#Sora deserves everything good ever

[potatounicoorn]

Do you guys think about the fact that Sora's first full creation from photac is a dog, a friend for her, humankinds best friend. And then it gets stolen from her, turned against everything she is and meant to do with it, into a monster. So when she runs and becomes Sora, she also seemingly switches to a cat aesthetic, you know, that one animal that is always pitted against a dog. Because the dog (the society) is against her so she must become everything they are against (a cat, a ninja).... Or is that just me?

[ducktoo]

Syncing Dream [Aespa x M!Reader]

29. History

Note: I kinda like this chapter ngl

Masterlist here

The warm Australian sun beamed down as aespa and Y/n stepped off the plane, arriving for the next stop on their world tour in Sydney. Australia felt different—bigger, louder, and somehow more exciting. The buzz of the upcoming performances filled the air, and the group was ready to take on the Oceania leg of their tour.

As they checked into their hotel, Y/n felt a mix of excitement and nerves. The group had already conquered several countries, and it was a massive milestone for any K-pop act. He had been busy managing the logistics, but part of him couldn’t shake the feeling that something unexpected was around the corner.

After getting settled, Karina, ever the planner, suggested they explore a bit of Sydney before the rehearsals kicked in. Winter, Ningning, and Giselle were all for it, and Y/n, despite his usual responsibility, decided to let loose for once. After all, they were in Sydney, and even the manager deserved a break.

The group ventured out to popular spots: Sydney CBD, Opera House, and Harbour Bridge. It was all going smoothly until Y/n decided to break off from the group for a quick coffee at a local café, needing a moment to decompress after managing so many schedules and arrangements.

He was waiting in line, minding his own business, when he felt a chill run down his spine. That strange, familiar feeling of someone’s eyes on him. He turned slowly, scanning the room, and his heart nearly stopped.

There she was.

His ex.

Sitting at a table by the window, sipping on her iced coffee, looking as radiant and carefree as ever. The same ex that Y/n had parted ways with years ago, long before he even thought about becoming aespa's manager. His heart raced as memories of their time together flooded his mind—both the good and the painful.

For a second, he considered turning around and leaving, pretending he hadn’t seen her, but before he could decide, she looked up, and their eyes locked.

She blinked in surprise, clearly recognizing him, and for a split second, it felt like time had frozen.

“Y/n?” Her voice was hesitant, unsure.

Y/n froze, the sound of his name pulling him back to reality. He opened his mouth to respond, but words failed him for a moment. His mind raced with questions. What was she doing here? Why now? Of all the places and times, why did it have to be when he was finally getting his life together?

“Sora…” he finally replied, awkwardly shoving his hands in his pockets. “What are you doing here?”

She smiled softly, shrugging. “Just on vacation. It’s been a while.”

Y/n felt a lump in his throat, nodding absently. “Yeah, it has.”

There was an awkward pause as they both stood there, unsure of what to say next. The weight of their shared past hung between them like an invisible barrier, both of them tiptoeing around it.

“You look good,” she said, breaking the silence. "Finally gained some muscles."

“Thanks. You too.” He gave a tight-lipped smile, but his mind was still reeling. He wanted to say something else, something more meaningful, but what could he say? The past was the past, and there was no going back.

As he stood there, he realized that despite everything, he didn’t feel the same pang of regret or longing he once did. She was a part of his life that had come and gone, and he had moved on—even if seeing her again was a little jarring.

Before the conversation could go any further, his phone buzzed in his pocket, pulling him back to the present. It was a message from Karina:

Karina:

Y/n, where are you? We’re at this pizza place and Giselle’s trying to convince us pineapple on pizza is a crime. Help.

He smiled at the message, grateful for the distraction.

“Sorry, I have to go,” Y/n said, waving his phone. “Work.”

She nodded, looking a little relieved herself. “Of course. It was... nice seeing you, Y/n.”

“Yeah, you too, Sora. Take it easy.”

With that, he gave her a small wave and left the café, heading back to the group. His mind was spinning with what had just happened, but he felt lighter somehow, like a chapter had finally closed.

-

Back at the pizza place, aespa was hanging out with Y/n after a long day of rehearsals in Los Angeles. The girls had been teasing him all day about how serious he looked while they were filming their social media content, and Y/n, as usual, took it in stride. But when he rejoined the group after his encounter with his ex, something was different. Karina noticed first.

"You seem... weird," Karina said, narrowing her eyes at him while munching on a slice of pizza.

"Yeah, you’ve been staring off into space," Giselle added, leaning over the table. "What’s going on in that big forehead of yours?"

"Ok, it's not that big." Y/n, caught off guard, coughed awkwardly. "And to answer that, just…thinking about tomorrow."

"Uh-huh," Winter chimed in, clearly not buying it. She rested her chin on her hand, giving him a scrutinizing look. "You’ve been zoning out ever since you came back from that café."

Ningning tilted her head, eyes glinting mischievously. "Oooh, maybe he ran into someone."

Y/n froze for a split second, and that was all the confirmation Ningning needed. Her eyes widened, and she slapped her hands on the table.

"You totally ran into someone!" she declared, grinning like a cat (well, she is, but you know that already). "Spill it! Who was it?"

The other three immediately perked up, leaning in with eager eyes. Y/n could feel the weight of their curiosity pressing in on him. He scratched the back of his head, trying to downplay it.

"Okay, fine. I... I ran into my ex."

There was a beat of stunned silence. All four girls blinked at him as if he’d just told them he was an alien from another planet.

"Wait," Karina said slowly, her voice dripping with disbelief. "You have an ex?"

"You dated someone?!" Winter practically shouted, her mouth hanging open.

"Like, actual girlfriend and everything?" Giselle added, eyes wide.

"Is this a joke?" Ningning looked between the girls and Y/n, as if trying to figure out if this was some sort of elaborate prank.

"That is so mean." Y/n sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Why is everyone so shocked? I’m a person, you know. People date. I am decent, you know?"

"Yeah, but you never talk about it!" Karina shot back, still looking like she couldn’t process the information. "You’re always so focused on work. I can’t even imagine you being romantic with someone."

Giselle leaned in, grinning. "Oh, now we have to hear this story. Spill the tea, how did you two meet? What was she like? What's her name?"

Y/n groaned, instantly regretting his decision to say anything. "It was a long time ago, before I started working as a manager. Her name was Sora. Nothing crazy. We met in uni after I left SM."

"Did you break up, or did she dump you?" Winter asked bluntly, making Y/n choke on his drink.

"Winter!" Karina scolded, though she couldn’t help but giggle at Y/n’s flustered reaction.

"I mean, it’s a fair question," Ningning said, crossing her arms with a smirk. "C’mon, oppa. What happened?"

Y/n sighed, shaking his head. "We…just grew apart. Different paths, different goals. It was mutual. No drama."

The girls exchanged skeptical glances, clearly unsatisfied with such a tame explanation. Karina leaned back in her chair, folding her arms. "Well, I still can’t believe you have an ex. You seem too... calm to have gone through that."

Giselle nodded vigorously. "Yeah, I thought you were always single. Like, destined to be our forever manager."

"Maybe his ex got tired of him constantly managing us instead of her," Ningning teased, poking at Y/n’s arm.

Y/n chuckled, shaking his head. "Very funny. But no, it was way before I even got into this job."

Winter leaned forward, her eyes gleaming with curiosity. "So... what was she like? Was she pretty?"

Y/n paused for a moment, thinking back. "Yeah, she was. But it’s all in the past now. I’m just focused on you guys and the tour."

Ningning gasped dramatically, placing a hand over her heart. "Awww, listen to that! He’s totally moved on. We’re his priority now."

"Don't be Icarus now." Y/n sipped his coffee.

Karina smirked, her teasing grin slowly returning. "But still, we’ve gotta know—how does she compare to us? I bet she wasn’t as weird as we are."

Giselle snorted. "No one’s as weird as you, Rina-unnie."

Y/n laughed, shaking his head. "You’ve got that right. You guys are a whole different level of weirdness. And honestly, I got used to it now."

Winter gave him a playful nudge. "Good answer. Now, finish your pizza and stop daydreaming about your ex."

"I wasn’t—" Y/n started, but the girls burst into laughter, cutting him off.

"Sure, sure," Karina teased. "Just admit it. You were reminiscing."

After the laughter died down and the teasing subsided, Y/n noticed that Winter had grown quieter. Her usual playful expression had dimmed, and she was absently poking at her slice of pizza, clearly deep in thought.

He nudged her gently. "You okay, Jeong?"

She glanced up, her eyes meeting his for a brief second before she shrugged. "Yeah, just... thinking."

Karina, Giselle, and Ningning were still engrossed in their conversation, oblivious to the change in Winter’s mood. Y/n, however, could tell something was off. He leaned in closer so the others wouldn’t hear and whispered, "You sure? You look upset."

Winter sighed, setting down her pizza. "I mean, it’s not a big deal, but..." She hesitated, chewing on her bottom lip. "I just didn’t know you had an ex. You never told me."

Y/n blinked, caught off guard by her sudden seriousness. "Wait, that’s what’s bothering you?"

She gave him a small smile, though it didn’t quite reach her eyes. "I know it’s silly. It’s just... you and I are pretty close, and I feel like I should’ve known something like that about you."

He leaned back slightly, watching her carefully. "Jeong, I didn’t hide it on purpose. It’s just... the past. And honestly, I didn’t think it was that important anymore. It’s not like I keep it a secret or anything."

"I get that," she said, fiddling with her napkin. "But I still feel like... I dunno, maybe I should’ve known."

Y/n couldn’t help but chuckle, earning a confused glance from Winter. "What’s so funny?"

"Oh, nothing," Y/n said, smirking as he crossed his arms. "I just think it’s cute that you’re getting jealous."

Winter’s eyes widened, and she immediately went on the defensive. "Jealous? Me? Of your ex?!" She shook her head, her cheeks turning a light shade of pink. "Please. I’m not jealous. I’m Winter."

"Uh-huh," Y/n teased, raising an eyebrow. "You’ve been quiet ever since I mentioned her. Come on, admit it. You were a little bit jealous."

Winter huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "I wasn’t! I just... I don’t know. I thought we talked about everything, and then suddenly you have this whole relationship history that I never knew about."

Y/n leaned closer, his voice softer now. "Look, it’s really not that deep. It happened a long time ago, and you guys are my priority now. You know that, right?"

Winter nodded, still looking slightly embarrassed. "Yeah, I know."

Y/n grinned, deciding to push her buttons just a little bit more. "But I’m still taking this as you being jealous. I mean, it’s pretty obvious."

Winter playfully punched him in the arm. "I said I’m not!"

Y/n laughed, rubbing his arm. "Alright, alright. I believe you. But if you ever feel like I’m keeping something from you, just ask. I’m not gonna hide anything from you."

She smiled again, this time a genuine one. "Okay, deal."

"And for the record," Y/n added with a sly grin, "you’re way cooler than my ex ever was."

"…and prettier as well." He whispered the last part.

Winter’s blush deepened, and she glanced away, muttering under her breath, "Whatever, idiot."

But Y/n could see the faint smile tugging at the corners of her lips, and that was enough to let him know things were back to normal.

-

The concert in Australia had been a smashing success, and the atmosphere was electric as the members of aespa stepped off the stage, adrenaline still coursing through their veins. Y/n was buzzing with pride, watching the girls laugh and chat animatedly as they basked in the afterglow of their performance.

“Did you see the way they loved that last song?” Ningning exclaimed, bouncing on her toes. “I can’t believe we pulled it off!”

“Right? The energy was insane!” Giselle chimed in, her eyes sparkling. “I think this tour is going to be unforgettable.”

Y/n was feeling particularly accomplished, having managed everything smoothly without a hitch. As he walked into the lobby with aespa in tow, he was still chuckling about some of the fans' reactions from earlier.

But the light mood shifted almost instantly when they reached the elevators.

There she was.

Sora, his ex, stood at the reception desk, her back turned but unmistakable. Y/n froze in place for a second, blinking as if trying to process what was happening. He hadn’t expected to see her again after their first accidental encounter earlier. And now... they were staying at the same hotel?

Of all the places.

Winter, walking just beside Y/n, noticed his sudden change in demeanour and immediately followed his gaze. When she spotted Sora, her expression hardened, but she didn’t say anything. The rest of the girls were oblivious, still chatting away about the concert, until Giselle elbowed Karina, gesturing towards Y/n’s sudden silence.

Sora turned around, her eyes catching Y/n’s. For a moment, they both stared at each other in mutual surprise. Then, a smile broke out on her face.

"Y/n!" Sora waved, her voice soft yet somehow carrying through the bustling lobby.

The girls quickly quieted down, all of them now watching the interaction unfold. Y/n gave a small wave back, feeling an awkward knot form in his stomach.

"Hey, Sora," he greeted, his voice a bit tense. "Didn’t expect to see you here... again."

Sora walked over, her smile still in place. "Yeah, well, the world’s small, right? Or maybe fate’s playing some sort of joke on us." She chuckled lightly. "We’re actually staying at the same hotel."

The tension in the air was palpable, especially from Winter’s side. She stood closer to Y/n, almost as if silently staking her claim. Sora noticed, her sharp eyes flicking towards Winter with the smallest hint of amusement.

"Well, this is... awkward," Karina muttered under her breath, to which Giselle nodded in agreement.

"No sht, unnie," Ningning added, though she didn’t seem to mind watching this play out.

Y/n cleared his throat. "Uh, yeah, it is a bit."

Sora chuckled, glancing at the girls, then back to Y/n. "Look, I don’t want to make things weird. I was actually thinking, maybe we could catch up, just you and me? You know, like old friends." Her voice was light, casual, but the request felt heavy.

Y/n hesitated. He glanced at Winter, who was trying to appear unfazed, but it was clear the idea of him catching up with his ex privately wasn’t sitting well with her.

Sora, sensing the tension, leaned in a little closer to Winter, her voice low so only she could hear. "Don’t worry," she said with a wink. "I’m just catching up with him. But... you should take care of him, yeah? I can already see how much you care."

Winter blinked in surprise, momentarily speechless as Sora gave her a knowing smile before stepping back.

"So, Y/n?" Sora pressed, her eyes now focused solely on him. "What do you say? I promise I won’t take up too much of your time."

The girls watched him closely. Karina raised an eyebrow, clearly curious. Ningning seemed amused by the whole situation, while Giselle was probably planning to tease him later.

Winter, on the other hand, was trying hard not to show any more jealousy, but it was obvious to Y/n that she was uncomfortable with this whole thing.

Y/n sighed, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. "Uh, sure, Sora. We can catch up for a bit."

Winter’s eyes flickered for just a moment, but she didn’t say anything. Sora, however, caught it and smiled slightly, as if she had won some unspoken battle.

"Great! Let’s just find somewhere quiet."

The two of them walked towards a corner of the lobby, leaving the girls standing there, watching them go.

"Well," Karina said after a long pause, "this is... interesting."

Giselle nodded, smirking. "You think she’s going to make a move?"

Ningning giggled. "Oh, I’d pay to see Minjeong-unnie’s reaction if that happens."

Winter, who had been watching Y/n and Sora with a hard expression, finally snapped out of it. She turned to the group, narrowing her eyes. "I’m not jealous, okay?"

Karina grinned. "Sure, you’re not. Totally."

"Completely not," Ningning teased. "I mean, it’s not like your face was literally showing ‘jealousy’ written all over it."

Winter crossed her arms, pouting slightly. "I’m just... watching out for him."

Giselle laughed. "Winter, it’s okay. We all know you’re definitely not jealous."

Winter didn’t say anything, but the blush creeping up her neck told the others everything they needed to know.

-

As Y/n and Sora settled into the quiet corner of the hotel lounge, the hum of distant conversations and the clinking of glasses filled the air. A soft, amber light bathed the room, creating an intimate and nostalgic atmosphere. For a few moments, neither of them spoke, the silence between them thick with the weight of their shared past. Y/n shifted in his seat, unsure of how to start this conversation. Despite having moved on, seeing Sora again stirred up old memories.

Sora broke the silence first, her voice quiet and filled with a hint of melancholy. “You’ve changed.”

Y/n glanced up at her, blinking in mild surprise. “Have I?”

She smiled softly, folding her arms across the table. “Yeah. In a good way. I mean, back when we were together, you were always a bit unsure, you know? Always second-guessing yourself, trying to figure things out.” She looked at him thoughtfully, her eyes reflecting a blend of admiration and sadness. “But now... you seem more confident. More at peace with who you are.”

Y/n let out a small laugh, though it was tinged with a hint of nervousness. “I don’t know if I’m that different. I’m still figuring things out, honestly.”

Sora shook her head. “No, Y/n. You’ve grown. I can see it.” She paused, glancing down at her hands before looking back at him, her gaze more intense now. “I’ve thought about us a lot. After we broke up, I wondered if we made the right decision. It was hard. Letting you go... it wasn’t easy.”

Y/n’s chest tightened at her words. He hadn’t expected the conversation to take this turn. “Sora...” he began, unsure of what to say.

She held up a hand, stopping him. “No, it’s okay. I don’t regret it. I think we needed to go our separate ways to become who we are now. But seeing you here, doing what you’re doing... I’m just really proud of you. And I’m happy to see you happy, even if it’s without me.”

Y/n looked down at the table, swallowing hard. His mind was racing with memories of their time together, the good moments and the difficult ones. Sora had been a big part of his life, and hearing her say those things now, after all this time, stirred up feelings he hadn’t expected to confront tonight.

“I guess I’ve never really thanked you,” he said quietly, still staring at his hands. “For everything. You were there for me when I didn’t know what I was doing, when I was still figuring out what I wanted in life. And even though things didn’t work out... I wouldn’t be who I am today without you.”

Sora’s eyes softened, her expression warm. “Y/n...”

He looked up at her, his voice steadier now. “I’m sorry things ended the way they did. But I’m glad we can talk like this now.”

Sora nodded, her eyes shimmering slightly with unshed tears. “Me too.”

For a while, they just sat there, absorbing the moment. It wasn’t a conversation filled with grand gestures or dramatic confessions, but rather the quiet closure they both needed. There were no lingering resentments, no what-ifs. Just two people who had once loved each other, finally at peace with how things had turned out.

After a few more minutes of small talk, Sora stood up, brushing off her clothes. “I should let you get back to your girls,” she said with a gentle smile. “You’ve got a busy life ahead.”

Y/n chuckled lightly, standing up as well. “Yeah, they’re probably wondering what’s taking so long.”

Before she left, though, Sora paused, glancing back at him with a knowing smile. “You know, she’s really lucky.”

Y/n frowned, confused. “Who?”

Sora motioned with her head toward the direction where the aespa members were sitting. “Winter. I can see how much she cares about you. It’s kind of obvious, honestly.” She chuckled softly, watching Y/n’s eyes widen in surprise. “I’m not saying this as your ex, but as someone who wants to see you happy. Don’t let that slip away, okay?”

Y/n blinked, taken aback by her words. He opened his mouth to respond, but before he could say anything, Sora turned and started walking away. “Take care of yourself, Y/n,” she called over her shoulder. “And take care of her.”

Y/n watched her go, his mind still reeling from what she had just said. He had always sensed that Winter had a special place in his life, but hearing Sora point it out so bluntly stirred something deeper within him.

As he returned to where the girls were sitting, he noticed Winter looking at him with a curious expression, her arms crossed as if she was trying to hide her concern.

“How’d it go?” Karina asked immediately, leaning in with interest.

Y/n waved his hand dismissively, trying to downplay it. “It was just... catching up.”

But Winter’s eyes never left his face, as if searching for something deeper in his expression. Before he could say anything else, Sora suddenly reappeared, heading straight toward Winter.

Y/n’s eyes widened in confusion. “Sora?”

Winter looked up, startled, as Sora approached her with a smile. “Hey,” she said softly, her voice more gentle than before. “Can I talk to you for a sec?”

Winter blinked, looking from Y/n to Sora with a mix of surprise and suspicion. “Uh... sure?”

Sora gestured for her to follow, and Winter hesitantly stood up, walking a few steps away with her. Y/n watched in silence, his heart pounding a little harder than usual. What was Sora doing?

The other members glanced at each other, wondering about the unexpected plot twist in this little drama.

-

As Winter followed Sora a few steps away from the others, the bustling background noise of the hotel lounge faded slightly, leaving a more intimate, quieter space between them. Winter crossed her arms, trying to hide her nervousness, while Sora offered a gentle smile.

“Look….I’m not here to make things weird,” Sora began, her tone soft but direct. “But... I can tell there’s something going on between you and Y/n. You two are childhood friends, after all.”

Winter blinked, caught off guard. “Uh... what?” she stammered, clearly not expecting Sora to be so upfront. “You knew that?”

Sora chuckled lightly, nodding her head. “He did talk about you a lot when we dated, mentioning about a certain hot-blooded friend of his. I knew there was something about you two when he mentioned you. Don’t worry, you’re not the reason we split.”

Winter’s gaze faltered for a second, her mind racing. She hadn’t expected to be having this conversation with Y/n’s ex of all people. “It’s not... I mean... it’s complicated,” she finally said, biting her lip.

Sora’s smile softened. “It always is. Especially with Y/n. He’s the type to put everyone else first, never realizing how much people actually care about him.” She paused, watching Winter closely. “But you know that already, don’t you?”

Winter’s cheeks flushed slightly, but she nodded. “Yeah... he’s always looking out for us. For me.”

“And you’re always looking out for him,” Sora added, her eyes warm with understanding. “That’s why I wanted to talk to you.”

Winter blinked in surprise. “Me? Why?”

Sora exhaled slowly, as if carefully choosing her next words. “Because I want you to take care of him. Y/n... he’s special. He doesn’t always realize how much he means to the people around him. When we were together, I didn’t always see that either, not in the way I should have.” She looked down briefly, her expression growing more introspective. “But now... I see the way you look at him. And honestly? I think you’re better for him than I ever was.”

Winter’s eyes widened, a mix of shock and uncertainty flashing across her face. “What? No, I... I don’t know about that,” she said quickly, her usual confidence slipping.

Sora gave her a knowing smile. “You don’t have to downplay it, Wint- ah no, Minjeong-ssi." She shook her head. "I’m not saying this to make you feel uncomfortable or anything. I’m saying it because I can see how much you care. And I just want you to know... it’s okay to feel that way. Y/n’s lucky to have you by his side.”

Winter’s heart raced, the words hanging in the air between them. She had never thought of herself as someone who would compete for Y/n’s attention, but hearing it from Sora, Y/n’s ex, felt surreal. “I just... I don’t know if he even notices,” Winter admitted quietly, her voice a little more vulnerable than she intended.

Sora’s smile widened a bit, her eyes twinkling with a hint of amusement. “Oh, trust me. He notices. He’s just Y/n—he’s awkward and dumb at times."

"I can agree with you on that." Minjeong gave her a high five.

Sora chuckled. “But if you ever need a reminder, just watch how he reacts when you’re not around. That’s when you’ll really see it.”

Winter felt her heart skip a beat at Sora’s words. She wasn’t sure how to respond, so she simply nodded, her mind spinning with the unexpected conversation.

Sora placed a hand gently on Winter’s shoulder, squeezing it in a reassuring way. “I’m happy for you two, you know? Even if he doesn’t realize it yet.”

Winter couldn’t help but let out a small laugh, the tension in her shoulders easing just a bit. “Thanks... I guess I wasn’t expecting this kind of talk from you.”

Sora shrugged playfully. “Hey, we exes aren’t all bad, you know? Sometimes we just want the best for the people we used to care about.”

Winter’s smile grew a little brighter. “Yeah, I can see that.”

Sora took a step back, her expression lighter now. “Anyway, I should get going. Just... take care of him, alright?”

“I will,” Winter promised, her voice more confident this time.

"Ah also, one little tip." Sora whispered, making Winter curious. "He's a definite bottom."

Winter was flabbergasted. "..huh?"

"Have fun with that info! Lovely to meet you, Minjeong-ssi!"

With that, Sora gave a final wave before walking back toward the exit, leaving Winter standing there, her thoughts swirling. After a moment, she turned to head back to the group, her heart still pounding from the unexpected conversation.

When she reached Y/n, he looked at her with raised eyebrows, clearly curious. “What was that about?”

Winter glanced at him, a small smile tugging at her lips. “Just girl talk,” she said, repeating her earlier words.

Y/n narrowed his eyes playfully. “Girl talk, huh? You two seemed pretty intense over there.”

Winter shrugged, her smile growing a little mischievous while remembering the last few words from Sora. “You’ll never know.”

Y/n opened his mouth to protest, but Karina interrupted with a teasing grin. “Ooh, look who’s got all the secrets now.”

Giselle chuckled, nudging Ningning, who was watching the whole thing with amusement. “Bet Jeongie’s jealous.”

Winter shot them a glare, but the warmth in her eyes betrayed her playful frustration. The girls laughed, and even Y/n couldn’t help but smile, though a flicker of curiosity still danced in his gaze.

As the group settled back into their usual banter, Winter glanced at Y/n once more, feeling a little lighter, a little more certain. Maybe Sora was right. Maybe it was time for her to stop worrying about what Y/n did or didn’t notice. After all, if he hadn’t noticed by now, he would soon enough.

[septnanis]

places to hide / soriku

“Hey,” Terra says, a tall shadow in the doorway.

Riku looks up at him and smiles. He likes Terra. Not just because they shared a moment so poignant that it shaped Riku’s future, but because Terra is a kind, steady presence in his life.

“You okay?” Terra asks.

But most of all, Riku feels like he can let his guard down. He nods, his throat feeling thick with emotion he can’t quite place.

“Yeah,” Riku says.

“Sora was worried about you,” Terra says. “May I?” He gestures to the overturned crate across from the one Riku is sitting on. “He said this is your favorite hiding spot.”

Riku nods and Terra sits down, the door shutting slowly behind him. Once it closes, only the light from underneath cuts through the darkness. It’s enough that they see each other.

“Are you?” Terra asks.

“Huh?” Riku replies.

“Hiding from something?” Terra moves a bit so he’s more comfortable.

From everything, Riku wants to say. From expectations, from my innate drive to keep going and going, a dozen other things and some he would never dare say out loud.

“I asked Sora why he didn’t look for you,” Terra says. “He seems to think you might be mad at him. Another year wasted on me, he said. Did you and Sora argue?”

Riku shakes his head. “No, I just…” he says. “I may have been avoiding him a little.”

Terra lets the words settle in the room for a while. It floats in the air like dust motes, catching whatever light is left in the room.

“I like sitting in dark places, too,” Terra says. “You’d think after years of being trapped in darkness I’d hate it. But it feels… comforting.” He runs his hands over the top of his legs. “Guess I learned to love my chains.”

“I felt like a monster,” Riku says. “Or a Heartless. But now it just feels nice… kinda quiet and almost peaceful. It makes stepping into the light feel even better.”

“Perfect balance,” Terra says. “You’re a wiser man than anyone who ever tried to teach me anything, Riku.”

Riku shifts and smiles. “Except for Aqua and Ven,” he says.

Terra nods. “They’re always my exception to everything,” he says in a fond tone.

Another silence falls.

When Terra chooses to speak again he does so carefully. “I know how you feel,” he says. “About yourself. And Sora.”

Riku’s demeanor changes, his back slightly straighter.

“You don’t have to say anything,” Terra says. “Or admit anything. I’m not going to push you to do anything. But I know you haven’t stood still for a moment since you left your home. I know despite how strong you are and how brave you’ve been, that you’re tired.”

Terra looks away from him, when Riku puts a hand on his own face. “I know you’re frustrated, and that maybe you think you don’t deserve to want the things you do.”

“I just want you to know that you deserve good things,” he says. “You deserve to be a happy young man in the prime of his life. Don’t give up on that.”

Riku inhales sharply, leans back and nods. “I didn’t waste anything,” he says. “Not for him.”

Terra places his hand on Riku’s shoulder and stands. “Tell him that, when you’re ready,” he says. “I think his answer might surprise you.”

Riku looks up at him and looks every bit the young man he is. When he nods again, Terra puts his hand on the door.

“It’s a good hiding spot,” Terra says. “Mind if I borrow it sometimes?”

Riku laughs, a little emotion stuck in the sound. “Sure,” he says. “I don’t mind.”

—-

“Sorry,” Riku says, weeks later. “If you thought I was avoiding you.”

Sora shrugs against his side. He sat down beside Riku when Riku invited him in without asking. Real light doesn’t ask permission, real darkness never pushes back. Perfect balance.

“That’s okay,” Sora says. “My foot’s in a bucket.”

“Your foot is a bucket,” Riku shoots back. It takes a beat, but they both snigger.

The silence between them is so different than the one between Riku and Terra. It’s lighter, and there’s electricity.

“I know sometimes you need some space,” Sora says. “You’ve always been like that. I don’t mind!”

Riku imagines how he couldn’t have fallen for Sora. It seems so impossible.

“You can tell me,” Sora says. “Even if it’s just a ‘I want to be alone now!’ thing. And if I ever do anything, you can tell me. You don’t owe me anything.”

Riku looks at him. His blue eyes, his spiky hair, his eyebrows, one just a little higher than the other. The way his mouth always looks like it wants to smile.

“And you could never be a waste of time,” Riku says. There’s a moment and then relief seems to wash over Sora’s face.

“It’s a good hiding spot,” Sora says, an echo of Terra that makes Riku smile.

When Sora lays his head just ever so slightly on Riku’s shoulder and lays the back of his hand against Riku’s leg. An open invitation to something he’s wanted for as long as he can remember.

Just because Riku reached out a little.

“It really is,” Riku says, lays his head ever so gently on Sora’s.

He reaches his own hand out, farther than he’s ever dared.

In the darkness, he’s no longer afraid.

[starhoodies]

i'm so in love with one of your last pieces, REBIRTH I think it is? It's so so good, was in inspired by anything in particular?? I'm just in love with it! Goshh I hope you get inspiration to finish it's accompaniment piece as well!

OH hey!! Sorry this is late!

The Rebirth WIP was for the previous soriku week's prompt, which I believe was "REVERSE // REBIRTH" (?)

I kinda knew right away I wanted to do "Rebirth", and the concept was initially inspired by a song that started off with "The End" and ended with "The Beginning" as its first and last lyrics.

I knew I wanted to go the pseudo baptism route because KH loves both subtle and unsubtle religious symbolism and so do I, especially when it comes to Riku. and YEAH IT'S ON THE NOSE, but so is haloing riku a billion times with the sun/literal halos in KH3 lest audience forgets hes gay jesus or whatever.

that's the short answer but I wrote more cause the adhd meds are bussin rn

so ok I wanted to do a companion piece that hearkened back to KHI's end from Riku's perspective. After everything he's done, his story ending in KHI being a perfect one for him in his eyes. One where he's cut loose from dragging his friends down with him. His vain attempt to gain power to alter the course of a destiny he feared resulting in losing himself and hurting the people he swore to protect. It's justice! It's his punishment. That's "THE END."

and then all of a sudden he's being roughly yanked outta the water by a frantic sora who has been looking everywhere for him.

Despite it all, he's dragged into a second chance. Through gaining control of his darkness and facing his fears in CoM, his choice to keep all his memories, his devotion to Sora, his last stand against Xemnas. Even after all he's done, even with the lengths he's gone to wake Sora up, and despite not even wanting to be found, he can still go home. (and he kinda doesn't get a choice cause sora and kairi were kinda ready to wrestle him to the ground lmao)

In the end, he gets his body back, gets his friends back, and even his old home welcomes him back, the same as it ever was.. KH2's end was super satisfying but it's also just the beginning. There's still much more weighing him down, even as he treads water back to the shore, but yknow...all in due time.

UHHH there's probably more to his I'm not explaining well enough but YOU get it. YOU'VE played the games. YOU know whats going on.

anyway I love it when riku looks at current circumstances and is like "yes this is how it should be, and is probably better than i deserve" and then the narrative hands him another W and he's like

[yume127]

It’s heartbreaking to think that, by the end of Days, Roxas felt so betrayed by everyone around him to fully believe that no one—not even his best friends—would have cared if he was gone.

For months, he questioned what was happening around him. Everyone around him acted strange, and it seemed like there were some things they were not telling him, but he still chose to trust them. That was until he found out that his best friends were keeping things from him, and the Organization, whom he’d always been loyal to until that point, was planning to get rid of him.

He ended up fighting with his best friend and running away, only to witness the death of his other best friend.

At that point, everything he ever cared about was lost, and he was so desperate that he embarked on a suicidal mission to destroy the Organization and free Kingdom Hearts, under the delusion that it would give him his old life back.

Except someone stopped him before he could. He got kidnapped and put into a simulation, where he had everything he had ever wished for—a normal life he gets to spend with his best friends.

For a brief time, everything seemed okay. He was happy.

That was until strange things started happening around him. He saw things no one else could, and started questioning his reality, only to find out it was fake. It was just an illusion to keep him at bay until he’d have to give up his life for another guy he barely knew, because apparently his life was much more worthy and important than Roxas’.

It didn’t matter how much he screamed and fought. No one was going to save him as he disappeared inside Sora.

He fought one last time, against the guy he had to give up his life for, and then he just gave up. He fully surrendered to the idea that he was just a part of Sora, and that “it really has to be [Sora]”.

No one cared about Roxas, anyway. Both the bad guys and the good guys wanted to get rid of him, and not even the people who cared the most about him truly believed he deserved his own life. He was just a Nobody, after all.

Except, it was not true.

Without realizing, during the time he was alive as his own person, he touched many people’s hearts.

Axel and Xion, his best friends, truly cared about him and just wanted to protect him from his fate. Xion would have wanted to be with him and Axel forever if fate hadn’t been so cruel to them. Axel’s deepest wish, after Roxas’ disappearance, was to bring him back.

Naminé, whom he only met briefly during his last seven days and shared his same fate, found a silver lining in believing they could be together (even if through Sora and Kairi) and held onto that promise of meeting him again and talking with him about everything.

Hayner, Pence and Olette immediately offered to help Sora save Roxas upon finding out their data selves were friends with him, and looked forward to the day they’d get to meet their new friend.

Sora himself, the guy Roxas had to give up his life for, was the first person to fully believe Roxas was his own person and deserved his own life, and he made it a priority to find a way to bring Roxas back.

Even some of the people who had been antagonistic with him during his life, like Saix and Ansem the Wise, helped to make sure Roxas could come back.

It was so satisfying seeing him coming back in KH3 and recognizing that many people helped him return. Because Roxas was important, and many people did, in fact, miss him and worked hard to allow for his return.

[vesora]

forgiving yourself and others

this is less of a loa post and more of a personal one. for the sake of this post I will refer to soras life as "i". this is not a cohesive post at all

since things that are happening right now in my family life and personal life that reminded me of some things i said or did in the past i decided to do shadow work

to be honest growing up i was taught to stifle my real personality and go along with what society wants from me because my mother had a mentality that others need to know we are all okay and good in the public eye. This led me to be a perfectionist who can't handle mistakes and wants to please everyone even if it went against what I believed in. Reading back old texts I realised how ashamed I am of who I was back then. I was so stuck in this victim mentality of wanting others to like me that I never asked myself whether I like myself.

I've always wanted to be seen and heard by people. As a desi living in Greece, the most affected minority is us because we are privy to the most migrant attacks. Although I've stopped experiencing racism now due to the law I feel that the "past" me even up to last year was bitter that the desi community wasn't receiving any help by the global media. I always put myself down and that manifested in an outer expression of passive aggression.

To be honest, the past few months have been so transformative for me. I feel completely new and honest. I have a huge time with my own mistakes but have forgiven everyone else in my life and I think that's unfair to me.

Realising that it's okay to make mistakes, it's okay to fuck up, it's okay

I mean even writing this i hate it because I want to ruminate over my mistakes for a lifetime but I've grown so much and I've learned how to be better not only to myself but to others as well.

All I've ever wanted is to make people happy. I'm not saying this because I want to establish a positive image of myself, I genuinely mean it. I have no enemies and all I ever want is to grow as a person and understand different world views and how people operate. My entire life my main goal was to help people because it was never fair how one person could have the world and the other person didn't have a bed to sleep in. All I wanted was for people to be safe and happy. Spending countless nights crying because i felt I couldn't help the world and then I found loa and everything changed. Yet, when I had to stop volunteering and helping refugees from multiple places because of university, I felt like the worst person on earth. If I want to help others, I must first help myself.

Now, I am the most honest I have ever been in my life. LOA helped me a lot because this is exactly what I wanted, to be free. I still have BPD episodes and depressive episodes from time to time but I feel more stable than ever.

Forgive yourself and learn to grow, it's okay. Even though I don't fully believe this yet, I don't feel I deserve this happiness, we are in this journey together. I forgave everyone now it's time to forgive myself.

[mythicalartistx]

I hate Master Odin from DR and my opinions of the other Masters

Mickey

Mickey is constantly hated in KH but there is someone who deserves it so much more. First of all he only knew Aqua was in the realm of darkness for a year.

Then Yen Sid commanded him not to go, plus he was busy with dealing with Organization XIII, then the Journal, and the exams Sora and Riku took. And the last two only probably took a month or so each.

Then he tried to find her with Riku's help because it's probably better to go with another person....

I don't get it especially when Odin— the worse master to ever happened exists.

And Mickey did so much for Riku and helps him when he needs someone.

I hate Odin with so much passion and one of the main reasons is that he isn't shown as doing anything wrong. They treat it like he didn't make any mistakes.

Ansem

He makes Ansem look so good in comparison —who I have mixed feelings on and I think Ansem's change of heart isn't genuine and seems way too fast.

Like the dude is talking trash about nobodies and how they don't deserve to exist and they have no feelings. Then suddenly at the end you regret that and is like I'm sorry Roxas?? Like why? How did you get to this reason?

It doesn't seem genuine and then he sacrifices himself like oh now we're supposed to feel bad because he did this one good thing?

And Riku did not need to deal with this guy, he's awful.

But back to him.

Odin

This guy is the reason why Xehanort is the way he is. He set him on the path. Odin can't understand mental health. This student of his was going through some things because his sister was missing and presumably dead. He was not in a good head space and depressed so Odin decides to isolate him??

Yeah.....

Not a good thing.

It makes him worse and then darkness influences him🤦

And then there are these missing students so he decides the best thing to find the students are to send his INEXPERIENCED UNDERCLASSMEN?

It makes no sense.

It's stupid.

They could also get hurt.

Why doesn't he A MASTER TRY TO LOOK FOR THEM or send I don't know another master???

But he send Xehanort Eraqus and several others.

And basically them going to worlds make it where they question how things are which lead Xehanort down his path of destruction. It makes him curious about darkness and curious if it's right or wrong to dwell in world's affairs even if it's a world with people doing bad things.

Then the student who was not in a good place... Yeah Baldr gets influenced by darkness badly and wants to hurt and decides to kill everyone

IT'S NOT GOOD

And then Xehanort and Eraqus are the only ones left. So Odin decides to tell Xehanort to kill him.

And Xehanort has been having thoughts about darkness and light and what everything means. And he didn't exactly disagree with some of the things Baldr said.

WHY WOULD HE PLACE THE BURDEN ON XEHANORT?

And by doing that he cause him to eventually go down dark path.

Then Odin retires.

I'M SO GLAD.

He deserves to retire after failing and being an awful person and master.

Like dude is so bad.

But that's not until he sends the two survivors into taking the mark of mastery exam which is a stupid exam which always have bad things happen.

And Xehanort meets The Master of Master who honestly seems chaotic and just does things because he is bored. That's my gist of this guy. An he's not good for him.

He causes him to go farther in and become worse.

Yeahhhhhhh

He gets so interested learning about darkness and light. He probably heard about things relating to kingdom hearts from M.O.M.

Then Xehanort leaves Eraqus and when he comes back he's different. Eraqus can tell and realizes he has been obsessed with darkness. They even get in fights. It doesn't go well.

And Odin isn't heard from again thank goodness.

If Sora dealt with this guy man it would be so bad.

Master Yen Sid

Now he isn't that great.

For one he believes all nobodies are bad?

Like why? They just want hearts to live. They aren't bad people. But he makes Sora think really bad of them.

Also he doesn't really do much. He seems to be really strong as shown in kh3 but he just sits back and lets all the kids do everything.

During the exam in DDD, it was rigged because of Xehanort. And Sora doesn't pass because Riku dived in a second time. BUT SORA WOULD DEFINITELY DO IT FOR RIKU.

It's the stupidest reason why Sora didn't pass. I'm fine with the idea of Sora not becoming a master yet BUT MAYBE DO A BETTER REASON OR SOMETHING

Yen Sid is dumb.

Also not allowing anyone to go back to search for Aqua until kh3

And taking the exam in the first place is dumb. They just realized that something bad is in the midst from the recoded events and then he summons Sora and Riku to take this exam.

They don't think someone might try to mess with it AT ALL??

Also as Sora said, they proved themselves several times. Only because of Riku insecurities they end up taking it. Riku's still doesn't believe in himself and fears his darkness a bit...

So Sora takes because Riku does. He just wanted to take it with him and be with him by doing so.

Yeah that doesn't work out.

Also Yen Sid training Kairi with Axel is kinda bad??? Like they should have helping them instead of endlessly training. It doesn't seem that great since they both easily gets knocked away.

But yeah, it's not too good but it's not necessary bad.

Eraqus

He's a pretty decent Master. And when I say decent I mean he tried. What he does that no one else does is he APOLOGIZES. He acknowledges what he does is wrong in kh3. He hugs all of them and apologizes. It seems genuine.

And after dark road his actions make sense he does what he does because he's afraid of them dying from darkness like Baldr or being corrupted and dangerous.

Though I HAVE NO IDEA why he brought Xehanort around?

Did he not remember??

He sees all three of his apprentices as his own.

He has Aqua look out for Terra because he was worried. But he realizes how much pressure he put on her.

As for Ven he thinks destroying him is the best way to stop the χ blade from being forged and doing what Xehanort wants.

IMMEDIATELY AFTER HE REGRETS IT.

He is like how could I raise my hand against you, talking to Terra and referring to Ventus.

And Terra protects Ventus because he cares for him and he uses darkness for a good reason.

And I'm not going into Aqua because she doesn't really do that much with others besides watch Terra which Eraqus told her to do, it's not from her own decisions and things. She doesn't really have time to act that much. And afterwards she is by herself in the realm of darkness.

Riku, I'm not going into either because he doesn't do much yet involving his title.

[aesthetically-meme]

Everyone needs to know right now how SPECIFIC Exist for Love is. @that-fanperson-meg COME HERE (please)

It is SO SPECIFIC FOR TWILIGHT AND DUSK. IT IS LITERALLY DUSK RAMBLING TO TK ABOUT HOW MUCH HE MEANS TO THEM, AND THEM INADVERTENTLY CONFESSING THEIR ENTIRE FUCKING EXISTENCE TO HIM.

DO YOU UNDERSTAND? CAUSE I'M ABOUT TO RAMBLE SO FUCKING HARD, HERE WE GO.

I've never felt like this before/my heart knew I couldn't/and then you take me in/and everything in me begins to feel like I belong/like everybody needs a home

༶•┈┈⛧┈♛

When Dusk first met Twilight, they were very distant, but not in a social way. It didn't seem like Dusk was really there, they were almost hollow. It was scary to see an astral like that. However upon interacting with Twilight, they're instantly filled with life. (I'll talk more about this later teehee)

And when I take your hand/like the world has never held a man/I know I cannot heal the hurt/but I will hold you here forever/if I can, if I can

Basically Dusk saying that they'll always be there for Twilight. They aren't able to undo what's happened to him, but they can be there for him and give him all the love he deserves, whether or not he thinks he does.

And then I learned the truth/how everything good in life seems to lead back to you/and every single time I run into your arms/I feel like I exist for love/like I exist for love/only for love

THAAATTSSSSSSS LITERALLY THEM AKXNAKDNANSJWNSNW, THEY HAVE SUCH A STRONG BOND IT MAKES DUSK FEEL LIKE THEY HAVE A PURPOSE‼️

After leaving the GSA and coming to terms that they're alone, they realize how happy Twilight made them. Yes, being in the GSA wasn't all that bad. They had Maestro and their fellow astrals around them. But Twilight was family, he was one of the main things that drove them to strive for greatness. They wanted to protect the light that Twilight cast.

I can't imagine how it is to be forbidden from loving

Dusk is physically incapable of not feeling some form of love due to their matter. Upon hearing how Estelle treated Twilight, they'd immediately start clinging to him again. The idea that someone could ever be mean or abusive towards Twilight physically hurts them.

Cause when you walked into my life/I could feel my life begin/like I was torn apart the minute I was only born/and you're the other half/the only thing that makes me whole

Now, I know what I just said. But when Dusk was found by Maestro, she could tell there was some sort of enchantment over them. It blocked off their emotions, sealing them deep within them. She couldn't break the spell, but hoped Dusk would meet someone in the GSA that could help chip away at the spell via love.

Despite being with Maestro when they met Twilight, Dusk didn't immediately feel a connection to Maestro. For the first few weeks of them being in the GSA, they where kinda quiet, a bit empty. (No one could truly figure out why. Only Dusk would figure out later it was because of some sort of spell.) It's not until they meet Twilight do they suddenly become 'alive'. Dusk's soul is attracted to Twilight's wounded heart. Think of it like Sora from kh when he took in Ventus' heart. Except Dusk's soul made itself heal so they could help Twilight heal.

I know it sounds like a lot/but you really need to know/we are leaning out for love/and we will lean for forever, I know/I love you so

Clearly this must be overwhelming for Twilight, but they desperately need to know how loved he is. He puts too much on himself and not only is it hurting him, but it's hurting Dusk too. Twilight has so many people he can count on, and there's many people that are yet to be discovered.

And when you say my name/like white horses on the waves/I think it feels the same/as an ocean in my veins/and you'll be diving in/like nothing is out of place

Just acknowledging their bond gives Dusk life. It's like seeing your best friend and getting excited at the idea of just briefly interacting. You could not talk to each other for weeks and then see each other and chat like you spoke the day prior.

And we exist for love/only for love

They're acknowledging that if they were to lose the other then ... Yeah. A bit sad, but truthfully, both would be lost if the other were to die. But also speaking of their race as Heart Matter. Dual purpose yknow.

And I love you, I love you, I love you x2

Dusk will tell Twilight they love him however many times he needs to hear it to believe it. They aren't shy about being affectionate and will rightfully do anything to make their best friend feel better.

[foxydivaxx]

Gossip Girl AU Prequel: Z After Dark Chapter 3

A Gossip Girl story ain't a Gossip Girl story without Gossip Girl herself showing up. So this is Gossip Girl's first recorded appearance in-universe. Warnings: sexual content, alcohol

This just in!! Mihawk Dracule has filed from divorce from Terra Roronoa!! As if that ain't enough, Arashi, Zs father has filed for divorce as well. Apparently, the guy filed for divorce but somehow the woman blocked it.

Great news for Z, his new music has been widely acclaimed. Now the question remains, what is Z's next move? Watch this space because things are about to get heated as the summer holidays come to a close.

And who am I? That's one secret I will never tell.

XOXO,

Gossip Girl

Zoro wakes up screaming and panicking. “Baby what’s wrong?” Sanji asks groggily as Zoro’s screams woke him up. The greenette begins to pant, gasping for air as fear begins to paralysed him. He was having yet another nightmare relating to his mum and her abuse. This one involved his mother beating and kicking him repeatedly several times. This was why he asked Sanji to stay with him.

Sanji looked at him with deep concern and cups his face in his hands. “It’s okay, baby. That woman is not here and if she dares lay a hand on you, we will make her pay.”

He then hugs Zoro who simply hugs him back, tears flowing down his eyes. His childhood robbed, his identity stolen. All he ever is is a broken boy. That little boy that used to be there died the moment that woman began her work on him.

"I...I....I don't deserve this. All this fame. All this love. Everything." Sanji hugs Zoro tight and kisses his forehead. "You are wrong Marimo. You deserve everything and much more."

The greenette could only nod whilst Sanji continues to cuddle him. Sanji can understand how it feels to be in Zoro's shoes better than anyone. He is the son of Sora who is the Queen of Pop. Imagine the big shoes he and his siblings have to fill. Plus the fact that their father, rapper Judge Vinsmoke is a deadbeat dad and an abusive bastard at that, then you have traumatized kids.

"Remember when we first met?

Sanji grins. "You made fun of my brows and called me Curly and I fired back and called you Marimo because of your hair and we had a nasty argument that day."

They both laughed. "I believe we were 6 year olds then." says Zoro. "Yeah. I think so. The fact that we are still together is funny. I mean, everyone thought we hated each other till one day out of the blue, I called you my husband."

Sanji falls over laughing. "I still can't believe you fucking said that!!"

"Got jealous because Maria kissed you." Sanji just giggles. "Jesus fucking Christ!! So that was why you pulled me away from her?!" Sanji asked. Zoro nods.

"I envied Sukuna because that bitch had rizz back then. Still fucking does. I even thought he was gonna steal you from me." Zoro admits. "So that is why you even act bitchy towards him huh?"

"That plus that was why I lost my virginity at that gay bar in Italy to Griffith. You know? That rich guy I met at the club there. He was my boyfriend for like 3 months then."

Sanji gasps. Everyone knows the Griffith story but not the full details. He never knew how wild Zoro was back then. Considering he himself did similar shit, like hello he worked at a strip club at the time so he knows the drill. But damn. "Dude!! How did you fucking sneak into a fucking gay bar?! Like you were fucking 13 then!!"

"Perona helped. That is all I can say about that. Either way, the guy was quite charming and good looking."

"Yeah but not as hot as I am right?"

"Yes."

"But what made you break up with him?"

"The motherfucker cheated on me with some French model. Like the bitch used me for cheap publicity. Not helping was Sesshomaru leaking out my private details to the press around that time."

"Now I get why we never saw you in school for years."

"Either way, that is the past. You know what? Maybe I should come back to school. But before that, we should celebrate the summer. Like I wanna do fun stuff with you my buddies. I mean, can you believe that I have never chilled in the fucking pool not even once?!"

A bright idea pops up in Sanji's mind. "I think now is the time to host a pool party."

"THAT SOUNDS AWESOME!!"

"Like we can host it this weekend. Of course we will ask Mihawk for permission. Then we will invite those that we trust. Food, booze, you name it. We will sort that. And most importantly..."

Sanji rolls them aorund so that he was on top of Zoro and kisses his lips. "I will give myself to you that day. Yes Daddy, I want you to dominate me that day and fuck me silly and make me your sugar baby officially. I want you to be the King you fucking are."

Zoro was taken aback by this at first. He did not expect Sanji to be that open about it like that. Though to be frank, he and Sanji have been acting like a couple for a long time. They never brought up the sex conversation before.

"If that is what my baby wants, then I will give it to you and spoil you rotten." Sanji giggles and proceeds to make out with him.

************************************************************************

Later that weekend, all of Zoro's friends get invited to the pool party that was being hosted at Mihawk's house. The media gets wind of it of course and every single blog talks about it.

Zoro no longer gives a shit. He is all about having a great time. None of the adults are around. Well, the staff are obviously but the parents are out of town so that the kids can have their fun.

"Now this is what I'm talking about!!" says Sukuna as he sips on some beer in a plastic cup. "About time Big Z hosted us properly without a certain someone breathing down our damn necks!!" says Rukia.

Zoro snorts with laughter. His eyes then fall on Sanji who was having a chat with Nami and Gojo next to the barbecue spot. Sukuna and Eren exchange smirks.

"Are they or aren't they fucking?" Usopp asked. Everyone laughs. Sanji blushes. "OI!! BITCH WHAT THE FUCK?" Zoro raises an eyebrow. "Really dude?" he says in a joking tone.

"Just what I wanna know too." Zoro rolls his eyes. Of course this motherfucker would show his dirty face at his own party. He whips around and glares daggers at a smirking Sesshomaru.

Zoro remembers the conversation he and Sanji had the night before. He no longer fears anyone anymore. "Why the fuck are you here? No one fucking invited you."

Everyone stops what they are doing and watches the drama unfold. Sesshomaru has a fake hurt expression on his face. "Oh come on!! That is no way to speak to a friend."

"You stopped being a friend the moment you leaked out my whereabouts and private information to the paparazzi and media.I also got intel that my mamma was paying you to spy on me."

Jaws drop at that revelation. "It's not what you think."

It was at this point that Zoro just explodes and goes off on him. "Or really? Oh and what about that that interview you gave where you said shit about my sex life? I get that I was underage and stuff but bitch you had no fucking right!!" Sesshomaru gets on the floor and tries to crawl away. Sanji places a hand on Zoro's shoulder. That calms him down.

"Good thing you showed your dirty face here. One less bitch left to deal with because I have already started weeding all you fake bitches out of my life which as why I never invited you!!"

He gets down on his knees, the signature Roronoa death glare in place. Compared to before, the death glare was a lot more menacing. Everyone in the room literally cowered in fear. "I suggest you and your little bitches run because if I still fucking find you bitches in here, I will not hesitate to send you bitches to hell." he says in the coldest tone he could muster.

With that, Sesshomaru and his cronies run for it. "Bet the bastard will go report to his mistress." says Sanji. "Let him. Besides, the woman has no power anymore. Either way, bae you and I got something to attend to." Zoro whispers.

Sanji grins. "Lead the way." Zoro takes Sanji's hand and pulls him away. The others snicker as they all knew what was about to happen.

Once they are in Zoro's room, Sanji locks the door behind him. Zoro grabs his lover and slams him against the wall, kissing him passionately.

Sanji lets out a moan as Zoro leaves a trail down his neck. Thankfully, they were wearing boxers which makes things easier for them. They pull down each other's boxers and move over to the bed.

Zoro crawls on top of him and stares lovingly at Sanji. "Why ain't I a lucky son of a bitch?" Sanji chuckles. "I can say the same about myself too."

The greenette gets to work and begins to kiss and bite certain parts of the blonde's skin, leaving him a moaning mess. "You are mine Sanji. Remember that." Zoro growls out. Sanji could feel his cock twitch with excitement as Zoro was now taking more control, owning his sexiness for once. He was finally maturing into the tiger that he truly was.

"Ah...Zoro...."

It seemed like the Sesshomaru incident had caused Zoro to snap as he kept on torturing Sanji but teasing him relentlessly. He spies the lube on the bedside table and grabs it. He pours a generous amount on his fingers and inserts one into Sanji's hole.

Sanji hisses in pain at first. It has been a while he has had sex. "You okay babe?" Sanji nods. "Been a while." Once he feels settled, he nods at Zoro who begins to slowly push his finger in and out of Sanji's ass.

Sanji moans in pleasure. "Fuck that feels good....." Zoro smirks and begins to get aggressive and inserts a second finger in, continue to thrust, earning more moans.

He then inserts a third one and increases his speed. "This is just the beginning bae. Once I insert my cock into you, I will make you lose your mind."

"D-DON'T TALK DIRTY LIKE THAT YOU FUCKING MOSSHEAD!!" Zoro laughs and pulls out his fingers. He then flips Sanji around so that he was on all fours. "Oh you are seriously asking for it you dirty brat!!"

He then proceeds to smack his butt real hard, earning a loud howl. Zoro continues to spank him until his asscheeks are completely red.

Sanji was happy about this. This was what he clearly wanted. He wanted Zoro to lose his mind like that and dominate him like the bad bitch that he is.

Sanji just smirks. "That all you got." Zoro raises an eyebrow. "Don't get too cocky bitch." He then spreads his ass cheeks and without warning, inserts his cock into his hole.

"AAH!!"

Zoro smirks and continues to pound into that ass without warning. "Oh my...fuck!! AH YES!! FUCK ME!! FUCK ME HARD!!" Sanji screams.

"That's it you dirty slut!! Take all of me!!" He keeps on fucking the living daylights out of him. Sanji begins to cry out some incoherent gibberish as it just feels good.

Soon, Zoro hits his prostrate which makes him see stars. "AH!! FUCK!!!" Zoro keeps on attacking that same spot, pulling Sanji back and capturing his lips in a kiss. "Fuck...I...I'm getting close." With one last final thrust, both men cum at the same time.

"Wow..." Sanji says, panting. Zoro soon pulls out and falls on the bed, chuckling. "I think I overdid it."

"Nah that felt good." Zoro helps to clean them up and the two head back outside, holding hands. "So, does this make us official?" Sanji asked. Zoro grins. "Yes it does."

Meanwhile, Sesshomaru is dragged and dumped in front of Terra. "Useless fool." she says. "I couldn't kill him. Not with that many people there."

"Excuses. Excuses. Excuses." She pulls out a gun and points it at him. "Say hello to your mother for me." Without hesitation, she pulls the trigger. Sesshomaru closes his eyes and says a silent prayer, preparing for the worst only for nothing to happen.

He opens his eyes to see a flag sticking out of the gun saying "Sike." She smirks. "Be grateful I did not stoop that low." She then whispers in his ear. "You were always a more worthier son to me than Zoro anyway." With that, she walks way with her guards following her, leaving a confused Sesshomaru behind.

Things are getting out of hand here. Terra as you can see is one heck of a scary woman.

[knarme-stray]

I have a soft spot for Sephiroth's real mother, Lucrecia, because she's like... A victim of the most toxic workplace bullshit ever, fell for a scary sexy guy (Hojo 🥵 like I understand this COMPLETELY actually,), and actually...

...No, she didn't make the bravest choices. She also didn't make very "good" choices either. Nightmarish environment, bad choice after another, also abuse she had no control over...

And after everything?

She hides herself and can't face the world.

Like yeah, she was just somebody in the system. Not a hero because a lot of people are too scared and traumatized and frozen to be "brave", or maybe in extremely authoritarian environment many people will just live in survival mode. Like everyone else making that system roll, she contributed to its evils, she is guilty.

I know she wouldn't be one of the most hated FF7 characters if she was a guy so pls let me love this flawed tragic woman pls?

Like. Idk what redeeming qualities she even has. She's like, just not some great person but what if her potential just never had a chance? Guess what, deadbeat losers are some of my faves.

Like... Genesis is also a badly written mess and has said things that almost sound like a school shooter manifesto (honestly the most unsympathethic thing about him) and his value system seems pretty reduced to just personal revenge etc., instead of allying with Avalanche against Shinra etc. more interesting paths to take... And look, I'm also a Genesis fan... I used to be completely obsessed with him actually. Frame by frame tried to analyse every bit of his screentime and what hidden symbolisms about his relationship to the other characters I could find in it... Even if just reading into it too much. <\3 But yes we love this BPD-ridden greater than life drama queen.

Something can have crap writing but you can still like it... Honestly many of the spin-off characters are like that. I think many of my favorite characters in any media are either very underrepresented side characters, or ones with a really juicy good idea about them, yet a bad execution. (*coughs* Seph's besties. <3)

(coughs. shakes Kunsel violently because I love him)

Also if we don't count Org XIII from KH, Namine is one of my faves too (despite how I've loathed reducing female characters to this kind of role all my life, - Namine just has themes about her I find somberly relatable and she has a significant place in the KH AU fanon that exists in my head).

She feels like she's defined by someone else whose shadow she exists in (Kairi) and kind of... Leads this somber lonely existence of disconnection. In that game where those lesb- I mean Marluxia and Larxene are the main villains, Namine's only close people who even talk to her at all are these... Abusive mfrs. She idealizes and loves Sora whom she doesn't even really know, also gets mega rejected too.

Like bro. I project a major "traumatized autistic teen who's preyed on by the only people who talk to her and who loves this boy she doesn't even really know" LIKE. RELATABLE. POOR BABY. NAMINE IS SO INTERESTING AND DESERVES EVERYTHING ACTUALLY.

And that she's soooo frail. She doesn't get much chances to really punch back, just like Lucrecia. Ah, the turning knife in wounds that is getting 0 justice. Being too frozen to fight bcs PTSD is a beast like that. Etc. Etc.

Like. Neither of these characters is exactly some power fantasy. Claiming more agency is something that often remains a suffocated hope, as you know, learned helplessness gets.

That's such a human experience whether you like it or not.

Pls don't be butthurt about me calling Genesis badly written, it really is my opinion about many things I love and enjoy. I like things. Oh my god.

[ecargmura]

Hirogaru Sky! Precure Episode 40 Review - A Vow To Always Be Together

After a one-week break, Hirogaru Sky returns this week with a rather questionable episode. This will certainly be an episode that the fandom will be divisive over for the rest of the franchise’s life, given how sensitive people are towards fictional media these days. For all of you sensitive people, I’ll say this: Don’t make this weirder than it already is.

The fact that twelve-year-old Tsubasa is marrying two-year-old baby Ellee is nothing more than a game of pretend. I’m sure there are kids who did say they wanted to marry their parents or older siblings when they get older but later grow out of that phase; it’s just a sign of affection. Ellee wanted to marry Tsubasa because she felt as if he was growing distant from her. She’s a baby who isn’t used to sudden changes in her life.

Then there’s the issue of Ellee herself. She’s a cute baby that makes everyone want to protect her. However, that’s the reason why Ellee isn’t really much of a character herself. She’s extremely spoiled and always gets what she wants. No one ever scolds her. She never gets moments of important life lessons implemented onto her. She gets everything she wants handed to her. She takes Tsubasa’s book, but never once did they reprimand her for doing so. Tsubasa finds a dream for himself, but that dream is causing some distance with him and Ellee. I don’t really know why Ellee is so fixated on this as she has so many other people who adore and spoil her to no end. The other Precures get their own focus episodes focusing on the ups and downs of their characters like how Episode 34 was about Mashiro wondering if the picture book career was for her, Episode 35 showcasing Sora’s desire to help people, Episode 36 focusing on Ageha’s struggles on what it means to be “the greatest daycare teacher” and Episode 38 focusing on how Tsubasa can be a great asset to Sky Land’s future. What does this episode do for Ellee?

To make matters worse, the writers nerfed Cure Majesty so hard. She was always shown to be the strongest of the Precures, but she got nerfed as hard as Talonflame did from the Gen 7 games and onward. Gosh, seeing her being reduced to a damsel in distress for Tsubasa to save when she’s fully capable really bugs me. The fact that Majesty is a teenager so it could’ve been better if she had explained her actions in that form before transforming back to a baby. The writing for this episode was all over the place.

What is with the writer trying to make Tsubasa be in the wrong in some episodes? First, there was Episode 11 where he was mistreated by the writer and the other characters for being uncomfortable around Ageha and for good reasons too. Now, this episode is treating him as the bad guy for not spending so much time with Ellee; it’s as if being Ellee’s knight means he has to be with her forever and ever and not think about his own dreams and aspirations. No one ever comes to his defense and that really irritates me. Tsubasa deserves better, seriously!

Now that we’ve reached the Episode 40 mark, when is the plot going to move forward? Episode 33 was the last time the story had progressed. It’s nice to get character focus for the main group, but how much longer will it take to get to the end game? Is there even an end game at sight? What are your thoughts on this episode and how the plot is progressing at a snail’s pace?

[saunteredserpent]

Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers. Spread the self-love ❤️

hiii Jenna thank you for sending this in 🩷

I would say,, my personal top five fics I've written would have to be, in no specific order of absolute favorite, would be:

Fair Day

Whatever I Had, I Finally Sat Alone

Andante, Andante

We Can Speak In Flowers

And Maybe, Just Maybe I'll Come Home

ngl I'm for some reason actually lowkey nervous about the fact that these are all only kingdom hearts fics and that I haven't written and posted nearly enough for any of my other fandoms (looks at my good omens florist!Crowley au I started writing a few months ago and posted the first chapter of but that I still have yet to update. sweats.) but. I'll give a brief synopsis for these fics, as well as my personal thoughts and feelings regarding each one, below the readmore:

Fair Day was a sorikai request fluff fic I got a few years ago, and to this day I still think it turned out really cute and fluffy for sure. essentially, the plot for this one is Kairi breaks her leg and is bored/frustrated being cooped up at home while in recovery, and the boys decide to cheer her up by taking her to the Destiny Islands' yearly fair. cute and fluffy shenanigans ensue.

WIHIFSA is a post-DDD, pre-III Sora character study fic I wrote for a now former friend, and even though I'm no longer friends with that person the fic itself is one of the pieces I'm still proud of having written ngl. I wanted to tap into Sora's headspace and emotions regarding... pretty much everything leading up to that point, and I feel like I might have done a decent job? I mean, I did give the poor kid a lowkey anxiety attack in the fic itself, but. y'know. he deserves to have those moments where he breaks down, and I will not take criticism or questions on this ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Andante, Andante is the post-kh III terraqua fic I wrote back after the game came out. it remains to be both the first ever kingdom hearts fic I ever wrote and the first one I ever posted, and it's one that as a result of this will forever hold a special place in my heart tbh.

We Can Speak In Flowers is a Kairi and Leon friendship piece I actually wrote as a gift for a roleplay partner of mine (who ofc writes Leon/Squall where I write Kairi), and is by far in my opinion quite possibly one of the BEST fics I've written, even for being a oneshot. I had a fun time researching flower language and flower symbolisms for the fic itself and while I was admittedly also somewhat anxious about how I portrayed Leon for this one, I feel like I managed to pull off his characterization decently enough.

and finally, last but not least: And Maybe, Just Maybe I'll Come Home is another one that just. honestly remains to hold a special place in my heart forever. it's an au I wrote after watching the DreamWorks Sinbad movie and thinking to myself 'okay, but what if this plotlime but polyamory and sorikai 👀'

but yee!! if anyone is interested in going to read these, y'all have my permission and you're more than welcome to comment or kudos or however it is you wish to engage with them after doing so!!

[nerdyenby]

DR pt2 reactions (spoilers)

Episode 11

Opening scene hypeeeeeee!!!!! Love seeing them all work together, there’s definitely been a soft timeskip with Arin and Sora’s costume upgrades and how well they fit together

Lloyd’s handling Wyldfyre pretty well, respecting her boundaries while making sure she feels welcome anytime

Ray and Maya!!! Are they alive lol? Will we ever find out??

“The monastery works best when everything is in its proper place” *cue explosion*

Not listening to Zane is the cause of 85% of problems in this show

Kai and Wyldfyre’s rivalry is everything, actually

I will never stop gawking at the new animation, it’s so beautiful ;-;

Yayyyyyyy propaganda /s

Aye, Sora’s parents!!!! Seems like they’re having doubts mayhaps

Keep questioning authority kids, you’re getting there

Kids get it done!!!

I am begging all the water, fire/heat, and ice elementals to practice some critical thinking and remember that ghosts cannot touch water

The delivery on Nya’s “Whaaaaaat?!??” was so good lmao

“Eh, it never came up” LMAOOOOOOO he was so deadpan I’m dying

“How hard can it be?” Arin I stg why would you say that

Frohicky!!!!!!!

Lloyd is so awkward I love him

Arin and Sora having a handshake <333

Episode 12

We love a villain whose pride is 90% of the reason they fail

If they start deadnaming Sora I’m gonna throw hands

I was so ready for them to confirm Kai’s age, should’ve known better tbh

Lloyd is such a good mentor, I could cry

They’re playing catch :((

Lloyd’s little “that was the last of our dinner plates” lmao

Has the Bounty actually operated as a ship before? In the course of the show?? Kinda love that they’re treating her like an actual boat now

Merlopians!!!!!

GAY PEOPLE!!!!!!!

Revolution counter: 1

That was so funny and for what

If they make it through this episode without mentioning Bentho I will be so sad

WAIT is the crab controlling the merlopians instead of the other way around????

CALLED IT

So glad the merlopians aren’t the bad guys here

Episode 13

Kai isn’t handling not being the most unpredictable person in the group very well

Kai’s girlbossing his way through life, as he should

Zane being down to drink motor oil but not fly juice is so valid tbh

Frohickey and Zane’s dynamic is so silly I love them

Zane you literally have a human disguise lol, kinda love him being comfortable enough with who he is that he prefers to stay as a nindroid even in disguise tho

Is that his detective costume from prime empire???? Now I’m thinking about what the ninja’s closets look like

Wyldfyre causing problems on purpose my beloved, she’s such a menace, I love her

I’m really enjoying seeing all the seemingly forgotten species come back, have we seen these skeleton people since season 1??

“Ninjasplaining” IM DEAD

The lavatides have such fun character designs

How did the other realms know about the ninja before the merge? Like it makes sense, but how about the practicality of it??

“Ok this is just getting silly” this show makes me so happy you guys

Zane has a holiday, as he deserves!!

So ready to watch Zane lose a Zane lookalike contest, surely nothing could go awry

GULCH :D

Challenging Kai with a character even more headstrong and proud then him is such a good move, it provides so many opportunities to showcase how much he’s grown

Poor Zane, this man does not need another ship of Theseus crisis

Damn, I’m kinda emo over this message

LIGHTNING??!???!?

Episode 14

I miss Pixal so bad, man

Frohickey’s trying so hard, I would die for him

Sora honey, I love you but please check that cognitive dissonance, the things going wrong are not your fault, none of it is your fault.

This show’s comedic timing is everything, I never get tired of it

Fat rip to Clutch’s book, no brobrogoogoo today :(

“Long before the Merge, Djinnjago was destroyed” Nya, are you not gonna mention that you were the one to destroy it???????

“Bad news first: our mission was a failure, also we have no good news” Sora is so fucking funny you guys

Frohickey is having such a rough time, poor guy

Nya having a lightning dragon can be so personal

Sora the dragon’s name is Zanth!!!!! Best resolution to the “other Sora” thread imo

I love this guys attitude so much lol

Confirmation that Riyu’s a special lil guy <3

The depressed icon we never knew we needed

Arrakore my beloved

Zane and Frohickey’s friendship is so precious

Episode 15

I like how Kai and Wyldfyre didn’t have a specific moment of “oh hey you don’t suck” its just “we’re too similar and it’s kinda annoying but you’re cool sometimes”

Why didn’t we get to see Arrakore’s song :((

Nya’s being so chill with Arrakore being djinn, obviously he has nothing to do with Nadakhan but it’s still nice, he also seems massively less racist so that’s good

Nya’s dragon finally has a name, Jiro my beloved :))

Arin infodumping and Lloyd just “mhm-ing” my beloved

Asking nicely always works, apparently

I entirely forgot about Rapton lmao

Is it Cole time??? I want it to be Cole time

*motivational music* “all life is important” “… but that’s Rapton 🤨” I love Arin

HEATWAVE TO THE RESCUE!!!! Though where has he been up til now??

Lloyd being like “yeah sure, how impossible can it be?” and being entirely justified is the most him thing ever

COLE TIMEEEEEE HELL YEAHH!!!!!!!!

Episode 16

Cole and Nya hug <3333

Someone other than Zane mentioned Pix, a day for the history books

Glad to see Cole’s as OP as ever lmao

Oh they’re so gay

I didn’t even think about that, it’s so fascinating that the earth is unsettled by everything that’s happened

That’s so sad what the hell, so in character for Cole to just adopt a buncha orphans tho

WHAT THE FUUUUUUCK IM SO ABNORMAL ABOUT THIS

Sora I love you but that is the worst possible way to phrase that

Kai talking about the importance of other ways of helping and how combat isn’t everything and showing Wyldfyre a healing technique :(( I’ve been rewatching s1 and he’s come so far

Geo :(( things are better now, but change didn’t come soon enough for him and now he’s Lost

Borg mention!!!!!!

Also I love having a reference point for Sora and Nya’s skillsets, it’s also just so heartwarming to see adults who are wholly supportive and unafraid of younger people being better than them

Cole is so out of the loop lmao

Zanth :0

Oh you bitch

Cole and Geo are so in love :(

Episode 17

I entirely forgot about this plot point lol

Oh this is so dystopian

Kai in a mentor role means everything to me

They’re actually addressing Kai’s grief??? Hell yeah, fucking finally /lh

Alright, betting time: Jay or Pixal?

Lloyd and Arin are so silly, I love them

Zane???!?!!?!

Zane really just sat in that office, huh (/ref but it’s so vague I’d be shocked if anyone got it)

It’s a part of the realm of madness oh my goodness that’s hilarious

“Are they safe for people?” “No” *proceeds to shove them both in there*

Zane had way too much fun with that superhero landing lol

JAYYYYYYYYYY HOLY SHIT ITS JAY NINJAGO!!!!!!!

Zane is having so much fun this episode, he’s just getting shit done and looking great doing it

So we’re not getting Jay back yet? Rip

Zane is so polite what the heck

Episode 18

So Wyldness confirmed to be the same realm as Imperium???

Is Beatrix gonna have the same origin story as Kalmaar??

Nya and Cole’s friendship is so tender and caring, they’re besties your honor

LaRow trash talking Rapton to his face lmao

Rapton redemption arc!??!????!

It’s so interesting seeing the backstory of Ras and Beatriz’s alliance after it’s already fallen apart

Wyldfyre did not need to be told twice lmao

THAT ACTION SEQUENCE HELLOOOO?!????? THEY WERE THROWING AROUND THOSE GUARDS LIKE A FUCKING VOLLEYBALL

From a psychological perspective, Beatrix is fascinating

Revolution counter: 2!!!!!!!

Episode 19

Lloyd letting Kai take point on wrangling Wyldfyre only for Kai to immediately match her energy my beloved

“You have no idea how foolish some of us can be!!” Pffff “-no offense Lloyd” PFFFFFFF

Interesting to go the “non bender revolution” route considering how few elemental masters there are compared to avatar where benders are a vast majority, but it’s a villain whose power hungry so makes sense and I’m entirely down

The quips this episode are impeccable

They built an hq??? Hasn’t it only been a week or two??

So much is interconnected in this season I’m kinda not following some of it, but I love it

Percival monologue going off!!!!!!

Sora main character fr fr

Kai and Wyldfyre are everything

Kinda iconic that Nya just hasn’t mentioned that she found Cole lol

That scene with the guard was so good!!!! The suspense and the realization of just how deep the resistance runs…. It’s such a good moment

Love that as soon as Kai has Wyldfyre even slightly reined in he’s down to let loose and make messes with her, as long as it’s for a good cause lol

That extra delivered with that cry holyyy

Heck yeah Rapton redemption :D

Rapton out here with the guardians of the galaxy motivation and I’m loving it

The fight choreography in this show never ceases to amaze me, holy crap

Sora’s speech goes so hard, I’m tearing up

Finally got confirmation the og ninja are in their twenties, thank god

One thing about Nya is that she will never pass up an opportunity to call her brother stupid

Episode 20

Rapton calling Dorama a “washed up clown” is everything I never knew I needed lmao

The stakes are staking

The glitch effect??? Hello spiderverse!!!

The platonic love on display this season is killing me, they all care about each other sm :((

That Rapton Nya interaction was so good and for what

Sora’s parents >:(

Deadnaming their kid and guilt tripping her saying she “abandoned you,” damn Sora’s response is so fucking cathartic as a trans person with unaccepting parents

I’m just here for the ride and having a great time

Frohickey!!!!!!!!!

Lloyd doing ye ole Chosen One things, as he should

Kai and Wyldfyre hug <3333

Dragon heritage mention???? Mayhaps???????

That was cryptic, cool though

Lloyd sees so much of himself in these kids 😭😭😭

Jordana boutta get the Harumi treatment fr

[kinkajouwof]

Thoughts on Icicle

ICICLE!!!! YOU SEE..IM AN ICICLE AND SORA ENJOYER EQUALLY. I THINK THEYRE BOTH GOOD CHARACTERS AND THEIR STORIES ARE BOTH SO TRAGIC WITH HOW THEY INTERTWINE.

ICICLE IS A CHILD SOLDIER, AND WAS SCARRED BEYOND BELIEF WITH WHAT SHE SAW DURING THE WAR. SHE CRIED OVER THE CORPSES OF DRAGONS SHE KNEW, SHE WATCHED IN HORROR WITH ALL THE ATROCITIES THAT HAPPENED. AND YET, AS SHE RETURNS A HERO TO HER KINGDOM, SHE MUST HOLD HER HEAD HIGH. SHE HAS TO BE PROUD OF WHAT SHE DID, AFTERALL, THIS WOULD BE FOR NOTHING IF SHE WASNT. SHES INFINITELY RESPECTED BY HER PEERS NOW, GUARANTEED FIRST CIRCLE FOR THE REST OF HER LIFE. YET SHE FINDS HERSELF UNABLE TO SLEEP AT NIGHT STILL. SHE WASHES HER SCALES CONSTANTLY, YET CANT EVER CLEAN THE FEELING OF DRAGON BLOOD OFF OF THEM.

SHE BRAGS ABOUT THOSE SHES KILLED, AND EVERYTHING SHES DONE, TO COPE. BECAUSE AS SAID BEFORE, SHES MEANT TO BE PROUD. SHES OVER COMPENSATING.

SHE CARES DEEPLY FOR HAILSTORM AND WINTER. SHE WOULD DO ANYTHING FOR THEM. SO WHEN QUEEN SCARLET OFFERS, SHE HAS TO ACCEPT. TO GET HIM BACK. SHE DOESNT CARE FOR THE DOD ANYWAY, THEY DIDNT GO THROUGH THE WAR. HAH, THEY SIDE WITH THE NIGHTWINGS! THE ONES WHO ARE ENEMIES OF THE ICEWINGS. SO SHE COULD KILL THEM. ITD BE FOR HAILSTORM, JUST LIKE THE DRAGONS ON THE BATTLEFIELD WERE FOR HER KINGDOM.

I HOPE WITH SNOWFALLS REIGN SHE GETS THE HELP SHE NEEDS. I HOPE SHE CAN SEE HAILSTORM AND HUG HIM. I HOPE SHE CAN BE FORGIVEN, BECAUSE IF ANYONE DESERVES IT, ITS HER.

[teotalksaboutstuff]

Thoughts and Predictions for Danganronpa Despair Time

So I’ve been getting super into DR Despair Time of late, and I’ve decided to make a post outlining my thoughts thus far. Spoiler warning for all mainline Danganronpa games, both games of the Danganronpa Another series, and the Prologue and Chapter 1 of DRDT, as those were the only items completed at the time of posting this, with previews of Chapter 2 out. Bonus content for DRDT is also mentioned and spoiled in this brain-dump.

Thoughts So Far

I can’t say I actively dislike any of the characters, which is a good sign for things to come in my book. I will begin, thus, with my thoughts on them.

I am of course going to start with our protagonist, Teruko Tawaki, our Ultimate Lucky Student. I find her to be a nice subversion of the hopium protagonists we’ve had in the mainline games (especially Makoto), and even the Another series does have this to some degree (mostly with Utsuro though Sora does show these tendencies to a degree as well). I like how she is actively willing to distrust others and call them out on their hollow and hypocritical words after the trial. Considering they were willing to vote her dead without a second pause, she saved all their lives when none of them (except maybe Eden but we’ll get to her) deserved it, at least in her eyes. I am of the belief she is justified in how she acted, especially when Xander did try to kill her first. She is an innovative protagonist in my eyes, because she would have been the antagonist if Danganronpa Tradition (TM) had been stuck to. I am ever so glad that this one doesn’t with its protag, and I look forward to seeing her arc of what I believe will be re-learning to trust people.

Next up, speaking of the devil, is Xander himself. I find many similarities between him and Sayaka Maizono, mostly concerning their respective trials. They attach themselves to the protagonist relatively early on only to die first. Now, as most people who have seen DRDT have seen DR1, including myself, I can say I saw him dying first coming a mile away. What I did not see coming is that he would attempt to kill Teruko. While I did just say Teruko was justified in how she acted, I do not think it is completely fair to throw Xander under the bus here and call him a snake like some of the fandom do with Sayaka (and I don’t believe her to be a snake either, for anyone wondering. If anything, there are less logical arguments to call her one than Xander but we’re getting off topic). It is pretty much confirmed he was ordered to kill Teruko by an unrelated party, and I don’t think we’re going to find out who until the final trial or what they might have on him. I suspect it has something to do with the death of his parents as revealed in the bonus episode. That said, Xander’s actions are reasonable considering that important tidbit, and we’ve seen that he has a more emotional temperament. Thus, his emotions definitely pushed him to go ahead with the murder without the need for a MonoTV sanctioned motive. 

Now for his murderer, Ultimate Student Min Jeung. I didn’t really find much of note with her until just before the body discovery, and when the trial comes around, hooooly shit does her hypocrisy become fascinating. She’s clearly conflicted between wanting to live herself and wanting to save Teruko, though it’s implied they’ve got some Divine Luck-style force going on that compelled Min to do so. I don’t think she would have tried to help the victim, if Xander had been ordered to kill literally anyone else. Part of the appeal is how morally grey everything is, of course, and I would be remiss for saying she’s completely unsympathetic. She didn’t exactly want to murder Xander, she just happened upon the crime scene and realized she’d have to defend herself, and she did in a very inventive way that ultimately caused her downfall. 

I said I’d be getting to Ultimate Clockmaker Eden Tobisa in a minute, and that is because I believe she is going to fill the support role. I think her and Teruko especially bounce off of one another very well, and for her to be as much of a cinnamon roll as she looks makes for a fitting enough contrast. Teruko, through Eden, can learn that not everyone is a snake in the grass waiting to pounce on you when your guard is down, and she can likewise learn through Teruko that not everyone is a cinnamon roll like her and that she needs to doubt people sometimes in order to be able to solidify her trust in them. I think she’s going to either survive the whole thing or die near the end.

Moving on, we have our Ultimate Zither Player, Hu Jing. She has done a lot to keep the class as a united front throughout Chapter 1, and it feels as if she is keeping up the facade of a perfect person. Due to this, I think she’s going to end up being a culprit, possibly even the next culprit if my theory about her being a spin on the Kirumi Toujo archetype is proven true. If she is, I think it would be nice if she wasn’t hung as part of her execution, that trope for musically inclined talents within DR and its fan projects is quite tired.

We move now to J Moreno, the Ultimate Effects Artist. I am really liking her character so far, and her Free Time Event with Arei is especially doing her favors (I’ll discuss this when we get to Arei herself). Immediately she puts on display that people are putting on an image with how they appear to us, and the events of the game prove this initial statement thematically salient to the themes I believe the game is going for, that being those of Trust vs. Doubt. I say this because it is true that everyone puts on a mask for the public, and no one can truly know how someone feels, unless they trust someone else enough to let them know this. 

Next up is Veronika Grebenshchikova the Ultimate Horror Fanatic, and oh boy do I have things to say about her. Her DR references in the prologue are so blatantly obvious that I believe she is either the Mastermind or a herring as red as blood in that department. She mentions herself to be interested in the psychology behind why horror movies make us feel how they do, and it is for this reason I find her actions at the trial so interesting. I think that her excitement at Min’s culprit breakdown is especially notable, and almost gives off the vibe of Junko Enoshima. In fact, a lot about her is similar to Junko in design as well: her hair is not dissimilar to Junko’s, not to mention the eye hairclips that could possibly represent the audience watching the killing game. This does form a recipe for a compelling mastermind; it would show just how deep her fascination with human fear, terror, and horror goes and be a fascinating dive into someone willing to do anything to study these and possibly other emotions (i.e. Kokoro Mitsume if she had been the mastermind in SDRA2).

Next in line is David Chiem, the Ultimate Motivational Speaker. Xander stanning him is pretty funny, but there is some thematic salience to it as well, considering the both of them are concealing hidden depths that are revealed either almost immediately or much later on in Chapter 1. David doesn’t seem to like his talent much, evident with his mask slipping almost right off the bat when Xander leaves briefly. It falls off completely at the end of Chapter 1, which shouldn’t be too much of a surprise if we consider this in conjunction with what J said in her intro, and I do wonder where they’re going to go with his character after this, as it would seem wrong for him to die just yet.

Arturo Giles, the Ultimate Plastic Surgeon, is regrettably the character I would have to rank the lowest in terms of how much I like the characters, but there is some significance to what we’ve seen of him so far (which isn’t much because he thinks the entire cast is fugly and is literally only helping in the infirmary bc he’s the only one with medical training). I do see his idolization of celebrities specifically for their external appearances to point to the significant sub-themes of how beauty is perceived, and if true beauty exists at all. We can frame this as External Beauty vs. Internal Beauty, or perhaps Appearance vs. Character. The talk of us putting on masks for the public seems appropriate here, as Arturo literally wears a mask, plus what I’ve already mentioned with J and David. He is obviously masking his own insecurities about his face, and it would make sense for there to be a reveal of what exactly is under this mask at some point during the game. It would be especially thematically salient if this were to be a complete accident on his part, to see it literally slip and fall off his face, like what we saw in a more proverbial sense with David. Such is to say, when we take off our proverbial mask that we all put on, some might see the embodiment of beauty itself, or at least sublimity, but others might be repulsed by a vision so ugly it burns itself into their mind for the rest of their life.

Levi Fontana seems like the perfect foil to Arturo, largely as he seems to believe external beauty to be subjective. He is the Ultimate Personal Stylist, and it makes sense as he states, not in exact words admittedly, that his goals with this talent are to help people express their truest selves. He seems like the most ‘mask-off’ person there from the start, and he wants people to be able to let off their figurative masks, to show their internal beauty, by styling their external beauty in a way that does so. I do think there is significance in him being the one to attack MonoTV, as well as his attitude towards Ace. It shows that he is unafraid to express the parts of himself that others would deem ugly, and does so shamelessly without much regard for the consequences until after he’s already done it. He’s probably going to die in the mid-to-late game considering he’s the buffest person here.

-Speaking of Ace, we move on to Ace Markey, our Ultimate Jockey. He also seems very mask off, though it isn’t completely willing as he is simply scared of everything. And I do mean everything. Like, I wonder what the hell happened to him that made him like this. Perhaps we’ll get backstory on this later, perhaps not. I think he’ll make it to at least Chapter 5, if not survive the whole thing, as he hopefully learns to steel himself somewhat. It would make for a nice character arc.

Next in line is Whit Young, Ultimate I Love You, You Little Shit Matchmaker, and by far my favorite character so far. There’s admittedly more thematically significant characters than him, but I think he’s funny and I love him. Actually his relationship with Charles is probably going to be important later, considering that he knew significant information about him that did ultimately clear him of the crime, namely his traumatic experiences with gory death scenes like Xander’s. Also, he genuinely seems to have good intentions as a comic relief, meaning as much as he seems to be Kokichi Ouma with pastel colors at first, I find Whit infinitely better due to him immediately establishing compelling relationships with the rest of the cast. I’m deluding myself into thinking that he will survive.

Speaking of Charles, our Ultimate Chemist is next, and I have a feeling he’s going to die next, as unless the murder directly involves chemicals or a lack of bloody external injuries, he’s basically useless in trials. It also doesn’t help that he’s already had a ton of screentime with Teruko being his investigative partner in Chapter 1. Even if it fits, it would be a shame for him to die here as his relationship with Whit does have some significance in connection to the theme. It is Whit that must have helped him take the mask off at some point, or it was forced off him in little pieces when he found the body and Whit was the first to put the pieces together. 

We finally get to Ultimate Bowler Arei Nageishi, meaning I now get to talk about her bonus content. She is definitely a textbook Hiyoko Saionji kinnie, though I quite like the angle they took with her especially concerning her relationship with J. This could correlate to the subthemes of beauty through the lens of femininity, namely in how J and Arei choose to express theirs. Arei leans towards the more traditionally and stereotypically feminine down to being the Queen Bee stereotype during her high school years by her own admission, and J prefers to present herself decidedly less so expressly because she has had a bad experience with traditional femininity. This speaks to the subjectivity of femininity, as J is no less feminine than Arei for presenting how she does, and Arei is no more feminine than J for her own experiences with her gender. Both are happy with their self expression, and that is what matters to themselves. They see their own internal beauty differently, and choose to express it in a way that suits their identities.

Nico Hakobyan, Ultimate Pet Therapist also hasn’t done much of note. Which is fair enough, as he is quite the shrinking violet and prefers to keep to the back. I do like him though, as I have quite the soft spot for catboys, even if he isn’t actually a full-blown catboy.

Last but certainly not least, Ultimate Art Forger Rose Lacroix is interesting, and I really hope she survives. It makes sense, however, that someone with her kind of info would die. She clearly had knowledge that most times we only find out at the end and was willing to reveal it off the bat, such as the class being sealed away for years before the events of DRDT. This makes me wonder what she’s going to do to fight the mastermind, assuming she does choose to do this. Alternatively, she is a traitor or maybe even the Mastermind herself. This could also make sense as DRDT is a fanganronpa and she is making a copy of Danganronpa, a sort of art she loves.  

Predictions

Here is how I predict the death order to go, assuming a traditional Danganronpa structure is followed

Chapter 1 Victim: Xander Matthews

Chapter 1 Culprit: Min Jeung

Chapter 2 Victim: Charles Cuevas

Chapter 2 Culprit: Hu Jing

Chapter 3 Victims: Arei Nageishi

Chapter 3 Culprit: Arturo Giles

Chapter 4 Victim: Levi Fontana

Chapter 4 Culprit: Whit Young

Chapter 5 Victim: David Chiem

Chapter 5 Culprit: Eden Tobisa

Chapter 6 Victim: Rose Lacroix

Mastermind: Veronika Grebenshchikova

Survivors: Teruko Tawaki, Ace Markey, J Moreno, Niko Hakobyan

[vesora]

reminding you of your true power - manifestation

do you feel alone? are you going through hard circumstances and you feel bad because growing up, all anyone ever said to you was completely negative? 

this sounds like an ad to a dodgy scheme but its not 

i am here to tell you anything that anyone ever said to you, no matter who it is, it could have been beyonce (i bring her up a lot) but it aint real

because how can anything negative be associated with GOD? you are god. that doesnt make you delusional or egotistical because growing up im sure we all associated god with this being outside of us who is better than us and yada yada

i do believe in god still, meaning source, but i believe that god/source gave us all His abilities. we are able to create as well as He can.

so, how can you sit here and tell me that you dont deserve anything good?

“If your conception of yourself is less than that which you claim as true of God, you have robbed God” (i think neville said this im not sure)

now tell me what you would associate god with? for me it is:

pure unconditional love, the almighty creator, limitlessness, pure forgiveness

you already have all this within you but “your refusal to believe this is the only reason you do not see it” (-neville)

you do not have to BECOME limitless, or BECOME a master manifestor because you already ARE everything you desire

but sora why cant i see proof of this?

if you are just starting out, lack in persisting or you have had hard circumstances and fail to believe that you truly are the one and only creator, you might have to persist even more and fully embody yourself as that which you seek to be

but sora this all sounds too good to be true

we live in an epoch right now where there is a martian impulse situated from the time of jesus christ meaning that earth right now is dominated with the need to work hard, to compete, to fight because what is mars associated with? war, aggression, heavy masculinity

humans used to live in an epoch - lemuria / kinda atlantis until they lost their shit and became overly concerned with technology like how we are rn - where it was extremely natural to manifest. telepathy, levitation, full control of one’s body was completely normal because it is a human’s TRUE nature to be in line with divine consciousness meaning to be less dense (less concerned with the physical world)

this power hasnt left us, if it sounds too good to be true as it once did for me, it means that you havent completely let go of the conditioning that society put in you because why would the elite want you to realise your true power?

but i am telling you right now that you are powerful. idk if u r a small town girl from ohio named betsy, u r POWERFUL because you are made of the same consciousness that god is made of.

now i had made this post initially to offer support for people going through bad things so ill go back to that rn

you are not alone. this blogger named vesora (shes pretty cool) is here for you. we do not need to know each others names, faces or livelihoods, just simply the fact that you are aware of my existence and i of yours (yes i check my notes and manifest the best for everyone), we are set and bonded. for humans share a special connection that others cant replicate.

i love you, if you havent heard it in a while or if you wanna hear it again. i love you and i love how you are trying even if things are hard but remember success is guaranteed for that is the gift given to you as soon as you were born. i see you, i dont care if you feel unseen, unloved, unworthy; i see you, i love you, i know you are worthy. and since all humans are one - one consciousness - u love urself too. just accept you do. ପ(๑ᴗ͈ˬᴗ͈)ଓ

yes u can be like tanjiro too