#but I'm apparently good at reading and mirroring styles

[obishenshenobi]

For my last exam in German class (my mother tongue), we had to rewrite a part of a book in 90 minutes, keeping to the style of the author, but changing POV. I was done in 60 minutes and was the only one in the class who'd got an A on any of his assignments in two years of classes. So yes, you can definitely learn those things.

"I know your school didn't teach you how to write fanfic-" I know this is something said in response to Americans whining about their education system in response to racism, but my school English class actually did have us write an epilogue to a book we were reading as an assignment, so in a way my school did teach me how to write fanfic. I have no point to make with this point and I don't care to i just wanted to share a tidbit about my life

[myeagleexpert]

Soft!Leona is my dream

ok ok ok I'm having so much brainstorming about Leona and the language of physical love, anyway I did it so quickly maybe I'll edit it later, and maybe he's ooc but let's fool ourselves a little ok? yuu is implied to be feminine but everyone can read it

Soft!Leona who notices how tired you are, but he doesn't say anything, he just pulls you into a long and comforting hug, distributing kisses on the top of your head.

“For a herbivore, you have gone beyond the realm of the kingdom. What do you think about going further?”

Soft!Leona uses it as an opportunity to snake around your form when you are cuddling or just hugging you to give light massages to your heavy shoulders, and you mirror the actions by massaging his back and ears.

Soft!Leona who maintains a care routine when you are together. You take care of me and I'll take care of you, kind of deal. One more excuse to touch your partner for life with such devotion. He may never admit it, but his skin and hair are much better after you came into his life.

“Your hair is a mess, can I braid it?”

Soft!Leona who every time you get hurt in a fight or an overblot, makes a point of taking care of your bandages and kissing each of your scars with affection, while mentally swearing to avenge his loved one.

“Who did this to you?”

One day when you sprained your foot in flying class, and Leona insisted that he should take you bridal style to the infirmary and after scaring the nurse so that he could do your bandages himself, he knelt down and kissed your now healed ankle while laughing at the your face red embarrassed.

“Why are you red? You were the one who taught me this custom from your world.”

Soft!Leona spent the day without seeing you, missing you miserably, the whole day with boring dormitory leader meetings, senseless fights in Savanaclaw, his older brother pestering him with royal duties that Leona insisted on forgetting, He couldn't even take a nap and Ruggie wasn't there to help him and neither were you apparently. At dusk, Leona used his last strength and determination to drag himself to Ramshackle Dorm, and when you welcomed him with open arms, the grumpy prince sank into your warm embrace and it seemed like all the stress of the day disappeared from his body as he sank still more in the female figure.

“Where were you all day?”

Soft!Leona spends the night talking and teasing you like lovebirds, and when he finally sleeps surrounded by your presence and smell he realizes that he has never felt so safe and smiles in his dreams.

Soft!Leona, who, upon realizing that the relationship was serious and that you weren't going to abandon it, allows himself to be more kind and vulnerable for you, and only for you. Who knows, one day he will have the courage to express what he feels into words, but until then, he will show it through touches and smugs smiles.

“Good morning, my princess.” long arms wrap around you as you prepare breakfast, and fangs and kisses trail down your neck.

‘Good morning, my prince”

[belit0]

Heylloooooo. How are you doinnn?

Can you do a scenario where the reader offers to trim the hair of the founder's + indra + izuna. Their hair is so much damaged due to all the jutsu they practice and negligence. So the reader offers them a relaxing shampoo and hair trim.

Hey there!! Extremely tired, but holding up. I'm having vacations soon, so looking forward to that!

How are you nonny? Feeling and doing okay? 🤗���️

I found this request so cute and funny that I had to prioritize it, lol.

Indra

- "I don't require any of that, my hair is fine, that's highly feminine, humiliating." It will take a lot of convincing, but both using good words and managing him without letting Indra realize exactly what she is doing, (Y/N) gets her husband to surrender to her hands. The Otsutsuki does not agree to step full body into the bathtub, bent over the edge and resting his bare chest on the fine cold marble. His hair rains down on the water and is submerged to a certain length, while she uses a cup to wet his scalp. Somehow, impossible in the awkward position but apparently possible for him, he relaxes so much that he stops protesting, accepting the washing in silence. Between massages, (Y/N) inspects the damage, and concludes that it is a sin for a hair as beautiful as Indra's, with golden highlights, to look so dull. Although he maintains impeccable body hygiene, he has no idea how to take care of his mane, dry and brittle from all the battles he's been through. He hisses when the water is too hot, and tries to end the whole situation, but once he's knee-deep in it, there is no way to escape. Indra does not usually turn his back, show his neck, or allow anyone to approach him with sharp objects while he is vulnerable and without sight, but today he makes an exception. After all, is his wife who we are talking about. With the cut, he's adamant about her not reducing its length, proud of its iconic longness, and (Y/N) only succeeds in cutting off the split ends. When he looks in the mirror, he complains about losing a lot of hair, even though he genuinely hasn't. A tiny child, in the body of the worst villain of them all.

Madara

- "Yeah... that might be nice... let's see if it gets me out of stress." He surrenders himself to (Y/N)'s magical hands like a cat, allowing her to manipulate his hair and do whatever she wants with it. The girl suspects that if she were to chop off his mane like his father had it, as relaxed as Madara is in his special bath, he wouldn't even notice. Either way, she gives up the idea of playing a joke on him and concentrates on soothing her husband's scalp, bringing the unique pattern of his hair back to life, and restoring a bit of its shine. Gentle shampooing here, cream bathing there, soft drying to keep it damp enough to cut... The Uchiha actually falls asleep while his wife washes his hair, and (Y/N) appreciates how deeply he trusts her, enough to unwind under her fingers. When his mane is finally clean, she wakes him up to get out of the water, pulling him out of the bathtub and sitting him on a chair. With the scissors, she gets rid of all the unsalvageable parts, removing the fire-scorched hair and leaving only the healthy, reducing the length by considerable amounts. Madara, ignorant of any decision she might make about the size or style of her cut, reads a book while sipping a cup of tea, seated cross-legged like a gentleman. Solely dressed in his bathrobe and with his hair full of hooks to separate it in parts, he looks like a lady enjoying a day at the spa. When she finishes, he doesn't even bother to evaluate himself in the mirror, oblivious to his image and unconcerned about what his wife might have done, fully trusting his judgment and accuracy. He is happy and loves his new/almost identical image.

Izuna

- "What? No, there's no way. I said no... well, thinking about it... no. Well, maybe yes..." Another little child. Izuna refuses to admit the damage to his hair, and a whole week passes from the official proposal (Y/N) did, about taking care of his image, until he decides to accept. Manipulated by candy and promises of steamy nights, the Uchiha can't say no, and hands over his mane for his wife to control as she pleases. His hair is considerably thinner than his older brother's, less dense and bushy, but the problem lies in those unruly strands at the back of his head, near the scalp. A mixture of straight and curly hair, how to treat it is a puzzle, but she is determined to find out. She can't get him to take a bath, Izuna claiming he already showered in the morning, and only manages to wet his hair at the kitchen sink, with the man reclining on top of the counter and trying to squeeze the length of his hair into the cramped space. Even though the experience is uncomfortable, he refuses to get in the shower again and insists they do it this way. Needless to say, the kitchen ends up completely soaked, the floor full of water and the cabinet as well, foam floating all over the surfaces. Once ready, they proceed to the cutting, and the Uchiha himself stands in front of the mirror, suddenly excited and engaged in the task, marking the limits he intends (Y/N) not to exceed. He becomes the leader of the situation, and is genuinely pleased with the result. Promises to remind (Y/N) about doing the same thing every month. Every, single, month. Without fail.

Hashirama

- "YES! ARE WE DOING IT NOW?!" In fact, he is the most excited of them all, and is the one who prepares the items (Y/N) might need. On his free afternoon, the Hokage looks for scissors with sufficient sharpness, and in the absence of the right ones, goes to buy them. He prepares his special shampoo, because we all know this Senju is obsessed with having perfect hair, and readies a bathtub with warm water for himself. All the things she intended to set up for him, Hashirama gets them in an hour and surprises her by sitting in the tub with the shampoo in his hand, smiling from ear to ear. He provides instructions on how he likes to massage his own scalp, which areas are sensitive, and where to pay special attention, guiding each movement without the need to physically control (Y/N's) hands. To make the experience more pleasurable, she follows each step, executing it the way he asks. He cannot finish without first applying one of the most expensive conditioners in the world, which he requires her to leave on for at least ten minutes. In the meantime, and with two cucumbers in his eyes, Hashirama relaxes. When he is dry and ready for the haircut, he suggests the idea of styling his hair in a similar way to what he used to wear when he was a child, and it is (Y/N) who has to get that terrible occurrence out of his head. Pouting, he agrees to sit in the chair and let her control this part of the process, without being in charge of the technical direction. He ends up with a cut the length of his middle back, and smiling because he loves it! According to her, there's not much difference from how he had it before, but he doesn't need to know that.

Tobirama

- "You don't need to take care of it, my hair is fine. And if needed, I can do it myself." He has an irrational fear of losing some of his incredible intelligence if he cuts his hair, and has a bit of trouble accepting the offer. (Y/N) can't stand the strawiness of his hair, and Tobirama refuses to admit that's true. Stubborn and dismayed by his wife's approach, he will first try to work it out on his own. He is extremely embarrassed when going to the beauty and cosmetic store, asking for help "for a friend who has bad hair", and accepting guidance on what products "his friend" should use from the young man who works as a manager. When he gathers the necessary information, he refuses to shop at that same establishment and goes to one at the other end of the village, just so the manager won't judge him. He waits until late at night to proceed, once (Y/N) is asleep, and begins his experiments. The problem is he treats his hair as if it were an object of study, misapplying products and cutting off parts he shouldn't have. In the morning and without having slept, he has to admit defeat amidst his own fatigue and disappointment, and agrees to let her take over. He created a mess on his head, with uneven strands and even somehow managed to stain it with a strange color, but nothing she can't fix. After solving the texture problem, using the same products but in the right way, she corrects the premature cut Tobirama tried to self-manage, equalizing each strand's length and leaving his hair presentable again. He won't admit he made a mistake, at least not without crossing his arms over his chest, closing his eyes, and pouting, but he does acknowledge how good his hair now feels.

[sgiandubh]

And kia... ora (?!) to New Zealand, like you've never seen it before 🤭

Just listened to Monica Gleberman's latest podcast with S. Twice. I can only urge you to do the same: it's 19 minutes long and well.. I'd just love to read your thoughts on it. By the way, I had no idea the woman even existed (happens a lot in SC world, at least to me) before she chimed in with indignation, you know... the Palestine Letter, and such.

But first, my short assessment, of course. By the way, this was recorded, I think, on November 1st, based on this X post:

Showbiz being showbiz, all grudge is now forgotten and you can listen to the podcast on Spotify, here (no subscription needed, of course):

OK, I honestly think her voice and her completely clueless, torrential debit are totally meh, but maybe that's just me. She made me think of one of those Tupperware representatives, always eager (hungry?) to sell something to you and do it quick, drug-dealer style. Some in Mordor thought she was drunk on the job (a half-emptied bottle of SS Gin was emphatically mentioned at least twice during the interview) - as usually, no humor and nasty.

I just think she was just acting too cool for school and #silly, with a severe case of ovaries going...

... on top.

Straight off the bat, the OTT praise is on steroids: how amazing S is, how he never changed, 'same sweetest person and like an amazing human being and friend to talk to and I just love you'. Kill me now, but that was unnecessary - yet still useful, since it prompted this answer (02:54):

'Well, that's very kind of you to say, but I think that's not true...I think there's...there's a lot of smoke and mirrors, this is ALL fake, um...underneath, there's a completely different human being. I have a double, actually. I AM the double. Um.. no, it's been a great journey, I'm very lucky and yeah, it's [OL] given me a lot of opportunities, as well (...).'

Translation: I am joking, but not even joking, if you see what I mean.

You'd think that was casual banter? You might want to think twice. Like all Taureans, bless their heart, S always almost heavily insists, when he wants to make sure the message gets across (07:12):

MG: ' Soooo, I don't know what's true, what's not true, but I'm just gonna assume that, you know, you looove watercolor. So, what is your favorite watercolor painting to make?'

Huh? Did I get that right? The answer does not match the clumsy question. At all. But see/hear for yourself:

S:' Err, you know what, I mean, I actually do, I actually have a couple paintings.. um.. from a..an artist called James Morrison, he was a Scottish artist.. he.. he actually painted a lot around Scotland, but he also painted up in the Arctic... the Arctic Circle... I'm kind of obsessed with him, so yes, this actually,,, this is truth...damn, I didn't know you'd actually put truths in here, but, you know...'

MG: ' OK, so we're already breaking barriers, right? Like revealing secrets so that is... that is... true.'

I shall not comment this. I do not think it needs any translation, to be honest.

The 'illiterate' S is, apparently, a keen art connoisseur and how could it be otherwise, if you only think of his mum? And Morrison is not just your average Scottish watercolorist. If you care to check his Wikipedia page (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Morrison_(artist), you'll find interesting things, like:

His works can fetch at auction (here at Christie's in 2006), around...

... and the recent (conservative) estimates are stable. You can check them here: https://www.invaluable.com/artist/morrison-james-1932-9fybkaiqbc/sold-at-auction-prices/. A very good investment, on a volatile, whimsical market (I know very well what I am talking about).

Surely enough, some of you will just hear that horrendous cackle and the flirt fest that totally goes south by the end of the podcast. But maybe - just maybe - if you listen a bit more carefully, you'd have a rare peek behind that damn mask.

[vqrtualheartss]

CCan you do one where miles find out reader is literally obsessed with art and has a room alone for her drawings and paintings one of them being him

ᴅ☆ᴇ'ꜱ ꜱᴀʏ|

9:12 pm This is my first request and I love you for it. Anyways, I'm trying to keep this one short and cute because I just realized I cannot make a story short for my life so yea lol.

The like, plot about the senior partner programme is taken from a book I read on wattpad called 'His Tesoro' by sjpwell and I heavily recommend you read it. heavily.

For fem readers, no specific race disclosed

Warnings — idk, bad grammar

In all honesty, deadass, I would've been asleep by now if not risking my hands to ink poisoning or that our teacher was picking the pairs for the annual senior partner programme. You'd basically share classes, be expected to hang out and by the end of the year write a report based on what you learnt about them. There wasn't anyone I was against being paired with but there wasn't anyone I was looking to either, all of them were the same people just different fonts, nothing interesting.

"And lastly we have Miss Valentine and Mr. Morales. Until your new schedules are emailed to you, you are expected to interchange the order of classes starting with the male's in the pair. Happy bonding"

Before I could get up, someone tilted down my phone screen, shifting my attention from it to them, the Mr. Morales— Miles. My nose slowly twitched, as I tried to fight the tug on my lips.

"Hi angel" I sighed, smiling at the nickname. Apparently my last name reminded him of Cupid and because Cupid's somewhat an angel, it makes me one

"Good morning Miles" pushing out my phone gesturing for him to hold it, I gathered my stuff preparing to head to his class. "Formal as always" he shook his head looking down at me with my bag on one shoulder, the other strap swaying freely. I shrugged at his comment, bringing out my hand to retrieve my phone, instead of handing it over, he held onto my hand, intertwining them as he examined the free-styled drawings.

"Talent much? Cool if you could put some on me?" He smiled widely, dangling my phone in his other hand as some type of persuasion. The smile grew evident in my voice, "Alright". I mean, why not, for his half of classes I didn't have to do anything in them so might as well.

"These dopee. Y'know low-key we should get matching ones sometime" . I smiled, "Maybe"

Annoyed at my frequent one word responses he turned around to face me as I slipped from underneath his arm " I hope you're not gonna be like this when I come by later."

Standing infront him with my mouth slightly agape, I questioned, my arms mirroring his crossed ones. "When you do what?"

"How else are we supposed to get to know eachother? And I'm guessing you're eager to kick me out and wrap this up" Narrowing my eyes, I pinched and rubbed my nose bridge.

There weren't many reasons why he couldn't stay over but they held alot of weight, one being my art room and two I'd probably make a fool of myself.

Looking up at him to protest, he swiftly transferred his initialized chain from his neck to mine before walking off and shouting, "Text me the directions and I'll be there" .

I dragged a hand down my face, I was going to send him them but that bitch.

knock knock, the door creaked open as a faint light faltered to the floor

"Miles? If that's you come in" "Woww, now imagine if I was a serial killer" Taking off his jacket, he continued "You would've been dead by now"

I shrugged , eyes never leaving the sketchbook propped on my right knee. He turned around, a dead expression on his face as he dragged the book from my lap "Nah, you gave your word" I most definitely did not

"Okay, fine, my attention's yours and yours only. Happy?" I gave him a tight-lipped smile as he sat on my bed, flipping through the pages "very" .

I remained a neutral expression as if my heart wasn't waiting to jump outside my chest.

Recently he's been the center of attention of my art and obviously I don't need him to see that. My heart rate calmed, his eyebrows furrowing, the pages seemingly went blank "I thought you drew more than this?" "I recently started that sketchbook,"

My expression softened, smiling internally as relief took over my body. However, my mind went as blank as the pages. Where the hell are those drawings then ?.

He hummed, moving from the bed to the office chair. He slid it over beside me before holding onto the chain with a finger of his, bringing me even closer to him.

"This makes it look like you belong to me in some way".

I copied his 'hm' in response despite my stomach flipping on end. He tugged on the chain releasing it. "I swear to god I'm going to make you talk. One way or another" leaning back into the chair manspreading, I smiled while maintaining a scowl. "Ew, you look like a man"

"Oh so now you speak?" He scoffed before continuing "Where's your bathroom" "Straight down, first door on your..." I paused a bit unsure of the direction to tell him ".. right, first door on your right"

He leaned on the door frame, crossing his arms "Don't know your directions by now?" "Get out"

Glancing at the time on my phone a few times, it took me a while to register that Miles was gone for more than 20 minutes "That's weird". Heading outside, I shuffled to the bathroom that he would've went to find it empty. I stood with my hands wrapped around my torso trying to figure his whereabouts. Shit. I went to the one place I hope he wasn't, my art room.

Approaching said room I saw the door slightly ajar, his shadow lingering on the walls. Without a plan I went inside, harshly biting down on my lip to brace myself for future embarrassment.

"You really weren't going to show me this?" I nervously laughed, eyes darting around the room inspecting for any sketches, drawings or paintings with him as the centerpiece. My eyes lingered on a drawing of Miles a little longer than I should've, he sent himself in the direction of my gaze. I shut my eyes, squeezing my fists tighter with each passing second. He took up the sketchbook situated on the desk, twirling through the recent pages before turning.

"Is this me?" His eyebrows drawing nearer as he grinned. I bit harder onto my lip before attempting to diffuse the awkwardness of the situation, even if it was just on my side. "No?"

"Looks an awful lot like me" Placing the book into its original position he folded his arms, sitting infront the desk

"I do not have the mental capacity for this" I sighed, shaking my head. A bead of blood formed on my lips.

Looking up and down my frustration filled body, he replied "Got me on your mind a lot, huh?" Laughing at his own teasing, I used the base off my hands to rub my eyes viciously, an honest attempt to push in my eyeballs.

Morphing into a ball of embarrassment, a smug expression splashed on his face. Hissing my teeth, the colours of his eyes went onyx as he stared. I returned his challenging gaze before he stood up, walking over and standing dangerously close.

Towering over my height, he smirked holding my chin between two fingers. What the fuckk. In that second I felt.. wierd, warm and fuzzy on the inside.

IDK HOW TO END THIS SO I DIDN'T.

©vqrtualheartss 2023 ©dae 2023

[dayseternal-blog]

Fanfic you ve been reading recently? Love your tastes btw!

:) You sent this months ago, but here are the fics that I've been reading recently, like this August/September:

"The Mission" by Lunawrayth - Rated M, Canon-Divergent AU, Multi-chapter, Ongoing. It wasn't that Hinata never expected to work with Naruto, just never on a mission quite like this.

-I check this one for updates so often. at least once a week, but more like multiple times a week.

"thus a silenced memory" by @keroppri - Rated T, Modern AU, Multi-chapter, Ongoing. Eight years flown on by and Naruto makes his return to the city where he once fell in love, only for him to leave hollow and broken after she was persuaded to leave him. Plagued by her memory at every corner, a chance meeting changes fates, minds, and hearts. Thus he tries to silence the memories. Inspired and based on Jane Austen's Persuasion.

-ahhh loving the yearning angst of unrequited love (but it's actually requited) in this fic.

"Amaranthine" by @opttagoyeo - Rated T, Various AU, Series of unrelated one-shots. A few drabbles/ideas ranging from fluff, confusing, humor, and angst regarding the most iconic and popular canon couple of Konohagakure, Naruhina.

-just started reading this! Full of cuteness.

"After Office Hours" by Pandora_Imperatrix - Rated M, Canon-Divergent AU, Multi-chapter, Complete. Naruto is lonely after Sakura and Sasuke left the village to travel together, he keeps leaving the office later and later, things start to change after one night when his secretary Hinata and him share a couple of vending machine beers. In this AU Naruto becomes Hokage a lot earlier than in the manga and The Last never happened.

-It's been years since this was updated, and recently Pandora updated and just finished it!!!!!!

"Friends with benefits" by @pastillesch - Rated T, Modern AU, Multi-chapter, Ongoing. "I'm dumping you" --Naruto blinked once. Twice. "But we're not even together". It was more a stress relief than anything romantic, really. A hobby one would say. And now it was time to search for a new hobby. Or at least a new partner for this kind of hobby.

-Another one that I was super excited to see updated again!!!!

"Casual Touches" by Lunawrayth - Rated M, Canon-Divergent AU, Multi-chapter, Ongoing. It's the casual touches that do it.

-Since I'm really feeling Luna's style, I checked out this story, too, and it's super cute. Love it.

"Fairy Tale" from "NaruHina Erotica Oneshots" by @makuro767 - Rated E, Fantasy AU, Two-shot. Naruto moved to an old family home to start anew and found an unlikely existence in his backyard...

-I am a total sucker for this type of size difference au. Like, it's just such a weird trope. It's just so weird. I love it. Makuro767 does a wonderful job with it!

"Love Is Not A Cage" by @nightowl27-writer - Rated E, Canon-Divergent AU, Multi-chapter, Ongoing. When Naruto comes back to his senses after the battle with Pein, the first thing he remembers are those baffling words she said just before she nearly died for him, and he NEEDS to hear them again. Will the truth set them free? Or are some confessions too much for the soul?

-that recent update killed me. In a good way. but oh man.

"Hinata (Mirror, Mirror)" from "Chicken Ramen for the Pervert's Soul" by @wickermayne - Rated E, Canon-Compliant, One-shot. Naruto rolled his eyes at the purchase asking why she needed it and complained about how much room it took up, but Hinata enjoyed modeling different dresses in front of it, loved how it let her see all the many different angles. And that seemed to keep Naruto quiet enough about the mirror.

-🙊���🔥

So, I guess it's been months since I worked on this list. Because it's nearing the end of March 2024 now. And up at the top, apparently I was last working on this list in September 2023. And at that time, it had been "months" since the asker sent this. Well, here's the ones I've been reading recently:

"clash of possession - naruhina" by @powerful-niya - Rated E, Yakuza AU, Multi-chapter, Ongoing. In the heart of the yakuza underworld of Tokyo, the passing of Hiashi, the leader of the Hyūga clan, does more than just break Hinata's heart, but it exposes her to vulnerability. Seizing the opportunity, the ruthless Naruto, Uzumaki clan leader, targets not only the conquest of the Hyūga clan but also wishes to claim Hinata as his most prized possession, no matter the cost.

-It's been awhile since I read an irredeemable Naruto, and Niya's not lying when she calls the characterization ruthless!!

"Prey" by @sessakag - Rated E, Modern/Gangs AU, Multi-chapter, Ongoing. Following a midnight chance encounter with Hinata Hyuuga, a smitten sociopath, Naruto Uzumaki, tries his hand at romance, determined to make her fall in love with him the only way he knows how.

-it's the mystery of Hinata's background that really fuels this piece for me. Icing on the cake is Naruto as a wonderfully sexy and dangerous stranger and the sexual tension between them that is absolutely exquisite.

"Paper Rings" by Its_Levioooosaa - Rated E, College/Soulmates AU, Multi-chapter, Ongoing. In a world where soulmates are found after a touch and after a brief moment of pain, resulting in a red loop circling the first knuckle of each person's pinky finger. Fating the two people together and leaving it up to them to decide what their relationship will be. Hinata had just stopped at her friends for a piece of pizza, little did she know that she'd be leaving with a soulmate.

-It's a cute premise and I can't wait to see what happens next! I love a good soulmate AU!

"Wanting More Than A Poolside View" by @bunny-hoodlum - Rated E, High School AU, Multi-chapter, Ongoing. Just a Sukumizu fetish scenario where Hinata is the target of a panty thief and recruits Naruto to investigate himself.

-I've been loving all of Bunny's updates this year, but I'm really hoping for an update on this one....or Narutoland haha, but I dunno what it is about High School NaruHina and their immaturity, it's just so fun!

Kay, that's all. If I don't post this now, I never will lol.

[faevi]

LIFEGUARD!LEVI - PART TWO (smut)

Scenario: It’s the night of the bonfire and you’re ready to let loose with Levi; the lifeguard you’ve been crushing on.

AKA - Smut.

Other Parts: PART ONE HERE.

Word Count: 10,014.

Content / Trigger Warnings: Please let me know if I missed anything!

Sex (obviously), unprotected sex, creampie, cunnilingus/eating out, blowjob, handjob, public sex, outside sex, sex on a beach, doggy style, cowgirl, cursing, brief mentions of alcohol, pet-names, slight dominant implications, praise, messy? saliva, cum, etc. I think that’s it! (:

Notes: I barely edited it and so if you find mistakes, please just ignore. It’s been so long since I’ve done writing so it’s a bit rusty but I just want to get back into writing. Please read and hopefully enjoy. I'm a little nervous LMAO. T T

MINORS AND AGELESS BLOGS, PLEASE DO NOT INTERACT !!

"If it's a bonfire we're going to. We have to dress like, ultra slutty."

You swear your eyes could have gotten stuck by how hard you rolled them from your best friend's words; lips curling up to form an amused smile. You're sitting in front of the dresser, hands blindly scanning across your make-up products. ”You should totally dress ultra slutty, Eren will love it.” You point out, voice laced with playfulness and you quickly glance towards your best friend to see her reaction. Bingo. Completely flustered. You heard all about your best friend and Eren’s obvious flirting from Levi when he helped you sign out from the hospital. Apparently it was an absolute cringe-fest in Levi’s perspective. Personally, you sure it would have been cute to see Eren pitifully attempt to comfort your best friend, only to lead on commenting how hot she is AND that the ocean would totally not punish such a hottie or her best friend. The comforting worked, at least. You could see it in the way your best friend sheepishly giggles and drops down onto your bed, fingers twirling her hair.

It’s currently afternoon on the Saturday. Only a few days ago were you in hospital. Only a few days ago were you saved from… basically an actual death experience. You died. Briefly. Thankfully, Levi saved you. Breathed life back into you and was there every step of the way to the hospital. Even though you insisted you were completely fine. It was rather endearing that the older male refused to let things go easily. Not to mention, you had your first kiss with him in the back of the ambulance. May not be romantic in most people’s eyes but to you, any kiss with the lifeguard would be a romantic one. He invited you to a bonfire that very same day and now, it is that day. Bonfire time. Your heart thumps wildly in the your chest, inspecting yourself in the mirror.

You’re not against slutty. Slutty is fun. Adventurous. You always feel good when you style yourself up that way. You know it’d work like a charm on Levi but, for tonight… You think that you want to go down two routes. Who says you only have to stick to one style? You bite back a small smile before standing up to walk to your set of drawers, tugging the bottom one open. Your best friend watches with eagerness, crossing her legs. “Ultra slutty?” She asks.

“Not just ultra slutty. I think I’ll leave that for him to just see… Hopefully.” If things go right tonight. Many would probably find you shameless for thinking such ways for only knowing him for just over a week but, hey! One night stands exist and you just feel it in your core. You feel your attraction for the lifeguard deepening so, yeah, maybe seduction is one of the plans tonight. Asides from spending quality time with the male, adventuring further to see if what you have with him is clearly only physical or could it potentially be more?

You pull out the two piece bikini in a fiery red, dangling it playfully from the tips of your fingers for your best friend to see. You definitely expected the excited clap from her and the ramblings of how Levi or any man you’d want wouldn’t be able to resist you and you giggle, cheeks hurting from smiling so wide. You could only hope. To hide the bikini, you pick a sundress from your wardrobe that is white and pink petals looking like it’s floating across the fabric. Perfect. Pretty enough to hide the danger beneath.

Not wanting to waste anymore time and desperate to be there at the bonfire location, you swiftly move towards the bathroom, pointing playfully towards your best friend. “You get ready, too. Don’t make us late.” You warn before closing the door and turning the shower on. You place your planned outfit on the counter before breathing in deeply, trying to settle your nerves.

“Right, let’s do this.”

------

He kept insisting on picking you up. You declined every time. Maybe silly in another person’s eyes but, you wanted his raw reaction to your appearance when you arrived in front of everyone. Sure, it may be a simple sundress for the public eye but, your playful side easily slipped out when you were preparing and so, a bit of a cleavage and dress length at the knees sounds like it’d be more than enough to keep his eyes on you, wondering what could be underneath.

You bite back a giddy smile, listening to your best friend ramble on as you hold onto her hand in the backseat of the uber for moral support. If you didn’t, you felt like you’d melt into some sort of disgusting pile of goo on the uber’s seat and have to pay for cleaning. It’s a miracle that your heart isn’t out of your chest yet.

“I swear, Y/N. Eren better look at me after all this effort I put into this.” Your best friend says with a frustrated huff. You raise an eyebrow as you look towards her. She’s in a pair of tight booty shorts, the strings of her bikini exposed as they’re wrapped around her waist, nothing covering the matching bikini top. You snort softly, squeezing her hand.

“He’s going to be frothing at the mouth, truuuuust me.” You reassure her and look out of the window. The sun is setting, sky full of soft pinks and oranges. Not a cloud in sight. The uber continues to drive down the spiralling road towards the secluded location of the bonfire. It’s part of the beach still but an area that’s closed off to the public. Not everyone, you assume. Apparently the captain in charge.. Erwin, was it? He’s part of the family that owns this part of the beach. Whoever it is— You feel both relieved and spoiled.

The driver slowly comes to a halt in front of a pair of gates, rubbing the back of his neck. “I can’t go any further. Is this okay?” He asks as he looks over his shoulder. Both you and your best friend are already hastily unbuckling yourselves to open the door. “This is perfect, thank you!” You smile warmly and swiped on your phone to add an extra tip. You share pleasantries with the driver before you hear your best friend starting to whine after already expressing her gratitude. ‘So impatient’, you think fondly as you close the door and look towards the gate.

With your arm linked with the other girl, you inspect the fence and just as you were about to press the button for the buzzer, the gates swing open to allow entry. “Come on in, Levi’s gir—“ The stranger’s voice from the intercom is suddenly cut off with a sound of a strangled laugh and you blush. Gir.. girl? Girlfriend? Just girl? Whatever it is; you couldn’t help but grin, heart swelling up with fondness and pull your best friend in with you. It’s rather cute to think that maybe Levi has shown excitement for your approach. The feeling is mutual and so it’s only fair for you feel elated. Your free hand has your dress bunched up as you walk along the sandy path, winding through tall trees, enjoying the sounds of the waves in the distance and the birds twittering away in the tall trees. Each step making your heart ache with anticipation. Why does it feel like eternity since you’ve seen Levi? Are you really crushing that hard on the lifeguard?

Eventually, the trail that has been going up a slope, finally leads down towards the private opening of the beach. You already see the small group of people and the bonfire starting to blaze. Your eyes were scanning, looking for the black-haired male. “Come on, Y/N! Stop daydreaming and get your man.” You hear your best friend playfully hiss against your ear before letting go to run down the sandy hill, arms up to greet the others. Firstly, you could see Eren snapping his head towards your best friend and choking on the beer in his mouth, spluttering. A hand comes up to cover your mouth, hiding the amusement. At least your best friend succeeded.

That’s when you see him. Just a bit behind Eren spluttering about. Levi is smacking a man’s hand away from his shirt that’s unbuttoned to reveal his smooth and toned chest. Even from here as you walk down the hill, you can see his eyebrows pulled together to form a scowl as the other man’s hand— A tall blonde; continues to try and unbutton Levi’s shirt further. He nearly managed to unbutton the one hiding his abs if it wasn’t for Levi’s swift hand smacking the taller male.

“Being a Captain doesn’t mean you can strip me down, Erwin. Stop that—.” Levi warns, face expressing slight annoyance towards his Captain. Though, you have a feeling his respect for the tall blonde is sky-rocketing.

“Aw. Come on. Do it for Y/N. Bet it will turn her— Oh.” Erwin pauses, taking a sip from his ice cold beer as he looks directly at you, smiling. Levi’s gaze follows until his cold gaze meets yours. Instantly, his eyes fill up with a familiar warmth, widening a little and even before you, he couldn’t resist looking you up and down. The tightness of the chest of the sundress, flowing into loose fabric that barely covers your soft thighs, looking so squishable. His fingers twitches. You bite back a knowing smile. Sundress was the perfect answer, it seems. Simple yet, impactful.

“Should I finish my sentence?” Erwin breaks the silence with a deep laugh, hand threatening to unbutton Levi’s shirt once more. “Go annoy someone else.” Levi mutters, completely distracted but still aware enough to smack Erwin’s hand for the final time as he steps closer to you. Erwin smirks behind Levi’s shoulder before deciding to finally leave you two be.

“You arrived safely— That’s great. Great, right. You look great.” Levi says a little too bluntly, his nerves clearly giving him away. You smile, eyebrow raising and you just couldn’t help but tease the black-haired male further.

“Just great?”

“What? No, of course not.”

“You don’t sound so convincing. To think I specifically chose this for…”

Levi has a hopeful glint in his eye when he eagerly waits to hear his name fall from your pretty lips. Still, he’s not going to let your teasing get the better of him. “You look beautiful.” Levi says softly, voice laced with genuine warmth, coaxing butterflies to start fluttering in your stomach, gut clenching. “Thanks. ‘Cause I did choose this for you.” You say softly, leaning in. Your fingers help smooth out the collar of his buttoned up shirt, deliberately grazing against his skin. “Keep some of this just for me later, won’t you? I don’t want everyone to see.” You tease softly through a whisper against his ear, hearing his breath hitch with anticipation.

Levi’s hand automatically lands on your hip and both of you could agree in silence that it just felt right for him to hold you there. A soft chuckle escapes and he decides to play along, ignoring that fact that his daily job literally means often shirtless. “All for you, princess. The same goes for you, huh? If I see any part of this dress becoming undone in front of their eyes, I won’t be too pleased. You’re mine for the night. Aren’t you?” Levi asks breathlessly, steady gaze focusing on you. Rosiness dusts across your cheeks, feeling more warmth than just the sun. Even your heart picks up the pace in heartbeats. Two minutes in and he’s already showing his possessive side. Just the way you like it. It’s endearing, really. As if you’re attending not just for him? Silly.

“I’m leaving for what’s underneath as a surprise.” You hum sweetly, snaking your arms briefly around his neck to pull him in until both of your bodies collide. He’s not much taller than you; bodies able to press perfectly against one another. Even with fabric pitifully trying to block the way, you could feel the warmth radiating off of his body, his muscles tensing from the contact of your soft curves. Levi’s gaze clouds over as he stares at you with pure desire; wanting you in completely.

Not yet. You pull away with reluctance, hand touching his bare chest lightly for a moment. “Later, just you and me. What we both wanted since day one.” Levi says soft enough against your ear and your teeth bite down on your lower lip. It’s always nice to feel reassured that it’s all mutual. The lifeguard you’ve been craving wants you just as bad, if not, worse. Levi desperately needs you and he is no fool to his yearning. Your eyes once more look over him and his fingers twitch with the urge to hold onto your waist. To pull you in close and basically say ‘Back off, she’s mine.’ to his fellow co-workers. He couldn’t, though. Possessiveness in front of others so soon doesn’t seem appropriate. Still, you smile when his hand rests on your lower back and he guides you closer to everyone else. You notice your best friend already giggling at Eren’s words.

“Let’s entertain them for a bit before we sneak off, shall we?”

You smile at his words and nod.

------

You find yourself thankful for the bonfire blazing away near you, arms crossing against your chest and hands caressing along your bare arms. The night sky above is glittering with stars but, it still wasn’t enough. Nothing could resist either of you from looking at each other. Levi’s gaze flickers towards yours, his long fingers now dancing gently against the side of your waist. Everyone was too drunk to notice just how close he is to you. It feels comforting to know that you both shared the idea of not becoming intoxicated.. Why? Sometimes being drunk can heightened ‘certain’ experiences but, it’s just not one of those times. It’s as if both of you want to be clear headed. To remember every single detail—

“Can we just get out of here already?”

You bite down on your lower lip to prevent yourself from grinning too much as he whispers against your ear. The hot breath fanning against it leaving you to squirm. “Took you long enough.” You huff, hands latching onto his to give an eager pull, head tilting upwards slightly to look into his clouded gaze. “Lead the way, Mister Lifeguard.” You tease through a purr and he rolls his eyes before he does pull you along, not needing to use much of his strength to do so. Levi makes sure to pluck a towel from the sand as you both finally depart the others.

No one seemed to bother or care to look in your direction as you part from the bonfire. The summer air still warm enough to keep you from shivering properly but.. You fake it. Just a little bit. Free arm to rub along your bare arm as you feign interest in your surroundings. The sandy hills and gentle waves. Levi noticed instantly and without questioning; cause hey, girls feel cold easily — He wraps his arm around your shoulders to gently pull you in, lips grazing against your temple. He couldn’t get over how beautiful you look. Especially under the moonlight. Absolutely irresistible and the older male personally, couldn’t wait to strip you out of your pretty little sundress.

You find yourself leaning into Levi for support as you walk across the sand, feeling your feet sink into it. You have no clue as to where exactly you could go on a beach for some ‘fun’. All you really know is that you’d do it right here if he expressed desire to. Except, he seems to be a man on a mission. “Nearly there, Y/N.” Levi reassures, thumb caressing against your bare shoulder and nudging against the strap of your dress. You could sense his own desperate needs deepening. It’s cute to know that you’re not the only one who is getting impatient. “You know, I’d be happy with right here.” You decide to say, glancing over your shoulder. The bonfire is far enough to look like a tiny dot against the sand. The older male pauses— following your gaze to where they basically abandoned their friends. His long fingers drag through his black hair, teeth clenching together. “You’re tempting me, Y/N. I was planning to take you—”

You cut him off. “Take me there on a future date. Keep it a surprise. Just..” You trail off as you step in close until the front of your body presses against his, hands gently trailing down the length of his arms before so boldly lacing your fingers with his. Your fingers are short compared to his but, fit so perfectly between the gaps of his. Levi could see your gaze clouding further with need and something stirs in his stomach. Fuck. It’s a miracle that he even lasted this long. If he really could have had it his way; he would have been buried deep in your cunt on day one.

“Fucking hell, Y/N.” Levi groans out in the mixture of frustration and affection towards you, one hand letting go of your own as he firmly cups the side of your neck. His lips press against yours hungrily to form a passionate kiss; one that already leaves you breathless and head spinning. You lean up on your toes, ignoring how you sink further into the sand as your soft lips move eagerly against his own pair, easily falling into the rhythm that he provides. His head tilts to deepen the kiss as he pulls you as closely as he could against his body. It baffles you that some commented on him as ‘tiny’ just because he’s shorter than the other men and few ladies on the lifeguard team. Even now, it feels like he towers over you in simply power, leaving you weak at the knees. He loves it. Being able to lean over you as his tongue swipes along your lower lip for permission. Playfully, you refuse it. Keeping your lips pressed together for just that moment. “Sweetheart.” He warns through a low grunt, his hand that hold yours, giving a squeeze before his other hand against your neck travels down to your waist.

You feel saliva smearing against your chin as his tongue drags teasing and slow against your soft skin. The dark-haired male murmurs on how sweet you already taste, mind spinning with the idea of how you’d only taste sweeter between your legs. That’s what motivates him to pry your lips open with his skillful tongue until you’re whining at the invasion. His tongue glides against every inch of your mouth, before rubbing against your tongue. It’s messy. Filthy, even. When you feel the slick saliva dribbling out from you not being able to control anything. He’s the one in control and fuck, do you love it. Your first kiss in the ambulance was nothing like this. It was sweet and to be frank, you didn’t think he’d ever kiss you like this. Silly you, for thinking he’d always be proper and not being able to let go.

Levi is ready to let go of it all completely. His cock is throbbing painfully, eager to be released from it’s constraints. He refuses for now because to him; this is all about you. His pleasure is just a huge bonus. You could feel it despite the layers of clothing. It’s pulsating against thigh, pressing into you. Your hand that he let go of clearly needs to be busy. You try to be sneaky with your movements— simply resting your hand against his own waist, moaning into the kiss. You inch closer and closer. Levi’s hand is swift to slap yours, causing you to gasp at the stinging pain. The pain subsides as he squeezes his hand around yours, pulling away from your lips. Both of you are standing far too close, bodies pressing together. You’re panting, lips coating in the mixture of his and your spit, glistening in the moonlight. He almost goes cross-eyed from just admiring how fucked out you already seem to be just from a kiss.

“As much as I’d love to feel your hand on my cock, I’m the one in control right now. Understood, pretty girl?” Levi whispers against the crook of your jaw, nails digging into the flesh of your hand and you couldn’t help but whimper. Your heart races with excitement from witnessing this dominant side of the lifeguard. It only leaves you squirming, thighs pressing together as a pitiful attempt to contain yourself. “Yes, Captain.” You say lightheartedly, free hand coming up to do a small salute with two of your fingers. Levi bites back a smile from witnessing the endearing act, leaning in to press chaste kiss along your jawline, his hand letting go of yours to slide behind your body, fingers now splaying out across your ass cheek. He bunches the fabric of your sundress as he squeezes the tender flesh of your ass. Your hands grip hopelessly onto his shoulders, needing to hold onto something so you wouldn’t fall from your knees becoming so weak. Discovering only now, that you’re ultra sensitive to the man’s touch.

His tongue dances across your warm flesh as his lips travel down to your neck. “Mark me—” You gasp out as both of his hands now continue to grope your ass cheeks relentlessly, only wishing you were out of the stupid dress now so you could feel the warmth of his palms and nails scraping against your flesh. Levi only hums in response, finding your responses to his touch to be adorable. He definitely likes this needy side of you. His teeth grazes against your neck before he kisses on the warm skin, directly in the middle of your neck. He sucks harshly on your skin, tongue gliding across to feel you squirm in his strong hold. He pulls away with a soft sigh, bringing a hand up to smear the saliva further across your neck, inspecting the dark bruising that has now formed from his eager lips. Perfect. Everyone will see it and that’s what he wants. “You’re all mine, you know? No one will lay a hand on you without receiving broken bones in return.” Levi murmurs, prompting you to exhale out sharply. Possessiveness. Another mega turn on.

“Levi, I swear if you continue to tease me.” You whine, leaning forward to press your own needy kisses against his exposed collarbone, nipping playfully at his pale flesh, watching with eagerness as blood rushes to the surface and leaves a lovely red hue across his skin. His hands that were continuing to tenderly grope your behind pulls away, grabbing the towel that was hanging over his shoulder and drags it off. “You’re impatient. I like to take my time, y’know.” Levi comments with an amused chuckle, watching as your feet shift anxiously in the soft sand. He deliberately goes slow with his movements so you continue to be restless; draping the towel over the sand. It’s definitely not big enough for the two of you. Levi is used to the sand from his profession so he doesn’t give a flying fuck. Neither did you, but… you appreciate the gesture and say nothing. “You’re such a gentleman. From giving me CPR, visiting the hospital and now laying a towel down for me? Phew, lucky girl.” You express with a giggle escaping.

Levi rolls his eyes, gently taking hold of your hand to guide you to step onto the towel. “Am I sensing some bratty moments in our future, Y/N? I’ll put you in your place.” He says, voice dropping lower and his piercing gaze never leaving yours. Oh. You blush profusely, fingers bunching up your dress. You just know the damp patch on your bikini bottoms are going to be completely obvious now. “You are lucky, though. I wouldn’t do this for anyone else. Well, minus the giving CPR. That comes with the job.” The lifeguard remarks, his hands coming up to delicately pull on the tied straps of your sundress, eyes revealing deep hunger as you move to pull the loose fabric down before him. The dress pools around your bare feet, finally revealing the dangerous red bikini. You feel somewhat vulnerable as you stand on display for the lifeguard. He’s quiet as he stares intently.

His cock is starting to hurt, throbbing further as he takes in the glorious sight of your gorgeous figure before him. Levi’s gaze scans across you, taking in the way the tiny strings seem to sit perfectly on your hips. The thin fabric barely able to cover your breasts as they spill out from the sides. You’re dangerous and red, is now his favourite colour. His fingers twitch and it takes everything within him to stop himself from just tugging your bikini bottoms aside and rail you hard. Fuck, his mind is a swirling mess of filthy thoughts. From how you must taste to how tight you’ll be when you squeeze around every inch of his raging cock. Fingers drag through his hair as he shakes his head, lips curling to form a smile of disbelief.

“Y/N, you’re messing with me.” He groans, stepping forward to tenderly cup your cheeks as he presses another fierce kiss to your swollen lips. Usually, he’d love to take his time. Kiss you breathless. Over and over but, you standing before him in nothing but a sinful looking bikini? Fuck his patience. You try to lean into the kiss but, Levi pulls away. His strong arms easily scoop you up and before you could even process it; you find yourself now laying down on the beach towel, blinking innocently as you look up at him, panting softly. He’s kneeling above you, one hand traveling along your side as he quietly admires how beautiful you look on display beneath him. It’s a sight that he thinks he’ll never get used to but, a sight he’ll desperately crave to witness daily to worship for eternity. The tips of his fingers glide along your stomach and he smiles from seeing you squirm from the ticklish touch.

“Noted.” He says and you huff, moving your left knee to nudge against him. “You hush.” You retaliate, lips still forming that pout that he’s a sucker for. Levi’s fingers now brush against your covered womanhood, thankful for the full moon as he’s able to see the damp patch so clearly despite the pair of them being surrounded by darkness. “Baby girl, you’re an eager little thing, aren’t you?” Levi teases, fingers gently pressing further until you feel the fabric press against your sensitive clit, causing your toes to curl and teeth digging into your lower lip as another pitiful attempt to prevent yourself from giving away too much. That even this touch alone is enough to let you unravel. The corners of his lips curl up to form a smirk and he pulls his hand away. The hand unbuttons the rest of his shirt undone until his chiseled abs are now on display for you. Saliva already begins to drip from your parted lips as your gaze focuses on his toned body. The way his bicep muscles tense with his movements of shrugging his shirt off.

He tosses it to the side, arms trapping you between as he grips onto the towel on either side of your head, wanting a moment to admire you once more. “You have no idea how fucking hard I am just from looking at you.” He says, speaking softly as he leans down to kiss just beneath your chin. You bite down on your lip, eyes glancing up to the stars as you feel his lips leave a trail of kisses down towards your chest. The tip of his tongue teasingly dips between your pressed together breasts, hands coming up to squish them together. You glance down as you watch the lifeguard bury his face into your covered breasts, your own hand coming up to cover your mouth, muffling the soft sounds that escape. Levi breathes in deeply, inhaling the subtle sweet scent of whatever perfume you’re wearing. God, he could never decide if he’s a boob or ass man. He selfishly wants both. Blindly, he reaches around to untie the bikini. You oblige by arching upwards.

“Good girl.” He praises with ease as he tugs away the skimpy bikini top and lifts his head to watch as your breasts spill out and be free from the clothing that barely contained them. He sighs heavily, head hanging forward. This is unfair. How could someone be so perfect in every way? Half of your face hides behind your hand as you shyly glance towards him. “What is it? They’re not.. bad, are they?” You ask timidly, wondering where your confidence is. Levi shakes his head quickly, large hands now cupping your breasts to give a loving squeeze. “Beyond good, darling. Are you getting shy on me now? Cute.” He comments as his index fingers gently flick against your hardened buds, noticing the way you whimper from the contact. The mere thought of you responding so sweetly to a moment of pain is enough to fuel the sadist in him but, it’s not time for that.

He lowers himself over you, one hand still massaging your soft breast. The warmth of his breath fans over the one receiving no attention before his lips wrap around the sensitive nipple to suck on sweetly, lips parting further to take more of you into his mouth, groans muffled. You pant heavily, one hand coming up to thread your fingers through his silky hair to give a sweet pull. It only encourages him. Levi shifts, his right leg pressing against yours, guiding it to move up with his so your legs were spread out further and his covered crotch is pressing against yours. You could feel it. His contained length throbbing against your soaking core. Everything he does, leaves your heart racing and lips forever to parted to let out the needy sounds. The way his leg pushed yours upwards so he could press down against you. The way you could feel his tongue swirl around your nipple as he sucks on your tit with eagerness, drool seeping out as he frankly did not care about leaving a mess.

The towel bunches up slowly beneath you as you continue to squirm against it, unable to do anything but take what he happily gives you. The pleasure leaving you hot and flushed. Your toes curl into the sand and nails grazing along his scalp. The reactions only encourage him, pinching your other nipple to tease, twisting and pulling just hard enough for you to feel the sweet pain that leaves you whining out for him. “Levi..” You whine out loudly, face turning to rub against the towel, feeling completely blissed out just from the attention to your breasts. The lifeguard only hums in response, deciding to switch his mouth to the other nipple to suck on, tongue flicking against it. His hand moves to squeeze the other breast, smearing his saliva against the squishy flesh. His back stays curved just so he could give your breasts attention as he slowly grinds against you, finally needing just a tiny bit of relief for his hard aching cock. The friction coaxes out a low moan of your name, teeth grazing against your nipple before he pulls away with a heavy pant.

“Levi, please— Let me.. Wan’ touch you.” You plead quietly and if it was any other day, Levi would have happily gave in to feel either your hand or wet mouth around his cock. He promised to himself tonight that this was all about you, though. “You’re going to lay there and take what I give you. Like the good girl I know you are.” He gently reminds, hand caressing your rosy cheek as he gazes down at you; eyes a swirl of fondness and desire for you. You pout a little, ignoring how your heart flutters from basically being treated like a pillow princess. Well… minus the pillow. He waits to see if you’d retaliate and soon smiles when he knows you’re obeying him. Truly, such a good girl for him. He adores it.

His hands gently grip onto your knees to keep your legs apart as he leans down to press hot, sloppy kisses down your soft tummy, allowing you to wiggle beneath him. “Tsk, how are you going to handle me fucking you if you’re already so squirmy?” He teases, teeth latching onto the edge of your bikini bottoms to give a teasing tug. You whimper, hands covering your face once more as you feel so flushed. The cool night breeze isn’t enough for you. You just feel so hot as you lay there for him, taking every touch he blesses you with. Levi could smell your excitement and it drives him further, fingers quick to untie the sides of the bottoms before he tugs them off. Instantly, your face heats up. You didn’t think it could feel any hotter but, it’s only natural when he’s staring so intensely at your dripping pussy.

“Fuck.” He curses out in near disbelief again from just how pretty you are; pussy alone. The entirety of you is nearly beyond what he can comprehend. Fingers are gentle when he they push apart your slick covered folds to inspect your further. The way your clit looks so inviting to suck and kiss on. The way your juices just slowly drip downwards onto the towel. The way your hole clenches around nothing and looking so inviting for his cock to just bury deep in. He has to wait, though. Just a little longer. If it’s possible. His long fingers stroke up and down your pussy, watching in silent amazement at how quickly his fingers get coated with your excitement.

“Such a pretty pussy.” He compliments quietly and you’re panting from feeling his featherlight touch of his stroking fingers, your hands gripping onto the towel. Were you always this sensitive? You couldn’t remember being this riled up by a man’s touch. Maybe it’s because it’s the lifeguard and you clearly festered both a romantic crush and deep attraction for him. Levi shifts to look at you as his fingers become more firm with his touch. It’s still gentle, swiping up and down slowly and barely brushing against your clit. You feel it throb and let out a whine, trying to angle your hips to feel more. Levi chuckles softly, pressing loving kisses to your inner thighs that quiver. “So needy for me.” He purrs softly, finally giving in for you. Long fingers tease around your tight entrance before slowly pressing in middle finger in. His own head hangs forward as he feels your inner walls squeeze around the new intrusion. It feels so warm and inviting. Wet enough to practically suck his finger in.

With one final kiss to your womanhood, Levi’s tongue meets your clit. You choke on your own moans from the new sensations. Your velvety walls squeezing around his finger that slowly pumps in and out. You feel his tongue swirling around your throbbing clit, the pleasure surging up your body already enough to coax you to tremble. You feel too sensitive— Clear from how your legs clench around the lifeguard’s head. Levi doesn’t mind at all. In fact, he’s just endeared and encouraged to go further. His long middle finger continues to slide in and out with ease, pushing in deep as he could to feel more of you as he presses sloppy kisses and tongue dragging against your clit. His wet muscle flicks against your clit repeatedly, watching with eyes alight with passion for your reactions. Each squirm. Each wiggle. The way his name sounds like a prayer you’re chanting between your needy moans. All of it is glorious to him.

He slides his index finger with his middle to stretch your hole out further, watching as you sob out in ecstasy already from the pleasure that washes over you in waves. Your eyes stay open as you stare up at the night sky, lips open and drool seeping out. It feels so good, the way his tongue expertly rolls against your clit and how his long fingers seem to reach further, angling enough until your body jolts with something further. “F-Fuck.” You stutter out, hand quickly gripping onto his black hair. Levi’s head tilts slightly, keeping his fingers angled as he continues to relentlessly finger you in the same position, enjoying the wet sloppy sounds of your pussy and your internal walls squeezing around his fingers. It only drives his imagination to go crazy and crave for further things. He’s not going to. Not yet. Not until you cum around his fingers first. He’s evil like that. One orgasm is never enough for his eyes to witness.

Your eyes roll back before closing tightly, the sounds of your moans becoming louder as his fingers continue to abuse the sweet spot in you, leaving you trembling and your face scrunching up. Unable to contain just how heavenly it all feels. Your stomach begins to feel tight and hot. The desperation to let go going further. Fuck, you know you need to. You try to hold it back. Thinking it’d be unfair to climax without him doing it alongside you. “Le-ah… Levi— Please. I can’t— If you keep— Nnghh..” You whimper out loudly, unable to form a proper sentence to warn the lifeguard. He snorts quietly, face burying further against you as his tongue rubs against your clit and fingers skilfully sliding in and out. Not too rough. Just enough to drive you further. Your nails dig harshly into his scalp as you try to grip onto his hair. The stars seem to double in the sky as your built up high finally snaps.

His arm wrapped around your thigh loosens up once he begins to feel your thighs tremble hard through your orgasm. The lifeguard watches in silent adoration, taking in every way your body relaxes. Muscles tensing up, only to relax. Toes curling and legs squirming against the towel and sand. You’re panting heavily between your needy cries, face still scrunched up as you truly can’t comprehend the explosion of an orgasm you’re feeling. Just from his fingers and tongue alone. Your body and mind feels like jelly. Unable to think of anything as you lay there, happily riding the absolute bliss. Levi’s hands tenderly stroke your thighs, smearing your slick across your skin.

“Such a good girl.” He praises you gently, prompting a shy smile to appear across your face. “Hush..” You mumble, knee bumping against his face lightly from where he lays. Levi chuckles softly before leaning down to slowly drag his tongue up between your folds, collecting more of your sweetness to consume. “The sweetest, too.” Levi groans out. You whimper softly, feeling too sensitive from just climaxing. He doesn’t care. “Please let me just touch your cock. I haven’t even seen you yet! Bit unfair…” You complain, lips forming your signature pout once more. Levi snorts. He is leaning on his knees now, hands rubbing still along your legs, fingertips massaging your muscles.

Levi thinks it’s a miracle that he’s even lasted this long without whipping his cock out and, could he truly deny himself this pleasure? The dark-haired male’s tongue drags along his lips, still able to taste you. “Come on, then.” His long fingers gesture for you to sit up and his eyes widen momentarily from just how quick you obey him. You sit up properly, eyes eager and darting from his face to his crotch. ��You’re like a puppy.” Levi comments, ignoring the way your cute eagerness just makes his raging cock throb.

His fingers slip past the elastic band of his boardshorts before he slowly begins to pull it down. He’s still teasing you. Intentionally and you know it. You huff quietly and your eyes focus on seeing a nice trimmed area around the base of his— Oh. You watch as his thick erection finally springs out from the horrible constraints. He’s big, which unsurprisingly you weren’t truly expecting. All you knew was that you’d be obsessed with his cock no matter how it looks. You lean in close to inspect the way his cock curves slightly, two veins protruding slightly along the length of it and the perfectly pink-ish tip leaking with pre-cum already. Will it even fit? You couldn’t help but wonder.

Levi watches you anxiously as you just stare at his cock, hand extending out to brush the hair out of your eyes. “Hurry up and touch my cock. It’s what you wanted.” He huffs out the order, prompting a shy giggle to escape you, cheeks feeling hot. “Your cock is so pretty, I’m obsessed.” You say sweetly, shifting your body until your knees dig into the beach towel, one hand planted against it as your other reaches for his length. Your fingers wrap around the base of his cock, feeling it throb in your hold and your warm breath fan against the tip. Levi’s breath hitches, looking down at you in a rather vulnerable position. Ass hovering up before him and face pressing against his erection. He finds himself wishing he could tattoo this image in his mind to have for life.

He tries to stay quiet, minus the soft panting that escapes as he tries to contain himself from not showing too much. Your hand begins to gently stroke along the entire length of his cock, fingertips just being able to touch around the thickness. He’s going to stretch you out so well and your pussy is already dripping with need. You look up at him from beneath your long lashes as your lips wrap around the leaking tip and suckle on it gently, allowing saliva to dribble out. Levi groans, fingers threading through your hair to grip firmly as he focuses deeply on both the sight and the way his cock feels the wet warmth of your sweet mouth.

Your tongue teasingly swirls several times slowly around the tip, enjoying the salty taste of his pre-cum that leaks as your hand continues to move slowly along the length, fingertips pressing lightly against the protruding veins. Your wrist twists lightly with each stroke and Levi couldn’t help but mutter filth beneath his breath from how good it feels. Just from your hand and tongue alone. It encourages you to squeeze around the base of his cock as your lips stretch around the width of his throbbing cock, moans muffled by your mouth stuffed full. It sends vibrations along his length and he strangles out his own moan of your name, tugging on your hair.

You begin to slide your mouth along. You keep your jaw nice and slack so you’re able to take most of him into your mouth. The tip brushes against the back of your throat as you take him further, prompting you to gag lightly. It sounds heavenly to his ears, always been a lover of the wet sounds of a blowjob. He presses gently on the back of your head, forcing you to take more, which you do so eagerly. You don’t care about choking. Hell, you love the feeling of it. Throat stuffed full of his cock and the only access to breathe is through your nose heavily. Your throat muscles constrict around his pulsating cock and it coaxes a tremble out of his body, hips bucking slightly.

Your tongue presses against the underside and no matter how much you slurp up your saliva, more just continues to spill out. The blowjob is filthy and loud. Just the way he likes it. Levi wouldn’t give a flying fuck if one of their friends happens to walk by on the beach. All he can think about is your heavenly mouth wrapped so sweetly and taking every inch of his length. He didn’t care about the salty air or sand between his toes. He just wants you. As you continue to fuck your mouth onto his cock, he could feel the hotness in his stomach tighten with the need to release. The desperate build continues and this isn’t where he wanted to finish. “Fuck— Baby. Stop, I want to fuck you properly.” Levi breathes out heavily, eyelids heavy as he looks down at you.

You whine, wanting to continue to taste his cock on your tongue but, you obey and slide your mouth off with an audible pop. You couldn’t stop yourself from breathing heavily as you lacked air for so long. A string of saliva connects from your lips to the pulsing tip of his length. Your chest rises and falls with each deep breath, leaning forward to give the tip a loving kiss. Levi hisses lowly, already kicking off his boardshorts properly before reaching into the pockets for the condom he tucked away hours before.

“No.” You say, playfully swatting at the condom in his hand, still on your knees. He looks at you for a moment with an eyebrow raised. “Wan’ be stuffed full of your cum.” You say sweetly and his brain instantly short-circuits. Cum. Inside. Fuck. His hands roughly cup your cheeks, forcing you to kneel up before he presses a fierce kiss to your lips. You couldn’t help but moan at the taste of yourself still lingering on his lips. “You’re so filthy, I’ll break you.” He breathes out before his hands forcefully move your body. You found yourself turned around, unable to see him. A soft mewl escapes your lips as his hand pushes against your back until your breasts meet the towel and sand. You could barely focus on trying to straighten the fabric beneath you as his large hands grope your ass cheek with roughness.

Levi’s nails drag along your ass before his hands spread outwards until he could see everything. Your face feels hot once more from being moved into such a compromising position, nuzzling your face into the towel. He watches as your juices slowly drip from your pussy, clearly ready to invite him in. He’s going in bare. No condom. He’ll be able to feel— Fuck, he couldn’t wait anymore. Courtesies be damned. One hand keeps you spread out for him as his other holds the base of his cock. For several moments, he just rubs his throbbing length between your slick folds, breath becoming heavy. “Don’t you dare stay quiet.” He warns you gently before pushing the tip of his cock into your tight hole.

You whimper loudly when you feel just the head pressing into you. You could barely focus on how both of his hands grip onto your ass now, ignoring the stretch of your cheeks and only wishing you could see his face. The lifeguard watches as he slowly sinks his thick cock into you, deep desire for you only growing as he witnesses every inch disappearing as your velvety walls seem to grip onto his cock and pull him in. As if your body acted alone on wanting to be filled to the brim of his cock. Levi’s head tilts back as he groans at the heavenly feeling of your tight, wet hole.

Your hand reaches out to pitifully grip onto soft sand, trying to get used to the sweet painful feeling of his erection stretching you out so quickly. You pant heavily between whimpering moans, mouth hanging open and eyes barely able to focus on the dot of red in the far distance; the bonfire. Here you are, ass propped up and Levi’s cock buried so deeply inside of you. Levi’s hand reassuringly strokes along your side as he leans forward to press chaste kisses against the back of your shoulder, feeling his hot breath. “You feel like fucking heaven..” Levi mutters breathlessly and selfishly, he doesn’t even wait for your signal to continue as he starts to pull out, only to fuck back into you.

You blush at his words, head tilting to press against the towel and it muffles your already loud moans as he takes his time fucking into you. Levi feels almost delirious as he feels your slick walls stretching out for him but staying wrapped so snug and tight around him each time his length invades your sweet hole. He grunts, reaching out to grip onto your hair, forcing your head to tilt to the side so he could hear your beautiful moans of his name. You squeeze around his length, feeling him dragging along your inner walls. It only leaves you sobbing out for him, addicted to the pleasurable feeling. How will you ever live without his cock again? It drives the lifeguard further and he picks up the pace of his thrusts. Skin slapping against skin becoming louder and mixing with both and his own sounds that continue to escape.

The dark-haired male drills his cock into you relentlessly, fucking you into the ground of the beach. The sound of the gentle waves weren’t enough to mask anything anymore. He’s thrilled by the squelching sound of your pussy as he continues to fuck you, fingers gripping onto your hips hard enough to leave bruising. Levi’s eyes are closed tightly, riding the sweet pleasure he feels as you continue to squeeze around him. Your moans turn into loud cries, body jerking forward each time he slams his thick into your hole, stuffing you full to the brim. One of his hand travels along your hot skin until it presses flat against your lower stomach. He’s leaning over you, whispering into your ear.

“Feel that, baby? Can feel my own cock inside of you.” He presses down further, feeling your stomach bulge as his cock fucks into you deep. You whimper loudly from feeling every inch, tears glued to your long lashes. “L-Levi, please..” You beg, arching into his hand. He chuckles breathlessly, reaching for your hand in the sand until his fingers lace with yours. He pulls his length out until it’s only the tip before he slams back into you. He repeats it, breath ragged and unable to ever get used to feeling of your sweet dripping cunt. “Ah~ Wan’ face— see.. please!” You babble out, feeling as if your mind is slipping away as you’re completely embraced by the pleasure he blesses you with.

The lifeguard is panting heavily, heart jumping at the idea that briefly crosses his mind. Even if he loves the stunning sight of your cunt squeezing around his invading cock; the idea of you on top becomes more appealing. Levi slides his cock out, noticing it already dripping with your juices. “Come on, Baby.” He groans at the loss of your hole, hands lifting you up. Your body already feels like melting jelly, but you obey his guidance by moving until bodies are twisting and he’s the one now laying down on the crinkled towel, cock slapping against his toned stomach.

“Good girl. So pretty. Such a pretty girl, going to make me feel all sorts of pleasure, hm?” He praises, prompting you to feel giddiness as you straddle him with ease. One of your hands gently takes hold of his cock once more to position against your needy hole. Sweat lightly coats both of your bodies and Levi is watching with silent desperation as you position yourself. He needs your cunt again. His palms caress your weak thighs as silent encouragement, chewing on his lower lip. You finally sink down onto his cock and the pair of you moan together. All over again, you feel the stretching pain subside quickly as his length buries deep inside of your pussy. You look down to see the lifeguard looking like he’s on some high, which he definitely feels like he is as your warm, slick covered walls clench around his throbbing cock.

Pretty moans are dragged out of you as you begin to ride his length like it’s the only thing your body was created for. You move eagerly; up and down. Unable to contain the ecstasy that surges through you. Levi thinks the entirety of you is an enchanting sight — From the way your breasts bounce, to how your cunt just swallows his cock so eagerly each time you slide down, the wetness of your womanhood aiding with each swift slide. Even the way you roll your hips is heavenly. His hands slide up your thighs, fingertips ghosting across your hips. You angle yourself into his grip, pressing your chest against his. You whimper directly against his ear, pressing wet kisses to his jawline as you fuck yourself onto his perfect cock.

His hands squeeze your hips before he holds you in place, preventing yourself from grinding down on his cock and begins to pound up into you, head falling back onto the beach towel as he groans from the pleasurable feeling that continues to smother his own length. You gasp sharply when his thickness begins to drill into you, abusing that sweet spot that leaves you seeing extra stars for the night. You’re clinging onto him, nails digging into his shoulders as you sob, feeling overwhelmed and overstimulated from the way he fucks deep, dragging along your walls that continue to clench, as if your hole is begging for him to stay inside.

It’s all becoming too much. You’ve become a big crybaby in his arms as you just simply enjoy being used by the lifeguard. Utterly drunk off of the delectation and all over again, you could feel the rush of the orgasm approaching. “Le-Levi!” You choke out as you tighten your hold on him. Levi groans, feeling his own orgasm rapidly approaching him as he fixates on his hips thrusting upwards sharply. “Let go, sweetheart.” He whispers, sounding like the oxygen was already knock out of him, strands of hair sticking to his temples from the sweat. Your face is buried against his neck and as you hang on for dear life, the last few sloppy yet deep thrusts sent you over the edge for the second time.

Your mind is completely wiped, eyes rolling and crying out loudly for the lifeguard as your body trembles on top of him, walls clenching repeatedly squeezing around his thickness as if hungry to milk him of every drop of his own cum. Levi groans, arms wrapping around your waist to embrace you, giving one last final thrust through your orgasm until he finds himself chasing you over the edge. He’s panting heavily, thigh muscles tensing and hips stuttering as his cum spills from the sensitive tip of his cock, pumping you full of his hot, sticky cum. “Good girl, fuck.. You feel so- fuck..” He murmurs breathlessly, unable to focus on anything but the pleasure surging through his body and leaving his head spinning.

He slowly rides out both his and your orgasm by slowly thrusting into you, noticing how much full you feel from his seed filling you up to the brim and even dripping slowly from your stuffed hole. His cock being coated with a mixture of your slick with his cum. You’re panting heavily, an occasional whine escaping in response to his cock slowly sliding in and out of you; each glide of his cock with ease. “You’re perfect.” He whispers softly, pressing a kiss to the top of your head as you continue to cling onto him.

You feel like you’re floating, completely buzzed from being blessed with two orgasms. Truly overstimulated, you don’t think you’d be able to handle anything else. You feel sweaty and sand— It was unavoidable, even with a towel. You couldn’t stop yourself from giggling as you continue to lay on top of him, pressing lazy kisses to his neck. The corners of his lips curl slightly from hearing your endearing giggle. “What’s so funny?” He asks with an eyebrow raising, hand caressing along your back. “I never fucked on a beach before. Was definitely an experience.” You comment lightly, ears finally starting to tune in on the wind through the trees in the distance and the waves of the ocean. “A good experience, I hope.” He grunts as he finally decides to slide out of your comforting warmth, feeling his own sticky cum oozing out onto his lap. He refuses to move, just hugging onto your waist.

You squirm from the sticky feeling between your legs, pouting at the loss of his pretty cock inside of you. You shift yourself until you’re hovering above, face to face. “The best experience.” You whisper before leaning down to press a loving kiss to his sweet tiers. You could still taste yourself on his lips and it prompts your face to heat up. He smiles against your lips, a hand coming up to cup the back of your head. His lips move slowly against yours, savouring the kiss and pouring everything into it. It leaves you breathless again, fingertips brushing along his neck before you finally pull away from the kiss.

Quietly, Levi sits up slightly to try and straighten out the towel beneath him, one arm still wrapped around your waist. You grin, brushing the sand out of his hair. Well, the best you could. He smiles softly towards you, gaze holding warmth. He uses his strength to move you with ease until you’re both laying on your sides, facing each other and legs tangled. Clothes lay forgotten to the side, abandoned condom on top. Your hand rests against his toned chest, silently admiring him. Tonight was perfect. Sure, to others it may not be so appealing to fuck in an open space. You’re 100% sure that the sounds of your pleasure would have carried with the wind towards your friends at the bonfire. Everything was public. Still public, as you lay beneath the stars and gentle moonlight. You like it. Even if others exist on the beach — Night or day, it always just felt like you were in your own world with Levi. Besides, it’s rather attractive that someone ‘oh so serious’ seems to be into public sex and possessive over you.

Levi takes hold of your hand, bringing it up to his lips and he kisses each of your knuckles tenderly before his long fingers lace with yours. He didn’t care about the bodily fluids drying up. He just wants to hold your hand. He wants to hold you, all through the night. To hell with the mess, really. Both of you can just wash up later at his apartment. Mm. He smiles at the thought of you sharing a shower with him. You give him a questioning look, head tilting slightly and your thumb caressing his hand lightly. Levi inhales deeply before leaning in until his forehead rests against yours, noses brushing against each other.

“I just look forward to even more time with you.” He whispers, not caring how bold it is of him. It’s how he feels. It’s genuine. No one else has ever captured his heart like you did when you walked through the door to ask help for the lost little girl. Levi is the type to be honest and he definitely refuses to hide anything from you, the one he’s falling in love with. You smile softly, easily melting at his words. Heart becoming jelly, just like your body. You kiss him softly before snuggling into him, closing your eyes. You have no intention of moving an inch away from the lifeguard that you’re falling so deeply for. You look up towards the dark sky. Your previous empty mind now swirling with love and affection you hold for Levi. You breathe in before you finally, sigh out happily.

“Me, too.”

[explosionshark]

Your turn!

It's halfway through the year! Got any favorite albums/books/tv shows/whatever to recommend?

thanks to you @badwolfwho1 who both asked me!

music:

right off the top i'm gonna recommend 3 pop albums bc i almost never have this many TO recommend. but tei shi's valerie, empress of's for your consideration, and shygirl's club shy EP have all been on constant repeat for me this year.

big year for metal also - in particular crypt sermon, job for a cowboy, darkest hour, gatecreeper, aborted and tzompantli were all incredible. i feel like between seeing them live and the release of cure, this is the first time erra has really clicked for me and i'm loving it.

for post-hardcore i've loved the debut LPs by with sails aheads and your ghost in glass. the EP lonely people by love rarely was on repeat for me for weeks also - really great stuff.

i got heaven by mannequin pussy slaps too. and i also really, really want to recommend you could do it tonight by couch slut - if you love the queasy, depraved noise that chat pile make, you absolutely should be listening to couch slut.

i threw a couple little playlists together to roundup some of my faves:

(extended version here)

honorable mention: as was really apparent from my charts this year, i spent A LOT of time listening to the saosin s/t again. but also got really back into grouper this year - especially her 2021 album shade, which i missed entirely when it came out.

books:

okay for music i focused mostly on 2024 releases but for books i won't be so strict.

shirley jackson: a rather haunted life by ruth franklin was REALLY good and provided a lot of great insight into jackson's work and also just had some really interesting history in it. really enjoyed it.

hit so hard by patty schemel a rock music and addiction memoir by the drummer of Hole. very dark and upsetting at points, but compelling. was very illuminating re: the 90s seattle music scene and the drug culture around it, provided a lot of context and detail to some stuff i thought i already knew about. really great stuff.

penance by eliza clark - this is a fake true crime book that REALLY got under my skin. it's a meta commentary on true crime as a fandom and an industry and the exploitation inherent in it. it's a mirror to make you stare at your own internal biases. it's SO fucking 2014 tumblr. i've gotten like three other people to read it and they all went insane like me. highly recommended.

hex by thomas olde heuvelt - very late to the party on this one but i loved it. translated AND localized from dutch, with very interesting results. almost goofy to start and ends up totally bleak. i adored it.

magic for beginners and white cat, black dog by kelly link - REALLY falling in love with kelly link this year. read these two and currently re-reading stranger things happen and i just adore her style. weird but SO heartfelt, surreal and dreamy, as often horrifying as it is sweet. she's so talented, i'm really excited to read the book of love later this year.

between two fires by christopher buehlman - FINALLY read this and i loved it. absolutely deserves the hype. kinda wild that dark ages horror isn't more of a thing? i re-read buehlman's the blacktongue thief too and really loved it, definitely cemented it as one of my favorite fantasy books. i'm reading the daughters' war now and enjoying it a lot.

i also re-read the golden enclaves by naomi novik and had such a great time with it.

tv shows:

finished my buffy re-watch! been watching a ton of xena with @holdsteady and @nataliving this year too - we just finished s3 and it was insane and i loved it soooo much.

i watched under the bridge and thought it was very good, but i'd recommend people learn a little about the real reena virk case before engaging.

hacks season 3 was INSANE it made me crazy i loved it so much.

haven't watched much tv aside from that!

[strbymacaroon]

✿ S1 E1: Your New Normal! ✿

✿ Roomie Series!: Eren Yeager x Reader!

❥ S1 E1. 13:00 mins remaining, 4360 words.

❥ Previous Episode: S1: Pilot!

❥ Y/n now forced to adapt to her new life, tried to understand who she was before. With… a few inconveniences in the way.

.•° ✿ °•.

°•. ✿ .•°

You soon came to realize that the whole house layout changed. Actually, you were in a completely different house! You don’t even know how, it just happened. You blinked and– poof! Different. Well, that’s not exactly what happened, but that’s what it felt like. You just went to bed and woke up to a completely different room. 

The ceiling was incredibly tall, a small chandelier decorated with crystals hanging above you. Your bed was huge, a King to be exactly. A white and pink canopy tied to the post, some cute fairy lights strung along the top railing. 

Your floor was hardwoods, a massive white fluffy rug covering it. A few candles were lit, the scent of vanilla in the air. Jesus, alternate you had money to burn. 

In-fact, even your clothing were different. A short, silk, white, thin, gown resting over your frame. Knee high black socks, and some matching black lingerie.  You nodded at yourself. At-least alternate version of yourself had style. 

Sexy style. 

So, that’s where you were. 

In your room. 

Your dream room. 

You always told yourself, once you had the money you were going to decorate your room. And, in this world, where you do have the money, you did exactly that. Your room was luxurious and big. 

Decorated in whites and decor, your bed soft with some silk bedding, flowing curtains covering your floor to ceiling window, and that was the simple things. That didn’t include the balcony, restroom, and closet.

Yeah, balcony. Restroom. And the closet. 

You glanced at the time, which was a clock conveniently on your vanity. 7:30. You should have class in a few hours. Resting not too far from the clock was a planner. 

“That should be helpful.” You grabbed the pink book, opening it to this week. 

— Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday —

Payday!: Monday! (Send Dad a thanks, also dinner Sunday!) 

Classes: 12-3 on Mon. Tues. Thurs. (Easy classes.)

Free Days!: Wed. Fri. “Party Days! ❤︎︎”

Arts stuff— Wednesday. Sometimes Sunday. 

Check on Roger, Wednesday. ⇝ Important!!

Roger? Who the hell was Roger? 

You felt your stomach drop. 

..a sugar daddy?..

You shook your head, slapping your cheeks. Chill, Y/n. You glanced back at the calendar. Your schedule was so much more— free. Apparently you didn’t work a job anymore, and didn’t have as many classes. What do I major in? Is it the same thing? Hopefully. You worked your ass off becoming a nurse. 

You sighed, sitting in the chair. Glancing at the lavish mirror in-front of you. Seeing as the strap to your sleeping gown fell off your shoulder. 

Was I always that pretty? Or did I swap bodies with..

Your phone rang, making you jolt. You reached for it, reading the caller I.D. 

‘Daddy <3’ 

You blinked, smiling to yourself. Yeah, that’s who you needed to talk to right now, your Dad. I wonder what he’s like in this world? Generous, obviously. You slid your finger over the phone, holding it to your ear. Smiling, “Hey, Dad! What’s up?” 

You walked to your balcony, pulling it open. Feeling awed by the view. To add to that growing list, you also lived in a two story house across an ocean. A fucking ocean. What the fuck..

“Jean,” the person corrected, and you felt your stomach drop. “But, I'm not opposed to that when I come over.” 

You could feel your face burn. “Oh, that’s.. I thought you were someone..” You thickly swallowed, running your hand over the couch. Another silk thing in your growing collection. You sat on the couch, enjoying the view. “But, why did you call? Are you good?” You had no idea how to talk to Jean. You didn’t know how you acted here. 

“I’m good.” He told you, “Eren just said you were acting weird at practice, so I wanted to check up on you.” You couldn’t miss the strain in his voice. “Since when did you start talking to him?” 

Man, I must really hate Eren. “Uhm, since yesterday?” you were unsure how to respond. “I mean, he is my roommate. Wouldn’t it be weird if I didn’t talk to him?..” 

“I don’t know, you’ve done it your whole freshman and sophomore year. What’s different now?” He asked, shuffling a little. 

“I feel different.” You laid back on the couch, in slight disbelief. You were talking to your boyfriend– Jean. A fictional man from Attack on Titan. “I–I feel different.” You repeated. 

“How different?” He pressed, almost like he was confused. 

“Different enough.” You told him, feeling your eyebrows mush together. What was with that question? You pressed yourself off the couch, your mouth moving before you could think. “Eren was talking about me?” A part of you wanted to change the topic anyways. 

Jean laughed, “No.” There was a slight moment of silence, “And yes. He always talks about you.” You could tell from Jean’s tone that wasn’t a good thing. “He talked about you differently.” 

You blinked a few times, “Oh.” He shit talks you. 

Jean laughed again, “Oh indeed.” 

Your jaw dropped, peeking off the balcony. Is that a pool?! I have a pool?! You smiled, lifting your foot to the railing. “Hey babe, I think I need to call you back.” You told him. Confused on where the pet name came from, but forgetting about it quickly. Glancing at the built-in slide. 

“You think?!”

“Yup!” You ended the call and tossed your phone back on the couch. Lifting yourself over the railing and smiling. Jumping into the pool. 

You lifted your head up, running your fingers through your hair. Letting out a loud laugh, “This place is awesome!” 

You turned to the slide door being frantically opened. 

Eren was glaring at you, blinking in utter confusion. “Y/n, what the hell are you doing?!” 

You giggled, smiling at him. “Swimming?!” You shouted, “We have a goddamn pool, why in the world wouldn’t I swim in it?” You said, dipping under the water and popping back up across the whole pool. 

Eren smiled, remembering your sudden attitude change. He quickly gripped the bottom of his shirt, toying with it and walking to the pool. “Is it cold?” 

You tilted your head, looking at him with long lashes. Quickly looking at his outfit, some plaid pj pants, a tight black shirt. “Why don’t you come in and find out?” You played, pushing a wave of water in his direction. Watching as he dipped his bare foot into the water, his skin littering in goosebumps. 

“Jesus, you jumped into this shit?” He looked up, glancing at your balcony. “From there?” He pointed up. 

You giggled, nodding your head. “You’re telling me you don’t want to jump off my balcony?” 

He shook his head, “You never let me play with the idea when I throw pool parties.” He pulled his foot back out, “You always say your room is off limits.” His eyes moved to the water, trying to glance at what you were wearing. It didn’t look like swimming clothes to say the least. 

In-fact, Eren’s never seen you in swimming clothes. “What are you wearing?” He asked, tilting his head. 

You shrugged, “What I slept in.” You shook your head quickly, “But, that doesn't matter. Come join me in the pool.” You outstretched your arms, almost like you were waiting for a hug. “Let’s have fun!” You gave him a kind smile. 

Eren shivered, “Let me go change.” He turned on his heel, his back turned to you. 

You booed at him, swimming to the edge of the pool. Placing your arms on the edge and resting your chin on them. “Don’t be boring ‘Ren, just get in with your sleepwear.” You tilted yourself back, lifting one of your legs into the air. Revealing the sheer black stocking, “That’s what I did.” 

Eren blinked at you, his eyes dipping up and down your leg. Watching as you lowered your leg into the water again. He smiled, thickly swallowing. “‘Ren? Is that a nickname?” He didn’t know if he liked it. 

You rolled your eyes, pulling yourself out of the water. “Way to change the subject.” You pulled your hair over your shoulder, ringing it out. 

Eren glanced at the way your white dress clung to your skin, sheer from the water. He turned away, clearing his throat. “I said I’ll get in, just let me change!” He shouted, starting to rush into his house. Like hell he was going to miss his chance to slam you into the pool. He didn’t know if it was to mess with you, or get back at you. 

“I’ll probably already be out by then.” You yelled over your shoulder, standing up and looking for a towel. Quickly removing your socks and ringing them out. 

You threw your hair back over your shoulder. 

“Y/n!” 

You turned to the sound, utterly confused. Before you loudly laughed, “I thought you said you were going to change?!” You shouted up, smiling as you sat back down. Dipping your legs into the water. 

Eren ignored you, just grabbed the bottom of his shirt and lifted it over his head. You felt your eyes widen, your jaw dropping. Holy shit, Jesus take the wheel.

Eren laughed at your reaction, “I know.” Cocky bitch. He tossed it to the side, “Should I take the pants off too?” 

You rolled your eyes. Absolutely. “Gross, like I'd want to see your shriveled dick.” I’ve dreamed about it, actually. You leaned back on your palms, enjoying the show. 

Eren shook his head and jumped off you balcony, and it felt like he was flying. Something euphoric he hadn’t felt in awhile. Well, without the help of... 

He popped back up from the water, right in-front of you. 

You smiled, “It’s fun right?!” You teased, tossing your socks to the side.

Eren smiled back, “Mhm, a lot of fun.” He grabbed your ankles, making you look at his hands. His hands. They wrapped around your whole ankle. God. “I don’t know why you’re letting me do this now.” 

“Because,” I’m making the most of this, you thought. “We only have two more years. Let’s enjoy the time we have.” You responded. 

Eren nodded, “I agree.” And, he pulled you into the pool, dunking your head under the water unexpectedly. 

You popped back up, clinging onto him as you tried to breathe. Choking on the water, “Fuck! You bitch!” You coughed, secretly watching as Eren slowly freaked out. 

“Shit, I didn’t mean to–” 

You dunked him under the water, laughing loudly. He popped back up, jaw dropped. “You little– faker!” 

You giggled, “Get used to it, ‘Ren. This is how it’s going to be like everyday.”

Eren suppressed a smile, he didn’t mind that. Not one bit.

•° ✿ °•.

°•. ✿ .•°

You wrapped the towel around your body, walking out of your restroom into your room. Enjoying the way all the expensive lotions, perfumes, and conditioners felt on your body. Money did buy happiness. 

You opened your closet and your jaw dropped. It was practically another room. Littered in shoes, dresses, clothes, jewelry, and— “Lingerie?” You blinked, letting your hand grab the fabric. Soft. So this is the shit you sleep in. 

You walked back, glancing at your designer— everything. Practically everything had a expensive logo decorating its already expensive design. 

How much money does my Dad send me?!

You turned on your heel, peering at the table in the middle of the room. They were backpacks. “Which bag do I take?” You ran your fingers over a simple black backpack, looking at the logo. Gucci. 

Jesus fuck, you could be carring someones semester tuition right now. You turned your attention to the jewelry, grabbing some earrings and a matching necklace. Holding it to your skin. Were your ears pierced?.. 

You placed them back down on your vanity, looking at yourself. In fact, you looked different. Not entirely, your face was the same, it was just your body. In fact, it was your dream body. You wrapped your hands around your boobs, giving them a small squeeze. 

“Hell yeah.” You giggled to yourself. You could get used to this.

You grabbed a dress, trying to glance at the design. You didn’t like it. It was beautiful, just showed way too much skin. You weren’t used to that. You weren’t used to any of this. 

Or Eren Yeager. 

Fuck. Eren Yeager. 

You felt your stomach fly, a sappy smile coming over your lips. You were in the same house as Eren Yeager. Hell, you lived with him! Who else could say that? 

No one, but you. 

You wiggled, quickly spinning as your eyes landed on another vanity. You smiled, skipping over to it and looking at everything. 

You had a small speaker there, if you were correct— it was an Alexa. 

“Alexa?” 

The top of her lit up blue, while she replied— ���Mhm!” 

You smiled, “Play some music for me, please.”

“Of course!”

You nodded your head, moving your hips to the Doja Cat song playing. Then, moving back to your closet. Skimming your fingers through your racks of clothing. It felt like you were in a mall! 

You grabbed a lacy black bra, slipping it over your body. Along with some matching panties. Enjoying the way it complemented your body, before grabbing a light gray zip-up jacket. You kept the jacket over your shoulder, revealing your shoulders. 

Some sweats would look nice with this. You looked around, only to come to a small realization. 

“I don't have sweats!” You sighed, pouting slightly. 

You paused, looking at what was in your closet. Nothing. This style was completely out of your comfort zone. You grabbed a skirt, holding it to your hips. Discarding the jacket you were wearing. 

“Miss L/n?” You turned over your shoulder, peering at who called your name. A random old lady?..

You blinked a few times, “Yes?..” 

“Are you picking out your outfit today?” She asked kindly, her gloved hands cupping each other. 

“Uhm..” you looked around yourself, “Am I allowed too?”

She giggled, “Of course you are dear, but if you don’t mind me asking— why today? Anything planned?” 

You blinked, eyes skipping up and down her attire. A simple black dress, a small white handkerchief wrapped around her head, and some white gloves to match. If you didn’t know any better —which you didn’t— she looked like a maid. 

“None at all, just— uhm.” You looked around the room, “Looking around.” You cringed. Such a bad lie. 

She blinked at you, “You seem to be in a pleasant mood.” She walked into the closet, “How about this, you go down stairs and eat with Mr. Yeager.” She giggled, “Don’t tell him I told you this but, he requested for me to send you down.”

You felt a smile on you face. Placing your hands to your face and looking to the side, “Did he?” 

She turned back, seeing how you were smiling. “Oh, don’t tell me Miss. L/n.” She teased, placing a gloved hand above her growing smile. “You and Mr. Yeager—” 

“You don’t need to say that.” You cut her off, trying to change the subject. You could feel your heart beating quickly. The fact that you and Eren could be something was—

She grabbed the jacket on the floor, folding it into her hand. “And, I’ll pick out the outfit. Like always.” She gave you a kind smile. 

You nodded, taking a step back. She turned her back to you, searching through your clothing. “There’s another gown on your bed, if you wish to wear it.” 

You looked down, seeing you were just in your underwear. Your face burned in embarrassment, “Yes, thank you.” 

She paused, her head turning to the side. Peering over her shoulder. “Uhm, you’re welcome, dear.”

.•° ✿ °•.

°•. ✿ .•°

You turned around, doing a small spin. “I don’t know about this, it feels.. weird.” I feel weird. 

Your legs exposed with a short skirt, and your top a simple long sleeved crop top. Your shoes were some pink Nike’s that matched with your white shirt. 

Eren laughed, shaking his head. Keeping his position on the couch. “It’s what you always wear.” He told you, pulling out his phone and searching for something. 

You pouted, sitting down next to him. “Ugh, I’m going to go out and buy some sweats.” You complained, grabbing your phone and opening Amazon. Hopefully you wishlist traveled with you.

“You know what sweats are!?” He said, and by his tone you knew he wasn’t joking.  

God, alternate me sucks.

“Shut up.” You plainly said, seeing that it did. You smiled to yourself, doing something you never thought you would. 

Proceeding to checkout. 

Eren leaned on you, his head resting on your shoulder. Does he not know what personal space is?

“Is that a cosplay?” He asked, pointing to your phone. Completely oblivious to what he just laid out for you. 

You smiled, “It’s a Halloween costume..” you turned to him, “How do you know what cosplay is, ‘Ren?” 

He backed up, blinking a few times. “My ex used to do it.” You hated how fast he answered that. You didn’t know if he was lying. But, something was telling you he was. 

 I wonder what he cosplays? 

You felt your phone buzz, making you glance at it again. 

‘Daddy <;3’ 

Ugh. 

“Jean’s calling you.” Eren voiced, looking at you. “He always calls you.” 

“It’s because I’m his sugar mommy.” You said with a serious tone, not taking your eyes off your phone. 

Eren was silent. “Everything make so much more sense now.” 

You shoved him playfully, throwing your phone on the couch beside you. “Gross! I can’t believe you’d think that!” 

Eren fell to his back, resting on his forearms. “What?! You’re loaded, Y/n, you can’t blame me.” He replied, “Shit. I’d do anything to be your sugar baby.” 

You laughed loudly, “Really?” You said sarcastically, “What about?…” you looked around trying to think of something. Fucking me until I cry. “Answering any questions I have.” 

“Really? That’s it?” Eren thought you were going to make him your slave for a day. 

“What? Do you want to be my slave for a day, or something?” You tried to sound as monotone as possible. But, you could admit the idea was very exciting. 

Your anime crush, doing anything you want. 

Money does buy happiness. 

Eren smiled, “Anything for you, Y/n.” 

You shivered. 

Eren noticed. 

You turned away, hiding your burning face. Your heart was beating like crazy. I seriously need to wife Eren up. 

You sighed, blowing a piece of hair out of your face. “You’re so boring ‘Ren..” you stood up and started to walk away. Eren quickly grabbed your wrist, yanking you back into him. You hit his chest. 

“Don’t even think about it, it’s about damn time I actually talk to my roommate.” He smiled, placing his chin on your shoulder. Peering at you, “It gets so lonely here.” You never noticed how much bigger he was than you. 

In fact, was he always this touchy in the anime?

You mumbled, turning away. Trying not to show how utterly embarrassed you were by the situation the two of you were in. “Ew, get your dirty hands off me.” Keep touching me. 

“No.” Eren laughed and you could feel his chest vibrate against your back. “I don’t think I will.” 

You relaxed, giving up. “Fine.” Curse this man’s attractiveness and strength. “But, now you're not going to be my sugar baby.” 

Eren whined dramatically, “Boo, you whore.” You could feel him jolt. “Oh, are you still coming to practice with me?” Eren asked, his lips close to your neck. You shivered. He noticed again. 

“That was the plan.” You tried pushing yourself off him, but he didn’t let go. Is this how he is with everyone? 

He smiled, his teeth biting his lip for a second. Like he was excited, “I think you’re going to love it.” Eren sure did.

Actually, what the hell was ‘it?’ You don’t even know what sport Eren plays. What if he didn’t play a sport at all. What if he was in a cult? And you were just blindly saying yes?!

Actually, if Eren told me to kill myself, I’d do it.

“Will I?” 

“Nope!” He replied, finally standing up and walking to the door. Grabbing his keys and smiling at you. “Anyways, I’ll swing by the house and drive you at—“ he clicked his tongue a few times, “—3:30, that’s fine right?” 

You blinked a few times, isn’t today my free day?

Eren noticed your confused expression. “Today’s your party day,” it was almost like he was informing you something you didn’t know. Which, you didn’t. Eren was also giving you a weird look. You recognized that face, it was the one he gave you when you acted differently from your alternate self. “So, don’t go to one tonight.” 

You smiled, nodding your head. “I knew that I was just—“ you paused for a second, “—testing if you knew that.” You internally cringed. 

Eren pressed his lips together, suppressing a laugh. You’re so awkward now, he thought. “Of course.” 

You heard him leave, the door clicking shut behind him. Jesus, it was either you marry this man, or kill yourself trying to do it. 

.•° ✿ °•.

°•. ✿ .•°

You never knew driving with Eren could be a surreal experience. I mean, there was that one time you got into a car with a guy you considered— just a friend. Only to come out with your face hot and heart beating like crazy. 

Your heart decided at that moment, you didn’t see him as— just a friend. As Adrien Agreste likes to say with Marinette. 

But this, this was on another fucking level. You could feel your whole body burning. Your heart was beating out of your chest, you could hear it in your ears. 

Jesus, you couldn’t even hear the radio blasting. 

“Do you wanna’ get food after this?” He asked, seeing how tense your shoulders were. “I can pay.”

You blinked a few times, “Huh?” You thickly swallowed, “Uhm, yeah. Food sounds nice.” You simply said. 

“What do you feel like having?” Eren looked at you for a second, seeing as your eyes were trained outside the window.

“Chick-fil-A.” You responded, before quickly snapping your head to Eren. “No! I take it back.” You smiled, “I’ll buy, I know this amazing ramen place.” Eren was about to speak when you cut him off, “Think of it as my first duty as your sugar-mommy.” 

Eren laughed, eyes moving back to the road. Trying not to get too distracted by the conversation. “Can’t wait.” 

You giggled, bright eyes slowly moving away from him. Looking back outside. Counting the cars that passed by. 

Eren however, still wanted to talk. 

“Are you excited?” Eren asked, his hand moving over the wheel as he parked the car into an empty space. 

“Maybe?..” you slowly responded, trying to see where you were. The college's football stadium. Did Eren play football? Wait, how was it going to work? You couldn’t play football.. Maybe, he was going to set you up as a manager?..

Eren opened his door, and shut it behind him. You were going to do the same, when he quickly locked the car. Walking to your side, unlocking the car, and opening the door for you. 

You laughed, “Idiot.” Before stepping out, “Thank you, Eren.” You placed your hand on his shoulder, before fixing your hair. 

Eren watched as you started to walk forward, the place you touched burning. He thickly swallowed, “Uh, I—I already talked to my director about you joining, and he said it should be fine.” Eren said, trying to catch up to you. His hand placed on your waists, and leading the way. His head turned to you, “But, I’m so excited! It’s gonna’ be nice having you at practice with me.” 

You smiled, grabbing his arm and squeezing it. “It sounds nice.” You softly replied, pulling yourself away and looking back at the field. 

You could feel your heart drop. 

Oh no, not this again..

You promised to leave this very ‘sport’ back in high school. Hell, it wasn’t even a sport! It was goddamn torture, and child labor. You looked at Eren, seeing the way he was smiling at everyone. “Eren, you do?..” 

“Marching band!” Eren smiled, grabbing your hand and pulling you close. “I’m in the drumline.” He whispered, pointing at the percussionist. 

That’s actually so sexy, what the hell?

You looked at him, mouth agape. “You do marching band?!” You blinked at him. 

Wait, does that mean you get to see him in the uniform?! 

There really is a god. 

You could feel Eren’s hand squeeze around your waist for a moment, before speaking. “I’m so happy, now we can spend more time together.” He whispered. 

You could feel your lips part, your hand moving over his. Your face burning with embarrassment. “Eren?” You softly said, hand tightening around his. 

His eyes dipped down to your lip, before looking back into you. “Y/n?” He said with a slight laugh. 

Your lips parted, before closing. Tell him you like him! “Eren, I—I really li—“ 

“Y/n?” 

You flinched hearing your name. You could see Eren turn pale. His hand pulling away from you so fast, you couldn’t register it. 

You turned your head over your shoulder, confused by what— or who, would’ve caused such a reaction from Eren. 

You could feel your blood run cold. 

In front of the two of you, stood someone taller than both of you. Hands stuffed into his pockets, hair slicked back with gel, and a tight black long sleeved shirt, with gray sweatpants. His lips brought into a slight scowl. 

“What the hell are you doing here at my practice.” His eyes danced to Eren, “With him?” 

You couldn’t even register his question. The words leaving your mouth without thought. 

“Jean?” 

Your boyfriend. 

.•° ✿ °•.

°•. ✿ .•°

[fandomsandfeminism]

Ok, so, I've sat on Evangelion 3.0+1.01 Trice upon a time overnight. I think I can talk about it.

First of all, much better than 3.33. As much as I love Kaworu and would watch all the content in the world of him, 3.33 is just convoluted rather than complex and almost relentlessly pessimistic.

Second of all, it's actually like 2 movies.

The first movie is "I'm so glad that Anno got to hang out with Miyazaki and recover from his depressive episode." (And make Shin Godzilla and generally just have a good time.)

Apparently Ghibli DID come in and actually animate a lot of the village scenes, which is great. I wasn't expecting a "a simple life with community and nature is worth living, even in the face of environmental calamity" theme in Eva, but damn, it worked for me.

Then you get to the second movie, which is "and now we have to actually end Eva." And it's...a bit of a mess at times. And it's a mess because it keeps switching between the highly metaphysical, metaphorical story and a Gurren Lagann style "shouting sci fi and Bible words" rule of cool story. One where everything is very symbolic and one where trying to read symbolism into anything is a migraine.

Like-

This? I understand this. That you can't reconcile with an emotionally distant and domineering father through violence. That just becoming a mirror of the parent who hurt you doesn't end the hurt? I get this. It went full Blazing Saddles finale and I loved it.

"And now we will turn the spine of the ship into ANOTHER secret Spear of Gaius and send it into the shadow realm of all creation and the tablet of nebekenezer and goliath and the arc of adams or something!" <- what. Does. That. Mean. What does any of that mean? When this stuff happens in Gurren Lagann, I can just sit back and be like "woooooah cool." And vibe and accept that sometimes giant robots just do giant robot stuff. But 10 seconds ago, all the crazy robot stuff was like, a metaphor. And now I have no idea what any of this should mean and it might mean nothing.

I can do both, but asking me to switching between them over and over what making me feel like I had simultaneously done too many drugs and not enough drugs.

As a side note- it's hilarious to me that in some ways this movie did the best job with the female characters of any Eva property. Asuka and Mari getting the best action scenes, and "Miss Lookalikes" farm arc? So good. But on the other hand, they made the ENTIRE CREW wear the fucking plug suits? And all the shots that are just right between their Betty Spaghetty thigh gaps? Pffffft.

[nk-rinji]

[FFXIVWrite] Stamp

It was the end of spring when her peace was disturbed.

It wasn't anything out of the ordinary, at first — she has arrived back to Ishgard, same as what she does now and again. She was on her way to greet the Knights in the barracks, before passing through the Brume to just give her monthly check-in that she is alive and well. However, she was stopped by a very hurried courier.

She was, apparently, anticipated. Someone paid a handsome sum of money to seek her out the moment anyone catches wind of her presence in the city. Rinji's puzzled look betrayed her mind - who needs something from her this badly? It never ends well. And in a way, it still didn't.

She was handed a rather large, elongated package, with a neatly folded letter attached to the wrapping. On it, her name was written — Ser Rinji Teweront. Rinji glared at the writing, for so long that the courier started feeling rather awkward about asking for his fee. Her confusion quickly turned into anger, as she almost wanted to slam this package back at the courier — for it wasn't just the fact that name signed was one of the deepest insults one could do to her — no, in addition to that, she recognized the handwriting.

Still, the poor worker had to be paid his due, and so he was. Leaving Rinji in a hurry, the latter was left with a package and a mail, neither of which she wanted to open. Still, she hurried into her private chambers, skipping the hello's and how are you's, tearing apart the wrapping, and being absolutely dumbfounded upon seeing its contents.

Two beautiful swords looked at her back. Their pristine steel looked at her, mirroring her confused eyes, their edges becoming jagged with a slight curve in the middle to catch others' blades. The hilts were thin and long enough, with a beautiful red gem adorned into each of them — Rinji looked upon the blade upon her side, where the very same gem rested upon it. A spell focus. She began frantically prying the letter open.

It's not like the blades weren't good — in fact, they were tailor made for her. But that in itself is the problem — who made these? Why do they know about her combat style so much? What do they want from her in return? Unfortunately, she finds rather disappointing answers to it all.

"To my dear sister," began the letter, as Rinji could feel her heart sink. "…I must, first things first, apologise for how you will find this letter. Understand that I remember your adamant requests, but understand that your name should also be found across the many people of Ishgard — and knowing your rare visits, I must ensure that I narrow the search as much as possible.

I suppose I should preface it with the fact that our father has finally succumbed to his wounds. Earlier than predicted, yes, but I don't think he was properly living his last year anyway. I would have invited you to his funeral, but I'm fairly sure you'd refuse. It was hard being there completely alone, though. It is my deepest woe that you could never resolve your conflict even as he laid on his deathbed. However, what's done is done, and now I am a Lord in full capacity."

"You may remember the room of our late mother. I could never have found any use for it, and so I ended up selling all of it. Please continue reading before you get angry again. You have not taken even a single thing to honor her memory. And so, with the gil I got from selling Mother's belongings, I got you something that won't have her tainted spirit on it."

Rinji looked upon the blades with a new sense of horror within her, before she continued reading.

"It was tough getting you something you don't already have. I had to ask around the Knights that served with you. Most are reluctant to even speak to me. Just what do you tell them about me, Rinji? Either way, I learned that you still know your spears, you still know how to cast spells and, of course, that swordsmanship is still your primary way of fighting."

"So I set out to do something that will represent our ever benevolent Mother — something that combined all of it, all of that which has been given to you through her kindness, into a weapon. I came upon a smith, who gave me a brilliant idea. These blades' design is native originally to Tural, believe it or not. They can shift between being separate weapons or becoming a twinblade — a sort of polearm. But do touch the metal — you will notice what's different about it."

She instinctively touches the blades, and she immediately knows — the flow of aether, suddenly so light and tantalising, focuses itself within the metal, begging to be used. Rinji gasped quietly — aether-conductive steel.

"It took almost a fortune to craft these. Now, my House has to count every penny with our current situation, but I was determined to save all of these funds, as Mother would have wanted something to give you from us. I know you hold no love for our family, but I still believe it's not too late yet to change it — especially since it's only me and you now."

"Which is why I'm still offering you again — please come to me and let's talk. We can reinstate you as a member of our House again. We can rebuild our home again. We can still be a brother and sister. I need you."

"But until then, carry these for me. For all of us. Let them be a mark of our repairing friendship."

"Your ever Faithful brother,

Lord Leon Teweront."

Rinji stared first at the letter, then at the blades. Inside her, there was a storm of thoughts. Does she accept it? She doesn't want to — these are made as a token from a family she doesn't want to do anything with. Her brother made these as a gesture from their late Mother, even though the latter is four years into the grave. Rinji feels disgusted at the mere thought of forgiving the woman — for throwing her out when she did, for all the humiliation she caused her, and for ever being at her Father's side.

But still… She feels reluctant to let go of these blades. She can tell the craftsmanship behind them. And the fact that it's such a versatile weapon is alluring, too. And with all that said, she does feel the sting of guilt for throwing away such a gift when she knows what it cost Leon to make these. She knows it wasn't easy for him to let go of that money, with the awful state of their ruined House. And she knows how much it would hurt him to discard it.

Still… Is accepting these worth it? Would it prove, in Leon's mind, that she wants to maintain a relationship with him? Does she want others to know? She has gone through such pains to distance herself from her family — does she really want to make all that work go to waste?

Rinji looked into the mirror out of habit. Her face was, unsurprisingly, quite distressed. She adjusts her loose hair, to not get into her eyes, and looks at their length. They have grown out quite a bit, haven't they? Normally, she would have never allowed this. The mere thought of being Alyssa again struck fear into her. And yet… Ever since she decided to try not cutting it, it felt somewhat freeing. She is who she is, and she's still nothing that father wanted her to be.

She looked at the blades and raised one of them to inspect it. That is when she noticed a small engraving upon one of the hilts:

"To a Faithful Knight, to a Loyal Soldier, and to my Dear Sister."

Rinji frowned. She took a few of her cloth straps, and wrapped it around both of the blades. Yes, now she can truly wield them with pride.

[swampsiren-piratefairy]

2023 Reading

I read a lot apparently! Below are my thoughts on the stories I've read so far this year. Also, if you’ve read a book and absolutely loved it, pitch it in the comments! Tell me why I should read it!

January

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep by Phillip K. Dick (4/5 stars)

This was a short read and overall I thought it was good. I thought the way the "andys" were characterized was particularly interesting. I think the book, despite being so short, was a filled with ideas and world building and what struck me is that those things didn't make the world feel more real. It felt as though those pieces of world-building served more to characterize our protagonists by way of their reaction to those ideas/religion/machines rather than serving to flesh out the world itself? Which is not necessarily bad, but idk, I guess I just wish the world felt more real or made a bit more sense to me.

The Mist in the Mirror by Susan Hill (3/5 stars)

I don't have a lot to say about this one. It was fine. Susan Hill is pretty good at atmosphere. I found the ending unsatisfying.

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott (3.5/5 stars)

This one was also fine. And I know it's nit-picky but I cannot get over the mother letting Beth's pet bird die in order to make a point about the importance of doing chores? Beth is a child and the bird didn't need to starve to death. Fuck you, Marmee.

Midnight Sun by Stephanie Meyer (5/5 stars)

Look, you have to already like Twilight to like this book. If you don't like Twilight or have never read it, then this book will not be enjoyable. If, however, you have read and enjoyed the Twilight series, then this book is great! You get insight into the world of Twilight, of Edward's character, of his family's thoughts and how they interact, and a look at his dark years of human hunting.

February

Twilight by Stephanie Meyer (5/5 stars)

I love this book. I love the drama, the devotion, the camp, the characters. I cannot judge this book objectively, therefore 5 stars. I reread it in honor of my upcoming vacation to the Forever Twilight in Forks festival and I'm so glad I did!

The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories by Angela Carter (4/5 stars)

This is a collection of short stories. Each is a re-imagining of a fairy tale/legend. There was a lot of dark, feminine energy to these stories which I enjoyed. I would caution anyone who want to read the stories to first look up trigger warnings on storygraph, as the tales do get quite dark and gruesome at times.

The Blazing World by Margret Cavendish (3/5 stars)

This is a work of utopian science fiction written in 1666. It's short and not terribly interesting as a story but incredibly interesting as an early work of science fiction by a woman. Would recommend if you're interested in the history of genre fiction.

Beloved by Toni Morrison (3.5/5 stars)

This one was tough. The characters were brutal, their situations were brutal, and it was hard to read about. I did, however, like the narrative style and think it is an important work of fiction. I don't think it should be classified as a ghost story, as it often is.

The Bell Jar by Silvia Plath (4/5 stars)

This was a good book and a realistic depiction of what mental illness can look like. It was very much a downer though, especially with what we know about the author's life.

"A Good Man is Hard to Find" by Flannery O'Connor (undecided)

This is a short story. It does a good job of telling a story and allowing you to know the characters despite how short it is. I'm not sure how to rate is as I'm sure if I really "get" it.

Heretics of Dune by Frank Herbert (1/5 stars)

My gosh! I hated reading this. I didn't care for God Emperor of Dune either but I felt I'd read so much of the series that I might as well finish it out, after all there was only two more books to go. Well. I won't be finishing it out. I finished this book but I will not be reading Chapterhouse: Dune. I'm so over the weird pedophilia that just gets more prominent with each Dune book. And one of the greatest things about Dune is the worldbuilding, but so much time has passed between the first book and this one that we are no longer in the same world. I cared about that world from the first couple books, but this one? I don't care anymore. I don't care about the characters either.

Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit by Jeanette Winterson (3.5/5 stars)

This was a good coming of age story, although, to my relief, not very relatable. I found the story compelling but didn't care for the time jumps. I learned that it is partly autobiographical, which makes certain parts of the story make more sense.

The Vegetarian by Han Kang (3.5/5 stars)

This was alright. I get the appeal. It was distressing to read at times.

Vicky Angel by Jacqueline Wilson (2/5 stars)

Look, I just didn't like the book. I understand it's an exploration of childhood grief written for children and so I am certainly not the intended audience, but still, this was just not good. And the ending? Ugh.

March

Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf (3/5 stars)

This is a stream of consciousness story with a few time jumps back and forth. I liked reading some parts, others not so much. It can get a bit dull at times. Iconic last lines.

The Complete Tales of Peter Rabbit and Friends by Beatrix Potter (3/5 stars)

As with many collections, there are some stories I enjoyed and some I did not. A couple that I thought I would not want read to any children in my life, which surprised me because these are such beloved stories.

The Word for World is Forest by Ursula K. Le Guin (4/5 stars)

Enjoyable but not my favorite. Not something I would revisit I think. Lots of themes here about colonization, military, environmentalism, etc. A bit heavy handed, but that doesn't really bother me when I agree with the message being set forth.

April

nothing. no books here. I read part of Kindred during this month but didn't finish it until early May.

May

Kindred by Octavia E. Butler (4/5 stars)

I've always meant to read Octavia Butler's books but I'm not sure this was the best one to start with. Nevertheless, it was good.

A Closed and Common Orbit by Becky Chambers (4/5 stars)

I liked this one much better than the first book in the series, The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet. It did drag on a bit at times. I also feel like a lot of the tension could have been resolved quickly by characters just talking to each other which drove me nuts.

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne (3/5 stars)

It's not that this isn't a good book or an interesting work of early science fiction, it just dragged. I was so bored at times. This book took me so long to finish.

A Murder Is Announced by Agatha Christie (4.5/5 stars)

I can't quite bring myself to give this 5 stars. It was good though. As is always the case with Agatha Christie books, I did not guess the conclusion but feel as though I could have. Like there were probably enough hints, I just didn't pick up on them.

June

We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson (5/5 stars)

This was a very good read. Great atmosphere. I liked the way things were revealed. If you like a gothic tale or any of Shirley Jackson's other works, then certainly give this one a go.

I watched the movie in October and it was pretty faithful, as far as adaptations go. I did prefer the book.

August

New Moon by Stephanie Meyer (4/5 stars)

Look, is it as good as Twilight? No, but I still like it. I care about the characters and this book offered fun new additions to the world that Twilight introduced.

Eclipse by Stephanie Meyer (4/5 stars)

Second verse, same as the first.

The Knight, the Fool, and the Dead: Time Lord Victorious by Steve Cole (3/5 stars)

This was much shorter than I expected and ended in the middle of the story, which I didn't realize going in. It was fine. It's my first Doctor Who book and I didn't love it, which I am disappointed about.

The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner by Stephanie Meyer (3.5/5 stars)

I do like this book, but it's not my favorite. I particularly liked the character of Freaky Fred and I'm glad I reread this book so that I could be reminded of him.

A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare (4/5 stars)

I watched a play adaptation as I read along, which I find really useful for me when reading Shakespeare. I have trouble imagining how the characters say a line, what they would be doing as they say it, etc. so watching helps me contextualize. I liked it. I thought it was funny. It wasn't perfect and I didn't love the wrap up but, overall, it was enjoyable.

The Merchant of Venice by Shakespeare (2/5 stars)

I listened to the audio book rather than reading the play. I did not care for it. I thought the ending was fascinating but other than that, this was just not my cup of tea.

All Flesh is Grass: Time Lord Victorious by Una McCormack (3/5 stars)

This one was slightly better than the previous Doctor Who book, but I still didn't really care for it. It's hard to put my finger exactly on why though.

Breaking Dawn by Stephanie Meyer (3.5/5 stars)

It pains me to give such a low rating to a book in a series I love so much, but this book is just not as good as the others. I still like it okay, but not like I love the others. Maybe she can redeem it in the next book. (That's right. I'm still holding out hope that we'll get another and it'll fix the bits I don't like about this one.)

September

The Body in the Library by Agatha Christie (4/5 stars)

I thought this one was quite good. I am bummed, as always, that I couldn't guess the killer.

Gigi and The Cat by Colette (3/5 stars)

This is actually two separate stories. I preferred Gigi I think, but both were solidly 3 stars. The most interesting thing was the little biography about Colette at the beginning of the book.

Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare (4/5 stars)

This one was enjoyable. Again, I did a read-along as I watched the play performed. It had some fantastic lines.

Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn (3/5 stars)

Look up trigger warnings about this one before you read. The book was just okay. I guessed the ending pretty early on, which I've been led to understand is not usual for this book. I think is probably the mark of a good thriller writer if most people won't guess the ending/twist/killer/etc but you've included enough clues so that a small subset of the audience will. But it didn't make for a particularly interesting read if you're in the subset that picked up on the clues early. I also was very interested to see how the writer handled the issue of self-harm in the book. Still not sure how I feel about it.

October

Hallowe'en Party by Agatha Christie (3/5 stars)

I didn't enjoy this one quite as much as I enjoyed the last Chrisie book I read, but it was okay I think. I read it because I wanted to watch the movie coming out, and I think murder mysteries are so much more interesting in book form.

Watched the movie and decided there’s no way this should be considered an adaptation of the book. A couple of names remain the same but the characters, their relationships, and the murders are so wildly different than they are in the book that I don’t even see the point of using the same names.

Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir (4/5 stars)

I liked it overall. I liked the characters. I think a little more development of our main two would have been nice. Controversial, but I did NOT like the meme references. Why would Harrow know the “studied the blade” joke? Also, why does Harrow know what a Cuckoo is? And apparently they’re all speaking English 10,000 years in the future because otherwise Gideon’s Sex Pal joke wouldn’t work. The ending made me sad.

Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir (3/5 stars)

I liked the story overall and I think the AUs were fun, but I think they took up way too much of the book. I especially liked getting to see Gideon again and to hear her thoughts about what’s going on.

Nona the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir (3/5 stars)

Maybe this one’s on me, but I can’t figure out where the conversation with Jod is happening? It takes up half the book and I don’t understand it at all. It just feels like exposition dump. I’m really hoping I like the next one better.

Fingersmith by Sarah Waters (3/5 stars)

This isn’t a bad book, but it’s not really to my tastes. It’s a period drama and sapphic.

The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison (5/5 stars)

I’ve read this one before and it’s a favorite of mine. It’s slow moving and, when I first read it, was such a relieving break from all the grimdark fantasies that were everywhereeeee at the time. (This book came out when Game of Thrones was at its height in popularity.) this book is just nice and so is Maia.

All Systems Red by Martha Wells (5/5 stars)

I enjoyed this book. So much so, that I read the rest of the series and then immediately went back to reread it again. I like murderbot. I also want to face the wall in a corner when people try to ask me about my feelings.

Artificial Condition by Martha Wells (4/5 stars)

This one might be my least favorite of the murderbot diaries, but I still like it. (That being said, I think I’ll grow to like it more in time. After all, we get the foundation of MB and ARTs relationship.) It introduces ART, gives us more context for MB’s past, and allows for MB’s sense of self to develop. By the end, we (and it) have a much better understanding of how it feels about humans and what lengths it’s willing to go to. The book also gives much needed explanation about how MB manages to blend in and operate. So all in all, I like it but feel like it’s mostly just filling in gaps.

Rogue Protocol by Martha Wells (4/5 stars)

Another good one! Really challenging how MB views human/bot relationships. MB is such a funny narrator, it spends so much time being like “I don’t care” and then proceeds to care So Much. Also Miki <3

Exit Strategy by Martha Wells (5/5 stars)

Wooo!! The gang is back (partly). MB must face those it’s run away from! Weapons and hacking and emotional stand offs! What more could you want?

Network Effect by Martha Wells (5/5 stars)

This one might be my favorite. I really liked it. I love when a character goes feral because their friend is dead/in danger and this book does it TWICE. It’s so good!

Fugitive Telemetry by Martha Wells (4/5 stars)

This one is another gap filling book. It lets us see what MB got up to while on Preservation. Which, if you’re really interested in the character (which I am) then it’s a good read! Also we got to see Gurathin and Ratthi again and I love them both.

[fighting-these-demons]

Episode 9

Trying to get the last of these in before my sub craps out

Well dang IvySoulCalibur didn't expect that I guess.

He said dude you suck get over it lmao.

Darkness of immeasurable depths. Yeah he's been going through it. 😭💔💖

BODY TAKEN OVER?!?!?!?!??!?!?!?!

YOU MEAN TO TWLL ME BIG RED HAS BEEN TRYING TO LITERALLY BODY SNATCH THIS ENTIRE TIME?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

WHAT THE FUCK???????????

Please say psych

Or at least have a very good way to spin this

I really do love the OP. It's Fantastic and I appreciate it more as I go on.

How is she getting these pictures? He has to be consenting to some of them they way they're framed.

😬🥺

He hasn't been to school in days.

Damn they really did abandon him and bead him for real I thought it was a plot since they played dirty before.

Well I'm glad Matakara came home. I feel awful for Blondie and Teal Terror but Teal Terror has the sense to just be thankful he's back and to ask/demand/plead for him to come back to school while putting a hand on Blondie's shoulder to comfort him.

Girl iis now REALLY the time for a Cat Cafe scene?????? Ain't you just gonna give us nothing? The timing here is Way Off.

Dang. As soon as I typed that it got good. I know it's bullshit that won't go anywhere but DAMN DO I WANT THEM TO DATE SO BAD

Augh!!!! 😭💔 Cat Guy you're dating the Cute Teacher IN MY HEART OK??? 💖

Arajin you're so full of shit. 😂

That or his mom did it on purpose.

Arajin is like "Well Damn. He's usually excited to talk to to and when I might be hanging around..." but like THE ONLY THING Matakara could have wanted to hear was an apology or plea for forgiveness probably. (Since the darkness is eating at him and also because most normal people would want that too)

WHOEVER WAS IN CHARGE OF ANIMATING BLONDIE FOR THIS SCENE NEEDS A RAISE AND A PROMOTION

AND ANOTHER RAISE

Ah nvm. Got too goofy with it rip.

AUGH TEAL TERROR 💔💔💔😭😭😭😭😭

Lmao Blondie! 😂💖

Aw they're bonding. He's probably miserable though. Can't believe she cornered him with tea.

BITCH WHAT?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!? 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

OH MAN

BITCH YOU DIDNT COVER THE EVIDENCE????? HAVE YOU BEEN CAUGHT WITH IT BEFORE????????????

WAIT IS THAT HIS ROOM????????????

HE HAS A DOLL OF HIMSELF?????????

Wait did Matakara's brother actually die?!?!?!?!

And blondie said Cheer Up earlier?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

Blondie why?????????

BITCH FOR REAL??? YOU TOOK THE TIME TO HIDE

How did he not find her?

Did she hide in the alligator and Slick just decided to cover for her to focus on his point in the conversation????

I can't tell if that his ass of his knee. That frame could be very suggestive depending.

She crawled out and he covered for her apparently.

HE WAS SLEEPING IN THE TEMPLE IN THE OP I KNEW IT I FUCKING KNEW IT

Aaaaaaaawwwww!!!! Him and Teal Terror and Blondie becoming friends! 💖 Would have loved that flashback earlier but I'll hake it now.

I cannot fucking believe he's dead like. The way they chose to do it is insane.

You tell him girl!

Ishiya is really drilling into him. I guess he's gonna break because of story trajectory.

👁👁

Well. THAT is certainly the way to prey upon him!

He's weak to that!

I can't tell if he's always been perceptive or if they can naturally read minds/hearts and only ask questions as rhetoricals to help their companions figure out their feelings?

FINALLY THE BACKSTORY IVE WAITED THE ENTIRE SEASON FOR

Love that they're opposite aesthetics but mirror fighting styles.

Ishiya has more of that cool boy look as a kid and grows up to have more cold/coy and feminine features - like Arajin.

While Senya had precious baby features and grew into a masculine brick shithouse with a kind face - like Matakara.

It also lends to how Ishiya can convince Matakara so quickly/easily and how Senya is the only one that can seem to guilt and convince Arajin after extended debate.

Their dynamic as kids was the same too that's so cute!!!

They're also so Jin and Touya coded as kids it's so silly.

Love their outfit changes as time goes on.

They looked like they were so in live as Teens.

HE GAVE SENYA HIS NAME?!?!?!?!?!

Also did I hear the word for In Love With? I swear I did.

I feel like if they were going to replace it with "He meant absolutely everything to me."

Knowing they have a 2 line limit they could have also had "He was the love of my life."

Also watching Ishiyas outfit show more skin and more tit as time went on is hilarious he's BEGGING Senya to touch him. And I thought the necklace halter was A Lot I forgot How Much his current gravity defying bustier is lmao.

Senya was clearly obsessed with him could he not have just asked?!?!?!?!?! 😂

Not that I mind at all when the End Result is his current outfit in all of its perfection! 💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖

BUT THEN WHAT?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

I know it'll be revealed but I'm still mad. :P

Augh at least he's honest.

He loves how much of Ishiya he sees in Arajin. How precious! 💖

Senya is so fucking cute Jesus I love him.

(Everyone in this show sucks to some extent but like. I love Senya and Matakara so much.)

YES BABE SHOW US THAT NEW MISPLACED DEVOTION AND BEAT HIS ASS!!!!!!!! HE DESERVES AT LEAST 1/4 OF IT LETS GO!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh shit dude. Lol literally.

I winder if that was feelings nerves because of the "Don't run away." Or fear nerves at Absolute Brick Shithouse Matakara walking at him with Ill intent.

Poor Matakara is so fucking broken up about being forced to do this augh!!! 😭😭😭😭💔💔💔💔

What a great guy! 🥺😭 God he's so upset!

Well. A half warning is better than no warning I guess.

And at least Arajinw ill learn about the body snatching from someone even if it isn't Senya.

God fuck Ishiya.

Wait is MATAKARA'S mark on the side of his ass cheek like a My Little Pony Cutie Mark?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

Absolutely insane

Dang. I'll always prefer his sweet look but his broken anger look is 😘👌

Her ending clips with Matakara and Senya are the best ones hands down in the OP.

[pb-dot]

Film Friday: In The Mouth of Madness

Another day, another apocalyptic John Carpenter flick. Today, the one on the docket is In The Mouth Of Madness. Initially I thought this one was rather loose as far as inspirations go, but upon doing a rewatch to make sure I'm not talking out of my ass, I found a lot of parallells between Madness and His Impossible Brushstrokes that are fun to think about. Good thing too, because it's officially moved into my brain and is living rent free in my thinky parts. Anyway, on with the show

In The Mouth of Madness came out in 1994 and follows John Trent, as played by Sam Neill. Trent is an insurance fraud investigator, and his most recent case, a publisher claiming that they have straight up lost their star author, Jürgen Prochnow as the enigmatic Sutter Cane, takes Trent to the small town where Cane's books are set, Hobb's End. There is only one problem, Hobb's End is fictional, extant only in Cane's books, and yet, here it is, and its inhabitants all seem to hide their own bloody secrets, in addition to whatever otherworldly force works towards apocalypse around the edges.

Madness is very much a lovecraftian sort of thing. This is both in that there is talk of Old Gods and entities and/or deities that share more in common with cuttlefish than humans working behind the scene, but also in the sense that knowledge can be dangerous, that ignorance is a comfort and a shield for ones sanity. It's a bleak outlook of the world that in lovecraft's days probably evoked anxieties about the limits of modernism and scientific positivism (and Lovecraft's thoroughly documented racism lest we forget.) In the 90's edition, then, it makes sense that Carpenter modernizes the questions in play and keeps the explorations of anxiety but sets his sights on the postmodern.

Trent is, it could be argued, a professional man of reason, perhaps even of truth. His cynicism towards life and disdain for his fellow man marks him as an intellectual of his age as surely as a doctorate would in Lovecraft's day. What can I say, it was the 90's. There's some dark humor to his journey into the impossible because it's a humbling of a supposedly wise character, as horror stories involving sceptics usually are, but I think you can also read something rather presciently wise in this, in that the movie arguably is more about putting up a mirror towards Trent than it is humbling him.

That mirror, of course, is Cane. As dark reflections are want to do, he does more than show Trent in that he amplifies his worst aspects. Cane isn't a cynic or a misanthrope, but something past that. Not only does people not inherently matter, the reality they can more or less agree on do not matter because it is pliable by their similarly meaningless wims. I'd call him a nihilist, but it's more like the super-amplified version of nihilism that people were worried about back in the day. Whatever you call him, Cane is just the worst, and that's before you even start looking into how his writing somehow makes every part of his twisted imagination real, like a cross between Mad Jim Jaspers and a Televangelist. He's distant, myopic, and despite his enlightenedly disconnect from the world, he is unbearably smug about it. In many ways, he's all the worst parts of the 90's that don't involve crashing the comics market.

Anyway, not to bloviate any further on the kind of generational grousing that starts to arrive as the decades of more or less conscious thought starts piling up. The horror in Madness is very 90's carpenter, in that it uses both buildup and some decently grody practical effects, although there's probably more of the Prince Of Darkness style unexpected jumpscares than the masterful tension and FX work of The Thing. There are some profoundly impactful scenes, though, like an early sequence that has Trent discussing business, wholy unaware of danger as a man with an axe approaches him with apparent murderous intent, or a car journey in the darkness that passes a child rapidly aging, or perhaps appearing on different points in his life-long journey as he rides his bicycle through the night.

Now, as to the things in this movie that has inspired His Impossible Brushstrokes, turns out there's a lot. Brushstrokes can be argued to be a modern retelling of Madness, in fact. We have this "smart but kind of an asshole"-characters (Trent/Oscar Skerry) who goes searching for an artist whose works seem to have an odd effect on people (Cane/Tomasz Gildebrant) aided on his journey by an emphatic talented woman (Linda Styles as played by Julie Carmen/Mara.) The main differences seem to be that while Linda is a very 90's "independent business woman who needs no man" character and Mara is more of an open relationship maven gleefully independent from both steady relationships and gainful employment, and the fact that Trent and Cane does not fall in (some sort of) love. In many ways, act 2 and 3 of Brushstrokes is inspired by some of my disappointment of how there just isn't all that much to Cane once we finally get to meet him, and me working in some thoughts about work vs artist and parasocial relationship vs regular relationship in there while I was at it.

There's a lot more to Madness that I haven't gotten around to talking in this one. There's some very House Of Leaves metafiction going on here, and it does Little Town What Obviously Has Something Wrong With It very well. If any of this seems interesting to you, maybe check it out if the fancy should strike you.

[faery-snow]

I posted 1,354 times in 2022

That's 1 more post than 2021!

13 posts created (1%)

1,341 posts reblogged (99%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@accio-victuuri

@rainbowsky

@starsxinxthexbluexsky

@wwx-lwj-ai-ni

@theusernameiwantedwastakenlol

I tagged 1,341 of my posts in 2022

Only 1% of my posts had no tags

#the untamed - 463 posts

#cql - 249 posts

#wangxian - 241 posts

#yizhan - 203 posts

#mdzs - 195 posts

#xiao zhan - 184 posts

#wang yibo - 166 posts

#lol - 106 posts

#beautiful - 78 posts

#cql cast - 72 posts

Longest Tag: 139 characters

#pretty sure it was yibo since in a post-filming cql promo interview xiao zhan was asked if anything good had happened to him bc of the role

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

It's from the show couple of mirrors and it's a wlw show! It's really cool! You can find it on youtube under 'couple of mirrors'.

I HAVE JUST FINISHED IT AND IT’S AMAZING!!!!

Republican-era China: 1930s style and swag and even some boogying. It starts out looking like it’s going to be a family drama, but quickly gains murderous edges. O_O

It covers emotional abuse and gaslighting. It shows a woman who sticks to her convictions even when the world is against her. It shows a world where children belong to the one who births them. It has epic 1930s spy movie vibes.And yes, the lesbians both get a happy ending.

It’s on Youtube and Amazon Prime. It is a must-see.

Thank you so much for telling me about this, anon. You are a star <3

3 notes - Posted March 8, 2022

#4

Being in the MDZS fandom means 🌄 morning sex and 🪦 mourning sex are both viable tags and you'll never know if the author mistyped until you read the fic

6 notes - Posted October 20, 2022

#3

Best Independent News re: China

Guys, I love the news site What's On Weibo. I use it to keep up with the larger mind of Chinese society and where it's at. How they feel about their government's handling of "Zero Covid" lockdowns. The events in Tangshan where several women were beaten by men in a restaurant, and how netizens reacted. What shows and movies are big hits right now.

Everything from the heavy to the light, current news to social movements to entertainment.

I particularly like that their articles are about the people, not the government. You get the broader view, seeing how the people aren't a homogenous group agreeing with the PRC, but rather a patchwork of many beliefs and views and thoughts and voices.

I highly recommend What's On Weibo to other international fans of Chinese culture, entertainment, etc.. They're one of my favorite independent news orgs that has reliable info about China, and which lacks the typical Western bias against all things Chinese.

Personally, I'm a very satisfied reader. They're currently free of outside influence--no political or commercial groups funding them, no larger news org controlling them. They're looking for independent funding from readers so they can continue in that vein.

Anyone interested in supporting independent coverage of China, look no further :)

7 notes - Posted October 5, 2022

#2

The "cool girl" Liu Yuxin

I emerged from a haze of doctors' appointments (seeing medical specialists every 5.3 days for the last 2 months and yes I looked at my calendar and then used a calculator to figure that out STOP LOOKING AT ME LIKE THAT)--to watch the first episode of SDC season 5!

I'm using the method of watching the non-subbed full episode and the subbed talking-only bits simultaneously, switching back and forth between them on my computer. Which sucks, yes, but the Youku app didn't work for me. The talking-only portion isn't actually all of the talking, which sucks further. I'll rewatch when the full subbed episode is available.

I cracked up when Liu Yuxin talked about being apparently "cold" and unreactive.

Just like Yibo has been accused of in the past, lol! A bland smile, or no expression at all, that's her default. She's very calm and level about things. I like that about her a lot.

Of course, being told you're not emotive lands very differently for a woman* than for a man. Luckily, they don't make a big/gendered deal of it, just some light ribbing from the interviewer/editing team--no different than we've seen Yibo get for his same lack of effusion.

*I'm using woman and she/her for her because that's what she goes by in entertainment circles. In her personal life, she may be an androgynous woman or she may identify as nonbinary, I don't know. But that's the thing: I don't know. I don't want to make assumptions of queerness (although maybe we ought, since we make assumptions of straightness and cisness all the time).

Just like Yibo, of course, she has her moments of surprising emotion. When she sees a particularly awesome move, for example. She's very cool and I'm a little in love with her.

See the full post

15 notes - Posted September 23, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

WWX: I have this idea--

LWJ: That is the stupidest idea I have heard.

LWJ: I will come with you.

-later-

LWJ: I feel like I am doing something dumb by being here.

WWX: Then why are you still here?

LWJ: I did not say I minded.

WWX, having a revelation: I'm dumb, do me.

*stupid idea promptly abandoned*

51 notes - Posted April 28, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[allisonlol]

Hi how are you? First I wanna tell you that your writing is amazing and I really enjoy reading you work. Keep up with it💕

So... can request headcanons (or drabble, whatever you prefer) where the reader asks Nikolai gogol (they're dating) to cut her hair? I think his reaction would be funny cause he seems to care deeply about his hair...

Tysm and also, no pressure!💕💕

a/n: i'm doin pretty good, thank you sm :D this is such a cute req i added some others as well if that's alr <3 it's fitting since yesterday i literally chopped off all my hair lmao, i feel like nanno now hehe

warnings: implied fem reader, no specific hair type or length mentioned

(Nikolai, Dazai, Chuuya) When Their S/O Asks Them to Cut Her Hair

Nikolai

i can't decide if this is a good decision or a disastrous one

granted he does have pretty hair and seems to take good care of it himself but...

i just think that nikolai + a pair of scissors + your hair = a possible disaster

but you were willing to give it a try, apparently

when you told nikolai that you wanted him to cut your hair, his face lit up immediately

throws you into a chair and pulls all the stuff he needs out of his overcoat??

you're starting to have second thoughts that this MIGHT not be the best idea when he literally grabs a chunk of your hair and just...cuts it off

too late to stop now huh 0-0

mf also doesn't let you look in a mirror until the very end?? so ur anxiety was skyrocketing while he does who knows what to your hair

teases you at the end and won't flip the mirror around for you to see so you YANK it out of his hands

but?? you're shocked to see it actually looks?? really good??

bro even styled it for you like damn! nikolai why are you busy being a terrorist when you could be a hairstylist instead!

& depending on the length you wanted it he may have given you a little matching braid like his <3

Dazai

um so we all know how i feel about him

and i'm sorry but there's no way this is turning out the way you wanted it. like why would you even let this man bring scissors near your hair

you'd wanted to change your hair pretty drastically and figured hell, why not ask your bf so you can save money instead of going to a stylist

and sure it's a great idea on the surface, but this is dazai we're talking about

ofc he's all excited about it. won't shut up about how he's going to make you look "better than ever before" ??

dazai's like "i do my own hair so, as you can see, you can trust me" mf all i see is ur goofy ass uneven haircut but ok

another one who won't let you look into the mirror until he's finished

does it in like 10 minutes too?? and that's when you KNOW something's gonna be very wrong

spins your chair around to face the mirror and you're fr flabbergasted. like >:0

pls you jump up from the chair and are ready to start throwing punches ngl!!

let's just say you lost more money afterwards trying to get it fixed than if you'd went to the hairdresser in the first place

Chuuya

aah. my beloved <3

so. you either hate or you love chuuya's hairstyle and i'm one of the mfs that loves it (it is very gorgeous to me??)

n i already know y'all are gonna be like "how ru gonna say dazai's hair is bad but like chuuya's" it's an acquired taste alright

some may call it BAD taste but i think this man knows what he's doing when it comes to hairstyling. not as good as nikolai, but you can trust him whenever you wanna change things up

i feel like he's definitely nervous about it tho :') like he's just so worried he'll mess it up & you'll be mad lmao

hit him with the "so you can't do it? alr i'll ask someone else" and BAM he's shoving you down in a chair & asking what you want done with ur hair

works every time

is overly cautious. sits you right in front of a mirror and fr asks "is this ok" before cutting each section?? ur just like "yes sweetie, for the third time that's fine" :')

chuuya just wants you to be happy okay

the end result is no surprise since he basically walked you thru the whole thing but, i'll have you know it looked great <3

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