#Ranker's Return

[giantparfait]

[howlingday]

For Jaune getting a weapon, maybe this sword. In the series it looks like a broken sword but when you pour mana (maybe aura in this case) then the blade can form and change shape at will. It also doesn't need as much skill to keep the blade up, just concentration on pouring mana (aura) into it.

Jaune: Woah... So cool...

Ruby: (Cradles Crocea Mors) There, there, baby...

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Please, please, PLEASE label these because I cannot find these image! I might have to start doing a rule where unreferenced inages will be deleted soon if this continues to keep happening.

[recaused-dream]

So I recently started reading "The frozen player returns " and while waiting for updates, I took up "The second life ranker" novel on. And boy let me tell you something.

The frozen player returns has found the perfect balance of borrowing tropes from other great webnovels and incorporating it into it's very own original flow. It is interesting for it's own merit and makes following the story easy and palatable. The characters are really likable, too. I always wait for updates with a bated breath. It doesn't tackle too much at once. The author found a good pace for the story without drawing too much out.

Sadly I can't say The second life ranker is up to par. It had a good beginning and "original plot idea" but between all the new (cliché) tropes it introduced and the sudden random as fuck power ups, switch ups and the overflowing characters, it tried to do too much at once and killed half of it's own hype. I think even a little bit of repetition to remind us of who where and what could have made it a little easier to swallow. I would have vibed with the story and I actually stuck around for 530 chapters but realised I'm only reading it for the sake of not dropping it. Because I initially liked the characters and hung around to see how they will develope but even then, I wasn’t invested enough to stick around till the very end. And the story is complete so I didn’t even have to wait for updates (which is the main culprit of me dripping stories.)

Anyway, my point is that The frozen Player is the perfect example of borrowing tropes while standing on it's own and the second life ranker wanted to be too much at once and failed to be something at all.

It's hilarious to me that I read them both at the same time and was able to notice this stark contrast.

This is just my opinion tho.

[nxbuas]

[eldritch-spouse]

Sometimes greedy gambits do work out.

Your typical greedy fiend may wax about their insatiable desire for the material, how satisfaction is the death of their nature and never shall they cease stretching their fingers towards the next shining trophy-

But they know limits.

They have that little bit of normalcy that tells them when it's time to drop something, even if it leaves a taste like curdled milk in their mouths.

Not Xiko.

Xiko grabbed onto something and he did not let go.

Not even when death came knocking at his door.

This celebrity of the Greed Ring was known for being the biggest, most successful human/monster trafficker of Hell itself. Xiko, a mere mid-ranker, yet clever and crafty enough to dethrone nearly everyone in his field of vile work.

Wanted humans and monsters worth owning? In mint condition? With some really rare traits? Leave it to him and his boys, you won't be disappointed.

With great skill and talent comes great danger, but Xiko didn't cower when he started to gain many an enemy, when he could no longer count them, when he spent most of his time hunting them down rather than hunting the poor souls he's supposed to sell. With each visit, he'd return home with a few trophies to remember his victory.

Things were going well.

His empire of fifth kept growing, enough so that it garnered the attention of the very Lord Rinx, a client Xiko both reveres and dreads, due to his extravagant tastes. Why, he ever earned himself a juicy deal with this strange, extremely popular establishment on the surface that constantly bulk-orders humans. The Clergy's Eye or something of the sort, he knows the Icons had been there before.

How impressive is that? Enough for prideful folk to eye him wantonly.

Xiko had the opportunity to grow in rank, to sit at Rinx's table and negotiate starting a little jewelry store in the heart of Greed to keep up appearances and branch out. What luxuries.

Unfortunately, all highs lead to lows.

His health starts deteriorating inexplicably. Xiko begins being unable to move properly without chronic bursts of pain debilitating him from doing much of anything other than lie and wait for the wave of torment to pass. He has no idea where it's coming from. The pain is so great he gets blinded and passes out in some episodes.

The best doctors he can find tell Xiko he developed something terminal. Not quite a cancer, similar, something only demonoids can exhibit.

But what did the name of it matter? His own monumental riches wouldn't save him from certain doom.

One might think Xiko would do some soul searching with the time he had left, as laughable as that sounds for a being as rotten as him.

Not even close.

You don't get this far without being stubborn.

Things can't end as they are. Xiko can't die, he has so much to do and so much to oversee, it's simply not an option. He can't.

In the midst of despair and hopeless solution-seeking, Xiko finds a possible answer to his impossible conundrum inscripted in his most favored trophy, a timeless chalice.

Between its jewels and lovely finishes, the instructions for a ritual sat written in one of the oldest tongues in Hell. Having a historian for a friend sure comes in handy, doesn't it?

Said acquaintance is there to witness it when Xiko grows mad enough to try it, at the hands of demons who perpetuate these ancient practices.

A mummification-like ritual.

Except, to avoid death, Xiko must remove the two organs which the soul is most connected to, the brain and heart.

He knew what he was getting into when he laid on that altar.

He knew that he would suffer physical trauma beyond anything he could ever have experienced in life. He knew he would come out of it looking like a completely different being. That he would no longer be a demon.

And he was ready.

He was ready when they started chanting.

He was ready when his jaw was stretched to absurd proportions.

He was ready when his chest was torn open.

When he danced in that barrier between life and death, looking down at himself while his figure withered and contorted.

Those memories are... Scratchy, to say the least.

Xiko recalls screaming at the top of his exposed lungs and feeling his skin rip from several sides all at once, as if rejecting him. He remembers when his skull was crushed and how he could hear it for a moment. He knows he twisted and shriveled like a bug on that marble.

And that he woke up.

Wrapped like a present.

Dead yet amongst the living.

To continue his work. To remain forever at the top.

So what if he was emaciated now? If he'd never get rid of the massive scar where his figure was torn open, if his eyes now reside inside his bizarre gaping maw and his arms are elongated? Xiko had made it.

And while death was unavoidable, it was not the end.

In fact, it was the beginning of something a lot more amusing for Xiko.

He found his new appearance frightened his competition. Rumors of him being an undead diety spread. No longer featuring a core name or even something as simple as a sigil, Xiko was freed of even more weaknesses.

He made no effort to hide what he had become the next time he was present at Greed's Conqueror's Spoils festival. His mangled, infernal undead form on the spotlight.

Some of them were smart enough to understand what he had turned into, knew to stop pursuing him. For when you take something from a mummy, it cannot rest until it retrieves its possession.

Others came to find that out eventually.

Perhaps the person Xiko feels most sorry for is, not one of his enemies, but you.

You poor thing, still trying to escape him, still trying to lockpick your cages and manipulate his men, trying to make it out at all costs.

You never think twice when you set foot outside his territory.

Unaware that he'll always instinctively know where to find his "stolen" possession.

[teriri-sayes]

Reactions to The Unknown's Chapter 351

Brief summary: Game community users stuff. Cale heads to Earth 3 to find a game dev.

==========

I'm still unsure if we're still in the Aipotu arc or the New World arc now because we're suddenly going to Earth 3 in the next chapter. 😂

First part of the chapter discussed the various user communities centered on RPOG, like NC (New World Community), NF (New World Forum), and RU World (RPOG Users World), and their talk about the game update.

We got info about the 3 rankers who were known to have received the Emperor Quest: "War God" from China, "Water Witch" from Sweden, and the "Black Lion" from Arcea (Jungle Union). There was speculation that the countries of these 3 rankers were backing them.

Users also discussed that there might be more players hiding the fact that they got the quest, and were convinced that these players were those in the top 100.

But one user named "Chief of Staff of the Universe" warned about the repercussions of this quest in relation to the NPC kingdoms and nations already present. Players were considered foreigners by NPCs, so how would these NPCs react if these foreigners suddenly built their own kingdoms? After all, even the top 10 rankers were barely in the top 100 strongest list in the entire New World (NPCs + players).

Moving on, we had one last banter between Cale and Alberu. 😂😂😂

Cale: *talks about Alberu being a hero* Alberu: *feeling uncomfortable about becoming the hero* Cale: What, you don't want to do it? Alberu: You're such an annoying dongsaeng. Cale: Don't put too much meaning in names. Think of it as a means to an end. Alberu: *frowns* Cale: I'm sure His Highness must be thinking "This position doesn't fit me. I'm not cut out for it." Alberu: Irreverent bastard. Cale: I'm irreverent? But I'm an incredibly high-level villain in the game while you're a low-level newbie? *smiles* Alberu: … Alberu: *smiles brightly* Cale: !!! Cale: (No, that was a joke! Was he taking this seriously? Did he seriously become a game addict?) Cale: *hurriedly adds* And that villain mastermind works for His Highness. Haha! Alberu: Haha! Really! My dongsaeng's got a way with words. Cale: Right? Hahaha- 😅

20 hours before the game server opens, but Rosalyn reported to Cale that they encountered a problem with the portal. She and Sheritt had figured out a power source and a way to keep the portal open. But they did not know how to connect to the game. So she asked Cale for an expert in the game's systems, and said she needed it before the game update finished in 20 hours.

Cale decided to find a game company employee, or a former employee, who were at odds with Transparent Co, Ltd., to help them with the portal. And in order to find that person, they needed to head to Earth 3.

Thus, a quartet was born - Cale, Raon, Rosalyn, and Alberu. Rosalyn joined in because they planned for her to register as a regular user to assist Alberu in his Hero Quest. GoD opened a portal to Earth 3 for them.

Ending Remarks Well, they said they would "briefly" head to Earth 3 to find that expert/game dev before returning to the Black Castle which was still in Aipotu. But I feel like we're in the New World arc now... Next chapter would be the quartet in Earth 3. I guess they'd be surprising Ahn Roh Man with their sudden appearance. 😂 I'm also looking forward to the meeting between the two "Alberus".

[feroluce]

SO LIKE. As much as I roll with the Emanator of Elation Sampo theory, I do have. Some doubts about this specific instance of it. Not that I think Boothill is lying, or that I think Sampo isn't an Emanator, but I wonder if the person Boothill actually met was Sampo.

Just! Sampo is so careful. The only reason we even knew he wasn't of Belobog was due to a dialogue-dependent fourth wall-breaking dream sequence that no other character could have seen. It took a missable dream bubble in an out-of-the-way spot that was seemingly left only for the trailblazer at the very end of a side mission just to confirm him as a Masked Fool. Like it's not just the fact that Boothill mentions this person being an Emanator. It's that he knows they're also a Masked Fool, which is also something Sampo is incredibly dodgy about. Sparkle even seems to call him out on this in her party join line fjkdjaskldj

((But also, Boothill, baby. WHY were you trying to get them drunk????))

And regardless of if you believe him when he calls himself an old timer, he obviously has a lot of experience in doing what he does. He knows what he's doing, he's good at it, and he is viciously capable and competent, unfortunately for his victims smhznskdn

So it just. Feels very unlike him, for him to let his guard down enough to not only let himself get drunk in front of Boothill-

a total stranger btw whom Sampo has absolutely no reason to trust, and a dangerous Galaxy Ranger to boot who has plenty of blood on his hands and a significant bounty on his head

-but to get SO drunk that he lets loose the secret that he's an Emanator.

When Boothill brings this up, he mentions that if Emanators were obvious and known at a glance, it would lead to atrocities. And for as much as Sampo is disliked by his victims (there's an entire anti-Sampo organization in Belobog JFDKLASJFDL), it's all for fraud. He's wanted by the IPC as an intergalactic thief. He scams people out of their money, and only rich people at that. That's mostly all that he's known for. Nothing he does is violent, even though Sampo surely has the capacity to inflict a lot of harm.

And I don't mean that he's exactly a pacifist or anything; Firefly comments that Sampo seems like a highly skilled covert fighter. His voicelines make it sound like he enjoys combat- hell, his ult line makes him sound like a hitman. I like to hc him as being a pretty high ranker in the fighting rings at the World's End Tavern, like we see in the Simulated Universe occurrences.

But I don't think he would enjoy being the cause of uncontrollable violence and bloodshed.

Like yeah he's a dick who scams people on the regs for funsies, but he has lines he refuses to cross, which we see a lot of in how he interacts with Sparkle. More than just not enjoying it, I think he would hate it if he were found out and it caused an incident, especially since he seems so endeared to Belobog and her people now and it looks like he plans to return there. He wouldn't want to bring any of that back to them.

So I just can't imagine him carelessly fucking up bad enough to out himself to a random stranger that could easily put a bullet right through his head.

Sparkle maybe could, though.

Because as we find out later the dreamscape had expanded FAR beyond what it seemed, far enough that the trailblazer had been dreaming since the warp jump in. Most people enter it unknowingly, and don't realize they're already dreaming when they think they're still awake. Boothill and Dan Heng should have already been dreaming during their exchange on the Express that started all this.

And as long as someone knows they're dreaming, completely changing their appearance is easy, even for the common layman. We see this with a couple of NPCs and also Sparkle herself, with her (in)famous impression of Sampo.

Thank youuuuu Sparkle

And yeah, the trailblazer and almost all of the other characters wouldn't know about the expansion until near the very end. None of them realized they were dreaming even outside of their dream pools, and surely none of them would think to be suspicious of another person's appearance outside of the dreamscape like that.

But Sparkle has a script from Silver Wolf.

She knew all the secrets of the dreamscape, and she knew them from the very beginning. There would have been nothing stopping her from appearing as Sampo in front of Boothill and spilling all his secrets.

And she apparently has a long-standing history with Sampo, including trying to get him in on her own much more fiery and aggressive version of Elation.

Maybe all Sampo needs is to be outed as an Emanator, and then when all the violence and bloodshed catches up to him, then he'll finally understand! ദ്ദി(｡•̀ ,<)~✩

[dark-night-hero]

Imagine breaking up with the one and only Kayden Break and it did not go the way you want it to be.

Imagine being the mediator of both sides with it comes to the world of awaken one. One with a great power comes with a responsibility, an as the one that serves as a judge for both sides, you find it fun and boring at the same time. Yet the feeling of being on top of the world always lived by. As a judge and mediator of the good and evil sides, you don't have the right to intervene unless everthing is over. All you can do was to watch.

Imagine blankly watching the scene, unable to do anything as Kayden was trapped in Andrei's spacial dimension. Kartien and Pluton engaging in a fight with the other top ten rankers. And your heart is beating widely on your chest, hands clenched so hard your palm starts bleeding as you watched the love of your live almost perished by his own attack. It hurts.

Imagine the way it hurts. It hurts to be able to do anything. Being powerful comes with responsibility, and as someone who steps down from the world's top ten, you are now shackled as the judge and mediator of both sides. All these years, all these decades it felt good sitting at the top. But now that you realise you cannot step up to protect the love of your life, sure he doesn't need any protection but the fact that you cannot be their and fight right by his side. It hurts. It hurts to be useless, unable to do anything.

Imagine the way your heart ache and scream of jealously as you watch Guestella be the one that basically ended the fight. You cannot do that, you cannot step in like that. And you knew whom she was doing it for, the way she looks at Kayden. You knew in contrast to her words, what she felt for him was real. And for the first time in your life, you felt defeated, for the first time in your life, you felt useless. For the first time in your life, the weight of your responsibility came into you like a landslide come with the realisation that if another scenario like this was ever to come. Just like today, you won't be able to do anything. Thus you could only come up with a simple conclusion.

"Does it hurt?" Looking at Kayden in his cat form in the basement, you lean at the wall on the bottom of the stairs. He did not move nor did he look back at you, but somehow you felt his stance tense up on your words. Gently you walk right in front on him and kneal down. "Mind if I kiss you?" You hummed, hands reaching out to scratch his chin and you felt him as a cat purr before he eventually return back into his human form. You smile, one hand caressing his chin and the other hovering above the wound in his arm.

Imagine the way the two of you just stare at each other eyes before the two of you found yourself leaning in for a kiss. It started of innocently, it started of with a simple pecks, staring at each other eyes and brushing of lost strand of hair away from each others face. Then it become more intense, the way your hand travelled on the back of his neck, pulling him close into a deeper kiss, the way your other hand travel all over his body, touching his wounds causing him to gasp in pain. "Watch where your hands-!" He was cut off with a kiss, the way you took it as an opportunity to invade his mouth with your tongue, swallowing the words that he was about to say. "Argh! So this is how you play huh."

Imagine after fight sex is quite normal for the two of you. Although you aren't that proficient with healing, hell. You cannot even heal yourself, nevertheless, with the help of Kartien, you were able to come up with a healing ability. A healing ability to heal other via giving of body fluid. Sure it drains you, but if that meant keeping Kayden invulnerable in exchange to your own vulnerability, then it's worth it.

"Hahhh, you're eager tonight, what's the ugh- matter doll?" It you kept clenching around him that tight, he might really ended up cumming before you. Your back was turned to him as you ride him, his hand resting on your waist, wanting to trust from below but with your hand keeping him in place, he could only groan. "Doll." "..." "Doll look at me." "... sniff." "(First name). Why are you crying?" You stopped, and he sat up still inside you and eventually hug you from behind. "I'm sorry." He rest his head on the back of your neck, his arms warped around your shoulder. Looking down and. Holding on into his arms, he was still hurt. Although it doesn't look as worst as it does the previously. You couldn't only cry silently. I'm sorry.

"Open your mouth more." With a glare, Kayden did as he was told causing you to smirk as kiss him sloppily, his adams apple bobbing as he swallowed your saliva. Pulling away with a trail of saliva between your lips, you smirk, wiping it off his lips with your thumb only to bet bitten by him. "What are you, a cat- ah?!" You cannot help but to gasp as he thrust into you from below without warning. And iit doesn't stop with a single hard thrust, it was followed by another, and then another, and then another until you found yourself clinging into him. Hands all over his shoulder as you tremble in his arms, his mouth all over your shoulder leaving marks. You want this very moment to last.

Imagine trying to break up with Kayden Break. Keyword, TRYING.

Imagine the door slamming with a thud making Jiwoo jump in surprise only to see his mentor in his human form but looking better than ever the a few days before, he was almost in awe if it wasn't the for the fact that his mentor was fumming with murderous aura that made Kartien and Pluton step up. "Where are they!" "Who-" "They left around dawn, not too long after you fell asleep." "That fuck-" Kayden took a deep breath. "Fuck!" Then went out of the door. Jiwoo was about to step up when Kartien held him back. "Leave him be, it's the matter between them." Only then did he manage to recall the small piece of crumpled paper within his mentor's hand.

Kayden, Let's officially break up this time.

I have come into conclusion that I do not deserve you, not when I cannot do anything while you are endanger. I almost lost you and all I can do was to watch. I'm sorry.

I'm really sorry. So don't look for me. Forget about me. I'm really, really sorry. I love you.

- (First name) (Last name)

"Sorry? You're sorry?!" If you're sorry then come back to him! Do you really think he will let you be? Let alone break up with him? In. Your. Fucking. Dreams. Nevertheless, he tried his best to calm down as he walk around. If you left not to long at dawn then you could have gone far away. Still, he couldn't find a single trace of you anywhere. Then he laughs. A devilish crazy look on his face was evident. "Fine. Hide for as long as you can." But as soon as I come to find you, you better be prepared, because I won't be letting you go anytime then.

[ⓒdark-night-hero] 2024°

: Chronicles from Still Into You, a Kayden Break x Reader (f) fanfic from wattpad and Quotev.

[nyashykyunnie]

˗ˏˋ Entry : 047 - Sung Jinwoo Assassin Au Part 2 ◛⑅·˚ ༘ ♡

ₓ˚. ୭ ˚○◦˚𝕊𝕦𝕟𝕘 𝕁𝕚𝕟𝕨𝕠𝕠˚◦○˚ ୧ .˚ₓ

‼️[tw: gore, extreme violence, sadistic Jinwoo]‼️

‧₊˚ ☁️⋅ Part 1 || Part 2♡𓂃 ࣪ ִֶָ☾.

╰┈➤ ❝ [ Behold, The Emperor of the Dark Hours Returns] ¡! ❞

His name is like a prayer to the devil, a single whisper of his title and everyone would pale upon the mention.

He was the faceless monster of the underground, the lord who rules in the shadows.

Stand in his way and you are guaranteed a spot six feet under.

It's mercy if your death is but a single bullet to your head. Jinwoo's sadism is, after all, ruthless. Corpses of his victims were usually mangled or their heads bashed to the point of unrecognition.

A skull crushed into smithereens, brain juices oozing out of the deformed head— Sung Jinwoo was ruthless beyond human sense.

The Association doesn't know who this little serial killer is running ammock. Even their efforts to work with the police isn't working.

In the end, they had no choice to give up.

While Jinwoo? Jinwoo himself is having a field day on his end.

How long has it been since his blood had been pumping? He can't really recall himself.

Murdering monsters seemed to make him feel alive again, as debauched as it is— He honestly loved it.

He still accepts some assassination jobs on the side, but mostly he's just going into gates.

Jinwoo had long mastered the system, he's maybe an S-ranker now for the first few months he had gotten into this world.

Since he's just an E-ranked, he had lots of restraints on him. But did it matter? No.

Being able to face beings twice, thrice, quadruple of his size— It caused a thrill in his body that he cant really describe.

It's addictive, the rush of adrenaline into his blood felt gratifying.

Jinwoo knew it himself that he is a monster, but can he do anything about it? He's over 80 now atleast, all his life he's been fighting and killing.

The art of war is his true calling, as twisted that is— It's true.

But unlike then he now has his family. His mother may be in deep sleep but he also has his adorable baby sister that he missed dearly.

And now that he has them back Jinwoo isn't one bit hesitant to protect his lifelines.

But now it seems that a little bastard has decided to ogle over his precious little sister.

Jinwoo is no fool when it comes to people stalking around him and his home. It's one of the most important things he needed to hone in order to be an effective assassin.

So when he knew something up, he isn't going to let it slide any second further.

{....}

Crawling into the alleyway, the man heard that if he finds a certain door he can get into the apartment building. He already knew Jinah's apartment number.

He just wanted to say hi, nothing else.

Just a simple hello, he only wants to say hello. That's all there is to it really.

As he fumbled around on the doorknob next to the trash bins— He suddenly feels something yank his hair back.

He curses, groaning as the back of his head hits the wall.

"You motherfucker" He snarls, his eyes glaring up at the sight of a hooded figure lighting a cigarette. "You son of a bit— Ack!"

"Did I tell you to talk? Can't you see I'm lighting my cigarette?" Jinwoo asks, pressing his heel on the bastard's shoulder.

"What the hell did I even do to you, huh? You fucking jackass?" The man curses, attempting to move away but failed as Jinwoo remained unmoving while blowing out a coud of smoke.

"I've seen a lot of fuckers like you in my youth" He says boredly, "Of the thousand of heads I've embedded a bullet on, 80% of the targets are sick perverts ogling over things they shouldn't be drooling over."

He continues, playing a dagger with his hand before promptly stabbing it on the man's thigh. Jinwoo covers his mouth with his gloved palm to muffle the cry, unamused as he started started sweating and sobbing.

"Should've known that perverts like you still exist even here, I guess I became too happy go lucky huh?" Jinwoo scoffs, as he pulls his fist back. "Don't worry, I'll make sure my kids gobble your corpse up the moment I'm done with you.

{....}

"Oppa, welcome home!" Jinah beams as she sees her brother come in late while she was snacking on a shortcake her brother bought yesterday. "You out late again, were you seeing a girl?"

At her teasing, Jinwoo only shakes his head and smiles, he approaches his little sister and ruffles her hair up— Causing a whine to come out of her lips.

"No, just went out for a walk," He says gently as if he didn't pummel someone to death just minutes earlier and fed his corpse to his shadows. "Don't stay up too late, you have school tomorrow."

"I'm not a little kid!" Jinah playfully swats his hand away and stomps to her bedroom with his shortcake before stopping midway. "Oppa? Can you get more shortcakes tomorrow, please?"

"Pfft," Jinwoo shakes his head, smiling as he did so. "Alright, off you go"

He watches his baby sister's eyes glimmer sweetly before hiding back into her room.

Jinwoo's heart felt... Tingly. In a gentle and sweet way. The feeling of having someone greet him when he arrives home, the feeling where he knows someone is waiting for him to come back— It felt nice.

He'll protect this peace.

Until he can figure out a way to wake his mother up.

Jinwoo will continue to protect this home, and even after she wakes up— He'll make sure this home of his will be safe and sound.

꒰ 🪼 A/N: I just want this out of my hands please, I'm sorry that the plot is sloppy and rushed fjsglm,rlwef. I just genuinely want this out of my hands. ꒱

ʚ(੭´͈ ᐜ `͈)੭ .｡✧: ~♡ —! stories written by kyunnie; translations, reposts, plagiarism are strictly forbidden.

[lalune9x]

SCTIR Translation - Chapter 473: Inside the Drawer

"A-are you some kind of management system for this place? More importantly, why do you look like that?!" "The default appearance is set to what Master likes most."

Chapter translation under the cut.

---

Chapter 473: Inside the Drawer

"Yoo…"

No, there was no way my younger brother would be here. But the figure that appeared beyond the mansion's gate looked exactly like Yoohyun. Even dressed just as he had been at yesterday's banquet.

"Hello, Master."

"W-What are you saying?!"

Looking like that! The voice was completely identical, too! The thing that looked like my little brother smiled faintly.

"I am Number 71."

"A-are you some kind of management system for this place? More importantly, why do you look like that?!"

"The default appearance is set to what Master likes most."

Of course, I liked my little brother—but, wait a minute.

'It's the current Yoohyun, huh?'

What I liked the most. Not how he was as a child or when he had been older. It made sense. My current little brother had changed a lot. Now he smiled more, sometimes acted a bit spoiled, and no longer seemed as anxious. Above all, he’d said he had grown to like himself.

Han Yoohyun was different from ordinary people. Even though I accepted and acknowledged that, I still couldn't help worrying whether it was truly okay. After all, the place where my brother lived and would have to continue living was human society.

But forcing him to live while suppressing his true self, pretending not to know and covering it up, would have been clearly wrong. Wouldn't it? As long as he wasn't hurting anyone, why should he have to conform? Above all, if you lived together, both sides should make compromises, not just one.

So, I definitely preferred the current Yoohyun. He'd likely only get better with time. Occasionally, he might take a few steps backwards or stray off course, but as long as he returned, that was fine. And that outfit suited him well, too.

Anyway…

"Change your appearance to something else. Like…."

Yerim was obviously out of the question, and Myungwoo or Noah-ssi would be weird too. Hyuna-ssi being that polite to me would also feel really awkward. Director Song was always respectful, but calling me 'Master' would be a bit much... Maybe that guy Hamin would work without it feeling burdensome.

"Can you turn into Sung Hyunje?"

After hearing him call me 'master' just yesterday, I wanted to try bossing around the Sesung Guildmaster for a bit.

Number 71 looked troubled at my suggestion. "With your current abilities, Master, changing settings is not possible."

"…What? You call me Master, but I can't even do that much?"

It was hard to speak harshly to something that looked like my little brother.

"It is because your understanding and control of this space are extremely low, Master."

"How low are we talking?"

"Less than 0.01%."

…And you call me Master. Even living in a monthly rental would give me more control than that. It was basically like living in someone else's house.

I cautiously stepped through the gate, glancing around. The fairly spacious garden was full of unfamiliar flowering trees. However, while there were plants, there were no signs of animals like birds, bees, or butterflies. Number 71 in front of me didn't seem to be a living being either.

"Then can you at least change how you address me? Just call me by my name."

Even 'Hyung' would be a bit much.

"Master's understanding of this space—"

"Yes, I get it. It's not possible."

Should I cover his face or something? Maybe put a mask on him?

"What exactly are you?" I asked.

"I am the management doll for the 71st Drawer."

"And you're not alive?"

"I am based on an artificial elemental, but it is difficult to consider me a living being."

An artificial elemental? Now what was that?

"Could there be anything dangerous in here? From an F-ranker’s perspective?"

"It is safe, as long as you don't touch anything first."

That Jellyfish did a good job managing this drawer. I felt a little guilty for doubting its safety. Yeah, looking back, Jellyfish wasn't so bad. Compared to that lizard brat, it was quite decent. The real problem was Chatterbox.

I wondered if about 10 minutes had passed by now. It should be fine if I was a little late. I didn't want to stay too long, so maybe about 30 minutes of looking around would be enough.

"Let me know when 30 minutes have passed since I came in. Can you do that?"

"Yes, that's possible."

"Ah, and time in here flows the same as it does outside, right?"

"Yes. To change the flow of time, Master's spatial control must exceed 80%."

So that would be possible too, if I got good enough at this. I remembered how the Newbie could manipulate time flow within the dungeon.

Walking across the yard with wet socks was unpleasant. Ugh, the squishy feeling was the worst. Number 71 quietly followed me, then went up the stairs ahead of me to open the mansion's front door. Without thinking, I almost said, "Thanks, Yoohyun," because it was so much like my brother. The mannerisms and speech were different, though.

Inside, opening the door on the right side of the long hallway revealed a spacious living room. The garden outside was clearly visible through the floor-to-ceiling windows. The floor gleamed like polished marble, and various orbs of light floated around the high ceiling in place of regular lighting.

"There don't seem to be any items here," I said.

"This is a place for rest. The sofas and chairs have stamina recovery functions, and the lights provide a calming effect. The food on the table will stay fresh and maintain its temperature for three days."

That was pretty nice. I almost sat down on the sofa but stopped since I was too wet. Even though the stamina recovery function sounded useful, it would be a waste to take it out of here.

"Is it true that I can only remove three items from this place?"

"Yes, that is how it is currently set up."

"And if I improve that spatial control thing?"

"If you become the complete master of the 71st Drawer, all restrictions will be lifted."

All restrictions gone! Did that mean I'd be able to take anything out? My heart raced at the thought, but…

"How do I become the complete master?"

"You must fully understand the space and be able to freely modify, dismantle, and create within it."

In other words, I'd need to reach the level of a Transcendent. How was I supposed to do that? Myungwoo said he could see the structure of mana within the Newbie's dungeon, but to me, it just looked like trees, the sky, and the ground. Maybe I should ask Myungwoo for help.

I left the living room and entered another room. The second room was a study filled with books. After confirming it was safe with Number 71, I pulled out a book and opened it.

"Hmm… must be good content,” I said. What language was this, anyway?

"This study has features that enhance focus. When reading at that desk, the contents will be easier to remember."

I should bring Yerim here! If I took this entire study out, students would line up for a chance to use it.

"There's a three-item limit on what I can take out, but is there any restriction on using the items here?"

"No. However, any items absorbed or consumed by the body count toward the three-item limit."

"…I drank some water earlier."

"The lake water is not considered an item."

So I could bring the kids here, then. But the Newbie said that without replenishing its mana, I could only use the drawer about 30 times. And that was per person. If I brought Yoohyun and Yerim, we'd only get about 10 uses.

What a waste. A real shame. I thought I'd just take the items and use this place as an emergency hideout thirty times, but this place was better than I expected!

"How can I replenish the mana of this space?"

"It can be replenished by the master. However, the connection is currently severed."

"…And to reconnect it, I need to increase that spatial control thing?"

"Yes. Basic mana replenishment requires at least 5% control. Each recharge also consumes the equivalent of ten SSS-rank mana stones."

That was a huge amount. Thankfully, I had the Mana Spring. Otherwise, I'd be sucked dry like a mummy without even filling up 1/100th of it.

This time, I walked down the hallway to the door at the very end. As it opened, a refreshing vista of bright blue water unfolded before me. The entire front wall, about three stories high, was completely transparent without any frame or seams. Beyond it, there was also a terrace built over the lake.

"It really feels like a resort."

"The 71st Drawer is designed as a place for rest. It was also recently remodeled according to the standards of Master's world," Number 71 answered.

I had suspected as much, but it really was a resting area. Had it been remodeled before being handed over to me? How considerate. No wonder the structure felt familiar. Considering the lower half of the King of the Mist Sea’s body, normal chairs wouldn't suit her. A concave design resembling a wine glass would have been more comfortable. And I guessed the interior would have been more tentacle-friendly, though I didn’t know what that would look like.

"That is why the rank of the stored items and the drawer itself are also relatively low," Number 71 added.

They did say it would be about SSS-rank. To me, it felt more like L-rank quality. It was easily worth trading for one of my L-rank skills… except I didn't have any worth trading. At first, I had grumbled about how my resistance skills were like pearls cast before swine, but they had proven incredibly useful. Not just curse and poison resistance, but fear resistance had been useful in many ways too. Not to mention my Caregiver skills. Well, except for Final Thanks…

‘That one, maybe I don't need.'

Honestly, I wanted to act like it didn't exist at all. To get revenge, though… that was a different story. I'd already used it once and gained a lot from it, but… I hoped there would never be another reason for me to use that skill again.

"…If the items here are meant for vacation, they probably won't be very useful."

They probably wouldn't be weapons or armor, but rather things with weird stats and passives. With forms like picnic baskets, beach robes, sunglasses, or floaties.

"Does the space get bigger if its rank increases?"

"Yes. The space expands, and the rank of the items that can be stored also increases. It also becomes harder to detect, track, or destroy."

"Wait, it can be found and destroyed?"

"If an SSS-rank entity has the ability to detect it, yes."

So it probably wouldn't be usable as a hideout against Transcendents. Too bad. Still, there weren't any SS-rank beings in our world. The only exceptions were the occasional SS-rank monsters. I wondered how the level of Myungwoo's smithy compared. Since the Newbie said this place was relatively unsophisticated compared to the smithy, the smithy was probably at least L-rank, maybe even Mythic.

If you compared them, the Golden Smithy was a specialized facility, while this place was more like a vacation home or storage space.

"What else is on the first floor?"

"There is a dining room, a café, and a bathroom."

"And the second floor?"

"A living room, three bedrooms, and three bathrooms."

"What about the third floor?"

"A swimming pool, a lounge, and entertainment facilities. There is also an attic and a basement."

The first to third floors sounded pretty standard. The attic probably wasn't special, so the real treasure would probably be in the basement.

"Take me to the basement."

I would have to figure out how to raise my spatial control to at least 5%, even if I had to learn from Myungwoo. This place was too good to only use a few times and be done with it. It was like a portable vacation home! Wouldn't it be great if I could make it so other people could use it too? It'd be perfect for the kids to rest in when they go on dungeon raids. Transcendents just whipped these things up like it was nothing; lucky them.

Ah, except for the Elder. The Mermaid Queen also didn't strike me as the researcher type like the Newbie or the Jellyfish. Same for the Deer and the Wolf. The Tree seemed a bit more inclined towards this kind of thing, though.

'The Newbie seems to be taking my side a lot lately. I wonder about the other Irreverents.'

The more people we had on our side, the better. Maybe next time I saw the Newbie, I should ask about the Mermaid Queen. She was the one we'd dealt with the most so far. She had even given Yerim a skill, and the Newbie referred to Yerim as 'little droplet', too.

We couldn't reach the basement via the stairs. More precisely, there were decorative stairs in the building, but they didn't seem to lead anywhere. Instead, there was a portal.

"As your spatial control increases, you will be able to move freely to any location," Number 71 said.

There it was again, that spatial control thing. We descended to the basement through the portal. Contrary to the typical underground lab vibe, the basement was brightly lit and welcoming. Inside the rows of display cases were cubical objects on display.

"Those are all items, right? Are they?"

Though they all looked identical on the outside, each cube had to contain a different item. I tried to suppress my rising excitement as I asked.

Number 71 nodded. He looked even cuter because he resembled Yoohyun! Ugh, why could I only take three items? But still, it was great.

"Is there a catalog or something? It could be dangerous to just open them blindly."

"They are safe in cube form."

"Really?"

I quickly opened the nearest display case. There was something like a name tag attached to the shelf where the cube was placed, but I couldn't read it. As soon as I picked up a cube, information about the item inside flowed into my mind.

'A-rank, Seven-Colored Turtle Shell.'

A crafting material item. Were there a lot of materials here? Maybe I could bring Myungwoo to practice with them. As long as we didn't take out the finished products, it should be fine. I picked up the cube next to it. S-rank Phillol Tree Fruit. Was this display case all crafting materials? I opened a display case on the other side and checked the cube inside.

"SS-rank shoes!"

Equipment! It didn't give detailed info on the effects, though. Maybe I'd need to take it out and wear it to find out. I put it down for now and grabbed the next one.

"This one's SS-rank too! But… a spoon?"

What was this? It couldn't be a weapon, right? Maybe food tasted better when you ate it with this? There was a mix of gear and various strange items. It really seemed like an unimportant storage space filled with random stuff. I even found a bag. The one I'd bought in Sollemnis had been pretty useful.

I moved on to check another display case.

"It's a skill!"

The shelf was filled with skill cubes ranging from A-rank to SS-rank. Ah, what a waste! Skills! And this shelf—stats? They increased your base stats? Was this even allowed? Probably because they were permanent, even a single-digit increase was S-rank, but still!

"Why only three?! Jellyfish! King of the Mist Sea! This is too unfair!"

It was like staring at a cake I couldn't eat! I stomped my feet in frustration. At the same time, a sudden sense of urgency hit me. If not just the King of the Mist Sea, but other Transcendents could create spaces like this...

'…If Chatterbox used items like this to help Awakened grow stronger.'

It could make them catch up to our level in no time. Of course, there had to be some limits, but it seemed dangerous to get complacent.

But seriously, how was I supposed to choose from all this? There was so much here.

"Do you have any recommendations? Or maybe I should bring the kids along... By the way, has it not been 30 minutes yet?"

I had been rummaging around absentmindedly for what felt like ages, but Number 71 had remained silent. When I glanced back at him, he shook his head.

"There are still 27 minutes and 45 seconds remaining."

"…What? Hold on a second!"

There was no way only 2 minutes and 15 seconds had passed! Just falling into the water and crawling out must have taken nearly 10 minutes!

"Didn't you say the time flow here is the same as outside? Has it really been only 2 minutes?"

"It has been exactly 2 minutes and 16 seconds."

"…Didn't at least 10 seconds pass while we were talking? Has it really only been 2 minutes and 16 seconds? I mean in the world I came from!"

Number 71 was silent for a moment before answering.

"2 minutes and 16 seconds is in the King of the Mist Sea's time units. In your world's time units, 1 hour, 27 minutes, and 19 seconds have passed."

So it had been quite a while after all! The time units of the King of the Mist Sea's home world were different from ours. Still, it had only been about an hour and a half, so it should be fine. Reluctantly, I put the cube down and hurried outside.

[darkmasterofcupcakes]

Considering Adam's music theme and that the Exorcists are clearly involved in his shit, I'm pretty sure there's a lot of years where they had a musical theme for clothing.

So for example, one year, they were clothed like Carmen and they killed demons while having the Habanera resonate throughout the pride ring.

Also, sabaton definitely is one of their favorite groups, there's no way that the year "firestorm" was dropped they didn't themed it after it.

https://youtu.be/Q149AALuHw0?si=lMLOpq752yeglHf4

With that in mind, Vaggie probably loved fighting/training with rock as background music.

Vaggie inheriting nothing from adam except his musical tastes sound fun, and I can imagine her forcing herself to sit still when there's such music because despite her trauma, she still love the music.

Actually, how did Vaggie's first mission went? And in your AU, did she ever killed an Overlord?

Also, what was Lute's reaction when Vaggie was named by Adam as one of his "top girls"? Did Vaggie see the reaction?

That would make sense.

And, yeah, the idea that the main thing Vaggie really inherited from Adam was musical tastes, and she would eventually grow to kinda hate the fact that she still loves that kind of music because obviously she'd associate it with him, and while her feelings towards her mother are...complicated as of the present, her feelings towards her (almost definite but not confirmed father) boss are a little more clean cut negative. But she does she secretly love rock music and definitely listens to it when she trains alone.

Her first mission went very well - she wasn't the Exorcist who took out the most Sinners that year, but she was in the top 10 and was the youngest among those top rankers by a pretty wide margin, so her performance was definitely something that Adam, as the leader of the Exorcists, had to take notice of and point out after they'd all returned back to Heaven.

As for the Overlord question...she likely has killed at least one. Maybe not one of the most powerful, but still an Overlord.

And Lute was definitely proud to hear Adam name Vaggie was one of his "top girls". Why wouldn't she be proud of her daughter, especially when she knows that a lot of Vaggie's skills and techniques came from her watching and imitating Lute when she trained as she was growing up? She didn't have a huge reaction to it, since she likes to try to keep a professional attitude around the other Exorcists, but she did show Vaggie a bit more personal attention and affection when they got home and were alone.

[giantparfait]

[howlingday]

RWBY FANS! IT'S BEEN DECIDED! PREPARE YOURSELVES FOR

RUBY- JAUNE- GUN- CONVENTION!

Haha, you said it, Howl! It's time we named this surprisingly popular RWBY AU series.

THAT'S RIGHT! IT'S

RU-JA-GUN-CON!

COME AND SEE ALL YOUR FAVORITE THINGS!

GUNS!

ANIME!

AND MANY MORE!

Plus, we'll even get some extensions of this universe into new AUs! Like Vash Gun Jaune and Xeno-Friendly Jaune!.

Jaune: ...That gun looks stupid.

Jaune: Bite me, Alien Kisser.

REMEMBER! THIS IS RU-JA-GUN-CON! YOU BETTER BE THERE! AND BE SQUARE!

Ruby: (Shrugs) Eh. Beats Vacuo.

Jaune: (Shrugs) Eh. Beats Ever After.

---------------------------------------------------

Original

Real World Weapons

Cars

Anime

Tokusatsu

Video Games

Other:

- Aliens: M41A /

- Warhammer 40k:

--Tyranids: I II III IV V

--Orks: I II III IV V

--Astartes: I II III IV V

--Eldar: I II III IV V

- Webtoon: Rankers Return /

-Star Wars: Lightsaber /

- Transformers: Megatron / Optimus / Talisman / Master Bracers Cross Bands / Robot Child /

- The Fifth Element: ZF-1 / ZF 1 /

Crossovers:

- 40k / Halo

Jaune Gets A Gun AU by @novankenn

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

Additional Stories in RJGC:

- Buyer's Remorse (The first)

- Joker's Bang! Flag Gun

- Ruby and Jaune get ice cream

- Party in the CON OF RU AND JA

- Yang puns at Jaune and Ruby

[dono-cho]

post-BRC ramble (+very personal headcannons) VERY long text ahead, I posted this elsewhere on masto-instance but decided it's OK to share here (straight up Escher rambling again ⚠️)

Still completely floored by this concept that Escher would have woken up from getting knocked in the cyberhead, escaped and saved Rietveld from getting brain-blasted by a whole crew of brainwashed Project Algo cops (after discovering Berlage's corpse, high chance he saw Berlage got killed with his own cyber-eyes but was completely outgunned) (thank you secondarythings)

Like, I already have a concept that Project Algo was a constantly growing and updated "software" so Faux (as Project Algo) got increasingly stronger and a lot more aware of his capabilities

But in the beginning he was completely lost so he had to manual control all the cops assigned to him in the beginning

And during this period of time, manually controlling Escher (test subject no.1) while Escher's subconscious throw hands at him because they're both fighting control over 1 body--I think Faux would slowly come to realise that's his old (amnesiac) pops and has to face The Horrors™

It's a 4-part story that I initially had, with a very lengthy Chapter 3 Investigation Phase. Dig out the truth behind everything and why he was selected as Project Algo in the first place, why Escher has to be the first test subject.

Thing is, at the very last moment at the very last chapter, I think Escher would slowly realise the same as well (through watching Faux relive the same final repetitive dream he has of the last memory he could recall), but the both of them won't say that to one another, won't make such a vulnerable guess if either of them are family.

And then he gets clonked on the head, wakes up, escapes (solidifying his opinion that the BRC are just harmless punks if they can't even tie an old cop down), returns to the precinct and watches his own son kill Chief Berlage from the other room

I don't think he'll let Irene go down like that, even if he's probably going to quit the force after all they did with him and the whole Project Algo thing. Sees her as the last good cop left (the last cop that was truly righteous and believed in doing what should be correctly done), and headcannon they had like, a mentor-student thing because they both 'joined' the force at the same time (a new cadet and a new cyberhead 'recruit') but cyberhead guy was mysteriously more skilled and calm about things

(another side-headcannon is that she's actually around the same age as Tryce, Bel and Teun as well. Came from one of those self-righteous cop families and bought into the whole 'protect the good citizens of New Amsterdam' schtick)

But definitely after the events of BRC I see him quitting the force for good, but NOT before one last action.

So! Focus back on Faux!

LDR honestly? He. Is. SCREWED. Big time.

Like, he has fucked up the whole damn New Amsterdam Police, killed, attempted murder, fucked up Mataan, property damage, buddy if there's any semblance of justice left in the city he is FUCKED

Not to mention New Amsterdam, although probably still the capital of The Netherlands, is not the whole Netherlands. You can bet your ass their new authoritarian government gonna send their high rankers on his ass to the goddamn Hague he is NOT a free man

Like, to even live at that point and have any semblance of peace is to rely on any last saving grace of kindness spared for him, and the only one I can only remotely think of is Felix because Tryce will slap him so hard his jaw will dislocate off his pretty face and Cyber will just chop his head off for yet another brain experiment

And even then if he's like, in the hospital, he's gonna be chained up bro, like if Rietveld isn't gonna slaughter his ass then the BRC gonna make sure he doesn't run anywhere and faces damn responsibility for his man-tantrum

And to Faux? Honestly? I don't think he even cares if he lives or dies. Hell, death would be good. He'll be wishing upon that electric chair, he won't bother to even feed himself if that's the case.

Maybe the exact reason why Rietveld won't trash his ass in the hospital, "there's no pure justice in this mess. Just the guilty and the damned."

Focus back on that old cop, and that's his last action.

Both Rietveld and Escher would have to locate where Felix's body was back when the BRC had their whole challenge in Upper Mataan, but she would be the one to deliver the body because, well, she has a massive jetpack--that's one. Another would be that the BRC sees that sniper like a dead man walking and it's on sight atp

But after all that mess, if he hears that the "huge monstrosity of wires" in Upper Mataan has been put into the local hospital, chained up waiting for judgement, he'll go over.

Show up to a despondent Faux and finally admit that he knew who he was, knew what he had done. Knew what was coming for him next.

Think, at that point, Faux would rather someone blow his brains out than to face the stomach-wrenching pain of...whatever slithering mess of complex anger and grief that is looking at him right now

And then he'll tell him straight, he'll repeat the exact same action as he did before his death, up until the both of them "died" for one last time--he'll let Teun go. Set his son free again.

Break the chains, make a mess, maybe start a small fire or sign a suicide note, Faux/Teun Vogelaar is dead to the world and his son walks out a free man once again. Rietveld would trust his word, she respects him after all.

And after that, he'll quit the force, the only thing he knew how to serve for all those years of his life. That's it.

After all the damage that they caused, that he caused on Teun, his "new life" should be rid of him. Of the both of them to one another, actually.

The moment the both of them leave the hospital room, they're both strangers.

There I think Faux would finally be free, but at that point he's neither Faux or Teun anymore, with no "roots" or obligations or anyone that would perceive or watch him. It's probably what he said he wanted, and it'll probably feel like the emptiest feeling ever. A total shadow.

Nothing, nobody. He'll have to hide in Lower Mataan with what funds given to him until the government stops looking for him.

I did saw a "Escher would be a P.I. post-BRC" take and I feel like that'll be like, the good-guy option you know, "The former cop has quit the force and now helps people like Nick Valentine from Fallout 4" that makes sense if he's a "I believe in justice" sort of thing (a very fun headcannon as well, come to think about it)

But was thinking about it and...hmm it doesn't feel so? 🤔 Like he's definitely "don't hurt the innocent" type of guy but that can be easily overwritten by a directive from a higher up to kill on sight.

Realistically as a human, he should have savings for retirement. Maybe. But I'd like to think that because he's treated as a cyberhead, he's essentially a new person with no previous ties or connections or account. There are probably cleaner ways for cyberheads to use the assets of the people that have passed before them, but I think in this case, he was forcefully made into a cyberhead (again, a conspiracy) with absolutely nothing so to obediently bind him to continued service.

Idealistically, he'll do something peaceful like open a bakery or work at an airsoft shop.

But at the same time I feel like he'll exhibit the same itchy behaviour from war vets or people who have served for a para-military organisation for their whole life (assuming that even before the police merger he was from the Royal Marechausse branch), that they cannot go back to quiet civilian life anymore.

There's no structure, no order, no need for discipline.

I think?? I THINK? Inclusive of that money issue, Escher will definitely first go for the idealist option and really cold turkey into the civilian life of stacking products in a supermarket.

And then his digital eyes will start twitching so badly he relapses and eventually becomes hitman for hire.

Might as well use that itchy trigger finger until arthritis sets in!

It makes sense too, that he'll be too comfortable with following orders or a directive and a set ritual of preparation to kill to ever let it go

[short-black-diamond]

Do you still do tokyo revengers?

sadly not. i am mostly on webtoon now. if you don't read webtoons, then that's fine too, but here are a few webtoons i'd recommend for you!

Lookism -(1. webtoon i read. I HAVE TO CATCH UP FJFEJIFWJOIE)

Get schooled -(season two when???)

Auto Hunting with my Clones -(I will either catch up or drop it) -(i will probably reread it it has been so long irfjojfiwejofewj)

The greatest Estate Developer -(Funny story) -(Interesting and meme potential) Tomato can -(season two when???) -(prolly has daily pass now)

The apothecary prince -(linked to the greatest estate developer, catching up soon) -(must also reread)

Ranker -(gotta catch up)

I am the Queen in this Life -(i think i had a request about this once.)

I was the final boss -(gotta catch up)

Marionetta -(gotta catch upppp)

Absolute sword sense -(one of my fav)

A martial Master wakes up as a concubine -(Today, 16.11.2024 i will let that comic rest so that i can catch up to it later and read the interesting part in peace. i don't want to spoil anything, but it is a funny yet intriguing story, and i would love for everyone who sees this post to have a read on this.)

We are 101 -(MC is a pretty boy) -(very short chapters, best to wait a few weeks and then read)

The Interpretation of shadows -(slow updates, but storyline is interesting, give it a read!)

Sisters at war -(very..uh, well, generational trauma)

A spell for a smith -(catching up soon, hopefully)

Iseop's Romance -(drama i guess? more like office romance and stuff, read for yourself i am not good at describing things :,{ )

Vampire family -(meme potential)

Why i quit being the demon king -(gotta catch up)

Return of the runebound Professor -(soul in other person's body, soul was teacher in past life and is professor in this life, too. relatively new webtoon, so this is all i will be saying about it.)

The bad son -(dayum, art is cool and story is slowly forming, but i don't wanna spoil anything so see for yourself.)

The last passage -(interesting concept, very philosophical regarding death and afterlife or returning back to earth and how, give it a read!)

Red Spine -(MC is a traumatized cutie patootie) -("weak", has red spine sometimes to scare off genderwo's or what they are called oijrijigrejoje that's all i am telling you about)

The genius Murim Fitness Trainer -(Covid influencer gaining weight, gets isekai'd into the last webtoon he read after falling asleep) -(now is protag of said webtoon and throws hands or teaches the other monks, must catch up)

Boss return -(dark themes, but also well mixed with love) -(boy just wants his wifey :{ )

Absolute Regression -(MC is hella fine)

The masters have subscribed -(new webtoon) -(funny)

A knight with a time limit -(saw today, giving it a chance)

[eldritch-spouse]

I hope you see the Pin, cause I'm invested.

If we were trapped in lust, how about we become an Oiran to survive? 

Quasi Oiran, so to speak, since I wouldn't be on Oiran traditionally but moreso in spirit. 

Now a few things to note about Oirans (the Apothecary Diaries did a very good job at explaining this, so I'll use that): Unlike regular Yujyos (prostitutes) who need to find a customer every night, the best of them rarely ever take clients. The less an Oiran (a high-ranking yujyo) works, the higher her perceived value will be. All Yujyo are taught a bit about poetry and dancing at a young age; those without potential are immediately put to night service work after their debut, while those with potential continue with their education, spending their time with customers merely drinking tea. As their conventional skills and wisdom increase, so does their price, and they will accept requests even more rarely. Eventually, it comes to a cost a year's worth of salary to just share nothing but a cup of tea with such an Orian. Among them are even a few who would never come to know a customer's touch up until the day they are bought. They're priced so highly because they're an untouchable flower; once plucked, they lose half their value.

Some stuff would probably need to be tweaked in order for this to work, but here is a route I think could be taken.

So you land in lust! (Preferably as a virgin cause that can be used later.) Like a rational person, you start hauling ass as soon as you can gather yourself cause you don't want to be snu-snu-ed to death. Hopefully you can stumble across a nice enough high-ranker who would be willing to help you out—for a price, of course. Now, this could depend on the high-ranker because if they don't immediately take our virginity, we could sell it for a high price because in the Pinnie universe, a human's virginity is like ambrosia, but I don't really see that happening since who would pass up the opportunity, you know? But anyway, in return for their protection, we could make a deal to bring in three times the amount they bring in a year. There are many human fuckers to pick and choose from, so it wouldn't be too hard to get the bag. Before we make our debut, we should train in the arts like Yujyo do. We could use dance or singing for normal customers, and for customers with a taste for finer things, we could use poetry, calligraphy (you see what I did there 😏) and aktpainting, which is the painting of nude people. But of course I'll have sex with my customers so they keep coming back, I'll just try to engage with them in thay way sparingly so that they can become addicted. After we make our debut, hopefully we can make enough money to hire some wrath demon bodyguards, and then we can truly make our way up the ranks to become an Oiran because we may have our pimp, but I don't think they can hold our hand and protect us all the time. If a customer is being too pushy, we can just call in our guards to have their ass booted 🤷🏽‍♀️. It's very likely that our guards and pimp will become obsessed with us but if we were smart enough to make it thus far it will be no trouble to play demon wrangler. And if by a slim pubic hair of a chance we can get an angel to keep all of them in check, we would be set for life.

So that's it!

The reason I think it would be a good idea to become an Oiran is because, let's be honest, in lust where it's all about fucking, we wouldn't be too popular to make someone believe we're trying to out-whore them but popular enough to get that sweet, sweet money. Another reason why I thought it could work is because Concubi place an importance on virginity. I'm not sure if it applies to how many times you slept with someone, but by being a 'flower' and a human at the same time it could attract a lot of customers, so why not use it?

(I hope all of this made sense since I'm not a native speaker)

[It sort of made sense. I don't know much about the nuance of these cultures, so I'm not going to dip into that side too much.]

Making it in Lust is hard, especially as a virgin. Even if someone with a modicum of power takes enough pity on you to offer you a leg up, there's always the risk of it going downhill. It depends on your luck, cleverness and, oftentimes, ruthlessness.

Someone similar to an oiran, in Lust, would have a difficult time.

Even if there are many concubi (and other types of fiends/non-demonic inhabitants) who get into the mysticism and attributed rarity of a female companion like that, getting off endlessly on that temptation to leap across the table while the two of you have a conversation over tea... There are also many crowds eager to debase and "corrupt" you, to turn you into a senseless whore like themselves.

You're never truly safe either way. Some of your regulars may become eerily attached and possessive of you, maybe even threatening to toss you out to the demons who give you leery stares as you walk because you refuse to see them more often or to touch them.

Keep in mind that blueballing a concubus isn't really a good idea, unless they make it clear they're into that. Because otherwise, you're holding a steak to a lion's mouth and constantly yanking it away before they can snag it. Eventually, they'll get tired and bite some of your fingers off along with it.

Your life in Lust will be one led with extreme caution.