#and this game is very much about the ways our connections and relationships or lack of them shape us for better and for worse

[wardensantoineandevka]

it would easier if I could just dump the entire conversation I had in DMs about this for the actual nuance and rationale and thought process, but the starting point was: it's both comically reductive and entirely accurate to argue that an appreciable portion of Illario's issues could be alleviated if he had any actual friends or stumbled into a stable relationship and these things would still go a long way, especially after he's forgiven

[maximumzombiecreator]

I would actually like to know what you consider the basics of improv to be! If nothing else, you phrase these things really well and in ways I haven't heard before, and I'm also aware there's a lot of things I don't know (I'm in a student run college improv group, our theory might be a bit lacking)

Be glad to. A lot of improv stuff is just oral tradition at this point, passed down in musty school drama rooms and community centers, so everyone has to pick it up somewhere. When I've taught people before, beyond the basic definition of what an improv scene looks like, I usually focus on a set of do's and don'ts.

Do's:

Make offers, and make them good offers. A good offer should be strong and elegant, like a power lifter in a ball gown.

Broadly speaking, I'd say the strength of an offer refers to how much it establishes about the scene, and how much what it establishes is different from a theoretical "default" scene. Typically, you think about how much an offer is establishing in terms of the questions words: who are the characters, what are they doing, where are they, etc. An offer that establishes "two characters who are old friends since high school meeting up at a coffee shop to catch up" is establishing a lot, but it's still a weak offer because it's such a typical scene. You're not adding much that can't just be taken for granted.

When I say a good offer should be elegant, I mean that it should be as compact as possible while still doing a lot. The typical inelegant offer is verbose and unnatural. A character walks into a scene and says, "Hey, big brother Billy, I hope you're recovering from the illness you've had for the last six months, ever since our father died," or some other expository nightmare.

So, the best offers are both. They create a lot of unique, interesting details about the scene, and they do it quickly. Let's say you stagger into the scene, miming carrying something under your arm, and say, "Doctor! I've been decapitated again!" In five words, you've established who you and another character are, where you are, and why, and you've implied a lot of very unusual details about the scene, world, and your character's history.

When thinking about elegant offers, it's also worth noting that a lot of offers that you should be making are physical. Depending on the type of improv you're doing, you might be physically embodying objects and the environment, and if you're doing background like that you can add a ton of detail that the audience can pick up without friction. But even if you're not, you can establish location through miming actions, you can create details about your character through how you walk and hold your body, you can endow others with traits through how you physically react to them.

That brings us to the next do: make strong character choices and enhance other actors' characters. People have written whole books on what comprises a "strong character" but for improv purposes I'd focus on three details: quirks, status, and connections.

Quirks are fairly straightforward: what makes this character unusual? Establishing character quirks is the focus of a lot of improv games and exercises, and the best quirks are quick to establish, significantly inform the character, and are handled with enough sincerity to make the character compelling rather than only funny.

Status refers to how powerful and important a character is. High status characters will command the room, low status characters will be ignored or mistreated. Status might shift over the course of a scene. The sheriff is a high status character until the king shows up, for example. Status might seem like an obvious thing to figure out from a character's role, but it's useful to play with it. What does a low status king look like? What does an employee-boss scene look like if you decide your employee is higher status than the boss?

Connections refer to the relationships between characters. This is going to drive scenes more than most other character details, and you almost always want to avoid unconnected characters. Choosing a connection to an existing character is a very good first choice when entering a scene, as it should immediately suggest a direction for the scene to take. This is also a reason to favour unusual connections. If two actors are in a scene where they're arguing about a fender bender they've been in, you could choose to enter as one of their friends, but it'll be far more dynamic if you choose a more unusual connection. What if you're one of their anger management therapists? Their boss? Their dominatrix?

In addition to creating your own character, you should add to other actors' characters. The main way you do this is endowment, giving the character traits through your offers. Direct endowment is when you simply ascribe them a trait. If you say, "Bill, you've been mayor for the last ten years," then you're obviously giving them the trait of "mayor." But there's also indirect endowment, where you add something to a character through part of how you react to them. If you flinch when another character moves suddenly, you're endowing them with the traits of being dangerous and erratic. If you speak to them very slowly and simply, you're implying something about how intelligent your character perceives them to be.

Putting it all together, the last big thing to do is build up. There can be a temptation in improv to build out, to add new details to scenes that sort of sprawl outward from the original premise. Try to avoid that. When you add new details, make them ones that build on the existing details. Instead of adding new tensions or conflicts, raise the stakes of existing ones. Reincorporate and re-contextualize things that have already been established. Incorporate audience suggestions repeatedly, using them to colour other offers.

Don'ts:

No blocking. This is the one even people who don't know improv know. If someone adds something to the scene, go with it. Don't reject or ignore offers, incorporate and build on them.

No wimping. Whatever the scene is, whatever your character is, whatever offers are made, fully commit. Bring all your energy to it. If someone says your character is on fire, don't just stop, drop, and roll and then go back to whatever else was going on. That's wimping. Be the most on fire that you can be.

No dithering. When you're in a scene, always be adding to it or moving it forward. Saying something that just fills space, at best makes a joke, and doesn't add to the scene is bad form, it doesn't give other actors anything new to work with. If you're dithering, you're forcing other actors to pick up the slack. This is called "gagging" if you're being funny by not adding to the scene, and is a great way to be popular with the audience and have everyone else hate you, don't be that person.

Don't make yourself look good at the expense of your scene partners. It's okay to get laughs at the expense of other characters, but not at the expense of other actors. Help others get into the scene, develop their characters, and give them things to respond to, add onto their offers.

Related to the above, don't steal the spotlight. If there's a scene going on that you're not the focus of, you should be trying to figure out how to enhance what's going on. Everyone can tell when an actor can't bear to be in a supporting role, and it's not a cute look.

More than anything, don't betray the trust of other performers. All theatre requires trust, but improv requires so much trust. If you lose that trust, you're done, you've got nothing.

[wardencallings]

Okay. Let me preface this with I am enjoying this game. I like the story, pacing, and companions a lot. I enjoy the combat and the structure of the quests (mostly). But. Ugh.

Spoilers for Harding's romance under the cut (and note: I haven't finished the final fight yet):

This romance started so fucking promising. I LOVED the cute flirting at the start, the slightly awkward and nervous dynamic, and the lyrium kiss might be the cutest cut scene I have ever seen in my life. But why, if you're presenting an arc about two characters unable to touch each other, is there no on-screen yearning? Why do you leave how these characters handle this very specific problem off-screen, relegating it to an off-the-cuff banter between Emmrich and Harding? Why do I not see another kiss or point of contact between my character and Harding's beyond the final scene before she's made Hero of the Veilguard?

The romance is so front-heavy that the last part of the game makes it seem like we aren't all that in love, nor really all that close. I think what's extra frustrating is that my fiance is playing alongside me, and so I get to hear the cute banter between Harding and Taash while my Rook gets very little attention from her at this point in the game. Even the pre-final fight scene was lacking. Why can't I comfort Harding more thoroughly about her fear of one of us dying? Why, as a dwarf, can I not reassure her that I'll always be with her in some way because of our mutual connection to the stone? (Also, why, as a dwarf, do I seemingly have no resistance to Harding's lyrium while Taash can tank it fine? Hello?) That scene ends with a "Let's just focus on us tonight" sort of line, but I want to know more! What do we do? What can we do? I get leaving it up to the audience's imagination, but with so little context as to what Rook and Harding are up to in their relationship at this stage of the game, I would prefer something more concrete.

This romance would be almost completely perfect to me with the addition of one scene where Rook and Harding touch after weeks, or perhaps months, of yearning. I'm not even picky about how the scene would manifest (a goofy montage of them trying different ways to touch each other without triggering the lyrium, Rook peppering kisses on Harding's freckles to avoid long-term contact, Harding surprising Rook with her control over the magic leading to a longer, more passionate kiss, etc). As my Rook is trans, I really appreciated the line where I could tell her that Rook would love her for who she is no matter what, but give me MORE. Since Harding's romance is seemingly the shortest, there absolutely was room for one extra scene, if not more.

Also, I hate that Rook can't kiss her whenever he wants. My Rook is built different. He'll take the lyrium disorientation for even a second of contact with her. As I think many others would agree -- especially because of how charming the lyrium poisoning kiss scene is! It was right there!

All in all, I'm pretty disappointed with the lack of romance dialogue options and the sheer lack of Harding romance content after around the halfway point of the game. I still really am enjoying Veilguard, but I think it's a bummer we get more information about Taash and Harding's late-game dynamic than Rook and Harding's. I hate that it's making me resent Taash and Harding's relationship because I genuinely love Taash so much and think they're an excellent partner for an unromanced Harding! I hope the Taash romance doesn't suffer from this problem, for all you Taash lovers out there.

The silver lining: the romance is ripe for fanfic and fanart. I already have one commission on the way, and once I finish my school stuff for the week, I want to write a continuation of the pre-final fight scene for sure. And a Harding/Rook camping scene, perhaps! I also think I might be a little blinded by the initial disappointment, and once my vision clears a bit, I'll be able to appreciate it more.

[inkblot22]

Idia and the expression of displeasure

Uh, shoutout to that guy who I thought was my friend, asked me if I wanted to hook up despite being over 1000 some-odd miles away, despite me being very openly not that into men and, more importantly, telling him very clearly that I have no interest in dating him specifically. You're so cool for that, man. I just love to feel like an object. The "something about me" is the crippling c-PTSD, anxiety, and possible psychotic illness rotting my brain and your reading of me as a "Creepy Goth Chick", thank you.

Anyway, I hope I was able to direct that shitty man behavior onto our beloved Idia. I did tag you, it's later on and if you'd like me to remove it, I can absolutely do so, just let me know. Also all I can think about is this vine.

Dividers by @/cafekitsune

TW for verbal abuse, manipulation, emotional abuse, captivity, use of a shock collar, mention of physical abuse, Idia is an asshole, abusive relationship dynamics, lack of communication.

Idia is the type of person to believe he is pragmatic, when, in reality, he is rather mercurial. He will fly off the handle at the smallest thing but be completely unbothered by larger issues.

I imagine this could lead to a few problems for his dear, sweet partner. (By the way, I refer to Idia’s darling as his partner because that is what they have rationalized their situation to be, currently: they are Idia's captive partner. Idia doesn’t label them very often, and although he does call them his partner, he definitely sees them as an endearing pest, kind of. Despite them being there because of him, he often acts like they're a mouse or roach that popped up one day and he grew attached to.)

Idia is not the type to like striking or physically harming his partner. He’s the type to get rude and nasty, and play victim. This does not mean he doesn’t ever physically harm his partner.

See, that shock collar around their neck? We have previously established that this is connected to his technomantic energy, and his technomantic energy is connected to his inherent magic ability.

The collar is set up with a warning system. If Idia’s partner does anything he remotely dislikes or any set of pre-established actions that they are not made aware of, they will receive three low-voltage, quick-tap jolts of electricity right against the column of their pretty throat.

These actions include, but are not limited to: acting in any way to harm Ortho or Idia, attempting to harm themselves (this one had to be added after the hanger incident), walking too close to the door or the covered-up window, touching any of Idia’s current or past projects without permission, touching Idia’s gaming setup, ignoring Ortho (this only is put in place if Idia’s partner is hostile towards Ortho at any point, even just once) and refusing any food or drink given to them by Idia specifically. It's important to reiterate that Idia has not told his partner literally any of these rules. Much like the ways that some people train a dog, they have to learn the hard way.

After the three taps, Idia’s emotions and/or intentions dictate how intense the next shock is. Sometimes it’s a bored little zap, like a fourth warning to cut it out before he gets mad, sometimes it’s a rolling pulse that pulls them away from whatever they’re doing, sometimes it’s a tidal wave that literally brings them to their knees and makes them throw up. It really depends on the most annoying kidnapper in the world. 

Idia is very aware that holding this person hostage because of his own predilections and perversions is a wildly morally incorrect thing to do, but Idia also doesn’t give a steaming shit. He’s been given what he wants, having grown up as a member of the upper crust, and if he doesn’t get it given to him, he finds a way to get it.

This means that, as much as we all love him, Idia is a whiny pisslord. The second his partner doesn’t do what he wants, he’s grumbling about it, he’s whining, playing victim, getting huffy.

While that might not sound bad, please remember that Idia’s partner has a bunch of exposed wires situated with the intent of shocking them around their neck at all times, and the shock collar is connected to Idia’s emotions. While getting shocked in a more violent manner isn’t very common for them, it can still happen, and therefore it's possibly best to do a little eggshell walking.

Besides that, it’s not very pleasant to be around someone who is so volatile, even if at their most disappointed they just complain for a few hours or days. Having to deal with someone else’s displeasure in life while being more or less unable to discuss your own does not do wonders for your mental health.

Let’s go over some scenarios and the punishments connected to them.

Idia has been playing some online fighting game all day, pretty much ignoring his partner. He hears them move during a cooldown between matches, turns around in his chair, and asks demands that they come over and let him kiss them a little. Of course, Idia’s partner declines. In this situation, Idia would usually get upset and complain about it for a while, name calling included. His words and mood definitely have the vibe of, “How dare you breathe around me and then not let me touch and kiss you. That’s just leading me on, breathing around me.”

Idia’s partner made some cup noodles while Idia was taking a nap after he raged all night and well into the afternoon. He wakes up and sees them sitting in his gaming chair, facing away from his computer and eating. In this situation, Idia would straight up zap them for two reasons. Number one, they didn’t make him anything to eat, and number two, they’re not supposed to be sitting in his chair or at his desk. Anywhere near his computer/anything that could possibly be used to contact someone on the outside without supervision is a huge issue. Keep in mind that he never deigned to share this rather important rule with his partner.

Idia’s partner has a bad day and snaps at Ortho, shoving him away very, very gently. It almost goes without saying; they’re getting zapped to the point of unconsciousness, because Idia panics and then gets mad, in that order and in rapid succession. The emotions blend together for a moment which makes the jolt stronger. This is when the “no ignoring Ortho” rule would be implemented, because they’d better be really nice to Ortho for the next few months before Idia decides he can trust the two of them to interact without his watchful eye. He trusts his little brother, but he doesn’t trust his partner.

In honor of a certain discussion I had with @tht0nesimp (thank you so much, you're very insightful,) Idia’s partner has a meltdown (understandably) and starts throwing things, including a glass of water that was brought to them after they had a bit of a cry in the shower (stay hydrated, everyone.) The glass, still with the water in it, sails across the room and clocks Idia right in his pretty face, ideally breaking his nose. While it’d be understandable to assume that Idia would be mad enough to hit his partner with a jolt of electricity that would bring them to their knees, Idia is sensible enough to understand that this is a display of some form of hysterical emotions that his partner has been bottling up until this point. Therefore, instead of electrocuting his partner, he just starts complaining, more loudly than usual. It is not peculiar for his voice to rise in volume but not in inflection, we hear this in game, but imagine that just a bit louder and more whiny.

“Wow, and here I thought you were an adult. I can’t believe you can’t even control your emotions.”

“My nose hurts. No, don’t apologize. It’s your fault anyway. I don’t even want to know what you’d do if you were really mad.”

“If you want to make it up to me, you could- don’t make that face. Whatever, I knew you weren’t being serious. Whatever. Just ask Ortho to get me an ice pack and go sit somewhere away from me. It's fine. It's fine!”

[shyanddreamy]

Curiosity killed the cat

Chishiya Shuntaro x Reader x Niragi Suguru

Summary: Chishiya was a complete mystery, but he had caught your eye. He always hid behind his apparent lack of emotion, as if he didn´t care about anything. So you wanted to show him how wrong he was.

Warnings: smut, threesome, blowjob, con non-con, vaginal and anal sex, degradation, unprotected sex, dirty talk, teasing, slight praise.

Author´s note: First of all, this is an independent post, so you can read this as a one shot. But if you want more context, you can check my other aib posts. Also English is not my first language so I apologize for any possible mistakes. I really hope you like it. Love u all <3

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There were too many different people at The Beach; only connected by the desire of survive The Borderlands and have as much fun as they could till their last day there. With that death games they have been forced to play, they couldn’t know when will be their last day. Anyway, your attention has been lately on one single person. He was blonde, had cat-eyes and was pretty silence. He seemed to enjoy more when he was observing others, like if he was studying cautiously them. Niragi despised him; he always said he hated his condescending look. Niragi thought that he believed himself clever than the rest, but you couldn´t help but feel some kind of curiosity about him.

"Hello there", you said while sitting next to him in one of the seats next to the swimming pool. "Are you having fun?"

"Not really a party person"

"Maybe if you tried to have a drink or dance, it could improve"

"Yeah. Maybe someday", Chishiya answered. His sight was on you as one of the corners of his lips lifted up very slightly. When he wasn´t completely serious, that was his grimace instead. "To what do I owe the honor of your presence?"

"I was just thinking about you", you said, widening your smile. "We should talk more, you know? Like, spend more time together"

"We have been together earlier, at the executives meeting"

"You are very perceptive, don´t you, Chishyia?", you asked him. You moved a little closer to him, invading his personal space, and ran your fingers up to his hair, playing lightly with one of his bangs. "I´m sure you know what I mean"

"I´m not used to spend my time with Militants", he commented. Chishyia wasn´t bothered or concerned by your presence at all. Even if he was, he was good at hiding it. He was good at hiding his every thought or emotion. "Does Niragi agree with your interest in being here with me? I´m starting to realize that he didn´t like me too much"

"Niragi and I have so much fun together. But you know how our relationship is"

"I don’t have any clue really"

You knew Niragi since he was in his senior year in high school. And the bonds developed between you two then had grown and evolved over the years. Friends with benefits, allies, a couple with and open relationship, partners, kindred spirits or just a pair of freaks who had stuck together. You had never labelled your relationship. You didn’t need it anyways; it wasn´t necessary. You just did what you want when you want in the way you want, but always being in the same team. Sometimes you were just both against the world and you were fine with that.

Instead of giving Chishyia an answer, you stood up from de seat and stretched out your hand to him.

"C´mon, I have something in my mind"

Chishyia just looked at you with and eyebrow raised sceptically. Since he hadn´t intention of accepting it, you lower you hand to your hip and pouted.

"What do you really want?", he asked you. Perhaps his voice was quiet, but Chishyia was absolutely certain he couldn´t trust you.  

"Aww, you didn´t like taking any risk? Are you such a coward or am I too scary for you?"

"Maybe a lot of people around are afraid of you, but I am not one of them"

"So, come with me", you insisted, biting your lower lip mischievously. "You have nothing to lose"

Without waiting for his response, you turned around and went back to the dance floor just to pass between the crowd and continue your way to the resort. You already were upstairs when you took a quick glance backwards, finding proudly that Chishyia was following you. He had his hands in his jacket pockets, seemed bored and kept a few metres of distance, but still was after you. Yeah, maybe he was clever, but you were it too.

Curiosity killed the cat, but you wasn´t thinking about killing at all.

When Chishyia crossed the door of your dorm –which you had left half-open on purpose– and closed it after him, he found you looking through the window. The outside seemed more interesting to you than him.

"These people are disgustingly naïve", you commented. "Partying all day just to convince themselves that they have made the most of their lives before confront death. But the truth is that they have never lived before they came to this world"

Since you weren´t seeing him, Chishyia allowed himself to frown a bit. Your words aroused his interest, so he walked towards you. You felt him behind you, paying attention to the people out there. When you turned around, suddenly facing him, he slowly slid his gaze down to meet yours.

"However, you are different, Chishyia. You want to keep living at any cost, but at the same time you don´t give a shit about life", you mumbled. "Emotionless. Observing everything and everyone from the distance but without getting involved. Why do you live for then?"

"And you?", he asked. "You are mocking them but doing the same thing"

"I have always enjoyed my life, so I keep doing it here too. Unlike them, I´m not pretending to die after that", you answered. "I live for myself and to prove people who tried to destroy me wrong"

You rested your hands in Chishyia´s chest softly before starting to lower his jacket´s zip. He just observed your movements in silence, without doing a single thing in response.

"That´s why you brought me here?"

"I brought you here because I intend to awaken your emotions. I know they are there, inside of you, but you refuse to let them go out. I want to see the Chishyia that no one will ever see", you explained quietly; your hands caressing his chest. "And you knew these were my intentions, but you have come here willingly"

"You have been thinking on this for a while. Maybe if you see that it has no sense, you will finally stop"

"When I finish with you, you´ll be the one who doesn´t want me to stop"

You raised your hands to his shoulders, sliding his jacket down his arms until you got him naked from the waist up. You didn´t pay attention to his inexpressive grimace. If there was any emotion there, it would be boredom. You took your lips to his neck instead, dropping soft kisses along that sensitive zone for a few minutes before adding some wetness to your actions. Nothing changed on Chishyia, but you bet he couldn´t be made of stone.

Inch by inch, you traced a path of kisses down his chest, getting on your knees eventually when you were near his navel. And it that new position, you smiled widely.

"You can control your face, but not your body"

Chishyia raised one corner of his lips in a grimace of self-reliance. He still thought he was winning.

"It´s a body´s natural reaction. I can´t change human nature", he said leisurely. "You can continue if that makes you happy or you can quit. Whatever it is, I do not have any kind of interest or desire"

"It´s so? What a pity", you whinged, but your eyes were attached to the bulge in his swim trunks. "I wanted to know how cute you were while moaning"

You slipped your hands under his shorts, caressing his thighs but without coming close enough to skim his manhood. You approached your mouth to it as your touch was gentle but firm at the same time.

The fabric of his swim trunks wasn´t very thick, so when you talked again, he could feel your warm breath against his covered dick.

"And I wanted to know much more. If you were soft or you liked it rough. If you had practice or you were clumsy. If you were dominant or preferred to have someone putting you back on your place"

Chishyia crossed his arms above his chest when you looked up to find his gaze. He was beginning to feel annoyed, maybe a bit anxious too. Anyways, he refused to give up. He was the one playing with you, not the other way round.

"I think I´m going with the last one", you mumbled. "Always looking down on us. Always thinking that you are better than the rest. But when push comes to shove, you enjoy someone to take control over you"

His dick throbbed under his pants, so you bit your lower lip to restrain your proud smile. Nevertheless, the sound of the door opening at your back stopped your motions. Chishyia turned his gaze to the entrance undisturbed, only with curiosity, but you didn´t need to look back to know who the intruder was. There was only one person entering your dorm without knocking first.

"Are you kidding me?", you heard Niragi complaining. "What the fuck do you think are you doing?"

You got up from the floor at the same time that Niragi walked toward you after closing the door. Obviously, he wasn´t happy at all.

"You looked so amuse out there with that brunette. I thought you wouldn´t came here today"

"I would have killed her if I had had to endure her damn high-pitched voice for a few minutes more. She was too annoying. Wasn´t worth of my time", Niragi said. And when you turned back to him, he had a disgusted grimace. "Didn´t you have better options tonight?"

"I wanted to innovate"

Niragi moved his head to face Chishyia, who was in the same position as if he wasn´t even there.

"What have you offered her in exchange for this?"

"Y/N has come to me of his own free will", he assured to Niragi. "I suppose you are not able to satisfy her"

Niragi pushed you out of the way to confront Chishyia for his words. Since he was half-naked, he only could grab him by the neck. His deadly grimace contrasted with the tiny smile in Chishyia´s face. He enjoyed teasing Niragi, so things just got more interesting for him.

"What the hell have you said?"

"Do I really have to repeat myself?"

Niragi strengthened the grip around his throat before adding:

"I´m gonna kill you so I will never have to listen to you again"

"I didn´t imagine I would say this but see you both like this is a turn-on. And by the boner that Chishyia still have in his pants, it seems he agrees with me"

"Huh? Have you lost your damn mind, Y/N?", questioned Niragi frowned. "I said kill him, not fuck him"

"But neither Aguni nor Hatter will be pleased with his death. So maybe you can teach him a lesson by other means", you suggested evocatively while caressing Niragi´s back and approaching your lips to his ear. "Show him who is in charge here. Could you make him beg?"

With a rotten smile, Niragi stood closer to Chishyia. He knew you were challenging him, and he could never resist a challenge from you. Besides, Niragi liked more than he was willing to admit what you have said.

"Silence you with my dick and make you cry until you can never again look at me directly at the eyes", he laughed. The tip of their noses almost touching each other. "It sounds pretty fun"

"You both are sick", Chishyia simply replied.

"And you are a bit scared. So, I will be kind and let you go if you ask for it nicely"

You sighed heavily, a bit disappointed:

"He already was a coward when it was only me"

"I knew he was only façade", Niragi laughed rowdily. Instantly, Chishyia struggled in a vain attempt to break free, but the firm grip on his neck along with the additional force that Niragi made with his own body against him got Chishyia halted. "It´s even funnier if you are resisting"

Just a few centimetres separated their faces. In the moment you squeezed Chishyia´s crotch over his swim trunks unannounced, he let escape a subtle moan that was soon silence by Niragi´s lips, who took advantage of his mouth half-open. Yeah, that picture really turned you on.

Unfortunately, the fierce and dominant kiss led by Niragi lasted less than a minute. Chishyia wiped the traces of saliva on his lips with the back of his hand and slightly smirked.

"Didn´t know you have a crush on me, Niragi", he mocked. "You should have confessed your feelings earlier"

As the rage covered Niragi´s face, you could hardly contain your own laughter. Chishyia had no idea of what he was doing by teasing Niragi like this… Or maybe he really knew what the consequences could be.

"Shut the fuck up!", Niragi growled while kicking him in his legs to force Chishyia on his knees. Instead of his neck, he grabbed him by the hair. "Better use your mouth for something more useful"

"That´s a dangerous move", he warned Niragi.

"Is it? Are you thinking of biting me?", he pulled a pistol from the waistband of his trousers and pointed it directly at his head. "In that case, I will blow your brains out"

"I already told you I don´t want guns in my dorm", you complained, getting a snort from Niragi in response.

"I won´t use it unless this douchebag leaves me no other choice"

In an attempt to avoid such an outcome, you squatted down next to Chishyia and talked with a silvery voice:

"You should say as he says. It´s better than a bullet in your head"

"I don´t have all the fucking night", Niragi urged him, removing the gun safety catch. Have you mentioned anything about consequences before? Because this was precisely what you were referring to.

Your started to unbuckle his belt before lower the zip of Niragi´s pants. He was completely hard and groaned when you slip your hand in his underwear. Niragi was too impatient to make him wait, so you got rid of his clothes letting them fall to the middle of his tights and pumped his dick twice while bringing it closer to Chishyia´s mouth. When Niragi pulled his hair tighter and stuck the barrel of the gun in his forehead, you noticed that Chishyia was parting his lips slowly. With a mischievous smile, you took your thumb between them, opening his mouth a bit more.

"You are going to need to open your mouth wider to take it all", Niragi chuckled, rubbing his tip against Chishyia´s lips, making them glossier with his pre-cum.

"Stop teasing around", you ordered Niragi. "And don´t be too rough"

You barely managed to finish the sentence before Niragi buried himself in Chishyia´s throat. His blonde hair was clutched between Niragi´s fingers, so even if he tried, Chishyia was not able to move aside or backwards. He choked on his dick before Niragi pulled away. Then, Chishyia started coughing.

"Was it too much?", Niragi asked with false innocence while playing with his tongue devilishly. You gave him an annoyed look, but your attention returned to Chishyia when he was able to pull himself together.

"That´s the best you can do?", he mocked, seemingly indifferent as if his throat didn´t sore because of his impulsiveness.

"You son of a…", Niragi growled, but when he tried to force his way back to Chishyia´s mouth, you grabbed his hips to stop him while you stood in between. Now, his anger was all over you. 

"This is my party so stop spoiling it. Otherwise, you can leave"

Niragi clicked his tongue and clenched his jaw but didn’t add anything. He was aware that these was you rule number one when one of you had a new conquest and the other decided to join. He was not happy about it, but he was even less happy about the idea of leaving.

"First of all, no guns", you declared, and after a few seconds of hesitation, Niragi put the gun away back to his waistband. "Fine. And now, do it again without making him gag with the first thrust"

Chishyia was reticent when he felt the tip of his cock against his lips again, but this time, he opened his mouth easily. Niragi went deep on his throat but with a slower path, so Chishyia could withstand it.

"That´s it. Good boys", you praised them.

"Don´t call me that", Niragi complained, but kept going in and out his mouth, groaning slightly.

You slid your lips over Chishyia´s neck before descending your hand to his crotch. For the first time, you decided to touch his dick directly, without more teasing, to give him some kind of relieve. His cock was still hard and pre-cum was wetting his tip. Chishyia let out a low moan, making Niragi´s dick vibrate, and he giggled. Niragi was enjoying the situation pretty much; it was clear.

"Didn´t know you have a crush on me, Chishyia", Niragi said, copying the above words from the blonde. "If you wanted it so bad, I would have let you gag on my cock sooner"

Chishyia didn´t answer. It's not like he could talk either. Although you couldn't deny that it was a little strange to see him so submissive. You wanted to know what was going on inside his head, but it wasn´t the best moment to start doing questions.

When you noticed Niragi´s dick pointing at you, you didn´t hesitate before taking it in your mouth too. You continued bobbing your hand up and down Chishyia´s manhood all the time.

"How could you both love my dick so bad", Niragi laughed. "Such whores for me"

When Niragi left your mouth after a deeper thrust, you looked at Chishyia, who was looking at you too with his cat eyes and his cheeks flushed, and you kissed him. Finally, you tasted his saliva from his own mouth instead of from Niragi´s dick. He just followed your rhythm tamely until you were satisfied.

"We should go ahead. I want more than a kiss"

You grabbed Chishyia by the arm and stood up, guiding him until he was sitting down on the edge of the bed, not without first getting rid of his swim trunks. Niragi was quick to position itself behind you, his hands caressing your body shameless. And without asking, aware that those were your intentions, he stripped you. It's not like you have a lot of clothes either, just the bikini top and a pair of shorts.

"It´s a pity that I have to share you with that piece of trash", Niragi mumbled near your ear while his hands were touching your breast and your waist, making sure Chishyia could hear him too. "I should have face fucked him and threw him away"

You let scape a low groan when you felt his dick rubbing against your folds.

"So wet already"

You turned around to give Niragi a wrathful kiss before continuing with your plans.

"You are free to join us whenever you want"

With no more time to waste, you climb on top of Chishyia and made him lie down with his head on the pillow. He had a noticeable boner but his face still unwavering. You wanted to crack him despite of how difficult it seemed to be.

"You cock must ache and you are not doing a single thing to remedy it", you teased him, expecting some kind of reaction. "C´mon, big boy, make your move"

Chishyia just slid his arms under his head, making himself comfortable.

"I told you. You are the one who wants this, not me, Y/N"

"It´s so?"

You plunged down suddenly. Chishyia clenched his jaw and held back a gasp acting cool, as if his dick wasn´t throbbing desperately and feeling your wet hot hole around it were nothing to him.

"Maybe you were right", you started rocking your hips up and down, purring with pleasure. "You can stand still if you want then. I can enjoy by myself"

You took your hand to his throat, choking him a little when Niragi climbed onto the bed behind you completely naked. You felt his lips in your back, your shoulders and your neck, kissing and licking your skin, even biting sometimes.

"I doubt very much that you can do it on your own, Y/N. You need someone who really knows how to fuck you properly. Or who knows how to fuck you at all"

You smiled before tilting your head back to be able to kiss him. A bit anxious to have Niragi inside you, you grabbed him by the wrist and guided two of his fingers to Chishyia´s mouth.

"At least you can lick them, right?", you asked him, hearing an amuse grimace from Niragi next to your ear that cause shivers down your spine. "Make yourself useful, Chishyia"

And without complaining or saying a word, he did as he was ordered. A couple of minutes were enough before Niragi took his fingers from Chishyia´s mouth to your ass hole, starting to prepare you. He knew well how to do it.

"I wanted to make him beg, but making you shout out loud in his face just my name when we both are inside of you… I do like that kind of humiliation"

It took what you thought was an eternity before Niragi finally decided you were ready for him. And when you felt Niragi´s dick plunging in your ass as deep as he could, you let out a sonorous whine. It hurt a bit because that bastard wasn´t as careful as he should, but he was aware you liked that way too.

"Fuck! How could you be so damn tight!", he cursed, repeating a few more times his low but deep motions before really starting to move his hips in and out. The slight pain turned rapidly into pleasure and made you moan. "Just like this, baby. I wanna hear you"

For almost ten minutes, it was like you both had forgotten you were sharing the bed with someone else. You were so lost in the feeling to notice anything else. And if it weren't for two hands hovering over your thighs, you wouldn´t have noticed that you were not alone. Those hands couldn´t be Niragi´s because his hands were around your neck and your chest. And when you lowered your gaze, you realised that Chishyia was finally doing something. Since Niragi was inside you, you had stopped the movements of your hips. Actually, Chishyia had only the tip of his dick on you. It had been almost tortuous, that´s why he grabbed you by your thighs and forced you down, getting his dick back where it should be. Chishyia moaned but not as loud as you did.

"I´m still here", he mumbled.

"I see it now", you smiled. "Thought you were just my fucktoy. Didn´t know I had to pay attention to you"

His fingers, now around your hips, pressed harder in your skin while moving you up and down to satisfy himself. Perhaps Chishyia was a bit upset due to all the mocking.

"A few minutes and he will be cumming", Niragi laughed. Having both of them pounding his cocks inside you was overwhelmed in the good sense of the word.

"Shut the fuck up", he hissed. Chishyia had been trying to restrain himself, but something was burning in his chest; something he couldn´t ignore anymore.

"I dunno. Maybe we should let him show what he can do apart from lying down", you suggested to Niragi, stoking the fire Chishyia was feeling. A mix of arousal and anger ran through his veins; something quite unlike his common self-control and indifference.

At the same time as he saw you slightly pushing Niragi to get him out of you, Chishyia knew it was his moment to shine. Niragi had barely fallen on the other side of the bed when Chishyia switched positions with you by force. Didn´t take long for him to start rocking his hips deep inside you from behind. Chishyia placed a hand in your back and the other in your nape, sinking your head into the pillow. He growled low, but he was doing it anyways even if you could hear him.

"Fuck, Chishyia!", you moaned his name for the first time. It only made the burning in his chest increase. "Why haven´t you done this from the beginning?"

Suddenly, you saw two fingers in front of your mouth. The same fingers that had been in your ass a minutes ago. Niragi wasn´t happy at all to be left out.

"Are you sure? I´m not sure if he… fuck!", a harder thrust made you shiver.

"I don´t give a shit. It's not like I'm going to ask permission either", Niragi answered.

If Chishyia hadn´t been so focused on how his cock disappeared inside your wet pussy, he would have noticed your actions. He only got it as he felt Niragi placing himself behind his body, his fingers rubbing his entrance.

"You have her, I have you"

Chishyia froze for mere seconds, but when he reacted, you were fast enough to turn yourself around and grab him by the arms before he could start fighting against Niragi. They had already been at peace for too long. Chishyia felt on you, maybe because Niragi had pushed him or because you had pulled him towards you. Anyway, you ended face to face.

"You are not forced to do this. We can find another way", you mumbled only for Chishyia to listen to you. Niragi was too focused on his own work and blinded by the need to get some kind of relief soon. "But before making a decision, think carefully if you don´t want him too"

The following day Chishyia could say he was too horny to think properly. Or maybe that he couldn´t scape that room in time. But at that very moment, and even if he would never admit it, he wanted it. Chishyia wanted Niragi as well as you. However, when he felt the first finger inside his ass, he began to regret it.

"Be nicer, you asshole", Chishyia grumbled.

"Stop whinging", answered Niragi.

"Treat his ass like if it was mine", you added in an attempt to make Niragi softer, but you failed.

"I treat yours the same way"

Chishyia chuckled, so you put him closer to kiss him and kept him distracted. Unfortunately, Niragi pushed him away by the hair shortly after. His fingers waiting for his mouth to open.

"Make them wet. Again", Niragi ordered.

"Can´t you suck your own fingers?", Chishyia asked, frowned, and Niragi curved his lips into a smirk.

"I prefer to have a slut doing it for me"

They didn´t like each other, the feeling was mutual since almost your first day at The Beach. Nevertheless, it seemed they had found some kind of pleasure in this constant teasing. The problem was that you were not sure when the tension would explode, so it would be better not to overstep the mark.

You covered his fingers with your own mouth, licking them with dedication and without taking your eyes off Chishyia´s. Niragi plopped his fingers out your mouth soon after and let you both keep kissing as he continued the prep.

That time, the kiss was different than the one you shared on the floor. Chishyia was aggressive, his lips almost desperate and his tongue fighting against yours. He had lost all control over himself, surrendering to the pleasure that intoxicated him.

"I told you. I could awaken this part of you"

"I had no choice", Chishyia responded.

"Of course you had. You have had it all along. And look at you now"

Chishyia was pleased with what you had done to him, but at the same time, he despised you for making him lose his mind and his self-control. Instead of answering you, Chishyia bit the skin where your neck and your shoulder connected, making you cry out.

"God, Chishyia!"

He titled his head backwards looking at Niragi out of the corner of his eye.

"Despite what you have said, Y/N is only screaming my name"

You smirked as Niragi clicked his tongue in annoyance. Chishyia couldn´t stop provoking him.

"If you want me to destroy you so bad, I´m gonna fuck you until you beg me to stop", Niragi announced while taking his fingers out his ass and spiting on his own cock. "If you are not ready yet, you can shout louder"

Niragi plunged down his cock inside of Chishyia carelessly. He gritted his teeth and clutched his hands tightly around the sheets but did not utter a single sound.

"Not even a word?", Niragi roared. "You are so fucking tight that I´m sure it must be hurting you, Chishyia"

Niragi was right. You saw the pain in Chishyia´s face as Niragi continued thrusting his hips towards him. Your hands caressed his cheeks, making Chishyia open his eyes again to look at you. You smiled tenderly, trying to comfort him a little bit before lowered your hand to his dick, pumping it slowly.

"You are not done with me. Can you handle it?"

"Fuck… Sure", he gasped.

From that moment onwards, Chishyia thrusted on you as Niragi thrusted on him. Both men trying to synchronize his paces. If someone was listening in the corridor, they would only hear a bunch of moans, growls, and curses. But none of you gave a shit about anything or anyone else out there. Chishyia interlocked your fingers above your head as you could hardly even kiss each other. And without warning, a shiver ran down your spine. You felt it in your low belly, you were so close.

"Don’t stop now, please, Chishyia", you moaned loudly. "Please, please, please…"

"Don't you dare disappoint her", Niragi ordered.

"I won´t"

Chishyia went as fast and as deep as he could. And unable to bear it any longer, you body got rocked by tremors. You heard Chishyia chuckling and Niragi laughing, both pleased by your noises and how your climax took over your whole body. Anyway, your head was dazed enough so you couldn´t do or say a single thing. You only could whinge when you felt Chishyia keep thrusting, sobbing due to the overstimulation.

"Don´t be such a coward. I´m pretty sure you can handle it a little bit more", Chishyia mocked, saying something quite similar to what you had said to him earlier. Nevertheless, Niragi had his own plans. He took Chishyia away from you, forcing him to stand upright with is back pressed against his chest.

Niragi wrapped his arm around his neck and the other around his waist, preventing him from moving. His tongue whirled shamelessly out his mouth, near Chishyia´s ear.

"I didn't expect you to like this so much", Niragi said with a husky voice.

"I didn´t expect it from you either", Chishyia answered. The choking wasn´t hard enough to deprive him of breath.

"You are just a whore for my cock. You will no longer be able to continue looking down on me"

"Actually, I can", he said, but Niragi pounding in a sweet spot made him cry out. Niragi widened his devilish smile.

"Yeah, I know is there. Want me to do it again? You know what I want to hear from you"

"Fuck you"

"Wrong answer. Try it again", he chuckled. "Otherwise, I can wait all night. Or stop completely"

Chishyia always presumed to be in control of the situation, but this time, he was frantic. He has never been so aroused, and he wanted his well-deserved relief. No, he didn´t want it, he actually needed it. Maybe Niragi was in the same situation, but he was holding back to maintain a slower pace. That jerk was able to stop, sacrificing his own orgasm only to deny it to Chishyia as well. There must be another solution, but Niragi choking him harder didn´t let him go on thinking.

"I am not a very patient person, Chishyia", he growled in his ear.

"Fine. Fuck", Chishyia grunted. "I´m going to kill you, but…"

"But?", Niragi encouraged him, giggling.

"But please, Niragi"

"Please, what?"

"Please, do it again"

"This?" Niragi asked as he thrusted his hips harder in the right place.

"Yes, fuck, please"

Niragi smiled pleased, biting Chishyia´s neck and wishing that his teeth would leave a mark there. Niragi wanted to mark him; everyone in The Beach would know the next day that Chishyia had given himself to him completely.

"As you wish, pet"

Chishyia moaned loudly while Niragi was finally pounding repeatedly in that damn sweet spot that made him tremble. His hands were gripping him so tightly that tomorrow he would have bruises, but he couldn't think about it for now.

You had been admiring them in silence, recovering from your own ecstasy, but you tried to move your hips up and down to add even more pleasure to Chishyia. While your wet folds slipped around his dick, you stared at his face; his grimaces of pleasure, his swollen lips, his red cheeks, and the sounds he made. That's all you wanted to see from him. You had won. Or given the situation, probably all three of you would have won.

It only took Chishyia a few more minutes until he got over the edge, cumming on your chest like never before. Niragi released him to let him collapse on top of you, and with his hands squeezing his hips, he continued fucking his ass roughly until he reached his own orgasm.

"Shit, Chishyia, you fucking…", Niragi couldn’t finish his own sentence before he slumped too. And now, you had the weight of two bodies over you. You only knew they were still alive by their accelerated breathing. You tried to endure it, but it was too much.

"Hum, I need to breath down here", you remembered them.

Niragi was the first to react, pushing Chishyia away abruptly to the other side of the bed to be him the only one lying relaxed on you. You smiled tenderly when you felt his arms embracing you with vehemence, his head resting over your chest and his eyes closed as he continued to calm his breathing.

"You are so cute when you are like this", you said, your fingertips making gentle caresses all over Niragi´s back.

"Shut up", he complained. You already knew Niragi disliked almost all kind of sweet adjectives and names, although you used them with him anyway.

"Was it good?"

"Not so bad", he commented. "Your decision wasn´t so pitiful"

You chuckled at his inability to recognise how amazing it had been.

After sex, Niragi wasn´t always like this. Even if it was a quickie or he spent hours, he always left after he had cum with some random chick. And, of course, he never lowered his barriers, but everything was different with you. You were his safe place; the only one he cared about and the only one he wanted to stay in.

Chishyia caught your attention when he got out of bed. You had thought that he would still be overcome due to his brutal and recent climax, but he looked hella fine.

"You can clean yourself up in the bathroom", you offered him. A private bath in the dorm was one of the advantages of being an executive member.

"Or you can just leave", even if he didn´t want to, Niragi slid to the free side of the bed. He didn't want to appear weak in front of Chishyia and stay in your arms didn´t help him at all.

"You can never shut up, Niragi?", you complained.

"Why should I?"

Chishyia just smirked in response and began to dress. He would clean up in his own bedroom.

"Stupid people always talk the most", he muttered, bringing a smile to your face.

"Don´t make me kill you while you still have my cum in your ass", Niragi scoffed. "Maybe I even use you one more time before doing it. Begging suits you well, Chishyia"

"Don´t get hard too many times thinking about it"

"You wish", Niragi snorted, turning around as if willing to sleep.

Chishyia zipped his jacket halfway up and slipped his hands into his pockets as usual. He was himself again, with his lips curved into a smirk and a cynical gaze on his face.

"Give me a kiss before you go", you asked him.

Chishyia stared at you closely, as if he was thinking why you had said that or what should he do. Finally, he just shrugged his shoulders before adding:

"Not that type of guy"

Chishyia left the dorm shortly after and made his way to his dorm quietly. After taking a shower, he got into his own bed. His bedroom was quieter, lonelier, and smelled less like sex. His smirk was still in his face. He knew everything you had said was right. Emotionless, never getting involved, looking down everyone and believing he was clever because, indeed, he was clever. Chishyia didn´t understand human nature or emotions at all. And yet, you had been successful in getting under his skin. He still remembered the burning in his chest that you had managed to make him feel with Niragi´s help. Rage, arousal, and a bit of envy too. Everything was new for him and he didn't like it very much.

Part of him wished he could forget about it and get back to focusing on his plans, but he doubted he could do it so easily.

"I wasn´t expecting that", he mumbled. "But I guess I will have to find a way to deal with it"

He already had a few ideas in his mind.

[tigreblvnc]

BLUE LOCK SIBLING* MATCHUP EXCHANGE — part i. *Find out who your sibling is in Blue Lock!

Your match is...

— Hiori Yo

✦ Hehehehe

✦ Our favorite gamer!

✦ So, I had the choice between a younger or older brother…

✦ Obviously, I chose the younger brother.

✦ (To delve deeper into the lore with Sae)

✦ You'll understand why it clicked so well with Sae.

✦ Hiori is known for not liking crowds—or people. Given his intelligence, there's a part of him that simply doesn't want to waste energy on uninteresting people.

✦ Small talk isn’t his thing either; he prefers to stay quiet and observe instead.

✦ Proof: he isn’t really noticed for a long time in the manga.

✦ Until he finds someone worthy of his talent.

✦ Because before his synergy with Isagi, he was mostly portrayed as an introverted boy, who had many expectations placed on him but never received enough sincere love.

✦ Doesn’t that remind you of another character?

✦ (Well, actually there are quite a few characters with that background, but)

✦ Hiori didn’t have an older brother, nor did he have parents who loved him for who he really is.

✦ I think with you, he probably maintained a pretty discreet relationship.

✦ Displays of affection were never really your thing.

✦ In fact, it just created more awkwardness than anything else.

✦ Besides, I can’t really see Hiori being the type to initiate that kind of affection.

✦ He’s more into long gaming sessions in his gaming chair, lasting until indecent hours.

✦ Nothing to do with the real world.

✦ Neither he nor you understood the pressure your parents put on you both to play soccer and become the best.

✦ To bring in money and success.

✦ At the same time, being both introverted personalities, it allowed you to quickly understand and respect each other’s boundaries.

✦ You never stepped on each other’s toes.

✦ But we can’t really say you were very close, for the reasons mentioned.

✦ I don’t see Hiori opening up much about his feelings; he actually bottles everything up.

✦ Until it explodes on the field, a hundred chapters later.

✦ I think you shared relatively few passions or interests, despite your reluctance to socialize with the average person.

✦ You both mostly evolved separately, in your own ways.

✦ That’s probably also why your parents scolded you.

✦ But I don’t think Hiori really held it against you.

✦ That’s just how you are, and he accepts it.

✦ Few people would say you’re siblings.

✦ And yet, you both give off something somewhat similar, each in your own way.

✦ You were never very emotional, so you didn’t really have the reflex to approach Hiori to start a conversation.

✦ There’s no one to blame, just circumstances.

✦ It happens, siblings who never really develop strong bonds.

✦ You probably felt more connected to people outside of your family circle.

✦ Especially Hiori through video games. He really found refuge in that, weaving his own web online.

✦ You, it was in books.

✦ That said, there were moments of bonding.

✦ Like discovering an anime together. Going to a Vocaloid concert.

✦ Honestly, those were your best moments together.

✦ The rest of the time, you kept to yourselves.

✦ I think both of you always felt that something was missing in your relationship, without necessarily knowing what it was.

✦ It was when Sae talked to you about his relationship with Rin that you understood.

✦ You had lacked that spark of interest for your younger brother. Maybe he wasn’t good enough, intellectually stimulating enough. Maybe he was always in your shadow, unable to surpass you.

✦ In the end, you had your own Rin. Sae had his.

✦ Hiori never verbally expressed his feelings.

✦ …But I like to imagine that at the end of the Neo Egoist League, when Hiori has gained confidence in himself... a conversation between you will finally take place.

© TIGREBLVNC 2024 | INTERESTED IN A MATCHUP EXCHANGE? CHECK THIS.

[veilkeeper]

the emperor is basically roz's controlling boyfriend

disclaimer: *i do not hate the emperor and i am not admonishing anyone who likes him or interprets him in a different way. i actually really like the emperor as a character and i enjoy his writing. part of the joy of characters like this is that people can have vastly different interpretations and still have them all be rooted in canon. *im going to be speaking specifically about my tav throughout this. im using their name as a way to specify that this is my tav's experience and feelings, and not necessarily every tav's experience and feelings. *im only partway through act 3. this is talking about roz's feelings during and immediately following the scene in question. they may change and develop later.

so you know how when you meet raphael at sharess' caress he temporarily breaks the PC's connection to the emperor to give them privacy, and then as soon as you leave the devil's den the emperor slides into your proverbial DMs demanding to know where you were?

let's talk about that.

for folks who haven't been following the roz saga, let me set the scene really quickly. roz is a githyanki tav. the "dream visitor" took the form of the elven priestess who took them in when they were a teenager. it was a relationship that was pretty bad for roz, but they were always loyal to her. roz trusted the dream visitor and completely betrayed their queen to protect them. when the emperor reveal rolled around, roz refused the astral-touched tadpole but failed the save and became a partial-illithid against their will. they've been having a bad time because of that, mostly because everyone in the party had really bad reactions to them becoming partial-illithid and now they feel gross and unwanted.

so now that the truth is out about the emperor being a mind flayer, roz is a little conflicted. on one hand, he's already lied to them about a lot of stuff, and they can't tell when he's manipulating them or being genuinely vulnerable. on the other hand, he has been protecting them, and in a time where they feel very off-kilter and alone, he's the only one who doesn't seem fazed by their new... everything. he reaches for a sort of intimacy and implies a sort of understanding between them that roz craves but doesn't know how to reciprocate when everything feels uncertain.

needless to say, their feelings are complicated, and roz feels... trapped, for lack of a better word. despite their hesitation, they have to rely on him - he's the one keeping them from transforming into a mind flayer, and if roz fucks up with him then the whole group is in danger.

and it is on roz - correct me if im wrong, but at this point in the game it seems like the emperor has given up on manipulating everyone else. i say that because party members stopped commenting on dream visits even before the emperor reveal; the first two visits everyone had a "so, i had another visit from our mysterious protector last night" but after that those conversations stopped. it seems that the emperor picked out roz as the best person to focus all his attention on, and as it turns out, all of the emperor's attention is a lot.

which brings us to raphael. the first thing he does when he turns his attention to roz is shut out the emperor... and the dialogue when that happens is interesting.

*For the first time since the nautiloid, your mind is clear. It's... unsettling.* Roz: I feel... empty. What did you do?

unsettling. empty.

i think this is the moment that makes roz realize just how... present the emperor has been. they've been passively aware that he's around; as early as the grove the dream visitor is pointing out tadpoles to pick up, and since making it to the city he's made a few comments on the environment. but this is the first time it's really clicked for them that he's been here, in their head, paying attention, ever since they woke up on the nautiloid.

how much has he learned about them? how much has he seen? how could they ever trust a single word he says when he knows exactly how to manipulate them?

it's a terrifying thought, isn't it? to realize all at once that someone else truly does hold all the cards.

they need time to think, and making a deal with a devil while they're freaking out internally seems like a recipe for disaster, so they say no to raphael's deal. and when they walk outside, all of their fears are confirmed by a little voice in their head, questioning them before the door is even closed behind them.

The Emperor: There you are. I thought I'd lost you. Something was blocking me from hearing your thoughts.

he just says it. mask off, he tells roz as if it is the most natural thing in the world for him to hear their thoughts, always. it feels like he's making fun of them, suddenly. like they're on the wrong end of a practical joke and they only just realized, right before it was time to deliver the punchline.

they don't know how to navigate this conversation. they're frozen. they don't want to tell him anything but they know being too evasive will only draw suspicion and whether they like it or not, they still need him.

they're as vague as they can be. it was raphael, he wants the crown. they hope it's enough but of course it isn't - the emperor asks what raphael offered them.

Roz: Does it matter? I said no. The Emperor: I'm glad you had the sense to turn him down. But it certainly does matter. [...] So I ask again - what were the terms of the deal he offered you?

it isn't enough to have said no, it isn't enough that they told him it was raphael. the emperor needs to know everything, and that's the problem, isn't it? he talks about being allies but he has the upper hand, always has, and he won't tolerate roz knowing anything he doesn't. if he isn't in control of the situation then he wants to be, and he has the power over them to make sure they do exactly what he wants.

so they tell him the terms of the deal. they wonder if it's too late to turn around and accept it, if raphael would be willing to shut the emperor out of their head while they took the hammer into the prism, so they didn't have this looming over them a second longer.

but as they expected, the emperor knows exactly what to say to plant that seed of doubt, to make sure they stay in his influence.

The Emperor: I trust that you will continue to remember who is really on your side. Without my protection, you cannot defeat the elder brain. You cannot even get close to it. No matter what the devil whispers in your ear.

he knows them. more than they ever wanted him to. they never told him anything, but he knows them better than anyone else they've ever met. and worst of all, they never gave him permission. for any of it. he has crept into every corner of their mind unbidden, looked through their eyes, seen some of the most intimate and personal moments of their life, changed them, all without permission.

yet as much as they want to get away, they can't. he's not wrong - they need him, and the only other person who can protect them, orpheus himself, will probably try to kill them on sight if they try to free him. and if that wasn't enough, the means to free orpheus in the first place is locked behind making a terrible deal with a skeevy devil or going on a heist to the hells that the emperor will watch every single moment of.

they feel violated. they feel manipulated. they feel like a puppet on a string. they feel helpless. and they feel like they can't breathe a word of it to anyone, not just because the emperor will hear it, but because they still don't know if their companions even want anything to do with them.

the emperor feels like a controlling boyfriend. the kind who grills roz on where they've been and demands to know everyone they've talked to. the kind who belittles them and tells them that they need him, and then turns around and tells them that they're the only one he trusts and he's so glad to have them.

at every turn they're being manipulated by people; guys with power who try to offer them whatever might sway them. but the emperor might be the worst of all of them, because he doesn't just want their cooperation - he's taking it, in the most insidious way he possibly can.

[aintashes]

let's talk about daryl and leah.

i think it's time that i address this on my blog, especially now that i've had plenty of opportunity to process their entire arc since watching it not too long ago. this got to be so long that i'm convinced it may be the daryl dixon megapost of the century, but it's very important ( mostly to me lmao ).

suffice to say, this will contain major spoilers for the show's later seasons. there's basically a tl;dr at the end but if you read this whole thing... i love you.

first thing's first, like it says in my rules, this blog operates under the idea that daryl's romantic relationship with leah never happened. i do believe that he did form a strong bond with her in order to line up with the reaper and commonwealth arcs, but it never went deeper than being close friends.

there are many reasons for this. i personally believe that it's a disgrace to daryl's character for the writers to simply shoehorn an entire romance arc into one episode that was filmed during the pandemic— aka, it was written to fill space while the world was waiting for safety and filming restrictions to lift. because of this, it all felt like an afterthought. it was rushed in every way no matter how many giant "3 months later..." timestamps they slapped onto the screen, and norman himself has said that he was disappointed and wishes that a romance plot with daryl would have been better executed.

beyond that, it simply ignores all of the character development that daryl has gone through. really, it ignores his entire personality. look me in the eyes when i say: this man has no game at all ( sorry, daryl ), and he's never been in a romantic relationship in his life. he's never been interested enough to pursue anyone. he's also slow to warm up to people, even in later seasons. so you mean to tell me that he all of a sudden fell into bed with this person who was nice to him one time after being a complete asshole to him every other time they met before then ?

they did daryl a giant disservice by showing him entering a romantic relationship with such little meaningful interaction. yes, they have a small montage of the two of them getting to know each other, but it basically only includes them: catching fish together, looking at an eclipse together, and then the implication that they're romantically intimate with one another.

it's so bland ! it's so boring ! it lacks any substance ! it's an awful thing to do to a character who has been shown time and time again to have a deep, incredible need for prolonged connection. i'm ( not ) sorry, but if you wanted to show daryl entering a romantic relationship, showing the two of them going fishing and making lovey eyes at each other one time is not cutting it for me. after everything that daryl has been through, it's pathetic storytelling.

moving on to the time period where they live together— yet another "10 months later..." timestamp that gives us nothing but what our own imaginations can provide —we see that their relationship isn't even good. that leah is literally just mean to him, as much as she cares about him ( likely in part due to her own trauma, but i digress ). and sure, you could say that with daryl's inexperience, he might enter a relationship that isn't good for him because he doesn't know any better—

but i'm sorry, are you saying that the daryl dixon that i know... the person that they had michonne verbally confirm is pretty much the best judge of character on the show... the person who deanna had working with aaron because she and aaron both knew that daryl could see through people... are you saying that that daryl dixon... would so easily become enamored with someone like her ?? this is not to say that he's incapable of trusting someone who seems okay but then turns out to be bad, but i genuinely don't know what it is he could see in her that would cloud his vision to what's underneath the surface ( especially as they begin having arguments within their relationship ).

anyways. when we come around to them living together, we see them eating dinner and daryl asks her to talk to him. that what he's set out to do that's clearly made her upset will only have him gone for a couple of days, and that he'll be back after. but she becomes angry with him and very quickly gives him an ultimatum: does he belong with his family ? does he belong out there, looking for rick, who she pointedly says must be dead ? or does he belong with her ?

and what a cruel thing to say to someone. there was no need to ask him to do something so obviously unfair; she set him up for failure in the hopes of guilting him into staying. all he did was tell her that he was going to be gone for a few days to do his thing; and then not only is she asking him to choose between her and his family, which should be a giant red flag in almost any relationship, but she tells him that rick must be dead— something she 100% knows will make daryl upset.

you could say that it's a trauma response from her, you could say that she has unresolved mental health issues and it's culminating in her behavior towards him, but it truly doesn't matter. daryl has always had his moments of anger and lashing out because of trauma, and it never excuses his actions or his words; it doesn't excuse hers, either. this is not to say that daryl doesn't deserve to be told like it is sometimes, either, but that's not what she was doing.

and another thing— you mean to tell me that you had daryl dixon not only fall in love with this person after knowing her for very little time, and then you have the audacity to imply that he doesn't even really tell her about his family ?? what is this weird double-life they had him living ?? like, it's clear that he doesn't even ask her if she would consider joining their communities. and maybe that's because he can't handle being back there yet, but to not even tell her at all when he's supposed to like, i dunno, be in love with her ??

it's not because he wants a "home away from his other life," because he's still extraordinarily intent on searching for rick and even chooses that over leah at first ( before he feels so guilty for "messing up" the ultimatum she gave him that he goes running back, only to find that she's gone and has, presumably, left dog behind ). so what is it ? why would daryl dixon of all people keep the people he loves most away from someone else whom he apparently loves ??

it makes no sense, and it only serves as a way to keep leah away from team family long enough to then reveal her as a villain. a loving relationship between daryl and another person during the time period where he's looking for rick could have served to bring him back to his people sooner because of the level of love and understanding he could have shared with someone. but no ! she must be a villain !

and then of course, we have to put daryl through the pain and suffering of being tortured again, but this time his ex lover is the one facilitating it ! and man is it a good thing that he never really told her about his family, because then he wouldn't have been able to lie to her face about it all in order to get out of that sticky situation.

and then, at the end of leah's arc, daryl obviously has to be the one to suffer the pain of killing her to save maggie. leah is much too far gone, as daryl learns in the final battle with the reapers, and he chooses his family over her one more time to end it all.

it's such a terrible story arc. an awful dynamic that they really did not have to put daryl, or us as viewers, through. even, and especially, as a way of showing us that daryl will always and forever choose his family over anyone else— even a lover. like... duh ?? we knew that already ! you didn't have to make her an actual bloodthirsty mercenary for us to believe that.

the thing is, leah could have been a brilliant character. she could have had so much development, and her outbursts and abusive behaviors could have made much more sense given more / better context. their entire relationship could have made more sense if we'd had the opportunity to engage with her as a character the way the show gave us the opportunity to do just that with come-and-go characters like morgan and jadis. but her relationship with daryl was shoehorned into the show and only served to provide angst fodder and a connecting line between "our" people, aka daryl and co., and the reapers ( who, by the way, were also incredibly, severely, criminally underutilized and short-lived when they could have been the scariest, most threatening group in the show's history ).

you should have just left daryl in the nonromantic, nonsexual bubble you had him in for years before then.

there's so much more that i could say, but i'll leave it at this:

on my blog, daryl had a close friendship with leah which involved them getting to know one another enough for it to hurt when she turned on him. literally basically everything is the same, except for them being romantic / intimate.

which is why it's such a tragedy and a disappointment that they went through with making it romantic / intimate in the first place, because the entire situation really could have been the same without that. daryl still would have cared enough about her to try and "save" her from her allegiance with the reapers without everything being sullied by the writers' decision to make it weird.

[aimfor-theheart]

cielo you're smarter than me or at least more eloquent

can you explain why jjk upsets me to no end but csm doesn't at all?? I feel like I can trust fujimoto, even though heinous stuff happens in csm too

anon hfkjdksja i am not quite sure but i can endeavor to answer!!

gonna put this under a cut in case it gets long!!

jjk and csm spoilers below the cut!!

mostly, i think it’s because csm is very precise and thoughtful with its story, even if the story is sad. in csm part one, no panel is wasted. even their “down time” serves to further relationships, plot, or emotional ties. i think jjk at one point was pretty thoughtful, though not quite as laser-focused as csm. mostly, i chalk this up to writer experience. jjk is akutami’s first published manga. fujimoto has had a couple other works published previously and is a pretty seasoned writer.

i think, at the end of the day, few stories are as clean as csm has been so far. jjk was always written quickly, similar to csm, but i think at points it lacks finesse. i think especially as we enter later parts of jjk, like the culling games, where we lost track of our main protags for an insanely long amount of time to give room to many characters who were only recently introduced and we had little connection to as an audience, only to get our protags back and then effectively…lose them again in many ways?

like sukuna moving into megumi’s body, getting gojo back and then killed, etc.

not to say every moment in jjk is bad, but it is sloppy at points. and that is something csm is rarely, if ever so far. there are also a ton of strange plots that akutami introduced and then has done nothing with? or plots lines akutami has effectively done away with.

more than that, jjk has (in my eyes) officially fumbled the “best female characters in shonen” lol after losing nobara, though maki’s arc is compelling, it’s pretty much trashed all the rest. csm, on the other hand, has only doubled down in part two in making asa its protagonist and creating a very complex, emotionally compelling female lead. nayuta/makima is also interesting and well written. i also think this is why csm is not as popular/as beloved or as talked about as jjk. i think a lot of people are subconsciously or consciously not interested in women or their stories and therefore find csm “more boring” but that’s another conversation.

overall, i think jjk is so frustrating because it does not feel planned out, thoughtful, or intentional at points so it’s deaths or ‘tragedy’ feels a little hollow. wasted, if you will. whereas csm, even if it’s sad or we lose our favorite character, we can tell, even just instinctively, that it had purpose and drive to the story, themes, and ideas csm is presenting.

(i also have another conversation entirely on this whole ‘jjk is a tragedy’ spiel because i kind of disagree…or think it’s a very poorly written one as tragedy is a genre in and of itself. but i won’t get into it now—if you’re curious, i can talk about it in another ask or something!!)

i didn’t get into specifics too much—but if you wanted, i could also do that!! i hope this answered your question somewhat haha but ultimately, what you feel is for you to say!!

[kalki-tarot]

Hello kalki, can't miss on your games because love your readings. 🥹🫶🏻✨

Okay so gonna make a few assumptions about you, ik you said one but..like just wanna test my intuition too haha and try my best, okay so I feel that you are very connected with your culture and religion..like you might love wearing some traditional clothes of yours or embarce your culture a lot in general, bect thing is are you studying something medical related!? I feel there's this vibe of a doctor coming up to me also i think you love light colours perhaps?? Especially blue was coming in strong Something about peacocks and i think you are someone who doesn't really are that modern… rather a traditional women not like you aren't feminist ofcourse but it's just some light feminine coded energy and someone who values family, healthy relationships and all. Like you don't like to date around that's what I meant or have casual relationships. (Like same lol)

My question is-> What makes me different from my fs previous partners? (More like maybe our relationship)

Jasmine, capricorn-sun, virgo moon and Taurus rising. (Idk why i mention everything but lol) 😭

Ps- I'm not the type to compare myself or feel superior of myself, Evey women is beautiful indeed-it's just that I've recieved a lot about his heartbreaks so wanted to see what really is the thing.

Thankyou so much, hope you have an amazing day ahead and sending good energy>33 🫶🏻🤍✨🧿

Hello love ❤️🫂✨️

It's great to see you here :D Thank you so much for always appreciating my work. And the assumptions you made about me were so true 😭 like yeah, I'm a feminine person sometimes. And yes, I'm a premed student preparing to become a doctor. Now let's get to your reading, my love.

10 of cups - Your fs always wanted someone with whom they can share a deep emotional bond with. Someone with whom they'd have a great, cozy home life. Their ex partners lacked emotions and most of their feelings weren't reciprocated in the same way as theirs. They love being excited about small things, and they like enjoying a peacful life. They found that you somehow match this vibe, so this makes you stand out and be different from others.

The emperor + king of swords + 7 of wands + 2 of cups - Had to pull so many clarifiers 😭 anyways, the thing is that they are someone who likes to take up the masculine role in the relationship no matter the gender. But they like working hard and earning things for their family, it's like their drive or life force. They want someone who will take care of them after a lomg day at work. Their previous partners usually left them in the cold surviving all by themselves, but you are a warm hearted person and you care for them deeply.

One more interpretation is that, they may not have a lot of ex partners so there's almost no one to compare things with the king of swords. They've been too focused hustling hard and in love life, they just want one person to share the rest of life with. You are their one and only person.

[ranmaruswife]

Force Live & Pablo Picasso -

A Lyrical Analysis

In honor of Shining Live's 6th Anniversary, I thought I would post a write-up on one of the game's first theme songs, Force Live.

You may not know this but the opening line to the song, “I do not seek. I find.” is a quote famously attributed to Pablo Picasso, one of the most influential artists in history. It can be found in a 1936 article titled ‘A Trend in English Draughtsmanship’ by Graham Sutherland, another famous abstract artist who took great inspiration from the works of Piccaso.

Now this is particularly interesting because Picasso also often spoke on how an artist must “steal” from other artists, lest their work become stale. He was also famously quoted as saying “Success is dangerous. One begins to copy oneself, and to copy oneself is more dangerous than to copy others. It leads to sterility.” Which to me speaks volumes about Quartet Night’s rivalrous relationship with each other. They do not allow themselves to be satisfied as they are. They always seek to achieve greater heights. And to do that they find that which they lack in each other.

Going back to Force Live, there is a phrase in the final chorus that ties into this idea - 一つに束ねよう（一つになろう） 足りないエレメント（重ね合って） translating to Let’s tie each other into one (Let’s become one) Our lacking elements (Overlapping)

Speaking on the subject of elements, I actually find it very interesting the specific elements each of them were assigned in this song. Particularly Reiji. It is easy enough to see why Ranmaru would get lines about fire, while Camus gets lines about ice. And Ai even has the kanji for wind in his name. But Reiji was given light as his element. Whereas one would more typically assume earth. This can also lead us back to Picasso, though!

Not only does Piccaso have another famous quote about how an artist can transform a simple yellow spot into the sun, but he also pioneered the concept of painting with light, where one takes a light source in a darkened space and moves it around to draw a picture while taking a long exposure photograph.

Now there are more lines in Force Live that can bring us back to art and to this innovative artist. The most obvious being 歴史（ヒストリー）のキャンバスに描け or “paint on the canvas of history.” To quote Picasso once again, “I don't believe in accidents. There are only encounters in history. There are no accidents.” And Quartet Night often sing about their fated meeting and the importance of the bond they have built with one another. Despite the times they have fought and quarreled and nearly lost their way, they still always come back to each other. Rising from the ashes only stronger and hungrier for success.

AND ON THAT NOTE- the main lyrical motif in Force Live is them speaking of all their elements as being destructive, but coming together to form something new and better than what they can achieve alone. And to finish out my rant, once again in the words of Picasso,

“Every act of creation is first an act of destruction.”

And now my own little personal thing (yume warning)- As you can see I find Picasso to be very inspirational and as a yume I have always used another one of his quotes to explain my relationship to others.

Picasso said, "Everything you can imagine is real." Which is a statement I take to heart. Ranmaru might not exist in the way you or I do, but even as a fictional character, he is so influential and impactful. He is real in the sense that he has an image, a voice, music, story, and in my opinion, a soul. Many know him and love him. He has changed lives. Including mine. And in that sense, he is very, very real. No matter how much I may have to "imagine" him.

And since I always used this quote to put things into perspective for other people before Force Live came out, it meant a lot to me to have him quote the same artist. To feel that Ranmaru was inspired by Picasso as I have been. It feels really nice to have yet another connection to the love of my life through song ♡

[cccgsr-blog]

Some thoughts on Halsin (Part1/2)

I haven't tried EA so my understanding of Halsin is based on the content released in the official version of the game. I Love this guy but obviously his character has lots of room for improvement. I've read some discussions, some I agree with, some I don't. Here are my thoughts.

1. Lacks of character content

1) Act 1 & 2

Lacks of action

Halsin joins our camp after we solve the crisis in the Grove, and stands there idly until near the end of Act 2, which is ridiculous. I understand that as a character added for fan-service blablabla, if he were to join the combat and plot development, it would mean adding lots of character interaction and performance which of course increase costs, but there can still be smoother ways to handle this:

After the player rescues Halsin, he returns to the Grove to deal with follow-up matters, becoming a non-joining NPC, until the player enters the Cursed Land. Here the player can choose to notify Halsin actively; or not notify him, but Halsin will show up anyway.

As the leading Druid of the Grove, it is normal for Halsin to arrange scouts on the risen road, tracking the player's movements thus receive massages on when the player enters the cursed lands, and eventually join up. As a Druid who had previously traveled in the Undergrounds, to have a connection with the local Myconid circle is also make sense. It could explained as, although Halsin knows there was passthroughs lead to the shadow-cursed lands, he has no knowledge of the Grymforge and could not cross the dark waters on his own, until he Gray Dwarves invasion that open the path and brought boats. After the player cleared the map, Halsin receive massages from the Myconid Sovereign and catch up with the MC via spore traces or other signs (just make up some reason)

At this point, Halsin can officially join the main team and participate in combat. In case of players going to different maps mid-game, Halsin can still leave the squad when the player leaves the shadow-cursed land, either staying in the camp or the Last Light Inn, or returning to the Grove. Not much change but much smoother. Of course, I personally would very much like to see the interaction between Halsin and the Myconid Sovereign (a reunion of old friends!) or Halsin's thoughts on the fall of the Losanda Monastery (since the Archdruid and certain monks could have previously studied the shadow issues together.)

EA content

I've read some discussion on EA content. It's said that EA hinted Halsin had something to do with Isobel's death. Both a good and bad idea I'd say. Letting Halsin be connected to Isobel's death, and turning him into one of the responsible parties for the shadow curse, which of course would greatly help to flesh out his character, but also makes the plot overly complicated. This change of plot kind of turns the entire Act 2 into Halsin's personal story that all the MC doing was to deal with the consequence of Halsin's past decisions and actions, which would be a disaster for the game narrative. So it is completely reasonable that Act 2 makes no more dig into the relationship between Halsin and the shadow curse as EA hinted.

2) Act 3

Lacks of content

It's quite disappointing that Halsin has no personal content in the third act, and I almost lost my motivation to finish the game for that reason. It makes no sense that Orin would not kidnap an LI, especially when she set the Love Test int the circus. Halsin even teased about your many questions, joked about you being a doppleganger and taking his place. But when it comes time for the real shapeshifter plot, all this foreshadowing makes no use for Orin doesn't kidnap the LI. This really make no sense to me. Just kidnap him (or Minthara), at least we could have more content for him, more emotional pack for the players who romance him too. He can free himself in the middle of the quest or get some new clues about something if it's too embarrassing for him to be always abducted, just make up some, I don't care.

The possibilities with Shadow Druids

In the same time, many people, including myself, find it absurd when Halsin suddenly approves the reasons of the Shadow Druids in the third chapter. But it could be the chance for some deepening to take place, suggesting that Halsin indeed has deeper connections with the Shadow Druids.

I've read some discussions suggesting Halsin keeps his anger until he's two hundred years old. As a young Druid roaming the land, angry and wild, it's easy to imagine he would have had contact with the Shadow Druids and somehow was attracted to their doctrines - In our rebellious teenage years, who never dreamt of crushing the toxic human society/civilization? Although Halsin later had chosen a more peaceful way, his early involvement with the Shadow Druids could still leave him with a profound impression. He understands the dangers posed by the Shadow Druids and the temptation of their doctrine to other Druids, which is why he reprimanded Kagha but still allowing her to restart as a novice rather than giving her more severe punishment, since he himself almost went down that road when he was young. That could also explain his absurd statements on Shadow Druids in Act 3, as he has to personally experience the human city and its chaos/careless, the temptation of the Shadow Druids doctrine comes back with force.

So, enhancing the content about Shadow Druids into Act 3 would be most suitable, which also avoids changing the main story. It could be that, As Shadow Druids learned of the Mind Flayers' large-scale activities in Baldur's Gate and view this as another piece of evidence that human cities are a threat to the balance of nature and decide to destroy the city. Halsin, aware of the danger, could propose that the MC deal with the Shadow Druids, also triggering dialogue about his experience as a hot-headed and untamed young Druid roaming the land, desperately trying to understand and learn about the world while seeking his own path. This way, Halsin's character can be deepened.

Depending on how the Shadow Druid mission is completed, Halsin in the ending can be angrier and more distant from civilization, or more peaceful and striving to reconcile the relationship between society and nature. Thus, his character's arc becomes much clearer.

Part2:

[demonstars]

would you consider c!dnf to be star-crossed lovers?

yes. Hi this is why i took so long anon.

the definition of star crossed  in wikipedia is “"thwarted by a malign star" or that the stars are working against the relationship” . And obviously peak quote right there from shakespeare’s play (tho i think i read somewhere it Has a precedent? but as many things the one writing gets all the credit probably): A pair of star-cross'd lovers take their life. LIKE YOU KNOW IT YOU KNOW THE THEMES YOU ASKED ABOUT IT sorry i just like defining stuff ok but um yeah Literally that there’s something above them that prevents their relationship from occurring or continuing. in this case it is the fact that the one thing that the dsmp is trying to amend is the fact that dnf can’t be together, so they play together. this is a very important factor because the reason as to why the dsmp as a narrative exists, is because everyone was just generally inside their houses, looking for connection. i am so passionate about this, so please bear with me. 

SO at first glace it is mostly due to their actions that they fall apart. specifically a lot of people but the weight of their separation on cdream’s well entire Thing. yknow control the fawking disks and general uncaring behaviour towards cgeorge. or well no i dont actually know those were a takes in 2020. Of course this is cDream Is A Complex Character, Actually house so we’re Not going to allow such a lack of nuance in our interpretation, but the weight still falls on him a little, no? well no but yes. you see, in a way, i do think cdnf were preemptively doomed just from the core conflict that emerges the first time they fight against an actual force (lmanberg) I think i wrote this in the doc?? but To Me the actual reason as to the conflict between cdnf, ignoring the boiling point that’s obviously dethronement, is just how much stakes they have in the game aka how much they care about the other/the world. cdream cares. cdream cares so fucking much about everything. he Feels responsible for everything, when conflict happens he tries his best to act upfront about it and fix it: he wants to help everyone and he cares too much about everything, in a way that almost makes him a control freak. if he can fix everything, everyone can live happily – but that requires everyone’s trust in him to make the right decision, and well sometimes people just wont listen to you and it doesnt matter whether or not youre right. and you can think like. a little fucked up but here’s da other thing. cgeorge just doesnt give a single fuck. cdream says its okay? eh, it must be true. he has Full Trust In All His Decisions. and that doesnt necessarily means he’s unable to make his own, or that he doenst. he goes against cdreams decisions a lot of times actually but just in Silly Mode: is just that he prefers it to when they are together, the same side. and this is what makes them work so well! cdream likes and treasures that trust. cgeorge loves that cdream cares for him and his wellbeing. It was neverrrrrrrr them Themselves who would’ve made it not work out. 

i think that there’s like the knowledge that it can’t work out in that world what makes it fall apart. the world becomes hostile against them, and as their relationships weakens due to a Variety of Reasons, it justcouldve never worked out. It’s less their decisions (cdream was going to come back for cgeorge, cgeorge would’ve received him with a little snark but open arms) BUTTHEY JUST DONT /GET TO HAVE THAT RESOLUTION/. THEY KEEP /MISSING EACH OTHER/. its like seeing two stars in the same sky in vertical knowing they will NEVER reach each other. they dont get a define conclusion and we (and them) are just left to what ifs and what couldve happen-eds. their happy ending is outside of their hands because ccdnf are atp spending more time calling each other and talking to e/o to log onto minecraft to do silly tasks. its just not enough anymore for them. it was never going to work out 

okYeah sorry for essaying my bad 

[evelhak]

Hi ! For the character ask game, could you do 1, 7, 10, 15 and 18 for Kise ?

Hi ~~It's so funny that you sent this the exact moment I was writing my fic and Kuroko was just about to answer a phone call from Kise, thinking that he had been too harsh on him about something. (It's funny because Kise hadn't appeared in several chapters.)

Why do you like or dislike this character?

I have a soft spot for Kise, for sure. It's initially because he resembles the type of person I have a soft spot for in real life. Basically it's people who can just show up, act exactly as annoying and self-centred as they please, and yet, a lot of people just can't help but like them (some obviously and some reluctantly). First of all, because they are so pretty and charming, and second of all, because it's like they don't know better, so you feel compelled to forgive them.

On a more specific note, I like Kise because he brings a light-hearted feeling to the story where most characters could not. I like how he can decide to have his act together when it suits him, and then be a big baby with his true friends, there's something disarming about that. Even though I don't particularly love that he seems like the kind of person who can sort of dehumanise others when it suits him, I also understand that it makes sense as a defence mechanism against the overwhelming attention he gets. So, it also makes sense that he would feel more at ease with people who don't fall at his feet just like that. Um, my point was, that I appreciate that he doesn't feel like he owes anything to anyone he doesn't have a truly reciprocal relationship with.

Also, I just can't help but like people who move through the physical and social world with ease.

Okay, basically Kise is a lot of things I wish I could be but never will. :D

7. What is something the fandom does when it comes to this character that you like?

I'm a sucker for all shenanigans there's not that much room for in canon, so I love that the fandom never gets tired of putting Kise in silly situations and having him act like a goof ball with characters who have that side in them too but wouldn't have it brought out of them so often or in quite the same way without Kise.

10. Could you be best friends with this character?

I wouldn't say best friends, no, for that our comfort zones would be too different. Good friends, yes. There's a lot that I lack that a person like Kise can bring into my life and strengthen in me, and I'm fairly certain the same is true in reverse.

15. What is your favourite ship for this character?

I don't have any canon character I ship with Kise, since I see him as the sort of person who keeps friends and lovers separate to avoid drama. Like, his friends are too important to him to risk conflict because of sex which he can get anywhere, anyway. Possibly he's even aromantic. I don't know, I have a hard time picturing Kise at least traditionally in love. I've written him in my fics for a long time, and so far he has casually dated two OCs which both have some good chemistry with him, and I think in this little head world of mine he seems to be opening up to a closer and more genuine connection in that department, but I don't know if I see him in a long term relationship or not. So, I can't say I have a favourite ship.

18. How about a relationship they have in canon with another character that you admire?

This is a difficult one, no one pops into my head as special to me. It's more like I admire an aspect of Kise's closer relationships in general, and it's how unconditionally he uplifts and admires the people he really cares about. He's not egotistical or insecure in that sense that he would withhold his admiration when he feels it, which I find very sweet and healthy. Also, he has no ulterior motive, he's just genuinely excited about his friends. Sorry if that's not a good answer, but I don't have a particular relationship that speaks to me more than others.

I hope there was something worth your time. ☆

[raccoonfallsharder]

(sorry for the incoming essay, this game doesn't get talked about enough and I wanted to share some thoughts)

From the way he described it, I don't think eidos Rocket ever saw his relationship with Lylla as something romantic. At that point they were just two close friends stuck in a nightmare scenario (a bit like the mcu, where something more MAYBE could have happened in their relationship if she didn't die so early). What supports this is Rocket very quickly falling for Tella (right after escaping Halfworld, too), I don't think this would have happened if he felt it was some sort of betrayal to Lylla.

Honestly, I think Tella is why any relationship beyond platonic is going to be extremely hard to do with eidos Rocket. When Peter talks to Rocket about her, he constantly tries to relate to Rocket and fails to realize that Tella is the main reason Rocket has severe trust issues. When he was at his most vulnerable, the one time he tried to connect to someone outside the lab, he was treated like he was worth nothing and was left to die (it's the reason why he freaks out after Lady Hellbender calls him worthless, depending on your choices).

I'm not really sure if Groot had much impact on how Rocket sees the "filthy biologicals". The way Rocket met Groot is actually explained: he literally stole baby Groot from the Collector and raised him. Like in the mcu (imo), Groot was a one in a billion exception and there's no one else he'd consider family.

Trust is the big thing here. I don't think there's any iteration of Rocket that would be more evasive of a romantic relationship (Peter even says the classic "I didn't even know you liked girls", my guy is literally tech-sexual). He has first-hand experience in getting his heart ripped out and I don't think he'd want to go through that ever again.

(slightly off-topic, but I've noticed that eidos Rocket is actually pretty tall compared to mcu Rocket. If you line them up, his head reaches Peter's abdomen instead of his hip. Finally! Begone conflicting comic heights, begone inconsistent movie CGI that makes him look shorter sometimes, eidos Rocket is finally 4 feet nah he's like half a foot taller, 3'7 maybe?)

first of all, no apologies, i love this take and appreciate the time you took to write it and share it with me/us! i love how much thought you’ve put into it and i’d love to hear more tbh. personally, i agree with a lot of this, actually. i think you’re right in that trust is the main issue and that the incident with tella is a huge part of that, though i tend to think that rocket’s distrust starts a lot earlier with the kree scientists and is reaffirmed/compounded by tella’s betrayal. *let me also add that i drafted some of those headcanons before getting to watch the cut scene mentioning tella, and i didn’t catch all of my initial headcanons re: lylla on my revision. sorry! went back & clarified. i also am in complete agreement about rocket being very averse to romantic relationships (but i do think he pursues sexual ones, for reasons mentioned below).

i did watch rocket & quill discussing the former’s history with groot (one time, so like… take that for what it’s worth) but i am like… 75% sure that our guy explicitly mentioned not caring for biologicals (after tella) until groot. which is not to say that groot changed rocket’s opinion about biologicals - only that groot was the sole exception (at least for a time). so i think we’re fundamentally in agreement there too - i may have just miscommunicated my point.

i am also like 60% that someone (maybe it wasn’t rocket though; maybe it was quill?) referred to lylla as rocket’s girlfriend. but i do think i could be possibly thinking of something i read about the game, rather than actual in-game dialogue

finally, i think quill saying “i didn’t know you were into girls” says more about either (1) quill’s lack of observational skills or (2) possibly the sheer multitudes of genders in the galaxy. why? because rocket explicitly mentions that he’s worried about damage to “that place with the dancers” on knowhere and I’m pretty sure mentions utilizing the services of sex workers on contraxia. now, sure, it’s possible that they’re all robotic or otherwise synthetic but i just tend to believe this guy is more likely to pursue pleasure wherever he can get it as long as he can keep his emotions out of it.

finally-FINALLY: rocket’s height is an ongoing source of amusement to me so just to be a chaotic dickhead im going to challenge your 3’7” assertion with “what if this peter quill is just like… short?” (jkjk im on board)

anyway thank you thank you for writing all this, sharing all this. again i’d be fascinated to read more if your thoughts and i really do appreciate it!

[sk-lumen]

Hey girl! I read your blog all the time and it’s made me so much more confident l, so thank you! ❤️❤️ I need your help please! Sometimes I have those nights where I feel so low. I’ve been single for a long time and I’ve stopped having casual sex/ fwb last year. Usually I’m fine, but some nights I’m so lonely. I crave to be held and touched by a man. Or sometimes I just wish I could have a man to confide in and who makes me feel safe and protected. The feelings of longing go beyond just physical touch. I even get urges to cave in and message my old fwb for validation, which I haven’t done, but it’s been difficult not to. How do you deal with this? ❤️

Hi angel,

I congratulate you for removing any situationships from your life. It's not easy to go against the grain and decide you deserve better. But I will say, no woman that is confident, has high self-worth and good mental health will entertain a situationship. I said what I said.

Now, it's normal and human to crave connection, regardless of its form, so don't be hard on yourself for this! Start with deciding what high value partner you want, write a list of their qualities, and then say no to anything less. Make a vow to yourself if you have to.

In the meantime... focus on dating yourself, giving yourself anything and everything you'd crave from a partner. Literally. Validation, words of affirmation? Write "I am" positive affirmations and read them over and over until confidence bubbles up in your chest, or just call up a friend and open up about your needs. Want to feel safe? Tell yourself "I am safe, I am held" or similar affirmations, and ask yourself what actions from a man would make you feel safe, then give yourself that. Intimacy, connection? Reach out to friends or family and do some uplifting, rewarding activities like go for brunch, go shopping, do a yoga class or a roadtrip, watch a movie and have some laughs, go clubbing and dance it out, etc. Physical touch, pleasure? Get yourself some tools that will be there for you 24/7 so long as you recharge the batteries. Make yourself whole, then approach dating from a place of power and wholeness - it's the only way to win the game.

But the most important tip is this: build your foundation, your community of friends. Create meaningful connections and friendships. Meet new people. Network. I can't emphasize this enough.

Most of the time it's not even a partner/bf we want, it's just the feeling of being seen, known, appreciated, of being part of something meaningful or feeling alive! Society brainwashes women from the earliest age that a relationship/man/marriage is the end-all-be-all for happiness. Teaching us that we should view them as the one stop for all of our needs. The truth is, it's not. And no relationship can fulfill all of your needs, because that turns codependent and unhealthy very fast.

Friendships, I would argue, are the very foundation of everything. When you don't have friends, you jump from relationship to relationship because you're lonely and anxious and empty without one, because you lack a basic community to lean on. When you don't have friends, you cling to toxic men because you think "it's better than nothing". Do you see where this is going? Meanwhile, when you have a supportive community, you're more brave in walking away from anything subpar, you feel supported and held and safe in making any difficult choices. Speaking from experience, it makes a world of difference knowing you're not alone.

So, to summarize:

Define what your high value partner should be like. Accept nothing less.

Date yourself, give yourself everything you need.

Network, build friendships, connect with people, meet new people, socialize, go to events. You'll forget about the loneliness 99% of the time.

Your friends are your foundation, your support system. Treasure them like gold. You don't have to deal with everything alone! That's what friends are for.

Best of wishes darling, and thank you for the kind words. I'm glad my writing is helping others reclaim their power and confidence! 💖💖🥂

-L.