#you know what the connotations are ofc you know

[spotsupstuff]

I am in envy over how you portray suns bc at least you understand them well enough to portray them LMAO

WELL- "understand them"- see i did the thing where i disregard canon to a degree (n disregard fanon as much as possible) for my own happye and if it somehow manages to land so close to the canonical vibes of them by complete miracle for some people i give a dumb grin and a 👌 n if it doesn't then we ballin 😔

like. i'm fairly sure my portrayal of Suns is pretty far away from the typical fandom Suns portrayal! there is no 100% right way to characterize characters that appear basically only as a text a few times. make of them what you will, what makes you happy, see if the canon text sounds like smth that would come out of That mouth and you are good to go

[pvlvsdog]

How would Sinners react to a proposition of skinny dipping? You don't have to write all of them ofc :3

Ohhh, you are going to be the end of me /pos /nm the way I had to ponder this for so long. I’m dying

Unedited! Slight nsfw themes (mentions of nudity) ahead!

Hmm, I think Don is all for it as a fun adventure. Like, oh cool you want to swim in a lake together, this will be so fun, you can find something to jump into the water from or splash each other. If she’d be excited for having sone fun in the lake with someone, it’d be you. Those are her thoughts for exactly ten seconds before it hits her that skinny dipping also includes both parties being naked, preferably away from everyone else and pretty intimate. Her eyes get a bit wide as she’s hit with that realization but she’s Don, of course she won’t back down. Might blurt out something like ‚naked?’ Just as that thought enters her mind, not that she minds. She just doesn’t have a filter. And is very eager to do the activity with you still. Still, her openness doesn’t mean she’ll be normal about it. I could see her making quite a ruckus about sneaking off with you (not even to show off and let others know, she’s just like that plus you gave her a lot of positive emotions to process) so your little skinny dipping session will be anything but a secret. Bonus is that for a good while after you ask, you could swear her cheeks turned a semi-permanent shade of pink. The shoes stay on of course. Even when you question her about it, she’ll respond like you’re the one being silly for expecting anything else

Again with sinners being anything but normal, we have Sinclair. He’s another one who will ask the same question of „…Naked?” But in his case it’s not prefixed with excitement and joy. Not that he wouldn’t want to do it. He just didn’t expect you to propose that and even if you did, he’s still a bit surprised that you proposed that to him. He just simply… wasn’t expecting this. And with the insight I have from reading his book, I would guess that the whole concept would bring him more stress than joy. First of all, he doesn’t like himself all that much, so the perspective of stripping in front of somebody he likes… is anxiety inducing. Besides, despite keeping it all well hidden and marinating in his brain, his mind - more often than not - leads him uh. Places. He starts thinking about things he… really feels bad for thinking in relation to his favourite coworker. About your body and the connotations of your proposition. Lewd possibilities cross his mind and with each one he feels more and more awful. This is much worse than the ambiguously wet dreams plaguing his mind (as they do in the book), since at this point he at least doesn’t realise who the motherly figure in them is. But he knows you. And he feels like he shouldn’t be thinking about you in that way. You’d find that disgusting, find him disgusting. You probably already do. And he wouldn’t blame you for that. In the past (again, in the book), it took one lewd comment about a local shopkeeper from his schoolmates to get him flustered to the point he gave up on coming to the store. And he’s not much better now. A huge part of him, one that dislikes both the inside and outside of his own self, is screaming at him to decline. But there is something in the way you look at him so kindly, waiting for his response, that pushes him to ignore his innate instinct to run. You swear you could see cogs turning in his head and steam rising (sorry, that metaphor was uh, not purposefully crafted) as he mulled everything over to finally agree. But not before asking if you’re sure. I mean… you did ask. But he’s so stressed, he would rather make sure that you mean what you’re saying. The last thing he’d want is to make a fool of himself in front of you. You reassure him that your proposition still stands and you meant it. However, when push comes to shove he probably would still, albeit apologetically, ask if he could maybe stay in his shirt and boxers. Especially after seeing you strip. With a lot of encouragement you could maybe get him to give that up, but it would take a lot and he would be… rather guarded. Either way, as time in the lake goes on, he would relax a tiny bit and it would be fun. Mostly staying emerged in water though. Give him time. And uh. Don’t look down when you two get out of the water. We all know what is happening there as his eyes nearly drill holes in your figure, but I think he would actually die permanently if you acknowledged his hhh. Reaction

Rodya is much more chill with it. She gets excited right away and praises you for the good idea. When you tell her that it would be just the two of you and that she was the first person you thought of when the idea popped into your head, she grins. Well obviously she was, who’s more fun on this bus than her~ despite the self assured words and tone, there is a bit of pride as she says it. She proposes to make it a little adventure, to sneak out and make it a fun secret between the two of you. Definitely not because she’s a bit salty that you were the one to come up with the idea. I mean she likes you, she “should” come with something special to add here to impress you. Though it’s a bit reassuring that you thought that she was the best person to share this moment with. She makes the whole event ten times better, coming up with a way to sneak off unnoticed. Even if you are concerned about Vergilius finding out, she waves you off. She’s been in deeper shit than this, no need to worry. She has a way with words, as she claims. As you two strip, she teases you a bit and shamelessly takes off her clothes, fighting against herself not to show just how much she’s seeking out your starstruck gaze. Again, she tells you to relax as she watches you strip, letting slip a comment or two that are bound to rattle your brain for the next week. But for now you two enter the water. She yelps a bit and complains that it’s colder than she’d like. Overplaying the act a little bit, though you can definitely tell she’s cold. If you’re taking the temperature worse, she’d comment on it, saying how it’s crawl who the ‘cultured’ folk is. ‘Lowly ones are too used to freezing colds, it’s very easy to see~’ she says about ‘commoners’ in a playful but matter-of-factly tone. You could easily imagine Heathcliff contemplating drowning her on the spot on a bad day if he was present. But there’s no one around. Only you and her. And despite her poorly masked insecurities, this little activity you share is sure making her feel special

I firmly believe that asking Outis to skinny dip would leave you more flustered than her. Maybe she’d be surprised at first. Taken aback. You could see something in her demeanour shift as she lets out some semi-flustered explanation that it could be amateurish considering your “service” to the company. But she has a soft spot for you. So, after asking Dante (yes, she has to ask them, it’s the ‘professional way to conduct such procedures’) she informs you at what time she’ll be waiting for you. The initial surprise has worn off and from then on, oh, you’re cooked. She’d strip in a very matter of factly fashion and when she stands in front of you in all her glory, it’s hard not to blush. At the slightest hesitance she informs you that this is nothing to be embarrassed about. Her tone both confident and a little… affectionate? You could swear there was a glint of warmth in her eyes when she said it. Genuine warmth shining through her collected exterior. Times at war are (you don’t dare to correct that with a ‘were’) tough and back in her day she had seen contless soldiers in such situations. This is nothing to be ashamed about. Didn’t you request this bonding time between the two of you? It’s a good way to bring you two closer. She proclaims so with confidence, but as her words hit her, she adverts her eyes and adds that it’s good for teamwork. So what are you waiting for? It’s hard to disagree or prolong the ordeal, so soon enough both of you get into the water. She sways effortlessly along with the current and for once you can see her expression soften a little as she goes along with your attempts at small talk. Sure, that civil, personal part of her is a little rusty, but it glimmers though the cracks as she recounts some little facts and situations from the passing days. It’s hard to let her guard down. But as she watches you, submerged in the water beside her, she feels like it’s not impossible to feel something else than a calculated need for survival

As you ask Ryoshu to indulge you in your request, she takes her cigarette out of her mouth and quirks her eyebrow at you. ‚What For?’ She questions you with amusement. No matter your reasoning, she ponders for a second, snickering a little. It’s… sort of cute you want to involve her in your plans like that. Especially since it’s a bit of a bold ask, all things considered. Finally, a smirk plays on her lips as her eyes travel up and down your figure and she replies. ‚Alright, Why Not’. She’s not bothered by the whole concept, though your daring request is for sure positively interesting to her, as I said. You two set the time (well, you do, she’s chill to go along with anything really) and she tells you to lead the way. She’s not too bothered to just walk out even if you want to go during company time. She’s curious to see where it’ll go. Only when you two did yourselves of your uniforms does she change her demeanour a bit. She’s a woman of the arts after all. And there’s nothing shameful in her gaze as it drags across your body, noting every curve and scar. She definitely has eyes of an artist. And in that moment, you feel like the finest muse she had ever had (which… could be concerning considering the type of art she dabbles in, but this time her thoughts are definitely going different places than gore. For the most part). She’s fun to spend time in the water with. Witty and attentive, she gazes at the scenery around, though each time her eyes end up on you again. Albeit she’s an enigmatic woman, it’s very clear that this experience made you two somewhat closer

The real issue when asking Faust to go skinny dipping with you is to get a straightforward answer from her. Or just any answer that would tell you what she’s thinking. But it’s Faust we’re talking about. So, when you ask her if she’d be down to go skinny dipping with you after Dante officially ends the work day (you know she wouldn’t agree if this wasn’t the case) she tells you that ‘all employees are permitted to use the next twelve hours as they please, to rest, use the restroom or destress’. She says it as if she was stating the obvious. Well, she is, in a sense, but it doesn’t mean she’s making herself clear in this context. She’s doing anything but that. After you press her a bit and explains, that her response was, indeed, a “yes”. Although a very faint smile is tugging on her lips, as she asks you about the time and for the briefest of times you could swear that her (usually very distant) gaze settled on you. Still avoiding the eyes, but as it falls below your face, you wonder if it’s about something different than her habit of avoiding looking at faces this time. With how enigmatic she is, she isn’t giving you much to go off on in terms of decoding her thoughts. Even when she shows up at the time you two agreed on (seems like she appeared just as the clock struck the exact minute, but after getting to know her, that doesn’t surprise you at all). Gracefully, her hands work their way around zippers and buttons until the last item of clothing slides off of her body, only to be folded and set aside for later. Her soft, pale skin seems radiant and she waits for you to rid yourself on the uniform as well before emerging herself in water beside you. When you look at her, her eyes barely leave the surface, tracing the lines of the ripples her movement makes against the current. However, each time you look away, you can almost feel the burning gaze that settles on your figure and takes it all in

A gentle, happy smile settles on Hong Lu’s lips as you present him with the idea. How curious! Is this some sort of a ritual or a pastime poor people have? He would love to do it, he never had the chance to~. First being hungry and now taking clothes off and getting into dirty water for fun, this job is giving him so many new experiences! He asks what the purpose is. Of being naked and swimming in some (probably at least slightly contaminated) water. You didn’t suspect he knew about the horrid state of things outside of his bubble, such as water being bad/polluted, but his state of surprise seems to be contagious when you find yourself wondering about the degree to which his ignorance is a choice. As your expression clearly changes at his words, he gives you a lazy, quizzical smile. His questions need to be answered and I, dear reader, wish you good luck because you will need all of it to explain to him why you want to be in the water - alone and without clothes - with him specifically. After he seems satisfied (though you’re sure the last one or two questions were asked in an effort to fluster you), he tells you to get him when you’re ready to depart and head towards the destination of your ‘curious activity’. Once there, he gently pulls off his clothes with a bit of excitement, clearly looking forward to taking part in your plan. Before you get a chance to lead him into the murky liquid, he happily shows you his folded stack of clothes. They look… a bit unconventional in the way he had put them, but he acts with such glee that it’s hard to stay indifferent to his achievement. He tells you that he had other people handle such things before, but since that’s a thing of the past, he had learned to do it on his own. He’s very happy to share this new skill with you. It’s after that, that you two finally go thought with your plan fully. Shivering a bit, he asks if the water will be heated up. It’s up to you if you want to inform him that it’s not how natural bodies of water work or spare him such information and assure him that the longer you two stay emerged, the warmer he’ll feel (omitting that it won’t be due to any manmade mechanisms). All in all, even something you wouldn’t personally call “and exceptional experience” is like a brand new adventure with Hong Lu by your side. His musing and eager inquiries never let you drift off or grow bored. And if you’re unsure about how stimulating a chat with him can be, I assure you that his body will provide a whole array of visual stimuli as well, all on display for your eyes to explore

Next 3 couldn’t have been written without the help of my friend (you, dear anon haha^^) and I hope I didn’t disappoint~

If you were hoping for a distinct reaction from Heathcliff, you are in luck because it is indeed, definitely strong. When you ask him if he would like to skinny dip with you (either because you like the idea and want company or have just heard of the concept and want to try it out, having picked him as the best suited companion) he looks a bit… taken aback. Sure, he can be loud and most definitely wouldn’t categorise him as shy, but he’s also not blind to the implications of you offering to strip in front of him like it’s some casual activity (it’s not to him, definitely). There’s a lot of things left over from his past and even now, it clearly shows in his approach to intimacy. Not only was he ‘undesirable’ before, he had grown to expect to not have his desires met easily and without fighting for each instance of genuine affection (such as his… favourite coworker offering to be so intimate). In his head it’s still more easy to accept being The Other, the one who pleases those he cares about, someone who constantly tries to earn each instance of affection. Despite his… quite innate state of emotional constipation, he is fond of you and by extension- thinks quite highly of you. For someone who had it so reinforced from an early age that he is below the good and pure people (well, especially one person), it makes sense for you to just be your lovely self instead of initiating anything on you own, directing your attention and intimacy towards him so blatantly. Besides that he uh… well, he is all bark no bite in a sense that he didn’t have a lot of instances where he could get experience. At best he had something like this happen once or twice when he was much younger. Both the way he is and the lingering idea in the back of his head of ‘saving himself’ prevented him from familiarising himself with more. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad if the question came from someone else. But you get him worked up on daily over much less than skinny dipping. Heck, even when you look at him a bit too intensely during a bickering session he looses track for a moment each time without fail. But he wouldn’t be Heathcliff if he unpacked all of that. So instead your question will get a very annoyed ‚what for’. I mean. Your intentions aren’t that clear to him, like I said, he feels more natural when he’s chasing an idea, than when his desires become something writhing reach, something he doesn’t have to work for. Whatever you tell him to explain your request, it won’t be completely understandable to him because of that. But in the end a strange pull he feels on the inside (again, he’s not unpacking that) pushes him to grumble out something that is almost in agreement to your question. In turn he spends the remaining time being filled with way more tension that what would be considered reasonable. He’s not snappy, but something about the way he holds himself is very different. So much so, that Rodya calls it out at one point. Only then does he let his full annoyance out and while a few sinners muse on what could have set him off like that again, you’re left to wonder if you were the reason for his strange behaviour. He’s stuck between snapping at your coworkers and spacing out. His mind going back to the plans you two made. Each time, he finds that his gaze landed on you again and lets out a frustrated huff. As you two finally depart on your off time, he walks right by your side. His eyebrows knitted together and his eyes looking somewhere off to the side. On the inside he is torn. A part of him wishes to rush towards the body of water and the other part tells him to run back to the bus. In the end he simply walks shoulder in w shoulder with you. Saying nothing until you two arrive at the place. Something stops him from undressing and compels him to instead aim his gaze at you for the first time since you guys departed. It���s then that he finds himself stuck, watching you slip out of your uniform, fabric sliding off of your form 1/2

Hungrily he notes each soft curve and sharp edge that makes up your form, his eyes taking in all the ways in which light and shadow engulf your body, creating a sight he realises now, he yearned so hard to see until now. No beauty mark, no hair, no scar escape his sight. When you turn to him, you could swear that his pronounced chest is rising up and down way pre intensely than it has any business doing so. Heath doesn’t know what to do with himself for a moment. Seeing you so bare, so purposefully there - it makes all the repressed urges inside him turn into a devouring fire that leaves his body sweating and muscles tense. It somehow feels both wrong and cathartic to have someone be here with him so wholly, with such intent. This is not like fleeting glances and meek brushing of the skin that he was told over and over he was undeserving of. This here doesn’t feel wrong or undeserved. Whatever you meant by your invitation here, he can feel that you meant it. He can’t think of what he did to deserve to be chosen out of all the coworkers you two are close to. In all fairness this is so unusual because he is sure that he did not do anything. He didn’t have to dress up nicely, speak differently, act more “civilised” (we… won’t unpack that here hhh). No amount of favours and flowers caused you to trust him enough to bare yourself like that. Somehow, you just did on your own accord. Undressing takes him a second, all those notions racing in his head, having a hard time getting through over his much more thirsty thoughts as he is battling a hard time of his own. The mere fact that his is not sporting a full on erection is more of a miracle than whatever Dante does to bring him back from the dead after battles. Finally you two are naked and if he wasn’t as worked up over you, he’d get an ego boost from the way you looked at him as well. As strong as his self restraint is, even the cold water can’t keep his member flaccid once you two get into the water and he looks at the way droplets explore your body, dripping down each time you emerge from under the surface. They shine and shimmer on your soft skin before falling down and it’s safe to say he’s getting more worked up with each second. It’s even more evident when you try to hold a conversation. Although you will have to deal with his frustrated demeanour and lack of focus, he still makes it worth a while and there’s nothing to regret once your little adventure comes to an end 2/2

As soon as the question exits your mouth, Ishmael cocks her head at you. It that really what you want to do? She also asks you ‘what for?’ Though she’s certainly not as worked up about it as Heathcliff was. There’s no doubt that she has experience with bodies of water and she is the first person to inform you that bathing without any clothes is about the least practical thing you can do. Of course, jumping in with your full attire on wouldn’t work well either, but a minimal amount of clothing is actually very beneficial. She’s not judging you, but don’t expect her not to question what kind of ‘fun’ there is in skinny dipping. So it’s a whole thing and people like to partake in it? Doesn’t make much sense from a practical standpoint, but as you explain to her why it’s actually the whole point to take your clothes off when you two do it, a little smile tugs on her lips. Perhaps she does find your methods of seeking alone time… unique, but she’s not oblivious to the fact that this is you initiating an intimate moment with her. The length to which you’re going to convince her of the vital part of being naked during skinny dipping makes it hard for her not to point it out. She asks you one or two final questions that are solely spoken to fluster you a bit, but ultimately she’s open to try this out. It’s Ish that insists on setting the time and follows through to a minute, waiting to be lead by you towards your set destination. As you undress, she checks out the body of water, humming to herself and giving you updates on her finds. When she’s satisfied that no harm could be caused by your little activity, she turns to face you. Though she acts very casual, her cheeks and ears come close to matching her hair as she eyes you up and down. After a brief pause she begins to take her own clothes off. The sudden change of temperatures leaves you shivering as you two go deeper in, but Ishmael acts unphased. She notes that she did warn you that your fun adventure could turn unpleasant and lead to you catching a cold. With a small sign, she swims closely to you. Body heat transfers underwater just as easily as it does on the surface. Thus, she proposes that you two entangle your bodies closely to keep you from suffering the cruel coolness of the liquid you were so eager to submerge yourself into. Her strong arms wrap themselves around your frame and your chests press together. Though decently athletic, she’s soft and definitely warm. She holds you until it’s time to get out, making sure you don’t freeze. At least that’s the reason she gives you ;3

Right from the start, though calm and unassuming in his demeanour, Yi Sang would be pretty receptive to your idea. All nervousness you might have felt disappear as soon as he responds to your question. He might be a little quiet but it doesn’t mean he’s prudish or judgy, quite the opposite actually. So all he does is nod in agreement and ask what would be the most convenient time for you two to depart. After that, if you are vigilant enough, you might feel his eyes on you a decent amount of times. At one point you can even hear Rodya question why he’s ’smiling to himself like that’ though his answer it too quiet to decipher (and probably a bit too ambiguous to get a proper read on him). In the end he approaches you as your working hours come to an end, asking you if you’re ready to go. He’s so casual about it that it’s hard not to feel at ease, even though his veiled eagerness is definitely a bit flustering. On the way there he engages in pleasant musings with you, listening to your thoughts about the latest happenings or life in general and gladly sharing his own. He’s a bit more relaxed now, whether it’s because he’s off the clock and away from the crowded bus or because he’s speaking with you. He grows a bit more flustered when he sees you take your clothes off and avoids eye contact more than usual when he sees you looking at his naked form, but still manages not to make things too awkward. All in all it’s not a bad time and despite being somewhat a distant person, he is definitely staying pretty close to you physically, sneaking glances each time you gaze at the water you two are submerged in

With Meursault I can’t imagine a scenario that wouldn’t be a bit silly and surreal because that man really just considers private affections and urges to be not a part of his work contract and thus fails to see the purpose in carrying them out. I firmy believe even getting morning wood is a conscious choice to him. It’s not in his contract, thus he refuses to succumb to it. However, he does value your input. Whether it’s affection or ‘simple appreciation for your efficiency in the workplace’ he is willing to hear you out. It doesn’t mean you won’t have to explain and validate skinny dipping as a pastime, both in excruciating length and detail. You might have to get Dante involved, asking them to please issue an official statement allowing you to depart in purpose of decreasing stress and thus increasing productivity. Yes, it has to be phrased like that. If you get your dear (and confused) manager to comply, Meursault won’t argue. It’s not that he doesn’t want to go. But his wants are not relevant. He is an employee first, after all. It shows in the way he completely disregards any of his personal feelings on the matter. Just hums quietly and agrees. If he is flustered or nervous, it doesn’t show. The best sign you will get from him is that he seems pretty receptive, all factors considered. Another sign that he might be a bit more interested than he is lettting on is that, after your work hours end, he heads towards you with such purpose that one could assume that Vergilius himself had ordered him to. With little to no shame he says ‘the work day ended. We can go through with your plan to go skinny dipping now’. It’s said in front of everyone and you can be sure that at least a few of your fellow coworkers will have a blast bringing it up and teasing you for the next week or two. But it is a worry you will have to mull over later as, just like Meursault said, it is time for you two to leave and head towards your destination. As you lead him towards the water he stays silent and promptly begins taking his clothes off when you two stop. Even in such an intimate action he is very stoic and graceful, leaving his uniform folded by the shore and offering to fold yours as well. Without any shame in his naked, exposed self, he submerges himself. If he is cold, there’s no indication of that. It is after hours though and if you are attentive enough you will see his eyes trailing across your figure. He is yet another sinner that, if you find yourself shivering, will offer to transfer some of his warmth by standing and holding you closely. The action seems almost formal, but it’s doubtful he would propose such thing if it wasn’t you. Silence with him is comfortable. In case you initiate a conversation though, he will respond, carrying the talk effortlessly and casually. Or well, as much as his usual uptight demeanour allowed him to

There is no other way to describe the state you put Dante in other than ‘sheer panic’. For a split second they even start to wonder if they should be getting into the water at all, given their mechanical head. Only to realise that this is no different than the showers they take and will not jeopardise their life or ability to bring sinners back. If it was physically possible, you would definitely see more than one droplet of sweat rolling down their face as they look around and fiddle with their fingers. Suddenly it feels like their limbs had grown too long and their body is all wrong. They shift under your gaze, making a few surprised sounds. If you were hoping to make your poor manager a flustered mess, you sure got it. Finally they ask <is that even allowed?>. And I mean. They are the manager, so it’s not like you’re the one to tell them. They get flustered at that realisation even more. Muttering something that almost could be considered a coherent confirmation they look mortified with their own decision making skills. I mean. They are used to being mocked and used by the sinners, disregarded as a weakling by most (and that doesn’t even cover the way they get treated by those who can’t hear their speech). So it’s surprising that out of everyone you could invite, you felt the most comfortable undressing in front of them. Sure, you make a point to treat them well on the daily, but they always assumed you didn’t think very highly of them, that it was pure courtesy. The more they think about your proposition, the more anxious they get. They like you. A lot. But your question could mean that you are more fond of them than they initially assumed. And they like you so so much. Oftentimes your interactions make their day, making them feel better even after the worst of days. But they always thought it was one sided (why wouldn’t it be? You’re so lovely and they are, as of now, not even the bare minimum. Just some incompetent ‘resurrection machine’ with no memories of the past and ‘questionable humanity’). If this is some sign that you’re sending, if you really like them, they would feel bad for giving into their selfish urges. You deserve someone stronger. Someone more capable. They get so worked up over that, that when you two finally get to it and it’s time to undress they are hit with a new wave of anxiety. Once again their whole body feels so inadequate and out of place. As you stand there naked they can’t help but shrink into themselves the more your beauty hits them. They don’t even remember what is considered attractive. They know their head is definitely a turn off but as they stand with their arms folded tightly like a shield, they start to wonder if any part of them is even remotely appealing by common beauty standards. You have to snap them out of their half horny-half self deprecating gaze and lead them towards the water by their hand, making their stomach fill with butterflies. It certainly takes a while for them to relax, though they do their best to respond every time you say something. All whilst desperately reminding themselves that you aren’t able to see where their eyes are looking 0///0

Gregor is no less caught by surprise and the half grumble-half squeak he makes is definite proof. Your surprising question is definitely at least a bit dreadful. Unlike in the the scenario above, Greg is more so concerned with the physical aspect of things. He treads carefully, trying to gage if you’re not making fun of him, mocking his appearance like so many have done before. Of course, up to this point you were nothing but kind, but after being let down and made to feel lesser by everyone, there is a (rather large) part of him that wonders if you’re not about to join the rest in reminding him just how much of a lowly gross looking pest he is. His suspicion is not very subtle, so you would easily catch on. I mean, after having witnessed so many times just how awfully people spoke to him/about him, you wouldn’t struggle to, at least partially, understand the source of his approach. All you can do is be kind and hope he can read your true intent (since he won’t verbalise his exact fear, he doesn’t like to bring up his modifications if he doesn’t have to). Surprisingly, it somewhat works because he reluctantly agrees to at least try. If he changes his mind, he can just stay on the shore. That kind of setup does make things a bit better for him. If push comes to shove he figures he can just opt out, you’re not putting much pressure on him. Still, he sighs deeply and sighs, muttering something about how he ‘should be smarter at his age’. Please, that man is acting as if he’s on his deathbed whilst being 35, someone talk some sense into him…. Well, either way he follows through in his promise and goes with you at your agreed time. When someone comments on you two ‘sneaking off’ it does nothing to make the situation any more loaded. The closer you two get to the body of water, the more visibly stressed he is. Instead of engaging in his usual small talk, he stays silent as he often does when he gets reminded of his painful past. If the walk was any longer you could safely assume that he would go through his whole pack of cigarettes, if not two. He sort of catches himself spacing out by the end and tries to act like everything’s fine (I mean, in the improbable - in his eyes - scenario that you just genuinely like him, it is a pretty bad look for him to be so silent and gloomy), but there is something heavy in the air. As you reach the shore, he stands to the side. Piece by piece your uniform uncovers your naked body. Only when you’re fully undressed does he start to contemplate yet another issue that could put him in a horrific predicament. While a decent chunk of other sinners, in they were in his place, would be most worried about getting a very obvious boner, he is too preoccupied with just now beginning to stress over the sudden upsurge of strong emotion making his body transform or act on its own. And there is a definite upsurge of emotions when he lets his gaze settle on your figure. He almost doesn’t hear you when you ask if he wants to join you. He’s somewhere between flustered and worried, looking anywhere but at you whilst telling you all the ways this could go bad. Hurting you. Scaring you. Making you repulsed. That last one he doesn’t say out loud but it weights on him nonetheless. Eventually you could maybe convince him. Pressure doesn’t work but letting him know that he has a choice and you are simply glad he accompanied you is going to go a long way. Something something being denied autonomy his whole life. Or something. Aaanyways. That might just get him to join you in the water, after having taken off his clothes as well. He… doesn’t like his looks in general. As a friend of mine put it - he figures the arm at least takes the attention away from everything else. Ouch. But undressing in front of you is a huge step! Kind of has a what are we????? Ringing in his head and making his face red but he won’t say that hhhh. Only when you two go in deeper (he’s very actively trying to submerge himself in the water, though he wishes he was a bit more secure if only to have you above the surface) does he chuckle nervously

2/2 and informs you that he cannot swim. At all. You're happy to learn more about him as always but also that kind of information would be handy to know beforehand. He still doesn't trust his modifications not to act up if your naked body were to get any closer to him, so you two stay a reasonable distance away but refrain from getting ant deeper. As he relaxes a tiny bit, you get to experience his uninterrupted yapping and forget about the earlier worries for a bit. His subtle cynicism shines through his goodnatured jokes and comments and for the first tine in a while he gets to relax a bit. It might take him long to let his guard down fully but it's hard not to smile seeing him at least a bit less beaten down. All i can guarantee is that he will absolutely go over this adventure again and again in his head and for days to come will get flustered in the most random moments. But out of all the outcomes, it's not so bad to have that effect on him, is it? ;3

[joonipertree]

Dad!gojo with teen daughter

People talk AB dad gojo (as they should) but what about...... Teenage girl dad gojo...idk how to word it.

This started when I realized how it's practically fanon that gojo would be a dad that takes his kids side during parent teacher meetings, full on...like if his kid punched someone...that man is buying the child that can't drive a Lamborghini.

So...imagine Gojos daughter being a teen, she goes to normal school because he REFUSES to get his daughter involved in sorcery till she wants to (pisses off so many elderly fucks)

One day, he gets a call (not you because ofc he's her emergency contact, she wouldn't get chewed out right away) and the school complains that his daughter pushed a guy down the stairs.

He's like hehehehe but in front of the teacher he tries to have a straight face (he realised it's easier to look displeased.)

"As you know, Mr Gojo, it's just not acceptable for violence to occur like this. We take it very seriously and while we aren't ready to expel her yet, suspension is more so on the table. Now, you yourself can do what you must for disciplinary actions but we advise---"

Gojo held up a palm at the principal, looking at the man from above his sunglasses. He blinked sassily before turning towards his pride and joy, who was slumped on the chair and looking at the ceiling.

"Tell me what happened, bubba."

His daughter melted with a sigh of relief and looked at her dad, his piercing blue eyes staring back at him. He much preferred if she had gotten your eyes.

"Dude was tryna look up my skirt so I kicked him."

Satoru's eyes hardened but there was a grin on his face as he ruffled his daughter's hair.

"Good job, honey. What's the school planning on doing about that?"

"Jack shit."

Gojo finally looked back at the principal, glare hard and the smile without any positive connotations to it.

"Well, Mr Gojo," The principal spluttered, "The boy broke an arm! It could've been worse if he hit his head."

"Oh it's going to be worse when I'm done with him. I'm guessing the parents aren't planning to sue cuz they heard my name? Yeah, good for them. Now, just for you not doing shit....I'm gonna make sure that you never work in a school setting ever again. And I'm taking my daughter on an early summer vacation to the Maldives. Don't fuck with my daughter ever again, you hear me?"

And with that, he left with his daughter skipping next to him....clinging to his arm while she stuck her tongue out to her now ex principal.

"Can we get ice cream on our way home?"

"You read my mind, sweet pea."

When you came home to your two delinquents eating ice cream, you asked why their suitcases were packed but didn't have a chance to complain when they lugged you into a cab to go to the airport.

[bomber-grl]

Hiiii!! I'm not sure if you've done this but could you make one with Hiro and a male reader where he just goes through the whole gay panic bc of the reader? If it's not too much trouble ofc :]

There’s this river in Egypt-

Pairing(s): Hiro Hamada x Male!Reader

CW(?): There’s a bit of denial on Hiros part but not in a internalized homophobic sense rather just confused so take it with a grain of salt

Hiro and the rest of bh6 were casually eating in the cafeteria, same as any other day

It was lunchtime and it was usually spent hanging out which wasn’t out of the norm

Hiro wanted to get a snack before he left to the rest of his evening classes and chose to get up and select something from a nearby vending machine

He wasn’t really paying attention, hero work alongside quickly approaching due dates were plaguing his mind

And so he accidentally crashed into you

Was it avoidable? Sure but did he end up regretting it? That’s up for debate…

He quickly tried to collect everything back on your tray and was profusely apologizing over and over, refusing to even look at you.

Any normal person would’ve been pissed as hell but all you did was laugh and wave a hand

It was fine, and he had nothing to worry about

You offered him your hand as he was on his knees on the ground, trying to urgently correct his mistake.

Once you pulled him up he managed to get up he was basically just standing there staring

You were going on with your convo and even pulled out your phone talking about whatever it was that you were

But then you noticed Hiros lack of attention

“Hello? “ you waved a hand in front of Hiros face, he was obviously spacing out.

“Huh? Oh uh sorry I wasn’t paying attention to what you were saying, sorry” his face was heating up and he didn’t know why.

Like seriously, why did he feel sweaty all of a sudden, And when did how he stood start bothering him?

“Oh it’s fine I was just wondering if I could get your contact information? I mean i also ran into you and …” you gestured to his stained shirt “I’m sure you wouldn’t mind if I offered to dry clean it.”

He stood there staring at you. Then he realized you looking at him expectantly. oh! It was his turn to talk.

“Uh yea I wouldn’t mind if it were you” how could someone fail so hard at being casual. His face heated up even more than it already was at the connotation , “I-I mean considering you stained my shirt!”

Horrible save. “Oh, yeaaa” you said in response and nodded along, great now you thought he was weird…

You two quickly exchanged info and you went on your way

Hiro unfortunately had to walk back to his table like a dog with its tail in between his legs

As if bumping into anyone wasn’t enough of a commotion, he also made a fool of himself

He wasn’t even in the mood for that snack anymore despite desperately bee lining for it a moment ago.

-

That same night was spent with Hiro wide awake staring up at his ceiling

I mean it was the first time he’d seen you, you’d think he would’ve known about another genius his age

Not to mention your voice, and laugh, and you looked pretty cool too..

Maybe he just wants to really be friends with you, yea that makes sense

-

Eventually you ask to meet up with Hiro and give him back his shirt neatly folded

Which was also the start of his one sided pining your friendship

Before you could leave he called out and asked if you could hang out

Of course he stumbled out excuses of having stuff in common and rambled on in typical hiro fashion

Despite that, you didn’t seem to mind the proposition

Doesn’t make seeing you around school any less of a heart attack though

He’s down bad and his heart immediately starts pumping so hard that he literally had to shut Baymax up when you were first introduced to him

He almost gave away Hiros concerning rapid increase in heart beat

This thing doesn’t exactly go unnoticed by others either

Wasabi offers to help him out best he could and honey lemons all for it

But hiro doesn’t know what he’s talking about

He just rlly likes you as a friend

Until he realizes that he doesn’t

It isn’t until his aunt is calling him to try out a new dish that she made for dinner and he’s luckily not in any rush

When he starts to eat, however, his aunt starts talking about going somewhere for the summer and then she brings up you

You were already introduced to her and she’s seen how Hiro acts around you

So she began to talk about you as if you were hiros boyfriend or something

That’s when Hiro realizes and finally begins to wonder if he likes you

Which obviously he does

*insert the rest of the night spent with hiro taking ‘am I gay quizzes’, contemplating and thinking about his sexuality,but also thinks about if you’re into him then maybe he’d have a chance..?

He quickly turns his light off and goes to bed after that thought

He’s already starting to experience delusions..

-

*insert Hiro standing at a bus stop a month later*

You two planned on hanging out that day and you began walking to a movie

Even I have no idea where Hiro got the courage from but he managed to be brave enough to hold your hand during the movie

It was pre planned too 💀

The night before said movie, he was hanging out with the rest of bh6

They had found out about Hiros date hang out with you because Hiro was really fidgety and maybe, by chance.. Cass had mentioned Hiros squealing that was quickly covered with him “clearing his throat” when she passed by..

So then ofc they had started coming up with ideas for cliche things to do and Hiro had none of it

Except maybe one idea got to him

Which leads to now that he reached for popcorn at the same time you did

Was it cringe? Terribly but now or never ig

He refused to even look at you and you pulled your hand back.

He sort of deflated, at least he knew he didn’t have a chance

But then you held his hand, even intertwining your fingers

And you leaned in and whispered “if you wanted to hold hands you could’ve just said so”

If hiro could explode, he would

I mean he certainty looked like he was a bomb waiting to be detonated

After the movie Hiro walked you home and when you got there he didn’t even need to confess because you did

You told him that you’ve liked him for awhile and fortunately for him, you’re not oblivious

Thus, you two began to date yipeeee

Thankfully Hiro finally relaxes and starts being himself more around you

Although, he learns that you didn’t know how down bad he was for you and how you basically “turned” him gay

Maybe one day he’ll tell you that you were his gay panic but he won’t, knowing it’ll go straight to your head

Not like he’s any better when you tell him you thought he was cute since the moment you saw him

[whinlatter]

The broken family bond between Harry and Petunia!

wow while usher was dancing his socks off at half-time you were thinking about petunia dursley née evans' malicious treatment of everyone's favourite grouchy knobbly-kneed jock... what does this say about you anon? look inwards

i feel terrible that i do not have too many thoughts about the broken family bond between harry and petunia but i DO have thoughts about what harry represents as a challenge to the nuclear family unit and its associated class connotations that petunia cares so much about. one thing i have been thinking A Lot about recently is petunia's description of snape as 'that awful boy' in ootp (which ofc, at the time, harry thinks is a reference to james), and how petunia's ideas about class and social mobility colour her view of wizards and, by extension, her resentment and contempt for harry. sooo i have talked about that instead......... ctrl + f neoliberal renders 2 results below i'm so sorry

when we meet petunia in the canon timeline, she's a parody of a tory home counties suburban housewife, striving middle class in the very thatcherite neoliberal sense, all about the house prices and the pension pot, with her perfectly maintained peach home decor and pristine garden, with a husband who has made his money through a managerial position in industrial manufacturing, who sends her son to private school and monitors the material wealth of her neighbours and associates very acutely. we know that young petunia wanted to join wizarding society and was rejected by it, and we know that adult petunia now holds wizarding world and its culture in open contempt. we particularly know that petunia hated snape, and that, other than lily, snape was the first wizard she ever really met. to young petunia's eyes, snape had all the visible markers of poverty and of being working class ("They live down Spinner’s End by the river," she told Lily, and it was evident from her tone that she considered the address a poor recommendation.') nevertheless, by virtue of being a wizard, this shabby poor-looking boy was elevated above petunia as something particularly special, and sneered at petunia as lesser than him as a result. i think this is interesting, because i think young petunia processes her rejection from magic by starting to think of magic and wizarding culture as a perverse subversion of the class system she knows and believes in, where a visibly working class person can somehow be special and worthy. (we can speculate what she would make of james potter as her son-in-law - james, while obviously wealthy, is old money posh coded - he doesn't work for a living! - aka not at all invested in the hard-work discourse, keeping-up-with-appearances that the new money suburban types that petunia strives for).

why does this matter? i just think it's very striking that petunia's complaints about harry are so often expressed less in terms of the danger of his magic, than his threat to external perceptions of her and her family, and, especially, as a challenge to their class position

petunia makes critiques of harry's messy appearance, his misbehaviour at primary school (caused by his magic), his association with the criminal (sirius black) and the shabby (the weasleys), and his refusal to respect or show any deference to vernon and the family despite their great attempts to maintain the trappings of respectability. the particular horror of harry's presence in the dursleys' life, in petunia's mind, is that his existence makes her family an alternative blended family, which compromises all that petunia holds dear in terms of the trappings of middle class respectability that puts a great deal of social capital on the nuclear family unit and no deviation from it. i don't mean to suggest petunia only perceives magic as a class threat, or that she doesn't fear harry's magic as something dangerous. her response to dudley's dementor run-in proves how much she fears what magic can do (and, ofc, she knows what happened to lily). but what's striking in DH is that petunia is still umming and ahhing, as vernon is, about whether to go into hiding. unlike movie!petunia in that deleted scene, book!petunia still isn't convinced about 'what these people are capable of'. for this reason, i think petunia has come to think of wizarding culture in terms of a fundamental challenge to the class system she understands and upholds, and to the primacy of middle class new money neoliberal suburban identity that is petunia's entire worldview. and that's really the source of her beef with harry: not his threat to her safety, but to her class identity, which is adult petunia's whole world.

[brown-little-robin]

HI so sorry to barge in here unannounced like this but u seem to have a lot more knowledge about japanese language/culture/social etiquette than i do and i've seen u mention dimple's mannerisms in canon once or twice and like . i'd love to hear more abt that if ur willing to ramble for a bit. i've been Very curious just how far dimple's Rudeness goes, but i know very little about the culture. i'm sure some things he does or says seem fairly normal to me but is considered very rude or disrespectful to the characters. no pressure tho ofc :]

hi Rika!! literally drop in anytime! I,, I appreciate this ask so much and will answer as best as I can, but I'm a very new student of Japanese and Japanese culture, so take what I say with a grain of salt! also I personally am going to tag @russenoire to respectfully invite them to partake in this conversation if they think it would be fun (no pressure of course!). they have been studying this much longer than I have :}

putting my thoughts under a cut because !!! I love to ramble!!! note: all of this is based on Dimple's Japanese voice & mannerisms from the anime. I don't have the manga in Japanese yet 🙏

As a preface: Ekubo's direct/rude/familiar speech style is typical in anime and not unheard-of in real life, but it's definitely worth noticing! Mob Psycho 100, particularly, gets a lot of its unique interest out of taking unrealistic anime expectations and saying "HEY pay attention to this, WHY is this happening, this is immature behavior, why are adults in this universe letting this happen", and making it funny and/or serious. So!!! let's dive in.

So, okay, Dimple's mannerisms. The first thing to know is very general. he usually speaks in the casual register (which has a whole distinct vocabulary from the more polite registers: for instance, he tends to end his sentences with "da" rather than "desu", which are both "is" verbs with the exact same meaning, just a different connotation). the casual register is comparatively... direct. Dimple using casual implies that he thinks of himself as on familiar terms with and/or higher in the social hierarchy than whoever he's speaking to. casual Japanese is par for the course in anime in general, especially for people expressing arrogance, like Ekubo does all the time. But still, that's A Choice. it expresses simultaneous superiority (I am allowed to speak to you in informal terms because I'm above you) and also, possibly, desire for closeness (Ekubo speaks to Shigeo in familiar terms like they're brothers).

(Politeness, respect, and distance are linked in Japanese. Casual language isn't always rude, but in the wrong situation, it can be jarring and disrespectful. Using casual Japanese is a sign of confidence and personal closeness in your relationship with someone—new friends will switch from formal to casual language at some point and typically never go back; siblings use casual language with each other as a matter of course. It's very situational.)

The second thing to know is, there are choices of first person pronouns in Japanese!!! And Ekubo's choice is spectacular. He refers to himself as "ore-sama". "ore" (roughly pronounced "o-ray") is one of two typical Japanese casual male pronouns, ore and boku. (the formal first-person pronoun for men is watashi). To my knowledge, "ore" was originally the only casual male pronoun, and then "boku" entered popular use as a more humble option and changed the meaning of the formerly more neutral-sounding "ore" by competing with it, which is fascinating. but I'm getting distracted. "ore" is the more aggressively masculine pronoun; it's considered rough/direct to the point of being rude in many contexts. And Ekubo doesn't just use "ore" (ore is a widely-used choice!), he adds the honorific -sama to the end. This is extremely macho. SUPER arrogant. It tracks with his desire to become a god: -sama is the honorific for kami as well as the honorific for people who are way higher ranked than you. giving someone the honorific -sama expresses a greater gap between you and them than -san does. this is hilarious to me. Dimple is over here referring to himself as 🔥 ME 👑 every time he uses first-person pronouns. (Mob uses boku, btw.) ore-sama isn't not used irl, but it's, uh. highly highly unusual, from what I can tell. sounds like a biker gang boss kind of thing to me—something someone on the fringes of society would use. no shade to those outside "polite society" from me, btw, I'm just stating the general connotation from a majority cultural perspective.

OH AND SPEAKING OF HONORIFICS. I'm guessing you've seen analysis of this before and/or just Get It from cultural osmosis, but Dimple calls Shigeo "Shige-chan" the second time they meet. -chan is a usually-affectionate diminutive usually given to girls younger than yourself or celebrities people find cute; I think they translate it as "li'l Shige" in the English dub? -chan has cutesy connotations and can be infantilizing if it's not used with permission and/or some kind of... y'know... familiarity and understanding between the person giving the honorific and the person being referred to with -chan. it is super disrespectful of Dimple to call Shigeo Shige-chan having just met him, and having gotten off on a terrible foot with Shigeo, no less. what the heck, Ekubo!!

And then Dimple proceeds to call him just Shigeo with no honorific at all, which is ALSO disrespectful?? given that Dimple doesn't know him, really?? too familiar, too abrupt! As a strange adult, he should be calling him Shigeo-kun! But he's treating Mob like a little brother. (For instance, as the older brother, Shigeo has the right to call Ritsu by the first name and only the first name, whereas Ritsu usually calls Shigeo "Nii-san". To my knowledge, that's not unnatural in Japanese the way it would be in English; it's not Ritsu reiterating their bond every five seconds, it's just the Expected Thing for the younger brother to refer to the older brother as "Nii-san" out of respect. you'll see the Shiratori brothers, Daichi and Kaito, doing the same thing if you pay attention. to each other, they are "Kaito" and "Nii-san". BUT ANYWAY)

Another Dimple regularly does that reads as arrogant/direct to me is sometimes speaking in a Really Low Voice. This is where my knowledge gets hazy—it's more about pronunciation and accent than "behavior" as such, so bear with me, but the general pitch of one's voice is important in Japanese. Girls and women tend to pitch their voices higher than their natural range in Japanese, especially when doing "polite" or "customer service voice". Japanese speaking men often raise their pitches for politeness/to express humility or a conciliatory attitude too, even though it's not as extreme as with women. And men who are performing aggression will often lower their pitch on purpose, creating a growling kind of effect. Dimple does this a lot. Let me see if I can embed a video of him doing it here

YES. OKAY. Listen to the difference between his mental voice and his spoken voice here!! Dimple uses a higher pitch when talking to Mob because he's trying to ingratiate himself with Mob, but then when he's muttering to himself, he reverts back to his evil-spirit, gang-boss, stereotypically-yakuza-sounding kind of... deep growl.

Relatedly, Ekubo rolls his r's. he rolls them hard. That's a really rough way of speaking, definitely not typical in "polite" Japanese. people learning Japanese are told not to roll their r's unless they want to sound like they're yakuza wannabes. (He also, to my ear, tends to kind of roll his vowels?? he puts his voice backwards in his mouth, pronouncing things either near his nose or deep in his throat, and kind of crushes them with his mouth as they emerge. I don't know if there's a word for this, but to my synesthesia it looks like his voice goes spiky. it's a COMPLETELY different sound than the smooth pronunciation of polite Tokyo-style Japanese. I don't actually have a point this is just interesting to me)

That's about all I have for now! I'm fascinated by Dimple's speaking style and what it says about him. Sorry this was more about accent than behavior—as far as behavior goes, I mean, he's weird. he's weird! as a ghost, he's not really a part of society and he just wanders around making fun of people, which would be rude in any culture. I have a whole Other rant about how Dimple improved as a person after Reigen started treating him as an employee and how that adds to MP100's theme of society and connection, but now is not the time. I hope this has been interesting to you!! Thank you for the ask!

[bentosandbox]

Lappy fancam animatic blogging/production notes

now that wolfgirlyaoi is out on global its rambling time about my powerpoint presentation

Concept

Originally I wanted to do an (Tex & Lapp) animatic with the boss theme (broken wall/Signore dei Lupi .mp3) ever since the event dropped but I thought 1) by the time I finished anything someone else would have probably already done it first (lol, lmao even) 2) I remembered the song exists and how much i looped it then while listening to the group's new album drop and thought the lyrics fit Lapp a little too well and also doesn't end abruptly like the boss theme + was shorter so yea

initial stickman storyboard where i put down the lyrics with event dialogue/happenings that i felt would fit nicely together > hastily scribble the images that form in my head

storyboards were basically what i wanted to see (same rule as my comics) lol especially if they weren't shown in the event CGs, eg. there's a CG of the truck crashing into the courtroom so I didn't do that but they didn't mention her physical acting in that scene + the song I used has a bow/salute at that exact part in their live choreo with the very similar line so I wanted to do a homage even though-

-I was like it's going to be such a pain to figure out an economical hand twirl and bow but I have to do this I need to transplant the image in my brain onto the screen because official media did not do a—

Honestly still don't know if its a common phrase and action combo because I was having so much trouble finding external references that wasn't just scrubbing the live video over and over anyway

part of the storyboards were 'recycled' from comic drafts I did (of the chocolate scene because ofc) when the event was running on CN

Originally I wanted to draw Lapp feeding Texas for The Girlyaoi Funny but I wanted to reference the plaque you get which is a Creation of Adam reference right but I also saw people saying it's referencing the scene from Silence of the Lambs lol so...peel the layers to your liking!!

(The chocolate flavour choice was from asking my Columbian friends what the worst chocolate flavour they ever tried which was white coconut)

my sorry attempt at colour keys > final spreadsheet to keep track of progress and paste all the dialogue i put in

Art Direction

A bunch of shots/colour schemes are references to Måneskin's stuff or other media tehepero I'll just put a few here

At first I was going to limit red/blue to tex/lapp respectively but since Omertosa is blue I just did away with that rule and lapp gets to have both (and more!) these two colours have pretty obvious emotional readings I think but also

red = self blue = society Siracusa or: red = yaoi & blue = yuri

for the others:

Purple = Alberto/Saluzzo, its not orange like the fruit he keeps holding because see below; I needed the colour for something else LOL Also the Saluzzos are iirc nobility or whatever and they have purple hints in their clothes so I think it was a good fit anyway

Yellow/Orange = Its supposed to be representing the last word in the story which apparently, yostar went with 'Savagery' which is Correct I guess but (laments again about how nuance is lost in localisation because imo savagery has a more derogatory kind of connotation while I think 蛮荒 in context of the story also has a 'nature/untouched by civilisation' side to it) which is why Texas setting the house on fire was not (entirely) red but orange (and it complements the blues both visually and thematically) and it's yellow at the end when they're frolicking(?) in the wilderness lol

(these colour rules don't apply to the penglog shot and technically a few frames like the shot with shocked penance, the one right after and 'im just lappy' because...i forgor my own rules lol)

The greens/teals were just a reference to the shades in the 3DPV I think

The silhouette/general style was inspired from the 3D teaser thing they had at the beginning of the 3.5 anniversary stream and the card suits that I..forgot to move to the other layers which is why only the green one had them (supposed to be 1 per set 💀)

The clash bit is basically the same as the event CG but with a flipped camera/POV sorry for world's worst screenshot lmao. Couldn't imagine the poses in my head so I ended up posing 3d models in CSP pretty good posing practice

These shots got rendered extra because..they were the first frames I started on and I was still figuring out how much to simplify lol

I also posed the chairs shot for some inexplicable reason…my file was lagging so bad

Headcanon part (kind of)

The childhood flashback scene is probably the part I took the most liberties (headcanon) on since it's not explicitly canon like the rest...the sequence/how I connected the scenes itself to fabricate a timeline of her childhood was kind of inspired by some weibo post musing about how (iirc) texas's sweet tooth maybe came from when she was being fostered at casa Saluzzo and Lapp treating her like a pet essentially and giving her a lot of treats since...you know what happened to her actual pet hehe except maybe texas offered her a stick first and then Lappy just reciprocated endlessly because its one of the few 'acts' she knew that wasn't violence haha yeah this section was basically a stealth doujin sorry

It's mentioned that she was brought up as the ideal Siracusan or whatever and she does the cute doodle in the 3DPV so I thought she probably had the Forced Music Lessons as a kid (The music sheets are Bella Ciao and of course)

The bow choreo was the one thing i really wanted to animate but the music sheet segment (based on that one split second shot above) ended up being my favourite part even though compositing the motion was a mini hell on it's own (ended up compiling a long png to scroll by with the red doodles layered over)

Other things

I will never live down my (self-imposed) shame of misspelling the title (I fixed the title on youtube but its why the ending shot in the upload says ZittE e Buoni instead of ZittI e Buoni) don't rush your fancam in 10 days 😔

I didn't look through the entirety of the EN loc but Idk why they had Lappy say 'Then go.' to Texas when it's supposed to be more like 'Let's go.' as in, 'let's go together' as opposed to 'alright off you go to the greyhall alone' lmfao also her saying goodbye forever padre when addio is right there

I don't think I'm insane enough to do another ppt soon but man this pair really makes the 'imagines a whole music video while listening to music' part of my brain go wheee like first it was Starset's Manifest then Signore de Lupi then this and while working on this one i was thinking how Måneskin's Torna A Casa would be another good track

ok ty for reading #GIRLYAOIREAL

[kandyzee]

Ur having a laugh right.

ME AND MY HUSBAND IS NOT SOME HAPPY LOVE SONG. And as much as I love love love mitski you really think MICKEY MILKOVICH is putting her on ?

GONNA EXSPLAIN WHY THIS IS WRONG NOW.

'Me and my husband' can ofc like all songs be interpreted differently. I'm gonna explain the interpretation I most strongly agree with (this is also from what I've seen is a pretty common interpretation). I'll also talk about how it doesn't relate to gallavich.

It starts with a heavy sigh. Straight away, you get a tired and negative feeling from the song. This alone is enough (imo) to tell that this isn't gallaviche's song because in what world would either of them start talking about their husband with a sigh? Mickey and Ians' relationship is the strongest it has ever been once they married. If anything, they should be having a sigh of relief because they finally get to be together.

Although the instrumentals are rather upbeat, the lyrics carry a sombre tone. "So I bet all that I have on that furrowed brow" comes to mind straight away. You have furrowed brows when ur angry, maybe upset/confused. One of her husbands noticeable traits is a thing of negative connotations. You could see this as a hint to her husband being abusive. Neither Ian nor mickey are abusive, so would not fit this role within the song.

These lines come across as almost desperate. Sure, you could see this as her lighting up as she sees her love, but to me, it's more than that. She feels helpless when he's not around. She only have value when her husband is with her / she needs her husband to feel validated and worth something. Maybe she's nothing but she has her husbands loves and she desperately hangs on to that to feel for herself. Mickey and Ian don't have that dynamic. They are both self-assured people by themselves.

To me this song feels like she is clinging to a relationship because she doesn't feel sustained by herself. She's trapped chasing the feeling of being loved. It has this undertone of "yeah he doesn't always treat me right but I've been with him so long ik he loves me in their somewhere and I am nothing without him so I'll stay" feeling to it. Its almost like she's been broken down by her husband so that see needs him and sees she's that but not enough to leave.

The slight repetition of "we're sticking together " affirms this for me. She's tired from start to finish trying to convince herself to hold out hope that her marriage can change. She can still be loved by him.

"At least in this lifetime" is a way of showing that she doesn't really want this. In another life, she would rather leave. Maybe she's scared to leave, and she's waiting for another life for the courage. Does any of this song like gallavich to you? Gallavich are desperate, sure, but they are desperate to finally be able to show love, not receive it.

Saying mickey relates to this song would be trying to say that he feels like nothing when Ian isn't around. The idea that mickey is only a love interest is irritating enough as it and u think he sees himself that way too?? I know mickey would get this song more than surface level. I mean, the man was a radiohead fan as a teenager. So, no, I don't think he relates to it.

I think if any relationship fit this song, it would be mandy and Lip.

This was super yappy, but I'm not all that concerned. Listened to me ans my husband on repeat while writing this

[mazzystar24]

I'm bringing positivity (I hope) lol. Top 5 buddie hc on any or all of the following, from eddie pov pls!

1. Waking up together

2. Buck being a dad to Christopher

3. Buck's eyes

4. Marriage...like not just a proposal or a wedding, but the institution of marriage and what it means to commit via marriage to someone you love

Ahhhh hi babe!! I didn’t get to post this yesterday cos my brain was melted post exam so sorry it’s late and thank you sm I love this ask!!!

I’m not creative or artsy enough to give you beautiful descriptions but I can YAP

1. We’ve seen in the show that Eddie is like the organised morning person, wakes up, has a whole routine etc,

Buck gives off goes for a run and cooks in the morning energy but also he’s a disaster bisexual so as a fellow disaster bisexual I choose to headcanon that he is at his most unbearable in the morning, chugs down coffee and is disoriented for a good hour type of thing

So ofc eddie would be endlessly fond of this because he’s been up for ages and has just been giving utter heart eyes at sleeping snoring buck and now is met with awake slightly unbearable buck

2. First of all, the PTA loves him and who can blame them, but back to buddie, I think to Eddie it’s such a calming thing to be able to rely on another person like that, to be able to delegate or anything without feeling guilty or like you’re a bad parent, like he can trust Buck with the fun stuff but also the heavy stuff, but also with some of the 1,000 little responsibilities and obligations of parenthood and it’s just this relief and like equilibrium to it of being part of a unit

3. I’m a SLUT for eyes, I don’t know what I can say though honestly you’ve seen them, Eddie definitely is pro buck wearing light blue tops because they do in fact do the Zoey deschanel in 100 days of summer effect

4. I feel like Eddie will have very mixed feelings on marriage, I think a part of him has a lot of guilt and resentment toward the institution of marriage, I think to him a part of him sees his to Shannon marriage as the start of the end for them.

Buck we know wants to be someone’s husband SO bad, like bro came out of margret’s evil womb probably asking for an apron and some kids of his own, jokes aside I think that Buck’s abandonment issues and lack of self esteem longs for this BECAUSE in his eyes it’s the connotations of being chosen and being kept, like to him marriage is saying “out of everyone in the world I choose you and I’m never gonna leave you” so I think it’s very important to him and the idea of not having that eventually would definitely make his insecurities go brrrr

So I’m an AVID enjoyer of all the fics where Eddie is very aware of this and like it’s a thing™️ in their relationship- before the self healing ensues and Eddie realises it’s different this time

I’m not sure how much I hit the “from Eddie’s Pov” bit of your ask cos idk how to but hope you like this, thanks anon!!!

Edit:

LEGIT POSTED THIS BEFORE REALISING YOU MEANT FIVE FOR EACH OR FOR ONE OF THEM AGJSKFKG HOPE ONE OF EACH IS GOOD COS I NEED TO LEARN HOW TO READ APPARENTLY 😭😭🫶🫶

[drizzledrawings]

hey there! yeah, to my understanding, anon is correct — proshippers are usually people who believe that people should be able to ship whatever they want if they tag it properly and if it appears in the correct spaces (ofc not the case w/ the tags on your art… ugh, i’m sorry:/). whilst it’s true that some proshippers do ship things like incest and such it isn’t bc they’re proshippers, it’s just bc they ship that sort of thing. proshippers just think that whatever people ship shouldn’t be like censored or restricted, even if it’s not to everyone’s taste — it should be just tagged properly and talked abt in the correct spaces, bc people will never stop shipping incest etc and attempting to stop them from doing will only result in them not filtering content properly, which is ofc not good for everyone. or at least that’s how i understand it? mean all this in good faith, i just wanted to say smth bc i know that a lot of people view proshippers as not exactly what they are sometimes

Yeah I get all that I do I’ve been on here for a long time

Sure I believe that people can ship what they want but I absolutely don’t want to see incest stuff? And I’m allowed to say I don’t like “pro shipping” because of the connotations behind it! Like sure go do you be a proshipper,,, that doesn’t mean I have to like it?

If I can’t say that I don’t like it isn’t that the same as telling them they can’t ship what they want? Lol

[catierambles]

Alternate Instincts Ch.11

Pairing: The Rogue’s Gallery (Geralt, Syverson, Mike, August Walker, Walter Marshall) x Stephanie Daniels (OFC)

WC 1176

Warnings: Panic attacks

Mike helped her put away what perishables she brought, which included a carton of about five dozen eggs that Sy appreciated as they were perpetually running low. They went through a lot of protein in that house with four very active Alphas, and he got the feeling they would be going through a lot more. A couple packs of steaks joined what was already in there, along with chicken and some fish. Girl had a healthy appetite. There was a slight disagreement on whose room her stuff would be going into, as all the bedrooms were spoken for. Not so much as they didn't want her things in their room, more they did and bickered amongst each other on who she would be staying with. In the end, she gave an annoyed sigh, rolling her eyes and grabbing her bags, setting them down in Mike's room and making him give a triumphant laugh, going to her and pulling her into his arms, pressing a kiss to her cheek. He went to pull back, but she reached up, touching his cheek gently and turned his face to hers, kissing him sweetly. His eyes closed, his arms tightened around her. A shiver raced down his spine as she pushed her fingers through his hair, tugging on the strands gently.

“Yep, there it is.” She said as she pulled away.

“What?” Mike asked, his voice slightly breathy.

“The feeling of fur.” She said, “I got it with all the others and I got it with you, too. I was kind of worried I wouldn't seeing as you're not an Alpha, but there it is.”

“Fur?” Walter asked, as they had followed her up the stairs to see where she was putting her things.

“Yeah, it felt like fur running over my mind and skin and I could see Mike's wolf for just a microsecond.” She said, “Black, not as stocky, but still big.”

“Damn, Stephanie.” He whispered, flattening his hands against her back. “And I thought I just wanted in your pants. But, fuck, sweetcheeks. This is a whole new feeling for me.”

“She's your Mate.” Walter said.

“It's not just that.” He said, “I want her to own me, I want to be hers.”

“Steph,” Sy started, “Did you...did you just claim Mike as your Beta?”

“I don't know what that means.” Stephanie said, still running her fingers through Mike's hair.

“Female Alphas not only have multiple Mates, but they also have Betas or Omegas that they claim.” August said, ”Sometimes they're also their Mates, sometimes they're not. Basically they're a pack within a pack. Not something we make common knowledge because there's too many negative connotations with “owning” someone, and humans wouldn't understand that it goes both ways.”

“Don't make me say it.”

“Yeah, we know, doll.” Sy said, “But you're wolf enough to claim Mike as your Beta.”

“You're my Alpha, babe.” Mike said, pulling her close and burying his face in her neck, “You're my Alpha, and I'm your Beta.” It all came crashing into her like a cartoon piano and she just about ripped herself away from him. “Steph?”

“I need some air.” She said, “It's a little too...close in here.”

“Are you all right?” Walter asked and she all but ran from the room, heading down the stairs and out the front door. It was quiet outside, the sun starting to set, casting the sky in reds and oranges.

Mate. Mate. Mate. Mate. Mate. I want her to own me.

It was too much all at once, crushing in on her. Too much. Too heavy. She couldn't breathe, couldn't stop her mind from racing.

Mate. Mate. Mate. Mate. Mate. I'm your Beta, you're my Alpha.

Her heart pounded in her chest so hard it hurt and she took in shaking breaths. Can't breathe. She was drowning, dying. Can't breathe. Can't breathe. Can't breathe.

“Easy.” A warm, heavy hand slid over her back. “Easy, darlin', you're gonna hit the deck.” She was pulled against a solid chest. “With me, Stephanie. Breathe with me.” His chest rose and fell in measured breaths and she slowed her breathing to match, swallowing heavily. In one two three four, out one two three four. “That's it. Keep breathin'.” In one two three four, out one two three four. The sound of his heart pushed though the loud buzzing in her head and she sank into him.

“Thank you.” She breathed and his cheek moved against her hair in a nod, his hand moving over her back in soothing motions.

“I had a lotta panic attacks after I'd get home from deployment. I know how to deal with'em.”

“Is she okay?”

“Yeah, she's okay, Mikey.” Sy said, “I think it just got to be too much for her.”

“I'm sorry.”

“It's not you, Mike. She ain't a wolf, her brain ain't wired to deal with it right away, and all this just came one after the other not leavin' her much time to process in between.”

“I'm sorry.” She said, her forehead pressed to his chest.

“Don't you apologize, baby. None of this is your fault.”

“But if I hadn't—”

“Hadn't what?” Sy asked, “Been born? Survived that accident by gettin' that transfusion? Babe, you're it for us. Some wolves don't have Mates, and if you weren't around for one reason or 'nother, we wouldn't have one either. It was always gonna be you, Stephanie. A thousand lifetimes, a thousand what-ifs, and it's always gonna be you.” She didn't know why, but hearing him say that made tears sting her eyes and she found herself sobbing quietly into his chest while he held her.

The tears eventually stopped and he pulled away only to look down at her.

"Better now?" He asked and she nodded. "Ready to go back inside?" Another nod and she slid her hand into his, lacing their fingers as they went back inside, her arm looped in Mike's.

"Are you okay?" Walter asked when they got inside and she nodded, still sniffling slightly.

"She just got a little overwhelmed, is all." Sy said and Walter nodded.

"Sy," Geralt said, "I looked into her landlord like you asked."

"And?"

"A lot of anonymous complaints of abuse, and there's a watch on him."

“Why'd you have him look into Frank?” Stephanie asked.

“Got a bad vibe from him.” Sy said with a shrug.

“Like a legit bad vibe, or “he's an Alpha wolf and is in daily close proximity to my Mate” bad vibe?” She asked and he paused as if thinking it over.

“A legit bad vibe.” He said, “And something he said don't sit right with me.”

“What did he say?” Walter asked.

“Verbatim?” Sy asked and he nodded, “If you infect her, she's mine.”

“Excuse me?” August asked.

“Fuckin' yeah.” Sy said and August pushed up from his seat. “Where you goin'?”

“Geralt isn't the only one with contacts in the Council.” He said as he headed for the stairs.

“Since when do you work for the Council?” Sy asked after him.

“I don't.”

[aylinhadtimeforthis]

Dead Poets Society As Dogs

so I'd come up with this concept a long while ago but decided to post it here bc why not so here goes lol

Neil: Brown Golden Retriever

I really tried going off their colour, size, shape language, vibes and personality and all that, and Neil DEFFO has golden retriever energy but the darker colour helps him contrast with Todd and also is in reference to his life and looks more

Todd: Cream Labrador

Honestly I don't know what other dog to have put for Todd this is the best fit I think He is calm and chill like labs but also wouldn't hesitate to defend his friends and stand his ground :)

Chris: Samoyed

I really didn't wanna put Chris as a light (esp white) coloured dog bc of her connotations with light colours but 😭 It literally fits so well hskdhbfjhds she looks so pretty I couldn't not do it :") and also there's not many darker dogs that fit her vibe :( She can still accessorize in darker colours tho ofc ofc

Ginny: Blue Heeler

Nah C'MON this is SUCH a Ginny dog like the bluish blackish warmish greyish patterns on the fur is like exactly what I think she'd wear and the dark round patterns are reminiscent to her dark wavy hair :)

Dalton: Husky-Chi

This was the only one that made a little sense to me tbh 😭 I literally tried looking for so many types of small dogs but they all looked weird and unfitting and wrong so this is the best I got 💀 Also apparently their personalities are quite unpredictable and "mystic" which I think matches pretty well with her impulsive and creative sense

Knox: German Shepherd Hound Mix

This is such a Knox dog omg look at him he's got the same cowardly mopey doe eyed look the lil freak always has I love him I esp wanted a dog that would be of a bigger build but more quiet and kinda scared looking like Knox is, and I think it worked p well with the hound addition bc german shepherds are guard and fighting dogs and the mix totally subverting that threatening appearance fits pretty well with Knox's lack of interest in getting involved with trouble or scuffs Also he looks like he'd give good hugs which :))))))

Pitts: Husky

THAT IS LITERALLY A PITTS DOG C'MON LOOK AT MY BOY THAT IS HIM I LOVE HIM

Meeks: Orange Poodle

Meeks would always accompany you and chill out with you but also judge you to the ends of hell and back and I feel like this is the right dog to convey that through Also it has his curly ginger hair :)

Cameron: Finnish Spitz

Who's a good pretty little bitch boy? You are yeah. Now THAT'S a Cameron dog if I've ever seen one istg it's got the colour the cut the expressions and everything- also there's this title of an article I found hsjkhsdjhfbjt-

-So true bestie too much crazy Cameron barking can be hazardous to your health anyway I hope you enjoyed this silly species-bend post or whatever one'd call it lol I just thought it'd be interesting to make :)

[popstart]

Am I the only one who feels like the way this fandom talks about female characters is always so like???? Omg girlboss but also a girlfailure I support women’s rights AND wrongs she was robbed!!!! Idk it’s always the same few phrases lol I don’t get it.

OHHHH I AGREE SO HARD💀 seeing the same 3 phrases used to describe the female characters bc they think its a diversity win. ok.

Female character is independent or strong etc -> omg shes suuuuch a girlboss teehee🙈 step on me. other weird and annoying sexual comments bc girlbossery is sexy (or something) and thats the only appeal female characters are allowed to have for a lot of people Female character is kinda cringe sometimes and doesnt succeed at everything -> omg my silly girlfaliure girlloser shes so sillystupid i love her Female character has dimension -> omg??? shes like a girlboss and a girlfaliure at the same time???

ignoring the fact i hate so many things about tacking on the prefix girl to random shit as something that feels like a negative connotation (or something degrading), there is 0 critical thinking people have for female characters and its like. ok man. people come up with 600 random headcanons and backstory elements for every single male character they like but designate the female characters they like to "oh ummm shes a girlboss so i like her😊" AWWEEESOMEEEEE. LOVE TO SEE IT🥴

and to people that dont see that or say that doesnt happen....... it does. i see it with my own eyeballs every damn day. eg; in fanon noah has 8 (or 9? i forget) girlboss sisters and is an expert hacker and speaks 300 languages and knows everything and makes 0 mistakes and is always calculated all the time and has 20 boyfriends while in canon he got kicked out of the opportunity of 100k dollars because he was reading and hates everyone and plays video games all day and is a massive schmuck for 1 single person that being emma. sorry noah fans thats just how it is. headcanons are fine but it gets to the point where its like hey guys what are we doing here.

and ok whatever. say we all stop talking about noah bc god knows he did nothing to deserve it. where do we go from there? the amount of people i see saying they wish there was more f/f in fandom they just dont wanna write it or people that say they wish they wrote f/f more its just too hard has me :I i think it really just proves how little fanon there is for female characters. since generally fanon is what fandom bases its fanfiction and general characterization on and f/f famously contains only women, it makes sense that if its "hard" to write for f/f pairings it means that people just dont care enough about the women to make wide spread fandom interpretations of them.

and it reaaaaaally sucks. total drama has what i consider a pretty good cast of diverse female characters. And sure, a lot of the time the show doesnt do them justice (they were robbed as many many MANY people say) but a lot of them have so much potential and all of them have at least SOME potential. but ofc, due to how theyre treated in the fandom, no one really cares about them outside of them being paired up with men. and even worse, people will just straight ignore them outright a lot of the time because they 'get in the way of their mlm ship' or some bs.

am i saying its inherently misogynistic to write mlm ships? HELLLLLL no. im just saying that the heavy apathy or visceral anger many many many female characters get unless theyre paired up with a man or because they 'get in the way of' a mans love for another man is quite frankly laughable when you consider what actually goes on in the show. this shit was made for kids, these people are kids. its just so weird just how obsessed people can be with a fictional character to the point of these overblown reactions to other characters of the same god damn show

[thisnameisnotspokenfor]

💯🎵

🎶 MUSICAL NOTES — what type of music does your oc like? do they listen to music very often?

Cepheus- star music is his favorite. Ofc they differ from court to court.

In terms of human music I think if he were living during our times he’d be a MASSIVE fan of David Bowie and Prince.

Asha- I imagine she’d have a wide yet structured taste of music that she likes to listen to depending on her mood (the side of Rosa’s where she’s from exposes her to a lot of different music while she grew up like Flamenco, and a ton of music from all over the world that sort of developed her tastes and Rosas' musical identity.) As a child, Asha always participated in school plays especially musical theatres, so a lot of her tastes in music also stem from there (she tends to like dramatic or dynamic music). ((Her favorite instrument is the violin!)) In modern times, I imagine that she'd love to listen to anything ranging from classical music (like Swan Lake, Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata) to smooth jazz, to even Gorillaz (her favorite album is a tie between Demon Dayz and Plastic Beach- but I can see her leaning towards Demon Dayz).

Valentino: loves heavy metal- (jk)

💯 HUNDRED POINTS SYMBOL — share three random facts about your oc that others may not know.

Lol I'll give you six because I'm feeling strangely creative today.

Asha:

-Asha is a better fighter than you think she is. Growing up as the granddaughter of the captain of the guard, Asha's been practically training in self-defense for as long as she could remember. Sabino's taught her a variety of stuff- but the martial arts she uses is heavily based off of those that many warriors from Rosas' predecessors learned. She's pretty good at it (I honestly hope she'd be at this point, considering that she's been training in it since she was 5) but there's a reason why Safi, Nachos and Dario would not want to square up with Asha, despite all being bigger than her.

-Asha invented Nachos cookies! (This will probably be revealed in the story) So in one chapter Asha reveals that when she was sick the prince came to visit. She was devastated that she didn't meet him (yes- a younger Asha did have a crush on Ignacio) and when he came back, she stayed up all night to make Ignacio cookies. Long story short, he ended up spending the whole day annoying Dahlia and never got to try the cookies. (Asha then lost her crush on him)

-Asha hates astrology. No seriously- integrating magic with astronomy? It irks her to no end, which was probably why Magnifico tried to make her study it along side magic. When he found out that she had no potential for magic, he stopped trying to teach her. If you ever want to make an enemy out of Asha just tell her astrology > astronomy.

-Young Asha always dreamed of being a princess. Now when she was super little, it was admittedly for the castle, adventures and sparkly dresses. But as she grew older, it was not necessarily for the affluence, but simply because deep down, I think she saw it as a 'it's not the treasure, it's the quest sort of ordeal.' I believe that in this world, royalty has always had a sort of 'divine' connotation to it. You're given the right to rule via birthright through divine power- (Magnifico will talk about this in the upcoming chapter) so there are people born into this world to lead and the rest to follow.

Asha as a peasant girl didn't really buy into this idea- simply because she looked up to her father- a man void of all noble blood, but was crucial in helping Magnifico establish Rosas. Which, not to go on a tangent is another reason why his loss hurt Asha so much. Her father was pretty much an inspiration to Asha that you didn't need to have a rank, wealth, or magical powers to help and impact those around you, something which she aspires to do now, even though she's more or less assimilated the classist views into her self-perception.

But let's get back on track to the princess part, shall we? As a child Asha admired princesses, because of what they did to either become a princess or achieve a goal. They always defied the odds to save/inspire those who they loved or change things for the better.

I'm not sure if this dream persists- as the discovery that she couldn't do magic along with the passing of her grandmother/father definitely took a toll.

Asha's grandmother taught her how to sing! When Asha was little her grandmother would take her outside and teach her to sing!

-Asha sleeps with weapons underneath her bed.

Cepheus: (only 2 facts here because I really can't spoil anything)

-Contrary to popular opinion, Cepheus did not like Asha that much when they first met: Now I know you're probably thinking- wait but wasn't he super friendly and curious when meeting her? Yes. He was. But I'm talking about that night on the ship when after reuniting, Asha fell asleep. Cepheus is finally left alone with his thoughts and begins thinking about his situation/Asha herself. None of which I can really divulge because it's rather, ya know, spoiler-y. But I can confidently say that his opinions on her has changed.

But they're still complicated.

-Cepheus is on good terms with his nannies now. It took a lot of time to track them all down and apologize, but they're 'even' now.

-Cepheus says that annoying Asha is like six months of therapy for him.

Geeze....That's literally the only things I can share.....*nervously glances at Ceph's legal team*

[itsjustsemantics]

Love, Javier - Chpt: 6

Pairing: Javier Peña x F!Reader/OFC (no y/n, no physical description, established backstory, no clear age gap mentioned)

content/warnings: alcohol consumption, connotations of mild depression and loneliness, little tiny small bits of Steve/Javi (more of that content laterr) Reunion!!! You know what they say, third times the charm ;)

Series masterlist - Previous chapter

Chapter 6: The reunion (1996) 

New York was everything Javier expected. Cussing, traffic and the smell of pee lining the footpaths. His recent move to the concrete jungle had him in a pensive mood, reflecting on his life like he had never before. 

After having spent so long in Laredo, he had started to think that was where it would end for him. Then again, he had also thought that being part of the DEA was the last thing he was going to do. 

After Cali, he had been given a sabbatical, some time off away from it all. At first, the monotonous ritual he had going of tending to the ranch alongside his dad worked. But soon Javier had found himself mulling over the last seven years. While fixing fences, oiling the patio and most of all in the creaky comfort of his bed and under his prussian blue covers. The ones he used to turn to when the thunder boomed too loud. 

The sound of thunder had been traded for an endless loop of explosions and the pained wails of innocents being caught in crossfire. The violence and bloodshed he had witnessed often played across the walls of his old room, over the faded band posters and college banners until the early morning teased the shadows away. 

After a month, he had handed in his resignation along with a large part of himself. Javier had given his blood, sweat, tears and more to that job. Dedicated his life to it from the very start. And as he left his letter and all the plans he had for his future on that desk, a sudden emptiness filled him. An intangible void, not even ranch work could fill. At least not for very long. 

On the bright side, all that manual labour had got him thinking about pouring his energies into something more intellectually substantial. Taking up a course in criminal justice, broadening his horizons academically. Like some sort of silicon plaster that holds together a leaky fountain. 

He had applied the following week and just like that the years had flown by and the silicon had proved successful. That was until the final leg of the program where the water seeped through the cracks of the rendering and into the foundation. Javier found that his nightcaps had become more frequent and it was now that he had felt more alone than ever 

New York was something unexpected. It had called one afternoon while he was helping Chucho hammer in the new gate; offering him a job as an instructor for the DEA in their law enforcement division. 

(I know and I’m well aware that the training headquarters for the DEA are in Quantico but for my sanity’s sake and this fic, it shall be in New York. I just thought that this job is kinda perfect for him, with all the experience he has and the fact that a part of him is still not ready to move on completely from something that was such a large part of life for so long. Also I am taking the liberty as this IS fanfiction. OK, done with this rant. Criticism is welcome but I assure you, his job and reader’s/OFC’s job/careers play a minuscule role in this and don’t really hold much significance.)

Now, here he was, sitting on a lumpy hotel bed, holding a bit of scraggly paper with yet another realtor’s number scribbled on it. He took a small sip of his whiskey as he reached over grudgingly towards the phone, only for it to ring first. 

Javier set his glass down on the bedside table and picked up. 

“Hello?” 

“Hello, am I speaking to a Javier Peña?” Javier heard some shuffling in the background. 

“Yes,” Javier stood up now. “This is he.” He set his glass of spirit onto the table with a clack. The shuffling stopped. 

“Javi! Hey man, It's Steve.” The other end chirped and Javier nearly huffed out a laugh. 

“Murphy hey, long time. How you doin’?” The corners of Javier’s mouth twitched upwards. The image of the blonde flashed in his mind. No doubt in an unfashionable polo shirt and a pair of dusty khaki trousers. 

“Can’t complain.” Steve drawled. “ I heard you were in town and I figured I'd give you a ring.” Steve’s voice was cool and easy and his low southern drawl had Javier thinking back to Columbia and all the long conversations they had grown to have. It was actually more so than the last time the two had spoken; right before he shot off to Cali. 

“It’s actually Olivia’s 7th birthday this weekend,” Steve continued. “We were hoping you could drop by, maybe catch up?” Steve hummed and Javier’s eyes found his feet. 

A part of his chest lapsed inwards, relaxing. Of course, this would only be yet another temporary fix for the dark, empty hole that had consumed him, but a fix nonetheless. 

“That sounds good, I’ll be there.” He said, bringing the phone to his shoulder blade and trapping it between his cheek.  

“So she’s 7 now huh?” Javier exhaled as a sudden realisation of just how long it had been settled into his bones. 

“Beats me,” Steve chuckled and the two men shared a moment of silence. 

 “Anyways, I’ll send you my address and you can pop by anytime.” Steve cleared his throat and his voice trailed off. Javier heard some sifting and shuffling, no doubt looking for a scrap of paper with his address on it. “Okayy” Steve sang, “you got a pen?” 

~ 

Javier stood on the pavement in front of a nice-looking suburban house. It had the brown roof and the white walls and even a perfectly trimmed hedge running along the small front yard. He fished out the address from the back of his jeans and turned it the right side up, skimming over the name of the street and the house number. 

“Thirty two…” He trailed off, looking towards the door. “Yep, thirty two it is.” He exhaled. 

Javier looked over to his car once more before sweeping up to the front porch. Even from there he could hear the excitable chatter; the kids squealing and mirthful laughter. He gripped the package in his hand tightly before pressing his index finger into the doorbell and stepping back a foot or two. 

“Jav! You made it!.” Steve swung the door open, and the two men embraced quickly, slapping each other on the back. Javier’s face matched the grin spread out on the blonde’s. “Come on in.” Steve ushered and shut the door behind himself.

Javier looked around in a circle, his eyes making their way across the nicely carpeted floor to the large table in the centre stacked with food and a large birthday cake, towering over the plates. “Nice place.” 

All the chatter was now louder and Javier could see some of the children running around the backyard through the window ahead of him. 

“We were lucky.” Steve stepped beside him, hands on his hips. “Another couple of hours and we would’ve lost it to some hippies and their labrador.” Javier smiled in response, suddenly becoming acutely aware of the gift in his hand. 

“Oh this is for the kid.” Javier held out the package. The purple wrapping paper rustling at the movement. “It's a sweater, I didn’t know what to get.” he shrugged and Steve patted it. 

“Wrap it yourself?” Steve asked, walking over towards one of the side tables with the pile of presents, and placing it down with a plop. He looked back at Javi, knowing smirk on his face. 

“Shut up.” Javier grunted, pulling off his coolers and clipping them to the undone button of his teal linen shirt. 

“Beer?” Steve sauntered over to the kitchen and Javier ducked in behind him, weaving through the guests. He leaned on the countertop next to the big bowl of cob dip and pigs in a blanket. Steve disappeared behind the door of the refrigerator for a second before popping back up with two bottles of the beverage, handing one to Javier along with a bottle opener. 

The blonde leaned back against the opposite counter and raised the bottle to his lips. 

“That her?” Javier used his bottle to point to the small picture stuck to the fridge with a small black magnet. Steve nodded, swallowing his sip. 

“Jesus.” Javier exhaled. “She’s gotten big.” 

“Tell me about it.” Steve chuckled affectionately. “That's the other one,” Steve jerked his neck towards the picture beside Olivia’s. “She’s 3 now.” Javier’s eyes followed Steve’s and landed on a picture of a small girl with blonde pigtails and a red knitted jumper; posing amidst the snowfall in what he recognised as the front yard he had just walked through. 

“Steve!” A familiar voice called out and Javier straightened up as another blonde walked into the kitchen, a toddler fitted between her arms and hip. “Rosie dropped punch on herself. Could you-” She stopped short and turned to Javier. “Javier?” He smiled and shrugged. 

“In the flesh.” He planted a small kiss on Connie’s cheek once she had passed over Rosie to Steve. “Good to see you Connie.”

“You should come on outside.” Connie said, pulling away from the short embrace. “Meet everyone, say hi to the kids.” She turned to Steve and Rosie. “Well, kid.” 

Javier peeled himself off the counter and followed Connie through the dining room and out into the backyard. His coolers were back on the bridge of his nose and the drops of water on the side of his bottle slipped down over his thumb. He took another sip as Connie started introductions. 

~ 

“I don’t understand why you go through his pockets.” You said, fiddling with the polka-dotted straw in your punch. 

“You know what I found while he was busy shaving?” Your friend Marie ignored you and rambled on. You twiddled the end of the plastic in loopy circles. 

“No, what?” You said, entertaining her. This had been one of many of her accounts regarding a certain ‘Carl something’. You couldn't remember. 

“They just bought a dining room table.” She exhaled, emptying her tiny flask into her glass of punch. 

“Marie, it's not even 6 o’clock yet.” you shook your head. 

“I mean his wife just went out and spent sixteen hundred dollars on a dining room table.” She shook her head and screwed the top of the flask back on with gusto. 

“Oh Marie,” Your shoulders slumped, almost in a pitiful manner. 

“The point is, he’s never going to leave her.” She took two large gulps, her index finger holding her straw aside. 

“Okay, but you’ve known this for two years,” You started, angling your body more towards her. 

“You’re right, you're right.” She straightened up. “I know you’re right.” 

“Marie,” You said, facing her head on this time. “I think it's time you found someone single, there are plenty of single men out there.” You sipped your punch as you spoke. “Y’know, the kind that aren’t married.” You took another sip. “The unmarried kind.” 

“Easy for you to say,” She scoffed. “You got the last good one.” 

You waited a mere beat before inhaling and raising your eyebrows. 

“Dustin and I broke up.” You relaxed your brows and your fingers circled the rim of your glass. 

“What?” Marie stopped halfway through a sip. “When?” 

“Last monday.” You said. 

“You waited a week to tell me?” She set her cup down and narrowed her eyebrows. 

“It's not a big deal.” You shrugged. “We’ve been growing apart for quite a while now.” 

“But you guys were a couple.” She pressed. “You had someone to go to places with. You had a date on national holidays.” 

You exhaled for the third time today and set your glass down beside Marie’s. 

“I said to myself, you deserve more than this and you’re 30 years old-” 

“And the clock is ticking.” Marie cut in. 

“No.” You corrected her. “The clock doesn’t really start to tick until you're 36.” You picked up your drink and took a sip. 

“God, you're in such great shape.” Marie shook her head in awe. “Besides, I never liked the fellow.” She wrinkled her nose.

“Well, I’ve had a few days to get used to it and I feel okay, Marie.” You shrugged. 

“Good.” She nodded. “Then you’re ready.” She reached over to her purse laying on Connie's dresser and pulled out a small, faded, old box. With a metal clip sealing the lid shut. 

“Really Marie.” Your tone was sharp. You knew that box all too well. 

“I’ve got the perfect guy.” She ignored your judgement and pulled out a card from the tiny slits in the box, holding it between her index and middle fingers. “I don’t happen to find him attractive but you just might.” She smiled. “You don’t have a problem with chins do you?” 

“Marie.” You said again, this time calmer. “I’m not ready yet.”

“But you just said-” She started and you cut her off. 

“I am.” You assured her. “I’m just in my mourning period.” Marie looked up at you from her seat. She had plopped down onto the dressing chair and was giving you a look, through her long lashes. 

“Okay,” You rolled your eyes in defeat. “Who is it?” 

“Joe,” She said, sitting up. “Joe Wallace.”

“Marie, you fixed me up with him almost six years ago.” You rested the small of your back against the dressing table, facing her with crossed arms. A loud screech of laughter sounded from downstairs.

“I’m sorry.” Marie shrugged, placing the slip of paper back into its place. She fished out another one after a couple moments of rifling and lifted it up to you with an ‘aha!’ sound. 

“Here we go.” She said, reading out the name proudly. “Alex Anderson.”

You shook your head at her in disbelief. “He’s been married for over a year.” 

“Really?” Marie said, wide-eyed. “Married.” She repeated, shaking her head and folded down the corner of the card. “Pity, pity, pity.” You took another sip of your virgin punch. “Oh!” Marie exclaimed again. “Wait, wait, wait.” She hushed you just as you were about to stop her. 

“There is no point in me going out with someone I might really like if I met him at the right time, but right now has no chance of being anything to me but a transitional man.” You huffed, walking away from the dresser. 

“I’m sorry.” She said, getting up and walking towards you. “I’m really sorry.” 

“It’s okay, Marie.” You sighed, taking her hand. “I just need some time.”

“Okay, let's head on downstairs, see if Connie needs anything.” 

“After you.”  You said, hand outstretched towards the door. 

~0o0~

“I almost forgot to mention, his American Express card was also in there.” Marie said tip-toeing over the wrapping paper strewn over the wooden floor. You rolled your eyes and let out a sigh. 

“Just how long does that man take to shave?” You chuckled. 

“He spent a hundred and twenty dollars on a new nightgown.” She strutted into the empty kitchen and stopped in front of a half eaten dish of some ‘pigs in a blanket’. 

“Not for himself I hope.” You stood by the sink and yanked open the shiny white dishwasher. Marie rolled her eyes. 

“I’m done with him, yknow?” She bit into one of the pigs. “Done.” 

“Good for you.” 

“Except,” She started again, gazing out through the pass-through window into the now empty dining room. “I-” She trailed off. 

“You what?” You egged, stacking the dirty plates into a neat pile. 

“So some guy is staring at you from across the dining table.” She continued chewing her snack, looking at you through the corner of her eye. 

“What?” You asked, looking over at her. 

“Look, but don’t look.” She raised her eyebrows. You followed her gaze and sure enough, she was right. There was Javier Peña, a tall pile of paper cups stacked up and slotted between his hands. Javier Peña of all the people in the world. 

“I know him.” You hissed and Marie slid off the counter and next to you. 

“Really? Who is he?” She ducked down along with you, pretending to load the dishwasher. 

“Steve’s old partner-friend…guy.” You shook your head, unable to boil down the man to something clear. Marie stood up once more and grabbed some more plates; more as an excuse to steal another glance. 

“Jesus, he’s cute.” She breathed, handing you the plates. You stood up this time, swiping some stray forks off the counter. His eyes found the tablecloth at your prolonged look. 

“I guess a little.” You sat back down on your heels. 

“You should get some of that.” Marie pushed her shoulder into yours.

“You’d like him,” You raised your eyebrows playfully.  “He doesn't do relationships.” 

Marie pinched your arm and your mouth hung open dramatically. ‘Ow’ You mouthed, rubbing the spot. 

“How do you know he doesn't?” Marie looked over at you. “Steve told you?” 

“No, no.” You let out a short laugh. “He did.” 

“What?” Her eyebrows knit together. “When?” 

“Around four years ago.” You estimated. 

“So he might be dating now.” She raised her eyebrows and you let out an incredulous laugh. “People can change.” She pressed. 

“No ma’am. Not that one.” You shook your head. “Regardless of any of that, he's rather exasperating.” You placed the last of the cutlery into their slots. Marie huffed and stood up, playing with a strand of her hair. 

“Stop staring.” You whacked her leg with the back of your hand. 

“I’m not.” She hissed back “uh oh.” 

“What?” You stood up beside her. 

“He’s coming to the kitchen.” She smoothed out her skirt and fluffed up her hair. 

“Doesn’t matter, he never remembers me anyways.” 

You stopped in your tracks at the mention of your name. 

“Connie’s cousin right?” His voice was deep and smooth, the way it rolled into your ears making them perk up. 

“Hi Javier.” You half laughed. “You finally remembered.” You pressed the hand-cloth onto the counter. 

“I thought it was you.” He said, flashing one of his dazzling smiles and Marie squeezed your hand in excited butterflies. 

“Oh, this is Marie.” You said quickly, turning to where Marie was standing. Was. She had now slunk towards the exit. “Was Marie.” You exhaled with a small smile. Marie gave him a small wave and a flirty little wink before leaving you and Javier alone in the kitchen. 

“How are you?” He set the cups down and crossed his arms. 

“Fine.” You nodded. “Fine.” 

“How’s, uh, Dustin?” He rubbed his chin. 

“Fine, I hear he’s doing alright.” 

“You’re not seeing each other anymore?” HIs eyebrows creased together.

“No,” You shook your head. “We just broke up.” 

“Oh, sorry, I didn’t mean to-” He sucked in a breath. 

“No, no.” No waved him off, not wanting the worry that was setting into his brows to make things awkward. “I’m honestly fine.” You smiled at him, reassuringly. 

“So, what about you? Steve mentioned that you moved into the city.” You leaned against the counter, noticing that his sense of style never really seemed to change too much. Jeans paired with a half-sleeve, teal button up and those yellow aviators clipped to the undone button of his shirt.

“Yeah, nearly a week ago.” He said. “Got a job.” The two of you nodded at the same beat. 

“How do you like it?” 

“Well, I just started, but it’s been pretty great.” He shrugged and you nodded again. “You live in New York?” He asked. 

“Mhmm, yeah.” The two of you shifted in silence for a minute before Javier spoke again. 

“Listen, do you want to go grab a cup of coffee?” 

“Oh?” You breathed, looking up at the clock in the kitchen. 

“You don’t need t-” 

“No, no.” You smiled. “Why not?” 

~

“When we first started seeing each other it was great, yknow? We wanted the same things- Or more like didn’t want the same things. We wanted to live together but not get married. Because every time someone we knew got married, it ruined their relationship, their sex life et cetera et cetera. With the kids and the blah blah. And after a long time all those push factors turned into pulls. I would see my girlfriends with their husbands and their kids and think ‘wow. I want that someday.’ So I went back home one day and asked him. ‘Dustin do you ever want to get married?’ and he said he didn’t, ‘it just wasn’t in the books’ for him or something that he never saw himself doing that. I even suggested that we get a pet at least but-” You took a sip of your water then shrugged. “Anyways, we talked about it for a long time and I said ‘this is what I want.’ and he said ‘well, I don't.’ and I said ‘well I guess it's over then.’ and he left.” You felt your eyes get glassy but deep down you knew it was right. 

“And the thing is I feel really fine. I’m over him. I mean I really am over him. That was the most that he could give and every time I think about it I'm more and more convinced that I did the right thing.” You shook your head firmly. “I’m so sorry, I kinda just rambled on there didn’t I?” You breathed. 

“No no, don’t apologise. For what it's worth, I think you made the right choice.” He shrugged. “I wouldn’t stay with a guy who didn’t want a pet.” Javier smirked softly and reached for his coffee. 

“Right? Tell me about it.” You shook your head enthusiastically. 

“But boy you sound healthy.” He chuckled. 

“Yeah,” You sighed. “But at least I got the apartment.” You smirked proudly and leaned back into your seat. 

“Oh, where are you staying by the way?” You sat up quickly and asked. 

“Nowhere yet.” Javier sighed. 

“What?” 

“Yeah, I'm in a hotel till I find a reasonable place.” 

“Let me give you the number of the realtor that helped us find our place.” You sipped your coffee. “ Or you could do what my friend Alice did.” You set your cup down and a small laugh escaped your lips. 

“What?” Javier asked, sitting up in his seat. 

“Get this. Alice would go to the obituary section and find out who died then go to their buildings and start scountin.”

“She didn’t.” Javier smirked. 

“She did! But she would tip the doorman of course, courtesy and all that.” You let out another small giggle. 

“That’s that then. Tomorrow I’m hitting the obituary section.” He said and you chuckled. 

“God I could never.” You said. “It took Dustin and I months before finding our, well, my place.” Javier smiled knowingly and leaned back into the booth. “With how picky I am, I’m surprised we even found a flat.” Javier chuckled, his shoulders vibrating with the deep sound. 

“Must be some apartment.” 

~ 

The sun was getting ready to set, leaving the sky blotched with an orange hue by the time Javier and you reached the park; walking side by side.

“You know, the first time we met I really didn’t like you that much.” You laughed audibly when he turned to look at you, fake shock plastered across his features. 

“No,” He said, dragging out the vowel. “Well, I didn't like you.” 

“Yeah you did.” You elbowed him in the side playfully. “Don’t lie.”

“So you’re saying that I didn’t like you because you didn’t like me?” 

“Yeah, I mean, you couldn’t really like me.” You shrugged. “That would just be embarrassing.” 

“Uh huh,” He said, unconvinced. “Uh huh, sure.” 

“Well, okay then. Did you like me the second time we met?” 

“Sorta you could say. Your quirky attitude grew on me.” He shrugged. “You know, not as uptight. You’re much softer now.” 

“I just hate that kind of remark.” You shook your head smiling. “I don’t know what it means because it sounds like a compliment but really is it an insult or what?" Your hands found your hips and your lips contoured into a small pucker, pondering. 

“Guess we’ll never know.” Javier teased and you rolled your eyes. “What about me then? Grew on you as well?” 

“Well, I guess. I mean for starters you weren’t as obnoxious as before, so stubborn- And oh, god.” You laughed. “You didn’t eye-fuck or flirt with every single girl that strutted passed that aisle- or maybe you just did it more discreetly.” you narrowed your eyesmn

Javier pressed his lips together into a smile and shrugged.  

“But regardless of all that smugness, there was something different about you.” You shrugged and looked up at him as your pace slowed a bit. He met your gaze and for a few fleeting moments the both of you were silent. 

The two of you continued walking till you reached the lake and sat at one of the benches. Watching as the sky turned darker, losing track of the hours as you exchanged anecdotes; him about his time in Laredo and you about your friends and Connie and Steve- Dustin. And by the time you made it back to Javier’s jeep, there were hardly any reminiscences of the sun left in the sky. 

“Would you like to have dinner with me sometime?” He said, as he picked some leaves off of his windshield. He stopped and turned around to face you, hands deep in his jacket pockets. 

“Are we becoming friends now?” you raised a single eyebrow, a hint of a smile on your face. 

“Well,” He nodded, “yeah.” You looked up at him and he leaned against the front of his jeep. 

“I thought men and women can’t be friends.” You teased and he laughed, the pleasant sound tickling your ears. 

“You’re still gonna hold me to that?” He asked. 

“I mean-” You shrugged, raising your eyebrows playfully. 

“Well, do you want to sleep with me?” He asked, crossing his arms over his chest. 

“No,” You breathed, the abrupt question making your lips part. He raised his eyebrows suggestively. "No." You said again, more firmly this time.

“Well neither do I. Hence, problem solved; we can be friends.” He held his palms out in the most matter of fact way and cocked his neck forwards. 

“Then I guess we can be friends.” You said. 

“You know you might be the first attractive woman I have not wanted to sleep with in my entire life.” You looked up at him and rolled your eyes. 

“That’s wonderful, Javier.” You reached into your purse and pulled out a page from your notepad. Javier smiled inwardly at the lists scribbled on the first couple of pages. 

“Well, here you go.” You slapped the small page into his hand. “My number. Give me a call sometime.” He looked down at the numbers scribbled on the sheet and looked back up with a childish grin on his face. 

He watched you wave at him through your windshield and drive away. He tucked the number deep into the pocket of his leather jacket and sighed blissfully. For the first time in a long time, Javier didn’t feel so alone. 

~

Next chapter

~

And scene! Walking after midnight by Patsy Cline plays as the camera slowly zooms away from Javi and his jeep.

Hello everyone. College applications have me STRESSIN. Sorry about disappearing :( Hopefully this makes up for the time. Lots of fluff and cutesy stuff :))

Also I have no idea how tag-lists work, but I'm starting one. So I'm just? going to? tag people?? at the bottom?? (someone please help me, drop a message or something I'm so sorry T-T)

Do enjoy and leave a note, comment and anything really :** Check out the other chapters on my profile.

PS- Should I create a master list? Or wait a bit longer??Love, hugs and kisses,

-Itsjustsemantics <33

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