#regardless of his level of passion for space

[djevelbl]

Do u think cups the type to Yap about space, like we know he memorized the constellations but do you think he loves space, bc I do. I love the shithole that is outer space, I believe he would too. He's the type to own a notebook SPECIFICALLY for rambling and doodling about space, he's silly. He's very silly, get him a girlfriend and she'll know more about space than astronomers, cups silly, very silly my goofy kidney bean haired depresso espresso <3

Honestly? He probably does have a passion for space & the constellations, a passion that goes beyond the typical person's, but in my mind it's less about space as an entity, a curiosity he has to satiate (less about space itself) and more about the stories that were written about space - the Greek mythologies that explained the constelations, any folklore stories from the Isles, that type of thing

[loveemagicpeace]

Synastry & Composite chart🫧🎸🎨🛼🌙🍸🍯

I will talk about synastry and composite chart. With the synastry chart, we look at how two people influence each other and what their connection is, how they work and how they fit together. With the composite chart, we describe how two people work as one and how successful the relationship can be over the years.

🌙💫Important connections in synastry are: moon, venus and mars - because each of these indicates a deeper and love connection. If the moons are not compatible, it will be difficult for the person to find emotional fulfillment, energy and understanding. It is important that the moons are not too equal, as for example: the two dominant moons - can indicate too much emotional tension and disagreement. It is difficult for two people to find balance and compassion between themselves. Two earth moons can work well together but may never find an emotional connection on a deeper level. Sometimes the two can be very distant from each other. Venus it shows love language and what two people find attractive and how they show love. Mars shows energy and intimacy.

🌙Moon conj Moon- is a good connection because two people automatically understand each other's feelings and can connect and support each other emotionally. They understand how they work together and what their needs are.

🧚🏼‍♀️Moon in 4th house in synastry- it can indicate that a person directly expresses his needs and desires without any reservations. He has the feeling that he can open up to a person and tell him exactly what he feels and needs at a given moment. It can create a very comfortable workout and energy. A person feels as if he has known the person who has the 4th house forever. However, the person with the 4th house may feel too tense, open from the beginning, or feel that the person with the moon is opening up like no one has before. Maybe in the beginning you can feel that the person is encroaching on your private space. But a person with the moon feels very comfortable and pleasant. He finds you as an understanding and caring person.

👄Moon in 7th house- the feeling that the person understands you and accepts your feelings. Both of you may feel attached to this relationship. . A relationship can be very emotional so it's hard to let go.

❤️‍🔥Venus in 1st house- a person is attractive to you regardless of how they look. Person can be without makeup, messy and still look beautiful to you. You can also feel deep passion for this person. You love being seen with the house person.

🦋Venus in 8th house- venus is actually comfortable here when it comes to relationships. Because you feel that you can create a deep and private connection with your partner. You feel that this love is something deeper and more important. The beauty of this relationship really comes from the darkness that only these two people can see. You feel like you are somehow obsessed with this person and the love they give you.

💕Mars in 5th house- there is often a strong mutual attraction and compatibility in terms of self-expression, creativity, and romantic pursuits. These two individuals can inspire and energize each other's creative endeavors and bring passion and excitement to their relationship.

✨Mars in 7th house- can create an obsessive nature of the relationship. A person with Mars wants to be in control or in charge in a relationship. It can also create a constant return to each other.

💚Uranus in 11th house- you and the person have similar interests that are unique. You can feel that they also have a similar vision.

🎣Neptune in 11th house- with this person you feel that you share the same dreams and that you both dream about the same things. But it can also mean that the housemate's friends may be jealous of the relationship they have.

🫧Neptune in 4th house- there can be a lot of nostalgia and common interests here. You can also share the past. Similar family experiences. They may also bond over a love of children or a shared home. Neptune person's creativity can add romance and charm to House 4 person's home.

🎨Neptune in 5th house- they can experience a romantic and emotionally deep affair. Neptune person may crave a deep emotional connection with House 5 person. They prefer to idealize being in love and may idealize their partner as well.

🎈The aspects you have with the person are also important, namely you have:

Light aspects - which means that they bring harmony, good atmosphere, compatibility

Difficult aspects - indicating incompatibility and conflicts

Passion aspects - which bring high passion

Exact aspects - these are aspects and they will be more in the foreground and will have more influence than the others

📀Fated aspects usually📀

🌙🌞Sun conj Moon- is the most popular connection that the two have. Especially if the man is the sun and the woman is the moon, it is a very beautiful connection. Both feel a very nice and comfortable connection. Usually, these connections are very easy and calming for both people because they both feel like they can express a part of themselves despite their concerns. These people often have very beautiful weddings.

🥀Jupiter in male and female represents husband and wife. Jupiter indicates gift, luck, abundance, spirituality, destiny. The sign in Jupiter represents how your wife or husband will make you happy and with which person you will feel this the most (of course, the house is also important).

♥️Venus trine Venus-the love language you have with this person is automatically similar or the same. The two people match in terms of love, they want similar things, they share similar interests. They can like the same food, music, movies. They enjoy the same things and it brings them satisfaction.

🌞Sun conj Sun- your personality is the same. He knows how to look from the same perspective and see what inspires you, what gives you life. For ex.: libra & libra both love love, romance, harmony.

🌌Saturn square Pluto-many times a fatal aspect. Saturn represents karma, mission, destiny, time. Pluto represents depth, mystery, intensity, obsession, transformation. It means that you can have some kind of mission with this person that you have to fulfill.

🌛🪐Saturn-Moon-you’ll know that you have an opportunity to learn a lot from each other. It's not always about imbalance - many people find compatibility in this because they give each other the energy they need.

💘Venus trine/square Pluto- Venus-Pluto aspects in synastry are extremely fascinating. Chances are you are immediately attracted to each other when you meet. This aspect you could call being crazy in love. There is also strong sexual attraction. You sometimes hide your real self. You are mutually obsessed with each other. When you want to walk away, there is something that brings you back.

Composite chart things☕️🍕🛼🎧🛁

🩸1st House : Planets in 1st are directly felt by the couple, it shows how the couple is with one another and how other people see them. Mainly because the energy is concentrated only in these two people.

🛍️2nd House : Deals with the possessions and ownings of the couple, the ability to share with each other. What do you enjoy together and what do you like to do together. What do you share together. Venus here means they can share the same food or have similar tastes. Sharing the same music or enjoying it. The things you enjoy will always bring you together.

🧠3rd House : Is about communication, and how the couple thinks about their environment. How do you solve problems together and what is your communication like. Mars here could mean that they are often impulsive and angry and can often quarrel. Jupiter, on the other hand, makes sure that you find exactly what you have in common here, and that your minds are similar and that you are optimistic.

🧸4th House : One of the important houses to look at in the composite, because it shows whether it’s a good idea to settle down together or not. A moon placed in 4th is the best position for settling down and build a home together( because it indicates safety, care and comfort).While Neptune can indicate total confusion. Uranus here not so good because it can indicate a lot of unpredictable things.

🪁5th House : Deals with the couple’s creativity and fun activities. A lot of placements in 5th house is a couple that would like to have children around or have children of their own, but not so much a good indication for settling down. Sun is great here shows good inspiration again and again. A never-ending crush.

🧩6th House : Represents where the couple will be tested, inorder to handle the outside world.It deals with the couples daily activities around the house. Saturn can show you may have difficulties with your dates, with your routines. Saturn here can make you critical of each other's abilities to do things correctly and efficiently. Mercury can be powerful and very helpful in a relationship. Communication about working is clear.

👩🏾‍❤️‍👨🏽7th House : Is the house of intimate lovers or open enemies. A Sun placed in 7th can show two people starting of as lovers but ending in a quarrel and being their worst enemies. Venus in 7th is one of the best indicators for marriage and passionate romance between two people. Mercury can show very good communication and always solving problems. It can also be a very important thing here. Moon can show great emotional connection between partners and eternal care for each other.

🫀8th House : The couples ability for commitment and ownership together. A lot of placements in 8th house shows a very deep bond between two people. An intimate sharing together. This house shows how you grow together. Pluto can show a depth between two people that is infinite and very powerful. Venus can show that love can be shown in an intimate way and you can have many secrets that are only yours. This can also indicate that they have money in common.

🎸9th House : Shows how the couple explores the world together, their activities and adventures. How they expand their horizons together. Mars can show that they can be very active and do many things. Or you can go to university together. Saturn can show that they can both take religion seriously or go to church together. Jupiter can show that they can travel a lot together and explore the world. With sun it is important for both of you to express your opinions about every matter. This is a wonderful placement for friendship.

♟️10th House : Deals with the status of the couple and how they fit into the world together. This house shows how serious the couple is in approach towards life and responsibilities. Pluto can show that both of them can have very strong careers. Neptune can mean that your public identity is quite different from what it sounds like. Uranus can show that striking a balance is key with this position, and you need to be unconventionally stable and traditionally changeable. You may experience ups and downs together.

🎳11th House : The social activities and social culture of the couple. their friends and how their environment see them. How they are accepted into society. Jupiter can show that you are both very fun and people like to listen to you and hang out with you. Moon can show that you have friends who are closer to you and family. Can also show that you are very friendly with your families. Pluto can show that both are very private in society and that they share little with others. It can also indicate that your friends are jealous of your relationship.

🩰12th House : A lot of placements in 12th house is very difficult in a composite chart, since it’s the house of the unconscious feelings and all things hidden, so there will be a lot of miscommunication between the two. However it can create a feeling of fatedness sometimes, since it’s also the house of soulmates and psychic connections. Venus can show that love is felt subconsciously and that there is a spiritual bond between you. Moon can show that you have the feeling that emotions have always been here.

⭐️Comment for part 2⭐️

🎸For personal readings u can sign up here: https://snipfeed.co/bekylibra 🎸

-Rebekah⭐️🎨🎸

[ghostlysoaps]

Emergency First Aid

He finds Ghost in the bathroom, needle and thread in crimson-stained hands. 

White porcelain muddled with grime and blood, smeared across the cubicle glass. A bottle of something see-through sitting on the lip of the tub – the label near illegible by the fingerprints wrapped around it. Every detail pointing towards it being a scene from some B-list horror flick. Except it can't be. Because Johnny’s nails dig into the palms of his hands and pain has no presence in dreams.

Ghost's skin is almost as pale as the cradle he sits in. Johnny can see the stark blue of his veins through the fragile skin of his wrists. A far more flattering colour on him than red, it's why he pretends he doesn’t know where his favourite henley ended up.

"Get out of my fucking room, Soap."

Johnny nods and then proceeds further into the room, careful to avoid the droplets of blood staining the tiles in a fucked-up breadcrumb trail.

Ghost levels him with an unamused glare, a non-verbal "go away," ringing louder than if he'd said it outright. 

He ignores that too.

The stitching is neither crude nor neat when he leans in for a closer look. Serviceable. Bound to scar. It might have regardless, medical ain't miracle workers, but it might, might have left a thinner mark.

"Soap?"

Ghost's eyes are brown as jasper, doe-wide, extruding exhaustion and warmth – in spite of how much effort he puts into burying that bleeding heart of his. They track Johnny’s progress warily. Glides over him when he wraps his own fingers around the bottle, fingers a good half-inch shorter than the red stains already there. Johnny knows all this despite not looking. Because they've been here before. Too often for his liking. 

He sets about cleaning the tacky trails of blood from Ghost’s skin. 

"Johnny?"

Why are his hands shaking? They're not supposed to do that he doesn't think.

"It's just a scratch, I've had worse."

His tongue unsticks from where it lies dead and heavy in his mouth. "I fuckin' know. 'M not blind."

Warm, calloused hands envelop his own. They stop him from digging deeper welts into his own skin. Massages gently until Johnny, against his will, unclenches and unfolds like a flowering bloom at the first hint of sunlight.

"This won't be what kills me–"

"Haud yer wheesht! Whit this shoddy excuse fer sutures anything's–"

"–because I've no intention of leaving you yet," Ghost– Simon continues, as if Johnny hadn't interrupted him at all. "I've clawed myself back from the edge of hell more times than I care to count." He knocks their heads together, one hand moving to thread fingers though Johnny’s hair. "It's much easier now that I have something to come back to."

Johnny takes a moment to process and sift through the wreckage those words leave behind.

"Take yer damn mask off an' say tha' to my face," he growls.

And Simon doesn't hesitate for a second. He peels the mask off, his second skin, as if it's easier than breathing. As if Johnny’s words were the decree of a higher power he's helpless to obey. Scarred skin and chapped lips and dark circles blending into greasepaint greets him – a sight no longer unfamiliar, but a privilege to behold nonetheless. 

"I-" is as far as Simon comes before Johnny is surging forward to take his bottom lip between his teeth. He kisses him like something feral and starved. As if he could crawl into Simon's mouth if he tried hard enough. Push through muscle, bone and sinew to make space for himself in the hollow of his ribcage.

He doesn't like the anger with which he devours him – the ever-present companion snarling in his chest – but he needs him to understand. Thinks that if he tries hard enough Simon might taste the words lodged firmly behind his molars. I can't stand to lose you. It scares me to the point of losing my breath. I love you. I love you. I love you. 

For all his rage, for all the fiery passion with which he lashes out, in the end it all stems from fear.

"Could've at least gone to medical, ye absolute weapon," he bites out, one hand stressing over the skin right beneath Simon's wound.

"Couldn't stand the thought of anyone touching me," Simon murmurs, catching Johnny’s wrist the moment he goes to pull away as if burnt. "'S better now. I'd have told you to fuck off proper if I didn't–" he cuts himself off, the tips of his ears going pink.

Johnny fills in the blanks, eyes falling shut for the fraction of a second.

"Dinnae deep down wan' me to be here."

Simon shrugs.

Johnny exhales, leans forward and rests his forehead to Simon's shoulder, kisses him sweetly right after.

"Let me help you."

"Please." 

He's glad to be looking at Simon now because Simon, whenever Ghost has fled his visage, is an open book. And the way he's looking at Johnny? It's as if he'd taken every soft, sweet thing Johnny feels for him and is reflecting it right back.

With another steadying breath, Johnny gets to work. Gauze and adhesive tape, as quick as he dares so as to not prolong the pain. And when he's done he brushes his lips over the white bandaging, looking up through his lashes when the simple gesture of affection causes Simon's breath to hitch. Keeps to his knees despite the ache in them.

"You come to me next time," Johnny says, a plea more so than the demand he'd hoped for.

Simon reaches for him, cups his stubbled cheek in hand, thumb rubbing in broad strokes across a near imperceptible scar there – his next words ringing with the gravity of church bells and promises spoken within. 

"Alright, Johnny."

---

Prompts via @whumperless-whump-event and @seth-whumps

[thedeepmiracleperfection]

As most are already aware, Neil Gaiman has been accused of sexual assault by two women. The nature of this news is horrific in and of itself. Assault is a disgusting and abhorrent crime, no matter who it is committed by, and the victims deserve healing, peace, and justice, regardless of public awareness of the crime. It is already extremely difficult for victims to come forward about their abuse in the most normal of circumstances. If you add on the fact that the abuser in question is a well-loved public figure, then I imagine that these women are going through one of the most difficult periods of their lives at the moment. I wish them safety, and I sincerely hope that they are well supported during this time.

There has been some discussion on whether talking about the affects this news has had on the fandom is insensitive to the victims. I believe some people feel that Good Omens fans have been too quick to focus on the ramifications for the show rather than the affects the public allegations will have on the victims themselves. While I do think there is a conversation to be had there, I want to remind everyone that fandom is the reason this case is relevant to so many of us in the first place.

Before I go further, I will make it clear that I believe and support the victims. Like I said above, even if this was a random case of assault between completely average individuals, the crime would still be disgusting, and the victims would still be deserving of support. The abuser in this case being a public figure doesn't change that. However, the fact that the abuser in question is the creator of the very pieces of media that this fandom centers around is the only reason many of us know about it. Unless you are personally involved with any of the people in this case, chances are the only reason you know about this case in particular, is because the abuser involved has a direct affect on the media we consume. That is not to say that this case is only important because the abuser involved is high-profile. It is important because it is a crime and should not have happened. I would feel the same about any case of sexual assault I knew about. I'm just saying that the reason we know about it to begin with is because of fandom involvement. For most of us, the fandom is the only connection through which this case is at all relevant in our lives. I truly believe we would be concerned about any sexual assault we were made aware of, but the level of disruption this case has caused within this online space is a direct consequence of the notoriety of the specific person involved.

All of this is to say, I resent the messages others have been spreading, saying things like, "if two people have been assaulted and the only thing you're talking about is your fave show then you're heartless and disgusting." Babygirl the only reason I even know about any of this is because of my fave show! The show is the connection through which this news is relevant to me. And the same is true whether you know Neil Gaiman from this show or any of his other works. This case is public because he is public, and he is public because we consume his works. It's only natural that I'm going to want to discuss the direct consequences it will have in my life. Like, if I received news that my dentist had assaulted two women, my first thoughts would be in sympathy for the women and in hoping that my dentist had been brought to justice. But then my very next thought would be "But now I have cavities that need to be filled, and no dentist, How will this situation affect me personally?" Like! I don't think it is inherently cruel to wonder how the actions of another person will affect our own lives. It is a bit fucking silly to complain that we are taking too much about our faves on the "talking too much about your faves" webbed site. The reason we are here in this community in the first place is because we have an invested passion in this particular media. I don't think it is cruel to be concerned on some level about the future of this community. And the fandom wondering about the effects on the fandom doesn't mean that we don't care about the victims involved. Two things can be true at the same time.

I think it is important to remember that this fandom has had a profound effect on many people's lives. Some people rely on this community to make a living selling art and merch. Others rely on it as the only form of connection and belonging they have. For me personally, the characters of Crowley and Aziraphale have been greatly influential on my queer identity and journey of self discovery. Fuck's sake people have gotten married because of this show! It has a huge place in many of our lives. It is not selfish to want to discuss how and in what way that might change!

Also important to remember: what people post online is not the entirety of their opinions. I have many thoughts and feelings regarding this situation that don't make it onto tumblr.com because I am a whole ass person outside of what I post. It can be tempting to say that blogs which post only about how the show will be affected by Gaiman's actions are only concerned about the show. But that is just because that is what is publicly available online. You do not know what private thoughts and conversations people have had on the matter. This is the Good Omens fandom, we're going to talk about how this news affects the Good Omens fandom. If that upsets or disgusts you, you need to be responsible and leave this online space for another. That's not even broaching the subject on whether or not we can morally continue consuming this media, which is a whole other discussion with heated opinions on both sides. I'm talking about the people who think it is wrong to be focused on Good Omens at all during this time.

Like I said before, I truly feel that we as a fandom would be concerned over any case of sexual assault we were made aware of. It's just that this particular one has an influence on our community, therefore there is more discussion surrounding it. We can absolutely support the victims while also discussing how to move forward as a fandom. The two are not mutually exclusive, and to suggest otherwise is not helpful to any meaningful discussion.

[sweet-as-an-angel]

Yandere Alejandro Headcanons

Warnings: 18+, suggestive content, vague smut, no pronouns used for Reader except 'You', marking, riding, praise kink, switch! Alejandro w/ top lean, cum play (?), yandere behaviour, possessive behaviour, obsessive behaviour, implications of stalking, Stockholm Syndrome, pet names, mention of voyeurism, surveillance, murder, forced relationship (at first), paranoid/jealous Alejandro, etc

WHEW, okay.

Alejandro is a passionate man. And when he falls, he falls hard.

Like, clipping through the floor and into the Backrooms level of hard.

Whatever you did to get his attention, you've eneamoured him, which is both a blessing and a curse.

A blessing in that this man, regardless of whether he's a yandere or not, is loyal.

He's your shadow, going wherever you go, watching over you like a morally ambiguous angel.

He's a trained, professional killer, so this man has no qualms or difficulty in reducing someone he deems as a threat to you (or your relationship) to a mere blood spatter on a pavement in some alleyway.

However, he will hold back on such murderous activities if you tell him to.

He can't resist you.

Like, at all.

He'd do literally anything for you.

Once, you joked around, asking him what he would do if you lost your heart. Like it just vanished, completely disappeared. Poof!

This man got down on one knee and proclaimed, knife in hand (where did he get the knife?): "I would carve out my own and lace it into your chest, and I would always be with you, my love coursing through your veins as it does through mine."

"Oookay, big guy, let's get you to bed..."

You made sure to watch over him that night and make sure he did no such thing. Because you knew he meant it.

You made sure to hide the knives behind a locked cupboard door after that.

Like I said, he's a passionate man.

In the early stages of your (forced) relationship, you just knew he was quite physical.

He wasn't malicious; far from it!

He just loved you so much that he wanted to express it in ways that words couldn't articulate.

However, after you expressed that you weren't comfortable with physical touch after, you know, being kidnapped by him, he basically had his hands tied behind his back whenever you were around.

Even backed away from you if you nearly brushed up against him (whether intentional or not) like he was in dodging a bullet.

It was actually you who, after Stockholm Syndrome kicked in, had initiated physical contact.

You slid your hand over the blanket that covered you while you sat in the sofa, watching a film.

Your finger just grazed Alejandro's, and when I say this man jumped, I mean he was like a cat pinned to the ceiling.

He was about to apologise to you for...being in your way?

Until you interrupted him, giving him a hesitantly wide-eyed look.

You tried again, embarrassed to vocalise (and realise) that you wanted to hold hands with the man who'd stolen you.

He was rigid, almost shaking, deathly afraid of losing you in ways he couldn't even fathom yet, all because you brushed hands for a ghost of a second.

"It's okay," you said. Your green light for Alejandro to relax.

He seemed to do so, albeit marginally, as his shoulders softened, losing their boxy edge.

His large, rough hand slowly merged with yours, fingers interlocking, filling the empty spaces.

Yours was soft between his, not having known work since your capture.

You put the thought out of your mind, trying instead to focus on how you were feeling right now than how you'd been feeling for the past few months.

You could feel his hand shaking in yours for a long time afterwards, a frightened bird in your grip.

You smoothed the back of his hand with your thumb, not looking away from the TV casting a white glow upon your face and hiding the blood rushing to it.

You felt his fingers twitch, desperate to just take your hand in his and just kiss it black and blue.

But he held back, waiting you to come to him when you were ready.

Alejandro gradually got braver after that initial encounter, though.

He seemed more comfortable taking your hand in his, which, whenever you initiate first, he melts.

Puppy of a man.

At some point in the relationship, about 6 months in, Alejandro wanted to test your loyalty.

He left your home, making a big song and dance about how he was going to the shop and wouldn't be back for an hour or two.

He left the front door unlocked and hid behind the curtained window of a friend's house across the street.

The friend was unaware of your situation, making it easy for Alejandro to lie about why he needed to hide there.

It was not easy for Alejandro to lie, however.

He could feel the falsehood burn his tongue as if he'd summoned a great evil, chanting its name and burning its poison symbols into the muscle.

It was slanderous - the baseless cover story of waiting for your suspected side-man coming to pay you a 'courtesy visit'.

The hour passed. And he waited with bated breath.

He saw you emerge from the house, oblivious to his presence, and look outside.

Your gaze was uncertain; you were considering something.

Alejandro was ready to run, to bolt out the door and capture you, return you to his house and--

You shut the door, returning to the confines of the house.

Alejandro watched, eyes wide, with only his uncertainty certain, as he waited for you to leave, to run as far as you could away from your cage - from him.

But you never did.

Ten, twenty minutes - nearly an hour passed and you'd still made no attempt to flee.

Alejandro returned home not long after, unable to resist the pull any longer.

He slammed the door open and closed behind him, and sought you out immediately.

Before you could ask him what was up, how, despite the force of his manner, he came to have such a smile on his face, he swept you up in his arms and kissed you.

Chaste on the surface, but burning with sheer desperation underneath, an almost metallic taste on his lips from his heart swelling to such an extent that he could feel it in his throat.

Or, rather, a lump of tearful joy collecting there.

You made no objections, instead kissing him back, though with unmatched, rather intimidated frevour.

"I saw you--" he said between breaths, fanning your cheeks with the flickers of his inner fire.

"--When I left, you stayed. You saw your chance for freedom, and you stayed--"

He didn't give you time to unpack that statement, wrapping your legs around his waist and holding you there, lips moving from yours down to your jaw, your throat, nipping the crook of your neck.

You yelped, quick yet noticeable as Alejandro withdrew, seemingly broken out of whatever trance you'd put him in.

Everything he wanted to say - wanted to ask - flashed behind his eyes.

You smiled at him, wrapping your arms tighter around his shoulders.

"I want this," you say, placing a hand on his cheek and giving him a tender look.

NSFW

This man lives for your praise, and he makes sure to return the favour.

Calls you things like: "Mi Amor," and "Mi Corazon," (My Love, My Heart)

His accent makes it even more intimate when he whispers airy praises into your ear as he's softly thrusting into you, making sure you know just how loved you are.

Mutters things in Spanish while he loses himself in you.

He's a very strong lover, so he'll take any opportunity to show you how much he loves you by putting your pleasure - sexual or not - above his own.

Gives phenomenal head, tbh.

He just knows what you like, which you could chalk up either to him being attentive, intuitive, or having stalked you and your preferences for weeks prior to your official meeting.

He marks you when he's jealous, the primal need to ward off other men from the love of his life becomes overwhelming when something like a stray look or a brief conversation makes him believe you're going to leave him for someone else.

He's more of a top but will be absolutely delighted if you ask to ride him.

Relating to the 'stalking' mention from earlier, he's maybe kind of into voyeurism??? In that he just loves knowing what you're doing when he's away, regardless of the nature of the activity (unless it's cheating - in which case he does not enjoy seeing what you're doing).

And he sees it all through the camera system he has installed in every room and crevice of the house.

Seeing you in his shirts makes him feel some kinda way.

Another aftercare king over here; he knows exactly what you need and when you need it, and he will not rest until all your needs are met.

Btw, he's mad insecure that you'll leave him one day, (would you believe it).

And the only way to reassure him is to either marry him, or give him the most atrocious, knee-buckling head known to man.

Tbf tho, Alejandro thinks your head, regardless of how good your game is, is spectacular - just because it came from you :>.

Cum play; man loves just covering you in himself because it reminds him that you're his.

It's more reassurance for himself rather than to exert power or authority over you.

Back to SFW

Alejandro knows you inside and out.

He takes a vested interest in anything and everything you like; he can name ever main, background and side character from any book, film or animated series you like. Also knows your top 25 favourite songs off by heart.

If you show that same level of attentiveness to him, he will be absolutely whipped (more so than he already is).

He's the first to say "I love you." And if/when you say it back, he's already planning the wedding in his head, the image becoming clearer, more of a certainty than a fantasy.

His eyes go really wide and glassy and he's looking at you like he has the Universe in his arms.

Because in his view, he does.

He loves you more than he thinks is physically capable for any human, and he will do anything to keep you safe and happy.

Reblog for more content like this! It helps creators like myself tremendously :-)

Masterlist Masterlist [Continued] Masterpost Modern Warfare AI Masterlist

AO3 Wattpad

[moonlightndaydreams]

Room 143 | idol!han x fem!reader \ part 5

1k followers celebration story

If someone had told you that you would have one night with Han Jisung, you would have laughed in their face.

Read Part 1 here | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7

Delulu! Absolute delulu! Last year I wrote a little fic about y/n going to the concert and by chance having a night of passion with the yummy Han Jisung. I thought it might be nice to revisit it with a rework (the original had an original female character but I’m changing it to y/n).

Chapter Summary: Han turns up at your hotel room.

CW: unprotected p in v, sex toys, anal plugs, spanking, sweetness.

The feelings that came over you when you saw Han standing there freshly washed and in a new set of sweatpants and hoodie, was hard to describe. There was this dull ache in your chest that resembled angst and heartbreak, but also a tension that flooded south to your core.

It was like a longing. Longing to be close to him. Fuck, your body absolutely craved him. But there was also a knowing. Knowing deep down this probably wasn’t a good idea. There was a chance you’d let your heart get in the way and you would then have to get over him. He would be long gone in a couple of days.

Who were you kidding? Your heart was already in it and you would have to get over it, regardless of whether you let him in or turn him away.

You should turn him away. For your own good.

I don’t want to turn him away.

You didn’t have the courage to look at his face. You just kept your gaze somewhere chest level, but you knew he was watching you. You could feel his eyes burning into your skin, and you knew if you dared look, you’d see want in his eyes.

You couldn’t bare to look.

You didn’t need to look.

The tension was so thick you thought you were going to choke.

Neither of you had said a word yet. You both knew what he was asking by simply being at your door. You both knew what it would mean if you let him in.

You shouldn’t let him in. It’ll only lead to heartache.

I want to let him in.

You swallowed a lump in your throat and slowly, bravely, met his eyes.

You shouldn’t have looked.

Longing. Hope. Desire. Hunger. Sadness. How could eyes convey so many emotions all at once? And how could eyes look so fucking beautiful?

Despite your brain screaming that this was a bad idea, you stepped back and opened the door, making space for him to pass through.

Still a word had not been spoken.

Your heart kicked up a beat as you pushed the door closed, then rested your head momentarily on the door frame.

You’ve let him in.

I’ll take my chances.

It was lucky you took a second to ground yourself, because when you turned around he was on you. His mouth smashed against yours in a messy, feral kiss, and his hands gripped the sides of your waist to push you back against the door.

He’d already lost his hoodie and was now in a singlet tee. You ran your hands up his arms, over his toned muscles, then slid them down his chest and stomach, feeling the muscles tense under your touch. His skin felt electric beneath your fingertips, sending shocks through your body.

He slowed down to caress you gently. His hand brushed your cheek and he planted hot, breathy kisses on your neck. His hard cock pressed against you, making you ache for him. It was almost unbearable.

“I had to come, y/n.” He panted. “I couldn’t just end things like that.” Referring to earlier at the concert venue. “I hope it’s okay, baby… I want you so fucking bad.”

“I want you too.” You whispered, tugging gently at his elastic waistband. A choked whimper left his lips when your hand gripped his cock and released it from his pants.

He was rock hard, and as you explored it with your hand, you could feel that it was already leaking. He was about to find out that you were leaking too.

His hand dropped from your waist to reach under the hem of your short nightshirt and slid its way up between your thighs to find your bare pussy. You let out a sharp exhale at the touch. Your body absolutely craved him. Han hissed through his teeth from the unexpected access, and leaned close to your ear.

“You’re such a bad girl,” he whispered low “I like it.” And he parted your lips with his finger and slid it roughly back and forth over your clitoris, as he buried his face in your neck.

“Fuck! You’re so wet baby!” He sounded incredulous as he explored your lips, your clitoris, and teased the entrance to your vagina.

I really do love it when he calls you baby.

You started to writhe against him. You wanted to make him hungrier. You wanted him to snap. You wanted him to ruin you.

“It’s for you, Han Jisung.” You confessed, as you tried to guide his cock between your thighs.

He reached his hands under your thighs and you wrapped your legs around his waist as he pinned you hard against the hotel door.

You held on for dear life, your arms around his neck, as the tip of his cock brushed against your entrance. It was so incredibly close, but not quite where you needed it to be. It was pure agony for both of you.

Frustrated, and desperate, Han swiveled his hips in such a way that it only took a moment to line himself up.

You ached for him to be inside you, and you both gasped when the tip of his cock slipped inside.

He stopped still. He glanced down at where you were barely connected, and then looked back up at you questioningly. It was like he was running through some internal dialogue, some sort of inner conflict, and he was frozen.

“This is okay, right?” he asked searching your face. “Cos I want you so bad, baby.”

“Fuck, yes…please.”

He pressed his cheek against yours, inhaled deeply, and sank you down onto his length in one motion, until he was buried all the way inside of your tight walls. You both sighed in relief, and the stretch felt excruciatingly delicious.

Then he started to fuck you. He needed the friction. You needed the sharp jolts of his powerful thrusts. His hips slammed into you at a relentless pace, like some wild beast.

Han fucking Jisung was inside your hotel room.

Han Fucking Jisung was inside of you!

“I was going to go slow…” he panted as he hammered into you “I promised myself I was…but I couldn’t stop myself…I can’t hold back…” he said breathlessly. “There’s just too much…feeling… so much… I…don’t know the words…” he trailed off as he vigorously worked his hips.

He didn’t need his words though. You knew what he meant. It was like the the desire…the need… was so strong and so…visceral…that you just might lose your minds if you didn’t get it out of your bodies. And the only way to rid yourselves from that feeling was to meet it with this hot, burning release.

“I want to make love to you after this…let me stay the night…can I… can I stay?… you feel so hot…and tight…” he choked.

His words were your undoing.

He wants to stay?

This isn’t going to be the only time?

We’re going to have sex again!

He wants to ‘make love' to you?

Knowing that you didn’t need to hold onto this moment forever, knowing that you had all night, your body let go completely and you slipped over the edge. In the best possible way you felt like you’d been kicked in the guts and thrown off a cliff. You held on tighter to Han to try and slow the fall.

“Come inside me, Han…I need you to co-.." You didn’t finish your sentence. Han’s hips had become erratic and a stifled whimper came from him as he reached his own climax.

“Baby…” He panted as he slowed down. “Fuck...that felt so good.” he chuckled.

Then, with him still inside you, he took you over to the bed, gently laying you down on the mattress. He hovered over you and kissed you as he pulled out and collapsed by your side, pulling you against him. You could feel his cum leaking out of you, sticking to your inner thigh. But you didn’t care. As far as you were concerned, it was part of Han, and you wanted him to completely own you.

“Y/n, baby?” Han said finally.

“Mmm hmm.?”

He propped himself up on an elbow and searched your face, tenderly brushing some hair out of your eyes. He looked contemplative, but he still had that hope in his expression.

“Can I really spend the night with you?”

You broke out into a smile. “Of course. You know, Han, I’d say yes to anything to you asked.” It was true too. This man could ask absolutely anything and you’d say yes.

The thought scared you.

-----

You reached up and traced your thumb along Han’s bottom lip. Han fucking Jisung had the most perfectly plush, perfectly shaped, perfectly pink lips. They were wildly talented too, in so many ways. He had certainly shown you that today. But there was something you hadn’t seen yet. Not up close anyway. You had this secret thing for something he did when he rapped, where he pulled the corner of his top lip up in what can only be described as a -

“Snarl for me Han.” You said out of nowhere. “You know… like when you’re rapping.”

Han’s eyes widened in surprise, then his features softened momentarily before he narrowed his eyebrows in an expression of "you naughty girl.”

“Okay… but I have to do it rapping.” He said and sat himself up to kneel on the bed about to prepare himself for a private performance.

“Wait!” You sat up suddenly too, and kneeled in front of him reaching for his shirt. Han followed his gaze to where your hand grabbed onto the fabric.

“I want you completely naked first.” You stared at him dead seriously.

His mouth fell open. “Oh you are a bad girl.” He was trying to sound dark and sexy, but he couldn’t hide the excitement in his voice. He sounded thrilled that he was about to be naked and began lifting his shirt.

But you tugged his hands away and shook your head. “I want to undress you.” You whispered. He was frozen to the spot except to open his mouth to speak, and when he realized no words would come out, he simply nodded vigorously.

You took your time lifting his shirt, slowly revealing his slim waist and bellybutton, his hard abdominal muscles, then his chest and nipples. A shaky exhale escaped you as you pulled his shirt over his head and dropped it to the side. He didn’t move, his eyes just followed your hands as he let you roam his bare upper body, dragging your thumb across a pink nipple and leaning in to graze your tongue over the other. Your other hand explored the peaks and valleys of his abs as it made it’s way down to waistband of his sweatpants.

“Stand at the edge of the bed.” You directed Han to stand up so you could remove his sweatpants.

You couldn’t hide the lust in your eyes as you bit your lip. A naked Han Jisung standing before you and about to give you a private show. Han Jisung following your instructions. Something was triggered in you. Whatever it was made you want to demand naughty things of him. It made you want to deny him just to make him beg. It made you want to be mean just so you could make it better again.

But the feeling was fleeting, and left just as quickly as it arrived when he spoke.

“So…what is the lovely lady’s request?” he grinned.

“Hmmm…” what to ask for? “What about… Venom?” You sat back on the bed as Han proceeded to perform for you, showing off that ‘snarl/sneer' you loved as much as possible.

As he was rapping you knelt on the mattress and slowly lifted your nightshirt, revealing your breasts. He stumbled on his lines as he took in the sight of them for the first time. Then you tossed the shirt to the side.

“Continue.” You instructed.

He moved on from Venom to then demonstrate dance moves like the ‘Poppin’ part of Maniac, which now that you had seen in this context, could never be unseen again.

It all finished in a fit of laughter from both of you as the performances got less and less serious and more about making you cringe. His finale was taking a run up and landing face down on the bed.

“Owww!!!” he cried and lifted his head. “What was that?”

He picked up the item that had assaulted him when he landed on the mattress and looked at it quizzically, holding it up for inspection.

Your bullet vibrator.

He pushed the button on the side and the unmistakable buzzing sound began pulsing from the device.

“Who are you?” He said looking up at you wide eyed and mouth open.

You smirked. “Well I thought I’d need it after going to a Stray Kids concert. Apparently those guys dance pretty raunchy.” You winked at him.

Han chuckled and turned the vibrator off, which took some time for him to figure out. “So…any other surprises?” he asked cheekily raising his eyebrows up and down.

You sucked in your lips and looked up at the ceiling. “Well…” You hesitated as you considered showing him your other items you kept in your drawstring bag.

“I have these.” You took the bag from the bedside table, loosened the strings and tipped the contents out on the bed in front of Han.

His eyes bulged as he registered what was in front of him. One slimline black vibrator dildo, a second bullet vibrator, and two butt plugs - one black, the other with a white fluffy tail attached, and a little bottle of lube.

“I like options.” You offered as an explanation of why you needed more of one kind of toy.

“You certainly do!” he gasped as he picked up the black dildo and admired its curves and texture.

As Han curiously experimented with the settings, you let your eyes drift down his body. His shoulders and back were muscular and sinewy. You needed to run your nails down that back later. His hips were slim and perfect for wrapping your legs around. You'd already done that, but the thought of doing that again made your heart beat faster.

Then your eyes landed on his round, pert ass.

Oh my God. You had to touch it.

Your legs felt like they had a life of their own as they crawled your closer to sit by his side, and your hands moved of their own accord as you firmly grabbed one, meaty cheek and squeezed it in your hand.

“Hey! That’s my butt!” He squealed and looked back at you in surprise.

You stared back at him, not attempting to move your hand at all.

“Don’t stop.” He added and went back to exploring your sex toys.

You alternated between squeezing and massaging one cheek, then moved onto the other. His ass looked scrumptious. Perfectly perky, but squishy enough to sink your fingers around. You knew why people refer to an ass as ‘buns’, because Han’s looked like two perfectly baked bread buns.

You growled and smacked him on the left cheek, finishing with a hungry squeeze.

He gasped. You repeated the action. It just felt so satisfying. Then you did the same on the other cheek, following up with a gentle rub of the area you just slapped.

Han started responding with little pants, and his hips began to grind into the bed. When you paused he whimpered and wiggled his ass at you.

He likes this.

You felt encouraged to continue and that feeling you had earlier of wanting to be mean, making him beg, and of you being in control came back to the forefront. You wanted to make his cheeks burn red and and to make him wait for permission to touch himself, or touch you, or to come. You wanted him to whimper and beg for relief.

“Do you like this baby?” You purred and your hand landed down on his skin in a loud slap.

Han shuddered. “Yes..” He panted. “It feels… so good… please… don’t stop.”

You massaged the red skin, soothing it momentarily before spanking it again. His breaths were becoming louder and more labored as you increased the intensity of each slap. His hips desperately pressed into the bed for friction.

You want to wreck him.

You glanced back up towards his head. He had the fluffy tail plug in his hand, his fingers stroking the long white furry tail and staring at it longingly.

You smirked. You knew what you wanted to do. “You like that toy do you, baby?” You leaned down and kissed his butt cheek. It took all your effort not to sink your teeth into the flesh.

What is happening to you?

Where are these urges coming from?

“Does Han want me to share my toy with him?” You held your breath. Was this too much? Had you gone too far? Would he leave?

Han nodded. “Hannie wants...” He whispered.

Hannie? He was calling himself in the third person.

You carefully took the plug from him, and the lube, applying a generous amount the to the steel plug. This toy was new. You admired the long white fluffy tail attached to a vibrating silver bullet. It would look so good with Han’s ass.

Straddling his thighs you realized you had no idea what you were doing. You'd never touched a man’s asshole before, let along insert something. But there was no backing out. Han had given up on the rest of your toys, and the side of his face was buried into the mattress, his hands gripping the sheets on either side of his head. His hips still wiggling in frustration.

“Patience, Hannie.” you said.

You placed one hand on his cheek, pushing it to the side so you could find your target. Then you turned the vibrator on and placed the tip on his rim. He sucked his breath in at the contact, then relaxed into the bed as you gently massaged him with the tip.

You weren't sure when to apply more pressure. What if you actually hurt him? But the sounds he was making, the beautiful, needy moans, prompted you to push the tip in slightly.

He let out a long, deep, relieving moan at the stretch. The plug wasn’t all that thick or long, it was dainty, and you wondered if maybe you should just push it in all the way.

“Hannie? Do you think you can take the rest?” you asked gently.

“Fuck… yes… just put it in.” He sounded frustrated.

You pushed the plug in all the way and turned the vibration up.

“Yes… fuck… yes… baby…” He writhed underneath you, but he couldn’t do much while you were still straddling his thighs.

You simultaneously massaged both his cheeks roughly, pulling them apart on each circle, eliciting a sharp breath from him each time you did it. You were so fucking turned on you could feel the wetness gathering between your legs.

“Hannie,” You said crawling up to meet his face with yours. “Can you put this one in me?” You held out the little black butt plug and offered it to him, then positioned yourself on all fours, while he knelt behind you.

“Here, baby, put some lube on it first.” you instructed. Han didn’t seem like he was alert at all, but you heard a squeeze of lube, presumably on the plug, and then cold lube being smeared on my entrance. Then you felt the vibration against you. You were so ready, so aroused, so desperate that you immediately began to back yourself onto the vibrating plug. The stretch burned, but eased quickly, and it was only a moment later that it was snugly inside of you. The vibrations pulsed through your entire pelvis and caused your whole body to shake.

But you needed more.

And so did Han.

You felt him press the head of his cock against you, trying to squeeze inside. But you were tight. As the tip stretched you open, both of you gasped.

“You’re so tight with that in there.” He growled. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

You whined in frustration. “Just fuck me already, Han.” You pushed back hard against him as he pushed equally as hard into you.

You felt so full, so stretched, and so stimulated that you knew this wouldn’t last long.

“I...I c..can feel the vibrations through your walls.” Han exclaimed. You could only imagine what Han have felt, with the vibrator inside of him sending shivers through his body, to having his cock being squeezed in your tight, clenching and vibrating cunt.

You lost all sense of yourself as Han fucked you for the second time. You forgot your name, where you were. Everything. Everything except how good it felt to have Han fucking Jisung inside you, ruining you, owning you, and taking me to the stars.

-----

Han laid on his back panting. He had just had his mind blown to oblivion. His brain tried desperately to catch up with what had just transpired. He’d never shown a woman that side of himself before. The side that liked to be submissive. He’d never had a women play with his ass like that either.

You leaned over him and kissed his neck. “I’ll be right back.” You cooed bringing him back to reality.

You quickly checked your phone then placed it back on the bedside table and disappeared into the bathroom.

Han’s eyes gravitated to the phone. The screen hadn’t locked yet. His brain started to kick into overdrive. Could he? Should he? Before he could talk himself out of it, he grabbed your phone and opened the contacts.

Then he selected “Create a New Contact.” He stared at the screen.

What the fuck do you think you’re doing Jisung? He said to himself. But his fingers kept going as he entered the name Han Jisung. Then he typed in his number.

Really, what the fuck are you doing, you idiot?

Then, he phoned the number letting the call connect. Lastly, Han went to the recent call log and deleted the phone call he just made.

This is a bad idea.

He heard you exiting the bathroom, and he quickly put the phone back where you'd left it.

You slipped back into bed laying yourself against his side and placed a leg across his stomach. Han turned his head to kiss you, his hand resting on your thigh. You were so soft, warm, safe.

He’d wanted to go slow. That’s what he’d decided when he made his way to your door earlier. He wanted to take his time with you. He wanted to remember every moment - every sigh, every whimper, every quiver of your muscles. He wanted to look into your eyes while he slowly fucked you.

But this was good too. More than good. This was the best sex he’d ever had. He grinned. He still wanted to... make love... to you though. Why do those words keep popping in his head? Oh why had he said that out loud to her before? MAKE LOVE? He covered his eyes with his free hand. How fucking cringe.

He stole a glance at you, worried you might be reading his mind, but you had dosed off, your breath had settled into a calm and steady rhythm.

Han let himself settle into the bed and drift off to sleep too. In the back of his mind he remembered what you'd said earlier that day. “This is my humble abode for the next day or two.” Did that mean you would be still here tomorrow night?

Could he see you again?

@channieandhisgoonsquad @noellllslut @itsseohannbin @weareapackofstrays @xxkissesforchanniexx @starr-lvst @queenmea604 @queen-in-the-shadows @bethanysnow @newhope8 @chuuchuu1224 @vanillacupcakefrosting @3rachasdomesticbanana @fun-fanfics @palindrome969 @rhonnie23 @jisunglyricist @strayywayy @yaorzu-blog @armystay89 @igetcarriedawaywithyou @everythingboutkpop @jiminssluttyminx

@sunnyhonie @minnieprincess85 @krayzieestay @stanskzot8 @rixenluv

[cottondo]

Hey babes! First of all, let me just say that I ADORE your writing <3333 I can tell you have a lot of passion for what you do!

If it’s alright with you, I’d like to request a Blitzø x fem! reader story. Preferably how he navigates a shy, sweet imp. I was thinking that they could have been childhood friends or something like that. Whatever you decide to do I’ll read (and love) it <3333

Thank you so much!!

aahww thank you sm lovebug🥹💞 I appreciate the kindness !

also,, really hope I got your request right?? I lowkey wasn’t exactly sure on what you wanted LMAO but I hope you like it regardless <3

Blitzo x fem! imp reader | navigate

The sound of your breath in a humid environment was all you could really focus on. Or, more so, trying to control it.

Blitzo insisted taking you on some stupid 'adventure', —if thats what he called it— and of course, it turned into a mission.

Why the hell wouldn't it! You didn't expect much less from him.

You particularly didn't care much for his mission work. Sure, okay, it seemed kinda cool sometimes- - but the,, almost double-dying part, was intimidating as fuck.

Keeping all your limbs attached to your body was really your biggest goal living down in Hell. It was easy enough to end up getting stabbed, maybe break a horn or two, or even end up in a shitty situation with some demon lords that rule rings trying to chase you down. Especially as an imp!

Maybe it was because you actually valued your death-life, and Blitz,, .. just didnt? But, regardless, you didn't wanna be here, doing this today.

A heavy hand rests on your shoulder abruptly, causing a small flinch to react from your figure.

Blitz leans in close, a crazy little smirky smile on his face. If the space between you got any smaller, you thought your oxygen levels would've been completely cut.

He managed to drag you into some hide out, a gun in his hand, army crawl position beside you in a long vent you two crawled inside of together. Shoulders harshly bumping against each other's to prover just how little space there actually was inside.

It was hot in here, and he was hotter, which only added to the uneasiness you felt in your chest.

"Don't tell me you're bitchin' out on me, y/n." He whispers to you, eyes focusing on your nerves. Blitz knew you better than just about anyone. And to be fair, he should. You two have been friends since childhood, so nothing goes unseen around him.

Your frown lightens, vision trailing to look back at him. "Nooo? I'm totally fine," you flash a cheesy smile back.

Blitzo's eyes roll, "Yea- ok, I'm teaching you combat, whether you like it or not, bitch. If youre gonna be working with us, you can't just sit around at the desk looking all cute and shit, everyday." He reminds you, "I need you to learn how to be more assertive!"

He thought you were cute? Ayee, score for you.

Your lips curl into a smirk over at him.

"As cute as I am, I can still be assertive." Now it was your turn to remind him.

It didnt look like he believed that statement. Actually, you knew he didnt.

"What happens when some dick fucker tries being an asshole to you? Pulls out a gun? One day I'm not gonna be able to get there quick enough to save your sorry ass." He frowns, some annoyance clear in his tone.

Your eyes widen, and your lips sound a gasp as you face him. "Oh my god- - is that the sound of you caring about someone other than yourself~?" You tease sarcastically, eyelids lowering casually again. Blitz turns away with a scoff.

"I didn't know that was even possible," you add onto the teasing, obviously getting some sort of rise out of him.

"Listen!" He narrows his vision. "Oka- you know damn well that I—"

His words get cut off. The sound of a door opening, and footsteps entering the room catch both of your attentions. You flinch when the door slams shut behind the figure. It was a short demon. Big horns, and an even bigger snout. He sort of looked like a dead pig. You cringe.

"Oh, fuck." Blitz smirks, raising up his gun. "This is too easy. You comin' or what?" His shoulder nudges yours. You give a dull look in reply. "Do I have a choice?"

"No, you don't." He smirks over his shoulder at you.

You follow close behind his army crawl towards the end of the vent. It wasn't far away at all, just totally felt uncomfortable being on your hands and knees in such a small space for so long.

Blitz quickly kicks out the vent door, and jumps down to the floor with his gun tightly in hand. Your eyes watch his figure as he lands perfectly in the room, alerting the demon who was on Blitz' kill list.

Damn.

It was kind of crazy how good his combat is. You know he has a lot of practice- - which does make you slightly worry from time to time about just how much trouble this job really gets him into. (And how much more it'll get you into if he continues to drag you along for the ride.)

With a small push, you slip yourself out of the vent, and land on two feet with a practiced swiftness. You've gotten enough rehearsal time to do small, crafty things, but you weren't perfect- - nothing like how Blitz was, anyway.

But at least you still looked good doing it.

The listed demon looks quickly between the both of you, Blitz ready with a crazed grin on his face while holding the gun, and you, with your knife strapped to your side, looking nothing as intimidating.

"Y/N! Grab him!" Blitz commands from you.

You hesitate for a second, "Blitz, do we really hav—"

"Cmon!" Blitz tosses his head back and groans, quickly rebounding and aiming the gun to the guys head before he got any bright ideas. "Lets dance, bitch!"

The demon, though all three of you were trapped in a very small room, does his absolute best to dodge each and every bullet. For a porky lookin dude, he was quick on his hooves. He managed to miss most if not all, bullets aimed his way.

You lunge forward, and tackle him to the ground like a tiger pouncing its prey. Blitz cheers you on, fist pumped up in the air as he watches with excitement down at you. "Thats what im talkin about, y/n! Now tie his ass up, we gotta use him as bait for the rest of them."

"The rest of them?" You glare in question.

His hand tosses you down a rope, which you had no idea where he kept it hidden all this time, but look up to Blitz anyway, as you struggled a little, straddling to keep the demon down beneath you.

Your hands desperately grab the rope, and you begin tying. Blitz insisted no helping, as this was his way of teaching you proper ways to hustle- - but you'd gladly accept it if he offered any.

First, you wrap up the struggling mans hands, then, you move down to his kicking feet. He managed to give your shoulder a good hit with his foot, but that only resulted in Blitz raising his own foot, and forcefully bringing the tip of his boot into the guys side. The demon lets out a groan.

"Damn, what the hell, asshole." You glare down at the demon who only glares back up at you through his groans. Your hands take the bandana from around his neck, and retie it around his mouth to prevent any sounds coming out of him.

"Great, now lets get the fuck out of here!" Blitz grins, picking up the hostage and throwing him over his shoulder with a small struggle. You follow along close behind, eyes checking both sides of you with some slight paranoia. It already came to the point in the day where you were very much over this job. Why the fuck couldn't you guys have just stayed in the circus business?

"Y/N! Take out those assholes up on the catwalks!" Blitz points to a few more demons that were going to be next on your list for the day.

While the two of you ran for the far exit, your eyes follow up to where Blitz was looking.

You spot them. "Got it!" Your voice beams, and pulling out your gun, you aim for the straps that kept the walk attached to the ceiling. One shot, you took the one side of the catwalks down, which results in the demons falling and tumbling down to the floor of the warehouse.

"Fuck yeah!" Blitz laughs as he uses the tied hostage as a punching bag for other demons that try to stop the two of you. He swings the hostage demon around, using him as his own personal weapon, causing some slight laughter out of you, to which both you and blitz were surprised about.

The demons you caused to fall, start charging your way. With a quick thought, you take out the knife strapped to your side, and get ready to use it. Blitz grins over at you. "Remember to aim for the neck!" He calls out from ahead of you.

Your smile brightens at the teamwork you both have. "Thanks!"

A hand reaches for you, but with a stealthy slide to the side, you duck under the arms and push the torso of a demon down to the ground.

This was getting . . oddly easy.

You hop over the demon on the floor, and smile brightly over at Blitz.

With you catching up to his side, your lips stretch into a grin as you open the door to the warehouse for him. “Did you see?” Your question was almost eager sounding. Breaking out of the shyness of the situation, you’ve actually gained a bit more combat knowledge.

Blitz grins over at you, throwing the hostage to the ground as the both of you make it out, and find a safer area to catch your breaths.

“Hell yeah bitch!” Blitz looked so happy, giddy, even. It was so freaking cute.

“I knew teaching you my way would pay off.” He crosses his arms, a soft smirk on his face.

Your face flushed lightly, the shyness beginning to take over just a bit. Your shoulders shrug upward, and the smile on your face was light. “Thanks,”

“I’m proud of you.” Blitz’s voice is quieter than his usual loud and obnoxious form, but you still catch it. Your eyes widen a bit, and staring at him in a small shock is all you could do for a second. “Really?”

Blitz looks flustered, so you decide to let any teasing go. It wasn’t often he would give real compliments. Even if he did know you long enough, to.

“Of course, fuck face.” He replies, rolling his eyes with a smile still stuck to his face.

You bump his shoulder, grinning just a little harder than before. “Learned from the best.”

______________________

really sorry its not my best work,, just allot goin on in life rn but I still hope you liked it anyway ! <3

[stwrljoo]

Davis Schneider x (GN) Reader

SFW + NSFW Headcannons!

Warnings: (mild) sexual themes

**DO NOT interact with this if you are a MINOR!**

A/N: there is absolutely NO fanfics or anything for Davis anywhere on the internet? since nobody else has bothered to write for him, i've decided that i will! this man is such a gem, and he deserves all the love!

disclaimer: i do not know anything about Davis on a personal level. these Headcannons are written purely based on personal opinion, and the vibes that i get from him.

SFW:

imma be honest, this man would be the absolute SWEETEST

i sense that he likes taking care of those that are around him

Clement literally said that Davis basically did all the cooking and cleaning (and driving, lol) when they were roomates throughout Spring Training earlier this Year!

if Davis is willing to do that for a coworker/friend, then i have no doubt that he would give the same treatment to someone he's in a romantic relationship with

expect lots of homecooked meals

even after he's been running around in the heat for 4hrs

should he rest and let you take care of dinner? probably

will he? no

this also means that ofc your shared space will always be tidy <3

the only time it might get a little messy is if you, or Davis, is feeling under the weather

bc who wants to clean when they're feeling ill, right?

and he can't keep up with it if he's busy tending to you 😌

but any other time, Davis doesn't hesitate to assist with chores

✨ written by a woman ✨ fr!

you'd always be giddy in his presence

this man's smile literally lights up any room he's occupying

he has more of a subtle sense of humor, but he knows how to pull a laugh out of someone

Davis notices when you physically relax around him, and it makes him feel good to know that you're comfortable at his side

LOWKEY shy

he has said that he's not big on recieving loads of attention

i feel like getting spoiled, or being given the same amount of care he puts towards others, would fluster him a bit

but he'd appreciate every ounce of it regardless

would always return the favor tenfold

obviously, Davis is very serious when it comes to his career!

he would hope that anyone he enters a relationship with is supportive of what he does for a living

(who wouldn't be?!)

of course, if baseball maybe just isn't your thing, he could come to accept that

he might be a little dissapointed, but as long as you support his goals and milestones, i can see him moving past it

but, if you LOVE baseball, he would be ecstatic!

he does strike me as someone who loves sharing his passions

Davis appears to be very close with his family, and a lot of them attend his games, so i know he'd love it if his partner was also in attendance and cheering him on

would come to you when in a slump, or needing advice in regards to how he's playing

feels a sense of.. pride? when he calls you up after a game you couldn't attend and you tell him you'd been watching the whole thing on TV

always looks at you with so much love 🥺

feels he doesn't deserve you

treats you with so much respect and care!!!

NSFW:

this man drives me ABSOLUTELY CRAZY

Davis loves kissing

kissing, kissing, kissing

80% of your foreplay is just making out

and groping 🤭

is amused whenever he leaves marks on your neck and his mustache ends up tickling you

it almost always results in your soft laughter mixing with moans and it drives him MAD

Davis' winning personality continues to shine when it comes to matters in the bedroom

makes sex about YOU

he wants to cum as much as any other man, but he doesn't give much thought to himself until you've been satisfied first

loves giving oral

loves recieving oral

just... loves "mouth stuff" 😳

given the fact that his profession requires a pretty solid workout regiment, Davis has got that stamina!

you want round 2, 3.. ? he's got you covered

for him, (and you 😉) it's better if he doesn't bounce back right away because that means he can dedicate an entire round to getting you off instead

and if you haven't bounced back either, well..... kissing!!!!

i feel Davis is all about that lust and fervidness

he's not just fucking you, he is taking the time to learn and worship your body

(i'm assuming he's had a few flings in his lifetime thus far, but i feel like he's not the type to treat a sexual partner like an object)

"slow and steady wins the race"

the orgasms Davis gives you are INTENSE, so hang on!

loves when you whimper his name!

loves when you pull his hair!

any position that has you on top is his FAVORITE

man likes the view 👀

and likes when you hold his hands and use him as support 👉👈

it puts those lovely arms of his to work, and showing off his strength in any manner gives him a confidence boost

talks lowly in your ear for a lot of it

tells you how good you feel

tells you how beautiful you are

sometimes just curses and says jumbled up nonsense

Davis is kinda quiet i feel, but does have his moments

lets out deep, loud, moans when he cannot contain himself

especially when he hits his climax 🤤

always takes the time to make sure you're all cleaned up and feeling okay aftwards no matter what! just.. again, treats you with so much respect and care!!!

[legobiwan]

Okay, ever since the concept art of the Mario Brothers movie got leaked on Reddit, I've been wanting to make this post. And I think now is the time. Gird your loins friends. I am about to overanalyze the hell out of thirty seconds and one concept art of a movie.

A Room of Their Own: An (Over)Analysis

To start with, I want to justify this whole treatise by comparing the concept art of Mario and Luigi's room with what we get in the movie.

Concept Art

Movie

These match up incredibly well. There are a few poster swaps on Mario's wall, the generic baseball team versus an obvious reference to the Mets (a point I'll talk about in a moment); Beastie Boys for the fish person poster (and it's bugging the hell out of me, because the green guy is wildly jogging my memory and I can't quite place it). Luigi's side of the room also gets slightly rearranged, although the objects are mostly the same, minus the swap of the anime mecha figure for an art mannequin.

Now that we've established continuity, let's talk about why we're exploring this in the first place.

I love analyzing people's living spaces in media. They tell such an intimate story about who a person is, what they value, what they're hiding, and so on. And the snippets we get of Mario and Luigi's room, both through the movie and the concept art, say so much about them and (arguably) connect in some measure back to the games and even the cartoons of my youth. So, let's dive in, shall we?

Mario

In both the concept art and the movie, a couple of themes emerge from Mario's side of the room.

Plumbing

It's obvious that Mario's passion is plumbing. There are pipes sticking out from under his bed, pipes stacked in the corner, books on plumbing stacked on his desk, along with all kinds of other related paraphernalia. Regardless of Spike or his father, Mario seems genuinely into plumbing as his vocation (remember, he was the one who was the driving force behind that commercial). Keep this in mind for when we talk about Luigi, because there's a divergence there.

Sports

We know from the movie and general lore that Mario is quite athletic, and seems to enjoys sports. Here, we see posters for baseball and what is presumably the New York City marathon (at least in the movie still); we see a football helmet and some small trophies that one might assume are related to his own sports activities. Is he the absolute, number one winner in all of Brooklyn? Unlikely, given his insecurities about always being "small," about wanting to amount to something. This being said, it's obvious he has some prowess and accomplishment in the world of sporting, perhaps on a high school level. And the whole parkour scene shows that he trains, keeps himself in shape for this type of thing. (As an aside, can you blame Luigi for not being able to keep up? Forget the knees, he's hauling a 15-20 pound bag of plumbing equipment with him! Give the guy a break).

Anyway, this is all unsurprising for our hero archetype. The marathon poster - grit and determination. Baseball and football - all-American sports. Central casting, call one wannabe hero. (Remember, what people showcase in their rooms is generally what is important to them, what they value).

There is a small wrench thrown in here, however (ha! a pun!) And that would be the foam finger featured in the concept art which is a very familiar orange and blue. And that along with the baseball figurine and posters - which have similar coloring and iconography of the intersecting "NY" - lead me to believe that Mario is a Mets fan.

Now, I need make a small digression here to explain why this is important to his character.

The Mets are the long-suffering little brother to the perennially-successful New York Yankees (booooooo). They still hold the modern era record for most losses in a season (their inaugural year, 1962, where they went 40-120). Over the decades, they have been plagued by inept ownership, catastrophic end-of-season collapses, and bizarre events that can only be categorized as "LOLMets." (This Reddit thread is a particularly entertaining history of the franchise's tragi-comic moments).

And aside from being a lifelong masochist fan of this team, I think it's important to bring this up in terms of Mario's character because he sees himself as the underdog while in Brooklyn; as little, as constantly underachieving. It's extremely fitting for Mario's movie depiction that he roots for the eternal underperformer, for a team that has historically been supported by the more blue-collar areas of New York, a fanbase which suffers year after year and yet always comes back for more.

Mess

This is actually my favorite part of Mario's section. Canonically, Mario is a kind of a slob. In both the concept art and movie stills, we see plumbing bits and parts strewn all over the place, pipes shoved underneath the bed, pipes stacked in the corner, half-finished projects and tools running amok his desk. (Note, he's not dirty, just disorganized).

And the thing, this isn't the first time we've seen evidence of this. Luigi, on two separate occasions, either complains about or encounters his brother's habits in the Luigi's Mansion series. (Although the first quote below could be more of a commentary on Luigi's persnickety-ness rather than Mario's laundry habits).

(seriously, Mario. Just how many pizzas did you need?)

There's something...I don't know, endearing or somehow fitting that the titular hero of the Mushroom Kingdom is a domestic disaster. Almost as if whatever energies he can muster are focused solely on hero-ing and plumbing and anything else just...falls by the wayside. (Understandable. There's only so much all of us in our lives have energy for. You have to prioritize). Still, it sets up this contrast between the front Mario puts up and how he's received by the Mushroom Kingdom and who he really is, which he definitely reserves for a select few closest to him, the prime candidate being his brother.

And speaking of that brother...

Luigi

It's unfortunate that we don't get as many quality shots of Luigi's side of the room in the movie, but from what can see, the concept art is pretty consistent with the film.

And I'm being adamant about the consistency of the concept art and the movie, due to the fact we get so little Luigi screen time and yet his room tells us so much about him.

Science

We've got a tech-mech boy here, my friends. Note the somewhat advanced microscope perched on the headboard, the calendar of the motorcycle, the schematic of the racing car, the little jet-rocket ship. Note, in the concept art, the mecha sat prominently on top shelf.

Now, what does this tell us? (Aside from the fact Luigi is a total nerd, which we knew already).

Firstly, Luigi is very into motor vehicles, science (fiction), and possibly robots. That he possibly has some interest in engineering and robotics. This may sound familiar.

Yes, the Super Mario Brothers movie, by intent or not, kept Luigi's mechanical engineering interests intact. (There's a whole other post in here where I could provide further proof of this outside of SPM. I suggest watching the SMB 3 cartoon episode, "Mind Your Mummy" which not only wildly showcases Luigi's engineering skills, but is pretty hilarious).

But I digress.

Here's the interesting contrast. Mario is obvious about his passion for plumbing. Luigi, although canonically more reserved, does take the effort to highlight what is important to him in his room - namely his interest in science and engineering (and photography, which we'll talk about in a minute).

It makes you wonder...Luigi is not a confrontational sort. He goes along with what Mario does because he loves his brother and perhaps he either doesn't know what he wants or is afraid to express it. I personally doubt Luigi's true passion lies in plumbing, from what we see here. It's a means to end.

Now, whether Luigi disavowed engineering due to finances, low self-esteem, family pressures, or if he just wasn't ready to declare who he was...we don't know (I would posit it's some tasty combination of all of the above). But I do feel like it's fair to say Luigi is along for the ride at this point. He loves his brother, is possibly a little too dependent on him. It's not like he's bitter about it (well, on the surface. The Mr. L persona raises some interesting questions) - he's just doing what Mario does because...that's what he's always done. Luigi hasn't found his true footing yet. (You can even look at the fact he carries the toolbag throughout the movie as a kind of metaphorical weight of Mario's interests and goals over his - which, I realize, for a Mario property, is a reeeeeaaaaal stretch. But since I'm overanalyzing three stills from an animated movie about video game plumbers, I might as well go for the gold).

The other aspect of Luigi's interest in fast cars, fast bikes, and fast rockets is how that contrasts with his reserved nature. Luigi is, supposedly, the scaredy cat, the one who won't take risks. And yet what we see fascinating him the most are chunks of metal being hurled through time and space at ridiculous speeds. Wish fulfillment? Or maybe another side of Luigi that even Mario doesn't always get to see.

We also see two ribbons pinned to the wall near the sciency/tech items. Most likely, this had to do with academic achievement I would bet good coins that these achievements were in STEM. Again, Luigi is showcasing this, meaning it's important to him.

In this context, him gravitating towards E. Gadd and his experiments is wholly in-character, despite Luigi's (understandable) anxiety about dealing with undead (but does he say no? Much like his rocket cars, there's a kind hidden recklessness to his character). Mr. L and his robot obsession (and skill) make perfect sense. Luigi's probably been looking for that kind of outlet for quite some time. I can pretty firmly state that the engineering aspect of Mr. L was not brainwashing and it makes you wonder if the other facets of Luigi's personality that rise to surface during that whole episode were planted or there already, just suppressed.

Cleanliness is Next to Godliness

Luigi is just a bit of a neat freak. We see this in the hat-cleaning episode referenced above, in the way his side of the room is somewhat meticulous in its organization (in contrast to his brother). He also has a few hilarious quotes in the original Luigi's Mansion that are worth including here that really highlight this side of his personality:

Now that I look at it-- it's full of moth holes! Yecch!" "So much dust! This will never pass the white-glove test!" "Well, they sure did pile odds and ends everywhere… Filthy." "I should probably give that a quick vacuuming…" "Oh, what's this?! Just how I like it… Nice and clean!" "Do Boos wash their faces?"

And what I find interesting about this tendency toward order is how it relates to Luigi's anxiety. I would argue that part of his clean streak is an attempt at controlling his environment, a way to counter that ever-present anxiety. It also seems fitting for the engineer to be far more fastidious about things being just so. Yes, it's a bit of a stereotype - a trope, if you will - but one that might have some teeth in this situation. After all, if you're building race cars that go ridiculous miles per hour, there's no room for error. I think the contrast between the two brothers - Mario's outside world is consistently on the edge of chaos while Luigi's inside world is the one on the precipice - is fascinating.

Sports

Now, it's not like Luigi has zero athletic ability (despite his complaints). We see a tennis racket in his room and a dartboard. He helped Mario beat up Bowser with zero training montage. It's just that Luigi seems to gravitate towards athletic endeavors that require more pinpoint accuracy (not that baseball and football don't, but it's a little different in my mind) and that avoid almost all risk of physical collision. Again, those interests are not what we think of as "stereotypical" of the big hero. And Luigi is a hero, but in a very different way than his brother.

Camera

I don't have too much to say about this one, but I think it's delightful that Luigi owns and uses an old-school camera. We can actually see two black-and-white photos pinned to his wall in the concept art, showing us Luigi's more artistic side, which is kind of neat (and let's not forget the movie subs in an art mannequin for the mecha, which only strengthens this notion of art interest. Maybe he's into the notion cybernetics? It's possible). I suppose I could read into camera thing as an observer vs. participant dynamic (Luigi behind the lens observing while Mario is always in the action), but I wouldn't make an argument any more in-depth, and even that statement is a bit of a leap in a document chock-full of leaps.

Conclusion

If you're expecting a thesis out of this, I'm sorry to disappoint - I don't really have one. I suppose this whole rundown is more of a literature review than anything else, but what I do want to stress is what can be read from the objects in the room and their placement. I can't and won't pretend to know the intentions of the artists here. It's very possible there was far less thought put into the design and layout of these rooms than the long treatise I have just given over to it. This being said, because there is a fair amount of consistency between the concept art and the movie and because there is a fair amount of subtle character moments throughout the film (which have been broken down by other intrepid Tumblr friends), I might lean towards the notion that these design choices do have some degree of intent in subconsciously shaping how we, the viewer, read the brothers.

(And yeah, maybe I just wanted an excuse to pin more evidence onto my "Luigi wanted to be a mechanical engineer and is actually really skilled at robotics and other science" conspiracy thread bulletin board :D

[helloescapist]

Hi hi hi, anon who asked if the request are open or not, thank you so much for your answer.

Can I please ask you for some headcanons of NSFW for Shinobu ? I feel like it would be something very important to her in a sense that she rarely let her true emotions slip but in some occasion like that she's completely herself because she share a special moment with her s/o. Excited to see your hcs about that. ❤️

hello, hello!

You know, I think a lot of ways you're right. For Shinobu, I believe that trusting a partner requires a high level of intimacy from her, and that she would allow her mask to slip--- That being said, I think you could see two different sides of Kocho depending on the moment. You may witness her sweet and affectionate side, or you may be met with her wrath (Never forget her battle tactics!). Which ever she entrusts to you, is a big indicator of her unwavering faith in you.

This is also my first NSFW Headcannon, so I'm sorry if it doesn't meet expectations!

The Hashiras in Bed | Shinobu Kocho

Word Count: 2766?

Setting: Shinobu Kocho x gn!reader, casual and commitment mentioned

Content Warning(s): MDNI, NSFW, light bdsm/rough, mentions of masturbation, positions, biting

Summary: NSFW headcannons, what sex and intimacy means to the Insect Pillar.

[Art work is not mine, all credit goes to the original artist]

Engaging in a physical relationship with Shinobu Kocho may sound exciting at first, and well, it is. However, it certainly comes with its own risks. The piercing gaze of her amethyst eyes concealing the depths of her passion. The roll of her hips well experienced in the rock of her pelvis as she torments your own. Ensuring the space between the two of you is just enough to allow for teasing, faintly peppered sensation against her. The quip of her smile, taunting at the growing excitement that flusters your reactions. The small tug of your needy fingers against the flesh of her thighs, eyes averted as you beg for her touch.

On one hand, Shinobu can be a giving lover that is ready and eager to meet your needs, but on the other, she can be quite sadistic in her endeavors. Which version you receive can depend on a few things, such as your personal sexual preferences, but also the status of your relationship balanced by the duration together.

For Shinobu, sex is two sides of the same coin, and truthfully, I wouldn’t be surprised if she has visited a brothel or two. For one thing, she’s rather open to a variety of experiences, and an encounter with no strings emotions attached means that she has the opportunity to slip the façade from her smile.

If it is a partner who she has no intentions of seeing ever again, well, why should she should she hold back? There will be no hesitation from the Insect Hashira to place you in any position she pleases.

Taunt you, tease you, or simply straight to having her needs satisfied. She really lacks decorum, and bedside manners. Her temper offered the rare opportunity to breath, the poison wielder’s tongue can be quite sharp in a casual bed, but to the same affect, you could easily win her over in this state.

It’s rare that she relents her inner most thoughts and desires like this, and if you started out as a one-time fling in a brothel by coin, willing to accept her upon her next visit. Well, you’ll find yourself with a loyal customer.

In this dynamic, you will find more often than not that Shinobu is the dom of the relationship regardless of the sexual equipment you possess. The rare opportunity to bite, to hiss to flare her fangs as she did in her youth. 

It would be little surprise that she will not hesitate to inflict verbal assault on a willing partner.

“Look how excited you are, after so little? You pathetic little whore.”

Prepare to be mistreated, and degraded. Really, she could care less about the place, or position. You will do as you are told, but to the same extent, I can’t imagine that she would be a high risk taker in most regards.

She prides herself on placating a smile in the work place, and keeping her inner sadist under wraps is a priority. this is strictly business, no need for the niceties, or song-and dance routine. Strip.

This version of Shinobu would not know hesitation in treating her perspective partner roughly either. You can expect to be tied up, lightly slapped, on the receiving end of rough sex, even down forcing you to your knees to service her.

You’re welcome to try and play switch. , she’ll think it’s adorable. She’ll allow you the opportunity, but only for amusement. When she has determined she’s had enough, you will know your place. in a casual fling, you’re the sub.

Though, truth be told, she’s really not as fond of casual sex, and places a high importance on a true connection. You already know Shinobu hates to waste time, and more often than not, a temporary agreement really isn’t up to her standards. ugh training someone to let them go.

On top of that, she spends all of her time at the Butterfly Estate and treating patients, I can see sexual health being on her mind at all times.

That being said, the Insect Hashira will be the exact opposite with her perspective partner. In a committed relationship, in fact, her over consideration of her lover’s pace may leave you with the impression that your relationship is stagnant, or perhaps that she’s not interested in physical intimacy. you would be wrong.

Truthfully, Kocho is actually a respectful partner, and as such, she really does allow you to set the pace. If you’re slow to approach sex, don’t worry about it. she can take care of herself as the need arises.

However, if you place a high importance on compatibility, and sex is an early expectation, she’s willing to perform.

But you’ll find that she will not regard you in the same manner as her more casual flings. Even if you started out as a purely physical relationship, upon having decided that she desires an emotional bond as well, you’ll notice a switch has gone off in her.

Her mask secured and tethered, and her treatment rather gentle. Shinobu will regard her lover with the utmost care. Delicate kisses, small nips. Nothing that would dare mar your complexion.

While she’s proud of you, in this state, she’s not likely to leave a mark. TO do so would mean hurting you, and as the person she cherishes, Kocho is not inclined to inflict pain. Just as she does in a relationship, you will find that the Insect Pillar place a high importance on satisfying her lover’s needs.

Willing to spend hours dedicated to proclaiming her devotion across your flesh. Your pleasure is in some ways, her own.

Cry for her, moan, meet those cute little purrs that assure her she has found your core properly. she thinks your adorable when you cry.

As the lover of the Insect Pillar, you’ll find that Shinobu is rather playful in the bedroom. She enjoys experimenting, just as she does with her blade. Rather than being on the receiving end of poisons, you will find yourself subject to a variety of scents and aphrodisiacs.

Like a test subject, always being studied. Appraising every reaction. As she tinkers with the recipes, growing more and more bold over time. Using your very own biology against you, Shinobu will procure a concoction that will have you on your knees begging for her touch.

she will tease not giving it to you, but of course she will.

Just as she can be coy with her creations, you shouldn’t be too surprised to have a toy invited into the bedroom. The medic is a scientist after all, and very… thorough with anatomy.

The perfect placement of a vibrator caught at the tip of your dick/ nestled at the bud of your clit, go on cry. she’s grinning. or if you find yourself desiring penetration, she has the perfect strap on in mind. Give her a moment to prep. all while maintaining eye contact you.

Her brain is always ticking, always thinking of what positions to lure you into. Ways to stroke upon you, where to rub, where to nibble. she’s ready to explore.

Bratty in the way she regards your responses. Playful, and purring her adoration for how cute you are beneath her. She really gets off on your blush, and shock.

Shinobu will seize every opportunity to play with positions. 69 is a regular candidate. Her sex pressed against your face, rubbing roughly against your tongue as she delves her mouth around your core.

Position herself in front of you, spreading your legs as well as her own, lavishing in mutual masturbation. Really, Kocho favors any position that has you spread before her. Laid out, unable to avoid her piercing gaze, forced to lock eyes admist your desperate moans.

She adores getting to your preferences, so the more forthcoming you are, the happy you both are. She may even approach these topics shamelessly in the light of day.

Foreplay with Shinobu, is a difficult road. She’s not always on top of social cues, or expectations, and even the routine can be a bit mundane or bizarre for her.

sex is a logical need, the emotions in it… less so

She can be a little selfish. You may find yourself disappointed if you expect her to just *know* foreplay is desired. However, as long as you communicate that you’ve a high importance on it, she is more than willing to learn. she loves the examples you provide.

She’s quite the hands-on learner, and will be more than forthcoming. She’s taking notes for every little moan you make, the way you peek to her touch. Oh, she’ll remember that for next time. The rub across your collar bone, her breath warm against your neck and the desperate attempt of your hips twitching, resisting the urge to buck. noted.

Really, she may forget about the niceties of sex all together if you don’t bring it up, or if say, Tengen has noticed you’re irritable, he may impart some advice upon her. While the intrusion annoys her and pops that little vein in her forehead, shit, he’s right you will find her dedicating more time to foreplay.

Just like with foreplay, you may worry about the intimacy level of your sex life. Again, Shinobu at times can be to the point, and as long as you indicate what you want in your encounters, you won’t be disappointed. Just be sure to communicate with her.

She’s more than willing to be intimate and snuggly with you as long as she knows it’s what you desire. Shinobu will tease you for being needy.

At this stage of your relationship, you will have to openly push for your needs if you desire rougher activities. Don’t get me wrong, she will very much oblige, but she’ll require some coaxing.

To slip her mask to her lover is a deeper form of intimacy, as though exposing herself to the outside world. With a secure bond and a trustable partner, she’ll be able to slowly sink back into old patterns if you’re a fling it.

In which case, the return of dom Shinobu is upon you. you asked for this. Please be careful.

Truthfully, if you were to approach your lover, she’s fairly open to a variety of experiences, is fairly receptive to your requests. There won’t be much need to plead your case, but understand that if after your experiment is concluded, she may express it was not something she will repeat.

She’s not disappointed in you, or angry, it just isn’t her cup of tea. Don’t try to pressure her, just as she would never pressure you.

So if you’ve decided you want to be the sub, and allow her to release her inner demons upon your flesh, well she can be prompted to do so, but only she’s sure that your relationship can with stand her tongue.

the things her tongue can do when it’s kind though

Understand that while she is more than willing to be harsh on you, Shinobu would not tolerate being smacked back. In fact, I believe it would result in a very bad time for the both of you.

Either her irritation drawing her wrath, and pinning you to the bed, or quite the bridge in your relationship all together. tread lightly

You shouldn’t expect Shinobu to be up for a breeding kink either. While she’s understanding that sex procures offspring, and that at the core of the action, reproduction is the goal… it’s not for her. To her, sex is enjoyment. The rush of hormones, the ache of muscles, and nerves. kids, no thanks.

The Insect Pillar’s sense of humor has always been hit or miss, but you may find that it randomly reveals itself during sex.

It could be something small, such as the way your cheeks stuffed with the toy reminds her of a squirrel preparing for winter, or it could be the way she has intentionally set you up for a cheeky moment, there’s really no telling. It’s also okay if you really… don’t get it. it’s Shinobu.

As long as you allow yourself to laugh, or just understand that she would never laugh at you, then all is well. Her goofiness during sex will catch you off guard, but in those moments, it’s actually rather sweet and tender.

Giving way to softer kisses, and lingering touches.

I love you can occasionally be slipped in during foreplay, and during sex. Just powdered across wherever her heart compels her to do so. It may be her fingers caught between your legs, the roll of your head as you cry for the stars, it could be when she’s rubbed against your thighs, or the roll of her breast against your hand, or even as the euphoria of climax slips from your tongue.

If it’s crossed her mind, she’s already saying it. it’s the truth after all.

Really, mental stimulation is a strong need for Shinobu. Boredom is not an option, and to touch upon her sense, to captivate her mind, can lead to an intense session.

That being said, I believe that a partner Shinobu really trusts, and is willing to give of themselves will be surprised at how she can allocate the control over. You’ll discover a hidden category of Shinobu’s sex life.

A dirty secret she has concealed from the world. Kocho. Is. A. Sub. But only for you. Only for you will she rear her ass the night air, face slammed down into a pillow.

Desperately crying, the cutest little pillow princess beneath your grasp. Her small bratty comments quick to be corrected. Adorable as the shy touch of your hand against her breast, and shyly averting her eyes.

Struggling with whether she should admit that she adores your boldness, and be rewarded by her compliance, or if she should dare temp your temper, to see how far she can push your resolve. punish her.

No, I believe it would be a rather special, and long commitment that would give the Insect Pillar the strength to let go. To allow her innermost desires loosened and frayed, to allow herself a moment of weakness. OF tender touches, and soft cries into the night. Resolve her control, to be cared for, and tended to. To allow someone to take the reins and guide her. blindfold play.

Slip the mask she bares as the Insect Pillar from her façade. To discard her duties, and her title, to just simply be your lover, delicate between your fingers her hands finger through your hair as she desperately pleads your name.

the level of trust she’d put in you to have reached this point alone is so, so much

Really, to Shinobu sex is the solidification of the bond, and to allow you to see the true her.

If she has the thought and you haven’t completely destroyed her, Shinobu would need no guidance in aftercare.

If you were rough on her, she’ll be sensitive as you gently coddle her. The small hitches of her breath revealing her state of stimulation. round two?

But if in the event, she was forthcoming with you, she’ll delight in playing with your legs. A warm towel, gentle as she thoroughly scrubs the soft pink of your flesh. Joyfully giggling at how sensitive you are, welcoming the opportunity to tease you. Over stimulate you. ah but she means for it to be aftercare… she’ll make it up to you.

Her medical training will place hero on autopilot at times. “I did go rather deep, here, allow me,” as she assist your walk of shame to the bathroom. Draws a bath, and soothes your hair.

She may be rough, but she can be just as sweet, understanding the physical strain she placed upon your body. Nurse play can be expected in the aftercare.

Praise during the act will likely, not happen.

Words are not a strong suit for her, and while she adores the roll of your hips, and the captivating way you have captured her hands above her head, she’s more inclined to make sassy, disobedient remarks than anything else.  

Although I believe the compliments, she would pay you in the aftermath would be sweeter than honey. Intoxicating as the pillow breath has robbed your lungs of oxygen, and your brain of thought process. Just barely able to process that she has paid you sweet appraisal.

Patting your head after you’ve lapped your tongue against her clit and thrown her to climax, assuring you that you have done a very good job.

Other times, she may be tossed to the bedding, the roll of her chest meeting the puff of breath alongside sweat, blushing wildly and eyes languid as she utters her devotion breathless to your actions. well done.

To relenquish your body and soul to Shinobu is to understand that she too, will give you all of her.

It’s trust.

It’s intimacy.

It’s her.

[desidarling123]

SAB Scene Breakdown: Inej's Hallucination

OK, so I had actually been meaning to write and publish some meta on this particular scene (and just tons of SAB S2 meta, in general) in the weeks after the second season of the show came out. But life has been crazy recently, so I truly never found the time.

However, I reblogged a certain gifset a few days/weeks ago, slapped some tags on it, and realized there might indeed be some interest in some more #detailed thoughts.

The analysis that follows is at a pretty minute level of detail (and all of course based on MY views) so... take that with a grain of salt.

Also - fair warning - it's long as hell 😂 but entertaining, I hope!

I find this whole sequence in general super fascinating - it's one of my favorite scenes in the second season, and one that's also arguably subject to the absolute worst takes in fandom (iykyk... and if you don't, well, you're about to find out.)

So, let's get into it:

We start off strong with a very specific choice, made early on: it's not Inej seducing Kaz; rather, it's Kaz who's drawing Inej into this vision.

I get a bit more into the broader implications of that a bit later, but it's definitely important that it's done this way, rather than the other way around.

It's also, very notably, an inverse of this scene from a few episodes earlier:

What's unique about that previous scene is that in that moment, he's deliberately pushing her away (for reasons, mind you, that she's not entirely privy to, but definitely hurt her regardless - even if she pretends not to care about it to his face later on).

This is different. Instead of pushing her away, he is asking her to stay.

The choice of words is specific too: the word 'disappear' most obviously references her status as his spider. But it might also be an apt description of her own personal trappings, of 'disappearing' when in the throes of trauma-induced pressure.

Some atmospheric details I love:

Their IRL confrontation was in his office-cum-bedroom (👀shutup), a tiny, crammed space that matched the tension of that scene. This is the opposite of that - the room has a more open layout, imbuing the whole sequence with a more relaxed vibe. We can even see his cane chilling on the table behind him, just in reaching distance.

The DeKappel painting which they jointly stole in the books (and presumably on the show as well) is behind them.

Fire burning as a symbol for latent passion is not exactly groundbreaking imagery, but don't fix what ain't broke, amirite? :P

Malina, very notably, gets the same fire imagery treatment in their own love scene as well:

Will it show up again in a future season for kanej? Between that and, well, the recurring church imagery, we're in for a tossup, folks

But anyways. Back to the scene at hand.

You'll notice Inej goes back to a formal stance, hands behind her back, like she's preparing for a debrief or for an assignment. It's for a few seconds, if that, but it shows that she's grasping at some semblance of normalcy in this decidedly not-normal vision.

That facade lasts for all of, two seconds, tops, when he does this:

It's sexy! It's intimate! There's knives involved!

Okay, but seriously, for the sake of time I actually will not get into a deeper discussion of the ~implications~ because I'm sure it's been done a zilllion times before and it's also fairly obvious lol

Now, the one thing I *do* want to pivot to here is that by this point, both Inej and the audience understand that there is something very subtly yet fundamentally different about hallucination!Kaz.

But what is it?

Speaking on this scene, Freddy Carter had a quote (that I cannot be arsed to find rn) where he basically said that he deferred to Amita when playing hallucination!Kaz because "she (Amita) knows better (than I do) what it is that Inej likes about Kaz"

And what is it, exactly, that she likes about him? The next few gifs tell all, using actions rather than words.

This is her reaction to him pulling her knives from her. And what I find so interesting is that she is so (rightfully) startled....

But that is absolutely NOT the expression on his face at all.

In fact, he's remarkably self-assured.

And THAT, I think, is the crux of 'what it is she likes about him', as Frreddy said.

She likes his decisiveness, the single-minded precision with which he operates.

She's seen him apply it to every last scheme, every seemingly-hopeless situation... to damn near everything in the world, really, but her.

But here, in the depths of her hallucination, he does.

There are none of his usual hangups, none of their typically frustrating back-and-forths.

No. Here, he doesn't hesitate. He wants her, and he makes it known.

Striking, sexy stuff, to say least.

Let's go on:

Nothing to add here except that I'm obsessed with the way their heads turn at the same time here.

It's funny, because for all their personal hang-ups when it comes to physical intimacy, these two are SURPRISINGLY physically attuned to each other.

Goes to show, really, how much both of their problems are in their heads (obviously) -- and how, when they're actually ready to heal, relying on their intuition may be a better approach than getting too cerebral about it.

Again, Kaz does not break eye contact with her here, and it's such a contrast to what he might have instead done if this were happening in real life - in fact, does happen, in real life, though I'd argue that isn't exactly his fault.

I love that we get a moment where Inej looks down and sees his hand hovering near her waist, just so that it's made explicitly clear what he's asking for and what the ~implications~ are.

And then, she says yes! Enthusiastically, I might add.

Not but seriously the sheer want, the little touch of eagerness on her face kills me here. She's never had this experience before - has only ever known men violating her in the most horrible way possible - and yet this tiny little thing, of Kaz asking her for consent, means so much.

Oh my God Kaz is so sexy here sorry no words anyway carrying on.

Now even after she said yes you can see this sudden little beat of hesitation on her face, like she's maybe not sure what's going to happen or if Kaz is going to do what she asked. For her it's a moment of incredible vulnerability, even though Kaz is the one sort of making the advances on her - because this one time, she actually gets to say yes.

I think that shot of his arm going around her waist is so gorgeous and so sensual - but as we pan up we can see that maybe all isn't well.

Now, Amita also really does a fantastic job at portraying the turbulence of Inej's emotions -- she goes from clearly wanting it and saying 'yes', to visibly panicking once he acts on it. We see her shift around in his grip and even swallow nervously, blink-blink-blinking herself back into the moment.

Her response is reminiscent of this passage from the books:

But what might have happened if he'd spoken that night? If he had willingly offered her some part of his heart? What if he had come to her, laid his gloves aside, drawn her to him, kissed her mouth? Would she have pulled him closer, kissed him back? Could she have been herself in such a moment, or would she have broken apart and vanished, a doll in his arms, a girl who could never quite be whole?

You can see the very beginning of that sort of panic start to set in, here. This is completely uncharted territory for Inej - her own desire, the shame and baggage that comes with it, is all getting uncovered for the first time in what is arguably the 'safest' way possible - within the confines of her own mind - and yet, she's still panicking.

More on that in a bit. Let's keep going.

Anyways well Freddy's got a huge hand sorry anyway 

I love the way she closes her eyes here. And you can see again it's not without effort - like there's still conflict within her, you can see all of those different emotions warring within her - but she is trying to let herself have this moment. She's trying to take comfort in this touch that she so desperately wants and yet hasn't had any sort of good connotations with in recent history. 

She also opens her eyes just as he starts to lean in and I think that was a great, deliberate choice on Amita and Freddy's part.

It's that precise moment, really, when it becomes super super clear to her what's about to happen.

No notes, I just really love this forehead lean, it's that little bit of tenderness and intimacy that she's been subconsciously craving.

 Again, it's fascinating to me that we can see all of Inej's nervous tics coming into play here, but for hallucination!Kaz there's absolutely no hesitation at any point whatsoever.

It looks like, for all intents and purposes, he is going to kiss her.

And then at the very very last second you see him move back, ever-so-slightly --

and then she moves all the way back and delivers her line:

Ouch. Like a punch to the gut. True, but still ouch.

Now one could probably ask, in hypotheticals: why didn't he actually kiss her at this moment? And the answer to that simply is: this is her hallucination, you know? Even though she's not conscious of it (she's dying lol), she's the one with all the power, here.

And truthfully, whether she knows it or not, nothing is going to happen in her hallucination if she doesn't want it to.

But wait, you might say. Doesn't she want to kiss Kaz?

Like that original excerpt from the book indicates, it's complicated. Everything pertaining to desire generally will be, for her.

Not that her subconscious doesn't put up a good ol' fight. Hallucination!Kaz, you have to remember, isn't so much Kaz as he is a very precise amalgamation of her own memories and desires.

And boy, does he make a good argument:

The word want, again, spoken so directly here - it's that sort of straightforward speech that neither party is actually really capable of (at this point) in their arcs, not when it comes to each other.

Again, Kaz is behaving perfectly in the prescribed character of his hallucination persona - direct, confident, not rattled in the slightest.

It's interesting also that he doesn't say: this is real. He isn't able to lie to her in her own fantasy, but he does instead tell her exactly what she wants to hear, which is arguably even more dangerous.

And what I feel so terrible about is you can see this tiny little spark this little bit of hope on her face that she has.

She wants to believe this so so badly. She wants it, damn it!

So this time, she actually moves closer, crosses that distance between them. 

You can't see it super well in this gif, but you can see a little tiny muscle twitch in her jaw, a nervous swallow as she's bracing for him to kiss her the second time. And once again, Kaz isn't hesitating, there isn't any note of that discordant thing that they have in real life from his end.

Now another thing that drives me crazy is people claiming that they did kiss in the scene like bro. Bro. Freddy and Amita did not shoot this scene at no less three separate angles for you to tell us that they kissed!! They didn't kiss, they make it incredibly obvious that they did not kiss, and if you're the one person on planet Earth whose definition of a kiss is front lips brushing for .0000000002 seconds then I'm sorry, you belong to a different category, okay?

And again, that was on purpose! It totally would have defeated the purpose of this particular sequence if they had (and would've given detractors of this scene a real leg to stand on - again, more on that at the very end.)

But as it stands, they don't kiss, and that's also kind of critically why this isn't just a sexy scene to watch back.

AND THEN (I'm out of allowed images HAHA) she pulls away. And she says the words that end it all - This isn't real. This is the poison.

The premise of the hallucination is completely shattered, and she looks so heartbroken, but she's finally able to articulate what she's really known this whole time, and that is that nothing she's seeing is real. It is a lie being fed to her by her poison-addled brain as her body slowly succumbs and dies (dark).

But you know, she does get out of it through sheer willpower, and we love her for that - but oh man but what cost?

This particular sequence is definitely a catalyst for her changed behavior going forward. I do actually wish it had been a little better handled in the show (as in, better supported by dialogue in scenes before and after this one) but regardless - this scene is a Big Tipping Point and starts what is essentially a pseudo-regression arc for Inej (paraphrasing Amita directly, bc that's truly the most apt description of Inej's behavior for the rest of the season.)

It's really bad timing, unfortunately, because it happens just as Kaz is starting to open up like never before. He's starting to see the world in a completely different light while she's doing the exact opposite -- she is shutting down her own dreams and desires when it comes to him, because she's come to the conclusion that it's simply not going to happen.

And you know what, she's not entirely wrong for that assumption, but I do have beef with some of the particulars of how it was executed in the show. But that's a discussion for another day.

Now, onto a brief rant that I alluded to at the very start of this post - my single biggest grievance with fandom is that someone on the internet decided that this scene somehow ‘erased’ Inej’s trauma, when in fact that exact trauma is what underpins the whole damn thing.

The fact that this scene more or less parallels the passage from the books beat for beat, shows, in my opinion, that book fans who make these claims of 'erasure' must have deliberately chosen to ignore this passage from the books, or never even read it in the first place.

Because frankly? Once you take that passage into consideration, the intent of this sequence couldn't have been more obvious!

Just to underscore my point, I want to ask anyone who's reading this to please compare and contrast Inej’s hallucination with Matthias’ dream. If the intent, as many so often like to claim, was simply to make this moment in Inej’s mind a sexy, titillating scene, well then, it would have been shot a lot more closely to the way Matthias’ dream was shot: there's no lack of kissing and even implied penetration (!) which is crazy, because of course, Matthias and Nina have gotten nowhere near that in real life.

There's a sexual aspect to her dream, for sure, but it's not a stereotypically-passionate 'sex dream' so much as it is a thinly-veiled reading into her own desires and the inner turmoil that comes with it.

There's also a very subtle undercurrent here that I picked up on and explore in my ongoing fic , which is that Kaz, in these fantasies, is really always the one taking the lead, so to speak. Inej is not pulling him close or asking to kiss him - and we see that even when she consents to the act, she looks like she's bracing herself for it, rather than excited that it'll happen.

That is fueled no doubt by 1) her realizing it isn't real but also 2) the fact that she is still very much in the middle of her own trauma (having been freed like what? mere days ago? if that?)

Any concept of her own independent desire is still saddled with IMMENSE baggage - and this sequence showcases it perfectly.

I think after the fact, she's consciously aware of 1) but not yet aware of 2) which is beating around in her subconscious and is probably gonna cause her WAYY more problems going forward lol

TLDR; Inej doesn't know it just yet, but she's got loads of her own issues to work through, and until she does, she's going to be stuck in this weird purgatory of being a voyeur to/of her own desires.

[whenmuldermetscully]

Astrology of David and Gillian

I’m pretty amateur-ish as a reader (maybe a little more than). Strap in folks because this is WOW. So UNDER THE CUT if you dare read on…

Ok first thing’s first — the birth time is missing from David’s, and Gillian’s birth time isn’t a confirmed time. So ascendant signs and moon are ify…. But I’d buy that Gillian is a highly possible Leo Rising.

Their synastry chart:

Let’s talk about THIS wow. What I see regardless of a birth time — placements that are 100% known.

Immediately noting: Her Leo Mars conj. His Leo Venus. It’s not close to each other (2° and 27°) but wow a Mars/Venus connection. Pure chemistry - intense, passionate, hot…. In a lot of areas not just sexually (although a sexual attraction is usually a pretty strong gravitation). Lots of symbiosis, flow, yin & yang. In non-sexual realms this can ebb and flow into things like really heated explosive arguments to really intimate and passionate agreements. In Leo too?? 😂 a fire sign??? This is a pendulum swing of burning hot, fast, and bright to ultra cuddly, kitten behavior. At their best, it’s instinctive, unbreakable, match-my-freak energy. At their worst, it’s impulsive, irrational, arrogant, screaming-down-the-I95 type..

His Virgo Pluto conj. Her Virgo Venus….. please. PLEASE! It’s giving karmic. It’s giving past life. It’s giving contract.

On a more basic read: a Pluto aspect to a planet in a synastry chart is going to be felt. Pluto amplifies/intensifies - makes its presence known. That is black hole energy. And it’s right next to her Venus (5° tight conjunction)???? Bay-BE! Believe them when they say they don’t have any other relationship that compares to what their’s is. It’s pure devotion (in whatever terms/category you want to place them). The Pluto person (David) sees the beauty in the ugly and dark and death of the Venus person (Gillian). And Venus loves Pluto in its dark complex entirety.

Have I mentioned this is a RARE aspect?

Venus/Pluto conj. is chemistry and attraction on a level that goes beyond explainable (the irony of MSR right? Haaaa). At its best: this is again an unbreakable and magnetic force. It’s mind body soul linking — will not, cannot forget each other. At its worst: Pluto is represented by death and the devil. It can be obsessive, possessive, territorial, toxic… This can manifest into things like jealousy, again heated fights, or also ways like: manipulation — because it’s such a consuming, intense, passionate aspect. In this sense: if Pluto is Hades, Venus is Persephone. In this case… David possibly has had issues with control when dealing with Gillian. While the love/connection is strong, there can be some irrational behavior on his end when it comes to Gillian especially if she exhibits behaviors of say breaking away from them being a unit - bc Pluto/Venus is such a “you’re my partner”.

Now you think that’s crazy… Her Lilith is conj. His Mars at an even tighter conjunction (2°). The closer the aspect, the stronger the effect.

If you thought Gillian was off the hook on the last read — GEAR UP — because she’s far from being excused. Where the Pluto/Venus can be more of an emotional atmosphere, their Lilith/Mars can manifest in a more action-driven way.

‘Animalistic’ is more apt. This is yet ANOTHER indicator of that strong, passionate, intense attraction/chemistry. Not as “get a room!” as their Mars/Venus conj. but close (I feel like Mars/Venus “get a room” can visibly seen from space, but a Lilith/Mars may be more like a “we’re already in the room”). Here brings out their more impulsive side. There is high energy, excitement, comfort with this aspect. And in Gemini?!?!!! It’s giving “you jump I jump - fuck it let’s go!” Its live wire energy can bring a heightened desire to seek each other which can also again lead to obsession and toe the line of “too involved”. With this energy they also trigger each other — deep wounds and traumas emerge but it’s a welcomed sharing. And as a result a lot of mutual experiences are created that bond them together. Gillian being the Lilith person and David the Mars — the trust she puts in his hands is very high and intimate. How the Pluto/Venus works to consume, similarly this happens here as well. So basically Gillian has a tendency to do the same that David does - jealousy, assertion, manipulation, power struggles and dominance. It’s aggressive energy. It’s like “we went through fire together. Who dares to try and usurp where I stand with you?” kind of aggressiveness (possession?).

In unrelated mentions or not? Lilith/Mars conj. pushes forth a very strong sexual attraction coupled with the impulsive nature of this aspect, it’s an attraction that is difficult to not act upon in some way. Mars energy is masculine and Lilith is “dark feminine”, together it’s combustion. So whether the ramifications of acting on the energy or not, probably yields the same result..if not worse.

Then we have the moon. Gillian is an Aquarius moon (possibly Pisces?). David is also an Aquarius moon (smaller possibility of Pisces). But if I had to really guess - I’m almost certain they have the same and it’s Aquarius. I’m an Aquarius moon myself and rather than getting down to what it means, let’s just say they love a good detachment.

But to have the same moon as someone? Home. There’s a comfort, familiarity. You process emotions the same. You feel the same. Not to mention they both are Leo suns. Leo/Aquarius are sister signs and to have both their sun/moon matching AND sister signs? It’s opposites attract when necessary, and on-the-same-page more often than not. The yin/yang flow comes naturally. It’s “I know exactly how they’ll react”. It’s instinctive. If you flow with someone without having to try and don’t have to explain your feelings much because they just “know” and they just get you without much effort? You guys probably have the same moon. And no doubt that’s what Gillian and David have.

Anyway… this was a long post. But oh well. Did we really need to consult the stars? Does this add any more proof to the truths we already know? They’ve displayed iterations of these aspects in many ways over the years (*cough* 1998) so what is really new… Anyway someone more proficient can interpret this better probably but that’s just the big ones I got - thanks!

[utilitycaster]

I'm new to D&D and still haven't played myself, but I have a group that's letting me join. Are there any tips you may have for a first-time player? I was thinking of barbarian zealot subcalss and wasn't sure if that would be okay for a beginner or if there would be something easier mechanically? It's a lot to take in and I'm not sure what's need to know and what's not.

Hi anon!

This is a great question and the answer depends a lot on your situation but the short answer is that I think playing a class and subclass you are passionate about and will care to learn is the most important thing. I think on the whole zealot barbarian is also pretty manageable, especially if you're starting at a low level.

The long answer: I think sometimes people who provide D&D advice, regardless of how good the rest of their advice is, and including myself, tend to overemphasize ease of use and the thing is, while some people are great at fiddly ridiculous mechanics because they are extremely experienced and capable, some also just gravitate to that because of the person they are and will be able to manage it from early on, and some experienced players simply have no interest in that sort of thing. I also think that there's no such thing as a truly simple class all around; there's just different types of complexity.

A great example is monks vs. clerics:

Monks can usually just attack with one thing (punching) and maybe one other thing (monk weapon, like a staff)

Clerics have a bunch of spells that they prepare every day, so they have to choose them both in the morning and then in combat.

On the surface, it looks like monks have it easier! but that's not actually true:

Monks usually need to be in melee with the enemy, which means it's extremely important for them to pay attention to the space, and they can have up to four attacks which means in a multiple-enemy scenario they need to decide how to allocate them.

Clerics often have ranged spells or are focused mostly on healing their own party and so as long as most people are within 30 or 60 feet of them, positioning can be much less precise

Both need to deal with resource management (ki vs. spell slots)

I'm typically a caster and often a healer main, and I genuinely find that easier than the spatial reasoning/multiple parts of actions that many martial classes have, but I know many people who feel that casters are too complicated instead. I think some people just have a wizard main personality and will want to have a spell list early on and will be more engaged and learn more because of that, whereas they would get bored by the concept of a rogue even if it seems simpler.

Anyway, if you have specific things you're worried about then feel free to elaborate, and definitely talk to your DM and your other players about the party makeup, but I think zealot barbarian is probably going to be great!

[feverdreamjohnny]

Hi, I’m a newer game dev (at least I’m tryin to be one lol) and I’ve realized that I have a really hard time finishing projects, because I just get burnt out and lose any passion I had for it. Do you have any advice?

Here's how I've (sort of) navigated these issues:

- Make small games. This was originally my "starting out" advice for people, but as time has gone on I genuinely think this is the only practical method for indie development. When I say small, I mean SMALL. I don't mean "oh, make an 8 hour game with hidden levels and side quests," I mean "your game is, at most, a single hour long, preferably 30 minutes." I've seen enough indies overscope their work and get stuck for nearly a decade without a finished product because they wanted to replicate the scope of a game made by several people with millions of dollars. You can definitely attempt larger projects down the line, but for the most part smaller games are what give you consistent growth as a creative, a reliable audience, and if you monetize them on steam or itch.io - an income. It's also a great opportunity to explore experimental design/art without risks, which is always valuable.

- Regardless of the game's scope, you need to take multi-day-long breaks if you're experiencing burnout. Game development is a cerebral discipline and it will tire you out fast. Forcing yourself through burnout might squeeze out more results, but you're just amplifying burnout down the line. Recognize that the breaks are a natural extension of the process and don't wreck yourself trying to be "more" than that. Hell, even painters sometimes need a bit of space from their work before they can continue, why would it be any different here?

[MORE BELOW THE BREAK]

- Don't get hung up on the game not coming out like you thought it would. If you become frustrated because the game doesn't reflect your ambitions, it's easy to lose interest and want to move on from it. Games will almost never resemble the initial vision. Sometimes you have to avoid being a perfectionist and accept your game for what it is.

- Find community (if you can). Surrounding yourself with other developers can be a great motivator for your own work, and being able to tap into a larger pool for second opinions and assistance can help you break barriers that otherwise would've stopped your work.

- Take your time. Game development is slow, and learning the various disciplines inside of it is a lengthy process. It took me 8 years to do the stuff I do today. Granted you might have an easier time if you're older than I was when I started, but in general it will take years to get to a point where you feel confident.

- Try a different engine from time to time. Most modern engines are fairly well suited for independent game development, but the available resources surrounding the engine (such as documentation and community support) can vary wildly. I strongly recommend window shopping across several engines. There's a small chance that you're having a hard time because the engine you're currently using isn't well suited to you and your goals. Some recommendations based on the ones I've personally tried:

* Game Maker Studio 2 - Great general purpose engine for 2D game development. Has a great community and plenty of learning resources. It's also fairly user friendly. It does have a license cost if you want to monetize your games, so keep that in mind. Scripting is done with GML, which is very human-readable.

* Godot - One of the best open source 2D/3D game engines. Doesn't have all the features of its competitors, but it's rapidly evolving and what's already there is more than enough to make most games. It's also compatible with various programming languages! Also, being open source means that it's completely free of licensing costs.

* Unreal Engine - Freakishly powerful 3D game engine at the cutting edge for modern game development. The C++ scripting might be fairly tough to work with as a newcomer (especially since it's built around a special wrapper for the engine that changes some of the rules), but it does have a well supported visual scripting backend that could do you some good. 2D games are certainly possible in Unreal, but it's clear that's not what the engine is intended for. Also Unreal has a neat licensing policy where you don't have to pay them unless you make more than +$1M, so that's cool.

* Unity - This is the one I use. It's great for 2D and 3D, and has a rapidly evolving feature set. It's one of the few engines with a swappable rendering pipeline system, which lets you pick the fidelity to work with relative to your game: With HDRP you can work on high-end games, and URP is great for doing everything else. Like Unreal you can initially monetize your games for free, but you have to pay a monthly subscription once you cross +$100k. Also you have to pay a monthly subscription to get rid of the splash screen which kind of sucks. Other than that, it's a very robust engine with possibly the largest community of the engines listed here.

[crimson-phantom-designs]

Like What You See?

A reflection shows much more than what's on the outside but what is going on beneath the gaze regarding the one who's staring back.

Is it disdain of seeing a stranger from what time lost familiarity to or the watchful gaze of a lover to reunite the reflection with its bearer?

Written off the prompt "Like What You See?"

This story is mature content! 18+ only! It contains lots of descriptive spice, crazed passion and self loathing. You have been properly warned!

I spent way too much time on this to get it close to satisfactory as I could! Story is under the cut, wordcount is roughly 8400. It's a thorough story but worth it I promise. 😅👀😏

After coming through the door and offloading his hat and cane on the hook, Ebenezer took notice by short glance the inhabitant's garments were not already hung indicating he was still gone. Ebenezer groaned as he rubbed the back of his neck, forlorned in the emptiness that brought but steadfast in his persuit to the bedroom regardless. His tired, weary eyes tracked their way across the the grandeur spanse of his lover's flat to the bedroom looking forward to a moment to destress the long day away of closing accounts, offsetting others and the consistent griping of interests that accrued off debts he came to collect.

Maintaining his hardened, stoic decorum to put on a portrayal of strict modest severity waned heavily on his body and mind over time, where now he just wanted to shed that armor and unguard himself without the worry of social scrutiny. To let himself be *him* personally, what he was so careful no one caught notice of and dared thought him be weak.

Well, almost no one...

That thought made him tug a small smile as his guarded walls caved while he mentally shed the heavy armor letting his eyes soften to a dull sweetness as he took in the atmosphere.

Scrooge wasn't a man to be impressed by flaunted luxury dangled about to gain someone's attention, he found it disdainful infact, but his lover wasn't like that. This was his personal space he was allowed access to and was his lover's to spend his money how he pleased. He never tried to win Ebenezer over by it in a flashy style, the doctor certainly would see that as cheap and tasteless. For him it was a persuit of a different kind, one of wit. Ebenezer found that quite humbling in a way which made the opportunities when his lover did press gifts on him, what he shuttered at the price of, truly meaningful. It was something done out of special attention to his interest rather than to gain influence.

Regardless to the sophisticated air he wasn't used to, it felt nice coming here on ocassion as it was admittedly much more cosy than his own home. It was a space that proclaimed intellectualistic elegance and scholarly charm yet in an intimate fashion meant to bring one at ease, it was a far cry from Ebenezer's dusty emptiness of the massive space he called his own.

No detail here was gone unattended to in the meticulous doctor's abode. Highly polished, lavished furnishings of mahogany and rosewood decorated the space covered with plush upholstery and fine leather, anything one could ever dream of wanting. It was always so invitingly warm inside with a soft scent of whatever was in season, currently it was apples and cherries with an aroma of fresh lavender. It was a fragrancy that encouraged relaxation, what he readily looked forward to rewarding himself with.

Yet it also felt equally rewarding that he was finally given his own key in order to do so... He rolled the piece of brass, strung to his pocket by a chaitlaine, about his fingers like a keepsake in deep thought as his passive stare regard it warmly sentimental.

It was an act that took a monumental level of trust and showed much garnered appreciation he never thought he would have again, or ever in this aspect, from another person -particularly one as scrupulous as the doctor. The little gesture of both having exchanged pieces of metal was deeply signifying to him, it was far more than a door opener. It demonstrated an unbreakable bond and commitment between two people, as much as they could represent. One that was hard earned but that made it deeply gratifying to possess now as he dropped the heavily embellished mortise key in his welt pocket for safe keeping.

Not that Francis Osman really gave him the same approach. He had come inside his dwelling when he damn well pleased to deliver a passionate rousting,

not that Ebenezer tried to stop him... but it was getting abit much...

Ebenezer simply gave him a key to save on the stress of it. Yet it took an endeavor to get the same in return, something that upset him at first, but he also understood the sensitive nature of value in both monetary and the research held inside the man's personal quarters that would spell devastation if it was misappropriated by a turncoat. Ebenezer knew what was free to access and what was to be kept off limits, his personal study being the only limit, and he was trusted to respect that.

Yet the most rewarding factor was the fact the man being who he was and how closely he monitored others in his private spaces, trust him in this way without his presence. It felt lovingly validating as he knew the man never confer that to anyone before. It made that piece of brass the most valuable thing he owned.

Entering the bedroom, the first article of clothing to liberate himself of was a small but impactful one. He thread his fingers through the satin loops of the cravat that held his high color snugly about his neck. He loosened the knot absent-mindedly and pulled the constricting garment away to toss over the bedside chair as he welcomed the rush of crisp air against his throat with a small sigh. He popped the top button of his high collar to allow more relief.

He closed his eyes as he tugged the next confining layer off his shoulders and down his arms as he tossed the heavy tailcoat onto the bedside chair as well. Already feeling at ease, he went to unbutton the waistcoat as he opened his eyes to look down at himself in his own regard feeling modestly confident to do so.

He undone the four buttons as he peeled the form fitted, thick piece of clothing away and off his shoulders with a deep sigh of relief as fresh air reached through the thin linen shirt he was only wearing now, allowing his skin underneath to breathe.

He did enjoy how this layered attire tucked away some of his features he knew used to be firm and tight what no longer were. The wear of his age progressed and wore on him bitterly cruel to his mind but there was nothing to be done against time lost but try to conceal and not focus on it. He would just reliesh in the refreshing feeling to be free in the private comforts of such a privileged personal space.

As his next objective was to free his feet of his tightly laced spat boots his next following this was the ornate, mahogany marble poster bed in the center of this room. One he spent many an intimate moment in, but now simply craved languishing in the contentment of its soft, lush sheets. Yet as he kicked off his heeled shoes and passed the large mirror atop the dresser in this process of self relishment, he stopped in his tracks. He gave himself a hard, long look as his restful ready smile began to fade the more he looked in the mirror, scrutinizing himself without sympathy as he turned at all angles. Not appreciating the man he saw in the reflection without the image imagined as his ideal form.

He was drawn in further like a hare to a baited snare as he approached the reflection to lean forward and thread a worried hand through his hair then down the side of his face with a heavy sigh.

He had been feeling good about himself at least until now but he also couldn't stop looking no matter the want to as he held in place while the snare tightened.

Internally dwealing, he waned on all the years he lost just coasting through life, taking time for granted so carelessly, until the day he looked up to ready himself in the mirror one day and saw a man no longer youthful but aging what almost felt overnight. Grey hair had replaced his almond brown locks with a recede as it consumed the color all down his body. His vibrant blue eyes had dulled to pale slate and the hair along his face had started turning white, mercilessly draining even the grey along his temples, ever slowly consuming what color was left at all.

Ebenezer made a soft noise with a somber stare. He looked about like Marley now when he first started working for him just... tirder... Heavier circles under his eyes with more stress marks along their crevices and deep frown lines.

He couldn't understand how this could be a picture of appeal...

Which was why he tried to avoid regards in mirrors, outside of his focused preening. Particularly long ones such as this, because he knew where his thought patterns would lead as the person staring back at him felt like a stranger.

The outside didn’t match the way he felt inside and he found it depressing each time.

Even the hand that was examining his features hadn't escaped time as he glanced down at it through the reflection with an expression like it wasnt his own. Deep palm lines cut into his skin and along the back with wrinkles forming along the skin of his grip.

"Like what you see as much as I do?" The sharp raspy tone of Francis Osman cut the silence so close it made Ebenezer jump. He hated the soft natured talent the man had to almost manifest into a room without sound, he would never get used to it. Taking a quick gander at his well dressed attire, he assumed the man had just arrived home, saw his things by the door and went stealth as a fox on the hunt to purposely stir a fluster out of him. He was successful.

"Not particularly... nor do I necessarily understand how." Ebenezer's brow wrinkled at the disturbance to his self scrutiny but did allow a soft sideways gaze conveying his welcome more than language could. Something they both found mutually at ease to do with another, transfer conversation through expression alone.

"Are you saying I don't have good taste then?" Francis cocked a high brow yet shot a warned expression that he knew what the man was doing in here as he went so quiet.

Scrooge gave a bemused stare before scowling at him as he snipped defensively. "What does that have anything to do with my God given right to be critical about myself?"

"It's good to be attentive but sometimes one can be too critical in doing it..." Francis raised both brows with a heedful exchange. He slipped behind him, regarding an intense stare through the reflection as Ebenezer tried to ignore him and continued to examine himself, his hairline, the sides of his face. It was a through inspection, yet not completely in vain as Francis remarked observantly with a flat tone. "Your dysmorphic preoccupation is obsessed with perceived flaws in your appearance. It is such a repetitive behavior of yours to a point you don't know how you truly look, just what you think you see..."

Ebenezer huffed deeply with a sardonic glare. "Thank you Francis, I am aware. I don't need an analyzation of my frets right now..." He expelled a frustrated sigh as he returned to his inspection.

"Do you think I would have moved half way around the world for any old thing?"

Ebenezer cut a hard stare to him with a pause. "Well... You did..."

The fox moved to break the hare from a snare of its own mind as Francis tsked. "Ebenezer, you are your worst enemy..." He moved closer to rub Ebenezer's shoulders as his hands slip over his chest to pull at the remaining buttons of his shirt. Clearly to illicit a distraction, which was accomplished.

Ebenezer huffed annoyed as he tried to brush them away. "Francis, what are you doing? Quit that. What?-...No..." He finished with a whine at the realization of his undressing as his shoulders went slack. He only exchanged a very expressive pleading look though their reflection to stop yet doesn't try to halt him as Francis continued to unbutton the shirt.

"Why?" Francis chimed whimsically only looking up briefly from his task.

"I just want don't want you to..." Ebenezer exhaled pitifully.

"Want me to what?..."

"You know what..." Ebenezer spoke flat lowering his brows with a stare that conveyed all he needed to explain.

Francis hummed. "You don't like looking at yourself yet you can't hardly be pulled away when you do... I find that hard to believe you can't see what I do..." The side of his mouth twist a smirk, Ebenezer's reflection shot a petulant stare to that.

"There is a big difference in perspective of what I see and you see. I'm realistic in my appearance, you just see something to get perverted with..." He heard Francis chuckle not denying that fact as he felt fingers surround his neck to trace the legnth as they dipped under the stiff material, pulling it back. Ebenezer tried to ignore this as he half shrugged, giving himself a quick glance, before looking away with a knit brow. "So it troubles me sometimes... we all have our faults... its... more than just vanity... alot goes through my mind when I see myself..."

Ebenezer sighed roughly with a frown as he snapped himself out of his thoughts. He tried to slap away the hands that returned to undoing the shirt.

"...I also don't want to watch whatever you're planning on doing infront of this mirror to try and convince me agains't what my eyes see just fine." He glanced back through their reflection resistently yet his cheeks reddened slightly. "That's obscenely uncomfortable..."

"I never said anything about sex..."

Ebenezer barked a laugh with a cynical stare. "If I take my clothes off anywhere around you, I have learned too damn well to know what to expect. You can't control yourself."

"Have you ever complained before?"

"Yes!"

"Mm, fair enough... Well, if you were not so stunningly attractive, do you think that would be such a problem?" He shot an alluring glare to his reflection, one that was dangerously seductive and Ebenezer knew it all too well. It was one he found himself held captive to break free from as his mind twist in conflictions.

"...I... don't know... You... You're twisting my words, stop it." Ebenezer exchanged a heated stare before looking away, still uncomfortable with the whole idea.

Francis undone the final button of the linen shirt, resting just over Ebenezer's sternum, as he tugged the material to the side and over his shoulder. Revealing an expanse of pale skin and part of his chest, he rubbed a hand along the warm flesh of Ebenezer's bare shoulder to dip into the wide split V of his stretched collar. Artful fingers brushed through the soft dusting of chest hair underneath as they came around his pectoral form to tease the nipple making Ebenezer flinch from that with a soft, irritated grunt.

"I'm not hearing any complaining." Francis purred through a low rasp.

Ebenezer exchanged a depressive look with troubled brows though the reflection towards him. "When you're this determined, would it matter if I did?"

"My, my what a face... I'm not forcing you just... giving you a little encouragement..." Francis purred behind him as he applied a reassuring kiss to the back of his neck.

Ebenezer swallowed hard, only staring off into the reflection as Francis gathered the material up and pulled it over his head, then forward past his broad shoulders then arms, exposing more and more smooth, pale flesh. Yet as he popped the cuffs and slid them off the man's wrists to pull it away completely, Ebenezer gathered the material to his chest signaling resistance, the same somber look on his face.

"Oh, come on...." Francis spoke with a sedative lull to his tone as he kissed along Ebenezer's neck from back to side with a cunning stare. "Let me show you how beautiful you are..."

Ebenezer stared into the reflection uncomfortably but after a moment of tug a war with the garment, he sighed softly, looking away and let it go. "I can't believe you're making me do this... this is embarrassing..." He barely murmured over a soft breath, brows tensing in resentment.

"It's your body, there's nothing to be embarrassed by it, especially one as lovely as yours." Ebenezer made a small scoff to that looking away as he felt an insisting squeeze to his shoulders. "Now... What do you see?"

Ebenezer huffed a hard sigh through his nostrils, not wanting to look at first, as he rocked his head back to the mirror and gave himself a judgemental regard before rocking his head back to the man behind him. "Do want me to be honest or say what you want me to?"

"Don't be a smart ass."

Ebenezer sighed with an eye roll as he looked back with a languid stare, slate eyes fluttering over his naked torso with a frown. "I see a worn down 50 year old man who should really put a shirt back on..."

"Something positive..." Francis voice went flatly unamused.

Ebenezer's head snapped back as he groused. "What? That wasn't negative, its simply a fact!"

"You know what I meant..." Francis gave him a gentle push from behind.

Scrooge exhaled another sigh as he examined himself again for a moment. "...I'm thin." He half shrugged.

"A bit too thin because you refuse to eat regularly but it's a start."

"I gave it an effort, now who's being critical?" He turned to glare venom over his shoulder.

"No, that was honestly." Francis retort as Ebenezer grunt with a hard stare trying not to show the scathed vulnerability that remark caused as he knit a deep scowl. With a huff he went to move away from the mirror as he was seized quickly. "Ah ah, get back here." Ebenezer gave a pout but complied as Francis even tone spoke affirmed. "That was out of concern for your health, not a scrutinal one. I much adore your figure actually... I just wish you would care more for yourself is all." Fingertips flutter along his sides making Ebenezer twitch as Francis purred with a growing smile, studying him. "I could name all the things I like about what I see if you cannot... hmm... infact..." He hummed warmly nipping Ebenezer's earlobe what the man visibly expressed a sneer as he tried to pull away. Yet as he tried, Francis pinned his thighs between the dresser and himself as he slipped his hands over Ebenezer's wrists to hold him in place. There was a mild protest to that as Ebenezer cut his eyes away from the reflection, his face resentful but he didn't attempt to fight back as his shoulders dropped in defeat. Francis smiled as he studied this, his chin resting in the bend of Ebenezer's neck and shoulder. "How about... you let me do that and we go from there?"

"Go from there?..." Ebenezer parroted the words as his eyes stared off into the reflection with a discerning gaze back to him. "I do believe I am being set up..."

"Now you're being facetious." Francis grinned as he gave Ebenezer's frame a squeese, the man's expression still not swayed as he continued. "Now... hmm..." Francis hummed thoughtfully, keen eyes flicker over the man infront of him for a moment. "I see a beautiful set of slate blue, very expressive, eyes... Do you like your eyes?"

"Other than they seem to betray my very thoughts, I suppose..." Ebenezer glanced up, a soft sparkle in their centers revealing his delight to that compliment. He seemed to realize this and shield them away quickly, knowing this to be a fact.

Feeling himself being regarded with fine detail, Ebenezer's hands broke free to cross over his chest bashfully yet Francis pulled them back down agains't Ebenezer's objection but he relented, huffing a sigh with a stern glare but nothing else. The man's intense gaze bore a considerable weight, enough Ebenezer felt it burning into his skin. It was one he wouldn't dare meet knowing it would be his undoing as he swallowed hard and cut his eyes away.

"I see a squared face shape accented nicely with a wide jawline sculpted by soft, silky hair that frames your lips and strong chin... It makes those eyes quite prominent and emphasizes your smile... when you allow yourself to show one, that is..." He brushed the back of his hand along the sharp curve of Ebenezer's face as he brushed through the hair chiseling his jawline. He passed a finger over his lips making Ebenezer recoil slightly but he did offer a faint smile to it, Francis continued. "Hmm, I also see sharp, high cheekbones that accent your Roman nose very handsomly and soft, dense heavy silk that crowns your face. It's slicked back with a clean scent of pomade creating an arch of bangs forming a swooping, crashing wave..." Francis fingertips brushed along these features as he explained them like a medium to a canvas, pulling a small smile from the man as he grinned shyly, his face reddening. Francis finished his trail by threading his hand through the back of Ebenezer's heavy locks, relishing the texture and the way Ebenezer hummed to his hair being played with. "Don't you agree?"

"I don't know..." Ebenezer barely spoke, only stealing quick glances from his now very flushed face. "Maybe..."

"Alright, well clearly you need more convincing...." Francis hands trailed the elements as he explained further. "I see a slender but strong neck with pronounced muscles within it. A sharp set of clavicle bones that connect your chest creating the platform for a set of firm, square shoulders. A slim but toned torso with an ideal curved chest and soft dusting of hair that decorates it. It is firm, with subtle glandular tissue under two pale, pink areolas..." Francis hands slipped down his form as he teased the curly hair and gave his chest a squeese making Ebenezer grunt stiffly with an uncomfortable squirm to the odd sensation yet he kept quiet as Francis continued. "I see a smooth abdomen with a soft hint of a happy trail that darkens the lower it goes..." His fingers traveled down the soft path of hair that became more coarse the lower they descend making Ebenezer's muscles ripple there as the sensation sent a warm stir down his belly the closer they got to his core. He took a deep breath while the man persisted exploring. "This is paired nicely with a narrow, svelte waist that's sharply accented by hips covered in solid thigh muscles..." Francis fingers rest along the dips in Ebenezer's pelvic bones with a fluttering tease making him jump from the hypersensitivity that skin had. The sensation forced a loppy smile to twist with a small snicker as Ebenezer squirmed making himself all the more blood-red. A mischievous simper grew on Francis face as he rest over his shoulder watching that. "I know of more ample features southward but you're still wearing trousers..." One hand fell back to slide down the curve of Ebenezer's backside with a cupping motion as his voice turns sharply metallic. "Do you need more convincing?"

"Mm, so you want my trousers off just so you can keep describing me?..." Ebenezer hummed staring into the mirror thoughtfully, now with much softer eyes.

"Do you want me to stop? Perhaps you have something positive to say now to take over..."

"No, no keep going..." He teased a small smile with eyes that tempted devilry. "You're far better at it than I would be..."

Francis smiled with a leer as he released a husky hot breath along Ebenezer's neck that gave the man a stir in his chest. "Very well... though that could land you in some trouble..."

"Oh dear, would it? How dreadful..." Ebenezer hummed warmly, staring through the reflection and playing alarm with a rebellious smile that teased teeth.

There was a heavy handed squeeze to his ass in response to such leaking sarcasm, making Ebenezer lerch forward with a sharp inhale. The hand resting on his hip then snaked down his inner thighs, teasing the form between them causing a grunt to expell out of the man who was trying hard to remain resistant. Lips brush against his throat line feeling the pulse beneath with a purr into his ear. "Or I can just show you..." Francis cut a predatory stare at him through the mirror that gave Ebenezer chills in a most raw way.

"Hmm, I don't know..." Scrooge grinned as he leaned back into his lover, his head resting in the bend of his shoulder as he revealed the full legnth of his neck. He applied a soft grind of friction against the warm body behind him as he stared the man down through the reflection behind him with sultry bedroom eyes. "I might be convinced if you keep going..."

Francis growled, lowering his head to inhale the sweetly spiced scent trails along the exposed legnth of neck made vulnerable to him. "Mm, is that so.. Who's the one who can't contol themselves now?..."

"Oh that's still you, I'm not doing a damn thing. You're the one who's getting handsy..." Ebenezer grinned with a chiding tone as he continued to ever so slighly grind into him. "I simply asked for compliments..." He cut his eyes through the reflection with a demure exchange.

"Mmm, you dirty tease... Don't play innocent..." Francis growled, his deep blue eyes darkening as his head dipped forward, his metallic voice deepening. He nipped the legnth of his neck making Ebenezer stifle out a groan he tried to hold in.

Francis paused to give the heat of Ebenezer's neckline a soft inhale again, rolling the sweetly spiced scent of his natural musk through his olfactories, his eyes sharpened from the chemistry detected. Its naturally sweet, vanilla-spiced redolence was permiating the air around him with seasoned vigor and strong eros, an enticing signal to come satisfy. What Francis, in his animalistic reaction to it, responded with his equally wanting signal back.

"The scent of your erotic carnality is melting off of you with a warm ardor." He growled while exhaling the intoxicating scent slowly through his lips to savor it again through taste. "I could decimate you, see what you've done?..." He pulled Ebenezer's hips hard against his loins to let the man feel the tented arousal pulse agains't him. Like Ebenezer already didn't know. "You've been grinding yourself agains't me wanting to be railed like an animal in heat and you're about to make me give it to you like one."

"Mmm, all that from a smell?" Ebenezer hummed amused with a chuckle and snarky grin. "You already are an animal, nose and all. That is simply another fact-"

His voice cracked; however, as the little nips along the tender flesh of his neck turned to a hard bite. Ebenezer cried out, yet not necessarily in pain, as his body limply caved. If not for the hands holding his weight about his axis prone, he would have went to the floor.

Ebenezer crashed forward onto the dresser with a wet gasp as Francis bent forward to follow him, not letting go, making the furniture rock from the impact as Ebenezer held onto its edge for dear life. He felt his knees buckling from the latching drawl to his throat that sent shivers down him in a wild, warming rush of heat to spark fire in his nethers.

"Bloody hell..." He gasped out barely through a despirate breath of air to cool his heating core.

Ebenezer looked up to his reflection seeing how red faced he was now and breaking sweat across his forehead and chest. His bangs had broke loose from the hard motion forward and swung in his face. He watched as his lover staked a claim to his neck so ferverously wild like the man was attempting to consume him. Ebenezer cut his eyes away and simply breathed, his own trousers having become uncomfortably tight. This action alone had sent his state of semi-firm arousal from teasing, to rock solid with the skin pulling back to its full legnth within seconds.

The more it persisted so feverently commanding him, Ebenezer felt himself boiling to a throbbing ache as he swallowed hard and tried to keep the noise this exploit from him to a minimum. He was slightly resentful how well this move entrapped him into immediate subdual and made him so pliable to a level he felt he would bend to any wish wanted while it was being done to him. It was as lethal as a gun to his head but worse, this took all his sensibilities away and left him lost in a fog of euphoric wantonness...

It was also definitely going to leave a smarting mark he would struggle to hide yet he was in no means capable of, or wanting, to stop it. Ebenezer's body yield into the declaration entirely as he rocked agains't the rolling of hips that pressed the hardened length agains't his backside. Its legnthy form throbbed, craving the friction he could provide.

This luring draw of motion caused him to cut his eyes back to their reflection again as Ebenezer watched the hand that had been teasing his loins now slip up his stomach and dip into his trousers while the other made quick work of the buttons to drop the clothing to the floor. It was damn near impressive to watch, the man was skilled with his hands, there was no denying that.

It was also sensual just to see him work with his fingers in such an artful way. Powerful hands that showed great dexterity of a surgeon capable of malice to carve through flesh with such brutality yet could be so skillfully smooth on a lover. It was exciting to watch in fact, the anticipation his spectatation caused set fire to his arousal all the more as he observed the final bit of clothing drop off his hips.

The hand slipped around and firmly grasped the base of his freed member as Ebenezer bit his tongue to keep from screaming from the firey energy that action pulsed through him. Instead he bucked back into the hard form behind him with a wounded groan, and by the motion of fabric being undone about it, he knew was being freed for him.

Once freed, Ebenezer felt the pronounced shaft pulse a burning heat between his thighs that transfered to his own as he held his breath in anxious anticipation. Those same fingers are the only thing to touch him; however, as they return to caress his curves from behind and gently trail up his thighs to dip between his legs. Two broad digits slip up inside him unforgivingly but with great ease.

He had to admit the sight of this happening to him in this reflection did excite him wildly but he would never utter such a shameful admittance. Yet it was becoming ever difficult to rip his eyes away from the regard, the more intense it got. What more as he saw Francis produce a small vile of oil from his personage and dip his fingers into it. The subtle action made Ebenezer shiver at the intimate signal it declared as he heard fabric jostle loose behind him.

Ebenezer's eyes widened with a gasp and a frail cry but he spread his thighs further apart, invitingly. His heart pound like a war drum in his chest as the erotic pain ebbed away to a burning ache. A bolt of pleasure surged through him as the digits drove deeper, past the knuckles to collide across his prostate, sending him rocking forward with a wail of platitudes.

Seeing his pupils dilate to a wild carnality in his reflection while he rode this pleasure, sent Ebenezer to bend his head downward and let out a low, rolling growl, staring himself down with feral intensity.

"Mmm... what a wild thing you are... You're loving this, aren't you..." He heard purred in his ear with a tone of sheer raw venery as Francis released his neck to nip at his lobe, capturing every moment. "You sound like you need a demon let out of you..."

"I got a devil trying to get in is more like it." Ebenezer stifled out through a sharp, wounded noise as he took in a breath, still shivering from the unforgiving assault to his sensitive organ that persisted. He redirect that same ferine stare through the reflection toward him as he was being worked over.

Francis chuckled with a sinister grin that rivaled Luicifer himself. "Perhaps it's that you like seeing me fuck you." His eyes cut at him through the mirror with a knowing glare. "It excites you. You're leaping in my hand and your pulse is like wild horses." He lapped his tongue across his neck to taste the wound he left behind making Ebenezer whimper. With the fingers deep in their punishing rythym, Francis tugged the two digits forward inside him in a calling way, making Ebenezer almost choke as he shuttered in response. "I'm right, aren't I? Just say it..."

Scrooge grunt with a hardened expression, looking away. "Of course I am! You got half your hand up my ass tempting me and my bodies reacting to it!" He growled out, his entire self quivering in his churning boil.

"Do you not like it? You're riding my fingers like an animal. These digits are skilled but damn... its not even my cock yet." He twitched his fingers inside Ebenezer again making him shiver with a shaky cry as the man's wild eyes dart back to their reflection while Francis observed him further. "You seem enamored with your reflection watching me do this to you... Just can't take your eyes away just as before, but now, you find pleasure in looking at yourself, excited by the sight of your aroused nakedness being ravished..." His eyes leered piercing into him like the devil himself read his mind, so much so Ebenezer had to look away as he grunt under such a gaze.

"Just don't stop..." He barely request, a deeply mortified look on his face from the accusation but he didn't deny it.

Just then, the fingers that were causing such fire removed as Ebenezer whined in protest for them to be replaced. Yet with an adjust and a hard thrust as those fingers firmly grasped his hips, they were as his lover's solid shaft drove straight into him.

Ebenezer yelped out from the startling pressure of his channel being filled so quickly as he wretched, quivering uncontrollably. He clenched his eyes shut as hot tears sprung to his eyes against the sudden overcrowding invasion, yet he arched his back and thrust backward, further impaling himself. The burning pain warped to an erotic one as the member filling him rammed his prostate hard sending him throwing forward again, now spinning in a flurry of blazing euphoria.

"God!..." Ebenezer wailed out through a gasp of air that ended in a broken cry.

"Yes?" Francis purred behind him in a seductive lull.

Ebenezer glared dazed bewilderment into the reflection as he struggled to stay coherent. "...That was horrid..." He choked out. "If anything, you're the true devil incarnate." He snipped, his voice quite high in his distress.

Francis smiled viciously pleased by that. "Well at this current moment, am I not your God?... Though I suppose if you wish... worship such as this fits the devil quite nicely, it's practiced even..." With another hard thrust he fully entered him as Ebenezer whined out caught between rapture and misery. He felt his cock leap in the tight grip that offered no friction, his precum held inside by tight fisted denial as the rocking motion continued deep inside his viscera endlessly stimulating him. The aching pulse intensified, setting his core to blaze in bridled agony as he felt himself boiling over, threatening to destroy his grip on reality if denied any further. All the while, Francis continued humming temptations in his ear. "So be it God or Devil of your choosing, I can give you all the pleasure you want, all you have to do is pray to me for it..."

"I'm going to... please..." Ebenezer barely managed to whimper out through a long drawl. His head lulled dizzily as he gasp for air staring back into the reflection pleading, his face blood red and in tears. His hair clung to his face and mingled with sweat and saliva.

"Hmm... I believe that was a combination of both an acknowledgement and a request, please be more specific..." Francis lulled with an edge of amusement.

Scrooge groaned out in frustration as he spoke between despirate gasps for air. "Hard to- talk with you -buried up my ass!" He cried out again as the shaft pulled half way out to rammed hard over his spot stimulating him over and over until the reflection he was looking at started to blur dizzily. The constraining force built to intolerable duress as he felt he might faint from the maddeningly, pressurized need for release that was held captive. "I can't take it anymore! Please!" Ebenezer rocked agains't the hand that held his member so tightly, not allowed even his own devoted friction to slide the skin between it and escape the erotic torture.

None was given as only fingertips began to relentlessly tease the nerves under the head, taking full advantage in the knowledge being uncut these nerves were wildly sensitive. He was just edged along a hairbreadth from climax over and over for what felt like an eternity in hell as his whole body shook violently.

Sweat rolled down his forehead and dripped from his soaked hair across his face as he pant heavy breaths, despirate for relief from the fire incinerating his core as the licking lusty flames became agonizing in his roused state what felt a brush away from despirate relief. He could barely take in a breath as he swallowed hard to form words he knew was demanded.

"Your taunting is burning me alive!... Please, I'm right on the cusp...Please, I need it... Please, give me relief..." He managed more submissively as his slate eyes cut through the reflection expressively pleading for release.

"Mmm, how I love the sight of you begging..." Francis eyes sharpened dangerously with a carnal growl. One deep enough it rumbled through the man beneath him as the hand along his hip gripped tightly, nails digging into the tender flesh.

"Stop..." Ebenezer groaned out loudly with a wail while panting his breath, writhing in his need.

"Stop?" Francis tilt his head curiously as his rythym slowed and the hand about Ebenezer's cock started to pulled away with a fluttering tease of fingers. "You want me to stop?..."

"NO!!! Don't, please!- Ugh..." Ebenezer whined out pitifully, wild eyes dart about in delirium for a moment, terrified at the thought of being left like this. "You're confusing me - stop torturing me, please!..." He plead out with a loud whimper.

"Please what?" Francis coerced as Ebenezer grunt uneasily, writhing about in his conflagration like he was truly burning. "Look at the reflection and tell me exactly what you need..." Francis purred as he leaned down to kiss a trail at his heated neckline and intake his despirate lustfulled redolence. He paused a moment to admire the sweat slickened back muscles ripple as Ebenezer's spine twist in his internal battle.

"Francis, please..." Ebenezer whined pitifully, utter humiliation on his face making him flush more, if it were even possible.

"Say it or you're not getting it..." Francis tone spoke through a metallic rasp. "My endurance can roll you across coals for the next hour if necessary."

Ebenezer whimpered resistently with a brief struggle, gasping his breath as he blinked back tears from his blood-rushed face. Reluctantly, he shot his eyes into their reflection with a sigh. Sheepishly cutting his eyes to him, he surrendered to despirately plead with demeaning language that made him knowingly uncomfortable. "...Please let me cum...."

Mildly pacified Francis hummed with a raised brow. "Do you like the sight of yourself in the mirror now?"

"Yes!" Ebenezer wailed.

"How about you tell the reflection what you like..." His smile grew with a hard stare.

Ebenezer grunt out miserably at the insistence of more but he was despirate as he continued with a subdued stare and said whatever he thought would get him past this hurdle. "I love it when you finger fuck me, it s-stimulates me wild. I love it when you edge me senseless and fuck my ass hard."

Francis chortled with an expression of suprise through the reflection. "Mmm, my my. I would have settled for you simply complimenting yourself but that is satisfyingly relishing to hear..." He licked his lips with a lusty grin.

Ebenezer whined out loudly, despirately whimpering from his humiliation and scorching, roused confusion. "Please, please let me cum now..." He plead hard, writhing needful. "I did what you wanted. Please..." He whimpered into nonsensical frailties.

A lecherous grin grew. "Of course, my sweet little pet who loves getting his ass fucked hard..."

Ebenezer snarled a venomous exchange with a bitter growl in response to that but felt his member squeezed hard as he shivered, losing all sense of anger as he was slammed forward and drove into even harder by quick sucessions until his vision was violently spinning. Ebenezer rocked his hips against the motion as he felt his shaft being stroked now, a thumb massaging the delicate nerves of his swelled, throbbing head as built up precum was allowed to pool out as the skin rocked past it in quick, violent rythyms.

Shamefully lured, Ebenezer glanced up to watch this spectacle, to see himself being manipulated and being ground hard into. The observation of that was all it took to send him over the edge in a flash of vibrant colors.

He cried out with a quiver, doubling forward as his abdomen muscles clenched to a point they quaked. White, erotic agony rushed hot causing pure blazing energy to flood over him like a crushing heatwave as he released copious amounts in the hand and across the surface below him intensely.

After spending the last dregs he could out of his debilitating climax, Ebenezer collapsed forward, gasping air as his woosy lust-crazed mind absently dissappeared into dazed beatitude. His body now limp in the man's grip as he continued to drive into him, both hands now latched on his hips.

The still rapid convulsions of his internal muscles spasming wildly through his channel finished off his lover as Francis growled with a low purr as he leaned over Ebenezer, emptying heat into him. Thrusting deep inside his vitals to ensure it stayed there as Ebenezer yelped weakly to the roughness in his sensitive state while he was still being fed off the crests of his fierce orgasm.

Laying there Ebenezer felt the hot viscous, fluid pour into him as he only breathed and tried to come back from the foggy haze what held him helplessly interned in its depths. In this state of limbo, he rest his cheek along the refreshingly cool, hardwood surface, still seeing stars.

After his final thrusts ensuring he had fully inundated his deep insides, Francis finally took in a recouping breath as he leaned forward to kiss the back of Ebenezer's neck. He continued to hold the man up by his hips as he doubt Ebenezer could stay upright on his own now.

Weakly shaking, Ebenezer gasped out as Francis straightened causing the member still resting inside him to move about his insides as Francis gave him a soft pat to his rump. He pulled out with a slick noise making Ebenezer groan gutturally, partly in relief and partly feeling oddly empty inside now.

Leaning over the man, Francis stared into their reflection as he mussed his fingers through Ebenezer's soaked hair. He slipped his hand down the man's face to lift his head off the hardwood by fingers nestled under his chin to force eye contact through the mirror. All the while Ebenezer whined to being moved at all.

"See how well sexed you look in that reflection? Tell me that's not a thing of beauty." Francis voice lulled warmly seductive.

Ebenezer's lids barely open, still trying to catch his breath but he gave the reflection a serious regard. He saw the soft afterglow of sweat along his skin, his redden blood-rushed face, damp hair in strands about his head and in his face mingled with sweat, saliva and tears from the sheer exertion his body just ruptured. He huffed weakly with laced sarcasm but he tugged a faint smile. "That is an outright mess, that is what I see."

"Mm, well I see beauty. Perhaps a messy one but one I'm proud to have made love to such a state." Francis brushed his own shambled hair back over his ear as he leaned over Ebenezer again to trail his hand along his spine, following the twitching muscles under the skin. His hand then slipped around Ebenezer's side and underneath to hold his chest, feeling the strong heart pounding inside. "Now... Do you need me to carry you?" He grinned as he brushed the messy hair out of the man's face to regard him further. "Or are you going to try and walk to the bed like a newborn fawn?"

Ebenezer pant his breath, still weakly quivering, but he managed a disheveled, seething glare as his tone rolled husky gravel. "Do shut up..." He stared bitterly resentful the man above him was damn near unphazed by the same activity. "You're really proud of this, aren't you... tormenting me to such a state..." He weakly spoke between asthenic breaths.

"Particularly so, yes." Francis flashed an arrogant smile as his breathing was much more controlled. "You seem to enjoy it... Afterall, you yourself said you love being edged along and fucked hard." His grin grew still relishing in that admittance he would adoringly weaponize as an upset look of regret twist Ebenezer's face. "You love begging for it and being tormented along because it gives you such an intense moment like this, you can't deny it..."

"Ridiculous..." Ebenezer scoffed with a hard stare, not exactly refuting his avow. With a sore groan, he went to try and upright himself. Soon as he does so; however, his knees buckle, sending him jerking forward as ready hands quickly caught him about the waist. Ebenezer hesitated any further movement, his arms quivering as he gripped onto the wood surface with wide eyes as he thought a moment, panting softly.

It would be far more embarrassing to fall trying to be stubbornly independent so he conceded.

"On second thought... You did this to me, so yes, you carry me." He spoke masking his prostration with lofty arrogance.

"Of course..."

In one fluid swoop, Francis snagged him in a hoist, one hand caught under his knees as the other support his back to hold tight onto his side. Ebenezer startled a yelp to being lifted off the floor so unexpectedly quick as he clung onto Francis shoulders despirate for grounding balance. Ebenezer then gave him a stern side eye.

"You did that a little too well..." He stared at him, again resentfully. "I seem to hardly weight anything to you, I'm not that thin... I'm larger than the average man."

"Mm... You are quite light, I'm sorry to tell you hight doesn't add much in terms to body mass." Francis wavered with a smirk as Ebenezer frowned bitterly. "Though I am used to lifting dead weight bodies in the ward for my lecture preparations, it keeps me quite fit in between exercise."

Ebenezer stared at him queasily uneasy. "Please don't share something like that while you're holding me in a likewise manner..."

Francis huffed a chuckle but agreed as they continued across the room. When they moved past the desired bed; however, Ebenezer started to stir warily in his grip.

"Wait, the bed is over there- Francis! Where are you taking me-?!" He started to squirm, looking about frantically.

"The bath..."

"OH!" Scrooge groaned out with a growl and a hard shove. "You tricked me! I thought you were taking me to bed!"

Francis smirked, flashing teeth. "I did not, I never said I was taking you to the bed. I just assumed you would have taken yourself there."

"Obviously yes, I would have! Francis put me down now!" Ebenezer whined with a pout and a wriggling squirm, yet with the grip Francis had on him, he wasn't going anywhere. Too exhausted and physically spent to continue fighting, he surrendered but he didn't stop protesting. "Not right now, Francis please! Let me have a moment to recover from all that for God's sake!"

"You think I'm putting your sweaty, sordid mess on my good sheets? I think not." Francis retorted with a high brow side eyeing him.

Scrooge gasped with an icy stare. "How rude, you did this! Besides... I thought you were going on about how beautiful it was moments ago, now it's not?" He cocked a brow side eyeing him back.

"Not as far as cleanliness is concerned and I'm taking one with you. Come now, you'll enjoy it."

"I already have..." Ebenezer cut his eyes up to him smartly with a wicked grin.

"Now you're being cheeky."

"Hm... so... were taking a bath together?" His eyes narrowed with a hum rumbling in his throat. "Why do I feel like this is going to be more than a wash..." Francis grinned as Ebenezer groaned with a hard eye roll. "Christ, HOW?... No Francis please, I cannot..."

"We can take a nap afterward and I'll fix dinner when we wake up, you can enjoy a nice nightcap while you wait. How does that sound?" He spoke in a tantalizing lull Ebenezer always found so dangerously enticing.

Both brows raised at that offer as Ebenezer craned his head back slightly surprised. "A midday nap AND your cooking?" Ebenezer's eyes perked up immediately with excitement as he nulled his thoughts with a hum, bouncing a single leg in consideration. "Now that I could negotiate for..."

Francis chuckled with a tsk. "You are gratified by the most simplest things, Ebenezer. It's quite charming..." He kissed Ebenezer's forehead while they dissappeared into the wash room to draw a bath, luckily Francis home wasn't in short supply of ample hot water.

[dolphin1812]

We now get a physical description of Marius! It’s always funny to read about his “passionate nostrils,” but the classifications of physiognomy are a strong reminder that Hugo is a 19th-century, white, European man. He only touches on Europeans here, but knowing the broader logic of those classifications and their link to “racial science” makes it much less funny.

On a more positive note, this is a wonderful characterization of being a young adult:

“He was at that period of life when the mind of men who think is composed, in nearly equal parts, of depth and ingenuousness. A grave situation being given, he had all that is required to be stupid: one more turn of the key, and he might be sublime.”

It really does feel like whether one makes a great choice or does the most absurd thing possible is up to chance at that age, so Marius is relatable in that sense.

And Courfeyrac is back! Although Marius is more justified in avoiding him this chapter, as his teasing can be uncomfortable. We, as the reader, know that Marius fears women because of a misunderstanding, but we don’t know that Courfeyrac does, making the pressure to flirt feel worse (because it adds the possibility of Marius simply not wanting to). Frankly, it’s not great regardless, as people shouldn’t be pressured regarding romance (although Marius should definitely talk to women. Not necessarily in a romantic way, but just in general).

And a mysterious strong old man appears again! I don’t think it’s a shock that this is Valjean; this introduction from an outsider’s perspective has become a pattern. It always hurts to see that one of his main traits is sadness, with it being so visible that most passersby notice (even Marius, who isn’t the most socially aware, did. He’s very, very sad in his appearance for sure). There’s also the indirect comparison between prison and war in the deliberation over whether he’s an ex-officer. The shared demeanor suggests a very similar level of torment, with the main difference being that soldiers are honored (“decorated”) and convicts are social outcasts for the rest of their lives. It’s a short comparison, but it really underscores the extent of his trauma from the baigne.

But! Cosette is happy! She talks a lot and cheerfully! She’s recovered greatly from her early childhood, and she seems to be doing well. I love the detail that she raises her eyes with “displeasing assurance” – if she has a degree of confidence that’s considered inappropriate for a young girl – because it not only shows how brave and precocious she is; it suggests that Valjean has given her the space to develop this confidence. She went from being characterized by constant fear to being almost uncomfortably self-assured, and it’s wonderful.

Of course Marius never exchanges words with “M Leblanc” and “Mlle Lanoire,” though. Cosette is the only talkative one there, and she’s still young. It’s also hilarious that M Leblanc accidentally becomes a prominent figure to college students, even though he’s just spending time with his daughter.