#I really enjoyed making mini stories for each of them based of off the last post lol

[fatherforgivethem]

Here is the mini story for Aegon's headcanon done in this post! I really hope you all like this, and I should have this up on Ao3 soon so that you can all keep up with the mini stories for each of them!

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Aegon felt the way that the foggy air began to soak his hair. He supposed that it was rather naive to hope for dry hair in his town. From the ocean to the almost constant rain filled air, Forks was sure to ruin people’s hair and clothes. He should have worn a hat. Be he didn’t. And there he was, standing on the front lawn of some kid who was throwing a party. People filled the yard and the house, and from the open front door, he could see people cheering as one of the other teenagers won a drinking game.

He didn’t want to be there. His muscles were sore from work at the garage, and he was tired from last night. Last night being the same shit, he was doing right then. Selling drugs to stupid teens and burnouts. If they could pay of course; he really hated when they couldn’t pay.

He did a quick check of his pockets, and when he could feel the little plastic bags, he made his way onto the porch, and into the loud, overly warm, house. He didn’t have to look far to see the people that he was selling to that night. He could see the Franken brothers, beers in hand, at the bottom of the grand staircase. It wasn’t long before they noticed Aegon in return. They gave him two matching smirks, their identical faces making a chill go through his spine.

“Ben, Jack.” Aegon said as he approached them. “Aegon.” They both said at the same time. Aegon ignored how creepy his name sounded coming from their mouths. Instead, he jerked his head to the side, and led the twins to more secluded area of the house. There was a bathroom that was thankfully empty, and so Aegon gave a shove to the twins’ backs and closed the door behind himself.

“Always kind HC.” Jack, or was it Ben, said. Aegon rolled his eyes and plucked two bags from his pocket, “And yet you always bye from me. You’re beginning to look a little desperate.” He said, a small grin lacing his lips as he spoke.

This was the only good things about the job, expect for the pay of course. He could be as mean as he wanted to his costumers, and they would always come back for more. They needed him. They got hooked to what he was selling, and they needed more, or they were trying to impress others; whatever it was he didn’t care, because he also needed them. He needed the money that they threw around like it was nothing. They needed each other, it was business, a needy one at that.

When one of the twins went to grab the bags in Aegon’s hand, Aegon pulled them back and shook his head with a click of his tongue, “Money first, Franken.” He told them.

The other twin, Jack, Aegon guessed, handed over four bills. Aegon took them and counted the bills, making sure it was the correct amount, and tossed the bags to the twins. He stuffed the bills into his front pocket and nodded his head at the twins, “Don’t take it all at once.” He told them before leaving the bathroom and walking back into the ever-growing party.

That was how the rest of his night went, sneaking off into corners and handing off bags full of pills in return for cash. He made sure to count each wad of cash before handing over the supply. With each sell he would watch as the pills that he needed were taken by rich kids who only wanted to get high. He could endure a couple of restless nights for the cash he was getting at the party. Next week it would be the medication he had been prescribed when he hurt his shoulder back when he’d played baseball. He had a few of those left that he could use.

He felt a tinge of guilt when he sold a smaller bag to a young girl, maybe two years younger than himself. It was more money than they were worth, but she’d forget all about it the next day anyways. If she didn’t go overboard with the amount he had given her.

With his pockets full and his brain fried from hours of talking to highschoolers, and the jocks and low lives he used to go to school with, he was finally out of bags. When he asked someone for the time, he cursed and made his way out of the house. The diner would stay open all night, but his brothers shift would end in less that fifteen minutes. He needed to get both of them home before curfew was up.

He may have been eighteen, and his brother seventeen, but they were under their parents’ roof. And as his dad liked to say, “This is your mother and I’s house, I don’t care if you’re eighty and walking with a cane, you make curfew”. And then he’d add with a small, sympathetic smile, “for the sake of my aging heart.”

Aegon walked to his truck, and once he closed the door, he stuck the money into a bag and placed it in the glove compartment before speeding down the road, careful not to go too far above the limit. He had no desire to explain to anyone why he had a bag full of so much cash in his car. After several turns, he came to a stop at one of the town’s few intersections. The wet streets glowed with green as he passed the stoplight, and he could see the bookstore flashing with a ���closed” sign, and as pulled into the parking lot. Coming to a stop, Aegon spotted the bright red lights of the diner as it flashed from “open” again and again.  

He had just enough time to park before Aemond was walking out of the front door of the diner, his bag hanging off of his shoulder. Aegon leaned over and opened the door, watching as Aemond took his seat in the truck. “Hey. How was work?”, Aegon asked as he put his car in reverse, and pulled back onto the road.

Aemond sighed and leaned his head back on the seat. “Full of people asking dumb questions. You?” he asked, as he crossed his arms, making himself comfortable. Aegon laughed, “Full of people who don’t know how to take care of their cars.”

“Sounds fun.”

“Mhm, very.”

“Did you just get off? I thought that the shop closed up early,” Aemond asked. Aegon shifted in his seat as he turned onto their street, “No, I stayed late and headed to a friend’s house before coming to get you,” Aegon lied.

Aemond nodded his head and looked out of the window for only a moment before turning back to Aegon with a look of hope filling his eyes. Aegon knew exactly what his brother was going to say before the words even left his mouth. “I found a really good program for Automotive Engineering Technology. The community college isn’t too far a drive from here and it’s a really good school. And I found a lot of scholarships for it-”

“Aemond…” Aegon started.

“Just let me show you the website when we get home at least-” Aemond tried.

“Aemond. Please, enough.” Aegon said, turning to look at his brother with a look of pleading. Aemond shook his head in confusion, “Can you…can you at least look at the website? Please?” he said. His tone, the one that he’d always used when they were younger and he had wanted Aegon to play with him, made Aegon sigh and nod his head. Looking at a website couldn’t hurt. He wouldn’t go anyways. The money wasn’t for him. Not anymore.

They pulled into the driveway a minute before their curfew. Aegon made sure that his brother was outside of the car before slipping the cash into his jacket pocket. The two of them raced to the porch, playfully shoving the other to try and get there first. Aegon unlocked the doors with his keys and they both made their way into the dark house. They’re mom, and most of their siblings, were likely asleep. Jace, their cousin, liked to go to sleep early, though Daeron was most likely still up playing a video game.

Aegon could see the light from the kitchen and made his way down the hall. The kitchen was currently covered in flowers from their mom’s plant farm. Since it was so cold, she was keeping the flowering in the several greenhouses that were built there. She liked to bring a lot of them home, and so at the moment, their kitchen looked like a jungle of color.

In the middle of it all, was their dad. He was resting against the counter, coffee in hand, as he watched the football game from the small kitchen TV. Their dad was somehow able to drink coffee at all hours of the day and have no trouble getting to sleep. Aegon guessed that was just how it went, working long hours as the town’s police chief. He turned to look at them and checked his watch. “We were in the house at exactly 11:59,” Aegon said quickly, as he opened a cabinet to get a cup for water for himself, “What’s the score?”

“We should probably stop being Seahawks fans.” Their dad said.

“That bad?”

“Worse.”

Aegon peaked at the score on the screen and winced. It was that bad.

“How was work you two?”, their dad asked as he took a sip from his coffee mug that said “Best Mom” on it.

“Stupid people.” Aegon and Aemond said at the same time. Their dad nodded his head, “Same here. Aem, you should probably get to bed. You’ve got school in the morning.”

Aemond took a glass of water and left the kitchen with a “goodnight” before disappearing down the hall.

“Have you eaten anything, Aeg?” his dad asked. Aegon tried to think about the last time he had eaten that day, but the moment of silence seemed to give his dad the answer he needed, “If you have to think about it, then you should eat. Sit, I’ll get you something.”

Aegon sighed and took a seat at the kitchen table as he watched his dad heat up what they had most likely eaten for dinner that night. Aegon watched the game, the horrible game, and lost track of time until his dad put a plate in front of him and took a seat of his own. Aegon thanked him and began to eat the food. It was his mom’s cooking, and he loved every single bite of it.

She always seemed to make the best food, Helaena coming in a very close second.

When he was done, he took the plate to the sink and rinsed it off. When he turned and leaned against the sink, he caught the questioning look from his dad. “Yeah?” he asked with a quirk of one of his brows. He watched as his dad, the man who he had known since the age of eight, ran his hand down his face with a sigh. He looked stressed, overworked. But Aegon didn’t say anything about the recent murders going on. He knew it would only upset his dad, who had been working late into the night to solve the cases.

Aegon could feel way in which his bones seemed to tighten. He could feel it in his chest, like he couldn’t breathe, but his heart wouldn’t stop doing anything but pump at a quick rate. He could feel it all. All from the words that slipped from his dad’s mouth.

“Aegon… are you sure that you don’t want to at least apply for a couple of schools? The whole… mechanic thing, you can learn that at school. There are grants that we can get, loans-”

“Dad- just… stop. I don’t want you and mom taking out any loans, not for me.” Aegon said. His dad scrunched his brown in confusion. “Not for you? What does that even mean, kid? I would take out a hundred loans for any of you to go to school. You graduated with good grades, Aeg. You can get into a good school. Look, I didn’t go to college… and I just- I just want my children to have that chance. I want to give you all that chance,” his dad said.

Aegon swallowed the bile that threatened to rise within his throat. “Dad… I don’t even want to go anyways,” he told him. That wasn’t true. He did want to. He wanted to play for a team in his school, he wanted to get his degree and make something of himself, support his family. But that wasn’t going to happen. He was getting money for his siblings, for Aemond and Helaena who would be graduating soon. They were both so smart. They deserved to make something of themselves.

“… You don’t want to go to school?” his dad asked in disbelief.

“Not right now at least.”

A wave silence filled the room. The only sound being the game on the TV, the crowd cheering as the other team scored a winning goal. Aegon pushed off of the sink and placed a hand on his dad’s shoulder, “I think I’m gonna head to bed.”

His dad placed a hand over his and nodded his head, but before he was able to say anything back, his phone began to ring. Aegon watched as his dad took the call, furrowed his brows with a sigh, and stood from his chair. “Something’s happened. I’ll be back later tonight. I love you.”

Aegon felt his dad kiss the side of his head before swinging on his coat, getting his keys, and walking out the front door. “Let your mom know, please,” he said as he pulled the door shut behind him. His dad had begun to say those words more often. The murders that were recking their town were taking a toll on him. Aegon rubbed his eyes and walked out of the kitchen and towards the stairs.

When he made it to his room, he closed the door, locked it, and walked over to his closet. He lifted a few dirty clothes from the floor of the closet and pulled a box towards himself. He lifted the lid and looked at the jars of cash filling the box to the brim. In his coat he pulled out the bag of money, sorted through it, and placed them in the correct jars.

Everything, the box, the drugs, the secrecy… it was for them. All of it. His siblings deserved to go to school. To be able to cover the costs of everything that they would need. He was the older brother. He needed to get them there.

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edited by @sidraofthewildflowers thank you!

[dxl44]

hi! I’m getting project arrhythmia today and I was wondering if there’s any levels/series’s that you’d recommend i check out? The only 4 I can think of are Black Heart, Dark Delirium, the pack with Kitcat and the series with Pandex (can’t remember the names 💔). I know there’s more I liked but I can’t remember them for the life of me

MY TIME HAS COME. LEVEL RECOMMENDATIONS. YES.

First off, play the base game's story mode so far. It's come a long way, there's a proper tutorial there and proper easy levels that should get you eased into how the game works. Though I feel like that's obvious, but people do like to jump right to customs since they're the most popular.

So...some stuff I'd recommend. I'll start off with stuff that isn't a story, like creators or "recommendation collections" pooling together a bunch of levels in one place:

Anything by MysteriousShep. They're a really good new creator who's been putting out awesome levels with really fun gameplay. A lot of fun gimmicks going on here, and they have a really good visual style where it's enough to be interesting but virtually never gets in the way of you playing a level.

MotionIII is another one of the newer creators who's insanely underrated for how fun his levels are. He makes awesome stuff, go play it.

The same goes for Mr. Neon. I'd say pretty much anything by him is worth checking out too, though Lights and Limit Break in particular are his best work.

Jolly Jack's levels are absolutely beautiful, and they play well too. Absolutely give them a look.

The No Boss Zone collection is a collection I've organized of every good level without a boss fight that I can find on the workshop. If you ever want a change of pace or want to see the stuff that's unfortunately less popular, go check that out!

Now....storylines! I recommend a lot of these for their story, their gameplay, or both.

The Cracked Masonry is a complete three level "mini-storyline" with three short levels. It's a short romp with fun gameplay that's honestly a great start as far as playing storylines goes.

The Crystal Monarchy has a really interesting story it's building up and has insanely fun levels. It's setup so each set of levels is a "world" in a different location. It also spaces out the boss fights a little bit with "mini boss" levels in between most of them (usually each world has 1 boss and 1 miniboss)

Aetherborne Collection is a bit weird as a "story". This is an ongoing project to make levels with all of the songs in the Aetherborne album by Chime, with its own original story that follows after the album's plot closely. The problem with that is, they're being made out of order so there's a lot of gaps, but I still 100% recommend this as a pack of levels to play. Plus, most of the story relies on the music and visuals rather than dialogue, which is super unique!

Void Untold has the thing going on where its earlier levels are kind of bad because they're the first the creator (dragonw1414) made, but the later ones are REALLY good. Only the first 2 levels here are bad honestly, so you might want to skip them/play in zen mode esp since you're new to the game the rest are freakin' awesome. It also has my favorite antagonist in a level storyline.

The Polygon is super fun and has Enchart's great visual style throughout. It recently got its first level in years, so absolutely give it a play.

Heartstrings. This has INCREDIBLE story and worldbuilding for a PA storyline, but a lot of it is in supplemental material like video cutscenes. I recommend checking those out on noodlekin's youtube channel if you can, but even without those, you can enjoy the story a lot by itself - it's great. Though unfortunately, it's cancelled...but what there is done of it is awesome.

And last but not least, Khed's JSAB Pack has some of the best JSAB-styled levels on the workshop if you ever want something like that game.

Hope all of these recommendations are useful, please do let me know what you think of these as I always want to improve my recommendations to people. I know this is a lot - I definitely recommend just going down these lists, I put the sort of better stuff to start with at the beginning. Thanks for asking me for suggestions :)

[mint-yooxgi]

{5} - To Tempt Fate - Yandere!Trickster Deities!Ateez X Reader

Yandere AU & Trickster AU

Genre: Mature, Horror, Angst, Suspense

Pairing: Ateez X Reader (Focus on Mingi)

Words: 3,496

Warnings: Depictions of anxiety (not the reader). This is a Yandere story, it will contain themes such as stalking, violence, obsession, possessive natures, and just general overall creepiness and swearing. You have been warned.

A/n: I have an appointment soon, so I just wanted to post this before I had to leave! Anyways, I'm very excited for the threads to begin unravelling now as more time progresses!! I really hope you all look forward to everything I have in store! As always, feedback is greatly appreciated! Enjoy!

Also, gentle reminder that I do not do tag lists.

Mini Masterlist - Part One - Part Two - Part Three - Part Four

You don’t know how many times you had circled the maze yesterday. For hours, you traversed your way through specific paths, familiarizing yourself with its twists and turns. The last thing you need is to be running away from either another contestant, or one of the eight tricksters, only to reach a dead end. Your only hope is that the maze hasn’t shifted.

Surprisingly, you have no issues sleeping a few hours afterwards. The exhaustion settling into your bones had you passing out almost instantly, that small knife clutched securely in your hand.

The bed is more comfortable than you thought it would be. Given the way that trickster, of whom you’ve nicknamed ‘Ghost’ due to the colour of his eyes, was acting, you’re starting to believe more in the fact that they view you as ‘special’.

A chill runs down your spine.

Turning onto your back once more, you stare up at the ceiling. Based off of the way you’ve been keeping track of time ever since the other male, of whom you’ve nicknamed ‘Drakon’ due to the deep purple of his eyes, you reckon you have about one hour before the games are meant to truly begin. You still haven’t found a small bag to carry supplies in, but you can always make one out of your pillowcase if necessary.

Sitting up in bed, you rest the knife beside you on the mattress. Lifting your head, you glance at your reflection in the full length mirror.

Giving yourself a once over, you let out a sigh. You have some decisions to make.

One: you could barricade yourself inside of your room for the next twenty-four hours and see if someone happens to stumble across your little shack here. There seems to have been a box of food dropped off at the foot of your bed while you had gone out exploring, so you’re not worried about going hungry. Everything is nonperishable, and still in it’s original container, so you shouldn’t have to worry about someone having tampered with it. Still, you are dealing with tricksters, so it could be poisoned.

At least you have water.

Two: you could go out and explore the maze again to see if there have been any changes to the layout. This would allow you to get a better sense of the games going forward, but you’d have to be on the constant lookout for other contestants. Some might be too eager to start the bloodbath they have been enticed to partake in, while others might start screaming and drawing those types of competitors to your area. Both of which you’d rather avoid for as long as you can.

Three: you could go out and purposely look for other competitors. Not everyone is going to immediately go hunting for their trophy out of the gate, and you’re sure there are probably a few reasonable people around. Besides, if someone got dropped in, and they don’t immediately understand what the hell is going on, they’ll be completely scared out of their wits. Best to make yourself seem trustworthy to gain as many allies as you can.

If you can stop them from killing each other, the tricksters won’t have a game this year, and the blood will not be on your own hands. Besides, you can check out the maze this way for any changes; two birds with one stone.

Pushing yourself onto your feet, you steel your resolve. Looks like you have your answer. If you can align yourself with potential allies, then great! However, if you woke up in an unfamiliar place, were scared out of your wits and deathly confused, you would want at least one person to extend that same kindness to you.

Nothing is worse than being kicked when you’re down.

Twirling the knife in your hand, you move toward the bathroom to freshen up slightly. Like hell you’ll change into any of the clothes they got for you. After the encounter yesterday with Ghost, you know that that’s exactly what they’re hoping for, too.

Washing them might become an issue, but you’ve survived in the wilderness by yourself with only a knife to help you before. If you can do it once, you can do it again. You father didn’t teach you everything he knew about hunting for nothing.

The water feels cool against your skin as you wash up as much as you can. You’re a little hesitant about showering, or even stripping yourself completely naked for the moment. If you really have to, you’ll bathe in your underwear. Who knows what could be watching.

Adjusting your clothes, you manage to tuck the little notebook with your newly drawn map into the back of the waistband of your jeans. A pencil gets slid into your front pocket, along with a few pins, careful not to break the lead tip all the while. The small knife is held securely in your dominant hand, that string with your two keys and paperclip around your neck once more.

Turning towards the front, you take a deep breath once more.

Slowly, you move to unlock the door. It’s about time for the games to start, and from the way you hear a breeze rustling the leaves of the maze, you know it’s begun.

Swallowing the sudden dryness in your throat, you step outside.

The first difference you notice is how the area is now suddenly alive with sounds. The leaves rustle continuously, a soft breeze brushing through. There even appears to be bugs and small animals now in the area, of which were never there before.

Still, it remains as dark as night.

Taking a deep breath, you allow the smell of earth and nature to fill your lungs. The scents are stronger than yesterday, but that won’t be a hindrance to you at all.

Lifting your gaze, your brow furrows. 

There, in the distance, appears almost a small protrusion above the one edge of the maze. An object that hadn’t been apparent before, even in your search of the area yesterday. Almost as if a building has appeared out of thin air.

The only things you did manage to come across yesterday were more of those little clearings with shacks in them. There are eight to be exact, four on opposite ends of the maze, designating where each survivor must first appear in the games. 

Perhaps the first challenge is being able to escape these huts.

Yours seems to be the second closest to the one edge. The one in which you ran into Ghost yesterday is the furthest to the left, yours directly beside it with two more following in succession after that. If you get lucky, and move quick enough, you might be able to slip passed the hut before the person inside manages to escape.

You grit your teeth.

Sick bastards probably intend to let some of them starve, or suffocate to death inside those shacks.

You shake your head, you need to worry about yourself right now. If they can’t get out on their own, then they’re no use to you in fighting off anything or anyone.

A grimace crosses your features. The whole reason you stepped foot outside your own place once the games began was to help others if they needed it. Now, you’re thinking about just letting them die?

You’re not that much like that bitch. You’re not that heartless. At least, not yet.

Too many conflicting emotions begin flitting through your mind. Enough so, that you manage to shake your head again in hopes to clear them. Only, it’s in vain, your thoughts beginning to consume you.

Taking a step forward, you begin to enter the maze. Hopefully, focussing down on the task at hand will help to clear your mind.

Again, just like yesterday, you turn left to start. The familiar path of the maze greets you, and you find yourself almost breathing a sigh of relief the longer you traverse the grounds. At least the maze hasn’t seemed to have shifted in the slightest. Yet.

Reaching that first opening where that other shack rests, you spare a glance into the clearing. Of course, just like yesterday, you’re cautious. The last thing you need is a surprise attack by another contestant, or another trickster.

However, what you do not expect, is for a loud bang to sound from the inside of the shack as you begin to creep closer.

“Please,” the voice is desperate, strained from yelling, “is there anyone out there?”

You freeze right in your tracks.

“Please,” a broken plea as you hear a sniffle coming from behind the closed door. “Someone, help me…”

You blink, unsure if what you’re hearing is correct. Yet, at the sound of the sobs becoming louder the closer you get, you know that whoever is inside of that shack must be desperate. Faintly, you swear you can even make out the sound of scratching coming from within, as if whoever is trapped inside is attempting to claw their way out in vain.

Pausing right in front of the door, you take a low breath in.

“Are you alright?” Your voice comes out softer than normal, but still loud enough for the other person to hear through their sobs.

Immediately, it’s like they go still. “Is someone there?”

“Yes, I’m here,” you gently reassure them. “I’m not going to leave you.”

“Oh, thank you,” a shuddering inhale. “Please, let me out of here. I- I- I swear I’ll be good and do whatever you want. Just please,” he sniffles once more, “let me out.”

“Do you know where you are?” You ask, crouching down in front of the door to examine the lock.

“No! It’s dark, and all I was told was that the games have begun.” He replies, a wail to his words. “What the fuck does that mean? Are you hear to kill me? Am I going to die? I don’t want to be a victim to someone pretending to play Jigsaw.”

You snort a bit at that. Yeah, that’s certainly one way to put it.

“I’m not going to hurt you, as long as you don’t hurt me. Okay?” You say, pulling out some of those pins from your pocket. “I know it might be hard to trust the words of a stranger right now, given the circumstances, but we’re going to have to believe in each other right now. I’ll tell you everything I can once I know I can trust you. Do you understand?”

A small pause where you can just tell that the male stuck inside of the shack is wiping at his eyes. “Yes.”

“Good,” you nod. “Now, I have a few questions for you before hand. They are meant to help you, and I know they might be frustrating at first, but we both need to understand your situation fully. Tell me everything you can see inside the room with you.”

A moment passes by in silence. Then another, and another.

“I can’t make out anything, it’s too dark.” Comes his reply, voice small as if scared that’s not the answer you want to hear from him. “It’s cramped, and I can’t move my legs.”

You blink. “Are you hurt?”

“No!” Immediately, he responds before clearing his throat slightly. “No, I’m not. I promise. It’s just really cramped in here.”

“Alright. Do you have anything of value on your person?” You ask. “Like a phone, or a watch?”

“I have my watch, but no phone.” He tells you, and from the sounds of things, is calming down the more you talk with him.

“Is it analog or digital?” You ask, beginning to pick the lock holding him hostage in the shack.

“Analog.”

You smile faintly. “Describe it to me.”

“Well, my one brother got it for me for my birthday last year, and it has a brown strap,” he starts prattling off. “The face is white, and the numbers are gold…” he trails off. “Hey, why are you so interested in my watch?”

The lock clicks, and you stand back to your feet.

“I’m not.” Comes your blunt reply. “But you’ve stopped crying, haven’t you?”

The male goes silent, contemplating your words.

“It’s unlocked.” You say, turning the handle to crack the door open just an inch.

However, what you don’t expect is for the door to fling itself open almost instantly. Reflexively, you jump back, now eyeing the man that lays on his back on the ground as the door rests wide open.

He groans, eyes closed in pain. “Ow.”

“My bad, I forgot you were probably sitting against it.” You chuckle, dusting off your knees casually.

His eyes open, and you notice how sharp his features are. Though, that’s not what stands out to you the most.

The bright pink hair cropped short to his head draws your immediate gaze, and you can only quirk a brow in response. From the length of his torso, he also appears quite tall, too.

“Thank you,” he shifts his face towards you, eyes still shining with unshed tears.

“Don’t mention it.” You shrug him off. “Can you stand?”

Slowly, the male nods, pushing himself to his feet in the next second.

You’re right, he is tall. Nothing you can’t handle, though.

“What’s you name?” Your eyes trail over his figure from top to bottom, and he has to suppress the pleasant shiver than wants to caress his spine as you do so.

“Mingi.” He breathes, heart pounding inside of his chest.

“Nice to meet you, Mingi,” you nod once. “Though, I wish it were under better circumstances.”

You move around him, inspecting what little you can see inside the now unlocked shack. Looks like there really is nothing of importance inside. All that greets you is a tiny enclosed space with four wooden walls. Not even enough room to lay down on the ground comfortably.

Turning back to him, you see him standing a little ways to the side, wiping at the dried tears on his face.

“Hey, it’ll be okay.” You smile assuringly at him before introducing yourself. “I know it’s terrifying, but we’ll get through this. Okay?”

He nods, almost vigorously. “Okay.”

“Leaving you by yourself is more dangerous right now than exploring with me, but I won’t force you to come with me if you don’t want to.” You begin to explain. “I-“

“I’ll come with you.” His response is immediate, almost eager, as he cuts you off before you can even continue.

“I won’t lie, you could die either way. These games are not meant to be easy.” You meet his gaze.

“What even are these games?” He asks, swallowing a bit thickly as he watches you pull out that small knife of yours.

“Death games. Insanity games. Whatever you want to call them.” You say, taking one final look around the clearing you’re in. “They’re a type of survival game, if you will. Either you hunt or be hunted while you attempt to find a way out. Only one is allowed to survive in the end, but not this time.” You meet his gaze once more from over your shoulder, smiling reassuringly at him. “Not if I have anything to say about it.”

“Who, in their right mind, would do this to somebody? Why hasn’t anyone caught the people behind this?” He asks, frown tugging at his features.

You let out a sigh, motioning for him to lead on with your head as you reenter the maze. He’s a bit hesitant at first, but with a small quirk of your brow, he doesn’t argue.

“I’ll guide you, don’t worry. This is more of a precaution for me, than you,” you tell him.

“You’re the one with a knife.” He mutters.

“Exactly,” you hum. “So just follow my lead.” He shoots you a pointed look from in front of you. “You know what I mean.”

“Well, you freed me from my chains,” he turns back to face front, turning right on your command. “Least I can do is listen to you.”

You find his wording a bit odd, but relevant nonetheless. Either way, you’re just glad he’s being compliant for now.

“To answer your question, Mingi,” the male nearly shudders when you say his name, though it’s not in the context he would prefer. “The people behind these games are not regular people. In fact, they’re not even human at all. They haven’t been caught because they don’t want to be caught.”

“What do you mean?” There’s a certain tone of wariness to his voice which you have no problem picking up on.

“When is a door not a door?” You quirk a brow knowingly.

“When it’s ajar.” Comes his immediate answer.

“Exactly.” You respond.

“I don’t get it.” He shakes his head, pausing mid-step and causing you to almost run into his back due to how closely you had been following him. “What’s a riddle have to do with anything?”

“Sorry, long shot for me to think you would have understood that reference.” You chuckle. “No, just that there was a show I used to watch that had a particular season which dealt with the sort of inhuman creature these eight devils are.”

“There’s eight of them?” The surprise can only mask the fear so much.

“Yes.” You blink. “There are eight of them.”

“But what are they?” He presses.

You take a deep breath, exhaling slowly as your spine straightens. “They’re tricksters. Powerful ones at that, too. Demons who love causing misery, and tormenting those that are unfortunate enough to get caught up in their games.”

“Tricksters? You mean like Loki?” His brow furrows.

“Worse than that.” You shake your head. “From what I understand, the only way to tell them apart from other contestants is their eyes. Each of them has a specific eye colour unique to their powers and personalities. The colours designate age order, too.”

“Do you know what each of them are?” He asks, beginning to continue through the maze at the sudden jerk of your chin forward.

“If you’re asking me if I know what they look like, I do not. Except for two.” You reply honestly. “I only know a few of their names, too.”

“They have names?” His inquiry is so genuinely curious, the corner of your lips twitch upwards slightly.

It’s been a long time since you’ve remembered what that has felt like.

“Yes.” You confirm. “Everything in this world does, even those forgotten by time.”

“Then how does anyone remember them if they are forgotten?” His brow furrows once more in thought.

“You just need to know where to look.” You share a look with him, something sparking behind your eyes that he and his brothers have not seen in a long time.

“How do you know so much about them, anyways?” He asks, casually glancing at you out of the corner of his eyes.

“There was a time where I was curious about the myths surrounding these games of theirs, and why the supposed victor always came back changed in some way.” You reply, shrugging him off. “It didn’t lead me anywhere.”

The way you curl in on yourself, even the slightest bit, has him backing off for now.

Little do you know of the anger bubbling just beneath the surface of his skin for you. He knows what happened. He knows what that bitch did to you to make you stop researching so excitedly about them. Research which you have never bothered to touch again.

“Well, whatever knowledge you still possess, I’m certainly glad to be on your team with it.” He grins, eyes crinkling at the sides.

His response catches you by surprise. So much so, that you end up freezing in your tracks, blinking at him in shock. No one has ever reacted positively to knowing you’ve spent time dedicated to learning about these tricksters. No one.

“You are?” Your voice is so much more tender, the uncertainty bleeding through in the way you suddenly feel so small standing next to him.

Mingi takes a moment to look you over, a sort of softness shining within his eyes that you don’t quite understand.

“Of course I am!” His grin widens. “Any knowledge is good knowledge, especially when I don’t have the slightest clue of what’s going on. I’m counting on you.”

You smile faintly, the radiance of his own expression managing to lift your spirits the slightest bit, even given the situation you currently find yourselves in.

“Knowledge is it’s own weapon, too.” He continues. “I think a lot of people forget that sometimes. That, or they fear what someone with knowledge can become.”

Your lips twitch slightly, shoulders relaxing even just the faintest bit. “You’re right.”

“Now, come on,” he shoots you a reassuring smile before he begins trudging forwards through the maze once more. “I think I see an opening up ahead.”

[zepskies]

Hey Zep!

I love your writing, especially been enjoying the Soldier Boy series stuff and the latest with Smoke Eater!

(Btw are you taking inspiration from One Chicago (Fire, PD, Med) with it? If so kudos and I love it, big fans of those series myself 😊)

Anyway! I’ve really been enjoying your works, been pouring through them and the stuff you have on AO3. I also thought your tips for writing were super helpful!

I’m back to writing myself after a long ass break, but always struggle keeping inspiration so a lot of my work sometimes goes unfinished. I’d like to ask how you keep motivated and continue a fic even if sometimes you’re not into it? Do you have any tips or tricks?

Thank you and again, love your work!

Hey there, lovely!! ❤️

Thank you so much! I'm so glad you liked Break Me Down and are enjoying Smoke Eater too! ❤️‍🔥

(Oh yes, indeed I am! 😊 I love all things Law & Order and One Chicago. I based firefighter!Dean on Lt. Matt Casey in Chicago Fire, with a little Severide flair lol.)

Thank you again for reading my work, both here and on Ao3!! I'm also glad that my writing tips have been helpful to you in any way. I came back to Tumblr and writing in general after about a year break myself, so I feel you there.

I absolutely LOVE your question though...

Because it's something I still battle with myself. I think all of us writers and artists struggle to stay motivated, no matter how much we love our craft. I do, however, have a few tips that help me immensely.

5 Tips to Stay Motivated to Write:

Be organized. Create a realistic, attainable schedule. ✍️

My brain works in checklists, bullet points, very methodical. I can't write chapter five before chapter 1. I can't write a series (even a mini series or a long one-shot) without outlining first.

So my first step is creating a schedule for myself: from sketching the premise, to bullet points/outlining, to actually sitting down to draft, to then editing. When I'm working on a series, I write the first 3 to 5 chapters before starting post it.

This means I have a head start. I commit to writing a chapter per week after that until the series is done. This give me lots of time and wiggle room for editing before posting each chapter afterwards. For example, I wrote the first 5 chapters of Smoke Eater before I started to post. I'm now in the middle of drafting Part 19 out of 20 even though I just posted Part 11.

Now, this doesn't mean I don't slack off lol. If I don't follow these steps I lose my discipline. I can get lazy. (We won't talk about And So It Goes. 😅 I've been sitting on writing the last 5 chapters for a painfully long time.)

But I have other tips that help me get my head back into the game.

2. Revisit the thing that gave you inspiration in the first place! 🍿

Rewatch, reread, revisit the episode, movie, book, story, artwork that stroked your muse and had you daydreaming and brainstorming about the WIP you're working on. That can be a good way to revitalize you when you feel your motivation lacking.

3. Create a music playlist. 🎶

I love doing this, especially for a series. I often create a playlist of songs that remind me of the setting, the characters, the romance I'm trying to create. Whether it's the words or the tone/rhythm that get me going, music inspires me greatly.

(For Break Me Down, for example, I listened to songs like "All My Living Time" by Radio Company for the vibe of the plot, and oldies like "If I Didn't Care" and "You're Getting to Be a Habit With Me" by Mel Torme for nostalgic 40s vibes/the romance.)

4. Go for a walk. ☀️

I walk for exercise, but it also gives me time to daydream and run scenes in my head while vibing to my music (sometimes looking like a crazy person as I nod and make hand motions lmao). This helps me clear my head, get some fresh air, then come back to my laptop with a little more pep in my brain, ready to write.

5. Encouragement and feedback from others. 💞

This really helps, of course. Whether it's someone you trust to read over your work, or seeing how people react to your initial chapters after you post them. Both can be very motivating to keep going, at least for me!

And I'll be transparent, I've gotten a bit fatigued while writing the back half of Smoke Eater. I have a lot going on at work and my personal life at the moment. But seeing how people have been commenting and giving feedback on each chapter -- the mystery, the connection between Dean and the reader, the various storylines happening -- it's been incredibly motivating for me to read those back and remember that people are enjoying what I'm coming up with. It helps give me the push I need to get the rough draft out.

And a rough draft doesn't have to be perfect on the first try. That's why it's rough. I call it the "throw up draft." Just get it on the page. The editing process is where I truly find the nuance in the dialogue, refine the plot, exposition, etc.

Anyway. I'm long-winded again, as usual. 😂

I hope this helps you! If you have any other writing questions just let me know. I love talking about this stuff! 💕

[aspiring-holistic-otaku]

Season 2 Ramble#5 - Mystery, Madness & Mayhem ver. 2

This episode is about mystery, madness and mayhem. And I love this stuff regardless of medium so I pretty much assumed I was gonna be enjoying this month's reads, and even though there weren't as much of certain tastes I was looking forward to there was still much to be enjoyed.

Anyways as I said I love this stuff, definitely the earliest thing I thought I'd want to make a little mini series out of and do continuously, definitely something i’ll be consuming podcast or no podcast. manga or no manga..

Now the setup last time was me giving some definitions of mystery, madness and mayhem then sharing my top 1 manga read in each of those three categories + a grab bag of titles at the end which you can check out below..

This time is pretty much the same but skipping the Google definitions and giving my own "definitions", which you can completely disregard if you so choose tbh, like i know words mean stuff but all stuff is bound to change anyways yk so,,,yh,,, also this time instead of one big grab bag with everything I'm gonna try and split them into their respective categories, loosely ordered from least to most enjoyed. the reads are split the usual way of stuff read this month first then older stuff after.

So definitions quickly:

mystery - the why?

madness - the what?

usually has cast vs some largely unseen thing. can be normal everyday stuff like trying to get a functional ac remote to the paranormal escapades of a microwave scientist fighting assassins through spacetime

usually has cast vs some seen but unbelievable thing. And again can go from normal everyday society™ to the paranormal blood bending psychic mass murderer

mayhem - the everything, everywhere, all at once. To lean on the google definition a bit, chaos.

Just to be clear these aren’t some clear cut genre borders or anything just some themes/motifs i like in my media. and in fact i tend to find where there’s one at least one other follows, so these splits are based on which of each seemed to be the primary focus in the manga.

Getting into it now,, top mystery madness and mayhem read this month go!

Top Mystery:

The decagon house murders (Original Book Author - Yukito Ayatsuji, Manga Adaptation - Hiro Kiyohara | 31 chapters)

This is a mystery story revolving around a club for people who enjoy mystery stories,, visiting an island where a house recently burned down and people died under mysterious circumstances… surprise surprise, play stupid games, win stupid prizes,, but even though it was a classic whodunnit, the cast being all mystery buffs meant they pretty much knew all the dos and don'ts and yet… life comes at you fast…

The title alone was a pull because sacred geometry is really cool to look at and see,, if you don't know what that is don't get sucked in just hail the helix and move on + sacred geometry didn't play any obvious role in this anyways. art was nice, really easy on the eyes, pretty cool cast and as I said they were all mystery buffs so that created this almost cast vs plot situation which was really cool. watching them go back and forth amongst each other trying to figure it all out and avoid tragedy was nice, and it didn't take too long to get started or wrap things up. just 31 chapters as I said.

Didn't see the end coming at all and it's actually really crazy how simple it was,, almost cheating and bordering on cheap… but it was something that the original book author admitted relied heavily on being in a written medium and so was still a challenge to pull off in manga.. all that being said I clearly still dug it as it was my top mystery read this month.

mystery grab bag:

the night fish, another , dead man's questions and thus spoke Rohan kishibe

Top Madness:

Memories of her… (Katsuhiro Otomo | 16 chapters )

This is actually the basis for my favourite Otomo animated work called Memories, a three piece anthology that I will continually highly highly recommend. if the name Katsuhiro Otomo doesn't mean anything to you he's the guy that did Akira… if the name Akira doesn't mean anything to you then check that out and thank him for the bike slide.

This work is also an anthology but with about 10 pieces of varying lengths. manga anthology pieces tend to be short and usually surprisingly good, even when I’m accounting for how good I tend to find them and even though I went in with extra heightened expectations, because Otomo, they were thankfully pretty well met.

Individual anthology pieces tend to be short and impactful in some way. Having now been through a bunch more Otomo stuff since starting this podcast I can honestly say his stuff generally does have that punch, does have that impact and that was thankfully present here. again they're all super short so it doesn't make sense to go into them too much more than that, but what I will say is that the impact of otomo's works, at least for me, comes out of a great balance of dramatic environmental storytelling and thoughtful natural dialogue that makes you look more critically at the world,, even if they're usually packaged with a healthy dash of humour. for the record, Akira is my least favourite animated work by him and though i’ll definitely admit it’s the most famous for its impact in terms of art direction for a reason fr, I still highly recommend checking out his other stuff to really see the range of his greatness outside just the one movie, Akira.

Anyways this had great art nonetheless, pretty much expected from him tbh, pretty much every story held my attention, the only thing is that it was a milder madness so to speak rather than the spicier types I tend to prefer.

Quick examples of each so I'm not just saying words that don't connect, a spicier madness would be like Berserk, Elfen Lied, Tokyo Ghoul, Deadman Wonderland, etc., usually based on some set of perpetually unfortunate events, that drives the cast to take extreme actions.. though I also like when the mc and world is already just like that, like in Dorohedoro how extreme absurdities were just everyday routine. lots of messy spaghetti situations in the spicier types…. a milder madness would be like Goodnight Punpun, Welcome to the NHK or even Serial Experiments Lain The Nightmare of Fabrication, where it's almost as if the existential mundanity of life is deafeningly scratching on a whiteboard and slowly pushing the cast to the brink.

madness grab bag: MPD Psycho, smiley, 6000, world apartment horror, Usuzumi no Hate, denjin n, tekkonkinkreet

Top Mayhem:

As the gods will 2 (Muneyuki Kaneshiro on story and Akeji Fujimura on art | 186 chapters)

This is the sequel which is pretty much death games, death games and more death games. since reading part 1 last year I'd been told that it fell off in part 2 which I definitely agree with but maybe even because of my lowered expectations it held up better than I thought it would.

I read part 1 last year and it was my top 1 new manga l read that combined mystery, madness and mayhem, 21 chapters, I definitely highly recommend.

I say it all the time but survival/death games are simple. what you see is what you get. they're all pretty similar, group of folks find themselves in some inexplicable situations that they can't get out of without completing some usually wild challenges. what really defines one from the other is the nature of the challenges, the more unique and roundabout, usually the better. see squid games hype and the saw series somehow still running to this day, 10th one is dropping this year apparently,, Google it if you think I'm messing with you.

In any case the games were definitely unique, I think I really dug it because the game setups were very whimsical and almost childlike in nature but then it turns out the reason the chicken crossed the road was to kill you… the art was okay, the cast was really enjoyable and felt pretty real and not too contrived for the situation like "oh I'm the smartest guy in the galaxy" or "I'm the girl with a horribly timed bad attitude" etc, it was just folks trying to survive and getting wrecked randomly, such is life and that's what I was there for.

Admittedly the end was weak, and it was petering off a little before but yh the end was definitely weak but not to the point of regretting the read. we finally got an up close look at the mastermind behind the whole thing,, though they themselves were also a little disappointing but again not enough to make me really regret reading,, the final face off was close tho… especially after they went on for so long. like I said last season, part of part 1's charm was hitting the nail on the head with story length and not overstaying its welcome, part 2 only got away because the games were so wacky as obvious as the deadly outcomes were…

mayhem grab bag: as the gods say 0, after god, shibatarian

that's it for stuff this month

now older stuff, a lot of the same names as last time but some shifts in order + the grab bags have a bit more stuff and ofc it's split this time

Old Top Mystery:

Soil vs Billy Bat (really tough call I'm sorry)

spoke on soil properly in season 1 ramble 1, it was my top read for the year of 2021, the closest thing to a pure mystery I think I'll ever read vs the real world paradigm shifting conspiracies of Billy Bat, spoke on for the first time at length in season 1 ramble 11 where I focused on Naoki Urasawa, all I'm saying is Naoki Urasawa is a living legend and the moon landing is dubious at best

Old Mystery grab bag:

20th century boys, pluto, monster (Urasawa in general tbh), acca 13, Eden: it’s an endless world, liar game, junji ito works in general, butterfly storage, toilet bound hanako kun, ptsd radio and the ihon series which tied last episode, summer time rendering

Old Top Madness:

Fire punch

chainsaw man is soft. enough said.

Old Madness grab bag:

homunculus, welcome to the nhk, soul eater, made in abyss, cigarette anthology, hellsing, Alice in borderlands, dolly kill kill, junji ito works in general, shuzo oshimi works in general, inio asano stuff ,shigahime, deadman wonderland, takopi’s original sin, believers, gogo monster, alien 9, tokyo ghoul series, to my dearest self with malice aforethought

Old Top Mayhem

JJBA vs Omniscient Reader

I dare any Jojo fan to deny it's chaotic, I want any non fans to do a double take on that title and this young man's figure and tell me you think there are any normal events in this story (spoiler alert, there are none)

Omniscient reader is actually from just this year season 2 ramble 1 new year new worlds,, an isekai,,, manhwa even,, but my first top new read of this year nonetheless, def got v crazy, for less ramble and more words check out the ramble but also trust and just go read lol

Old Mayhem grab bag:

Chainsaw man, Berserk(rip Miura one time every time), parasyte, jujutsu kaisen, as the gods say pt1,terra formars blood lad,inuyashiki, jackals, junji ito works in general, choujin x ,ajin, magical girl apocalypse, bokurano, tougen anki, jagaaaan, origin, raqiya, ddddd(anime), akumetsu top for last seasons

The peak of all this in my mind though is still dorohedoro…

this is literally the first panel of the manga

and yh... that's the ramble 😅😅, thanks for checking it out this far, hope you find a good read o/

[harusha]

Finished Engage. The story is still awful but it had its good moments (Ex. Zephia and Griss’s final scene). However, the other problem is that they crammed everything interesting into the last 5-6 chapters, so it was a ton of character exposition and “I told you my sad backstory, so I am now off to die immediately” flags. There are 26 chapters, excluding DLC and Paralogues.

Honestly, outside of gameplay maps, Three Houses feels like the better game for me. The Engage maps are fun and there are some good mechanics. I don’t think they’re Conquest level maps but they’re still solid. Really enjoyed Griss’s teleporting map and the final battle thematically (even if I think gameplay wise, it’s bland).

However, the Paralogues are an absolute pain because they’re mostly faithful recreations of the originals, and I do enjoy the nostalgia since I’ve played them all, but if it wasn’t fun in the original, it’s not fun here. Horses and Fliers still dominate even if Backup Infantry is very good. It just becomes painful to travel like say, Camilla’s DLC map or Lyn’s Paralogue unless you have high Movement (which is, again, a problem of faithfully recreating maps) and others like Corrin’s are boring even if there’s a gimmick.

Like thematically it makes sense but gameplay? Eh…

And the skill system itself being locked behind Tempest Trials, SP, and post-game is awful. Unless you are on Normal/Hard for Skirmishes to grind/cheesing SP with Great Sacrifice, you’re getting one really good skill or two okay ones at best. They made Tempest Trials worse than FEH’s too because the maps are tedious and you can’t auto easily

Emblems are broken of course, and you can clear Maddening without inheriting skills, but it just feels horrid that key mechanics are locked behind a grindy mode (Crystals) or to post-game (SP books). Not to mention the problem of Emblems being busted.

Like do not use the DLC Emblems or weapons if you want a decently hard game. Camilla breaks the game and I made Dimitri 2 on a flying horse with Alfred (70-105 dmg per round with Pair Up and Canter + forged Spear and forged Fensalir). And Soren is basically broken because he allows for baiting bosses like Lyn does.

Even the base game Emblems are gamebreaking (Ex. Lyn!Kagetsu who can use clones to chokepoint entire areas with dodgetanking).

They give you a lot of tools, but the most fun is early to mid game imo. And Paralogues themselves are way too backloaded. It was a pain to play them.

And the story itself has a lot of cute callbacks but it’s like…the pacing is bad. Really bad. I enjoyed the cast and my favorites were Zephia and Alfred, but this is worse than Three Houses by a large bit (and you generally don’t expect games to backslide on new installments).

And this is very much personal preference but I prefer Three Houses Skill System because it feels like you can actually build units and not just slap Emblems onto them + you’re forced to use new units each route if you don’t recruit. It just feels more thoughtful at times even with Three Houses’s weaknesses.

While Engage returns to the normal formula of chapter recruits, the problem comes in of “why would I use this character if Emblems can patch up earlier ones that are weaker?” It’s a conundrum that makes it not worthwhile to use new ones unless they’re busted (Ex. Soren!Ivy or Micaiah!Hortensia) or you really like them. It’s not the same as with Nino or the other Ests of the series.

And the Somniel mechanics itself…they made the monastery but somehow worse, and I’m someone who liked the monastery. You get 10-20 glowing spots per visit, Arena is 3 sessions that you have to manually choose + can’t skip intro quotes, Sommie Pet and Feed are unskippable scenes (and I love Sommie), mini games will break your thumb even on Normal for the button mashing one, and so forth. Horrid after the novelty wears off.

Really feels like they saw that people liked certain mechanics and ideas from Three Houses and went “yeah let’s shove it in but make it worse.” Lumera just felt like a worse written and less complex Rhea too…

However, you can really feel the love in the game, and it’s a delight for series veterans like me for callbacks even if the gameplay suffers from bizarre decision making and poor story pacing. And some supports like Alfred/Céline are genuinely good imo.

Game is heavily censored though to the point of contrivance as a note. It’s to the point where they censored all of Alear’s age appropriate relationships with other 17-year-olds and left in the adults only as explicit romance. Or how Veyle’s S Support now makes 75% or so of the game’s story and motivations bizarre and even incoherent/weaker.

NOTE: I don’t care about fictional characters’ rights, but it’s funny because you know they were trying to sanitize the game but somehow made it “worse.”

I think Engage is a solid 6.5/10 or 7/10 for me which is not a bad score.

Ultimately, if you want a good story, pick up Three Houses, Tellius duology, or Genealogy. Awakening for a solid, if vanilla, story.

If you want Gameplay, pick up Engage or like Conquest. Three Houses isn’t bad map-wise, it’s just weaker and the fact you have to play the maps at least 4 times to get the full story.

[fishing-croagunk]

Game Clearing 2023: A Retrospective

Once again, it's time to look a back at everything I played.

As always, I will talk more about each one after the cut.

Crash Bandicoot: The Huge Adventure : Jan 3 - Jan 5

I've played the original PS1 Crash games countless times, and I've always wondered how the GBA games compared (the platformer ones at least). And over all, I'd say they're pretty decent at recreating the gameplay. However, there's one big issue that does occur a couple times. Sometimes, you'll have to do a leap of faith and you just have to hope you fall properly. What's worse is that sometimes there's an enemy there, so I started mashing spin after every leap of faith. This still sucks for time trials. But at least there's an actual reward for getting relics, other than a gem. I also ended up cramping my left hand from constantly holding down the L button to dash, so that's something.

Shadows Over Loathing: Jan 6 - Jan 11

This was actually a gift from my good friend Mippy, although I would have bought it anyway. I've watched a playthrough of the previous game, West of Loathing, and I was really looking forward to this installment. I found the story very enjoyable, and chuckled quite a few times. I also really liked the combat and RPG mechanics. I did consider going for every Steam achievement, but not only would that require multiple playthroughs, but some things are very easy to lock yourself out of, requiring either a guide or another playthrough. This is also why I typically don't go for completing achievements.

Donkey Kong: Jan 13 - Jan 13

Last Christmas, I had purchased Mario Vs. Donkey Kong. But before I played that, I wanted to check out the game often thought as its prequel, Game Boy Donkey Kong. And honestly, it's a really good time. All the sideflips and handstand jumps make the movement in this game really fun. The varying worlds also keep you on your toes. It's also not too hard; you will die a couple times, but the bonus games means you're probably not gonna game over.

Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc: Jan 14 - Jan 27

This was one of two gifts I got from my Secret Santa last year. Thank you so much, Bilth. After playing Rayman 2, I knew I had to check out the follow-up. And, other than the AV cables for my PS2 dying, it was pretty fun. Generally, I would say the game is about as fun as Rayman 2, and I can see why people prefer that to this. I thought the new powers were pretty cool, and most of them played off of Rayman's base moves well. Now I can't wait for Rayman 4!

Mario Vs. Donkey Kong: Jan 14 - Jan 20

After really enjoying GB DK, I was excited to try out this game, and I was… mildly satifsied. I found the first couple worlds to be just as fun as the original game, but then the plus worlds came in. Instead of getting a key to a door and then saving Mini-Mario, you instead have a Mini-Mario with a key you need to escort to the door. The problem with this is that Mini-Mario will always try to get to you no matter what's in the way, except in some cases, but it's really hard to tell when he stops and when he'll throw himeself into spikes or lava. Leading to a lot deaths that don't feel like your fault. Still, it's kind of a shame that future Mario Vs. Donkey Kong games basically became Lemmings, instead of refining this platforming gameplay. Also, in case you're wondering about the Expert world, that would require me to go through most of the levels all over again for a high score, and I can't be bothered to do that.

Super Mario Bros: Peach's Adventure: Feb 4 - Feb 8

I've played a lot of Pokemon hacks, so it was only time till I tried out a Mario hack. And with Super Mario World alone having thousands, if not tens of thousands of hacks, I had a lot of choices, but I had heard good things about this hack, and I have to agree. The levels are great, the music is awesome, and the secrets were fun to find, especially that Special World. I would definitely recommending checking out this hack.

Pokemon Crystal Clear: Feb 8 - Feb 17

This has been regarded as one of the best Crystal hacks, and I can definitely see why. Imagine if you could start from anywhere, get any pokemon, and fight the Gym Leaders in any order; including Kanto. That is what Crystal Clear set out to do and really excels at. Honestly, if you're like me, and wanting to play Crystal again, but with some small tweaks to keep it interesting, I'd say to try this out right now. I'd even say it's worth more than one playthrough, to see what happens with a different order…

Crash Bandicoot 2: N-Tranced: Feb 24 - Mar 2

After healing my hand, I returned to try out the second Crash Bandicoot GBA game. And I do think it's a bit better than the first game, for the most part. It's a lot like Warped, where they added a lot of vehicle levels with Coco and Crunch, and some vehicle sections in Crash's levels. I do think the level design is overall better than Huge Adventure, with a lot less leaps of faith. Which sounds like it would make the time trials easier… except that gold is not good enough. If you want your save file to be 101%, you basically need all platinum relics. Which I did not do, cause as it turns out the relics don't get you anything. No new levels, no new gems, you don't even need them to fight N. Tropy, as you actually need the hidden color gem shards instead. Honestly, I would say to completely ignore the time trials if you want to play this game, unless you want to go platinum.

Kirby's Return to Dream Land: Mar 3 - Mar 10

With so many hours spent in Super Star Ultra, I'm surprised I've never played RtDL until now. And not long before I started playing, a remake has come out! Oh well. I still found this game to be very enjoyable. Generally breezy, but does have some challenge if you do decide to go for 100%. And the Extra Mode didn't feel repetitive either. Part of me wishes I could have played through this with a friend or two, but it's still great in singleplayer.

Pokemon Coral: Mar 12 - Mar 17

This is another hack that, since I first saw it, I knew I had to try it out. And, even though it's just a demo, it quickly became one of my favorites. I think what separates this from other Pokemon hacks is that is really does feel like a Pokemon game GameFreak could have back in the day. It was a fun romp, and the few secrets I did fine were very cool. I look forward to future demos and a full release whenever they come out! Also, if I had a nickle every time a little girl turned out to be very threatening, I'd have two nickles, which isn't a lot but it's funny it happened twice.

Viewtiful Joe 2: Mar 18 - Mar 31

With the first game setting up a sequel hook, I felt it appropriate to play through the sequel this year. And… it's alright. I would say it's on par with the first game. I did find Sylvia to be neat, although I did not play as her much except when a puzzle required her abilities, if only because I was more familiar with Joe. Honestly, the only real low point with the game would have to be same as the first game, which is the boss rematches. This is largely because of the bosses being such damage sponges that each one can take several minutes to beat. Aside from that, it was an enjoyable ride. It's a shame this game also ends on a cliff-hanger, and there wasn't a Joe 3. The closest would be Red Hot Rumble, which is more multiplayer-focused, and Double Trouble, which I have heard mixed things about.

Kirby's Dream Land 3: Apr 5 - Apr 6

This will be one of two most controversial takes in this list, but I really did not care for this game. Not that I think this game is bad. After playing so much Super Star, I have a hard time going back to games that have one-button abilities, even though this came out afterwards. The various Animal Friends you get to use are pretty cool though, and I found the Heart Stars to be neat little puzzles. Honestly, this is definitely a case of it's not the game, it's just me.

Yoshi's Island DS: Apr 7 - Apr 23

Ohhhh boyyyyy. I was warned that 100%ing this game would be a pain. And they were right! While the new babies are cool, the level design is cruel. A lot of times, there'd be hidden red coins or flowers, or a cloud of stars. Speaking of stars, they are a lot more rare in DS, and you're gonna need them more in this game, since it feels like the enemies respawn the second they go offscreen. And what's worse is that they're aren't any star items here either. While you might say that there is content locked behind going for 100%, those Extra levels are even worse. To a point where beating them is challenging enough. I honestly wish I didn't play on actual hardware cause then I could have used save states and rewind.

Pizza Tower: Apr 24 - May 11 & Aug 26 - Aug 31 & Oct 23 - Oct 24

And here is the game you were expecting to be here. Yeah, this game is fantastic. It literally caused this ordering to seem odd. I really like this game, its movement, its soundtrack, it's all so great. And I had originally planned to just get the S-Ranks and maybe get the P-Ranks next year. But then really felt like going for 101%. A feeling that I usually don't get. So I went back at it. Were some of those P-Ranks difficult? Yes, but man, did it feel good finally getting them. I then finished the game by doing a speedrun (something else I typically don't do) to get the John Suit. And the Halloween update dropped. I thought the new content was very fun and definitely tested my abilities. Now to wait for the Noise update.

Cult of the Lamb: May 11 - May 19

This is a game I played last year, but it got a pretty sizable update, adding a new QOL stuff and additional post-game content. I also really love the heavy attacks, making my favorite weapon, the axe, even better as a boomerang! The relics were also a cool way to change up crusades, and boss rematches were also good way to test all the new stuff. Overall, I enjoyed my return to the cult, and with more content coming next year, chances are I will be writing about this game again.

Antonball Deluxe: May 23 - May 25

As I wait for Antonblast, I decided to check out the game that came out before it, Antonball! And it was pretty solid arcade style game. I did go through both Antonball and Punchball, but I did not 1cc them, but I may do that at a future point. While I did originally like Punchball more than Antonball, I now think I like latter over the former.

We ♥ Katamari REROLL + Royal Reverie: Jun 1 - Jun 9

Both PS2 Katamari games were my childhood, so I was excited to see a WLK remake. And honestly, it does a very good job at presenting katamari to a new generation. I would whole-heartedly recommend this game to anyone who hasn't played it on PS2. One small gripe I have is that the Royal Reverie is a really small part of the game, only being five stages, with them being remixes of previously existing stages. But still, Katamari Damacy is fun, no matter how the gaming landscape changes, which is just wonderful.

Hey! Pikmin: Jun 12 - Jun 17

As I waited for Pikmin 4, I decided to check out the fourth Pikmin game, Hey! Pikmin. And it's okay, I'd think. I feel like I don't hear a lot of people talk about it, which is a shame as I thought it was enjoyable. This game did a good job of taking the Pikmin formula and turning it into a puzzle-platformer. I was skeptical of the game being only touch controls and the Circle Pad, but it really works and it's pretty fun to use. While the game is on the easy side (and will offer to skip levels if you die too much), I didn't mind it. Although unlike any other game in the series, I don't see myself replaying this game anytime soon. Also, I did not do the amiibo stuff, because I have an old 3DS and would need to buy an adapter for it. Even if I did, I only 3 of the 9 amiibo I have would even be compatible for it.

Pac-Man World Re-Pac: Jun 19 - Jun 23

Despite playing Pac-Man World 2 and 3, I never played the PlayStation original. Until I tried out the remake, that is. And I really liked it! The levels were fun and I enjoyed the mazes. However, there was one small thing they changed that deterred me from getting true 100%. In the original game, in order to get 100%, you needed to also complete the Maze Marathon mode. However, instead of that, in order to get 100% in the remake, you need the Magic Key. Now, this Magic Key did exist in the original game, but it required an extremely high score and only counted as bragging rights. While the remake does lower score requirement, it still meant that since I sucked the slot machine game, I would need to play every stage all over again and just hope that I get a higher score, which I would rather not do.

Annalynn: Jul 2 - Jul 4

This little arcade style game is very cool. It's a maze-style game, with a couple worlds and three levels per world. After beating the Normal Mode, I was going to try to try to 1cc it, but then I spent a lot of time in Random Mode, until I realized it was an endless challenge. So, I decided I would use the Practice Mode, since perfecting levels there still counts for palettes. It was a real test of skill, but man did it feel great finally perfecting them all. I will definitely be coming back to 1cc this at a later date.

Frogger: Helmet Chaos: Jul 9 - Jul 19

After playing those two Frogger games, I decided to jump all the way to this title on the DS (and PSP). I've gotta say, this game has a lot more secrets to it then I originally thought. While there's obviously secret 1-ups and health extensions, this game also has a branching path system that's actually pretty complex. Depending on what actions or exits you take, you can either playthrough the game as just Frogger, or you could play as all three characters in one playthrough. And these other characters not only play differently, but also have entirely unique levels to them. It's honestly a shame that's there's not a lot of footage in this game of the multiple pathways, because they are definitely worth looking into. And in case you were wondering, I'm not playing any of the Frogger games I skipped.

Pikmin 4: Jul 22 - Jul 27

Ah yes, one of the games I was most looking forward to this year. Pikmin 4 does what sequel should do, it takes what worked and what's memorable about the previous entries, and combines it with some new stuff to make it feel like a homage to those that came before, while still standing on its own. Honestly, the reason I'm talking not too much about it, because I want to people to play it blind. Yes, even if you have never played a Pikmin game, I'd say to give it a shot!

Yoshi's Story: Aug 4 - Aug 6

Oh boy, this is the other controversial take, that I really did not care for this game. I thought going for all Melons and all Hearts would make things more interesting, and while it did do that, it did not make me appreciate the game more than just the fact this game has a harder challenge in it that most people wouldn't even know about. And the minigames to get the melons just kinda suck. I personally do think the game can be fun, but I do wish I could play the game as a set of stages and not have to do multiple playthroughs to play every stage.

Rayman Raving Rabbids: Aug 10 - Aug 11

Here we go. I recently acquired the Raving Rabbids Party Collection, which as you could probably guess is a collection of the first three Rabbids party games for the Wii. As someone who really likes Go Home and thought Travel in Time was okay, I've always been curious of these earlier games. And the first game is pretty rough honestly. Like, even without the context, it feels like the game was never meant to be this. The minigames too are just ok, with a lot of them just shake the Wiimote. No joke, I beat this game, after many attempts at one of the rhythm games, and woke up the next morning with sore arms. And I know there's also a Score Mode to do, but I don't like any minigames enough to replay them for high scores, and apparently you can't even beat the Score Mode on the Wii version due to a bug (and I doubt this collection patched it).

Rayman Raving Rabbids 2: Aug 13 - Aug 13

This one will be quick. You can tell this was designed with multiplayer first, as there's not really a singleplayer campaign other than just playing the minigames by yourself. Again, I didn't feel like going for high scores, because for some games, getting a high score is less on your skill and more on the opponents not screwing you over. At least the rhythm games here didn't give me sore arms. Also, I'm gonna go on a tangent about how much I dislike how Rayman looks in this game. He looks fine in the menus, but in the minigames he moves very oddly, and looks off (which I would not have noticed if 1P mode didn't lock me into being Rayman). I get that they need everyone to share the same hitboxes and animations, but he feels like a mod in his own game. No wonder he was phased out starting with the next game.

Rayman Raving Rabbids TV Party: Aug 17 - Aug 18

I can safely say that this was definitely my favorite out of the three. The minigames here were great. I feel like having groups of minigames with similar theming but still being unique was a good call. (for example, all the shooting games take place in a movie studio, but the movies are different). You can also play basically the prototype for Just Dance here, and honestly it was more fun that I would have thought! I was also worried that, since I no longer own a Balance Board, I would be locked out of playing certain minigames. Thankfully no, and while I can't say I played this with my butt as advertised, I did like them more then the past entries. This game makes me wish I could have played with at least another person, because I would have enjoyed that a lot. If were to choose one of these three games to go back and get a high score on, it would probably be this one.

Paper Mario TTYD64: Aug 18 - Aug 26

One last mod for the year, and it's a Paper Mario mod! I really love PM64, so this gave me a chance to play through it all over again. Except, it's different, because this mod adds in a lot of the mechanics from TTYD, as you might assume from the name. I did use the Danger strats, and with the new badges added, it did trivialize some parts of the game. Of course, the game also has multiple difficulties for you to choose, from the pathetically easy to the nearly impossible. And it even has two other modes with a built in randomizer and one where you only use Bow. I definitely need to check out those other modes, and can't recommend this mod enough!

Poochy & Yoshi's Woolly World: Sep 2 - Sep 12

Even when I did have a Wii U, I never played Woolly World. So this port was the only way I could play it. And honestly, I liked it! This game's pretty chill compared to the other Yoshi games I played, even when going for 100%. I feel like the fact that you don't need to get everything in one visit really helped with that, alongside the Power Badges. Of course, the game still does some challenge, especially in the extra levels. I also really like the aesthetic, it's very cute and stands out among the other titles in a good way. There's also the Poochy Dash stages, which were a nice change of pace. I should mention the amiibo content, which I was unable to do, but thankfully all I was locked out of was additional Yoshi costumes and a time trial mode for the Poochy stages. Would definitely recommend this one.

Star Fox Assault: Oct 4 - Oct 7

After playing 64 3D, I wanted to try out the other game in the series that's most recommended: Assault. And… I like parts of it. It might be because I've never played Ratchet or Jak, but the on-foot gameplay just did not click with me. Even with the many times I had to use it, I just did not care for it. However, the vehicles and the on-rail sections were pretty fun. This game also has a multiplayer mode, which seems cool, but as I have no one to play with, I don't have much desire to play it. A bit of shame, as there's a lot of stuff you can unlock for it. Oh well. And, in case you're wonder if I'll play SNES Star Fox, Command, or Zero: Maybe, probably not, and definitely not.

Super Bomberman R2: Oct 8 - Oct 12

Super Bomberman R was one of the first games I got for my Switch, so when this was announced, I was pretty excited! And yeah, it's pretty good. The story mode had a bit of a more open world with exploration and puzzles. Honestly it kinda felt like a mix of the SNES Bomberman and 64 / Generations style of gameplay, which really worked. There's also the new Castle mode here, and it was not too great. Yes, I like the idea on paper, but for two out of the three worlds, the layout I created ended up being too much for the AI. No joke, I could put my controller down, and the enemy would never reach the base. So that was a bit of a letdown. The other parts of the Story Mode are good, and honestly I would recommend playing it even if you only care about the multiplayer, since beating it gets you so many coins you can spend on the shop. I am sad that 100%ing didn't unlock my main from R1, who had similar requirements there. Guess I'll just have to play Karaoke Bomber instead.

Super Mario Bros. Wonder: Oct 30 - Nov 1

My, it has been long since we've had a new Mario platformer, hasn't it? While I do like the New Soup games (as I remember getting New Soup with a DS as a Christmas present), I was thrilled when Wonder was announced. So much personalty and charm oozing out! And honestly, the best way to describe how it feels to play Wonder is that it takes right back when I was playing NSMB as a child. Just so much amazement, and dare I say wonder as I trekked through the levels and found all of their secrets. I would personally say to go for 100% as it's very fun and the Special World is a worthy challenge that feels like the right amount of difficulty. I really hope this game sets a precedent for not only good Mario games again, but also that giving the devs as much time as they need can make a truly fantastic game.

Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope: Nov 7 - Nov 25

This game was the other Secret Santa gift I got from Bilth, and honestly I wish I played it sooner. While I have never played an X-COM styled game, I really enjoyed this one! I really did enjoy strategizing against all of the enemies the game could throw at me. And I do have a set of heroes I used the most (Luigi, Peach, and Rabbid Mario), I felt like all of the heroes were not only equally useful, but had plenty of synergy with each other. I at first wasn't sure if I was gonna for 100%, but I was enjoying myself the whole way! You better believe I'm gonna be playing those DLCs next year, once I figure out if I need a Ubisoft account or not.

Plok!: Dec 5 - Dec 10

Out of all of the games I've played this year, Plok! is honestly a tricky one to recommend. And I've definitely had a lot of fun with it, but the difficulty can deter people from finishing it. Plok doesn't have enough invincibility frames and dies in fewer hits than you'd think, the way that continues work makes it very easily to lose progress, and no saving and no passwords means you gotta beat the game in one sitting. Of course, those last two don't really apply if you're not playing on official hardware, but it's still a valid complaint. Also yes, the soundtrack is very, very good.

And that's the games, as always, here is a tierlist of all the games.

[econrenuka]

Mini Book Reviews

Poor Economics: A Radical Rethinking of the Way to Fight Global Poverty (2011)

★★★★☆

By: Abhijit V. Banerjee and Esther Duflo

This was actually a fantastic read. I thought it really hit the sweet spot between being a pop economics book and being quite academic. For each topic, I really liked how the authors clearly stated their opinion but also acknowledged the other side of the argument in each case. The studies cited were also clear, and if there were any weaknesses in the analysis, the authors always stated them while arguing that there are still good conclusions to be drawn. I could tell that Banerjee and Duflo are true researchers. I didn't have to agree with every one of their arguments, but I understood their points clearly and could reiterate their arguments. I thought the titles of many sections were eye-catching, and enjoyed the overall organization of the book as well. However, it didn't feel boring, and like a laundry list of development papers. Each section had a cohesive theme, which made it an exciting and fulfilling read. I can see why it's a must-read for any student interested in development economics.

2. Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything (2005)

★★☆☆☆

By: Steven Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner

I know I'm the last person on earth to read this, but I just put it off. Reading it now, I was actually very surprised to realize it had not aged well. I think the chapter on the link between abortion and crime could be particularly interesting now, as Roe v. Wade has been overturned, but generally I found the arguments tenuous and not very academically grounded. It didn't feel like each chapter had multiple papers that could support the arguments. It felt like often, the authors were making some big leaps based solely on their own research with no sense of the literature as a whole. I also think it felt incredibly disorganized. The authors state in the beginning there is no unifying thread throughout, but I think that the randomness of the topics wasn't satisfying to read. They introduce a lot of their findings in the introduction and then repeat many parts later. They also jump between topics quickly. I found myself getting confused at times as to whether I had accidentally skipped parts of the book. Lastly, I thought all the snippets from the New York Times and other papers talking about how "ah-mazing" Levitt is as an economist and a thinker were a little awkward. It felt a bit self-indulgent although I know it was likely Dubner's take on Levitt as a person. I felt it was unnecessary and awkward.

I think it was a good book in 2005 to introduce readers to the breadth of economics. I know many probably still think of economics as solely focused on business and finance. I think this book probably did a great job of disabusing people of that notion. However, I think it potentially made it seem like economists just draw connections based on correlations when that is exactly what I think we strive not to do. This is obviously a personal opinion, and I think the book is great in terms of what it did do: getting people interested in broad questions.

Next up for mini-reviews!

Bottle of Lies: The Inside Story of the Generic Drug Boom by Katherine Eban

Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness by Richard H. Thaler and Cass R. Sunstein

[itaitaita-ita]

MY OPINION ON NETFLIX’S “MAYA AND THE THREE”

OKEY! so for starters (i know that nobody asked for this) Hi everyone, my name is Mari and i’m a mexican girl with native roots so english is not my first language and i apologize in advance for any mistakes.

Lets start off with the overall: Its beautifully animated, it’s refreshing to see this type of stories and characters back on TV. The plot of the story is very interesting and hooking for the viewers, the characters designs overall are good (but i have somethings I want to point out, especially in the female designs). I really enjoyed the ‘Lucha Libre’ vibes that they gave out by presenting the opponents with a banner of their name.

Now, to the more specifics: the good and the bad.

THE GOOD:

Good interesting plot, gives me the vibes that it would make a good video game xd.

The representation of different features and skin tones is amazing!

The designs of the gods were my favorite.

The character development of Maya and how they portrayed the essence of each character despite having limited amount of episodes.

The accurate historical aspects and small details about their view on natural situations ( albinism, eclipses, etc ).

Lady MICTLEEE (mommy.. sorry- mommy? sorry-)

The spanish dub and the local phrases and jokes they use were incredible to see! specially the alburs here and there!

I liked the different Latin American accents each region had and the different cultures that were shown.

I think it was fun the correlation they created with the sun and the moon.

The backstories of the characters were amazing (and SUPER SAD WTF).

Despite not being a huge Zatz fan, i’m a sucker for enemies to lovers romance, so I really liked the trope.

The attention to details was GODLY i was so in love with it throughout the whole series.

THE BAD:

The female character designs ( focusing more on their physique) were a bit weird to me? the main female characters were either SUPER THICC: mini mini waist, gigantic hips, or like tall and skinny. (Except for the queen of the mages sorry if i’m not translating the names exactly, i know them in spanish only , which is also a bit backhanded since she’s supposed to be this annoying and immature ruler). Here’s what i mean:

The design of the clothes, makeup, hair and accessories is AMAZING. but.. the body types were a bit unsettling to watch, especially because the men have a wider range of physical designs and are overall more creative with their physique. also why were only male characters allowed to have big noses while all the female ones had itty bitty ones? Some examples:

ACAT ‼️ A C A T !!! I cannot expres enough how badly she was treated. She was only there for Zatz’s character (the female supporting role that enlarges the male one). She literally appeared, tried to kill Maya because Zatz “liked” her, gor dumped and 2 mins after she got killed. like. wtf. The crazy ex girlfriend trope (ew).

I was not a super big fan of how the concepts of ‘Good and Evil’ were pushed into the deities. There weren’t truly any ‘Evil’ gods, even if they represented war, or ruled the Mictlan. Its very characteristic of the Mesoamerican deities to not be good or evil (they weren’t even gods, but that’s for another post)— but i understand that view was needed to have a story and a plot and the whole Lucha Libre boss fights they had. So i’m willing to put it aside but it still should be mentioned.

The different regions were based in different mesoamerican groups and yet they were all ruled by aztec gods? just like the last point, i understand it simplifies things but i understand why people who aren’t mexican are a bit upset by this, since they are their own culture with their rich mythology.

I probably have more things to say buuut i have a terrible memory. Overall it’s really worth it and fun! and it’s refreshing to see this type of characters and cultures being portrayed like that. If you don’t agree with any of my points just be respectful about it, and remember this is my point of view and it’s not the only valid one :) !

[tyongxnct]

𝑨 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒕 𝒔𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒔: 𝒔𝒐𝒏𝒈𝒔 𝒃𝒚 𝑺𝒆𝒍𝒆𝒏𝒂 𝑮𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒛

Hey! This is my first series and I decided to write some fics based on Selena Gomez’ songs because I love that woman and her music is just painfully beautiful. Each story is like 99% angst and heartbreak. I worked so hard for this and I can’t wait to share each story. I recommend you to listen to the songs while reading!! I hope you enjoy reading as much as I enjoyed writing!

‣ 𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑓𝑒𝑐𝑡 - 𝐿𝑒𝑒 𝑇𝑎𝑒𝑦𝑜𝑛𝑔

𝒔𝒖𝒎𝒎𝒂𝒓𝒚: your relationship with Taeyong was falling apart and you knew that you had to let him go, but you loved him so much, so you chose to be selfish. You tried to ignore the fact that he was cheating on you, that he spend nights with someone else next to him in bed and that his lips tasted like her lipstick whenever you kissed him. Taeyong is perfect and he deserved someone perfect, that’s why you decided to change yourself for him, to make him stay and love you again, but no matter what, in the end you weren’t her.

𝒈𝒆𝒏𝒓𝒆: cheating!au, idol!au, angst

𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔: cheating, mentions of sex, self-doubt, 2 mini smut scenes they’re really short,

𝒓𝒆𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒆 𝒅𝒂𝒕𝒆: January 31, 2021 READ HERE 

‣ 𝑟𝑎𝑟𝑒 - 𝐿𝑒𝑒 𝐻𝑎𝑒𝑐𝘩𝑎𝑛

𝒔𝒖𝒎𝒎𝒂𝒓𝒚: You were always giving and giving, but you never received anything. Haechan stopped showing you how much he loved you and cared for you, but you never stopped caring for him and loving him. You were always there whenever he needed you. You did everything you could to make him happy. You let him use you but when you had enough and broke up with him, he realized that his biggest mistake was letting someone like you go. You were one in a million and he lost you.

𝒈𝒆𝒏𝒓𝒆: breakup!au, college!au, angst

𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔: mention of sex, alcohol consumption, swearing

𝒓𝒆𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒆 𝒅𝒂𝒕𝒆: February 3, 2021 READ HERE

‣ 𝑠𝑜𝑏𝑒𝑟 - 𝑊𝑜𝑛𝑔 𝑌𝑢𝑘𝘩𝑒𝑖

𝒔𝒖𝒎𝒎𝒂𝒓𝒚: you fell for him, and you fell hard. You knew that you’d fall for him, but you couldn’t bring yourself to stop seeing Yukhei. He was heartbroken and you filled that empty space with your body. Whenever he was drunk, he called you and treated you like a queen but when he was sober, he was distant and hated it when you got too close. It didn’t matter that you were jealous and heartbroken every time he pushed you away, Yukhei only cared for his feelings.

𝒈𝒆𝒏𝒓𝒆: fwb!au, angst

𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔: smut, alcohol consumption, swearing

𝒓𝒆𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒆 𝒅𝒂𝒕𝒆: February 7, 2021 READ HERE 

‣ 𝑛𝑜𝑏𝑜𝑑𝑦 - 𝑁𝑎 𝐽𝑎𝑒𝑚𝑖𝑛

𝒔𝒖𝒎𝒎𝒂𝒓𝒚: Letting random guys use your body wouldn’t bring him back, you knew it, but you still let them use you. Jaemin, the love of your life, promised you to come back. When Jaemin left to fulfill his dream of becoming an idol, he told you that he’d come back to get you. You fed yourself with lies and you were still waiting for him, even after years. You didn’t want to let someone else love you, only Jaemin could love you.

𝒈𝒆𝒏𝒓𝒆: breakup!au, idol!au, angst

𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔: mentions of sex, swearing

𝒓𝒆𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒆 𝒅𝒂𝒕𝒆: February 10, 2021 READ HERE

‣ 𝑙𝑜𝑠𝑒 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑡𝑜 𝑙𝑜𝑣𝑒 𝑚𝑒 - 𝐽𝑢𝑛𝑔 𝐽𝑎𝑒𝘩𝑦𝑢𝑛

𝒔𝒖𝒎𝒎𝒂𝒓𝒚: You were blinded by your love for Jaehyun. You loved him and believed him every time he promised you that he loved you and that he would marry you soon. A couple years later, whenever you talked about marriage, he would change the topic or simply yell at you for forcing him to marry you even though he wasn’t ready. Everyone around you noticed the change in your relationship but you were still madly in love with Jaehyun but one day you realized that you loved Jaehyun more than you loved yourself and it was breaking you apart.

𝒈𝒆𝒏𝒓𝒆: breakup!au, angst

𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔: mentions of cheating, swearing

𝒓𝒆𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒆 𝒅𝒂𝒕𝒆: February 14, 2021 (Jaehyun birthday special) READ HERE

‣ 𝑓𝑒𝑒𝑙 𝑚𝑒 - 𝐽𝑢𝑛𝑔 𝐽𝑎𝑒𝘩𝑦𝑢𝑛

𝒔𝒖𝒎𝒎𝒂𝒓𝒚: After your break up with Jaehyun, you were always on his mind. It’s been almost two years and he missed you so much, it was torture being without you. Nobody loved him like you did and no matter how much he tried to get you off his mind, he only wanted you. Every night a different woman in his bed but he always imagined you. Jaehyun wanted you back but were you ready to face him?

𝒈𝒆𝒏𝒓𝒆: angst

𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔: part 2 of lytlm, light smut, swearing

𝒓𝒆𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒆 𝒅𝒂𝒕𝒆: February 17, 2021 READ HERE

‣ 𝑡𝘩𝑒 𝘩𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑡 𝑤𝑎𝑛𝑡𝑠 𝑤𝘩𝑎𝑡 𝑖𝑡 𝑤𝑎𝑛𝑡𝑠 - 𝐿𝑒𝑒 𝑇𝑎𝑒𝑦𝑜𝑛𝑔

𝒔𝒖𝒎𝒎𝒂𝒓𝒚: You and Taeyong promised each other to go through everything together. You both dreamed of the music industry and after so many years, you finally got the opportunity to sign a contract with a big company, but they only wanted you, not Taeyong and you. At first, you didn’t want to do anything without Taeyong, but he encouraged you and supported you, but after your big success, Taeyong changed and his jealousy destroyed your relationship.

𝒈𝒆𝒏𝒓𝒆: idol!au, angst

𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔: alcohol consumption, swearing

𝒓𝒆𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒆 𝒅𝒂𝒕𝒆: February 21, 2021 READ HERE

‣ 𝑠𝑎𝑚𝑒 𝑜𝑙𝑑 𝑙𝑜𝑣𝑒 - 𝑀𝑎𝑟𝑘 𝐿𝑒𝑒

𝒔𝒖𝒎𝒎𝒂𝒓𝒚: Dating Mark Lee was wonderful- until it wasn’t. You were fighting all the time and he hurt you with his words, but this time you had enough. You couldn’t let him hurt you and accept him back whenever he said that he was sorry. You were so sick of letting him hurt you, so sick of him talking about your relationship with others behind your back. He changed so much, you probably did too, but he wasn’t the person you fell in love with anymore.

𝒈𝒆𝒏𝒓𝒆: breakup!au, angst

𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔: /

𝒓𝒆𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒆 𝒅𝒂𝒕𝒆: February 24, 2021 READ HERE

‣ 𝑤𝑒 𝑑𝑜𝑛'𝑡 𝑡𝑎𝑙𝑘 𝑎𝑛𝑦𝑚𝑜𝑟𝑒 - 𝐿𝑒𝑒 𝐽𝑒𝑛𝑜

𝒔𝒖𝒎𝒎𝒂𝒓𝒚: Jeno and you used to be deeply in love. Your relationship was almost too good to be true. But after a while, the perfect relationship was anything but perfect. No more talking about your problems, just yelling and shouting until you had enough. The lack of communication destroyed your relationship and moving on was harder than you two thought.

𝒈𝒆𝒏𝒓𝒆: breakup!au, angst

𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔: swearing

𝒓𝒆𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒆 𝒅𝒂𝒕𝒆: February 26, 2021 READ HERE

‣ 𝑏𝑎𝑐𝑘 𝑡𝑜 𝑦𝑜𝑢 - 𝑀𝑎𝑟𝑘 𝐿𝑒𝑒

𝒔𝒖𝒎𝒎𝒂𝒓𝒚: Years ago, you were deeply in love with Mark Lee. He’s your first love and you thought he’d be the last. After finding out why he really dated you, he broke up with you and vanished. You were devastated and heartbroken. Now you were at the airport as the maid of honor of your best friend Aera, her wedding’s in Greece and you were flying three days earlier with her, her fiancé Jaehyun and his best man. Little did you know that Mark Lee was Jaehyun’s best man. Feelings you thought you had buried deep inside bloomed again.

𝒈𝒆𝒏𝒓𝒆: exes-to-lovers!au, angst, smut, fluff

𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔: smut, alcohol consumption,

𝒓𝒆𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒆 𝒅𝒂𝒕𝒆: February 28, 2021 READ HERE

[vethbrenatto]

TLOVM Episodes 7-9 Thoughts

Post-Episode 7 Thoughts:

overall a really solid episode; i don’t think it thrilled me as much as 4-6 but still very good

i think the choice to have the sun tree “speak” through visions is actually really intelligent, definitely draws on sentient plantlife in other properties and makes it a lot easier to take the sun tree seriously but also.... i miss chill vibes sun tree they were my boo

really enjoying vex’s relationships; in particular in this episode vex’s care for scanlan (calling him annoying to his face but worrying about him constantly when he’s gone) and vex’s complex relationship with kiki. basically everything that laura said in the last watch party but with the added impact that keyleth adores vex and they support each other when it counts (kiki boosting vex up in combat)

this episode gave me one or two good chuckles: grog busting the door down to the trap and then scanlan falling from his hand after defeating vedmeyer, also vax’s comment about VM being known for plans

looooved the scanbo sequence, i thought it was so fun and really captured the essence, also the bit with the guards playing d&d was adorable

best characterization: scanlan, vex’ahlia

Post-Episode 8 Thoughts:

i thought this episode started off a little slow but REALLY picked up

LOVE the way keyleth’s nature based healing was shown. the way this show displays different types of magic: nature-based, divine, arcane- continues to be a highlight

the little cass and kiki moment was both hilarious and adorable, definitely gave me a laugh

such a great narrative move to shift it so that all of VM that was present got charmed against percy, really gave the moment higher stakes than just grog being charmed

i thought pike’s little mini-arc was going a bit slow with the continual trips back to the purple realm but i ADORED the culmination of it. the everlight’s voice performance was a standout for me 

as someone who has listened to the soundtracked a lot ‘you got scanlan-ed’ not having the backing track made it so much more endearing, i really enjoyed his little solo gloating moment. also!!! queer scanlan being as explicit as it was here especially.... i am thankful

finally; i did love keyleth’s skywrite. i was waiting for it since i heard “signal in the sky” and no, it wasn’t as good as the original skywrite moment imo but i was still very pleased to see it. i wonder if they’re going to include her skywriting again near the end of the arc as it happens in the original.

best characterization: keyleth

Post-Episode 9 Thoughts:

yes yes delilah briarwood evil bad but she did it all for LOVE yall... SEEING the briarwoods “for love” bastardization in all its glory. i LIVED.

the way i PHYSICALLY shook like extending my arms out and shaking them like a flapping bird upon realizing that they were surrounding by too many undead and the only thing that would save them is.... PIKE’S TURN UNDEAD

the sun tree bodies being awakened by delilah’s necromancy?? my laudna theory is livinggg

scanlan’s little “i need that arm for... stuff” is honestly the first dirty joke that i’ve actually laughed at, maybe it was a little more subtle and that’s why? not sure and who can say

bad news is sick as fuck

archie getting bisected was a gag

“yes, yes, she’s the tits” I CACKLED

PIKE TRICKFOOT MVP PIKE TRICKFOOT BADDEST BITCH IN EXISTENCE BABE

okay imma be real the pacing on the anna ripley thing at the end was... rough. i think they were going for cliffhanger but if i didn’t have context for exactly who anna is i don’t think that scene would be a serve, but other than that overall great ep!

i am... a little sad that “pike trickfoot” from the soundtrack is an end credits song. i was wondering how they’d work it into the narrative, but the fact scanlan doesn’t actually sing it in the story makes me :(

best characterization: pike, percy

Overall thoughts: I think this show is definitely getting funnier as it goes along and finding its voice. I’m genuinely laughing at many jokes now and less are outright missing. I love the way magic and spellcasting is portrayed throughout, so good. My biggest gripe aesthetically continues to be the mix of CGI into the 2D animation, but I do understand that it’s a necessary measure for cost purposes because some things are just too complex to animate. It is something that I have been noticing consistently though (and then in the watch parties they’ll be like - golly, did you know we did that part with CG? and im like.... yeah i noticed sdfkgldgjlkh) Some faves:

Favorite Characterization Overall: Scanlan, Pike Favorite Comedic Characterization: Hmm... maybe Grog this time? A lot of his moments made me chuckle Favorite NPC: The Everlight Favorite Scanlan Song: Pike Trickfoot (but as far ones that actually showed up in the narrative: You Got Scanlan-ed) Favorite Scene: A tie between the Briarwoods backstory and Pike’s triumphant return Favorite Episode: Episode 7

[wrotelovelytears]

Gaymer things

(This was lifted off my blog with new additions because I'm tired and love playing games)

🕹 Sag, Scorpio, Virgo, and Gemini Mercuries might enjoy Choose Your Own Adventure games. (I personally love the Choice of Games and Hosted Games ones, just a sugestion).

⚔ I say this because it allows the mind to be kept preoccupied with reading as well making choices that impact the story. Its a learning opportunity (Gem and Sag) and can allow one to spend time to themselves (Scorpio and Virgo).

⚔ If Virgos gonna play anything its a puzzle game. Something about having to think AND seeing how things interact in real time just *chefs kiss*. These games can vary from the choice ones mentioned to Sudoku and Word searches.

⚔ Pretty sure Geminis like Mahjong and other games like those. You might even find them playing Mancala to pass the time. While that might seem out of character, they enjoy the competition and the ability to relax.

⚔ Sagittarius might play a lot of mobile games. Like there's going to be variety in the type played and a vast majority will be multiplayer and competition based. I could even see PvP or PvEs as their go to.

🙇‍♀️👨‍💻🎮🕹📱⚔⛏ (ง˃̶͈⚰˂̶́)ง⁼³₌₃🙇‍♀️👨‍💻🎮🕹📱⚔⛏

🕹 More action/story games like Halo, Call of Duty and even the Wolfenstien franchise would call to those with heavy Aries, Scorpio as well as Capricorn Mars.

⚔ The reason being is these games focus both on fighting and the relationships the characters have with each other. Mars focus on the energy you put in the simplest terms, these signs as well are focused on both self and other, so the addition of being able to see how the fighting is nice.

⚔ Capricorns also love board games. Life, Monopoly etc all require not only co operation but strategic planning. Might also enjoy chess, and other classical board games.

⚔ Never met a Scorpio that for some reason doesn't love hand games. If you don't know what those are, I'm referring to things like "Cinderella", "Mommy's having a baby", "Patty Cake" etc. The love comes from not only having to play 1 on 1 (most of the time) but coming up with clever rhymes. Jump rope (double dutch) was another childhood favorite.

⚔ Aries loved tag, hide and seek and red rover so much. They are the adults that set up games nights at jungle gyms to relive their childhood. They also probably go to those trampoline houses.

🙇‍♀️👨‍💻🎮🕹📱⚔⛏ (ง˃̶͈⚰˂̶́)ง⁼³₌₃🙇‍♀️👨‍💻🎮🕹📱⚔⛏

🕹People with Libra, Cancer or Pisces Venus would likely feel more called to more realxing (KEY WORD) open world games. So games such as Animal Crossing NH, Pokemon GO, possibly Minecraft (and more).

⚔ I mainly named games that give off a more peaceful vibe because these signs want the ability to have consistent changes made and tranquility. With the open world aspect being there it allows the addition of playing with other people and not being alone (as these sign are still social, to varying degrees).

⚔Libra really likes the socializing aspects of games. It allows them to mirror real life interactions they have a learn more about their world. They could've also been the type to play make believe games with others.

⚔ Pisces played dress up. It doesn't matter the gender, like Libra their imagination was very vivid. These were also the fairy, knight and made up bedtime games kids. It still bleeds into their adult life more in terms of enjoy fantasy and historical drama games.

⚔ Emotion driven games got a chokehold on Cancers. Definitely like story games that have a lot of depth. As a child they spent a lot of time playing building and quick play games. Might had a couple of fake kitchen items but also legos, mini shovels and buckets.

🙇‍♀️👨‍💻🎮🕹📱⚔⛏ (ง˃̶͈⚰˂̶́)ง⁼³₌₃🙇‍♀️👨‍💻🎮🕹📱⚔⛏

🕹Last and certainly not least Leo, Taurus and Aquarius Moons might find comfort in a variety of games. However since they are all fixed signs I will say games such as Grand Theft Auto, Among Us, Little Nightmares (etc) would all appeal to them the most.

⚔ The named these three because of the dark themes they all carry. Little Nightmares has flashes of bright colors and still a dark game, GTA has various dark topics talked about a done through out the series, and Among Us is a dark comedy in a way despite all the very bright colors of the game. They all have a host of memory and puzzles through out them all and all three of the signs enjoy these a lot. Lastly you can have both open world and changing your character dynamics to fit the environment which is something all the signs do.

⚔ Another note is these signs would definitely plays games from their childhood. Taurus would enjoy cooking and home making games they played when younger. Leo would enjoy the fashion and art games. Aquarius would play retro games that either got remastered or no longer get sold.

🙇‍♀️👨‍💻🎮🕹📱⚔⛏ (ง˃̶͈⚰˂̶́)ง⁼³₌₃🙇‍♀️👨‍💻🎮🕹📱⚔⛏

What are some games you enjoy/ enjoyed play(ing)?

[mandareeboo]

SU Music Rankings

Bc I can and I wanna start some Disk Horse rip. These are all in order of preference, with explanations, etc. It’s a long bitch. That said, I’m not counting little short jingles or small joke songs like Little Butler. This is the meat and potatoes of SU music- just under 30 songs. I might do the rest if people like my takes lol.

I scored it mostly on three bases- how dear it was to my heart, how much/often I relisten to it, and also what it means to the plot. That said, little fun songs don’t automatically go farther down than big, plot-heavy songs either! It’s a strange little balance.

Special Note: I don’t dislike any of this music! I love SU and that includes its bumps and glitches. I just pick favorite children lol.

1.) Change

Was there ever a more Steven moment than when he wiped the blood off his face and kissed it into sparkles? I think not. 

If “Be Wherever You Are” is an ode to young Steven, then this is teen Steven’s. Talking about change, and how much and how little it can do. How he holds his arms up for Spinel to hug him, so trusting. How he seems able to just. Break into soft tears at will, and not to be manipulative- it’s just his kind nature. The warmth in his voice. Fuck yesssss.

2.) Change Your Mind

This song is only fifty five seconds and it’s EVERYTHING to me. It really felt like someone was speaking the words I’d always held deep inside of me, unsure of how to say. It feels like a goodbye to someone who never really loved me. 

As much as I enjoyed Future, if this was the finale of SU, I would’ve been perfectly okay with that.

3.) Drift Away

This song gave me legitimate shivers the first time I heard it, and it still haunts me to this day. Spinel stayed, and waited, and all she got was a transmission thousands of years later. Fuck.

4.) Here We Are In The Future

THE MOVIE IS SU AS ITS BEST AND I WON’T BE SWAYED ON IT. Steven being a teen who loves his weird family but is growing just a bit sarcastic to their drama. The adorable love he and Connie share. His slow realization that he will always be working, always have things to do, is both somber and real. The Crystal Gems won’t be safe with one epic battle. They’ll be safe with years of hard work and love. HIS LITTLE HANDSHAKE WITH AMETHYST.

This is a helluva bop and a great way to summarize the main character’s backstories.

5.) Let’s Only Think About Love

Did ya’ll know that Zach Callison killed his throat with that last note? He gave his all for this performance in a vocal range he no longer comfortably do and by god did it SHINE. The FLAIR. The FORESHADOWING. All of the Gems all being awkward about Rose and Steven trying to bring them to the present. Peridot having a mini-existential crisis in a cute yellow dress. I love Zach Callison’s normal singing voice but man is that a fucking bop. Nothing will ever beat it.

6.) Here Comes A Thought

This bad boy helped me out a LOT with some mental issues I was dealing with in high school. I was unmedicated, unsupervised, and full of anxiety. I’d have break downs when I tried to speak about certain things. I couldn’t function. This song inspired me. It helped me feel okay with my intrusive thoughts.

And the episode! -chef’s kiss-. Once again bringing up the morally gray area of training child soldiers. Connie expanding her social group. Steven’s trauma hauling ass in that second half. The ANIMATION. Stevonnie’s gorgeous singing voice. GOD yes.

7.) It’s Over Isn’t It?

Just barely squeaking above Stronger Than You, this ballad is everything gorgeous. The whole episode is. I think Mr. Greg stands in the top five of my episodes for the entire show. It even got nominated!

There’s just so much about this song that I love. The gentle melancholy of Pearl’s voice. How the crew had to redo the shots for this bit bc Deedee went so fucking hard. The hard cuts between Pearl, remembering the love of her life, and Steven, who has begun to feel like he took her away. I’d recommend this song to anyone, regardless of what they do or don’t know about SU, simply bc it tugs so many heartstrings of love, loss, and responsibility.

8.) Stronger Than You

Did you realize this episode aired SEVEN years ago? This bitch was what got me into SU! Hearing about Ruby and Sapphire made my little gay heart so happy inside, and then getting a whole song confirming that they were a couple, that their love powered the strongest Gem on the team? Aaaaaaaaa

To this DAY I get excited when I hear Estelle start singing. This song is timeless. This song will live in media history. God I fucking love this song.

9.) Other Friends

I’m not the biggest musical person, so I hadn’t heard of Sarah Stiles before her casting as Spinel, but JESUS CHRIST the lady went hard. She went SO fucking hard. Sarah Stiles started on 100 and somehow just kept CLIMBING. You can just hear the sheer manic energy building in her voice, the anger and resentment. 10/10 Sarah Stiles is a queen.

10.) Independent Together

This made the list entirely bc the crew was like “you’re gonna get a himbo ass Steven-Greg fusion singing with Opal while Garnet flies across the moon on Lion while floating” and I am forever thankful to them for it

11.) Who We Are

Bismuth deserved more songs. ‘Nuff said.

12.) Peace and Love (On the Planet Earth)

It Could’ve been Great is EASILY one of my favorite s2 episodes. I love the entire concept of this song. Of Steven making music to reflect how much Earth means to him and his family. Of him teaching Peridot some self-care. Also Peridot’s singing voice is really cute and squeaky. 

I know it’s silly, but I would’ve really enjoyed a flip around of this in Future! Like Peridot reminding Steven how much he loves music, that he needs to take time to relax for himself, maybe with a new verse or just a remix of the original song!

13.) Something Entirely New

I watched this episode as it aired, and I legitimately almost cried. I love Charlyne Yi’s voice so much ya’ll- her raspy, not perfect singing voice against Sapphire’s deep soothing lull is great.

And to have Ruby and Sapphire’s meeting be the way it was- for Ruby to bemoan Sapphire losing Homeworld, to being stuck with a single Ruby, while Sapphire is a noble who has always been taught everyone in her “caste” is vitally important (and has, in her own mind, taken that to mean every Gem, as she should) and how they come together and make each other happy. Good shit good shit.

14.) I’m Just a Comet

The fact that Greg’s music career never really blasted off pisses me off to this day bc Tom Scharpling’s voice is fucking BUTTER. Also the song really feels like a jab at his parents now that we know the kind of dynamic he had growing up.��“This life in the stars if all I’ve ever known” is definitely him wiping away their existence after reminding them (and himself) the things they used to say about him.

15.) Do It For Her

This episode. This fucking episode. This episode got me permanently hooked on SU. I’d just binged season 1 and was kinda meh about it overall after the bop of Stronger Than You. “Oh,” I thought to myself, foolishly, “I’ll probably just casually watch this from time to time.”

Like three days later Sworn to the Sword aired and that was it. I was hooked! Pearl’s gentle training song turning darker and darker, Connie’s accompaniment from nervous to determined to fully into such a toxic mindset. The fact that SU had the BALLS to discuss the repercussions of training child soldiers, now and later. This episode was everything to me, STILL is everything to me.

Six years and well over 100 fanfics written later, I think it’s safe to say this show swallowed me whole and never let go.

16.) System/Boot.pearl_final(3)

I debated putting this on the list because it’s not anything crazy important, just a way to show things are Wrong, but I had to do it entirely bc Pearl is so damn SALTY.

Like telling us about the Gems makes sense, she felt like she was given a duty, but she went so damn petty. WHY is that Ruby alone. Gross. This Amethyst is a trash dump. Wtf are you people.

17.) Full Disclosure

This episode really feels like a turning point for SU. Before, the show had its dark moments- but now we’re in the thick of it, and it’s not going away. Full Disclosure felt like an rebuff to the idea of returning to any normal we’d established in season 1. Gems are actually a giant species now. Gems tried to kill us now. There’s this Yellow Diamond bitch who got namedropped. Something about a Cluster. 

The song itself is BALLER, with its ingenious use of Steven’s ringtone and photos as he tries to decide whether to clue in Connie on all this nonsense. Meanwhile we, the audience, already know damn well Connie about to yeet some common sense into him.

18.) What’s the Use of Feeling Blue?

I’mma admit it- I’m a Yellow Diamond stan. I’ve always loved her- her anger, her poise, her hardworking nature. I actively argued against the “Yellow Shattered Pink” theories back in the day. But, man, when this arc leaked? I got so overexcited I was too jittery to watch it for like two days. It’s easily my favorite arc of the series. The sheer alien nature of the zoo, the Famethyst, and absolutely Patti Lupone’s beautiful ballad. Goddamn. Yellow singing to Blue to try and help her regain her old status, the warble in her voice as she reminds Blue she misses Pink too, the movement of the bubbles as she talks about attack. It gives me shivers to this day. FUCK.

19.) Tower of Mistakes

This is, fun fact, that only SU song I have completely memorized. The story itself is kinda funny! See, we lost internet at my house for a solid 5 to 6 months when these episodes aired, so I only got a very brief window to view them all. But this was the first Amethyst song in a long while, and I didn’t want to forget it! So I keep replaying it in my head for ages. And that’s still definitely a thing.

Anyway will never not be sad that this entire song was about making it up to Garnet for Amethyst’s perceived slights with Sugilite (which was a two-way road), only for Garnet to pressure her into fusion later when pissed and never discuss it again bc Garnet probably never thought twice about it and Amethyst has the emotional openness of a clam that’s just been told its ugly. Helluva way to make someone feel like shit, G. Helluva way to bottle that shit, Ames.

20.) On the Run

I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a million times: Amethyst! Needed! More! Songs! 

The dichotomy between Steven’s play and Amethyst’s honest desire to run away from home is so well-done, especially when you consider a lot of Steven and Amethyst’s actions are playing together. The song is also near and dear to me simply bc it’s my favorite Amethyst episode to exist (well, maybe second to What’s Your Problem, but not by much). Moments like these are all the proof I need that they were right to fuse first.

21.) Be Wherever You Are

This tune really just feels like an ode to who Steven was as a kid. Trapped on an island with no way home, and he’s just happy to be with his friends. The stars are beautiful and not oppressive. Also that one animatic with Lars and the Off Colors playing in the Homeworld Kindergarten to this music was iconic and made this song get stuck in my head for a solid month.

22.) Familiar

I ADORE how the crew use bright neon colors to show how alien Homeworld can be. And Steven recognizing that the Diamonds treat him how the CGs used to, and how prepared he is to “fix” a broken family. It’s a soft, gentle tune about melancholy. Also the Pebbles are beautiful.

23.) Let Me Drive My Van Into Your Heart

Such a cute little love ballad, but every time I listen to it now I just imagine the heart attack Rose must’ve had at the line “And if we look out of place/Well, baby, that's okay/I'll drive us into outer space.” like there’s a Vietnam war flashback if I ever heard one

24.) What Can I Do?

I’m kind of neutral on this one? Rose and Greg both have great voices, but the song itself lacks many lyrics. I think it was definitely a good way to show Rose’s flaws in thinking.

Also, I’m shocked they managed cram that much vaguely sexual innuendo into two minutes, followed by how Not Hetereo that dance between Rose and Pearl was, and not get their asses chewed by it. You go guys.

25.) Cookie Cat

I love a lot of the vibes this song has. The lyrics are so damn prophetic, but they also sound like the kind of weird 90s commercials I grew up on. It’s been like two decades since I saw the Shirley Temple commercial but I’ll be damned if I don’t remember “Animals crackers in my soup! Monkey and rabbits loop-de-loop.”

26.) Giant Woman

I am. NOT the biggest fan of Steven’s original singing voice. I feel bad saying that, since it was just Zach Callison as a kid, but he never jived well with me for some reason. So I wouldn’t listen to this on the fly. 

The song itself is still really good though, with all sorts of fun animation of Amethyst and Pearl being bitchy to each other. It’s a bit sad in hindsight to see tiny Steven trying to get his moms to get along. Ahh, season 1.

27.) Strong in the Real Way

This song has SUCH a strong start. Pearl reflecting on Sugilite’s problems, but the show making sure to show us that Pearl’s lack of enthusiasm towards her also lends itself to jealousy as well as just general malaise. How much she cares about Steven, and wants him to grow up strong. 

And then Steven just kinda. Ruins it? I appreciate his enthusiasm for tryna bulk up but to take what was starting as such a rich, personal song and broadcasting it to random strangers just makes me a bit sad. Almost a bit angry on her behalf?

28.) That Distant Shore

I KNOW this is gonna create some discourse, but I’m just not the biggest Lapis stan. I love her voice. I love the visuals of the song. And I get why she felt afraid and needed to flee.

But Lapis never got to take responsibility for her own actions. And, in the end, the song feels hollow to me- because we all know she’ll never talk to anyone about it, know she’ll burst back in and destroy the barn, and no one will ever question it. I like Lapis a lot, but I feel like her arc never was fully finished. She never got help. She never learned to feel safe.

29.) Dear Old Dad

I’ve yet to meet a single human being who likes this episode tbh. There’s some great discussion about what kind of parent Greg is from it, and what kind of dynamic he has with the Gems that he felt he had to fake an injury to hang out with his son. Honestly the first half was fine and dandy. It’s just that then they Greg just went out of his way to drag Steven away from missions and such. It never jived well with his character before or after.

Also, is it just me, or does Zach himself sound like he hates the song as he sings it? There’s no passion or heart in his voice. It sounds like they told him to read off cue cards and he did. Tom Scharpling’s best attempts didn’t save this one for being a skipper. But the episode, unfortunately, isn’t, so it gets a spot on here.

[mint-yooxgi]

{14} - Hotel California - Yandere!Demonic Entities!Ateez X Reader

Yandere AU & Demon AU - Based off of This ask and Hotel California by Eagles

Genre: Mature, Horror, Angst, Fluff, Slight Humor

Pairing: Ateez X Reader (Focus on San & Mingi)

Words: 9,450

Warnings: Subtle manipulative tendencies, dream/mental voyerism, threats with a bat. This is a Yandere story, it will contain themes such as stalking, violence, obsession, possessive natures, and just general overall creepiness and swearing. You have been warned.

A/n: Mingi Stans, come get y’all juice (can I say that even though it’s not smut yet? Oh well, I just did lmaoo). Anyways, I hope you all enjoy this next part, I know I did!! I’ve got a few things planned for the upcoming chapters, so stay tuned! As always, feedback is greatly appreciated! Enjoy~

Main Story - Part Two - Part Three - Part Four - Part Five - Part Six - Part Seven - Part Eight - Part Nine - Part Ten - Part Eleven - Part Twelve - Part Thirteen - Mini Masterlist

The first few days after your confession with Yeosang were interesting to say the least. Needless to say, you were mortified at the idea that the other seven overheard you having sex, and despite Yeosang reassuring you that he made sure to kick his brothers out of the house well before anything transpired between the both of you, you weren’t all that convinced.

Though, the more you thought about it, the more you realized that it was going to have to be something you all would have to get used to. You’ve just never been in a relationship like this before, so the thought of having someone overhear you having sex has always been a cause for embarrassment. Now though, you’re easing into the idea.

It’s going to happen again sooner or later, and you aren’t about to make it awkward. Besides, there’s nothing to be ashamed of.

That still didn’t prevent Yeosang from practically living at your side for the first three days after your confession. Oh, so badly did his brothers want to toss him out of the house like he did to them, but they couldn’t. At least, not yet. They did all agree to give each other privacy during each other’s first times with you, out of respect for both you and each other. The fact that he was so smug about it, though, is what really got on their nerves.

Yeosang was subtle. No, he would never boast, but the fact that he could now practically cling onto you whenever he wanted drove the others up the wall. The two of you were practically drenched in each other’s scents, and the fact that Yeosang wouldn’t let you go only made it last that much longer. A fact of which all of them wanted to share in with you for themselves, but Yeosang beat them to it.

At least some were better at hiding and maintaining their jealousy than the others. Mingi, Yunho, and Jongho all know it’s only a matter of time before you allow themselves the honour of having you in the same ways. The fact that you’ve already confessed to one of them so soon after everything means that you’ve only fallen for them much quicker than any of them could have hoped. Needless to say it delights all of them.

The fourth day after the events had transpired, both Seonghwa and Wooyoung had cornered Yeosang in the kitchen on their end of the house, San not so sneakily appearing a moment later.

“Yeosang,” the eldest’s voice was stern, shooting the younger male a pointed look.

“No.” Yeosang’s reply is immediate, quirking an eyebrow knowingly at the three males across from him.

“We haven’t even said anything, yet.” San pouts, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

“I’m not telling you anything,” Yeosang shakes his head. “If you want to know, find out yourself. Better yet, ask her.”

“Come on, Sangie,” Wooyoung whines. “Won’t you at least tell us something? Just one tiny, little thing?”

Slowly, Yeosang tilts his head at his three brothers, blinking at them a few times as a soft smile tugs at his features. They just know he’s reminiscing about whatever transpired between you and him that one morning those few days ago. Though, at the way he gets lost in his own head, they know he’s not cracking.

A frustrated huff escapes the eldest’s lips as both San and Wooyoung pout, but they leave him be. For now.

At least by the fifth day, you no longer smell like him, his scent finally dissipating from your skin, much to their content. Though, Yeosang would beg to differ. He believes you should always be covered in each other, especially now.

What really drives them up the walls, though, is when you seemingly start to get lost in your thoughts around them more often than not. They just know you’re thinking back on the events that had transpired between you and Yeosang mere days ago, especially when that loving smile of yours stretches across your features.

Unluckily for them, you seem to always zone out like this while in the kitchen as you sit at the counter. A fact which has a pout usually tugging at any one of their lips, chests swirling with that all too familiar jealous beast that they’ve all become so used to. Why can’t you be thinking about them like that? Why can’t they be the one on your mind so much so that you cannot help but get bashful when you so much as hear their name?

They just want your everything, and each male is going crazy knowing that he could be so close to having you, yet you still feel so far away.

Perhaps you just don’t know what you’re missing, yet. Which is exactly why on that fifth evening, just as you settle down for bed, one of them makes a plan. One way or another, he’ll make you crave him. So much so, that you’ll come running to him as soon as you wake up, begging for him to touch you.

One thing you still haven’t quite managed to figure out is how to keep your void up when you sleep. Occasionally, if any one of the guys can sense you’re having a bit of an unpleasant dream, they will alter it, implementing the sweetest visions into your mind which immediately has you relaxing, and your mind calming. 

There have even been a few times where they have planted small seeds of desire in you, filling your dreams with sultry dialogue, and the occasional touch here and there. Usually when this happens, you manage to kick them out, which is why this plan of his is so risky.

You have always been able to lucid dream, being aware of what is real and what is fake. Lately, though, you seem to be allowing them free reign in your mindscape during these more recent nights instead of kicking them out right away. A fact which could not make them happier, or work in his favour tonight.

Which is why when he feels that familiar loosening of your void, sinking into the water until he’s fully submerged himself in that inky blackness, he smirks. Time for him to finally consume your every thought, just as you always consume his.

Tumbling into unconsciousness, you feel yourself sitting on top of an antique wooden desk, the polished lacquer shining beneath the light of the full moon. Turning your head to the side reveals a beautiful paned window, a row of bookcases lining either side of the entrance to the balcony that sits just to the right. 

You seem to be in a bedroom, waiting for someone to return. Though, why you seem to be eating from a bag of marshmallows is beyond you. Weird, but you’ll roll with it for now. It’s not the first time you’ve popped up in a gorgeous setting only to be either wearing, eating, or doing something completely out of the ordinary.

The sound of the door opening and closing draws your attention, and you turn your head to the left to see a figure enter the room. He’s dressed in all black, a wide rimmed hat resting on his head and blocking most of his features from your sight. Again, you cannot help but think of Wangyeo, your lovable (and favourite) fictional reaper, even if this man’s outfit is slightly different. Though, he doesn’t remove his hat right away like he usually does when you envision this scenario in your mind.

That should have been your first clue.

The man smirks. A notion of which you take notice of as his lips seem to be the only feature visible to you as he begins making his way over to the desk you’re sitting on top of.

“I’ve missed you, Baby,” his voice rumbles out, and you swear it sounds so familiar to you, but you just cannot place it for the moment.

A longing begins to ache in the centre of your chest for this man, of whom you believe to be Wangyeo for the moment. Not that you’re complaining. You’d gladly have any and all dreams you can about your favourite reaper any day of the week.

You place your bag of marshmallows on the desk beside you, extending your free hand out for him to take. He does, almost immediately, his fingers wrapping delicately around your own as his heart thunders in his chest. 

In the next moment, he steps in front of you, the rim of his hat still angled downwards as it covers most of his face. “Did you miss me, too?”

“More than anything, Baby,” you hear yourself reply, reaching out for him in the next second and pulling him flush into you. 

Naturally, he comes to stand between your parted legs as your hands run over his shoulders, then down his chest, until you wrap them around his back, leaning into him so that your head is resting right over his heart. The intensity you can hear pounding against his chest makes you smile.

You notice you’re clinging onto him for dear life, as if you’re afraid he might leave you again or disappear if you let him go. Though, the same desperation felt in your grip you can feel mirrored in his own as his hands find purchase on your back, holding you to his chest lovingly.

“Don’t ever leave me again,” you hear yourself whisper, a mere plea on your lips.

You feel his chest rumble with a chuckle, “I wouldn’t dream of it, My Queen,”

That should have been your second clue, but your mind is far too consumed by this vision in front of you right now. It’s almost exactly like the little fantasy you had the other week, so you’re not complaining. You’re just mildly surprised you’re dreaming of it now.

Guess you’re more horny than you thought.

Slowly, his hands begin to slide down your body until they find purchase on your thighs. An appreciative squeeze is all you receive as you pull the slightest bit away from him before his lips are on yours, successfully managing to steal your breath away.

The kiss is desperate, and so unbelievably needy, like you are the very air he needs to breathe. Exactly like how you pictured him being in your little fantasy the other week. Your hands splay themselves over his back, pulling him in closer as you deepen the kiss, a whine building in your throat as you feel his tongue brushing against yours in the most sinful of ways.

You start to unbutton his coat. 

Funny, you don’t remember it being this short as you go to push it off of his shoulders. The material feels different, too.

That should have been your third clue. Only, you don’t get to think about it for too long as the male pulls you in closer, a low groan escaping his throat as he feels your legs wrap themselves around his waist. He grinds into you then, and the gasp that he hears escaping your lips as you break from his heated kiss has a shiver of pleasure running up his spine, even if it’s a sound he’s hearing for him only in your dreams.

Immediately, his lips are back on yours and your hands move to tangle in his hair, causing his hat to tumble off of his head and fall to the floor in the next second. You think nothing of letting your own head tilt back as he begins to place open mouthed kisses along the side of your neck soon after, teeth nipping at the delicate skin. Your eyes remain closed for the moment, revelling in the feeling of his tongue laving over your pulse until you spare a glance at the male suckling at your neck.

A flash of pink catches your eyes.

In the next moment, you’ve shoved him off of you, mouth parted in disbelief as you see an all too familiar face staring back at you with a slight pout on his lips, chest heaving as he attempts to catch his breath.

“San?” You grip the edge of the desk for support. “What the fuck? Why the fuck are you in my dream?”

“You didn’t seem to have a problem with it a moment ago,” he mumbles, that all too familiar pout of his still tugging at his features.

“To be fucking fair, I thought this was something else entirely,” you say, motioning vaguely around the room.

Something in his eyes flash, recognition settling over his features until he’s letting out a huff. “I bet you wouldn’t have any problem with Yeosang being here right now.”

Your eyebrows raise considerably in disbelief. “You invaded my dream because you’re jealous.”

“I’m not jealous,” his reply is instantaneous, a frown pulling at his brow.

“Mmhmm,” you purse your lips. “Sure you aren’t. Which is exactly why you pretended to be Wangyeo and-“ your voice catches in your throat as if you’ve just realized something. A tight smile begins to pull at your features as you blink at him multiple times. “San,” the way you say his name has him swallowing quite nervously all of a sudden, “why did you decide to invade my dream and make me think you were Wangyeo?”

He quiet for a moment, tense as he stands before you.

“You wouldn’t have wanted me, otherwise. If I didn’t recreate that damn fantasy of yours-“ he catches himself, immediately cutting his words short as he sees your eyes flash.

“My what?” You smile tersely, eyes shining with hidden malice as you tilt your head slightly, hopping off of the desk you’ve been sitting on top of in the next moment.

He shakes his head, eyes wide as if he just admitted to something he shouldn’t have. Of which he knows will get him in trouble.

“Okay, first of all, shame on you for assuming what, or whom I would want. You can, and will never make that decision for me,” your words are pointed as you cross your arms in front of your chest, “but we can talk about that later. I want to know exactly what you mean by that ‘damn fantasy’ of mine.”

He remains quiet, a tight pull of his lips as a grimace rests on his features. However, you don’t even need to hear anything from him to be able to put two and two together. This scenario, his outfit, the way he was touching you and subsequently letting you touch him, letting you believe you were dreaming about your fantasy all add up.

You inhale sharply, a chill running down your spine as your eyes flash once more.

“Run.” Your voice is ominous, probably the darkest tone he’s ever heard from you directed towards him.

“Baby, please, I can explain-“ he attempts to reason with you, extending his hands out in a nonthreatening motion, but a baseball bat appearing in your hand has him blinking in shock at you in the next second. 

He’s in your domain now.

“You really want to attempt to explain your way out of this one?” You take a slow step towards him, grip tightening on the handle of the bat in your hand. “Let me do it for you, yeah?” You tilt your head slightly, that crazed look shining in your eyes that he hasn’t seen since you threw that mug at Wooyoung’s head. “You invaded my dream here because you’re jealous that I fell in love with and subsequently had sex with your brother before you. Then, deciding that I haven’t been giving you enough attention in the real world, you created my dream here using a fantasy I had made for myself after you overheard me getting off because you thought I wouldn’t want you any other way. Does that sound about right?”

Not to mention the fact that if he overheard you, then they all did.

“Uh,” San blinks, his whole body frozen to the spot for the moment as his gaze remains transfixed on the bat in your hand which you have moved to rest over your one shoulder. “Baby, why do you have a bat?”

“If you want to gain my affections, this is not the way to do it.” You seethe, completely ignoring his question. “I don’t need you and your voyeristic tendencies invading my mind, especially when I’m sleeping.”

Something within his eyes flash, and his entire demeanour is shifting. You can just tell from the way his hands lower, a sneer painting his features as he rolls his eyes that that all too familiar jealous beast is making a reappearance.

“But you’ll fall in love with the biggest voyer of us all, and sleep with him first,” he huffs, moving to cross his arms over his chest.

The silence that settles around the both of you is deadly, and the longer it lingers, the more San becomes uncomfortable by how still you’ve gone.

The tip of the bat touching the ground echoes through the room as you drop you hand back to your side, eyes flashing once more. “Run.”

Immediately, San is thrown from your dream, meaning you’ve returned to consciousness. He lets out a long sigh, running a hand through his hair before slumping back in his seat and crossing his arms over his chest. Now, he’s stuck staring at the counter, a frown on his face as he glares at the bag of marshmallows in front of him. Not even his favourite treat can pull him out of his frustrations right now.

Well, that didn’t go as planned.

Meanwhile, as soon as you feel consciousness returning to you, you’re sitting up in bed and flinging the covers off of your body. Angrily, you shove your feet into your slippers, standing in the next moment. Your eyes blaze with an irritated fury unlike ever before as you stomp your way over to your door, flinging the piece of wood open in the next moment.

Jongho, who had been casually walking down the hallway and towards the cinema room, stops in his tracks as soon as he sees you. He blinks a few times, noting how you meet his gaze with bloodshot eyes, a fire burning behind your orbs from what he may or may not have just observed happen in your dream.

“Darling, are you-“

“Where is he?” Your voice is low, threatening as your words rumble out of you.

“Who?” He’ll play along for now. Besides, if he gets to watch you kick his brother’s ass, he will. Jongho will absolutely revel in it.

“Jongho, sweetie,” for a brief moment, a sickly sweet smile takes over your features as you relax your tense shoulders. “Could I please have a baseball bat?”

In the blink of an eye, said male makes the object appear in his hand, the wooden bat being handed seamlessly to you in an instant. You grin maniacally.

“Thank you, love,” you move to walk passed him, patting his arm affectionately as you do so.

“Don’t smash any of the vases, Hongjoong will be upset.” He informs you, a teasing lilt to his voice.

“Oh, believe me, this isn’t for any vases.” You turn to spare a glance at him from over your shoulder, that same unnerving smile pulling at your features. “Now, where is San?”

“He’s in our kitchen.” Jongho chuckles knowingly as he senses Wooyoung pop his head out from the dance studio down the hallway. “Why, Darling?”

“Because,” you shoot him a final tense smile from over your shoulder before turning around, dragging the tip of the bat along the floor behind you as you once more begin to walk down the hallway and towards their side of the house. “I’m going to break him.”

A pleasant shiver runs up both Wooyoung’s and Jongho’s spine as you say this, muttering something about smashing San’s kneecaps in as your figure retreats down the hallway. Of course, they know you won’t actually do anything to their brother. Sure, you may be mad, but this is a different kind of anger than they’ve felt from you before. Besides, it’s not like you could really hurt San physically with a bat, even if you tried. Unless he let you.

As soon as you round the corner to the entrance to their kitchen to see San sitting at the counter with his shoulders slumped, a crazed grin takes over your features once more.

“Oh, Sannie,” your voice is sickly sweet, and you immediately notice how his entire body tenses as it reaches his ears.

You’re no fool. You know he knew you were coming. You also know he knows you’re holding a bat in your hand right now, probably having overheard you ask Jongho for one from down the hall.

“I thought I told you to run.” 

Instantly, he’s on his feet, turning to face you with his hands outstretched in front of him in attempts to calm you down. Your eyes briefly dart to the bag of marshmallows on the counter, and you realize now why you probably had been eating some in your dream.

“A bat? Again?” Comes his first response, quirking a brow at you in curiosity. “Baby, you know you can’t hurt me with that.”

“I know,” you huff amusedly, “but I can try.”

Something in his eyes flash, and you notice how pained he seems to be in the next moment. “Are you that mad that you would hit me over it?”

“I might,” your eyes flash.

“You would beat me?” His question sounds as if his voice catches in his throat, eyes drooping as he looks at you.

Immediately, the bat is falling from your hand as your breath hitches in your throat.

“No! Oh my god, no!” You shake your head, eyes going wide. “San, I may be upset, but I would never beat you over it.”

“I know,” a cheeky grin stretches across his face as he casually leans against the counter using one hand for support. “You probably couldn’t, even if you tried. I just needed you to drop the bat.”

Sure enough, when you look down at the ground, the bat has disappeared from sight.

“Look,” you sigh, raising your one hand to rub at the side of your head, “I can handle you guys altering my dreams. I’ve known you’ve been doing so since I got here.” He quirks a brow at you. “However, what I don’t appreciate is you invading my mind because you’re fucking jealous over a stupid, petty reason, and using my own fantasies for your own gain.”

“So, if I did it if I wasn’t jealous for that reason, it’d be okay?” He smirks knowingly.

“No!” You reply exasperatedly. “Are you even listening to what I’m saying?”

“Of course I am, Baby,” he meets your gaze.

You take a deep breath to steady yourself, calming your frustrations for the moment.

“Then, do you understand why I’m so upset?” You cross your arms over your chest as you meet his gaze.

“Because I got jealous.”

“Oh, no, the jealousy I can handle.” Your response clearly catches him off guard. “I expect it from you guys, so that’s nothing new. It’s still a bit ridiculous, in my opinion, and I feel bad that you all feel that insecure about out relationships to cause such jealousy within you. You all cannot expect me to fall in love with you at the same rate, that’s just unrealistic.” You shake your head, waving your hand in the air as if dismissing the thought for the moment. “Anyways, that’s beside the point.”

You can tell he’s still stunned just from the way he blinks at you in response.

“No, I’m upset at the fact that you believed that I would only want you if you posed as someone else.” You continue, raising a finger pointedly in the air for emphasis. “First of all, that’s untrue. Second of all,” you slowly begin closing the distance between the both of you, and you notice how he backs himself against the wall until you’re standing right before him. Without thinking, you place a hand beside his shoulder to support yourself, practically holding him there as he watches you with hooded eyes. “The fact that you decided to make that choice for me, irritates me. You don’t know what I want. Hell, I don’t know what I want half the time, but I don’t appreciate you making that decision for me.”

“Also, you don’t think I haven’t come to terms with the fact that I know you’ve all seen me naked before with your little voyeristic tendencies?” You notice the way he swallows thickly, his Adam’s apple bobbing as his eyes briefly trail down the front of your body. “Believe me, that took some heavy mental talking through on my part to even be in the same room as you all after I figured that one out. Knowing Yeosang may or may not be the biggest voyer of you all changes nothing about what I feel for him now.”

A low growl emanates from his chest, and you have to suppress the way you want to roll your eyes. Only, you fail to notice the way his own dart to a spot beside your head, seemingly looking past you for the moment.

“What upsets me, is the fact that because of your jealousy, you would attempt to throw your own brother under the bus because of the way I feel about him.” You meet his gaze once more. “I know what you’re trying to do, and it’s not going to work.”

“Oh, yeah?” He quirks a brow, eyes briefly darting down to your lips for the moment before staring deeply into your own. His voice drops to a mere whisper. “Just what am I trying to do here, Baby?”

“You,” you shift your hand that had been supporting yourself against the wall in order to place a pointed finger on his chest, “are trying to get me not to like him more than you. Only, your little plan has now backfired on you tremendously.”

His chest rises and falls dramatically. The spot where your finger is pressed against his skin, even if separated by the material of his shirt, burns. A heat floods his veins as he attempts to control his breathing for the time being, but being this close to you, given the situation, San cannot help but become surrounded by everything you.

Again, he glances at your lips, eyes hooding over as he licks his own.

“Oh, you want to kiss me so badly right now,” he smirks. “Don’t you?”

Your brow quirks, and you mirror the smug look on his face with one of your own. Slowly, you trail your finger up, allowing your nail to graze over his chest as you come to cup the side of his jaw in the palm of your hand, thumb settling dangerously close to the corner of his mouth as you lean in. The ghost of your breath tickles the skin of his lips.

“San,” the way you whisper his name as you glance downwards has a pleasant shudder wracking his entire body, anticipation clawing at his chest. “You’re projecting.”

Patting the side of his cheek a few times, you go to pull away from him, much to his disappointment. The pout is back on his face in an instant, even deeper than before as he watches you slowly back away from him.

“Next time I catch any of you in my dreams like that, I won’t hesitate to kick your ass in my own domain.” You state, raising your finger to point threateningly at him. “Also, I’m stealing these.”

Swiping the bag of marshmallows off of the counter, you go to turn around. Only, you don’t expect to see Yeosang leaning against the entranceway when you do, a smug look pulling at his features.

“Oh, stop looking so smug, you’d be in the same boat if the roles were reversed.” You roll your eyes playfully at him, and you watch as he tilts his head in slight acknowledgement. Carefully, you lean back onto the counter, grabbing a marshmallow out of the bag and holding it in your hand. “So, which one of you is going to tell me who the voyer was that spied on me that first night in the bathtub?”

Yeosang nearly loses his balance against the doorframe, righting himself in the next moment as he and San share a look.

“You think I didn’t realize it was fucking one of you after that whole 'we can appear in mirrors’ bit?” You quirk a brow, popping the treat into your mouth before pulling another from the bag. Swallowing the sugar in your mouth, you then add, a little louder than before, “I include all of you in this, by the way.”

Immediately, you feel that pure white string humming with vibration. You open your void.

It wasn’t me, I swear, Gorgeous. Wooyoung’s voice echoes through your head, a bit desperate with how he pleads for you to believe him. I stole your panties, but that was it.

I believe you, Woo. The instant relief you can sense from him as you say this has you huffing in amusement before closing off your mind once more.

You shoot an expectant look towards Yeosang, brow raised in question as he practically sputters in his spot, mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water.

“Well?” You tilt your head slightly at him. “Who was it?”

You hear San laugh from beside you, snatching the marshmallow still held in your hand before raising it to his lips. “You’re staring right at him, Baby. I wasn’t lying when I told you that he’s the biggest voyer of us all.”

You blank, blinking a few times as you watch Yeosang glare at his brother beside you who happily pops the sweet treat into his mouth in the next second. His expression says it all.

A loud sigh escapes your lips as you pull another marshmallow out of the bag, staring at it in contemplation as you rotate it slowly in your hand. Not even a moment later, you freeze, eyes darting up to meet Yeosang’s who stands there as still as a deer in headlights.

“You little shit,” you throw the marshmallow in your hand at him, running after him in the next second as he takes off sprinting down the hall. “Get back here!”

Even more marshmallows are tossed after him as you chase him around the first floor of the house, the soft ammunition bouncing harmlessly off of him each time they meet their target.

A laugh is in his voice as he apologizes, attempting to calm you down. The best part though, is that you both know you’re not really mad at him, just slightly exasperated for the moment. It’s quite amusing to watch, and overhear. At least, for the others.

Ten minutes later and you’ve given up trying to catch him as you’ve ran out of marshmallows to throw. You sternly tell him, and subsequently all of them, not to do something like that, or what San did earlier, again. Of which, they all immediately assure you that they haven’t since you came to them all those weeks ago, and they won’t do so now, anyways.

Well, there go your plans for sleeping early today seeing as you’re now wide awake.

Letting out a small breath through your nose, you make your way towards the cinema room, figuring you can probably watch something to take your mind off of things for now. Plus, it’ll probably make you tired enough to sleep again.

Entering the room a moment later, you notice both Mingi and Jongho sitting on opposite couches seemingly watching a movie. Kuroo appears to be curled up beside Mingi’s legs which are stretched out before him on the chaise portion of the sofa. A fact of which has your lips quirking slightly in the corners as you see the little black ball of fluff raise his head to watch you walk over to where Mingi is sitting in the next moment.

“Are your brothers always this frustrating?” You huff jokingly as you plop yourself onto the couch, laying down immediately so that your head is resting in Mingi’s lap, much to the male’s surprise.

Jongho spares a glance in your direction, a small pout tugging at his lips as he notices Mingi’s typical giddy grin stretching across his features as he looks down at you resting on his lap. That should be him.

“What was your first clue?” Mingi chuckles, finally over his initial shock of you coming right in only to lay yourself in his lap.

“Oh, there were many,” you nod, as if reminiscing the facts.

Not even a moment later, Kuroo stands from his spot, giving a big stretch before crawling over Mingi to settle himself on top of your chest once more. You think it’s starting to become one of his favourite spots.

“Well, hello there, Sir,” you chuckle, giving him a few scratches on his head as he curls into you. “Aren’t you a cutie?”

You continue to coo at the little kitten on your chest, unaware of how both males now gaze at you with such tender love and affection in their eyes. Their hearts swell knowing how comfortable you seem to be in this moment, and they absolutely revel in your presence. Though, none are as smug and happy as Mingi is right now. This is the first time you’ve sat with him, hell, with any of them like this, that he cannot help but to never want to move again. As long as you stay here with him like this, he doesn’t mind at all.

Briefly, the two males share a glance, Mingi shooting a pointed look at the younger male all the while.

Letting out a sigh through his nose, Jongho stands, muttering under his breath about having to go and do something or other. Only, you fail to notice his pout, or the way he pauses slightly in the entranceway, hoping that you’ll get him to stay. 

Unfortunately for him, you seem to be too caught up in petting the kitten for the moment. In fact, if Jongho didn’t know any better, he’d say you didn’t even notice him leave. His pout deepens, finally leaving the room and allowing his brother to spend some quality time alone with the one they love most.

“I thought you would have went back to bed,” Mingi’s voice manages to pull you out of your own thoughts as you mindlessly stroke a hand through Kuroo’s fur.

“Can’t sleep,” you shake your head slightly. “I’m awake now.”

“Ah,” Mingi hums, raising his one hand to begin petting Kuroo alongside your own. “I see.”

“Is this okay, by the way?” You look up at him with wide eyes, and Mingi has to strongly resist the urge to lean down and kiss you. “I sort of just invaded your personal space without asking.”

“Of course!” His answer is immediate, an eagerness to his tone. He clears his throat in the next second, composing himself a bit better. “You can lean on me whenever you want. You don’t even have to ask, I really don’t mind.”

“Good,” you grin cheekily, “cause I wasn’t planning on moving any time soon.”

A pleased rumble builds in his chest, fingers twitching as he resists the urge to touch you. All Mingi wants to do is run his fingers over your scalp, maybe massage your head a little bit, and share in that intimacy with you. Except, he doesn’t want to overstep, or push his luck for the moment. You’re already in his lap, and the last thing he wants to do is push you away. Literally.

“Thanks, Min,” you meet his gaze, a soft smile gracing your features as a gentle fondness shines in your eyes. A fondness Mingi has only ever dreamed of being on the receiving end of. “I really do appreciate it.”

“Of course, Starlight,” he returns your smile, heart racing in his chest as he cannot stop himself from brushing a hand over the top of your head affectionately. The way your eyelids flutter closed, a slight hitch in your breath following has a warmth blooming in his chest. “I am always happy to spend time with you, in any and every way I can.”

“I enjoy spending time with you, Mingi,” your eyelids fall closed once more as he continues to massage his fingers over your scalp, you practically humming in content. “You make me happy.”

“Starlight,” Mingi’s voice is but a whisper on his lips, his heart feeling as if it’s about to burst from his chest as nothing but pure love for you floods his veins.

“I’m serious, Min,” you take the time to place your hand over his which has paused momentarily over Kuroo’s body. “I know this might feel like it’s coming out of nowhere, but I really appreciate you and everything you do - everything that you’ve done - for me.”

He smiles softly, intertwining your fingers together on top of Kuroo’s fur. “I will always be here for you, whenever you may need me.”

Slowly, you bring his hand up, placing a gentle kiss onto the skin of his exposed wrist and feeling his whole body shudder beneath your touch. You allow your eyelids to flutter closed once more as you let your lips linger on his skin, feeling the way his fingers tighten their grip ever so slightly in your own.

“I care about you, Min,” you breathe out, the ghost of your breath tickling his skin as his pulse races beneath your touch. “Deeply. Probably more than I should.”

His breath hitches in his throat as he meets your eyes once more, and the tremendous amount of fondness he can see swirling within could not make him any happier than he is in this very moment.

“That’s not a bad thing, Starlight.” He whispers, eyes shining as he looks down at you resting comfortably against his thigh.

You smile faintly, “I never said it was.”

Giving his hand a small squeeze, you settle your interlocked fingers against your stomach, raising your opposite hand so that it rests on top of Mingi’s as well. In an instant, he goes back to gently running the fingers of his other hand over your scalp once more.

You turn your attention to the screen, clearing your throat lightly as a heat rushes to your cheeks. “What are we watching?”

“Oh, this?” Mingi’s lips twitch upwards slightly, noting the change in subject for the time being. “I just put it on for background noise. We can watch whatever you’d like, Starlight.”

“Oh, really, now?” You quirk a brow playfully at him. “And you’re not just saying that for me, are you? If you were watching this earlier, Min, I really don’t mind.”

“Of course not, Starlight,” he shakes his head lightly, eyes crinkling at the sides as he smiles down at you. “I want to watch whatever you want to watch.”

“Well, I want to watch whatever you want to watch, Min,” you stick your tongue out at him teasingly, throwing his own words back at him. “What’s your favourite movie?”

“Oh, no, I know what you’re trying to do here,” he chuckles, shaking his head.

“And just what am I trying to do, Min?” You quirk a brow, repeating the same words that had been spoken to you earlier that night.

“You’re trying to get my favourite movie out of me to put it on.” He replies, as if he’s caught you in your own act.

“Guilty,” you shrug. “Is it wrong to want to know more about My Moonlight?”

The way you can hear his breath hitch in his throat as you say this has a smile tugging at your features.

“Please, won’t you share your favourite movies with me, Min?” The way you’re looking up at him, innocent eyes wide and blinking, has his heart swelling in his chest.

He gives your hand a slight squeeze. “I would love to.”

Seeing your excited expression, lips stretching wide as your eyes crinkle at the sides, has a warmth unlike any other flooding his chest as he sets up his favourite movie on screen. Eagerly, you turn your head as the opening credits appear, settling deeper against his thigh as you make yourself more comfortable for the moment.

Recognition flashes across your features.

“So, you like Bond movies?” Your voice holds nothing but curiosity as you turn your attention back to him for the moment, a small quirk to your eyebrow.

“They’re some of my favourites,” he nods, a grin pulling at his features. Then, he adds with a shrug, “I just think he’s cool.”

“Sure, James Bond is cool as fuck,” you hum in agreement as you meet his eyes. “I still think you’re cooler, though.”

Mingi can hear his heart pounding in his ears as a vibrant blush creeps up his neck and onto his face, that all too familiar giddy smile taking over his features as he squeezes your hand lovingly. “Thank you, Starlight.”

“You’re probably a better spy than him, too,” you observe, eyes briefly meeting his own, “or should I say, assassin?”

A pleased rumble builds in his chest at your praise, sitting a little straighter in his seat for the moment. “You could say that.”

“Not gonna lie, Min,” you bite your bottom lip, almost teasingly. “That’s really hot.”

The growl that escapes him is nothing short of smug, his grip tightening on your hand as he pulls you slightly closer into him.

“I always aim to please,” his voice is low, words but a growl on his lips as his gaze stares transfixed with your own.

“As far as I’m concerned,” the corner of your lips twitches upwards in a smirk as your tongue darts out to wet them, “you haven’t missed yet.”

For a moment, only the sounds from the movie playing in the background can be heard as you both stare deeply into each other’s eyes. Mingi has to suppress the urge to pull you up and into his lap in this very moment, claiming your lips with his like he so often wants to do. Still, he cannot help the way his heart positively flutters at your confession.

The both of you are pulled out of your thoughts as you watch Kuroo stand on your chest, stretching briefly before jumping down and trotting out of the room. A pained noise leaves you as he does so, your free hand moving to grasp over your left breast.

“Kuroo, that hurt, you little shit!” You call after him, a pout pulling at your features.

Mingi cannot suppress the laugh that escapes him, even as you turn your overdramatic pout towards him. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, yeah, I’ll survive.” You chuckle, rubbing at the skin of your chest lightly. “My boob will never be the same, though.”

“I could inspect it for you,” Mingi offers casually, his attention back onto the screen in front of you briefly before he quirks a brow playfully as he glances down at you once more. “You know, make sure everything’s still working properly, and stuff.”

“Mingi!” Your mouth parts in shock, moving to slap his arm playfully with your free hand. “You pervert!”

“Just doing my duty and expressing my concern for you, Starlight,” he chuckles, noticing how you avert your gaze in embarrassment in the next moment.

“Mmhmm,” you scoff, rolling your eyes teasingly. “Just say you want to touch my boobs and be done with it.”

“I mean,” he shoots you a hopeful look out of the corner of his eyes, “if you’re offering.”

“Mingi!” You sound so scandalized as your mouth falls open once more, laughter falling from your lips in disbelief. “Don’t make me bite you.”

“You say that as a threat, Starlight, but honestly, that just sounds like a good time to me,” his voice rumbles out, more chuckles falling from his lips as his eyes flash in amusement.

You open your mouth as if to say something else, before deciding against it. The cutest frustrated pout pulls at your features as you turn yourself onto your side, head still resting against his thigh as you tuck his arm underneath your own, grumbling under your breath about ‘damn horny demons and their damn perverted ways.’

Mingi cannot help but laugh once more, a pleased hum building in his chest as he feels you still laying against him. You even go so far as to settle deeper against his thigh, making yourself more comfortable in this new position as you watch the screen in front of you.

The best part? You still have his arm tucked up against you for the moment, even if you’ve let his hand go. Though, not for long as your opposite arm comes to wrap itself over the back of his own seeing as it’s more comfortable for you in this position.

Then, you do something that Mingi does not expect at all.

Slowly, you begin to move his hand upwards the slightest bit until his entire palm is resting over the skin of your one breast, directly over your heart.

Mingi freezes, the tips of his ears burning bright red as he attempts to control his breathing for the moment. So badly does he want to let his eyes shift, but he holds them off. For now. Especially when he sees you turn to look at him with a sharp gaze in the next moment.

“No funny business,” you warn him, a playfully stern look on your features before turning your attention back to the screen in front of you. “Your hand is warm, that’s all.”

Carefully, Mingi allows his hand to relax against your chest, loving how you keep yours curled securely around his own as his fingers come to settle against your skin. Even despite the barrier of clothing between his palm and your breast, he cannot help the tingles that erupt on the palm of his hand, travelling up his arm and settling comfortably in his chest as another content rumble builds within.

The comforting beat of your heart pulses beneath the skin of his palm, and he feels every breath you take. Each time your heart races, his fingers twitch, the tips subtly pressing firmer into your skin just to be able to feel your pulse better. 

Nothing could take this intimate moment away from him right now. The fact that you feel comfortable enough with him, that you trust him enough to hold his palm against your heart like this, practically cupping his hand against your one breast, could not bring him any greater joy than he feels in this moment with you.

For over an hour, the two of you rest like this together, simply basking in each other’s presence as the movie plays on before you. It gets even better when Mingi feels you curling in closer to him at one point, your breathing evening out and signifying that you’ve managed to fall asleep against him.

Mingi only hopes the sound of his own racing heart isn’t loud enough to pull you out of your slumber. Never does he want to wake you, let alone move you from this position with him, for this is everything he could have ever asked for, and so much more. The significance behind this moment surrounds him, flooding his veins at the fact that you are comfortable enough to not only curl up against his leg with his hand resting on your chest, but also fall asleep on him.

A soft smile tugs at his features as he gently runs his free hand over the top of you head once more, feeling you hum subconsciously as he does so. Fuck, if Mingi already wasn’t head over heels in love with you, this moment only proves just how deeply he is.

All too soon, the movie comes to an end, and Mingi almost contemplates putting on another one just so that the two of you can stay in this position for a little while longer. However, he knows he shouldn’t, and that it would be in his best interest to actually help you into bed. It is quite late, and you have been sleeping against him for the better part of an hour already. Besides, he doesn’t want you to strain your neck.

Dragging out his movements for as long as possible, Mingi slowly turns off the system around him. For a moment, he contemplates simply teleporting you to your room, but he figures you’d probably appreciate it more if he let you enter it yourself instead of just inviting himself in, even if it’s just to drop you off in your bed.

Carefully, Mingi begins brushing his hand over the top of your head, voice gentle as he pulls you from your slumber.

“Starlight,” he coos, thumb brushing against your forehead. “Starlight, come on, let’s get you to bed.”

A small groan is heard from you as you return to consciousness for the moment. You stretch lightly, lashes groggily fluttering open as you look up at Mingi through tired eyes. “Moonlight?”

“It’s just me,” he smiles down at you, helping you sit up in your sleep filled haze. “Come on, you’ll be more comfortable in your own bed.”

“Okay,” you mumble, standing to your feet in the next moment, only for your entire body to wobble slightly, practically falling into Mingi as he steps in to support you in the next moment.

Your head practically lulls onto his chest as he wraps an arm around your waist to help support you. He can tell you’re still half asleep, given the way he guides your body out of the cinema room after flipping off the lights, and down the hallway to your own bedroom in the next moment.

Stepping through the threshold, Mingi notices Kuroo already curled up in the centre of your bed, letting out a small chuckle as the kitten raises his head to observe the sudden intruders into your room. At seeing that it’s two familiar faces, Kuroo settles back down into his little ball, mewling softly as Mingi helps you sit on the edge of the bed.

Not even a minute later, Mingi has shifted Kuroo over enough to help you crawl beneath your covers, noting the way your eyes can barely stay open for the moment as you smile up at him from your pillow.

“Thank you, Min,” you mutter, a yawn escaping you in the next moment as you settle deeper into your bed.

“Of course, Starlight,” he smiles down at you, leaning in to place a lingering kiss onto your forehead. “Sleep well, Pretty One.”

Just as he goes to turn away, the feeling of your hand reaching out from beneath your covers and grasping onto his own has him pausing in his movements. Sparing a glance down at the way your hand grasps his own, Mingi can only blink at you with wide eyes, chest swirling with anticipation as his breath catches in his throat.

“Where-“ you inhale a deep breath, “going?” You seem to be fighting against every urge telling you to fall back into your deep slumber for the moment as you give a weak tug on his arm. “Want-“ you yawn once more, “stay.”

Mingi swears his heart is about to leap from his chest at the way it begins thundering beneath his skin. “You want me to stay?”

The vigorous nod you manage to make has a warmth unlike any other blooming within him.

“Alright, Starlight,” he smiles lovingly down at you, noticing how a relaxed, yet pleased all the same, smile stretches across your features. “I’ll stay. Just let me close the door.”

The second nod you give him is much more lax than the first, this one being a simple jerk of your chin as your eyes remain closed for the moment.

In no time at all, Mingi has softly closed the door to your room, moved Kuroo to the end of the bed, and crawled in beside you on the opposite side. Almost immediately after his head hits the pillow, you’re turning to face him, curling yourself into him with your head on his chest and your arms wrapped securely around his waist. Hell, even your one leg gets tossed over one of his own.

“S’okay?” You mumble into the skin of his chest, wiggling slightly closer as you feel him wrap his one arm around your back, the other coming up to gently cradle the side of your face.

“Always, Starlight.” He hums, and he just knows from the way you smile sleepily that you can hear how frantically his heart is racing beneath your head right now. “Are you okay? Are you comfortable?”

“Very.” You nod once more, words slightly more coherent for the moment as you tilt your head upwards to gaze at his face through heavily lidded eyes. “You’re very comfy, Min.” You hum, “and warm.”

The content rumble that reverberates against you has you chuckling faintly, another hum escaping you.

“Pretty Min,” you sigh, curling deeper into him as you rest your chin against his chest in order to continue staring into his eyes. Then, you’re lifting yourself slightly upwards, all the while moving closer into him. “Will you kiss me goodnight?”

Mingi swears that were he not already laying down, he would have collapsed right there on the spot. Instantly, his grip is tightening around your waist, the hand he has gently resting against your cheek gripping onto you a bit firmer as he guides your lips to his own, holding them there for a moment just incase you want to back out still. Once he knows you won’t, his hands begin to shake.

“Always, My Queen,” his voice is but a whisper against your lips before he’s pressing his own to yours gently.

The kiss is soft; tender. Neither of you expect more than what the other is willing to give for the moment, but it conveys all that you want it to. It portrays your feelings: the happiness you feel in this moment, and how comfortable he makes you. Most of all, though, even if it’s just a simple meeting of your lips and nothing more, you both can feel the love each other pours into such a brief moment in time shared with one another.

Pulling away, a soft smile rests on each of your faces. Mingi’s thumb gently strokes over the skin of your cheek as you come to settle against his chest once more.

“Goodnight, Min,” you hum, allowing your eyes to flutter shut once more as the sound of his beating heart begins to lull you back into the world of dreams.

“Goodnight, My Queen.” His voice is barely above a whisper, lips still tingling from the feeling of your own pressed against his mere seconds before.

A moment of silence passes between the both of you as you revel in each other’s arms. That is, until you’re breaking it once more.

“Hey Mingi?” Your soft voice calling his name catches his attention once more, him humming lowly in acknowledgement in the next second. A brief pause. “I love you.” You swallow the sudden dryness in your throat. “I am in love with you.”

Mingi blanks, his entire body feeling as if it’s come alive as your words settle over him. The way he knows you can hear his heart thundering in his chest, especially as you tighten your grip around him in the next moment has an ecstasy that he has not felt in centuries flooding through his veins.

He pulls you in closer, tears dotting the corners of his vision as he places a tender kiss against the top of your head, wanting to revel in this moment for just a little while longer as his emotions overwhelm him. He clears his throat, blinking away his tears and only causing once to slowly trail down the side of his face before it falls, his happiness being absorbed into the material of your pillows.

“My Queen,” his heart positively flutters in his chest as he says this, his emotions consuming him for the moment as he tightens his grip around you, pulling you impossibly closer into his chest. “I love you.”

[wrenhyperfixates]

The Raven Haired Rebel

Prologue

Pairing: Loki x reader Series Summary: After invading New York, it was decided that, as a punishment, Loki would work for SHIELD. Yeah, right. After escaping from their custody and stranded on Midgard, the God of Mischief decides to prove he’s the one thing no one ever thought he was: the good guy. Now a vigilante, Loki attempts to make amends for his past wrongdoings while also evading the Avengers, including their newest member. You. Brought in specially for the case, you notice more and more details about the prince’s story don’t add up. When you get the chance to turn him in, will you listen to your employers or your heart that believes Loki’s done nothing wrong? Chapter Summary: In which Loki decides to forge his own path. Chapter Warnings: none :) A/N: Welcome to the start of my new mini series! The idea came from the Send Me a Fic Title ask game. This was a title sent in by @lokistan​! Hope you enjoy!

Permanent Tag List: @lucywrites02 @frostedgiant @lunarmoon8 @twhiddlestonsstuff @lokistan​ @lowkeyorlokificrecs​ @gaitwae​ @whatafuckingdumbass​ @castiels-majestic-wings​ @kozkaboi​ @cozy-the-overlord​ @birdgirl90​ @myraiswack​ @mythicalgarlicknot​ @what-a-flammable-heart​ @marvelouslovely​ @laurenandloki​ @fallinallinmendes​ @sophlubbwriting​ @mooncat163​ 

RHR Tag List: @happygalaxymilkshake​ @electroma89​ @stardust-walker​ @i-would-kneel-for-loki​

Masterlist

Disclaimer: Gif not mine

Loki wondered what his cell on Asgard would look like, for surely he’d be transferred there any day now. For three days now, he’d been held in the belly of a SHIELD base in these ridiculous cuffs. Tony had, at least, sent down that drink Loki had asked for. Whether it was a taunt or a small bit of kindness, Loki honestly wasn’t sure. Either way, he’d downed it in one gulp; Midgardian alcohol never having a strong effect on him. Honestly, he probably should have been concerned if it was poisoned or not. Then again, after everything he’d been through, what did he care?

“Brother,” Loki greeted Thor as he walked into view. “How lovely of you to finally grace me with your presence. Though I take it this is not a leisure visit, hm?”

“You know full well it is not,” the God of Thunder replied with a stern tone.

“And here I was so hoping we could catch up.”

“If you want to talk, then talk, Loki. Explain yourself. What has transpired that you have attacked so many innocent people in this way?”

Loki wanted to laugh at that. Innocent? Who was Thor to talk of innocent with all the unrighteous battles he’d fought, all the blood spilled by his hands? The God of Mischief had done what? Attacked a military base? Made a few people kneel? Corralled a few groups into buildings? Which really was for the own safety so they wouldn’t be in the way of the battles on the streets. But no; conquest was apparently only just when Odin decided to do it. When Thor wanted to follow in his footsteps. But for Loki, there was a whole other set of rules. Of course, no one ever bothered to outline them for the trickster, just let him know he failed to obey them.

Besides, he hadn’t been in his right mind. Rather, he’d been under the mind stone’s influence, under Thanos’s control. He worked his jaw as he tried to figure out whether to say that or not. If he had any sense of self preservation, he probably would have. Yet after living his whole life being told he was weak, he couldn’t bring himself to do it. Whether Asgardian culture, his family, or he himself were to blame for that, he wasn’t sure. Still, best just to stick with his wit.

“Pardon, brother,” Loki finally replied. “If it bothers you that much, I will stop following your example.”

“You dare insinuate I would do such a thing?” Thor rhetorically asked, appalled and shocked now that his honor was called into question. “Truly, brother, your mind is far more twisted than I had imagined. I see now I should not have advocated for you; you are too far gone. And yet, I already have, so your second chance you shall have.”

“How benevolent,” Loki rolled his eyes.

In reality, Loki was actually kind of touched Thor had spoken on his behalf. It was more than he expected from the blonde. Though, he had a feeling he hadn’t been spoken of in the most flattering light. Regardless, Thor opened his cell and, accompanied by a couple agents, led him to the upper floors of of the base.

The light blinded Loki for a minute as he saw sunlight for the first time since he’d been locked up. The glares passing agents gave him did significantly less to burn him, though. He was used to scorn. Of course, he did feel a wave of regret as he realized he’d probably killed some of their colleagues, their friends. Even if he didn’t have control of himself, he’d still done it. Why did he have to be so weak as to let Thanos gain control of his mind, he wondered? Such horrid deeds had never been in his nature before, though it seemed Thor was ready to believe he’d been evil all along.

The brothers were silent the whole way to Fury’s office, even as they waited for the director to come in. From his seat in front of the desk, Loki surveyed the office. Nice enough, he mused, but could use some more color. Maybe some drapes. Loki wondered if he should laugh that that’s what he was thinking. Though, in all honesty, it might be a chuckle of relief, knowing that his thoughts were finally his own again.

When the director did finally walk in, he and Loki just eyed each other for a moment, sizing the other up. Loki was fairly confident he could get out of this room, out of this base, if he really wanted to. But what was even the point? He wasn’t particularly interested in playing a game of cat and mouse, as SHIELD would try desperately to recover him. No, he’d rather take whatever punishment was about to be doled out. At least for now, anyway.

“Well, thank you for having me,” Loki quipped, being the first to break the silence. “I am afraid I have never been much good at small talk, though. How about that weather?”

“Funny,” Fury deadpanned. “Glad you didn’t lose your sense of humor when you killed my men.”

Loki’s smile faltered ever so slightly. It seemed like people were going to keep bringing that up despite that it had not even been his intention to kill anyone. Injure and temporarily dispose of, sure, but not kill. He supposed that having been on the verge of collapse himself, he wasn’t able to be as precise as he usually was.

“That little stunt you pulled should have you locked up for life,” Fury continued before Loki could respond. “However, we are prepared to offer you a deal. You are going to work for SHIELD to make up for your crimes.”

“Ah. I see. So gracious of you. And my other options are?”

“You come with me back to Asgard,” Thor chimed in, “and father can do whatever he wants with you.”

Well, that created three possible paths, really, Loki figured. Be sent to Asgard and locked up there was option one. Then the second was to be sent back and killed. Was it bad he kind of hoped for the latter? Oh, it definitely was. Yet, that’s how he felt. And then he could stay here, play along until the opportunity came to break free. Live his life as he wanted for once.

“Alright,” Loki agreed with a smile that he was sure would be seen as more untrustworthy than anything else. “When do I begin?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A week of tedious lectures later, Loki was out in the field. He’d listened with rapt attention as he’d undergone his brief training. And somehow they deemed him trustworthy enough to send on a mission already. So, here he was in a Quinjet with his fellow agents. Maybe they didn’t entirely trust him. After all, Clint kept eyeing him with something akin to murder in his gaze.

Still, once they touched down, Loki followed the procedures he’d been taught. Thankfully, they hadn’t trusted him with any of the more important jobs, just securing the perimeter. That, of course, was a mistake on their part. As soon as it was time to break apart from the others, Loki created a double of himself. Meanwhile, he causally strutted over to a nearby motorcycle. Ok, he had to admit he didn’t really know how to ride one, but he’d make do.

Loki’s drive was surprisingly smooth as he escaped his would-be employers. The joke was on them for trying to tie him down, he thought. It was actually rather freeing to be racing along the open road, wind in his raven-black hair. Maybe he could find a nice little secluded home somewhere and live the rest of his days out in peace. And then he saw a burning building. Really, he should just keep going. You Midgardians had forces to deal with this. And yet, something made him pull over and rush inside, saving those he found trapped by the flames.

“I can never thank you enough,” a lady blubbered as she clung to her child, who Loki had just saved. “Please, what’s your name? How can I repay you?”

“You can call me, Loki,” he replied with a charming grin. “And really, no thanks necessary. It is just what I do.”

And as he rode off again, Loki decided he was going to make that last statement true. Look out, Midgard, he thought to himself. Looks like you have got yourself a new superhero.

[weeb-writor]

Bakugou Meets his Future Kids

Hiya! Long time no see! So I’ve been gone a while and today I was actually supposed to post the last part in the Aizawa mini series. That wont happen today because unfortunately even though me and my whole family have been super safe and only go to work and home I did test positive for Covid-19. I'm okay though just really drained and this was easier for me to finish. I'm hoping to have the Christmas fic up by the 28th at the latest, so sorry about that! For now I hope you can enjoy this! The kids do call reader mommy but there is no assigned gender! Anyone, any gender can be a mom!

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Bakugou Katsuki x Reader

He meets his kids from the future in a troubling way

Words: 1896

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It was supposed to be a normal day and it was for about 10 seconds. About 11 seconds in Bakugou had somehow been wrapped into a trip to the mall with most of the class. Bakugou prided himself on being a strong immovable boulder but when you asked could he come… lets say he had a temporary weakness. Now here he was at the food court as you all argued over what to eat.

“Is there a place that sells soba?” Todoroki asked.

“Even if there is, we aren't eating there! You always eat that!” Mina said, pointing at the boy who looked back a little deflated.

“I think we’ll be okay getting soba, his obsession with soba is super cute!” you said with a small laugh. This had Bakugou craning his neck. Only ever eating one thing was not cute, how could you think that!

“Like hell we are, Come on Y/n were getting a burger.” Bakugou said standing and pulling you away you didn't get far before you all heard someone crying and yelling. You and the rest of the class looked at each other once before you dashed in the direction of the cries. Arriving on the scene you see 3 kids surrounding a boy who was crying while one was holding back a girl who seemed to be crying in anger. 

“Hey what the hell is going on here?” Kirishima said in a scolding tone. The kids turn around and pale probably recognizing the group of soon to be Pro-Heroes.

“Nothing we should be going, later losers.” The kids said quickly scattering into the crowds at the mall. The girl quickly ran to the boy's side still crying.

“It's alright, you don't have to cry, I have a first aid kit if that helps.” You said trying to console the kids. At your voice both of the kids looked up at you before tackling you in a crushing hug, sobbing even more. You looked up at your class confused; they only shrugged at you.

“Mommy! I'm sorry, I took Hiroyuki from school and we followed you and then we got hit with that big scary guy's quirk and then we ended up here and we been here for like 2 days. I'm sorry!!” The girl cried, rubbing her eyes furiously.

“Uh um sweetheart, I'm sorry you got lost but my teachers will help you. We’ll find your parents I promise.” You said rubbing her checks.

“But you're our mommy.” The young girl sniffled.

“I'm not, you must be confused. I'm L/n.” You said, smiling at them as they seemed to tear up.

“That's not funny mommy, stop joking right now.” The girl said, shaking her head, more tears spilling from her eyes.

“Sorry kid they aren't joking, L/n doesn't have any kids.” Denki said, crouching to meet her eyes.

“Are you mad cause we didn't listen? Are you gonna send us away?” The girl said, beginning to cry even more.

“Stop making my sister cry!!” The boy said with tears in his eyes, the tears were short lived as explosion went off all around them. Everyone looked at Bakugou who was quietly watching

“It's not me, it's one of them.” He said with his teeth gritted. The class didn't have time to figure it out as the explosion stopped and they saw their teacher next to them.

“It’s always something with you guys. Hey kids I'm gonna need you to come with me so we can sort this out.” He said offering his hands to them which they didn't hesitate to take. The walk back to the school was relatively short and quiet. Now they were all sitting outside of recovery girls office waiting on some kind of news.

“I think i know what's happened. They kept calling you mom, right?” You nodded at her with a small smile.

“Well while I was trying to heal them I asked them some questions to make sure their heads were on straight. Their answers were very much incorrect to us but also not completely insane. For Example Dynamight, Deku, and Shoto are all top 10 heroes. The league of villains are no more and I'm dead. I examined their bodies and it seems they were hit with a time travel quirk from the looks of it. Not sure when it will wear off but my best recommendation is for them to remain under L/n and Easerheads care, I will check for any signs of it wearing off, every other day.”

“Huh? Is Easerhead their dad! Do you and L/n get married in the future?! That's kind of kinky…” Mineta said with a gross smile

“No, you creepy child. It seems they do like him though.” Recovery girl said with a sigh. You thanked her and went into the room.

“Hey, did recovery girl explain what happened to you guys?” You said as you approached them.

“Uh huh she said we went in the past to where you and papa were students. Like in the pictures on the walls.” The girl said.

“Mhm very good, so can you tell me your names? Then we can go hang out with my friends and eat something!” You said with a smile.

“Hiroyuki…” the boy mumbled.

“I’m Kaori!” The young girl cheered at you. You thanked them and guided you out the door and found your friends and teacher waiting. You led them to the dorm lunge where food was waiting on them.

“So which one of you have an explosion quirk?” Kirishima said as the kids were eating.

“We both do, kind of.” The girl said absentmindedly. “Mom says I make explosions from the heat of the food I eat, I like spicy stuff.” She said with a smile.

“Oh okay cool! But no spicy stuff for you.” Denki laughed at the girl who wasn't exactly happy.

“What about you, little guy?” Sero asked the younger one. The little boy looked at Sero before burying his face in his hands and shaking his head.

“Yuki, has a really cool quirk! Mom says he works like a gas stove! He leaks this stuff that's like propane! Then he can ignite it based on how he is feeling! Angry or emotional means bigger explosions! It comes from his pores or his hand.” The girl chimed in for her brother. He was upset at her words and ran to Aizawa.

“Sorry, we didn't mean to make you uncomfortable!” Mina said as she couched to the level of the boy who further hid his face into Aizawa legs.

“It's okay, kid, Bakugou has an explosive quirk, it's cool!” Denki said with his flashy smile.

“We don't care about that old man's quirk!” The girl said fresh tears on his face.

“What’d you say you little brat?! I’m not an old man!” Bakugou roared back to Kaori.

“You are a mean old man and I hate you! Its all your fault I'm stuck here without my real mom and papa! I hate you! I hate you so much Papa!” The little girl roared back before running back to you crying.

“Papa?” Kirishima echoed quietly.

“Kaori, you shouldn't yell at people or tell them you hate them it's a mean and strong word.” You said crouching down to her level and stroking her cheek.

“B-but it's all his fault. He said me and Hiroyuki were weak and and we couldn't do much because we're kids and it's best for us to stay out of Hero’s way! Like were burdens!” She said growing further agitated.

“And I was right, you followed your mom and you both got hurt when you shouldn't have been near the battle anyway.” He said with a frown.

“But that doesn't mean we are useless and can't do anything by ourselves! WE ARENT DUMB!” She yelled back at him.

“Future me didn't say you were dumb, he, I just want you to be safe. It's best for you and your brother to stay out of the way for now. However, that doesn't mean your a burden or dumb.” Bakugou said seriously. The little girl didn't say anything further and just threw herself into her your arms. Hiroyuki came from in between Aizawa’s legs and also threw himself at you.

“Okay enough mingling for today I guess, time for bed! I’ll be right back guys.” You said as you carried both kids off to your dorms with surprising grace. Once you were gone the group turned to Bakugou.

“Papa, huh Bakugou?!” Denki said with a chuckle.

“It's too surprising! I didn't even know you had a crush on L/N!” Mina said with a pout.

“Really? it was pretty obvious Bakubro had a crush though. Literal tiny explosions go whenever L/n is near.” Kirishima said with a cute head tilt.

“The hell they do.” Bakugou said angrily.

“No they do, I’ve had to stop them a few times now.” Aizawa said with his weird grin.

“I can't believe it though, they are so cute! Kaori is so much like you and I cant believe Hiroyuki’s quirk is so kickass!” Sero said rubbing the back of there necks.

“Well of course they got kickass quirks. With me and L/N as parents there’s no way they wouldn't!” Bakugou said flushed red.

“I'm just glad you cleared up everything with them. It would be pretty bad if they went back mad at the future you, or thinking something damaging like that.” Deku said with a sigh. Finally you were back with no kids, at least it looked like you didn’t have kids.

“So this parenting shit is pretty hard!!” You said as two figures came from behind your legs. They blushed before pointing to Bakugou and then back at your dorm.

“Use your words.” Bakugou said, cocking an eyebrow at the flustered kids.

“Story, Papa.” Hiroyuki slurred out.

“I'm sorry for saying I hate you… I didn't mean it.” The young girl said softly

“You better be, that's a strong word. Now let's go to bed.” Bakugou said nonchalantly as he picked up both kids and walked back to your dorm. The kids remained with you two for about a week and half. You learned lots like you and Bakugou have twins on the way and still want at least one more. Hiroyuki loves Aizawa because he is able to keep his quirk under control around him and they both have an addiction to cats. Bakugou is indeed amazing at everything except anger management. When they left it was during one of your cuddle sessions and boy did you cry like a baby.

BONUS:

“It’s been almost 2 weeks, where could they be?? What if they’re…” You said into Bakugou's chest.

“They’re fine, okay? Our brats are tough so wherever they ended up in time doesn't matter they’ll kick anyone's ass.” Bakugou said, trying to console you. You didn't get a chance to respond before you dogs went crazy at the knock at the door. You yelled for however it was to come in and you thought your mind was playing tricks on you.

“Don't worry they are just drowsy.” Aizawa said with the two kids in his capture weapon trailing behind him. Bakugou was the first to move and was on his knees, in tears in seconds.

“You idiots! Never, ever do that again.” He said hugging him like his life depended on it.