#and it's very unlikely that i'll be returning to these characters this feels like a one and done fandom moment for me

[bereft-of-frogs]

wow, moving into the final trilogy of Expanse books -- having to emotionally process that time skip -- and starting the last High Republic YA entry, ok and probably the two glasses of red wine, have all joined forces to put me in quite the melancholy mood on this friday night

[battlekidx2]

Alastor Episodes 7 and 8 Thoughts

These two episodes really gave us a lot in regards to Alastor and I cannot wait to see where they go with him in season 2. What I find most fascinating about what they established with him in these episodes is how I think this perfectly sets up Alastor to directly challenge the show’s main themes of redemption.

Alastor is the only character in the main cast that I think could effectively challenge Charlie’s idea of redemption by making her face the question of “where the line for who can be redeemed and who is too far gone is?” 

Even Vaggie and her past as an exorcist couldn’t challenge Charlie’s ideals in the same way because Vaggie so clearly wants to be better and is trying to be better. She could only challenge Charlie’s idea of who could be redeemed. She couldn’t truly challenge the line of when someone is too far gone unlike Alastor. 

And to explain this I'll just jump right in.

It’s clear these two episodes were meant to show a shift in Alastor and Charlie’s relationship in some capacity. It’s a bit more of a subtle shift than with the other characters, but I think it’s setting up this future conflict well for the limited time the show has. 

At the start Charlie doesn’t think Alastor cares and calls him out on this. She directly states that she believes he enjoys the suffering. He refutes her idea of him by stating she doesn’t know what he feels. He purposefully hides his feelings behind a smile as a sign of control. (The first shift. It tells her there’s more beneath the surface)

Then Alastor helps Charlie enlist cannibal town and says he wants to mentor her in the song. This is more than the initial indifference and humor he got out of Charlie at the beginning. There’s an interest in seeing Charlie grow and being a part of it that wasn't there before. And, with Alastor helping Charlie here, trust is being built (at least on Charlie's end).

Then Alastor talks to Niffty (who he is clearly fond of) and admits he finds the group enjoyable to be around. He says he could grow accustomed to them after Niffty says she really likes them almost in agreement with her. He's very candid with Niffty and doesn't seem to feel the need to hide his emotions around her. They appear to be on the same wavelength.

And finally, Charlie is upset when she thinks that Alastor died against Adam and hugs him happily when he returns. In Charlie’s eyes Alastor has been helpful and risked himself and his power to protect the hotel. This is a true shift in their relationship on Charlie's end.

This bond is necessary because if (at the very least) Charlie doesn't care about Alastor then he won't be able to truly challenge her idea of redemption and the show implies it doesn't just go one way. It's just obscured.

To explain what I mean I want to look at Alastor's role in the final battle and that moment when he is alone after he escapes.

At the beginning of the battle he felt like the trump card he should have been. He makes the exorcists, before Adam destroys his shield, look like a joke. And he gives Adam a run for his money before he becomes overconfident and lets his guard down. He didn’t expect Adam to bounce back and have that much power left to show. He was caught completely off guard and paid the price. 

And instead of staying to face the end with the rest of the people in the hotel Alastor opts to save himself. He places himself first. When he leaves he seems almost smug, spouting off a one liner and smiling as he sinks into the shadows. It seems calculated and calm, but alone is a completely different story. This moment shakes Alastor and that moment alone puts his fight against Adam and decision to flee in a different light.

In this moment when he's alone he starts to lose it, saying there has to be a way out. This isn’t where things end. He will come out on top. 

He can feel his control over the situation slipping. His power and notoriety has been challenged left and right this season. First Vox, then Lucifer, then the loan sharks, now Adam. It’s one right after the other. And Adam almost killed him.

He’s struggling to grasp onto what little control he has left by forcing himself to keep on his smile and it calls back to the beginning of episode 7 when he says to Charlie that just because she sees a smile doesn't mean she knows how he really feels. His smile is a sign of control. And even in this moment you can see that last bit of control slipping. And it’s left him even more desperate for his freedom than before.

The Radio Demon was introduced almost as if he was an all powerful entity and now he is being brought back down to earth and he’s raging against it, barely keeping it just below the surface. 

But there’s even more to his breakdown than just his pride. The lines “Great Alastor, altruist, died for his friends. Sorry to disappoint that is not where this ends. I’m hungry for freedom like never before. The constraints of my deal surely have a backdoor.” strongly imply that he really does care for the residents of the hotel more than he wants to admit even to himself.

He is freaking out because he got too close to dying trying to protect and help people that he never thought he would care at all about and he’s doubling down on his plans from before. 

His immediate desperation to be free implies he is at the hotel because he is forced to be there, but he’s desperate to get out of the contract because he doesn’t like how it’s changing him. Alastor has always put himself first and here he is almost dying trying to protect this hotel and it's rattled him even more deeply than the blow to his pride.

I feel like they know exactly what Alastor can mean thematically and they want you to know he’s a villain while seeding hints there could be change under the surface (ones that Alastor himself is afraid of and wants to double down against). There’s a balancing act going on with him and it seems they really do want to challenge the idea of redemption with him. Not just Charlie’s, but his own as well.

Alastor is still in my opinion the best written character in the series. There’s just so much to unravel with him and he’s the most fun to try and dissect to me. I can’t wait to see what they have planned for him in season 2.

[3hks]

Various Ways to End Your Story (But SPECIFIC)

How you end a story can make or break it, so it's REALLY important to end it in a way you find fitting! If you're looking for some ideas on this topic, you've come to the right place! Not only will I list the different types, but I'll detail them, break them down, and hopefully, include some that you've never thought/heard of before!

CIRCLE ENDING

Yes, I know, this is a pretty basic one; most people have heard of this ending before. However, that doesn't mean it's not a good way to end your novel!

As its name suggests, this is when the story circles back to the beginning, or at least references it, for an ending. It sounds basic, but there are a few different types of this!

I. Repeating the First Sentence

This is where your last sentence is a repeat (with none or few changes) of your very first sentence, which makes it super effective if you have a powerful first sentence!

II. Repeating the First Sentence (But Different)

As you can tell, this is nearly the same as the idea I mentioned above. The first and last sentence are the same, but the meanings of them differ because the readers have read through the whole story. When they re-read what was written, they'll see it through a different perspective.

For example: "He thinks it'd be amazing if he could fly like a bird."

At first, you might think that the character just finds it cool how birds can fly, and he wants that. But after reading, the readers might realize that there's a metaphorical meaning to "bird" or "fly", and they may realize that the character actually longs for freedom, peace, etc.

The point is, that ONE sentence takes on a different meaning despite remaining the same.

III. Returning to the Same Timeline

Unlike the first two, this one does not repeat the first sentence of your story. Instead, it references the beginning as a whole, often returning to the same timeline the narrator began at.

You can see this in works where the narrator is actually reciting the past (so they're speaking from the present), and around the end, they return to the present for final words.

ABRUPT ENDING

This is literally in the name--these next few conclusions are ones that are more abrupt. You'll see what I mean!

I. Cliffhanger

We've ALL heard of this, I'm sure. This is where the story ends at a point with high tension and suspense. While cliffhangers don't always have to be a quick ending, they technically leave the story unfinished, which I why I included this here.

All in all, this is good for maintaining interest and encouraging your readers to continue reading any sequels you might have!

II. Quick Ending

You might be thinking, 'what's the difference between the "quick ending" and the "abrupt ending"? The answer to that question is that the quick ending is the more general subcategory of the latter.

Basically, this is the ending where all--or at least most--loose ends are tied and there is a concrete resolution that satisfies your readers. However, there often is little insight to what your characters' futures may hold, since everything is ended often in a sentence or two.

Still, this is one of my all-time favorite ways to end a story because it can be very empowering if done right!

ALTERNATE PERSPECTIVE ENDINGS

I definitely feel like these are less common because they can get kind of off-track and they're hard to really fit in, but that just makes it more interesting!

I. Different Character's Perspective

I've honestly seen one author do this, and while I can't say it was my favorite conclusion, it was certainly fascinating to me.

This is where the story ends through the eyes of a side character, not the protagonist. Your stories actual resolution could have happened earlier, but the ending is from a different character's POV of a past, present, or future presented in a meaningful way.

II. Time Skip (Epilogue)

Out of these two subcategories, the 'time skip' ending is more popular for sure! If you have a more complex story (by that I mean one with a bigger cast, a lot of plot events, etc.), a time skip ending could be a good choice for you!

Usually, these time skips aren't just a couple of days or weeks, but often years or even decades. This is great if your protagonist has a super ambitious goal, and you want your readers to see what happens years after they reach it!

III. Reflection

This ending typically happens after a long time skip, where the narrator reflects upon their last actions/events that happened. Truthfully, I see this a lot more in stories that have sad or bittersweet endings, which we'll get into next!

IV. Flashback

If you're looking for a different one that ties back to the main character's past, this might be it! Instead of your story ending during the present or the future, in this case, your story ends in a meaningful flashback of a character. This is great if you want to emphasize how much the character changed and grew from their beginning!

EMOTIONAL ENDINGS

Let's talk about emotional endings, real quick!

I. Happy Endings

We all know about happy endings. Typically, the protagonist (and often their close friends/family) achieve their goal(s) and is satisfied with the results of their journey.

This is the most common story ending, emotion-wise, because it provides the readers with a good sense of closure and appeals to them!

II. Bittersweet Endings

This is where the resolution feels both happy and sad. Perhaps the protagonist achieved their goal(s) but lost things they valued along the way, or vice versa.

III. Tragic Endings

This ending can be both happy and sad, but there's definitely a lot more sadness than happiness. It can be like the one above (where they reach their goal but lose stuff/people they care about), or it can be a situation where the main character lost essentially everything.

"NON-CONCRETE" ENDING

I. Open-ended Ending

This is where the ending is up to interpretation! There might be suggestions of what happened, but it's ultimately unconfirmed, allowing the readers to draw their own conclusions.

Personally, I've never attempted this type of resolution (because I have a bad feeling it won't end well if I did), but it's pretty common!

II. New Beginning

This is where the story ends when the main character is starting a new life. Maybe they've moved to a new city, underwent changes as a person, and is escaping from their old life to start fresh.

This is one conclusion I see sometimes in dystopian novels!

III. False Victory

If you've ever watched a movie or read a book about a person whose goal is to make a HUGE impact on the world, you might've experienced this ending.

A "false victory" ending is where it seems like the protagonist has won, but the readers know that the victory itself is empty and/or temporary, with no permanent change.

Although, yes, this is technically a pretty concrete ending, it can leave readers--for lack of a better word--rather unsatisfied. However, that doesn't mean it's a bad choice!

EVOCATIVE ENDINGS

For this next section, I'll be talking about a few endings that I think heavily resonate with the readers--final words that your readers will remember.

I. Wordless Ending

Throughout the last few paragraphs of a resolution, there often is dialogue involved somewhere, and that's not a bad thing! I will never deny that dialogue is powerful, but so is the opposite.

This ending revolves around having no dialogue (and thoughts!). Instead, it focuses on imagery, the characters' actions, the setting, and literary devices to create a more immersive, beautiful ending!

II. Anonymous Hero

This one, in all honesty, this ending type applies to a more specific type of stories.

So basically, this is the situation in which your protagonist achieves their goal, normally a pretty impactful and important one at that, but no one actually knows it's them who accomplished this, resulting in their life returning to--more or less-normal than--their old one.

III. Proverbs, Quotes, Questions

We all know that we can begin a story with any of these options mentioned above (and more), but that doesn't mean we can't end them the same way! Granted, I do prefer the former, but there's undeniable charm in ending your work this way!

By making your last sentence(s) a quote, proverb, question, or even a poem (I like the idea of ending it in a couplet), it reemphasizes the theme of the story while providing resonant, beautiful final words.

CONCLUSION

If you made it all the way here (or skipped here), thank you for reaching the end! Remember that you can shape endings however you want! You don't have to pick only one of these and stick with it--combine them! Actually, I think several of these resolutions overlap each other.

If you have sent me a question/request, I PROMSE I haven't forgot! I'm getting to it (albeit very slowly), so I thank you for your patience; your support means everything to me!

Comment any other endings you can think of! I'd love to see what you guys come up with!

Happy writing~

3hks <3

[yolli-es]

Hi! This is my first request also i love your writing so much! I've been looking everywhere for a nsfw alphabet headcanons for jinx there isn't any can you please make one i don.t think anyone understand or describe her the way you do

Also don't push yourself!

NSFW Jinx alphabet🔥

Tags: NO spoilers for season 2

I did!! It was an interesting experience for me and thanks for the kind words. In fact, I have a problem with understanding the characters and it is very nice to hear this 😅

PERSON WHO ASKED SOMETHING SIMILAR: Are you still waiting for an answer to your request? Most likely, I will write the same thing 👉🏻👈🏻 You can also answer anonymously.

Aftercare (what they’re like after sex)

Jinx spends most of her time proving her love for you. Sex is no exception. It's just another of the many ways to say: "I don't just love you; I obsessed you." That's why, in the moments after intimacy, Jinx finally calms down. She just spent all her energy on pleasing you and got it in return. There is no better confirmation of your feelings for her right now. You can just look at each other; she won't rush at you to touch you like she would at any other moment.

Don't worry, she'll do it later.

Body part (their favorite body part of theirs and also their partner’s)

Choose and Jinx are not compatible. She will never tell you what she likes most about you; it's too complicated. Hands, neck, legs, hair, belly, and absolutely everything will be honored with attention from Jinx before and after sex. She also sincerely does not understand why others choose a favorite part of their beloved if they can fuck all parts?

It's much easier for her to say what she doesn't like about herself. Her breasts are her main complex, and if you say something like "I like big breasts,"  "my exes had huge breasts," or simply "between big and small, I'll choose big," expect a bunch of strange decisions from Jinx to hide her "flaw."

Cum (anything to do with cum, basically)

She will never think twice before cumming. Jinx doesn't care where, how, or where she does it. If you like it when she does it in certain places, she will remember and will definitely do it... However, if you don't like it when she cums somewhere, then... accept it; she will simply forget about it until you throw a real tantrum and you won't start threatening her.

Jinx has trouble remembering "no" and is great at focusing on "yes."

Dirty secret (pretty self explanatory, a dirty secret of theirs)

Jinx has a strange turn on when playing with her guns. She has imagined you saddle her with a gun in your hand more than once. She finds it oddly arousing to think about the possibility of a purely accidental death or injury while you're so close. The possibility of being blown up is also close to her.

But all of this will remain a fantasy. You are unlikely to agree to point a gun at her, which Jinx is well aware of. Besides, it's too dangerous for you. What if you go crazy and shoot yourself in the foot?

Experience (how experienced are they? do they know what they’re doing?)

You are her number one in everything, and she will do anything just to keep you from finding out. Jinx thinks that her lack of experience will make her a terrible partner in your eyes—a bad choice, and you will absolutely never fuck her. You will definitely understand that she is inexperienced when Jinx cannot pull off your bra. She has never worn one, and I swear she was ready to burst into tears at that moment.

After a couple of "training sessions," Jinx becomes the best lover possible. She learns quickly and does exactly what you want her to do because of her excellent understanding of people and her huge intellect.

Favorite position (this goes without saying)

She likes everything as long as you touch her. Jinx won't mind hanging upside down if it means constant physical contact.

Goofy (are they more serious in the moment? are they humorous? etc.)

Until Jinx gained enough (by her standards) experience, she took any joke in bed personally. Don't joke with her in the beginning; it might trigger voices in her head.

Later, when her skills allowed her to make mush out of you, Jinx began to like sudden stupid phrases. Especially while you were riding her. Jinx is not very goofy, but she starts to enjoy breaking your serious mood with the stupidest joke. You can start so hot and continue so intensely, but at some point Jinx will whisper in your ear: "What do you call a person who runs away from a cannibal? Fast food"

She lost a couple of orgasms, but you laughed! It's a small loss for a great cause.

Hair (how well groomed are they? does the carpet match the drapes? etc.)

Jinx's hair is really long, and I believe that her pubic hair was just as long. Okay, not that long. But Jinx has definitely never shaved. One day she got the idea to paint them green, but she got a minor chemical burn, and now she is afraid and ashamed to do anything with them.

You can ask her to shave, and then do it yourself, because she will definitely cut off a piece of herself without help.

Intimacy (how are they during the moment? the romantic aspect)

Jinx is focused on your feelings and simply adapts to them. If you want it hot and fast, she will do it; if you want it slow and gentle, she will do it. You don't even have to ask. And believe me, she will like it. Jinx will definitely not deprive herself of pleasure; she can just enjoy any interaction as long as you are delighted.

Jinx herself doesn't put much meaning into sex; there is no special romance in it that she could not achieve without getting into your pants. After all, she grew up in a city where they make a living from it.

Jack off (masturbation headcanon)

Jinx did this a couple of times as a teenager, mostly out of curiosity. Mylo ruins her mood every time, and it never worked.

After her first orgasm with you, she tried to repeat something similar on her own. She missed your hands, your breath, and your giggles. She couldn't cum.

Jinx will quickly stop doing it.

Kink (one or more of their kinks)

Jinx is obsessed with you. She spends most of her time expressing her gratitude to you for all the good things you give her.

And she loves you even more when you do the same.

It's okay if you get cruel and a little over the top at this point; Jynx will still love it. She will never feel as loved and needed as when you are completely obsessed with her. Sincerely, not when she asks you to. Bite her to mark her, dominate her, and constantly whisper: "You are mine, and that will never change." Oh, she will cum so hard.

Location (favorite places to do the do)

On the table in her workshop. Jinx will also call you her project or her favorite gun.

Motivation (what turns them on, gets them going)

When you take the initiative. Any touch to her with a subtext will be met with active actions. She feels your mood well.

Jinx will also try to tease you if she feels like you've been too cold towards her lately. She firmly believes that this is a radical way to love and will definitely remind you of her devotion.

No (something they wouldn’t do, turn offs)

Want to pick a fight with Jinx? Ask her for group sex.

Jinx won't share with you. Forget about a threesome.

Oral (preference in giving or receiving, skill, etc.)

Jinx will always be the first to initiate oral sex. She enjoys it while she's doing it and goes crazy when she's receiving it. It's her favorite. She's also damn good at it; oral wasn't bad even the very first time.

It must just be a talent—another one in Jinx's stack.

Pace (are they fast and rough? slow and sensual? etc.)

The one you need. She won't be too shy about being rude to you if you moan louder and rub against her more actively.

Quickie (their opinions on quickies, how often, etc.)

Jinx herself is very active, and her life is quite eventful. And yet this does not mean that she is a fan of it.

Usually you have quick sex just because you want it; Jinx prefers to wait for the moment when it will be possible to do everything she wants. Bite, rub, look, and lick, enjoying the moment, not just to stop the itching.

Risk (are they game to experiment? do they take risks? etc.)

Experiments? Yes. Risk? Never.

You will try everything; Jinx is a searching nature. She will definitely tie you up, spank you, not let you cum, and try different toys on you. You will go through all this together and more than once.

But Jinx would never risk the safety of your pussy. To do so much for your safety, only to be able to lose you so stupidly? No, never.

And no threesomes either.

Stamina (how many rounds can they go for? how long do they last?)

Jinx runs around Zaun with three guns and a bunch of bullets. She's incredibly resilient. You'll sweat more with her than you would on a Silko or Sevika mission. She won't leave you alone until she feels satisfied. Just when you feel like you're getting used to long sex sessions, she finds a way to knock you off your feet again. You tried to wear her out by having Jinx lift you.

Fatal mistake, terrible decision. That's why Jinx is a genius in your little family.

Her body got used to your weight pretty quickly and only strengthened her, making your sex not only long and exhausting, but also a little more difficult for you.

Toys (do they own toys? do they use them? on a partner or themselves?)

Jinx only uses them when she thinks you're getting bored in sex. Jinx will also definitely make a couple of sex toys, more for the sake of interest than sexual desire. She won't use it on her own, but how can she deny you the pleasure of torturing her a little with a toy? She'll definitely enjoy it too much, and control of the situation will pass into her hands as quickly as it left. 

Unfair (how much they like to tease)

For Jinx, teasing = prelude. She won't start until she realizes how hard you're want to coming. Sometimes it can go on too long, and you'll be hysterical and start crying. Jinx didn't want that; she just got carried away, so she'll definitely pay for it tenfold.

Volume (how loud they are, what sounds they make, etc.)

Scream or she will make you.

Your moans and screams are the only way to show others that you adore her without endangering the lives of others. It's also a great way to relieve stress.

Jinx will definitely enjoy it; don't hold back.

Wild card (a random headcanon for the character)

One time you accidentally called her by her real name in the midst of oral sex. She immediately stopped and just looked at you for a few seconds before she started crying. You didn't finish that time.

"Powder" has become your stop word.

X-ray (let’s see what’s going on under those clothes)

5.25 feet of slender body, long fingers, and a nimble tongue. There's a lot to work with.

Yearning (how high is their sex drive?)

Jinx has a low libido, and before meeting you, sex was not a concern to her. Even as a teenager, when hormones were raging, Jinx remained indifferent to intimacy. Now, you can excite her with just a hint. A light touch, a piquant pose, or an ambiguous phrase will make Jinx immediately become active.

Other people doing similar things irritate her.

Zzz (how quickly they fall asleep afterwards)

After sex, Jinx will lie next to you, just watching. She will be strangely silent and soothingly sweet. Very soon it will stop stressing you out and make you calm down. She will not close her eyes until she is sure that you have fallen asleep. This will last for a couple more hours before she can fall asleep.

Jinx always had trouble sleeping, but when she's next to you, her problem disappears.

I hope the topic of sex is covered and I didn't miss anything 🙏🏻🙏🏻

[anemicjellyfish]

Random theorizing and/or speculation post idk.

So I've said it before and I'll say it again. Helluva Boss is pretty damn good at "Show, Don't Tell."

While it isn't entirely devoid of expositional dialogue, it really doesn't seem like they rely on it heavily. Even with a few heart-to-heart moments between characters like Blitzø & Fizzarolli in Oops and Loona & Octavia in Seeing Stars, big dialogue exchanges are kept to a minimum. Character development happens over time and through on-screen events rather than sitting down and talking it all out.

This, combined with the show's tendency to both 1, let events come full-circle and 2, show generational trauma as a way to let characters break free of the molds set for them, is why I think Octavia might get the "Stolas Experience" soon.

Now, I love Octavia. If I could pick a character to make sure the writing team doesn't traumatize, it's her. (This is a No Hate Zone for Octavia and Stolas btw.)

What I mean is that Octavia seems to have been kept from the same expectations that were put upon Stolas his whole life. She appears to make her own choices and express herself in ways that Stolas wasn't allowed. I have a feeling that, now that she is with her mother and uncle, she will be held to a similar standard as her father (at least until she's of age, which is likely 18).

I feel like minimal expositional dialogue will come in to bridge the gaps in her knowledge. Octavia getting told she's "just like her father" as an insult when she's not adhering to new standards.

To bring it to a head, I also like to speculate that Stella will try to arrange Octavia a marriage of her own. When Via pushes back on this, the "just like your father" line may come back. I also think Stella will deliver the final nail in the coffin of Octavia's opinion of her parent's marriage here.

My personal headcanon of the line is something like: "oh, for fuck's sake, Via. All Goetia marriages are arranged. It's not like Stolas and I ever loved each other. *laughter* Andrealphus, could you imagine? Stolas and I in love?! How ridiculous..." (mocking fades into the background as Via processes what she just heard) But this is just fanfic-level stuff that plays in the background of my brain.

Now, to skip ahead just a little. There are very few characters for Octavia to turn to. The most likely candidate for a lot of us is Loona. It makes sense, as they've already shared some screentime & Octavia got some solid advice then. And I don't disagree at all. It's a good choice.

But I like to think Octavia has something in common with someone she despises, but who could never hold hate in his heart for her.

Blitzø and Octavia have some unlikely common ground in severing connections with those they care about most through an emotional response to feeling unloved.

Octavia's song "I Will Be Okay" uses fire imagery to burn photographs to symbolize her readiness to cut off contact with her father after she came to the conclusion that he never loved her.

Blitzø set a literal fire unintentionally when his own father valued Fizzarolli over him, and likely felt that Fizz would never love Blitzø in return.

While the parallel between them isn't completely perfect, Blitzø is uniquely suited to understand a teenager who is scared, alone, and feels unloved.

We know a good deal about the circus fire, but Blitzø really hasn't spoken about it to anyone. It's unclear if he ever went into detail about it to Fizz, and he only vaguely referred to it being "traumatic" when Stolas brought up Blitzø's love of horses.

I personally like to think that Octavia will be the one Blitzø tells about it all. I think he'll obscure the details of a teenage crush to stay on-topic. But the loss of a loving parent (Blitzø's mom/Stolas) and being left with a horrible one (Blitzø's dad/Stella) is something that connects them in ways that both of them don't realize yet.

This doesn't have to fix things. Confronting traumatic events doesn't mean those events no longer happened. Blitzø carries the physical scars of his past with him everywhere he goes, and the emotional pain doesn't always heal without leaving scars of its own.

Octavia could slowly rebuild her relationship with her dad over time. It's not impossible yet. But she is slowly gaining an understanding of how things work in Goetic society; she will likely know soon that she was only born to be an heir out of precaution. So a part of her is always going to be the teenage girl who needs reassurance that she's loved, that she isn't the obligation that she thinks she is.

Sorry for another incomplete post. My thumb is hurting at the knuckle because I over-extended it the other day and it's hard to type on my phone with just one thumb.

[sangunary]

Summary: their voice line! // part 2.

" She's mine, not yours "

Part 1 =

---------------------★

Genshin impact₊˚.༄

Character: Freminet, Zhongli, Furina, Heizou.

//Freminet ★

•CHAT: You.

" She told me that crying is a great way of getting rid of bad feelings, I have never been told such things... All my emotions pour out right infront of her, she didn't make fun of me... I feel much better after that, hence whenever I need someone she's the only one I can go to "

•CHAT: about 'Father' from you.

" I always believed that 'father' was somehow always right, but yet she prove me wrong most the time... She told me to do whatever I feel like, from that day my way of seeing 'father' change... "

•CHAT: Crush.

" Well... I like this one person... They're kind towards me... I feel safe around them, they're very supportive of my decision, around them... I can feel my confidence good up "

•CHAT: When it Rains.

" I don't enjoy when it rains... But, she told me to enjoy every moment of it tho, although I found it weird to enjoy watching rains... I guess some people have weird hobbies? "

•CHAT: Ocean water.

" You never know how deep those ocean water are... Do you? But if you don't take a chance you'll never be able to experiance the joy of the ocean water. That's what she told me... The first person to ever encourage me even when I fail over and over, it was her "

•CHAT: Special person.

" She's the type of person to encourage me and stay by my side even when I fail multiple times... Have anyone done that for you? To stay by yourside and encourage you to do what you love... Maybe that's why I always desire to be by her side. "

•CHAT: Comfort area.

" She doesn't force me to do anything unlike others who tried to 'help' me by forcing me out my comfort area... She... She tried to pull me out slowly and if she realised I don't feel comfortable she just stop. I just wish people respect my decision just like how she always did "

• CHAT: Crying.

" 'Father' doesn't allowed children to cry 'father' say's that crying is the product of weakness and emotions. I used to cry under the water so the ocean could cry with me... But, now I got someone... Someone who understands my feelings and cry with me "

• CHAT: feelings (Jealousy).

" whenever I see her close with Lyney I have a nasty feelings coming from my heart, Lyney and I are opposite of eachother... I'm afraid she'll fine someone better. But, I know that I'll never be able to find anyone better than her. "

• CHAT: Midnight.

" During midnight she would take me to her spot and we both would sit down and watch the ocean and the moon... She would told me everything about her day and stories, I often fall asleep but in the morning she always disappear, her jacket on me to protect me from the coldness of the night... Or it's either that she would be beside me sleeping as well... "

• CHAT: Pers.

" Pers is like a family to me... Often her and pers would play together, it's actually my first time seeing pers get along with anyone else but me "

• CHAT: Future.

" Why should I tell you...? Fine... I do plan on getting married one day... You don't need to know to who! It's a private matter "

------------------->

Lyney-

" I could tell that freminet like her alot! Although I'm a bit jealous of how good looking she is and how she acted towards my brother, guess luck run in the family! "

Lynette-

" Freminet like her I could tell... Anyone with brain could tell, those two are always by eachother side, it's weird to see them not by eachother side at this point "

//Zhongli★

• CHAT: Lover.

" Being so straight forward about my personal life I see... Since you have been honest to me I shall return the favour by being honest as well. I do not have a lover, although I am indeed fascinated by someone, well... I can't tell you their name, afterall I have already honestly answer one of your question "

• CHAT: Scents.

" You have good sense of smelling, one lady told me that this scent can increase the change of receiving love or complement from your significant other. It's a type of trick used by many sellers to sell their product, although I did indeed recieved a complement from them... I guess a lie can turn into truth as well "

• CHAT: the past.

" Although the memories I have shared with those who have long gone left this world will still be cherished by me, the memories I spend with her will forever be in my mind, I simply couldn't go a day without thinking about those memories. Still, I will continue to cherish the new memories I have create with her, promising to make them better each time I create a memory especially with them "

• CHAT: Life.

" For God like us life goes slowly for mortal like you life is fast... It isn't the smartest to simply spend your life lazily, so... Before you die you should find someone that you can cherish forever, spend the rest of your life with... Oh me? I have already found that person long ago, although I am not sure if they share the same feeling as I do for them "

• CHAT: Liyue.

" Liyue is the land of contract where contract is value and if you made one you cannot betrayed your own word... It's easy, although I do not remember making any contract with her, she have been staying by my side for years always accompanying me... It's fascinating on how one doesn't need contract to stay loyal to another individual "

• CHAT: Fate.

" War is apart of fate... No matter how much blood have to be shed you cannot out do fate it's self. If one fate is to die there is no escape, which is why I always have a close eyes on her... I'll do anything in my power to make sure that fate like that never cross her path "

• CHAT: love.

" I have once saw two old couple walking down the road of Liyue. I have seen them together when they were both youthful, such nice story... I wonder if mine will end like those two, inlove with eachother till death? Or a heartbroken love story? "

• CHAT: Future.

" I prefer to live in the present than the future nor the past, although the future will always appear the past is forever lost... I'm very careful around her I do not wish to make any problem to turn our relationship sour anytime soon, afterall one sour memory can ruin all of them "

• CHAT: Special time.

" Every time a full moon is present she'll force me to accompany her to watch the moon, I do think that it's beautiful but I simply can't even stare at it when she's around. It is as if my eyes are only set on her... I wish those memories would last forever "

• CHAT: Life of regret.

" One day she'll leave me... She's just a mortal with short life spam, unlike me... I just can't bear the fact that I'll have to be alone once again. Even the thought of her not by my side pain my heart... But, there is nothing I could possibly do to prevent such future "

--------------------->

Childe-

" Ah! The lady of Gold! I always see her with Zhongli smiling and giggling... They remind me of my parents being together, although both of them do not interact much when I'm around... Shame I wanted to atleast know more about their relationship! "

Hu Tao-

" Mister Zhongli and her are the best together! She's very supportive of us and our work. Oh god! I'm so happy to talk about her! Although mister Zhongli is a bit shy they both seem to get along just fine! I bet they will be in love very very soon! "

//Furina★

• CHAT: Lover.

" Hmm... Oh her? mon amour she always attend every trail! I love talking to her about anything! Always interesting and super fun to... I wonder if she would like to join my tea party again... It's not like she could reject such offer "

• CHAT: Trail.

" Whenever she talk in trail it's like a story unfolding it's self! Her voice is very calming and it feels like she's simply telling a tail...! Although she also lost some trail even a fail victory should be celebrated! "

• CHAT: Rain.

" It's raining again? Seriously? Ohhh... I wish she was here! Neuvillette doesn't allow me to visit when it rain since I might get sick... Who care? I'm the hydro archo, no sickness will ever seperate me from her! Although maybe the coldness might... Heh "

• CHAT: Performance.

" I only perform as a form of entertainment... And she would watch and correct my movements sometimes... Afterall I make no mistake that often! I should invite you when I get the chance! "

• CHAT: Water.

" I can't even think of being without her... All those years I spend without her was dark and lonely... The light of my life is her, I rather not go back to what I used to be... Afterall would you rather have a God that is nothing without the love of her life or A God with someone to love...? "

• CHAT: Order.

" I don't understand! I get that neuvillette is all about law but why can't I see her?! That's just talking control over my life! Ugh! It's not like I won't come back for years... Anyway I'm seeing her anyway one way or another! "

• CHAT: Sunny.

" So hot... Even water can dissolve at this point... Oh no! My love! She might melt if I'm not there... Ughhhh! Such an urgent matter! Tell neuvillette that I the archon is out to aid her people from melting like ice cream! "

• CHAT: Fatui.

" It's better to not keep such negative thoughts in head but... Fortunately for me... My dear can beat up any fatui! Afterall she's a fine fighter and lover... Even that girl would be on her knee upon seeing my love! I'm so lucky! See how strong she is? Do not mess with me, cause she say my pain is her's so mess with me you mess with her! "

• CHAT: Eyes.

" I was a bit unwell about how different my eyes are... Although I get praise for it, if felt as people were talking badly about it... Until she told me how unique it was... For the pass two hour she continued to praise me especially my eyes... I guess I'm special afterall! "

• CHAT: Tea party.

" The party is only held when I feel like it... Cake and tea any dessert you want I have it... From Liyue and also sumeru oh and I also have some from Inazuma... Although don't expect it to be good... How I get it? My darling always bring some back for me! Just for me! I guess I'm her favourite afterall! "

• CHAT: Hydro vision.

" If only neuvillette agree with me she would have a hydro vision already... I even send Letter to other archon not to grand my love any vision cause I want her to have hydro vision just like me... A soulmate should have same vision! But Neuvillette wouldn't agree with me! Saying she's not worthy something something... Ugh! Talking about it make me want to burst out... Just wait... She'll receive that hydro vision one day... "

------------------>

Neuvillette-

" I like her... Everyone around her are comfortable, if only furina stop pampering her with everything... She have been arguing with me to give her a vision yet I can't just agree... It's well known that the hydro archon favour her so it's unfair if she receives a hydro vision... I just know that furina will give her one anyway... Atleast she handle furina without any problem, other than that... I have nothing to say about her "

Arlecchino-

" The soft spot of the archon... Inorder to hurt the archon directly you just need to hurt the girl, although it is hard to capture her she's quite strong herself. But it won't be long till I get her, I'll take the gnosis and she'll be long gone... Afterall I can't have her following after me, a problem should be solved before it becomes to big to handle "

//Heizou★

• CHAT: Lover.

" Hm... Her? Isn't she just pretty? The first time I met her was like straight up from a romantic novel... Such girl like her approaching me is unbelievable... Although I won't like any competition so... Promise not to fall for her as well "

• CHAT: comission.

" Um... Well, the comission... It can be quite annoying but I always enjoy them since she would always be my partner! Inorder to make things fun you need the person you love the most to join you and things will get better. Am I right traveller? "

• CHAT: Justice.

" Justice is very important afterall how can I blindly let the law be destroyed infront of me right? Although... I might have made some expectations doesn't mean you are included traveller "

• CHAT: You.

" I can't stop thinking about them once again... Even at work they fill my mind which frustrate me at some point but... Their soft smile and touch I do miss it dearly, ugh! It's happening again. Quick traveller help me think of something else! "

• CHAT: kissing.

" At time I would hold hand with her but... Kissing? You must be joking, holding hand and cuddling I can understand but kissing her like nothing is wrong is just weird... You can't just kiss without thinking. I want this to be perfect for her, just like how things should be... "

• CHAT: Fish.

" Traveller! Would you like to go and catch some unique dish later? But they have to be alive tho... My love wanted to have a pet bug I think they're to lazy for energetic animals so a fish shall do it... So? Up for it? It can be our little hangout day to get to know each better? "

• CHAT: People.

" Most people think we're dating and each time I can't help but blush a little... But, unfortunately that isn't the care but I wish it was... I'm sure those rumours will be true in some week or years but just wait I'll get to confess one day! "

• CHAT: Sudden encounter.

" Whenever I encountered them suddenly my heart skip a beat... That should be a bad thing but I like the feeling. One time, I hide behind someone else when i suddenly see them, it was embarassing but... I just can't help it "

• CHAT: Assistant.

" Sometimes she wouldn't join me at work and talk about how good of a partner we were... I can't help but think that she secretly like me and I'd hinting that I should confess. Especially when she hold my hand at work, she definitely like me! "

• CHAT: Hair.

" I always enjoy it when she brush my hair or play with my hair, put me at ease but I always hate it when she stop... Everyday she would do my hair it doesn't matter how ugly it look I will always proudly walk around with it no matter what. Afterall would you make fun of the work of your lover? "

------------------->

Kazuha-

" Hm... I remember her and Heizou being extremely close together. I did bring it up one time only for Heizou to go red as a tomato... Guess you can say he did harbour feeling for the girl "

Itto-

" Ah! Her! Heizou and her are like bestfriend! Although most say they're in love I bet they are just so close that some people lost their mind! Although I do see them together always doesn't mean they're in love right? "

[lu-is-not-ok]

Sorry if you've already analyzed this recently but it would be neat if I could possibly get your thoughts about this.

I'm currently trying to theory craft for The Surrendered Witnessing (Canto 8), so I was looking at the Limbus TGS Teaser for more hints. Cuz the background art has been quite accurate so far.

When you look up Hong Lu on Google one of the first pictures you get is that art of him in the white outfit with the dandelion.(Which is also briefly shown on the TGS Teaser) At first I thought he was blowing the dandelion as a symbolism of being carefree and whimsical, similar to how children blow on dandelions to make wishes.

But then I noticed a few things. First, he doesn't necessarily seem happy, or really showcasing any kind of 'whimsy'. Also, the dandelion isn't up to his mouth. It's not positioned in a way where he can blow. It seems more likely that he is watching a common weed blow off in the wind with more freedom than he would ever get while he's with his family. Dandelions in general are also a symbol of hope, which means this could be a representation of him feeling hopeless.

But then, the screen briefly shows a zoomed out version before jumpscaring you with Heathcliff.

At first I thought this was a rebellion with the sheer amount of grey bodies seeming desperate. But then I realized they are reaching. Are they possibly reaching for Hong Lu? Do they just wish to be in his shoes-- desperately wanting just a sliver of his family's influence and wealth? Or is their desperation more focused on the red paper?

Hong Lu also doesn't seem that pleased, the zoomed out version seems way more bored than the zoomed in version.

The dandelion seeds turn into something red. It could be red envelopes used to gift money, but I don't know why Hong Lu or his family would even bother using something so formal on people with such low status. A very unlikely theory is that it could also be related to Hong Lu's previous mention of a 'red passport'. Though I'm just assuming it has significance specifically where Hong Lu's family resides, either something important within his house or something that has to do with how the district works.

--

Another interesting thing that pops up is a speech bubble. I'm not fluent in any other languages so I had to Google translate it, so it may very likely be wrong, but it says "it's almost like filming a play". I don't have a clue if that has been a previous line from Hong Lu, but the outline is in Hong Lu's color. So maybe he's referencing an event after the sinners return to his residence.

The other thing to note is the positioning of this picture directly over the dandelion picture. The only other person that really has that happen in the teaser is Sinclair, but that is because the Sinclair images happen within the same cutscene in-game. I have zero clue if the positioning in the video is that purposeful to make an entire theory on it, but I think the lineup is interesting. The image used is from The Unloving.

--

The last glimpse I'll talk about is the lil angy/displeased Hong Lu.

That looks like Outis' hand grabbing him by the shirt. I was trying to find any other pictures of sinners grabbing each other by the shirt-- but the only shirt threatening content we've gotten are both in The Unconfronting. One by Virgillius (not a sinner) and one by Don Quixote.

So my assumption is that this displeased Hong Lu could either happen during The Nocturnal Sleeping or The Surrendered Witnessing. Likely The Surrendered Witnessing because no intervallo art seems to have been out in the teaser. (All of the characters that already have cantos have art in the TGS that doesn't surpass their focus cantos, though that also could be due to Project Moon not wanting to spoil too much from the initial 3 release cantos)

Anyways! That's my thoughts! I kinda wanna hear yours if possible, no pressure though. :3

(Also, sorry if the formatting is weird I have zero clue how Tumblr's ask formatting works)

Oh boy that's a lot. Ok. Let's see how I wanna get into this.

Let's start with the bits I know I can explain for sure.

First, the dialogue lines. Last time I checked, every single dialogue line shown in the TGS teaser comes from the first three Cantos. Which, if you think about it, makes sense, as those were likely the only Cantos actually fully written by that point.

The line you pointed out specifically comes from Canto 2, it being the second half of this dialogue line that happens after the Sinners beat the Tingtang Gang.

I think its purpose in the teaser is mainly to reinforce the idea that Hong Lu's understanding of reality is very strange compared to other people in the City, him comparing whatever's happening to something as benign as a movie set.

You could probably also make a case for it being used to highlight the theme of the blurred line between Fiction and Reality, what with him comparing a Real situation to that of a Fictional scene one would be filming for a movie.

Second. The angry Hong Lu CG.

I've already discussed that CG at length in this post, but to summarize: this is a scrapped Canto 1 CG, from what I believe to be the original version of the scene where Yuri reveals her backstory, which in the original draft took place outside of the dungeon with all of the Sinners around and thus available to respond. The person grabbing onto Hong Lu's shirt is Gregor, and the reason his skin looks like that in the video is because of the heavy color overlay effects over the teaser itself. I included the clearest picture we have of the full CG in the post I mentioned.

We don't know whether this CG was scrapped before or after the TGS Teaser was made, so it's much harder to ascertain the purpose behind its inclusion here. Regardless of which it is though, it's clear that Project Moon deemed it important to show Hong Lu's capacity for anger in such an early teaser, meaning it was something they were focusing on as a point for his character even back then.

Now. Onto the things I get to actually speculate about.

Let's just first establish this - we have no way of knowing how similar Canto 8 will be to what Project Moon may have initially planned it to be. I'm not one of those people who claims that PM are serial retconners, but I'm also realistic in that I doubt they have more prepared future Cantos than maybe some rough outlines at most. As such, the scene shown in the TGS Teaser might not end up being framed in the exact same way as it was initially planned to be.

This is especially important to note as Vellmori CGs, aka the ones shown in the Teaser itself, are not being used beyond the ones already in the game. We can tell from Canto 6 and 7 that there's no guarantee that we'll get any exactly equivalent CGs from the current artist either. After all, we did get two whole scenes of a Heathcliff arriving to Cathy's funeral, but neither was framed in any way similar to the teased CG.

Here's some of my own observations though.

First - according to recollections from multiple DOTRC readers, the outfit Hong Lu is wearing in both CGs might be a reference to the mourning robes Baoyu wears after Daiyu's death. Considering how sensitive Hong Lu is about things that seem to remind him of an event that is very likely Limbus's equivalent of Daiyu's death (as I discuss in this post), it's likely that Canto 8 will put a notable amount of focus on that event and its aftermath.

Second - in higher quality versions of that first CG, it's possible to see that the shadow cast by the dandelion is a different color to the rest of the shadows being cast - it's notably more red in hue.

This could be another nod to Daiyu, as their Land of Illusion counterpart was the Crimson Pearl Flower. I think you're onto something here with Hong Lu not actively blowing at the dandelion, but rather merely watching it blow away in the wind by itself. It could be a representation of how fragile Daiyu's life ended up being, swept away as if by a gust of wind.

It makes me think of the Flower Burial Song from DOTRC (as do many things around Hong Lu in all fairness), which in itself also represents Daiyu's own mortality. Flowers fall, people perish, and neither of them know.

Third - A few notes about that second CG.

For one, I don't believe that the dandelion seeds are being turned into the red papers (for a lack of a more specific term to call them). You can see that the seeds are actually floating Among the papers, implying they're both falling at the same time rather than one turning into the other.

For two, while it's a bit hard to see in the particular screenshot you took, you can see that Hong Lu has his other arm thrust forward, while still holding the dandelion with the one he held it in the previous CG. This I believe implies he's not just watching the people below, but is actively throwing whatever the red papers are down towards them.

Now.

Here's my own unhinged theory as to what those (now unused) Canto 8 CGs might be showing.

Obviously, I already made it clear that I believe this is taking place after Daiyu's death ,what with both Hong Lu's robes and flower symbolism.

However, I believe the specific event that is happening here is Hong Lu creating a distraction for his Family so that he can escape.

I've made it no secret that I believe Hong Lu is in fact a runaway, and that the "sent out to experience the world" thing he mentions as his reason for leaving his home is in fact a blatant lie. After all, if it were true, why would his Family be searching for him? Why would they want to prematurely cut him off from experiencing more of the world? Add the Lasso Hong Lu corrosion voice line to this, where he's clearly acting out what his Family might sound like once they catch up to him, and you can see why I think this might be the case.

It's also not that hard to imagine why Daiyu's death would be the catalyst to Hong Lu deciding to take a chance and attempt an escape. Daiyu's death has been implied to be an event that not only deeply hurt him, but is also alluded to being the one thing capable of rousing Hong Lu's anger enough to actually lash out. If there was one thing that could make the otherwise docile and obedient Hong Lu act out in such a way, it would be crossing a certain line he believed should never be crossed.

What I believe we're seeing is Hong Lu drawing a group of desperate people towards a likely otherwise very secure household (if his musings about defense systems in Canto 6 are anything to go by). Perhaps, the things he's giving out are specifically invitations, as in Canto 6 Hong Lu mentions (in a way that almost feels like he's speaking from experience mind you) that having an invitation protects one from a mansion's security measures.

So, by "inviting" in as many disruptive people as he can, Hong Lu could be creating the perfect distraction for the Jia Family to deal with while he himself assumedly slips away unnoticed.

At least, that's my theory.

Hope this helps, or is in any way coherent WHEEZE.

[riririnnnn]

It was the end of Ubers match when I first stumbled upon a tweet on Pinterest which sowed the theory of Kaiser destroying Sae's dream in my mind. And honestly, after this seeing panel:

I'm starting to believe more and more in that theory.

It was evident way before Ness's backstory that Kaiser is definitely NOT a newbie in the soccer industry which gives an ample amount of time for Sae to face Kaiser in a match considering Sae didn't return to Japan for straight four years.

And I highly think that Sae faced off Kaiser in the later moment of those four years.

Why?

Because:

He looked miserable when he first returned from Spain in comparison to his later return (almost a year later) from Spain:

And I do think that if you were to lose a long-term dream, then it'll show on your face much more during the earlier days rather than a year later when you get used to the feeling of losing your dream.

Further, Kaiser crushing Sae's dream fits well in two questions that revolves in my mind whenever I think about Sae's backstory:

Why Sae started hating his own country, Japan?

The above question can be modified as:

Why Sae started hating Japanese soccer players?

As I said in one of my previous posts, I do believe that when Sae stepped into Spain, he realised that he was the Frog in the well—he realised how vast the world is and that he wasn't as great of a player as he thought he was. He probably struggled a lot but was somewhat successful in maintaining a balance when Kaiser came in like a wrecking ball to strike the nail in the coffin.

Of course, considering Sae's personality, he would've surely put up a fight against Kaiser just like Isagi did, but unlike that blueberry boy, Sae was already very exhausted and sadly, after some time, he gave up.

Now to address the actual answer to the question: Sae hated how much Japan celebrated him when he was just a child. He was showered with the title of prodigy since he was a kid and he hated that his own country made him feel like he was someone special when in reality, he was just the best among the worst. Further, even if he wanted to be better, there was no one in Japan who could help him do that. He hated how he was made to believe by his country's people that he had what it took to be the world's best striker.

Kind of like a betrayal of some sort.

This gentle soul explained it very well too:

Also, a bit unrelated, but this panel piqued my interest:

German you say, hm?

Moving onto next question:

Why Sae chose to be a Midfielder then?

I have two reasoning for this question:

Firstly, what is the position closest to the striker? Yes, a Midfielder. So, by being a Midfielder, Sae is still trying to be as close to his dream as possible. It is his type of compromise.

Secondly, do you remember what Rin really liked? Yes, Sae's passes. And which position's main role is to pass? Yes, a Midfielder.

You getting me?

It's like Sae is trying to get some kind of closure by reliving those good old times when Rin and Sae played in the Kamakura United (their soccer club). Besides, if Rin were to be the world's best striker, then he would also need the world's best midfielder too, you know.

You getting me?

The only reason I don't want this theory to come true is because it kind of strips us off from an opportunity to get a new badass character.

I also don't want this theory to be true is because I'm solely holding onto this panel:

I'm desperately holding into this panel as a hope that Sae still cares for Rin.

After we got an insight of Kaiser-Ness relation in chapter 261, I can't help but fear that Sae may think of Rin in the same way—someone for his own selfish needs.

And if anything like this happens, I'll transform into the biggest Kaiser's hater alive. Even after chapter 261, I still somewhat defend him for his behaviour, but Itoshi brothers have been the closest to my heart—istg I'll rip Kaiser's hair from his scalp if the brothers' bond gets tarnished because of him.

That's all, I guess.

[lintwriting]

How to Write a M/M Romance: Scum Villain's Bingqiu

Where Masculinity and Teacher/Student Intersect

Teacher Student Romance is the APPEAL, NOT a Plot Convenience

Easily the most problematic part about Scum Villain (beyond the dubcon papapa to save the world) is the teacher/student relationship baked into the main romance of the work—the one between Shen Qingqiu and Luo Binghe. Not only is it pervasive, it's not even brushed aside for the reader to forget about, the way the problematic aspects of other medias often are.

In fact, unlike the way age is brushed aside in fantasy dramas that have "teenage protagonists" for marketing reasons, such as The Vampire Diaries or Re:Zero, where the age is only there to draw in a teenage audience and otherwise the characters act like young adults, Scum Villain's Teacher x Student is purposely highlighted in a way that makes it clear that the dynamic is part of its main appeal.

For one, Luo Binghe's main form of address for his romantic partner is "Shizun," calling him teacher in a super respectful, almost worshipful way. This is the opposite of weakening the unbalanced dynamic. It's elevating the Teacher/Student power imbalance (in ways that make the reader suspect it's a kink thing for Luo Binghe LMAO).

For two, Shen Qingqiu is cognizant of how bad it looks to be called Shizun in a romantic context, feeling textually weirded out when it happens during romantic relations. Despite this, most of the ways he shows affection to Luo Binghe are very paternalistic (milf-coded), such as scolding him in fond exasperation or kissing him on the forehead like a father. In addition, Luo Binghe is specifically noted for not having older male authority figures in his life other than Shen Qingqiu, as his adopted mother was a single woman and his bio father could not care less about the son his late wife gave up her life for (seemingly for no reason, BUT I'll get to that in a different meta) (AND despite ample evidence that he CAN be a good father to Luo Binghe's cousin).

And while one aspect of it is that the Shizun/disciple dynamic is a genre-wide trope thanks to the influence of the early work, The Return of the Condor Heroes, wherein the Confucian taboo of the teacher/student romance is a source of tension and excitement within the novel, I wouldn't say that that's the whole of why Scum Villain (SVSSS) emphasizes the teacher/student romance.

Why are We Hot For Teacher: Return of the Condor Heroes vs Scum Villain

For one, within Return of the Condor Heroes, the romance is between a male student and a female teacher (because it's a het novel, lol), but SVSSS is a BL novel and wouldn't necessarily need to play into such tropes to create this "taboo"-evoking tension.

A lot of BL novels already play into the way being gay is marginalized or frowned upon to accomplish this, for instance, SVSSS's author's latter work, Mo Dao Zu Shi (MDZS) (The Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation), wherein the main character has compulsory heterosexuality.

For two, the dynamics of the Return of the Condor Heroes is playing with heteronormative ideas about the roles of men and women in romance. It's notable that the student is the male lover, and the master is the female lover in this relationship, playing with non-traditional ideas about who is submissive and who is dominant—while simultaneously using it to reaffirm traditional pursuer/pursued dynamics.

This male pursuer/female pursued dichotomy is not usually explicitly stated within media as that can seem sexist and clunky, rather it is usually implicit and portrayed through various contrivances. Xiaolongnu is a "cold beauty" who therefore must remain pure/aloof, which is accentuated by her role as a teacher, and while she is "dominant" as the teacher setting the terms for their relationship, it's mostly to emphasize the lengths that Yang Guo, the student, would go to pursue her. He becomes extra romantic for pursuing her while accepting her lead on choices like separating for 16 years.

In addition, the teacher/student relationship is a contrivance that affirms society's implicit bias about gender by giving textual, non-gendered excuses for the man to pursue. In this case, it would be an abuse of a teacher's power for Xiaolongnu to make the first move. Thus, traditional gender dynamics where men are the ones pursuing women are reaffirmed without making clunky statements about gender, even through nontraditional dynamics like a teacher/student relationship where the woman is dominant.

But, again, SVSSS is a BL, so the two main characters are both men, meaning there is no societal answer on who should be pursuer and the pursued. However, it is notable that SVSSS does play with this same dynamic of "cold, aloof teacher" and student who would go to extreme lengths to pursue them, while also purposely describing Luo Binghe as the "peak of masculinity."

This is where we start getting into SVSSS's intersection between Masculinity and the teacher/student relationship.

Because while although Condor Heroes uses the teacher/student relationship to affirm the heteronormative dichotomy of the male pursuer/female pursued, SVSSS's usage of this dynamic is in service of satirically demonstrating the "acceptable" avenues of affection when living as a man (since there's no women, and they're both men lol).

Teacher/Student Romance as a Way to Escape Restrictive Masculine Gender Roles

Teacher/student dynamic is a huge aspect to SVSSS because it’s a way to escape the masculine gender roles critiqued within the work. This is on the face of it obvious. Shen Qingqiu lets Binghe act bizarrely clingy under the assumption that he’s merely taking care of a filial or needy child. The understanding that "masculine men have to be straight" and the understanding that "Binghe is the most manly person within the novel as the stallion protagonist" intersect to ensure that any affection between them is strictly platonic, which is a double edged sword.

Because Shen Qingqiu allows Binghe close to him with the reassurance that Binghe HAS to be straight (a surprisingly common way for straight men to interact), that means that as Binghe ages, his access to affection will also get cut off, since he's supposed to be aging out of the role of a clingy student and into the role of stallion protagonist.

This is even grafted onto the scum villain/protagonist dynamic, as exactly at the point where Binghe's on the cusp of becoming an adult, Shen Qingqiu is forced to be the opposite of affectionate and become the villain by throwing him down into Xianxia hell. Which, to him, means that he's killed his baby student and replaced him with a stallion protagonist out to take him out.

So when Binghe becomes an adult, he loses access to affection along two axises within Shen Qingqiu's mind. The first being that he's now vengeful stallion protagonist out to get him throwing him away, which is the explicit reason Shen Qingqiu rebuffs him. And the second being that he's now a straight adult man who isn't supposed to get affection from his old teacher, which is also a factor.

This loss and transformation into a protagonist causes him to become insane to almost comical proportions, indiscriminately killing people and so distraught that at any point he's liable to self-destruct—all because he's constantly being rebuffed when seeking affection from his teacher, who thinks he wants to take him out for throwing him into hell. It's notable that any time Shen Qingqiu rejects him, Binghe lashes out in an almost stoic anger, rather than with the vulnerable crybaby tears that Binghe used as a kid. All this is highlighting the consequences of toxically masculine gender roles—where a severe lack of emotional vulnerability creates only violence and status as ways to express yourself, leading to severe emotional issues.

Now this is where it gets to the satirical aspects. Because all that before is pretty angsty and not very funny, but Scum Villain is a comedic satire. This is because it's not from the perspective of Luo Binghe—it's from the perspective of Shen Qingqiu.

The Point of Scum Villain's Meta

To all of this, Shen Qingqiu is totally oblivious, as he is still under the impression that everything was platonic. Which I'd argue he SHOULD be, considering that Binghe was a young student in his care that he was only trying to groom into being nice, person not into a sexual relationship 💀💀. Now, the ethics of fiction about raising your spouse is a whole other issue outside of the scope of this discussion, but within the universe of Scum Villain, where we know his intentions, he gets the pass from me!

The reason Shen Qingqiu is oblivious is because one, as the most terminally online hater on the Internet, he's read about stallion protagonist Luo Binghe way before transmigrating into the story. And the Luo Binghe of the original story was a miserable sack of shit who got an unhappy ending despite being the peak of what masculinity "should" be.

A harem of women to show his virility, a stoic facade, and a constant stream of face slapping for hundreds and hundreds of chapters. He's an alpha male to the point of farce because Airplane needed to appeal to the lowest common denominator of teen boys on the internet—Andrew Tate's main demographic. It's not just a satire of YY novels—this, too, is part of Scum Villain's critique of toxic masculinity.

The second reason Shen Qingqiu is oblivious is because he's homophobic, sexist, heteronormative, etc. etc. etc. He was an INTERNET TROLL for a reason. And while people like to joke that he was a feminist king on the forums, I feel like it's more in line with the themes of the story to take him reading this schlock at face value because it's part of Scum Villain's trap! Anytime you feel like complaining about Scum Villain's hack writing, you're one meat bun away from an uno reverse card. The instant you start complaining, the author can hit you with a "Cucumber-bro calm down," and BOOM you're done! Never comment again!

And this is so effective because none of us want to be an un-self-aware, terminally online, trash-reading hater like him.

So, the satire of the novel is taking this kind of guy—both the Andrew Tates of the world and his basement dwelling followers—and wondering "Would gay sex fix them?" And the answer is YES, WHICH is HYSTERICAL to play straight in a romance like this. It's "Fellas, is it gay to like women?" but make it into an actual romance.

On a thematic level, being gay is indeed antithetical to a masculinity that upholds having sex with tons of women as the ideal, so it's doubly poignant for this closeted gay man to realize that the only thing he needed to do to live was to accept himself and the people around him by giving up his need to fit them into boxes—both on a meta "they're not fictional characters to him anymore" level, but also on a "toxic masculinity shouldn't define us" level.

Climaxing

The old Shen Qingqiu is dead. Long live Shen Qingqiu. Gay sex to save the world. Luo Binghe is back to his crybaby self. All is well in the world.

One thing I love about this teacher/student romance that it portrays Bingqiu afterwards as really happy and in love. Logically, nothing about that makes sense — 45 year old stepfather marries 25 year old stepdaughter from a bad home who idolized him, even while he acts like he's embarrassed to be around her and encourages her helplessness—but it makes perfect sense because it's a perfect marriage between all these different layers.

The "bird leaving the nest" conflict

Qingqiu is allowed to be affectionate with a scary adult Binghe because Binghe can be both a clingy student and an adult

2. The scum villain/protagonist conflict

Binghe never wanted to kill Shen Qingqiu, only to be loved by him.

3. The comphet conflict

Binghe never intended to go out and get a harem of women as a sign of masculine status, he just wants to be gay with Shen Qingqiu.

4. The "should I treat them like real people or fictional characters" transmigrator conflict—

Binghe is a real person separate from the character of Luo Binghe because he's no longer that unattainable masculine ideal—he's human and happier for it.

All solved with a student/teacher relationship in service of critiquing toxic masculinity. Now that's economical writing!

(I love the inclusion of the original Luo Binghe meeting them in the Extras, and that Luo Binghe is pretty evenly matched with him. I feel like the idea that someone "is automatically stronger with the power of love, and therefore that's why love is better" is pretty shallow, as it plays into the toxically masculine idea that strength is all that matters. Luo Binghe may not be stronger than the toxically masculine ideal version of himself, but he doesn't feel the need to be because he's happy the way he is. And his ideal self is jealous of him for that—not vice versa.)

On their own, these resolutions would probably still feel as creepy as Lolicon, but in the context of critiquing masculinity, it makes a lot more sense. Masculinity, I think, fascinates as a writing tool because there's a lot of mini tools baked-in its structure, like Shen Qingqiu's comedic plausible deniability thing, as well as assumptions about power.

For instance, since Binghe is quite literally the God-emperor of his world, it feels more like a kink thing for him to call Qingqiu Shizun, and not like he's actually less powerful than Shizun in their dynamic. His bouts of learned helplessness come off as traditionally feminine Sajiao, NOT like the learned behavior of creepy pick-me pedophilia. It's like a cat showing its belly, because we all know it's a murder machine showing its vulnerable side out of trust, not because it feels the need to degrade itself. So, while his behavior emphasizes the Teacher/Student imbalance, the reality is that he's doing it mostly for kinky reasons and that the two of them are on a pretty level playing field. It's extremely funny when people joke that he and Qingqiu are the same age due to all that time Qingqiu spent dead, because they are Not Wrong.

Problematic Kinks

Romance fiction is usually about ways to get certain needs met in ways that would never be possible in real life, which is why a lot of it is problematic. Virginity kink is not about real life virgins, but the idea that your partner is guaranteed to think you're competent in bed. Bodice ripper stories do not reflect the reality of getting raped, but is more about the idea of getting sexually satisfied with none of the shame of "being slutty" for desiring sex, since it was "against your will." Or they're about controlling the fear of getting raped within this safe romantic fantasy where everything turns out all right. Or various other things because kinks are personal.

Shen Qingqiu is the perfect example of this, where he functions as a great insert for female readers who might have shame around sexuality, since he's a "prude" without actually being one, hence his parallel with Xiaolongnu. Instead, he's just comedically under the misconception that he's straight or that Binghe's only platonically in love with his teacher—that's why he's always ashamed and putting on airs. It's a comedic/unrealistic version of comphet, so you don't gotta think about purity culture while reading your silly little stories.

And Luo Binghe is the self-insert fantasy of readers with daddy issues. His strict father who criticized him all the time actually secretly thought he was the bestest-westest, most handsomest boy in the whole wide world, and there was a secret understandable reason he had to be mean to him, and he secretly loves when he acts like a crybaby because that just means an excuse to pamper him.

And while in real life, many of these would be incredibly dysfunctional—within fiction, we can make these fantasies work anyway. If your romance manages to hit at one of these underlying desires in a fantastical way, you've got a hit with one audience of people! Whether that be by making them EVEN MORE dysfunctional (papapa to save the world) or by having them somehow communicate it out into a healthy dynamic (the extras, presumably).

All this to say, if you're a man frustrated with your love life, all you need is a gay, milf-y male teacher to ruin your life.

[florenceafternoon]

━。゜✿ jily fic recommendations ✿ ゜。━

Because I will never get tired of them, here are some more fic recs. These fics are set in the wizarding world but aren’t necessarily canon complaints.

For reference, anything in italics is an extract from the summaries on ao3.

Never Quite Awake by @sunshinemarauder 

“Endings are nothing unfamiliar to Lily Evans; she’s seen the ends of sisterhood, friendship, and innocence, all from miles away. But this is an end unlike any other. An end that was never supposed to happen.”

If to love someone once is to break their heart, to love them twice is to break yours.

Lily falls for James in her seventh year. But the couple are sent onto two diverging paths when a life-shattering altercation halts their burgeoning relationship. Five years later, she's a curse breaker and he is a soldier.

When they meet again, it feels like coming home.

All the angst that comes with a jily second chance romance that takes place during wartime. A fake dating subplot, cursebreaker!Lily, pining!James. What more could you want. France (country) - a relevant tag

Through The Rain by @bookeatingbean

James and Lily's first kiss, and the story behind it. There's some fluff, some character study, and some good old-fashioned angst.

If you're looking for a character study that shows how they grew up through their school years. This fic shows you that Lily was not a perfect person and James was a bully for the sake of it but he grew to understand that the world does not revolve around him and strives to do better. Or Lily is stubborn and James is the definition of a ride-or-die

It's been a long time by writtenbyfreckles (on ao3)

It's been ten years since Lily left Hogwarts. She's returned to England to work as a Healer on the "ward of the wacky", only to find home isn't as safe as she thought it was. An attack leaves her locked in a ward with her patients, a bunch of Death Eaters and an Auror she hasn't seen for a long time.

I need more cannon divergence Auror!James and Healer!Lily

The Guide To Becoming A Better Man For Lily Evans by @padfootswhiskers

prompt: I decided to walk outside shirtless (accidentally) but I forgot it's winter and why're you screaming at me like that? And oh gosh, you're very pretty.

lingering days, short-lived nights by letthebookbegin (on ao3)

The summer before seventh year, James is desperately trying to think of anything but Lily, who's burrowed her way into his mind and looks quite comfortable there.

The summer before seventh year, Lily is craving a distraction. Avoiding her sister, she picks an ice cream shop for shelter.

At the end of a long summer day, their paths cross - and the rest, as they say, is history.

Ties That Bind by @charmsandtealeaves

Lily Evans grew up with old wives tales about soul mates, but she'd never put much stock in the idea. Not until after she learned about the world of magic and the fact that soul bonds were a thing that actually existed. Which makes these strange new feelings and experiences that much more difficult to manage.

So I read this a while ago but stupidly forgot to bookmark it and then I spent nearly an hour trying to find it again. Needless to say, I ADORE this fic and you should all go read it. Like, right now. Then come back here to talk to me about it.

Lily Evans Doesn't Believe In I Love You's also by @/ charmsandtealeaves

“Did you hear Lily Evans doesn’t believe in I love you's?”

It wasn’t exactly a secret. But no one knew why, until she decided to share a bottle of fire whiskey in the astronomy tower with James Potter.

Same Lily, same

Meet Me At The River also by @/ charmsandtealeaves

A chance encounter with a misplaced owl leads to a correspondence between pen pals. Lily confides in her mysterious Flea and finds herself falling along the way.

I can't remember if I've recommended this one already, but even if I have I'll rec it again because I love it so much!!

Your Friend, James by @thelighthousestale

It is the summer before their 7th year, and Lily and James spend the entire holiday writing letters to each other as their relationship slowly changes from friends to something more.

Just the ending of this one is everything. James and Sirius are never beating the codependent allegations

Castling by @missgryffin

When they were still very young, Remus Lupin’s dad married Lily Evans’ mum. It changes everything.

Lily and Remus are like the little brother who got bullied and then found friends except he invited them over for the first time and they all act weird because they're mildly terrified of his older sister. Friends to lovers jily is only rivaled by academic rivals jily.

Just the Two of Us by @arianatwycross

Head Students James and Lily face a perilous twist when a malicious potion surfaces in hate mail directed at Lily. Dumbledore orders a week-long quarantine in the Head Students' suite. With unspoken crushes lingering, the duo navigates close quarters, leading to unexpected revelations, lingering looks and forehead kisses.

silence and patience, pining in anticipation by @kay-elle-cee

Lily’s been hung up on James for years; a tipsy conversation might be the push she needs to do something about it.

DRESS IS A JILY SONG FOREVER AND ALWAYS

The Devil in the Cloak Room by @chiechie97

Getting your heart broken when you’re 17 seems to alter your brain chemistry more than you would think. Which is the precise reason why Lily has no intention of reconnecting with the friends she lost at the end of school.

And besides, she has no chance of knowing anyone at the masked Halloween party her friend drags her to. Especially not the guy in the devil mask. Right?

Usually I rec complete works but this one is so good I had to include it

Deception and other ways to find love by @annasghosts

“I’ll be your fake girlfriend, Potter.” And this is how Lily Evans embarks on the adventure of (fake) dating her former Hogwarts nemesis (and crush, but ssssh, it’s a secret). Will she be able to keep her cool? Will he?

Class of '78 by @emeralddoeadeer

Class of 1978 Five Year Reunion - July 29th, 1983

Now is the time to look upon our shared experience, our similarities must unite us rather than letting our differences divide us. Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry invites the Graduating Class of 1978 to return to the castle for a weekend of reconnecting, reminiscing and recreation. We hope the passage of time has been kind to you all and look forward to welcoming you soon.

Professor Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster, Order of Merlin First Class, Grand Sorc, DWiz, X.J sorc, S of Mag Q

It's been five years since graduation, and while many things have changed, some things never will.

James Potter Won't Go Quietly by la_plus_heureuse (on ao3)

Lily Evans remembers plenty about James Potter from Hogwarts. But an assignment from Mojo Magazine to profile the Quidditch star turned activist makes her realize what she remembered was all wrong.

canon divergence staring quidditch player James and journalist Lily

On A Scale of One to Ten (requires an ao3 account) by @petalsinwoodvale

Lily starts falling for an insecure, yet charming auror named James who is recovering from injury in her ward. No one else on staff will sit and talk to him, mostly due to septic skin covering most of his upper torso. Lily, however, finds him charming and funny. Naturally, when James' injuries start healing, he grows more and more handsome. The other healers suddenly take interest in James, romantically ...

foxy by lizpaige (on ao3)

Lily joins the boys at the shrieking shack on a particularly difficult moon in her new animagus form.

Lily & Remus friendship is so special to me

[gothic-aesthetic-gal]

Old Scars (Part 17)

Ledger!joker x reader

Fem!reader is kidnapped by the joker and his henchmen while just trying to get a moment's reprieve from her boring, soul-destroying job ✨️

Tw: I mean, we all saw TDK, right? I'd say this is on the same level/rating. Kidnapping, violence, mentions of minor characters (not J) being misogynist/threatening SA, reference to past traumatic injury. Spicier scenes to begin with here but actually mainly a very non-violent chapter. Beyond this i'm not sure, i'll update these when I write more.

Chapter 17 -

We had been locked into this latest dance for some time now, though time didn't seem to exist as long as we were entangled. I pushed him down onto his back and clambered on top of him, eagerly holding him there. He looked up at me with that strange flicker of admiration again, as I drank in the sense of power I felt at handling him like that, the way he had done to me several times already.

Softly, I ran my thumb over his bottom lip and along the length of one of his scars, feeling how his breath caught in his throat with each deliberate movement my hips made. His blacked out eyes fluttered closed as I tightened my grip on him, drawing him closer and closer into me. He had made good on his threats, finding just the right ways to play me with all the precision of a concert violinist, his hands giving life to all kinds of crescendos.

I threaded my fingers into his curls behind his ear and clenched my hand into a fist, pulling his head back harder against the pillow and teasing a ragged moan out of his parted lips. Unable to resist, I bent down to meet him there, planting a building kiss on his painted mouth. My tongue brushed against his own and sent fresh shivers rushing through me. He kissed me back hungrily, as though he was a man dying of thirst and I was cool water. Like the breaking of the swell against the shorleline, like great rolling waves in a winter storm, we both hit our final apex.

It wasn't until were were both completely spent, collapsing back onto the bed in total defeat, with the first weak rays of morning sunlight poking through the ill-fitting curtains, that I realised how much time must have passed. As I felt his chest rise and fall, each movement becoming gradually shallower, I sighed contentedly. We were both drifting back down to baseline and very slowly the outside world was trickling back into focus. For the entire night, I forgot it existed altogether. The world could have been ending, and I wouldn't have known - or cared.

Unlike the previous re-escalation that had followed brief periods of down-time, I knew that this time we were both finally too tired to go further. Our bodies were covered in the streaked remnants of his face paint, and the various other marks we had left on each other.

Now the intensity of the moment had finally dissipated, I felt a lick of shame at how freely and totally I had given myself over to him, and how eager I was to return all of his affections - whether tender, or violent. I felt like I had regressed into an animal state; possesed by the primeval. It thrilled and terrified me as I lay beside him in silent rapture, turning my head away.

The ugly wallpaper seemed to move: the faded floral design twisting and winding. The heads of giant, faded peonies lolling and dropping, petals shaken from their stalks floating to the floor. I knew well-enough that it was just another aftershock of the drug and they were getting fewer and less intense, but it was still unsettling.

"It's happening again..." I murmured.

I felt him roughly tug at my shoulder, rolling me onto my back, and he leant over me as I stared up at him. I felt his hands slide over my own and pin me down, but I could tell his demeanour was playful. I watched the colours on his face, they seemed like an impressionist painting - the outlines faded and blurred.

"What do you see?"

I was silent for a moment as I pondered his question, his face swimming gradually into sharper focus.

"I see you."

"You saw me before. What if you're still dreaming?" He said, his eyes widening in frantic excitement.

"I'm not."

"How do you know?"

"I'm not dreaming."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes," I snapped, my temper flaring.

He leaned closer over me, still holding me down.

"But how do you know?"

"Because, I'm not afraid right now."

"Hm, maybe you should be," he said in a way that sent a fresh mixture of fear and excitement through me.

"That place was hell."

"And this place isn't?" He mused.

I tugged one arm free and was struggling to try and pry his grip from my other.

"Yes. And? Let me go already!" I snapped, losing all patience.

He watched my struggle with an air of detachment, before slowly releasing me and humming some kind of made up tune to himself. He had clearly extracted the information he wanted from me in the moment. Things were still swimming a little as I stared at him in silent irritation. He leant back against the headboard, lazily throwing one arm up behind his head.

"So if it's not hell, is it heaven?" He teased.

"Try purgatory," I muttered, not wanting to give any further inflation to his ego.

"Well, if you're still not convinced, I'll just have to convince you," he said, grabbing me again and planting kisses along my collar bone and up my neck.

As good as it felt, I was more than exhausted and had no clue how he had any stamina left in the tank himself.

"Hah, very funny," I muttered, slapping my hand over his face and pushing him away from me like I was reprimanding an over-excitable dog for jumping up at me.

I rolled out of his reach and got up, stretching out and gathering my clothes so that I could get dressed.

"I'm hungry," I announced as my stomach growled in confirmation.

I threw his clothes back at him in a bundle as well, much to his chagrin. Despite playing up his protests, he did also get dressed and wandered back to ground zero - wiping the remnants of his paint away in the bathroom mirror. I also removed the lingering traces of him from my skin as he watched me silently.

"There's a diner a couple of blocks from here. If you give me a half hour, we can go there."

I was a little surprised by this, but it was by no means unwelcome, so I tried not to show it and agreed. I left him to his own devices and wandered the other two rooms in the property. There was what must have been another bedroom once, the walls splashed with fading blue paint. It had several of the crates I had seen in the warehouses he used, and opening one confirmed my suspicions that they were full of weapons. I froze for a moment, considering the weight of the discovery.

Not wanting to think about who might end up staring down the barrel of any of them, I hurriedly replaced the lid and moved on down the hall. This area had a kitchen which might have looked in vogue during the eighties, but clearly had not been updated in any way since. There were a handful of pots and pans in the sink and water dripping periodically onto them was the only sound that filled the empty space.

Suddenly, J reappeared and I found myself missing his purple coat when I saw it had been usurped by a dull beige one. I threw on my own black coat and a scarf, helping him to wind his own around him. As we walked out and down the steps onto the icy lot, he lit up a cigarette and exhaled clouds of smoke into the frosty air. Everything around us seemed to have a faded blue-grey tone in the bleakness of winter.

We made the walk in silence. I didn't know what to say: we had crossed a boundary. He opened the door for me and I slipped by him into the warmth of the diner. It was a pretty jumbled space inside, with a riot of chaotic kitsch décor, but it felt comforting, espescially in contrast to the greyscale world outside. The black and white checkered flooring, the neon casting green and red light, and the random assortment of vintage desert Americana which was wildly out of place in an East Coast city. All of it was oddly comforting. There were only three other people inside, one being the waitress. Maybe there was a cook in the back, but beyond that... I was relieved it wasn't crowded out.

We decided to sit at the opposite end to the one occupied booth, away from civilisation and possible prying eyes. I sank down onto the red leather upholstry and propped my elbows against the silver table between us as he settled into the seat opposite. It was jarring to see him in such a mundane setting, his face absent of the paint and his clothes so unremarkable. The light above him cast him in an eerie green light, and the one above me made my skin look red. The lighting reminded me of dive bars, biker clubs, and old technicolour horror movies.

"I thought you were supposed to take the girl out for food before you got through all the bases." I said, deciding humour was the best way to break the ice.

He laughed.

"Tell me, is that before or after you kidnap the girl when she's pretending to be able to afford the clothes that rich people wear?"

I laughed at the absurdity of the truth in what he was saying.

"You don't think I should have gone window shopping?"

"That's such a fence-sitting mentality. If you want something, you should just take it - by force if necessary," he said, leaning across the table with a chaotic glint in his eyes.

He shrank back into his seat with the arrival of the waitress and we placed our orders and she disappeared again.

"Not everyone has that luxury. That's a very male perspective," I rebuked him.

He seemed to consider this for a moment.

"True enough, but there are different ways of getting people to cooperate."

"And is that what you do to me?" I muttered

He frowned.

"No. I like to see what you do, the choices you make. Why would I take that away? Although, under certain specific conditions, you seemed more than happy to... cooperate," he cracked a smile.

"Oh, I see. Well, if I recall correctly, you were pretty comfortable inverting that dynamic. Those in glass houses shouldn't throw stones," I pushed back.

"I like the unpredictable. Routine is so boring."

"I can't disagree with you there."

I watched him as he fidgeted ceaselessly. To the casual observer it might have looked like anxiety, or even that he was on something, but I knew it came from the unbearable restlessness within him.

The waitress returned and set down the food in front of us. Once her back was turned J poured a truly insane amount of sugar onto his pancakes.

"Is this a date?" I asked suddenly, after only one bite of mine.

He seemed a little agitated by my disarming question.

"No".

"Are you sure, because you showered, brushed your teeth and is that - cologne?"

"And that makes this a date?" He said as he set to deconstructing the stack of pancakes in front of him.

"No, what makes it a date is that you're trying to eat differently, and playing house with me here..."

He looked a little irritated at my observations, then confused before shaking all of that off. His face took on a meaner expression, colder and more calculating than before.

"Aren't you the one who started all of this. What happened to-,' he cleared his throat as he hunched forward and began to mockingly imitate my voice, "lie to me, spin me a little fairytale. Tell me everything's wonderful and it'll stay that way."

His words, though deliberately cruel, didn't cut as deep as he'd intended; I had tougher skin than that.

"Sheesh, if you're going to start being mean again, I'm gonna need a drink," I said, waving to the waitress as she poured coffee for the other occupied table at the far end.

"It's not even ten in the morning..." J muttered in disbelief.

"And what? You suddenly care about rules," I laughed.

I flagged down the waitress.

"Hi, excuse me, can I get a margarita please?"

She looked a little taken aback but tried her best to hide it.

"Um, sure miss, I'll see what we can do,"

"Thanks, I really appreciate it," I added, putting down a tip pre-emptively.

J raised his eyebrow as she retreated.

"A margarita?!" He said, clearly amused.

"What are you, my grandmother? Stop clutching at your pearls already," I teased, kicking him under the table.

I'd accidentally done it more forcefully than I had meant to and he looked at me stony-faced for a moment. I froze. Then he broke into a smile and raucous laughter. It was definitely preferable to see his mood shift again and I couldn't help but laugh too.

She returned with a glass which looked like it was for an ice cream sundae, complete with lime slices, a sparkly decoration that looked like a little tinsel firework and a little paper umbrella for good measure.

"I hope it's okay, I had to look up how to make it," she said anxiously.

"Ah look how cute that is! Thank you!" I beamed.

The waitress gave me a genuine smile, pleased with her improvisation and cautiously waited for me to taste it. I sipped it and gave an enthusiastic thumbs up. I slid her a hundred dollar bill and her eyes went wide like two saucers. I beckoned her closer.

"Put that in your pocket and don't tell your boss. It's only for you, and we'll pay for the food like normal at the end." I whispered.

She shakily stashed it and smiled as she left us to finish eating.

J was watching me wordlessly the entire time. I deliberately ignored his gaze and finshed off my bacon pancakes between sips of margarita.

"You have a soft spot for people in the service industry, particularly young women."

"Well that makes me sound very creepy."

"But it's true."

"Well, yeah. Since they're the people who often get the most shit from everyone else. What else am I supposed to do with blood money anyway?"

"Ah. So it makes you feel better about that being stolen mob cash? I see," he said leaning back in seat.

"Well, what else am I gonna do? Spend it on some stupid consumerist bullshit that I don't need? And it's not like a couple of thousand would get me my own apartmemt, is it? So may as well give it away to people who deserve it."

"But you have next to nothing yourself, you said as much. You're not tempted deposit it all in your account?"

"No. I've nearly died twice now. Money isn't gonna come with me when I finally kick the bucket, is it? Sure, I could put it in my account and give a few more month's rent to my crooked landlord, but then what? Besides, if I use my bank account, the cops I crossed could easily find out i'm alive."

"It's true about your account, of course," he conceeded.

"Look, I'm not saying it changes anything drastically, but I try to help people and I don't see that as a weakness. I don't expect you to understand that."

"Hm," was all he responded as he continued to dissect his pancakes.

His constant analytical interrogation made me feel like I was also on his plate. Sure, he was trying to get to know me, but the way he approached it like some sort of study, some kind of post-mortem investigation, unsettled me.

I gazed out of the window at the nearly empty lot. The fog was once again rolling in from the docks filling the city with shadows and obscurity. It reminded me again of what I'd seen while dosed with the toxin.

"Can you dance?" I asked abruptly.

He frowned.

"Well, that depends, are we talking saturday night fever or ballroom?"

"Can you Waltz?"

I watched his facial expressions as he seemed to privately rake over his mystery past.

"It's been a long time, and I wouldn't say well. What about you?"

"No."

"You were trying on ball gowns and you don't know how to dance..." he said in mild amusement.

I sighed.

"You didn't learn for school dances or anything like that?"

"No, I didn't have much time for - it doesn't matter."

"Ah, troubled kid were we?" He said, waving his fork in my direction.

"The past is the past, let's not pull on those threads," I said, finishing my drink.

He looked a little disappointed, but didn't say anything in protest. I couldn't hide the sadness which was filling me up suddenly. He watched me closely as I neatly placed my knife and fork on my empty plate and pushed it away from me. I set down enough to cover the check from one of the stacks of stray bills J had in his hideout. It was a relief that he truly did not care about money or if I took some of it. In all honesty, it felt good to have it on me, if only for times like these where I didn't have to worry about paying for food and could leave a generous tip. It was a power I wasn't accustomed to having.

He stood up and put back on his coat and scarf. As I was doing the same, he suddenly grabbed me by the hand and tugged me into the aisle. I felt like my arm was going to pop out of place almost.

"Ouch, what gives?" I gasped.

"I have an idea. You'll see," he answered slyly.

He grinned and continued to drag me to the door. The waitress smiled and I hurriedly waved goodbye as we passed her, before I was whisked outside into the cold.

We crossed one of the abandoned parking lots, peppered with the bare limbs of various plants breaking through the cracks in the concrete. They rustled in the breeze and the fog was so thick that I couldn't see more than a few metres in any direction. The gulls screamed as they circled ahead, like the restless spirits of unseen sailors - ships had sunk to the bottom of the harbour in a long bygone era. There was a beauty in the strangeness of the desolate space and the city had disappeared into it.

"Now, let me see. I think I know the sequence of steps," J muttered, abruptly stopping and pulling me in close.

"What?"

"Put your hand here, and here. No, here," He instructed, posing my limbs like a marionette on unseen strings.

"What are you doing?" I demanded anxiously.

"Don't you want to dance?" He asked, sounding frustrated.

"Well yes, but-"

He cut me off by interjecting.

"Good! This is the first position."

I shakily followed his direction, feeling immediately self-conscious.

"Then step this way. Just mirror my feet."

I felt so clumsy and uncoordinated but tried to follow each slow move.

"See how it makes a box?" He encouraged.

"I think so?"

"Just keep following. I put this foot forward, you put that one back. It's push and pull."

I did start to settle into the rhythm of it with the repetition, and he seemed to add a turn so that we began to rotate around with the steps. It made me think of a Spirograph, like the one I had as a kid. I imagined our path drawing out a pattern in vibrant colour on the ground.

"See? One, two, three, one, two, three. Rinse and repeat," he grinned.

I couldn't help but smile back a little, even whilst I felt so inelegant. How I wished that I magically knew all of this, like in the dream, but at least that meant I was currently awake.

"Of course, all this repetition is so boring," he announced suddenly, rapidly putting me into a spin and a dip.

I was afraid for a moment that I was about to fall onto my back and drag him with me, but he caught me. Before, I could say or do anything further, he drew me into a passionate kiss. My concerns melted away in the fire, the moment his lips met my own.

When he broke away and pulled me back upright, I had to catch my breath. Ever since i'd come round from the toxin, I felt exhausted. Going at it like bunny rabbits all night had not helped, and my body ached all over.

"Let's go back. You need to rest," He said firmly, noticing my shift in demeanour.

Link to the masterlist for other chapters:

Tag list:

If I forgot anyone or you want to be removed from the tag list - please let me know! 💕

@dis0rderly-cl0wn-nerd

@dance-like-a-clown

@furisodespirit

@heath-ledger-jokers-wife

@sunfyrejoker

@lightsabergirl

@clowning--around

@ruby-da-archangel

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@all-bi-myselfs-blog

Dividers by @strangergraphics ✨️

[blondeaxolotl]

don't know if you already did this but how does murray and sirena feel about Jamil dating Floyd...and whoever dating Jade

I've talked about Murray and Sirena's thoughts on one of their sons dating someone in general, but how'd they react to specific characters!

Murray is on a neutral stance on however Floyd or Jade end up dating, her only rule is as long as they're not an asshole and don't make my son miserable I'm cool with them they can stay. You'd have to be a SPECIFIC kind of a bad to make Murray of all people not like you, doesn't matter who you are (It'd also be the one time where Murray becomes a strict parent for once, if she thinks the person her son is with is bad for them, she's immediately go "You're not allowed to see them anymore, end of story.")

So Murray's thoughts on Jamil dating Floyd would be neutral at first as expected. Like oh cool my son's dating someone and they seem decent, good for him. She basically already accepted Jamil into the family. Though Murray's head would perk up after hearing Jamil knows how to cook, Murray comes from a foodie family (and was the one who taught Floyd and Jade how to cook) so hearing her son got with someone who's not only a decent person but ALSO KNOWS HOW TO COOK?? YAHOO!! It'd give Murray a chance to learn what Jamil knows about cooking and what dishes he can cook, while in return she'd teach some tricks and possibly how to cook new meals to Jamil as well. This is probably the best outcome for Jamil, even though he doesn't enjoy cooking as much as Murray (unless he's cooking for Floyd), it's the easiest way to get along with what could possibly be his future mother-in-law and get on her good side without an issue. (For Jade I'll use both Azul and Vil as examples)

If Jade ends up dating Azul, Murray wouldn't be surprised really since they did grow up as childhood friends, and seeing them close to the point of dating would be no surprise for her. She already liked Azul and thinks he's a funny kid. And he was already considered a part of the family, now that he's straight up dating one of the tweels he's basically given a spare key to their house and can now enter and be welcomed into it whenever he feels like.

If Jade ends up dating Vil, Murray would probably be the only person to not give a single flying fuck that Vil is a famous model/actor, Vil is just another person to Murray and ofc she has a neutral stance on them at first. Vil would not have an issue with Murray accepting them as Jade's partner, but I think a small problem that'd cause trouble at first is when Murray finds out about Rook. In the Coral Sea, it is very not uncommon for a merfolk to be stalked by something and that usually means danger. So finding out about Rook would cause Murray's alarms to go off thinking her son could be in danger, and Vil would probably have to force Rook to come introduce himself and show her he's no danger at all, because if he doesn't that might risk Vil and Jade to break up. But after finding out Rook is no trouble Murray would go back to her normal "Oh okay cool" state and just accept Vil into the family with no issues anymore. So like, funny enough Vil might be only one who struggled with being accepted by Murray JUST because of Rook and I think that's funny as fuck.

Now with Sirena, unlike Murray who's full on "okay cool" with any person that her sons end up dating. Sirena would like to first get to know the person before she decides if she likes them or not and if they're a good fit for her son. Sirena is probably the parent you'd have to work at least a little bit harder to get her approval but in the end she will be the most supportive if it works out.

Her thoughts on Jamil dating Floyd, first thing she'd think after seeing Jamil is aw he's very pretty how cute. Though after talking for a while and witnessing how Jamil is with Floyd, she'd quickly take a liking to him after noticing how loving and patient Jamil is with Floyd, kind of like how Sirena is with Murray. Made her start seeing a bit of herself in Jamil after noticing their similarities. Sirena's biggest worry was if the person Floyd was dating is able to handle his mood swings. Since Sirena knows how to handle both Murray and Floyd's mood swings (meaning, a LOT of patience) she was worried the person who Floyd ended up with might not be able to and therefore would end up breaking his heart because of it. But hearing how Jamil is one of the few people who knows how to deal with them, she felt instant relieve and the weight on her shoulders vanished completely. After they get along, Sirena constantly tells Jamil if he needs any help with Floyd, she's there to help and might even tell him about the silly things Floyd has done when he was a child while she does so (usually Murray is the parent that embarrasses her sons but sometimes Sirena has to do it as well)

Now with Jade

If Jade ends up dating Azul, Sirena would be OVERRR THE MOON SUPPORTIVE WITHOUT HESITATION. I've mentioned before how Sirena and Azul's mother used to be high school besties when they were younger (and they are kinda the reason why the tweels and Azul started hanging out after they reconnected). So hearing that her son is dating her bestie's son has made her overjoyed completely, not only do their kids get along, but they're also dating? How cute! I do not doubt Sirena and Azul's mother gossiped about it for a good while they're happy to say the least.

Now if Jade ends up dating Vil, I think Sirena would have the most normal reaction to suddenly finding out your son is dating a famous model/actor "Huh what the fuck". Think she had to process it a little, she was aware of who Vil was already (since, who wouldn't be) but finding out her son was dating them was a whiplash she wasn't prepared for at all. After the shock factor, Sirena would take a moment to get to know Vil just like how she did with Jamil, and learn okay yeah Vil does seem to love her son and treat him well and she's happy with that, but it might take her some time to get used to and have the shock turn down from finding out now a famous model is part of your family. Sirena also got a bit spooked by Rook (not as much as Murray though) but calmed down pretty quickly after Rook casually waved at her and she waved back after she noticed him, of course calming down more after Vil introduced Rook to them, she finds him strange but not a danger so I guess that's another thing she will have to get used to lmao

Yeah that's about it, Murray and Sirena in the end are supportive of whoever Floyd or Jade start dating, even if one of them might be shocking. Just as long as they're good for them, they're happy and proud

[katyspersonal]

What do you make of the Fool's Idol and Ranni both being magical witch-dolls with four arms?

The point is not that Ranni is also a doll! The point is that Renna aka Snowy Crone whom Ranni based the doll's body on, was blue-skinned and four-armed! There is already a whole type of such people, after all:

These guys are cursed, and also dead! Similarly to those with Omen Curse, they are unable to return to the Erdtree as they are "exluded" from the circle of life and death that Marika started! (Mind that this type of enemy is also almost exclusive in Liurnia and that secret Carian place, so, areas that have been hostile to Erdtree until Rennala married Radagon!)

They are, in fact, so cursed that anything holy even if it is a healing spell just straight up kills them dshdsfhd

As for Queen of Latria, I do not have many sources to show just yet (Demon's Souls lore is a hindrance in general until I find how to extract all Japanese script for it, dialogues is the biggest problem to find).

But, the four-armed person was made in likeness of now-defunct Queen that is learned from Soul Ray's description:

It is even more apparent from the textures, too, but she is clearly organic:

This thing is clearly some sort of a demon! I am not sure whether her actual body was used to create Fool's Idol, or it was indeed created from scratch? The look of brown hair (same as what is depicted on the stained glass featuring Queen of Latria) damaged by blue and gaping hole on her back makes me feel like it's closer to the former. But in any case, it is more of a "came back wrong" situation; she didn't seem to have four arms in reality!

In fact, there is a THIRD case of 'four-armed person who came back wrong' in Soulsborne games:

Darklurker is a one of a kind take on concept of 'Angel' that looks not too similar to Angels from DS3 and is the only one to have four arms! They are met in the Dark Chasm of Old, which seems to be what remained of Chasm of the Abyss! Granted, it isn't even on the same continent; it is literally accessed through portals, and Nashandra is stated to have arrived from overseas!

Moreover, Darklurker is unique amongst angels as they literally split, not unlike it happens with rare Twin Humanity! It isn't a common trick for a Soulsborne boss to just create a fake version of them, it is literally the same boss twice now.

Considering what Dark Chasm of Old is, and that Angels sprout from within the strongest concentration of darkness in a human being, I'll tell you more; Darklurker might be another, secret part of Manus! It isn't himself, of course; Darklurker is as much still Manus as any angel from Dark Souls 3 is still the person they sprouted from. But you get the point!

Naturally that his version of Angel is absolutely unique because Manus was unique; the only person in the setting with a pitch black soul even darker than those of Gael or Midir, the only dark being powerful enough to be reborn as four whole new Dark beings, the only person in the setting who literally radiates darkness by Just Standing There and produces Humanities, the master of the Abyss and not just someone living in there... Also most likely not human but Pygmy, because his mutation was very similar to that of a mad Pygmy king that Shira "killed" (he didn't fully die tho):

With this all I just feel like it is not very deep, but rather, Fromsoft has a reoccurring take on "came back wrong" character who will be four-armed, cursed and associated with blue color! Fool's Idol is simply the very first case of this trend, just like many things in Demon's Souls!

[ogata77]

First spoiler chapter 58

The first spoilers for chapter 58 are here and I want to leave you my quick thoughts. I'll start with the cover.

The last image is the new inside cover of chapter 58 and obviously I couldn't help but relate it to these other images. Yoneda usually plays a lot with connections and mirror chapters so I like to hypothesize what he wants to tell us. The first image of chapter 10: "At that time when I was a nobody", shows the moment when a teenage Yashiro is pressured by Misumi to formally join the yakuza. If we continue with the sequence, image 2 corresponds to chapter 31: "Feelings and ambitions intermingle", it is one of the climax moments of the story where they end up accusing Yashiro of the death of a member of the Gouda-gumi. There is a lot of talk about the sakazuki (official yakuza affiliation ceremony), loyalty and it is shown how yakuza groups protect their members in these situations of internal conflict. Finally we have the cover of the next chapter 58: "Emotions are left behind."

All of the above shows us narratively where we are heading in the story at the level of the yakuza (my favorite). Yashiro never wanted to join the yakuza out of necessity, he did it as a sacrifice to help Kageyama (I hope one day he finds out) and throughout his life he has shamelessly shown that he has never truly felt like a yakuza. When the first arc ends and Yashiro loses leadership as wakagashira of his group, "the" opportunity is created to distance himself from the yakuza. Misumi pressures him again and again to work directly with him again but so far he has dodged it with grace and elegance as only he knows how. Until that moment everything was working for Yashiro, he was still like a living dead, but he was half a body away from the yakuza until Doumeki enters the equation again. The cover of the new chapter says that emotions are left behind but will Yashiro be able to leave his emotions behind when it comes to protecting Doumeki? Precisely in the last chapters Yoneda has shown us how they have been gradually resolving their prejudices and emotions but now it is time to return to reality, we are at the beginning of another yakuza conflict.

On the other hand, I cannot fail to mention the visual narrative of the covers. Chapter 10 and 58 are a mirror, both Yashiros look at this little sparrow that represents the difficult decision to be in the yakuza, it is incredibly sublime. And the intermediate scene that has so much to say, Yashiro, unlike the other images, is standing, which means to me that he feels in a more empowered position, and let's add the details of the rain and the umbrella.

I couldn't leave aside the symbolism of these two elements. The rain has always been another character in saezuru, a symbol of pain, sadness, loss and its counterpoint the umbrella that protects me from everything. There are so many memorable scenes with these two elements to name a few: when Yashiro brings the umbrella to Aoi (Doumeki's sister) to protect her from her feelings for Doumeki because it reminds her of when he loved Kageyama, when Yashiro looks at a mother from the car protecting his son, a feeling that he had never felt (this is very sad, Yashiro is a survivor), the past and recent scenes where Doumeki protects Yashiro (for more information you can read aiaigasa). There is so much to remember and analyze that saezuru readers can, without exaggeration, read the story 100 times and find something new.

To finish, I think that for Yashiro and Doumeki it is time to decide whether or not they are going to officially be part of their groups with the advantages and risks that this entails. If you've read this far, I sincerely thank you for your interest in my ramblings and if there are problems in the text, you know, it's Google translator's fault hahahaha.

[spudfromspace]

Is this actually real?

Hello, this story is the result of me thinking of multiple things at the same time and spiraling into a rabbit hole of thoughts, i think i might have ADHD. This is the first story I've written in a long while (around 4 years), so it might not be that good. Anyhow, let's get on with it. Also, this'll be male character/s x male reader, ok? No hard feelings, but we need more x male reader works, also this is an au if you couldn't tell

*i groan, rubbing my head as the world around me feels like it's spinning. Eventually, i was able to stand up and take a look at my surroundings, it looked like a forest*

W-where am i?

*i was about to explore my new surroundings, but then i saw something approach me from the woods. It was some cat thing with rings on its ears. It looked strangely familiar, but i couldn't remember why*

Welcome, i am kyubey

Wait- this seems oddly familiar-

I am capable of granting you one wish, anything you desire

Wait a minute-

But in return, you will become a magical boy and use your powers to fight witches

WAIT A DAMN MINUTE-

*i start to freak out, realising just who this is*

OH HELL NO, I AIN'T RISKING MYSELF AND BECOMING A WITCH. BACK YOU DEMON!

*i yell at it, picking up a random stick on the ground and pointing it at it*

*"kyubey" starts laughing and falls on the ground*

Hahahaha! I'm just kidding!

*it transforms into something else, something with a more human appearance but the ears and tail were still there. They stand up and walk towards me, putting their hands up to show they weren't there to hurt me*

Chill, I'm not gonna do anything bad

*i lower the stick*

Then who are you, where am i and what the heck is going on?

Well, first my name isn't important but you can just call me kyu. Second you are in America, well, America in another world. And third basically you died and are now being subjected to a similar fate as most shonen isekai anime protagonists

Wait.... WHAT!? THAT CAN ACTUALLY HAPPEN!?

*i was very shocked after what i was just told. I died... and was now in another world like in those isekai animes*

You good? Had enough time to get it together yet?

It's been barely 2 minutes... THAT IS NOWHERE NEAR ENOUGH TIME FOR ME TO GET IT TOGETHER AFTER LEARNING I JUST DIED AND AM NOW IN ANOTHER WORLD!

Well get it together already, there's still a lot we need to get through before i can leave

What?

Well i cant just leave you in this new world without having any knowledge about this place and unable to live by yourself, i am legally not allowed to. Since unlike most of those isekai tropes where people get sent to worlds in more medieval times and you can just start your life without people questioning who you are and where you came from, this world is just as modern as your previous one, and since you don't originally belong to this world you wont have things like your birth certificate, school files, personal files, proof of existence, etc...

Wait.... so then how am i supposed to live here if i basically don't exist?

*they chuckle and snap their fingers, multiple documents appear around us*

That's what I'm here for, I'm in charge of your transfer to this world and with some magic i made some of these documents and files that will serve as your identity and proof of existence in this world, stuff like your birth certificate and things i mentioned previously, these will become apart of this worlds databank making it as if you were always part of it. I kept your information identical to your original one except for the fact that now it would be as if you were already an American citizen, instead of living in (insert country), your data would be stated that you moved to America just recently with the purpose of studying

But what about where I'll live? How am i supposed to get money or a job? And studying, how could i afford tuitions?

I'm getting there, jeez, be a little patient won't you? You'll be provided with a small house for yourself, as for school stuff, you'll find documents inside said house for your school, since I've already enrolled you. And as for money and job, well, that's where the fun stuff starts

*they were grinning after saying that which worried me a bit for what they meant by that*

What are you talking about?

Well, remember what i said earlier? I wasn't kidding about that turning you into a magical boy part, but before you panic, no it's not like madoka magica. You will be a using powers and stuff to fight bad guys and get paid by the government for saving people, sounds fun right?

What kind of powers? And is there some kind of catch? Cuz a free house, powers, and a job sounds too good to be true...

The only catch is college, you'll have to balance fighting bad guys with attending school while not failing. And as you probably now from all the shows you've watched with similar tropes, that isn't an easy task, but one thing you won't have to worry about is hiding your identity

Is it because magical girls/boys outfits have magic that make people as blind as a bat when it comes to their identities, regardless of how identical they look?

What? No, not like miraculous ladybug blindness, it's more like the powerpuff girls

Ah, ok then. So....what powers do i get? Are they cool powers?

Eh, I'm too lazy to come up with powers, here just pick which ones you want

*they hand over a screen displaying multiple characters fictional characters*

Wait, aren't these characters from works of fiction? Won't they exist in fiction in this world too?

Well yeah, some fictional works from your world exist here too, just like how things like nintendo exist here too. But don't worry, all the characters in that screen are characters that don't exist in this world, as to avoid copyright infringement. So just take your pick and I'll give you those powers.

This isn't an easy decision to make, can't i just pick later? How about you show me where ill be living first?

Fiiinnnneeee..... but I'll only wait until tomorrow, so make up your mind by then ok?

*kyu snaps their fingers and then we suddenly appear in a bedroom, me falling into a bed*

This is your new home, information about your house, school, and city are all in those documents beside you on your bed, and just use google maps for getting to your school. You'll also have food in the fridge and some money if you look in your drawer. Now if you'll excuse me, I'll be taking my leave, I'll be back tomorrow afternoon so have a decision by then ok?

*kyu then disappears, leaving me alone in my new house, in a new world, in my new life. I plop myself properly down on the bed, looking at the ceiling and thinking of everything that just happened during the last hour or so*

Holy shit.... i think i just became an shonen protagonist.... ew

*thinking back to what kyu said, i needed to think of what powers i want*

Eh, I'll figure it out tomorrow morning, i need to sleep after all this shit

End of part 1

This is the end for this part, i hope this wasn't too bad. As for the powers and stuff, I'll keep thinking for what powers would be good or i might just make a poll later on which characters powers we could have, you guys can even comment some suggestions. No dogday and catnap for now, maybe in the next chapter if i get to that part fast enough

[missypanther]

Possibilities of Okarun's new powers

⚠️Spoiler for the manga… If you're not up to date, it's best not to continue reading.

After Turbo regained her powers, Okarun has lost his ability to transform, but I have no doubt that they will give him a replacement very soon. So what could happen next? It's a question that has been on my mind for a long time and these are the possibilities, I think:

1. Okarun begins to train his psychic powers like Jiji and Momo. I find it unlikely because throughout the story it has been emphasized to us several times that Momo and Jiji have exceptional spiritual power and it has not been said that Okarun possesses it, nor that he is particularly great. However, the intergalactic travel of his balls could give him some psychic potential. On the other hand, it wouldn't seem very logical to me to give something like that to Okarun at this point in the story. It would be a complete reset of the character at power levels and I would have to start training other facets.

2. Saint Germain's razors. It has recently been explained to us that psychic power of any kind, including Yokais, could be contained in a knife and passed on to another character. We know that the Fairy Tales card is in the hands of the count, but given that he is one of the few yokai whose history has not been explored despite having been the antagonist of an entire arc… I don't rule out that we will see him again. As a temporary measure I wouldn't be upset, but I don't think I'll ever see Okarun with a yokai like that. It would even be a step down from his previous powers.

3. Reiko Kashima. I don't have a more developed idea beyond the fact that she is the most powerful yokai and is looking for a boyfriend… It could be very interesting to see Okarun having to train a new strategy more adapted to new powers, plus we would get a new one appearance in his transformation.

4. The turbo returns… It seems the most logical thing to me, but it scares me a lot. Although we joke a lot that we don't know where Okarun lives, or who his family is, the truth is that we don't have anything about the turbo beyond the extras of the mangas where we can sense a little bit of her story. Not a single flashback, nor comment about it within the story. If they are saving this story for when the turbo sacrifices herself for the group, it will hurt my soul… The other option is for her to simply return and possess Okarun's body on specific occasions. This would be less dramatic, but I see it as less likely. It would generate a lot of inconveniences in the fights and I feel that the fate of the turbo is not going to be pretty.

5. Any crazy power or story that we can't yet foresee. The new arc is very promising, with a possible group trip to the temple. I can expect that things will happen on this trip that will completely change the status of all the characters.