#wholehearted suggestions

[lilyminer]

Hey y’all, I was scrolling Twitter and I think what Puffy has to say on the topic is so important.

I’ve learned from irl experience that manipulative and/or abusive people do not just manipulate their direct victims. Wilbur put up a completely different online persona, he made his content feel safe. He surrounded himself with truly trustworthy people. To say we should’ve known better, or feel shame for being part of his community is not a productive or healthy mindset.

It’s not any of our fault. The only thing we can control is where our attention is drawn to in his absence. And my wholehearted suggestion is we give Shelby the love she deserves.

Source:

[hannieehaee]

them accidentally ditching you on your bday pt. 2- pu

content: angsty, gender neutral, established relationship, jun's has one brief suggestive mention, fluffy ending, etc.

part 1

wc: 3232

a/n: tysm to everyone who read and enjoyed the whole series <33 it was rlly fun to write angst with a fluffy ending hehe

masterlist

jun -

against his better judgment, jun sat in silence for a while as he contemplated what to do. you were likely not only mad, but also disappointed at him ditching you like that. except he hadnt meant to! he truly had no idea he would sleep through the entirety of the morning. he had been so excited to spend his favorite day with his favorite person, but now he was left as a complete asshole while you believed him to have carelessly put you aside with no warning

after a few more minutes of self-pitying, he decided to get up. it was better to try and make amends and explain himself than to let even more time pass. he knew you'd be out by the time he arrived to your place, but at least that way he could fix something up for your arrival. he decided against calling you. it didnt feel personal enough, plus, the least he could do was surprise you.

without further thought, jun headed straight to your place, but not before inquiring his mom about a few recipes he knew you liked. his current plan was to make you a romantic dinner upon your return. in order to allow you to enjoy your day in whichever way you wished to, he continued to not contact you with his new plan. he knew it might've been dumb to not even answer the multiple messages you'd left him while he slept, but he wanted to apologize face to face with a romantic gesture.

preparing the meal had been easy enough. he followed it by creating a nice ambience with the lights and a few candles, along with some mellow music and incense. the next step in his plan was to offer you a massage and his wholehearted company for the rest of the night to do whatever you so wished.

luckily for him, your outing did not extend into the night, meaning his meal would become either a brunch or an early dinner. but that didn't matter to him the moment you stepped in and spotted him in suit and tie waiting for you in your apartment, eyes wide as saucers at the unexpected intrusion.

"jun?"

"wait! dont say anything. i rehearsed this, okay? let me say my thing first."

you were already used to his shenanigans, so you gestured at him to continue before voicing any questions.

"i'm so sorry. i know i promised to be here. and i was planning to be here on time! but i, uh, i fell asleep. i know how stupid that sounds, trust me! i didn't plan on this. i was so exhausted and i didnt realize that id sleep through all my alarms and your messages. my phone died last night too, so i didnt even realize you had called me. i'm just ... im sorry. i know im an idiot. please forgive me? i made you a romantic dinner to make up for it! i hope you like it, they're my mom's recipes," he paused for a second before continuing, "i love you! i wanted to spend the whole day with you, i swear. i know it didnt go as planned, but id you let me, id love to spend what remains of it doing whatever you want. im sorry i left you alone. i never meant to."

"junnie ..."

jun immediately noticed your lip begin to stick out in a pout, with watery eyes to match.

"oh, fuck. baby, i'm so sorry," he rushed you into his embrace, "i didnt mean to make you cry! i- how can i make it up to you? i'll do anything, just say the word."

you halted him before he could continue, remaining in his hold but disconnecting yourself enough to look into his eyes.

"no, junnie. it's just ... fuck, im sorry if my texts were harsh. i thought you had just ditched me for no reason. you must've been so exhausted, baby, im sorry. i understand why you weren't here, and ... god, thank you for the dinner. you're so sweet, junnie, im so so-"

"no! dont apologize. you're not allowed to apologize on your birthday. in a perfect world i wouldve made it home and fallen asleep in your arms instead. will you have dinner with me? then i can take you to bed," he interrupted himself upon realizing what he said, "oh, wait! not like that! but well, if you want too ... it's your day, anything you say goes. happy birthday, by the way," he pressed his nose to yours, "i love you."

you couldn't help but giggle at his panicked state, appreciating the sweet words nonetheless.

"thank you, junnie. i love you."

soonyoung -

soonyoung wasn't too sure where he was going.

it's not like be was blackout drunk, he was just drunk. period. he still had some sense of reason. he was almost 85% sure he was in minghao's car. but there was no way to be completely sure from the angle in which he was laying down. that's when his friend decided to inquire his name to check on him, thus confirming soonyoung's current whereabouts. that was also when soonyoung fell right back asleep.

next time he gained consciousness he was being dragged out of the car and being directed to follow minghao. he could recognize his new location anywhere. he was standing right outside your apartment. when you opened the door, he couldnt help but instantly let himself fall atop you, attacking you with a hug as you were forced a few steps back due to his body weight being dropped on you. you held him back, patting his back as you spoke to minghao about something. he wasn't too sure. the familiar scent at the crook of your neck had him too distracted to care.

finally minghao left, allowing you two some alone time. you left him on the couch and got him water, telling him he needed to sober up before you could talk, because apparently you had something to say to him. it was odd. you weren't cooing at him as you usually did. you also weren't stuck to his side, giving him his daily dose of physical affection like he'd always demand. he decided to shrug it off, allowing himself to fall into deep slumber on the uncomfortable space of your couch. he'd figure it out tomorrow.

when tomorrow came, soonyoung was hit with two things. one came after the other.

the first was his headache, which almost went away on its own at the mere aight of the aspirin you had left on the coffee table in front of him. he made a mental note to give you a thank you kiss the moment he saw you.

the next thing he was hit with was realization of how uneven this relationship seemingly was.

as he got up to seek you out, he stopped just before entering your bedroom, realizing you were on a phone call. he didn't mean to eavesdrop, but he was also really nosy by nature, so the math did itself.

"yeah. im sorry for cancelling on you yesterday ... no, i know ... it's not like that .... he just forgot .... yeah ..... he came home drunk .... i dont know. i think i'll just let him figure it out on his own .... i am hurt. we made plans and he just blew me off to drink with his friends, of course im hurt .... i'll just see you tomorrow, i gotta go take care of him .... yeah, i know im an idiot, but i love him .... okay, bye. love you too."

soonyoung could only hear your side of the conversation, but that had been enough for him to clue the pieces together. your birthday was yesterday. which was something he knew, but had completely left his mind at the mention of free drinks with the guys.

after that realization came many others.

you had shown him no type of anger upon his arrival, even making sure take care of him in his drunken state. you had changed him into his pjs as he slept, tucked him into your couch, given him medicine. even after he blew you off. on your birthday. fuck.

he gave himself no time to think before he barged into the room, immediately kneeling in front of you as he grabbed onto your hands. he paid no mind to your shocked state as he started babbling apologies to you.

"im so sorry, i- i dont know how i forgot. baby ... im so fucking sorry. i cant believe you took care of me even after i forgot. you shouldve punished me. you should punish me. i dont deserve you. im so so so sorry. i love you so much, i swear i never meant go forget. im just an idiot. that's not an excuse! you're just too good for me. I'll make it up to you! how can i? anything! please, i love you."

his rambling could only be blamed on his still buzzed state, as that had only been half of his apology. he kept going for ten minutes, allowing you no room to respond. he was surprised when by the end of it you'd instructed him to get up, almost tackling him in a hug as you wrapped your arms around his neck. he might've been an idiot, but he'd accept any affection from you he could get. always.

"soonie ..." you pulled away to look into his eyes, a sweet softness behind them. them you decided to slap his chest, making him wince at the unexpectedness of it, "you fucking idiot! i waited for you all day, and you ditch me for alcohol?"

"baby, i-"

"no! i cant sit through another ten minutes of apologies. im pretty sure you're a little drunk still. i forgive you. but you have a lot of making up to do, understand?"

he felt like a scolded puppy, but agreed regardless, telling you that he would swear off alcohol if that's what it took. he enjoyed your giggle as he suggested ridiculous ways to make it up to you, knowing he'd genuinely do anything to make up for ever making you upset.

minghao -

if he hadn't felt immediate regret the moment the words came out of his mouth, he sure felt it now, hearing you cry through the door to your shared bedroom.

he had no idea what had gotten into him. never had he ever even entertained the idea of disrespecting you like that, much less ever making you cry. he could take his job too seriously sometimes, making him a bit too irritable when his work ethic was questioned in any way. although this was true, he knew it was still just a cheap excuse for his behavior. no matter what had been going through his mind, he knew he had no right to speak to you in the way that he did, dismissing you so coldly on a day that was meant to celebrate you.

he was unsure what to do. he wanted to comfort you so badly, but he knew that he had been the sole cause for your pain. he felt himself get emotional at the mere thought, with your sobs making him weak at the knees in regret. he sat himself down on the other side of the door, knowing from the proximity of your cries that you must've been on the opposite side as well. he kept quiet, simply torturing himself as he heard the love of his life cry because of him. there was only so much he could take, however, before finally interrupting.

"my love ..?"

your cries seized a bit at his interruption, but your sniffles and heavy breath could still be heard, breaking his heart bit by bit.

"angel ... im so sorry ... i- i don't know what came over me. you're right. i should've called you. there is no world in which i wouldnt want to be with you to celebrate the birth of the love of my life. you're my everything. i want to shout it from the rooftops. i want everyone to know who my entire world is; who makes my heart beat," he took a pause to breathe, allowing himself to think of how to properly apologize to you, "i should never speak to you the way i just did, i ... im disgusted with myself. you're the most important thing in my life. being the source of your sadness makes me lose my mind. my one purpose in this life is to love you with all i have. im so sorry ... my love, please dont cry over me. no one deserves your tears."

by the end of his speech you had begun to cry harder, making his heart crumble even more.

"angel ... let me see you, please. i need to hold you, need to- need you in my arms. cant stand not taking away your pain, please, i-"

his words were interrupted by a sudden opening of the door. by the time he'd gotten up, you had already walked further into your room, sitting on the edge of the bed as you made yourself as small as possible, looking down while he approached. he knelt in front of you, grabbing your hands as he held them against his own, kissing at the back of your palms as he professed his love for you once more. he then got up and made it so you'd stand up with him, allowing him to cradle you in his arms.

"please forgive me ... i adore you more than anything."

you finally looked up at him, bloodshot eyes as he looked down at you with both worry and adoration.

"did you mean it? do you really not care to ditch me for your career? did you-"

"no! never. you're everything to me. there's nothing i hold more dear to my heart than your own. i'll never make you cry again. i'll grow old with you and give you nothing but happiness. please, please forgive me."

he knew his words could only get him so far, being fully aware that he had purposely hurt your feelings in the heat of the moment. he simply hoped that this would not cause a strain in your relationship; that you would somehow look past it and give him the forgiveness that he didn't deserve.

his thoughts were fortunately interrupted by a soft meeting of your lips, allowing him to melt into you before you pulled away.

"hao ... i forgive you. i- i never thought you'd just disregard me like that," he physically winced at the thought, "but you've shown me nothing but love and respect otherwise. i understand you were stressed, and i love you, so i forgive you."

"thank you, angel. i'll take tomorrow off, okay? let me keep you all to myself so i can show you how sorry i am; how badly i love you."

he then spent the rest of the night attached to you, waxing poetic at you as he told you of all the plans he had for the two of you tomorrow, even eventually progressing into talking about his night at the fashion show. your enthusiasm at his rambles made him realize how fortunate he was to have you all over again. he made a promise to himself and to you that he'd never lose his temper around you ever again.

chan -

"wait, what? ah! don't hit me!"

"you idiot! you're dating a literal angel and you forget their birthday?! what is wrong with you?"

"it's not today! it's, uh, wait. fuck. today?!"

checking his phone really quickly he realized that today's date was in fact your birthday. he hadn't bothered to write down a reminder for your birthday anywhere, knowing there was absolutely more way he could forget. except that the days had begun to blend together at some point, rendering him into a machine as he just went to his schedules without much thought. what he hadn't accounted for, however, was for your birthday to get lost in the mess also.

chan hadn't planned for his day to go like this. he 100% was not expecting to be berated by seungkwan the moment he stepped foot into the practice room, being scolded over being a careless boyfriend. even as annoyed as he was at his friend, he knew he was right. he hadn't meant to, but ultimately he had forgotten about you. it sucked to think about how he had bid you goodbye just this morning with not a single care in the world, now realizing that you were probably alone and feeling disregarded by him. i mean, for fuck's sakes, he had told you to take the day off a few weeks back. promising a fun afternoon together after he got off work. and now he had completely forgotten about it.

he needed to fix this, and quick.

like any lovesick guy (such as chan, who was immensely down bad for you), he ran to leave practice. he knew soonyoung would have his ass on a silver platter the moment he arrived and noticed chan's absence, but after weighing his options (hurting your feelings vs. being berated by yet another one of his older brothers), he decided you were the clear priority.

ran might've been an overstatement, but he did rush as much as he could. he wanted to account for the extra time he'd need to spend to stop by a flower shop on the way in order to beg for forgiveness in a more heartfelt way.

after picking a bouquet of your favorites, he instructed the driver to take him to your address, which led him to his current predicament as he stood outside your apartment door, breathless due to having ran up the stairs in very dramatic fashion. what could he say? he was just a boy in love.

the moment you opened the door to his knocks, he rushed in, rambling endless apologies to you as he handed you the flowers, professing his love to you while also whining (mostly at himself) that seungkwan of all people had been the one to remind him of the love of his life's special day. it was funny, really, how he didn't seem to run out of words when expressing his regret at his mistake.

you interrupted him halfway through his fourth apology, giggling at his widened eyes. okay, this was not exactly the reaction he was expecting.

"chan! jesus, breathe," you interrupted, "i'm not mad. i mean, i was. but you literally only left an hour ago, i cant believe you're back already."

"i headed back the moment kwan told me. baby. i'm sorry. i had planned to take the day off and surprise you, it just slipped my mind, i swe-"

"chan! it's fine! i'm not- i'm not mad, i promise. the fact that you came back running is so ... it's funny," you giggled again, "but its also very sweet. you have nothing to apologize for, okay? i'm just happy you're here."

he hugged you after that, disregarding the flowers in your hands as he nuzzled his nose into your hair.

"remind me to thank kwannie for reminding my bad, forgetful boyfriend about my birthday."

"yah! you're not allowed to hang out with him anymore, okay? he's a bad influence," he complained against you, enjoying the vibration of your laugh in return.

a/n: sorry some are way angstier than others ;-; i wanted to vary them a little. anyways tysm if u read the entirety of this mini series <3

[servicpop]

CURRENTLY VIEWING : slightly obsessive deliquent oc x good student male!reader

「ㅤSFWㅤ」ㅤbandaging up your (almost) bf adrien after a bad fight!

✙ warnings — mention of violence / blood / slight homophobia / slight suggestions of stalking or obsession

notes ,, first actual writing post... hope you guys like it "

Adrien and you lived two worlds. You were a model student, perfect in every way, whereas Adrien was nothing but a deliquent who skipped all his classes and failed all of his subjects (except for sports). If you two were so different, how did you end up together?

It started with an exchange of glances when you both started your first year of being a senior, somehow your presence was never known by Adrien until that one glance turned into never ending eye-contact, briefly smiling at eachother as you two met eyes from across the courtyard. His heart felt like it was about to crumble whenever you smiled at him. Your lips, your perfectly imperfect teeth shining at him. He had definitely fallen for you.

But how would his friends feel if they knew he was crushing on another guy?

As much as he wanted to hide it he couldn't. Everytime he went home and sat down in his chair, he would be welcomed with your face in the form of printed pictures stored in his top drawer. He knew it was wrong but he couldn't help it, you were so attractive you reeled him in like a fish. But somehow. Somehow. You and him talked more and more, exchanged numbers, hung out a few times and even brushed hands once! Adrien for sure didn't wash his hand after that. You weren't confirmed to be dating but it sure seemed like it.

And that was the start of Adrien's fall for you.

It was around 5:00pm, the sun still shining brightly but casted a slight orange hue into the empty council room, indicating that sunset would near. You were currently in said room, sorting the books, cleaning the tables, finishing off the work your teachers assigned you because you were such a good student. Yeah it was nice for them to rely on you but to be honest, all you wanted to do was go home but alas you couldn't.

Almost as if the universe pitied your unbearable boredom, the door to the council room clicked opened. At first you thought it was a teacher, but turning around you met the deep eyes of Adrien. His soulless eyes bore into yours, his knuckles dripping with blood as he stumbled into the room, almost collapsing on the couch.

"Got into another fight," He grumbled, his deep sultry voice reverberated in the room. Shit, his voice was hot. Snapping out of your thoughts, you quickly rushed over to him, viewing his bloody and bruised knuckles. It looked bad. Probably from beating the shit out of someone but you wouldn't question it. After some rummaging around you finally found the first aid kit, clicking the white box open before kneeling down infront of Adrien, a small smirk plastered his face.

"You don't have to you know? I just wanted—" Adrien's voice was cut out by a sharp hiss as you applied the alcohol to his wounds.

"Let me be a good friend to you."

Ooh... friend? That hit Adrien straight to the gut

"I just wanted company."

"Then your not allowed to hold my hand with those bloody knuckles."

"..."

"please bandage my fingers."

A wholehearted chuckle left your throat as you fished out the puppy patterned bandages around his knuckles, making sure you kissed each and every knuckles after. Just to make sure that there was no lingering pain of course, not because you two were had something for eachother or anything. You looked up at Adrien to see a small smile on his face, he was always so serious looking and whenever he smiled it was usually the shit eating grin type of smile. You had only really grown closer with him for a few weeks now so... why were you already hooked on him?

"You lost in thought?" He asked, snapping you out of your little trance. You shook your head, and he brought your chin up to meet his in a light kiss, his calloused fingertips gripping your chin lightly while his other hand found solace in your own. It was something straight out of a romance movie, his warm fingers against yours, his lips against your soft ones in such a gentle kiss. You never knew deliquents could be this gentle. Pulling away you wiped your lips and tugged your hands from Adrien's. You weren't dating him. You can't do this. You turned your head a pout adorned your lips, "Don't just casually kiss me," you huffed.

"But I know you liked it." Adrien hummed.

extra notes ,, I didn't have a full goal for what relationship reader and Adrien would have but i really liked the enemies to lovers sort of denial trope. I also experimented with the colour coding of the text, I find it easier to identify when they're speaking but let me know your preferences! I'm a bit nervous posting this since its my first time ever posting on tumblr but yeah! Also no smut yet, still getting warmed up you know

[loumandivorce]

@vampirejournalist started iwtv fanfic friday and i'm here to participate totally on time and not an hour before saturday begins with some LOUMAND FIC RECS as demanded by my url. here are some bangers.

Bloodletting, explicit, series

Even though we've had our ups and downs.

[“I love you,” Armand whispers. Louis swallows against a painful throat. “Sure, honey,” he says. “I love you.” Like saying it again will make it stick. “I know,” Louis says. Armand whispers it a third time, and Louis closes his eyes so he won’t have to look at him when he says, “I’m not gonna say it back, honey.”]

this is a series and it's number one on the rec list because it's truly The loumand series of all time there is nothing that gets them better. chances are you've read one or two of these but the entire series is absolutely insane. hot and disgusting and vulnerable and heartbreaking and makes me feel crazy.

A Chill That Follows, explicit

He leans down to kiss Armand, cradling the back of his neck in his hand. He smiles when he feels rather than hears Armand sigh against his lips, pleased—as if he’s receiving a gift. It’s almost absurd, to think that he was threatening to kill him less than half an hour ago. “What’s absurd is that threatening to kill you was what finally got you to put out for him,” a dismissive, familiar voice says behind him. Shit.

armand is fighting for his LIFE. delicious read

Triptych (Three Studies for Figures at the Base of a Crucifixion), teen

The five of them— Louis, Armand, the figures at the crucifixion— sit together, far too much alike, deformed creatures with teeth that shine in the dark. They all come apart in pieces.

[Why they bought the Bacon triptych, and why Armand sold it.]

really interesting character study on the trifecta in relation to armand

The Cord That Goes Winding Out The Door, teen

There had never been a time proper in his life where Louis wasn’t surrounded by others, but this was the first time that he had felt permanently connected; eternally un-alone. Another being tied to him, a constant brushing of shoulders against his being.

birthing imagery as horror 😊

1,001 nights, mature

The last time Louis saw the ocean up close was—1998. An island off of Miami. Flat, breezeless night.

Or: shards of the past seventy-seven years.

loumand failmarriage through the decades.

dirges, explicit

They fell into a holding pattern for a while in the seventies, in the years before Daniel. Perhaps it was not so long as years, but time dilated, as it was, in Armand’s experience, sometimes wont to do, and it stretched into a small eternity, syrupy and neon-lit, of Louis throwing himself onto swords, chasing and chasing, Armand trailing after with the end of the leash.

practically a loumand heritage fic. written pre s2 but managed to predict so many key parts of their dynamic.

Alexandria, explicit

Louis, glitteringly modern as Armand has always found him, is an excellent tourist, throwing himself into the wholehearted pursuit of the city with an almost manic zeal. Thunderingly alive in Paris, thunderingly alive in Alexandria, thunderingly alive for the rest of their lives, wherever they might be.

loumand in egypt! almost feels like a slice of life in a way, reading this makes you feel like this is really how they spent those 77 years together. the perfect undercurrent of tragedy and bitterness and, of course, love.

acts of collision, explicit

Armand misses Louis like a man about town misses his favourite whore. He misses what only one person is horrid enough to do to him. And Daniel wouldn't even suggest it, if he couldn't feel how Louis misses Armand in the exact same way.

this one is sort of cheating because its a loumandiel fic from daniel's pov, but it's so so good. set in a nebulous post s2 future where daniel invites louis to do a bdsm scene with armand because they both miss each other but armand quite literally Doesn't Talk to louis the whole time. rlly fascinating

the crowning evil, explicit

Armand stood, back to the window, unblinking, tension carrying itself in his frame. Liar, Louis thought. All he could think. Centuries old monster playing at being a boy. A boy pretending to be a man. Unworthy in both roles. Something akin to revulsion clawed up his throat, but it couldn't be, not really, he was too burnt to a husk to muster it in its completeness.

“Come here,” Louis said, his voice dropping.

Armand stepped forward, eyes going wide and hopeful and hungry in half a second. “Yes, Maître.”

“You’re still on that?” Louis asked.

this is just self promo im ngl 💗 but i'm confident enough that my own fic is good so. loumand having despair sex before going to meet lestat in paris in 2.08

this ended up being pretty long but loumand writers when they get it right write such beautiful fics 💗 thank you wonderful iwtc writers. happy fanfic friday/saturday!

[gay-dorito-dust]

syzoth fluff hcs ? 😩😩 i love himmm

This is so ooc for him but fuck it. 🦦

Imagine if you will, you’ve been noticing that Syzoth was having trouble sleeping due to either his cold blooded nature and or nightmares that forced him to relive the trauma he’s suffered through. You’re heart broke for him and being the kindhearted and patient person that you were, you offered up the suggestion of being his personal heater but completely understood if this was too uncomfortable for him to do as of right now.

Syzoth, never use to such treatment from anyone -never less his own kind- decided one night, when everything was starting to take a toll on him, to take you up on your generous offer but he was so stiff and awkward in going about it that when he does get to your room. He either ends up dozing off across from you out of respect for your personal space or just straight up watches over you the entire night due to his unwillingness to wake you up from your slumber.

He’s such a sweetheart.

You’d wake up to see him slump over, fast asleep and you couldn’t help but smile at image of him standing/ sitting awkwardly in your room throughout the night as you would then scoot closer to him and drape your cover over him, immediately waking him up, making you freeze in place but upon realising that he wasn’t in any danger, Syzoth would close his eye again and instinctively cuddle up to you, basking on your warmth.

This soon becomes routine for the both of you as there wasn’t a single night where you weren’t cuddle up to one another with Syzoth leeched off of your bodily warmth by burying his head into the checks of your neck as he clings onto you like a lifeline, whilst you had finally felt that Syzoth had grown comfortable enough for you to rest your hand upon his back in order to keep him close. It melts your heart that whenever you go to pull yourself away, Syzoth immediately pulls you back down and practically caged you with his arms and legs as to keep you tethered to him because your warm and he doesn’t wanna let that go.

I wouldn’t be surprised if you woke up one day to him cuddling against you in his reptilian form. Give his snoot a lil kiss for me while your at it will you?

Upon hearing Johnny making Syzoth laugh one time, you’ve deemed then and there that he had to have the prettiest laugh that you’ve ever heard in your life. So much so that you try your damn hardest to make him let out a little chuckle or wholehearted laugh. All in order to hear the most prettiest sound to ever grace your ears.

Syzoth would be made aware of what you were doing after the first couple of tries by Johnny who was watching the whole thing from afar, finding your attempts humorous and the confused puppy dog look on Syzoth’s face even more humorous.

‘They’re trying to make you laugh dude.’ - johnny

‘Why? Why would they want to hear me laugh?’ -Syzoth

‘They think your laugh is cute.’ - johnny.

‘They find my laugh cute?’ - Syzoth, absentmindedly smiling at the thought.

‘They aren’t exactly subtle about it for starters.’ -Johnny, seeing you rummage through a beat up joke book, muttering ‘that’s jokes shit.’ Or ‘hehe, that’s a good one’ under your breath as you make a list of jokes to use for later.

So now whenever you try to syzoth laugh, he does so but not because the jokes are remotely funny, well some of them are with their straightforwardness but others go over his head, he’s laughing and smiling because of hard you’re trying to make him laugh and smile to the point the determined look on your face is enough wrangle a chuckle out of him. Syzoth thinks it’s very sweet that you adore his laughter, but finds you even sweeter when you do manage to make him laugh and he gets to see how your face just lights up from it in victory.

I genuinely don’t think that anyone has thought his laugh as amazing as you do, so needless to say you’re genuine comments towards him make his fucking day worthwhile. So he tries to reciprocate that kindness by adamantly sticking by your side and protect you from any and all danger, despite knowing that you could protect yourself but hey we all want to be protected by someone so we don’t always have to have our guard up 24/7. Which is exactly what you and Syzoth are to one another.

Johnny once teasingly called you both the others ���emotional support buddy’ and it kinda just stuck from then on given how much time you spent together.

Will Syzoth use his power of invisibility to mess with you? The answer is always an defiant yes. He’s a secret menace. You can forget playing hide and seek - a game of which Syzoth knows next to nothing about- with this little cheat. For he wins by default because of his ability. Which you’d then have to explain to him how it goes against the rules because not everyone can do that and even if they did, it would only make the game unplayable. So a new rule would have to be implemented that Syzoth was prohibited from using invisibility to win.

It doesn’t matter whether your easily scared or not at all, Syzoth with use his invisibility to get ahead of you from time to time. So I wouldn’t put it past him to use his invisibility to sneak in some kisses upon your forehead, nose, cheeks and if he’s feeling particularly mischievous that day; you’re lips.

You could be looking for the bastard and he’s following behind you invisible, trying his hardest not to laugh whenever you look over your shoulder, not knowing your looking directly at him before looking forward, calling out his name once again. God forbid he ever steps on a creaky floorboard as it was a 50/50 toss up for him, it could either make you shit yourself or give you a hint as to where he is while you’re actively looking for him. However Syzoth trusts his ability enough to not make that vital mistake.

Will he use it to surprise you with back hugs? This goes without question but yes he absolutely would.

I think I’ve gone on long enough so I’ll end this here.

[martiandmichelle]

Ya comfortable cause this is a kinda long post. . .

Some of you long-time followers may remember that I used to do a fair amount of prostitution. I cut way back on it several years ago after one bad experience and the growing success of Studio M. I did keep a (very) few of my favorite johns that I might see once or twice a year. One is a guy near my age (73) who lives alone on an isolated ranch in Texas. In the 11 years I've known him he's always been a gentleman with a great sense of humor. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately!) he has minimal control of his average-sized cock and cums quickly though only a couple times a day. In between those few orgasms of his he spends his time with me groping, sucking, and staring at my tits.

Soooo, anyway, it was during my last visit with him this past late winter, and while his was admiring his handiwork with my boobs, that he asked me about other tricks I had going. I try to be as honest as I can with someone who pays so much interest and cash on me, so I told him he was only one of 5 guys and 1 woman that I prostitute for. He wanted to hear more so I told him what little I could - not wanting to give away any secrets of my other clients. He began rolling my nipples between his fingers and masturbating them as they grew, lowering my resistance and increasing my breathing. He said he thought it would be really hot if I prostituted myself more often. The winter/spring "conference" of the southeastern US chapter of my global studio was coming up and he thought I should go and advertise my services. By this point my nipples were squirting milk all over the place and my cunt was gushing so how could I say no?!?

So, I went. He guessed at what I could charge new clients and I thought he was crazy while still begging him not to stop what he was doing to me tits. (I never have charged him more than I did that 1st time with him.) I took his suggestion and got management's wholehearted approval to go and show off and offer my services for what I thought was a ridiculous price. I made a bet with him that, at that exorbitant price, I wouldn't get over 10 clients.

So I staked my space at the "show" and opened up for business. Advertising my all natural T cup tits (that's before I grew to a U cup) and learning the next largest natural bust was an M cup, I thought maybe I had underestimated my traffic. What I did underestimate was my underestimation! After only one hour of opening, the organizers had to move me to their largest empty booth because of so many guests visiting me. My midday, they had moved me to my own room and at 5:00 pm they moved me again to my own ballroom - and even THAT was crowded!! (The photo above was from the conference as I accepted a sealed offer from a member.)

I simply could not believe there was that many men (and women!) who wanted to - and were willing to pay so handsomely - for time with me and my body! There were guys going together to have, threesomes, foursomes, fivesomes, and more "-somes" with me. There was no way I could say anything but "yes!" and "Thank you!" to them all.

If you would like to read more, just message or inbox me, or even just comment on this post. I'm not starting this service until after my mountain trip so my first "working visit" is on October 3rd of this year. 2025 is going to be wonderfully busy!

(But don't fret, I'll still be posting here lots!)

[lieutenantfloyd]

Love is a mystery | Robert "Rosie" Rosenthal x reader

Word Count: 841

Summary: With Harry’s help, Rosie finds old hobbies and new love in post-war New York.

Warnings: Mentions, of war, implied ptsd and depression, talk of marriage and pregnancy.

Authors Note: I honestly don't know where this idea came from, but I think my brain needed something a bit fluffy after watching all nine episodes of Master of the Air in two days and crying the whole time. [This is based off of the portrayal by the actors in the Apple TV+ series. I have nothing but wholehearted respect for the real life individuals and situations portrayed.]

Read on AO3

In the months following their return stateside, Crosby takes a trip to see Rosie. During a nice casual lunch, he spends far too long dancing around the fact that Rosie is visibly not okay, and eventually suggests that getting back into things he enjoyed before the war will greatly help his readjustment.

Rosie briefly considered placating him with an "I'm fine, really," but he only nods, unable to lie to Crosby. 

The truth is Rosie hasn't slept one full night since his first at Thorpe Abbotts and he gladly accepts shaky hands and reddened eyes over the twilight memories of what he saw and those he's lost.

Yet, after a night of particularly bad insomnia, he takes Crosby's words to heart and heads to the library. The pen trembles against Rosie's calloused hand while he fills out the library's card application, but his voice is steady when he asks the pretty librarian for recommendations.

He's too distracted by your shiny, kind eyes to notice how you recognize the distant look in his own. contrarily, You note in your diary that night how you couldn't tell if it was sympathy or his easy charm that made your heart race wildly while suggesting some classics and mysteries that should keep his mind busy.

-

"you need to get out more, Rosie," Crosby states in a letter one day.

It just so happens that during a now routine trip to the library, Rosie notices a half-hidden flier for an Agatha Christie book club pinned to the community board.

A week later—spurred onward once more by Harry's words—he pulls himself out of bed, has a shower and shave, and attends the meeting.

The cracked glass of Rosie's brown leather watch allows him to see he's half an hour late as he ascends up the small steps in front of the building.

Designated meeting room C is quiet and mostly dark as he pulls the handle. He's three solid steps inside the door when the room's sole occupant looks up at him—you, that same librarian with those same eyes.

He barely has half a mind to choose one of the provided refreshments—a cup of black coffee dangerously close to room temperature—before sinking into one of the many empty seats. The weary but logical part of him says that this is a waste of time, but the remnants of his fun-loving side tell him that he's got nothing to lose.

He takes a sip of coffee and sinks further into his seat.

While exchanging kind pleasantries, you retrieve a well loved copy of Why Didn't They Ask Evans? from your envelope handbag. Rosie quickly follows suit and slips his own newly bought but already dog eared book out of his leather coat pocket.

"So you liked it?" you inquire with joyfully clasped hands and a voice filled with breathtaking earnestness. After nearly choking on a hefty drink of coffee and his fluttery nerves, Rosie lets a bashful smile slip past his defenses.

Ninety minutes pass completely uncounted before Rosie steps back out onto the snowy, bustling New York City streets. He quickly shuffles home, tossing his coat and book onto a chair before dropping down onto his bed. He intends to return the items to their rightful place after a short rest, though the book will find a home on his bedside table after he spots your number jotted on the inside corner in loopy, flowing handwriting.

-

Spring is well in bloom when Rosie and Harry see each other again. 

Rosie spends the following two days giving the Crosby family a tour of the best sights and eats his hometown has to offer. 

Their third evening in town has Crosby swaying his young son to the music flowing through the jazz bar while covertly helping Rosie draft his proposal speech. You and Jean are sat within arms reach, though you both pay the boys no mind as you're fully entranced by the music. The night winds on, and the draft becomes a full, completed speech. They share a coy laugh as Rosie slips the notebook back into his vest pocket, knowing that if all goes right this moment will find its way into Crosby's best man's speech.

In this smoky bar just past dinner time, they both accept that they aren't the same men they were before the war. They’d seen a hell no words could ever describe, and yet the world somehow kept turning. They escape to the bar soon after, where Harry tells him that he'll soon be a father once more. Rosie offers his congratulations and jokes that he won't be far behind. The bar is dim, but Crosby still catches a glimpse of the lighthearted playfulness returning to his friend's eyes.

You and Jean coo and fuss over the baby as the men say their goodbyes. Through an especially tight hug, they make each other a silent promise to keep holding on. If not for who they were before but for who they are—and what they have —now.

[sankatsuka]

Backlit Lens Flare and CYBERPUNK DEAD BOY Discussion - Reigniting The Passion Lost to Peer Pressure

Everyone wants to have a place to belong, where the hard work we pour into the things we love will be seen and appreciated by people. But what happens when you decide you will never find this place and resign yourself to a life of solitude, only to be proven wrong by a group of people who insist on your wholehearted hard work? And it only later dawns on you that you will someday have to part ways and you will lose the miraculous place you finally found.

This is what I like to think Rui Kamishiro encapsulates - the battle between being yourself and wanting a place to belong. How easy it is to get swayed from what you love when you think you've found this place and start to subconsciously dedicate your passion to this place instead, to the point that if you're not aware enough, you can forget the feelings in your original passion (resulting in the hesitation and doubt in Curtain Call). After all, nobody is the same, and if you focus too much of your passion on them, that passion becomes about them and not yourself. Ultimately, it is how not acknowledging a healthy boundary with people who are different from you can affect your passion (Shiho as a character is very integral to this).

Warnings:

I believe the entire WxS plot is meant to be misdirection.

Personal interpretation of Rui and several characters by inferring from text.

I believe Rui is a flawed person with no bad intentions, so there will be criticism of his character here. I really suggest turning away if it upsets you.

Spoilers for all WxS unit stories up till Backlit Lens Flare (as well as for Saki, Shiho, Akito, Mafuyu and Mizuki's characters up to their most recent stories)

Edit (11/2/2024): Made multiple edits as always, but biggest change is talking more about the foils in CYBERPUNK DEAD BOY and Kitty's message. Edit (12/2/2024): Compulsory mention of Rui's mom and how he was set up for failure from way back then. Edit (12/2/2024): Expansion on the parallels between Rui and Mafuyu - what it is that makes them the CYBERPUNK DEAD BOY and Jackpot Sad Girl. And a summary on how three commission parallels supports this interpretation of CYBERPUNK DEAD BOY about Rui's characters. Edit (13/2/2024): Lets add a bit more about how Resonate with You criticizes Rui's actions in Curtain Call. AND MANJI ALSO BEING A SLANG MEANING EXCITEMENT, STILL APPLIES TO TSUKASA IDC!!

Rui's character in the story starts off as someone who has thrown the part of himself who wants to have fun making things with people after being repeatedly let down by them. The early times with Wonderlands x Showtime helped him remember that desire from childhood to find a place that accepts that desire, that he criticizes Tsukasa for not appreciating WxS - for not realizing the best shows can't be accomplished without friends.

"--The best shows can't be done alone."

Following the fallout, Tsukasa and WxS' continued insistence and appreciation of him makes him start to see them as a place he can finally belong to. The place he's searched for for so long since childhood. That when he saw Tsukasa get hurt, he became swayed from doing the things he wanted to do for the first time and he hadn't even noticed it - because Tsukasa might leave him like his classmates had, so he has to hold back so as to not disappoint him further. This resulted in Tsukasa and Ruis second argument, with Tsukasa being angry at Rui for lying and holding back - which I later argue is the exact same feelings in his FUZAKERUNA in CYBERPUNK DEAD BOY.

"This is surprising. I didn't think I'd ever feel this way." "Being afraid of losing your place, and then being unable to face the actors who seriously respond to you - this is a failing as a director."

However, this entire ordeal ended in Rui acknowledging his weakness, putting the whole deal behind them and moving on with the show, as KAITO advised. (Spoiler: it isn't weird at all to say that this happens again, with how he deals with it so indifferently like this.)

And then in Curtain Call, he becomes painfully aware that everyone may leave someday for their dreams--

"Someday, the day we will have to depart will come... For both me, and everyone."

Doesn't this just seem like a repeat of Halloween in a different way? He's scared they'll all leave him alone. One can say that Curtain Call ignited the exact same fear of being left alone and losing your place that Rui felt in Halloween - and his reaction feels exactly the same too: acknowledge it, put it behind you and move on to doing what is best for the best shows. After all, Rui lives for the best shows, because it is what makes him most happy - albeit Backlit Lens Flare suggests how he doesn't actually fully remember the joy and passion for shows he had as a child (discussed later). The best way to put it is - Rui feels like a walking corpse of his childhood.

Normally, when you realize this possibility of parting in the future, you talk to your friends about this (see: Saki Focus 3, Get Over It). But Rui refrains from talking to the people he should be talking to (WxS) and proceeds to go for the most obvious decision for his dream by joining Arklands. Only after Asahi turns him away does he go for the next obvious option he sees - the reckless decision that he would do everything in his power to achieve everyone's dreams together. And he can so confidently chase it because he's smart, only to be put down in Backlit Lens Flare lol.

Rui has really just been powering his way through the things he finds unpleasant, as KAITO had told him to in Halloween, ignoring the bad parts and doing everything for the sake for the best shows. You can really, really argue that KAITO's advice in Halloween seems very, very morally ambiguous now lol. He doesn't think ahead of what is the best choice and what would make him happiest - it's as if he's avoiding the very line of thought of how he would do post-WxS. Compared to Shiho in Focus 1, 'Resonate With You', who shows how she has thought it through and is happy enough just spending time with Leo/need for leisure - Rui doesn't even reach this line of thought of what happens next.

I think that he avoids thinking properly about these stuff because he wouldn't have a proper answer to it. Can he really trust Asahi when many other people have disappointed him after showing some interest before this? On the other hand, he's argued with Tsukasa twice and everyone is still enthusiastic - WxS is the only place he's ever felt secure.

"There were a few people who saw my ideas and said, 'it would be interesting if we could do it'." "But even those people gradually became reluctant with the more new ideas I brought to them."

It may generally be underestimated in the story just how much Rui doesn't inherently trust people and actors.

Even CYBERPUNK DEAD BOY begins with 'Nobody's listening anyway. Music's all just fashion, players leaving the field after devouring dead sounds one night.' which can be interpreted as people who became reluctant after they spent too long around Rui as he says to KAITO above, innit.

And then, Backlit Lens Flare happens and Rui encounters ??? (Sakaki). Sakaki immediately identifies the problem with Bakuno's acting, pinpointing it to the directors instead of the actor. Rui was not able to.

Remember, the freelance option isn't permanent - there's the possibility someone may be recruited away (It's a story for another day that he is only really worried about Tsukasa instead of the whole WxS but doesn't realize this). Rui paying attention to their growths first of all before his own is testament to how he's trying to make sure they quickly grow so they can achieve their dreams together:

"...It seems it became good stimulation for both of them right away." "...I also need to more proactively study from this opportunity."

So even now, Rui is more worried about WxS over himself. He prioritizes making sure they are getting something out of the freelancing gig over himself. Only after watching them was he stimulated to do his best too - and here comes the question, where did his drive to be proactive for his own passion go to?

Sakaki's ingenuity finally pops this question to Rui's mind. Had Rui's brain not been filled with the worry of losing his place, he may have been able to think more clearly and just as quickly reach the same conclusion as Sakaki. If he had been filled with thoughts of what was satisfying for himself instead of how he could stay with everyone, he may have been able to create a much better film (see: Shiho Focus 3, Stick to Your Faith). In fact, why is he even so bothered about falling behind Sakaki, when Rui isn't even an adult or a professional director himself?

It's not normal to be bothered about that: Nene was never hard on herself for not being as good as Kazamatsuri, because it's a given she's far away. But she does get upset with herself when she realizes she had looked down on Sakurako and naively seen her as an equal. You only react that way with people you see as equals if you're secure.

Perhaps, the passionate person Rui used to be would have admired Sakaki and want to learn from him out of a pure love for shows instead. And not be so bothered about how he was falling behind professionals.

We see Rui fail twice in the story: not figuring out the problem with the scene, and not thinking ahead of personalizing the script like Ohara had. (There is a third time too: how Tsukasa and WxS seem so moved by Bakuno's performance that Rui played no part in - meaning there are others who could easily replace him - if the emotions in this discussion hold true). And it's no wonder it would have him start questioning and blaming his obsession with WxS for it - if he had not been preoccupied with them, he may have avoided his failures altogether, and even if he did, he wouldn't have been this upset.

It's like a hit to his ego. Is how he's acting and behaving really the same boy who loved shows and would do anything for a show that would satisfy him?

Right now, it's as if Rui is trying hard to protect his position as a talented genius that surpasses everyone so WxS will need him for their dreams and want him around. No one can replace him; only he can achieve their dreams for them.

But Sakaki and Ohara prove him wrong.

The closing lines of Backlit Lens Flare, where he focuses on his own feelings towards directing instead of anything WxS learned, implies this self-realization of how he had been behaving. Rui is finally focused on himself.

"I'm disappointed that I didnt come up with this method, but strangely enough, I feel refreshed." "Directing... really is interesting."

FIRST UP. WHY DID YOU NEED TO COME UP WITH THE METHOD. SECONDLY, WHY ARE YOU REFRESHED. It makes sense to me as someone who's been carried away a lot: when you realize you lost sight of your original intentions and began worrying more about so many unnecessary things, you feel bitter at your mistake but relieved and refreshed you've finally been woken up.

To me, all of these feel like they're pointing to Rui being afraid of losing his place in WxS. So he has to be capable of solving everything, achieving everyone's dreams, so they will need him for it and they can keep staying this way. Before this, it seemed like a normal human emotion he had just never experienced before, but now, it's starting to show it's actually detrimenting his passion.

This is what I believe the theme of trends are playing into in CYBERPUNK DEAD BOY - doing anything you can to make sure there will be people to hear and appreciate your music, and the spite in realizing you've lost yourself in that pursuit. Money is the artificial love you receive by catering to people so they would stay and listen to you. It's heartless, but following his character, it seems the crowd he's referring to is WxS. Because they have their strong individualistic dreams and just won't simply stay with him as he wants them to, he has to keep worrying about keeping up with them (Tsukasa mainly):

But still, here, there, everywhere, loners, manji, Gen Z, even monkeys want it.

Loners=Rui Manji (a sign of good things to come)=Tsukasa (being surrounded by good luck charms; kanji 天 being associated with heaven; inviting Rui to WxS) (edit: manji is also a slang for excitement, which Tsukasa literally is for Rui) Gen Z=Nene (digital age, playing video games) Monkey=Emu (in Rui's picnic card and Emu in Sky's Edge)

(In NY2, Emu ended up drawing tons of big luck omikuji, and Tsukasa is surrounded by monkeys in Island Panic - so you can suggest their roles are reversed. But the robot monkey Tsukasa in picnic suggests Tsukasa isn't a real monkey.)

Curtain Call and Backlit Lens Flare together show how not addressing and expressing fears properly and simply moving on changes nothing. Self-awareness and powering through is useless advice - anyone who's had troubles with lovers, friends and family know you need to talk and accomodate each other. Or not, is it even feeling loved and cared anymore, isn't it just about control then?

In Resonate with You, Shiho makes Leo/need think through their choice to join her into becoming a professional, rather than accepting them right off the bat. She knows from her prior experience working with people that half-hearted musicians would only fail, suffer and drop out. It is only by Leo/need wholeheartedly declaring their intentions of facing music sincerely and seriously that Shiho is convinced that they can all do it together for sure. This is such a contrast to Rui in Curtain Call where he decides on his own that he will find a way for WxS to achieve their dream together, while barely thinking at all. And he winds up focusing so much on making sure WxS stays together. You need to think it through, face the future seriously and talk properly. NOT JUST LEAVE IT THERE!!

Or else you'll lose sight of your original motivation from focusing too much on things that don't really matter as much to you: you'll just end up half-hearted.

Further proof that Backlit Lens Flare is Rui's realization of his half-heartedness since Curtain Call, is that Tsukasa gets angry at him in CYBERPUNK DEAD BOY like he does in Halloween. It isn't even a desperate shout to save someone - it's like a look of pure judgmental disappointment, as if they've been through this already. Stop lying.

He already shouted in anger in Halloween. If that didn't reach Rui, then there was no point in being all angry anymore.

Rui was repeating Halloween, trying so hard to protect the place he belongs to and forgot what he himself truly wants. From there, the lyrics in the entire CYBERPUNK DEAD BOY are self-explanatory: what happened to the things you wanted to sing? (I was so happy with the lyrics because it was exactly what I was thinking in Curtain Call but no one seemed to care).

One thing you can never take away from Rui is that he is a very, very passionate guy. He loves what he does that he would spend every waking hour of his day working on it. Even if he's become a shell of his former self, his body is still naturally drawn to shows (Samsa Kanade reference heh). And Rui himself believes himself to be purely passionate too. So when he realizes that passion has been thoroughly dirtied, it makes sense he's as angry as he is in CYBERPUNK DEAD BOY.

In Anni 2, Rui says he didn't know what he wanted to do like Mafuyu, but then he corrects himself to say he THOUGHT he knew.

"Actually, in the past, I didn't know what I wanted to do." "No... I should say that I thought I knew, but I actually didn't know at all."

For a brief moment, Rui thought he was just like Mafuyu with nothing to call his own. Until he quickly remembers that he did indeed have something he wanted to do, but claims to have been mistaken.

Why did you briefly relate to a girl who felt like she had nothing she wanted to do like everyone else, if that isn't a sign of his current state of mind - feeling like he has no dreams like WxS, and having to keep up with them so that he can feel like he belongs (discussed later in the parallels with Cinema). His lost passion became more evident at this point of the story.

If you 'thought you knew', then that means it was once a genuine feeling too. Even if you're alone, doing what you love is still fun - Shiho in her Focus 3, 'That Day, The Sky Was Far Away' demonstrates this. Although she had been let down by the bandmates, she was still fine alone because music made her feel better. And she even inspired Mihane because of her enthusiasm. After all, what you love to do should make you happy to some extent.

In comparison, Rui seems to have forgotten that shows were actually fun in middle school (probably because Stick to Your Faith never happened for him). When he approached Mizuki, he was standoffish and didn't think to introduce Mizuki to the fun of shows even when they expressed some interest in it. Probably because he couldn't even remember it himself. But being able to make that decision suggests he did still have some semblance of emotions that felt like shows were fun. Once again, a walking corpse of his chiildhood.

In the end, it's like he already lost this original joy for shows since middle school, and then grew even more confused about what made him happiest with the new joy he experienced after finding a place in WxS. He hasn't been able to wholeheartedly enjoy his passion because he's been continuously rejected, and he thought he was having fun when WxS accepted him - but in the end, that fun was from finally finding a place.

Update: Tetrad gives more implications of how Rui had gone astray post-Curtain Call. Tsukasa and Rui sing together, "We're facing the same direction", but Rui appears troubled. It's like Rui can't declare that he is chasing his dreams as confidently as the rest of WxS. Deep down, a part of him probably knew this even before Backlit Lens Flare happened but was afraid of facing it.

I would further go on to associate CYBERPUNK DEAD BOY to both Kitty and Cinema which its imagery resembles. The card set takes place in Shibuya where Kitty takes place in, and Cinema uses the same director's cut + Tsukasa's trained card directly mentions Cinema on the billboard.

There's also the naming that is clearly based on Jackpot Sad Girl - which I think just goes to highlight how both Rui and Mafuyu have the power through it mindset that it lands them dead and sad respectively: people need to reconcile their differences with others to truly love and feel alive (Rui) and people can't endure stress for too long without getting depressed (Mafuyu). Both ignored their human needs and thus this is where they wound up.

The parallel with Kitty feels like it's also within the overall messaging - how facing things can lead to losing yourself even more when you aren't mentally prepared and have no clear-cut answer (sounds similar to what Rui carelessly did in Curtain Call, doesn't it?). In Mafuyu's case, she seemed about ready to change herself again to please her mother, and in Mizuki's case, opening up to Niigo would make them more sensitive to what they say and probably even change themselves so as to not be left alone. Mizuki has even expressed this sentiment once by dressing as a boy in middle school, when they already knew they loved cute things since childhood and was even reaffirmed by their sister.

In Our Survival and Escape, the point is made that it's BECAUSE Mizuki never opened up to Niigo that they were able to protect their heart. Compare this to Rui, who bore everything about himself to WxS by not holding back with his performances and past and thus gained their unconditional acceptance. As a result, he becomes swayed by them when he realizes that things would come to an end and becomes preoccupied with stopping it even at the cost of himself - his passion. If Mizuki had similarly put their utmost trust in Niigo like this, it wouldn't be surprising either if they quickly get swayed to stop expressing themselves too if one of them ever expressed dismay (hinting that they would leave).

Thus, in order to find the answer to real love, you have to protect your heart first, even if it means running away and distancing yourself from others (Kitty). But unlike Mizuki, Rui was taught from childhood to simply not care about what people say, so he has never been aware of just how much words can affect you (compare the advice Mizuki's sister and Rui's mom gave them: completely different). This winds him up in CYBERPUNK DEAD BOY, where he's unknowingly adjusting himself for WxS to not leave him.

As for Cinema, both songs capture how Akito and Rui's struggles and fears at the time feel like the exact same - being left behind and losing your place because you weren't enough, to the point of losing who you really are (Akito pushing himself to be passionate to match everyone else, Rui falling into the trap of peer pressure to match everyone else. What they envy in 'everyone else' is how they want things that Akito and Rui don't feel like they really care about and view as meaningless. But in truth, they don't care about it only because they're more concerned about belonging - they've always had it deep down in them.).

But in Akito's case, VIVID BAD SQUAD directly reaches out for him when he pushes himself far too much and forces himself to suffer to make up for his lack of talent. That's why Akito is reassured that even at his weakest and most pathetic, there will be people there who refuse to leave him alone. So Cinema feels like Akito freely lamenting on how he's different from the people, that he can't keep up with them, but with VBS by his side, he feels like it's fine to find and pursue who he truly is.

On the other hand, CYBERPUNK DEAD BOY feels like Rui's suppressed spite from having to keep up with WxS in order to not be left alone. Because everyone else will betray him, it has to be and can only be WxS who've endured him until now. It's the first time he found people who would stay, so he's desperate not to lose them that he would subconsciously change himself so he can keep matching their needs. And the realization makes him spiteful, because he's lost what was fun for him from that need to change for others to stay. And he's left to stay lost to the very end, because the only way right now for him to be himself and stop worrying is by others matching him instead, but there is no way to 100% control people - compared to Akito who found his answer by coming to terms with the impossibility to control yourself to be someone else. Because VBS was there to accept him as he was when he was trying so hard to be someone else.

Rui will probably eventually realize he has to just accept he's lost his passion from the fear of being alone and stop lamenting controlling everything around him, once he gets tired of it and reaches his limit like Akito in Stray Bad Dogs.

Suddenly everyone started up onto a nonsense scenario (Whatever you do, wherever you look, there's a traffic of influencers.)

It's just like a movie, exactly like a movie. (But still, here, there, everywhere, loners, manji, Gen Z, even monkeys want it.)

No matter where you go, there's a story. (Just give me a punchline, its meaning can be whatever.)

Cinema and CYBERPUNK DEAD BOY are like the perspectives of two boys who feel like outsiders to the world, but one is actively trying change himself to belong somewhere and the other finds himself suddenly facing peer pressure when he used to not care about belonging somewhere. It's even contrasted in Akito's customer service front and Rui's indifference to school terrorism that they are foils of one another in a society. And probably why Akito hates Rui too - for taking any means necessary to achieve what he wants without a care for people, when Akito has spent his life working hard to be equals to people in order to belong.

[More similarities in lyrics, in no particular order (CYBERPUNK DEAD BOY in brackets):

Traffic’s already jammed up now. Oh well, nothing I can do about that anyway (Whatever you do, wherever you look, there's a traffic of influencers.)

“It wasn’t supposed to be like this.” "What was it supposed to be like then?" (What happened to things you wanted to sing about?)

Back then I'm sure it was there. The thing that I envisioned was there. When was it that I... (There must have been something you wanted to sing about.)

What are you playing at? Who are you trying to be? There's no way you could be that, right? (At this rate this will never end. What you want definitely isn't money.)]

Maybe it's coincidence, but the lyrics in Cinema also reference Curtain Call very early on:

Someday it'll be bye-bye when the end comes, so Smile for the curtain call and applause.

Cinema is accepting of it and faces it head-on. Rui still avoids it.

And Cinema also captured what happened in Backlit Lens Flare with Bakuno. Something Rui couldn't figure out on his own without Sakaki and Emu:

If you're not suited for the role, Then just rewrite the script!

This is as if implying Akito realizes early on that people are all different, and there may come a time you have to part because of your differences. So you don't have to keep worrying about fitting in - try your best to be yourself instead and smile when it all ends.

This is something that Rui hasn't faced at all, so it's pretty meta that he hadn't thought of matching the actor's individualities. It seems he's lived with the belief that directors have to adjust themselves according to the level they believe the actors are on and actors have to work their hardest to live up to the director's wishes at all times - because the director knows best. Instead of truly understanding their actors for who they are as individuals and what they individually need.

"I always try to cast actors in a way that brings out their strengths." "That's why I always get you to play the role of a type that is easiest for you to match."

And this becomes a regret for Rui in the same story - realizing that he hadn't thought enough about what Tsukasa really wanted and needed.

"...I feel a little regretful that I hadn't thought that far."

Nene's surprise at Rui's words further imply that this isn't how he normally is. That he wouldn't be thinking so much about people and their personal needs.

It isn't therefore surprising that he agrees with and commits to the mindset that he has to power through his emotions without speaking to anyone. He expects that from his actors, and applying it to real life, it means that your role and scenario have already been decided from birth and what was left was living up to it. It's frighteningly similar to the lyrics in Engeki, which I wasn't even thinking about. Except it wasn't forced on him but rather something Rui decided on his own, with no harmful intent from the people who fed that mindset. Even before KAITO - it was his mother who unknowingly instilled this in him:

"People are people, I am myself. If you take care of what you like, someday you'll be able to make friends too. Like how I met your dad." (i.e. don't bother with the painful things around you, just keep doing what you do and keep going until you get there.)

And hence why this commission is full of firey anger. The story tramples on the way Rui has lived until now, proving him wrong when he thought he finally found his answer by powering through his fear of losing WxS. How it made him realize that he had at some point been driven by something petty like being with friends forever and lost the passionate part of him, the one who would do anything to satisfy himself. He's realized he's no longer having fun like the child he used to be, evident from the lyrics that start off with how he no longer has anything he wants to convey.

"Now let's all laugh. Aren't views more important than art? A terrible price for the virus. So what will you do? Is that really fine?" The lyrics are as if Rui is finally realizing that everything he's been doing, making people smile up until now, has been just for views (for WxS to stay around), and it finally makes him question, is this what he really wants??? Where did all the passion, fun and self-satisfaction that he thought he was making shows for went to???

(This is a more literal translation, the popular TL translates it as Then what do we do? Was that how it was supposed to go?)

I don't know if it's clear now - but in conclusion, CYBERPUNK DEAD BOY feels very much like Rui realizing how he was more focused on protecting his place over enjoying what he does. The first lines of the song do seem to be screaming a spitefulness in not being able to just do what you enjoy: "No one wants to listen (...), I don't have anything I want to convey (...)"

That's why CYBERPUNK DEAD BOY is an ironic name, appearing on the director's cut to imply they're filming a movie of Rui's life. How Rui had been living dead against his own self - falling victim to peer pressure (trends) to protect his place in WxS. Until Sakaki reminds him of the heights his true self wanted to reach and reignites the passionate fire for theatre inside him.

In summary, to simplify it, CYBERPUNK DEAD BOY's parallels come together to tell a complete story about Rui Kamishiro (biased but idc): 1) Jackpot Sad Girl: The unhealthiness of Rui and Mafuyu's mindset of powering through what they think they want without properly talking to people. 2) Kitty: How putting your trust in people can sway your heart and steer you away from what you truly want, something Mizuki knows and thus avoids but not Rui. 3) Cinema: A combination of Jackpot Sad Girl and Kitty - how a person with Rui's mindset is left feeling angry and confused when realizing he has lost himself from having his heart unexpectedly swayed by people. This is foiled by a complete opposite like Akito who has lived a life with no reason to truly call his own and is bitterly aware of how it is all because his life has always been completely defined by other people.

(Man, I LOVE the Cinema foils so much. Akito and Rui are such perfect opposites I LOVE THEM.)

And finally, from the end of CYBERPUNK DEAD BOY:

Devoid of soul, music remains silent Unheard lyrics conceal their essence; without playback, music loses its meaning. Thus, modern music is pronounced deceased.

YES. YES. DEVOID OF SOUL AS I SAID, HOW RUI KAMISHIRO FEELS LIKE A WALKING CORPSE OF HIS CHILDHOOD. PLAYBACK!!! LOOK BACK AT YOUR PAST AND FIND YOURSELF!!! REMEMBER THE JOY AND PASSION YOU CAN'T GIVE UP RUI-KUN!!! Stop trying to keep people around, face solitude and be brave: what's most important is to be yourself!

Backlit Lens Flare felt like a reawakening for Rui, and it's why it's one of the best stories alongside Pandemonium for me. If Tsukasa is completely avoidant, then Rui is full of blatant lies. But of course because the writers will never clearly describe the emotions in WxS stories, I can't confirm this is the intended interpretation. It's just my own personal interpretation that I enjoy best and makes most emotional sense to my personal experiences.

But my opinions are bound to change because there are soooo many ways of seeing things. For now, this is what I think of Rui Kamishiro in Backlit Lens Flare and CYBERPUNK DEAD BOY.

[walkswithmyfather]

Daniel 1:8-16 (NLT). “But Daniel was determined not to defile himself by eating the food and wine given to them by the king. He asked the chief of staff for permission not to eat these unacceptable foods. Now God had given the chief of staff both respect and affection for Daniel. But he responded, “I am afraid of my lord the king, who has ordered that you eat this food and wine. If you become pale and thin compared to the other youths your age, I am afraid the king will have me beheaded.”

Daniel spoke with the attendant who had been appointed by the chief of staff to look after Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. “Please test us for ten days on a diet of vegetables and water,” Daniel said. “At the end of the ten days, see how we look compared to the other young men who are eating the king’s food. Then make your decision in light of what you see.” The attendant agreed to Daniel’s suggestion and tested them for ten days.

At the end of the ten days, Daniel and his three friends looked healthier and better nourished than the young men who had been eating the food assigned by the king. So after that, the attendant fed them only vegetables instead of the food and wine provided for the others.”

“Motivated for Commitment” By In Touch Ministries:

“When our heart's desire is to honor God, He will provide clear direction for the challenges of life.”

“Although Daniel was living as a captive in Babylon, he resolved in his heart not to violate God’s laws. What motivated this young man to live out such a pledge?

Devotion to God. Daniel determined that he would not disobey God and defile himself. Dedication to God means choosing to be set apart to love, worship, and obey only Him. When we keep Jesus Christ as the focus, our heart will overflow with thanksgiving and we’ll be motivated to stand firm.

Clear direction. If Daniel had refused outright to eat the king’s food, he would likely have lost his life. The Lord gave him and his friends the wisdom they needed to develop an alternate plan—and then also provided them with the courage to ask permission to carry it out. Notice that there was no loud demand, argument, or rebellious spirit. Their behavior was marked by trust in God and dependence on Him.

Through daily prayer and meditation upon God’s Word, we can keep our eyes centered on Christ, our ears attuned to His voice, and our heart motivated to obey. We’ll be able to make the same wholehearted commitment that Daniel did. So ask yourself, How eager am I to do God’s will?”

[Picture thanks to Raul Petri at Unsplash]

[guilty-pleasures21]

The Queen and the Duke

Part 1 - the ball

Part 2 - the alliance

Part 3 - the wedding

Warnings: None.

----------------------------------------------------------

     She rushed to the palace doors, holding up her skirts so she wouldn’t trip over them.

     “Ma’am! Please!” Lady Jane exclaimed, doing her best to keep up with her queen. “Lord Alfred will have a fit if he sees you in such a state!”

     But the Queen ignored her, her heart thudding in her chest at the thought of finally seeing the Duke again. He’d written her so extensively over the past month; pages and pages of his messy scrawl sharing with her his progress in the sciences, his responses to her philosophical musings, his hopeless - but swoon worthy - attempts at poetry. She’d been told that he was a man of few words, speaking only with those he so arrogantly deemed worthy of his time. But all she’d ever seen of him was his bashful smile and his careful responses and his wholehearted interest in her passions and pursuits. She reached the doors just in time for Miguel to hop off his horse and his features lit up with delight when he saw her.

     “My Queen!” He stopped to give her a bow, then rushed forward to take her hands in his. He pressed a tender kiss to her fingers before he straightened to gaze down at her, his expression just as enamoured as hers was. 

     “Your Grace,” X greeted him, her stomach flipping when she caught a whiff of his citrusy scent that she'd dreamed of over the past month. “How was your journey?”

She turned towards the palace, releasing her hold on his hands so she could curl her arms around his instead. 

     “Just as dreadfully long as the last one,” Miguel responded, his stomach fizzing at the way she'd wrapped herself around him. She nodded along to his words, her expression understanding even though she’d never travelled out of the country before. His chest warmed at how adorably serious she looked. “But I knew it would be worth it in the end.”

     Her lips curled into a smile again and she lowered her gaze, trying to hide her shy expression from him. But Dios, he loved it when he managed to make her smile like that. It was like finally getting to feel the sun after being trapped in this unfortunately gloomy country of hers.

     “Would you like some refreshments, Your Grace?” she suggested. “Perhaps some paella? Or maybe gazpacho?”

     His heart quickened at the revelation that she’d done some research to better educate herself about his culture: because what did it mean for their future if she’d already started making adjustments to her lifestyle to accommodate him in it? He chuckled at her careful pronunciation of the foreign words. “We will have to work on your pronunciation, my Queen.”

     X peeked up at him from beneath her eyelashes, her cheeks colouring with embarrassment. Miguel felt his heart skip a beat. “My apologies, Your Grace. I am afraid we do not have many Spanish tutors in the country.”

     “Well, then, I guess I will just have to take it upon myself to tutor you,” he replied quickly, shooting her a naughty smirk. Her body heated up at the sight - and at the naughty retort that entered her mind. She cleared her throat and stood tall, trying not to give her thoughts away. 

     “In that case, I must warn you that I am a terrible student, Your Grace. I will likely require months and months of tutoring before I am able to put a proper sentence together.” She didn't look at him as she waited for him to respond, too focused on trying to hide the mischievous smile that tugged on her lips. But he remained silent and she looked up to find his eyes already trained on her, a delighted expression on his handsome features.  

     “I will gladly welcome the challenge, Your Majesty.” His voice was low, smooth, and she laughed at the eagerness in it. They reached the doors to his chambers - close to her own - and X let her arm fall away from his. She took a step away from him and clasped her hands behind her back, trying to stop herself from fidgeting excitedly. But she was just so happy to see him again! To know that he felt the same for her as she did for him.

“Do get some rest, Your Grace. I will see you again at dinner tonight?”

     “Yes, my Queen. Tonight,” Miguel agreed with a bow. X gave him a pleased smile, then turned to go, but the Duke waited until he could no longer see the silky material of her dress before he retired to his chambers. 

     “The Duke is an arrogant man who will insist on having things done his way,” Sir Peel argued. “And our dear Queen, young and inexperienced as she is, will blindly agree to everything he tells her!” 

     “Well, perhaps that just means that we must ensure the Duke is on our side?” Lord Grey suggested, his tone hesitant. Sir Peel huffed at his nonchalant response. 

     “The Duke is on nobody’s side but his own!” he insisted, horrified at the prospect of being overruled by a Spaniard in his own country!

     “On the contrary,” the Duke of Wellington cut into the conversation, “he is still a young man, after all. Perhaps he may be inclined towards certain … persuasions our Queen might possess?” 

     Lord Russell gasped loudly at the indecent words of the older man. “How dare you speak of Her Majesty in such a manner!”

     “Right. The first order of business today is the matter of the reformation of the Representation of People Act.”

     “I am simply suggesting that there are ways in which a young man can be persuaded to join a cause,” the Duke corrected himself smoothly. “And it would prove highly beneficial to have a man such as the Duke join our cause.”

He may have been perceived as haughty and arrogant by most of the entitled and privileged noblemen of the ruling class, but he was a highly intelligent individual who knew just how to get the best both out of and for his people. The room fell into silence as the Prime Minister stepped into the room, their Queen following close behind. The men shot to their feet and waited until the Queen had taken her seat on her throne and nodded at them in greeting before they sat themselves down again. Lord Grey cleared his throat as he pulled out a piece of parchment listing the agenda for the meeting that day. 

     She tried not to sigh or slump in her seat as the roomful of middle-aged men continued to debate about whatever it was they were debating now. Her eyes flickered to the clock and she almost gasped with horror when she noticed the time. She shot to her feet and a confused silence descended upon the room as everyone turned to look at her.

     “Your Majesty,” he laughed, confused by her frenzied demeanour, “where are we-” 

     “I would like to call for a brief recess,” she requested, tired of being trapped in her seat for the last two hours.”We may reconvene in a half hour, gentlemen.”

She exited the room before anyone could protest, trying to maintain a steady pace until she was safely outside. Then, when she was sure that no one had followed her, she hiked up her skirts and broke into a run. She spun into the library and skidded to a stop when she saw the Duke, thumbing through a book as he stood by one of the shelves. He looked up at her, his features shifting into an amused - albeit puzzled - expression when he saw her panting slightly for breath. She twisted her head around when she heard her title echoing down the corridor, then she turned back to Miguel to grab his hand and pull him with her to the back of the library. 

     “Shh!” She backed herself against a shelf and grabbed onto his shoulders, angling him in front of her to hide herself. She peeked around him to see if they’d found her, but their voices soon disappeared down the corridor and she breathed a sigh of relief. She turned back to Miguel and he raised an eyebrow at her, his lips curling into that now-familiar smirk that made her stomach flip every time she saw it.

     “Are you planning on telling me what’s going on?” he inquired, leaning a little closer to her so no one would be able to hear them. X flashed him a sheepish smile and his heart fluttered at the sight. 

     “I just … Ugh! I was about to be bored to death in there!” she exclaimed in frustration. Miguel chuckled at her dramatics, but truthfully, he admired her for wanting to sit in on matters of her kingdom whilst they were being discussed. It couldn't have been easy for her, being the youngest - and the only woman - in the room. But perhaps he could ease at least this burden off her shoulders once they were … if they ever got … He swallowed hard at the thought and brushed a loose strand of hair out of her eyes.

     She gulped as his fingers grazed her cheek, her heart pounding in her chest as she finally realised how close they really were. Her eyes trailed over the handsome young Duke's long lashes, copper-coloured eyes and … and his mouth … She gasped at the salacious direction of her own thoughts and dragged her gaze back up to his, embarrassed. But he leaned over her, his eyes fixed entirely on her soft and rosy lips. 

     “Your Majesty,” he began, his normally smooth voice hoarse and hesitant,  “may I … That is … If it pleases you … If you would-”

     “Yes,” she whispered, tightening her grip on his broad and muscled shoulders. Her stomach bubbled at the feeling of them beneath her palms and the Duke's nervous expression brightened with a smile.

     “You don’t even know what-”

     “Just kiss me, Miguel. Please?” She tilted her head to the side as she looked up at him and his breath caught in his throat at the sound of his name in her voice. He bent over to press his lips to hers and X sighed before sinking into the sweet kiss. Miguel moved his hand to her lower back, supporting her against him, and she shuddered at the feeling of him flicking his tongue across her lips. She parted them slowly and he smiled against her mouth before slipping his tongue between her lips and brushing it against hers. She squeaked in surprise and he groaned at how deliciously adorable she was. She shivered again in response to the sound, then slid her hand up his cheek as he wrapped both his arms around her small form. She was so soft and so sweet, and he was so glad that his uncle had somehow convinced him to attend the ball she’d thrown so many nights ago. They pulled apart finally, but stayed wrapped around one another, the both of them gazing at each other as they tried to catch their breaths. Miguel’s eyes fell to X’s chest, heaving against her dress as she panted for air, and his stomach tightened at the sight. 

     “Um …” She glanced away, her entire body heating up at what they’d just done. She slid her hands down his chest, searching for a response. But then all she could think about was the feeling of his hard muscles beneath her palms, his large hands holding her against him, his spicy scent filling the air around her. “I … I should probably … They will be waiting for me … at the …”

     He stepped aside, giving her the space to leave. But she let her hand linger on his chest, not wanting to part from him just yet. Miguel covered her hand with his, his large palm engulfing her slender fingers, and his stomach flipped at the feeling of them pressed against his body. “Will I see you again tonight, my Queen?”

     She giggled at the question and his heart melted at the sound. 

     “Yes!” she replied quickly. “Of course, Your Grace! You are my guest, after all. It is my duty to make sure you feel welcome while you are here.”

     He took a step closer to her and she had to tilt her head back so she could hold his gaze. “Is that all I am, Your Majesty? Your guest?”

     X swallowed hard at the knowing look on his face. Then she lowered her gaze again, nervous to respond to his question and make her feelings for him known. 

     “Of course not, Your Grace,” she finally replied softly. “You know that.”

     Miguel grinned at her admission, his heart swelling with joy. He gave her fingers a gentle squeeze. “Would you … say my name again? The way you did earlier, my Queen?”

     She opened and closed her mouth, just now realising her impropriety. But he fixed her with a sweet smile, waiting for her to speak his name again. “Miguel?” 

     Miguel grinned and let go of her hand to slide his around her waist. He moved the other to cup her cheek, then gently tugged her mouth back to his. X smiled as she kissed him back, delighting in how warm and solid he felt around her. Then they broke apart and he took a moment to admire the way her features glowed as she gazed up at him. He pressed another quick kiss to her lips, then took a step away from her, knowing he wouldn’t be able to let her go so long as some part of their bodies were in contact. “Your kingdom awaits, my Queen.”

     X laughed, then walked out of the library to return to the courtroom. But she kept turning her head back, sneaking the occasional glance at him until they were out of one another’s sight. 

     She leaned her head against his arm as they strolled through the gardens, enjoying the moment of solitude with him. It was his fourth trip now, each one lasting longer than last, and her feelings for him only seemed to grow every time they were reunited. She guided the Duke over to a bench and they took a seat on it. 

     “Querida,” Miguel began, slinging his arm over the back of her seat. “Why do you not want to get married?” 

     Her cheeks heated up at the question and she started fidgeting with his fingers, embarrassed. It had already been discussed, of course, their alliance agreed on in principle … but she still hadn’t approved an official announcement or set a date for their engagement ceremony.  

     “I do!” she insisted, continuing to avoid his gaze. “Of course I want to be married to you. I just … I just worry that once we are married, they will immediately start pressuring me into having children. And I am not yet ready to have a child while I myself am still a child!” 

     She looked up at him, her expression beseeching, and he squeezed her hand in understanding: she was barely nineteen now, after all - not even two years into her regency. And he himself had only just begun his instruction on how to support the Queen as her future King Consort. Because he would be her husband, just him, no matter how long he had to wait for it. He twirled a strand of her hair around his fingers. “Sometimes, I wonder if you are too smart, my darling X.” 

     She grinned at his response. “For whom? I know you can't possibly be speaking about yourself, my love!”

     Miguel beamed at the term of affection. “Of course not! I love everything about you, mi amor. There is nothing you could ever do or say that would be too much for me, my darling.”

     X bit down on her smile and curled her fingers around his thigh. “Well, I do know that I'm only going to marry you, Miguel - just you, my love. I just … I don't want our relationship to be so heavily influenced by outside forces. I know that they will attempt to dictate every aspect of my life as they see fit, so I would like to maintain control over the parts of my life that still belong to me.”

     She looked up at him, waiting apprehensively for his response. He smiled and ran his fingers down the side of her neck. “Do I belong to you, mi cariño?”

     Her expression turned shy when she saw the look of delight on his face. “If you'd like, Miguel.”

     “I would,” he replied immediately. “I'd like that very much, mi amor.”

[darksigns-exe]

Little Remedy - Girl!Noah x Layla (OFC)

Pairing: Girl!Noah x OFC Warning: Swearing, Oral Sex (f receiving), Fingering (f recieving) Word Count: 4.4k Note: This is a gender bent AU. Read at your own discretion. Thank you @deathblacksmoke for the thought and listening to my rambles about two pretty girlfriends <3

She’s got the prettiest girl, Layla thinks. The sheer blouse shows off the intricate lines of ink that cover most of her body. The high-waisted trousers accentuate her beautiful long form even more. For once, Noah listened to her when she made a suggestion for her to wear. And she looks gorgeous — she always does, but something about this get up makes Layla feel especially warm inside. Maybe it’s because she knows what’s hiding under the thin fabric, maybe it’s because they’d basically been on top of each other all day before they got ready. 

It’s a good occasion, though. An end of year party hosted by the band's label to celebrate the achievements of the last year. And of course, her girl brought home the biggest share of sales this year. As if she’d expected less from her. She knows what her baby is capable of. 

And as much as she wanted to keep her to herself today, seeing her all dressed up like this is worth it. The combination of the sheer blouse and the tailored pants makes Noah look even taller than she normally does. 

Layla herself feels a little as if she’s been put on a serving platter for all the straight men in the room to devour. She understands that this night is mostly for Noah and the boys to network, but she wants nothing more than to drag her back home and into their bed. 

She watches Noah from across the room, where she’s tied up in a conversation with both Nicks, something about the band she assumes - it usually is. 

Those long, slender fingers curl around a glass of something. Even from this distance, she can make out the counterpart of the bracelet she wears. Hers has a little N dangling from it, while Noah’s has an L. Layla had bought them for their first anniversary and Noah had been wearing hers since that day almost a year ago. 

The last of them, Jolly, comes up behind Layla. She’s grown comfortable around them in the two years since she’s met Noah, and she doesn’t mind when he throws an arm around her shoulder. 

“I still can’t believe that you managed to tie her down.” He shakes his head. 

There’s a snarky comment about her skill to be made that Layla elegantly bites down on. 

“I’m just that lovable.” She says instead, and Jolly gives her a wholehearted laugh in return. 

He pulls her in a little closer, “That you are. You’re good for her.” 

She wants to protest, but Noah has been very honest with her. She knows how much she had struggled when they met, how difficult things had been, and Noah is adamant that it took them meeting for her to find the strength to make it out of that. 

“Take the compliment for once. She was a mess before you met.” 

Jolly lets go of her just as Noah finds her eyes. She smiles, and it makes Layla feel a little funny inside. She’s absolutely devastating when she wants to be, and sometimes Layla isn’t sure that her love is aware of it. She thinks it’s especially bad when her hair is pulled back like this, and just a few strands fall into her face. The fact that she’s one wrong move away from putting her pretty tits on display for everyone doesn’t exactly help. 

But while her girl likes to tease and taunt, Layla knows that she’s the only one that gets to see her all bare. 

She’s playing coy tonight, Layla thinks. They’re still surrounded by way too many people, so in a way she gets it. But she’s been hit on by one too many band dudes for her taste, and Layla decides that now is the right moment to end the evening. 

They’ve been here for far too long anyway. 

She pushes her way through the crowd until she gets to wriggle between Ruffilo and Noah. 

“I’m gonna have to steal this one.” She says, sneaking an arm around Noah’s middle, “You’ve had enough of her for the night.”

Layla feels her squirm just a little bit when her finger pulse against the flimsy fabric. 

“And we still have unfinished business from earlier.” She adds just to torture Noah a little more. 

Opposite her, Folio turns beet red and quickly excuses himself under the guise of wanting to get another drink. Layla thinks it’s adorable. He’s so easy to fluster. 

Nick stays for a moment longer, and Layla uses the opportunity to let that promise of more dangle in front of Noah for just a moment longer. The topic is so horribly mundane that she can practically feel her growing more and more restless by the minute. 

She feels Noah’s hand wrap around her own, one that is still resting against her waist. Layla laces their fingers together. 

“I won’t keep you. It was good to see you, Layla.” 

He sends them off with a hug and a kiss to Layla’s cheek. They’re silent for a moment, as they watch Nick disappear into the crowd. 

“I hate the dress.” Noah says quietly as she empties the remainder of her drink. 

“You didn’t seem to hate it when I put it on.”

Noah detaches her hand from Layla’s and brings it to her waist instead. Layla shifts so that she’s standing right in front of her. 

She tries the glass again, only to find it properly empty this time, “I only hate it because you look too good in it. I couldn’t stop looking at you, and it seems like I wasn’t the only one.”

“Are you jealous?” She traces the backs of her fingers against her cheek. 

“Am not.”

“I know you, baby.” She places her hand against Noah’s cheek and carefully steers her down towards her lips, “Let’s get out of here. I still have plans for you.”

By the time they’re back home, Noah’s practically attached to her. She tastes like the drink she’d had earlier, something sweet and warm, but Layla doesn’t mind, not when her hands are so desperate to find something. 

She manages to detach herself from her long enough to lead her back to the bedroom. 

Noah’s just a few paces behind her, fingers still interlaced with hers. Those elegant fingers that feel absolutely divine when she works them into her. 

Tonight is about Noah, though. She’ll treat her pretty girl just right. She’s earned the treat. 

Noah closes the door behind them, and suddenly they’re tinged in that warm orange light of the way too expensive bedside lamps Layla had insisted upon. 

“Come here.” She says softly, and she can almost see the shiver running down Noah’s back. 

She follows, hands immediately finding Layla’s waist. 

“You’re touchy today.” She notes, “Pretty thing.”

Noah bends to kiss her again, “How could I not be when you look like this?” Her lips trace across the joint of her jaw and neck, lower and lower still, “Everyone was looking at you.”

“You think?”

“I know.” Another kiss to the top of her bare shoulder.

“Gotta show you that I’m all yours then, don’t I?”

Layla tugs her blouse free from the waistband of her trousers, before she slowly works her way down the row of buttons. With every button she undoes, she presses a kiss of her skin. One by one until she had to bend to kiss her tummy. 

“I could have sworn that you skipped the bra today.” She says, pushing the soft fabric from her shoulders. 

Her fingers trace across the thin straps. It’s nothing fancy, but it suits her, and it does exactly what she needs it to. 

“And give everyone a show?” Noah scoffs in reply. 

Layla presses a soft kiss to the centre of her sternum, “You’re right. They’re just for me to see, aren’t they?”

She lets out a soft little sound at that. It’s not quite a gasp yet, but Layla knows that she’ll have her there before the night is over. 

She moves to undo the button of Noah’s trousers and lets her shimmy out of the garment. 

“Help me with the zip?” She asks, turning so that Noah can access it. 

A warm hand comes to rest against her shoulder. The dress slowly loosens around her body as Noah tugs the zip down. She eases the fabric down her body, holds out her hand to steady Layla as she steps out of it. 

Behind her, Noah draws in a sharp breath. 

“What’s the matter, sweetheart?” Layla asks innocently. 

“Forgot that you didn’t have anything on under that dress.”

Layla feels her hands drifting down her back and across her waist, until her arms wrap around her middle. Noah pulls her close against her body. Her chin comes to rest on top of her shoulder, “I know you said you have plans…”

“God you’re spoiled.” Layla sighs, “What did you do before we met?” 

“I don’t know.” she kisses her neck, “But I have you to take care of me now don’t I?” 

Layla shakes her head, “You’re a real menace sometimes.” 

“But you love me.” another kiss. 

She hums a yes. 

“If you’re good, and you lie down for me, I’ll show you just how much.” 

Noah detaches herself from her as soon as the words leave her mouth. She sits at the edge of their bed. Layla kneels behind her. She carefully pulls the tie that holds up Noah’s hair and carefully brushes it over her shoulder. With a hand on her cheek, she moves her so that she can kiss her again. Her lips feel soft against Layla’s, she’s soft so everywhere. She can’t wait to get her mouth on her. 

She pushes at the soft bra still covering Noah’s chest. They manage to get it off somehow, despite their unwillingness to separate. 

Layla has her on her back before long. The cologne Noah wears fills her senses, it's mixed with her own perfume. She kisses along the length of her neck, the soft curve of her shoulder. 

She knows where Noah wants her, knows where she has to bring her lips to make her sing. For now, she skirts around those delicate spots. 

It’s her favourite game. 

She keeps her kisses light and barely there, fully knowing that it’ll drive her mad. And when she draws the tip of her tongue across a pebbled nipple, she sighs so prettily that it makes Layla feel so very warm inside. 

“Don’t tease.” Noah whispers. 

The protest is half-hearted. They both know that she enjoys this just as much as Layla does. 

She brings her hand up to cover the breast she isn’t lavishing with attention already. They’re so very sensitive, and she’s sure that she could bring her over the edge just like this. But she knows what her pretty girl is so desperate for. 

Her lips trail across the expanse of her belly; lets her fingers trace along the sides of her body. She whispers praise against her skin. Gentle prayers to some foreign god to let her baby know how deeply rooted her love truly is. When she looks up, she finds Noah’s eyes blown wide, but focused solely on her. 

Layla presses a kiss to her hip, before she lifts herself up a little. 

“Have I told you how proud I am of you?” She asks and almost feels herself choke on the fondness in her chest. 

Her fingers soothe over the place she just kissed. Noah finds her free hand and tangles their fingers together. She pulls their joined hands up towards her lips.

“On occasion.” Noah kisses the backs of her fingers. 

“Can’t hurt if I show you too, hm?” 

“Would you?” Layla can feel her breath brushing against her fingers, “Please?”

Layla keeps their hands linked as she lowers herself back to her previous spot. She kisses along the waistband of her panties. The fabric is soft, just like Noah’s skin. She eases the garment down and Noah lifts her hips instinctively, allowing her to slide them down her legs. They disappear somewhere between the tousled up sheets, forgotten until they will shake up the sheets in the morning. Layla brings her lips to the soft skin just above her mound. She skirts around her centre and instead trails her kisses along the top of her thigh. Noah squirms a little when her lips brush against a little tender spot just by the inside of her thigh. Faint remnants of previous nights still litter the skin there. Mostly faded bruises left behind by her lips and fingers. 

One of Noah’s hands finds its way into her hair, not to tug, but to keep some of the curls away from her face. It’s selfish, though, because all Noah wants is to see her face. 

Layla scrapes her teeth against the inside of her thighs, drawing a pretty little whine from Noah. She’s so close to where Noah wants her, and really she has to force herself to stay away from her. 

“Baby.” She whines, tugging at her hair just a little. 

“You’ll get what you want.” A kiss to the inside of her thigh just below where she wants her, “Let me play with you a little first.” 

She pulls her hand away from Noah’s, only to be rewarded with another little whine. She brings her hand to her other thigh and gently pushes until Noah understands, and she can arrange her the way she wants. She’s beautiful like this, hair spread out around her head like some angelic vision of a woman. 

Mary Magdalene has nothing on her. 

Sometimes Layla wishes that others could see how beautiful she is when her head is stretched back like this, how absolutely addicting the sight of those long, elegant fingers wrung into their sheets is. They don’t get to see her like this, they don’t get to hear how softly she sighs when Layla draws a single finger through her folds. 

“You’re so wet already.” she says more to herself than to Noah. 

She knows that it’s not enough for her, but Layla is intent on drawing her pleasure out tonight. She draws her finger back down to dip into her for just a second. She takes her time, easing the tip of her finger into her. She whines with every slow drag, impatience lacing every breath she draws into her lungs. Noah’s hips shift, trying to find more friction. Layla stills her movements entirely at that. 

“Be good, my love.” She brings a kiss to her hip, “I told you that you’ll get what you want.”

Once she’s still again, Layla resumes her tortuously slow pace. She’s so pliable when they play like this. Her body slowly grows more relaxed, and Layla takes it as a sign to work a second finger into her. 

“Feel so good around my fingers.” She muses, “So soft, too.”

Another whine falls from Noah, and she clenches around Layla's fingers. She curls her fingers into her, keeps the pads of her fingers against that spot that makes her cry out in pleasure. 

“Come on, baby. Want you to cum on my fingers first.” 

She presses her thumb against her clit. Her pace is still so tortuously slow, but she can tell that Noah is getting closer. Her free hand rests against Noah’s waist, gently caressing the soft skin she finds there. 

Noah’s hand finds her thigh and grips into her until her nails dig into her skin.  

“Layla.” 

“I’m here baby. Let go for me. Let me see you.” 

“Please.”

“You’re so close, aren’t you?” Noah nods almost frantically at her words, “I know, darling. I know. Do you need a bit more?”

Another nod. 

She presses her fingers up against that soft little spot. At the same time, she speeds up the circles her thumb draws against her clit. It doesn’t take much of this to make her come undone. Layla watches as her body grows taut, as it wreaks through her. The barely there noises that fall from her lips are all too enticing. She feels her pulse around her fingers, feels her twitching beneath her thumb, belly rising with every slow breath under her palm. 

“You’re so beautiful like this.” She leans down to kiss the top of her cheek, “So gorgeous when you cum for me.”

She works Noah through it until her hand wraps around Layla's wrist. She stops her movements, but holds her hand in place for a moment before she carefully removes her fingers from her. 

For a while, all that fills the air around them are Noah’s laboured breaths. Layla watches her, eyes sweeping across that lithe body. The pretty images that line her skin entrance her. Her skin shines with a thin sheen of sweat that makes her look even more otherworldly. She’s divine — Layla thinks. There’s no way that someone this beautiful is bound to the profane limitations of this world. 

Layla gives her some more time to recuperate before she leans down to kiss her again.  

“How are you feeling?” She asks softly, breath brushing against Noah’s lips.

She feels her hands wrapping around her middle, pulling her closer towards her, “You always make me feel so good.” Noah leans up to press her lips to Layla’s. 

“Up for a bit more?”

“I would hope that that wasn’t the end of it.”

Layla feels her smile against her lips. It’s dizzying, even when she can’t see her smile. 

“Cocky.” Layla returns the smile, “Let’s see how much you can take.” She lets her hands drift across the sides of Noah’s body, “Scoot up a little?”

Noah does as she’s told and moves herself up so that she’s properly resting against the pillow. Layla, still between her parted thighs, scoots a little further down until she can rest on her belly. 

She trails a few kisses up the insides of Noah’s thighs. Delicate little things that make her girl tremble just so. She’s so close to her now that she can already smell the remnants of her honey sweet release. 

She’s still so wet. And she squirms so deliciously when Layla draws a finger through the mess between her thighs. 

She gives a first tentative lick to her folds, gently draws the tip of her tongue across the soft flesh. 

“Oh baby.” She sighs against her. 

It’s reverent - filled with worship and admiration for the woman below her. The first taste always makes her head swim a little. She swipes her tongue through Noah's folds. The taste of her floods Layla’s senses. It’s addicting – sweet like lambrusco and just as intoxicating. She wraps her lips around her clit, sucks just enough to draw a gasp from her lips. When she looks up at Noah across the expanse of her body, she finds her already watching her. 

Noah finds Layla’s hand against her waist and tangles their fingers together once again. She sighs so softly when Layla laps at the little nub. This is her favourite part. She loves watching Noah unravel below her. It’s a slow, tortuous game, and she’s intent on making it even slower today. She needs to see her fall apart, needs to see her broken down to the barest of bones just so she can reassemble her again with the sweetest praise. 

She takes her time with it; allows herself to enjoy the sweet taste that floods into her mouth. If it didn’t mean she would never get to have her like this again, Layla would let herself drown in her. Sometimes she wishes that she could stay here forever. 

The world outside of them doesn’t matter. When they’re wrapped up like this, nothing else matters. Noah is so soft and sweet against her tongue. She continues to lap and suck at her; works her until she feels her thighs tremble and shake. It doesn’t take long for her to cum again. It never does when Layla gets her mouth on her. 

Layla pulls away, deciding to give her a little break. She diverts her attention back to the soft skin of her thighs. She finds herself lost in the way Noah moans above her when she sucks a pretty bruise into her skin. 

And another. 

And another. 

She doesn’t stop until Noah’s skin is littered in her marks. Layla looks up at her again. The sight sends a shiver down her spine. Her head is still tilted back, eyes pressed shut so tightly. The hand that isn’t entangled with her own rest against the softest part of her tummy. 

Layla runs her hand across Noah’s thigh until it rests up against her waist. She draws gentle circles over her skin, comforting little things that she knows soothe Noah’s mind. 

“How are you feeling?” she asks. 

Noah blinks up at her. Her eyes are a little damp already, but Layla knows that she can take a little more. 

She nods. 

“Words, my love.” 

A visible shiver runs through the length of Noah’s body. 

“I want more.” 

She can’t deny her that. Not when she looks so pretty and desperate for her. Layla drags her thumb against the pretty swollen nub of nerves. She gasps out a breath, hips coming up to find more friction. 

Layla brings her mouth back to core, draws the tip of her tongue along the length of her. She doesn’t give Noah too much time this time around and quickly works two fingers back into her. 

“Wish you could see yourself.” Layla speaks softly, “That pretty little pussy is all for me, isn’t it?” 

Noah’s cheeks somehow become even pinker as she tries to bury herself deeper into the pillow. Layla loves shoving it in her face, loves watching her writhe like that. 

“Maybe I should take a picture so you can see for yourself.”

She continues the steady rhythm of her fingers. It’s still slower than what she knows Noah needs. Layla wants to hear her ask for it first, she needs to hear those whimpered pleads before she gives her what she wants. 

The insides of Noah’s thighs shine with a mixture of her release and sweat. She’s trembling beneath Layla’s hands. When she works a third finger into her, Noah lets out a whine that shakes her to the core. 

“Oh, baby, does that feel good?” Layla taunts, “God, you look so pretty stretched around my fingers. So fucking tight and wet.”

“Layla.” she whines. 

“I know, baby. I know. Is it too much?” 

Noah shakes her head, “Feels so good.” 

“Can you cum like this or do you need more?”

Her chest shakes with every breath, “More, please.”

“Good girl.” Layla presses a kiss to her tummy, “You’ve been so good for me.”

Another kiss to her tummy, lower this time. 

Layla trails another string of kisses from her navel down to where Noah really wants her. 

The taste of her fills her mouth. It’s so sweet and warm. She works her faster now, fingers mercilessly pressing up against her with every push. Layla decides then that she needs to taste her properly. 

Reluctantly, she pulls her fingers from her. Noah lets out a whine at the sudden lack of contact. Layla wraps her arm around Noah’s thigh; shifts her so that she can bury herself in her properly. 

She can feel her pulse against the flat of her tongue. Noah won’t last long. She’s trembling, thighs shaking around Layla's body. Above her, Noah whines so deliciously. 

She finds her hand again, gripping it so tightly that Layla thinks she’s about to break a bone. But she’s rewarded with the sweetest sounds. Noah’s body tenses, flexes. Layla stays where she is, burrows herself deeper into her. 

She can’t help herself, she has to feel more of her, has to feel her tighten around her fingers. 

When she briefly removes herself from Noah to work her fingers back into her, she finds her girl a little teary-eyed already. But that doesn’t deter her. Noah knows that all she has to do is say stop if it becomes too much. But Layla also knows that she likes balancing on the edge of too much. 

Noah’s not quite there yet, though. 

And Layla is determined to push her as far as she can. She keeps her face buried between Noah’s thighs; fingers working her at a harsh pace now. Noah’s thighs clamp down around her, drowning out most of the sounds her girl makes. 

It hits her suddenly. 

Layla feels her squeeze around her fingers; body tensing and bowing off the mattress. She doesn’t stop, though. She pulls herself away from Noah, but keeps her fingers working her through her orgasm. The moans that fall from Noah’s mouth are breathless. She whines, gasps so prettily when she returns her thumb to her clit. Layla keeps working her until Noah squeezes her hands, making her look up from where her fingers are still thrusting into her. 

Her mouth hangs open so sweetly, tear-stained cheeks all pretty and pink, brows are pulled together, chest heaving with every gasp that falls from her. 

Layla slows her movements down, carefully pulls her fingers from Noah. She scoots, so that she can cradle Noah’s face in her hands. She bends down to press a kiss to Noah’s cheek.

“All good, pretty girl?”

She’s blissed out, eyes somehow glassy and teary. Layla isn’t sure if her cheeks are glossy with sweat or tears. 

Noah nods “So good.” 

Another kiss to her cheek, “Think you know how proud I am of you now?”

“I’m gonna need to hear it a few more times, I think.” 

Layla pinches her side, “Be glad that I love you.” 

“I’m very glad that you love me.” Noah pulls her down for a kiss “I love you too.” she speaks against Layla’s lips. 

It doesn’t matter how often she hears it, it always makes her feel warm inside. 

“I’m gonna draw us a bath.” she says, still so close to Noah, “Or do you want to stay here for a bit longer?”

“Stay with me for a moment?” 

Layla can’t say no when Noah looks at her like that. And so she stays and holds her for a while longer, her hand carding through Noah’s hair until she grows restless. Layla is glad that they’ll have the weekend off, because she really doesn’t want to let Noah out of her sight just yet. If she could, they’d be here forever. 

Just the two of them in the comfortable warmth of their bedroom. She’ll have her dream for the weekend, and truth be told she’s glad for every moment they have.

[thewisecheerio]

Historicity of OFMD

It's been a wild ride finding out that all the parts of Our Flag Means Death that seem completely believable are historically inaccurate, and all the parts that seem completely ridiculous are true.

Completely believable and historically inaccurate (as far as we know):

-Stede and Blackbeard were a couple. It's not impossible, but we don't have solid evidence.

-Blackbeard couldn't read/write. Evidence suggests he could: he likely grew up wealthy (and therefore would have been taught), and was found with a letter addressed to him on his person at his death.

-Blackbeard had a rather unkempt beard, supporting the name. Descriptions suggest he wore a very kempt beard decorated with braids, pigtails, or ribbons.

Completely ridiculous and true to history:

-Stede Bonnet, a wealthy aristocrat, ran away to become a pirate. He did so because of an unhappy marriage. He was previously a wealthy landowner, and yes he sure did leave because he didn't get along with his wife.

-Stede Bonnet went by the name "The Gentleman Pirate". Sounds like a made up name? Too bad. He sure did go by this moniker.

-Bonnet was an absolutely terrible pirate captain, losing command of his crew to Blackbeard. Yes, I know it feels like some sort of excuse for plot shenanigans, but it's really what happened. Blackbeard took command of his crew, with Bonnet's crew's wholehearted consent, some time in 1717.

-Bonnet paid his crew a wage, regardless of any treasure they might have plundered. …He did. This was not made up for convenience to support his ridiculous moniker; this is a thing he actually chose to do. It was also an unusual choice for pirates, who mostly shared plundered loot, completely in support of Bonnet's odd character.

-Blackbeard had menacing smoke emanating from his face, adding to the ferocity of his image. Does this sound like he was being mythologized? Nope, also true. He was said to have placed lit fuses under his hat to have created the smoke so as to appear more ferocious.

-Both pirates were tried for treason, and then received royal pardons. It wasn't simultaneous, but this did happen to each separately.

-Blackbeard marooned Bonnet's crew on a small island. Yep. Yep he sure did. Oh you think this sounds like more plot shenanigans? Wrong.

-Look, there are a lot of these. The show is completely ridiculous, and somehow still mostly true. I'm going to stop here.

[welkinsky]

Hello, could you please ignore this is requests are closed!

Can you do head canons of where fem! y/n and really long hair (as long as Kushina Uzumaki's is), and Naruto (Naruto, Shikamaru, Kiba, Kakashi, Sasuke, Neji, ext.) boys notice that their hair is bothering them so they do something about it?

Please and thank you!

p.s, I really really love all of your work!

A/n: Thanks a lot for the ask! Sorry for the delay <3

Kakashi

Kakashi is someone who pays a lot of attention to details when it comes to you or anything related to you.

You tend to lose your rubber band the very first 5 minutes you used it and he knows it so he always has a few of your hair ties with him for "just in case".

You have been into pottery recently and he decided to pick you up from the studio. He saw you struggling to keep your hair out of your face and came to your rescue with a hair tie in his hand and tying your hair back for you.

His presence alone is fascinating for the ladies. Now just imagine how crazy they went when he DID THAT.

Shikamaru

It was when you two had just started dating and you both loved to do chores around the house and spend some quality time alone.

So this one time, you were cooking and he was sitting on the tabletop as you stood between his legs with your back to his chest.

You were making the salad mix and your braids got loose. He saw you struggling.

THIS MAN gently pulled them back and placed a kiss on your neck from the back. HE KNOWS this gets you weak on your knees!

He wrapped his legs around you so you can't move as you try your best to hide your blush.

His wholehearted laugh was the highlight of your evening :3

Kiba

Kiba may act all cool and tough to everyone but when it comes to you he is such a softie.

And he absolutely loves your long hair and in fact, the day when he first say you, the first thing he noticed was your hair blowing oh-so-gently with the wind.

But recently you were thinking of getting them trimmed since they were getting in your way of the practice. And the moment you mentioned it to him, MAN was he so hyperactive to convince you not to do it.

He thought it was gonna be a big chop like Sakura's but later you helped him calm down and explain that it is just a cut.

You sometimes mess with him by mentioning a big cut and once he realises that you are messing with him he doesn't calm down but not before confirming it twice.

Naruto

He LOVES the smell of your hair first of all. He also notices when you change your shampoos.

While cuddling you try to make sure that your hair doesn't get in the way but he finds the smell of them comforting and would probably snuggle in them even more.

But what he absolutely love is when you have a hair wash day and he's laying on your lap and your hair is slightly brushing up against his face as he sleeps.

He loves the cold dampness of them and just like Kiba he will go nuts if you suggest getting a haircut.

Will probably be grumpy afterwards but nothing a bowl of Ichiraku ramen can't find.

Sasuke

He's not one to be vocal about it but according to him, your hair is one of the best features you have.

Sometimes he gets caught up in how pretty they look, how pretty YOU LOOK when you are just going about your day and your long hair flows you around, when you are sparing with him and right after every move there is a trail of your long braids following your movement OR when you two are out on a walk and wind brush past you as if teasing him subtly by blowing your hair JUST the right way.

He can look at them forever. Like, he won't even realize that he is staring until one time you ask him, "What do you always stare at?" He was a blushing mess after that but covered up by saying that there was a bug on you.

After that, he'll try to be as subtle as possible but ends up being caught up in your beauty anyway. But you always let him stare without pointing it out. You love knowing that he has his eyes on you and adoration crystal clear in them.

Sometimes he unconciously reach out his hand to take some strands away from your face and would tuck them behind your ear so gently that you might just break with his mare touch.

Neji

He has long hair and he is big on hygiene and a little bit proud of it too for some reason. But when he walked past you the first time he smelled a fragrance that was "ethereal" in his own words.

He is not the one to pay attention to anyone at all but you made him turn around and look and he was only able to see your long hair that flowed way past your waist.

He tried finding you after that but you were nowhere to be found until one day when Neji, Ten Ten & Lee were resting after a training session. He was resting his eyes for a bit as he lay under a tree that was near the footpath.

He heard someone talking to Ten Ten for directions. He didn't pay any attention but for some reason, he opened his eyes and in his line of vision it was the sky and the same long hair flowing and walking away from him once again.

He jerked up scaring you and the other team members. You both had awkward eye contact for a few seconds and then Ten Ten spoke, "He's Neji."

Then he got his composure back and formally introduced himself. Ever since you two started dating he loved hugging you. Hugging you with his chin resting on your head, hugs from the back, and especially the ones where he places his head in the crook of your neck. All of this is because he wants to take in the same smell of your hair.

He WOULD ask you to switch back to the same essential oil to make sure you smell the same. Even after having his intense hygiene routine, he never used that oil for himself. Even though he LOVES it, it was for you and you only.

He has long hair and he is big on hygiene and a little bit proud of it too for some reason. But when he walked past you the first time he smelled a fragrance that was "ethereal" in his own words.

He is not the one to pay attention to anyone at all but you made him turn around and look and he was only able to see your long hair that flowed way past your waist.

He tried finding you after that but you were nowhere to be found until one day when Neji, Ten Ten & Lee were resting after a training session. He was resting his eyes for a bit as he lay under a tree that was near the footpath.

He heard someone talking to Ten Ten for directions. He didn't pay any attention but for some reason, he opened his eyes and in his line of vision it was the sky and the same long hair flowing and walking away from him once again.

He jerked up scaring you and the other team members. You both had awkward eye contact for a few seconds and then Ten Ten spoke, "He's Neji."

Then he got his composure back and formally introduced himself. Ever since you two started dating he loved hugging you. Hugging you with his chin resting on your head, hugs from the back, and especially the ones where he places his head in the crook of your neck. All of this is because he wants to take in the same smell of your hair.

He WOULD ask you to switch back to the same essential oil to make sure you smell the same. Even after having his intense hygiene routine, he never used that oil for himself. Even though he LOVES it, it was for you and you only.

-----------------------------------------------------

Thanks For Reading and for the ask too <3

Naruto Shippuden Masterlist

If you liked it you can check out the masterlist too!

Asks are still open if you have any other ideas as well ;)

[discocandles]

im having thoughts about transfem stevie who kinda realized she liked feminine things while dating nancy. and so sometimes stevie would take interest in nancy's makeup, leading to nancy sometimes doing her makeup or hair. nancy, who had never been in a long-term relationship before this, kinda just assumed this was normal boyfriend and girlfriend things and goes along with it, because "steve probably did this with his previous girlfriends, right?" (She did not do things like that with them, Stevie was just sharing more of herself because she was in love with nancy)

And so when Nancy and Jonathan start dating, Nancy suggests playing with Jonathan's hair, because the makeup part didn't really seem like something Jonathan would enjoy when she thought about it but mussing with her boyfriend's hair seemed perfectly normal. Jonathan, also having never been in a relationship before, also presumes this to be normal, and frankly enjoys when it happens.

meanwhile Stevie's kinda fully coming to the realization around the scoops area of time that "holy fuck, i dont just like girly shit. I am a girl." Then she comes out to Robin after starcourt, who encourages her to lean more into it and helps her begin to transition. And that she should have guessed based on how Stevie told her "at least the girl's uniform is cuter. I'd rock that in a heartbeat." wholehearted and dead serious.

and later on she comes out to most of the group, and mentions having known for a long time that she was a girl. And nancy is like wait how long because it had only been 2 years now since they broke up. and Stevie kinda shrugs and was like "i mean, it was pretty obvious looking back, like with the whole hair and makeup thing that happened while we dated was definitely a sign" to which nancy and jonathan are like "wait the hair thing isn't normal?" and stevie's like "?????? what. no???"

And this is how Jonathan's egg cracks and Nancy realizes she's maybe actually a lesbian?

[decepti-geek]

ngl the thing that i keep thinking about with that ending scene is... Crowley isn’t Right either?

Like, he’s right about what heaven is. But in terms of what he wants for the both of them, it’s the bandstand scene all over again, he’s just being more open about his feelings. And some of the tension in that scene, and through a lot of season one, is that Aziraphale wants to do a good thing for the world, is steadily willing to pursue it to the point of selflessness; while Crowley takes it further up to the line in terms of being willing to walk away from doing that good thing if it means safety for the two of them. It’s never a wholehearted conviction in s1 - but it’s still something he’s pushing for while Aziraphale is completely unwilling to even consider it.

I mean, Crowley gives Aziraphale the idea of preventing the apocalypse in the first place! And it ends up being more than just a suggestion that defeating the son of Satan MUST be Good because it’s opposing Evil - Aziraphale wants to prevent a war that he comes to view as having no point, he wants to prevent the destruction of humanity and earth, and he gets the initial idea from Crowley, but he comes to own it even after Crowley gives up on the notion out of a sense that they don’t have the power to do anything more.

Aziraphale’s thing in season one is A++ goal, terrible choice of method (the terribleness of which he doesn’t fully understand until the conversation with the Metatron, after which he still pivots to just... working with whatever he can get?). Like, I don’t think there ever really was a question of him going into battle in the apocalypse, he ends up so desperate to prevent it. He gets incredibly singleminded in terms of how wrong he knows it is, which I reckon is part of why he keeps bashing his head against heaven, expecting a different result. Because he’s never gonna give up on the idea that Something Can Be Done... but I don’t actually think that’s all heaven’s conditioning. I also think that’s Aziraphale being Aziraphale. He’s just also not capable of understanding anything other than heaven as a vector through which Something Can Be Done.

Crowley, I think, would have at least tried to run away if Aziraphale had agreed to go with him. Not because he doesn’t care, but because he’s disillusioned and believes that anything he (or he and Aziraphale together) can’t accomplish, has no hope of being brought to pass. I honestly feel like even in that scenario, he would have wavered and gone back anyway! But we do see him entirely give up in the show, because Aziraphale has been discorporated and/or killed to his knowledge (which he wasn’t able to prevent) and at that point, he doesn’t believe in his own ability to do like... anything, other than get drunk and wait for the end of the world. 

Which is the opposite extreme from how Aziraphale reacts to his own plan not working! Because Aziraphale’s plan of ‘prevent the apocalypse because it’s The Right Thing To Do’ was never actually contingent on heaven alone, the way Crowley’s plan was contingent on Aziraphale alone and he was trying not to consider any other option because they all seemed futile to him. And Aziraphale twigs that his plan isn’t dependent on heaven as the means of fixing things, so he goes rogue and continues to try and fix things in an unbroken streak, with his own resources and nothing else. It’s not a bad or wrong thing that Crowley falters, but it IS a fact that Aziraphale does not falter. Because he’s got that conviction of Something Can Be Done - even if it’s just him struggling badly to Do Something - which Crowley lacks, and the fact that he has that is what gets Crowley roped back in on project: cancel the apocalypse.

And they both ultimately fail to be the ones who cancel the apocalypse, because Aziraphale didn’t twig in time that he didn’t need heaven to get it done, and Crowley didn’t come to believe in enough time that something could be done at all.

MEANWHILE in the season 2 scene, I think Crowley is absolutely 100% prepared to just fuck right off into the South Downs or wherever with Aziraphale, and not give a single thought to heaven or hell ever again unless he absolutely has to. In other words, I think he is honestly prepared to like... ignore the fact that heaven and hell combined are still technically a looming threat over his own, Aziraphale’s, and the earth’s existence, since that threat isn’t currently immediate. In pretty much the same way that meant he was blindsided by Hastur handing him the antichrist?

Whatever else Crowley’s thing is in the ending scene, it also comes across to me as an absence of belief that Something could ever Be Done about the root of their problems. He doesn’t want to tear down heaven or hell, or build something new, any more than Aziraphale does. They are actually in agreement over whether the establishment should be allowed to continue existing - Aziraphale because he doesn’t understand that it’s broken; Crowley because he doesn’t believe it can ever be successfully dismantled. 

But what Crowley does have is the knowledge that the establishment is unrecoverable. What Aziraphale has, is the capacity to believe that something can be done about that. Neither of them are entirely wrong, neither of them are entirely right, and if we do want to see them tear down heaven and hell in season 3, they are BOTH going to be invaluable re: bringing that about.

[liskantope]

I may as well share my semi-effortful (though rambly) comment on one of Ozy's recent posts criticizing Amanda Shrier on her recent anti-therapy-culture book, as I imagine more people might see or interact with it here than in that comments section. What I'm most interested in here is, what does it mean to experience the emotion of happiness?

I learned of Shrier's existence and her book from seeing her interviewed by Coleman Hughes on his podcast, and I thought throughout that interview Shrier sounded like she was made of good common sense (it helps that I'm already broadly in sympathy with wanting to push back against what we might call "very online therapy culture" which Ozy seems also to be in agreement with), with an exceptional moment here or there: for instance, at some point one of them (I think it was Coleman) seemed to imply that it's good when children are slightly scared of their parents. While there may be some empirical evidence somewhere that children who are slightly scared of their parents stay on the straight-and-narrow and have more positive life/career outcomes or something, this idea still massively creeps me out. But still, overall in conversation, Shrier comes across as reasonable. I think this sequence of posts tearing apart her parenting beliefs as expressed in her book (unless a bunch of these quotes are grossly taken out of context in some way I can't see) show that she's less reasonable "in writing" and that her more deliberate beliefs that she expresses in her work represent a pushback that is righteous initially but goes to an unfortunate far extreme in the other direction. The part of her interview that stuck in my mind the most, actually, was her line about "We used to ask kids such-and-such; now we ask them about their feelings all the time", which wasn't something that had occurred to me before but I was open to where she was coming from. So I find the response to it in the end of this article interesting. I don't say this with much confidence, but I tend to feel more like Shrier on the issue of how often we're actually feeling the emotion of happiness, although I don't think I'm clinically depressed or at all prone to it (although I have a rather negative outlook at the moment about my future prospects and the world in general which may prevent me from feeling much wholehearted happiness, but that goes for a lot of us. I think perhaps a majority of people relate more to Shrier here. Just yesterday or so, I saw a post from a Tumblr mutual saying they haven't had a single actually *pleasant* day in years like they used to in the 2010's, only "good given the worse background situation" days. This seems to relate to the same idea. Maybe due to recent shifts in world events most of us have moved in that direction? I don't know.) I would suggest actually from reading the end of this article that the difference might come not from psychological make-up but from a disagreement over the definition what it means to feel happiness, where Ozy's definition aligns more with what Shrier and I would call "feeling okay".