#(although ironically that one didn't do much during the finale)

[midnite-enjoyer]

GUESS WHO BEAT CLASSIC MODE ON POKEROGUE FOR THE FIRST TIME

[bythepen98]

Doodles || Tomarry || Childhood friends/Growing Up Together au

(Ignore the not-so-time-period-accurate outfits)

Think of this as a timetravel au where Harry accidentally gets sent back to the past in Wool's orphanage at a young enough age where he barely notices the changes caused by the time displacement and thus grows up nonethewiser to his destiny as the Chosen One. Even when, objectively, his life at the orphanage could be considered worse considering the growing lack of food, his environment's state of decay and overall unrest happening outside the orphanage's walls, something about his situation felt right(?).

He'd always felt disconnected and out of place based on the few memories he still had from living with the Dursleys but now, it felt like he was home in a way. Like something finally clicked in his brain, his soul.

His instant connection to Tom helped cement that fact. It wasn't easy at first because the pull they felt when they first met was so strong that it scared Harry shtless and Tom, already half-full of resentment by this point, was horrified feeling anything to anyone that wasn't disgust. In the end, it didn't take long for them to meet halfway since they were still children and curiosity at the connection lured them in like candy; Harry wanted a special friend of his own and Tom convinced himself that Harry was worth his time because there was no way anyone ordinary could elicit such a soul deep response from him.

Tom has a mean streak and is more bloodthirsty than his charming facade would show but is honest about it with Harry. Although he doesn't have much to his name, Tom is serious about his self-imposed role as Harry's provider, giving him gifts (from the money he steals) during his birthdays and keeping him as warm and well fed as possible (by bullying the other kids into surrendering their share).

Sometimes, Tom....worries.....that his methods would eventually drive Harry - who has such an inherent goodness in him, so often kind to people who don't deserve it - away but what he fails to understand is that Harry's love and loyalty to the first friend he's ever made trumps any kindness he has for others. He'll never like needless violence and won't react if he was being targeted but all bets are off if he even a catches a whiff of plots against Tom. If he has to help hide a body or two in the future so that they won't be separated by something as inconvenient as jail or the law, then that's nobody's business but his own.

P.S. This Harry will probably go to Hufflepuff instead of Slytherin like in other fics. It just feels right. Probably should've drawn him wearing a yellow tie but only just got the idea as I'm typing this. Tom would rather eat slugs than go to the Hufflepuff common room but he's more than willing to entertain Harry at the Slytherin common room at every available chance. They have their own seat there and everything.

P.P.S. They also co adopt a tiny(??) baby snake when they realize they can both speak parseltongue and bring him along to hogwarts. Imagine being parents at the big old age of 10 to a possibly magical snake that may or may not grow past nagini-level size.

P.P.P.S. Future power couple in the making. Didn't think that far ahead whether I wanted Tom to go the political route or Dark Lord Voldemort style minus the horcruxes. Don't ask for me the details, just know that with Harry's help, Tom finds a way to prolong their lives without the consequences that come with using horcruxes. They may or may not discover that Harry is in fact a horcrux of Tom already but will never get the answer as to how it happened. Harry worries but Tom just chocks it up as the universe's way of paying him back for his shtty pre-Harry childhood. Ironically the type to believe in soulmates and destiny while Harry is a bit more skeptical on that front.

Alternatively, they could also decide not to do anything too significant -politically- at all and instead retire to the country side while doing research on as many branches of magic as they can. A bit laughable because of Tom's world altering ambitions and Harry's indulgent, enabling behavior but at the same time, anything's possible.

[adiluv-moved]

✦ : ❝ 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐧 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 !

i've always wanted to try making one of these types of posts, and since i didn't have anything easily ready to post this weekend, i figured i'd might as well give it a shot! ꒰ironically, getting the colors to work for all of the character's names was harder than writing everything.꒱ hope you enjoy! ໒꒰ྀི´ ˘ ` ꒱ྀི১

612 words. character order is bold > normal > italic; raiden shogun as the puppet, not ei; written before clorinde, navia, and wriothesley release; barely edited.

Gently. A soft touch that flutters over your knuckles, to the point where you’re left to question whether or not you’d even felt it, their lips pressing against your skin, lingering for a second or two before relocating to another part of your face. There’s no rush, in their mind, only this moment of intimacy between the both of you—only this shared moment where they’re allowed to bathe in your presence the same way you bathe in the sunlight’s warmth.

The rest of Teyvat is left forgotten as they reach for two teacups, arms loosely wrapped around your waist as they guide you to sit beside them, planting a kiss or two on your cheek as they pour a cup for the both of you. You’ll hold each other like this, sipping at your beverages as they inquire about your day—the stresses and responsibilities of theirs fading away in your closeness.

Lisa, Zhongli, Ayato, Dehya, Kazuha, Wriothesley, Kaveh, Navia, Ningguang.

Hesitantly. Unversed in the concept of affection, they’ve yet to entirely adjust to the idea of being in a romantic partnership, the thought of being within one seemingly wholly outlandish before they’d met you. While you’re more than content to take the lead within your relationship, initiating physical affection and all the like, they can’t help but wish to do the same for you—keep you safe within their arms and show you just how grateful they are for your love.

This desire culminates in them walking up behind you, timidly wrapping their arms around you as they ask whether or not you’re comfortable within their hold. This initial experimentation begins with them holding you as though you’re made of glass, though they’ll slowly begin to warm up and become more confident over time. Although their fingers still nervously twitch as they hover over your skin, please don’t tease them too much. They’re trying their best.

Kabukimono, Neuvillette, Xiao, Al-Haitham, Eula, Albedo, Clorinde, Raiden Shogun.

Tenderly. They love you—they’re whipped for you, really—love teasing you for interrupting their work, conveniently ignoring the fact that it was ꒰truthfully꒱ beginning to drive them mad. They silently thank Celestia whenever you visit during the afternoon, squeezing yourself into their chair as the both of you share a meal, allowing their mind a much needed break from their duties—though you’d never know with the flirtatious taunts falling past their lips.

During the evening, your attempts to have them accompany you back to your shared home often result in you sitting atop their lap, leaning into their touch, and listening to their heartbeat as you wait for them to finish up just a few more papers and pack up for the night. Neither of you really even realize just how much time has passed before they’re finally ready to leave, too immersed within your conversation ꒰gossip, of which they hear a lot꒱ to pay attention to the ticking of the clock.

Beidou, Kaeya, Ayato, Childe, Heizou, Wriothesley, Yae Miko.

Possessively. There’s absolutely no contesting their grip once they pull you towards them, arms tightly wrapping around your form and leaving zero chance of escape. They’ll lean down towards you, burying their head in the crook of your neck as you’re held still, whispering against your skin that you’re left unable to decipher—though you suspect it's intentional.

Any semblance of space that existed between the both of you is wholly destroyed, bodies flush against each other and their arms pushing you even further into them—almost as if they’re attempting to fuse the both of you together. Their head turns towards you at some point, stars dancing about in their eyes as you catch sight of the small blush dusting their cheeks. Point it out, however, and they’ll be quick to break the embrace, pushing you away with remarkable speed and insisting that you were mistaken.

Scaramouche, Wanderer, La Signora.

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[b1xi]

───𝘊𝘜𝘗𝘐𝘋───ハイキュー!!

Haikyuu(ハイキュー!!)x fem!reader

Word count: 5761

𝙈𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙩

As you adjusted the strap of your bag on your shoulder and brushed a loose strand of hair away from your face, you glanced at your school uniform, sighing in resignation. You had forgotten the team uniform at home, which made you the only one in the group wearing the school uniform. Everyone lined up, bowed in respect to the coach, and started boarding the bus.

You took a seat by the window, placing your bag to the side, while Tanaka's laughter echoed from the back of the bus. He was trying to cheer up Hinata, who clearly looked nervous. You rested your head on the seat, feeling your eyelids starting to close. "I could get a little sleep, right?" you thought, considering the trip would take some time. You closed your eyes, trying to ignore the background noise and relax.

However, the calm atmosphere was abruptly broken by a scream of panic. Opening your eyes, you found yourself facing an unexpected scene: Hinata, pale and looking regretful, had accidentally thrown up on Tanaka's lap. Chaos ensued; Tanaka was shouting, desperately asking the driver to pull over, while the rest of the team looked on in bewilderment, unsure of how to react.

Finally, the bus stopped in front of the rival team's school. Daichi turned to you with a mix of panic and plea. “Hey, Y/N… do something,” he said, visibly uncomfortable.

“M-me? What do you expect me to do?” you asked, unable to hide your surprise at his request.

Tsukishima, in his usual ironic tone, chimed in. “Aren't you the assistant coach? You’re supposed to be here for our well-being. Go on, do something,” he said, frowning.

You cursed internally, but you knew that, even if you didn't like it, he had a point. With a sigh, you got up and approached Hinata, who was still apologizing to Tanaka in nervous mumbles.

“Hinata, are you okay?” you asked, keeping a safe distance as you extended a hand to pat his back. “Would you like some water?”

“Yes… yeah, I think I'm okay,” he muttered, though his tone betrayed otherwise. “Tanaka, I’m really sorry,” he added, looking at him with guilt.

Tanaka tried to downplay the incident, smiling in an attempt to ease his teammate's discomfort. “Hey, it’s no big deal! How are you feeling now?” he asked, giving him a pat on the shoulder. “Come on, we need you for today’s match. Just like in that three-on-three game, okay? Let me spike freely.”

But instead of motivating him, the added pressure made Hinata even more nervous. He barely managed to stammer out a “I-I’ll do my be…” before abruptly stopping. “I’m going to the bathroom!” he suddenly blurted, darting off toward the school building.

You shook your head, looking at Tanaka with disapproval. “You shouldn’t pressure him so much. He needs a moment to calm down.”

Then, you followed the team to the gym. The place, identified as gym three, was impressive: several players were training with precision and skill, showing a level of expertise worthy of a high-performance team. During the first set, you kept a low profile, shadowing Takeda-sensei from one side to the other without much involvement. You watched the game attentively, although the start was a bit shaky. Hinata’s nerves seemed to affect the team, slowing down their pace and causing a few missed plays.

Your eyes wandered around the gym, looking for something to capture your attention, until something happened: in the middle of a messy play, Hinata hit the ball so clumsily that it ended up striking Kageyama directly in the head. You covered your mouth to stifle a laugh, but Tsukishima’s sarcastic remarks and Tanaka’s laughter finally made you burst out laughing.

Taking advantage of a break in the game, you decided to climb up to the upper bleachers, looking for a quieter spot. Among the students from Aoba Johsai, your gaze landed on a familiar face. As you approached, you recognized her instantly: your sister.

“What are you doing here?” you asked, surprised, as you leaned slightly on the metal railing, feeling its coldness against your fingers before stopping beside her.

She, with a casual attitude, also leaned against the railing, smiling lightly. “Isn’t it obvious? I study here,” she replied matter-of-factly.

You rolled your eyes, feeling a slight irritation. “I already know that. I mean... why aren’t you at home?”

Your sister gave a slight shrug. “I heard the Karasuno team was having a practice match today and thought it’d be interesting to see how they perform.” Her gaze shifted between the court and you. “Plus, I remembered that you’re part of the team now.”

You raised an eyebrow, somewhat skeptical. “Really? You came just to see me?” you asked, unable to hide the surprise in your tone.

“Of course not,” she replied, pursing her lips and looking at you with slight disdain. “I heard the Karasuno team was good and got curious about how they are now.” Both of you turned your attention back to the court just in time to see the ball hitting Hinata in the face again.

“Well, the team still has a few rough edges to smooth out,” you admitted, watching the play as you tried to find something positive in the situation.

Fortunately, the game continued, and little by little, the Karasuno team began to improve. Hinata, with his characteristic boundless energy, returned to the court and managed to pull off a series of impressive spikes that left everyone stunned. You couldn’t help but feel your heart race with joy as you cheered for the guys from where you stood, even though you knew they couldn’t hear you. Karasuno won the second set, filling you with hope for the next one.

Suddenly, you gave a small jump at the sound of some girls’ excited cheers for a brown-haired boy who had just entered the court. You elbowed your sister and, pointing at the new player, gestured with your head. “Who’s that?” you asked, squinting to try and see him better from your spot.

“That’s Toru Oikawa, the team captain,” she explained calmly, her gaze clearly bored as she watched the tall boy on the court. “He’s pretty good at playing—” Another wave of screams and female praise interrupted her explanation, and with a hint of disdain, she concluded, “And quite popular.”

All the air you’d held in your lungs escaped as you saw Oikawa’s clean and precise serve. You frowned; he was very good. Damn, let’s be real—he was more than good.

Oikawa quickly picked up on the weaknesses in the opposing team’s reception. He noticed that Tsukishima and Hinata weren’t as strong in that area and focused his attacks on them, especially the blond. Yamaguchi, visibly worried, almost had a heart attack just watching the brunette go all-out against his friend.

“Come on, Tsukishima!” you encouraged him from your position, giving him a thumbs-up and drawing the entire team’s attention toward you. Your sister also raised her thumb in support, though with less enthusiasm.

To your surprise, Tsukishima responded with the same gesture, and the rest of the team followed suit without hesitation. Then, they all quickly returned to their positions. Daichi, observing the situation, adjusted Tsukishima and Hinata’s positions; the captain stayed in the center, expanding the team’s defense.

But Oikawa, as sharp as ever, wasted no time. He sent another serve toward Tsukishima, a precise and fast serve that made you hold your breath. Fortunately, the blond managed to save the ball with an incredible reaction. The ball rose in the air, moving from one team to another as everyone watched, tense and nervous. Finally, Hinata, with his characteristic drive, made a decisive spike. The ball passed just by Oikawa, bouncing out of his reach.

The gym fell completely silent, all eyes fixed on the court, stunned by the play. “Well, that was impressive,” your sister commented beside you, straightening her posture and staring at Hinata.

“Takeda-sensei congratulated us, but if we’d faced Seijoh with Oikawa at his best, we wouldn’t have made it,” Daichi reflected as everyone left the gym. The warm light of the sunset cast golden tones over the scene, creating a peaceful atmosphere that eased the moment’s tension.

“Well said, captain,” came a voice from the entrance. It was Seijoh’s captain, leaning dramatically against one of the walls by the exit.

“The great king makes his appearance,” Hinata said, his exaggerated tone causing a slight look of confusion on your face. Tanaka, as always, stepped forward confidently.

“What’s your problem?” Tanaka challenged him, walking boldly toward him. Hinata followed close behind, almost hiding behind him, repeating every word his senpai said. “You wanna fight?”

“Don’t be so hostile,” Oikawa replied with a relaxed gesture, crossing his arms and looking at the two with an amused smile. “But hey, that touch and spike was incredible,” he complimented Hinata, who, visibly embarrassed, rubbed the back of his neck, unsure of what to say in response.

“Next time, we’ll go all out from the start,” Oikawa declared, his tone filled with determination. “Did you notice our positioning? We’ll also be improving our serves.” You saw how Tsukishima tensed upon hearing those words. Without missing a beat, Oikawa continued, “Your attack is impressive, I won’t deny it, but your receptions leave a lot to be desired, and you’re about to hit your limit.”

Oikawa took a step closer, with the confidence of someone who knew his skills well. “I’m not the only one with powerful serves. The Inter-High preliminaries are right around the corner, so don’t get knocked out too easily,” he said, before stopping in front of Kageyama and pointing at him firmly. “I want to face my dear ex-teammate in an official match.”

As you listened to the exchange, you let out a sigh of boredom. The challenging attitudes and rivalries between them seemed endless, and you were already thinking about heading home; hunger was starting to take over.

Finally, after more talk to which you barely paid attention, the team said goodbye and set off on the trip back. Hinata decided to sit with you on the bus, and you, taking advantage of his closeness, settled in and rested your head on his shoulder. Though the situation was a bit uncomfortable due to his constant fidgeting — he seemed unable to stop talking and gesturing in excitement — you smiled at his enthusiasm as he explained his training plans and his excitement to meet the “Guardian Deity of Karasuno” in great detail.

You watched intently as Kageyama prepared to serve the ball. His goal was clear: to hit the empty water bottle you had placed on the other side of the net. The young setter took his time, calculating every angle before hitting the ball with characteristic power.

Both of you held your breath as the ball flew through the air, following a near-perfect trajectory toward its target… until Hinata rushed in, determined to intercept it.

“Don’t get in the way, Hinata, idiot!” Kageyama shouted, visibly frustrated. You let out a soft sigh of frustration and walked over to the court to retrieve the ball… but you quickly realized it had disappeared from view.

Immediately, Hinata ran toward you and positioned himself behind you, as if your presence was a shield against Kageyama’s anger. You smiled, resigned, just as the black-haired setter grabbed another ball, throwing it again with renewed precision, expecting that this time he would hit his target.

Suddenly, something shot past you at full speed, making your eyes widen in surprise. A boy, notably fast with a blonde tuft of hair, lunged toward the ball and made an impeccable reception, neutralizing Kageyama’s serve with surprising agility.

Hinata and you stared at him, impressed.

You and Hinata exchanged a glance before he, as impulsive as ever, approached the newcomer. “Oh, you’re shorter than me!” he exclaimed in astonishment, leaving the other boy clearly offended.

“What did you say?” the boy replied immediately, his tone hurt and his brow furrowed. Before he could say anything else, Hinata quickly stepped back, positioning himself behind you as if you were a human shield.

“I’m sorry!” he apologized hastily, barely peeking out from behind your shoulder. Then, with innocent curiosity, and without moving from his position, he asked, “Uh… how tall are you?”

The boy furrowed his brow even more, crossing his arms in a defiant gesture before responding with unexpected firmness for his size. "I’m 1.59 meters," he said, leaving Hinata visibly surprised.

“This is the first time I’ve seen someone shorter than me since I entered high school,” Hinata commented, his voice full of awe as he covered his face with his forearm as if crying tears of joy.

Immediately, you noticed the change in the boy’s expression, clearly not taking the joke well. You could see his face turning red.

“Shoyo, don’t say that,” you whispered softly, noticing how the other boy began to take steps back, clearly irritated by Hinata’s comment.

“Noya-san!” Tanaka greeted, his usual tone as he approached with a wide smile.

"Hello, Ryu," the boy replied with a nod, maintaining his composure. Daichi and Sugawara also exchanged greetings with him, calling him by his name, Nishinoya.

“I’ll introduce you to Nishinoya,” Daichi said, noticing the confused looks from Hinata, Kageyama, and you. “He’s a second-year.”

"Hello," you said, raising a hand in greeting. Hinata, with his usual energy, repeated the word in unison.

Nishinoya looked at both of you with a playful smile before casting a calculating glance at Kageyama, who still seemed a bit upset about what had happened earlier.

“You guys are first-years, huh?” Nishinoya commented, evaluating the newcomers, then pointed directly at Kageyama with a mischievous grin. “You! The guy with the ugly look... What middle school did you come from?”

“Kitagawa Daiichi,” Kageyama replied with his usual serious attitude.

“Really! That’s a good school, no wonder you play like that,” Nishinoya praised him, his tone full of energy. “We played against you and lost 2 to 1, your serves were great too.” Nishinoya’s enthusiasm was palpable, and his genuine laugh seemed to break the tension that had been building in the air.

You watched, amused, as the guy was the louder, faster version of Hinata, but with an energy that seemed endless, something that, somehow, made his presence even more unstoppable.

“Nishinoya, what middle school did you come from?” you asked, genuinely interested in learning more about him.

“Chidoriyama,” he replied proudly, his chest puffing out as he mentioned the name of his old school.

“That’s a really good one,” Kageyama commented, visibly surprised by the answer. “Why did you come to Karasuno? Was it because Coach Ukai was coming back?”

Nishinoya paused dramatically, everyone looking at him expectantly, waiting for his response.

“Because…” He paused, stretching out the mystery, and when everyone thought he was going to say something serious, his expression changed, and his voice became completely cheerful. “I like the girls' uniforms! A lot!” he said as if that were the most serious reason in the world.

“What…?” you blurted, confused, frowning. “Just because of the uniform?” You looked at Nishinoya in disbelief. “You can’t be serious!”

“Just because of the uniform!” Nishinoya replied, not losing any of his enthusiasm. “And all the girls are just like I expected.” He continued, waving his arms around as he spoke. “And especially because the boys' uniform is black. At my school, we wore blazers! I always thought Karasuno’s uniforms were awesome. They’re not brown or gray, they’re black,” he explained, pointing to his own uniform with a completely satisfied expression. “And the girls' uniform is cute. Plus, it’s close to home. It was obvious!”

He paused for a moment to look at Kiyoko, who had just entered the gym still wearing her school uniform. Nishinoya, as if he had just seen his beloved after a long time, ran toward her with the same overflowing energy that characterized him.

Before he could get too close, Kiyoko, quick as always, slapped him, the sound echoing in the air. Nishinoya didn’t seem offended in the slightest. With an even bigger smile, he returned to you as if nothing had happened.

“And where’s Asahi-san? Has he come back yet?” Nishinoya asked, searching for the next member of the team. The air seemed thick with anticipation to see the rest of the members.

“No,” Daichi replied with a note of disappointment in his voice. The news seemed to bother Nishinoya even more, as he frowned and clenched his fists, visibly irritated.

"That crybaby!" Nishinoya growled, raising his voice in frustration about Asahi.

"Hey, Noya, don’t talk about your teammate like that," Tanaka scolded, but Nishinoya didn’t seem to regret his words. He finally declared he wouldn’t come back until Asahi did, and with that, he left the gym, leaving a tense atmosphere behind.

"Y/N," Kiyoko’s soft, calm voice called you, pulling you from your thoughts. You walked over to her as she held her clipboard in her arms, looking slightly concerned. "I need your help."

"Of course, what’s going on?" you asked, eager to help with whatever she needed.

"Well," Kiyoko began, speaking in a low tone as if sharing a secret, "I was planning on ordering uniforms for the new players, but I don’t have their exact sizes."

"Do you want me to ask them?" you inquired, not fully understanding why she was whispering. She gently shook her head.

"No, no, Daichi wants it to be a surprise," she explained, as if that clarified everything. "I’m asking you because I know you spend more time with them. Can you do it?"

You thought for a moment. It would be a bit tricky, but not impossible. After a brief silence, you smiled confidently. "Yes, count on me!"

Kiyoko smiled gratefully at you, and for a moment, you felt completely charmed by her kindness. Honestly, Kiyoko had such a warm and charming presence that it was hard not to feel captivated by her.

"Thank you, Y/N," she said, her voice soft and appreciative. "I know you’ll do it."

The afternoon passed quietly, with the boys immersed in their practice. Hinata, as energetic as always, managed to convince Nishinoya to at least join the sessions, although, as expected, Nishinoya couldn’t sit still for too long. In the meantime, you took the opportunity to follow up on what Kiyoko had asked.

When most of the boys finished cleaning up and getting ready to head home, you approached Hinata. He, with his usual boundless energy, was trying to learn Nishinoya’s reception technique, but seemed to be struggling. You walked cautiously behind him, focusing on the details, and quickly, with a swift gesture, grabbed the neck of his shirt, pulling it toward you to look for a size tag.

"Y/N! What are you doing?! Let me go!" Hinata, surprised, tried to wriggle free from your grip, but you couldn’t help but smile at his reaction. He moved awkwardly, like a caught tadpole, trying to escape your hold.

"Don’t move," you ordered firmly, not letting go. The others, seeing the scene, started to look at you with confusion, surprised by the unusual situation unfolding before them. Your feet tangled, causing both of you to fall to the ground with a thud. You didn’t waste time, and without thinking, you pinned Hinata down, pressing your knee to his back to make sure he couldn’t get up.

Finally, after a few seconds, your effort paid off: you saw the "M" tag on his shirt. Now you just needed to get the size of his pants.

"Let me go!" Hinata yelled, his voice full of frustration. "How are you stronger than me? What’s wrong with you?!"

You ignored his protests, as well as the incredulous stares from the other boys, though you noticed no one dared to intervene. Tanaka, from a corner, couldn’t contain his laughter, clearly enjoying the scene.

"They’re so weird," Tsukishima commented, in his usual tone, frowning as he watched the situation. He seemed more puzzled than upset, but you already had something in mind. "Don’t worry, Tsukki, soon it’ll be your turn," you thought, inwardly smiling at the possibility of a future revenge.

After memorizing Hinata’s shirt and pants sizes, you stood up with an ease that contrasted with the situation. You dusted off your knees and stood up as if nothing had happened, as calm as always.

"What was that?" Hinata looked at you, still annoyed on the floor, unable to understand what had just happened.

"What do you mean?" You played innocent, trying to sound clueless as you walked toward your bag.

One down, three to go, you thought, evaluating your next move. The easiest to handle was Hinata, of course, since you shared a close relationship. However, now you had to decide who to go after next. Yamaguchi? No... You thought quickly, recalling that he was always near Tsukishima, which would make him a more complicated target. Tsukishima and Yamaguchi would be saved for last. That left Kageyama as the next target. How hard could it be? The black-haired boy got nervous with the slightest interaction, so that could work in your favor.

However, a small doubt crept into your mind: What if he gets upset? Dealing with an upset Kageyama didn’t seem like the best option.

Calm down, Y/N, calm down... you told yourself, taking a deep breath as you walked alongside the others on your way home. The cool evening air helped clear your thoughts.

Hinata was still huffing behind you, clearly offended by your earlier behavior, but you chose to ignore it for now. He, used to your teasing and playful nature, would eventually get over it. You knew it was all part of the game, but sometimes it was fun to see how others reacted.

You slipped through the hallways, now filled with students chatting and strolling with friends during break. You discreetly peeked into each classroom, looking for the black-haired, serious-faced boy. It wasn’t easy to find him until, finally, you spotted him standing in front of one of the vending machines in the hallway.

"Kageyama-kun," you called in the sweetest, most sugary tone you could muster. He turned, visibly surprised to see you approaching.

“Oh, Y/N… hi. Do you need something?” he asked, his gaze shifting behind you, probably expecting to see Hinata or another teammate. Not seeing anyone else, he looked back at you, clearly confused by the sudden interaction.

"I just wanted to see what you were doing," you said, shrugging casually, trying not to show your true intentions. You crossed your arms behind you and added with a carefree smile, “So, what are you up to?”

Kageyama frowned slightly, still puzzled by your behavior, but he answered simply, “Buying a drink. Do you want one?” He offered, and you quickly nodded, unable to hide the opportunity this presented.

As Kageyama took a bill from his pocket and inserted it into the vending machine, you carefully moved closer, reaching a hand toward his back in hopes of finding a size tag. Just then, he turned to look at you.

"Which one do you want?" he asked, and you quickly stepped back.

“Ah, chocolate!” you replied enthusiastically, and Kageyama, suspecting nothing, turned his attention back to the machine. He knelt down to retrieve the drink from the dispenser.

Not wasting the chance, you leaned in again and whispered urgently, “Kageyama, don’t move.”

He froze immediately, a flicker of worry appearing in his eyes. “What’s going on?” he asked, trying to turn towards you.

“Wait… there was… a spider on your shirt,” you lied, keeping your tone low but convincingly serious. Without hesitation, he remained perfectly still, his shoulders tensed. You took the moment to move closer and check the tag on the back of his shirt collar. M, perfect. Now you had the size.

"Did you get it?" he asked, his voice revealing a hint of discomfort.

You mimed a quick flick, as if removing a tiny imaginary spider, and then straightened up, smiling to reassure him. “All set, nothing to worry about. It was tiny,” you said calmly, trying to keep a straight face.

Kageyama sighed, relaxing a bit, and murmured a “thanks” as he handed you the chocolate drink.

You smiled and took the bottle. “Thank you, Kageyama-kun,” you said with a playful glint in your eyes that he didn’t seem to notice. You’d completed another step in your secret mission, and everything was going according to plan.

The next target was Yamaguchi. You took advantage of a break in practice to sneak into the club room with Kiyoko while the other boys were in the gym practicing. As soon as you stepped in, the scent of sweat and the confined space made you wrinkle your nose; the room was a reflection of the chaotic nature of the team players.

“The boys are so messy,” Kiyoko murmured with a tone of mild exasperation, being careful not to step on the shirts and shoes scattered across the floor.

You scanned the metal shelves in search of Yamaguchi’s bag, and after a few moments, you found it. “Kiyoko, I’ve got it,” you told her, carefully opening the bag. To your surprise, the inside was meticulously organized, in contrast to the rest of the room. You pulled out one of his shirts and checked the tag, while Kiyoko quickly noted the size on her clipboard.

“This guy knows how to keep his things in order,” you murmured, impressed. You folded the shirt back with the same care and placed it exactly as it was to avoid leaving any evidence that someone had been there.

“Do you see Tsukishima’s around here?” you asked Kiyoko, glancing at the other bags on the shelves.

She checked the area again and shook her head. “No, it looks like he took it with him.”

His words made you sigh. You knew Tsukishima would be a particular challenge; catching him alone was complicated, as he seemed to move everywhere with Yamaguchi as his shadow. You thought about possible moments when he might be alone, situations where you wouldn’t have to intrude and create more of a scene than necessary.

An idea crossed your mind briefly: you could surprise him in the club room when he was changing. You immediately shook your head, discarding that option; you didn’t want to cross the line and come across as an intruder or, worse yet, a pervert. There were limits to your mission, after all.

Maybe you could approach him in one of those moments when he seemed lost in his thoughts, immersed in one of his books or on his phone. Of course, doing it unexpectedly had its risks: with his sarcastic personality and defiant gaze, any misstep would be an invitation to teasing that would haunt you for weeks. But you had already come this far, and you were determined to complete the task without compromising your dignity more than necessary.

The sun was already beginning to set as you walked alongside the boys after an exhausting practice. Next to you, Hinata and Nishinoya kept up an animated conversation, in which you only “participated” with nods and small smiles, barely able to keep up with their excited voices.

"Let's stop here, I'm hungry," Tanaka complained for the umpteenth time since they'd left the gym. The group stopped in front of the small convenience store where the same man always worked, a clerk with a permanently grouchy expression. "Come on, Nishinoya, buy something for your friend!" Tanaka said, dragging his teammate by the bag and pulling him into the store. One by one, everyone else followed, drawn by the promise of a snack to recharge.

"Aren't you coming, Tsukki?" Yamaguchi asked, looking at his friend, who had sat down on the curb, apparently uninterested in the store.

"No, you go and bring me something," Tsukishima replied, adjusting his glasses and turning his gaze toward the horizon without a second thought.

Hinata also turned to you. "You're not coming in either, Y/N?" he asked, motioning to the store behind him.

"No, I'll stay here and watch your bike," you answered with a smile. The redhead nodded and joined the others, leaving you alone with Tsukishima on the sidewalk, both of you in a comfortable silence, yet filled with subtle undertones.

With a quick glance at Tsukishima, you realized this might be your best chance. However, as you carefully tried to approach him, your steps took you right over a crack in the pavement, causing you to trip and, without being able to stop yourself, fall onto the boy’s back. Your arms instinctively wrapped around his shoulders to keep your balance.

"What are you doing?" Tsukishima asked, a mix of irritation and surprise in his voice as he removed his headphones and turned his head slightly to look at you. Being so close, you caught a faint scent of his cologne, something you hadn't noticed before.

"I... I fell," you stammered, aware of how unusual the situation was. Although it was technically true, you couldn’t deny that you'd taken advantage of the moment. His hair brushed against your cheek, causing a slight tickling sensation and a nervousness you hadn’t expected.

"You fell?" Tsukishima repeated, clearly skeptical, as he slowly stood up. To your surprise, when he was fully standing, your feet still didn’t touch the ground, and you realized just how tall he really was. With no other choice, you tightened your grip on his shoulders, trying not to fall.

"Do you plan on getting off at some point?" Tsukishima muttered, throwing you an awkward glance out of the corner of his eye. However, when he felt you slipping a bit, he shifted slightly to help you steady yourself. Despite the little voice inside warning you of how ridiculous you were about to look, you held on even tighter, wrapping your legs around his waist. You knew you probably looked like a sloth clinging to a tree, but the thought of falling was worse.

"Just give me a moment," you said, trying to sound confident as your fingers unintentionally brushed the back of his neck, causing a slight shiver on his skin—something you didn't fail to notice.

Tsukishima took a deep breath, visibly irritated, but he didn't move to push you away. Instead, he held his stance, staring straight ahead with a mix of resignation and annoyance. "This is... unnecessary, you know?" he muttered in a low tone, not looking directly at you.

"Relax, I don't bite," you joked, attempting to ease the tension a little. Tsukishima scoffed, but without much enthusiasm, and slid his hands under your knees to hold you more securely. Before you could say anything else, he suddenly leaned forward, making you grip his shoulders even tighter in surprise.

A soft laugh escaped him, low and barely audible, just enough for you to realize he was enjoying this, even if just a bit. Tsukishima rarely showed open amusement, so that subtle reaction was a small victory.

However, the blond didn’t stop. He continued rocking back and forth, now with a faint smile on his lips, clearly entertained by your complaints and the way you struggled to keep your balance.

"What are you guys doing?" a voice spoke up behind you, filled with curiosity and suspicion.

Both of you turned quickly, and he let go of you so abruptly that you fell onto the ground with a soft "ouch" as you sat up, wishing the ground would swallow you up at that moment. You were met with the inquisitive gazes of Hinata, Yamaguchi, and Tanaka, who looked at you both with expressions ranging from confusion to amusement.

"Nothing," you and Tsukishima replied in unison, both looking away to avoid the curious stares of the others.

Hinata blinked, incredulous, while Nishinoya barely managed to stifle a poorly-disguised laugh. "Nothing?" he repeated, raising an eyebrow. "Well... it sure looked like something."

Visibly uncomfortable, Tsukishima rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. "It's not important," he muttered with the cold, sarcastic tone he used to avoid awkward questions, which only made his friends look at him more suspiciously.

As you got up and dusted yourself off, you noticed Yamaguchi had a small, knowing smile, as if he understood more than anyone was willing to admit. Still, no one pressed further, and the group resumed their walk.

As you walked, you felt a slight nudge in your side—it was Hinata, who leaned in with a mischievous expression and whispered just loud enough for only you to hear. "I didn't know you liked Tsukishima..."

You turned to him, looking as if he'd just said the most absurd and inappropriate thing in the world. To you, it was exactly that. Your eyes widened in a mix of shock and disgust, and Hinata took a step back, a bit startled by the intensity of your reaction.

"I don't know where you got that idea, but you're way off," you replied in a low voice, shaking your head emphatically. You pointed first at Tsukishima, who was walking a bit ahead, and then at yourself with an expression of utter disbelief. "No, Hinata... no. Never."

Hinata, a bit confused but still amused, scratched the back of his neck. "Alright, alright... it just seemed like, you know..." His voice trailed off, and he avoided your gaze, somewhat regretful for implying something so unexpected.

Seeing that Hinata seemed embarrassed by his comment, you sighed, trying to smooth things over. "It’s just that... Tsukishima and I were simply messing around, okay?" you explained, trying to sound calmer. "I can't even imagine it."

Hinata nodded, this time with a shy smile. "Got it," he replied, shrugging. "Although, well... sometimes opposites attract, right?"

You couldn’t help but roll your eyes at the comment, but let the conversation fade there, relieved that Hinata stopped speculating.

[xjulixred45x]

Satoru Gojo/Suguru Geto x Carrie White like-Reader PLATONIC VER.

Genre: long Headcanons/Drabbles

Reader: female

Warnings: LONG POST, Reader has a Personalilty and background like Carrie White (of Stephen King) so, is very shy, quiet, kind but has traumas with BULLYING,kinda Religion themes, Gojo at first is kinda a Bad brother but changes, Reader has telekinesis/mental Powers, Angst/comfort, Fluff.

Thank you very much to @trancylovecraft and @thecuriousquest for the support in this idea!

Satoru Gojo

You and Satoru are sibilings with a little age gap, around 3-4 years.

I'll be honest, at the beginning of your life Satoru would hardly be present, but at least you always had someone taking care of you, whether it was your parents or servants of the Clan, you didn't miss his presence so much. that's what you thought until you were conscious enough to realize that the Gojo Clan only cares about your brother, and of course, the Six Eyes. You could understand it, your Ritual technique was good, but compared to Satoru, everything was at a very high bar. and at some point you could only depend on your parents, since the servants saw no point in taking care of you, the so-called "leftover" of the Clan. That was much more painful than your brother's lack of presence. although he eventually changed his focus to you.

Satoru would eventually get close to you and become sort of an annoying older brother. Although of course, due to the type of different upbringings they had (him being completely spoiled and you almost forgotten by the family) sometimes you felt that he was being very insensitive to you. It wasn't on purpose! Satoru simply took it for granted that you had been pampered like him. but it took him a while to realize that NO, you guys definitely didn't have the same kind of childhood. One way he tried to get closer to you was to just bother you a little, hoping that you would laugh with him or at least get a laugh out of you, but the only thing he managed to do was make you cringe at his words. Now understand that you probably took these jokes seriously rather than ironically. Then more signs appeared. Whether it was because of how unaccustomed you were to him (and he to you), your shy and reserved attitude, your few social skills-- although the final blow of reality came one day when he saw you sewing your own Kimonos/clothes. He thought at first it was a Hobby, but then he realized that he never saw you go shopping for clothes, or another member of the clan doing so. When he asked you directly you only answered what seemed most obvious to you "the clan should not spend money on someone like you."

It was somewhat of a turning point for Satoru. Yes, he was still somewhat annoying, but more present, more affectionate. He offered to train with you several times to improve your management of cursed energy, thanks to the 6 eyes, he could see that you had a lot of accumulated energy, and that could be something with a lot of potential or something very dangerous. He wanted to make sure it came first. and he was definitely quite worried when he saw you using them on your own. How come no one realized the destructive potential your ritual had? How dangerous it would be for you? Although he never blamed you. After this type of sessions the two of them would go together to eat sweets, according to him "it would help you stimulate your brain" and in a way it was, although it was also to prevent you from being so thin. It was his way of making up for his absence for so long. to be the brother you needed. Satoru is bad with emotions during his school days, but he definitely cares about you and your mental health. Thanks to this, he probably thought it would be better if you went to a normal school, with non-sorcerers. He thought you would be fine.

And at first, you were. It was nice to go a place where you weren't the shadow of your brother, and you some kind feel special.

but then the intimidation started. At first it was simply isolation, not inviting you to do jobs or eat with other colleagues, it was fine, you had gone through something similar with the clan, you could handle this. but it soon evolved into gossip and talking behind your back when I saw that you wouldn't do anything against the isolation and that no one was on your side. Still you were willing to put up with it. partly because you didn't want to bother Satoru with these kinds of "unimportant" problems as the adults made him out to be. Besides, they were Non-Sorcerers, it's not like you could do anything against that. and it was especially difficult when they moved on to direct attacks. attacking your desk, throwing your things in the trash, making you trip and having a bad time in PE-- There was a time when you got your period in the showers and you didn't bring towels, and your classmates started throwing tampons at you while they laughed. It was so horrible and you had so many repressed emotions that you blew out several light bulbs. The intern saved you that day and called your house. Satoru was furious, not with you, with your classmates. And when did you have to tell him about all the bullying of the year? oh he would be LIVID WITH ANGER. So he would decide that you would not return to that school, no sir, if necessary you would go alone to Jujutsu Tech when you are old enough, but with those people? no way.

He would also make sure that your classmates would be AT LEAST suspended for the rest of the year, AT THE VERY LEAST(he would probably make the School to expel them)

If we talk about your relationship with him today, he is much more open in his affection towards you, calling you nicknames, giving you physical signs of affection, etc. After all the trauma, he's not willing to let you think you don't deserve affection. (If there were to be a "bloody bath" incident...god, Satoru wouldn't just go after the students, HE WOULD GO AFTER THE ENTIRE DAMN INSTITUTION. and then get you a new dress, food and let you do whatever you want the rest of the time of the night, whether it's crying or eating, it's okay.) I can see him paying you therapy. Likewise, he is quite willing to teach you if you want to learn Wizardry but don't want to go to the academy, he will probably give you the same strange training as Yuji.

If there is a greater age difference between you that allows Gojo to be your teacher, don't hesitate that he will take the opportunity! Try not to be a favorite, seriously, but it's almost impossible.

If it is the case above, you will most likely live with him until you are older, try to act like a father, even if he is not that good, he is doing the best he can. If you don't want to be a Sorcerer and you prefer to have a more normal type of life, he supports it 100%, only he would have some conditions due to all the enemies he has, but apart from that, he can even pay for your college! or get you any job you want. (He would also even be calmer in this case if you seal your cursed ritual, the possibility of you having a stroke is so high it's scary). I don't think he'll like any partner you introduce him to unless they're a walking green flag, but he tolerates them as long as they're decent people and make you happy. (and he will definitely DESTROY any partner who lays a hand on you in any way, be it insults, raising a hand, any sign of abuse will be an instant NO and a free pass to get them out of your life.) You continue training your powers with him, at least now they are much more refined and controlled. Satoru makes it very clear, he is proud of the progress you have made :3

Satoru definitely cut off contact with the Gojo clan members who neglected you, and forced them to apologize to you. You even tell yourself that you are fine with them, it tastes better. He sees the consequences that his carelessness did to your vision of yourself, he will do whatever it takes to remedy it, including admitting that he was partly to blame too. I would take you to meet his students! especially Itadori, he believes that you could connect better with him due to several similarities they have. Megumi respects you much, much more than he could respect Gojo, and he definitely acts as an intimidating guard dog when you go out together. Rest assured that sometimes he has mistakenly called you "mom" but that is another topic. NOBARA ABSOLUTELY LOVES THE CLOTHES YOU MAKE!!! and when you tell him that it is not bought and that it is homemade, he is shocked and they have a very long talk about fashion and fabrics. it is very entertaining. The higher ups KNOW not to mess with you, Satoru made it very clear to them that any attempt to use you as a weapon would end with their heads on spears, or at the very least, they would lose two very important assets (you and him) so they stay at a distance. safe. In general, Satoru learned over the years to be the brother you deserve, he regrets not having been from the beginning, but he will spend his entire life making up for it and giving you what he KNOWS you deserve.

Suguru Geto

You are more younger than him, 4-5 years to say something.

From moment one, Suguru was a decent brother who became better the more you grew. He thought his parents would never fully understand his battles with seeing the curses, but he was happy that at least in your "childhood innocence" you believed him and supported him. The problem was that it was not childish innocence. He realized when you were 4-5 years old and he was 11. He saw you talking with a curse that he swore you had invented. but not. He ate it quickly (causing you to cry) and had the realization that you were just like him. From then on Suguru was the best brother imaginable in a way. You two were the only ones who understood each other at home, so Suguru was determined that you would NEVER have to endure the same kind of anguish that he went through because of his parents' honest ignorance. He always believed you when you told him about a curse (which 99% of the time was really there) and in general he tried to make everything less scary for you.

Thanks to this you have a very bright personality, you are very pretty, you loved learning things like sewing, combing your hair (with the help of Suguru), in general you wanted to be the best version of yourself. You even managed to learn how to use your ritual technique in a basic way! Suguru helped a lot with that, although when he went to Jujustu Tech, he was home a lot less, but you still managed to learn more on your own. It was when you entered high school that everything went to shit. You were so excited to have a new environment, but you also wanted to help. So on one of your first days you barely performed a ritual to exorcise a curse in your Classroom and caught another one. and apparently several colleagues saw it. and the rumors did not wait. "crazy", "lunatic", "schizophrenic" were some of your classmates' favorites, but you could handle it, you thought, because it was doing something good for them even if they didn't realize it. be good, be good, be good--

then the shower incident happened.

It's okay, it's okay, it's okay. They're just jokes, they're just jokes. you can handle this--

They began to corner you in the hallways, in the bathrooms, they made rounds to push you and pull your hair (half an hour of preparation to the pipe), they wrote things in your cabinet--

Every day it was harder to contain yourself, every day it was harder to pretend that you were doing things "right." and your classmates' comments repeated in your head like a loop. Your personality little by little faded more and more, that internal beauty was destroyed by external cruelty. and Suguru noticed this. Even if you tried to pretend otherwise at home, I could see something was wrong. but every time he wanted to talk about it with you you just said the same thing "Non-Sorcerers are complicated." and partly he thought that since schools are plagued with curses and you're very sensitive, that's probably the problem (and the fact that your classmates can't see them doesn't help).

but everything comes to a breaking point this year for both of us, even though you went first. There were several school crossover events, and you met a boy you got along with. very good. and the final event was a dance between both schools. He asked you if you wanted to go with him. You accepted. That week was when Suguru saw you the most cheerful in a long time, you insisted on making your own dress (even though he could buy it) but you asked him to make you a pretty hairstyle. He did the best he could and even helped you put on your makeup. You looked completely beautiful (your mother even took a photo). and your date was a nice guy! Suguru doesn't usually like any boy you bring home, but this one? He even brought you a very nice hair accessory, he was polite and above all he looked VERY happy to see you. He could tolerate it. Your father left them and your night was very good! They danced, they talked, they told stories, they ate something, they had a good time. but then they were called to the stage. You must have thought something was wrong. but you were so happy and radiant when they gave you the bouquet and the crown-- and then they threw what you wanted to believe was red paint at you. and the only thing you remember after that is LAUGHTER, shrill, hurtful, painful LAUGHTER. everything went blank in your mind. You shouldn't be here, you shouldn't be here, you shouldn't--- Your partner ran you off the stage and took you to a bathroom to help you clean yourself up a little. He even grabbed towels from the men's bathroom for you, but nothing was saved from turning red, not even the gift he gave you. Your makeup was ruined, your hair was ruined, your hair stank (that wasn't paint), your dress was stained, you were a mess... You called Suguru to go look for you, as soon as you hiccuped, he was ready to go with the rainbow dragons to kill your date, imagine his surprise when he arrived and found him giving you his jacket so you wouldn't be cold from the "painting" ( If it weren't the worst possible time and his growing hatred for Non-Sorcerers, Suguru would be planning your wedding with him).

When you two get home, you run to your room and refuse to get out or let Someone get in for the rest of the night. Suguru could feel his heart CRUSH when he heard you crying your eyes out and wondering WHY why they hate you so much?

Suguru knows why. Because the Non-Sorcerers would never understand people like you or him, that you are blessed, they are jelous, and they can't have what You have. He would console you, say that they're are just ungreatfull people who don't understand how lucky they were to have You.

If we are talking about your current relationship with him, is pretty good. Even thoug all the things he does.

Mimiko and Nanako LOVE you, the same as Geto nothing less, and are REALLY protective when it comes to You, they specially love when you go out with them or when You make them clothes(they will use them until the fabric rots). All the Family see you as a second in command, the Right hand woman, the rightfull to lead in case Geto is no around.

If You can, they will ask You to make them float with your Powers, is very fun for them, and absolutly LOVE see You in battle, they Say You're a complete Badass. And the rest of the family thinks the same, but try to make you not use them that often.

You and Suguru are still close, although of course, it's a little strange now. you love your brother so much and believe absolutely everything he tells you, even turning a blind eye to the fact that he killed YOU TWO's parents, but you want to believe it's for the greater good. other than that he is still a loving brother. It encourages you to talk to him and the family about your trauma and thus be able to overcome it more easily, and even leave alive some people in your circle of friends who can see curses.

(honestly the only Non-Sorcerer he would leave alive would be your date from the "bloody bath" incident) he keeps doing your hair! but now they are even more intricate and beautiful, he has the help of Mimiko and Nanako for that. Apart from the fact that it greatly encourages your hobby of making clothes (it is likely that you made the twins' clothes at the beginning and they will thank you for life). Now you have quality fabrics to work with and several extra hands (IMAGINE MAKING CLOTHES FOR GETO OR FAMILY MEMBERS). Even Geto has several "disciples" of the cult work as your assistants and servants exclusively. (to say that he will cut out their tongues if they do anything remotely bad against you is an understatement)

In general he gives you all the control you could want, almost at the level of his own, even things like your food, your clothes (traditional too), your room, everything has the same quality and care as Geto receives and everyone knows it, they must treat you the same as him, with fear, submission and devotion.

Geto can't help but feel great pride very time you go to fight and show your most brutal side. He makes sure to clean the monkey blood off of you when you get home and tell you that, how proud he is of you. Unlike Gojo, he makes sure that you have your abilities as an extension of yourself, not only so that you generate immunity to side effects, but to show you more directly his point of view. Do you see how you, him and the family are Superior to the monkeys? Do you see the difference your blessing makes? In general, he is a loving brother who, now that he has the resources, will create the perfect world for the family, for the Sorcerers and, above all, for you. It's the least you deserve after all.

Thank you for reading ❤️

Ahhhhh the Exams are KICKING MY ASS!! But i have a few ideas ti work with. Love ya❣️

[lockpickingliar]

Ouma Kokichi (Gemini) on DICE

Everybody and their dog knows that if there's one thing a Kokichi cares about more than anything, it's DICE. It's almost universally accepted that it's like a family to him. It's where he belongs.

My DICE is no different, but I'll have you know I've never seen those hooligans pictured in my motive video in my life. Not in the game, at least. My motive video was very different. For starters, we had sixteen member, not ten. I'm sure it doesn't take much to realize what that implies for me.

We were all DICE. I can finally say that now.

I was the only one who remembered, as some cruel way to twist the knife. They changed things about all of us to make us unpalatable to one another. Made my tendency to lie a compulsion that made sure no one would believe me if I managed to tell them.

And I tried to tell them.

I told Kay that I knew her point blank once, before she died. But then the conversation meandered on and I tripped over my own compulsion and backpedaled. Yeah of course I knew her, we met just the other day when we all woke up here.

A lie.

I tried a different approach. I tried to re-recruit her. That didn't go much better. She didn't trust me, for obvious reasons, and easily turned down my offer because I couldn't stomach any more truth than that it was a secret organization. How suspicious.

It's not her fault, though. She didn't remember, and they changed us. They made it so no one would accept me as a leader. Isn't that ironic? Their former supreme leader, now shunned and demonized despite his best efforts to keep everything from falling apart.

Kay and Ran were super close, like siblings, y'know.

Rumi and Ryo were practically married.

Kiyo and Ten loved to discuss gender philosophy together. An painted them during a chat, once.

Go and Miu liked to bond over a joint.

Kai and I...

Well, every good leader needs a second in command.

We were all one big group. A family. Maybe a polycule if you wanna call it that, although everyone had one or two people they were particularly close with.

As you can imagine, we didn't sign up for Danganronpa. I'm not sure such a franchise even exists. It was probably just a cover to confuse us, or hell, maybe that's not how it ended at all. I wouldn't know. I'm dead now.

I do have a pretty good idea of who might've orchestrated it, though, just based on the mocking facsimile they made as our so-called "backstory plot".

A group aiming for the stars to make the world a better place...? Well, we did have Project Stargazer in the works. I wonder who might've had a vested interest in ensuring its failure?

We were a group with direction. We had a goal, and projects to reach that goal that we were working tirelessly toward. A post-tragedy world is a pretty scary place. In the midst of so much chaos that the Tragedy caused, only one organization had the power and resources to take on the task of reconstruction, which is all well and good.

Not so much years after the fact, when everything is still controlled by them.

If you want something rebuilt, you better hope they're in agreement, or you'll never get the assistance. They have their own agenda, and they take full advantage of their reputation as the sole saviors of the world.

Even better that they have the Ultimate Hope on their side to sway the public's opinion of them.

Have you figured out who I'm talking about yet?

I've gathered that in fandom, the common consensus is that the Future Foundation is a force of good. I'm sure that's the common consensus among the public back home, too.

I'm in the minority, and that's why I founded DICE in the first place. This might just be me, but I think it's kind of shady for a single organization to have a global monopoly on the reconstruction of the world. The people should have a choice between multiple, so that everyone's bases are covered and we don't fall into the trap of reforming the world into a single ideal that overlooks those in need.

DICE was gunning to be that alternative.

We were small, but that made it easier to fly under the radar. Ran, Kiyo, and Go would go on expeditions to other countries, searching for survivors, helping to rebuild in underdeveloped places that Future Foundation overlooked, and cataloging the regrowth of ecosystems--bug life in particular.

Kay, Himi, and An were our public outreach team, using the arts to sway the public in a subtle way. Maki would often accompany them for protection.

Rumi, Ryo, Ten, and Tsu were our intel team, with Rumi working as a maid for so many important people, Ryo and Ten in the sports sphere making connections at sporting events, and Tsu who could infiltrate directly with her cosplaying skills all snooping around to gather intel about whatever Future Foundation may be up to. They would report back to Shu, who was good at keeping tabs on things like that with his detective skills.

Miu and Kiibo--who was built by Miu herself, not whoever the fuck Ibadashi is--were the biggest contributors to keeping our HQ functional, redeveloping surrounding areas in no-man's land, as well as developing the tech for Project Stargazer, which I spearheaded, but Kai as the Ultimate Astronaut had the most directive power.

See, we were gonna start another space race. A post-tragedy rendition of who could get back to space first. To raise global morale and put us on the map as a direct competitor to Future Foundation that people could lean on for reconstruction. That was our goal, to break Future Foundation's monopoly on was stays and what goes, what's hope and what's despair.

And they didn't like that. They didn't like it one bit.

I don't know how they found out about us. I can imagine it had something to do with another project of ours--Project Defect--but one way or another they did, and that was when they came for us.

I imagine it pretty closely parallels what they called the "Ultimate Hunt" in their fun little fantasy story.

We were captured, changed, and plunked into a killing game where no one remembered how close they were.

Shu's confidence was erased, making him a meek shell of himself.

Himi was turned into an infuriating layabout who actually believed and insisted that her magic was real--once a mere running joke we all shared.

Maki reduced to a recluse and a killing machine, all her work to overcome her trauma from having her care for others trained out of her eradicated.

Kay's optimism was turned toxic and her memories twisted. "Piano Freak", a fun little jab we gave her (we ALL had a mean but fun-spirited nickname like this), turned into a foundational point of bullying and torment.

All the work Ran did to learn to manage his personal symptoms of chronic boredom, risk-taking, struggling to connect with others, and anger were stripped from him, leaving him desperate for intrigue and unable to look to anyone to support.

Rumi's devotion to the great good was poisoned, and she didn't even realize that it was the love of her life that she sacrificed for a faulty memory of being prime minister.

Ryo died thinking he had no one, even though he was surrounded by people he used to know and care for, and who all cared for him.

An was made into a caricature of her own culture, something she used to hold so dear to her as the last surviving member of her people.

Ten's trauma was used against her to make her into an intolerable bigot and strip her of the nuance she used to believe was so important.

Kiyo's sister's memory was outright bastardized to turn him into a serial killer, all his devotion to maintaining her shrine in his room reduced to a mere fetish.

Go's upbringing mocked and spat in the face of his intelligence, robbing him of the communication skills and eloquence he learned from Kiyo on their travels together.

Miu's care and dedication to her work was usurped to inflate her self-importance to unhealthy levels without anyone feeling like she'd earned it.

Kiibo reduced to a dense bucket of bolts with his learning capabilities drastically reduced--not to mention that he likely had to undergo constant brainwashing from the signals he received from the dumb antenna they added to his head.

Tsu... who they ironically turned against us from the start as a spy of their own, completely tricked into assisting with their entire scheme to tear us apart.

And Kai... My dear, sweet, intelligent Kai, second in command and love of my life, Ultimate Astronaut and project director for our most ambitious plan... turned into a brazen, narrow-minded bully and made to hate me and everything I stood for until it was too late.....

I don't blame them. I don't blame any of them, because they changed them. They couldn't help it if that was the reality they remembered. Nothing I said would have made a difference, either coming out as a lie or taken as a lie because they changed me, too. Made me into a liar who couldn't stop lying even when it mattered.

And so it was the end for us. We tore ourselves apart. Hook, line, and sinker, and even if there was nothing I could do to stop them, that doesn't make it feel any less like a failure to me. A failure to bring DICE--my family--back together before I had to watch them kill each other.

There was a point where I gave up. Figured a mass death would be best, to put us all out of our misery. I'll never forgive myself for using Go and Miu the way I did to accomplish that, just to fail yet again.

And then I died failing.

I don't know if there are any survivors, like in the game. I don't know if I want to know. If there are, I'm not sure I want to see them. I don't want them to know, don't want them to realize the horrors of what they just went through. That most of their family is gone.

But at the same time...

I miss them. I miss everyone, and I desperately want my family back.

DICE is finished, but I don't want it to be.

[dreamlandcreations]

Twisted fate

Aemond Targaryen x Targaryen!Reader (eventually)

Summary: After the death of her sister, the twin of Daenerys meddles with magic, trying to change the past and ends up in the era of the Dance as Rhaenyra's daughter...

Warnings: this is like a note for the idea of a series (so basically a teaser) 🤷🏻‍♀️, canon-typical stuff, Reader is on a mission, fix it fic?, it's probably a mess as I am... writing at 1-2am with no idea where I wanna go with this

You were born after the storm... for the first time. While your twin was called Stormborn, you were given the not-so-catchy name of the Flame of Dawn after the red skies that could be seen at the time you had drawn your first breath.

Life was difficult for your sister, it seemed she had to bear all the burdens but you were always eager to learn. Dragons and Valyria being your favourite subjects but as soon as you were free to do so, you started to learn other things too. Your knowledge came useful when the dragons were born but flying them was seemingly not meant for you. You found solace in fighting and learning to use the magic in your blood.

After the war you asked Bran to teach you to see. First, it was just curiosity, as you wanted.. no, needed to see history with your own eyes. However, you soon found out that you can connect and perhaps shape the past through your visions. Bran warned you against it but you didn't listen.

You became obsessed with fixing the events that lead to the demise of your house and family. You have spent a lot of time observing, especially the Dance of the Dragons. Those events were the true end for the House of the Dragon, however, you wanted even more than they had and ventured back to Aegon then tried to see what you were most curious about. Valyria.

As you went further back, you found that some members of your family had stronger magic and could sense your presence. Although none like the dragonlord you came across in your first glimpse of your ancient home.

He lectured you and punished you by trapping you in the past.

You were born during the storm... for the second time.

Your memories of your old life surfaced as you re-learned things. It was a struggle until your adult years, keeping them. The memories and your old self came and went like waves of the ocean your not-blood-related father loved so much.

It didn't take long to realise you were not your father's daughter and that your mother's uncle, who mostly stayed at Driftmark but spent a lot of time with you whenever he could, was the one who fathered you.

When you could surface from the waters of oblivion, you were even prouder than otherwise. As a child, in both lifetimes, you idolized Daemon.

You were still a small child when your memories surfaced for a while, and you started to make plans to somehow avoid the Dance and make your new parents king and queen. In the gardens, you discovered a poisonous flower and decided to eliminate one major key for the war to come. Killing off all your villains was tempting, however, there were several problems with that idea.

You knew that would be too suspicious, even f no one would suspect a child. But for one cleverly timed murder, the innocent look of your current form would be a perfect disguise.

It was also the time your realised Rhaenyra having your Strong brothers was putting everything at risk and you had no good solution for that mess either.

The plan was to destroy the Greens but as you grow the memories of your past life become more like dreams than your reality and slowly, and ironically when they finally seem to settle for good, they don't feel like yours anymore. Of course, it's useful to know all that but you have a different life and you've become a different person too, loving people in this life and fearing losing them.

And that's the problem with the plan. You can't lose them. You can't lose him. Aemond, the only person in your childhood who understood you, besides your father of course. And even after the loss of his eye, and becoming distant, your uncle remained your best friend, who you couldn't give up on, hurt or even betray.

His sister was certainly not to blame for anything and you were fond of her too. After getting to know the Green Queen, you couldn't even blame her at times.

So, you put yourself in an even more difficult position, abandoning the plan and trying to make peace between these idiots of yours.

[qiutls]

TNGDH 013

"It's obesity, Your Highness."

'What?'

"What?" Oh, I thought I was finally able to talk, but it was Kyle's voice.

The doctor who noticed the anger in the Grand Duke's voice trembled slightly.

"W-well, that, Your Highness' pet hamster, ah- I mean magical beast has no appetite and is inactive, so I thought that m-maybe..."

It was a breathtaking honorific, I'm the only one in this world to be treated this way, by the one and only veterinarian here.

Indeed, since this hamster is cherished by the Grand Duke, one can't carelessly say brash words like 'this rat' in front of His Highness, for fear of losing their voice.

It's absurd, but what can I do? They must be aggrieved to be born into a world where their status is less than a different species.

"It is a little difficult to determine if it has a disease because no trauma nor abnormal symptoms have been found. There was also no pain when I pressed its stomach. It's just when I pressed it carefully-"

"When you pressed it?"

Kyle urged him to speak with a serious look. The veterinarian shivered and continued as if he had been threatened with murder.

"..... It was j-just belly fat!"

I must've gained weight.

I slumped back down and looked at the two humans who were staring at me alternately. Why? What are you looking at? Is this your first time seeing a fat hamster? It's probably your first time, look at you two, you practically can't take your eyes off of me.

Of course, I knew why I gained weight. I ate too much during the morning. The food here in the North is pretty good, no scratch that, human food is just delicious compared to dried pollack. It's worth living as a human even if I was fed rice paste every day.

[ (^(00)^) ]

'... Did I eat that much?'

This morning Sen introduced me to the work at the kitchen. The servants were supposed to make fried sandwiches to distribute them to the refugees, but they were afraid of splashing oil, so I decided to help them out.

Who am I? I'm none other than the self-righteous man who worked at a fast-food franchise in Gangnam for four years, to earn tuition for college.

My amazing frying skills can fry any dish, you name it!

While frying, I took a bite of a sandwich to avoid the eyes of the people staring at me. Then I also took a bite of twisted breadstick, another bite of a sandwich, another bite of breadstick. One bite of donut, a bite of fried meat..... I had 10 bites. How many times did I repeat those 10 bites again?

Anyway, I ate my fill for 30 minutes. Kyle doesn't even give me fried eggs that hamsters can eat, why should I miss out on my only chance to eat high calorie foods.

I felt like a resident employee doing "bad things" prohibited to the newcomers, it felt good. Thanks to this skill, I have a chance to eat rice balls again. As expected, even if you roll in dog poop field, living is still better than dying, well living as a human, I mean.

When I left the kitchen patting my stomach, I heard the servants say how the food that came out of the kitchen seemed to be less than they thought. Ah! I don't care, I put an iron plate on my face and said I don't know why that happened. It seems like it was so cold in the North, that my face thickened.

Well, that's basically a summary of what happened in the morning.

"But Cashew Nut hasn't eaten since this morning!"

Kyle said panicking.

Of course, I didn't. If you were me and you just ate a box of fried food, would you still be blinded to eat nuts all day? You eat it.

But this morning, I didn't just stuff my stomach, okay? In order to prevent the chandelier incident, I tried to tell some servants and attendants to inspect the central chandelier at the banquet hall.

The problem was that my identity was ambiguous, and although my words were convincing, why would they believe someone who's unfamiliar and kept bothering them to check the chandelier.

The last servant I talked to just gave me a basket full of bread and said, "Don't insult the castle that is providing for you, just fry the food properly, so you don't get in trouble."

Anyway, after eating so much in the morning, Kyle was probably worried seeing me sleep all throughout the day and just waking up in the afternoon. So, he explained to the doctor, how I had no appetite and no energy.

"Look again, are you sure you didn't miss anything when checking its stomach?"

The veterinarian touched my stomach again out of courtesy and pressed down, his voice shook as he said.

"It's really just fat..."

Silence filled the room.

All right, take your hands off of me, you're trembling so much you even shook my whole body.

"I see..."

Kyle spoke in an unconvinced tone. I slipped away from the doctor's palm and went to hug his (Kyle's) elbow.

Take it easy, okay? If the vet said I gained weight, then I gained it. Will a hamster die just because he's fat? I'll even eat a nut or two during dinner, alright?

Kyle stroked by back with his fingertips perhaps because my silent consolation was too strong.

"..... How can you be obese when you're so cute."

Ah, this is shocking. It seems like there's no logic left in the North.

The vet seemed to think the same thing as I did, but he just kept quiet and bowed his head. That's right, there's only one life and we should cherish it.

"It seems like you need more care from now on."

"Yes, Your Highness, periodic care is very important. You should let it exercise as much as possible and avoid giving it a fatty diet. It would be helpful to feed it boiled vegetables. And don't worry too much, isn't the magical beast, still in its growing period?"

I'm sorry to say this, but my growth period ended 10 years ago...

"Probably after the growth period, the problem will be solved little by little as the body grows. So don't worry too much, Your Highness."

"Alright."

"Are bodies of magical beasts usually this big?"

"No, it's larger."

"Then, Your Highness, you may need to change things like the wheel, the size of the room, maybe even the house itself."

Kyle replied without hesitation.

"I can change it a hundred times if needed."

It's a tearful love for a hamster. Why are you spending so much money and love on me.

"By the way, you said periodic care."

Kyle pondered for a moment and said,

"I think your skills are good, and since this magical beast will continue to grow, why don't you settle here in the North."

"Here, in the North..."

The veterinarian seemed to have doubted his ears.

It's normal, of course. From the moment he checked on me, Kyle has worn a serious look, he probably can't understand why Kyle wants him to stay.

But maybe it's not a bad suggestion seeing as his face is slightly flushed. Is this guy in the original novel?

[ Veterinarian. Approximately 15 days until the estimated time fo death. ]

Death again? 

'Tell me how he's supposed to die.'

[ Belial's mother, the current empress, Serena Minehardt's old cat fell ill, and this veterinarian wasn't able to treat it, so he was executed immediately after the cat's death. ]

This reason... Is too absurd...

Is a veterinarian a god?

Isn't it common for pets to die of old age? You're killing a man because he couldn't make your cat immortal? She's an empress with no brain ah.

It seems like he used to work in the palace and realized the cat's situation and ran here to the North by joining the procession in disguise of taking care of horses.

If he had a reason to settle down in the North, it would be a great opportunity to save his life. While Kyle was busy paying, the vet's face was turning brighter and brighter.

"Don't worry about money, I'll pay you for treating him."

Money doesn't matter! Promise him you won't kill him even if this hamster dies, you tactless creature!

"Is there anything else you want? I'll negotiate with His Majesty (Belial) if you still have any concerns."

The veterinarian seemed to wonder whether it's better to stay with the royal family or here. Although they seemed like they would both do the same thing, an obese hamster's life expectancy seems to be longer than an old cat's.

"No! I'm honored to stay and be at your service, Your Highness."

There you go!

I went to the edge of Kyle's hand and patted the doctor's arm as a compliment. You made the right decision. This is the way to lengthen your life. 

[ The person who was fated to die is no longer in danger. ]

[ Miracle value has risen! ]

[ Current miracle value is 11.0% ]

Wow, it went up 3% in an instant. Saving people's live is indeed the right way.

My eyes brightened at the realization, if saving a no name character gives 3%, then how much more would I get if I save Kyle!

Add a zero next to the 3 next time, System. Write it big when the time comes.

[ The duration of "Summon" has been increased to 1 hour. ]

The skill which originally lasted for 30 minutes only has been increased twice. It's probably due to the miracle value exceeding 10%.

Alright! I'll get up earlier and eat 30 more fried- ah..... No let's stop eating that. At this rate, I might really forget how to walk.

The hamster's body was too honest. You gain as much weight as you eat. It's fortunate that my human body still stays the same.

"Cashew Nut."

After extending his life expectancy, the vet now has a bright face. However, Kyle still looked gloomy, as if he heard my life was ending soon.

Hey, you punk. It's you who has a month to live, you shouldn't be worrying about me. Technically, I- I'm already dead. I already died so.

..... I need to raise the miracle value, so that both you and I could survive. I have no choice but to trust the system.

"Cashew Nut, you must have heard what the doctor said earlier right?"

Usually, hamsters don't understand people, Your Highness.

"Occasional exercise can lengthen your lifespan."

Kyle put me back in the house and said solemnly.

Ahhh, I don't know. I don't understand. What exercise? I already ran a thousand laps on the wheel, I think that's enough exercise for my whole life. If you want to exercise so bad, do it yourself!

"Hurry up, don't you like this?"

He put the wheel in front of me and began spinning it with his finger while looking at me anxiously. The wheel turned like a Ferris wheel, and it improved my mood. Oh, he's actually good at acting cute, turn it around more!

"Cashew Nut, please."

― Eek! [ Don't wanna! ]

"Just one turn, okay?"

― Squeak! [ You do it yourself! ]

It's annoying, I don't want to exercise. After you sigh, everything you eat is already digested. Didn't you think I'm cute as a chubby hamster? Just accept it!

'By the way, what should I do with Belial.'

Ever since that day they almost fought, Belial hasn't visited the study once.

It's not hard to find out which room he's staying, but I can't get in as a servant. It's no use even if "Summon" lasted for ten hours instead of an hour.

'..... How to prevent the chandelier falling during the banquet.'

Ah, how am I supposed to do this.

I can already feel a headache coming. Mr. System, isn't this too difficult for a hamster to accomplish. Please change the difficulty to beginner mode!

[ _(:3」∠)_  ]

You're just lying down? Fine I'll just lie down as well.

I fell asleep drowsily after watching Kyle acting cute for a long time.

T/N: I'm sorry if the quality of the translation this time is a bit lacking, I'm currently sick, but since I already started translating this chapter, I thought I should just finish it before I let myself rest. Once again tysm to everyone who donated, it is much appreciated!!! novel ⠀✿⠀ next

[octuscle]

The new foreman

Charles didn't usually work out this late. He was usually at the gym first thing in the morning. Right at 06:00, when it opened. First thing, that way he could be at his desk at 08:00, freshly shaved and showered. Fit for the day. And second, he didn't want to work out with the big boys. He was bothered by the groans and grunts when they were lifting iron. And the noise when the dumbbells were thrown to the floor with their last ounce of strength after the last repetition. He wasn't here to build mountains of muscle. He just wanted to stay fit.

But today he had taken the morning off. His day started late today with a business lunch. He had taken advantage of that and worked out longer than usual. Around 09:00, the first group of musclemen arrived at the training area. Again, Charles had been annoyed by the loud alpha animals in the free weight area. Whereby he had to think about the guys again and again during the final sauna session. Yes, they were damn good looking. But to look like that, he would have had to start training years earlier. And coming here for an hour three times a week wasn't going to do any good.

Charles showered, shaved, and walked toward his locker with a towel around his hips. On the floor next to his locker, crumpled up, was a piece of cloth. Charles glanced around. No one to be seen. He picked up the fabric and realized it was a jockstrap. Had to belong to one of the big boys, it was still damp. And it was stained and crusty. Charles's pulse raced. How many times had he jerked off to fantasies of jockstraps pissed and jerked all over? He didn't think for a second and pulled on the jockstrap. And as fast as he could, he pulled his underwear over it. He could only hope that the scent of his freshly washed boxers would mask the stench of cum and piss. And he couldn't wait to press the jockstrap into his face after work. A stain of precum was forming on his boxers.

Charles was on time at the restaurant for his business lunch. His client was not there yet. The jockstrap story had been a stupid idea. His precum could be seen on his suit pants, too. So Charles quickly went to the washrooms to correct that a bit. Besides, he had to pee. At the urinal, he noticed that his boxers were gone. Had he forgotten them? That was even more unfortunate, hopefully the pants kept the stench of the jockstrap away. Although the stench made Charles horny. He stowed his magnificent cock, buttoned up his jeans and went back to his table. The customer still wasn't there. He was warm and the jacket was too tight. So he took it off and hung it over the back of the chair. The restaurant wasn't so posh that anyone would have minded. His customer was in the construction business and liked things a little more rustic.

He had to wait a solid half hour before his customer finally arrived. He stood up and greeted him with a firm handshake. "Call me Chuck," Charles said, and asked if he should order two beers. His customer nodded and said he was relieved. He'd been expecting one of those college boys. But would rather talk to a man. Chuck grinned, tucked his thumbs behind his mighty belt buckle and said it was much the same for him. Lunch wasn't about business for a second. The two men talked football, they talked politics, they talked hunting. Chuck was happy that they were both on the same page. Small talk was a horror to him. He was a simple fella and loved straight talk. And his conversation partner wasn't one of those tieflings, either. After Chuck rolled up the sleeves of his flannel shirt and undid two more buttons, his pal just grinned and followed suit.

After two hours, lunch was over. Chuck wanted to pay, but one look was enough to understand it wasn't his turn today. "Son, I have an excellent feeling about you. You're going to be a good foreman. I expect to see you at the job site on Main Street at 06:00 tomorrow morning. The two chimed in and his boss turned and left. Chuck grinned. He knew how to wrap people around his finger. He put on his cap, grabbed his gym bag and headed for his car. With the new job, he had to change his routines. Gym before work was no longer an option. But he could go lift some iron now. And head out for a few beers with the lads afterwards.

A deep bow to @stargazerguy for this and many other inspirations!

[fanttasttica]

High lord and the stripper

Helion x reader

You need to make money quickly, so you could travel to the Night court. This situation forced you to take a job as a stripper. You hate it from the bottom of your heart. 

warnings: smut

words: 2687

Work.. you hated yours. It wasn't something you wanted to do, oh god, no. You had to do it, because you needed money and thanks to this job, you had enough to afford a small apartment and feed yourself. Well.. feed yourself is maybe a strong word. In the past couple of days, you refused yourself a meal, only to save more money. You were saving so you could afford traveling to the Night court, where your last family members currently lived. Although Day court was beautiful, magnificent, you were alone here and that was something you didn't like. No family, no friends.. no one, only you. You were just feeling lonely and because you weren't used to it, you wanted to get to the Night court as fast as possible. That is the only reason you started.. dancing. You always loved to dance and you were good at it, everyone was saying that you were just like your mother. In the end, she taught you everything you knew. You missed her terribly and you also were feeling terrible. If she only knew how you are using her lessons and your talent now.. She would be disappointed, you shook your head and blinked back tears. Now certainly wasn't a time to pity yourself and cry. There will be a lot of time tonight, after work when you will be alone in your apartment. You were nearly finished getting ready, the only thing left to do was to put on some lipstick, when your boss suddenly burst into the room, scanning it with his dark eyes. When he finally saw you, he looked at your clothes, makeup and hair, nodding in approval. "You will do.." not understanding what he meant by that, you raised one eyebrow. "What are you talking about?" you weren't sure, if you wanted to know, but you asked anyway, turning away, so now he was looking at your back. You started putting on red lipstick, while you waited impatiently for his answer. "We have a visitor. Very important one and you will dance before him.. and his friends." It wasn't too surprising. that he wanted you to dance, it was your job, but in one way it was still a surprise.."Wait.. Him and his friends? You mean like a private dance?'' That was new. "Yeah, in a smaller room, in total there will be like.. four people? You have five minutes, I will be waiting for you in the hall." he slammed the door before you could protest. Maybe it was ironic, but you were more scared of dancing almost naked in front of four people than in front of forty. You were used to dancing at the bar and near the bar, there is a barman and security. That is why it is definitely safer than dancing in a smaller private room, where there is no one beside you and your "customers". Another thing is that when you are dancing in front of a lot of people, there are more faces you see, more voices you hear and you find that distracting. You sighed and stood up, there wasn't a point in arguing. You had to endure this job for now. If there was another way how to make this much money quickly, you wouldn't be here.Heck, you wouldn't go near this place in your life, everything there was disgusting, clothes, people, even air filled with sweat of all these people, who were here. While heading to the door, you took the thin robe and put it on. It wasn't covering you so much, as you wanted, but what was the point in covering anyway? After a few minutes, it would be on the floor anyway. But meanwhile, it served as an extra skin, it gave you some courage and feeling of safety. You honestly weren't sure if it even made sense. Finally, you open the door and find your boss waiting for you, as he promised. 

“Come now, they shouldn't be waiting any longer than they already are.” you followed him as he walked to the part of this building, when smaller saloons for private parties were. And during that way, you decided to ask some more questions about these clients. “You know, that this is the first time I am dancing in front of a smaller group, right? And you said that these people are really important, so why dont you send any other dancers? Someone, who is here for a longer time than I am?” he was walking really fast, but after your questions, he stopped and turned at you. “Firstly.. You shouldn't be complaining, you know? I don't like it. Maybe you are really good at this job, but you are not good enough for me to ignore your whining.” He narrowed his eyes. “Secondly, stop calling yourself and other girls “dancers”. You are a stripper, face it. Don't make yourself something more.” You clenched your fists and followed him around the last corridor. Now you were facing probably the nicest doors you saw in this building, which made you realize that your boss was not exaggerating, when he said these people, well mainly one of them, were important. “So.. take off the robe and move your ass.” You obeyed, placing your robe on the chair that was standing near a door and you also quickly fixed your clothes, trying to stretch the fabric, so it would cover you more. Unfortunately, it didn't have the effect you'd like. You were wearing a gold sexy costume, there wasn't any way to call it nicer. Calling it a costume was actually really nice, since it was basically only a  bra and panties.. You inhaled deeply and exhaled, before opening the door and stepping in the room. The walls were painted in red, the lighting was softer so you couldn't see the faces of these men clearly and you were thankful for it. You made your way in the middle of the room, there was a smaller podium to which a pole was attached. That's where you were supposed to dance during your performance. You knew that people weren't here for a chat, so that's why you didn't even bother to say something to them. Music started to play immediately after you stepped on the podium, so you started dancing right away. Time dragged annoyingly slowly, as if he enjoyed torturing you. You were doing anything to distract yourself from the intense feeling of someone watching you. But someone's gaze felt more intense or maybe longing is a better word, and that made you shiver slightly. You cursed your curiosity in your head. You needed to know who was responsible for this. As another song began, you turned your head, so now you were facing them. Looking at males before you. Still dancing, you moved your eyes from one to another, trying not to look nervous. And then, your eyes finally connected with this handsome male. He had a darker skin, long brown hair and his eyes were gold, almost shining like a Sun. There was a small smirk on his lips, when he saw you looking at him curiously. You couldn't help yourself, this was probably the sexiest man you have ever met. Stay professional, you reminded yourself, turning away from him, as if nothing had happened. You didn't look at him for the rest of your performance, although you wanted it really badly and he wasn't making this easier for you, not bothering to hide his scent, you could smell that you were doing a good job. It was embarrassing for a bit, because you knew he wasn't the only one here and the chance that all his friends have no sense of smell is very small. But now, you were finally free, the song has ended and you hurriedly left the room.

Your boss was waiting for you in the hall, his arms crossed. “Well? How did it go?” you grabbed your robe and put it on. “Perfectly” you replied with one word, making your way past him to the room where you were preparing before, slamming the door after you. You were breathing quickly, not sure why you were reacting this way. Nothing bad happened. Actually, it was tolerable. They weren't trying to touch you, they weren't making any slimy comments on your body.. Yeah, it was good. So why were you feeling like this? Nervous more than ever. After a few minutes, you managed to calm yourself, right on time, because your boss bursted to the room once again. “Oh my girl, you might even become my favorite!” he took your confused look on your face as an invitation to continue “When I walked in, they looked really happy. Especially the High lord. He actually wants a private lap dance, only for himself from you.” After hearing this, your heart skipped a beat and it wasn't because you never did a lap dance. That was the last thing that was bothering you now. “The.. The High lord??” What High lord? There was a High lord?” The panic was obvious in your voice and your boss started laughing. “Thanks to the Cauldron, I didn't tell you about this before..” he smiled at you, showing you his yellow teeth. “I knew you would be nervous and wouldn't want to go in there..” he shook his head, still smiling. You were ready to kill him, ready to bury his body all by yourself and run to the next court, before someone would notice he was missing, not that someone would actually be sad because of this death. The only thing stopping you from doing it was what he said next “You know, high lord was already here a few times. But I never saw him interested so much, like he is in you.. You are the first girl he asked for a lap dance and offered you pretty money..” ashamed you were thinking about it, you looked down on the floor. “How much?” your boss chuckled. “Three times more than you earn here in a month” you knew that High lord was probably really rich, but this caught you off guard. This was your chance, your ticket from this place. It was more than enough for you to quit and leave for the Night court tomorrow. You compared all the pros and cons in your head, before nodding slowly. “Fine, tell him I will come in a few minutes.”

After you freshen up, you find yourself walking down the hall once again. The only positive thing was that this time was hopefully the last time. You stepped into the room more confidently than the last time, you wanted to make a better impression, than before, at the end, you were supposed to give a lap dance to the High lord. You couldn't look frightened and you didn't want to. This time, you weren't avoiding his eyes, you looked at him with curiosity which he returned. “High lord..” you greeted him, while walking to him slowly. “I knew you could talk. My friends thought that you lost your tongue when you ignored us earlier” you felt heat coming to your cheeks. “Pardon me, but you are probably the first customers who were expecting for me to talk” you shrugged, now standing right before him. He was sitting there sprawled out, only now did you notice how big and ripped he really was. Maybe it should be the other way around. You should pay him, so you could dance for him. “That's a pity, you have a really beautiful voice” you chuckled a little, not believing that he truly meant those words. “If you don't believe me, fine. But I am telling the truth..” his voice was smooth, making you believe him.You swallow hard, gesturing on his lap. “I believe I should begin” to this time you were ignoring this music, but now it was reminding you, what are you here for. He patted his thigh “I believe you should.” You climbed on his lap, which was surprisingly quite comfortable. You put one hand on his shoulder and the other to his chest. Feeling the heat coming from his body, you wanted to press yourself against him and never leave again. As if reading your mind, his large hands found your back and pulled you closer to his body. Your eyes connected once again, not leaving when you started to move. Maybe you have never done this before, so your movements were not perfect, but he was still clearly enjoying himself. You felt how hard he was and saw how his eyes darkened with desire. His one hand traveled from your back on your thighs, which he squeezed strongly, but it didn't hurt you. The result was the opposite, you felt wetness forming between your legs. “Fuck, you are perfect..” he said hoarsely. When your hands started to stroke his chest, it wasn't because of money. At this point you were forgetting that you were getting paid for this. You just wanted more. His thumb started to draw circles on your thighs, which gave you goosebumps. His other hand left your back and traveled to your shoulders, he moved your hair and now he had a perfect view on your neck. He ran his fingers over it with ease, you wondered how many times had he already done something like this, because it was very effective. You moaned with pleasure, which he took as an invitation. He attacked your neck with his lips, firstly he was kissing you softly and after a while, he started to use his teeths. He was biting thin skin on your neck, exploring your body with his hands and dragging on moan after another from you. You shouldn't be doing this, certainly not here and not with him. He was High lord and you were only a stripper, who was giving him dance. But it felt so right. It was really hard, but you managed to pull away. You quickly stood up and took a few steps away from him.

“I.. I.. am sorry. This was unprofessional. I don't know what got into me. ” You said with difficulty and still trying to collect your thoughts, so you could start thinking more clearly. “Don't be, my sunshine.” he stood up and walked towards you. He used his thumb to lift your chin. “I should have tamed myself too.. Honestly, this isn't how I imagined our meeting.” he sighed and rubbed his beautiful face. “It is not?” you asked not sure how he meant that. Others would be probably more than happy that they not only got lap dance, but also something more from this. But he didn't look happy at all. This made you wonder if you did something wrong. Maybe it was because of your work? He still was High lord and you were stripper. What were you thinking? You should never have allowed that. Now he was ashamed and you also were not happy anymore. “It's not as you probably think now.” he spoke to you softly. “I did invite you to dance for me, but it was supposed to be only an excuse. I wanted to talk to you and was worried I wouldn't find you anywhere after this.” he took your hands into his, bringing them to his lips and kissing them softly. You watched you carefully with slightly open lips. You wished that your lips would be next thing he would be kissing, but instead, he continued talking. “I know you feel this. This need for me. And I feel the same way about you.” You didn't deny it, but you didn't confirm it either. None of you were stupid. There was only one logical explanation for your bodies to react like this. And when you admitted it, you felt it. The bond forming between you two and suddenly, you loved this job.

[freimeka]

VEGAS VISIONS ★ GHOST RILEY

you're assigned to a mission that requires you to protect a famous club and casino owner in vegas. the very lucky guy who's chosen to be by your side during the mission is not anyone other than your beloved lieutenant ghost riley.

part one.

★ ; tags and tws will be updated!

You are standing at the edge of the world,

Or so you think.

The view is breathtakingly beautiful.

The sun sets slowly, painting the clear sky with pastel pink and lilac hues, making you inhale deeply. From your vantage point, you see a vast expanse of green, a secluded hidden paradise where the military base is located. It's ironic to call it a paradise since it's a military base, but the evening sky manages to deceive you. The change of air is refreshing, although not exactly what you need. You find a bench beneath a big, old tree and sit down as the gentle evening breeze brushes against your face. In moments like this, your uniform feels light, and your surroundings become surreal props.

The weight of the past few days bears down on you, clouding your thoughts and actions. It has been tough, perhaps the toughest it can be. Being selected for a mission after only nine months in the military fills you with insecurity. Furthermore, one of your comrades suffered a severe injury during their first mission, adding to your mixed feelings about the upcoming mission. Will your mission end the same way? Why did it take so long to assign you to a mission? You've been on countless smaller missions before, but this one is different.

You will be accompanying Lieutenant Ghost from Task Force 141, and that alone fills you with worry and insecurity. He's the best, at least in your opinion. He is a true man of duty and a natural, and you've heard countless stories about him and how he completely changes when in action. You are not one to shy away from a challenge, but you know that eventually you may become a burden to him if the mission drags on. With years of experience, Ghost operates on a different level.

That's precisely why you admire him so much, and your admiration is no secret. Your train of thought comes crashing down when the scent of cologne, a sophisticated blend of musk and damp earth, fills your lungs. Without opening your eyes, you can feel someone sitting next to you.

"Good evening, Lieutenant," you mumble, keeping your eyes closed and your head thrown back as you breathe in his scent. There's a hint of cigarette in the air too. "Evening, kiddo," he replies, his familiar tone filling you with warmth. When you finally open your eyes, his intense gaze is already fixed upon you. "I'm sorry about your friend," he says, and you realize how difficult it is to talk about someone you know you'll lose no matter what. No words come out, and all you can do is give him a gentle nod. "Things happen," you finally find the strength to say. "It could happen to any of us. I'm sure everyone considered the risks before joining the military."

Ghost is taken aback by your cold-blooded response; it seems he wasn't expecting that. But then again, he had no idea what to expect from you either. His mind was torn when he went out for a smoke, and the moment his eyes laid on you, his legs moved on their own.

"That's right," he says, and you catch a glimpse of an almost imperceptible smile on Ghost's lips. He adjusts his balaclava slightly to place the cigarette between his lips. Your gaze lingers, and Ghost can feel the tingling sensation it leaves behind. He lights up the cigarette and turns to look at you, as if searching your face for something, yet all he sees is an exhausted yet lovely face. "I assume you're informed about the upcoming mission, hm?"

He takes a long drag from his cigarette, and the evening breeze carries the smoke away.

"Actually, no," you simply reply. "I was with Captain Price earlier, but he didn't provide any details. All I know is that I'll be accompanying you."

"That's bad. I'm not very good at explaining things."

"Yeah," you smile softly, catching a glimpse of Ghost's barely visible smile. "Captain Price told me that."

"What else did he say?" Ghost asks, getting into a more comfortable position on the bench. He spreads his legs, rests his back against the bench, and throws his head back, mimicking your posture.

"Not much, really. He told me to discuss any other topics or details with you—and he warned me about asking too many questions. I assume you particularly dislike answering a lot of questions, Lieutenant?"

"Damn right," his voice is hoarse, with a soft laugh laced within. "I know you won't cause any problems, but know that I hate hearing questions."

"Yeah, understood."

Ghost remains silent for a while as he smokes his cigarette, lost in thought. You don't say a word because he seems like he wants to say something. You give him the time he needs, allowing yourself to relax in the comfortable silence. After some time, Ghost finally speaks up, his words mingling with the smoke from his cigarette.

"We'll be traveling to Vegas. We have to babysit a grown-ass man—fucking ridiculous, I know. He's a club and casino owner in Vegas, quite an important guy. You and I are assigned to ensure his safety for the following week. He'll be attending meetings and parties, or something like that—I don't remember the exact details. We'll be there to eliminate any threats or whatever. That's all you need to know about the mission, kiddo. Any questions?"

Any questions? You can't help but let out a little laugh as you shake your head. He's different, you have to give him that. "No, sir. Thank you," you simply say, feeling slightly disheartened about this babysitting assignment. But on the other hand, you'll be traveling to Vegas… with Ghost. You release a troubled sigh as you take a final drag from your own cigarette, the bitter taste of smoke lingering as you exhale.

"Be ready at 6 sharp tomorrow. If you're even a minute late, figure out a way to meet me in Vegas on your own."

Oh boy, he's serious. You've witnessed Ghost ruthlessly deal with undisciplined soldiers countless times. That's definitely an experience you'd rather avoid, so you quickly nod. "Of course," you reply in a low tone. "I'll be there at 6, sharp."

Ghost smiles, not exactly a smile, but you can see his upper lip slightly curling upwards—and that's more than enough for you. He finishes his cigarette, says nothing else, and gets up from the bench. He gives you a small nod as he pulls down his mask before leaving. His footsteps fill the silent, chilly night. The sun has set, and the sky has transformed into a darker shade of blue while you've unknowingly spent hours with him.

Ghost hates questions, that's a fact. But as he leaves, he leaves you with so many of them that your mind becomes chaotic. A whole week in Vegas with him? Your mind is torn apart by anticipation, excitement, and the fear of uncertainty.

[variousqueerthings]

okokok so because i was taking all these darn notes while watching s1 of due south I feel like I should share some of my favourite ones.

the full list went like this:

fraser gets hurt/puts himself in danger

some fraser quirks

fraser is kind

ray does things for fraser/is emotionally affected by fraser

fraser's guilt/shame/lack of introspection

magical realism

things they do together casually

institutions/organisations are callous/uncaring/corrupt

every time fraser is uncomfortably hit on/doesn't realise flirting is a thing

bob fraser and benton fraser

ray family lore

ray is a good investigator

misc notes

can't claim i caught every moment, but certainly... Patterns 👀

SO: ONE - - fraser getting hurt/putting himself in danger. not all of these are his fault, but certainly... some of them make me (and ray) want to shake some self-preservation in him. perhaps some self-care. self-awareness. self... self. (see also, fraser's lack of introspection, which really... sir. you're so good at making connections, right up until it's about your own personhood)

(didn't count every time someone's shooting at him, that's just... pretty much every episode).

- PILOT

- - - - goes out in below 50 to catch a criminal - - - - thrown out of a window (by ray, to get out of a bomb blast) - - - - throws himself onto several cars heavily - - - - then lets himself get dragged by a van - - - - then knocks into several signs as he’s on top of the van - - - - then is bodily thrown off the van when it crashes, but does do a drop-roll to break the fall (pretty cool) - - - - a general amount of getting shot at being counted, because he deliberately invites the bad guys to come for him - - - - throws himself off a sled to lure a man off a cliff - - - - waits for gerrard to make the decision whether or not to shoot him, (although this is different to most of his "standing in front of a gun" examples, in that he didn't do this on purpose) - EPISODE ONE: FREE WILLY

- - - - tries to enrage a bad guy enough so that she'll try to shoot him, in order to give ray time to stop her - EPISODE TWO: DIEF’S DAY OFF

- - - - throws himself into a room with a bunch of bad guys without thinking in orer to save a little girl – gets beaten up - EPISODE THREE: MANHUNT

- - - - gets hit over the head with an iron bar - - - - gets his hand smacked with an iron bar (ow) - - - - gets stabbed in the thigh (owwww) – - - - as soon as possible goes out to fight again, although at least ray gives him aspirin. Gets punched a bunch during these fights - EPISODE FOUR: THEY EAT HORSES - - - - frozen in a meatlocker - EPISODE FIVE: PIZZAS

- - - - throws himself on a moving car - - - - is thrown off the moving car - - - - stands IN FRONT OF a car coming at him - - - - THEN AGAIN THINKING RAY WILL GET HER (SIR!!!) NOTHING IN EPISODE SIX (?) - EPISODE SEVEN/EIGHT: CHICAGO

- - - - gets thrown off a taxi after it makes a sudden stop - - - - gets thrown off a bus after he gets blinded by cameras - - - - urges a woman to shoot him with her final bullet to get the girl to safety NOTHING IN EPISODE NINE (?) - EPISODE TEN: WHEELMAN

- - - - thinks nothing about stepping into a gasoline soaked trap - EPISODE ELEVEN: REMEMBER

- - - - threatens to jump out of ray’s moving car if ray doesn’t stop - EPISODE TWELVE: HAWK AND A HANDSAW

- – - - climbs out a window to stop a man from jumping off a ledge - - - - allows himself to get institutionalised (although doesn't swallow the unknown pill he's given, since it's evidence) - - - - dislocates his arm to get out of a straitjacket - - - - is at-risk of getting injected with... poison? - - - - bursts through a window to stop another man from jumping off a ledge, hanging over the edge, gripping him by the ankles (ray also climbed out next to him) - EPISODE THIRTEEN: EYE FOR AN EYE

- - - - steps in front of another person with a gun to stop him shooting someone (does then step aside to let him make a moral choice on his own) - EPISODE FOURTEEN: THE MAN WHO KNEW

- - - - hangs onto the back of a car and gets dragged along a gravelly snowy sludgy road for a bit - EPISODE FIFTEEN: THE WILD BUNCH

- - - - TECHNICALLY NO BUT THE EMOTIONAL HURT HE WAS DOING TO HIMSELF COUNTS!!!! - EPISODE SIXTEEN: THE BLUE LINE

- - - - stands in front of a man with a gun AGAIN (played for laughs, because this time the danger is from all the other people in the store with guns) - - - - then gets hit in the head with a bottle (ends up with visible wound on his ear) - - - - lures the bad guys towards him to save the mean hockey player - EPISODE SEVENTEEN: THE DEAL

- - - - falls through a glass door in pursuit of bad guys - - - - gets beaten into near-unconsciousness - - – - and then almost shot to death. Very saintlike of him - EPISODE EIGHTEEN: HEAVEN AND EARTH

- - - - runs towards a car about to explode and gets thrown back NOTHING AS SUCH IN EPISODE NINETEEN TECHNICALLY ALTHOUGH THE HAVING TO SURVIVE THIS WOMAN’S WHOLE “THING” SURE IS HARD FOR HIM, NOT TO MENTION THE GARBAGE TRUCK, SO KINDA.... HE DOES GET SHOT AT BUT IT'S NOT REALLY ALL HIS THING. LIKE A LIGHTER VERSION OF THE WILD BUNCH, SIR YOUR IDEALS AREN'T WORTH THIS - EPISODE TWENTY/TWENTY-ONE: VICTORIA’S SECRET

- - - - EMOTIONALLY!!! PUTS HIMSELF THROUGH THE WRINGER!!!! BECAUSE HE “OWES” HER!!!! DAMMIT FRASER (see point 5) - - - - the whole story about how he nearly froze to death while pursuing her (also mentioned in you must remember this and invitation to love) - - - - (insert debate about whether having sex with her is self-harm or if this is a super chill not at all dubcon-like thing for him to do) - - - - puts himself in danger to “save” her from getting stabbed at the zoo and gets his hand cut - - - - and then immediately gets thrown down a fake waterfall - - - - the amount of danger when he’s getting the diamonds - - - - jumps off a roof to escape and nearly gets run over by victoria - - - - stands in front of her gun twice - - - - gets shot by ray (for good reasons) - EPISODE TWENTY-TWO: LETTING GO

- - - - a lot of talk about scars, including the one he got in “manhunt” and (possibly?) “the deal”? (jumping through a glass plane of some kind, that one did seem like the most aggressive one) - there’s also one where he jumped off a cliff as a younger man. And the otter bully from when he was ten (mentioned in "the deal") - - - - refuses to acknowledge pain with the physiotherapist, but luckily she keeps an eye out for his nonsense - - - - slams a wheelchair into Stuff and knocks his head quite severely - - - - drags himself up a series of stairs - - - - puts himself in front of another gun. Dammit fraser! STANDS IN FRONT OF GUNS DELIBERATELY: 6 or 7 times (not counting the times he’s not doing so Very Deliberately + in the pilot when it’s his own gun and he knows there are no bullets) THROWN OFF CARS/DRAGGED BY CARS/STANDING IN FRONT OF CARS/CAR NONSENSE: 12ish times (counting several incidents as one if involving the same car, also including the garbage truck) MOST OUCH: Shot in the back, beaten half to death, stabbed in the thigh, serious emotionally hurt over the course of two episodes and ten years.... this not even counting the serious emotional hurt caused by his father over the course of his whole life

[character-fan19]

MLB Season 5 Character Analysis: "Jubilation"

Introduction

Hey everyone, I'm back with another analysis. If you haven't seen my last post, you can find that here and if you want to see my season 4 character analyses, you can find that here. Basically, in this series, I take a look at the motivations, emotions and behaviours of the relevant characters in every individual episode of season 5, so that we can outline their overall journey bit by bit to figure out why they do what they do.

Today we have "Jubilation". This was quite an emotional episode and made the title pretty ironic, given that if left everyone in-universe and out-of-universe depressed when jubilation is supposed to mean a feeling of great happiness or joy. Most of the meat of this analysis is probably going to be with Ladybug and Cat Noir, since their Jubilation dream is the main focus of the episode, with some minor focus on Mr. Damocles' and Socqueline's desire to be superheroes. So without further ado, let's get into it.

Character POVs

Ladybug

"Monarch... must've altered it somehow, to trick us. Yes, that's got to be it."

Ever since "Strikeback", Ladybug has developed a new appreciation for Cat Noir. Not that she didn't appreciate him before but when Cat Noir showed her the extent of his loyalty and kindness, it caused her to fall in love with him, symbolized by the clap of thunder similar to the one in the "Origins" two-parter during the umbrella scene. Now that has finally come to the forefront in this episode in the form of the Jubilation dream.

At first glance, from seeing Ladybug and Cat Noir's shared Jubilation dream, you'd think it is divided into two parts for each of Ladybug and Cat Noir's deepest desires: defeating Monarch for Ladybug and getting married and settling down with Ladybug for Cat Noir. But from the state of Ladybug upon realizing she was in a dream and her state after getting out, you can tell that she too wanted to be with Cat Noir, but at present is in denial of this because of wanting to put her duty as Ladybug first. Speaking of putting duty before feelings....

2. Cat Noir

"How dare you play with our feelings?? Cataclysm!"

The Jubilation dream affected Cat Noir much worse than it did Ladybug, and being the less emotionally stable of the two, he almost used Cataclysm on him directly out of anger, something he was very horrified to have done last episode.

This showed us just how much his emotions clouded his better judgement, to the point that Ladybug had to remind him not to Cataclysm a person, and Cat Noir realized this too, understanding that his feelings for Ladybug can be used against him and make him do terrible things, therefore causing him to decide that he should give up on his feelings for Ladybug to focus completely on being a superhero and we will see this effect his actions in future episodes.

3. Denis

"It's pointless. It's pointless now."

Moving on to the more minor characters of this episode, we have Denis. or rather Mr. Damocles. This guy wanted to be a superhero which carries on from his first akumatization episode "The Dark Owl". While he was doing this out of good intentions, he was ultimately putting himself in danger, just like in "The Dark Owl" and when Marinette made him come to that realization, it left him deflated. Although after being deakumatized, he seems to be in much better spirits, going back to doing community service to be a superhero.

4. Socqueline

"Yes, but you gotta know when to step in. That's the only way you can change things in life."

Moving onto someone else trying to be a superhero, we have Socqueline, Marinette's school friend from the previous year. She too was attempting to do what Mr. Damocles was doing (much more successfully) and under the belief that pitching in on the superhero business would relieve Ladybug of her duties and hoping to get recognition from her and Cat Noir as we see in her Jubilation dream. Unbeknownst to her though, she was only causing more stress just like Mr. Damocles due to not being equipped with any superpowers to help her. Thankfully, Marinette was able to come through to Socqueline as Ladybug after defeating the Darker Owl.

Conclusion

Well that's that for this episode. Feel free to make your own analyses for this episode and point out anything I may have missed. Until next time!

[crusty-chronicles]

hii! after reading ur moon and son halloween special, it got me thinking ab kurapika and yn. if its not too much to ask, could you do a small special where kurapika figures out why yn hates their clan? it could be a drabble, short chapter, hcs, whatever youd like to write, i was js super curious for what kurapikas reaction would be

love ur writing 🩷🩵

I'm gonna start this off with a minor spoiler warning for the end chapters of Moon and Sun. Nothing too big so don't worry.

Okay, we Good? There's only four people who really know about what happened with Y/n and their clan. Gon, Killua, Kite, and Ging. The first three are for obvious reasons. Now the only reason Ging knows is because he's got a part to play in future chapters, which I will not be disclosing at this time. That being said, what Kurapika knows/ learns about is a very watered down version of events. Below is a oneshot of how he finds out and reacts.

The Difference Between You and I

⛓️⛓️⛓️⛓️⛓️⛓️⛓️

It was ironic, really, when you looked back on what happened a few days ago. You didn't think you had it in you anymore to dislike someone so much. Especially since he was one of the boys' closest friends.

You wanted your first meeting to be friendly, even if a part of you was still bitter he hadn't bothered to see Gon at the hospital. You'd hoped to get along with him as well as you did with Leorio.

 But opposites attract you suppose.

The two of them couldn't have been any more different from each other. Leorio was a stubborn loudmouth depending on who he interacted with. Acting purely on impulse most of the time. Yet despite that, he had a heart of gold from what you could tell.

Treating Gon and Killua with as much care as you did. Wanting to be a doctor in order to help those who couldn't afford proper medical care. Hell, he was even currently helping you with your ‘condition.’

Kurapika, on the other hand, was quiet and reserved. At least from what the boys had told you. Though you noticed he also seemed distant. Rarely ever picking up his phone and even rarer were the times he'd actually show up in person.

But you wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt. 

If the boys loved him, how bad could he really be? 

And if Leorio was dating him, then surely he had some redeeming qualities.

Well turns out fate had a funny way of playing things out. Irony at its best. 

—----------------------

You'd arrived in York New about the same time as the boys. Having come for your ‘usual’ checkup. Something you blamed on that damn cat along with yourself. 

You'd agreed beforehand to meet up right after for lunch. The three of you communicating through a small group chat. Although you were still struggling with the newer technology. Not yet used to actually having a phone. But you digress.

It was during Leorio's final evaluation that you were made aware of the blonde’s presence.

“You getting anything?” He asked.

You shook your head, unable to focus your eyes. Six months and your nen was still shot. What a pain.

“Don't push yourself. Remember, we still have a few treatments to test out. You're not out of luck just yet.”

“I know. I just kinda want the process to be over already, you know? Get things back to normal.” Well, as normal as you could be.

Leorio was about to respond before a ‘ding’ from his phone went off. He gave an apologetic look as he checked what it was. 

Although he knew you didn't mind, he still wanted to be professional. This was his job and he took pride in it. Despite his nonchalant demeanor.

“Woah! Kurapika's in town!”

“Kurapika?” The one who usually ignores all his calls? The one who put revenge before his dying friend? But you thought better than to say that out loud. Instead you settled on-

“He's…blonde, right?”

Leorio looked up at you with a bewildered expression. Out of all the things you could say, it was that. It was almost enough to make him laugh.

“Yes? You know, you've got an odd way of remembering people.”

“But I'm not wrong, am I? You gonna see him after this?” You asked with a teasing smirk.

“Yeah. It's been a while. I think the boys would be happy to see him too.” He gestured to the three kids that sat waiting outside of your room.

Two of which were now excitedly staring at their phones. The third sleeping contently on her brother's shoulder.

“You should meet him too.” Leorio suggested.

And although you appreciated the offer, it didn't feel right for you to tag along. You didn't want things to potentially be awkward. Plus, you weren't the best with new people.

“I don't wanna intrude. I'd rather the four of you catch up. Like old times. Well maybe not the four of you if Alluka has anything to say about it.” Already knowing the small girl went everywhere Killua did. 

“You'd really do that. I know it's been months since you spent time with the boys.”

“Yeah but it's been a year since they even heard from Kurapika. Besides, I'll meet him when I pick the boys up. I'm here for three more days after all. And then~you and Kurapika could spend some time by yourselves.”

His face flushed a bright red at the insinuation. Playfully shoving your head to the side.

“About time you paid me back for all the times I watched the boys for you.”

—-----------------------

The two of you finished up, with Leorio briefly leaving to request his break. The kids wasted no time rushing you once you exited the room.

“Any luck this time?” Gon asked.

“Sadly, no. But there's always next time, right?” You tried to reassure. But he didn't look all that convinced. 

“If it doesn't work out, you know you can always ask Nanika to-” Killua started to offer, but you stopped him before he could finish.

“It's fine if I can't get it back. I'll just have to get used to being a normie. Unless, you've got a problem with normies?” Your tone was teasing as you ruffled the small assassin's hair. 

Your attention was redirected towards a pull on your sleeve.

“I don't mind helping Big Sib,” Alluka assured.

“I mind. I'll be okay so don't worry about it…In other news, I heard one of your friends just got here.” You quickly changed the subject. Not wanting to bring down the mood. You wanted today to be a good day.

And judging by the way both boys beamed up at you, it would be.

“Yeah! Kurapika's gonna be here for a few days! I hope you don't mind if he comes with us today.” Gon explained.

You could never really say no to that kid, even if you had already planned to give the duo space today. You returned his cheerful grin with one of your own.

“Course not. To be honest, I was gonna let the four of you reconnect in peace.”

“Peace? You make it sound like we're embarrassed of you,” Killua mumbled.

“What was that?”

“I said, ‘Four of us? What about my sister?’” he quickly covered. Though he could tell you heard what he said first. But you'd let him off the hook this time.

For now.

“Why don't I take her shopping while you guys catch up?”

“Shopping? You can afford that now?” His tone was playful, but there was a genuine hint of concern somewhere in there.

“Hey!” You scolded, about to come up with a retort before Gon stepped in.

“Yeah! They're working with Kite and his team. It's why they travel so much now.”

At the mention of the former silver haired hunter, Killua's expression soured.

“Sibling stealer.”

At that, you pinched his cheek.

“Har har. You mad at him because we're dating now or because Alluka occasionally calls him dad?”

He covered his ears, face slightly red from embarrassment as he tugged Gon away. Not bothering to wait for Leorio.

“We’re leaving now! Have her back by six!”

—-------------

Safe to say, they were overjoyed to see Kurapika again. Both boys eagerly questioning him about his new Zodiac status, while Leorio reminded them not to overwhelm him with questions.

Kurapika was glad to back, if only for a brief moment. He truly did miss them, but his mission always came first. He'd already made tremendous progress recovering his clan’s eyes. His new Zodiac status aiding in his endeavors.

But through pursuing his goal, he'd evidently missed out on a lot with his friends and partner. 

The boys were 13 going on 14 now. Gon had achieved his own goal and met Ging. Traveling with him up until a month ago.

Killua had managed to finally get away from his family, bringing his little sister with him. The two of them also traveling around. Which begs the question, where was she currently?

Leorio had become a doctor, having just been promoted to a zodiac after the election. Which Kurapika did watch, very much proud of how far he got.

Yes, so much had changed.

He supposed it was bittersweet in a way. The three of them already shooting for a new goal while he was still trying to complete his. 

But he truly was grateful for the time he spent with them today. That he was still considered important to them despite his distance. He made a mental note to try harder once he left.

It wasn't before very long that Leorio had to return to work. His break over too soon for the blonde's liking. 

So with a smooch on his cheek and a ‘ewww!’ from the boys, Leorio was off. Leaving Kurapika with the duo. 

Now while you were aware of Kurapika, he had no idea of your existence until the boys mentioned you in passing.

—-----------------------

A desert of some kind sat in front of them.

“Y/n would for sure love this. Do you think we should take them some?” Killua asked, the question directed towards Gon.

“They’ll be upset if we don't. And you know what that means.” Gon responded.

“They won't carry us for a week. You think we're getting too old for that?” But before their conversation could continue, Kurapika spoke up. Curious about the new name they mentioned.

“Y/n?”

Both boys looked up at him surprised before remembering the two of you had never met.

“Y/n’s the person that’s been taking care of us since Greed Island. They're our big sibling,” Gon proudly announced while Killua nodded along.

You seemed to be very close to them.

“Right now they're with Alluka. They wanted to give the four of us a chance to catch up.” Killua added.

That explained why his sister wasn't here. And if Killua trusted you with her, then you must've been reliable too.

A good person.

“Tell me more about them.”

—-----------------------

Truthfully, all odds pointed at the two of you getting along. You were cut from the same cloth, so to speak. Both coming from strong clans. Both losing them during your childhood.

Your lazy demeanor would have paired nicely with his quiet one. You always were more comfortable around less energetic people. 

His analytical skills were on par with yours. A strong head on both of your shoulders. 

Even if you were still upset with Kurapika, the two boys knew you'd get along with him in time. Sure you'd probably chew him out for not answering his phone, but you'd warm up to him nevertheless.

So what was it exactly that put you at odds with each other?

The catalyst that sparked endless animosity between you?

Well, it just so happened to be the subject of your clan that started it.

It was an accident, truly. Gon didn't mean for it to slip out. He just got so excited telling Kurapika about you that he forgot some details weren't meant to be shared.

“You know, I'm kinda glad Nanika erased their memories. Y/n is a lot happier now that they're clan isn't looking for them anymore. They weren't good people to begin with so don't feel too bad about it.”

Gon had been explaining before slapping a hand over his mouth. Him and Killua looking at each other with wide eyes. Gazes briefly glancing over towards Kurapika for his reaction.

They knew he could be touchy with the subject. Watching him carefully to see if his eyes changed. Instead, they were met with a suspicious stare. Not exactly positive, but not really negative either.

“What do mean their clan isn't looking for them anymore? Did something happen between them?”

Because Kurapika, for the life of him, couldn't fathom a family giving up on one of their own. But the subject wasn't as black and white as he suspected.

“We're not really supposed to say. It's not like they told us not to tell anyone, but it's their privacy. You know?” Gon informed.

Not only was it your business, but it was also something you trusted the two of them with. And he was the last person who should be spilling your secrets.

The two boys once again eyed each other. You wouldn't be mad if they told Kurapika. So long as he didn't bring it up directly to you.

Besides, the chain user would just ask you in person if he didn't get an answer. He was direct by nature. Something you would respect, but not if it concerned your ‘family.’

So what was the worse outcome?

They say nothing and Kurapika asks you directly about it. Or he finds out another way.

The second option: they partially explain the situation. Not getting into too much detail, but enough to satisfy their friend’s curiosity.

“If it's not something you want to discuss, then I won't-” but Killua stopped him from finishing his sentence.

“If we tell you, you have to promise you won't say we told you anything. Got it?” 

It wasn't that they were wary of their friend, god no. They just didn't want the two of you butting heads in the future. 

Kurapika gave a small nod.

“Y/n doesn't get along well with their clan. They haven't since they were a little kid. They just don't feel comfortable or safe around them anymore.” Gon started.

“Why?”

“They sorta had a disagreement with them. And that's putting it very lightly. An argument about how things were being done. And how their practices were wrong. That's all we can really say.” Killua continued.

The rest would have to come directly from you. If you ever got around to trusting Kurapika. Something that sadly wouldn't come to fruition.

“So they're estranged from their clan because of a disagreement?” And for whatever reason, that made Kurapika upset.

Your clan was alive and healthy. They'd been looking for you. And here you were being petty. Avoiding them because of it.

When all his people were slaughtered like nothing. Never even having the chance to say goodbye. 

He wanted to think there was more to it. That there was something big the boys weren't telling him. And there was, but he'd never get to learn about what it was.

How similar your grief was to his with him losing Pairo and you losing Kari.

The rest of the afternoon felt tense. Kurapika tried not to show his discomfort, but both boys could tell anyways. Seems the two of you wouldn't get along after all.

It was only a matter of time before you went to get them. Alluka trailing happily behind you with an ice cream cone as you struggled with her bags. Most of which were toys. 

Both boys quickly grabbed a few from you to lighten the load. Your eyes drifting over to the blonde behind them.

So that was Kurapika.

“Alluka! You can't just make them carry everything. Next time help.” Killua scolded.

Said girl, looked up at her big brother with a pout. 

“I did. Mama/Papa said no.”

Her answer prompted a small glare from him. This time directed at you.

“You have her spoiled.”

“You’re just jealous I don't baby you anymore.” You retorted.

“I think it's because Alluka's a girl.” Gon added as he took another bag from you.

“She's not just a girl. She's a princess!” You lightly pinched her cheeks, causing her to let out a squeal.

You looked up to see their blonde friend standing awkwardly away. Perhaps not wanting to interrupt the four of you. 

“You gonna introduce me to your friend?” 

At the sound of your voice he straightened up. Both boys urging you towards him.

“Y/n, this is Kurapika. Kurapika, Y/n.”

It was a brief introduction. Well, you supposed it was time for you to plaster on a smile and try to befriend him. Hopefully things would go well.

“Hi. So you're the infamous Kurapika? Glad you could make a special guest appearance today. I hope the boys weren't too much.” 

You extended your hand in greeting. Wishing you could focus your eyes on him to get a proper read of what he was feeling. He reciprocated your handshake with less enthusiasm than you were expecting.

To be fair, he probably just found out about you.

“Likewise. It's a pleasure to meet the person who they've been talking my ear off about for the last two hours. Apologies for interrupting your time together.”

He was surprisingly polite. Honestly, you were expecting him to be somewhat rowdy like the rest of their friends. Not that you minded.

You needed another levelheaded friend to talk to. And if you were correct, he was about two years younger than you. 

But then things quickly started going downhill.

“My intel tells me you come from a clan like me? Do I have that right?” He asked, unawares that was not the right thing to say. Despite his intention to strike up a friendly conversation.

“Intel?” Your tone was panicked.

 The mere mention of your past life enough to make you spiral. Something both boys could tell was happening from the way you stiffened.

“Uh Kurapika. Maybe now's not the-” Gon tried, but it was too late.

“I don't belong to any clan. I never did, so don't you ever bring it up again.” Ice.

Your demeanor was cold, an indication that you were mad. Though you tried to calm yourself. Maybe he didn't know not to ask that.

He couldn't have known.

You just didn't want to talk about it with anyone. Especially not a stranger you just met. 

“Damn. I knew we shouldn't have told him.” Killua said, already knowing where this conversation was heading. He quickly covered Alluka's ears.

“I don't understand why you're so upset about it. Could the disagreement you had really be that irksome to you.” The blonde's tone dismissive. 

The thing that inevitably set you off.

Irksome.

Like they didn't just try to kill you half a year ago. Like they didn't murder your sister right in front of you. Like they didn't turn your best friend against you.

“I said drop it. It's none of your business. But you know what should've been, since you're so keen on family.”

“Y/n don't-” Gon tried once more, tugging on your arm to get you attention.

“Checking up on your friends every once in a while. Do you even know about what happened to these two?”

“Guys,” Killua warned.

“Of course I know. You think I'm an idiot not to know about the Chimera Ant situation?” Kurapika's voice increasing in volume to match yours.

“Yeah? You know about Illumi hunting down Killua and his sister while his family watched? About the two of them almost being killed to better their psycho family's power? You know about Gon being hospitalized? About how nothing short of a miracle saved his life? You know about all that?”

Judging by the shocked expression on his face, he didn't know. He glanced over to the two boys to verify. And when they looked down to avoid his eyes, he knew you weren't lying.

He hadn't been a very good friend, had he?

“Didn't think so. So next time you think I owe you anything, think about how you've never given anyone anything. I don't owe you shit. I don't owe you an explanation and I sure as hell don't owe you my time!” 

Was it a petty argument that got way out of hand?

Absolutely.

The truth is, if you could get past your one difference, the two of you would see you have a lot in common. Might've even become good friends.

 But you can never trust someone who takes the people they care about for granted. Who had the opportunity to support their friend on their deathbed instead of chasing after shadows of the past. Who only lets anger and hatred guide their actions.

And Kurapika could never befriend someone who doesn't understand how good they have it. Who still has the opportunity to see their family instead of their corpses. And maybe he's envious of the fact. He'd give anything to spend five minutes with his clan while you can't even bare thinking about them for five seconds.

And while you two disliked each other, you'd just have to learn to tolerate the other for the sake of your friends.

—-------------

MASTERLIST

An: I didn't know if I should add tags to this one because technically it's not apart of our main story. More like an expansion on the lore, if you can even call it that. Now, I love Kurapika, I really do. But I feel like our insert from Moon and Sun would absolutely despise him. On the bright side, I should be able to start uploading a little more frequently now. Might even get back to weekly updates. We'll see~

[ryuichirou]

Replies

More replies! :)

hipsterteller asked:

I saw the artwork of Jade and Rook, and the only thing I could say is-

"Oh please tell me they didn't kill someone"

+

Anonymous asked:

Yep, both weirdos doing weird stuff. Also, context on their murder?

I really love how the first ask is in denial, hoping for the best, and the second one is “alright who did they kill this time” LOL

Unfortunately though, there is no context, I’m just sure this is something both of them do, so it’s only a matter of time until they stumble upon each other. It would definitely be funny…

I keep joking about Jade just feeding randos with his mushrooms, even though it’s not really how mushrooms work, but I’ll keep telling this joke until the day I die and get buried in the forest myself lol

Anonymous asked:

MEGARA!

YES!!!!! <3 <3 <3

Your childhood crushes really cement one’s type… we rewatched Hercules about a year ago, and it really made me remember just how much I loved this girl.

Anonymous asked:

seeing idia in a consensual relationship/situation with azul is like a jumpscare on this page

Thank you Anon!! I’m genuinely happy that you’re so used to seeing messed-up stuff that anything wholesome seems surprising lol We really do have our preferences…

But if that makes it easier, with these two it’s almost always just a fleeting moment before they start arguing again over something super unimportant or messing up each other’s lives. There is no way these could actually coexist without it lol

Anonymous asked:

Ironically enough if Azul was Regina I could see Vil being a decent Janis

He doesn't share a lot of the same fashion traits as her but he is honest and can hold a grudge for a long time

(this is related to one reply from this post)

Wow, Vil as Janis is something I never considered. This type of pettiness is closer to Vil’s, that’s true lol

Jamil would also maybe work as Janis.

But now all I can think about is Vil in a grungy-punky look… a complete delusion, but an aesthetically pleasing one.

Anonymous asked:

This sounds a bit too mean (to Malleus), but what reactions do you think he may have if Lilia's fucking him and accidentally moans his mother's name instead 👀

Since we can’t say anything about ch7 yet (still haven’t watched it), so there might be any specific aspect that I’m missing, but in general I’m pretty sure Malleus is going to be super damn pissed if Lilia moaned any name that isn’t his while they have sex lol He might even get angry and destroy everything and only then go “wait what?” realising what the name was.

blackbutlerfandomnerddomain asked:

I might bombard the inbox with thoughts so sorry in advance! I lowkey see Sebek and Silver starting as a thing after realizing Malleus and Lilia were a thing (I find the idea Silver having the Windows reloading sound in his mind as he’s like “Ooooooooh” when realizing his two dads are lovers really funny), and I’m currently writing a fic based of Ch.7 where Sebek kissed Silver finally during the fight, making them official finally

No worries, as long as you don’t mind waiting. You know how it is with me and replies lol, but I’m slowly but surely replying to everything.

Bonding over the trauma of realisation that Malleus and Lilia are a thing lol well jokes aside, it’s probably not as traumatic for Silver, but the realisation could still be the “oh” moment for sure. Let Malleus and Lilia be an example for the younglings lol

Good luck with your fic!^^

Anonymous asked:

Hear me out: Fem Idia with the song Worst Taste In Girls by Charley

Alright now that I’ve finally listened to the song!

She really does have the worst taste in girls… Although, she has even less autonomy in her love life than the heroine of the song unfortunately lol But Idia is prone to thinking that whenever things go kinda well, it’s never going to last long.

[twenty-words-or-less]

Top 5 Best Films of 2024

Last post of the year (in my timezone), and I wanted to make it a good one; a positive one, even. So, without further ado, here goes!

5. Anora

The "Common People" to Pretty Woman's "Uptown Girl" and the first Sean Baker film I can confidently say that I liked, rather than 'quite liked' or 'kind of liked' (as was the case with Red Rocket), Anora came out of nowhere, body-slammed me into a wall, then left without an apology as it should. How Mikey Madison didn't blow out her vocal cords during the home invasion sequence, I have no idea. What I do know is I hope she - and Mark Eydelshteyn - get more work.

4. Cuckoo

Beautiful and bonkers with star turns from both Hunter Schafer and Dan Stevens (who was having a really good year this year) and a reveal that is only slightly less bizarre than the world it's set in. I compared it to A Cure for Wellness and I stand by it. Although ACFW didn't end in of the best worst gunfights in modern cinema, which was the cherry on top of a fucking weird cake.

3. Abigail

Gory, hilarious, and the best thing Radio Silence have done since 2019's Ready or Not (which has become something of a comfort watch for me over the years). Four strong consecutive films being good to very good is a rarity in any filmmaker's career, but the Radio Silence guys have managed that with aplomb and seeming ease. Alisha Weir holds her own against a group of more experienced actors who are twice her age, and my partner and I picked up on that The Guest reference at the end. Don't think that went unnoticed, RS.

2. Dune: Part Two

The problems I had with Part One were chiefly that the pacing was uneven and that the supporting characters weren't given much to do. Those problems were fixed in Part Two, leading to an expansive and engrossing watch of an epic that remained accessible to people not well versed in the source novel. The visuals are stunning, as is par for the course with Villeneuve, with the Paul/ Feyd-Rautha fight being a highlight (see above). Stilgar gets the best moments, almost stealing the film altogether. Film critic Mark Kermode summarised the film as "Life of Brian played straight", and I'm inclined to agree.

Honourable mentions:

Longlegs: The only July horror whose ending did not tell me to go fuck myself, this was a tense and absorbing watch despite Cage being Cage. Loved the noir feel to it. Sidenote: I'm convinced that Lee Harker is autistic.

Civil War: What can I say, this was great. Not too much worldbuilding, and the slow dehumanisation of the war journalists as they become complicit in the dehumanisation of the subjects they photograph was a fascinating direction to take.

Boy Kills World: The best videogame adaptation of the year and the first revenge thriller with a nameless orphaned protagonist that was released in April. Man, Bill Skarsgard has had a mixed year.

Monkey Man: The other revenge thriller with a nameless orphaned protagonist, Dev Patel gives 120% and grimes up good doing it. It has themes and ideas, it executes them well, it has funny moments, and it lacks sexual violence.

Poor Things: I did not know how much I wanted to see Mark Ruffalo scream "CUUUUUUNNNNNNNTTTTT!!" until this came along.

And finally, the best thing I saw this year... drum roll pleeease...

1. The Substance

Dune: Part Two held this spot for so long, but then The Substance came along, body-slammed it into a hidden alcove in its own bathroom, and settled in its place comfortably. Hatching - my number one film of 2022 - was about a girl entering puberty, entering a point where she would start to be desired by the opposite sex; The Substance follows a woman reaching the end of that desirability. It's the only film I wanted to see again before it left cinemas, and regretfully, I did not get that chance to. It straddles that line between ironic and unironic arthouse. It is beautiful, it is uncompromising, it is vicious, it is stark, it is unforgettable, and it is deserving of this spot. Brava, Mme Fargeat and co.

Those are my favourites of the year! Agree? Disagree? Care? Don't care? What are your favourites? Should I stop asking these questions? I'm gonna stop. Every film I watched in cinemas this year can be found in a comprehensive list here.

Thanks for reading, and see you next year!

~ Mikey