#and reminder for loop that the universe is always there watching and its time to get back to the world stage

[nidbaesenpai]

Happy one year anniversary ISAT! To celebrate I wanted to share the lil strips I made for my friends when they reached the end of the game! They're all meant to be snippets of life post game and a glimpse into the world I'm making for Loop.

[puppyeared]

act 4 :(

@chipper-smol and i came to a realization

[strwberryblast]

𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐄 𝐋𝐎𝐎𝐏 | Gojo x Fem!Reader

tw ; death and poorly written graphic scenes.

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Gojo cries out in frustration, his body slumped with exhaustion. For months, he’s been trying desperately to bring you back, but time and time again, he fails. He’s tried over 382 times, each in a desperate attempt to save you, his beloved wife, from the grasp of death. But no matter how many times he returns, Sukuna wins. He always wins. Every time he returns, you end up limp, lying in a puddle of your own blood, your eyes, once so full of life, now lifeless, reminding him of his failure.

The relentless cycle has begun to wear on him, fraying his once unshakeable resolve. Each time he rewinds, the pain of seeing you die anew is as fresh and unbearable as the first. The memories of your final moments haunt him with a visceral intensity—your eyes wide with fear and pain, the way your blood stained the ground, the chilling stillness of your once-vibrant form. He can’t escape the relentless torment of these images, and they compound with every failed attempt.

In this iteration of the loop, Gojo finds himself back in the dimly lit alley where it all happened. The aftermath of his battle with Sukuna lies scattered around him—debris, broken weapons, and the residue of chaotic energy. The alley is eerily silent, the air heavy with the lingering scent of smoke and blood. Gojo's breathing is ragged, his face streaked with tears and grime. He feels as though the weight of the entire universe has settled upon his shoulders, crushing him with its immense burden.

Desperation drives him to his knees beside your body, and he clutches his head in his hands, his sobs escaping in ragged gasps. He slams his fist against the cold, unyielding ground, the pain barely registering compared to the emotional anguish that consumes him. Each thud reverberates through his chest, mingling with the crushing weight of guilt and helplessness.

The memories of your last moments together replay in his mind with excruciating clarity. He remembers the warmth of your laughter, the sparkle in your eyes, and the way your presence made the world seem brighter. And now, all he’s left with are these fleeting, precious memories and the stark, painful reality of your absence.

“Why can’t I save you?” he cries out into the void, his voice cracking under the strain. “Why can’t I change this? I've tried everything—every strategy, every possible outcome. What am I missing? Why does it always end like this? What happened to me being the strongest? Why can't I be strong when it comes to saving you?”

The night sky above offers no answers. The stars, indifferent and distant, provide no solace. The silence of the alley is oppressive, a cruel reminder of his isolation. Gojo feels a profound sense of solitude, the weight of his endless failure pressing down on him like a leaden shroud. He's fought valiantly against Sukuna, explored every possible avenue, and yet the outcome remains the same.

Each attempt to save you has left him more weary and disheartened than the last. The cycle has become a cruel parody of hope, where each attempt to alter the past only reinforces his sense of futility. The weight of 382 failures bears down on him, each failure a knife twisting deeper into his heart.

But despite the overwhelming despair, a flicker of determination still burns within him. He knows that if he’s ever going to break free from this tragic loop, he must confront not only Sukuna but also the limitations of his own understanding and strength. He can’t accept that this is the end of his journey, that he’s doomed to watch you die forever.

With a heavy heart and a steely resolve, Gojo pushes himself to his feet. His body is bruised and battered, his spirit nearly broken, but his love for you drives him onward. He refuses to surrender to the despair that threatens to engulf him. He must find a new way, a hidden possibility he hasn’t yet uncovered.

As he steels himself for another attempt, Gojo casts one last glance at your lifeless form, his heart aching with every beat. He knows that each attempt brings him closer to the truth, but the cost of each failure is increasingly steep. He has no choice but to continue, driven by the hope that somewhere, somehow, there is a way to change the past and bring you back to life.

In the stillness of the night, Gojo’s resolve hardens. The battle is far from over, and he won’t give up until he’s uncovered the key to breaking this tragic cycle, no matter the personal cost. He embraces the pain and frustration, transforming it into a fierce determination to finally end the loop and save the woman he loves.

Attempt 383

Gojo's senses snap into focus as he emerges from the crushing void of the time loop. The familiar alleyway stretches out before him, marred by the shadows of countless failed attempts. You are there, alive and standing amidst the chaos, a sight that both invigorates and terrifies him. The briefest flicker of hope ignites within him, only to be immediately overshadowed by the crushing weight of past failures. His heart races with a mix of anticipation and dread.

He's been here 382 times before, each attempt marked by his desperate, relentless fight against Sukuna. Each time, he’s failed to save you. The memory of your lifeless body, so cold and still, haunts him. Every attempt ends with him unable to alter the tragic outcome. And now, as he sees you alive once again, he is driven by a fierce determination to make this attempt different.

With a mix of emotions within him, he has one thought on his mind: saving you.

Sukuna's menacing presence is not far behind. The malevolent aura fills the air as Gojo prepares for the inevitable confrontation. He's exhausted by every strategy, every maneuver, but this time he feels an unyielding resolve to make it work. The weight of every past failure drives him forward, fueling his determination to finally succeed.

The fight with Sukuna is fierce and chaotic. Gojo's moves are a blur of precision and power, his techniques executed with a desperate urgency. The alleyway becomes a battleground of light and darkness, a testament to Gojo's unrelenting will to protect you. He fights with a raw, unrestrained intensity, driven by the desperate need to save you from the fate that has befallen you so many times before.

Despite his best efforts, Sukuna’s power remains formidable. The battle stretches on, each clash of their abilities a testament to their respective strengths and weaknesses. Gojo's frustration mounts with every failed attempt to gain the upper hand, every moment where Sukuna seems to slip away from his grasp. The weight of past failures presses heavily on him, and the crushing realization that he may not succeed this time grips him with a cold, relentless hold.

As the fight reaches its peak, Gojo's focus is entirely on defeating Sukuna. His strategies are complex, his attacks relentless, but the familiar pang of inadequacy starts to set in. He can feel it slipping away—the success he’s so desperately fought for, the chance to save you. The battle is a chaotic dance of fury and despair, with Gojo’s hope wavering with every passing moment.

In a heart-wrenching moment of realization, Sukuna’s malevolent force overwhelms Gojo. The fight is brutal, and despite his best efforts, Gojo's strength begins to falter. He's driven to the brink of exhaustion, each blow from Sukuna a reminder of the futility of his struggle. The weight of his past failures and the fear of the inevitable final moment hang heavily over him.

Then it happens. A final, crushing blow from Sukuna sends Gojo reeling. The world around him blurs as he staggers, his body battered and weak. He turns desperately toward you, his heart shattering at the sight of your pained, bloody figure. The realization hits him with a devastating finality—he has failed again.

“No!” Gojo's cry is a raw, anguished scream that echoes through the alleyway. His voice cracks with the weight of his despair as he collapses to his knees, the once vivid hope now dimmed by the crushing reality of his repeated failures. He looks at you, his vision blurring with tears, and sees the inevitable outcome he’s tried so hard to prevent.

“Again! Again! I need to try again!” he cries, hitting his forehead against the concrete floor, tears pouring from his eyes and staining the alleyway. As he sits up, an overwhelming feeling of defeat swirls through him. “I need to try again!” he screams, sending himself back once more.

Attempt 384

In the alleyway once more, Gojo’s heart sinks as he sees you lying lifeless, a haunting scene he’s come to dread. Blood pools around you, staining your clothes and face with a terrified expression frozen in time. “Fuck! Again!” he cries out in frustration, tearing at the seams of reality as he restarts the cycle for yet another attempt.

Attempt 456

Gojo's hands tremble as he surveys the scene yet again. You lie on the ground, a haunting reminder of his endless struggle. Every attempt to change the outcome has ended in the same tragic result. “Why am I unable to fix this? Why can’t I save you?” he mutters, a deep sense of despair seeping into his voice. The crushing weight of failure drags him down as he restarts the cycle once more.

Attempt 689

Another attempt falls apart as Gojo watches helplessly. Your body is once again lifeless, blood staining the grimy alley. The look of terror on your face is etched into his memory, a constant reminder of his failures. He slams his fist against the wall, the frustration boiling over. “This can’t be happening again!” he shouts, his voice breaking as he plunges back into the cycle.

Attempt 812

He clenches his fist angrily as you fall limp once more, his eyes hollow, his body aching with exhaustion. “Why? Why? Why!” he screams, tears spilling out over his face and onto his cheeks. His body collapses onto the floor as he cries. “I need to try again. I can't give up on you,” he says to your limp body, blood seeping into his own clothing, as he restarts the cycle once again.

Attempt 902

Another desperate attempt to save you. He’s lost count of how long it’s been, but it doesn’t matter to him; you’re the only thing that matters to him. He needs to save you. He needs to. But it ends the same. You are once again sprawled in a pool of blood, the terror in your eyes as vivid as ever. Gojo's breath comes in ragged gasps as he looks at the destruction he cannot prevent. His voice cracks under the strain. “It’s always the same…” With a shuddering exhale, he restarts, each cycle a new level of anguish.

Attempt 1002

Gojo stands amidst the ruins of his thousandth attempt, staring at your bloodied, lifeless body. The hopelessness of his endless failures weighs heavily upon him. “I've done everything,” he murmurs, his voice barely more than a broken whisper. Tears stream down his face as he forces himself to begin once more, the crushing reality of his despair almost too much to bear. This tiring cycle crushed his hopes, causing him to doubt more and more if anything will ever change.

Attempt 1003: The Final Attempt

Gojo steps into the alleyway for what feels like the millionth time. Each attempt has bled into the next, the cycle of failure, a relentless loop from which he cannot escape. This time, he feels a profound weariness settle deep within his bones. The sight of you, lifeless and bloodied, has become an unbearable ritual. The image has now tainted his memory of you, your once happy image becoming lost in the newfound, bloodied image of you.

The familiar scene unfolds before him. You’re lying in a pool of blood, your once vibrant eyes now dimmed with terror. The same pang of anguish strikes him as he kneels beside you. Every detail is the same: your clothes, stained and torn; your face, etched with the final, painful expression. His hands tremble as he reaches out, desperate to feel any sign of life.

“No…” he chokes out, his voice breaking. He desperately checks your pulse, but the lifelessness is a cruel reminder that nothing has changed. His heart pounds with a mix of fury and sorrow, the crushing weight of his repeated failures bearing down on him.

His body screams at him out of exhaustion, wanting nothing more than to just collapse. The relentless effort of fighting, failing, and trying again has worn him thin. His legs feel like lead, his arms heavy and unresponsive, each movement a painful reminder of his limits. The weight of his exhaustion is matched only by the weight of his despair, dragging him further into a pit of helplessness.

He tries to stand, but his legs betray him, collapsing beneath him. He doesn’t fight it though; he can’t save you, he’ll never be able to save you.

Sukuna’s laugh echoes through the alleyway. “Satoru Gojo? Surrendering? Do my eyes deceive me?” he taunts as he closes the space between them, Gojo too exhausted to even respond, his eyes refusing to leave you.

He can barely muster the strength to lift his head, his eyes meeting Sukuna’s with a final, hollow resolve. He looks back down at you, his lips moving slowly, struggling to form the words that have been on his mind through every failed attempt, every heartbreaking loop.

“I love you, [name],” he mutters, his voice cracking with a weak tone. Gojo's eyes flutter, the last vestiges of his strength waning as he braces himself for the end. The energy from Sukuna’s attack builds to an unbearable intensity, casting a stark, harsh light over the alleyway. Time seems to slow, each second stretching into an eternity as Gojo takes one last look at the scene of his failures and the memory of your smiling face.

Gojo opens his eyes, a serene warmth enveloping him as he lies in a field of vibrant flowers, the sun casting a gentle glow over his face. A smile tugs at his lips.

“So, this is the afterlife?” he murmurs, his voice barely more than a whisper. He frowns, remembering his last moments.

“No, it’s not,” you reply, your presence beside him snapping him out of his thoughts. Your fingers brush through his hair tenderly. Gojo's eyes widen in disbelief as tears begin to stream down his face. He sits up, staring at you, his voice trembling. “[N-name]?” he asks, as though you might vanish at any moment.

You nod, your smile tender. “You did good. Thank you for trying to save me.” Your words are soft and soothing, and Gojo’s tears flow more freely. You close the distance between you, wrapping him in a tight embrace. “I’m so sorry,” he croaks, a frown on his face, “I-I couldn’t save you, I failed.” His voice is muffled as he buries his head in your shoulder.

“No, you did good. Don’t forget that,” you say, holding his head against you. “You kept fighting just to save me, and that’s more than enough.” You say soothingly. He stays silent, his mind full of doubt, a crushing feeling of guilt overwhelming his sense of self.

“Do you want to go to the afterlife? I can take you,” you offer gently, your voice filled with warmth, noticing his distress.

Gojo buries his face in the crook of your neck, his voice muffled and trembling. “As long as you don’t leave me again,” he whispers, his voice cracking.

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this is on my a03 and wattpad too

[canmom]

The Flower That Bloomed Nowhere, 000-012

Or, what if that mural was the heart of a web serial.

I'm reading The Flower That Bloomed Nowhere, thanks largely to the enthusiasm of @azdoine and @lukore on my dash over the last few months.

This is absolutely not gonna be a liveblog in the level of detail of the great Umineko liveblog project. Rather I'm gonna be aiming at something like the comics comints series or those occasional posts on anime. Or indeed what I wrote about Worth The Candle last year. I must create a robot whose purpose is to watch to see if I start writing detailed plot summaries and hit me with a stick labelled 'remember you have a job now'.

That outta the way, let's talk flower!

No, not that flower!

I will start with an anecdote. When I was at university, I ended up attending a talk by court alchemist senescence researcher Aubrey de Grey, who at that time did not yet have a 'sexual harassment allegations' section on his Wikipedia page. The main thing that struck me at the time was his rather spectacularly long beard. But I did listen to his talk about ending aging.

de Grey's schtick is that he, like many people in the transhumanist milieu, believes that medical technology is on the cusp of being able to prevent aging sufficiently well to prolong human lifespans more or less indefinitely. He believes that the different processes of aging can be understood in terms of various forms of accumulating cellular 'damage', and that these will begin to be addressed within present human lifespans, buying time for further advancements - so that (paraphrasing from memory) 'the first immortals have already been born'. He has some pretty graphs to demonstrate this point.

At that talk, one of the audience members asked de Grey the (in my view) very obvious question about whether access to this technology would be distributed unevenly, creating in effect an immortal ruling class. de Grey scoffed at this, saying he always gets this question, and basically he didn't think it would be a big deal. I forget his exact words, but he seemed to assume the tech would trickle down sooner or later, and this was no reason not to pursue it.

I'm sure de Grey is just as tired of being reminded of how unbalanced access to medical technology is in our current world, or the differences in average life expectancy between countries.

So, I was very strongly reminded of de Grey as The Flower That Bloomed Nowhere laid out its major thematic concerns and characters. I was also put in mind of many online arguments in the transhumanist milieu about whether it would be a good thing, in principle, to end death.

In particular, of course, comes to mind transhumanist Nick Bostrom's short story The Fable of the Dragon-Tyrant, in which death is likened to a huge dragon that demands to be fed trains full of humans every day. In the story, humanity's scientists secretly build a giant gun to kill the dragon. Naturally, despite all the doubters and naysayers who foolishly feel obliged to justify the existence of the dragon, the gun works. Bostrom's imagery is incredibly heavy-handed (particularly the trains à la Auschwitz), but just in case you didn't get it, he also spells out the moral explicit at the end: basically, every day not spent putting resources to abolishing death is adding up more and more bodies to the pile of people who don't get to be immortal.

So far, Flower seems to be shaping up to be a critical intervention into that milieu, with a much more grounded view of death and a much stronger model of society - admittedly not a high bar but it's going good so far!

At the time of writing this commentary, I have read the prologue and first two six-chapter arcs, namely Mankind's Shining Future (1-6) and Pilgrimage to the Deep (7-12).

the general shape of things

We are introduced - from the perspective of sardonic, introverted Su, who is going to be the protagonist of our time loop - to a group of brilliant young medical wizards, who have just been invited to visit the headquarters of a secret society whose mission is precisely to abolish death. Su's grandfather was some kind of controversial luminary who was expelled this organisation, and he also did something to her, which is giving her some kind of ulterior motive to find her way into this society.

We know pretty much from the outset that this is a time loop scenario: Su has been explicitly given the opportunity to replay the scenario in the hopes of find an alternative outcome, by some kind of presently mysterious parties. This first part is the 'control' loop, i.e. probably more or less how things went down 'originally'.

I believe Umineko is an explicit inspiration for this story, and the influence is pretty evident. But parallels with the Locked Tomb series, especially Gideon the Ninth, are also quite noticeable. @lukore spoke of it as the STEM to Locked Tomb's humanities, and I can already kinda see it, although we haven't got into the real meat of the scenario yet. This story began serialisation four years ago, making the two works roughly contemporary. The latest chapter was published in the last couple of weeks - no idea if I've arrived just in time for the ending!

Stylistically, it's generally pretty heavy on dialogue and long asides. The characters are a bunch of mega nerds who love to have big philosophical and political discussions, but their dynamics are well enough realised and their dynamics clear enough that it can double up as naturalistic characterisation. So far, the discussions have been interesting to read.

Below I'm going to make some notes and comments on various elements of the setting and story. In a followup post (because it got too long) I'm going to talk a lot about entropy. Perhaps you will find this interesting!

the world

The first few chapters are dedicated pretty hard to exposition. We find ourselves in a distant-future setting - one in which it seems reality has totally collapsed and then been rebuilt using magic, creating a somewhat oddball universe which lacks things like the element iron, and also electromagnetism. This seems like it would have pretty severe implications for just about everything!

However, the 'ironworkers' have, after producing a series of trial and error 'lower planes' that didn't quite get it right, landed on a fairly close approximation of how things used to be on the old world. Though by 'fairly close approximation' I mean like... it's a bowl-shaped world and the sun and stars are artificial lanterns. But still, there are humans, and they seem to work more or less like we're used to humans working, apart from the whole 'magic' thing.

So, an alt-physics setting. Praise Aealacreatrananda, I love that shit.

While electromagnetism might be out, the more abstract physical principles like thermodynamics still apply, and the humans of this universe have managed to find analogues to a number of things in our world. Instead of computers, they have 'logic engines' which run on magic. Horses seem to have made it in, so we get delightful blends of historical and futuristic concepts like a self-driving computer-controlled horse-drawn carriage taxi.

The biggest difference is of course that in this setting, magic - more on that in a bit - has solved most medical problems and humans routinely live to around 500. The setting is ostensibly a semi-post-scarcity one, although a form of money exists in 'luxury debt', which can be exchanged for things like taxi rides, caf�� food and trips on the space elevator.

Politically, we are told that the world has enjoyed a few hundred years of general peace, broken in living memory by a revolution which put an end to a regime of magical secrecy. There are lots of countries, and an alliance overseeing them.

There's a few other oddities in this world. Something called a 'prosognostic event' can happen if you see someone who has the same face as you, and whatever this is, it's bad enough news that everyone is constantly reminded to veil their faces in public and there's some kind of infant 'distinction treatment' to mitigate the risk. Given that, in the regular world, nothing particularly bad would happen if you ran into a long-lost identical twin, it suggest there is probably something a little fucky about how humans work in this world!

There's evidently a fair bit of effort put into the worldbuilding of fictional countries and historical periods. The important elements seem to be roughly along the lines of:

our world is currently in what they call the 'old kingdoms' period, which is poorly remembered;

next up comes an 'imperial' period of high transhumanist shenanigans in which society was ruled by 'gerontocrats' who got exclusive access to the longevity treatment, but this all somehow led to a huge disaster which destroyed og earth;

the survivors built the Mimikos where humanity currently lives using magic and created some kind of huge iron spike that holds the universe together; there was subsequently a 'fundamentalist' period in which a strict cutoff point was put on human lifespans and a lot of the wackier magic was banned;

now we're onto a new era of openness following a small revolution, while the major political structures remain largely intact.

Writing a far-future setting is hard, because trying to deal with the weight of history without the story getting bogged down with worldbuilding details is a fiddly line to walk. The Dying Earth series of Jack Vance might be a relevant point of comparison. Vance leaves the historical details vague - there are endless old kingdoms and strange artefacts and micro-societies for Cugel and co. to stumble on. Far more important than the specifics of history is establishing the vibe of a world that's seen an unimaginable amount of events layered on top of each other and is honestly a bit tired.

Flower makes things a bit more concrete and generally manages to make this work decently well. I do appreciate the asides where Su talks about, for example, the different architectural styles that layer up to make a place, or the way a technique has been refined. It establishes both that Su is the kind of person to notice this sort of thing, and also helps the world feel lived-in.

the names

The story doesn't do a lot with language. The story is written in English, and the narration will occasionally make reference to how things are phrased (e.g. how divination predates the suffix -mancy). We can probably make the standard assumption that this is all translated from $future_language, with the notional translator making a suitable substitution of whatever linguistic forms exist in that language.

The characters are named in a variety of languages. Our main character's full name is Utsushikome of Fusai. We're told that this is "an old name from Kutuy, and means something like 'mysterious child'" - so Kutuyan is one of the languages spoken in this world. It's blatantly got the same phonotactics as Japanese, and indeed if I search up 'Utsushikome', I find an obscure historical figure called Utsushikome-no-Mikoto, wife of the Emperor Kōgen; she has no article on English Wikipedia, but she does have a brief one on Japanese wiki. Just as Su says about Kutuyan, 'Utsushikome' is written 欝色謎 in Japanese, but it relies on archaic readings of those characters and wouldn't read that way in modern Japanese. We could perhaps assume a good old translation convention is in effect where Kutuyan is replaced with Japanese.

A lot of characters have Greek names, as do various setting elements. One exception is Kamrusepa, or Kam, who is named for an ancient goddess of medicine worshipped by the Hittites and Luwians. I know basically fuck all about Hittites and Luwians but it's a cool little nod to mythology, and it won't be the only one!

I'll run down a list of characters and my comments about them in a bit. But many are named after gods or other mythological figures.

the magic

Most of the divergences come from magic existing. Certain humans are 'arcanists', who are able to use the 'Power', which is a magic system with a highly computational flavour. Thanks to Su's expositional asides, we know that an incantation is something like a short program written in cuneiform with the ability to gather information, perform maths, and manipulate particles. An example we are given is a spell called "entropy-denying", which is the following string of cuneiform:

"…(𒌍𒌷𒀭)(𒌍𒁁𒀭)𒅥𒌈𒆜𒈣𒂠, 𒋢𒀀𒅆𒌫𒃶,𒈬𒊹."

We're told that spells always start with phrases ending in 𒀭, and end in 𒊹. Beyond that, I'm not sure how far the author has actually worked out the syntax of this magic system - probably not in too much detail! Seems like the kind of thing it's better to leave vague, but also she seems like kind of nerd who would (positive). It's conceptually a reasonable magic system for a world where more or less realistic physics applies.

The use of unusual scripts for a magic system isn't that unusual - the old European occultists who wrote the [Lesser] Key of Solomon loved to write on their magic circles in Hebrew, and in modern times we could mention Yoko Taro's signature use of the Celestial Alphabet for example - but the specific use of cuneiform here seems like it might be a little more significant, because a little later in the story the characters encounter a mural depicting The Epic of Gilgamesh, which of course was recorded on cuneiform tablets. Remains to be seen exactly what these allusions will mean!

The magic system is divided into various disciplines defined by the different ways they approach doing magic, with the disciplines breaking down broadly along the same lines as the modern scientific disciplines. For example, our protagonist is a thanatomancer ("necromancer" having become unfashionable), which is the discipline dealing with death; she's specifically an entropic thanatomancer, distinguished by their framework viewing death as the cessation of processes.

Magic relies on an energy that they refer to as 'eris' (unknown relation to the Greek goddess of strife and discord). We are told that eris must be carefully apportioned across the elements of a spell or shit blows up, that it can be stored, and it accumulates gradually enough that you don't want to be wasteful with it, but so far given little information about where it comes from.

Magic in this story generally seems to act as a kind of 'sufficiently advanced technology'. It's very rules-based, and used for a lot of mundane ends like operating computers or transport. Advancement in magic is something like a combination of basic research and software development. But the thing that makes it a magic system and not merely alt-physics is that it's at least a little bit personal: it must be invoked by an individual, and only certain people can operate the magic. We're told a little about how wizards are privileged in some societies, indoctrinated in social utility in others, and expected to be inconspicuous in the present setting. It's not clear yet if you need some kind of special innate capacity to do the magic, or if it's just a matter of skill issue.

With one exception, our main characters are a gaggle of wizards, and exceptionally skilled students at that. They're at an elite institution, carrying high expectations, even if they are themselves fairly dismissive of the pomp and ceremony. They have grandiose plans: Kamrusepa in particular is the main voice of the 'death should be abolished' current.

the cast

We're entering a cloistered environment with high political stakes hanging off of it. Even if I hadn't already heard it described as a murder mystery, it would feel like someone will probably be murdered at some point, so lets round up our future suspects.

Su (Utsushikome) is our protagonist and first-person POV. She's telling this story in the first past tense, with a style calling to mind verbal narration; she'll occasionally allude to future events so we know for sure narrator!Su knows more than present!Su. She's got a sardonic streak and she likes long depressing antijokes, especially if the punchline is suicide. She will happily tell us she's a liar - so maybe her narration isn't entirely reliable, huh.

Su is more than a little judgemental; she doesn't particularly like a lot of her classmates, or people in general, and generally the first thing she'll tell you about a character is how well she gets on with them. She introduces the theme of 'wow death sucks' in the first paragraph, but she is, at least at this point, pessimistic that anyone will manage to do anything about it for good.

Her magical specialisation is entropic thanatomancy, roughly making processes go again after they working coherently.

Her name is a reference to an obscure Japanese empress, as discussed above.

Ran is Su's bestie from the same home country. She is generally pretty on the level. She likes romance novels and she is pretty sharp at analysing them. She will cheerfully team up with Su to do a bit or bait someone else when an argument gets going.

Her magical specialisation is Divination, which is sort of a more fundamental layer of magic, about gathering information by any means. In medicine it's super advanced diagnostics.

Her name is too short to pin down to a specific allusion. Could be one of a couple of disciple of Confucius such as Ran Geng, or a Norse goddess of the sea.

Kam (Kamrusepa) is the de facto class prez and spotlight lover. She's hardcore ideological, the story's main voice of the de Grey/Bostrom death-abolishing concept so far - I think she straight up calls someone a 'deathist' at some point. She loves to tell everyone what she thinks about everything, and getting the last word.

Her magical specialisation is Chronomancy, so time magic. It's described as secretive and byzantine, but also it can do stuff like (locally?) rewind time for about five minutes. No doubt it has something to do with the time loop.

As mentioned above, she's named after a fairly obscure ancient deity of healing and magic.

Theo (Theodoros) is a fairly minor character. He's scatterbrained and easily flustered, he has a similar background to our protagonist, and he's not great with people. His name is shared with a number of ancient Greek figures, so it's hard to narrow it down to one allusion. I don't think his magic school has been mentioned.

Ptolema is a cheery outgoing one, someone who Su dismisses as an airhead. And she is at least easy to bait into saying something ill-considered. Her specialisation is applying magic to surgery. As a character, she tends to act as a bit of a foil to the others. Bit of a valley girl thing going on.

'Ptolema' is presumably a feminised version of the renowned Greek philosopher Ptolemy.

Seth is the jock to Ptolema's prep, and our goth protag Su doesn't particularly like him either. ...lol maybe that's too flippant, I may be misapplying these US high school stereotypes. To be a little more precise then, he's pretty casual in demeanour, flirty, likes to play the clown. He specialises in Assistive Biomancy, which revolves around accelerating natural healing processes.

Seth is named for either the Egyptian god (domain: deserts, violence and foreigners) or an Abrahamic figure, the third son of Adam and Eve granted by God after the whole Caim killing Abel thing.

Ophelia is someone Su describes as 'traditionally feminine' - soft-spoken, demure etc. (Gender in this world appears to be constructed along broadly similar lines to ours). Indeed we get a fairly extended description of her appearance. Her specialisation is Alienist Biomancy, which means introducing foreign elements to healing (not entirely sure how that differs from the Golemancy mentioned later).

Ophelia is of course a major character in Shakespeare's Hamlet, best known for going mad and dying in a river.

Fang is the only nonbinary member of the class, noted as the most academically successful. They're not on the expedition, but the characters discuss them a little in their absence, so maybe they'll show up later. It seems like they have a bit of a rebellious streak. Their magical specialisation is not mentioned.

Fang is a regular ol' English word, but I gave it a search all the same and found there's an ancient Chinese alchemist of that name. She is the oldest recorded woman to do an alchemy in China, said to know how to turn mercury into silver.

Lilith is the teenaged prodigy in computers logic engines, and Mehit is her mother who accompanies her on the trip. They've got a big Maria and Rosa (of Umineko) dynamic going on, with Mehit constantly scolding Lilith and trying to get her to obey social norms, though in contrast to Maria, Lilith is a lot more standoffish and condescending to the rest of the gang. Lilith specialises in 'Golemancy', which means basically medical robotics - prosthetic limbs and such. She spends most of her time fiddling with her phone logic engine, and will generally tell anyone who talks to her that they're an idiot. Sort of a zoomer stereotype.

Lilith is named for the Abrahamic figure, the disobedient first wife of Adam who was banished and, according to some Jewish traditions, subsequently became a demon who attacks women at night. There may be some connection between Lilith and the lioness-headed Mesopotamian chimeric monster Lamashtu, which I mention because Mehit is an Egyptian and Nubian lion goddess.

'Golemancy' is probably playing on the popular fantasy idea of a 'golem' as a kind of magic robot, but given the Jewish allusion in Lilith's name here, I do wonder a little bit if it's going to touch on the Jewish stories of the Golem which inspired it - a protective figure with a specific religious dimension.

There are some other characters but they're not part of the main party on their way to the function, so I won't say much about them just yet. Also it's entirely possible I went and forgot an entire classmate or something, big whoops if so.

the events

In true Umineko tradition, the beginning of the story narrates in great detail how the protagonists make their way to the place where the plot is going to happen.

To be fair, there's a lot of groundwork to be laid here, and the characters' discussions do a lot to lay out the concerns of the story and sketch out the setting, not to mention establish the major character relations. A murder mystery takes a certain amount of setup after all! There's plenty of sci-fi colour to be had in the 'aetherbridge', which is a kind of space elevator that lifts you up to a high altitude teleporter network. (It's technically not teleportation but 'transposition', since teleportation magic also exists in the story, with different restrictions! But close enough for government work.)

They go to a huge space citadel, which is kind of a transport hub; some cloak and dagger shit happens to hide the route they must take to the mysterious secret organisation. They find a strange room with a missing floor and a mural of the Epic of Gilgamesh, albeit modified to render it cyclic. What does it meeaaaan?

The idea of a secret society of rationalists is one that dates back to the dawn of ratfic, in HPMOR. It was kinda dumb then, but it works a lot better here, where we're approaching the wizard circle from outside. The phrase 'Great Work' has already been dropped. I love that kind of alchemical shit so I'm well into finding out what these wizards are plotting.

the dying

A lot of the discussions revolve around the mechanics of death. Essentially the big problem for living forever is information decay. Simple cancers can be thwarted fairly easily with the magic techniques available, but more subtle genetic slippages start to emerge after the first few hundred years; later, after roughly the 500 year mark, a form of dementia becomes inevitable. It's this dementia in particular that the characters set their sights on curing.

One thing that is interesting to me is that, contra a lot of fantasy that deals with necromancy (notably the Locked Tomb series), there appears to be no notion of a soul in this world whatsoever. The body is all that there is. Indeed, despite all the occult allusions in the character names, there is very little in the way of religion for that matter. Even the 'fundamentalism' is about an idea of human biological continuity that shouldn't be messed with too much.

Su distinguishes three schools of thought on death, namely 'traditional', 'transformative' and 'entropic'. The 'traditional' form attempts to restore limited function - classic skeleton shit. 'Transformative' sees death as a process and uses dead tissues together with living in healing. Su's 'entropic' school broadens this 'process' view to consider death as any kind of loss of order - a flame going out as much as an organism dying. At the outset of the story, Su has discovered a 'negentropic' means to restore life to an organism, which she considers promising, even if for now it only works for fifteen minutes.

This is an interesting perspective, but the devil is in the details. Because processes such as life or flames, necessarily, result in a continuous increase in the thermodynamic entropy of the universe. And yet this idea of death-as-loss-of-order does make a kind of sense, at a certain level of abstraction.

Elaborating on this got rather too long for this post, and I think it can stand alone, so I'm going to extract it to a followup post.

the comments

As is probably evident by the length of this post, I am very intrigued by The Flower That Bloomed Nowhere. The setting is compelling, and it seems like it's got the willingness to bite at the chewy questions it raises instead of acting like it has all the answers, which is I think one of the most crucial elements for this kind of scifi. I like how unabashed it is at having its characters straight-up debate shit.

Of course, this all depends where they go with it. There's so many ways it could be headed at this point. I hear where it's going is 'dark yuri' and 'Umineko-inspired murder mystery', so that should be really juicy fun, but I do end up wondering what space that will leave to address the core theme it's laid out in these first few chapters.

Overall, if this and Worth the Candle are what modern ratfic is like, the genre is honestly in pretty good shape! Of course, I am reading very selectively. But this is scratching the itch of 'the thing I want out of science fiction', so I'm excited to see where the next 133 chapters will take me.

Though all that said, I ended up writing this post all day instead of reading any other chapters or working, so I may need to rein it in a bit.

[eldragon-x]

anyone else ever think about how its always nighttime near the king. how he stops time around himself and surrounds himself with the stars that remind him of home. how this allows the view from the observatorium to be a sky full of stars and when siffrin looks out to the window in act 5, he speaks to the universe. how he and loop get to watch the night sky from the favor tree, even in the middle of day.

[jordynbreeloa777]

Could you go more in-depth about how manifesting with subliminals and you’re results aren’t separate from you? Thank youu💕

Hi! & ofc! When manifesting with subliminals, coming from the community and moving onto other methods I didn’t know actually about the Law. First, as someone who was in the community for 4 years subliminals often gets over complicated.

I just listen once a day, affirming, or visualizing while watching doesn’t matter. Then live In fullfillment of the state that it’s done. For example if you’re listening to a long hair subliminal, most people in the community just say, “oh I will loop overnight and update y’all when I see results.” Or “How many times do I need to listen, does this sub have bad affs, does this give reverse/fading results, or do I listen with headphones.” Which is really the main reason why I stopped listening because the community was basically loattraction. You just would know that “results will come to you” and the high vibration mess.

Yes, I did get results with subliminals but how I did regardless of the community and the “playlist” is to listen, and GO ABOUT YOUR DAY KNOWING YOU HAVE RESULTS, AND IGNORING SNYTHING THAT CONTRADICTS OTHERWISE. The results aren’t separate from you which is why a lot of people in the subliminal community don’t actually know about manifesting or the Law or Neville. You should know you’re only listening to remind yourself and your subconscious. You already have your desire! Don’t be upset if you forgot to listen to your subliminal overnight and you’re afraid you “won’t get results?” Idk anything that the subliminal community likes to brainwash people of. YOU AREN’T A VICTIM, AND THE RESULTS AREN’T COMING FROM THE SUBLIMINAL ITS COMING FROM YOU. INSTANT results are real, and you can get them with subs but they come from within. Not how much you listened, how “powerful the sub is” how to only “listen max one” not how much you asked and begged the universe to give you a button ski sloped nose, no. Make the assumption that you always get subliminal results the first listen, if that is the method that you personally like!

I really don’t understand bashing different manifestation methods since it’s all to get in common goal. Your desire. So do whatever serves you, and makes you feel good! Also I have a lot of ask, but if this didn’t Anwser well you can ask/dm/inbox me Happy Manifesting!💝💝

[greatpestilenz]

Shattered - Earth 42 Miles Morales x Reader

  Miles Morales, also known as Prowler, had always felt the weight of responsibility on his shoulders. As a hero, he had the power to protect, to save lives. But sometimes, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't be there in time to prevent tragedy.

  Losing his father had been a devastating blow, a wound that still ached in his heart. And now, he had lost you, his beloved significant other, the person who had become his world. The guilt and burden of not being able to save you weighed heavily on his soul.

  The memories of that fateful day played in his mind like a never-ending loop. He could see you, your smile, your laughter, the way your eyes lit up when you looked at him. But then, it all shattered, just like the world around him.

  He had been caught up in another battle, trying to protect the innocent, unaware of the danger that was unfolding elsewhere. By the time he received the call, it was too late. He raced to the scene, desperation pumping through his veins, only to find the aftermath of devastation.

  His heart shattered into countless pieces as he knelt beside your lifeless form, unable to comprehend the reality before him. The guilt consumed him, the regret gnawed at his every thought. If only he had been with you, if only he had arrived sooner, maybe he could have saved you.

  "No!" His voice filled with despair and agony as he placed your head on his lap. "No, no, no, no, please.. please... Mc… Mc, please don’t leave me..” He begged. But no matter how much he cried, there was no way to bring you back.

  Miles recalled the pain of losing his father, the agony of not being able to be there in his final moments. He had promised himself that he would never let another person he cared about suffer the same fate. But now, he had failed once again.

  He blamed himself, questioning his abilities as a hero. How could he call himself a hero when he couldn't even protect the ones he loved? The burden of guilt grew heavier with each passing day, threatening to consume him whole.

  The city needed its hero, but Miles found it hard to put on the mask, to face the world as if everything was okay. His heart ached with an emptiness that could never be filled. The memories of you haunted him, a constant reminder of his failure.

  He sought solace in the silence of his room, clutching a photograph of the two of you. The tears flowed freely down his face as he whispered broken apologies to the image before him. He wished he could turn back time, rewrite the script, and keep you safe.

  The guilt gnawed at him, tearing him apart from the inside. He replayed every moment leading up to your demise, wondering if he could have done something differently. The responsibility weighed heavily on him, and he couldn't bear to face anyone, especially not your friends and family.

  Unable to bear the weight of his grief, Miles made a desperate decision. He remembered stories of multiple universes, parallel realities where different versions of people existed. And he heard rumors of a universe where you were still alive.

  Driven by a mix of hope and desperation, he decided to jump into that universe, to find you and hold you in his arms once more. The thought of being reunited with you, even in a different reality, gave him a glimmer of hope in the darkness of his sorrow.

  But when he arrived in that new universe, he was met with a devastating reality. There you were, alive and well, but you already had your own Miles Morales – a version of him that had never experienced the same heart-wrenching loss.

  Miles stood there, hidden in the shadows, watching the two of you together. He saw how happy you were, how much love you shared with this other version of himself. And even though he knew he shouldn't interfere, he couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy and longing.

[ilovehimyourhonour]

002. I’m happy when you’re happy

📂 xu minghao x fem! reader . written series , university au , best friends to lovers . minghao gets a slight head cold , ?sad hao? . inspo — I’m happy for you + You’re the one.

a/n not 100% sure on this one lol. Ps. Thank you guys so much for the love on part 1 xox.

taglist open !

previous ! next !

After spending two nights in his bed, you wrapped in his arms, his contaminated blankets keeping the two of you warm—Minghao just as you had predicted came down with something. But no matter how many times he stated he was completely fine, you knew from the constant snuffles and his teary eyes he was not completely fine. You watched with a tender gaze as his body jolts with each sneeze, a clump of tissues pressed against his lower face.

“I’m okay,” he mutters as he staggers farther into the kitchen.

“Yes, I can tell.” You sigh as you turn back to the dishes within the sink, the brush in your hand works at the dirty plate. Your gaze flickers from the soapy water to the window before you—the collection of seashells along the windowsill cause a soft smile to spread across your features.

He regarded each shell with a gentle care, his fingertips gently gliding over the curves and creases. “This one reminded me of you because its the same colour as that sweater of mine that you love to wear, you know?” His lips pulled back into a toothy smile. You simply sigh as you lean deeper into him, he hums happily as he moves onto another shell. “You really didn’t have to get me all these, I would have been fine with one.” He ignores your words and begins listing more of the little things that reminded him of you.

But now that the weekend was over the threat of your classes hung over the two of you, there was no more lying in bed, no more binge watching dramas, and no more of Minghao cooking for you and bringing your meals to his bed—where he happily fed you. “We should do this every weekend,” Minghao had whispered into your hair as you laid pressed into him last night.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Your arm brushes Minghao’s as you shuffle down the sidewalk—he continued to sneeze and wipe at his nose with the tissues he had stuffed into his pocket. “You’re aloud to take sick days, bub”

“I’m not sick,” he states—his voice slightly strained as he speaks, making you sigh at his insisting. “And besides, I have to finish my painting today.” You nodded, looping your arm into his. You knew when Minghao set his mind to something he was going to do it, not matter if he had to sneeze his way through.

Reaching the school, the two of you parted way—and at the end of your classes you sat by the gate, waiting for Minghao as you always did. Your fellow students glanced at Minghao as he jogged across the courtyard, his arms spread wide as he called out your name. “Did you miss me that much?” You laugh into his shoulder as he wraps his arms around you and tugs you into him.

“Always,” he sighs.

As you took a shower, Minghao cooks dinner—yours and Minghao’s shared playlist softly playing in the background. Minghao’s voice flutters through the air as he hums along to the song, he swayed softly with the melody—too lost within his own world, he hadn’t heard the shower quit or the bathroom door open. Your footsteps fell on deaf ears as you approached your roommate, and as you slipped your arms around his waist—hands slipping beneath the hem of his shirt, fingers brushing his stomach—you pressed your ear to his back. “Youre such a good singer, my Hao.”

He sighs and turns in your arms, coming to face you, “am I really?”

You roll your eyes with a grin. “You know you are.”

The two of you stay like that for a moment, neither of you speaking—just the soft hum of Minghao’s vocals filling the space around you. Both your bodies pressed together and swaying. The lights overhead were dim, a soft orange glow showering down on the two of you. Minghao’s singing comes to a halt as he speaks up, “you’re the one.”

“I’m the one?” You question against his chest, he nods gently.

“You’re the one for me,” you chuckle softly and nuzzle deeper into his chest, letting Minghao’s intoxicating scent engulf you. As much as you wanted his words to mean what you hoped they meant, you knew the true meaning behind them. You knew there was nothing hidden behind these words besides his appreciation for your friendship, and your heart cracked as you tightened your grip around his waist.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

On Tuesdays your classes run later than Minghao’s, leaving him in the hands of the other twelve boys—who ignore him and his complaining of your absence. “Why can’t I just sit in your lecture with you?”

“Minghao its good for you to have ‘male bonding time,’” you sigh as you stand from the library table. Minghao only pouts and flickers his gaze across each of the other boys. “I don’t know why you do this, you have fun every time.” He knew you were right, he couldn’t cling onto you forever—and no matter how much he acted like being left with the others was the worst thing on the face of the earth, he truly did adore them. But later on, as he did every Tuesday, Minghao would leave the group and head back to your apartment—where he would start dinner.

“You’re late,” he had stated as the door shut—you peered into the kitchen, Minghao still stood over the stove. Mindlessly mixing whatever was in the pot with a wooden spoon. He glances over his shoulder, noticing nothing but your bright smile. “Whats got you so happy?” He places the spoon onto the counter and turns to you, showing that you had his complete attention.

“I have a date.”

The muscles within his body tense and his heart plummets within his chest—and despite the mixture of jealousy, anger, and sadness surging through his body, he doesnt let the smile on his lips slip. “Really?”

You scoff at his shock as you take a few steps closer, your arms wrapping around his waist as they had yesterday. But Minghao doesnt wrap around you like he had before, his arms remain at his sides—stiff and awkward. “You say that like it’s surprising I was asked on a date. You know, despite what you might believe, some people do find me attractive.”

“I am surprised, honesty. Not because I think you’re ugly, because I don’t. You’re beautiful.” He sighs. “But you haven’t been on a date since, when? Senior year?”

You groan. “Don’t remind me. I thought I was losing my charm.” You sigh as you lean your head on his chest. He falls silent, his body still stiff beneath you. “Are you upset about this?” A bubble of hope builds within your chest, maybe this had upset him. Maybe he was jealous, maybe you’ll finally hear the words you longed for fall from those soft lips.

“No,” he whispers. “Im happy for you.” And he forces himself to mean it, knowing he couldn’t bring himself to lie to you—he had to swallow his personal issues and support you like he always did. He gently brings his arms around you, holding you in a soft embrace.

He should have known. He should have known someday someone else was going to show up—someone you would see as a romantic interest and he would have to take a step back. He knew if things went well on this date you’d most likely start inviting this ‘someone’ to the apartment. Maybe the two of you would slow dance in the kitchen, to the playlist you had created together—filled with song that reminded each other of your relationship. Maybe your new ‘someone’ would show up at the apartment when you were sick. Maybe the two of you would run in the rain together too, your hands intertwined as you laughed.

“You’re really happy about this?” You peer up from his chest, your chin resting over his heart.

Minghao cant help but nod firmly and displaying the brightest smile he could muster. “Im happy when you’re happy.”

@cinnamoroxie

© ilovehimyourhonour

[fandomandangstlover]

y'all wanna know about Wings of Blood's V1?

too bad, ah'm rumbling about it anyways. btw ah have no idea what ah wanna call V1, or fuck, even Gabriel?, so names might be changed in the future. yippee :thumbsup:

this isn't rlly all about V1, just. things about this au in general. ah have aus and ah need to rumble. feel free to ignore

- V1 is, very much stuck in a timeloop. where it resets when it kills Gabriel for good. no one rlly seems to notice except the Prime Souls (and V2 kinda? unsure as of now.)

- yes, the Gabriel in the Timeloop and the Gabriel? stuck in Purgatory are sorta separate people. Gabriel? is basically just future(aka fucking DEAD) ultrakill Gabriel. yeah imma call the Angel stuck in basically Purgatory "Gabriel?" or Angel till further notice.

something something.. Gabriel? doesn't recognize himself anymore. he's not the righteous hand of the father, he's not the judge of hell.. Gabriel was those things. Gabriel? is not, not anymore.

- V1 is kinda... numb to the Timeloop?? it's basically just infinite blood but he sorta develops a personality as each loop goes on. and man it's not dealing with his emotions well, as expected lmao.

- he's a little attached to Gabriel. in its own way, he sees him as a friend. he likes fighting him, he likes watching him laugh. the amount of times he goes through this just to see him again is.. yeah. idk what's going on between them but it's not straight lmao.

- Respawn is still a thing. Hell brings it back everytime it dies, and V1 sorta suspects it to be the reason for the Timeloop. it isn't. no one got a fuckin' clue on How in Fuck this in happenin'.

- Gabriel? does appear in his universe sometimes. he doesn't really have a stable way to differentiate the universes he's thrown into, so he often or not doesn't even know that this was his home. he often shows up in the Church in Heresy's final level, and rarely everywhere else.

he'll dance and play the oregon, or go up the levels just to see the sights. he's sneaky, of course. hiding and carefully flying around to avoid any demons or husks. he sometimes stay in Lust for awhile to just... repent? it's a reminder of what he had done in his blind faith. a reminder to unlearn them.

he encounters the Machine at times, too.

- V1 has seen & met Gabriel? before. In the loops that has gone by, he'll sometimes see glimpses of gold & red. he'll see those colors fly out of sight like a bird that got too close to a human.

when he managed to meet him in full, it was in the last Level of Heresy. it wasn't bathed in red, in fact, it's never covered red when Gabriel?'s around. it's.. bright. like the second phase of Gabriel's fight.

neither spoke. one because it was unable, and the other because it wouldn't matter. the Angel reached his hand out to the one who freed him from his chains, and the Machine took it without question. they danced the entire time. V1 never knew why Gabriel, not the one bleeding with his organs in full view dancing with him, didn't show up for his battle. but it knew that there's always be a next time to do so.

he would meet Gabriel? time and time again, always in rare moments and barely for more then a few hours. it would fight him, it would dance with him, and Gabriel almost found it with the Angel once. he ran before his past self could spot him.

- Gabriel? likes V1. he loves fighting it, he loves that it's actually a Challenge. he is eternitly grateful for what it has done to him. he's curious on what he could do, how many ways it could destroy him.

- yeah ah'm not sure if ah wanna make him a masochist or not. probably though. EDIT: RETCON AH ALREADY DID LMAO. anyways yeah dw he's fine with constantly injured. not sane at all but he's fine in that department, at least.

- uhh.... something something the Forest fucks with every bit of Gabriel?'s senses. sounds that he recognizes, glimpses of people, smells of blood & fire & everything else, the feeling of his wounds worsing.

- yeah Gabriel? looks HEAVILY fucked up. his wings are just Blood, his helo can go grey, pieces of his armour is broken to show organs, his helmet/head is cracked open with broken stars coming out of it, etc etc. ah honestly am not sure if ah wanna change his color scheme entirely or just.. add a color. but uh, yeah. yippee

kHxbsjakz wings of blood.... beloved.. things might change as time goes on but please enjoy a struggling mentally V1 & universe hopping fucked up Gabriel? !!

[arthdoesart]

“What the hell is happening now?!” 

Effie held the drunken victor back from hurling a chair towards their only working television. While she was not made an account by the anonymous people that have kidnapped the children, the former escort was still highly upset, like the rest of them were, when all of their voted scores have all been outright denied. 

In order to score Tribute zero-zero-one, please make sure to input the serial number first. 

Now, you don’t have to manually apply this for District Three is already assigned to unlock the security pass so that everyone can be allowed to vote—

“They’re asking us for a passcode…” Peeta said tiredly, looking at the screen with silent glowering contempt. "It was easier when they would just announce it on television." 

"Yeah? Well, I have a feeling they're not exactly making it easy on purpose." 

Haymitch spat, backing away from the broadcast of a struggling seventeen-year-old Capitol child, who by any means, did not possess the same level of skill as Careers when it came to using a sundry of knives and spears. 

It was pathetic watching the teenager even make an attempt on his part. But what else could the boy do, really? 

"...what happens if he doesn't get a score?" Katniss grimly brought up beside Peeta, her knee bouncing in trepidation for the potential consequence if they're unable to rate him on time. 

Her sharp, ashen seam-like eyes scanned the countdown needed for all the Districts to give their votes. It ran for 60 seconds at least, but now it's down to 40. 

"It won't come to that," Peeta tried to assure her, looping an arm around to pull her close by the shoulder so he could plant a comforting kiss on the side of her forehead. "They all need scores, Katniss. I doubt the people behind this won't give them any—" 

"But it's up to us to give them something!" 

Chapter 2 of Royale Capitol Games will be posted now on ao3 :)

And as always this series is dedicated to @plvtarch

The Royale Capitol Games (18625 words) by PinkMuseSundays Chapters: 2/? Fandom: Hunger Games Series - All Media Types, Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes - Suzanne Collins Rating: Not Rated Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence Relationships: Alma Coin/Plutarch Heavensbee, Haymitch Abernathy/Effie Trinket, Katniss Everdeen/Peeta Mellark, Annie Cresta/Finnick Odair (mentioned), Katniss Everdeen & Peeta Mellark, Katniss & Primrose Everdeen (mention), Haymitch Abernathy & Plutarch Heavensbee, Caesar Flickerman & Plutarch Heavensbee, Fulvia Cardew & Plutarch Heavensbee, Alma Coin & Plutarch Heavensbee Characters: Plutarch Heavensbee, Alma Coin, Haymitch Abernathy, Katniss Everdeen, Peeta Mellark, Effie Trinket, Beetee Latier, President Paylor, Johanna Mason, Annie Cresta, Annie Cresta and Finnick Odair's Son, Finnick Odair (mentioned), Enobaria (Hunger Games), Caesar Flickerman, Coriolanus Snow, Coriolanus Snow's Granddaughter, Fulvia Cardew, Gale Hawthorne, Original Characters Additional Tags: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Thriller, Mystery, Kidnapping, Romance, Drama & Romance, Quarter Quell (Hunger Games), Fourth Quarter Quell, Inspired by Black Mirror (TV), Hunger Games-Typical Death/Violence, 76th Hunger Games, Alternate Universe, Child Death, The Capitol (Hunger Games), Capitol Hunger Games, Suffering!Heavenscoin, Funny!Hayffie, Veteran!Everlark, Canon-Typical Violence, Hunger Games Victors, Victors as a Family (Hunger Games), Plutarch and Haymitch bromatism, Plutarch "I'm so stressed out" Heavensbee, Alma "This is what I fucking deserve" Coin, Caesar "That's how you put on a show" Flickerman Series: Part 4 of The odds came with blood and peppermints Summary: "To remind the Capitol that their nefarious deeds will never be forgotten, twenty-four children are reaped from their families to participate in a Battle Royale. Unlike its predecessor, the tributes are chosen at random despite their age, sex, and societal status." The voice chuckled over the last line, as if disbelieving any of the kids from the Capitol were beyond poorer than the high middle-class citizens. "…of course, tributes who refuse to participate within the rules of the game will have their shock collars activated. Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the first ever Royale Capitol Games, with it also being the Fourth Quarter Quell from the discontinued series of the Hunger Games." The announcer laughs, unaware of the sheer number of Capitol parents that have fainted from the live announcement. They were giddy for a while at having to recite the dreaded line, along with a sickening twist added by the end. "And may the odds ever grant you their favors."   Pairings; Heavenscoin with a side of Hayffie & Everlark.

[quills-of-freedom]

Erwin Smith ~ Relationship, Vibe & Various

💌

💯

💭

🧠

🍆

☕️

🥂

🌂

🎁

🥇

🧩

👔

👞

✒️

📈

Okay, so there’s a lot to unpack here with Erwin Smith. As you probably know, he’s a very complex individual. Extremely hard to get close to, due to how busy/committed he is to his job.

However, if you do manage, prepare to be swept off your feet like Mary Poppins caught in a storm. Funny to look at but an absolute whirlwind.

Erwin is the gentleman. He will be so respectful, patient and alpha that you’ll feel like nothing in the world could ever hurt you, not even the Titans.

However, he’s known to sacrifice all he can for answers so I wouldn’t rely on that too much. Not that I’m saying he’d happily throw you into the jaws of a sixteen foot monster or anything, because he wouldn’t. He will sometimes go silent for days as he buries himself into his work. Unfortunately its just something you’re going to have to put up with if you want to be in this mans life.

Ideal Dates

Fancy dining is something you can expect when you’re with Erwin. He knows life is short and enjoying life while you can is important. That and he’s experienced the shitty ways of military life and the slop they serve; not to mention famine. So, now he’s up on the commander ladder, prepare to be spoiled with candle lit dinners and fine wines.

Doesn’t make him a snob though. He’s so down to earth he has this power where he’ll make you feel like royalty, all while lifting up everyone else in the room too. Kind and polite, he never fails to make others feel good about themselves; just a nod, a smile and a “thank you” goes miles for anyone serving him food.

Is a sucker for late night walks - especially in parks. He’ll loop your hand through his arm as he takes slow strides, his entirety rumbling with each small laugh he lets out. With you, having managed to penetrate into his life, he’s found a new happiness he didn’t think he’d ever have in this lifetime.

Like Levi, Erwin always smells good. Fresh shower gels, cologne, you name it.

Picnic’s in the spring and summer are something else you can expect from this amazing human. He’ll feed you fancy cheeses, bites of cake and so on.

Modern AU

I can see Erwin having a few professions in a modern au. A professor, a business man with Levi as his partner, and even the owner of a fancy, swag car store.

It’s just in his DNA to rise to the top of things - that’s Erwin for you. Whatever career he has, he’s high up and earns a lot of money. He’s a workaholic through and through, no matter what universe you’re in, he’s going to struggle balancing his work life with his personal life. It’s a major issue you’ll have to tackle if you want to be romantically involved with him.

He takes Levi to get acupuncture to help with his insomnia. He’s open minded and also suggests Tai-Chi.

Espresso’s are basically pumped directly into this mans veins. None after 4 though, else he’ll be up all night.

Always at his desk when he’s home. Very rarely does he relax without intervention from you. You have to ask him to come watch some TV or read a book. He’ll happily spend quiet time with you, he just needs reminding.

NSFW

Oh boy.

I’ve always cannoned Erwin as having a magic cock. It’s so fat and big and shaped so beautifully ~ ahh.

I call it magic because it’s basically a mini orgasm with each drag along your walls. And when you reach your golden end - you’ll be knocked silly.

I’m talking eye rolls, drool, you’ll flop like a rag doll as he pumps you into heaven.

His cock is addictive. Once Erwin inserts himself into you for the first time no other cock will ever do. It’s just… magical.

A gentleman in the sheets too - unless you don’t want him to be.

His load is so thick, like - McDonalds milkshake thick. And there’s so much of it, he can fill you up until you’re leaking and pull out and cover you.

The noises he makes consist of heavy, deep and almost guttural panting. Has such a sly smile while he watches how well your greedy insides take him.

Can and will preform oral on you for hours. Until your legs are shaking and you’re begging for mercy.

Don’t expect to ever be able to walk properly after he’s done with you, ‘cause you won’t.

Kinks

There’s two main (yet huge) moods Erwin has.

One is his praise kink. He worships you and your body. He’ll tell you how gorgeous, strong, pretty, beautiful, perfect etc., you are. It really gets him going showing his king/queen how he sees you and making you feel good about yourself. Making you feel as good as you deserves is almost good enough to make him cum on the spot. But of course, he has amazing self-control and his stamina is second to none.

Then there’s the other mood he has…

Having you dry hump him, beg him to pleasure you gets his motor running from 0 - 90.

If he’s super busy he’ll have you dry hump his tree trunk of a thigh while he fills in paper work, your desperate and pathetic body just pleading for him to see to you, the way only Erwin can. It won’t last too long though - it turns him on too much and will end up throwing you on the desk and fucking you until you see stars.

Aftercare

No matter how busy he was when you started to fuck, he’ll always take time to look after you after he’s destroyed your insides.

Pillow talk, soft kisses, telling you how well you did and how you milk him dry so well.

Will get you a tray of food and a drink and will bring it up to bed for you. Fruits, croissants, yoghurt… mmm.

After a particularly long session, he’ll wrap you up in the sheet and carry you to the shower; changing the bedding to a fresh set while you’re in there. He’ll lay out clean Pjs and have that tray of food waiting for you.

Always, always wraps his arms around you to fall asleep, his satisfied sighs in your ear always a joyous sound to end your day to.

Dates 10/10

Thoughtfulness 6/10

Affection 4/10

Sex 10/10

Aftercare 10/10

[the-fandom-hopping-mage]

thoughts on the special #2

this was fun last time so why not do it again

i had to double check that i was watching the right show cause it was in the wrong time period then I remembered that its a show about time travel and aliens

not to be racist but I feel like that guy shouldn't be black if its the past

apple tree OH its newton got it

I like her she reminds me of ms hudson. shes probably not his housekeeper either

okay its definitely newton

of COURSE. omg I've done it I've solved the secrets of the univ-HOLY SHIT WAS THAT A FLYING PHONE BOOTH WHAT THE F- *its raining apples from out of the sky apples no need to ask why*

honestly relatable, doctor you gotta stop traumatising people in the past

OH MY GOD HES SO PROUD OF HER "THIS IS MY FRIEND!! DONNA, MY FRIEND DONNA NOBLE!! WHO IS HERE WITH ME!! WHO SPILLED COFFEE, AND NOW WE'RE HERE ON ANOTHER ADVENTURE!! DONNA NOBLE!!"

"So he can blame me for all eternity." these two are so cute old married couple fr (platonic)

DOCTORDAVID ILY YOU ARE ADORABLE look how excited he is to meet him

spoilers~

the GRAVITY of the SITUATION oh my god i love donna so much

oh my GOD its MAVITY (its giving Mawage)

was i too busy getting excited in the first special to notice the new theme??? its so cool woah the tardis is doing flips

oh flickering lights that's never good that's how the angels get ya

DOCTOR WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER OH MY GOD IS SHE OKAY

sir you have some apologizing to do after all she's done for you and you light her on fire every chance you get no wonder she threw you out last regeneration

lol the tardis was so pissed at him she became american

ye you should be sorry apologize to her for blowing her up

no DONNA its a non-sonic screwdriver obviously

why the FUK are you YELLING at it jesus christ someone needs to teach this man stranger danger especially since 80% of the creatures they meet try to kill them

donna: No i need to be the Voice of Reason doctor: ..... donna: yeah okay you're right lets go to questionably safe activities

Mavity, Mavity. Mavity is wot bwings us to Earf today. Mavity, that bwessed awangment, that dweam wifin a dweam-

oh no its a wall

Donna: Wait you didn't know? All of us knew, you were the fruitest fruit loop we'd ever met the writers are just allowed to be controversial now

these two Idiots (affectionate)

Yes, the tardis took advantage of your absence and turned Common Sense Protocol back on, obviously someone needed to

if a very slow robot is trying to walk down a very long corridor i feel like the best plan of action is to see what its walking towards not what its walking away from??

why are there no stars are they inside dark matter or smth

OR THE END OF THE UNIVERSE HELLO AGAIN YANA

oh wormhole well I guess that's cool too

okay you say 'oh no its the edge of the universe' literally all the time I'm not that scared anymore

that pose is so silly why are you standing like that

oh Fuck its a Thing

'just settling' with your luck its a weeping angel or some shit

the change in his voice when they went into the echoy room gave me a heart attack I thought it was a new person

DUDE its giving the same vibes as "Is this perfume or alcohol? *drinks whole bottle* it's perfume"

good lord this man is an idiot

iTs A nOiSe with YOUR luck?????? learn from your friends sir she's got common sense

these guys are being way too blase about the drastic temperature shift it might just be my Awareness Of The Genre but I do think they should be more concerned

oh em gee its creepy mimicks that's weird (dude the donna mimic isn't even remotely realistic like the doctor mimic was pretty good had me fooled but she comes in like "I have done what you ordered. I am a robot.")

I swear. This man. Isn't he supposed to be clever or smth

EW

why is the steering wheel shaped like a sandal

This man's typecast is literally Sad Gay Men why are they ALWAYS so SAD

I think the doctor currently having an existential crisis is the Real doctor with Fake donna and the one without the tie is the Fake doctor with Real donna

#nope its not her

#called it

he looks so betrayed how can she not immediately start apologizing look at that face

The Real Genius of This Show: DONNA NOBLE, everybody, round of applause for donna noble

jesus these things' life goal is to bring up all their insecurities isn't it

oh my god give this man a break

okay the last time you(r face) encountered a copying alien, it very nearly succeeded by stealing your voice. Maybe that's a good hint to Shut Up???? Its gonna keep stealing your thouuuuughts

how to stop thinking: knock her out. you don't think (consciously) if your unconscious. just hit her over the head if you both live she'll thank you in the end

WITH THE KNOCKS TOO if this is midnight 2.0 I swear-

BUT NOW YOURE GIVING THEM THE COMPLETED VERSIONS OF YOU ON A SILVER PLATTER YOU ABSOLUTE DUMBASS

the way that's framed it very nice the stunt double and the actor can be in the same shot since their faces arent together

that's not therapeutic that's self destructive

Go Converse Go Converse You Can Do It

wait if those guys aren't matter and they absorb heat why wouldn't the bomb just feed them I feel like there are flaws in this plan

That is a Fabulous entrance bravo tardis have you ever perhaps considered musical theatre I promise you would have to deal with fewer dumbasses who like to blow you up

its a skateboard woo eeeeeee

ok saved donna is not excited enough at all I'm suspicious (and if its real donna I'm concerned)

did he just kill his best friend for the second time

he owes the tardis and donna SO many apologies after this

idk if its the music or the doctors influence but it is sad that those two died (if they did I still think they didn't)

✨Trauma Buddies✨

You idiot if you've got a feeling its probably right its always right with you

c'mon bestie spill your trauma

"I'm alright""Is that special time lord code for 'really not alright at all'? 'Cause I'm alright, too." ah how far we've come *wipes tear*

imagine being wilf and for the past 15 years you've been sure you killed one of your best friends and NOW HES BACK

in crying

WHAT THE FUCK HAPPENED IN TWO GODDAMN DAYS GOOD LORD

wow Grammarly really doesn't like my tumblr grammar

the end

[masongrizchel]

When Planets Dance Backward

Something is mesmerizing about watching planets glide across the night sky. Their steady progress feels predictable, almost reassuring. But occasionally, one of these celestial wanderers appears to pause, move backward, and then return to its usual path. This curious behavior, known as retrograde motion, is an optical illusion with a profound backstory.

For centuries, retrograde motion was a cosmic mystery. To ancient astronomers, planets were “wandering stars” whose erratic behavior defied explanation. Mars, in particular, would move steadily eastward against the backdrop of stars, only to halt, trace a small loop in the sky, and resume its course. Early attempts to explain this phenomenon involved elaborate models, like the Ptolemaic system, where planets orbited Earth along small circles (epicycles) nested within larger ones. These intricate ideas held sway for over a thousand years—until the truth emerged.

The breakthrough came with Nicolaus Copernicus in the 16th century, who suggested a heliocentric model where planets orbit the Sun. Suddenly, retrograde motion wasn’t planetary misbehavior but a shift in perspective. Imagine driving on a highway. As you pass a slower car, it briefly appears to drift backward relative to your position. That’s retrograde motion in action. When Earth, moving faster in its smaller orbit, overtakes an outer planet like Mars, it seems to reverse course for a few weeks before resuming its forward journey.

This wasn’t just a neat explanation; it was revolutionary. Retrograde motion became a key piece of evidence favoring the heliocentric model. Building on Copernicus’s ideas, Johannes Kepler introduced his laws of planetary motion, revealing that planets travel in elliptical orbits, not perfect circles. Galileo Galilei’s telescopic observations of Jupiter’s moons further challenged the Earth-centered model. The retrograde motion had quietly opened the door to a new understanding of the universe.

But why does retrograde motion matter today? Beyond its historical significance, it reminds us of the power of perspective. What we see isn’t always the whole story. The retrograde motion also shows how humanity’s understanding of the cosmos has evolved—from myths and epicycles to orbits and gravity.

And here’s a fun thought: if you could stand on Mars, you’d see Earth go into retrograde, looping backward across the Martian sky. Every planet’s retrograde motion depends on where you stand, which is a fitting metaphor for science itself—always shaped by where we’re looking from and how far we’ve come.

So, pause and marvel the next time Mars takes a cosmic detour. That small celestial loop tells the story of humanity’s journey to understanding—a story as timeless as the stars themselves.

[jhenvs3000semester]

Blog Post 7

Music and nature have an ancient relationship as if they have always danced together. What exactly does it mean to ask, "Where is music in nature?" or "Where is nature in music?" These two concepts describe a lovely interplay in which melodies emerge from the soil, and the rhythms of nature reverberate in the music we create.

Nature is naturally musical. Harmonic, evocative, and spiritual soundscapes can be created without instruments or human participation. Nature's symphonies include the rustle of leaves in the wind, the crash of waves on a rocky shore, and the song of a bird at dawn. The steady beat of rain against a window, the murmur of bees in a meadow, and the distant roar of thunder all have a cadence that could easily fit into an orchestral concert.

Consider how a river flows: the gurgling and bubbling of water as it tumbles over boulders is more than simply noise; it is a composition. Nature's music is ambient, omnipresent, and instinctive. It talks to us without words, stirring up something primitive inside us, as if to remind us that nature had already composed its own eternal scores long before humans learned to write.

Nature creates its own music, and the music humans frequently make mirrors or reflect the natural environment. Many composers and musicians, deliberately or subconsciously, have drawn inspiration from nature. Electronic music's looping beats use a repeated wave pattern. A bird's song's rising and falling pitches may be replicated in a flute melody. Nature's rhythms are not limited by time, yet they resonate with the rhythms that propel our lives, finding their way into the songs we write, the music we play, and the lyrics we sing.

For example, folk music frequently recalls landscapes, seasons, and natural forces. Traditional instruments, such as the wooden flute or acoustic guitar, carry earthy textures, producing warm and organic tones. Nature not only inspires song content but also influences how we feel when we listen to music—grounded, uplifted, or nostalgic.

Van Morrison's song "Into the Mystic" immediately transports me back to the wildness of the sea. Whenever I hear the smooth, melodic guitar and the lines "We were born before the wind, also younger than the sun," I am taken to a specific location and time. I grew up in Lebanon, and the sea was often the focal point of my relationship with nature. I spent hours sitting by the Mediterranean, watching the waves crash and finding solace in the rhythm of the tide.

Van Morrison's voice evokes the same tranquillity I felt at the time—the soft draw of the sea, the warmth of the sun on my skin, and the impression that, like the song, the ocean was everlasting, both ancient and ever-changing. It reminds me of summer days spent by the water when I felt at ease with nature, the world, and myself.

The beauty of music is its ability to transport us. Sometimes, that conveyance is emotional; other times, it is physical — returning to a specific location or point. When I hear "Into the Mystic," I am transported back to the edge of the Earth, where nature's melody blends with Morrison's, creating a beautiful synthesis of Earth and sound.

Music and nature are intertwined, like two sides of the same coin. One inspires the other, both in terms of creation and experience. When we allow ourselves to listen to the music of nature and the nature of music, we discover that they are not two distinct universes but rather one continuous landscape of sound and emotion. Whether listening to the crash of waves or strumming a guitar, we're experiencing the same beauty. What song transports you back to nature, and what scene does it create for you?

[colossal-fallout]

Erwin dating headcanons would be cute but tbh I’ll love anything you decide to write ☺️

Thank you my beaut :)

Erwin Smith ~ Relationship, Vibe & Various

Okay, so there's a lot to unpack here with Erwin Smith. As you probably know, he's a very complex individual. Extremely hard to get close to, due to how busy/committed he is to his job.

However, if you do manage, prepare to be swept off your feet like Mary Poppins caught in a storm. Funny to look at but an absolute whirlwind.

Erwin is the gentleman. He will be so respectful, patient and alpha that you'll feel like nothing in the world could ever hurt you, not even the Titans.

However, he's known to sacrifice all he can for answers so I wouldn't rely on that too much. Not that I'm saying he'd happily throw you into the jaws of a sixteen foot monster or anything, because he wouldn't. He will sometimes go silent for days as he buries himself into his work. Unfortunately its just something you're going to have to put up with if you want to be in this mans life.

Ideal Dates

Fancy dining is something you can expect when you're with Erwin. He knows life is short and enjoying life while you can is important. That and he's experienced the shitty ways of military life and the slop they serve; not to mention famine. So, now he's up on the commander ladder, prepare to be spoiled with candle lit dinners and fine wines.

Doesn't make him a snob though. He's so down to earth he has this power where he'll make you feel like royalty, all while lifting up everyone else in the room too. Kind and polite, he never fails to make others feel good about themselves; just a nod, a smile and a "thank you" goes miles for anyone serving him food.

Is a sucker for late night walks - especially in parks. He'll loop your hand through his arm as he takes slow strides, his entirety rumbling with each small laugh he lets out. With you, having managed to penetrate into his life, he's found a new happiness he didn't think he'd ever have in this lifetime.

Like Levi, Erwin always smells good. Fresh shower gels, cologne, you name it.

Picnic's in the spring and summer are something else you can expect from this amazing human. He'll feed you fancy cheeses, bites of cake and so on.

Modern AU

I can see Erwin having a few professions in a modern au. A professor, a business man with Levi as his partner, and even the owner of a fancy, swag car store.

It's just in his DNA to rise to the top of things - that's Erwin for you. Whatever career he has, he's high up and earns a lot of money. He's a workaholic through and through, no matter what universe you're in, he's going to struggle balancing his work life with his personal life. It's a major issue you'll have to tackle if you want to be romantically involved with him.

He takes Levi to get acupuncture to help with his insomnia. He's open minded and also suggests Tai-Chi.

Espresso's are basically pumped directly into this mans veins. None after 4 though, else he'll be up all night.

Always at his desk when he's home. Very rarely does he relax without intervention from you. You have to ask him to come watch some TV or read a book. He'll happily spend quiet time with you, he just needs reminding.

NSFW

Oh boy.

I've always cannoned Erwin as having a magic cock. It's so fat and big and shaped so beautifully ~ ahh.

I call it magic because it's basically a mini orgasm with each drag along your walls. And when you reach your golden end - you'll be knocked silly.

I'm talking eye rolls, drool, you'll flop like a rag doll as he pumps you into heaven.

His cock is addictive. Once Erwin inserts himself into you for the first time no other cock will ever do. It's just... magical.

A gentleman in the sheets too - unless you don't want him to be.

His load is so thick, like - McDonalds milkshake thick. And there's so much of it, he can fill you up until you're leaking and pull out and cover you.

The noises he makes consist of heavy, deep and almost guttural panting. Has such a sly smile while he watches how well your greedy insides take him.

Can and will preform oral on you for hours. Until your legs are shaking and you're begging for mercy.

Don't expect to ever be able to walk properly after he's done with you, 'cause you won't.

Kinks

There's two main (yet huge) moods Erwin has.

One is his praise kink. He worships you and your body. He'll tell you how gorgeous, strong, pretty, beautiful, perfect etc., you are. It really gets him going showing his king/queen how he sees you and making you feel good about yourself. Making you feel as good as you deserves is almost good enough to make him cum on the spot. But of course, he has amazing self-control and his stamina is second to none.

Then there's the other mood he has...

Having you dry hump him, beg him to pleasure you gets his motor running from 0 - 90.

If he's super busy he'll have you dry hump his tree trunk of a thigh while he fills in paper work, your desperate and pathetic body just pleading for him to see to you, the way only Erwin can. It won't last too long though - it turns him on too much and will end up throwing you on the desk and fucking you until you see stars.

Aftercare

No matter how busy he was when you started to fuck, he'll always take time to look after you after he's destroyed your insides.

Pillow talk, soft kisses, telling you how well you did and how you milk him dry so well.

Will get you a tray of food and a drink and will bring it up to bed for you. Fruits, croissants, yoghurt... mmm.

After a particularly long session, he'll wrap you up in the sheet and carry you to the shower; changing the bedding to a fresh set while you're in there. He'll lay out clean Pjs and have that tray of food waiting for you.

Always, always wraps his arms around you to fall asleep, his satisfied sighs in your ear always a joyous sound to end your day to.

[absolutebl]

This Week In BL - Lots of comfort hugs & car kisses

June 2022 Wk 1

Being a highly subjective assessment of one tiny corner of the interwebs. Organized by which ones (in each category) I’m enjoying the most.

Ongoing Series - Thai

Triage (AISplay Mon) Ep 5-6 - This is not just a time loop show anymore. The way they’re unfolding this narrative is more like a mystery. And so far that aspect is working better for me than the actual mystery did in sister-show Manner of the Death. This drama keeps improving every new ep, which I didn’t expect from a groundhog day premise, they usually get more dull not more exciting, it’s smart, I like that. Also Fiat blond is v cute. 

Dear Doctor, I'm Coming for Soul (iQIYI Weds) Ep 11 - Metha is finally on their side to uncover the sins of the past and expose the bad guy who defamed daddy. Redemption arc! Meanwhile, side dishes got an “around the back of head not at all a kiss” kiss. I haven’t seen that from Thailand since Make it Right! Retro “we not gay” camera action used because the actors aren’t comfortable with each other. Tut tut. 

Sky in Your Heart (Fri YouTube) Ep 1 - Is it derivative? Yes. Do I care? No. There’s so much Thai stuff these days, that I think we’re going to get more & more works that derive more & more plots from previous successful shows. So, yeah, this is basically Tale of Thousand Stars only shorter run and faster paced. And I’m not mad about it. So far I like this 2nd installment in the series a lot better than Star. I think this story is cleaner, the characters better portrayed, the conflict more understandable, and in general it feels more mature. Also I guess this should be added to my short list of BL‘s that are told from the seme’s perspective? Linguistically: these two are formal with each other using pom/khun. 

KinnPorsche (iQIYI Sat) Ep 9 - Big is my favorite best boy, but he's getting so much screen time for so little plot-use payout there’s a good chance he’s the mole. Meanwhile, Pete is sent into the viper’s den. I liked that this episode was mostly manipulations and plot. I think Tawan is a good character, well cast. So for me this was one of the better episodes we’ve had. On Wik & Chay as a couple, I’m going to be controversial with this statement: It was a mistake to switch out Gameplay. He and Jeff just have MUCH better chemistry together. I suspect they did it because they wanted a younger, more innocent looking actor for Chay, but these two just aren’t working for me as a couple. I get nothing from them and they don’t seem much connected to the rest of the show, either. I never thought I’d say this about a Jeff plot line, but, its boring me. 

Close Friend 2 (Viki Thur) Ep 5 - Pierce finally comes out, and it goes as smoothly as expected. Workplace homophobia and further conflict still abound though. It’s fine, well acted and directed, just not really my kinda plot. 

My Secret Love (YouTube Sat) Ep 2 - Being forced by a university to be a BL couple is ABSURD, but it is giving them permission to lampoon tropes which I kinda enjoy. Otherwise it’s VERY awkward with poor chemistry across the board. I do not like the lead couple, tom/jerry is one of my least favorite dynamics (it always seems mean spirited). I already have 2nd lead syndrome and he hasn’t even really been introduced. So far the leads remind me of My Boy (which I DNFd) X BonDuen from My Engineer (who I dislike). I prefer the sides. Specifically the closeted LTR couple (Longa & ?) they use rao/ter together, which I find VERY cute. (Look, the names are hard since what I am seeing in captions isn’t in the MDL listing.) I’ve watched worse BLs for better side couples before (cough cough Brothers), so we shall see how this goes... 

Thai BL - Finished this week! 

La Cuisine (GaGa Sat) Ep 13fin - Honestly, I enjoyed it but it is awful slow. Thank goodness GaGa has 1.5x speed option. It also takes the faen fatale archetype to the next level of extreme evil. Everyone got a cute couple ending, even characters I didn’t really recognize, couldn’t remember, or showed no chemistry. But hey, shrug. Also, Sky & Phai = unexpectedly great kiss. Why did we not get their thread (and Kitty’s for that matter) throughout the show? It would’ve helped with the pacing a lot. (Honestly, these two actors probably should’ve played the leads, IMHO). In the end, la cuisine is sweet and kind of pure and like Thai desserts perhaps a little too time-consuming for the Layperson. Because of the pacing and the focus on the bad girl character, I did dock it a point. But if you like stuff in the Oxygen vein, then this show is for you, and far better than most Thai BL pulps. However, I suspect that I enjoyed it more than many would. Full review here. 7/10 RECOMMENDED WITH RESERVATIONS 

That’s My Candy (Viki Tues) Ep 6 - Amnesia trope. Sigh. And then I guess a reboot for the romance and because they are older they can make it work this time? What did I just watch? This was terrible. Full review here. 3/10 NOT RECOMMENDED 

Meow Ears Up (GaGa Tue) Ep 8fin - I liked this BL and found it sweet, I’m not opposed to the catboy (pet) trope, but I guess it was trying to be too Japanese about it while the set up was all sweetness and Thai style, because they fudged the ending. For me, that’s a fatal flaw, 4/10 NOT RECOMMENDED (full review here)

Cupid's Last Wish (YouTube Sun) Ep 10fin - This is one show where I didn’t mind the one year time jump at the end it contributed to a very very strong final episode. In fact probably the best ep of the series. It wasn’t enough to save it for me. But it certainly did excel. EarthMix gave a really good final kiss too. Still I never liked this show nor really enjoyed myself mostly because of Win’s character, no full review, 6/10. WORTH WATCHING FOR SOME, BUT FLAWED

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

Fukou-kun wa Kiss Suru Shikanai! AKA Mr Unlucky Has No Choice But to Kiss! (Japan GaGa *rec*  & Viki Fri) Ep 7 - Is this turning into a tradition, where we get the opposite POV in the penultimate episode of a Japanese BL? Regardless, it was really nice to get Naoya’s perspective. I’m still really liking the show, I’m not sure if it has a story arc at all, but that’s Japanese romcoms for you, quite frankly. 

Plus & Minus (Taiwan Viki *rec* & GaGa Fri) Ep 9 - This one is waffling a bit, I think I’ve decided to think of it as more of a soap opera - Taiwanese style, then an actual show with a proper story or anything. It seems very episodic. I actually like the main couple a lot more than the side couple, which is not normal for me.

Love in Spring (Korea grey) Ep1-4 - It’s very Korean historical comedy, much more so than the historical KBLs we’ve had so far (Tinted with You, Nobleman Ryu’s Wedding). It is, unfortunately, also a bit over acted (especially the whipping boy trope driven “bad guy.”). To be fair, there is a lot of scenery chewing going on. The cross dressing is definitely played for laughs, and there is a Cindefella element as well. Bad wig warning. There’s a lot of voice over thoughts, people explaining what is going on to the viewer (we KNOW), and also talking to themselves as exposition. None of this is good. But it’s a big cast and high production values for such a crappy script. I will stick with it if I can and definitely watch if it gets picked up for distribution. 

Getaway (Singapore Mon YouTube) Ep 2 - didn’t drop? Or I didn’t catch it, but then again I don’t know what their schedule is. Weekly? Every other week? Monthly? 

Gossip

Korean production studio Silkwood (Peach of Time) announced 3 new BLs: 

PT is Love: friends of 10 years who’ve been hiding feelings for each other enter the same university. Plus MURDER.

Love is like a Cat: A new star, called the Cat Prince for his cold arrogance, goes up against a charismatic puppyish director. 

Space Bakery: A spaceship crash-lands into and destroys a small bakery shop. Of course this means the alien and the baker end up living together. At the same time, other aliens-in-hiding all around the city start hunting for them. 

That last one tho. Woah. 

Casting finally announced for Japan’s long awaited (by me, anyway, it’s AGE GAP!) Wash My Heart AKA Minato Shouji Coin Laundry (manga by Yuzu Tsubaki). It’ll star Kusakawa Takuya (Rokkaku of Cherry Magic) and Nishikagi Sho (bit part in My Love Mix Up! also in Muchuu-sa, Kimi ni). Premieres on July 6 on TV Tokyo, no word on international but irozuku is going to sub it!!!! 

Plot: Middle-aged former corporate drone, Akira, now peacefully runs his grandfather’s beloved coin laundromat. One day, high-school student, Shintaro, stumbles in and despite the age difference they became friends. Then Shintaro finds out that Akira is gay...  

New Taiwanese Bl announced My Tooth Your Love (from Result Entertainment - We Best Love series) with script by Lin Pei who loves VERY traditional yaoi tropes, she’s the writer of HIStory1: Obsessed, HIStory2: Right or Wrong, HIStory2: Crossing the Line, HIStory3: Trapped, WBL, & See You After Quarantine?!! Stars Andy Wu (Amensalism), Yu Jin, Michael Chang, and Alex Chou (composer/musician and the other bartender in WBL). 

In Case You Missed It

Japan’s movie adaptation of Miso's Koi Kogare Utae AKA Sing In Love released in theaters, no word on international distribution. About a teacher who encounters a mysterious man from his past, who is strangely obsessed with him. 

Love Mechanics is coming to WeTV end of this month (?) but they are pretty bad about English subs and international distribution, so we are hoping GaGa saves the day (like they did with My Ride). But it’s Viki who has the original En of Love Series. Who knows where it’s going. Fingers crossed. 

Next Week Looks Like This:

All three midweek shows end their run next week. Much anticipated Thai BL Check Out is about to start. Rumor is it will release to their YT channel but the eng sub version will be behind a paywall. I’m willing to bite, but it better be REALLY good and I intend to watch without subs first. We already KNOW the chemistry is on point with these two, though. 

This week’s best moments?

I love how practical and bureaucratic the reaper business is in Thailand. I bet they have spreadsheets. I feel very seen. (Dear Doctor) 

When a show reviews itself (Mr Unlucky). 

Plus and Minus the head cradle hug, a favorite of mine. 

Truth bomb on Close Friends 2. 

Look I just find sweaty gym bunnies coming out relatable, okay? (Close Friends 2) 

Well, La Cuisine, that couple and kiss CAME OUT OF NOWHERE. But hey, we’ll take it, while simultaneously feeling like WE WERE ROBBED. 

(last week)