#also said entry is So messed up. i think about that one post that compared it to the stanley parable So much ill die

[binjpipe]

i love your new url but i also miss your old one a bit. you will always be a little oxford comma in my heart <3 but also slay with the new one. it slaps

AWW THANK YOU I STILL HAVE ozfordcomma out there it's okay guys. i wanna do something with that sideblog but i honestly have no idea what tbh

[maythearo]

" Welcome back to Night Raven College's 'Ghostly Gossip'! The school's unofficial main online source for the latest news, articles and trending topics circulating around campus! "

" Give me a moment to check my notes here... 'death is more scared of you than you are of it'-? Hm. Well, that's not a lie..."

Navigation:

R. Rosehearts - T. Clover - C. Diamond - A. Trappola - D. Spade - L. Kingscholar - R. Bucchi - J. Howl - A. Ashengrotto - J. Leech - F. Leech - K. Al Asim - J. Viper - V. Schoenheit - R. Hunt - E. Felmier - I. Shroud - O. Shroud - M. Draconia - L. Vanrouge - S. Zigvolt - Silver

Design notes:

[grim reaper Idia has meme potential. But anyway... ]

What to say about him 🤔 as much as his design was fairly obvious to an extent, I have no idea how I still managed to get stuck with it in the process lol. But in short, black colors and skeletons. Also I couldn't resist a big weapon since 1. I was watching a silent hill video while drawing this and Masahiro Ito's works are chefs kiss which got me inspired, and 2. It's cool. There is no practical reason whatsoever. Just a grim reaper signature image. But I could come up with a lore excuse later for the sake of it 🏃

I wanted for his hair to stand out more, so I tried not to overdo it in details and colors that could possibly be too distracting from it. In this universe I imagine his hair to change colors more often depending on his humor, kinda like Kiyomi Haunterly! Aside from her I also took a bit of inspiration from River Styxx for obvious reasons lwjdkwjdkeje speaking of which, I think it would be super cute if River was like a half sibling of Idia and Ortho!

About his personality in this AU, there's nothing much different than his og one, but one thing I think it's funny is how Idia being death itself mix strangely with his introverted personality. Imagine to be on your death bed, this guy appears and say "I'm here to take your soul" you can just say "no, screw you" and he'd quickly reply with an awkward "oh ok understandable have a great day"

Sorry I didn't have much to say about this entry compared to the other ones! It's just that his MH counterpart fit like a glove, and there's nothing I can say that haven't already been said before in canon 😫 also neither my brain nor my body have been functioning properly the last few days, and that is messing up with my creativity a bit!! BUT when I get out of this I'll make sure to post any additions to his character if I ever come up with more of them in the future!

[marmota-b]

I went to a presentation about the discoveries in Králova jeskyně ("the King's Cave", except it's actually named after a speleolog named Král) in the hill Květnice, here in Czechia. The cave was only discovered in 1972, because a dog fell into it - no one had even believed there could be karst caves there, but they are, and the more they find of them the more they realise they're pretty amazing. They recently found this amazing calcite pond with crystals.

The pond is under two meters in diameter and the crystals are up to an inch in size. So fairly small, but still incredibly impressive and amazing.

They said it's so recent they haven't yet had time to figure out if there's anything like it anywhere else in the world, only that it's unique in the context of Moravia as far as we know so far. Which is part of the reason I'm posting about it - in this particular case they're all volunteers, and I thought if by any chance this post finds someone who knows from speleology and knows of something comparable, maybe they'd welcome some input. It sounded like they would be glad to know if it really is unique or if there's anything like it out there, and how come this sort of thing happens. Here's the website of the Czech Speleological Society in case you are that sort of person.

It's not open to public - very narrow caves, no way to let people in without destroying it. They only let people in Králova jeskyně once a year, into a fraction of the spaces they know of, and smaller children in particular can only enter a really small fraction because the rest involves crawling and climbing and requires helmets. They said even just that one annual open door day and their own working in the cave for 50+ years has been enough to mess with the climate and processes inside a bit. (The entry fees from the annual open door day help fund the exploration of the cave.)

So you just have to admire the pictures.

source - Czech news article, photos by Michal Beneš, one of the volunteer speleologists who explore and look after the cave.

Made me think of Gimli and the Glittering Caves, let me tell you. Soooo amazing.

(It's also an important roosting place for bats. They said they know of eight species that winter there, and that, as they keep finding new sections of the cave, they also keep finding bats and finding out bats have their own ways of getting in, so no one really knows for sure how many bats actually live there.)

[bunnytalksf1]

time is a flat circle at Silverstone for Ferrari

This is slightly old news now, (yesterday's twitter frenzy) but I think it's interesting i.e. politics at Ferrari so I'm going to talk about it.

There's not many people who don't know what a disaster Silverstone 2022 was for Ferrari. It's the originator of Ted Kravitz's "what a day for ferrari, but they won with the wrong car!" (although he was trying to get a line into DtS, and said so, so this wasn't a completely serious comment).

At the beginning of the 2022 season, Leclerc lead the drivers' standings, and slowly, at this point, the title had swung back to Verstappen through almost no fault of Leclerc's (France 2022 was his fault, but he lost more points through strategy and reliability issues). At Silverstone, Sainz qualified on pole, but Leclerc had superior race pace, even with damage, and by lap 39/52, Ferrari had swapped their cars, and Leclerc was leading, with a 4.5 second gap to Sainz behind.

Also, more crucially, early on, Verstappen had a puncture, and also had damage, running in P8. He was not scoring any big points, and Leclerc sorely needed the 25 points from winning to close the gap. If you watch the DtS episode, or saw any of the post race media, you will have seen Horner on the pitwall saying something along the lines of: "they only have to pit Leclerc, they could sacrifice Sainz" with the late race safety car that occured at this point.

That's not what happened. They didn't pit Leclerc under SC, leaving him stranded on old hards as everyone behind him pitted for new softs. Ferrari gave the team order to Sainz to defend Hamilton/Perez/Alonso behind and allow Leclerc to stay in front but he disobeyed and overtook him, which-- look. I'm not Sainz's biggest fan. But I would expect anyone sane to do what he did. That order was completely stupid.

Leclerc then gave us an insane three way battle ("through goes Hamilton!") on his old hards and ended up P4. Ferrari's strategy blunder here cost them:

a shot at the driver's championship

A double podium (probably a 1-2).

Instead of admitting to the strategy blunder, Binotto then proceeded to defend the decision and Carlos' win, saying "who's to say if we pitted Leclerc he would have won", and overall defending the strategy call. Leclerc, rightly, was pissed, left for Monaco, and didn't return to Maranello, and Binotto had to go and hunt him down in Monaco and take him to dinner to make up for it.

Silverstone 2022 is largely rumoured to be the turning point for Binotto's dismissal from Ferrari. It's also rumoured Charles pretty much threatened to leave. Red Bull were trying to get him at this point, and Mercedes have also reportedly approached him before. Elkann (Ferrari president) then called in Fred Vasseur.

So, now we get to Silverstone 2024. It's not entirely the same situation. The car is much slower, for one, and unlike race day in 2022, the conditions are extremely mixed. Leclerc starts P11, after a horrific qualifying on a new spec in the dry after running the post-Barcelona spec in FP1 and FP2 to collect data and only running pre-Barcelona spec in FP3 in the wet. Sainz qualifies P7, following an incident in the pitlane that mucked up his last Q3 run.

Vasseur then talks about Leclerc making a mistake costing him an entry to Q3. Already, after qualifying pretty low compared to the expectation, the fans are pissed, and blaming Leclerc for it doesn't smooth over the situation, given that the access to info is easy and the run plan wasn't his fault.

Then. Race day. On the start, Leclerc makes up places for P8, and Sainz makes up a place for P6. Sainz sort of, from this point, has a clear race ahead as Piastri is much faster in the McLaren, and behind, as Stroll is much slower in the AM. This allows him to manage his tyres. Meanwhile, Leclerc gets stuck in the sandwich of Stroll in front and Hulkenberg behind, messing up his tyres. No one's fault, but he clears Stroll around lap 13, and drops back off Sainz because of tyre deg. This is fine, and pretty expected at this stage. There's very little threat behind, and no fight in front, so Leclerc can manage until the rain comes in properly and inters will work.

Verstappen was in a pretty similar situation at this stage of the GP, having been fighting with both Lando behind and Hamilton in front, and was complaining of his tyres being dead. RBR, in response, told him to hang on, as the pocket of rain was going to be over soon. Ferrari, meanwhile told Leclerc there was "heavy rain" expected in a few laps, and were inviting him onto the inters. Leclerc, although making the call himself, was fed wrong information, or misleading information, to make that call. What's truly bizarre, however, is that Sainz was given completely different information on the rain by his engineer. They had a different system of communication regarding rain using the colours on the radar, which worked well.

Regardless, Leclerc pitted for inters too early and it ruined his race. That's the fact of it all. The issue isn't necessarily this, it's that in post-race interviews, he appeared demoralised and, for the first time, said "it's too often that this happens on my side of the garage" which has been true for a long time: he's always had much worse "luck" than his teammates regarding reliability and strategy. And those things aren't necessarily always luck.

This was a strategy blunder, plain and simple: I've seen a couple of people talking about how it may have been smart for Ferrari to take a gamble and to split strategy to help out their "top" driver like RBR. If the gamble had paid off, it could have been huge. That being said. Splitting the strategy, in my opinion, only really matters when the driver behind has nothing to lose (like Perez, running out of the points), and Charles, in P7, scoring points, had something to lose, including possible upward trajectory in the second and third stints of the race.

In post-race, Vasseur then took a really weird line and blamed Leclerc for the decision to pit for inters so early, essentially calling it a risk that didn't pay off. Which it was, but it was a risk that was completely unecessary at the time, and one that Leclerc was baited into taking with poor communication.

So, where does Silverstone 2022 come into this? Well.

On Monday news broke that Vasseur was meeting with Elkann to discuss his performance, post-British GP. It could be argued that it was the string of bad results across the triple header that prompted this, but the similarities are impossible to ignore. Fans immediately started making jokes about Charles having Elkann on speed dial, and it is widely known that Ferrari execs are largely in Charles' pocket.

So, has anything changed since 2022? The political situation at large hasn't, despite a new team principal and firing half of the team since. This also, even as a Leclerc fan, makes me worried. Team decisions need to be made to further development, not keep a driver happy, and although those things usually go hand in hand, with the way development has shaken out and losing Enrico Cardile, and fumbling Adrian Newey, is Ferrari set to be the best of the rest as McLaren, Mercedes and Red Bull seemingly go from strength to strength?

Time is a flat circle, after all. And something is still missing right at the core of Ferrari, and its losing them a shot at championships. They, like McLaren, make critical strategy errors. But unlike McLaren, they don't seem to be capable of owning up to it, and that doesn't bode well for improving this part of their weekends in the future.

[spoekelse]

The Uncertain Origins of Lilith

This is a response to Trae Dorn's claims on their podcast and on Tiktok about the origins of Lilith, which I believe to be wrong. For context, listen to their podcast and read/watch their Tiktoks and Tumblr posts.

My base claim here is that there is a lot of scholarly discourse as to the origins of Lilith, whether she was, in Judaism, originally a singular figure or just a type of spirit, and whether the idea of her as a singular figure is exclusive to Judaism.

Furthermore, we absolutely can't just say all of this "misinformation" originated on Tiktok. Tiktok, like old Tumblr, is of course an absolute mess spiritually. Tumblr's the home of Mesperyian, and numerous cults have originated on Tiktok. So I'm not trying to defend Tiktok here, I'm just against saying with certainty that nobody but Jewish people may believe in her. And I mean to show evidence of older origins of people believing her to be a separate goddess.

First of all, it's important to note that Jewish mythology does have its own night spirits syncretous with "lilu", Lilin (Hebrew: לילין) that are mentioned in the Syriac Apocalypse of Baruch, with these annotations by translator R.H. Charles. (read original)

Lelioto. These are the Lilin (לילין)) from the singular Lilith לִילִית. Male and female demons named Lil and Lilit belong to Assyrian and Babylonian demonology. They were thought, as were also the Lilin (Shabbath, 1516), to attack men and women in their sleep (Lenormant, La Magie, p. 36). The Lilith, or night demon, is mentioned in Isa. xxxiv. 14, along with the satyr 'שָׂעַיר The Lilin, according to the Talmud, were female demons corresponding to the Shedim or male demons. They were partly the offspring (Erub, 18b ; Beresh, 42) of Adam and Lilith, Adam's first wife, a demon, and partly wore derived from the generation that God dispersed (Gen. xi.), for God (Jalkut Shim., Beresh. 62) transformed that generation into Shedim, Ruchin, and Lilin. These Lilin inhabited desert places. They were said to kill children. They have been compared with the Lamiæ and Striges ; όνοκένταυροι. is the LXX. rendering of the word in Isa. xxxiv. 14.

However, this 1930 magazine article by Maximilian Rudwin says "The Hebrew word lilin is not a true plural of lilith. We would expect lilitim or lilitos as a plural. The word is in reality the masculine counterpart of lilith and denotes a male night-monster." Which makes it seem like this isn't plural and is a singular male deity.

What these two sources assert checks out with this Jewish Encyclopedia entry on the same source text.

Of the three Assyrian demons Lilu, Lilit, and Ardat Lilit, the second is referred to in Isa. xxxiv. 14. Schrader ("Jahrb. für Protestantische Theologie," i. 128) takes Lilith to be a goddess of the night; she is said to have been worshiped by the Jewish exiles in Babylon (Levy, in "Z. D. M. G." ix. 470, 484). Sayce ("Hibbert Lectures," pp. 145 et seq.), Fossey ("La Magie Assyrienne," pp. 37 et seq.), and others think that "Lilith" is not connected with the Hebrew "layil" (night), but that it is the name of a demon of the storm, and this view is supported by the cuneiform inscriptions quoted by them.

Cited are Emil G. Hirsch, Solomon Schechter, and Ludwig Blau, all of whom are respected authorities on the subject. Lilu, Lilit, and Ardat Lilit are apparently separate beings, Lilit being a goddess of the night.

And what of the protective prayer bowls of Sassanid Babylon? Lilit and Lilith, separate individual males and female demons, apparently suddenly becoming separate beings during Jewish exile in Babylon. But at this point, they don't seem to have been known as the being who wed Adam before Eve, so why did nearly every Jewish house have one of these prayer bowls, and did the idea spring up out of nowhere? And, if Lilith is purely Jewish, why did gentile Babylonians also ward her off with prayer bowls?

All this to say, we can't even definitively say they were only a class of beings and never individual deities.

As you know, it's very debated within Judaism whether Lilith as a singular entity, as the first wife of Adam even exists. Rabbis Maimonides (1138–1204) and Menachem Meiri (1249–1315) have said she does not. Certainly, there is a precedent of lilin as some type of supernatural entity in Judaism, but that's all we can say for sure.

Also, this 1919 copy of Pirke Aboth, equates the demons "mazzikin" with shedim and lilin, and acknowledges their origin as Assyrio-Babylonian. "this is the most general term for them, though various other grades of them are mentioned in the Talmud and kindred writings : shedim = "evil genii," an Assyrio-Bab. loan-word ; lilin, probably evil spirits of the night, also from the Assyrio-Bab."

What do we know for sure? We know the textual basis from which the notion of Lilith as a wife of Adam supposedly arose. We know that rabbis, as a whole, (of course) do not agree on whether this is a strong enough textual basis, or if this is something picked up by Jewish exiles in Babylon. We cannot say if Lilith, as an individual deity, existed in Mesopotamian mythology.

Before we get into the Epic of Gilgamesh business, I've got to say, I take issue with the confidence with which you make these assertions. You admit you are not a scholar. Yet you just keep saying "clearly" when it's not at all clear.

You say ki-sikil-lil-la-ke is totally unlike Jewish Lilith, which is verifiably false. Again, from the Jewish Encyclopedia:

"The superstitions regarding her and her nefarious doings were, with other superstitions, disseminated more and more among the mass of the Jewish people. She becomes a nocturnal demon, flying about in the form of a night-owl and stealing children.."

Lilith is capable of turning into a night bird in many variations of the legend. Yet you sort of derisively mock the interpretation of ki-sikil-lil-la-ke being Lilith, saying it "could literally mean owl", as if that's supposed to disprove anything. In Isaiah 34, a prophecy regarding the fate of Edom, the name "lilith" is associated with owls.

34:14 "And shall-meet wildcats with jackals the goat he-calls his- fellow lilit (lilith) she-rests and she-finds rest 34:15 there she-shall-nest the great-owl, and she-lays-(eggs), and she-hatches, and she-gathers under her-shadow: hawks [kites, gledes] also they-gather, every one with its mate.

There's also Songs of the Sage. For more on Lilith and the association with owls and other night birds, this bit on Wikipedia provides a nice directory.

In the "Inanna and the Huluppu Tree", which is where the "lilitu" is purported to have first verifiably appeared, the young goddess Inanna caring for the Huluppu tree in her garden. She cries, because a Zu bird, and serpent "who knows no charm", and a lilutu have made the tree their home. Her brother Gilgamesh then slays the serpent, and the lilitu and the Zu bird flee. In a hymn about the origins of Inanna, she is taken to Kur (the Sumerian underworld) to taste the fruit of a tree that grows there, which reveals to her all the secrets of sex.

This parallels 13th century-onward Jewish (and Christian) tellings of Lilith

According to the Revelations of St. John, it was Samael or Satan, who, disguised as a serpent, tempted Eve to disobey the Lord by eating of the forbidden fruit and thus brought upon herself and her husband the wrath of their Creator. A certain Christian tradition identifies the serpent of the Garden of Eden not with Samael or Satan but with Lilith, who thus was the main instigator in the fall of our common ancestors. Dante Gabriel Rossetti, in his famous poem "Eden Bower," follows this later tradition in ascribing the temptation in Eden to this serpent woman Lilith. (source)

In Mandaeism, she's considered to represent the branches of a tree with other figures that form other parts of the tree, which you can see in the (honestly difficult to find and download) A Charm against Demons of Time by Christa Müller-Kessler. Lilith or liliths are referenced in Ginza Rabba and Qolasta as residing in the World of Darkness.

In Lilith's Cave- Jewish Tales of the Supernatural compiled by Howard Schwartz, you can see that accounts of Lilith as Asmodeus' Queen grew to include legends about another world, a world which existed side by side with this one. Yenne Velt is Yiddish for this described "Other World".

And as you well know, Lilith is commonly associated with sex. All these parallels are apparent.

Did Kramer "fuck up"? Scholars do not know. Sure, some contest it, but that isn't thewidely held opinion. You constantly calling it a "mistranslation" is giving me hives. Just stop! Why do you keep calling it a mistranslation?

(Regarding the Burney relief, I'm not going to try and claim that's Lilith. It could be, it fits- wings, the animals, the connection to Inanna- but there's just no evidence, and without evidence, trying to claim anything is ridiculous.)

Something else that's going to give me scurvy is you insisting it wasn't a singular goddess, but a whole class of beings; as if it cannot have been both! Religion and history are funny like that- ideas change. Beelzebub, once god of the Philistines, becomes a demon, and then Satan himself. Pegasus is one being, yet we call every winged horse a pegasus. Zeus and Hades- are they brothers, or are they different aspects of the same deity? Is Persephone the same as Despoina? Who are her parents? Are the Eumenides born of Ouranos' blood, or are they daughters of Hades and Nyx, Hades and Persephone, Euronymè and Cronus, or Euronymè and Phorkys? Are gorgons a type of being, or are Stheno, Euryale, and Medusa the only ones, and "gorgon" is just their title?

Lastly.. it's just weird how you talk about people who worship Lilith as a goddess and their experiences. You're like "the thing called Lilith is not a goddess, so if you are dealing with what you believe to be a goddess either they are not Lilith... maybe it's not a goddess, maybe... you've got all these legends about things called Lilitu.. just saying", implying it to be some nefarious pretender. What is a goddess? What is a demon? Who are you to say?

And of course, yes, I agree, always be careful when dealing with the religion of real life people. Don't bother Jewish people about this, they get enough trouble. But there will never be clear answers to these questions of faith. Your god might be somebody's demon. I see a lot of people who work with Lucifer. Just be kind. And look at your primary sources.

Also look at this excellent video by Dr. Justin Sledge on the subject.

[joyfulhopelox]

Grapes of Wrath | KSJ

Pairing: ghost!Seokjin x reader (supernatural!au, s2l!au)

Genre: romance, smut

Warnings: language, mentions of blood, multiple sex scenes, sensory play (includes wax play), bdsm themes (choking, spanking, rope play, angry sex, biting, orgasm denial, edging), fingering, oral (both), voyeurism, masturbation, dom!Jin, angry Jin

Sin: Wrath

Summary: Blood runs thicker than water, but when the ghost in your newly inherited apartment decides he’s had enough of you and your lineage, you find yourself at his mercy. Seokjin not only haunts your apartment but also your dreams, and you’ve woken up soaking wet in the middle of the night more than once. Despite his wish for revenge, you find yourself not wanting to escape his clutches.

Word count: 15k (I tried I am sorry)

rating : 18+

A/N: This is my sin for the collab hosted by @yutasgalaxy @sugasbabiie and @thebiasrekkers Seven Deadly Sins. Check out the collab and everyone’s amazing work. It’s been a journey, and I am somewhat excited and glad to post this. I worked hard on it after having gone through some not so great times in my personal life. Sadly, this will probably be the last collab for me for a while as I need to get back to my own work. That being said I hope you enjoy this in-jin-ius idea (she hopes) and probably the darkest smut I have ever written. I am so nervous about this honestly. Thank you to my shadow beta as always for reading this and making sure that 3am ramblings sound good. @notyouroppar 💜

Copyrights @joyfulhopelox for both the work and the banner

Taglist: @bringmetheksj @8sjaf

@diorejeon @valentinesbts

As always please leave feedback and/or talk to me as i love to hear from you! Enjoy <3

Sᴏɴɢ: I sᴇᴇ Rᴇᴅ - Eᴠᴇʀʏʙᴏᴅʏ ʟᴏᴠᴇs ᴀɴ Oᴜᴛʟᴀᴡ | ᴜꜱᴇ ᴍᴇ - ᴍᴀᴋᴋ ᴍɪᴋᴋᴀᴇʟ

His heart is a suspended lute; As soon as you touch it, it resonates. - Edgar Allen Poe, The Fall of House of Usher

=====

Promised to him as his betrothed

The first daughter of a liar

When the pact was made and business was fulfilled

At the liar’s hand he was betrayed

Slayed before the promise could be kept

For generations the liar’s family with his wrath shall be met

Bound to the place until the daughter offers her hand

He will forever haunt the land

For one to be able to leave the other must forfeit.

=====

Diary entry #103

It’s dark in here, so dark. My mind is constantly plagued by numbing blackness. Being here feels like being submerged in tar, I can’t move, I can’t feel anything, I can only think and dream. And what I dream of the most is revenge.

Returning to one’s home after a long day of work should, without a doubt, be a pleasant experience. Nothing compared to the feeling of passing the threshold, warmth radiating from inside the house, enveloping you. Home is the feeling of taking your shoes off after you’ve come back from a long day. Home is the feeling of changing out of your stuffy clothes straight into pyjamas, it’s that first cup of tea you brew for yourself as you sit down – your aching legs thanking you for giving them a moment of respite and you in turn, thanking them for holding the fort for the whole day. Home is a smell, a smell you can’t describe, a smell that is uniquely yours. Home means safety, nestled in between your blankets ready to doze off as you recharge, preparing to tackle another gruesome day.

In your eyes, nothing felt like home if any of these were missing from the criteria. And currently you were not only lacking all of these, but in an awkward position of having to recreate them.

Standing at the threshold of your newly inherited home – the home your late grandmother passed onto you, your eyes took in all the mess that resembled a Picasso painting. Almost everything was still packed in boxes. Whatever wasn’t was strewn around the empty floor, in such a hazardous way you wondered if you even had a floor to begin with.

“Ma’am, we are going to have to make some space for the couch to come in.” One of the men hired to help you move interrupted your lament and you awkwardly nodded at him, shifting from one foot to another. You would have time later to think about the mess your new house was in – if a glass of wine could make its way into your hand whilst that was happening, even better.

“If you could bring it up, I will move some things around.” You said appreciatively. As soon as the door closed after him you moaned in despair. The stacks of boxes would take you forever to move, and you certainly didn’t have any ideas of where to place the couch. You’ve barely had time to explore the place, let alone think about its interior design. If they left it in a place that was not suited for your taste later on it would be up to you and your back to move it around. And you certainly didn’t possess the strength of three grown men.

“It’s ok Y/N, you got this.” The encouragement sounded meek to your own ears, but it did its job. For the next few minutes you occupied yourself with moving boxes out of the way. Your back protested against the constant strain but you couldn’t help and let out a small shout in triumph at the sight of the mahogany floor.

So preoccupied with moving the boxes you didn’t even notice the squeak of the door as it opened fully until a gust of cold air hit your back. Shivering from the iciness of it you turned around ready to ask for some time as you weren’t done yet.

“Have you already ret–“ You stopped, a look of confusion on your face at the sight of the empty corridor. Cautiously you made your way towards it, the fleeting thought of someone playing a prank on you making you feel irked.

“Hello?” Calling out, you reached the doorway. Nothing was amiss except the lack of people or a doorstop that could hold the door open in such a way. Hand cautiously reaching out to touch the darkened wood you checked the hinges, the springs. Knowing they should have closed the door on their own, and not being able to feel the breeze anymore, you sucked in a deep breath and took a step back, your eyes widening. It was impossible for the door to stay like that, what was holding it open?

The thought of something supernatural made you scoff, you weren’t a believer, regardless of your family’s past. Not wanting to believe that anything but a fault in the mechanism could have caused the door to open and stay like that, you stepped out into the corridor.

The feeling of being submerged under water overtook your senses. You couldn’t breathe, speak or hear, everything felt muted. You shivered, the coldness making your nerves on edge. Unable to move, your limbs felt like lead, spots of white dotted your vision and you found it hard to focus on anything but your clenching stomach. You tried to call out, desperate for air, but you realised soon that your throat was constricted; your airway clenched as if someone’s hand was slowly closing over it, squeezing it like a wet rag.

With the familiar feeling of a panic attack making its way up your spine and the splotches of black painting the corner of your vision, you knew you wouldn’t last long. Eyes darting along the corridor searching for something to help, they settled on the far end of the corridor where you spotted the men bringing up your couch. Upon hearing them shout instructions at each other you almost sighed in relief before attempting to call out to them– nothing but a gargle to your ears which didn’t manage to get their attention.

Panicked you willed yourself to move, to try to get at least one foot out of the door, your brain somehow knowing that whatever was immobilising you had a direct link to it. The movers were getting closer and closer to you and you felt your knees shake underneath you. They didn’t seem to notice you as the man facing your way looked at you, you noticed his eyes glazed over, as if…as if he was looking through you.

Desperately your eyes darted back towards the apartment, hoping to find something that could aid you. The sight that greeted you made you pause. The man sitting in the middle of your open lounge, casually leaning against a stack of boxes, his tousled black hair covering his forehead in soft waves, framing his deep onyx eyes. Eyes that were trained on you, a smirk pulling at his plush lips, something dark painted on his soft features. If you would’ve gasped if you could. He looked ethereal, alabaster skin almost glowing in the artificial lights bathing the room, yet his presence exuded darkness and danger. Still smirking at you he pushed himself off of the stack of boxes, eyes locked on yours as he languidly licked his lips.

“It isn’t nice when you’re not able to move is it?” He never opened his mouth, his lips still trained in a mischievous smirk, but somehow you knew that the smooth soft voice belonged to him. Gulping with difficulty you went to open your mouth, forgetting for one second you were restrained. “Nuh uh,” the tut echoing through your head was followed by an airy laugh. It would’ve sounded beautiful if not for the dark tone seeping through it like ink blotting on a piece of paper. “Good try puppet, but you can’t. Not yet. Not until I’m through with you.” His voice promised a dreary ending and your spine stiffened as you shivered.

Taking a few steps towards you, his face dropped into an unemotional mask – long gone was his smirk and you couldn’t help but notice how beautiful he was. Smirk gone you could easily drink in his almond eyes, and his smooth skin so white it made it seem like the light was passing straight through it. You felt entranced as you followed every step he took towards you. His movements were smooth and natural yet there seemed to be a trail behind his movements, as if he was too fast for your eyes to catch. It made him seem so fluid that it almost transcended reality. Unknowingly, you let a whimper escape as he got closer and if you’d blinked you would’ve missed the way his face morphed into a snarl.

“You don’t get to play victim here Y/N.” This time his mouth moved with the words making your heart clench at the ominous tone in his voice. “You have sins to pay for.” He was closer - so close that you could see the lashes framing his eyes. You couldn’t move your body so instead you tried to turn your head away. Almost crying in relief when you found that you could, you closed your eyes. forcing the tears that gathered at the corner of your eyes to trail onto your cheeks, your mind pleading for this to end.

“Ah, little Y/N is scared, good. You can pray however much you want. There is no escape.” In hindsight, you should have never turned your face away from him. You’d hoped that if you didn’t see him, he would disappear like a figment of your imagination. When you felt the cold brush of something against your neck you gasped wanting to look back but finding that you were completely trapped. “You’re now in my territory.” The coldness wrapped around your neck. It felt as if you’d put on a choker that was left in the fridge for too long; it clung to your skin, it burnt.

“Good luck.” The tight feeling around your neck felt suffocating and it took you a second to realise that it wasn’t ice, the imprint of it tightening on your skin felt like fingers – he was choking you. Before you could react, the feeling of being trapped underwater and the heaviness in your limbs let up, and your ability to breathe returned. A strong breeze passed through you, almost knocking you over. At the same time the lights down the corridor fizzed and flickered. The unexpected sound of them exploding made you jump, the loud crash causing your knees to buckle, and you lowered yourself to the ground. With half of the lights in your apartment gone you could barely make out the end of the corridor, but you didn’t need to see to know that he was there. And he was waiting. Seokjin.

=====

“Ma’am. Could you please move out of the entrance? We can’t bring the couch in if you are blocking the way.” For what it felt like the umpteenth time that day, you jumped feeling your heart take refuge in your throat. Blinking you realised you could not only move, but you’d never even crossed the threshold nor fallen to the ground. Eyes raking across the room you noticed that nothing was amiss, the lights were working and intact and there was no beautiful danger anywhere in sight. You’d been standing still in the middle of your entrance. You went to turn around to apologise when you realised the feeling of your hands unclenching hurt as if you’d been doing that for a long time.

“I’m sorry, I’ll get out of your way now. Just drop it wherever.” You apologised to the slightly miffed men watching you with mild irritation. You reveled in your ability to move, breathing a sigh of relief, as you got out of the entranceway.

Watching as they brought the couch in, your eyes barely focused on anything of substance, your mind too preoccupied with undoing the puzzle of what just happened earlier. You could easily deem it to be your imagination – and you would’ve, if not for the name stuck on your tongue like honey setting your body on fire. Seokjin.

Diary entry #40

They’ve not allowed me to see her but I got a glimpse as they transferred me to a different cell. Even from afar she looked so beautiful like a flower in full bloom on a sunny spring day. She was warm, she made me happy. I wanted to go to her but those wretched bastards only laughed at me as I begged on my knees to be allowed to see her. They dragged me by the neck. But they don’t know. They don’t. Just wait until I have theirs.

=====

The slight anxiety that gripped you when the movers finished bringing everything up and left, should have been a good indication to pick up your phone and call a friend. Regardless of what happened, or didn’t happen- as you kept trying to convince yourself, the house was unfamiliar territory. Its cream coloured walls, accentuated by the mahogany floors, combined with the wide entryways and tall ceilings, were by far what you’d call comfortable.

Your grandmother passed it on to you, her sole inheritor, but she’d never once mentioned an apartment of this size - and you could barely even remember visiting your grandmother in your childhood. As an adult, you’d moved away for work and never looked back. If that didn’t scream broken family you didn’t know what else did. You didn’t know much about your family, immediate or removed. Not ones to talk about themselves much, nothing worthwhile was mentioned during your make believe family reunions, and so you rarely bothered to ask.

Looking around the room, you sighed at the sheer amount of work you’d have to do. The boxes that once pretended to be stacked neatly were haphazardly scattered round - you immediately spied the one labelled kitchen sitting on its side and rushed to set it straight hoping nothing smashed. Tired and overwhelmed, you sat down on the couch – the couch that never ended up where it was meant to. Instead it was carelessly left crooked in the middle of the living room like a totem. You wanted nothing more than to sleep but a slight remnant of fear from your earlier experience nagged you to stay awake at least until dawn.

Glancing at your watch you felt the pull of sleep at your eyelids. Combined with the familiarity of the couch, if not the room, you conceded that you could maybe take a short nap. Curling in on yourself, you felt your body relax; tendrils of sleep made their way into your tired thoughts and a familiar haze engulfed you. Earlier you were cold, as the stale air in the apartment was not warmed up by the heating. Whereas in that moment, you felt warm as if a blanket had been placed over you. Your eyelids drooped to the rhythmic tik tok coming from the grandfather clock down the corridor. You basked in the sound for a second, until, through muddled thoughts, you realised it was increasing in tempo, now accompanied by a tap in the pipes and…whistling?

The familiarity of the tune was enough to awaken you, but no matter how much you tried to pull yourself out of sleep you found that you couldn’t. What was it? Hamlet? No. Danse Macabre! Leaded limbs and head stuffed with cotton balls, you could only be still as you tried in vain to convince yourself it was your overactive imagination combined with the day’s strenuous activity. Surely it was the old piping system. That, or the wind from outside making its way through the unseen cracks in the windows; your mind could’ve conjured the rhythm to a classical piece you’ve heard more than once. As the sound of the pipes’ metallic banging increased in volume you desperately shut your eyes, hoping that you would fall asleep somehow. You could deal with the apartment’s disrepair, and your regret about moving in, later.

Dots of white danced behind your eyelids, and you could feel the goosebumps rising on your skin from the cold air that caressed you through your clothes. Shifting as much as the heaviness in your body would allow, you fought to get yourself more comfortable, the soft couch against your back. The light touch of air against your ankles crawling further up made you jolt your leg. You felt awake with thoughts rushing through your brain but muddled with the desire to let yourself sleep.

“Oh come on.” Mumbling into your arm, you shook your legs again bringing them closer to you. Lying on your back now, with your feet planted firmly onto the couch, knees bent as you crossed your ankles, you hoped this would protect you from the chill permeating the house. You refused to get up and try to fix the heating – not until you had a satisfying amount of sleep and some food in the morning.

You were so caught up in your thoughts that you didn’t notice the banging had stopped. You smiled in relief- Peace. “Finally, I can sleep.”

“Think again, little lamb.” Jerking on spot at the familiar voice, you tried to sit up, only to find yourself unable to move once more. Eyes wide open, you looked around looking for its source, until you zoned in on the intruder.

Him. You opened your mouth to speak but only a garbled whimper made its way past your lips.

“Shhh, Y/N, you don’t have to speak. Just feel.” His voice was enticing, the way his lips moved with each syllable enraptured you, and you closed your mouth obediently. You tried to squirm in hopes of breaking free from whatever was holding you down. But his tut drew your attention towards him once more. He was beautiful with his red blood lips, white skin and eyes as piercing as lightning. You were so bewitched by him that you were too late to realise that the ticklish feeling you’d felt along your ankle was not the draft coming in through the windows. Crawling its way past the inside of your knee, slowly tracing the soft skin underneath your clothes, you shivered. Glancing down, you almost missed the mist that enveloped your whole body. On closer inspection, you could see the way it bent and trailed across your clothes, within the opening of your trousers, almost moulding to the nooks, moving like water - slowly but surely reaching higher and higher up your leg.

A breathy moan made its way past your lips when it reached the inner part of your thigh, a sensitive spot for you. The sensation was too much for you and you tried vain to move away. As your breathing came out in raspy pants, your eyes found the man once more, silently pleading - for what you didn’t know. The more you felt caressed in intimate places the more you didn’t want it to stop.

“Please.” You stuttered, the spark of joy at being able to talk gone in a flash as the airy tendrils reached the edge of your underwear tracing the seams not quite touching you where you needed it.

The ethereal man smiled crudely at you, his darkening eyes piercing right through yours. “Say my name, pet.” He demanded and you glanced at him confusedly. “You know it, you must have heard of me.” He insisted and you opened your mouth to admit to his statement.

“Seokjin.” Gasping in surprise you shut your lips tightly. At the same time you felt the pressure against your pussy lips increase in response to the name. It reached right above your panties slightly teasing your inflamed clit causing sparks to travel up your spine in pleasure. “I–“ You could barely think, the sensation of your panties slowly being teased, the hems being lifted slightly to allow more room. When the material clung to your mound you whimpered in shame, eyes flitting around the room. You realised how wet you were already, and only from the ghost-like touches.

“Eyes on me, pet. I need to see you, I need to watch the shame in your eyes as you come for your worst enemy.” Confused at his words but unable to produce anything but a wanton moan you felt the pressure move from your mons to your clit. The slight thrumming and rhythmic circles that the tendrils were subjugating you to, created goosebumps on your skin.

Even if your eyes snapped back to Seokjin you barely noticed when he moved, the speed with which he did was too fast for your eyes to catch. Smirking down at your flabbergasted expression he knelt down by the side of the couch dangerously close to your immobile legs. Surprised but still under the spell of the sexual ministrations, you resisted the urge to let yourself succumb to the pure unadulterated pleasure coursing through your veins.

“Let go little lamb, let me control your needs. Look at you, so desperate for release. You’re so wet I can smell you.” Seokjin sang enticingly and for a moment you found yourself ready to let go, your head loling backwards as a loud moan was ripped out of your throat.

“Seokjin, please just-“ You couldn’t finish the sentence, you didn’t know what you wanted from him. To fuck you? To make you come? To let you go? All these were running through your head, the second of clarity gone as the light touches against your clit became increasingly insistent, pushing on the nub, rubbing it side to side, making you squirm at the tightness you felt in your abdomen. Your own slickness became louder and louder to your ears and you let your head drop completely as you pushed your hips upwards in an attempt to increase the pressure onto your pussy.

“Ah little lamb, that’s it, let yourself go. I want to see your beautiful pussy as you come for me.” His words barely made it through your pleasure riddled brain. When you felt your clothes being removed from you, the sensation of molten chocolate once again caressing your skin as if you were bathing in it, you lifted your head. The surprise of seeing your clothes just melt away from your body didn’t deter from the way your pussy clenched, it added to it. You didn’t know whether it was a dream or not but your brain decided it didn’t matter, its sole goal was to release the tension you’ve been feeling for weeks. And if all it took was a hallucination of yours, you would more than happily take it.

“Ah look at you, so wet and so ready for me. You’re so eager and look so delectable that I can’t resist you, pet.” Seokjin hummed in appreciation and for a second he looked less angry, the smile of satisfaction making him look younger, freer. He was attractive, and you voiced that out loud without a second thought.

“You’re beautiful.” You mused breathily regretting from the moment you watched his face morph from a smile to a grimace.

“Stop!” He yelled out. The anger radiating off him seeped through you, cold and ruthless like the winter wind. “Do not call me that!” At the venom in his voice you wanted to reel back, but, unable to move, you settled for closing your eyes as a shiver ran down your spine.

“It seems like you need to be reminded, pet, that I am not here to please you. I am here to hurt you, make you scream until your throat goes raw, make you beg for release. Just like I begged for mine.” Seokjin spat out. “Now look at me!” Your eyes flew open at his demand, the harsh slap against your thigh. You wanted to protest, rebel against his hold on you, but the cold touch of his fingers on your heated skin and the constant pressure on your clit were making it hard for you to think of anything but the fire coursing through you. Bucking your hips, you bit your lip and moaned as you locked eyes with his dark obsidian ones.

Smirking in satisfaction he dug his fingers into your skin. For a moment you sputtered realising how pale he was close up, and if you squinted at him hard enough you could see the outline of the boxes behind him. Confused for a moment you disconnected from what was happening around you, your mind reeling with possibilities.

“What are you?” You whispered. Trying in vain to lift yourself onto your arms to get a better look at him you gasped when you felt the coldness wrap around your wrists, holding you in place. Ripping your eyes off of his you spotted the wispy coils tightly secured around your arms, tight enough for you to feel the pressure, but not to hurt you.

“Later pet,” Seokjin hummed, eyes flitting between your face and your wet pussy. “Now you’re going to watch me as I taste you.” Gasping not only at his words but the intrusion between your cunt, his fingers separating them as he basked in how wet you were, and all for him.

“Fuck, wait–“ Your hips jolted as the two fingers found your entrance and plunged in without a warning. The squelch of your pussy as his fingers pumped in and out mercilessly and the sight of his hooded lustful eyes watching it as if it was the most delectable meal made you moan. The shame of your wanton abandon made you hotter, edging your orgasm on. “Ah, Seokjin.” You cried out fighting to keep your eyes on him.

At the mention of his name, he roughly pushed his fingers in as far as they would go, making you instinctively want to lift your hips up, forgetting about the weight of the mist holding you down. “Do not say my name, not when you’re moaning my name like a whore, it’s Master to you pet. Understood?” Glancing at you for a second, his free hand pinching the side of your hips he waited, fingers stationary in you. The feel of him so deep within but unmoving, made your walls clamp around him, desperate to feel the friction again.

“Understood?” He asked again, his voice expressing the lack of patience at your unresponsiveness. Nodding at him, you knew it was the wrong response when the fingers that still dug into the side of your hips painfully pressed harder making you yelp. “Out loud.”

“Yes… Master.” The words, as degrading as they sounded to you, served their purpose and you sighed when his hard eyes softened, his fingers resuming their activity within your hungry pussy. Realising you were getting more turned on by the minute, Seokjin’s dominance over you– a catalyst, you moaned out in shame. His fingers were filling you up and the friction was enough to set you on fire.

He pumped them mercilessly within you, a hungry look in his eyes; the need to see you fall apart under him; the need to see you suffer in pleasure, fuelling his rage. Not stopping his ministrations, not even when you begged him for more, your slick walls craved to be touched and handled rougher. You were reaching the edge of release when slowed down, lazily feeling you, his fingers slowly pistoning in and out.

“Seokjin, please, I’m close.” You whimpered, raising your hips as much as you could to match his movement.

His eyes trailed up to yours slowly, the hungry look tainted by a spark of pure pleasure. He enjoyed seeing you suffer. Pulling out of you, he presented to you the fingers that were once in your pussy, the wetness shining in the overhead light. Everything went quiet, you couldn’t even hear the sound of the old pipes barely withstanding the water passing through them, and for a second you remembered you were dreaming, this was not real. Ashamed at yourself for being so lewd you wanted to look away but could only blink enraptured as he lazily traced them over your stomach, leaving wet trails all the way back down to your cunt.

“So beautiful. Such a shame.” He whispered to himself and before you could question his words, his fingers pressed onto your sensitive nub once more making you arch your hips in surprise. The hand on your thigh tightened its grip, holding you in place preventing you from reaching your high.

“You’re not coming until I say so, pet.” He chuckled at your distress, disregarding your pleading look. Not giving you a break, he continuously played with your clit, rubbing it back and forth making you tremble in pleasure. “I want you on the verge. I want to see the satisfaction in your eyes when you're close to the edge.” He paused his movements, his eyes glinting with mischief as he licked his lips. Breath caught in your throat you gulped anxious to know what he would say but also desperate for him to keep touching you. When he descended his mouth over your mound you didn’t even bother holding in your sob of pleasure. His tongue parting your folds prodding you, slurping every bit of wetness you had to offer. He relentlessly drank you in, his tongue fucking into you harder than anyone’s done.

The tremors in your muscles were not giving up and you knew you were close. If he carried on he’d set you over the edge, the ball of pleasure tightening in your abdomen ready to be released. Still held tight onto the couch, your hands gripped at anything they could.

“Seok– master, I can’t–“ you whimpered, unable to stop yourself.

Hearing the despair in your voice he glanced at you, his mouth still on your pussy, savouring you as if he was a starved man. True to his promise, as soon as he felt you clench around his tongue, he retreated completely. Both of his hands gripped your thighs, preventing you from moving.

Sobbing in despair, you squirmed to get your hands free to touch yourself. You were so close, almost ready to go over the edge and succumb to the pleasure. But now as he left you alone, open to the cold air around you, your hands still unable to move, you couldn't do anything but whine as your cunt muscles clenched around air. You wanted to beg for your own release, yet you couldn't find the words necessary in between your desperate sobs and his touch on your thighs that spread you further open, smearing your wetness all over your sensitive skin.

The hunger in his eyes intensified as he took in your glistening pussy, the feeling of your muscles trembling under his touch giving him the satisfaction that he needed. He could feel how hard he was for you, yet he promised himself he would not seek his own release yet. He had no need to breathe, but the smell of you was so strong around him that he couldn’t help himself but inhale deeply, his nose buried in your folds, the tip almost touching your clit.

The lewd display and his actions did nothing to console you, he was not touching you as you wanted him to. Your voice was croaking as you sobbed, your fists clenching and unclenching as you squirmed around trying to feel some sort of pressure on your mound. Something to help you come.

“Maybe,” he crooned, “if you are good enough, I will let you come.” His nose still buried deep into you he punctuated each word with a small flick of his tongue against your pussy.

“Please, Master.” Completely letting go of any inhibitions, you begged and pleaded promising you would be good, if only he’d fill you up once more - you were so close and his tongue teasing you was keeping you on edge.

Seokjin felt the anger rage within him once more and his hand came down to slap your thigh, earning a yell from you at the sting. He didn’t stop, not even when the tears streamed down your face. Mercilessly he let his palm marr the sensitive skin only stopping from time to time to caress it. Once his slaps drew closer to your mound you felt an animalistic growl leave your throat. Your brain felt fuzzy and the pain and pleasure mixed so well that you didn’t care which one you were getting - to you it was all the same.

“Fuck.” The invasion of three of his fingers in your unprepared cunt made you howl out, your walls clamping around his hand.

“That’s it little lamb, cry for me.” He cooed, the hand that was not pumping inside of you softly stroking the reddened skin that he’d just slapped. “Good girl.” He praised you, the softness of his voice shifting something inside of you.

“Now you can come.” He demanded, his lips sucking at your clit, teeth grazing the nub as he roughly scissored the three fingers that were filling you up.

“Fuck Master, I’m coming.” You cried, the edging and yout senses on fire for a while making tears pool in your eyes, slowly trickling down your face. The sensation of being bathed in cold water as your nerves burnt with your release prolonged the feeling and you sobbed a moan, muscles cramping from being under tension.

“That is it pet, you’re so beautiful like that, desperate for my touch, desperate for me. Just like I was for you.” Seokjin smiled ruefully, a spark of sadness blooming behind his eyes. If you were not crying before, you would have then as you felt a desperate need to wrap him in your arms. Reaching out, the tips of your fingers barely touching him, settling on the stray wisps of his hair, your teary eyes widened when you couldn’t feel him.

“What are you?”

Diary entry #125

She came to see me today. She hid from the guards and I couldn’t have been more proud of her. She was upset, she didn’t tell me why, but I could see it on her face – I could see from the streaks of tears that she cried well into the night. I didn’t ask, I have a feeling I know what she would say. I didn’t even talk to her. I embraced her and held her to me as I gave her my strength. We stayed like that until we could hear the shackles of the doors as the new guards came. Only then as I could see the back of her dress turning the corner did I tell her to find the grimoire.

=====

You couldn’t tell when the dream bled into reality, or if what you experienced was a figment of your sleep paralysed self. You could only feel the material of the couch against your naked lower half, the wetness that coated it making it rough against your skin. The pounding against your head felt like a jackhammer brought to your skull, and as you tried to lift yourself up, you realised how sore you felt.

Confused, in pain, and your brain still battling the shocks of the orgasm that woke you up, you let yourself fall back down onto the couch. Not moving a muscle until it suddenly felt cold once more, the fluids that coated you became sticky. All you could smell was your own cum as it dried out onto the couch and your legs. You struggled to push yourself off the couch with heavy limbs and sighed when you were greeted once more with the sight of the boxes strewn around you. You didn’t remember it to be this haphazard before you laid down to sleep – but then again you remembered very little from the previous day, the mental and physical strain blending it into a painting akin to a Dali.

I’m hurt little lamb. The melodious voice paired with the slight laughter sounded familiar, and your eyes widened. Seokjin, the beautiful but vengeful man that haunted your mind. You easily remembered the way his skin glowed as if transparent and the way he looked at you as if you were a prey. You shivered – what you mostly remembered was the tight grip he had on your ankles, holding your writhing body down as his skillful mouth on your pussy brought on your release.

Clenching your legs together trying to get a hold of your bearings, you remembered your nakedness. It surely was all a dream, it’s been a long time since you got the opportunity to release any tension; whether it be by sleeping with someone or your own fingers and shiny vibrator. It all explained why you’d conjure up such a man and such a descriptive dream so suddenly.

Never trust your mind, it will try to trick you into believing what it is easy for it to believe. You recalled what you had heard your grandmother say to you more than once. You were young and obnoxious. Not one for caring too much about an elder's advice - even now, you found yourself dismissing quite easily the testament that you were given, along with the news of her passing away.

When the grandfather clock struck the hour, the loud metallic sound made you jolt in panic. Still high strung and naked on the couch you realised you didn’t even know what time of day it was. Careful to not pull a muscle, you sat yourself up, tasting the bile slowly making its way up your throat.

“Ugh, that is disgusting.” You pulled a face, eyes searching for something to indicate how long you’ve been asleep for. The blinds were shut but not as fully and you could see the crack of dawn slither its way in, bathing the room in shadows. Fully awake but still too early to start unpacking you decided that a proper tour of the place was in order.

“Ouch.” Sliding off the couch you scoured the place for your trousers wondering how you managed to throw them all the way across the room. Slowly limping, your back and legs sore from the position you slept in, you reached them only to realise they were not only ripped to shreds but also soaked. As you bent down to pick your bottoms up, flashes of the moment you came violently as Seokjin, the man your mind conjured, fingered you ran through your head.

“How in the world–?” You pondered, heartbeat increasing in pace as your breathing got more ragged by the minute.

Across the corridor connecting the living room to the rest of the house, hidden in the shadows, Seokjin watched bemusedly as your mind kept trying to piece the events together, to make sense of what you experienced. He could still smell you, your fragrance still fresh in his mind and he basked in the memory of it, the need to have you once again, fully was making him impatient. Knowing that he had to wait for longer until then, his plan not yet executed, he sighed. His blood was singing with the need for revenge, the need to possess you, the need for you. But to you he was but a figment of your imagination. Eyes gleaming with excitement at what he had in store for you, he decided that keeping himself hidden would be a waste. So when you started muttering to yourself about the state of your trousers he lazily made his way out of the shadows.

“Little lamb,” He addressed you, ignoring the way you swerved round, eyes and mouth wide open. “I am surprised you can still walk, it was a wild rough night for you wasn’t it? Even worse for your trousers- I’m also not sorry about that by the way.” He shrugged emotionlessly, his eyes watching every move you made, like a cat waiting to pounce.

“You, what… am I still not awake?” You sputtered rushing to cover yourself, looking around for a second trying to find a clue for your answer. When you couldn’t see anything amiss, not like you would’ve been able to tell with the state of the apartment, you resorted to pinching your arm.

“Tsk, did you really think you were creative enough to make this whole thing up?” He laughed and you couldn’t help but stare at him, the sound was so unique and specific that you were entranced. You’re beautiful. “Is that what you were told? ‘Don't believe’?” You gasped as his face morphed once more into a mask of rage. “I knew your family was full of liars, but I didn’t think they’d keep this much away from you.” He seethed, fists clenching. The rage that coursed through him made him vibrate with hatred.

You couldn’t do anything but stare at him open mouthed. Your state of undress was not even important anymore – you watched in awe how the smoke like tendrils expanded once more from his body, lashing at everything and anything that was in his vicinity. When a stack of books hurtled your way you yelped and ducked, throwing yourself to the floor.

“Please stop.” You pleaded, eyes closed and arms covering your head as an attempt to protect yourself from the objects flying around the house.

“Why should I? Hm? Did they stop when I asked them to?” He raged, his spite so strong you could taste the venom on your tongue.

“Please, I don’t know what or who they are but I have nothing to do with it.” You sobbed, the pain from hitting the floor blossoming behind your eyelids, you knew it was going to leave a nasty bruise.

Only when the commotion seemed to die down, the coldness surrounding you disappearing along with it did you chance to look around, your heart struggling to get a grip of its own rhythm. Eyes widened you staggered to straighten yourself up, the man whose rage you tried to escape from now motionlessly standing in the middle of the room. He was not moving, and if you hadn’t experienced his mobility earlier you’d think he was just a statue, a prop in the middle of your living room. Your clean living room.

You glanced around mouth wide open, despite his rage, he managed to rearrange the furniture neatly, not one thing out of place. If your heart wasn’t acting like a frightened mouse inside your chest you would’ve laughed at the irony. The couch was placed in line with the middle of the living area, the bookshelves were all neatly hung and the books that ominously came for your head were lined up in a row... you squinted, alphabetically. Separate boxes, intact by the looks of it, were situated by the archway to the kitchen, and if you tried to crane your neck enough you could see the dark pans lining the shiny red tiles on the wall.

“You…” he spoke loudly, his voice so clear it echoed through the room. “You have everything to do with it.” Despite the words filled with blame, he looked tired and defeated. His face blended in a mixture of emotions, pain, regret, exhaustion. For a second you almost reached out to him, your hand already off the floor ready to comfort him. Then you remembered that he was not to be trifled with. He didn’t need your consolation - he hated you.

You also knew nothing about him, what he was, where he was coming from, why he was there? All these thoughts plaguing your mind you didn’t even notice him approach you until he crouched down next to you, his face so close to yours you could see the creases in the corner of his eyes, his irises mirroring his saddened expression. You could almost touch the smooth expanse of his skin, but upon closer inspection you realised you could see through it.

Gasping you reeled back distraught at your discovery. “What exactly are you? And why are you here?” You gulped, hoping your questions would not trigger another fit of rage from him. When nothing happened, you felt your shoulders lose the tension in them, grateful for the wall supporting you. It hadn’t even been a full day since you’ve moved, you were overwhelmed. You couldn’t even sleep on it–

“Wait if you’re real, does this mean…?” Looking down at your state of nakedness you all but blushed. Rising up, you quickly made your way towards the couch – the couch that now with his help stood in the exact spot you wanted it to, and grabbed the blanket off of it.

You turned around ready to wrap it around yourself when a hand, too cold to be comfortable, grabbed your wrist preventing you from moving.

“Little lamb,” he whispered, his voice as smooth and sweet as honey. The palm holding your wrist travelled up, tracing patterns over your skin, making it tingle with goosebumps. “Pet.” He sang again, his other arm encircling your waist pulling you to him and you gasped instinctively closing your eyes. Letting your head drop backwards onto his shoulder, your fist clenched as did your abdomen. It was all coming back to you. The memory of your orgasm, the way it ripped out of you like a storm. Your knees trembled and you bit your lip.

“My pet.” He breathed into your hair, his words trickling down your spine making you shudder as you released a breathy moan. “You are mine to use, and mine to play with, and right now, I don't want you covered by anything.” The blanket was ripped out of your hands and you whined, the last object that grounded you gone from your grasp. You held your breath waiting for him to touch you, your muscles already tense anticipating his next move. But when all he did was grip onto your hip tighter, leading you slowly towards the couch, you almost sighed. Conflicted, unsure whether or not you were grateful for the respite or disappointed you waited patiently, blinking up at him unsure of what to say.

“I am real, well as real as I can be.” He finally spoke, his chuckle filled with bitterness. He was standing in front of you, his hands rubbing his face as a tired man would do at the end of a long work day.

“Are you tired?” You whispered concern lacing through your words. You didn’t know why you’d felt compelled to ask him that. He was all but vengeful towards you, rough and uncouth. He didn’t need your sympathy. Judging by the way he grimaced at your words he was on the same page as you.

“Y/N. To die, to sleep— To sleep, perchance to dream." He quoted Hamlet. The exhaustion in his words transformed into something darker, deeper. Anger. He bent down so his face was on the same level as yours, a look of hatred crossing over his face. “The living dead are always tired. ”

Diary entry #203

Today is the day I will finally be free. I only need to retrieve the grimoire for him and I will be able to be with her forever. It’s such a sweet thought knowing that we can finally love each other. I’ve been dreaming of this moment for a long time.

=====

Your mouth dropped wide open in surprise, the unexpected answer causing you to pause. Your mind reeling with the implications of what he just said. “The what?” You whispered barely able to find your voice. You couldn’t quite understand what he was hinting at, but deep down you knew that he was not lying. The powers that he displayed, everything that you experienced at his hand - it couldn’t have happened if he was entirely human. But it couldn’t be possible, these things did not exist.

His laugh at your perplexed look was dark, dark enough to cause the goosebumps to rise on your skin once more and you shifted away from him, burying yourself further into the couch. Hands shaking desperate to cover yourself, not just your naked bottom half, but the whole of yourself. You felt exposed, the notion that he could be a supernatural being somehow made you feel stripped of any protection.

“Oh little lamb, you have so much to learn.” He took a step back and you released a breath you didn’t realise you were holding in. “But I won’t be the one to teach you. You don’t deserve that. No one in your family does.” He seethed, the cold air picking up around you once more, making you tremble your eyes closing for a second, unable to calm your beating heart down.

“Seokjin.” Your voice sounded meek as you tried to pacify him, unsure whether or not your attention would make things worse. You tried to keep yourself composed despite all the warnings in your head that were screaming at you to run away. Opening your eyes, you were surprised when there was no angry supernatural being. If not for the sight of your newly unpacked boxes strewn around the clean apartment you would have thought you were still dreaming. Looking around you confusedly, trying to make sense of what had just happened your eyes landed on your trousers lying next to you, their tattered state reassuring you that it had not been your overactive imagination. Wearily getting up you hurried to cover yourself, unsure of what to do with yourself now that you were definitely certain of the presence of an angry being in your house.

Too sore and tired, the rational side of you won, you knew regardless of not having to unpack anymore, you had a lot of work to do. Eyeing the stairs that led to the upper floor you knew you’d better get the day started, there was a family tree you had to dig up and a history to unveil.

Diary entry #220

He lied, he lied and he will pay for it. He left me for dead once he got his hands on his prize. I’m lying here knowing I do not have much time, trying to think of her but all I can imagine is the pain I will put them through. His whole family. I will not stop until I feel satisfied with my revenge.

======

You didn’t expect to find anything in the old study that your grandmother had left untouched. When you first visited the house you found it odd that the whole house had been cleared out except for that one old room. The dust had settled over the brightly coloured futons, their velvet more than ready for a clean. The heavy furniture in there included a desk and some chairs dotted around the space - reading corners you suspected.

Cautiously you walked around the room, your sense of smell becoming more accustomed to the scent of old wood and dust invading your nostrils. Fingers grazing at the books set neatly on the shelves you grimaced at the amount of grime gathered on your hand. It was clear that the place hadn’t been aired or cleaned in a while, and you couldn’t help but wonder if your grandmother had even bothered to enter this room at all during her lifetime.

“What are you doing?” Seokjin’s loud voice breaking through the stillness of the room made you jump in surprise. Staring at him you didn’t know what to say, your mind plagued by thoughts on what he may have been. Remembering the way your hand went straight through him you suspected him to not be human, yet you couldn’t determine anything else.

“What are you?” You hadn’t intended on asking him that again, but your curiosity got the best of you.

Tutting as he shook his head he strolled around the space, his presence engulfing it. All of a sudden you felt trapped, his body languidly pacing around you, made the room seem smaller and you tried to shift into a corner hoping you would be unnoticed.

“Ah, I have been wishing for freedom for this place for so long. I don't know what freedom looks like anymore. I only know my hatred towards your family. A liar’s blood courses through your veins Y/N, and no matter what, I promised to get my revenge.” He spoke up not minding you, his eyes fixed on the wall in front of him, a faraway look in his gaze.

You almost thought he’d forgotten about you until he turned around, his dark eyes fixed on yours. “Tell you what?” He made his way towards you, and with each step he took your breathing sped up. “You try to guess what I am…” when he reached you he bent down to your level, the cold air that always seemed to surround him fanning around you. “But if you get it wrong…” his finger trailed over your cheek, softly and you closed your eyes at the contact. “You will pay.” When he reached your throat, his fingers slowly tightened around it. Not enough to choke you, but enough that it startled you, your breathing erratic.

“I-“ trying to fight him, to tell him no, that this wasn’t fair to you and you never even wanted to meet him in the first place, let alone play these games with him. It all seemed futile. You couldn’t utter a word. Instead you found yourself staring at his face, his ethereal features, nodding in approval. Only when he disappeared from view did you realise the mistake you’d made.

=====

Your nights bled into your days, your sense of time completely shifted as Jin’s rage and wrath kept you awake throughout. The minor inconveniences during the day, such as your things going missing and appearing in other places around the house; turning the lights off and whistling randomly as he made his presence known; those were not the problem. During the night was when you actually experienced his revenge. His fits would leave you writhing under his tongue and fingers, wet and desperate for release, before an orgasm took over as you cried out his name. You knew as soon as you started anticipating your nights that you were in deeper than you’d ever intended.

Throughout the free time you had, and whenever he decided to offer you respite, you’d keep searching through the old library for the key to the locked box in the corner of the room.

“Give up Y/N.” Jin said boredly, his body leaning over one of the chairs, languidly stretching as if he was the one to experience sleepless nights instead of you.

Huffing at him, and trying to fight off the heat that threatened to swallow you whole just by hearing his voice, you stubbornly kept searching through the drawers. “Do you have nothing else to do?” You chanced it, not having had a conversation until now that involved more than you yelling out his name and begging him to allow you to come. With the realisation that he still hadn’t exactly mentioned what he was, you turned around to him.

“Grim reaper?” You threw it at him and he glanced at you amusedly.

“Nice try Y/N, but no. I am too handsome for that. Devilishly handsome.” He smirked at you knowingly and you snapped your fingers.

“The devil? Satan? A ghoul?” You fired them at him, the further down your list you got the more disgusted you became at what your mind conjured up. Days ago, you would have laughed at anyone who dared to imply the supernatural realm was real, now you were sleeping with one. Well, ish.

Seokjin’s laugh echoed out, the distinct sound was rare to your ears. “No, try again. Careful though,” his voice darkened and you paused what you were doing to glance at him. “Carry on this path and I’ll thoroughly feel insulted if you don’t figure it out.” He suddenly disappeared from your view and you gasped as you felt his breath right next to your ear.

“And don’t forget our pact…. The more you fail the more I get to…” The sharp pain you felt at the nape of your throat made you realise he’s sunk his teeth in you. “Hurt you.” His dark whisper once again promised pain, but you bit your lip from moaning out loud knowing that it also meant pleasure. You’d already missed so many times that you knew tonight would be a wild ride for you.

Only it didn’t. That night you spent alone in the library looking for the key, distracted by any sound that could indicate his arrival. Yet for the whole night, it was just you and the creaking sound of the pipes whenever a neighbour decided to use the hot water. Frustratedly you threw yourself onto the chair by the desk playing with your necklace trying hard to imitate Seokjin’s whistles. You stared at patterns on the ceiling, your eyes focused on one spot, your mind playing tricks on you when all of a sudden you gasped jolting out of your chair, your hand pulling at the necklace around your neck.

“This!” Hurriedly taking it off you stared at it, a cross like object dangling at the end of the chain its golden shine catching in the low light. When you received it you had no idea what it was, and you didn’t bother asking. You wondered on your own dismissing it as a jeweler's odd choice. Until now. Until this moment when you realised that it may be more important than you’d thought.

Slotting it into the lock of the box you cursed when it didn’t fit, and for a moment you were prepared to give up, when a flick of your wrist clicked the lock open. You stared at it for a second unsure of what you’d find if you opened it.

“Seokjin?” You called out instinctively. Realising what you’d done you shut your mouth tightly, your lips in a thin line and you glanced around for the supernatural apparition. When you couldn't see him you breathed in slowly, when had he become the person you relied on the most?

Dismissing the thought, you quickly placed a hand over the box, and without giving yourself the time to delay it anymore you opened the lid. You didn’t know what you’d expected, but the sight of a lone old book was not it. Raising an eyebrow confusedly you resisted the urge to curse. All this trouble for an old book? Feeling ridiculous, you carelessly picked it up. After your hand made contact with the cover you felt its energy coursing through your body. You immediately dropped it to the ground, your heartbeat speeding up as unintelligible whispers surrounded you. It took you a moment to decipher the mumbled whispers and jumbled words, but after a while you realised they were telling you a story.

A story about a man who, centuries ago, foolishly made a pact with a business owner, a witcher and a merchant. Having fallen in love with the businessman’s eldest daughter he agreed to bring a spellbook back - a grimoire. In return for his services the businessman promised him his daughter’s hand in marriage. Incited by the prospect of marrying the woman he loved, the man promised to lend the businessman his powers to retrieve the book. But instead of keeping to his promise, the businessman shackled the man, until the spellbook was retrieved. Beating him, using his powers as he lay on the grimy floor of a dungeon, he was treated like nothing short of a dog. The only thing that kept the man alive was the thought of his love, the hope still shining inside of him that maybe one day, the businessman would actually keep his promise. He knew all too well he was lying to himself but from time to time he got to see the woman he loved. That kept him alive throughout the torture he went through. The woman who tried to help him on more than one occasion, only to fail and fall under the wrath of her father.

When the spellbook was retrieved, the hope died. Instead of his daughter’s hand in marriage he received a dagger to his heart. Using the last of his energy he cast a vengeful curse upon the family. They would be forever haunted by his wrath, until the promise was fulfilled. Any member of the family that came across him would be forever bound to his spirit. Until the eldest daughter binds herself to him in marriage, no one would be spared. He would not rest until he got his revenge.

“…the other must forfeit.” You recited with the voices as if this was something you’ve known all along.

You didn’t realise you’d started crying until you woke up from the trance, your chest heaving with sobs. You sobbed for the man, the man whom you knew was in fact the very ghost haunting you, you sobbed for the woman who lost him, you sobbed for your family, the spark of hatred blooming in your chest. You knew it was your lineage that was at fault for his loss and for his wrath. You were more than aware of it now. Something akin to determination settled over you, and as you finally picked up the spellbook opening it you saw the flimsy brown pages of an old diary staring back at you. The penmanship was elegant and despite the rips in the corners, it looked to be in good condition.

As you settled yourself in a chair ready to read something shifted in you, and for once the thought of the beautiful ghost inside your apartment filled your heart with warmth.

Diary entry #2

I saw the most beautiful woman today as I made my way to the market. Her hair shines as brightly as her smile, her eyes are galaxies in the sky and her voice, a song sung by angels. I have never been struck by love but this time I fear that Cupid may have targeted my heart with all the arrows in his quiver. She smiled at me and offered me her hand in greeting and I almost lost my breath. I must get to know her, I must. My Y/N.

This was it.

======

You don’t know what possessed you, whether it was Seokjin himself or the knowledge that despite his hatred and anger towards you, he’s never actually harmed you, (he’d been rough, and left more than one bruise on you during his nightly sessions), but the memory of each and every orgasm you had under his ministrations made up your mind.

With that thought in mind you didn’t falter in your step once you reached the back of the house, where you knew you’d usually found him.

“Seokjin!” Yelling out his name, the only response you got was the cold echo of your voice ringing back at you. “Seokjin! Please.” You tried once more, aggravated at the situation. You needed him to come out, you needed to show him what you had found but you also just needed him. Turning on the spot when you couldn’t see him anywhere in the corridor, you decided to walk into your bedroom.

The room was barely lit, the light bulbs unchanged for so long and on their way out. Despite the low light you could clearly see the room and its lack of ghostly apparition.

“Seokjin! I have something to show you!” Yelling at the top of your lungs, hoping you wouldn’t disturb your neighbours as it was well past midnight, you waited once more. And once more only silence greeted you. Sighing in frustration you walked to your mirror deciding that if the stubborn vengeful ghost would not show himself, he was sure to show up in your dreams. Huffing and puffing whilst you got ready for the night you jumped startled when a loud bang was heard in the corridor. Jolting out of your seat, you rushed out to check if Seokjin had decided to play tricks on you once more.

“Stop being so stubborn.” You muttered to yourself.

There was nothing waiting for you in the corridor, the living room was devoid of any mischievous handsome apparition, and the kitchen was as clean as you left it before. When you heard the bang again and determined that it was an engine stalling outside you sighed, surprised at how affected you were by the knowledge that you were not going to see him. Deciding to give up, you got yourself ready for sleep smiling with the knowledge that surely he will be there waiting for you.

He wasn’t. Nor was he present in your life for a few weeks. The first week you went about your day expecting him to come out at any point. Constantly aware of your surroundings, looking over your shoulder expectedly, yet he never appeared. The more time passed the less conscious about his absence you became. Not fully out of your mind yet not anticipating his presence anymore you became less tense, less ready for a confrontation, your nerves were less on edge. The only thing that was a constant reminder of his absence was the lack of sleepless nights - now you were fully sleeping unguarded in your bed starfished as you’d wished from the first moment you moved into the apartment.

When the third week rolled in you had had enough of your freedom, the lack of pleasurable evenings was getting to you. Resorting to your own hands and fingers, you made yourself come. The frustration of never reaching the same peak as you did when he was fingering you, licking you, teasing you, fuelled your own disappointment. You tried imagining him on more than one occasion, edging yourself on, imagining his plush lips over your nipples, his teeth grazing your clit as you were pinching it - but nothing worked as good as the real thing.

During one of your late nights, your clothes strewn around your bed, legs splayed wide open, your fingers worked deep into your pussy, you couldn’t help yourself - imagining his tongue fucking you deep within, hitting patches inside that you could only dream of- you whimpered out his name.

Not expecting a response you closed your eyes, allowing yourself to immerse completely in the fantasy. When the creak of your bedroom door could be heard you didn’t react, so close to finding your own release that you were oblivious to anything else.

“Fuck Seokjin, yes, like that, deeper.” You moaned out loud your fingers pistoning within you furiously. Your free hand on your breast you pinched your nipple tightly, the slight pain radiating through your nerves making your hips buck off the bedsheets. “Ah.”

Completely unaware that the subject of your fantasies, the man who'd been haunting not only your apartment but also your dreams, was standing in the room with you. A dark hungry look crossed over his face; watching you make yourself come, fantasising as you whispered his name, he felt his own dick swell in his pants. With no inhibition he palmed himself through the material, undoing his trousers and pulling out his red angry cock pumping himself slowly. Spreading the fluids over the top of his dick, he smirked as you switched from pinching your nipples to pinching your own clit, all the while still working your fingers deep into your cunt. The lewd display in front of him tested his patience, but he wanted to let you come, he needed you to be sensitive before he could do anything. He needed to see you cum, unaware of his presence around you but his name rolling off that sweet tongue as you gushed around your own fingers.

“Seokjin, fuck I’m going to come.” You moaned, your fingers and hips moving erratically, losing all rhythm. Your back arching off the bed muscles trembling in orgasmic bliss, he could see the wetness coating your fingers and he licked his lips almost able to taste you. Suppressing a moan he pumped himself more furiously, pausing only when he felt himself too close to coming. He didn’t want to come like this, he needed to fill you up.

Leaving you to ride your high he let his dick go, slowly inching towards the bed, like a cat stalking its prey. His eyes glinted with the knowledge that your night was just about to begin.

“Ah, little lamb, I can see that you missed me.” He purred, now close to the edge of the bed by your head. Making sure that you were in the appropriate position for what he was about to do he slowly used his energy to shift your head towards him.

Your eyes flew open at the sound of the voice you’ve not heard in weeks, but only dreamt about. Not expecting the sight that greeted you, you sputtered. There he was in all his naked glory, his wide shoulders standing proudly, his narrow hips and happy train enticing you towards his hardened member. Licking your lips you opened your mouth to respond, your voice stuck in your throat, unsure of whether or not he was really there or if you had been imagining him.

The dim light from the candles on the bed stand was illuminating his lips and cheeks, casting shadows over his eyes and part of his naked body, outlining his hip dips and the hard muscles of his arms. Eyeing his member you couldn’t help but gasp, he was fully hard unashamedly palming himself, spreading his precum all over. Licking your lips you suppressed a moan at the thought of how it might taste on your tongue. Now aware of his presence, you gasped ready to cover yourself up ashamed that he probably caught you mid orgasm.

“Nuh uh.” He simply smirked anticipating your move. Once more you found yourself unable to move your hands, the well known tendrils of his energy holding you down as a rope would. Still splayed lewdly you couldn’t help but succumb to him as he used them to caress you. Your nerves still on fire after your orgasm, it didn’t take long until you were squirming in pleasure, your wet pussy once again clenching around nothing, anticipating what was to come. What you didn’t expect was the invasion of your mouth as he approached your head fully, his dick sliding in as you moaned out your pleasure. Choking for a second at the unexpected intrusion you closed your eyes.

“Open your eyes, pet, I want you to look at me as I use your mouth to pleasure myself.” He demanded and as tempting as it was to test him, missing the way his rough behaviour would spur your orgasm on, you decided that you didn’t want to test him. Not yet. Complying, you opened your eyes. The sight of him bent over you, knees on either side of you, and his lustful gaze was too much for you. Moaning with your mouth full of his dick, you tried to relax your throat as much as you could. Not waiting for you he pushed further in, until he was deep inside your throat, your gag reflex kicking in. Sputtering you almost begged him to take it easy, but as soon as he started pumping himself in your mouth, the wisps of energy engulfing you started to touch you in all the right places, pinching your nipples and caressing your clit, and you let yourself go.

Soon enough your throat became accustomed to the invasion and you found yourself whimpering in pleasure at the taste of him. Your nails dug into the bed when he picked up the pace, your saliva coating his length, droplets of your fluids combined, coating your face.

“Look at you pet, you’re taking me in so well. You look so lewd with your mouth full of my cock dribbling all over yourself like you’re starved for it.” Seokjin purred, his breath coming out in pants as he picked up speed. Your mouth wrapping around him, the feel of your tongue on the underside of his dick - he could feel himself on the verge of his orgasm. Slowing down for a second he took in your position, sprawled out, legs open, toes curled as his energy kept its pace on your clit. With your fingers gripping at the bed sheets, eyes watery from the intrusion and the need to come, he felt something shift in him. Lazily fucking your mouth his eyes glinted when he caught sight of the candles by the bed.

You saw his eyes darken, but you were not expecting the hot searing pain that sent your nerves into overdrive when he grabbed the candle lying on your bedside and dripped the wax all over your stomach. Whimpering in pain, your toes curling almost cramping, your hips arched off the bed at the sensation. Mouth still stuffed with his cock you let the tears gathered at the corner of your eyes slip down your cheeks. Once the wax cooled off the slight painful twangs from the inflamed skin added to the sensation as fingers wiped at your tears, his cold hands soothing your flushed cheeks.

“Shhhh.” He cooed, his hips slowing their movement, until he plopped out of your mouth with a wet sound. “You’re doing so well little lamb.” He praised and you felt the pride swell in your chest at his words.

“Seokjin.” With your mouth free of his cock you tried to ask where he’s been but he barely gave you a moment of rest as he climbed over you, hand still placed on your cheek. Ignoring you he settled over your splayed body, his eyes taking in the sight of your stomach clenching and unclenching, the hardened drops of wax cracking with the movement, the red skin underneath giving him a sense of pleasure knowing that he’s caused you pain. Moaning in satisfaction he bent over, his lips engulfing yours in a rough kiss, coaxing your mouth open.

It was the first time you were experiencing his lips on yours, and despite the roughness you revelled in the sensation of their plumpness and his care as he stroked your cheek.

“My pet, you’ve given me a wonderful show. Now it’s time to repay you.” He pulled away from your lips just an inch, the hand stroking your cheek caressing further down until it reached the swell of your breasts. A raspy moan made its way past your throat as he kneaded at the sensitive flesh, pinching your nipple. Switching breasts, he attacked your lips once more for a brief moment before he trailed a path towards the sensitive flesh of your neck. His palm stroked over your pert nipples, his tongue trailing patterns in the spot where your neck met your shoulders before nuzzling it gently. You felt yourself getting dizzy, not used to this gentle behaviour from him.

“Ah, Master. Right there.” When his fingernail scraped your nipple softly, your chest heaved, desperate to feel it again.

Jin pulled away from your neck, a look of satisfaction crossing over his face as he took in his own masterpiece. Your hair was fanned like a halo around you and he would have laughed at the irony. The look displayed on your face was anything but angelic, lips thoroughly kissed, red and shining with saliva; your neck already blossoming in tiny bruises from where his teeth nipped at it; your eyes half lidded lust shining in them; your chest heaving in pleasure as his hand pinched at your nipple, sprawled out for him wax covering your abdomen trailing down to your wet pussy – no you looked like the devil’s bait. And he was about to take the plunge, his hard cock already ready to impale you.

“Good pet, you’re learning your place.” He cooed, harshly pinching your already sensitive nipple making you writhe. Bending down he kissed the skin between your breasts, his free hand sliding in between your bodies to where it found your pussy. Running his fingers between your folds, he coated his hand in your wetness before he palmed himself once more, pumping thoroughly a few times.

“I don’t even need to get you ready for me.” He mumbled the slight annoyance in his voice not missed by your ears.

You couldn’t resist the urge to buck your hips into his, urging him to be rougher with you. “Take me as you please, Master. Please fuck me hard.”

He didn’t need your approval to be rougher, and for a second he paused, the anger building inside of him. With an animalistic growl he aligned himself with your entrance plunging himself into you without warning. “You–“ he snapped his hips into yours, the tip of his dick reaching deep inside of you making you gasp out a silent moan at the intrusion. “Don’t get to tell me what to do Y/N.” He grunted aggressively, his hips not stopping their movement.

The sudden feeling of his dick inside of you, finally filling you up as you’ve been dreaming about it when you masturbated, his growl in your ears as well as his hands now anchored around your neck, squeezing it enough to cut your air supply. It was all too much, squirming under him, hips rising to meet his thrusts, you were almost there. The knot in your stomach tightened and you can’t help but beg for more as he fucked into you harder and harder. Skin slapping so hard it stung, it felt good against your tired tight muscles. With his hand tightly wrapped around your throat, his other one digging his fingers in your hips, keeping you in place, he pumped you full of his cock.

Feeling your inner walls clamp on him tight, he knew you were about to cum, and he debated making you wait some more. But when you arched your back off the mattress as far as you could, head rolled backwards as he touched a spot inside of you that made you see stars, he growled and picked up the pace. He was close to coming.

He placed his weight on top of you as he changed positions, lips near your ear as he mercilessly pounded you in the mattress. You felt his fingers reach to touch your sweaty abdomen trailing down to your clit pressing hard on it as he whispered, “so Y/N, how does it feel like to come as the mercy of a ghost?” You let go, the pleasure overtaking you so hard and fast you didn’t know where it started and when it ended, your skin burnt with electricity and you felt it all the way to the back of your head, the white dots behind your eyelids and the stream of tears running down your face accompanied your chant of his name.

“Ah, Seokjin I— coming.”

Seeing your eyes roll to the back of your head, tears streaming down your face, feeling you grip him like a vice he let go as well, impaling you one more time keeping you on your high as he spilled himself inside of you. As he kept coming, seemingly forever, filling you up, he felt cold, and his words rang in your head loud and clear. Ghost.

The thought didn’t terrify you, instead it made you pull at his energy trying to free your arms. Taking advantage of his distracted state you managed to pull yourself free, your arms grabbing his shoulders, legs wrapping around him keeping him to you and inside of you.

“Don’t leave please.” You whispered in the darkness of the bedroom but it was too late. He pulled himself out of you, anger raging in his eyes.

“Don’t you get it! I can’t leave! No matter how much I wanted to!” Gone was the gentleness in his voice.

You ignored the hurt you felt at his words, you didn’t know what you’d hoped. He was a vengeful ghost. Waiting to wreak havoc on your family. And yet you stupidly assumed that maybe you could help him. Suddenly remembering the book you found in the old study your eyes lightened. Maybe you could help him.

Not giving yourself time to rest, your legs shaking like jello, you got off the bed ignoring the slight twinge of pain that ran up your back.

“Seokjin, I think I found what you need.” You whispered in the empty room hoping that the man in question hadn’t disappeared once again.

“I need a lot of things pet, and all of them are to do with you.” Seokjin reappeared next to you, making you jump. “Now that our game’s over I need to find new ways to make you suffer.” He started, but you could see it in his eyes, there was a certain softness to them that was missing before.

“What if I told you I know how you can redeem your freedom?” You whispered, gathering all your courage to approach him. The fact that he was a ghost still unnerved you to some extent but the bridge had been long passed. Now you needed to help him, it was your turn. “What if–“ less than a foot away you carefully gauged his reaction. “What if I told you I can help?” Reaching out to him you touched his cheek, expecting your hand to pass right through it, but when you felt the cold smooth skin underneath your palm, you smiled.

Seokjin’s expressionless reaction made you pause. Heart thundering in your chest, you held your breath waiting for his response. Hope bloomed in your chest when, with the slightest turn of his head, he leaned into your touch. Your free hand grabbed onto his and you gently pulled him along with you.

“Come on, let me show you something.”

=====

Showing him your discovery, you were unprepared for the fit he was about to have – the broken furniture lying all around you, his curses still rang in your ears. You didn’t cower away this time, this time you stood your ground, you waited for his rage to pass, knowing it wasn’t misplaced. He was more than entitled to it, but he also needed to let it go. And you were willing to sacrifice your own freedom to offer him his.

When his rage subsided, you could still hear your ears ringing. With your eyes on him, you bent down to pick up the book.

“I will marry you, Jin.” You stated, not bothering to beat around the bush. Approaching him you offered him the book and your hand, wincing when he reeled away from you.

“You will what?” Despite the energy he expanded during his outburst his voice was still loud and clear, too loud for the silence that reigned the apartment.

“I will marry you.” You repeated, this time your tone of voice matching his. “I will offer you my hand, as the eldest daughter. This ought to free you right?” You argued now, standing toe to toe with him. His eyes locked on yours and for a second, you saw the small spark of hope flash through them. Your whole body relaxed, knowing that what you were about to do was the right thing.

“There is no need to be angry anymore, you can be free of it. However to do that –” Once again you offered him the spellbook an uncertain look in your eyes.

“–I may need your help.”

=====

You didn’t know what would happen once you said your vows to him, your heart screaming at you to not do it. As he took a step towards you, his gentle smile making your heart soar, you closed your eyes, smiling, waiting for his embrace. When all you felt was the soft brush of his lips against your forehead, trailing kisses down towards your lips, stopping to kiss each eyelid softly before gently taking over your mouth, your breathing stopped. The gesture only lasted for a second, fleeting, but worth a thousand words.

“Thank you, Y/N.”

For the first time since you met him he sounded at peace and you hummed in appreciation. You were definitely not expecting those to be the last words you heard from him, nor were you expecting him to vanish into thin air after. But once you reopened your eyes, ready to witness the peace settle over his features and impart your joy with him - you found nothing but the sight of your mirror taunting you with a reflection of him and you in it. Yet, when you glanced at your side he was nowhere to be seen.

“Seokjin?” You whispered, your heart constricting in your chest. You were not prepared to let him go, though you’d suspected that fulfilling the promise demanded a sacrifice. Despite a tumultuous start between the two of you, you were unwilling for it to reach the same ending without even trying.

Glancing at his smiling face in the mirror, the anger lines completely replaced by laughter, his hand held yours tightly in the reflection. You felt tears gather in your eyes when you squeezed your hand and all you felt was emptiness. Suddenly an idea popped into your head, if you could still see his reflection, maybe he was not completely gone from your world? Maybe there was still a chance that you could bring him back, show him what a happy life was meant to look like?

Starting towards the grimoire that started everything, you paused in your step, unsure of yourself. What if he did not want to come back? What if after all this time of being around the living he got tired, and he actually wanted to pass over? What if you were not good at the spell? With all these thoughts running through your head, you didn’t even notice when you grabbed the book, resting it on one forearm ready to flick through it for a spell. Pushing your doubts aside, you concentrated on the task at hand.

You had no idea what you were looking for, but you hoped that something in its pages may catch your attention. But, when minutes passed and nothing screamed ‘bring the dead back from the dead’, you yelled out in frustration. Almost throwing the book away, knowing that the more you waited the smaller were your chances of success, you crumpled to the ground with the book falling beside you.

You were ready to give up when something on the cover caught your eye, the symbol on your necklace. The symbol of the pact your ancestors made with him, still present on it, albeit faded. Grinning to yourself, you opened the book to the place where you knew the binding spell to be. Maybe if you took back your vows.

Reading the spell out loud, your voice shaking with emotion you ended with breaking the vow of binding yourself to him. The sound of the blood rushing through your ears made you feel dizzy. You hadn’t realised that you were holding your breath until you felt the burn in your chest from the lack of air. For a moment everything went still, so still you could hear your heart thrumming in your chest. When after a while nothing happened and the room stayed as empty as before, no coldness enveloping you, you felt despair suffocating you.

“Come on! Please.” You let the hot tears trail down your cheeks as your hands clenched into fists. “I take it all back! I don’t want to bind myself to you! Now come back!”

Minutes passed – minutes that to you felt like decades. And it may have been, you didn’t know how long you stood there, shoulders shaking under the weight of your sobs. Your chest felt constricted and it hurt to breathe. Never in a million years would you have thought you’d cry for a ghost whose anger caused you to go through sleepless nights. Yet, here you were, legs cramping and knees aching from having sat on the hardwood floor in the room. All the while your fingernails dug into the grimoire, chanting your pleas to anyone and anything – praying that your spell had worked. That somehow he’d be brought back to you.

“For one to be able to leave the other must forfeit.” You mumbled before your voice picked up in volume. “I don’t forfeit do you hear me? Isn’t that how it goes?! For one to be able to leave the other…”

“… the other must forfeit.” Your eyes snapped open at the familiar drawl. Head now turned towards the mirror, you gasped at the familiar smirk of the man standing beside it.

“Hello, pet.”

ᴍᴀɪɴ ᴍᴀsᴛᴇʀʟɪsᴛ

[postguiltypleasures]

My Peak TV Journey *The Boys* and *The Boys Presents: Diabolical*

In recent entries I highlighted how the short episode order of The Wilds harmed it by not having enough time to work on its real strengths, and the longer with super sized episodes of Stranger Things 4 messed with show by trying to balance too many tangentially related plots. Here I want to say that the eight hour long episode of The Boys season 3 was really the perfect length. Shorter and they wouldn’t have had time for the whole ensemble. Longer and the series’s violence and bleak take would be unbearable. The humor would cease to be funny. And while I’m writing about things I wrote in previous posts in this series, I wonder to what extent The Boys is “a superhero show for people who hate [Big Two] superhero shows”? I’m on an indefinite hiatus from Big Two superhero things, that started with me feeling completely burned out by all I saw or read around 2016. (I haven’t been particularly strict about this hiatus, and most of the things I have broken it for have convinced me that it is a good idea.) So the show’s appeal to me does fit the model. Similarly, the people who hate The Boys the most, at least from the first two seasons, are people who really love them. That said, I do know of people who like or have mixed feelings about both.

I was surprised that I liked it. I liked the first two seasons but would have been fine if that’s all that existed. I generally haven’t been into the proposed spin-offs, (though as the title here shows, I did watch the animated shorts spinoff). Also this season’s promo was the less exciting than the ones for the previous two seasons. A good chunk of this can be blamed on the music choice. But I also wasn’t that into the direction change after the initial battle of necessity that the first two seasons covered.

But it turns out the new direction, (which technically started in the final scene of season two with the reveal that Congresswoman Victoria Neuman was actually a super powered individual who had been making peoples’ heads explode), was a good one. It helped set up a new direction that asks big questions like: how much reform is possible? What corrupts people? How do people work as a team long term? And despite being known as over the top and completely unsubtle, it didn’t give any easy answers. Also the season brought us Soldier Boy to remind us that the “good old days” never existed and ruin Blondie’s “Rapture”.

That sounds like I’m attributing some great nuance to a show that is too violent to be subtle. Maybe, and I am impressed that they were able to do this at a time where forgoing subtlety in seems increasingly necessary to support the anti fascist politics. In two years between the second and third seasons there were sights of people cosplaying Homelander, the show’s main villain, at right-wing demonstrations. Online people wondered if they knew he was the bad guy. Of course they did. They just like that he has a lot of powers and hurts people he doesn’t want to listen to. (Just like they would love to do.) It’s why the “this is political and attacking the right wing” stuff was loudest while emphasizing his pathetic aspects, such as realizing that Mr. Edgar was right and he is a needy failure of a human who will never be whole.

I really would be interested in seeing some post-Homelander episodes of The Boys. I think it would be interesting to see the main characters grapple with what he stands for without him. Season 3’s subplot with Mother’s Milk’s ex-wife’s new husband really confirmed for me that there would be something there. It was good to see MM emerge as the series moral center, never afraid to confront his peers or enemies. He’s who they look to when they’ve been led astray.

The Victoria Neuman character also inspires hope for a post Homelander version of the series. She was sparingly used through the season. In her introduction she was compared to Congressional Representative Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, mostly because of physical similarities, but also because she mostly appeared as a talking head criticizing Vaught in the news programs within the show. But that is revealed to be part of a plot by Mr. Edgar to rein in the supers so he can refocus the company on industrial war products. (A great example of the show’s dark sense of humor: the superhero’s are the friendly faces of a military industrial company, but they’re such awful people that the CEO would like to get rid of them because they are a liability. But without them, they’re just a faceless military corporation. As Mr. Edgar gets pushed out, one has to ask, which is really more dangerous?)

The trailer got the season emphasized the battle between  Homelander and the Boys founder, Billy Butcher. Butcher normally is without super powers and generally professes to hate all those with them. But his general belief is not as strong as his hate for Homelander, so when he is given the opportunity to get powers via a drug, he takes it. The trailer promised physical fight between him and Homelander, but what played out was mostly tragic. Butcher alienates most of his team, the quest to take down Homelander makes Homelander more paranoid and self pitying. It is a dangerous combination with many victims. The most dangerous victim of this conflict is Homelander’s son Ryan whose mother is Butcher’s late wife, Becca. His future is a truly chilling cliffhanger. 

I have to take a moment to highlight the character of Kimiko, superpowered but a member of the anti-superhero team. This season gave more of her point of view about her super powers, and some of her interests. She hates her powers and at first this mostly seems to be because of how destructive they can be. There was a good funny/horrifying demonstration of this when she infiltrated a crime boss’s orgy only to use Vought’s The Seven themed dildos to kill all the mafioso. Later, after she temporarily looses her powers, we learn that she also hated them because she couldn’t  feel touch with them. Her post power love of musical theater was a joy to behold. And once her powers were reclaimed she had another brutal fight scene, this time referencing the film Flashdance as a means of showing how she’s doing it for herself now. I don’t think this will lead to anywhere good for her as a character, but I enjoyed the watching it.

While these are all good and interesting characters, if The Boys is anyone’s story it is Hughie Campbell and Annie January/Starlight’s. The series starts with his induction into The Boys and hers into The Seven. Both of these start with traumatic incidents caused by A-Train and The Deep respectively. (I am impressed by the handling of these characters . They are ridiculous. They go through such degrading things.  You’re tempted to say they don’t deserve it. But then you remember the awful things they’ve done and have to admit, if they don’t deserve it, it’s because nobody does.) They have stories of working against various disillusionments, and trying to figure out what is true right thing to do in world where you’re always compromised. Their relationship is a romance, and the third season is the first where they are a couple. Things fall apart, though in ways that feel earned. Part of me was annoyed that Hughie seemed to forget that he is invaluable for the team as tech support? Instead he went for the temporary super powers. Annie, rightly, thought this was a bad path and they broke up. While they are more on the same page by the end of the season, their future is uncertain. And I have to admit, they are the ones for whom I keep watching the show.

I didn’t get around to The Boys Presents: Diabolical until the main series was airing.  I like the series, but I am reluctant to support spin-offs. The concept seems antithetical to what I like about the series. But the episodes were all about fifteen minutes long, so why not? And after the first couple of episodes where a bleak and depressing core was barely hidden under slapstick, I began to like it. They have multiple writers unrelated to the main show’s writers, giving interesting people a chance to play around with The Boys universe. Some results were charming and quirky. And of the episodes more closely tied to the main series, the last episode of Diabolical worked to augment The Boys season finale in a surprisingly poignant way.

[evolutionsvoid]

Whenever I meet other travelers, one of the common questions I get is "Hey, Chlora, I am going to         place, what are some cool creatures I should keep an eye out for?" Though I say it is a frequent question, I always enjoy answering it! To hear people excited about seeing new species and strange beasts always makes me happy! So if you are ever traveling to some unfamiliar region and run into me along the way, never hesitate to ask! I am always eager to lend my knowledge and help others experience the majesty of the world! I have been informed, however, that I should give a warning with this offer. Apparently I tend to prattle on for long periods of time whenever I get this question, which some think is a bit much. I honestly don't understand what they are taking about, I am just answering a legitimate inquiry, but nonetheless I bring up this odd point. The reason I am talking about this is because the species I am focusing on here would be on the list for any folk visiting the desert or nearby spiny forests. If you are in the right area, I honestly don't need to focus your attention on locating these creatures, because they are pretty hard to miss! Despite the scaly, plated look, Crystalhorns are indeed mammals. Many are quick to call them reptiles, but if you really look at their frame and gait, you can see they are not. Believe it or not, they are ungulates, who dwell in arid places that possess lots of juicy plants! Of all the desert places, the best for them are spiny forests, as they provide a surplus of such vegetation! Their bodies are well adapted to living in such harsh environments, with their blood and organs specialized in retaining water. They can drink large quantities of water with ease, and then live off of those stores for days on end! Their "scales" also aid in survival, and not just for armor! The first thing to note is that these "scales" are made from a special material that is like keratin and chitin. Honestly, it is kind of a mix of both! These hard growths are not just translucent, but also reflective! They have a distinct shine to them, which causes people to compare them with crystal. The shininess of these plates aid in protection against the sun, as it reflects the harsh rays and helps get rid of some of that heat! They also can withstand the nasty thorns and spikes that are found everywhere in spiny forests, allowing the Crystalhorn to blunder through razor bushes with ease! Underneath those plates is a super thick hide for extra protection, sitting upon beds of stored fat for periods of famine. Wide feet help disperse its bulk so it doesn't sink into the sand, and special eyelids and lashes keep pesky grains from getting into their eyes. They are quite at home in these arid areas, and their sheer size and strength means they have very little to worry about! Due to this armor and their powerful bulk, full grown Crystalhorns have no real predators. I mean, what on earth is going to challenge that? Even if it wasn't for that huge gorgeous horn, you won't find a whole lot of carnivores with the weaponry to pierce that armor! Not to mention it is hard to get a good lock on them, as when the sun hits them they practically explode with light! When annoyed by a gawker or some prowling creature, they will purposefully shift their bulk so that the sun reflects right into the enemy's face. For those who want to appreciate their majesty, a pair of tinted goggles is pretty much a must! This light reflection helps throw off foes, but it is also used for eating! Crystalhorns are herbivorous, feeding on cacti and other succulents. A tough mouth and bony pads help them deal with the mess of needles and thorns, but sometimes a meal is just too irritating to eat! A lot of plants have painful hairs on them that dig into the inside of your mouth or scratch up your throat. To deal with this, the Crystalhorn uses its titular horn in a bizarre and fascinating way! Somehow, the structure of this horn is arranged so that it can take in light and focus it. By aiming and tilting it just right, the beast can focus the sunlight into a hot potent beam! Using the sun just so, it can point this concentrated light and fry the offending plant. In short time, the vegetation will begin to burn, searing off those irritating hairs! Once the top layer is scorched, the Crystalhorn will uses its feet to stomp it out and then feed on the remains. It isn't the most polite way to eat, but it gives them access to more food! It is truly bizarre that these horns are grown in such a way to allow such a thing to happen, but it is a common method for these beasts! They have even been seen rubbing these horns against tree trunks and rocks to help keep it in just the right shape! While this behavior is common, it is one that needs to be taught. Adults have been seen helping youngsters who struggle with using their horns properly, demonstrating for them and prodding their heads so they are at the right angle. When the young use their horns, adults keep close by ,not just for teaching, but to stamp out unintended fires. It makes you wonder if some brush fires have been caused by a bumbling Crystalhorn that scorched something a little too well. With their large size and beautiful crystal "scales," this species is rather popular. I think every zoo I have ever visited have one of these, because how could you not? They have been called the "Jewel of the Desert," which is easy to see when their hide hits the sun just right. There is even a type of greenish crystal out there that has been named after this species! How weird, to be an actual crystal named after something that is pretending to be! This beauty, however, comes at a price. Their crystal horn and "scales" are prized by collectors for their jewel-like qualities. There are many pieces of jewelry and fancy adornments that are made from these plates, carved and shaped to show off their splendor. I am pretty sure I have seen necklaces made from these at every ball or gala I have been forced to attend. To make matters worse, mages and other magic users have found an interest in this species. Their crystalline hide is said to be a valuable material for staffs, staves, wands and catalysts. Even when ground to a powder, it has many uses for potions and spells. Even practitioners of Thericorium use this powder for their paints and tattoos, as a majestic hide of crystal scales is impossible to pass up. With such a huge market, poaching is a massive threat to this species. Toppling one of these beasts and stripping its body of these plates and horn can net a smart seller thousands, so obviously many money-hungry fiends have their sights on them. It is to the point where I hesitate to even tell others good locations to observe Crystalhorns, as that info may reach the wrong ears and that land will be pillaged. I have heard there are efforts to domesticate and sustainably harvest these materials, but I already know this won't work. It takes decades for them to grow to their full potential and the ravenous market won't be so patient. For now, the only hope for this species is the continued effort of locals and conservation groups. They keep an eye out for poachers and take them out before they can cause harm. Even the zoos I mentioned before have started breeding programs to help keep this species alive! And don't worry, fellow reader, I too have done my part! During my studies, I found evidence of poachers in the area and did the responsible thing of reporting them! Well, that was after I "accidentally" knocked a Spire Cactus on top of their hiding place. Honestly, they should have been grateful I was there! I rushed off immediately to find locals so that they could come and help! I am thoughtful like that!               Chlora Myron Dryad Natural Historian ------------------------------------------------------------ Here is a species that was brought up in a previous entry (and was drawn around that time, I am just slow at posting). As one can see, I tried to do a background but then absolutely gave up.  Sorry folks, I just couldn't figure it out, so here is what I got.

[tuiyla]

enjoying your anti-finn tag, and just thinking about how as annoying as he can be in S1-2, there's some awareness of it on the writers' part. Lines like "I have to work so much harder at pretending to listen to her" are douchey, but deliberately so. They mostly know who this guy is. S3 is when I feel they lose the plot. Compare S2 prom to S3. S2 KNOWS Finn is wrong, that he is ruining this night for both girls. S3 has him literally assault Quinn in front of everyone and end the night as king.

Are you psychic Anon because I was just writing a new entry for the anti Finn Hudson tag when you sent this lol.

I see what you're saying; honestly, I think the writers were always way too far up his ass to be able to see what a douchebag they had created, but early Glee is often more tolerable with Finn. And season 3 is quite probably his worst season, where I just repeatedly wanna punch him and avenge the people he's hurt.

The way I would probably put it is that he was at least a more enjoyable character in the early seasons. You're right, certain lines are at least deliberately douchey because Glee still had awareness of its satire roots and wasn't afraid to extend that to Finn. You know, scenes like the one he has with Will in the locker room in Sectionals make me cringe because it essentially boils down to "oh poor little white boy who everyone looks up to and thinks is cool", but then he does at least genuinely step up as a leader. And I've said it before though haven't properly elaborated that I think Finn could have been a super interesting character who struggles with high expectations while never feeling like he's enough. But Glee rarely ever allows space for his mistakes and flaws and thinks it has to always default to him as this heroic leader, which frankly makes me wanna puke.

The season 2 and 3 proms contrast is a good point and I thank you for making it because there's truth to that. In season 2, he gets kicked out and that's that. In season 3, not only is he allowed to come back after very nearly physically assaulting a girl in a wheelchair but he's crowned Prom King because of fucking course he is. And Quinn is the villain in that situation! How. Glee refuses to acknowledge 95% of Finn's bad actions, that's how. He's consistently a hypocritical douche who doesn't give a shit about women's agency in particular but he's the straight white guy RM wished he was friends with in high school so it's fine I guess. Finn is just another puzzle piece in Glee's messed-up morality where good characters are good regardless of their awful actions and bad ones will stay bad no matter how selfless or kind their actions are. He's an enormous piece of that puzzle, but just one piece nonetheless. Worthy of a thousand posts, honestly.

oh wow truly some king shit right there <3

I'd just like to add one thing even though I do think you're right about how Glee's perception of Finn is even more warped as the show goes on. The first instance of a deep dislike for Finn I can recall is 1x10 Ballad, when telling the Fabrays about Quinn's pregnancy is framed as his truth to tell and we're told the story solely from his perspective. I remember feeling so weird about that framing and how Glee didn't for a second seem to care that Quinn was just disowned and it was all Finn's fault because he had to live his truth or whatever. It was a complete disregard for her agency, not for the last time, and throughout it all Finn is our hero. An ignorant, wildly frustrating manchild excuse for a hero. Little did I know how Glee would eventually piss me off even more with an instance of Finn's blatant disregard for a woman's agency and the show's framing of it.

So, you know, it's a general problem that Glee is just stuck very high up this man's ass and can't see past this idea of ~the quarterback~ who leads this group of losers. Season 1 does at least acknowledge his shitty moments, notably his homophobia towards Kurt, but like I said it also has instances like Ballad. And to be clear that was a complicated situation but still fuck Glee for trying to tell me this was his story to tell.

At the end of the day, I can honestly say that I'm glad you're enjoying my anti Finn tag and only feel maybe a hint of guilt about that. Guilt, because I don't believe in anti tags and needless negativity, but upon looking at his character even just now I can't pretend that raging about Finn's writing isn't therapeutic and I can't pretend I don't think it's 100% justified. I'll still say nice things about what the character could have been every now and then but the lack of awareness on the writers' part is exactly why I'll never be on board Finn's character. He's just way too frustrating to me - way beyond the example of IKAG, which is what most people assume is the sole reason behind my distaste for him. Oh no, it goes deeper.

[immaturityofthomasastruc]

#4: There's totally character development, you guys! You just don't see it!

A common critique of Miraculous Ladybug is the lack of actual character growth and development in three seasons, a sentiment most of the fandom agrees with.

At the time of this post, Miraculous Ladybug has been through three seasons with 78 episodes, and nothing has really changed. Sure, by the third season, new villains were introduced, and the season finale shook up the status quo a little bit by exposing the identities of the temporary heroes as a result of Chloe's damnation arc that was obviously planned from the beginning, but despite one of the main plotlines being the relationship between the two, Marinette and Adrien are still at square one. She's still a stammering mess around him, he still doesn't get she has feelings for him, while Cat Noir still can't take a hint that Ladybug isn't into him.

Sure, you could make the argument that they're in relationships with other people now, but not even the show wants to acknowledge it, as a big part of the recent New York City special was about Marinette and Adrien's friends forcing the two to spend time together, even though Marinette said she was trying to move on from him. Even the synopsis for the fourth season says that Marinette still has feelings for Adrien, so now we're wasting even more time on this subplot that's starting to rival Ross and Rachel in terms of tediousness.

Honestly, a good representation of the writing process can easily be summarized like so:

But enough of my rant, what you're here for is what Astruc has said in response to this kind of criticism in this (now deleted) tweet.

Okay, first of all, who unironically uses the term “haterz” to describe someone who criticizes them? What is he, Taylor Swift?

Second, in order to properly analyze this tweet, I'm going to have to talk about Luka and Kagami first. They were introduced during the second season of Miraculous Ladybug to complicate the Love Square, sort of like Jackie and Tom during Star vs. the Forces of Evil. Their reception was... mixed, to say the least. Part of it had to do with how the show first portrayed them.

Now, I like both of these characters, as well as the ships associated with them, but I want to make things clear that this is based on fan interpretation of these characters. If you like Luka and Kagami, or the associated ships with them, that's fine. Same goes for the ships in the Love Square between Marinette and Adrien. While I will be criticizing the writing of the romantic subplots, I am not trying to start a ship war here. This is all about the way Astruc views the writing of Luka and Kagami. So let's please try to keep any comments here civil.

Luka first appeared in the episode “Captain Hardrock”, and was instantly infatuated with Marinette. Fans really didn't like the episode. In addition to the boring villain and horrible animation on display, some viewers simply found Luka to be a boring character. Don't get me wrong, there were still some fans who loved Luka in his first appearance, but for others, it took until his next appearance, “Frozer”, for them to warm up to Luka. The thing is that was because of how Adrien had been for some of the season.

See, mid-Season 2, people had started to question the way Adrien was being written. He had been much more assertive in his attempts to get Ladybug to fall for him, like setting up dates, offering flowers, and supporting the media shipping the two together, claiming they're “meant to be”.

This ties back into why people stated to like Luka more. Unlike Adrien, who was more intrusive of Ladybug's boundaries, Luka was much more calm and understanding of how conflicted Marinette was when she was caught between him and Adrien. By Season 3, a lot of fans found Adrien was only getting worse and basically abandoned ship (no pun intended) to start shipping Luka with Marinette.

While I believe there are some problems with the way Adrien is being written (which I will get into in a later entry), I don't think all hope is lost for the Love Square, as there are some generally cute moments between Marinette and Adrien, and there have been a lot of great fanfics featuring the two as a couple. So it's safe to say I don't think the Love Square is a lost cause.

At the same time, I can understand why people would start shipping Lukanette instead because of the way they viewed Adrien's behavior during Season 3. I also think they have some nice moments in the show, with one of the few good episodes in the garbage fire that is Season 3, “Silencer”, being all about Luka and Marinette growing closer.

Here's the thing. The way the fanbase perceived Luka? IT ISN'T CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT.

A big reason fans started to ship Lukanette because of how poorly the other romantic subplot with Adrien was going. Hell, people started to ship Marinette with Damian Wayne because of how much they hated Adrien. Some fans have also cited how Marinette looks much more comfortable around Luka compared to when she’s an anxious mess around Adrien, allowing for better interactions with the former.

And Astruc is acting like the fact that more people are shipping Lukanette like it's all part of his brilliant plan. It's hard to explain how ridiculous this sounds without starting a ship war across Tumblr, so let's move onto what he said about Kagami.

Kagami's first appearance in the episode “Riposte” didn't really give the audience a good idea of what she was like, as she was the Akuma of that episode. All we really knew about her was that she was a fencer, her mom was incredibly strict towards her, and she hit it off with Adrien. It didn't help that she didn't have another appearance for almost an entire year.

Her next appearance, “Frozer”, really didn't portray her in a positive light. Because Kagami had a crush on Adrien, she was a lot more cold to Marinette (even though they hadn't met before and when Adrien told her about her at the end of “Riposte”, she sounded eager to meet her) and basically told her to move her ass or Adrien was hers. Oh, you think I'm paraphrasing? That is literally what Astruc said when someone asked the meaning of that line.

Because all girls do is fight over cute boys, right? Such a good message for a “girl power” show.

Her next appearance in “Animaestro ”made her out to be the threat in the first half of the episode for the crime of hanging out with Adrien. This motivates Marinette to team up with Chloe of all people to embarrass Kagami in front of Adrien, and neither of them are ever called out for it. Yes, Marinette and Chloe both have a crush on Adrien, but the show is demonizing Kagami for daring to spend time with him when Adrien honestly looks much more comfortable around her compared to when Chloe or Lila (another character I'll talk about later) force themselves onto him.

So here's a fun fact: If you write a character as a threat to the protagonist in a completely irrational way, all while perpetuating the cliche stereotype of girls fighting over boys, people aren't going to like that character.

It wasn't until the episode “Ikari Gozen” that Kagami and Marinette finally became friends, and people actually warmed up to her because the show stopped trying to portray her as a romantic rival on the same level as Chloe and Lila.

So while you could call Kagami becoming friends with Marinette character development, it just comes right out of left field, I don't really think it was planned out. But even if, congratulations Astruc. You finally wrote some character development for two supporting characters. Now if only you could do it for your main characters too.

(Sorry if this isn’t my best work, I’ve been focusing on another entry that tackles an... interesting example of how poorly Astruc can respond to criticism.)

[michals]

(Ok this was supposed to be like, a couple of paragraphs but it turned into a freaking essay, so it’s under the cut haha)

On Klaus, Luther and addiction

So this is something I personally find to have a lot of great thematic potential for these two characters. The idea of Luther falling into the same trap that Klaus has for both similar and different reasons and Klaus dealing with Luther’s addictions while facing his own is such a great thru line for both of them. The show’s set them up with the building blocks for this plot point and it would be so easy for it to come into play this season, especially this season actually.

Luther’s build up to addiction is subtle but I think they’ve planted the seeds enough to make it into something. Him falling apart in The Day That Was and his first reaction is to turn to alcohol and drugs is pretty significant considering it’s obvious that he’s probably been very ‘straight edge’ his whole life, probably never having even drank before then. And he tells Klaus straight out that he wishes he was like him, that he didn’t care and that he could just ignore all his own feelings like he thinks Klaus does. (I’ll get into how the family deals with Klaus’s addiction in a minute.) He goes out and  does things under the influence he would never have done while sober, things that end up being self destructive (ie having sex that he seemed to really not want). But even then he’s gotten the idea that if he’s drinking/on something then he’s not thinking about all his shitty feelings.

Season two really sets it up because it’s not just one event but several. In the first ep at the bar he has a drink very casually, like he’s been doing it for years and not just because his life fell apart in the past how many months. The flask when he goes to Vanya’s is really telling firstly because he has a flask on him at all times at this point, that he uses it to get his courage up to go in the barn, and that he does it even when he’s driving. But it’s the nitrous scene that really cements it for me, again simply because he went from being basically a teetotaler to jumping at the first offer of heavy drugs. And he says he should’ve done this a long time ago. If I may get a little personal I know how easy it is to fall into this, the idea of ‘hey alcohol (or drugs) makes me feel better or at least I don’t think/care as much so why wouldn’t I do it?’. It’s such an easy slope to fall down and on the surface Luther has plenty of reasons to want to.

Now, Klaus: there’s plenty already been said about Klaus’s relationship with drugs and alcohol so I won’t get too wordy. Klaus is defined to us right away as a junkie and addict. Someone who uses substances to avoid dealing specifically with his powers and also his shitty upbringing. He plays very fast and loose with his own sobriety and even his mortality. Basically: he uses drugs to avoid thinking or feeling bad, or at least worse but he’s far, far past the point of entry into full blown dependence.

The scene between him and Luther in season 1 is a personal favorite just because it manages to deal with and establish a number of thematic ideas and the potential for how Luther and Klaus’s relationship can go from there. Luther, like the rest of the family, doesn’t understand Klaus’s addiction partially because they’ve all been estranged for 13 years and partially because Klaus doesn’t take it seriously and puts forth a very flippant persona, hell he doesn’t take anything that seriously. The world’s ending, they don’t have the time or inclination to humor Klaus’s story of chocolate pudding. Luther clearly misunderstands his addiction because yes, Klaus comes across as kind of happy and okay with himself but that’s because of the drugs. To Luther who’s been locked up with their asshole of a father Klaus seems to actually have a life of his own.

But Klaus doesn’t try too hard to walk that opinion back and here’s something I find important that tends to get left out when people point out that the family doesn’t take Klaus’s problems seriously: Klaus doesn’t talk about it or try and deal with it. Klaus really really doesn’t like dealing with things if he thinks he can avoid them. His powers, his childhood, Reginald, Ben, his cult – if he can run away from it or make a joke about it instead that’s what he’ll do. The one thing he ever really shows much initiative with is Dave. He’s self centered and I mean that in the most basic way – everything comes down to what he wants to do and he actually keeps his feelings close to the vest for the most part. Basically he doesn’t want to give the others an ‘in’ point to really address it (bonus they all heaps of problems of their own). And when he does get into it just the barest amount with Luther Luther’s high as fuck.

(Just to touch on Ben he kind of doesn’t count because firstly he can’t talk to anyone else and secondly he and Klaus have such a strained relationship especially regarding Klaus’s drug use that even if anyone else could hear him he probably wouldn’t be that supportive.)

So, actually getting into the whole season 3 thing: the siblings are about to face off with a whole lot of daddy and family issues in this time line and everyone’s got huge potential for emotional and mental shakedowns, but I think Luther’s gonna have the worst time of it. Don’t think I’m going to get into that BS of comparing traumas and saying anyone’s more ‘worthy’ of sympathy than any of the others, I’m saying specifically because it’s to do with Reginald not only rejecting him yet again and outright replacing him but that it’s not even ‘his’ Reginald so does that mean all the shit he put Luther through doesn’t count? I just see it as catalyst for a real breakdown for him.

Not to say this won’t mess with Klaus but Klaus hated Reginald long ago and has accepted that the guy was a douchebag and had no real love for his children, so personally I see his drug use as dealing with Reggie’s abuse but more so to deal with his powers. So yes, this’ll absolutely fuck with him but Luther’s the primo target here.

So what if we see Luther leaning even harder into drinking or even heavier things? Now he really has an excuse to because where’s he supposed to go from here? What’s he meant to do? He’s not the leader anymore, his family doesn’t always treat his trauma seriously (Klaus parallels there) nevermind he doesn’t even like to address it himself, he has no idea who he’s supposed to be and the one person who he thought actually cared about him not only doesn’t but never did and now he’ll never get back what he saw as his purpose in life. The whole Ben being alive thing is just icing on the cake. If he spirals in s3 it would make perfect sense because of all this and all the set up for it.

Klaus spiraled too at the end of s2 again becoming the fatalistic junkie he used to be, he’s gonna run from his problems again but it’s not just his powers this time. So he’s off the wagon but what if he notices Luther is too?

I can definitely see Luther trying to hide it from the others. He’s already given away too much of his weaknesses, he doesn’t want them to see their ‘leader’ continue to fall and I don’t think he’d want them to know he’s still that affected by Reginald. They want him to have dealt with it, like he seems to have at least a little in s2, if he’s completely fallen apart because of his dad again then that just makes him look pathetic. So he keeps his flask and finds excuses to get away with stumbling or slurring his words. But Klaus notices, because Klaus knows the signs.

In that scene in s1 Klaus very obviously doesn’t like seeing Luther like that or using drugs as an escape like he does. He’s self aware enough to know that this isn’t any way to live but is too pessimistic when it comes to himself. But, again, he tends to be pretty self centered. This is not a bad thing, this is a great character trait and it makes Klaus interesting. He does not know how to relate to his siblings on the whole, doesn’t know how to talk about his own traumas and addictions, so when he does hear them out it’s usually because he had was focusing on his own shit first. For instance: when he has the heart to heart with Allison in her kitchen he’s only there in the first place because he was falling apart because of Dave.

Luther having a problem will have to be something Klaus purposefully chooses to deal with because he’s worried about one of this siblings. And for obvious reasons Klaus is the perfect one to help him with it. He doesn’t want to see Luther like that but he doesn’t really have a leg to stand on if he wants him to stop. Hell, if Klaus won’t stop why should Luther? Klaus can’t use ‘do what I say not as I do’, partially because Luther has proven to have some self destructive/self harming tendencies and again, if it makes him feel okay or at least steady then why would he stop?

But Klaus stopping means that he’s going to have to confront his quite literal demons when it comes to his powers (I could go off on how much I don’t love that he was somehow sober for 3 years in the 60’s no problem but it didn’t seem to affect his powers at all but that’s another post). The number one thing he’s been running from his whole life, something the show hasn’t actually done a whole lot with. We knows he hates it, we knows he’s tortured by it, but we’ve seen no evidence that he’s ever really confronted it. He was traumatized by Reggie who did everything wrong so he went the opposite route.

But what if he has to stay sober for Luther’s sake? Even if he doesn’t want to help, even if he just enables it or joins him at first eventually he’d have to come the realization that he doesn’t like this, that he wouldn’t wish this kind of problem on someone he cares about. So he’s going to have to turn inward, he’s going to have to face up to both his addiction and his powers, maybe even finally try to tame and use his powers. And at some point he’d have to talk to Luther about it and stop hiding behind his glib façade.

So in the end we’d get to see Luther falling apart trying to deal with everything that he still very much needs to deal with and his subconscious tendency for self destruction, Klaus confronting his addictions, his own feelings and relationship to his siblings, and his powers and hell, maybe then we’ll actually get him using his powers to his/the group’s benefit.

[labyrinthof-fan-fiction]

Confessions Spock x Reader

Prompt from @write-it-motherfuckers blog.

Person A: “I have something to tell you.”

Person B: “Oooh~ Are you about to profess your undying love for me?”

Person A: “Yes, I am.”

Person B: “…..What?”

Look, I read this prompt and my brain said SPOCK. So here we are.

Summary: You are a geophysicist onboard the Enterprise. You and Spock develop a friendship that turns into something more, but Vulcans are bad at expressing emotions. And let’s be honest, humans are worse.

Warnings: None, I don’t think, if I should have one for this please let me know!

Implied Jim/Leonard.

Word Count: 2,831 (Sorry, not sorry) 

You had been spending extra time in the labs, trying to get all of the data from the previous away mission cataloged. You rolled your shoulders as you finished your final entry for the night. You signed the bottom of the report and turned off your PADD. You had not left your post, staying through both shifts. You knew that would bite you tomorrow when you woke for Alpha. But you wanted this done, so you could take a moment to breathe. At least until the next away mission and you would restart the data cataloging again.

Your focus of study had been geophysics, the geology of other planets had fascinated you. But aboard the Enterprise you found yourself working in multiple disciplines at the same time. You would never complain, it gave you the chance to explore the other disciplines. You had always loved science, and journeying into space was everything you had dreamt of. Being assigned to the Enterprise had been a shock. You had not expected to ever be on a ship of such importance, but here you were.

You rubbed your eyes as you stood up, you definitely were going to regret this in the morning. You wearily made your way to the exit, running face first into a blue clad chest.

“Lieutenant Y/L/N?” A voice questioned, you turned your head upward, meeting eyes with Commander Spock.

“Commander.” You said, taking a step back.

His eyes scaled your figure, no doubt taking in your disgruntled appearance. “What are you doing here, you are not scheduled during this time.”

“I was finishing up the cataloging of the….” You started, interrupted by a yawn.

He tapped on his PADD. “You have tomorrow off. Catch up your rest. I do not want to see you anywhere near this lab for a full day. Am I understood?”

Your eyes grew wide, but you knew better than picking a fight with Commander Spock, especially when exhausted. “Yes, sir.”

“I will accompany you to your quarters, you are in no state to go on your own.” He said, turning on his heel and leading you out of the lab. Again, you resisted the urge to fight him, and followed him wordlessly.

As you made your way down the hall you felt eyes on you, passing crew members glanced in your direction as you made your way to your quarters. You shifted uncomfortably as you felt the eyes boring into your shoulders. You glanced at Spock, he seemed oblivious to the attention. Maybe you looked rougher than you thought. You stopped in front of your quarters.

“This is me.” You said, Spock stopping beside the door.  

He nodded. “Remember. Get your rest, no lab work tomorrow.”

You sighed as an answer, typing into the pad on your door. Nodding at Spock.

“And….” He hesitated. You looked up at him, an eyebrow raised. “Sweet dreams.” He said brusquely, turning quickly on his heel back in the direction of the lab.  You fell into your bed, thinking perhaps it was odd that your Commanding Officer had walked you to your quarters, but who cared, you just wanted to sleep.

You woke up the next morning and glanced at your clock, you shot up. You were late, too late, glancing down at your still uniformed body you guessed that it would have to do. Several reprimands flew through your brain, your near perfect report was going to be butchered today.  You rushed to your door before the computer started speaking.

“Lieutenant Y/L/N, Commander Spock would like you to be reminded that you are not to come to the lab today.”

“Thank you, Computer.” You mumbled, rubbing the remaining sleep from your eyes. In all honesty you thought that exchange between you and the Commander had been a dream. You wandered over to your replicator and plugged in the sequence for your favorite morning drink once your mug was full you wandered to the couch and grabbed your personal PADD flipping through articles and news from the universe. You continued reading, your drink grew cold as you found yourself caught up in your reading. A knock sounded at your door.

“Commander Spock, Lieutenant Y/L/N.” The computer stated.

You jumped up from your couch and rushed to the door. You pushed it open, narrowly missing the Commander. “Commander.” You greeted.

“Lieutenant.” He said stiffly.

“What brings you here?” You asked cheerily.

“I wanted to see how you were after a night of recovering.” He stated, taking a breath. “I also noticed you had not left your room and wanted to see if you would accompany me to the mess for dinner?”

You could swear that the Vulcan’s skin deepened at his cheeks. You glanced at the clock, realizing you had been reading for hours, without eating. “I would love to.” You answered, remembering that you had not brushed your hair or changed uniforms. “Give me a moment?” You asked, he nodded, you stepped aside to let him into your quarters, missing the curious eyes staring at your door. He sat on your couch as you raced into your room to make yourself mildly presentable. You changed into a more casual version of your science blues and ran a quick brush through your hair. That’ll have to do. You thought to yourself.

You exited your room to see Spock still seated at your couch, looking at the photos you had on your side table. “You and your family appear quite close.” He stated.

“Yeah, they were excited to see me join Starfleet, but I still miss them.” You said wistfully, “Are you ready?” You asked.

He nodded and stood up from your couch. You glanced at him, realizing how tall he was compared to your height, noticing his shoulders and shape, you shook your head slightly. Not your Commanding Officer. You chided yourself. You lead him out of your room and toward the mess hall.

You both walked in comfortable silence to the mess hall. You started noticing people pointing in your direction in the halls. You glanced at Spock, seemingly unaware of the attention you were drawing. You decided to take his approach and kept your eyes forward. Once you reached the mess hall you noticed it was filled with crew members.

“I hope you don’t mind, but we’ll be joining Doctor McCoy and the Captain.” Commander Spock stated as you both joined the serving lines.

“I don’t mind.” You stuttered out, not only were you eating with your Commanding Officer, but also the head of medical and the Captain. This is fine.

Your trays were filled and Spock turned toward a table with the aforementioned duo. The Captain turned your way and waved you both over, with a huge smile on his face. “Spock, Lieutenant.” He greeted.

“Captain, Doctor.” You said stopping before taking a seat. Commander Spock took the seat next to the Captain, leaving the seat between himself and the doctor open for you. He pointedly looked at the seat and yourself, and you sat. The table remained silent for a moment.

“Spock tells me you are quite the dedicated researcher.” The Captain said, breaking the silence.

“It’s nothing, Captain.” You said, blushing. Bringing your eyes up to Commander Spock’s, a hint of something flashing in his eyes.

“Jim, Y/N, just call me Jim.” The Captain said, his blue eyes shimmering with mischief.

“Jesus.” The doctor muttered under his breath.

“And him you can call Bones.” The Captain, Jim, said gesturing to the doctor with his thumb.

The doctor rolled his eyes and extended a hand to you, “Leonard.” He said as you shook his hand.

“So, what’s new in the lab?” Jim asked, Spock.

“Lieutenant Y/L/N has been cataloguing the data from the last away mission. They have been working on a cross disciplinary research of the planets we have visited to create a more in-depth database for our findings.” Spock said, nodding to you.

“That’s impressive.” Jim said, Leonard giving a non-committal grunt over his dinner.

“It is.” Commander Spock stated firmly. The two other men glanced at each other, smirks on their faces.

You continued in the conversation, the three men telling stories. Well, Leonard and Jim spinning tales and Commander Spock integrating the reality and truth to their stories. You found yourself laughing at their antics and feeling comfortable being a part of their dynamic. The night wore on and Leonard and Jim left, leaving you and Commander Spock alone at the table, discussing your research and recent studies released on planets and space travel.

A yawn took over your conversation and Commander Spock rose from the table. “I think it’s time to retire, Lieutenant.” You nodded joining him on the walk back to your quarters.

You stopped outside your door, “Thank you, Commander.” You stated.

“Spock,” He murmured. “You can call me Spock. And you are welcome.”

“Thank you, Spock.” You restated.

“I will see you in the morning.” He said, nodding to you and turning away. You watched his back for a moment before entering your quarters.

You took a quick shower and settled into your bed, wondering how all of that had just happened.

The next morning you woke for Alpha shift and went to the labs to continue your cataloging. Spock was there, working in a separate part of the lab. He glanced up and gave a small wave before turning back to his work. You smiled to yourself and set to work.

The next few weeks you fell into a pattern. Work, then lunch with Spock, occasionally Jim or Leonard would join. Back to work, dinner with Spock, then he would walk you to your quarters. You found yourself enjoying the company of the Vulcan. It was refreshing to have someone to talk to who did not grow tired of your constant speaking of new findings and research.

The weeks grew into months and the ship had come to terms with the fact that if they saw Spock, there was a ninety percent chance you would be with him and vice versa. It would have been a blatant lie if you stated that you had one friendly feelings for Spock. Which shocked most of your friends, who you had been neglecting in favor of him. They were curious, and defensive of you. More often than not you found yourself defending Spock. Regardless of your feelings, they found it difficult to believe the Vulcan had a caring nature. They were used to seeing his logical and cool demeanor. As their criticisms continued you found yourself distancing from them and keeping even more company with Spock than you had previously.

The two of you fell into a comfortable friendship. You are shocked to find the Vulcan was adept at teasing. Which spurred you both often into a battle of wits, his approach more logical and calculated, yours completely on the fly. Often at dinners with Leonard and Jim you both would wage war upon the other unsuspecting men. Leonard would roll his eyes when you would start to tease, and Jim would eagerly join in. Jim’s direct target would always be Spock, causing you to counter his teasing by going after him. Spock occasionally joining in to back you up. Vulcan humor may have been drier than human humor, but you never failed to laugh.

A full year passed and you and Spock had continued to be friends and continue your daily meals together. Your feelings toward him had grown, but you never found it in yourself to tell him. In a way you felt like you were taking advantage of his kindness towards you, and the fear of losing his friendship was too great to ignore.

You found yourself lost in thought at dinner and were drawn out of your haze by Spock’s voice.

“Y/N?” Your eyes shot to his, seeing the concern in them.

“Spock? Sorry, what were you saying?” You asked.

“I was asking if you would like to come to my quarters for a game of chess?” He asked, a wary look still in his eyes.

“Sure, I’d love that.” You said, nodding. You had never been invited to his quarter before, you had played many a game of chess, but that was always in common areas.

He nodded and began gathering your trays and glasses to take to the wash area. You tried to take them from him but he stopped you, “I have it.”

You had grown used to Spock being attentive to your needs, but you felt guilty each time he did something for you. Especially when you felt your heart race at his general existence. Your cheeks grew warm as you stood up to follow him out of the mess. He lead the way to his quarters and opened the door, gesturing you inside.

You glanced around the quarters, it was homier than you had expected. A warmth radiated from being in his quarters that made your heart flutter. A game of chess was set up in the middle of the living area.

Spock lead you over to it and sat across from you. You sat and began the game. You had never won a game against Spock, you always gave him a fight, but ultimately he always won. Today, something was off though. His counterattacks were not as well thought out as they usually were, actually his whole strategy was not as well thought out as usual. You found yourself winning and looked at Spock shocked.

A tiny smile was on the Vulcan’s face, “Nice work.”

“I don’t think that was a fair battle. You seem distracted.” You said, moving so you were next to him.

“I have something to tell you.” He said, looking into your eyes, folding his hands into his lap.

You felt worry grow in the pit of your stomach, heavy moments weren’t your forte, so you responded in probably the worst way you could think of. Letting a devious grin split your face you said, “Oooh…Are you about to profess your undying love for me?”

Spock’s eyebrows raised slightly, “Yes, I am.”

You felt the grin fall from your face and your eyes grow wide. This could not be happening, no way. “…..What?”

“I love you, Y/N.” He stated, “I understand if you do not feel the same way. Perhaps I misread your signals. I apologize if that is the case.” He continued to speak and you broke through his monologue.

“Spock, I love you too.” This caused the Vulcan to freeze in his rambling and he looked into your eyes. “I have for a while now.”

A small smile came across his lips. He reached out and placed his hand on your cheek. “May I kiss you?” He asked tentatively.

You smiled at him and nodded, he leaned forward pressing his lips lightly to yours. He pulled away, too soon for your liking, and stared into your eyes. “I love you.” He restated.

You smiled, “I got that part.” You leaned in for another kiss, this one tender and lasting a bit longer than the last.

The next day you met for lunch, Jim and Leonard sat at a table with two empty chairs. You and Spock joined their table. You sat across from Spock, flanked by Jim and Leonard. You could sense mischief in the air, but chose to ignore it. You all comfortably made small talk through lunch, that is until Jim wrapped an arm around the back of your chair.

“So, Y/N,” He said, you could see Leonard roll his eyes and start muttering to an Earth deity. “What do you say, we grab a drink next shore leave?”

You looked up at Spock, one of his eyebrows raised, wondering how you were going to handle this. “I don’t think my boyfriend would like that.” You answered.

A smile split Jim’s face and he removed his arm from your chair and smacked Spock on the shoulder. “You finally did it!” Green tinted your significant other’s ears.

Spock made eye contact with you as Jim started to talk his ear off about relationships and love. You giggled as his expression grew more and more pained. You knew you could save him from Jim, but as much as you loved him, you also loved seeing him flustered at Jim’s antics. Jim started going on about wedding colors and you thought Spock was going to combust on the spot.

“Idiot.” Leonard grumbled.

“Yeah, but he’s your idiot.” You answered.

A slight flush grew across Leonard’s face. “And that one’s yours.” He retorted, stuffing his face with the sandwich in front of him.

You smiled at Spock as he continued to listen to Jim’s ramblings. He smiled back and you could feel a warmth surround you. Regardless of the ever-changing nature of the universe around you, you knew one thing for certain. You loved Spock, and he loved you.

[arkannis]

Hello,

I just recently got into the Old Republic Fandom, and the Eternal Empire is my favorite arc. I do wish there was more story content to give more development to the characters, particularly in Arcann's case. While I love his romance scenes, I wish there were more scenes about his redemption and relationship with the Outlander or a dark side ending where the Outlander or Arcann takes the throne with the other as a consort. I found your blog while trying to find content further developing his character. Thank you so much for posting all your headcanons and musings!

With that being said, what are your headcanons for Zakuul culture? And could you post a masterpost compilation of your Arcann headcanons? I am trying to find the post where the romance novels headcanon originated in the tags and not having much luck.

Hope you have a nice day!

Hi anon!! Sorry for a late reply. First I’ll answer the second part of your message. The romance holonovels headcanon originated from the this post ; the post doesn’t outright say it, but some people in the tags (when they reblogged it) mentioned that Arcann probably seemed like the type to read romance in his free time. As of what I can remember the tags were from this reblog and this other reblog and both say that Arcann reads romance holonovels. The continuation of this headcanon were in replies or tags, so it’s hard to track them all down! Secondly, my Arcann tag is a mess, and I probably threw in multiple headcanons in reblogs or tags so it would be hard to find them all... I’ll think about making a masterpost, but I don’t think I have time for something like that right now. Ok, now that’s over with... I 100% agree with you, anon! I HAVE so many things to say about the possibility about that dark side ending. I don’t think devs were planning to make Arcann a possible romance option in the beginning, so it wouldn’t have been possible to be his LI and rule as emperor/empress. I also agree with the development of the characters... however, Arcann’s redemption and relationship with the Outlander was definitely rushed, because the plans to make a third expansion was apparently cancelled due to the backlash from fans who wanted pub vs. imp back. I made a whole post complaining about that... Otherwise, I definitely think they would have had more time to flesh out his characters and the other Zakuulan characters as well (Vaylin, Senya, Koth, etc.). I’m like pretty much sure content was cut out from KOTFE/KOTET to make them shorter. Due to such lost content, I have to create my headcanons from extrapolation based on the Sacrifice trailer, available codex entries, existing dialogue, and implications of existing issues. As well as other people’s hcs and commentary!! WARNING: SUPER LONG BULLET POINTS for Zakuulan culture headcanons.

The reason why I don’t have that many Zakuulan culture headcanons is because.... I feel like it’s so weirdly explored in the expansions.

I think the arts is a big thing in Zakuul! The Dragon’s Maw chapter gave me that kind of vibe. I also discussed this mildly (not) with Arcann. Most specifically THEATRE, PERFORMANCE AND SINGING. 

Evidence: Senya sings and composes and there’s the famous Zakuulan holoperformer, Malita Tal. No, I don’t have evidence for theatre, but honestly? Zakuulans are so goddamn dramatic, they most definitely have reality TV series or drama series... 

arcann be like oh you listen to malita tal? name all of her albums in alphabetical order or you get exiled

Zakuulan culture most definitely has idol culture, based on Malita Tal (and reportedly her performances were watched by millions). And those fans apparently also protested against Arcann’s rule. personally i think if they had twitter the u.s. gov*rnment would be wiped out.

I just think singing is a big thing in Zakuulan culture. I mean, even Valkorion sings (if you decide to kill Senya, his force ghost appears. They both have an exchange and it’s actually sweet for like 0.1 second). 

I also think there would be typical Zakuulan fairytales embedded in the culture. Hear me out. Most specifically those type of royal fairytales with the princes and princesses. This can be heavily contributed to the fact that a royal family is essentially in power. 

You cannot expect me to believe not a single person in Zakuul has written a Prince Arcann x reader holofic. You just can’t. Or Prince Thexan. Actually, I think Thexan would be more common, I think he was perceived to be more compassionate and kind compared to Arcann by the common folk? Since I know there’s that NPC dialogue where one of them goes how different it would be if Thexan took the throne instead. 

The fairytales would probably involve a lot of references to the Old Gods. I kinda imagine that the enemy would be some sort of serpent, that is, Zildrog, because apparently he’s just a bedtime story to scare children away. 

I think these Zakuulan fairy tales would contribute to the theatre and performance, acting culture that Zakuul has. 

Furthermore, I just think the Tirall kids probably read these fairytales as well. francis dont talk about arcann reading again

I want to talk about the Old Gods and that religion, which is one of my favorite things ever... probably because the Gods are machines. Superweapon machines... ok ill shut up

Even if Valkorion basically got rid of the religion, it’s clear that the religion is still incorporated into heavy talk in Zakuulan culture (e.g. eyes of Esne, heart of Scyva). 

My headcanon is that there are sanctuaries or small secret churches (?) for those who want to worship the Old Gods. Obviously the Herald of Zildrogs who believe in the Old Way are a cult, so I think people would look for an alternative. 

I think there would be great effort to hide these places, as it can get you exiled. Thus these would probably be located in the Old World, rather than in a more obvious position like the Spire. 

The beliefs of the Old Ways isn’t exactly clear, they aren’t exactly touched upon, which is a shame. I think people would ask for help from each of these gods depending on what they want.

Those who ask for Izax’ guidance want to seek success, accomplishments, power, and glory.

Those who ask for Scyva’s guidance ask for her to guide souls peacefully to death (she is described as someone who weeps beside Zakuulans as they march towards Izax - basically death) , or ask for help/compassion from her. Maybe maternity as well? Or parental love?

Those who ask for Aivela (goddess of passion) want her to guide them with her passion (Aivela accompanies Tyth, who is kind of a god of war/warrior). I think there would also be romance related stuff as well. If someone asked for help regarding their love related issues, it would probably be from Aivela!

I’m not sure about Esne - but maybe in a similar sense, if someone is suffering with jealousy - in any situation, they would ask guidance from her. I don’t know where I read this but I think the “eyes of Esne” expression meant like having eyes of jealousy.

Nahut? I don’t think he was worshipped.  “Nahut was considered to be gray, formless and cold, and was denied worship by all except his mother Scyva.” But regardless, I think he still had a role to play. 

After the Outlander takes the throne, and Zakuul renounces their membership from the Eternal Alliance, I think people would be allowed to openly express their religious beliefs, that is, the Old Ways. Oh, personally I headcanon that they would build beautiful places of worship in the Spire with similar geometrical pyramid designs...!! 

Yeah...I think that’s all I got! I’ll need to see how I can somehow make this post easily found, lol. This is quite a long list, and I have to emphasize that these are my headcanons! They are based on what I see and I just kind of fill in the gaps to fit my own stories. This took a while to write because I KNEW I had these headcanons, but they just didn’t appear at the time I saw this anon ask. Anyways, I’ll probably create more headcanons in the future. Also:

a dark side ending where the Outlander or Arcann takes the throne with the other as a consort

I have so many things to say about this. I know the game won’t permit it, because if you think about it, both the light side choice (Eternal Alliance) and the dark side choice (Eternal Empire) are happy endings for your characters anyways. They can continue as the “hero” or the “protagonist”, so I don’t think this route could ever be implemented. However, I think it would be absolutely interesting if throughout the gameplay, players are given a choice to flirt with Arcann. The Outlander and Arcann agree to get rid of Valkorion, but thats if the Outlander decides to betray the Alliance and joins Arcann instead. And should they join him, they have the choice to romance him... and I guess it’s a happy ending for you both :P Obviously this won’t happen, but maybe it will. I wouldn’t mind being the prince consort of Arcann lol idk! me and vaylin are gonna be besties and we’ll paint each others nails or something Oh and have a nice day too anon...!!

[cinnawrites]

The Hunt For The Prince

A/N; Heya!! This is the first chapter to a prompt I’ve wanted to write for forever! I gotta say, fantasy AUs are always the best, so why not make it long? Minor Hades spoilers, specifically about Zagreus’ mother.

Summary: Prince Zagreus, the son of King Hades finds a letter regarding his mother and goes off on a journey to seek her out. His father, enraged by this, sends off Thanatos, a trained assassin, to fetch him. Little does he know, Thanatos may or may not want to find out about Persephone as well.

Zagreus slicked his hair back when he was finally away from his home, hiding behind a tree. He tried to look back to find the castle, but it only seemed like a distant memory. A bittersweet memory he’d say.

He wasn’t supposed to be out here, this far out from the castle, his kingdom. Yet here he was, and he did not regret going against the rules one bit. He would even say he felt relieved, like a huge weight was pulled off his shoulders after sitting there for years. Finally being away from his overbearing father, Hades, and starting a new chapter in his life; the quest for his mother.

Earlier that day, Zagreus had snuck into his father’s bedroom and found a letter regarding the whereabouts of his mother. He knew he had to look for her as soon as he could. He’d gone on for too long wondering where she could have been all these years and now he finally had a vague idea. She was still out there, alive and well, but his father never said anything about her for reasons unknown to him. Zagreus had snuck out of castle grounds for brief moments, but now was the time for him to go on a full out journey.

Zagreus continued pushing through the forest, moving branches out of the way and watching out for any plants he could trip over. He was making his way through an unfamiliar part of the forest surrounding the kingdom so as to not attract too much attention. This also meant there wasn’t a path in sight, he simply had to make his own. It was dead in the night, so no one would notice immediately that he was gone. He wouldn’t have as many traces left behind, which just made everything all the more convenient. It would take ages for people to find him now.

As he continued walking through, he felt a sharp pain in his foot, catching him off guard. He looked down only to see that he had stepped on a particularly thorny branch. Perhaps he should have actually worn shoes for once. He always hated wearing any form of footwear. He brushed off the pain and thorns, looking carefully ahead of and around him. An opening quickly made itself visible, an area in which he could probably rest for the night.

Zagreus settled himself down in one spot, ridding it of branches and leaves. He didn’t bring much other than his sword, Stygius, which was probably the biggest mistake he could have made. There was a village nearby, Tartarus, so he could easily get supplies from there. Still, Zagreus was feeling a bit hungry. He made a note to find Tartarus as soon as possible.

He leaned back onto a tree, trying to get himself comfortable enough to sleep. He had no idea what time it was, all he knew was that he needed some rest. After a while, he finally found a position in which he felt comfortable in and drifted off to sleep.

Zagreus woke up the next morning feeling less refreshed than he would if he were at home. He didn’t think it would be this bad sleeping outside, but he made sure he would get used to it. Even if the nights would be rough, it wouldn’t stop him from achieving his goal. 

He got up and stretched, feeling a bit sore. He picked up his sword, keeping it close to him. Who knows what could happen, right? Zagreus reached into his pocket and read the letter his mother had sent to him once more, just to refresh her words in his mind.

“Hades,” The letter read, ���I can no longer tolerate my life here in this place. So, I am leaving, even if it kills me. I won’t be returning to Olympus. If there is a place I belong in this world, it must be somewhere between heaven and hell. Perhaps it’s on the coast and has a little garden. Take care of Cerberus, I shall miss him.”

“Oh mother,” Zagreus said aloud, sighing heavily, “I wonder what was so terrible at home that made you want to leave…”

He began walking through the first yet again, this time making it much further than he expected. He was also out, almost away from everyone, and certainly closer to Tartarus. He began to think back about the house, about the people he’s run away from, and tried to find a reason as to why his mother left. 

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Back at Hades’ castle, Dusa, the family’s personal maid, was doing her rounds cleaning up. She had just finished dusting off the windows, which was only a minimal chore compared to all her other ones. She wasn’t tired at all though, a good day of work was always this long.

Her next chore was to clean Zagreus’ room, though he hates it when she tries to clean up after him. 

“Maybe he’ll let me in this time,” Dusa said to herself, smiling. She always hoped to get closer to him, and this was the first step.

She knocked on his bedroom door lightly, ignoring how freakishly tall it was. No one answered. Dusa waited a few more moments before knocking once more. Even if he didn’t want her to come in and clean, he would still say something. Anything, really. Maybe even greet her before pushing her away. 

She waited and waited, but Zagreus didn’t say a word.

“Prince Zagreus?” She asked, knocking harder this time. She began to get worried, why wasn’t he answering? It wasn’t like him to sleep in either, she feared the worst. She quietly let herself in, only to find a messy room, with no Zagreus in sight.

He was gone. Completely gone. 

She looked around frantically in search of a note, or anything to lead to his whereabouts. Despite the mess, there didn’t seem to be any hints about where Zagreus could have gone.

“Prince Zagreus? Where are you?” She called out once more, though it was pointless. If he had gone out for the day, she would have been informed. He would’ve greeted her on his way out; he always did. The silence in the castle was deafening and Dusa couldn’t take it anymore.

She ran over to the king’s throne room, frantic. Dusa was afraid of how he would react to the situation, but she needed to tell him. She didn’t have any other choice. She was allowed entry by the guards after briefly explaining the situation. Hades looked up at her, not very pleased.

“Lord Hades!” Dusa said, out of breath, “The prince he’s-!”

“You are supposed to be working,” Hades cut her off.

“I know I should be, but it’s about Zagreus he’s-” Dusa took a deep breath, swallowing her fear of the king, “He’s gone! He isn’t in the castle and I can only fear the worst!”

“He’s what?” Hades got up from his throne, practically fuming. He walked past Dusa, exiting the throne room and making his way to his bedroom. His steps were fast and heavy, he was getting more and more aggravated. He had an idea of what Zagreus would have done, but he surely hoped it wasn’t the case.

Hades looked into the drawer at his bedside table in hopes that his most precious item would still be there. Alas, the letter, her letter, was gone.

Zagreus had taken it.

And he was looking for her.

For Persephone.

Hades was enraged beyond belief, his simple gaze managing to scare the guards and others in sight. He looked around for the boy, even though he was sure he was on his way to look for her. 

Hades thought about what he could do. He couldn’t just leave the kingdom unattended and go off to look for his son. He couldn’t ask just about anyone to retrieve him. He only had one option left to his disposal.

“I never thought it would come to this, but we need him. He’s the only one suitable for this kind of job,” Hades said to the top guards. They seemed confused, looking over to each other several times.

“Who, my lord?” One of them asked.

Hades smiled, a rare sight for anyone in the kingdom to ever witness, before saying;

“Thanatos.”

[date posted; 07.02.21]

[absentplatypus]

Hey, remember how I said I was going to post a little something writing today? Well, here it is. It’s called ‘The Krakow Tapes’ and it’s a story/document about five tapes found in Krakow, Poland, (hence the name). It’s very inspired by the SCP Foundation, but it is not an SCP, it’s my own original piece. I think it also has some of the vibes of the Magnus Archives, so think of it as a bit of a combo between the two. Full story under the cut, as it’s 3,556 words.

Entry #: 4061---------> The Krakow Tapes

Description:

The Krakow Tapes are a collection of five recordings recovered in Krakow, Poland in 2015. These recordings feature a variety of locations in and around the city. The recurring cast, so to speak, is formed by a redheaded woman, a blonde woman, two men with dark hair, and the man behind the camera, of whom we only get scant glimpses.

The recordings are made using equipment that would date them to the 1960s, but the dress of the people and the tapes they are found on would suggest the 1980s. (Note: The tapes were able to be played on a VCR.) The one exception to the 1980s style clothing is the shirt worn by the blonde woman in one of the tapes, which displays an asexual pride flag, despite that flag’s creation dating to 2010.

The identities of the five people in the tapes remain unknown, but efforts to identify them are continued as of the writing of this entry.

The recordings are of comparably high quality, given the equipment used, but all of the tapes experience audio or visual interference at a variety of points. All those present in the recordings speak in Polish, and translated transcripts are available, attached to this document.

The tapes were found scattered on the ground in an alleyway unlabeled, and no other physical evidence has been found pertaining to these recordings, as of the writing of this entry.

There is no official order, chronological or otherwise, for the tapes. Additionally, as of the writing of this entry, they remain undated.

[End description.]

Transcripts:

The following are the transcripts of the tapes, translated into English. As such, the transcripts may not be fully accurate.

Tape #: 1.

[The recording begins with the redheaded woman, standing on a rooftop. It is late afternoon. The rooftop is painted white. Other buildings are visible in the background. The woman is wearing ripped jeans with a short sleeved shirt and leather jacket.]

Cameraman: “We’re going.”

Redheaded woman: “We’re going? Oh, good, good. Hey everyone! [She spreads her arms wide, smiling.] “We’re back home again, back in the city.”

[The camera turns to show the skyline, and the blonde woman is visible in the shot.]

[The redheaded woman laughs.] 

RW: “We’ve been having a good time so far, much better than we’ve had recently.”

CM: “Yeah, safe to say we’ve been sleeping a little rough.”

[RW nods in agreement.] 

RW: “Yeah. I always have us prioritize food and water over other things.”

[The blonde woman walks into frame.]

Blonde woman: “That’s because you’re bossy. When you get going it's hard for us to get a word in edgewise, much less argue.”

[A vocalization is heard. The camera pans over, and the source is revealed to be one of the dark haired men.]

RW, from offscreen: “What are you doing?”

[The two men are embracing, and swaying back and forth. (Note: Due to what evidence is available, it is believed that they are in a relationship. This theory has not given light to any new leads to the identity of the people, or purpose of the recordings.) The vocalizations are believed to be singing.]

Singing dark haired man: “Having fun, buzzkill!” 

Other dark haired man: “He’s gonna be a music man. Right?”

DHM: “Shut it, you.”

[The other dark haired man smiles and rests his head on the other man’s shoulder. The camera moves back to the RW and BW.]

RW: “Right, back to it. We’re staying here for now, but the view is gorgeous.”

BW: “We love this city.”

[The CM vocalizes his agreement.]

[RW begins to walk, and reaches a cooler, opening it. The sound of heels clicking is heard. She removes a bottle of water.]

RW: “We’ve got lots of water this time, so we’re set for at least a month. Food’s easier to come by, since we’re in the city, so I’m not worried about that.”

[RW takes a sip of her water.]

CM: “Yeah, we’re way better prepared than Paris.”

[RW laughs. The motion shakes her earrings, which dangle from her ears, and the chain attached to her jacket.]

RW: “Paris was a mess! We were stuck down there for days, and then we got separated.”

[RW shakes her head. There is notable visual distortion here.]

RW: “It was a lot.”

[BW fully enters the shot.]

BW: “All because that one guy wouldn't leave us alone.”

[Both RW and BW shake their heads.]

RW: “Some people just don’t know when to live and let live, as they say.”

CM: “We didn’t even take that much from him. And it’s not like any of the stuff was stuff he couldn’t replace.” (Note: This conversation, along with other bits of information found in the tapes, would imply the people in these recordings are involved in criminal activity. No police or court records have been found matching what evidence is available. This aspect is still under investigation.) 

[The dark haired men move closer, and BW greets them.]

ODHM: “It’s getting about that time. Who’s turn is it to grab the night supplies?”

RW: I’d do it, but my ankle hurts so I’m not gonna be up to the climb.”

CM: “If you don’t feel up to it, we’re not going to make you, sweetheart.” (Note: There is evidence suggesting CM and RW are in a relationship. This theory has led nowhere.)

DHM: “You might be willing to let her off the hook. We’ve all done more in worse states.”

BW: “I’ll do it.”

[The camera is set down on a ledge, and the remaining fifteen minutes of the recording is footage of the skyline and the sunset.]

[End transcript of Tape #: 1]

Tape #: 2

[The recording begins on the same rooftop as before. It’s nighttime, and a few stars are visible. There are sleeping bags spread around the roof, duffle bags and backpacks, and a second cooler in addition to the one from the first recording. A fire pit has been set up in the center of the roof, and a fire has been lit. Wood is piled beside it.]

CM: “Beautiful night here. Not too cold, and we managed to snag a fire pit.”

[The sound of heels is heard, and RW jumps on CM from behind.]

CM: “Hey, hey! Careful of the camera!”

RW: “I know, I know.”

[The camera turns to face her, and she is dimly lit by the fire.]

RW: “You can be no fun sometimes, you know that?”

CM: “I’m careful.”

[The camera is moved in a panoramic shot of the rooftop. The dark haired men are sitting in chairs next to the fire, holding hands. The blonde woman is walking on the ledge, making a vocalization that is believed to be humming. She is holding a glass bottle in her hand.]

RW: “Do you want me to grab you a drink?”

CM: “Sure. You know what I like.”

[RW moves into frame as she walks to one of the coolers, and removes two glass bottles. One of the bottles is lit well enough to identify it as beer. RW hands one of the bottles to CM.]

DHM: “Come sit!”

[RW and CM walk over to the chairs, and each take a seat. CM sits across from the three of them, so that they are in frame. The camera zooms in on the night skyline, and remains there for five seconds, and then zooms back out, and the people are again in the shot.]

ODHM: “I love the city at night. So peaceful. Plus, I’m with you.”

DHM: “Yeah.” 

[DHM smiles and gives ODHM a kiss on the cheek. RW smiles.]

RW: “Anyway, we plan on staying here for a while. We’re not going to have the fire on too much longer, but I’m not super concerned as there’s a chimney on this building.”

[The vocalizations from BW grow louder, and appear to be singing. It is noted that there is audio distortion at this time.]

ODHM: “Be careful! None of us are going to catch you if you fall off.”

[The camera is moved so that it is pointed at BW. She is still walking along the ledge with the bottle, and her step is noticeably more uneven. There is slight visual distortion, which may be a result of the equipment used.]

BW: “I’m fine.”

RW: “Just come down, please. You can come sit with us!”

[BW stops walking. The camera zooms to show her mock pout, and zooms out to film her walking towards the rest of the group. She takes a seat next to DHM.]

RW: “Should we talk about our plans for what we’re going to do next?”

ODHM: “Sure. We’re going to lay low for a while. Like we said before, there’s that one guy who won’t get off our backs.”

[RW and DHM roll their eyes.]

ODHM: “Besides that, we never do anything here, in our home city.”

DHM: “Yeah. We want this to be our safe spot, a place we can come back to. Whenever we do something, if the fallout is bad enough we may never come back. We like the freedom to move.”

BW: “We talked a little about going to Moscow next, right?”

RW: “Yeah, we did. Nothing’s set in stone, as if we ever do that, but yeah, I think we should.”

ODHM: “From what we’ve heard, there’s definitely a space there for what we do. Even if it’s not what we do next, we’ll definitely do it at some point.”

CM: “Personally I’d like to go because the city is beautiful. I’d love to take pictures there. City that big’s gotta have a decent place to develop them, too.”

[DHM and BW sound their agreement. RW gets up and tosses a couple of logs onto the fire.]

RW: “We’ll let it get through those and then put it out. Gotta sleep sometime, and we really shouldn’t be sleeping with an open fire around.”

ODHM: “Yeah, I’d rather not go up in flames in my sleep.”

[The next few minutes of the recording are extremely distorted, and when that ceases, RW and DHM are putting out the fire.]

BW: “You guys got it?”

RW: “Yeah, you head to bed. Or bag, rather.”

[The fire is put out, and the camera lingers on a shot of the city skyline. The recording is turned off after approximately a minute and thirty seconds.]

[End transcript of Tape #: 2]

Tape #: 3

[The recording begins with a shot of a rose. The camera moves to show a park, all of the people, save CM, are shown in this shot.]

CM: “You guys can talk now, I’ve got the shot.”

RW: “Oh, cool. I didn’t want to interrupt.”

[BW nudges RW in the arm. They are seated on a bench, and BW is wearing a shirt with the asexual pride flag on it.]

BW: “Didn’t you say we were going to have lunch now?”

RW: “Yes! I left the basket in the car. I’ll be right back.”

[RW gets up and heads offscreen.]

DHM: “While she’s getting that, I’ll give you a brief rundown. We had a bit of time to ourselves, and we decided to hang out in this park and have lunch.”

[ODHM laughs.]

DHM: “Well, I said it’d be brief.”

ODHM: “Yes you did.”

[RW returns with a picnic basket in hand.]

RW: “Did we decide where we’re eating?”

DHM: “Uh, the park?”

[RW rolls her eyes and crosses her arms.]

RW: “I know that, Mr. Sarcastic, but I’m talking about the specific spot. We can eat on the benches, but I did bring a blanket.”

BW: “Just spread it out in front, if someone wants to sit on the bench they can, if someone wants to sit on the blanket they can.”

[RW and BW spread the blanket on the ground. RW sets the basket down on the right side, and CM sits on the blanket, with the others remaining in frame. RW and BW sit down on the blanket, and DHM and ODHM remain on the bench.]

ODHM: “Can you still see us okay?” 

CM: “Yes.”

ODHM: “Cool, cool.”

[The next ten minutes of the recording are of them eating. There is light conversation throughout, but audio distortion makes it mostly inaudible.]

DHM: “So yeah, not eating there again.”

[They all laugh.]

BW: “Fun story, but it is really the one to tell while we’re eating?”

ODHM: “She’s got a point.”

[DHM rolls his eyes.]

DHM: “You’ll be fine.”

[ODHM takes DHM’s hand.]

ODHM: “You’ve gotta lotta snark in you, don’tcha.”

RW: “Yeah, he does.”

[RW pats DHM’s knee.]

CM: “If we’re all done, we should put the food stuff back in the car.”

BW: “Ever the clean freak.” 

[BW smiles into the camera, looking at CM.]

DHM: “I’ll help, if you’re doing it.”

BW: “Okay.”

[BW and DHM clean up. RW and CM get off of the blanket. RW and ODHM fold up the blanket and pass it to BW. BW takes the basket and heads offscreen. The other three sit on the benches while CM stands.]

CM: “Good to be here, with you guys. I hate it when we can’t be together.”

DHM: “Yeah. It almost feels like we’re always together when we are, but when we’re apart it’s like we never have.” 

[RW and CM make noises of agreement.]

ODHM: “I love you guys.” 

[The camera is set down, and all but the legs and feet of the people are out of frame. It is believed that they are embracing each other here. The camera stays on this shot for six seconds, before becoming incredibly distorted. When the recording is clear again, it is on a shot of BW and RW embracing each other. BW is holding out a camera, pointed at them, and RW has her arm draped across BW’s chest and her hand is resting on her shoulder. ] 

[End transcript of Tape #: 3]

Tape #: 4

[The recording begins with footage of the carpeted floor of a restaurant. The camera moves as CM walks. After fifteen seconds the movement ceases.]

DHM: “We’re clear.”

[CM moves through a door into a bathroom. The camera remains pointed at the tiled floor.]

CM: “We’re the only ones in here?”

BW: “Yes, we are.”

[The camera moves up to about eye level. BW is in front of the camera, wearing a deep blue dress with criss-cross cording down the front. RW is half out of frame.]

ODHM: “Everyone’s in here, we’re just behind the camera. Small bathroom, you see.”

[The camera moves in a circle around the room. RW becomes fully in the shot, wearing a knee length silver dress. DHM and ODHM are shown in frame, and they are wearing suits. The camera completes its rotation and stops once BW is in the frame again.]

CM: “Do you want to explain? I stopped on you, but I can move.”

BW: “No, no, I can do it.” 

DHM: “Awesome.”

BW: “If you don’t interrupt, that is, please and thank you.”

DHM: “Sorry.”

BW: “Anyway, this is very impulsive and not what we’re supposed to be doing, we’re working right now but we all look gorgeous and we wanted to preserve it for posterity.” 

RW: “Yeah we do!”

[The camera turns to focus on RW, and she spins to show off her dress. When she’s done, she blows a kiss toward the camera. The camera moves back to BW.]

BW: “So, yeah. We can’t talk about what we’re doing, we’re not supposed to, but we are enjoying ourselves. Can’t say that about every time when we’re working.”

[ODHM voices his agreement.]

BW: “How much time do we have in here?”

RW: “I think about five more minutes. Food is gonna be here soon and we’re already been gone for a while. Don’t want them to get suspicious.” (Note: Whoever ‘them’ is has not been identified. However, the restaurant the people are in has been identified, based on the carpet pattern. The restaurant is no longer in business, but the building still has the same carpet.)

[RW walks in frame. She stands next to BW.]

RW: “Let’s get a shot of us all together before we stop.” 

[RW gestures DHM and ODHM over to the same side of the bathroom as her. CM has to take a couple of steps back to get them all in frame. As he steps back, a brief glimpse of his reflection is visible in the mirror. The facial features are mostly blurred, but the man appears to have light brown hair.]

DHM: “Can you see us all?”

CM: “Yes.”

[DHM and ODHM position themselves on the outermost side of RW and BW, respectively. They stand there and smile. A knock is heard at the door. The camera points towards the ground and is shut off.]

[End transcript of Tape #:4]

Tape #: 5

[The recording begins with a shot of a bridge. Traffic is moving at a steady interval on the road on top. The bridge was painted white, but the paint is peeling, and much of the bridge has been graffitied.  One section has what more closely resembles a mural, with an impressionistic sea scene and birds flying above it. Four of the five people are standing under the bridge.]

CM: “You know, I like this bridge. It’s not the most unique, but something about it is just nice.”

[ODHM spots the camera and jogs over. He smiles.]

ODHM: “I knew you couldn’t resist filming the bridge.”

CM: “It’s a nice bridge.”

[ODHM laughs.]

ODHM: “Yeah, I guess it is. Come on, we’ve snagged some fruit. Your favorite!”

[He turns and walks over to RW, who is holding a plastic shopping bag. CM follows.]

CM: “For your information, fruit is not my favorite. I just like eating healthy food. It seems strange to you because you’re twenty-five percent chips.”

[ODHM and RW both laugh. RW rests her hand on her stomach.]

RW: “Hey, play nice you two.”

ODHM: “We will.”

[ODHM tosses his arm around RW’s shoulders. DHM comes into frame.]

DHM: “Did you get any bananas? I’ve been wanting some lately.”

RW: “Yeah, right here.”

[RW rummages in the bag, removes a banana and hands it to DHM, who begins to eat it.]

CM: “Now, what do we say?”

[DHM snorts.]

DHM: “Thank you.”

CM: “There you go.”

DHM: “You realize I’m, how old? I’m old enough to know when to say thank you.”

RW: “First of all, do you not know your own age? And second, it’s not just knowing when, it’s doing it, too.”

BW: “Manners!”

DHM: “Why don’t you come over here and tell me yourself?”

[BW jogs over to be in frame.]

BW: “I was talking to a squirrel, who was chasing another squirrel that was trying to eat a nut.”

[They all laugh.]

RW: “Yeah, sounds like you.”

[RW reaches out and pulls BW to her side.]

ODHM: “Dork.”

[ODHM smiles at BW, who smiles back.]

BW: “I am. And you are too.”

CM: “We’re all dorks, I think. It’s probably why we get along so well.”

RW: “Birds of a feather.”

CM: “Exactly.”

[BW points behind CM.]

BW: “There go the squirrels!”

[The camera is spun around to catch the squirrels chasing each other. The camera zooms in on the animals running after each other, and eventually up a tree. The camera turns back toward the people.]

ODHM: “Other than watching squirrels and eating fruit, we haven’t been up to much lately.”

RW: “We’ve decided to take a little break, and just enjoy life for a little while.”

CM: “Like this bridge.”

RW: “Like this bridge. And really, would we be proper miscreants if we didn’t hang out under bridges?”

DHM: “I feel like ‘proper miscreants’ defies the whole point of miscreants.”

[BW shrugs.]

BW: “It’s possible.”

RW: “Anyway, we were going to go down to this pond and feed some ducks. I have bread in the bag.”

[RW smiles at CM.]

RW: “Do you want to put the camera down and come with us? Live in the moment, you know?”

CM: “Yeah, yeah, alright. I’ll come along.”

[The closing shot of this recording is of the four people in the frame smiling, until the camera turns off.]

[End transcript of Tape #: 5]

End Notes:

There isn’t much to say, on this one. Most of the information we have is already in this entry, and what’s left is just menial stuff that is filed somewhere else. The annoying thing about cases like this is that unless any new evidence turns up, we’re never going to fully solve it. Usually if cases like this are solved, it’s just people messing around, making one of those ‘alternate reality games’ that are so popular nowadays. It’s rare for it to be something that needs a real investigation.

Well, I guess it’ll just stay open, then. This is just a weird set of tapes with a bunch of time inconsistencies and some possible offscreen criminal activity. Nothing we can turn over as actual evidence of something going on.

If you’re reading this, you know the protocol. If anything else turns up related to this case, you notify the research team. Unless you have specific permission to do so, do not edit this entry. You know the consequences.

[End (End Notes)]

[End Entry #: 4061---------> The Krakow Tapes]

[khtrinityftw]

Honest KH2 Appraisal

Continuing looking at Kingdom Hearts II from a moderate standpoint, here is a post looking over all the good of the game's tumultuous narrative, because accentuating the negative as described in this post without looking at all the positives does it no justice. Here are the ten major things that went right with the game's narrative:

- The Characters: Even if much of the character writing is a downgrade from the previous two installments, one vital quality is still retained: you like these characters, you feel for these characters, you are interested in these characters and invested in where they end up. As this video points out, it's still a story about Sora and his friends, not about the increasingly incomprehensible Xehanort and his increasingly uninteresting followers. In fact, it's the story that ends the larger story they've been a part of ever since the original game. It's the true end of their journey, and you're with them all the way.

- The Emotion: I find that "melodrama" is something that is very unfairly maligned. It's bad in the wrong place, sure, but in the right place it is highly effective at going straight for our hearts and giving us something memorable, possibly even formative, that will last us our whole lives, more than more "seriously" written things do. And KH2 piles on the melodrama to superb effect, exactly in the way you would want and expect in a Disney JRPG. The convoluted nature of the plot falls by the wayside when you are wrapped up in the emotions - to paraphrase Ansem the Wise, you don't need to wrap your mind around things when your heart already knows them.

- The Balance: KH2 might just be the crowning achievement in the series when it comes to balancing Disney, Final Fantasy, and KH-original elements. Each receives more than their fair share of spotlight, and each is able to interact with one another in perfectly natural ways. So as out of sync as the forces behind the narrative were, the forces within the narrative have never been as much in sync. The KH universe has never felt as unified as this ever again.

- The Tone: Similarly to the unfair rep that melodrama gets, there are many who instantly judge the "early 2000s shonen anime" tone (meaning style, flashiness and Rule of Cool takes precedence over serious subject matter) that KH2 goes with, often upset either because they wanted the first game's tone again or they wanted something darker as suggested by the famous secret ending video from the first game. But there's so much that's good and fun about early 2000s shonen anime when it's done right, and KH2 is an example of doing it right. I honestly think that this tone really works for the series and wish it had stuck to it, rather than deteriorating into the bad, pretentious, self-important shonen anime style that it did.

- The Themes: While continuing the themes established in the prior entries such as hearts, connection of hearts, darkness within hearts and light within darkness, and the power of memories, KH2 brought several new themes to the table such as the nature of existence, what your place in the universe is, the importance of keeping the promises you make, and perhaps above all reunion with friends. And even if the story's writing was wonky, the themes always shine through and are explored and wrapped up perfectly. 

- The Visuals: Masaru Oka's lackluster Event Direction can't detract from how visually grand Nomura's story is, with the imagery on display still remembered by all who played the game even today. Of special note has to be the World That Never Was, which is positively dripping with atmosphere and filled with unique structures, doing full justice to what was glimpsed in KH's legendary secret ending.

- The Sense of Humor: As much as I harp on Nojima for his writing problems, I would be remiss to not praise his excellent sense of humor that he filled his scenario with. Nomura even confirmed a lot of comedic touches like Sea-Salt Ice Cream being a running gag that runs so long that it becomes an important plot point was Nojima's doing. Also notice how the Halloween Town stories are written in a hokey manner like a Christmas special - don't think that wasn't intentional, that's the whole joke and it's hilarious. In fact, a lot of famous "KH2 out of context" moments and lines like "we totally owned you lamers!" seem to be conscious, tongue-in-cheek choices, and done in a way that doesn't offset the emotional sincerity of the dramatic parts of the story. With the KH series often being unable to lighten up these days, this kind of comedic touch is sorely missed.

- The High Points: This story's high points aren't just high, they're goddamn iconic. "Looks like my summer vacation is...over". The Hollow Bastion war sequence and the battle of 1000 Heartless. The stories of Beast's Castle, Olympus Coliseum and Space Paranoids. Timeless River in its entirety. The tough, climactic boss fights against the members of Organization XIII, Disney villains like Hades, and powerful Heartless such as Groundshaker. And of course almost everything that transpires in the World That Never Was. I believe I speak for many when I say that the low points like Atlantica or that weirdo subplot with Cloud, Tifa and Sephiroth are entirely forgivable when high points of this caliber are packaged along with them.

- The Finale: Like I said above, the World That Never Was gives us one of the best finales in video game history. From going through the dark city streets, to the mental duel against Roxas, to scaling the Castle That Never Was and taking down the rest of the Organization, to seeing all the heroes reunite, to the verbal battle between Xemnas and Ansem the Wise before the latter’s heroic sacrifice, to entering a physical manifestation of Kingdom Hearts itself where you slice through buildings, dodge laser fire from a flying mechanical fortress, fight hordes of Nobodies and take down Xemnas, to the final boss fight against Xemnas in the Realm of Nothingness, and finally to the sheer perfection that is the ending sequence. Every character gets a moment, every plot thread is wrapped up in a bow, and the happy ending you've longed for since the first KH didn't have it is finally achieved. There are flaws, but in the grand scheme of things they're nitpicks. This is the most satisfying conclusion the KH series has ever given us or ever will give us. There's just no topping it.

- The Collaboration: Tragically, Nomura took the wrong lessons away from KH2's success and from the criticism its narrative received. Here is what he admitted after KH3's release:

By axing professional scenario writers like Nojima and collaborators beyond Masaru Oka since they get confused by his concepts and stories, Nomura has traded one style of narrative mess for a much worse one. With his name under the "Story" credit, the stories are now even more convoluted, pretentious and badly paced, and now with far less sharp dialogue, less humor, less balancing between Disney, FF and KH-original elements, less emotion and thus less emotional investment, and less characters to be interested in or care about. Just...less FUN. This old post nailed it. Kingdom Hearts III came as close as was possible under the circumstances, but when compared to Kingdom Hearts II, it’s still a noteworthy step down. Regardless of its faults, KH2 is clearly where the KH series peaked.