#and this is only the first section of the fight!

[supremefloof]

YOU....

e-soul, what's his deal? spoilers for ep.4 and 5 trailer - big analysis post. ~1300 words

so, the slight difference in colors DOES matter. I thought they were just like, time-related or maybe changed based on if powers were being used, but no. interestingly we have seen both these designs in 3d/canon - the gray one in the trailers and the blue/yellow one in episode 3.

i think it's safe to say that at least in some way, Blue and Gray are two different entities, but a ton of other Crazy Director Li Bullshit is totally possible alongside this.

he's got some kind of themes with duality. yk, just maybe. easiest answer is that "oh he's got an evil half" but that seems too straightforwards? i find it really interesting that in ep.3, his "nemesis" that firm man kills on accident looks like him! presumably on purpose for some aesthetic reason.

Section 1: the random guy from the trailer!

off the new episode preview, it seems like the pov we follow is gonna be some guy who also becomes e-soul, somewhat similar to nice. most likely, he becomes Blue E-soul.

in episode 3, Firm Man is called to help out E-soul who is listed with "mighty glory" despite him being with Treeman. so organizations do work together to some extent? put a pin in this!

he looks like such a loser... and notably he has all his limbs intact whereas gray e-soul has fake arm(s?).

we get a good bit of his backstory:

Gray E-soul probably saved him - while being incredibly sus and murdery.

so, no way to know if this guy even LIKES e-soul. he either idolizes him or he's traumatized.

i mean. he does follow his example, so maybe he got inspired, but im getting ahead of myself

He's got a friendship with some little kid who looks like Lin Ling! they could be brothers - maybe this is the answer to what happened to Lin Ling's family after he faked his death? this would also affect L0 in hindsight because he's not just a "normal guy". this could also just be some other kid.

Section 2: OG E-soul

straight-up, Gray E-Soul is probably old. hella old. maybe even pre-commission, whatever the "commission" is. he's described as a "hero of legend".

Gray E-soul seems morally gray as well, seen by how he's totally killing those guys in front of a child. which, TOTALLY made me instantly think: what if Gray E-soul isn't even an actual hero (unlikely) but instead just Blue E-soul's inspiration. OR vice-versa. maybe his methods are really brutal/controversial. maybe he's retiring.

something related to this might be the cause of this line:

E-soul also has associations with the cross! i'm not religious and I don't know what that symbolizes, but it did set off analysis alarm bells.

ALSO. this could be interpreted heavily as a cross, but i see it more as a four-point star thingy. which idk what that could mean on it's own, except i dont have to because

X is already associated with this! and also, associated with THIS GUY, who e-soul fights in the pv!

Section 3: Zero + Singularity Theory

I'll call him Zero because that's the only name we got. it's possible "gray e-soul" is actually Zero and blue e-soul is e-soul but... idk doubt it. this guy has a ton of religious imagery. loads. they seem to be like... black hole related?

Zero seems to have this false savior kind of vibe in their creepy human form. in general, they seem a lot more large-scale + cosmic than anyone we've seen so far (except X, maybe?)

the first concept I thought of was the technological singularity.

wikipedia blurb that explains everything actually:

"The technological singularity—or simply the singularity[1]—is a hypothetical point in time at which technological growth becomes uncontrollable and irreversible, resulting in unforeseeable consequences for human civilization.[2][3] According to the most popular version of the singularity hypothesis, I. J. Good's intelligence explosion model of 1965, an upgradable intelligent agent could eventually enter a positive feedback loop of successive self-improvement cycles; more intelligent generations would appear more and more rapidly, causing a rapid increase ("explosion") in intelligence which would culminate in a powerful superintelligence, far surpassing all human intelligence.[4]"

this could be relevant because E-soul is literally like. electric and cyborg, but also! A singularity is the thing we theorize to be at the center of a black hole.

the singularity is increasingly talked about especially regarding AI, and the point where AI becomes self-sufficient/aware. This could be really juicy commentary, and personal character angst for og e-soul if he ends up not being totally organic and super duper old.

something something singularity -> technology -> X

The singularity could be good, or bad. paired with E-soul's duality theme, and X's weird 1 frame cutaway with this guy in the opening, well.

X can break the fourth wall. for a character in a story, isn't awareness kind of like the Ultimate Knowledge? ultimate intelligence - like a singularity. whoever holds the title of X gets stronger and stronger every year, with the popularity of Heroes increasing and people constantly getting stronger. I think this is the cycle where X has reached a turning point.

X is also constantly seen on electric billboards and drinking his drinks lmfao. that theory where he's a mascot, omg i can't find it in all the posts but credit to that person @warabito!! it's been living in my head rent free. if X is a created hero that would certainly fit this!! literal singularity.

explosions - Zero, but also the sudden explosion in trust value for X.

Meanwhile, I think Zero is the reason for the commission. X and Zero might be associated because they are narrative foils? @awkwardambivert789 said that X could want to tear down the Hero system. in this way -wanting to destroy heroes- they could be similar! also Zero is eclipse associated and dark, while X is all white

this is total speculation atp, but I think that Gray E-soul could be the reason for the system as we know it in some shape or form. when people say "we're all counting on you, E-soul" in the PV, I think that's a singular, utterly extraordinary instance where E-soul gets insanely powerful for one moment to defeat somebody outside his weight class. He prevents the singularity (using a four-point star thing!!), but is also a shining example that people can point to for the Trust Value system. again total speculation though.

Section 4: Speculation on Blue vs. Gray

I think this is a case where Gray E-soul is alive, but retired. like, maybe this is an instance where people KNOW Blue is Not The Same as Gray. This would explain why a supposed "legend" is not X but instead #9 below a dog with a hat 💀

Okay, I think it's fair to say that Gray E-Soul is a little messed up + in need of therapy. that's why it's SO INSANELY INTERESTING that BLUE E-SOUL KILLS MOON. he saw OG e-soul killing people and said "bet"

DOESN'T TREEMAN HELP U OUT? IS LIN LING OKAY???? WHY DID YOU DO THAT TO HER. AREN'T YOU A GOOD GUY? LOOK, EPISODE 3 HE'S A GOOD BOY

Director Li does this thing where he really, REALLY likes to withhold information and mislead the viewer (very rarely to the detriment of the material, but often just makes it really nail-biting and hooks you to the next episode. Link Click is very similar!). this is where what we know presents LOTS of interesting directions, but no concrete, probable paths.

Maybe E-Soul did it in some part because they know Lin Ling. Maybe this is because the Treeman boss said he'd handle the Moon problem, and sent both a hero to publicly rescue Moon AND a hero to straight up make her Actually Dead since Mighty Glory has been shown to collaborate with Treeman.

The Treeman boss is like. totally part of Spotlight right...? maybe that's how they found Moon, like w/ the power of fear the same way they found Enlighter's reddit cave

maybe if we take E-Soul's PV at face value, then Blue and Gray are enemies! it could be that Gray sees Blue as their personal demon or something like that, seeing how Blue makes Gray's modern armor crack. fear of replacement, or Gray doesn't like the kind of person Blue is?

the theme of replacement could be applied to tbhx as a whole.

All this loss of life + killing and edgy history... somebody ship them with ghostblade i don't make the rules

thanks for coming to my ted talk!

[theangeltopaz]

Would you write headcannons for Akutagawa, Chuuya and Mori falling in love with an ADA member male!reader?

“I CAN’T HELP FALLING IN LOVE WITH YOU.”

SYNOPSIS. Various Port Mafia members fall in love with ADA male reader. WC. 1.2k

CONTENT. Contains headcanons for Mori, Chuuya, and Akutugawa, written with male reader in mind but gender isn’t mentioned much, mention of being a yandere and murder in Mori’s section, gets a bit angsty in Ryu and Chūya’s sections, Mori’s a bit arrogant because of course

AUTHOR’S NOTE. Yay!!! Thank you nonnie!! First ask that I’m actually writing something for!!! I’m not a Mori fan by any means, but I’m not going to turn down a request! Anon didn’t specify if they wanted sfw or nsfw, so I just went with sfw. Also my cat was sitting on my lap whilst I was writing this and I was just thinking about how she reminded me of Chūya cause she’s a small redhead. And also I’m sad now cause I can’t seem to put color gradient text on responses to asks.

RYŪNOSUKE AKUTAGAWA.

Ryu might fall in love with you and maybe would respect you, if you were good friends with Dazai, so let’s go with that.

He would fall in love with you during a confrontation between the ADA and the Port Mafia.

You were calm and strong and you knew your way around a fight, all traits he admired.

He would definitely deny his feelings at first, saying that he only admires your technique or something like that.

And if someone points out that Ryu got distracted during a fight? He would just pass it off as attempting to gauge your next move.

You would have to make the first move, as he’s definitely not going to.

It definitely catches Ryu off guard when you confess, and he would probably end up in a coughing fit out of surprise (poor bby 😭).

Once he calms down, he’d begrudgingly say yes. (Begrudgingly because he’s in the Port Mafia and you’re in the ADA)

Your first date together would be somewhere public and simple, maybe a walk in the park or a nice dinner?

It’s hard for him to accept that you actually love him due to his past and his own philosophies.

Since you’re good friends with Dazai, he might view you as better than him, so you’d have to get him out of that inferiority complex he has.

It takes a while to build up to your first kiss, because he’d want to trust and be sure in your affections.

It would also be very difficult to get Ryu to trust you. 

The difference in organizations wouldn’t help at all. He might end up thinking that you’re using him for information. 

Kind of like trying to coax a starving stray cat into your protection.

However, with enough love and care, you can get Ryu to accept your feelings and trust you.

Ryu wouldn’t talk about your relationship to anyone except Gin.

Cuddle sessions. CUDDLE SESSIONS. CUDDLE SESSIONS!!!!!

Seriously, give this man a hug. And some praise. And really listen to him when he starts opening up to you. And also be nice to Gin.

Ryu’s heart was already yours in the first place, but that’s how you fully win him over.

CHŪYA NAKAHARA.

Chūya might be the easiest one to have a relationship with out of all 3. He genuinely would not care about the difference in organizations.

He would fall in love with you during some sort of job that the ADA and Port Mafia had to work together for.

Your quick wit and casual bantering enrapture Chūya immediately. Also, if you managed to entertain him and not push his buttons, he likes that.

He wouldn’t necessarily deny his feelings to other people, but I don’t think he’d talk about in general cause he didn’t think people would need to know.

If someone teased Chūya about it though? He’s denying that immediately, just cause he’d get flustered.

He’d probably make the first move, unless you confessed fast.

I feel like Chūya wouldn’t be very serious during his confession? Like he wouldn’t be the “you’re the absolute loml, Juliet to my Romeo” he would be “you’re hot, wanna date?”

Don’t get me wrong, he can be serious, I just don’t think his confession would be.

If you confess first, he might get a bit flustered, but he’d definitely say yes. Maybe gets jokingly frustrated that you confessed first instead of him.

But hear me out: ANGRY RAIN LOVE CONFESSION. For some reason you’re mad at each other, maybe something to do with work, and boom! He confesses in the heat of the moment. (I’m a romance lover at heart yall.)

Your first date is at the most expensive restaurant in Yokohama. You both get glasses of some fancy wine and you enjoy a romantic dinner. 

Afterwards, you go on a motorcycle ride back to Chūya apartment. (Please do not drive drunk. 😭) 

You guys drink more wine, get drunk that night, and that’s when you have your first kiss together.

He’d simultaneously think he’s deserving and undeserving of your love.

You might have to reassure Chūya that he is human and that he’s worthy of your adoration.

However, just loving you makes him feel more human, and your returned affections further that.

You may also end up in arguments because of his tendency towards arrogance and having to convince him that he’s human. 

Kōyō is for sure the first one to know about the relationship. If you ever end up in a fight, Chūya goes to her first.

You would go on so many romantic dates and trips together. You might have to remind Chūya that he doesn’t have to give everything in a relationship, even if he is rich.

Type of guy to bring you lunch at work, if he doesn’t steal you away from the ADA to go on a date during your lunch breaks. 10/10 boyfriend.

ŌGAI MORI.

For the sake of my sanity and also this ask, Elise is like a daughter to Mori.

I cannot promise Mori wouldn’t try to kidnap you or convince Fukuzawa to send you to him for some sort of aid.

He would fall in love with you after a show of intellect or strength or if you have a really strong ability.

It wouldn’t start as love for Mori, more so just a desire to get you into the Port Mafia.

He wouldn’t talk about his affections for you unless it benefited him in some way, especially since you’re an ADA member.

If someone noticed his sudden focus on a certain ADA member? No, they did not.

I think he wouldn’t actively pursue you unless he was sure he could recruit you.

He would make the first move. It’s not optional, he just would. 

If you SOMEHOW managed to confess first, firstly he would be flattered. Then he would accept.

Your first date would also be in the most expensive restaurant in all of Yokohama, but he would have rented the entire restaurant out just for you two. 

Your first kiss would be a few dates in, probably after he asks you to officially be his boyfriend.

Type of person to have a photo of you together with Elise on his desk, but facing him so nobody asks about it. 

Speaking of which, if you’re kind to Elise, or even act fatherly to her, that just makes him fall even harder.

He’s very sure of your love. Unlike the last two, he’s not the type to view you as greater than him.

In fact, in the beginning, he may view you as inferior or just a pawn in a much greater game, but as your relationship progresses that view changes.

Whilst you’re still in the ADA, he may also just try to get you to get Dazai back in the Port Mafia. Sorry, it’s just a fact.

I feel like he has the capability to be a yandere. He would kill for you or have someone killed for you if he was devoted enough, as long as it would end up benefiting him too.

He’s very much a romantic. I'm talking candlelit dinners, waltzing, giving you gifts, the shebang.

Speaking of being a romantic, I kinda feel like he would give you the prince treatment. You would take ballroom dancing classes together.

Hear me out, playing with his (greasy) hair whilst he does paperwork. Just a thing y'all might do on a quiet week night.

[lateleviathan]

Saki, Mai, Michiru, and Kaoru vs Goyan(Full Power)

[bet-on-me-13]

The Fentonworks Mega-Lab.

So! AU where the Fentonworks Labs actually stretch Miles upon Miles below the City of Amity Park.

It started when the Fentons wanted to add a simple addition to the original Lab when they ran out of space to store their more dangerous weapons. They didn't want their (at the time) young children getting their hands on their experimental Weaponry, it could blow up in their faces!

So they built a different Wing of the Lab to hold all those Inventions.

Then they ran out of space and added a few extra Storage Rooms. But then they decided it was a hassle to have to carefully transport their Dangerous Inventions all the way to the Storage Rooms, and built a Lab specifically for Dangerous Experiments near that same Section. Then that Lab was occupied for a while, and Jack wanted to start a different experiment as well, so they built a few more.

In the end they just never stopped building onto their Labs.

There are sections of the Mega-Lab that are entirely walled off because a few of their more unstable Experiments contaminated the area. Walking into them was not recommended, else you could walk out with an extra eye or 5.

In other sections, their Captured Ghosts had taken over a few Labs and created a sort of Mad Max style civilization using their discarded weapons and vehicles.

In another, all Ghosts became Humans and all Humans became Ghosts. That was a weird one, to this day they still didn't understand how they pulled that off.

In another, some type of Eldritch Time Ghost had been born, and now sort of always existed and never existed, and began experimenting with its powers. They nicknamed it Clocky because it liked to carry around a stopwatch.

And so many more. At one point a failed Portal Experiment messed with the internal Space of the entire thing. Now there was literally no way of Mapping it. The Fentons still somehow managed to navigate it perfectly.

When Jazz and Danny grew up, they too learned how to navigate the Labs, which is how Danny managed to show his friends the Portal Experimentation Wing in the first place.

Unfortunately, it wasn't safe for anyone aside from the Fentons to enter the Mega-Labs, so one day when the Fenton Family+friends left town on a Week Long Camping/Road Trip, they put up a few Ghost Shields to keep both Humans out and the Ghosts in.

This drew some unwanted attention after some tourists saw the giant Glowng Green Building in the middle of an Illinois Town, and rightfully called the Justice League.

Now, the Justice League had tried to call the owners of the house, but nobody picked up the phone. (An incident with Jack and a Canoe had knocked most of their phones into the lake. They weren't even at the lake yet.)

When nobody picked up, they decided to investigate personally.

After getting into the House, they quickly found a door labeled "Labs: Do Not Enter (unless it we are late for Dinner)" and went into ignoring all the warnings.

They quickly regretted it.

[mirror-to-the-past]

My biggest gripe with Omori, made all the more painful through replaying, has got to be the absolute *drudgery* that is the combat system in the Real World. The fun and interesting emotion system completely falls to the wayside, even though changes in emotion *are* technically present. It's just that they don't really influnce anything, so it's kind of pointless. No fun ability moves or anything, you're just spamming attack over and over again, whittling down enemies that have way too much health considering that they don't have any phases, special moves, or anything.

The only fights in the Real World in which this boring combat style works in the game's favor is with the first fight in the Real World with Aubrey in the park, and the second Aubrey fight in the church. Both cases are because of the thematic elements that are being subverted and explored, accordingly. In the first fight, it's wonderfully brilliant, because the player goes into the fight with the preconceived expectations of Sunny's imaginative dreamscape only to realize that, oh- Aubrey actually got cut from Sunny swinging his knife at her? Oh my god, this is an actual fight... with consequences. This is real. It walks you through Sunny's likely feelings of disorientation and dissociation. It doesn't overstay its welcome outside of the point it's trying to make- I quite like it.

And when it comes to the church fight, the atmosphere is great. The brutality of the normalcy, of Sunny and Kel just hitting and throwing shit at Aubrey while littered with nasty dialogue from the churchgoers- it stings, and it sucks how they're doing this boring, pointless fight-meets-public-humilation because why are we even fighting? We're supposed to be friends.

All of the other fights in the Real World, though? Ugh. There's no atmosphere, the repetition is a slog, and it's like. C'mon, guys. It feels unfinished. There were absolutely better ways to introduce, explore, and get aid from the Hooligans. I think doing mini side quests for each of the Hooligans in order to get information about Aubrey would have been WAY preferable than this. Then you could've had, you know, more meaningful environmental storytelling and dialogue to explore each of their personalities and stuff instead of just hitting them for a few minutes.

I'm also reminded of my other disatisfaction with the Hooligans in that, outside of Aubrey, they mainly feel *silly,* not really like any particular threat they are assumed to be. Like, we can assume they engage with and/or are complacent with Aubrey's bullying, and are otherwise the "bad news" that Kel considers them to be. However, with the way that most of them are OUTWARDLY PORTRAYED as just silly, quirky guys with the most heinous crimes involving shoplifting candy, I have a really hard time holding disdain for them at any point in the game- makes Kel just seem like the guy who hates the nerdy kids at school lmao.

In my fantasy universe, each of the Hooligans have their mini side quests that give little hints of their lives as troubled teens, make them a tad less cartoony, and maybe imply something about the atmosphere of Faraway as a whole.

Mikhael is from a strict, religious family where he's a black sheep that acts in outlandishly showy ways to express autonomy while also denying his authentic self. Kim and Vance are children of divorce, or at least have separated parents, with a father who doesn't seem to have his head screwed on all the way, while their mother is a super orderly neat-freak. Charlie is a super withdrawn youngest child of several siblings- her parents are aging and she aids her mother in some level of medical caretaking. I don't even know where Angel's parents are- he just lives with his older sister.

So like, see what I mean? There was groundwork laid- I can see stuff that might give these kids a chip on their shoulder that we could dive into more, but they just kind of act goofy and unbothered when they're not being dicks to Basil, and so it's difficult to fully subscribe to this idea that I ever saw them as an antagonistic force. Aubrey's really the only one wearing her 'misunderstood antagonist' hat loud and proud. Her back must hurt from carrying all that hardass energy for the rest of the Hooligans.

[universalthaumaturge]

so. chapter 5 huh.

[imagineaspen]

Maybe this is bias because it's the one I did first before becoming kind of disillusioned with the game but I think the Zora Divine Beast section of BoTW blows the other three completely out of the water.

[teamhawkeye]

me anytime someone tells me that I don't have to fight and kill my way through every single enemy in the video game i'm playing:

[knbwn]

"oh man! i'm so excited to clear chapter 6 for the first time in a day!", i exclaimed. little did i know, it was a feature, a creature feature. featuring, 20+ battle nodes that locked me into using cards i have never known existed

[orcelito]

Sasuke is Out! Sasuke is Doing things! What will Sasuke do?! I have no idea!!! I've never gotten this far in the story before, so I have no idea how things are going from here!!!! But Sasuke is Loose!!!!!!

Quoting this post to myself as I see Sasuke walking around and doing things. I haven't seen this guy do anything in like a hundred episodes. It's so exciting

[lyricalambrosia]

I think my current timeline is that im gonna finish can you feel the sun then participate in millionsummers week (which may or may not necessitate pausing cyfts if i havent finished it by then) and once both those things are out of the way i want to start working on "i never want to miss you again" like i said i would months ago

[cisthoughtcrime]

.

[mostlygibberish]

Every now and then I will see someone mentioning the Dragon Age games like they're still relevant and wonder what exactly I missed that they had any sort of lasting impression on people.

[midnightwind]

yeah I still hate the story beats around killing Ghilan'nain the second time around lmao this coulda been so mean, but instead it's suuuuper rushed

[jpasionr]

close to the end type of spoilers

I’m at the last boss but jfc

the fact there is no halfway checkpoint because the stupid boss’ hit box dropped me into the portal

I had to quit playing for the day because of the finicky dodge rolls

also the stupid respawn rate of the enemies during the section where you need to bomb a certain enemy (it’s fucking infuriating especially with the fiery vampire betches holy shit)

[cinnamorollcrybaby]

To love me better

Tags: Yakuza Lord!Sukuna x fem!Reader, american!Reader, forced/arranged marriage, dark romance trope, dead dove, age gap romance (reader is around 21-22, Sukuna is 37) heavy dacryphilia, finger sucking, use of “good girl”, use of pet names, Sukuna is his own warning.

Synopsis: Yakuza Lord!Sukuna owns all of entertainment district. You’re trying to work to put yourself through law school. He has a proposition for you, and you have one for him.

An: I fear that I was going to explode if I didn’t write this. I’ve been in a not good headspace. Blah blah blah school sucks blah blah work sucks blah everything sucks. I’m sorry if this sucks too. Edit - I forgot to mention that this will be a multi-part fic.

Part one. | Part two.

*art creds for sukuna image goes to @.maru6 here on tumblr

Nothing in this life comes for free.

Your father taught you from a very early age to never take handouts from anyone because they’ll always benefit the other person more. He was an immigrant to Japan, and he worked hard for every yen he made.

He instilled that same work ethic in you.

After being hurt on the job from working in a poor environment, your father became very ill. He couldn’t move around as much. Sitting up out of bed made him feel winded. He slowly withered away into a shell of the man who once raised you.

Your mom was long gone. She couldn’t help out, nor did she even want to.

All you were left with was a pile of debt and utter rage. Had your father not been taken advantage of by greedy corporate conglomerates, he would still be here today.

It inspired you to want to go to law school. Your dad should’ve received a hefty settlement check for what he endured from his workplace conditions. The money wouldn’t have solved everything, but it would’ve alleviated some of the stress your dad dealt with in his final days.

You’ll never forget how hoarse his voice sounded while he was on the phone with different agencies, trying to sue that place who forced him into an early grave.

You’ll never forgive them for stealing your dad away.

If you were more ambitious, you’d work to try to change the system entirely, but you knew that wasn’t your fight to face. You wanted to help the already disadvantaged families who were facing injustices beyond their control.

So, you started law school. You were smart enough for it. You had the heart. You just didn’t have a special last name to fund your college tuition. You were a first generation Japanese American in the family. While both your parents were born in America, you were born in Japan, but you were still an outsider.

You were never properly indoctrinated in the culture. Sure, you knew the basics. You knew proper etiquette and appropriate behaviors to live in Japan, but you didn’t understand the layers of how society operated. It was as if you were never assimilated into society as a Japanese citizen.

Your dad wasn’t born here, so he never could explain to you how your last name means everything in this town.

Despite it all, you’d become a lawyer even if you had to bury yourself into debt to do it. You’d work to put yourself through college. You’d do it and bear a smile on your face because you don’t take fucking handouts.

That lead you to becoming a bottle girl at one of the most exclusive clubs in the entertainment district: Malevolent Mass.

The manager said you had the right look, whatever that means. It didn’t matter. He hired you on the spot despite your lack of a substantial last name.

This would be fine. You’d work at night on the weekends and put yourself through school during the day, and you’d keep it a secret from your school, knowing you could lose your position in the prestigious school.

It was a perfect plan, right?

Yes, it was perfect.

Customers seemed to love your polite attitude and warm hospitality. You had quickly made a name for yourself in the few short nights you had worked there.

It was only your second weekend, and your section was full. It was almost comprised entirely of men and their gold digger wives, but you got use to the sexual comments and predatory smiles.

The environment was heavily secured. When you were hired, the managers made sure to show you where security was posted up at every dark corner. They also showed you where cameras were located and assured you that not anyone could just walk into Malevolent Mass.

However, you were well aware that the most dangerous people often worse suits and golden Rolex’s.

It was a busy Friday night. You had already shotgunned two 5 Hour Energy drinks, and you had been steadily sipping on a Monster throughout your shift. You had been in classes all day, and you were scheduled to work until close at 4am.

“Cherry, can we get another round of champagnes?” a sleazy voice pipes up, calling you by your codename. The club was so security driven that they gave all the bottle girls codenames to protect their identities.

“Yes sir,” you respond with an entirely fake bright smile. Your buzzed customers couldn’t tell the difference especially with the low lighting and bass boosted music.

As you walked over towards the bar, your eyes fall onto another table. A man was leaned back with his hands behind his head. He looked entirely relaxed as a girl was bent over your lap.

A crease formed between your eyebrows. They couldn’t be serious, right? Malevolent Mass had a whole downstairs portion dedicated to public sexual acts and other deviant kinks. Why the fuck were they doing that in the normal club area?

As you took a step further, ready to confront them, you realized that the girl was positioned oddly. She wasn’t angled towards his crotch, instead she was hovering over his thigh.

That’s when you noticed she had a rolled up 10,000 yen note, and she was snorting a white powdery substance off the man’s thigh.

Holy fuck, you were in over your head.

Stumbling back towards the bar, you felt your head start to spin a little. It was probably due to fact you’d only consumed energy drinks in the past 12 hours.

“Girl. You don’t look too good,” the bartender, Yorozu, said as she guided you to take a seat. “Are you okay?” she asked cautiously. Compared to the other bottle girls and dancers, Yorozu was the closest thing you had to a friend in this establishment.

“I’m fine,” you quietly replied, shaking your head. It was just drugs. You needed to take a chill pill. It’s not like people go to clubs like this just for some liquid courage.

Yorozu put a glass of water in front of you anyways, not quite believing your words. “Here. I promise you get used to it all,” she offered with a kind smile.

You gave her an appreciative smile as you took a sip of the water. Your hand was trembling, and you realized you had been sweating.

The water felt nice, and you inwardly warded off energy drinks for the rest of the night. It wasn’t worth feeling like a panicky mess.

“I need another bottle of Dom Prignon for booth 12,” you said as you looked back up towards Yorozu. She nodded and walked towards the back to retrieve the bottle of too expensive champagne.

While she was gone, you took a deep breath and looked around towards the security posts. It felt like a small safety blanket in a place like this. Finishing your glass of water, you felt infinitely better as she returned with the bottle.

“Here you are! Let me know if you need anything else, and seriously, don’t feel bad for reacting that way. It’s a bit of a culture shock for everyone during their first few nights,” she assured you as she handed you the bottle.

“Thanks, I appreciate you,” you replied with a genuine smile. Yorozu had a nice energy to her like you felt like you could get close to her one day. A girl friend would be nice to have in a place like this.

As you walked back over to your section, your lips curled into a frown as empty seats filled your eyes. Had they gotten tired of waiting and abandoned your section?

You felt disappointed as you looked around for your customers. They were nowhere to be found, but one silhouette remained in the very back corner.

“Did you bring that bottle for me? How sweet. Too bad I don’t drink,” a deep gravely voice spoke up with a hint of condescension and pure predatory prowess.

You hesitate as it feels like the air in the club shifts simply from this man’s presence alone.

“You don’t drink..?” your voice is uneasy. You feel off balance while interacting with the man tucked away in a dark corner.

“No,” the stranger replied, and he leaned forward a bit, propping his elbows on his knees as his eyes were staring straight at you. “Don’t be shy, girl. Come closer. I won’t bite…” the condescension in his voice tells you otherwise.

You swallow thickly before slowly taking a few steps closer. As you approached him, you were able to see him in all of his glory. The breath is completely sucked from your lungs as you’re able to finally get a good look at him.

He wore a white button-up top with black slacks that really didn’t leave much for the imagination. His sleeves weee rolled up to his elbows, showing off tattoos on his arms.

His face was hauntingly alluring. His tattoos also went up to his face. He had intricate lines under his cheeks that stretched down to his chin. His hair was a natural light rosy color that was pushed up from his forehead. It looked effortless and messy, unlike most business men who rely way too heavily on hair gel.

His eyes were a soft crimson color that looked like blood that had been spilled. A jarring scar slashed over his left eye, but it wasn’t ugly by any means. No, this man held a god-like status when it came to looks. However, his energy felt nothing short of daunting and corrupt.

“Who comes to a club to not drink?” you ask nervously, having to fill the eerie silence with something. It felt like you were suffocating in this man’s presence.

A rugged chuckle leaves his lips, and he tilts his head back slightly. It feels like his laugh sticks to you, making you relax and tense back up all at the same time. You can feel every yen he’s worth with each chuckle.

“If you must know, I come here for a… different sort of entertainment,” he says as his lips curled into a smirk. His eyes unabashedly roam your body — twice before he meets your gaze again.

“Oh, that’s downstairs,” you reply as you feel relieved. This man was just in the wrong section. Surely, you’d guide him to where he needed to go, and you’d be free from whatever kind of verbal hostage situation this was.

“I’m content with where I’m at,” he says with a sort of finality that leaves little room for argument. “Come closer, doll.”

His arm props up on the back of the curved booth, and his legs part into that sort of manspread position where he takes up a good portion of the booth with his massive size.

“I-“

The man pulls a clip of money from his suit, and he makes a show out of flipping through the money before he lays six 10,000 yen notes on the table.

What the hell.

“60,000 yen for you to shut up and come closer,” he says in a voice that lacks the faux kindness he was putting on earlier.

Every survival instinct in your body was telling you to run, but your brain was telling you that 60,000 yen was enough to cover your student housing and for a train pass for a month.

You slowly inch closer, your heels not even lifting from the ground.

The man gives you an amused look as he raises an eyebrow at you. “How much for you to sit on my lap?”

“I-I’m not a dancer..” you reply sheepishly, wondering if he thought you were one of the performers for the club.

“Good thing I’m not asking you to dance, doll. I’m asking you to sit in my lap,” His lips curl into a feline grin. He’s enjoying toying with you like this. “So, I’ll ask only one more time. How much?”

Your heart is pounding against the confines of your ribcage. It felt like you had a little angel on your shoulder telling you that selling this man your time will only further escalate, but the little devil on your other shoulder was telling you to milk him for whatever he was willing to give.

You stayed silent for a few minutes, calculating what a whole month’s expenses would cost you along with the 60,000 yen you already made.

“90,000 yen,” you sheepishly murmur, bracing yourself for him to yell at you for even suggesting such a high number.

There was a beat of silence before the sound of more money being unfolded was heard. He chuckled as he placed down nine more 10,000 yen notes.

“Look at you being all cute while asking for money from me,” he teased, resting his back against the back of the booth. His hand patted his thigh, signaling for you to take a seat.

“I’m not asking— You offered!” you protested, feeling a bit defensive that he would suggest that you just asked him for money.

“Don’t take such a whiny tone with me, doll. I’m only teasing you,” he says as he gestures to his lap yet again. “Sit.”

You bite your bottom lip as you look down towards his lap. You were really about to sit on this stranger’s lap for money… If your dad could see you now, he’d probably disown you.

Good thing he isn’t here.

You slowly walked over towards him, and you carefully take a seat on one of his thighs, planting your feet firmly on the ground so you’re slightly hovering. You need to be able to get away from him at a moment’s notice.

A strong hand slowly snaked up your back, towards your hair, and you tensed up quickly. The stranger wrapped his hand around the back of your neck.

“If I have to tell you again, I’m taking back my money. Sit,” he viciously growled in your ear.

You were already this far in. You should see this through. This club is safe. You were sure of it.

As you slowly allowed yourself to prop your full weight across his lap, your eyes scan around the club, looking at the security points. None of the men would even glance in your direction as if they were purposefully ignoring your section.

What did you just get yourself into?

“See? Was that so hard?” he taunted as his hand slowly dropped down to clasp around your hip. “Why is an angel like you in a club like this?”

Everything in you told you not to answer that question. As soon as he knew your weakness, he’d definitely use it to his advantage, but he probably already knew money was a good motivator for you.

“I didn’t know there was a no angel policy,” you say, trying to remain casual as you flash him a small smile.

A deep chuckle erupts from his chest. He appreciates you trying to use humor to deflect. Clever girl.

“I suppose you’re right,” he rolls his head to the side, cracking his neck from both sides. The sound of bones popping causes a shudder to go through your body. This man was good at giving a false sense of security. “But angels don’t last long in a place like this. It would be a pity to see you be ruined.”

His other hand firmly rested against your thigh, right above your knee. He gives your leg a light squeeze. “Tell me your name, doll.”

“Cherry,” You respond without missing a beat, giving your code name instead of your real name.

“You don’t know who I am, do you?” he asks, allowing his fingertips to glide against the exposed skin of your thigh. Your breath picks up in speed, noticing he’s getting more bold with touching you.

“Am I suppose to?” you ask, genuinely curious if this man was some big shot that you were suppose to know.

You very rarely kept up with politics, only knowing major crime names from your law classes, and you definitely didn’t keep up with conglomerates. This man wouldn’t be the first millionaire to walk through the doors of Malevolent Mass, and he wouldn’t be the last.

Another deep raspy chuckle escapes him. “No, I actually find it quite cute you don’t know who you’re dealing with.”

His hand slithered up your back once again, and this time he grabbed a fistful of your head, tugging your head back to look up at him. A gasp slips past your lips as your eyes meet his crimson ones.

“Tell me a secret, cherry,” he hisses your codename like it’s disgraceful on his tongue. “Do you belong here?”

You think to try to get up from his lap, but his other arm has worked to secure you to him tightly. The security men aren’t even glancing in your direction. No one would hear you over the music blasting if you tried to scream, and if this man was as important as his inflated ego suggested, no one would likely even help you.

You’ve done everything thus far to get out from underneath the rich man’s thumb, but it feels like every time you take one step forward, something pushed two steps back.

Do you belong anywhere? No where feels like home after your dad passed. Tears stung into your eyes. Why were you thinking of him at a time like this? He can’t save you now.

The man’s lips twitched into a smirk as he saw the tears building in your eyes. That alone was confirmation enough. You didn’t belong here at all.

His other hand reaches up to your face, and he gently strokes your cheek — a contrast to how tightly he was holding your hair. “Such a pretty crier,” he deep gravely voice coos to you.

You can’t even help it at this point. You try to blink the water away from your eyes, but the tears slip down your cheeks anyway. You just silently cursed yourself for ruining your own makeup.

“You’re a crybaby, aren’t you?” he asked as his fingers brush against your pouty lips, and he grabs your chin carefully. “Open.”

Accepting defeat, your lips part ever so slightly for him, and you can feel the way his heart races in his chest from the sight. He narrowly eyes you as two of his fingers slip past your lips.

You’re momentarily stunned from his thick fingers filling your mouth. You feel a thrum between your thighs, but you try to ignore it. Surely, your body was just betraying you, and his body was betraying him. You were able to feel every inch of his hard on through his slacks. The sight of your tears only served to spur him on further.

When you give his fingers a light suckle, he purrs a praise for you. Leisurely, he thrusts his digits in and out from your mouth. He admires the way you accept them in without a single complaint.

“Such a good girl for me. Try a little harder,” his voice darkly instructs you as he slides his fingers deeper past your tongue, hitting your inexperienced throat.

Your throat involuntarily constricts, causing you to gag and cry more. You hum around his fingers as you whimper. He merely laughs at your pitiful display.

“We’ll have to train your cute little throat to take more, won’t we?” he asked, making a dull ache settle in your lower stomach. You had never done anything like this, and the way he was treating all this so casually filled you with some sort of… excitement.

His words also struck you with fear as you realized this meant he was likely far from being done with his antics.

His fingers continue until you’ve coated them in a thin sheen of saliva. When he pulled from you, you were panting even though he hadn’t taken away your ability to breathe.

He smirked as he gazed at you as if he can tell that your cunt is clenching around nothing right now. It’s like he knows every perverse desire you’ve fantasized about in your alone time.

“You’re a vision, doll. I’m going to have so much fun breaking you,”

Before you could even think to inquire what he meant by that, an unfamiliar male voice spoke up to your side, causing you to flinch slightly. The other man was dressed in basic business attire, but he had a scrappier look to him.

“Sir?”

The stranger tensed, and you could practically see all the playful taunting energy in his face melt away. He stared daggers into the newcomer’s soul. “Speak.”

“Members of the Gojo clan were spotted near Dante’s 7th circle,”

“Dammit, what a pest,” the pink-haired male growled. He clearly didn’t fancy being interrupted.

You perked up a little from the mention of the infamous Gojo clan. You had heard plenty of whispers about the clan fluttering about on campus, and the clan had been brought up momentarily in your organized gangs class before the professor quickly shut down the conversation.

Yakuza clans were talked about in school, but the professors were very careful about what they chose to say, knowing that members were everywhere amongst them.

The stranger carefully moved you from his lap, and he stood up, gathering himself before turning to you. “You behave. I have to go tend to something, but I’ll be back for you,” he said as he reached into his coat, and he casually tossed a whole clip of yen onto the table.

Your eyes widened at the stack of money sitting on the table, and your heart began to race. It felt like the last two hours had been a complete blur, but now, you were face with a thick stack of money — probably enough to cover you for at least three months… and you weren’t even done with your shift yet.

Your excitement was quickly overshadowed by fear. He was coming back for you. How intertwined had you gotten yourself into this mess?

taglist: @theuniversesnepobaby