#I think it’s called a red lie? where it hurts someone but benefits you? bc there were also times I didn’t want to have to explain

[albedobeheading]

last day in Rome probably ever

[seriouslysnape]

Hi i would like to request severus x reader where its their first time together and reader guides sev bc he‘s a virgin ?

Okay, so I’ve been putting this one off. It’s such a good idea, I wasn’t sure how to tackle it. However, I’ve been thinking on it for a few days, and I think I did this request justice!

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A Fast Learner

Severus Snape x Fem. Reader

Warnings: Smut.

Word Count: 3,066

“Shh. It’s okay.”

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He had become very self conscious about it over the years. Well, he was self conscious about a lot of things, but especially something like this. It was embarrassing that he had made it this far in life and had never been intimate with someone. He knew it was mainly his own fault. He had spent his life saving himself for someone who wasn’t even around anymore, and someone who never loved him the way he did her. 

Now, he was well into his adulthood years and he had yet to have sex with anyone. He had quite honestly accepted long ago that he’d never allow anyone to take his virginity. To most people, a person at his age with their so-called “v-card” still intact was odd and even a bit weird. Even if he did find someone he cared enough about, he would have NO idea what to do and it would be so off-putting that they’d likely run for the hills. Severus, as disappointed as he was, was convinced he’d live out the rest of his days as a virgin. 

That was until he fell in love with you.

He admittedly didn’t expect it. You seemed rather average to him in the beginning. He failed to see how you were any different than anybody else he had ever encountered. The more time he spent with you, though, the more he saw in you. You were probably one of the most patient and understanding people he had ever met. You were an efficient communicator and an even better listener. You were a picture perfect person. He eventually found himself in a relationship with you that exceeded having dinner and private talks in each other’s offices. 

For the first time in Severus Snape’s life, he had a steady girlfriend. 

As thrilling and exciting as that was, it also caused a whole new set of worries for him. Having a girlfriend meant that he was going to have to be fully intimate at some point. It wasn’t something he could keep putting off the way he had been. You had a gut feeling that Severus had never had sex before. At first, you brushed his hesitation off to just being nervous. However, you began to notice the way he visibly would shrink away any time your make out sessions began to heat up. If nothing else, it explained why your relationship seemed to move at an aggravatingly tortuous pace. 

He’d become fidgety when you tried to reach for his belt or when your giggles turned into breathy moans. He would simmer down the situation before it could ever evolve into more, which he hated to do. He knew you were dismayed whenever he did so. You were a beautiful, young woman who had needs. It wasn’t fair that you had to push your needs aside because of him. He definitely didn’t want you to begin to think that it had something to do with you. 

He had never told you upfront that he was a virgin, and he hoped that maybe he would never have to. Whenever he did build up the courage to make love, perhaps he could get away with not saying anything. That dream was rather short lived when you finally questioned him one night after he turned you away once more. 

You had been snuggled up next to him on the sofa in his living quarters, just chatting after a long day when your kisses became a little more heated and you ultimately ended up in his lap. Your knees were on either side of him so you were in a straddle position, kissing him with passion and desire. He kissed back as always, but you could feel the hint of uncertainty as his lips worked with yours. You kept in mind that this was usually the part where he’d stop you or get himself out of it. Still, you rolled your hips downwards into his crotch, your fingers finding his belt and beginning to unbuckle it. 

As expected, he stopped kissing you and gently gripped your wrist. That was his signal for you to stop, to which you would normally just smile reassuringly and move on. However, you pulled your hand from his grasp and rested both of them on his shoulders. 

You were intently looking at him, reading his guilt-stricken expression.

“Severus,” You began; “Is there something you want to tell me?”

He knew exactly what you meant. It was only a matter of time before you began to question him. 

“I don’t know what you mean.” He said, letting the lie slip through his teeth.

You never averted your eyes from him. He wasn’t leaving until you obtained some answers. You wrapped a lock of his charcoal colored hair around your finger and twirled it mildly. 

“Most men barely wait for their girlfriend to make a move on them. With you, it seems like you don’t want me like that.” You pointed out.

Severus was quick to answer, because this was exactly the thing he didn’t want you to think.

“No, no. I do. I really do.” He said truthfully.

Make no mistake, Severus did want to have that level of intimacy with you. He just couldn’t push himself to that point. He never wanted to disappoint you in any way, and he just knew his skills were probably little to none. You were confused at his response.

“Then why do you always push me away when I try?” You queried.

He sighed heavily. It was a fair question for you to ask. He would’ve probably asked the same if he were in your shoes. It was humiliating, but he knew he couldn’t hide it any longer. He took a breath and told you that he was a virgin. He half expected you to get up and walk out or go tell every living soul you knew. Instead, you smiled kindly and let out a soft laugh that wasn’t at all intended to be a mock towards his confession. He clenched his teeth as he awaited your reply. You moved your right hand to cup the side of his face.

“Oh, Severus...is that all?” You asked sweetly.

A feeling of surprise and relief fizzled through his body. He had been waiting for a much heavier, dramatic reaction. 

“Well, I...it’s not really something I thought I’d ever tell you.” He explained, avoiding your gaze.

“You didn’t think you could keep it from me forever, did you?” You wondered. He didn’t respond, so you went on; “It’s nothing to be ashamed of. I can help you.” 

He let out an irritated huff. You could tell he was beyond embarrassed.

“You shouldn’t have to.” He said.

You kissed his forehead, encouraging him to embrace the situation a little. 

“I want to. It’ll benefit more than just me. Your first time should be special. I want to make it special,” You acknowledged; “But only if you want to. I don’t want you to be uncomfortable.”

He was at a crossroads here. He wanted to do this, but he was still nervous. There were a million ways he could go wrong and mess up, but he also never thought there’d be anyone willing to offer a hand to him as an adult virgin. He realized that he loved you too much to keep treating you this way...so he agreed. He couldn’t help but nervously chuckle at your blinding smile. You were eager to teach him. He’d be a master in no time. 

“I promise we’ll go slow.” You declared, whipping your shirt off of your head. 

Severus felt a surge of heat go through his body at your breasts that were now VERY prevalent to him. His eyes widened and his stare lingered on them like a kid in a candy store. He looked over the black, lacy material of your bra and how it perfectly accented them. His cheeks burned a fiery red that he tried to hide, but to no avail. You bit your bottom lip to hold back a smile.

“Blushing already, Professor?” You asked teasingly. 

If he was already this flustered, you couldn’t wait to see him when you got to the good stuff. His eyes snapped back to yours, he sheepishly apologized.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to-”

You hushed him, putting a finger to his lips.

“Shh. It’s okay.” 

You took his hands, bringing them around to your back. You maneuvered his fingers to unclasp your bra, and you slowly pushed the straps down your arms until it fell to the floor. His cheeks turned a darker shade of red now that you were fully exposed to him. He didn’t even try to confine his stare now. You spoke softly. 

“You can touch them if you want.” You granted.

“Touch them?” He asked.

You giggled lightly.

“Yeah, S. With your hands...or your mouth.”

He decided to go with the first option, not confident enough in his skills yet. His hands were trembling a tad, as he brought them up to your chest. He was awkward at first, sort of just fondling with them in an amateurish way. Your nipples grew hard at the feeling of his large hands on your soft skin. He wasn’t sure what made him do it, but he leaned forward and took one of your nipples into his mouth. He sucked firmly and swirled his tongue over your breast. A satisfied gasp fell from your lips, startling him and causing him to stop.

“Are you alright? Did that hurt?” He asked frantically.

You let out another laugh.

“Sev, I was moaning.” You told him.

He shyly grinned.

“Oh.” 

He took your nipple into his mouth again, his confidence slowly but surely beginning to build. You brought a hand to the back of his head.

“Kiss my neck.” You instructed.

He nodded, moving his lips up to your neck and kissed where you guided his head to go. You grinded your hips down onto his lap, a groan falling from his throat. You could feel his growing erection through his pants. You smirked, knowing the real show was about to begin. 

“Let’s move to the bedroom.” You said, persuading him up from the sofa.

You took him by the hand, leading him to his large bed. You debated for a moment over what the best approach to this was. You thought for a minute that maybe it would be best if he stayed on the bed and you rode him, but you figured that he wouldn’t learn much out of that, however it would be pleasurable for him. You wanted his first time to be special, as you had previously mentioned. You decided to go traditional missionary, that way you could talk him through it. 

You laid on your back, laughing at the way Severus was ogling over you. You motioned for him with your finger, and he timidly climbed onto the bed. He instinctively placed one of his knees on either side of you, which was a good start. 

“Move down a little.” You requested. 

He shifted down a bit so you could unfasten his belt and his pants. He helped you get them off, throwing them aside. You did away with your skirt and panties, now fully naked in front of him. He was fully hard now, your hand palming at his evident erection. He let out a soft groan, feeling amazed at how he had never been touched by anyone else like this before. 

He sprang free once his boxers were thrown aside to join the growing pile of clothes on the floor. Your eyes gazed at his length, raking him over. You snapped out of your trance, taking him into your hand. You stroked slowly and softly, just enough so he could see how it felt.

You knew this was going to be a tedious process for the first time, you didn’t want to completely overwhelm him and ruin it for him. He let out a stuttered sigh at the feeling of his dick in your hand. He had of course rubbed himself like this before, but it was totally different when it was being done to him. His sounds were alone enough to make your sex become slick with wetness, but you reached for one of his free hands.

“Take these two fingers,” You said, pushing his side three fingers down, just leaving his middle and ring finger. You brought his fingers to your heated sex; “Now, just gently-”

You were stunned when he began rubbing in circles, slowly but firmly. You wriggled underneath him, not prepared for him to do it so well. You let out a groan at the waves of pleasure building through you, he kept his eyes on you with a rather concerned expression. He was still afraid of hurting you or messing up. 

You stopped stroking him, taking his wrist and directing his fingers towards your clit. He knew he had hit the spot when you breathed out his name in a way he had never heard you before.

“Severus...” You exhaled.

He felt a burst of pride. Maybe he really could get the hang of this. He could feel the wetness spreading around his fingers, which is when you knew to stop him and move on with your instructions. You were beginning to realize that Severus was a fast learner. He’d have this in no time. You were a little breathless now, which swelled him with even more confidence.

“Take one of my legs and wrap it around your waist.” You said.

He took your right thigh into his hand, securing and hooking your leg around him. He noted that was how he’d be sure that you wouldn’t get too far from him. He was beginning to put pieces together.

“Okay, when you’re ready just push yourself in. Go slow at first.” You said, lining him up with your entrance. 

His tip just barely was touching you, he looked to you, stricken with a bit of panic.

“[Y/N], I don’t want to hurt you.” He said, registering that this was the part he was most scared of.

You shook your head. Half in desperation for him and half to reassure him. You put his hands on your hips so he’d be steady once he did start to move. 

“You’re not going to hurt me, Sev. I promise,” You said truthfully; “Just go at your pace. I’ll tell you if it hurts.”

You knew it wouldn’t, but it made him feel better to hear you say it. He took a breath, and leisurely pushed himself in as far as he could. You both let out a synchronous moan. He didn’t move for a second, wrapping his head around how damn good this felt. You didn’t expect him to stretch and fill you the way he did, so you were a little scattered when you spoke next.

“S-Sev, pull out a little, and then go back in again.” You said.

He gingerly pulled out, and went back in. He watched each time he moved in and out. He saw the way your eyelashes fluttered each time he went back in, and how your grip on his bicep tightened. You weren’t used to such a slow speed, but you didn’t want him to go fast if he didn’t feel like he could yet. However, you did try to convince him to pick it up a little.

“A little faster. If you want.” You said, really hoping he’d get the hint. 

He did get it, and began to rock his hips faster, filling in the pauses that he had been taking between tortuous thrusts. He had figured out a rhythm now, his movements becoming monotonous, but gloriously good. He watched as your breasts bounced each time he pounded back into you, and how your mouth fell open with noises that were music to his ears. 

You knew Severus was getting the hang of it, so you gave him another request.

“Take my leg and put it on your shoulder.” 

He gave you a puzzled look, thinking that there was no way that would actually do anything. Still, he draped your leg over his shoulder and he thought he might just collapse. He was slamming into you at a new angle that was a total game changer, and created a whole new feeling of pleasure. 

He knew sex was supposed to feel good, but he never thought it would feel THIS good. It was a bit of an accident, but he rotated his hips and you let out a high-pitched shriek that even he couldn’t mistake as a bad sound. You smirked at how he was now hitting your sensitive spot each time he went back in.

“Severus, you feel so good. Holy- yes, that’s perfect.” You cried out.

He didn’t dare speed up or slow down, if he had it right, he wasn’t going to mess with it. He continued to pound into you, alerted when he felt himself twitch inside of you. He assumed that meant that something was happening. Your own inner coil was growing hot, which was a delight to you, because you honestly weren’t sure at first if you would even finish since it was his first time. You arched your back to meet his thrusts, both of your releases coming quickly.

“Darling, I think I’m about to-” He was cut off by another one of your moans.

He felt the muscles in your leg contract, as you came around him. He thrusted a few more times before he did as well. A flash flood crashed over every nerve in his body. Your arms rested above your head as your chest heaved with each inhale. He slid out of you, falling next to you on the mattress. His head was spinning.

He had just lost his virginity. Something he had kept so private and locked away. He thought that maybe he’d be a little sad, but he wasn’t. He was beyond joyed to have lost it to someone he cared about so much. He leaned over, kissing your neck and nibbling on your earlobe.

“How...how was that?” He asked, a little apprehensive to hear your answer.

You looked over at him, a flashy smile and a voice full of honesty.

“Severus Snape,” You said; “You are one fast learner.”

[lavellander]

hello im feeling extra “touch the stove”-y today so. i was looking for any dialogue where solas just straight up lies and (of what i could find online/transcribed, obv) i didnt find anything that was 100% untrue. he’ll completely avoid the question, change the subject, give part of the truth, etc etc etc, but nothing was just Entirely A Lie

what really gets me is that there’s a handful of convos where someone infers something from what solas says, and he will even point out that he didn’t directly say that. like, he tells people how to see through his shit, lmao

here is an embarrassingly long ass list of examples, all sorted by what kind of not-lying he’s doing lol, just bc i am unhinged<3

*note that some of these are cut from longer bits of dialogue or have been split up from one conversation into different categories*

literally just Not Answering The Question lol

Dorian: How much “will” do they have? They’re amorphous constructs of the Fade. Solas: Hmm.

Dorian: Solas, have I offended you? Solas: If you have, why would it concern you?

Dorian: Solas, what is this whole look of yours about? Solas: I’m sorry? Dorian: No, that outfit is sorry. What are you supposed to be, some kind of woodsman? Dorian: Is it a Dalish thing? Don’t you dislike the Dalish? Or is it some kind of statement? Solas: No.

Dorian: Let me get this straight, Solas. Dorian: You’re an apostate – neither Dalish nor city elf – who lived alone in the woods studying spirits. Solas: Is that a problem for you?

Solas: [has a whole tactical moment about the red jennies lmao] Sera: Where d’you get all this, then? Solas: Do you wish to be unnerved by another tale of my explorations of the Fade? Or do you wish to learn something?

Vivienne: You must be pleased with what was revealed at the Temple of Mythal, Solas. Solas: Why should those ruins please me, Enchanter?

changing the subject before he backs himself into a corner

Gatt: I don’t see any tattoos, but you’re carrying a staff. Are you from a Chantry Circle? Solas: No. And I would prefer not to discuss it.

Solas: I find the fall of the dwarven lands confusing. Varric: What’s so confusing about endless darkspawn? Solas: A great deal, although that is a different matter.

giving the truth, but not the whole truth

Blackwall: Skyhold. How did you find it? Solas: I looked. Blackwall: Now you sound like Cole. You looked? Solas: This world is full of wonders for those who seek them.

Blackwall: You spoke of seeing death and destruction. Did you fight in a war? Solas: There are struggles across Thedas at any given time. I doubt you would have heard of it. Blackwall: An elven skirmish? Solas: In a manner of speaking, yes.

Cassandra: Solas, have you always lived alone? Out in the wilderness, as an apostate? Solas: For the most part.

Cassandra: Have you ever encountered templars before? Solas: Only at a distance. I am an apostate, after all. Cassandra: And they never caught you even once? Solas: I am a very careful apostate.

Dorian: We found elves, living ancient elves, at the Temple of Mythal. Does that bother you, Solas? If Inquisitor allied with the Sentinels: Solas: I am pleased we were not forced to kill them, if that’s what you mean.

Iron Bull: You’ve got an odd style, Solas. Your spells are a bit different from the Circle mages or the Vints. Solas: That comes from being self-taught. Solas: I discovered most of my magic on my own, or learned it from my journeys in the Fade.

Vivienne: So, an apostate? Solas: That is correct, Enchanter. I did not train in your Circle.

Solas: You are a man who made a choice... possibly the first of your life. Iron Bull: I’ve always liked fighting. What if I turn savage, like the other Tal-Vashoth? Solas: You have the Inquisition, you have the Inquisitor... and you have me.

from cutscene at beginning Inquisitor: [mentions the anchor closing a rift] Solas: Whatever magic opened the Breach in the sky also placed that mark upon your hand. I theorized the mark might be able to close the rifts that have opened in the Breach's wake – and it seems I was correct.

from cutscene at beginning Solas: [to a Dalish Inq] You are Dalish, but clearly away from the rest of your clan. Did they send you here? Inquisitor: What do you know of the Dalish? Solas: I have wandered many roads in my time, and crossed paths with your people on more than one occasion. Inquisitor: [Crossed paths? dialogue choice] Solas: I mean that I offered to share knowledge, only to be attacked for no greater reason than their superstition.

from “I’d like to know more about you” convo in Haven Inquisitor: What made you start studying the Fade? Solas: I grew up in a village to the north. There was little to interest a young man, especially one gifted with magic. But as I slept, spirits of the Fade showed me glimpses of wonders I had never imagined. I treasured my dreams. Being awake, out of the Fade, became troublesome.

actually telling the truth but no one picks up on the gravity of it

Solas: [...] I believe the elven gods existed, as did the old gods of Tevinter. But I do not think any of them were gods, unless you expand the definition of the word to the point of absurdity. I appreciate the idea of your Maker, a god that does not need to prove his power. I wish more such gods felt the same. Cassandra: You have seen much sadness in your journeys, Solas. Following the Maker might offer some hope. Solas: I have people, Seeker. The greatest triumphs and tragedies this world has known can all be traced to people.

Cole: No, inside. I don’t hear your hurt as much. Your song is softer, subtler, not silent but still. Solas: How small the pain of one man seems when weighted against the endless depths of memory, of feeling, of existence. That ocean carries everyone. And those of us who learn to see its currents move through life with their fewer ripples.

Cole: You didn’t do it to be right. You did it to save them. Inquisitor: Solas, what is Cole talking about? Solas: A mistake. One of many made by a much younger elf who was certain he knew everything.

Solas: Empires rise and fall. Arlathan was no more “innocent” than your own Tevinter in its time. Solas: Your nostalgia for the ancient elves, however romanticized, is pointless.

Solas: Our people used to be here. Sera: Pfft, you say that everywhere. Solas: It is more true than you want to believe.

Vivienne: You must be pleased, apostate. With the Templars dissolved, your rebels will be most difficult to pacify. Solas: My rebels? Am I an agent for their cause, whispering poison into the Inquisition’s ears? Solas: How comforting. Vivienne: You enjoy seeing yourself as a villain? Solas: No more than any other clever man who wonders what he could do if pushed.

Vivienne: [about the Temple of Mythal] Now you know the elves were once a mighty nation. Solas: I always knew, Enchanter. The Temple of Mythal is just another reminder of what was lost.

(in the Emerald Graves): These forests have changed much since I was last here.

during the Fade!Haven cutscene Solas: It seems you hold the key to our salvation. You had sealed it with a gesture... and right then, I felt the whole world change. Inquisitor: [romance option] “Felt the whole world change?” Solas: A figure of speech. Inquisitor: I’m aware of the metaphor. I’m more interested in felt. Solas: You change... everything.

pointing out that people assume he means things he did not directly say

Cole: There is pain though, still within you. Solas: And I never said there was not.

Solas: You may well become fully human, after all. I never thought to see it. Cole: When did you see it before? Solas: I did not say that I had.

Iron Bull: We’ve got the alliance with my people. Given how much you love the Qun, I figured... Solas: I might scold you? Berate you for your decisions? Iron Bull: Hey. The Chargers died as heroes for the good of the mission. Solas: I never said otherwise.

Sera: Don’t you start. Solas: I’m reasonably certain I said nothing.

Vivienne: [talking shit about grey warden mages] Solas: I never claimed mages should be above the law, Enchanter. Vivienne: No, darling. You merely implied it, while offering no viable suggestions for improvement.

after infamous “side benefits” dialogue Warrior Inquisitor: You find my muscles enjoyable? Solas: I meant that you enjoyed having them, presumably. Warrior Inquisitor: Ah. Solas: But yes... since you asked.

diminishing things he does actually know by saying he he “believes” or “thinks,” or that things were vaguely “said” or “told”

Solas: I say what I believe to be true, even if it gives offense to those who prefer the lie.

Dorian: That orb Corypheus carries... are you certain it’s of elven origin, Solas? Solas: I believe so. Why do you ask?

Solas: It is said that we lived at a pace that sustained us for... ages.

making it sound like he’s talking about something/someone else, but it’s just him lmao

Cole: Do you know a lot about wolves? Solas: I know that they are intelligent, practical creatures that small-minded fools think of as terrible beasts.

Solas: No man can kill so many people without breaking inside. To survive... those you fight must become monsters. Iron Bull: The ones that kill innocent people, yeah. The rest... I don’t know. Solas: The mind does marvelous things to protect itself.

during In Hushed Whispers Inquisitor: I’m glad you understood what he just said because I’m not sure I did. Solas: You would think such understanding would stop me from making such terrible mistakes. You would be wrong.

misc

this one i wanted to include because it’s the only circumstance (that i came across) where someone directly asks solas to lie and he literally says he can’t

during the fucking crestwood breakup scene Inquisitor: [angry option] Tell me you don’t care. Solas: I can’t do that. Inquisitor: Tell me I was some casual dalliance so I can call you a cold-hearted son of a bitch and move on! Solas: I’m sorry.

*also note that most of these are banter transcriptions from the wiki; some are cutscene / other dialogue posted by either @/daitranscripts or u/karinini on reddit; it’s not all his cutscenes obv, but I’m not about to look up every single one individually sdlkfj*

[cammi-writes]

Imagine being stuck on a strange planet with Loki;

part: part 1 | part 2

a/n | warnings: sexual themes, mentions of date rape drugs -> I’m very happy that so many people enjoyed part one and I’m very excited to continue the series!!! Also little random tidbit about my life; I’m crying bc I rewatched captain america; the first avenger 😭😭😭

fandom: Marvel

pairing: Loki x Reader

tags: @crescent-night , @drakesfiance , message me if you want to be tagged

~~

You seethed silently as Loki followed behind a servant with you on a glorified leash.

“Here is your room sir” The female creature did not make eye contact as she spoke to Loki.

Loki thanked her and proceeded to drag you into the room as she scurried off somewhere. Once the door was closed you tore the collar from around your neck.

“Your pet?” You dared him to confirm. The evil little smirk that twisted on his lips both angered and excited you.

“Lady Y/n, I promise that I meant no offense. Calling you my pet was for your benefit” Loki’s eyes glinted with mischief. He knew he was pushing your buttons and oh how he enjoyed seeing your face scrunch up in annoyance.

“My benefit?” You scoffed.

“If you had been unclaimed, I can promise you that Khelerath would have claimed you as his own and I would have no say in the matter” Loki explained with a wave of his hand and you sighed. He was right. “Some would rage wars over such a fascinating creature like yourself. So powerful yet so... easily frightened”

“Excuse me?” The annoyance boiled in your stomach.

“You looked like a lost kitten scurrying under my cape like you did” The familiar grin appeared on the gods face.

“I did-“

“Is this really important, Y/n?” Loki cut you off without glancing from the window he stared out of.

“How are we going to get out of here, Loki?” You questioned, realizing the situation you were is was a lot worse than pretending to be Loki’s playtoy.

“We will have to either wait for the caravan or someone to save us” Loki frowned now and turned towards you. The intense look on his face made you gulp. “Y/n we are on a planet where you should not dare to defy me”

“Excuse me?” You questioned.

“This planet is filled with what you midgardians would call ‘sexists’” Loki explained. “Women are property to be used and sold like cattle. They can be killed or broken if they dare disrespect their masters. If you would like to get out of this safely, you must play this game with me”

You knew what he was telling you was probably true but you couldn’t help but feel annoyed. You were now stuck playing a kinky game of master and slave with a particularly hot and dangerous god.

“Y/n do you understand me?” The serious tone in Loki’s voice got to you.

“Yes, yeah I get it. I’m yours until we get out of here” You rolled your eyes at Loki when is eyebrows went up.

“I’ve never seen you this compliant with me Y/n. Is it perhaps because you’re excited for this little game?”

“I just don’t want to die, stupid” You scoffed. Of course he would turn this around and make it seem like you wanted him. If anything he’s the one who initiated this.

“Are you sure darling?” Loki’s eyes glinted as he took a few steps closer to you. “Are you sure you’ve never thought about me in such ways?”

“Such ways?” You muttered sarcastically.

“Sexually. Have you fantasized about me while you lay awake in your bed at night?” Loki continued walking towards you. When your eyes widened in shock he continued. “Have you thought about what it would be like to be my pet? To be my little plaything?”

“Of course not!” You sputtered out in shock. Of course this was a lie but you had never fantasized about him. It was a simple curiosity. Loki had a very dominant vibe that came from him and you couldn’t help but wonder...

“Then why has your blood rushed to your cheeks?” Loki was close enough to run a thumb over your blushing cheeks.

“Because you’re talking about-about-“

“Making you mine?” Loki finished your sentence while gripping onto your chin. Unlike the fear that rushed to your belly when Khelerath did this, another feeling filled your gut. One you did not want to admit to anyone, not even yourself.

Before you could reply, Loki let go of you and did a 360 turn.

“Do not leave the room. I am going to speak with Khelerath about our accommodations” Loki glanced behind him and saw your eyebrows furrow. “You need to eat darling and I doubt your stomach is used to Dicarro delicacies”

And then he was gone, leaving you a mess. 

You squeezed your eyes, trying to hush the thoughts that ran around your mind. This is just a game. When we get back home we can go back to hating each other. Without all of these implications. 

You decided to take in your surroundings. Your room was beautiful. It looked like it was plucked right out of a Disney castle. There was two couches in the corner of the room that looked like they had been stitched with gold. There was only one king sized bed in the room with a beautiful deep red covering on it. There was also a window that gave us a view of Dicarro and the planets off in the distance. It was beautiful. On this planet, unlike Earth, you could see the other planets in this solar system clearly. 

You flickered your eyes up to the ceiling and blushed. The entire ceiling above the bed was a mirror. 

You squeezed your legs together as thoughts of watching yourself come undone under Loki’s pale, body filled your mind. 

“Stop it, Y/n” You muttered to yourself and tried to find something to get your mind off of that topic. “You’ve got to be kidding me”

Your eyes fell on a small cage at the foot of the bed. It looked like a dog cage but there were no dogs on Dicarro. Only sex slaves. 

“Jesus Christ” You ran your fingers through your hair. “He better not think I’m going to be sleeping in that” 

You continued to roam your new living quarters and continued to find sex contraptions everywhere. Like chains in the shower, a stripper pole in what you had thought was a closet and many more things that you knew Loki would tease you about. 

You opened the door to what you once again thought was a closet and a gasp escaped your mouth. 

If this was 50 Shades Of Grey, this was Christian Grey’s game room. So many sex toys and devices. Some looked familiar like the ones you had seen on Earth and some looked completely scary. 

“That looks fun” You flinched at the sound of Loki’s voice. When did he get back? 

You turned to see his familiar mischievous smirk. He had a tray of fruit. But nothing that even remotely looked like it was from Earth.

“They don’t have anything native to Earth here but I picked a few things that I know isn’t poisonous to humans” Loki set the tray down on the coffee table and gestured for you to sit and you obeyed when your stomach began to rubble. 

Stupid Thanos interrupting your breakfast with his creepy plans to rule the universe.

“I’m going to shower. Do not leave the room without me” Loki commanded without looking your way and you rolled your eyes. 

Once the door to the bathroom was shut, you started trying all of the different fruit Loki had brought you and you couldn’t help but groan in satisfaction. How come Earth didn’t have as delicious foods?

Knock, Knock

You hesitantly went to open the door, unsure of what to do. If you ignored it, you may get in trouble. 

Your eyes met Khelerath’s. And suddenly the fear the subsided a while ago was back. 

“Your master allows you to roam free when he is not present?” Khelerath raised what would have been his eyebrow if he had one. 

“I-I” You stuttered, not knowing how to explain that. 

“Have you disobeyed your master, sweet one?” You felt like crying as Khelerath’s hand caressed your cheek. “I brought you something, if you would like to try it. I brought it as a gift for your master” 

Your eyes settled on the beautiful chocolatey goodness in Khelerath’s hand. 

“Come, sit.” You obeyed Khelerath as he lead you to the couch once again. He sat close to you and you wanted to cringe away. “It is harmless to all lifeforms so it should not hurt” 

Khelerath used the fork to cut a piece of the cake and your eyes widened at the melted chocolate that spilled out. “Open” You obeyed and Khelerath shoved the fork into your mouth. You almost moaned at the taste. This was like chocolate on steroids and you wondered why Thor never brought any on his trips to Earth. 

“Y/n -” Loki appeared from the bathroom and your couldn’t help but feel a burning in your abdomen when you saw what he was wearing. Or what he wasn’t wearing. 

There stood Loki, in nothing but a towel loosely wrapped around his waist. His chest bare with water beads dripping down from his hair. You bit your lip to distract you but noticed that Khelerath was staring at you with an expectant look. 

“Yes daddy” Your eyes grew wide along with Loki’s and Khelerath’s. How could you let that slip. You had never told anybody about your daddy kink before...

“Strange” Khelerath whispered. “But interesting.” You watched Khelerath’s hand lift to touch you but he stopped himself. 

“Why are you here?” Loki’s voice sounded accusatory and the power dripping from his tone made you want to moan. 

“I only stopped by to leave a gift but your pet answered the door” Khelerath broke out in an evil smirk. “Pets are not allowed to be left to their own accord, here on Dicarro. You must punish her for breaking the rules” 

That should have struck fear in you but it didn’t. Instead you felt your arousal and your body got hot. 

“We did not know of that rule and I do not believe I should punish her for something she was not aware of” Loki squinted his eyes at Khelerath and you had to dig your nails into your palm to stop yourself from pouncing on him. 

What the hell was happening to you? You’ve never felt this much arousal in your life for anyone, especially not Loki. 

“I am being courteous, Loki. Slaves who break rules, aware or not, usually get punished by the court in ways that are...” Khelerath’s eyes glinted. “dangerous to such a fragile species. But if that is what you want, I’ll gladly take her to my dungeon” 

Loki’s eyes met yours and he was stunned by the obvious arousal leaking off of you. Figuratively of course but he could see it in your eyes and he didn’t know why. But he took that as your consent. 

“Fine” In an instant Loki had you in front of where he sat on the bed. 

You felt nothing but pleasure as Loki’s hands began to unbutton your jeans and pull them down just below your ass. Usually you would have kicked yourself for putting on a thong this morning but for some reason it excited you. 

You noticed that Loki’s eyes were staring into Khelerath’s as he bent you over his lap. 

“Count” You felt Loki’s voice rumble and before your could comprehend what was happening you heard a slap and felt a stinging on your ass. You moaned in response only for Loki to wrap his hand into your hair and pull your head back to look him in his eyes. You expected your eyes to meet angry eyes but instead they looked pleading despite his tone. “I said count” 

One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten

You were shaking in Loki’s lap, the mixture of pleasure and pain too much for you to bare. 

“That is enough” Loki spoke, once again to Khelerath but you couldn’t see him through your teary eyes. 

“Enjoy my gift” Khelerath spoke and then the door slammed closed.

“I apologize, Y/n” Loki stood you up in between his legs. “That was better than whatever Khelerath-” 

You cut him off by slamming your lips against his. His body was freezing and contrasted completely with how hot you were. Loki’s hands wrapped around your thighs and you pushed him back so you were straddling him. 

Loki pulled away with hungry eyes and ragged breath. “Why?”

“I want you so bad” You whined and tried to kiss him again but he held you in place. He looked like he was thinking hard about something and then his eyes snapped to where Khelerath had left his gift. 

In an instant you were laying on your back while Loki had stood up, fixing his towel with a disturbed look on his face. 

“Loki” You whined while squirming around on the bed. You needed to feel him on top of you. Inside you. 

“Those are not your feelings” Loki shook his head, still holding that disturbed look. 

“What do you mean?” You felt like crying that is how much you needed him. 

“Khelerath’s gift” Loki glared at the plate. “It’s made with voluptatem” 

“What?” You groaned, unable to process the words coming from his mouth. All you wanted was his mouth on yours.

Loki’s eyes met yours and he looked both annoyed and disappointed. “It enhances your libido. It makes you completely compliant to whoever you see first after it enters your system” 

His eyes turned angry and you moaned at the sight making him run one of his large hands over his face. 

“Khelerath was trying to manipulate you but I interrupted” Loki growled, sending pleasure straight to your core. “Leaving this planet with you is going to be a lot harder than I anticipated” 

“Just fuck me” You basically screamed making Loki’s eyes snap to your body that was sprawled on the bed. 

“No” Loki spoke with no hesitation and for a split second, you felt embarrassed. Of course a god like him wouldn’t want you. But then it was overcome but arousal. “Voluptatem is the equivalent to your planet’s roofies. If I did that, it would be taking advantage of you” 

If you were in the right state of mind you would have thought that what he said was honorable. Some men in his position would jump at the chance. But since your body was telling you that it needed to orgasm, all you felt was disappointment

“Loki please” You begged and for a minute you thought you had convinced him by the way he cupped your face in his hand and shot you a mischievous smirk..

“If you need pleasure, darling, you’re going to have to do it yourself” You literally had tears in your eyes as Loki ran a finger over your bottom lip. “I’m sure you can find something in here to help” 

And then he straightened up and turned on his heel. 

“I am going to find us clean clothing. I’ll be back soon, so please hurry” Loki opened the door before turning back to look at you. “I will lock the door from the outside. Do not open it for anybody”

You watched him close the door and you threw yourself back onto the bed in frustration. 

[danielesux]

･:*:･ﾟ☆ ( alycia debnam-carey. 25. cisfemale. she/her. ) ↷ ( daniele 'dani' nemeth ) has been spotted by the paparazzi in los angeles. they are a ( b ) list celebrity known for their career as an ( actress ). they’re known by their fans to be ( affectionate, humble, & open-minded ) but the tabloids frequently portray them to be ( lazy, reticent, & jealous ) . i wish them every success in the entertainment industry. ( michelle. 22. est. she/her. ) ･:*:･ﾟ☆ 

hello, new friends! i’m michelle and i’ve not been in a group like this in many moons so i’m a wee bit nervous, feelin’ a lil shy, but i’m v excited. lemme jump right in and introduce you folks to dani. i’ll have some more detailed stats and such on my page later on, but this is all the need-to-know info as well as some stuff you probs don’t need to know but i feel like sharing anyway! 

her full name is daniele faith nemeth. she’ll answer to daniele and is known professionally that way, but 98% of the people in her life call her dani. 

she’s had dual citizenship in both america and australia since she was a child, since her mom lived in australia (where dani was born) and her dad lived in america. he moved there for work when she was 2, after he’d split with her mom. she wanted to have a relationship with them both, so she lived with her mom during the school years and spent holidays with her father in california. she moved to california full time when she was 18 and looking to begin her career. at first she lived in anaheim with her dad, but she soon moved to los angeles. 

she’s a 25 year old actress, who has done a couple of movies and a handful of smaller roles, and is now a main role on a popular tv show, but she hasn’t always done that sort of tv. 

she first stepped into the spotlight when she was 19 and was cast on a reality show on mtv. (something very close to ‘are you the one?’) her agent said it’d be a good start for her, and she blindly did what he said. it did seem like a fun time, and if she got to meet a few cute people (mostly boys, because of the show’s premise), then that was okay for her.

it wasn’t until after the show was airing that she realized it may have not been a good idea. she began worrying she’d never be taken seriously as an actress because of her reality tv past. luckily, she was able to capitalize on it instead. since her name was out there now and she’d gathered a small fanbase from the show, her agent was able to land her auditions. 

she got a few small roles right away, doing one episode roles on popular shows and having a minor parts in movies. her biggest role to date came in 2017 when she was part of an ensemble cast in a female-led comedy (think something along the lines of bridesmaids?? but set at a college and no one is getting married) where she got to work alongside more established and known actresses. this movie is being called ‘moon girls’ for right now and no i didn’t use some sort of title generator to pick that at random. her character was named elizabeth.

her role in that movie led to even more opportunities for her, the most notable one being her current gig. the first season of her new tv show is now playing and she is one of the main roles. it’s a horror show and spoiler alert, but she’s signed on for three seasons, so she feels like she won’t be dying anytime soon. (i’m thinking it’s a similar show to mtv’s scream. a murder mystery/slasher type of show.) the show has been doing well and is very popular with teens/young adults. for now this show shall be called ‘red dreams’ and no i didn’t use the same generator again, mind your business. she plays a character named savannah. 

so that’s p much the gist of her career, now moving on to more on her personal life and such. 

since she’s started to gain more fame and more fans, she’s been referred to as a ‘bicon’, as she’s very open about being bisexual. her character on ‘red dreams’ is also bi. 

she is proud cat mom, to a 3 year calico cat named chandler. when she adopted him a year and a half ago, that was already his name, and since she’s a casual fan of friends/chandler, she kept the name. she felt bad about changing it, she didn’t want to confuse him. 

while she worked hard to become a respected actress, thats about the only thing she works hard at. she’s a lazy person, always wanting to spend her time on the couch or in bed. give her some fries and other snacks and let her hang out in front of the tv with her cat and she’s happy. 

she doesn’t easily talk about her feelings, sometimes fearing letting people in and seeing her vulnerable side. this is a general thing, but when it comes to romantic feelings, she’s twice as guarded. this doesn’t mean she’s a cold person though. she may avoid genuine, serious talks but she’s still quite affectionate. she’s all about holding hands and cuddling, whether in a platonic way or otherwise. she loves being close and touchy with people - but only people she’s close to, or wants to be close to, if you get me. wink wink nudge nudge. 

some other qualities hmmm. she is jealous, usually with people, sometimes with career things, but she’d never say it out loud. 

she’s humble, almost self deprecating at times. 

she’s one of the least judgmental people ever, and very fair minded, and can usually see both sides of an argument - most arguments, that is. with major things, like lgbt+ issues, etc, she has a side. 

she’s sarcastic, but not cruel, always trying to be friendly and keep the mood light. 

she can be nosy as well, she likes knowing about other people’s drama, but she doesn’t have malicious intent, she’s just a curious person. 

she loves music and tv, and is never not watching or listening to something. 

she is notoriously late for things. she can force herself to make it to sets on time (9 times out of 10 at least) but for most other things? lie to her about the time if you want her there at the right time. 

she’s the person who lurks the group chat and only contributes by sending memes every once in awhile. she is a taurus and yes it matters to her. she’s an astrology hoe. she doesn’t understand any of it but she likes knowing peoples zodiacs signs and reading about their traits and seeing if they’re compatible. 

hey, potential connections and plot ideas!! 

a best friend, because who doesn’t love a good brotp??? i do!! a list, b list, c list, d list, dani doesn’t care and neither do i. she needs a good ride or die in her life. 

co-stars!!! because of course. her two biggest projects were the ‘moon girls’ movie (which probably consisted of a and b list actors) and her current show (probably other b listers mostly) but she had lots of little parts before those, so they could have met when they were both big roles or when dani was just playing barista #5 in their show/movie.

since i mentioned she’s v closed off when it comes to romance, i feel like maybe she’s broken a few hearts in her day. peeps who she got close with and unintentionally led on, and they wanted more but she was Not about to have those convos, so things ended. 

friends with benefits type thing?? dani is gonna realize she just hurts people if she’s not upfront from the start, so she’s gonna try that honesty thing, and it can lead to her and your muse having a no strings attached type relationship. bonus points if one or both of them fuck that up by catching feels tho lmfao.

a mentor of sorts! she’s still relatively new to the scene and is just now blowing up, so it’d be nice for her to have someone to guide her and give her advice. 

an old roomie maybe?? she was not wealthy when she first came to los angeles on her own and she would have needed a roommate. she didn’t get her own place until ‘moon girls’ was out and successful, so they would have had a few years together. their current status is up for discussion. 

some sort of enemies??? that could be fun. hatred is great. dani doesn’t hate easily but she’ll hate you if you want her to. 

like i mentioned, she is a huge fan of tv and music, so maybe your muse is one of her faves!! they can mutually fangirl over each other. or maybe just dani can fangirl and your muse can be mildly bothered by her.

literally anything!! i know i’m gonna remember a few more and be annoyed with myself for forgetting to add them.  

i will most definitely add some pages to my navi with more stats and details and maybe more connection/plot ideas, but for now, there ya go, folks! if anyone wants to plot, please do not hesitate to say hi. i am so thirsty for any and all connections, i’ll cling real hard to you. i’m excited to get things going!! 

p.s. if i don’t reply suddenly its bc ya girl went to take a much needed 10 hour nap. 

[words-writ-in-starlight]

reading part 1 and like, it feels silly to go ‘dang nice first line’ when you clearly worked hard on the first line, you know full well it’s nice, but still. nice first line. drops you right in the world, has that ring of myth but also of urgency, explains right away what the problem is, and also now I’m overanalyzing but it does start things right off by making sure you don’t trust Crispin, don’t trust what he appears to be no matter what. it puts you on edge, on guard, making sure you assume

he’ll lie to you (well, to Brenneth). And like. I know what the original story is, it’s not like I needed the reminder, but the sharp sense of unbalance and distrust that you get right at the start of the story is quite good. ++ Funny - I realize suddenly that I don’t actually know what Crispin looks like. I know you’ve described him somewhere, but it didn’t stick, or maybe you just didn’t mention the hair. I don’t remember it being red-gold.

(the hades and persephone au)

Fun fact, I scrapped THREE, count them, THREE intro scenes before I settled on this one, so no, you are no over-analyzing.  Some fragments of the other intro scenes wound up elsewhere in the story, but mostly?  I just chucked them wholesale and started from scratch.  So, like, yeah, I’m really glad that one works out because I was rapidly running out of good places in the story to pick up the action.  Also, this is both a nod to the actual intro to the novel and wildly at odds, because on the one hand, it does open with a mysterious individual who has, presumably, broken into Brenneth’s home, but it’s also all trust all the time with Crispin from the very first line of the novel, so.

Yoo the season thing is tight, that is the good stuff, and by saying it’s jarring you make it into a bad, unnatural thing, not a thing of wonder as it would be in most stories. Nice. ++ “mundane lightning, if such a thing even existed” Interesting. Not even sure why exactly, just.. interesting. ++ I like that he stabs her xD ++ “her best emotionless expression” NICE I like how this shows, without explaining why, not only that she’s upset somehow, but that it’s a big deal (her BEST such

expression, this is a big effort she’s making). It suggests a personal connection, which, ok, I know she has one bc I know Alleirat, but this is fanfic, that’s allowed. Anyway it’s a very economical way of showing it, so nice job. ++ “the snarl evaporated into a smile” Huh. He trusts her, in a way, even if only in that he thinks he knows her well enough to know what to expect. ++ "If you wanted to talk” I wonder if he really does think, even for a moment, that this is just personal.

Crispin…like, to be completely honest, he’s not completely stable at this moment–I was going to say “not completely himself” but that wouldn’t be accurate–and he wants to force Brenneth into saying out loud what’s upsetting her.  Largely because it will upset her to say it out loud.  It’s a cruel jab, to do it in a way that reminds her that they’re friends, but he’s also trying to drive her into lashing out and, quite frankly, attempting his execution then and there, so he goes for cruelty over efficiency.

"gentle note of menace” Interesting. What menace does he threaten? What can he threaten, here? Or is it just generalized menace? Maybe he’s just a menacing guy. ++ "glittered like a jewel in a setting” An unusual metaphor for a person. I like how it makes him hard and sharp, and fey in how he glitters, and trapped, like jewels are by their settings. ++ Brenneth is very polite. I think I like that about her. I think she does it because she’s solid, steady. She knows who she wants to be, and she’s

not about to be any less than that, even in the little things. 

Brenneth is one of those people where a short temper that tends to flare hot and spectacular but largely harmless, which I think is a satisfying contrast with Crispin, who’s slow to lose his temper and coldly precise but absolutely lethal when he does.  And above anything else…she’s sad, I think.  Brenneth doesn’t like admitting it, in any universe, but she’s sad about a lot of things, a lot of the time, and that makes her a little more likely to offer civility to someone trying to hurt her.  Not invulnerable to snapping and getting violent, but it buys 

++ @the shards in his eyes: holy shit that’s good imagery. it’s a common enough concept but you’ve phrased it so poetically that it gains new strength ++ god that conversation’s intense. I like that she was mortal before – grounded in the world, in a life, in mundane mortality. And he emerged from a storm, no connections to anything, not even kin, not even parentage. His first memories a furious and beautiful destruction, chaos given

form. And he’s the one who’s Spring, and she who’s Death. ++ "His hands were burned badly across the palms” Good way to keep her fire in the story, even with her being Death and not anything typically considered fiery. Interesting that his hands are burnt where he touched her, but no part of him is burnt from her touching him, not even his chiton. ++ Shiko is bound to a task Brenneth set her, one that benefits Brenneth’s kingdom, and can only leave at her express will, yet Brenneth doesn’t think

of her as a servant, is even uneasy at the thought. I wonder how she does think of Shiko. It doesn’t seem to bother her that Shiko calls her ‘my lord’. (Incidentally I like the Lord thing. It’s a little weird at first but it works. Not sure how to really interpret it yet, if at all - guess I’ll know later in the story - but I like it.) 

First of all, I use and abuse a lot of misapplied titles in this, and I would say “lord” is probably the most common one, for a number of reasons.  The primary one is probably that Brenneth was introduced into the pantheon as a mortal, which already put her at a disadvantage, so her use of “lord” is making a very clear and specific point about her rank.  There’s that quote re: the Tortall about Alanna making a point with “sir” and Kel making a different point with “lady,” and Brenneth is making the former, whereas Krei eventually makes the latter.

Second of all, Brenneth’s whole stance on Shiko is very conflicted.  On the one hand, she saved Shiko from an eternity of torment, absolutely and without question, but she did it by basically chaining Shiko to the ferry unless she’s specifically sent on an errand.  Shiko has known her longer thank anyone and more completely than anyone with the possible exception of Crispin, so Brenneth thinks of them as equals, but Shiko is acutely aware that her existence as someone not being tortured is entirely dependent on Brenneth’s good will, and Brenneth is aware of that as well.  And, of course, Brenneth killed Shiko, and it was Shiko’s actions that resulted in Brenneth’s appointment as the god of death.  There’s a lot of baggage there.

++ ‘“Well,” Shiko said, and abandoned the sentence.’ And my, what that says about how Brenneth is treated, and what Shiko thinks of it, and what Brenneth thinks

of it. I may be reading too much into it, but after what Crispin said, I don’t think I am. ++ She doesn’t mind thinking of Rada as a servant. Is it the choice? It sounds like though she could compel any shade to serve her (like one from Tartarus), she doesn’t, and they know they have a choice. But Shiko is bound to obey her, so Brenneth is uneasy about it? 

Yeah, basically.  Shiko has to serve Brenneth or her shade will be banished to the Fields of Punishment, whereas allowing shades to serve in her palace gives them the chance to wait for their family.  It’s a kindness she’s offering them, at its core level, whereas Brenneth sees Shiko’s task as the lesser of two fairly serious evils, even though it doesn’t bother Shiko overmuch, and she has a hard time living with having done that to someone who she feels was used and misled, rather than causing problems out of malicious intent.

++ “seeking something to consume” How odd that this is how it manifests. "her godhood was screaming for it” Ok now that’s intriguing. Does

she often get the urge to kill people? Is it only people who ‘should’ be dead? By what measure of ‘should’? ++ I wonder if she only breathes out of habit, from when she was mortal. I wonder if all gods breathe, or if they only bother occasionally. I wonder if Crispin’s heart has ever beat. 

Gods’ hearts don’t beat, as far as I’m concerned.  If they even have hearts, I guess, I’d be hard pressed to make that call on the spot.  Brenneth, basically, kept her mortal body and froze it at the moment of her apotheosis, so she doesn’t need a heartbeat or breathing, but she does them out of habit and as a sort of self-soothing pattern.  Oh, and I’d say that speaking with a throat does require breathing regardless of whether the oxygen is needed, on a purely mechanical level, so for those purposes all gods breathe when they’re speaking aloud.

Also, I’d say that it’s rare for Brenneth and her “god-self”, as it were, to be in direct conflict, but gods kill people for disrespect.  Brenneth does not.  This is her primary conflict with the part of her that operates as a deity first and a “self” second.

++ I think it means Rada’s brave, that he didn’t even back away when his form started to fall apart from her leaking rage. Or that he trusts her, or both. I like him. Witnesses, she asks for. What for?

What did they witness? Does she want to hold a trial? Or does she mean his victims? She can have her pick of those, I think. So many of them work in her palace, and many more are doubtless crowding her kingdom. She could probably just walk out and shout, “who wants to talk shit about the god of spring,” and she’d get like fifty volunteers in 2 seconds flat.

ok I think I’m gonna sleep. also, amusingly, I have now sent you enough asks that I have to prove I’m not a robot to send any more.

Rada is my BEST BOY and I LOVE HIM.  He worries SO MUCH about his boss.  In canon, he was Brenneth’s third in command when she was hunting Crispin, Torei’s most trusted subordinate, and he was EXACTLY like this, eternally fretting over people’s wellbeing and how seriously Torei was injured and whether or not Brenneth had remembered to eat.  He’s a GOOD BOY.  DOING HIS BEST.  His family is from the south of Alleirat in canon, which means their coloring is a lot like Brenneth’s and she reminds him of one of his younger sisters, so he’s particularly protective of her.

And yeah, everyone’s very eager to talk shit about Crispin.  Rada has exactly NO trouble finding volunteers.  He just wanders into Asphodel and goes “hey who wants to complain to the Lord of the Underworld about that fucker” and has a line OUT THE DOOR.

[oumakokichi]

ok I just got through the 4th trial. Ouma backing Gonta into a corner so viciously was... kinda scary. The entire time, he takes the lead, even more prominently than Saihara. At one point he literally says 'so, the culprit is Gonta.' Later on, he meticulously clears everyone of suspicion until only Gonta remains. His aggressive demeanour is scary and also pretty sad, bc the others would never accept the truth otherwise. Idk what I want out of this ask, I just wanted to get that off my chest lol

The Chapter 4 trial hurts so much. Much of themisinformation that was floating around about it at first caused people to feelbad for one character or the other who was involved, but I find myself stillfeeling pretty miserable for every character involved: Miu, Gonta, and Ouma allgot a super shitty hand in that trial, and it’s true that none of it would havehappened without the killing game itself prompting this kind of tragedy.

The trial itself is absolutely bone-chilling and featuressome of the most incredible voice-acting moments in the whole game (in myopinion), and the points at which Ouma starts pressing are…pretty damnterrifying. There were a lot of scenes prior to this where I’d already beenthinking of ndrv3 and Ouma both in very Umineko terms, but this was the trialthat pretty much cemented it for me, because there was almost nothing more Umineko-likethan watching Ouma have to shoot down every single possibility with his own “redtruth” in order to force the group to accept that Gonta was the culprit.

As a short recap for those unfamiliar with or new toUmineko, the red truth is a gimmick within the murder mystery game in whichevery statement stated in red font is an undeniable truth without room fordenial, complaint, or rebuttal, and with no need for actual physical proof tobe presented. It’s to be taken as word-of-god “truth” and provide key clues andfacts—because if you had no proof at all that something was the truth, then you’dunderstandably wind up doubting every word out of your opponent’s mouth.

Of course, that’s not to say that the red truth can’t beused as a super tricky gimmick in its own right. By phrasing it very particularlyor only confirming a certain truth rather than the whole thing, there’s a lotof room for loopholes or workarounds. Everything stated in red is the truth,but there’s a lot to read into what’s notbeing said in red too.

This brings me back to Ouma. Ndrv3 and Umineko aren’texactly the same, of course, but I think anyone hearing this summary would beable to see exactly how this ties in with a character like Ouma, whose wordsare so often assumed to be lies and who absolutely everyone doubts every timehe opens his mouth.

And by and large, most of the time, this is fine with Ouma. He actually prefers “gentlelies” being left in place. As early as the very first character introductiontrailer for ndrv3, Ouma had lines such as “That’s what I call a gentle lie inorder to unify the group,” and “Half my lies are made out of kindness.” Theskill you gain by completing all his FTEs is literally called “gentle lie.” Andin the Chapter 4 trial, when the entire group starts pressing him to “comeclean” and berating him for dragging out the trial, he stops for a moment andquestions why they dislike lies so much even though there are many kinds oflies which are often told specifically in order to avoid hurting others.

Whatever the other characters or the player might think ofthe fact that Ouma lies, the fact that his lies are often associated withtrying to avoid very painful and horrible truths is an undeniable establishedpart of his character. He can and will either tell malicious lies or painfultruths himself if that’s what the situation requires—but he certainly doesn’tlike doing it, and he doesn’t tend to do so unless he absolutely has to.

From his perspective, lies are often preferable,specifically because they allow so many “infinitely changing possibilities.”Compared to a cold, hard truth, which is single and inflexible, lies can changeas many times as need be, and often be a source of comfort to people aroundthem. And it’s this particular outlook on lies, as well as Ouma’s innateunderstanding that lies can themselves become“reality” when they’re accepted as such by a wide array of people, that becomesparticularly central to the overall themes of ndrv3, particularly in Chapters 5and 6.

But in Chapter 4, Ouma undeniably finds himself in aposition in which the rest of the group refuses to believe anything he’ssaying. He’s clearly lying throughout much of the trial, but it’s all for thesake of prolonging the trial, stalling things, trying to bring the groupdiscussion to what needs to be done in a very roundabout way. He even offersplenty of comic relief very deliberately, including “he-said-she-said”arguments with Momota, and pretending to shake and be afraid when Himikothreatens to curse him, only to bounce back to being chipper.

However, since the group themselves refuses to acknowledgewhat he’s doing as being for anyone’s benefit but his own, he has to break outthe truth. And because no one will believe him otherwise, he does so in a waythat bears striking resemblance to the red truth gimmick in Umineko. Likeripping a band-aid off all at once, Ouma switches tactics midway through thetrial, going from playing dumb and being generally comedic and at ease to beingvery tired, very angry, and very much trying to end the whole thing as quicklyas possible.

Even when he point-blank states that “By the way, theculprit is Gonta,” no one believes him, of course. So he responds by ruling outevery single other possibility, and particularly proving how it was absolutelyimpossible for himself to have killed Miu. No matter how much the characters(or the players, for that matter) don’t like the facts, the truth is this, inred:  it was impossible for any otherperson but Gonta Gokuhara to have killed Miu Iruma. This is the point he triesto drill into all their heads, and it’s really by wielding this truth, ratherthan his usual lies, that he really begins stepping into his villain role.Because he understands very well at heart that there’s no better way to hurtpeople than with the truth.

One of the saddest parts about the whole trial too is thatbecause the others don’t believe it, even when presented with cold, hard,logical evidence, the whole thing still keeps taking much longer than itshould. Gonta suffers, he doesn’t understand what’s going on, and he becomeseven more emotional and bewildered the longer things go on, because Momotakeeps denying the proof set out before his eyes and relying on sheer belief,and Ouma keeps retaliating viciously against Momota and Gonta both, because hecannot afford any compassion at this stage, and he’s already steeled himself tothese brutal, cold tactics if it means being able to go on against the ringleadera little bit longer.

Ouma’s malicious treatment of Gonta is itself partly tosolidify his villain role, and partly because he wants to force the rest of thegroup to acknowledge that their blind optimism and belief in one another wasprecisely what led to this outcome. People, from Ouma’s perspective, cannot be trusted. They turn on you, nomatter how much you want to believe otherwise, just like Miu turned on thegroup, and just like he’s tuning on Gonta in order to keep himself alive.

The group’s emphasis on wanting to know “the truth” andacting as if it was such a positive thing is what angers him the most, becausein the end, this is what their truthis: something miserable and awful and painful, and something all of them would’vebeen better off without knowing. But they wanted to know it, and so he gives itto them with no more lies, and no more sugarcoating.

Only someone like Saihara, whose role as a detective is toseek the truth but also to understand the ways in which it can be used to hurtothers, can really break the truth in a much gentler way to Gonta, full ofcompassion. This is what he does by laying out the climax reasoning, and it’sone more step on his arc of character growth in trying to determine whether ornot it’s better to expose a painful truth or rely on lies.

Chapter 4 really, truly jumpstarts this ongoing dynamicbetween truth vs. lies. Certainly the dynamic had been there even in theearlier chapters, but from Chapter 4 and onward it just gets brought more andmore blatantly into focus. “Gentle lies” and “painful truths” remain a focal,vital point of ndrv3 all the way through the last chapter, and I feel like thepainful, raw nature of Chapter 4 as a whole did a great job in highlightingthese things. It just really hurts toread, because I feel bad for pretty much every single character involved.