#i guess i have to actually learn them if i want to learn german

[lina-langs]

kleinstadt, kleinköpfe

Ein Kleinstadt mit kleinen Köpfe die Jungen mögen die Mädchen und die Mädchen mögen die Jungen. Ich liebe ihn und nicht sie.

[always-a-slut-4-ghouls]

Why are the Romance languages so much more fun to yell at people with? By comparison Norwegian and English are so clunky Spanish just flows. Maybe I’ll change my mind when I get better at the other two (I phrased this awkwardly. I meant Spanish and Norwegian when I said “other two” because Spanish is my, admittedly not fluent anymore, Second language and Norwegian is my, also not fluent yet but I have more of an excuse with that one, language) but in my experience so far one definitely feels more bulky, if that makes any sense?

[babygirl-riley]

The Riley’s

You surprise a new Riley in the family.

“He’s a four legged tracking machine.”

simon x reader guide

simon x reader family edition

Warnings: swearing and fluff

You couldn’t resist, you were alone for two months now. Which is pretty normal for how Simon’s job is. So you went to a couple of shelters, animal shelters. Originally it was to check out what type of dogs were out there. Simon and you talked about it before, that if there was a dog present that it would not be some small yappy one.

Simon hated the small dogs, thought they were to tiny and he could squash them by accident when walking around. Which was fair, he was a large man in stature. So just looking for ideas wasn’t suppose to have the end goal you got.

It was a loud shelter many dogs barking and howling. It broke your heart to see them, some were cowering in the corner others up against the fence. You would look at the names Sparky, Jack, Velma, Cupcake. Really odd names. However there was one that made you stop in your tracks.

Riley. You looked into the cage to find a German Shepard, at first he was cautious on when you stopped. Glaring and still. “He used to be a military dog actually,” The woman said behind you. “We might have to put him down soon cause he is getting aggressive.”

You smiled and turned to her. “Can I walk him?”

She stared at you for a minute and shook her head. “I don’t know he isn’t for sale.”

You chuckled. “No worries just one walk and if he snaps then don’t worry about it.”

The lady shrugged and walked to grab a leash. You turned back to the dog who still hasn’t moved. Just staring, you kneeled down and looked at him. Tried to read his eyes. Curious was behind them yet cautious at the same time. “Hey bud,” You whispered. “It’s alright, I’m here to take you home.”

The dog stared unsure before sitting down waiting until the door opened. You watched as the lady cautiously took the dog and handed the leash to you. You grabbed it and he walked with you, he was next to you the whole time. When you looked at him he would look away but when you didn’t he sniffed you.

It reminded you of Simon, cautious and curious. When you both started to date Simon was standoffish yet caring at the same time. You knew nothing of him until damn near 2 years of the relationship. Didn’t know his family was killed until marriage. You could tell how similar the personality between Simon and Riley really was. You guess that’s what the military can do to you. Give you horrible things to twist your mind into think no one is trusted.

Not once for the hour you were with him he was aggressive. You pulled the lady aside and talked about taking him home. She explained that he doesn’t like children or other pets. Luckily for him neither of those were there, she explained that the personality would come out and she expected for him to be back.

You negotiated and bought him, he followed you to the car, hopping in normally. The drive home was nice, he sat and watched the world go by. “Ya know your new dad is military,” You spoke looking over for Riley to be laying down. “You two will get along just fine.”

Riley was to himself a lot of the time, you would feed him and taking him for walks. He wasn’t loving at first until 2 weeks later. He would play with you and cuddle up to you when it was time for bed. Would growl if he felt someone was too close to you when walking. Eventually you tested to see how trained he was. Learned he knew the basic things but also knew how to do protection tricks.

Simon didn’t expect when he pulled home to hear a deep growl at the door when putting his keys in. He wanted to surprise you if being home early, Simon even checked if it was the right house. The growl was deep, a warning. It was dark out, late very very late. So maybe he was hearing things, it wasn’t until he heard you tell something to sit.

“Simon!” You yelled swinging in for a hug. He hugged you back but all he could see is that dog. The dog that was glaring at him for a moment.

“What’s that?”

You turned smiling before biting down on his lower lip. “So I got lonely,” You stated walking over to Riley petting his head. “I wasn’t going to buy a dog but something ironic happened.”

Simon watched as the dog scooted closer to you. Still cautious of him, Simon was just a big man, he rarely wore his mask at home. Takes it off in his truck unless he was extremely tired. “What is it?” He said again.

“His name is Riley.”

Simon was shocked, you were joking, there is no way his name was that. That would be very strange and interesting. “Really?”

You nodded and grabbed his dog tag and his name was engraved. He was a beautiful dog. He walked up to the dog, at first the dog froze then sniffed his hand. Simon let it do whatever as he growled lowly before walking away. You sucked in your lips. “He will get used to you.”

Simon hoped it would be awful to have a pet that tolerated him. For the couple of weeks he was there, Riley slowly got closer to him. Riley followed him everywhere, bathroom, back hard when mowing, on the side of his bed. All of it. Hell Riley would watch football with Simon.

Riley and Simon started to do more training. Taught him how to search, would hide little things of yours, eventually you as Riley searched. Slowly Riley would leave with Simon to the base, slowly would not be at home.

You rolled your eyes humorously. “He hated you.”

Simon scoffed. “He was shy.”

You laughed placing the noodles on each plate. You frowned. “You promise you both come back safe? Intact?”

Simon frowned as well. He knew how you felt when you both talked about what would Riley do, stay at home. That was your only thing, he didn’t need to go out and fight anymore. He did it when he was younger. However Riley has been anxious been doing things that Simon noticed that the other canines would do. Especially when they retired.

Price watched Simon and Riley together on the base. Riley was a good tracking dog and really good at attacking as well. So Price pulled Simon aside and asked how he felt about Riley joining 141. Simon said he would love to but he would have to ask the Misses.

At first you walked away from him, angry of course. Simon knew not to follow you, that he got you that upset to retreat to the bedroom. So he waited. Until you came out and asked what Riley would do. He explained that he would only go on missions that needed the enemy to be found. Capture or kill.

You would listen sit and made tea for both of you as you both negotiated on what would happen. You sighed again. “It would only be for those missions. Some I will know ahead some I won’t. Just like normally.” Simon explained holding her hands. “Ya seen him. He walks around the house like he needs something. He just got into the planets last week.” Simon explained.

You looked outside remembering him bringing in a whole bush of flowers. Dirt and a fucked up backyard. Riley would start destroying things after one paw of his stepped into the base. He wanted more. Needed more. More energy. You frowned looking down at Riley. Riley wagged his tail looking up at you.

“Dogs don’t need to fight the wars Si.” You whispered petting Riley.

Simon nodded his head. “I agree lovie, unfortunately he has already been trained it wouldn’t be his firs’. He would be a good asset.”

You watched as Riley licked your hand. Like he was reassuring you, like he was telling you it was fine. “Alright, only for those missions. But I next time Simon I am getting a yippy and you can’t do shit.”

Simon shook his head chuckling lowly. “No I don’t think so sweethear’”

Simon thought you were kidding but three months later, you brought home a tiniest dog. Yorkie of all dogs. Simon now knows not to take the dogs with him to base. Well Riley fell in love with the little bugger. Eventually Simon did as well having both dogs near him.

You came home from grocery shopping and while walking in you saw the dogs and him sleeping. Riley laid at the end of his feet while Hallie laid on his chest. You scoffed, pulling out your phone, clicking the picture. You smiled as you sent it to Price stating you will have a drug locator too.

[laurasimonsdaughter]

A fairy's true name

Earlier I wrote about how much trouble I had finding even one example of a fairy trying to learn a human’s name to use it against them, but folktales where it is the other way round do exist!

Until recently the best example I had for this “use a fairy’s true name against them” plot, was Rumpelstiltskin (and all its variants, for there are many). But technically the Rumpelstiltskin plot itself is not enough to claim that knowing a fairy’s true name gives you power over them. After all, a specific deal was struck between the fairy (or dwarf, or imp, etc.) and the human, with the finding out of the name releasing the human from their debt to the fairy. (Best examples including a fairy: Peerie Fool, Tríopla Trúpla, Titty Tod).

But it turns out that the tale type “The name of the helper ATU 500” contains stories in which I would argue it is made clear that knowing a fairy’s name holds power:

In these stories a the supernatural creature in question is a helpful house spirit or neighbour to the human, but immediately leave them forever as soon as they (sometimes through trickery) find out their name, after they refused to tell them:

Hoppetînken, a mountain dwarf (German, Kuhn, 1859)

Gwarwyn-a-throt, a spirit/elf/bogie (Welsh, Rhys, 1901)

Silly go Dwt, a fairy (Welsh, Rhys, 1901)

And these stories contain what I would call “strong circumstantial evidence”:

In Winterkölbl (German Hungarian, Vernaleken, 1896) a grey dwarf who lives in a tree makes a young king guess his name before he will (somewhat reluctantly) consent to let him marry his human foster daughter (she was abandoned, he did not steal her!).

In The Rival Kempers (Irish, Yeats, 1892) an old fairy woman sets a young woman the task of guessing her name, but then gives it to her freely (with some extra help to win her good fortune), because she was polite and generous to her.

Conversely, in The Lazy Beauty and her Aunts (Irish, Kennedy, 1870) the three fairy women who help the protagonist with her spinning, weaving and sewing, actually introduce themselves by name, but they are clearly nicknames: Colliagh Cushmōr (Old Woman Big Foot), Colliach Cromanmōr (Old Woman Big Hips), Colliach Shron Mor Rua (Old Woman Big Red Nose).

But my two favourite examples are Whuppity Stoorie (Scottish, Chambers, 1858; reprinted by Rhys, 1901) and The heir of Ystrad (Welsh, Rhys, 1888, reprinted in 1901). I'll summarise them below the cut:

Whuppity Stoorie (Scottish, Chambers, 1858; quotes from Rhys, 1901)

A woman is left by her husband. She has a baby boy to feed and her only hope is that her sow will have a big litter of piglets. However the sow gets ill and as the woman weeps with the fear that the pig will die, she sees an old woman coming up the road. “She was dressed in green, all but a short white apron and a black velvet hood, and a steeple-crowned beaver hat on her head. She had a long walking staff, as long as herself, in her hand --” This “green gentlewoman” tells her that she knows the woman’s husband is gone and that the sow is sick and asks what she’ll give her if she cures the pig. The woman heedlessly promises her anything she likes. So the green woman cures the pig with a spell and some oil and then reveals that she wants to have the woman’s baby in return, thereby revealing to the poor woman that she is a fairy. The fairy is unmoved by the woman’s sorrow, but does reveal that: “I cannot, by the law we live under, take your bairn till the third day; and not then, if you can tell me my right name.” Luckily the woman overhears the fairy woman singing her own name and gets to keep her child by addressing her as such, after which: “If a flash of gunpowder had come out of the ground it couldn't have made the fairy leap higher than she did. Then down she came again plump on her shoe-heels; and whirling round, she ran down the brae, screeching for rage, like an owl chased by the witches.”

The heir of Ystrad

A young gentleman hides in the bushes to see “the fair family” dance on the river bank. There he sees the most beautiful girl he has ever seen and wants more than anything to win her for his own. He jumps in the middle of the circle of fairies and grabs her by force, while all the others flee. He is kind to her, but keeps her captive, and eventually she agrees to become his servant. She steadfastly refuses to tell him her name though, no matter how often he asks. One night he once again hides near where the fairies play and he hears one fairy lament to another that last time they were there, their sister Penelope (Pénĕlôp) was stolen by a man. He returns home joyfully, calling is favourite maid by her name, which greatly astonishes her. The young man finds her so beautiful, industrious, skilled and fortunate, that he wishes to marry her. “At first she would in no wise consent, but she rather gave way to grief at his having found her name out. However, his importunity at length brought her to consent, but on the condition that he should not strike her with iron; if that should happen, she would quit him never to return.” They marry and they lived “in happiness and comfort”. She bears him a beautiful son and a daughter and through her skill and fairy fortune they grow richer and richer. But one day while trying to bridle an unruly horse the husband accidentally hits his wife with the iron bridle. As soon as the iron touches her, she vanishes. But one cold night she comes to his bedroom window one more time, telling him that if ever her son should be cold, he should be placed on his father’s coat, and that if her daughter should be cold, she should be placed on her petticoat. Then she disappears forever.

I adore both of these stories. Whuppity Stoorie is probably the clearest example of the power of a fairy's name. But The heir of Ystrad is as good a fairy bride story as The Shepherd of Myddvai and that has been a beloved favourite of mine for as long as I can remember. Either way they're both wonderful takes on the power it grants to know a fairy's name.

[the-snake-and-dove]

Thorfinn, Sasappis and an Analysis of Language

I often see many people talking about how both Thorfinn and Sasappis would've had to learn English, and many are confused on why Thorfinn speaks it less fluently despite the two of them learning it at the same time.

I have a few theories on this. I spend hours upon hours specifically analyzing their characters and connecting it with my knowledge on history, so I wanted to share my own thoughts!

Starting off, Thorfinn's first language is a 11th century form of Old Norse. After dying and getting stuck in America, he would've gotten very accustomed to the traditions and culture of the Lenape. The Lenape speak in the Algonquin language and they had two different dialects (from what we know). The Lenape were not a unified tribe, and in fact had three different matriarchal clans within the "tribe" which can explain the different dialects. It is likely Thorfinn grew very used to the Algonquin language and dialects over the centuries he observed them, and learned even more when Sasappis died and Thorfinn now had someone else to speak with. The two would've been surrounded by this language up until Dutch settlers first arrive in 1624. The Dutch mostly coexisted with the Lenape for awhile, so it's actually likely they did not actively try to become fluent in Dutch, but still picked things up here and there from observing them.

But then things quickly get a bit wild when more and more Europeans begin to arrive, starting with a mass immigration of English Puritans to upstate New York in 1630, following the establishment of Plymouth nearby in 1620. This is when English would've been first introduced. Keep in mind, 1630s British English was a little different than the English they would be hearing today, so there was also the factor of adjusting to the evolution of English throughout the centuries.

Swedish settlers then arrive to upstate New York in 1638. At this point, there are three new languages that have been introduced within less than 20 years, and the French are beginning to make minor appearances while they colonize the area above New York, in modern-day Canada. I can imagine they both stuck with Algonquin for quite some time still, since there was still no one main language used among settlers and people were often coming and going but still picked up on a few things here and there. The Lenape were still on the land at this time as well, so there was likely not a huge urge to abandon the Algonquin language.

We now know that Patience was a ghost on the property as well. Based off her costume (what I could see of it, at least) and my knowledge of Puritan migration in New York, I can guess she likely died around the 1640s-1660s. We don't know enough about her to know if she got along with Thorfinn and Sasappis but I can assume they likely had to start learning English to communicate with her.

The 1670s then brings in a whole lot more French immigrants, so French is now also being spoken. Around 1675, the English began to fight with the Algonquin nations, causing mass devastation. We can assume the Lenape were very dwindled by this time and beginning to be run off the land. Overall, there's a lot going on from 1620-1675, so I can imagine learning English was still not a huge priority for both of them.

Now jump forward to 1722. The Lenape are very very scarce and being pushed westward over the decades as the Europeans take over. We know from Isaac that Thorfinn had two girlfriends during the span of 1775-1895, since he mentions that Hetty didn't know of their existence. Now, we know absolutely nothing else about these girlfriends of his other than the timespan and their names, but by using my knowledge of history and migration to New York, there are assumptions that can be made.

One of Thorfinn's girlfriends is named "Luella." Luella is a German name meaning "Warrior." It is also French, but I have reasons to believe she was German.

In 1772, there is a mass immigration of Palatine Germans into upstate New York. It's a huge part of New York history, so we can assume Luella was likely a nod to the German immigrants from the early 18th century. She very likely died before Isaac, and would've likely spoken a mix of German and broken English. If she was an immigrant like I speculate she was, it's likely she worked as an indentured servant for English-speakers in New York City. Once her contract ended, she likely lived and spent most of her life amongst other German immigrants, and would still favor her native language over English.

Seeing that Luella and Thorfinn dated, it's likely he had to grow accustomed to German to communicate with her, while also learning English to talk to Patience.

At this point, Thorfinn would be on his fourth language, now knowing Old Norse, Algonquin, English, and German.

We obviously don't know how much Sasappis and Luella interacted, but it's likely he did not spend as much time learning German as Thorfinn did, and probably got a better sense of English while Thorfinn was stuck trying to be fluent in both.

It's likely once Isaac died they got a better grasp on American English, but Thorfinn would've still been occupied with his girlfriends. This grants Sasappis another chance to get a better understanding of English, while Thorfinn is likely behind on it.

While we don't know when Luella was sucked off, we know Thorfinn also had another girlfriend before 1895, called "Flat Maria." There was a mass immigration of Italians to New York in the Regency era (1800-1830s) and my assumption was that Maria was one of these Italian immigrants due to her Italian name. Now, if she was, she would've also spoken a mix of Italian and broken English, which means Thorfinn is having to learn yet another language to interact with a girlfriend, putting him onto a fifth language. I assume Sasappis also did not try very hard with learning Italian since he had less of a need to. Maria would've been sucked off before 1895 (since she wasn't present in the 'stuck in a hole' endeavour) and from then on the only language they all would've been interacting with would be English.

So, my guess on why Thorfinn's English is so broken, whereas Sasappis is very much fluent and up to date, can be tied to the languages/people they would've been interacting with as well as their general personalities.

Sasappis is very interested in what's going on in the world of the living and pays a lot of attention (which he's said before), whereas Thorfinn is still very much stuck in his ways and often doesn't care about the livings as much. We also know that he is not as dumb as he makes himself out to be, and while I could rant about the reasons as to why he likely does this, I won't. We know he does actually pick up on things like technology and modern terms. It's very very likely he just chooses to not use them and sticks with the words he's been used to. He's also just very blunt in general as a person, so it makes sense he would be more straight to the point with his English. He also often ignores grammar rules, as we see by his poor sentence structure and his lack of pronoun and filler word usage. Part of that I think is just because of who he is as a person, honestly. He very much likes to be blunt and straight to the point, and I can tell by his avoidance of pronouns that he might just think it's easier to say people's names instead of using "I, me, you," etcetera. Plus, keep in mind pronoun usage is different in other languages, so that might've also just been something in English that he never truly got adjusted to. It's also likely he just didn't learn grammar very well and was more so focused on what words meant, whereas Sasappis had nothing better to do but learn the grammatically correct form of English.

Overall, I think there's a reason why the writers choose to have them speak the way they do. It makes sense for their characters that Sasappis would be fluent, as he's more invested in the living world, whereas Thorfinn has been a ghost for so long that he really doesn't care. I know a lot of it regarding Sasappis is to avoid stereotyping him or portraying him in a harmful light, which I do think is good. It's again not out of character for him, plus he's one of the younger ghosts so he's not as set in his ways as the others might be. Meanwhile, Thorfinn is pretty much a walking stereotype of how modern Americans view Vikings. He's stubborn and "old fashioned" and still very much holds all his 11th century beliefs while simply existing in a modern world. I find their language very interesting and loved getting to rant a little about my thoughts on the matter!

[katyswrites]

don't call me 'baby'

PART 1 | SERIES

Pairing: Steve Harrington/fem!reader

Warnings: Sugardaddy!Steve, swearing, sexual harassment/men being gross, alcohol use, smoking, age gap

Wordcount: 4k

A sugar daddy modern AU, a whirlwind summer romance in Italy, and two people from completely different walks of life, somehow finding each other in one of the most beautiful cities in the world. But, what will happen when summer ends?

PART 1 | in the same room, at the same time

This wasn’t supposed to happen. That’s what you would tell yourself, later. But, life is funny that way - nothing ever really goes the way you’d expect it. And, when you had taken the last-minute shift at Enoteca Bruni, the fine-dining restaurant where you worked as a cocktail waitress, you could have never predicted where the night would take you.

It had started with a large reservation that had come in around 8pm, four businessmen in suits and watches that you imagined cost more than your entire month’s rent. You were used to that type - considering the prices on the wine list, nearly everyone you served here lived at least three tax brackets above you. It wasn’t a job meant for everyone - a lot of these types of customers were dismissive, rude, and expected those who serve them to disappear in the background, not to interrupt whatever they were doing, which was obviously oh-so-important. But, the tips were phenomenal, and the late night hours worked perfectly with your daytime shifts at the cafe in the city’s center.

Still, the most intriguing thing about them was that they weren’t Italian, like you had gotten used to - nor were they speaking Spanish, French, German, or any of the other languages you had learned to recognize over the last few years. No, they were American. It wasn’t often that you heard your native tongue and accent nowadays - no, it was actually jarring. But, you welcomed it. The oldest man at the table, a gray-haired, thin man with a sharp face and tailored three-piece suit, smiled when you greeted them with a hello.

“How wonderful,” he had exclaimed. “Someone from our side of the world.”

“Finally,” a younger man with a smattering of freckles on the other side of the table had said, exasperated. “We’ve got someone who actually speaks English around here.”

“Well,” you said, “To be fair, you are in Rome. I suppose you could say we are the odd-ones-out.”

He rolled his eyes, and shrugged. “Yeah, well, I guess I’m just trying to say it’s nice to actually understand who I’m talking to for once, you know? Not that I’m looking for her to talk back.”

Unfortunately, that didn’t even crack the top ten worst things a customer had said to you in your time working here. So instead, you just plastered on a cheerful smile.

“Of course. In that case, what drinks can I get started for you gentlemen?”

As the hours wore on though, it was becoming harder and harder to feign kindness. With each wave of dismissal, or snap of their fingers, you wanted to take the drinks you were serving and throw them in their faces. The worst of the bunch were probably the first older man you had spoken to, who had such a vile demeanor about him that you couldn’t quite put your finger on it; and perhaps worse than him were two of the younger men, the dark-haired one with freckles, and a sandy-haired guy with what you could only describe as a mullet.

1982 called, it wants its hairstyle back, you thought to yourself. 

It was those two who you could see undressing you with their eyes, who called you over for nonsense requests, asking you to bend over the table to get things that you knew they were perfectly capable of reaching themselves. And, you weren’t deaf; you heard the comments they made as you walked away to fetch more wine and scotch.

Look at that ass go, one of them said. I’d definitely hit it.

As if you could pull that, the other said. Besides, you’ve already got two bitches on the side Billy; leave some for the rest of us.

Don’t look at me, the sandy-haired man who was apparently named Billy retorted. If anyone around here needs to get laid, it’s Harrington.

With your back turned, you rolled your eyes, and wondered if they’d notice if you spit in their drink - that was, until no-first-name Harrington replied.

Guys, lay off - just let the girl do her job, yeah? 

You took a deep breath, and recomposed yourself - it was the bare minimum, but it was something - someone who saw you as a person, maybe.

You carried the tray over with a wide smile plastered on your face, handing out drinks as you surveyed the table. You glanced at Harrington, the quietest one in the group - you had hardly heard a word from him all night, until right now. He was handsome, on the younger side of the group, but you’d estimate still about a decade your senior; he had a thick, slightly wild head of chestnut hair, and more of a boyish look about him. And with the exception of his perfectly-tailored suit and ostentatious Rolex, he didn’t look to have much else in common with his colleagues at first glance. While they sat at ease, laughing and conversing over their drinks, he sat up straight, stoically swirling his wine.

You pulled the post-dinner cigars they had asked you to bring out of the box, slicing the end with the guillotine cutter and handing the first one to the oldest man, striking a match and lighting it for him until he drew smoke. It felt humiliating sometimes, to light the Suits’ cigars for them as if they couldn’t do it themselves, but that came with the territory in a place like this, you had learned. 

You reached Harrington last, only for him to shake his head.

“Oh, none for me - thank you though.”

Thank you - he was probably the first one from the table to say that all evening. 

“Can I get you gentleman anything else?” you asked stiffly.

“That’ll be all, for now,” the gray-haired man said, waving you off. 

You nodded, and at the bar, decided it was high time for your smoke break. You glanced at your watch - your shift was over in less than an hour, and your high heels were killing you. You signaled to the manager behind the bar that you were taking fifteen, and shouldered your way out the door.

*****

The first few minutes outside were peaceful, and relatively quiet - at least, as quiet as Rome could be at this hour. There was still the distant sound of traffic, the bustle of people on the sidewalk, many drunkenly stumbling and laughing, in the midst of making merry on a Friday night. You took a drag from your cigarette and inhaled deeply - even just a few moments off of your feet, and sitting out here on this bench in the fresh air, was starting to take the edge off. Still, you couldn’t shake that table of men - your manager had warned you that it was a very high-profile client, explaining that the dinner was likely a pretense for some multi-million dollar deal to be discussed. Still, you found yourself muttering under your breath, practicing the retorts and profanities you had wanted to throw at them. The shield you had built for dealing with customers was only so strong, and if your job wasn’t on the line, you probably would have told them to fuck off hours ago.

You were so lost in your thoughts that you don’t hear someone approaching, not until they’re right next to you, clearing their throat.

“Oh! Jesus, hi,” you say, clutching your chest with your hand. “I’m sorry, I didn’t see you there.”

Harrington was standing above you, hands in his pockets and his tie loosened.

“It’s fine - I promise, I didn’t mean to scare you.”

His smile was friendly, and a bit apologetic. He looked different in the dim light, a bit younger, and not at all like someone who spends his days in an office doing… whatever those men inside did.

“You mind if I sit?” he asked, gesturing to the empty spot next to you on the bench. You just shook your head, a bit wary of him still.

He smiled, and started fishing around in his pockets until he pulled out a small baggie of tobacco and a pack of rolling papers. You raised your eyebrows, and smirked.

“You roll your own cigarettes?” you asked.

He nodded, not quite looking at you, focused intently on the task and hand.

“Yep. It’s so much better than that crap you smoke, trust me.”

You scoffed, despite the fact that this man was technically your customer, and your shift wasn’t quite over yet.

“Yeah, well, I’m doing just fine with what I’ve got. Thanks though…” you trailed off, looking at him expectantly. He caught on and turned to face you, grinning.

“Steve. Steve Harrington.”

He extended a hand towards you. You hesitated for a moment, caught off-guard by the simplicity of the gesture from someone like him, but you took it, telling him your own name. His much bigger hand was warm and calloused, shaking yours firmly before pulling away.

You stared at him intently, desperately trying to figure him out as you placed your cigarette between your lips and inhaled. It was hard to figure out what exactly his deal was - but, he was talking to you like you were an actual person, so that was at least a step above most of the people you’d waited on here.

When he finished rolling, he stuck the cigarette between his lips, then sighed. 

“Shit - d’you have a light?”

You nodded, reaching into your handbag and pulling out your small blue lighter. He leaned in close, close enough that you could faintly smell his cologne, feel the heat radiating off of him in the cool May evening. It took a moment for the flame to catch, then he was leaning back and he took a drag, letting his eyes flutter shut.

You looked away quickly, staring at the street ahead. Your black cocktail dress didn’t offer much coverage, causing you to shiver slightly as a breeze picked up. It was Steve who broke the silence, after a few moments.

“I want to apologize, by the way - my, uh, colleagues… they’re assholes.”

You nearly choked at his words, whipping around to face him.

“I’m sorry… what?”

“I - I don’t know how much you heard in there, but -”

“I heard enough,” you said quickly.

His face fell, then hardened. He looked… angry? Or, perhaps disappointed.

“I really am sorry. I know I probably should have said something, but…Brenner’s my boss. And, there’s a lot of people who would kill to work for him. So, you have to understand… I mean, Tommy and Billy, they’re real jerks. I can’t stand them, most of the time. So, just know that if you want to punch them in the face, I’d understand.”

You laughed at that, shaking your head. 

“Well, just between you and me, I do want to punch them. But… I would really like to keep my job, and actually get a good tip at the end of the night. So, if I can make it through the next -” you glanced at your watch, “- half an hour or so, I’ll be alright. I’m kind of used to it anyway, working here.”

You felt his eyes on you, but didn’t turn to meet his gaze. Then, he said more softly, “I’m sorry to hear that. Really.”

You shrugged. 

“It’s fine. But, thank you - most people don’t take the time to say that, I guess.”

A moment of semi-awkward silence fell between you and him, before you added, “But, it’s good to know that I apparently have a nice ass.”

He laughed at that, choking on the smoke he was inhaling.

“Oh God - Billy and Tommy really are the worst. Did you hear that they actually were trying to make a bet about you in there?”

You raised an eyebrow, curiosity piqued.

“What kind of bet?”

He suddenly broke eye contact, staring straight ahead as he shook his head vigorously.

“You know what - nevermind, you’d be disgusted -”

“Well now you have to tell me,” you conceded, inching closer. “C’mon, it can’t be that bad -”

“They said if I manage to get you to go home with me tonight, they’d agree on this huge deal with HNL that they’ve been trying to close with our European counterpart for months - they said it because they knew it wouldn’t happen, of course, I don’t really -”

“What would you get?” you asked bluntly.

“Huh?”

“If they thought you won the bet, like, would that be good for your job?”

He scoffs, nodding fervently.

“Um, yes - my yearly bonus would probably quadruple -”

“Then let’s do it,” you said.

His mouth fell open, and he was staring at you like you had three heads.

“Do what, exactly?”

He suddenly looked flushed, frozen in place as he stared at you. You felt a devilish grin spread on your face as you looked back at him, stubbing out the cigarette with the toe of your shoe.

“Here’s what we’re going to do, Harrington.”

*****

You had made sure he arrived back at the table only moments before you. The group of cajoling men were louder now, Tommy slurring his words and Billy in a heated debate with Brenner. Steve flashed a smile at the group, then started sipping his drink as if he had never left.

“What I’m saying is, if we offer them 14 percent -”

“Well, at that rate, we may as well sell them the whole goddamn company -”

“We’re going to have to budge at least a little if we want to make headway, otherwise Upside Tech might outbid us -”

“Harrington!” Tommy cried over the other two men. “Where th’hell ‘ave you been? You left me stranded with these two, they’re actually trying to work right now -”

Then, he spotted you, suddenly flashing a grin that was too wide for your liking.

“Mademoiselle - might I say, I think you’ve only gotten hotter since I last saw you -”

“That was only about twenty minutes ago,” Steve said firmly, cutting Tommy off. “Also, we’re in Italy, not France.”

Tommy waved him off, leaning closer across the table, towards where you stood. 

“May I ask, how’re you getting home tonight, little lady?”

You just smiled.

“I’m actually so happy you brought that up - while I appreciate your concern and all, I’ve got that covered.”

You then turned to Steve, who froze in place.

“Ready to go, Steve?” you asked innocently.

All conversation stopped, then, the other men around the table stopped to gape at him. A smug smirk appeared on Steve’s face, and he stood up slowly, smoothing out his suit.

“Of course, sweetheart.”

Despite yourself, your heart fluttered at the pet name, as ridiculous as it felt. 

“What?” Billy said, his jaw nearly on the floor.

But before they could ask any more questions, Steve was holding out his bent arm, which you graciously hooked yourself through. You pressed yourself into his side, flashing another grin back at the group.

“I’ve left your bill on the table - thank you gentlemen for a wonderful evening, and we hope to see you soon!”

Then Steve surveyed the table, adding, “I suspect you’ll be in touch about negotiation meetings shortly? Since that was the deal and all. I’ll see you at the office on Monday.”

Then, you and Steve turned a corner and headed out the door, to where a car was already waiting for you.

Steve gestured for you to go in ahead of him, opening the backseat door. You slid across, greeting the driver quickly and Steve followed, shutting the door behind you. The second it was closed, you both looked at each other, and burst into uncontrollable laughter.

“Oh my God - did you see their faces?”

“I’m going to live on that for years,” he added, fighting to breathe. You threw your head back, practically cackling at the memory of their dumbfounded expressions.

“That was amazing,” Steve said, regaining his composure. “Seriously, thank you.”

“Don’t mention it - I think I got off of it more than you.”

“I doubt that.”

You met his gaze, and your breath stopped for a moment. He really was handsome, his honey-brown eyes staring into yours with such sincerity that it was actually overwhelming. You looked away quickly, staring straight ahead.

“Well, if anything, it made my shift more interesting, so thanks,” you said, fiddling with your hands in your lap.

“Yeah, and you just made me my yearly bonus, so thank you.”

After a moment, he cleared his throat. 

“So, uh, where do you live? So I can get you home.”

“Oh! Right,” you said. “Um, do you have any ID or anything?”

Steve furrowed his brow, confused.

“Why are you asking?”

“Look, don’t take this personally - I’ve watched way too much Criminal Minds in my life. And, while I’m sure you’re nice and all, I’m not exactly gonna tell a strange man I’ve never met where I live without some precautions. So, I’m going to take a picture of your ID and send it to my roommate, so she knows who to turn in if I end up on the news, yeah?”

Steve just smirked, and pulled out his wallet.

“So, you think I’m strange?”

You shrugged, fighting a smile.

“Obviously, yes.”

Steve chuckled softly, fishing his license out of his wallet.

“Fair enough - as long as you’re not trying to steal my identity or anything.”

“Oh, definitely,” you said sarcastically. “I was actually going to buy a mansion in your name, if that’s alright.”

He laughed, handing you the card as you took a photo. The address was in Indiana - interesting. He was also 30, judging from his birthday - nearly ten years older than you. Also interesting. You handed it back, shooting a quick text to Robin:

I’ll explain later, but in case I get murdered!

You attached the photo and pressed send. 

Satisfied, you leaned forward, telling your address to the driver, who nodded and pulled onto the busy city street.

You leaned back in your seat, staring out the window. You passed dimly-lit alleyways and bustling restaurants, groups smoking on the sidewalk and couples kissing on benches as the evening started winding down. The silence in the car is comfortable enough, considering that you met the man beside you a few hours ago. It’s him who breaks the lull in conversation, once again.

“So, why did you do it?” he asked quietly.

“Hm?”

“The bet? Well, kind of - at least, why did you make it look like I - like we -”

You shrugged, shifting to face him.

“Honestly?”

He nodded, gaze fixed on you.

“Well - a few reasons, I guess. I knew it would get those jerks off of my back. And, I knew it would help you, with your bonus and all.”

“And why did you want to help me, though? You know nothing about me.”

“Not true,” you said firmly. “I know one thing.”

“And what’s that?”

“You’re kind.”

It was simple, but true - for the type of clientele you usually served, he was a rare breed. Maybe it wasn’t much, but it was something.

“I mean, you were nice to me, and actually treated me like a person. I can’t say that for a lot of people, not in that place.”

“Oh,” he said softly. 

A beat. Two. Then, he added, “Oh no - I didn’t even ask, did you have a car, back at the restaurant? Because we can go back and get it -”

“No, don’t worry about it - I don’t have one. I usually take the bus.”

“Oh - alright.”

You tried to stop yourself from rolling your eyes - Steve probably wouldn’t be caught dead on a bus. Or any public transport, for that matter. But, you kept it within yourself, and turned out towards the window again - the sights were getting more familiar, the buildings a little more run-down - closer to home.

You noticed your phone light up in your lap, and glanced down - a response from Robin.

Um… congrats???? Getting laid???? You’d better tell me EVERYTHING!!!!

You laughed under your breath, and saw Steve move to look at you out of the corner of your eye, curious. Before you could respond to her message, the car came to a halt right outside of your apartment building. You sighed, and turned to face the man beside you.

“Well, this is me. Thank you. For the ride home, I mean - you didn’t really have to do that.”

“Of course I did,” Steve said, waving a hand. “Had to make sure you got home safely and all, it was the least I could do.”

You both looked at each other for a moment, faces soft. You shot him another appreciative smile, and popped open the car door.

“Goodnight, Steve Harrington. Until we meet again!”

You knew the chances of seeing him ever again were slim at best, but it felt like the right thing to say, given the hilarity of the situation. After slamming the door shut, you rooted through your bag for your keys, taking the steps up to your door two at a time. Before heading inside, you turned and waved to the car one more time - Steve wasn’t visible through the tinted windows, but you liked to imagine that he was waving back, maybe even smiling fondly. 

******

Two days later, an envelope was pushed through the mail slot in your door. It was Robin who brought it in, plopping it down on the kitchen table as you sipped your coffee.

“What’s that?” you asked.

She shrugged, carding through the other envelopes and flyers.

“Don’t know. But, it’s made out to you. The envelope looks fancy though - I mean, who the Hell puts a wax seal on letters anymore?”

You felt your heart skip a beat, and snatched it up, turning it over in your hands - it was thick, the nice kind of stationary that you had to go out of your way to buy. There was a return address, but it seemed like it was for an office building of some kind, with no name associated. And, right on the center, a red wax seal with an H. You felt your face grow hot, your stomach doing somersaults as you practically tore the thing open.

Inside was a simple piece of paper with a note scrawled on it. After writing out your name, it read:

Thank you again, for the other night. You have no idea how much that helped me out. Plus, it was probably the best time I’ve had at a work event… well, ever. But, since you provided such great service… you really should be tipped appropriately. I also made sure to leave a glowing review with your manager the next day. Buy yourself something nice.

S.H.

You glanced back in the envelope, and gasped - loudly enough that Robin stopped what she was doing, and joined you in her awe.

“Is that -”

“Yeah,” you whispered. “It’s a shit ton of money.”

He had sent a stack of €100 notes - you hadn’t counted yet, but it had to be over €1,000, at least. 

“Dude, that’s like, at least two months’ rent right there, right?” Robin asks, flabbergasted.

“I - yeah.”

“Okay, be honest - are you a drug dealer? Is that, like, a side gig you’ve got going?”

You shook your head incredulously, gripping the money - the most cash you had ever held at one time in your life.

“No,” you admitted. “That would be a lot easier to explain.” Steve Harrington, you thought to yourself, what’s your deal?

Notes: a brand new fic! A ton of credit goes to my friend Em, who indulges my fantasies and headcanons with plenty of ideas of her own. Also, I've never been to Rome, so bear with me here. Also, please always read content warnings before reading each part!

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[catmiemy]

Another Chance to Live Final Part (Ana Maria Crnogorčević x Reader)

Summary: Ana and you are facing some big changes.

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5

A/N: I'm actually very proud of myself for finishing this story relatively fast. And it was a lot of fun to write :)

Thank you to everyone that stuck around till the end. I hope you enjoy this last part!

Of course you didn’t just trust your parents to respect the boundaries you had set in place; that had never been their strong suit after all. Once you had successfully weathered the first onslaught of emotions, you thought about it more carefully and together with Ana put a few precautions in place.

For one you informed the staff at Real that none of your family members should be granted access if they came by to see you. A wise decision, as it turned out. Only a few days later your mother showed up, arguing for so long that she had to be escorted off the premises by security personnel.

You also basically moved in with Ana. No one from your family knew where she lived, so they couldn’t just drop by like they could at your apartment. Another good call as you learnt when your neighbors told you that they had almost called the police because a man fitting your father’s description had been standing in front of the house for so long.

All of this made your guilt kick into overdrive and you were grateful for your girlfriend’s support. She never told you what to do, she was even hesitant to tell you what she would do in your place, but Ana was always there to listen and help you keep apart what you truly wanted from what you felt you should do.

While things with your family were at an all time low, you were incredibly happy with Ana, and practically living together was a welcome change in pace. Both of you were committed to making each other smile with small gestures, so your everyday life was filled with much more happiness than ever before. 

Ana loved to start your day off with a big smile by turning your coffee into a small piece of art, constantly trying out new foam designs. And it didn’t matter if they turned out right or not, you appreciated the effort, and attempting to guess what your girlfriend had been going for was half the fun.

You knew Ana felt the same about something you were doing to brighten her day: learning some Swiss German words. Which wasn’t easy because you couldn’t just use any old translator, you had to invest some time to find the correct words. And often times you failed horribly at pronouncing them, making your girlfriend giggle while she was trying to decipher what you were saying. That in turn always got you laughing as well, which made it even harder to pronounce anything properly.  

The biggest laughing fit set off by your Swiss German attempts occurred when you very proudly asked Ana if she could give you a Schmützeli. You didn’t get quite the reaction you hoped for, a kiss; instead your girlfriend was staring at you, and you couldn’t tell if she was amused or annoyed.

“Wait, does it not mean kiss? Did I mess this up? I’m so sorry if I said something offensive,” you apologized frantically, already pulling out your phone to look at your sources again. You had been so sure, you had even double-checked this.

At that point Ana began laughing, so hard that she couldn’t even say anything. Now it was your turn to stare at her, wondering what was so funny. It was a huge relief though; it couldn’t have been anything too bad if your girlfriend found it so amusing.

After a moment you couldn’t help but join the laughter. You didn’t know what you were laughing about, but Ana’s laughter was simply infectious.

Once your girlfriend had calmed down, she explained it to you still a little out of breath, “Okay, so it’s not even really that funny, but Schmützeli isn’t a word you would use with a partner. At least not where I’m from. It’s more for like small kisses between family members or friends. And it just really caught me off guard.”

You silently agreed, this wasn’t really that funny, and you were still a bit confused why it had made your girlfriend laugh so hard. Then again you were always happy to make Ana laugh, so you weren’t going to complain. And you definitely kept using the word again every once in a while because it amused her every time.  

There were other things you did for each other, like Ana playing the guitar for you, sometimes even singing a song you requested, which made you all chocked up whenever she did. Or you taking pictures of small beautiful things you saw in your day to day life to show to your girlfriend in the evening, eager to share the beauty you had encountered with her.

You also did your best to make your everyday life as special as possible, savoring the time you got together. A part of this was ensuring that you weren’t just spending time together by being around each other, but also by doing things and actively spending time together whenever your crazy schedules allowed it. And sometimes even if they didn’t, carving out time when you didn’t necessarily have it.

It was a good thing your personal life brought you so much happiness because the same thing couldn’t be said about your work. To be honest thinking of football as merely that, work, was painful enough by itself. Sure, it was, but it also always had been so much more than just a job.

Sometimes you still debated if you should just retire and try to find something else that would spark some sort of passion again. However, at the end of the day you weren’t ready to give up on what had been your life’s biggest passion so far.

So you resigned yourself to this reality, where the joy you once found in football only showed itself on very rare occasions. And whenever it did, you clung to it with ferocity to tie you over until the next minuscule moment.

Then, completely out of the blue, you got an offer from another team. It hadn’t even crossed your mind to look around for another club; leaving Madrid had never been something you considered. It hadn’t been something you thought you would ever want to do.

But when you were approached by the managers of Tigres Femenil, you realized all of the sudden that it might be exactly what you wanted. It helped that it was the team Jenni was playing for, so you knew if you actually decided to go through with this, you wouldn’t be totally alone on another continent.

That wasn’t the appeal though, that was merely a helpful factor. What really made you want to do it was the fact that it would be your choice, only yours and no one else’s, not your family’s and not your club’s. It would be you deciding what to do with your life, instead of rolling with the punches others kept throwing at you.

Was that a good enough reason to move halfway across the world, though? Especially since there was one obvious reason keeping you in Madrid, Ana. The thought of not seeing her daily was hard to bare. Then again it probably wasn’t healthy that she was the only good thing in your life at the moment, that was too much pressure to place on one person. So perhaps it would be better for your relationship in the long run if you decided to do this?

On the other hand, Mexico was a long way from Madrid. Would Ana be okay with doing long distance or would this be the end of your relationship? Because in that case you wouldn’t do it.

As was in your nature you drove yourself crazy thinking about every possible outcome either of your choices could have. You did your best to not let on that something was bothering you, but Ana must have noticed anyway because she began acting a bit odd herself, switching between being weirdly distant and overly clingy.

You had almost reached the point of finally broaching the subject, when your girlfriend took the first step. In the morning before leaving for your respective training sessions, Ana nervously asked if you could talk later that night. Of course you agreed, thinking that she wanted to ask you what had been on your mind lately.

Consequently you spent the entire day agonizing about how you could put your thoughts and feelings into words. You made countless drafts in your mind, even though you knew that you wouldn’t be able to remember them in the moment. At least they made you feel a bit better prepared.

Ana was back at your apartment before you and she set everything up nicely with candles and flowers she had gotten for you. You appreciated how she went out of her way to make sure you knew everything was okay. Every once in a while you still got in your head, worried that your girlfriend would leave you if you made on small mistake.

Once you had both settled down, Ana took a deep breath, blurting out, “There is something I have to tell you.”

This took you by surprise. You had been under the assumption she had set this all up to get you to talk. And you instantly began wondering what your girlfriend had to tell you. Naturally your first thought was that she might break up with. However, even you had to admit that preparing a romantic candle light dinner would be a very strange move if you wanted to break up with someone.

“Oh, what is it? I actually have something I need to tell you as well,” you replied, trying to keep your worries out of your voice.

“Really?” Ana exclaimed in surprise. This in turn surprised you, you didn’t think you had been doing a good job at keeping your over thinking a secret.

“You can go first,” your girlfriend quickly offered.

Normally you wouldn’t have accepted such an offer, especially not when Ana had been the one to set all this up to talk to you about something. However, something in her tone sounded almost pleading, as if she desperately wanted you to go first. And begging from your girlfriend was something you could never resist.

“Well, I’m guess I’m just going to come out and say it,” you started, taking a deep breath, steeling yourself for whatever might be Ana’s reaction, “I’ve gotten an offer from another club. And I didn’t think it was something I would be interested in, but now that I have it, I realize that I really am. You know how I feel at Real, so this might be my chance to enjoy football again. But then I also don’t want to leave you alone here because I love you and…”

Ana had been listening to you rattling on for a moment, her face unreadable, until she interrupted you sounding oddly excited, “Wait, you’re thinking about leaving Madrid?”

You frowned at her happiness. It was one thing to be excited about something good happening to your partner, but being so happy about them moving away seemed weird to you, and a little painful.

“Wow, no reason to be so happy about getting rid of me,” you mumbled, avoiding your girlfriend’s eyes.

“What? No!” Ana cried out, reaching over to grab your hand. “That’s not what this is about at all. The thing is that I too have gotten offers from other clubs and I didn’t really consider them, but then a few days ago Atleti told me that they wouldn’t renew my contract, so I have no choice but to leave.”

“And I have been feeling so bad about it because just like you said, I didn’t want to leave you behind here either. But if we’re both leaving, it’s a totally different scenario. Sure, long distance is going to suck, but it won’t be forever and at least this way we hopefully both end up in places where we feel happier than at our current clubs.”

Suddenly Ana’s behavior over the last few days made a lot more sense. You had thought she was acting weird because she had picked up on your distress, but really she had been dealing with something herself. Being dropped by yet another team and faced with having to upend her entire life again.

“Ugh, I didn’t think I could hate Atleti more than I already do! How stupid of them to let you go,” you grumbled.

Your girlfriend blinked a couple of times, a smile appearing on her face, “That’s what you’re focusing on right now?”

“Yeah! I’m really annoyed with them! But also…Why didn’t you tell me?”

It wasn’t something you could really complain about since it was very much exactly what you would have done in Ana’s position. Your girlfriend was much better though, when it came to opening up and discussing her struggles. So the fact that she hadn’t told you before didn’t sit right with you.

Ana sighed, rubbing her forehead. “I made up my mind so many times to just come right out and say it, but every time I lost my courage in the last second. Because at it turns out it’s not so easy to tell your girlfriend who you love very much and who has a hard time at work and with her family that you’re moving to another country.”

“Oh.”

You understood that, it was the thing you had been worried about, that Ana felt too much pressure to bring joy to your life because so little else did. Under different circumstances this might have been harder to swallow, but in the current situation it actually helped. It left not a single doubt in your mind, that leaving Madrid was the right choice.

“So, what are your options?” You asked to move on the conversation.

“There are different clubs in Switzerland I could go to, but I don’t really see myself doing that. It would be nice to be close to my family and maybe I should do it to help further women’s football in Switzerland, but it feels more like something I should do, not something I want, you know?”

You knew precisely what she meant. In fact for so long you had made all decisions based on exactly that feeling of ‘I should’, so you were happy Ana didn’t plan on making the same mistake. And you tried to show her that by nodding encouragingly.

“However, the other option is pretty far away, so I just want you to know that no decision has been made yet, and I really want to know what you think. Because if long distance on that scale is a deal breaker for you, I won’t do it,” your girlfriend continued.

Again you nodded, hung up on the fact that you had been having exactly the same thoughts. So as far as distance went this would either work out well for the two of you or Ana would really end up on the other side of the world. What even was on the other side of Mexico? You cursed yourself for your geography knowledge that was clearly lacking.

“Okay, so, the other option is Tigres Femenil. Jenni’s team in Mexico,” your girlfriend rushed out, her eyes flicking between you and the table, as if Ana was torn between wanting to study every miniscule reaction you might show, while also trying to avoid jus tthat.

“What?”

This had to be a joke! Ana probably learnt about your offer from then and decided to play a prank on you. Maybe Jenni had heard about it and told your girlfriend to do this, that would be a Jenni thing to do.

Except not really, though. Your older friend was known for playing pranks and amusing herself at the expense of others, but there was a clear line that she never crossed. And playing with someone’s heart and feelings was on the “don’t”-side of that line.

“I’m sorry! Like I said I haven’t decided yet and if it’s too far then I’ll go to Switzerland. I’m sure that will be great,” Ana apologized frantically. 

“No, wait, that’s not why I reacted like this. The thing is my offer is also from Tigres Femenil, so it just seems a bit unbelievable? People don’t get this lucky in real life,” you explained, disbelief still coloring your tone and set firmly on your face.

“You’re joking right?” Your girlfriend inquired, apparently also having some issues fully accepting this miraculous coincidence as true.

“No, I’m not. They offered me a one year contract with the option for additional years if I like it there and fit well into the team.” Hopefully the added details would make it easier for Ana to believe this was actually happening.

After that the two of you stayed silent for a while, your hearts and minds needed some time to let themselves open up and accept that you were getting much more than you ever hoped for.

You reached that conclusion almost at the same time, huge grins spreading across both of your faces and then there was nothing holding you back anymore. Ana jumped up from her chair first and you swiftly followed suit.

Mere seconds later you basically jumped into your girlfriend’s arms, thinking in the back of your mind that this was exactly how you would celebrate a goal if you would play for the same time. Your heart jumped happily when you realized that you might get a chance to do precisely that next season.

“I’m so happy!” Ana squealed into your ear and you echoed that sentiment.

Moving abroad and playing for another team had sounded excited, but doing so with your girlfriend? That seemed more like a dream than anything else.

Ana and you stayed wrapped up in each other’s arms for a good while, just basking in the happiness. It was a welcome change from the usual reasons you spent so long in each other’s embrace. Normally you did so because one of you, more often than not you, was sad and needed comfort. Now there was not an ounce of sadness present, the air was electrified by excitement and the possibility of everything that was to come.

---

Of course you didn’t decide that night to accept the transfer, not legally at least, but emotionally you definitely did. Still, like the reasonable adults you were, you thought it through, gathered some more information before officially making the choice you had already made the moment you learnt both of you could go to Mexico together.

You called Jenni together to tell her the good news and she was overjoyed. Although if the amount of teasing you had to endure during one measly phone call was anything to go by, you were going to have to put up with a lot next year. You didn’t mind, though. Also you were aware that Ana would put a stop to it if she thought it was getting out of hand. You could as well, Jenni would listen if you seriously told her to stop, but you knew yourself well enough to know that you wouldn’t.

After that Ana and you focused on wrapping up everything in Madrid, sorting out your apartments and such. There was one particular subject you avoided like the plague, your family. You couldn’t leave for Mexico without at least telling them and try one more time, but you also weren’t ready to face them again in the slightest.

Finally you reached a point in time where you could no longer postpone it. Your girlfriend offered multiple times to go with you, but you declined every time, much to Ana’s chagrin. In the end she decided that she would at least drive you and wait for you in a nearby parking lot. You gladly accepted that suggestion.

“And please leave if it gets too much, yeah? Or call me and I will come get you,” Ana reminded you resolutely, still reluctant to let go of your hand.

“Don’t worry, tesoro, I’ll be fine. I don’t think much will come off today, but I just have to try one more time before we leave,” you explained. And it was true; you didn’t have high hopes for your conversation with your family. But even so you ended up being disappointed.

It started with a very frosty greeting, your father leading you into the living room where the rest of your family was sitting. You had chosen that day specifically because you had thought no one else would be over, but apparently you were out of luck. All of your aunts and uncles were assembled, staring at you disapprovingly.

You swallowed roughly, wetting your lips nervously when it became apparent that you would have to lead this conversation. This had been expected, you had even practiced a bit at home with Ana, but now in the moment your mind felt terrifyingly blank. With everyone glaring at you the only thing you could think of was to apologize. And that was the one thing you remembered you didn’t want to do.

“Did you just come here to stare at us?” Your mother questioned unfriendly.  

“No, I…This isn’t so easy. You’re making this really hard for me,” you muttered

“We’re making it hard for you? Do you have any idea what you’ve done to us? Just completely cutting us out of your life because of some random girl you met a few months ago,” your mother accused you.

The guilt and self-doubt threatened to consume you, but you tried to focus on your anger instead. At least the anger would allow you to say what needed to be said, even if you couldn’t lay it out as calmly and clearly as you wanted.

“See, this is what I mean. Everything is always my fault and you never listen to what I have to say,” you defended yourself. “And Ana isn’t just some random girl. I can’t stand that you talk like this about someone I love, someone who I’m pretty sure is the love of my life.”

Your family exchanged meaningful glances, the sentiment on their faces clear as day; they thought you were being ridiculous or childish or dramatic. Three adjectives they loved using to describe you.

“You’re getting too emotional again, niña, that has always been your problem. How do you expect us to take you serious like this? And think about this, you say we’re always acting as if you’re the problem, but in reality it’s you doing that. You always blame everything on us, your horrible family. Poor you with parents, aunts and uncles that support you!”

Condescension was something you were used to, and it had always made you feel very tiny and incredibly mad at the same time. You were an adult for crying out loud, not a little kid. And still in that moment you felt exactly like that.

“Fine, you know what, I can see that this is totally pointless! I don’t even know why I thought I should try again. So I’m just going to tell you the one thing you need to know; once this season is over I’ll go to Mexico to play there. So I guess, see you never?” You yelled, turning around and stomping out of your childhood home, without giving your family any chance to reply. What was the point?

Tears were already streaming down your face as you ran down the street to where Ana was waiting. Your girlfriend saw you coming; she had been keeping an eye out for you practically from the moment you had kissed her goodbye.

When she saw you rushing towards her, Ana’s heart broke. She had hoped this would go better, but your demeanor and the fact that you were back so soon told her everything she needed to know.

Ana quickly clambered out of the car to meet you with open arms. You fell into them, allowing yourself a moment to completely lean into your girlfriend and absorb some strength from her. Not too long though, you didn’t want to risk anyone catching up with you.

“Come on, let’s go,” you requested, already moving to the passenger’s side.

The drive home was mostly silent, your girlfriend held your hand whenever she didn’t need both of them to drive, and only asked you in the very beginning if you were ready to talk. You just shook your head in response. First you would have some more crying to do, before you could even hope to use words.

And you did exactly that, once again safely tucked away in your girlfriend’s arms. You couldn’t wait to get to a point in your life where you didn’t need so much comfort anymore.

“How are you feeling?” Ana prompted once she noticed you were ready to talk. She had seen you biting your cheek, contemplating how to start the conversation and decided to help you out with questions.

“I didn’t have much hope to begin with, but apparently I still had some that could be crushed. And also…,” you stopped, uncertain if you should continue. It felt like you kept bringing up the same things; shouldn’t you get over them at some point?

“Also?”

There was nothing but love and concern on your girlfriend’s face. You didn’t have to worry about her judging you, this was a safe space.

“I’m so annoyed with myself. I couldn’t even say much before I ran away. I can just hear them calling me a dramatic little girl who runs away as soon as things get though”, you gritted out.

Ana tensed at your harsh words towards yourself and she forced herself to count to three before answering, not wanting to sound too intense. There was however nothing she could do about the emotions lingering in her voice.

“Please stop listening to their voices in your head. I don’t think removing yourself from a bad situation is running away, that’s a smart move really. You need to take care of yourself.”

You nodded thoughtfully, “You know I’ve been thinking about that and realized I often put their needs and wants over mine. But I guess putting others first only works if they do the same. Otherwise if I always put them first, but they never put me first, I’m just always going to end up last, right? I think that’s what’s been happening all my life and I’m done with it!”

“Absolutely! If anything your parents should be putting you, their child, first. That’s what my mom said when I talked about it with her. She also said some other things, but I’m not sure if you want to hear them or if it’ll just make you sad.”

Ana studied you carefully, every sign of pain embedded in your body hurting her as well. She hated how that you had to deal with this, so the last thing she wanted to do was to add any pain to it.

“No, please, tell me. I think it will be helpful, hearing what an actual good parent thinks about all of this,” you requested.

You had only met Ana’s parents twice before, but they had been everything you wanted your own family to be. They were excited to see their daughter, but expressed that without making her feel guilty for not being around more. And they had welcomed you with open arms, clearly very pleased that Ana had found a special someone to share her life with.

“She also said that nothing makes her happier than seeing us, her kids, living our best life. Not some life my parents pictured for us, but the life we choose. She can’t really understand why so many people try to force their kids to be something they’re not. According to her slowly getting to meet your children’s truest self is one of the biggest joys of them growing up.”

Your eyes filled with tears again causing your girlfriend distress. You had been sitting opposite each other, hands intertwined in between you, but now Ana pulled you into her embrace again.

“See, I knew I shouldn’t have said anything,” your girlfriend cried out.

You shook your head, “I wanted to hear that, I needed to hear that. It makes me feel less unreasonable and ungrateful.”

Ana gently kissed the top of your head, rubbing comforting circles on your back. “You’re anything but, you’re absolutely amazing.”

The longer you were with your girlfriend and the more she told you things like these, the easier it became to believe them. It wasn’t easy or natural yet, but you found yourself questioning your old beliefs much more often.

You didn’t speak more about it that evening, indulging in some self care instead. However, a few days later you recognized that it was still bothering you. There was no way you would try again, but it also didn’t feel right to shut the door to your family completely.

Surprisingly when you brought it up to Ana, one day after training when you were cuddling on the couch, you practically on top of your girlfriend, she informed you that she had been thinking about that as well.

“How about you set up an email account just for them? This way you can check it every once in a while when you feel up to it, or I can even check it if you prefer. That would allow them to contact you if they have a change of heart, but you aren’t constantly bombarded with unwanted messages.”

A huge weight was lifted from your heart when you heard this suggestion. That was precisely what you wanted, some small gap left open, but nothing that would affect you in your everyday life. The last thing you wanted was to constantly get attacked by hurtful messages.

You placed a few kisses everywhere on your girlfriend’s face, uttering one word between each kiss,”You. Are. The. Best. Girlfriend. In. The. World. And. I. Love. You. So. Much.”

Ana happily accepted your kisses. “So, no second thoughts about moving to Mexico?” She inquired cautiously.

“Not a single one, I’m so excited for it, and I won’t let my family ruin it. Plus it would be the same if I stayed here. If anything being not only in another country, but on another continent might actually be good for me.”

“Good, because I’m very excited about it,” your girlfriend announced with a big smile.

“Me too,” you agreed.

In fact you couldn’t wait to start that adventure with Ana. You had never allowed yourself to be an adventurous person, telling yourself, or really being told by your family, that you were anything but.

However, now you realized that you did have an adventurous streak and it was high time you used it. For too long you had lived the life everyone else wanted you to live, but now you were getting another chance at life, at the life you truly wanted.

You didn't even wait until you moved to Mexico. A few days before leaving, you dragged Ana to a hairdresser, stating that both of you should change up your look to start over fresh.

What you didn't expect though, was for your girlfriend to decide she wanted to color her hair pink. You had thought about something more along the lines of cutting your hair a little shorter.

But then Ana announced with a big grin that she was going pink, and you made a split second decision, telling the hairdresser to whip up some purple hair dye for you.

And that's how the two of your started off your new life, one of you pink haired and the other one purple. You loved the way it looked and couldn't care less when pretty much the first thing out of Jenni's mouth when she picked you up from the airport was, "Where are you two going? A five year old's birthday party?"

"Shut up, Jenni, you're just jealous of us," Ana retorted.

Jenni rolled her eyes, "Maybe, but I get a feeling you're going to help me get over that by annoying me with your lovey-doveyness."

"Absolutely," you agreed, pulling your girlfriend against yourself and kissing her passionately.

"Fine! I'll stop if you stop!" Jenni exclaimed, grabbing one hand from the both of you and marching you towards the exit. "Bienvenida a México, chicas!"

[reshinless]

may i ask (politely) for a chuuya x reader where his lover is just like- in the nicest way possible, a mix of a german shepard person and a calico cat. They are just the sweetest person, yet also can get upset if called out or someone insults those close to them (as in full on plotting a murder but is too sweet to actually go through with it) like just a normal day story pls- if they were also a pm member I'd love you to the moon-

─── my only one, moon and sun..

𝜗𝜚 synopsis. the sweetest ever!!!... plus chuuya i guess /j (chuuya x really nice reader

𝜗𝜚 pairings. chuuya x gn!reader

𝜗𝜚 director's notice. HIII I LOVE THIS IDEA SM. ty for sending this in. IM SO SORRY THAT I COULDN'T MAKE READER A PM MEMB I COULDN'T FIND A SILLY NICE CUTE WAY TO WRITE FOR THEM :( i wanted to do like a lil story b4 the actual thing so i'm sorry.. you can say i got a little carried away (i forgot the prompt) follow & rb to support ʚ(｡˃ ᵕ ˂ )ɞ

pre-relationship!chuuya who was surprised by how undeniably sweet you were to him. didn't you know how dangerous he was?

pre-relationship!chuuya who had just helped you from a robber who tried to snatch your bag. you were just sweet enough to invite him out for dinner as a thank you

and boy was pre-relationship!chuuya all over the idea. although enamoured by the mere thought of being out with someone who was everything he ever looked for in someone, he kept refusing, not wanting to take up any of your precious time. but you were stubborn, and firmly insisted on taking him out. and god did he like that.

pre-relationship!chuuya who'd already forgotten the meeting he was supposed to attend at 7:00pm sharp. it's already 8 and he's still talking with you. but of course, he didn't wanna make the interest too obvious, but subtle enough to notice.

and finally when you two exit the restaurant, pre-relationship!chuuya's eyes can't help but broaden as you tell him 'thank you'. damn he hasn't heard that in forever. awkwardly had to look away, gosh this was the first- no it wasn't even a damn date! and his face was already dusted with pink.

"look it's fine.. really it is.. it's what any good person would've done seeing your situation." ( ˶°ㅁ°) !! "but i still want to say it. i still want to tell you thank you. not many people are good nowadays, you know." (˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶ )

although before pre-relationship!chuuya didn't wanna make it obvious, definitely wanted another dinner like this with you.

"...say how about i walk you home? the least i could do after dinner. wouldn't want your purse/bag to get stolen again do we?" (˵ •̀ ᴗ - ˵ ) ✧ a brief chuckle from you, and a smile forms. damn is it just him or were you just smiling at him? "sure! chuuya right?" "y-yeah! yeah! yes!"

safe to say that wouldn't be the last time pre-relationship!chuuya walked you home. he'd make sure it wasn't at least.

boyfriend!chuuya who suddenly had the need to let you spend all his money. even if you refused. that's so honestly why he fell for you in the first place.

boyfriend!chuuya who followed you into any store you went to, card in hand, and suggested to buy anything you picked up.

boyfriend!chuuya who was minding his own business while accompanying you to the cute little fruit mugs over there 'till two rude girls who were suddenly arriving in the same aisle as you both were in

"oh my gosh.. no way that girl is going out with a man so small.." "yeah literally.. i would never have said yes. can't believe there are actually women that prefer men below 6ft!"

boyfriend!chuuya's whose eyes twitched hearing what they'd just said, but then decided not to mind them. if he'd learned anything from you, he wouldn't say anything back.

but you never said you wouldn't talk back.

"what do you mean? he's nicer than your deadbeat father for sure."

the two girls gave a look of disgust but quickly left. and your expression, well more like your demeanor changed as they did.

"we should get the banana and strawberry ones, right? let's match!" "huh? oh yeah sure."

boyfriend!chuuya is still stunned from what you said, but ended up just muttering an "yeah sure" before you both paid and left the store.

boyfriend!chuuya who asked why did you defend him, even when you weren't trashtalked about, after you both left and got ice cream.

"well we're partners now right? no one should talk about you like that. besides, you aren't that short." ٩(^ᗜ^ )و ´- "of course i am not!!" ୧(๑•̀ᗝ•́)૭

boyfriend!chuuya who loves it so much when you defend him after that interaction. you aren't afraid to assert yourself to others. you aren't afraid to tell them something bad in return. and damn was it hot to see how you looked confronting anyone who had insulted either of you two.

boyfriend!chuuya who's so in love with you what a silly little guy

GN ITS BEEN SO LONG SINCE I'VE WRITTEN FOR BSD..! i hope this was somewhat coordinated with the prompt dear anon

[mochikofi]

i’m so sorry to bother but i was wondering if i could request a kaiser x german f! reader who loves wearing dirndl dresses?

(i love wearing them sm)

idk i feel like he’d be interested if he met someone else who was german

(i literally feel lucky to be half german because of this man 🇩🇪❤️)

Michael Kaiser was quite bored, so he decided to go outside and maybe chill in a cafe for a while. But while he was walking towardss the cafe, he saw a woman who's wearing dirndl dress. Is she German, perhaps? Of course curiosity go over him.

Kaiser who took an interest in you since he met someone who's also a German like him. Of course introducing himself would be a great start, he would like to have a German friend after all.

"hallo Fräulein, do you mind if I sit here beside you?" Kaiser said as he smiles towards you, hoping that he isn't wrong to assume that you are also German. "I don't mind, don't worry. I'm guessing that you are also German, yes?" You told him as you smiled back "You catch up real quick, don't you?" he says as he sits beside you, waiting for his coffee. "It's quite obvious actually." You told him as you giggled.

Kaiser who forgets about the time, enjoying the conversation both of you are having. Hoping you'll accept, he asks if he could get your number.

"It appears that I have to go now, could I perhaps get your number so we could converse often?" Kaiser said as he holds his phone "I was hoping you'd ask." you told him as you give him your number. Kaiser felt like he won a lottery that day.

Kaiser who stalks your Instagram and likes all your pictures. Which made some people freak out. But what got him nervous is that he accidentally called you!

"Hello Kaiser, wha's up? having fun stalking me?" you teased him as you fix your hair. "I am indeed, and I've noticed that you have a liking towards dirndl dresses." He says as he tries not to panic "Mhm yeah I do, it's my favorite. I've always loved wearing them since I was a kid." You told him as you finally fixed your hair. "Is that so? then I've learned a new thing about you then." Kaiser says as he quickly writes it down in his notes. "It's quite obvious already, no? Oh, I have to go. Let's call again next time, okay?" you told him as you ended the call quickly. "...Alright, let's call again, next time" He giggled so hard that day that his maids got weirded out.

Kaiser who struggles to pick an outfit for your date, thinking that you won't like his style.

"Woah there, are you alright? looks like you ran even though you drived here." You told him as you give him a towel. "I couldn't find an outfit hat could match yours... but does this look good?" wait, why was he asking you that? of course he knows he looks good, he just wants to confirm it. "Mhm yeah it looks good, surprisingly matches my outfit. Good taste, Kaiser." You told him as you smiled towards him, quickly reaching his hand so you can lead him to the spot that you're both going to eat in.

Why did it feel good when you confirmed that it looks good on him? why did he feel happy when you held his hand and called his name? feelings like this sure made Kaiser confused, but he sure knows that he likes feeling like this towards you.

Kaiser who takes pictures of you when you aren't looking, telling you that it was to capture a moment but he actually just wanted to take a millions of pictures of you.

Kaiser who posts one of the picture that he took of you in his Instagram which made the fans go wild!

"Kaiser, why did you post that?? your fans might think that you have a girlfriend or something, or they might hate meee" you whined as you threw a pillow at him "I don't mind if they think that I have a girlfriend, as long as you're the girlfriend." Kaiser said as he smirked at you, waiting for your reaction. "Is that a confession, Kaiser? Oh my, I did not know that I have made the amazing Michael Kaiser fall for me" You told him as you smirked at him. "I'm afraid that you're assuming things, dear." You were right, of course. He just didn't wanna get caught. "Oh well, I wanted to be your girlfriend but it seems that you don't feel the same towards me." You sighed dramatically "Okay I was joking, I want you to be my girlfriend." he said as he quickly jumps into you, hugging you tightly. "I know" you told him as you hugged him back

Kaiser who always gifts you with many dirndl dress since you love wearing them.

"Micha, this is the 5th dress this week. are you sure that you're allowed to spend your money on me?" you told him while admiring the dress. "I don't mind it, Dear. I love seeing you happy." Micha said as he admires the happiness displayed on your face.

Michael Kaiser who makes it known to the world that he's taken by his princess and his princess only. Always flashing the engagement ring every time some girl flirts with him "See this? yeah, I'm already married to Y/N Kaiser. She can only flirt with me, now shoo. I've got to buy the things that my precious WIFE told me."

navigation. - anime masterlist.

[ms-rampage]

Fluent When Upset

König x Y/n (fem-reader)

Warnings: Language

Authors note: This is my first time ACTUALLY writing König. I sort of based it off on this

I apologize for the butchered German 😂😅

You have been living in Austria for 3 years now. You and König have been together for 5 years. As time went by, and you discovered you were pregnant with a baby boy that König was absolutely excited about.

Aside from all that, you did struggle to learn the German language once you settled in, the only time you did speak it properly (or at least you think it is) when you get mad or annoyed, and König rarely to never upsetted, nor annoyed you. It only comes out when you stub your toe on the table, or when you hit your head, or when someone on a bike or scooter nearly hits you when you cross the street.

This day, you went to the store to do a little bit of grocery shopping, and you took your son with you in his stroller. He needed some fresh air after being in the house all day. König was on the fence about going with you. He went against his anxiety, and went with you two.

"You don't have to come." you tell him, while putting your jacket on, "I just need to buy a few things for dinner."

"I know, liebe, I just want to make sure you're both safe." he tells you, figetting with the bag on your sons stroller handle.

One of the few times, your husband takes off his sniper hood when he's at home and isn't expecting company. He has those tired, sad European eyes that you fell in love with. He was always worried and concerned about your well-being, even more so after having your son.

"We'll be fine, I know how you feel about crowds, and I don't want you to be uncomfortable." you reassure him.

"I know, but I know your German isn't good." he tells you with a slight hesitation in his voice, but he wasn't wrong. Your German is okay at best. You know the basics but not enough to hold onto a conversation.

"Well, you got me there." You chuckle, checking to see if your son is secure in his stroller. It was only a 10 minute walk to the store. König had never heard you speak German, maybe one or two words but never a full sentence.

After buying what you need from the store, a little grocery store that sells everything. You were always careful when crossing the street, especially when you had your infant son with you. You had the right away to cross, you had the green. König standing next to with one of the bags of groceries in his hand and the other around your waist.

Taking a few steps onto the street, some asshole decides at the very, very last second to go forward when he had the red light. A few feet away from hitting the stroller, that absolutely sent you into a verbal rage.

"Scheiße!." König exclaims, pulling the stroller back.

"Arschloch!." you yell at the driver, looking back at the other cars stopped at the light to see if there's another jackass that will do the same, then back in the direction of the car that nearly hit you and your child that is long gone now, "Siehst du uns nicht! Verdammtes arschloch!."

You both continue crossing the street while you yell at the driver who can't hear you anymore, but you just wanted to voice your opinion on drivers like them.

"Wir hatten gleich das recht, und ich schiebe einen kinderwagen!." you continue to shout as if you were a native speaker.

When you get to the other side, König is wide-eyed, mostly because of how your German is.

"Liebe, where did you learn that?." he asks, moving you to the side. Away from others walking by.

"I don't know, probably from having the TV on throughout the day. I picked up on a few phrases, and also the neighbors." you tell him, checking on your son who is asleep.

He kisses the top of your head through his hood. "I guess I did need you to come with me to the store." You joked as you two continued to walk back to your apartment. To König you German did sound broken, but hey, you were yelling at some dipshit who had zero patients for pedestrians.

[determinate-negation]

leftists in my town (a big city in germany) literally refuse to go to lectures/talks by jewish scholars who report on the current situation, for no good reason. any expertise is written off, they don't even look into the content. a friend literally said 'it souded pro isreal' - I read the description and it just didn't. It sounded like an expert trying to show a critical view of Isreali politics in fact. my jewish friends are afraid to come out to pro palestinian protests, because militant leftists burn isreali flags (mind you, these are white, german people. i wouldn't blame palestinians). all nuance is gone. people start romanticising hamas. like what the fuck happened do people no longer manage to keep two thoughts at once? nethanjahu is a fucking monster, imperialism is bad, but guess what, so is hamas? why is that controversial? also in 2014 when lots of syrians came, all arabic courses were booked out because people wanted to help and show solidarity and get to know these new people coming. thousands at airports to pick them up. i was among them. but then when ukrainians arrived, when we had protests against russia, i didn't see A SINGLE FUCKING PERSON showing up. why? is imperialism not bad when it comes to Russia because you think 'communism' there was great? eastern european voices are drowned completely. why can't we support palestinians AND jewish people in germany? attacks on jewish people have skyrocketed. we have a far right party gaining the most votes and people pretend like you're a monster if you call out antisemitism. jewish people in germany are not bombing palestine. jewish people in germany are a minority that is under constant attack. why can't be support syrians AND ukrainians? we must join together against imperialism but literally people are too stupid to see that they are being instrumentalised to influence the elections in the U.S. in particular. same happened 2016 and no one learned. it's frustrating. you don't have to sacrifice one fight for another. i support palestine. i support syrians. and then i check to see who shows up for Jewish people in germany and ukrainians who are also under genocide like conditions in Russia. and it's fucking no one. 80% of people during these ukraine protests are ukrainians. anyway. The israeli government is fucked, as is the U.S. government, as is Russia and as is Germany's and it will be a lot more fucked in the near future if everyone doesn't get their shit together.

ok this is going in my cringe compilation

1. theres nothing wrong with burning israeli flags. israeli flags dont represent jewish people in general. id be happy to see an israeli or american flag burning

2. if you expect me to condemn hamas or equate the israeli government and military with anti colonial palestinian resistance youre in the wrong place

3. your government is funding this genocide including the far right party (to my knowledge) which fully supports israel and wants to deport all non white people including (or maybe especially) palestinians and arabs- why are you conflating this with people protesting against the genocide??

4. do you not think germans are also super racist to syrians and refugees in general despite whatever it may seem about accepting them at first? people were really casually racist to me about refugees in germany when i was there

literally the only relevant thing here is that your friends didnt wanna go to an event and that attacks have increased, idk check your fucking friends and countrymen, because that predates israel, stop conflating actual antisemitism with people rightfully opposing a war their government is funding and colonized people for rightfully resisting extermination

[blue-thief]

Do you think kiis would just speak English to each other to communicate or at least try to learn each other’s first language

( I know Isagi’s English in canon isn’t the best and we don’t even know if Kaiser speaks and understands English but I’m guessing he probably does)

They can’t rely on those earbuds forever

oohhh good question!

once the NEL league is over, they'll be separated for a while, so neither of them will be really focused on trying to learn each other's languages (besides, at this point in time, they'll still hate each other lol).

during that time, isagi would probably have time to properly develop his english.

meanwhile, kaiser probably does know english, or at least enough to carry a basic conversation. idk if it's explicitly required if you want to be a pro athlete, but it is expected you know english. if kaiser knew from a young age he wanted to be a pro, he probably would have taken up learning english early on.

the reason why isagi's english currently sucks is because english education in japan sucks ass 💀 i heard it focuses mostly on pure memorization rather than learning the actual structure and rules of the language. the itoshi brothers probably had to get private tutors to become as fluent as they currently are lmao

even if kaiser didn't learn english as a kid (because honestly i even question if he went to school at all 😭😭), going from german to english is wayy easier than going from japanese to english.

anyway that was a long-ass way of saying "they would speak to each other in english at first". cuz yeah i agree, i doubt the mikage corporation would let the NEL players hold onto the translators once bltv ends.

i DO think they would eventually try to learn each other's languages though. i wrote a bunch of headcanons of how that would look like a while back, but i can't find it anymore bc tumblr's search function fucking sucks 😭😭

on one hand, they could start learning each other's languages after they start dating to show appreciation for each other's cultures and to impress each other's families....

OR it's because they wanted to learn how to insult them in the most personal way possible BEFORE they got together.

imagine they're just having a normal bickering session in english when all of a sudden isagi pulls out the most eloquent, earth-shattering insult he can muster in perfect german. kaiser would be fucking flabbergasted and he'd pull out duolingo later that night just so he can return the favour

a few months down the line, everyone watches in horror and amazement as this japanese guy screams at a german in perfect german while the other bites back in perfect japanese.

they'd get so used to arguing and insulting each other in the other's native language that once they DO start dating, it's just normal for isagi to speak to kaiser in german and for kaiser to speak to isagi in japanese lmaoo

[thedeviltohisangel]

not sure if you’re still looking for blurb requests but what about bucky talking in his sleep about cass and the boys giving him so much shit for it? love your writing btw

All The Things I Did (Interlude): Four Times They Speak About Each Other And One Time They Spoke To Each Other

a/n: ok i for some reason really put cass through it in this. i guess it was her turn. BUT one of these is an episode 9 breadcrumb and one of these is a post-war baby breadcrumb. happy to discuss any of these in greater details//answer any q's about these little snippets. loving our little sleepovers so those will be continuing and interlude requests always open. see you all in my inbox!

tw: miscarriage

One: Whatever Our Souls Are Made Of, His And Mine Are The Same

Cass was restless on the forest floor. Her sleeping bag wasn’t keeping her warm in the cold German night, the fire merely embers and her heart unsettled.

“John. I’m sorry.” They hadn’t separated in England on the best of terms. She hadn’t meant anything she had said to him. Hadn’t really taken this mission to Berlin just so he could see what it felt like to worry about someone. Had tried to apologize before  she left but hadn’t been able to find the words. “Don’t leave me. Please.”

Her nightmares were plagued with images of planes falling from the sky and parachutes drifting over enemy lands. “No, John, wait!” She couldn’t let him get on that plane. Couldn’t let him get on without knowing she wanted all the things he wanted. A future and a forever. “I’m sorry. I won’t do it again. I’m sorry. I promise.” Cass couldn’t make the nightmares stop. It was the emotions of this assignment and the emotions of learning that she was in love with John Egan. The emotions of realizing one wrong move and he could be gone from her life forever. One wrong move and she could be the one that never made it home to him. “I love you, John. Please. I love you.”

“Almost woke you up last night. You sounded like you were in pain.” They were staking out a compound on the outskirts of Berlin, Cass peering at it through binoculars. “Have something to do with that pilot who looked liked he wanted to kill me for sharing a drink with you?” 

“I’m good, Will. But thanks. Sorry for keeping you up.” The last thing she wanted was to discuss John with him. Yes, John had wanted to kill him. But not just because of the drink they were sharing. 

“For what it’s worth, you’re here because you’re the best. You’ll get home to him.” That was, if she hadn’t burnt it all down.

Two: To Live For The Hope Of It All

It was just the two of them. It was a sunny day and he had taken her to the wildflower field. He was laughing and smiling and she was glowing and blushing. 

“You’re dangerous. Making it so I could get used to this. Want to get used to this,” John whispered as she leaned forward to tuck a flower behind his ear. “How do I look?”

“Like a prince,” she teased. “Very handsome, Major.” He leaned forward and captured her lips with his own. 

“I love you, Cass.” She beamed.

“I love you, too, John.”

It was the laughter of Gale Cleven that had Bucky’s eyes fluttering open. Cass was nowhere to be found. He could hear rain pattering outside. There was nothing warm and loving about the rows of beds that held less and less men every day.

“What’s so funny?” he groaned as he turned towards his friend. 

“I love you, Cass. I love you, I love you, I love you.” John’s cheeks flushed fire engine red and he thought about suffocating himself with the bedsheet. That might be easier. “You actually say it or you still just dreaming about it?”

“Maybe.”

“She say it back?” Gale asked with a quirked eyebrow.

“Maybe not.” His friend chuckled. “I’m not rushing her. She shows me how she feels. I don’t need her to say it.” 

“Bucky, if you look at Spook like a lovesick puppy one more time-”

“Thanks, DeMarco, you can go back to sleep now.” A smattering of chuckles echoed. 

“We don’t mind listening to you practice saying ‘I love you,’ Bucky, but if you start practicing loving her there might be some issues,” yelled Curt from the other end. 

“Anyone who knows Bucky knows he needs no practice.” 

“No one makes that fucking joke in front of her, understood?” The last thing John needed was Cass hearing he had slept with the entire nation of Greenland or whatever version of events the men were concocting in their head.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, just be sure to invite us to the wedding.” 

“Major has it all planned out in his dream world, boys. Don’t you worry,” Buck joked. Unlike the others, he had truly gotten a sense of the two of them. He had a pretty good idea where it was going. 

“Hell of a woman, Bucky. We are happy for you. All ribbing aside.” Of course Crosby was the one to get sentimental on him. 

“Tell her we say hello at your flower drop in the morning!” A few others chimed in and asked to be included.

“Good night, boys. I love you.” John figured it was better to take the piss than to fight it.

“Name your child after me!”

Three: If There’s One Thing I Am Sure Of, I Am Sure That You Have Always Belonged With Me

In her dreams, everything is as it should be. John is flying but always comes home to her. She travels to the furthest corners of the world and talks to the most intriguing people but she always comes home to him. A home that they have built together and plan to fill with laughter and love. She had cried herself to sleep with tears of frustration too many times to keep track of, the reminder that she had failed echoing constantly. 

“John! John!” She heard her own screams and her chest ached at how they must have sounded to John. At her last glimpse of him trying to reach her. Crawling towards her with his last vestiges of consciousness. It would haunt her the rest of her life. 

“Captain Egan?” She jolted awake and looked around. She didn’t recognize the stark white walls and the rows of empty beds. “We heard you screaming, ma’am. Is everything alright?” Ah, yes. Hospital.

“When can I leave? I’m feeling much better.” 

“You had a miscarriage, Captain. You need to rest a little while longer.” There was that word again. It was all anyone had been whispering about when she woke up hours ago to blood between her legs. 

“I didn’t even know I was pregnant! What I need is to be discharged so I can go back to work.” Cass wanted to point out that without John around, without her husband around, it wasn’t worth being upset about. What she needed was to get him out so they could do it all properly. Do it together.

“It was most likely that very attitude that led to this outcome, Captain.” That was a sentiment she could not bear. That her unwavering dedication to bringing John home might have cost them this. Their most sacred wish. 

“Please don’t say that, Doc.” Cass was held together by sheer determination. The belief that she could figure it all out on her own. That nothing was impossible because she had her head on her shoulders and her wits about her. “I have a plane waiting for me in the next few hours. The most precious thing in the entire world to me waiting on the other end. I need to go.” Just the other day she had been in Wisconsin. Looking at baby photos of John and asking for his mother’s cake recipe and promising his sisters he really was a chivalrous gentleman. She needed the time between now and her arrival in Germany to pretend nothing had happened. Push this entire thing into a box. John could never know.

Four: The World Was Black And White

She watched the men warm their hands by the fire without blinking. There were only a few scattered around the abandoned brick factory and she had found a spot to sit close enough that she still caught waves of heat. Really, she was more focused on the man whose head was in her lap. 

John was sound asleep, her hand smoothing over his hair hypnotically as he breathing evened out and he even cracked out a snore. Cass wasn’t sure when the last time he had slept was. They hadn’t been able to for the past day and a half. Imagined he hadn’t really since he arrived at the camp all those months ago. She was happy to stand guard.

“Cass…Cass, don’t.” She glanced down. His eyes were still closed but the peace was gone from his features. “You can’t be here.” 

“John? John, baby, you’re okay. You’re okay, I’m here.” 

“Not real. Not real.” Cass bit her lip as her eyes began to water ever so slightly. 

“You know, he asked for you in his sleep almost every night.” Gale was watching them. She thinks he looked a little sad. “He spent all day angry and defiant then at night, he just wanted you.” 

“Gale-”

“As soon as you get a chance, you take his hand and you run.” Gale had watched John deteriorate before his eyes. Had watched life breathe back into him when he got a letter from her or on the rare occasion she was able to meet him along the fenceline. Those normally held him over just long enough until the Germans did something to piss him off. 

“Not without you.” Cass wasn’t going to budge on it. There was no chance John would leave Gale behind. No chance she would either. He was family. “You have a wedding to attend.” He smiled.

“Bucky says you two are greedy. Might have a second one.” She smiled the way she always did when someone brought up her future with John. Made her want to wake him up just to kiss him. 

“The first one was perfect. We just want to be able to take our time. Share the moment with the people we love.” Time. The thing they had been chasing this entire war. Cass felt it slipping from her grasp with every step through the German winter. At least, if it all ended, she was with John again.

Five: You Are My Favorite Thought

John was a light sleeper these days. His desire to protect the woman he was wrapped around and the small bump that his palm was placed over leaving him attuned to every creak and groan. 

He had been downstairs making some breakfast when he had heard her scream upstairs. John had scaled the staircase in two strides and skidded to a stop in front of their bedroom to find her pensively looking in the mirror. 

“Spook, everything good?”

“Better than good. I popped!” His brow furrowed as he padded over to her gently. “Look.” She turned to the side and the sight spread a warmth through his chest. There was most certainly a bump. Yesterday, it hadn’t been there but today it was. A baby. 

“Looks like we’re having a baby.” He stood behind her and wrapped his arms around so his hand rested on top of her’s over the bump. He dropped a kiss onto the top of her head. “You happy?” Her initial reaction had been one of excitement but now, watching her in the mirror, her eyes were drifting to a far away place.

“Of course. It’s what we’ve always wanted. What kept me going when…” Sometimes, she still had trouble talking about Europe and all the things they had gone through. “It’s just a little overwhelming.” He twisted his fingers between hers and squeezed gently. 

“That’s why you got me. Tell me how much you love my broad shoulders all the time. They can handle whatever you need them to.” But Cass wasn’t sure if they could handle her betrayal.

His gut was telling him something was wrong as she moved in her sleep to rest her head on his chest. That something inside of her was eating her up. That he wanted to fix it but he couldn’t until she told him what it was.

“John?” She was awake, her eyes filled with emotion as she looked up at him. In her heart, she felt like he knew. Like she shouldn’t have to tell him, he should be able to understand without words. But it wasn’t far to him or to their child. The one they had lost or the one they were preparing for. 

“You can tell me anything, Cass.” No matter what it was, they would work through. They had seen each other at their lowest and knew who each other was at their core. Nothing could ever change the love he had for her. The love he had for the life they had created. 

“I’ve been keeping something from you. Something awful.”

[lieutenantselnia]

A little comparison of Lieutenant Lyste's voice in the English and German dub (+ a little bit of Kallus too); because I find languages interesting and this made me really think about how a voice actor can influence how a character is perceived.

First of all, I've watched Rebels primarily in German so far (though I've seen a good amount of scenes in English as well), partly for nostalgia reasons (I was in my teens, probably around 14 when I first watched the series and my English wasn't that good at the time to just casually watch an entire series, plus I was watching it with my younger sister), but also because I think the voice actors especially for the main and recurring characters are genuinely doing a really good job. Heck, for some characters I might actually prefer their German voice because it is that good! Kallus might actually be a good example for this if he's already here, I think he has such a pleasant roughness in his voice. For Thrawn it's also a pretty close match, he sounds wonderful in both variants but I might prefer his German voice just by a teeny tiny bit.

Who I actually wanted to talk about is Lieutenant Lyste though. I'm mainly familiar with his German voice, and as he's a fictional crush of mine, this is also the voice of his that I've fallen in love with. When I imagine him talking - regardless in which language - the sound is that of his German voice. Personally, I feel like that voice makes him seem a little younger and more naive compared to his English voice. I've always headcanoned him to be fairly young, in his early to mid twenties, and that by the start of the series he had just completed his military training recently (his position as supply master might have been the first one where he had to bear more responsibility). I've always seen him as a guy who's motivated and just trying his best, but at the same time he's lacking experience, plus, if we're being honest, when it comes to his military career he's a pretty average guy. I think he'd learn and improve over the years, but he isn't the "best of his academy year" or "promising young talent with innovative ideas" kind of guy, and he's far from a mastermind like Thrawn. He's literally Just A Guy, and personally, that's actually something I really like about him and that makes him endearing to me.

In contrast, I think his voice in the English dub makes his age a bit more ambiguous (I still wouldn't guess him older than 30, also based on his appearance but I feel he seems less "boyish" than in the German dub). I think it also gives him a bit more of an arrogant tinge and less of the playfulness that at least I hear in his German voice. He still conveys that dutifulness, but he seems a bit more uptight as well. I wouldn't go so far to say that that's bad, and I still like his English voice as well, but I think for me it won't come close to the charm that his German voice has to me.

Towards the end I want to point out though, that the voice, while being an important aspect, is not everything that makes a character. Appearance, behaviour, body language, actions and decisions contribute to that as well. What I found interesting is that most headcanons that I read about Lyste actually still overlap closely with my own as well, even though I heavily assume that not all people who wrote them are familiar with his German voice. I would say that this is a good thing, because his core personality is still conveyed across language barriers, even though the way that different actors voice him may emphasise different aspects of his character more or less.

[serinemisc]

@youzicha trimming a bunch of reblogs from Pointlessly Nonliteral Translation.

But I still don't like the two examples in my post above. It's admirable when somebody solves a difficult problem in a creative way, but producing "could mankind really be on the verge" is not difficult, you just look at the words in front of you. What made Woolsey so sure that what he writes is better than what the original author wrote? I guess what bugs me about this is that it is disrespectful, in the sense that he only does this because he doesn't respect the source text. If he was given a highbrow novel to translate he surely would not rewrite it, but he thinks this is schlock that doesn't matter. And yet, the game sold millions of copies, and we are still talking about it 30 years later—maybe it was not so insignificant after all.

I think the thing is the thing where you gotta unfocus your eyes and look at the big picture and not the sentences and words, you know?

I just got to a point in Honkai Star Rail where a guy is like "as a senior in the field, I'll give you some free advice" where something like "as the more experienced one" would have worked a lot better. This is the sort of thing that happens when you get too fixated on how to translate sempai (technically the Chinese xianbei but same thing).

I do understand that your point is "you can do a translation without adding in your own interpretation" but my point is that it's actually really hard to do that without making it sound awkward.

Speaking of Honkai Star Rail, it just translated " 'Kindness' is my pronoun" to " 'Kindness' is my middle name". I actually really like that one (Chinese doesn't have middle names). Uh, that wasn't relevant, I'm just playing Honkai Star Rail right now.

To be clear this was just an exercise for learning Japanese, it's not advice about how to do professional translation. But if you try, for most prose text I think it's quite possible to follow these rules and produce something that still sounds like natural English. I think that's a realistic standard to compare other translations against.

I presume you've read a translated light novel? Those read noticeably more awkwardly because they're usually closer or more literal translations. I would assume that avoiding that is the main reason most other translations take more liberties.

I think translated light novels are probably somewhere around the amount of literalism you prefer, so I just want to point out that I at least find them annoying to read in English, and that probably says something about general preferences.

(Why is a translated light novel more literal? My guess is because in a game, the thing you want to preserve is the plot, while in a book, )

To be clear, I definitely don't think that translating literally is obligatory or is an end in itself. I post about the virtues of literalism, but that's because I think the overall discourse is too one-sided and everyone takes it for granted that "literal is bad".

When I watch anime with friends, I like to infodump about the differences between the Japanese and the English subtitles, but usually, if I dislike something, it's usually an attempt to translate a word that could have better been done with a rephrase ("sempai" to "senior", very commonly). So while I agree that both extremes are bad, that informs which side I'm generally pushing for.

I think you sometimes overestimate how much impact the lack of a common ancestor language has, when something is maybe explained by a particular grammatical feature in isolation.

I mean, this is just my experience, finding sentence-for-sentence translations flow a lot better between Spanish and English, than between Japanese and English.

But yeah I dunno, it's not out of the question that my highest fluencies being in English/Japanese/Chinese makes me assume that something like English/German are more similar than they actually are. But I still feel like I'm right. Like, what PIE language would have a chart like this?

[ladylooch]

Nico going down on the reader for the first time maybe after learning no other partner has and she’s worried he won’t like it?

A/N: I need you babes to hear me when I say this. 👏 If a man lets you suck his dick, but won't reciprocate, tell him he is not for you. 👏 Say “B says real men eat pussy. Bye.”

This one is pretty whoreish of me. NGL, Nico Hischier has ruined me. So, you’re welcome 🤭

The taste of Nico’s cock coats your mouth.

Your tongue laps at the bead of pre-cum oozing out from your playful dinner date. As you both pretended to snack on burgers and fries, your hands played with each other under the table. Stroking, rubbing, and exploring while the other patrons of the restaurant were oblivious.

But you weren’t. And Nico had teased you so much during dinner that you fell to your knees the second he opened the door to his apartment.

“Fuck.” He moans as you take him deeper.  HIs hand encloses the back of your head, urging you down farther until you gag. You hide it with a stroke of your hand, then collect the extra saliva to spit on him.

“No one has sucked my cock this good. Your mouth is amazing.” He admits, gripping your hair in a tight fist. German words you know nothing about begin to fall from his lips then, “Baby, I’m going to cum.” He warns, breath heavy with his words. A deep groan rumbles between his lips as he comes in your mouth. You suck his sensitive tip and he chokes, stumbling into your face. He goes deeper down your throat, shoving his cum down in the process. “Oh shit.” He whines as you let him fall from your mouth. His spent cock bounces in your view. You grin, flicking your tongue out to fill the curve of his head.

You sit back on your knees, heels digging into your butt cheeks as Nico attempts to collect himself. 

“If I had known it was going to be this good, I would have left dinner on the table tonight.” He reaches out for your face, playing with your plumped bottom lip. “Think I need to repay the favor.”

Your eyes dash up to meet his. 

“Ah, really?” You ask. Your other partners hadn’t been interested in returning the favor. Things with Nico are new-ish and you don’t want to ruin anything by receiving. “I- I an, think I’m good.” Nico pauses, eyebrows pulling down low over his eyes. No woman has ever said no to him about going down on them. He feels worried about that. He really likes you and he wants to know more about your declination.

“Can I ask why not?” He murmurs, reaching his hands out to pull you to your feet. You take them. Nico pulls you closer, patiently waiting for you to respond.

“I know guys don’t like that, so it’s okay.”

“You think that?”

“Well, my last boyfriend said it grossed him out.” Nico’s eyebrows shoot up and his mouth pops open after a scoff.

“Ah, Babe, no. Actually you’re right.” He back tracks, making your cheeks a little pink. “We don’t like eating pussy. We love it.” He says the last part against your lips. “Please let me eat your pussy.” His tongue teases yours after his filthy words hit the air. You moan in response. 

“Okay.” You hear yourself say. 

“To the couch.” His hands gently nudge at your hips.

“Are you going to turn the lights off?” You ask as he helps you lay back agains the leather of his couch.

“No, I want to see your face when I make you cum with my tongue.” You look resistant. “Let me guess your ex?”

“Yeah.” You wince.

“That dude is a fucking loser. And I’m going to make it all better.”

“Nico…” You sigh, gripping his neck and forcing your forehead into it. You’ve never seen him like this before throwing around pussy and talking about cum so vocally. It’s like you’ve unlocked the next step in your relationship. He pauses, turning his nose to brush against your hair.

“You okay?”

“I’m worried.” You’re honest with him. 

“About?”

“What you’re about to do.”

“I promise you, this is one of my favorite ways to have sex.” He assures you. “Please let me try. If you hate it, I’ll stop.” This seems like a fair agreement, so you nod.

The two of you make out. Hands explore bare skin with each layer of clothing that comes off. After hands pass, lips come by. Nico is generous with his attention to your breasts. Each stroke of his tongue against your nipple widens your legs. By the time he begins to kiss further down you’re abdomen, your panties are soaked. Nico nudges them to the side, admiring your wet folds. His eyes meet yours as he slowly leans down, doing a test lick. 

A surprised breath rushes into your lungs. With your encouragement, he does two more quick strokes. Your moans are quick and restless. He pulls back, coming up to your mouth and giving you a kiss. You can taste yourself in his mouth and the last little bit of hesitation disintegrates. 

“Please, Nico. Please.” You beg. He grins, giving you one more peck before settling in between your spread knees.

Your previous experience with clitoral stimulation was a bunch of rough, jagged pokes. With Nico, it’s sensual, slow strokes and suckles. This man knows his way around a woman’s body. He knows exactly when to suck, when to lick, and when to do both. It’s all three of those motions in different synchronizations.

Your hand is in his hair as you writhe against the cool leather and his hot mouth. Your teeth are assaulting your lips as you alternate between biting the top and bottom. Your eyes close, head falling back in desire as he does five quick, staccato sucks. Your mouth opens into an O you buck up into his mouth. Nico’s brown eyes are gorging on your face.

Your chest is heaving; you’re so close you can taste your orgasm against your tongue. He’s pushing two fingers into your entrance curling up as you crunch up off the couch, coming loudly and wetly against his face. White knuckles grip his brown locks and tug. Nico moans against your clit in encouragement, the vibrations causing a vigorous jolt of your body. You stay stuck like that, abdominal muscles quivering as his fingers curl in further, encouraging you to come more for him. 

“Ohmygod.” You cry, falling back into the pillows. Your mouth stays open as you watch the ceiling fan in his living room spin and spin just like your mind after that incredible experience. Nico backs off, kissing along your bare thighs, waiting for you to be ready. He moves up your body, coming to hover over your face. “Kiss me.” You beg, wrapping a hand around the back of his neck. He devours your mouth like he devoured your folds. You grip his shirt to keep him close until you absolutely have to break apart for air.

“Real men eat pussy, baby.” He lazily drags his tongue along your spread lips.

Thankfully, you’ve finally got yourself a real man.