#<-would be exactly this incoherant regardless

[sunnnfish]

I know you said don't worry about it but I am a chronic worrier so do you wish to elaborate on that fabiniku shirashiro au you mentioned

WELLLL IF YOU INSIST... twirling hair evilly. so first up fabiniku is short for a manga series Fantasy Bishojo Juniku Ojisan to. translated to. deep breath. Life with an Ordinary Guy Who Reincarnated into a Total Fantasy Knockout. or other such translations. dont know if you know what fabiniku is so we're gonna explain it wheeeee.

so basic plot, maybe inferred from the title. these two guys in their 30s are like best friends who often go out drinking and go to mixers and all that and one of them is all like. i wanna get a giirrrlllllfriieennddd <- drunk in the bathroom while his friend comforts him. hope youre already recieving the shirashiro mindbeams. two hopeless romantic friends etc etc. and then. i forget exactly how we get to this but drunk sopping wet pathetic one (tachibana is his name) ends up saying like. i just wish i was a girl! or something to that effect. which catches the attention of an otherworldly god who takes it so literally and brings them both to this fantasy world in which tachibana has been turned into a drop dead beautiful and cute girl and his best friend is just still in his office suit. (jinguuji is his name). shenanigans ensue! highly recommended its so fun and interesting and subtly(?) queer. central themes of love and saving people. theres traumatic backstories and everything. really recommend just reading it.

BUT. shirashiro slots soooooo well into this setup it makes me genuinely sick. shirahama and tashiro still going to mixers from their office jobs because they just cant land a goddamn girlfriend. shirahama drunk and sick in the bathroom, tashiro with a hand on his back and throwing his arm over his shoulder to walk them home. shirahama, drunk, wish i was a cute girl! drop dead gorgeous! at least people would love me. transported to a fantasy world, shirahama gets to turned into a cute girl, not that tashiro is necessarily jealous, thatd be silly. she is really cute though. and shirahama, girl, shorter than tashiro for once, looking up like. has he always been this cool...? wait who said that.

theres also this whole bit where tachibana, girl, is a bit cursed with being so pretty that it literally charms any men in a however big radius. which jinguuji does sometimes fall victim to and it shows a little [<3 charmed] effect above his head. putting things together in my head This is also a bit like dating sim au. anyways. and theres this whole inner turmoil like Wait she may be cute but i know hes really just a guy. guys im so bad at explaining thiinnngggsss theres so many facets. read fabiniku.

theres also just so many moments in fabiniku that just line up. theres a bit about jinguuji letting his hair down and it was insanely tashiro coded. theres the way jinguuji is so observant but reserved. the character developments make sense. really truly just read fabiniku with shirashiro in mind and youll see it.

also like. look at them. come oonnnn.

theres also adjustments ive made in my head about their backstories n stuff but that would be so spoilery. once again: read fabiniku. im really bad at explaining things. just imaging me pointing and gesturing frantically and making weird noises. whatever. peace and love on planet shirashiro

[meiieiri]

when do we get to see megumi in your new series ^3^

𝐛𝐞𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐤𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬 ! [toji fushiguro]

synopsis: “you really are your mother’s son,” toji grumbles to megumi as the little brat yet again refuses another kiss from him.

pairing: toji fushiguro x f!reader | art: @/amulin67 on twt/ig | hidden inventory: the lost tapes series masterlist

warnings: n/a | a/n: finally welcoming megumi to this series, yay! 💓💞

“I’m just gonna go nap for a bit. Promise me you’ll wake me up if something happens. But either way, his bottle is over there, just heat it up when he gets hungry and you know where his diapers are—“

You are interrupted by a sweet kiss that still manages to catch you off guard ‘till this day.

“I wasn’t done, you know.” You place your hands on your hips, shooting him a warning glance. “And don’t you go tossing him too high. Need I remind you, our apartment has a literal ceiling fan—“

“—You worry too much,” Toji cuts you off again with another kiss. “Not gonna lie though, seeing you all worked up like that is kinda turning me on.”

“You’re horrible,” you conclude. Honestly, at this point, almost anything and everything you do can be classified as a thirst trap for Toji. You blush when Toji inches closer, his hips pressed against yours, a smirk plastered on his face when he sneakily squeezes your ass causing you to yelp. “Ah! Toji!” you swat his hand away, burying your blushing face in his chest.

Chuckling at you, he plants a soft kiss on your temple as he pulls away. “Alright, mama, go get some rest. I’ll hold down the fort.”

“Thank you.”

No one ever told you that motherhood would be so stressful. Which is why you’re so blessed to have a supportive husband who may have started out a little awkward with caring for your newborn son but gradually became a natural with this whole fatherhood business as time went by. And that’s mostly because when Megumi arrived in this world at half past two in the afternoon of December 22 with nothing more but a small hiccup as he slipped into his papa’s waiting arms, Toji fell in love. And you don’t pretend to not know why. Because whenever you look at Megumi, your heart always just seems to melt at his pudgy rose-colored cheeks and his deep expressive green eyes that fill up with tears regardless if he’s crying or being overcome by a laughing fit whenever you pepper his tiny face with kisses.

Speaking of kisses, today’s latest fiasco is centered exactly on that: kisses.

You see, you have this habit that goes way back to when you and Toji first started dating. Toji remembers it well, you have certain moods when it comes to kisses. Sometimes, you’re the one initiating it which mostly results in Toji becoming an incoherent blushing mess, or most times, Toji gets the party started by slowly kissing up your neck, his breath hot on your earlobe as he presses his hips against yours while you slept fitfully, your hushed dulcet whines ringing in his ear as your lips instinctively find each other. Fun fact: that’s exactly how Megumi came to be.

But there are times too, when you were just not having it and you’d gently nudge Toji’s face away when he tries to kiss you.

It was a typical afternoon. Toji didn’t have work that day which was a huge relief for him because you’ve been suffering from dizziness and lower back pain all day. And being the helicopter partner and soon-to-be papa that he is, Toji keeps a close eye on you as you nap the afternoon away on the couch. He smiles softly as he sees you instinctively put a protective hand over your belly whenever you’d feel the slightest movements from the baby.

“Shhh, you’re alright,” he’d whisper to you as you slept, combing his fingers through your hair, a permanent worried frown on his face when a whimper falling from your pursed lips as the baby kicks you again. “It’s just the overgrown parasite fidgeting around.”

“Don’t call him that.” You brush his hand away, your eyebrows knitting in discomfort.

Toji chuckles, going to press a kiss to your soft lips only for you to place your entire palm on his face, applying gentle force to pry him away. “I mean, what is he then? Other than this thing that competes for your nutrients? He’s—“

“—Our baby boy.”

“—An overgrown parasite.”

Fuming at his words, you decide to hit back with a quick retort of your own. “Yeah? It really does take one to know one, huh?”

“What a cute comeback but maybe not as cute as you,” Toji smirks, his hand gently removing your smaller one from his face, his lips puckered up as he leans in. Teasingly, you place a hand over your lips, still refusing to indulge him with his much-craved kisses. “Come on, I just want one sloppy one~”

“No!” Your laughter-filled voice comes out muffled against your palm.

“Mm, yes,” Toji teases. “Yes. Come on, baby, just one.”

“You and I both know it’s never just one.”

Of course. Why else would you be in this situation if Toji knew how to spell the words: self and control? Still, it’s not like the two of you were complaining. After all, the bond you and Toji share is an unbreakable one that’s only been strengthened by time and the many trials you’ve survived together. And now, the arrival of the very product of your love is only a hair’s breath away. Toji rests his chin on top of your head, plopping down next to you and spooning you from behind. “Guilty as charged.”

And unfortunately, it seemed your son had inherited that troublesome quirk of yours and it’s beginning to break Toji’s infuriated heart because whenever he tries to give Megumi a kiss…

“Mmph—“

There it was.

Toji’s eyes shot open, grimacing as Megumi turns his head away, his eyes trained stubbornly on his dog plushie, and his chubby hands pushing his poor papa’s chin away with all the might a six-month-old like him could muster. And to top things off, he must be imagining things because newborns surely couldn’t scowl right? Their tiny little brains couldn’t possibly have enough electrical energy to charge a snow globe much less, learn how to hate certain people’s kisses.

“You little shit—“

Sure enough, the tiny little baby seems gravely unamused, his eyebrows are knitted, the corner of his lips curled into a disappointed frown as if to say: Go kiss someone else, you even bigger shit.

Toji mirrors the unfriendly scowl on his son’s face, noting how Megumi seems to be glaring at him. Oh, okay. The brat ain’t messing around, his eyes twitches but somehow, Toji is also a picture of a proud father. At least the little shit’s got spunk. And he wonders momentarily who he should blame for that.

Definitely not him, that’s for sure.

Toji doesn’t recall the last time he’s ever had the comforts of a peace like this one. Actually, this might just be the first time that Toji knew what that word meant: “peace”. A freedom from disturbance; tranquility, as per the Merriam Webster Dictionary. But Toji has a better definition for peace: you and Megumi.

But…

“I meant what I said to your mother though,” Toji engages in a one-way conversation with his son. He won’t recall any of this, but it didn’t hurt for Toji to be candid about his feelings every now and then especially when it came to this little one that came accidentally into your lives but brightened it up nonetheless. “The two of you would be better off — maybe even happier — with someone else.” He presses his thumb against Megumi’s cheek. “It’s what you two deserve.”

He’s been gone close to a whole day now and you were probably beginning to worry. Out of all the shitty things Toji has done, this, by far, has to be the shittiest. Standing outside a pachinko den, his back pressed against the wall, and his hand absentmindedly playing with the tokens he just bought. When he left the apartment that day, you knew that could very well be the last time you ever see him. Types like him aren’t keen on the whole picket fence idea of settling down.

“I’m heading out today.”

Your blood runs cold when Toji steps into the kitchen to inform you of his plans. You don’t even bother to look at him, your gaze simply settled on the positive pregnancy test on the table. The right thing to do was to stay, he should have held you in his arms and tell you that everything’s going to be okay not plant seeds of doubt in your mind by taking off and running away like a coward.

But for once, Toji was scared.

He had no business becoming a father when he’s lived in a dysfunctional household for majority of his life. What good would he even impart to his child? His pathetic existence has been a picture of disorder that was only recently resolved when you came into the picture. Well, if he were being completely honest, he still hasn’t figured things out quite as well yet. And as a father, that could be catastrophic for a child that required stability if nothing else.

Frowning, Toji leaves the pachinko den, chucking the tokens in the trash. It was far too early in the day to be hanging around shady places like these anyway. He wanders the streets for a good while, his hands buried in his jacket’s pockets as his mind swirls with thoughts about the all too terrifying future.

A pang of guilt strikes his heart and he wonders what you’re doing now. You must still be in the kitchen, your face buried in your hands as you try to think of something. You were probably assuming he wasn’t coming back. After all, you did say: “I don’t wanna pressure you into staying, Toji. You deserve to live your life the way you want it.”

A life without you? Sounds pretty miserable.

Toji must have been walking on autopilot because for some reason, he unknowingly finds himself in front of a bank. Mizuho Bank, Toji reads the sign, his eyes flicking over to one of the posters plastered on the window about opening a savings account.

He looks at the promotional material, transfixed at the picture of a family of four donning on those typical wide stupid grins in ads, the father is holding a hundred yen bill and is seen dropping it into a piggy bank that was filled with both cash and words like: health insurance, family vacation, utility bills, rent, tax, school, and…happiness.

…

…

…

Toji returns to the apartment at around eight in the evening after making a quick stop at the supermarket and the pharmacy. He finds you asleep on the couch, your cheeks stained with dry tears. He crouches on the edge of the couch, worriedly taking in your appearance. You’ve been crying. “Hey…hey, wake up,” he gently shakes you awake and your tired eyes flutter open. “Got you something.”

He holds out a shopping bag, chock full of fresh produce, and from the pharmacy, some camphor oil to relieve your symptoms and those folate supplements the attending pharmacist kept yapping about.

“You didn’t leave,” you said, bewildered. “I thought you—“

“—You thought wrong,” Toji says firmly. He pulls out something from his back pocket and you stare at him, perplexed.

“A bank passbook?” You open it to see that Toji had just made his first deposit amounting to fifty thousand yen earlier today. “You opened a savings account?”

Toji nods, looking a little proud of himself. “Yeah,” he tries to play it off with a shrug of his shoulders. “Every week, we’ll be depositing fifteen thousand yen in that thing. Ten thousand for your maternity needs, and five for the little brat’s schooling one day.”

Tears spring to your eyes upon realizing that Toji was here to stay. “You mean you’re—?” You are cut off by a warm kiss on your lips, and you place a hand over Toji’s chest, your fingertips gripping the fabric of his shirt as his lips move against yours. He pulls away after a while.

“Gonna spite the hell out of the Zenin clan and send my brat to the most expensive preschool in Tokyo? Yes, I am.”

Toji sighs, his thumb rubbing across Megumi’s chubby cheek. “But maybe — just maybe — hear me out and don’t you give me another glare.” Megumi’s not gonna remember any of this. After all, memories begin when the brain can fully register speech. But Toji felt the need to say this so, subconsciously, his son will understand just how much he’s done and he’s willing to do for the both of you.

“…Maybe I deserve the two of you too, you know.”

Megumi looks up at his father, curiosity gleaming in his eyes. Toji sticks his tongue out at the little one causing the latter to…hiccup? Nah, Toji was sure that was a giggle.

Smirking, Toji leans down to give his son a kiss, thinking he’s patched things up between them now only for Megumi to curl up again, his feet and hands resisting against Toji, his lip downturned in effort as he pushes him away yet again. Conceding, Toji grumbles, rubbing the spot where Megumi roughly pushed him away.

“You really are your mother’s son.”

[mesetacadre]

what are your thoughts on the importance of theory to being a militant communist or activist vs things like survival skills (?) ? incredibly broad generalizations but it seems like stuff like that is shared around/emphasized more in anarchist circles. are there any non theory topics that you think is pertinent for burgeoning communists to learn? like, if youre serious about organizing you should learn first aid or this and that. very sorry if this is incoherent, english is a pain @~@

Well, survival skills for what? survival where? if you're in the imperial core, communist praxis does not look like grabbing a rifle and heading to the nearest mountains in a 5 person cell. And for what reason? First aid is useful, of course, for in the daily activity of a militant you can encounter situations that can cause physical harm, whether it's the police or trespassing. You need to ask yourself these questions and you need to realize that if you're organized in a party, you're not simply an individual in a group of other individuals like anarchists believe, you're part of the collective class effort to achieve the short and long term goals that are in our interests as a class. Survival skills are only useful it your activity in the framework of your collective, class objectives call for acting in an environment where that's necessary. Similarly, first aid is most useful when it's part of the strategy of your organization, though I would consider it useful to know regardless.

And most importantly, you can only properly figure out if you need these supplementary skills if you have a developed praxis. Praxis is not just the fancy marxist word for practice, here I'm referring to the actual meaning of praxis, which is the dialectical synthesis of theory and practice, facing their contradictions and arriving at a new conception of your work that integrates both elements. It is not a sum, synthesis is a transformative process that arrives at something new, which may or may not share component parts with the previous elements. Praxis, what cyclically informs and corrects itself through that constant dialectical synthesis is what will allow you, as an organized communist first and foremost, to take decisions as to what skills x amount of people in the organization need to learn. Theory, just like practice, is required for that.

Theory is not a dead thing, it's not the old books and the texts themselves. When you read theory you don't do it to think "wow these people 120 years ago were so smart I need to to exactly like them", you do it to learn how they went about anylizing their concrete reality, and how that allowed or disallowed their success. For example, Lenin in What is to be Done talks about how important the newspaper is to bring the party's full fledged analysis of the questions of the time to a lot of workers efficiently. This is 1905 Russia, in which modes of communication was the printed word and if you're lucky having an educated cadre or two in the territory who understand the positions or can come to their own, and communicate them correctly.

The reason trotskyists still to this day put so much emphasis on the newspaper, at least like I've always seen justified, is because they take this passage and apply it acritically to modern concrete conditions. Newspapers are not inherently the best way to communicate revolutionary positions, but instead of using that theory to better understand their tasks and come to a good concrete conclusion for their concrete reality, they read the book and do what the book says. Beyond a historiographical interest, who cares what Lenin said bolsheviks should use to deliver their message! what's interesting is learning how the bolshevik party, the first successful revolutionary marxist party, came to their conclusions and took the decisions that allowed them to have that victory. This is the value theory has, it's a necessary component part of praxis, the dialectical synthesis of practice and theory, which is the base of everything communists en pos de their political goals.

About what I think people should learn, I don't think there's a good general answer. there are many types of work to be done, and in non-extraordinary cases you, as a new member, will encounter those necessities gradually, to the point I don't really see the necessity of telling people to pre-emptively learn anything. If you can do it, no matter how little you've read or how shy or how unprepared you feel, get organized. Most of the questions you have about what organizing requires have answers and the only people that hold those are the people you'll organize with.

[janluxe]

𝑵𝑬𝑾 𝒀𝑬𝑨𝑹'𝑺 𝑪𝑶𝑵𝑭𝑬𝑺𝑺𝑰𝑶𝑵 — 𝑱𝑨𝑺𝑶𝑵 𝑻𝑶𝑫𝑫

– contents; fluff, a hint of angst and implied smut

– summary; spending new years with your childhood best friend with who you spent a night with

– word count; 1.2k

– a/n; This is rushed, late, and my first time writing smut. But happy (late) new year! ♡

Your friendship with Jason goes way back, even before he became the vigilante he is today. When you used to play in the garden of the Wayne Manor and always ended up getting a bit too rough, leaving your knees bruised and bloody before Alfred would fix them up for you. The young boy would sit by your side and hold your hand as he muttered butchered apologies – he wouldn't hurt you. It was never his intention.

The small frown of pure concern etched on his face every time you got hurt as he rushed to your side in order to help in any way he possibly could always give you a feeling of security.

He was always there for you like you were for him, earning titles like his most trusted associate in the militia, his closest friend before and after what happened to him in Arkham, his first time.

That night, when you promised no romantic attachments to each other – even after you saw a grown man who had missed so much of his life due to what he had to go through so vulnerable under you; reacting to your every touch, letting you taste the desperation on his tongue as he pulled you in a bruising kiss to muffle any sounds of weakness his mind was encouraging him to let out for you to hear. A man people have learned to fear in such a short period was writhing – no, begging, for you to not take your hands off him.

Where had his innocence gone? You couldn't help but wonder how this messy, broken person that was currently kneeling before your frame was the same one you grew up with, and God help him, for he was so far gone. His cold hands rested on your thighs, keeping them in place; his touch gentle against the softness of your skin in contrast to his rough one as he made his best efforts to impress you.

Jason took his time, his logic skills? Long forgotten. A faint smile tugged on his lips. He allowed himself to feel the taste of your ‘essence’ on his tongue overwhelm his senses – visibly shivering while he found himself mindlessly admiring you as much as each and every one of your pleasant reactions. Communication skills? Completely turned off, and you could tell when you noticed him mumble incoherent gibberish all in a pathetic attempt to beg.

You were brought back to the present when Jason's sigh of disappointment echoed in the emptiness of the room, another group of militia soldiers had lost their base to the one person he made a promise to kill – the Bat.

His expression grew tired. You could tell, regardless of the mask that he hid himself beneath and all the armor he used to protect his scars, you knew him that well. As soon as the fuzz of the mask's robotic effect faded, you spoke up, “I hope you follow along with the plans we have.”

Your intentions were clear; try to get Jason to cheer up a little, and the bare minimum was to at least help him get his mind off of everything he had going on. Although, your remark earned you a huff of air before his mask was lifted by the press of one button. “Alright… You're a pain, you know that?” He responded with a playful hint to his usually serious voice, a look of defeat settled in his expression.

In your books, that was a win.

It's funny seeing how people ignore the cold for the sake of getting the preparations ready for their guests or those who are lucky enough to expect family members to come back to spend their holidays back at home. The house filling up with chatter and laughter in every corner is a miracle not everyone had the chance to enjoy.

Sometimes life doesn't turn out exactly how you expect. The kind of thoughts that consumed your mind weren't anything other than what you had done in your course of life, leaving your vision clouded.

“You're uncharacteristically early.” Jason pointed out with a tinge of playfulness to his tone. He never had the difficulty of calling you out on your bullshit. New Year's Eve. You had arranged something casual, changing into another year and hoping for the best atop a rooftop where the big screen of the city's center was visible, and a champagne ready to be opened after the countdown and emptied into the two glasses he had brought along.

It wasn't long until the countdown had already begun, people's voices echoing in the city's filled streets along with yours harmonizing with Jason's rough one. The light of the bright screens brightened its surroundings, making the thin layer of snow shimmer in the darkness the midnight sky had to offer – a sparkle that reminded you of Jason's eyes, but you quickly snapped out of it.

His drunken smile was a sight for sore eyes, bearing all of his teeth like he used to when he was less broken – his little smile. Jason’s gaze seemed focused on every part of you, and at the same time, he looked so out of it. You couldn't feel even just a little grateful that the alcohol had gotten to his head and momentarily lost the mask he had grown such an attachment to, so much that he preferred it.

It was the same Jason under all the walls he had built up around himself when his the most important years of his life were snatched away from his shaky hands, the very same that cradled you after nightmares that left you heaving and searching for your sanity among the most vulnerable pieces of yourself, the ones that you held onto during the freezing nights like this to stabilize yourself upon the ice that had settled on the ground.

Jason, with his fucked up past – one of the few ones who had every right to be mad at the world and rough around the edges to the world for turning its back, yet you were his world and he chose to be gentle. You were his witness as a feather-like touch ran down your arm and made itself comfortable over your hand.

The scent of the bubbly drink on the tip of his tongue brought you back to the present. It was clear that he was lightheaded, but part of him was still aware of his surroundings. Well, he was anyway, until he rested his head on your shoulder without a single care in the world. “I love you.” He muttered, his breath coming out in a cloud of fog in contrast to the coldness of the world.

The words slip out easier than he could ever imagine, but he means it. This time was unlike any other time before. He wasn't comforting his best friend or hugging them goodbye because he was leaving for a mission. It was a confession and a drunken one at that.

Jason hadn't lost himself. “Happy New Year, Jay.” You muttered. A sharp sigh escaped him as he allowed himself to get overwhelmed by the feeling of your hand rushing through his hair.

A new year comes with new beginnings, and maybe this year can be better than what you expected.

[4rticbolt]

A Swordsman’s Love |Master-list|

GN!Reader, Fluff, angst if you squint, comfy comfort

First one-shot, too long for a Drabble! Basically a run down on Zoro’s love for you, yap sesh, and vulnerable moments with the lovable swordsman.

•-•-•-•-••-•-•-•-••-•-•-•-••-•-•-•-•

•-•-•-•-••-•-•-•-••-•-•-•-••-•-•-•-•

Zoro’s love language is quality time, maybe with a little mix of acts of service here and there, but regardless you couldn’t change my mind.

Despite how ‘cold’ and ‘rough’ he may be, he’s just a little more emotionally constipated than others. Zoro tends to be forward and blunt with his love, even if at first it doesn’t come across that way.

He is nowhere near as romantically inclined as the cook, and compared to Sanji, Zoro’s actions speak louder than words.

He doesn’t care for all that gushy, sweet, blabbering—it’s not really his style, nor his strong suit. However, he can still have his moments with you. Being unironically sweet, flirty or even splitting to a grumbling blushing mess the next, it’s just the way he is.

The time he spends with you is a whole ‘nother story. It’s incredibly important to him and the basic building blocks of your relationship. It’s what you both really tend to feed off of, even if a certain stubborn swordsman won’t admit it.

An often occurrence between you, is him dragging you for a nap, tossing you over his shoulder without a care. Hauling you to his bed.

•~•~•~•

“Come, I’m tired.”

“So—I was relaxing?”

“What? And you can’t do that with me?” He prompts, carrying you through the hall towards the men’s quarters. His arm was securely wrapped around your thighs as his left hand casually wandered to your end, gently gripping the hem of your shirt.

Zoro always made sure to keep a stable hold, as you often leaned up on his shoulder like now.

“Well yeah I can, but it’s different when I’m in the sun,” you grumble, softly glaring towards him. Trying and ever so failing to ignore his hand placement.

“Different? I’m plenty warm, I don’t see what your issue is.” he replies, effectively shutting you up. Your protests were a lost cause as he already made up his mind, tossing you up in the bunk with an incoherent mumble.

“What was that?” he asked, wrapping his arms around you—caging you in. Your head rested gently against his shoulder letting your legs tangle with his.

“Nothing.” you muffled.

“Thought so.”

•~•~•~•

Zoro isn’t the chatty type, so one of his favorite things to do is listen to you. Whether you’re sitting in his lap or resting by his side, you name it—talking about whatever your heart desires; he’s listening to you.

Your voice and presence soothes him in ways he can’t describe, like a coolant. Often, it eases his troubles, distracting him so he doesn’t have to do it himself—focusing all his thoughts to you.

Zoro tends to pick up on the things others don’t. Whatever you don’t like, he’s noted. Whatever you may fear—he’s quick to keep you away from it. Shield you, protect you, and if you’re sick or sad he knows what to do to make you feel better.

It’s like a second nature to him.

You’d think he wouldn’t have a clue what to get you for a gift or present—but he just somehow does.

Zoro knows how to pick up on silent cues, whether it’s emotional or physical he has a feeling. He can’t describe it, or exactly figure out why, he just knew.

Likewise, you’d gotten a nasty fever—bed ridden for days—and he’d stuck by your side (as most of the crew would). But, he figured you hated being alone. He had a hunch you hated silence, missing the company of your boisterous crew he hoped his presence was enough.

And it always was.

Yeah, he might have slapped a cold rag over your face, telling you to get better so he could train—but he meant well. He just had a gruff way of showing it.

He gave discrete affection, like brushing his hands through your hair to help you sleep, or holding you close so you felt like he wouldn’t leave—he wasn’t too awkward about it. It was causal for him, which led to him sticking by you—deftly tucking you into bed.

To put the cherry on top, Sanji had brought you in one of your favorite foods. Yet you hadn’t remembered mentioning it or telling anyone—but you ultimately suspected Zoro was the culprit.

Either that or you had run your mouth and someone else caught on, which…was probably also Zoro.

But regardless—he’d begrudgingly asked the cook to make it for you.

You didn’t ask him about it, but you did quietly thank him as he dozed off by your side. He’d been awkwardly leaned against you, making your legs go numb under the weight of his muscly chest.

He was an idiot, but he was your lovable idiot. So you’d take what you could get.

There was always so little but so very much of Zoro, and you cherished every second of it.

Zoro always looked out for you, sometimes in ways you couldn’t tell.

The way his eyes followed you as you climbed down from the crows-nest, exhausted or just in general—he made sure you made it down safe. Though if there was ever a moment you’d fall—he’d always catch you.

That includes you being clumsy, or stupid—tripping on a chair or stumbling down the stairs—he had an instinct. Which was also apart of his protective charm.

Zoro’s charm is quiet, but it’s safe. You always felt comfortable no matter the RBF he wore. Which left you questioning if he was frustrated with you or something else entirely.

But he was 100% your safespace.

And your guard dog

But no one would outrightly say that. He could be as brash and avoiding as he wanted to be, but he could never run from you, nor hide his feelings.

Well anyways.

His touch tended to be rough and calloused, you were usually manhandled—not that you minded, but expect being pushed against a wall and kissed senseless.

It was a deep love. The type of love where if someone asked you why you loved eachother, you wouldn’t be able to tell them. You were just drawn, like some gravitational pull, clicking like soulmates. Somehow drawn.

In the warm dawn of a long day, locked in his hold, limbs entangled with snoring bruisingly loud in your ear, he was still yours. Trusting you enough to be vulnerable like this, holding you sleepily in his arms, he loved you.

He never often said it, but when he did, he’d always meant it.

Zoro wasn’t one to beat around the bush, and miscommunication had never really been an issue between you two.

However, without being told you’re loved and that you’re important, overthinking can tend to flourish. Especially with someone like Zoro, which left you doubting your abilities, wondering if the time and effort he gave you was really worth it at all. Overall feeling like a chore…

It’d been a rough patch in your relationship, but it eventually passed. Even if it took a little breakdown and pure avoidance—he’d quickly caught on.

Once he’d figured it out, he wouldn’t be angry or frustrated, he’d just be confused.

Like I said, Zoro’s a little emotionally constipated, so you’d just have to be simple and straightforward with him. Even if it’s hard to communicate that.

He just couldn’t magically understand what the problem was, and you’d probably have to tell him. Ending in a method of heated discussion—or a pure ramble and breakdown of words.

He would be there for you regardless.

•~•~•

For a moment, Zoro would be stunned. A blank sheet, but the words would register and his gaze would slightly soften.

He would take it slow, coming closer, offering you a hug to let you decide what you wanted. As he never wanted to control anything, your relationship was a ship off balance, floating teetering—drifting free, it was simple.

He’d pull you close, letting his hands comfortingly wash over and sink beneath your turmoil, wiping away the very tears he didn’t mean to cause.

He didn’t really know what to think, he didn’t blame you, but he did silently blame himself.

Zoro jokingly said you needed to toughen up, but it had never been meant harshly. His crude humor had been used in the wrong setting and brain would fry as you cried more, feeling stupid.

His brain would fry, but he’d be quick to comfort you. This was probably one of the only times he’d apologize—and they’d chaotically fly and ramble out.

His stubborn heart just couldn’t stand your tears, as it was definitely one of his weaknesses.

“Hey, hey, I’m sorry, I didn’t—____ please, please don’t cry,” he’d mutter and shush, gently grabbing your face as he tried to wipe away your tears.

“I didn’t mean it like that,” he murmured, pulling you in for another hug until you simply stopped. Guardingly, he’d pull you into his lap, attempting to ease your anxieties.

Zoro would internally curse the world and himself for being so dense, but no matter your anxieties it never affected how he saw you.

His motto, was that if you didn’t feel loved, then he’d simply have to remind you over and over again until you did.

Zoro would bring your tears eyes to look into his and he repeated the words he didn’t often say, determinedly.

“I love you, I. Love. You, you got that?”

He never idled you weak, but he wished you’d realize how important you were to him, and how much he loves you.

The literal Straw Hat to his Luffy, or the SUPER to his Franky, it simply wouldnt be the same without you. And he’d stand stubbornly by it no matter what negative thoughts you had to offer.

You were his to love, his to hold, and his cherish.

He wouldn’t have it any other way.

•~•~•

Overall, a Swordsman’s Love like Zoro’s is indefinite. It honestly depends how you view him and his character, though out of all the odds he was just a kid forced to grow up too fast.

He serves as a first-mate on the crew, meaning his literal job is to protect and take care—meanwhile holding second charge. But in the real light, he’ll downplay it. He puts on a front, acting strong, letting no one see him so weak—but he can’t hide it from you.

The crew sees it sometimes, but it’s mostly with you in quieter moments.

Ever since Kuina died, he’d lost a lot. He’d lost his best friend, and he’d lost a challenge to further achieve his dream.

So he had to live for her, and achieve it himself.

That dream never wavered, but as soon as the crew came into play—they always came first. Including you.

His worry for you was strong, whether you could fight or not you’re always in sharp terms on his radar, and he can’t help it.

You’re not fragile to him, but in the moments where you’re injured, it’s like he has tunnel vision. He doesn’t want you to get hurt. He can’t stand seeing you in pain, or suffering, because it was his job to protect you in the first place.

You’re his.

Maybe, just maybe, he would be on the overprotective side. But, it comes from a place of heart. He’d constantly remind you to rest, to take it easy—and even haul you to bed if he had to.

When you’re hurt he doesn’t let you out of his sight, he watches you like a hawk—but he just needs to know you okay and you’re safe.

Because he never had that confirmation with Kuina, it’d been sudden, out of the ordinary—and he wasn’t taking that chance with you.

He’d tend to your wounds without ask and he’d always be gentle, even if you didn’t want him to do it.

You’d insist you’d be fine, but he’d never let up.

Zoro was a strong minded person, and when he had his mind was set on something, it was very hard to break.

•~•~•

“____, Can you just let me—?”

“No,” you said shakily, crossing your arms over your stomach. A bleeding wound with old bandages was hidden beneath, creating a slow decline in your energy. “I said it’s fine, you don’t need to, Chopper will be back in a bit.”

“Yeah, like I’m gonna wait and let you bleed out. Just C’mere and sit your ass down,” he scoffed, walking over to you.

“I’m not gonna bleed out—“

“If I don’t re-bandage it and put some pressure on it, yeah the hell you are,” Zoro snapped, carefully grabbing your upper sides as he pushed you to sit against the lounge.

It wasn’t long till he had a wad of bandages with antiseptics at either side of you, kneeled in-front.

Despite Zoro being a dummy, you often forgot how tender and smart he could be in situations so dire. He had a way of knowing, but never explaining.

He most likely learned the medical techniques by watching the injuries Chopper had treated on him.

You couldn’t find a word of protest, as you didn’t know how to talk to him when he was so brunt and focused. You weren’t used to being cared for, but Zoro exceeded at that—leaving bittersweet feelings to rest.

You had to look away as he rested between your legs, distracting yourself from the pain as he pushed you gently back.

As careful as he could be, he peeled off your shirt wrapping off the old and tending in with the new.

It was an uncomfortable burn, followed by sharp stabs and throbs leaving you breathless. You were painfully tense and quiet, but he picked up on that.

You quietly cursed, letting out a shaky groan as the antiseptic finally hit your skin. You closed your eyes, focusing on anything else, eventually finding the intricate grooves ceiling where made shaped out figures—creating them like your dignity depended on it.

A slight whimper followed and Zoro’s hand tightened on your thigh.

You sucked in a long breath, closing your eyes as you focused your attention to his touch—rather than the pain that was causing it, “You done yet?”

Zoro dabbed the cotton swab over the freshly cleaned wound, “Mhm, just relax.”

“You’re almost done. A bit longer ____.”

“I know.” you winced.

He hated hearing you like that, much less seeing it.

He quickly wiped over the wound before leaning up to grab the bandage, moving his hand to your lower back—leaning you up.

“I just need to wrap this up. Hold on to me, yeah?”

You nodded, letting him bring your arms to his shoulders. The pain suddenly intensified and you’d whimpered into his shoulder.

“I know, I know.” he whispered, bringing his hand to the back of your head.

Before you knew it, he successfully pulled you into his lap, finishing off the bandages with a gentle tie.

His hand gingerly combed through your hair as he kissed your temple, bringing his hand to your lower back, holding it there with soft motions.

“Rest pretty, I gotcha.” He mumbled, kissing the top of your head. Zoro lifted your legs over his lap, holding you there.

He leaned back against the lounge, resting securely with you in his arms, “I gotcha.”

•~•~•

[blarshwritezz]

Hi can I request a yandere boyfriend x sub reader where yan thought he saw the reader with another man and he decides to show the reader that he wouldn't need anyone except him can yan have a breeding kink and the reader have a degradation kink

Heck yeah!

Jealous Yandere x Reader

M yan x gn reader

TW - general yandere behavior, NSFW, jealousy, dubcon(?), degradation, breeding

Jealous!Yan didn't believe his eyes. Was that you? Why were you with another man? He was all you needed! Has he not been loving enough? He gave you everything! Or was it the opposite? Has he been too gentle? Well he didn't want to hurt you! But you were his.

Jealous!Yan came home after a few hours. He needed time to cool off, but you could tell he was furious about something.

"Honey, what's wrong?" But he didn't answer. Well, not exactly. His only response was slamming his lips against yours in a harsh kiss. Even when you tried to pull away, his grip only tightened and brought you closer to him.

Jealous!Yan picked you up, carrying you to the bedroom before making quick work of removing your clothes. Finally, his lips detached from yours only to move to your jaw.

Jealous!Yan kissed, sucked, and bit all the way down to your chest. He growled "Mine" before continuing, his fingers now diligently working to pleasure your lower areas.

When he needed more, he roughly grabbed your thighs and pushed your knees up to your shoulders, revealing your pretty hole. He gave it a few good licks, making sure you were nice and wet before penetrating you with his cock.

"Fucking mine. All fucking mine. You don't need anyone else." He watched your face contort with pleasure as he pounded into you. The moans escaping your lips were music to his ears. "Fuck, you're such a slut for me. My goddamn whore."

He smirked at how you clenched tighter around him. "Like that? You like being my bitch?" His pace sped up, the sound of skin slapping against skin echoing off the walls.

"Gonna fill you up, make sure nobody else wants to touch you. Make sure you're my filthy slut. All mine." He could only imagine how good you'd look with a baby in you, regardless of if you were able to get pregnant. He was going to pump you full of his cum as if he really could impregnate you.

You'd just look so good all swollen and round. Then the whole world would see you were his and his alone. Just the thought had his cock twitching inside you.

"Say I'm the only man you need. Say it!" He gripped your hair, his thrusts getting sloppy. He just needed to hear you say it. Just a few words from that pretty little mouth and he'd be filling you up in no time.

"Y-you...n-need you!" You barely managed to speak through your incoherent moans, but that was all he needed. With one last thrust, he buried himself deep inside you and filled you with his seed, the action making you cum as well.

After a minute or two of just panting, both of you catching your breath, he started up again. "That's a good slut." You were going to be here for a while.

And there it is! I ki da switched writing styles like halfway through for some reason

[frownyalfred]

Forgive me if this slightly incoherent- I'm sick rn but I had thoughts

The three probationary leagues are young, in a way many capes aren't at their ages (over 18 but none older then 22). The trio are new to being capes, their powers manifesting later then most, and even after their power came in, they took even longer to become capes. The three weren't friends before they joined the league, but as new kids, and the fact all three were always grouped together for training, they quickly became friends.

Being a member of the Justice League is everything they've always wanted, and there is nothing the three wouldn't do to keep their places.

Often training with Batman (they don't understand why a full human has so much power in the league, but they do understand why they hate him- Batman works them past where they thought they could go. He treats everything like life or death, and crushes the glamor of being a hero under fucking paperwork and regulations upon regulations.)

So when the trio learn, the hard way why the justice league has rules on proper item detainment, why, regardless of how normal or mundane the item seems, you tag and collect it, and submit a report on it, why panic.

As probationary recruits, they don't have the resources or access to try and fix this without telling one of the Founders. And the youngest of them, the 19 year old with powers of water manipulation, insists that Batman will kick them out for this, they have to find another way- well, the other two share a look and agree.

They argue about what to do and who to ask for help hiding their mistakes, as they stand in the rubble that was once half of a town of 40,000. After all, tornadoes are destructive, and magical, fire tornadoes? The damage is catastrophic. But in the end, they agree, Nightwing is the best person to ask. He's friendly with everyone, and he'll even swap moniter room shifts with people so he has watch with Batman, who is objectly thr worst to be trapped in small room with for 4 to 6 hours. Plus, he's sat with each of them at least once and promised making mistakes happens and you just have to stand up and keep moving.

So, they go to Nightwing, all three of them feeling a wave of relief when they see his smiling, cheerful face, and beg for help.

"Please, we've stopped the artifact, and it's been properly contained now. We just need you to sign a few things, so no one investigates the damages to the town. This is our dream, and we've learned from our mistake. Please, you always say we need to have each other's back. We just knew you would be able to help and understand."

But Nightwing's face freezes, at first, then hardens, in a way that scares the trio even though the smile never falters. His body, Shifts, in way that suddenly seems... threatening, and the trio nervously share glances, and slowly they start to understand where the real mistakes have been made.

Yes exactly this!!!!!!!!

[elzifelzi]

PHANTOM

CHAPTER EIGHT

Chapter 8:Ghastly recruitment

Vlad:”What do you mean Phantom disappeared!?You had one job, Skulker,bring me back the ghost boy and you failed!”

Vlad stormed around his office furious at the news that he’d just received,the thought that Phantom managed to escape his grasp multiple times was enough to drive him mad.

Skulker:”The boy is not lost Masters,I know exactly where He is.”

Vlad:”oh you do? So why haven't you successfully Captured him yet,since you're the self proclaimed greatest Hunter it should be easy for you,right?”

Skulker:”Like I told you before,the boy is of no USE to us at his current level,he doesn't even know how to fly yet.”

In anger Vlad flips over a nearby chair.

Vlad:”I understand that but we're running out of time!It’s getting harder and harder to keep your henchmen's work under the radar,first at the university that my employee's daughter attends,then in the middle of the damn city,I can’t keep covering your ass and ending up with no results!”

Skulker grew increasingly enraged with each accusation made against him,as he had the right to.Phantom was single-handedly destroying his credibility and he couldn’t have that.In a fit of anger he flung Vlad's computer across the room knocking him into a nearby bookshelf causing it to topple over.

Skulker:”IF I WANTED THE BOY ,HE'D BE MINES ALREADY BUT WE NEED TO WAIT just wait..and you’ll get results..in due time…”

Vlad:”I need more than just promises Skulker,the other night I got a complaint that Phantom and  3 of your ghost subordinates were blowing up cars near a residential area!My men were all set to go and I had to convince them that it was a false report!Sooner or Later someone is bound to put 2 and 2 together..”

The ghost lets out a loud scoff.

Skulker:”Getting cold feet Masters?

Vlad:”Hardly, I have invested too much time and resources into you for me to keep turning up with nothing.This ultimate prize that you need the boy for better be worth it!”

Skulker:”Believe Me it will be.Don’t worry, Phantom hasn't left amity which means that there is ample opportunity to bring him in,the most important part of this hunt…is patience..”

Then he took off in a gust of wind.

Vlad:”Believe me, regardless of whether or not your men succeed ,one way or another I will gain my prize.”

He pulls out his phone and calls someone,the phone rings for a few seconds before eventually the call is answered.

Vlad:”Yes,Hello Damon is Valerie with you by any chance?”

Damon:”Why yes she is,is there a problem?”

Vlad:”No No No not at all I was wondering if she could meet me in my office,there’s something I wish to discuss with her.”

On the other end Vlad could hear muffled whispers between the father daughter duo,the incoherent conversation went on for a little while longer before Damon eventually returned to the call 

Damon:”Sorry about that sir Valerie said she would love to meet with you .”

Vlad:”splendid! Thank you very much.”

He hangs up the call and takes a seat at his Desk and in a half hour  Valerie walks in much to his delight.

Valerie:”You wanted to see me Mr Masters?”

Vlad:”yes ,yes,please have a seat.”

As Valerie makes her way towards his desk She notices the shattered computer and toppled bookshelf on her way in but made no comments on it.

He gets up and pulls out a seat for her in an attempt to seem as kind as possible and Valerie, not wanting to be rude, accepts.

Vlad:”I've been told that our training program has been going splendidly for you. Is that true?”

Her face lit up with excitement like a child being asked about their favorite cartoon.

Valerie:”It has, all the combat and weapons training has been loads of fun.”

Vlad:”Glad to hear it!You know, the Junior Ghost Hunters started off as a way to teach young people how to properly defend themselves against ghosts but a good deal of our most promising ghost hunters started off in that program before being fully employed here.”

Valerie:”Yeah, my dad told me.”

Vlad:”did he also tell you that currently we’re looking to hire a new young ghost hunter?”

Valerie:”What are you saying Mr Masters?”

He reaches under his desk, pulls out a silver briefcase and hands it to Valerie.

Vlad:”I’m saying that we want to hire you..”

The young girl began bursting with excitement; she couldn’t believe that Vlad Masters himself wanted to hire her!This was like a dream come true.

Valerie:”I’m flattered Mr Masters but I've got school..my dad would flip if I didn't finish my degree.”

He waved his hands dismissively.

Vlad:”don’t worry about that, you can work part time until you are ready to fully join us.”

Valerie:”Really?!”

He nods.

Vlad:”there are however a few rules you’d have to adhere to,4 to be exact.”

He puts up 4 fingers to emphasize his point.

Valerie:”Which are?”

Vlad:”1.Since you’ll only be part time we can’t risk anyone close to you getting hurt because of this so you’ll have to maintain complete anonymity.No One can know that you work here, your identity and actions while under my employ must remain secret,and Inside the briefcase is a battle suit that’ll help you do just that.”

Valerie:”What about my dad?”

Vlad:”I’ll tell him that you’ve been hired as my assistant he shouldn’t question anything.”

Vlad:”2.You strictly answer to me,meaning that you take orders from me and all reports on Various ghost activities come to me.This also applies to weapon maintenance and restocking.”

Valerie:”That makes sense seeing that no one else can know that I work here for now.”

Vlad gives her a prideful smile.

Vlad:”smart girl! 3rx your main objective as my undercover ghost hunter will be to find and apprehend the ghost known as Phantom.When you do you return him to me in one piece.”

Valerie:”Phantom? you mean that scrawny ghost punk who's been playing hero?”

Vlad nods.

Vlad:"That's the one!”

Vlad:”And finally you are only to deploy on my say so,essentially if I don't give you a mission you don't involve yourself.”

He offers her a handshake.

Vlad:”Do you accept these terms?:

Valerie was ecstatic, the idea of hunting down Phantom alone was enough to get her to agree.Without a second thought she accepted Vlads handshake.

Valerie:”I accept!”

Vlad:”Welcome aboard.”

To be continued…

Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7

New Chapter out guys,hope you guys like it. This ones a slow one but its fun

[cosmikazie]

A theory about some certain background elements in the Watcher

Spoilers ahead. I hope this title is vague enough to not arouse suspicion in anyone who hasn't played yet because I'm about to post the real title under the cut here!!!!

The Watcher and the World Cycle Theory

theres more to it obviously but like. as far as concise titles go that hook you this is as good as it's gonna get

So, I think I've rambled about this incoherently enough times during my playthrough of this campaign that I think maybe, just maybe, it's time to actually lay my ideas out in an understandable manner.

The Watcher's campaign centers around hopping through rifts that are found (or that you create) that lead to different regions at different points in time. You end up traveling across the ENTIRETY of the world, getting little sneak peeks at other points in the past, present, and future of the world as we know it, and you get peeks at new regions and places we've never even seen before, as well as hints of what the ultimate fate of the world is. And it's that aspect I would like to discuss.

The regions we see in Rain World: The Watcher do indeed take place across space and time, but the regions we see aren't necessarily from the same world as what we know, because everything is in a constant cycle of death and rebirth. We end up seeing multiple different worlds in the Watcher's campaign, some from potentially before, and some from after the bulk of the game takes place.

My first piece of evidence to support this theory:

The Cycle of Dust

If you take the teal colored pearl to Moon in the base game, she will read it to you, and give you the following context about the Void Sea:

"If you leave a stone on the ground, and come back some time later, it's covered in dust. This happens everywhere, and over several lifetimes of creatures such as you, the ground slowly builds upwards.

So why doesn't the ground collide with the sky? Because far down, under the very very old layers of the earth, the rock is being dissolved or removed. The entity which does this is known as the Void Sea.

If you drill far enough into the earth you begin encountering a substance called Void Fluid. The deeper you go, the less rock and more Void Fluid. It's believed that there is a point where the rock completely gives way - below that would be the Void Sea.

When that stone you placed on the ground has finally done its time in the sediments, it meets the Void Fluid and is dissolved, leaving the physical world."

The point of this being that the world is in a constant state of renewing itself. The world is slowing getting eaten away from the bottom up, lowering down into the Void Sea. Meanwhile, dust builds up from the ground, keeping the world in this strange state of equilibrium, preventing it from raising too high into the sky but also not letting the world just dissolve into the Void Sea.

While not exactly relevant to the Watcher's campaign, Saint's story in the Downpour DLC does kind of demonstrate this principle, when you head to the Depths to be ascended, only to find a total abyss. The plausibility of what happens during and after this sequence and whether or not it can be considered reality can be debated all day, but regardless, it demonstrates at least part of this principle in action.

So why exactly is this relevant to this theory?

Here is my second piece of evidence:

Outer Rim and Signal Spires

From the moment I first entered it, Outer Rim absolutely fascinated me as a region. It was so intriguing to me because despite all of the regions in the game being unique in their own right, Outer Rim was very different from the others. Its architecture was very unique and different from anything else I had ever seen before, and its overall structure was even more interesting. Aside from the Prince being a key focus of this region, there were also a few breadcrumbs that pointed to the above not only being true, but actively taking place.

It's hard to make out what the Ancients are saying in their text and whether or not it's true, as anything could be hyperbole or a common saying. However, if this specific excerpt from the pink pearl in Farm Arrays is anything to go off of, it could explain a detail of Outer Rim:

"On regards of the (by spiritual splendor eternally graced) people of the Congregation of Never Dwindling Righteousness, we Wish to congratulate (o so thankfully) this Facility on its Loyal and Relished services, and to Offer our Hopes and Aspirations that the Fruitful and Mutually Satisfactory Cooperation may continue, for as long as the Stars stay fixed on their Celestial Spheres and/or the Cooperation continues to be Fruitful and Mutually Satisfactory."

I'm well aware humans have spoken of stars in the past as if they're meant to be dots in the sky, or people, and that very well could be the case. But the stars we see in Rain World are interesting because, well, they DO remain fixed. And they're not the only thing that remains fixed in the sky.

So does the moon.

Same phase, same place in the sky, all the time, every campaign it's visible in. Always static. Never changing its position. And the stars never move either.

I could go on and on about my knowledge of astronomy, but pretty much all you need to know is that if these stars were real, we would see at least SOME positional differences over all the campaigns. We don't have exact placements in the timeline for a lot of these campaigns--it's mostly A comes before B comes before C guesswork--but given how time constantly moving forwards and eras constantly starting and ending is a major theme of Rain World, it's likely that it all takes place over thousands of our world's years, even without Saint's campaign in the mix.

The point is, these are not normal stars, and that is no normal moon. "For as long as the stars stay fixed on their Celestial Spheres" implies some interesting cosmology, which only gets stranger once you encounter this:

This is from the desert area of Outer Rim. And it's not easy to see, but there are strange, moving flecks of green light in the cloud of dust blowing by. The same green as the stars in the sky. It's also worth specifying that this is dust, and not snow. It may look similar, given that we do encounter snow and blizzards in other regions, but this is not a region which requires you to conserve warmth. This is dust, and it's coming down from the sky.

Dust falling from the sky with the stars coming down with them. Hm.

If what is happening here is paired with the above concepts, this could easily be construed as a sort of world-ending, or world-beginning event. But what really makes this theory are the structures populating the background of this area, and Signal Spires:

Iterator-like Structures

(Outer Rim structures on the left, Signal Spires structures on the right)

Of course, the instant first thought given to these structures is the functional resemblance they bear to Iterators. They're both gigantic, geometrical structures that have spires coming out of the top, with legs (or a leg) and technological innards.

I did some research and investigation, and the structure on the left is apparently called a Starcatcher, which adds to the thoughts about stars above. And despite its appearance as an Iterator-like structure, it doesn't really have any of the conventional makings of an Iterator. In fact, it's almost completely hollow.

This is known because you jump around inside one. But I wouldn't entirely count this out for being some form of an Iterator, because we still never see that lower area in use. It's debatable, but there's a case to be made.

Secondly, there is a case to be made for the structures in Signal Spires that has some fairly solid ground to it.

These large, technological pyramids the spires sit on are not just a throwaway design. It's not a coincidence that they look like Iterators.

This was the ORIGINAL DESIGN FOR THE ITERATOR SUPERSTRUCTURE. And it's worth noting that the possibility of this being some form of Iterator can't be properly and definitely debunked, as we only ever see the Signal Spire part of the structure.

The main idea at play here is that it's highly unlikely these structures resemble Iterator cans without reason. This is likely not a coincidence.

So, how does this all fit together?

This theory suggests that these structures are all Iterators, but they come from iterations of the world with minor differences. There was always going to be a race of "Ancients" that came about and made Iterators, or structures that serve a similar purpose, but their designs were always going to be different from world iteration to world iteration. I think this is a fair assumption to make, since every look we get at these structures is pretty consistent in presentation. We're supposed to think that these are located all over the world in the base game, and I doubt the intention is any different with these regions.

Outer Rim furthers this idea of iteration and change by showing it in action, with dust falling from the sky, and the stars blustering on by. We're witnessing a pretty heavily implicit time of change and rebirth for the world, Rot Prince or not, and it's not out of the question that the end for this world was the beginning of the other two or more that we see.

This could also explain the significant difference in style and structure we see in the other regions this DLC presents.

Creatures with analogs across all of these iterations likely wouldn't differ much in appearance or change much between worlds on account of them simply being different iterations of the same creatures, so there wouldn't be much change there. It is worth noting that you can find lizards in this DLC with the ridges they have in Saint's campaign, however, so there is a case to be made for variation.

Conclusion

Rain World's world is in a constant cycle of being born, forming a dominant species capable of building megastructures, dying, and then starting all over again. The Cycle is the one true constant of the world, and encompasses far more than just the life that populates it. The entire world is stuck in this cycle, never to escape. This is something we see in the Watcher's campaign, as we see hints of different versions of the same civilization which have come and gone. It's just our job to explore these places, and the possibilities they present for the world.

[scftpcws]

Naaaah because my boy Ollie is a complete freak! That dude would be clingy and rough AF and I'm here for it. Please please! 🥺

Warning! MDNI18+ some filthy ass shit. and terrible writing please read at your own risk.

smut under the cut 💋

i have been deathly absent for a while but i am here to say… yes. yes the fuck he would be a freak because have you SEEN him. he is a dangerous individual.

i feel like he would have a lot if repressed desires that he would keep from you. he wouldn’t even tell Felix about them, because when has he ever told anyone the truth??

he debated a few times whether or not he should tell you the depraved things he wanted from the two of you’s sex life, but every time he got close he backed out because he didn’t want to weird you out or worse, scare you away.

I feel like he would totally be into some predator x prey dynamic type stuff. he isn’t sure why he’s into it, maybe its the thrill if chasing you through the Maze or giving you 30 seconds to find a hiding space in Saltburn Estate, and spending a dreadful amount of time “trying” to find you, despite knowing exactly where you are every time. he knows you, knows your mind. of course he does, he spent months, possibly years (depending on how long you managed to evade his addictive personality) dissecting that pretty little brain of yours so that he knew every thought process, every detail. he is obsessed with you and that definitely transfers into the way he fucks you.

he’s slow at first. its a mind game, he wants you to beg for him and he knows that by the end of the night you will, regardless of how defiant you may be. I feel like because of this, he may also be into CNC. obviously you two would consent to it and make a list of rules and things that were okay and not okay. he would abide by all of these rules, because again, he respects your boundaries and doesn’t want you to leave him. he would fuck you nice and slow until your fussy and whining for him to go faster, to fuck you harder.

“What was that little lamb? speak up for me.” he would whisper sweetly into your ear, thrusting hard just once into you, watching the way your eyes toll back into your head. “I need it Ollie.” you whine, tears falling from your eyes in frustration.

“Need what love? Do i look like a mind reader? tell me what you want and you can have it.” he slowly begins to rub your clit in gentle and agonising circles. “I want you to fuck me.” you were breathless and almost delerious with pleasure.

“Want?” “ Oh honey, I thought you needed it? What, you dont need me anymore, hmm? don’t need to feel my love for you? don’t need to feel me break you?” he ask, his once languid thrust coming to a halt. You whine without restraint, cursing him with your teeth clenched dur to the sudden lack if pleasure.

“Tell me you crave me. Tell me you need me, how you can’t breathe without me, how im everything you need. Tell me.” he says, his lips against your ear, his hand round your throat grip tightened, causing your breathing to strain.

“I need you! Please i need to feel you. only you can fuck me this good, please Ollie. make me feel better, i need you to make me feel better…please.” the last please was a desperate whine, so pathetic Ollie had to throw his head back to avoid your soft and innocent gaze. you trailed you hand up to his neck to pull him closer to you, your gaze so piercing and unavoidable that he almost came, his thick cock unmoving in your tight cunt.

“Please Sir.”

oh that one did it. His pace was instantly bruising, so violent that if you didn’t know the extent of his love, you might have thought he wanted you dead. you almost didn’t recognise him. he was like a wild animal, his only aim to fuck you into oblivion.

he mumbled a mix of incoherent praise and degrading comments as your throat became hoarse from your scream like moans. the crying for him to slow down only spurred him on, causing him to shove his fingers in you mouth to dampen your onslaught of noises.

he fuck you dangerously for what could have been hours. you lost count of how many times you came around him. your body felling fuzzy and limp. seeing you so braindead for him had him unleashing what quite easily could have been his 7th load of the night. he watched as a dumb, lopsided grin etched its way into your lips as you felt the warmth of his cum flood your cunt once more.

“look at you so pretty for me, my pretty little lamb.”

well… im back.. i think..

[thebibutterflyao3]

"Traditional"

@pandalilymicrofics - 727 words

Series Beginning

part fourteen - part fifteen - part sixteen

Lily wrapped her arms around Dora and allowed herself to enjoy the moment. This was the hardest part of her recovery, forcing her mind to slow down and acknowledge the present. For so long, she only looked ahead to anticipate disasters before they came, to prepare for the worst. Living in the moment required intent and effort, but was usually worth it. How else would she hold onto the image of Dora curled up against her like a bunny in a burrow, safe and warm?

I miss this far more than anything else. Cuddling in the afterglow is disturbingly underrated. 

“I can hear you thinking. Give it a rest, Lily.”

Amused by the mild reprimand, Lily peered down at her with her best professional smile and said, “I’m trying to decide when it’s appropriate to ask for feedback. In the interest of improvement, would you say you were satisfied? On a traditional scale of 1-10? Or do you have constructive criticism to offer?”

Dora huffed out a weak laugh, her warm breath tickling Lily’s collarbone. “Oh, not you too. First Dorcas, now this. Would you like me to leave a Google review?”

“If you wouldn’t mind,” Lily teased, giggling as she pretended to search the bed behind her. “I’m sure I have a QR code for you to scan somewhere.”

“Big tits and jokes, lucky me,” Dora said, grinning wryly. She grabbed Lily’s arm and insisted on being cuddled properly. “Just hold me for a while, you twit.”

There was an unspoken plea in Dora’s voice that sounded a lot like let me pretend that I can have this. Unsure if that was a good sign or not, Lily acquiesced. If that meant another round in the morning or a proper date in the future, she would happily agree. If it was any deeper than that, Lily doubted it had anything to do with her personally. As much as she prided herself on being able to read people — thank you, trauma — she hadn’t seen any sign of Dora’s interest in her until the drinks started flowing. Which was fine, honestly. 

Lily didn’t know how much of herself she had left to give, anyway. Her ex-husbands had depleted her youth, and the few dates she’d managed to set-up since her latest divorce were little more than glorified hook-ups. Is it too late to start over at 39? To find “the one?” It was an ongoing thought that flitted in and out of her mind when someone new and interesting struck her fancy. Regardless if she pursued the person or not, the query presented itself for consideration.

Annoyed by her mind's meandering, Lily dismissed all of it outright. If she expected to find happiness, she couldn’t let her past define her future. She didn’t put in the time and energy to pursue therapy just to allow insecurities to take control all over again. If she found the right person, who loved her just as she was, brilliant! If not, Lily was prepared to make her own happiness.

“You’re staring,” Dora mumbled sleepily. 

“I can’t believe you’re real,” Lily admitted. She brushed her thumb over Dora’s cheek and smiled. “It still feels like my dreams.”

“Alcohol will do that.”

Dismissing the cranky reply, Lily whispered, “Stay the night, will you? I’ll worry if you leave here half-tipsy in an unfamiliar area.”

Dora grumbled something incoherent, then sighed. “Yeah, alright.”

Satisfied, Lily settled into a comfortable position and closed her eyes. She could hardly blame the woman for wanting to sleep, after all. They’d had their fair share – probably more than their share – of drinks tonight. If Dora didn’t want to talk, she would take a hint and shut up. At least, for now.

The longer she laid there, the more determined Lily was to see where this could go. This wasn't a misguided attempt to date via an app and Dora wasn't exactly a stranger, more like a friend of a friend. Dorcas may as well have set them up, in a matter of speaking.

In the morning, when the haze of a night out was gone, everything would be clearer for both of them. Lily decided right then and there that when she woke up, she’d bring Dora a coffee and ask for a date. No ambiguity, no games. She’d know one way or another if she had a shot right up front.

I think this, whatever this is, could be more. How often do dreams come to life?

[golden-boy-of-the-gazette]

My brain keeps running back to the idea of Danny's first time having sex sooo

Gender neutral reader, nsfw, incredibly brief mention of overstimulation that doesnt even go into detail. Probably has typos and probably isnt formatted too well but I'm just getting thoughts down.

I imagine he wouldnt be too focused on it during school. Seeing as his dad sounded super strict and awful he was probably more focused on school work. Not to mention he was most definitely a loser. Is he pretty? Sure, doesnt change the fact that he was too quiet and got caught staring all the time but once he graduated and was free from the pressures of his father- y'know.

I imagine he would be nervous but wouldnt show it. He wouldn't admit that he's never had sex before so hes sloppy, incredibly sloppy. He doesn't know how to move his hips, where to put his hands- not to mention his doesnt know where the clit is at this point. He is incredibly touchy though, not even in a groping kind of way. In a just barely grazing their skin with his fingertips kind of way. Until it's not. He gets more used to it and starts to get a bit more bold, using his full palm, getting more and more greedy. He starts groping eventually of course but he's starting to want to taste. He uses his mouth. Soft kisses that get hungrier until hes biting, not knowing exactly how to give hickies but hes leaving marks regardless. Hes groping at their thighs, holding them close while he nips at their throat, imagining bitting a chunk out of it. That's what gets him going. Now hes not thinking right. Hes thinking of another design about the person hes with, thinking about killing them and leaving them on display for everyone to see. Thats what's really giving him a hard-on. Not the shitty porn star-ish moans that are reverberating in his ears, no, hes imagining them gurgling, choking on their own blood but- ah. His thoughts are interrupted by the slightest touch on his cock, eliciting a slight grunt of surprise from him.

He tries to take the lead but his movements are so sloppy and poor that he ends up being the bottom, getting ridden instead. He's fussy and loud, scratching at their thighs as he holds back tears from overstimulation. Hes not thinking about his partner during this at all, mind completely blank, only ever thinking about himself. He's muttering useless pleas under his breath that are coming out as incoherent nonsense, tilting his head back and groaning deeply- he doesnt last that long. Maybe 7 or 8 minutes. He doesnt feel bad. Hes ready to go another round but his partner is ultimately left unsatisfied anyway.

[internal-ethics]

so...some tobirama things

[these are my old comments and chats and bullet points so will sound incoherent in a post]

the first major early era capitalist

aside from the literal ninja nuclear bomb jutsu that's his signature, tbrm inventions are all his attempt to redistribute some og bloodline bullshit his bro had and abolish the clan mindset.

shadow clones work the same way as Wood Clones. It tricks all magic eyes, kill time doing shit and for info gathering

flying thunder god is an advanced summoning jutsu (which senju are good at) where "teleporting" just means literally summoning yourself from one place to another as long as you marked the place before. No magic or jutsu could track it.

wood jutsus and sharingans and byakugans are bloodline limits only his bro and big clans could do. he couldnt.

so what do he do? Make similar stuff everyone could learn and do regardless of clans,

Tl dr , bro is an early era capitalist who took power and jutsus from the elite feudal clans, flipped them off together with their clannism, and produced accessible and user friendly means for non-clan , non blood limit people that are willing to pay for it

Cause everyone from big clans was just sticking to themselves and going all Dues ex MACHINA on power

And it really depended on who had the bigger better nukes, who was going to RULE

and that SUCKS for everyone else, the normal people

of course his stuff also served as counters of those very blood limits and middle fingers to them bc he's an bitter asshole that way, just not the kind everyone thinks

in father's time, the eldest son of a clanhead becomes clan heads ALWAYS and they could do what ever they want. this is not father's time. this is the end of the feudal mindset. And the start of their version of democratic national republic, so you gotta get the people's rep votes to decide who rules.

2. sacrifice - the foundations of the new ninja world

Most fans, even his own fans, due to the databook's wording, remember him as "the one who built the village". as in building the infrastructures and concrete things. thats only scratching the surface of who he really was : he IS the village by virtue of his deeds. And the point of him doing all that he does is ...he literally is the only one who ado it to the highest standards and thats both great and ironic, because everyone does it, but NO one else does it like him.

[easy for him to say lol]

he sacrificed himself, so everyone does the same, but others like Shikamaru sacrifice because they think they are the fittest to die, like they are the weakest or most sacrificable. tobiramas sacrifice should have hit hard, bc he sacrificed precisely BECAUSE he was literally the most unfit to die, the strongest, the most nonsensible choice to die. Thats how it paved such a strong legacy. And i think, while not meaning to do anything in that calibre, and never showing these qualities of ninja, and most likely having got a normal death, hashirama was the one tobirama learned from, by his almost suicide to protect tobirama, as the strongest in his clan. The difference is while hashirama was doing it just for his brother and his friend, tobirama imprinted that into his mind and did that for everyone. He made a brothers love into a worldwide legacy, a tradition.

Tobirama didnt just create the chuunin exams, he was the standards based on which they test shinobis in the exams. Intelligence, planning, general smart fighting and info gathering skills, time based choices, bravery and once again, the will to sacrifice yourself. Shikamaru is the only one who passed that time because he acted exactly like Tobirama would in all the exams. The chuunin exams is to sort out who is the most like him.

He didnt just create the Anbu who are special assasins and spies who has no name. He IS the special assassin and spy. Because since childhood he was THAT assassin and that spy, a deadly shadow behind a leader.

He didnt just create the Police Force. He IS the one with all the qualities to be the Police : strictness, caution, principles, law abiding, fraternity and loyalty.

bonus not to mention he is not the one who built the physical village. hashirama is. hashirama was the one with visual thinking and works in the present. he knew what the village is gonna look like and where to build it since he was a kid. hashirama built the physical village like the pillar tree he is, he takes care of it's SPACE, makes sure it exist for people to reside in. tobirama embodies the IDEA and standards of the village and takes care of it's TIME, makes sure it lasts for the next generation.

[hismercytomyjustice]

I will never financially recover from 600 Strike…

I just…

God it’s so fucking good… T^T

Of course the “NEXT TO MY WIFE” part, but Odysseus showing Poseidon what happens when you finally get exactly what you want…

Look what you’ve turned me into

Look what we’ve become

*incoherent screeching*

The lyrics are just SO GOOD. Like, I am awe of how Jay manages to one up himself over and over again. This song is maybe the most pivotal one as far as Odysseus’s character arc is concerned and he fucking CRUSHED IT.

I AM ADDING A CUT BECAUSE I HAVE A LOT OF FEELINGS, OKAY?! ( ༎ຶ⌑༎ຶ)

UGH. I will never get enough of this musical, I s2g. Jay does such an amazing job of portraying Odysseus’s emotions and mental state throughout. By the time we get to 600 Strike, it’s fucking heartbreaking. Odysseus has tried SO HARD for SO LONG to be a good person. He never wanted any of this! He never wanted to be ruthless! But over and over and over again he is just doomed by the gods narrative.

UUUGH. It makes No Longer You (probs my fave song of the musical) EVEN BETTER because yeah, “I see a man who gets to make it home alive, but it’s no longer you.”

The gods have forced Odysseus time and time again to be ruthless. He has fought for twenty years to retain some semblance of his innate desire for mercy only to watch it ripped away from him, piece by devastating piece.

I utterly adore the way we see him broken down until the ONLY thing he has left for any chance at happiness or normalcy is making it home to his wife and son.

He starts out this whole journey with the goal of getting himself AND his crew home only to watch them die in increasingly horrific ways because of the impossible situations they keep getting forced into.

I feel like Oddyseus’s first major breakdown happens in The Underworld. That’s where it finally all starts to be too fucking much. Where he hits his limit. Just the “All I hear are screams, every time I dare to close my eyes. I no longer dream, only nightmares of those who've died.”

And then the utterly gut wrenching scene with his mom. ( ༎ຶ⌑༎ຶ)

I feel like up to this point, yeah he’s concerned about what’s going on back at home, but this is the first time he’s straight up confronted with the fact things are changing there and there’s NOTHING he can do about it. His absolute worst fear has come true. He lost someone he loved forever because he couldn’t make it home.

How did she die? Odysseus doesn’t know. She could have died peacefully of old age or been slaughtered. Either way he wasn’t there to comfort her or protect her. She died not knowing if he would ever made it home. Even in death, she’s stuck forever wondering what happened to him and wishing she could see him again.

HE IS RIGHT THERE and she will never know because he was too late.

Like logically he knows time is passing in Ithaca too, but up to this point I feel like Ithaca is more of a concept to him than a reality. His last memories of his home are of his wife and infant son from over a decade ago. Obviously they’ve aged too, but he hasn’t seen the effects of the passage of time on them. He doesn’t know what’s become of them or his country without its king.

It makes so much sense that this is when he finally starts to consider ruthlessness over mercy. Especially after Tiresias implies he will never make it home. Like obvs we know he will and that Tiresias just means he won’t be the same person when he does, but Odysseus doesn’t know that.

Regardless, Tiresias is right. The only way Odysseus will ever make it home is to cut away at everything that makes him who he is. His morality, his desire for mercy, his loyalty to his crew, his friends...

His friends who trust him, only for him to keep leading them to horrific deaths time and time again by clinging to his desire for mercy.

God, and then there’s Mutiny. This whole time Eurylochus has been begging Odysseus to focus on the needs of the few instead of the many, to “cut their losses.” And now Odysseus finally does by sacrificing six men and Eurylochus cannot fucking believe it, even after trying to convince him to do this EXACT same thing back in Puppeteer.

I think Eurylochus ultimately wants Odysseus to keep leading them, even when he doesn’t agree with his decisions, because he doesn’t trust himself to make to put the lives of everyone else first. He relies so much on Odysseus as his moral compass and now that compass has been shattered into a million pieces.

This is not his captain. This IS NOT his friend. This is also the moment Eurylochus realizes Odysseus intends to get home by any means necessary and that fucking terrifies him.

He could always count on Odysseus to keep the safety of the crew first and foremost, to be their pillar of strength in the face of adversity, but now? Now he can’t.

Besides, he’s finally convinced himself that they’ll never make it home, so why should they keep fighting? Why not just try and live out the rest of their lives in peace? Why invite more suffering and pain into their lives?

Then comes Thunder Bringer, where Eurylochus’s biggest fear is realized. Odysseus openly admits he will do whatever it takes to make it home to his wife and son.

At this point, Odysseus is desperately trying to justify all of the horrors and loss they’ve been through. Hundreds of men who trusted him have died because of him. He believes he’s led them astray over and over again.

But if he doesn’t make it home, what was the point of all of this? Does he give up now for the sake of his remaining crew, or does he honor the sacrifice of those they’ve lost by finally making it home? Every single one of them has died in their attempts to get home. How can he sleep at night if he gives up on getting there now? It would mean they all died for absolutely nothing.

And like, it’s a fucked up decision but I think it’s fair to say Odysseus is running on pure PTSD and vibes at this point. He is literally staring ZEUS in the face. Zeus who pretty much made him kill a defenseless child “for the greater good.” Zeus who is asking him to make another impossible choice.

His remaining crew has already admitted they’ve given up on getting home, but Odysseus hasn’t. If no one makes it back, how will the family and friends they’ve left behind ever find closure? They’ll spend the rest of their days living and dead waiting for them to come home like his mother has. They’ll descend into the underworld never knowing what happened to them and hoping against hope that they’ll still see them again.

Hope is such a powerful thing, but it can also be devastating. Isn’t it kinder to let them know what happened than to let them die, trapped warring with grief and hope forever? Because not knowing, while it can give them hope, it’s a false hope at this point. It’s not real.

Isn’t it crueler to leave them scanning the horizon for the rest of their lives, looking for ships that will never come? Isn’t it crueler to force thousands upon thousands of voices to join his mother’s in the underworld?

Isn’t it kinder to give them closure? To let them finally be able to fully grieve?

The least he can do is tell their loved ones what happened to them, isn’t it?

And now, twenty years later, he’s finally within sight of Ithaca. Now he can justify all of his decisions, all of the pain, all of the heartache. He’s can do the one good thing left to him after all these years.

So of course that’s when Poseidon strikes in a final act of devastating cruelty. All because Odysseus blinded rather than outright killed his son. His son who planned to kill and eat him and every single one of his 600 crew members.

It’s simultaneously so cathartic and heartbreaking when Odysseus first brings the trident down on Poseidon. Especially after pleading with him one last time to stop this never ending cycle of violence and pain.

But Poseidon refuses to stop. He’s more concerned about his pride and his reputation than in admitting he’s taken things too far. This so-called god has the nerve to have killed almost every man in his crew and then tell Odysseus he hasn’t suffered enough. He’s already paid for his actions with the blood of hundreds of men. What debt could he possibly have left to pay?

Tbh I would not have blamed Odysseus for torturing Poseidon for the rest of his days. And, if he chose ruthlessness over mercy, that’s what he would have done. Poseidon would’ve gotten exactly what he wanted. Lol, just not like this.

But no. Even in the midst of all of this, of getting to hear this murderer, this god cry out and beg for the mercy he denied him so many times, Odysseus stops. Poseidon finally knows what it’s like to feel helpless and to feel unending pain.

Surprised Pikachu face! He’s not a fan!

Odysseus has pled with the gods to be merciful for over twenty years now. Zeus, Athena, Poseidon, Calypso, Circe… He’s begged them time and time again to see there are other ways than ruthlessness. He managed to get through to Circe, since she alone viscerally understood the pain and loss he’d been through. And now all the rest of them finally understand too.

Athena goes to Zeus on his behalf to convince him and a whole host of other gods to give Odysseus another chance. Calypso lets him leave her island. Zeus realizes the folly of his own pride when he nearly kills his own daughter. Poseidon agrees to call off the storm.

It’s such a fascinating story and I utterly adore Jay’s interpretation of it. Mercy is what ultimately gets Odysseus home, even if he had to be ruthless to get it.

AND AND AND all the callbacks in the songs, the bastardization of moments of joy. The reclamation of moments of horror!!! T^T

JAY WHEN I CATCH YOU.

[thedrotter]

Re:Kinder Fun Facts of the day☺️!!! Have you ever wondered who talks the most from the main cast in Re:Kinder?? Well, I did😊. Today I'll be answering this question with some graphs and as a bonus telling you what words each character uses the most! I will warn you, this will be a bit long and I don't know how to be less verbose so, yeah!!!

First, I've made some basic rules as to what I counted regarding how much the characters speak. Not all lines really count as speaking, after all.

Any of the incoherent screaming lines don't count. There's a lot of screaming since the characters die a lot (as expected for a horror RPG game), but I don't really count that as speaking unless they're saying proper words. In that same vein, I didn't really count any of the panting or sniffing and such that are conveyed through words. Again, I don't really see that as a character actively speaking their thoughts!

If I cannot tell who a line belongs to, I will not give it to anyone. This happens for certain lines, so I felt this rule was important.

I won't be counting repetitions of the same line if it's on a variation of the same scene. This may sound a bit strange, but when a character dies, the game goes on to the same next scene it would regardless (unless the scene that follows it is an ending), with variations and new lines here and there to account for the dead character, but a lot will be reused and placed in the exact same beats it normally would have been in originally. So, this rule is here for that. Oh, and also the scenes with bits of Yuuichi's backstory that appear in Shunsuke's head won't be counted twice, because some appear twice line by line.

Of course, the "..." lines won't count. I am so sorry Aya!!!!😞

Now that the ground rules have been set, there's just one thing I want to mention. Though I will count all the total lines for Takumi and Yuuichi like any other character, I just want to mention that first I will have two separate counts for them! Takumi | Takumiel and Yuuichi | Yuuichi's Heart respectively.

Takumiel is separate because I was curious about how much Takumi spoke as an archangel compared to when he was alive. Yuuichi's Heart is because he speaks so much he feels notable enough to be given his own division, even if he and Yuuichi at the end of the day are one person

(I count the silly mind telepathy where Shunsuke is being directly spoken to [and being told things normal Yuu would avoid saying at that point] and the comical theater as Yuuichi's Heart. I clarify in case one assumes he only starts being counted the moment he's directly labelled as Yuuichi's Heart. Any line that can't be distinguished between Yuuichi's Heart and Yuuichi will be given to Yuuichi by default.)

With nothing else to be clarified let's get to the numbers!!!😊😊

First, the line counts with Takumiel and Yuuichi's Heart counted individually!! Here are the rankings:

Shunsuke (With a lead of 535 lines over second place!!)

Yuuichi

Rei

Yuuichi's Heart

Hiroto

Ryou

Sayaka

Aya

Takumi

Takumiel

You may be thinking— woah, does Shunsuke really speak that much?! You could say that, for a good chunk of those lines are from how he describes interactable points around the map and his inner thoughts, so they aren't all exactly said out loud. The benefit of being the protagonist, I suppose ww

Funny enough, Yuuichi's Heart has almost as many lines as Yuuichi does for not having that much time in the game, being on the higher end between the characters that don't get the benefit of being a protagonist (lol)!

Admittedly I had expected for Rei and Hiroto to have a more similar amount of lines given their nearly equal amount of presence, but for what it is Rei surpassed Hiroto by 51 lines! I also had expected for Takumiel to speak a little bit more than Takumi but turns out the opposite is true.

While the lack of lines of Takumi and Takumiel are to be expected due to their short time on the game, what stands out is Aya not even reaching triple digits between her other peers who are in there for most of the game. This is because a good chunk of Aya's lines in game are silence!^^" And thus weren't counted. If ellipses were a word, she surely would have reached triple digits, but unfortunately they're not.

Now the line count with combined sums of Takumi | Takumiel and Yuuichi | Yuuichi's Heart!!!

In here, the ranking isn't affected, with Yuuichi remaining second place and Takumi being last place. But the disparity of everyone's numbers compared to Takumi's feels a bit more clear to see when Takumiel isn't individually counted.

With Yuuichi's line counts combined, Shunsuke remains 318 lines ahead of him, but it also means Yuuichi has a 59% the amount of Shunsuke's lines; and impressive feat for someone who doesn't get the benefit of being the point of view for everything you press... Although he does also have an upper hand over everyone by essentially being the plot of this game ww

But maybe line counts do not suffice to tell how much a character speaks. Yes, Shunsuke has a bunch of lines from everything he interacts with, but is it really reliable to say he speaks all that much in all those lines? A good chunk of those could easily have 3 words each! So with this in mind, let's do a word count.

Even in a word count, Shunsuke has the lead, having a lead of 2,247 words over second place. But we'll see about that when we combine Yuuichi's numbers. Anyway, here's the ranking!

Shunsuke

Yuuichi's Heart

Yuuichi

Rei

Hiroto

Ryou

Sayaka

Aya

Takumi

Takumiel

This time, Yuuichi's Heart is the one at second place!!! It's pretty funny that he speaks more than his physical counterpart ww. I genuinely didnt think he'd out yap himself that way when I chose to count for him individually 😭!!! He has a lead of 63 words over himself, but a lead nonetheless.

In here, Rei and Hiroto are more even than in the line counts, with the difference seeming more minimal when put into words. But it also showcases that despite Rei having more lines than Yuuichi's Heart in the line count, those only get to have a bit over half of the amount of words he talks (To be fair he does get to infodump a lot in his section of the game).

And here's the combined word count!!! Suddenly Shunsuke's lead is only by a mere 55 words! So Yuuichi speaks about as much as he does with 318 less lines.

I must admit that I genuinely did not expect it to be that close. When I chose to count the lines for when you interact with things for Shunsuke, I thought he was granted to speak an absurd amount more than anyone else. But turns out that Yuuichi speaks about the same amount out loud when most of Shunsuke's are his own thoughts ww. But it does make sense! He is still the plot of this game.

So, after all those charts, here's the average/middle point of lines and words for characters to have, because why not, it's fun.

Average Line Count (YH and Takumiel counted individually): 197 lines

Average Line Count (When combined): 247 lines

Average Word Count (YH and Takumiel counted individually): 1,333 words

Average Word Count (When combined): 1,666 words

So there it is. That's how much the characters in Re:Kinder speak!

But wait!!! I am not done. I will share with you an additional fun fact... Did you ever want to know what word each of these characters said the most?! This one will be quicker, I do promise.

When it came to counting these words I did not count stop words, that being common words that are used all the time by everyone in English. "I, you, me, the, to, a, my, your, yes, no"... Words like that! Otherwise everyone would have one of those as their most said word and it'd be rather boring to look at. With that said, here are the words these characters say the most!

Shunsuke: Yuuichi - said 40 times! (this genuinely confused me so much im sorry he uses interjections so much I had expected it to be something like "huh" or "um" but no i dont know how this passed by me as i was rounding up all the lines he says or proofreading or writing all of those lines WHAT?!?! its been two days and it still takes me out)

Ryou: Shunsuke - Said 14 times

Sayaka: Murderer - Said 7 times (All in one sentence!)

Takumi | Takumiel (counted in one for how little he speaks.): Takumiel - Said 3 times (That name is so important, he said it thrice.)

Aya: Sorry - Said 5 times

Rei: Hell, gonna, look, Yuuchi - said 8 times (Most of the repeated words she says are stop words for she doesn't tend to speak about the same things repeatedly.)

Hiroto: Shunsuke - Said 17 times

Yuuichi (separate from YH): Problem - Said 17 times

Yuuichi's Heart: Mama - Said 24 times

Yuuichi (Overall): Mama - Said 31 times

So that is finally it. That is the fun fact of today.😊😊 Use this to woe your friends at parties!!!

I am aware Mami speaks about enough to be counted in, but this is pretty time consuming to do and I'm not sure anyone is invested on her enough to count her in. But if there's enough curiosity regarding that, I'll try counting her in. But for now this suffices.☺️ Thanks for reading!

[skinnamon39]

incoherent rambling about The Boy and the Heron below, beware of spoilers and content warnings for discussion of self-harm and (briefly) death

I watched it subbed and I've only seen it once so if I misremember some things or my account seems different from what you watched then oops (I don't know what they changed, if anything, in the dub). anyways

Mahito might be one of the most compelling protagonists from a film I've seen in a long time. maybe not the most fun or most interesting per say, but I don't remember the last time I was so completely absorbed in a character's growth. just instantly hooked.

I think it's definitely a "less is more" kind of case for him, where what he doesn't do matters just as much or more as what he does. like in particular, I was super intrigued by how throughout the entire house tour sequence, he doesn't say a word. his dad introduces Natsuko to him, Natsuko shows him the house, he meets the maids, and he doesn't say anything; we still get shots of him looking at and reacting to stuff, he takes off his hat and bows to people when appropriate, he follows any directions given to him, and it all really strongly gave me the impression that he isn't invested in what's happening.

and of course he isn't! we are reminded almost as soon as he's shown to his room that he's still reeling over the death of his mom. actually, it might be accurate to say he's resentful of his circumstances. he kind of has to go along with it since he's, y'know, a kid, but he's obvs majorly uncomfortable with feeling Natsuko's pregnant belly, and for a good chunk of the first act, almost everything he says to people are bare-minimum polite autopilot responses.

but uhhh I gotta talk about the self-harm scene, I have been studying it under a microscope ever since I saw it. yeah it's pretty brief but man I was NOT expecting that much blood.

anyways, we're not told exactly why Mahito did it, but I don't think we really need to when the general gist suffices. what does he mean when he says later on it was fueled by his "malice"? was it a way to get out of the school he obviously didn't like, and thus defiance of his father? was he just trying to avoid his antagonistic classmates? was he trying to get them in trouble for "injuring" him? who knows? it could be any of them. it could be all of them at once. the nature of his lie about his injury muddles things too. regardless, the outcome is the same: he's not going to school for now.

this is getting a lot longer than I thought it would and I'm still not done (I wanted to talk about things besides Mahito too! I swear!) but I'll stop here for now. god this movie was so good