#; his power is very much balanced and limited

[tragedy-of-commons]

"You're burning up" + Aventurine?

"You're burning up."

Aventurine doesn't know what else to say, so he goes with those three words. Safe bet - the doting parents in all the movies and sitcoms say it just like that; with care and worry, palm splayed out across the ill's forehead.

And holy hell are you ill.

Collapsed on his lavish sofa, you groan in response, swatting his hand away. "I'm gonna be just fine..."

He's inclined to disagree. You're sweating buckets despite how he'd mashed the thermostat down to its limit - he even had to shrug on a jacket. Perhaps Aventurine would have poked fun at you for your intolerance, but he has enough decorum to hold his tongue. He really doesn't like seeing you so put out, as much as you're welcome to crash here.

"Your poker face could use some work. Save your words, we can hang out another time," he dismisses easily, bracing himself for your incoming opposition. He reluctantly breaks away from your side to amble over to the coffee table, beginning to clean up the remnants of game night.

"No way," in the corner of his eye, he notices you shifting restlessly, "finals are coming up. Won't have time after this..."

Aventurine sighs, sweeping his very nice clay chips into one hand while using the other to click open their case. This time of year, things become almost unbearably hectic. He has exams coming up in a few weeks himself, and though he never needs to study, he always adheres to your modus operandi of 'cram now, cry later'.

"Well, you're not going back to those dorms in that state."

"You sound like a dickhead," you murmur. "You think I wanna live there? Shitty thin walls... shitty dining hall food..."

He chuckles, snapping the case shut and dusting his hands of nonexistent dust. "You're cruder than usual when you're feverish."

Aventurine almost startles when you gasp. "I have a fever?!"

...and you're loopy, too.

He gets you to sit still with the promise of retrieving a fever reducer and some water. Aventurine roots through his bathroom cabinets, combing through his own extensive collection of self-care and skin products to reach where he keeps his medication.

It takes several minutes of crouching down on the tile for him to realize he doesn't have any. He clicks his tongue - well, it seems his own lifestyle has backfired on him once again. Aventurine doesn't get sick often, doesn't spend a lot of time at home, and has enough stubborn resilience to power through any ailment that might plague him.

But for you? The only reason he spends any time at all in this stupidly expensive penthouse?

Yeah, he'll make a quick trip to the drugstore.

When he walks back into the living room with his shoes on and wallet in his pocket, his heart warms. You've somehow slipped into an upside down position, hair spilling over the edge of the cushions. You somehow make it look comfortable, eyes closed and brow free of any creases.

"Does that help your sinuses?" he asks, really only to test if you're awake.

"You smell good..."

Aventurine ignores how those words make him feel, eyeing the door (and where your shoes are lined up neatly against the wall).

"I have to restock on Tylenol," he swallows. "Will you be okay by yourself?"

"Yes," you respond coherently this time.

Before he departs, he cajoles you into another position in case you throw up like that and end up choking - not without some strangely endearing complaints that you'd normally never voice, positive thing you are.

He doesn't get to the inside mat before you pipe up again, making him stop in his tracks.

"C'mere," you cough. "Please, humor a dying star's last wish..."

He really should be going so he can get your temperature down quicker, but leaving you on the sofa while you're about to cough up a lung strikes him as cruel. Aventurine gives into your dramatics - which happen to perfectly align with his own at times - and makes his way over to you.

"What is it? Did I forget something?" he sits down on the armrest, perching there with perfect balance. When you don't respond immediately, an odd little expression on your face, he rests his chin on his fist, pensive.

You hum.

He doesn't expect much; a request for another pillow, a plea for him to turn on a movie for you while he's out. Instead, he's caught off-guard as you throw an arm around his waist and pull, effectively whisking him off the high ground and right into your grasp.

Aventurine initially tenses but settles as you nuzzle closer. You're the only person in the world that can get away with loving him so easily.

"M'sorry I got sick on game night..." you whisper, uncaring that you're spreading your sickness (and your homely oxytocin).

He finds himself not caring much either.

"Do you believe me to be that hung up on you catching a cold?"

Aventurine's heart rabbits cruelly - he's sure you can hear it, with the way you're snuggled against him and whatnot, but maybe he'll get lucky like he always has, and you'll remain oblivious and perfect and unbothered, despite what you do to him.

You sniffle, words thick with exhaustion. "I dunno. Just stay."

He can't. Not just because he has to go pick up that Tylenol, but because he feels like he might die if you keep saying things like that.

"Five minutes," he acquiesces.

Aventurine waits for your celebration of victory, but no such thing comes. You're fast asleep, clinging to him like he's worth something.

He stays for a lot longer than five minutes, only wriggling out of your arms when he's sure you won't wake up to find him gone. When he returns later with his spoils (which also just so happen to include your favorite drink), you're cradling a pillow in his place.

Before Aventurine is your boyfriend or lover, he is a liar.

He is most definitely, unequivocally, one hundred percent hung up on you.

🏷️: @akutasoda, @aviiarie, @lowkeyren

a/n: modern au because i couldn't possibly resist. just wanted to mention here that u guys absolutely killed it with these quotes. you have my gratitude! also why is he like that. soggy wet cat

event post here

[russian-spider]

"No helmet. I couldn’t disobey you even if I tried" "You're psychic, Charles. You can convince me to do anything"

I know that the most popular interpretation of Erik saying this to Charles is that he has a telepathy kink (valid), but my read of those scenes is somewhat different (not mutually exclusive tho lol)

as I see it, subtext and innuendos aside, what Erik is so very casually doing here is tempting Charles to use his powers in ways that his moral principles prevent him from doing. Erik is saying: if you really want this, then come and get it. You can use your powers to get it, why don't you do it? He's provoking him, teasing him. You could have me, Charles, you could have the world, if only you stopped limiting yourself, if only you were brave enough to get your hands dirty. Because if he can get Charles to be a bit more morally corrupt, then maybe he would see things his way, you know? He's willing to let Charles mind-control him if that means that Charles will mind-control anyone, because doing so means betraying his ideology and embracing Erik's. If Charles mind-controls him, Erik wins this chess game they're always playing. Of course, in those moments, in those scenes when he says that, Erik knows Charles won't do it, so it's safe enough for him to provoke him, to taunt him with the things he doesn't let himself have (because it would be wrong). He won't make Erik stay or obey him just like he won't mind-control the humans. If they're not willing, what is the point? If he forces them, isn't he just as bad as the people that hates them? Doesn't he become exactly what they fear? But there are other moments, when Charles is desperate enough or angry enough, that he actually does invade Erik's mind, like in the comics or more recently in X-Men '97. He does to Erik what he doesn't want to do to anyone, what he refuses to do to his worst enemies, despite how much he loves him. Because the thing is, Erik brings out the worst in Charles... which sounds terrible, but isn't. It actually brings balance to their relationship, I think. Their dynamic is not just Erik doing bad things and Charles being a saint and forgiving him all the time. Charles has a dark side, a manipulative, controlling side that he represses as best as he can. He's afraid of that part of him, of what he could become. But he can be himself with Erik, he can be flawed. Meanwhile, Erik can be vulnerable with Charles, and he can be hopeful. Charles brings out the best in him. Basically Charles is like I can fix him, while Erik is like I can make him worse. And it works for them! They meet in the middle. They push and pull constantly, but the rope never breaks.

So when Charles asks Erik to stay, to join him, Erik says make me, which means give in, cross the line, you join me.

The implication being that he's quite literally using himself as bait to lure Charles to the dark side... which could mean nothing.

[thevoidstaredback]

Adventures In Gotham

Enough Caffeine to Kill an Elephant Side Story

The first time Danny had ever been to Gotham, he swore it would be his last. He was twenty-two at the time.

In an effort to relax after finals had ended, he, Tucker, Sam, Val, Wes, and Dani had been playing a round of Truth or Dare after finishing a few movies. Sam had dared Danny to wander around Gotham without attracting attention to himself. The catch was that he wasn't allowed to use his powers except to fly there and back. His time limit was Sunday night.

They'd all been planning to stay the night at Sam's anyway, so no one would even notice he was gone. Though, the dare had seemed easy at the time, Danny should've realized his luck was not that good.

Regardless, he flew to the outskirts of Gotham City, dropped his transformation, and entered.

The first thing he noticed was that there was some kind of bubble around Gotham preventing the Shades and overall feel of death from leaving. It was overwhelming at first, but he got used to it pretty quickly. The next thing he noticed was that he had walked into somebody's haunt.

Shit.

He made himself presentable and spoke to the night, "I apologise for trespassing," His voice echoed through the open area as though he was shouting in an empty room. Ghost Speak tended to do that. "I mean no hostile intentions. I simply wish to play a game with your protectors." With any luck, whoever this was would be playful or friendly, at the very least. He didn't hold his breath, though.

A lie. He was holding his breath, but that's only because he was nervous!

The night air stilled as though considering his words. Then, a breeze from behind pushed him further into the city. Flapping wings of bats and owls seemed to hide the whispers of "You may come in." and "Be careful." and "You will lose." and "Good luck.".

A vote of confidence from the City Spirit. "Thank you." He was going to be as quick as he could, but he couldn't draw attention to himself. Easier said than done. Batman seemed to know whenever anyone ever stepped foot into his city, especially if they've never been there before. So, he had to play hide and seek with Batman and Robin.

Again, easier said than done.

Danny knows very little about about Gotham and her heroes and villains. What he does know is that Robin is fairly knew to the scene, but also very serious in what he does. He's still a child, though, and he likes to play around a bit. Batman, on the other hand, has already become something of a cryptid, despite only showing himself a year or so ago. Either way, the two balance each other nicely and work well as a team.

Batman and Robin obviously know the entire city inside out, so Danny has to somehow keep an eye on where they are at all times while not drawing attention to himself. Which would be easy, except for the fact that Danny can only sense where non-living beings are. Batman and Robin are very much alive. He's pretty sure. Unless either of them have a shit ton of Shades attached to them, which is unlikely but not impossible, then he'll have to rely on finding them first and keeping them within his sight as he tours around their city.

Why the hell did he agree to this? He so deserves a reward if he succeeds.

'When', not 'if'. 'If' is pessimistic and implies that Batman might just drop him off a building and watch him fall. 'When' at least lets him continue with the illusion that he may get out of this no deader than when he arrived in Gotham.

All he had to do was basically tour the city, then he'll be done. It went well for the first hour, but then he spotted the shadows moving around him. It wouldn't normally be a problem, but one of those shadows was made out of bright colours. Seeing as his Ghost Sense didn't go off, Danny figured the he'd just run straight into Batman and Robin.

Shit. Fuck. Okay, play it cool, Danny.

He ran. He ran as fast as he could without using his powers. When he was sure he'd lost the two vigilanties, he allowed himself to stop in an alley somewhere in the Narrows. (The map he looked at was coming in very handy all of a sudden)

"Could be worse," he said to himself, backing into a corner.

The sound of shattering glass and the scurrying of mice and rats gave the impression of laughter and taunting. Which, rude, but fair.

"Your Knights, my lady," he spoke into the darkness, "are terrifying."

"Who you talking to?"

Danny did not jump. He didn't! Liar.

The kid, about twelve years old, was in bright green, red, and yellow. His hair windswept and he didn't seem even the slightest bit out of breath, let alone tired. Shouldn't he be in bed? Did he have a bedtime? He should have a bedtime, in Danny's expert opinion.

"Did you know that humans are endurance hunters?" Robin had been smiling since he dropped down in front of Danny. And if that wasn't a scary ass line to hear from a twelve year old up way past his bedtime-

No, he's not intimidated. "It's, um, a good thing I'm not completely human then, huh?" Stupid, stupid, stupid! Shut up, Danny! Stop talking! Right now!

This made Robin frown and the shadows started to move again, Batman taking his place just behind the boy. "What do you mean?"

Damn, he's scary! Danny's a sucker for a deep voice with a growl, damn.

"I, um," Intelligent response, Danny. King of the Realm Between Realms of Infinity. Keeper of Balance, Timeless Protector of the Dead and Living, and he can't even form a proper sentence.

Batman and Robin's stares were uncomfortably similar, even as Robin tilted his head ever so slightly to the right.

For all his wisdom, Danny couldn't see how he could manage to get out of this without using his powers. So, "Gottagobye!" he let intangibility and invisibility wash over him and he slipped through the wall behind him. From there, he let the rings of light cover him and he flew away.

He'll take the L. That was scary as hell!

The night wind brushed against him, the sound of breaking bones and cackling telling him to come by to play again some time. Had Gotham's City Spirit lead her Knight and his child to Danny? Probably. She seemed like the type. At least she seems to like him? Silver linings.

"I'm never going there again," he muttered halfway to Illinois.

Storyboard

Tag List:

@zaiothe4th @someonebored0100 @wolfeyedwitch @angelheartgamer @nymanders @princessbelix @luminanightfall @kgne-k @bianca-hooks123 @reigning-catsanddogs @sassywombatranchhorse @dontfightmecauseillcry @soul-lime @anarinette @serasvictoria02 @the-chaos-goblin-child @confusedshades @caicie @fantasticstoryteller @randomshtickidk @itsberrydreemurstuff @blueliac @i-love-mangoes @nymanders @highimpactemotions @anarinette @sleepingdead96 @orbr @tkiesai @atomicsheepscientist @8000fangirl @shower-phantom-ideas @blep-23

[gallusrostromegalus]

ok I need elaboration on pretty much all of those bankais that you haven't already talked about but for now i'm probably most curious about ichigo and hanataro? please, a measly few crumbs of context

The short version of Ichigo's sword situation is that he is D'artanigan to Zangetsu's Three displaced-during-the-fuckery-surrounding-his-parent's-meet-cute-slash-manslaughter-thing Musketeers. We got his dad's half-starved family Zanpakuto, The Family Ghost from his Mom's side, and a guy made in an evil instapot that wandered in here on accident and precipitated the whole enfuckening. They are untied in their goal of "Keep Ichigo Alive" but unfortunately they also have a collective IQ of Negative Four.

Reader: Gee Ichigo, why does the author let you have THREE Zanpakuto spirits?

Ichigo: That's nothing! Orihime has SIX!

Ichigo and Orihime's nonsense is connected to how The Almighty operates:)

Meanwhile, short summaries of Unohana and Byakuya's Bankai under the cut:

Unohana:

Minazuki is a sword primarily about the manipulation of flesh- healing injury, making better fighters by pushing the flesh to it's limits- This is a spirit that is distinctly VISCERAL in nature. It has mass. It has a very distinct body.

So it follows that, in order to supply injured patients with blood and drugs and new flesh and everything else, Minazuki is giving up some of her Mass. Consequently, the Stingray form of Minazuki is the SECOND one- she cannot create her elixirs and make new flesh from nothing. First she must FEED.

Which is why Minazuki's liquid format is acidic blood that devours anything organic. It's why Kenpachi!Unohana's bloodthirst was so bloodthirsty: she was literally starving for biomass to complete her sword's two forms and finally put her Soul in Balance.

In the fic, Ukitake is one of a handful of people old enough to remember "Yachiru" Unohana, and until Zaraki's arrival, probably the closest to understanding her. That Unohana and Retsu both understand the horrors of the flesh he lives with every day more intimately than anyone else in his life, and it's the basis of an almost sacred friendship between them. He knows perfectly well where the emergency transfusions and drugs she creates come from, and they have a standing agreement that if he predeceases her, she is to feed his body to Minazuki so he can pay forward at least some of the debt given to him.

He will not be the first of Unohana's friends that have been willingly devoured by her sword.

Byakuya:

Senbonzakura has been with the Kuchiki family for generations, passed from one head of the clan to the next in a sacred ritual that allows the Zanpakuto to bond to its new weilders and grant them the power accumulated with generations.

But for course, everything has it's cost.

Byakuya was not the head of the Kuchiki clan when his father Sojun died prematurely and make Byakuya the orphan heir apparent as an adolescent. He was not the head when he met Hisana in a grove of cherry trees in the middle of harvest, and fell in love with her He was not the head when he had a terrible row with his grandfather Ginrei and the rest of the clan elders about his elopement. He was not the head five years later, when on a cold spring morning before the plum trees had blossomed, Hisana died of a miscarriage.

One week later, when the plum trees bloomed and the cherry trees had budded, Byakuya came to his grandfather, head bowed and heart broken, and agreed to take up the mantle of Clan Head. His soul had already been torn in half, what was another half?

Everything has it's cost, and the price of Senbonzakura's power is the sacrifice of the weilder's own original Zanpakuto spirit, and by transference, the imminent death of the previous head.

He had known this day was coming, ever since his own native Zanpakuto spirit failed to awaken at the academy. At the time, he'd thought it a mercy that the poor thing wouldn't awaken and be aware of being devoured. But now, as he held the tiny, warm body of the spirit out to Senbonzakura, he could only think of the child he never got to hold.

...with Senbonzakura, at least, she'd be at rest with something beautiful that loved her.

Because Senbonzakura loves it's family, and in particular it adores Byakuya. It has, ever since Byakuya fearlessly climbed it's branches as a small boy, since he partook of the sword's fruits as a young man, and now, when Byakuya offered the most precious parts of himself to the sword with a sense of peace and profound trust. And Senbonzakura repays that trust in kind.

The sword's shikai release is the same, or at least similar for all it's wielders, but long-term friends of the family note that that is a LOT MORE blades than the sword ever summoned for Ginrei or any other head.

The Bankai is different every time. Senbonzakura is ready to give Byakuya whatever Bankai he wants immediately, but it's not until after he adopts Rukia and sees her fooling around in the family orchards when she thinks he isn't watching that he realizes the shape it should be.

It's name is "Senbonzakura: Sakura no Kaju-en" and it is beautiful and terrible.

Sakura no Kaju-en requires only that Byakuya pierce the flesh of his enemy or the terrain around him with one or more of his petal-blades. Once in the ground or embedded in flesh, the blade is transformed into a seed and an entire magical cherry tree grows from it, converting the Reishi and spiritual energy around it into its own mass. Since Byakuya is effectively wielding somewhere around 10,000 petal blades in his shikai alone, he can summon up to 10,000 devouring cherry trees, which will radically alter the landscape of battle and blossom into millions and millions of new petal-blades.

That is, unless his foe is unfortunate enough to have the blades penetrate their flesh. Then the trees will devour them as they grow. Even a truly massive opponent like Yammy can be mulched in minutes.

The trees initially blossom almost white, but as his enemies are felled and Senbonzakura drinks, the blooms grow pinker and then redder until they transform into deep crimson fruits.

It's a brutal Bankai, but a beautiful one. When Byakuya looks out upon the blooming landscape and tastes the sweet fruits of his efforts, it brings him peace to know the small, sleeping spirit he had to sacrifice is playing somewhere within, they way he saw Rukia playing in the family orchards that day.

[vershl]

Okay I think I made y'all wait long enough LOL

SORRY THEY'RE ALL UNCLOTHED BTW, I HAVENT FIGURED OUT OUTFITS YET- 💀

I don't really have a lot to share tbh in terms of lore/plans. This AU is very VERY fresh in my brain atm. But I will fill in some details for you guys so you somewhat/mostly understand the current characters I have for now.

---

Shadow

He is a red diamond (ultimate lifeform yada yada), and as stated, a "blood" diamond. I mean this somewhat in modern terms, but not entirely. In real life, diamonds mined in a war zone and sold to fund the costs, hence "blood". In this case; Shadow was created by the other diamonds (primarily white) as a weapon, the plan was to have a gem on equal footing in terms of strength and power that they could order around to do their bidding and do their dirty work.

Clearly, that didn't work out the way they wanted. Shadow pretended to be obedient, following white, and the other diamond's orders. He shattered other gems for whatever reason the diamonds deemed fit (among other things I haven't decided on yet), only doing so to avoid the risk of being deemed defective and shattered himself, or the gem being shattered regardless by someone else.. he at least knew he could give them a swift end without pain.

Once Shadow gained the diamonds trust to wander around as he pleased, the moment no one was looking, he stole a ship and left Homeworld. Going as far as he could into the universe until he found Mobius and crash landed there. It wasn't very long before Sonic found him, and eventually became allies, inviting Shadow into the Crystal Gems, to which he accepted, and chose the name 'Shadow'. He didn't want to be called 'Red' or 'Red Diamond' anymore. He was free now. (This is as far as I got with him, sorry y'all HAHA)

Sonic

Sonic is a yellow prism in the shape of an isotoxal star (the yellow is a nod to super Sonic). In my AU, because offical SU lore with gems is relatively limited, different colored gems even if of the same type, give different abilities/powers. In Sonic's case, yellow prisms give the ability of super speed, because of course, and he chose his name based on that fact as well.

Lore wise with Sonic-- He's the leader of the Crystal Gems (makes more sense considering the CG's signature symbol is a yellow star, so I just ran with that but changed the normal star to the isotoxal). But that's all I have for him.

the rest of these characters have 0 lore at all, i will just try to explain their gems a bit- sorry

Amy

Amy is a Mimetite, a heart stone which helps with emotional stability, inner balance, serenity, joy, and adventure (according to google). Because Amy is basically canonically that 'therapy' friend, mimetite fits perfectly with her personality. As you can see, there are only a few designs that have weapons currently, Amy's being obvious because it's her signature weapon and just works here in the AU as well.

Tails

Tails is a yellow peridot, it's obvious why, and I don't need to elaborate LOL. There isn't much different between peridot colors, it's more-so personality traits than abilities. Green peridots are quite egotistical and arrogant in themselves, while yellow peridots are more adventurous and selfless.

Knuckles

Sorry for his naked hands btw. Honestly, I don't think I have to explain why Knuckles is a garnet. It just tracks. (Reminder that in the show, Garnet isn't a real garnet, it's just what she decided to call herself. In this case, Knuckles IS a real garnet.) Is his signature gem weapon gauntlets/gloves, yes. Did I steal the idea from Garnet? Shut up. :] Besides, Knuckles needed his usual gloves somehow, and he fights by punching shit anyway, so why not? Star on the back of the gloves ofc for obvious reasons.

Rouge

GOD this stupid bat bitch, aaaanyway, ahem. In my AU beryls are information gatherers, either by stealing it or manipulating their way into obtaining it. Beryls are generally under diamond control and report back to their assigned diamond with information they demand for, obviously Rouge is part of the Crystal Gems, so she gathers information for them. And more often than not...is her usual self, and snoops around, digging up dirty secrets/information about her comrades and teases them to no end with it (Shadow being her favorite to torment for... reasons.)

Silver

I chose Silver to be a sapphire simply because of the fact that in the Sonic universe, he can time travel. So instead of time travel in this Steven Universe AU, he gets future vision. I mean it works, right?

Blaze

We can talk about her gem right.. right? It's really tasty and I want to eat it. So; opals are very, VERY rare (which fits with her whole being a princess thing or whatever). She was originally going to be a fire opal... that is until I found out about dragon's breath opals and changed my mind. Blaze is an absurdly rare gem, who knows, maybe even the only one of her cut. :]

Her gem gives her the ability to control fire as a weapon, and her unique cut gives her fire more power as well as makes the flames an unusual pinkish hue.

---

And that's everyone for now! I'm doing some little doodles that I might post a bit later on to compile together, but you can have the two I made of Shadow for now. eats him

[glaciertea]

A Night to Prove All

A Miguel O'Hara x Fem!Reader one-shot

[Thank you @oharaslove for being my beta reader for this~]

Word count: 6K

Content warning: 18+, Pwp, PinV, protected sex, cunnilingus (F receiving), use of alcohol (nothing too wild), Miguel is downbad~

Summary: Miguel has been watching you across the way. He's curious about you.

He wants to know more about you.

He wants to show that a certain act will lead to something more.

He couldn't help but take notice of you.

He couldn't help but notice the guys who sat next to you, testing the waters. Your waters. Was it scalding hot? Or was it arctic cold?

He played a little game in his head whenever a guy would remove himself from the bar stool next to you. Depending on their reaction, he could take a guess at the temperature they decided to dip their toe in.

That's a sneer. Hot.

He appears as if he's about to cry. Cold.

He's whispering something to you. Did he get through? 

Nope, a pure look of disgust. The water was too cold, so he believed the immediate burning water would warm it up. Balance it out. But he didn't give it time to allow it to properly reach that poise, to let it fill up and mix in.

You radiated a mesmerizing energy. Perched up in the middle of the bar are your long-sleeved blouse, comfy dress pants, and heels. Two inches, to be exact.

You were stirring your second daiquiri of the night. The classic strawberry. You were very to yourself, minus the ones who would interfere and place themselves in your bubble without your clear, full-on permission. There was maybe one or two out of the possible five candidates who had the decency to pose the question “Is this seat taken?” before you gave a bowed head. And when you did nod, you looked hesitant but allowed it.

“What is it?” Miguel muttered to himself, swirling his whiskey. He was on his third one for the night, but with his powers, he could definitely handle twice as much. Taking a sip—that's when the right word dropped in his lap.

Class. 

That's what you were exuding. When you denied the offers, you did it with grace and a sense of politeness. There was one where you did have to give a vexing eye. Miguel had the urge to make his way to get the dude off your back, but the bartender came to your rescue before he could really settle on his final answer.

This wasn't the original plan. He wanted a night out away from the other spiders, as today's mission was a pain and a half. Well, hell. It was full hell... and a half.

Three anomalies in one world. Nine different spiders in three sets of three went after each one; he needed to relax badly. It was successful, as they usually are, but even he had his limits.

This was out of his nature, but a few drinks were what he salvaged after. Even he knew when he needed time away from it all.

But spotting a beautiful person across the way wasn't on the agenda.

Would he dare try? Would he try and be potentially hot or cold, number six? He could handle rejection; he's a grown man. He was taught that ‘no means no,’ and there could be no explanation needed, no matter how curious he was. Simple and straightforward.

He's used to being by himself in his own space. In the rare moments he is out like this, a few will wonder up to him and take their shot. It was also a rare moment for him to indulge in a one-night stand. So the ones who would get shooed away by him made him curious if he'd understand what it's like to be on the other end. 

Scooting out of the booth, he began to stroll in your direction. You weren't paying any attention to your surroundings; you were lost in your head, it seems. Earlier, he took note of your observing eyes, but you possibly needed a moment to recharge after the line of men wanting to pucker up to you.

Miguel stopped a foot from you. He didn't think this approach all the way through. Does he ask if this seat is taken like the others? You could've glanced at him, so there's a chance that you knew that he knew that this seat was indeed not taken. He didn't want to tap on your shoulder; that would definitely come off as rude.

Does he take the seat? Or does he go down one and work his way to that one?

He really should've had a plan from the start. This isn't like him.

“Yes?”

A voice snapped him out of his trance. He turned to the bar before peering down at you. 

You are beautiful. 

He already knew, but it's different when you're able to view a sparkling gem up close. His mouth was dry, and words and word structures seemed to fail him at the moment. He didn't want to open his mouth, or the next few sentences would be a very bad Porky Pig stuttering impression.

You raised a brow, waiting for a response. The guy in front was very handsome and muscular that it seemed comical. You did see him in the corner when you walked in, very much to himself. You can’t lie and say that you weren’t intrigued, yet you didn’t have the ambition to go up to him, so you found yourself once more on your own. 

Bars are your rare amenities. A place where many frequent for a good (or bad, depending on the party) night, whether it be an outing with friends, a casual hook-up, or getting away from it all. And that’s what you’re for. You desperately had to get away from work life and the tedious night classes because, Lord knows, waking up super early to learn was no longer in your schedule. You refused to go back to those days of being up before the crack of dawn to a bunch of teens and teachers who didn’t want to be there just as much as the next.

A drink or two, chill music, then straight back home—that’s the usual run with these excursions. No one night stands, no making friends was off the table as you found it difficult to think of conversations and will freeze up; it was merely you, your thoughts, and the bartender when he came to check up on you.

It was a plan, but it was a shame that others didn’t pick up on that memo.

You found yourself attractive—nothing too crazy like a runway model, but also not ‘bad looking,’ even though looks are preferences. Average. That was your humble word whenever someone asked how you would describe yourself appearance-wise. But tonight wasn’t the case. Tonight you were a ten out of ten and then some with the many approaches of gentlemen either wanting to get in your pants or maybe more, but the universe decided to be weird and play some type of cruel joke and went for the first one.

The joke got old very fast.

Now you were onto a new one. Yes, he has a pretty face, intimidatingly handsome, one might say, but his desires could fall under the same categories as the ones from earlier. Though he is more jittery than the rest, even if his neutral facade is trying to cover it.

“Are… Are you okay?”

Coming back to reality, Miguel sputtered out an apology and directed his focus to the many drinks sitting on the shelves. He never considered himself to be a great conversationalist, but he believes he can hold a decent chat when need be, yet suddenly, it's refusing to make its way out of him.

“I know this seat has been taken and then empty a few times before, but may I sit here?”

Biting your inner cheek, a sidelong glance reached him. You eyed the many alcoholic choices and scrolled through your options. This was going to be your last drink of the night anyway, and you paid in advance, so you could get up and leave if he started to hassle you. 

“Yeah, go ahead.”

Miguel wasn't relieved by the answer, but it was a step on a path. Taking the stool, you were fixed on his size. He was so humongous that you wanted to ask a question about whether he always takes up this much space but refrained from it. 

It was quiet for a few minutes. You were both gaping ahead at everything and everyone, but not at each other. Miguel held this etched demure attitude, terrified to even speak a single word, not wanting to mess up this opportunity. You took a sip from your cup and cleared your throat. This was straining for you both, and it didn't help that your mind was racing with a million inquiries on why he wasn't talking to you. Is he putting on a facade of being nervous, or is this how he is?

“Do you usually come to this bar?” He winced at that very generic question. 

You were ready to fling your body out of this building. “No, not really. Rare occasions. What about you?”

“Every once in a blue moon. I don't really care about frequenting bars. They're nice, but to a certain extent.” Miguel got the bartender's attention and ordered another whiskey. 

“I agree with that; bars can be pretty good, but you have moments where you run into different sorts of people.” The bartender asked if you wanted something else, but you turned it down, thanking him. 

“Yeah, I dealt with some very interesting people in my time. Ojalá me hubieran dejado solo.” 

“Care to share any?” Interest peaked, but there was still stiffness. 

“Miguel, by the way.”

You were leery, but you dropped your name.

You didn't know how much time exactly, but you were on your third drink and he was on another. You were fascinated by his alcohol tolerance because he was holding up like nothing. The discussions and rabbit holes you fell into were natural—way too natural. Your defenses still kept their guard up, but it was pleasant.

Miguel's clunky motions presented themselves; he didn't want to spook you away. He was sucked into this pulling beam, and he saw no reason to fight it.

“So your co-worker has a habit of bringing his baby to work?” You chuckled while sipping on the daiquiri. 

Miguel sighed. “Yes. No matter how many times I tell him not to, he does whatever he feels like. But she is adorable, and I do enjoy her presence.”

“But you'll never admit it?” A boastful assumption, but you got him to laugh.

“You know me too well, it seems.” He eyed his drink. “I would like to get to know you better.”

“What was that?” You hoped he wasn't thinking of a certain activity to impose.

“Nothing.” He scrunched his eyebrows and shook his head. Miguel wondered if he was seriously about to go through with this ridiculous request, but with the way the interaction and banter were going, he didn't want it to end. Not now, maybe even never, and he's usually more guarded with these things, but it'll be worth the shot. 

“No. I'm not doing that; I might as well go for it. You are a very attractive woman, and riveting as well. I would like to do something tonight–”

You had to interrupt. “I'm sorry, Miguel. I should've said this from the start, but I wasn't thinking at the time. One-night stands are not my forte. I prefer to see how things will move along and how they'll develop. Bloom into something. I'm sorry again if that is what you were expecting from this.” You should've known this was too good to be true. 

Miguel nodded his head. “I understand completely. And I will not push you into that line. You caught my eye earlier; one can say I was enthralled. I wanted to know what you were like. Merely intrigued.”

You blinked a few times. “So you don't want to have sex?”

“I won't lie and say I don't have that in mind, but I wouldn't mind sitting here until closing to continue on with our conversation and leaving with your number if you choose to give it to me.” He reached for his wallet. “I'll find value in that if it means I get to proceed knowing more about you. May I pay for your drink?”

“I can pay for mine; thank you, though.” His words caught you for a loop. He respected your choice and paid for his, not making a fuss. Your brain was battering at the cage that this was a ploy, but something stirring deep inside was whispering that he meant his words. 

You caught on to his hook.

“May I make an offer?” Miguel asked.

Your eyebrow slowly rises, caution taking hold of every cell, atom, and molecule of you. “I'm listening.”

He also wanted to know how your body felt against his.

“Tonight, I want you to give me the opportunity to prove that I am meaning all the words I'm saying.”

“You want your actions to speak louder?” You reclined to the back of the bar stool, twisting in it slightly.

“That's what I'm lying down for." It is all up to you, of course. I am willing to simply have a chat with a beautiful woman and then go on about my life.” The whiskey was finished when he settled the glass on the overly dampened napkin. “To leave with a simple number. Or, up to you, we can try something tonight, and I will still want to be there.”

The reflection of yourself in his sunglasses forced you to look at how you were thinking in this moment. You saw the want, the unsure part, and the worry, and Miguel knew it too. He was ready to back away, then you opened your mouth.

“You're clean?”

“Yes, and if you'd like, I can show proof to you.”

You nodded, paid for your drink, and slid off the stool. Miguel followed suit, freaking out himself, but he pushed down any signs of it.

You were going to step into this domain. So much was sprinting inside your brain. You were hesitant. Very hesitant. You did walk to the bar, so he couldn't have access to your license plate, which was a good thing. You think. 

Making your way out of the bar, you twisted your head left and right when Miguel stood still, rubbing the back of his head. 

“Did you also walk?” You crossed your arms, stepping over to the side to not block the entrance.

“Yes. I'm sorry, I didn't think this would go this way.”

The air was stagnant. The surrusus of winds is breezing around you two, gleaning at the buildings and streets filled with citygoers bustling along with their lives. You weren't going to take him back to your place. Certainly not. 

And do you dare go back to his? How far away is his place? Was it close by? It had to be if he also walked. Or maybe he got a cab service and then ventured his way over to this area? You scuttled more away from him by an inch or two. You wanted to be discreet, but he took notice.

“We don't have to do this. I don't want to make you uncomfortable in any way.”

You went to open your mouth to argue about his offer, but he beat you to it.

“And even if I put the proposition out, I'm sure we both know that it isn't some contract or thing you have to or need to go through.”

You hinged your mouth right back up and peered ahead. Your gut was screaming to let Miguel take you; there is truth behind his words. Yet the logical side agrees with that statement.

This isn't something you have to do; one-night stands can give you a feeling in the moment, but you crave more. Relationships can be scary, but it was something that you did lean on. That sense of security.

Your feet are already in the water, so why not dip in further? “You don't have anyone waiting for you at home?”

He shook his head. “If I did, I certainly wouldn't be here.”

That got a snort out of you. You sized him up, trying to decipher if he was lying to you, but that gaze he was giving made you feel impartial enough to believe him.

“Right. Do we go back to your place?”

“Would you feel at ease going there? And I want to hear your honest answer. No throwing it back at me.”

You had to make the right choice.

Here you are with your back against the wall of a decent hotel room. You still weren't comfortable bringing Miguel back to your apartment, but you were willing to go to a hotel with him. At least it was a public space, so a cleaner could stumble upon your body stuffed lazily under the bed or something.

Miguel did make sure to check in on you, wanting to be completely certain that you were fine with this. You were seeing green flags, but you were always ready to rip off those rose-tinted glasses.

“If you need anything, tell me. I want you to be priority number one.” His tongue trailed down your chin to your collarbone, refusing to take off any clothes without your permission.

“Can we listen to music?”

“Yes, we can.”

He gave you space to slip down, and you hobbled to your phone and searched for a perfect playlist. You did glance at the items that sat perfectly on the small stand by the bed.

Right before this little excursion fell into place, you took a detour to a local store that sold the essential items you needed. You wanted to be better safe than sorry. 

A bottle of flavored lube (the store didn't have any unscented ones, of course), morning after pills, and condoms.

The size Miguel picked up almost made you drop everything and deny him access. But that gut feeling was keeping you hostage, and that curiosity was peeking out.

You jumped when your name was called, as Miguel gave a look of concern. “You okay? Remember, we can stop at any point.”

“It's okay, Miguel. Thank you for checking in on me. I'm still up for that request, you know.” After clicking the list, the ambience settled in. “Can you dim the lights, please?”

He searched for the light source and stared at the ceiling, watching the room be shrouded in a soft glow. “You doing okay?”

Your heart and stomach flittered. Half from the nerves and the fact of how caring he was. He was really trying to do his best, but you still needed to examine him. 

“Yes, I'm fine. A bit wonky, but I'm ready to continue.”

He made his way back over and sat on the mattress, sinking it down partially. “Remember, whenever you want to stop, tell me.”

You reeled yourself up into a heated kiss. If you wake up to an empty bed in the morning, then it'll all be on you. You really hoped this wasn't some elaborate scheme to get in your pants.

You had to clear your head; you had to focus on what was going on in front of you. It was you and Miguel, and this ‘promised’ future he laid out and presented.

His lips were soft, and his tongue worked endlessly in your mouth. Your moans alone were enough to make him burst, but he had to please you first. He pulled back, scratching the nape of your neck, and took his shirt off. You couldn't help but stare. Holy shit, he was built as a tank and then some.

Miguel followed your dazed eyes down to his chest. He didn't know if that was a good stare or not. 

“Everything okay?” 

“Oh, everything is fine. It's all peachy. I knew you were buff, but behind fabric it looks, well,” you signaled with your hands at his pecs to his abs. “Different.”

“Eres muy linda. Thank you, I think.” He puffed out a laugh.

“It's a compliment.” You hesitated to touch his muscles, but he took a hold of your wrists and placed them on his chest. 

“You can touch, hermosa. It's okay.”

You took that permission and stroked every crevice of him.

“Really big.” You both giggled at that and went back for another kiss. 

Miguel's pants were tight, but he held off. You took your shirt off with help from Miguel. You removed your bra as well and couldn't help but snort at his absorbed fix. 

“I- uh, sorry.”

“No, it's okay. Making it equal.” You took his wrist, gawked at the sheer size of his hands, and placed them on your breasts.

Miguel took the hint and kneaded them, giving peppered kisses wherever he could. He tweaked your nipples, tugging and pinching at them. He dipped down to lap at one, toying with the band of your pants. 

You were feeling stuffy and warm in them, ready to get them off. You pushed him off, startling Miguel. He was ready to ask if everything was okay when you ripped the fabric down to your ankles and kicked them away.

“Your turn.” You plopped back on the bed, holding back a smile at the stunned expression.

He stood up, took a few steps back, and unbuttoned his jeans. The relief that crashed when he was free was kept hidden. You gulped at the outline. You thought you were discreet, but the sheepish blush crept on Miguel. 

“No, I mean, you're big in all ways; I wasn't expecting that. I was, but not really.”

Miguel craned his neck down. “You're fine.” He strolled up to you and right in between your legs, parting them with his body. “Just say the word, hermosa, and I will back away.”

You needed this. “It's okay. Go ahead and continue, please.”

“Ready?” He tugged at the waistband.

You didn't want to go back. “Yes.”

Lifting your bottom, he slipped them off in one fell swoop. He did it so smoothly, your brain couldn't register it. It did take note of how intensely Miguel was eyeing your pussy. You knew you were wet from the acts and his overall demeanor, but Miguel was eyeballing you like you were some sacred treasure.

You heard him gulp his steady gaze on yours. “May I?”

“Please.” You were ready to explode from that. He has you in his trance.

Miguel had to take his time; he wanted this to be a night you wouldn't forget, so when the time comes to reminisce about this night, you both will maintain this overwhelming sense of nostalgia. 

Miguel was already whipped for you.

Kissing and licking your inner thighs, he closed his eyes to listen to your sounds. Nipping the flesh earned him a soft sigh; biting led to a whiny cry; and sucking gave him a needy moan. 

He didn't pause until you were covered, or unless you spoke up, he needed to mark you for only you and him to see. He worked his way up to your glossy heat, watching as you clenched.

“Eager, huh?” He placed his lips on the folds, letting some of the delicious juices stick to them.

“You can—ah, yes, I guess you can say that.” You combed through his hair and smiled. Miguel's heart was ready to beat out of his chest. He needed to wake up to that every morning.

You bucked your hips, signaling him to keep going, and he wasn't one to tease you… Yet. Pulling at your folds, he waltzed his tongue along them, probing at the opening before lazily moving up and down along the slit.

Your toes curled, one hand on your breast and the other pushing his head further. You squeaked and mewled. It was like he knew your body; it felt so incredible. You grinded in a steadfast motion, your eyes rolling in the back of your head whenever his nose swiped against your clit.

And that's when you were caught off-guard. 

“Aah—mmn!” His tongue suddenly grounded into your velvety walls, clinging on with every sharp thrust of the soft muscle.

The sounds right in your ears, your long heaves, and the whiny calls of his name in his. Red eyes pierced into your soul as he quickened his motions.

“Fuck, Miguel—this feels—mmn! This feels amazing. You're doing so well.” You grabbed onto his curly locks, bucking your hips to have him plunge deeper.

Miguel was one for praise; he pretended to not hone in on his ego, simply brushing it to the side like it didn't exist. But hearing those cute sounds flow out of you made him feel as if he's the greatest creation in the entire multiverse.

Wriggling and exploring your tight, dripping pussy, he made sure to savor every drop of your delectable juices. Your flavor was astral—simply out of this universe.

Slurping up until he reached your clit, he toyed with the sensitive nub, allowing his two fingers to continue giving you the pleasure you desire and deserve.

“Miguel!” The shrill of great ecstasy had him almost come undone right in his boxers.

You hugged his fingers so well, stretching and scissoring for you to be able to take him. He wasn't going to neglect one inch of you; he wasn't going to neglect a single part of you. 

“Mm, how are you feeling, hermosa?” He whispered against your stomach, leaving those small butterfly kisses on it, his digits picking up in a brutal place.

“I—ngh—I feel—fuck!” His thumb danced along your stiffened clit, prodding and rolling it, carefully pressing it down.

All he could do was smirk, lay his tongue flat against your nub, and roll it with it. Your back arched, and the stars were in your vision. You wailed his name as Miguel helped you ride out your orgasm, slurping up any juices that dared not fall into his mouth.

“Shit… oh, oh, my God.” Your spent body was light as a feather, like you couldn't move a muscle.

“Was it good for you, hermosa?” He kissed your lips and your cheek a couple of times, staring at your glazed-out expression. 

You grinned, licking your mouth and tasting your wetness. “Very. I think I'm ready for you, Miguel.”

“You think or you know, hermosa?”

You gnawed at your lip and whispered. “I know.”

Miguel's stomach did a somersault. Standing up, he was fully free. Stepping out of his boxers, he went for the condoms, popping the package open and pulling out a wrapper. He climbed back into the bed and made sure you were comfortable.

Witnessing him rip off the foil with precision managed to turn you on even more. He slid on the condom as you eyed the long, throbbing penis. You didn't know whether to admire it or be terrified of it as you pursed your lips into a thin line. Miguel's eyes looked into yours, sensing the nervousness emanating from you.

“I'll go slow; I want you to experience nothing but pleasure.”

You nodded at the reassurance, needing him closer to you. Taking a hold of the nape of his neck, you bring him into a yearning kiss. Miguel's arms were on either side of your body, trapping you in, but you loved the heat leaving him.

“Ready, amor?” He nipped at the curve of your neck, wanting to sink his fangs into your delicate skin, but reprimanded himself, scolding himself for that thought.

I- uh…” you gulped.

“Yes?” His breath sent shivers down your back, and the tingling sensation between your thighs coursed from your stomach to your chest.

This man is huge in every single shape and in every possible form. You would like to be on the bottom to feel him rutting into you with every thrust, but his size scared you. And the gaze he was holding wasn't doing your nerves any better.

“Would you like to be on top?”

You scanned the room and nodded your head. With no hesitation, he flipped you both so you were straddling his hips and his back was resting against the headboard. His hands run along your sides, giving your behind a firm squeeze. Your eyes found their ways lost in his. The music gives that intimate ambience, and the dimmed lights show off the right amount of his gorgeous features.

You swore you saw his iris flash red, but you shook it away. Turning back, you took one more glance at him before grinding against the tip. A hissing intake escaped from you, nails digging into his shoulders as a grunt was left between those plump lips of his.

Biting your tongue, you continued on with your slow movements, wanting to at least get the head in, but with his size, it could be a bit difficult. You needed some more help.

“Miguel, I need to...”

Without a second thought, his hand reached for the bedside dresser and grabbed the bottle of lube. Using his thumb to pop off the cap, he held it close to you.

“Palm.” That instructive tone sent those goosebumps running all over you.

Obeying, you shakily move it right in front of him. A decent amount of clear gel squirted out. You blinked a few times, confused, watching Miguel place the bottle back in its original spot. Two of his fingers scooped up a small bit, a dangerous glint of desire and hunger.

“I- Miguel, I don't know what you-”

“Go on. Do what you need to do.” The two fingers glided in between his cock, from the head down to the base.

Creasing your eyebrows, you tried to put this puzzle piece together when it hit you. “This is a lot.”

He smirked, taking more, and went back to pleasing himself. “Still too much?”

Using the rest, you lathered up your digits and maneuvered them right to the entrance. Miguel stared passionately, his hand moving at a leisurely pace, enjoying the private experience. Sticking your fingers in, you felt yourself clenching. A hearty moan works its way out, your slick walls tender with every breach from your own attention.

You've never felt this euphoric when you touched yourself. Maybe it was because you both are helping yourselves out for one another, or it could be the fact that a beautiful man was glaring at you with an intent to rearrange your insides while wanting to show you that there is and will be more to this.

“Whenever you're ready, hermosa.”

“I'm ready for you, Mi- ah–Miguel.” He rubbed some of the transparent substance off of him onto your clit. 

Repositioning back over him, you repeated the pattern of nudging yourself down onto him, finding it easier to slide down. A strangled groan trembled out of Miguel, observing the tip disappear in you. Rolling your hips, you clenched on him from your fluttering walls to your arms around his neck. Your eyes blinked rapidly as the tandem rhythm of you and Miguel rocking out of sync held every ounce of ignited need.

Halfway in, your cries and words of sweet nothings echoed in his ears and mind. A ring of your gushing juices formed perfectly on him. The music really did help. 

with that intoxicating ache in your burning bodies. You were so glad you recommended it.

A couple of inches more down. You whine out. He mutters swears in Spanish, growling when you finally hit the base of the shaft.

“Yes, yes, hermosa. Estás hecha para esta verga. Estás hecha para mi.”

You felt full. Tears streaming down, your cries breathless, with Miguel taking control of the mindless thrusting. When you go down, he makes sure to drive up in full force. His fingers skimmed across your ignited skin, longing to take in everything.

The wet slaps were delicious. You bounced with every bit of delight, whining out when Miguel chewed and sucked on your nipple, adding to the fervid moment. 

“Fuck, Miguel! Your cock fits so perfectly!”

“For me, only for me.” Miguel's vigorous pumps sent you both in a spiral.

Your tight walls were constricted; you were experiencing his ridges and veins, all of him rubbing against you so nicely. Your fingernails leave indents on his beefy shoulders, one or two puncturing the skin. The sweat leaking down and shimmering on his chest and abs made you want to take a picture and hide it from everyone. You wanted this image to be for your eyes only, and the idea of keeping it was floating whimsically in the air.

Your murky fluids covering his, the melding scent of your carnal lust as Miguel picked up the tempo, forced you to throw your arms around his neck to not tumble over. His head is buried in the curve of your neck, biting at the flesh, his fangs threatening to sneak in.

“Tan bueno, tan jodidamente bueno. Te haré mía, hermosa.” Miguel took a fistful of your hair, pulling you into a deep kiss.

You screamed, tongues in a constant battle, his giant hand gripping your waist, surely to leave small bruises in the morning. His balls came into contact with your ass as the furious pounding made the bed shake and groan alongside. The fuse was to explode.

“I'm cumming! Miguel, I'm going to cum!”

“Cum for me; do it, hermosa, cum, cum.”

You shrieked. Shockwaves overtook your very soul as you quivered, and your muscles convulsed around his length.

“Miguel, you make me feel like I'm on cloud nine; you brought me to a new high.” You cooed in his ear.

He was close to his end, holding you tight. Your praises drove him insane; he repeated your name over and over until he finally washed over, moaning your name like you were a goddess from above.

Your head fell to his chest, loving the heaving and hearing his heartbeat slow its erratic pace. He began to soften, but he wanted the feeling of you to not disappear.

“So.”

“So.” You huffed out with a giggle.

“Did the offer leave the table? Did I give my worth?”

Digging your chin into his chest, your eyes darted side to side, pretending to search for an answer.

“Well, I suggest you better be here in the morning to get my response.”

You both smiled and snuggled up to each other, cooling down and enjoying the endlessly loving tunes.

•♡•♡•♡•♡•

Miguel stepped inside his place, closing the door quietly, and leaned against it. Every inch of his body was aching and exhausted after this tumultuous day. Disengaging his suit, a hefty exhale puffed out when he got a waft of different spices blending right in his nose. An aroma that can't be beat.

Slugging further in, he eyed the beauty in his big shirt, swaying to nothing in particular. He will always be enraptured by you. 

“You look like you need a long shower.” You eyeballed him from your peripheral view.

“That and something more.”

“And what might that be?” You were fully facing him, arms folded, a tiny smirk twitching its way on your face. “Because if it's dessert, then that's going to have to wait a while.” You didn't hold back on a cheese-eating grin.

“Then how about an offer?”

His stoic face didn't match that slyness to his voice, but you were ready to hear what he had to ‘offer.’

“Alright, I'm listening.” You loosen your arms, propping your elbows up on the counter.

The starvation in his eyes spoke for itself, but you wanted to hear them out loud. Eyes never leave, rapt by each other. Miguel stepped closer and closer, stopping right in front of you and letting his knuckle caress your cheek to your chin before grasping it and tilting your head back.

“I'll shower, but I want it alongside my dessert.” He was right next to your ear. “And I promise it won't ruin my appetite.”

“Well… I'll be willing to give that a chance on one condition.” You tip-toed up his chest with your fingers. 

“And what's that?”

“You say I love you.”

There was a mischievous hint in his eyes. “Te amo, hermosa.”

[rabidline]

Japanese Skaters' Favorite Shoma Uno Programs and Their Reasons

This was in the Figure Skating Team Japan Fan Book for the 2024-2025 season, which had Shoma on its cover along with both a pretty substantial Shoma interview and Stephane interview about Shoma.

For Shoma's retirement, the magazine made a special column to include the active Japanese skaters (and Satoko) messages to Shoma, as well as their favorite Shoma programs. A friend helped in sharing and translating just the favorite Shoma programs part:

Sota Yamamoto: I love so many programs. Loco is the best for me because it’s unique and cool. Turandot 2.0 (2017-2018), when I had a difficult season because of my injury, this program encouraged me. Stairway To Heaven... brushing his hair upward is so cool. Great Spirit and Dancing On My Own (2019 Nationals) He graduated from Grand Prix Tokai and struggled but he could be National champion. I was so moved and almost cried. I love Bolero. Gravity and Air On The G String, he could perform not only powerful but loss of strength and I could learn from him.

Yuma Kagiyama: I love so many programs. Loco is the best. I love Great Spirit so I chose Believer last season (2022-2024 SP). I watched and watched Great Spirit on YouTube and I can skate its step sequence.

Shun Sato: Of course I love Ladies in Lavender. And Great Spirit.

Kazuki Tomono: I love Legends (2015-2016) so much because it’s first SP as a senior skater. His image as a skater changed a lot and it was impressive.

Koshiro Shimada: I love Loco at Helsinki Worlds (2017) the best. And Everything Everywhere All At Once and Bolero. At first Shoma mentioned about Bolero, “It’s so difficult and I can’t.” Finally he could do great performance and win at Worlds (2022) and it was what Stephane wanted to see I think. I was so moved and I almost got goosebumps.

Kao Miura: I love Loco the best because the balance of powerful and sensitive movements is good. I love Bolero because he seems to reach his limits. Not only jumps but each movement were so great and the last he seems to collapse because he skates so hard. I love it so much.

Nozomu Yoshioka: I love 2019-2020 season Great Spirit and Dancing On My Own. Nobody skates for such a number like Great Spirit and it’s so exciting. I like a stop before step sequence and before 3A and it’s so cool program. He struggled first half of the season so I was so moved to see Dancing On My Own at (2019) Nationals.

Tatsuya Tsuboi: I love Turandot 1.0 the best. When I was novice skater I saw his senior debut GPF (2015) and he got a bronze medal. It was so impressive and I was so moved.

Kaori Sakamoto: I love Moonlight. This season he won 4CC title. Second year 4th place, third year 3rd place, fourth year 2nd place, and finally he got gold medal. He seemed very happy on the podium and both program and costume were great. Everything was perfect.

Mone Chiba: I love the last season’s SP, Everything Everywhere All At Once, because I love the atmosphere. His step sequence expresses powerfulness and gracefulness. It’s great program so I feel it too short.

Rinka Watanabe: I love Moonlight because I’d like to express like that. His skating is like a clear (not hazy) night and it’s great.

Rion Sumiyoshi: I love many programs. I love Air On The G String because I sometimes skate it for skating lessons. It’s a very simple music but he can tell a story and he can bring a joy to audience. His technique is great.

Mai Mihara: I love many programs and each has a charm. If I choose one program, I’ll choose Turandot 2.0. Especially cantilever is really great and I was so moved and I almost got goosebumps. Both skating and expression were great.

Hana Yoshida: I have two programs in my mind. If I choose one program, I’ll choose Bolero. I forget the name… small pattern…Great Spirit? I love the step sequence and I’d like to rewatch it.

Yuna Aoki: Turandot 2.0 is so impressive because I love princely costume and I feel his powerfulness from this program. I love it so much.

Wakaba Higuchi: I love Bolero and Turandot so much. I could see Bolero at ice shows many times and it’s impressive.

Satoko Miyahara: I love Bolero the best. Turandot 2.0 is impressive. I also love gala program Padam Padam and I always think it great.

Rino Matsuike: I love Bolero. I used to skate Moonlight, so It’s so special for me. When Mihoko-sensei choreographed this program, she said “When the music started, audience was so focused on his performance from the first moment. (He could bring audience to his world.) When I am training, I think “I’d like to perform like him.”

[dicenete]

I repainted his face more times than probably necessary but something always caught my eye and still does, but it is done. is done. It's fine. xD IkePri Tagteam:

@scummy-writes @goustmilk @solacedeer @m-mmiy @mxrmaid-poet

@pawnkyyy @ludivineikewolf @violettduchess @floydsteeth @wistfulwanderingone

@sh0jun @lorei-writes

A little bit of rambling of him below the break, spoilers (Keith's route, and little bit of Nokto's route) and such :0 so you have been warned.

TL;DR: I enjoyed the route despite its questionable elements. MC is too forgiving at times, but other than that, romanctic route was cute. Licht, the third wheel, was funny but sad.

Okay first about Keith's visual design: I really love how his design is the most asymmetrical from the suitors. Like the jacket and the vest he has. The jacket is very interestingly layered, almost like you aren't sure which part is the main thing and what is the accent. The green or the gold? The host or the alter? : D Same with his vest. His duality is battling in his clothing too hahaha

Keith's route was interesting. I had heard lots of differing opinions about it and I had my own reservations.

One mainly about the portrayal of DID and how the route does it. First things first: I'm not an expert at all. I won't even humor the idea that I had any say in anything regarding it. But overall, it could have been worse? Of course it might be very extreme in the way Alter Keith is hostile towards Host Keith. And of course you shouldn't take this as the only way the alter systems work. But as I said: I'm not an expert.

I had heard that the dramatic route follows Alter Keith and romantic route host Keith. I picked the romantic one. I had my personal reasons for that tho. But aside from that, it was nice to be with Keith that who struggled with self-worth. It was nice to see him grow as a character and find that strength to stand up for himself. (The fact that the host Keith seems to think that he is inferior to Alter Keith and that people would prefer the alter over him. The amount of stress that will bring. )

Keith's uncle was your very generic villain/antagonist without any real depth. He was a spoiled noble and so on. But since this was more about Keith inner journey I thought it was fine that it was like that.

The drugging scene… Well. That's a… a topic. Hmm… Host Keith himself felt very guilty about it and was full of remorse. Not that it was his choice to do it. Alter Keith well… He might justify it because he was gathering information about a rumor that might endanger his home country and people if it were true. I kinda can see where he is coming from, but also...IT CERTAINLY WAS DESTROYING OF TRUST. Like that time when Nokto "accidently" gets MC drunk. but hey ho. Since there is limited time frame for the chapters, I do understand they can't really jam all the things there, but I wanted Belle be more angry with him with Alter Keith for longer.

Maybe that's what bugs me sometimes. That Belle/Emma/MC is sometimes too forgiving and too much of a doormat. It works in routes like Yves and Licht (from the routes I have played, Leon seems like the most respectable gentleman too), because they are not being insulting towards her. I would even think that she works with Clavis, tho I would love to see him with someone who shares his chaotic gremlin energy. But with characters like Chev, Silvio or Alter Keith the their "power" doesn't feel balanced. MC seems to be completely on their mercy even if they stand up to them in some way. (Gilbert is another can of nasty things.)(With Chev's route, well, that is also a rambling for another time. But I haven't finished his route yet. so I will keep my ramblings to myself for now.)

Is Keith's route more about acceptance then? Accepting the good and the bad of a person? Possibly. I would think that is a good way to put it. Both Keiths have good and bad sides. And it seems that they are working on them.

[oozedninjas]

hi i have come for your soul i adore your content...,,

might i request a little blurb about the 07 guys stamina ? like how many rounds they can go , for how long, when they could go again, etc.. thatstuff

sincerely the cockwarm req person i luv you very much <3 have a greatday - 🐛

Hi babe, nice to see you around again!

2007 NSFW(ish?) / 18+ / boys are mid to late twenties /

Leo

Good habits, such as getting enough sleep, exercising, and proper rest, are crucial pillars to build powerful stamina. Leonardo accomplishes all three in his regular training sessions (which also include meditation).

Taking the latter into account, his stamina is probably the highest among all his brothers. I think he might be able to go from three to five times in one session, maybe two in a row, and after some rest, the other ones. It also depends on his mood or the situation he's in.

Pent-up stress gets relieved like this, for instance, and you could swear he can go all night. But on nights when he feels more romantic, maybe one or two are enough.

It also depends on his partner. I can't think of any version of Leo who wouldn't care if you're hurting. So, if you can only go one time, one time it is.

10/10

Raph

As beefy as he looks and with a jawline reminiscent of a sex god, I believe two is his limit, maybe three if I'm being generous.

Excessive exercise without proper rest might cause him to get tired more easily after a couple of rounds.

However, he lasts long.

I think he has a pretty good level of resistance, so if you're going for positions that require a bit of extra effort, he's your man of choice.

9/10

Donnie

I think that with the proper rest between one session and the next, he can climax about three times.

Yet, what's more important for Don is that his partner has a good time, and he tends to focus a lot on their needs.

Do you like it when he lasts longer? He can do that!

Do you prefer to have him cuming on you for starters? Perfect!

His stamina is pretty consistent despite his lack of sleep.

Not tremendously high, but enough to have satisfactory sessions.

He gets really anxious, though. So, if you include some reassurance in aftercare, he'd be super grateful!

8/10

Mikey

I think he comes second to Leo.

Even if not intentionally, Mikey has a pretty good balance between exercising and proper rest.

He loves to have a good time with his partner, so it would last as long as the moment or mood requires, and you can bet he'd have the energy!

Also, I think that your satisfaction is very important to him, so he won't stop until you've come.

I think Mikey can do multiple rounds but ends up absolutely wasted and with a silly smile on his face haha

10/10

[vickyvicarious]

Oh yes, the feeling that you have to rely to the creeper who you loathe so much that you have come to hate even the rooms he resides in, that he's not the scariest thing in your life, that you have to run to his arms for safety. Horror! Dracula claiming him was the high point of the entry (than the almost-bite)

Honestly, yeah. The dynamics between Dracula and Jonathan are so scary, to the point that all the supernatural events are the cherry on top rather than the main course, as far as the horror of this section goes.

Dracula does so much manipulation here, holds so many different kinds of power over Jonathan, and multiple levels of each too. He's got physical power - both in the sense of the castle being a prison, and in the sense of his incredible strength. He's got social power - as a noble, and as a client/boss. He's got monetary power over Jonathan too, able to potentially make or ruin his career. He has so much control over Jonathan's ability to express himself - he's the only company available to him, he's forcing him to keep up a pretense of friendship, he's limiting and controlling his communication with others. Jonathan has no escape: he can't go out of the castle because he's locked in, he can't go many places inside the castle because he's locked out of them, and now he can't leave the rooms Dracula wants him in because otherwise the vampire ladies will get him, and within those rooms there is nowhere safe from Dracula himself. Jonathan has seemingly no action he can take: if he sneaks around behind Dracula's back, a greater threat awaits. If he acts openly, Dracula's own threat may become realized. If he doesn't act at all, he's doomed. If he acts at all, he's doomed. If he trusts Dracula, he's doomed. If he doesn't trust Dracula, he's doomed.

Of course, the supernatural elements are the mechanics by which Dracula increases the stakes, the threats underlying the charming veneer. Specifically, the introduction of the vampire women is what puts Jonathan in this seemingly inescapable box, and one with potential threats to something even greater than his life.

But Dracula's playing this Bluebeard role and could have done so with some more mundane threat as well, without changing too terribly much about his own actions. Where he's scariest (at least to me) is in these interactions with Jonathan, in these manipulative webs and traps he lays out in his words, in the way he pushes so many boundaries until they're forced to collapse or warp under the pressure. Jonathan's privacy keeps getting worn away. Dracula's speech and touch get more familiar and more possessive. He started out the first night blaming Jonathan for the things he did himself ('oh, why did you make your conversation so interesting we had to stay up all night?') and escalates until now he's making Jonathan be the one to act, and to suffer the consequences: whether in forcing him to lie to his loved ones, or in dangling the bait of sleeping outside his room and then only barely saving him when he does. And Jonathan has no real choice but to act. To fail to do so, in one way or another, would mean giving up all hope at escape or likely even survival. But because he has to act, he winds up feeling complicit. He ends up in situations where Dracula thanks him, forgives him, saves him. It keeps putting them on seemingly the same side, with Jonathan in a lesser/reliant role. And that's all a huge lie, at its core. But in a very real way, it's true too, to an extent. More and more, he's getting layers of resistance scraped away, and having to seek safety from Dracula now is so, so horrifying. In many ways all he truly has left is his will to live, his internal determination to resist - and now he's been given powerful incentive not to trust in that latter part too much. It's absolutely brutal.

He's walking a wire that just keeps getting thinner and thinner. All he can possibly do is try to keep this balancing act going, and hope for something to change that will give him more options down the line.

[leiflitter]

So, Mystra-

The more I think about her, the more I want to egg all of her statues, because I am honestly convinced that she's likely way more embroiled in Gale's fall from favour than she seems- and that she likely never cared for him in any meaningful sense.

This is gonna be long, gang.

Also I am 1000% up for screaming about Gale/forming an anti-Mystra union so y'know let's be pals

My thoughts are thus:

She has likely always known about his potential and capability of power. He was a child prodigy, after all- and she's a GODDESS. From the first time he truly used the weave, he was on her radar.

This also makes Gale's relationship with Elminster seem too convenient. As much potential as Gale demonstrates, it's also important to remember that Elminster is Mystra's chosen- and Mystra's chosen are often tasked with upholding and protecting balance in the weave. There are countless wizards that Elminster could mentor- so why Gale specifically?

The same is true of Gale's magical education. I've seen plenty of speculation about his possible potential as a sorcerer, and there's a lot of questions around the circumstances of him entering the Blackstaff Academy- as well as a confirmation of his power when he, a little baby trainee wizard, uses The Actual Blackstaff to cast a spell.

As an aside, Gale's little story about his misadventure with The Blackstaff is especially scary when taking into account that the staff is very devious, and it's primary purpose is to protect Waterdeep- although this is again speculation, I don't think the portal to limbo was just the spell going very, very wonky. I think the Staff, sensing Gale's ability and (through the very clear context clues of him using the fucking staff that you normally would need to attune to and that belongs to the top fancy wizard in waterdeep) his ambition, decided that he was clearly a potential threat that might be better off being quietly removed via Death Slaad.

We also know of at least one story of a young, powerful wizard who, y'know, led to the death of Mystryl and the loss of all magic- in part because he lacked the discipline that he should have learned at Wizard School.

So Gale comes along. Karsus 2.0- he's back, he's human and- most importantly- he's lonely.

How better to neutralise him as a threat than to make him loyal to her? Why would she cast aside a possible asset when she could use him?

The main problem with her plan is Gale himself. She can get him into wizard school. She can get Elminster to mentor him. She can make sure that Gale gets the best magical education, so hopefully he will be content and settle for being an archmage.

She can't, however, account for Gale's brain. Let's be honest, Gale is neurodivergent as fuck, and magic is his number one special interest. He was never going to be content to enjoy magic a "normal" amount, so no matter how many hours he may spend being taught about how great Mystra is and how the limits she sets are to be respected... he won't stop learning, growing more powerful, becoming more and more of a threat to her.

So how does she cement his loyalty? By getting personal. This is why him being isolated is important- it gives her an advantage. She can be number one without any effort. If he has an actual bond to her, not just the concept of her, then he won't be dangerous. Except, again, she's assuming that he'll be like so many other mortals and be so awed by her presence that he'll finally be satisfied. But he isn't.

Why the fuck would a goddess take someone so clearly, deeply intense about magic into her personal realm? Why would she show him all the power he would never be able to access?

Because, to her, he's just a mortal. There has to be a point in which he'll either be sated or he'll realise his limits and give up, because he's just an extremely powerful ant in comparison to her. Mystra has never considered getting to know Gale. If she had, she'd have realised that doing the grand tour of All The Magic You Can't Ever Do was a huge mistake. That making herself the focal point of his entire existence was an absolutely dogshit move.

Gale throws himself so hard into Being Mystra's Best Boy because he has nothing outside of magic other than his mother. He summoned his best friend, and he admits that he has colleagues and acquaintances, but nothing much else. He and Elminster clearly care for each other, but it's clear that Mystra's placed barriers between them- and even if they were able to be best buds and make friendship bracelets, together, they're at vastly different stages of life.

It's also likely that Mystra's interest in him led to his isolation. He has been marked as Special- the old gifted child problem where him being So Smart So Magic meant he bypassed the social side of things.

So of course he wants to prove himself, to impress her- his entire metric for his self-worth is Being A Wizard. He says he's bumped uglies with mortals before- but he doesn't mention anyone specifically. And, let's be frank, the man has a case of foot-in-mouth syndrome- if he had any meaningful romantic experience before Mystra, you know he'd have brought it up at least once. "Ah, autumncrocus- back in my apprentice days I picked a bunch for the object of my youthful affections. Unfortunately I hadn't realised they were allergic- but they certainly appreciated the gesture, if you catch my implication... Once they stopped sneezing, of course."

She becomes his whole world. He wants so desperately to be on her level, to be what he thinks she deserves- and yes, it was incredibly stupid of him. However, what the fuck was Mystra doing?

Throughout BG3, high approval Gale is actually incredibly receptive if you tell him not to persue power. Yes, his earlier mistakes may play into this, but I find it hard to believe that he'd be any less receptive to Mystra.

To quote- "I pouted. I pleaded. I swore my ambition was only to serve her better. But she only smiled and told me to be contented."

So, then, why did Mystra not actually engage with Gale on this?

Because she never cared about him.

She tried all the options she thought would work on a mortal, and when they were done she didn't consider trying anything else. She never knew him well enough to understand his motivations- he should have been satisfied with Magic Sex because surely any mortal would be. She couldn't even consider that his love wasn't just him liking the company and getting laid, that he'd still want to prove himself to her. To be worthy of the Mystra she'd let him believe in.

And when he fucked up- if she had helped him, even in a tiny way, then she'd have achieved her goal. Imagine if he'd come to her, agonised by the dark magic within him, and she'd been merciful. The way you would be, if you loved someone. If she had actually known Gale? She'd have done it.

But Mystra doesn't see it as an act of love gone wrong. To Mystra, it's proof that she can't control him, that his potential isn't worth whatever effort she'd need to put in.

She abandons him to die- expects him to go on a pilgramage into the wilderness and just go boom.

When he doesn't? She decides that, fine, she'll deal with it- by sending Elminster to tell Gale the good news! She'll "forgive" him if he detonates himself, honest! He trusts Elminster, Elminster's a father figure to him, he'll do what Elminster tells him. Except that's another example of her not understanding Gale in the slightest. Instead of hope, she's rubbing salt in his wounds- she's flexing her power and showing Gale that his bond with Elminster was always conditional on Mystra's approval, and that Elminster's loyalty lies with her.

No wonder Elminster sent a construct- it's the closest thing he can do that isn't abject refusal.

I am gonna stop rambling now but in conclusion:

Mystra, you absolutely suck. Get wrecked. I hope Bhaal shits in your pocket dimension.

[dontmeantobepoliticalbut]

By Peter Rosenstein

I will surely be challenged for these views, not the least being called ageist. But as someone older myself, I am comfortable with that. It is not that I think older people are not fully capable of functioning at a very high level; they are. I just believe we must let the next generations, who will be living much longer with the results of what government does, have more of a role in determining what that is.

Based on what we have seen of this Supreme Court, its willingness to overturn decades of precedent, the time has come to expand the court for a rational balance. In addition, we should set 24-year term limits for justices, or retirement at 80, whichever comes first. Changing the number of people on the court is not a new idea. The number of persons on the Supreme Court has been changed six times since our country was founded. The U.S. Constitution is silent about how many justices should sit on the Supreme Court.

“After the Civil War and Lincoln’s assassination, Congress clashed with Lincoln’s successor, Andrew Johnson, who was rapidly undoing the ‘Radical Republicans’ plan for Reconstruction. To limit Johnson’s power, Congress passed legislation in 1866 that cut the number of Supreme Court justices back to seven, all but assuring that Johnson wouldn’t have the opportunity to fill a vacant seat. The last time Congress changed the number of Supreme Court justices was in 1869, again to meet a political end. Ulysses S. Grant was elected president in 1868 with the backing of congressional Republicans who hated Johnson. As a gift to Grant, Congress increased the number of justices from seven back to nine, and Grant gamely used those picks.”

On today’s Supreme Court, Clarence Thomas has now served 32 years, and Roberts and Alito, 19 years each. Then there was Ruth Bader Ginsburg. She was 87, and had served 27 years, when she died, clinging to her seat when it was known how ill she was.

It is only recently I have come to this conclusion regarding the Supreme Court, and on term and age limits for the Congress. We are seeing too many older men, and women, cling to power. They may still have the mental acuity to perform their jobs, but entire generations aren’t serving because they refuse to leave. There is incredible power in incumbency, and we are seeing it abused.

We are asking young people to vote for candidates old enough to be their grandparents, or great-grandparents. Some say they should revolt and change that. But the fact is, so much money is now in the game, the unlimited amount people can spend on their own campaigns, and collect from others, makes that nearly impossible. It’s rare to be able to fight incumbency and wealth.

Yes, it can happen, as in the case of Maryland Congressman David Trone (D-Md.), who is 68, and tried to buy a United States Senate seat in Maryland with $60 million of his own money. He lost his primary to Angela Alsobrooks, who is 53, whose campaign had less than a tenth of that. But she was a known entity, and elected official, in her own right.

Today, in the 100-member United States Senate, there is one senator over 90, four over 80, and another 10 over 70. I propose we set a limit of four terms, or 24 years, and mandatory retirement at 80. In the House of Representatives, which now has 11 members over 80, and 62 over 70, I would recommend a 12-term limit, or 24 years, and mandatory retirement at 80.

I have had conversations with many young people, and listened to their frustrations with their ability to move forward in politics. Many see the world differently than I do, and my belief is they are entitled to be making the decisions that will impact their lives, and not have the older generations continue to do so. I think being in office for 24 years is enough time to make a difference, and to accomplish what you wanted to do when you ran for office. And if you couldn’t do it, it is time to allow the next generations to try.

The desire to cling to power is natural. For many, the fear of retirement, and not knowing what they will do with their lives, is scary. I think one must plan for that, even politicians. They need to accept they can make a difference, even if not in office, if they really want to.

[gold-pavilion]

Toman and Buddhism + Tenjiku and Taoism

Another post to cover references in Tokyo Revengers! 

This time, I'll be covering the links to two religions to be found in two gangs in the series, reference by reference, with the according explanation of each. 

Some of these may be already known, I know one of them sure is (the whole buddhist manji confusion thing yeah yeah) but still, for the sake of a tidy compilation and of providing more detail, I'll go through them too. Some others are a lot less noticed, like Tenjiku's lean towards Tao, so it'll be best to lay down eeeeeeverything I've caught during my time enjoying this series. Plus, I'm pretty excited to get some of those less-known facts out here!!

Warning though, it's lengthy.

Let's start with Tokyo Manji Gang:

- Firstly, the gang's name and how it's written.

Despite Mikey suggesting the name as a short form of Tokyo Manjiro Gang, putting himself front and center, the kanji that ended up forming the name of Tokyo Manji Gang show that it went in a different direction of meaning. The manji used for the middle part ended up not being the same one from the name Manjiro, but a manji written as 卍. Aloud it's read the same way (many, many, many kanji are homophones), but has a different meaning.

卍 (manji) is an extremely common buddhist symbol (not even limited to japanese buddhism, but in hinduism and other aligned east-asian religions too), which represents the path of Buddha and the endless cycle of rebirth through samsara; the pursuit of leading a more spiritually balanced existence until the soul can reach enlightenment. In other words, it's nothing but deeply buddhist.

(To answer a common question around it: can it be called a swastika? Yes. The symbol in general, with each of the million variations that have popped up in different cultures, can be called a swastika as a broad term. There are a fuckton of swastikas. They mean a fuckton of different things. The tilt and the direction in which this one "spins" makes it different from other swastikas though, and it's always best to be precise and call this one manji.)

Moving on,

- Reunion spot.

The Musashi Shrine (based, but not exactly taken from any of the real-life shrines and temples of similar name in Tokyo, as far as I know) is a shinto-buddhist temple. And, apparently, a place where the founders hung out from time to time, but I'll add to that later!!

It's cute to me that the Toman members seem to use the temple very respectfully. They always meet in it at night waaay after it's closed (daytime meetings have always taken place in different locations, never the temple during visiting hours), they've never once set foot even near the oratory/sanctum/other buildings, never been seen bringing the motorcycles anywhere they shouldn't, and the one time a character was seen using the public temizuya (the little stone fountain where visitors purify their hands and mouth), he was proper about it in terms of pouring water into his hand to rinse his mouth with, not getting the ladle or the rest of the water dirty, as one should always do. 

A fun fact: in Google Maps, buddhist temples are marked with the manji symbol!

- Gang's manifesto.

Embroidered on the chest of the gang uniform, you can see the text  天上天下唯我独尊 ("Above the earth and below the heavens, I alone shall be honored"), which is the gang's manifesto or motto. Sounds just like something Mikey would choose, yeah.

That phrase is also of buddhist origin; famously, the words spoken by Buddha Gautama Siddharta (bear in mind that buddhism isn't a religion with one god or anything like that, anyone enlightened can become a Buddha and many figures have been granted that status, but Gautama is the first and main one, the creator of the doctrine) when he was born. To be honest, this is very much interpretative, but I've come to get the impression that it's not so much a power or ego statement, but rather an expression of cultivating and honoring yourself…? It's absolutely up to personal reading and I'm absolutely not an expert. But those are certainly THE Buddha's words.

- Ceremonial sash.

Another part of their uniform that bears a slight reference: the sash worn by the commander, vice-commander, captains and vice-captains during important fights.

These are tasuki, sashes originally worn by shinto-buddhist priests during ceremonies, in order to keep long sleeves and such in place. However, eventually, they also began being worn by samurai and all sorts of warriors, 'cause of their convenience. In modern times, they even started being used by just about anybody who wears traditional clothing but also does manual work and needs the sleeves out of the way. So it can be concluded that, over time, they stopped being strongly linked to religious practicers. In fact, even biker gangs in general ended up adopting the use of tasuki! Not for their religious origins, but for the warrior part; a bōsōzoku gang member wearing one would look very prepared and determined for a fight.

That's why overall, Tokyo Manji Gang having them is only a relative reference; they could be paying homage to their reference religion, as they could be only honoring gang traditions.

- Additional notes about the leader.

I feel it's important to add up all these little factors of Mikey's choosing, with other little details about him as a person that kinda make it all make sense.

If I say "Mikey seems to be religious, to an extent", I understand this can carry a bunch of tricky connotations. Japanese religion isn't exercised the same way it is in other places, someone being religious SURE AS HECK doesn't mean the same things it means in the christian west. Shinto-buddhism is so commonplace in Japan, most people partake in all kinds of religious practices without even thinking of them as strictly religious, such as new year's celebrations, casual prayer during shrine visits, purchasing and giving charms and such. Religion is integrated in life in a lot of extremely chill ways.

And we can observe a lot of things about Mikey that put him quite above the average in terms of his relationship with local tradition and religion. His house is a huge traditional-style family home, his family is hinted to be active in religious practice (remember Emma's appearances during the Christmas Showdown arc? How she mentioned that their family does a lot of temple visits, and even she considered it weird at that time of the year?), he's much more prone to wearing traditional clothing than his peers, his motif in extra clothing designs is the lion-dog (temple guardians; statues of these can often be found in them), his personal beliefs around death and relationship to the dead run deeper than others' to the point they find him disturbing when he talks about Shinichiro or Baji still being with him... many little things that aren't that deep on their own, of course, but when added up they paint a pretty coherent picture of the guy.

And so, it does make a lot of sense that, even from childhood, a temple was a regular place for Mikey to hang out with his friends, leading to the birth of Toman in one. And it makes a lot of sense that he made all those little choices about the way the gang would be styled. In my opinion, it's likely that those things just all came natural to him because they're a part of his background and worldview. Of course, how actively religious he is, how much he believes in the things he happens to know and how much exactly he might know about buddhism are all up to headcanoning and interpretation. Personally, I'm just a roleplayer that takes it as a relevant part of his character.

- Following a Buddha?

A little out-of-TR-universe element that I love to bring up, 'cause it's just hilarious and cool as hell, is the creation of this statue:

This part of the 2022 Tokyo Revengers exhibition straight up imitates the famous Reclining Buddha in the Wat Pho temple, Thailand. 

The ENORMOUS statue depicts the moment Buddha reaches nirvana, and his enlightened soul is at rest. The golden Mikey statue that imitates it very much intentionally likens him to a Buddha; funny to note that the exhibition staff even prayed to the statue, as you can read in the tweet itself.

What does this mean about Mikey's character? Well, this isn't within text in Tokyo Revengers, just a little outside factor, so I wouldn't take it too literally or too seriously, but it's interesting nonetheless. Personally, I see it as a hint that Mikey was supposed to be on his own little quest to enlightenment, or had the potential to be. Grappling with morality without having a natural sense of what's right, wrong, too much or enough is a major thing with his character. I can also imagine it might just be meant to represent the godlike view others have of him, the guidance they sought from him. Take it as you will! 

The important thing is just that it exists, to confirm that there is an intentional connection of some type between the Buddha and Mikey.

Thaaaaat concludes the Toman and Buddhism section of this post.

Whew!! That was a whole lot.

The Tenjiku and Taoism section coming now is shorter, but I'm sure it contains interesting and less-known things (at least, I've never seen anybody talk about these)!

So let's see, Tao references in Tenjiku:

- Gang name.

Tenjiku is a now-obsolete word that translated directly to "heaven", while simultaneously being the japanese word for the country India (as taken from the chinese pronunciation, Tianzhu).

In modern times, it can be found mostly in ancient literature, the most prominent example being Journey to the West. Given that Kakucho and Izana mentioned this book and seemed to have knowledge of it as kids, we can conclude that's where they got the name of their gang from.

Why would they use the word for India to name their kingdom? What does this have to do with Tao? I'll get into that properly now:

- Kakucho, Izana & Journey to the West.

Journey to the West is one of the four great chinese classic novels (along with Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Outlaws of the Marsh, and Dream of the Red Chamber) which are enormous, ENORMOUS influences on east-asian literature and fiction in general. Journey to the West, itself, is considered the most popular east-asian literary work overall; of course, being super well-known in Japan, too. (To give my favorite funny example of just how omnipresent it is, y'know Dragon Ball? Hit anime series Dragon Ball? Unabashedly based on Journey to the West, which was to thank for most of its initial local popularity.)

It's the story of the buddhist monk Tang Sanzang, who travels to Tenjiku, to India, to that certain heavenly kingdom, to obtain sacred texts for Buddha Gautama Siddharta (the guy I described as THE Buddha in the Tokyo Manji Gang section above). The quest doubles as a search and exercise of enlightenment, as Tang Sanzang is aided by three protectors that are atoning for their sins and learning from him. The main guardian and arguably the true protagonist of the book is Sun Wukong, the Monkey King, a fighter "so strong he could carry a mountain on each shoulder, and still dash as fast as a meteor". It's a huge, epic, 100-chapter monster of a book, in which each chapter is already a fantastic and entertaining anecdote about the characters or what happens in their travels, but also a long spiritual journey that pretty much serves to subtly teach the principles of Tao (term that can be translated to "the path", chinese religion and philosophy). 

A tangent: let me just show you how large it is (and why I haven't been able to finish it, 'cause I cannot take this brick of a book anywhere lmaoooo).

(Cover says Journey to the West: The Adventures of the Monkey King. It's in spanish.)

My guess is that Izana and Kakucho studied about it or read some chapters in school, 'cause dang, there's no way they read all of this at that age?!?! BUT ANYWAY.

While there's obviously quite some buddhist influence in the story, most of what it works with throughout is rooted in chinese folklore and Taoism. The edition of the book I have even begins with extensive notes and introductory explanations about Tao, as its themes of harmony with the universe, self-cultivation, internal alchemy, its main ethics and values, etc etc etc are the basis from which the book is built up. The characters very actively engage with Tao. Sun Wukong is an ardent student of Tao who obtains a bunch of powers through it, for one.

I've gone into this much into detail because Kakucho and Izana make it pretty explicit that, to them, Izana is like monk Tang Sanzang leading to Tenjiku, and Kakucho is like his guardian of unmatched strength, Sun Wukong.

In the end of Journey to the West, it's both Tang Sanzang and Sun Wukong that accomplish their goal and also obtain enlightenment, finally ascending to buddhahood. Had Izana and Kakucho's journey with Tenjiku reached their original destination (not "to become a criminal syndicate that controls Japan" but "to build a kingdom where everyone without a home could exist"), had it been like Tang Sanzang and Sun Wukong's pilgrimage… they would've learned true balance and they would've found the necessary enlightenment.

Again, I find this little connection with characters that could've been on a quest towards buddhahood, but as far as things went in the main TR timelines, all failed.

- Uniform & logo.

Finally, something lighter and quicker to add, haha.

There are symbols and references that are so so so widespread that they become more of an aesthetic detail than a symbol with meaning, in the eyes of the general public. The yin-yang is one of those symbols that just… appears in a lot of places, fashionably, and one kinda gets used to seeing it without thinking much about it. Sometimes it's not meant to stand for much more than a decorative detail, yes, that definitely happens, but sometimes it's very much a thoughtful choice. With Tenjiku, given its connection to Taoism, I'm gonna treat the yin-yang as a meaningful choice.

So! On the back of the uniform we have a yin-yang, Taoist symbol that represents the balance of the two complementary and opposing forces of the universe (note: it's not a good vs evil type of thing, as tends to happen with western black-white dualism, but rather… the fact that reality needs to be composed of push and pull to get anywhere, hard and soft things with their own function, sun and shade. A common comparison is how a mountain will have a sunny side and a shady side when looked at in a certain moment, but the sun and shade will switch over at another time of day, in a needed cycle). Other features of the uniform are a mao collar instead of a more common style for gang jackets, and an intense red color, the main auspicious and prosperous color in chinese culture. These last two little features could easily be coincidental, but when paired with the yin-yang, I feel like it's intended to lean towards chinese aesthetics.

And with that, 

I end this reference post!

Did you learn anything you didn't know? Did you enjoy learning it? Any thoughts? I LOVE TO TALK ABOUT THESE THINGS, SO FEEL FREE TO DROP BY MY ASKBOX with any comments or questions or such!!

[silverskye13]

Are saints allowed to serve their paladins, or is it mostly a one-way street? Are saints allowed to exist and act when unasked for?

Hmm. This turned a little rambling I apologise. Also I end up saying the word "domain" a lot, so in lieu of finding a good place to explain what I mean by domain, I'll just say it before the cut.

A Saint's "domain" is the thing about the universe they've learned to manipulate, using the faith of the people that believe in them. For large gods who maybe always started as concepts [Order of Remembrance for example], the domain is a broad concept like memory. If memory is involved, it will pull apart the universe to affect it. However, if it wanted to do some kind of miracle [calling a paladin to capture someone maybe, or healing a terrible wound], if doing so would have no effect on its domain, it could not affect change. Smaller saints might have more niche concepts attached to them. [Ie, I have a headcanon VintageBeef's hels is a Saint of Slaughter/Butchery, and is best followed by people who do hoglin hunts in hels. His following is small, and he channels his power for only This Specific Thing, and can affect nothing else.]

I think it depends a bit on the deity in question, and how much deification they get, whether their power is a physical two-way link. Something they use with the same proficiency they put into others.

Small Saints who have basically no followers, and have little to no idea what they stand for, or why, are basically Just Guys. They are Guys powered by someone else's faith, who have interesting powers that manifest on occasion, and they have a habit of collecting very dedicated friend groups. But they are still, at the end of the day, Just Guys. They can act when unasked for, they can help their priests and paladins literally, physically, or do the miracle they want to do themselves, because at that point, everything about them is small and personal, and human. If your neighborhood pastor could work a miracle under a set of memorized rules, and sometimes shook your hand and let you do it too, they would be a Small Saint.

[That's not to say a Small Saint isn't still powerful. They are people who can mess with the weave of the world. Anyone not prepared for that is going to get the shock of their life. Anyone who isn't a Saint who is channeling that, is going to suffer consequences. It's just that, a Small Saint could maybe channel through one person at a time, and they might not even know how they did it. *Coughing noises, glances at plot*]

Medium? Saints? Saints that have a following, that have too many people to have an individual relationship with, get a little more unfathomable and constrained. At some point, messing with the universe has repercussions for everyone. If the Hermits had a whole city of followers, they would default to this. The world looks different to them. They can see the edges, where infinity and coding lies. In hels, a Saint who reaches that point stops seeing people as people, and they themselves stop looking and feeling like people. They can affect several people at once. They can justify things like punishment, and creating a moral code for people to follow. Being able to balance between the universe and hels is more important. They could still intervene on someone's behalf, but it's no longer a personal decision, and now something measured in loyalty, faith, prayer. You are one person, and your Saint is changing the world for a dozen of you, but power has limits.

[I imagine Evil X is somewhere around here. He has creative mode. He knows he can break the world to his will. But he also still has a physical body, and can just walk across the room and move something. He's still a person, he's just a person who's taken on the Uncanny, and knows there are no true repercussions to his actions. He's not a kind Saint, if he can rightly be called one. I imagine he was very destructive when he discovered his power, and had to mellow out over time. His domain has to do with chaos, and breaking things for the sake of breaking them. He had to learn it's a power he can use, not a power he has to use.]

Big Saints [and gods], get eldritch. They don't really exist as people anymore. Maybe they went on pilgrimage one day and never returned, but an echo of them has manifested as something people can tap into now. Maybe they stayed a person as long as possible, but at some point so much faith elevated them into something Different, a change a simpler more human them would have feared, but they no longer remember that simpler person anymore. Instead they are the impulses and principles they ruled themselves and others by, and their only memories have narrowed into parables and legends that only show hints of the person they used to be. They can give their power to a select few people willingly, but they no longer go out of their way to intercede in their daily life. They have gifted a piece of themselves to someone, because that person can be trusted to use it well, but they won't mourn that person if they leave. One person is small in the eye of the universal.

To me, Helsknight's Saint of Blood and Steel is a large, old Saint, with a congregation that deals best with the impersonal. They are people looking to be swords in the hands of the divine, so their Saint treats them as such. If the Saint had no congregation, as a deity always looking for a sword, they would act on their own until they found someone willing, but they would always be looking for a sword.

I also feel like some of how personal and two-way the connection is, is dependent on the nature of the domain.

Tanguish, if he ever becomes a true Saint with a following, doesn't know what his domain is. All he knows is, Helsknight promised to protect him, and so when he needed help, he Called, and Helsknight Answered. It was terrifying. He pulled a thread of the universe and used it to change what should have happened. If Helsknight were suffering, as someone who is human, who can't even see the threads they're pulling, Tanguish would do everything he could to help, and if he stumbled into his domain along the way, he would use it for that purpose. The power he has, whatever it is, can be genuinely harmful when used, because helsmets were not made to feel the full force of the universe -- something that already seeks to devour them on principle. He is someone who just found out that sometimes, seemingly randomly, he touches a person and they're struck by lightning. Whether they willingly touched him, and whether he would willingly take the lightning strike in their place, isn't exactly the current issue.

The God of Memory, whatever gives the Blue Lady her paladin powers, probably feels small and personal despite coming from a large idea and probably never being human. Its domain is Remembrance, and that implies something that tries to be personal despite how Eldritch it is. When its power is channeled, it always harms the channeler grandly and dramatically [the Blue Lady saying a small prophesy and being blinded by ink is a very light repercussion. It doesn't know what humanity is. It doesn't know what a body is. Or eating or drinking, or that someone who needs crutches to walk can't just drop them and not hurt muscle and bone. It just knows its will is needed so it acts. It is learning. It doesn't want to lose its followers, because it wants to form long, lasting memories of them. But it will break a lot of people before it learns limits.]

Meanwhile, the Saint of Blood and Steel definitely started as a person. They have an origin point [the plot will get there someday], they even have a Known Ascension. But they are a Saint to things like Vengeance and Justice, distant concepts that are best when they're not personal, a swinging sword that Exacts A Price. Channeling them will damage because the nature of the power is damaging, but they temper that by only calling people for a cause worthy of dying for. If there is a chance jumping off a cliff will break your legs, they will first guarantee there's a reason to get to the bottom. The Saint of Blood and Steel knows who they are, and knows that every knight or paladin or priest to pass through their halls is, almost certainly, doomed. They might have tried to save a few, long ago when they were something closer to human, but now they know a universal truth: whether they succeed or fail in saving anyone, whoever served them will have done it willingly, and there will always be someone along to replace them. When a sword is broken, you do not mourn the sword. You pick up another. Though you may grow melancholy for something cared for, now lost.

No matter how large, or loved, or powerful a Saint is, the Universe will always be more so. It has to be. If every helsmet had to become a Saint to hold a fraction of the potential a Hermit has, and every Hermit has faith in the universe, in the fact that it exists, that it speaks to them when they fight the monsters in the world, that it loves them, the Universe will always be bigger than even the largest hels-born Saint could fathom.

[akajustmerry]

"The cycle of violence in The Last of Us Part II appears to be largely modelled after the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. I suspect that some players, if they consciously clock the parallels at all, will think The Last of Us Part II is taking a balanced and fair perspective on that conflict, humanizing and exposing flaws in both sides of its in-game analogues. But as someone who grew up in Israel, I recognized a familiar, firmly Israeli way of seeing and explaining the conflict which tries to appear evenhanded and even enlightened, but in practice marginalizes the Palestinian experience in a manner that perpetuates a horrific status quo.

The game's co-director and co-writer Neil Druckmann, an Israeli who was born and raised in the West Bank before his family moved to the U.S., told the Washington Post that the game's themes of revenge can be traced back to the 2000 killing of two Israeli soldiers by a mob in Ramallah. Some of the gruesome details of the incident were captured on video, which Druckmann viewed. In his interview, he recounted the anger and desire for vengeance he felt when he saw the video—and how he later reconsidered and regretted those impulses, saying they made him feel “gross and guilty.” But it gave him the kernel of a story.

“I landed on this emotional idea of, can we, over the course of the game, make you feel this intense hate that is universal in the same way that unconditional love is universal?” Druckmann told the Post. “This hate that people feel has the same kind of universality. You hate someone so much that you want them to suffer in the way they’ve made someone you love suffer.”

"That's what this story is about, do the ends justify the means, and it's so much about perspective. If it was to save a strange kid maybe Joel would have made a very different decision, but when it was his tribe, his daughter, there was no question about what he was going to do," Druckmann said.

In the game, most of the Wolves regime's restrictions are directed at a post-apocalyptic religious sect called the Seraphites (the Wolves call them "Scars" after the ritualistic scarring of their faces). These Scars vexed FEDRA as well when it was in control. The dynamic in the city when the game begins is one of conflict, escalation, and a broken truce. The Wolves, like FEDRA, leverage more resources and raw power, while the Scars rely on surprise strikes against Wolf patrols, and a zealous willingness to die for the cause.

To run through just a few key ways in which the Scars uncomfortably reflect some Israeli stereotypes about Palestinians: Later in the game, Ellie finds a location called "Martyr Gate," where the Scars' spiritual leader apparently died, indicating a religious significance of a specific and disputed location, and emphasizing the notion of martyrdom as central to their culture. The Scars are able to get around Wolf patrols and various barriers around the city via an elaborate, secret system of bridges between skyscrapers. These function as a kind of flipped version of the underground tunnels Palestinians use to bypass Israeli blockades and other means of limiting free movement in order to get supplies and carry out attacks on Israel.

In The Last of Us Part II's Seattle, Scars and Wolves hurt each other terribly, and the same can be said about Israel and Palestine. The difference is that when flashes of violence abate and the smoke clears, one side continues to live freely and prosper, while the other goes back to a life of occupation and humiliation. One side continues to expand while the other continues to lose the land it needs to live. Imagining this process as some kind of symmetric cycle benefits one side more than the other, and allows it to continue.

Ellie's journey of revenge seems especially cruel, even idiotic, because we are never given a good reason for why she keeps recommitting to it. Acts of cruelty along the way, like Ellie's torturing another character to get information, are presented as inevitable. This seems to be The Last of Us Part II's thesis: humans experience a kind of "intense hate that is universal," as Druckmann told The Post, which keep us trapped in these cycles. This is not a universal feeling as much as it's a learned way of seeing the world. 

The Last of Us Part II is an incredible journey that provides not only one of the most mesmerizing spectacles that we've seen from big budget video games, but one that manages to ask difficult questions along the way. It's clearly coming from an emotionally authentic and self-examining place. The trouble with it, and the reason that Ellie's journey ultimately feels nonsensical, is that it begins from a place that accepts "intense hate that is universal" as a fact of life, rather than examining where and why this behaviour is learned."

The Not So Hidden Israeli Politics of 'The Last of Us Part II' by Emanuel Maiberg

[tobiasdrake]

Fun Fact: Namekian regeneration is costly and needs to be performed with a mind to resource management.

Namekian regeneration is an interesting ability. Namekians can spend a significant portion of their ki to regrow missing body parts.

It's an ability Piccolo first introduces after losing his arm to Raditz.

After the end of the fight, he's able to use Namekian regeneration to regrow that arm.

However, the limitations of regeneration force him to postpone his regrowth until after the fight is over. For the duration of the fight, he elects to remain disabled.

This is a tactical decision. Had Piccolo regenerated his arm during the fight, it's unlikely he could have produced a strong enough Makankosappo to kill Raditz.

The reason for this is because Namekian regeneration costs a sizable amount of ki to perform.

A Namekian warrior can trade a portion of their ki for limb regrowth, but at a harsh cost to their stamina. Piccolo weighed his options and deemed his ability to output as strong of a Makankosappo as possible to be more valuable than a second arm.

Given that Raditz's statblock made him and Goku look like fools in a straight fight, this was probably a wise tactical decision.

The cost associated with this kind of regeneration is also part of what made the Cell Games viable as a competition. At least, in Cell's mind.

Unlike the Twins, Cell doesn't have the benefit of infinite energy. He has actual ki, as well as the weirdest ki signature in the history of Dragon Ball due to the nature of his biology.

Cell has five separate ki signatures, one for each of his donors. Super freaky.

But the point is, unlike the Twins, Cell has ordinary biological limitations. This includes the ability to burn through his ki and tire out. The plan for the Cell Games, the way he intended to lay it out, was an endurance match.

His foes would come at him one after another, and Cell would be forced to face everybody in consecutive battles without time to rest between fights. Thus, they might be able to wear him down enough that their heaviest hitters could then come in and finish him off.

Because, in addition to the energy he spends defeating them, any time he has to do something like this:

That's going to come at a cost. Cell can be worn down by pushing him hard enough, making him fire off too many powerful attacks and forcing him to regenerate too many times. This lends the tournament a degree of balance and, for Cell, a measure of engaging challenge.

Which is precisely why the decision to have Goku step up to the plate first is so subversive. Goku isn't playing Cell's game.

Goku what are you doing

You're the MVP. We're supposed to take turns burning out as much of Cell's ki as we can so that you can swoop in at the very end and finish him off. Are you out of your goddamn mind!?

Sure enough, Goku hits Cell hard. Hard enough to do this.

It doesn't kill him; Far from. But that was a lot of regeneration he had to do just now.

This is precisely how the game was meant to be played. Goku can't beat Cell in a straight fight. Nobody can beat Cell in a straight fight. But wearing him down? Forcing him to burn through his ki through match after match after match until he can't fight anymore? That's possible.

Cell even offers to let contestant #2 also be Goku.

However, not only does Goku have a different contender in mind...

He also refuses to play the game. Volunteering to fight first was, in and of itself, a rejection of Cell's terms of engagement. Goku refused to play along and let his friends burn out Cell's ki before fighting him.

He similarly refuses to accept Cell's idea of an endurance bout.

Letting Cell recover his ki between matches is a flat rejection of Cell's own rules. Goku erases the stamina cost of his own Teleport Kamehameha as well as the other moves Cell had to pull against him because he isn't playing Cell's game. Instead, he baits Cell into playing his game.

This is Goku's game. Screw "Dogpile on Cell", we're playing "Make Gohan asplode with fury!" instead.

As much as it's Vegeta's fault that Perfect Cell was able to happen? By the same token, nobody worked harder to bring out Super Saiyan 2 Gohan than Cell did. Goku took Cell's general lack of real motive and interest in just having a good time doing whatever, and he played those attributes against him.

This distinction, incidentally, the limitations of regeneration, are what makes Majin Buu into such an entirely different beast.

Majin Buu is a magical taffy monster with bottomless stamina who can freely regenerate with no limits.

And that's cheating.