#and then at the end [spoiler event] WITHOUT LIKE. REFERENCING WHAT WOULD HAPPEN TO THE ANIMALS?

[drumlincountry]

EVERY fantasy book EVERY scifi novel every starwars movie every post apocalyptic show. I ask, WTF??? The same same question EVERY time. Say it with me - WHERE’S THE FARMING?

[ahdraftingco]

Oneshot: Trouble

Pairing: Dark!Joel Miller x Innocent!Reader

AO3 Crosspost: https://archiveofourown.org/works/44157645

Summary: Ellie's gone. She ran away a while ago, after she discovered Joel's lie. It was a lie he had to make for his own sake because he couldn't handle losing her but still, he lost her. Now, he walks the wasteland alone, searching for purpose…and that's when he stumbles onto you. A bright, young woman who had gotten through the worst of it without losing her innocence to a world gone mad. If only you knew what was in store for you now that Joel has found a new person to latch onto…

Word Count: 8.2k+

A/N: As always, please read through ALL the warnings before proceeding: porn with plot, dead dove: do not eat (this story is not for the faint of heart so don't say i didn't warn ya), borderline non-con, dark!joel miller, loss of virginity, dom/sub undertones, age gap, use of the word "daddy"/"baby girl", bondage, forced orgasms, gunplay, praise kink, somnophilia, size difference, genuine fear/peril, death threats, cum play, rough sex, sexual coercion, squirting, breeding kink (unprotected piv, possible pregnancy/pregnancy talk), angst, mentions of violence, degradation, references to death

This fic will contain spoilers to TLOU Part One, so if you haven't played the game, please be aware that I will be referencing canon events. Hope you enjoy the sinister Joel I've made up and yes, I did based the physical description off Pedro Pascal's portrayal of Joel ~ ♡

It's been months since Ellie left Joel. He had gone out to look for supplies, since she had been sick. It wasn't until he got back and saw that she had taken up everything she could carry that he realized it had all been an act to let his guard down.

He had thought they were past what had happened at the hospital, since it's been almost five years, but the truth is…he knew what he had done was unforgivable. She was the cure. She wanted to die for the cause. She knew what she had to do but he was the one who wasn't ready to let her go.

This is the price he will pay for it.

It breaks Joel down more and more every day that passes as he scavenges the east coast, hoping he'll find clues of Ellie's whereabouts somewhere. Though, he taught her well, which meant he was almost certain she'd be hard to find.

If she's smart, which he knows she is, Ellie would've made it to the north before the winter began. That way, there's no chance of Joel ever catching up to her in the snow.

With a heavy sigh, Joel makes his trek up the state highway, weaving through abandoned cars. He'll be in New York soon. There once was a station there, but it quickly grew overcrowded and fell soon after.

Not enough food for people to eat, not enough protection for people to survive.

The infected would be roaming in the city, but Joel knew to avoid the densely populated areas. He didn't want trouble.

And yet, trouble always finds him.

Trouble had a name this time. Your name, though he didn't know it just yet.

Instead, as he watches you from a distance, Joel calls you baby girl in his mind, seeing how much younger you were than him. It was obvious you were older than Ellie though. You were an adult, a young one, but an adult all the same. It makes him wonder how you ended up here all alone.

You're humming to yourself, as if the thought of a threat nearby didn't phase you. It's a song he has heard before. Edge of Seventeen by Stevie Nicks. He can almost hear the guitar riff, but it wasn't anything he could play.

However, at this moment, he wished he could.

Seeing you happily whispering the lyrics to yourself as you take down your laundry fills Joel with a kind of desire that taints his soul. It's dark and twisted, the way he wants to bottle up your joy and keep it all for himself.

How could you be so carefree in a world gone mad? It's as if no one has ever hurt you before.

Maybe…you didn't even know the infected existed.

That's impossible, but it looks like you're completely self-sufficient. You have a lake house and he can see the fishing equipment. You also have a garden with rotating crops that are growing well despite the incoming winter.

Who taught you to live life like this?

Peaceful, alone, without a care.

Joel is almost…disappointed. He'd imagine if anyone else had stumbled upon you, you'd be taken easily. You were like the easiest prey for a hungry predator, since you were clueless to the danger you could be in.

It makes Joel want to protect you…but it also makes him want to own you. There's an insatiable need to show you how much you need him to keep you safe, from people just like him.

So, that's exactly what he's going to do. Joel will make you his. He will weave himself into your life until you can't possibly live without him anymore.

That way, you'd never leave him like Ellie did…

❅❅❅❅❅

Today's catch went swimmingly, as it always does. You reeled in enough to have extra to dry into tasty jerky. Winter is approaching and you start to see your breath in the air, knowing that a storm is brewing. You'll have to start chopping some more firewood to store in the basement in case it's an extra cold winter. The temperature has been dropping every passing year, while the summers have gotten hotter.

You're thankful you won't have to think about summer preparations right now. Having to deal with those forest fires took up so much of your time. Winter is destructive as well, but at least it requires you to stay in instead of slave away all day.

Another winter alone, though. You let out a sigh at the thought. How long has it been since everyone you loved passed away?

You're tired of burying people…

Last month, you had to clean up the house a few miles down the lake. You hated having to do it, but your parents taught you well. The moment someone died, you needed to put them out of their misery or they'd fester and become worse creatures than the resurrected undead.

So, you put a bullet in their head and dug a grave for them. Then, you would spend hours rummaging through their house for any supplies before giving it a good thorough cleaning. It was your way of laying them to rest.

You'll miss that man though. Neither of you exchanged names, but you would trade fish for some of his pepper plants. Sometimes, he'd have canned goods for you that he had made himself. You still have some in your basement now. That'll help for the winter.

All these thoughts help you get through deboning your catch. You light up your wood fire stove so you can make a serving of stew and start the dehydrating process. It isn't until everything is in the pot that you register the rustling outside.

Is that the wind or…no, it can't be.

No one ever comes around these parts. It's so hidden by the trees that only an experienced person would think someone lives out here. That's sort of why your parents bought this house. It was secluded in the best kind of way, which aided a lot when everything went to shit. You were born here, raised here and will likely die here.

However, you weren't expecting that day to come so soon. Whoever is out there…they won't hurt you, will they? Your nerves heighten as you walk towards your door, debating if you should grab your gun.

You don't, because the person knocks.

It's a gentle knock, just three light taps. You calm down a little at that. You figure if it was a malicious person, they'd just break down your door. You haven't ever encountered a malicious person before, since you try not to believe everyone is bad. The people you know have all been kind, despite everything.

You hope this person will be the same.

So, you open your door and…

"Hello there." The older man at your doorstep says in his southern accent. "I was just passing through and I noticed you had a fire going. I don't mean to bother, but would it be alright for me to spend the night here, away from the cold?"

You look the man up and down. He doesn't seem like a threat, though he does have a rifle on his back and a pistol tucked at his belt. He's wearing a brown jacket with a flannel underneath along with several other layers that look like they're getting soaked through from the light snow that's starting already. He has a patchy beard with some grays in it along with soft brown hair that matches his eyes.

The man doesn't look intimidating, besides the weapons he's carrying.

So, you do what your parents had always done when people stumbled upon your little house and tell him, "you can stay the night if you agree to bury your weapons somewhere outside. There's a shovel out back. Choose any spot away from my garden, please."

"I will happily take that offer, thank you." His voice is smooth and gentle, so you ease up a little as you watch him leave to go fulfill your request.

The man returns later with just his bag and as a show of faith, he empties it at the doorstep so you can see what he has in it. You notice how few supplies he has, so you sift through your cabinets for some spare canned goods.

"You can have these." You bring them to him. "I've got plenty."

"You're very kind." He gives you a brief smile before taking the cans from you. "Are you always this welcoming to strangers?"

"I wouldn't call you a stranger. You're simply a traveler passing through. Nothing strange about that in our world."

You quickly leave after you say that to give him a change of clothes, since his are soaked and the spare in his bag doesn't look very warm.

"Would you like to use my bath?" You ask, pointing over at the bathroom down the hall. "I haven't heated any water, so it'll be a minute, but you can take a nice, warm bath if you'd like."

"That sounds wonderful." He seems pleased with your offer. "You're a very good girl, treating me with such hospitality."

"We all deserve some normalcy." You leave him with those words so you can go start the fire for the bath water.

It takes around half an hour to boil enough water in intervals, since your stove is quite small and you can only carry so much water at a time. Though, the man, who lets you know that his name is Joel, helps with that, lugging the pot of water back and forth for you until the tub is filled. You tell him to take his time and that dinner will be ready whenever he's done.

When Joel finishes his bath, he meets you in the kitchen and you pour him a bowl of stew, which you invite him to eat by the fire. You've already eaten your portion so you opt to spend time organizing stock since the storm is coming in stronger than you anticipated. You haven't harvested your winter vegetables yet and you should probably do that now before they get buried.

"Something on your mind?" That southern accent sounds close now and you look up to see Joel standing beside you, empty bowl in his hand. "Thanks for the stew, it was delicious."

You smile, taking it from him so you can quickly wipe it clean and set it aside. Then, you answer his question with a light sigh, "I didn't expect the snow to start falling so quickly. I need to go out and salvage what I can from my garden before I'm snowed in."

"Can I help with that?" Joel offers and you shake your head.

"I can't ask you to do that. You just bathed, plus you're my guest."

"I can always bathe again. You shouldn't be out there alone right now. Let me help." His voice has this tinge of leadership in it that makes you want to follow him, so you eventually agree.

"Alright. In exchange, you can have some of the harvest." You make him a deal.

"Can I ask for something else?" Joel catches you by surprise with that. "Would it be okay if I stayed here until the storm ended?"

"Oh…" He's right. If the storm has started already, he'd be stranded out there if you kicked him out tomorrow.

But, is it really smart to spend an entire storm with a man you've just met?

You can't let him trek through the storm though, so you tell him, "if you help me with some repairs around the house, then you can stay as long as you'd like."

"I'd like that." His smile makes your heart skip a beat.

The rest of the evening is spent shoveling snow and pulling out as many vegetables as you and Joel can carry back and forth to the house before the storm gets significantly worse. You're both soaked head to toe and you're freezing once you both get back into the house. The fire isn't going to warm you up, so you'll definitely need a bath. But, you don't want Joel to get sick, so you offer to have him bathe first, but he declines, since you need to too.

"One of us is going to get sick waiting to bathe." You tell him as you start boiling the water for the bath.

"Then why don't we bathe together?"

Your ears must have been deceiving you and you turn to Joel, who is peeling off his soaked outer layer. He doesn't seem phased at all by what he just said but you're flustered.

"H-how would that work?" You're suddenly feeling warm all over, despite your shivering.

"It'll be like sharing a hot tub." He says with a chuckle. "Just keep your underwear on. I can keep my shirt on too, if you're more comfortable that way."

Now you're embarrassed for a whole other reason. Why did you just assume he meant getting into the bath with him naked? There's no way he'd ask that of you and you feel bad that you even thought such a thing.

"That would work. You don't have to keep your shirt on, but I think I will." You're too shy to be that bare in front of him, but keeping your shirt and underwear on is fine. He doesn't say anything else about it as you both start prepping the bath once again.

When it's ready, you realize there's another problem with this scenario. It's not all that big of a bath. How would you both fit?

"You'll just have to sit between my legs." Joel tells you while he strips. "I'll get in first and guide you into a comfortable position."

You let him take the lead, though you turn away when he pulls off his shirt and don't turn back until you hear him get into the bath. Then, you strip as quickly as you can, leaving yourself in just your shirt and underwear. Joel puts his hand out and you take it, letting him help you in. He has you sitting between his legs, with your back against his chest, and…it's oddly nice.

The bath water is very warm and your shirt rises a little since there's air under it, so you try your best to smooth it out, though that doesn't help much.

"Do you want to take it off?" Joel asks you, his warm breath tickling the back of your ear.

"I…" You would but… "I'm not wearing anything underneath."

You aren't the biggest fan of bras. They're only good when you're exercising or doing some heavy lifting and don't want your breasts to get in the way. So, you don't wear them regularly unless you feel the need to.

"I won't look." He rests his chin on your head. "I'll keep my eyes up so you can get comfy."

That would be nice. It's odd how easy things are around Joel because you feel like you can trust him to do as he says, so you opt to pull off your shirt, tossing it aside. It hits the floor, the wet sound echoing through the room. You adjust yourself so that your breasts are submerged beneath the water and when you tilt your head up, Joel has his lifted to the ceiling, not stealing any glances at you.

Though, it wasn't his eyes you should've been worried about. You hadn't noticed where his hands were resting until you felt one of them slide up to cup your breast and the other slips down into your underwear. You're about to say something but then Joel rolls his thumb over your nipple and you can't stop the light moan that leaves your lips at the sudden sensation.

"Does that feel good, baby girl?" He whispers right into your ear with such sultry affection. "Do you want daddy to keep touching you like this?"

Before you can reply, Joel presses a finger against your entrance and forces his way into you, making you gasp. Your toes curl when his finger does, filling you up so much out of nowhere. It's nothing like when you touch yourself and in combination with his other hand teasing your breasts, you can't hold in the soft whimpers from how good it feels.

You need to tell him to stop, but then he thrusts another finger inside of you and you cry out from how much he's stretching you out. You've never been this full before.

"You're so tight." That word lingers in the air and you're getting dizzy from his seductive tone. "Has no one ever touched you before?"

You shake your head, not knowing why you're able to answer him but not able to tell him to stop…

"Are you telling me this is all mine?" He pushes up against a spot inside of you with his fingers that makes your whole body shiver in reaction. "You're sucking me in, baby girl. I'm jealous of my own fingers."

There's so many questions you want to ask him, like why he's doing this to you and why it feels good even though you shouldn't want a random man you just met to touch you, but none of those questions can be asked when every breath you take is stolen by a moan or whimper.

Something's building inside of you, that tension you've only felt on occasion when you've been bored and masturbated. However, this is even more intense than those times, because you're not the one setting the pace.

Joel is aggressive with his touch, fingering you at a pace you wouldn't be able to. Then, every now and then, he spreads them, reminding you of how big his fingers are as they stretch you out.

You're on the cusp of your orgasm and that scares you.

Why are you about to cum from this?

Why aren't you stopping him!

"Don't hold it in." He urges you to let go. "Cum for your daddy."

You're not my—you can't seem to finish your own thoughts because he's forcing your orgasm onto you, his fingers ruthlessly grinding against that spot inside of you that makes you cum hard. You're thankful you're in the bath right now because you swore, you squirted for the first time. You've never came that much before, tears streaming down your eyes from the intensity of it.

The pleasure sears every inch of your skin, making it hotter than before and the steam from the bath isn't helping your mind calm down. You're getting lost in that daze and it's not ending.

Especially not when Joel keeps going and he adds another finger, spreading you wide open. You're gasping for air from how filled you feel and he must not like that because he takes his other hand and shoves his fingers into your mouth. You gag on them, not expecting to have his fingers invade your mouth, but he doesn't care that you feel that way.

Instead, he goes, "be a good girl and enjoy yourself."

You wonder how you're supposed to enjoy yourself when your mouth is as full as your pussy is but soon enough, you understand. Every moan you want to make is forced back down your throat by his fingers and it's hard to breathe like this but that just causes your body to tense up more around his fingers. They're hitting you so deep inside that you're going to cum again all too quickly.

You try to tell him to stop but your words come out all gurgled up from the saliva pooling up in your mouth since his fingers are playing with your tongue. You're practically drooling and you try to swallow, but that means you have to suck on his fingers to do so, which only riles him up more.

"That's good practice, baby girl." He encourages you to keep doing that to prepare yourself for something else. "I can't wait to bury my cock in this pretty little mouth and your tight wet pussy."

You're on the verge of tears again and you don't know if it's out of fear or arousal as you get closer and closer to your next orgasm. You don't want his cock anywhere near you but you realize then that he's been pressing his hard cock up against your back this whole time. If you thought his fingers filled you up, you were certain his cock would break you.

You start to panic, trying to shove his arm away from you so he can stop fingering you but that only angers him. So, Joel retaliates by pulling his fingers out of your mouth and wrapping his hand around your throat, squeezing it hard.

"Don't make me kill you." He threatens and you go completely still. "I don't want to, but if you keep misbehaving, I will."

"Please…" You sob out of pure fear. "Don't hurt me."

"I would never want to hurt you. You're my precious girl, so don't make me do anything I don't want to, okay?" He lightens his hold on your neck then and you inhale as much air as you can, trying to find your composure. "You're going to cum for me again and then I'm going to take you to bed. Understood?"

You don't want to say it but he'll kill you if you don't so you nod and tell him, "I understand."

"Address me correctly when you're talking to me." His fingers press into your neck, as a little warning.

You swallow your nerves then go, "I understand, daddy."

"Good girl. Daddy likes it when you listen." He gives you a soft kiss on the cheek, changing his tone all too easily. "Now, let me spoil my baby girl."

You brace yourself as his fingers curl their way back inside of you, going much more gently this time. Strangely, it's not enough to get you close. His pace is too slow, too soft, and you're trembling from how much you want him to be rougher with you.

"Say what you want." It's like he can read your thoughts. "Tell me and I'll do it for you."

You shouldn't say anything but your body is craving that feeling too much, so you give in and say, "more, please. I want more."

"Do you want me to go faster?" He asks as he does exactly that and you nod profusely. He suddenly slows though, so you know what you have to do.

"Yes, daddy, please go faster." You say what he wants to hear and he ramps up the speed again, giving you what you need. "Please don't stop, I'm so close…"

"I want to see it." Joel growls in your ear before you hear a pop and the plug in the tub is no longer in place. The water suddenly drains out rapidly and you stiffen at the cold air hitting your warm skin. "You better cum a lot for me."

You don't know what he means until he starts to move his fingers side by side inside of you and you squirt uncontrollably, screaming from how forceful he is at drawing your orgasm out of you. You can't think straight because you can't stop cumming, every orgasm gushing out of you against your will.

"Stop!" You shout because it's too much, you're too sensitive now and you're going to pass out. "I keep cumming, I keep–"

"That's good." He slowly corrupts you. "You want to keep cumming. You want to drown in the pleasure only I can give you. Enjoy it, baby girl."

And you do.

You hate how much you end up enjoying it, bathing in such bliss. It consumes you completely…and you faint somewhere along the way. You've never felt so good before. Your body can't handle it and you pass out from the high…

❅❅❅❅❅

Joel dries your hair for you while you're unconscious. He likes how peaceful you look, having fallen asleep to the orgasms he gave you. He wants you to look like this everyday and he'll make sure it happens.

A sweet girl like you deserves to be treated well.

Maybe that's why he can't resist touching you in your sleep. Joel watches as your chest begins to rise and fall more and more with every gentle stroke of his fingers. You're getting so wet for him now. He wonders what you're dreaming of and if he's in it.

He'd like to be. He wants you to only think of him. He's the only one that you need. He's the only one that matters. No one else will take you from him.

Joel refuses to make the same mistake twice. He loved Ellie like a daughter, raising her to be a strong woman. A woman strong enough to leave him in the dust because of a lie he made.

So, he has to be more careful with you. You're malleable, he's certain of that. You'll need some persuading, but you'll listen to him. First, out of fear, but eventually, out of love.

All he needs to do is tie you to him the only way he knows will work…by making you fall for him.

❅❅❅❅❅

It isn't until you wake that you realize your body is still heated from all the orgasms. You're aching from the waist down and you wonder why…until you see Joel between your legs, his tongue dragging up and down your pussy like he's starved for your taste.

How long has he been…you can't even formulate the sentence because he flicks your clit with his tongue and you squirt just a little from how overstimulated you are. A whimper leaves your lips because of it that draws Joel's attention to you and he smiles, happy to see you awake.

"How did you sleep?" His voice is so eerily calm…

You're unsure of how to answer that, so you ask back, "did you sleep?"

He nods. "I slept great, holding you in my arms."

"How long have I been asleep?" You're confused…

"A little over two days."

Your eyes widen at his words. Have you really been passed out for that long?

"Why are you down there?" If you've been asleep, why is he touching you?

"I needed to make sure whenever you were awake that you'd be nice and ready for me." He teases your entrance with three of his fingers before slipping each one inside of you slowly.

You brace yourself, expecting for the sudden stretch to hurt but…it doesn't. His fingers feel thick inside of you, but it's not anything you can't handle.

What did he do to you while you were asleep…

"You're almost ready for me, baby girl." His thumb presses lightly on your clit when he says that, sending shivers through you. "I've opened you up as best I could."

"Please, Joel…" You plead to him. "I don't want this."

"Your body says otherwise." He tells you as he curls his fingers and you nearly cum just from that. "See, you want this. Why are you running from it?"

"You're not giving me a choice." He's throwing himself at you and you're unable to stop him.

"I did give you a choice." Your breath catches in your throat when you hear the safety of your pistol flick off and Joel presses the barrel against your bare chest, right where your heart is. You only notice then that you're completely naked. "Either I kill you, or you enjoy my touch. I had assumed you'd chosen the latter, but if I'm wrong…"

His finger hovers over the trigger and you shake your head profusely, not wanting to die like this, not when his fingers are still teasing your insides. It's unbearable, the weight of the gun on your chest while his fingertips drag along that spot inside of you that makes your toes curl.

So, you succumb to the scenario you've found yourself in, "you're not wrong. I want this. I'll enjoy myself. I promise."

"Then, cum." He commands, keeping the gun steady on your chest. "Show me you're being honest."

You bite your lip and choke back your own dignity as you grind your hips against his hand, thrusting his fingers inside of you the way you need them to. You gasp when he starts to follow your rhythm, pushing you closer to the edge. It's a great distraction, because you barely notice the way he's trailing the pistol up your chest, but you're well aware of it when it brushes against your lips, forcing you to part them open.

Before you can beg him not to, Joel rests the barrel of the pistol in your mouth, the cold metal coating every one of your taste buds. You gag a little when he drags it against your tongue, but you can't focus on it while his fingers are inside of you. Tears start to stream from your eyes out of sheer terror and the most warped and frightening smile curves on Joel's face the moment he sees you.

That's when he undoes the safety of the pistol yet again and rests his finger on the trigger, his voice more menacing than ever as he goes, "cum for me right now or I'll blow your brains out, baby girl."

Every muscle in your body tightens at the threat and that's all it takes for the tension in your body to explode. You can't tell if you're screaming or moaning as your orgasm ripples through you violently, locking up every sense with nothing but pleasure. You can't feel, you can't see, you can't think.

All you can do is cum because that's what he wants from you.

Relief washes over you when Joel pulls the gun out of your mouth and tucks it away behind his back. His fingers release you from their hold and an empty feeling is tainting your mind. You've been so full for so long that it feels…wrong to be hollow.

How much has he corrupted you? How long is he going to stay until you're exactly what he needs you to be?

His baby girl…

You need to get out of here. You need to run. You need to fight Joel for your life back because you can't be his.

And yet, you can't find it in yourself to shove him away.

Not when he's whispering so softly to you, "good girl, that must've felt great. Let me make you feel even better now."

It isn't until you feel the tip of his cock press against your pussy that you snap back to the reality of it all. You're going to have your first time right now and he's going to fuck you raw.

The last bit of rationality courses through you as you plead, "please, don't do this. I don't have any condoms, I don't want to–"

"It's okay, darlin'." His southern accent sends shivers down your spine. "This is what you were meant for. This is what your body craves. Just let it happen and I'll take care of you."

You claw at his chest the moment he starts to force his way inside of you, his cock stretching you out more than his fingers did. You've never felt this kind of pressure before as he opens you up with every thrust. He doesn't like that you're trying to fight him, so the next time you shove at him, he smacks you right across the face. You gasp at the feeling and he pushes more of himself inside your swollen pussy then, smiling.

"You're so tight and yet you're taking every inch of me." Joel suddenly grabs you by your hair, pulling you forward so you can stare at the way his cock is slowly disappearing inside of you. "Almost there, just a bit more."

"Let me go." You cry out, wanting him to take his hand out of your hair. "Please, it hurts."

"Grab onto the headboard and I will." He makes you a deal and you listen, wrapping your hands around the metal.

His hand leaves your hair, letting your head drop back onto your pillow, and you relax just a bit. It doesn't last though, not when he pulls out a piece of fabric from his pocket and binds your wrists.

"Now, hold on tight, baby girl." His hands rest at your hips now, gripping your flesh. "I wouldn't want you to hurt yourself."

You don't understand what he means until he pulls his cock out of you and rams it back inside, hilting all of a sudden. He's too deep, too big and all too much for you.

You try to say something but he raises his hand at you before you can, instructing, "if you want to speak, you better address me correctly or I will have to teach you a lesson."

You swallow at his threat, your throat going dry. Goosebumps rise on your skin and you're scared to say anything but you want him to be gentle. He'll break you if he keeps being this rough.

So, you stuff your pride away and beg, "please go slowly, daddy."

His smile softens then, liking how you've listened, and he rewards you by rolling his hips, letting you get used to him being inside of you, grinding himself back and forth against every spot that makes your pussy tingle.

It's starting to feel good and that's frightening because you're biting back your whimpers. You can't enjoy this. It's wrong. He's taking you by force and yet your body is desperate enough to meet him halfway, wanting more.

"Does my baby girl enjoy being fucked?" Joel adjusts a bit so that he can thrust upwards into you, hitting that spot that makes you see stars. "Tell me you do."

You keep your mouth shut, not wanting to say a word, and he doesn't like that at all. So, when you're right at the cusp of your orgasm, he pulls out of you, leaving you struggling against your restraints.

"If you want it, say it." He starts to rub his hard cock against your pussy, teasing your sensitive clit with the tip of it. It's torture because it's not enough to get you there.

You need more. You need him inside of you.

Joel takes his time to torment you, dipping into you just a bit before pulling out, dropping his cock over and over again on your pussy, rubbing circles around your clit.

Eventually, you can't handle the denial anymore so you cave and go, "please fuck me. I want to cum."

"Say it again." He wants you to embarrass yourself further and your skin burns from it.

"I want to cum. Please fuck me. I need you, daddy." You add on, hoping that's enough.

It is, because the moment he thrusts inside of you, you cum. You cum all over his cock and he rewards you by fucking you harder, making your orgasm even more intense. You're gasping for air because it doesn't seem to stop. You're throbbing inside and every thrust sends such waves of pleasure through you.

"You're milking my cock so well." He praises you. "Someone's desperate for my cum."

Your eyes widen when you realize he must be close from the way he's pumping into you and you panic, "please cum outside, don't cum in me."

"How am I supposed to cum outside when you're not letting me go?" He tries to pull out but your pussy is gripping onto him too tightly.

"No, don't, please." You can't get pregnant. You can't have a baby with a man you've just met. You can't…but he won't let you decide otherwise.

"You'll feel so much better once you're all filled up." Joel reassures you in the worst way possible. "Soon, you'll beg for it."

There's no way you would. Why would you ever want such a thing?

"Enjoy it." He says sweetly to you, looking at you with such affection. "We won't be able to fuck much when you're pregnant, so it's best to make every time count."

You want to ask why he wants you of all people, a random girl he met in the middle of the woods in the winter, but you're certain he won't have an answer. Perhaps this was all just bad timing and even worse luck.

It doesn't feel like much at first, when he finishes inside of you. It's hot and it spills out of you when he pulls away. Joel takes his time, pushing as much cum as he can back inside of you. You hate the orgasms you have from that simple action.

It isn't until the second time that it feels…primal. You can't explain it, but when he's fucking you like a feral animal, you find yourself leaning into it. Your body isn't in tune with your mind anymore. It's not listening to your pleas because it knows it feels good to be taken by him. He never hurts you unless you do something he doesn't like, which is rare. He only ever wants you to feel pleasure.

Days go by of this, of just…constant breeding. You will sleep, then wake up, fuck, have breakfast, fuck, have lunch, fuck, do house chores then fuck in the shower afterwards, then eat dinner which always ends with you bend over the dining table because you're the meal he's actually hungry for. This cycle repeats until you get your period.

The disappointment on Joel's face stings. It's like you failed him. You couldn't give him what he wanted. You don't like the feeling…but a tiny voice in your head reminds you that you shouldn't want to please him anyways.

During your period, Joel teaches you how to suck his cock, since he can't fuck you. As a reward for learning, he caters to you, helping you with your cramps, rubbing your belly when it aches, cuddling you like you're the love of his life. It's…jarring, to say the least. You'll go from him fucking your face to him caressing your back and whispering sweet words to you.

Run. That tiny voice yells into the abyss that is your mind right now. Run far away from here.

You want to listen but…where would you go? You grew up here. You don't know anywhere else. This is your home and he's the intruder.

An intruder who's making himself at home.

"Does your stomach still hurt?" Joel asks because you've tensed up against him, your thoughts influencing your nerves.

"A little." You lean into his chest, not because you want to, but because he's warm and the winter has been cold. "I'll be okay."

"You'll always be okay, baby girl." He presses a soft kiss on your forehead, taking in a long breath before saying, "I'll keep you safe."

Safe from who? You wonder, because you aren't safe from him…

❅❅❅❅❅

Another month passes and you're late. You counted the days, mainly because Joel made you, and you're late. You've never been late before, which can only mean…

"We won't know for sure, but we can find out." You suggest. "There's a convenience store a few miles up. There's no food there, but there's plenty of pregnancy tests. I remember seeing them."

You chew on the inside of your cheek, hoping he'll take the bait. Please say yes.

You need to get him away from your house. You need to kill him but you can't do it here. You need to do it somewhere he isn't familiar with.

A place where you know a gun is hidden.

"Better to be sure." Joel agrees to the trip. "But you're coming with me."

"Okay." You knew you'd have to. "I'd like to walk with you. It's a nice hike, now that the snow has melted."

The rest of the day is spent preparing for the day trip. When it's finally time to sleep, you're surprised to feel Joel's cock harden behind you as he spoons you. He rubs himself against you and you hate how your body reacts to it, leaning into the feeling.

"Just to be sure." He whispers to you and you know what he means. He doesn't have to say much else.

You feel him nudge you until you're on your hands and knees and he's situated behind you, pulling down your pajama pants. Joel lines his cock up at your entrance and in one single motion, he fills you to the very brim. You can't hold in your moan, not when his body is pressing down onto you, engulfing you completely as he starts to pound into you.

"How does it feel to be mine, my sweet baby girl?" He asks, his hips meeting your ass perfectly.

"So good." You don't lie because you know it'll be the last time you do this with him. "Please don't stop, daddy."

"Never." He says, grabbing you by your hair so that he can kiss the back of your head. "I wouldn't dream of letting you go."

With his hand still in your hair, Joel continues to fuck you from behind, tugging you back to meet him. His lips on yours are sloppy, but you kiss him back, feeling connected with him on all levels. Your body moves against his in perfect harmony and you drown in the moment

It isn't until he whispers the words "I love you" that your heart pinches just a bit, remembering the reality. You're going to kill him tomorrow, this man who loves you in a sick and twisted way.

"Fill me up." You whisper back, giving him something else, since you can't give him your love. "I need you, Joel."

That's enough for him to finish inside of you, the heat spilling into you in waves. His cock pulses inside of you for a few moments before he pulls out and lays back beside you.

You go back to the way you were laying before, and he spoons you to sleep. You wonder what it'll feel like to sleep alone, now that you've slept with someone for this long.

You're going to miss it…maybe even him too…

❅❅❅❅❅

Now that the snow has thawed, the ground is much less muddy. You still had to wear your boots, which aren't uncomfortable but they're harder to run in. You don't think you'll need to run but…you want to stay prepared.

Joel tells you a bit more about himself on the walk to the convenience store. You're unsure if you want to know more about the man you're about to kill, but you can't refuse him, so you listen.

You don't expect him to tell you about Sarah…but now everything makes sense. Perhaps, he's been waiting for a chance to make things right. To raise a child who won't end up dying in his arms and leaving him forever.

You clutch your stomach when he's not looking, scared of your own mind. Scared that the tiny voice in your head is now whispering guilty thoughts…

You can't. It's not reasonable to have a child in a world like this. Especially not with a man like him.

You say that, but Joel has warped you in a different way. You won't lie and say you won't miss him when he's gone. It's hard not to miss someone you've spent the last two months getting to know in more intimate ways than two normal strangers would.

As a war breaks out in your mind, you and Joel get to the convenience store. The front glass is shattered, but it's always been like that. Looters at the very beginning of it all broke it, which is why there's moss going on the shards that were left behind. That's what your parents told you.

You miss them more and more with each passing day. They were well-prepared to have you, knowing they've set up a little oasis in the middle of disaster.

You can't have this child with Joel. You're ill-prepared to be a mother. You're unsure if Joel would even be a good father, even if he claims that's all he wants to be.

Would a good father taint someone else's daughter the way he has tainted you?

You hold back your sigh as you and Joel walk over the glass to get into the store. It's a small store, so it's not difficult to find what you're looking for. You wonder if these will even work, since they probably have an expiration date, but you just have to know.

For your own sake, more than Joel's.

Once you've packed a fair amount of pregnancy tests into your bag, you tell Joel that you've stashed some canned goods behind the counter in the off chance you might get stuck out and about, and you wanted to check if they were still there. It's not a lie, but you stashed a gun there too.

So, you go to the floorboard you hid everything under and pull it open and—

The sound of a gun's safety flicking off freezes you in your tracks. You swallow, hard.

Fuck, did Joel figure it out? You're too frightened to look up, scared that you'll be staring into the barrel of a gun.

But then, a new voice appears and she goes, "step away from her, Joel."

You glance up then and your eyes meet the girl's for a second. She's young, maybe barely eighteen, and yet she wields the gun you had hidden in the floorboards like she's used to handling them. That thought should worry you, but you're more worried about how she knows Joel.

Did he…do something to her too?

"Ellie, please." Joel pleads, his hands up. "Don't take her away from me."

"I know what you did to her." Ellie has her finger on the trigger, ready to shoot him. "I saw what she put in her bag."

"She's pregnant. We're going to be a family." He tries to reason with her. "Come back with us. We have a home. You'll have a little brother or sister soon. Wouldn't that be nice?"

"You're sick, Joel." She gestures for you to come over to her and even though Joel's eyes pierce into yours to stop you, you still make the trek over to her. Once you're securely behind her, she continues her harsh words to Joel, "you don't know what it means to be family. Family wouldn't do this, wouldn't do the things you've done."

"I can change. I can do better. I'm sorry."

You've never seen Joel so weak before. The once scary man that held you captive is now cowering before this girl.

"Sorry won't bring them back." Ellie tells him and you wonder what she means by that. "So, don't come looking for us. I'm taking her and I'm leaving now."

"Please, don't take her." He begs, his voice cracking as he goes, "I love her."

You open your mouth to say something, but Ellie stops you. Maybe she knows what you're about to say, or maybe she just doesn't want you to say it back to him. Not that you would…right?

"This isn't love, Joel." She tells him for you. "Whatever this is…it sure as fuck isn't love. I'm sorry. You did this to yourself."

The moment those words leave her mouth, she shoots Joel. You cover your ears at the sudden sound as it echoes through the quiet.

You hear Joel scream and you realize then that Ellie didn't shoot him in the head. She shot him in the leg, so he couldn't catch up to you two.

"We have to go, now." She grabs your hand and you both start to run.

Run, that voice comes back in your mind, run and don't look back.

❅❅❅❅❅

You and Ellie take a break once you're a good distance away from the convenience store. You give her some of your water, since it looks like she's low on supplies. She asks you about what happened and…you tell her. Not in full detail, but enough.

"That fucker." She seems angry at Joel for more than just what he did to you, but you won't pry about what exactly.

"Who is he to you?" You ask Ellie, wanting to know that instead.

"He's trouble. The kind of trouble I need the strength to take care of before he hurts anyone else…" She says, the anger leaving her voice as a sadness seeps in, "but I'm not strong enough yet. I couldn't kill him…but I will one day."

You can tell she doesn't want to, and you understand why. You might be the only one out there who understands her because you feel the same way.

There's no way Joel isn't looking for you two.

So, your journey with Ellie begins. You're both on the run from Joel, but also finding the will to hunt him too. All while wondering if he's imprinting himself onto you the way he wanted to.

You press your hand on your stomach and chills run through you.

You should've known Joel was trouble the moment he walked through your front door…

A/N: I've always wanted to write a villain!joel since I feel like it actually fits his character a lot, if he was given the right set of circumstances. I also am a big fan of the "I need to kill him before he kills me" trope, but with a twist! The addition of Ellie in this part makes me really happy and gets my mind rolling. The latter half of this one-shot is very plot-heavy, which is new for me but I kind of like it? It really builds up to a possible sequel! So, if you're interested in a sequel, please let me know! This really does have the potential to be a whole series ♡

[read-chill-wine]

Welcome to reviews of...

✨️Books Liz Loves that you should buy if you are in the US before the orange one takes office✨️

Warnings - slight spoilers, mention of misogyny, mentions of smut, a little bit of SJM criticism.

A/N - To those who may be disappointed, I do not discuss SJM as a person, deep plotholes, full character assassinations, etc. In short, I am not going in on glaring issues from this series or her writing. I have a huge post I have been working on for several months where I am addressing these things, but I will not be posting it until I have all the quotes and exact page numbers I am referencing.

The Banned Booklist

See Liz's original Banned Book Post here

As voted by so many of you, we're talking about the ACOTAR series today

**not my picture, but I'd do some bad things for these first editions. Mainly ACOFAS**

The ACOTAR series is a growing series of romantic fantasy, commonly called Romantasy, novels. The series centers around the three Archeron Sisters as they navigate a new life as made high fae after their own series of traumatic events. It spanned into a whole multi-verse connecting ACOTAR into Maas' beloved Throne of Glass and Crescent City series with many fans accrediting Feyre to being what saved both of those worlds as well. The argument has been made that without Feyre, Rhys would not have been freed to save Aelin. Without Feyre, Nesta would not have been made High Fae to collect the dread trove and help Bryce. This is something I do agree with since it does appear that everything in these three worlds is being shaped up to center around Rhysand's family and, in turn, Feyre. I am open to discussion on this, though!

Books 1-2 (the ones mainly beginning to fall under the book bans and challenges) center around the youngest sister, Feyre. In book one, A Court of Thorns and Roses, we open with Feyre hunting to help her family survive a hard winter. Feyre on this trip kills a wolf that turns out to be a high fae male (and unrated self-sacrificing hero) beginning our story. After this happens, the Archeron family is visited by 1 of the 7 High Lords of the fae lands, Tamlin, and she is forced to leave with him under the guise of a treaty between the fae and mortals.

We get to witness a delicious slow burn, almost enemies to lovers situation between Tamlin and Feyre that is littered with hints of something much more dangerous at play. The first book is filled with a lot of whimsy and reads like a very magical world fantasy novel where we see things like a night based in sex magic and fertility, holidays celebrating the arrival of the seasons, and the stunning scenery of the Spring Court. Without spoiling too much, Feyre's time with Tamlin in Spring comes to a very abrupt holt when we get our second glance into Rhysand and his discovery and confirmation of Feyre's existence in Spring and her relationship with Tamlin. Tamlin, in a delicious act of "I'm going to let the world burn for you," sends Feyre back home to the mortal lands for her protection.

Once Feyre discovers her man, male, something (depending on what SJM felt like calling the fae on that page) had been taken by the blight, Feyre gives chase, following him down under the mountain leading to us getting to meet the "Blight" Amarantha and the 3 challenges Feyre is forced to endure to free all of Prythian from the Queen Under the Mountain. Book one ends with Feyre's death and revival at the hands of the High Lords. The now high fae female meets with Rhysand, who may actually not be a bad guy, one last time before heading home with Tamlin to Spring.

Book two essentially picks up where books 1 leaves off. Feyre is back in Spring with Tamlin and struggling deeply. She is scarred from her time under the mountain and it shows through her outward appearance and inwards anxieties that we are a reader experience with her. I will be honest, A Court Of Mist and Fury is my least favorite of the series. I feel it was riddled with plot holes, character assassinations (Lucien, Feyre, and Tamlin) and I do feel SJM killed the very fantasy world based vibes she created with the Spring court once we as readers arrive with Feyre in Velaris. So, to cliff notes this, Tamlin turns into an abuser out of left field, Rhysand is Feyre's mate, they get dirty in some paint after Feyre gives Rhys some canned soup, and her sisters Nesta and Elain are turned High Fae after being kidnapped by Hybern after, and I cannot stress this enough, IANTHE not Tamlin IANTHE sells them out, they get thrown into the Cauldron, Feyre plays dirty little actress, has the King of Hybern (what's his actual name Sarah Janet) break her bargain bond with Rhysand, and we end up back with Tamlin in Spring.

From here, this series is filled with a lot of plotholes and twists that genuinely do not make sense, some poor character development, some good character development, some what the actual hell moments from Rhysand, and a beautiful story in A Court of Silver Flames that centers around Nesta and her growth and journey with addiction and mental health. In short, there are many good things and bad things SJM does, and while the hype around the books may be a little much, it is definitely earned. I do recommend this series to all of my friends in a reading slump.

ACOTAR has created a cult like following with readers ranging from their teens all the way to my 75 year old grandmother borrowing it from me and becoming a huge fan (she's a Helion girlie - I got my love of thighs from somewhere.) That fandom has spanned around the world with many readers in many time zones connecting on levels some argue has not been seen since the start of the Supernatural fandom.

The fandom is filled with controversy, love, drama, and some absolutely talented artists and writers who have all worked their booty off to keep the magic alive while we wait for what is going to be a high anticipated 6th book that many hope will be centered around the middle sister, Elain Archeron. It has helped a lot of readers get back into reading and has landed SJM on the list of top fantasy authors of all time *something I don't agree with. Romantasy, yes. Fantasy, no.*

SJM quickly became one of the most common newly banned authors in 2022-2023 lists with over 13 districts and states banning ACOTAR and ACOMAF with the rest of the series slowly beginning to trickle in. The reason these books are becoming challenged may not shock you all. The first and most common reason is smut. While ACOSF is definitely the most smut heavy, all of these books feature sex scenes. Are they the spiciest books I have ever read? No. Absolutely not. However, it has caused some pearl clutching, causing groups to question if they are appropriate for children and in public spaces. The second reason is ✨️magic✨️. The magic in the book shows "unchristian values" because, evidently, Jesus of Nazareth is the only person allowed to perform magic in books.

There are several common themes in banned romantasy books out side of smut and magic that many against censorship have brought up, and they do appear in the ACOTAR. The most common link in a lot of these novels is strong female leads. From Blood and Ash, Throne of Glass, the Hunger Games, and so many more have potential misogynistic views causing them to end up on these lists.

I don't have a golden way to wrap this one up. I love this series, especially for the fandom. I truly do. I have formed an amazing platform of friends, readers, moots, and connections I treasure dearly. It would genuinely break my heart if this book were to be banned from public libraries. It brings forth so much discussion and beauty, especially when you over look the bad.

[nazuna-tunnel-vision]

Kohaku analysis

Hi anon, sorry for taking more than 5 months to reply. Kohaku just has so many things going on that I really didn't have a firm understanding of his character and don't know where to start. Still don't actually, but I'll give it my best shot.

Kohaku's main appeal imo is his numerous gaps. There’s a ridiculous amount of them, but the main ones are that he's pink, he's 160cm, he's the youngest character at 15, and yet he has no qualms about killing a man.

He could kill a man and yet was locked in his house until just this year. He could kill a man and yet he's terrified of zombies and wouldn't be able to kill them.

He talks like he has his things together (and he sort of really does), and yet he is still the youngest in the cast and so many people around him nurture him and watch his growth with warm and loving eyes.

Everyone who lays their eyes on him immediately treats him like their cute little bro, and yet he seems to be the more emotionally stable and mature one in Double Face - where his partner is literally the self-proclaimed Mama in the series.

I think the most confusing part about Kohaku is his maturity and simulataneous lack thereof. How he manages to be emotionally mature in DF, and yet is still the baby in Crazy:B. So for this post I'm going to delve into how and why Kohaku manages to do this.

---

(Please bear in mind that I haven't read the !! main stories and the stories for No Name Yet and Ariadne, so i might be missing important characterisation.

Also be warned that I will be referencing events in Dark Night's Passing, Secret Service and Sudden Death. Spoiler warning!)

I feel like most people get really blown away by the shock factor of Kohaku being trained as an assassin. And together with the way Kohaku carries himself, a lot of fans forget that there is a lot he doesn't know about the world.

He grew up in isolation and could only physically step foot into the rest of civilisation at the end of the ! era. And then he promptly got lost. (He asks Anzu for directions to ES in his first character story.) He doesn't know how to choose his own modern clothes either. The clothes we see him wearing were picked out by the salesperson, and for his Feature Outfit he chose traditional wear similar to what he wore growing up.  

Kohaku is honestly very similar to Hiiro in this respect. I think it's just not as obvious to non-KohakuPs because:

Kohaku has less questions. This can be explained by how he grew up on the internet, so he had the advantage of familiarity with technology.

Screentime differences:

Hiiro’s ignorance was emphasised throughout the novel that was !! Main Story 1

Kohaku had one (1) introductory chapter that highlighted his ignorance. The rest was sprinkled in mini-talks and event stories.

Differences in other characters' responses to their questions:

Hiiro gets Aira loudly yelling, without fail, that he's stupid and ignorant. And then Hiiro yells his apologies in response. The whole exchange is very noisy and impossible to ignore. (It also happens multiple times.)

Kohaku’s interactions, however, tend to go very smoothly. They’re always along the line of, "Oh, what is this? Ohh so that's it. Thanks for teaching me!". Clean and simple, no jabs and just question > answer > thanks. Or he'll say, "I've only known about this through the internet! I'm looking forward to experiencing this myself this year." And no one comments on it, except for maybe a “Fufu I hope you have a good experience.” It’s all very short and pleasant. Nothing you would take note of unless you’re a KohakuP and realised you’ve seen them lots of times

So anyway, in contrast to Kohaku’s general cool and judgemental "Madara/Rinne-han you’re so stupid” vibe, he really is not that wise in the ways of the world. To be frank, I think his cool-as-a-cucumber behaviour is very boyish of him. You know, when you're a teen and pretend to be more grown-up than you actually are.

And Kohaku is acutely aware of how little he knows. Kohaku has low confidence in making his way through the world, even though he generally acts very capable. This low confidence is the focus of the Honey Bee scout story. It's a very, very cute story where Crazy:B finds ways to push him out of his comfort zone while still respecting his 15 year-old pride. Basically Kohaku was going to shy away from something and Rinne goes "Ha bet you can't do this!" Kohaku reacts very much like a kid by immediately biting the bait. So cute! Another point for the KohakuPs who love the cute and child-like Kohaku. I wouldn’t call Kohaku immature, but he sure isn’t a mature adult either. He has a lot of growing left to do!

Kohaku just generally exudes this little brother energy as easily as breathing.

I think part of it is his size and pink hair colour and baby fat.

Another is probably how open he is about how little he knows. Like Hiiro, he’s not shy about asking for clarification. If you hang around him for long enough, you probably come to expect and accommodate the gaps in his experience.

He’s also super forthcoming and genuine with his praise, admiration and gratitude. The instant he thinks of something nice, like "wow this person sure is skilled!" he'll just let the person in question know. (Unless you're Rinne - you tease him too much for him to want to praise you genuinely to the face orz.) I think people just like being around him and being nice to him because of this habit, and they become nicer and better people in his presence. ((I am looking at HiMERU in particular.))

And despite what I said about his teenage pride, Kohaku's also very gracious and accepting of being consistently assigned the little bro. His attitude to realising that people adopted him is just "huh? well okay I guess. Thank you for your help." He doesn't see it as being patronising; he recognises that people just want to be nice to him and lets them + is grateful for it. (Again, Rinne is an exception because his modus operandi is to bully Kohaku and Kohaku Knows This.)

I think these factors form the basis of his relationships with everyone (minus Madara and his family) where he’s the little baby Kohaku-chan that everyone loves to dote on. And he lets them, and also lets them know that he is grateful for their care! It's super wholesome and cute. Ra*bits-esque, even.

---

But despite all these child-like parts of him (especially him not knowing a lot of common knowledge), he also has a lot of. I don’t know what to call it, I guess emotional maturity in his interactions with others. He's always very genuine and sincere and respectful, and this doesn't ever change unless you're deliberately fucking with him (Rinne).

It's most obvious when you look at Double Face and his interactions with Cagiest Bastard in the Whole Series, Mikejima Madara.

This part requires a good deal of understanding about Mama's issues and Oh Boy Is It A Lot! But what you need to know is that Madara's family is involved with the police and the Shinkai Cult and Madara was been elbows deep in that world from birth. He beats people up off screen and sends the mafia after them and doesn't blink. And his emotional walls reach stratospheric heights. He calls himself Mama and is extremely friendly, but he never really lets anyone close. Headcanon that it's bc he wants to be as close to others as a Mama, but is purposely assigning himself a role that most ppl reject bc he is afraid of actually being that close to people. He's been in a solo unit for the whole of the ! era and was acting alone even before then. Talking about his issues and true feelings are simply not something he does. He buries it under layers of Wasshoi Wasshoi Festival Man Mama. Sometimes he alludes to how estranged he feels but before anyone can meaningfully respond, he jets off to another part of Japan/the world and is uncontactable for a few months.

There's no time to really go into what Madara's issues actually are, but basically Anzu (and the enstars writer Akira) created DF because she wanted Madara to have a friend. Kohaku as an assassin and Madara as the kid of a mafialord just Get Each Other the way others don't. Just look at Dark Night's Passing. It's about feeling too dirty with sin to truly assimilate with the bright sparkling world of Ryuseitai/Tsukasa. It's about not being able to talk about their feelings about their involvement with the underworld because they don't want to sully their friends. Madara sort of talks about it with Kuro, but Kuro is an ex-delinquent and beating other misguised youths up is nothing compared to what Madara is still involved in. Kohaku is probably more comfortable with Crazy:B than any other unit because of their themes of being rejects and rulebreakers, but that's still not the same as assassination. I don't think Kohaku ever came clean to them about his family. Kohaku & Madara just truly do understand each other in a way no one else can.

And despite all that, Madara still tries to distance himself from Kohaku. 😡👎👎. Kohaku has to chase this mf ""unit leader"" down to get updates of their shared unit's work. Kohaku has to call Madara and gets sent to voicemail every time. He has to call up everyone he can think of who could be in contact with Madara and then fly his ass across Japan to beat up Madara up. (He doesn't actually beat Madara up because he's a good kid. He just joins Madara in whatever he was working on and helps him and reminds him that he is no longer alone.)

Anyone in Kohaku's place would be completely justified in thinking that Madara's more effort than he's worth and give up or lash out at him. Just the way Madara likes it! With people so far away from him that he can't hurt them or vice versa (Madara ignores the fact that the act of pushing others away is in itself hurtful.)

But Kohaku doesn't abandon Madara. He takes things pretty damn well imo.

---

Kohaku re: dirty jobs & the Underworld is just so. He's so hopeful even while being born in and knowing the shit side of the world. It breaks my heart and fills me with awe with how disillusioned and yet hopeful he is with the world.

Kohaku in the early stories constantly talks about how the world & people's hearts are dirty. And yet, whenever he receives help (...often, bc of his politeness and little bro energy) he also always comments that kindness still exists in this world. Kohaku, especially in Dark Night's Passing, is a very jaded child. He thinks that his family's line of work is pretty dirty and hates being born into it, but still says he is okay with sacrificing himself for the Suou's. He thinks the world is rotten, that injustice will always exist, and that sacrificing himself is okay, but does whatever he can to ensure that the good people in his life don't suffer.

Kohaku doesn't roll over and give up. He finally has freedom after 15 years and he is so excited to experience all the good things the world has to offer. He knows it comes with bad things too, and accepts it like a champ! Takes it as a foregone conclusion.

It contrasts so sharply with Madara that I just gnnh. Madara is tired. He has given up. He's just floating along trying to help his loved ones while fighting a war in his head and heart against the instinct to also push them far away.

Madara and Kohaku initially connected over their shared understanding of the rotten world and their roles in it, but their attitudes towards living in such a world and with such a role couldn't be more different. Madara believes that he never belongs in the sparkling world everyone else inhabits, and he tries not to "sully" it by never entering it. Kohaku accepts the world, both its rotten and good parts, with an almost zen-like countenance that you really wouldn't expect from a 15 year-old freshly entering the world. Kohaku is excited and accepting and open-minded of all the world has to offer (as long as he doesn't look stupid, because he is 15 and freshly interacting with people irl, he cares about appearances.) Kohaku uses his assassin role to protect himself and those he cares about; it's not something that he even conceives as holding him back.

This really uniquely positions him to set Madara back on the path to heal, because he shares a similar background and yet offers perspective that Madara would not have accepted from any other person. Yes this turned into a DF dynamic analysis but Kohaku was literally created to be a Madara foil, so. That probably just means I'm doing my Kohaku analysis right.

---

Explaining Kohaku's emotional maturity

From a meta perspective, Kohaku's emotional maturity can be attributed to the fact that he was explictly written to be Madara's friend and confidant. He had to be a character that could make Madara feel comfortable enough to let his walls down. He also had to be a character that didn't have the same trauma response and who could handle Madara's.

Lorewise, I think Kohaku's emotional maturity when it comes to relationships (being so open, honest and respectful) can also be explained by his upbringing.

The fact that Kohaku is so open and honest and respectful can be a bit surprising, considering how he was, y'know, locked up for 15 years and all. You expect him to have some very tragic backstory, where he was abused and went through grueling and traumatic assasin training like Killua from Hunter x Hunter or something. You expect him to be cagey and defensive, like Madara or worse. Then you read Sudden Death and it becomes apparent that the chances of Kohaku having been abused are abysmally low. Kohaku is very, very loved by his family. There are still things that don't add up, like Kohaku still having been locked up in a dimly-lit room for 15 years and speaking of his growing up years so negatively. But I'm inclined to think that against all odds, his family treated him very respectfully as a little man and he was raised well. Maybe his distaste for his upbringing was because his family never really tried to justify it or gaslight him into thinking that it was normal and okay. The Oukawas are pretty cool!

---

TLDR for this whole post; Kohaku is very accepting, genuine and forthcoming. He can put even the most guarded people around him at ease and inspires them to be better people just by being himself around them. He was written perfectly to bounce off Madara (and Rinne).

He is also very small and cute. People can't help but dote on him. He is also so excited to finally participate in the world, but feels the tiniest bit of trepidation. He is growing bit by bit every day! Basically he would belong at Ra*bits is what I'm saying. If you ignore the whole assassin thing.

[avoicebehindthestars]

My predictions for DFAFM

Is it weird that I’m obsessing so hard over a fanfic? Well, I am. The fanfic being Don’t Fall Away From Me by the spectacular PhoenixRose314. In fact, I’m so far gone that I decided to put together all the speculations I have for the remaining 6 chapters and I decided to publish them because, like, bragging rights if I get any of it right (for the record, I predicted Muriel would be Abaddon as early as chapter 25).

@phoen1xr0se If you happen upon this post (I guess you will now that I've tagged you), it might be better if you don’t read it. I’d hate to influence you in any way at this point! And if you do read it – you know what to do, tell me nothing! ;)

Everyone else: if I’m right about any of these, they will obviously turn out to be spoilers, so yeah, proceed with caution ;) It's 4th March and 37 chapters of DFAFM have been released as I write these. Now, without any further ado…

Aziraphale will be faced with a choice and will choose Crowley against the (presumed) will of god. AND/OR Crowley will have to trust god to save/protect Aziraphale.

Gabriel will turn out to have been the scribe of the Book of Life, or even the original Voice of god, making the Metatron an imposter.

AziraCrow will be forced apart once again.

Crowley will have to accept Baraquiel as part of himself – the way Aziraphale accepted the Pit.

The true purpose of the Book of Life will have been to awaken Abaddon. That’s why the Second Coming can’t start without it. Using it to erase angelic memories was abuse of power by the Metatron.

Muriel will need Eric (or possibly Crowley) to ground them when they’re overwhelmed by Abaddon’s identity. Seeing love in the world previously will ultimately stop them from destroying it. Possibly seeing evidence of Aziraphale and Crowley’s unending love.

Eric will turn out to have been an angel of rebirth – the polar opposite of Abaddon. Or maybe Raphael – the archangel of healing (in a way also the opposite of Abaddon).

The betrayal referenced by Gabriel could’ve been Maggie’s. The sacrifice could’ve been Nina’s, though I’m less convinced there. I’m actually prepared to see another betrayal and *especially* sacrifice since I’m expecting the ominous quote to be a foreshadowing rather than reference to past events. Perhaps Eric for Muriel? Jophiel for Furfur? Crowley for Aziraphale…?

AND NOW THAT WE’RE AT IT. PhoenixRose314 keeps announcing that the oncoming chapters will be dark and she “needs us to be brave”, so I wouldn’t be surprised to see Crowley die to be resurrected / reborn in the end. There is a connection between him and Jesus, and Crowley seems to be where Jesus was 2000 years ago (believing in love, ready to fight for the one he cares about). Moreover, Crowley’s been presented as the inspirational figure for the angels, and a beacon of hope – the way Jesus was for early christians. In this light, him choosing to sacrifice himself would make a lot of sense. This may also push Muriel over the edge – without Crowley to stop her from setting on the path of destruction. Of course, Crowley won’t stay dead – there’s a “happy ending” tag on this fic after all (which I personally kind of wish there wasn’t – the tag, I mean!! – since it would make me feel things a lot more intensely).

Alternatively, we’ll find out about the afterlife for celestials (which was briefly mentioned when Aziraphale was in the cell, convinced that Crowley was dead), and that’s where the Ineffable Husbands will be reunited. It makes all the more sense since they have discussed Crowley moving into the bookshop and both of them moving to South Downs, and as per general rule, things that are discussed theoretically don’t come to pass in a narrative.

If my prediction in the previous point is correct, this will turn out to be the reason behind the fall, or at least one of the reasons. Crowley will have always been the sacrifice and the Metatron and Lucifer were doing all they could to keep him from developing selflessness and love.

Super-dark option: it’ll be Aziraphale who ends up killing Crowley. Hear me out! Aziraphale tells Muriel he’s ready to take extreme measures “when needs absolutely must”. He will choke on these words and his conviction when it turns out he has to kill Crowley. Aziraphale was also ready to sacrifice himself to protect the world, and back in heaven he was resigned to not surviving the Second Coming. But sacrificing Crowley was something he will never be ready to do. I don’t think he’ll manage to kill Crowley on purpose. If it happens, it’ll be an accident or Crowley’s decision (piercing himself with the flaming sword that Aziraphale’s holding or something like that).

There are also some bits I’ve fished out, but I have no theories regarding them. Listing them below just to note that I find them significant and expect the remaining 6 chapters to address them:

What memory Crowley lost when he followed Muriel into the lake – it’ll be plot-important.

How Muriel was “twice blessed by god”.

What happened to god. I was trying to come up with something substantial there, but honestly, I got nothing. She may be wicked, playing her “ineffable game” to prove a point to Lucifer. She may be despairing over her creations of love fucking everything up. She may be missing / dead / ensnared by the Metatron (unlikely – Lucifer talked to her after the Fall… although he may have come to see her in prison). She may be metamorphosed under the influence of her flawed creation. She may be the patient parent waiting for her children to finally get it right without influencing their free will (which could also be shown critically – you don’t test your children to destruction).

The purpose of angels’ existence.

The ending of the sentence “Aziraphale, Angel of the Eastern Gate, and Crawley, the Serpent of Eden. They should not be…” I’m particularly curious about this one. This could go in so many ways! “They should not be… together”? “…separated”? “…reunited”? “…in love”? “…on opposite sides”? When AziraCrow hear the end of that sentence, it’s bound to be a turning point!

The Metatron and Lucifer’s connection and motivations.

And some miscellaneous stuff I’m expecting to might be important but I may as well be completely off my mark:

Why Rikbiel insists on being called Rikki.

Saraqael (I won’t be surprised if she turns out to be god).

Items in the vault: the trumpet and the wooden chest (I’m suspecting it might be the Arc of the Covenant, but got nothing beyond that).

Why Rikki says to Jophiel “Looks like it’s time” as they’re about to leave Hell. The thread is abruptly cut off by Beez bursting out laughing over Crowley being considered a hero. Seems to be done on purpose, Doyle-wise.

What the orange glow signifies (Abaddon? god?).

Editing, because I almost forgot! Some tiny predictions for There is a Light & It Never Goes Out:

Crowley will prepare a romantic dinner for Aziraphale (PhoenixRose314 kind of hinted it to me in one of her replies to my comments on AO3, saying Crowley "will enjoy a proper meal at some point in this fic").

They will dance to "A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square" inside the lighthouse. I'm 99% sure of this one - there's a reason we were told of Crowley's CD collection ;) We'll be getting a fluffy rendition of the dance that was painfully interrupted in You Don't Dance - The Story of 1941.

[acrux-red]

Here's what I think a tough question is:

Which Stand would Sunny have?

Sun (because Sun-ny)

Death Thirteen (because Sunny is very sleepy)

Sethan (because Sunny thinks about being Omori who is a younger version of himself)

Killer Queen (because stoic-antisocial-cat)

King Crimson (because split personality with Omori)

Jail House Lock (because memory loss)

Moody-Blues/Under-World (because memory)

or Vitamin C (because hands)?

Or is there another Stand that works better?

This is a really good list, I haven't thought about some of them - this might get lengthy, so sorry in advance

(it's probably obvious but this is gonna contain spoilers for parts 3-9 with stands lol)

-Sun doesn't really fit much

Aside from it referencing Mari's gravestone quote "The sun shined brighter when she was here" and having Sun replace the warmth that has left with Mari, it doesn't seem to fit

Nice pun lol

-Death 13 is an amazing fit

It's dream manipulation is really simmiliar to Headspace, even down to the fact that both are under an individual's control, but still can be ruined from the inside (courtesy to Kakyoin/DW Basil)

-Sethan is quite the stretch

You can say that it's ability symbolises Sunny's wish to go back before the accident, to when he was still a kid and/or having the so called "child ignorance and innocence"

-Killer Queen is a good one, as each bomb represents different aspects

Killer Queen causes tremendous demage to put it lightly to anything KQ touches, same can be said for Sunny with his violin and Mari

Sheer Heart Attack has a singular goal as a automatic stand, it only wants to complete this goal by any means necessary - same can be said for Omori protecting Sunny's psyche, seeing only means to an end

Bites The Dust is the wish to turn back time, both Kira and Sunny wanting to prevent events, such as the spread of Kira's identity and the accident respectively.

-King Crimson while seemingly a good choice, is hard to justify

King Crimson's time skip can reference "Close your eyes, you'll be here soon" from My Time, as both want to skip ahead of the pain, knowing what'll happened next

But I have to disagree on the point of spilt personalities - while Doppio & Diavolo are an example of this, Omori is something akin to Sunny's Headspace avatar. And Diavolo is the personality with a stand - King Crimson and the sub-stand Epitaph. While Doppio uses Epitaph and KC's arms, he does so after Diavolo "gives them" to him

Doppio has seemingly no stand on his own

-Jailhouse Lock is quite easy

As it represents Sunny's selective memory

-Moody Blues and Underworld are also interesting fits

Moody Blues is like watching an action play out, not being able to prevent it - only to inspect and reflect on it

It's proven to work on the deseaced too

Underground as well - it can summon events from the past and like MB, it cannot change the outcome

Essentially both stands function as observing the past without having the ability to interfere

- Vitamin C is an oddball

Aside from it's heavily themed design around hands it doesn't fit very well

I'd much prefer a stand like Geb for this manner

As for wich stands i believe whoud fit, the aforementioned Death 13 and Killer Queen fit nicely, others not on the list I believe might fit are

-Geb

As previously mentioned, Geb fits the hands motif as well

It's been shown to have a great skill and is quite terrifying to go against

-Surface

Simmiliar to MB and UW it can act as reliving a memory. It's not shown if it can copy the deseaced, but it's shown to take on the personality of it's target

You cloud say this can allow the illusion of a deseceased one to still be alive

(actually I've been meaning to make Omori into a simmiliar puppet based stand, but it's still not guaranteed)

-Whitesnake

It's disc ability is simmiliar to Jailhouse's selective memory, it's cold personality and it's "dream enduring acid trap" as well

-California King Bed

It falls into a simmiliar position to a few of the previous stands - the theme of it's ability fits, but not it's triggers for activation

-The Matte Kudasai

But that's probably a hyper stretch and I'm probably bias cuz of Jojolands

The nature of the ability fits well, allowing the user to create a copy. While this copy might look identical to the outside person, it's user knows

Thanks for the ask! It was lots of fun talking about the stands!

Sorry if I misunderstood or missed something and thanks again!

[visualnovelzombie]

Furry Visual Novel Book Club: Echo Week 11

Hi everyone, here is the SPOILER FREE discussion post for “Echo - Leo’s Thursday and Friday”

Links: Previous - Next - Original - Spoiler Version

Feel free to respond in reblogs/replies/or asks :D

We start Thursday with Chase and Leo driving down the road, the two finally learning what happened to Carl. The ram was in the crawlspace left to wander about without Chase spending the night with him. Chase and Leo discuss Chase’s project, the two chiding to each other the merit of college in the process.

They plan to meet with TJ later to make up for bailing on him Tuesday, and discuss filming out the rail-yard in the meantime. The scene changes to the rail-yard, the track ‘Oldwinds’ playing, a rustic American Western piece. Chase films the rail-yard while Leo fetches water bottles, until eventually the rustling of grass startles Chase.

Where has the sound of dragging been prominent before...

While trying to find the source of the sound, Leo arrives on the scene, scaring Chase.

Come Over begins to play as Chase asks Leo how he made the dragging noise, to which Leo acts completely clueless to. Distracted by Chase’s stomach, the two end up flirting with each other, rubbing and admiring each other’s body.

Leo mentions an event we’ll certainly see later on in this book club

They kiss gently… at first. The sudden shock encouraging them to make out more fully. Before the two can continue, Kudzu shows up, catching the two in their PDA. The track changes to Neutral as the conversation shifts. The raccoon teases the pair but otherwise partakes in casual conversion with them afterwards. Leo thanks the raccoon for helping the two last night, the track Quiet playing as the conversation shifts. Kudzu warns Leo that Clint is being more violent and the pair should avoid him. Leo becomes more and more agitated at the insinuation that Clint threatened Chase.

Sidenote: This is fucking hot, thank you for understanding and showcasing Wolf displays of affection Howly.

Chase changes the conversation topic, inviting Kudzu to the park with the pair and TJ. The group pick up TJ off screen and on route to a park in Payton, we learn that Chase isn’t a good swimmer when compared to other otters. Closer to the park itself, Chase and TJ talk in the backseat, the lynx admitting to Chase that he felt like the trip was a mistake, and he felt like he shouldn’t have come.

Chase... falls back on old habits. Ignoring everyone else for him and Leo, even when it’s blatant and in his face.

…Before the mood can shit to much the group arrives at the field, dividing the teams for a match of soccer.

TJ completely dominates the game and the group laugh about the imbalance in players. As the group prepare to leave, Chase and Kudzu have a moment to themselves to talk. Chase apologies for being racist and the conversation turns cold, with Kudzu hinting at something heavy happening to the him whilst in Payton.

The scene cuts to later, with Chase returning to the rail-yard for more footage.

Sunsets representing the end... and Chase willfully painting the town in a worse light, to match his viewpoint of it.

Clint wanders into the rail-yard while on a walk, eventually noticing Chase. He’s high on something and doesn’t remember the night before. Chase notices he has a gun in his pocket and tries to keep him calm..Clint talks to Chase, ignorant but not completely hateful… at least to being gay itself. and gives his perspective on Leo.

Of course Clint being ignorant doesn’t ‘excuse’ his actions and homophobic remarks... but his history with Leo and outlook being cultural more than ingrained... definitely paints a different picture than first set up.

Clint seemingly threatens Chase with a gun, demanding to know why he’s out here. Chase calms him down by referencing his camera, and Clint tells Chase a story about someone dying the in 50’s hopping trains. Clint reveals his father would always tell him that story, and that sometimes he sees the man in it, even purposely coming to the rail-yard to see him at times. Clint walks off afterwards and Chase hurries back to Leo’s house.

When Chase arrives, Leo is eating a TV Dinner, having ‘cooked’ one for Chase as well. Chase asks Leo if the wolf ‘bullied’ Clint, and Leo almost admits to it… before the cheapness of the TV dinner causes the two to jokingly tease each other back and forth it with, the two man-handling each other on the couch as a result.

Translation: “I’m crazy for you.”

Two two fall asleep on the couch together, both exhausted from the day

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

Friday opens with the two at the library, Chase actually working on his project doing some research. Chase learns that the man in the story was real, and that he reported being saved by some creature. Leo bugs Chase to grab dinner and the two make plans on where to eat.

The two eat at a steakhouse, Leo insisting he buys, and on the way back they take a detour to Payton High, the pair’s old school. They reminiscence about school, Intimate begins to play. Chase mentions he would repeat high-school to fix mistakes, while Leo wants to relive it for its own sake. Chase learns that Leo is deeply tied to his past, upset he doesn’t feel the same anymore. 

Leo and Chase are setup as opposites... their comfort and love challenged by the very thing that set it up... Echo itself.

Chase comforts the wolf, the two embracing on the stadium stand. (Sorry I go crazy here so here’s things step by step because this conversation is VERY important to me!)

Leo pours his heart out to Chase, begging him to stay. Chase is hesitant, not wanting to stay tied to the town. Leo tells Chase to try again after school, even if it’s just for awhile. So that they’ll know for sure.

Chase agrees. He still loves Leo, he wants to TRY. He’s willing to give the wolf the closure he didn’t three years ago... and he’s excited and happy to be together. As adults, and their own people.

I have a LOT more to say in spoilers, so once everything is all said and done, I recommend checking it out for this. If you couldn’t tell from my main Echo blog, @leoalvarez-clowncarcommittee​, Chase/Leo is my favorite character ship.and dynamic for Echo... in all it’s forms.

The track Bittwerseet begins to play when Chase chooses Leo. The two embrace and kiss passionately on the stadium steps, the two feeling each other’s love.

The scene switches to the two on Leo’s bed, the two doing a bit more than ‘fooling around’. The scene cuts to afterwards, Leo singing in the shower with Chase on the bed. Leo’s phone wakes up the groggy otter and we’re met with a Choice…

And that’s where we’ll cut it for here. This part was EXTREMELY emotionally taxing (positive) so I wanted it to be a bit shorter, and this next part needed to be cut in half for the Spoiler Free version. Feel free to choose either option and read until the next choice (this screen):

For next Week, Spoiler will be in one post and you can read as normal, but Spoiler Free will be separated into two separate posts. I would recommend waiting until the end of the Route to read the ‘other’ side for Spoiler free, but this choice will reconvene after the choice that leads to the next day.

Sorry for the delay, but upon re-read this was one of the most heavy emotional parts of the novel for me. Until next week everyone

[hopeymchope]

Loooong final thoughts and lingering questions regarding A.I.: The Somnium Files - nirvanA Initiative

Even moreso than the first game, this game is really hard to discuss without digging into spoilers. Yikes. But I’ll try for a little while, I guess.

1) One the one hand? I loved this game, and I really hope the series gets a third entry so it can be another great Uchikoshi trilogy alongside the “Zero Escape” games. On the other hand? These characters are insanely overdue to get their happy endings, and I’m saddened to see them get delayed for YEARS on that. :P

2) I know I’ve already mentioned this, as did an ask I received before even playing the game. But it bears repeating that the lengths this game goes to in order to avoid spoiling the first game REGARDLESS of whether you already played that game are truly absurd. If they ever DO make a third game, I hope they can find some way around this mess (which would only get even MORE complicated after the events of this sequel). Might I suggest doing a prequel adventure, perhaps... ?

2) Looking back, it’s HILARIOUS how incredibly, deeply wrong my initial speculations were :) 

3) ....okay, but it seriously drove me FUCKING NUTS that nobody in-game even commented on the shape of Komeji’s head. Or why he has a big dot on his forehead where his “third eye” would be, for that matter. That’s all just... normal to the people of the AITSFverse, huh? Really?

4) I’m so very grateful for being able to adjust the difficulty of the somniums. I sucked so bad at somniums in the first one. 

Okay, SPOILER COMMENTARY BEGINS NOW.

1) The first game built an effective mystery out of information our lead doesn’t know, but the sequel builds a mystery out of information that only the player doesn’t know. The characters themselves really had plenty of information that should’ve made them capable of solving the case before SIX YEEEEAAARS had passed, IMO.

2) Can’t say I’m a very big fan of “Tama” and her personality/design. She’s HYPER-sexualized in a way that Aiba wasn’t and isn’t, really. It’s.... kind of uncomfortable sometimes. I have to wonder how an A.I. eyeball decides to generate such a holographic body type or gets so into sexual references anyway? What experiences developed her in this fashion? Hrrrrrm.

3) AS SOON as we started talking about “genetic editing/engineering,” in the game’s second chapter, I said, “Oh man, I really hope they use this plot point to retroactively explain Mizuki’s crazy strength and Date’s wild porn-induced powers.” And hey, one out of two isn’t that bad! I *love* that they went to this trouble to go back and logically justify something that was just a goofy gag in the first title. And after Date provides everyone with a detailed explanation for how his “porn mag = enhanced strength and speed” thing actually works, I was convinced that part of it was still yet to come! Sadly? Not to be. Hey, maybe they can still retroactively introduce an origin for that in part 3! Suffice it to say that I LOVE the idea of going back and retroactively explaining the silliest parts of the series using actual logic and lore. LOVE.

4) Lien’s huge “DANGER ZONE” tattoo is something that amused me from start to finish. I’m simple sometimes. Give a Japanese thug a tattoo referencing a Kenny Loggins classic, and I’m happy. And yes, I absolutely do believe it’s a reference to that seminal Top Gun anthem.

4) More than the first game, this game has the cops just... not even try to negotiate or coerce or otherwise even ATTEMPT to get reticent suspects to tell their secrets. Instead? Everything always comes down to “sync with them,” and if that doesn’t give you the answer you desired? You give up and let them go and never ask about it again. Admittedly, this because game mechanics gotta happen, and the first game isn’t completely innocent of this problem either, but the “drop the issue like a hot rock” element is definitely unique here. .............................. God DAMN do you guys suck at this ‘policing’ business. And that’s not even getting into information that you keep to yourselves when you ABSOLUTELY should be sharing it with your colleagues and superiors.

Y’know, like when a suspicious figure it somehow obscured in your vision while you chase them, and you don’t know why your cybereye is blocking out what they look like, but you just don’t tell anyone it even happened AT ALL........... fuuuuuuuuuuuck

5) Ryuki getting chewed out and threatened with losing his job unless he could hit some arbitrary deadline just because a suspect appeared and escaped within the underground cathedral? Really pissed me off because it made no sense. This has never happened to any cop, ever. I guess we can kinda excuse it because it fits with some old-school movie tropes about cops, maybe? But once the timeline is “corrected” and we see that that didn’t even HAPPEN in the past? IT MAKES EVEN. LESS. SENSE. He is literally never seen or known to do ANYTHING wrong that would warrant such a reaction from Boss!!!! Furthermore: Since he DIDN’T catch the HB Killer back then, does that mean he’s not a cop with ABIS by the later timeline? Because that certainly does not appear to be true! He seems to still be operating as one, just a fucking crazy one due to circumstances beyond his own control that nobody seems to have discovere/addressed in the interim.

6) I absolutely adore that the terrifying visage of Gen’s mask is ultimately hiding... the sweetest, most noble person you can possibly imagine. I am *always* here for someone to subvert the expectations of your first visual impression. ALWAYS down for that shit. Wonderful, thank you, no notes.

7) Although I eventually expected what was under the mask of the mysterious woman in the cool cloak, it also feels like one of the most overt examples of making the story jump through hoops just to suit the twist they wanted. I feel like Uchikoshi definitely thought up the “We told you the story in the wrong order!” twist before he ever came up with the existence of a second Mizuki to explain it all. The fact that they dress exactly the same and act the same and both have that name and both use Aiba but AIba forgets about the first Mizuki by coincidence and... YEAH, it’s pretty forced. 

8) I was both horrified and delighted by the reveal that Amame is one of our culprits. I never once thought that a character we met in the first game - someone who was portrayed as just a quiet, good-hearted, sweet kid - would actually go off and murder someone in our sequel, and I LOVE that twist. In truth, I kind of wish she’d killed Tokiko too as Aiba originally theorized. Just let her go all the way off the deep end! But uhh... that would really make our relatively happy ending a lot less happy, because then Amame wouldn’t be getting that light jail time, huh? So maybe not... lol.

9) Because these games tend to ultimately be so hopeful by the end, I thought Kizuna might even get some futuristic cure to her paralysis by the conclusion and be up to dance by the big finale. But it’s probably better that she didn’t. There have to be SOME consequences to these events, after all. 

10) I wish Mizuki would actually show some concern/affection for her long-missing adoptive father after he finally resurfaces. Like, instead of just insulting him and treating him like shit?? The brief moments when she ISN’T insulting him and belittling him are heartwarming, but they’re SO few and far between. And there’s no denying how much he’s done for her and how much he loves her. Mizuki even took his family name eventually. But from her actual words, you’d be hard-pressed to know that she even likes him at all. Girl needs serious psychological help to learn how to communicate properly, because kee-RY-st.

11) Given how utterly fucking psycho Kizuna’s dad goes in at least one route — particularly with how he sends a massive army of thugs that have no compunction about even KILLING Lien — I was really hoping we���d see Mr. Chieda taken down and arrested for his connections by the end. Alas, there is no ending where he pays for his cruelty and associations. He always just walks the hell away. Meh. :P

12) What... on EARTH.... was the point of Boss pretending like Ryuki died in the final battle?! Only to reveal to EVERYONE that he was alive/fine the whole time... ?!?! So clearly there wasn’t even a need to hide that he lived at all?!? I guess she really just likes fucking with everyone by devastating them for no reason. Jesus Christ, Boss. What the actual FUCK is wrong with you. I guess now I can finally appreciate why someone as whip-smart and hot and utterly girlboss as her is single... it’s because she’s secretly a goddamned SOCIOPATH.

13) The introduction of the “The Frayer” and the unlockable Secret Ending is in keeping with Uchikoshi’s other works, sure, but it also raises a lot of problems that I think I’d rather not contemplate in regards to the universe of the game series. I’ll have to try to compartmentalize that as “stuff that cutely refers to the fact that you’re playing a video game” and not consider that information strictly, y’know, canon. 

Ultimately, I obviously have far more plot/writing concerns than I did with the first. I would still say the first is better. But that doesn’t mean I wasn’t having a DAMN good time throughout. I’m still very happy this exists. And here’s hoping for some more adventures down the line...

[rose-from-ashes]

Thoughts on patch, spoilers below cut, but firstly, AN ANNOUNCEMENT:

I am now picking up Zero as a muse! Zero is right up one of my many alleys in terms of character background and arc and I was already planning on doing this, I just wanted to see how her arc ended first, and it seems like that is in fact what happened with this patch. Moving on.

Firstly I am annoyed that this storyline ended so quickly. The thirteenth could have had it's own expansion, it's fascinating and I want to see what it could bring to the table. In addition it would serve as a nice sort of 'in between' this multi expansion storyline and the next, in which the writers could tie up loose ends and establish inter shard travel. The arcs in place here needed more time, and rushing them resulted in an odd feeling of dissonance especially with Zero in particular.

I liked Golbez a lot and I find him compelling, however, I find the fact that he's being referred to as Golbez and has the Golbez armor referencing an actual character from another game mildly confusing. I haven't played said other game so I have literally no idea if it's relevant or not. I suppose it's not too important though considering final fantasy reuses names and even looks often without any real rhyme or reason and they don't usually imply much lore wise in doing so they're just slapping down names and calling it good.

Anyway. I feel like we got too much of pre-voiding Golbez story and not enough post flood of darkness, like- what the fuck is happening, how did the flood itself he was confirmed to unleash go down etc. We needed more time. Please.

If the events of this storyline don't remain active and relevant I am going to lose it. I poured too much effort into Azdaja and Zero and Golbez if they disappear I do not know what I will do but it will not be good.

Uh anyway regarding Zero as a muse I will be changing some small details including significantly drawing out the time frame and not having her suddenly go from still putting together the concept of trust to cracking jokes everywhere. Also she is going to remain a reaper. When her scythe is broken, rather than switching to paladin she makes a blade of light temporarily- when its not there anymore it's just a staff. Figurative olive branch if you will, something something symbolizing that though her mindset has changed she is still the same person and still learning. She and Golbez will learn together and it will be nice. yay.

[aphrodaisyacs]

💗 and ❔for the ask game!

💗Is there a scene you can’t wait to write for a WIP?

Without getting too much into the specifics/spoiler territory, I'd say that Dabi's debut in When Hell Freezes Over (my Shiganatsu & Todofam fic) would definitely be it- up until now he's been referenced once or twice every few chapters by Natsuo, so when he finally shows up I hope that there'll have been enough build-up to justify the absolutely buckwild way that he makes everything explode lmao. It's going to involve a dumb misunderstanding, an accidental identity reveal and also the weirdest family reunion ever. Let's just say that the chapter this all happens in is gonna be a fun one ;)

❔Choose a random WIP and talk about it.

So I've made a rough outline for an Akiangel role reversal/power swap AU after binging the CSM manga and perishing. Angel-as-a-human is just as depressed and demotivated as his canon self, and to his dismay he suddenly finds himself saddled with the responsibility of taking care of Denji and Power, all because he's the devil hunter with "the least animosity towards devils" (he just doesn't give a shit). My guy has never cooked a meal in his life and barely bothers to clean his apartment, so suddenly being forced into the role of Responsible Older Brother is going to be quite the ordeal for him

Meanwhile, Aki the Angel Devil is odd in that he seems to despise other devils and prefer the company of humans. He is extremely dedicated to his devil hunting job, even though Public Safety treats him like a wild dog with a short leash on the account of him being a devil. He brushes it off, claiming that it's a safety precaution that he "deserves". Just like in canon he and Angel don't get along at first, though due to several factors they end up forming a closer relationship. He even cooks for Angel, Denji and Power when he visits their apartment later down the line :')

The plan is to loosely follow the events of Part 1, skipping over events that don't change that much from the swap. There's going to be quite a few key differences, especially when it comes to their backstories and also what happens in the final arc of Part 1. There's also the fact that Angel-as-a-human only has 6 months left to live after the Katana Man arc (as opposed to canon Aki's 2 yrs) due to being way more careless about the usage of his contract with the Curse Devil. Oh and Aki wears gloves and consciously avoids touching people

WIP It Good

[lilythdaemon]

Great time, great monkey

Ok, I already lost this post twice while I was writing it. BUT THIRD TIME IS A CHARM. (no pun intended)

Finished watching Lupin Zero. Holy fuck what a great experience, and I'm gonna share some thoughts about the last three episodes. SPOILERS, of course. Here we go:

EP 4

Just a love note for Lupin shenanigans.

Jigen and Lupin start a fight bc Jigen don't want Lupin to put his life at risk, incredible. Shippers absolutely fucking died when they started to fight like a newly married couple.

In a more serious note, such a goofy plot with the right touch of political commentary. Just chef kiss content. I love seeing how the relationship between those 2 has grown in a short amount of time, the team behind it definitely nailed it.

EP 5

Poor baby monkey boy. He did nothing wrong. He just wanted to give the necklace to his first love and has massacreated by a grown man out of nowhere. Poor, poor baby.

I know that this ep was the beginning of the end, but I just found the passing a little weird. Idk.

AND ALSO, MY BIGGEST PROBLEM WITH THE FINALE. ok, its not a problem, it's just bc it got me confused.

Who the fuck is Gaucho a reference for?

Bc, Gaucho (or at least that is how the wiki shows his name) in portuguese, specifically in Brazil, is how u call someone who is from a specific state, Rio Grande do Sul. And it made me think that maybe he was a south american. AND THEN, I entered a rabbit whole bc I started to noticed that the characters kind resembles Che Guevara, not just in personality but also in looks. And if it somehow, the team behind really is trying to reference him...good, I guess, really weird to reference a dictator, but who am I to say anything else.

EP 6

What a banger of a finale. The action was AMAZING. It made me compare it so much to part 6 action, and reafarm my hate for part 6, great:3

Lupin standing up for what he wants to become versus what his family wants for him, so cute. Little monkey is growing and becaming Big monkey man. He and Jigen, just agreaing to do shit all over the world for the sake of excitment and having fun, like...AAAAAAHHH.

HE USED THE JACKET, IT LOOKS SO BIG FOR HIM! AAHHH.

The final confict was great, Gaucho killing himself insted of letting Lupin shot him...kind of a killer move:3 (PUN INTENDED).

But when Yoko decided that she coulnd't keep on living without the first person who saved her. Heartbroken. Also, knowing that Lupin's first love killed herself for another man is such a tragic backstory for him. I kind would like to this event being referenced in other pieces of Lupin media, like how it effected his view on romantic pursue, etc. (TMS FOR FUCKING GODS SAKE, I DONT WANT A CONTINUATION, I KNOW WHAT HAPPENS WHEN SOMEONE TRIES TO CONTINUE A LUPIN STORY, PART 6 I'M TALINK ABOUT U)

Overall, really enjoy it. Will not be watching the new content streaming on amazon bc it looks ugly as fuck, and I hope we get more passion projects like this in the future:3

[tabbyclaw]

I did warn you all that I was going to post my exchange letter here. Under the cut so it’s not interrupting those who aren’t interested.

(note: As with all of my fanfiction and AO3 activities, I’m signed up under ‘hematitebadger.’)

Hello, assigned creator or person who is considering creating for me! Thank you for reading this; I look forward to seeing what you make and I hope you enjoy making it. This is the first exchange I've done in many years, and thus the first exchange letter I've written in many years, so forgive me if it's a bit unpolished and feel free to ask for clarification if I've been hazy or left unanswered questions. General Likes: humorous stories, happy endings, casual physical affection between friends/family members, banter, unexpectedly romantic moments, imitation of canon style (but don't feel like it's required!), low-stakes/personally important adventures, "what if [canon event] had happened differently?" AUs, character exploration, mutual pining. First and third POV both welcome. I signed up specifically for fanfic, but I am open to treats in any medium! DNWs: porn (implied/referenced sex is fine, but no detailed on-screen sex), unrequested non-canon pairings, non-canon character death, tragic/bleak endings, mundane/modern/setting change AUs, non-canon severe illness/injury (canon-typical comedic, non-permanent injuries in comedy canons are fine), animal harm. Fandom-specific The Murderbot Diaries This is one of those canons where I really like the narrative voice, so stories that imitate that are always appreciated. I love how prickly Murderbot is, and the way it expresses itself when it's being emotional and trying to pretend it's not, and the way it gets annoyed at how much it cares about the people around it. I would love to see something with Murderbot settling in on Preservation, and the survey team trying (with varying degrees of success) to help it acclimate and feel included. Maybe something about the documentary, as well? If you're writing about Murderbot and ART, possibly something about Murderbot going on extended missions with ART and its crew, and the little adjustments to their relationship that come from interacting while having other people around for an extended period of time. My prompts for this fandom are less specific than most of the others, but it's not because I'm any less interested in it! I just love these people in a very broad and general way and want to see more of them interacting with each other. Miraculous Ladybug PLEASE NOTE THAT AS I WRITE THIS I HAVE NOT SEEN ANY OF SEASON 5 YET AND MAY NOT BE ABLE TO CATCH UP BY THE TIME THE SIGNUP PERIOD ENDS. I know a little about what's happened so far, because this is the internet and spoilers are inevitable, but it's a vague knowledge and I've been avoiding leaks about the series bible and episodes that haven't yet aired, so I'm writing these prompts without taking any of what I think I know about the new season into account. As is probably clear from my requests, the complicated dynamics of the Agreste household are my favorite part of the show. All the adults involved have done terrible things but I love them dearly (including Emilie, if you choose to include her), and so I'm hoping for a "flawed but sympathetic" portrayal of them. I would love to see what the household and the people in it were like before canon, the kind of parent Gabriel was as Adrien was growing up and there was someone else there to act as a buffer between them, and I'd like to see him trying to be better at it. I would also be interested in a scenario in which they have to work together in their Miraculous identities, and the tension that arises from both their adversarial relationship and from the things they're saying to each other unwittingly hitting home a little harder than expected. For Gabriel and Nathalie I would be equally happy with &, /, or something that blurs the line between the two. Once again I'd love to see a pre-canon story showing the evolution of their relationship over time, and its translation into the working relationship between Hawkmoth and Mayura. For a more shippy route for these two I'm less interested in an established relationship than I am in sexual tension, pining (mutual or otherwise), and/or an emerging relationship. What was the moment when Nathalie realized she was in too deep, and what will it take for Gabriel to have his own realization? And when are they going to notice the other person's feelings, as well? I would also be interested to see an exploration of how this interacts with their secret identities, where maybe it feels "safer" to flirt as Hawkmoth and Mayura and they're more willing to take risks and cross lines. And while I would hope for something hopeful for these two and I don't want one of them to unilaterally reject the other, I wouldn't consider a mutual acceptance that they can't act on their feelings because of the complicated situation they're in to be a violation of my 'tragic endings' DNW. Megamind Roxanne and Megamind were already pretty flirty in their first interaction in the movie! I'd be interested to see a pre-canon take on that, with the two of them gradually getting bolder and more flirtatious in their interactions as Megamind starts to develop an interest in Roxanne and Roxanne realizes that a) Megamind is basically harmless and b) it's really fun to push his buttons. Possibly even an exploration of what they would have been like if "Bernard" had never happened, and if they would have ever gotten to an 'openly interested in each other' stage on their own. Alternately, post-canon it would be fun to see the two of them learning to live in each other's worlds, with Roxanne helping Megamind get used to being around people and interacting with the public like just another citizen, and Roxanne getting used to being with someone who approaches romance with the same level of drama and spectacle that he approaches villainy. Even when they're in conflict in the movie there's a level of familiarity and sincerity between them that I love, and that's what I'd love to see reflected in a fic. Oxventure These incredibly silly people and the incredibly silly ways they solve their problems while still being lovable and sincere and that special mix of antagonistic and caring towards one another. I would be equally happy with a canon-style problem or mystery they need to solve, or just all of them having some down time and bothering each other. Maybe something goes wrong with the dragon eggs and one or more hatches early, and these people who should not be trusted with anything are now responsible for a baby dragon for a while. Or maybe the less murder-y members of the Guild decide it's finally time to have some kind of intervention with an unrepentant Merilwen regarding her various crimes. For Prudence/Corazon specifically I love them being terrible people who are trying very hard to pretend not to care and failing at it. Anything that involves accidentally realizing and/or revealing their feelings for each other would be great, but specifically I think these two would be perfect for a fake dating plot (as part of a plan that made sense at the time? To piss off Corazon's dad?) that gets more real than either of them ever intended it to. BBC Ghosts I love how sweet and ridiculous this show and its characters are, and it's one of those canons where my prompts are more like "Really, I just want to see more of them, whatever it is they're doing." Alison trying to come up with some new kind of enrichment for the ghosts, both for their sakes and so they'll give her a little more time alone and not bother the guests. Mike doing his best to keep them happy while Alison is out of the house for a couple days (with Julian attempting to communicate their needs via the laptop keyboard and other small gestures), or maybe temporarily gaining some ability to perceive them and trying to rearrange his perceptions of them now that he knows a little bit more. I also think it would be fun to see Alison try to use the ghosts as an excuse to lie to Mike to get out of something she doesn't want to do, but that's entirely because I want to see it backfire on her in some ridiculous way. I have never in my life known how to end a letter gracefully, regardless of the context, so I'll just end this one by thanking you for reading it again. I hope your exchange experience is awesome.

[littleapocalypsekitten]

Okay, Legend of Zelda fan here and I’m going to go reblog this on my Zelda-sideblog:   Okay, so this stuff doesn’t come up often, but in the latest games in the series, the latest “big” games that have gotten a lot of non-series fans into the games are Breath of the Wild and its direct sequel, the one that was just released, Tears of the Kingdom.   Breath of the Wild has *discussion* of Link (your player character) having scars. A part of the plotline is that he was nearly-killed / took what would have been fatal wounds save for some magitech healing 100 years before the main story and was kept in stasis.  One of the long-lived scientist-characters in charge of helping him requests that he strips down to his underpants so he can assess his scars to compare to a scar-map he has of the Hero to be sure of his identity.  In addition to this, if you stay at an all-women location disguised as a woman in some breezy clothes, you can see text of someone commenting that you have “a lot of scars for a young vai” (vai=woman).   Guess how many scars the player gets to see on Link when we play him without a shirt? None. Nada.  He is referenced as having scars, but we do not see them.  And it’s not like there is any excuse in the software technology, because the games are CURRENT and have a lot of detail.  In fact, there are some other characters with scars - the King of the Zora has a funky cross-shaped scar on his head if I am remembering him right.  I think Sidon has a scar or two.  But, no, Link, the player character who is actually supposed to have scars from events in his life is shown as “handsome and clean.”   Okay, fast forward to Tears of the Kingdom.  This game involves amputation.  As the beginning of the game, Link loses his right arm to a curse-burning-infection by an ancient evil.  He is given the magical curse-sealing arm of a long-dead king as he slowly gains his strength back through events of the game.  This is the main game-mechanic.  This magical arm that originally came from a member of a technologically-advanced species allows Link to have superpowers such as structural engineering (I like to call this game “The Legend of Zelda: Link Discovers Glue”), swimming through matter and doing a limited reverse of time.  There’s some kind of data-storage in the arm so he has his map there, too.  It is still visibly not his arm, though - completely different skin-tone, claw-like nails.   (Spoilers ahead  for the end of Tears of the Kingdom) - Guess what happens at the end of the game?  Back to status-quo.   And this is why in the Tears of the Kingdom / Legend of Zelda fandom right now, you will find many drawings that people have done of Amputee Link, an alternate answer to the end of the game.  Often this comes with the caption “If Nintendo weren’t cowards!”   A lot of people are unhappy that Link just got his regular ol’ arm back because they think it would be more interesting if he was out a limb and had to navigate life with a disability post-game.   But we cannot expect Nintendo not to be cowards and not to do something “normal.”  Especially when they won’t even give the man some cool, non-debilitating battle-scars.   But, yeah, this disrespect for disability is everywhere.  It’s annoying.  

as my own direct immediate list of game grievances i hate that stardew valley expects you to side against a wheelchair user who is upset that he was moved without his consent. i hate that the mass effect trilogy gives you visible scarring as a direct result of choosing mean dialogue and heals it if you're nice. i hate that the vampire the masquerade ttrpg has a monstrous player class that can appear as horrible vampiric monsters or as visibly disabled people and both of these appearances are mechanically the same. i hate that dark souls games have a difficulty level implemented in a way that cannot be adjusted for disability. i hate that i can play as a mermaid or a werewolf or a horse in the sims games but can't use a wheelchair. i hate that the ace attorney games have so much flashing and not all of the games can disable it. i hate that disability is constantly something that happens to teach a lesson, i hate that disability is something that happens as a punishment, i hate that disability is either compensated perfectly with no drawbacks or something that is endlessly sought to be cured. i hate that no character customization will ever include the mobility aids i use, that the player avatars that represent me will never look like me. i am so goddamn annoyed and so goddamn tired.

[livingwithsinzine]

Hello!! I was wondering, if this interest check... checks out (I'm sorry I promise I'm not Cress behind the anon), is this an event for only the Crestoria cast, or are we allowed to create content for/include the crossover characters from the game who participated in any capacity in the story (like how we got Luke, Reid, Leon etc)? I know since the manga got rid of the crossover part that it would make any content with them game specific.

On that note, I am curious about how content would work for this event since the game and manga are very different in some parts (like moving Orwin's stuff up so it happens way sooner, or completely changing some aspects of Aegis and Yuna's stories, to use examples without manga spoilers). Is there anything the mods have decided on in that regard?

Hello~ you say you're not Cress but now I just want to call you Cress anyway because he was in the game after all LMAO

These are two great questions, though, and I got answers.

Crossover content/crossover characters will be accepted. Since this was a mechanic that was highly hyped and enjoyed by many of the game's players, not to mention integrated within the game's main/side stories, we're not gonna disallow it. There should be a good mix of the Crestoria-original characters and legacy characters where the latter won't take a way from the former.

2. Talked this one over with the whole mod team just for clarification on both our ends. We will be accepting submissions that are based both on the game and manga. We did base our 16+ rating on the games because - and since I'm assuming you've been keeping up with the manga because you're referencing it - the manga uh. can get sometimes excessive with creative liberties. which includes Rebecca's sexual assault and the excessive violence that happens in the Medagal arc.

So the rating is based on the game because these graphic depictions can be triggering and we just want to have an overall good time. It's just a safety net while still keeping the overall Crestoria themes in check.

But you wanted to explore a topic that was in the manga that wasn't in the game that'd be fine, like Aegis or Yuna's canon divergences or any of the character explorations with the new knights or whatever's going on with Orwin's arc (new chapter tomorrow).

I know you didn't bring this up specifically but all manga content besides the graphic stuff is fair game too, including spoilers that'll happen from now/tomorrow to when the zine drops. Since the manga's currently ongoing, it'd just be harder to keep track of what spoilers are/aren't allowed. (If/when you sign up/join the discord, we will ask for you to be mindful when you're talking about manga spoilers outside of zine work).

Depending on how many people are interested in manga-exclusive content, we could probably discuss putting spoiler warnings within the zine too, but that's future discussion.

This is a bigger explanation than I anticipated I'm just covering all my thoughts I swear LMAO SO. TLDR.

crossover content allowed yay

game and manga content are allowed but any manga content has to reflect the game's rating (no sexual assault, no excessive violence, etc)

manga spoilers for the zine ok, spoiler warnings may be discussed for the zine depending on what

If you have any other questions, feel free to continue asking. (I personally would love to see more crossover/manga-specific content-)

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

I’m not sure if you heard of this already but apparently there is a “part 2”/longer continuation of the piece of my world op, which u can hear in the background for one of the ads. I’m assuming they haven’t released the full song bc it contains spoilers for the Diasomnia chapter. I knew that the little musci break version released back in Halloween 2020 wasn’t the full version, but I mean better late than never (I hope)

Yes, I’m aware! I keep my ear to the ground for any and all TWST related news! ^^

For people who may not know, in one of TWST’s short ads (more specifically, Cater’s), we can hear the beginning to a new verse of the game’s opening song (Piece of My World) as the ad comes to an end. This is significant because it has been nearly three years without a full version of the song being released 😂 (and us fans are getting really desperate for it). The closest thing we got to a “full” version was a dance performance put on by the Night Ravens (the irl group behind Piece of My World).

Eeeh, personally I don’t think the later verses will be super specific to the events of episode 7. It feels like it would be “unfair” to the rest of the 6 episodes who don’t get explicit references in the first verses. At most, I can see the latter half of the song being very focused on “time” as a general theme to represen concluding the main story rather than referencing specific events that will happen in episode 7.

Alternatively, there could be a very innocuous reason for holding the full song from release; for example, it could be a grand way to have the main story end with the full song playing for dramatic effect 🤷‍♀️ Or maybe TWST just wants to have a better repertoire of songs out first (so they could maybe sell an album as a merch item)??? We basically only have Piece of My World, Absolutely Beautiful, and Everyone Yahoo right now.

… You know what else I want to hear besides a full version of Piece of My World though???? 👁 👄 👁 Individual character songs, sung as though it was the character in question singing the lyrics. I have no clue if there are any plans for that, but I want to will them into existing 😭 TWST already teased us with Leona singing, only to have him be interrupted so he doesn’t actually do it…

[thessaliah]

You can skip Epic Of Remnants to Part 2, but there's a clear connection between those "anthology stories" and a correspondence main interlude chapter (".5") in between the main plot of Cosmos in the Lostbelt. Think about it for a minute (the following cut has spoilers up Traum 6.5):

Salem’s Foreigner's story is the beginning of what seems to formally conclude (at least it apparently) with Imaginary Scramble, an event that's informally referred to as "4.5," a forgotten incident that took place during the test run of Nautilus before the crew of sailed to Atlantis. Oei's and her dad's quest was an in-between bridge. Without Raum's Gate of Fiction and his makeshift of the Foreigner Class, none of this would have happened. Meanwhile, the CCC collab, Seraphix (the 'Extra' Epic of Remnant), and the Main Interlude now, are connected with Ooku, also referred to as the "3.5" chapter that takes place between the Chinese and Indian lostbelt. Beast III incident, with R manifesting L, and Kiara's beat as villain and "ally" later is covered here.

Now both are clearly missing the "clear" message, but TM could add them later because neither are the main interludes yet. Perhaps they will be added or isn't important. Salem's clear message was: "The Conclusion of (Divine) Judgement." While the collab was "Foundation Restored. Order Complete" like the original Singularities. However, Shinjuku and Shimousa's storylines and references to the ending do get referenced.

Shimosa was "Grand Slam" (Complete Victory/一切完勝), a reference to a sport's victorious championships in a promotion: could be tennis or wrestling, or other disciplines. Now “Golden Finish” (Removal of Maliciousness/悪念切除) plays with this reference because Gold Slam (sometimes Golden Finish in tennis) is is what you obtain by winning four  Grand Slams. That wasn't a reference to Musashi alone as it seemed, but Chaldea clashing with Douman. Four times in total: Shimousa, India Lostbelt, Olympus, and finally Heian Kyo.  Four is the final defeat, Golden Finish. It plays up with Kintoki but references Limbo's story. Shimousa then is connected to chapter 5.5 which eventually becomes one of the main interludes once cleared. Much like Shimousa, there's also a martial and fighting theme and a historical Japanese setting.

Shinjuku chapter connects to another of those "dot" interception story chapters-turns-into-main interlude after clear: 6.5 Traum. There are some similar themes like the fantasy/fictional heroes and those Phantom existence introduced in Shinjuku, and a focus on the battle between Sherlock Holmes and James Moriarty. Shinjuku ends with Holmes joining Chaldea, while Traum is his farewell and death (the fictional existence of the Holmes that you knew, at least). But what draws my attention is the final message. While the Shimousa's Grand Slam/ Heian Kyo's Golden Finish are thematically linked as a continuation of each other and validating further, Shinjiku's Quod Erat Demonstrandum swirls and turns into Ex Falso Quodlibet in Traum. Very very ominously. We're leaving a story with a conclusion that we demonstrated with proof to a story full of contradictions and, once proven, anything can follow of sorts. This was to understand Holmes' nature, but is it just Holmes's nature?

From the Epic of Remnant's stories, there's only one left without a ".5" connection yet: Agartha (and the ending message was "Happily Ever After"), but perhaps Traum already covered the theme of fantasy kingdoms to retreat it, or maybe only Higashide and Sakurai were permitted the stronger main story links with their Epic of Remnants.