#Even if he had very little effect on the outcome

[pushing500]

Oooh, a mysterious asteroid! I wonder what it could be?

It's very blue, and has eleven strange space creatures attached to it. I'm sure this will cause no problems at all.

Ah, so they're electric space eels. Neat. Next time someone can take the thrumbos when they're hunting these things.

Rogan the rottweiler did his best but unfortunately seems to have lost his left eye in the mess. I'll see about getting Fafo to make him a bionic eye because he's a very good boy, and he did his very best to protect Hazrov and Baz during their scuffle with the arcturan sky eels.

Hazrov is fine, by the way. Doctor Brennan dealt with the heart attack swiftly, and then Irwin used his 'preach health' ability just for an extra boost. Baz is also fine. He only had a scratched eye and a bruised arm and is already back to mining the sky steel.

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[infinitelystrangemachinex]

Jayce and the fallacy of the butterfly effect in Arcane's narrative

If Jayce's symbol is the butterfly, then my theory is that we're going into a full "butterfly effect" narrative in Act 2. Either we'll watch it happen, or we'll only see Jayce come out the other side of it changed by the experience, knowing - or more importantly, THINKING he knows - what to do to change the future. Literally, to "defend tomorrow."

tl;dr: Jayce will encounter the butterfly effect in season 2. Viktor and Mel both foreshadowed this in season 1. I think Jayce will fixate on Viktor and will believe that stopping or changing Viktor either in the past or the present - most likely the present - will mean he can save the future. I believe this will lead to an even worse tragedy and may have the same effect as a self-fulfilling prophecy. Ekko's approach to changing the future by sticking closer to the present - considering only tiny increments of time to alter more immediate future outcomes - will be the superior approach. I also think that Jayce attempting to change the future will create the conditions that push Viktor to become the Machine Herald.

One of the most common reactions even the casual viewer had to Arcane season 1 was this: "If [character] had just done this one small thing a little differently, [tragic event] wouldn't have happened!"

Arcane has been called a Greek tragedy for the main reason that because of how well built up the characters' personalities and reasonings are, there's no other way season 1 could have gone. There was no stopping the multiple tragedies that occurred, because with one event leading to another, the chain of seemingly inevitable events goes too far back to identify what one singular event caused everything, what one character made what one decision to put our characters on the terrible paths they walked.

Arcane is about to investigate this idea in its own narrative, and I think that Jayce will be the character to stumble into the flawed idea that you can change one event, or stop one character, and change the future for the better. This is because Jayce struggles with a few very interesting character flaws, one of them being that he believes himself to be the main character, and it is therefore his responsibility to intervene, be a hero, and fix things.

Viktor and Mel both foreshadow Jayce's future encounter with the butterfly effect.

Recall that Viktor said: "There is always a choice."

Jayce sees choices in black and white, believes that he has no other options but to go along with what he's persuaded and pushed into, and acts too boldly with too much power multiple times.

Recall that Mel said: "We can't change what fate has in store for us, but we don't have to face it alone."

Jayce tries to solve big problems on his own, and though he delegates to Enforcers and the like, Jayce relies on his reasoning and his alone to make important decisions if he doesn't simply become persuaded - usually through strong emotions like fear - by other characters. In addition, since Mel is specifically talking about Viktor's plight here, it's worth mentioning that while Jayce did say that he would help Viktor in acts 2 and 3 of season 1, Jayce does wind up leaving Viktor to face his fate alone. When Jayce tries to change that fate in s2 ep1, ep2 shows that only tragedy can come of this as well.

Viktor and Mel's statements here are not contradictory. Viktor makes the point that you can always make a choice. In context, he's literally referring to the classic "secret third option," because given a choice between aggression and passivity, war and surrender, Viktor chooses to defuse the bomb instead. Mel, interestingly, seems to believe that destiny is fixed in a broad sense, and she operates as a politician and diplomat and investor who navigates that line of destiny in the most optimal way possible. In reality, in context, she is referring to the fact that Viktor can't change the way he was born and so he has no way to change his fate and therefore must face it, which is true - she's only missing the information that Viktor actually does have the means to change his illness and his body. Her wisdom still applies however, because he'll have to accept the hand that fate deals him after he makes that choice. Will he face it alone, or not?

There is always a choice, there's even secret third options, because having a fate doesn't mean that you are doomed to make only one possible series of choices. What it does mean is that each choice comes with a hand that fate deals you. It is impossible to know what all of these branching choices and consequences are in advance, and it is just as impossible in hindsight - the branches are too complex and the end outcomes are all equally meaningful, just different. If Arcane season 2 is to be a tragedy, it may show us that each possible outcome is still tragic if you fall for the fallacy of the butterfly effect.

Jayce is counseled by some of the wisest, cleverest characters with the deepest life experiences in Arcane, but he hardly ever takes that counsel to heart. If he does, he still acts on that counsel in flawed ways that have unintended consequences. This will come to a head in season 2.

Viktor and Jayce both have a butterfly following them around in season 1. The butterfly effect refers to one small seemingly insignificant event changing the course of history, and changing that event therefore changes history. Viktor bled over the railing of a Hexgate in season 1:

And Heimerdinger sees what we can only assume is Viktor's blood contaminating (?) the Hexgate in s2 ep3:

This might be the seemingly unimportant "inciting incident" that Jayce (and Heimerdinger and Ekko) settle on as something that should be avoided or erased by changing the past (if they time-travel with Ekko, for example).

I doubt that, if this is what this crew chooses to fixate on, it will be the only event that is considered as something to change. But let's take this and run with it for the sake of discussion.

As silly as it sounds, how do you stop Viktor from allowing his blood to come into contact with the arcane? Stop Viktor's involvement with the Academy entirely? Don't invent Hextech at all? But what if someone else invents Hextech besides Jayce? What if future tragedy befalls Piltover because it didn't invent Hextech?

The possibilities and what-ifs could branch on forever. But because Jayce is who he is, and because his tragedy with Viktor is still raw and recent and frightening, I think Jayce's butterfly effect experience will have to do with Viktor.

My personal prediction is that the timeskip between s2 ep3 and ep4 will be Jayce experiencing a timeline where Viktor, taken over by the Hexcore, brings about an apocalyptic event similar to what Heimerdinger experienced in his past. Either Jayce and co. can't go into the past to change the present, or Heimerdinger and/or Ekko advise strongly against it to avoid a paradox. This will lead to them re-entering the canon Arcane timeline before this apocalypse, but still after the timeskip. Jayce, believing that destroying Viktor and his cult will save the future, and believing that resurrecting Viktor was Jayce's mistake to fix, attacks him. But the consequences don't unfold the way he hopes, because trying to change fate once the cards have already been dealt has led to tragedy before.

The butterfly is a symbol of something other than just the butterfly effect - change, evolution, and rebirth. If the butterfly symbolizes the butterfly effect for Jayce, then I think it has a different meaning for Viktor - the change and rebirth meaning.

I've always found it very interesting that we see a similar-looking butterfly on Progress Day... but made of metal.

Every time Viktor's situation changes, he adapts and evolves. If Jayce attacks him, if his cult is destroyed, if the Hexcore is causing Viktor to decay, if all of these things happen at once - he'll just evolve again, and I think the Machine Herald is the next step. And the Machine Herald will be a triumph for Viktor, but Jayce will believe that he's created something even worse. The resulting feud will be a personal nightmare for both of them.

I think this still allows Viktor to use his own agency to choose to become the Machine Herald (the MH will probably be the "secret third option" that saves Viktor, or there will be a secret third option that ends the feud) while still allowing Jayce to be offended and horrified at whatever the Machine Herald represents or is trying to do in the undercity. Introducing the element of time travel allows Arcane to explore the meta concept of tragedy and fate that season 1 was built on while showing that you can't "solve" a tragedy, because there are other terrible possibilities lurking behind alternate choices. Especially if what you're trying to change is singular people or events and not systems of power.

This is why Ekko's approach with his Z-drive will be superior to Jayce's sweeping attempt at changing the future. Ekko's goal has always been societal change. He creates his own punk society in the undercity, more progressive and successful than anything Vander or Silco ever created, and a better bastion of safety, hope, and progress than what Heimerdinger founded in Piltover. Trying to change systems by going back in time is most likely futile. But taking what Ekko has already built in the Firelights, curing his tree, and fighting for the Firelights' survival bit by bit by optimizing the present with the Z-drive shows that:

It's more worth it to focus on becoming wise (Ekko's mask is an owl) and making choices you won't regret

It's best if you don't face your fate alone (act as a collective and take care of each other)

Consider every option, not just the obvious black and white choices

Maintain and fix what you've already built instead of abandoning it once things get difficult

Adapt as needed if the choices you made lead to dark consequences, and once again, stick together and take care of each other when the bad times do come

That's my Act 2 but, ultimately, my season 2 prediction based on the butterfly symbolism we've already seen. Ekko's involvement is what will give the series the at least partial happy ending that the creators have referred to. I personally don't think that the Viktor/Jayce feud will end quite so well, but maybe, they will still survive.

[melliemell]

HEEy !! It’s the nonnie with the glasses back at it once again >:)

I’ve been thinking, annd how do you think the bsd cast (as always i would love if u added both the idiots aka dazai and ranpo) would go abt asking their S/O to move in with them? Ofc add any chara u like!!

ur awesome love u Pookie🫶☺️, — NONNIE WHO FOUND THEIR GLASSES !!!! (YIPPIE FOR THAT!)

hiii babess, hope you're doing well!!

you never fail to deliver with the cool idea, do you 👀👀

BSD ft. How they'd go about moving in with their S/O

(Dazai, Fyodor, Ranpo)

Dazai

Dazai’s not an easy man to live with and he’s perfectly aware of that. 

Would play it off as a casual remark on a random Wednesday, a teasing smile plastered in place yet his gaze won’t leave yours as he observed your reaction while acting carefree.

“I’ll get to wake up to your angelic face every morning. What man wouldn’t want that?” he’d say, draping an arm around your shoulders as you’d roll your eyes at his antics. You’d be all too used to him by now. 

But the thought would swirl in Dazai’smind for days. Feeling your secure embrace was too sweet a treat, and your chest glued to his back had a calming effect he was steadily becoming addicted to. If Dazai had the opportunity to have your warm breath tickling his nape, mind not even fully awake to complain about it as he floated in that blissful oblivion of early mornings–he was getting it.

He’d be spacing out days on end, coming up with as many scenarios of domestic life that he’d end up completely engrossed by the idea. It would be too hilarious to miss out on the play-dress of adult life. Even cleaning chores would seem exiting to him, knowing fully that vacuuming the house could just as easily turn into rawdogging it on the kitchen floor–clean or not. 

Dazai’d have you all to himself. 

Don’t expect you’d be moving in with him. He’s occupying your place the moment he gets the green flag. He’s so used to not doing anything all day that finally having a constant source of entertainment might do him some good. Not you though. Probably. But at least you’d get your boyfriend trailing after you, puppy eyes abused to the brim as he pleads for attention at every possible opportunity. 

Good luck. 

Fyodor

That’s the thing… Fyodor’s so out of the loop of normal life-living that he’d probably not have a home. Places he stays at? Yes, sure. As lavish as he wants or acceptably modest and enough to meet his needs? Very likely. But a home–a specific location he comes back to time and time again, seeking comfort in its familiarity? Unlikely. 

It would start out as him simply needing you to do little tasks for him. Fyodor’d keep an eye out on you, making sure you arrive to the specific city before him as you checked around the territory. Never staying in the same place as him but still keeping you close by. Just in case.

He’d need to establish a secure enough dependance from your side before he lets himself explore any romantic paths with you. There’s a reassuring quality to it, and Fyodor’s not the type to rush into any idea unless he’s completely prepared for the desired outcome. But once you’re together…

Get prepared for an ungodly amount of surprise visits from this man. There won’t be so much as you moving in together–the topic most likely not even discussed yet–but you gradually getting accustomed to the sight of him already at your place, waiting patiently as he sipped his cup of tea by the kitchen table. 

He’d be really good at nestling perfectly into your routine, knowing exactly where you were at all times. Not living together exactly but… existing together, maybe? It won’t be so much about the physical part, simply being in the same space together bringing a smile to his face. He’d stop arranging for his own place eventually, opting to stay with you every time you had to move to a different location.

It was unusual, but Fyodor wasn’t a usual man after all.

Ranpo

Suspiciously too eager for the moving-in together. Until you realise his plan all along–he won’t need to take cabs every time he goes home; you’ll take him home. Now isn’t that just perfect? You know where you live, and you live together. 

Ranpo never really understood the excitement over domestic life. It was definitely a win for all the attention he was going to get constantly, but it’s not like anything too major has happened. You just have to share laundry now, no biggie. 

Until the day he gets back from work, tired to the bones from dealing with people too stupid to let him do his job quickly, and alone. It’s in those late hours that he stumbles though the darkness to your home and…

There you are. Snuggled up in bed and waiting for him with a tired smile on your face. Ranpo’s chest will feel light, the weight lifting instantly as he lays beside you, cheek smashed into your neck as your scent engulfed him. He’s out cold within minutes; just having this secure presence around him would set him at ease instantly.

Ranpo really thought nothing much would change between you after moving together. And he was right, the good old dynamic of you both was still there, but… there was something else. Something new lurking in the early mornings sometimes, or the hum of your voice as you sang under your breath as you washed the dishes. 

Little things. 

Things he was exposed to constantly now that managed to make him stop in his tracks and just–exist in that moment. With you.

Ranpo’s never felt more content after stealing you away like this.

[pierregazly]

soft for you ꨄ lance stroll

lance stroll x reader

warnings: disgusting fluff, mention of crash [1018 words]

request: could i request 3 & 4 from the 🫶🏼 prompt list with lance? [3. SMILING during a kissss >>>>> and 4. the gaze that softens as soon as it lands on you.]

note: lance taking after his dad >>> relationships come before f1 >>> this is part of my 1.5k celebration! feel free to request away!!

He was pissed. Even without hearing his words, or knowing the whole situation, you could see it in his face. His eyebrows were pinched, the sarcastic roll of his eyes after every sentence that left his mouth, both stark examples of how genuinely angry Lance was.

It had been a nightmare of a season from the first race, anything that could go wrong, having gone wrong. You knew nothing you could say or do would truly change Lance’s perspective. The car wasn’t great, the strategy was poor, and little mistakes had begun piling up, the damage to his car worse and worse almost every race.

And the first race of the season you were able to attend? Another crash, another early end to Lance’s race. You couldn’t help the grimace that overtook your face as you watched him argue with one of the engineers, his hands flying up in the air in exasperation as another eye roll was visible from your spot across the room.

Multiple people were trying to avoid looking at the conversation currently taking place, not wanting to overstep or get anywhere near the line of fire once Lance finally made his exit from the room. You couldn’t help but stare at the situation, waiting for him to finally look up, to finally make eye contact with you.

It didn’t take him long to do so once he realized he had multiple eyes on him, his brown orbs locating your own just seconds later. His face, his mere gaze, softened almost immediately, any comment from his engineer going unheard and ignored as he simply nodded his head in response to whatever he was saying. You couldn’t help the small smile that began to form on your face as he walked towards you, leaving his mechanics and engineers to stew in their own anger and frustration.

Just another little thing you could always count on. He could be livid. He could be whipping his steering wheel across the room, or shouting at whoever would listen; but he would never allow it to enter your relationship. It was one thing you admired, one of so many things you loved about him. His career, his job, it was separate from your relationship and always had been.

He didn’t talk about racing when he was with you, didn’t talk about how poor the season was going or how miserable he was beginning to become. He would talk about it when you urged him to, not wanting him to bottle it up, not wanting him to feel as if you didn’t support him when he was at his worst. But he never let it effect your relationship, never let the anger mask his love for you, or the way he treated you.

Pulling you into his arms once he was close enough, you felt his chin rest gently on the crown of your head as a loud exhale left his body. His back muscles were tense, his body practically shaking in frustration as he squeezed you tighter, trying to take advantage of all the time he could get with you.

Pulling back, you watched the corners of his lips curve as he gazed down at you. Your grip on his bicep not letting up as you observed the influx of emotions cross his features. The defeat, the frustration, the misery; they were so prevalent at first, so raw as he tried to contain them. But before long, the emotions of devastation began to melt away. The small grin on his face not wavering as he looked down on you, practically delighted to see you, regardless of the outcome of his day.

“Bonjour, mon coeur. You look beautiful, as always,” he murmured.

Smiling up at him, you stood on your tiptoes so you could press a small kiss to his lips in gratitude for his words.

“Bonjour, my love. How are you? Are you okay? Are you sore? You’re very tense,” the onslaught of questions spewed from your lips, unable to contain them as you began looking him over.

The soft grip on your cheek was all you needed to glance back up into his eyes. A faint smile still graced his face as he gently ran his thumb across your cheek. A smile still graced his face as he leaned down to press his lips against yours, prompting your own lips to curve upwards as he did so. 

“I’m fine, mon coeur. A little sore, nothing I haven’t dealt with before. I just have to deal with some media, and probably some more yelling, and then we can get out of here, yeah? I can book us reservations for somewhere, or we can just get room service back at the hotel? Whatever you want.”

“Lance… if you want to talk about the race, we can. You don’t have to be so nonchalant about it, I know you’re not happy,” you said.

Shrugging his shoulders at you, his only response was to lean down and brush his lips against yours again, the curve of them still so prominent. The softness, the gentleness, the simple adoration so evident in his every action with you.

His lips touched yours before moving on to the tip of your nose, your cheeks, the skin below your ear; a smile gracing his lips with every kiss.

“I’m not happy, but not much I can do about it. I’m not going to let it determine my time with you, though. Work stays at work, no need to bring it back to the hotel with us. So, reservations, or hotel dinner?”

Before you could answer, Lance continued.

“Dinner in the hotel sounds like a good idea, I think. Room service and some reality television sounds like a good time to me, maybe cuddle up a little and ignore the world. What do you think?”

Pressing your lips against his with a large grin, your only response was a squeeze of his bicep and a nod of your head. If he wanted to escape the world and hold you all night? Well, all you could do was say ‘yes’. 

just wanted to write something soft/loving so i hope y'all love this!!! thank you everyone for participating in my follower celebration and being lovely!!!

[risuola]

PROMISE — F. READER x GOJO SATORU

You felt sick watching your husband fighting for his life, but your unborn daughter seemed to sleep just fine despite your complete distress. Little that you know, Satoru made some promises to her.

cw: manga spoilers!!! (chapters 223-235 with not much of specific details, but it’s resolved around the events), reader is pregnant — 0,8k words

a/n: this piece has TWO alternative endings — FLUFFY & SWEET & ANGSTY & DEPRESSING — choose your fighter, I guess

Sick. You felt sick, sitting in the room full of people, most of which you didn’t even recognize. You felt sick watching the screens that showcased live what was happening in the middle of Shinjuku. You felt dizzy and nauseous, and so overwhelmingly sick when you heard people betting money, trying to make profit of something that was so painful for you to watch.

“You think he’s gonna win that?” “Nah, he’s dead.” Some men were talking, chuckling like it was entertainment of the highest level for them. And maybe it was, maybe some sorcerers could benefit from the outcome that you considered the worst one, but you felt like the world was crumbling down in real time. Your world was fighting for his life right in front of your eyes.

You sat there paralyzed, unable to move as all of the voices around you slowly became distant. Yuji’s rambling, Kusakabe’s comments and Yuta’s notes all blurred into one, incoherent noise in the background and you wondered what happened, what went so wrong to lead to all of this. Why it felt like you’ll never see Megumi again? You raised that boy, you talked down his teachers in middle school from expelling him when he beat the hell out of other students, you encouraged him to train harder when he felt down, overwhelmed by the comparison to Gojo’s strength. Why now it felt, like you’ll never get to force another hug out of him, like you’ll never see his grumpy face again? You’ve already lost Tsumiki, the tears from that still felt fresh on your face and now you had to watch your husband on the battlefield, being wounded time after time by a cursed spirit that should have been dead thousand years ago.

You felt your insides turning and twisting into a very tight knot, every time Satoru got hit by Sukuna’s attack, every time you saw blood staining his light skin, you felt a little closer to heart attack. It was a sight you could never familiarize yourself with, Gojo never bled. He never was cut, not even punched and now, all of his body was covered in slits. Just once in your life you saw him in a puddle of blood, decade ago while still in high school and after that, never again. Until today.

You were scared. Petrified with the thought that he might not come back, that you might never feel his warmth again. The idea of going further in your life without him spread out in your mind in the colors of the worst kind of nightmare, your throat clenched, tears rolled down your cheeks as you watched his domain shatter. Infinite void fell down in pieces and the reds and blues were not effective either. It’s worse than nightmare. It was torture.

You felt the pain, deep in your heart, spreading in waves to every cell of your body. You wanted to go there, to jump in and help him, to shield him from the attack even if it would cost you your own life. You wanted to go there and slap Sukuna out of Megumi, to hold the boy to your heart and tell him that it wasn’t his fault, that everything’s gonna be alright. But you couldn’t do either of those things. You knew you’d only be an obstacle, a limiting factor to your husband’s abilities. You knew your tears wouldn’t bring Fushiguro back. You were strong on your own, but now, you were helpless just as everyone else. And you had a life to protect.

And so, you sat there, rubbing soft circles into the bump of your stomach that held the little girl that was yet to come to this world, wondering if she’ll get to know her father. She will, you knew that, deep down underneath all of the layers of fear and worry, you knew that Satoru will win, because he has to win. He has to be there with you, he has to know if his daughter has the same blue eyes as him and the same cute nose as you, because he bet on that. He has to be there to take all of those goofy selfies with the newborn, he has to be there to showoff the miracle that he’s created with you, to be able to put new title to his name – the best dad.

The baby seemed to be sleeping, calm in your stomach despite the utter distress that consumed you. She probably knew better than you not to worry about Satoru. She probably knew that her daddy will never leave her. He promised that to her, when before leaving to the Shinjuku district he pressed his lips to the curve of your bump, whispering things you barely heard.

He made a promise so he had to keep it.

[doberbutts]

My would-be rapist died earlier this week and I have been having a lot of Complicated Feelings about it since being told. Long story short he died because he was once again being a creep and someone intervened and ended up cracking open his skull and he died from a brain bleed two days later. And I'm just thinking about how 18 years ago this guy was actively attempting to groom me in the middle of church and bible study and only stopped because my parents believed me when they pried the truth out of me. And how that stopped him from pursuing me but not from just switching to Someone Else until it became multiple Someone Else's and the above situation happened.

Truthfully I don't really know what to feel, or think. I am not sad that he is dead. I'm not really happy either. I think he is an excellent example of the multiple failures we have as a society to protect our most vulnerable populations. He is who I think of when I ask what we do with repeat offenders who do not seem to be getting the message that they are making bad choices, and how we're supposed to protect vulnerable people from predators like him.

I do think, for the most part, that prison reform and prison abolition is a good thing. I do think that the death penalty sets a dangerous precedent.

But what do we do with a man who has hurt person after person after person, who even when confined to a facility for the rest of his life (ie, effectively a prison) continues to prey upon patients and staff alike, until he is sent to an all-male facility and even then tries it with a female CNA before another male patient witnesses it and does something about it?

I don't even know if the other guy realizes what a service he's done to this dude's victims, or the collective sigh of relief his victims took upon the news of his demise.

I will not light a candle for you, Joel. Not even your own family is attending your funeral, or pressing charges against the facility or the man who killed you. But it does make me think about how this could have been better resolved, if it could have been, if a better outcome than a long string of sexual assaults and rapes ultimately ending in a violent death could have been had.

He never did manage to get me. But he would have, if my parents hadn't stepped in on my behalf. He was bold enough to try it while they were just downstairs, reading and discussing from religious texts. Bold enough to put his hands on me in the middle of church as the pastor spoke and everyone could see. To my knowledge, I was his first- or was I? Was he bold because he was inexperienced in doing this, or because he was riding the high of having gotten away with it before? Clearly getting caught just taught him to be more subtle, rather than that he shouldn't have been doing it in the first place.

I think if he had succeeded with me, I would currently be very glad to hear about his death.

But he didn't, so now I am thinking about these things. And feeling a little, play stupid games win stupid prizes.

[v1x-x1]

✧𝐃𝐚𝐲 𝟏𝟗: 𝐁𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐉𝐨𝐛 - 𝐃𝐫. 𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨✧

✧|| 𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐭𝐨𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒 | 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 ✧ 𝐚𝐨𝟑 ||

✧|| 𝐟𝐞𝐦 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 ||

The grip Veritas had on your hair was definitely one that you enjoyed.

He was slowly losing his control and it was oh so very amusing to be the one making him react in this way.

Your head continued bobbing up and down his cock, licking the skin simultaneously tasting his precum that felt so fucking good in your mouth.

Your hands grip onto the bare skin of his thighs, spreading them more as you position your head in a way to look up at him, enjoying how flustered he looked, how he had to close his eyes because otherwise he wouldn’t be able to hold back. You just adored how you were slowly breaking down all of his defences that were weaker towards you to begin with.

You moved back up to the tip, which you played with a little before looking up at him completely, showing him his own liquids sitting on your tongue like a nice glistening highlight that made you seem complete.

You made your swallow more distinct to rile him up more. “You taste good~ Doctor.”

Seeing his brows furrow only made your grin widen. Oh this was just a perfect sight to behold.

You went back down and continued licking his hard cock and getting about half of it in your mouth.

A few more unbearable moments later, the grip that Veritas had on your hair tightened and he started moving your head himself, pushing you all the way down. You choked a little as you felt his tip against the back of your throat, tears forming in the corners of your eyes as a reflex.

But of course, this made you even more aroused and you know it had the very same effect on him.

The moan that formed in your throat was a reverb that went straight through to his cock that twitched a little in your mouth.

At this point, with every bob you went fully back down again, your lips using your own saliva and his liquids as lip gloss that Veritas just couldn’t help but look at.

Once you felt the grip on your hair tighten further, you knew he was getting close - you started using your tongue more precisely to get the outcome you yourself were desperate for.

A low groan left his lips with a quiet warning. “Get up-”

You didn’t.

Oh no.

You wanted his hot load in your mouth, you wanted it to paint your throat and you wanted to swallow it all up; you wouldn’t let a single drop go to waste.

And that is exactly what happened.

The sensation exceeded your expectations and the twitching of him inside you only added to your own pleasure.

You made sure you had cleaned up well before coming back up. You ensured to keep a little bit on your tongue as you leaned up to kiss him hungrily. A giggle left your lips. “You taste so fucking good, Doctor. See?”

Taglist: @lov3-ly @velvetyshu @coffeeisbehindyou @sanestventisimp @bokukenmakuroo @starspinners-hsr

lmk if you wanted to be added or removed!!

[angrykittybarbarian]

Things that bother me about Dragon Age: The Veilguard part 3 (final thoughts)

I have finally finished the playthrough. I endured because I wanted to give this game a fair chance. I wanted to see it from start to finish in the hopes it would deliver something, anything capable of redeeming it. But it just didn't. Or more precisely, not in a way sufficient to make its flaws easy to overlook. These are my closing impressions on the game. I have already done two posts about this in which I documented my observations and comments as I progressed. I will link the posts here: Part 1, Part 2.

Let's finish this ride for now.

!Spoilers below the cut!

The music

I don't know what the direction of the music was meant to take. When it was announced Hans Zimmer would compose the OST I had high hopes. Hans Zimmer is a houshold name in Hollywood and skilled at what he does. I listened to a number of movie OSTs of his making and they were all excellent. So what happened here?

The music sounds generic most of the time without a clear theme or a unique piece that got me searching for it on youtube.

The main theme has sort of a recognizable composition but isn't anything outstanding. Emmrich's theme sounds like a halloween piece written for Wednesdsy Adams and the rest of the OST seems to mimic Trevor Morris' work for DA:I, namely the Lost Temple and In Hushed Whispers themes, but without the emotional impact the original pieces created.

It's as someone has already pointed out and I agree: Bioware has bought the name Hans Zimmer but not his quality. It sounds like he didn't even seriously create something but half heartedly whipped something out of his sleeve and called it a day.

The facial animations

The main problem with these is they often don't fit the emotions the VAs are communicating.

The VAs actually did a fantastic job. The scene that touched me the most was the one Rook confronts Solas in after they escape the regret prison in the fade. That was the first time Rook felt involved, raw and real.

But what broke the atmosphere in an otherwise flawless scene was how unmoving their facial expression was. There was the VA shouting their lung out and the animation couldn't even give half a fuck about it.

I don't even see an excuse for this lack of facial animation. It was possible to do since DA:O, hell, even since the first Mass Effect back in '07. Why is it not possible in the year of our Lord 2024, when technology is presumably better?

The handholding of the player

The plot is tightly paced. This is not necessarily a bad thing as I didn't really like the Open World approach of DA:I since it stretched the main plot too thinly and the maps created weren't filled with interesting side content but boring and pointless fetch quests.

But Veilguard went into the opposide extreme as it leaves only little room for the player when and how to do things. The quests are activated and must be completed in a specific order. They have also only one outcome without room to make different decisions.

Rook can never be truly ruthless. They can never disagree and butt heads with their companions.

And I hate how on the side of the screen the game exactly tells you what you have done and how it affects your companions' behaviour. It doesn't bake it into the interaction organically. Instead it has yet again, explained to me what I did and why it has this very specific effect without any of the characters discussing it. But the beauty of consequential decisions lies in the very unpredictability of its outcome. That's what creates the emotional impact. It doesn't work if I am being warned and explained to like a small child.

It's this lack of trust the game puts into the intelligence of its players that is so experience breaking, insulting even. It doesn't trust its players to figure stuff out themselves. It assumes we are too stupid to get any of the things it tries to tell us.

The ting is though, dear Bioware writers, if you think you have to overexplain your story because you think your audience won't get it then that's a telltale sign of the story being actually badly written.

Another area where this becomes appearant are the "puzzles". I used the quotation marks because there isn't really anything to solve. The solutions are obvious and at times your companions go out of their way to tell you.

The romances

Romances have always been a nice bonus on top of the otherweise amazing game content. They added some enjoyable extra fluff purely for enjoyment and some cases even deepened the main storyline.

In Veilguard they don't do that. In almost all of them the flirting is so meaningless that your cutscene with them just proceeds as if nothing happened.

There is no shift or change to their tone towards Rook. You don't build up the relationship with them. There is no last goodbye kiss before the last mission or passionate affirmations of love and trust. It just leaves you cold.

The only romance that seems to have that old depth is Emmrich's. The rest however, they don't add anything significant. There virtually is no difference to the game without the romances.

Companion relationships

Let's begin here with the simple fact that all deeper interactions Rook has with the companions are strictly scripted which ties back into the handholding part of this criticism. Rook cannot initiate a conversation and ask them some general questions about their histories and opinions on certain matters.

Rook only gets to interact with them when they happen to want something from them. Otherwise they cannot be bothered to acknowledge Rook with more than a one sided oneliner.

And then there are the relationships between the companions themselves. They either get along swimmingly or the game feels the need to stage some immature conflict between them without any deeper purpose.

Like Harding not understanding why Emmrich brings so many books on the road despite it literally not being any of her damn business bevause it doesn't personally affect her in any way.

Or Taash not understanding his profession as a Mournwatcher as they call him names so Rook has to point out Taash in turn likes dragons which is an interest he doesn't share only to culminate the discussion with a "We need to respect our differences" sort of statement.

These are not conflicts, these are squabbles of children and like children Roik talks to them which is brought ad absurdum with Emmrich because he is literally old enough to be Rook's father.

Why bother at all with writing conflict if it is only to be something as inconsequential as this?

Varric's death

This one is a .... choice.

I won't go into why the decision to let him die or not is good or bad because I feel like this is highly subjective.

However the impact of the reveal of this fact is only partly executed well.

Why?

Because it only hits hard when the player has known and cared about Varric at least since DA:I if not DA 2. The execution of this plotpoint thus relies too heavily on nostalgia instead of building the tension up within its own setting.

When thinking about Bioware also wanting to be newcomer friendly with this game I am left to wonder then why they didn't introduce Varric properly and didn't give the players time to build up the relationship? Why would a new player care about Varric? They don't know him.

Bioware cannot in good conscience claim they designed the game to be new player friendly while simultaniously heavily relying on knowledge from previous games, dlcs, comics, novels and other spin-off media. They cannot claim this and have anything but DATV do the heavy lifting when it comes to executing their plot.

The final mission

For my final point I also want to lose some positive feedback about this game.

The ending was actually well written.

In relation to Solas it comes full circle. You can actually feel what's at stake and the decisions Rook makes actually matter.

The final questline roughly follows a Mass Effect 2 approach where it is classified as nothing short of a suicide mission.

Companion quests essentially function as loyalty missions and Rook gets to assign various posts in battle. Just like in Mass Effect 2 assigning a companion a post completely outside of their expertise may get them killed.

The dialogue is actually written well at this point in the game. There isn't really much to complain about.

But even this part is not entirely without faults.

For one I don't like the non negotiable sacrifice that has either to be made by Harding or Davrin. Rook doesn't even get a chance to save any of them. But again these non negotiable companion deaths where you only make the choice who's it's going to be isn't anything new (i.e. Hawke and whatever Warden you happen to get, Kaidan/Ashley in ME 1). So maybe a bit if a bummer but nothing experience breaking.

A stronger point however is that Rook will always keep the Veil intact in the end.

I suppose this outcome already is part of the game title itself but was it necessary to take it so literally?

With everything the elves have lost and the discrimination they faced it should absolutely have been an option to agree with Solas and tear the Veil down.

But since we don't talk about racism and slavery I guess Rook doesn't reflect on these points either. So I guess keeping the Veil intact is in line with the game's general sanitization of the world.

So in conclusion?

The game is far from great, not gonna lie. It feels like the devs actually wanted a new IP but were too afraid of the risks that come with such an endeavor and thought gutting an existing franchise that already did the heavy lifting of building a fanbase and using it as a package would save their ideas from flopping. Surely no one will notice it is actually something else if we market it as Dragon Age, right?

But we are not that stupid. This behaviour is insulting to put it plain and simple and I am heartbroken, angry and said that this was done to Dragon Age. I wanted to love this game. I was optimistic before the release. Everything looked fine, nothing in particular to worry about.

But I cannot continue to defend this without breaking my basic brain function.

The most frustrating part is that with the ending the devs showed they can write a story and meaningful dialogues. It left me wondering why it couldn't be done like this for the rest of the game and living with the reality that I will never get what this game could have been.

All in all this is not a good Dragon Age game. It is a massive disappointment and does not live up to the promises made by the devs.

I am sorry for everyone who preordered.

I am sorry for everyone who paid the full release price.

Nominating it for Game of the Year is not justified no mattee how you look at it.

If you are genuinely enjoying the game, I hope you continue to do so and all power to you.

For the rest: let's stop excusing Bioware's disrespect towards the fans and enabling them by paying them too much money for it.

Don't buy at release. Don't buy spin off media. Wait for sales. These people only understand the problem when you give them a good run for their money.

[themeraldee]

Can I get a wholesome little thingy of homie comforting his s/o that's like depressed what would he do? And give them snuggles? And although of course s/o giving homie headpats and caresses are top tier this time I want him to have to give headpats. Not because I'm depressed rn or anything (yes it is)

~1k | Homelander x gn!Reader | Established Relationship. Dealing with depression. Homelander's POV. Fluff. Just fluff really.

Something feels off when Homelander enters his penthouse. While he used to welcome the quiet of his home after he came back from events, this has recently changed. Ever since you’ve become a part of his life, any second spent without you feels like something’s missing. So it’s definitely out of order to get the same empty feeling when he's home. Usually you greet him with open arms or at least a ‘Welcome home’ shouted from another room.

“Babe?” Homelander calls out into the penthouse, the questioning tone reverberating through the open plan of his home. He knows you’re here. His question acts more as a reset, giving you a chance to play your role.

At your lack of response he quickly scans the room, seeing you in the bedroom. Very much awake but hidden under the sheets. So why wouldn’t you react to his presence? Shouldn’t that be something you look forward to?

You always do.

His mind runs at a hundred miles a minute. Even with the overwhelming positive effect you’ve had on his life it’s easy to fall into insecurity and despair, worrying about the worst possible outcome.

Homelander stops himself from rushing into the bedroom. But the slow one step at a time sinks the weight in his gut lower and lower. The anxiety of something being wrong has thrown him off-kilter. He doesn’t really know how to approach you when you’re distant like this.

So his over the top bravado will have to do.

“Heyyyy there sleepy head! You know it’s waaayyy too late for a lie in, don't you think?” He waltzes into the bedroom, hands on his hips, acting as if he was addressing a crowd. His voice is loud and clear, carrying a jovial tone that sounds a little too insincere even to his ears. 

He doubles down anyway. “If I knew you were planning to spend the entire day in bed I would’ve never left.” But, you don’t respond. He can hear your heartbeat, the slight rustle of the sheets and even the thud and glide of your finger scrolling down your phone screen.

When the silence gets too awkward for him to bear he peels the blanket from over your head, revealing you down to your waist. Immediately you squirm at the light coming from the outside after having your den of doom broken into.

Over the time that your love has blossomed into a relationship he’s gotten used to receiving comfort from you. You were there to listen to his countless rants and concerns. From the simple work related complaints to the horrors plaguing his nightmares. 

He should be able to do the same for you, right?

“Hmm… I’m just resting.” You sound dejected, empty. 

He swallows at the sound of you being so different. You’re missing the light that usually fills out the dark space in him. Homelander doesn’t know how to approach you. When’s the last time he’s had to comfort anyone? Truly comfort someone. Has anyone ever asked or even trusted him to be there for them?

Whether you’ve asked or not, he needs to be there for you.

It’s the least you deserve.

“Yeah right.”

He unzips his boots, setting them neatly next to each other before sliding under the sheets right behind you. He hooks his arm over you, pulling your back into his chest. And although you’re not reciprocal to his affection like you usually would be, the warmth he feels is enough to ease the anxiety in his gut.

He wedges his head in between your head and shoulder, watching with you as you mindlessly scroll through social media.

“How long have you been doom scrolling now?” He clicks his tongue, shaking his head lightly against your shoulder.

 “I don’t know. A while I guess.” While you squirm in his hold your tone is still just as impenetrable.

“You’re not even looking at the screen!” When you don’t even react he frowns. “Alright, that’s enough of that.” He plucks your phone from your hands, turning and placing it on the bedside table away from you. He acts as a barrier between it and you, giving you no chance of getting it back. He rolls over back to you, greeted with the sight of you facing him.

Instantly he pulls you into him, both arms tightly around you with heavy comfort. It’s what he would’ve wanted in times of despair. It’s what you do when he seeks comfort. The whole body embrace where all he can focus on is you. It always grounds him.

He hopes it has a similar effect on you.

“What’s wrong?” He says. This time in a soft, low voice. No longer trying to put on a show. He’s meant to be there for you, not for a crowd.

“I don’t really know how to talk about it… Or if I even want to…” While you don’t sound like yourself, part of him is glad to hear your sadness. It’s better than the dejected empty voice. The closer you are to revealing your true sorrows the closer he is to getting you to feel better.

“Okay. You can… I don’t know, at least try to tell me something about what’s going on. Orrr, I will be reciting all of the amendments to the Constitution of the United States.” He’s gambling with the teasing tone of his voice but it pays off when you groan and giggle.

“Oh god no, not again!” 

“Welp, it’s your choice.” By now he can’t stop the smile from spreading across his lips. He gives you a soft squeeze.

“Alright, I can try.” You concede with a calm defeat.

“Good. That’s a start.” He kisses the top of your head, still holding and caressing you.

But most importantly, actually listening to you.

Taglist (you can add yourself to be tagged anytime I publish a new Homelander fic):

@rafecamsgirlll @hom3landr @mrsdesade @littlegaaby @jokesonyoupup

@nommingonfood @infinetlyforgotten @nervoussystemss

[mourningsbane]

Perhaps silly questions, but I'm growing more and more curious of your blog with each new entry/question answered. Love the story slowly unfolding here, cannot wait for the next part and following moons <3

Does Palekit have any further deformations? Or rather that question but in past tense. His tail looks almost fin-like, but I'm not sure if what we are seeing is a) a stylistic "drooping goo" effect, b) a very weird tuft of fur, or c) some malformation of the tail tip, resulting in its split structure.

What's the clan's relationship with Sweetkit, considering so many of its members', em... involvement in the perishing of Honeyspring and her kits. Mostly wondering if Flaildrizzle, Tanglefern and Rootstar feel anything (guilt, sadness, etc.) at all when they see this only kit in clan after a whole litter dies in such horrible circumstances before Sweetkit's arrival? I mean, surely such a tragedy leaves an impact. A followup question-

How much time has passed since Honeyspring's death and Sweetkit's arrival? Do any of LutumClan's cats consider Sweetkit to be like "a second chance" for the clan after losing their only queen and her litter?

A bit of an alternate outcome question! Let's assume Nothing Bad Ever Happened©️ to Honeyspring's kits. What would their warrior names be? What would their basic personalities be? Would any of them pursue high ranks within LutumClan?

Also sending fictional love to Honeyspring, stay goopy queen 💅

There's no such thing as a silly question! Besides, I like answering questions, even if it takes me a while to get to them! <3

My answers are a tad long, so I'll put them under the cut!

1.) Palekit did not have any further deformations! His face was slightly crooked, and his tongue sometimes hung out, but that was about it. He also had severe issues with vomiting; he just couldn't keep anything down and tended to bleed.

2.) Rootstar, Flaildrizzle, and Tanglefern all feel very guilty and upset by what happened to Honeyspring's kits! Still, they, and the rest of LutumClan, saw Sweetkit's arrival as a sign of hope. However, LutumClan as a whole tends to be a tad overprotective of the only kit in the clan.

3.) About 3-ish months have passed since Honeyspring's death! Sweetkit is definitely considered LutumClan's "second chance" of sorts, but a few cats (namely Rootstar and a few others) REALLY wish Sweetkit was in the care of someone who ISN'T Bearface. They're worried that Bearface, being a former outsider who barely respects the clan code as is, will be a bad influence on her.

4.) As for the alternate outcome, let me think! I'll give you my best guesses, but destiny is mutable, so these could've easily changed!

Smallkit would grow into Smallcloud, and would become an apprentice to Tanglefern! She would be on the smaller side, but she'd be a fierce creature for sure! She'd be smart and cautious, but never a push-over.

Flailkit would grow into Flailwhisker, and would likely go on the path of becoming a queen or mediator! She'd likely be about average height and a bit on the chunkier side. I imagine her to be quiet and shy, much like Flaildrizzle, and easy to talk over. Still, she cares greatly about her clanmates, even if she's easily overwhelmed. Smallcloud would've been very protective over her in their youth.

Palekit would grow into Paleclaw, and would most certainly follow the path of a warrior! He'd idolized his aunt, Rootstar, and wanted to become a leader just like her. He's prideful and a little boastful for sure, but not intentionally. He's just very proud of his aunt being the leader, and his mom (Flaildrizzle) being the deputy, and wants to make sure everyone knows it.

Had Honeyspring's kits lived, Sweetkit's role would have also changed, but I can't say it due to spoilers!

[colossrat]

Anyone interested in the superficial lives of Gotham's socialites knows what a chicken Bruce Wayne is. This is a persona that Bruce puts a lot of effort into as no one would think that a playboy like him would be Batman, he's too busy kissing and making bad jokes with hot people.

That said, he is careful not to repeat the people he spends a night with. He makes mental notes to only be seen in public with this person again after a semester maybe

But one day, he finds himself forced to attend a party alone. The women he planned to flirt with and appear in front of the paparazzi just did not show up and he finds himself needing to pull someone to his side. He watches every corner of the room intently, looking for people he hasn't hung out with in the last six months, only for his eyes to be reluctantly locked on an oddly familiar, yet unfamiliar man.

This would be Clark Kent aka Superman, disguised as a high society figure looking for information from Lex Luthor and perhaps some gossip for the daily planet. Changing his posture, clothes, a fake earring and wig he SURPRISINGLY passes off very well as a shy playboy who has a lot of money but little attitude.

Outcome? After Bruce stares at Clark for 20 minutes mentally cursing himself while trying to remember WHERE he could know that guy, his mind suddenly wanders to memories of another strong man with a jaw as sharp as his, and he subtly finds himself thinking, "He kind of looks like Superman...?" and then once again “I never got with him? Strange” because IN FACT he has already effectively flirted with all the gay bi pan or any men from Gotham's high society who would subtly remind him of his co-worker.

Clark, breaking into a cold sweat (not really) thinking that Bruce Wayne was suspicious of him because of his farm boy attitude, begins to sweat even colder (not really) when the prince of Gotham approaches with a charismatic smile  and an extra drink, sticking to himself for the rest of the night with stupidly bad but very effective flirting. He finds himself laughing awkwardly as Bruce eats him with his eyes from head to toe.

But no matter how much Wayne flirted with that guy, making him blush, laughing like an idiot with those hands without knowing where to stop, he couldn't get ONE PHOTO. Clark was just very good at turning his face away at the right time, or covering up, hiding like a little mouse. Bruce thought it was strangely cute, but MY GOD, what's the harm in letting yourself be part of a little gossip? He needed an alibi that he was at that party before going around like Batman beating up some bad guys, but Kent wasn't cooperating at all. None of his photos would be in any gossip magazine if they weren't newsworthy like “Bruce Wayne caught swapping spit with mysterious playboy from Gotham”

Normally it wouldn't be that difficult for him, normally it wouldn't be difficult at all. This made him strangely motivated and curious about his new friend. However, he was never really able to find out more, as Clark left the party in the blink of an eye when he heard some crimes nearby.

In the end, Bruce had to cause a scene by pretending to be drunk to get the flashes in his direction. Nothing that showing your underwear while taking a shower in a decorative fountain won't solve.

This happened and months passed, to this day Bruce feels stupid for not having gotten that man's contact, also wondering how he disappeared from the face of Gotham since he never saw him again. But he wasn't a villain or informant since nothing happened in any way related to that party after that. So he wasn't a bad guy? Who was he???

Sometimes he thinks about it before going to sleep, losing the will and going to spend three hours in the Batcave researching the socialites who have already set foot in Gotham and trying to find this handsome man that he couldn't figure out.

im sleepy so maybe this is messy

[fallingdownhell]

Could I request Diluc, Kaeya, Zhongli and Childe finding out their sweet, gentle s/o has a delusion given to them by their father, who is a former Fatui harbinger?

Very interesting concept. I like it!

Characters Included: Diluc; Kaeya; Zhongli; Childe

Content: gender neutral reader; established relationship

Word count: 1k words

Have fun with this!

Diluc

given his history with Fatuis and delusions, he'd want you to get rid of it as soon as he finds out

and if you refused, than he'd still ask you to at least not use it. At all

he knows all to well the effects and sideeffects that using a delusion could bring and he does not want any of it to happen to you

he couldn't bear losing another loved person the same way like he lost his father all those years ago

He can acknowledge it's sentimental value to you, seeing as it was given to you by your father, but it's still a delusion

if you are unaware of its effects, Diluc would take it upon himself to inform you about everything, every little detail he knows about

and if he didn't tell you about his fathers death and the circumstances by then, he would definitely do so now

on one hand, it would serve as an example as to why not use the delusion and on the other hand, he hoped that you would better understand why he absolutely does not want you to use it

if you would absolutely insist on still using it, because it was a gift, he would not like the fact, but keep a close eye on you every time you do so, to make sure you were safe and nothing would happen to you

however, if you insist on using the delusion more and more, I feel like Diluc would have no choice but to leave you and this relationship, since he absolutely does not want to see you succumb to it

he will tell himself that he tried his best to protect you, but in the end, you're still your own human and can make decisions for yourself. And as much as he wouldn't like it, he would never force anything onto you, even if it means the end for you two like this

Kaeya

Kaeya also learned about Delusions and their effects through the events that happened with Crepus when he was still a teenager

he knows that delusions have a close tie with the Fatui

and while he thinks of them as dangerous, he does see the benefits that come with using them as well

so he's torn about it when he learns that you were gifted one from your father

on one hand, he views it as a tool that will allow you to keep yourself safe, since you don't handle a vision and don't belong to the knights of Favonius

on the other hand, he's concerned about the side effects that might befall you when using it excessively

So, the best thing he can think about, is to sit down with you and talk to you about everything. About his concerns, the potential benefits, his overall thoughts..

if you are unaware, he would lay out all the facts for you as well, so that you can decide for yourself how to best handle this situation

the best case outcome for him would be if you agreed to only using it in times of danger with no other way out. It would be the ideal solution

However, in the end, the choice is still up to you, and Kaeya will stick by your side no matter how you decide. He tells himself that he can deal with everything that might be thrown your and his way, so long as you don't leave him as well..

Zhongli

He's painfully aware of the existence of delusions

and while he does not fully understand how exactly they work, he knows that they are dangerous and should be handled with utmost caution

When he finds out that you're in posession of one, he would first ask you how you even got around to one, because that would mean that you had ties to the Fatui themselves

When you told him that your father had gifted it to you, he began to do some research about him and that's how he found out that you father was a former Harbinger

The next thing he would do was figuring out what you fathers intentions were when he gifted the delusion to you. Was he genuinely concerned about you and wanted you to be able to defend yourself if need be? Or did he have some form of hidden agenda in mind?

Overall, Zhongli would try to find out all information possible, trying to answer all his questions before he takes any action whatsoever

He would not be too happy if you decide to keep the deluison, mostly because of it's uncertain origins and effects, but he would also not act against you

Instead, he keeps to monitoring you, making it his duty to remember every little change that may or may not occur to you when using it

And should he notice any bad signs, he would take you to the doctors immediately, wanting to keep you safe as much as he possibly could

Childe

Being a Fatui himself - and a Harbinger at that - he knew exactly what the risks and benefits of using a delusion were

And he was also aware that it should be used sparingly, lest normal people like you want to suffer the same fate as those resistance soldiers in Inazuma did

He knew your father, Cholde had the utmost respect for him, but he would have never thought that the man would gift his own child a delusion, knowing all that he knew about it

He wanted to rip that thing out of your hands, throw it away and tell you to never even think about using something as dangerous as this

Then again, he would only come across as a hypocrite, seeing as he himself was using one, and rather openly and often at that

So that option was out the door right from the start

Instead, he tried to have an open talk with you where he explained everything about delusions to you, hoping that ot would set your mind in the right direction

In the end, the decision is up to you on wether or not you want to use it

But if you do decide on using it, Childe's only demand would be that he would be the one to teach you how to safely use it, so you wouldn't risk too much

[jozlyn-moon]

The Cipher Twins

Ford’s Journal Entry:

(It’s long! And one of the first Journal Entries I’ve gone fully into making!)

“How and Why that devil managed to “conceive”, and I use this term loosely, is beyond me. Especially when it’s taken in mind how careful with planning he chooses to be. But the outcome of two children that share such gains of his power is.. well- reckless, but that does give us a view that he isn’t as on his game as much as he once was, which in my eyes shows as a beacon of hope. Continuing though-

These two have been an eye opening pain in the ass to deal with in all the years that they’ve had to be in my life… and that’s saying quite a bit. From the oddities that sprout from their father’s genes to the oddities that come from each of their unique personalities that stem from their own special quirks, to study them has been an experience. Though, if I shouldn’t lie.. I may have chosen a favorite of the two for one reason or another and even if either manages to get a hand on my writing their opinion would not much matter in the end.

To begin on the first, Lily Cipher, a rambunctious but albeit pleasant kid to be around. An attribute which I could only give thanks to in the mother’s raising of both of the twins which I presumed had fortunately been enough to quell any evil nature that may have been held in her soul. Along with the fact that there had been no contact with the father in her and her sibling’s upbringing. Ignoring that fact- She can be described as a great help around the lab, seeing as age and stress have worn down my ability to keep steady with my motor and cognitive skills… she comes in handy as a shockingly fast learner, but to no surprise really as much as I don’t want to point the praise at where the origin of the ability may have come from, I do have my guesses to who it was passed down from.

She is a very curious and hyperactive child as well, being quite fascinated in the little things and anything that moves, she could only remind me of Mabel in her younger years in the most bitter sweet way possible. I pray for the moment that she’s alright.. but besides that point-

I find that she’s been a large help in also understanding, if not, being able to decrypt the genetics of my enemy, with her ability to shape shift into a form similar to the beings of Bill’s late home dimension, flatlanders as they’re called, she has given key samples of skin and DNA that have properties no normal being can handle nor have. I believe she and her brother are direct keys in Bill’s downfall. And while I wish to be optimistic to the outcomes of their existence at the current time, I do hold dread for whats to come. As while I may have positive outcomes with the more sweet hearted sibling… I have trouble describing the short tempered and snide one as such. Liam is another whole pile of bones to dissect but i’ll get to his summary soon enough.

Lily, and what baffles me the most about her, is how something so, well giddy and sweet by nature, can come out of such a creature that can be so, by choice, dangerously and maliciously evil. But then again, that damn triangle had always had his charms at his hand, so it wouldn’t be a complete surprise if that had passed along to his spawn.

And as much as I want to be paranoid of my enemy’s daughter, seeing first hand her grow up with no influence of her father’s morals and presence due to her mother separating from that devil before either of the twins were born- it lets me ponder on the thought of the nature vs nurture theory and how whether or not natures of the parents pass down to the kin and how much it actual effects their psyche.

Albeit with Lily, she works on her own will with a good moral stand point and natural urge to uplift others in sometimes slightly odd but endearing ways. Though i’m afraid that it’s her brother that leaves me still questioning the nature vs. nurture stand point, as I couldn’t say the same completely for her twin.

Liam Cipher, a more reserved kid but leaning on socially aloof by choice, is one who leaves me sleeping with one eye open. Literally. Seemingly gained the temper of his father along with a slew of other worrying traits that I would rather not be in the presence of while someone has lit his fuse. He is the sole reason why I had to ban or at the least limit the use of both of their magic to the mundane and simple party tricks after an incident with him that cost me half my sight with a fit he threw when he was younger.

Though as his mother insists to me greatly, it’s not the child’s fault for the traits he was born with, he can’t help himself she claims. And while true to some extents I can’t help but feel the dread towards the thought of another Bill like being sprouting due to the “freak accident” of them being somehow made into existence. From the personality to even the damn voice that the kid shares with himself and his devil of a father, I can’t just shake off the feeling of a tense shiver that always crawls up my back when thinking of him growing older.

The only saving grace, and what calms my already paranoid nerves falls upon the ones I could think have a good hand in quelling those unsavory traits, the one’s I label the family buffers. I.e his mother, sister, and at times the cousins that are there to talk him down out of a potential blow out. I couldn’t even dare muster the thoughts to wonder what he’d turn to if his mother nor his “siblings”, if I could even loosely consider the cousins as such, weren’t there to quell his snappy nature. But for the sake of my cortisol levels, I can’t let those scenarios overcome my already racing thoughts because I have enough to deal with now in taking care of both of the twins that have been enough of a hassle on my growing age.

Liam for the most part has made it clear that he has a distaste for me, I believe sprouting from my coldness towards his mother for being deceptive at the beginning of our begrudging guardianship over the kids. And he places it as if I have no good reason, if it wasn’t clear that I have some bother that hiding the children of that damned demon under my nose with what current family I have left wasn’t something to not be chastised for. Not to mention that her withholding from the implicit truth had allowed me and my great great niece and nephew to harbor an attachment to the twins which if I had known before hand their origin… would not have ended well for her.

But I am not heartless, I do understand the fears that may have accompanied the weight of telling the truth at the time. And I’ve learnt that I shouldn’t be one to not swallow my pride and say I know I would have probably acted rashly. But as someone who freshly lost what family they had left at the time I feel as if it would’ve been just.

I don’t hate either of them, even while one may be more a pain in the ass than the other. I do believe I care for them in some sense. Liam is a help to me greatly, I won’t downplay that factor at all, he’s the one that helps me draw in the newer journal entries and goes out to scout with Chloe to do some cartography of the surrounding landscape. A quirk he seems to be great at with a sense of great direction and keen eyesight, something even younger me couldn’t get down right away. My body can only do so much these days as I’ve already made my point earlier that my hands and even now legs can’t do what they did often like they used to.

He’s smart, more smart than he gives himself props for, he knows how to channel a certain charisma and silver tongue that lets him find the best supplies, of course if it isn’t the case that he had stole them in the first place. And like his sister, there is no second thought to where he got that ability from, but it’s better to not dwell on it, just for my sake at least.

Both are a handful in their own ways, but they have grown on me- and they do hold insight in how we may be able to stop weirdmaggedon once and for all.

And I pray that it can be in time.”

(If you made it down here thanks for reading it! I want to make sure I have Ford’s characterization down to some extent 😭 My grammar may not be all that great but I tried lol)

[lysatoru]

i love you - billie eilish

part2 of ‘think of me once in a while, take care’ !!!

gojo x female reader, mention of death, mention of decapitation, mention of gun

It was now 11pm, the time of the meeting. You were tied up somewhere in Shibuya's big shopping mall, gun to your head the whole time. You heard someone talking, or rather shouting, and recognized the voice of your "boyfriend": Gojo Satoru. You hadn't known Satoru for very long, and he wasn't necessarily someone who got angry very quickly, he never even got angry, but today was the first time you'd seen him in this state of rage. You hoped that Satoru would be able to save you.

"Where is she?" said Gojo — "where is my girl?!"

Gojo was beside himself with rage, blaming himself for everything, knowing full well that to have a girlfriend while being the strongest was to go straight to hell. He couldn't afford to lose everything now, not like this.

In a few minutes, Gojo wiped out all the plagues that stood in his way, he had to find you, and as quickly as possible, it was eating him up inside not knowing where you were, it was making him sick.

While waiting for him, you were still tied up, your hands and feet bound, a gun to your head or a knife to your throat, depending on who was watching you. Blood trickled down your wrists and feet as you struggled, burning yourself little by little. The tip of the knife slowly sank into the thin skin of your neck, creating a slight cut. Just swallowing began to hurt more and more. You were suffocating, sweating, you couldn't take it anymore, but you were trying to hold on until Gojo arrived.

A few minutes later, you finally saw Gojo in front of you, tears streaming down your cheeks, at last he was here. The person you'd loved most recently was here to save you. You couldn't speak because of the scotch tape over your mouth. Gojo's eyes, usually bright blue, were now only black, black with anger. Seeing you like that drove him mad. His fists had turned white from clenching them so hard, the blood couldn't even get through. He was out of breath, he couldn't take it anymore, all he wanted to do was collapse in your arms and promise you it wouldn't happen again. Unfortunately, he had to keep a straight face in front of you and everyone else here.

"I'm asking you to fight to the death, Gojo Satoru. It's obvious that if you don't accept it, she dies," said the bounty hunter.

"And it's obvious that I'm going to accept it, since I'm going to win," says Gojo confidently, after all, who had he ever lost to before?

"You've got five minutes to shoot me, if the fight goes on in five minutes, she's dead."

"Five minutes is too much, believe me," replied Gojo.

The fight began, and Gojo was alone against three bounty hunters and exorcists. Despite the smug look he was giving himself, you knew that he couldn't take it anymore, and you could see it in his eyes.

The fight continued, the blows becoming more and more violent and the after-effects as well, you taking a few blows along the way given the power of some of them. You were screaming, begging Satoru to stop, even if it meant letting you die, you couldn't stand seeing him give himself body and soul to you, just to save you, it wasn't fair, he didn't deserve that. The tape around your mouth finally came off from all the drool you'd accumulated while screaming.

tic-tac

With just two minutes to go, only one of them remained, the toughest. Gojo was physically and mentally at the end of his rope, and it was torture to watch. The knots in your ankles and wrists began to unravel with all your agitation. Gradually, you regained movement. Satoru switched between his red sort, then the blue one, and in between, he used the reverse cursed technique, all at immeasurable speed. He was impressive, you'd never seen him from that angle, but despite everything, you prayed it would be the last time.

tic-tac

One minute, one minute to die, that's the outcome of the fight? it's impossible. Your heart began to beat faster and harder, the drops of sweat bigger and bigger. You felt as if at any moment you might faint. Gojo was at the end of his rope, and so was the bounty hunter in front of him; Gojo had underestimated him. It was all over.

tic-tac

Thirty seconds, you saw the countdown beside you, your eyes switching between fight, countdown, fight, countdown. Time passed so quickly but so slowly at the same time. The ropes came undone more and more. You were going to die, that was obvious, and you hadn't even told Satoru yet that you'd fallen in love with him.

tic-tac

You were doomed either way, and it wasn't anyone's fault, least of all Gojo.

tic-

The last second, you couldn't let yourself die, Gojo was killing himself in front of your eyes, for you. You saw the gun go to your temple, you saw Gojo in the outer corner of your eyes make a move to try to protect you, the bounty hunter managed to stop him.

"YN!" he shouted at the top of his voice. Time passed in slow motion. Gojo was thrown to the ground by the bounty hunter, it was the end. You tried one last time to move, but despite the pain and burns caused by the ropes, you managed to move completely, and the ropes fell away. You stood up and started running towards Gojo, your feet slipping on the ropes.

A first shot, missed. You had just escaped death for the first time.

"Satoru!" you screamed. Satoru realized that you hadn't died from the first shot, but he knew the next one was coming soon.

With the second shot, Satoru had just enough time to take you in his arms and press you against the ground to protect you. You saw Satoru's face contort in pain, and he groaned.

"Satoru, don't tell me you've been shot!" you asked, afraid of what might happen next.

"It's nothing, I've been through worse," he said, laughing lightly as he held the gaping wound that had just been made between his right ribs.

You took Gojo's face in both hands. You looked him straight in the eye, his gaze softening.

"What's the matter, are you hurt?" he asked, completely worried.

"I love you, I'm in love with you Satoru".

Time stopped for a moment, you were locked in his gaze and he in yours. He continued to look at you as if you were all he had left, as if he could burn the world for you. With his right hand, he hugged you tightly, while the other still held his wound.

"I know that - he whispered in your ear - but don't talk as if one of us will die, it won't happen » — He stood up before resuming the fight. All that remained was for you to avoid the shots, but now that you were away from the combat zone, Gojo could afford to go in much harder, and so he did. He used his purple hollow first against the bounty hunter, then a second time against the one who was trying to shoot you. He could barely stand, but it was all over.

He looked at the last two enemies on the ground one last time, "It was fun fighting you guys, but if you don't mind, I've got to get home to my girl now," he said, before ripping the men's heads off and throwing them to the ground.

You looked at Satoru, completely horrified by what had just happened, and ran to him, jumping into his arms. Gojo returned the hug immediately, his right hand stroking your hair and his left holding you by the waist. His head in the hollow of your neck. You cried your eyes out. You never wanted to let go, ever.

"I love you so much, I love you so hard yn it’s making me sick," Satoru said into the hollow of your neck. He'd just completely let his guard down in front of you. "I'm exhausted, I want us to go home." he continued, not wanting to let go of you.

"Let's go home then" you replied as you kissed him, your right hand caressing his cheek.

"I'll probably drop in on Shoko first if you don't mind" he said, laughing softly.

"That was the plan!" you teased back.

In spite of his great size, you helped him walk with his arm over your shoulders. He looked at you, smiled stupidly and laughed. "hey, what's so funny?" you asked — "do you really think you're helping me walk?" — "I'm doing what I can!" — "I know, thank you for that" he replied with a smile on his lips, a tender smile like you'd never seen before. He kissed your forehead and you left the mall once and for all.

happy with the way it turned out :) maybe i’ll do a angst end because this is what i wanted to do in the beginning! tell me if you think it’s a good idea

english isn’t my first language and i use deepl sometimes, tell me if there is anything wrong!

@megumisthirdog, @emilyywhyy hehe !!!

[sundrop-writes]

i know it's one of the lesser voted ones, but i'm really excited for trouble is!! your fics are so good. take your time ofc, you're super awesome! <3

thank you so much!!!

I am honestly surprised that Trouble Is is one of the lesser voted ones. I thought it would be popular just on the basis of it being Sex Pollen. And because TMR seems to have a big active fanbase on Tiktok? There are a lot of edits for it? There are a lot of edits for it, with new ones being posted often. That's how I got inspired to get into my own personal TMR renaissance

Thomas is really hot as played by Dylan, and I am surprised that more people wouldn't be excited by the idea of a Sex Pollen fic starring him.

Anyway - the content of the votes don't really matter to me, because all the fics are finished in my drafts and will be posted at some point. And because you're excited about it, I have decided that I'm gonna post a little preview of the fic just for you <3

Trouble Is... - FANFIC PREVIEW

FULL FIC NOW POSTED

Thomas (TMR) x Fem!Reader

Warnings: sex pollen - which means dubious consent (but in the full fic it's implied that the characters have pre-existing feelings for each other, therefore they want to have sex with each other very badly, the sex pollen just distracts them from the existing dangers of their world); WCKD drugging the characters with sex pollen for nefarious purposes; chemically induced arousal (to an extreme); there is no explicit sex in this section just mentions of sexual arousal and sexual attraction between the characters; implications of scent kink (from Thomas toward the reader; I think that's it for this section? It's not mentioned here, but Thomas and the reader are being trapped/held in a room against their will (which they are distracted from by the sex pollen chemicals in their systems).

...

All that I know is I just can’t say ‘no’ to you - funny how things never change.

All that I wanted was just to get over you.

Trouble is - I can’t find a way. You’re part of me.

Trouble is - you’re part of me.

...

“Chemical compound LI69 has been distributed.”

“How long until the subjects feel the effects?” 

“Effects will be immediate. Symptoms should be noticeable in ten to twenty minutes. Desired outcome will be inevitable within twenty four hours.” 

“Good. Keep bi-hourly notes. I want a full report.” 

...

He wasn’t sure how he hadn’t noticed it before, but he could even smell you in the air. Your natural smell was something so prominent in the air - shamefully, something he knew so damn well, something he had memorized and treasured close when his memories had still been so few and his head had still been so empty. Hugging you those first few times, he had tucked his nose into your hair and greedily whiffed deep breaths of your scent, absolutely loving how you were sweet, soapy - even if you were slightly sweaty from a long day of work, your natural scent was so damn perfect for him. 

It was a smell that he loved so dearly - on top of everything else that he loved about you. 

This time that wonderful scene that he knew as you had something else underlying with it - something needy and pungent that he wouldn’t quite know yet was arousal. But it was bringing back that feeling of anxious insanity that he had been boiling with earlier that day. The feeling that made him practically crawl out of his own skin, feeling like he needed to get to you. 

Here, now, being in this room with you - he still didn’t feel close enough. He still didn’t feel as though that anxious thing inside of him, calling out for you had been answered. Not yet. 

He had the urge to reach out and pull you close, hold you in his arms again, but he had a feeling that he would squeeze you tight and not want to let go - and then he would lose focus on getting you out of this room and to a safe place. And that just wouldn’t do. 

“Thomas - your shirt…” You whispered the words on the edge of your breath, as though you were breaking some terrible secret by speaking it aloud. 

He had almost forgotten that he had stripped off his shirt in such a haste - and the fabric was now clutched tightly in his shaking fist. Unconsciously, he was directing all of his energy to that point, furiously focusing on his grip to help himself resist the urge to reach out and grab you. 

He hadn’t yet noticed the way you were looking at him. Your eyes hungrily raking over his bare torso, scanning over every inch of him from the muscles that bulged in his biceps while he moved to the veins protruding in his forearms to the trail of delicious dark hair that disappeared down into his pants. He thought nothing of taking off his shirt in front of you, because it was something he had done plenty of times before while working in the gardens with you (as a leader in the Glade, you had rotated jobs a lot, going wherever a spare hand was needed) - and you certainly hadn’t looked at him with anything resembling hunger in your eyes back then. 

At least, he thought you hadn’t. 

“Sorry.” He mumbled out, worried that he had made you uncomfortable by stripping so casually in front of you. “I just find it really warm in here - do you find it hot?” 

He moved on, hating that nagging heat, almost as if it was crawling under his skin - something so much different from the warm sun of the Glade. This was a heat bubbling inside of him, pin-pricking all over his skin from the inside out. He wondered if this was what a fever felt like. Was he getting sick? Was he going to get you sick?

He felt another thick bead of sweat roll down his face and he used his balled up shirt to wipe it off. 

“I guess?” You huffed out, seeming irritated. “Maybe.” 

You squirmed on the spot and let out a pained sound, something that had Thomas on high alert once again. 

“What’s wrong?” Thomas asked, purposefully locking his knees to keep himself from jumping toward you. 

If he was getting sick, then invading your personal space wouldn’t be a good idea. In fact - he made it a point to take a step back, keeping his eyes locked on you, keeping a protective watch over you while his back became flush with the metal of the door. It was a pleasantly cooling sensation for a moment before the fever inside of him overpowered it - reminding him just how boiling hot he was.  “It hurts.” You told him, your voice dissolving into a pained whine - shamefully, the sound rocked Thomas, and flooded him with something that could have only been described as arousal.

Fuck.

[izvmimi]

cw: slight angst. engagement mention. implied backstory - reader has a cursed technique, reader went to jujutsu high.

When Yuuta enters the french-style bistro café and you wave at him excitedly with both hands, the first thing his eyes are drawn to is the catching of light on the facets of your new engagement ring.

You notice this, too, and the thought of it makes you almost sheepish. Yuuta looks somewhat exhausted as always, dark circles a natural feature of his visage much like Kento’s harsh cheekbones or Megumi’s frown, but he smiles when he sees you, approaching quickly and taking a seat across from you.

You lean in, grinning. “I was worried you were going to ghost me!”

Yuuta offers you a soft smile. “I’ve never ghosted you, I’m just busy. I figure you know what that’s like once in a while?” 

You frown, deciding that you’re not exactly a fan of the jab, although it’s something to expect in your catching up. You’re usually the one who starts the teasing, and it’s been in that arrangement since your days together at Jujutsu High, but over time as your relationship developed, Yuuta became far more adept at teasing you back, and you realized quickly that you’re not as great at accepting what you dished out.

“I can still be busy without fighting curses 24/7,” you whine. “You know I was never meant for this shit.”

Yuuta doesn’t reply, instead turning his attention to the waitress who now that you’re no longer effectively being stood up, comes by to provide glasses of water. Yuuta orders a coffee and a sandwich, and you splurge with a pasta dish. 

“In the meantime, I guess I’ll just take all your missions,” he says flatly. You jut your lip out at him again.

“You’d think you’d actually be nice to me considering you haven’t seen me in person in six months, Yuuta-kun.”

Yuuta pauses, then tilts his head. He’s not exactly sure why he’s giving you such a hard time, but he won’t pretend any longer he doesn’t know why you called him out specifically. His eyes flash to the ring again. Your lips are still sealed but he can see the excitement practically on the tip of your tongue. Maki’s already told him over a week ago.

“Congratulations on your engagement, ___.”

You beam and thank him, and Yuuta remembers how quickly and easily you express your emotions, how fast you cry, how loud you laugh, and how bright the light in your eyes grows when you think of Yuuji. 

“I didn’t expect it, actually,” you add. Yuuta laughs as warmth sets in your cheeks and you wrinkle your nose.

“Considering you threatened to kill me if I killed him back then, I’d hope that this would be the outcome.”

You blink, and the scene returns to your mind. Yuuta squashing the ladybug curse you’ve sent to spy on him; you in angry tears pleading for your new friend’s life, for the absolution of a kind boy who liked you just a little too earnestly from the very first glance. You’d told him that night that the higher ups would use Yuuta to execute not just Yuuji, but the three of you  - you, Yuuta, Yuuji - the children whose executions were staved off by the same man, in one fell swoop. You’d told him he’d die too, even if you never developed the strength to become his executioner in turn.

“I still wish you had told me the truth,” you murmur. You’d said more than was right that night, thinking endlessly of whether or not your technique could really seal Rika if it came down to it, thinking of what it would be like to miss one of your best friends, but bygones are bygones.

“Probably should have.” Yuuta replies. His sandwich arrives and he thanks the waitress politely. You sprinkle black pepper heavily on your pasta before turning it on your fork. He bites into his sandwich and you watch him, slurping up your own noodles. Yuuta is quiet by nature, but this silence is heavily pregnant and makes you uncomfortable. The distance between you has grown, whether you like it or not.

You swallow your noodles and finally break the silence.

“Do you think I’m making a mistake, Yuuta-kun?” you ask, finally. Your voice is small now as if someone were to overhear you, enough that he just barely catches as he looks into his coffee mug, his reflection just barely visible on the surface of the drink. He looks up at you and forces his dark blue eyes to soften.

“Of course not.”

You breathe through your nose as your eyes meet his. “Is that all you think?”

Yuuta chews and swallows and holds your gaze.

“He loves you,” he replies, simply. You try to find a lie, a flicker of something repressed in his features, but find nothing. You’re not sure what exactly you’re looking for, but your heart stirs.

“I know,” you reply. 

There’s another pause. Then your shoulders sink.  You sigh and it’s light but Yuuta can tell when you’re trying not to cry.

“I don’t think my heart is a good enough match,”  you finally admit. Yuuta knows exactly what you mean by this - he understands your penchant for negativity more than Yuuji does, he knows what it’s like to feel darkness, something Yuuji constantly fights against. Yuuta’s hand moves slowly and pats yours on the table. It’s gentle and kind, but not intimate. He’s lost that right by now, and probably for good reason. 

“You’re the best thing that will ever happen to him, ___,” Yuuta reassures you. 

After all, you’re one of the best people he’s ever known.

A tear makes it past your lash line and you laugh, embarrassed as you pull your hand back to wipe it away. Yuuta thinks about how your hand feels to hold for just a few moments longer. He hasn’t held your hand ever, he thinks, but he knows Yuuji has. Many times over.

“I can’t believe I dragged you out to complain about my engagement,” you shake your head and slurp up more pasta. “I’m not talking any more for the next ten minutes, so you better tell me everything about Fukuoka.”

“Kill count first or sightseeing?” Yuuta jokes, and it makes you laugh. He smiles too, and fiddles with the ring on his own finger. Rika’s ring, a binding vow.

He hopes Yuuji’s curse of love will be strong enough to protect you forever.