#Theme: Alternate Modes

[heartofbalemoon]

caesar king & crowe blackforest, if it's ok..! 👑❤️🐦‍⬛

reblog with ur f/o and self insert and i’ll draw you together

(i’ll probably only do 1 or 2 but hopefully i’ll have energy for more)

[tmntaucompetition]

One and all from across TMNT Tumblr, I present to you….

THE TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES ALTERNATE UNIVERSES COMPETITION! (2025!)

This competition will throw hands with ANY tmnt iteration AU, and I mean ANY! 2012, 2003, Rise, WHATEVER! THEY COUNT! Crossovers are counted as well (i.e Ghost in the Shell and Two Souls)!

Submissions are open and will be open for a week or two at most! Submit YOUR blorbos today to see them win the ultimate honor!

BUT you may ask, “WHAT’S THIS YEAR’S THEME?”

GENRES OF FANTASY!

FOUR ROUNDS

ROUND 1: High Fantasy - Your classic go-to when you think of fantasy! Dragons, knights, kings and queens, adventures!

ROUND 2: Fairy Tales - Your bedtime stories as a child! Mary had a Little Lamb, Goldilocks and the Three Bears, the Pied Piper, Puss in Boots…so many to choose!

ROUND 3: Magical Girl/Boy/GN - (THIS COUNTS AS FANTASY) ANIME! Full anime mode vibe, harness the powers of…whatever and defeat your evil foes with cool transformations and awesome style!

ROUND 4: ITS A SURPRISSSSSE :)

RULES

IMPORTANT: If the au revolves around dark/heavy topics and themes, please list those in the form.

Be kind to one another! Don’t harass anyone over this fun little competition.

Don’t flood creators inboxes! Especially if they don’t want to be apart of this competition!

All in all, be respectful. Please 😭

Any questions can be asked via inbox!

This years competition will revolve around the top 32 AUS submitted, and will have single elimination.

HAVE FUN EVERYONE!

Official discord server: https://discord.gg/zUvEEJAj66

[cuppajj]

(OLD) Beast Ancients AU FAQ

I’ve seen a lot of asks in my inbox that are identical to each other, so I decided to put em all in one post and then some. This’ll be updated the more I develop the AU and the more info we get.

As a disclaimer, I am very new to CRK (as of December 2023) and I haven’t gotten to all the game or story modes yet (notably odyssey), so things are definitely bound to change + be elaborated on more! Anyway without further ado:

General

What are the Beast Ancients’ themes?

Vanilla is Penance, Lily is Sovereignty, Dragonberry is Pride, Cacao is Solitude, and Cheese is Conquest. I tried to keep them within the realm of their original meanings

Essentially my philosophy is: Penance is the acknowledgment (truth) that sins such as deceit exist in the world and must be cleansed. Sovereignty is an extreme form of freedom where one can have all the agency they wish, but can be just as silent about their presence/power as well. Pride is a byproduct of passion or sloth, boiling down to the adamancy of the subject. Solitude is a choice made with both resolution and apathy in various degrees, and lastly Conquest promises an abundant future at the cost of untold destruction.

If the ancients are bad, are the beasts good?

No, the old Beasts are still a threat. With a total of ten beasts to worry about, the situation on Earthbread is very dire. However, there is still hope left, and hope can go a long way.

Is there a new set of ancient heroes with soul jams?

No, and there likely won’t be. The Neo Beasts and first Beasts still have their respective soul jam halves, and both want each other’s.

Where’s Gingerbrave and his party?

Likely the Crème Republic, which becomes a refuge for many cookies after the rise of the neo beasts. They’re at the front of the resistance movement, working with Clotted Cream Cookie to plan how the beasts will be taken down.

What do the Neo Beasts think of their past selves?

Generally they see themselves as improved or improving. The only one who doesn’t feel that way is Frigid Cacao, who doesn’t reflect on himself that often.

Did they all corrupt at the same time?

Still working on that part. The timeline for beast ancients is a WIP, but for now, it’s likely that while they didn’t corrupt at once, they corrupted pretty close to one another. Cheese was likely first, followed by Lily. Vanilla was among the last to fall and evidently had it the worst.

Do the Neo Beasts still have kingdoms? How is life like there?

Answered here

What are the cookies of darkness doing?

As of writing (5/31/24) we don’t have a lot of info on the cookies of darkness in beast yeast, but at the very least I can say Dark Enchantress cookie may or may not know about Midnight Lily’s plan to destroy her.

How would legendaries react?

I admittedly don’t know everything about the legendaries to say yet, but they’re all alarmed to some degree. I can flesh them out the more I learn about them

Individual Neo Beast questions under cut!

Saint Vanilla Cookie

How do his powers work?

Answered here

Does he know he’s killing cookies?

Nope, he doesn’t see it as that and it would pain him to. He sees purification as a form of transition or ascension in itself, to put it simply; he might even envy those he turns to stardust, knowing his own tainted soul will be so much harder to liberate.

Why is he constantly crying?

He’s just like that. He’s just that big of an empath.

Has his relationship with Lily changed?

Saint Vanilla still cares very much about Lily, and may even be more open about his feelings towards her; but he admits the only reason why she’s still alive is because she convinced him to leave her for last. Lily very well knows that Vanilla, in his mind, wants to purify her more than anyone else. Vanilla often pities her choice to stew in her tainted soul, but he respects her decision… at least the alternative is that they’ll someday be the only two cookies on Earthbread.

What happened to Black Raisin?

As the very first to witness his rise, she inadvertently became his very first martyr.

Where’s Custard Cookie III?

With his relatives in the Crème Republic, alongside the rest of Gingerbrave’s party. The kid has a hard time wrapping his head around what happened to Pure Vanilla, and it may be a blessing that he’s been largely focused on worrying about the well being of his uncle, Clotted Cream Cookie. As the head of the resistance, he’s been working tirelessly… is this what a king goes through too?

Shadow Milk’s opinion on Saint?

To put it simply, he starts out thinking that a confused Vanilla will be easy to manipulate, but he soon finds out that Saint Vanilla is way smarter and more aware than made out to be. He knows Shadow Milk is with him, and he wants to purge him from his soul; but that is a process that may be harder than anything else. So in the meantime, Shadow Milk can watch as he continues on his path of Penance towards ascension, fighting back the resistance he creates before it can truly harm him. Essentially, Saint Vanilla isn’t trapped with Shadow Milk, Shadow Milk is trapped with Saint Vanilla.

Dragonberry Cookie

Is the skull on her head real?

Yes! It comes from a nondescript monster.

If Pitaya is imprisoned, where is Snapdragon?

With Tarte Tatin and/or Royal Margarine. Dragon City likely got taken over by Dragonberry’s kingdom, but they noped out of there as it happened. The two of them might’ve been the first few to recognize Hollyberry’s spiral into corruption and where it was headed

How is her family doing?

Alright for the most part, but they can feel Dragonberry’s influence in every aspect of their life now. While Royal and Jungleberry are technically still the king and queen, it’s only a figurehead role as Dragonberry is the true ruler. She still cares about her family very much, but she’s controlling and good at keeping them under her thumb. Dragonberry’s granddaughter Princess Cookie is the only one who objects this new way of life, and runs away from the palace.

How would the other dragons react?

The other dragons aren’t canon to CRK so they’re not canon to the au by extension, but just for this question, they’d be different levels of alarmed or concerned save for maybe Longan. I could see Ananas wanting a word with Dragonberry in particular esp since they’re both prideful cookies

Frigid Cacao Cookie

Does he ever go outside?

Very rarely, but it’s usually to observe the licorice sea or meet with the few denizens he has left.

Where is Dark Choco?

Still working on this part (waiting for Apathy pt 2 to come out so I have a better idea), but he’s likely alone by himself. He heard wind of his father’s corruption though and took it less well than he thought he would. Perhaps he’ll run into someone who feels the same?

Is his permafrost truly permanent or can the frozen citizens be thawed?

Technically yes, the permafrost can be thawed, but it’s a meticulous process since Cacao’s ice isn’t normal ice. It’s a cure that Crunchy Chip is looking for to save Caramel Arrow.

How does the licorice sea work for him and how did he come to tame it?

I can’t say how yet outside of the fact that it was a definitely cool and heroic thing for Dark Cacao to do, on the scale of taming the Black and White dragons. The sea, arguably a sentient monster in itself, and all of the creatures within it came to follow Cacao and Cacao only. Now it almost acts like an extension of himself: the beast can make the sea do whatever he wants, like acting as his shield, arms, or barrier, and the licorice horrors will vehemently defend him. There are tons of monsters roaming his frozen kingdom now.

Mystic Flour’s opinion on Cacao?

Working on it, but to some degree she knows Cacao is much stronger than he looks. She might see his apparent apathy for his frozen kingdom with fondness though.

Celestial Cheese Cookie

Is the Golden City still running or did she leave it to die?

It may still be running but in a scaled-down beta form. Cheese learned to accept the fact that what she’d built was entirely fake, but she didn’t move on from regaining what was lost. Her virtual Golden City serves as a blueprint for the kingdom she wants on Earthbread, and then some; with nothing in the barren desert to grow her kingdom, her brightened eyes turn elsewhere towards civilizations that could be brought into the fold. Such is the beginning of the Beast of Conquest’s terror.

She does sometimes visit her golden city, only sometimes. It doesn’t look the same; it’s not a paradise for her to escape to, but it is a promise of what she will have someday. This time, it will be no mirage, and there will be no one to threaten its destruction ever again.

Midnight Lily Cookie

What is her opinion on dark enchantress cookie?

DE is the source of insecurity for Lily, who regards herself as the weakest among all the beasts. Because she’s half of a complete whole, who was already half of another whole, she is passionate about reuniting her souls. While she is focused on expanding the influence of the faerie kingdom, her true goal is to track down Dark Enchantress Cookie and destroy her; but she knows she will need more help than just herself, and has considered asking for help from other vengeful allies.

Does she still guard the silver tree?

Yes, she still fiercely honors Elder Faerie’s wishes.

Have her relationships with the other neo beasts changed?

Ish, most notably her and Celestial Cheese are a little more on speaking terms; but they’re connecting through their potential partnership as Lily hopes she can help her take down Dark Enchantress. In return, she might help her expand her kingdom and take down Burning Spice.

If more FAQs come up, I will make a part two. Thank you for your interest!

[cosmica-galaxy]

What if the cookies in our kingdom were clones of the original cookies in CRK?

Like...the Cookies in our kingdom were actually just clones of the original Cookies from the story that we baked ourselves and the kingdom itself is like a mysterious place in between time and space that we, as the true ruler, have complete control over it? It's strange but... Hear me out.

Like, that would explain the timeline issues (like pure vanilla meeting his future self or dark choco fighting himself ect) and the items that you can make appear in the kingdom, like the Hollyberry palace or the Dark Cacao altar for the DEAD SOLDIERS OF THAT KINGDOM. Can you imagine how eerie it would be for a visiting cookie that hails from a faraway kingdom to come to a brand new kingdom and see an EXACT copy of something from their homeland? That's some cosmic horror-level shit right there. Plus, the "cloned" cookies of the altered cookie kingdom are aware of your presence. Their "baker" (or just simply known as "them"). They adore you and hail you as the ruler, as well as praise you for making them strong and for caring for their every need (wishes, food, homes, decorations, ect). You cater to their every need and make them stronger by giving them soul candies or ascending them with soulstones. If the members of your kingdom met with the "true" cookies of the storyline, they would be flabbergasted by the sheer strength that their copies show. Imagine the main group consisting of Gingerbrave, Strawberry, and Wizard cookie meeting their stronger counterparts that have slight variations to them to help them stand out. Like markings or "their" (our) symbol on their doughs to let us know who our true copy is. Plus, they are STRONG. Like, basic story powered cookies get steamrolled by the clones and it frightens the cookies. Let alone how they sound EXACTLY like them and behave like them too. Except they keep mentioning a "baker" or "them".

I imagine that the Ancients are terrified of their cloned counterparts, As not only are they stronger, they are also AWAKENED just like them in the storyline. THEY ALSO HAVE THEIR OWN SOULJAMS. Plus, their underlings will be present as well, and fighting alongside each other that isn't normal in the story. Like "cloned" Dark Cacao fighting with his "cloned" son by his side that is far stronger than the normal Dark Choco Cookie. That's not all. Like, can you imagine the "cloned" beast cookies meeting the beasts from the true story timeline (excluding alternate difficulties, we're just talking about basic story mode here)? Can you imagine if you have ascended them multiple times, gave them their themed toppings, and maxed out their stats? The battle would be night and day.

Like...the clones from the Baker's Kingdom would absolutely beat the SHIT out of the story-mode beasts if they ever crossed paths...but they probably already have if you unlocked the beasts before starting/finishing their respective story arcs. A Shadow Milk Cookie with unique markings, same with the others, just wailing on the resurrected beasts from the story, and all the beasts can do is be puzzled at HOW there are two of themselves. But, once the battle is over and all their foes are defeated, the group just suddenly...leave. They fulfill their purpose and "they" (us) calls them back to the Altered Cookie Kingdom. I just think this would be a really cool idea. The baker's cookies vs the normal cookies, and how they don't share the same entity. Because, lets be real, how would ANYONE convince a beast cookie to do labor or something else for a Kingdom they don't care about? What prevents them from misbehaving or lashing out? This is just my take on trying to explain the multiple cookies and the timeline shenanigans that one can see throughout the game with the right cookies... Who knows? Maybe I'll doodle what I imagine the "cloned" superior versions of the "normal cookies" would look like. Maybe I will even dabble with the idea and write a oneshot about it. It's just interesting to me, personally. Thanks for reading my silly idea! <: )

[worlds-we-write]

Let Me Hear You

pairing: Pedro Pascal x Plus-Size/Curvy Reader

summary: A chance encounter at a BDSM club leads to a slow-burning, electric connection. As their nights together grow more intense, desire and trust begin to blur the lines between pleasure and something deeper. Word Count: 6.8K Tags: Heavy smut, BDSM themes, blindfold, restraints, spanking, flogging, orgasm denial, oral (f + m receiving), dirty talk, unprotected p in v, toy usage, praise/degradation, established kink consent, body worship, aftercare.

You step into the dimly lit club as midnight approaches, the heavy thrum of bass immediately pulsing through your body. The air is warm and tinged with the scent of amber and leather, matching the low red glow of lights that casts everything in a seductive haze.

You were dressed for the setting: a black strappy corset that hugged every curve of your body like it worshipped it, high-waisted mesh-paneled pants, and a bold red lip.

It had taken courage to come, but once you were here, something settled in your bones. Like you belonged.

The music is a hypnotic blend of synth and percussion, loud enough that conversation means leaning in close. You find an empty spot at the counter and order a drink, letting the music wash over you while you scan the room.

A playful guitar riff from a familiar song comes on, and you can’t help but smile to yourself. Joy Division’s “Love Will Tear Us Apart” – not a track you expected to hear in a place like this, but it sets the perfect mood.

You tap your fingers in time on the bar top, softly humming along. Suddenly, a warm voice speaks near your ear, just loud enough to cut through the music.

“You have good taste,” the man says, motioning to the ceiling where the speakers are hidden. “Not many people appreciate this song anymore.”

Startled, you turn to face him and are met with a pair of friendly brown eyes and a teasing smile. The club’s soft lights dance across strong features – scruffy salt-and-pepper stubble along a sharp jaw, tousled dark hair, and a presence that is immediately disarming and electric all at once.

It takes you a second to place him. Pedro Pascal, your mind registers with a jolt. You almost doubt yourself in the dark, but that distinctive, warm grin and the confident ease in his posture are unmistakable. For a split second you’re starstruck – you've admired him on screen for ages – but you quickly remind yourself to breathe. Here, he's just a gorgeous man in a bar making conversation.

You laugh softly, leaning against the bar as you recover from the surprise. "I could say the same. Joy Division in a club is a bold choice," you reply, raising your glass slightly in a toast to the DJ. "But I'm not complaining." Pedro clinks his own drink to yours. "To good music and unexpected company," he quips, eyes not leaving yours as you both take a sip.

He sat down beside you like he’d been invited by fate.

The conversation flows easily from there, starting with music. It turns out you share an affinity for 80s post-punk and alternative rock. He grins with genuine enthusiasm when you mention your love for The Cure and Depeche Mode, and soon you're comparing favorite albums. The bond over music comes naturally, each shared reference and passion forming a crackle of connection between you.

The longer you talk, the closer Pedro shifts toward you, drawn in by the mutual excitement. The club around you fades slightly out of focus; the only thing in sharp detail is him – the way his eyes light up when you make a witty retort, and the subtle, crooked smile that tugs at his lips every time you surprise him with another common interest.

As the minutes pass, your initial nervousness melts away, replaced by a warm glow fueled by both the alcohol and Pedro’s undivided attention. He is charismatic in a quiet way, not the boisterous type you often encounter at bars. Instead, he listens intently when you speak, and his responses are thoughtful, laced with a flirty edge that makes your stomach flutter.

You notice the way he occasionally glances down at your body appreciatively, though he is nothing but gentlemanly in his words. It's in those brief, heated glances – a sweeping look at the curve of your hips, or the way his gaze lingers on the swell of your breasts beneath your top – that you sense a deeper interest than just friendly conversation. Each time, he meets your eyes again and smirks as if he knows exactly what he’s doing, and you feel your skin flush warm under his gaze.

When you tease him about one of his movie roles, a playful glint sparks in your eyes – your little hint of brattiness showing itself.

"I hope you dance better than you did in that one scene," you jibe lightly, referencing a comedic moment from one of his projects with a grin.

He lets out a surprised laugh, raising an eyebrow. "Oh, you caught that, did you?" he says with mock chagrin. He steps a half-step closer, close enough that your shoulder brushes against his chest. "I promise I'm much better with my moves in real life." The double entendre in his words is unmistakable, and paired with that low, honeyed tone of his voice, it sends a thrill up your spine.

You raise your chin a little in challenge, eyes sparkling. "Is that so? Maybe I'll have to see for myself." It's bold – the words just slip out – but judging by the way Pedro’s smile darkens into something more primal, it was exactly the right thing to say.

He tilts his head, studying you for a moment with that intense gaze. "Careful," he murmurs. "I might hold you to that." His fingers lightly brush the back of your hand resting on the bar, a brief test of boundaries that leaves tingles in their wake. You feel your breath catch, heart skipping a beat at the contact and at the promise woven into his words.

Before you can respond, the DJ transitions into another track – this time something more industrial with a throbbing beat that vibrates through the floor. The crowd cheers and some people head to the dance floor.

 Pedro’s attention flickers toward the dancing bodies and back to you. He leans in, lips near your ear so you can hear him over the music. "Do you want to dance?" he asks. His breath is warm against your ear, and the closeness makes you shiver pleasantly.

You nod, taking his hand as he offers it. The air between you is charged as he leads you to where others have started moving.

The music is dark and sensual, and Pedro wastes no time finding a rhythm with you. His hands slide to your waist, fingers splaying just above the curve of your hips, and you automatically move in closer. Your bodies find a slow, grinding sway to the music. With him behind you, you can feel the heat radiating off his body and the solid firmness of his chest as it presses against your back. The intimacy of the position sends your pulse racing.

His thigh slips between yours from behind as you move, allowing you to rub against it slightly with each sway. You let out a soft, involuntary gasp at the friction. Pedro hears it; you feel the rumble of a satisfied growl low in his throat as he tightens his grip on your hips, guiding you to grind just a little harder.

"That's it," he murmurs close to you, the encouragement almost lost in the music, but you catch it. One of his hands skims up your side, trailing the outline of your curves. He’s testing the waters, seeing how you respond, and your body answers for you by arching into his touch.

The club lights flash intermittently, and in those flickers you catch sight of his face over your shoulder. His eyes are half-lidded, focused on you with open desire now, and his lips are parted as if savoring the moment. You realize you're wearing an almost identical expression – completely caught up in the heat that's building between you two on the dance floor.

When his hand daringly grazes the side of your breast, you respond with a playful wiggle of your hips against him, earning a sharp inhale from Pedro. He chuckles low in your ear. "Brat," he whispers, the word dripping with amusement and a hint of warning. The label sends a flush of both embarrassment and excitement through you. You like that he’s noticing your teasing, and that he's calling you out on it in such a delicious way.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," you reply innocently, turning your head so that your cheek nearly brushes against his lips. The coy tone in your voice is belied by the mischievous grin you can't hide.

Pedro just shakes his head with a soft laugh, and then you feel the gentle scrape of his teeth as he nips lightly at the curve where your neck meets your shoulder. The sensation draws a surprised moan from you before you can stop it. The spot he bit tingles, and you suspect he might have left a faint mark. His tongue swiftly follows to soothe the spot, a silent apology that only stokes the fire inside you.

He presses a kiss to your neck, lips warm and lingering as the song continues to envelop you both. "You drive a hard bargain," he murmurs against your skin, his voice rougher now with arousal. "I was going to behave myself a little longer, but you're making that very difficult."

There's a tension in his tone – restrained, as if he's holding himself back. That realization sends a thrill through you: the knowledge that he wants you, that you're tempting him to lose composure.

By the time the track ends, you are both breathing a little harder, and not from the dancing alone. The air between you is thick with lust and unspoken possibilities. Pedro gently turns you to face him. His hands remain on your waist, thumbs rubbing slow circles that make it hard to think straight.

“You come here to watch?” he asked, voice low and edged with something darker. “Or to play?”

You met his gaze and smiled slowly. “Maybe both.”

He stood, offered a hand. “There’s a room in the back. Private. Stocked.” His eyes flicked down to your lips, then back up. “Let me take care of you tonight. Show you how good it can feel.”

You barely remembered the walk—just the pressure of his palm on your lower back, the faint scent of tobacco and leather clinging to him, the heat curling low in your stomach.

Your heart is pounding with excitement and a touch of nerves as Pedro leads you down a short hallway to one of the private rooms. The hall is quieter, muffling the club music to a dull thump behind closed doors.

At a discrete black door with the number 7 on it, Pedro pauses and turns to you, his eyes serious for a moment beneath the lust.

"Before we go in," he says quietly, "you can say no at any time. If you change your mind, just tell me and we stop. Okay?" His expression is earnest, and the fact that he's checking in so considerately makes you melt a little.

Your pulse flutters. You nod, appreciating the care. "Okay," you reply softly. "I'll tell you if I want to stop." The hint of a grateful smile touches his lips, and he squeezes your hand. With that reassurance, he opens the door and ushers you inside.

The room was dim, backlit by soft amber lights. A four-poster bed sat in the center, draped in black. Shelves lined with implements: paddles, floggers, ropes, blindfolds, clips, vibrators. Like a curated museum of sin.

He turned to face you, brushing his knuckles down your cheek. “Color system?”

“Green,” you whispered.

“Safe word?”

You told him, and he kissed the corner of your mouth like a reward.

“Clothes off. Slow. I want to watch.”

You undressed under his gaze, heart hammering. When the corset finally slid off, baring your full curves to him, his eyes darkened.

“Fucking beautiful,” he murmured, stepping forward to kneel in front of you. His hands gripped your thighs, pressing kisses along your hips, your belly, before spreading you open and burying his face between your legs.

You cried out, one hand bracing on the bedpost, the other tangled in his hair. His tongue was relentless—broad strokes, focused flicks, slow circles that teased your clit just shy of what you needed. He pulled back when you were right there, his lips slick with you.

“You don’t come until I say. Understand?”

You nodded, breathless.

“No, baby. Say it.”

“I won’t come until you say,” you gasped.

“Good girl.” he praises, and your heart skips at the warmth those words ignite in you.

You suspect he can feel the way you shiver at the praise because he smirks knowingly and leans down to kiss you again. As he does, his hand reaches above your head. You hear a soft clink of metal on wood – likely him grabbing something from the headboard or a nearby hook.

He breaks the kiss and you feel the cool touch of leather encircling one wrist, then a soft click – a cuff fastening. Your pulse quickens as he gently but firmly pulls your other wrist up and secures it as well.

You test your arms and find them bound together by what feels like a short bar or strap, and attached to the headboard. Excitement and a tiny bit of panic intermingle, but mostly it's a heady rush to know you're now effectively at his mercy.

You felt vulnerable and feral all at once.

Pedro’s voice was close, teasing your ear. “You look like a fucking goddess tied up like this. All curves and heat and need.”

The first slap of the flogger made you jolt. Not pain—more of a sting, a delicious bite that spread like heat across your skin. He struck you again. And again. Each one met with a moan that made him growl.

“You take it so well,” he murmured. “I can see you dripping from here.

He sits back on his heels between your legs for a moment to admire his handiwork: you, naked and bound beneath him, chest heaving with anticipation.

"You look incredible like this," Pedro says, voice rough. He runs his hands from your wrists down the length of your arms, then over your collarbones. The lightest touch, yet it leaves a trail of goosebumps. "All mine," he adds, almost to himself, as his hands travel further down. They glide over the soft swell of your breasts, thumbs teasing your nipples again briefly, then continue down your torso.

When his palms flatten against your belly, you tense slightly out of habit, but his touch there is warm and appreciative. He notices your reaction and meets your eyes, pausing his exploration.

"You're so damn sexy," he says fervently. "Every part of you."

To prove his point, he lowers himself and presses slow, sucking kisses across your belly, showing extra attention to the parts you feel shy about.

Each kiss is like a balm, erasing a bit of your insecurity. You can only whimper and arch under him, any self-conscious thoughts drowned out by the pleasure of his lips on your skin.

His mouth continues its journey downward, and your breath hitches as he approaches your aching center. He shifts, hooking your thighs over his broad shoulders.

Instinctively, you try to close your legs at the intensity of the anticipation, but the position and his grip prevent it.

 "Easy," he soothes, planting a soft kiss on the inside of your thigh. "I’ve got you."

And then he reaches over to the nightstand and grabs something – a soft black silk blindfold. You hadn't even noticed it laying there. He holds it up briefly as if to show you.

"This okay?" he asks, the final check. Your heart is in your throat with excitement as you nod.

"Yes, please," you manage to say. The idea of surrendering your sight to him sends another pulse of arousal through you.

Gently, he slips the blindfold over your eyes and ties it snugly at the back of your head. The world goes dark. Immediately, your senses heighten; you can hear your own breathing and the distant muffled bass from the club outside, feel the slight coolness of the room on your heated skin, and smell the subtle mix of your arousal and his scent (a mix of his cologne, woodsy and spice, and the musk of sweat from your heated activities).

The bed dips as he settles back between your legs and you feel his hands on your knees, sliding up to part your thighs further. You are completely exposed to him, blind and bound. The vulnerability is intense, but instead of fear, you feel exhilaration. Every nerve is on fire waiting for his next touch.

His fingertips trace feather-light patterns along your inner thighs, avoiding the place you need him most, and it's maddening. You let out a soft whine, lifting your hips a little, silently begging. He chuckles darkly.

 "So eager," he murmurs. A smack lands on your outer thigh – not too hard, but enough to make you gasp. "Stay still, cariño," he growls, the dominant edge in his voice unmistakable now. "I'll give you what you need. Be patient for me."

You bite your lip hard, trying to obey, trying to still the trembling of your thighs. But he isn't making it easy.

You feel the bed shift as he lowers himself, and then – oh god – the first hot, broad lick of his tongue up your slit. A cry tears from your throat at the sudden jolt of pleasure. He groans against you, apparently enjoying your taste as much as you enjoy his tongue.

He starts slow, languidly exploring your folds with his mouth, teasing every sensitive spot except the one you want him to focus on most. He avoids your clit at first, licking around it in cruel teasing circles, making your hips twitch upward seeking friction.

He notices and one strong arm comes across your hips, pinning you down firmly against the mattress. "I said stay still," Pedro admonishes between kisses against your inner lips, voice vibrating directly against your core.

The sensation makes you moan wantonly. You force yourself to still your hips, gripping the cuffs binding your wrists to give yourself something to hold onto.

"Good girl," he purrs, and rewards you by finally wrapping his lips around your clit. The suction and the sudden flick of his tongue over that bundle of nerves make you nearly scream.

Only the awareness that there are other rooms and people beyond the wall keeps you to a loud cry. Pleasure radiates outward from your center, and your toes curl in your heels as he works you with expert attention.

Pedro feasts on you like a man starving, alternating between suckling your clit and dipping his tongue inside your entrance to lap at the flood of arousal there. The lewd wet sounds of his mouth on you and your own helpless moans fill the room, an erotic symphony accompanying the distant bass.

Your world narrows to just these sensations – the heat coiling in your belly, the pressure building inside as he relentlessly pleasures you. He slides two fingers into you without warning, and they slip in easily with how wet you are. He curls them just right, finding that spongy spot inside that makes you cry out his name.

"That's it," he mutters against your clit, voice rough. "Moan for me. Let me hear how good I'm making you feel." You oblige with another loud moan, no longer caring who might hear. He pumps his fingers steadily, a firm rhythm that has you hurtling towards climax faster than you expected.

Your breathing turns ragged, thighs quivering around his head. You can feel the orgasm approaching, a tightening low in your belly.

"Pedro," you gasp, a warning, as your muscles start to clench around his thrusting fingers. "I-I'm gonna—"

Suddenly, he withdraws his fingers and mouth completely, pulling away from you. The loss of contact is so abrupt, it's like a bucket of cold water. The almost-orgasm that was within reach shatters and dissipates, leaving you on a cruel edge.

A firm slap to your thigh. “No. Not yet.”

You sob in frustration at the denial, hips bucking upward desperately, trying to chase his mouth. But his arm still pins your pelvis down and now his other hand comes to press on your inner thigh, keeping you spread but offering no relief.

You whined, hips bucking. He chuckled, low and dark.

"Not yet, hermosa," Pedro tuts. His voice is smug and dripping with control. "You were going to come without permission." Even though you can't see him, you just know he's watching you with that infuriatingly sexy smirk, enjoying the way you squirm.

You whine, nearly a wail, and tug at your restraints. It’s half reflex, half hoping maybe you could free a hand to finish yourself because you're throbbing with need. But the cuffs hold firm. "Please," you manage, your voice high and needy. "Please, I need—"

A sharp slap lands right on your swollen clit, shocking you. It wasn't very hard, more surprising than painful, but it makes you yelp and instantly silences your begging. Your clit throbs from the light impact, somehow adding to the overwhelming cocktail of sensations rather than diminishing it.

"What did I say about patience?" Pedro growls. He's still between your legs; you can feel his hot breath against your overstimulated center.

"You'll come when I let you, understand?" His tone is commanding, the rough Dominant you sensed in him fully present now. Yet beneath it there's a thread of care – he wants you to feel good, just on his terms.

You nod frantically, forgetting for a moment that he might want a verbal answer since you’re blindfolded. "Y-yes, sir," you stammer automatically. The honorific slips out without thinking, but it feels right on your tongue.

He inhales sharply, clearly affected by the title you granted him. "Good girl," he rumbles, and you practically preen at the praise despite your predicament. "Let's see if you can control yourself for me. If you do..." He trails a finger teasingly through your slick folds, avoiding your clit this time. "I'll make sure your mind blanks out from how hard you come. That's a promise."

His words alone send a thrill through you. You nod again, biting your lip. "I’ll be good," you breathe. "I promise."

"That's what I like to hear," Pedro says. Then, to your surprise, you feel him shift away.

The weight on the bed changes as he moves, and you hear the soft rustle of him removing his jeans and perhaps his boxers. Your heart jumps at the realization that he's undressing; soon you'll feel him skin to skin.

You strain to hear any little sound – a zipper, fabric hitting the floor – and your anticipation spikes knowing he's likely naked now, or nearly so.

The next thing you feel is the bed dipping again and the heat of his body covering yours as he returns to you.

His mouth captures yours in a ravenous kiss. You can taste yourself on his lips and chin, an erotic reminder of what he was just doing to you. The kiss is bruising and hungry; you return it with equal passion, tongues tangling.

His bare chest is pressed to yours, the hair on his torso tickling your sensitive nipples as you arch into him. God, the feeling of his warm, solid body on top of you when you can't use your hands to touch him back – it's a special kind of torment.

You instinctively spread your legs wider to accommodate him between them, and you feel the hard length of his cock brush against your inner thigh, so close to where you need it.

A moan slips from you into his mouth at the tease of contact. You want to see him badly – to take in the sight of his naked form and the lust on his face – but the blindfold forces you to experience it differently, focusing on sound, touch, and taste. In some ways, it's even more intense this way. Every brush of his skin, every breathy sound he makes is magnified.

"You want me inside you, don't you?" Pedro husks against your lips as he breaks the kiss. He starts kissing along your jaw and down your neck again, his hips grinding slowly, letting the tip of his cock slide through your slick folds without entering. It's a tantalizing preview that has you trembling.

"Yes," you gasp, back arching as he teases your entrance. "Please, Pedro... I want you. I need you."

He groans softly at your plea, clearly stoking his ego and desire. "You feel how hard I am for you?" he whispers, shifting to rub the head of his cock against your clit once, making you both moan.

He's indeed rock hard, and you can tell he's of considerable size. The thought of that thickness stretching you makes your walls flutter in anticipation.

"Condom?" he asks suddenly, voice strained like it's taking all his self-control not to just take you right now.

"Please... I- I'm on the pill," you manage, desperate for him not to stop and break this momentum. And you trust him; after all, he's been responsible in everything so far tonight, and you find yourself willing to take this pleasure raw.

He growls in appreciation, understanding your meaning. "Good girl."

The tip of his cock finds your entrance and he begins to push in slowly. Both of you gasp – you, at the stretching burn as your body adjusts to him, and him, at the sheer tight heat of you enveloping him inch by inch. Even with how wet you are, the girth of him is a delicious challenge.

He pauses once the tip is in, to let you catch your breath. "Relax, baby," he murmurs, kissing the corner of your mouth sweetly, a tender contrast to the filthy act of him breaching you. "You can take it."

You nod, forcing yourself to unclench, to breathe. He circles his hips a little, working himself deeper, then pulls back a touch, then slides in further.

Inch by inch, he works his cock into you, carefully but persistently, until finally, with a low groan, he bottoms out. He is seated fully inside you, his hips flush with yours.

The fullness is overwhelming – bordering on too much – but then your body adjusts and it transforms into an incredible sense of being completely filled, utterly possessed.

You cry out at the sensation, head thrown back; if not for the cuffs you'd be clawing at his back. "Oh my god..." you whimper. "Pedro..." His name on your lips comes out half-sob, half-moan. He stills, buried deep, allowing you to accommodate him. You feel so stretched, so vulnerable, tied up and blindfolded with this large man inside you. And you feel amazing.

He kisses you softly, tenderly, lingering for a long moment while you both just revel in the feeling. His hand finds yours, fingers entwining in a reassuring squeeze above your head. It's oddly sweet and grounding in the midst of such raw passion. "Doing okay?" he asks, slightly breathless.

You manage a smile between panting breaths. "More than okay," you assure him. "Please move." You roll your hips a little to emphasize your need, earning a hiss of pleasure from him as your movement squeezes him inside you.

"As you wish," he replies, and you can hear a smile in his tone.

He withdraws slowly until just the tip remains inside, then thrusts back in with a controlled, firm stroke. The friction of him dragging against your inner walls makes stars explode behind your eyelids. You choke out a moan. He starts a steady rhythm then – pulling out and sliding back in, gradually increasing the pace as he gauges your reactions.

His hands grip your hips, fingers digging into your soft flesh as he picks up speed. The bed creaks softly with the force of his thrusts now. The room fills with an erotic melody: your helpless cries and gasps, his ragged grunts, the slap of skin on skin as his hips meet your thighs. He pounds into you, each stroke hitting deep and rubbing that perfect spot inside that makes you see white-hot pleasure.

Your bound hands clench uselessly above you, desperate to cling to something. The coil in your belly that had been wound tight from earlier starts tightening again quickly – too quickly. You realize with a start that you're already on the brink from how expertly he's fucking you, combined with the earlier denial. And he hasn't given you permission yet.

Desperately, you try to hold back, to last longer. But Pedro knows. He can feel the way your pussy is fluttering and clenching erratically around him as your body races toward release.

He slows his thrusts deliberately, grinding into you deeply but more slowly, holding you just at the edge. It's agony and ecstasy. You actually sob, tears pricking at the corners of your eyes under the blindfold from the intensity of needing to come so badly.

"P-please... please, sir," you beg in a broken whisper, not caring how desperate you sound. "I c-can't... please let me cum."

Pedro lowers himself onto his forearms, changing the angle slightly as his face comes right next to yours. His thrusts remain slow and torturous. His breath is hot on your ear as he speaks, voice gravelly with restraint.

"You want to cum, sweet girl?" he drawls, licking a stripe up the side of your neck that makes you shudder. "You've been so good for me... took your spanking so well, let me tie you up and use you... such a perfect little submissive."

His words are like fire, each one fueling your desire. You nod frantically, a tear finally escaping down your cheek from sheer overwhelming need.

He kisses that tear away softly, a brief tender gesture that contrasts with the edgy control he's exerting. "Shh, don't cry. I'll take care of you," he whispers, and those words themselves feel as comforting as a caress. "You want to cum?" he repeats, speeding up just a fraction, his hips snapping a little harder into yours again. "Then cum for me. Come on, baby, let go. You've earned it."

The permission – so graciously given in that rough, sexy voice – is all you needed. You don't hold back; you can't at this point even if you tried. Your orgasm crashes over you like a tidal wave.

You let out a wail as your entire body tenses, then shatters into pure ecstasy. Your pussy clenches violently around Pedro’s cock, pulsing in waves as you cum harder than you ever have in your life. Pleasure ribbons out from your core to every limb. It's so intense, it's almost overwhelming – tears leak from your eyes beneath the blindfold as you sob through the euphoria.

"That's it... fuck, yes, that's it!" Pedro groans. Feeling you cum pushes him right to the edge. He curses under his breath in a mix of English and Spanish, his control finally shattering. With a few more hard thrusts, he holds himself deep inside you and lets go.

His body shudders above you as he releases, hot spurts filling you as he moans your name. The sensation of him coming inside only prolongs your orgasm; you swear you feel each pulse of him as another aftershock ripples through your own body.

He collapses against you, catching most of his weight on his elbows so he doesn't crush you completely, but enough that you feel deliciously pinned by his spent body. Both of you are gasping for air, trembling in the aftermath.

Your heart feels like it's pounding in your throat, and your limbs are heavy and boneless in the wake of such an intense climax. You distantly note that your cheeks are wet from a few tears, but you're too blissed-out to care or feel self-conscious.

For a long moment, the only sound is the mingled panting of your breaths and the muted bass from outside. Still blindfolded and bound, you float in a haze of satisfaction. Pedro peppers soft, lazy kisses along your jaw and neck as you both come down, murmuring praise between each one.

"You did so well," he whispers, voice hoarse but gentle. "So perfect, cariño."

Each word of praise warms your chest with a different kind of pleasure – pride, contentment, even love. With your hands still bound, you can only tilt your head toward his kisses, silently showing your appreciation.

Eventually, he gently withdraws from your oversensitive body, making you both hiss at the aftershocks. You feel suddenly empty without him, but the loss is soon replaced by gratitude as he moves swiftly to untie your wrists.

The leather cuffs come loose and your arms are finally free. They ache dully from being restrained in one position for so long. You flex your fingers, and before you can even wince at the soreness, Pedro's hands are there rubbing your wrists softly, massaging away any stiffness.

He reaches behind your head and carefully unties the blindfold, pulling it away from your eyes. You blink a few times, adjusting to the low light.

The first thing you see is his face hovering above yours, concern evident in his furrowed brow. His hair is a sweaty mess, curls sticking to his forehead, and his lips are kiss-swollen. To you, he’s never looked more gorgeous.

"Hi," you whisper with a tired smile, meeting his gaze.

He smiles back, relief and tenderness in his expression. "Hi, hermosa." He brushes his thumbs over your cheeks, wiping away the wetness there. "These okay? Not tears of anything bad?" he asks softly, referring to the tears you shed at the peak of it all.

You shake your head, leaning into his touch. "They were... very good tears," you assure him with a soft laugh. "That was just... intense." A flush warms your face as you recall how desperate and loud you got. "In a good way," you add quickly, not wanting him to worry.

His shoulders relax and he chuckles quietly. "Intense is one word for it." He leans down and presses a gentle kiss to your lips, this time slow and sweet – a stark contrast to the feral kisses from before. You sigh contentedly into it, wrapping your now-free arms around him to hold him close.

You both linger like that for a while, trading soft kisses and tender touches as you bask in the afterglow. Pedro’s hands roam over you in light caresses, as if he can't get enough of touching your body – but now those touches are soothing, affectionate strokes along your sides, your hips, your thighs. He handles you like something precious, and it makes your chest tight with a warm emotion that goes beyond simple lust.

At one point he breaks the comfortable silence, murmuring, "Stay here, I'll be right back." He slips off the bed, and you watch, unabashedly admiring the full view of his naked form as he walks to a small en-suite bathroom attached to the room.

The red light bathes his muscular back and perfect ass in a flattering glow. You bite your lip, already feeling a pleasant ache between your legs that will no doubt remind you of him for days.

Pedro returns with a warm, damp washcloth and a bottle of water. Ever thoughtful, he tends to you first, gently cleaning the stickiness from between your thighs and wherever else the evidence of your lovemaking lingers.

His touch is careful and respectful, almost reverent as he cleans you, making sure not to overstimulate now-sensitive areas. It’s such an intimate, caring gesture that your heart swells. When he’s done, he helps you sit up enough to take a few sips of water, making sure you're hydrated and okay. You murmur a thank you, touched by his attentiveness.

He then quickly sees to himself with the cloth, wiping his lower abdomen and any remaining wetness. Afterwards, he tosses the cloth aside and joins you back on the bed, pulling you into his arms without hesitation.

You go willingly, nestling against his chest. He’s warm and solid, and his natural scent mixed with a hint of sweat is oddly comforting in the aftermath of sex. One of his arms wraps around your back, the other hand comes up to stroke your hair.

"You alright?" he asks softly after a moment, breaking the comfortable silence. There’s a hint of vulnerability in his tone, as if he's truly concerned that he might have been too rough or that you might regret this.

You tilt your head up to meet his gaze. His brown eyes search yours, and all you can see in them now is a gentle earnestness that makes you smile. "I'm perfect," you reply, and you mean it. "That was... beyond anything I imagined." A light laugh escapes you. "You, Pedro Pascal, definitely live up to your reputation."

He laughs at that, a real, warm laugh that rumbles in his chest under your cheek. "Oh? And what reputation is that?"

You pretend to consider, your fingers idly tracing patterns on his chest. "Heartthrob. Charmer. And, based on tonight... very skilled." The last part you add in a teasing whisper, and you feel his chest vibrate as he chuckles again.

"I'm glad I haven't disappointed," he says, tilting your chin up with a knuckle so he can steal another soft kiss. His expression grows a bit more serious afterward, thumb brushing over your bottom lip. "You were amazing. So responsive and trusting." He smirks then, adding, "And just the right amount of bratty."

You giggle, feeling heat rise in your cheeks at his praise. A comfortable lull falls between you as you both simply enjoy the closeness. It's surprising, perhaps, how natural it feels to lie here in the arms of a man you technically just met tonight.

But something about the intensity of what you shared feels bonding – as if you've known each other longer. The way he's holding you, warm and protective, you certainly feel cared for.

Eventually, you know you'll have to leave the room and step back into reality. But for now, wrapped up in this sensual afterglow, you allow yourself to just be. You pepper a tiny kiss on his collarbone and sigh happily, closing your eyes.

Pedro shifts slightly, reaching up to brush a strand of hair away from your face. "Penny for your thoughts?" he asks quietly.

You smile against his skin. "Just thinking how I don't want this night to end," you admit softly. It's a vulnerable confession, but in this red-lit cocoon of a private room, with your body still humming from multiple orgasms and your heart fluttering with endorphins, it feels right to be honest.

He pulls you a little tighter, pressing a kiss to your forehead. "It doesn't have to, not yet," he murmurs. "We have the room for as long as we want." There's a comforting promise in his tone.

You tilt your head up. "As long as we want, hm?" You raise an eyebrow playfully. "Planning to keep me all night?"

His eyes darken a fraction, that familiar smolder returning just a bit. "If I had my way, I'd keep you much longer." He says it with a half-smile, but you sense the sincerity beneath it. "At least until we work through that entire wall of toys." He nods toward the array of BDSM implements displayed, a mischievous glint in his eye now.

Your breath catches at the idea, a fresh flicker of arousal stirring in your belly despite your satiation. You laugh softly, feigning exasperation. "Insatiable," you accuse, but your grin gives you away.

He laughs and nuzzles into your hair. "For you? Absolutely." Then he takes a deep breath, voice turning earnest once more.

"I'd love to see you again after tonight... if you want." The hint of uncertainty – almost shyness – in his proposition is endearing coming from a man who just had you tied up and screaming his name.

You answer by lifting up enough to kiss him deeply, pouring your gratitude and enthusiasm into it. When you part, you whisper, "I do want." You rest your forehead against his, smiling. "Maybe we can explore that list of favorite bands we talked about over drinks, and then some."

The grin that spreads across Pedro's face is radiant. "It's a date," he says softly, sealing the promise with another tender kiss.

Later, wrapped in his arms, the room still scented like sex and skin and sweat, he kissed your shoulder and said softly, “Next time, I’m tying myself up. Let you have your way.”

You smirked. “You wouldn’t last five minutes.”

His laugh was pure sin. “Now that sounds like a challenge.”

AN: This.... ended up a LOT longer than anticipated. Huge love to all my plus-size babes—you deserve to be worshipped and ruined just like this. 💋 There’s definitely potential for a part 2 👀 I’m already thinking about what happens after this night. Let me know if you’d want to see it continue!

[prettycottonmouthlamia]

How the Arknights Community was Wrong on One of Arknight's Most Powerful Classes

Or, alternatively, you all need to apologize to Rosmontis right now.

Flingers are experiencing a modern Renaissance right now. Thanks to the release of Wis'adel and the introduction of Rosmontis's absolutely busted IS module, it seems like things are on the up and up for Flingers. Even Greyy the Lightningbearer is a common sight in high level IS runs, and he doesn't even have a broken module.

How on Earth did this happen, when it wasn't very long ago that Flingers were the butt and punchline of their own joke?

The Original Let's start with how the archetype was introduced into the game: Rosmontis. Rosmontis was released alongside Mudrock for the Chapter 8 release event, and the reception was pretty mixed. Rosmontis was a limited operator, and to this point, limited operators in Arknights had been pretty middling. Nian wasn't really conclusively better than Hoshiguma, and W was good but nothing special. We were not at the point yet where Dusk or Skadi the Corrupting Heart had been released, so the running joke was typically to roll on the other operator on a limited banner. Mudrock was a really strong laneholder that still sees a lot of use today, and Weedy is by far the strongest shifter operator ever released.

It's also worth noting that Rosmontis was released during a general downturn of opinions on AoE ranged operators. Leonhardt and Meteorite were considered actually quite strong in the early days of Arknights, and I know this must sound crazy, but Mostima and W were actually super hyped for their release. People thought Mostima, base-ass Mostima with no modules, was good. But after CC Blade, and a general stint of CCs where AoE operators made relatively poor performances, the tide had shifted. Operators like Eyjafjalla and Angelina (god remember when Angelina was considered really good. Well I guess she is now. Regardless) had AoE capabilities but were much cheaper in DP and had solid secondary skills for dealing with single enemies. So people were generally pretty down on AoE operators, which wasn't helped later on by the release of Passenger, an operator considered so bad it resulted in several attempts by Hypergryph to make him better (the retrospective view is that while Passenger was bad, he was made out to be a lot worse than he was, a view I agree with).

These two factors did not help the views of Rosmontis as an operator, but it was also further not helped by what content was available to use Rosmontis in: Contingency Contract. Rosmontis, tragically, released after the first theme of Integrated Strategies came and went, and so the only high level content available to use her in was CC. CC is particularly harsh to Flingers as we'll discuss, but this is also something that Wis'adel has managed to avoid as there hasn't been a CC since her release. The only difficult content since Wis'adel's release has been IS and RA, two game modes that honestly favor Flingers as we'll discuss later on. There was just nowhere to use Rosmontis in more difficult content where she didn't feel bad.

Flingers are a pretty interesting subclass, and Arknights has really not designed any subclasses to be like them, ultimately. They have a very impressive attack range, higher bulk than other ranged operators, and a unique gimmick to their attacks: they will deal an additional hit of damage, but one that only has 50% of their ATK. In addition to this, Flingers are the only Sniper subclass that cannot hit aerial enemies without certain conditions being met (Wis'adel's S3, Rosmontis S3 with an aerial blocker).

In general, this results in a class that is very good at dealing with large groups of enemies with only modest DEF stats. This is because DEF ends up having an increased effect on Rosmontis' damage, because it will apply to both of her hits. An enemy with 375 DEF will, after the 175 Def ignore from her talent, reduce her attack damage by a total of 400.

This for a lot of people was sort of the final straw that broke the Rosmontis back. Her vulnerability to enemies having DEF was a problem, and it was generally stated to be in a way that other DPS checks would avoid. In addition, if we take a look at ideal DPS scenarios with the introductory 6-star for each Sniper class:

Ray: 1,346.22 Narantuya: 1,062 Schwarz: 880.28 Exusiai: 815.99 Chen the Holungday: 647.17 Rosmontis: 601.71 Fartooth: 583.88 Rosa: 539 W: 373.93

Rosmontis is very middle of the pack, losing in particular to Exusiai. Now, Exusiai also had the problem of being very soft to enemy DEF stats. Honestly, it should be noted that Rosmontis was always hitting higher DPH than Exusiai would for her normal attack damage.

(I've been getting really into Desmos lately)

Now this is all just auto-attack stuff and I don't want this to be exclusively a Rosmontis analysis by any means (although it's coming). The point here is that there was a pretty common conception that Rosmontis didn't really have a place in the meta, because Exusiai was so dominant in that spot. It's not hard to understand why. If we look at their S3 DPS really quickly...

At low DEF values, Exusiai is overdominant. This isn't super surprising, as she has a lot of factors working in her favor: a busted 5 hit S3, an attack interval reduction as well as a sizable ASPD buff from her talent. But it doesn't take a huge amount of defense for Rosmontis to come out on top. The specific DEF number is 580, roughly. Then, the perks of Rosmontis's S3 come to light: it's larger DEF ignore, it's halved attack interval, and it's much larger ATK buff.

This being said, there are still things working against Rosmontis, like her skill cycle being very long, and her own ATK buff resulting in Warfarin's buff being diluted compared to Exusiai. If you take a look at CC results, it is true that Rosmontis only has one top to her name: CC Spectrum, where she is part of a Risk 31 clear alongside Exusiai, which is pretty cool. But CCs, which often increase enemy DEF while reducing friendly ATK, are just very harsh to Flingers. Given that it is a class so sensitive to DEF and ATK changes to hit breakpoints, most CCs just hit Rosmontis in a double bind.

Funnily enough, Exusiai also doesn't have any top clears in CC past this point too, which is interesting to point out.

(For those counting: Rosmontis: CC5 Exusiai: CC1, CC5)

Rosmontis' position probably wasn't helped past this point by the release of Chen the Holungday either, and the rest is history. Rosmontis goes down as one of the weaker 6-stars in the game. People feel bad when they roll her. People on this website nurse weird ass grudges against her.

The Blip

It would be remiss of me to not remind people about Greyy the Lightningbearer. Greyy was a 5-star, which means that 99% of players ignored his existence, Gamepress made a dogshit summary about him that was made by people who don't play the game, and life moved on. We're going to talk about Greyy in more detail later on because he is important to talk about...

Oh well right now

Lone Trail: The Update That Should Have Changed Everything

Lone Trail was a super massive event, releasing three 6-stars that can be kindly regarded as "good but nothing amazing, bad, and my wife". It also introduced to the game the Flinger Modules, and I'm going to tell you all a secret. You and me, real close now.

It's fucked up these modules didn't receive more hype.

These modules gave Flingers a second shockwave hit. Now that doesn't seem all that impressive. After all, you might think to yourself, that shockwave still deals 50% damage. But the addition of an extra shockwave really changed the numbers of the game, because it meant a huge chunk more damage.

At minimum (673 DEF roughly) this module improves her damage by about 45%. That's pretty crazy for a module as it stands, but if you want to see the full chart, here you go. Arknights Youtubers hire me.

The extremely high peak there, where Rosmontis is doing more than triple the damage she was originally is actually getting to the exact point where Rosmontis without a module moves towards dealing scratch damage. This is pretty common with modules involving physical DPS operators, such as Blaze, to have very unique high points.

But this is 45% just off of, what is essentially

An extra shockwave

60 more points of DEF Ignore

+75 ATK attribute

This is a remarkably tame talent upgrade. The base effect, the second shockwave, is pulling so much work here. These numbers will be a bit more tame when you compare with S2 (already comes with +2 shockwaves) or S3 (already has some DEF shred) but this is still a very impactful module.

It also impacts the stun chance on her S2. Without her module, and having 4 total hits per attack, this puts her stun chance at roughly 59.04% per attack. The additional hit raises those chances to 67.232%. Not a massive increase, but it does help to patch up her odds.

This is also why Greyy's module was so important. Greyy's slow is tied to his talent, and hence the jump from 2 hits to 3 hits is very notable. Without his module, Greyy has a 64% chance to slow the enemy with every attack. With his module, those chances go up to 78.4%! That's pretty significant! He also deals 15% more damage to Slowed enemies too, which is a pretty strong mod on top of the extra shockwave. I haven't actually done Greyy's numbers, but it really does make him a lot more consistent at slowing enemies.

So now we're here, with Flinger's getting a surprisingly good module. They now deal 3 hits per attack, with Rosmontis dealing 5 hits per attack with her S2, which is actually relevant for Lone Trail (Rosmontis can remove a clean 250 DEF with every one of her attacks during her S2 against Arc Screenguards). So what happened?

Well...Flingers weren't popular, were widely regarded as a flawed class, and mostly passed over. It just wasn't worth it to people to raise Rosmontis or Greyy the Lightningbringer even if you had some inkling their module was good.

The Return of Integrated Strategies and Reclamation Algorithm

A miracle the likes of which Hypergryph may never do again...well okay maybe they will, they do be kind of nailing it on the alternate gamemodes, we have the return of Integrated Strategies and Reclamation Algorithm. These modes are actually uniquely situated in comparison to CC to benefit Flingers over other classes. This is largely because of how these modes chose to scale difficulty and the tools they give you to combat this.

In IS, enemy difficulty typically results in scaling HP and ATK buffs, and that's it. It's rare to see enemy DEF buffs in IS. In addition, many relics in IS focus on increasing ATK or ASPD or improving damage dealt. Flingers get much and much better when they deal damage with their shockwaves, and it is pretty easy to do that in IS. Rosmontis's S2 is of special note here: with her module, it deals 5 hits of damage, which means it benefits from ATK buffs to the same degree as Exusiai does, but with a lot of added perks. DEF ignore, a moderate AoE radius, and a chance to stun. This skill is way more dangerous with additional ASPD.

Greyy also benefits a ton here. Extra ASPD allows him to basically permanently lock down entire groups of enemies with slow. This is something that can also sort of be done with Chain Casters, but notably, Chain Casters can only slow down a certain number of enemies at a time with each of their attacks. Since slowed enemies tend to create clusters, Greyy can slow down entire waves of enemies with his attacks, while still dealing pretty impressive damage.

The only issue is the aerial enemies. I haven't mentioned this up until now, because in my opinion, it is the single most overhyped drawback in the entire game. There are tons of events and chapter releases where this basically doesn't matter. Aerial enemies are, for all intents and purposes, rather rare in Arknights. But in IS this is important. Flingers need some degree of map knowledge to use well. But your Sniper ticket is not necessarily the only solution to aerial enemies in any IS, and chances are you'll find more than one. For IS3, you can pick up Kroos Alter and Rosmontis and in the grand majority of situations be completely fine.

Of course, if you play IS5, this basically isn't an issue and Rosmontis is the second stronger Flinger in the game, and I think arguably the second strongest Sniper pick?

I almost forgot RA by the time I went to post this, so it's a good thing I went back because, yes, Flingers and Rosmontis are also good there too. It's literally designed for Flingers to be good, it's huge mobs of enemies all clustered closely around each other. You can use Provisions to give Rosmontis a ton of ATK or ASPD and watch her go ham on like 115 exploding spiders. They also have amazing range for vision on resource maps and have multi-hit mechanics for those stupid locks.

It's like, impressive how nicely Flingers slot in here. I'm really curious how Greyy feels when you give him one of the ASPD provisions so he has +60 ASPD.

Rosmontis CRAVES your Coagulate Supplements!!!!

The End-Times: Wis'adel and Rosmontis's Busted Module

If you've ever wanted to know how we got to this renaissance, it was Wis'adel being released, having absolutely busted numbers on her kit that basically ensured that her shockwaves would always do damage, and then going and soloing IS3 A15 like it was fucking nothing.

Wis'adel proved Flingers could be fucking fantastic.

Rosmontis has actual problems in her kit, she's ultimately a pretty early Limited operator with all the design choices that carries. Wis'adel is what you get when you ask "how far can a Flinger go?" The shockwave mechanic works well with her huge numbers and her shadow status effect. Her summons work to keep as many enemies as possible attached with a shadow. Her blast radius is massive. Honestly the fact she can blow up the UFOs in IS3 barely matters.

Soon after that, Rosmontis got her specialized Module. I've seen people complain about this. You're wrong. There's no fucking way this module should be allowed to be used in general content. It is, in fact, maybe the most busted specialized module they've released. It completely changes Rosmontis as an operator. Benefitting from Caster relics is insane for themes like IS3 which has a ton of genuinely broken ones, her new and improved equipment are insanely powerful, and the fact that she allows every Sniper and Caster to create a free rather tanky blocker with a crazy debuff effect is like

You understand this module is nuts? Surely?

The trait wouldn't really make Rosmontis meta anyhow. It would improve her damage by a lot but puts her, rather frustratingly, into the camp of mixed offensive operators who now have to worry about enemy RES values coming into play. Plenty of the enemies with decent DEF stats that Rosmontis struggles with now also come with sizable RES stats. As I've mentioned in my brief thoughts on Dagda, there are a ton of enemies Dagda hits harder by brute force than Indra does by trying to side-step the bigger stat.

It's also okay that the module is IS only, because IS is where Flingers are just at their best. Nothing is stopping you from using Rosmontis in general content, especially with her still really good BOM-X module!

Flingers, ultimately, are just a well-designed class. They have great range, AoE, and having extra instances of damage is always incredibly powerful. I do think Rosmontis has some kit issues, but I also think that a lot of people immediately dismissed her as bad based on community consensus. You want to know a cool thing about Rosmontis I haven't brought up yet? She can attack invisible enemies with her S3. Invisible enemies feel a lot more common than aerial enemies do, hell Lappland the Decadenza's event is literally a bunch of invisible enemies.

But like, that's never seen as a positive to Rosmontis unless you're a Sniperknights player and then you might just say Totter is better (and I get that, he is a bit more consistent). Rosmontis can hit an entire enemy type with her S3 that Wis'adel can't, but it's seemingly never mentioned. It's just...this community is very strange, you know?

Try Rosmontis out, hell try her out with Shamare or Warfarin. If you use Exusiai a bunch (godspeed soldier it's been rough since the Chen days), you probably already have those operators. Try Greyy out too. Then, if you really want the challenge, E0 Level 1 Wis'adel. Come on. You know that's better than like half the cas-

[auxiliaryslinky]

10 HELLENIC POLYTHEISM JOURNAL/REFLECTION PROMPTS, from yours truly - long prompts edition

ᶦᵐ ˢᵒʳʳʸ ᶠᵒʳ ᵛᵃⁿᶦˢʰᶦⁿᵍ ᶦ ʷᵃˢ ᵉⁿʲᵒʸᶦⁿᵍ ᵐʸ ᵛᵃᶜᵃᵗᶦᵒⁿ ᵖˡˢ ᵈᵒⁿᵗ ᵇᵘʳⁿ ᵐᵉ ᵃᵗ ᵗʰᵉ ᵖʸʳᵉ

Icarus was told never to fly too close to the sun, but he, too, was reminded not to fly so near the sea. We all have had instances where we soared too high and fell grandly. But have you been so afraid to take a risk that it became the reason for your downfall or regret?

Even if you do not worship or actively practice with them, which deity, in terms of what they represent, their values and virtues, and even in personality, do you think you share the most in common with? Or alternatively, which one do you have the most affinity for?

In terms of hubris, man is blinded in two ways. Do you see so much of what you have that you forget you are lacking, or do you only see the absence of what you do not own, so that you cannot cherish what is there?

Spear to your throat, answer me: aimlessly yearn for the one who has long vanished, or slowly grow resentful of the one who stayed but changed?

Love exists beyond romantic and sexual connotations. Which of the seven forms do you find you embody the most? Which love is the one you give most wholeheartedly to others?

Xenia, the virtue of hospitality, is not merely to show excellent social graces, but as a mode of building community, care, and compassion for fellow man. How do you honor the spirit of xenia in your daily life? How do others do it for you?

Do you believe that the essence of the gods exists in every person you meet, that some people exist like mortal effigies of godly faces? If so, has any particular individual struck you or given you the energy of a particular deity? In what way?

Create a playlist for a particular epithet or title of a god you worship, focusing on that specific quality highlighted by the title given to the deity. For each song, either A) highlight a set of lyrics that connect it to the deity's epithet, or B) explain in no more than two sentences why this song was selected and added.

Out of the four cardinal virtues of Prudence (practical discernment), Justice (lawful uprightness), Temperance (conscious moderation), and Fortitude (resilient courage), which ones do you feel you have the most mastery over? And which ones do you feel you must further improve on?

SURPRISE FANDOM QUESTION! Name a famous or renowned person (deceased or currently living) that you think might quite literally just be a god hiding amongst the mortals and has done quite a good job at it thus far.

that's it for now, 10 long prompts to get your gears working!! You can recommend some prompt themes in my inbox, and if I've got the time or motivation, I can probably work on them, but I cannot guarantee constant online presence. Blessed day, have fun!!

-thio of (@auxiliaryslinky and @zineovator)

[usagifuyusummer]

By the Angel(s) Will

♥️ Proceed.

...

He won't be suffering anymore once you PROCEED, Noelle. Please listen.

.... Kris, I can't-! This doesn't feel-

YOU WE NEED HIS WINGS TO ASCEND ASCEND ASCEND ASCEND ASCEND ASCEND ASCEND GET STRONGER.

NO!!! I DON'T FEEL GOOD ABOUT THIS, KRIS!

Then, this bloodshed will never end- I-ca-!

♥️ PROCEED, NOELLE.

There's also another fanart that has similar themes to this. I think it's pretty neat. https://www.tumblr.com/fazsion/785376949530984448/alternate-ending-click-for-better-quality?source=share

Extra stuff down here, lmao (I yapped a bit in the alt text of the artwork).

They both took Berdly's wings to ascend.

My progress video. You can tell I was struggling with the backgrounds fagshdjjahagwusjje. I SUCK AT COLORING AND BACKGROUNDS SO BAD YOUR HONOR!!!! BUT I WILL LEARN!!! 😭😭😭😭😭✍️✍️✍️🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

(I learned how to draw blood here. It doesn't look much, but I tried.)

But really...., I didn't know what to do with the background of this fanart. I just wanted to try and draw the pose that Vivinos posted recently.

Also, do monsters bleed in Deltarune? I think they do not in Undertale. So far, monster biology in Deltarune has a lot of speculation instead of concrete facts/evidence. The way we know that monsters don't bleed in Undertale because if you do the Genocide route, you literally see them turn into dust. But, in Deltarune, for Genocide mode so far, you freeze them. So, that doesn't really help confirming how monster biology works in this universe, lol. There's only a lot of borrowing information from Undertale to understand how Deltarune monster society works.

So yeah, if you're reading until this point, thank you! Hope your day goes well. (Post might be edited if there are issues.)

[kuroshitsuji-wiki]

Kuroshitsuji Wiki now on wiki.gg!

As of today (February 24, 2025), the Kuroshitsuji Wiki has left Fandom Wiki and moved officially to wiki.gg! The new wiki can be found here!

From now on, only this wiki will be updated, not the Fandom one.

Why did this happen?

Please read these posts to learn all the reasons why the wiki was ultimately moved.

TL;DR: Fandom's latest policy auto-blocked the word "fag," making a good portion of the wiki uneditable. Fandom, as a site and wiki farm, has become increasingly bad and hostile over the years for many, many other reasons too.

What is new?

Amongst others:

More information: I revised/expanded some pages during the onboarding phase. Not as many as I wanted to, but some nonetheless! I also revamped the layout of the arc pages, though the summaries are still works in progress. I've started adding voice actors to the episode pages (Season 1 is finished, the rest will follow). Ch108 was mistakenly sorted into the Blue Cult Arc though it still belongs to the Emerald Witch Arc; this was fixed. Etc.

(Screenshot from Harcourt's Fandom article. That was a pitiable section orz (Clayton and Cheslock were not better off, embarrassingly.))

More themes/skins: On Fandom, you could only switch between light and dark mode. I put together four different themes for the new wiki, two of which commemorate S4 and S5 :) I hope they are to your liking!

Link hover previews: If you hover over a link now, you get a little preview of the page!

A better, prettier mobile experience: Colours and customisations are now retained on mobile. The references section now looks normal and does not send you on an endless scrolling spree. References actually pop up when you click on them. Etc.

Less ads!!!: THE #1 grievance people have with Fandom Wiki. wiki.gg has very few ads (and they are unintrusive ads too) on both desktop and mobile. If you are logged in, there are no ads whatsoever.

The move of one particular spoiler page (information under the cut)

(And some more things that might be too boring to list here, heh.)

And, of course, the freedom from Fandom and its horrible whims. Pages containing the word "fag" can now be edited again :)

(The little trivia that started it all: I wanted to add it to Diedrich's page and move on to a gazillion other things when I got the notice that my edit was blocked by Fandom's spam filter. It's finally on his page! It only took four months and one site migration...)

What can I do?

You can help out the new wiki by...

... never going on the Fandom Wiki again. Every visit there only strengthens its SEO. Please do not edit the old wiki anymore too, and do not vandalise it now even if it's tempting. Edits only push it more. (Because of Fandom's shitty forking policy, the old wiki cannot be deleted, unfortunately.)

... adding the wiki.gg redirect and Indie Wiki Buddy browser extensions. They send/redirect you to the independent alternative of a Fandom Wiki if such an option exists. (This, of course, helps other wikis that moved too, not just KuroWiki.)

... by sharing the news. "How's the weather?" "Pretty nice, but have you heard that the Kuroshitsuji Wiki moved?"

... by editing. If you want, please feel free to come and edit the wiki! If you used to have a Fandom Wiki account, you can reclaim it here (help for how to do that), or create a new wiki.gg account.

... or by simply visiting and using the new wiki.

I'm so happy the migration is finally done. I hope you like the new wiki, and thank you so much for all the lovely words you had regarding this migration and for all your help!^^ I'll go and continue editing the wiki with new joy and getting to the gazillion things I planned but haven't been able to do during the onboarding.*

*wikis are just never done...

And hello...

:)

----

Regarding that one spoiler page (Ch129 onwards, if you know you know):

The article for Smile's older twin brother, the original and actual Ciel Phantomhive is called "Ciel Phantomhive" (with the quotation marks) on the Fandom Wiki. He's called "Ciel" in articles too.

This was done because when he showed up in Ch129, it was not 100% confirmed yet whether that was Smile's twin, not just a clone or whatnot. A month later, it was confirmed that this was indeed Ciel's twin the actual Ciel. However, the article's name stayed. This had the advantage that the real Ciel's page would not appear when you typed in Ciel in the search bar.

wiki.gg's search function is better than Fandom's though and, here, if you type in Ciel, the search bar suggests pages that contain that word, not just start with it.

(I, unfortunately, forgot to take a screenshot before renaming the page...)

This is better illustrated with the search results for butler:

Innocently typing in Ciel into the search bar would have sent people to the spoiler, and that would be very shitty, wouldn't it? Especially with the influx of anime-onlys.

(I've also seen people complain about the quotation marks too. And, for whatever reason, that way of referring to him made it to Wikipedia???)

The quotation marks messed up the image migration too. Files with quotation marks in their names were the only ones that weren't transferred "properly" (the quotation marks were removed during the migration. Ch130 Ciel and Ciel.png is a horrid file name).

Anyway, I ended up renaming real Ciel's page to Lord Phantomhive. Real Ciel Phantomhive or Ciel Phantomhive (real) would have had the same search results as "Ciel Phantomhive" after all. There could not be a given name in the title.

"Lord Phantomhive" is the title he held as an earl's first son. Also, the fact that Tanaka, apparently, used to refer to Smile as "Lord Ciel"/"Ciel-sama" (Ch19) before the fire and now only calls him "Young Master" was one piece of evidence often brought forward for the Two Ciels Theory when it was still a theory. And, despite Undertaker's words that "Earl Phantomhive is still alive":

"Earl Phantomhive" fell through as an option too. (And because people might have searched for it looking for Smile, and because "Earl Phantomhive" is also Vincent.)

In articles, the real Ciel is either called "the real Ciel" or "Lord Ciel" or "the older brother/twin" or such. I hope I made the distinction between the twins clear enough in the texts.

[reverseblackholeofwords]

Trying out Ellipsus as an alternative to Google Docs, and may I just say, their Nature theme is incredibly sexy. They understand my deep, abiding need for dark green... And their focus mode? Fantastic. I'm already in love.

[digi-lov]

Beelzemon Blast Mode EX2-074 Alternative Art by Tonamikanji from EX-02 Theme Booster Digital Hazard

[thecursedjazz]

Sorry but Postal 1 dude being Dude Sr just doesn't work at all because all of the traits that define Postal 1 Dude (and the demon) are absent in Dude Sr

Not sure that I really need to elaborate on this one.

I mean Postal 1 Dudes core fundamentals as a character is that he's a mentally comprised individual who's damaged to the point where he believes he's under attack from the whole world, he kills not because he's a sadistic and cold killer but instead because he's fully under the impression that he's left with no option but to fight back because the world is out to get him. Like his ramage wasn't even a planned thing, the first thing he does after he's "attacked" is go to the sherrif for help so he's literally just a traumatised everyman prior to Postal 1s events.

But Dude Sr...just lacks any actual substance or sign of that, there's no paranoid lunatic there, there no mention of the hate plague (which is even wierder since it literally becomes real at the end of Postal 4).

His goal is to have complete control of edensin which is fine and dandy but why would Postal 1 dude wanna run casino's and a whole city and shit? Not only that but he's fully incapable, man couldn't even keep his house and isn't even able to distinguish cries of fear from fleeing civilians from actual hostiles, his ass is NOT running a whole city.

And on top of that it can't even be connected to the demon, the demon (or dudes alternative personality if you see it that way) just simply wants to causes as much death and destruction as possible, I struggle to see how running casinos links to that.

The rampage mode ending literally tells us the Postal 1 Dudes mental health and deteriorated so much that he's trapped inside his mind, so he's either braindead by this point or the demon has full control of his body so his ass ain't acting as level headed as Dude Sr.

Dude Sr saying "we are the place called climax, and the time called now" isn't even enough to bridge that gap because EVERY postal Dude uses Postal 1 quotes.

Postal 1 Dude is also younger than P2/Postal 4 Dude, with him being 27 and being portrayed as young in the manual (the pic of him holding his gun in the corner), P2 Dude is stated to be early thirties to late forties by Postal 2 as stated by RWS and he looks alot older than P1 so how can he be his dad if he's younger?

And like, Dude Sr just doesn't have the same vibe as Postal 1 Dude or like anything related to Postal 1 as a whole, his whole setup, placement in the game, his dialogue, theme song, and motivations just....don't match to Postal 1 at all.

Of course i don't wanna come across as a douche, if you wanna headcanon that he is Dude Sr then cool, don't let me discourage you.

But if this guy IS considered as Postal 1 Dude and that is the last we see of him...as a portrayal that makes him acts nothing like himself then that just seems like such a cop out.

Anyway this whole thing was written as improv and on the spot so apologies for any typos and shit.

[sepublic]

Interesting that pop culture portrays Van Helsing as an experienced, seasoned vampire hunter, when it's pretty clear in the novel that this is his first go around with the whole thing, his first confirmation they actually exist, and in other words he's basically winging it and hasn't necessarily thrown a punch in his entire life (Which means he can’t just throw hands with Dracula, he needs research and backup to organize the perfect trap where they won’t be instantly killed). VH doesn’t always know what’s going on, he’s figuring things as he goes along; Like yeah he's HEARD of vampires, but it's never been anything prominent to him.

If anything, his past with vampires is probably similar to a lot of readers; Familiar with the concept, knows some of the details but not all of them, and definitely presumes them fake. He sees something going on with his patient and is like Haha damn that's just like a vampire, wouldn't it be crazy if... And then he slowly starts settling into conspiracy theory mode when more and more dots show up to conveniently connect, as he does the obligatory Protagonist Searching Stuff Up bit and realizes Mein Gott!!! It might be a vampire!!!

But then at the last second VH reminds himself, Now hold on, have I actually SEEN this vampire??? But it won't do anyone harm if I added some garlic flowers, right...? And then it just gradually escalates from there into full-on paranoia and dread that vampires exist and VH needs to desecrate the dead, and then he finally gets confirmation when he sees an Undead Lucy. What the fuck.

I think there's an argument to be made that Van Helsing was doubting himself just as much as Seward and the others initially did, if not more so, and he can’t even talk to anyone about it; So there’s an elation where you finally talk to others and realize it’s really happening, you’re not crazy.

This just ties into the theme of recording that which you did see, which is indisputable, because it’s evidence and proof. So you can be certain you aren't totally insane, and can distinguish facts from assumptions and theories if necessary; Especially when one needs to consider other explanations for the same symptoms. There’s a relief confirming what is and isn’t real to dispel self-doubt, like there was for Jonathan, who also suffered from Dracula’s gaslighting distorting his perception of reality.

I think all of this makes Van Helsing's actions and secrecy a lot more understandable when handling Lucy; If you hired a doctor and he suddenly started bringing up vampires, you might be inclined to think he's insane, doesn't know what he's talking about, and has read too many vampire stories and probably believes in 'alternative' medicine. Van Helsing still has an image and reputation to uphold here, and if it's gone, he can't actually be there to help Lucy if he turns out to be right.

That isn't to say he isn't without critique, especially in later portions of the novel, but you can kinda see where this underdog stance of "I'm right and the others around me are wrong" gets vindicated and thus develops into a bit of arrogance later down the line; Particularly, in presuming his disagreements with Mina to be no different than his secrecy with Seward and Mrs. Westenra.

In the end, VH could be described as a character who wonders if he's in the novel Dracula (compared to Jonathan who knows he's in a horror story of some kind but can't name the genre), but then has to remind himself this is reality... If this is a story, it’s probably just some medical drama. And when VH does accept he's in the novel Dracula, he assumes his character development and the lessons he learns are straightforward.

[ahamkara-apologist]

Pisses me off that people insist on calling Drifter a rat (slur) when 'viper' is literally right there. Like, if you want an animal-based insult that amounts to someone being cunning and sneaky and untrustworthy despite that not fitting the actual animal at all, then that's an alternative that's far more generalized. Plus there's the added bonuses of:

1.) It's literally his sigil. Gambit is snake-themed. There's snake stuff all over it, even moreso than hunter stuff (despite our sigils literally having snakes). Like, hello

2.) Vipers are typically very big on the whole 'don't be seen, if seen, bluff about how big and scary and mean you are, then bite as a last resort (or unless stepped on, in which case bite first)'. That's Drifter. Drifter's whole shtick was that his 'I'm a bad guy I'm gonna do illegal shit with you ooohhh watch out I'm the Drifter' thing was all an act to keep people at bay bc he's actually a sweet, caring fellow who's scared of being hurt. Most vipers are typically fairly chill, inquisitive snakes whose awful bite is only given after a hell of a lot of bark. It fits

3.) Jumping off the previous point, vipers give live birth and are one of the snakes with the most complex parental care and social structures that we currently know of- rattlesnakes recognize friends and blood family, gather together in communal denning sites, babysit their relative's neonates, and form (what seems to be) some mode of either mutual tolerance or friendship with garter snakes (another communally denning species). They're an animal with a scary look and reputation that are actually quite gentle and fearful despite their dangerous bite. Again, that's Drifter-coded

You really don't need to use a slur to begin with tbh but like, if you really need affectionate insults for funny dialogue or w/ever, there's alternatives out there that work just as well without the racism. You don't need some long-winded, contrived excuse

[literaryvein-reblogs]

Writing Notes: Dystopia

How to Research Your Dystopian Novel

Basic Features of a Dystopian Story

Takes place in the future (although it could be an alternate history, too)

Features a huge disparity between the haves and the have nots (or thrusts everyone into abject poverty and survival mode)

Has an oppressive government (but, on the flipside, there could be apocalyptic anarchy and the oppressive element could be the possibly of death at every turn, i.e. The Road by Cormac McCarthy)

Features society’s complete reliance on government (or, in the absence of government, every individual must fend for himself)

Includes an enforced groupthink consciousness (individuals are obligated to think like everyone else and accept propaganda or they are punished)

Limits information and individual freedom

In a dystopian world, the villains are in control.

Evil triumphs over good, at least in the beginning…and the middle.

Perhaps, by the end of the story, there is a spark of hope, but even that may be ambiguous and up for interpretation.

A dystopian novel is definitely not a feel-good fairy tale. It’s one that’s rife with struggle (both internal and external), and often features martyrdom.

All dystopian novels, the good ones anyway, share a sense of crushing hopelessness that, perhaps even the protagonist can’t combat.

For these reasons, a dystopian story is most effective when you focus on the theme, and then use that theme to draw parallels to the reader’s present. Orwell was a master at it.

Give Thought to Your Theme

The theme of a story is its big idea.

In a dystopian novel, the theme is usually one of the following:

Oppression

Repression

Control

Rebellion

Survival

What is the idea that you’re trying to convey in your story?

What sort of statement or observation are you making about society?

EXAMPLES

If your novel tackles the idea of an oppressive government, research oppressive governments of the past and present.

What are some real life ideas that you can incorporate into your dystopian world to emphasize your theme?

To examine how low humanity can sink under the fist of an oppressive government, start studying Nazi Europe and the Khmer Rouge killing fields of Cambodia.

When you look at these shameful times in our human history, pay attention to how these regimes came to power, and how they maintained power.

On the other hand, if your novel tackles rebellion, start studying the Nat Turner slave rebellion of 1831 or the storming of the Bastille of 1789.

Make special note of what caused these rebellions, and also consider the experiences from both sides (the rebel and the rebelled against).

When you settle on a theme, pull examples from real history to create a stronger narrative.

Create Realistic Characters

Your dystopian novel should feature a cast of compelling characters.

The protagonist should be relatable, but never perfect.

The antagonist may be evil, but never one-sided.

When you’re creating and fleshing out your characters, take time to consider how they view their society.

EXAMPLES

Your protagonist was born into the dystopia, and has no other reference point, so he accepts it without question.

Or maybe your protagonist had a life before the events that created your dystopia, and mourns for it.

You’ll need to research your characters.

Understand each character's backstory.

What history do they carry with them into your story?

Sure, you’re researching “fictional” characters, but it’s still a real process, and a necessary one if you want to create a rounded, consistent character.

It may be a good idea to "interview" your characters. A few questions to ask include:

How do you feel about your society and why?

Who do you trust and why?

What rules do you like and why?

What rules do you hate and why?

While it may feel silly, remember that the interview is confidential.

Only you and the character have to know.

This information may or may not make it onto the pages of your novel, but it will help you shape the motivations of your characters.

Remember that these characters aren’t transplants from our time and world-- they live and shape the world of your novel, and won’t always have the same mindset as your reader. The characters should act according to their own logic.

Lay Down the Law

What laws does your dystopian society abide by?

Even in the most anarchic worlds, there are rules--even if these rules forged and followed by just your protagonist alone.

But, if your dystopian novel deals with an oppressive government, they’ll definitely be a ton of rules that society must follow.

What are they? How should you create them?

Consider the following:

Study the laws of both totalitarian governments and police states

Make a list of the laws that keeps the ruling elite in power

Make a list of punishments for not keeping the law

From caste systems to cannibalism, you’ll find an exhaustive list of ways that the ruling class has preserved the power balance in their favor.

How can you implement these rules and their consequences into your novel?

Also, decide on the method of control.

How does the antagonist exert control over the protagonist? (Can be a government or an oppressive element like diminishing resources).

Is it through propaganda?

Is it through police raids?

Is it through poverty?

Finding Ideas for Your Dystopian Novel

Stumped and not sure how to find ideas for your dystopian novel? Turn on the news. We’re basically living in a dystopian landscape anyway.

What stories grab you? What do you care about?

Child slavery, privacy, the environment, lack of resources, immigration?

Exploit that idea by setting your story 50 or 100 years into the future.

What’s the inevitable (or probable) end of this idea?

This can serve as the basis of your story.

Remember to Build the World

World building is particularly crucial in a dystopian novel.

In your dystopian novel, you’re introducing a completely new world that the reader isn’t familiar with.

What does the world look like? Are there mountains and mist? Is the world dull and gray? Is it a dense, green jungle?

What caused the world to look like it does? Was it an earthquake, a war, a robot apocalypse?

What resources are limited? Sunlight? Water? Food?

Don’t just focus on one small part of the world:

The reader should have a sense of what’s happening throughout your dystopian landscape.

For a dystopian novel, world-building must come from your rich imagination.

That’s because this world doesn’t exist yet and definitely doesn’t have a Wikipedia page. But, this doesn’t mean you can’t research your world’s landscape.

Example: If your novel takes place in a desert, you can research deserts to learn more about the people who live in that environment, including what they wear, what they eat, and how they survive the harsh conditions.

Read Other Dystopian Novels

Finally, familiarize yourself with the very books that define the dystopian genre.

By reading and researching these books, you’ll have a better understanding of what your reader is hoping for when they read your dystopian novel.

When you read the following dystopian novels, do so with an analytical eye. Critique it:

What worked? What didn’t work? How would you change it? How was the pacing? What was the theme? What motifs did the author use to convey the theme?

Source ⚜ Writing Notes & References ⚜ Hate ⚜ Worksheet: Dystopian World More References: Worldbuilding ⚜ Plot ⚜ Character ⚜ 100 Sensory Words

[live-emotion]

Utapri Live Emotion release date

It has been confirmed that Live Emotion will release on the 12th of June!

Pre-registration is open now on Google Play and the App Store, but is currently only available for Japanese accounts.

There are also new promotional images featured on the official app and play stores that have hints of new information in them. (Information in Image descriptions and below the read more)

Previously used promotional image featuring all 18 idols and the games logo.

Otoya from a music video without the rhythm game overlay. The Japanese text reads "Idols show off their brilliant performances!"

Images of various alternate rhythm game backgrounds that can be used during gameplay instead of the previously shown cg music video dance backgrounds. Top left shows a similar layout to Shining Live, with a static concert stage background and six rhythm icon lanes. The right shows a backdrop of the full art of the initial Reiji UR Piece with 4 rhythm icon lanes, confirming the amount of lanes will differ between songs, or difficulties. Japanese text reads, "A rhythm game featuring popular songs from Uta no Prince-sama!"

Four images of the chatting screens. One close-up each with Shion, Ranmaru, and Syo, and one with Eiichi central and Nagi, Masato, and Camus in the background. Japanese text reads "Have fun talking with the idols!"

Two images of the story mode. One the left is the main story with Ai, Tokiya, and Eiji, and on the right is likely a private or piece story with Van. The Japanese text reads, "a rich story with 18 idols!"

Two shots of the Piece level up screen, showing Yamato and Cecil URs. The Yamato UR rewards the player with four of a key shaped item with a pink heart crystal and ribbon. Design will likely vary in colour and shape for each character and group. The Japanese text reads, "Let's cultivate fragments of emotions, the Emotional Pieces!"

Image of Minipri, with Ren, Natsuki, and Kira in the same room setup as was initially seen. Japanese text reads, "Decorate your own rooms!"

Image of each group, likely taken from the music video of their group songs from the Live Emotion Theme Song CD.