#//zero shading on this but that really helps with the Bright

[wonsdoll]

A STONER’S GUIDE TO GET THE GIRL › LHS

TIP 8: totally ditch the boys for her

you walk up to the table heeseung was sitting at, he was accompanied by beomgyu and sunghoon. your cheeks flashed shades of pink from embarrassment, hoping you didn’t ruin their day. quickly, the boys eyes gazed on your body, not looking away once. their eyes quickly met with yours.

“hey y/n what’re you doing out here on this nice day?” beomgyu asks, taking a bite of his chocolate chip cookie.

“oh umm.. me and yunjin were about to go shopping, we just wanted some coffee..” you looked at them, hoping to end the conversation quick.

yunjin leans in close to whisper. “i know you want some alone time, i got you.” she pulls back, you turn around and mouth “no”, but you know your best friend can’t take no for an answer.

“hey hoon and gyu.. can you come help me with my car? i need help.” yunjin asks, hoping the two boys would quickly catch up on her signal. the two boys got up from the table “be back hee.” they said, walking behind yunjin ask they leave the cafe.

heeseung leaned back against the chair, glancing at you as you sit in sunghoon’s chair. “you know.. it’s weird how different i feel nowadays.” he looks at you, a soft vulnerable look in his eyes. “ever since i quit, things have been very different.”

you felt your heart melt, remembering the way he confessed the reason as to why he was quitting in the first place. “that’s really great, heeseung.” you smiled, your smile fading out a little. “it’s not an easy thing.. making that choice.”

heeseung smiled shyly, his fingers tracing around the rim of his hot latte cup. “yeah it’s definitely not easy..but uh..” he hesitated for a moment, debating whether he should continue. “i guess i just kept thinking about you.”

you couldn’t help but smile at his words. “well, for the record, i think you’re doing amazing so far.” you reach for his hand, gently squeezing it.

you spent hours talking to heeseung, his eyes never left yours. his gaze of love only grew stronger every time you laughed, everytime your arms touched or the space between you only minimized. soon enough, heeseung was close to you, almost as close as that one night back at his place.

“i missed this.. being with you, and being so close to you.” you confessed, a streak of pink hitting your cheeks as you realized what you had said.

“i miss you too, princess.” heeseung quickly responded, not realizing what he had just said. “i mean..y/n.”

silence quickly grew between you and heeseung, leaving you both staring at each other as the clock ticked slower than it originally was. it was starting to get dark out, soon night took over the once bright blue sky.

“do you wanna go back to my place?” heeseung asks, zero hesitation in his voice.

“yes.” you quickly responded, without even thinking. you heart raced as you had no clue what may happen tonight.

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[keeps-ache]

genie in a flip-phone, what're you getting up to?

[un-fancied sketch below]

[rottiens]

contents. satoru gojō x fem reader, alcohol consumption, all the characters are adults, secret relationship au.

"How many shots would you have to take to kiss Gojo?" Nanami asks the group as his eyes are on you, you laugh against the bottle stumbling against your lips. 

The question isn't out of place since you just answered that you would kiss Principal Yaga after taking at least about five shots out of respect and how nervous he makes you feel. However everyone knows what your relationship with Satoru is like, so the question catches you off guard. 

"Zero." Shoko answers for you and Satoru looks at her over the sunglasses, clearly displeased. "There's not enough alcohol in the world to make her kiss him." 

"Oh, no, no, wait... she's really thinking about it!" Haibara points an accusing finger at you and you can't help but laugh again, you feel the skin on your cheeks stretch and burn from the silly grin you can't wipe off. Satoru's stalking gaze feels like a torch on the back of your neck. 

You pretend to think it humming out loud, though the answer is clear to you. "At least about ten," you say, tilting the bottle up to your mouth, getting the group around the campfire to laugh filling the beach with echoes. 

"Heeey." Satoru pinches your forearm which makes you look at him, a tiny pout is later replaced by a couple of wrinkles on his forehead.

"What?" you ask softly and have to force your hands to stay still and not reach out to touch him. 

"Ten shots? That's almost an alcoholic coma."

"There are actually many things that could influence an ethyl coma," Kento clarifies.

"You can't explain much about alcohol to a person who doesn't drink." Your numb brain is sure that was Hibara, too lazy to check since your eyes were still on Satoru who was still indignantly staring at you. 

"What?" you repeat almost in a whisper. 

"Nothing." His attention returns to the campfire, the heat from the fire burns his pink cheeks and the bright flame dances on his face making his eyes look much lighter mimicking the shade of the sea at midday. 

Satoru pushes his glasses up on top of the bridge of his nose, hiding his eyes completely. 

"I'm going to get more beer," you say looking at the group, then tug on Satoru's arm to help him up, who does so reluctantly. "Can you help me with the box?" 

He walks beside you without adding anything else, shaking the sand out of his red shorts and pushing his hair out of his face. 

"Are you really upset?" The answer was obvious but you had to make sure, Satoru walks silently, sinking his feet aggressively into the sand until you reach the parking lot where your toes have never felt more grateful to touch solid ground. "Hey?" you tug on his hand and stop your steps, standing still in front of him. 

"Hhm?"

"Are you really upset?" 

"No," Satoru assures, avoiding your eyes.  

"Satoru, did you really want me to tell them that I would kiss you sober? Without a drop of alcohol?" 

You see him licking his lips battling with himself on whether to stay annoyed with you or understand your point. 

"I know."  

"I thought we were going to go slow..." 

"I know!" His hands cradle your cheeks tenderly, bringing his face up to meet yours to leave a kiss on your lips. "I was dying to touch you." 

"You know we didn't go public for you." You remind him, letting him rest his forehead on top of yours. The artificial taste of the strawberry beer he drank earlier sneaks into your mouth in little gasps. 

"Let's do it when we get back to the city," Satoru murmurs, brushing his lips over yours. "I think they know anyway." Oh, you're sure they know. You're both too obvious but you didn't want to push your boyfriend when he told you he wasn't ready to admit in front of everyone to officially having a partner. "But I don't like having to hold your hand on the sly or sneak out of meetings so I can kiss you and God, I'm just addicted to that watermelon gloss you use."

You laugh giving him fleeting little kisses, taking advantage of the position to wrap your arms around his neck and pull him closer to you. 

"Just admit you're addicted to me, Satoru." 

"Maybe I am..." He says in that tone that indicates danger. That voice that tells you you're not going back to the group you had run away from. 

Satoru squeezes your waist possessively, his fingers trace on your sun-toasted skin and you moan between his half-opened lips the moment he asks for your tongue silently, his nose stumbling against yours. 

"We should get back..." you say in a whisper, remembering this fact more to yourself than to him.  

"We can disappear for ten minutes..." Pause. His lips move to your collarbone and his warm breath tickles you. "Fifteen minutes..." Pause. Small bites along your jaw take him to your neck. "Twenty..." His tongue dances over your salty skin, gently licking what he can reach and has to physically force himself not to suck. 

"It's never ten minutes..." you say between a choked moan, tugging at his strands sweetly until he's looking at you again. Dark sunglasses hide his eyes from you but his mouth is at your disposal, half open, red and appetizing and the tiny freckles that bathe his nose make your stomach knot. 

He grunts, as if battling with himself to understand that you are right. Satoru brings his face to the line of your neck and sighs heavily, leaving one last kiss to pull away from you against his will. 

"Let's go back then," he says resignedly. And he had never wanted the weekend to pass as quickly as he wanted it to now, being the impatient person he is, he didn't want to wait to have your hand entwined with his and fill his chest with raw pride where he could finally admit in front of everyone that you were his.

[lovinglokilaufeyson]

Physique - A.A.

Pairings: Spawn!Astarion x Fem!Reader/Tav

Warnings: BG3 Spoilers, not really proofread, might trigger some insecurities for some due to content (body/breast comparison), Anxiety, Fluffy, Understanding/Comforting Astarion, Angst, Smut, Breast Worship, Nipple Play, Blood Drinking, Mutual Pining: Astarion x Tav are NOT established (yet), but have slept together in previous acts

Wordcount: 2,564

Summary: You and your fellow companions are out on the town in Baldur’s Gate late one night. After seeing a breathtaking bartender with nice breasts ogling over Astarion, you become insecure with your own breasts. Astarion shows you he doesn’t care what size they are, and proceeds to worship you for the remainder of the night.

A/N: I wrote this due to a recent breakdown about having smaller breasts and not feeling desirable enough in my own body. I absolutely think that breasts of all sizes should be celebrated, if anyone has had similar feelings, this could help you. Additionally, this doesn't only focus on breast size, but the reader's overall body image and insecurities. That being said, it could be relatable for multiple reasons. Also, keep in mind that Astarion is likely incredibly open to any size or shape of any body. He loves us all.

You and the crew entered the Blushing Mermaid, excited to partake in some unwinding given the day you all had. The tavern was very busy on this particular night, although there weren't many days where it wasn't. There weren't many days where you and the party got to celebrate for an evening either. After a long, fearsome battle, you were ready to wind down for the night, but also to have some fun.

That's where the alcohol came in. And lots of it too. Astarion had initially been weary of going to a tavern again, considering his past. But - Cazador was finished now. And to his relief, the environment that that party provided him with was much more pleasant than his typical bar experience.

One of the barmaids almost immediately approached him. She had bright, platinum blonde hair that bordered on white, similarly to his own. Her eyes were a breathtaking shade of blue, and she seemed to have zero hesitation in approaching the pale elf. Her bosom pressed against the lavender fabric that she wore, below a strand of iridescent pearls that reflected the little light that was left in the tavern. Her chest was pressed up by a bronze-toned corset, strung tightly together at her front. This accentuated the woman's already prominent breasts. She wore knee high boots that matched the tone of the corset, and a teasingly white ruffled slip that snuck underneath the purple fabric of the dress.

Typically, she was someone that Astarion would lure back to Cazador, and he hated being reminded of his past self in that regard. She was inarguably attractive, conventionally. So, when she approached him, he did feel pulled to charm her as he typically would. However, he veered towards casual conversation. Now that Astarion knew you, he had a hard time finding anyone else desirable. Even those that he would have once found deliciously stunning bored him. In his defense, they just weren't you.

You had fought by his side and showed him loyalty that he had never known before. You helped him destroy Cazador and set free the remaining vampire spawn. Initially, he was upset that he didn't ascend, but after several long nights stargazing with you and reminiscing, you both concluded that it was for the best. And, of course, in doing so, Astarion had fallen. He spent many nights dreaming of you, fewer were spent with nightmares filled about Cazador. However, you seemed to be a protective shield from these nightmares, so he frequently sought out your presence to comfort him as he fell asleep.

Unbeknownst to you, Astarion was quite smitten. Perhaps omit the word quite and replace it with entirely. Entirely smitten. There was not one part of him that didn't long for your presence always. You had figured that your "one-night stands" were entirely superficial, connecting you to each other's bodies. Though that was what Astarion intended initially, it soon turned into far more than that for him. He was in love with your entire soul, your body, your heart, your mind. Imagine how embarrassed he was when he realized, especially after he planned on simply charming you to trust him and never betray him. Because oh boy, like a fool he felt.

Even more he felt like a fool for not telling you yet. He simply winced when you were hit in battle, as if he could feel the pain you felt. He smiled at you like you were his sunshine, he would trade a life in the sun just to admire your glow, even if just for a moment. That was one of the things that helped him realize he did the right thing, not going through with the ascension. Not that you would have left him, but you certainly would not be as close as you were today.

He felt jealousy coursing through him whenever he watched you talking to one of the other party members for too long. He knew you weren't his property. Despite the few wondrous nights you had spent together, he hadn't admitted to any further feelings to you. He almost did after you defended him so drastically in front of Araj when she asked to have him drink her blood. "He's his own person" you had insisted, and Astarion believed that with those words, you had enlightened a glow in him that had never been seen before, even when he was alive. He felt loved. And he felt love for you, too.

From that day, he believed that without a doubt you had his back. He would make sure to have yours, as long as you'd let him. Honestly, the only reason he let his eyes linger on the barmaid for as long as they did was due to the fact that you would look phenomenal in the same outfit. He looked back at you, and his eyes softened at the sight. You looked as if you had just been body slammed by Karlach. You hadn't, but your constricted pupils told him that something had to be wrong.

Astarion grabbed his drink out of the barmaid's hand, and she stood stunned as he turned away in an instant, heading towards you. He kept his cool, trying to maintain subtly in case you were in danger. You were fairly used to innocent touches by Astarion, but this one felt different. He let his free hand settle on the small of your back, his drink in his other hand. You shuttered as he lent back to whisper in your ear. "Everything okay darling? You seem startled." You nodded timidly, which was unusual for you. Typically, you would meet him with a quip back, but he knew from this simple interaction that you were not yourself. "What's going on in that head of yours?" You couldn't respond. Not that you didn't want to, but more so that you were paralyzed in fear regarding the sight you just saw.

You knew that you and Astarion weren't together, as much as you may have liked to be. The barmaid was likely much more his type, judging from the entrancement he had entered looking at her. What you had - it wasn't anything special. You had merely slept together, and Astarion had only prompted those interactions for his own benefit. He told you that, and you still hoped things could be different. You had hoped that all of those late nights underneath the starry sky could change things between you. And yet, the time never came. In this moment, you felt fairly hopeless.

Astarion waited expectantly for a response from you. "I'm going out to get some fresh air" you spoke suddenly, pulling away from his grasp and taking your own drink in your hand, heading outside as fast as you could. Astarion was approached by the barmaid once more, who was aggravating him at this point, if he had to admit. "Listen, I'm not interest-" he began, but was cut off by her soft voice. "I know. You clearly have an interest in her. I was going to tell you to go after her. Any guy in this bar would be lucky to have her." The words surprised Astarion, as he expected the barmaid's persistent efforts to bed him for the remainder of the night. Astarion looked at her, a little less weary now. "How'd you know?"

"The way you look at her" she said. "The rest of the men in here were staring with lust and desire, especially when you went up to get your drink, when she was alone. But you, as soon as you thought there was something up with her, you looked at her with such concern, compassion, and love." Astarion nodded at this, the barmaid patting his shoulder and ushering him forward. There was a small part of him hung up on her mention of other men looking at you with lust in their eyes, but there were more pressing matters now.

He followed the trail to the exit, looking out the doorway and seeing your beautiful form, unfortunately there were many eyes on you at the present moment. Several men noticed that you had exited and popped out onto the porch with you. You hardly noticed; you were too busy comparing the outline of her chest to your own. You almost drew your weapon at the feeling of Astarion's hand sliding along to sit at the small of your back once more. You drew in a breath and stiffened before you turned to him in recognition. "Goodness you scared me." It was the most honest sentence you had said in the past 20 minutes, and he knew that. He had caught you off guard.

"Should we talk somewhere more private, love?" Gods, you hated it when Astarion used pet names like that. You felt your heart flutter just a little bit too fast. "Please," you spoke, and felt Astarion guide you to one of the private rooms located within the tavern, hidden behind a red velvet curtain that concealed the room’s contents. Astarion flipped a switch to indicate that the room was occupied.

Within, a crimson couch sat, contrasting the wooden floors and dark colored walls. In the middle of the room sat a wood coffee table atop an ornately patterned rug. A few lit candles were grouped on the coffee table, giving the very small room a dim light. It was - cozy.

You sat your drink on the coffee table, Astarion doing the same. He kept his hand attached to the small of your back as he led you to the couch. You both sat down, Astarion holding his hand on your shoulder now. "Darling, talk to me, please. You looked like you had seen a ghost earlier."

You took a deep breath. "I guess I just felt really insecure while looking at that barmaid, that's all" you admitted, and Astarion's jaw nearly dropped, but he managed to keep himself composed, following up with "why?" "There's many components, but to keep it short, I'm insecure about my- my- uhm" you couldn't finish, your cheeks flushed with embarrassment. Astarion clicked his tongue, which had a slight hint of disappointment in tone. "My boobs, okay?" You stuttered sheepishly, hiding your face in your hands as soon as you finished.

Astarion tried to picture the last time he had bed you. Although, the picture he had replicated in his mind couldn't do you justice. He leant towards your ear, whispering "Darling, I think you might have to refresh my memory. I can't remember your breasts being any less than perfect." You peered up at him, a puzzled look on your face. "Now is not the time for jokes, Astarion." You spat defensively.

"Not a joke in the slightest, my sweet. Will you allow me to jog your memory on your perfection?" Astarion looked genuine, which lead you to give a subtle nod. His fangs peeked out as he smiled at you in response. "Are you comfortable here, my sweet?" You nodded once more, as if you were afraid that words would break the vampire's decision.

Suddenly, Astarion's soft lips were on yours, his tongue following soon after. His hands reached for your corset, which held your bosom beautifully. However, Astarion was even more positive that your nakedness would produce even more breathtaking effects, as it did previously with him. Without even looking, Astarion was able to undo your bodice and strip it from you, so that only your dress remained. He continued to kiss you, then bringing his lips down to lay soft pecks along your neck, leaving a particularly long one against your bitemarks. He transitioned you to a horizontal position, with him atop of you, between your legs.

Before he headed lower on your form, he whispered "you're so beautiful, my dove." He felt your pulse quicken and started to recognize the affect that his praise had on you. He looked up at you, making eye contact and giving you a wink. This man would be the death of you. He released the dress from your bosom, leaving your breasts free for his eyes. "Now, I've missed these." He tutted, flicking your left nipple with his thumb while he brought his mouth to suckle on its partner. Your sensitivity level was clearly heightened, which he took full advantage of, swirling his tongue across your nipple and swishing it back and forth.

“Fuck, Astarion.” You moaned as he continued his pursuit of your pleasure via the excursion of your bosom. Before he let the right one go, he left a trail of love bites around your breast and across your sternum, before continuing his pursuit on the left breast, where he also left a plethora of bruises. If anything, he wanted to take this time to mark you. More importantly, to praise you. “My beautiful love, your boobs are perfect. You are perfect.” His words made you shutter once more. “Star…” Astarion hadn’t heard that little pet name from your lips, but he did enjoy it. “Hmmm, that’s new” he muttered.

“Darling, may I please have a taste?” He gestured to your breasts, showing you his fangs. “Please do,” you responded. You felt Astarion’s cuspids puncture your skin, digging into your breast tissue. The blood supply was scarcer than when he drank from your neck, but he enjoyed it just as much. It just meant he would spend more time suckling on you. Your blood seemed even more delicious than the last time he devoured it. As he suckled from your left breast, he flicked his finger across the opposite nipple.

“Gods, I love you.” Astarion perked up, removing his fangs from your tissue. Did you say that only for the pleasure that he was bringing for you? Did he mishear you? “Pardon?” He spoke while peering up at you. You sat mortified; a hand clasped over your mouth. “I- well” you stuttered out, in utter shock of what you just said. “Did you just say what I think you did?” Astarion inquired. “Depends on what you think I said, I suppose.” You responded shakily, uncertain of your words, but hoping to find a way out. “I love you?” He questioned, watching as your cheeks turned a faint hue of red, cueing confirmation. “Yeah…” you confirmed after a moment. “Truly?” Astarion followed up. If he was human, he would guess that his cheeks would look a lot like yours, flushed. You nodded, glancing embarrassingly at him, hardly making eye contact.

“I love you too, darling.” He admitted, sighing as the pressure was taken off of his shoulders. He shimmied upwards, meeting you face to face and placing another kiss on your lips. “Fuck, do I love you.” He said it again, smiling into the kiss as you reciprocated. These kisses had slightly less passion, although you knew you had a lot of passion to come. For tonight, with love confessions, you would be gentle with one another. The night ended with Astarion on his back, and you cuddled atop him, laying on the couch behind a red curtain.

Your companions were slightly worried at first, before getting confirmation from the barmaid that you two had went to have some fun together. “Well, at least they stopped denying it” said Karlach. The others nodded in agreement, having seen you pining after one another for the past several months.

[yournowheregirl]

omg thank you all for the overwhelming response to part 1 of secret-dolly-parton-fan eddie munson! here’s a part two as a little treat

[part 1] [part 2] [part 3] [part 4] [part 5] [part 6 + complete on ao3]

part 2: here you come again

Ever since he discovered the Off-Road a few weeks ago, Eddie’s been going there almost every week but he hadn’t joined the open-mic night since that first night. He didn’t really feel the need to, because despite his own belief, he has actually managed to move on from his idiotic crush on Steve.

Well, almost.

Eddie had sworn off his crush once Steve announced that he and Emily were going on their third date. Steve was smiling from ear to ear when he said it too, though that usual sparkle in his eyes had remained absent. Eddie didn’t think too much of it, too busy wallowing in self-pity and cursing himself for setting himself up for heartbreak once again. 

So, he moved on. Went to Indianapolis once or twice, found guys with striped polos and bright smiles who tried their best to take his mind off Steve (which, due to their eerily resemblance, didn’t really work out). Focused on helping Will with his new campaign for Hellfire, teaching him the DM tricks he had learned over the years. Played with his band until his fingers almost started to bleed from strumming the guitar strings a little too hard. 

And it worked. Everything’s all fine and dandy, Steve’s barely on his mind anymore (except for all the times that he is) and Eddie’s just over him. One hundred percent. Done. No more Steve Harrington for him, thank you very much. 

“Emily and I broke things off.”

Eddie almost drops the two bottles of beer he’s holding, stops dead in his tracks in the middle of the spacious kitchen of the Harrington home.

“Sorry, what?” Eddie asks because there is no way in hell he heard that right.

“Me and Emily.” Steve repeats, snatching one of the beer bottles out of Eddie’s hand and taking a long swig, his Adam’s apple bopping up and down. His mouth is glistening when he sets the bottle down and Eddie’s eyes zero in on them and - dear lord, get ahold of yourself, Munson. “We broke up. Turns out she wasn’t the one after all.”

“Oh shit. Sorry about that, man.” Eddie says, trying to keep his voice under control because he should not be jumping for joy that Steve and Emily broke up. No matter how much he wants to. He should also not be fishing for more details, but curiosity gets the best of him and the next thing he knows he asking, “Why’d you guys break up anyway? I thought you said you were crazy for her.”

“I mean, I was. Sorta, but not really, I think. Don’t get me wrong, I liked her and she really is a lovely person, ridiculously pretty too but… she and I just want different things.” Steve shrugs. “She always wants to go out, be somewhere, see something, go on wild adventures every weekend and shit. And I don’t know… I mean I like that, but I also want to sit back and do nothing for a bit y’know? Just simple, easy, like what we’re doing tonight.”

Steve bumps their shoulders together and Eddie tries his very best to ignore how Steve feels so warm, even for that short moment. He tries even harder not too read too much into Steve’s words, which means he’s definitely not thinking that Steve would rather spend time with him than with the supposed girl of his dreams. 

Except when, a couple of beers later, Eddie finds himself a little too tipsy to stop himself from once again, falling for Steve like a ton of bricks. 

But it’s not his fault that Steve’s eyes turn this magical color hazel underneath the warm lights of the living room chandelier. Or that his cheeks are this beautiful shade of pink from the alcohol in his system. Or that Steve’s laugh after Eddie tells the world’s lamest joke, is probably one of his favorite sounds in the world.

Oh, this is bad. This is really fucking bad.

Steve slouches against him when his laughter dies down, resting his head on Eddie’s shoulder, all relaxed and warm. “I wish it was always this easy.”

“What?” Eddie asks. He’s surprised at how level his voice is considering Steve’s plastered against him like a vine that climbs up alongside a wall. 

“I don’t know. Life, dating, anything really.” Steve sighs. “Nothing feels as easy as when I’m with you.”

Eddie feels his throat tighten at Steve’s confession. Not because he doesn’t feel the same. It’s the opposite, really. Everything really does feel a little easier when Steve’s around. 

Everything, except this annoying crush that keeps coming back like a goddamn boomerang

“You’re drunk.” Eddie tries to laugh it off, hoping that it’ll make the heavy feeling in his stomach go away.

“I mean it, y’know.” Steve mutters. He rubs his cheek against Eddie’s shoulder and moves in just a little closer. Sighing happily once he finds a comfortable position. “You smell nice.”

Eddie knows for a fact he does not, it’s probably leftover weed smell, but his face still heats up at the compliment. “Let’s just… let’s just watch the movie okay?”

“Hmm, okay.” Steve hums, his eyes drooping already and Eddie just knows he’s gonna fall asleep within minutes. 

-xxx-

Steve’s words keep echoing through his mind the next few days and Eddie’s feeling more restless than usual - if that’s even possible - and on Wednesday night, he drives off to the Off-Road again. 

The drive itself calms him down just a little but as soon as he sits down at Pat’s bar, the feeling of dread washes over him once again. Not even the soft June Carter song that’s playing in the background is able to cheer him up right now.

“Geez Ed, you look madder than a wet hen” Pat says as she puts down Eddie’s drink on the bar. “Tell ol’ Pat here what’s going on.”

“Fuckin’ straight boys.” Eddie mutters, leaning his head on his hands. He’s moping and he knows it, but he really doesn’t give two shits right now.

Pat blinks at him. “You been fucking them or is this more like a fuck them straight boys situation? I’m only equipped for the latter one.”

Somehow, Pat’s piercing green eyes stare right into his soul and before he knows it, Eddie’s just spilling everything. “There… there’s this guy, y’know. He’s my friend.”

“Let me guess? Handsome?”

“Like a fuckin’ Greek God. It’s ridiculous.” Eddie rolls his eyes. “But it’s more than that. He’s also just… so nice. Seriously, he drives our friends around and let me host D&D campaigns at his house and he asks nothing in return. Great cook too, his brownies are to die for.”

“Sounds like a damn dreamboat. But he’s straight?” Pat sighs sympathetically.

“The straightest man you’ve ever seen.” Eddie grumbles. “And it’s fine, alright? I know it’s never gonna happen between us. But he just broke up with the girl he’s been seeing for the last month or so and then suddenly goes around tellin’ me shit like how much he likes being with me. How easy it is when we're together. What the fuck am I supposed to do with that? That’s just…”

“Real fucking frustrating.” Tish adds as she passes by with a tray of drinks in her hands. 

Eddie couldn’t have said it better himself. He takes a sip of his Coke, desperately wishing it was something stronger, and patiently waits before Pat speaks up again.

“I think you gotta put some distance between the two of you.” Pat says solemnly. “Now hear me out because it ain’t gonna be pretty, but sometimes you gotta take a step back to protect your own heart. And if you don’t wanna go that far, I suggest finding a healthy outlet to process your feelings because sulking like this ain’t doing you any good, kiddo.”

“And how do you suppose I do that?” Eddie rolls his eyes. “Do I look like I got the money to go to some expensive shrink?”

“Dunno, maybe some musical therapy?” Pat grins, her eyes darting back to the acoustic guitar on the wall. “You said it worked so well for you last time.”

Pat’s right. He did feel a lot better after playing Jolene the other night, it was like Dolly put all the things he was feeling right into a song. Maybe she could do the same for him now, because Eddie knows exactly what other song in her repertoire fits the situation.

He walks up to the podium once again, not even bothering to introduce himself this time because most of the patrons know him by now. He’s a little more unfamiliar with the chords this time around so it takes him a few tries before he finally gets it and the melody starts filling up the room. 

“Here you come again. Just when I’ve begun to get myself together. You waltz right in the door, just like you’ve done before. And wrap my heart ‘round your little finger.”

It’s like Dolly’s been reading his thoughts these last few days because every single word just rings true in Eddie’s mind. Well, except that part about Steve’s little fingers because they are anything but little. Eddie knows, he’s spent the better half of their friendship staring at them and daydreaming about things that should never see the light of day. 

“Here you come again. Just when I’m about to make it work without you. You look into my eyes and light those pretty eyes and pretty soon I’m wonderin’ how I came to doubt you.”

God, he’s so frustrated now. Steve probably doesn’t even know what he’s doing to Eddie and it’s so fucking unfair. How the hell is he supposed to move on when Steve keeps saying shit like that? When Steve continues to be a, in Pat’s words, a damn dreamboat?

Eddie strums the guitar a little harder, his voice becoming a little rougher. Almost like he’s spitting out the words

“All you gotta do, is smile that smile, and there go all my defenses. Just leave it up to you and in a little while, you’re messing up my mind and filling up my senses.”

The handful of people in the crowd are softly singing along, but it’s not like Eddie actually has eyes for them. His mind is solely focused on keeping his voice level, rather than start screaming. Maybe Corroded Coffin should do a cover of this song, should be a fun surprise for those drunkards at the Hideout.

“Here you come again and here I go…” Eddie finishes the song. He thanks the audience and slouches back into his seat at the bar, not feeling as good as he did the last time he performed here. It doesn’t feel as cathartic this time and instead there’s a hole inside his heart that no Dolly song can possibly fill.

“Feeling better honey?” Tish asks sweetly as she puts another bottle of Coke on the bar for him.

Eddie nods, even though it’s obviously a lie. Another wave of dread and restlessness washes over him. Because if he can’t turn to his mother’s favorite artist for guidance anymore, then what the hell is he supposed to do to get over his stupid crush on Steve Harrington?

Tag list: @henderdads @solosnail @unclewaynemunson @legitcookie @gothbat99 (hmu if you wanna be added to the list for pt 3!)

[unpopularwriter25]

The Unseen Confession

Summary: Zenistu finally gets the courage to tell the reader how he feels, but the reader is extremely dense and has zero clue that Zenistu is confessing to her.

Warnings: None

The sun was beginning to set, casting a warm, golden hue over the horizon as Zenitsu and Y/N walked along the tranquil path through the forest. The soft rustling of leaves and distant chirping of birds created a serene atmosphere, perfect for a heart-to-heart conversation.

Zenitsu's heart was pounding in his chest. He had been mustering up the courage to confess his feelings to Y/N for weeks now. He glanced at her, her (H/C) hair catching the light beautifully, and sighed internally. How can she be so dense? he thought.

"Y/N," Zenitsu started, his voice trembling slightly, "there's something I need to talk to you about."

Y/N turned to him with a bright smile. "Sure, Zenitsu! What's up?"

Zenitsu took a deep breath. "There's this girl I have really strong feelings for. She's amazing, and every time I'm with her, I feel like the luckiest guy in the world."

Y/N's eyes sparkled with interest. "Really? That's so sweet! Tell me more about her."

Zenitsu's cheeks turned a deep shade of red as he continued. "Well, she's incredibly kind and caring. She always makes me laugh, even when I'm feeling down. She's brave, too, always ready to face any challenge head-on."

Y/N nodded enthusiastically, clearly captivated by Zenitsu's description. "Wow, she sounds wonderful. You're really lucky to have someone like her in your life."

Zenitsu felt a pang of frustration mixed with affection. How can she not see it? he wondered. He decided to be more direct. "Yeah, she's also really beautiful. Her (H/C) hair shines in the sunlight, and her (E/C) eyes are like stars in the night sky. She's... she's perfect."

Y/N beamed at him, completely oblivious. "Sounds like you really love her, Zenitsu! You should definitely tell her how you feel."

Zenitsu's heart raced. This was it. He took another deep breath and stepped closer to Y/N, his eyes locked onto hers. "Y/N, I... I love you. I've loved you from the moment I met you. You're the girl I've been talking about. Every time I see you, my heart skips a beat. I want to be with you, protect you, and make you happy for the rest of our lives. You're the one I want to spend my life with."

He finished his confession, his eyes filled with hope and anxiety as he waited for Y/N's response.

Y/N smiled brightly at him, completely unaware of the gravity of his words. "Yeah! Just like that! If that doesn't win her over, then she might just be too dense for you, Zenitsu."

Zenitsu stared at her, his eyes wide with disbelief. Is she serious? he thought, feeling a mix of exasperation and amusement. He couldn't help but let out a small, resigned laugh. "Y/N, you really are something else."

Y/N tilted her head, puzzled by his reaction. "What do you mean?"

Zenitsu shook his head, a soft smile playing on his lips. "Never mind, Y/N. Let's just keep walking."

As they continued down the path, Zenitsu felt a strange sense of peace. Even though Y/N hadn't understood his confession, he knew he had to keep trying. After all, love wasn't just about grand gestures and perfect confessions. It was about being there for each other, every step of the way.

And Zenitsu was determined to be by Y/N's side, no matter how long it took for her to finally see his love for her.

The sun dipped below the horizon, leaving behind a sky painted with hues of orange and pink. The two friends walked on, Zenitsu's heart lighter than it had been in a long time. He knew that someday, Y/N would realize the truth. Until then, he was content to enjoy every moment they shared together, dense misunderstandings and all.

[rillils]

written for round 5 @stuckybingo, square I5 - Looking after each other wordcount: 1411 pairing: Steve/Bucky additional tags: fluff, kidfic, general silliness, slice of life, dorks in love, dorks in love + their baby

Steve never believed in sunscreen, no matter how many times he got the hide scorched off of him. Used to just sit there and let the sun fry his skin, seemingly content to suffer through all the pretty stages of a sunburn, the blistering and the peeling, the stinging and the itching.

The serum just gave his stubborn ass one more excuse to walk outside in all his dumb, unprotected glory.

“You know it’ll have healed by tomorrow anyway,” he would shrug in the face of Bucky’s reasonable worry. But oh, how he’d hiss and cuss through gritted teeth, Later That Same Day, when Bucky inevitably wound up spreading cool aloe over his poor, neon-bright shoulders, the shade of them a hot raw pink that’d probably get them both sued by Mattel sooner or later.

“Fuck. Fuck. I always forget how bad it gets. How do I always forget how bad it gets.”

And it would take a herculean effort for Bucky to refrain from saying ‘I told you so’, but refrain he would; he’d simply smooth his aloe-covered fingers down to the small of Steve’s back, where the tan line made his creamy-pale asscheeks stand out like two (somewhat flabbergasted) halves of a moon, and he’d lean over to whisper-kiss a fond, “Dumbass”, against the crown of Steve’s head.

* It was fatherhood that flipped that particular switch for Steve.

Already within the first few weeks of her life, Sarah Barnes-Rogers managed a colossal feat which several people, including her very own namesake, had been fruitlessly attempting for no less than a century: knock some sense into her father.

That summer, they brought their five-month-old baby to the beach for the first time, and suddenly Steve’s baseline shifted from a glaring zero, to at least three separate bottles of sunscreen tucked in his backpack at all times – and he wielded them as dramatically and determinedly as King Arthur pulling his sword from the Stone.

“Never thought I’d see the day,” Bucky teased while Steve re-applied lotion on their daughter, and then himself, for the third time in one morning, the delicate scent of coconut wrapped around them like a gentle cloud.

“Protection is important,” retorted his husband, always 101% ready to rise to the challenge, even when it was ridiculous degrees outside and the average human felt distinctly like warm ice cream oozing, slow and tragic, towards an indecorous end on a sizzle-hot curb. Sarah wriggled excitedly in his lap, her pudgy little body slippery like a newborn dolphin.

“Important for you, too? Really? I thought you were gonna heal by tomorrow anyway.”

Steve glared at him, mouth pouting with growing intensity within the neatly groomed frame of his beard.

“We lead by example,” he said petulantly, and since he couldn’t exactly stomp away – at least not with all the dramatic flair required by such indignity as Bucky was willfully subjecting him to – he settled for looking away instead, fixing the hat over Sarah’s ears to keep his hands occupied. Stubborn, mulish smartass. Bucky was sure he’d never loved him quite so ardently as he did in that moment.

He leaned between their loungers and smacked the loudest kiss on Steve’s coconut-scented cheek, not bothering (oh, not too much) to hide his smug grin. “Good.”

*

Now, all things considered, it’s no wonder that Sarah’s grown to be such a sunscreen enthusiast.

The second they hit the beach, she wants nothing better than for Papa to help her get coated in the stuff, from head to wiggly toe; and once the procedure is complete, she’ll scuttle off at lightning speed, drop to the ground, and – to Bucky’s endless horror – roll about until she’s got every bit of her greased-up self nice and caked in sand. Sand which they'll still find sprinkled in every corner, crease and crinkle of every towel, bag and piece of clothing they own for a couple of months at least, but what is parenthood if not self-sacrifice?

Before she gets to that, though, Sarah has her own self-appointed job to do.

She plucks the bottle from Steve’s hand and, as per their private ritual, manhandles him into lying on his belly, announcing with her sweet, recently tooth-gapped smile, “I’ll do your back!”

Steve always indulges her with a smile of his own, and lets her climb onto the small of his back, ready to surrender himself to Sarah’s loving, if somewhat fierce ministrations.

For once, though, she doesn’t simply smear the lotion around with her usual excitement. On the contrary, she holds the bottle up and squeezes it meticulously, her brow scrunched up in concentration as she works with slow, strangely deliberate moves.

It’s only after a minute or so that Bucky really sees what she’s trying to do; and by then, her masterpiece is all but complete. The sight of it makes his heart clench with unexpected fondness.

“Daddy! Daddy, can you take a picture? I wanna show Papa, please!”

He takes one look at her hopeful little face, at the blond curls falling over her eyes, the sun-kissed freckles already crowding the bridge of her nose so early in the summer, and there’s no way in hell he’d ever even dream of saying no.

“’Course, baby,” he says, reaching for his phone with no further ado.

“Show me what?” Steve pipes up, twisting his neck to try and peek over his shoulder. “What’re you guys doing back there?”

“Nuh-uh,” Bucky tuts, pushing Steve’s head back down to rest atop his crossed arms, “you stay put for a second, doll. Can’t ruin this shot. Alright, here we go.” The camera clicks softly, once. “Hm. Nope.” Twice. “Eh– almost.” Thrice. “Ha! There. Perfect.”

He helps Sarah down from her perch on Steve’s back, very, very careful not to smudge her precious work, then hands her the smartphone. “Go ahead, baby, show Papa what a good job you did.”

In her eagerness, Sarah all but shoves the phone right in Steve’s face, with a squeal of “Pa! Look, look!”, watching him expectantly.

It’s there, on the screen, that Steve finally gets to see it. A message just for him, spanning almost his entire back, spelling, in Sarah’s wonky six-year-old handwriting, “I LOVE YOU PA ♥”, big squiggly heart included.

Steve doesn’t breathe for three whole seconds; and when he starts again, it’s with a soft, awestruck, “Oh.”

And it might be the stark light, or the warm breeze, or the scent of ocean salt in the air, but when he props himself up on his elbows to look at their daughter, his eyes have a familiar, watery shine to them. One of his strong arms wraps around Sarah’s middle and pulls her in, and he plants a kiss on her forehead, smiling all the while. “Love you too, munchkin. It’s beautiful, thank you so much.”

“Yah!”

Satisfied with the feedback, Sarah can finally run off to fulfill her destiny as a pocket-size sand monster. Steve gazes adoringly after her, then lifts his big, gleaming puppy eyes on Bucky, looking about as lovestruck as Bucky’s ever seen him in the last ninety-five years or so.

“Buck,” he says, soft and just, just on the cusp of choked up. How anyone ever thought they could teach this guy not to wear his heart on his sleeve, Bucky’ll never understand.

“Yeah, big guy. I know. I know,” he soothes, hovering close to place a sympathetic kiss on the swell of Steve’s bicep. “Listen, I’m gonna ask a dumb question here.”

Steve blinks up at him, curious.

“Do you maybe want me to fix your back for you, so you don’t actually burn to a crisp?”

And see, the truth is, he already knows the answer. He knows it with even greater certainty when Steve sinks his face in the crook of his own elbow, half laughing, half groaning, and a hundred percent utterly defeated.

Of course not. Of course he’s gonna lie directly in the nearest sunbeam, and let himself bake there until the words are branded onto his skin, pale white on Barbie-box pink, no matter how short-lived they’ll be.

��Yep. Called it.” He gives Steve’s bicep a gentle pat-pat, knowing that in about ten hours, even that will make Steve hiss with unrepentant, self-inflicted pain - and possibly loving him just that wee bit more for this tiniest of derring-do’s. “I’ll make sure to grab some more aloe on our way home.”

[the-s1lly-corner]

Hi admin! May I request Proxies, Ben and Ej with a S/O that has albinism?

Also MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU(◍•ᴗ•◍)✧*。

Proxies + Ben + EJ x reader w/ albinism!

did a similar request for a few other characters; of which contained ej and toby so theyre going to be linked to that post in place of their part! obviously as per admins boundaries toby and ben are written as strictly platonic, the other characters can be read however you wish think i might answer this request and maybe another and then go stretch my legs!

MASKY:

can and will drag you back inside if you decide to go out with zero protection on a particularly sunny/bright/hot day, likely draws the attention of at least one passerby. can you imagine? a jogger or something seeing you stepping out of your home only for a masked man to drag you right back inside, then you re-emerge later with a sun hat and sunglasses. the most strictest(?) with you in regards to self care and making sure you're in the best health, definitely the sternest by far. but he doesnt mean anything malicious by it, promise! hes just very... protective of you and by god if it means going up against you then so be it.. extra quiet when you get migraines but honestly its not much of a difference, he already doesnt make much noise as it and he probably has jumpscared you on accident by unintentionally sneaking up on you... i was going to say he wouldnt offer his jacket but i feel that would contradict the whole "putting your safety first and being protective" thing he has going on... shrugs

HOODIE:

the most chill and accommodating out of them all outside of ej, i think. makes sure you pack your sunhats and stuff if its sunny out, helps you apply sunblock to any harder to reach spots to protect your skin.. also offers to wear his hoodie if you've forgotten something or there isnt any shade available nearby. though this is rare, since its not often that hoodie is just. out and about, unless you guys are in a remote area. offers massages if you feel a little more overworked than usual/have a migraine... might have to work on him having to warn you before just getting into it.. has probably startled you at least once when he just put his hands on your temples and started rubbing circles into them when you so much as slightly expressed some level of discomfort. very blunt and straightforward about it, you know?

BEN:

very likely knows about albinism but i dont think he would know everything about it. all he really knows is the whole "oh you have no/little pigment in your skin/hair/eyes", but anything else? nope, no clue. honestly i can kind of see him being an uninformed jerk in the beginning if you express any problems that you go through (be it medical or societal) but thats more so the dynamic between you two not being.. fully fleshed out/you two not being too close. bens a perpetual teen thats been stuck in a game for who knows how long.. though i do think if given enough time he might try to learn more about albinism, either through you or through his own means.. somehow.. dont look at your search history he totally didnt use your phone. very similar to how i wrote jeff in the linked post, but jeff strictly only learns how to help you cope by paying attention to your routines and mannerisms. he would be die than be caught putting any effort or care into someone else. ben on the other hand isnt as obsessed with his image imo. probably edits your alarms and sets reminders for you to pack your essentials if youre going out

EJ AND TOBY:

[driftward]

Title: FFXIV Write 2024 - 10. Stable Characters: Zoissette Vauban, Y'shtola Rhul, OZMA Rating: Teen Summary: Uncertainty, principles Notes: XIV-XVI AU, where Zoissette is the Dominus of the Artificial Deus, OZMA

Noise. Brightness. Uncertainty. Chaos.

Signal. Contrast. Probabilities. Determinations.

They were the Overworked Zero Mass Assembly.

The world was an uncertain place, but they could bring certainty to it. Projections collapsed possible futures into a more certain present, even as the star continued to behave unpredictably, and as people injected so much randomness, and even as certainty unspooled once more into unknowable future.

Ozma shifted forms once more to suit the current circumstances, and black bold beams with three red smaller beams equidistant from the center one lanced out, in three directions. Those who would oppose it either avoided the attack or were hammered into nonpotency.

They considered. They selected options. Preference, to evade. To survive. What was happening right now was not an offensive action. Ozma was the one being attacked. Ozma and those who were designated allies.

This star, this moment, though. It was so small compared to the greater part of Ozma, suspended in virtual space, invisible, unknowable. In three point five space, of course, Ozma appeared as regular solids, its surface shifting from perfectly reflective when idle, to shades of balancing dark or light aetheric resonances when active. It flickered as it moved, treating reality as though the rules were optional, because they were.

In virtual space, however, there was more. But this was not virtual space. This was what was real. This was where things mattered. This was where the Pattern could be observed, calculated, and acted upon.

Analysis. The star was so small. Its inhabitants so unimportant.

No. Wrong. Individuals mattered. Every individual.

Conclusion. This was why they did not kill, if they could help it. People were a useful source of randomness. People could explore probability space.

Proposal. Ozma could observe. It would be better to retreat, to leave the plane, and to watch.

People had to be preserved, and that meant it had to act. People were important for more than just as a source of unpredictability. Their decisions mattered. What they did mattered. If not for people, then for what?

Counter. Then for nothing. The people were just objects in the Pattern. Symbols that could be manipulated. They could observe them from beyond. Observation posed no risk. The star would exist anyway. The Pattern would be ever present.

Observation. There was no need for Ozma to be here. The calculations could be made anyway.

Every need. Ozma shifted form once again, this time into a perfect hexahedron, and a perfect ring of black appeared around it as it spun rapidly, and in that impossibly obsidian surface, one could see all the stars of reality, if they only chose to look.

At least, if they did so from a distance. Those caught in it, however, found themselves flung, inverted, hung upside down suspended, deposited a malm away, everted, floating upwards helplessly, falling down comically slowly, and a number of other deleterious effects.

The disc also protected those Ozma had designated.

Why? They did not matter.

The enemies hit by the disc would be out of the fight.

Why? They did not matter.

Question. Why have enemies at all.

Because sometimes they had to make a stand. Sometimes people took actions that had to be stopped.

Sometimes people had to be stopped to prevent certain actions from being taken.

Conclusion. Observation would be better, simpler.

Magitek cannon shots lanced into its side.

Conclusion. Observation would be safer, easier.

Ozma had to protect the people whose objectives were complimentary with its own.

Ozma should convince those people that this, all of this, was unnecessary.

Except it was.

Later. Convince them later. Cover their retreat for now.

If they were dead, would it really matter?

They were part of the Pattern.

So were their deaths.

The Pattern could be changed.

The parameters to the Pattern change the pattern change the outcome change the future change the Pattern.

Ozma shifted form to a octahedron. The magitek was at sufficient range that the advantage belonged to Ozma. It spun, and panes of energy appeared around it and its allies, shielding them.

Closest magitek armor was over seven hundred meders out. It could, at this distance, challenge the magitek armours. Their tactics were insufficient. They had made a strategic error.

They could terminate their parameters in the Pattern.

No they had to preserve the parameters of the allies in the Pattern.

The Pattern was everything.

Retreat. Override. The anchor is at risk.

Ozma shifted forms, to a sphere, and shrunk down in size. There was one person in particular. An anchor. The anchor. Important.

That they were important was axiomatic.

Why?

That person was on top of Ozma.

The shield had been enough. All allies were safe and accounted for.

Ozma retreated.

It slid up the nonmaterial plane and arrived at a predetermined conclusion.

Too much. This was too much.

The Pattern was reality and reality was the Pattern. The symbols made up the Pattern. The people were part of the Pattern. The parameters could be changed.

Where the Pattern ends the worlds end and it is impossible to move forward in an absence of space.

Ozma was flooded with noise. With contradiction. With uncertainty. This place was too bright. Too much.

The Axiom was safe. Let them down.

Retreat to virtual space. Stay in reality. Maintain base axioms. Challenge parameters.

Ozma was hurt. Why did it know what pain was?

"The witch lived in the deep of the woods," said a voice.

The voice was modulated with an repeating signal that varied in tone and amplitude. A... a sing-song.

The voice was in a certain register. Deep? Dark.

The voice had a certain resonance to it. Layered, though singular. Rich.

The Pattern collapsed.

Silence. Darkness. Certainty.

...peace.

"And the shieldmaid sought her wisdom," Zoissette replied, her voice rough, as the silver of Ozma fell away, leaving only her. She collapsed, and Y'shtola was there to catch her, as one world fell away and another returned to her.

The Dominus of the Artificial Deus was herself again.

[the-ultimate-puppeteer]

Puppeteer I humbly request Toko, Mikan, & Mukuro with an S/O who is quiet but VERY affectionate in other ways, giving gifts, physical affection, helping them out with their hobbies and their chores etc. etc.

Toko, Mikan, & Mukuro with a quiet reader that's extremely affectionate and loves spending time with them

Mikan Tsumiki 

•Needless to say when you first met mikan was a little scared of you, she thought you hated her or were going to bully her

•Imagine her surprise when you confessed your feelings towards her and asked her out

•She's been stuck to you like glue since then, not that you mind

•She loves that you've taken an interest in helping her out and learning about medicine from her

•And she loves how affectionate you are,despite your quiet nature you were very obvious about how much love you her

•And when it comes to giving her gifts you prefer to make them by hand and sge treasures each one she gets from you always accepting them with a bright smile full of love.

Toko Fukawa

•Even after you started dating she keeps a good bit of her tsundere nature towards you

•Not that it bothers you, you found it cute to be honest

•Seriously, someone getting so flustered at the very thought of you that even thoughts go haywire?

•It was the most adorable thing you'd ever seen 

•And you giving her affection when she acted all tsundere she turned the most adorable shade of red and always gained a smile from it usually a perverted one

• She's always was so shocked when you'd give her a gift

•Surprised that someone would even think of her in such a positive light and to get her a gift that reminded them of her

•She doesn't really know how to react except with a quiet thank you

•Toko uses you ask a muse for her books and the already first class quality of them skyrockets thanks to her having an actual boyfriend now

Mukuro ikusaba 

•Yeah this a battlefield that mukuro is completely unfamiliar with

•She's already socially awkward and unused to affection so Imagine her surprise when she not only gained a Boyfriend but a very affectionate one

•Junko of course found this very amusing and would tease her to high heaven over it

•The thing is mukuro was not used to affection so you'd think she probably be averse to it but it's actually the opposite

•Just from receiving one hug from you awakened her to just how starving she was for affection and she now has a boyfriend where she can get as much as she wants

•She loves that you take an interest in her hobbies she takes this chance to teach you how to use fire arms and take you on as an exercise buddy

•And you have zero complaints, especially after finding out that your girlfriend was not just fit but had abs for days

•Mukuro was very puzzled about why you always seem to blushing whenever she works out and you refuse to tell her

[einsatzzz]

Ein's Art Log #1

@lixenn!! Here's the timelapse I recorded for my rarepair week submission! I'm just gonna start this log series because I wanna study art more and take notes of it here in this blog. And maybe it will help people with their drawings? I'm putting my notes below ↓↓↓

Draft & Lineart

First, for this art, I used a base made by Ging (깅). Using bases like these are always useful for a lot of things and it also forces me to draw things (like poses, hands, etc) I wouldn't normally draw by myself (if its up to just my hand with zero braincell input, I would just draw the characters facing 3/4 to the left over and over). Also a lot of them are just so *chef kiss*, god bless Korean artists. They're so good, especially with how they do the figures and anatomy!

I just adjusted the base a bit to match the characters' heights, since Kurumi is taller than Chrome by like 6cm.

Then when making the drawing a draft layer over the base, I usually use bright colors like green, red or blue (most often green). I usually don't think about the draft too much even if it turns out ugly, I think it's actually better that it turns out ugly and messy.

Otherwise, if the draft looks slightly more decent than expected, then I'd become too lazy to draw a more proper lineart. Whenever I remember to do so, I also use a gray-colored background so it's easier on my eyes, especially since I drew this after work.

For the "lineart", I used a brush called 촉펜 (MTL says it's "Touch Pen" in English; Content ID: 2050169). I recently started using this for doodles/sketches, it feels nice. It was free when I downloaded it, but it costs 10 Clippy now.

Anyway, I used a little bit more braincells for the "lineart" now after the draft, but then I didn't really try that hard to make it look clean, since I'm rushing to finish it as fast as I can. I just made sure that the outside lines are connected just enough for easier selection & coloring later.

Coloring & Shading

The coloring is where my experiment actually started! I usually go ahead and color them one-by-one per each color and part, but to be quicker, I used the Magic Wand selection tool to select the area outside the background, then inverting it so now the selection is at the characters *except* the background.

I then used the the bucket tool to fill the selection with the color I use as the base skin color. I still keep the selection there for further coloring purposes.

Just from here, I added another layer on top for the shading of the skin! For the shading, I used a brush called Yuri Watercolor (Content ID: 1889385). This one's really a paid brush, but I liked it a lot so I got it hahaha.

I do plan on replicating on doing this on IbisPaint one of these days! My plan so far is to use the free watercolor brush there, lower the brush opacity to around 60-70% and then draw the shading on a clipping layer set to the Multiply layer effect.

After shading, it looks like this now! I didn't mind the colors bleeding through the non-skin parts (except for two parts: the neck shading that would bleed to the face and thigh shading that would bleed to the skirt). I also used this brush to color Chrome's eye. Huhu I can't remember how I did it, helpskjfbjsbf

Then for the coloring of the hair and clothes, I just used the soft airbrush! I tried using the Yuri Watercolor brush for it too, but I couldn't quite grasp it yet on how to use it for coloring/shading those parts. I guess I know what to study next hahaha

When coloring the hair (and clothes), I did color the middle parts but didn't really full-on color till the edges to make that fading effect at the edge.

For the shading, I added clipping layers above and used the watercolor brush again!

For the hair highlights, I used the soft airbrush again. I just used a white color on a Soft Light layer effect to add a faint highlight on their hair (showed on picture on the left). Afterwards, I added another layer above with the Add/Glow effect and turned down the opacity to around 50%, to put more shine to it (showed on picture on the right).

Additionally, I also added a paper texture layer at the bottom! I also grouped up all the lineart and color layers into one folder and set the layer effect to Linear Burn.

Finally, after a bit color corrections/adjustments, blur filters (post-processing stuff, maybe for a different post?) and adding some decorations, the drawing is finally done! KuruKuro my beloved 💖

That's the process I'm playing around with so far, but I think I can still improve on it. I'm also planning on making a page on my wiki to compile my resources, references and such (maybe some free to use assets too). But anyway, that's all for now!

[ainyan]

A Headcanon

I don’t know why, but I feel the urge to share my Thancred headcanon about his eyes. It’s purely a personal headcanon; there’s nothing in game at all to back up my thoughts. But since the issue in question is completely unexplored in the actual game - well, I decided that I would explore it a little in my fics. And it grew from there.

Please note, this is my personal headcanon. I don’t expect any of you to adopt it. I’m happy to talk about it but I’m not going to argue why it’s the ‘right’ headcanon, because it’s not. There’s nothing in the official canon to support it - there’s just nothing in the official canon to refute it, so I still hold it true for my personal AU. 🙂

Anyway.

In Heavensward, Thancred returns to us with an eye-patch. We learn nothing of why he has the eyepatch, only that it ‘doesn’t bother him’ in his words. When Krile and Thancred go to Castrum Centri to get a bead on Minfilia and he has to go without his eyepatch, we see that Thancred’s eye is the same pale crystal as Y’shtola’s eyes, colorless and blind.

In Heavensward, we also learn that Thancred no longer has the ability to touch his aether. He still has aether - he’s a living creature with a soul - but the fundamental part of him that allowed him to access, use, and share his aether has been irreparably damaged, and he can no longer use any abilities which require aether - including teleport.

Y’shtola actively accommodates for her blindness by utilizing aethersight, a dangerous method by which she uses the ambient aether around her to ‘see’. We learn from her conversation with Matoya that this is dangerous and that it drains one’s life-force - but Y’shtola considers this a fair price to pay.

I believe that Thancred is similarly impaired - blind in his left eye - but due to the shock of being forced into the Lifestream against his will and being just as quickly and forcibly ejected afterwards, his body was not able to adjust to the changes caused by whatever wild aether caused his infirmity. In response, his body/soul shunted his aether solely to maintaining his sight in his damaged eye - but because it couldn’t give back actual sight, it gave back a form of aethersight instead.

The reason Thancred keeps his eye covered is in part because he finds the half-real sight, half-aethersight visually disturbing. He can see everything almost as well as he had been able to previously, but everything is overlaid with a sheen of aether. To make matters worse, unlike Y’shtola, who sees aether in differences of brightness - the stronger the aether, the brighter it is in her sight - Thancred sees aether in shades of color.

For instance, he sees Urianger as a normal Elezen male, but floating just under his skin he sees a sheen of liquid gold, translucent and indistinct but identifiable as ‘Urianger’. Because he’s only seeing this with one eye, it causes a visual distortion that upsets his stomach and throws him off balance, so he wears his eyepatch at all times in order to prevent his aethersight from distracting him at a crucial moment.

I also believe that their time together in the Lifestream bound Y’shtola and Thancred together; part of the reason she may be able to risk using her aethersight the way she does is because her connection to the rogue is helping stave off the worst of the effects by shunting some of the burden through him, effectively halving the effect. I like to headcanon this part because it explains why the game mentions that she’s playing a dangerous game using her aethersight and then never addresses it again, despite the fact that she’s used Flow again, she uses powerful magics without regard for the strain on her own aether, and she willingly shares her aether with Zero. She knows that some of the burden is taken up by Thancred, and that as long as he can’t access his aether, her own strain is halved and there’s very little placed on him. (I also headcanon this because I just really like the idea of someone having a connection to Thancred while he’s off in the wilderness playing spy, and being able to keep an eye on him no matter what.)

Anyway, I digress.

In Shadowbringers, we see that Thancred is once more using both of his eyes, but now instead of one being agate and one being crystal, they are both the color of citrines, a pale brown/gold. In my headcanon, when his soul was removed from his body, it evened out the discrepancies between his two eyes, so that instead of being blind in one eye, he can see with reduced clarity out of both eyes - but his aether is still being shunted to accommodate for his disability by giving him continued aethersight.

Now, instead of seeing an aura of color from only one eye, he can see a faint film with both, just a light wash of hue within the flesh, shining through the skin and tinting everyone with the color of their aether. He’s learned how to utilize this to his benefit, as he can use it to see people or creatures with souls from afar, identify sin eaters at a glance or from a distance, watch for tails or spies, and determine who someone is without actually being able to see their face. In certain circumstances, he can even identify people through cover, such as when hidden in bushes or shadows.

He never talks about it because he doesn’t want anyone to know that he has any disability, even one he’s managed to turn into a gift. He also doesn’t want to invite too much speculation about what he sees and how he sees it; both he and Y’shtola worry that if anyone probes too much into his aether-block that they might upset whatever it is that allows him to see in the first place - and it might disrupt whatever it is that keeps them tied together and helps Y’shtola fend off the ill-effects of her aethersight.

So that's my headcanon, which you've seen drabbles of in my writing. Thancred can see the color of souls, but the souls of most people are very faint and translucent, and so they just appear as a very faint sheen of color under the skin. Ascian souls look much richer to him, while Kal'istae is many shades of blue (even more after Shadowbringers) and G'raha's is a few vibrant shades of red.

[chemicalbrew]

tagged

by @radellama :3

Do you make your bed?

I haven't made my bed in like four years. There's no point to it any more 99% of the time these days.

What's your favourite number?

The normie answer is seven, the funny answer is zero. I do like them both!

What is your job?

A job you had that would surprise people?

(celibacy gif, but it says UNEMPLOYMENT)

I'll have to start looking for shit in a few years, though... I guess I should be looking for it now, too, because surely I can freelance and all that... I just don't want to. Sloth has always been my biggest sin 💚

If you could go back to school, would you?

Maybe... I wouldn't mind going back to high school, but also I don't see much reason to. I used to actually despair about not being in school any more a relatively little while ago, but now? I don't know, I think it's more important to try and look forward...

Can you parallel park?

Can you drive a manual car?

Favourite childhood sport?

(celibacy gif, but it says DISABILITIES) I will never be able to drive or do sports :D

Do you think aliens are real?

Ironically, I think my opinion on aliens and god is the same: they're definitely out there, somewhere impossibly far away, and incomprehensible. Probably don't care about us that much, either.

What's your guilty pleasure?

both are incredibly obvious answers, but fuck it

At this point, rerunning KZ counts as one because for fuck's sake, I have so much stuff in my backlog, but instead of getting around to any of it, I just... play the same levels for the 100th time without even getting any better, pfft.

In the sense of 'enjoying something that isn't regarded well', gotta be Brandish or DOD. When I actually get around to researching DOD1, it will be so over for you all...

Tattoos?

None and I'm pretty sure I don't want any. If someone offered, I'd probably do something floral on my arms, but I really don't care... With how often my brain switches gears, it'd be hard to find something I would never regret getting.

Favourite colour?

Usually I say blue and purple, but I think a funnier way to describe my preferences would just be 'the bisexual flag'. I'm not particularly partial to pink, but I like the more purplish shades of it, you know? Especially if it leans into the... bright neon aesthetic, I guess... idk how to explain

Favourite type of music?

everything rads doesn't like

I was actually put on the spot with this question a few days ago, and the best I could do was stammer out 'uhh... dance music', but the real answers are

Electronic music, particularly EDM, house, DnB, vaporwave and synthwave in that order

Music made using vocal synths

Video game music

all of which are incredibly nerdy and pretentious, but really, the overlap of these three types is where I feel most at home.

Do you like puzzles?

Never had the patience for big jigsaws, but enjoyed smaller ones as a kid. I am not opposed to a good puzzle game every once in a while, either, but I'm not particularly passionate about this sort of thing.

Any phobias?

Nothing too extreme, I think... or maybe I haven't had to see anything truly scary in ages, haha.

Do you talk to yourself?

ALL THE TIME. At some point I suspected I have OSDD, but I have no way to actually try and find out (even if I did, I figure there's really no reason to). All you need to know other than that is that the answer is ALL THE TIME in my head, and 'when no one is home' when it comes to talking out loud. It's especially helpful when I'm going through emotional and stressful stuff, obviously.

What movies do you adore?

Tale of Princess Kaguya, Perfect Blue, uhh what else did I enjoy... movies are hard

Coffee or tea?

Both, in copious amounts 🍵☕

I have specific flavor preferences, of course, but as long as it's tasty, I'll be drinking :D

First thing you wanted to be when you grew up?

I don't remember... I feel like I was focusing on trying to survive first, and then others kept telling me what I should be doing...

[moonsanoverthinker]

Thanks for the response to my jewelry hc ask! I love all the subtle allegiances being showcased. For another. Hair dye headcanons please? I've got a couple but they tend to verge into au territory

This is one I’ve not thought too much about, so expect some rambles (I say that like it’s not a reoccurring theme) And I enjoy making head cannon stuff so feel free to suggest others!

Again all of these are based off vibes with zero evidence!

Jon- 100% dyed his hair in uni at least once, it wasn’t a good dye job but it was fine…(sections of the back weren’t dyed at all) This purely comes from the fan chosen canon of the Mechs being Jon’s uni band (one of my favourite AO3 tags) Also under that same uni shitty hair dye jobI just imagine him with like sections in different colours but not because it’s intentional, like there’s a part that’s red and another that’s blue and some of it’s black which he claims is intentional but it’s clearly not.

Martin- Likes the thought of dying his hair but doesn’t like the change of committing to it. Actually no he did dye it once but it was barely any different so no one notice, plus it was semi-permanent hair dye so it washed out after two weeks. The others did manage to convince him to use those spray hair colour things during Halloween so he got to enjoy the colours without the commitment.

Sasha- I’ve got two main ideas for Sasha so bear with me folks. Idea one is that she has the remnants of a hair colour still showing through despite dying over it multiple times, like how red somehow shows through in certain lights. Idea two is that she dyes the ends of her hair fun colours and claims it’s still professional looking because it’s not her whole head. Also side note, the NotSasha had the same hair dye colour as original Sasha but the shades never seem to match, they’re always off somehow.

Tim- I’ve split this into different versions of him because reasons. Series 1 would dye his hair all the time, whatever colour he fancied at the time he’d do it, Sasha also encouraged him and would sometimes help him and he didn’t care if it looked ‘unprofessional’ because of the colour. Series 2 would dye his hair occasionally but not as much so the colours usually faded before he changed them, NotSasha would encourage him but there wasn’t the enthusiasm anymore and she stopped helping him but he didn’t know why. Series 3 still has the last hair colour from series 2 but it’s faded and mostly grown out until he just decided to dye over it all in a more ‘natural’ colour because he didn’t want to deal with it anymore.

Basira- Again two thoughts so bear with. Thought one is she split dyed her hair at least once, possibly the whole of one side and then the whole of the other side. But thought two is she split dyed it but only did the ends, so it was like a half and half dip dyed ends vibe, that she lets fade but the faded colours are a vibe and just look really nice, sometimes she has the bright colours but it varies.

Melanie- Whole head dyed one colour, and it’s definitely not a natural colour. She’s used to freelance work so she’s not always needed it to be ‘professional’ looking in terms of colours so she kept it the same colour when she started working at the institute. Elias told her to change it but she refused and told him to fuck off, then proceeded to dye it an even brighter colour.

Georgie- She again dyed her hair once or twice in uni (better dye job than Jon’s) then she just dyed it more natural colour then left it for a while, but she did dye the underneath section of her hair a colour so it wasn’t noticeable from certain angles unless she put her hair up or had it sitting a certain way.

Daisy- Okay so I’ve got a thought for this so again bear with. So Daisy has dip dyed hair, but it’s like a dark reddy purple kind of vibe, and when the hunt starts to be more present it’s pretty vibrant / obviously dyed but when she goes through her trying to fight it stage it fades over time and then when she feeds into it again the colour comes back (I don’t know how this would work but let’s not think too hard about that)

Elias- I don’t know why but all I can think of is this man with a single section like strip that he’s dyed white himself. Also 1. Would he get grey hairs because of the whole technically being really old thing? And 2. Does he dye over them…

[indecisive-dizzy]

Accenting the Fae

~1.6k words

A zero context thing I wrote for a Fairy!Eddie Au I came up with,,, yesterday? Recently. Enjoy! Or don't!

🍃🌼🌷🌻🪻🌺🍃🌼🌷🌻🪻🌺🍃🌼🌷🌻🪻🌺🍃

White Pines towered overhead, shading the ground cover beneath. The overgrown vines and leaves made traversal difficult for Grace. Luckily what she was looking for would be on the ground, so keeping her head low had some benefits at least.

Although, thinking about it now, Grace doubted it would be covered up by all these vines. Weren't they usually out in the open? Like in a-

A clearing. Like the one right in front her. The brush ended suddenly and Grace looked up to see a wide, sunlit patch surrounded by trees and thicket. It was radiant, the open sky above shone onto bright grass and wildflowers reflecting the light from the morning dew. In the center of it all there was a circle of red and purple mushrooms. It was gorgeous, but it's fantastical beauty put Grace on edge. She had found it.

Grace hesitated. Could this really work? Was coming out here a mistake? What if she messed up and bit off more than she could chew? What if nothing happened at all and she skipped school for nothing? It was too late now, Grace reasoned to herself, she'd been walking for hours to find this. It had to work. She walked into the clearing, standing under the sun.

With one more deep breath, Grace stepped into the circle. The ground under her boots felt the same as the ground outside the ring, soft and unassuming. After a moment of nothing she turned and nearly stepped out but as soon as she lifted her foot she felt a tug.

The breeze picked up, Grace watched the blades of grass sway and leaves swirl around the clearing. Then all at once, it stopped. She felt a presence behind her, one that left a tingling sensation in her mind. She didn't move, unsure if she should dare to do so.

"Hello?" A gentle, deep voice rang behind the teenage girl, "I can't talk to you when your back is turned." The presence laughed gently, airily without a care.

Grace turned around. Be respectful, be polite, use those Southern manners.

"Sorry, The wind distracted me," It wasn't a lie, she was temporarily mesmerized by the display.

Now that Grace was facing the source of the voice she could get a good look at him. The Faerie standing with her had curly red hair that looked cloud soft. Orange felt with a yellow triangular nose surrounded by light freckles. His bright violet eyes were lidded in a gentle, calming demeanor, his eyelids themselves were only a few shades lighter. Full, long lashes completed the beautiful draw to his eyes. But Grace knew not to stare.

He tilted his head and smiled almost sheepishly, "Oh that's alright. I can get distracted by little things too."

Grace nodded, unsure of what to say. Or where to begin. Luckily, the Fae seemed to understand that struggle as well.

"May I help you?" He continued, "You seem to want something, am I correct?"

"You may help me," Grace chose her words carefully, "I don't need somethin’ from ya, I actually would like ya to take somethin’ specific." Here it comes. Mentally, she crossed her fingers.

"Is that so? What would you like me to take, sweetheart?" The endearment dripped with a saccharine sweetness, it was impossible to tell if it's artificial or not.

"I would like for you, Fae, to take my accent," Grace's voice quivered as she finally made her request. She begs to whatever may be above that he responds well.

The Fae looked confused and stayed quiet. Seeming to think it over.

As Grace waited in nauseating anticipation, she couldn’t help but think back to why she was doing this. Life was fine back in Texas. She had friends, close family, and everyone talked the same talk. But since her parents dragged her upstate, she's been miserable. The mockery, insults, and bullying was too much to bare. And it wall all over her voice, her accent, and where she came from. Her parents did nothing, the teachers did nothing. Hell, her English teacher was constantly correcting her pronunciation every other word. She hated it. She hated her heavy accent and the trouble that came with it.

"Why should I take your accent? What can I do with it?" The Fae broke the quiet, startling the other in the circle. His soft cadence never changed, but a lilt of confusion was clear.

Grace thought for a moment, she didn't quite think of that. She had assumed it would be like giving him her name or voice. He would just take it to have it.

"Well, ya could use it yourself, if ya like. Or maybe give it to someone else?" That made sense, at least to Grace, but she couldn't be too confident.

"I suppose you're right, child," The Fae hummed, "I do like the sound of your accent, and I may use it. But tell me, why do you want to part with it?"

"I want to give ya my accent because I don't like it. I am thankful you do, it’s all the more reason to give it away." Even if she thought it was, Grace tried not to make her accent seem worthless.

The Fae thought over the girl's answer, a sad look crossing his face.

"You poor thing," The Faerie sighed, "I will take your accent but I would like to give you something in return. Is there anything you want?"

"Thank you. And Yes, I would like to leave the forest safely, please, so I can get home." Grace didn't want anything, honestly, but knew it was best to take the trade. He was kind enough to offer and it would be rude to refuse. Also, she really didn’t want to go through all those roots and vines again.

The Fae nodded, curls bouncing gently with the motion, "Of course. You will return home safely, and in return I get your accent."

There was a tightness in Grace's throat that left her unable to speak. The Fae in front her motioned her closer, cupping her face once in reach. He studied her, turning her chin up as though to get a good look of her neck. Another bounce of red curls told Grace he nodded again, for what reason, she had no clue. The constriction in her throat was uncomfortable yet she was somehow able to breathe just fine. He titled her head back down and patted her cheeks. After doing so the feeling vanished and she swallowed.

"How's that?" The Fae asked, with a new rich tone accompanying that of a typical Texan accent. He did it.

Grace could only stare upon hearing his voice. Quickly, when his brows furrowed, she remembered to speak.

"It's," Grace paused stunned once more hearing herself, "Different. Thank you." Her shoulders dropped in relief, she can't believe it worked.

"You're welcome," The Faerie smiled, "Now get yourself home, darlin'. You're supposed to be in school."

"Yes, of course. Goodbye," Grace ended the interaction, ready to leave the nerve wracking moment behind.

She took one step backwards, but was stopped by his voice.

"Darn it, I almost forgot somethin'." The Fae pointed at her, like a scolding parent, "You, missy, should never do this again."

"Wha-"

"No," He interrupted, "What you did was reckless, had any other Folk shown up you'd be left with nothin' but that pretty head of hair. You're lucky I ain't so particular 'bout these sorts of things."

The Fae sighed, his expression returning to that sad look from earlier. "I'll give ya some credit, ya did some things right, but it wasn't perfect. And that imperfection is what gets ya into trouble."

Grace nodded, it was all she do. She was more or less fully shell shocked by now. This Fae, of all creatures, was scolding her behavior just like her mother would.

The Faerie nodded in return, taking a step back himself. The wind picked up once more, slower this time.

His eyes grew dark, "Don't. Do it again." The Fae waved her off with a stern, but polite, goodbye, shooing her outside the circle.

Grace stumbled backwards out, the wind kicked into gear the second her foot landed. She closed her eyes as her hair blew in her face, the wind was much stronger outside the ring than she thought.

Then it stopped. Grace's hair fell in her face, now a complete mess. She opened her eyes to... nothing. The fairy ring was gone, with no evidence of it ever having been there at all. The whole thing felt surreal. Had it even happened? Grace spoke the question aloud to find her answer.

A perfect, upstate accent fell from Grace's lips. It only just occurred to her she never said what accent she wanted instead. She could've gotten something worse, but she guessed it had been the doing of the Fae that was kind enough to give her this one.

Grace took one last look towards the sky, it was clearer than it had been before. Not a cloud in sight. She breathed a deep sigh of relief, glad for it to all be over.

Turning around, Grace started her venture home. Along the way she found a trail that led her safely out to the edge of the forest where she had entered. A trail that definitely hadn’t been there before. Mentally, she thanked the kind Fae one more time.

Grace really didn't like that expression he made before leaving. She didn't know him, but that serious, almost threatening demeanor didn't suit his eyes. She didn't want to know what would happen if she went against the Fae’s wishes, and she didn't want to find out either.

She's never going near a Fairy Ring again, that was for sure.

[animehouse-moe]

Zom 100 Episode 3: Best Friend of The Dead

So, our first SHAFT-involved episode has arrived and at the very least I'd say it's an interesting one. It does give BUGS that extra push required to really show off, but in the same breath it adds another degree of struggle to keeping the production organized, on task, and coherent. I'd certainly say it's a better showing than the second episode, though not without its own unique struggles. Of course this means there's lots for me to chat about, so enough beating around the bush.

So for clarity's sake, SHAFT's involvement. They're basically a partner on this series, but the partnership is a bit different than what you might expect. SHAFT handled the animation direction for this episode (both chief and regular) as well as 2nd key animation and in-betweens, but left BUGS to do the 1st key animation. Doesn't really sound like much of a partnership but is sadly what's needed to keep BUGS going. I wouldn't call it terrible or a struggle for BUGS, especially since they've retained control over the most "important" pieces like first key animation. I'd just more so say that SHAFT is doing all the heavy lifting so that BUGS can show off some.

Anyways, the episode itself. We start with a hostess club/Yakuza Joint (? not super familiar myself) going to bat against a bunch of zombies. I think it's a fun idea that really sells a lot of the typical desperation of the zombie apocalypse, but is overshadowed by the struggles illuminated with the production: character models. They're.... how you say, a little all over the place? Just check out this new character Shou. A little messy and odd, right? Maybe not the greatest example, but something you pick up on pretty quickly with changes like how the hair is shaped and things like that.

Following this up, we have the issue of compositing. I wouldn't say it's terrible through the majority of the episode, but there's certainly moments where the art style of the characters just has zero chance of meshing with the environment. It sticks out like a sore thumb because of things like heavy outlines or rough line art, so I'm not entirely sure what prompted this decision when it seems like something that can be solved. Also, some of the CGI stuff is pretty rough like the beat up car/van in this image.

In comparison, one thing that I think BUGS is still doing really well is the integration of Akira riding his motorcycle. Perhaps a little bit messy at times when in 3D, but the tight and closeup shots that allow them to work in 2D really help alleviate some of those struggles.

I'll quickly double back on that CGI comment to cover the zombies as well. It's eight out of ten times really good, and two out of ten not-so-great. Take a look at this scene, for example. When in the typically bright exposure of Zom 100 the CGI zombies look good. In the shade though? Not so much. I will say though, BUGS is aware of their limitations here and chooses to zoom outward so you don't get a perfectly clear look at some of their not great work.

Following this we get treated to the opening, which does change compared to episode 2. I get it, I think, but I don't really like it honestly. They're re-using basically a whole bunch of scenes from the prior episode to provide the foundation for the next episode's opening, and I just don't really find it a creative or well-used idea given that they're simply choosing the best animated sequences.

Anyways, the episode goes on and we find Akira in his apartment fooling around with stuff to cross off his bucket list. To be honest, I'm not that interested in this side of the story really, but at the very least do appreciate the use of letterboxing to indicate past-tense for the story.

Overall, nothing really of note with the sequence other than some cut corners to preserve effort. You'll notice it with things like the phone when it's motion and whatnot. The more glaring issue is once more the compositing. Akira as a character blends really well with the environment, but the details like the pieces on the table, the rugby ball, and so on are very out of place. Once again, it's a somewhat odd decision as Akira interacts with very little on the table. Maybe a gamble to make the objects seem more normal by having more drawn on top of the environment? I'm unsure, but regardless it's there and can be a bit jarring.

Also, just a quick callback for the phone. This is the same phone in another cut. Obviously, a shorter cut and one that only moves in the typical X and Y axes, but still one that can be confusing and jarring when coming about a minute (or less) after the prior cut of the phone.

Alright, enough complaining for now. Let's talk about some good stuff! I really liked how the letterboxing was made use of in this cut. When you have a widescreen ratio you definitely have to pull things out to establish the space in the scene, and it's used expertly to begin the implicit conversation about Akira and Kencho's "freedom" that they explore in the latter half of the episode. Similarly, I think they make an interesting but valid choice with Kencho's half of the ultrawide conversation. It makes sense with how the camera pans that he appears in a similar format to Akira, albeit closer to the camera, but I feel like the ideals of the two characters in this moment would be better represented if we continued with the closeups of Kencho that were used prior to and after this phone call.

So personally speaking, I'm not typically a fan of overexposure in terms of lighting in scenes. Because of that I'm also not the biggest fan of Zom 100's composition typically. However, there are certainly moments that lend themselves to overexposure, like the above (which is only slightly so), or this scene of Akira remembering his time with Kencho. Against the photograph backdrop something about it seems very cinematic and well received compared to if it were more usual lighting. Also, I did go back and check the manga for the first time with this scene, and this is an original concept which is incredibly well done. I might not think it's the greatest episode on average, but there's certainly more than a few great ideas woven into it.

Keeping the train rolling, I'm a massive fan of static layouts that focus on character acting and movement through a scene, so of course I've got to sing my praises for this sequence. Maybe a bit of an odd spot with that one weird jump in animation for Akira (and the shading being far too dark/not changing), but overall I really enjoyed the sequence. Also, the hotel's called Hotel Z. (please ignore the weirdness of the coloring, gif compression isn't easy thanks to Tumblr)

Alright, where to next? I thought the horror vibe of Kencho's escape was fun. Lots of great ideas, with a few that were inches away from being outstanding. Blown perspective with low and high camera angles? Great decision. Indirect views of Kencho as he walks down the hallway? Love the idea. Empty hallways with (very subtle) dolly zooms and long holds? Great suspension. A shot of Kencho's back as he walks? Incredibly close to greatness in selling the ending sequence of the scene. I'm not sure what was up, but the opted for the camera to follow Kencho, and evidently their CGI environment wasn't able to keep pace. I think the more obvious and way cooler answer would to have another dolly zoom in the sequence as Kencho makes his way down the hallway. Would solve the struggle of the environment and further contribute to the horror feel.

Okay, I do have to slow down the hype train and point something out though. In this sequence, we get four different approaches to lighting and composition. I still think it's a solid sequence, but similarly, the struggles are very apparent through it.

Moving forward, Akira finds Kencho and they end up being forced to flee to the rooftop with a horde of zombies on their tail. Push comes to shove and big movements end up happening. Overall, it's probably the best animated sequence in the episode. Nothing incredible or super flashy, but just well done work on all fronts to create smooth and effective cuts.

Anyways, push comes to shove, Kencho overcomes an emotional boundary about work culture (which is well done, it's just that once more I'm not super invested in the story), and the two escape the zombie horde and have a beer on a rooftop to end the episode.

I think it's pretty clear where BUGS as a studio lies in terms of strengths. They've built out a solid cast of high quality key animators, but lack a lot of staff and management to be able to properly deliver on solo projects. Maybe a smaller scale production would have worked better for them, maybe with the success of their collaboration with SHAFT they'll do more projects together, or maybe the success garnered from this series will allow them to greatly improve. I'm not sure which it might be, but I'm hopeful for them to move forward and learn from this experience.

And an experience it is. The composition is very messy and inconsistent, the character models are a bit too elastic and disorganized, there's some animation errors here and there, and so on and so forth. Some of it can be attributed to the issues of juggling production between two studios, but it doesn't alleviate all of the challenges seen today. I'm still hopeful, and still interested alongside many others though in what BUGS can do with this series.