#she would be in fandom if this was set in modern times for sure | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

thefrogdalorian · 5 months

Text

The Best of Both Worlds - Chapter Three

Din Djarin x Female Reader Modern!AU

❁ Series Masterlist ❁ My Masterlist ❁ Read on AO3 ❁

Word Count: 8323 Rating: General Summary: Your internet bestie arrives in preparation for the Star Wars convention you will attend together. Everything is set for the greatest weekend of your life! Until you arrive at the con and find yourself overwhelmed by all the crowds and noise. At least you have numerous incredibly realistic Mando cosplays to distract you from how stressed you feel, and there's one in particular which is uncannily accurate... Content Warnings: Reader struggles to eat due to nerves and feels anxious due to crowds. Also, not sure if it's really a warning, but there's some allusions to fandom discourse in this one, particularly how men in the SW fandom can behave towards women. So warning for fandom wank, I guess, but reader goes off on them ;) Author's Note: A very long update, wow. Honestly, this chapter was semi-autobiographical lmao. It was my exact response to how busy SWC was last year, even down to hiding under the stairs! Except I did not have a cool internet bestie (just my uncool irl bestie), nor did I stand up and speak in a panel like reader does. I did however see many amazing cosplays and the picture of the Din cosplayer is one I took there! :) Hope you like this one. Not sure for how long me updating every two days will last, but my mind is fully focused on this story for the moment, so who knows! Thank you once again to the wonderful @suresnips for being my beta! Couldn't do it without you ♡

3. This Is Why (I Don't Leave The House) [Reader's POV]

You could scarcely believe that the person you had spent so many hours of your life gushing over The Mandalorian with online, was really here with you in your little flat. Ria had arrived a few hours ago and you two had instantly gotten along famously. Somehow, it was as though you had always known her, even though this was the first time you were actually meeting in person.

You had left your flat earlier in the evening with a mix of trepidation in the pit of your stomach and overwhelming excitement crackling like electricity as it coursed through your veins. The prospect of finally meeting someone who meant so much to you was both daunting and exhilarating. There were so many things that could go wrong, since you had never spent any time together in person and were unsure of your dynamic in that sense. There was pressure, too, particularly bearing the distance Ria had travelled from the U.S. in mind, plus the money you had both spent on ForceCon tickets.

It was a big deal for you to invite someone over to your flat to stay with you like this. From morning until evening, the two of you would be in each other’s presence constantly. At least it was only for five nights… Ria was leaving first thing Tuesday morning as you had to get straight back to work. You quieted your nerves with the thought of how brief her visit would be, until a notification lit up your phone and made your stomach drop:

[thisistheslay]: 18:36: I’M HEREEEEEE!!!!

Ria must be here at the station. You searched around frantically for her, trying to spot her amongst all the commuters that were barreling through the station. You realised, then, that you had no idea how tall she was compared to your own height. That was something you had never needed to know online. Finally, you spotted the brown hair and thick black glasses that you instantly recognised as your internet best friend’s, making her way towards the barrier and the incredible weekend of nerdy fun that lay before the two of you.

After approximately five seconds of being in each other’s presence, you knew that all your fears were unfounded.

As Ria had fumbled with her phone to make the contactless payment and make her way through the gates, the way her face had lit up at the sight of you instantly allayed your anxiety. The bone-crushing hug she had pulled you into had helped too, it was hard to believe she was actually here with you. This hug was for all of the hard days you had endured, separated by many miles when the two of you had just wished you could wrap the other in your arms and be there for them.

It struck you how poised Ria was in real life, too. At the end of the day, the two of you shared a pretty nerdy hobby, it would have been understandable if she was quiet and a little nerdy. But here your internet best friend was, pushing her way through the busy rush hour crowds and throwing the death glares of the commuters, mainly old men in suits, who had glared at the two of you for daring to embrace in the middle of the station hall and block their way from making it to the next tube.

It always baffled you to witness how eager people were to push and shove their way through others for the sake of arriving at their destination just two or three minutes earlier. Somewhere along the way, it felt as though a basic human kindness had been lost in how Londoners seemed to interact with each other when it came to public transport.

But that was a gripe for another time. Your best friend was here, you would not let anyone ruin that. As you emerged from the station and onto the street, you found at a loss for what to say, other than asking about her flight. Luckily, Ria filled the gap in conversation by incessantly babbling about her travels here and the shady characters she had encountered during her two layovers, as she chatted all the way back to your flat. All the guilt you had felt at having her make her own way here – you had wanted to meet her at the airport but work had prevented you from getting away on time – vanished as you saw how much confidence she possessed. Her bubbliness was almost overwhelming, you could scarcely get a word in edgeways. But secretly you were glad of it; ordinarily you found that you were a little awkward in the presence of people you had just met as you adjusted to their presence and their energy. Ria more than compensated for your social shortcomings and fortunately, your dynamic appeared as though it would translate from online into the real world.

Ria burst into your flat after you had met her at the station, full of enthusiasm, lighting every corner of your abode with the warmth and humour that had always been present online. It was incredible how much energy she had actually, considering the fact she had just endured a transatlantic flight. You marvelled at her energy levels, considering you felt exhausted after merely going to the shops. It was so amazing to have her here with you, though.

You had laughed before meeting her about how bizarre it was that internet friends always seemed to know the most intimate details about your life, in a way that you never felt comfortable sharing with real life friends… but you had never seen each other’s legs! Yet, now Ria was here, legs and all.

The two of you were inflating the air mattress for Ria to sleep on, keen to get an early night after so much travelling and how early the two of you would need to be up to make your way to the Dockside Convention Centre for the Con the following morning. You positioned the air mattress underneath the TV, on which you had just spent hours watching your favourite episodes of the show that had brought the two of you together. Of course, you had only intended to watch one episode. But with Mando, there was no such thing as only one episode. Once you started, you just couldn’t stop and you had ended up watching most of the second season. Both you and Ria agreed that the second half of it was incredible, but it was a bit of a slow start. Overall the pair of you preferred the first season, which was a pretty popular consensus amongst fans.

Ria had no qualms about her sleeping arrangements. London was an extortionate city at the best of times, but accommodation when ForceCon was in town – especially close to the convention centre – had meant that your offer to allow Ria to stay in your flat was the only way she had been able to afford to come. It was a debt to you that Ria was grateful for. You didn’t see it as any kind of debt though, you knew she would do the same for you.

Plus, there was no way you could not offer to help her. If something as ridiculous as actually encountering Mando happened, she would never be able to forgive you if she was not by your side.

Ria had always been your closest friend since you had first met her online and you were so relieved that there had been no hint of awkwardness between the two of you. Ria had made herself right at home, and you had struggled to believe as the chatter and laughter continued that this was genuinely the first time the two of you had ever met in person.

You watched in awe as Ria moved around your flat, her brown hair which she usually wore in a bob, now tied up ready to sleep. The glasses with thick-black frames were still on her face, a sure sign she would be scrolling on her phone, probably replying to people on her wildly popular blog, before she finally got some sleep.

Now that she had changed into the tank top and shorts that she would sleep in, you could see more of the extensive tattoo collection she possessed, including a few Mandalorian tattoos. There was an outline of Mando’s helmet that was so well-done, it made you want to rush out to the nearest tattoo shop and get one for yourself. You knew there would be tattoo artists at the Con too, but you also knew you would inevitably chicken out.

With her confident nature and collection of tattoos, you were both in awe of, and utterly intimidated by your best friend. You thought, as you watched her climb onto the air mattress with a giggle, as it tossed her around, that Ria seemed so much older than you even though she was actually eighteen months younger! But that was the bizarre thing about being in your mid twenties, people either seemed to be fully formed adults or still more like teenagers. There was rarely any inbetween.

You shouldn’t have been surprised that the two of you had gotten along so well. After all, you and Ria shared a similar sense of humour, had a similar taste in music (that wasn’t the Mandalorian soundtrack) and a love of books that had allowed your friendship to blossom into something more than purely an entirely Mando-centric friendship that you felt like you shared with some of your other online friends. It wasn’t as though the friendships were shallow or that you didn’t get on with them or anything, but you had just not spoken more deeply about other parts of your lives in the same way as you had to Ria.

“How’s the air mattress?” You asked with a smirk as you watched Ria toss and turn as the unpredictable surface tossed her around.

“It’s fine! Just a bit lively but honestly now I’m lay down, it’s super comfortable. I’ll be asleep in no time,” Ria smiled.

“Good,” You nodded. “Still can’t believe you’re really here. I thought about this moment for months but now it’s actually here, it’s surreal,”

“I can’t believe I’m here either. In this flat, which I’ve seen so many times on FaceTime. It feels so weird in the best way!” Ria laughed. “We’re going to have the best time this weekend.”

“We are. It’ll be incredible,” You breathed, trying to contain your excitement so that you would actually be able to get some sleep. The thought of being surrounded by so many fellow Star Wars nerds was electrifying.

“And don’t forget that panel tomorrow, when we finally meet Mando!” Ria exclaimed. “I’m sure he’s going to fall in love with me at first sight.”

“In your dreams, Ria,” You rolled your eyes playfully. “Goodnight, see you bright and early in the morning.”

“Goodnight bestie, I need to get my beauty sleep for Mando,” Ria added with a wink.

You shook your head with a grin on your face as you made your way into your bedroom, still utterly bemused by Ria’s utter conviction that the two of you were somehow going to encounter the man who was sworn to complete secrecy. You kind of admired Ria’s utterly unshakable confidence in the matter, even if it was a little delusional. At the end of the day, though, you knew it was all lighthearted. She wasn’t the type of person to try to hack into CCTV cameras or bribe the doctors and nurses at the hospital where a suspiciously-realistic cosplayer had surprised sick children. Ria loved The Mandalorian a great deal, but she also had other hobbies and interests.

As you tried your best to convince your body that it really needed to sleep before the Con tomorrow, you were struck by how surreal this all felt. Tomorrow, you would travel to what would become, for the next few days, the nerd centre of the world. It was an event that you had dreamt of going to for years, where all of the latest Star Wars projects were announced. Yet, you had never imagined it would be possible to attend, due to how expensive a trip abroad would be. Luckily though, ForceCon travelled around regularly and the stars had aligned to make this possible for you. When it had been announced that the next one would be held in London, you knew you had to do whatever it took to be there.

After almost an entire year of anticipation, you knew that in just a few short hours you would be there, at the event where everyone who was anyone in the Star Wars world and the people who admired them were to be found.

There was just one exception, though. Mando would never get to see how much the fans appreciated him. Keeping his identity a secret meant that he would never be able to feel the amount of love that fans held for him. Your heart constricted as you thought about it. Even though you had tried in vain to convince yourself that you didn’t really care that much about not knowing who he was, you thought it sad that the man, who was so beloved by people young and old, might never know how truly appreciated he was. You just hoped that one day, on his own terms, he would allow himself to feel some of it.

It was a thought that lulled you off into sleep, underneath the large poster of Season One that hung above your single bed.

The familiar sound of the opening theme to The Mandalorian jolted you awake. With its rhythmic drum beat and melodic bass recorder, it was really the perfect alarm. What wasn’t so perfect, however, was the ungodly hour at which it had interrupted the peaceful slumber you were enjoying. You fumbled around, bleary-eyed in the early-morning light as your hand felt around the nightstand to turn it off, frustrated at being awoken. Until you remembered precisely why you were awake at five in the morning.

For a second you lay there and closed your eyes, attempting to compose yourself and stop the fluttering in your stomach as the realisation dawned upon you: It was ForceCon day!

Finally, after months and months of anticipation, you would finally get to have one of the best weekends of your life. The big day was finally here and you and Ria did not want to miss a single second of time there, hence the early start. The venue for the Con, the Dockside Convention Centre, was a considerable distance from the outskirts of the city where you lived in your rented flat, which somehow fell within your budget despite how close it was to the tube station.

The journey to the convention centre was even further than your daily commute to the museum where you worked. The thought of a journey that would take upwards of an hour to start your day, before you had even contended with the crowds at the convention, was slightly distressing to you. But you knew that with Ria by your side, there was no doubt that you would be able to get through it.

Getting up at five meant that you had ample time to get ready for the event. Your outfit was comfortable and practical but still showed your nerdy side. It had been somewhat of a project for you in the run up to the convention, with a denim jacket that you had walked past in a shop window and fell in love with, decorated with various iron-on patches that were a nod to your favourite characters. You coupled it with a comfortable pair of black jeans that weren’t too tight – a must when doing as much walking as you were about to do this weekend – and your trusty favourite pair of shoes.

You wandered into the main room of your flat, quietly watching as Ria sat on the small couch and expertly applied the finishing touches to her make-up. Suddenly, she snapped the handheld mirror shut and turned to face you.

“Are you ready for the greatest weekend of our lives?!” Ria asked enthusiastically.

“Yes… but no… but yes!” You exclaimed, still unsure how to process the rush of emotions that you were feeling about the day ahead.

“Let me just fill my water bottle up and then I’m ready,” Ria said as she jumped up from the couch and grabbed the titanium bottle that was covered with various Star Wars characters.You chuckled at that. Despite how effortlessly cool your friend seemed to most people, even you, it was reassuring to know that at heart, Ria was still a nerd.

After one last check that you both had your passes for the event, you grabbed the backpacks you had carefully packed the previous evening, between episodes of The Mandalorian, and headed out, to where a weekend of nerd heaven awaited.

Waking up so early had meant that the two of you could take your time getting ready and then head out to the convention before the main rush hour began on the tube. Much as you loved your sleep and wanted to feel well-rested, being able to avoid the worst of the crowds was a deeply appealing prospect. Plus, you would have a chance to stop for breakfast closer to the convention hall and eat food that wasn’t horrendously overpriced.

But as you sat there, staring at the sandwich you had ordered and barely taken a few bites of, you seemed to have a mental block when it came to actually finishing the thing. You wanted to, you knew you needed to get some food in your body to give yourself the fuel for contending with the crowds at the convention. Try as you might, though, your mind was not onboard.

“Too nervous?” Ria asked with a knowing smirk as she munched on some fruit.

“I guess,” You shrugged, feeling as though your stomach had tied itself into knots and was attempting to strangle itself.

“You can always bring it with you. We’ll probably have to get in line and wait around for a while before we go inside. Perhaps you’ll feel like eating then,” Ria suggested.

“Yeah, good idea,” You smiled, suddenly feeling immensely relieved that you had someone else here with you. “I don’t know how I’d do this without you, Ria. Thank you.”

The two of you left the cafe with your takeout coffee cups and finally headed towards the convention centre. As you made your way towards the crowds of people, your stomach dropped as you noticed just how busy things were going to be. For the first few hundred feet, things weren’t too bad as you were sent down what appeared to be a wide, service road, built into the side of the convention centre with the masses of people who were all heading in the same direction as you.

You stuck to the side of the walkway, where you could see the roads and city below, and feel the fresh air on your face over the barrier that bordered one side of the walkway. As long as you could still see daylight and the crowds were moving, you were fine. Slightly stressed, but you could cope.

However, the sight that greeted you at the end of the walkway was like something from your worst nightmares. It was your first glimpse inside the packed convention hall, where you had been so certain that you would have the greatest weekend of your life. But if it involved walking into something as stressful as the sight before you, you were not so sure that it would be the incredible experience you had built it up to be in your head.

As far as you could see, in the biggest room you had ever stepped foot in, there was an endless sea of people. The space was enormous and industrial, with a black floor and white sliding doors at the far left end that opened sporadically to let attendees into the main hall. You felt sick as you looked at it, you couldn’t survive more than a few minutes in that space, especially without knowing how long you would be there for. But no one you encountered appeared to have any idea as to how long you would be in this space. You were just glad that you had arrived a little before the doors to the con opened.

You had expected that, given that ForceCon was officially endorsed by Lucasfilm, it would at least be professionally organised. Instead, though, it seemed as though there were a small number of stressed out volunteers responsible for herding the attendees into a series of pens, with no security or leadership in sight. The poor workers looked incredibly stressed and overwhelmed by the influx of people.

“Ria, I don’t know if I can do this.” You mumbled when you noticed the crowd of people that you were being swept towards as the volunteers motioned for you to fill one of the pens. It seemed as though it would never end, as far as your eyes could see there were people. You felt panic rising in your chest, how were you ever going to get out of here?

“Just breathe, bestie. Breathe.” Ria said, placing her hand upon your back soothingly. “This won’t last forever, it’ll all be worth it. Think about the Mando cosplays! Look, there’s one over there!”

But it was no use. Not even the greatest Mandalorian cosplay in the galaxy would be able to comfort you now. Panic was rising in your chest, you felt overwhelmed by being stuck between two metal barriers in a pen full of people.

You tried your best to focus on her words as you took a seat on the cold, hard floor of the hall. The buzzing in your head was back, it grew louder and louder. You shut your eyes and stared at the floor, hands covering your ears as you willed time to go faster.

“Won’t be long now. I promise,” Ria said reassuringly.

How was she always so calm and composed when you felt as though the world was ending over a few people in a room together? It seemed almost unfair. But you knew that Ria would not want you to feel bad, she just wanted to make sure that you were going to be alright.

Mercifully, before too long, the con opened and you eventually began to move out of the enormous room. At that moment, you felt excitement bubbling up in the pit of your stomach as it dawned on you that you were about to enter Star Wars heaven. You glanced for the first time at the various incredible cosplays that surrounded you, in awe of the hours each person had dedicated to their craft.

Any relief you felt was short-lived, though. The main hallway was not much better. You couldn’t move, or stop to think. The crowd continued plodding down the hall towards a destination unknown. You were sure it was the busiest place you had ever been in your entire life.

“Just keep swimming, swimming,” You chanted to yourself under your breath as a way to soothe yourself.

You took deep breaths and concentrated on the rhythmic thudding of your feet as you stared up the ceiling and continued on your way. You instantly felt lighter, the beginnings of a smile traced across your features when you looked up and saw a giant poster of Mando hanging from the ceiling. If you could just make it to him, you would be most of the way down the corridor and then you would almost be at your destination: the main hall.

Focusing on the Mando poster helped and before you knew it, you were there, surrounded by a dizzying variety of stalls selling more Star Wars merch than you had ever seen gathered together in one place in your entire life. You thought you had a pretty impressive collection yourself – having a proper, adult salary had made it easier to give into your whims and purchase a variety of collectibles – but this was really something else.

You were like a kid in a candy shop, mouth open as you wandered from stall to stall, taking in the wares of the various vendors. You felt like Mando the first time he visited Tatooine. He had wandered around just like you were, amazed by the variety of produce on display. Unlike Mando, though, you were unable to get even remotely close to the stalls. There was a throng of people gathered at each one. You were not the least bit assertive in crowds, you had no desire to engage in a battle with your elbows through a gaggle of fellow nerds for some slightly-overpriced collectibles.

“Shall we find somewhere to sit and catch our breath before the panel?” Ria asked, sensing your discomfort. For someone that you had only met face-to-face the previous evening, she was more perceptive than some people who had known you for years.

You headed out of the main hall, desperate to find any relief from the overwhelming noises and sounds that the thousands of people crammed inside the Dockside Convention Centre were currently creating. The first place that you noticed was a staircase. You ducked under the metal bar that surrounded the bottom of it and flopped down unceremoniously on the floor, finally feeling your nerves begin to settle as there was a physical barrier between you and the rest of humanity for the time being. Things suddenly felt a lot quieter and more manageable as the buzzing in your head began to subside. Ria sat opposite you, her blue eyes looking into yours concernedly.

“Ria, I’m sorry I’m such a nervous wreck. It’s just… it’s so much busier than I was expecting.” You admitted.

“Girl, shut up. This place is crazy. Like, the craziest place I have ever been in my entire life. I suffer with this shit too.” Ria admitted. “I think I’m just running on, like, the adrenaline of thinking about Mando being at that panel.”

“Ria, he’s not going to be at the panel!” You laughed. “Please stop being delusional!”

“Sure, there he is right now!” Ria giggled breathlessly as she pointed towards the main hallway, which had emptied somewhat since you had fought your way through it just a few minutes ago.

You had fully intended to make another jibe about Ria being delusional, but when you turned your head, the sight caused all coherent thoughts to leave your brain. You were transfixed at the sight before you. It was as though you had suddenly been transported a long time ago to a galaxy far, far away. The most incredible cosplay you had ever laid eyes upon was heading straight towards you. The armour itself was immaculate, the details on it really looked as if they were forged out of Beskar by a Mandalorian armourer. Of course you knew that screen realistic cosplays existed, you had obviously seen the viral footage of a Mando cosplayer visiting a children’s hospital a few months ago. But it was more than the armour that made your entire world pause on its axis. It was the way this cosplayer carried himself: the self-assured, confident swagger that you would recognise anywhere. The way his hands were held at his side, somewhere between relaxed and tensed, ready to put his finger on the trigger at a moment’s notice. For one brief, fleeting second: you could have sworn that the real Mando was actually walking towards you.

“Wow… that’s…” You stuttered, failing to find words that could capture your feelings towards the sight before you.

“Um, excuse me! I’m the one who gets called delusional and obsessed with Mando, but look at you!” Ria said with a knowing smirk, clearly where words had failed… your face had betrayed you. “You’re getting flustered over a cosplay!”

You couldn’t even deny it. You were feeling more than a little flustered. It was the first time you had ever seen a Mandalorian in real life. Nothing could have prepared you for it, the presence that the man had, even from this distance. Watching the way he carried himself as he had swaggered down the main hallway had been intoxicating to behold. It was also the way with his T-visor, that you never knew exactly where his eyes were trained. They could be right on you or they could be looking right past you, you would never know. As far as you were concerned, he had picked you out from the crowd, his eyes focusing on you and only you as he walked down the hall. It was an electrifying thought, you felt little bolts of electricity all over your skin. You had half a mind to run up to him and beg him to bring you in warm or cold, he could decide, you really weren’t fussy.

“Hellooooooo, bestie!” Ria said sarcastically, waving her hand in front of your eye line, which was still trailed off into the distance where the cosplayer had disappeared into the crowd. “Anyone home?”

“Sorry.” You said, shyly. Now that the Mando cosplay had walked past, you had sadly realised that he was not making a bee-line for you to sweep you off your feet, you felt a little embarrassed. “I just couldn’t stop staring. That was an amazing cosplay.”

“It was. Or maybe… it was really him!” Ria said, throwing her arms like a conspiracy theorist gif that your groupchat had sent one too many times.

You both collapsed into full belly laughter at that. Ria was so devoted to the bit at this point that you just went along with it. You silently called a truce: you would stop calling her delusional, it was a fun joke that had distracted your anxious brain from the throngs of people that surrounded you, just beyond the metal railing of your refuge under the stairs. Despite the distraction, they had not magically disappeared.

“The Mando panel isn’t for a couple hours yet. Is there anything you want to do beforehand?” Ria asked, once the two of you had finally stopped laughing.

“Uh. I don’t know. We could go and have a look around, find where the stages are maybe and then have lunch?” You suggested, not feeling like working your way through the hordes of people by the stalls again.

So Ria and you did exactly that, getting your bearings and orienting yourself in the massive convention hall. There seemed to be so much to see and do, you were so grateful in that moment that you had splurged on four day passes. It would probably take you four days to walk around the entire thing! Your exploration of the centre meant that by the time the panel came around, you were grateful that you would be able to sit down, you were more than ready to rest your tired, achy legs.

As you made your way into the room where the panel would be held, you went out of your way to thank the staff on the door. You knew most of the people who worked here were volunteers and a lot of the panel goers were looking straight through them. Manners cost nothing though, a simple “thanks” and a smile and nod were enough to make someone feel valued when they perhaps felt as though they were doing a thankless task. You couldn’t understand why more people wouldn’t take just two seconds to say thank you.

Your heart was thundering as you took a seat in the hall. For a strange moment, you felt as though you were back in a lecture at University. Everyone sizing each other up, wondering where to sit – should they leave a gap or get close to others, maybe strike up a conversation? Personally, you wanted to place as much distance between yourself and others as humanly possible and the thought of speaking to strangers made you freeze up in terror. But Ria, ever the extrovert, was quite happy to strike up a conversation with the guys next to you.

They were fans of Mando, but you could tell pretty quickly that they were casuals. They did not have the deeper love for the show that you and Ria held. After a few minutes of sitting around, the people who were hosting the panel emerged, walking down the gap between the neatly-arranged chairs to take a seat on the long table that sat on a raised platform so everyone in the room was able to get a good view of them. The room was long but narrow and you and Ria were sitting around 10 rows back. As you glanced behind you, you realised that it had filled up rather quickly. You were glad that you had been here well ahead of the scheduled start time to ensure you got a good seat.

The guys running the panel began messing around with their laptops so they could get the powerpoint they had created on the screen. They were certainly not what you were expecting for this panel. You had expected it to be on a bigger stage, with more fanfare. But it was actually just a small panel hidden away at the back of the convention centre, up a flight of stairs that people might have missed. You had wondered, momentarily, whether you should get up and leave… Yet something was telling you to remain seated and stay. Just because it hadn’t been what you were expecting, didn’t necessarily mean it was going to be a bad thing. The audience seemed to be friendly too, a combination of people who you hoped would ask some thought-provoking questions and wouldn’t turn this all into baseless speculation over who the actor behind Mando really was.

When it got started, though, it soon transpired that this was not going to be the discussion you thought it was. The guys running the panel were sharing their views about Mando as though it was one of the online Star Wars podcasts that you avoided like the plague. There was little room for audience participation. The chair of the panel, a man with a backwards baseball cap on, which was slightly cringeworthy considering he must have been pushing fifty, was called Jeff.

Jeff was very American, thrashing his limbs around exaggeratedly, imitating Mando’s fight style as his voice got quicker and higher pitched in enthusiasm for the tough warrior. Jeff and his colleagues were definitely the kind of people who watched The Mandalorian just to see him fight bad guys and kill them in cool, new ways. Obviously you enjoyed that too, but there was really so much more to the show and the character than just fighting. You wished that they could see that too, especially considering they were running a damn panel about it!

You were so utterly tuned out by their incessant ramblings that you turned your head towards the back of the room to indulge in a bit of people watching. Principally, to see if the two guys on your row that Ria had chatted to before the panel began were as bored as you were. It seemed that even they were utterly uninterested in Jeff and his buddies. You found that your relative boredom was mirrored on the expressions of numerous others in the room who were just as unenthused by Jeff and co’s surface-level analysis of the show you all loved. You felt at that moment that if you and Ria had somehow been able to lead a panel it would have been much more exciting.

You would have actually introduced some nuance and character analysis as the title of the panel had suggested would happen. Ria’s wild theory that this would be the place that Mando would reveal himself to the world had soon gone out of the window, too. Out of all the places in the world that he could choose (or not) to finally reveal his identity, a room tucked away in the far corner of the Dockside Convention Centre did not seem the most likely.

But your stomach dropped in the familiar way that it had when you were crouched underneath the staircase, catching your breath after the bedlam of entering the Con.

It was him.

The same cosplayer was back.

He was sitting on the last seat in the row, two rows behind and opposite you, perfectly straight with his shoulders back, hands resting on his knees. It was almost uncanny, the way he held himself… it was so much like the way you had witnessed Mando sit so many times on the show. When he visited cantinas or sat in his ship, Mando held himself in an uncannily similar position.

You shook your head, mentally telling yourself to snap out of it – you were being ridiculous! If Ria was thinking these thoughts, you would tell her to stop being crazy. You were usually the grounded, rational one. For even you to be getting caught up in such delusional thinking, well that was truly concerning. Perhaps it was thanks to the early start and crowds. Either way, it seemed as though you were really losing it.

You blamed it on Mando, all logical thought went straight out of your brain when it came to him. Of course the best Mando cosplayers would be here at this con. It wasn’t really him, but it sure was uncanny how realistic both the cosplay and way he sat was. Extremely uncanny. You didn’t have time to dwell on it, though… because Jeff was asking a question to the audience. One that you were keen to answer honestly and defend the character that you loved so much, with as much ferocity as if he was really listening to your every word.

“So, finally, we wanted to leave a few minutes for discussion about what the character of Mando means to all of you, here. You must be pretty big fans of the show to have found us all the way back up here!” Jeff joked, to a few laughs from the room.

You had gotten the sense since you had walked into this panel that Jeff and his buddies viewed everyone here with a baseline level of contempt. It was something that you couldn’t quite place your finger on, but you felt as though if a person did not entirely agree with his point of view, then he was not impressed by them.It was a shame, really, you loved hearing the opinions of others. Even if you didn’t agree with them, you always found out something new about yourself.

Jeff had only just finished speaking, and already there was a steady stream of people flocking to queue at the microphone positioned in the aisle. There was nothing on earth that could motivate you to go up there, so you sat, with your arms folded, and leaned back into your chair. This would all be over in a few minutes. Then there would be a hopefully much more interesting panel about historical parallels with Star Wars, something you were truly interested in, that you wanted to check out with Ria.

The first few audience comments were pretty dull. You disagreed with all of them almost entirely as they again reduced the concept of understanding a character to things such as seeing a face and knowing a name. Jeff just responded hollowly, thanking the speakers for their thoughts. But it did not provoke any deeper discussions like you had been hoping for.

That was certainly a disappointment, but it was not a reason for you to lose your temper. You just felt slightly numb to the whole experience, wishing it was over as soon as possible and already plotting your route to the next panel. It was dull, but inoffensive.

That was, until the next two speakers boiled your blood with their assumptions and cruel jibes.

“When I first started watching The Mandalorian I loved it. I really thought Star Wars was back!” A man in a Darth Vader hoodie, who was probably in his late thirties, said proudly as he echoed the empty talking points that you had heard over and over since The Mandalorian premiered. You scoffed and rolled your eyes. This guy was clearly someone who thought that Star Wars was all bad now. He probably bought into all the theories that his precious sci-fi franchise had been ruined by women. He continued his tirade: “But now, it’s just the same thing every week. A hollow, emotionless tin can man strutting around from planet to planet, taking guys out. Like, it was cool the first few times but it’s just getting boring now. We need to see his face!”

Your blood was slowly boiling as you heard all of these hollow criticisms of the show you loved so much. It truly upset you that a place you had believed would be full of fellow fans who would be eager to enthuse about the show alongside you and Ria had been nothing of the sort. Instead of the welcoming, open-minded environment you had expected, things had been wildly different, as the next speaker was about to prove once again.

The next man who spoke had long brown hair. He was dressed in a Mando t-shirt and jeans.

“I mean, don’t get me wrong, I love the show and all. But I just feel like we don’t know that much about Mando. It’s as if we, as an audience, are being held back from connecting with him fully because of some diva’s selfish demands to keep his identity hidden!” The man exclaimed. Several people laughed and applauded. He was probably around your age but it stunned you how drastically different your opinions on the show could be. Perhaps he spent his time online in different circles than you. In fact, you were almost certain that you had seen these conspiracy theories about Mando’s actor pushed by people who swore it as the gospel truth, even though there was absolutely no proof of it. But he was not done yet, levelling a final cruel jab at the actor who played Mando: “Seriously, the guy who plays him must be such an asshole. Imagine having to work with that guy!”

Your head was burning… that was too much. Once people got personal about the actor too, that did it for you. It was one thing to criticise the show, but to level insults towards the person behind the character, who clearly did not want his business in the public eye, was enough to compel you to speak up.

Before you really knew what you were doing, you had somehow risen from your seat, stumbled over a few bags and outstretched legs and now stood in front of the microphone. Jeff looked at you expectantly, the eyes of everyone in the room were on you. Suddenly the gravity of what you were about to do had dawned on you, you felt your pulse thundering in your ears. But then you remembered what the previous guy had said about Mando, and you opened your mouth to launch into a passionate defence of your favourite fictional character of all time.

“I think tying Mando’s identity to his name and face is a pretty narrow way of viewing how we can understand who someone truly is inside and what exactly motivates them. I mean, I think I’ve connected to his character pretty well without ever seeing his face or knowing his real name. That’s because Mando has proved time and time again what kind of man he is. The way he has risked his life multiple times to rid the galaxy of threats and evil shows that he is committed to securing a brighter future, even if he is not around to see it. This man is willing to sacrifice himself for the greater good. Sure, we don’t know his name or face or a lot about his origins, but I think to us, that should prove that he has nothing but noble intentions. That human side of the man beneath all of the armour allows us to connect to him on a far deeper level than just seeing a face and learning a name ever could.”

Jeff began to thank you for your thoughts, using the same hollow phrases that he had used for every previous speaker, but you were not done yet. For the reason you had stood up to speak was not only motivated by the way people had spoken about Mando, the character. It was not just accusations against the fictional man that you were here to refute, but also the way that they had tried to turn on the man beneath the Beskar.

“Also, I know no one outside this room will probably ever hear what had been said at this panel, but I think attacking the character of the man who portrays Mando, simply because he wants privacy, is unfair. I think we should always talk about people, online and publicly, as though they can read or hear what we say. We don’t know why he won’t say who he is, but I trust that he has his reasons. Even then, he doesn’t need to have a good reason,” You argued passionately, noticing how the trembling in your voice had ceased the more you spoke. “Everyone is entitled to their privacy for the simple fact of wanting to be private. I just think that we see Mando go from planet to planet, connecting with locals and communicating with them respectfully. He leaves every place better than he found it… I wish more people would take those lessons from the show, too, rather than how skilled Mando is at fighting and killing,” You made a pointed effort to look straight at Jeff as you made that last quip about his fighting skills, but he just stayed slumped in his seat, hand resting under his chin, looking utterly bored. Your words had done nothing to get through to him.

You walked back to your seat, head down, trembling. Speaking that much in public had been a lot more than you would ever have expected yourself to be able to handle. Ria was staring at you dumbfounded, her mouth open in shock.

“Who are you and what have you done with my best friend?” Ria asked, astonished.

“I… uh….” You stuttered.

“Look, I knew you loved Mando, but that was insane!” Ria whispered excitedly, while beaming at you. “You defended him as if he was a real person, like he was actually here in the room! That was awesome, beyond badass! He’d be so proud of you, bestie.”

“Thank you.” You whispered, face suddenly feeling hot. You were sure you were visibly shaking after your public outburst. But it had been worth it, you had meant every word.

A few more people offered their thoughts but your head was still buzzing with the emotional exertion of public speaking, so you did not pay them much mind, even if they still repeated the same old tired arguments about Mando that you had just tried to argue against.

Finally, Jeff drew things to a close and then it was time for everyone to leave. He had invited people to come and speak to him at the front after the panel if they wished to, but you were definitely not going to be taking him up on that offer. You had believed that anyone given such an incredible opportunity to speak about something they loved at an event as prestigious as ForceCon would be nothing less than delighted. But clearly, you were mistaken. Jeff had seemed utterly bored throughout the panel, not least when people he did not agree with had spoken. You were not a fan of him and his backwards baseball cap in the slightest.

As the panel ended and people began to filter out, you glanced around to where the incredible cosplayer had been sitting. But it seemed that while you had been distracted by your emotional state after speaking so publicly, he had already made his way out. You were disappointed, you wanted to compliment him on his cosplay and maybe even get a picture with him.

Just being in his presence twice had been intoxicating, you had been unable to look away from him. When you saw him, it really felt like you were actually in the world of The Mandalorian. You had a strong desire to be near him again, but you were too late. The man was apparently long gone. But you didn’t want to dwell on that and ruin the rest of your experience. You still had three more days here. So it was time to get over your disappointment, even though you were still kicking yourself for not pointing him out to Ria.

As you made your way down to the main hall of the convention centre, you couldn’t help but feel your chest swell with pride when you remembered how you had spoken in such a surprisingly eloquent manner at the panel. It had really been so many steps out of your comfort zone, but you had proved to yourself that you could do it. This entire weekend, really, was out of your comfort zone. But so far, you were matching every hurdle before you.

Perhaps speaking up at the panel would be the start of a new, more confident you. A you that was unafraid to stand up for what she believed in.

But then, the idea of a simple panel at a sci-fi convention being some sort of life changing experience was surely an absurd notion.

Wasn’t it?

Next Chapter

Taglist: @toxic-seduction

#my fics #tbobw #din djarin fanfic #din djarin x reader #din djarin x you #the mandalorian x reader #din djarin fanfiction #mando x reader #mando x you #the mandalorian fanfiction #pedro pascal characters #pedro pascal fanfiction #i am also titling chapters now lmao this one was a paramore song

68 notes · View notes

sihtricfedaraaahvicius · 1 year

Note

Hi! I love your work and you’re really carrying this whole fandom on your back 😭

When you’re not busy are you able to write a one shot, that can be Morden or Not where They are friends with benefits, but she develops feelings so she pushes him away and he doesn’t understand why, and he already had feelings for her.

But please have complete creative control xD

Thank yous ❤️

Warnings: involves smut. 18+!

Pairing: Modern!Sihtric x you (f)

Summary: see request!

Word count: 5.4k

Note: firstly: thank you for your kind words, I'm crying ugh. And thank you for this request! I chose a modern setting, and this was an interesting one to write. I enjoyed it! Hope you will too :)

Taglist: @clairacassidy @finanmoghra @uunotheangel @hb8301 @bathedinheat @neonhairspray @anaeve @bubblyabs @travelingmypassion @sylas-the-grim @heimtathurs @bubbles-for-all-of-us @valeskafics @andakth

'Hey, at least I am not asking you to get down on your knees, okay.'

*****************

'Sir?' you answered the phone, knowing Sihtric was calling.

'Lady,' you heard Sihtric chuckle, 'what are you doing?'

'Not much, just reading in bed.'

'In bed, huh?'

'Yes, in bed,' you chuckled, 'why? What are you doing?'

'Oh, nothing. Just thinking,' Sihtric said and waited.

'Thinking about what, Sihtric?' you sighed, taking the bait and you rolled your eyes.

'Thinking about you, sexy lady,' Sihtric said with his smooth voice and that cute accent. He laughed softly, 'what else would I think of?'

'You're so subtle,' you snorted, 'what do you want?'

'I want to come over.'

'Now? Really?' you glanced at the time, 'oh, I'm not sure, it's almost midnight already.'

'I know babe,' he sighed, 'I'm sorry, I'm just really horny,' he whined.

You considered your options for a moment. You were pretty tired, but you could do with some sex to be honest, it had been a few days since you last saw him.

'Fine,' you chuckled.

'Yes!' you heard the satisfied tone in his voice, 'I'll be there soon, okay?'

'Yeah, fine,' you giggled, 'oh, Sihtric!' you said before he could hang up.

'Yeah?'

'Bring condoms,' you snorted, 'remember I accidentally got the wrong ones for you last time, you know, the- the,' you struggled to hold your laugh, 'the small ones.'

'Yeah, yeah,' Sihtric sighed but was clearly just as amused as you, 'I'll bring a pack.'

**************

It didn't take Sihtric look before he rang your doorbell, and as per usual, he gave you his cheeky smile when you opened the door and let him in.

'You want a drink?'

'No, thank you, babe,' he smiled after he kissed your cheek to greet you.

You had been friends with benefits for several months now and, unlike most men, Sihtric always treated you with the utmost respect, which is the whole reason you agreed to this in the first place. You had both been single for quite a while when one evening you were fooling around with each other and decided why not explore your options, and after that it didn't take long before the friendship came with the benefits of sleeping together. Countless times you have ended up in each other's bed, usually yours, only to hug each other goodbye again after you'd both had come down from your high. That was also the rule to keep it strictly friends with benefits: no sleeping over.

'You brought the condo-,' you couldn't finish your question and Sihtric already threw the box over to you.

'Keep them,' he huffed, 'and throw out the other ones, they're too small.'

'Why? I may still use them,' you taunted.

'Use them?' Sihtric's eyes darkened as he walked over to you and he took your face in his hands, 'I thought I was the only one who gets to enjoy you, kitten.'

'I was only joking,' you chuckled. You felt yourself blush lightly, he had that effect on you, always.

'Hm,' Sihtric hummed before you turned around, 'you better be,' he said and slapped your ass when you walked away.

'Hey!' you gasped, 'we haven't started yet,' you chuckled and beckoned him to follow you up the stairs. But before you could reach the first step, Sihtric threw you over his shoulder and was quick to sprint up the stairs.

He nearly kicked your bedroom door out of its hinges as he opened it impatiently with his boot, and he was quick to climb on top of you after he had thrown you onto your bed.

Sihtric was strong, so very strong, and as handsome as he was kind. You both dated other people every now and then, and why he didn't have a partner yet was simply beyond you. But you weren't too mad about that; you enjoyed your nights together.

'Sihtric,' you said out of breath when you were both left in just your underwear.

'Yeah?' his voice, raspy and equally as out of breath as you.

'Take off that damn necklace, will you?' you tugged at the leather cord around his neck.

'What? Why?' he seemed confused and slightly offended as he clutched his hammer pendant in his fist.

'Because it always slaps me in the face when you're on top!' you hissed.

'Oh, shit, right, right,' Sihtric made haste to take it off, 'sorry.'

He threw the necklace on your nightstand and continued where he left off; pulling down your panties with no more time to waste.

'Someone's eager tonight, aren't you, big boy?' you teased when his hands were all over your skin.

'Lady,' he chuckled, biting down on his lip, 'is that a problem?'

'No, no,' you smiled, 'just… you know, take it easy when you, you know,' you chuckled nervously.

'I know, kitten, I know,' Sihtric said in between heavy breaths.

Sihtric was a well built guy and it was not a secret he liked it a little rough, but it seemed like tonight he was more eager than usual, which made you wonder if you could still walk tomorrow after tonight. You could handle him perfectly fine, usually, if he just eased into you.

'Hey,' Sihtric whispered, holding his lips just above yours when he sensed your nerves, 'relax. Okay, baby?'

You nodded quickly, as relaxed as you could, and let out a deep sigh when you felt him slip inside you.

'Relax, kitten,' he grunted lightly upon feeling you tense up, 'look at me, doll.'

'Ah, god,' you gasped and tried to focus on his half open eyes as he cupped your cheek with one hand, looking down at you with slightly parted lips, out of which heavy breaths escaped as he gave you the slightest hint of a smile.

'That's it,' he sighed as he pushed further, 'good girl,' he chuckled lightly and pecked your lips before he started to thrust into you.

'Ah, fuck! Sihtric!' you hissed lightly, nails digging in his biceps. He usually gave you a little more time to adjust to him.

'Oh, fuck,' he moaned, 'fuck, baby, you're so tight. You're good?'

'Yeah, yeah,' you sighed with ragged breaths as he quickened his pace. You dug your nails in his back until the slight pain became pleasant, 'Oh, jesus fucking christ, Sihtric,' you moaned, 'what's gotten into you today?'

He laughed with heavy breaths, 'Gods, I don't know,' he moved his hand up to your throat, 'maybe because I got into an heated argument earlier.'

'W-what?' you moaned, loving it when he lightly squeezed your throat, and you wrapped your legs around his waist.

'I kicked my housemate out,' he said in between breaths but paused when he felt your legs lock around his body, 'oh, fuck, babe!' he grunted, his hands grabbing your hips.

'Oh my god, Siht,' you cried in pleasure, 'w-wait,' you gasped for air, 'that weird dude is finally gone?'

'Yeah, yeah,' Sihtric said, panting, 'caught him stealing,' he said and took your legs, throwing them over his shoulders, 'my money, so I- ah, fuck, baby, you're so tight,' he hissed, 'I-I threw him out.'

'Oh, god! Sihtric, please, stop!' you screamed as he took you deeper and harder than ever before. You felt his grip tighten on your hips, which would without a doubt leave you bruised.

'What? Babe? You okay? Am I too much, baby?' Sihtric asked, concerned and out of breath as he slowed his pace.

'No, fuck, don't fucking stop! Just shut the fuck up!' you groaned and pulled his hair hard.

'Ah, shit,' he chuckled with a moan, 'sorry, kitten.'

When you finally got him to shut up, it didn't take you both much longer before you finished shortly after each other. Sihtric was quick to pull out after he pecked your lips, and he searched for your panties, which he handed to you before he hopped to your bathroom. You had managed to slip your panties back on, despite your sore legs and hips, and you rolled over on your stomach, exhausted but satisfied, hugging your pillow. A few minutes later you heard the bathroom door open. You were facing the other way but you knew Sihtric was putting his jeans back on by the sound of his belt.

'Fuck, baby,' Sihtric suddenly sounded concerned and quickly kneeled down next to you onto the bed, and he carefully rolled you over to face him, 'hey, baby, are you okay?'

'What?' you asked confused, and tired. He had ravaged you, much to your pleasure, but you could really use some sleep now. Your body was simply used up for the night.

'I- you,' he stammered and pulled you in his arms, 'I bruised your hips,' he said softly, as if ashamed and regretful. You looked down at your hips and saw that indeed, where Sihtric had held you in his grip, there were already bruises the size of his hand darkening your skin.

'Oh,' you chuckled lightly, 'yeah, I'm fine.'

'Are you sure?'

'Yes.'

'Was I not too rough?'

'You were good,' you reassured him, 'trust me.' And you meant it. He had been rougher with you than ever before, but that didn't mean you didn't like it. It had just caught you by surprise.

Sihtric couldn't shake his concern and hugged you tight for a moment.

'I'm sorry, kitten,' he whispered, 'I just lost myself with you, baby. It won't happen again, I promise.'

'Sihtric,' you laughed as you brushed your hands through his curls, 'it's fine. I liked it.'

'Really?' he needed to be sure.

'Really,' you smiled and pinched his cheek, making him blush.

'Okay, I believe you, little vixen,' he said and kissed your cheek, 'thank you, doll, you're always good to me,' he smiled shyly and got back up again, searching for his shirt.

'I better get going, you look like you need some rest,' he chuckled.

'Sihtric,' you sighed, 'it's really late already. So just,' you paused, knowing this was a mistake, 'just stay the night. I don't want you driving back home now. You look pretty worn out too, big boy, and I bet your house is a mess now after you got rid of your housemate.'

Sihtric chuckled and rolled his eyes, 'big boy,' he muttered and shook his head. Then he looked at you and became serious.

'Are you sure, doll?' he asked, 'I mean… we always said no sleeping over.'

Sihtric had spoken cautiously, but in truth, he wanted nothing more than to stay the night. He had been head over heels for you since he first met you, but when you had messed around and agreed you were strictly friends with benefits, he stuck to his promise. But that also meant that dating was a waste of time to him. He'd go on dates every now and then, but would always find himself texting you before the date was even over. No one could keep him interested and captivated the way you did, he just didn't care for anyone else. And he hoped one day you would feel the same, but even if you wouldn't, he'd be happily single for the rest of his life. But only if you stayed single too. And slept with him. He knew he was selfish for that but he didn't care.

'I'm sure, babe, just stay. It'll be fine,' you smiled and quickly hoarded all the blankets your way.

'Oh,' Sihtric chuckled and unbuckled his belt again, 'you're one of those,' he smiled and bit down on his lip, taking off his jeans again.

'One of what,' you grinned, shoving a pillow his way as he laid down next to you.

'I guess I'll sleep without a blanket?' Sihtric raised his eyebrow. You didn't reply, you just gave him another grin before you hid half behind your ridiculous mountain of blanket.

'You absolute trickster,' Sihtric smiled, 'come here, doll,' he beckoned you over and held his arms open. You moved closer to him, dragging your blanket with you, and he pulled you in his arms. You rested your face into the crook of his neck as he kept his arms around you, his rough thumbs softly stroking your warm, bare shoulders.

'It's like a sleep over,' you chuckled, 'like when I was younger.'

Sihtric snorted. 'Sounds like your sleepovers were way different than mine when I was younger.'

'Oh my god,' you mumbled with a laugh, 'well, to be honest, I never had a sleepover before with someone who only stopped by to fuck me senseless, so…'

'Well, now I feel special,' Sihtric smiled.

'Yeah, you know what, you should feel special,' you joked, looking up at him.

'Yeah?' Sihtric asked softly with a half smile, looking down at you as he licked his lips. 'Hm. Come here, kitten,' he hummed, cupping your cheek as he leaned into you, capturing you into a sensual, slow, openmouthed kiss.

'Okay,' you said flustered when Sihtric broke the kiss after a moment, 'what was that?' you blushed.

'Sorry,' Sihtric smiled softly and nuzzled your nose, 'hm, wait, no,' he chuckled, 'I'm not sorry actually,' he said quietly before he pulled you back in for another kiss.

Other than the quick pecks he'd give you during and after your benefits, you had never made out, or simply kissed with real passion for that matter.

And when Sihtric held you close, safely in his arms while his rough fingertips caressed your cheek softly as he kissed you ever so slowly and passionate, you felt a sting in your stomach, a feeling which quickly grew into a knot. And you just knew everything would be complicated after tonight. But you tried to ignore it, allowing yourself to enjoy being in his arms and tasting him on your lips, while there were still no strings attached.

****************

You woke up before Sihtric and found yourself sleeping on your side, his arms tightly around you and you felt his breath on your neck. You groaned when you tried to get up quietly, he had really bruised you last night and you felt sore as hell. But still, you had no regrets. Sihtric woke up when you tried to sneak out of his embrace and immediately smiled while struggling to open his eyes.

'Where are you going?' his voice sounded rough, which made you feel that sting in your stomach again, accompanied by butterflies. This was not good.

'Taking a quick shower before breakfast,' you said as you pulled your shirt over your head.

'Hm, how big is your shower?'

'Sihtric,' you sighed with a smile, 'I will not have sex with you in the shower.'

'Always thinking the worst of me,' Sihtric smiled with his eyes closed, 'I just want to shower, same as you. Let me join you? I promise I won't try anything.'

'You promise?'

'Mhm.'

'Fine, hurry then,' you got up and pulled the blankets off Sihtric as you walked out the room, making him groan and say you're a handful.

*******************

'Stop staring at me,' you snorted as you rinsed your hair.

'Nothing I haven't seen before,' Sihtric shrugged as he joined you in the shower.

'Exactly why there is no need to stare.'

'Well, I mean,' he smiled almost shyly, 'I never get to see this side of you, you know, what you're like the day after… or what you're like in general at home. We usually just fuck and go our separate ways again or we meet when someone else is around too. But,' he paused for a moment and looked away, 'it's nice to see this.'

'Oh,' you said, a little surprised, 'thanks I guess.' You washed off the remaining shower gel and handed Sihtric the bottle, 'here, wash those sins away.'

Sihtric smiled and gave you a cheeky smile, 'do my back?'

'Sihtric,' you rolled your eyes.

'Come on,' he laughed, 'you're not the only one who is sore.'

'Fine,' you shook your head with a smile as he turned his back to you.

You had never really noticed all the scars he had before, except the ones of his face and arms, but this was the first time you got a clear look at his whole body, and mainly his scarred back.

'My god,' you whispered and gasped softly, 'oh, baby.'

'Hm?' Sihtric frowned and glanced over his shoulder, finding your sad expression and your eyes fixated on his back. He turned his face away from you, looked down and sniffed while he shook his head, 'It's in my past, doll, it means nothing anymore.'

Sihtric had said it confidently, but you still heard a hint of pain and resentment in his voice.

As your relationship was basically just based on sex and a quick drink every now and then, you never really thought much about his personal life, but you knew of his past through mutual friends.

You sighed quietly and reached for his hand, lacing your fingers with his as you pressed a soft kiss onto his spine, to which Sihtric inhaled sharply and flinched lightly.

'I know I'm not much of a threat,' you chuckled softly, 'but if anyone ever harms you again, I will kill them. I'll find a way.'

You saw Sihtric clenched his jaw as he looked slightly to the side, giving you a silent nod.

'Likewise,' he said softly, and closed his eyes when he felt your hands softly massage the cool shower gel onto his back and shoulders. You took your time, which Sihtric clearly seemed to enjoy as he hummed every now and then while he kept his eyes shut.

'Do I need to wash it off too?' you joked.

'N-no, actually,' Sihtric cleared his throat, 'babe, can you give me like 5 minutes?' he grinned as he looked over his shoulder again.

'What? Why?'

'Look,' he said, awkwardly, 'it's morning. I just woke up, that alone is already a problem for men, and on top of that, a pretty lady just massaged my back in the shower. Baby,' he chuckled, 'I really need five minutes alone.'

'Oh, god, Sihtric,' you grimaced but then broke into a laugh.

'Hey, at least I am not asking you to get down on your knees, okay.'

'Oh, how kind of you, sir.'

'I mean, unless you want to, lady?' he grinned, trying his chances.

'Your hands worked just fine last night, I'm sure they'll work right now,' you smirked and slapped his ass.

'Hey!' he yelled, 'you little devil. Get out, now,' Sihtric said hoarsely and laughed.

You grabbed your towel and stepped out of the shower.

'Your towel is on the chair. Have fun,' you said and changed into your robe in the bedroom. When you heard Sihtric had shut off the water you stopped by the bathroom door before you went downstairs.

'Hey,' you said knocking on the bathroom door, 'how do you like your coffee?'

'My coffee?' Sihtric answered on the other side, 'eh, black.'

'Eggs?'

'Scrambled, lady.'

'Bread?'

'Toasted, if possible,' he paused for a moment, 'why?'

While Sihtric waited for an answer you were already on your way downstairs, to the kitchen.

******************

'What's this?' Sihtric asked, a little taken aback when he looked at a royal amount of food on your kitchen table.

'What do you mean,' you frowned, 'it's breakfast. Sit,' you gestured to the chair.

'Y-you made me breakfast?' Sihtric asked, cautiously, as he stroked his goatee.

'Of course,' you smiled and brought him his coffee, seeing his bewildered face, 'what's wrong?'

'No, nothing,' he said, struggling to find a steady expression, 'it's… the last person who ever made me breakfast was…was my mom,' he looked up at you, 'before… you know she died,' Sihtric rubbed his arm, not knowing how to react to a gesture like this.

'Oh, honey,' you clicked your tongue and rushed over to him to cup his cheeks.

He looked up at you with a soft smile, then shook his head, 'How you are still single is beyond me,' he said softly, 'I mean,' he chuckled, 'you're straight up wife material.'

'Sure,' you smiled shyly and pressed a kiss to his forehead, having that gnawing feeling in your stomach again as you did.

********************

'Thank you,' Sihtric said and kissed your cheek, 'for everything. It was a nice change for once.'

'You're welcome, and thank you too,' you smiled and pecked his lips quickly while he still had his arm circled around your waist.

'My pleasure, doll,' he smiled cheekily, 'call me when you want to get freaky again, okay?' he laughed and stepped away from you, turning to his car.

'Yeah, you too,' you chuckled.

'I will,' Sihtric smiled as he unlocked his car and opened the door, 'have a nice weekend, baby,' he said and puckered his lips to blow you a kiss before he got in his car.

You blushed as you watched him drive off and you were once again taunted by a sickening feeling in your stomach.

You had done the one thing that you weren't supposed to do; you fell in love with him.

******************

saturday

Sihtric: did I leave my necklace at your place?

Sihtric: I'm not wearing it and I can't find it?

You: let me look

You: yeah it's on my nightstand

Sihtric: oh good, I thought I had lost it

Sihtric: can I pick it up tomorrow?

Sihtric: my evening shift is about to start, can't make it now

You: yeah of course, no problem

Sihtric: great. Say 8 in the evening?

You: I guess sure

Sihtric: okay, see you tomorrow ;) x

******************

Sunday

You: hey

You: I'm not feeling well today

You: is it okay if you pick up your necklace some other time?

Sihtric: of course

Sihtric: you okay, doll?

Sihtric: do you need anything?

You: I'll be okay, don't worry. Just caught a bug I guess!

You hated yourself for lying to him. But you just couldn't face him, not yet. Sure, he said he'd only pick up his necklace, but you figured he'd probably want to stay a little longer and have sex again. Which, normally, wasn't a problem at all. But since you caught feelings… It was a nightmare. Sure, you caught a bug. The worst bug of all. A goddamn love bug.

Sihtric: call me when you need something yeah?

Sihtric: get well baby xx

*****************

Monday

Sihtric: how are you feeling?

You: still not too well

You: sorry :(

Sihtric: don't worry love

You: I could ship it to you haha

You were being absolutely ridiculous right now. And you knew it, but you couldn't even stand the thought of seeing him. He had to be avoided at all costs.

Sihtric: no baby haha

Sihtric: it's fine

Sihtric: but do you need me to stop by? Can I get you anything?

You: that's sweet, but no thank you, I'm okay

Sihtric: you sure?

You: yeah I just want to sleep all day really…

Sihtric: are you eating enough, doll? Staying hydrated and all that? And how are those bruises? :(

Of course he had to make it all even worse by being an absolute fucking sweetheart. God, you wished he was just a complete jerk so you could cut things off. But… you couldn't.

You: I'm fine, Sihtric…

Sihtric: promise?

You: yes I promise

Sihtric: okay kitten

Sihtric: promise to take care of yourself baby?

You: I will

Sihtric: good. hope to see you soon again

Sihtric: miss you doll xxx

This was a complete disaster. Could you just block him? What happens if you'd just block him… no, shit, you still have his necklace. And he knows where you live. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck!

*******************

Tuesday

Sihtric: can I call you?

Sihtric: baby?

Sihtric: are you okay?

You watched his texts come in and in your horror you watched your phone ring as he called you. You fucked up. This was all fucked up. Why did you let him stay that night? Christ! Shit. You didn't touch your phone until you had two missed calls from the man you had fallen for, hard.

Sihtric: please answer baby?

Sihtric: can we talk?

Sihtric: I really need to talk with you

You: i'm okay, Sihtric, just still under the weather…

Sihtric: I'm sorry love but I don't care, I really need to see you…

You: i don't think that's a good idea

God, no, please, no. You do not want him to come over.

Sihtric: baby please

Sihtric: you've been distant ever since that last night

Sihtric: I'm sorry if I hurt you baby, I didn't mean to lose my self control like that

Sihtric: I never meant to harm you

Sihtric: or bruise you

Sihtric: I'm so sorry little vixen, please, let me see you?

Sihtric: I need to know you're okay

Your nightmare just got a whole lot worse. Sihtric clearly thought he had upset you because he had been a little rough with you, rougher than normal. He never meant to scare you off, he thought you would tell him if you didn't like something, which you had done before. He just didn't understand how it went so wrong this time, making you suddenly not want to see him anymore and making no attempt to text or call him, which you usually did.

You: Sihtric please it's not that

You: you didn't do anything wrong

Sihtric: please call me?

You: I will…but tomorrow okay? I'm really tired

Sihtric: okay baby, tomorrow. Promise?

You: yeah

Sihtric: okay sleep tight my love xxx

Sihtric was a sensitive guy, which you knew a little, but if you had known how upset he actually was over the whole debacle, you would have never tried to avoid him for so long.

***************

Wednesday

You cursed yourself for promising you'd call Sihtric. You didn't want to. Well, you wanted to. You desperately missed him and needed him with you, but you couldn't. Not in the way you wanted to be with him. And like the other days, you watched his texts and calls come in.

Sihtric: can you call? Do you have time?

You: I'm not sure..

You: I just don't feel well. I'm sorry..

Sihtric: oh...

Sihtric: okay baby.. I'm sorry

Sihtric groaned in frustration and flung his phone across the room. He was at wit's end. He wants to call you, but you don't answer his calls. You barely reply to his texts and when he asks if he did something wrong you keep saying no, yet you seem to avoid him at all costs. It's been almost a week since he had last seen you and it was driving him mad. He just wanted to see you. Nothing more. No sex, no kissing, he just wanted to be able to see you and hear your voice.

'Fuck,' he groaned as he rubbed his eyes, 'that's it. I'm going there.'

******************

You were a little annoyed when someone rang your doorbell at 9 in the evening. You opened up, already having a rant prepared because you half expected it to be charity people or church people, and you were not in the mood, but then you saw it was worse. Way worse than charity or church people.

'Sihtric?' you gasped.

Sihtric clicked his tongue and scoffed upon seeing you, perfectly healthy and all. He bit his lip and chuckled, but not in a good way.

'It's all clear now, just like I thought,' he said, 'look, I just want my necklace back, that's all.'

'I- I-,' you stammered, 'I'll get … get it.'

'Yeah, I'll wait,' Sihtric sniffed, 'glad you're feeling better by the looks of it,' he sneered.

And his sneer was gut wrenching.

'Sihtric,' you sighed and leaned your forehead against your front door, 'I fucked up.'

'No,' he laughed, a broken laugh, 'if you didn't want to sleep with me anymore because of what happened you could've just said so, you know,' he shrugged, 'you know I'm not some fucking weirdo. I kept asking you over and over again if you were okay, if I had hurt you or scared you,' he threw his hands up, 'and you gave me nothing. Except for silence.'

'It's not you.'

'Of course not, that's what you all say, right? The whole it's not you, it's me bullshit?' he shook his head, 'just fucking save it, I don't even want to hear it. It's clear that I am the problem here, so, what? What the fuck are we still doing then? Let's end whatever this was right here, right now. That's what this is about, yeah? So just say it, love. No need to sugarcoat it. Get it over with and just say it and I'll be gone, out of your life.'

'Sihtric, it's not-'

'Just fucking say it, doll,' he sighed.

'I fell in love with you!' you suddenly shouted, 'okay! That's what this is about!'

'What?' Sihtric frowned, dumbfounded, 'you what?'

'I'm in love with you,' you hissed and buried your face.

'W-why?' he shrugged, 'when?'

'When do you think, you dumbass? The night you stayed over!'

'How?'

'I don't know how, it just happened! Fuck, Sihtric,' you groaned, 'I fucked this up by letting you stay. It's all my fault.'

'I- I don't understand,' Sihtric brushed his hands through his hair, completely bewildered, 'then why have you been avoiding me?'

'Because I just couldn't face you,' you admitted, 'I mean, I know you just wanted the whole friends with benefits thing, and I was cool with it, I really was, until that last time. I don't know what happened. Maybe because you … because I finally saw the rest of your personality. I don't know. I… I don't want to lose you, I mean, I like having you around but I can't do this anymore. I can't just fuck and leave it at that. I,' you sighed and buried your face in your hands again, 'I want more, Sihtric.'

'Fucking hell,' Sihtric scoffed with a smile, resting his hands on his head while he looked at you, 'all of this shit,' he said, 'was because you caught feelings for me?'

'Yes,' you said, embarrassed.

'And you never considered that I may have feelings for you?' he frowned and threw his hands up again.

'What?'

'I mean, shit, baby,' he groaned, 'fuck. Why do you think I'm still single and rarely go on dates? And when I do, why do they all fail? Why have I been so concerned about you the past few days? Or why on earth I always call you my baby, my vixen, my kitten. You- you,' he sighed, 'you never suspected anything? I mean, anything, baby?'

'Wh-what? No! I thought… I thought you were just, I don't know, a flirt.'

'Yeah, flirting with you, you fool!'

'Wait, stop. Since when do you like me?'

'Since the first day, my gods,' Sihtric cried out in relief, 'babe. Fucking hell! Come here,' without waiting for an answer he pulled you in his arms, 'fuck, I love you so much, you have no idea. I thought you never wanted to see me again or something. You scared the shit out of me.'

'What?' your voice was muffled as your face was buried in his chest.

'I thought,' Sihtric said again, pulling away and cupping your cheeks, 'you didn't want to see me anymore. I thought I had hurt you the last time we slept together. Because it seemed so convenient for you to suddenly become ill right after I left. And then it seemed you didn't want anything to do with me anymore so, you know,' he shrugged, 'I thought I fucked up.'

'No, babe, I told you,' you wrapped your arms around his neck, 'it was never you. You didn't do anything wrong. The problem was that you did everything right,' you chuckled, 'I'm sorry for being so stupid. I just panicked. I didn't know you felt the same… if I knew I would have never done this. I'm so sorry, honey.'

'No, no,' Sihtric whispered and hushed you with a kiss, 'I don't care about that anymore. I only care about you. I want you, okay? Just you, no one else. I love you.'

'I love you too. And I only want you too, no one else.'

'Promise?' Sihtric asked and nuzzled your nose.

'I promise,' you smiled as you pulled him even closer, locking your lips together for that desperate, passionate kiss.

'But I still want my necklace back,' Sihtric said with a cheeky smile.

'Fine,' you rolled your eyes and reached into your shirt, taking off the necklace as you pulled the leather cord over your head, 'here.'

'You've been wearing it all this time?' he scoffed as he snatched the necklace out of your hands with a smile.

'Of course, it was the only thing I had from you.'

'Oh, kitten,' Sihtric sighed, 'fine. Here, keep it.'

He put the necklace back around your neck and kissed your cheek.

'Now what on earth am I to do with you now that you're mine?' Sihtric grinned.

But before you could answer, he threw you over his shoulder, just like that last night, but this time you didn't even make it to the bed, but you got stuck halfway up the stairs, where you'd both gain another few bruises this time, lovingly of course.

#sihtric x reader #sihtric x you #the last kingdom fic #sihtric fic #sihtric kjartansson #the last kingdom #sihtric #tlk #modern!sihtric

219 notes · View notes

asirensrage · 1 year

Text

A Bet's a Bet - Kyojuro x Reader x Tengen oneshot

Title: A Bet's a Bet Rating: Explicit Fandom: Demon Slayer Pairing: Uzui Tengen x Female!Reader x Rengoku Kyojuro (side Kyojuro x Tengen) Warnings: Smut. Threesome. A bit ooc. Oral. Swearing. Sex. (Seriously. Heed the rating.) Unbeta’d.

Summary: Modern!AU. A night at Laser Tag goes from potential disaster to something incredible.

Notes: This is based on this post with @comatosebunny09. This turned out longer than I planned because the characters kept running away from me and doing their own thing. I was just along for the ride. This is also a little more detailed than usual (but it had to be because of the logistics of this). These men will be the death of me lol. Unbeta'd so please forgive any errors. As usual, undescribed/unnamed female reader. Enjoy and please lmk what you think!

Laser tag. Fucking laser tag.

“Come on! It’ll be fun!” Your friend pleads with you.

“I don’t want to go play against a bunch of kids,” you say. It’s a lie. The truth is you have no desire to go on what you know is a set-up double date with her boyfriend and one of his friends. The same one you’ve already told her you’re not interested in.

“Please! I promise I’ll never ask for anything ever again. Just come! Have some fun! I promise that there’s not even any kids there, it’s just adults. They’re running longer games now.”

You stare at her dubiously but then she uses that same pleading look that you know has gotten her out of multiple speeding tickets. “Fine. This is the last time, got it?”

“I promise!”

Somehow, you doubt that.

You were right in the fact that it ended up being some fake double date that you didn’t agree to. Her boyfriend brought a friend, the same one you knew he would, and they gave you both some space to talk. Even when you didn’t want to. Thankfully, she was alright right in the fact that you weren’t surrounded by some kids. There were other adults playing. You caught a glimpse of the group that went in ahead of yours, catching sight of broad shoulders and bright hair.

Thankfully the place seems huge and it’s dark. As soon as you get in, you ditch your group. You’re not about to spend the next twenty minutes having the guy trail you while trying to convince you he’s good at this.

You forgot how much fun laser tag is. You spend some time running and ducking for cover. You haven’t seen your friend but it’s only a matter of time. As soon as you find her, you’re taking them all out. As much as you can, at least.

You step backwards as someone comes running and jump as you bump into someone.

“Sorry about that!” they say. You turn and aim.

You can barely make out his blond hair under the dark lights but he has an easy smile and isn’t aiming his gun at you. “No problem,” you say.

“Might be fortunate,” he grins. His eyes glance down at the blue light that marks your vest. His was marked with red. “We’re unfortunately not on the same team but I won’t shoot.”

You frown slightly, confused. “Why not?”

“Maybe I want to stay on your good side.”

You smile slightly at the flirtation. It wasn’t completely easy to tell with the way the lights changed and the noise of people yelling at each other.

“I caught some of your movements. Are you looking for someone in particular?”

“Yeah, my friend.” You describe her quickly. “I’m going to make sure she loses. Badly.” His eyebrows raise at your tone and both of you duck as soon as you hear someone come close. “She roped me into coming and surprised me with a double date, with someone I already told her I wasn’t interested in.”

“That’s not kind of her,” he says.

“Nope. So she’s going down.”

“Would you like help?”

“You any good?”

“Allow me to show you.”

Kyojuro, as he introduces himself, is fantastic. He moves with apparent ease through the arena, yanking you out of the way a couple of times and pulling you tight against his chest. He apologizes the first time but when you tell him it’s fine, he does not stop. The strength in the movements has you more flustered than you expected.

You find the friend of the boyfriend and both of you shoot him before running for it. You’re still searching for your friend when someone suddenly appears before you. You shoot instantly.

“Good shot!”

Kyojuro steps in front of you and you glance back to make sure you’re not being cornered.

“Kyo!” The man in front of him says. “Found something interesting, have you?”

“I might have!” Kyojuro steps to the side. “Allow me to introduce you,” he says, motioning towards you. “This is one of my friends, Tengen.” Tengen is huge. You can make out enough to tell that he’s tall and extremely built, but he doesn’t set off your instincts telling you you’re in danger. He grins at you, seemingly not upset at the fact that you shot him.

“Think you can do it again?”

“Maybe,” you say not giving any promises because he's not your main target but you couldn't resist.

“Of course, she can!” Kyojuro says. You smile at the confidence he has in you.

“Then why don't we make a bet?” Tengen leans closer. “Winner take all. If I win with the top ranking, you come out for dinner with us.” He motions towards Kyojuro and himself. That would at least get you out of going to dinner with your friend.

“And if I win?" you ask.

“You shoot me again, you can have anything you want.”

“Alright,” you agree. You don’t know what you’d ask for but you could decide later.

Tengen winks at both of you before he somehow disappears back into the shadows. You look around quickly, but you can’t see him anywhere.

“How the hell did he do that?”

“Don’t ask,” Kyojuro says. “Better not to know. Come on, let’s find your friend.”

You both manage to find your friend and her boyfriend and stalk them, shooting them repeatedly and laughing when they’re unable to catch you. That’s thanks due to Kyojuro, but you have the feeling that Tengen is somehow helping you both. You never see him though and when the lights finally turn on, all of you are ushered out to the leaderboard. Standing at rank 1 with a new high score is Tengen. Of course, it is.

You finally get a good look at Kyojuro. He’s tall and well-built, getting out of his vest with the ease of having done this before. He turns to help you. You try not to stare but his eyes are as vibrant as his hair and when he grins at you knowingly, your stomach flutters. You glance around to figure out which one Tengen is when you’re distracted as someone calls your name.

“There you are!”

You turn to see your friend coming up to you, her boyfriend and your unwanted date following.

“I thought we were supposed to do this together, but you ran off.” Your friend says, her gaze flickering to the man beside you. Kyojuro turned with you to face them but he’s quiet now, letting you choose how to respond.

“Is the whole point of laser tag to not be seen?” You ask. “Besides, I made allies.”

“I can see that,” she says. “Are you ready to go?”

An arm settles itself over your shoulders before you can answer and you find yourself pulled slightly into a large body. You glance up, catching sight of white hair and ruby-coloured eyes that wink down at you.

“I’m afraid we’re going to be stealing her,” the man holding you says. Tengen, you realize as you recognize the voice.

“What?” Your friend looks alarmed, gaze going between the three of you as Kyojuro moves slightly closer.

“My friend and yours made a bet,” Kyojuro says. “If Tengen made top rank, she would join us for dinner tonight.”

“Not only did I rank number one, but I broke a new record. Quite flashy, don’t you agree?”

It takes a second for you to realize he’s talking to you. “Oh yeah, absolutely.”

Your friend looks unimpressed at you but considering you didn’t want to be here in the first place and she surprised you into this faux double date, you’re not that bothered by it.

“Sorry,” you say. “A bet’s a bet, right? Besides, we can have dinner another time.” You raise your eyebrows at her, daring her to protest.

“We came here together,” she says slowly. “How will you get home?”

“We’ll drive her,” Tengen says.

“We’ll make sure she gets home safely.” It sounds like a promise coming from Kyojuro.

“I’ll be fine,” you tell her. “Don’t worry. I’ll text you, okay?”

She looks at you warily but nods. “Okay. Make sure you do.” She looks at the men on either side of you. “You better not hurt her or I swear to God…”

“We won’t,” Kyojuro says. “Would you like to take a picture of us? Just in case.”

She looks as surprised at the offer as you are but she agrees. Kyojuro wraps an arm around your waist and smiles. You feel Tengen pose next to you but she takes what’s likely more than one picture. “Okay. If you murder her, I’ll find you.”

Tengen laughs. “Don’t worry, if she screams, it won’t be from murder.”

You can see your friend’s boyfriend’s jaw drop at the blatant insinuation and your friend’s eyes widen before she grins at you. She moves forward and hugs you tightly before whispering, “Tell me everything tomorrow, okay?”

You laugh and wave her off, promising to contact her. You watch as they leave and Kyojuro slips away to say goodbye to their friends. Tengen doesn’t drop his arm since you haven’t shaken him off. Its weight is oddly comforting.

“You really didn’t want to go with them, did you?” Tengen asks.

You look up at him. “No. I basically got tricked into a double date with her boyfriend's friend. It’s not the first time either and I already told her I wasn’t interested. Spending dinner with you two is a much more preferable choice, even if we did just meet.”

He bends down slightly to get closer to you. “Well then, we’ll just have to make it worth your while, won’t we?”

They take you to a restaurant that is within walking distance. The men walk on either side of you, drawing you into conversation and telling you about how they became friends. You can’t help but laugh as Tengen expresses the admiration he felt when he met Kyojuro, simply for how the man dealt with one of their abrasive friends Sanemi. You think you can see Kyojuro redden as Tengen teases but the conversation pauses as you reach the restaurant. It’s cute and busy. You don’t know how they manage it, but the men get you a booth. Once you agree, you find yourself encased between them again when you sit down.

Despite the size of them and the way they seem to tower over you even sitting, you don’t feel diminished between them. They keep you engaged in conversation, asking questions about your life while sharing more about theirs. Kyojuro promises that his hair is completely natural and tells you it’s because his ancestors loved tempura. It makes you laugh.

“You have a gorgeous laugh, angel,” Tengen says, leaning slightly so his lips are closer to your ear.

“You think so?” You ask, turning slightly to grin at him. You’re still not entirely sure where their attraction was coming from, but you weren’t opposed to it. Especially since neither of them seemed bothered by the other. You wonder to yourself if they’ve done this before.

“Definitely.” You see his eye glance down at your lips but before either of you can do more than look, the waitress comes back with your orders.

“Here, try this.”

You turn to Kyojuro who’s holding up a bite of his meal. He nods, moving it slightly closer but ultimately waiting for your response. You lean forward, meeting his eyes as you take a bite. He watches you carefully and you’re distracted from the weight of his stare by the taste of his meal. “Wow.”

“It’s delicious, right?”

“It is!” You grin at him, gaze flicking down to his mouth before you meet his eyes again. Your breath hitches in your throat. He leans forward slowly, putting the utensil down.

“May I kiss you?” he asks softly.

You feel Tengen shift behind you. His chin rests slightly on your shoulder. “You should, angel,” Tengen says. “He’s a fantastic kisser.” Your mind goes blank slightly at the thought of how Tengen knows that but you nod.

Kyojuro reaches over and touches your jaw slightly. Your eyes close as he gets close and his lips brush against yours gently. His kiss is soft at first, just testing the waters. Tengen pushes you slightly, pressing you closer to Kyojuro who opens his mouth and deepens the kiss. It’s easy to lose yourself in it, especially with the heat of Tengen at your back whose hand slides up your arm.

When you break the kiss, you meet Kyojuro’s eyes. His pupils are blown wide and he grins at you. He darts forward, kissing you quickly again before he pulls back. “Like I said, delicious.”

Tengen laughs behind you and you turn to face him better, wanting to make sure he wasn’t feeling left out.

“Was I right?” he asks, nudging you slightly.

“I might need some more convincing,” you tease, unwilling to give in that easily.

Tengen just grins. “How about a comparison?” He bends down, capturing your lips with his. His palm is warm against the small of your back and you can feel Kyojuro’s thigh pressing against yours as Tengen takes control of the kiss. He kisses like he’s trying to get a rise out of you, as though he’s attempting to find out the exact way to make you moan against him. You break the kiss first, unwilling to forget where you are and end up embarrassing yourself. He looks at you like he knows. Tengen looks over your head at Kyojuro. “You were right, it’s delicious.”

Kyojuro laughs.

Dinner ends with Tengen’s hand on your thigh, fingers curling on the inside, tapping out a beat in his mind that leaves you squirming slightly, wishing he went higher. You suspect that if you were in a skirt or dress, his hands would tease higher against your skin. Kyojuro keeps taking the chance to kiss you and winds his fingers between yours, holding your hand. They continue to check in, making sure that you’re comfortable with every action they take. You’re aware of some of the looks the three of you are getting, but both Tengen and Kyojuro don’t seem bothered by them and continue to distract you by asking questions and telling stories.

“Come home with us?” Tengen asks after their refusal to let you chip in for dinner. The three of you are standing outside the restaurant.

“You don’t have to,” Kyojuro says. “We can simply take you home, but we’ve enjoyed this and would like to continue. Only if you’re interested.”

Tengen throws an arm over Kyojuro’s shoulders. “What do you say? Want to continue? See how flashy the night can get?”

You look at the way they are completely at ease with each other, how there’s absolutely no pressure to say yes. Every single moment since you’ve met them, they’ve been careful to be mindful of what you want and ask if it was okay. You get the sense that if you said no, they’d stay true to their word and take you home with no hard feelings, numbers still exchanged. These men had made a shit situation a hell of a lot better and now were promising to make your night something to remember.

You smile at them both. “Absolutely.”

Kyojuro’s apartment is closest.

You take Tengen’s car and Kyojuro sits in the back. Another step to make sure you feel comfortable, that you’re not just being carted off to one of their places. You text your friend on the way, telling her you’re going home with them. The encouragement your friend sends back makes you grin. You promise to check in with her later before locking your phone.

“Everything alright?” Kyojuro asks, leaning forward between the seats.

“Yeah,” you say, glancing between them both. “Have you two done this a lot?” You can’t help but ask. Especially with how comfortable they are with each other, with you kissing both of them.

Tengen shrugs. “Kyo and I aren’t necessarily exclusive,” he says. “We both want more. There’s no shame in having more love to offer as long as everyone’s okay with it.”

“You are okay with it, aren’t you?” Kyojuro asks, sounding slightly hesitant.

“I am,” you assure. “I just…I’ve never slept with two people at once. You might have to show me the ropes.”

“And here I thought we’d save the ropes for the next date,” Tengen says dryly.

You laugh. “The next date?”

“Sure,” he says. “We’ll just have to show you we’re worth it.”

“We like you,” Kyojuro grins at you. “Why wouldn’t we want to continue?”

“Maybe I’m terrible in bed?” you offer teasingly.

Tengen glances at you. “We’re not.”

They prove it too.

Kyojuro’s apartment isn’t too large but it is instantly comforting with warm colours and tasteful decoration, even if it is a little sparse. Both men move through it with ease and Kyojuro offers you both a drink to help you get settled. The drink he hands you is unopened, and you sip at it before settling on the couch next to Tengen.

Kyojuro settles in next to you and for a moment you bask in this strange sense of comfort and warmth between these two men. The two of them are talking, letting you take your time. You get the feeling that they’re just waiting until you let them know you’re ready for more. It’s so wholesome, especially considering they basically promised to fuck you senseless. You want to see if they live up to it.

You lean forward, setting your drink down before you glance between them. Considering you’ve kissed Kyojuro the most so far, you turn towards Tengen.

He raises his eyebrows at you, smirking slightly as he waits.

“Can I sit on you?” you ask, offering the same politeness that they’ve given you. Consent needs to be verbally enthusiastic after all.

Tengen grins and nods, putting his drink down before he beckons you closer. His hands grip at your waist, helping lift you with ease. Your legs go to either side of his, allowing you to straddle him. You glance at Kyojuro who simply moves closer and watches. Tengen’s hand slips under your shirt, thumb stroking soft circles on the skin of the small of your back. “We’re not going to push you into anything, angel,” he says softly. “At least anything you don’t want.”

“And if I want everything?” you ask, fiddling gently with his shirt.

The hand not on your back tilts your face to look up at him. “Then ask.”

“I want you both,” you breathe, meeting his dark red eyes. “If you want me.”

“Of course we do,” Kyojuro says. “Since you bumped into me.”

“Since you shot me,” Tengen agrees. His hand slides to the back of your neck and he leans down to kiss you. If he kissed you with careful control in the restaurant, this was something else. It’s harder, more demanding and yet he seems to remember everything that made you hum against his lips. “Don’t hold back,” he whispers when he finally breaks the kiss, letting you breathe.

“If it’s too much, let us know,” Kyojuro says before he leans forward and takes Tengen’s place. Kyojuro kisses hard, full of passion and desperation. He kisses you like he never wants to stop. You can’t help but whine when he pulls back. You rock forwards, feeling Tengen growing harder under you.

“Now that’s a sight,” he says, eyes flickering between you two. “Beautiful.”

Your breath hitches as he turns to Kyojuro and you suddenly witness them kiss. Whatever sight Tengen thought he saw with you and Kyojuro, it couldn’t come close to the sight of them. They kissed like they’ve done it a hundred times before and still couldn’t get enough of each other. You grind your hips lightly, searching for more friction and reach for Kyojuro’s hand. He grips your hand back, just as tight.

Tengen’s hand presses harder against your back, helping to guide you in increasing your motions and he groans against Kyojuro’s mouth.

“Fuck,” you mutter.

Kyojuro laughs, pulling away to look at you. “Enjoying it?”

“You’re both just so pretty,” you admit.

Tengen laughs. “Come now, you’re wearing too much.” His gaze darts to Kyojuro. “Both of you are.”

It’s easy to give in. You grab the end of your shirt and drag it up over your head. You throw it to the side, completely unaware as both the men look at you. Their gazes are heated, Kyojuro’s tongue darting out to lick his lips. You think he does it unconsciously but your stomach flutters with pride and confidence at their expressions and you quickly take off your bra too.

Tengen’s hand is large and warm, the calluses on his fingers and palm scrape against your skin as he drags his hand up your side. You shiver at the feeling, only to be distracted as Kyojuro kisses you again.

It’s almost overwhelming. The strength of Tengen’s thighs under you, the feeling of his hands dancing a pattern you can’t focus on over your skin while Kyojuro sucks marks on your shoulder. Tengen kisses you again and you feel Kyojuro’s hand go from your thigh to his.

“We need more space,” Tengen mutters. “Hold on, princess.” He lifts you, ignoring the sound you make at the loss of him until he places you in Kyojuro’s lap. Kyojuro, for his part, grins widely at you, pulling you closer before kissing you again. You dig your hands into his hair, kissing him back just as hard.

“Bedroom,” Tengen says, offering a hand. Kyojuro hikes you closer before he stands, one arm under your ass. You wrap your legs around him but he doesn’t seem to struggle in the slightest in carrying you. Tengen leads you both down a hall. Or somewhere. You’re not entirely paying attention, too busy sucking your own mark into Kyojuro’s neck. His grip tightens against you.

Kyojuro releases you, letting you gently fall against the bed. Tengen moves in, drawing you towards him as he kneels on the bed. You move to follow, pausing only to undo your pants once you notice he’s naked. You motion for him to wait as you lie back to shimmy out of them. He hooks a finger on the edge, helping you. Kyojuro grabs the ends, pulling them towards him. He’s already naked as well, taking the chance when you were distracted by Tengen.

Your mouth goes dry as you take in their muscles. You knew they were strong but it’s different seeing them like this. “Wow.”

“I think we’re the ones who should be saying that,” Kyojuro says. “Don’t you agree, Tengen?”

“I’m lucky either way,” the other man admits. You turn back to him. He’s sitting back on his heels, watching you both. “Come here,” he beckons you closer like he did before. You move towards him, aware of the bed dipping behind you. Tengen pulls you into him, kissing you softly as his hands slide across your skin. They go up your thighs, following the dip of your hips and waist before cupping your breasts gently. “So pretty,” he murmurs.

Kyojuro moves behind you, kissing the spot where your neck meets your shoulder. You lean back against him, smiling at the warmth of the men that seeps into you. You move one of your hands over your shoulder, digging back into Kyojuro’s hair. He groans as you grip it, hands tightening at your waist. You drape your other one over Tengen’s shoulder, stroking the skin softly as his mouth lowers to encase one of your nipples.

You lose yourself in the sensations the men cause. One of Kyojuro’s hands slips between your legs, pressing in and stroking gently.

“So wet already,” he tells Tengen. He presses in further and you shift to give him more room. He finds your clit with surprising ease and you feel yourself arch into it. It helps push you closer to Tengen who is lavishing your chest with attention, gently biting and sucking hard to leave his mark.

You groan when Kyojuro removes his fingers, sucking them into his mouth. How are you supposed to survive this? Especially when he swipes them back between your legs before offering them to Tengen who takes them without hesitation. Kyojuro leans forward over you, kissing Tengen. The thought that they can both taste you on their lips is hotter than you ever realized it would be. Your hands move, mapping out the crevices and dips of their muscles, absent-mindedly wondering how you got this lucky. You don’t question it though, instead, once they stop kissing, you motion for them to give you some space.

They both instantly apologize if they squished you.

“What a way to go,” you muse, smiling as they laugh. Tengen reaches over to pinch you and you jolt back, sticking out your tongue.

“I want to taste you,” you say. You move closer, bending down slightly. You reach for Kyojuro, fingers wrapping around his cock and watching as his eyes flutter closed at the feeling. You lick at Tengen’s, using your other hand to hold him. It takes a bit to find a rhythm and neither man seems to mind as you go back and forth, taking your time to try to take in as much of each of them as you can.

Tengen’s hand rests on the back of your neck, oddly comforting as you suck him. Kyojuro’s hand joins yours, stroking what bits you can’t reach. Tengen groans, praising you both for making him feel so good. “You take us so well, angel,” he tells you.

Kyojuro is louder in his moans when you use your mouth, holding himself steady on Tengen as you lick and suck. These two powerful men crumble under your mouth. You’ve never felt so powerful, or so desirable with the way they look at you.

“Please, sweet thing,” Kyojuro begs, “let me take care of you too.”

He begs so prettily, and you think Tengen agrees with how he watches you both. You nod and Kyojuro motions for you to turn your attention back to the other man. You feel him move behind you as you go back to trying to take as much of Tengen’s cock in your mouth as you can. Kyojuro’s hands settle on your hips before he presses a warm palm to the small of your back, guiding you to rest on your hands as well as your knees. You lean back towards him automatically.

You hum against Tengen as you feel Kyojuro’s fingers first. They press in, slowly stretching you as he adds one then two.

“Fuck,” you hear Tengen.

“She’s so tight,” Kyojuro says. “I don’t want to hurt her.”

“You won’t,” Tengen replies.

Kyojuro presses another finger in and you falter in your efforts, mouth releasing Tengen so you can gasp at the intrusion. It feels so good and yet not enough.

“Please, please, please,” you beg. “More.”

“Well,” Tengen says. “You heard her.”

You don’t look up at the sounds of someone’s fingers being sucked clean, already knowing what you’d find and take the chance to catch your breath. It doesn’t last long, not when you can feel Kyojuro finally press against you. It takes a second for him to angle himself properly before he’s pushing in and all you can do is moan at the feeling.

Fingers tilt your head up and you look to see Tengen smiling down at you. “Alright?” he asks.

“Yeah,” you agree.

He bends down to kiss you and you can taste yourself on his lips. Kyojuro takes the chance to withdraw just enough before thrusting back.

“Come on, princess,” Tengen says softly. “Think you can finish me off?”

You don’t bother replying, instead taking his cock back in your mouth. You’ve never been this full. Not like this. The men easily find a rhythm, and you let yourself move with it. The room fills with the sounds and smells of sex, soft moans and groans as you all get closer. Tengen hits his release first, withdrawing and cumming across your back. That’s going to be hell to clean but the thought is lost when you feel Kyojuro’s pace quicken. Your arms collapse under you and you try to hold yourself up on your elbows. You think someone swipes at the display he left, someone else moaning with their mouth full. Then Tengen shifts, lying next to you and propping himself up on an elbow. He seems enraptured by the sight of you and Kyojuro.

You are so close to the edge, to your release when Kyojuro stops. You nearly whine in frustration but it doesn’t last long. You’re flipped onto your back, resting next to Tengen still while Kyojuro slips back between your legs.

Tengen kisses you as Kyojuro lifts your legs, resting them on his forearms before he thrusts forward again. Tengen’s hand slides down your chest, pausing to squeeze one of your breasts again before his fingers find their way between you and Kyojuro. He presses against your clit, moving in tandem with the man fucking you and you break.

Tengen breaks the kiss, letting you cry out with your release as his mouth moves lower, They don’t stop though. Your orgasm extends with their movements and before you can even fully catch your breath, you tumble head-first into another.

Someone swears.

Kyojuro pulls out just in time to cum across your stomach and all three of you seem to pause, regaining your senses. Kyojuro collapses on the best next to you and for a moment, all you can do is laugh.

Both men have enough energy to look at each other over you and you wave them off before they can question it.

“Sorry,” you say. “That was just…the most intense thing I’ve ever experienced.”

“Told you it’d be flashy,” Tengen says, sounding as confident as ever. Not that it was a surprise. The man deserved it and could clearly back it up. You were going to be sore tomorrow.

“You were right,” you agree.

“Let’s clean you up,” he says. “I’ll run a bath.”

“A bath?” All you wanted to do was clean up and sleep.

“It’s big enough,” Kyojuro says. He sounds about as awake as you feel. “It’ll help so you won’t be sore later when we go again.”

“Again?” You glance between these men, wondering where they get the stamina. Tengen just laughs.

“Of course. You didn’t think we were done, did you?”

everything taglist: @raith-way @chrissymunson @veetlegeuse @chickensarentcheap @residentdormouse

#smut oneshot #this was finished due to spite lbh #demon slayer #uzui tengen x reader #rengoku kyojuro x reader #tengen x reader #kyojuro x reader #tengen x kyojuro #demon slayer oneshot #kyojuro x you x tengen #rengoku kyojuro x you #tengen x you

199 notes · View notes

direwolfrules · 2 months

Note

Oh my fairy godmother I am so happy you are post about Ever After High!!! Do you have any fanfic or au ideas involving them? Like, what if one character had another destiny or what if they were in the Star Wars universe?! It’s just interesting to think about!

Hey! Glad to see we share another fandom interest!

So, I have this barebones post for what I would have done as a crossover between g1 Monster High and Ever After High.

As for general fanfic ideas I have a few. I shall now list them in varying levels of detail:

1. A Very Charming Groundhog Day Year:

Basically, the Charming siblings time loop back from a bit after Dragon Games but before Epic Winter to the day before the school year started (the day of the Family Ball in the books). While it would be kinda angsty, the best time loop fics are usually crack fics, and this would be no exception (if I ever wrote any of these things).

So Daring, Dexter, and Darling are all initially in states of panic and anxiety. Daring, he was in the middle of a quarter-life crisis and now has to deal with everyone and their fairy godmother thinking he's Apple's Prince Charming.

"Daring Charming, more like Distressed Charming, am I right?"-- Dexter, who should get to exhibit asshole little brother energy more often, as a treat.

Speaking of Dexter, he's panicking cause of all the awful stuff that's going to happen during the school year and also because now he has to go through the nerve-racking ordeal of asking out the girl he likes all over again.

Darling's in hell because everyone and their fairy godmother expect her to be this perfect little damsel, again, which is just- ugh. There are days she wishes she could carry her sword around with her, and they're most days. Also, she never got to talk to Apple about their True Love's CPR, which is just tragic.

The loops go on for a while, some constants in them include: Darling freeing herself and helping little Good-Enough Charming get one of their grandfather's trophies for the scavenger hunt, Dexter and Darling teaming up to kill the changeling and free cousin Charity (sometimes Daring helps but he's content to let his siblings have fun for once), Darling accidentally on purpose flirting with Apple and Apple experiencing several degrees of gay panic, Dexter fumbling asking out Raven for the first time (he's really such a dork, just a funky dude), and the Charming Siblings teaming up to make Milton Grimm's life a living hell.

In one loop they secretly film him playing with his toy unicorns and his action figure of himself and they hijack Blondie's mirrorcast to play it to the entire school.

After several loops a Monster High crossover happens, and so in every loop after that the Charming sibs, who have grown incredibly gremlin-like after experiencing the insanity of the school several dozen times, make sure to drop monster slang when it's just them and Cupid. Like:

Darling: "Wow, Cupid, that top looks clawsome."

Daring: "Totally, it's freaky fierce."

Cupid: "What?!"

Darling: "That top looks nice on you. Anyway, we gotta run."

Dexter: "Yeah, see you later ghoulfriend!"

I have some other half-baked ideas for this one but it'd probably be it's own post.

2. Murdoch Mysteries-ish AU:

This one makes no sense if you've never watched the hit Canadian Detective Show, Murdoch Mysteries. Or maybe it makes some sense, idk. Instead of a modern AU, we have a 1895 detective AU. It's barely an idea, I have no idea if I'd even keep this in the fantasy setting of (an 1895) Ever After or not.

Dexter is the Detective William Murdoch of this AU, the man with no game and beautiful blue eyes who women keep inexplicably falling in love with. He's observant and a little strange but he's also a brilliant detective. One of the major differences though is Dexter is the disowned son of old money parents.

Raven's the Dr. Julia Ogden, the outspoken, independent, and compassionate coroner helping solve cases and being amazing. Her rich, controlling mother doesn't much approve of her life choices but old Mrs. Queen can suck it. Raven and Detective Charming have a clearly mutual attraction but they're both hesitant to act on it cause what's a romance without a good slow-burn.

Hopper's the Constable George Crabtree of this AU. Listen, the everyday George matches Hopper's human side, and writer George matches Hopper's frog side. I will not elaborate, because I really cannot. Just feel the vibes, cause the words aren't coming.

I'm not 100% sure who'd be the Inspector Brackenreid. Part of me kinda wants to make it Professor Badwolf, and then I could make Milton Grimm the asshole commissioner. Coach Gingerbreadman is the Inspector of Station 5, the rivals of Station 4.

Daring is heir to the Charming family fortune. Golden boy, everyone loves him, wants more than anything to be able to talk to his little brother in public, but their parents would disown him as well if he stepped out of line.

Apple is one of Raven's housemates at Sisters boarding house, run by Bella and Brutta Sister. She was once courted by Daring, it was at the point where people were expecting an engagement announcement any day. That's when they suddenly broke it off, with no explanation (the explanation is Daring's in love with another girl and Apple's in love with his sister). Snow White and her husband barely agreed to let her move into the boarding house, I honestly have no clue how Apple managed to pull that off but good for her.

Idk, Darling's a vigilante. She's got the same deductive genius as Dexter, she just doesn't have the same ability to join the police force. Inspector Badwolf is tired of his cops being outdone by the mysterious White Knight (yeah, yeah, I made Darling into Victorian-era Batman). Couldn't the White Knight patrol Station 5's territory? (The answer is no, because Darling really wants to catch a glimpse of her twin and also because Sisters Boarding house is in Station 4's territory and sometimes she likes to secretly crash with her girlfriend).

3. The Destiny Cycle AU (AKA: Ever After High but the Rebel Movement is an actual Rebellion AU):

What it says on the tin. Raven discovers the book is fake before Legacy Day. Her and Dexter, who in this AU is believed to be Ashlynn's future Prince Charming because someone made a good post about the potential dynamics that could cause and I love it, set out to uncover what other secrets those in charge are hiding.

Basically, in this AU Ever After is a dystopia where the Royal Families tied the survival of their dynasties' rule to their stories. Like, magically tied them. The Fates themselves have been bound by the magic of the Destiny Cycle. Ever After's Destiny-bound citizens are forced to repeat the same stories as their ancestors, all because Happily Ever After doesn't include a revolt or the institution of democracy. All stories are repeated as a precaution against anyone figuring out what the ancestors of the Royal Families did.

Taking some inspiration from the SDCC Raven Queen doll's letter from her mother, the Evil Queen discovered the truth about the Destiny Cycle, said "not my kid you bastards", and proceeded to try to break the Cycle's bonds. Her taking over other stories and cursing Wonderland was an attempt to stretch the probability bonds of the Destiny Cycle's magic to the breaking point.

Stuff's gonna go down and basically these kids know time is running out until there's a war, cause the only way to avoid being offered up as a lamb to the slaughter is to overthrow the whole system.

God, I really gotta make this into it's own post as well now. But here's a basic rundown of some stuff I'd include:

Dexter and Raven being young and in love and just all the secret romance feels

Snow White knows about the Destiny Cycle, but Apple absolutely does not know.

Apple being born blonde is a sign that the Evil Queen's schemes loosened the grip of the Destiny Cycle, at least for a moment.

Ashlynn, Hunter, Dexter, and Raven as secret rebel leaders.

The backgrounders will have actual roles dammit! (Looking at you Lawrence Bonecrusher III, aka Orc Boy).

An exploration of artificial Destiny Cycle "True Love" vs. real True Love, featuring Apple, Daring, and Darling.

C.A. Cupid, sent by her godly family to infiltrate Ever After and cure it of the Destiny Cycle, because it's interfering in the domains of the gods.

A unique Monster High crossover idea that I will elaborate on in another post.

These children absolutely end up having to kill someone and it scars them forever.

As for different destinies AUs or Star Wars AUs, I haven't really given them much thought.

I think, in a Star Wars setting (possibly Old Republic?), Raven would be a Jedi padawan descended from a long line of Sith. Instead of Mirror Prison, her mom is dead and her Force Ghost is bound to a giant, mirrorlike piece of kyber crystal. Uh, not 100% sure who her master would be.

Darling would also be a Jedi padawan, and Maid Marian would be her Master. Maid Marian gets into custody battles over this kid with this old Jedi Watchman known only as The White Knight. She'd still have her time-slowing hair flip, in this AU it's just a unique way of activating the Force Slow ability.

40 notes · View notes

klbwriting · 3 months

Text

Our Strange Duet

Chapter 1: Getting Out of Bed

Fandom: Red Hood

Pairing: Jason Todd x f!reader

Warnings: none

Summary: Sequel to Not Romeo, Not Juliet - Jason Todd is off to Gotham U to make sure he has a life outside of being a vigilante. He wasn't expecting someone from his past to show up, but there she is on the first day and things have changed

Notes: Well, I was going to wait until tomorrow but I can't, I like this too much, I hope you guys enjoy!

Taglist: @deans-spinster-witch

It's the bitch of living, just getting out of bed - Spring Awakening

“Jason, get up, you have class in half an hour,” Dick called up to the loft as he finished setting out the terrible eggs he made whenever Jason slept late. He sat up in bed, looking at his phone, sighing as it had no notifications, well it had one text but not from the person he wanted one from. Sydney wished him a happy first day of classes and he answered before getting dressed. He skipped the eggs, grabbing an apple and throwing out a quick bye to his brother as he headed down to the garage for his bike.

He had finished high school and after a long and drawn argument with Dick about not just living as a vigilante his whole life and maybe having some kind of day job for when his knees finally buckled under the weight of trying to save an entire city. So here he was driving his bike towards Gotham University, taking all general education courses because he had no idea what he wanted to try and do for a career. He did know that he was going to be in theater, his director from Bludhaven Prep had written him a great recommendation letter, but only if he continued to act, and honestly, he wanted to act. It was nice to become someone else, take a break from his brain. His therapist liked it also, said it helped Jason get out of his head. What he didn’t expect was walking into his first class, Modern Literature 101 and sitting by the window in the front corner, was YN.

She wasn’t looking at him, reading one of the books for the class, doing notations. After a second Jason realized he was blocking the door so he slid around to the back corner of the class, sitting before she could look up. He watched her, concentrating on her book and every single emotion he felt last year came flooding back. She had left, they kept in touch until around May and then she had vanished. He didn’t know why but he had a bad feeling about it. He wouldn’t confront her now, but he hoped he could snag her after class, speak with her, just see how she was. He stared at her until he heard his name, looking up to the professor.

“Mr. Todd?” she repeated. He smiled awkwardly, clearly having missed the first time she said his name.

“Ya that’s me,” he said. He looked down and then looked at YN who was staring back at him, eyes wide. He waved a little and she turned, facing forward again, leg starting to bounce like it did when she was anxious. The syllabus was handed out and he proceeded to ignore his teacher, instead categorizing how YN had changed in the last eight months. Hair was longer, she leaned on her hand, eyes looking tired, she had car keys sitting on her desk, so she drove now. She glanced back at him, and he tore his eyes away from her, trying to focus on class. As soon as they were dismissed he tried to bounce up and catch her but two people in front of him started talking and he couldn’t get around them fast enough. By the time he got into the hallways she was gone.

He had two other classes that day, but YN wasn’t in either of them. The only hope he had was the theater meeting that night for the Gotham U Players. They were doing a sign up and talking about their productions that year, so Jason got there early, signed up quickly and then looked around the room. He was first beside the upper classmen advisors, so he took a seat near the door. She would be here, and she wasn’t going to sneak by him again. He waited, the place filling up with other university students. They started and about three minutes into the meeting YN came in, signing up quick and sitting down two rows in front of Jason, once again preventing him from talking to her.

This was pathetic, was he going to just chase her around all year until she talked to him? He wasn’t a stalker, but he was considering seeing if Dick could get her address before he got home so that he could go knock on her door. But that would be bad. He shook himself, coming back to the meeting where they announced that the first production this year was going to be a musical. Jason’s eyebrows rose so high they probably disappeared into his hair. He had not considered a musical, ever. He looked down at YN, catching her turning to look back at him, whipping her head forward when she saw him watching.

“Auditions for Phantom of the Opera are next week, come with a song prepared and remember, if you are not cast you are part of the stage crew and we will be having you learn to be directors, sound techs, light techs, and set design so don’t be discouraged. And in the spring we will do a play so those who can’t sing will still get time on stage,” the club president announced before dismissing them. Jason once again jumped up, ready to grab her but this time she swerved him by taking a side door. He jumped a couple rows, racing out the door after her, probably looking insane, but he didn’t care.

“YN!” he called, chasing after her as she walked towards the parking lot. She took a couple steps before stopping. He ran around in front of her, panting a little from running to catch her. Why did cardio only work when he was chasing criminals?

“Hi Jason,” she said, and he could have sworn he heard angels singing in her voice. He missed it so much. “Didn’t know you were coming here.”

“Ya, well, here I am, why you trying to get away from me?” he asked. She chuckled a little, always right to the point, no small talk for him.

“I wasn’t trying to get away from you, I was surprised and was trying to figure out if you hated me. The way you were staring in class I was freaked out, you used to give that look to Chelsea and them when they annoyed you, its so intense,” she said. Jason blushed some, shrugging.

“I didn’t mean to look like that, I just…well you did kind of ghost me and it is a bit annoying,” he said. She looked down and he could have kicked himself. “But I mean, I know you probably had a reason…”

“My mom died,” she said. He froze. “The treatment in Singapore, it didn’t take. We stayed there because it would have been too destabilizing for her to travel home so the donor made sure she was comfortable there until the end and then I came back in May.”

“Why didn’t you call me?” he asked. She bit her lip, wiping her eyes quick.

“I wasn’t in a good headspace at the time. I came back and I thought about calling you, but then I found Sydney’s social media and saw you guys together and figured you didn’t need me coming in and ruining that with my grief. I figured you had moved on I should too,” she explained. O no. He hung his head a little.

“I was never dating Sydney,” he said. “She um, is not exactly into guys.” Her eyes looked up at him. “She mostly posted pictures with me to make Jackson leave her alone until graduation.” YN blushed.

“Well don’t I feel petty, jealous, and stupid,” she said. Jason laughed. “Well, either way I still wasn’t in a good headspace, I needed counseling and to figure myself out before school started. I promised my mom I would go to school no matter what, so here I am.”

“Where are you staying?” he asked.

“I have an apartment off campus in Old Gotham, the grant money from the Leading Lady award should pay for it and my school for a year and then I’ll figure something else out,” she explained. “What about you? Still living with Dick?”

“Ya, still living with Dick,” he said. “Um, would you maybe want to hang out sometime?” She looked worried, biting her lip. He was tempted to kiss her but had to pull himself back. She was different now, he was different now, who knows how much that changed how they felt about each other.

“Sure, I’m free this weekend, still trying to get a new job since the pool I worked at in the summer is closed now,” she said. He nodded. “Let me give you my new number, I had to change it because Maroni kept calling.”

“So, you’re not next in line in the family yet?” he asked as she put her number into his phone.

“God no, he contacted me, tried to convince me to join him but had no leverage since my mom was being taken care of,” she said. Jason motioned for her to walk to the lot, walking with her to her car. It looked a bit like a death trap. “Its not much but it runs. You still on the bikes?” He pointed to his bike a few spaces down. “Thought that was yours when I got here. Do you still do the other stuff you did?” She tapped her head and he assumed she meant being Red Hood.

“Ya, nightly,” he answered. She smirked a little. “But now I have to have Dick stitch me up, so much less cool scars.”

“You needed someone better than me for that,” she said. He shrugged. “Well, I guess I’ll see you around. Text me, ok?” He nodded and watched her drive away. His heart sped up a little when he thought about the fact that he was going to be able to see her at least a few times a week, maybe every day. He hadn’t thought college would be that exciting, but things were about to change, he could feel it.

#jason todd x you #jason todd x reader #jasontodd #jason todd #jason todd x y/n #red hood x you #red hood x reader #redhood #red hood #red hood x y/n #strangeduet

37 notes · View notes

desultory-novice · 7 months

Note

Have you gone over your interpreted dynamics that Magolor, Susie and Taranza may have with each other? (asking for 1-on-1 each, so three dynamics total)

My apologies if you've gone over them already, I just don't recall.

I have not!

In fact, I don't think I've done many character + character dynamics, so please, everyone interested, I request you send me even more combos! (Must...clean all this angst...off my dashboard...!)

Now then! Onto the dynamics!

Magolor + Susie

[Continued Below]

These two are possibly my favorite dynamic-holders of the Wave 3 gang! You've got your classic red oni blue oni except that Magolor is the exuberant one and Susie is the (slightly) more reserved!

Magolor is interested in ancient tech for its ability to make his dreams come true. Susie is interested in turning it INTO something that can be used to make dreams come true. Re-use vs repurpose.

And I think that old tech > new tech disparity would be at the center of their dealings with each other. (Frankly, everyone in the cast is "old tech" compared to Susie but someone has to be at the top XD)

Susie operates on a planetary scale: "How can my (father's) company be used to make things better?" whereas Magolor is very "I will make a thing that people will come to from all over to feel better!"

They're so near to each other's way of thinking but fundamentally different in a few ways that means they don't quite see eye to eye. But I think they can absolutely get involved in long drawn out discussions that involve lots of "Yes! And...!"

Clash indicates to us that Magolor DOES find Susie somewhat pesky. I can't help but wonder if part of that comes from a (potentially incorrect) assumption that Susie must have had EVERYTHING she ever wanted while Magolor had to dig around in the dirt of Halcandra alone for X number of years hoping to find a magic theme park building doohickey amongst the wreckage. (We know Susie's childhood was anything but ideal but HE doesn't.)

I guess DX josses the idea that the two of them met while Magolor was wandering AD, which is a shame as that was a very neat headcanon, but even if they had, I always assumed it would have been a neutral/short-lived partnership. Not enough to dramatically change their feelings toward one another.

...I also think that Susie will be constantly looking for opportunities to opportunities to turn the Lor Starcutter pink (which it wouldn't necessarily mind, but Magolor is vehemently against!) So, yeah, I would say "great collaborators when they're working together but not all the time, and Magolor is usually the one to snap first."

Susie + Taranza

I've said I only "ship" one ship in this fandom, and that's true, but I am also guilty of thinking, "Susie/Taranza kinda makes sense, right?"

I mean, he very much seems to be preparing himself to flirt (?) with her in the Star Allies opening sequence. He's looking for a new queen to worship, and would Susie find that so awful, really...?

Not that I want to characterize Taranza as a pitiful loser simp-type for her, so I think it would be nice if they approached each other on more equal terms. In this case, I would think that their dynamics come from a shared appreciation for beautiful things.

If you were to stick all three in one living space, Susie and Taranza would be the neat freaks, making sure everything is organized (and laid out in an aesthetically pleasing fashion too!) meanwhile Magolor lives on half-finished energy drinks and sleeps on the floor. XD

They are also, obviously, notable for being the two major characters in the modern games to have lost a loved one on-screen in a big Kirby game event. They really should be allowed to use this to bond.

And I'd like to think they have.

So they're kind of low-key get along. Nothing bombastic - they don't set the world on fire with how good they get along, but you're not too surprised when you see them out shopping together either.

Taranza + Magolor

I have a LOT of thoughts about the wizards. (In fact, I keep creating backstories for these two, because despite there being a few dedicated fans of this ship, I don't see a whole lot of people dig into Magolor having a shared backstory with Tara and Secty?!)

Despite that, my feelings on them tend to change depending upon how important I find giving them a potential backstory together. Because when on screen they feel very... neutral? They don't have the dynamism of Magolor and Susie's potential clashes, nor the obvious "lonely spider seeks confident beautiful queen" of Taranza and Susie.

Clash!Taranza sits on Magolor's shoppe, chilling out, and that is... really the best way I can describe them? They are very chill.

The concept of them talking deep magic with each other is interesting, but Taranza is a follower type of character. Someone who needs someone to be a catalyst before he will go off.

Magolor could be that for him, but I think Magolor needs to get in over his head first before he will go to Taranza for assistance.

Having said that, I think that what these two have over the other Wave 3 pair dynamics is the highest level of TRUST.

I once read a Japanese doujin about Magolor that was, frankly, even more depressing than MY most depressing works (if you know, you know, but I'm not linking it) but there was a moment when Magolor talks to Taranza about a serious issue and watching the two talk serious to each other (interspersed with some moments of comic melodrama from Taranza) was utterly FASCINATING~

I don't think they become their "true" selves to each other often, but I think that when they do talk about srs business, they are two of the strongest characters in the whole cast to do so...! (Which is probably why I would never "ship" them in the classical sense? I don't see them as going out on dates or sharing the same dessert or coffee shop stuff. When they are at their "closest" they are discussing forbidden history or the skeletons in their prospective closets....)

So, on the surface? They have a very vanilla friendship with nothing to stand out. But these two COULD (if they wanted to) get up to stuff so cursed it would drive even Marx from the room.

#Kirby #Dess Rambling #Magolor #Susie Haltmann #Taranza #Wave 3 #This was fun so yes send me more...!

45 notes · View notes

onthearrow · 11 months

Note

hello! would u be willing to share any all-time eruri fav fics you may have? I am fairly new to the fandom and while I have read many fics I feel like I may be missing out on some gems. if I've read em I can read em again 😅 I am absolutely in love with ur fics btw! :)

Hi anon! Sure, I can recommend a few:

AUs:

Almost Heaven - @levislattes created the most wonderful escape with this Alaska AU, it's my favorite fic from the first half of this year.

Legacy by Haedraulics - I was so compelled by this one, set in an AU in which Erwin and Levi both fight for Marley, but Levi is still an Ackerman. Idk I was thinking about it for weeks.

Ace by Karumen - I'm partial to this one because I was the beta for it! Eruri high school baseball AU.

Bodywork by @rooksacrifice - This fic is FOOD. I swear Laz writes sexual tension so well.

Beastiarium by Mysh - Smutty dragon Erwin AU. Completely over-the-top melodramatic. Mysh is a visionary and I love it.

Nebula by aelandair - This is the famous "egg fic." Dead dove do not eat but also everybody likes it and if you say you don't I don't believe you.

Honey by @leverwings - Oh my god. Oh my GOD. Rarely am I treated to something so atmospheric and well-written. Modern New Orleans AU in which Levi is a vampire and Erwin is a very successful vampire hunter. OH and did I mention she has an ACTUAL PUBLISHED NOVEL coming out literally next week? (Buy Sparks Fly you guys!!)

Canon:

Chaleur by classyboquetcat - I remember really liking this one!

The Hand that Feeds by calacreda - Most people know Cal for Krakow and Small Mercies, but this one has stuck with me a long time. Frankly, anything on her profile is guaranteed stellar.

In Absentia by theindifferentdroid - This fic helped inspire Tiny Anthem!

In These Fallen Leaves by masksarehot - Masks is legendary for He Chose Titans. I haven't read In These Fallen Leaves, but apparently it's VERY similar to Tiny Anthem so I'll put it on this list!

The Flap of a Butterfly's Wings by DrButtons - I haven't read nearly enough of Buttons' fic, but she is so SO talented!

These are all very different so I hope that there's at least one you like! Welcome to the fandom 😘

#eruri #snk #aot #fic recs

89 notes · View notes

millenialfanfictionaddiction · 1 year

Text

YN Ackerman: Dating Jean Kirschtein

Jean Kirschstein featuring the whole AOT gang x Yn Ackerman (Levi Ackerman's sister; she/her pronouns)

Warnings: swearing, kissing 😍

AN: This is a request from @lilacveiledsea! I figured we need a tiny change in fandoms for the day 🥰 also this is kind of modern remix with some of the wording. I can’t and won’t be stopped on my emoji usage 😂

Oh my dearest YN

Dear dear, innocent YN

You precious angel I'm so sorry 🤣

Not only are you related to this 👇🏻

But you are also besties with the chaotic duo known as Hange and Erwin 😃

Thoughts and prayers YN 🙏🏻

Because wow is your life hectic!

Seriously I'm not sure how you do it

You basically wake up and your life is in shambles

"YN WAKE UP!" Hange screams, banging on your door

"It's 4am!" You yell

"Get up YN you're late," your brother shouts

"Late for what?!?! It's 4AM!" You again

"If you have to ask YN then you're already behind," Erwin shouts

You 👉🏻😐 dear god why me?

Life in the scouts is anything but boring for you

Seriously being the baby sister of Levi is a full time job

Mans needs someone to just chill him out Ok ✋🏻

"Levi will you please just calm down," you say exasperated

"YN we have alot to do before the next mission," your brother says

"Yes and we have time so stop running everyone ragged if you expect them to fight off 15 meter titans!" You argue back

Levi 👉🏻😐😑

You 👉🏻😠

Please YN you are the only one (besides Historia) who can talk back to him

Not that he takes you seriously 😒 but still

Not only do you hold major control over Levi but also you are the calm Hange needs

"YN ALL THIS RESEARCH ISNT GOING TO DO ITSELF!" Hange screams

"Yes but it can wait for you to sleep for a few hours," you say, pulling your friend from their station

"YN I'm so close to a breakthrough!" Hange exclaims

"That's great but it can wait for you to take a nap," you say full on grabbing your friend and dragging them from their workshop

Literally YNs job is not to fight titans, it's to babysit the scouts 😅

Even Erwin relys on you to keep him sane

"Alright times up, put the pen down," you say, bursting into your friends chambers

"Just a few more minutes," Erwin says, scribbling on some papers

"No! The timer went off and the pen GOES DOWN!" You say going up to grab the pen from Erwins hands

"Just a few minutes YN," he says quickly pulling it away as you glare 😑

"I swear to god Erwin I will set fire to this entire office if you don't put that pen down right now-" you 😡

Erwin 👉🏻😐 you wouldn't dare....

You 👉🏻 🕯 try me....

The pen goes down as Erwin stands up, moving past you

"You are ridiculous," he says

You 👉🏻😊 🤗

But you see YN, your efforts don't go unnoticed...

Because a certain someone is always watching 👀

Kind of creepy but listen, his intentions are good ok

You see, a certain Scout member just so happens to have a MAJOR crush on you

Literally he's hard-core in love with you YN

Jean has always thought you were perfect and an all around amazing person

He respects everything about you from the way you kill titans to the way you care for your friends and family

You've sort of formed an interesting friendship with Jean

While we all know he can act a bit "childish" we also know he is super reliable and helpful

Hrs always there when you need him 🥰

So much so that you sort of, kind of, develop a teeny TINY crush on the man's

Honestly, do not blame you YN 🥵

But you had always thought Jean liked Mikasa

I mean, would wouldn't be entirely wrong YN but he still had more feelings towards you than anyone else

In fact 👀 he'd often get a little jealous when he say you talking a certain someone

"Hey YN!" Eren would say as you turned and smiled

"Hey Eren! What's up?" You asked

Jean rn 👉🏻 >:(

"Not much just taking a break," Eren would say sitting next to you

As in, RIGHT next to you...

Less than an inch apart 😑

So leave it to our buddy Jean to waltz right up to Eren and tell him off!

"Aren't you suppose to be cleaning Titan boy?" Jean would growl

You 👉🏻👀 🍿

"I'm just taking a break and I thought I'd spend it talking to a pretty girl," Eren said as you blushed heavily

Oof Jean was not impressed in the slightest!

"Maybe YN doesn't want to talk to you? She looks busy," Jean said, bending down in front of Eren and glaring at him

You are still just like 👉🏻😃

"Well if I'm bothering YN she can tell me herself," Eren says back, standing up and facing off with Jean

Alright nows definitely the time to interfere YN

Too bad your big brother has that taken care of

"YEAGER get your ass back to cleaning! KIRSCHTEIN pick up a mop, if you have time to talk you have time to clean!" Levi yelled as you giggled at both men

“YN WHY ARE YOU INCITING A RIOT?!?” Levi yells at you

You 👉🏻 🧍‍♀️literally existing

You see, Levi knows Jean had a crush on you

And he also knows you have a crush on jean 👀

And he doesn’t like it one bit

Jean also knows that Levi knows that he has a crush on you

Phew 😮‍💨 it’s like a game of telephone over here

But Jean isn’t deterred

He does everything and anything to impress you

From finishing his cleaning first to helping you clean to killing 15 meter titans

“Did you see that Yn?” Jean boasts as you smile and nod

“Everyone saw that brat,” Levi says, swinging by and killing two more 15 meters right in front of Jean

Oof-

However Jean just takes that as a challenge to win your brother over

So when your ODM malfunctions as you are swinging through the forest, you panic

“Crap crap!” You scream as you fall

“YN!” Erwin and Hange both shout as they race to get you

Fortunately for you, a knight in shining armor comes to your rescue 💅

That’s right, Jean is there to save the day!

He catches you, carefully swinging to a branch and setting you down

“Are you ok?” He asks as he checks you over intently

“YN!” Hange and Erwin shout as they land next to you

“I’m fine, thanks Jean!” You say as your brother swings by

“YN your lucky there weren’t any titans around or you would have been a goner,” Levi says as you glare

“Well thankfully Jean saved me!” You spit back as your brother rolls his eyes and continues on

Poor Jean isn’t going to get Levi’s approval that easily

Good thing your an independent woman and you don’t need your brothers blessing

So when you get back to base, you confront Jean

“Jean, I just wanted to say thanks for today,” you say, playing with your fingers as he looks at you

Suddenly, you lift your head and your lips graze his softly

Jean rn 👉🏻😐😳

“I like you Jean and I was kind of wondering if maybe…” you say before you are immediately cut off, his lips on yours again

“I like you too YN, a lot actually!” He says as you smile

And everyone lives happily ever after 😌

The end.

Just kidding 🙃

Because one thing about being in the scouts in that you literally have zero alone time

Every time you and Jean think you can be alone, someon interrupts

Once it was Armin, another time Mikasa, then Eren

Literally there is no safe space

Thankfully you manage to find a safe space behind the stables

That is, until 👀

“HOLY CRAP I KNEW IT!” You hear shouting as you and Jean quickly seperate to see Hange and Erwin staring at you

You and Jean 👉🏻😳😳

Erwin and Hange 👉🏻😐😍

“Please please don’t say anything to Levi!” You immediately beg

Hange rn 👉🏻😐😏

“Don’t worry YN, your secret is safe with us,” Erwin says as you sigh in relief

“Thanks commander,” Jean responds as he smiles at you

“You two really like each other huh?” Hange says as you both nod

“You really think Levi would disapprove if you were happy Yn?” Erwin asks

You, Jean and Hange 👉🏻😐 really?

“Ok noted but I really think you should tell him,” Erwin says walking away

Sure, you’ll tell Levi one day

It might be on his deathbed but you’ll eventually tell him right?

Well unfortunately for you, things don’t happen that way

You see, Jean is kind of, well he’s a possessive guy

Literally he gets so jealous and so incredibly easily

So when Eren is innocently flirting with you in the dining hall 👀

“TITAN BOY LEAVE MY GIRLFRIEND ALONE BEFORE I REARRANGE YOUR FACE!” Jean yells as everyone looks at him

Everyone including Levi

“This is fine just don’t make eye contact don’t make eye contact… CRAP,” you think as you accidentally look at your brother who is now glaring at you over his tea

“YN, Kirstein my office NOW!” Levi screams as he stops out

Hange 👉🏻🫡 fair well YN

Jean 👉🏻😃 crap-

You 👉🏻🙏🏻 counting your days

You and Jean enter Levi’s office and sit down

Not only is he sitting at his desk but he’s staring at both of you

“Levi I can explain-”

“It’s not Yn’s fault-”

Levi 👉🏻✋🏻

You and Jean 👉🏻🤐🤐

“I just want to know one thing… why didn’t you tell me sooner?” Levi asks

You and Jean 👉🏻🤨🤨 wait what-

“I knew you two liked each other for a while and I suspected you were dating but I’m just wondering why you wouldn’t tell me?” Levi asks

“I- I just thought you wouldn’t approve,” you say

Levi sighs, “are you happy Yn?”

“Im happy,” Jean says : D

“I didn’t ask you Kirstein! YN?”

You grab Jeans hand and smile, “I am!”

“Ok well that’s all I need,” Levi says, “now get out of here.”

You and Jean stand, quietly moving quickly to the door

“Kirschstein, I’m not done with you yet!” Levi says as Jean gulps

You just smile, turning to kiss you boyfriend

“Thoughts and prayers” ✌🏻

216 notes · View notes

olderthannetfic · 9 months

Note

A hanfu isn't just a robe, though. It's a specific type of traditional outfit that has even more specific variations, and while you could describe it more specifically (e.g. she put on her red ruqun, with a pleated horse-face skirt), it isn't always relevant. I've never seen anyone bring this up for, say, kimonos, and I don't think the GOT comparison is fair, either. It'd be more like "he puts on his armour". What type of armour—lamellar, chainmail, heavy, leather? It doesn't always matter. 1/2

2/2. Putting down a category of traditional clothing as "meta terminology" also rather irritates me. Again, looking at kimonos. Perhaps it's unfamiliar because CN fashion isn't as widespread as JP, but it's literally just what the broad category of clothing is called, and within the context of danmei fandoms, it shouldn't be unfamiliar knowledge. Trying to Americanize everything by simply calling everything a 'robe' loses the point entirely and is the equivalent of really terrible translation. Sorry, one more thing. When I picture a "robe", I think of wizards. DND. Bathrobes. None of which bear any similarity to a hanfu, and unless you want to describe "a parted robe made of flowing Yun brocade with loose sleeves that wraps around the body, with a wide collar that has its right lapel crossed over its left, tied at the waist with a belt, with a jade pendant weighing down the long skirt" every single time it's brought up, I'm pretty sure "hanfu" is a more accurate descriptor by far.

Uh... anon...

'Robe' is an extremely vague term that absolutely is used for all sorts of garments from all over the world.

The fact that you associate it with a tiny fraction of its conventional meanings isn't going to change how other people use it.

I am indeed more familiar with kimono than hanfu, but I thought the other people did make explicit what their issue is, and it exists for Japan too.

Depending on when your canon is set (or its vague, handwave-y apparent time period for more fantasy canons), the word may not have been in use yet.

'Kimono' as a word is possibly as recent as the 19th Century, though I see one etymological dictionary saying 1630s. Prior to the 19thC, a lot of things we would now call 'kimono' were known as 'kosode'. The further back you go, the more other terms there are and the more the distinctions matter.

I'm personally a fan of fiction set in the Heian period, and they would absolutely not have been calling anything a "kimono" then, nor do the robes look like modern kimono.

Furthermore, a generic-ass word like 'wear on upper body'+'thing' doesn't get its modern interpretation until it has significant competition from Western clothing. Today, it has a relatively narrow range of interpretations based on the calcified form of traditional Japanese clothing that still hangs on.

It's an absurd affectation to insist on calling all ancient Japanese clothing 'kimono'.

That wouldn't be de-Americanizing your writing.

That would be "According to keikaku".

From what I've seen in other people's meta posts about Chinese fandoms, the reason people object to 'hanfu' in fic is that this word has gained a lot of popularity in very recent history as part of the hanfu revival movement.

While it existed before that, it wasn't used so consistently, and it mainly turned up in contexts talking about Chinese as opposed to foreign clothing. It doesn't seem to have been a general term used like "So-and-so put on his completely normal outfit to get ready for the day".

People are using it (outside of fic) to talk about a specific range of historically accurate Chinese clothing. It doesn't cover everything, and in the modern and highly gatekept usage, it specifically doesn't cover historically-inspired fantasy costumes like those on The Untamed.

If you're Chinese and you feel it should cover those, fair enough, but that isn't what a lot of the hanfu education blogs have been saying.

People aren't pulling this out of their asses out of a desire to be American. They're getting it from hanfu blogs asking them not to use the word like that.

If you think those blogs are wrong, please say that.

44 notes · View notes

lemonhemlock · 5 months

Note

So I don't know how unpopular of an opinion this is lmao, since I am a dirty neutral and not on either team green or team black, but the perception of Otto from both sides is very interesting and weird to me. This is related to your other asks about how the fandom refuses to engage with the medieval feudal setting and is constantly projecting modern sensibilities. I see Otto get called one of the worst men in the series, a pimp, etc. and I just.....don't get it? And do not see it that way.

Noble parents' main job was quite literally to make the best marriage match possible for their kids. Why settle for a mere lord/minor noble when Otto could get the literal king of the 7K for his daughter? Yes, he was quite older than her (in the show, in the book the age gap was not a big deal at all she was 18 and Viserys 30 iirc), etc. but a vast majority of nobles would want an older king for their daughter than a young minor noble that doesn't bring much to the plate? Is it fair to the kids? Who may want to marry for love, or a more age appropriate match? Sure, but......marriage is a business deal, a way to bring two houses together and merge bloodlines. Also, just realistically, a lot of these nobles' daughters in real life would have preferred a wealthier, more powerful noble or a minor lord as well. A woman's power is first derived from her father, and then her husband.

I'm a history buff and have read/studied this time period since I was a pre-teen and have been watching historical dramas for decades at this point. Otto really isn't some unique 'evil' or an 'evil' at all, he played the game and won by nabbing a king for his daughter. For a franchise built off of smartly 'playing the game of thrones' it's hilarious how Otto is demonized for this by both teams. Also, how was Otto supposed to predict that Viserys would be the one king in the history of monarchy in the 7K to pass over multiple trueborn sons for his faildaughter (Rhaenyra still being heir after Aegon's birth is nothing but the most unrealistic, laughable, Mary Sue plot armor by GRRM lol). For all intents and purposes, Otto should have won and Hightower blood should have gone to sit the throne for generations.

No, I quite agree with you, anon, and argued the same in the past. Otto is far from the moustache-twirling villain the fandom paints him as. He is also a second son and he has to hustle for his social status to an extent. Yes, his family is rich and that will take him far in society, but he does actually hold a job. His daughter marrying the King is quite the victory. Of course, like you said, he couldn't have known that Viserys would really keep Rhaenyra as the nominal heir - even in the show this is specifically shown to be not expected in the slightest, not just by Otto, but by the court as well. And, of course, he couldn't have known that show!Viserys would turn into the ultimate leper and have half his face fall off by the time of his agonising death. When Viserys married Alicent, he seemed a healthy man, not decrepit at all, reasonable and with a kind and jolly disposition.

Was this 100% in Alicent's benefit? Of course not, we've seen a version of her on screen that painfully suffered in a society that doesn't allow for the exploration of her sexuality. But it very well could have gone differently. In the books, there is a smaller age difference, Viserys' weight causes him health issues, yes, but he isn't actively decomposing, Alicent isn't a lesbian woman pining after her step-daughter, who is quite a different age than her, and she doesn't seem so miserable in her marriage to Viserys. He also doesn't continuously ignore his children with Alicent; at least with Helaena and her children he maintains a warm relationship, so there's no reason to think he was pretending his other three sons don't exist.

Does that mean that book!Viserys' marriage with book!Alicent was perfect, to completely exonerate Otto? Probably not, he still didn't name Aegon his heir, but it's a different, ~better outcome than the show, at least for the duration of Alicent's stint as queen consort.

#ask #anon #otto hightower #alicent hightower #viserys i targaryen

28 notes · View notes

wangxianficfinder · 1 year

Text

Fic Finder

~*~

1. hello! i am searching for a fic where su she pretends to be lwj to trick wwx? i believe he traps lwj in a closet at one point. please help!

FOUND? seeds by antebunny (G, 3k, WangXian, SS & LWJ, Canon Divergence, Fix-It, Identity Porn, Dramatic Irony, identity theft, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, the Inherent Romance of Being Known, BAMF WWX, protective boyfriend!wwx, simp!lwj)

~*~

2. Hi, this is about the last anon ask y'all shared. The one about the missing fic 2 no 31. I think i was searching for the same fic. I remember a one shot where LXC and LWJ were going for food or coffee and they saw XXC and WWX on the sidewalk, and LWJ was jealous of how much WWX was touching XXC as they walked until he realized WWX was guiding him bc he was blind.

If it isn't the same, I would appreciate y'all helping me find it. Thanks for your wonderful work for the fandom!

FOUND? A sip of vinegar by Aki_no_hikari (G, 1k, WangXian, Modern AU, Pining, One-Sided Attraction, or so lwj thinks)

~*~

3. Hey, I’m looking for a post-canon fic where there’s an assassination attempt on WWX with poison and LWJ is super protective and has to find the culprit. Thanks so much!

~*~

4. Hi! Love the blog so much!!! Do you remember the name of the fic (from LWJ POV) where LWJ is in the airport on a dating app and swipes away from WWX who is (coincidentally) sat next to him and remarks on it? TIA xxx

FOUND? Ticket to Ride by mistresscurvy (E, 18k, wangxian, modern, online dating, road trips, service top, phone sex, dick pics, wedding banquet)

~*~

5. Hey, I hope you guys are doing well. Please help me find this fic ಥ⁠‿⁠ಥ

So I just remember a tiny part of it :

WWX is accused of giving away war intel to the Wen by YZY in front of everyone. She pulls out some letters i think? Then to help the former, NHS brings in a handwriting specialist and it turns out to be YZY who wrote the letters. @utxqia

FOUND? Lessons relearned by Iamnotawriter (T, 44k, WangXian, LQR & WWX, Not YZY Friendly, Time Travel Fix-It, Angst with a Happy Ending, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Inventor WWX, It Gets Worse Before It Gets Better, No Golden Core Transfer, YZY Bashing)

~*~

6. Hi, I hope you can help me find a fic! It's an abo one I think, where teen wwx is pregnant. The story is LQR pov where he overhears WWX tell LWJ and is really supportive! I think WWX was kicked out my Madam Yu, but I'm not sure?

FOUND? In which Lan Qiren eavesdrops and gets a new nephew (and grandnephew) out of it by h0peless_oblivion (M, 64k, WIP, WangXian, Modern AU, High School, A/B/O Dynamics, Alpha LWJ, Omega WWX, Mpreg, Teen Pregnancy, Shotgun Wedding, Good Uncle LQR, Madam Yu's A+ Parenting, Fluff and Angst, Family Feels, Unspecified Setting, Probably ooc, WWX Has ADHD, A-Yuan is Wangxian's son, Pregnant WWX, Humor, non-graphic birth, Family Drama, The Lans love wwx, Male Lactation, Mild Smut in later chapters, wangxian's canonical breeding kink, Tooth-Rotting Fluff)

~*~

7. hello, i hope you're well. i love your blog and i read it often and now I have an ask to make ;) Do you happen to know a fic where WWX and LWY "pretend to visit a women in sleep and make them pregnant" in order to explain unwanted pregnancies and save a women's honor?

It is a crack fic but it has a lot of heart.

I read it maybe a couple of months ago, but i cannot find it anymore. I hope it's not deleted.

💕 谢谢，再见 @amrame

FOUND! Taking Responsibility by deliciousblizzardshark (T, 6k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Fix-It, Getting Together, Trope Subversion/Inversion, Pretend mpreg, Accidental Baby Acquisition, Fluff and Crack)

~*~

8. I want to know ff name in which wei Ying is a female and he is going to live with male lan wangi, as he is her sister friend. In ff there is a line like " i am a man Wei Ying ". @yizhan12

FOUND? tell me what’s your motive by sweetlolixo (E, 7k, wangxian, modern, fem WWX, smut, size difference, older LWJ)

~*~

9. hiii~! hope u all are having wonderful days! I'm looking for a fic that i think is cql centric? Anyways it's one where wwx and lwj start cultivating together? Like there are multiple scenes that suggest that they try to combine using cultivation. If that's too vague as a description there's this one scene where lan wangji finds his mother's letters and how she kills herself (?) and goes missing in the nighttime?

Sorry for the vagueness... it's been so long since i read it! 😅

FOUND! ❤️ Gentians in bloom by teawater (M, 251k, wangxian, Canon Divergence, AU after cold spring, Political Marriage, Dysfunctional Family, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Fix-It, Hurt/Comfort, LQR bashing (not really), POV Multiple, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Eventual Happy Ending, BAMF WWX, JC is actually a lot better than canon, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, YZY bashing (again not completely) )

~*~

10. Hello hello! I really want to read this fic again and I’ve given up on searching for it. It’s post-cql and a very fluffy fic. Wwx and Lwj share hazelnut cakes. They roam in Caiyi and meet a vendor lady selling combs and she tries to matchmake Wwx and her daughter. She tells them that they should buy combs for their beloved and I'm pretty sure Lwj was considering buying a comb. Please help! This has been bugging me quite a lot. Thank you and have a great day!

FOUND? I hope that you will come and meet me by feyburner (M, 28k, wangxian, post-canon, getting together, love letters, hurt/comfort, cuddling & snuggling, literal sleeping together, intimacy, first time)

~*~

11. Hello mods, looking for this awesome AU I was reading where Wen Xu takes LWJ as his warprize at CR and makes him go through some horrible things. WWX tries to help him at the Wen lectures and LWJ refuses but they kind of get together after fighting the Tortoise. but then Wen Chao attacks the Jiangs and captures WWX. LWJ is NOT a courtesan and WWX isn't either, and the Wens don't have a whole harem or anything.

tysm for your help, been looking all over and I rly want to finish reading!!!

NOT FOUND! tarnish, lustre, gold by iliacquer (E, 22k, wangxian, LWJ/WX, graphic depictions of violence, rape/non-con, ABO, mpreg, forced marriage, forced/coerced pregnancy, infidelity, alpha WWX, omega LWJ, alpha WX, bottom LWJ, reproductive coercion, mating cycles/in heat, knotting, YLLZ WWX, domestic violence, whump, misgendering, happy ending)

FOUND! 忍辱负重 | to bear the burden of humiliation by dragongirlG (E, 106k, wangxian, LWJ/WX, WWX/other(s), WWX/WC, graphic depictions of violence, rape/non-con, sexual slavery, domestic violence, wen indoctrination, xuanwu cave, prisoner of war, warprize, humiliation, non-con bondage, non-con body modification, golden core destruction/melting, dual cultivation, revenge, whump, hurt little comfort, protective LWJ & WWX, hopeful ending)

~*~

12. Hello, I'm looking for two specific fanfics.

A) The first one is about WangXian having an arranged marriage and Wei Ying in the beginning tries to get along with Lan Zhan but then when he notices that he's not very responsive he ends up being kind of like cold to him but in the end they do realize that they love each other also Wei Ying is mostly a stay at home husband and there are no original characters in this one. I'm pretty sure it has multiple chapters but I may be wrong.

B) The second one is a case fic one where WangXian go to this town where apparently the Yiling laozu is terrorizing but it turns out to be Jin Zixuns son who he himself has possessed and they solve it. The juniors were in there I think at least I remember Jin Ling was. Thank you so much in advance! @amaraxoxo98

12A)

FOUND? A Marriage Story by DeviyudeThoolika (E, 38k, WangXian, Sex is complicated, Angst, Pining while fucking, Mature elements., Mutual Pining, Arranged Marriage, Sort Of, Misunderstandings, of epic proportions)

12B)

FOUND? Don't Turn Your Heart by sami (T, 29k, wangxian, WQ/JC/LXC, JYL/JZX, XY/MXY, hurt/comfort, family, shenanigans, some violence)

~*~

13. For your next fic finder... I've suddenly remembered this elusive fic. I'm pretty sure it was a canon era BDSM AU (in that people have inherent dom/sub dynamics), and WWX was a sub that had been raised/socialized as a dom by the Jiang sect. The fic was set during the CR study arc, and IIRC something happened in the library that caused WWX to drop hard, revealing the truth to everybody. It's not The Hilt Lies Well In Hand by HeavenlySkyfarer, or A Gesture of Companionship by Khashana. Help?

~*~

14. Helloo I would like to request to find this fic in which I remember there was wei wuxian who had owned a diner? And it was like open until the wee hours of morning. I think he also had some eating problems? And sleeping problems? I also remember that he had cut contact with everyone except wen qing and wen ning who he had met after he moved away... I'm pretty sure lan zhan finds him first but the memory is a bit hazy since I haven't read it in a long time and I can't find it anymore 😭.

FOUND? ❤️ 不晚 | a lovely light by seagaze (T, 62k, wangxian, modern, midnight diner au, CW for eating and sleeping disorders, happy ending)

~*~

15. Hi I was wondering if you could please help me find a fic? Basically the story starts off as this shadow always hunting wy so the whole Jiang dynamics changes as their protective of wy, later on come to find out that shadow following wy is his future self trying to kill him so he doesn’t “ruin the jiangs” or something along those lines, hoping u can help me as I’ve been trying so long to find this fic again 😭

FOUND? Beyond the Darkness by ULTIOcean (T, 73k, WangXian, WWX-centric, Hurt/Comfort, Fluff and Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Pining, Oblivious WWX, A sprinkle of horror here and there, injuries, Blood, Canon Divergence, Different Beginnings, OOC for some characters, Mainly WWX JC and JZX, Follows the Donghua's events, Mystery, Copious amounts of affection, jc's dogs, Time Skips, WWX POV)

FOUND? Building a home by R95irth (T, 586k, CSSR/WCZ, JFM/YZY, wangxian, JC/WQ, JYL/JZX, 3zun, BSSR/LY, MS/Sisi, canon divergence, time travel fix-it, everyone lives au, angst w happy ending, horror, nightmares, family fluff, found family, babies)

~*~

16. Hi, for the next fic finder I need help finding 2 fics that I read on AO3. A) During the first siege Wei Ying uses the Soul Summoning Ritual to bring back Jiang Yanli's soul in his body and the Yanli runs to Jiang Cheng and says something like "A-Cheng it's me.". B) During the Wen Settlement days one morning Wen Qing walks into Wei Ying’s cave and finds him dead on his bed. I think he died due to an illness and Wen Qing wasn't suprised to find him dead. Thank you for your help. @bluekittenfire

16A)

FOUND! A Final Sacrifice by FrozenHawFlakes (T, <1k, major character death, Angst, Protective Siblings, Family Feels, family love, everything is worse off for everyone, except maybe JL, but he has another set of problems, What-If, Canon Divergence)

~*~

17. Hi, could you possibly help me find a Lan Wangji x Wei Wuxian fanfiction? I had read it, but now that I am trying to look for it, I can't find it anymore. It was in a modern setting. Wangxian were already married but had many misunderstandings. Wuxian believed that Lan Wangji was in love with someone else named 'William Williamson'. Other characters that appeared were Lan Xichen, Lan Qiren, Nie Huaisang, Jiang Cheng. Lan Xichen had a whole thing going on with his relation issues too. Thank you.

~*~

18. I can't find a fic where Wei Ying died at canon and woke up from coma in modern world where everyone is alive and good. And they think Wei Ying is dreaming. Wei Ying is also confused. Everyone is good even madam yu and fengmin. And he's also lan zhans husband there. Thank u

~*~

19. Hello! I'm trying to find a fic that I read a little while ago. wwx is a dm and is writing a chinese inspired homebrew campaign and lwj is a publisher. wwx has a fox spirit npc and adds a dragonji character when he starts to fall in love with lwj. The story ends with lwj helping wwx to publish his system. Thanks! @worlds-of-else

FOUND? 🧡 Where’s Your Emergency? by trippednfell (M, 64k, WangXian, 911 Dispatcher WWX, Single dad LWJ, Kid fic, Modern AU, D&D Games, Angst with a happy ending)

~*~

20. hii!!!! im looking for a fic in which wwx is badly hurt, and the lan doctor tells him that the only way he can survive is through dual cultivation. lwj immediately goes to do the deed because he can't stand wwx in pain. they get together in the end! but it has a little of angst! their first time is a little sad because wwx is very hurt but they love each other a lot and get quicly together! thank you

FOUND? as amber of ember glows by occultings (microcomets) (E, 11k, WangXian, Sex Pollen, Marathon Sex, Multiple Orgasms, Mutual Pining, First Time, Miscommunication, Aphrodisiacs, pining for the person you're fucking, Getting Together, mostly) sounds like one of occulting's fics, maybe 'as amber of ember glows' but there are several along this line so I can't be certain?

~*~

#wangxian #mdzs #wangxian fic finder #wangxian fic search #the untamed #wangxianficfinder #long post

118 notes · View notes