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fatecantstopme · 4 months

Text

Late Night Brilliance

Pairing: Rafael Barba x Reader

Summary: Barba shows up at your house unexpectedly one evening to go over a case. What began as an honest need to work through some inconsistencies, turned into a battle to maintain professionalism and composure.

Warnings: SMUT, unprotected sex (P in V), oral (M receiving), mentions of F receiving oral, fingering, light dom/sub vibes (Rafi is totally a dom).

A/N: Spanish Translations:

Querida/Cariño/Nena: Terms of endearment (darling/sweetheart/baby)

Meirda: shit

Por favor: please

The rest will be in brackets and italics after the sentence.

You were in the middle of eating your Chinese takeout when you were disturbed by a knock at your door. You weren't expecting any company and had been taking full advantage of a quiet Friday night in.

You sighed quietly as you pulled yourself off the sofa and went to answer the door. A shiver of surprise ran down your spine as you peered through the peephole. You groaned inwardly, glancing down at your rather disheveled appearance. You'd thrown on an old baggy t-shirt and leggings when you'd gotten home from work, but one look at the man standing on the other side of your door filled you with regret.

You pushed down any feelings of dread--and butterflies--as you opened the door and greeted your visitor with a warm smile. "Rafael Barba. What brings you by at 6:30pm on a Friday?"

Your tone was light and teasing, despite the unease you felt internally. He gave you his signature half-smirk, eyes quickly scanning you from head to toe, making you feel even more self-conscious.

He was wearing a beautiful three piece navy pinstripe suit with a lovely pink tie. You had no doubt he had matching suspenders under that damn vest...you hated how good he looked even after a long day of work.

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything," he said in a tone that indicated he knew damn well he wasn't interrupting anything. "I was hoping to talk to you about the Milligan case."

"Nothing better to do on a Friday night, Counselor?"

He chuckled. "My options were to spend the evening in my office, at home alone, or come spend it with a beautiful woman. I chose the latter."

You were more than a little surprised by his words, though you did your best not to show it. The two of you were known to flirt occasionally, but neither had dared to cross the line. A relationship between the two of you was out of the question, not that he was even interested in pursuing one with you. After all, he was married to his work and you were quite far from his type...you'd seen Yelina.

"Lucky for you, I also have no life outside of my job," you teased. "Come on in and make yourself at home. I've got Chinese food if you're hungry and I just opened a bottle of Merlot."

Rafael followed you in, shedding his suit jacket and draping it across the back of a dining chair. He began to roll up the sleeves of his white button down and you felt a stirring in your abdomen. "Chinese sounds amazing, but I can't say I'm a fan of Merlot."

It took you a moment to register the words he'd spoken as you were too preoccupied with not revealing how incredibly sexy you thought he looked in that moment. "I, uh--I think I have some bourbon if you're interested."

You practically bolted to the kitchen to look in the cabinet where you kept the liquor. You desperately needed to be as far away from him as possible before your face gave away the thoughts in your head.

"Bourbon sounds good."

Your eyes scanned the cabinet, locating the half-empty bottle at the back of the shelf. "Two fingers or three?"

"Three," he answered, voice much closer than it had been moments before.

You turned around to see Rafael leaning against the door frame with his arms folded across his chest. Your eyes nearly rolled into your head at the sight and you let out an audible sound you hoped could be interpreted as surprise.

You poured the drink in silence, before handing it to him and gesturing for him to follow you to the living room. "We can eat at the table if you prefer..." you trailed off.

"Not necessary. The couch looks perfectly comfortable."

He sat down on one end of the couch and you sat on the other, as far away as you could possibly get without sitting on the arm. He raised an eyebrow at you, but didn't comment on the awkward distance you'd managed to put between you.

"So you--um--you wanted to talk about Milligan?" you asked.

"Not exactly. I wanted to talk about the victim, Shelly."

"What about her?"

"Something about her story isn't sitting right with me."

"Okay..."

"I want you to go over it with me again. Maybe give me a fresh set of eyes and a different perspective?"

"I'm not sure how much help I can be, Barba. I was in the room when she disclosed--that's not exactly a fresh set of eyes."

"Perhaps, but you are a psychologist. You see things very differently from the rest of us."

You sighed. "Alright, I'll bite. Where do you wanna start?"

As the two of you began to discuss the case and the inconsistencies in the victim's story, your discomfort started to evaporate. This is what you were passionate about--what you were best at. Everything else simply faded away and Rafael became just a colleague, not a man you were hopelessly romantically interested in.

Two hours passed, but it felt like no time at all. Your coffee table was littered with files and papers, and both you and Rafael were leaning over it, examining pieces of evidence. He was mere inches from you, but you were so absorbed in what you were doing that you hardly noticed.

"Cariño, can you pass me that witness statement?" Rafael asked.

You grabbed the paper he was referring to and handed it to him, eyes still scanning the page in front of you. The term of endearment didn't even register in your mind, nor did he seem to realize he'd even said it aloud.

After a few moments, Rafael asked you another question. "Do you have the surveillance photos from the bar?"

You pushed a few folders out of the way, digging the file with the photos out from the bottom of the stack. "What are you looking for?"

"Her outfit."

"Why?"

He didn't answer as he flipped through the photos, finally landing on the one he had been looking for. "Look at this."

He handed you the photo, which you'd seen before. "Yeah that's Shelly leaving the bar before the assault."

"Right. Notice her outfit?"

You glanced at the photo again. "Typical night out attire. Why is this important?"

He handed you the statement he'd been reading earlier. "She came directly to the precinct after her assault to disclose, right? Nowhere in her initial statement does she say she ever changed clothes."

You'd been there the night in question, had sat beside Olivia as she took Shelly's statement. "She was wearing jeans and a t-shirt," you stated.

"So why didn't she tell us she went home first?"

"She might have been worried we would judge her or blame her for the assault because she wasn't dressed like a nun."

"Yeah, I suppose that's possible."

He looked a little crestfallen, like you'd rained on his parade. He knew in his gut Shelly wasn't telling the whole story, but he couldn't prove it. He needed a single thread...just one thread to pull on. He needed to know now before the trial began and the defense unraveled the entire case.

A thought dawned on you. "No semen, no body fluids," you mumbled as you searched the coffee table for the rape kit report from the hospital.

Rafael watched you, unsure of what you were thinking.

"Ahh!" You grabbed the report and flipped through it. "There was evidence of trauma to her vagina and several bruises on her body, but there were zero traces of any DNA that wasn't hers."

"Okay, but that's not uncommon."

"Perhaps if she'd waited to report, I would agree, but I think there's an alternative reason."

He raised an eyebrow and waited for you to continue.

"She went home and showered."

Realization dawned on his face. "Didn't you or Olivia ask that question?"

"Of course we did, but I think she was scared to tell us, scared of what we'd say."

"We need to reinterview her."

You nodded.

Rafael pulled out his phone and called Olivia. He relayed what you'd discovered and asked her to reinterview Shelly the following day. Olivia agreed and thanked him for letting her know.

"You're brilliant, you know that?" he said as he hung up, vivid green eyes locked on your face.

"Minor detective work, at best," you said with a shrug. "I've been doing this long enough that I should be able to put pieces of a puzzle together. Besides, as you rightfully mentioned, it's my job to study and understand human behavior."

He smiled. "Even still, it was good work."

"You found the pieces, I just put them together."

"Take the compliment, (Y/N). You know I give them so rarely."

You laughed. "Alright, alright. Thank you, Rafael."

His expression shifted slightly, gaze darkening as he looked at you. "I don't think you've ever called me by my first name before." Even his voice was lower, huskier.

You felt the heat rise in your cheeks. "I--uh, I'm sorry."

He reached out and grabbed your hand. "Please don't apologize. I liked hearing it...very much."

Heat began to spread through your entire body, coloring more than just your cheeks. You were unsure how to respond--the unfamiliar territory both daunting and exciting.

Rafael mistook your silence for discomfort, immediately removing his hand from yours and looking incredibly uncomfortable. "Sorry, I shouldn't have said that."

Everything in you wanted to reach out and touch him, reassure him that his words--and his touch--were welcome, but you knew that would be crossing a line you couldn't uncross.

"No worries," you mumbled.

The awkward silence stretched on for a few moments, during which time you were silently kicking yourself for making things weird.

"Well, umm, thank you for your help tonight. I-I guess I should be going," Rafael muttered lowly.

He started to get up and gather the papers strewn about the coffee table. You knew you should help him, but you didn't move--frozen in place with indecision. He couldn't see the war raging inside you, couldn't hear the thoughts screaming in your head.

After what seemed like an eternity, you finally forced out two words, "Don't go."

Rafael paused, holding a few papers in one hand and a folder in the other. "Pardon?"

You swallowed thickly, rising to your feet. "Please stay."

Surprise lit up his handsome face. "It's getting late," he said softly. "Are you sure you want me to stay?"

You nodded.

He slowly set the papers back down and came to the other side of the coffee table, positioning himself directly in front of you. He reached out, tentatively placing his warm palm against your cheek. You leaned into his hand, eyes fluttering closed for a moment.

"I need to hear you say it, querida," he murmured.

Your bright (y/e/c) eyes met his, a surge of confidence making your words clearer. "I want you to stay, Rafael."

His lips parted slightly, partially in surprise and partially in arousal. He stepped closer to you, closing the gap between you. His lips ghosted over yours before finally pressing gently against them, pulling you into a soft kiss.

You wanted nothing more than to lean into his kiss, to feel his hands on your body--you wanted to know what it was like to be worshipped by him, to make love to him.

But the rational part of your brain--the part that kept you on the straight and narrow your entire life--had managed to rear its ugly head. You couldn't drown out the voice in your head screaming at you that this was wrong--that you couldn't do this with him...he was your coworker, for god's sake.

You suddenly pulled away from him, voice coming out in a rushed whisper, "We can't."

While he was disheartened at the sound of your words, he wasn't really surprised. It wasn't forbidden--technically--but that didn't make it easy, or even right. "I won't force you, cariño."

His soft, comforting words made you want him even more. You sighed quietly and leaned your forehead against his. "We shouldn't," you whispered so softly he almost missed it.

His hands had settled on your hips and he began to rub soothing circles into your sides. "Can't or shouldn't?" he asked lowly.

Your trembling hand pressed firmly against his chest in a way that made him feel like you were pulling him closer, not pushing him away. "Please," you begged softly, neither of you sure of exactly what you were asking for.

Rafael's left hand slid lower on your hip, the tips of his long fingers pressing into the soft flesh of your bottom. His right hand pulled you closer to him, holding you flush against his body. "Tell me you don't want me--don't want this," he pleaded, voice husky with desire.

Your lips trembled against his mouth, body responding to his like it was made for him. "I can't..."

His left hand moved to grab you more fully, eliciting a soft moan of need from your lips. "Querida...tell me to stop."

"Please don't stop," you whimpered. "I need you--por favor, Rafi."

"Mierda," he growled, pulling you somehow even closer to him. His lips crashed into yours with a hunger you couldn't describe--a hunger you returned in kind.

The next several moments were a flurry of hands all but tearing at each other's clothes, desperate to feel skin to skin contact. In what had to be a record pace, the two of you found yourselves standing in nothing but underwear in the middle of your living room.

Rafael grabbed you tightly and tugged you down with him as he fell into a sitting position on the couch. You straddled his strong thighs, lips still hungrily devouring his.

He groaned lowly as your pelvis ground against his erection, the intense need for friction almost painful. His soft hands ghosted up your back, unclasping your bra with practiced ease.

You pulled away from him just long enough to send your bra flying across the room. Rafael licked his lips in anticipation before leaning forward to capture your nipple between his soft lips.

You sighed softly, fingers twining through his hair in order to hold him tightly against you. He used one hand to massage your other breast before switching to ensure both received equal treatment.

"Rafi," you whimpered as the need to feel him inside of you continued to grow.

"Si, hermosa?" he murmured.

You ground down against his erection again, silently telling him what you needed.

His hands immediately went to your hips, halting your movements. "I need you to tell me what you want, querida."

"You," you begged.

He smirked. "Puedes hacerlo mejor. Usa tus palabras." [You can do better. Use your words.]

If you were being honest with yourself, your Spanish was not nearly as good as it had been when you were younger...after all, you hadn't really spoken much Spanish since high school. Working with Nick Amaro, and now Rafael, had forced you to revisit your knowledge of the language in an attempt to brush up. Thankfully, you understood a hell of a lot more than you spoke, so you were able to piece together what he was telling you to do.

"I want you, Rafael, please."

"I'm right here, hermosa."

You glared at him, which earned you a patented smirk in response.

"Si quieres algo solo tienes que preguntar," he murmured softly. [If you want something, you just have to ask.]

You bit your lip. You weren't a shy person, but you had never been very vocal during sex in the past. Your partners didn't often ask you what you actually wanted, so you weren't even sure how to respond to him.

"I want you to touch me."

"Donde?" [Where?]

You realized he wasn't going to let you get away with not being explicit, but you couldn't quite bring yourself to say the words out loud. Instead, you grabbed his right hand and guided it between your legs, placing it firmly against your extremely damp panties. "Here."

Rafael smiled wolfishly. "Now was that so hard?" His voice was teasing, but there was a heat in his eyes that betrayed exactly how turned on he was.

He didn't give you a chance to respond as he pulled your underwear aside and slipped his fingers between your dripping folds. You gasped softly, hands gripping onto his shoulders for support.

"Is this what you needed, cariño?" His fingers gently toyed with your clit, providing some stimulation, but not exactly what you needed.

"More, Rafi, por favor," you begged.

In response, Rafael slipped two fingers inside of you, twisting his hand to form a come hither motion as he sought your sweet spot. His thumb provided the pressure against your clit that you so desperately needed and you moaned loudly as his fingers found your g-spot.

"There we go, nena. Te tengo." [I've got you.]

You clung to his shoulders as his expert fingers worked you closer and closer to the edge. You were almost surprised by the ease with which you felt your orgasm approaching--you couldn't remember the last time you'd cum from nothing more than a man's hands.

Rafael slid a third finger inside of you and began to add more pressure to his movements on your clit. The stimulation was exactly what you needed and you knew your orgasm was close. You were hesitant to tell him, but you also didn't want him to stop. "Rafi, I'm so close--please don't stop."

"I won't," he murmured, changing nothing about his current movements. "Quiero sentirte venir." [I want to feel you come.]

Your breathing was labored and your legs had begun to shake--a surefire sign of your impending orgasm. He could feel your walls squeezing his fingers and he couldn't wait to feel the sensation around his cock.

Your nails dug into his shoulders as your orgasm rushed over you, sending shockwaves of pleasure through your body. Rafael slowed his motions, but didn't stop until you began to whimper and squirm away from him.

He pulled his fingers out of you and lifted them to his mouth, sucking them clean with a groan of enjoyment. "Tastes so good, nena. Can't wait to taste you properly."

Your eyes widened slightly, having found the action extremely arousing. Your gaze then traveled down his body, landing on his still clothed cock. Your eyes flicked back up to his, your expression practically begging him to fuck you properly.

"Hay algo que quieras?" [Is there something you want?] he asked with a smile.

"I'd really like you to lose the boxers."

He raised his eyebrows in surprise, enjoying your demanding tone more than he'd expected. "Stand up for me, querida."

You did as he asked, albeit slowly.

He lifted his hips and slowly tugged his boxers down, finally freeing his painfully hard cock. Your eyes widened slightly, gaze appreciative of his member. He was both thick and long, and the head was leaking enough precum to give you the strong urge to taste it.

Your eyes never left his cock as you tugged your own panties off, wanting to be just as deliciously naked as he was. You started to drop to your knees, but Rafael reached out and grabbed your arm.

"What are you doing, nena?"

"I wanna taste you," you answered softly.

He closed his eyes for a moment, swearing softly in Spanish under his breath. "As much as I would love to feel your pretty little mouth on my cock, I don't think I can take it."

You felt incredibly disappointed and your expression must have shown it because his gaze took on a slightly pitying look.

"Just a taste?" you pleaded.

He couldn't deny he wanted it as badly as you did--probably more so, but what really pushed him over the edge was the sound of your soft voice begging him. He didn't wanna say no to you--ever.

He released your arm with a soft sigh. "Está bien--just a taste." [Alright.]

You grinned, feeling pleased at having won. You dropped to your knees and gripped his cock in your warm hand, gently stroking him before leaning forward to lick the precum from the tip. Rafael groaned at the feeling, followed by a string of Spanish curses as you took his cock in your mouth.

The sensations you were providing him had him making more noise than you'd ever imagined. His fingers fisted into your hair and his hips jerked as you pleasured him--a feeling of pride settling into you as you listened to his moans. You felt powerful, having made the great Rafael Barba turn to putty in your hands.

His grip in your hair tightened and he pulled you off his cock much sooner than you would have liked--a groan of displeasure leaving your lips in protest.

"Get up here," he ordered, his tone leaving no room for argument. It was the same tone he used in court when he was tearing someone apart on the stand.

You immediately did as he asked, once again straddling his thighs, but this time, you awaited further instructions. Everything about his demeanor oozed dominance and you were more than happy to slip into a submissive role for him.

He gripped his cock and slid the head between your folds, sending sharp bolts of pleasure through both of you.

"Dime que me quieres," he demanded. [Tell me you want me.]

"I want you, Rafael," you answered instantly.

He smiled at your clear willingness to obey. "Dime que me necesitas." [Tell me you need me.]

"I need you."

He leaned forward so his lips were inches from your ear. "Vas a gritar mi nombre?" [Are you gonna scream my name?]

"Si, Rafi! Please!" you begged. "Te necesito dentro de mi." [I need you inside of me.]

He rolled his hips up slightly, pushing the head of his cock into you. He held you tightly in place, not allowing you to move lower.

"More, please!" you cried, desperately trying to lower yourself onto him fully.

"Rogar por esto, nena. Dejame escucharte." [Beg for it, baby. Let me hear you.]

"Please, Rafi, please," you pleaded. "I'll do anything--please. Please just fuck me!"

His grip on your hips lessened just as he rolled his hips upwards, allowing him to plunge into you as you pressed yourself down on him. The tip of his cock brushed against your cervix, sending a jolt of pain through you, but pain quickly turned to pleasure as he began to move.

"You feel so good, querida. So tight and warm--made for me, weren't you?" Rafael murmured into your skin as he slowly rolled his hips.

You whimpered slightly, the slow pace not enough to soothe the burning ache within you.

He noticed the way you shifted, clearly seeking more friction, so he loosened his grip on you, allowing you more freedom. You gripped onto his shoulders, using them as additional leverage as you began to ride him properly.

Salacious sounds filled the room, a mixture of your bodies joining together and your shared moans and whimpers. Rafael's mouth nipped and sucked at your pulse point, your collarbone, and your lips--anything he could reach.

The position was enjoyable, but Rafael sensed you needed more--and he felt the need to take over. He pulled you in close to him, holding you tightly as he stood, flipping you onto your back on the couch.

You gasped in surprise, delighted at the change in position. Rafael immediately took charge, bending your legs towards your chest and thrusting into you hard and fast.

"I need to feel you cum, hermosa. Dime que necesitas." [Tell me what you need.]

You were a whimpering, moaning mess beneath him, and your brain was struggling to make sense of the words he was saying. It took you a moment to understand, but even then you couldn't find the words. Instead, you slipped your hand between your bodies and began to rub your clit.

Rafael pushed your hand out of the way, replacing it with his own. He'd be damned if he wasn't the one who made you fall apart. "Vendrás por mi?" [You gonna come for me?]

"Rafi!" you cried out--the only coherent thing you'd said in minutes.

Your pussy clenched down on his cock, squeezing him so tightly he nearly came on the spot. He continued to fuck you exactly as he had been, fingers still pulsing against your clit.

Moments later, you came with a loud cry of his name, wave after wave of intense pleasure crashing down on you as he rode you through the orgasm.

He removed his hand from your clit, using it instead to grip the back of the sofa, his other hand supporting his weight on the arm. He chased his own high, finding it a few seconds after you. He groaned your name as his hot seed filled you up, hips still pumping for a few moments before he collapsed on top of you.

You wrapped your arms around him as he came down, aftershocks wracking both of your bodies.

Once you'd both caught your breath, Rafael lifted his head to look at you. He smiled as he took in your fucked out appearance--evidence of your enjoyment written all over your face.

"You're so beautiful, querida," he murmured.

You blushed. "So are you."

He chuckled. "I'm not quite sure a man wants to hear that he's beautiful."

"Eres muy guapo, papi," you said with a grin.

His eyes darkened slightly. "That's much better."

He pulled himself up so he could kiss you properly. When he deepened the kiss, you found yourself heating up--the desire once again building in your core.

"How 'bout I take you to bed and properly worship you, cariño? Would you like that?"

Your eyes widened. "You don't have to..."

"I know, but I want to. I wanna taste that pretty pussy properly before I fuck you again."

You grinned a little, enjoying the twinkling in his eye as he looked at you. "Second door on the left," you stated, pointing down the hall.

"Perfecto," he murmured as he stood up. He leaned down and scooped you up in his arms, bridal style, and began to carry you towards the bedroom.

"Rafi!" you yelled in surprise, a soft giggle leaving your lips.

He tossed you onto your bed and crawled on top of you to kiss you deeply. "Now, if it pleases the court, I'd like to spend the next 15 minutes with my head between these sexy thighs."

Your cheeks blushed as you chuckled lightly. "It pleases the court very much."

He gave you one last grin before lowering himself between your legs and sending you to heaven as many times as your body would let him.

#rafael barba x reader smut #rafael barba x reader #rafael barba smut #law and order svu smut #law and order svu #rafael barba

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yelenasdiary · 9 months

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Hi love!! I'm so excited your requests are open again for now. I love your writing so much!

How about a WandaNat x R story where R left for a longer mission so in the meantime WandaNat got into a routine without her, so that when R comes back they're still kinda stuck in that routine and therefore are ignoring R a bit. Just some angst with a happy ending ☺️

Overthinking

Pairing: WandaNat x Reader

Summary: Going on long missions were normal but returning home was harder than leaving.

Angst & Fluff

Translations from Russian & Slovakia: Detka (baby), Krásne (beautiful), Miláčik (Darling)

Warnings: None | 1K

AC: Thank you for sending this! I hope you enjoy xx

A week ago, you returned from a four-month long mission far, far away from the two people you love dearly. It was hard to leave them, but this was normal. You were Avengers, missions were a part of your job and you all understood that. When you first returned, things were normal as if you had never left. Wanda made the two of you breakfast while Natasha spoiled you with affection in bed like she always did.

But a few days later, you noticed that your mission had kept you away from your girlfriends for a minute too long. The normal changed, you woke up in bed alone, you had breakfast alone, but you couldn't blame the two women for their new routine. They missed you more than you'd ever know and to cope with the lack of communication while you were gone, they naturally found a routine that helped them wait for your return.

They woke up at the same time, had breakfast together, trained together, did mission reports together if needed but even though they still did most things together they still had things they didn't go together. Wanda loved the grocery store because it gave her a sense of normality outside of being an Avenger so she did the grocery shopping for the entire compound. Natasha loved taking her motorcycle for a joy ride to keep her mind at ease and would often leave without letting anybody know but if her helmet was gone, nobody questioned her she was.

As for you, all you wanted was to be with them. All that time spent away from them made you realize just how much you loved them both so deeply. You knew they didn't mean to be ignoring you, they didn't even realize they were doing it but you missed them and the silence was getting a little too much for you to keep to yourself anymore.

"Wands, darling!" You smiled as you entered the compound kitchen to find her unloading the groceries she had just brought, "let me help" you added.

"Thank you baby" she smiled as you handed her a tub of yogurt to place in the fridge.

"So, I was thinking, how about I cook for us tonight? Just the three of us" you offered.

"But you never cook?" Wanda cocked a brow at you.

"I know, but I just thought we could do with something new" you replied. Wanda nodded, "well, okay krásne, dinner would be lovely" she smiled before kissing your lips softly. Your smile only grew bigger with excitement to finally spend some alone time with your girlfriends.

----

The kitchen was a mess, your idea was to make Wanda's favorite meal, cholent. A slow cooked Jewish stew and peanut butter sandwiches for dessert. You had set the table and asked that the others would make their own plans for dinner, respectfully. Candles helped cover the burnt food smell while you dished up three plates and placed them on the table.

"Something smells amazing" Wanda said as she entered the room, startling you.

"I'm glad you think so" you chuckled, "I made cholent" you added. Wanda's eyes lit up, "you didn't have to spoil us" she replied as she took a seat at the table. Natasha followed behind Wanda, coming up to you and placing a kiss on your cheek.

"Well, I was gone for too long" you admitted, taking Natasha's hand as she led you towards the dining table. "This is my way of making up for lost time" you added, taking a seat.

"Detka, you have nothing to make up for. We're just glad you're home" Natasha said, sitting across from you and Wanda. Your eyes dropped slightly at her words, your mind wanting to say something about the slight distance that had been placed between you and them, but you didn't want to ruin a good night.

"Honey, what is it?" Wanda asked, placing a hand on top of yours.

"It's nothing" you looked to her, brushing off her question with a light smile but she didn't buy it, not for a second. She tilted her head slightly, giving you that look.

"Did something happen on the mission?" Natasha asked, looking between you and Wanda. You shook your head, "No, the mission was fine" you replied with a sigh. "I just…I know you both don't mean it, but I can see you two worked out a new routine without me…"

Natasha looked to Wanda then back to you, "I missed you both so much and I just want tonight to make up for me being away for so long" you added.

"Detka, I'm sorry" Natasha rose from her seat to sit on the other side of you, taking your free hand in hers, "we didn't mean to make you feel ignored. Wanda mentioned how exhausted you looked, and we thought it was best to let you sleep in and to give you some time to relax" Natasha explained.

"We were going to wait until the weekend, but Nat and I have booked a little weekend getaway for just for the three of us miláčik" Wanda said.

"We wanted to let you recover and do any mission reports before we stole you from everybody for a few days" Natasha added.

"I am so stupid!" You shook your head, "here I was thinking you guys had found a way to do life with me on the side" you admitted with an eye roll. Wanda and Natasha chuckled, "oh detka, you overthink to much" Natasha said.

"We could never do life without you or with you on the side-lines, you are our life" Wanda chipped in, placing a kiss on your cheek. Your cheeks warm with embarrassment for allowing your thoughts to get the better of you, "can we please forget I ever said anything and enjoy dinner?" You asked, an embarrassed smile tugging at your lips.

After dinner the three of you cleaned up the kitchen and cuddled up on the sofa in the compound living room to watch one of your all-time favorite movies. Wanda twirled with your hair while Natasha gave your feet a massage.

"So, where is this cheeky weekend getaway?" You asked.

"For us to know and for your pretty little mind to think about" Natasha replied with a playful wink. "Oh, come on! Tell me!" You begged.

"That would ruin the surprise" Wanda said, "I'm sure you could wait" she added to tease you before catching your lips in a kiss.

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#yelenasdiary asks #anon #wandanat #wandanat x reader #fanficiton #marvel #wanda maximoff #wanda maximoff x reader #natasha romanoff #natasha romanoff x reader #black widow #the scarlet witch

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piwstri4 · 10 months

Text

un verano sin ti | ln4

pairing: f1driver!ex!lando norris x fashion designer!ex!reader

summary: you can't seem to find peace after success.

part one - part three

DUSK.CLOTHING

liked by ynclo, lewishamilton, lukasabbat and 97,673 others

DUSK.CLOTHING Yet again another successful project! We are very thankful for everyone who attended the show, we hope you enjoyed it at least half as much as we did setting everything up. Spring in a lavender field looks wonderful.

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ynclo thanks to everyone who supported this project!!! i hope we can do something as amazing as this sometime soon, for now cheers to all the crew behind this fantastic runway 🔥💥

user1 i LOVED it, by far one of the most spectacular shows you've done so far guys!!

lukasabbat fire project 🔥🔥

ynclo well i had gorgeous models

lukasabbat the designer didn't fail to surprise

user2 it's amazing how she comes up w everything i love her brain

user3 all she needed was to break up w the vroom vroom guy

user4 I didn't like him either but we should still respect him anyways

user5 well he was the love of her life, let's not trash him around

lewishamilton by far one of your best works, keep up the good job!

DUSK.CLOTHING We will!

ynclo im so happy u liked it!!!!! i told u the field was a good idea

user6 tell me im not the only one who saw her flirt w that one model on the backstage???

user7 she's flirting w him in the comments.....

user8 omg name?

user7 @/lukasabbat

user9 I wish I could have gone!! Looks like a fairytale

user10 im convinced that ever since leaving vroom vroom guy she's been thriving.

user11 I know you have good intentions but please respect them both, he was a very important part of her life

user12 she's what she is bc of him

ynclo

liked by lukasabbat, danielricciardo, arthurleclerc and 63,928 others

ynclo la estoy pasando bien no te voy a mentir (pero a veces tu nombre no me deja dormir)

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user1 i love the fact that now all her captions are in spanish

user2 queen behavior tbh bc redacted wont take the time to translate them

user3 now we have insta pages translating them!!

user4 for those wondering: "im doing great not gonna lie (but sometimes your name doesn't let me fall asleep)"

user5 I'm so convinced that it was for him

user6 of course it was for him, they were together for so long

user7 no one's gonna talk about sir mister man in the third pic?

user8 i miss her w l*ndo so much:((

danielricciardo Nice car

ynclo mine or his?

danielricciardo both

user9 yall they were gonna get married at that place 😭😭😭😭

user10 source??

user11 i might be wrong but they said that in a story + posted some pics

user12 could literally be any fucking field you are all delusional

lukasabbat amazing weekend, we should do that more ofter

ynclo waiting for ur call 🫀

lukasabbat wont have to wait too long 😉

user13 i refuse to believe they broke up 11 months ago

user14 I'm still mourning that relationship

user15 i miss my parents....

user16 who's that one in the third pic??

user17 new bf??

user18 is that luka sabbat??

user19 who?

user20 he modeled for her last collection

landonorris

liked by mclarenf1, oscarpiastri, maxverstappen1 and 99,729 others

landonorris I was enchanted to meet you

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user1 cmon say it say it lando SAY IT

user2 i just know he wanted to say please dont fall in love with someone else

user3 not everything has to be about yn...

user4 the girl in the second pic???

user5 ikkk i saw that too!!

user6 yn?

user7 fuck no they're totally different

carlossainz55 I'm still better at golf than you

landonorris If you say so mate🫡

user5 is he grieving or soft launching i dont get it

user6 new gf??

user7 i cant believe he's having another girl

user8 they broke up almost a year ago let it go

user9 man deserves to live his life too

danielricciardo Nice car

landonorris His name's Benito

user10 are you kidding me??

user11 is he @ u know where??

user12 not the same place, it didn't have a golf field

user13 please stop the delusions

user14 we were robbed of lui and benito being siblings

user15 it hurts to remember her say that he was forever a part of her soul and now look at this mess

ynclo

liked by lukasabbat, danielricciardo, DUSK.CLOTHING and 96,923 others

ynclo te juro que no me imaginaba lo que se sentía ni lo que sería un verano sin ti.

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user1 he got p2 today, this post was his

user2 she's allowed to move on...

user3 no bc why would she post this the same day of the race after he got p2??? i like to be delusional to think this WAS abt him

user4 so basically the caption says "i swear i didn't imagine what would feel or what would be a summer without you."

user5 in the picture "i wish her good luck, 'cause it's not like anyone can get to you"

user6 thank u for ur services

user7 This IS about him and no one can convince me otherwise

user7 the post the caption the race....

user8 she misses him i just know it

lukasabbat nice summer 🌞🌞

ynclo it always is with you <3

user9 i REFUSE to get over them

user10 we were robbed

user11 go on tell him ERES ARTE

user12 she called him a museum once

user13 i need a thread with all the beautiful things she said to him

arthurleclerc but when i invited u to monaco....

ynclo omg kids shouldn't be allowed to have phones

arthurleclerc ur so funny😐

landonorris

liked by oscarpiastri, mclarenf1, danielricciardo and 104,811 others

landonorris P2 BABYYYY!!!! Thanks to the team for making this possible and to OP81 for making this super special as a double podium. This one's for you.

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user1 THIS ONE'S FOR YOU????

user2 do you remember the "i wanted it on my own but i pictured us together"? yea this is probably how she felt

user3 the way he probably did mean this to be for her... the last time he was on podium was when they broke up

user4 hes seeing someone else please respect them.

user5 i miss her congratulating him in the comments:((

user6 i can't believe it's been 11 months since his last podium!! and now it's double for mclaren!!!

danielricciardo So happy for you!! Totally deserved

landonorris Thanks mate!!!!

user7 at least danny cheered for him..

user8 "I'll never stop cheering his victories"

user9 "may he find love, health and success in his new journey"

user10 "For all he had given to me I'm forever grateful"

user11 "AND WILL ALWAYS HAVE HIM IN MY HEART"

carlossainz55 Congrats champ!

landonorris Thank you Calos!!!!!

oscarpiastri congrats on p2 LN4

landonorris Congrats on P3 OP81

user12 remember when he posted lost my girl but she aint worth the prize? yea it meant a whole year without winning shit

user13 11 months (and 2 days but who's counting??)

mclarenf1

liked by oscarpiastri, landonorris, ynclo and 381,204 others

mclarenf1 Congratulations for P2 and P3, Lando and Oscar! Double podium for McLaren today, we're so proud of you guys 🍾 🍾🍾

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ynclo congrats guys!! absolutely deserved💥🎉

mclarenf1 miss u girly!! alpha tauri stole u from us

ynclo the best of both worlds!

user1 miss girly in the comments?????

user2 she also liked and commented on oscar's post,,, i dont like it here anymore

user3 is it really over just like that?

landonorris Let's goooooo

user4 i dont want to get over them

danielricciardo Another spectacular race, keep it up!

user5 do we collectively remember lqndo aiming the champagne to yn EVRYTIME he got podium?? bc i was just kinda expecting him to do that

user6 when he looked at the public and he got sad:(((

user7 wanted it on my own yet pictured us together 😭😭😭😭

user8 i know he's happy but doesn't look like it in the second pic

user9 used the whole bottle on the podium...

user10 she was in 2/3 of the relevant posts abt this... mclaren and oscar but not lando

user11 i was hoping to see her in the likes at least

user12 i think ppl forget that she liked f1 and was a huge mclaren fan even before lando signed w them://

user13 she's back at the paddocks???

user14 only in monza and monaco tho, she said she doesn't have the time to travel as much anymore

user15 and whenever danny wants her there too, she was there today

user16 she was????

user15 with the alpha tauri team yes

ynclo

liked by dusk.clothing, vogue, lukasabbat and others

ynclo I'm glad to say that even after all this time I can still let myself create the way I do, it's been three months since my last collection and I decided to take a break before starting again. A lot of things have happened in the last year and I'm still healing but with lots of people I love (and that love me back) by my side; it's not what you asked, but I got my first photoshoot as a model rather than a designer and wish to share it with you... It's a small project I had with @lukasabbat and now we can share it with you all. Please enjoy!

the original poster limits who can comment

lukasabbat amazing as always! told you modeling was your thing

ynclo it certainly was something, cant say im gonna take your job

lukasabbat im happy modeling for you then

lewishamilton Beautiful photoshoot and designs! Truly an all-rounder. This is your thing

ynclo thanks dude 😭😭

danielricciardo Great project, next time put more clothes on.

ynclo ur jealous that i can justify being naked on media

danielricciardo I don't need an excuse to be naked on media lol

vogue Next time with us? 😉

ynclo It will be a pleasure! ❤️

ynclo

liked by lukasabbat, dusk.clothing, vogue and others

ynclo y solo mírame con esos ojitos lindos (hace tiempo que no envío "buenos días, te amo")

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user1 so it's officially over now?

user2 i hate that she moved on

user3 it was officially over since last year

user4 caption "and just look at me with those pretty eyes (it's been a while since i sent 'good morning, i love you')"

user5 so it was luka sabbat after all

user6 i dont like this but i hope she's happy

lukasabbat yo no te busqué, chocamos en el trayecto

ynclo con tu alma es la que yo conecto

user4 lukasabbat "i wasn't looking for you, we met in the process" ynclo "with your soul i connect"

ynclo girll???

user7 no wonder she looked better than ever

user8 where is the "my soul cant long for someone else"???

danielricciardo Still can't believe he doesn't like fast cars

ynclo me neither 😞😞😞 honestly huge red flag

danielricciardo I'd rather sign with Ferrari if I were you

user9 FINALLY SOMEONE WHO CAN GET HER

user10 I agree!! This man's not only a model but a fashion designer as well, I'm sure she's gonna peak in no time

user11 ??

user12 why is she still dating men??

user13 no hate to lando cuz i respect him but luka looks like he's gonna be good for her

user14 idc who she dates i just hope her designs dont go downhill

arthurleclerc ask him when are we gonna play cod again???

ynclo get away from my man wtf

lukasabbat wanna stream with me tomorrow?

user15 do you think she's happy with him?

user16 cant believe her last interaction w l*ndo was three months ago and it wasn't even w him

user17 they interacted again????

user18 no the didn't, she just congratulated mclaren for the double podium

user19 what do u mean "with your soul i connect"??? girly didn't u say YOUR soul couldn't long for someone else???

user20 let the poor girl date whoever she wants omg😭😭

landonorris

liked by carlossainz55, oscarpiastri, danielricciardo and 99,712 others

landonorris and the best is me

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maxverstappen1 Get P1 then talk bro

landonorris Git P1 thin tilk bri 🙄🙄

maxverstappen1 💥

user1 where's the yn translator when we need them????

user2 fr is he starting to shade her in spanish now??

user3 bet he's asking carlos to translate things for him

user4 the pic is literally a benito song lmao it's called (in english) "wish you the best"

user5 AND THE BEST IS ME OMG

user6 bro mad abt her last post i just know he is

user7 girly hurt him so bad he learnt spanish lmao

danielricciardo Fire song 🔥

landonorris It's on repeat 🫡🫡

danielricciardo Bet it is

user8 not danny shading him😭😭

user9 it took him over a year to acknowledge that she was the best on his life

carlossainz55 I didn't know you liked spanish songs!!

landonorris Only this one

carlossainz55 You should listen to Chayanne

user10 character development?

user11 Focus on winning P1 bestie!! Maybe she'll talk to you then

user12 lando punching the air rn

user13 bet he's getting first place next race only bc of this comment

user14 Took him watching her move on to realize he was an asshole

user15 nice pics, looking hot as usual

user16 cant believe he wants her back????

user17 fr im so sure he'd be happier if they dont get back together

user18 so true yn deserves better

charlesleclerc 🔥🔥

landonorris 💥💥

#lando norris fanfic #lando norris smau #formula 1 fanfic #formula 1 angst #lando norris au #lando norris angst #formula 1 instagram au #formula 1 social media au

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sirfrogsworth · 7 months

Text

Thoughts on Live Action Avatar: TLA

I'm sure people are going to hate this. Some for valid reasons. Some because of endless nitpicking that really has no bearing on how good or bad it actually was. Some because they have already chosen to hate it and it's just a self-fulfilling prophecy.

But I always root for things to be good. I want them to succeed. And I always go into everything I watch with the hope and expectation it will be good. I turn off my critical brain and try to just experience the show for what it is. As I said, I saw no trailers. I read no reviews. I knew almost nothing about the production of this going in.

Initially, things were rough... buddy.

And I think that is a longstanding problem with live action TV shows in general. I am always reminded of Star Trek TNG and how it took two seasons (48 episodes) before they figured out what the hell they were doing. Back then shows were able to find their footing and grow and learn. Actors were given time to find their characters and understand them and finally become them.

But now, every show has to be amazing from the start or they get cancelled. And I think people have become very unforgiving of first seasons as well. I feel like not enough people consider the potential of something getting better. And I think that is a shame.

So, yes, Avatar started out rough. They tried to cram all of the exposition into the first 20 minutes. And that was unpleasant. The effects were jarring at first. It is incredibly difficult to translate animation into live action. And please don't say the CGI was "bad." It wasn't. There was just so much that needed to be packed into every frame of this show to make it work, and finding a way to make it all seamlessly blend is a monumental task. I think the artists did an amazing job with the constraints of essentially making an 8 hour movie in the time usually given a 2 hour one.

But as the show continued, the actors seemed more comfortable in their roles. The showrunners seemed to figure out what worked and what didn't. The quality across the board started to improve. Especially when they started to deviate a little bit from following the cartoon. I also noticed that the effects that were jarring in the beginning eventually stopped bothering me and breaking immersion. I got used to them and was able to just focus on the story. And I think they got a little better as well. The bending was much more convincing as the show progressed. And it was a bajillion times better than the slow-motion bending of that movie that shall not be named.

And by the final episode, I was all in. The Avatar monster was really cool. And I was crying my eyes out and having all kinds of emotions. And there were some changes they made to the story which I actually thought made more sense. And I was glad this show was doing a few things to differentiate rather than being an exact carbon copy.

It won me over.

And I know it won't do that for everyone. And perhaps I am forgiving a lot of sins just because I wanted it to be good. The original was my absolute favorite show of all time. I just liked spending time with these characters again.

But I liked it more than I didn't and I'm hoping that is the general consensus, but I fear that is not the case.

Things I really liked...

I thought the actor playing Sokka was really great. They didn't give him enough humorous material. But I think this kid absolutely nailed the role. And if this gets another season, I do hope he can show Sokka's lighter side a bit more.

Ken Leung also did amazing as Zhao. I think he surpassed his cartoon counterpart in villainy. I loved hating him.

The final battle was beautiful. I think they probably dedicated a lot of resources to that. Maybe at the expense of other things. But I think it was worth it to end strong.

In the first season of the cartoon, the trauma was often skipped over or kept very brief. I'm sure the idea of dealing with genocide and war time trauma was not an easy sell to Nickelodeon initially. But they did actually take the time to show some of that trauma, especially with Katara and Sokka. And I cried a bunch.

They seemed to go to considerable effort to have a diverse cast. I am glad they learned that lesson from the movie.

That said, they probably could have brought back Dee Bradley Baker to make the animal noises. This might have been an overcorrection...

I guess this will give the anti-wokesters something to complain about since the original was already super woke and it is probably a challenge to complain about the new thing being woke as well. Though I'm sure they are up to the challenge.

Things I didn't care for...

The compressed timeline caused a few stories to be combined and accelerated. I understand why that was necessary. But there were some important moments of character growth that got lost.

Sokka's missing sexism. I think it is much more useful to see someone grow and change and let go of their problematic traits than to pretend that never existed. Sokka's sexism was a symbol of the conservative views within water tribe culture in general. It was also foreshadowing for the conflict with Pakku (which was also minimized). I just think young viewers seeing a character overcome ingrained ideals has a greater influence than just erasing that aspect from the character.

Things I hated...

Princess Yue's hair. You get the amazing Amber Midthunder to play Yue, and she does an amazing job with extremely abbreviated screen time, but I couldn't stop staring at whatever that was they put on her noggin. I know I criticized people for nitpicking, but that was very distracting. I don't know exactly how it could have been done better, but I worry a great performance is going to get overshadowed by... hair.

In conclusion...

I think the people making this show loved the source material. I can see that love. I think they tried very hard to make the best show possible. And I also know they are probably going to get a lot of hate. I still haven't looked at the reviews because I didn't want to be influenced when writing this. But I can feel the review bombing as we speak.

But this was not a Witcher situation where the writers didn't respect the source material. This was displaying how incredibly difficult it is to convert one of the most beautifully animated shows in existence into live action. Maybe that is an argument for not making live action versions. Though I usually love them when they work and am happy both versions exist.

I really hope people can remember the original still exists and they can completely disregard this and watch the cartoon any time they wish. This doesn't have to "ruin their childhood." These two things can exist and everyone is perfectly capable of ignoring all of the live action material.

But I do hope this gets another season. I think that final episode showed the potential. I think the cast was getting comfortable in their roles and they deserve another chance to show what they can do.

I love Paul Sun-Hyung Lee and I think he was a great choice for Iroh. But Mako's shoes are probably the biggest shoes in the existence of shoes to try and fill. I do not envy the task he was given. But every once in a while I saw that Mako spirit come out in his performance and I think he could use another season to really find that and show us what he is capable of.

This felt a lot like The Phantom Menace to me. There was actually a ton of amazing stuff to love in that movie. But it didn't quite work the way the original movies did. But I think this was good enough to hope for the future.

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ghoulie-67-baby · 1 year

Text

Love language- Criminal Minds.

Summary: After a rough week, the family comes over for dinner.

Warnings: Mentions of a bad case, little angsty.

Pairing: David Rossi x fem!reader.

Word count: 1,099.

Translation: Ciao bella- Hi beautiful. Amore mio- My love. Mia famiglia- My family. Bella- Beautiful. Amore- Love.

"Ciao Bella," My head shot up to meet my husband's eyes as he all but crawled into our home. "How was your day?" The small talk didn't fool me, I knew it had been a rough week from the messages he has sent me.

"Better than yours I imagine, Amore Mio." I teased, taking his jacket from his hand and throwing it onto the sofa. "How did the case go?"

"Hmm, we managed to get him but not before he killed two more people." That explained why he seemed so defeated.

"Oh Dave," I pulled him closer to me. "You couldn't have stopped it from happening. You all did your best."

"I know, I know." He sighed heavily, holding me to his chest as he pressed a kiss to my head. "I invited the team over for dinner, figured they needed a pick me up after this week.

"That's sweet of you," I was more than happy to have his team over, they were family after all. "What do we need to get ready then?" I indulged in his plan. His love language was cooking for people. A good meal after a gruelling case was his remedy for everything and if he could help his team feel better by feeding them then he would happily do it.

I watched as he fixed up all his ingredients, a glass of scotch on the worktop for a relaxant whilst he waited for the team to arrive. We always loved having them around, the team were David's family and thus my family too, I loved them all just like he did.

Everyone began to arrive at around half past 6 once they had been home and cleaned up, leaving the kids with sitters for one more evening. Spencer arrived first, a tired smile on his face as I opened the door, pulling him into a hug without hesitation. For someone who didn't do physical contact, I couldn't help but feel overjoyed when he melted into my arms a little.

JJ and Emily turned up together, smiles entirely contradicting the dark circles under their eyes as they engaged in a general conversation and said hello to the others. Aaron had his usual stern, tired face on but smiled slightly when I let him in, taking his coat and hugging him.

"Just Derek and Penelope to arrive," Aaron handed me a glass of wine as we all sat in the living room. "How has Dave been since he got back?" His voice lowered as my eyes flickered to my husband.

"He's been okay, exhausted like the rest of you but," I paused, sighing a little. "I think it just gets to him when he feels like he hasn't done enough to save someone. I try to explain that you all do your best but some things just happen that we can't help, unfortunately." I bit my cheek as I placed my hand on his shoulder gently. "You all do an amazing but formidable job, I think sometimes you just struggle to see the good outweighs the bad." There was no denying my love language was physical touch, a good hug could fix a world of problems in my opinion.

"I think we do,' He muttered, face changing to a slight smile as he looked down at me. "You always know what to say Y/N." I chuckled and nodded seriously, it was my job to do what I could to help. Even if it was just words to some.

A knock on the door dragged us out of our thoughts and I pulled myself out o my seat. A very smiley Penelope bounced on the balls of her feet as the door swung open and I managed to squeeze out a hello before she practically threw her arms around me.

"Ohh it's been too long, you look amazing Y/N!" I laughed at her energy, as infectious as always.

"Thank you, Penelope, you look beautiful, new dress?" Her eyes sparkled behind her glasses as she twirled a little for me. "Hello Derek, you scrub up well." I motioned to the shirt he was wearing as he kissed my cheek.

"You know I have to keep the ladies entranced somehow." I rolled my eyes at him playfully and closed the door behind the pair before grabbing them their own drink. Conversation flowed easily in the living room as I popped in and out with David, getting lost in jokes and normal life, watching the tension ease from each person as they felt comfortable and relaxed.

"Come on Mia Famiglia, time to eat." David clapped his hands together, calling them for dinner as I finished setting the dining table. A sea of smiling faces walked through and took a seat and as we all settled down I couldn't help the full, joyful feeling in my chest.

The meal was spent laughing and joking with each other. A conversation about their work never came up, they needed a break from it, to say the least, but we filled the time with memories and general topics like the children and how I may or may not have gone on a shopping spree for Henry and Jack (again).

By the end of the night, the team were much more relaxed, a few were even slightly tipsy but overall much better than when they arrived.

As designated drivers, and parents, Aaron and JJ agreed to make sure everyone got home in one piece so we wrapped up the night with more hugs and warm goodbyes.

"Bella," David smiled at me through my dressing table mirror as I removed my jewellery. "Thank you so much for tonight." His hand wrapped over my shoulders as he kissed my head.

"Amore, you invited them, that was all you."

"But you make them comfortable and happy, they relax around you because they love you. It's not easy to get a room of FBI agents to stop being on edge all the time but you manage it so easily. Even Reid comes to you for a hug now, that's a huge achievement you know."

"They're my family too," I turned to face him, "I know it gets too much for all of you and I just want to make sure you can all let go every once in a while." I cupped his cheek as I stood up, "Even you have to relax David, don't hold a grudge against yourself." I cradled his head as our foreheads rested against each other.

"Thank you Y/N," he whispered, eyes closed as he relaxed into the moment.

"Anytime Amore, Anytime."

#criminal minds imagine #criminal minds #criminal minds x reader #bau x reader #david rossi #david rossi x reader #x reader #reader insert

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vote-gaara · 10 months

Note

Why didn't you like Gaara Hiden?

My feelings for Gaara Hiden are complicated.

Oh, and if you haven't read the English Translations here they are. Someone formatted it from the Tumblr post that was originally on Cacatua's blog.

Now what was I saying?

Oh yes, my feelings for Gaara Hiden...Complicated. Very, very very complicated. I don't hate the story, but I don't really like it either.

Now before I absolutely lampoon this novel, here are some things I do liked about it:

Gaara content in which he stayed in character!

The story was more or less unnecessary (more on this later).

Gaara's fixation on how Naruto saved him took a back seat to other things going on, which was a breath of fresh air as it allowed the story to focus on other aspects of Gaara's life.

Sand sibling interactions are always welcome :)

Socially awkward Gaara is amazing, especially around romantic themes. Also, we love when Gaara can go off about his hobbies.

Strong things I dislike about the novel:

Gaara came across as really cold which irritated me, but also didn't surprise me. Gaara is a really complex character to write. He's simultaneously sassy, pessimistic and a bit of a meanie while turning around and being the most genuine, wholesome and inspirational character you would ever get to know. I'm not even saying Gaara was out of character, because they did a really good job of keeping him pretty true to who he is, but I wished the novel would have forced him to interact with other people as a normal person, rather than as Kazekage, which the entire book proceeded to do and thus we lost out on seeing Gaara's true personality. Like the book handled him floundering with Hakuto really well, but how he treated Shijima in comparison was just...Not good. It was boring. BORING! It was like watching a coworker talking to their boss the entire time, which just did not make for good reading and Shijima ended up coming across as very flat as a result. And I KNOW this is because they were on a mission, I KNOW they were just being "shinobi" but...like....I just wanted more of the genuine, good and wholesome "Gaara trying to interact with people" rather than "Gaara being Kazekage and acting like Kazekage and everyone treats him like he's the Kazekage."

We learned that Temari and Kankuro took a backseat in Gaara's life - The book did Kankuro dirty more than Temari. After I read the scene when Gaara and Kankuro are talking (which was like half a page long), and it said something like "this was the longest conversation Gaara had had with his brother in 6 months" I could not describe the amount of anger I felt. I know the sand siblings are busy, but 6 MONTHS???? WHAT??

Kazekage Clan - Crap. Crap, crap, crap and utter garbage. I think I wrote about this in a different post (on one of my other blogs, maybe? I don't remember now) but the "Kazekage clan" pretty much vetoed any meaning behind Gaara's speech to Kankuro when Gaara was like "I want to become Kazekage one day." In the beginning of the series, a person could've figured that becoming Kazekage would operate a lot like becoming Hokage, where only the strongest, smartest and most hardworking individual was selected, and that working towards that title was something not to be taken lightly. Assuming this, when you look at Gaara's speech to Kankuro, where he's professing that he wants to become special to others, to repair and heal the damage and pain he caused, and to connect to others, you imagine that Gaara has nothing but this treacherous, mountainous, up-hill battle to fight...Not only is it difficult to become Kazekage, but as Kankuro put it "the jonin don't think highly of you and people are as scared of you as ever." It had meaning to it. It meant that there was a lot at stake. And because of that, it meant so much when you discovered that Gaara did become Kazekage....But then oops, they just ruined that by making the position a family title. It just cheapened the whole thing, and it made no sense as to why Gaara tried so hard in the first place if it was just gonna be passed down to him anyways, since his siblings weren't interested in the title....Idk, just felt like it ruined any meaning behind Gaara's character development which just gutted me cause WHY WOULD THEY DO THAT???

The story was pointless - Okay, so I'm kinda thankful the story was pointless because I was hoping Gaara would remain single. (I know, I know, I KNOW and I'm sorry. Gaara deserves that romantic love, but also it's kind nice to have him be an ace/aro icon too). I just think it was realistic for him to just be by himself and to find happiness doing whatever Gaara does. HOWEVER, I also have a thing where I'm like...."Why tell a story that serves no purpose?" Which sounds so mean, and maybe it is, because I love any and all Gaara content, but also I don't know if I really got anything from this novel, either? Like it didn't develop Gaara's character and he was pretty much...stagnant the whole time, which is an interesting way to write a story. They could have gone in so many directions that would've had Gaara learn how to interact with people and to connect with others on a more personal level....Small changes that wouldn't have even been very hard to disprove in canon, but instead Gaara just....didn't change the whole time. He didn't learn anything and he just....was.

All the "gotcha" moments - Plot twists are only clever when there's proper foreshadowing (in my opinion). A lot of the "And then Gaara revealed that he knew about the person following him/the betrayal/the setup/the motive the whole time!!" was just....so....um...not good. It just felt like I was the constant victim of an ass-pull the whole time. In fact, the only plot twist/reveal the novel did well was unveiling that Gaara and Kankuro were in cahoots the whole time about Kankuro trying to take over being Kazekage, and believe it or not, that was because the novel took the time to set that up. They made you pay attention to it with relevant details. Meanwhile, in the end scene where Gaara stabs that dude that had apparently been following them the whole time just was a giant wtf to me, honestly lol. I was halfway expecting a T-Rex to burst from the earth crust and Santa clause to rain down from the sky just randomly, because why not at that point if we're just gonna make stuff up willy nilly? IDK maybe I'm wrong and maybe I missed some clever writing in it, but mostly I was just kinda underwhelmed.

That being said, Gaara content is Gaara content, so I am obligated to like Gaara hiden.

#also another ask that took me 4 years to respond to #gaara

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maochira · 2 months

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HOW WAS THE BLUE LOCK MOVIE???????

OKAY SO. HERE'S MY FULL REVIEW ON THE MOVIE

I love the movie very much!!! I watched it twice, first with two friends and then with my dad. Both times we watched the German dubs btw!

Even though I enjoyed every second of it, I do have some criticism.

I wish they would have focused a little less on the matches and a little more on the stuff that happens inbetween. Especially the dynamic between Reo and Zantetsu was so much fun to read in the Episode Nagi manga. In the movie it was just Nagi telling Zantetsu so turn his brain off and do what Reo instructs. They left out such a huge chunk of the conflict between Reo and Zantetsu.

I think the match against Barou's team should have been longer. I loved that part in the manga and it is important to Nagi's awakening. It was too short in the movie.

I get why the match against Team Z was so long and I didn't mind. I enjoyed seeing more from Nagi's POV!

I think the movie should have ended right at the beginning of second selection. They rushed through all the matches and showed nothing of the important developments that happend when Reo's and Nagi's teams are up against each other. It felt so very rushed just to get to the U-20 match in the post-credit scene.

I mean, I get it. They most likely didn't plan a second movie and the manga wasn't that far when the movie was announced over a year ago. But still... I think ending with Nagi's monologue at the start of second selection would have been a better ending.

Also, I understand they went that far to create hype for the second season of the anime. All in all, I understand the decisions that were made but would have prefered a different approach.

Now some thoughts on the German dub!!

The dub of the first season was good but there was a lot of space of improvement. I watched it over 10 times so the voices and ways of the characters talking are engrained in my mind.

For the movie (and possibly season 2) they changed some voice actors. Most important: Nagi

When I saw the trailer and heard his new VA I wasn't impressed and rather disappointed. But now that I've seen the movie? AMAZING!!! Marcel Mann did a great job as Nagi! His previous VA Jerome Weinert was good as well, but his acting made Nagi sound rather annoyed than lazy/tired. I hope Marcel Mann continues voicing Nagi for season 2 because he fits Nagi so well!

Reo's and Zantetsu's VAs remained the same. Ben Küch and Maik Rogge were once again great as them! I love the translations in the dub, especially Reo and Nagi sounded like regular teenagers talking. Stuff like "fuck" and "shit" and just random cursewords during matches, Nagi even said "sheesh" at some point LMFAO. A lot of parts of the dub were also translated better than season 1, for example Raichi actually said "sexy football" rather than "irresistible football" which was a confusing choice in season 1 (especially because they alternated between irresistible and sexy I think???)

Bachira was voiced by Julius Jellinek in the movie and at first I was sceptical because his previous VA Finn Posthumus has kind of grown on me, but Julius Jellinek still impressed me!! I think the voice isn't 100% fitting for Bachira, but the acting was amazing. My favourite part was when he said "My monster tells me no panic on the titanic!" that was hilarious

Barou is now voiced by Fabian Kluckert. Some of you might remember when I posted clips of season 1 German Barou that were.... uhm..... see for yourselves

There are no official sources to my knowledge, but my friend figured out who the German VA is. Sebastian Schneider has only had 2 voice acting roles so far, one of them being Barou (those are the only ones documented on Synchronkartei, at least). He's usually an actor for live-action stuff. Anyways, the switch to Fabian Kluckert was kinda... unimpressive. Forgettable. Fabian Kluckert is a great VA, you can check his other anime roles here. But going from Sebastian Schneider who had questionable acting, but sounded very funny and made German dub Barou sound a little less serious, casting Fabian Kluckert as Barou made him kind of bland in comparison. I hope they find another VA to do Barou for season 2. I wish German Barou to be able to convey a similar energy than his Japanese and English voice actors. So far we only got unserious and kinda bland Barou.

Gagamaru also had another VA and... meh. Christian Zeiger is way too high for Gagamaru. I really hope they get David Brizzi back for season 2 because he was a perfect German Gagamaru. Christian Zeiger is the German voice for Tom Holland and... yeah. Not the greatest casting on Gagamaru.

René Dawn-Claude as Nameoka??? AMAZING. Loved it. That was great. I hope René Dawn-Claude continues voicing in season 2, hopefully as Shidou! Shidou was previously voiced by Luca Kämmer, who didn't fit him too well. They put Luca Kämmer on Otoya in the movie's additional time which was great!! He definitely fits Otoya better than Shidou.

Carlos Fanselow as Karasu, Oliver Szerkus as Yukimiya and Linus Drews as Kurona were great too! They didn't talk much so I don't have a huge opinion on them, but I'd be fine with them continuing their roles in season 2. Linus Drews as Kurona was close to perfect by the way! I couldn't imagine what German VA he would have, but now that I heard Linus Drews on him, I love that.

If anyone wants to know more detailed thoughts on any German Blue Lock VAs or dub decisions, feel free to send me asks about it :]

#blue lock #bllk #episode nagi #episode nagi movie #💟 mao meows

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jewishdragon · 1 year

Note

reccommend any good book series?>

uh, sure

lets start with the three book series i have had on loop (audiobooks through libby) for the last 4 years:

Temeraire. 9 books. alternate history age of sale, an homage to Aubrey Maturin (the author literally stopped posting fanfic for that series 1 year before she published the first temeraire novel). What is the alternate? Well. dragons exist. and they are people. The premise is a human naval captain finds himself captain in the air force because a dragon imprints on him. Explore how the first napoleonic war goes when dragons are involved both in battle and in politics. I love this series because it scratches a very specific itch for humans and giant monsters bonding and interacting at every level of society. A lot of real historical figures show up (napoleon...). but it never feels forced. Im so bad at selling this series. its really great.

Memoirs of Lady Trent. 5 novels. more dragons ! this time a world similar to ours, but dragons exist! however this time they are animals, not people, and the main character is a fantasy victorian jewish woman who is obsessed with studying dragons and breaks her worlds gender barriers (which are the same as victorian englands were) to achieve her goals. also there's a slow burn romance with a nerdy fantasy muslim man (think indiana jones!!!) and they go on ADVENTURES about ARCHEOLOGY AND NATURALISM (books 3 through 5. i dont want you to think i lied when this man dont show up in books 1 and 2. BUT THERE'S STILL BOTH NATURALISM AND ARCHEOLOGY ADVENTURES IN BOOKS 1 AND 2). I did not see the twist of the series coming either. wild stuff. love it. there's a epilogue 6th book where the characters spend 80% of the time translating ancient tablets and somehow this is incredibly engaging, props to the author. this is a first person POV, the author is writing it as a MEMOIR so you have to imagine this old lady writing this down in her study.

The Murderbot Diaries (5 books, 4 are novellas). Sci-fi, out in space! Mostly taking place in literally capitalist hell region of space called "the corporation rim" which is... ruled by corporations. A lab grown robocop cyborg hacks its programming to become autonomous and wants nothing more than to watch soap operas and be left alone, but of course makes friends along the way as it continues to do its job of protecting humans. the snarky humor is FANTASTIC. its also first person POV and feels like Murderbot cornered you in a seedy space bar on an asteroid and just started ranting about shit "you will not believe the fucking year ive had" and then just rants for hours. Speaking of, 4 hours is the audiobook length for each novella, short enough that you can give the series a try without worrying about length

agatha christie. i mean. the queen of murder mysteries is called that for a reason. her stories are indeed bangers

Howl's Moving Castle. its a 3 book series though the books arent super connected. really fun fantasy adventure comedies.

Ok end of the not kids section. here's the kid section

now bear with me on this. Artemis Fowl. 8 books. I didnt read these until i was an adult, in graduate school. They fucking SLAP. some stuff is a little dated but other than that, its action packed, its so much fun. Go on an adventure where a shitty know-it-all genius criminal master mind becomes a better person and also there's fairy magic and fairy tech (which might as well be a second kind of magic). the main villain? amazing, unhinged, megalomaniac to the max. i love her. the minor villains? also amazing. i cannot overstate how great the villains are in this.

Dealing with Dragons/Enchanted Forest Chronicles. uhhhh this is my special interest. fantasy comedy adventure.

thats all for now i think.

#book recs

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khaleesiofalicante · 4 months

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hi! i need to get something off my chest, like in shadowhunter world both tv and books, books is my favourite not because i hate tv characters (bc teh emotional vulnerability was very well done there- i literally it was so hard to wait for my school to get over so i could watch the show) but bc books is the original stuff which i fell in love with for teh first time, also why though all teh series are really good in shadow world but tmi holds a special place in my heart (no matter how imperfect it is in certain places) which i think also translates into my love for book!malec more than show!malec. (the height difference bugs me so much in show bc its not the right one, alec loves being shorter than magnus, but i love matt sorry harry but matt is yeeahhh...) idk why i have never been able to attach myself to show malec fics as much to book!malec fics. I think the only long show!malec fic i read was yours that you made about detective alec and lawyer magnus, but that was bc i love your writing and stories (i love the book!malec and mavid ones more sorry !! but i cant david is an original character but i love him so much, sry got sidetracked) tbh i also felt that the next malec fic would be show malec bc i cant (even tho i have read the lmlt i think it was named.. one of teh first long fics you wrote which had asmodeus and alec relation) imagine book alec having a relationship with asmodeus which is even remotely decent. but show malec have always been more softer and more communicative about their vulnerabilities. (which makes me realize now, i also love the intensity of book!malec more, huh)

Anyways i dont know why i blabbered, but i see so many posts about it but i am sorry show malec but book malec is it for me. or more like every book character esp jace and clary is it for me than show clace too. (i think it was also because of the actors though jace's actor did an amazing job in the later seasons.) But i can't wait for your new malec fic, i am ready to gobble up anything you put out there srsly, like i trust you are gonna make it worth it (like i never thought i would like the rwrb fic so much as i do rn, bc like in my hea di have already read teh book and i know what happens but yeah i should have known!)

Also have you ever thought of making a show and book crossover fic? i think you made one maybe i dont remember but like would you ever consider working in that world again?

No, I think this is fair. You're allowed to have a preference. I like book malec better too - simply because there is more to their characters and I usually prefer book versions anyway.

Regarding the fic, first things first, you can imagine them however you want! I know for a fact not everyone who read TLND imagined Alec as Sebastian Stan (I will stand by this casting!!). But it's how I, as the writer, imagined it. My castings are simply for me - to be very honest. I pick faces and people who help me visualize my characters better. But that does not mean you have to do it too. I'm sure people on ao3 who read my fics but don't follow me tumblr have no idea about any of these castings. So, yeah. You can imagine them however you want.

I also want to note, since I got another ask about this as well, that the casting I choose doesn't really affect the personality and behavior of the characters. It's the other way around really. Sure in the show Alec doesn't have blue eyes and Magnus is shorter, but those (among a few other differences) are completely irrelevant to this fic. If someone is put off by Magnus being shorter (in my fic, I mean) then that's their problem. It's such a mundane detail (for me) and I'm not going to be mentioning the colour of their eyes and their height every five seconds. This fic is rather different so I doubt it'd be mentioned at all (considering it's alec pov too - if you notice he is the kind of character where i don't write a lot of descriptions for the people he interacts with because Alec doesn't care about that a lot)

But yeah. It really shouldn't matter. At least I hope not <3

#my fics

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donnerpartyofone · 7 months

Text

I'm trying out this math learning app and it's pretty fun so far. The full version is hilariously expensive but after playing with it for a while I totally feel the seduction to pay for it. I'll probably exhaust all the free features then decide.

I'm hilariously bad at math, like I'm partially convinced I may have a disability of some kind. I have to do even the simplest things with a calculator, and even then I'm never confident I'm even using the calculator right. I just have trouble with anything technical, like cooking or anything involving spacial relations; like my mind seems to be designed for a purely conceptual environment whether I like it or not. I really admire people who are handy and especially people who are good at math, which I think is a really attractive and powerful quality. It's the language of the universe, isn't it?

I'm annoyed because while I'm great at language, that doesn't seem to translate to the language of quantities and operations. But anyway, someone on one of the ADHD subs proposed something that amazed me about those of us who did well in school, contrary to the stereotype: When you're really good at pattern recognition, you learn a lot of test material by rote, which can actually prevent you from learning the style of reasoning that makes sense of things. So, once you get past the kind of stuff you can learn by rote--generally, once you're out of high school--you're kind of fucked on any subject where you didn't get trained up on the reasoning part. Now I notice how I do this all the time, scanning a situation for the little parts that are familiar to me and fast-forwarding to what I know will be the conclusion, instead of really looking at and thinking about the information in front of me. I have definitely been doing this my whole life!

So anyway, I don't think I have it in me to get actually-good at math, but I think it would be good for me to work with learning apps and things like that, that walk me through processes in a way that doesn't let me autodetect the final answer based on preexisting knowledge. I might tack on some code-teaching apps too, I did some very light coding at my last job and I actually enjoyed it, probably because it registered more as language to me than other data-related stuff tends to. Again I don't think I'll ever excel at this kind of thing but I think it could be really good for my brain to have this kind of regular procedural exercise. If you guys know of any little learning tools that are relevant for this, especially that are known to be great For Dummies, I would love to hear about them!

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feyhunter78 · 10 months

Note

I was just curious, do you make a scheduled for yourself for when you post things? or do you just post when things are done? also do you have a method on writing faster?

Hi love! So I have a sorta schedule, here's how it works:

AO3: I post on AO3 first, usually right after I finish writing and editing a chapter. Sometimes I write more than one chapter, but only post one, though, because I want to have something to post in case I don't have time or inspo the next day or so.

Tumblr: I let the chapter sit for a day or three on AO3 bc I want to see if I made any translation mistakes, lore mistakes, or want to tweak anything! Then it gets posted here!

Which is why I always tell people if they want more to go check out my AO3 bc more chapter will be there. You also get the little author notes where I usually put extra info or explanations!

For writing faster, I have four main tips:

1.) Write what you have inspiration for, that's really how I get stuff out so fast, I'm obsessed with what I'm writing, so I have a lot of ideas and energy for it!

2.) Just sit down and write, I'm lucky my job has a lot of downtime, so I get to write in secret during the workday! Also, I got my degree in this, which is not necessary by any means, there are so many amazing fic writers who did not get a degree in this. So I spent four years learning how to write well, and fast. There were so many papers and assignments I had to get in before a deadline that it's ingrained in my brain.

3.) Dual povs, when I get stuck on a section or feel a lack of inspo, switching it over to another character allows me to look at it from a fresh take or completely skip over what I'm stuck on! Now, this can make things a bit harder if you're not super confident in writing the internal motion of the secondary character.

4.) Okay, this one is kinda weird and might seem counterproductive, but it really helps me. Allow yourself to get off track and write random scenes, even ones for other fics. I can't tell you how many times I was writing Pink Pastels and would write a smut scene or dialogue for Among the Sun or my Carmy fics and vice versa. Getting that bit of energy out, and giving myself a break from the OG fic helped me focus back in and write faster.

Hope this helps! Feel free to reach out with any other questions, I love talking about writing!!!!

#meg talks #mail time #meg uses her degree for something actually relevant to it #writing tips

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ccfever · 3 months

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I saw someone say people probably have fatigue with Caitlin news and are taking out annoyance at crazy fans/overhype/etc onto her. I think the Olympic break is actually going to be really good for her in terms that people will “forget” about her for a bit.

and she was soooo overhyped that it doesn’t make people appreciate what she’s doing. but her numbers as a guard are comparable if not better than other guards that got ROTY - Diana, Jewell Loyd.

people just really want to give it to anyone else that they will ignore what she’s doing

nahhh i disagree with this. they straight up hate caitlin. if you check the accounts that were speaking in that space, they do NOT like caitlin. and that’s okay, but if they’re voting on a league award, shouldn’t they be more objective? i can sit here and say i don’t like chennedy carter. but i can also tell you that she’s a borderline all star talent in the wnba. why are these adults incapable of doing that themselves when it’s their jobs?

these people said “rebounds are more impressive than step back 3s because you have to put in effort”. in what fucking WORLD.

anon i love you and i understand what you’re trying to say but caitlin was not overhyped. she’s selling out arenas as advertised. her court vision is as advertised. if this fucking idiot of a coach knew how to run the offense through her she wouldn’t have struggled as much as she did earlier in the season.

her shot isn’t falling as much but she’s still hitting contested logo threes. her midrange game is what she needs to work on the most, but she was never hyped to be shaun livingston.

she dropped 30 twice this season man, and almost became the only rookie in wnba history to get a triple double if it weren’t for that fucking nutjob of a coach.

i get that people might be tired of hearing about her all the time, but that’s like how everyone is tired with hearing about lebron and the lakers all the time. i get that.

but this.. this isn’t fatigue. this is straight up hatred bro. they’re ignoring the numbers, performances, and FACTS, in favor of pushing their agendas.

and don’t even get me started on how much of a disservice this is to angel reese. she’s having an amazing rookie season, but because of these people who don’t understand basketball, they say these outlandish things that put AR in a position where she’s gonna get cooked. “rebounds are more important than scoring” what the fuck? “she deserves it because her pregame outfits proves she’s that girl” HELLO?

talk about how she impacts winning. how she’s a competitor on the court, and her game has translated so well in the wnba, and how her double double streak is just the beginning.

just fucking annoying. these people don’t care for basketball. and i hate that the OFFICIAL WNBA ACCOUNT gave them a platform to spread their bullshit.

and talk to anyone that cares for and knows basketball. they’ll tell you cc is still the clear front runner for that roty award.

i’m just sick of the bullshit, man, and i would have ignored it if these people didn’t have votes that can actually affect the results of the award. bro. i’m sick.

sorry for going off on you anon i know you meant well. i just had this on my chest the whole day. nothing against you specifically. i understand your point and i agree that the olympic break will only bring us some good.

but this shit’s pissing me off bro

#📮

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anjumbai · 16 days

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The Tatami Galaxy by Tomihiko Morimi - Thoughts

" 'a clever hawk hides its talons,' I had modestly kept my good sense and talents hidden so no one would find them, but I did such a good job that I hadn't been able to locate them myself for the past few years." "Rather than speaking grammatically bankrupt English, I would choose the glory of silence. I am a man who looks before he leaps." "When you fall in love, you realize how pathetic you are."

A spectacular comedy and a well presented view on life. I love Tatami Galaxy. Back when I first watched the anime without even knowing its source material was a novel, I was absolutely astounded by how bizarre yet beautiful it was. Masaaki Yuasa had brought this book to life, put his own style and story in it and presented the opportunity for this beautiful book cover. The seemingly obvious differences in the anime and novel can't really throw you off if there's a huge gap in terms of when you consumed each form of the story. The differences are massive, and in a good way. I didn't know I could enjoy the same story in so many different ways. The novel only had four chapters in total, while the anime had 10 episodes, extending the storyline with the characters and events hinted in the novel and chose to go with a different ending which I can't even remember anymore.

I watched the anime in around 2021 and it's still one of my most favorite anime. I'm really glad that the book is less repetitive. You can just stroll through the repeated dialogues without much attention. The similarity in both pieces of media is that they both flesh out the main character, whose name we never find out in an accomplished and fulfilling way. While novels like these heavily rely on witty monologues, most adaptations can't use monologues like this since you are adapting the same story to portray it in a different way. A same-to-same adaptation never really holds well except for maybe the relationships anime and manga have. But even anime find ways to spectacularize bland manga panels with stunning animation. An example of monologues making adaptations difficult is Classroom of the Elite. It's an old light novel I used to keep up with after watching the anime. And reading the light novel made me realize how bland the anime actually is since the light novel depended solely on the protagonists internal monologue while the anime chose to adapt none of that, while also not giving us any other medium that fleshes out his character (interactions, conversations etc). It just left out the monologue part and adapted the rest of it, making the anime void of any creativity whatsoever. Tatami Galaxy, however, adapted most of the monologue. Not only that, the voice actor practically rapped out the monologue making you change the speed setting to .5 just to keep up with what he's saying. This is creativity in varying mediums.

The novel chose to use repeated dialogues in four different chapters to flesh out our main character in the final one. I love how the novel ended, and its worth talking about again once I re-watch the anime ( I might one day, you never know ).

Tatami Galaxy is hilarious. So many fun interactions and interesting characters, absolutely amazing monologue and bizarre events you just can't make up take place in the novel. I haven't highlighted this many dialogues for their comedic value instead of emotional depth since American Psycho. And it doesn't even have any blood involved. How amazing is that. One thing the translator added to her notes was the love of Tomihiko Morimi for Kyoto, Japan. It really shows in the novel, this love of his. Both the anime and novel have amalgamated a hearty image of Kyoto in my mind, making me put Kyoto in the bucket list of the places I want to visit. I also wanna sit down and talk for hours with my wife next to the Kamo River while some bastards blow firecrackers around us cause they are single and mad and will obstruct other people's love affairs cause they can't make one of their own. Sounds fun.

I have also decided to say "idiocy doesn't discriminate between sexes" to sound like some sort of 90 year old man trapped inside a 19 year-old's body. The book really takes narrating to a whole different level. It has changed my views on reading books. Books don't have to always be serious, deep or emotional. It can just be a comedy, bizarre and chaotic. Books like Clockwork Orange and Master and Margarita may have provided me with these before but the overall difficult language barrier just made it difficult to fully enjoy those books in the first try. Salute to Morimi and sending my heart out to the gifter of this book, you are amazing. I will pick up more and more titles from Morimi since I love his narrative structure and witty remarks and references.

The book plays out in a chaotic fashion while also hinting out important life lessons. Our nameless protagonist has wasted two years of his university life and has been loveless and achievement-less. He has regretted his decisions and kept on saying stuff like "If only I had made that decision instead of this" without really taking initiative to change things now. The first three chapters mock his ideas, showing three different decisions in his life that play out the same way. The final chapter felt more like a self-searching kind of chapter. The narrator getting trapped in an endless four and half mat tatami universe, finally deciding to appreciate people and moments. His devious friend Ozu, who he wished he never met, he starts missing. The four and a half mat tatami room he isolated himself in, he starts hating. The seemingly annoying and chaotic moments of his life seem fun and when he finally frees himself from the tatami universe, the world seems full of life. He gets out a newer man. Making changes now and overlooking his past decisions instead of wallowing over them.

It also has a really cute, I don't know the word, romantic aspect to it? Okay maybe not romance. Akashi and the nameless narrators interactions were my favourite and the chapters always ended after hinting a possible relationship between the two. Because, you know what they say- "There's nothing so worthless to speak of as a love mature."

9/10. Enjoyed, laughed and closed the book with a huge smile on my face. Here's a cute picture of the Mochigumen Rangers.

"Your life hasn't even started yet and you're already lost?"

#tatami galaxy #tomihiko morimi #masaaki yuasa #book review #review #bookish #mochigumen rangers

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