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solitablvd · 2 months ago

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Read My Mind

**Minors DNI**

chapter one

Read chapter two

Masterlist

Pairing: Demon!Javier Escuella x Female Reader

Summary: You’ve always been one who was lost in delusions of love and captivated by romance novels. One day, while exploring an antique store, you stumble upon a mysterious locket. Little do you know, this locket comes with a twist.

Warnings: NSFW, pure smut tbh, unprotected p in v, v fingering, more tags to come, female reader, brat Javier Escuella

Word Count: 2.3k

AO3 Link

chapter one:

As they cherished their final kiss, Jane knew that this boundless love they shared defied all limits. It was an eternal love that deserved to be honored in every way. As they walked down the aisle together, hand in hand, Jane felt her heart soar. In that moment, surrounded by the soft glow of the setting sun and the promises of forever, she knew that they were entering an endless journey where their love would continue to flourish. The world seemed to fade away, leaving only the two of them, united in a heavenly love. The End.

You closed the book shut and held it close to your chest in cherishment. You were always a sucker for a happy ending. You let out a warm sigh, holding your knees close to your chest as you looked out the window of your home. Your private library window held the view of the town below.

Saint Denis was beautiful this time of year. The city was full of life. Every person carried their own story. You watched as the people passed by, unbeknownst to your watchful eyes. You watched as a couple entered the nearby theater, seemingly on a date. This time you let out more of a wishful sigh as you thought about how that could one day be you.

As you were approaching the age of marriage, it seemed that ideas of love and romance followed you everywhere. You’d be lying if you said you didn’t dream of them every night. You wanted to cherish and be cherished. You weren’t sure what love felt like, but you imagined it felt like time standing completely still.

“Are you done lounging around?” A voice broke your daze.

It was your father, who stood at the doorway of the home’s library. Complaining, he continued, “You always have your head in the clouds and your nose in a book. Be a dear and go pick up the groceries for today, please.”

“Of course.” You nodded dutifully, rising from your window seat and carefully placing your book back on the shelf.

You bid your father a kind goodbye, made your way down the flight of stairs, and journeyed out into the city streets. The general store was not too far from your home, and luckily the shop owner was familiar with you. As you entered, he knew exactly what you needed for your father: a collection of different foods and items.

While he gathered everything you needed, you looked across the street through the glass pane window.

The antique shop was always intriguing to you. You had only been inside once, to search through the collection of early printed books they had. Still, it held a fascinating factor as it was filled with trinkets that carried their own narratives.

“I’ll be right back, sir.” You notified the shopkeeper, exiting the store and crossing the street to the antique shop.

The wooden floor creaked under you as you entered, feeling very different from the luxurious spaces you were accustomed to. Still, you continued, giving a kind greeting to the older man at the register. The walls were draped with framed prints of different landscapes, some that you could recognize as the Heartlands, but a few others that were from parts of the country unfamiliar to you.

The shelves were filled with all sorts of curiosities and trinkets. One shelf was full of early printed books that looked delicate to the touch. Another was full of only different, elegant candlesticks. The air felt thick with the smell of aged paper and wood. As you looked around the shelves you felt fascinated by the beautiful porcelain figurines, their soft skin feeling cold to the touch.

As you looked through the trinkets, your eyes became drawn to a small black box. The object piqued your curiosity. You lifted the item, opening it with care. The inside of the case was lined with a deep red velvet fabric on the inside that you would’ve been captivated by had your eyes not locked on to a necklace the case had been holding.

The chain was golden and detailed intricately. But what you were most drawn to was the golden locket that was adorned with an engraving of a flaming heart, an interesting design choice for a locket that was both elegant and striking. You opened the locket, expecting to find an aged photo of the previous owner. Instead, the locket protected a clouded garnet stone. Your thumb brushed over the smooth stone; it was remarkable.

Having made your decision, you closed the case and carried it to the register.

After purchasing the necklace, you went to pick up your groceries then headed back to your home. You couldn’t hold back from temptation once you arrived at your home, rushing to the washroom to try on your newest piece of jewelry. The necklace was surprisingly heavy as you lifted it up to your neck, watching yourself in the mirror as you clasped the ends. The length was perfect, allowing the detailed locket to lay on your chest divinely.

The rest of the evening passed as it did everyday. You ate dinner with your father, then read some more before finally preparing yourself for bed.

Your thin white chemise rested loosely on your shoulders as you sunk to your knees and leaned forward on your bed, folding your hands neatly to pray before bed. As you whispered your prayer, a strong gust of wind pushed your window open. You jumped slightly, doing the sign of the cross before getting up to close the window. The city below was still bustling with people.

Slipping under your white bed sheets, you leaned over and blew out the candle in your room. The only light in your room was now only the pale moonlight shining through your window. You could hear the rustling of trees outside, along with the sounds of the city that had grown comforting to you. With a deep sigh, you closed your eyes and drifted off to sleep.

In the depth of the night, a voice whispered, smokey and intimate. “Wow.”

You stirred, your eyebrows furrowing as you were unsure if the voice was part of your dream or reality.

The same voice let out a deep, low chuckle. It sounded so distant, yet so close. The sound sent shivers down your spine, forcing you awake. You sat up quickly, blinking furiously as your eyes attempted to adjust to the dark room.

On the couch near your window sat a dark figure. You could barely make out its silhouette in the darkness of your room. The figure became clearer with a snap of his fingers; fire sparked from the tip of his thumb as he brought it up to the cigarette hanging from his lips. The small flame allowed you to see more of him, his hair framing his carved features. He appeared elegant yet sinister. He paused slightly before lighting the cigarette.

“You don’t mind if I smoke in here, do you?” He spoke again. The flame reflected in his dark, piercing eyes. You remained frozen in silence, feeling disoriented by the odd encounter. He looked at you expectantly, shrugging when you continued to give no response and lighting his cigarette anyway. He took a slow drag as he continued to connect his gaze with yours.

“Who are you?” You asked wearily.

“I can be whoever you want me to be.” He replied calmly, taking another drag from his cigarette and looking up at the ceiling. You stared at him further, still seated in your spot in your bed, not daring to move.

Finally, he flicked the cigarette onto your carpeted floor. Your mouth opened to protest, but as he stepped on the cigarette it seemed to completely disappear from existence, leaving you both in complete darkness once again.

“You’ve been longing for someone.” He spoke in an alluring tone, walking closer to your bedside. Your heart rate quickened as the distance between the two of you dwindled until he was standing right beside you. Getting a better look at him, you could see that he was wearing all black, with the tips of his boots providing the only pop of color in the form of a reflective gold.

His hand reached out to grasp your chin, tilting your head up to look at him. His touch was surprisingly warm as if he was radiating his own heat. You gulped as you allowed his hand to guide your gaze, looking up to meet his. He looked at your features carefully, seemingly examining you.

“Untouched paradise,” He muttered almost inaudibly.

As he held your chin you could not deny the attraction you felt to the mysterious man. He had a hauntingly alluring energy, completely drawing you in. You felt a newfound sensation of want growing within you. He smirked at you slightly, making your eyes flicker down to his lips.

He moved his thumb to now rest against your bottom lip, brushing it lightly before delicately pulling your lip down. Your breathing hitched as his thumb slowly entered your mouth. You opened your mouth ever so slightly to let him in. His other hand made its way to snake around your neck, not putting any pressure, but holding you in place as he moved his thumb slowly in and out your mouth. You allowed your lips to tighten around him, sucking slightly.

“There you go,” He whispered deeply, focusing his gaze on your lips as they continued to move around his thumb.

He took a deep breath, moving his hand to run through your hair, “Lay back.”

You did as he said: laying back slowly and keeping your eyes on him. You felt a strong tension growing. Your head hit your pillow and you looked up to the ceiling with a heavy breath. The bed shifted slightly with his weight as he sat beside you.

You gasped lightly as you felt his hand trail up your thigh, reaching for your undergarments. He pinched the hem with his fingers and slid them down your body. The pulsing sensation was new to you, and was driving you to the point of desperation.

His hand caressed your waist as the other pushed your raised knees apart. He used his fingers to tease you slightly, rubbing you in small circles. His touch made you tense slightly as you had never experienced anything like this before.

“Relax.” He whispered encouragingly. You nodded, taking a deep breath to calm yourself. He collected your slick on his finger before slowly inserting it into you. You let out another gasp as he curled his finger in you, working his finger to slowly massage you.

As he slowly inserted another finger into you, you let out a louder gasp, clenching around him while he began to move his fingers at a curated pace. His fingers stretched you slowly. Your hands gripped on the pillow underneath your head, letting the moans leave your mouth as you bucked your hips against his touch.

He chuckled lowly as he slipped his fingers out of you, seemingly enjoying your growing desperation. He brought them up to his mouth to taste you. You watched as he seductively sucked your slick off his fingers, maintaining eye contact with you as he did so. When he was finished, he gave you a quick wink before shifting to get in between your legs.

He placed his hands on either side of you, keeping himself lifted above you. You hadn’t even noticed that his clothes had now vanished completely, leaving him undone on top of you. He pushed your chemise up past your raised knees.

You let your hands rest on his toned biceps, biting back your moan as he slowly pushed himself into you. He was a lot bigger than his fingers. You gripped him tightly and winced slightly as he finally fit all of himself into you.

“You okay?” He asked. Through your tremble, you nodded at him.

He remained still for a moment, seemingly letting you get comfortable with the new sensation before he began to move at an achingly slow pace. You couldn’t hold back the small gasps that escaped your lips with every slow thrust of his hips. His grip on your bed sheets tightened as he began to move a little quicker, keeping his gaze low as you squirmed below him with pleasure.

The pooling in your lower stomach began to grow as your moans became incoherent, your fingernails digging into his arms desperately. He groaned above you, still keeping his gaze low as you threw your head back and moaned in pleasure.

Your back arched as you came undone beneath him with a twitch. His thrusts became overwhelmingly quick as you continued to tremble below him, your hands traveling up to wrap around his neck. You felt him tense inside of you with a deep groan. He pulled out of you quickly, coming on your lower abdomen. He breathed heavily above you, his head hanging low.

Your breathing matched his; your eyes traveling up to his as his gaze finally met yours. Your eyes connected only for a moment before he pushed himself off of you, standing up beside your bed as you continued to lay there breathlessly. With a snap of his fingers his clothes had completely reappeared, and with another snap, the mess on your stomach was completely gone.

“Well,” He began, adjusting his collar, “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“What?” You questioned.

He took another cigarette out of thin air, lighting it with his thumb, “You’ll see. Get some rest.”

He began to walk off towards your window. Your eyelids grew heavy, you tried to fight back the sleep to see where he would go, but you felt the wave of sleep takeover you and within seconds you had fallen into a deep slumber.

#javier escuella x reader #red dead redemption 2 #rdr2 #javierxreader #javier escuella #smut #p in v sex

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me-gusta · 9 days ago

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Silver Tongue

In a quiet moment between battles, Pike Trickfoot sat on the roof of an abandoned watchtower, staring out over the twilight landscape of Tal’Dorei. The air was crisp, the light softening with the first hues of dusk, and she let herself unwind, taking a deep breath. It was rare, these quiet minutes when the world felt untouched by chaos, like a snapshot in time.

Then she heard soft footsteps climbing the ladder, followed by a familiar, lilting hum. Scanlan Shorthalt emerged, carrying his lute with him, a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth as he found her. "What’s a girl like you doing on a rooftop like this?" he quipped, taking a seat beside her.

Pike rolled her eyes, but her smile gave her away. “Taking a break, you know? Trying to savor this little bit of peace while we’ve got it.” She looked over at him. “You don’t always have to follow me up here, you know.”

“Yeah, well,” Scanlan shrugged, strumming a soft chord on his lute. “Call me a sucker for good company. And besides…” He glanced at her, his gaze softer than his usual playful glint. “I know you’re probably the only person who’d even want me around in a moment like this.”

She laughed quietly, a warm sound that filled the air between them, like light piercing through the stillness. But then, without warning, a strange sense of déjà vu swept over her, as if she’d already lived this moment before—right down to the way Scanlan looked at her, the way the colors of the sky seemed to burn brighter around him, almost like they were meant to be framed forever.

“Scanlan,” she murmured, caught in the wave of familiarity, “have we… done this before?”

He tilted his head, looking at her with curious eyes. “What, you mean this? You and me on a rooftop?” He strummed another chord, a slower, softer melody. “Well, maybe not exactly like this. But I like to think we’re destined for these little moments together, yeah? You know, like—” He wiggled his fingers dramatically. “Some grand cosmic plan.”

Pike gave him a skeptical grin but couldn’t shake the feeling. Images flickered in her mind—flashes of memories she didn’t quite remember. In them, she saw Scanlan standing beside her in battles she didn’t recall fighting, laughing with her in places she didn’t remember visiting. It was as if these moments with him were strung across different versions of time, an unbreakable thread connecting them again and again.

Driven by an unexplainable feeling, Pike took his hand. “Scanlan… if there was a world where we’d known each other forever, what do you think we’d be?”

Scanlan’s face softened, and for once, there was no bravado, no flash of jest in his eyes. “I think,” he said, his voice a little shaky, “I’d be the guy who’d try to be worthy of you, no matter how long it took. Even if it was in a hundred different lifetimes.”

She squeezed his hand, and a warm glow seemed to radiate between them, as if time itself bent to keep them together. Maybe, she thought, they’d been meant to find each other over and over, every time and place different but somehow the same. And maybe that’s why she trusted him, even with the pieces of herself she was still figuring out.

As the stars began to flicker above them, Scanlan looked down at their joined hands, brushing his thumb over her knuckles. “Pike,” he said softly, “do you think we could just… stay here for a while? Like, just you and me?”

She leaned her head on his shoulder, the weight of the world lifting, if only for that stolen moment. “Yeah, Scanlan,” she whispered. “I think we’re right where we’re supposed to be.” And so they stayed, sharing the silence, while the world slowed around them, holding their moment in the strange, timeless magic of dusk.

#vox machina #pike trickfoot #scanlan shorthalt #romance #fanfic

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24kmagiic · 10 days ago

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saw one of your old posts about Davina and Bonnie. I know you ship Klonnie and I was curious if you think Klavina?(klaus/davinas) dynamic is what Klonnie’s would’ve started off as

I felt like Bonnie was robbed in canon but Davina is elevated in the show even when she’s kicked aside she still gets her happy ending by the end of it all.

Hiii!

So, while I used to be so against her, towards the end of the show's run, I didn't mind Davina because, at the end of a very long day, she was a kid caught in supernatural business. However, it was painfully obvious to me that Davina was who they refused to let Bonnie be. She was their pitiful attempt to erase Bonnie. However, it didn't work because she was quickly cast aside, which I believe was because they never had a real purpose for her EXCEPT to erase Bonnie.

With all that said, yes, the way Davina kept her foot on Klaus's neck would have been identical to how I imagined Bonnie would be. We already saw her be that way with Damon. Damon couldn't pass gas without Bonnie showing up to make sure no one else smelled it lmao.

The possibilities in which the two of them would eventually warm up to one another are endless, and I feel like every Klonnie story in existence has found its own ways of showcasing how the two of them would eventually come together.

I am a SUCKER for forced proximity which I think works excellent for Enemies to Lovers tropes. But I also think the two of them would just naturally realize that they're two sides of the same coin and find their stake in each other's lives that way.

(This next part is me rambling and has nothing to do with what you asked, so you can skip past the italicized text if you want lol.)

People always see Bonnie as this moral beacon that is full of light but if you really dig deep, Bonnie is a very dark character. She is the antithesis of evil, which does not always equate to what we define as 'good.' Bonnie's goodness is rooted in the way she masters evil, and she knows how and when to tap in. (For example: Trying to kill Damon by fire.)

Most "good' characters we see in media today aren't actually good, they're harmless. Elena is a perfect example of this. Just because she was physically unable to hurt a fly doesn't mean she was a good person. Her selfishness placed Bonnie in ugly situations plenty of times, but it was brushed off because she was trying to be good. (Think of how Seattle responded to the BLM protests and how it negatively affected the whole movement. They 'meant' well, but we caught the fire behind that mess.)

On the flip side, Bonnie would be classified as an 'extremist' if she was in a political landscape. That said, Klaus is also an extremist but on the opposite end. (Think 'right-wing' and 'left-wing' but without the political connotations.) In my opinion, this is why they work so well together but they're bound to bump heads because of it.

(And now, back to Klonnie!)

There are so many commonalities between the two of them that make shipping Klonnie so fun.

Similar to how two siblings can grow up in the same house and face the same trauma but end up polar opposites of one another, that's how I view Klonnie's commonalities (minus the sibling bit, obviously). They both faced similar traumas, but how they processed it turned them into different people. Klaus is the Yin to Bonnie's Yang.

Shared Traumas:

Parental Negligence

Bonnie: Rudy was negligent after Abby left him and Bonnie and thus Bonnie grew up alone with only Grams who failed to teach Bonnie about her heritage. (I'm aware it was against Rudy's wishes but I'm still side-eyeing lol.)

Klaus: Esther was negligent in keeping his father's identity from him and allowing her husband to abuse him. Also, she created that necklace to weaken him for her own selfishness, thus putting the target on his back when it came to Mikael.

Abandonment

Bonnie: Her mother walked out on her for no legitimate reason. Her father was always gone and Grams was an alcoholic (so they say). Even the people in her life were emotionally absent. Then you have her friends who left her to deal with the consequences of magic alone.

Klaus: After killing their mother, he had a deep fear of his siblings abandoning him. Therefore, he became obsessed with loyalty. His biological father was nowhere to be found until a thousand years later.

For brevity's sake, I'll stop with those two but they have others.

How they processed these traumas is so interesting:

They both gained an unnatural sense of loyalty, which lies in the fear of abandonment. Klaus forced loyalty onto others, while Bonnie gave loyalty to those who never earned it or didn't deserve it.

Bonnie became codependent on her friends because she had no one else, and Klaus became co-dependent on his family for the same.

Bonnie became overburdened by responsibility. She became everyone's 'go-to' for morality and protection, which gave her a skewed sense of importance, but it also burned her out. Klaus became controlling and constantly sought validation (from Elijah in particular).

Klaus ruled through fear because of Mikael's abuse. Everyone's acceptance of Mikael's abuse sort of validated his use of fear as a way of controlling people. Bonnie used her morality as a means of control for both herself and others.

Klaus is very self-loathing, and while Bonnie doesn't initially appear to be that way, she is too. Her strong moral code is just that, her way of torturing herself. (For example: Constantly sacrificing herself for 'good' simply because she has the duty of wielding magic.)

If Klaus controlled his siblings, Bonnie's control came with how she wielded that moral compass of hers. Seeing everyone around her live freely was triggering because she had to be responsible so early in her life. She never got to make mistakes. Mistakes meant abandonment to her, so she walked a fine line and tried to force others to do the same. (This may be why she struggled with her magic so often. I often wondered if the spirits were actually punishing her or if she was self-actualizing and punishing herself subconsciously.)

This is the tip of the iceberg with these two, but can you already see the pattern? My favorite aspect is how one craves what the other has. Klaus craves loyalty, and Bonnie craves control. They both want what the other (seemingly) has.

#klonnie #anonymous #asks #just me rambling about two idiots I can never let go of #anti-davina #anti-elena #not really but i'm tagging it just in case someone gets snarky

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frikatilhi · 1 month ago

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eternally a sucker for soulmates au bojere, as if their meeting has already been fated by the universe, and their willingness to make it work is simply their souls always longing the other.

be it platonic or romantic, it's just a beautiful thing.

p.s. tinfoil hat/fic but do u think bojan's pre-esc interview where he said he likes finnish literature was foreshadowing all along?

yes.

And, the soulmate-y not!fic answer to your last bit is naturally that

Bojan has been drawn to other cultures for all his life. Languages stick like it's nothing. He haunts Ljubljana's arthouse movie theathers and their foreign indie film showings. At school, when they need to choose their reading, he always picks an author with a weird, exotic sounding name.

He's not sure why. Something about learning different ways of life, different histories, different stories is comforting. It makes him feel like he's closer to... something. Something his soul is searching for.

And some things speak to him more than others. Arto Paasilinna is one of them. Sure, he's pretty popular in Slovenia, lots of translations available, but reading him, something sparks in a special way. Something about the weighty subject matter that is handled with sharp, sometimes racy humour tickles Bojan's sensitivities. Reading about weird, laid-back, searching-for-something Finnish characters and journeys through the Finnish landscapes feels like-- it feels like...

Bojan's not sure, but it has to mean something, right?

#ask #sad bojere bitches support group #bojere #not!fic

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loveselenade · 8 months ago

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Madoka 1.5

Since I’m watching PMMM for the first time (with a lot of it spoiled due socmed lol), I figured it’d be fun to write my thoughts so far, 1.5 episodes in. It goes without saying, but don't send me any further spoilers, as this is only fun if I can manage to remain as ignorant as I am now.

Things I knew before hand:

-Kyubey is a bastard.

-It has Shinbo Akiyuki's artistic sensibilities all over it (reason I started watching, tho I'm unclear what exactly his involvement in this is lol). Also, Urobuchi Gen is the main writer for this lol

-Madoka dies.

-Madoka is the paragon of good.

-Lesbian Satan.

-Homura has catholic guilt??

-Someone's backstory involves a brother or something.

-Guns

-Time loop.

-Jewel seeds but evil (this only makes sense if you've watched Nanoha, sorry lol)

-Witches

-Madoka saved a cat

---

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Illusory motion.

[image id: top view of a monochromatic, distorted staircase that looks like a spiral.]

An upwards climb or a downward spiral? The irregular curving of the stories and the pattern alternance sure makes it look like it's spiraling inward. As our lace curtain lifts so the play can begin, this is our first look at the kind of world that awaits us.

[image id: gif showing a close up to Madoka's legs and then a panoramic top view as she runs through a monochromatic hallway with a chessboard pattern]

I don’t have a lot to say about the witches’ labyrinths yet, but I’m always a sucker for dreamscapes (I loved them dearly in Flip Flappers, where they had the incredible work of Studio Pablo strengthening the storybook look), and I’m assuming the labyrinths symbolize something about the interiority or the difficulties the witch in question faced. I don’t have a lot to go by with the two labyrinths in episode one, but I did love the glimpse of the one we get in the opening sequence. I love the effect that it creates when alternating between panoramic shots or extreme close-ups to Madoka’s legs and back as she runs—respectively making her look too small against this overwhelming set piece or claustrophobically trapped in her impotence. As the camera moves along, there’s a sensation that the different patterns in the floors are moving. Because of the way we perceive depth via ascertaining the apparent parallelism or convergence of lines and value/color contrast, among other things, the pattern alternance in this monochrome set piece creates illusions of either motion or that each row is a step more elevated than the other. It’s a properly trippy place. I enjoy it. The straight white for the lighting and tiles creates an artificial and alienating atmosphere. The uniformity of its looks is disorienting. Is Madoka going the right way? It’s really a fantastic introduction to the world of Madoka Magica.

The path you must follow has been prepared for you.

[image id: A green, flourescent exit sign is centered in the screen, hanging above a dark path framed by silver chain fence]

Despite the disorienting feeling, Madoka follows mostly straight paths and there's a clearly labeled, correct exit. This brings to mind the predetermined paths present in Revolutionary Girl Utena's imagery.

Additionally, I find the way Madoka’s run is boarded reminiscent to Utena’s chase after Anthy in Adolescence of Utena:

[image id: gif showing a panoramic view of of landscape shwoered in sunset lighting and red, square pillars towering over the space. Utena, looking tiny, runs further into the place.]

[Image id: gif showing a top down view of a long monochromatic corridor with chessboard pattern that Madoka, a mere pink dot in the screen, crosses running. The corridor is right in the middle of the screen and surrounded by different equally black and white mandalas that turn slightly.]

We get panoramic overhead shots emphasizing the disorienting, geometrical maze and the impotence of our heroines' tiny figure against them.

Before reaching their destination, they both cross a stairs-bridges of sorts; Utena, towards the dueling arena where Anthy waits for her to continue the dueling cycle with Utena as champion; Madoka, towards the foyer where she can find her exit to where Homura is struggling against another hopeless, fighting cycle, one which Madoka choses to perpetuate when making a contract with Kyubey…

[Image ids:

The image to the left shows shows a stich of two Adolescence of Utena's screenshots: the one on top showing Utena crossing a bridge; due the top down angle and the inclination of the bridge, the planks on the bridge look like stairwells. The image on the bottom shows Utena crossing the bridge against the creamy, pinkish sunset sky. The bridge railing is shown a black silhoutte in the foreground.

The image to the right is a stich of two monocrohmatic Madoka Magika episode one screenshots: the on the the top shows Madoka crossing a corridor, the foreground is dominated by abstract geometric shapes. The one on the bottom shows Madoka going up an ample stair well, and the surrounding walls have a similar geometric patterning.]

Absolute Reality.

[Image id: Predominantly black and white screenshot showing a dark tree on the foreground and black debri flyaing around. A little to the right of the middle line stands Madoka, with Kyubey sitting on top of some fallen pillar. The subtittles are Madoka's dialogue and read: "Can I really do something to help?"]

The offer that tempts Madoka into a contract is the promise of agency. She can’t stand the reality where there is nothing she can do, thus it's the promise she does actually have power to influence the narrative and help others and stop their suffering what Kyubey dangles in front of her. Madoka feels deeply moved by the pain of others and has a strong empathetic response that makes it very easy for her to be preyed upon by our resident ugly cat here. It’s detrimental to her. Maybe Homura has a point in reversing her wish to be the divine embodiment of Goodness.

It’s then interesting that she expresses disappointment upon waking up not only in the premiere but in episode 02, as well. Her waking up animation might as well become bank during this introductory arc (I’m betting it does, can’t wait to be wrong). When confronted with the thought the world her senpai Mami introduced to her, one of great danger but also apparently fulfilling and actualizing, might be nothing but an illusion, Madoka expresses disappointment. Even though she has a happy, easygoing life full of friends and family that love her and that she loves in return, there is something else she is looking for.

Confronting your own humble plainness again.

[Image id: Screenshot of Madoka's room dimly lit. Madoka is drawn towards the bottom left edge, hunching and hugging her huge body plush with a beleagered expression.]

Appearances, facades.

Trained confidence.

[Image id: Screenshot showing makeup labelled with numbers, as if to indicate the order of steps.]

Following Madoka’s "dream", we learn about her homelife anchored around her interactions with her mother as they talk about the love lives of the people around Madoka, contrasted to Madoka's own assertion that no one has an eye on her. Their whole bathroom conversation could be characterized as "girl talk": they go on about love and the need to maintain an appealing image as means to reach it. I could easily accuse this scene of being sexist (and it did rub me the wrong way initially), but the dialogue is naturalistic enough to paint a trusting, warm bond between mother and daughter; plus the repetition of the make-up motif in the second episode while interspersed with Mami's explanation draws attention to themes of appearance and desire.

A remark that can easily be taken as reinforcing gender essentialism lol

[Image id: Screenshot showing the sinks at the foreground barely visible at the bottom edge, with Madoka and her mother in front of them. Madoka is holding her red ribbons with her left hand hesitantly, while her mother has her hands over her hips, talkig matter-of-factly: "A woman's appearance is the one thing she can't afford to get looked down at."]

The contrast in the way mother and daughter carry themselves is apparent. When Madoka relays her reports about her homeroom teacher's love life, her more experienced mother offers keen observations about the possible state of the relationship. Where Madoka takes things at face value, her mother can see deeper. The same applies to the image they project to the world— where her mother has a set (numbered) method to achieve her ideal image, Madoka fumbles and fusses about her ribbon choice and not being seen as too much. The frame pan showcasing the end result has Madoka standing timidly with her hands folded over her lap and her back reflection shown in three different angles in the background mirrors, as if she's being thoroughly scrutinized. While her mother confidently observes her reflection in the mirror, Madoka shrinks at being observed.

[Image id: Screenshot showing Madoka in the middle with a dopey and hesitant expression and her arms drawn close. Her reflections are shown in the mirrors in the background.]

I can't say that Madoka’s self-confidence is worryingly low given what we’ve been presented with—while she lacks the self-assurance her mother possesses, she doesn’t seem particularly self-deprecating. While her affirmation that no one looks her way reflects that self-consciousness, Madoka doesn't further put herself down. Instead, it could simply be that she's a teenager only now discovering her identity, what she's comfortable with, what she wants and what place can she carve for herself in this world. Her mother advises her to train the image and behaviors of someone confident as a first step to grow more certain of herself. The scene places emphasis on the process of purposefully building the image you project, which becomes relevant as episode two's layouts play with a reflection motif around talks of desire.

While thinking back on Kyubey’s proposal of granting them one wish in exchange of risking their lives, Madoka ponders about what she wants. Her waffling contrasts to her mother’s immediate, cutting response concerning pragmatic concerns from her work life when Madoka echoes the question to her. Although, of course, her mother lacks the whole context that makes the decision heightened, Madoka’s roof talk with Kyubey and Sayaka reinforces that there isn’t anything she wishes for that strongly. Yet.

Additionally, when Madoka proposes a bigger ambition to her mother (“Wouldn’t you rather become CEO yourself?”), the image her mother projects into the mirror changes drastically into a more fierce and dangerous look, complete with the repetition of her labeled make-up symbol. This ties a connection between the image people project and what they desire. And just like Madoka has a rather inhibited persona, so do her desires appear mild.

This takes us to Mami, their helpful senpai.

A slightly distorted image seen from below the glass table totally screams trustworthy.

[Image ID: Screenshot of Mami drawn in a low angle, showing her sitting with her legs neatly folded under her backside and her hands resting on her lap. Despite the sunset light filtering through the windows, she's very dimly lit. Most of her image, from the waist up, is shown slightly distorted as its filtered through the glass of the table. The table legs curve outwards and frame her the image in a strange way. The subtitles present her offer: "You should see for yourself what it's like to do battle with witches."]

Knowing the spoilers that Homura is trying to save Madoka from death via time loops and preventing her from forming a contract with Kyubey has an interesting effect— that is, it casts suspicion over other characters. Mami is the helpful senpai that shows up in the nick of time to save them from the witch, heals Kyubey, explains the situation to them and even promises to protect them from Homura at school. She also offers to show them the fieldwork so they can make up their mind about whether to become contracted! The earlier, careful portrayal around purposeful appearances and the reflection motif repeating during their talk can’t be coincidence. Clearly, she wants to be seen as someone who’s dependable, and whether this has more sinister implications or is stemming from personal wishes is unclear to me yet. Mami feels more like Kyubey’s sales associate than anything else. “You can come observe” it’s the pitch you give someone unsure whether to join a club so you can lure them further in. She’s encouraging them to take on a responsibility that can have rather grim outcomes, despite her early assertion that magical girls don��t necessarily work together to reap the rewards of fighting witches—a statement that further reinforces the narrative of Homura as an antagonistic force to our young heroines. Mami either is very upstanding and thinks it’s a duty they should take on since they were chosen or there is something deeply fishy going on here.

For all intents and purposes, Mami is a completely separate entity to our young heroines, not unlike Homura. She’s the one who’s a magical girl already, they’re the uninitiated. They sit on the same side of the table, opposite to her. This shot emphasizes their separation through the black leg of that foreground furniture.

There’s clearly a lot we don’t know about her.

[Image id: screenshot showing Mami's living room. There's sunset light still filtering in, but the room is mostly dimly lit. Mami is on the side of the wall, so she's in the shade. They're sitting at the table, Madoka and Sayaka together on the same side and visually opposite to Mami. The black legs of a furniture are shown in the foreground, creating a strong visual barrier between Mami and her juniors.]

Isn’t it just so fun how this reflection shot obscures her face? Like she’s covering it with her hands in sorrow. Seems charged that it coincides with her explanation about witches causing suicide and murder, does she know of someone who was a victim of them? OR better yet, someone who became One?

I know that magical girls become witches in this series, which also poses interesting possibilities…

[Image id: Screenshot showing Mami's lap with her hands resting on top of it as she sits in front of the table. Because of the top angle, the reflection of her face shows dimly on the glass table. Her face overlaps her hands. The subtitles read: Many of the inexplicable suivides and murders that occur..."]

Are my suspicions on Mami’s intentions totally off-mark? I have no idea, but it’s incredibly fun to doubt her lol

Speaking of despair lore, I usually raise my eyebrow—think it’s full of shit— when there’s worldbuilding that links suicide and violence to supernatural entities; it’s a run-of-the-mill battle shonen explanation, Noragami also uses it with Ayakashi as amalgamation of negative feelings and energy from the people of the places they haunt. Now, this could still work on an allegorical sense of how oppressive environments lead to such emotional outcomes, since most stories don’t engage with the structural causes of such problems… It can be that, or end up attributing a metaphysical cause as the source of all darkness without even so much extending understanding and sympathy to the people who suffer from it. Where does Madoka Magica fall, I wonder…

Blessed fools.

A pained smile framed behind by bars, a surefire sign that someone isn’t totally trapped.

[Image ID: Screenshot showing Sakaya's back with her face turned in profile towards the right. She's smiling ambigously and her right hand is holding to the white chain wall that dominates the background against the bright daylight sky. The subtittles read: "Well... Maybe the pair of us are just fools?"]

Given our young heroines lack of direction, ardent ambitions or anguishing desires, Sayaka muses that perhaps the fact they don’t have anything they’d die for is a sign they’re blessed fools. This rings true for Madoka. She’s a happy kid with a supportive family and friends. Despite her longing for something more—her own agency? confidence? Romantic love?—, there doesn’t seem to be anything that is making her actively miserable. Her mild adolescent ennui is not necessarily something pernicious and would’ve likely resolved itself as she experienced and tackled more challenges in her life with the guidance and support of her family. This whole business paints more ill-fated for her (and I mean, I know it is. What a tragedy, hers).

But is this true for Sayaka? This brief shot with its ominous red sky and its bedridden figure shrouded in darkness begs to differ… The fact she feels guilty over being chosen, thinking there’s people who’d make use of a miracle much better than them makes me think it’s rather someone she knows… Is this her motivation to get into Kyubey’s magical girl agency? I don’t have a lot to go by…

[Image ID: Screenshot representing a short-haired person in bed shown facing right . Most of the shapes are represented as black silhouttes, sans the translucent curtains and the ominous red sky framed by the window. The subtittles read "We've been so blessed.."]

Sayaka and homoeroticism.

Welcome back, Shinohara Wakaba.

[Image id: Screenshot showing Madoka, Sayaka and their irrelevant friend Hitomi at the park. Sayaka is hugging a slouching Madoka from the back, saying "You must be my bride, Madoka!".]

The Girl Talk in episode one continues as we follow Madoka’s commute to school with her two friends: the blue one, the to-be Magical Girl, Sayaka and this one random girl that I'm surprised it's even there. The banter and physicality to Sayaka and Madoka’s interactions is fun and warm, selling their chemistry as friends. And near the end, Sayaka playfully proclaims Madoka must be with her, which immediately brought to mind Revolutionary Girl Utena’s Shinohara Wakaba's own ambiguous, very physically affectionate date-play with Utena.

Rather than being a maiden in the sidelines, however, Sayaka is positioned as Madoka’s protector against Homura. Given Homura is fighting to be Madoka’s silent protector herself, this is unbelievably funny to me. When Madoka finds Homura's staring off-putting during P.E., she hides behind Sayaka. When Madoka— with Kyubey in her arms— is alone facing the inscrutable, darkness-shrouded, threatening Homura, the one who shows up to save her is Sayaka. When they're alone within the creepy labyrinth, Sayaka protectively embraces Madoka. When Madoka is worried that Homura might try to attack them at school, Sayaka offers to punch Homura. This antagonistic placing of Madoka's two protectors is hilarious, and I'm curious to see if the dynamic fizzles out as we delve into Sayaka's innermost wishes and struggles or if the tension will boil over into something interesting.

'Get behind me, Madoka! I got the fire extinguisher!'

Such a hilarious way to break the tension.

[Image id: Screenshot showing Madoka and Sayaka in a dark parking lot, with most of the background shrouded in shadows. Sayaka is holding a fire extinguisher that she's shooting towards the left, and Madoka stands behind her, holding Kyubey.]

Even their sitting order in class positions Madoka behind Sayaka lmao Does Sayaka have a thing for Madoka or just a hero complex?

[Image ID: Screenshot showing Madoka and Sayaka sitting in their classrooom. Sayaka is shown sitting a row in front of Madoka, a column to the left. Madoka is holding Kyubey in her arms. The subtittles read: "If she tries anything on you, I'll punch her lights out!"]

The show acknowledges the homoeroticism between the two in a tongue-in-cheek manner during their commute in episode 2, when their normie friend feels put off by the apparent intimacy of their silent (telepathic) communication:

"You've been staring so intently into each other's eyes… What on earth did you do after I left yesterday?!"

This girl is too homophobic to become a magical girl, smh.

[Image ID: Screenshot showing Sayaka, Madoka and their friend Hitomi drawn in profile at the park. Sayaka and Madoka are positioned on the left side of the screen, with a tree in the background subtly serving as visual barrier between Madoka and Sayaka. Madoka is slouched and halfheartedly reaching to Hitomi. Hitomi is positioned on the right side of the screen, with her hand to her heart and running towards the left. Her dialogue reads: "Don't you see that it's a love that can never beeee?!"]

Madoka points out that their normie friend's remarks sound a lot like what Sayaka tells to her on a regular basis, lending credence to my Wakaba comparison lol This gag could simply be an acknowledgement of the charged homoeroticism present in the series, but it still amuses me so far a lot of it has circled around Sayaka and Madoka.

Akemi Homura

Her soundless, despaired scream as she catches sight of Madoka with Kyubey was so cinematic ❤️

[Image id: gif showing a zoom out of Homura's face as she screams. She's resting on a tree branch that's represented as a black silhouette, with debris floating around represented in the same way.]

Speaking of homoeroticism, it's time to talk about Homura. I actually felt a little sad that I already know about her motivations because she's so incredibly off-putting, I'd have had a lot of fun speculating about the meaning of her actions, the way she's framed and the meticulous way her micro expressions are portrayed. However, it's not like there isn't still some room to have fun reading into them. She enters the picture via the classic transfer student trope. From her introduction alone, she creates an awkward atmosphere with the way the standoffish silence lingers due her laconicism.

Despite her aloof demeanor, and in pure transfer-student fashion, Homura still stands out both in academics and physical feats (she even breaks the regional high jump record lol!); as such garners the attention of her peers. Nonetheless, she couldn't be more uninterested in them, as the one she can't keep her eyes off is Madoka. Her taciturn, blank-faced and cutting demeanor can paint her staring as downright aggressive. This is further reinforced by being color coded with the darkest values in the cast so far: black and purple are her signature colors, classic villain palette.

Her conversation with Madoka as she rehashes the "could you show me where the infirmary is" routine is the big standout of hers in episode one —the tropey nature of this encounter makes it very easy to imagine how their first interactions went down the first time—. The low angle that emphasizes her head tilt and the accentuated shadows on her face and body make her look haughty and intimidating.

She's literally staring down Madoka lol Worth noting this same framing is repeated as she warns Madoka in a few minutes, complete with rotating animation for gravitas, contributing to Homura's bad vibes.

[Image ID: Screenshot showing Homura's face and shoulders slightly turned to the right side of the screen. The right side of her face is heavily shadowed and so are her shoulders. She's looking down on the viewer. Her dialogue reads: "May I ask you to accompany me?"]

While one could think that the reason she approached Madoka was to issue her warning, I'm actually not that certain. It could be due the way her anguished reactions to being around Madoka make her look quite erratic as she tortures herself with these distorted echoes of her memories—but I also have to point out the abrupt way she brings the interaction to a halt, stomping and suddenly turning. The way she behaves through the whole interaction feels quite impulsive, which gave me the impression of Homura purposefully trying to recreate the past (whether out of indulgence or to torture herself, I'm not really sure).

It's really fun the way this obscured close-up to her profile hiding her eyes— making it difficult to parse her emotions— paired to how the next highlighted extreme close-ups have her clenching her teeth led credence to the "Homura is a hostile party" narrative. Personally, the timing is what gets me. She reacts deeply upset to the fact Madoka politely yet impersonally addresses her as "Akemi-san" lol This girl was in the trenches.

[Image ID: Screenshot showing Homura's shadowed profile facing left. She is holding her face up, seemingly imperious and her mouth is tightly shut.]

The way the timing makes it seem like she's really pissed at Madoka’s remark that her name is weird + subsequent fumbling is very funny lol I wouldn't say she's not upset from it, but mostly in the "it's painful to be around you" way.

[Image ID: Screenshot showing a extreme close up to Homura's clenched mouth, as she lowers her face. There's heavy shading on the left side of her face and lens flare coming from the right side of her face.]

There's a lot of natural verticals in the panels of their classrooms and the windows they transverse that create visual divisions between the two. I found it particularly noteworthy that while there's a natural sense of distance and awkwardness between the them, Homura is the one who accentuates it and fully brings herself to the other side of the threshold when she suddenly skips forward ahead from Madoka. The idea she's intentionally cultivating a distance between the two is very intriguing and appealing…

[Image ID: Screenshot showing Homura and Madoka facing left as they walk through the corridor with blue window panes. There's a particular wide vertical division in between Madoka and Homura, placed more or less in the middle of the screen. Homura is on the left side of the screen, but closer to the blue vertical division. Madoka is falling behind, with more white space between her and the middle.]

Their sitting order reinforces this idea, situating Homura all the way to the front, completely out of reach.

[Image ID: Screenshot showing Homura sitting in the front row, looking back at Madoka's seat.]

They look fully at odds with each other thanks to the high contrast between the bright windows and the shaded frames. The dark values to their visual barriers fully bring out the tension brought by Homura's sudden halt-and-turn as she issues her warning. Homura is framed as thoroughly oppositional to Madoka, and she herself doesn't bother to correct any misunderstandings. It's pretty interesting she's fine with being vilified if it might grant her any slight chance to get what she wants.

[Image ID: screenshot showing Homura and Madoka drawn in a symmetrical composition, separated visually by the regular window panes. Homura is drawn towards the left edge of the screen, facing right and standing imperiously. Madoka is drawn on the right side of the screen, towards the edge as well, slightly slouched and in a timid pose. Subtittles show Madoka's dialogue: "Yes, really! I couldn't lie about that."]

Homura's dead-eyed ominous warning vs Mami's personable, smiling offer of support, fight! But this is truly why I can't trust Mami lol Should you really be tacitly encouraging them, Yellow Senpai? A cutting warning really seems more befitting here…

[Image ID: Extreme close up to Homura's blank left eye with the right side of her face being heavily shaded. The subtittles read: "Because if you do, you will end up losing all of those things.]

Odd ends.

There's a lot of small gestures that really bring out charm to the interactions and feelings, but if I pointed out absolutely everything, I'd never finish this lol

There's one thing from the Madoka-wakes-up Bank I do want to point out, though: the odd feeling Madoka’s head turn with the hard shading gives me. Now, I know it's a Shaft™ thing, I've watched another TV series directed by Shinbo that was produced there and I've heard of it. But I still find the timing peculiar— after the opening sequence with her running to the rooftop in episode one and the brief recap with Mami's transformation in the second, just before she wakes up. Of course, this reinforces that sense of being at the verge of waking up from an odd dream, which Madoka fully believes, but it can also get a sense of deja vu. Typically, one would assume that Madoka’s run towards the rooftop is a glimpse to an event that will happen later down the line. But given the nature of this being a time loop and Homura's insistence on preventing Madoka’s death via preventing her contract altogether, which it's implied to happen in that sequence, I don't think there isn't any reason to think that it's not something that didn't already happen. If this ends up being the case, I'm curious how that'd affect further loops.

Tell me your secrets, you pink little one.

[Screenshot showing a extreme close up to Madoka's eyes facing towards the left. Her face is drawn almost facing front, leaning towards the right. There's heavy shading on her face and a black background.]

Expectations for the rest of the introductory arc:

-Second half of episode 2 will end in a cliffhanger that'll destabilize routine while they fight a new witch.

-Said cliffhanger will involve Mami (I HOPE IT DOES). I'm suspicious of her and hope she does something terrible, but I think it's equally, if not more, likely that something terrible happens to Her lol

-🤷🏻‍♂️

Hmm that's it. I'm not very good at imagining scenarios lol

I'm also half-expecting to be wrong about nothing making Madoka miserable, mostly because I've been obsessing over Takamachi Nanoha, another seemingly well-loved, normal kid who turned out to have Important Baggage lol

#pmmm #puella magi madoka magica #madoka kaname #Homura Akemi #Sayaka pmmm #Mami pmmm #so this post made me discover that the image limit is 30 pictures LMFAO #anyway i'm dead and i'm tired. I get it now. I need to save a back up of my file and images and write the img ids as i go #i'm dead #long post #like extremely long post #Mami Tomoe

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kaga-ribi-612 · 22 days ago

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Oh… you seem very… very… interesting…♪

Full name: Jördis Kagari

Nickname: Courtney*

Age: 37

Birthday: 6th of December

* The nickname Courtney was given to her by some members of Team Magma, the motives behind that nicknaming are unknown

I like to… observe… and analyse. And… of course… be helpful to leader Marc and Lis…

I’ve seen… the other me‘s… you are interesting… ♪

OOC & Lore/Infodump down below (I may add stuff in the future)

//OOC - About this Courtney:

Hi, I’m @starlightcosmos04245 and I’m playing this Courtney as well as her universes Maxie (@matsubusa-m) and my OC Lizzy (@ematsubusa).

This Courtney, her name is Jördis (from the personification of earth in Norse mythology, Jörð), is from the same universe as my Maxie (aka Marc) and therefore from many years into the future. She still works for the reformed Team Magma. She’s a researcher and very observant. In comparison to other Courtneys in the multiverse, though, Jördis is a lot calmer. Although she can always explode if provoked. Aside from that, she loves to share pictures of Marc and his family. She’s a little leaker, when it comes to that point. To some members of Team Magma of this universe, she’s like a strange older sister.

She is bisexual and currently in a romantic relationship with Team Aqua’s biggest puppy - Matt.

♪

//OOC - About this blogs boundaries:

I, personally, am usually very open about everything. Though I have to admit I’m very shy and get nervous easily… so sorry for that. I’m happy though to be included in everything happening ^^

(I maybe disappear sometimes for some time due to mental health reasons or just stuff in my life happening. We all need breaks sometimes ^^; )

I’m okay with ic anon hate, poke fun at Jördis. Tease her, or just joke with her. She will be responding accordingly. Also, feel free to ask her any questions. If they’re too extreme, though, I’ll ignore them (fyi). I also won’t condone any ooc hate. It’s inappropriate. This is a RP-Blog, after all. We’re all here to have some fun :)

♪

Heads up, there will be my headcanons and lore for her following! ^^

☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★

HEADCANONS / LORE

Like I already mentioned, Jördis and the others live in a future many years after the events of ORAS.

After Team Aqua and Team Magma made peace, the teams started to hang out together more. That’s when she started to actually notice Matt. His puppy-like energy and his whole personality overall scratched her curious brain just right… so she put herself together and became friends with him. After some time, they started dating and eventually had a son shortly after Marc and Lis had their fraternal twin sons. (I’m currently cooking up an artwork for her little critter so stay tuned)

(Sorry, I’ve been a sucker for Betaadminshipping ever since I saw Chip‘s Fanart for them σ^_^; )

Speaking of relationships, she is on very good terms with Lizzy, Marc’s wife. They are as close as sisters, often hanging out, going out to the arcades together, etc.

Marc is her mentor, her role model, and kind of like a father to her after she ran away from home.

Her parents were abusive of her, so she ran away at 11 years old and found shelter at the newly formed Team Magma. Marc saw her potential and decided to take care of her until she can care for herself (which is also why she seems a little obsessive about Marc sometimes. She feels grateful towards him and it’s her way of showing). Thus, she brought her bright, clever mind into his plans and quickly climbed up the ranks. She was there before Kalle (aka Tabitha), wo joined shortly after her.

Kalle is her best friend and somewhat of an older brother-figure. She knows she’s not good with people, so he takes care of most of the people-oriented things within Team Magma for her.

Jördis likes to take pictures. Not just of Marc and his family, but also of landscapes, Pokémon… basically anything. She likes to collect as many memories as possible like this.

She also likes to play video games. She’s a regular customer of the arcade in Mauville. The owner of the arcade is afraid of her. Not only because of her somewhat unnerving stare but also because she’s impudently talented at the claw-machines. Her room is filled with Pokémon plushies she won there.

Jördis is half icelandic half japanese. Her mother is from Sinnoh, her father from the Pokémon-worlds equivalent to Iceland (if someone has a fan region based on iceland, please tell me). She was born and raised in Sinnoh until she ran away from home.

She likes Vocaloid music. A singing computer program… that scratches her brain just right and intrigues her. Her favourite Vocaloid is Megpoid Gumi.

Aside from that, she also often listens to J-Pop, J-Rock or the things Marc likes.

☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★

If you read through all this, again, thank you very much! I hope you have fun with her ^^

#pokeblog intro #rotomblr #pkmn irl #//OOC: say hi to my Courtney! ^^#//I delivered as promised (UwU)

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poetryofyouth · 18 days ago

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My thoughts about Dragon Age: The Veilguard (Spoiler free)

After 67.5 hours of playtime, I have finished the fourth Dragon Age game. Overall, I give it a solid 7/10.

I loved

The performance. I have a good gaming laptop, but it is still a laptop. Veilguard runs buttery-smooth, never had any lag or framerate drop or anything. Didn't have any annoying glitches, some very minor graphics bugs two or three times. I know this SHOULD be the bare minimum, but considering it has become the norm to launch games that are basically unplayable because of the number of glitches, this is something to point out!

The overall story, tone and writing. Yes, these were criticised by many people, but I don't think that the dialogue was that clunky, and I certainly did not think that the tone was "not dark enough". Genuinely, people saying the game was too lighthearted and not "dark fantasy" anymore must have played a different game than me.

The look of the environments. Inquisitions landscapes were beautiful, and Veilguard manages to top that in certain areas. Arlathan Forest is absolutely beautiful, and other places you get to explore are horrifyingly, disgustingly vile and haunting and terrifying.

The Character Creator. So many details and so many hairstyles!!! And GOOD, long hairstyles, too!!!

I liked

The Companions. Rook's interactions with the companions is different than in Origins and Inquisition, most similar to DA2. You can't just always come talk to them. But they interact with each other far more than in previous games!! And I am glad there isn't a party banter glitch like in Inquisition - the banter triggers early and often. No hourlong running around in dead silence! And I also liked all the companions as characters, a lot!

The voice acting. Again, I don't really get the complaints so many people seem to have over the voice acting. Really solid imo!

The Combat. I did NOT think I would ever say that. It took a long while to get used to it because I am simply not used to playing action combat games. I only played on Keeper difficulty (2nd easiest), but that was ideal for me to figure everything out. I played a duelist rogue, haven't tried other classes. And I appreciated the uncomplicated respeccing. Especially because I was really intimidated by the complicated look of the skill tree. For rook and the companions, you can respec any skill at any time, so you can play around and try what works best for you.

Exploring. The game is not open-world and I think it was a good choice. But the relatively small areas are packed full with treasures to find. There are little puzzles everywhere. I am a sucker for that kind of stuff. Love puzzles and riddles. Only not putting this under "loved" because it kind of messed with the pacing for me in certain quests. ("Someone's in mortal peril? Sure, hang on, lemme get that treasure chest first")

Certain lore revelations. No spoilers! But we learn some big stuff. I think this was done well for the most part.

I was fine with

The look of the Characters. I was VERY worried about that at first because in general I am not a big fan of the cartoonish artstyle. What was odd is that not all characters seem equally cartoonish? Emmrich seems much more cartoonish than Davril, for example. That is an inconsistency that I found quite annoying. In general, could have been better, could have been worse. I really miss the DA2 look of the Qunari. That Arishok... still thinking about him.

The romance. So I have only romanced Neve, and it was nice. I know other romances are different, they might give you a bit... more. Again, don't want to spoil anything but.... There could have been more.

Cameos/tie-in of established characters. I want to keep this spoiled-free so I won't go into specifics. It was nice meeting some of them again, some of them were.... NOT done right. Yeah I'll reblog this post with a few spoilery thoughts on that. This could have been done a LOT better.

I did not like

Lore inconsitencies. I don't mean major, story-relevant stuff here, just some minor details. It's expected that they will get some stuff wrong but.... ugh. still annoying!!!

The villains are very black-and-white. When I think of Dragon Age Villains, I think of complex characters like Zathrian, Loghain, even the Arishok or Prince Bhelen. Characters you can empathize with, feel sorry for, even side with. The game is very lacking in that kind of complexity.

Lack of impactful, difficult choices. In previous installments, I AGONIZED over so many choices. Harrowmont or Bhelen? Celine or Gaspard? Kill or spare the Architect? Choices I took a long time to think about, choices where the game (and other media) gives you little snippets of information, not enough that you know what the right choice is for sure, but you have a lot to think about and to consider. This does not exist in this game. At all.

Rook can't be evil. I know Rook needs to be the hero. But so did the Warden, Hawke and the Herald. I personally don't like playing the "bad guy". But I like having the choice! If you have the choice to sacrifice Feynriel to the Sloth Demon, it makes the decision to do the right think just so much more meaningful.

And Rook's dialogue options are quite flat, too. The game uses tone indicators like in DA2 and Inquisition, but the tone barely even differs. The joking/sarcastic replies are not that funny (purple Hawke i miss you you will always be famous). The "aggressive" replies are really not that aggressive. Overall, that makes Rook feel quite flat.

I am VERY unhappy with

Okay. Deep breaths. No spoilers. But this game has... issues. For a game that has been in developement for such a long time, there are many aspects that are just unfinished. The Lords of Fortune for example. The entire faction makes barely any sense.

Ignoring most of the worldstate choices... This has been discussed at length before the release, so no need to get into it. But I have always admired Bioware for how they managed to tie in choices from previous games - even if they were just "throwaway oneliners". That was what made the world of Thedas feel real. That's what made Dragon Age special.

The lack of conflict and how slavery in Tevinter is just glossed over. Okay hear me out. I do NOT want more fantasy racism because I think it is cool or whatever. But we're in Tevinter for big parts of the game!! The dreaded empire that everyone in southern Thedas is scared of, where slavery is normal and they do blood magic for fun. All that worldbuilding and the setup is just... basically ignored. The venatori are throwaway enemies just like in inquisition, the politics of Tevinter are almost entirely ignored. And that is, I think, where Veilguard fails to be a proper Dragon Age game. DA was always about mirroring real life conflicts, adressing themes of prejudice, war, racism, homophobia and mental illness directly or through metaphors. Making you think about morality, both your PC's morality and your own as a player and a person. This game... this game doesn't challenge any sort of believes you might have as a person in that way. This is, in my opinion, the biggest failure of the game. The critical look at the real world, through the lense of a dark fantasy game. And if a Dragon Age game is missing that, then it just... misses it's heart and it's soul. Unfortunately, glitches can be fixed but there is no way to patch this.

Final thoughts

Okay, back to a bit more positivity. I enjoyed the game. I really, really had a lot of fun. I screamed, I cried real tears, I felt for the companions and I laughed at the funny moments. Dragon Age: The Veilguard is a good game. Not perfect. And it is perfectly understandable to be critcal of it, unfortunately a lot of criticism gets lost in either "it's too woke" or people who clearly have not played past the first act.

But in general, I think both Dragon Age fans and newcomers will enjoy it and have a good time.

#DAV #DATV #Dragon Age: The Veilguard #Veilguard #Dragon Age #Review #Rook

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kundusaysthings · 8 months ago

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I've been thinking about asexuality and aromanticism and art

I've been thinking about how most relationships that are portrayed in media, in some way, use the model of demisexuality or demiromanticism in how they present themselves. Most media relationships that we are supposed to understand as good try to convey the idea that one can only form meaningful relationships via close emotional intimacy, and that close emotional intimacy always leads to a relationship with romantic and sexual connotations. It feels somewhat insidious to me, upon reflection - and might be part of why ace people find themselves in an uncanny valley of sorts when it comes to representation. Like, it's using some of the right ideas, but it's not actually there, and that makes it more wrong.

I've spent a while processing that my dislike for sex is not a symbol of some form of wrongness. But I still find myself balking at the idea of being 'aromantic'. I find myself yearning for the poetic companionship of grand operatic narratives - mostly because I am a sucker for grand operatic narratives as a whole, but also because I find the idea of a 'soulmate' beautiful. But I struggle to find signifiers of romance that appeal to me. Like, I find myself drawn to the idea of Achilles and Patroclus, but, you know, differently.

And I find myself wondering whether what I am searching for is a demonstration of my romantic desires or a recognition of my need for healthy relationships as a human being. And whether it is even possible to divine the answer given that we all live within the larger media landscape that has defined both the creation and our understanding of art through a mostly cis-allo-het lens.

Mostly, I don't know how to square my desire to not be alone, with my desire for no romantic or sexual connection at all. And I understand that labels are only tools for identifying broad groups and trends, but having some explanation for this yearning sure would help. Did it come because of what most media says people should be? Or is it a normal part of me?

<s>Is there an option for operatic/dramatic/poetic asexual?</s>

#asexual #aromantic #demisexual #demiromantic #aroace #media analysis

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broncoburro · 5 months ago

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it made me really happy to know that you also like the ginga series. i swear its such a small fandom!!

Yep, I love Silver Fang! It's one of the first anime I ever watched.

At the time, I'd rarely seen portrayals of how intimidating and bleak that sort of winter wilderness and weather can feel. I was used to seeing cheery christmas-type scenes. The anime, with its moody synth soundtrack and contrast of dark black alpine forest, white snow, and blood just kind of felt "right".

I'm from a part of my country barely north enough where the winters juuuust start getting what you can call "sucky". (Though I'm sure 80% of the rest of Canada would laugh at me for saying that.) My immediate family didn't own a car. A lot of my childhood was walking to school, or stores, or friends' houses through the worst weather my area had to offer. Winter is half the year, and with it always came a few weeks in the -30s, and life didn't stop during that. You still had to go get groceries or go to school.

And when I was in a car for occasional longer travel (usually further north), the landscape felt uninhabited, harsh, and frightening to my child self. Sometimes I'd pretend to see the anime dogs running outside the window. (Of course as an adult... these same areas I traveled through are VERY inhabited and fascinating places, but it's scary as a child to be able to drive 3 or 4 hours without seeing almost any towns!)

The art in the manga was especially inspirational.

I'm a sucker for heavy blacks and the contrast of that with stark whites or a bold color like red. And I'm sure some of the influence is visible in my own art and choice in story setting.

...All that to say, yes. Ginga Nagareboshi Gin was formative media for me. I don't much care for Ginga Densetsu Weed or the following mangas, but GNG holds a special place in my heart.

#not art #ask #ginga #hope you dont mind me reminiscing for a moment... but i do love the blood dog bear anime

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pangtasias-atelier · 7 months ago

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Bull-bodied Hoshidans

Second commission done this batch. This one for @dragonitemaniac involving Ryoma and Kaden along with his OC, Ben turning into some nice, fat bulls~ Of which I'm always a complete sucker for abshanbvhab

Castle Shirasagi as frequent a sight as ever, the imposing structure feels as homely as ever. Especially as the cool orange hues of dawn begin to break through the smothering darkness of the night. And the sight is a complete reprieve from Ben’s mission after traveling into Nohr’s usually overcast and cloudy landscape. No one bats an eye as he enters; his usual outfit showing him as a master ninja looks far from out of place, especially not with him being one of Ryoma’s retainers. Though Ben’s appearance used to draw attention once upon a time back when he had first become a retainer, his own musculature hard to not notice even in the largest of crowds when the stretchy spandex of his outfit hugs each and every deep crevice of his bulging muscles.

Only one person stops him by the time he draws near Ryoma’s personal quarters. “Ben!” Kaden comes rushing over, having just walked out of his own room. “You’re back rather quick,” Bundling over to him, Kaden’s smile is big and bright after not seeing Ben for a short couple of days. The tips of Kaden’s ears reach up to Ben’s eyes with him just barely being a smidge above being a head shorter than Ben. He rests a hand on Ben’s mostly exposed pecs. He links his other arm around Ben’s torso as he leans in to give him a hug. Kaden’s long bushy tail swishes behind him.

Ben returns the smile. His face turns a bright red, his face flushed as he looks down at Kaden. Ben wraps an arm around Kaden’s own torso. The Kitsune’s svelte waist feels much smaller than his own defined abdomen topped with a rippling six pack. Ben uses his free hand to adjust his outfit, tugging down on the strip of reddish brown fabric that covers his prominent bulge.

“I made sure to take extra special care of my tail while you were gone,”

The tail is as tantalizingly soft as it looks as Ben strokes it. “I missed you too. But I’m back from my mission for now at least,”

The briefest mention of his mission seems to snap the two out of their small little stupor. Kaden pulls back first with wide eyes. “Oh, Ryoma wanted to see me!”

“Well, I need to report back to him,” Ben holds out a hand towards Kaden. “Why don’t we go together then,”

Kaden accepts Ben’s hand, the two of them walking over to Ryoma’s chambers. Kaden presses his hips against Ben's, swishing his ass as he walks. The already short distance feels like a couple of quick seconds while they walk together ; they only need to they turn a few corners before they promptly arrive.

“Enter,” Ryoma calls for both of them before they even have to wait any time at all.

Ben and Kaden kneel on the mat upon entering and seeing Ryoma’s armored self, his war attire donned; neither of them mention it, the air in the room serious.

“Thank you two for showing up so soon. I have a new mission for us three,” Ryoma motions for them to stand, deeply chuckling at them still treating his as if he were a stranger whenever anything seems remotely serious. “But first, I take it you were able to confirm that Nohr is conducting independent research?”

“Yes, Ryoma. As you asked, I didn’t break into the facility, but Nohr is clearly researching magic independent of our agreed treaty to share and aid each other’s countries through our collective resources now that Valla has been reunified as a country,” Ben speaks plainly and firmly. He stands still as he waits for Ryoma to go on.

“As I thought. Well, no matter. Why don’t we pay them a visit then?” Ryoma grins at the two of them. He stands more than an entire head taller than Kaden, Ryoma even standing a few inches taller than Ben’s already tall stature. “Think of it as a small trip,”

“Uhh, won’t it be dangerous though?” Kaden pipes up, ears twitching in thought.

“Worry not. It’s simply likely that they forgot. I must admit that even some things have slipped my mind. Plus, the supposed research facility is too close to Fort Jinya for them to be purposefully hiding away,” Ryoma grabs a katana, the common weapon a far cry from the menacing, thunderous weapon that is Raijinto. But even a simple training weapon is dangerous in Ryoma’s hands.

“I’m ready to leave whenever, Ryoma,” Already carrying his shurikens, Ben thinks nothing of resting. The added incentive of being alone with Ryoma and Kaden helps sweeten the deal of heading out once again, but Ben would happily follow Ryoma's order regardless.

Kaden quickly searches his robes for his beaststone. And produces it from a pocket, the lustrous orange stone faintly glimmering in his hands. “I’m perfectly ready to head out too,”

“Perfect. Though are you sure you’re ready to go, Ben? You only just came back,” Ryoma asks.

“I’m only glad to be of service, Ryoma. And even if this might be an accident, we can’t be too careless,”

“Thank you. I truly appreciate it. I never guessed that the man I fought at those hot springs so long ago would be as loyal as you are,” Ryoma reminisces, remembering the very first time he encountered Ben, his town known throughout Hoshido and even other countries for their wondrous hot springs. He places the palm of his hand on Ben’s bicep, the bit of exposed brawny skin —that Ben has to have at a slight angle from his broad torso and bulging chest— being caressed by Ryoma’s gloved hand. Ryoma pets Kaden with his other hand, scratching him right behind his ears. “And you too Kaden. I think no one in Hoshido would’ve expected such a newfound close relationship with the Kitsune Hamlet,” Ryoma smiles fondly with him, glad to be able to help mend the rift between Hoshido and the Kitsune tribe, both him and Kaden's close relationship helping start it.

“Of course, Ryoma,” Both Kaden and Ben respond. The two of them blushing, Kaden leans into the embrace, humming as he presses his body against Ryoma's, not minding the coldness of Ryoma's armor, still able to feel the resonating warmth from Ryoma; meanwhile, Ben stands still, shyly looking at the ground. Once again he adjusts his clothes as he looks down at the ground, maneuvering the small strap of karuta plating on his torso a bit further down to cover his meaty bulge.

The trio last like that for a few minutes before Ryoma eventually returns his hands to himself. “Alright, let’s be on our way,” Ryoma leads the way as Ben and Kaden follow behind him.

True to Ryoma’s words, the trip is barely a trek at all. The three of them reach Fort Jinya by carriage before it even reaches midday. And they waste no time in walking past the laxed borders, no one stopping their king. Though they do get a bunch of awed stares the entire time. Partly from seeing Ryoma, the sight of their king a rarity outside of Shirasagi, partly from Kaden, Kitsunes still an elusive sight to behold, and even partly from Ben, his massive muscles larger than even the most fit of woodchoppers. They walk the rest of the way with the strange new research facility only a couple of hours away. The landscape no longer resembles the usual serene plains of Hoshido. The craggy terrain they walk through is the usual view whenever walking near Nohr and Hoshido’s borders.

Kaden’s ears twitch as they draw closer to the supposed facility. “Someone's nearby,” He stops Ben and Ryoma, the trio finally taking their first stop.

The entire area is silent minus the chirps and trills of the few animals in the distance. Ben gets ready to rush off, but he's held back by Ryoma's arm. And Ben is met with only a simple shake of his head.

“Up there!” Kaden points at the group's unexpected guest.

“And to what do I owe you boys the pleasure?” Niles says, standing far above them. A few pebbles come rolling down the large, steep rocks.

Ryoma steps forward. He holds one hand out, glad to see a comrade from the war, no matter how little he may have conversed with Niles. “We were on our way to see the facility Nohr recently constructed since I was personally invited,”

“Really now?” Niles raises a brow, his one good piercing eye staring at Ryoma. He never once moves from his spot. And neither do the three men below him for their part. “If you received such a personal invitation, then why don’t I have a look? I could personally lead you there. With all the special perks that comes with it,” He throws them all a quick wink, more of his fit, tanned chest exposed as he leans down at them.

Ryoma stays silent. His teeth grind together despite the smile that never once wavers from his face.

“It was a messenger!” Ben stands forward. “They told us about our invitation and to meet them at the gate. Come on, Niles, it’d be rude of us to be late,”

“Hmmm,” Niles taps his chin with a sigh. “Well… If you’re so concerned about being late, then who exactly would you be late for? I’m sure if for some miraculous reason this messenger we supposedly sent didn’t give you all a letter of introduction, then I would hope they did their job in at least informing you of who exactly is inviting you,”

“Uhhh…” Ben goes quiet, now gritting his teeth much like Ryoma.

Niles sighs. “Well, I guess it is true you can’t have brains and brawn. Though you still look as good ever,” Niles reaches behind him, pulling out an arrow from his quiver as he readies his bow. “If you three are so keen on seeing what we’re up to, why don’t I give you all a little taste? I promise you’ll feel nothing but pleasure,” The arrow goes flying in the air, the highground afforded to him giving him ample enough of a vantage to aim as freely as he wants.

Only to meet the ground, Ben jumping out of the way. “Are you crazy?” He shouts, another arrow ending up burrowed into the ground left of him. Ben wastes no time in fighting back; he tosses shurikens at Nile’s legs.

Ryoma has a much easier time dodging the few arrows Niles aims his way. As if in a dance, he simply waits for every arrow, nimbly shifting his body as though the wind were guiding him, each and every arrow never coming close to hitting him. His katana unsheathed, Ryoma cuts a few arrows in half, clearly teasing back at Niles. Ryoma continues to dodge to the right, Niles continuously waiting to call his bluff by aiming towards the left.

“Well, this was to be expected against such evasive foes,” Niles shouts at them over Ben’s grunts, Ryoma as silent as a leaf while Kaden simply watches. “Bingo,” He whispers to himself, nocking yet another arrow Ben’s way. And just before he lets it fly through the air, he shifts his weight, aiming directly at Kaden’s torso.

Ben and Ryoma can’t even react in time, both of them unknowingly pushed too far to the right by Niles’ aiming. The blistering fast arrow reaches its target with zero issue. And it bounces right off of Kaden’s flat stomach. Even his vest is unaffected by the weapon; the arrow thuds down onto the floor as if it simply hit a stone wall. Kaden laughs at the attempt. “That felt like a pillow, Niles. Just take us to the place already!” He shouts, hands cupped around his mouth.

Arrow in hand, Niles examines it.

“Wait, really, Kaden?” Ben rushing over to Kaden he pulls his kimono undone, hands pressed against Kaden’s exposed creamy abdomen, not even a bruise forming. When nothing happens, he pulls his hands away with a blush on his face. He doesn't bother tying Kaden's kimono back. And he sneaks a couple of glances when he can.

“Nothing hurts. Promise! I guess he was just joking,”

Ryoma joins them, walking slowly. “That sounds like Niles,” He sighs.

“Alright! Hit me Niles!” Ben pounds his pecs, grinning as he stares up at their playful attacker. “If these really are magical, then go ahead. But then you have to take us to the new research facility,” Ben stands his ground. He waits for Niles’ answer.

Niles scratches the back of his white hair. “Did I really get a bunch of duds?” He mumbles, confusion clearly on his face. But he turns his focus back over to Ben, staring him down with a glint in his eye much like the first time he encountered him in Corrin’s own personal Astral Plane, the hot springs a personal favorite of Ben’s. “Alright, deal. Guess I was just unlucky to be given a dud today,” The arrow let loose, it goes straight to Ben, hitting him on his pecs.

“Are you okay, Ben?” Ryoma asks, getting closer to him.

“I’m fine! It feels like no- bwwuuuoOORRPL!” Ben goes quiet, interrupted by his audibly churning gut. “Actually… huff I feel… off…” Ben fans himself. “Ughhh…” Suddenly feeling as if he were back visiting the Wind Tribe, the scorching heat as he trekked through the sand feeling all too close to right now, Ben struggles with his armor. Everything clings to him. Fabric feels too confining. He does his best to soothe himself.

“Ben!” Kaden and Ryoma rush over to Ben. They coddle him, having him take a seat on the ground. “Here, just take deep breaths,” Ryoma stands to the side. His eyes never waver from Ben’s panting state, a few beads of sweat rolling down his face.

Kaden waits on Ben’s other side. “I felt fine when I was hit, I promise! Maybe it’s poison for humans?” Kaden gets closer to him and sniffs him, nostrils placed right up to Ben’s face as he straddles him, Kaden's ass pressed up against Ben's crotch. He gives Ben some relief after a short while, back on Ben's side.

“I just… I feel so warm…” Ben grunts. He clenches his teeth for a short while before letting his head tilt back. “Hnghhh…” He reflexively rests a hand on his abs. His stomach continuing to gurgle, Ben lets out a small burp. And his stomach continues to loudly gurgle, his washboard abs washing away as he suddenly begins to grow. “Ough…” Ben moans. His head is fully tilted back, his face a scorching shade of red. His abs quickly disappear, the six pack softening and widening as flab replaces and covers it. The stretchy fabric adheres to Ben’s growing curves, his muscular thighs losing their shape as they fill up with lard. The elastic material shows off his widening body as Ben quickly loses all of the bulging muscles he had only a few minutes ago. And the top of his outfit begins to bulge out; the extremely low cut of his top shows off his growing bulge, a large round gut billowing past the black trimming of it. The karuta plating grows taut on his figure. His large, sagging tits press up against the rope of his shoulder armor, the rope stretched even more than it once was against his formerly broad pecs. Ben continues to grow; his biceps are completely washed away under a heaping helping of lard, the two once meaty arms even larger now with sagging rolls of arm fat. The armor wrapped around his gut is the first piece to come undone, the loose knot coming undone with his bulging torso needing room to grow. And grow Ben does, the once buff master ninja now rather obese, his gut seeping onto his broad, widened thighs. “So tight…” He complains, grunting as the rest of his armor feels piercingly tight.

“Here, let me help,” Kaden begins unlacing Ben’s bracers and tosses them away, getting the sharp pointed metal away from them all.

Ryoma starts helping Ben with the rest of his armor, unlacing all the rest of it. “It’ll be all fine, Ben. I’ll make sure of it,” Ryoma starts with the shoulders, his hands pressed up against Ben’s large breasts as they continue to swell with flab, more and more of them spilling out of the top. Then he quickly moves onto taking off the armor from his legs, needing to take care of it immediately with how dangerously it begins to creak and groan. And lastly, Ryoma unlaces the plating on his thighs. Ryoma has to dig his hands underneath Ben’s gut. Kaden’s hands squish against Ben's gut, Kaden needing to help Ryoma with Ben's gut getting in the way. Ryoma’s fingers get close to Ben’s crotch as he undoes the plating, Ben’s large dick ending up buried under a swathe of flab that is his blossoming fat pad along with his growing gut.

“We’ll take care of you, Ben. Don’t you worry,” Kaden practically straddles Ben as he fawns over him. His kimono is still undone; his smooth creamy skin is pressed up against all of Ben’s flab. “You are really soft though,” Kaden whispers, his hands roaming Ben’s flabby body; he cups the large pendulous breasts, his fingers squeezing Ben’s tits that are slowly starting to rival the size of Kaden’s head.

Ryoma takes part in Kaden’s groping. “As long as you’re okay, then maybe this is fine,” He rubs Ben’s gut. He has both hands all over the large flabby mass of fat as he teases and tests the heft of it.

Ben tries his best to not focus on Kaden’s caresses or the way Kaden’s trim yet defined chest is tauntingly right in front of his face. Even as the beginning effects of the magic begin to wear off, Ben slowly gaining a bit of lucidity back. But the semblance of thoughts regained doesn’t help with Ryoma also helping him and consoling him, that and the tingling he feels in his head and tits as well as his tail bone.

“Hmmm, so maybe some people are simply immune to the magic…” Niles muses, still watching the scene unfold in the distance. He catches a glimpse of Kaden, his ears and tails taunting him. “Or maybe…” He aims an arrow at Ryoma and shoots it.

And in the trio’s distraction, Niles hits a bullseye, directly hitting Ryoma as he takes the full force of the hit; Ryoma groans, clutching his gut as he stares up at Niles. But he says nothing, all the words that he might have are instead reduced to pants and wheezes. “This is… pant too hot…” The magic takes a smaller hold on Ryoma, his body well able in dealing with magical attacks. But he still feels the potent effects, bits and pieces of armor clinging onto the floor. His growing tummy doesn’t help with his armor. His defined, well built torso becomes flabby as his body begins to pack on the pounds, his blubbery love handles soon tightly pressing up against the red bits of rope holding his codpiece. His lower half is less receptive to the magic but they still fill out with fat. Ryoma’s thighs lose the definition they’ve built from years of training and marching, his legs filling up with flab as they begin to double in size, the upper portion of his thighs squishing up against each other. More and more of the inner rivulets of thigh fat begin to press up against itself, Ryoma’s ass pushes outward, his defined rear swelling into a blubbery cushion for his engorged body. But his breasts are the greatest recipient to his growth; his once defined pecs fit for a true warrior morph into two gelatinous, bulging tits. And with no support to hold them, they press up against his armor, the cool red metal tightly compressing his tits as he tries to paw at them.

“Ryoma…” Ben shifts his focus from his own fattened body and to Ryoma’s growing self; Ben gets an eye full of his Lord that looks like a smaller version of his own corpulent self. His vision shifts straight on over to Niles as he slowly stands up.

“H-hey! Sit back down! It’ll be alright, I promise. We’re sensitive to magic and this seems like it’ll be all fine. Plus I told you already. I don’t even smell poison,” Walking in front of him —Kaden stumbling backwards as he tries to stop him— Kaden rests his hands on Ben’s obese body, his flab wobbling with each step he takes. Kaden shifts his attention back over to Ryoma.

And Ryoma clearly needs some help, his growing self about half as big as Ben’s fat ass but still struggling with most of his armor still on. Ryoma’s face lacks the usual determined concentration it usually has. Instead, the expression is replaced with a contented, dopey smile. Even as his growing chubby self is quickly morphing into clearly fat territory and beyond that.

“Oh fine. Just don’t do anything stupid, please,” Kaden returns to Ryoma’s side. More and more of Ryoma’s armor ends up littering the floor, the codpiece the first thing Kaden takes off. “You’re not as soft as Ben, but you do feel nice too,” Kaden whispers in his ear, hands untying Ryoma’s helmet with his flabby near squirrel-like cheeks beginning to press against the tough red metal. The pieces of armor take longer for Kaden to remove. Ryoma's flab is poked and grabbed, blubbery skin squished under Kaden's expertise. The numerous pieces of armor helps slow him down, Kaden's own insistence on groping Ryoma slowing him further down. He helps Ryoma with the metal of his shoes and Kaden finally gets Ryoma into a seated position with his lower half finally able to freely move. “I’ll make sure to take good care of you and Ben. If you want, I can even take you two back to my hamlet,” Kaden has far less restraint with Ryoma than he does with Ben, the two of them much less nervous than him. Kaden’s ass rests on Ryoma’s lap, the comfortable spot growing even more spacious as Ryoma’s thighs fill further out, one thigh soon becoming the size of two of his own. The growing gut Ryoma sports does little to deter him from his personal seat; the expanding mass of flab is only something else for him to fawn over and play with in between taking off all the intricate bits of armor Ryoma has.

Ben not focused on helping Ryoma’s immediate situation, the retainer focuses instead on getting revenge for his Lord. He ignores the weight of his chest, the churning swollen chest threatening to make him topple over as he cumbersomely makes his way to Niles. The ache in his head is secondary, the small stubby horns he begins to sprout attributed to his anger at his Lord being attacked. The tail forming behind him feels imaginary, the aching heat nothing more than an afterthought as he charges at Niles, shouting his name.

For his part, Niles remains calm. Far, far away from Ben —and a steep craggy terrain to help him further— he simply keeps another arrow nocked into his bow. He watches as the final effects of the magic begin to take hold of Ben, his transformation into a fat bull nearly complete by the time he sprouts ears; the long fluffy ears that replace his once human ones flick as he laboriously trudges at Niles.

“Niles! I’ll -huff get -wheeze I’ll…” Ben still gaining weight, his already immense growing size has left him nearly immobile; the nearly seven hundred pound bull comes to a near crawl.

“You sure are receptive to the spell. Fitting for a meathead like you. I wonder…” An idea in his head, Niles consults no one but himself as he shoots another enchanted arrow at Ben. He hits another bullseye on the now transformed bull, the shot as easy as hitting a barn with Ben barely able to waddle.

Ben’s body expands even further. He comes quickly crashing down, Ben ending up on his large ass as he fills up with even more fat. “N-no-nnnnghh….” His eyes are closed, Ben pants all the while, more and more of the ground covered by his growing lard. He desperately tries moving, legs unwilling to cooperate besides more than a couple of thrashes. And his arms try for a while before they continue to fill up with fat as well, their already sluggish movements slowing down before they too become unwilling to budge an inch. All Ben can do is wiggle his fingers and toes, those too slowly becoming smothered in lard.

Kaden’s eyes widen. “Come on… up!” Kaden’s arms lift with all their might, tugging at Ryoma to get him standing, thankful for the initial stupefying effect to be nearly done.

“I… Kaden?” Ryoma leans on Kaden. His legs struggle for a scant few moments, the bulk of his four hundred pounds heft a strange sensation before he grows accustomed to it. More of his clothes begin to fall off of his hefty body, shreds of the white fabric on the floor. Ryoma is still growing. More flab accumulates on his bulky self. Especially in his gut, Ryoma's swelling belly sagging past the now destroyed waistband of his pants. He leans only a bit against Kaden, careful to not overtax Kaden's lithe frame. His hands can't help but wander Kaden's exposed torso, his pudgy fingers caressing the silky smooth skin. But he still sluggishly walks, following Kaden’s lead. “Niles did this to Ben?” He whispers to himself, gazing at Ben’s corpulence as it billows out in all directions. His question comes out softly, a hushed moan escaping him as he finds no harsh remark to say.

Instead, as the two finally make their way to the fully immobilized Ben, Ryoma practically topples over, resting on the massive mattress smothering sized Ben. Ryoma’s still growing figure looks emaciated next to Ben.

“Ryoma…” Ben whines, his breath clearly labored.

Ryoma pulls back his flabby hand, his over swollen digits coated in a strange liquid. “Nngh…” Clutching his head, Ryoma feels his own horns beginning to form, the two thick brown horns quickly growing an entire foot above his head. His tail pokes out from underneath his top, the large bushy tail matching the same deep shade of brown as his thick, flowing mane of hair.

“Oh…” Kaden presses a hand to Ben’s chest, one over swollen breast too large to be lifted up with a single hand, said breasts now large enough to smother Kaden’s entire torso as well. “Well looks like you are nothing but a fat bull now after all,” Kaden’s nose twitches, giving the cloyingly sweet milk a sniff. “You do look like you could use some help,”

“Ah-ahhhhhh…” Ben’s eyes roll to the back of his head as Kaden sucks straight from his right tight, his tongue lapping up the torrent of milk. His fingers are clenched around the useless pile of lard while he coaxes more milk from Ben’s needy breasts.

Kaden keeps going. His face ends up drenched, milk spurting out from Ben’s tits as it squirts onto his face and drips down his torso. So enraptured, the kitsune unaffected by the magic in the first place fails to notice the bit of weight he gains, the fattening milk clearly filling out his rail thin body. Kaden gains a few pounds for the first time in his life; his flat stomach soon turns into a prominent belly. He swells with each deep, wanton gulp, Kaden’s leggings become more sheer as he grows. He shifts his stance, needing to widen his legs as his thighs widen, his legs extremely receptive to his growing weight. And with his kimono still undone, his gut is free to sag without any fabric getting in the way. All over, Kaden looks round by the time he finally pulls away from Ben’s chest with a contented burp. Kaden’s lower half is clearly affected the most, his thighs now bulging with a wider stance from his bottom heavy figure. And his once perky bubble butt is filled with fat, the two rotund cheeks sagging from their weight despite how tightly they press up against his pants. His large scarf helps cover up his flabby chin, an extra bit of heft notable on his face.

“Ahhh… Your milk was super thick and heavy,” Kaden sighs, his newfound belly jiggling while he gives it a few pats.

Ryoma stares at Kaden. His own chest churning with milk, he winces a bit from the buildup of pressure. “Thanks for the help,” Ryoma stands closer, the now torn shreds of his top on the floor and giving Kaden free access to his large tits. Kaden wastes no time, happy to help Ryoma with his own problem. Tears run down his pants as he continues to drink, thighs widening with flab as his ass soon begins to lose its shape. With nowhere near as much milk in Ryoma, Kaden has the time to take a large swig from both breasts, Kaden pushing them together as he takes turns lapping up as much as he can from both of them. More and more of his leggings begin to strain as he widens out once again. They begin to tear, small wisps of his porcelain skin peeking past the sheer, black leggings. His leggings also begin to fall down his ass and his kimono fails to cover them with it not being long enough. His arms start to struggle a bit by the end of it, his much flabbier arms quivering from not only the weight of Ryoma’s tits but from the weight of his own arms as well. About another hundred pounds slathered onto his body, Kaden’s pear shaped self is even more apparent on his three hundred pound porker of a body. His kimono is in complete ruins, the sleeves uncomfortably tight around his shoulders and arms. And the fabric frames his bulging little belly, the fabric unable to be wrapped around him any more. He wipes away the last bit of milk that stains his cheeks. Kaden takes deep, heavy breaths, his aching gut suddenly full in such a quick span of time. And even then, the allure of more milk seems to call out to him, Kaden needing to shake his head to clear his mind.

“You taste really sweet,” He grabs his beaststone, energy restored after the long trek. “But let me take care of something,” Transformed into his fox form even faster than the flash of light that envelops him appears, Kaden immediately comes bundling over to Niles.

“Aww, does someone want revenge? Well, go on right ahead,” Niles treks down the rocks, approaching the kitsune that goes faster than he or any horse could ever hope to outrun.

“I’m glad that we’re in agreement then!” Kaden shapeshifts back midair, leaping at Niles. Stealing an arrow from his quiver, he plunges the head of it into Niles abdomen.

Niles lets out a small burp, already prematurely rubbing his gut before any flab can start forming. “I already told you, didn't I? There’s nothing harmful about this. Ooof…” Niles grabs and gropes himself as he feels himself slowly fill out, the transformation much less effective on him with how resistant to magic he is. But it still fills him out, Niles gaining more than an extra hundred pounds onto his svelte, trim body. Like Kaden, Niles has a bit of a pear shape to him, his thighs and ass clearly filling up more than his flabby belly does. But unlike Kaden, Niles’ clothes are prepared for the transformation; all of his attire stays perfectly well fitted from their enchantment, all of it growing as he does. And after a while, Niles finally sprouts his own horns, the extra appendages a silvery gray in contrast to Ryoma and Ben’s. His chest looks more fitting on a woman, Niles’ busty breasts filled out with the milk he’s already beginning to produce. He even pulls down the ruffled neckline of his shirt.

“Well? I’m sure you're dying for a taste,” Niles teases, holding a breast in one hand.

And Kaden obliges. He voraciously guzzles down the bit of milk that Niles produces. He practically sucks him dry, not a single bit of milk wasted with a smaller area to work on. “Hmmm, you taste more refreshing, as if it were cold,” Kaden belches, rubbing his gut. The effects of the milk clearly displayed on Kaden again, he’s gained around fifty extra pounds on top of the already large amount of weight from how much he drank from Ben and Ryoma, Kaden looking more than twice his original size with him clearly being well into four hundred pounder territory. The last spurt of his growth causes his leggings to finally tear to shreds, most of it reduced to scraps. His ass juts out behind him, the large rear too big to properly sit in the chairs in Castle Shirasagi as it even makes his fluffy tail seem small, the upper curve of his ass pressing up against it.

“No one’s ever mentioned how it tastes. I’m sure the mages will love you. And well, a promise is a promise. You three wait here while I get a carriage for you,” Niles waves at Ben, giving him a smile. “I’ll get a couple of rescue staves for you. We’re going to need them just to slowly lug your fat ass around,”

Kaden does as Nilles says and waits with the two much more massive men. Even with his own sudden weight gain, Kaden barely weighs half as much as Ryoma’s morbidly obese self, Hoshido’s king reduced to a barely mobile bull. And next to Ben, both Ryoma and Kaden together pale in comparison to him, Ben absolutely dwarfing his lord and best friend.

Ben no longer even resembles the bulky, beefy body he used to have, his old physique more reminiscent of ax swinging barbarians than a ninja. And now, his body is akin to a prized hog. But even a hog has a semblance of a shape, Ben left an absolute near shapeless blob that’s lucky to have zero furniture get in the way of all his corpulence. Ben’s newfound horns and ears are hard to make out past all his girth. Weighing an astonishing couple of tons, Ben’s gut surges out in front of him; the cascading gut —that’s larger than Kaden and Ryoma combined— consists of numerous rolls that reach further than his feet. His feet are amorphous blobs, the two thick limbs wider than the numerous columns in Nohr’s architecture. His legs are nothing more than adornments, the two of them completely immobile like the entire rest of him. And so are his arms, the two bulging arms far bigger than the beefy biceps they once were; Ben’s arms are permanently stuck at an angle from his bulging belly fat along with his immense tits. Ben’s tits are absolutely immense. Each swollen jug is large enough to be used as a personal seat, his chest now large enough to rival a person in size alone. And his ass surges out behind him. His exposed rear spills out behind him, his amorphous ass no longer the perky, muscular bubble butt. The small, little bull tail he sprouted during his transformation feels like an afterthought on his enormity, the tail practically smothered in between all of his lard.

Ryoma is no slouch as well. He looks noticeably much larger. And not from the fat alone, Ryoma’s tall, thick horns that sprouted from his head making him seem taller as well as more menacing despite his porcine figure. Still mobile unlike Ben, Ryoma seemingly doesn’t have much longer till even that is nothing more than a memory. Especially with the way his gut begins to gurgle, a feast much like the one held once Anankos had been defeated being demanded by Ryoma’s currently insatiable self. His upper half is the largest aspect of himself; his gut sags far past his crotch, the gut grazing his swollen knees, the flabby, grabbable lard sagging far past those as well. The sides of Ryoma’s bulging love handles press up against the similarly bulging upper rolls of his gut, Ryoma’s lard melding together. And his tits are similarly as favored as his gut. The two large breasts are larger than Ryoma’s own bloated face, his numerous chins and necks jiggling with each deep breath he takes. Ryoma has a trickle of milk running down his sagging gut. He does his best to not touch his churning tits, not willing to cause himself to make a mess. His width hides his bushy bull tail, the wagging tail still hard to see behind him.

Kaden looking like a trained warrior next to Ryoma’s barely mobile self, he looks absolutely emaciated next to Ben. And not having been turned into a fat bull unlike the two of them, the amount of milk he’s drunk has left him rather obese. His clothes are in tatters; some scraps of clothes are left on his clothes unlike the two fat blobs of men. Kaden is also bottom heavy unlike the other two. His ass bulges behind him, each swollen cheek wobbling behind him whenever he shifts his portly weight. And his thighs struggle to stay apart with their width despite how spread out his legs are. Kaden’s hands rub against the underside of his sizable gut; his hands rub back and forth as he cradles it. His bushy tail slowly wags behind him, the large, fluffy tail peeking out behind him.

“Hey this isn’t so bad, right?” Kaden takes a seat on Ben’s gut, sinking into his tons of lard. Draping himself over Ben’s girth, he slowly rubs Ben’s flab.

Ben’s face is red, his mind finally snapped free from the magic. “I… dammit. But I failed,” Ben glumly responds. If he were able to cross his arms, he would. But instead, his arms stay uselessly splayed to the side, his leaking breasts pressed up against them. He tries to focus on his failure and not the way Kaden and Ryoma so casually treat him like a plaything, both of them using him as their own personal bed as if it were nothing.

Ryoma erupts into a fit of laughter. Fat jiggles as he laughs, strips of torn clothes falling off his morbidly obese figure. Dribbles of milk spill down Ryoma’s large breasts with him being just as much as a bull as Ben despite his smaller size. “It’s alright, Ben. If it were someone else, then we would all have taken it much more seriously,”

Kaden sagely nods his head, his double chin squishing against itself. “Yeah. We all know Niles plays around too much,”

“Still. It’s no excuse for me to fail,” Ben doesn’t look at either of them. His face feels as red as a fire tome. He eventually lifts his gaze with Ryoma’s heavy breathing.

Ryoma’s tired huffs sound out as he adjusts himself, sluggishly moving his nearly immobile self on top of Ben's five times as heavy enormity, his retainer probably too big to even fit in his room back in Shirasagi. His own exposed flab slaps against Ben’s lake of lard, Ryoma getting closer to his face. “Alright -wheeze then…” Ryoma catches his breath for a moment as he takes a seat on Ben’s tits. And Kaden joins in climbing Ben, Ben wobbling as if there was an earthquake. “If you want a punishment, then you’ll have to be our personal bed for the meantime,” Ryoma squeezes Ben’s cheeks, both hands unable to even properly grasp a single cheek alone. A glint in his eye —the small little sparkle resembling the picturesque beginnings of sunrise fitting for the country founded by the Dawn Dragon— Ryoma slowly leans down, lard squished against lard as he presses his lips against Ben’s. Ryoma is gentle, just like his first few instructions back when Ben had just become his retainer, taking his sweet slow time.

Ben stays still, not that he could lean back from the kiss. But he wouldn’t even if he could, Ben’s blobular face squished against Ryoma’s porcine jowls. His breath is slow, Ben unable to stop himself from pathetically mewling. Even as Ryoma pulls back, a faint grin on his face unlike Ben’s red stricken jowls.

“I can agree with that!” Kaden joins the two, climbing Ben’s immense body and taking a nice comfortable spot on his backside. “I’m sure Ryoma and I will take great care of our new bed too,” Kaden’s fingers rub the tip of Ben’s horns. Kaden adjusts himself, getting closer as he looks upside down at Ben; his orange strands frame his puffy face, Kaden cheerfully smiling before leaning down. Both hands sink into Ben’s arms as he uses them for support. Kaden kisses Ben, his far more rough as he bites at Ben’s pudgy lips. Kaden loudly huffs through his nose. He also gives Ben a breastfull with his position, the Kitsune as taunting and teasing as ever.

Ben fully embraces the kiss, much more ready for the second one. He simply stays in place like with Ryoma’s kiss, Ben completely unable to even shift his head; Ben’s loud breathing matches Kaden’s, Ben moans nearly as loud as he tries to catch his breath even once Kaden finally pulls back.

Ryoma simply hums in agreement. His hands resume in fondling Ben’s jowls, one hand eventually straying to ruffle Ben’s hair. “And we’ll make sure our bed never goes hungry. “Do you find this punishment fitting?” Ryoma and Kaden stare down at Ben.

“Yes…” He meekly responds, eyes wide as Ryoma and Kaden continue to fondle him as punishment, all of them waiting to be taken to the magic facility that created the spell they’re currently afflicted by.

#fat emblem #male weight gain #ssbhm #feeder emblem #fat fiction #maleweightgain #extreme weight gain #my writing #commission #cow tf #cow transformation

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