#there was a similar post about this once but i can't find it anymore :/

[bierkastenwalzer]

Adam und Kommunikation

Adams Problem ist nicht, dass er nicht klar kommuniziert, sein Problem ist, dass es niemanden interessiert, was er eigentlich sagt und tut. Er kann reden, er redet, es hört nur meistens niemand hin. Er teilt sogar echt intime Dinge über sich mit, die aber eben oft einfach übergangen werden.

Und ich glaube auch, dass er meistens ziemlich gut weiß, was er fühlt. Und er kann seine Gefühle sogar ausdrücken. In seiner Mimik und Gestik macht er das ja sowieso, aber er spricht sie auch aus. Nur weil es canonically keine direkten romantischen Liebesbekundungen an Leo gibt, heißt das nicht, dass er sich seiner Gefühle allgemein nicht bewusst ist. (Was nicht heißt, dass er ihn nicht gern hat, aber man kann eben nichts unterdrücken oder zurückhalten, was nicht da ist. Er spricht aber aus, was da ist, zB in FdG, dass er sich Sorgen um ihn macht. In Worten eher indirekt, aber in seinen Taten sehr direkt).

Und auch keine Antwort, oder vermeintliches Weglaufen, ist manchmal eine Antwort (und hat bei ihm vor allem immer sehr nachvollziehbare Gründe, wie ich finde). (Die Beispiele beziehen sich alle auf Leo, aber man sieht das auch oft zB bei Esther oder seiner Mutter. Und vor der Brunnenszene mit Pia spricht er dann glaub ich zum ersten Mal direkt aus, dass er über etwas nicht reden will).

Und correct me if I'm wrong, aber diese Szene ist die Erste, in der mal jemand einfühlsam in Worten auf einen Ausdruck von Schmerz bei ihm eingeht. It took 6 episodes, aber es ist einer der wichtigsten Momente für ihn, glaube ich. Er wurde endlich gehört.

[the-flaneur]

you've pavloved me...hmph

pairing: f1 grid x gn!reader [headcanon]

ft. the whole 2024 grid

summary: you've been with your boyfriend for so long, that when he goes, you can't seem to cum...aka who's most likely to accidentally pavlov their partner into only coming when they're there

warnings: shitpost/crack, very suggestive content and some 18+, MDNI, NSFW -> smut

[masterlist] [requests]

not likely to pavlov them

lance

bro does not have the energy to fuck with you like that

in his mind

why bother

he just wants to have fun with you, and you can also have your own fun without him

then so be it

no need for any tricks

franco

has too much fun with you

thinks he's too good in bed, so why should he bother trying to manipulate what you think of him

and in his mind, it would also mean that you wouldn't genuinely think he would be good in bed

and so he can't have that

you must think he is the best

and of your own accord

pierre

thinks you should also be able to please yourself without him

besides, he likes the photos you send him when you're pleasuring yourself

so he would NEVER want to pavlov you

cause then he also has to deal with a grumpy you when you can't cum

and he doesn't get anything out of it

zhou

too much of a sweetheart to be that mean to you

like he hears you cry, moan or whine ONCE about not being able to cum without him

and then he's like "im sorry baby"

and then there's happy and fluffy makeup sex

esteban

also another sweetheart

but only cause he hears you complain in very very vulgar words what you would do to him (aka fuck him up) if he didn't let you cum without him

and he can't have that

so in order to please you

he promises to never pavlov you

and then you're both happy and satisfied

oscar

wouldn't pavlov you

for the sole reason that he finds this kinda shit stupid

he's like

"babe we're in a relationship, i can't really be demanding and/or withholding things from you,"

he's just a gentleman

also morbidly thinks about if he were to die, does that mean you just can't cum anymore?

(apparently lando said yes, so that means yes)

kevin

would think about it for like two seconds

then feel very VERY bad that he thought about manipulating you like that

thinks it's "unethical" (some of the other drivers would think otherwise, duh)

thinks about from time to time (it's his mini roman empire...maybe like the byzantine empire level of thoughts)

but cares and loves you too much for that to happen

maybe one day???

valtteri

would actually consider it

BUT would bring it up with you and consider your thoughts on it before he even tried to manipulate you

if you wanted to try it: he would make sure that it was a sound/action you wouldn't embarrass yourself too (he has too much self-respect and respect for you to out your relationship like that)

if you didn't want to try it: would back off respectfully, and maybe only ask a couple more times in the future to see if you've changed your mind

yuki

would try it once after hearing about it on the internet

gets very confused as to why it's about a dog? and not a relationship?

then once pierre explained to him properly

wanted to just try it once with you

similar to valtteri, would also ask you first if you wanted to do it, but would try to convince you to just "experiment"

like a bit more like "baby, can we try it just once please. you won't even realise it,"

could be successful (ig depending on you)

charles

finds this stuff stupid

well at least most of the time...

if you just so happen to be in the right place at the right time

for him to exact some revenge after you not so accidentally posted a thirst trap of him on your instagram account

then so be it :D

would pavlov you to the sound of him saying "fuck" in that very specific cadence when he's pissed at ferrari

liam

bro would only and ONLY pavlov you to the sound of mcqueen's kachow, just so you actually WANT watch the cars movies with him every weekend

instead of complaining that he can't actually be obsessed with the red car every SINGLE FUCKING WEEK

otherwise, he's a chill guy

lando

would only do it to tease you about it

and in a funny way, not a mean way

like a "guess you're just that needy for me sometimes babe, just kidding (teasing)" kinda way

BUT would be absolute menace about it if it happened multiple times in a row

AND ESPECIALLY if it happened in front of someone else

like max f accidentally found out the sound (aka the sound of lando's pc booting up - idk how that happened man)

and then immediately went bright red, as lando cackled his head off, and you just went to hide in the bathroom

max

would pavlov you

only cause he hates missing out on having sex with you

and he actually really misses you during the race weekends

(my boy is just a massive simp, cut him some slack)

so he wants to withhold your pleasure

just so he can be the one to give it to you

(would also pavlov you to super max or du du du du max verstappen)

alex

pavloved you cause you bullied him too hard that one time (aka multiple times)

you called him a pussy for not being able to handle spice in green curries

so he calls you a pussy in return, over the phone, as you huff about not being able to cum when he's not there

and he'll even turn off the call/facetime before you manage to convince him

so you're just horny and pissed off

(aka the best combo for angry sex when he returns)

checo

desperately trying to rewrite his place in 2024 red bull constructors shithousery

so why not rewrite how you experience pleasure with him too

it's a 2-for-1

and for the mexican cartel/sponsors, that's a done deal

sealed, stamped and sent

nico

shockingly higher than you may think

BUT

THIS MAN'S CHEEKY GRIN

tells me that he would plot everything, down to the last detail

and get away with it cause he's so damn handsome and smooth talker

but flops cause he's sometimes a bit too meticulous

and takes the focus away from your pleasure, and instead focuses on your combined pleasure

cause he just loves you (and himself) like that

carlos

would also pavlov you to the smell of chilli

or other very nice aromatics

or scented candles

makes him the kinda romantic partner to pull up to the hotel room or bedroom with that massive like set up

with a bajillion candles, rose petals and balloons

except with you

it's just like the very potent smell of chilli

and apparently (?) chilli's help with sex drive

or so he tells you

george

initially i was going to put him lower

BUT GODDAMN AFTER THIS THURSDAY HAHAHAHAH

this man.

if he has an agenda.

he will push that agenda so hard, even if you were blind, you could see it and hear it

also probably learnt the "tricks" from fernando

cause they're just buddies like that

(would also pavlov you to the sound of the british anthem)

lewis

this man is a smooth AFFFFF talker

would take like zero convincing for your body to suddenly become pliant/completely at his mercy

would also manage to convince you to pavlov yourself to the sound/recordings of senna's mp4/4 or his w11 or the v10 engine

(he's just a slut for good cars like that)

or him like singing

CAUSE HE WOULD RATHER DIE THAN SHARE THE MUSIC WITH THE REST OF THE WORLD (so there's no way anyone else would know)

but if he did release that music (lewis please, just even a snippet is gold), you're kinda screwed (in a fun way)

fernando

this man knows what he's doing

that's final. PERIOD.

he is THE certified mind games genius (or villain/psychopath, up to you)

dont think just cause you're his partner that doesn't mean he won't use your love for him to make sure that you both achieve maximum pleasure when you have sex

(he is still entirely devoted to you, and you only)

but he wants you to ONLY be satisfied when you're with him

he just wants your body to know that ONLY he, and him ALONE can make you feel good

pookie is in his feels for you

(bro would also be into edging, so yeah)

would also pavlov you to his victory celebrations, cause when you have sex, it's basically a party in the sheets ;)

they know what they're doing

permanent f1 taglist (comment or msg me to join)

@charlesgirl16 @tallrock35 @sweate-r-weathe-r @unlikelystay @alex-wotton

@daisyfreecs @euphorihan @louloucs @oikarma @dying-inside-but-its-classy

@fadingcloudballoon @princessminjikwon @chick-from-nz @nina-or-anna-or-nora

© the-flanuer || do not copy, rewrite or translate any of my work on any platform.

[thatdrunkarchon]

Two sides of the same coin. || Shadow Milk/Pure Vanilla relationship headcannons || SFW ||

Hi. Venti back from the dead here I'm mainly only posting because for once I'm actually not busy and my head is absolutely racing with ideas for these two I'm honestly probably gonna rework this acc and add a proper masterlist attached to my account but I'll cross that bridge when I get there

SM/PV x gender neutral!reader

How they took the confessions and how the relationship is currently going:

Shadow Milk

At first, if anything, Shadow Milk thought you were pathetic.

He's not really one to dabble in romance, plus, even if he were to fall for someone, he's pretty sure they'd end up dead at some point in time, anyways.

Most likely Aroace.

So hearing some small, random, puny cookie professing their love to him? God, was it such a laugh.

But, what a surprise, he'd actually accepted that offer.

So, now you two are dating. What does that entail exactly?

I'm so glad you didn't ask. He does absolutely nothing to show his 'love' for you. He's, in all honesty, mainly just using you for his own gain, sort of like Candy Apple cookie.

If he hasn't already killed you, later down the line is when he starts getting... possesive.

You're his most obedient toy after all. What good would you be if you were corrupted by those foolish heroes? Not like you weren't already corrupted like him, but it makes no difference.

Around maybe a few months of him acting like this is when he realizes that no, he's not just doing this for personal gain anymore.

For his lies that were once potent and firm started to blend uncontrollably with the truth- That he genuinely likes you.

At first he lies to himself, as expected. He's not sure how to feel about this realization, but he doesn't like it. Not one bit.

Suddenly he's catching himself wondering how you were doing when you weren't in his sight, asking you if you'd eaten that day, actually caring.

Of course, this doesn't change his attitude. He's still as cruel and silly as ever, just..

Maybe not as much to you.

He shows his affection in either little or grand ways, like giving you a puppet or two to mess around with, ranting about anything and everything to you, or making grand plays that make you two the stars of the show.

He's grown an indefinite soft spot for you and he hates it, but he can't deny it at all.

And god damnit, he can't say he minds either.

You've corrupted him, body and soul, but he can't find it in himself to care.

Pure Vanilla

Pure Vanilla, of course, is the exact opposite. But similar nonetheless.

He's honestly a little.. weirded out at first. Of course, he's had maybe one or two relationships, but none where the person was someone he barely talked to.

He's more on the panromantic side, he could care less about looks. And he can't say that the cookie in front of him wasn't dazzling, and he also could never say that he wasn't charmed by your bravery.

But, again, he still doesn't know you.

So, he politely refuses, making a small comment on how maybe if he got to know you better he'd think about it.

And to be honest, that might've been the best thing he'd ever said if he looks back on it, because holy Crispia, you certainly took his offer.

He'd spent the past few months falling head over heels for you, and that's an underexaggeration.

He often finds himself thinking about you so often it's probably deemed unhealthly.

He just can't help but feel a little bit bad when he's feeling possessive, you aren't even dating yet after all.

After a good few months, he's actually the one to re-confess. He'd been a little bit worried that what you felt for him was just a passing crush, but he's glad it's not.

Whenever he can, where ever he can, he absolutely loves lovebombing you.

Of course, he makes sure it's not overwhelming, but just kissing you all over, giving you little reminders of how much he loves you, practically worshipping you- It feels so right.

You might be the best thing to ever happen to him.

Would gladly rant about you to anyone who'd listen.

He also tends to micromanage, but not exactly in the way you'd think.

He wants dates to go absolutely perfectly- Even if it's not perfect, however, he knows you won't mind.

He hates it whenever you get bothered by something, so he tries to limit that, whether that be by going to another room with you because the people in the old room made you feel uncomfy, or throwing himself in front of you to take an attack you couldn't block.

This has caused a small number of arguements, but Pure Vanilla is a stubborn little guy. Most he'd do is parry the attack when he can, but no promises.

He'd rather die than have you harmed in any way, shape, or form.

Because he loves you, body and soul. You've influenced him in a way that he absolutely loves.

[moonsaver]

Thinking back to a post you once made about Aeon Sunday… Imagine being someone who knew Sunday in the past before his ascension, only to then receive the gaze of Aeon Sunday later in life

Oh my god. I love this. This is simultaneously creepy AND oddly romantic.

Theres a lot of possibilities for this – was reader sunday's crush? A suitor? Maybe just someone he shared small talk with and actually liked it more than usual? Ooohohoho

Im not sure if its yan or not, so i just kinda.. kept it variable(?)

This ones a bit longer because i desperatley need to wordvomti . Thanks.

Achieving an aeon's gaze is strange, your discipline, morals, ideals, lifestyle, something has to deeply resonate with their followed path. Let us assume Sunday is something similar to a "dreamlike" aeon [maybe it's mentioned in his boss form description, all i remember is the embryo of Philosophy ;;]

But again, it's not exactly stated how you'd be able to achieve an aeon's gaze; i still have no idea how acheron did it [IX is literally a black hole??], because i cant for the life of me read through those huge blocks of texts in the dialogue.

So lets say Sunday's able to pull his own strings and maybe even force you on that path. He's an aeon – who's stopping him?

Its the middle of the night, you're awake in bed, tossing and turning. It feels like something in your chest is pulling, a weird sensation you've been trying to put off. Your eyes are burning from the lack of sleep, but your mind seems restless. You try to calm yourself down and think about one thing and then another, one by one, until you remember Sunday. You wonder what was going through his mind, his in-between words in that one conversation, what he could have meant..

And like that, you fall asleep. Your bones sink into the bed, your weight relaxes into the pliant surface.

And then you awake. But somewhere else. It's not your bedroom – not the familiar ceiling, nor the corner of your room with piled clothes or a messy table. It's the cosmos, littered with stars. It's strange. You almost don't notice until you try to move – you're floating in space.

You turn, and he's there. That recognizable golden halo, stretching out into the dark expanse like the inside of a star plunging into the depths, golden eyes that peer down at you; with recognition, understanding, almost sympathy, and something you can't quite place. Your ribs ache and your lungs burn when you're reminded to breathe – this is the man you were thinking about before you slept.

You wake up, panting, shooting up in bed. The familiar space of your room greets you this time. The night is young outside your window ‐ not much time seems to have passed in that brilliant moment.

You were ready to chalk it up to a dream, like the ones where you feel like you're falling and wake up with a racing heart. But then you look down, and see a strange symbol on your body, something akin to an eye.

It seems you've earned his blessing to follow his path.

And even more? It seems like you're the first person to actually follow this path.

It's strange and isolating in a way. You can awaken from the sweetdream paradise your beloved Aeon seems to have put penacony under. You gain this strange, superflous, iridescent ghost of a halo, and you realise you can use it to communicate.

You can communicate with Sunday.

But a part of you finds it pointless. you can't understand what he's saying anymore; Aeons' existence transcends language. You can only hear whispers of people speaking to you, as though it's from the corner of a room, somewhere in the distance, with one barely audible male voice standing out in the whispering; it might be sunday's real voice, but you're not sure. At least, to some degree, you've managed to make out a few words.

Some words give you information. You can monitor the true handiwork of your aeon this way. Every person's dream — sweet, deep slumbers, exquisitely woven by deft fingers, all in 7 days. You figured this when you phased out of the dream, looking down at your own sleeping body and freaking out, when Sunday communicated with you for the first time, instantly calming you down. Dream. Woven. 7 days. Those words were evident in the cacophony of whispers.

Some words carry warnings. Or rather, they're not exactly words.

When your curious hands boldly trace the surface of a particularly fragile dream, you hear breathing. In close proximity, too, as if its right behind your ear. Sometimes, if you try to wake someone, you feel the breathing; warm, and languidly flowing down the back of your collar. You've chosen to not find out what happens when you don't listen.

Sometimes, when you decide to simply phase out of the dream to take a look at your own body in reality – you talk to Sunday. You tell him what you think, who you met in the dreamscape, what he can do to make it better [since.. well, you can't exactly do much to awaken anyone or oppose an aeon]. You assume he doesn't hear you, since you don't get your whispery response, but after you catch a few glimpses of your suggestions in the dreamscape, you realise he's just a good listener.

Perhaps, even if you may be the only follower of this path for now.. it may not be as isolating as you think.

[pankielovesfan]

ii16 spoilers under cut

MORE talk about fan similar to the other post because there is still a lot to say. This is more about what fan means to mephone

Compared to most of the other contestants, Fan wasn't originally created to BE a contestant, which I find most interesting. Fan was quite literally created to be a fan of the show and randomly appears in season 1 (and he also delivers food I guess). Even if Mephone4 consciously made Fan or not, his appearance and creation obviously meant Mephone wanted appreciation for the things he was making, as is Fan's main purpose and service to Mephone. Fan is technically a manifestation of Mephone's love for the show itself, but he is also expressing vulnerable happiness of which Mephone feels like he could not express properly considering his issues with vulnerability. This might be why he is so outwardly dismissive of Fan's strong emotional enthusiasm for the show!!

So Fan technically is a support Mephone desperately wants, but he can't respond well to- but this definitely means Mephone appreciates Fan's dedication as he quite literally wished for Fan to exist as he is, being such an engaged Fan. He expresses passion for the show in a way Mephone couldn't do himself! Fan gives Mephone support as complete opposite to what Mephone feels Cobs would have! And you know what else Cobs does that Fan has an extreme well known trait of disliking and being scared of? Change. Cobs constantly reinvents, makes new things, discards old things, but Fan latches on. He observes patterns, he begs for predictability, structure and consistency.

Another notable trait of Fan is his defensiveness. Even if he's not good at it, he's incredibly stubborn to protect his passion and love to no end, being incredibly irrational about it. Cobs is well. Yeah. Massive Passion Disliker. He don't gaf about that. Fan might've looked up to cobs and meeple, but god if he's not possibly a parallel that's the opposite. I'm going to walk into the ocean. Im forever gonna think about how fan was created to be a support. like his entire goddam purpose is to love something so much!!!! and give it so much attention! and he is having so much fun doing it!!! IT IS MAKING ME CRAZY!!!!

I'm not sure if the characters are partly "extensions" of Mephone or if they're Mephone projecting specific parts of himself, I believe most of all they are created from his desire (like, wanting a specific thing and that thing just appears for him if this is done unintentionally,) but either way I enjoy thinking about what each trait that manifested for Fan's character specifically would resonate with Mephone's experiences and why he would create him with those traits. or something.

My working theory is that Mephone labeled each character in his mind as one thing, such as "the jerk" for Knife and nothing more, letting the contestants take their own shape and personality as they gain more experience on the show, which I feel is validated through Lightbulb saying "I don't think we were all there yet" once seeing the season 1 contestants in alternate reality show! They build more of their personality as it goes along. I think Mephone has minimal control of the contestants personality wise after he's generated them, but i do think he influences their memories or experience with time or something?? I dont know. guess we will all see. Also this somehow isn't about fan anymore wow that's weird actually who am i where am i

relevant drawing. Time to collapse to my knees over this shit again

[fadedncity]

after hours

wc: 1.7k

pairing: renjun x fem!reader

cw: smut, fwb!au, secret fwb, non idol au, use of marijuana, sex while under the influence, teasing, oral sex (receiving), mentions of other idols, basically pwp

song inspo: hit this hard by post malone | after hours by kehlani

Your nose tingles and your eyes slightly sting. Because of Jaemin's suggestion to try and hotbox the apartment, the smoke clouded the entire room, with no fresh air moving around, only getting you higher.

"Can I please break the hotbox?" Haechan asks.

"Don't you dare," Jaemin warns.

"My eyes are starting to burn, I can't take this anymore!" Haechan dramatically whined.

"At least wait until this spliff is done," Jeno says.

Gigi passes you the blunt, only worth about two, maybe three hits left. You deeply inhale, holding your breath for a second for a little head rush before exhaling. Taking the last hit, the smoke hits the back of your throat with a bit of an extra kick, causing you to cough.

You had barely put out the last bit of the blunt when Haechan beelined to the nearest window, opening it all the way, starting to get some ventilation and finally some fresh air.

With the dim lighting of the LEDs and the copious amount of smoke filling the room, you only notice the shadow of the figure approaching you once they're right in front of you.

"You okay?" Renjun's voice brings you out of your thoughts.

Still, a little spaced out, you slowly nod.

"Here," he hands you a bottle of water.

"I'm fine," your voice is a little hoarse.

"Just drink it," he playfully kicked your foot before leaving you with a wink thrown over his shoulder.

By the time the smoke had started to really clear out, your bottle of water was almost empty. You find Renjun on the couch opposite of you, only partially engaged in the conversation with Chenle and Jisung.

His eyes had been trailing up from your black and pink weed socks, up your bare legs, to the cute skirt hugging your waist. By the time Renjun's eyes meet yours, he sees you already looking at him with a smirk.

"Are you coming?" Minjeong asks you.

"Coming where?"

"The deli on the corner for a snack run."

You glance back at Renjun to see him still looking at you. And as if coming to a silent agreement, you give Minjeong your answer.

"I'm too high to be outside right now," you say.

"Understandable. Want me to grab you something?"

"Yeah something salty. Or sweet."

"That's so helpful," she deadpanned.

You can tell Renjun's having a similar exchange with Jeno, coming up with some excuse for him to stay behind with you. As you wait for your friends to leave the apartment, your eyes are stuck on Renjun.

You both hear the door close, and quiet fills the house as the two of you are finally left alone. 

"Can I help you?" you stare back at Renjun.

"Depends," he answers.

"On?" you ask, rising to your feet and walking over to his side of the room. But when Renjun diverts his eyes from you with a smile, a smirk of your own creeps onto your face as you drop a knee on either side of his thighs, sitting in his lap. "If you wanna kiss me just say that."

"Fine," is all he says before he pulls you in, and your lips clash with his.

Once your lips meet, your fingers curl themselves around the short hairs at the nape of his neck. Renjun's tongue swipes along your bottom lip, and you let the sweetness of the energy drink he'd been drinking along with traces of smoke invade your senses. The kiss soon grows heated, and Renjun's pulling you into his lap, gripping your thighs in his hands.

You pull away to catch your breath.

You pull the red Yankees snapback off his head, letting long strands of silver hair fall over his eyes. He reaches for it, but you retract your arm out of his reach while he frustratedly runs his fingers through his hair.

"Don't think that's fair, do you?"

"Cause you always play fair," you say.

"Far more than you. I mean look at what you're already doing to me," Renjun rolled your hips against his, allowing you to feel the outline of his cock growing hard.

"And what is it am I doing to you, Junnie?" you teasingly ask, wrapping your arms around his neck.

"That for starters. Not to mention, wearing this thing that seemingly gets shorter and shorter every time I see it," Renjun pushes your skirt higher up your thighs, gently squeezing your flesh, "How could you expect me to last all night without just getting at least one touch," he grips your bare thigh.

"Just one?"

"Unless you're asking me for more," the corners of his lips turn up, "Go ahead ask me."

"Renjun..."

"Yeah, baby?" he nods.

You grabbed the back of his neck and crashed your lips into his. Renjun starts kissing your neck, licking a long stripe up the side of your throat before sinking his teeth into your skin, making you shudder.

"Junnie~" you tighten your fingers around strands of his hair you grabbed onto.

"Love when you say it like that. Sound so cute and desperate," he says in your ear, sending a shiver down your spine.

"Renjun," you lightly scold him.

"Sorry, I forgot you're the only allowed to tease here."

"See, now you're getting it."

Maneuvering himself onto the floor, on his knees, Renjun's quick to get your underwear off; hooking his fingers in the waistband and pulling them off you.

Renjun's mouth waters, hungrily eyeing your glistening folds. He runs his fingers through his hair before collecting the long strands into a small ponytail, using your hair tie he was wearing on his wrist just to keep his hair out of his way for now.

Renjun pushes your skirt higher up your hips, allowing him to get a full few of your pussy. Renjun licks a fat stripe between your folds, letting your juices flow onto his tongue.

Your eyes flutter shut, and you mewl. You don't see it but rather feel Renjun smile against your skin as he pushes your knees to your chest and delves his face back into your pussy.

You roughly grab onto his silver locks, tugging at his roots. You both moan in unison as jolts of pleasure climb up your spine.

Your back arched from the cushions, your head sinking deeper into the arm of the pillows. The tip of Renjun's tongue traces along your folds, ghosting over your clit, making you shudder.

Renjun flattened his tongue, swirling around the bundle of nerves before sucking it into his mouth. Your legs restlessly squirmed against his shoulders, leading Renjun to hold the back of your thighs, keeping you in place as he ate you out.

"Junnie, please," you moan softly.

Renjun came up to catch his breath and hungrily eyed your pussy glistening in your slick and his saliva.

"So sweet," He spreads your lips to watch your aching clit twitch "The way you taste, the way you sound," he spits on your pussy, "S'all so addictive," Renjun smiled as he circled his thumb around your clit.

You grew closer to cumming just from the act alone and felt yourself clenching around nothing.

Renjun grinned, pulling your hips closer to his face. His tongue wiggled against your gummy walls, his nose pressing into your clit as your hips started grinding against his face.

"My god, Junnie, it's so good," you tell him, and he hums back in response, the vibrations causing your toes to curl.

Somehow beyond your moans, a mix of obscene noises from both his mouth and your cunt, and the music still playing in the house, you hear your phone ringing.

"Did Renjun want anything too?" Ningning speaks loudly into the phone so you can hear her over the cacophony in the background.

"Did you want something?" You look down at Renjun between your legs.

"I'm good. Got everything I need right here." Renjun smirks, wrapping his arms around your thighs and pulling you closer to his face, bringing his tongue back to your core.

"He's good," you say, suppressing the moan rising in your throat.

"Are you okay?" Ningning asks, hearing the strain in your voice.

"Yeah, I just took a hit of the bong," you lied.

Ningning gasps on the other line, "They're using the bong without us!" she says to the others, "You better keep that shit packed for us by the time we get back," you drop your phone once she hangs up.

Your thighs are shaking, and your teeth sink violently into your bottom lip. Your fingers tightly grip his hair as you rock your hips against his face, chasing your high.

"Fuck, Renjun, I'm gonna cum," you pant.

Your legs close around Renjun's head as your orgasm hits you. Your back arched off the couch, and your nails lightly scratch his scalp as you tug his silver roots.

"Junnie, please," you whine, pushing his head away.

Renjun rises from his knees, rejoining you back on the couch. Hovering over you, he presses his lips to yours, and you taste traces of you all on his tongue.

"You're crazy, you know that," you tell him.

"Mhmm, but you like it," he smiles, sliding onto the cushion next to you.

"Fucking Aries," you shake your head, and Renjun playfully nips at your neck, making you yelp.

Renjun reaches for the bong on the coffee table as you stretch your legs over his thighs. "Really?" you ask.

"Gotta make it believable," he smirks, striking the lighter. The water in the bong bubbles as Renjun takes a long hit, and you watch thick clouds of smoke fill the neck before he inhales it all. He leans over to you, grabbing the back of your neck and bringing his lips to yours. You let him blow the smoke into your mouth and amid the exchange, manage to steal a proper kiss.

You pull away when you hear the front door open, and Ningning bursts into the room, looking at you both suspiciously.

"You two think you're slick?" she asks, narrowing her eyes as they bounce back and forth between you and Renjun. "I know you just wanted her for yourself," Ningning says. Oh shit. You and Renjun both glance at each other. But then Ningning snatches her bong off the table, cradling it in her arms like a child.

"Trust, I took very good care of her," Renjun says, subtly squeezing your knee.

a/n: this has been in my drafts for toooooo long 😫 i swear i meant what i said before about writing more and i promise y’all i am! feedback is appreciated!! thank you for reading, love you all <3

[runningfrom2am]

cold nights // part nineteen

summary: you showed him colours he knows he can't see with anyone else.

pairing: coriolanus snow x fem!reader

wc: 3.3k

masterlists / nav / requests

tags/warnings: tribute!reader and mentor!coriolanus, r is very sweet (too kind for this world. literally.), sunshine x grumpy trope kinda, he falls first, violence typical for the source material, depictions of mental illness, also she's is very smart (as she should), district twelve!reader.

a/n: i'm sorry it took me so long to post this omg i am behind on writing bc i'm so sick but i'm also trying to get ahead on requiem BUT-

Important Announcement!!:

cold nights will officially have a season 3! i wasn't sure but i had a good idea for what the epilogue would be and then i realized it would be so much better as another fully developed idea. so, that will be coming soon!!

my asks are also open to talk about this series! (i do have emoji anons open now too!)

send me any and all of your thoughts! here!

series masterlist // playlist

Coryo smiles as you run up ahead of him, picking up his pace slightly and dropping his bag next to yours.

Some of the others are already stripped down to their bathing suits and running down the dock. It is beautiful here, not that he ever doubted you.

He watches as you peel off your dress, another short one similar to the one you had worn for most of the time he'd known you. This one wasn't sewn in at the middle, so you can slip it quickly over your head. Your bathing suit must have been homemade, too, and it allowed him to see how the bruises and scratches on your back were all but healed while you toss your dress to the ground. He notices quickly that it was exactly the same as Lucy Gray's, maybe your mother had made you matching ones. That's so sweet.

Your skin looked so beautifully soft- just like it should have the first time he saw it, spare for the scars on your calf and your arm, it was just what he imagined.

You kick your shoes off, and the wood of the dock is hot against your bare feet as you run down to the end, diving head-first off to the side to avoid jumping right onto any of your friends.

It seemed to Coryo that you weren't afraid anymore as you briefly looked back at him while you were running. The excited scream you let out when you lept from the dock made his heart flutter. This is exactly what he had wanted, from the very beginning.

When Coryo jumps in behind you, you can hear his shout and feel the water shift around you as his body breaks the surface. You turn under the water, its clarity allowing you to see where everyone is. You loved this. The memories of this lake kept you safe, almost. You can hear muffled laughter above the water, deciding to take your time before coming up for air. You didn't need it just yet.

You swim away from everyone deep under the surface, scanning the lake floor for anything interesting. Really, it was just sticks and rocks and mud, but one day you may find something else exciting, but not today.

"Where is she going?" Coryo comments, watching your body as you kick away deeper under the water.

"Wherever she wants." Lennox answers plainly, treading water as he stares at him.

"She's looking for secrets." Maude Ivory giggles, splashing him in the face. At least she gave him somewhat of an answer.

He quickly lifts an arm to block the wave, but it fails miserably. "What kind of secrets will she find at the bottom of the lake?" He coughs out, wiping the water from his eyes.

"Once we found a watch." Lucy Gray shrugs, looking from him to you. "Which is odd because we didn't know anyone else knew about this place. The secrets are what happens when we aren't here."

You hardly noticed the lack of oxygen until it almost felt too late, quickly swimming up and pushing your hair out of your face so you don't inhale it by mistake.

"Anything good today?" Lucy Gray shouts over to you as soon as she's noticed you've come up.

"There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so!" You pant, pushing yourself through the water back toward her.

"So, that's a no?" Sejanus asks and you laugh, shaking your head.

"Just rocks and sticks." You explain, joining them again and bumping shoulders with Lucy Gray. "Some weeds, if that's your fancy."

"Oh, yes, that's right up my alley." Sejanus chuckles, cupping his hands to block out the glare of the sun as he looks down into the water anyway.

"I've never been to a lake before," Coryo says, breathing heavily as the waves from the kids splashing keep coming up too close to his face.

"What? Really?" Lucy Gray and Sejanus ask in unison, and you smile at him.

He nods, eyes locking with yours. You feel the need to say something. "Is it everything you dreamt of?" You ask.

"Just about." He grins.

"Oh? What's missing?" You giggle.

Oh, only being able to hold you without retraumatizing you.

"It's not that anything is missing," He comes up with as an excuse. "There's just more birds than I expected."

"Oh, yeah. They like it out here." You hum, looking up at the trees while Lucy Gray whistles out a tune for them to mimic. You smile. "Why, you don't like birds either?"

"Never been the biggest fan, no." He chuckles.

The birds echo her song back to you repeatedly. Coryo turns around to watch as if there was anything to see besides these black birds flitting around the trees and above the cabin. "What kind of birds are they?" He asks. "I've never seen that before."

"We call 'em Mockingjays." Lucy Gray tells him.

"'Cause they'll mock ya if you mess up the song!" Clerk Carmine jumps in, climbing onto Lucy Gray's back under the water.

"Oh, I wouldn't know." Your friend teases him, gripping tight onto the boy's legs as he starts to shout. He knows what's about to happen, and clearly you do too as Coryo watches you and your brother quickly swim out of their reach and closer to him.

You laugh, watching as Lucy Gray takes a big dramatic breath in and sinks under the surface of the water, pulling CC down with her as he screams and splashes.

The sun dried you quickly after you decided you had had enough of the water, climbing back out onto the dock and deciding to just lay your blanket there to dry off on while you took the book and snacks from your bag.

Coryo had been sitting with Lucy Gray and Sejanus, but they were just talking to each other more than him. Not that he could have paid much attention. He was just watching you.

"Can I go talk to her?" He asks with little regard for the conversation that he was interrupting.

They both look over at him. "I mean, you could try. Would that be okay?" Sejanus answers, looking to Lucy Gray for confirmation.

"No. Let her have her peace and quiet." Lennox interrupts as he walks back up in front of them, pulling his shirt back onto his now fully dried skin.

Lucy Gray sighs."Just... Don't be stupid." She advises Coryo, nodding him on. "Len, we'll be right here."

Your brother shakes his head slightly, glaring between the three of them with nothing short of adamant disapproval.

Coryo nods slightly, taking the preferable answer by getting up and heading back down onto the dock.

Lennox looks back over his shoulder to where he just was with Maude Ivory looking for katniss, before taking Coryo's spot on the deck.

"Did she not tell you anything about him?" Lennox mumbles to Lucy Gray, eyes locked on his sister and her 'friend' as he stands over her. "No, she must have- because you were at The Hob last week. You saw it."

"I saw a girl with a lot of unresolved trauma have an episode." Lucy Gray explains, watching Lennox take Coryo's spot next to her. "He made a mistake, but he wouldn't ever hurt her."

Your brother opens his mouth to argue, but Sejanus interrupts. "I know it isn't my place, but Lucy Gray is right. He would sooner die than hurt her."

"Okay, well, explain how he's sitting right next to her when he's already hurt her so bad she may never recover!" Lennox whispers, gesturing to the dock as if they couldn't already see you there.

"I'm not defending anything he's done. That's not what I meant." Sejanus explains. "I just mean he would never do it on purpose."

"Accidents are clearly bad enough."

"Len, he just wants to make amends now." Lucy Gray insists. "And she wants that. I know she does, she's really trying."

"Listen, if it helps..." Sejanus starts, looking back out at you and Coryo on the dock. He can tell how nervous his friend is, watching you intently as he picks at the wood finish beneath him and listening to you talk. "He really loves her. I know it's not my place to tell you that, but it was bad when she was gone. He hardly spoke a word to anyone, he wouldn't put her book down- it was really hard on him. We weren't sure if she had been executed for cheating, and it was killing him to be left in the dark."

"That's not love, that's guilt." Lennox mutters, watching you closely.

"What's the difference between love and guilt?" Lucy Gray asks him rhetorically. "He wouldn't feel guilty if he didn't care."

"The difference is he wouldn't have come here and made the same mistake again."

Lucy Gray bites into her lip, slightly shaking her head. That was an honestly good point.

"I was in the arena, too. I saw what he did." Sejanus says after a moment. "He saved my life, it was my fault. It was shocking... you know, the overkill, but I can't say for certain I wouldn't have done the same thing. We were both pumped so full of adrenaline that I truly believe that's what it was." He explains. "I mean, I was behind him, so I don't know what she saw- but it looked like adrenaline to me."

"How do you think she felt?" Lennox asks, eyes wide. "She was in there for three days! You and him were there for what, ten minutes?"

"Wait..." Lucy Gray backpedals, looking at Sejanus. "Sejanus, what do you mean you thought he was executed for cheating? Like, in the games?"

Sejanus swallows, nodding. He looks over at you but quickly looks away. "Yeah, uh... Coryo told me that she used rat poison to kill two of the others. And he did something to keep the snakes from biting her, but I don't think he was caught for that."

Your brother and best friend look at each other like they'd just seen a ghost before their eyes simultaneously track to you. You were laughing.

"She didn't... She didn't tell me that." Lucy Gray says quietly. "Did you know, Len?"

"No."

"That doesn't surprise me." Sejanus shrugs and they both look at him, shocked and confused. "Well, she doesn't know either. I don't think, definitely not about the snakes, but she told the Dean it was salt. That I gave her." He laughs slightly at the end, but they don't find it funny. "By the time she left, she was fully delusional about it. She knew what it was, Coryo gave it to her to protect herself because he needed her to win. She was really upset by the insinuation that it, in fact, was not salt."

Lucy Gray and Lennox look at each other again, unsure what to say. It must have been worse than they thought. Regardless, they knew it must be eating you alive.

"Can I join you?" You hear Coryo's voice above you after about ten minutes of listening to the mockingjays sing Lucy Gray's song back to her as she sat on the porch of the cabin. The sun was so warm on your skin that you could have fallen asleep here if you weren't reading your book.

You squint against the sun as you look up at him. "Yes, you may." You agree, and you feel him sitting down next to you as the wood creaks below him.

You find yourself holding your breath, even as you return to your book to try and remain relaxed.

He's not going to hurt you.

"What are you reading?" He asks after a moment, thinking your arms must be asleep for using them to hold the book and support your weight for so long.

"It's called 'Much Ado About Nothing'." You answer. "Another Shakespeare piece."

"Do you like it?" He asks, lifting his leg to rest his elbow on his knee while you sit up, crossing your legs and letting the book fall into your lap.

"I do." You smile down at the page. It is much more lighthearted than Romeo and Juliet, as much as you would have loved to come home and drown yourself in your favourite book- the boy next to you unintentionally made it impossible. God, you were so embarrassed by the letter you wrote to him. Your cheeks flush just think about it. All you did by surviving was make everything weird.

"Another tragedy?" He inquires, attempting to read some of the words on the page as it's opened on your lap.

"No." You chuckle, shaking your head. "It's a romantic comedy, actually."

"Oh, wow. You changed it up?" He asks, only somewhat shocked. It would only make sense that you couldn't handle much more tragedy since you've been home.

"I did." You smile. "It's quite funny."

"Will you read me your favourite part?" He suggests, watching your eyes as they light up with excitement from the request.

"Okay, so..." You quickly flip back through the pages and into the first act, scanning for the lines you're looking for. "Okay. Here." You pretend to clear your throat.

"In our last conflict four of his five wits went halting off, and now is the whole man governed with one: so that if he have wit enough to keep himself warm, let him bear it for a difference between himself and his horse; for it is all the wealth that he hath left, to be known a reasonable creature." You recite, dragging your finger along the page so he can track what you are reading. You remembered it, but it might have been easier for him to follow that way.

Coryo watched you the whole time, and by the end, you were a giggling mess. You thought it was absolutely hilarious, and he smiles at that.

"What does that mean?" He chuckles.

"So," You laugh, a hand pressed to your chest. "Basically, she's talking about how she was arguing with Benedick and won. The punchline is that she let him keep one of his wits, because if she didn't no one would be able to tell him from his horse."

Coryo laughs at that, shaking his head. "That is good." He agrees.

"Isn't it?" You smile. "It's a welcome change of pace."

"Yeah, Romeo and Juliet was... yikes." He says, ticking his jaw and peeling up some of the wood from the dock between you.

"You read it?" You ask quietly, eyes widening as you look over at him. It shouldn't shock you, he told you he would, and that he even looked forward to it. "What did you think?"

"Of course I did," Coryo nods. "I really enjoyed it."

"It doesn't seem like it..." You laugh nervously, looking down as you flip back to the page you were on before closing the book.

"No, truly. I did." He insists. "Just... for lack of a better term, it was tragic."

"Yes, well..." You chuckle, shrugging slightly and tucking your book back into the bag next to you.

"It was heartbreaking!" He laughs suddenly. "And that's your favourite?" He looks at you then, head tilted as he slightly shakes his head.

"Okay, so," You laugh, rolling your eyes. You were used to defending this to others who have tried reading it. "That's what makes it so beautiful. It's so touching, they died for each other thinking they were in love, but they also hardly knew each other. It forces you to wonder what could have been, and I like that."

"Okay, well, you're right." Coryo agrees. "I didn't like the ending, but that's the point, I suppose. The rest was good, it reminded me a lot of you."

"I think I forced a bias onto you. My apologies."

"You didn't force anything on me." He smiles, shaking his head. "All I knew is that you loved it, and that made it so much better."

Your cheeks flush as you busy yourself by pulling out the bag of cherries. "Would you like some?" You offer the bag to him and he reaches in, taking just a couple out and popping one into his mouth.

"I finished it all before you left." Coryo tells you, and you hold him out another empty paper bag to spit the pits into.

"That good?" You smile and he nods.

"Can I..." Coryo starts, and you tilt your head at him. He doesn't want to ruin your day by bringing this up. Everything on your face shows hope, even excitement for what he is going to say. "If you can't hear this stop me, but the book made great company in the mentor hall."

For a moment, he saw nervousness flicker behind your eyes, but still, you nodded. You wanted to hear anything he had to say- you just hoped you could stomach it.

"Oh, that's fine. I'm... I'm glad." You try and smile, distracting yourself by popping a cherry into your mouth.

"I was alone most of the time. I didn't go home." He tells you, trying to say what he wanted but still be as vague as possible.

"It must have been so horribly boring." You laugh nervously, swallowing the cherry pit as you reach for another of the small red fruits, picking the stem from it and flicking it into the lake.

"I wish it was." He replies, watching you closely to see if and when he's crossed a line. You nod in understanding, and he takes a nervous breath in. "I... The alternative was that I got sent home like some of my classmates. I wasn't going to leave until I had to."

'Until I had to.'

So he was forced to go in for Sejanus. Why on earth would they not send peacekeepers? Why another child?

"I... I appreciate that." You stammer out, looking down at your lap, noticing for the first time that your hands were trembling. "That must have been uncomfortable. I apologize."

Coryo furrows his brow at you. "No, I'm sorry. Why would you apologize to me?" He asks. "I'm sorry I couldn't do more for you. That I couldn't get you out."

"You did more than you had to." You say, voice quiet with your honesty.

"No." He shakes his head. "I had to do everything I did. I couldn't let you die."

"You saved my life, and... and-" It happens very suddenly when a tear falls down your cheek; you didn't even notice you were starting to panic.

"No, wait, I'm sorry, hey, don't cry..." Coryo says quickly. He wants to help, to do something, but he feels helpless. Again. He feels sick with the knowledge that he always says the wrong thing.

"I'm sorry... I'm sorry..." You mumble, trying to wipe your eyes but you're finding it hard to speak.

"Don't be, please don't be sorry." He pleads with you, shifting so he's kneeling next to you, placing a hand on your back.

You almost jump away, head flying to look at him. He's just rubbing your back. He's only trying to help.

Instinctively, your eyes search for his. They aren't hard to find, and all you can see as you search them is worry. Nothing malicious. "I... Do you want me to get Lucy Gray? Or your brother?" He offers, grabbing your shaking hands in his free one. "Just take deep breaths."

You nod, scared to look away for even a second. So he has to.

Coryo turns back, swallowing his pride. "Lennox! Lucy Gray!" He shouts, drawing their attention quickly.

He accepted the berating he was about to get from your brother before it even came.

"What did you do?" Lennox asks him, forcing himself between the two of you.

"We were just talking and I think I said something- I don't know, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to..." Coryo answers honestly, standing up and taking a step back.

You're watching him, intently, despite Lucy Gray taking over holding you and talking to you in hushed tones, trying to ease your mind.

"I'm okay." You tell her, nodding. You don't look at her, only watching him. Watching his eyes- but nothing changes. Baby blue. Worry. More worry.

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also this taglist is closed now!! if you’d like to get a notification when i update, turn on my post notifications!! i promise i won’t spam y'all :,)

[hogwartslegacyreactions2]

Hey, I'm pretty sure that this was asked before, but I can't find the post.

What if MC died in the repository instead of professor Fig?

(I'm sorry, but I'm in an angsty mood)

I love your posts, and thanks

A/N: I do have vague recollection of answering a similar prompt once upon a time, but nothing wrong with a reprisal!

HLC REACT TO MC DYING IN THE REPOSITORY

WARNING: angst, death, grief

Dark ancient magic flew violently through the air around MC. The whirlwind of human agony consumed them as they released silver blue light from their wand. The magic thrashed and roared as MC expelled more and more effort to contain the chaos. Cracks started to form along the length of their wand.

Time slowed for them. MC could see Fig's silhouette just beyond the veil. The hundreds of young souls above them weighed heavy on their conscience. If they can't do this, everyone will die. They had to use all of it.

MC closed their eyes and whispered their goodbye. A light even brighter than the one from their wand emerged from their chest. The ancient magic within them burst forth with the fury of dragonfire. The silver light merged with the darkness, and as quickly as it had appeared, the magic vanished.

MC was gone. Their broken wand was all that remained.

SEBASTIAN SALLOW: He has officially lost everything. After losing his uncle, Anne, Ominis, and MC all at once, he's cracking. They can't be gone. Not them. They were too powerful to just vanish. He just has to find them. Yes. That's what he needs to do. He leaves Hogwarts. He MUST find them. Then Anne will see. Then Ominis will know. What he did was worth it.

OMINIS GAUNT: He rarely speaks anymore. The silence in his life has become so oppressive it took his own voice. The good life he thought he had was nice while it lasted, but now it's all come apart. It's only a matter of time before he loses Anne too, and when that happens...he doesn't know what he's going to do with himself.

ANNE SALLOW: She doesn't know how to feel about MC's death. On the one hand, they were trying to be a good friend to her and her brother but on the other...they also enabled Sebastian in his treachery. She's so very tired of the pain. She just wants to go to sleep.

IMELDA REYES: Well, damn. Mc was the closest thing to a friend she had in years. Someone competitive but friendly and fun to have around. They could dish out as much sass as she could, and she respected them for it. She cries a little at the end of year feast.

NATSAI ONAI: She should have been there. She could've done something! Why didn't they tell her!? She would've had their back! She....she...she breaks down into sobs so intense, even her mother can't comfort her. Her best friend was dead. Her heart was shattered and it would never be whole again without MC.

GARRETH WEASLEY: What? No. Nonono. Not them. That's impossible. They couldn't be dead. They're too strong to be.... He's in denial all the way until the MC's memorial service at the end of year feast. Then he breaks down. A bit of his fire died with MC.

LEANDER PREWETT: He wasn't super close to them, but he was still quite fond of them. They were a real friend. He hopes they're at peace and raises a goblet in their honor.

AMIT THAKKAR: He feels cold and numb all at once when he hears the news that MC died in the attack. He'd grown to care about them. He cursed himself for not spending more time with them when they were around.

EVERETT CLOPTON: He and MC didn't talk much outside of flying class but he had liked them. It was a shame he didn't get to know them more. He doesn't feel like eating when the feast is presented.

POPPY SWEETING: She hadn't cried this much since she left her parents. She finally made a friend, and just like that, they were gone. She doesn't know if she could make another friend again if she wanted to. Was she just doomed to lose every human connection she made?

ELEAZAR FIG: He wholeheartedly and inconsolably blames himself. Even if this fate couldn't be avoided, why did they have to die so young? He can't stand to hear the words "ancient" and "magic" in the same sentence at the same time anymore. It sends him into a dissociative trauma spiral.

He finds MC's wand. It's snapped in the middle with bits of wood frayed outward like the very core of the wand exploded. The two pieces are held together by the slightest sliver of wood.

He retires from teaching at Hogwarts. He doesn't trust himself with the care of students anymore. He doesn't trust his own judgment. He's tortured every night by the survivor's guilt taunting him that he should have done more. He should have protected them. He shouldn't have let them go as far as they did. They weren't ready. They couldn't handle the power they were forced to control. It takes everything in him to not attempt to destroy the map room with the portraits of the Keepers. He just leaves.

But every once in a while... On quiet moonless nights.... When he sees MC's wand displayed with Miriam's, he hears a whisper. A quiet breathy whisper that he could swear on his life sounds like MC. He chalks it up to the fact that he could be going mad from grief, but it's still strikes him as strange... If he looked at the wand hard enough... He could swear he sees a blue glow...

[gotham-daydreams]

Well that took a dark turn-

ANYWAYS what if reader escapes their first kidnapped Attemp from batfam and just dissappears, like go into hiding, and they can't be tracked down for a few weeks, what will batfam do?? Do you think the reader will be able to do that? 👀 👀 (I love this series and the ideas anons are giving ıts amazing<33)

What can I say? With yanderes there are only dark corners that progressively get darker the further you go.

(Also I'm glad! And I agree!! The ideas the anons are giving are amazing and I love them to bits!)

As for your question, in the series I don't believe that the reader will be able to fully achieve that. Since with what actually happens- well, it's kind of complicated, though they could try!

In a hypothetical scenario (that, once again, doesn't involve what'll happen in the series), the Batfam, in short, would freak the fuck out all over again.

Granted, they do have more information about the reader this time around, compared to when they first started looking for them. However, that doesn't seem to help, as they aren't able to locate the reader anywhere. Having even more trouble than the first night they tried looking for them, which is kind of saying something.

As you've said, it takes them a few weeks. Though by the first week they're already on the brink of insanity.

The Batfam finally had a taste of what life could've been with the reader in it. Of what life is like with the reader in it. Only for that to get taken away from them... and maybe it is deserved. Maybe that's just karma finally biting back, and showing the Batfam the one good thing that's ever happened to them, only to take it away. Only to steal it away again, to pour more pounds of salt on their aching wounds. Maybe it's what they deserve for ignoring the reader, and neglecting them for so long.

But they don't care.

They had the reader. They finally managed to bring them back home- and this happens? The reader ends up disappearing all over again? They leave again? But why? Didn't they want this too? Didn't they want to be a part of the family? What happened to that? Why can't they have it anymore? Why does the reader keep running away?

Y'know how I said in that one post where an anon asked "what would happen if the reader moved to a different country, instead of staying in Gotham?" (Or something around those lines-), that the Batfam would not only lose their minds, but be on the very brink the moment they find the reader, and thus, don't even have to think before kidnapping them? Well, this is very similar to that, except during those few weeks, at least a few of them absolutely tip over.

The moment they find the reader they don't even wait. No more slow approaches or mind games, they need the reader- now.

Nothing is going to change that. Nothing is going to get in the way of that. Not anymore. Not ever.

The reader wouldn't even get a chance to react or even make the smallest sound. All they know is that they were just suddenly minding their own buisness, albeit very paranoid and trying to be the most cautious they could, and then they saw black. By the time they wake up? They're back in their room in the manor. Maybe with a few... things missing if you catch my drift.

Since, now, well-

The Batfam will prioritize having the reader with them over any song or tune they'll ever hear them play.

The reader is what matters most to them, and they're never letting go. Never.

Even if it means taking away thing that'll limit them further. The Batfam is always there to help, so surely there isn't a problem, right? If anything, this just unlocks new bonding opportunities! Isn't that great! Are you happy?

Now the reader nees them more than ever, and they wouldn't have it any other way. :]

Regardless, when I do finally manage to get part 3 out and also part 4 (whenever that'll be-), maybe why I think that the reader in the "Not [ ]" series won't be able to fully accomplish this will be more clear! Since it is a little intense what happens, and will screw the reader over enough. Though it also may further encourage to escape somehow, we'll see!

Anyway, I hope this answered your questions!!

[thissongisawesome]

now, do i personally believe that maya and franziska would actively try to get phoenix and edgeworth together? not really. BUT. i don't see the harm in people writing scenarios in which they would? ik this sounds silly since maya and franziska wingmaning is one of the more popular ace attorney fic tropes, but i feel like recently i've seen a lot of hate towards and and i don't understand why!

think of it this way: maya is phoenix's best friend and like pseudo little sister, they're extremely close, and i'm pretty sure she teases him about his love life AT LEAST once in canon (it could be more, or i could've completely made this up, but i've played the trilogy enough where if i tried i could probably find an example but it's late and i'm tired). anyway with that said, why WOULDN'T she care about them getting together? she's shown in the first game to be pretty invested in "the deal with [nick] and edgeworth" her words, not mine. i'm not one to speak on later games because i honestly haven't touched them in over two years and even then they were a complete blur and i forgot everything except that edgeworth looked really ugly from the front. but. if my memory serves me i don't think their dynamic changed much? i can't see her caring AS much at 28 as she would at 17, because obviously she's grown and matured, but i don't think she'd be completely uninterested like some people say. maybe she wouldn't be wearing comical disguises to spy on them, but i could see her encouraging nick, or idk just telling trucy stuff about their old cases to stir something up.

i think the franziska side of things is where i'm a little more understanding, but also not really. on one hand, i get that she's very well put together and mature seeming. on the other hand, that's only how she SEEMS. i won't get into a whole franziska analysis because this post is already longer than i wanted and no one wants to hear me ramble about her, but she's not really as mature as she seems. anyway, would she care THAT much? the answer may surprise you!

now think of it THIS way: edgeworth is franziska's little brother. despite how she acts sometimes she obviously loves him dearly, and would (probably) just want him to be happy, with whatever foolishness it may endure. phoenix wright is franziska's sworn enemy. she can't stand him and feels as though he has personally wronged her before they even met. absolutely hates his guts (except for when they investigate together then they can be friends). franziska is incredibly smart, but she's clearly not the best emotionally. even with that, though, she seems to understand how important edgeworth is to phoenix ("earthquake blah blah blah" "are you thinking of miles edgeworth blah blah blah"). she kind of just accepts this, even though it implies that phoenix (a man he only recently reconnected with) would be on a similar level of emotional connection as his sister. maybe she doesn't think much about it though. she's just like sure whatever you're his most dear and indispensable friend i don't care anymore. do people really think that, if somehow she came to the conclusion that edgeworth had feelings for phoenix she wouldn't care in any way??? i'm not saying it'd necessarily be positive and all "you go girlfriend!", but to say she wouldn't CARE is so wild. she'd probably be furious, and so maybe she wouldn't wingman. but she does CARE about her brother, and honestly if it were presented to her on the right way she probably would wingman. one "hey franziska. i bet you can't make your brother get with phoenix wright. if they get together without your guidance then that basically means edgeworth beat you btw" and she's suddenly invested. (dramatized, but you get the point)

tldr; maya and franziska are not so nonchalant and cool that they wouldn't care about one of the most significant people in their lives having feelings for their courtroom rival of over a decade. that is all.

[sundew199]

Watch yourself for me

a/n: sorry about the delay to anon who requested this!! <3

tags: reiner x jean, mirror sex, top!reiner braun, bottom!jean Kirschstein, anal sex, anal fingering, riding, post-rumbling, handjobs, oddly kind of intimate, friends with benefits situation

kinktober day nine: mirror sex for anon

The cabin door slammed harshly as a forceful hand pushed it back, no care in their actions as what was in front of them was ten times more important. Reiner fisted his hand into the ashy locks of the man he was backing into the single bed in the room, panting into his mouth like he were his only source of air. Jean groaned, letting his legs buckle when they hit the side of the bed, sitting down with a plop and breaking from the hungry kiss.

Reiner heaved above him, disheveled already from devouring his mouth and attempting to walk back to one of the cabins without breaking away. His hands shakily came up to start undoing his tie, suit jacket long forgotten in the lounge area of the ship, where all of this began.

"How do sailors go weeks or months without getting laid, this is ridiculous." Jean huffed, glancing at the nearly empty glass in his hand once filled with bourbon.

"They find other outlets, obviously." Reiner huffed back but with more of a laugh, ashing his cigarette prior to taking another drag, letting the inhalation of nicotine fill his lungs.

"Didn't I tell you to quit, you can't heal anymore dumbass." Jean, who was already irritated from being pent up, attempted to snag the cancer stick from between Reiner's fingers to toss it over the railing into the ocean.

Predicting the other man's movements, Reiner moved the half-smoked cigarette to his other hand, laughing and flicking the end to keep it from burning too fast.

"I'm working on it." Taking another inhale just to spite the man next to him. "Why do you care so much?"

Jean couldn't help but roll his eyes at the comment and the continued drag of the dwindling cigarette between Reiner's fingers. His question is what irritated him the most, 'why do you care?' was the answer not obvious? Jean cared for Reiner, maybe even more than just friends but that wasn't something he wanted to dive deeper in.

"Stop asking stupid questions." Bringing the glass with the gulp of bourbon left to his lips, throwing the last of it back.

Reiner let out a sputter of a laugh, but leaving the conversation at that, feeling as if he had poked at Jean enough as is. Silence fell over both of them, letting the light breeze fill the empty air as the ship they were own made it's way to the next destination. All of them had wrapped up in Paradis a couple weeks ago, headed to the next to give a similar speech to hopefully bring everyone together, stomp out any lingering animosity from the atrocities that occurred three years ago. The work was about as entertaining as watching fish swim, robotic and mundane, but they all were in it for the long haul for the time being.

A long purposeful sigh came from beside Reiner, stubbing the end of his cigarette and looking over to give Jean the attention he was seeking. The brunette was slumped in the chair, head hanging over the back with his hands crossed over his abdomen, right above his belt buckle. Reiner reluctantly held back from grabbing another cigarette, even though the craving for nicotine was strong at the moment.

"Need to get laid that badly huh?" Bringing the topic of conversation back to the off handed comment Jean made moments ago, unable to hold back the laugh as Jean rolled his neck to look at Reiner annoyed.

"Shut up." Grumbling and adjusting lower in the chair, huffing through his nostrils and watching the clouds pass by. Reiner cleared his throat, crossed one leg over the over and slouched a bit in his chair as well, mirroring the taller man.

"Previous offer still stands from last time." Reaching for his barely touched glass of bourbon, debating if he should indulge or offer it to Jean instead, looking like he needs it more than him.

Nothing came from Jean, much to Reiner's surprise, expecting a smart comeback or a mumble of an answer. This much time to themselves and half of it being on a ship going from one place to another, both of them have taken to relieving each other's stress. Best way to put it since neither of them really had a good idea of what to label their agreement of sorts.

Taking the initiative, Reiner stood to stand in front of Jean's chair, trapping him with both hands on either side of the arms of the chair, blocking the sun. It was hard not to let the half smile crease in his lips as Reiner silently asked the question again, raising a cocky brow and purposely wetting his lips. All Jean could do was let out a sigh that bordered on a laugh before sitting up just enough to meet the blonde in a soft kiss.

They both hummed and parted their mouths further apart to swallow one another, no need for build up with it being a month since the last, desperate and hungry for the other. Jean began to stand without breaking from Reiner, pushing the khaki suit jack from his broad shoulders, watching the way it pooled on the deck to be left behind.

Now Jean sat on the edge of the bed in the room Reiner hurried them into, still catching his breath and fixating on the deft movements of the blonde's fingers undoing the buttons of his shirt, gradually exposing the broad chest dusted in pale blonde hair.

Pausing, Reiner dropped his hands from undoing the buttons and untucked the shirt, stepping closer to the transfixed man watching him.

"Need me to undress you?" Taunting and breaking the trance of the other man, tucking his bottom lip into his teeth as Jean hurried loose the knot of his tie just enough to pull it over his head, proceeding to undo the pearly white buttons on his own shirt.

Stopping him when all of them were undone, Reiner thumbed over the crisp collar, looking down at Jean with the thoughts of how he was going to fuck him this time swirling in his mind. His careful fingers slipped under the fabric, enough to push it back and off his shoulders, watching Jean's long arms come out of the sleeves.

Something hung in the air as silence settled between them, looking at each other with emotions unspoken, expressions unreadable besides the lust and want. Reiner could feel his throat running dry the longer he looked into the light brown hazel eyes, how they were like his but warmer.

"Don't tell me you're shy now?" The man below him quipped, letting out a snort, leaning back on his palms, idly pushing his belt buckle into the air, an invitation for Reiner.

Shaking his head, breaking out in a familiar smirk, Reiner hummed low in his throat. His sights were set on the dusty pink nipples on the toned chest before him, fanning hot air over the buds and appreciating the way Jean shivered and hid the groan. Rolling his tongue out, gliding it up the center of his sternum and to the right, Reiner watched Jean's features turn from lighthearted to lustful, breath low and steady as his eyes followed the flat pink tongue getting closer and closer to his nipple.

There was something so intoxicating about the way Reiner could shut Jean up, for the both of them. How his mouth had the power to turn the bold outgoing man into nothing but pleas and whispers, hands tangled in the back of his hair in desperation. The very end of his tongue flicked over the bud, lightly and just enough for Jean to go limp in his own hold, unable to keep himself from watching.

Reiner is surprised there hasn't been anything said, no comments, no expletives of how good it feels, just careful slow breaths as his tongue laves and swirls over Jean's nipple. His hands began to wonder from where he held him at the waist, hooking a finger to pull the leather belt from the buckle, undoing his trousers just enough to palm and squeeze the half hard cock hidden behind fabric.

Then the groan comes and the slow tipping of the taller man's head, his hips instinctively raising to meet the large palm running side to side at a maddening pace, teasing the stimulation Jean so suddenly craved. Reiner's mouth and hand work together in tandem, providing separate points of stimulation at once, working the pent up man even more than he already was, desiring to hear the soft spoken pleas and begs.

He begins to whine under Reiner's touch, gasping to the nips to his sensitive nipple, becoming more aware of the twitch in his hips the longer his hand gropes his throbbing cock. All he needs is relief, and could bring himself to admit that he wanted that relief from Reiner, in his head that is.

"Want me to suck you off?" Asking as if his own cock wasn't throbbing and begging for the warmth of a mouth or tight walls, staying on track to alleviate the pent up hormones in his friend. He faintly kissed the swollen red nipple he spent so much time on, breaking the tiny string of saliva connecting to his lips.

"No," Breathing out through barely parted lips, turning down an offer that may of been too good to pass up on if Reiner asked ten minutes ago. "Rather you be inside me."

A plush bottom lip was wetted by a tongue at the answer, expecting it but not at the same time. Usually one of them would have a dick down the other's throat before having the other inside them. But the yearning for relief was glazed over in those warm hazel eyes Reiner stared back into, unable to help the laugh that tittered out of him.

Moving to stand between the man's legs, knocking them apart just enough with his knees, and forcing Jean to lay flat off the edge of the bed. Each side of Reiner's open shirt provided a curtain as he hovered over him, planting his hands on either side of Jean's head, looking down at him with an equally hungry look.

"Need to prep you then." Uttering low, whispered almost with the intimacy of just looking at each other. Jean sighed patting his pants pockets and coming up empty, meaning one of them was going to have to retrieve the oil bought in Hizuru a couple months back. Like he was able to read his mind, Reiner slipped his hand into his own pocket, revealing the vial of clear liquid and saving them from having to break this moment.

Jean smirked with a laugh, lifting himself from the bed just enough to reach Reiner's soft lips, tilting his head to avoid knocking their noses together. The blonde melted into the kiss, pushing into it further with a knee now on the bed between the long lanky legs of the man under him. It was quiet enough to hear the echos of lips moving and colliding, the inhales each of them took when barely breaking apart for air, the unhurried desperation of it all.

With the vial resting on the bed beside their bodies, freeing both of Reiner's hands, he made quick work of pulling Jean's trousers off, leaving him in just briefs. Jean only found it fair that Reiner shed some clothing as well, pushing the sleeves of his crisp shirt from his shoulders to reveal the broad chest and arms. Even after loosing the power of the titans, Reiner's body remained chiseled and toned, with the exception of the healthy layer of fat concealing some of the muscle. Jean like him like this, evidence that he weren't bound by a curse or his own mind, that he was happy and healthy, like he deserved to be.

"Lift your hips."

A muttered command against his lips breaking his thoughts, a hand dipped behind the waistband of his briefs, needing assistance to get them all the way off. Jean complied, lifting his hips just enough for Reiner to yank the last piece of clothing from his body. The blonde sighed, breaking the kiss and admiring the bare body below him, wasting not even a second to let his lips descend down his body, hands running down his sides until reaching his groin, stopping to gather the bead of pre on his tongue.

Jean arched to the action, sinking his teeth into his bottom lip and trying to return to being relaxed as Reiner spread his legs at the knees, beginning to kiss his inner thigh gently.

"Shit-" Words shaking on his lips as he reached the puckering hole rather quickly. A tongue flattening over it and ascending to his balls that twitched to the touch. Jean felt the shutter of anticipation run up his spine, prickle his skin at the continuous laps and swirls from the muscle.

Enjoying himself, Reiner briefly peered over to right, spotting the floor length mirror propped against the wall of the room he hadn't noticed until now. The reflection of Jean's body from the torso down staring back at him, prompting his cock to twitch at the idea forming in his head. Storing said idea for later, Reiner patted around for the vial, unscrewing it as he came up from his crouch, generously applying more than enough on at least two of his fingers. He returned to hovering over Jean, chest to chest as he circled and teased his middle finger.

"Remember to stay relaxed or it'll take longer for you to cum." Joking with Jean as he eased the tip of his finger in, smiling at the way the other's rebuttal died in his throat, leaving his lips parted and eyes hooded. Reiner sighed, kissing the scruffy chin and eventually along his jaw to keep him distracted as he worked more of his thick finger inside of him.

"Fuck that's good." Barely able to say as his voice shook, reaching up to hold onto Reiner's shoulders, staring up at the cocky man working him open. The blonde chuckled deeply, waiting until he adjusted and relaxed to start moving, locking him in another distracting kiss. Jean groaned into it, biting down on Reiner's bottom lip the moment his finger moved in and out, sensing the eagerness to open him up and fuck him numb, which was all Jean could ask for at this point.

"Want you to ride me, fuck yourself on my dick baby." Panting into the warm mouth that occupied his, slipping in the second lube slick finger and swallowing the reaction immediately with another kiss. Jean's leg kicked out in front of him, the pain and pleasure of Reiner's actions sending his body into a flurry of sensations, drowning in him with no sign of breaching the top.

"Thought you liked bending me over?" Snorting back through a groan, the arch in his back increasing with every pump of the two fingers, every stretch around them and amplifying his need for the other.

A laugh fanned over his teeth bitten lips, golden eyes clouded in lust blinking slowly above him. "I do, but need you to see how good you look with my dick stuffed inside you, want you to watch yourself for me."

Be it the delightful sting of a third finger entering to prod along inside him or the bliss of the heat encircling the body above his, Jean didn't quite catch on to what Reiner was implying, rolling his eyes back into his head and moaning. All that did was surge the heat through Reiner's veins, hurry the hand working at his own belt to free himself, fumbling with adrenaline to get inside the inviting hole.

Kicking his trousers and briefs off, Reiner increases the pace of his fingers, holding Jean down at the hip as he writhes and tries to run away from the heated pleasure stretching him open. He knows he's brushing past the deepest part of him, the gland that makes him dig his nails into his shoulder and the pre leak from his tip, Reiner knows and continues to aim for it.

"Fuck! You want me to cum on your fingers or your dick?" Asking with exasperation as Reiner continues, making Jeans legs quiver and tingle, signs of a potential orgasm.

Instead of giving him an answer, Reiner yanked his fingers out, relishing in the surprised whine from Jean at the action. Grabbing the vial and sitting on the edge of the bed facing the mirror, he tipped his head him to come here. Even while catching his breath, Jean found it in him to grumble something under his breath, sliding off the bed and coming to stand in front of the blonde. Reiner glanced up with a knowing smile, spreading the clear liquid from the vial over his neglected cock, grabbing the taller man's hip and turning him around.

Reiner didn't have to see Jean to know he was rolling his eyes, hearing the long sigh and catching the 'bastard' that slipped out at the end of whatever he was saying. All that did was turn Reiner even more eager, leaning back on his palm just a tad and guiding the other back with the hand already on his hip. Slowly Jean brought himself to hover over the flushed angry cock, hissing when the tip poked and began to protrude at his hole, steading his breathing before proceeding.

A long pleased groan vibrated in Reiner's chest once his cock was passed the tight ring of muscle, bruising his fingers into Jean's hip to keep himself from slamming him all the way down. God, even after all his prep it was tight, but inviting and warm, hugging around his shaft with just enough of a vice grip. Jean swung one of his legs over Reiner's, groaning the more he lowered himself and eventually seating himself all the way.

"What's the point of this, I can't even see you?" Jean asked out of breath, throwing his head back and slightly rocking his hips on top of Reiner.

"Don't want you to see me," Coming off from leaning on his palm to press his chest into Jean's back, letting the palm of his hand run across the muscled abdomen, teasingly near the other's twitching cock. "Want you to see yourself, like I said earlier."

Jean scoffed, teething his bottom lip again and not taking into account of the mirror he was perfectly situated in front of until the hand running over his torso cupped under his chin to bring him to see the reflection.

Arousal and lust ran anew in Jean's body, seeing himself seated nicely in the blonde's lap, the thick thighs spread underneath his and the way he quickly grasped the motivation behind Reiner's choice. Just being the two of them, it was scandalous, dirty even and it made Jean's hips move to rise and sink back down, basking in the sputter of a groan coming from behind him, the way the hand fell from holding his chin to land on the bed.

Sucking in a sharp breath, Jean rocked his hips forward repeatedly, allowing Reiner's cock to poke and prod the deepest parts of him, aiming for his own pleasure with his movements. Reiner adjusted behind him, grabbing the leg that wasn't already thrown over his to match, spreading Jean wider in his lap. They both moaned in sync, though neither of them were moving much but still gaining something from the friction of their bodies pressed and conjoined.

"Fuck, you feel good." Reiner whispered, griping one of Jean's hips and lifting him enough to where he could slowly thrust upwards, keeping it tame at the moment.

Gasps spilled past his lips at the thick cock stretching him further with each thrust, the burning pleasure turning him into putty, griping tightly onto one of Reiner's forearms. A sweaty forehead pressed into the back of his neck, puffs of hot breath cascading over the thin sheen of sweat painted onto his skin.

"Faster-" The request coming out heavier with desire than he intended, hearing the almost arrogant chuckle from Reiner and knowing he was going to do anything but what he asked. Fucking dick.

"Are you watching yourself?" Sending one sharp thrust into him, keeping Jean steady on top of him, moving to hook his chin over his shoulder, shivering at the fucked out expression on Jean's face. His hair a mess, muscle tensed all over with his eyes nearly rolled back into his head as he inhales deep breaths.

"For fuck sake Reiner-"

"C'mon, I'll do all the work if you just watch." Lightly kissing the shoulder his chin was hooked over, lips curling into a smile at the whine of compliance from Jean, hooking his arm under his leg where his knee bent, giving him enough leverage to fuck up into the man.

The once slow moderate thrusts turned faster with each one, skin meeting skin with an echo, urging Reiner each time. Jean forced himself to watch in the mirror, watch the way Reiner's dick would appear and disappear each time, watch the way his neglected dick bounced with each thrust. Surprisingly, he didn't cringe at the way he looked taking the blonde's dick, so focused on the hips below him and the heavy grunts and breathing from behind. It was all so overwhelmingly good, exactly what he needed after a month of having nothing.

Jean nearly lost all balance when Reiner hit his prostate, shaking and moving to hold onto the meaty thighs for support. Reiner smiled behind him, knowing he hit right where intended, doing it again, dropping Jean's leg to wrap around his midsection, coming up to speak into his ear.

"Finally get to see how good you look, get to see what I see." Nipping his ear lobe with a shaky breath, finally reaching down with the other hand after sitting up to wrap around Jean's throbbing dick. His head falls back on his shoulder the moment he does, releasing a sort of pitiful whine, like he was begging for something he couldn't quite say.

Knocking his shoulder forward to move Jean's head off, Reiner runs his hands upwards until his fist is enclosed around the head, thumbing over the leaking slit, spreading the pre around the angry tip. Jean's entire body tensed, grappling for a sense of stability as he was being toyed with. Breathing deeply, he twisted just enough to face Reiner, throwing an arm around his neck, burying it in the back of his hair and smashing him in a kiss.

Surprised but pleased all at once, Reiner coaxed his fist down from the tip to about halfway before coming back up, stroking the man slowly even if he thought it was mean. And his theory was correct with the way Jean's fingers gripped and pulled at his roots, harshly nipping at his bottom lip.

"Focus big boy." Regaining some of his confidence with the jab spoken into his lovers lips, reminding him that his thick dick had ceased all movement.

"Yeah? Then what?" Snapping his hips hard enough to send familiar shivers down both of their spines, catching the way Jean's lashes flutter from the impaling below.

"I'll let you suck me off." Snickering at his own comment and meeting Reiner's thrust with his own downward ones, not ashamed to let the groans spill into the other's mouths, still breathing heavily into one another.

"Let me?" Shaking his head with a small laugh, moving his hand faster along with his hips. "You've got the wrong idea if you don't think you're coming on my cock baby."

Even if he knew that would've been the answer he received in response to his 'offer', Jean still moaned and clenched around Reiner, appreciating the way he responded with another snap of his hips. Jean breathily laughed into his lips, humming and using his own legs to bring Reiner's closer together, thanking himself for his height as he was able to plant the balls of his feet on the floor to move up and down easier and faster.

"Oh fuck-" Exclaiming in delight at the increased motion and rhythm, groaning to the point it sounded like a growl as he hurriedly held onto the meat right above Jean's hip, diving in for his mouth again.

They both groaned and panted into each other, so lost in the bliss that had filled the small room, the heat of their arousal mixing with the humidity outside the ship, fogging the single porthole window. Jean shuttered harshly, calves straining and desperation growing for release. Reiner felt the same but couldn't find himself ready to part, the greediness of the hole sucking him in over and over outweighing his body's natural instinct to cum.

"Shit don't stop - I'm close." Jean confessed, losing momentum to keep riding the cock that continuously stretched him out, combined with the tight hand fisting up and down his own cock rapidly.

"I'll keep going, if you let me cum inside you." Almost sneering the request, beginning to take over once he notice the falter from above, the fatigue from the position the taller man was in. Jean clenched his teeth, let his head fall back and then forward, pressing his sweaty forehead to his and giving a small nod.

"yeah - just please don't stop."

"Wouldn't dream of it," Smiling back in a sweet manner, moving to pull on Jean's bottom lip with his teeth, gathering the last of his energy to slam upwards. Jean shakily whines, almost like a sob from the pounding he was taking, the grip around his cock, all being so much and so good simultaneously.

The closer he got, the louder he moaned, forgetting that the chance of someone walking down the hall, passing by the room they were in was still there, but so gone to the point Jean didn't care. He felt so good, Reiner made him feel so good and it wasn't an odd thing to admit to himself anymore. They were once friends, then enemies, then allies and now friends with an agreement that was never spoken, and whether or not this went anywhere beyond where it was now, Jean new it wouldn't do any damage to the bond that was mended between them.

"Close, fuck m'close." Moaning quietly into the space between their faces just inches apart, calves screaming and legs quivering from an ache of more than one thing.

"Me too," Reiner responded, looking on the verge of snapping, the ungodly stamina he still possessed wearing off at this point and drowning in the other, shamelessly. "Watch yourself for me yeah?"

Without even having to question what he was talking about, Jean huffed and twisted his body forward to the mirror, focusing on the hips below him and the fist around his cock still. Whether Reiner knew this would send him over the edge or not, it worked, Jean croaking out a cry and thrusting into the hand around him, ropes of white shooting into the air and landing on Reiner's hand and wrist. Jean could feel him shaking beneath him, thrusts turning sporadic and uncoordinated, eventually landing one or two final thrusts before stilling completely, the warmth of his release spilling inside him.

Neither of them moved for a moment, so out of breath and somewhat drained. Still seated on Reiner's lap with his slowly softening cock, Jean pushed the hair sticking to his forehead back out of his eyes, letting his head stay tipped back.

"Almost forgot how good of a fuck you are, thanks for the reminder." The blonde's comment bringing him back to look at him, witnessing the shit eating grin stretching across his face. Rolling his eyes, Reiner chuckled, bringing the hand where Jean's cum had landed to his mouth, cleaning it up with his tongue, on purpose of course.

"Shut up, Jesus Christ." Ignoring the new knot of arousal tightening in his stomach at the sight of Reiner's tongue eagerly cleaning his cum stained hand.

Slowly, Jean began to lift off of Reiner, ignoring the wince that came with being empty once more. A stream of the other's cum instantly rolled down his legs, so much of it released inside that it couldn't be contained. A flop and creaking of springs indicated Reiner had either laid back or gotten up, Jean focused on finding his clothes thrown about the room to care to look back. But the hand pulling on his arm and back onto the bed forfeited his effort, abruptly landing on Reiner's chest and locked into a kiss. It was slow, languid and almost passionate the way Reiner's lips moved with his. His arms wrapping around him at the shoulders and the ends of his fingers crawling up the nape of his neck into his hair.

"Won't be docking for another week, and all our meetings with the others are finished for the day." Lazily remarking as he pushed some of the loose strands of Jean's hair out of his face.

"Yeah and?" Trying not to sound too annoyed with whatever Reiner was eventually going to ask, keeping his expression neutral.

"I can suck you off, plenty of time." Tucking his bottom lip into his teeth with a soft laugh, sneaking one of his hands down to slap Jean's ass.

Now truly annoyed and also quickly getting turned on again, Jean sighs, attempting to sit up but failing from the strong arm keeping him in place.

"Horny bastard."

"Could say the same thing about you Kirschstein." Rumbling in another laugh and moving to sit up and get out from under Jean, shooting the other a wink and shuffling over to lock the door, ensuring no unwanted interruptions were to come for however long they decided to claw at each other in this room.

[bokettochild]

Hi just letting you know that I'm Obsessed with what you wrote about Legend's uncle. Because, like, my headcanon was that his uncle got older and Legend encouraged him to move in with his grandparents--don't worry I'm older now I can manage the orchard myself--and the distance that formed between them post alttp was enough to make his uncle just a bit too willing to leave Legend behind.

But, like...now I'm imagining Alphon raising this kid, this forgotten prince who has a divine destiny ahead of him. And he tries not to get attached, and slowly starts to encourage Link towards things like farming as his duty to look after him turns into found family. For a short time, Alphon starts to convince himself that maybe they can just live on that isolated farm together without worrying about gods or monsters.

Of course destiny comes knocking. Alphon goes to the castle alone, telling Link to stay behind (to stay safe, stay out of it) as a sort of last ditch effort to keep fate from claiming the boy who has become like a son to him.

When Link shows up anyway, Alphon reasons that it was foolish to see family in someone as far removed from him as a child of the gods. He gives the Hero of Legend instructions on how to proceed, and lets go.

Link loses his uncle in the sewers of Hyrule Castle.

Yes!

Whether Aflon was actually his biological uncle or not (I say yes, but I don't care particularily) he raised this kid with the knowledge that, yeah, he's more then the average small child.

When the rest of the knights are all killed off, he realizes, quite abruptly, that "oh, the prophecy about the hero is referring to him."

I think he loved Legend, truly. You can't be the sole caretaker for a wee babe and not fall in love with them. You can't watch them mimic you and talk like you and do their chores in a mirror of how you do and walk in your literal footsteps; little legs struggling to stretch far enough between holes in the snow- and not fall in love with that child.

Aflon loved Legend with everything in him.

But the kid that he found when he was brought back to life had his own way of doing things, he was wary, he was silent, scared of so many things and rather than following in too-big steps, he makes his own as he darts from brush to bush, from cover to cover like a soldier under fire. He doesn't act like a child anymore, he's not that sweet, gap-toothed kid that Aflon held in his arms just the other day (as far as he is concerned). Yes, he has the same face, but that kid is not his sweet, innocent, gentle, carefree nephew.

But it's still a kid.

So he takes care of him until he can make arrangements for someone else to, because it's still a child, even if it's not his child. He arranges for his parents, Link's grandparents, to take over, telling this kid with Link's face that they're going to the farm for the summer like they always do- except this summer he never comes back to bring him home again.

This summer, once the boy is not his Link is on the farm, he goes back to the house, locks it up, and leaves.

He can't live there without Link, and he can't go back for the kid that replaced his own.

So he wanders through Hyrule, finds a place after some time, settles down, and starts a family of his own. He always wanted kids after all, and now he has a wife and a son.

Except the little one they have is either the exact opposite of his Link, or all too similar to him, and either way that hurts. He's haunted by that little boy he promised the queen he would care for, but he's got no way to find him now.

He might go back once, but Legend's off adventuring, hardly ever home- doesn't really have a home, because the house isn't the same without his uncle and the farm was never truly home either. Maybe he asks the locals, hiding his face so they won't know him, won't tell Link he was there, (maybe they can't recognize anymore him anyway) and all they can tell him is what a good hero that kid became, but he's gone today, as he always is, wandering and restless, wary and unwilling to linger.

So he goes back home.

And I like to imagine he's even more haunted, because Link never wanted to wield a weapon. His Link wanted to be an apple farmer. His Link didn't like to fight. His Link would always cheer that his Uncle would kill all the scary monsters. His Link didn't have blood on his hands.

But the hero is the opposite, and deep down he knows his Link is the Hero.

Which means he failed his mission to protect him. He failed Link. He failed the queen.

And now he has to live with that. All while watching another little boy grow up in front of him. A little boy who idolizes the hero that the village people talk about sometimes. All while wondering if his son will turn out the same way.

[kitkatkk2]

au i came up with in isatcord yesterday (apparently @mari-lair has done something very similar but i’m doing my take on it now.)

(this post is basically just gonna be random thoughts and ideas. might flesh it out later.)

I’m calling it:

Out of the Loop

Basically: Everyone except Siffrin is looping.

The wish, instead of “I want to stay with them” was phrased as “I want them to stay with me.” This slightly different phrasing shifts the loop onto his family. And the other major characters for the hell of it. King gets to remember dying every time <3

Siffrin Nomiddlename Nolastname: Observant enough to notice they're falling behind, too afraid of rejection to point it out.

Eventually it gets to a point where not only is Siffrin no longer the fastest, they're the slowest. This does not help the "feeling useless" thing:

(Odile is faster than you. Your friends seem to know where everything is.)

(You're falling behind.)

(Hitting fast and looking around are your only jobs! Without that... what are you? The comic relief?)

(Ha. They're not even laughing at your jokes anymore. They try to, but, obviously, they don't find it funny.)

(You're useless, now. You don't know when it happened, or how, but everyone surpassed you. You're just a weight on their shoulders.)

On that note, every time Siffrin learns about the loop, their reaction is "Oh. Guess I should just stay here, then. I'll only hold you back."

This is why their friends don't tell them about the loop. Because they want him there.

...Even if he is a burden. Even if everything he contributed is made obsolete. Even if they have heard all of his jokes before.

Loop is still here. They're probably a lot more passive because of the fact that the party has each other to talk to, and Loop would still rather not see them if they can help it. (Although they sometimes can't.)

Once the party finds out about why they're looping it's probably very hard to process. They obviously can't blame Siffrin, he didn't know what would happen. But still. It's a little weird, knowing that they made that wish, they put the party through this. And he doesn't even have to suffer with them. (But they also don't get to know all the inside jokes, don't get to have all the bonding moments, don't get to remember all of their stargazing sessions.)

I think Isa tries to practice confessing maybe twice, and then gets so upset when Siffrin doesn't remember it that he stops trying.

Bonnie makes new snacks every loop. I think their "friendquest" equivalent with Sif is the attempt to make a croissant so good that even he can't turn it down.

It doesn't work, but it does get Siffrin to open up about The Incident

This has been random thoughts about the AU I made up

[red-hot-kick]

Theory: Ryuji was popular, before.

I'm not entirely sure if anyone has really talked about this but I maintain my interpretation that, in the canon of Persona 5, Ryuji used to be very (or at least moderately) popular prior to the events of the story.

This is something I've gotten into before when talking to friends who like the game and the character, but I haven't really considered writing it down until now. The main argument I have is based on three things:

Things Ryuji alluded to in canon (but no one believed him on)

The deliberate choice of making him a track athlete

Typecasting for voice actors

1: "There were girls all over me!"

I don't really have the time to go on a deep dive through all the instances in which he hints at his reputation before the Kamoshida incident, but I think the most clear-cut representation of this was during the scene where he and Ann spend the day with Futaba during her post-palace social rehabilitation:

So here's the thing...I don't think he's lying about this. Nobody in the room would be that impressed to find out whether Ryuji was popular since they are already friends (or in Mona's case, he really just doesn't care), so it wouldn't make sense for him to lie.

Regarding everyone's reactions though, here's my impression: Ann was simply not aware of what was going on with the track team, being predominantly focused on dealing with rumors, her friendship with Shiho, and her modeling career (and eventually Kamoshida's advances once he started doing that shit) and she mentions a few times that she and Ryuji weren't actually close before joining the PT; they were just in the same class in middle school. Futaba hasn't interacted with anyone her age in years and isn't the most reliable source when it comes to what people generally find attractive; just because she doesn't have any interest in Ryuji doesn't mean that nobody her age would. And Morgana is a cat that brags constantly about how cool he is, so he shouldn't be throwing rocks.

There are many other times in the game when you get little glimpses of his social savvy, and from my understanding of Royal (I'm an OG vanilla P5 player and haven't done 3rd-semester yet, so don't kill me) when the track team returns to "how it was", he is getting along extremely well with everyone. Not only was he the team's ace: this kid was also expected to become the captain by his senior year (as briefly mentioned when he bumps into his former senpai at the gym, iirc). That's huge! If his team held him in such high regard, then the general student body of Shujin surely had a similar opinion. This brings me to my next point:

2: Girls like boys that run fast(???)

This is honestly something that baffles me. It's also really difficult for me to substantiate; any source material on this is obviously in Japanese and if I could find any of it, I sure as hell can't read it. The only English-language source I know of I cannot find anymore; I think it was an old Tofugu article? However. If you've watched any romance anime set in a high school during the last 20 years, you might have seen this trope at some point: the school sports festival is happening, and the relay race is kind of a huge deal (it's the final event! a make-or-break moment for the class!). The boy thinks to himself "If I win this race, I'll be able to win her heart/ask her out/etc." Low-stakes drama ensues. Maybe a confession happens.

This is (from what I've been told) based on a long-standing trend of girls and women self-reporting in surveys about how, oftentimes, their crushes in junior or senior high school were simply "the boy who ran the fastest in the races". I have no idea what this means in a broader cultural context. It makes no goddamn sense to me at all. Do not cite me on this. But I think it's worth keeping in mind, even if it's almost entirely speculative (and possibly outdated) information. And even if it's just based on rumors, don't you think it's pretty in-character for Ryuji to go for a track scholarship—despite being adept at other sports like baseball and football/soccer, as mentioned in P5 and P5D—because he was aware of the potential of being more popular with girls? Of course, his priority would be getting the scholarship and paying his way through school to lighten his mother's burden, but hey, getting a girlfriend on the way up wouldn't be half bad!

I think this could also inform us as to why Kamoshida (as a predator who wanted attention from high school girls) felt so threatened by the track team in particular, and why he felt a need to specifically knock Ryuji down a peg and sought out a weakness to do so (as opposed to targeting any of the probably just-as-popular boys on the many other athletic teams and clubs in the school). Just some food for thought on this one! Also, if anyone can find a source or has any insight on the relay race thing, please share. I am so confused about it.

3: Typecasting

So this is something that you really only notice if you are very into keeping up with seiyuu in Japan. I am not one of those people. But I do have some favorite voice actors! One of these being Mamoru Miyano.

So I freakin' love this dude. He's voiced a lot of my favorite characters, sings incredibly well, and has an unreal sense of comedy. He's stated in interviews that his acting inspiration is Jim Carrey, and let me tell you: it shows. He is also quite consistently typecast into certain roles, predominantly as princely pretty-boy types, Coolguys, or complete fucking nutcases. Sometimes all three at the same time (shoutout to my boy Ling FMA!)

ATLUS definitely cast him for P5 because of his comedic chops. But I think they also cast him because having him voice someone like Ryuji is a great way to subvert expectations for the player. I think it's supposed to give you whiplash—"what do you mean the voice of LIGHT FUCKING YAGAMI is coming out of this guy's mouth?" "why does the delinquent character sound like king of the host club Tamaki Suou?" "isn't that Rin Matsuoka's voice?" etc. etc. etc.

(here's a quick list, just to really get the idea across. maybe you recognize a few.)

This is obviously a non-comprehensive list, but something that a lot of the characters he's voiced over the years have in common is that they were considered cool, handsome, or popular. Not just for fans, but within the canon of their stories! So...what does that mean? What does that say about how we should see Ryuji?

I think players are supposed to expect that he will fall into one of those categories too, and then be surprised to find that it's not the case—that he's been isolated and made bitter and resigned by what happened to him the year before.

Speaking of his tone, I think it's very telling that Ryuji actually forgets to keep up the delinquent act a lot in the original JP audio, which unfortunately doesn't really carry over in the ENG translation. The delivery of his JP lines sounds a bit more subdued in comparison too—yeah he's got a lot of energy and is very hotheaded, but when he gets to talking about serious shit, he sounds a lot more regretful and melancholy as opposed to the EN delivery which depicts him as more resentful and outwardly angry. I think before Shit Went Down, he probably had the Coolguy vibe. Still a bit of a rowdy idiot and a showoff, but I think he probably came across to most people as a very friendly, sincere, and popular guy.

So yeah, the girls probably were all over him, at least for a short while.

[camels-pen]

post-timeskip Sanji is sent back in time to a point before Sabaody. I don't really have a whole thing for this, just Sanji having to restrain himself from yelling at his younger self to please, dear god, do NOT let Usopp get sent to Boin on his own.

He's also taking a lot of time to drag Usopp to the kitchen and give him lessons on proper nutrition and cooking. Usopp- as with everyone else- is very confused. Sanji's the cook, isn't he? That's his job, not Usopp's.

Sanji has to make up some excuse about being sick once and Usopp planning and cooking meals so badly that it has haunted him for years. Man, having a chronic liar and storyteller for a boyfriend is really rubbing off on him. Not that he's complaining at the moment.

Despite his confusion, Usopp genuinely has a good time with Sanji. Especially since he's not really cooking, more just writing stuff down in a notebook while Sanji lists off different recipes and why they're good to know off the top of his head. He doesn't understand why every recipe seems like they'd be best suited for camping out in a large, killer bug and plant-infested forest- specific, yes, but also Sanji keeps making a note about that after he lists off each recipe. Usopp is going to avoid thinking about it too deeply.

Younger Sanji, meanwhile, is pouting and denying it to anyone who points it out. His kitchen gets commandeered and it feels like his older self is mocking him. Like every time he pulls Usopp to the galley, he's saying, "Look how easily I can touch him, compliment him, make him laugh. Look how weak and cowardly you are." and younger Sanji can't stand it.

He'd grown a bit distant from Usopp since realizing his romantic feelings for him back in Water 7- and isn't that fucked up? it was only after they were in a hotel for the night, Usopp well and truly not a part of the crew anymore, that Sanji had felt an aching in his heart. The same ache that followed him now, though it's far more pleasant than it had been in that hotel.

Eventually, there's some kind of portal that appears high above Sunny and very distant high pitched screaming. Familiar high pitched screaming.

"SANJI!"

Sanji gets a big grin on his face and without thinking he uses Sky Walk to meet the quickly growing speck in the shape of a person. He holds out his arms and catches a flailing post-TS Usopp in his arms.

"Oh thank god," he said, quickly wrapping his arms around Sanji's neck. Sanji lowered them down to the deck and they were immediately surrounded.

"Holy shit, I'm buff!" younger Usopp said.

"Did Sanji-san just jump into the sky?!" Brook exclaimed, with similar sentiments echoed by Luffy and Chopper, sparkles in their eyes. "How- what- how?"

"Older Usopp's outfit is looking pretty super too!"

"You're only saying that because I'm half-naked Franky," Usopp said, unimpressed. "Don't put me on the same level as you, weirdo."

"Haha, sure thing, no need for flattery."

"It wasn't."

"Not that I'm not enjoying all this- and loving that you're here, mon cher," -younger Sanji's eye twitched- "but you have a surefire route back, right?"

"Of course!" He pointed up at the still open portal above Sunny. "Zoro's threatening the devil fruit user to keep that open until we come back. He was actually the one to find the guy in the first place."

Sanji groaned. "Mossball's never gonna let me forget it."

"It's nice that some things stay the same." younger Zoro said, smug. "I still have to bail your ass out all the time."

"Shut the fuck up!" both Sanji's yelled simultaneously.

Usopp laughed. "He gets into his share of trouble, but Zoro, you really shouldn't say anything. I mean, just wait until you lose your-"

Sanji slapped a hand over Usopp's mouth. "They're not there yet, darling."

Younger Sanji and younger Usopp's faces darkened.

Sanji could feel Usopp pout under his hand. "You don't even know what I was going to say."

Sanji rolled his eye. "I can guess."

"I could've meant his favourite haramaki. Or one of his swords. Or-"

"Dear, there's only one thing you constantly bring up that mosshead lost. I get that he's never told anyone how it happened, but you really need to let it go."

"How can a storyteller let go of a mystery like that?? You might as well ask me to cut off my tongue right now."

"Ah, but then how would you taste all the snacks I make for you?"

"You know, I survived for two years on a deadly, man eating island with nothing but-"

Younger Usopp loudly cleared his throat. Sanji and Usopp turned to him. With his flush still very visible, he said, "You can get down now."

"Aww, but Sanji's arms are comfy," Usopp whined, nuzzling Sanji's neck.

Younger Sanji stomped towards them. "Either older me lets you down, or I-"

Sanji raised a brow. "You what? You're just an arrogant brat sailing through Paradise. No matter what you do, you can't force me- either of us, to do anything."

Younger Sanji bristled and Sanji was starting to feel like taking him down another peg, make him know his own faults before they're cruelly laid out in front of him, one crewmate disappearing after another. Usopp tugged on his collar, stopping him.

"We talked about this," Usopp said.

Sanji took a deep breath. "Yeah." He turned to his younger self. "Sorry, it's- I'm angry at myself. Not you."

"But aren't we-?"

Sanji shook his head. "Don't worry about it."

And with a few more accidental slip ups and very obvious flirting, Sanji and Usopp bid their pre-timeskip crew adieu and Sanji flies them up to the portal. Usopp definitely says something along the lines of "I'm so glad you're okay, I was really worried and I don't know what I'd do without you." and then he and Sanji share a kiss mid-air before finally going through the portal.

The portal snaps shut and most of the crew ends up hanging out and talking about what the heck just happened in a "oh huh, what an interesting event" type of way. Meanwhile, younger Sanji and Usopp are staring, mouths agape and incredibly flustered, at the spot where their older selves made out with each other.

[ceasarslegion]

By the wishes of a few people, here's my advice post about living alone. Keep in mind I'm speaking from the perspective of a canadian urbanite, so this will not apply to absolutely everybody in every kind of culture, economy, living situation, those in rural areas, etc. This also is not assuming wealth disparities are a matter of personal attitude, i KNOW it's complicated. Get back with that shit right now, you know damn well this advice assumes you are able to achieve the financial means to live on your own and is not disparaging anyone who legitimately can't.

Let's cover the basics first.

Source of income:

This seems rather obvious, but your income should be regular and reliably the same or similar on a monthly basis. The most obvious way to achieve this is with a job, and I'm sorry but minimum wage is not going to cut it on your own anymore, which means you're going to have to swallow your pride and accept that you'll likely have to work for some industry or corporation with a dodgy moral record. Get used to it. There is no point in self-flagellation, the world is complicated, just take the 50-60k a year office job, no one actually expects you not to and nobody will hold it against you when the "moral" option is soul-crushing retail. The real world really doesn't give a shit what you have to do to afford a comfortable lifestyle as long as you do what good you can within your abilities, no one in the real world expects you to sacrifice your own wellbeing for a cause.

Salaried positions are your most reliable because you'll always pull the same amount, while hourly pay comes with the ability to pull overtime pay in exchange for more shifts, but if you run out of sick days you'll have to spend the rest of the year taking unpaid time off when you need to call in. Whichever one you choose depends on what's available to you and what's right for you physically and mentally, I can't make that call for you.

You also need a credit card. That is non-negotiable. If you don't have a credit score, you can't sign a lease. Bad credit is better than no credit. We can argue until the cows come home whether or not credit scores are good or bad, but it's just reality that you're going to need one. The good news is it's fairly easy to build credit from no credit: you just have to pay off your credit card in full on time every time. The bad news is it's equally as easy to tank your credit score, you just have to miss one or pay it too late, and it's very hard to build good credit back from bad credit. So don't see it as free money, only spend as much as you can pay back, and if you don't have credit right now, start with small things like lunch and little treats that you immediately pay off.

Looking for a place to live:

Once you have your regular and reliable source of income, you can start looking for your place. There's a few things you should keep in mind:

-Draw up a budget for how much you can spend on rent and bills. That includes all basic living expenses: rent, utilities, food, internet, phone, hygiene. Compare how much you make per month to what you can spend. 1/3 to 1/2 of your salary is a bit more realistic to expect to spend on rent alone nowadays, so work within that range when you apartment hunt. Think of everything when you're budgeting, like how much do you spend on haircuts per month? You probably didn't think of that, because I didn't either at first.

-Apartment buildings with some/all utilities included often have higher base rents. You have to keep in mind that this is so the landlord can balance out the utility bills of the whole building, which are unpredictable expenses and on them to pay every month. If you don't know how to budget yet or don't know how to do so with unpredictable bills, I highly recommend trying to find a place with utilities included so you know EXACTLY how much you'll need to pay every month and can plan in advance

-Older buildings tend to be both cheaper and more likely to have centralized utility systems, which means they have to include it in the price of rent because there's no way to tell who used how much of something. If it's your first place alone, you'll probably be tempted to get the brand new, expensive building down the road, but it won't actually make much of a difference when you move in. You will love it regardless.

-Never ever sign a lease until you've either seen THE unit you're considering, or one of the show units that is exactly the same layout. The last thing you want is to go off online photos only to move in and find out the building has a mold problem. You can arrange personal tours by contacting the building manager or the landlord directly. Phone calls are the best way to do this.

-If you want the unit after seeing it, you know you can afford it, there's nothing funny about the place, apply IMMEDIATELY. Places are usually on the market for a few days before they're snapped up by a new tenant, you have to strike while the iron's hot.

-If you've decided on the place you want and had your application accepted, read the lease carefully before you sign. Many places require tenant insurance that meet specific policy requirements, have registration rules about long-term guests, outline how the parking works, quiet hours, smoking rules, mail, laundry, all the way down to what kind of barbecues are allowed on your deck in the case of mine (I am in a wildfire danger zone, so any types that produce embers are strictly prohibited for fire safety reasons). Ask any question that comes to mind about the lease. Not everything in a lease is some human rights violation just because you don't like landlords, keep in mind you're living in the same building as dozens of other people, so there has to be ground rules established for everyone's sanity.

-Internet is often not considered a utility so you'll have a hard time finding any place that includes it. You can arrange to have your wifi set up in advance of a moving date on a specific time and date, do this right after you sign a lease so you don't forget. They won't charge you until you're actually hooked up to the network.

-If your utilities are NOT included, get those set up in advance too. The main ones are HVAC, water, and electricity. The companies that do this vary depending on where you live and what's available, so shop around online once you've signed your lease and sign up as soon as possible. The last thing you want is to forget this and then move into a dark freezing apartment with no water.

Budgeting:

After your living expenses are covered, you should have a comfortable amount of financial wiggle room leftover. If you wouldn't, the place you're looking at is either too expensive, or you're being overcharged elsewhere. It's completely normal for living expenses to take up most of your budget these days, you're doing just fine in the same boat as everybody else if that's the case, so don't panic yet. If you have absolutely NOTHING leftover though, then you're out of your price range.

You also need to set money aside for fun and saving. Do not forego fun money, your brain will try to kill you with hammers and knives if you never get or do things for yourself. And if you're on your own, you're the only one providing that for yourself now. And a solid building base of savings will only help you in the future, whether you lose your job, have an emergency, or even need a down payment on a house later in life. Don't be a doomer about your circumstances or the socioeconomic and generational cards that were dealt to you, chip away at it a little at a time. And don't fall for social media's insistence that anybody with anything at all is some bourgeois degenerate or that being fortunate enough to be able to have upward mobility makes you some ultra wealthy shithead, working towards a comfortable standard of living for yourself does not make you a rich elite or a bad person. You're working towards the standard we should all live as, not exploiting the poor or being a class traitor. I feel the need to add that last part since we're on the website of "struggling art students in NYC are bourgeois that are just bad with money and having a gaming computer makes you upper middle class." Don't listen to a word any of those people say, I know it comes from a place of very real hurt and pain for them but that doesn't make it grounded in absolute reality for absolutely everybody.

Social needs:

If you're by yourself, there's gonna be a lot more work you have to put in for your social and entertainment needs. I can not stress enough how important it is to give this the time and work it needs, do not neglect this.

Lots of libraries have clubs you can join that will get you out of the house and meeting new people regularly. They're either free or very inexpensive. This is a great place to start.

Take advantage of technology we have now. Hop on discord calls more frequently, make sure you're talking to your friends on the regular and try to make plans as much as you can.

Also, I advise finding lots of things you can do by yourself. You will be spending way more time alone than you ever have before, so find single-person hobbies. Go thrifting, get into knitting, go explore the city, read lots of books, do puzzles, just don't lock yourself inside all day in your free time. Even if you're doing it alone, going out and seeing that the world is bigger than your apartment and your workplace is very good for you.

Misc advice:

You don't need a conventional coffee pot maker. Single serving will suit you just fine.

Cleaning is easier when you have a routine. It doesn't all have to be done on the same day of the week, but having a regular schedule of what gets cleaned when for non-daily chores will help you keep on top of it. And please, god, don't neglect your cleaning and hygiene just because no one lives with you to see it. On that note, spray bottle all purpose cleaners are your best friend for daily spot cleaning and you should deep clean your washroom around every 2 weeks in my experience since that's where you'll be doing most of your personal hygiene. Also make your damn bed, yes you'll just get back into it at the end of the day but having a major part of your space neat and tidy will do wonders for your mental health.

Don't buy the cheap garbage bags. Some things you really do want the expensive shit for.

If you don't have a car, delivery service/rideshare subscriptions ARE worth it and legitimately economical in the long run. I do wanna circle back to square one and say that yes, most of them like prime and uber do have dodgy moral records, but sometimes you just gotta swallow your pride and accept that. Once again, no one in the real world expects you to spend your entire day on public transit looking for toilet paper that isnt 30 dollars a pack or lugging 50 pounds of groceries back on a bus just for a cause. It's not the fault of someone who needs these services for their quality of life that they do the things they do, don't put that responsibility on your or other's shoulders when the fault lies at the top of the corporate ladder.

When you're budgeting for living expenses, expect your income to be at the lowest and your expenses to be at the highest. I expect 2 call ins per month and to need to spend the max amount i have on groceries every time, that way I never fall short and never have to cut into my savings that I've dubbed my "oh shit, I'm broke" money. Your emergency reserve may look tempting to you, but as someone who has been in a position where they had to drain it to nothing in the past because of an unforeseen financial emergency, you REALLY are gonna want that untouched if and when shit hits the fan. Life is unpredictable, prepare to roll with the punches so they don't knock you out.

A few people wanted to be tagged in this, so here you go @lilsnatch and @kisstheashes <3