lived in your entire life. As you looked to the walls, the windows, the patterns of the window panes, you realized that the room had never truly felt alive until you let Patrick into it. Before, the moonlight felt cold, like a distant observer of your solitude, but now the moon reminded you of him. That first night in your room, where the blue-ish light shone down through the glass and onto him, was the first time it felt warm, as light is supposed to feel. It was then you realized that you would not miss the room at all, though it brought you many great memories, as a room full of love is still only a room, but the love inside transcends.

Before long, you had calmed yourself enough to drift off, if only for a couple hours. The feeling of warmth against your skin caused you to stir, realizing that Patrick was at your bedside calling softly to you. “Princess, it is time,” his voice was hushed but excitement clearly rang through in his tone. You followed him, grabbing the satchel you had packed a few garments (and your circlet, figuring you could sell it) in. Without any light, the two of you crept out of your room and through the dark corridors of the palace, finally reaching the back stables where his horse waited readily.

Patrick was sure to help you up onto the horse. “My apologies that there isn’t more time for introductions. I’m sure you two will become fast friends later.” He mounted the horse, giving him a quick pet before taking hold of the reins and calling out a soft ‘ya’, the steed racing into action upon its cue. You held tightly to him as you watched the castle grow smaller and smaller in the distance, until you could no longer make it out under the cover of darkness. You rode until dawn, thankfully reaching the nearing kingdom’s town and finding Patrick’s companion, Arthur –Art for short, who had previously offered you shelter before daybreak.

“It’s not much, but it can offer you security for the day,” his friend croaked, his voice cold, but kind in an odd sort of way. His cottage in the village was small and a little further from the main town, but that was better under these circumstances. The room you would be in, luckily, did not have any windows but as he said, it was small and simple, though you didn’t mind in the slightest. After a life of luxury, simple was all you truly desired. “I would advise you two get further away as soon as possible, though. Once they realize your gone,” he fixed his gaze on you, “if they haven’t already, this is the next place they’d look after your town.” It didn’t exactly quell your anxieties, but Patrick wrapped an arm around your shoulder, offering you much more comfort than one may think, and you nodded in acknowledgement.

“Thank you,” you spoke gently. “We can never repay the kindness you have shown us, truly.” But his friend only shook his head, chuckling in response.

“Nonsense. I owe my life to your knight, here. ‘Tis the least I could do for you, your majesty.”

Holed up inside the room, now, you and Patrick could finally relax, at least to some degree. He sighed heavily as he sat on the end of the bed, leaning hunched over his knees in exhaustion. You were so grateful to him. He had borne the brunt of the hardship that came with this plan, leading strong and unwavering to help reassure you, but you could see now in his physicality just how scared he was too. Crawling behind him on the bed, you massaged his shoulders tenderly, longing to be his relief.

“You don’t have to do that…” he murmurs quietly. “You’ve hardly slept at all.”

“You haven’t slept at all,” you remind him. He doesn’t say another word, but from the way he allows his tense, muscular shoulders to relax with your touch, you could tell he had relented.

The two of you slept through a majority of the day, the lack of windows certainly helping, before rising when called by Art. “The coast is clear. Some knights came into town asking questions but to my knowledge they have no leads and think you were both taken by rivals,” he reported, straight to the point. It was a relief to hear that they had no real idea where you had gone. “I suggest you two get going then,” he urged, fixing a pointed eye on Patrick. Patrick agreed, of course, thanking his friend several times over and insisting he would repay him someday.

Within the following night and into the day, we had made it further, to a point that we didn’t have to fear suspicion. It’s not like news ever reached these far off forest villages, anyways. After a few days of travel, the two of you seeking sanctuary in a local cathedral in your current town, you elected to marry. A priest did so, his witness one of the nuns. Patrick was clad in his finest tunic (which, truly speaking needed restitching in certain places) and pants, while you wore your white, velvet gown (notably, the only full gown you had packed, packing chemises and underdresses the rest of the way for their ease and lighter storage). The vows, though traditional, were beautiful and the two of you could not have been happier than when you were finally, really permitted to kiss under the eyes of God.

On the move again, you and Patrick finally reached your destination, a stout little cottage tucked away deep into the woods hundreds of miles from your kingdom. “My mother’s cousin lived here,” Patrick explains. The two of you observe the ivy grown walls and the foggy, circular windows. “He’ll either be home, or he’s died.” Though morbid, you understood, the plague claiming many lives over the years. To neither of your surprise really, the door opens easily and the home appears long abandoned. You enter, taking in the dusty interior. It’s quaint in a comfortable way. Patrick turns to you after setting down the few things you had brought, an unfamiliar look on his face. “Can you be happy here,” he asked plainly, eyes hopeful but a wash of embarrassment apparent in his voice.

Your brows knitted together. “My dearest,” you utter, coming closer and resting your arms around his shoulders as you look into his eyes. “Wherever you are is where I am happiest. And I know here we can share a long, beautiful life.” You brought a hand up to cup his face, rubbing your thumb along his jaw, the familiar scratch of his stubble playing against your fingertips. You lean in, slightly tip toed, kissing him sweetly. When you pull away, you fix your gaze on him again, humming as you think. “We are free from the confines of the palace walls. Please, do not put up walls now in the name of ‘protecting me’.” He sighs, leaning his forehead against you as if he were trying to melt into you.

“Okay…” he whispers softly.

After resting, working to clean up the place, and making it more of a real home, you and Patrick are finally able to settle into your new life. He travels into the village, not far from the cottage, some days to sell things, some days to buy things. Together, you start a garden, something you had always wanted to do, though your family would not let you at the castle. You find peace in wearing less opulent, constricting clothing, enjoying the freedom lighter fabrics and less layers offer. But what you enjoy the most is waking up next to Patrick every morning, seeing him finally in the morning sunlight, as opposed to the secretive moonlight.

“Mmph… ‘morning,” he mumbles as he rolls over, slinging an arm around you. He pulls you in closer to him, his bare chest warm like a furnace as you nuzzle against him. You pepper chaste kisses along his jaw, trying to wake him up a bit more. Though he once followed the rigid regimen of the King’s guard, rising early and resting late, he now reverted to his nature, able to sleep deep into the afternoon.

“I had the most wonderful dream…” you spoke, carding your fingers through his curls and tracing along the winding patterns they made. When he hummed in acknowledgment, eyes flitting open (though still hanging heavy), you continued. “We were in the garden, just out back, and we had children. Children, Pat!” You sat up slightly. “A little girl, with dark curly hair like yours was running around picking daisies,” you gushed, not realizing how thrilling an idea it truly was until you divulged. “And we had a son, too. He looked to be older than our girl, only by a little bit though. His eyes were just like yours and his freckles too.”

“Imagine that…” he commented, sitting up a bit to match you. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes, yawning before turning to face you. “Is that something you want? Children, I mean?” You blushed at that, a grin you couldn’t hide making its way onto your face without even trying. You nodded then, enthusiasm clearly apparent. “Well what are we waiting for,” a smirk grew on his face as he turned to you.

Patrick rolls over so that he is now on top of you, placing sloppy kisses all over your face. “I love you, my angel,” he mumbles against the skin of your ear as he nibbles at it lightly. He moves his hands to pull your sleeping gown up and over your head, revealing your breasts. Returning to kiss your neck, he palmed at your breasts, adoring the little mewls and breaths you let out. “You’re divine, love. Like some mythic goddess or an angel fallen to our Earth.” You can already feel his hard length straining in his trousers against your leg, reaching a hand down to offer him some relief too.

He sighs, melting against you like wax to your flame. His eyes flutter shut and you take in the details of his face; the way his eyelashes sit heavily like a curtain over his under eyes, his freckles scattered about his face as if God himself had flicked a paintbrush on his skin, the fine little wrinkles in his lips, so memorized in your head that you could likely recognize him from his lips alone. Then, he sat up, untying the drawstring of his trousers and revealing himself to you. The image of his taut abs, winding hairs scattered about and leading down to his hardened member would linger in your mind for the rest of your life, you thought. Though you had his body memorized, every time you saw him you were still in awe of how statuesque he was. No artist could ever truly capture the beauty of your husband.

Climbing back in the sheets, Patrick swirled his fingers gently around your opening, ensuring you were ready for him before moving to line himself up. As he looked down at you, he had never felt more sure of anything in his life. After all the turmoil, anxieties, and fear, he knew together you had made the best decision, the right decision, and hearing you speak so hopefully for your future together only cemented how much he yearned for that. He sheathed himself inside of you slowly, allowing you the time to adjust while you left out quiet gasping breaths. He reached out, cupping your jaw and kissing you deeply, passionately, before slowly rocking his hips. You felt so safe in his arms, so loved, and that was the most alluring feeling you could imagine. Knowing he wanted you, all of you, the good and the bad, for better or worse… it made your heart skip a beat. Even just thinking of how much you loved him, you clenched around him, causing him to groan into your hair.

“You’re too good to be true…” he huffed as his hips quickened in pace. He laid a flattened palm against your lower stomach, pushing ever so slightly while he gave you deeper, longer thrusts. The sounds you were making now were even prettier, leaving him powerless against his desire for you. As his strokes grow rapid, more desperate –messier, even– he brings his face in line with yours, not kissing you just yet but halting so close that you could feel his hot breath against your lips with each exhale. “I love you,” he grunts, he was lost in his motions but his tone remained as meaningful as when he had uttered those same words at the altar when you were wed. Hearing the tenderness, the raw honesty of those three words, you spasmed around him, chest heaving as you reached your high. As he continued thrusting into you, he finally closed the space between you, your lips slotting together like they had been made for each other. You could feel him spilling inside of you, filling you up with his seed exactly as you had desired. He refrained from moving immediately, merely remaining inside of you, motionless, and lazily mouthing at your shoulder. “Finally mine…” you could make out of his mumbling. “My lovely bride… my beautiful wife…” And you just held him.

Five years later…

“Arthur, fetch you sister, dear,” you instructed your son while continuing your stitching. The curly haired boy ran out of the room, returning quickly with your daughter in tow. “Delphine,” you started. “Come here, darling.” She toddled over to you and you held up your cloth work to her little body, trying to gauge if it would fit. “I think that’ll do…” you mumble, more to yourself than to either of them. “Go play, children. Your father should return home soon.” Patrick had taken a job at a stable, caring for the horses and ensuring they were ridden while their owners boarded them. You now spend most of your days tending to the garden, reading, and caring for your children. You were so proud of them. Arthur, named after Patrick’s kindest friend, was brave like Patrick, and Delphine was remarkably intelligent for her age, already doing well with the simple reading lessons you were giving them.

You could hear the whinnying of Patrick’s horse and the cheers from your children outside and knew in an instant that he had returned. Eagerly, you abandoned your work to greet him. Watching him hop off the horse and scoop your children into his arms, you couldn’t help but smile. Walking over to him, you couldn’t help but notice how he needed to shave, his salt and pepper beard actually starting to form a beard, but honestly you didn’t really mind. In tiny little spots, strands of hair had started greying ever so slightly, something you joked was because of the stress of your kids, though in reality they were the best you two could have asked for. “I missed you,” you confessed as he pulled you flush against him in a tight hug.

He laughed at that, handsome smile fully on display. “I only left this morning,” he chimed in response. Your family had set off, trailing inside to start preparing supper. “How are you feeling? How’s the baby?” He came closer to where you rested against the carved wooden table, placing a gentle palm against your stomach, only a small bump thus far.

“I think the sickness has finally passed,” you muse. “I’m feeling good.” You reach up, clutching his jaw then to keep his focus on you. “This is the last one, though,” you insist, playfully but with an undertone of seriousness.

“You say that now…” he replies smoothly.

“Now and forever,” you reaffirm, fixing him with a serious eye.

“Alright. Whatever you desire, my princess, it will be done… Or, I suppose in this case, it won’t be done.” A soft laugh leaves him, like music to your ears. You are glad to hear him laugh, something you didn’t hear from him often when you were still a princess.

“What have I said about calling me that?”

“I told you then and I will tell you now, you will always be my princess, royal or not.”

[backpackingspace]

I have such complicated feelings about Athena's regert in epic. Because on one hand. Athena WAS right. Odysseus did need to listen her. And he did need to kill the cyclops. And her regert and her desire to find a better path for the future makes it seem that wasn't the case. That odysseus was right to adopt polites mindset (WHICH is a whole other post I might write up. I have. Thoughts!)

And that is very much not what Athena is regretting. She regerts leaving and LEAVING ONLY. (And maybe her comment about the dead friends). She regerts not being able to make odysseus listen. And later she regerts what happened to odysseus because she's horrified about what he suffered with calypso.

How many times in those ten years did Athena almost go visit odysseus on the automatic. When she left, she had convinced herself that odysseus was just another mentee just another one of her heros. She had been convincing herself of this for years, for odysseus's whole life basically. And then when she left she found that that was not the case. The pain she felt would not allow her denial anymore. (Yall ever lose a friend? Have a best friend become a stranger? That shit hurts like nothing else.) So at first she's angry and hurting and then later she's idgent with herself (she's not going to apologize first. Like hell shes the goddess here.) and hurting and then she's just lonely and hurting.

Shes not really close to any one on Olympus. And odysseus always took such good care of her (his prayers and devotion and inventions fed her so well) even though she's a war goddess and doesn't need it. And he was always fearless of her. Comfortable with her the way literally nobody else is. (Because he's her friend /her best friend) and Olympus is all politics and cold distance and catering to her father and she tried to go visit diomedes but (the poor boy) is still so afraid of her. And was all great Athena direct me to where you need the spear thrown. (The feeling of heart break is familiar now. She's never felt this human before how do they cope)

And so she's lonely and bored and hurting and she MISSES her best friend. She REGETS leaving. And she's missing and reverting enough to swallow her godly pride and go visit odysseus friend. Maybe she won't apologize first but she can extend the first olive branch. So she goes to Ithaca and does not find him. That's super weird but she does find telemachus

Telemachus who, despite his circumstances is so happy. Who teaches her about how the future could be. And they talk about it, how the future could be. (Honorable warfare. No more camp slaves, so more women hiding in her temples and Athena failing to protect them from being raped. Giving your enemies a the chance to surround and then dealing out a quick death honorable death if they dont.) Telemachus who calls her friend immediately. Who is maybe a shyer happier verison of his father. Who odysseus might be if he ...hadn't had her in his life. (It's a horrible thought. Heart break is a familiar feeling.)

So she hustles telemachus off the island. They make a plan, telemachus will be safe from the suitors. Athena will block the women's door so none of the suitors can go in. And telemachus will look for his father in the mortal relam, seeking odysseus's old comrades and she will look for odysseus in the godly realm.

So Athena, filled with heart break and regret but hopeful for the first time since she was four (and play fighting with pallas) goes time diving for her old friend. And is /horrified/ when she finds him. Finds out how exactly he spent the last seven years. Another one of her chosen violated another one she failed to protect. Her best friend gods. What has she done? This never would have happened if she had never left. Why did she leave? It was odysseus's first fuck offense why did she leave?

She has to help. SHE HAS TO

So off she goes, pissing off her father for the first time ever. And putting her pride to beg (also for the first time ever. Odysseus do you see this shit I'm doing for you)

By the time she's talking to odysseus again. She's spent ten years of heart break missing her best friend, the guilt has cumulated into self blame for not preventing odysseus's violation. (Keep in mind that witnessing trauma is just as traumatizing as going through it. And Athena is a chaste goddess. ) telemachus has shown her a new path for the future. Hence her regert and wondering about leading odysseus astray.

But then this tragic complicated guilt and character growth Athena goes through gets boiled down to actually polites was right (again I have thoughts about his philosophy and that is a completely separate post. As is how telemachus and polities views differ (because they do!!!!!) But again. Separate post.) And any killing at all is bad. And then you have fics where Athena begs odysseus's forgiveness and claims that all killing is bad and (like no hate obvious people can write and headcanon however they want. ) it's just an instant fuck no for me and I've got to click out of said fics. And I know this is part due to this culture we've developed lately and childish black and white thinking (bad vs good. No nuace. If anybody disagrees with my opinion that's uncomfortable and that threatens me so therefore that person is evil and I must attack them) and partially because in fandom things get summerize, nauce gets lost. And it's hard to see the nuace in a musical playlist anyway. And everybody is going to interpret things differently and all that.

But at the end of the day. Athena was right that the cyclops needed to be killed. And she knows this she doesn't regret this. Just how she handled the situation , just that she was so ubrupt with her best friend, everything that led to odysseus being trapped on that island for seven years.

[aledethanlast]

If I'm already on the topic of the foxes and grown ups, let's talk about Kevin.

I think Kevin mellows out a lot by the time he goes pro. In part because there's not nearly so large an axe over his neck anymore, but largely because around his fourth year, when pro teams start seriously trying to recruit him, he realizes that his caustic and dismissive attitude towards his teammates can't really fly anymore. It's a Raven behavior, a label he's both disavowed and been disowned by, and most coaches are not his dad who will let him do whatever and kowtow to his expertise. He was an assistant coach for one semester, and never a captain. His behavior has a deadline and if he misses it, it might end his career. He's gonna need to make an actual effort.

And he wants to make the effort! He always admired the Trojans for their good nature, and while he is definitely a fox, he thinks he'd very much like being part of a more friendly team.

So when he signs on to his first pro team (the culmination of six weeks of studying various teams for play style, lineups, press reputation, and point stats), he feels ready to turn over a new leaf. If nothing else, he thinks he'd like to make more friends now that he doesn't have Andrew and Neil around all the time. And the team seems like a nice bunch! They're talented, driven, he can see how he can mesh with them.

This sentiment lasts him about a week.

"Put Neil on the goddamn phone," he says as he slams the door of his car.

"Kevin," his father says on the other end of the line. "We are at practice right now."

"I know, that's why I called you."

His father sighs in the way he does when he needs a few seconds to debate who he should blame for this latest headache. Then he hears a fist on glass on the other end, and a minute later the little fucker says "Kevin. How are you."

"I don't know how you did this or why, but I am going to fucking end you."

"Please be more specific." Smug little motherfucker. Kevin slams his foot on the gas and pretends it's Neil's neck. Though he eases up a bit when he almost tailspins out of the parking lot. He hasn't driven a car in six years, fucking sue him.

"Practice ended three hours ago, Neil. I am now leaving the stadium. Can you guess what I was doing in that meantime?"

"Rediscovering the lost city of Atlantis," Neil says, deadpan, and when Kevin goes to trial for homicide he is going to play this recording back for the court and they're going to call it justified.

"No, see, by the time Gotlieb started talking about Atlantis, I knew he was fucking with me. That doesn't salvage the two goddamn hours I spent trying to convince my teammates that the pyramids weren't, I shit you not, built by Napoleon." He pauses as he reconsiders what just came out of his mouth. "This was Andrew's idea, wasn't it?"

"Kevin, if you only talk to people about exy, they're going to think they can only talk to you about exy. Now your team knows you're an actual fucking person. Have fun with that."

Plague upon his fucking house. "Are you expecting a thank you?"

"You promised yourself you'll make more friends. I'm just holding you to it. So...yes."

Kevin doesn't say it, and he tells himself its because Neil doesn't need the ego. Somehow Neil hears him anyway. "Drive home safe, Kevin."

"Go get your rookies in line, Captain," Kevin says, and hangs up. He dials Andrew next; he needs to know just how much of Kevin's thesis Andrew turned into conspiracy fodder.

[dykedvonte]

Its really interesting that Jimmy’s chair is the one tilted away from the screen in this shot:

It’s indicative of how his and Jimmy’s dynamic was. He’s not staring ahead at the screen, he’s not paying attention to what they are doing. Curly is the only one looking forward. Jimmy quite literally couldn’t see the responsibility Curly had or was doing. Jimmy likely slacked off and avoided most of his duties. I mean the one time we know he pilots the Tulpar he steers it wrong and loses the team 4000 credits. Even in the positions they held objectively, Curly was always taking responsibility for Jimmy. Not to mention the “We can fix this” and only one chair at attention. Jimmy never had intentions to fix anything, throughout the game, throughout his entire relationship with Curly. Curly always fixed it? Why would it be any different here?

If he even took the slightest bit of responsibility, he would’ve stayed in the cockpit to see his plan through. In the end Curly did what Jimmy always expected him to do for him and took responsibility. Did what he always did and took responsibility at the wrong time…

[tacagen]

one of the things that fascinate me about thawne: yes, he CAN be normal with kids! surprisingly normal!

((not at all times, though. his mental illness still spills through and as usual he, in trying to manipulate or hurt others, spits out at them the exact stuff that would hurt him (or have in his childhood/barry's rejection interpretation) the most in the first place lmao))

but at the same time. his like second instinct when doing his bullshit is FUCK THEM (as) KIDS

(and, well. whatever this classifies as)

[zhuoyichenpretty]

Ep 22-23 Commentary

Ha...I was inexplicably nervous for eps 22-23 and it looks like I was right to be (-: What a rollercoaster. Spoilers below!

I've just come out of ep 23 and uh????? holy shit????? ZYC????

Ok ok but to backtrack, let's do my comments semi-chronologically:

Ep 22:

A carry-over from ep 21 that I have to mention—heck yeah PSJ give WZY hell. She doesn't have all that many lines but she sure knows how to make them count. Also seeing PSJ and WX get screen time just the two of them makes my brain go "yay <3"

Back to ep 22, loved the fake-out sundial ayeee that was a nice Chekhov's gun that also brings the real sundial back into relevance for later. Also me eating up the PSJ and ZYC crumb of an interaction has brought to my attention how starved I am of their screen time together.

This whole ep was a great lament towards the feared inevitable. Every sad downcast look from ZYC, every complicated glance WX gives him. A wonderful, terrible crossroads for these characters. I love that for ZYC especially, it's such an incredible mess of emotion coming to a head. Bad enough that he's come to care about the demon who killed his family and ruined his life, bad enough that he's sworn a blood oath he regrets and tied himself to punishing someone he no longer finds culpable, bad enough that ZYZ's life or death depends solely on his choice and ZYZ is constantly practically begging for death when ZYC wants him to live. How much immensely worse it makes the whole situation that WX is literally ZYZ's soulmate. And obviously the whole team has only grown more and more attached to ZYZ, too. ZYC's personal turmoil aside, how heavy must that responsibility and guilt be? For the finishing blow that only he can deliver to also deeply threaten every other person he cares about? Everyone understands in the abstract what must happen and why, but just like seeing ZYZ lose control firsthand, the gulf between understanding and experiencing is so unimaginably wide. If he kills ZYZ, can there really be no resentment from his friends? From WX?

Also it seems ZYC only wears cloaks so that he can give them to other people lmao

Ah fuck, the farewell drinks. I didn't even factor in how ZYC might not survive the encounter (''': The drama truly was like hm can we possibly give ZYC a worse day than that night his whole fam died? Maybe give him a bunch of new family members and also the blade and the fate and the sole responsibility to potentially irrevocably scar said family members with? And he might die in the process too? (-: haha maybe? (((-:

Oh. Oh. Addendum. I forgot this til I saw it mentioned in another post—ZYC recounting his oath as he watched WX smile when they discussed reviving the tree...I could feel him weighing those words against his own life, against ZYZ's life, against WX's happiness. One way out of this impossible situation is indeed to doom himself. I'm in pieces.

Damn if WX isn't dedicated heart and soul, going into the sundial like that. I'm sad no one could keep her company for those 300 years but also I guess that's kind of an impossible ask (and maybe not survivable for the other non-goddess mortals? I'm admittedly very unclear on sundial time loophole logistics). It would have been nice to see someone offer though, even just to be turned down.

Ooh I like the soul needle fake-out, given this show's penchant for retroactive "actually we had a plan all along" moments. A good subversion of the narrative's own style.

Also I saved this for the end because it doesn't really fit the linearity of my comments but what the fuuuuuuuck oh my god I absolutely flipped out at this scene:

I am at once rabidly intrigued and at the same time not sure if I'll be satisfied with whatever payoff will come for this so I don't want to overindulge in theorizing and setting my own expectations too high. Maybe this is just a fevered hallucination, maybe it means nothing (I hope it means something). But damn!!! What a gorgeous man crazy scene.

In conclusion, ep 22 had some good stuff for me. Plot development and reflection and tension enough that I may have been satisfied with just that one episode. But they gave us two, so onward to ep 23 comments!

Ep 23:

I like how many solid reasons the team has to suspect ZYC being possessed. Even though I withheld judgment during my watch given how quickly the show usually confirms that kind of stuff with a possession mark, just simply casting that doubt made the whole build up that much more intense.

ZYC slowly walking down the corridor with the whole grounds lit a somber and haunting gold—*chef's kiss*

ZYC's monologue to a catatonic ZYZ is so important to me. The closest we'll get to his internal monologue about this whole situation. The kinds of things said when we think there's no conscious listener.

Okay so, having finished this episode and looking back, Li Lun's hands coming up from behind ZYC was not to denote possession (at least in this episode), potentially is a visual from ZYZ's POV, and seems related to the above screencap. I am so, so curious. Once again, I'm stopping myself from further speculation because I want to be surprised but ahhhhhhhhh

PSJ shooting at Ao Yin is so gorgeous. Her action scenes seriously never disappoint—the creativity of her fight choreos!! Also very cool that the whole team is getting to take part in the action, not just the two male leads.

Bai Jiu possession was not on my bingo card but I sure do love that we literally saw the possession take place and I still didn't connect the dots. Good shitttt. Also oh no ): ZYC was telling the truth about the soul needle, he was just tricked ):

Seriously from the Ao Yin case to getting PSJ released to reviving the Divine Wood to getting tricked by possessed!Bai Jiu to making pear soup to fighting ZYZ to fighting Li Lun—when will ZYC get a single goddamn vacation day holy shit.

Also when will WX tear up that contract so ZYZ can stop having a mild heart attack every time he wants to kiss her ): &I love that they saved the 300-year montage for this moment. While their ship doesn't give me brainrot personally, who could be unmoved by that incredible and undisclosed sacrifice? That's soulmatism.

Okay, I'd seen clips of them filming the ZYC and Li Lun fight but damn I did not expect it'd be happening right now!! Right after already taking damage from ZYZ? And my god is Li Lun brutal. The two actors did such an impressive job on this entire fight, what with Li Lun's ease and ZYC's suffering. I really appreciated the extensive hand-to-hand combat after Li Lun literally obliterated ZYC's sword. (Also though, given the origin of that sword, I kept hoping for a flashback to ZYC's brother once it broke, but alas, no dice.) Anyway, the show does not play around about ZYC whump it seems. I was very very shook by that throat punch; that shit legitimately looked like it hurt.

Honestly, I had a hard time with the extended ZYZ and Li Lun conversation at the very end because oh my god someone please heal ZYC lmao. But of course, that's the end of the episode~~

Y'all...check on your local ZYC stans because I was not okay after all that (': I need a heaping dose of comfort after all that hurt, but as always I'm cautious of hoping for much from canon itself. So yeah! Ep 23 was solid, but I would probably be in better shape if today's release just ended on ep 22 ((':

Time to go wait for the cast's Hi6 episode to drop so I can heal my battered heart ;-;

[olasketches]

the hate yuta is getting right now really reminds me of this one csm post

link to the og post

[bunkernine]

society if hoo had them at uni age and the lost trio went to chb and chiron is like "how tf are ANY of u alive and unclaimed". wilderness was just community college.

[claire-starsword]

Authentic Story of the Shining Force - Saint Fencer Max - Chapter 3

Translation notes:

So, uh. Elliot's name is rendered with two t's in the og game, but a single one in the GBA version. I had never paid attention to that at all until I had already edited all these pages, and I don't care enough to change it.

Cain's sword causes an explosion here. In the game, it is indeed capable of summoning flames.

This is a perfect illustration of how I feel about these names, but I do wonder what the actual intention was, since Cain is supposed to be already gone. The original image is even cut off weirdly in the middle of the text, and i don't think it's a problem with the scan, since every scanned page has a black border showing that the paper itself doesn't cut there. I wonder about the production of this thing, but i'll wait until i translate the author's comments before saying more.

The map in the previous chapter was very accurate to the beta map of the game. The smaller map here showing Rindo however looks off, the coast is different, and there seems to be a river directly to the north of Rindo, as opposed to the path to Shade Abbey. Perhaps fitting since Shade is skipped here.

Metaphaluna, huh? Needlessly to say, the country of the gods/Ancients is called only Metapha in the final game. Also, in this panel, it pops up as an alternate reading for 前世紀 (ancient times), not the name of a country specifically. I chose to romanize the last part as "luna" for three reasons. One is that the continent of Rune is actually rendered as Lune in at least two guides. I take romanizations from JP guides with a grain of salt since they sometimes look bad/unnatural, or are inconsistent (Pelle's name for example has been romanized as both Peil or Payle depending on the book). I checked though, and town names however are consistent in both the books I've seen romanizing things. The second reason is that the beta map used at this point has a fairly noticeable crescent moon shaped island right in the middle. In the final game, we can't know exactly where Metapha is, because you only teleport there. But I wonder if this island had something to do with it at some point. The third reason is simply I saw no better reason. Metaphalna and Metapharuna would be just as valid, but don't have any meaning to them.

The biggest equation next to Tao as she explains the magic types is very clearly a E=mc². Look close.

I've retranslated Elliot's scenes from the game thinking it would be relevant to these notes. Now I feel it really isn't, but you get more content so you should be happy.

My main point with that is that Elliot does not say anything about Cain in the game. In the GBA version, Balbazak does try revealing Max, Cain and Darksol's identities before dying, but that's not a thing in the og. So yeah I really translated a bunch of stuff for nothing this time! Except not because Darksol is awesome in that scene and everyone should get to see it.

Now let's talk about Otrant. I have mentioned before that Otrant's gender is never explicitly said, and they speak in a mostly gender neutral way (I feel like there's a few masculine patterns in some lines, but I'm not confident enough to say for certain). What I hadn't noticed is that they also use lipstick in the games, which is probably what sparked these observations to begin with, but i'm uh, occasionally not smart. In any case, if any of these aspects were done at this point in development the artist here sure ignored them, and drew a regular old man who gets called an old man. They hate to see an androgynous boss winning.

I don't recall Otrant's third eye being called "Eye of Truth" anywhere else, but the manual of the game does say it can see the past and the future.

Otrant's naming of the Shining Force is a bit more elaborate here, but the wording is very similar to the actual game.

Finally, let's play spot the cameo!

We've got Gong, Zylo, one of the birds, and probably Anri. Easy.

Here, besides the obvious three who were actually introduced in the story, we again have a bird, Anri between Ken and Hans, Gong to the right, and Mae and Gort behind Luke. If you read the pre-release page you know that Gort was meant to be Mae's servant at some point, so this might be why they're together, or it's just coincidence because they still join around the same time in the final game. More importantly, to Ken's left we have...

Some guys. Who are these. They could be made up by the artist (there will be another case of this), but I find it curious that the artist had to do that when there are so many character to pick from, and he clearly wanted to depict official characters here. For one, there's evidence that Earnest was already designed at that point in development. However, that link also shows that Vankar didn't have a portrait by that time at least, and Vankar would have already joined by this point in the story. So could the bald centaur here be a beta Vankar, or the artist's interpretation of Vankar via unfinished art? Maybe, but just a guess in the end. Mostly I'm just fascinated by how detailed this guy is compared to even Mae and Gort's cameos. The other guy isn't so i don't think about them nearly as much.

[crayonverse]

i need to mkae. m y own gacha react video so i cant stop being so sick and evil abut ein because noone gets him right . ramble in tags ok ay byteee

[soleilapproves]

Play fighting with Boxer!Sukuna

Note: Reader is referred to as girlfriend at one point.

Masterlist

“Babe.”

“Not right now.”

“Babe.”

“Sukuna, I promise I’ll be done with this book soon.”

He huffed and fell back onto the couch. He had been trying to get your attention for the past 30 minutes but you were adamant on finishing your book. This is all the fault of that damn community book club your coworker recommended you join. Now whenever, you’re off work and Sukuna doesn’t have to train, you’re reading. Usually the two of you spent almost all your spare time together but now you spent half of it reading your newest book for your weekly discussion. You always did your best to spoil him with kisses and cuddles but it was never enough.

Book club be damned, he needed you to be superglued to his side every single second.

“My girlfriend has a side man and he’s made of paper,” he huffed to himself as he watched you intently read. What was so great about your book anyway? Was it worth ignoring your gorgeous (and shirtless) boyfriend? He even had a tattoo of your name on his left pec and you were still choosing to smother a book with your attention.

Sukuna’s wallowing turned him creative- he stood in front of you, trying to make sure your guard was down. You didn’t look up which meant that you were still engrossed in your book. His hand swooped in and swiftly snatched the book from you. “Sukuna,” you groaned. “Give it back, I was at a good part.” You got up to grab it from him but he raised it above his head. “Kiss me.” You glared at him and gave him a quick peck on his lips. “Done, now give it.”

“No,” he nonchalantly replied. “But I kissed you.” You wondered why he was being particularly irritating today.

“That was me begging for a morsel of your attention. Now cuddle me if you want it,” he said and cheekily smirked.

You ignored him and hopped trying to get your book. Sukuna simply dodged your sad attempts and laughed every time you missed. “I don’t even know why you’re trying.” You gave him a pointed look at his comment.

“Okay, fine, you can have your book if you beat me in a fight.”

“What? That makes no sense.” You couldn’t believe this man. “It seems like a fair challenge to me,” he said as he walked to a particularly high shelf and placed your book on top of it. “You know I can just use my stepping stool for that, right?” you said before scoffing at him.

“Then it’s a good thing I hid it.” His sarcastic smile was now pissing you off. “But you literally fight for a living. You have the upper hand.”

“I’m in love with you. Use that as a distraction. Come on, let’s go to the ring.” You were speechless as he dragged you to the fighting “ring” (also known as your bedroom).

Since you had a smaller frame than him, he agreed to let you have the first hit. You sighed and braced yourself. You didn’t have much of a strategy except for charging at him with such a high speed that he’d fall on the bed and would accept defeat.

But as soon as you were in close distance, he caught both your arms, turned you around and threw you on the bed. He didn’t give you a second to get up before he straddled you. “Haha!” he exclaimed. Seeing you all riled up underneath him was a sight he was used to but it never failed to awe him.

“Feels familiar, doesn’t it?” he asked as he began to lower himself to face you. “This is so unfair! You’re like 200 pounds, I can’t even move you,” you said as you tried to push him off. Sukuna grabbed your hands that were fighting him and he playfully wrestled them. Who knows what would’ve happened if he used his real strength.

Thank goodness for your quick thinking because you remembered that Sukuna was extremely ticklish so you pulled your hand out of his grasp with all the strength you could muster up and started poking his sides. “Babe!” he yelled before toppling over to his side.

It was your turn to straddle him and before you could pin his arms beside his head, he caught yours and pulled you down to him. He wrapped his muscular arms around you and tucked your head under his chin. Your cheeks were mushed against the very tattoo of your name.

You were literally stuck in one position. The more you tried to move the tighter he’d hold you. “Sukuna, you cheater. Why do I always do this to myself?” You sighed, accepting defeat.

Sukuna kissed your forehead and laid you both on your sides, still not letting you go. “Sweet, sweet victory,” he whispered to himself.

-•-

I need to be (lovingly) smothered by a beefy nerd. Someone like Clark Kent.

[xinganhao]

⛓️‍💥 svt trying (and failing) to gatekeep you.

ANON REQUESTED “SEVEN-I wanted to gatekeep you from everyone else but I failed-TEEN and their bff/gf??”

ⓘ INCLUDES: romance, fluff, humor. established relationships, use of pet names, mention of alcohol (soonyoung). headcanons under the cut. ・ NOTE: the laugh i let out when i saw this request. my favorite genre of svt fr. ‹𝟹

⛓️‍💥 how (and why) seventeen failed at gatekeeping you.

seungcheol posts a photo of you on weverse. it's simple enough: a picture of you across the table from him, smiling over a dinner date. the only caption is a single red heart emoji. the photo choice is intentional. he chose one where your face is clear and your identity is unmistakable, because he'll be damned if any other guy tries to hit you up when you're spoken for.

jeonghan falls into the rabbit hole of couple items. it starts with the phone cases, but it doesn't end there. clothes of the same style. shoes from the same brand. he swears he's not playing relationship olympics; it's just so clear to him that the two of you are the it couple. anybody who says otherwise can talk to your matching luxury bags, thank you very much.

joshua misses the fact that he hadn't switched instagram accounts. he has two: his work-sanctioned one, and the one where he keeps up with everybody that matters. the boys call it his 'shrine' for you, because that's where he actually keeps log of your little dates. until he accidentally posts it to his main. where's that damn delete button, and why is it so elusive?

junhui is on a roll during an interview. he's in a chatty mood, and he's feeling a little loose-lipped. when the interviewer cleverly asks about his love life— phrasing it like they already know he has one— jun is trapped. hook, line, sinker. he happily yaps about you, only to realize much later that may have not been the move. too late. the interview's already live.

soonyoung should have known that alcohol and a media engagement would not be a good combination. he had begged the producers to cut the footage out, but, alas; it was the most clickbait-y part of the video. how could they? now, everybody knows soonyoung can rant about how much he loves you for upwards of twenty minutes.

wonwoo isn't aware he was supposed to be gatekeeping you. one fine day, he drops a carousel of photos on his photography account. you're partially visible in some of them— the side of your face, the curve of your side, the flash of your grin. the two of you had been on vacation. the account is his archive, anyway; everyone else's opinion be damned. he wants to remember you like this.

it's not a name drop, but it's a close thing. jihoon's never been the type to declare things on sns, so he does it in the way that he knows. a throwaway lyric. an entire song. fine, maybe a mini-album. he could have an entire discography solely about you, if he's being honest. people can guess all they want. if you're immortalize in his song, then jihoon's job is done.

from the very beginning, seokmin has wanted to scream you off the rooftops. he holds back because he knows the consequences of going public. he can't resist it, though, and he eventually sneaks a photo or two into a photo carousel. he gets giddy at perfecting the soft launch, at nailing the art of perfectly-cropped photos and choice songs. it scratches that itch of his— the urge to have everybody know about you, while also keeping you to himself.

you and mingyu show up at fashion week, immaculately dressed from head to toe. talk about a hard launch! he giggles as he answers questions from interviewers. it's clear to everybody that he's absolutely smitten. there are literal models in front of him, and he's looking at you like you beat them out any day. he never really liked these types of events, but if he gets to have you at his side, looking like the goddess that you are— well. he might have to start responding to a couple more invites.

minghao shocks the entertainment industry with a well-worded essay on weibo about the importance of valuing an idol's private relationships. in true minghao fashion, he makes it abundantly clear how important boundaries are to him. buried underneath that is the confirmation that he is dating, yes, and that it's a part of his life he'll stake his career to defend. this is just his job, but loving you is part of his life.

seungkwan's cover of a western love song has fans swooning, but a dedication buried in the description of the youtube video has everybody flabbergasted. 'dedicated to my girl,' it simply says. no explanation. no name drop. seungkwan has a girl, and that's that. he accepts your wrath; he knows you'll secretly enjoy reading the absurd speculation with him. chaos is fun in moderation, and this is one of the ways seungkwan likes to poke the bear.

it's a series of unfortunate events for vernon. he posts a mirror selfie of himself— a rare one!— without knowing anyone can zoom in and see you on his bed, (thankfully) fully clothed but definitely looking very comfortable. like you belong there. he takes a long nap after, missing dozens of calls and waking up to hundreds of texts. oh, well. you were going to have to go public one day, anyway.

your privacy might have lasted if chan wasn't so damn obvious whenever the two of you were out and about. even on your most discreet dates, chan looks a little too happy to just be hanging out with a friend. the paparazzi catches wind. the final nail on the coffin is a close-up stolen photo of chan's lockscreen: a selfie of him planting a big, fat kiss on your cheek.

› scroll through all my work ദ്ദി ˉ͈̀꒳ˉ͈́ )✧ ᶻ 𝗓 𐰁 .ᐟ my masterlist | @xinganhao

[muqingslover]

Ok, so... this might be a bit of a +18 think piece, but... what do you think the lads men would have as their top 3 kinks? I started thinking about it after I read the Xavier somno one, lol. Maybe I'm crazy but I think Caleb would have blindfolds/rope play in his top 3 (on mc not on him, since he wants to see all of you but is very resultant to show all of himself back due to fear of rejection+ if mc is tied up she can't leave)

[ choosing only three was a lot harder than I thought whew. Also, I'm testing out different layouts rn so don't mind me (⁠^⁠～⁠^⁠;⁠)⁠ゞ]

Xavier

Predator/Prey Play: This guy is the literal definition of wolf in sheep's clothing. What gets him going is the thrill of the hunt and the turntables (his specialty), which is why he will often let you think you're in control and have your fun teasing him only to then pounce when you least expect. If you run from him then you better pray he won't catch you or not.

Exhibitionism: This might be a hot take but walk with me. Xavier is a very jealous man so he won't ever allow anyone to actually see you, buuuut he is very into letting others know you belong to him. You gotta leave for a mission with someone else? Not to worry, all he needs is 10 minutes in the bathroom stall. The bread guy is back at it again? It can't be helped, he'll just have to fuck against the door while he's knocking to show you're busy. He'd love to see you struggling (and failing) to keep your voice down and looks like a smug cat when others notice the marks he left on you.

Cunnilingus: This man eats pussy like a goddamn champ. He absolutely adores having your thighs wrapped around his head, to the point he finds it comforting, and the feeling of his tongue stretching open your dripping pussy for his cock later. Your taste is something he could have every day, which he will if you let him, and he takes pride when you're left a writhing, whimpering mess that begs for him to fuck you.

-----------------------------♡♡♡------------------------------

Zayne

Bondage: The joke about him tying MC up with surgical knots was definitely not a joke. In my opinion, rather than the power rush over the control he has over you, what really gets him off is the trust you put in his hands. Bondage is all about having faith in your partner to never truly hurt you and knowing you see him that way makes him feel beyond special. Given the chance he'd love to have you wrapped in dark blue, silky ribbons and the aftercare is top tier with this guy.

Lingerie: For some reason I feel like Zayne is REALLY into seeing you wearing lingerie. Ladies, feel free to tease him by telling him you're wearing one, but not letting him see until he's home much later. He'll spend the entire day imagining what type of lace you have under your clothes and he pretty please asks you to strip for him as a reward for waiting.

Phone Sex: Another one I just have a feeling it's his thing. I mean, he is a busy man and sometimes it can't be helped, people have needs yk. He'd like the feeling of knowing you think of him as much as he does of you when the other is not around. The photos you send and the sounds of your needy whines right next to his ear goes straight to his cock and he is mortified when the post-nut clarity hits him and he realizes what he did in his own office.

-----------------------------♡♡♡------------------------------

Caleb

Overstimulation: I'm an overly sensitive Caleb truther. The overstimulation has his head spinning so good that he can barely form a coherent thought that isn't your name while he slams into your pussy for the nth time like a desperate man. He doesn't want to simply break you he wants to break together, to the point neither of you can think about anything else besides how good it feels.

Roleplaying: I've lost count of the amount of times we've seen him and MC roleplaying and this man will unironically take it to the bedroom. It starts as a joke where he's only doing it to make you laugh, but then he won't allow you to break character and will edge you until you say your "lines" correctly. Forceful and cold soldier? Check. Teasing and pervy Gege? of course. A loving and gentle husband? Sign him up. Strict teacher? No need to ask twice.

Brat Taming: Now defying Caleb is the equivalent of waving a red flag in front of a bull and you better run because when he catches you you're done for. He needs you to need him as much as he needs you and if he has to break you for you to admit it then he will. The rush of being the one in charge and "taking care" of you in a way no one else will is enough to have his cock throbbing.

-----------------------------♡♡♡------------------------------

Sylus

Breeding AND Biting: These two go hand in hand every time you have sex with him. He craves to have a family with you but, more than anything, he wants you to be as full of him as his heart is of you. He wants you to be so filled with his cum that he has to keep his cock inside otherwise it'll leak out of you. He absolutely enjoys the slippery mess your warm insides become when he rocks his hips into you, slowly but deep, pushing his cum even further into your womb and hoping you'll get pregnant.

Body Worship: I've said it once and I'll say it again: Sylus is a lover boy! ! ! Each kiss on your skin is an offering, a promise and a worship. He wants to know the parts of your body not even you do and give you the love you deserve. The praises he whispers against your body are similar to a prayer and he could spend years exploring every inch of you without ever getting tired. You're the very reason for his existence and any less is just unacceptable.

Size: This guy is not only big but he's also very large. He is a softie who likes to tease you about how small you are compared to him while he holds your hand and pretends he doesn't hear your complaints about him suffocating you after the draped his heavy body over yours. That feeling of satisfaction extends when he has to gently coo you and kiss your tears away while he's spreading your little hole open. He can't help the fangy grin on his lips when he feels his cock bulge on your tummy and he holds your hand over the spot so you feel how deep he is inside of you as well.

-----------------------------♡♡♡------------------------------

Rafayel

Rough Sex: Another controversial take but I feel like he's a secret sadist just not the extreme type. Man can flip his demeanor from "harmless babyboy" to intimidating sea god in a split second who knows what else he's hiding under that purple wig. He'll keep an almost cold demeanor while he coaxes whimpers out of you in the best way and a wicked smirk spreads across his face at the sight of your tears, spurring him on until he's completely broken you.

Food Play: That's definitely one way to make sure he actually eats. Having you be his meal will make him hungry like never before and oh he absolutely will feast (this may or may not be a reference to this). He makes a point of not using his hands while licking along your skin, tasting the sweet chocolate before he left a purple mark on your thighs. Oh, this goes both ways so please pour wine on him and lick him clean ;)

Body Painting: I forgot if there's an actual English term for this but Rafayel would love to draw on your skin and watch you squirm each time the soft, wet brush went over your perked up nipples. He'd scold you when you move because you're making him smudge the lines and holds you in place with his free hand, warning you to stop or he'll take "extreme measures" to make you keep still. You are the only one he'd ever dare to call a masterpiece.