#but I'll take it either way x_x

[kakashihasibs]

Leia saw a cop and immediately asked to leave the dog park that we just got to lol

Like literally we entered the park she saw the cop, checked him out for a couple seconds, and turned around to go sit by the gate, which is how she asks to leave.

Good baby x_x i was so relieved bc i did NOT want to have to pretend to be comfortable around a guy with a gun and legal immunity to shoot me or my dog for whatever reason he can imagine

[ghostgirl101]

Being In A Relationship With Feyd-Rautha Would Be Like This...

A/N: Yes yesss, I'm back from the deepest depths of the dead, finals kicked my ass earlier but now its almost october and I'll burn any exam paper I see from this moment onwards 😀 don't even question why I used this gif, it pretty much summarises the whole headcanon lmao🖤so enjoy it and lmk if you want to be added to the taglist thing at the end. Keep in mind that requests are not open currently, as I'm catching up with ones already in my inbox for Dune and other dark fandoms.

Warnings: Kind of dark themes, mid violence.. it's Feyd Rautha, idk what to tell you 😐

Next Week's Fanfic: Headcanons for a love triangle between you, Feyd-Rautha and Paul Atreides 😎😎

☠︎︎• You got yourself into some weird territory with this one 😵‍💫

☠︎︎• If you're expecting any semblance of stability and pure romance, then I'd turn and run for the Dunes to find Paul instead, because this Harkonnen doesn't have an ounce of level sanity in him, and the amount of spiking tension you'll have to cope with on a daily basis is enough to give anyone a literal heart attack 💀💀

☠︎︎• My guesses are that you were introduced to Feyd-Rautha as either a pretty young Bene Gesserit girl chosen to weave her way into his life to continue the bloodline, or he liked the look of you when he was off-world in one instance to look over Spice production with his uncle, and took you back as a trophy because he liked the look of you. So lucky you. 🙃

☠︎︎• This boy is an absolute sadist and an unpredictable unhinged mess, so there's a lot to get used to, and even when you do get used to things, it could all flip and spin just as quickly. It would take a hell of a time to truly understand Feyd-Rautha enough to predict him one hundred per cent and longer to have his trust that you won't run off or try betraying him.

☠︎︎• There's definitely a kind of dangerous allure to him that he uses to his advantage, a smug grin on his face when he enters the arenas, most likely to make kills in your name. It wouldn't be a massive surprise if you became some figure in Giedi Prime to sacrifice the dead to, like some kind of goddess of the kill (ik that sounds dramatic as hell, but i see it happening .-.)

☠︎︎• Feyd-Rautha is absolutely not used to the concept of looking out for anyone other than himself, or feeling anything close to respect and love for anyone other than himself. So the relationship he forces between you and him is a shaky and slow-burning bond that works in its own weird ways and quirks, and adapts to him and him only, so there are a lot of adjustments to be made on your end. Because even though Feyd isn't sensitive in the general sense, he's majorly unpredictable, and one wrong word could set him off. Just, tread carefully in the early days.

☠︎︎• If you want affection in any other way than corpses and bruising hickies, it may take a little while, because he has no idea how to pull that kind of gentleness off, and doesn't necessarily want to either. But if it's something that'll get you to submit to his hold over you more, then he'll come round to it, and when there's absolutely no one else in the area, you might get some actual, genuine passion, though there's always a part of it mixed in with some darker conflict in him.

☠︎︎• If you want attention from him, you've got it anyway. Feyd has his own form of attachment, pretty much an obsession, but it's always tangled in with his desire to dominate and possess. It's a suffocating relationship and tipped-scales dynamic, and the only way you can really get him to see your side of things is by wording it in ways that'll make it sound like it was his idea in the first place, and that the reason is because it'll feel better for him.

☠︎︎• Needless to say, if you're a little firmer and have a dark side to you (i'll make a safe bet that you do if you want this guy x_x) this Harkonnen is a thrill seeker to the extreme, someone always looking to feel something new and raw and insatiable, like the sharpest peaks of ecstasy and adrenaline, so will he try out new stuff with you even though it sounds mental and freaky and dangerous? That's a rhetorical question.

☠︎︎• Despite all the bloodshed and his ruthless havoc in the arenas, taking lives and living for the pain of it, believe it or not, Feyd is actually vulnerable in the least suspecting way. He doesn't have an emotional connection with anyone, because he's an unhinged psycho amongst a crowd of pale unhinged psychos who expect nothing less (and.. have you watched the film?? It's confirmed that this dude has mummy issues, so... i'm just saying, look at this hc's front gif 😏)

☠︎︎• If we're talking romance and affection, just think intense. Intense intense intense, because that's the best way to describe it. His hugs are breathtakingly tight and forcefully smothering, and he doesn't kiss, he full-on makes out with you. Public or not doesn't matter, it's just an opportunity to mark you as his in front of an audience, and he'll gladly perform, so suck up your shyness.

☠︎︎• Thinking of pet names, I see Feyd-Rautha calling you either by just your true first name and having everyone else address you just by your general title, or using other typical nicknames he'd use with satisfied smirks and lingering looks. Maybe his dearest darling, because you're higher than the pets he feeds and used before you (apparently they're called harpies??!? idk what the heck lol) I don't see him saying my love or honey unless he's just being a jackass in an argument, because I'm betting my life savings this boy only eats bitter things, and he sure as hell can't define love like you can.

☠︎︎• Feyd comes across as pretty dominant in everything he does, which is right, and even if it's you questioning him, he'll throw a dangerous fit that escalates within a second no one sees, so, again you have to be clever with the way you word things. You physically and mentally cannot be independent with Feyd-Rautha, because he'll break that spirit right out of your soul. Would he physically hurt you? Not badly, no, but just don't push him, because he'll lash out without a second thought in the moment of impulse.

☠︎︎• Again with the independence, another thing that stops you from getting any is how absolutely suffocatingly obsessive he can get, which turns on his possessiveness. You're essentially an extension of himself, something that's peaceful and pure and perfect in so many ways he'll never understand and will always pull your mind apart to try to. So if any other skulking Harkonnen looking to impress you by challenging Feyd himself or devoting a kill in the arena to you, has immediately chosen the slowest, most humiliating death, that you'll probably be tied down to watch -_-

☠︎︎• And if he can tell in even the smallest way that you're drawn to someone aside from him, there's a chance you'll be kept locked up in his chambers for a month or two with no servants, nothing breathing at all permitted to trespass except him, until he's satisfied and you have him wrapped around your finger again. And that means you can get him to do practically anything if it benefits him and draws you closer, like a kill.. to maybe even destroying a whole planet, it's not impossible for him. Once he has his mind set on something, he's a hunter, he's found his target, and he'll go wild until he destroys it.

☠︎︎• He's protective in the way that he will not let you die, or get hurt in any way by any person other than him. If another Harkonnen draws your blood in the tiniest scratch, or hurts your feelings in some way, Feyd will use that as an excuse to wring their necks. You're his to look at and admire and dress up and be close to and make you feel things, so anyone else daring to step up beside you will get knocked down and fed to his darlings. The only time you'll actually see him being doting and surprisingly, cautiously gentle is when he's healing a wound without the audience of any nurses or outside help, an uncharacteristic and uncomfortable silence in the air as he concentrates and gets you back to rights.

☠︎︎• The moments where he'll allow himself to be truly close to you go unspoken, like in the cold hard nights of Geidi Prime, where he pulls you up from your bed and tugs you down the short dark corridor to dump you in his own instead, with nothing else but the need to feel smotheringly close to someone who understands how his mind works. You'll remind him of his mother, and that's all good, so long as you stay by him and with him always, because if you take the opportunity to turn and run, don't let him catch you in the act. There's a 50/50 chance he'll keep you in his rooms for the rest of the relationship, or just straight-up kill you and take in your memories and mind to possess you that way ._.

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Next Week's Fanfic: Headcanons for a love triangle between you, Feyd-Rautha and Paul Atreides 😎😎 ⊹˚₊‧───────────────────────────────────────────‧₊˚⊹

Taglist (lmk if you want to be added to this for my future Dune fanfics): @milaeth @ennycutie @nckcn @void21 @leighta @williamtt33 @deathsimp @tatumrileyslover @beebumbo @the-dark-dreamer25 @lilepad @skboo @keicdcat @1950schick @reggiesmoon @velosrantipole @yoonessa @anonymjuni @saturnhas82moons @xlxnq @frickyea-guacamole19 @meowmeeps @chalklate

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DUNE MASTERLIST ⋆⁺₊⋆ ☾𖤓 ⋆⁺₊⋆ MAIN MASTERLIST

[midfight-artchive]

Hello!! It's been a while and I feel like I should explain why I've been gone for so long despite the blog working on a queue system. The short answer is mental health stuff, the long answer is below.

What's important is that the blog will now officially be on hiatus until further notice. When I come back, I'm going to overhaul how I do things behind the scenes that will hopefully bring more of the archive to you without tiring me out as much. Thank you for understanding, and again a more full explanation is below.

I've been going through probably the worst mental state I've ever been in lately. Nothing to do with the blog itself thankfully, I'm very passionate about this blog and MFM as a whole to this day, but the circumstances I'm currently in make it difficult to run this blog.

You know the saying "it gets worse before it gets better?" I'm basically going through that, fully realizing my traumas and really putting myself under a microscope to pick out what needs to be healed and improved. Things are looking up for me overall, but the amount of mental strain and exhaustion I'm experiencing can't be understated either. (Not to mention the fact that I'm still in the situation that gave me this trauma in the first place, so healing is a little difficult when I'm being retraumatized pretty much constantly... x_x) Said exhaustion makes it very hard to even fill the queue for this blog, let alone have the energy to answer asks or even tag sometimes. It's rough! This blog isn't demanding by any means and it's still too much to even think about. (And I have thought about it a lot!!! I've wanted to come back numerous times but didn't because of the constant fatigue I've been feeling.)

Part of that is because I'm neurodivergent, though, and MFM hasn't been a hyperfixation of mine for YEARS. In fact, I haven't had a solid hyperfixation since about...2019-2020? Since then I've been coasting along on special interests and even my focus on those have lasted shorter and shorter the longer time has gone on. I started this blog way after MFM was in my brainspace full time, which is why it took over a year to even set up. I felt that the premise was more important than my brain's shenanigans, though, so I pushed through and tried my best to keep it up. The sad truth is that I don't think about MFM as much as I used to, and when I do think of them these days it's more of a "damn, I really miss them...." for a few minutes before my brain goes back to whatever it's currently grabbed hold of. It's not my choice, as many people with hyperfixations know, and trust me when I say that if I could keep them in my focus long enough to keep this blog running I would in a heartbeat. The fact that this is comorbid with depression really means I have to scrap for whatever energy I can, and that means focusing on things that actively bring me joy just so I can have enough energy to get out of bed, meaning even a fun side project isn't as possible as I previously thought.

HOWEVER, NOT ALL HOPE IS LOST!!! I've started medication and as I've said, I'm working to better myself. This blog going on the backburner is me taking a break, NOT a cancellation, and when I come back I promise to be better about not disappearing for random stretches of time. :P I can't say exactly when I'll feel well enough to pick this blog back up, but it absolutely will happen.

Thank you all so much for the positive reception to this blog, and I'm looking forward to continue archiving for you all!!

[brie-draws]

hi! do you happen to have any tips/advice for creating pixel art? i'm a huge fan of your work and have always wanted to do pixel art myself but i've found it pretty difficult to understand x_x

Hihi!!! Giving advice is hard because I kind of live by the "fuck it, we ball" way of life but I'll try my best!!!

Not necessary in all cases but I think page sizing is important!! I used to draw on like 3000x3000 canvases now I think I only reach that with refs... I think in general it's easier on smaller canvases, and if you need to size up for posting sake, Photoshop can do it [or I think there's sites that can as well?]. If you're wanting to do certain things [icons/icos, rpgm assets, whatever], they do tend to fit into certain constraints so thats important!! Similarly, there's nothing wrong with drawing something on a 1000x1000 canvas and then scaling down the image to 100x100 and lining over it!!

I tend to sketch with non-pixel brushes first unless I'm lazy, just because I feel it makes it easier!!

A small thing that I'm trying to take heed of too is going back over artwork and deleting some pixels to make the lines less "clumpy" (ofc, it depends on style too! I like thin lines usually though, especially on things that are 48x48 to maximize space!!)

I draw (mainly) in Sai and MediBang (for mobile). Things like MediBang and CSP also have downloadable brushes, which for things like screentoning I find important!! [Usually, I'll draw in MediBang or Sai, edit further in CSP]. For Sai, I just use the standard Binary brush and an edited version as an eraser:

For MediBang, I just go into settings and check "Turn off anti-aliasing" and use the normal pen brush and eraser; Only word of advice though it it does create some not fully solid pixels, but you can either go over them or duplicate the image a whole bunch and then combine the layers.

As for further stuff I think it's also just important to look at things you like!! What started me into pixel art was playing a lot of rpgmaker games [Ib, Yume Nikki, Mad Father, The Witch's House, ectect] Now I also like things like the art of older systems and games, like TokiMeki Memorial 1994 has some beautiful artwork:

And the pixel sprites in all the BlazBlue games has been really inspirational in the last couple of years for me as well!!!

I hope this helps in some capacity 'w'999!!! For me, I think experimenting and playing around with stuff is the most important and having fun!!! [Which is why I'm so inconsistent bc it's just fun to try new things n see what sticks, what you like, can improve on, ectect!!!]

[sketching-shark]

Hello! Are you the one who stated Ao Lie/Bai Longma's story is one of a Palace drama scandal? Why is that so? And why is Zhu Bajie's pre-fall story is stated to be a failed romcom, in your opinion? Have a good month! Eat your fruits and vegetables. Have you seen my previous asks mentioning Journey to the South?

Hmmmmm maybe? At least I don't remember doing so...I think I do remember hearing how that's a pretty popular move for retellings that actually pay more attention to the dragon prince/horse thouhg lol. If memory serves correctly it's stated in the og classic that he was brutally tortured before going on the journey for having accidentally started a fire in the dragon king's palace that destroyed a pearl, and I think in the 1986 retelling at least that fire was partially the result of a scheme between Bai Longma's fiancee and her lover...in either case I do think it's understandable that Bai Longma, as a literal dragon prince, would be ripe for being given a palace drama scandal backstory haha. As for Zhu Bajie, I've never actually heard his story described as a failed rom-com! But if so, I'm guessing that's due to Marshal Tianpeng shooting his shot with Chang'e in a presumably gross way and then not only getting rejected but being turned into a literal pig yaoguai & bonked with a mallet like a million times. "Men are pigs" made literal lmao.

And I have! And let me take this opportunity to offer a mass apology to everyone who's messages I've haven't gotten to yet (X_X). Life's been busy and I want to give them proper attention, so I'll do my best to get them answered soon.

[defense-witches-archives]

Defense Witches Past World 2 - (Easy Method)

Welp writing the Memu method tutorials was complicated x_x so I'm really grateful this method exists as well :D this method is a lot easier and more accessible for everyone.

Though... If you want to try the memu method feel free it offers something this method doesn't

Memu Method (Part 1) (Part 2)

This method can be found towards the bottom of this particular post on Reddit

Credits and special thanks to NoAdagio1264 for providing the data file and to XORGX11xCharlsAtro for taking the data and creating an APK with the data preinstalled so you progess through the worlds without disruptions :D

Testing this out before posting this, I wanted to see how far I could make it before getting a game over. I totally wasn't stalling on studying for midterms

World 1 was a breeze :D however, normally, you can play through World 1 without any issues. World 2, however, was the real test.... Moment of truth...

I was able to beat and enter World 2 with no issues :D Wanting to make sure though I continued through World 2 got Chiara and got to World 3

That being said, this is where I got my game over >_< But yes you can play past World 2 and beyond. I'm not sure how the mad lad did it but I'm really happy this method exists, significantly easier than the Memu method and provides the vanilla experience we are all familiar with

The link to the APK can be found in this comment however I'll provide it here as well

To make this work simply install the app and enjoy. :D

Forewarning though since the game hasn't had updates (the app warns you about the app being made for older versions of Android) and is out of service, some things either need a workaround, don't work properly, freeze your game, or crash your game if you interact

The game over I got above stays frozen like that since it wants to pull up the Flare Ticket Menu but can't since the game doesn't have service to solve click the pause button and either pick restart or world select

Can't buy crystals for the crystal witches obviously no services (but there is another way look above wink wink)

The manga and hint is a hit or miss where sometimes it loads sometimes it will show a black screen or just show the top boarder (though the x button still works)

DO NOT click the bingo for Super Daisy (froze and crashed my game at least)

mighty witches, power up, rewind tickets, and flare tickets do not work

full power works however doesn't recharge on it own anymore, the only way to refill is to level up the witches (+1 per level up)

[gamebunny-advance]

Merch Poll 1

Well, more than 1 person has asked about making the keychains (thanks, y'all flatter me way too much ;_;), so I'll go ahead and start making some polls about this.

This first one is going to be about potential characters, and the next one is gonna be style. I want to try a version of the idea where there's a real background instead of just free floating, but I'd need to draw that first before I can ask y'all about it.

I'm sorry to take this poll offsite, but tumblr only allows up to 10 options per poll, so listing each individual 1010 would already take up half the slots X_X.

I've included every boss, B2J, and Kliff, and I've also allowed for multiple votes, so you can vote for up to 2 characters.

I'll make more prototypes of the top 2 characters in either a week, or when it looks like the poll isn't gonna get more votes, whichever comes first.

[intothegenshinworld]

OWO what is this? Is this Honkai Impact 3rd or Star Rail? If we're talkin' Star Rail, Himiko looks like Diluc's long lost elder sister. Only Diluc needs his model given some love, considering we got muscly Alhaitham and the game's got way more budget now and there's no excuse leaving Diluc like that- (No shade to Diluc stans, btw, I love you guys. <3)

If we're talking Impact 3rd tho, a buddy of mine said the ending wasn't great. Even so I do wanna play, even though I don't think I can take more gacha games with beautiful men and women. X_X (Picked up Genshin because of Kaeya)

Hoo boy! But when the stars themselves allow it you'll see me playing Star Rail, fa sho. Looks so good! Q^Q

~Arashitamaru Anon. Good to see you again, Shirou! <3

I'm talking about Honkai Impact with 🌷 anon, but I'm also interested in Honkai Star Rail!!!

funny enough these are (from left to right) Himeko [Honkai Impact], Diluc [Genshin], Himeko [Honkai Star Rail]. They all look similar, kinda like how Alhaitham and Su look similar (or Raiden ei and Raiden mei). I think Hoyoverse does this on purpose!!!

And I'm far from the end of Impact to either confirm or deny that statement :((. I get the struggle of juggling multiple gacha games but you don't need to play the game to enter the fandom!!! So feel free to love any and all beautiful men and women (I know I will XD)

!!! If I start Star Rail I'll probably share my uid with yall here so we can play together! The game looks really amazing, right!!! I'm so excited :DD (hopefully we can play together at some point!)

[blackcatanna]

I'm still loving Baldur's Gate 3 (I haven't written much about it because I don't want to spread spoilers but I wanted to make that clear since I am about to RANT again) BUT there's something that's been bugging me about the game for a while.

The devs published guidelines saying that you should long rest as much as possible to avoid bugs, which makes sense since A LOT of important events trigger when you long rest and they can START STACKING UP if you don't take rests often enough and I'm starting to think I missed a Shadowheart romance scene in Act 2 (WHICH IS REALLY FUCKING ANNOYING OF TRUE BECAUSE I'M NOT PLAYING THIS 100+ HOURS GAME AGAIN ROMANCING THE SAME CHARACTER JUST TO GET ONE SCENE).

So, THE DEVS tell you this, which I guess is helpful. MEANWHILE, the GAME is constantly hurrying you along, implying that you (and often various others) will meet some horrible fate if you don't do x quest NOW. SO, I DON'T WANT TO TAKE FUCKING LONG RESTS DO I???

I wouldn't mind if these were idle threats for narrative flavour BUT THEY'RE FUCKING NOT. CERTAIN QUESTS WILL FAIL OR TRIGGER SOMETHING HORRID IF YOU LONG REST BEFORE FINISHING THEM, WHICH IS A COOL THING BUT THE GAME DOESN'T FUCKING TELL YOU WHICH ONES SO I'M CONSTANTLY STRESSED OUT, TORN BETWEEN RESTING ENOUGH TO GET ALL THE SPECIAL CAMP CONTENT AND GUESSING WHICH THREATS ARE IDLE AND WHICH WILL ACTUALLY FUCK ME UP IF I REST NOW.

There's also the stress of worrying over proceeding through the game when it warns you that you might fail some quests if you go to a certain location but, again, you have to GUESS which ones and it's fucking annoying when you guess wrong and fail a quest in a location you're still due to head to.

I'm really impressed by what the team has done but I wish they had allowed for us to get through more content per night rather than letting it stack up and stressing me out. Like, I arranged my first date with Shadowheart but then it took ages to trigger because there was other stuff going on every night and I started to worry more that it was bugged than actually sitting back and enjoying the game. I haven't got another romance scene with her yet AT ALL (I'm part way through Act 3) despite her dialogue making it very clear that we're in a relationship... and I don't know why but it might be because of this... and that's really annoying if so.

I'm sure my next playthrough will be less stressful because I'll have a better handle on when things trigger but right now it's stressing me out. It's the inconsistency I find difficult. When everything is described as an imminent threat requiring my immediate attention, which ones are just crying wolf and which are actually serious??? I wish the game either punished me consistently (rather than just specific quests) for taking long rests and giving enemies more time for evil shit or did away with that altogether.

Maybe it'll turn out once we've all played the game that it's only one or two quests we need to keep an eye on time-wise and then I can finally relax and spam long rests until I've juiced all the delicious narrative I can out of my companions X_X

[creaturefeaster]

El Ganso ramble time

I've been planting his roots into the core of the story recently as I've really started to polish his character a bit........ and so I wanted to talk about him. Also because there's been some rising request in my inbox to talk about him. So I wanna talk about his first several weeks in the physical realm especially!!!

☆☆☆

While all mime's true consciousness are interlinked, and they inherently are at least aware of each other's existence, El Ganso is one of the few mimes in the main cast that doesn't start out with any close ties to the others. He is a neutral wanderer with no initial direction.

He crashes in the middle of nowhere in the desert, shortly thereafter finding Maggie who seems lost, scared, and confused. Decently natured and moved by her turmoil, he stays by her side as they travel the land together.

After a day or two of wandering, and Maggie already having a connection to TyV & Chickenstab who she can sense are not all that far away, El Ganso aids in her gradual gravitation towards Lystrike. They're both really kinda slow so they're still out together alone for a little while longer, but they make it eventually.

He's happy to get her there, and he sticks around the pleasant company, but it wouldn't be too long after his arrival that TyV loses his eye, causing great upset to the aformentioned pleasantry. This wave of emotion again triggers El Ganso to try and make things right, and effectively becomes a(n emotionally) hired gun for TyV. It's around this point he starts learning what he believes to be his true calling, which is to just. Help the wronged, by any means necessary.

So he gets in kerfuffles with the Lystrike trio for a bit as he helps exact revenge for TyV. He manages what he manages, going all out but getting his heart strings tugged by the trio's fear & emotion, so rather than outright hunt down Leon (the one who destroyed TyV's eye), he just makes sure Leon's loss is equal to that of TyV's. TyV is all about equilibrium, and kind of gets El Ganso on that kick too.

After TyV's lust for vengence is quenched, El Ganso chooses to stick around the general Lystrike area, which is a hotspot for a lot of the main mimes. He picks up small jobs from a lot of them, ones that he thinks are fair and justified. Many are not vengeful, but instead other jobs like scout & retrievals, menial labor, or settling petty squabbles.

When mimes like Weepy and Holly start to come around though, with drama in the area thickening, he's caught in the middle of a lot of emotion that starts weighing on him. wow he's like an empath or smth. sorry just clicked in my head. Anyway. He wants to help so many of his peers, but many of them don't actually have rational reasoning nor the moral justification for their drama. Or rather, nobody really feels wronged in a way that El Ganso can help fix, which only makes him more stressed out x_x

But-- and here's where you Atrox & El Ganso fans may be pleased-- during a particularly heated get together of many a mime, Calamea causes some serious issues for Atrox, to which El Ganso feels more than justified in dealing with. That'd be the comic, which I'll drop below this paragraph as a reminder, taking place.

It's a little more indepth than that, that'd be the tail end of it all. But having done some right, settling his nerves a bit, he and Atrox abscond for breather from the stress for a bit. Kind of enrages Calamea, but she's too fearful of El Ganso for the time being to get too close to either of them. Weight off Atrox's shoulders for sure!

After turmoil has settled down a bit, El Ganso would decide to part ways with Lystrike so that he may continue to travel the lands and help out who he can along the way. He sticks around in the greater desert/aridecic area for a while, just because he likes the scenery & the peace it brings him. So he sees his new friends a few more times here and there.

The thing that prompts him to expand his horizons though, would be him crossing paths with an upset Hannah, who just lost her van, all possessions and memories gone with it.

El Ganso, as one could expect, is moved by her upset and starts out on a new mission to make things right for the duly wronged. Not knowing the whereabouts of the stolen van past a vague, last-known location of theft, he sets out far and wide to search for the thieves and enact justice.

...

Of course, while he's dedicated to his calling in this new world, he does take time to relax now and then, and enjoy what reality has to offer. Creativity and storytelling, & spending time with the friends he's acquired throughout his missions. annnnnd; An appropriately timed rabbit trail, on the subject of friends....

At first, he hangs out with Rede and Chickenstab for a brief moment in time, but really doesn't end up vibing well with Rede. El Ganso can have his tough guy moments but like. it's like trying to hang out with mime beavis and butt head for him. it's just too fuckin much sometimes. Cstab can be fine on his own but it's rare to see him without Rede.

Maggie, TyV, and Uppsulka are like family to him, and they're probably the ones he hangs out with the most. He enjoys their company, though with their very grounded lifestyle against his wanderlusty ways, he's often the one that has to go out of his way to hang out, never the other way around.

The drama club-- AKA Holly, Atrox, and Weepy (and TyV but we already talked about him shh)-- while not really a group El Ganso seeks out, is really good at pulling him in. From hang outs to arguments to sob parties, if they're nearby he's often drawn into it.

He isn't a fan of Holly like, at all, but Holly being so stuck up his own ass never really realises this and treats El Ganso like a near and dear friend, in the same plastic way he does with many of his...... lesser friends.

He thinks Weepy is a fine mime, and they get along perfectly fine, but her intense emotional reactions towards... everything, often leaves him overwhelmed. There is a mutual level of respect between them, but very different outlooks on life.

Atrox would be the easiest to get along with between the three. While he can be a bit depressive and dramatic, El Ganso understands its roots. And, because of his lemme-fix-it-fer-ya attitude, he actually has the most fun around Atrox of the three. Because he gets to wrangle up issues that Atrox can't deal with by himself, and they're tangible and rational, and he likes doing things for others in distress. Yeehaw!

He also gets along great with Bonnie and Tim specifically. Tim, who's a natural at being a good and honest friend, can pull a lot of good laughs out of El Ganso and amuse him in a way few other living beings can. And with Bonnie, there's a high level of respect between their nomadic lifestyles, and hardships faced. They are two very good story tellers, and their convos can span hours if you let them.

Okay sudden subject change now. I held one of my geese today and was reminded of how soft they can be, specifically their undersides. I think El Ganso (puppet form) would be really soft underneath that shaggy top layer of feathers 🥺.

And speaking of his puppet form, he's one of the few focus mimes that spends more time in puppet than in a humanoid state. On travel especially he prefers his puppet. He also has a great sense of direction in puppet, which aids him in his travels.

Also also also I think at night, rather than continue to seek light, he hunkers down in safety and chooses to either reflect on himself, mentally communicate with his friends, or even attempts to sleep.

As a puppet his tough guy side shows a lot more. He's a bold mime already, but he can come off a lot more aggressive in puppet if he's upset. He puppets for a lot of his gun-for-hire jobs, to which both his look and demeanor tend to scare people into submission.

Oh god and his loud voice. When he yells, especially in puppet, it's booming, and it travels. If he's riled up and in the right place, you can hear him miles away. He can parallel Jarna in volume-- though his is usually controlled and much quieter, while Jarna is just like... always turned up to 11.

ughghhhh El Ganso has changed a lot from his first iteration, & same can be said for almost any character, but he's come a long way and I love him and I love him so much this is one of those times where nothing even prompted me to write all this I just wanted to share him with you guys. honk hhonk hink honk. im running out of stream falling asleep so this is where i leave my ramble.

hes supposed to be moving but i ran out of time

[sebuckyverse]

for a good time, call [2]

modern!rockstar!eddie munson x fem!reader

series summary: Eddie Munson is a burnt out rockstar, touring the country. When he finds a phone number written on a bathroom wall, he strikes an unusual friendship with a coffee shop barista who has no idea who he is.

warnings: 18+ cussing, m!masturbation, eddie jerks off, smoking, flirting, pining kinda, a cliffhanger, strangers to friends to lovers word count: 3,3k

an: part 2 guys! i hope you like it. don't forget to reblog or leave a comment :p don't come at me for the ending x_x ps! some of you couldn't be tagged :( say hi to Robin's lover @ceriseheaven

chapter one ♫ masterlist

chapter two ♫♪♩·..·

Eddie woke up to his phone buzzing continuously on his nightstand. Blinking the sleep away from his eyes, he reaches over to grab the device, the blue light far too bright for how early it still was, the digits on his homescreen reading 6.14am. He had three missed calls from his manager and two from his drummer. Eddie sat up on the bed and begrudgingly called his manager back.

''Where the hell are you, Munson?'' his manager, James, heckled.

''Good morning to you too,'' Eddie yawned.

''We had agreed to a meeting 15 minutes ago.''

Oh, Eddie remembered. It would be a lie to say he accidentally forgot to set an alarm. Who holds meetings this early anyway. ''Look man, I overslept. I'm tired and I don't want to meet. You can say whatever you want, right here.''

James huffed and puffed on the other side, before relenting. ''Ed, we need to discuss the future. Tour's about to end and we need to announce something sooner or later.''

Eddie could feel his nostrils flare. ''There is nothing to announce. Every normal artist takes a break after a big tour.''

''Well, you're not exactly normal, Eddie.'' Ouch, Eddie has a quick flashback to his high school days. ''Besides, you signed a contract with management for 60 shows this year. We're only half way there. That means, you need to do more shows later in the year.''

''I'm not doing shit. I'm burnt the fuck out, I need a break.'' Eddie bit back, his other fist clenched on his side.

''That sucks, but this is the business. You can take a break after you fulfill your contract, that was the deal and you know that. I'll have the team send out an announcement that the tour is extended.''

Eddie felt helpless, driven to a corner. He knew the contract he signed and the penalties that come with it if he broke it. That's not something he thought about when he put his signature on the paper - this was his dream, what he was born to do. The more time passed, the more bits and pieces of him went missing. Everybody wanted something, needed something from him. No one thought about what Eddie might need. If he was tired, he was being offered drugs to vamp up his system, get him going again. If he was lonely, there was a line of girls (and guys) outside his dressing room. He indulged in it for a while, but soon that wasn't enough either.

''Whatever, man.'' Eddie hung up the phone and stared at the screen, the light illuminating his sunken eyes, the heavy bags under his eyes. Almost in a haze, Eddie found himself searching up Wayne's number from his contacts and clicking call. The line rang a few times until it clicked. It was silent at first, until Eddie heard the distinctly gruff voice of his uncle, instantly filling him with warmth and the obvious guilt.

''Ed? That you?'' Wayne's voice was low, like he had just woken up which might have been the case, Eddie didn't even think about what time it was in Indiana.

''Y-yeah. Shit, I'm sorry, I-I didn't think about the time difference. Fuck you were probably sleeping, shit, we can talk later, I can-'' Eddie was rambling, embarrassed. It was awkward, he hadn't spoken to his uncle in months.

''Stop, stop. It's fine. Are you all right?'' Wayne interrupted before his nephew ended the call, losing him again.

''Yeah, of course.'' Eddie lied, and Wayne knew that but he didn't want to push too much. ''J-just wanted to check in, I guess.''

''Have you been getting my messages?''

''I have, yeah. Been busy, you know...'' Eddie replied quietly, his voice shaking. He wanted to explode, tell Wayne everything, he would know what to do. He always did. But Eddie wasn't ready to hear the truth yet.

''Are you sure you're alright, son? You don't sound like yourself.''

Eddie panicked. ''Yeah, definitely. Living the dream, eh? Look I, um, have to go. It was good to hear your voice though.''

''Ed, don't hang up-''

''Talk to you soon, bye!'' Eddie hung up the call and let the phone drop from his hands like it had burnt him. He walked over to the minibar and fetched a mini size tequila, downing it in one go, hoping the burn in his throat would distract him from the ache in his heart.

.•♫•♬•

It had been a fairly quiet day at work so far. Robin was currently attending to customers, taking their orders while you were sweeping tables and cleaning up the empty coffee cups, bringing them to the back and loading them into the dishwasher. It was only the two of you at the café today.

Robin joined you in the back, keeping an eye out for the front as well. ''Hey, I have a favor to ask.''

''Shoot,'' you shot back where you were arranging the cups in the machine.

''I was wondering if you could close by yourself today. Cherry's taking me to a concert today. It's a few hours away and we might be late if we don't leave sooner.'' Robin looked at you with pleading eyes. Normally, you wouldn't agree so easily, but considering the lack of business today, you figured it wouldn't be too much hassle. Cherry was Robin's... friend. They've really hit it off since meeting at the bar four days ago and to her credit, she did drag both of your asses home that night, so bonus points for that. It probably won't be too long until one of them gets on with it to make it official. From what you've heard from Robin, Cherry is super fun, adventurous, funny and can't keep her hands to herself, which you could've lived without knowing to be honest.

''Ooh, is this your first proper date?'' you smirk, getting up and leaning against the machine.

Robin's cheeks flush pink. ''Yes. I'm really excited!''

''Hmm. Of course you can go, I can finish up here myself. Next time you have to introduce us though, I mean properly. When I'm not wasted.''

''Thank you! I will!'' Robin pulls you into a crushing hug, smacking a kiss to your forehead.

''What concert are you going to, anyway?'' you ask when she pulls away to gather her things, ripping her apron off.

''I actually don't know, it's some rock or metal concert. Not my style, you know that.''

''Well, have fun!'' you shout after her, watching her leave through the back door. Thankfully it was only an hour 'til closing time, so you made your way back to the front and kept yourself busy until then. At one point, your phone vibrated with a new message in your pocket. You were surprised to see it was from your new friend with a fake name, Kirk.

06.37pm - Kirk ''Hi. How are you?''

06.38pm - Kiwi ''I'm good, thanks. What about you?''

06.38pm - Kirk ''I'm fine. Sorry I've been MIA, it's work.''

06.38pm - Kiwi ''That's okay :) What do you do anyway?''

It takes a couple of minutes for him to reply, making you wonder if you didn't scare him off somehow. That didn't seem like too personal of a question, you thought.

06.42pm - Kirk ''I work in entertainment.''

Well that was vague, that could mean anything.

06.42pm - Kiwi ''Are you a porn star? I've always wanted to meet one, I have so many questions.''

06.43pm - Kirk ''Not that kind of entertainment, sorry. What kind of questions though?''

06.44pm - Kiwi ''I'd rather not say. Do you enjoy what you do, though?''

06.46pm - Kirk ''I used to.''

06.47pm - Kiwi ''What changed?''

06.48pm - Kirk ''A lot of things, some that I wasn't prepared for.''

06.49pm - Kirk ''Listen, I have to go. It's work. I'll text you again in a few hours?''

06.50pm - Kiwi ''Sure.''

.•♫•♬•

Eddie was sitting in a car after the show, going back to the hotel. His hands were still clammy for playing guitar for 1,5 hours and his hair was sticking to his face. His eyes were closed as he focused on the motion of the vehicle moving. It didn't take long until he reached the hotel where he would be staying for tonight and climbed out, dragging his duffel bag over his tense shoulder and sauntered to the front desk.

Filling in his contact info, the brunette behind the counter batting his eyelashes when handing him his room card. ''Room 412, mr. Munson. If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask.''

Eddie gave the girl a tight lipped smile and grabbed his key card. ''Thank you.''

As he was standing in the elevator, he thought about how the girl at the front desk was basically offering herself to him yet it made him feel nothing. It was a scary thought. Was he this far gone? He couldn't remember the last time he had sex, or jacked off. The exact same time the elevator dinged when reaching his floor, like a lightbulb going off, Eddie realized that the only positive feelings or thoughts he's had in months, have come from interacting with you.

Reaching his room, Eddie threw his bag next to the door and kicked off his boots. He shrugged off his clothes, a trail of fabrics leading from he door to the bathroom. He took a quick shower and strolled to his bed, plopping onto the fresh sheets butt naked and dug through his jeans for a pack of cigarettes, fumbling around until the found the singular joint he had stuffed in with the regular smokes. He lit the joint and took a slow drag, humming to the familiar tangy taste, letting the effects of the drug engulf his overused brain.

Eddie sat on the bed in complete silence, eyes closed. He could only hear the water dripping from his shower. Opening his eyes, he didn’t have to cast a look down to see that he was hard, stiff cock nestled against the tiny pudge of his stomach. Which was to be expected, getting high always made him horny. It’s why he’s cut back recently too, horny or not, he just wasn’t interested in fucking random people anymore and his fist wasn’t doing it for him either.

Right now, however, he couldn’t ignore the ache in his groin. With a sigh, Eddie dropped on his back, feet anchored to the carpeted floor. Wrapping a tentative fist around himself, he gave a couple tugs to test the waters. It sent shivers down his spine, so he continued. Letting go for a moment to spit into his palm, Eddie pumped himself harder, squeezing at the base then running his thumb over the slit, rubbing his pre-cum over the head. His chest was heaving, eyes shut as sparks of pleasure washed over him. He moaned into the silence as the pressure in his belly became too much too quick and sparks soared into a flame as he came all over his fist and abdomen, thick thighs shaking in the process.

.•♫•♬•

You were now back at your apartment, scanning the cupboards for the forgotten pack of Oreos you know you had somewhere. Cursing under your breath, you settled on a glass of white wine and made your way back to your bathroom where the steaming bubblebath was waiting for you to jump in. You set your glass on the closed toilet seat where you could reach it and dropped your towel to climb in the water. You relaxed your head against the edge, your hair held up high and hummed along to the music you set up from your speaker.

It took about ten minutes before your phone dinged with a new message. At this hour, there was only one person who would be texting you - unless it was Robin with an emergency. But it wasn’t her.

01.12am - Kirk “Hey, you still up?”

01.12am - Kiwi “Yep, I’m taking a bath.”

01.13am - Kirk “This late?”

01.14am - Kiwi “I do it all the time when I don’t work the next day. It’s a routine.”

01.14am - Kirk “That’s cool. How was your day?”

01.14am - Kiwi “Slow, you?”

“01.15am - Kirk “Hectic. What do you do for work, by the way?”

01.15am - Kiwi “I’m a barista at a coffee shop.”

01.15am - Kirk “Make a mean espresso then?”

01.15am - Kiwi “Oh yeah, you should try it.”

The wine was making you a bit more forward than usual. He didn’t seem to mind, though.

01.16am - Kirk “Would love to. Tell me something about yourself.”

01.16am - Kiwi “Like what?”

01.17am - Kirk “Anything.”

You thought about it for a moment, almost dropping your phone in the water as the steamy air made your hands clammy.

01.19am - Kiwi “I’m an Aquarius, my favorite fruit is kiwi (surprising I’m sure) and my chosen past time is readying smutty books. Your turn!”

01.20am - Kirk “I was raised by my uncle and I love reading too, but I’m too scared to ask what smutty means.”

01.20am - Kiwi “Don’t even worry about it. Raised by your uncle, he sounds like a great man.”

01.21am - Kirk “He is. Where do you live?”

01.22am - Kiwi “Not sure I should be telling a stranger.”

01.22am - Kirk “I thought we were friends? :(“

01.23am - Kiwi “Fine, but don’t come kidnapping me. I live in New York.”

01.24am - Kirk “Despite my kidnapper look, I’m more of a wine and dine guy.”

01.25am - Kiwi “I might be into the kidnapper look.”

Oh shit, was that too forward?

01.27am - Kirk “Really? People used to call me horrible names because of my look.”

01.28am - Kiwi “I’m sorry, what did they call you? No pressure.”

01.28am - Kirk “Mostly just freak.”

01.29am - Kiwi “Well, I like freaky, so..”

01.30am - Kirk “I might have to test that.”

You were surprised how easily you fell into flirting with a complete stranger to be honest. You kept switching between talking about random stuff and flirting. You learned that he was kind of a nerd in high school, he used to play some board game you didn’t know and he confessed that his favorite band is Metallica (didn’t take a genius to figure that out). You told him about your childhood cat that went missing one night, how you started your job as a barista and what your favorite cocktail is. You thought about asking him about calling instead, as texting was pretty tiring but decided to leave that for another time.

You came out of your bubble when you noticed the water had gone cold, your wine glass sitting empty on the tile next to the tub. You wished Eddie a good night and promised to text him tomorrow. You quickly dried off, chuckling at your wrinkly fingers and toes and put on a pair of comfortable panties, jumping under the covers. Your eyes were at half mast but the sleep didn’t come yet. You were still thinking about Kirk, rubbing your thighs together simply at the memory of him. This hole thing was so unusual, you knew some things about him now, but had no idea what he looked like or what his real name was. You had a picture in your head, but it was vague. You didn’t imagine his face or his body, but more his aura, his energy. It might sound extremely naïve, but he gave off good vibes and he made you feel nice. As you finally drifted off to sleep, it was to the thoughts of him only.

When you woke up the next morning, the skies were gray and rain was tapping against your windows. That turned your original plans of taking a walk later today upside down. You checked the time on your phone, where it read nearly 11am with a good morning text.

09.16am - Kirk ''Good morning, I hope you have a good day. Let me know what you get up to :)''

You'd text him back later, as the grumbling of your stomach was a more pressing issue at the moment.

Once you were stuffed full of eggs, bacon and a glass of apple juice, you decided to do some fall shopping. You visited your go-to stores and ended your day in your favorite bookstore, sitting in the small café area sipping chamomile tea and taking a bite out of a chocolate croissant. Then you remembered you had an unanswered text.

2.14pm - Kiwi ''Hey, sorry for the late reply. Promise I didn't forget you!''

2.18pm - Kirk ''Good, I was starting to get worried.''

2.19pm - Kiwi ''Why, you miss me already? 😉''

2.20pm - Kirk ''Yes.''

You swallowed thickly at his admission. It was weird that he missed you, you didn't even know each other's names. It was weird that you were unashamedly flirted with him. It was weird, because you didn't mind it all. And it was definitely weird, that your tummy fluttered. You blamed it on the tea.

2.22pm - Kirk ''I'm sorry if that freaked you out. I like talking to you, a lot.''

2.23pm - Kiwi ''Don't apologize, I like talking to you, too. What would you think about calling?''

.•♫•♬•

Eddie knew this would come eventually, he had even thought about it himself. He was prepared for it, yet when the question came, he froze. He was rigid, like he was standing on cracked ice and he might fall in any second. He'd just come back from a radio interview, where he was grilled about any updates he might have. With a sour taste in his mouth and the fakest smile he could muster, he announced more tour dates and listed the name of cities they were going to play.

He'd grown more comfortable with you, texting you took his mind off everything else, it was something he was looking forward to more and more every day. He'd also be a liar if he said that you in a bathtub didn't spawn some inappropriate thoughts in his head. You seemed to enjoy his online company too. But what if you recognized him as soon as you heard his voice? Not that he was so presumptuous to assume everybody knew him or his music. What if you'd go googling his name? There are definitely things on there that he regrets doing, most of them even, and things that weren't true.

He was tempted to hear your voice, though. He chose to be honest.

2.30pm - Kirk ''I'm scared.''

2.30pm - Kiwi ''Of what? We don't have to, if you don't want.''

2.31pm - Kirk ''I do want to, really. I'm just kind of.. known.''

Eddie despised the word 'famous' or any other form of that.

2.32pm - Kiwi ''Are you famous?''

Cringe.

2.33pm - Kirk ''Kind of.''

2.35pm - Kiwi ''Are you scared that I might recognize you?''

2.36pm - Kirk ''Yes, I've done some things I'm not proud of.''

2.37pm - Kiwi ''I don't care about that. I know nothing about the celebrity world, so I probably wouldn't recognize you anyway (no offence).''

Eddie chuckled, he felt a bit better about this now.

2.38pm - Kirk ''None taken.''

2.40pm - Kirk ''Can I call you tonight?''

.•♫•♬•

You were lounging on your bed, legs crossed at the ankles with a new book you'd bought earlier sitting on your lap. You had been reading the same page for the last 15 minutes, your eyes sneaking looks at your phone, face down on the bed, taunting you. Thank God you didn't have to go to work tomorrow either, it was almost 2am.

You were waiting for his call. You figured you still had a few minutes to spare, putting your book down and swinging your legs over the side of your bed. Then the phone rang, your heart almost bursting out of your chest. You turned back and flipped your phone, seeing his fake name across the screen. You picked it up, the device vibrating violently.

''Hello?''

[gralunaisland]

Sometimes, the blushes on their faces aren't blushes, they're just aesthetic choice flush cheeks, which is why most girls are drawn with them to look cuter sometimes. I think Mashima likes doing them more in winter scenes, or with most of the girls and children.

I'm aroace, so it honestly grates my gears when everyone starts jumping on romantic connotations between characters the moment someone has a blushed cheek drawing, whether they're literally overexcitedly talking about something else, non-romantic embarrassed/ashamed, or literal pouting because they've gotten snubbed or dismissed.

I swear, one day someone is going to look at Yukino blushing at sabertooth's guild all because she was forced to strip naked in front of everyone, and try to say she's enjoying it and canonically has a humiliation kink.

Like, that's how ridiculous all this romantic 'he is blushing he must be tsundere/she must be happily in love in this moment!' moments sound to me.

Anime Blush Does NOT Always Mean Romantic Blush

I'll just add your two asks together so I can answer them at once if that's alright!

You bring up such good points about the cheek flush! I totally agree that manga/anime characters flush for a myriad of reasons, not just because of romantic feelings! It’s pretty willfully ignorant to take every single time it happens as being strictly for lovey-dovey purposes. I don't think Pros who claim it really pay attention to manga/anime in general if that's what they really think.

By the way, just to clarify to everyone, I only called it "blush" in my Part 2 of Why Gray isn’t a Tsundere post (which I assume is the post that prompted your ask) because that was the best word I could think of at the time to describe the phenomenon of blood rushing to one’s cheeks, but just in case someone understandably misunderstood, whenever I mentioned it, I didn’t mean blush as in romantic blush.

Anyway, back to your ask, I’m not personally aroace, but I do understand your frustration with people who read too much into things just to support whatever opinion they have. I can imagine it must even be more aggravating for you though when people keep pushing for romance to infiltrate every little thing even when it doesn’t belong or when it ruins things, so you have my utmost sympathy. Romance just isn’t always necessary, and there are many more human relationships beyond it to explore.

Oh gosh, Yukino and a humiliation kink… honestly, that’s what these particular Pros would have to agree with if they take any little blush to mean someone is sexually/romantically aroused/attracted to something, as they do with Gray towards juvia. But you know these Pros won’t, because they’re not logically consistent; they want to twist the facts just to prove Gray’s always been madly in love with juvia.

As for your next ask, I totally hear ya, you’re not saying blushing never equals romance, you're saying that you can’t assume blushing=romance when something like context exists. I completely agree.

And you’re so right about the reasons for flushing such as crying, and that’s exactly what Mashima and thousands of other anime/manga artists do! Even in the panels that the Pro gr///vian used which I show in Part 2, when Gray is crying as Ur sacrifices himself, or when Erza is crying as a kid by the River, they’ve got blushes on their face from the crying! Is that Pro going to say that Erza was madly in love with Gray too? Or that Gray was madly in love with Ur?? Of course not, yet they don’t even stop to think how that might contradict their point of “Gray blushing=Gray loves juvia”…

I don’t even need to give my two cents because you’re totally right, Anon, but I will add that in the scene where juvia is chasing Gray with her perverted butt in the air, at least in the manga panel (I don’t remember in the anime but I’m pretty sure he didn’t blush there either), Gray’s not even blushing in this instance so Pros shouldn’t even be using that as an example x_x. But yeah, I still agree with you, and who wouldn’t be embarrassed if someone was hounding you publicly to spank their rear and then literally chasing you with said rear?

Anyway, thank you so much for sharing your thoughts with me, Anon, and for your patience!

I get the feeling more and more that I don’t even need to say anything when I get such intelligent asks like this, so idk if my responses are unnecessary, but I think they’re what people expect when they send me asks, so I guess I’ll keep doing as I usually do haha~

[ikaroux]

Diluc: Desire (nsfw) Part 3

f!reader

For 18+ readers

nsfw content

Author's note: This is the first time I've written this kind of text x_x. As I don't like degradation or violence or vulgar words, in the end I feel like I wrote something really sweet for Diluc <3

Here I imagined a Kaeya pulling Diluc up, to encourage him in his own way, what an adorably annoying brother.

I'll probably write a sequel to Diluc one day, with some intimate moments but in a bedroom this time.

Masterlist

Diluc's lips caressed yours, his tongue sensually exploring your mouth. His kiss was slow and languid.

His hands roamed along your back, never going beyond the edge of your pelvis.

He heard a moan come from your mouth, making his cheeks flush with excitement. Your kiss grew bolder, leaving you trembling in his embrace, shivers running through your body. Diluc grabbed your waist to settle you on the stool behind you, his right hand immediately settling behind your neck, holding your head down in his kiss. His other hand, resting on your lower back, brought your pelvis closer to his. He needed to touch you, his desire for you had been eating away at him for months, your moans were driving him crazy, he had only one desire, to ravish you there on his counter. He had been dreaming of you for weeks, imagining you under him, giving you pleasure, your hands intertwined with his, as you repeated his name over and over again...

But Diluc was a gentleman who knew how to control his instincts, and breathless, he cut off your kiss, staring into your eyes.

"you are so beautiful (Y/n)... "

A smile lit up your face, your cheeks as scarlet as his. Eventually he placed his forehead gently against yours, his lips stretched into a soft smile. You both had your eyes closed, your hands resting on his chest, desperately clutching his shirt while his hands lay in your hair and hip, pulling you as close to him as possible. You both savoured each other's presence, until the tavern clock finally struck, indicating two in the morning on its dial.

"I'll walk you home. "

"You could stay... "you say in a whisper.

Your hands tighten into fists, gripping his now crumpled shirt more tightly. Diluc opened his eyes again, scanning your face with love and desire. His hands wrapped around yours.

"You're exhausted, and I understand the knights have given you another assignment early tomorrow morning. "

Your eyes widened in surprise. You had discussed this during the evening with Kaeya, Lisa, Venti and Razor. This mission was to take place in an area of Mondstadt that you were not used to dealing with, Mount Dragonspine. A place known for its bitter cold and unbearable living conditions. From your origins, you knew that very cold areas could be dangerous and the reputation of Dragonspine was no exception. It was obvious to you that for this mission, a user with pyro vision was needed, so you sought advice from your friends. You brought up Diluc in conversation, rightly thinking that he would be perfect as a teammate, but you knew that lately he was busy with his own business. You quickly abandoned the idea without even trying to propose it to him.

"Were you listening to us?"

"When it comes to you, I'm always listening (Y/n). "

You lowered your head, a little embarrassed that you hadn't noticed. Diluc gently placed his index finger under your chin to raise your head, kissing the tip of your nose in the process.

"Let's go. "

You merely nodded. Diluc released his grip, caressing your arm and then your hand in the process. He reluctantly walked away, taking his usual ebony coat from the coat rack behind the counter and his gloves.

Returning to you, he opened the door gallantly, waving you through. Once outside, he locked the door of the tavern.

You walked side by side, without a sound from either of you. Your arms were wrapped around each other, missing Diluc's warmth. From time to time you glanced at his hand so close to yours, sometimes brushing against it with your finger. You wanted to take it in yours, to feel its presence. You wanted to prove to yourself that everything that had just happened between you was not a dream. And as if Diluc could read your mind, he took your hand, intertwining your fingers together, never turning his head towards you.

Even though you and Diluc had walked at a slow pace to spend as much time together as possible, you lived barely a ten-minute walk from the tavern. You let go of your lover's hand to grab the key attached to your belt. In the silence of the night, only the clinking of the keys could be heard, the door creaked slightly as you pushed it open. You stood in the doorway for several seconds before suddenly turning to see a Diluc looking at you adoringly, his lips curled up in a soft smile. He, like you, didn't want to part, even for a few hours.

"Are you sure you don't want to stay? "

Diluc looked away, his cheeks on fire again.

"It's more reasonable... I don't know if I could... "

You closed the distance between you and him, gently wrapping your arms around his neck. At first surprised by the sudden gesture of affection, he quickly pulled himself together, wrapping his arms around your waist, his face resting in the crook of your neck to inhale your scent. Your aroma was like Cecilia's flowers, a sweet and intoxicating scent, he knew he would soon become addicted to your fragrance. His lips settled on the exposed skin of your neck, carefully kissing every spot he could reach, slowly working his way up to your jaw until his lips implored yours again. You craved his touch as much as he seemed to crave yours, reason screamed at Diluc to stop his actions now, but his heart demanded more, always more, he wanted all of you.

His teeth nibbled at your bottom lip, his tongue immediately taking over behind it, licking and soliciting the entrance to your mouth. Without hesitation you let him invade you, Diluc tilted his head slightly to get a better angle. Your tongues curled together in a sensual dance, making your legs soft, your moans were muffled by your lover's mouth, further inflaming Diluc who in turn could not hold back a frail grunt.

He pulled you back into the flat, closing the door behind him with his foot. He pinned you against the nearest wall, running his fingers down your blouse, stroking your hips with his gloved hand. Annoyed and embarrassed by the fabric that covered them, he removed his gloves, throwing them to the ground without faith. His hand repositioned itself on your hip, exhilarating to the touch, his caresses becoming more daring, sometimes going to the parting of your buttocks to go up to the border of your breasts. Diluc wanted to please you, he wanted to find every spot where you were sensitive, letting himself be guided by the mews that came out of you.

In turn, you slid your hands down his neck to his collarbone and finally reached the first buttons of his shirt. While you were busy unbuttoning it, Diluc grabbed your legs and wrapped them around his hips, allowing him to share with you his growing need under his clothes. The contact with your femininity made him even harder than he already was, and it was when you began to whisper his name that it brought him back to reality.

Diluc released your legs and pulled away from you abruptly, his face crimson, the back of his hand covering his mouth, his jerky breathing making his heart beat rapidly.

"I'm sorry! I think that's enough for tonight," he said.

A little disappointed and hungry, you were still understanding.

"Good night, Diluc. "

You understood your lover's torment and did not insist. With a sincere smile, you waved to him as he left your house, standing again on your doorstep. Until the last second he did not take his eyes off you. You closed your door gently before going to bed.

Diluc was looking at the place where your figure had disappeared. He exhaled sharply, trying to control his animal instincts. He wanted you, of course, but he wanted to give you both time to establish your new relationship. He breathed slowly, trying to calm the rapid beating of his heart.

"Good night, (Y/n)"

Waking up was complicated. You had barely slept, thinking of your lover's kisses and caresses. You could hardly wait to see him, to talk to him, to cherish him and who knows, maybe continue what you had started early this morning.

But unfortunately for you, the knights of Favonius had hired you today to escort the leader of the alchemists to Dragonspine.

Albedo was a young man whom you had grown to like, discovering that behind his blank stare was actually a gentle and kind person, sometimes using you as a model during his drawing sessions. According to the latest reports from the knights, the road to the top of Dragonspine was unusually busy with monsters and Fatui generals. Although Albedo is an excellent fighter, it would be impossible for him to reach his makeshift laboratory without injury.

You eventually got up from your warm bed, taking a shower in the hope of awakening your numb senses with memories of the man you loved pinning you against a wall. Once clean and dressed in an outfit appropriate for your next expedition, you made yourself a breakfast of fruit, cereal and a bowl of hot, invigorating coffee. Seeing the clock ticking, you quickly finished what you had left to eat, then hurried to check that nothing was missing from your travel bag. Outside your door, you noticed the gloves Diluc had left behind earlier this morning, reminding you of the touch of his hand on you. You carefully picked them up, tucking them into your bag. Once outside, with the door securely locked, you ran towards the entrance to the city, where you were to meet Albedo and the other two companions Kaeya had found for you last night for this mission.

When you arrived at the entrance to Mondstadt, you quickly noticed Kaeya leaning against the low wall of the bridge, his arms crossed and one foot against the column of the wall, his one eye lost in contemplation of the blue sky. He quickly noticed you, beckoning you with a big smile to come closer.

"Kaeya? What the hell are you doing here? "

"I'm accompanying you up there."

"Eh!? "

" Why do you look so surprised? "

"Well... I must admit that for this mission I would never have thought of taking a cryo user with us. "

Kaeya put on a fake hurt face, holding his chest.

"So beautiful and so cruel at the same time! "

You punched him on the shoulder, laughing softly at his theatrical tone.

"More seriously, if I'm here it's for the simple reason that the two people I asked to accompany you can't come after all. So I had to take certain measures to prevent this mission from being postponed. "

He leaned over you, his back bent, his face dangerously close to yours, lifting your chin with his index finger so that you faced him. A wry smile was pasted on his face.

"You look tired? Did you have an eventful night? "

Your cheeks burned at his words as your face suddenly turned away from his, your thoughts once again directed to your evening with Diluc. You could hear Kaeya laughing at your reaction as the back of his finger caressed your jaw before snagging on a strand of your hair, which he carefully tucked behind your ear. A hand grabbed his wrist violently, stopping Kaeya's gesture of affection.

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything important? "

You hastily turned your gaze to the man who had just arrived.

Diluc was there, his eyes ablaze with jealousy, scanning Kaeya's laughing gaze.

"I'd say you're coming in like a shot. "

Diluc frowned, curtly releasing Kaeya's wrist.

You stared at the two men who didn't let go of each other's gaze, Diluc sending lightning bolts with his eyes, while Kaeya simply enjoyed holding his gaze.

After a moment, you decided to interrupt their little duel by clearing your throat.

"Diluc? Are you...? "

He turned his attention back to you, immediately softening his expression. Just as he was about to answer you, Kaeya cut him off.

"It's one of those "measures" I took last night. You see, I passed Diluc wandering outside of town, coming from a direction that was NOT the tavern's -He emphasized those last words harshly, swinging his irises at Diluc and you- I explained the situation to him and he generously offered to help. "

Diluc clicks his tongue on his palate, visibly annoyed by Kaeya's explanation.

You doubt the veracity of his words. Diluc would never easily accept a team mission with Kaeya, preferring to avoid him as much as possible.

"Tch! I would never have left you alone with her... "

Only Kaeya had heard his words, letting a chuckle come from his mouth.

Kaeya eventually moved away from the two of you, heading towards the entrance of the city to lean against the walls, watching the main alley. You took advantage of the quiet moment to hesitantly grasp Diluc's hand as it naturally intertwined its fingers with yours.

"I hope you're not going to fight the whole trip. "

"That's all up to him. " - you laugh at his comment - "He's teasing you.

"He's just teasing you! "

He let out a slight grunt.

"That's what annoys me most. - But at the same time, it's also thanks to him that I've... had the courage to confess everything to you... I know for a fact that he made me jealous on purpose to push me into action. "

"Oh! Is this the beginning of a reconciliation? "

"I wouldn't go that far either. "But if I keep seeing him flirt with you on purpose just to "tease" me, I won't hold back. "

"You're cute when you're jealous. I didn't even know it was possible for you to be." -He clicked his tongue, embarrassed.-

"Forget it, please. "

"No way! " - Diluc made an annoyed pout, staring across the bridge at the Mondstadt plain.-

You felt his thumb caressing yours as you both continued to talk quietly. Diluc would check from time to time to see if Kaeya was looking this way, not wanting to expose his warm and tender side to the world. He didn't want to display his affection for you to the world, wanting to keep it intimate.

You knew he wanted to kiss you by the way his gaze occasionally wandered to your lips before returning to your eyes. To partially relieve him, you quickly lifted his hand to your lips, placing a quick kiss on it.

"I'm glad you're coming with us today.

His cheeks painted a beautiful shade of crimson as his eyes remained captivated by your movements.

"I'm glad too. "

You looked at each other fondly, smiles plastered on your faces, until Diluc heard footsteps approaching you both. He immediately released your hand, turning his head to see who was approaching you.

Facing you was a platinum blonde head, staring at you both, his facial expression as impassive as that of a marble statue.

"Good morning to you both. "

You greet Albedo with a nod, noticing that under his arm was his usual sketchbook. Kaeya, who had been following Albedo, came to position herself next to you.

"Well, since everyone is here, let me tell you the problem with this escort mission. "

Diluc, Albedo and you focused your attention on Kaeya.

"My agents patrolling Dragonspine have spotted several groups of Fatui generals on the way to our chief alchemist's laboratory. We don't know what they are looking for in this area, but we believe that the column Aether released may be one of the reasons for their presence. However, as Albedo is a genius when it comes to alchemy, it is just as likely that he himself is the target of the Fatui. "

Albedo looked away, a hint of annoyance at the word 'genius'. You knew he didn't like being treated differently, so to gently distract him you patted him shoulder and gave him a big smile, which he returned more shyly.

"I know you're an excellent fighter Albedo, but until we solve this problem Fatui, you won't be able to go to your lab alone. "

Albedo sighed softly.

"I understand completely and I will avoid taking Succrose and Timaeus with me until this is resolved. I thank you for your efforts Captain Kaeya, you have chosen an excellent team, we can go up without too much trouble. Also, may I ask why the original team has changed? "

Kaeya smiled at Albedo's seriousness. He shook his hand nonchalantly in front of him.

"I'm just doing my job, and it would be easier if we were on first-name terms, considering the time we'll be spending together. As for Bennett and Mona and well... one was in the infirmary after a mission gone wrong and the other... well apparently the stars revealed a dark future for her if she joined us..."

A burst of laughter emanated from you when Kaeya had mimicked Mona's dramatic tone.

Albedo merely nodded, while Diluc sighed silently, arms folded across his chest.

"Well, since everyone is ready, let's go, we have a long way to go. "

Kaeya led the way, crossing the bridge towards the path leading to your common goal. Albedo followed right behind.

You gave Diluc one last look, stretching your lips in a smile of encouragement before joining your companions ahead of you. Diluc followed suit, staying back to keep an eye on you.

The first part of the journey went smoothly, with the few brutocollinus you encountered being no match for your group. Things became more complicated as you reached the snowy road to Dragonspine, the cold piercing your skin. Looking at your companions, you felt as if you were the only one feeling the bite of the cold, the wind making you shiver and chatter your teeth. Diluc, with his vision, lit a few fires along the way, allowing you to warm up temporarily.

Worried about you, he slowed his pace to match you in the hope that his proximity would warm you a little.

He placed his hand discreetly in yours, eliciting a sigh of ecstasy. By the archons, how you loved his hands that... didn't wear gloves?

"Oh, Diluc, I just remembered that I picked up your gloves before I left. Wait here! "

You had just pulled out of your bag the two red and black gloves he had thrown away earlier this morning. He looked at them for a long time, remembering why he had thrown them on the ground before grabbing them and putting them on.

"Thanks (Y/n), you didn't have to... "

"Here, how come you have the gloves with you that Diluc wore last night (Y/n)?

Kaeya had slyly approached the two of you with is arms crossed behind his back.

Diluc was suddenly burning with embarrassment.

"It's none of your business Kaeya. "

"Oh? Tell me (Y/n), if you ever need me to give this man some advice let me know. "

You blink quickly, slowly understanding what he was getting at.

"I don't need any lessons from you. "

Diluc was dry in his answers, but it was obvious that he was upset by Kaeya's hints as it fixed him with his laughing gaze.

You watched the boys argue once again with concern, Albedo now positioned beside you watching the scene with a neutral face.

"I'm not sure you really understand what I'm talking about Diluc. "

"I understand perfectly. "

"Oya~ so you're embarrassed to talk about sex... "

Diluc cut him off abruptly by putting his hand over his mouth, they both looked like brothers bickering nicely.

You wanted to separate them but you couldn't stop an amused smile from forming on your face. You glanced at Albedo, who had taken out his sketchbook to capture the scene.

"Albedo, you should be pulling them apart rather than drawing them."

"I'm clearly not up to this. Besides, I find this scene fascinating and... oddly amusing. "

You had finally set off again once your two companions had calmed down. Diluc stayed by your side to continue sharing the warmth of his vision with you, using it as an excuse to keep you close.

On the way you came across a group of Fatui generals, their camp set up not far from the laboratory. The fight was long and hard, as the wind-powered Fatui protected their allies who targeted you with weapons of fire, frost and water. Kaeya and Diluc took on two generals with Electro vision, their weapons, clubs almost as big as them, caused weak earthquakes when they hit the ground hard. Albedo was fighting alongside you, he was an excellent support and thanks to him you were able to quickly take down your enemies.

Once the Fatui camps had been annihilated, you were finally able to reach Albedo's laboratory, exhausted, frozen and sore.

"Well, let's set up the tents. I suppose you'll be sleeping inside Albedo?"

Albedo nodded at Kaeya's question.

You'd ended up setting up camp outside the lab, setting up two tents around a fire far enough apart to give everyone privacy.

The plan was for Kaeya and Diluc to sleep together, though Diluc didn't agree with that.

"Oh~ If I understand correctly, you want to sleep with (Y/n) Diluc. "

"I didn't say that. But you can imagine that I still don't trust you. "

Kaeya's blue eye reflected regret and hurt, if only for a moment.

"Don't worry Diluc, I'll be out patrolling most of the night. You'll have the tent to yourself. "

"It would be better if I were to go in that case. "

"Why? Don't you trust me with that either? "

Diluc crossed his arms over his chest, his eyes closed in mock reflection.

"My vision will be more useful here, especially at night. "

"And if you could stop looking for the little beast in the other for a moment. "Your voice interrupted their bickering. Your hand came to rest on your forehead, a sudden headache surfacing there.-"Sorry, I'm just tired. "

"It's nothing (Y/n), Diluc I understand your point but for tonight, let me do my job as a cavalry captain. "

Kaeya winked at you, a smirk on his face. Diluc nodded without much motivation.

Albedo eventually brought you some food he had just cooked, the boy had a knack for it.

"Albedo is delicious! "You ate his food greedily.

Albedo smiled at your comment, his eyes never leaving the pages of his notebook. He turned the pages one by one, examining what he had put down on paper today. He stopped on one page in particular, swallowing a mouthful of his food at the same time. Eventually he turned his notebook towards you to show you his drawing. You were taking a sip of water when your eyes turned to his notebook, causing you to spit out what was in your mouth.

"What?! When did you draw that?! "

Curious, Kaeya and Diluc in turn admired Albedo's drawing. The scene was of you and Diluc, holding his hand in yours, close to your face. You were looking into each other's eyes with a look of love. A moment of pure tenderness...

You and Diluc didn't know where to stand...

Exhausted, you wished your companions good night and went to the tent furthest from the laboratory.

The interior was warm, Albedo had given you a bottle containing the essence of a fire fairy, it warmed the tent perfectly and lit it up just right.

A grimace twisted your face as you began to pull up your tank top, your hand went to your lower back where the pain was hitting you, a blackish bruise was there covering much of your ribs.

"Ouch!"

Now that you were aware of your injury, the pain hit you full force.

"Are you all right (Y/n)? "

You suddenly raised your head, seeing Diluc gently pushing the fabric of the tent to see if you were okay.

"I heard you scream... are you hurt?! "

He walked in without waiting to be prompted, studying your wound with concern. His eyebrows furrowed, anger, fear, hatred rising in him. He had failed to protect you. He imagined for a brief moment that your wound was more serious than it appeared, panic rising in him without letting it show on his face. He would never forgive himself for this injury, not when he was supposed to be there to protect you.

"Diluc... "You put a hand on his cheek, bringing him back to reality. It's okay, it's just a bruise, I'll be sore for a few days.

He didn't say anything, just looked into your eyes, his hand somewhat shakily resting on yours.

He tended to your wound, applying to it a balm that you had taken with you. He sat behind you with his arms wrapped around your waist, clutching your body to his chest, silence hovering around you. His left cheek rested on your shoulder, dressed in the simple strap of your tank top, his eyes searching the void. You stroked his hair tenderly, trying to comfort him with the simple touch of your hand. His hands, resting on the fabric covering your belly, moved in a circular motion involuntarily up your top towards your navel.

"Diluc... "

He raised his head, meeting your eyes silently. His lips approached yours in a sensual kiss as his hand reached for the vial warming your tent. He closed it with a sure hand, then put it back in your bag, leaving the tent in total darkness.

"You won't need this to warm you up... "His mouth had left yours for a brief moment, whispering soft words in your ear. He didn't give you time to protest, fusing your lips together again.

His arms pulled you closer to him, almost smothering you. As your lips parted, his went for the skin of your neck, placing kisses there, nibbling the flesh and licking the redness he left behind.

You couldn't stop your face from turning red, blocking the gasps that wanted to come out of you with your hand.

His teeth were on your earlobe, nibbling and sucking as his hands roamed over your stomach, pulling up your tank top.

"Diluc... gnn... The others might hear us... "

"Hm... Kaeya has gone to inspect the surroundings. -His tongue is running down your jaw - and Albedo is completely absorbed in one of his experiments. "

You shudder at the touch of his palm tracing the lines of your abdomen, down to your still bra-covered chest.

"(Y/n), if you don't want to, just say so" -His hand passed under your underwear, caressing the tip of your nipple that would harden at the contact. His mouth ceased its activities, his eyes staring at you in anticipation of your response.

"I want you Diluc... but I thought you didn't want... "

"I'm sorry if I seem contradictory to you. " - he huffed, amused by his selfishness - "No, I certainly am, I wanted to give us both some time... But I've loved you since day one and I've wanted you since day one... it would almost scare me. "

He stroked your shoulder, watching the line that formed it, registering every mole he spotted.

"As a nobleman I had to learn patience and how to behave towards a woman. I just wanted to follow my father's precepts. But with you... I just want to be myself, to go with the flow. "

Your eyes were riveted on his, glowing with love and adoration.

"Diluc, I love you. Let me be swept away with you... "

He inhaled sharply at your words, his hands lifting your tank top, pulling it over your head. He laid you on your stomach, underneath him, kissing the back of your neck, the hollow between your shoulders and neck, your shoulder blades and then down the line of your spine, your voice accompanying every movement he made. Finally reaching the fastening of your bra, he unhooked it without hesitation, sliding it under you to let it fall next to your tank top. His hands gently gripped your hips, caressing your sides as his lips went back on.

You turned your head to the side to watch your lover. You were hot, terribly hot, and you wanted more. You wanted to feel his skin against yours.

"Diluc, please... "He looked up at you, pausing in his ascent. He brought his face close to your ear.

"What do you want my love?" -Never had you heard a more sensual voice, your legs clenched together involuntarily.

"Ta-take off your top! "

He obeyed you without question, removing his coat, gloves and shirt, finally revealing his beautifully sculpted torso. You thought he was beautiful.

"Is it better like this? "

His teasing smile made you groan. One of his hands came to rest under your jaw, helping you lift your head so that he could reach your lips in a languid kiss.

His body pressed against you, letting you feel the firmness of his torso against your back, his warmth and most of all, you could feel the hardness of his member between your thighs, making you moan into his mouth.

Encouraged by your reaction, he began a discreet back and forth movement against your buttocks, his free hand caressing your breast, pinching your nipple between his fingers, drawing a cry from you, which he swallowed in his kiss.

Diluc straightened up, leaving your lips and breasts and moving down to your back. He looked down at the bruise you'd gotten in your fight, brushing his hand over the colored skin. He leaned down, placing a soft kiss on it before you turned gently to face him. Your eyes locked with his, as eager as he was. He took a few moments to observe you before moving his lips to your neck. He wanted to leave traces of his love, nibbling and sucking at the flesh, claiming every part he could. Moving down your collarbone and then to the border between your breasts, he made a slight diversions to catch one of your hardened mounds in his mouth.

"Diluc...! "

You repeated his name like a mantra, one of your hands planting itself on your lips to muffle the sounds that came out, the other clutching a handful of his hair. Your legs naturally spread for him, hoping for relief from him. Noticing this, Diluc moved to your lower belly, taking care to remove the last of your clothing, allowing him to see your femininity already ready for him.

Diluc let out a moan of pleasure.

"(Y/n), you are beautiful. "

His hand stroked your clitoris, tracing small circles around it. Your voice got higher, louder, you were afraid Albedo or Kaeya would hear you, but the feeling of Diluc between your legs was more intense than your fear. Tears of excitement ran down your face, sweat from your body spilling onto the tent mattress.

Diluc stroked your slit, continuing his vicious little circles with his thumb, his lips caressing the sensitive skin between your thighs. You glanced at your lover's expression, it turned out that he too was watching you, silently asking permission for what was to come. You shook your head vaguely, eagerly awaiting the friction you were missing.

Just as you thought he would take you with his fingers, it was instead his tongue that invaded you, both your hands rushing to your mouth to cover the loud sounds that came out. Diluc smiled at your attempt to hold back your moans, he thought it was cute and flattering.

He continued to play with your clitoris, as he tasted you, licking deeply at your essence, spreading your legs further apart for a better opening. He loved your taste, taking his time to learn every part of your womanhood that made you moan his name. The trembling of your limbs told him you were close to exploding, so he stopped pleasuring you with his tongue, whimpers and tears coming out of you at the loss.

He continued to play with your clit, while he tasted you, licking deep into your essence, spreading your legs further apart for a better opening. He loved your taste, taking his time to learn every part of your womanhood that made you moan his name. The trembling of your limbs told him you were close to exploding, so he stopped pleasuring you with his tongue, whimpers and tears coming out of you at the loss.

He replaced his tongue with his middle finger, quickly fusing your lips together to prevent your screams from alerting anyone. His finger slowly rubbed and massaged your insides, giving you time to adjust before adding his ring finger, making you clench around his fingers. He quickly located the spot that was making you cry, picking at it. Diluc sighed with pleasure as his tongue caressed yours, he loved the feeling of giving you pleasure simply with his hand. The feeling of your soft, tight walls made him lose his nerve, using his thumb to massage your clit, he accelerated the back and forth movement of his fingers, constantly hitting your g-spot, absorbing your moans. Your hands grabbed his hair, untying the knot that kept it tied.

"Di, Diluc, I'll... aah... please! "

Diluc moved away from you, positioning himself at your side, his forearm passing under your head for support, his hand between your thighs took a better angle, allowing deeper access to your insides. His eyes never left your face as he writhed in pleasure, feeling the approach of orgasm. You didn't know what to do, repeating Diluc's name over and over again, your breathing heavy and jerky. Your lover brought his face close to yours, whispering words of love in your ear.

"(Y/n), you are so beautiful like this. " - He kissed your reddened cheek, licking the tears that ran down it.- "Show me what face you make when you cum.... "

His words sent you into another world, unable to contain the knot that had formed inside you. Obeying his words, you came on his fingers, teeth clenched to contain the scream partially muffled by your hand.

Diluc continued his intimate caresses, swinging his fingers more slowly, keeping pace with your orgasm. When your tremors subsided, he withdrew his fingers from you, licking your essence greedily.

Waiting patiently for you to catch your breath, Diluc cuddled you tenderly, kissing your forehead, your eyelids, your nose. His free hand caressed your body, massaging your thighs and moving up to your torso, sliding his palm over your hips and waist to finally reach your breasts.

"Diluc... come on. "

He obeyed without question, gently withdrawing his arm from under your head, he removed the last of his clothing before your eyes, releasing his hardened member from its prison with a grunt. It was large and thick, making you doubt your ability to take it. You were a little afraid of the pain that might follow penetration, your lips trembling at the mere thought. Diluc noticed the fear in your eyes, and he lay on top of you, forehead to forehead, rubbing his nose with yours, his hand caressing your cheeks and hair.

"If you don't feel ready, I'll understand. "

There was no rancour in his words, just tenderness. His lips kissed your face for reassurance.

"No, I want you Diluc... I'm just a little apprehensive... I've never... "

He smiles at the thought of being your first, his possessive side satisfied by your words.

"I can continue to prepare you to welcome me if that makes you feel better. "

Putting his money where his mouth is, his hand slid from your hair to your crotch, rubbing your soaked slit again.

You grab his hand, placing it back at your side, surprising him with the gesture.

You wrap your legs around his hips, tying your ankles together, quickening the rhythm of your lover's breathing. Taking his face in your hands, guiding him into a short kiss, you look at him with hungry eyes.

Convinced, Diluc buried his head in the hollow of your neck, catching his hardened member with a grunt and placing it at your entrance. Slowly he began to open you up, coaxing the outside of your thigh with his hand while the other clung to your hair. He gritted his teeth, breathing heavily through his nose as he concentrated on the sensation of you wrapped around his sex, you were so tight and constricted, he had to make a superhuman effort not to cum now.

He remained attentive to your sounds, watching for any sign of pain or discomfort. He raised his face to look at you.

"Hold on to me, I'm going to go all at once. "

You nodded, obeying his words, your arms wrapped around his shoulders. Diluc straightened up on one of his elbows, grabbing your hip with his other hand to use as leverage. He took one last look at you and then gave a quick, hard thrust, thrusting his hips into yours, allowing rapid penetration. You jerked in his arms, scratching his shoulders slightly. You let out a simple "ah" from your half-opened mouth.

You felt no pain, but the tears flowed of their own accord, a sense of loss in your heart. You were not sad at this, on the contrary, that Diluc was your first made you more than happy, but you could not stop the tears from flowing again and again.

Your lover wiped away your tears, kissing everything he could, repeating over and over in a whisper, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry.

"Diluc, I'm fine, I'm not in pain. "

He nodded, kissing your jaw all the way to your neck, sucking on your skin making sure to leave his mark.

"(Y/n), can I move? "

You moved your hips for all answer, making him grunt.

He began to rock his pelvis slowly, enjoying the friction it gave him. His breathing was heavy as he rolled his hips against you, almost completely out of your womanhood before sliding back in, you were so perfect around him.

You ended up begging him to go faster. He increased the pace of his thrusts, going deeper and harder, drowning you both in pleasure. You clamped down around him, sucking and biting on his skin to try to muffle the sounds you were making. Diluc couldn't stop his own voice from coming out of him as he felt your walls squeeze him so perfectly. He rubbed your sore spot wonderfully, making the heat rise inside you. He finally grabbed your thighs, spreading them further apart for him, allowing you to feel more friction. The wet sound of your hips slamming against his invaded your ears as Diluc straightened his back for a better angle, reaching depths inside you that you didn't think possible. He increased the pace of his penetration, his hands gripping your hips to aid his movements. His thrusts were extremely close together, his sex barely coming out of you, the tip constantly stroking your G-spot. You needed to bite into something to keep the noises from coming out, you were sure that at least Albedo would hear you if you let yourself go.

Your lover's eyes once closed in the concentration of your combined pleasures, opened as he felt you squeeze at a steady pace around him. You grabbed a handful of his hair to pull him closer to you, which he did without resistance, continuing his pounding rhythm.

You kissed him full on the lips, feeling your second orgasm approaching. You released the most obscene sounds into his mouth, making him moan in turn.

As your knot loosened, your lips left his allowing your teeth to attack his shoulder, causing him to grimace with pain and pleasure.

"Stay inside! "

Your words alone sent him reeling, releasing himself inside you, continuing his movements until he was completely drained.

He breathed heavily, lying on top of you, avoiding crushing you under his weight, his hair spreading over his back and shoulders. He buried his nose in your neck as your arms wrapped around him in a gentle embrace.

When his breathing finally calmed, he sat up, locking his eyes with yours, a happy smile on his face. He gently caressed your cheek, kissing your lips tenderly. You were still connected to each other, feeling your combined fluids flowing from you. Diluc finally withdrew, the empty feeling eliciting a moan from you.

Diluc quickly got dressed, leaving just a few buttons of his shirt open. He wanted to discreetly fetch something to clean you up.

"Make it quick. "

He smiled and nodded, kissing the hand you had held out to him. He walked out of your tent, checking his surroundings. Kaeya still hadn't returned from his rounds, and Albedo was still in his lab, sitting on the floor surrounded by several open books. He went to get you a towel and some water, checking to see if Kaeya had run into any trouble. Eventually he spotted his further down, still inspecting one of the Fatui camps you had eliminated earlier. Somewhat reassured, Diluc returned to you, quietly entering your tent. He sat beside your reclining form, stroking your hair in a tender gesture. He cleaned you up himself, taking care not to forget anything. He helped you dress, kissing every bit of skin he could reach, warming you again after your body had cooled after your washing. Diluc lay on his back, pulling you into his arms. You rested your head on his chest, just below his chin, his hand caressing your waist

"Aren't you afraid Kaeya will wonder when he finds your tent empty? "

"Hmph, he's already guessed about both of us anyway. No wonder I want to sleep with you in the same tent. "

You giggle into his neck, rubbing his exposed chest with your fingertips.

"He's bound to tease you. "

Diluc frowned.

"You don't want me to stay? "

You gently raised your head, kissing his chin.

"If you leave this tent, I'll come and kick your ass. "

He smiled tenderly, tightening his arm around you.

"How's your wound?"

"I can hardly feel anything."

Soon you felt sleep weighing down your eyelids. Diluc noticed your breathing slowing, he kissed the top of your head gently.

"Good night, my love. "

[sanchoyo]

danny phantom season 2, eps 1-5 thoughts! opening the new season with episodes like these kinda blew me away. we had multiple serious episodes INCLUDING a two parter!! also, valerie :)

see prev episode thoughts in this tag <3

-I don't know what I expected s2 to open with. but danny portal incident in more detail was not it. (also, I hate to break it to you, sam, but danny's parent's bigass ghost hunting rv def chugs more gas than those vehicles, lmao. unless it runs on ectoplasm or something...)

-WHY WAS DESIREE IN THE SEWER? HAVING TEA WITH IT DOWN THERE?? Her making the giant cow come alive is a boss move, we've almost had all of my fav animals as ghosts now <3 I also don't like how sam was expecting danny to just, haunt the place so the cars wouldn't get sold? I KNOWWW I know she's 14 (and I had a very annoying phase like this, I think I mentioned in a previous post, I GET IT) but they're HIS powers, and messing with (1) dealership will not really put a dent in sales overall because they can just move the cars to another sales lot, and it certainly wont change the industry anyway, it's more of a minor annoyance for (1) location. Also, usually people who work at car sales places work on commission, so if they dont make a sale, they don't have money to pay bills, or eat. sam baby if u wanna be an activist you need to like, actually look into these things. with as much money as her parents have, she could be doing a lot..more useful things for causes she cares about? it's frustrating to see someone with resources who doesn't know how to use them. but shes 14 so again. cannot be really upset :/

-IS THIS A PREDATOR VS TERMINATOR VS FREDDY KRUEGER MOVIE BUT THEYRE ALL WOMEN?? you know, sam is so right to be excited about this. /I/ want to see this movie. that rules

-paulina inviting danny and friends to her quinceañera, aw! even if it is just to get phantom to show up :') and there'll be a meteor shower, and we KNOW danny wants to be an astronaut!! there's not a meteor shower every night!! the tickets are non-refundable, but..she's rich? like. gotta agree with danny, they never get invited!! I KNOW it's the principle of keeping promises, but if she was that upset, she should've said something. directly. I hated how she was like, passive aggressive about it through the episode, like you SAID IT WAS FINE, THAT YOU'D GO TO THE PARTY TOO. MOVIES SHOW FOR A FEW WEEKS IN THEATERS. IF YOU HAD A REAL PROBLEM YOU NEED TO TALK ABOUT IT. WE'VE HAD THIS PROBLEM BEFORE, SAM. YOUR FRIENDS. ARE NOT. MIND READERS.

-MR. LANCER GOING AFTER THE GHOST WITH THE FIRE EXTINGISHER LMAO

-this outfit is everything . anytime the show does an over the top cutesty pink outfit i WANT IT. it looks like shit I wear JKASDHF I HAVE a bow like that and a pink sweater. I need leg warmers </3

-SAMS GOTTA RE-HALF-KILL HIM??? thats fucked up. but also, he finally got his logo!! it took until s2!!! this episode was lowkey very fucked and I felt like it glossed over a lot. does sam have guilt about like. kinda KILLING HIM?? I know, he also agreed and walked into the portal. but. she made the choice to redo it SO quickly (even if it was because someone had to beat desiree) and danny, during their fight, brought up a lot of stuff sam's done in the past, meaning he was holding onto those memories and resentment was building. (I KEEP SAYING HE LOWKEY NEEDS THERAPY, BUT I THINK MOST EVERYONE IN THIS SHOW KINDA DOES) which...is a red flag? and then they didnt even GO to the party URGH I know she tried to make up for it, but it really felt like Sam fucked up and barely faced any consequences and got everything she wanted in the end. I KNOW it's a kids show obv they aren't going to go too in depth, and she undid the damage, kinda, but...I DUNNO how to articulate it but it rubbed me the wrong way.

-but on a note about desiree, her powers of wishes were STRONG ENOUGH TO ERASE NOT JUST THEIR MEMORIES, BUT DANNY'S POWERS?! fuck, if I was danny I'd be like, trying to make friends with her. I know they always have horrible side effects as most genie-granted wishes do, but...c'mon, I'd at least TRY to be like 'I wish no ghosts would hurt anyone in my town' or 'I wish vlad would lose his ghost powers forever no matter What and also forget about my mom' LIKE. SHIT DESIREE IS SO POWERFUL. rewriting reality powerful, basically!! appreciate her. respect her.

-aww, sam helping tucker pass the nurse's office so he wouldn't see because he's afraid of medical stuff? very sweet. I also don't like medical stuff, I've gotten a lot better at handling it tho. but seeing blood and needles still makes me feel lightheaded x_x

-FOLEY, BY TUCKER FOLEY. I want to make my own perfume, that's so cool. even if his first attempt isn't good, he's pretty consistently shown to have an inventor/entrepreneur streak in the show, so like. I can see him inventing or making something (or several somethings) that make him $$$ when he grows up :) proud of my creative son

-I know the 'creepy abandoned hospital on the edge of town' is a joke and the creepy hospital trope is so Worn Out, but in my town we actually DO have a hospital like that! my dad was born in it, but its not in use and hasn't been for, like, 20 years! it needs to be torn down but I think the city doesn't wanna pay the money. the inside is horrible, spray painted and broken glass and shit everywhere. but there's still like, rusty equipment and fucking DOLLS all over the place. the cops drive by it pretty frequently to make sure no one is like, breaking in. (because of water damage, some of the areas really aren't safe. also, asbestos, but people still go in anyway) but also, some of my town was used in a filming for a stephen king show. So it's lowkey spooky all over. just a fun personal tidbit :) to lead into saying, any hospital abandoned for any period of time is NOT safe to quarantine these kids in JKSAHDKF like I KNOW it's a ghost trying to do this, but NONE of these parents are even like, 'well, why dont we keep them in the regular, working hospital'....YIKES. this hospital looks pretty accurate to the one in town. grungy and spooky.

-fentons are tax evaders confirmed by jack's fear of being audited, lol no one is surprised

-ghost sickness via ghost bugs. horrifying concept. I actually expected it to be a new villain, not dr. spectra again! this is a very elaborate scheme. her new form rules, love the new costume. the way none of the bg kids seem to recognize her as their old school councilor. did we just forget about that completely?

-dash watching romance movies in the fucked up ghost hospital. same.

-'oh please, you're ghosts, do you have any idea what YOU smell like?' no, tucker, what DO ghosts smell like? I genuinely didn't know they would even have a smell, I actually want to know now.

-it feels like a while since we've seen jazz!! i was happy to see her again, even if she was a head in a jar for most the episode. I want another jazz-focused ep!!

-we finally see danny doing space-related stuff!! him and his friends stargazing to open ep 3 of s2. cute :) until, GHOST PIRATES!!!!! ...ghost pirate captain is a small child?? VOICED BY TAYLOR LAUTNER???

-oh, the easy listening is ember's song instrumental slowed. 'vapor drone' THEY VAPORWAVED HER!!! ember in a pirate outfit tho >>>>. and the cruise being called m.bersback JKASDHJK. ember adopting a little pirate brother is also pretty cute. concerning this teen and little kid have such bad opinions of adults, like, who hurt you?? (how did you DIE ALSO?? im always lowkey curious about that. we know desiree died at an old age, but her ghost form is young, probably mid-20s, so I wonder how that sort of thing works...its a more mental thing, isn't it?) but ghost team-ups are always cool to see, even if ember bailed after danny took her guitar. I guess she probably thinks youngblood can handle it (which, he's been owning danny this far in the ep, so...fair)

-tucker got that sponsorship from nasty burger for their radio!!! again, opportunistic money maker king, love to see it!!!

-danny taking control of the kids SO FAST. he makes a pretty great leader. no one is surprised, im pretty sure I said I think he's the most mature of the trio, once again, correct, because he's taken on so much responsibility already. all the teens suiting up in the jumpsuits to go save the adults and taking the ship over with a BLIMP. OKAY LETS GO. this feels like it should be a mid finale or straight up finale.

-...speaking of finales. why is ep 4-5 of s2 combined into a 50 minute episode? I havent even clicked play and im concerned. weird placement, like, this season JUST started and we're getting a two parter? okay...why are the episodes placed like this? why not put this at episode 10 or something, for a mid-season thing?

-this is also a cute dress. possibly my fav dress so far. can her parents give ME cute dresses, I'LL wear them.

-it turns out the castle fright knight was in is called pariah's keep and there's something worse than fright knight in there! lovely! fuck off vlad wtf are you doing <3 your hubris <3 is going to literally get you killed <3 'ring of rage' and 'crown of fire' are great names tho. ...vlad turning into a super polite guy when he was scared of mr. pariah was hilarious. and fright knight doing the same...I mean, it makes sense, he's a knight, he serves a king? happy to see fright knight again either way :) vlad telling him to call him tho, lmfao. you WISH HE WOULD. (I wish hed call me, too. 😔)

-so...jack being genuinely concerned about vlad...maddie really didn't tell him what happened at the cabin, did she. damn. if I was her id immediately come home and be like 'YOU WONT BELIEVE THIS SHITTTT THIS CREEPY GUY--' like, I feel like that stuff you need to tell your partner!!! I know she didnt want Jack to think she was an irresponsible parent putting danny in danger at that time, but STILLLL. maddie spilling boiling tea on him. get his ass. how is jack this oblivious to his wife's discomfort with vlad!! ughhh

-fenton wipe (tm). trademarked toilet paper.

-DANNY AND VALERIE BEING FRIENDS??? :D that was a cute moment. 'hey val <3' and 'if you like him like him, make a move, or someone else will ;)' at sam...damn!! I love her. valerie go for it girl!!! I hate how sam and tucker treat val also, like I GET IT YOURE PROTECTIVE AND DONT TRUST but if anything him befriending valerie will help when she finds out or he tells her like I feel like she'll be more understanding that they think! ALSO I feel like her reason for not liking ghosts is valid, like you haven't really explained the full story to her anyway! she doesn't seem to have any other friends after being booted from the a-listers so im like :( but seeing them kick butt together again was nice <3

-the ghosts all RUNNING FROM PARIAH DARK IS NOT GOOD, I thought he sent them to attack or something, but no. why doesn't someone just tell desiree 'hey i wish pariah dark would die' lol. once again I think she can solve every problem <3 but seeing all the enemies in one place, being civil and hiding together? love it.

-you just know danny's gonna have to clean up vlad's stupid mess. also, jack being willing to put on the ectoskeleton pants to help maddie, as soon as vlad heard it could kill him, he suggested jack do it instead of helping maddie himself? this is why jack got the girl, my man.

-ghost skeletons. how do you end up as a skeleton ghost in your afterlife instead of a humanoid like most the ones we've seen? lmao

-the ghosts just making new homes in various stores. I'd totally be setting up in an expensive clothing store if I was a ghost.

-valerie's dad is possibly the most useful adult so far, with that ghost shield expansion!!! and valerie saving vlad and danny, even tho shes been thru it already, shes still so good!!! this family rules.

-danny: *gently caresses valerie* :)

-*then he immediately TELLS HER DAD ON HER. and his first response is 'are you okay?' :'( such a good dad...

-*me every time fright knight breathes* youre doing SO great sweetie :)

-the fenton suit thing is so silly looking. does anyone take this thing seriously

-ALL THE GHOSTS FIGHTING WITH DANNY <3 AAAAA. and the fact that pariah isn't perma-defeated, but just locked away again. yikes. he'll probably get out again, won't he? it wasn't too clear, but if vlad DID make a pact with fright knight, I am rabid. I will beat vlad to death with the fenton bat (tm). YOU DONT DESERVE A COOL KNIGHT.

-valerie being direct with sam and challenging her? kinda love that, even tho I normally don't like 'catfight' type situations. because sam has been very passive aggressive about it which is annoying. valerie knows wtf she wants and wasn't even embarrassed to tell sam, but she did tell her, giving sam time to make her own move! and sam denied it and got embarrassed/mad! and sam did have a chance when danny was about to go off and fight, and she hesitated and didn't tell him. I feel like she's hesitating because they're friends and it might make it weird between the trio (poor tucker would be third-wheeling) but if u snooze u lose, u gotta GO after what u WANT girl. smh this is a No Tsundere Zone. 😤

[the-cryptographer]

Here, I'll help get your ideas going about the rest of Lottery Ticket. Pick the most helpful? 001 for Polar OR Violet OR Ettushipping OR even Arrogantshipping, OR 002 for Mai OR Joey OR Seto??? (also I can't decide either lol)

Thank you for the ask  :D

Lotto Ticket’s pretty much planned out. I just need to stop making things difficult and write more, but-

mmm, I already answered 002 for Mai, and I talked a little teeny bit there about how I see her and Seto’s being bros. So… I answered 001 for JouKai and Polar. Under the cut because whining about Jou and Kaiba gets long in particular x_x

JouKai

when I started shipping it if I did:

Somewhere in the nebulous time between watching the show as akid and when I started first reading fanfic for this show, my subconsciousdecided this was the combination of characters to slot into ffnet’s searchengine.

my thoughts:

F- F- F- F- FOILS! It’s a ship of conflicting circumstanceand ideology. It’s super fun to watch them butt heads at every turn, until somethingmanages to break through.

I think- In the series itself, Jounouchi and Kaiba both, ina sense, have their worlds and eyes opened by Yuugi and Atem respectively.Yuugi opens Jou up to opportunity – the possibility that there are ways he cansucceed without having to be a bully and a thug, and that it’s okay for him tonurture the more kind and loving aspects of himself. Atem opens Kaiba up to theidea that there can be trust and opportunity and connection with other people,that there is a way that cooperation and friendship (and maybe even miracles)can happen. I guess I think Jounouchi and Kaiba’s relationship is a kind ofnext step? Jounouchi & Kaiba are far more dissimilar than Yuugi &Jounouchi and Kaiba & Atem – so the process of reconciling their worldviewsin a way that is made to accommodate one another, while allowing them to retaintheir differences, is one that is able to open their eyes further to grandbreadth of the world and its possibilities – that there are many ways to liveand to be and they only need choose what works for them.

Also they both really deeply understand what it is to be desperate. I don’t really think they’dbe able to empathise much with the particular circumstances of such desperation,but I think they could really begin to understand on a deep level that alldesperation looks the same and it’s ugly and brings out the worst in people. If they could come to have sympathy for each other and themselves it would be nice.

Also I’m addicted to the class background spin *gnashesteeth* Jou’s more prototypically lower class than Kaiba’s prototypically upperclass in a cultural sense, but it’s still fun as heck~

What makes me happy about them:

The process of them coming to respect one another. Theprocess of them learning not to hurt each other. The process of them learningto cut themselves a break and deciding that there’s no reason they shouldn’t eachbe allowed their own happiness and fulfilment.

What makes me sad about them:

They already have an established relationship based on beingreally cruel to each other, and it’s really hard to alter patterns of behaviourthat have already been established. I can easily see them making efforts torepair how they interact with one another, and then, in some moment whenthey’re both angry and under pressure, losing the traction they’d built up tothat point – slipping into old patterns of being really nasty and cruel, exceptworse because they would be armed with an amount of intimacy that meant theywould really /know/ how to make the other one hurt. I wouldn’t want them tostay together if they crossed that kind of line, but it makes me sad how easilyI think they could cross that line, especially within the span of the firstcouple of years they’re together. It makes me extra sad how easily I think they mightbe inclined to /purposefully/ cross those lines as a means of sabotaging a lovethey feel they don’t deserve.

Also, something that doesn’t make me sad so much as frustrates me in my attempts to write them: In the pre-DSoD world, or given a post-DSoD world where Atemisn’t able to be Seto’s continued outlet for duelling/interpersonal connection,it’s very, very easy for me toimagine Seto isolating himself to the point of potential fatality. Seto… couldbe very rigid about this… and I find Jounouchi uniquely capable of addressingthis problem. Given that Jounouchi has some pretense or motivation for hasslingSeto, I think Jounouchi would – and that becomes self-perpetuating as Jounouchiis met with resistance. The more barriers Seto puts up, the more Jounouchi seesthis as a challenge, and the more he takes a sadistic glee in tearing thosebarriers down. In some ways, I think you need somebody with Jounouchi’s levelof reckless, self-destructive persistence to break through to Seto. But, at the same time,Jounouchi’s not being nice when he does this. He’s being forceful. He’s beingdisrespectful of other people’s boundaries. He’s not doing it out of concernfor Seto (at least not at first). He just enjoys forcing Seto into situationswhere Seto is off-balance, so he can feel steady in comparison. He’s being a bully. So I’m kind of torn betweenwanting to say, ‘jfc, Jou, STOP!’, and ‘jfc, Jou, KEEP FUCKING GOING! You willrestrain Seto and physically drag him out of his comfort zone if you have to,bc Seto’s comfort zone is such a small stretch of barren land – it’s only amatter of time before he dies of starvation!’ Ugh, and as Jou does this, he’salso being met with Seto giving off terrible mixed signals and periodically beingreally, really terrible in an attempt to get Jou to buzz the fuck off, but it doesn’t work because Jou is a neglectbaby who doesn’t care if people hurt him so long as they’re paying attention tohim. And then Seto gets to be all relieved when Jou hasn’t given up on him evenafter he’s gone and stabbed Jou with a pen.So all around it feels like I’mrewarding them for behaving really, really terribly. But it feels so organic to me the way it’s happening - let me stew in thistrash a little bit longer, okay?

things done in fanfic that annoy me:

Everything.

Offthe top of my head – the narrative pushing the idea that either Jou or Kaiba isthe better person, or the idea that their power struggle can be resolved in theprocess of finding the winner, instead of abandoning the fight. Seme/uketropes. I think everyone at this point has acknowledged Seto calls Jou doggythings is an attempt to dehumanise him, so Seto using such terminology as a petname is really fucking gross.

things I look for in fanfic:

Sometimes I’m just in the mood to read something fluffy, butmost of the time I’m looking for fic that acknowledges that they are bothreally cruel to one another, and that that cruelty isn’t superficial. That theyare both angry and maladjusted as fuck, and they have very, very valid reasons to have beef with oneanother and, without reaching and reassessing the deep insecurities and beliefsthat cause that anger, any attempts they make to play nice and be kind aresuperficial af and unlikely to last.

(I mean… I think there’s value to thembeing able to indulge in a little kindness even superficially – certainly theycan’t spend the whole long, gruelling process of self-change being at eachother’s throats, it would be too exhausting. So I don’t mind reading about thembeing superficially kind, but it can’t be sold to me as being somehow deeperthan it is, you feel?)

Who I’d be comfortable them ending up with, if not each other:

As much as I’m SUPER invested in Kaiba and Jou having someset of postcanon foibles that allow them to better understand one another andgrow as individuals - yeah I’m okay with them ultimately ending up with other people.

For Jou – Mai. For Kaiba – either Isis or Atem. I likerivalshipping too, but jumping from Jou to Yuugi would definitely be the causeof upsetting dramas.

My happily ever after for them:

Theylearn to fucking chill a little

who is the big spoon/little spoon:

Once more – “Jou doesn’t so much spoon people as he wraps hislegs around their chest and awkwardly strangle-hugs their face like it’s astrange laying-down-on-your-side sleepy piggyback ride.”

It’s things like this that, at first, make Seto wonder whyhe puts up with Jou. But, as time goes on, he gives up on wondering because he’snever going to find the answer. (Or, rather, admit the answer to himself.)

…At least one of the answers is that Jou likes running hishands softly through Kaiba’s hair and soothing him to sleep by massaging hisforehead, and it’s very comforting.

what is their favorite non-sexual activity:

They both enjoy duelling to a certain extent, but I thinkKaiba finds duelling Jou much less fun and challenging than the other wayaround, so that mismatch probably discourages it from being their true go-toactivity. But Yuugi invites them over for game nights periodically, and it’sbecomes a kind of fun thing for both of them to do.

They kind of have different interests, so I imagine they’rethe kind of couple that does their own things and then reconvenes to sharestories or otherwise silently enjoy each other’s presence. Kaiba’s aworkaholic, so a lot of times he’s on his laptop in the evenings, while Jousits next to him reading manga, or watching TV shows with headphones in. Kaiba oftenstays at the office late too, and Jou will come over just to be a reassuringpresence. He brings a sleeping bag and something to do and camps out on thedivan. Jou has learned not to bother Kaiba, and Kaiba’s learned not to bebothered in a complementary fashion.

For a very long time, Seto proves to be kind of difficult todrag out for dates and the like with any regularity. But, as Seto ages andstarts trusting Mokuba with more Kaiba Corp responsibilities, he’ll have morefree time. Jou starts taking him out for walks – sometimes to really date-ishplaces like theme parks or the promenade or the aquarium, but a lot of timesthey just go to the park or on nature-lite hikes. Jou’s extremely chatty onthese walks and runs ahead to look at this or that and points things out toSeto. Jou kind of gets worked up because Kaiba’s really quiet and mostly justnods and doesn’t say much, and then Jou becomes worried he’s annoying Kaiba,and then he gets annoyed that he’s worried and resolves to be extra loud andannoying. Really though Kaiba’s not annoyed at all – he enjoys listening to Joutalk and enjoys watching Jou get really cheerful and excited about these walks– Kaiba’s just quiet. By this point they won’t be so incapable of propercommunication though so, within the span of a walk or two, either Seto willnotice Jou’s being angry about talking and pointing things out instead ofproperly cheerful and ask him why, or Jou will break and ask Seto if he’sannoyed and that’s why isn’t he talking, and then they’ll clear up theirmisunderstanding. Jou will feel kind of silly for worrying afterwards~

==

JouMai

when I started shipping it if I did:

I was shipping this in 2001, when I didn’t know whatshipping was. I don’t remember what about Duellist Kingdom convinced me… Butsomething in Duellist Kingdom convinced me!!!

my thoughts:

Oh, geez, I mean- They’re just so lovely!!! I think theirDuellist Kingdom repertoire convinces me more than their Battle City one does.The way Jounouchi convinced Mai to take the star chips from Yuugi and kind ofconvinces her they’re friends, and then the way Mai returns the favour when shegives Jou the entry card. I feel like it was a really strong base of give andtake that wasn’t borne out of some kind of attempt to return favours upon eachother, but to genuinely help one another. It’s just so sweet.

And I feel like they buzz at similar levels. They’re bothkind of high energy and outgoing. And they’re both kind of immature, but inways that can both cause conflict and complement each other.

Also, it is kind of important to me that, in canon, theyseem to react to each other in the realm of being attracted to one another.Something about how it’s presented in the series, with Jou immediately going ‘wow,’and Mai being both dismissive and smitten seems really honest to me.

What makes me happy about them:

When they can be honest with each other and really bask inhow much they are cherished.

What makes me sad about them:

I think they don’t have a very good grasp on when theteasing things they do and say become genuinely hurtful to other.

I think theymight never meet each other at the right time to make their romance work.

And, also, I think Mai’s highkey convinced there’s somethingwrong with her for being attracted to Jou, given he’s eight years younger andalso washed-out thug with no prospects. Which… I won’t say her tastes aren’tinteresting, or that she shouldn’t absolutely keep in mind that he’s still aminor during the series, but I think it’s just one of many data points that Maicherry picks to use as part of her thesis on why she is fundamentally flawedand unloveable, which is kind of – fuckingstop it, Mai.

things done in fanfic that annoy me:

Excepting a couple of key stories, a lot of JouMai fic seemsto blend together in my mind in one really indistinct blob. I’m not sure there’sanything that outright annoys me so much as a lot of things that haven’tinspired me. I’m sorry, I still haven’t read yours yet miranova~

things I look for in fanfic:

I’mnot really sure what to say except, ‘something unique’ or ‘something thoughtprovoking

Who I’d be comfortable them ending up with, if not each other:

Vivian for Mai. And pretty much anyone for Jou, but Yuugi andYuugi&Kaiba both come to mind. I’ll confess I flat out don’t want to readabout Jounouchi and Mai breaking up though. Even in passing, like, a throwawayline about how they dated once and it didn’t work out. In all the fics I’veread, I can only think of two that did this that I didn’t x-out of andneither one was JouKai

My happily ever after for them:

Maigets to have her career and make lots of moolah and live her life, and thenthey get together when they’re both older (Mai might even be pushing 40 at thatpoint, lol) and have lots of new exciting adventures together :)I think they’d want a kid or two but, even after the kids, Mai probably won’t be convinced on marriagefor another ten or twenty years, lol

who is the big spoon/little spoon:

Mai gets fed up with Jounouchi’s strangehold piggyback ride versionof spooning and takes over big spoon responsibilities… at least part of thetime. I think Mai likes feeling warm and surrounded, so she might curl upfacing him and he kind of curls in around her.

what is their favorite non-sexual activity:

Duelling and talking duel monsters, tbh. But I also thinkthey’re a very date-y couple. They’re always going places, whether it’s to themall or the movies or biking out to scenic kinds of places. Mai would like totake Jou on vacation abroad too~

I’ve talked about Jou and Mai going to the spa together too, but that might be overly indulgent of me~