#My Meteoric Rise to Obscurity

[mywitchyblog]

How Shiftok Destroyed Reality Shifting/ the Reality Shifting Community

Introduction :

Reality shifting, a practice based on the belief that individuals can consciously transfer their awareness to alternate realities or dimensions, has long been a niche concept within spiritual and metaphysical circles. However, with the rise of TikTok and the emergence of "Shiftok"—a blend of "shifting" and "TikTok"—this once-obscure practice has surged into mainstream awareness, particularly among younger audiences.

This essay delves into the profound impact of Shiftok on the reality-shifting community, tracing how an intimate, esoteric practice has evolved into a viral social media phenomenon. We will explore the origins of Shiftok, its rapid ascent in popularity, and the wide-ranging effects this digital revolution has had on both the perception and practice of reality shifting.

As we navigate the various facets of this cultural shift, we'll uncover the intricate relationship between social media dynamics, youth culture, and esoteric practices. From the initial surge of excitement and growth to the emergence of concerning trends and fragmentation within the community, the Shiftok phenomenon serves as a compelling case study in how digital platforms can reshape and redefine fringe beliefs and practices.

By examining the rise of Shiftok, its impact on the shifting community, and the responses it has elicited, this essay aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the unique intersection between ancient mystical concepts and modern social media culture. Through this exploration, we will gain insights into the broader implications of viral trends on spiritual practices and the challenges faced by communities as they adapt to sudden mainstream exposure.

Disclaimers : Read the Entire thing as usual. If you did not understand something feel free to tell me i shall gladly explain it to you.

I originally intented to make a simple rant-like post called "my hatred of shiftok" where i explain a story that happened to me that caused me to despise this platform and everything it stood for.

But then i realised that making an objective, educational, informative essay about how toxic, culty and overall nasty the platform became for the reputation of the practice and the community was much more appropriate than a poorly written post .

If any of you are interested in my storytime that made me so resentful of that platform, this post needs to get 200 notes and some comments asking me for it.

So enjoy this essay that i took much pleasure in writing :

Masterlist

II-The Rise of Shiftok

Shiftok, a portmanteau of "shifting" and "TikTok," emerged as a significant phenomenon within the broader landscape of social media, specifically on the TikTok platform. Its origins can be traced back to the early 2020s when reality-shifting content began gaining traction among young users on the app. What began as a niche interest rapidly snowballed into a viral trend, captivating the imaginations of millions of users worldwide.

The growth of Shiftok was meteoric, driven by several key factors that perfectly aligned with the TikTok ecosystem. Central to its success was the platform's short-form video format, which allowed creators to distill complex reality-shifting concepts into bite-sized, easily digestible content. This format proved ideal for sharing quick tips, visualization techniques, and purported success stories, making the practice appear more accessible to newcomers.

TikTok's powerful algorithm played a crucial role in propelling Shiftok to prominence. The app's content distribution system, designed to keep users engaged by serving them content tailored to their interests, quickly identified and promoted shifting-related videos to receptive audiences. This created a feedback loop where increased engagement led to greater visibility, drawing in curious newcomers and further fueling the trend's growth.

The demographic makeup of TikTok's user base also significantly contributed to Shiftok's rise. With a large proportion of young users, particularly teenagers and young adults, the platform provided fertile ground for reality-shifting content to flourish. This age group, often characterized by a desire for escapism, self-discovery, and novel experiences, found the concept of reality shifting particularly appealing.

As Shiftok gained momentum, it initially had a positive impact on the broader reality-shifting community. The increased visibility brought about by viral TikTok videos led to a surge of interest in the practice, drawing in thousands of new enthusiasts. This influx of newcomers energized the community, sparking discussions, fostering creativity, and expanding the collective knowledge base.

The platform also facilitated unprecedented levels of community engagement. Shifters from around the world could easily connect, share experiences, and offer support to one another through comments, duets, and collaborative videos. For those who felt isolated or misunderstood in their offline lives, this sense of community was particularly valuable, providing a space where they could freely discuss their shifting experiences and beliefs.

Moreover, Shiftok became a hub for sharing diverse experiences and methods related to reality shifting. Creators competed to produce the most engaging content, leading to an explosion of creativity in how shifting techniques were presented and explained. From guided meditations set to trending sounds to elaborate "POV" (point of view) scenarios depicting life in desired realities, the content on Shiftok was varied and dynamic.

However, the rapid growth and popularization of reality shifting through Shiftok soon revealed its double-edged nature. While it brought unprecedented attention and growth to the practice, it also set the stage for significant challenges that would reshape the reality-shifting community in profound and sometimes problematic ways. The very factors that contributed to Shiftok's meteoric rise—its accessibility, algorithmic amplification, and appeal to young users—would also play a role in the issues that emerged as the trend continued to evolve.

III-Negative Effects on the Reality Shifting Community

The meteoric rise of Shiftok, which initially invigorated the reality-shifting community, soon gave way to a host of negative consequences that profoundly impacted the practice and its practitioners. As the trend gained momentum, the integrity of the shifting community began to erode under the pressures of misinformation, oversimplification, and rampant commercialization.

One of the most significant issues was the rapid spread of misinformation. The viral nature of TikTok, coupled with the absence of robust fact-checking mechanisms, created an environment where unverified claims and exaggerated experiences could proliferate unchecked. Users, eager for views and followers, often shared sensationalized accounts of their shifting experiences, blurring the line between genuine practices and fantasy. Pseudoscientific explanations for shifting, often based on misinterpretations of quantum physics or neuroscience, gained traction, lending a false air of legitimacy to questionable concepts.

This problem was further exacerbated by the emergence of viral trends within the Shiftok community. "Shifting challenges" and purported "fool-proof methods" spread rapidly, often prioritizing entertainment value over accuracy or safety. While these trends were engaging for viewers, they frequently misrepresented the nature of reality shifting, leading to confusion and unrealistic expectations among newcomers to the practice.

Another detrimental effect of Shiftok's influence was the oversimplification of shifting techniques. The platform's short-form video format necessitated the distillation of complex practices into brief, easily digestible content. This led to a proliferation of "quick and easy" methods that promised results with minimal effort or understanding. While these simplified techniques made shifting seem more accessible, they neglected the nuances and deeper aspects of the practice.

This oversimplification had far-reaching consequences. Many newcomers, drawn by the promise of instant results, became frustrated when their experiences did not match the effortless successes portrayed in viral videos. The more traditional, in-depth practices that required patience, dedication, and self-reflection were often overlooked in favor of these quick-fix solutions. This shift in focus threatened to undermine the spiritual and personal growth aspects that many long-time practitioners viewed as integral to the shifting experience.

Perhaps the most troubling development was the increasing commercialization and exploitation of the reality-shifting community. As Shiftok content gained popularity, a new breed of "shifting influencers" emerged, eager to capitalize on the trend. This led to the monetization of shifting content through sponsorships, merchandise, and paid services. While some creators genuinely aimed to help and educate, others saw an opportunity for profit, selling dubious products like "shifting crystals" or "dimensional jump sprays" with little regard for their efficacy or the potential impact on vulnerable users.

The rise of influencer culture within the shifting community also fostered an environment where popularity and engagement metrics often took precedence over the quality or accuracy of information shared. This created a perverse incentive structure where creators were rewarded for producing sensational or controversial content rather than focusing on responsible, well-researched information.

These negative effects collectively undermined the foundations of the reality-shifting community. What had once been a practice rooted in personal exploration and spiritual growth was at risk of being reduced to a commercialized trend, divorced from its original intent and values. The influx of misinformation, coupled with the oversimplification of techniques and the exploitation of practitioners, threatened to dilute the authenticity of the practice and alienate serious practitioners.

As these issues came to the forefront, they set the stage for broader impacts on both the external perception of reality shifting and the internal dynamics of the community itself. The once-unified community began to fragment, grappling with questions of authenticity, methodology, and the very nature of reality shifting in the age of viral social media trends.

IV. The Dark Side of Shiftok: Toxicity, Pressure, and Dogma in the Reality Shifting Community

The meteoric rise of reality shifting on TikTok, while bringing unprecedented attention to the practice, also uncovered a darker, more insidious aspect within the community. This phenomenon, commonly referred to as "Shiftok," became a breeding ground for toxicity, misinformation, and oppressive dogma, threatening the very essence of what many considered a deeply personal and transformative practice.

One of the most troubling developments within Shiftok was the emergence of arbitrary and often harmful age-related pressures. A particularly pernicious belief circulated that individuals who hadn't successfully shifted by a certain age, typically 18, were somehow suspect or, in extreme cases, labeled as "pedophiles" for aging themselves down for realities they made when they were minors and have romantic/sexual relationships there. This baseless and damaging accusation stemmed from the misguided notion that older shifters were attempting to reach realities where they were younger, automatically assuming predatory intentions or attraction to minors.

(This misguided notion has been debunked in this post).

This ageist dogma not only created unnecessary anxiety among practitioners but also demonstrated a fundamental misunderstanding of the diverse motivations for reality shifting. Many adult shifters, drawn to the practice for spiritual growth, self-exploration, healing, or simply out of curiosity, found themselves unfairly stigmatized and excluded from community spaces. The irony of this situation was not lost on more discerning observers, who noted that the very teenagers propagating these ideas often shifted to realities where they themselves were adults or teens, without the same scrutiny applied to older shifters—highlighting a hypocritical double standard.

The Shiftok environment grew increasingly hostile to divergent opinions or experiences that didn't align with the prevailing narrative. Users who questioned popular methods, expressed skepticism about certain claims, or shared experiences differing from the norm often faced severe backlash. This cultish adherence to a singular vision of reality shifting stifled healthy debate and critical thinking, essential components for the growth and legitimacy of any practice.

Contradictory information flourished in this echo chamber, with different factions of Shiftokers promoting conflicting "rules" about shifting. Some insisted that physical symptoms like headaches or nausea were necessary signs of an impending shift, while others claimed the process should be entirely painless. This cacophony of conflicting advice left many newcomers confused and frustrated, often leading to disillusionment with the practice altogether.

Particularly concerning was the lack of spiritual hygiene and safety measures in many Shiftok-promoted methods. In the rush to create viral content, many creators neglected to address the potential psychological and emotional risks associated with reality shifting, especially for vulnerable individuals. Basic practices like grounding, protection visualization, or setting clear intentions—staples in many traditional spiritual practices—were often overlooked in favor of quick, sensationalized techniques promising instant results.

The "TikTokification" of reality shifting led to a troubling simplification and commercialization of the practice. Complex philosophical and spiritual concepts were reduced to snappy soundbites and trendy hashtags. The depth and nuance of reality shifting, with its potential for profound personal growth and self-discovery, were often lost in a sea of shallow, entertainment-focused content.

This commercialization reached disturbing heights as some Shiftok influencers began selling "shifting aids"—everything from specially designed pillowcases to "quantum-aligned" water bottles. These products, often backed by pseudoscientific claims and endorsements from popular creators, preyed on the desperation of those struggling to achieve their first shift.

The pressure to shift successfully and quickly became overwhelming for many in the community. Stories of users spending hours each day attempting to shift, neglecting school, work, or real-world relationships, began to surface. This intensity was fueled by a culture of comparison fostered by Shiftok, where users constantly measured their experiences against the often exaggerated or fabricated successes of others.

The pervasive toxic positivity in many Shiftok spaces further compounded these issues. Users who expressed doubts, struggles, or negative experiences were often dismissed or told they simply weren't "believing" hard enough. This invalidation of genuine concerns and difficulties created an environment where many felt unable to seek help or share their true experiences.

Perhaps most troublingly, the Shiftok phenomenon began to blur the lines between reality and fantasy for some users, particularly younger ones. The constant immersion in shifting content, combined with the pressure to experience increasingly fantastical scenarios, raised concerns among mental health professionals about dissociation and reality distortion.

The lack of age-appropriate content moderation on TikTok exacerbated many of these issues. Young users were often exposed to mature or potentially traumatizing shifting scenarios without adequate context or support. The platform's algorithm, designed to maximize engagement, frequently pushed users deeper into shifting-related content rabbit holes, creating echo chambers that reinforced problematic beliefs and practices.

As the Shiftok phenomenon continued to evolve, it became evident that the toxicity, misinformation, and dogmatic thinking it fostered were antithetical to the core principles of personal growth and exploration that many associated with reality shifting. The challenge for the broader shifting community became not only to counter these negative aspects but also to reclaim and redefine the practice in a more balanced, responsible, and authentically transformative way.

V-Impact on Perception of Reality Shifting

The rise of Shiftok and its subsequent influence on the reality shifting community had far-reaching consequences that extended beyond the boundaries of TikTok and into broader public perception. As reality shifting catapulted from a niche practice to a viral trend, it faced increased scrutiny and skepticism from outsiders, fundamentally altering how the concept was perceived and discussed in mainstream discourse.

One of the most significant impacts was the surge in skepticism from those outside the shifting community. As Shiftok videos proliferated across social media platforms, reality shifting became increasingly associated with internet fads and youth subcultures. This association, while bringing attention to the practice, also invited dismissal and ridicule from skeptics who viewed it as yet another fleeting online trend rather than a serious spiritual or metaphysical practice.

The viral nature of Shiftok content, often emphasizing fantastical elements and pop culture references, contributed to widespread misconceptions about the nature and purpose of reality shifting. Many outsiders began to view shifting solely through the lens of these viral videos, equating it with lucid dreaming, role playing, or pure fantasy. This oversimplification obscured the deeper philosophical and experiential aspects of shifting that many practitioners held dear.

Media attention, drawn by the explosive growth of the trend, often approached reality shifting with a mixture of curiosity and skepticism. News articles and reports, while bringing mainstream visibility to the practice, frequently focused on the more sensational aspects of Shiftok content. This selective coverage further skewed public perception, often painting reality shifting as a potentially harmful delusion rather than a nuanced spiritual or psychological practice.

The influx of young practitioners drawn in by Shiftok also influenced how reality shifting was perceived. The predominance of teenagers and young adults (often female) in the community led many to dismiss the practice as a form of escapism or a coping mechanism for youth struggling with the challenges of adolescence and early adulthood. While there was some truth to the appeal of shifting as a form of escape, this generalization overlooked the diverse motivations and experiences of practitioners across different age groups.

Perhaps one of the most damaging impacts on perception was the trivialization of reality shifting. What had once been considered a profound, rich, complex and transformative practice by many long-time shifters was increasingly reduced to entertainment or a casual hobby for psychotic and mentally ill schoolgirls in the public eye. The depth of experience and personal growth that many attributed to their shifting journeys was often lost in the sea of light-hearted Shiftok content.

This trivialization had a particularly strong effect on how the spiritual and personal development aspects of shifting were perceived. The focus on quick results and fantastical destinations in viral content overshadowed the more introspective and growth-oriented approaches to shifting. As a result, the potential for reality shifting as a tool for self-discovery, healing, and expanding consciousness was often overlooked or dismissed by those forming opinions based solely on its social media representation.

The surge in popularity also attracted the attention of mental health professionals and researchers, some of whom expressed concerns about the potential psychological impacts of reality shifting, especially on younger practitioners. While some approached the topic with genuine curiosity and open-mindedness, others were quick to pathologize the practice, further contributing to negative perceptions.

For serious practitioners and researchers in the field, this shift in public perception presented significant challenges. Many found themselves fighting an uphill battle to legitimize their experiences and studies in the face of widespread skepticism and misconceptions fueled by Shiftok's portrayal of reality shifting.

The cumulative effect of these changes in perception created a complex and often contradictory public image of reality shifting. On one hand, it had never been more visible or widely discussed. On the other hand, this visibility came at the cost of depth and nuance, with the practice often misunderstood, trivialized, or dismissed outright by those outside the community.

This transformation in how reality shifting was perceived set the stage for further fragmentation within the community itself, as practitioners grappled with questions of authenticity, methodology, and the future direction of their practice in a post-Shiftok landscape.(By post-Shiftok i mean the period after aug-2020 to aug 2021 since it was during that year that people talked about shiftok and subsequently shifting the most in the media)

VI-Fragmentation of the community

Fragmentation of the Community

The rise of Shiftok and its profound impact on the reality shifting landscape inevitably led to significant fragmentation within the community itself. What was once a relatively cohesive group of practitioners united by shared beliefs and experiences began to splinter into various factions, each with its own perspectives on the nature and practice of reality shifting.

At the heart of this fragmentation lay heated disputes over authenticity. As the community expanded rapidly due to the influx of new practitioners drawn in by viral Shiftok content, tensions arose between long-time shifters and newcomers. Experienced practitioners often viewed the Shiftok-inspired methods and claims with skepticism, questioning the authenticity of experiences shared in short, highly edited videos. They argued that true shifting required dedication, practice, and a deep understanding of the underlying principles - elements they felt were often lacking in the quick and easy methods popularized on the platform.

This divide gave rise to intense debates about what constituted "real" shifting versus what some dismissively termed as "fake" shifting. Veterans of the practice often criticized Shiftok shifters for conflating lucid dreaming, visualization, or simple daydreaming with genuine reality shifting experiences. These disputes frequently turned acrimonious, with accusations of gatekeeping from one side and of diluting the practice from the other.

The community also witnessed the emergence of a generational gap. Older practitioners, who had been exploring reality shifting long before it became a social media trend, often found themselves at odds with the younger generation of shifters who had discovered the practice through Shiftok. This age divide was not merely about experience but also about fundamental approaches to shifting. While older shifters tended to emphasize the spiritual and personal growth aspects of the practice, many younger practitioners were drawn to shifting for its entertainment value or as a means of escaping real-world problems.

Another significant factor contributing to the fragmentation was the varying goals and motivations for shifting among practitioners. The Shiftok trend had popularized the idea of shifting to fictional universes or idealized realities, often based on popular media franchises. This contrasted sharply with more traditional approaches that focused on spiritual exploration, self-discovery, or connecting with alternate versions of oneself. The community found itself divided between those who viewed shifting as a fun, imaginative exercise (usually those people either don't believe in permashifting/respawning or say it is bad/ dangerous /problematic) and those who treated it as a serious metaphysical practice.

This divergence in goals led to the formation of distinct sub-communities within the broader shifting world. Communities flourished on other social media platforms, characterized by their focus on pop culture destinations, quick methods, and shared scripting techniques. In contrast, more traditional shifting communities sought refuge in forums, Discord servers, and other platforms that allowed for more in-depth discussions and longer-form content.

The fragmentation was further exacerbated by disagreements over methodology. Shiftok's algorithm-driven content distribution meant that certain methods and techniques gained viral popularity, often at the expense of more established practices. This led to heated debates about the efficacy and safety of various shifting methods, with some practitioners warning against the potential dangers of techniques that promised quick results without proper grounding or protection.

As the community continued to fracture, it became increasingly difficult for newcomers to navigate the conflicting information and polarized viewpoints. Many found themselves caught between the allure of the easy, accessible methods promoted on Shiftok and the more rigorous, traditional approaches advocated by experienced shifters. This confusion often led to frustration and disillusionment, with some abandoning the practice altogether.

The fragmentation also had implications for the collective knowledge and support systems within the shifting community. As practitioners increasingly segregated themselves into like-minded groups, the free exchange of ideas and experiences that had once characterized the community began to break down. This siloing effect threatened to stunt the growth and evolution of reality shifting as a practice, with valuable insights and techniques potentially being lost in the noise of inter-community conflicts.

As the reality-shifting community continued to grapple with these internal divisions, it became clear that the impact of Shiftok had irrevocably altered the landscape of the practice. A practice that was characterized by its beauty, complexity and richness whose practitioners could talk about philosophy culture and spirituality four hours, has been watered down, dumbed down into a bunch of mentally ill schoolgirls shifting to get railed by wizard nazis and hysterical teenagers who would cuss someone's entire bloodline for doubting or questioning the practise. Which is something totally valid and proves that those individuals do not know anything about the practice at all.

Honestly i cannot blame when antishifters claim that reality shifting is a cult since it is all they see and are being shown. People dismissing their pain under a toxic positive statement of “you haven't tried harder”or “just believe more” coupled with contradictory and hypocritical statements, makes it impossible to break free from those stereotypes.

VII-Psychological and Ethical Concerns

The meteoric rise of Shiftok and its profound impact on the reality shifting community gave rise to a host of psychological and ethical concerns that extended far beyond the realm of social media trends. As the practice gained widespread popularity, particularly among younger audiences, mental health professionals, ethicists, and even some within the shifting community itself began to voice apprehensions about the potential risks and implications of this phenomenon.

One of the primary psychological concerns centered around the addictive nature of both shifting experiences and Shiftok content itself. Many practitioners, especially younger ones, reported spending hours consuming shifting-related videos, often at the expense of real-world responsibilities and relationships. This obsessive engagement with Shiftok content, coupled with the allure of escaping to idealized realities, raised fears about the development of maladaptive coping mechanisms and potential neglect of personal growth in the physical world.

The immersive nature of reality shifting experiences also sparked debates about the risk of dissociation and reality distortion. Some mental health experts expressed concern that frequent shifting, especially for extended periods, might blur the lines between perceived realities, potentially leading to difficulties in distinguishing between shifted experiences and waking life. This was particularly worrisome for individuals with pre-existing mental health conditions or a predisposition to dissociative disorders.

The use of reality shifting as a form of escapism became another point of contention. While many practitioners viewed shifting as a harmless and even beneficial way to explore alternate realities or cope with stress, critics argued that it could become a means of avoiding real-life issues rather than addressing them. The concern was that vulnerable individuals, particularly adolescents facing challenging life circumstances, might retreat into desired realities rather than developing crucial life skills and resilience.

Ethical considerations also came to the forefront, particularly regarding the age-appropriateness of shifting content and the safeguarding of young users. The prevalence of young teenagers in the Shiftok community raised questions about the potential impact of reality shifting on developing minds. Some worry that exposure to intense or mature themes in desired realities could be psychologically damaging for younger practitioners who might not have the emotional maturity to process such experiences.

The responsibility of content creators became a significant ethical issue. As Shiftok influencers gained massive followings, often consisting largely of impressionable youth, questions arose about their duty of care. Many creators, in their pursuit of views and engagement, shared unverified methods or exaggerated claims about shifting successes. This raised concerns about the potential for manipulation or the inadvertent promotion of harmful practices, especially given the lack of scientific consensus on the nature and effects of reality shifting.

Another ethical dilemma emerged around the potential for reality shifting communities to develop cult-like characteristics. The intense belief systems surrounding shifting, combined with the charismatic influence of popular Shiftok creators, created an environment where some practitioners became deeply emotionally invested in the practice. This led to fears about the vulnerability of members to exploitation or the development of unhealthy group dynamics.

The commercialization of reality shifting through Shiftok also raised ethical red flags. As creators began selling products, services, or exclusive content related to shifting, questions arose about the morality of profiting from a practice that many viewed as a deeply personal or spiritual endeavor. There were concerns about the exploitation of believers, particularly when unproven products or techniques were marketed as enhancing shifting abilities.

Within the shifting community itself, practitioners grappled with the ethics of their practice. Debates arose about the morality of shifting to realities where one might engage in behaviors considered unethical in the physical world. This led to philosophical discussions about the nature of reality, free will, and personal responsibility across multiple perceived realities.

The long-term psychological effects of reality shifting remained a topic of intense speculation and concern. With little scientific research on the subject, many wondered about the potential impacts on personality development, identity formation, and overall mental well-being, especially for those who began shifting at a young age.(around puberty so 13-15 where people can be very malleable )

As these psychological and ethical concerns came to light, calls for more research and responsible practices within the shifting community grew louder. Some advocates pushed for the development of ethical guidelines for Shiftok creators, while others emphasized the need for mental health resources tailored to the unique challenges faced by reality shifters.

The reality shifting community found itself at a crossroads, forced to confront these complex psychological and ethical issues. As the practice continued to evolve in the wake of the Shiftok phenomenon, addressing these concerns became crucial not only for the well-being of individual practitioners but also for the long-term sustainability and credibility of reality shifting as a whole.

One of the most important ways to counter, prevent, or mitigate the dangers of reality shifting is through the practice of Spiritual Hygiene. Unfortunately, this concept seems to be something that many Shiftokers fail to grasp, highlighting their lack of concrete knowledge about the practice. It's particularly frustrating that these individuals are often the most visible within the community, while true experts with deeper understanding are overshadowed.

Reality shifting, whether people accept it or not, is inherently a spiritual practice. By its very nature, shifting cannot be scientifically proven—yet, it also cannot be disproven. This makes it a unique and highly subjective experience, with each shifter’s journey being distinct. If shifting were to be scientifically validated, it would become an objective practice, leading to uniform experiences across the board.

Given its spiritual nature, maintaining spiritual hygiene is essential. One cannot embark on this journey and neglect such a fundamental concept. The saying, "healthy body, healthy mind; healthy mind, healthy body," perfectly encapsulates why spiritual hygiene is a necessity in shifting. When people neglect it, they often experience mental and physical harm, which they mistakenly attribute to the practice of shifting itself.

(I suggest that you read my post on the subject)

VIII-The Response from the Traditional Shifting Community

As the Shiftok phenomenon continued to reshape the landscape of reality shifting, the traditional shifting community found itself compelled to respond to the myriad challenges and changes brought about by this new wave of practitioners and content. This response was multifaceted, reflecting the complex emotions and perspectives within the established shifting community.

Initially, many long-time shifters reacted with a mixture of excitement and apprehension to the sudden surge in interest in their practice. While they welcomed the increased visibility and potential for growth, they quickly became concerned about the quality and accuracy of information being disseminated through Shiftok. This concern catalyzed a concentrated effort to combat misinformation within the community.

Veteran shifters took to various platforms to share their knowledge and experiences, often directly addressing and debunking popular misconceptions propagated on Shiftok. They created detailed guides, wrote blog posts, and produced long-form video content aimed at providing a more nuanced and accurate representation of reality shifting. These efforts were not merely reactive; they represented a proactive attempt to preserve the integrity of the practice in the face of its rapid popularization.

In response to the oversimplification of shifting techniques on Shiftok, many traditional practitioners began emphasizing the importance of in-depth, holistic approaches to shifting. They developed and shared more rigorous practices and guidelines, often drawing on years of personal experience and collective wisdom (spiritual hygiene). These methods typically focused on mental preparation, spiritual alignment, and ethical considerations – aspects often overlooked in viral Shiftok content.

The traditional community also recognized the need for safer, more controlled spaces for discussion and practice. This led to the creation and expansion of alternative platforms and communities dedicated to serious shifting discourse. Forums, Discord servers, and specialized websites emerged as havens for in-depth conversations, troubleshooting, and mutual support among experienced shifters and sincere newcomers alike. These spaces often implemented stricter moderation policies to maintain the quality of discussions and protect vulnerable members from potentially harmful information.

Many established shifters took on mentorship roles, offering guidance to newcomers who sought a deeper understanding beyond what Shiftok could provide. These mentors focused on teaching not just the techniques of shifting, but also its philosophical underpinnings and potential for personal growth. They emphasized patience, persistence, and self-reflection as key components of a successful shifting practice – a stark contrast to the "quick and easy" methods often touted on social media.

The traditional community also began to engage more actively in research and documentation efforts. Recognizing the lack of scientific study on reality shifting, some practitioners started collaborating with open-minded researchers or conducting their own systematic studies of shifting experiences. While these efforts were often informal, they represented an attempt to bring more rigor and credibility to the field.

In response to the commercialization of shifting on Shiftok, many traditional practitioners reaffirmed their commitment to keeping shifting accessible and non-commercialized. They freely shared resources, techniques, and support, often explicitly critiquing the trend of monetizing shifting knowledge or selling shifting-related products.

However, the response from the traditional community was not uniformly positive or constructive. Some long-time shifters reacted with frustration or elitism, dismissing Shiftok shifters entirely and retreating further into closed communities. This gatekeeping behavior, while intended to preserve the integrity of the practice, sometimes had the unintended effect of alienating genuine seekers and furthering the divide within the broader shifting community.

As the initial shock of the Shiftok phenomenon began to wane, many in the traditional community started to see it as an opportunity for growth and evolution. They recognized that while Shiftok had brought challenges, it had also introduced shifting to a vast new audience, some of whom would inevitably seek deeper understanding. This realization led to efforts to bridge the gap between traditional practices and the new wave of shifters, seeking common ground and shared experiences.

The response of the traditional shifting community to the Shiftok phenomenon was ultimately one of adaptation and resilience. While striving to maintain the core principles and depth of their practice, many long-time shifters also recognized the need to evolve and engage with a changing landscape. Their efforts to educate, guide, and create safe spaces for authentic shifting practices played a crucial role in shaping the future direction of the reality shifting community as a whole.

IX. Conclusion: The Aftermath of Shiftok's Impact on Reality Shifting

The rise of Shiftok, while initially bringing unprecedented attention and growth to the reality shifting community, ultimately led to its fragmentation and, in many ways, undermined the core principles and practices of reality shifting.

Shiftok's impact on the reality shifting community can be considered destructive in several key aspects:

Misinformation: The rapid spread of unverified claims and oversimplified techniques diluted the authenticity of the practice.

Trivialization: The depth and spiritual aspects of shifting were often reduced to entertainment, diminishing its perceived value.

Community Division: The influx of new practitioners led to conflicts between traditional shifters and Shiftok-inspired newcomers, fracturing the once-cohesive community.

Ethical Concerns: The lack of safeguards and the potential exploitation of vulnerable users raised serious ethical questions.

Loss of Authenticity: The commercialization and "TikTokification" of shifting distorted its original intent and practices.

While it would be an overstatement to say that Shiftok entirely destroyed reality shifting, it undeniably transformed the landscape of the practice, often in detrimental ways. The community now faces the challenge of reclaiming and redefining reality shifting in a post-Shiftok era, balancing accessibility with depth, and navigating the complex intersection of ancient practices and modern digital culture.

The Shiftok phenomenon serves as a cautionary tale about the double-edged nature of viral trends and their impact on esoteric practices, highlighting the need for mindful integration of traditional wisdom with contemporary platforms.

[celebtf]

Controling Noah Beck

Bryce Hall couldn't stand it anymore. Every time he scrolled through TikTok, Noah Beck’s perfect face, charming smile, and millions of adoring fans haunted him. Bryce was no slouch in the popularity department, but Noah’s meteoric rise seemed to eclipse his every move. Fueled by jealousy and frustration, Bryce concocted a wild revenge plan that would change both their lives forever. Late one night, Bryce found himself in a corner of the internet filled with dark, obscure spells. One spell, in particular, caught his eye—an incantation for swapping bodies. "This is it," Bryce muttered to himself, "This will make Noah understand what it’s like to be me."

The next day, Bryce invited Noah over to his place under the pretense of brainstorming new TikTok ideas together. Noah, always friendly and unsuspecting, agreed. As they sat in Bryce's room, Bryce pretended to be engrossed in his phone. "Hey, Noah, check this out," he said, handing Noah his phone.Noah glanced at the screen, confused. "What am I looking at?"Bryce didn't answer. Instead, he whispered the incantation under his breath. Suddenly, a blinding light enveloped them both.

Bryce woke up first after the blinding light had hit their eyes, Bryce now saw Noah’s hands where his own used to be. His plan had worked. He was now in Noah Beck’s body. Bryce now started to flex his new body, dragged his new big hands over the new six pack, feeling the hard muscles. His new hands traveled up his neck and felt his new Jaw and felt the light stubble. He cracked a smile from his new face.

Noah had woken up, trapped in now Bryce’s body, looking around, didn't regognize his hands, started to touch and feel his face, felt the fresh cleaned shaved face and a softer jaw.

"Bryce, what did you do?" he demanded, his voice shaking.Bryce, reveling in his new identity, smirked. "I just leveled the playing field. Now, you get to see what it’s like to be me for a while."

The new Noah took out a piece of paper from his pants and started chanting, he saw his old body freeze and the eyes on the new Bryce closed, he went up to Bryce and whispered in his ears

" You will forever forget ever being Noah, you have always been Bryce Hall, and everytime I snap my finger you will be under my control, now when I snap my fingers you will make up and your old life will be forgotten"

* Snaps *

" Oh hey Noah, did I forgot we were hanging out today ? " the new Bryce asked, the new Noah cracked a smile again " Noo I was just picking up somethings i left here before my meeting with IPHIS ( Noah’s clothing brand ) "

* Snaps *

The new Noah went over to Bryce " I want you to put on the white Jockstrap, it's hidden under the pillow on the bed. When I get back, you and me will have some fun "

The new Bryce still under the new Noah's control went up staires, and the new Noah, well, he could feel a tent forming in his new pants, he grabbed his bulge and laughed, went out to his car and drove away to his meeting, dreaming of what would happend later.

[garlicbreadbatstarion]

BG3 Companion Headcanons

🌈☔🌤️ Enjoying Their Favorite Weather 🌤️☔🌈

Lae'zel:

This gith loves a super windy day

It is invigorating and helps her feel physically present

Also she knows she looks deadlyyy with her hair blowing around her head, her eyes narrowed, and her head down as she walks against the wind

Halsin:

I feel like Halsin loves a rainy evening+dewey morning combo in the spring

Like the soft sound the falling droplets make as they splatter against his tent help him drift off to sleep and dream of ducklings

And the next morning he loves to walk through the forest when the sun is coming up so he can watch the mist slowly rise as the light reflects off the wildflowers and the spiderwebs sparkle in the trees

Karlach:

I'm convinced she's a tropical beach kinda gal so hot, sticky, and sunny all the way

Any other companion in my head is usually wearing their starting outfits when I think of them, but Karlach? Shutter shades and a pina colada served in a pineapple

She's also on fire all the time, so the heat doesn't bug her at all!

I feel like the beach was made for her; rainbow sunsets, the crashing waves, the vastness of the ocean, hot sand between your toes, sandcastles, bonfires...like she would love everythinggg about it

Astarion:

Idk if it's bc there's so many cute fics with Star in snow, but ughhh it melts my cold, dead heart

Like the absolute stillness of flakey snow falling heavily in the night would make him feel at ease

And the way the snow sparkles in the moonlight inspires him to be creative (I am personally a big fan of thinking one of his hobbies post-epilogue is jewelry making. The little details keep his hands busy while his good taste and imagination help him design some of the coolest jewelry in all of Faerûn)

Also, like Karlach, the cold doesn't bother him nearly as much as it does most others

Gale:

We love an unstable king which is why I think Gale loves big storms with lots of wind, thunder, and lightning

AU storm chaser Gale?? I think I'm onto something here truly

And also it gives him great opportunities to conduct experiments and run tests! It's aliveeee!!!

Shadowheart:

Our broody queen loves mist and fog

It makes her want to snuggle up with a book and some tea by the window to just enjoy the peace and quiet

Also likes to be a mischievous, little gremlin and scare her partners/friends/roommates by waiting around the side of the house, knowing it's obscured, and then jumping out and grabbing them

And you want to be mad for how bad she scares you every time, but it's so hard bc she wrinkles her cute lil nose when she laughs and ughhh

Wyll:

Wyll loves space change my mind

He adores a clear, warm night so he can be out all night stargazing

And ooooo a meteor shower? This man is giddily kicking his feet, he is so enraptured by the magic of the night sky

He also loves to point out the constellations, and he's so good, even Gale is astounded by how many astral entities he knows

[mightyflamethrower]

Former president Barack Obama, the man who salvaged Joe Biden from the ash heap of political history (an unfortunate move which in turn sadly revived Kamala Harris’ DOA career), continued with his unifying ways Thursday by shaming black men who don't think that Harris is a great choice for commander-in-chief.

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urn:uuid:157f4cf5-30fb-404a-82c5-1dda2565dea0

It reminded me of Joe’s infamous line, if you don’t vote for me, then “you ain’t black.” Obama:

And you're coming up with all kinds of reasons and excuses, I've got a problem with that. Because part of it makes me think -- and I'm speaking to men directly -- part of it makes me think that, well, you just aren't feeling the idea of having a woman as president, and you're coming up with other alternatives and other reasons for that… That's not acceptable. 

He sounds like a mob boss.

Just disgusting, divisive rhetoric from the man who said in his first acceptance speech, “We have never been a collection of red states and blue states; we are, and always will be, the United States of America.”

Unless you disagree with him, of course.

Do it my way or hit the highway: 

Turns Out Those Obama Remarks Got Worse—He Even Insults Black Men Who Are on the Fence About Kamala Scott Jennings Cooks Obama for Chastising Men Over Harris, Reveals Big Issue for Democrats

I’ve always hated the left’s use of the word “community.” The “black community,” the “LGBTQ community.” As if, just because people have one thing in common, they all have the same viewpoints on everything. Is there a “white community?” A “heterosexual community?”

Sure enough, it turns out that plenty of blacks were capable of their own thoughts and found the former president’s remarks to be belittling and deeply obnoxious. Former football great and one-time Georgia Senate candidate Herschel Walker was less than impressed, calling it a step backward:

We need unity brother, not division!

Well said.

Meanwhile, as a RedState man, I’m obviously not a Bernie Sanders fan, but his former campaign co-chair and former Democratic Ohio state Sen. Nina Turner nevertheless had it right when she asked, "Why are Black men being belittled?"

She absolutely nukes Obama’s race-baiting narrative and stuns the CNN hosts in the process:

"Now, a lot of love for former President Obama, but for him to single out Black men is wrong, and some of the Black men that I have talked to have their reasons why they want to vote a different way, and even if some of us may not like that, we have to respect it," she said. Turner explained further, "So unless President Barack Obama is gonna go out and lecture every other group of men from other identity groups, my message for Democrats is don’t bring it here to Black men who, by and large, don’t vote much differently from Black women."

The reactions from the CNN crew are some of the most priceless I've ever seen. Truth is being spoken to them, and they absolutely cannot handle it.

These are just two examples, but there are plenty more out there of people who were deeply insulted by being told they had to vote a certain way just because of their skin color. (As of this writing, a search on the social media platform X for "Obama" turns up an untold number—but an unquestionably large number —of black people angrily teeing off on "hopey-changey" Barack's comments.)

Obama has been one of the smoothest politicians in the land since his meteoric rise from obscurity in the mid-2000s, but there was always a darker presence lurking underneath his big Hollywood grin.

He showed it loud and clear with this belittling speech, and he lost a lot of his luster in the process. Kamala Harris is 100 percent correct: we need “a new way forward,” but that way should not include race-baiting, the failures of Obama-style progressivism, or the constant attempts by leading Democrats to divide the nation.

[whimsicaldragonette]

ARC Review: The Unlikely Heir by Jax Calder

Preorder

Add to Goodreads

Publication Date: August 24, 2023

Synopsis:

What happens when the Prince of Wales falls in love with the Prime Minister? My boring life working in an insurance call center in sunny California just took an unexpected turn. Thanks to my misbehaving relatives, I’ve leapt from obscurity to royalty as the new heir to the British throne. But my welcome in England is about as warm as the weather. I arrive to discover a country horrified at the thought of an American version of Prince Charming and ready to revolt against the monarchy. I vow to my grandmother, the Queen, that I will do everything possible to help her save the crown. Unfortunately, royal life isn’t easy. From bewildering traditions, traitorous friends, and malevolent swans, the only thing I’m succeeding in is providing entertainment for the tabloids and social media trolls. And then the broodingly handsome Prime Minister, Oliver Hartwell, bursts into my life. With his meteoric rise from poverty to the most powerful man in the country, Oliver understands my current plight. Innocent messages of support turn into late-night chats—and unexpected feelings. But there’s one major problem. The royal family must remain politically neutral at all times. So how can I keep my promise to save the monarchy when I’m falling in love with the Prime Minister? A forbidden romance filled with humor and drama featuring a bumbling Prince of Wales and a stern yet dashing Prime Minister, with a love that could transform a nation.

My Rating: ★★★★★

*My Review and Favorite Quotes below the cut.

My Review:

I picked this up because the cover and synopsis were cute and because I desperately needed something to fill the void left after finishing the new Red White & Royal Blue movie. And this was absolutely perfect. This a deliciously swoony slow-burn romance, with Callum, unlikely American heir to the British throne, and Oliver, Prime Minister of the UK, sloooooowly falling in love over nightly text messages that evolve into phone calls that evolve into video calls and then more. I loved Callum, with his bumbling but cheerful approach to life, his random facts and obsessions, and always seeing the magic in the small things and trying to make people's days brighter with every conversation. He was so genuine and likeable and good. He occasionally reminded me of a golden retriever lol. I also loved Oliver, with his passion to improve the lives of the common people and his witty comebacks and political savvy. He was so serious all the time - it was nice to see Callum making him laugh and relax. Would this absolutely bonkers political scenario ever happen in real life? Hell no. Did I care? Absolutely not. It worked because the heart of the story is Callum and Oliver falling in love. I was 100% there for them falling for one another and in some sense the political trappings of the story were secondary to that. Yes it was amusing, and it certainly caused plenty of conflict and provided the forbidden relationship angle, but I'm not going to nitpick historical or political details. Why would I? I loved this too much. I flew through it in a day and did absolutely nothing else I had planned to because I couldn't tear myself away from it. To be fair, when presented with an epistolary novel, especially a slow-burn in the form of text messages, I'm almost guaranteed to like it. There have been a few notable exceptions, but only a few. Callum and Oliver, however, are the heart of this novel and their personalities and interactions are what drew me in and kept me hooked. This is absolutely a new favorite and I will be checking out the author's other works asap. *Thanks to Booksirens and NetGalley for providing an early copy for review.

Favorite Quotes:

“You need to cut your toenails,” I say because, you know, that’s an appropriate thing to say to the prime minister. “I’ve been wondering why my socks are suddenly getting holes in them,” he says.

---

“There is no magic to be found in the EU agricultural trade negotiations, trust me,” I say.

---

Herbert’s my usual go-to person for dress etiquette, but I’m not sure if even he would know how to dress when you’re meeting the prime minister for a suspiciously vague mission.

---

Maybe that’s what the prime minister actually is. School principal to the entire nation.

---

I never knew a kiss could feel like the truth.

[underzemilkyway]

“Perseid Meteor Shower on Mangart Saddle” - by Uroš Fink. Location: Julian Alps, Slovenia

“I love nature and being somewhere outside under a starry sky in serene silence. That’s when I feel free, but, at the same time, so small.

What always excites me about photographing the night sky is that you never know what to expect; surprises are happening all over the sky. You just need to be in the right place at the right time. In the end, the experience never disappoints me in any way.

This was one of my most anticipated locations in 2021 that my friend and I planned for 6 months in advance. Of course, that brought us great results. The weather was great at first, but as the night progressed, high clouds appeared, which, unfortunately, obscured what was happening in the sky. However, I caught a few meteors, which brightened up the night. What surprised me while shooting is that, on this night, Mangart Saddle was full of light from all sides and photographers eager for unforgettable moments and photographs.

On the left side of the image is the road that leads to Mangart Saddle. An idyllic location in the middle of the Saddle is the Mangart hut, where you can sleep and eat local cuisine. The highest peak in this part of the Julian Alps is Mangart (2,679 meters), the third highest mountain in Slovenia above which the Andromeda Galaxy emits its light. Slightly to the right of it are Jalovec Mountain and the Loška walls, which rise above the Alpine valley of Loška Koritnica. it was an unforgettable night spent in the great company of friends.”

[bllsbailey]

The Thrill Is Gone: Barack Obama's Scolding of Black Men Torched by Prominent African Americans

Former president Barack Obama, the man who salvaged Joe Biden from the ash heap of political history (an unfortunate move which in turn sadly revived Kamala Harris’ DOA career), continued with his unifying ways Thursday by shaming black men who don't think that Harris is a great choice for commander-in-chief. It reminded me of Joe’s infamous line, if you don’t vote for me, then “you ain’t black.” Obama:And you're coming up with all kinds of reasons and excuses, I've got a problem with that.Because part of it makes me think -- and I'm speaking to men directly -- part of it makes me think that, well, you just aren't feeling the idea of having a woman as president, and you're coming up with other alternatives and other reasons for that…That's not acceptable. He sounds like a mob boss.Just disgusting, divisive rhetoric from the man who said in his first acceptance speech, “We have never been a collection of red states and blue states; we are, and always will be, the United States of America.”Unless you disagree with him, of course.Do it my way or hit the highway: Turns Out Those Obama Remarks Got Worse—He Even Insults Black Men Who Are on the Fence About KamalaScott Jennings Cooks Obama for Chastising Men Over Harris, Reveals Big Issue for DemocratsI’ve always hated the left’s use of the word “community.” The “black community,” the “LGBTQ community.” As if, just because people have one thing in common, they all have the same viewpoints on everything. Is there a “white community?” A “heterosexual community?”Sure enough, it turns out that plenty of blacks were capable of their own thoughts and found the former president’s remarks to be belittling and deeply obnoxious. Former football great and one-time Georgia Senate candidate Herschel Walker was less than impressed, calling it a step backward: We need unity brother, not division!Well said.Meanwhile, as a RedState man, I’m obviously not a Bernie Sanders fan, but his former campaign co-chair and former Democratic Ohio state Sen. Nina Turner nevertheless had it right when she asked, "Why are Black men being belittled?"She absolutely nukes Obama’s race-baiting narrative and stuns the CNN hosts in the process:"Now, a lot of love for former President Obama, but for him to single out Black men is wrong, and some of the Black men that I have talked to have their reasons why they want to vote a different way, and even if some of us may not like that, we have to respect it," she said.Turner explained further, "So unless President Barack Obama is gonna go out and lecture every other group of men from other identity groups, my message for Democrats is don’t bring it here to Black men who, by and large, don’t vote much differently from Black women." The reactions from the CNN crew are some of the most priceless I've ever seen. Truth is being spoken to them, and they absolutely cannot handle it.These are just two examples, but there are plenty more out there of people who were deeply insulted by being told they had to vote a certain way just because of their skin color. (As of this writing, a search on the social media platform X for "Obama" turns up an untold number—but an unquestionably large number —of black people angrily teeing off on "hopey-changey" Barack's comments.)Obama has been one of the smoothest politicians in the land since his meteoric rise from obscurity in the mid-2000s, but there was always a darker presence lurking underneath his big Hollywood grin.He showed it loud and clear with this belittling speech, and he lost a lot of his luster in the process. Kamala Harris is 100 percent correct: we need “a new way forward,” but that way should not include race-baiting, the failures of Obama-style progressivism, or the constant attempts by leading Democrats to divide the nation.

[ronda1466]

Gamestop, What Happened, And What It Means!

Have you ever felt like the stock market is a rigged casino stacked against the little guy? The GameStop story might just change your mind. From this video, we learn one of the most fascinating and disruptive events in financial history, where a group of everyday investors took on Wall Street and won – at least for a moment. So, let's watch the full video and learn about Gamestop, what happened, and what it means.

👉 Subscribe to my channel to stay tuned: https://bit.ly/4aXYMxD

In this video, we understand the incredible story of the GameStop phenomenon that captured the world's attention. It all started with a group of savvy Reddit users who noticed hedge funds betting big on GameStop's failure. What followed was a daring plan to exploit a loophole in the system and send the stock price soaring, not just for profit, but to make a statement against Wall Street's giants.

The Rise of GameStop: Understand the background of GameStop, an American retailer of video games, consumer electronics, and gaming merchandise, and why it was seen as a company in decline.

The Short Squeeze Explained: Discover how a massive short squeeze occurred, causing the stock to skyrocket to an unbelievable peak of $483 and inflicting staggering losses on hedge funds betting against it. WallStreetBets and Reddit: Learn about the crucial role played by the WallStreetBets group on Reddit, whose optimism and strategic buying pushed GameStop’s stock from obscurity to a meteoric rise.

Impact on Hedge Funds: See the dramatic financial consequences for hedge funds, with losses totaling $11 billion, and the David vs. Goliath narrative that ensued. Robinhood Controversy: Explore the controversy surrounding the popular trading app Robinhood, which restricted the purchase of GameStop shares at a critical moment, leading to widespread accusations and congressional testimonies.

Market Volatility and Influence: Analyze the aftermath of the GameStop saga, highlighting the volatility of stock markets, the influence of social media on trading behavior, and the risks associated with herd mentality in investments. Future Implications: Delve into the broader implications for the financial system, including the potential for similar events in the future and the questions it raises about market fairness and the power of coordinated online efforts. Throughout the video, we feature perspectives from key figures involved, including Reddit’s CEO Steve Huffman and Keith Gill (Roaring Kitty), one of the most influential voices in the GameStop story. We also draw comparisons to historical market events, such as the 2008 Volkswagen short squeeze, to provide a comprehensive understanding of this unique market phenomenon.

By the end of this video, you'll have a clear understanding of what happened during the GameStop story, why it captured global attention, and what it means for the future of investing. Don't forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more content and insights into the financial world. Thank you for watching, and we'll see you in our next video!

[happytrail200]

Created with AIPRM Prompt "Human Written |100% Unique |SEO Optimized Article"

Outline:

Introduction to Waka Sopro

The Emergence of Waka Sopro

Origins and Evolution

Rise in Popularity

Key Factors Contributing to Waka Sopro's Success

Therapeutic Benefits

Accessibility and Affordability

Social Media Influence

Waka Sopro's Impact Across Industries

Art and Creativity

Mental Health and Well-being

Fashion and Design

Celebrity Endorsements and Influencer Partnerships

Conclusion

From Zero to Hero: How Waka Sopro Became the Hottest Trend of the Year

Give my new GPT a try: https://bit.ly/Jumma_GPTs

Introduction to Waka Sopro

In a world where trends come and go, one artistic movement has captured the hearts and minds of people around the globe: Waka Sopro. From its humble beginnings to its meteoric rise to fame, Waka Sopro has become the hottest trend of the year, captivating audiences with its beauty, accessibility, and transformative power.

The Emergence of Waka Sopro

Waka Sopro's journey from obscurity to ubiquity is a testament to its resilience and universal appeal. Born out of a desire for creative expression and emotional release, Waka Sopro has its roots in ancient Japanese artistic traditions, which have evolved over time to encompass a wide range of styles and techniques.

Origins and Evolution

Initially practiced by a niche community of artists and enthusiasts, Waka Sopro gradually gained traction as more people discovered its therapeutic benefits and creative potential. What began as a grassroots movement soon blossomed into a global phenomenon, with practitioners from all walks of life embracing Waka Sopro as a form of self-expression and personal growth.

Rise in Popularity

Fuelled by social media and word-of-mouth, Waka Sopro quickly spread across continents, captivating audiences with its mesmerizing visuals and transformative effects. From online tutorials and workshops to dedicated hashtags and viral challenges, Waka Sopro's rise in popularity has been nothing short of remarkable.

Key Factors Contributing to Waka Sopro's Success

Several key factors have contributed to Waka Sopro's meteoric rise to fame:

Therapeutic Benefits

At its core, Waka Sopro offers a therapeutic escape from the stresses and pressures of modern life. Many practitioners turn to Waka Sopro as a means of relaxation, stress relief, and emotional catharsis, finding solace in the rhythmic motion of brush strokes and the vibrant hues of paint.

Accessibility and Affordability

Unlike traditional art forms that require specialized skills and expensive materials, Waka Sopro is accessible to anyone with a desire to create. With just a few basic supplies and a willingness to experiment, anyone can try their hand at Waka Sopro and experience the joy of artistic expression.

Social Media Influence

Social media platforms have played a pivotal role in popularizing Waka Sopro and connecting practitioners from around the world. From Instagram and TikTok to YouTube and Pinterest, Waka Sopro has become a staple of online culture, with millions of posts, tutorials, and hashtags dedicated to this captivating art form.

Waka Sopro's Impact Across Industries

Waka Sopro's influence extends beyond the realm of art, reaching into diverse industries and sectors:

Art and Creativity

In the world of art and design, Waka Sopro has inspired a new wave of creativity and innovation, with artists incorporating its principles into their own work. From abstract paintings and mixed media collages to fashion designs and home decor, Waka Sopro continues to push the boundaries of artistic expression.

Mental Health and Well-being

Waka Sopro's therapeutic benefits have also caught the attention of mental health professionals, who recognize its potential to promote emotional well-being and self-care. Many therapists and counselors incorporate Waka Sopro into their treatment plans, using art as a tool for healing and personal growth.

Fashion and Design

In the world of fashion and design, Waka Sopro has emerged as a source of inspiration for designers and creatives. From runway collections to interior decor, Waka Sopro's vibrant colors and bold patterns have left an indelible mark on the world of design, infusing everyday objects with a sense of joy and vitality.

Celebrity Endorsements and Influencer Partnerships

The allure of Waka Sopro has not gone unnoticed by celebrities and influencers, who have eagerly embraced this artistic trend and shared their creations with millions of followers. From Hollywood A-listers to social media influencers, celebrities have played a key role in popularizing Waka Sopro and bringing it to the forefront of popular culture.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Waka Sopro's journey from zero to hero is a testament to its universal appeal and transformative power. From its humble beginnings to its current status as the hottest trend of the year, Waka Sopro has captured the hearts and minds of people around the world, inspiring creativity, fostering community, and bringing joy to all who encounter it.

[mycoversbox]

**Stardust Savior**

(Verse 1)

I'm an alien lost in a world obscure,

With love in my heart, but they think I'm bizarre.

No one understands my celestial grace,

They push me away, leave me in this lonely space.

(Pre-Chorus)

But I'll rise above like a shooting star,

Shimmer in the night, no matter how far.

My mission is clear, to heal and unite,

I'll prove my worth, shine with cosmic light.

(Chorus)

Stardust savior, misunderstood in the dark,

In this earthly labyrinth, alone I embark.

Undying love, pulsating through my veins,

I'll save this world, erase all the pains.

(Verse 2)

Visionary wanderer, an outcast in disguise,

They label me strange, while I yearn for their eyes.

Through galaxies unknown, I search for the cure,

To mend broken hearts, make love pure.

(Pre-Chorus)

I'll transcend their doubts, like a meteor shower,

Illuminate their doubts, give them the power.

I'll rewrite their stories, lift them from despair,

With unity and love, we'll breathe a shared air.

(Chorus)

Stardust savior, misunderstood in the dark,

In this earthly labyrinth, alone I embark.

Undying love, pulsating through my veins,

I'll save this world, erase all the pains.

(Bridge)

I'll dance across the universe, spread my joy,

The music of stars, my melodies employ.

Though my journey may be daunting, filled with strife,

I'll weave constellations into the fabric of life.

(Chorus)

Stardust savior, misunderstood in the dark,

In this earthly labyrinth, alone I embark.

Undying love, pulsating through my veins,

I'll save this world, erase all the pains.

(Outro)

I'll keep soaring high, like a comet ascending,

Breaking through barriers, perceptions amending.

For I am an alien, a lover of souls,

With each beat of my heart, the universe unfolds.

[papermoonloveslucy]

LUCY AND JOE NAMATH

S5;E5 ~ October 9, 1972

Directed by Coby Ruskin ~ Written by Bob O'Brien

Synopsis

While Craig is home from college and playing tennis, he is eyed by quarterback Joe Namath for his potential as a football player. First, however, they have to convince Lucy to give permission for Craig to play the dangerous sport.  

Regular Cast

Lucille Ball (Lucy Carter), Gale Gordon (Harrison Otis Carter), Lucie Arnaz (Kim Carter)

Guest Cast

Desi Arnaz Jr. (Craig Cartrer) is the real-life son of Lucille Ball. His 1953 birth was worked into the plot of “I Love Lucy” although Desi Jr. never played the role of Little Ricky Ricardo. He did, however, appear on the final half-hour episode of the series “The Ricardos Dedicate a Statue” (ILL S6;E27) in a crowd scene. He was occasionally seen as Billy Simmons and other minor characters on “The Lucy Show.”  At the time of filming “Here’s Lucy” he was part of the band Dino Desi and Billy along with Dean Martin Jr. and Billy Hinsche. Arnaz was married to actress Linda Purl from 1980 until 1981. In 1987, Arnaz married Amy Laura Bargiel. They lived in Boulder City, Nevada, with their daughter, and own the Boulder Theatre, a cinema converted into a theatre and home to the Boulder City Ballet Company. Amy died in 2005 after a long battle with cancer. Desi Arnaz has a daughter, Julia.

This is Craig's first appearance since the end of season 3 in February 1971.

Joe Namath (Himself) born in 1943, Joe Namath was a record-setting and award-winning professional football player.  His career on the gridiron began in 1965 with the Jets and ended 1977 with the Rams. Nicknamed ‘Broadway Joe’, he also was an actor doing stage, screen, and television commercials.  He hosted “The Joe Namath Show” (1969) and other television shows.  Namath appeared in summer stock productions of Damn Yankees, Fiddler on the Roof, and Lil' Abner, and finally legitimized his nickname as a cast replacement in a New York revival of The Caine Mutiny Court Martial in 1983.  

Bob Harks (Joe Namath’s Stand-In, uncredited) was seen in the background of Mame (1974). In 1970 he popped up on his first television show and was seen in more than a dozen episodes of “Here's Lucy.” He died at age 83 in 2010.

Namath tells Lucy his friends call him ‘Joseph’. Lucy says the papers call him ‘Broadway Joe.’  

Dick Patterson (Coach Hennessy) made his Broadway debut in David Merrick’s Vintage ‘60, and appeared in The Billy Barnes People, the national touring company of Bye Bye Birdie, and opposite Carol Burnett in Fade Out, Fade In. His last musical was Smile, a spoof of beauty pageants. He was seen in “Lucy Helps Danny Thomas” (TLS S4;E7). This is the third of his four appearances on “Here’s Lucy.”  

Coach Hennessy was teammates and roommates with Joe Namath at the University of Alabama.

Kenny Endoso (Jimmy) was a Hawaiian-born actor and stunt performer whose career began in 1967 and racked up hundreds of credits.  He died in 2010.  

The voice of the TV announcer and the other college football players (including one named Murphy) are uncredited.

This episode was inspired by Lucille Ball's appearance with Joe Namath on “The Super Comedy Bowl,” a TV special aired the night before the January 1971 Super Bowl game, although the segment was taped on November 23, 1970. In the sketch, Lucille Ball played an ER nurse who 'manhandles' football player Joe Namath after an accident. The sketch was written by Arnold Kane, who remembers in his book, My Meteoric Rise to Obscurity: 

“Lucy was a comedy genius. Namath was naturally frightened and nervous about doing comedy but the thought of working with Lucy scared the crap out of him.” 

A year later, Lucie Arnaz appeared on the second “Super Comedy Bowl” special, which was taped on November 22, 1971 and aired January 12, 1972. Lucie's comedy partner was football great Bubba Smith.

On the episode's DVD introduction and in The Lucy Book by Geoffrey Mark Fidelman, Desi Arnaz Jr. said: 

"I came back to the show after not being heard from for two years. I'm sure for some of the viewers it was like, 'Craig? Craig who?'  I was hardly ever referred to in the show once I was gone." 

Arnaz is right to say that for the first part of season 4 his absence went unexplained.  He was finally mentioned in “Lucy's Bonus Bounces” (S4;E16), and several more times for the rest of season 4.

Coincidentally, “Here's Lucy's” main competition during the 1972-73 season was “Monday Night Football” on ABC TV. The night this episode first aired the Oakland Raiders bested the Houston Oilers 34 to 0.  

This episode aired on Columbus Day 1972.  This was only the second time in US history that the federal holiday was celebrated on a Monday.  Before 1971, the holiday was celebrated on October 12, no matter which day it fell on.  Lucy Carter spoke about Christopher Columbus during the Secretary Beautiful Contest in “Lucy Competes with Carol Burnett” (S2;E24). 

Namath put on his NY Jets uniform for publicity photos, but he never wears the famous #12 jersey during the actual episode. 

This episode is the fifth installment in the longest story arc (Lucy’s broken leg) of the series. This storyline was dictated by the fact that Lucille Ball actually broke her leg skiing, necessitating scripts for the first half of season five be tailored to her being in a cast. 

After the show was over, Namath sent Lucille Ball an autographed football.

In real life, Desi Arnaz Jr. was an avid tennis player, so writer Bob O'Brien included that into the script.

At the end of scene two, Namath vows to get Lucy to give Craig permission to play or he'll give her his mink coat! Joe Namath had long worn fur, even on the bench.  Lucille Ball was also a fan of furs - especially mink.  In 2014 Namath caused an internet stir when he appeared at the Super Bowl game wearing a fur jacket.

Harry says back when he was playing college football for State he was known as “Twinkle Toes Carter.” In the stage musical about college life in “Lucy, the Co-Ed” (S3;E6), Harry plays a football player for Bullwinkle University nicknamed ‘Crazy Hips.’  Two episodes later, in “Lucy's Wedding Party” (S3;E8), we again hear of Harry's football career at Bullwinkle State (BS).

Lucy and Namath watch “The National Football League's Salute to the Quarterback” on her TV.  

Actual clips of Namath on the field for the New York Jets (#12) are featured. Namath is delighted, but Lucy cringes at the physical violence.  

For the final scene on the field. Lucy's golf cart wheelchair is back – this time without the canopy that Harry destroyed at the end of “Harrison Carter, Male Nurse” (S5;E3).  

Namath tells Craig that he should give up football and join some rock group. This is an inside joke referring to Desi Arnaz Jr.'s own rock group with Dino Martin and Billy Hinsche called Dino Desi & Billy.

When Harry dresses up in his college duds in “Lucy's Wedding Party” (S3;E8), Lucy tells him that he looks as handsome as Joe Namath!  

Nearly a decade earlier to the day, Desi Arnaz Jr. played pee-wee football... 

and Lucie Arnaz looked on from the sidelines in a October 1962 episode of “The Lucy Show” where Lucy Carmichael referees her son Jerry’s game.

Professional sports figures that have played themselves on “Lucy” sitcoms:

Jockey Johnny Longden - “I Love Lucy”

Golfer F.G. Bo Wininger - “The Lucy Show”

Baseball Player Jimmy Piersall (above) - “The Lucy Show”

Golfer Jimmy Demaret - “I Love Lucy” and “The Lucy Show”

Football players Johnny Unitas, Jim Brown, and Jimmy Phillips were all mentioned (but not seen) in “Lucy is a Referee” (TLS S1;E3) in 1962. In his high school football uniform, Craig was compared by Kim to football player Y.A. Tittle in “Lucy the Fixer” (S1;E14).

Character Consistency!  We learned that Craig played High School football in 1969's “Lucy the Fixer” (S1;E14).  It is never mentioned here.  Lucy's over-reaction to the dangers of the sport in this episode, three years later, would surely have been tempered by past experience.

Oops! When Harry goes to sit down next to Lucy, he accidentally knocks the chair cushion to the floor and must retrieve it before sitting.  This is the second time this has happened to Gale Gordon.

One Hand Clapping!  After Craig's blustery exit speech in the first scene, exactly one person in the studio audience gives Desi Arnaz Jr. a round of applause. Ouch!

Age Check! Although the Coach and Namath were supposedly roommates and teammates at college, Dick Patterson (Coach Hennessy) is actually 14 years older than Namath. 

“Lucy and Joe Namath” rates 2 Paper Hearts out of 5 

Yes, it is good to see Desi Arnaz Jr. again, but I wish it was in a better episode. With “Monday Night Football” as new competition for Lucy, what could be better than a celebrity football player - and Namath fit the bill perfectly.  Besides being contrived, there’s not much funny here.  

[perhaps-in-anotherdream]

[CN– Season 2] Victor and MC Chapter 25 (Eng Translation Part 1)

“....if this is the last message you send me.... would this be your tone of voice?”

⌚Warning⌚ This post contains detailed spoilers for a chapter that is yet to be released in the global server. ♡

✧ There’s a part in the chapter which might feel a bit confusing, so I will explain things as we go by, no worries. Please try to be patient with me. I promise, it will be worth the pain. And yes, tissue papers.... 🥺✊

┈┈ ◍♡◍ ┈┈┈ ◍♡◍ ┈┈

—

These infos are needed for the chapter:

[CH 23]: MC has been unable to reach Victor in recent time, and he wasn’t at BS when she went there 2 days back. Today she dials him wanting to ask, if he knows about the strange appearance of meteors; but he doesn’t pick up the call today either.

[CH 24]: MC is called in for a meeting at BS with the Twelve, who have conflicting opinions among themselves. Victor isn’t here today either. MC’s conversation ends on a bad note with the Twelve, and on her way back, MC encounters a deliberately caused car accident, resulting in her plummeting into the sea.

HIGHLY, HIGHLY, VERY HIGHLY recommend following with the video, I will add timestamp according to the one I’m sharing: ♡♡

—

✧ [CH 25-1] ✧

[Note]: This takes place after MC wakes up from sleep at night. She’s staying temporarily at a cottage due to the CH 24 incidents, (not at her new apartment):

Timestamp: 2:05

—

Staring at the standby screen of my phone, I sink into contemplation for a moment.

If the previous attack was done by the people of BS as well, then they should probably think that I’m dead. Perhaps, I can use this to feel them out....

Suddenly, the phone flickers black screen for an instant.

In the same instant, a piercing pain spreads through my body once again as a roar explodes in my ears, making my vision blurry.

I see the ruins of a building sliding down– reminiscent of the dripping of light rain, pouring out smoke and dust.

The world suddenly sinks into silence, as though the sky has been obscured beneath the rubbles.

A man is lying underneath a boulder, his eyes closed, as if he were asleep.

An eerie red dyes his suit, spreading out from beneath his body, and dripping into the gaps of the darkness.

My eyes widen in horror as the whimpering wind sweeps through the man’s hair resting in front of his forehead, revealing those pair of familiar eyebrows....

It’s Victor.

—

┈┈ ◍♡◍ ┈┈┈ ◍♡◍ ┈┈

✧ [CH 25-2] ✧

MC starts panicking because the blood seemed extremely real. She worries if this is foreknowledge but she’s confused since to her knowing, she has lost this power in the new world.

This is the second time she’s seen things like this because of the flickering black screen. She tries to calm herself down:

Timestamp: 4:12

—

For so long, Victor has been continuously unreachable. And with the radiation at the moment, BS is highly suspicious.

That heart-rending scene has been hanging in the back of my mind all along, lingering there even after a very long time.

MC: Calm down, MC. Calm down!

I pat myself firmly on the face. If I’ve made up my mind to leave here, then I must have the sufficient consciousness needed to confront everything that might happen next.

I close my eyes, and confirm my goal one more time. Then I pack up briefly, and put on a hat and a mask.

After walking out of the room, I look back at the quiet cabin——

Finally, I close the door firmly.

—

I pull on the mask, pretending to walk out of the elevator naturally.

After glancing around out of the corner of my eyes, I ring the doorbell of Victor’s house.

However, the silence of the door makes my heart heavier and heavier, while the busy signal on the phone is just like a heavy bell hammering down on my heart all at once.

Victor’s disappearance is so sudden, where did he go? Or is he being secretly controlled by someone again?

I can only keep speculating for no reason, without any answers.

Suddenly, a vague sound of hurried footsteps can be heard from behind the door, which makes my unconsciously drooping head rise instantly.

MC: Victor, is that you?

The footsteps seem to slowly approach the door, finally stopping at the other end of the door.

Feeling somewhat strange, I lean over to the camera on the doorbell again.

MC: Victor? Are you at home?

Actually, this is a very dangerous behavior. There maybe some suspicious person inside the house.

But I have a kind of inexplicable feeling that the person across the door is Victor.

Suddenly, the door opens.

MC: Vic....

I step forward in surprise, and at the moment the door opens, something vaguely flashes before my eyes.

The room is silent, only the open door remains there completely empty, just as though no one has ever appeared here.

—

[CHANGES TO NARRATOR POV]

[Note]: This is a few moments before MC appeared in front of Victor’s house.

[Note]: The music in this scene is Victor’s S1 BGM, and this is an important information which will be needed for a reference later on.

[Note]: The Victor in this scene is Victor from the past i.e. S1 Victor; who had travelled to the future. This scene is reference to a scene from the past, not the present day or the present world i.e. before S2 timeline started.

As for the rest, I will explain at the end of this post about what’s happening; so not as to ruin the experience of reading with all the explanation. 🥺🤞

—

The broken clock hands fall to the ground as an immense repulsion erodes Victor’s nerves and willpower.

The consciousness of the whole world seems to be rejecting his existence, a heavy sense of oppression pressing against every bone and crevices of his body.

The pocket watch is truly incapable of bearing anymore pressure, but he still wants to try.

Victor doesn’t know exactly what time he has arrived at. The broken gears clink as he sits down on the floor.

Victor inspects the surrounding for a while, and finds that the image in front of him is incomparably familiar. He recognizes his home at a glance.

Before he can ponder more over it, the sound of doorbell ringing can be heard from the distance.

Victor turns his head, looking towards the door.

He blinks his eyes slowly, and lifts an incomparably heavy step to walk over there.

A violent rejection presses against his footsteps. Step by step, he walks with extreme difficulty. But his gaze remains fixated on the door all along– resolute and decisive.

MC: Victor, is that you?

The familiar voice passes through the iron door. Penetrating through the rumbling tinnitus, it falls into Victor’s ears, causing his eyes of being unable of refraining from blinking.

The forces of time has ruthlessly left traces across his body, with a gigantic black-hole hanging behind him.

Victor: [I BURST OUT IN TEARS and it never stopped throughout the chapter] Dummy. It’s me.

He doesn’t know if he has said these words aloud. He simply wants to walk over stubbornly.

An invisible black hand seems to reach out from the black-hole behind him, dragging his body in.

But he doesn’t care, he just purses his lips.

....and keeps moving forward.

....one more step.

His fingertips finally rest against the girl’s face on the monitor screen. She is wearing a strange hat and a mask, with a mysterious look on her face.

After pacing back and forth a few steps, her eyes widen and she moves closer.

She looks the same now. It’s as though she is no different than how she was when she smiled in his arms several days ago.

Victor: She really hasn’t changed....

His icy and numb finger pads brush against the screen. At this moment, he is actually a bit nervous, and subconsciously draws in a deep breath.

Finally, he raises his arm and presses down hard on the door knob——

In the next second, he finds himself sinking into a land of heavy darkness.

??: As I said before, it’s better if she doesn’t find out your existence there!

He is unable to see anything, only that familiar voice ringing in his ears.

??: You’ve broken the rules over and over again. And you will be punished.

??: Even if it’s not now, the corresponding price will be taken back from you in the future.

His bloody shirt makes a striking contrast to his exceptionally pale face. He leans against the wall, almost wanting to succumb to the dizziness.

Countless meteors are slowly falling from the sky, dazzling white lights illuminating the eternal night. The pocket watch in his hand has already completely lost its gloss of the ceramic glaze.

The girl’s approaching face still remains clear on his retinas.

If this actually is their future, then he will definitely remember this event——

Victor knows that although he doesn’t know where he is at this moment, but he will return.

Because she is here.

—

┈┈ ◍♡◍ ┈┈┈ ◍♡◍ ┈┈

✧ [CH 25-4] ✧

[Note]: We are back to the present timeline (i.e. S2 world) from here onwards.

[Note]: The Victor in this scene, till the very end of this chapter, is S2 Victor.

[Note]: On the questions that may rise throughout, I will answer them at the end of this post.

Timestamp: 8:12

—

I look blankly at the completely empty room, somewhat not knowing what to do.

MC: [talking to herself]  I did hear the sound of footsteps just now, and the door was opened too....?

I press my hand against the door, and knock cautiously again.

MC: Victor, are you in there?

The only answer I receive is the silence of the air, carrying with it a subtle sense of strangeness.

Could this be some kind of conspiracy? To discover my existence and then lure me into a trap?

But that inexplicable feeling I had just now tells me, that person behind the door was Victor.

After giving it some thought, I shoot a glance towards the neatly arranged slippers. Then I close the door walking on tiptoes, put on the white slippers on the top of the shoe rack and walk in.

—

[Tidbits: This is a reference to Victor’s Job Date. When MC first came to Victor’s house in S1, he told her to use the white slippers on the top of the shoe rack. 🥺]

—

The living room is as empty as ever. I scan around the room and then head deeper. The bedroom, study, wine cellar, kitchen.... Victor is nowhere to be found.

Amid the quietude of the house, only the sound of my cautious strides remain.

For a split second, I feel that this moment is incomparably familiar in every case. A haggard and tired face emerges in my mind.

My eyes are somewhat sore. I knead them hard, follow my memory to that empty corridor and gently press the button on the side of the wall——

....a wooden staircase slowly descends.

MC: [talking to herself] There’s no way someone could open the door and run into the attic....

Even though I’m mumbling about this absurd speculation on my lips, I still can’t help but worry in my heart that he is out there, alone, doing something silly, somewhere I don’t know about.

I climb up slowly. The starlight and moonlight brushes lightly across the empty and small attic, leaving only the smears of tranquil dust.

I truly heave a sigh of relief.

—

[Tidbits: The incident MC is referring to here is S1 CH 18-18, Victor fixing the broken cup she made piece by piece throughout the night. ಥ‿ಥ ]

—

Even after searching in numerous places, I still don’t find anyone in the huge house.

MC: [mumbling] Where on earth has he gone....

I know that I’m being very silly right now. But I’m hundred percent sure that Victor was here just a moment ago, and I must find him.

MC: [mumbling] Could it be that there was some kind of strange dimension devouring, and it sucked Victor away?

?? (Victor): What nonsense are you talking about, coming into other people’s house in the middle of the night?

I jerk my head up, and see Victor standing in the living room where no one was just now, pursing his lips and looking at me with slightly furrowed brows.

MC: Victor?!

I run over to him somewhat in disbelief, completely unable to comprehend everything that’s been happening before me.

When I get closer, I find that his shirt is soaked through, and his well-groomed hair in normal times is now slightly damp from the thin layer of sweat on the top of his forehead.

Victor seems to pretend that his breathing is absolutely calm, but his slightly undulating chest stealthily betrays him.

This man looks just like he has run back from somewhere.

Victor: How long are you going to keep looking silly?

MC: ....I’m just a little puzzled. Where did you run off to after you opened the door for me just now?

Those pair of deep, inky eyes narrow imperceptibly. Victor takes off his suit-jacket and sits down on the sofa.

Victor: Where else could I run off to?

Even though he gives an answer, but he seems to have said nothing.

I stare at him suspiciously as I keep feeling that something is odd.

I don’t have Evol right now. Could it be that Victor secretly suspended the time? That’s why he could disappear without me noticing? But why would he do that?

Victor: In what wild imagination your mind has run off to again?

MC: I’m just wondering if you had just paused time, and then you disappeared in front of me to secretly do something.

Victor doesn’t say anything, watching me with a deep meaningful expression on his face.

Victor: After the door was opened, there was no one. So you directly came in just like that.

Victor: Weren’t you worried that there could be some problem?

MC: I just thought that if it were you who opened the door for me, there shouldn’t be any problem....

My voice falters more and more as I speak. Under his straight gaze, I suddenly feel somewhat nervous.

MC: Could it be.... did you just test my judgement? That was too scary!

Victor: It’s been quite a long while since I’ve supervised you. It seems that your power of observation and judgement have indeed decreased to some extent.

MC: It’s obviously because some people suddenly disappeared out of sight and I couldn’t get through his phone either....

Victor is slightly startled. He then glances aside, and picks up his phone with a black screen.

Victor: I just didn’t expect it to take longer than I thought it would.

Victor: Then the phone ran out of battery.

Victor clearly doesn’t intend to say too much. After I hear the extraneous words, I purse my lips and don’t ask any more questions.

Victor: After I came back, I originally planned on going to LFG.

I stare blankly for a moment, not expecting Victor to start talking again slowly.

MC: Then why did you come home?

He lifts his head, his gaze falling on me for a long time.

Victor: Cause I felt that a certain person would be here.

MC: ....?

Victor rarely says such ambiguous words. Hearing this, I’m really flabbergasted and can’t help blinking my eyes.

Victor: If you came to find me just for wanting to stand there in a silly daze, then you can go somewhere else.

MC: ....no no.

I wave my hand at him promptly, pondering over from where I’m going to start.

MC: Victor, do you know what’s been happening recently?

Victor: I’m waiting to hear it from you.

MC: Mysterious meteor shower, strange electromagnetic waves causing brain damage to ordinary people, Dionysus wanted me to release views in support of Evolvers at this time....

One by one, I break my fingers as I look at Victor, and find the crease between his eyebrows tightening slightly along with each of my keywords.

MC: Did you know all this?

Victor: Tell me.

MC: ....

....which deep mountains and old woods did this man run off to.

I look at him and draw in a deep breath. Then I sit next to him, and repeat all the recent events to him one by one in full details.

MC: I found the Lighthouse at the bottom of the sea, and learned that the starlight in the sky has nothing to do with the radiation affecting ordinary people at the moment.

MC: There must be someone who’s controlling all this from behind. But I don’t have any complete evidence.

Victor: You have any suspicions?

MC: I think NW, GR and Joker can be ruled out with high probability.

MC: What remains are completely unknown enemies, or....

Victor: The tricks of the extremist group of BS.

Victor takes my words completely naturally, leaning back on the sofa with his eyes closed, and a look of exhaustion on his face that’s somewhat difficult to conceal.

MC: And I’ve noticed something strange about the phone lately too.

I pick up my phone, and turn on the standby screen.

MC: I’ve found a strange black screen appearing and flickering twice. And what’s even more bizarre is that, each time it flickered, I’d get a headache.

MC: I suspect that.... perhaps it has something to do with this strange radiation too.

He nods slightly, not saying anything for a long time, as though he is sorting out the great amount of information I’ve just “poured” into his head.

After a few minutes, he slowly opens his eyes, looking at me with a slightly deeper meaningful glance.

Victor: How did you find the Lighthouse at the bottom of the sea?

MC: ....

I blink and avert my line of sight, pondering over how to tell him about the experience of nearly losing my life in the sea in a roundabout manner.

Victor: Do you think that I can’t hear the stories you’re making up?

MC: I went to meet Dionysus at the BS building. When I was leaving, the car was suddenly being controlled by someone, then I fell into the sea and accidentally found it.

I squeeze my eyes shut, and courageously say everything without taking a breath.

The world is extremely quiet, and there isn’t any reply for a very long time. I stealthily open my eyes halfway, only to find Victor sitting up straight, his brows creased tightly.

The oppressive silence makes me unable of refraining from shrinking my neck.

Victor: ....

He takes my arm in silence, and gently rolls up my sleeve. Seeing the bruises on my arm, he slowly lifts his head again.

Victor: [sighs softly] This is how you did things when I wasn’t around?

MC: ....I didn’t know this kind of thing would happen either.

With another soft and long sigh, Victor pulls down my sleeve gently and cautiously.

Victor: [sighs deeply] If I simply don’t keep an eye on you for a moment, you really will do something big.

MC: You’re not angry?

Victor: I’m not so devoid of sense as to blame the injured person.

Victor: You simply did what you should have done. No matter what you encounter, it shouldn’t be up to you to bear the consequences.

Victor’s eyes become a little bit more cold, and his slightly pursed, thin lips seem to be permeating cold air.

I smile and lean in front of him, reach out with my fingertips, and press them against the space between his tightly furrowed eyebrows, rubbing it away little by little.

MC: Don’t frown. It’s going to leave marks.

Victor is taken aback and gives me a somewhat distasteful look. Finally, the corners of his lips still perk up in a smile.

Victor: [softly] Why don’t you take more care of yourself.

With that said, he stands up and looks out the window at the meteors trailing across the sky as they leave behind starlight.

Victor: Since you were leaving from BS, then the person who attacked you should know your identity.

Victor: If I were you, I’d make the most of it.

Victor: Let Nox “die” temporarily.

—

┈┈ ◍♡◍ ┈┈┈ ◍♡◍ ┈┈

✧ [CH 25-6] ✧

[Note]: In this part, Victor is in the BS conference room; and MC is at Victor’s house. She’s actually been staying here, it gets more formally acknowledged later on.

Timestamp: 15:05

—

A few days later, I’m sitting on the carpet, and looking at the projection in the living room as my fingers clench nervously.

Through the camera in the badge on Victor’s chest, one can clearly see people coming in one after the other and sitting in their corresponding seats behind the single-sided glass.

This is a bit of a rare meeting where almost no one is going to be absent.

The meeting hasn’t yet started. Victor is just sitting in his seat casually, so the entire image is somewhat offset in perspective.

MC: Victor, you are sitting a bit crooked. Please shift to the right.

Victor: ....

Although I can’t see his face right now, but I can completely imagine that disgusted look on Victor’s face.

The silence continues, but I notice that the image on the screen is moving slightly to the right.

MC: That’s right, that’s right. To the right, right, right....

MC: Victor, I feel like I’m instructing you to reverse the car.

A slight tremor appears on the screen, and I can’t help but pout either.

MC: Victor, I can see you are holding back your laughter. Must be very hard for you, sorry.

A hand appears near the screen, picks up a ballpoint pen that has been set aside, and drops a few bold letters in dark blue on the nearby document—

“Be quiet.”

Understanding the art of his strokes, I immediately shut my mouth, hug my knees and wait for the meeting to begin.

—

Victor’s voice is especially processed before it passes through the barrier; which actually fills the air with an oppressive and stern aura.

Everyone enters the conference room one by one and keeps chattering about random stuff. Just then, Victor’s warning on whether he needs to hold individual meetings for everyone gives them a fright LOL.

Timestamp: 16:50

—

Suddenly, a somewhat timid knock sounds on the door. With everyone’s attention fixed on him, a young man walks in.

The instant that youth reaches out to close the door, I can clearly see the intricate and unique body paint on his both hands——

They are exactly the same as the hands that suddenly appeared when I was driving that day.

—

[FLASHBACK BEGINS]

MC: Thanatos?

Looking at the information Victor has handed over, I pucker up my eyebrows somewhat in puzzlement.

In the photograph framed in the file, the thick body paint on the young man’s arms is almost identical to that on the hands I saw at the time.

Victor: His Evol is “remote manipulation”. Whether it’s the ability or the appearance, he fits perfectly.

MC: But I don’t know him at all. He has no reason for wanting to kill me, right....

Victor: Regarding this answer, let him reply to you himself.

[FLASHBACK ENDS]

—

??: Thanatos? What are you doing here?

Dionysus sits at the front of the conference room. The moment he sees the youth, a ruthless gleam flashes past his eyes.

Dionysus: Who allowed you to come in, get the....

Victor: I was the one who asked him to come.

The scene seems to have been brought to a standstill for an instant. Dionysus swallows down the rest of his words that he hasn’t finished speaking, and just squints his eyes slightly.

I rapidly zoom in, and look at that man’s hands——

The calloused finger pads, the old-fashioned wristwatch on the left hand, and the patterns of the body painting that can be hardly replicated.

MC: Victor, it’s him!

The finger placed on the desk slowly clicks. Obviously, Victor hasn’t even said anything, but I still inexplicably feel an icy nip in the air across the screen.

Victor: I asked him to come here because I’ve heard something.

Victor: Nox is dead.

Victor: You guys know that, don’t you?

On the screen, I can see Thanatos standing right in front of it. Hearing Victor’s words, the left side of his face twitches slightly.

He doesn’t say anything, just keeps his head down tenaciously.

Victor’s words aren’t emotional, but they seem to have solidified into a sharp, cold blade that is hanging around the neck of everyone in the conference room.

??: I’m so sorry to hear this news. What a pity~

Poseidon is wearing a white mask as always. His voice is brisk, seeming as though he is smiling but also seems like he is crying.

Poseidon: Poor girl, may she rest in peace.

MC: No, I’m fine. Thanks!

I grit my teeth as I look at the man on the screen, a look of indignation on my face.

Poseidon: However, I don’t think that such a trivial matter should be sufficient to hold a meeting of the main gods so grandiosely.

—

[Tidbits: If you notice, everyone’s code name at BS is after the gods from Greek mythology. MC’s code name “Nox” is also the name of a goddess from Greek mythology. “Poseidon” here is referring to the “Twelve” of BS as the “main gods”.]

—

Victor: I’m not least bit interested in condemnation here.

Victor: Rather, what I’m curious about is the content of the phone call Nox left me before she died.

At these words, everyone present in the room falls silent, filled with shock, wrath, tension, contempt and numerous other emotions.

The finger that has been gently tapping on the desk comes to a halt, opens the phone indifferently, presses several buttons, and then tosses it on the desk casually.

The only sound in the solemn room is the scraping and sliding of the metal case of the phone against the desk.

Electronic voice: You’ve received a voice mail. It will be played after the “beep” sound.

Electronic voice: “Beep”——

MC’s voicemail: “BOSS, it’s Nox. This is the last time I’d be calling you.”

The sound of tires rapidly scraping against the ground floods the room behind, and the girl’s unwavering words amid the whistling wind are set off in the entire conference room.

MC’s voicemail: “Someone has taken control of my car, probably someone with the ability of remote manipulation. It’s a man with calloused fingers and has body paints on both hands.”

MC’s voicemail: “I suspect, it’s Thanatos.”

As Thanatos hears this, his face suddenly turns deathly pale, and his hands, which are hanging at his sides, tremble somewhat unconsciously.

His face is filled with shock and disbelief, as though he is unable to comprehend why this call could have been made.

MC’s voicemail: “BOSS, you need to be careful. Perhaps, them killing me is just the beginning.”

MC’s voicemail: “Perhaps, there are more people who want to harm you, and want to betray you!”

The girl’s voice is full of worry, as though she isn’t afraid of being on the verge of facing death in the least.

MC’s voicemail: “My regret is that I cannot accompany you in the future to witness the human evolution together. But, my heart will always accompany your footsteps.”

—

[FLASHBACK BEGINS]

Even if you haven’t followed with the video so far, please please please you NEED to follow this part with the video.🥺🤧

Timestamp: 20:05

—

MC: But.... uh.... my.... my heart will always be “rooted” in your footsteps.

Victor: Don’t pinch your nose while speaking. Also, lack of emotions.

MC: MY HEART! WILL ALWAYS! ACCOMPANY YOUR FOOTSTEPS!

Victor: Emotions are too strong, too much exaggeration, like a stage play.

MC: But-my-heart-will-always-accompany-your-footsteps.

Victor: [sighs] ....I don’t remember I was talking to a robot.

I sit down on the sofa indignantly, and squeeze the paper with dialogues which have been crumpled a long time ago, continuously breathing hard and deep to keep myself sane.

MC: I’m not a professional voice actor anyway, so it’s very likely to be contrived.

Victor takes off his glasses from his face, and glances at the corners of my lips which are pouted in discontent, then his gaze finally lands on the paper with the dialogues that is in the hands of the two of us.

I don’t know what has come to his mind, but he leans over and takes the paper out of my hand.

MC: We don’t need to give up just like that....

Before I’ve even finished the sentence, I see him tossing the paper aside.

In the next second, my vision is completely blocked as a warm hand envelopes my eyes.

Victor: Although this will not be true at all.

Victor: But if this is the last time we chat.... if this is the last message you send me....

Victor: Would this be your tone of voice?

In the lightless world, Victor’s voice lands softly in my ears, making my heart clench instantly.

I seem to be seeing that scene from a very long time ago, when the city shone with dazzling neon beneath our feet, when I made my muffled promise into his arms.

....as everything before me at that moment dissipated a little.

I can’t help holding my breath.

—

[Tidbits: MC is referring to S1 CH 37 Victor Route 🥺]

—

Victor: What’s wrong?

He seems to have sensed my change. When he is just about to raise his hand, I immediately stretch out my both hands and pull him back, keeping that hand covering my eyes from beginning to end.

MC: I was thinking that, if I really called you for the last time, I wouldn’t be able to tell you this.

Victor: Then what would you say to me?

MC: I wouldn’t say anything.

Victor: [I can almost see him sulking LOL] ....so talkative in normal times, but now she is being stingy.

MC: Because I will definitely  not let it be our last call.

I squeeze that hand hard, feeling the slight movements of his fingertips.

MC: No matter what I encounter, I will try my utmost to survive.

To strive to fulfill that promise with you which I haven’t accomplished yet.

[FLASHBACK ENDS]

—

The voice on the phone isn’t lacking agitation, even though it’s still sincere enough.

Listening to the voice coming through the screen, I didn’t actually expect these words to come out so naturally.

Suddenly, the phone sitting at the side rings out and I pick it up in bewilderment. To my surprise, it turns out to be a voicemail.

Electronic voice: You have a message to reply to.

Electronic voice: “Beep”——

Victor’s voicemail: Don’t say those meaningless words.

Victor’s voicemail: Survive, and then return to my side.

—

┈┈ ◍♡◍ ┈┈┈ ◍♡◍ ┈┈

✧ [CH 25-7] ✧

Victor’s voice lingers firmly in my heart. At this moment, I can’t see his face, nor am I able to be by his side as usual.

I can only grip my phone harder, watching the screen as the meeting continues, and I have to personally witness the final outcome of this plan.

Electronic voice: The message has finished playing. Press “1” to replay.

Victor: “Someone will betray me.”

Victor: After every one of you has heard this, what are your opinions?

The suffocating silence spreads in the conference room, sealing the mouths of everyone present.

Victor seems to smile. His body, which has been leaning against the back of the chair, leans forward, resting his weight on the desk, his chin propped up with one hand.

Victor: Thanatos, what do you think?

It’s as though a huge boulder has been pressed against Thanatos’s body, forcing him to tremble uncontrollably all over.

Thanatos: T-this is just the story on Nox’s side. Maybe she wanted to frame me.

 Thanatos is somewhat flustered, but he still manages to stop the shuddering.

Thanatos: In the absence of evidence on the situation, does the BOSS think that I did this merely relying on her phone call?  

The sound of soft laughter can be heard from behind the barrier, and the sound of soft fingertips slowly tapping on the desk resounds again and again.

Amid the quietude, this sound causes one to feel incomparably anxious.

Victor: Indeed.

Thanatos’s pupils slightly dilate, seemingly with a bit of excitement, but his delighted face collapses quickly as the screen on the side lits up in an instant.

That’s a copy of the in-car recorder footage.

As the girl in the footage is driving en route, a mysterious circle of light suddenly appears on the steering wheel, and inside the circle of light a pair of hands painted with body painting textures protrude.

It’s impossible to see the scene too clearly on the recorder. The girl struggles in panic but those hands grab her nonetheless.

Although she struggles free and makes a call, but she is unable to prevent the continuous acceleration of the car, until it breaks through the guardrail and plummets into the sea——

The footage stops at the instant when it’s overwhelmed with seawater.

Victor: Thanatos, you used your power on the spot.

Thanatos: This might also be a forgery!

Victor: Hence, rule out your suspicions first.

Thanatos: If I really had done it, Nox would never have the chance to call you....

Dionysus: Thanatos!

Dionysus stares fiercely at Thanatos, and stiffly turns his head shortly after that.

Dionysus: It seems that BOSS indeed is extremely fond of Nox.

Dionysus: Since the death of a pawn is worth holding a meeting, then let us accompany you in the “trial” as well.

Victor: You don’t have to be in such a rush to stand up for your people.

Victor: I will ask you directly when it’s needed.

Dionysus freezes in place with a livid face, and has no other choice but to glare tenaciously with his eyes, as though he wants to tear everything before him into shreds.

The rest of the people remain silent, and only a few watch the farce with exhilaration.

Victor: Nox was a chess piece, but you guys also have to recognize whose  chess piece she was.

Victor: Since the auction, you guys have been a little too  proactive. 

Victor’s words are as light as a feather, but they faintly reveal many warnings and scrutiny.

Victor: It seems that many people are calling me into questions to some extent.

As soon as this statement is spoken, the sound of a few sneers appears particularly distinct.

MC: [love of the life strikes HAHA~]  Victor, it was Dionysus and Hades who laughed!

His clasped fingers point to the “Be quiet” on the paper once again, muting me straight away.

??: You’re worrying too much.

Poseidon: That’s indeed quite dark and mysterious.

Dionysus: Shut up, Poseidon!

Dionysus sneers at the sly white face, finally casting his gaze towards the barrier.

Dionysus: If BOSS has such doubts, then why not inquire face-to-face.

Victor: Right.

The tense situation comes to a standstill for a split second. Dionysus is even a little frightened, only to have Victor changing the thread of the discussion at the end.

Victor: Evol can have much usefulness, and it’s very abundant as well. It can give many answers. I think everyone present here also acknowledges this power and believes it to be the direction that leads to the future of  mankind.

The picture rises abruptly as Victor stands up, overlooking everyone sitting beyond the barrier.

Victor: That’s all for today.

Victor: Thanatos, stay.

Victor: Do your superiors have any objections on this?

Dionysus reveals a vicious face instantly, but he seems to have understood thoroughly that he shouldn’t say anything more at this pint, and just spits out every single word through gritted teeth.

Dionysus: ....of course not.

Poseidon: Hehe, why does everyone has to make this so unpleasant. BOSS must have his own judgement and ideas.

The pure white mask sways, Poseidon stands up and raises his hand in an exaggerated manner.

Poseidon: Everyone has secrets and also has embarrassing troublesome matters, and perhaps they are guarding a sincere and tender heart behind these. Even if Thanatos did do such a thing, there must have been some reason for it. I sincerely hope that BOSS can find this answer.

He grandiosely presses his left hand against his chest, bows to the barrier and then prepares to walk towards to the door.

Thanatos has been keeping his head down all along, and doesn’t look at anyone. But the moment Poseidon is about to pass him by, his body starts shaking violently.

Thanatos: It’s true.... it was me who did it.

In the next instant, a hiss of pain escapes his mouth——

Akin to a scrap paper being thrown away, his body falls to the ground.

—

┈┈ ◍♡◍ ┈┈┈ ◍♡◍ ┈┈

✧ [CH 25-9] ✧

MC runs to the kitchen to pour herself a cup of tea.

Since the news of Thanatos committing suicide, she’s been feeling uneasy; not because the truth has been silenced along with him, even more so thinking how little value people place on their lives, using it as the cheapest bargaining chip. :'(

Timestamp: 27:57

—

NW is like this, GR is like this, Joker is like this.... and so is BS.

I close my wearily, and that image of Victor lying in the pile of rubbles appears in my mind once again.

Would this simply be my unprovoked delusion?

Or is it.... will this be the future?

But haven’t I lost that power this time?

I don’t know when, but the warm tea in my hand has turned cold. I lower my head in defeat, staring blankly at the light bending over the edge of the teacup as it creates a faint rim of light.

My brain is full of all kinds of confusing information, but I can’t seem to think of anything else.

?? (Victor): In which wild imagination your mind has run off to?

Beneath the soft light, Victor leans against the side of the kitchen door with both hands crossed over his chest, looking at me with a serene expression.

The house is extremely quiet. Looking at the person in front of me, I slightly clench the teacup, and I don’t know why I blurt out this sentence naturally.

MC: Victor, can you lose?

The endless future seems even darker than I imagined. The invisible ghastly faces lurk in the dark, and they’d reveal their fangs at the drop of a hat.

As though it’s now a contest of who is more heartless, who can drop the bargaining chip without any qualm in the least.

Only by doing so will we be able to claim the victory at the highest stage.

Victor: Why would I lose?

He doesn’t complain about my silly question, nor does he question why I am asking him.

It’s only that, he doesn’t raise his eyebrows and answers me indifferently, as though this is just a simple question like, “what are we going to eat tomorrow morning?”

I gaze at him quietly, and perk up in a smile with reluctance.

Indeed, Victor can’t lose. Regardless of what happens, he can always find his methods.

I ought to have faith in Victor.

But I still can’t stop worrying.... worrying that the image will truly turn into reality, even if it’s simply a nightmare for no reason at all.

At this moment, however, perhaps this worry is not worth wasting his time.

Victor still has an awful lot of things to handle– Thanatos’s death, and this radiation that possibly has something to do with BS.

MC: Did I just ask a silly question?

Victor: Since you know, then don’t ask.

Victor lowers his head and looks at me, unfamiliar emotions flashing through his eyes. Finally, he tilts his head and walks in to pour himself a cup of tea as well.

Victor: It’s certain that there were other people behind Thanatos.

Victor: You stay here for the time being, otherwise the matter of Nox’s death will be overthrown.

Victor: The guest room has been tidied up for you.

MC: Alright. I’m off to bed then. Goodnight, Victor.

Holding my cup of tea, I nod at Victor in a cute manner, then turn around and run back to the room.

As I close the door behind me, I breathe a soft sigh of relief. My whole brain is incomparably awake, and I don’t feel sleepy in the slightest.

The starlight outside the window twinkles. I don’t turn on the light. I just sit on the rug hugging a pillow, feeling a deep sense of powerlessness.

I casually open Weibo and find that there has been no victim of brain damage for several consecutive days due to the operations of the STF.

However, the articles published by the Infinite team still continue to ferment.

People are panic-stricken, worrying about the day when the sudden and eerie radiation descends again.

I close Weibo. Looking at the calm standby screen, I think about that flickering black screen.

It doesn’t seem to appear at a fixed time or at some fixed frequency. But each time it appears, I will see certain strange images.

Perhaps I should wait for that flickering black screen to confirm those suspicions.

Suddenly, the door is pushed open, a faint aroma of milk transmitting to my nasal cavities. I lift my eyes, and find Victor walking in with a glass of hot milk.

He looks around in the dark room but doesn’t say anything, simply pries open my hand and takes away the long cold cup of tea, stuffing the hot milk into my palm.

In an instant, the warmth and the real temperature pass through my fingertips, seeping into my entire body.

Immediately afterwards, he takes out a small chubby night lamp from somewhere, and sits down next to me.

Amid the dimness, it’s the only little point of soft light, but it completely bundles up the both of us in it.

MC: Why are you....?

Victor: I forgot to say goodnight.

Holding the glass of hot milk, I quietly turn my head to look at his side profile, and find that he is just sitting there in silence, not speaking at all.

MC: Victor?

Victor: What is it?

MC: Didn’t you.... come here to say goodnight?

Victor: Yes, but not now.

Victor stops talking again. I purse my lips, not knowing what to say.

The room returns to the quietude once more. I lower my head and sip the warm milk, while Victor stares down at the neon lights outside the window, neither one of us speaking.

Finally, I’m unable to hold myself back any longer.

MC: Victor, I actually had a nightmare.

Victor grunts softly in response, motioning for me to continue.

MC: I don’t know if it’s the effect of that phone screen....

I take a deep breath, and place my face next to the hot milk, trying to draw in a bit more temperature.

MC: I dreamt that.... you were lying in the pile of rubbles and suffered very heavy injuries.

MC: I should have faith in you, because you can resolve anything using your methods.

MC: But I’m still very scared.

It has nothing to do with whether or not I have faith in Victor. I simply worry about him.

The atmosphere turns a bit heavy for a while. As I’m hesitating to remind him of something else, the milk is suddenly withdrawn from my hand and put aside.

MC: I haven’t finished drinking yet....

Victor: The warm milk was for you to get a good night’s sleep, not for letting your imagination run wild.

MC: I just don’t know how I should annihilate these wild imaginations, that’s why I’m indulging in flights of fancy here....

Hearing my “tongue twister”, Victor sighs and releases a laugh.

Victor: Next time, come and ask me sooner.

He takes my hand, and lays me down on the soft rug. Even though I don’t know what he is going to do, I simply keep my gaze fixed on him.

Victor: [soft laugh] Eyes too wide.

The corners of his lips perk up in a soft smile. As though to appease me, he runs his fingers gently across my forehead, again and again.

MC: Wasn’t I waiting for your method.

As soon as the words leave my mouth, Victor lays down together with me, leaning behind my body.

My back is enveloped with the familiar temperature, and a hand closes around my side, replenishing the warmth that has been removed from my fingertips.

His chin rests gently on the top of my head, and his steady heartbeat transmits from behind me little by little, slowly unifying with mine as they play the same rhythm.

The light of the small night lamp drapes over our body quietly and gently. I can’t see Victor at this moment, but I feel the whole world softening into a soft cloud.

Victor: You could have a little more faith in me.

His voice is exceptionally soft, different from the times in the past, with a bit of helplessness as well as earnestness.

Victor: That will not be the future.

Victor: Only on this one, I can assure you.

His other hand comes up, his fingertips slightly curling around the strands of my hair that are hanging on the rug, twirling them around absent-mindedly.

His words fall into my ears, as light as feathers. It’s as though this is just quietly leaning against the ear right before going to sleep, accompanied by the intimate whispers of goodnight.

Like a blessing, but also like a vow.

MC: Is that because you’ve seen that future?

Victor: There is no need to see it.

Victor: I can tell you straight away. That definitely won’t be the future.

He slowly tightens his arms, caging me in a world named “Victor”.

Victor: Trust me.

Perhaps it’s because the embrace that is too tender, or the warm milk has taken effect, I slowly close my eyes.

—

At the last moment when my vision plunges into darkness, I seem to see my phone screen flickering.

I know I’m dreaming.

I try hard to catch my breath, but I find that my whole body is unable of exerting any strength, the feeling of oppression suffocating me as though trying to snatch away all my willpower.

Some liquid slides down my forehead, and drips onto my eyes, making me blink subconsciously.

The image before my eyes is somewhat fuzzy, mixed with glaring red. The ruins of the building drizzle down like light rain, pouring out a cloud of smoke and dust.

Victor is lying under a huge boulder, with blood-colored flowers spreading beneath his body.

It is the same image as the last time.

A sense of powerlessness and despair pours into the depths of me, dust rises in the air, and the sound of footsteps trampling over the fragments of ruins can be heard in the distance.

MC: ....who is it?

A man, whose face I’m unable to see clearly, passes by Victor’s body, simply glances at it casually, and then walks over to me.

I strive to open my eyes, but my strength seems to have been drained to the utmost.

That man seems to be talking, but I’m unable to hear his voice clearly.

—

✧ PART 2: HERE!

—

┈┈ ◍♡◍ ┈┈┈ ◍♡◍ ┈┈

✧ [NOTES] ✧

From what I’ve seen over the past few days, CH [25-2] seems to have given birth to some confusion; it’s mainly because the players have either read the story first or the plot review first, but they’re actually complementary. So, I’ll try to clear up the confusion with the existing information the writers have given us so far (this is applicable unless the writers change or add more details in the future):

It’s VERY, VERY, VERY important to read Victor’s R&S “Ever-changing” ; CH 37-5 ; and the ending of S2 CH 2-15 where MC meets a little boy.

These contents give us the information about S2 world.

— The little boy MC meets in S2 CH 2-15, is the same boy in Victor’s R&S who told him that he shouldn’t be seen by the future MC, and there can never be two versions of same person in one dimension.

— The R&S explains how Victor had been trying to leave clues for future S2 MC AND his future S2 self i.e. S2 CH 4 and “Meeting in the past date.” He also introduced himself as “Victor from the past.” It also explains his hopes on their “future life” after MC stops the meteor from hitting the earth. From Victor, we get the confirmation that he knows he won’t remember MC in the S2 world, it was hinted in another one of his R&S too. So he’s trying his utmost to make it as smooth as it can be made. This R&S takes place after MC bids farewell to him and before MC returns as her 5 year old self at the orphanage in the prologue.

— In CH 37-5, that mysterious person who welcomes MC tells him clearly that the world MC is opening is completely new trajectory from any of the ones before.

— In CH 2-15, that little boy tells MC that everyone in this new world is the same as her i.e. they have all returned to 17 years before with her, but in the future; because time always moves forward. The difference between MC and everyone else is, they didn’t keep their memories. This is the answer that MC needs to find.

•• CONCLUSION•• S1 Victor DID NOT travel to the S2 timeline now. He opened the door for MC in CH 25 in between S1 CH 37 and S2 Prologue; like he left those messages for her and himself.

As the official plot review of S2 CH 22-25 clearly states that it was Victor from the past (S1 Victor) who opened the door for MC; but that’s it.

The reason it backfired on him in greater amount more than the instances mentioned in the R&S while sending the messages; is that, he was changing the outcomes over and over again, and this time he was almost on the verge of being discovered by MC. But we see him telling himself that “he will remember this event i.e. the ending of CH 25”; even though that’s purely his determination talking. Whether he did something more to leave more clues, we will have to wait for the next update. :'(

As the mysterious voice tells Victor that “he will pay the price, if not now, then in the future”; which brings us to the ending of CH 25. His future self (S2 Victor) makes THE SAME choice as his past self (S1 Victor) would do. Because it’s ALL him~ 🤧

———

Now, I want to share a little information on S2 CH 22-25 R&S [ @ey8508​ has translated it HERE ]:

— This R&S takes place in between S2 CH 10- CH 16. When Victor went to visit Grandpa Chuck, he tells Grandpa Chuck that the strange memories he sees (his S1 memories) are becoming more and more frequent than before. It also mentions that in those memories MC is the most frequent existence, i.e. he is remembering more and more things regarding MC, he just doesn’t understand why he can’t remember actually doing these things himself. Then Grandpa Chuck tells Victor about the “Time Observers” and that he will meet them soon.

— In CH 17, we see Victor shuttling through past and future. Although it was for NW’s purpose, but he already had a frame in his mind on what he needs to do.

— In CH 18, as soon as he gets out, he meets up with the Time Observer.

— During CH 22-24, MC was unable to reach Victor. And after he returned, there was subtle change in his behaviors, as well as he was in pain which he was trying to hide. So the next R&S and the chapter should be giving us details on what he saw during his time with the Time Observer and exactly how much he remembered when he came back.

— Just a little heads up, the ending of CH 25 makes it clear that S2 Victor very likely remembered the incident of his past self (i.e. S1 Victor) getting the warning that “he will pay the price in the future” as a distant voice reached his ears. That’s why he replies with “I have no regrets.”

The upcoming chapter and R&S updates should be giving us more details on his planning on handling entire S2 CH 25. Let’s wait till then! 🥺

————

Now onto to a sad little detail, and the preparation for Part 2 of CH 25..... Brace yourselves. ಥ‿ಥ

This happened two weeks back, when I was talking on discord about what “red poppies” symbolize in Victor’s “Garden Date”.

And the CH 22-25 Karmas dropped just a few days later.....

I SWEAR I DIDN’T——— 😭✊🤧

.

.

—

[aizawaorkuroo]

A Burnt Offering

Ship: Dabi x f!reader

Rated: Explicit

Word Count: 5.7k

Summary: Your long lost childhood friend sends you letters. And then everything falls apart. Or perhaps together? Otherwise known as “Dabi wants you. And Dabi gets what he wants.”

Warnings: dubcon, non-consensual voyeurism, stalking, manipulation, spitting, dacryphilia, size kink, overstimulation, creampie, cock warming, unprotected sex

A/N: Spoilers for ch. 290 kinda!!! Don’t think too hard about how they’re childhood friends. Not going to be canon compliant cause i make the rules uwu,, also this is a little darker than what I’ve written in the past, (but still pretty soft all things considered) so please read the warnings!!!

_________________________________

“Dreamed of peach trees. Dreamed, again, of drowning. Dreamed of highways becoming rivers. Dreamed of me, my long hair in flames, my body no longer a body, but a burnt offering, strange smoke rising up to meet him” - Nicola Maye Goldberg

.

.

.

The first letter you received was a little out of the ordinary, but nothing special. It had been left under your doormat, sticking out ever so slightly. You had brushed it off, assuming they had gotten the address wrong, or meant to send it to the person who lived in your apartment before you.

The right thing would’ve been to leave it there, or throw it away. But curiosity is a fickle beast, choosing to rear its head at strange times.

You furrow your brows, eyes scanning the words hastily scratched onto the paper. It felt familiar, but nothing truly stuck with you. You couldn’t think too hard about it, now when you had so much to get done.

It was a random occurrence, one that slipped your mind as you went about your day, the letter sitting on your kitchen counter.

hey,

we haven’t talked in a while. i miss you i guess. i swear to god i sometimes still feel your hand in mine and sometimes i think of your smile. maybe I’ll see you soon.

It’s left unsigned, and you can’t help but to feel bad that it got sent to you. But there’s no return address, nothing to hint at where it’s supposed to go. So it sits on your counter, slipping out of your mind in the following weeks.  

The second letter sends a small shiver down your spine.

“you will be alone always and then you will die.” i can’t remember who told me that, but it rings around my head. there are days where it feels like it’s true, like time will catch up with me and I’ll be gone. but it’s not true. because I used to have you. but I’ll have you again.

Your eyes gloss over the words, a small frown slipping onto your face. Something melancholic sinks into you, making a home in your chest.

“You will be alone always and then you will die,” you whisper to yourself, fingers grazing over the sloppy letters. You feel guilty that the writer’s thoughts are stuck with you instead of this person they so desperately miss.

Yet there’s something unyielding about the last line, something so definite. Curiosity fills you, and you can’t help but to want to get the letter to where it’s supposed to be. But like the first letter, there’s no return address, no signature, nothing outside of the longing in the letter.

So it sits on the counter with the first, the weight of the words lingering in your chest until it too is forgotten.

_________________________________

You’re sitting on a hill, watching as the stars plummet down. Someone’s sitting next to you, but when you turn to face him, he stays blurry as if he exists on the edges of reality, unable to be fully perceived.

You watch as a rainbow of flames overtake him and recede, further obscuring him. But the flames continue to cycle in and out, a constant ebb and flow. You know who he is.

He flickers, you cannot touch him. You place your hand on the flames. Nothing burns. When you look up again, the hill is gone. You're sitting in inky darkness, watching as the stars continue to fall all around you. And the boy is gone too. In his place is something of shadow and smoke, two gleaming blue eyes tearing into you. You freeze, unable to do anything but stare.

It stalks towards you slowly, grinning to show rows of sharp teeth. You know what it wants, you can feel the need across the space in between you too. And so close your eyes and tilt your neck, offering yourself up. And you don’t scream when it takes the first bite.

“I’m always on your side.”

You wake up in a cold sweat, heart pounding. You’re awake now, but you feel like the stars are still falling around you and him - right.

Touya.

His name blossoms in your head, memories of laughter and secrets told underneath the shade of a cherry blossom tree. Your head's pounding, and you run to the bathroom, splashing water on your face. That night, the last night you had seen him, when you watched the stars streak across the sky.

“I’m always on your side.”

A promise that withered into something shallow after he disappeared.

You blink at your reflection, fists curled into themselves so tightly it hurts. You wish Touya could hold your hand now.

You don’t go back to sleep.

_________________________________

The third letter makes you frown a little. Three makes a pattern.

Really wish you would say something back. Has it been that long? Guess that’s to be expected.

You scan the page, melancholic thoughts lingering until you read the last line. Your eyes widen, heart leaping in your throat, as you read it over and over again. Your hands are shaking, mind cloudy, breath short.

Really, say something back y/n.

Your name, clear as day. They know your name. You’re the recipient. You blink blankly as a line from the previous letter pops into your brain. I’ll have you again.

The letter sits untouched on the counter for days before you finally build up the courage to tentatively write back. Who is this?

As you shakily write, it dawns on you how stupid this is. You should be going to the police, or getting a security system. But you can’t help but wonder who it is, and the fickle beast inside of you rears its head.

You tentatively place the response under the doormat, and scurry back inside, as if the action would burn you. The next morning the note is gone.

_________________________________

It takes a few days for you to get a response. When you get home from work, you’re tempted to walk right past it, pretending to not see it. You could just let it slip from your mind, go on with your life as if nothing has changed. But nothing can ever be simple, and with shaking hands, you steal the letter before locking yourself inside.

I can imagine how scared you must be. I bet you’d look so cute. Part of me wants to make you guess. But I’d rather speed this up. It’s me. Y’know. Touya.

“Touya,” you whisper. It’s heavy on your lips. “Touya.” Your throat is raw. “Touya, Touya, Touya.” Your chest burns. Tufts of red hair, memories of childhood and shooting stars.

Brain pulsing in overdrive, you try to reconcile what you know to be true and what is being told to you.

1. Touya was your best friend.

This one is a fact. You remembered holding his hand, running around the estate. He would be battered, bruises and burns littering his skin. Right. His father. You shiver thinking about the man.

2. Touya disappeared as a child.

Another fact. You remember his mom’s tear-stained face as she turned you away, and when you were back home, safe in bed, you cried so hard you thought you’d never stop shaking.

3. Touya is still alive.

The first in your list that is debatable. No one’s seen him for years. It’s fully possible something horrible could have happened to him. But there’s no evidence he’s dead. If you can reason that Touya is still alive, then it’s possible…

4. Touya is sending you letters. 

The most difficult conclusion of all. If Touya is alive, it could be possible he’s sending you letters. But there’s no way to guarantee it is him. It could be some stranger, some pervert pretending to be your sweet redhead from childhood. You would have to test him.

Your response is careful, calculated as you try to navigate your emotions. Your hands shake as you write the final line, a question.

What was the last thing we did?

A small frown slips onto your face. It’s kind of a lame question, and yet it’s the best you can do. But it’s a baseline, a place to start.

His response comes almost immediately.

We watched a meteor shower. Go ahead. Dig deeper.

You chew on your lip while thinking. “Touya” is off to a good start, but there’s still no guarantee. So you push farther

Where did we hide the bowl I accidentally broke?

C’mon, it was a vase, not a bowl. We buried it along the fenceline. Good try.

You smile at the memory, the way you had cried over the broken porcelain, embarrassment coursing through you. Touya had helped you hide the evidence, telling you no one would find out.

What did you promise me?

I’m always on your side.

You inhale sharply, eyes glued to his messy scrawl. That’s it. It has to be him. You’ve never told that to anyone before. You squeeze your eyes shut, but you can see stars falling all around you. You feel a little light headed.

How did you find me?

Pure chance. I missed you, y/n. Does your face scrunch up when you get mad still? It was so fucking cute.

Shut the fuck up, Touya.

You don’t know how he’s done it, but Touya has inserted himself back into your life, whisking you off your feet with his stupid jokes and laid back attitude. And everyone in a while he’ll say something, that has you burying your face into your pillow, face warm and stomach in knots.

I’m going to hold you, and never let you go.

Would you let me kiss you? Would you let me sink my teeth into you? I bet you would.

I’d kiss you until you melt.

That one in particular made your chest burn, full of something warm and sappy. You read it over and over again, until the words are branded in your brain.

You’re sitting at the kitchen table at 2 am when you realize, you would. You would let him kiss you, let him sweep you off your feet. It occurs to you that you don’t know what he looks like anymore, but his words reach into you, stirring everything around to the point that you’re completely enamored anyways.

A sharp knock draws you from your thoughts. You narrow your eyes, glancing at the clock. Hesitantly, you approach your front door. You hover right in front of it, debating on whether or not to open it again. There’s a chance that no one’s even there anymore.

A second forceful knock makes your stomach flip. Taking a deep breath, you crack the door open.

Your eyes widen, and you're deafened by the blood pumping through you. Patchwork skin, pitch-black hair; you feel yourself begin to panic. 

Dabi. You recognized him from the Fukuoka fight that was on TV. You slam the door shut before he has a chance to say anything.

“No, no, no. Don’t do this to me y/n.” His voice is muffled by the door, but the separation doesn’t hide the way his voice barely cracks. You feel sick, brain cloudy as the room spins around you.

“How do you know my name?” you choke out, stomach growing nauseous.

“I thought we already did this… but you can’t recognize me either.” You furrow your eyebrows in confusion, wracking your brain for what he could be talking about.

“After all those letters.” 

Oh.

Oh.

Your stomach drops, and your heart does with it. Dabi is Touya. Touya is Dabi. You tremble against the door, flashes of red hair and childhood innocence ghosting through your mind. You should’ve paid more attention to how he found you.

“Open the door.” Touya’s voice- no Dabi’s voice? You shake your head at the confusion, finding it difficult to reconcile the two versions of him you know. Regardless, his voice is even now, something sharp lingering beneath the soft surface.

You shut your eyes, letting your head rest against the door; it’s all too much for you. You can practically feel the tears stinging the back of your eyes. Maybe he’ll go away, maybe you don’t have to have a breakdown in the middle of the night.

“Open up for me, Y/N.”

You blink your eyes open, something cold slipping down your spine. He’s not going away. He could burn the door down if he wanted to. You know what he does now, and you feel so fucking stupid. The fact that he’s asking is an unexpected kindness. Summoning all the willpower you have, you open the door, hand grasping the handle to avoid shaking.

Dabi’s head tilts to the side as his eyes meet yours, and a sharp grin pulls at his lips.

“Aren’t you going to let me in?” Your eyes dip to the floor, and you stumble to the side, closing the door as he brushes past you.

You awkwardly stand in front of him, fingers messing with the hem of your shirt as you try to control your breathing. Your stomachs in your throat as Dabi circles you. He is not the boy you knew. There’s an edge to him, a coldness radiating off of him that rolls into you.

“Now you can’t even look at me,” he sneers. Your gaze tilts up to meet him, trembling his words. Your heart lurches as you take in his appearance again. The puckered flesh, the staples, the jet black hair. It’s all too much.

But his eyes.

His eyes are the same, the same vivid blue that haunts your dreams. It hurts looking at him now, but it also hurts remembering what he was.

Hesitantly, you reach out to cup his face. He tenses under your touch, eyes flashing in warning. You swallow past the lump in your throat, forcing out a small “hi.” Your voice cracks under the weight of emotions, but his eyes soften, and he ever so gently tilts his head into your hand. And that’s enough.

A steady stream of tears leak from your eyes; you’re not completely sure why you’re crying, the emotions too jumbled, too complex to pinpoint a specific reason. Your thumb brushes over the marred skin under his eyes, and you feel sick. Like everything that’s wrong with the world has reared its ugly head in your apartment. But it hasn’t. It’s Touya. 

“Awww. Baby girl’s crying for me, huh?” he teases, making you narrow your eyes. He moves quickly, pulling you against him before you can step away. “Still the same crybaby from before.” You squeeze your eyes shut, trying to ignore the way your head’s spinning.

“What else am I supposed to do?” you bite back, letting your head rest against him. “I missed you.” He scoffs at that, hands sliding down to grip your waist.

Your breath stutters, and you squirm in his hold, unsure what to think. His grip tightens, making you wince. You pull your head back to look up at him, trying to keep your breathing even. Touya leans in close, eyes glued to you.

“Glad you missed me,” he mutters, and the borderline painful grip switches to something softer as he massages your flesh. “I missed you too, Y/N.” His voice rumbles through you softly, making your stomach flip. His tongue darts out of his mouth to flash across your cheek, licking the salty trail your tears left behind.

“Touya, what the fuck?”

You jerk away from him, sputtering as he throws his head back in laughter. Your skin feels too hot, and you struggle to put together a thought. You wiggle out of his grasp, wiping your face, and glaring at him.

“C’mon. Don’t be like that,” he laughs, obviously not taking this seriously. But you just shake your head, trying to squash all of your feelings.

“What do you want?” Your voice bends under the stress, and you face screws up, trying to stop the pathetic flow of tears.

“To see you,” he murmurs, eyes softer than before. The feelings behind the phrase are normally enough to make you giggle and your eyes turn into hearts. 

But this is Touya, or Dabi, or some bizarre amalgamation of the two. And you know what he’s done now. You know the price he’s paid. He is not the same.

“That’s not an answer. You shouldn’t be here,” you bite at him. All traces of warmth leave Dabi’s face, and your stomach drops. Something cold and sharp glints in his eyes, threatening to cut you if you get too close. You take a tiny step back, but he simply follows.

“Don’t be like this, Y/N.” His voice is tense, a warning of who he is now, what he’s done, what he could do to you. He cocks his head to the side, eyes trailing over you, gauging your reaction. He’s not the same. You know he’s not the same. His patchwork skin is proof of that enough.

It’s not fair. Echoes of childish giggles and burning blue eyes dance across your thoughts. But what he had done to all those people…You shut your eyes, crossing your arms as if you could hold yourself together.

“Well, what am I supposed to think? You were gone, for so long. And then you sent those fucking letters, and all I could think of was seeing you again. But you’re…” you trail off, but the unsaid hangs heavy in the air.

“Broken,” he hisses out, cold eyes narrowed at you as he gestures to his body. You glare right back at him, tears still flowing.

“It has nothing to do with that,” you manage to force out. “I just- I just don't know who you are.” Dabi’s face twists up into something bitter and forceful, a hurricane that’ll sweep you into something dangerous, you just know it. He is not the same.

“I wrote you those letters, Y/N. I’m still me.” But you don’t know who that is. Not anymore. He abruptly steps forward, forcing you against the wall, eyes wide in panic. He’s too close to your face, too warm, too overwhelming. 

You missed him so much, and it hurts. It hurts to see what happened, how he had to put himself back together, a dull mosaic that’s missing pieces. He reaches out to brush his thumb over your cheekbone.

“I’m always on your side.”

If it had been anyone else but Touya, you would’ve scoffed and kicked them out. But he knows you. He knows how you think, he knows what’ll make you respond. 

After all, he’s been watching you, making sure he knows how to say that’ll make you bend to his will. Touya wants you, his sweet best friend, to be his forever. So he knows what to say.

And something in you finally gives in, and you wrap arms around him, burying your face in the crook of his neck. He slips his arms around your waist, holding you flush against him.

Your knees wobble, legs failing you as you melt to the ground. Touya follows you down, arms circling around you tighter as he smiles into your hair.

Fuck the league. Fuck his family. Fuck a normal life. Fuck, the whole world can burn down. He doesn’t give a fuck. But maybe, just maybe if there’s anyone out there listening, just let him have this. Just this once.

“That’s my baby girl,” he murmurs against you, pulling you into his lap. He kicks out his legs behind you, bending his knees to force snug against him. If he were a better man, he’d be content with this, having you on his side.

But Touya is not a good man. He’s greedy for more, and all he can think about is the heat radiating from your cunt.

His hands splay out against your back, gently rubbing you as you sniffle against him. But he can’t help it when his hands start to travel further down. You sound so cute and desperate, it ignites something within him. He squeezes the flesh of your ass, making you freeze against him. You lean away, lips trembling as your eyebrows draw together.

“Touya, what are you doing?” You sound pathetic to your own ears, and you hate it. But you’re not given any time to dwell on it when he leans forward, lips a few mere centimeters from yours. He rocks you gently against him, watching the conflict in your eyes.

“Hey,” he murmurs, leaning to peck the corner of your lips. “I’m always on your side. Let me make you feel good.”

You stay stiff against him, hands slowly tangling into his hair as he litters the side of your neck with sloppy kisses. One of his hands pushing its way down your little shorts making you gasp. You can feel his erection growing beneath you, and you bite your lip, trying to make a decision to stop him or not.

“Touya,” you ask, “are you sure?”

“Don’t worry. I’ve got you.” You’re not 100% sure if this is the right decision, but he feels so good against you. And he’s handsome, scars and all. The intense warmth from earlier slipping into something more comforting, enveloping you as you rock against his hand ever so slightly.

So you don’t stop him. He would never hurt you, right? And it's been a while since you’ve gotten laid. Touya’s made sure of that. So you let him continue his exploration, melting against him as he gently rubs at your clit.

Touya watches your face, memorizing the expressions you make as he slips a finger into your hot cunt. To be clear, he’s seen your face when you’ve creamed around your little fingers on your own, unaware that he was stroking his cock outside your window. But you look so much better, happier even, when it’s his fingers you’re grinding into.

He nips at your neck, before pulling his fingers out of your shorts. He pushes you off of his lap, rolling his eyes at the way you pout.

“Calm down, baby girl. Wanna taste you.”

“Wait!” you warn. Touya freezes, eyes flicking up to yours, taking you in curiously. “Let’s go to the bedroom,” you stutter out, nervous at the look in his eyes. You can’t help but to feel embarrassed, laying on the floor of your apartment sputtering with your childhood best friend turned villain nestled against the apex of your thighs. Anything that can restore an ember of normalcy to the situation would make you feel better at this point.

Touya rests his head against your thigh, warmth returned to his eyes. He smiles at you a little too widely, too sharply. He resembles a predator, something stalking alone at night. Something you shouldn’t have let inside. He’s going to eat you alive. And maybe you’re okay with it.

“Alright, little girl. Lead the way.”

An awkward, hot tension surrounds you as you scrabble off the floor, grabbing his hand as you pull him towards the bedroom. Your thumb brushes over the staples, heart twisting at the feeling.

But the melancholic sting is forgotten once he’s leaving sharp little bites on your thighs, your clothes and his jacket tossed to a forgotten corner of your bedroom. His breath is hot against your exposed skin, goosebumps following his path to your hot cunt.

You’re nervous, still unsure of your current predicament. But Touya pinches your thigh, bringing your attention back to him as he watches as your thighs tense around him. His eyes meet yours, confident and sure of his place between your legs, and all of your uncertainty vanishes, consumed by the want and desire that fills you.

His eyes meet yours, clear and sharp, and he brings his hands to your pussy, thumbs pulling your folds open. His gaze drops, focused on your cunt, watching the way you clench around nothing. You squirm, embarrassed at the intensity of his stare.

“So wet already,” he mumbles, before his tongue swipes along your slit. You let out a small gasp, slamming your hand to your mouth in a lame attempt to gag yourself. Touya narrows his eyes, as he laps away, tongue flicking up to tease your clit, circling it but never touching the sensitive bud. You whine into your hand, trying to keep your hips still as he takes his time.

“Drop that hand.” The rumble of his voice travels through you, making you shiver. “Drop it, and I’ll touch this cute little clit.” Looking at him nervously, your hand falls tentatively, hovering above his hair, unsure if it’s okay to ground yourself there. Touya rolls his eyes, before pushing your hand down.

His tongue swipes at your clit making your hips jolt. He lets out a snort before repeating the action. Your grip in his hair is light, not wanting to hurt him; but your self-control goes out the door the second his lips make a seal around your clit.

He sucks at the throbbing bud, eyes lighting up at the way you buck against him, moaning loudly. Your fingers tangle into his hair, keeping him snug against your cunt. He slips a finger into your sopping hole, practically melting at how warm and wet it is. He needs to be inside you. Soon.

“Touya,” you moan, rocking in an attempt to increase the friction. He curls his finger inside of you, mouth still focused on your engorged bud. Your grip in his hair tightens, the pleasure that’s been simmering building rapidly.

“Gonna cum!” you squeal in warning. He doesn’t slow down, eyes trained on your face as your jaw drops, a choked noise clawing out of your throat. You tense around him, muscles quivering at the intensity of your orgasm. You whine and buck against him, and he lets you ride at your orgasm.

When his ministrations borderline into pain, you weakly push his head away, trying to catch your breath. He lets you pull away, eyes glimmering cruelly.

“That was fast.”

You whine in response, moving your hands to cover your face. Touya hisses, surging forward to yank your hands above your head. You wince as he squeezes, eyes narrowing on your face.

“Don’t hide what’s mine.” His lips pull back into a lazy grin as his eyes trail over your body, landing on your glistening cunt. “Gonna fuck you so good,” he mutters, mostly to himself. You blink stupidly at him when he lets you go, processing the fact that he’s kicked off his pants and taking his cock out.

Your eyes widen when you see the shiny piercings that gleam on his cock. It excites you, making your cunt clench around nothing. And yet your stomach drops when you finally realize that he’s bigger than you thought he would be. You bite your lip, trying to tame the swarm of nerves that take over the excitement.

“Touya, I think I need-” he cuts you off with a sloppy kiss. Your hips cant when you feel the head of his cock sliding along the lips of your pussy, his piercings tapping at your clit nicely. You’re not sure if you’re ready for him, and it simultaneously excites and terrifies you. But he leans on you, keeping you still with his body weight.

“It’s okay. It’s okay. Open up for me,” he murmurs. And then next thing you know his lips are on yours, but you can’t help but to let out a cry against him when he thrusts his cock into you, bottoming out. He’s red hot inside of you, and tears prickle the corners of your eyes, leaking out as your nails dig into his back.

“So warm,” he murmurs, before pulling his hips back and thrusting into you. You cry out at the harsh stretch, tears falling down your cheeks as his piercings pull at your walls. He seems to like that though, and he brings a hand up to your cheek, thumb stroking the salty liquid. “You’re pretty when you cry.” He punctuates the sentence with a particularly harsh thrust, sending more tears down your face. “Attagirl,” he coos, looking absolutely enamored with your blubbering face.

“Touya, please,” you whine, not exactly sure what you’re asking for. But Touya seems to know, a sharp grin spreading wide on his face.

“Awww, does my baby girl wanna feel good too?” You nod, face twisted as you babble away.

“I’m sorry, baby. I’ll take good care of you.” He kisses you again messily, before slipping a hand in between your bodies to play with your exhausted clit. He massages the swollen bud, sighing as you start to gush around him. “Is that better?” You nod and whine, hands twisting in his hair to hold him against you.

Touya can’t help but chuckle, and he presses another kiss into your neck before sucking on the skin there. His thrusts are gentler now, appreciating the snug warmth that surrounds his cock. If he could stay buried in the heat of your cunt forever, he would.

He’s drawn from his thoughts when you tug at his shirt, wanting it gone. He stills against you, tensing. You look up at him with a pout, eyes begging him to take it off.

“Please,” you whine. “I wanna feel you.” His mouth opens, and you can already hear the annoying quip that lies on the tip of his tongue, so you push forward, hands tangled into his shirt. “I wanna feel all of you.” He pauses, head tilting to the side as you watch the gears turn behind his eyes.

“Please.” Your voice is soft, as you try to avoid squirming around his dick. Something seems to click in his mind because he draws back, pulling his shirt off. Your eyes wander across the expanse of stapled skin, the puckered burns, making your heart squeeze. But there’s nothing you can say, nothing you can change. So you reach out to him, beckoning him into your arms.

He falls forward, barely supporting himself, letting his body cover yours. You wrap your arms and legs around him holding him close as he begins to lightly thrust again.

“You feel so good,” you cry out panting against his face. Touya angles his head to face you, eyes boring into yours as his breaths mix with yours. It’s too hot, too much, but you can’t move away, overwhelmed by the sensations and entranced by his eyes.

Touya’s hips increase in pace, rutting violently against yours, the sharp sting of his skin against yours making you whine. Each thrust into you, steals your breath away, your hands digging into his back.

“Ever since I found you again, I needed to have you, needed you back. I wasn’t going to let myself lose you again,” he growls. You whimper as you gush around him, finding that you want him to stay buried in your pussy forever.

“Stick out your tongue,” he barks out. His eyes flash, and you do as he says, all while letting out little gasps as he thrusts into you. He hovers above you, a cruel grin spread out on his face. You watch as he spits onto your tongue, a shudder going down your spine. He reaches out to grip your open jaw harshly.

“Swallow.” When he lets go you do exactly that, cunt squeezing tightly. “Oh you like that?” he laughs as you nod. He hums before kissing you sloppily.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck. You’re gonna do what I say from now on. I’ll make you feel so fucking good.”

You should be alarmed by the promise of obedience, but you feel too good to care right now.

“Mine, mine, mine.”

It crosses your mind to tell him that you don’t belong to him, but all you can do is nod and hold him closer.

“Wanted to be inside this pussy the moment I saw you. You’re never gonna want another cock than mine.” At this point, all you can do is whine and nod, burying your face in the crook of his neck.

“Nothing’s gonna hurt you again, baby girl. I’ll make sure of it. I’ll take care of you.” Your nails scratch down his back, making him hiss, as your hips rut against him.

“Touya,” you cry out, tears leaking from your eyes so sweetly. “Gonna cum again.” He nods, lips brushing against yours.

“Wanna feel you cream around me, baby girl.” You nod blankly, drunk on the feeling of his cock pounding into you, piercings pulling so nicely at your gummy walls.

Propping himself up with one arm, he slips his hand in between your bodies, fingers playing with your clit again. It’s enough to send you over the edge, and you cry out, writing against him as your pussy gushes around his cock, squeezing him tightly.

He chokes against you, and your pulsating cunt launches him into his own orgasm. Touya’s hips jerk against you as his cum paints the inside of your cunt. He collapses against you as you twitch in a post-orgasmic haze. He nips at your neck, alternating the sharp stings with sweet kisses.

“You did so good, baby. So good to me. I’ll take care of you. I promise,” he murmurs against your skin, making you shiver. You’re still panting, sweeping your hands over his back, before they land in his hair, gently scratching at his scalp. He shuts his eyes, enjoying the sensations and the warmth, letting himself get lost in you, if only for a little bit.

But when he pushes himself off of you, pulling his hips away, you whine. Your legs lock around him, keeping him lodged inside you. He barks out a laugh before flopping down on his side, pulling you against him.

“I’ll stay right here. Don’t worry.”

“Touya…” you murmur, gently. He sends you a questioning gaze, waiting. You lean forward, pressing your lips against his, trying to convey the complexity of what you’re feeling. He responds aggressively, as if you might disappear. But it makes you melt. Maybe he was right about that.

 When you draw back, his thumb strokes at leftover tears on your cheek.

“It’s okay, You’re mine now.” It’s not exactly what you wanted to hear, but it’s all you get from him because he pulls you tight against him, eyes shutting in exhaustion.

You curl up against him, feeling his breathing even out. His cock feels heavy inside of you, and something cold sits in your stomach.

You shouldn’t have done that. He’s not okay. You really shouldn’t have done that. But you would deal with that in the morning.

For now, Touya is yours, and you’ll enjoy the warmth of his skin and the way the stars fall when you shut your eyes.✨

[adamdriverobsession]

Feisty (y/n)/Jacques Le Gris (1/?)

The illustrious cousin of Lord Pierre unexpectedly drops by. The blonde man has thinky thoughts. Maybe about marrying you to a certain handsome, dark haired, big-mc-strong-armed knight. Will tag as this goes(??) Basically using the cutout of Adam Driver in armor. That party was ✨spicy✨. Here’s some trash.

The heady scent of the fire and sweet tang of wine permeated the air, the normally collected nobles in attendance squirming as Jacques’ tongue moved effortlessly through the complex Latin. 

His sensual tone of his voice conveying the meaning of the words more than the speaking itself. He was incredibly charming, the quicksilver flash of his boyish grin as he translated for his enraptured audience sending a fair number of hearts aflutter. Intoxicating. And in some ways…terrifying in his adept social manipulations. Truly a natural.

Pierre leaned back in the plush cushion of his chair, tipping back the remainder of his wine and motioning to the wine maid for more as he observed his friend’s movement. The knowledge that several unmarried…and married for that matter…women of the court were vying for a marriage proposal from his meteorically ascending friend weighed heavily on his mind. Though Jacques was fairly capable in the realm of court, it was not within his nature to allow him a poor match. Intelligence. Beauty. Wealth. A fiery spirit. None of the current prospects held all the necessary components.

He sighed loftily into his cup, the heat of his breath washing up across his face as he drank deeply.

“Milord, is my performance unsatisfying this night?” Jacques paused in his reading, propping a booted foot on his chair and leaning his arms onto his knee as the book of erotic poetry dangled from his fingers.

“In life or in bed, or don’t think you’ve ever given an unsatisfying performance my friend.”

Jacques’ lips pursed, a witty retort butter soft on his tongue when they were interrupted by a staccato ratta-tat-tat at the door of the sitting room. Pierre nodded, motioning for a stationed servant to answer the knock. The heavy oaken door swung open on silent hinges, revealing the concerned and disheveled visage of one of his wife’s handmaidens.

“I apologize for the interruption Milord, but a visitor has arrived that requires your immediate attention. She—“

“She was perfectly capable of finding the entertainment room on her own.” A strong, feminine voice echoed from the dim-lit corridor behind the handmaiden. Well-manicured hands appeared on the maid’s shoulders as the visitor gently shifted her out of the way and stepped into the room. 

A blood orange hooded rain cloak covered her from head to foot, rainwater dripping at the hem to pool at the floor. She tugged the obscuring hood from her face, baring hair braided into twin tails ending in two neat buns at the nape of her neck and a beaming smile.

“Apologies for the unannounced intrusion, Pierre!”

“(Y/N)!” Pierre grinned, rising quickly from his seat and gathering the woman into a tight hug. He lifted her off her feet and swung in a circle, eliciting an excited squeal as her arms clung tightly to his neck.

Setting her back down on her feet, Pierre brushed a clinging droplet of water from her brow.

“You are incapable of intruding in my home. Everyone! My cousin, Lady Allard has graced us with her presence!”

“I’m afraid it’s less grace and more of an abrupt landing.” A murmur of excitement followed her announcement, the dogs of court jostling at the chance for juicy gossip.

Pierre snorted, tugging her cloak from her shoulders and tossing the article to his serf. Clad in the latest Parisian fashion, damp orange and teal embroidered silk and linen clung to her figure and a plunging neckline emphasized full breasts.

Jacques’ breath caught in his throat as he took her in, eyes darting from the swell of her hip to the rose colored curve of her lips. It wasn’t often he was stunned speechless by a woman’s beauty.

“Come! Sit! Be merry with us.” Pierre said, urging her across the room with his hand planted at the base of her spine. 

“As much as you wish me to stay and socialize dear cousin, the prospect is especially repulsive as I am soggy, travel weary, and have a pile of serfs that need tending to. I will not apologize for my abrupt arrival and departure. I merely wanted to tell you I was here myself before I commandeered a suite of rooms in the familial wing.” A puckish smile curved her lips as she patted his arm.

Neither Jacques, nor anyone in the court had ever seen someone speak to Pierre that way. It was scandalous, but Pierre took it in stride, seemingly charmed by her. 

Flashing a grin so utterly similar to the Lady’s, they could have been mistaken for siblings rather than cousins, he said “I must insist on at least one drink! An introduction! My dear friend Jacques was just regaling us with some titillating poetry!”

Lady Allard glanced over as Jacques rose with a flourish, bending momentarily in a bow as the poetry book dangled casually from one large hand. 

“A pleasure to meet you Lady Allard.” 

She quickly took him in, gaze pausing at his gaping neckline and disheveled hair. She smiled tightly, the perfect image of polite disdain as she took him in and just as quickly dismissed him. 

“You speak as if it is not the middle of the night, and your friends won’t be wine-sick and coitus addled at the breakfast table tomorrow morning. I shall make my acquaintances then, Pierre. To be quite frank with you, beloved cousin, I’ve no desire to see your...anything! Goodnight all!” She winked, turned with a flourish, ducking under Pierre’s grasping arm and exiting the room.

The door closed, the quiet click of the latch following the departure as the room collectively waited with bated breath for Pierre’s response. He chuckled, his hand brushing over his mouth to hide the moue of bemusement as he returned to his seat.

He motioned for Jacques to proceed, relaxing back into his chair as one of the courtesans hired for the night approached and began running her fingers soothingly through his hair. 

Jacques recovers quickly, sparking the flame of jovial conversation. “Well, I cannot say that the lady is incorrect!” He laughed, shooting a lascivious glance across the women present as they tittered girlishly. 

The atmosphere relaxes, the boisterous chatter of drunken nobles permeating the air. He begins to read from the poetry book again, more animated than when he’d begun. The increasingly filthy words pouring from his mouth held the courtiers enraptured once more. 

Popping a grape into his mouth and chewing thoughtfully, Pierre hid his calculating thoughts behind a facade of gentility. Intelligence. Beauty. Wealth. A fiery spirit. A cousin in need of marriage. He’d not missed the heated look that crossed Jacques face before being hidden under the mask of charming sensuality he usually wore. Nor did he miss the flash of attraction from his cousin before it disappeared behind the thin veil of posh disgust. 

Might be an excellent match. Might be an absolute disaster. Definitely worth pursuing. 

[inber]

A/N: Wrote something inspired by this, but not exactly the same. Hope you enjoy regardless, Anon! Thanks for the prompt! CW: Sex toys, polyamory.

“Beautiful, isn't it?”

Geralt fumbles with the fleshlight in his hand, startled. It slips from his grip, grazes his grabbing fingers, and falls. He jerks a foot up in an automatic response, effectively punting the toy towards the enquiring voice. Fuck.

The other man catches it. Long fingers wrap around the cylinder, and Geralt is privy to a warm chuckle that should absolve him of embarrassment – until he lays eyes upon the provider of said chuckle. A name-tag informs him that the tall, broad-shouldered shop assistant goes by the name of 'Jaskier' and not Adonis, which Geralt thinks may have been an oversight.

His face flames hot. His bisexuality flames hotter. He wonders if he'll regain dominion over his frozen muscles again.

“Forgive me, I startled you.” Jaskier says, teeth gleaming. “You must have been deep in thought.”

“I-- hmm.” Geralt hears Yen's voice in the back of his mind. Take a deep breath; feel the words waiting to be said. Let them come. He relaxes minutely. “I've never seen one. A toy like that.”

“You've a good eye, then. Hands down the second-best thing in this store to stick your cock in.” Jaskier trills.

“What's the first?” Geralt asks, helplessly trapped by a haunting pair of blue eyes.

“Tsk, tsk. That would be telling.” Jaskier winks, sly.

Geralt's mouth goes dry. The blood in his cheeks drains south so quickly that he's left dizzy. He's going to faint in a fucking sex shop. He's going to swoon right then and there like a little boy in biology class faced with a frog and a scalpel, and then he's going to have to call Yen to come and get him, and--

“...on sale, at the moment.” Geralt tunes in to Jaskier's melodic voice. It's an anchor, something to stop the rising panic.

“Great.” Geralt blurts, “I'll take it.”

Jaskier's grin is unfairly beautiful. “Excellent choice. Let me grab you a boxed one from storage. Two ticks!”

Fuck him, if the view from the rear isn't every bit as lovely as the front. Geralt visually follows Jaskier's pert backside all the way to the store-room door, where it disappears from view. He has precious time to breathe, to touch the paper in his pocket and remember why he's in the shop in the first place. This is why he should have ordered online, he thinks. He's not good with people.

Jaskier re-appears, setting the box on the counter. Geralt manages to move his feet forward in an approximation of a casual walk. The list crinkles in his grasp.

“I need--”

“Is there something else--”

They both titter like broody hens. The weight in Geralt's chest eases another fraction. He smiles – swears he hears Jaskier's breath catch for some reason – and offers the paper.

“My girlfriend sent me. Wanted to see if you had this.” Geralt says.

“Ah.” Jaskier nods, but his eagerness has worn at the edges slightly. “A quest for a girlfriend! Most noble. Yes, we do have--”

“It's for her girlfriend.” Geralt interjects, “We're open. In an ethical non-monogamous relationship.”

Jaskier's dark lashes flit as he blinks. Geralt wonders why the fuck he offered that information unprompted. Distantly, he hopes a pea-sized meteor will zing through the atmosphere, penetrate the roof of the shop, and kill him where he stands.

But Jaskier's winning grin returns. “On a quest for your girlfriend's girlfriend! Also noble.”

Geralt looks at his boots. “I was running errands anyway.” He's certainly not a dashing knight. In stories, most knights don't drop-kick fleshlights at handsome, hapless citizens.

“I am certain they're both appreciative of you going out of your way.” Jaskier says, firmly enough that Geralt chances a glance back up. It's worth it to see the sweetly quizzical tilt of the other man's head, his chestnut fringe flopping to obscure one eye. Geralt's fingers itch with the urge to reach out and brush it back over an ear.

He's been quiet for too long, but Jaskier carries the conversation on regardless. Geralt is grateful. “Now, I could easily sell you a brand replacement, if you would like. But in my vast experience, this bullet vibrator is more affordable, more powerful, and won't crap out if you get it slightly wet. Entirely up to you, though, my good man.”

“Geralt.” Geralt supplies.

“My good Geralt.” Jaskier amends, a thick eyebrow quirking.

Don't stare, Geralt berates himself. Don't vanish back into your head. “Whatever you would recommend. I'm afraid I don't have your expertise.”

“Oh, darling,” Jaskier says, pulling a packet out from under the counter, “Few do, don't you worry.”

Geralt looks at the items, and frowns at a tube of lubricant placed atop the pile. “What's that?”

“On the house.” Jaskier says, “Consider it a little gift.” With a flourish, he produces a discrete brown paper bag, and neatly tucks the toys and lube inside. “Now, then. Was there anything else I could do for you on this fine day, Geralt?”

Come get coffee with me. Come for me. Come on my-- “No.” Geralt bleats, horrified by his own salacious thoughts. “No, that's everything. Thank you for your help, Jaskier.”

Jaskier flusters slightly, and then looks down at his name-tag. He laughs, belly-deep, and the sound warms Geralt to his marrow. “Oh, Christ, sometimes I forget I wear this. Thought you could read minds, for a moment.” A theatrical hand wipes imaginary sweat from his brow. “I would've been in trouble.”

Geralt wields his credit card like a shield, guiltily lowering his eyes. Should he have said Jaskier's name? Fuck, he must get so many creeps, working in a place like this. Along comes Geralt, with his verbal ineptitude and his penchant for being too large in a small space when all he wants to do is shrink, become quieter and lesser, to stop staggering towards siren songs. He's a lot. He knows he is.

The sale goes through, and Jaskier tucks the receipt in the bag. Geralt takes it when it is offered, careful not to brush Jaskier's fingers with his own. He stands awkwardly. Are goodbyes worse than hellos?

“It was lovely to meet you.” Jaskier saves him, again. “I hope I'll see you again?”

“Yes.” Geralt says, unsure to which part he is agreeing. “Thank you.”

The sun outside is too bright. The events that transpired feel distant and dream-like in the glare of it. Geralt jams his prescription sunglasses onto his face, and stalks down the street towards his car.

--------------

“What's this?”

Geralt doesn't look up from his nest on the sofa at home, frowning at the puzzle on the screen of his Switch. “The man at the shop said that it was better than the name-brand thingy you wanted.”

“No, I mean this.” Yen's voice is commanding enough that Geralt tears his gaze from the screen. His little character falls off the edge of the platform to a certain death. She's holding the tube of lubricant.

“Oh. He gave it to me as a gift.” Geralt hits the 'continue' button.

“Creative, I'll say that. Writing a phone number on a lube tube.” Yen mumbles, and Geralt drops the controllers.

“A-- what?”

She smirks at him, turning the 'gift' to show him the back. There’s a cell number written in sharpie, the numbers crisp and elegant. Geralt flushes.

“Must've-- just in case I have questions about the toy I bought, maybe.” He says.

Yen laughs. She laughs so hard she nearly drops the entire damn bag. Geralt glowers at her, missing the punch-line, as ever. Eventually, she sniffs, wiping her eyes.

“Fuck me, Geralt. I thought we'd gotten better at this.”

“Better at what?” He asks, desperate.

“He was flirting with you, sweetheart. Probably overtly, knowing you. Damn it, I should have gone with you. Was he cute? What else did he say?”

Geralt opens his mouth. Closes it. Opens it again. “Um. I don't remember much. I was... staring.”

“Very cute, then.” Yen pulls out her phone. “I'm gonna text him.”

Geralt leaps over the back of the couch so quickly that he nearly breaks the furniture, and himself, in his haste. “No!” He yells, grabby-hands missing her by an inch. “Yen, c'mon!”

Yen is scampering down the hallway on fleet feet, cackling, holding both the lube and the phone like weapons. “Promise you will, and I won't!”

“Yen!” Geralt whines, giving chase. She climbs the stairs two at a time, and peers at him triumphantly over the banister. He mashes his face between the wooden rungs and pouts at her.

“Oh, you bastard, I can't tease you when you make that face.” Yen sighs, sinking to her knees to kiss his forehead. Geralt knows this. He keeps his eyes as wide and wet as possible, tremoring his lower lip for effect. “Fine! Fine. But you should text him. I know you, Geralt. I know when you like someone. And I know when you're in your own damn way about it.”

He snorts through his nose. Reaches up to take the offered tube. Yen releases it, but only after giving him a meaningful stare.

Turnabout and fair play.

“Okay.” Geralt concedes, deflating like the soufflé he botched for their last anniversary dinner. “Okay, I'll text him.”

“Good.” Yen says, and then stands. “Come help me get ready for my date with Tissaia?”

Geralt nods, happily comfortable with the familiar duty of helpful boyfriend, and ascends the stairs.

----------------

A/N: Part two coming soon to a ridiculous tumblr near you!

[lorata]

Can you share some of your District 2 playlist? 👀

EDIT: UGH Tumblr won’t let me nest bullet points so I have done my best

so this is very ridiculous, some of them are like ... serious songs, some of them are character songs, some are .... AU-specific? and most of the time I completely ignore the original context of the song bc it’s about .... the vibe

I am not a playlist-maker, there are people who legit make playlists, I am not one of them, if you put these all together and tried to listen to them as a coherent Experience then heaven help you

WITH THAT IN MIND 

Forgive the Children We Once Were - Delta Rune

honestly I can’t even pull quotes from this because THE WHOLE SONG is just so good please go listen to it HOWEVER

I can't remember why I did the things I did / I was just a kid / All the lines we knew back then, they now are faded / All the laws we once obeyed, they have betrayed us / People that I used to hate, I hardly remember / Forgive the children we once were

this is the song I use to summarize We Must Be Killers and honestly it’s SO GOOD, the mood and everything, ugh I cry

We Must Be Killers - Mikky Ekko

I mean, obviously

We all know how to fake it baby / We all know what we've done / We must be killers children of the wild ones 

Confident - Demi Lovato

I call this one the D2 girls in the Arena song

is the original about sex? obviously, but it’s about murder and making the best show for the camera now

the original is a proud anthem but in THG context there’s an ironic wait for the shoe to drop undertone to it

What's wrong with being confident? -- well, you’ll see

Golden Boy - Natalie Merchant

also a good Finnick Odair song, but this ain’t about him

this is the kind of song I imagine coming out after a D2 victory and then the singer Disappears

Cut your teeth, cut your mouth, cut it out / Meteor rise from obscurity / All it took was a killing spree / And the whole world was lying at your feet

My Love - Jill and Kate 

ignore the title, this is the perfect mentor song and I stand by it

this is where the line ‘you can love me later if you hate me now’ comes from! and these poor artists must be so confused because if you google that lyric my fic comes up before their song

So you can fall right to pieces on the floor tonight / You can break down if you need to cry / But I won't ever change my mind

Champion - Barns Courtney

Barns Courtney in general has several D2 / Victor songs but I like this one, and live versions are always good for goosebumps

I love the mood of it, that final stretch of the Arena feeling

I can take a beating, I'll rise again / Burning through the jungle until the end / I can live forever, I'll rise again

Perfect - Pink

angry/defensive/protective mentor song late at night when the kid is sleeping after a rough fight

Made a wrong turn, once or twice / Dug my way out, blood and fire / Bad decisions, that's alright / Welcome to my silly life

On Top of the World - Imagine Dragons

the happy mentor & victor song!

And I know it's hard when you're falling down / And it's a long way up when you hit the ground / Get up now, get up, get up now

Live Young, Die Fast - Alkaline Trio

oof. OOF. this one is not for the victors, it’s for everyone else, and it’s raw and desperate and fatalistic and just a little bit defiant 

Live young, die fast, no one will last / So sit back and relax, enjoy the crash / You're fading to black and it's gone

BONUS CHARACTER/AU/IN-JOKE SONGS:

400 Lux - Lorde (Victor Selene & Claudius song)

Woman - Kesha (Victor Selene “screw you” song)

Whataya Want From Me - Adam Levine (Victor Claudius early recovery song)

Been Caught Stealing - Jane’s Addiction (young Misha anthem)

Solo Dance - Martin Jensen (D2 female victor clubbing anthem)

Make me Like You - Gwen Stefani (Canon Divergence Petra angrily crushing on Selene song)

Somethin’ Bad - Carrie Underwood & Miranda Richardson (there is no AU where Selene and Misha are criminals who steal cars and rob people but THERE SHOULD BE and this song/music video is exactly the reason why, it gives me no end of glee)

Rise Above - Veigar Margeirsson (this is instrumental and does not have words but it is very emotional and “rise above” is Creed’s unofficial catchphrase so this accidentally became Creed’s theme song)

Welcome to the Black Parade - MCR (the in-joke is that it slaps so hard every fandom has claimed it, and So Have I)

I HAVE MORE BUT I’LL STOP THERE