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adoresia · 2 months ago

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FRISON ⋆ Armin Arlert

(noun) a shudder or shiver; thrill — suggestive

Armin doesn't usually go to silly High School parties. he tells everyone it's because he hates the noise — but its really because he doesn't know what to do with himself once hes there… too stiff in the limbs and way to aware of the way he takes up space. he's the kind to keep his phone brightness low and his voice lower.

but, Eren said you were coming. So now, he's here too.

"You're telling me you've bever kissed anyone and now you think you'll be able to bag a kiss, from her?" Eren teases him before pointing at your unmissable figure from across the room. For a moment he zoned out — gaze softening as it landed on you, like the rest of the world had quietly fallen away and you were the only one left standing there in silence.

"Helloooo? dude." Connie swatted a hand across his face, bringing back his consciousness to them instead. your image still lingered on the back of his eyelids . "What's going on in that pretty little head Armin? Fantasising about holding hands huh? Maybe even more?". Eren barked a laugh, lurching forward in an attempt to high five connie but completely missing instead.

Still though, Armin didnt plan in actually going up to you — not until Eren slapped down a bet…

"Twenty bucks says you don't get a kiss from her tonight…" he raised his eyebrow at him. "do you even have twenty dollars Eren." Mikasa chimed in as an attempt to defend Armin, rolling her eyes at his stupid bet.

But Armin was barely even present, his thoughts were clouded and sticky — dripping down his spine like syrup. Plus hes already two drinks in thanks to Eren and Connie… they called it 'liquid confidence'.

He's not drunk though.. just bold enough.

"Armin why are you still standing here. You look like a sick victorian child silently begging for help, can you just go and talk to her." Sasha deadpanned, popping up beside him. "I'm working on it… just need to calculate the timing." He responded. Eyes still glued on you. Sasha looked at him and then at you from across the room.

"Well.. if your gonna stand there all night with a suspiciously filled red cup in your hands at least act like it's not fruit shoot mixed with vodka…"

Despite it being half fruit shoot, it still burned going down. But the heat that followed felt steadier than the one rushing to his face. That's how he found himself moving — still a bit hesitant but just enough to melt into the crowd. He tried not to overthink his breath and the way his shirt clung slightly to his back. Until he stupidly stumbled into a taller guy. Disrupting his thoughts, and not hesitating to shove him back.

"Brother… watch where you're going."

"Sorry.. I'm so sorry." he mumbled, almost pleading. head ducked and stepping away a little more sober than he was before his thought process was disturbed and he had you in his line of vision. Maybe not the straightest line but it's the thought that counts…

And when he turned around, there you were.

you looked at him like he belonged there, like he didn't need Eren's shove or Connie's teasing. Or even the burn of that half fruit shoot half vodka drink in his throat. All you had to say was "hey." and that was enough for him

Eventually after a bit of nervous back and forth, you both got swept up in one of the quieter rooms upstairs. Sprawled mismatched cushions and someone's older brothers mattress. It was dim and hazy, the buzz of low music seeped through the space under the door. You sat cross legged opposite him, close enough for him to be able to smell what you were wearing.

That was bad.. very bad for him.

"Hmmm let's see. Never have I ever.." you tilted your head back, eyes drifting up at the ceiling in mock concentration. you're finger tip hoevered just over your lips — long enough for him to notice the tinted lipgloss you had on. It took you a while to figure out what else to ask, until curiosity hit you hard.

"Never have I ever… got a piercing."

he took a nervous sip from his fruit shoot diluted drink, and then chocked. that was all it took.

you gasped at the realisation, eyes wide. "No way.. really? Where?" He hesitated a bit, remembering how stupid it was and how he wished he never gave into Connie. But hey it's crazy what 75% orange juice mixed with 15% alcohol does to you right?

"My tongue…"

A beat passed.

"WHAT?" you yelled, accidentally. Choking on your drink in the process. "YOU? have a TONGUE piercing…?"

His face was already burning with embarrassment. He nodded, heat rising to his cheeks as he lowered his head in an attempt to hide what couldn't be seen, yet. "It's… you can't really um see it. Connie dared me, he periced it in his garage last summer. I still dont know why I let him do that."

You laughed, and his stomach flipped. "That's insane. But, cool." You admitted. "You think?" He questioned, his nervousness still lingering, yet you nodded. "You don't seem like the type." You added. " — but, I bet the girls you kiss appreciate you for it." You said leaning in just a little, the way someone does when they already know the answer but want to hear it anyway.

He didn't know how to respond. though for a second he wondered if you'd appreciate it more than said 'girls' he kissed. "Uhh.. yeah? I guess.." The tension grew thicker, staring even harder into his eyes didn't help either. You narrowed your eyes. "Hmm. Have you ever kissed someone before?"

He cleared his throat at the sudden question. "Uhh.. define kiss…"

You tilted your head, watching him fumble. It was entertaining. "So.. no..?" His cheeks flushed and his ears started burning. "I promise I know how. I just…haven't — yet…" a beat of silence stretched. You stared at him, eyes flickering to his lips. Drawn with curiosity — eagerness. And when you spoke again your voice dropped just enough to make his pulse stutter.

"Yet..?" You persisted, almost provokingly. "What are you waiting for?" The silence that followed was awkward, clumsy — but telling. he didn't necessarily know what he was waiting for; if it wasn't you, he hadn't thought that far ahead.

"Um. I don't know." He said quietly, voice a little hoarse.

"Okay. How about… you kiss me?"

He didn't answer at first. Just blinked, stunned and pink… and a little breathless. Like no one had ever offered before, which they haven't… the music from downstairs piles beneath the floorbaords, matching the beasts of his heart, it muted the distance and the weight of whatever was about to happen.

"Okay."

He leans in slowly at first, like he's not sure if he's reading this right. Like if he moves too fast he'll ruin it, yet still his eyes flicker to your lips, and then back up. Looking for some sort of sign. But you don't look away, and maybe that's all he needs.

He comes closer, until you can feel the warmth of him, the static air between you buzzing with something nervous and fragile. And then he closes the space. Not perfectly, his nose bumps into your and then he hesitates. Leaning in too fast — as if he doesn't trust himself to think it through first like he normally would. But his mouth is warm, and soft, and he makes this tiny sound when you kiss him back, like he's didn't expect you to.

He kisses like someone who knows what to do, but doesn't know what it'll feel like or how to execute it. Like his brain is lagging behind his heart. you feel it in the way his hands hover before sitting awkwardly on your lap, in the way he leans in again before you've pulled all the way back.

You laugh under your breath, barely. Your chest stutters when he chases the sound — kissing you again, clumsy this time. Wanting more than what you've already offered him. Needy in a way that makes something tighten in your chest.

"Okay wow" you pulled back, kind of shocked but also impressed. "Slow down a little, okay?" he blinked at you, still dazed as if he never pulled away from you. But then he kissed you again anyway, as if it was instinct, as if the second he stopped he felt like he lost the chance to feel you again. Like he could taste the courage in your mouth and he didn't want it to fade.

he walked home the next day during the quiet hum of the early morning, hoodie was zipped halfway and his eyes were on then pavement like it might give him answers. He didn't say much when they left the party — not because he didn't want to but because he couldn't find the words possible enough to decipher what just happened.

Connie walked ahead arguing with Jean over something dumb Eren said and mikasa trailed beside him, way too quiet for someone who had not slept.

"Bro still hasn't got a kiss, how lame." Connie called back to him suddenly, tossing the words like a pebble into still water. "That whole party and still nothing? Goodness me. Bless your little socks."

Armin didn't answer. Mikasa glanced back at him with the same expression. "Doesn't look like he's answering." She added. "Well yeah duh. It's because he didn't kiss her." He rolled his eyes. his ears were red and his hands were tucked deep into his sleeves, keeping his gaze down hoping that just maybe he he focused hard enough the sidewalk might open up and swallow him whole.

"No kiss huh?" Eren teased, throwing another look at Armin. "Nah bro. He's a lost cause…" Connie sighed.

armin never blieved in magic, but something about you feels like the kind that doesn't need a name.

PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT ;

nobody can say they fw Armin like me and liv do. that nerdmin art has you guys all on ropes (including me but thats not the point) THE POINT IS YOU GUYS ARE FAKE and we (me and liv) are the real fans BECAUSE okay let me speak okay. nobody knows about the time you would open the ‘armin x reader’ tag and only see me and liv in there bro UOU GUYS DONT KNOW the struggles we went through when nobody gave a gaf about him but now yoh guys do. NOW YOU GUYS ARE FEINING FOR HIM? okay. its okay? its alrught. just remember, were the og’s. i rest my case.

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yourlocalcorviddad · 2 months ago

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Dead on main teacher/single parent au? If you're still doing them :D

Hi there! Sure am! You're the only one who's sent one so far lol.

Alright, Dead on Main, parent/teacher huh?

Update: I started writing this when you sent it, but got busy and forgot to finish it, this is what I have so far! Anyone can add to this if they want!

Danny sighed as he rubbed a hand over his face, walking into the building, always uneasy in school buildings after usual school hours, call it trauma or old instincts but he'd never gotten comfortable in them.

But Dante had gotten into a fight during English and Ellie had jumped in to help, so the teacher had left him a voice message asking him to come by the school.

"Hi, Professor Todd?"

Danny poked his head in the room with the correct door number he'd been provided to go to. Dante and Ellie looked up at him and grinned at him unrepentantly.

Well, Ellie did, Dante just looked unrepentant, chin jutted out, but both of them had their heads raised defiantly, shoulders set, even as Dante had a bruise peeking out from under an ice pack on his cheek, and Ellie had the tell tail signs of a nose having been bloodied and a split lip that was already, to his keen sight at least, starting to heal.

"Hi mom.""sup mom." Dante and Ellie greeted.

The snort of amusement from behind the desk drew Danny's gaze from his wonderful, amazing, chaotic neverborn children to the teacher behind the desk finally. He wasn't going to say that the man wasn't a sight worth a 20 year voyage, but he kept himself composed other than a sheepish grin.

"Mr. Fenton I'm guessing?" Professor Todd motioned to the chair between the two kids before offering his hand to shake.

"Dr, actually, but yeah that's me. Just call me Danny, please, professor." He took the offered hand and gave it a firm shake, noticing the callouses not often found on academics but not minding it.

"Just call me Jason then. I presume you heard the message then. Since then we've had a few more updates about Dante and Ellie's fight and while they will still be being suspended for the way the fight ended up going," Jason started, a file in front of him being opened and a set of papers with various notes on then in it becoming visible. "But they will not be the only ones."

"Damn right we aren't! They were hateful biggots and I regret nothing!" Ellie cheered, fist pumping in the air as she did so.

On his other side, Dante snorted but grinned in a feral way Danny recognised as very much his own, "I only regret not punching harder."

The sigh let out by both Jason and Danny at that had a snicker and a grin gotten in response from Ellie and Dante.

"Right, be that as it may, your determination to protect your classmates from discrimination is admirable, as is stepping in when you did. But please, next time just come get me or another instructor or adult." Jason's request was met with a nod and a grumbled agreement.

#dpxdc #dead on main #Danny x Jason #parent teacher conference au #Jason works as a teacher as a cover or something #Dan and Dani are adopted by Danny #Dan goes by Dante and Dani goes by Ellie #they use the trans Danny being their mom thing to cover up the clone/from future thing #adding in a note here for clarification:#the mom thing is not always misgendering if it is allowed by the person being called it #if you're ever ok with jokes about cis men being called mom by their kids(like batman ones I've seen) then this should be no different #sometimes kids-when in healthy raising environments-will do this sort of thing #mess around with the titles their parents use #tbh thinking of what i had in mind when writing this Dante and Ellie would use both dad and mom and even renny and other ones on a whim #if it fit at the time and/or was funny they'd do it #but just a final gentle reminder that the author is trans and writes own stuff into writing a lot

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tea-cat-arts · 1 year ago

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Shen Yuan getting transported into pidw isn't "the system punishing him for being a lazy internet hater," but instead representative of "step 1 of the creative process: getting so mad at something you decide to go write your own fucking book" in this essay I will

#svsss #scum villian self saving system #shen qingqiu #shen yuan #the fact that people think scum villain #-a series that examines and criticizes common tropes in fiction-#is somehow against criticism or being a little hater is wild to me #especially since shen qingqiu never gets punished for being a hater #heck- he's still a little hater by the end of the series #he mostly gets punished for treating life like a play and like he and the people around him are characters #(or in other words- he suffers for denying his own wants and emotions and his own sense of empathy)#I think some of y'all underestimate how much writing/art is inspired by creaters being little haters #like example off the top of my head-#the author of Iron Widow has been pretty vocal about the book being inspired by their hatred of Darling in the Franxx #I think my interpretation of Shen Yuan's transmigration is also supported by the fact that this series is an examines writing processes #side note- though i understand why people say Shen Yuan is lazy and think its a valid take it still doesnt sit right with me #i am probably biased because my own experiences with chronic pain and depression and isolation #but ya- i dont think Shen Yuan is lazy so much as he is deeply lonely and feels purposeless after denying parts of himself for 20ish years #like yall remember the online fandom boom from covid right?#being stuck completely alone in bed while feeling like shit for 20 days straight does shit to your brain #the fact that no one came to check on him + he wasn't exactly upset about leaving anyone behind supports the isolation interpretation too #+in the skinner demon arc he describes his life of being a faker/inability to stop being a faker now that he's Shen Qingqiu #as “so bland he's tempted to throw salt on himself” and “all he could do is lay around and wait for death” (<-paraphrasing)#bro wants to be doing stuff but is stuck in paralysis from repeatedly following scrips made by other people #another point on “Shen Yuan isn’t lazy” is just the sheer amount of studying that man does #also he did graduate college- how lazy can he really be #he doesnt know what hes doing but he at least tries to actively train his students #and he actually works on improving his own cultivation + spends quite a bit of time preping the mushroom body thing #+he's experiencing bouts of debilitating chronic pain throughout all this #but ya tldr: Shen Yuan's transmigration is an encouragement to write and not a punishment and also i dont think its fair to call him lazy

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rivetgoth · 14 days ago

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I know I keep saying it and other people keep saying it but what’s so unbelievably frustrating is that MENA people, Palestinians, Iraqis, Persians, Muslims, Arabs… are just people. Like they’re literally just people. They drink, they party, they have sex, they like the same fandoms as you, they can be gay, they can be trans, they can have all the same existential fears, the same mental illnesses, the same infinitely nuanced and complex opinions and frustrations about topics like religion, morality, politics. They’re doctors, lawyers, teachers, actors, scientists, musicians, artists. And because people can’t process this, MENA people are left having to fucking spell out their humanity to people who consider themselves otherwise bleeding heart liberals. It’s insanity.

One of the best indicators of the lack of knowledge people have of Arab people to me is the existence of arak. It’s the Middle Eastern liquor. It’s produced across the region. It’s considered the national drink of Lebanon. Production of arak in Palestine is internationally recognized and has won awards. This seems like a tiny thing, but it’s actually crazy how many westerners truly believe Arab people don’t drink, that they follow religious law with such strict adherence that their behavior is just unrecognizably foreign, and they live in some state of austere repression beyond which the average westerner could even imagine. They have no idea this even exists.

Shortly after the onslaught post-Oct 7 I remember following updates from a Palestinian girl on Twitter who, in between sharing fundraisers for herself and her family (who, thankfully, did manage to evacuate safely, although not without needing serious medical attention) and updates about the broader situation, logged online after a few weeks of silence to lament the fact that she had missed her favorite anime character’s birthday and was sad she hadn’t been able to celebrate it with her mutuals. Her friends drew pictures of him for her.

And like, I truly believe that people are deserving of life even when they are quite different from us. Nobody deserves to be murdered en masse by the imperialistic machine as a display of power, over land, over resources, etc. But people aren’t even able to NOT dehumanize MENA people and realize that they AREN’T that different!! You’ve been fed propaganda your entire life that has convinced you that MENA people are just so deeply foreign that you couldn’t possibly understand or relate to them. Steve Jobs is Syrian. Shakira is Lebanese. Rami Malek is Egyptian. Salma Hayek is Lebanese. DJ Khaled is Palestinian. Freddie Mercury was Persian.

I honestly think at this point it’s partly a coping mechanism—If many westerners were actually to conceptualize the literal millions of human beings, people just like them, their friends, their loved ones, their heroes, their family, as burning unrecognizable bodies left charred in their homes they would just fall apart. So the only option is to insist until you’re red in the face that they couldn’t possibly be the same as you.

#ETA I kiiiiiinda wished I’d specified that I’m Arab myself in this post now that it’s gotten some notes #just to better contextualize it #but at the same time it goes back to that like. stolen valor thing I mentioned before lol #I am Arab but I’m also a white passing US citizen so I am really really really not like #the target of ire at all and I don’t want to be viewed as an authority just because I Am Arab #I’d much much much rather ppl follow MENA people IN that region ykwim.#but at the same time like. I mean it’s being an Arab person that makes me feel so inescapably aware of this #like I hear ‘middle eastern person’ I think about . my actual family .#immigrating to this country as war refugees.#my dad’s immigrant friends growing up #my MENA coworkers who got excited knowing I was also middle eastern #like it’s so crazy to just BE from a group & then people talk about people like you like faceless statistics of dead body counts.

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uekiyoshi-archive · 8 months ago

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chapter 19 illustration

Shoichi Usui || November 5, 2024 || Twitter [link]

#for the time being #hi-stakes #tenma sakaki #note from the author #ultimate exorcist kiyoshi #shoichi usui #november #2024

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mxystan · 4 months ago

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taiwan travelogue by yang shuangzi tr. lin king is indeed an award-winning banger and perhaps the first time in my life i've ever felt vindicated for dual-wielding a novel with its english translation because the act of translation itself is such a big theme in the novel. big win for metafiction-obsessed himejin everywhere!!

#i genuinely burst into tears twice just thinking about the ending of this book #read if you enjoy: narratives about colonialism. barriers to understanding formed by language and power dynamics. FOOD AS LOVE #i also just bought the authors most recent book and its also very fun and maybe what id recommend as a lighter entry point into her work #as a yuri thats also very slice-of-life with food-as-love themes but requires less historical/cultural background to access #alas no. 1 siwei st doesnt have a translation. yet... unless.......#txt #spoilers further in tags #i think part of what makes chizuru/chien-ho such an intriguing character is carried by the conceit of translation as interpretation #her role as someone who dreams of translating novels but not one who writes them... delivering others stories to a broader audience #shes very much a character who we only get to see from the outside; most notably from the perspective of the novel's unreliable narrator #which we read as a 2nd ed translation of the original japanese text by an uninvolved third party looking back years after the authors death #but it turns out [spoilers] chizuru herself wrote the 1st ed translation and the first time we hear *her* voice is in her translators note #and her perspective and the negative space between her words are both *infinitely* fascinating #even the concept! of translating a novel where youre a main character who the narrator loves and desperately wants to understand! wtf!!!!!!#rotating her in my mind. 小千妳到底是何方聖神啊...

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warwickroyals · 1 year ago

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So, we are very close to beginning the James mini-series, which was little excerpts from his diaries that were stolen from the archives by Crosby. Since they are journal entries they're written in first person, present tense and might be slightly more narrativized than a typical journal entry, just to keep things interesting.

The excerpts we see take place in the summer of 2016, so roughly a year before James's death. It deals with a lot of sensitive issues such as mental illness, suicide/death, pregnancy loss, substance abuse, and generational trauma. The entries also deal a lot with sex and physical intimacy. These posts won't have any visuals depicting any of these topics, they are 100% prose, but please be mindful of these topics going in. Everything will be tagged appropriately.

These posts will go live at 6 am EST on update days, which are usually every three days. I'm aiming for the first one to go up this Friday. I'm so excited for you to see what I've been working on: the answer as to why the palace was so anxious to bury James's journals in the first place. Also keep in mind that what we read isn't the entirety of what Alex has read, just bits and pieces.

#warwick.text #note from the author #warwick.extras

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nellasbookplanet · 6 months ago

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Mentioning Tusk Love and the potential of other independent stories set in Exandria reminded me of an old discord conversation about how they could Fix the courting of the crick for publishing (seeing as it's canonically a Bad Book due to being super dry and also racist towards drow) without breaking canon:

Rename it 'The Courting of the Kryn - a Reimagining of the Classic Story, by Jester Lavorre'

Present it as an in-universe fanfic-ish rewrite. There's a foreword where 'Jester' elaborates on the inaccuracies of the original, the impact the story had on her, and the importance of Dynasty-Empire relations. There's an acknowledgement section where she thanks Caleb and Beau as 'consultants on Empire culture', as well as an unnamed/under fake name/clearly Essek as an 'expert on the Luxon, dunamancy and Dynasty culture'. All his information on spy networks is eerily accurate and has his former co-workers scrambling. (He makes her keep all the dry historical accounts, but now it's accurate (with added dick-related puns)). She mentions that she reached out to the Bright Queen who reluctantly (after 5 messages in a row) gave some pointers. In her frantic research she possibly made some breakthroughs on the nature on the Luxon that has Essek reeling (there's a 'further reading' section where she lists the academic paper he wrote building on her discoveries and an entire list of the sources her consultants used).

For extra fun and meta-ness, include footnotes where she comments on things she changed/removed from the original and why, how various scenes may have been inspired by a real life couple or events, etc. Some of the footnotes are written by her consultants. Caleb and Essek get into arguments on dunamancy theory which is actually thinly veiled flirting. There's anatomically accurate drow sex (it's unclear whether the consultant was Essek or Caleb or possibly a certain brother, who was also consulted on Dynasty military practices).

#I don't know what the actual story would be though #it would be funny if the main couple was clearly inspired by shadowgast #but also i think the story itself should be able to stand on its own without the framing narrative similar to tusk love #part of this was copied from my old discord messages bc man i still really like this idea #*quietly slides this under critical role's studio door with my contact info attached*#critical role #nella talks cr #if you want to make it extra EXTRA meta the story could still clearly be by jester but under a pen-name with no notes of her own #and the footnotes/authors notes are by a future researcher who's studying the work #and has connected it to the famous artist jester lavorre #and is now puzzling together her and the nein's entire lives in the footnotes

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