#because what the characters witness that's about to happen IS flawless

[dinosaur-mayonnaise]

So I know that 'flawless' isn't the most perfect translation of Oda's ability, but something about Fukazawa calling this 'the most flawless strike of my life' while he was kind of looking into the future to realise what he was about to do-

don't mind me i'm just sobbing.

[dustofthedailylife]

Unaffected a teaching in humbling oneself

-> Masterlist || → Taglist

Pairing: Dr. Ratio x (gn!) Reader

Summary: Ratio is quite aware of his dashing looks and intellect. If he so wanted, he could use it to his advantage whenever he pleased. That was until he met you, who seemed to be entirely unaffected by it.

Tags: Pining, Crack, unreciprocated feelings towards Ratio, someone give him a clown nose - he's making a fool of himself, written pre-release of character, short one-shot

A/N: L+Ratio to Dr. Ratio himself.

Consider how the renowned Veritas Ratio would act if he had a crush on you.

No doubt, he was aware of his attractive appearance and masterful intellect. Why else would he only teach while wearing that accursed marble head? He's experienced it all too often that people stop paying attention to his teaching because they only get distracted by appearances. While conveying knowledge about science, it was nothing more than a nuisance to him.

He didn't want nor need hordes of students fawn over him. This still hadn't changed.

However, when you started working as his colleague at the same university one day, it was as if he had lost his composure for the first time in forever. Judging by your appearance, the Aeons themselves must have carved and sent you to smite him down. Let alone your wit and intellect. He was gone the minute he had first laid his eyes on you.

He absolutely wanted to get to know you better and make you fall for him how he fell for you when you first graced him with your presence.

There was just one problem - due to the boundaries he had set for himself, you had never seen his face. He never took the marble head off when he was at work. However, he was almost certain that, once he did so, you would fall for him the same way his students always did before he hid his face.

There was no way you wouldn't fall for a man of his caliber.

Self-assured and while putting on the most attractive smile he could muster he decided to take the mask off as casually as possible in front of you one day. He leaned against the wall beside you, eyeing you confidently. He was certain to see the stars of the galaxy sparkling back at him in your eyes. Your jaw would drop and you'd inch closer to him and then-

"You have something stuck between your teeth." You remarked unaffectedly as you motioned him to remove it.

You poured yourself a cup of coffee and sipped from it with an unwavering expression of apathy before lifting your eyebrows at him.

Why were you so unimpressed? Why didn't you fall for him yet? He was here. His handsome face exposed right in front of you in broad daylight. Were you not attracted to men, perhaps? No, that couldn't be. He happened to catch a conversation between you and another coworker about it. But why weren't you worshipping the ground he walked on yet?

"Is something the matter?" You poked quizically, noticing how his smile and his entire attitude and confidence had faltered and crumbled into dust in an instant.

"Huh? I j-just..." He stammered before hurriedly picking the piece of food out from in between his teeth.

This should've worked. His plan was flawless. Why did you not care about his dashing looks at all.

"Nothing." He said curtly, straightening himself up again to regain his composure.

"Alright." You nodded confusedly, forcing a smile and eyeing him as if he was completely insane.

The following weeks looked about the same. He tried to appear in front of you without the mask more and more often. He would try to initiate in talks and scientific discussions with you but you always seemed to end up annoyed by him. It was doing his head in what he could possibly be doing wrong - No. Surely, it wasn't his fault. It couldn't be.

That was until he overheard a conversation between you and another coworker.

"I have never seen him behave like that - let alone see him take his stone head off so often..." The coworker said puzzledly. "But I have to admit he is quite attractive."

"Pff, no way. Not with a character like that. Either way, I have no idea what his deal is." You sighed. "All I know is that he is grinding my gears with his big-headed attitude, ugh."

His heart dropped at your words. He had never heard that someone had perceived him this way.

Him? Big-headed? And you also don't find him attractive?

Maybe a change of plan was in order. Just... what was he doing wrong?

Do not repost, copy, translate or edit - © dustofthedailylife || reblogs, comments, and asks about HSR or my fics are always greatly appreciated and motivate me! Maple dividers are mine - do not copy.

[relicsongmel]

Thinking about Iris' very open disdain for spirit channeling and how it seemingly contradicts many other elements of her character.

Let me explain—Iris prior to the end of BttT is a woman who only knows facades, covering up the truth, and only presenting herself exactly as she wants others to see her. We see this over and over again throughout the course of the story: she hides her real identity while dating Phoenix, she does damage control for Dahlia and Godot to help them avoid blame for their crimes, and she is extremely selective about which information she chooses to disclose to specific people depending on whatever role she finds herself playing in that moment (daughter, girlfriend, accomplice, etc). Her demeanor as a whole is also rather meek and unassuming, and she's shown to be exceptionally kind; she expresses favorable opinions on most everyone she meets, even those continuously treated poorly by other characters (like Larry) or those that have objectively done reprehensible things (like Dahlia).

All of this stands in stark contrast to her saying in no uncertain terms that she hates spirit channeling:

This stands out to me because it is one of very few things that Iris is completely forthright honest about in the early portion of this case. After spending all day avoiding Phoenix and now carefully dodging his questions towards her in hopes of preventing the truth of her deception from coming out (all of this while actively avoiding her responsibilities at the Inner Temple because of Larry's "blackmail" letter which also threatened to expose her "secret"), why is this the one bit of truth she chooses to divulge here? Or rather: why is this the one thing she seemingly cannot lie about?

Obviously the answer lies in Iris' past and the permanent damage that was done to her and her family due to the politics of the Fey clan, with the Kurain Channeling Technique at the root, and the DL-6 incident as the event that brought everything to ruin. Iris bore witness to her mother Morgan losing the title of Master of Kurain due to her inferior powers and the despair that caused her, then three years later saw her aunt Misty who, despite purportedly being so much better than her mother, made a mistake while channeling that led to an innocent man's conviction, disgracing the Fey name and causing her to flee the village in shame. With this in mind, it makes sense that Iris would feel so strongly about spiritual powers doing more harm than good; after all, she has firsthand experience of the damage that can be done to the women that have it.

But what of the women that don't have it—namely, Iris herself? What happens to a spirit medium, born of the Fey bloodline, daughter of the then-master of her channeling school, when she's shown to not have any spiritual powers? I'm of the opinion that Iris' hatred is not only a product of what she's seen happen to her mother and aunt, but also very closely tied to what is, essentially, her earliest failure in life—after all, what good is a medium who can't channel? Fey women are raised to believe that their worth is linked to how well they can perform the service of their clan, which is the same reason why Maya beats herself up for failing to channel Mia in Turnabout Goodbyes and Pearl does the same with Dahlia later in this case. In a sense, Iris' hatred of spirit channeling is an externalization of her own self-hatred—unlike Dahlia, who mainly copes by lashing out and seeking revenge on those who wrong her, Iris is far too gentle and loving to lay blame on any one person. But all that repressed guilt and anger still has to go somewhere—and it manifests through this one small crack in her otherwise flawless facade. The one thing she cannot bring herself to find beauty in no matter how much she tries. The one thing that should have given her purpose but didn't—leaving her no choice but to mold herself beyond recognition over and over into roles that aren't truly her own, but at the very least give her meaning where she was denied it before.

And knowing her? She probably hates that flaw more than anything.

[woodchipp]

OMORI and Detroit: Become Human's Plot Twists - How A Bad Plot Twist Ruins The Story Instead Of Enhancing It

In the 2020 game OMORI, the story's plot twist is that the main protagonist's sister, Mari, didn't kill herself as the player was led to believe - instead, the main protagonist himself accidentally killed her in a fit of rage after an argument they had and his best friend subsequently covered that up by staging it as a suicide.

In the 2018 game Detroit: Become Human, the plot twist of Kara’s story is that Alice, the seemingly human child Kara took care of after the two broke free of Alice’s abusive father, was actually an android all along. 

What do they have in common? The answer’s simple - not only are they emblematic of their respective games’ shoddy writing, they detract from the story they’re supposed to elevate.

First things first - both twists don’t make sense upon scrutiny. OMORI’s plot twist in particular hinges on a huge contrivance - the fact Basil just so happened to be present in Sunny’s house (for reasons the game leaves unexplained) at exactly the right time to witness Sunny committing manslaughter and come up with a plan to absolve him of any blame. Furthermore, the twist’s insinuation that Mari overworked Sunny and didn’t tolerate his mistakes comes out of left field, as Mari was consistently portrayed as kind and flawless (both in Sunny’s dreams and in the real world via the photo album)  throughout the game up until that point.

Alice’s twist only works because the story lies to the player: Kara finds a magazine with a picture of Alice’s model at the beginning of the game, but it’s conveniently blurred. While there are some hints that Alice is an android, such as the fact that she refuses to eat even when food is presented to her, this clashes with one of the main levels of Kara’s story, which has her looking for food and shelter for Alice’s sake. This implies that Kara deliberately ignored Alice’s true nature, for reasons that will be elaborated on later.

Alice’s twist, however, does have some solid hints at the very least. That brings me to a problem exclusive to OMORI’s twist - the game spends most of its runtime hinting at the red herring of Mari having hanged herself as opposed to the twist of her having been shoved down the stairs. The only tangible clues to the twist are the prevalence of staircases in the brief cutscenes before Sunny fights his fears and the hands motif, but they are not enough. If the point of the reveal is that Mari didn’t kill herself, what’s the point in hinting she did?

Secondly, the twists’ linchpin characters are flat in terms of personality. Alice is the quintessential “little girl” in videogames: cute, small, withdrawn, barely cries (she doesn’t even go into hysterics at a concentration camp), constantly needs to be cared for and protected, at most steers you in the right moral direction if you do something “problematic”, even if for her sake. This, allegedly, is supposed to stem from her background, as she was abused by her father, but even the android that Kara spots and that makes her confront the truth has the same quiet, demure, sad demeanor, implying that it’s simply how Alice’s model is programmed to be. Alice is not a character: she is a pet you are supposed to find adorable. The twist that she was never a “real” human, therefore, falls flat on its face: she doesn’t prove anything about the depth of emotions androids can experience. For all intents and purposes, she is the doll racist humans see androids as.

Aside from a brief interaction with Hero in the first several minutes of the game (which is promptly forgotten as soon as it ends), Mari spends most of its runtime only as fuel for Sunny and his friends’ grief. She is given no personality beyond being the Team Mom, isn’t fleshed out in any objective flashbacks (as in, flashbacks not colored by Sunny’s perception of her), and if the vision Sunny experiences on Two Days Left is her ghost, she isn’t plussed in the slightest by her dear little brother profaning her memory by deciding to keep up Basil’s lie. The one flaw the game tries to give her - perfectionism - has no bearing on her character until the moment the game uses it to give Sunny a reason to lash out at her, and the negative impact said flaw had on her life before the argument is glossed over. OMORI’s point that her desire to be perfect was the reason for her downfall, therefore, falls flat on its face: for all intents and purposes, Mari is perfect. 

Finally, both twists are detrimental to the stories they are in.  Supposedly, the twist of android Alice is meant to make you question whether or not you, the player, are going to love her all the same even after learning that she’s not human (although the question should be moot since all three protagonists are androids and the most popular one in the fandom is the most machine-like one). What the game fails to answer, however, is why Kara refused to accept reality and deluded herself into thinking Alice was human to the point of endangering both of them for the sake of playing pretend (this, on top of everything else, makes replaying the game much more frustrating, as you no longer care to give Alice proper shelter as she doesn’t really need it). The implication is that she, herself, believes an android child is inherently less deserving of love as a human one, an interesting concept of internalized bigotry that is never explored. Even worse than this, what before could be seen as a touching relationship between an android and a human, who despite the hatred surrounding them can form a family out of natural love, is now nothing more than two androids following their programming: Kara keeps being a caretaker as she’s supposed to do, and Alice keeps being the perfect little child as she’s supposed to be. While they both rebelled against their abusive master, it means that, at their core, they didn’t even deviate in the first place, and instead forced themselves back into their pre-programmed roles. This is the complete antithesis of the message of the game, which is that androids are more than their programming and they are, instead, people.

Similarly, OMORI’s plot twist turns what could’ve been an interesting story about such topics as teenage suicide and suicide bereavement into a farce. It’s one thing to play this game under the impression Sunny and co. are struggling to live a life their beloved sister and friend unexpectedly removed herself from, but it’s very different to replay it with the knowledge that all the pain Kel, Hero and Aubrey went through was pointless since Mari never killed herself in the first place and stemmed from one of their friends desecrating her corpse. Without warning, the story turns from being about overcoming the grief of losing a loved one to suicide into being about grappling with the guilt of a manslaughter and a huge lie that destroyed multiple friendships - a lie Sunny directly facilitated by lying to his friends by omission to save his own skin. The only character in the game to call Sunny out on this is his suicidal depression (!!!), and its arguments are framed as irrational self-loathing so they’d be easier to dismiss; the game’s best ending, meanwhile, has him conveniently avoid the consequences of his confession by moving town, not caring anymore about the feelings of his friends (or the well-being of Basil, whom he leaves to bear the brunt of the consequences). None of this would’ve been a problem if the game simply focused on Sunny moving on from blaming himself for his sister’s suicide instead.

So, this brings me back to the post's title - not only should a good plot twist be properly foreshadowed, but it should enhance the plot when experienced multiple times. The twists in OMORI and DBH fail to do so, and create the impression they were haphazardly inserted into the plot for the sake of subverting the audience's expectations, with little thought given to how they retroactively affect said plot.

Unfortunately, the only expectation they manage to subvert is the expectation of a completent story.

[indiestsnake]

holy shit the vengeance saga tied the knot on all of epic the musical for me HOLY FUCK

I was always a big fan of epic since I found it. I found it decently early on, right before the Circe saga released, but only really got into it right after the thunder saga came out. And I always thought the music and use of motifs was really, really good, but the lyrics and writing came off a bit on-the-nose.

It was by no means a dealbreaker. The writing is good, the story is wonderful!! but the pacing and characters always felt a bit inconsistent to me, and overall it suffers from being a bit too fast moving at times. And a fanbase that is convinced grey morality is nonexistent and the whole odyssey was Eurylochus’s fault, despite the fact that Odysseus was the one who pissed off Poseidon. But regardless.

The vengeance saga makes it work.

It’s not flawless! I think its writing is wonky in some spots, like where Ody uses the wind bag as a jet pack to beat the god of the sea. But I can forgive. Because the end of six hundred strike makes it work.

Silly me! I thought ol’ quick witted Odysseus was gonna use his big ol’ brain to outsmart Poseidon’s storm, or maybe even convince him to chill out!

No.

He takes the god’s trident and impales him. To make him call it off.

And they hold on it.

For a while.

This isn’t some “raise the weapon, cut away” torture scene. This is Odysseus stabbing Poseidon with his own trident as he screams in agony. Over. And over. And over. He yells and shouts, “HOW DOES IT FEEL TO BE HELPLESS?! HOW DOES IT FEEL TO KNOW PAIN?!”

“LOOK WHAT YOU TURNED ME INTO!!!”

He doesn’t even think about stopping when Poseidon begins to beg. He screams, “Stop, enough, stop!!!” And he doesn’t even flinch. If Poseidon hadn’t put his entire soul into that “ALRIGHT!”, I’m convinced Odysseus would’ve put the trident right through his skull.

This is a man mourning what he was, and hating what he is. This is a man who is broken. Who is convinced that ruthlessness truly is mercy, and there is no point in greeting anything with open arms. A man who is prepared to collapse into Penelope and never greet the world outside her with anything but a scowl, and spend his nights in hell as the ghosts of the people he’s murdered sob at his feet. It ties the Monster arc up better than Scylla or different beast ever could, and honestly now I doubt they were supposed to.

I don’t even think he believes Penelope can take the suffering anymore. I don’t think he believes she will make him alright.

He just has to see it through.

It makes everything that’s happened since monster work perfectly. The character arc is fucking magnificent. From a man dropping an infant from a wall to save his family…

To a man convinced there is no point in showing mercy to Poseidon.

Because… you know the line.

[puppy-byun]

Just Friends...unless...? pt. 1

pairing: Hyunjin x Reader / a sprinkle of Seonghwa x Reader

rating: 18+

word count: 8k

genre: smut / friends to lovers / angst / university au

warnings: drinking, curse words, Hyunjin (obv but like... there should be a warning at all times), heavy make-out, fingering, light nipple play, dirty-talk, pet names (just one rlly), public...indecencies don't do this irl, minors pls dni!!

summary: You weren’t crushing on Hyunjin. You couldn’t be crushing on Hyunjin because you were just friends, and there was no way he would ever feel the same way about you. Right? Unless...?

disclaimer: This has only been proof read by myself but hey! I’m back! This is angstier than most stuff I've written before I hope u guys enjoy it!

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There had been a time in your life when you had thought you were in love with Hyunjin. Not infatuation, not attraction, and not an incredibly intense college crush, no, but the kind of star crossed, life changing love that you thought you could never possibly get over. You hadn’t had a clue how right you would be about that.

And Hyunjn? He hadn’t had a clue about anything at all, because Hyunjin was a sweet, but he was just about as oblivious as he was caring.

In all fairness, you hadn’t tried to get him to realize that you were head over heels the first time you realized how fast he made your heart beat. You didn’t think that you would be able to handle the embarrassment of him finding out one of his closest friends had been harboring a crush on him, and even less so the possible follow up of rejection. So instead, you had gone through months of fearing that he would realize you had feelings for him. You had constantly been torn about being grateful he was so clueless and hoping despite better judgment that he would realize, and he would maybe reciprocate those feelings. It had been months until you had finally managed to snub out every last one of them, until you and Hyunjin were just friends.

Regardless of whether you were over those feelings or not, it did not stop your friends from endlessly teasing you about that period in your life. Apparently, you had been extremely obvious - according to them. It was just your luck that Hyunjin wouldn’t even consider his friend being in love with him, so even two years later he had no idea there had ever been a time when you had wished you would make his heart flutter the same way he did with yours.

You couldn’t fully blame your friends for teasing you about your feelings for Hyunjin. Neither could you blame them for not quite believing that those feelings were in the past - not when you were so comfortable with each other, it was easy to mistake you for anything but a couple. But even if that did happen a lot it didn’t bother you and it didn’t seem to bother Hyunjin either – because you were just friends.

You had your hands full with eight guys in your life and you definitely did not need or have time for a boyfriend on top of it, so you didn’t mind guys automatically backing off when they saw Hyunjin and you together. And in the three years you had known Hyunjin he had never seemed too interested in starting a relationship with anyone either.

Admittedly, you had tried not to pay any attention to what he was doing when you weren’t spending your time together, because part of your ‘Hyunjin-crush-extinction-program’ had been to decidedly keep your nose out of his private affairs. If he had hook-ups, you had successfully managed to not witness any of them. It wouldn’t have been difficult to avoid situations like this though, considering he was friendly, well-mannered, hard working, and just about the stereotype of the perfect, sweet boy next door. He was ambitious, chivalrous, you had never seen him treat anyone with even the slightest disrespect, and you had never heard him talk badly about anyone. It was unfair, really, that on top of having an amazing character he also looked flawless. Long hair tickling his ears and the tips brushing his shoulders, still soft despite the way he bleached it all blond just a few months ago. Straight eyebrows, dark eyes that crinkled at the edges whenever he laughed, holding a sparkle that made it impossible not to laugh with him. His nose an elegant slope and a cute tip you had desperately wanted to kiss back when you had thought yourself in love with him. And his mouth. His mouth had been the worst part, because the boy looked like an angel but his lips never promised anything but sin, plush and soft and just about the most perfect lips anyone could ever want to kiss.

No, you were definitely not thinking about Hyunjin’s lips now. Even if there’s no problem with a bit of kissing between friends, no strings attached, right?

You shook yourself out of those thoughts, shoving them at the very back of your mind right with the memories of what it felt like to be hopelessly in love with Hyunjin, because those were parts of your life you had left behind and were not ever bringing back to explore.

You were thankfully forced to focus on something else for good when a loud thump sounded next to you, gaze dropping to the table with a slight squeal. Felix and Minho had dumped a whole tray loaded with various assortments of drinks and, to your dismay, also shots, in the middle of the table, spilling some of them in the process and splattering everyone with drops of sticky alcohol.

“I thought we’re not getting shit-faced today? It’s only Wednesday…” You tutted with a raised eyebrow, finger pointing at the shots specifically.

“Oh these?” Minho raised one eyebrow with a cat-like grin. “These are for our heartbreakers, since they look like they need a good amount of liquid courage.”

Changbin, one of said heartbreakers Minho had just mentioned, only rolled his eyes, but Jisung immediately grabbed two small glasses of what was undoubtedly tequila, downing both of them unceremoniously, foregoing the lemon. You laughed at the display, shoving one of the shots in Changbin’s direction discreetly, because even though he was putting on a tough act you could tell he was nervous.

You were occupying your usual booth at your favorite campus bar, attending Karaoke Wednesday for the sole reason of Changbin and Jisung promising they would finally get up on that stage and impress the girls they had been eyeing for the better part of almost two months. It was almost ridiculous, how your entire group had become regulars on karaoke night solely because these two kept saying they would ‘finally make a move this time’ every single week - only to chicken out.

Jisung was already on his fourth shot, ready to grab the fifth one, when you gently put your hand on his arm to stop him. “I think you should maybe slow down or all you’ll be doing is throwing up on her skirt before you can even utter a word.” you cringed, hoping you didn’t jinx it with your words.

Seungmin and Minho both laughed at the likely image of that happening but Jisung slumped back on the seat, rolling his eyes.

“You’re seriously the worst wing-men, all of you!”

The other boys only laughed more and you patted his hand empathetically, leaning over Hyunjin who was sitting right next to you.

“It’s going to be fine, Jisung. You go up there and you impress her, and she’ll totally fall in love with you. I would fall in love with you, if I weren’t already friends with you.”

The lie went over your lips smoothly, not even cringing inwardly when this was very much not true. Being friends hadn’t stopped you from falling in love with Hyunjin, but that experience had also taught you that you would never again get into the messy business of crushing on someone in your friend group.

“I would trust her judgment, you know,” Hyunjin added, casually grabbing your hand from on top of Jisung’s and placing it back on your own lap so he could lean forward and look at the blue haired boy. “She’s got actual standards, so her compliment means something.”

His hand never left yours, keeping his own slender fingers lightly wrapped around yours, a gesture so casual and normal between you that no one would even bat an eye. You laughed at Hyunjin’s words, whacking him over the back of his head softly. “What do you mean I have standards, I’m friends with you guys.”

“Yes, exactly,” Minho added pointedly, completely ignoring your jab and sliding a drink in your direction which looked suspiciously colorful and like it would make your teeth stick together.

“Shush, I was giving you a compliment bunny.”

You grinned at Hyunjin cheekily, from over the rim of your glass, proud that once again the pet name barely made your skin tingle. He always used it with you, and there was absolutely nothing flirtatious or special about it. It used to make your head spin, and it only took just about two years for you to get used to it.

“So what’s the game plan for tonight?” Chan piped up, the question mainly oriented at Jisung and Changbin, who were the sole reason you had even gathered at the bar and accidentally made it a tradition to get drunk on a freaking weekday.

“Let me guess, same as every week?” Seungmin asked, barely containing an eye-roll. Jisung was still pouting but Changbin set his shot glass down with vigor, sitting up straighter and causing you to snort into your drink. Hyunjin was helpfully patting your back to prevent you from choking while you listened to Changbin declaring how he would for sure win over his crush tonight.

The pats on your back changed to gently rubs once your coughing had calmed down a little and you skirted closer, leaning your head on Hyunjin’s shoulder. The last singer had ended their horrible rendition of Billie Eilish’s ‘Bad Guy’ and they were calling for new daring participants. For all of Changbin’s talk both he and Jisung had gotten very quiet. The drinks Minho and Felix had steadily brought had at least done nothing if not encourage everyone else at the table that tonight really was the night, so you weren’t surprised when Chan jumped up from his spot, waving and hollering to get the bartender’s attention.

“We have two entries here!” he shouted, so loudly that the whole bar had heard for sure and there was no way for Jisung or Changbin to back out of this. Waving him over Chan got up and fished a USB out of his back pocket, deeply engrossed in conversation with the bartender now. You knew he was trying to convince him to let your friends perform their own tracks instead of singing karaoke, which were saved on said USB. Jisung had gotten worryingly pale throughout the last two minutes, but your friends knew no mercy for the boys. Seungmin was already almost forcefully shoving Changbin out of the seat, and Felix and Minho were pulling Jisung, who did his best to resist, up by his arms.

You couldn’t help but laugh throughout the whole display, turning to catch Hyunjin doing the same while watching them.

“You think they’re aware their crushes are most likely watching them right now?”

“Don’t let them know, Jisung will probably pass away on the spot.”

You bit back a snort, nodding in agreement and continued watching how Chan threw a thumbs up in your direction and a very dramatic gurgle left Jisung’s lips. He might actually be about to pass out.

Hyunjin’s hand slipped from between your shoulder blades to your lower back, reaching the expanse of skin peeking out between your top and skirt. You shivered, unable to suppress the sensation and immediately sent your mind into shut down. Even if this was technically a normal reaction, it wasn’t with Hyunjin. You could never allow this with Hyunjin, because if he ever came even close to thinking you had a crush on him you would dig yourself a hole and vanish in the ground forever.

Halfway through the path to the stage the boys seemed to realize that their crushes were indeed watching them and finally managed to get it together so Seungmin, Minho and Felix could stop forcefully dragging them towards the raised platform.

The bartender – Seokjin, who Chan knew because they had a couple of classes together, which was most likely how he got him to agree to play their original songs – announced that tonight the program would be a little different, and you caught yourself sitting up straighter. Hyunjin moved with you automatically, pulling you closer with the movement, but your full attention was on the stage now. After months it was finally happening. The first heavy tunes of the song you had heard countless times by now started, and you watched your friends fumble for the microphones, still visibly nervous. They had performed their own music many times for you guys, but never on a scale this big, in front of strangers, and even worse, in front of someone they wanted to impress. The first few lines were a bit unsteady, making you cringe inwardly and holler out a lout whoop of encouragement. Jisung’s eyes caught your table, seeing you give him two thumbs up in support, and when a grin settled on his face you felt relief flood your body. Changbin didn’t need as much encouragement, immediately at ease as soon as he heard his own music, and once they started rapping you knew they were about to impress everyone in the bar, not just their crushes. Even though you knew the songs by heart you found yourself captured by their performance as well. They were just naturally talented, their charisma flowing through every line they were spitting.

Hyunjin’s hand, which had stilled when he, too, had focused on the performance, picked back up on drawing soft patterns on the small of your back and his nose brushed your hair when he leaned in enough so you could understand him over the music.

“You’re not actually gonna fall in love with Jisung now, right?” He was clearly joking and you leaned back to look at him with a laugh, mirroring his expression.

“Why are you asking? Are you jealous, Jinnie?” Hyunjin rolled his eyes in response at your absurd question. Why would he be jealous or anything even remotely as ludicrous, when your friendship was rivaled by yours and Chan’s only, and he damn well knew that.

“Of Jisung? Hell no, it took him two months to go up on that stage and the girl he’s trying to impress doesn’t even know it’s her he’s flexing this hard for.”

Even if you agreed you lightly pinched Hyunjin’s arm to let him know he wasn’t being entirely fair. Confidence didn’t come as natural to everyone as it did to him.

“I just think he wouldn’t deserve you.” he added as an afterthought, shrugging his shoulders.

“Oh?” you quipped, eyebrow raised because now you were intrigued. You could talk about almost everything with Hyunjin, but you hardly ever talked about something like this. For some reason your dating life (or lack thereof) was reserved for talks between you and anyone but Hyunjin, which you didn’t entirely mind. But now that it had come up, you were curious as to what he was trying to say. “And who would deserve me?”

Hyunjin opened his mouth only to close it again, the music filtering out in favor of a pregnant pause. He had successfully managed to capture your full attention, Jisung’s and Changbin’s performance, as good as it was, not as important as this conversation.

“No one of course.” Hyunjin finally deadpanned, as if it were the most obvious answer.

“No one…,” you repeated, a little incredulous. “So I’m just going to be single forever?”

Hyunjin shrugged, as if that was the obvious solution. “I suppose not. You’re going to settle for someone who doesn’t come close to the standards you’d deserve, and it’s going to be a tragedy.”

“Ah,” you supplied, your tone implying that, of course, how hadn’t you thought of that before? You let your eyes wander the room, settling on a guy halfway across with dark hair, a lean and tall figure and pretty beauty mark under his eye adorning his face.

“What about that one?” you nodded your head vaguely in his direction and Hyunjin followed your line of sight.

“Yugyeom?”

You rolled your eyes, raising an eyebrow at him. “How am I supposed to know? The one with the beauty mark.”

“Yeah, that’s Yugyeom. We share some classes, he’s a dance major.” He caught the wistful smile on your face, your eyes still locked on the other dancer rather than your friend, mentally jotting down his name while thinking that he definitely wouldn’t be a bad catch.

“Oh, hell no. I know what you’re thinking. He most certainly wouldn’t deserve you.” Hyunjin quickly grasped your chin softly but decisively, squishing your cheeks together and forcing your gaze back on him, confronted with your pout. “Don’t look at me like that. He’s a total fuckboy, you don’t want to get yourself into that mess.”

You hmphed, swiping your gaze in the other direction and away from Yugyeom. Instead, your eyes landed on a brown-haired boy who was sitting with a couple of friends, beer in hand and completely immersed in the music. He had a pretty, heart-shaped face, full cheeks and, oh god, dimples.

“What if I want the guy with the dimples? I think I’d want the guy with the dimples,” you decided, directing your question at Hyunjin, who apparently had become the judge of your hypothetical love life.

“Jaehyun, seriously?” Hyunjin’s exasperated tone was enough to tell you what he was thinking of that choice, but you decided to push it a little, just to tease him.

“Yeah, Jaehyun. I should go say hi.” Hyunjin’s hand, which had still been comfortably resting on your back, drawing distracting patterns from time to time, slipped around your waist, his fingers digging into your skin faster than you could react.

“Alright, alright, relax, I’m not going to do it. So he’s bad business?” Hyunjin relaxed his grasp only infinitesimal, as if he didn’t trust that you wouldn’t just jump up as soon as he let go.

“No, he’s actually a pretty fun guy. But I’ve seen his tongue down more girl’s throats in, like, barely a month, than I can count on my hands and toes. He’s football captain, too, so his life is pretty much sports and fucking. Unless that’s what you’re looking for…?”

“I guess not. Shame,” you commented, abandoning the idea of Jaehyun because he was clearly very far from your type. Your type being extremely hard to define because you had barely paid attention to boys other than the casual hookup throughout high school, and the only ever serious crush you had had been Hyunjin, with no other following after. There had been guys, but there hadn’t been anyone who managed to make your heart beat quite as fast as Hyunjin had.

The performance had long but ended by now, someone else already taking the stage, but the guys weren’t back yet, Chan stuck at the bar and engrossed in an animated conversation with Seokjin, who was severely disregarding every other customer. You had lost sight of Seungmin, Felix, Minho, Changbin and Jisung in the crowd so your booth was currently solely occupied by Hyunjin and you.

Letting your gaze glide over the crowd once again, mostly just to see if you could spot any of your friends, they instead landed on a head of white blonde hair, surely long enough to brush over the tips of the boys ears if he hadn’t slicked it back, showing off his undercut and sharp jawline. Oh, you knew that boy. It was true that only ever Hyunjin got your heart to beat fast, but you would lie to say there weren’t other boys who got you excited in other ways – Park Seonghwa right at the very top of that list. He was lounging on the backrest of a worn leather sofa, his back leant against the wall, legs spreading impossibly wide, as if he had no intention of making room for anyone else (he probably didn’t).

Hyunjin clearly had caught onto your not so subtle staring, because his next words were more exasperated than they had been at any other suggestion so far.

“Park Seonghwa?!”

You quickly glanced at your friend with a sheepish smile, before turning your gaze back to the white blond boy, resting your arm on the back of your seat and your chin atop of it.

“Yeah, Seonghwa is hot.”

“God, I take back everything I said about you having standards.” Hyunjin groaned next to you, but it wasn’t enough to pull your gaze away from the other boy. Everyone and their mum knew who Seonghwa was, campus heartthrob extraordinaire, with just the right amount of bad boy flair to make every girl positively drool. Now, you knew you didn’t stand a chance with him, just the way you had known that you didn’t stand a chance with Hyunjin. Guys that pretty were just way above your level, despite what Hyunjin said.

It wasn’t that you were unpopular per se, because hanging with one of the most infamous friend groups on campus had definitely gotten you a certain amount of popularity yourself. It had happened by accident, really, because Chan’s parents had moved in next door in elementary school, making you walking buddies on your way to school every single day for years, forcing Chan to befriend you. It could have ended after Chan had already entered high school and gained quite a bit of a reputation when you finally left elementary school behind to join him. But it didn’t. For some unfathomable reason he had decided that there was no one cooler at school than you, spending every lunch break and free period in your company, dragging you along and introducing you to all of his friends. Slowly but steadily your group had grown, Seungmin, Changbin and Jisung joining first, and then, one by one, Minho, Felix, Hyunjin and Jeongin. All of them had been semi-popular for their talents and charms even by themselves, but as a group they were one of those cliques that everyone wanted to be a part of just once. And somehow, through all of it, you had ended up as Chan’s number one.

Anyhow, all of that meant that you weren’t exactly unpopular, but nowhere near the level where you presumed you could pull someone like Park Seonghwa, just like you hadn’t presumed you could pull someone like Hyunjin, even if you had already been friends at that point.

“Are you even listening to me?” Hyunjin quipped impatiently, poking your side and you had, indeed, not been listening.

“Repeat it for me?”

You clearly heard his annoyed grumble, causing you to grin, although not in Hyunjin’s direction but in Seonghwa’s instead, who exactly at that moment seemed to have sensed that someone was staring at him and caught your gaze.

“I said I don’t—” The words didn’t filter through to you because Seonghwa was running a hand through his hair, one eyebrow raised in challenge, and you thought you might die on the spot. He couldn’t possibly mean you, could he? It felt like the longest staring match possible, even though it was probably only seconds before Seonghwa nodded his head towards the door and even through your disbelief you were ready to jump up and leave. But you were stopped when someone scooted right next to you, successfully ripping your gaze away from Seonghwa and pressing you closer to Hyunjin. It was Minho, decidedly more drunk than before, and when you snapped your head back around to Seonghwa you knew you’d missed your chance because he was already engrossed in a conversation with one of his friends.

With a wistful sigh you turned back around and the first thing you noticed were the two empty cups in front of Hyunjin that hadn’t been there minutes ago, which meant he had downed them in the short time you had spent eye-fucking Seonghwa.

“Care to explain what exactly you’re planning, don’t you have morning class?” You questioned the boy with concern, knowing that usually he held back because he took his dancing very seriously.

“What if I do?” Hyunjin just grunted snappily, reaching over the table to steal Felix’ drink while the blonde boy wasn’t looking.

You made a sour face at him, not knowing what had suddenly gotten into him and deciding that if he wanted to do something he would regret tomorrow you wouldn’t stop him if that’s the attitude he was giving you. Instead, you focused on Jisung, who had accumulated about four table’s worth of coasters and had started building a ginormous house upon his return. He wasn’t very successful at it, most likely because you could tell by his droopy gaze that he was very drunk.

“How did it go?” You inquired nosily, directing the question at everyone at the table who had clearly paid more attention to Jisung’s attempts of conquest than Hyunjin and you had.

“Did you know that in kindergarten they called me the ‘god of crafting’?” Jisung instead slurred, causing you to look at him as if to ask ‘what the fuck’ while everyone else was tipsy enough to deem this a perfectly acceptable answer. Felix even patted his back (which caused the coaster house to crumble) to congratulate him on his title.

You groaned in frustration, noticing how Hyunjin had emptied Felix’ cup as well now, only adding to your irritation.

“With the girl, Jisung, how did it go with the girl?” Jisung didn’t reply, intently focused on building his coaster house and mainly on ignoring you, so you turned helplessly to the other guys, question marks written all over your face. Felix was shaking his head as if to signal that it wasn’t a good topic to talk about but Minho wasn’t quite as sensitive.

“She didn’t like your lyrics? What was it she hated? ‘Excuse me noona, do you have a boyfriend?’” Minho was cackling in the ugliest way possible, causing half the table to almost spit out their drink against better judgement.

“I didn’t even talk to her!” Jisung instead ground out, throwing his head on the table with a thunk that resonated loudly and must have hurt, shaking the whole coaster house he’d built to the ground again.

“What do you mean you didn’t talk to her?”

“I chickened out okay!” He whined, voice muffled against the tabletop and the whole table groaned in unison at the hopelessness of it all.

“What about Changbin?” Hyunjin asked next to you, voice way friendlier than it had been seconds ago when he had talked to you. You decided not to be sour about whatever had gotten into him, because the hangover he would have tomorrow would be karmic energy enough.

“Judge for yourself,” Seungmin commented with a grimace, pointing a thumb over his back and you followed the direction he was pointing, catching sight of a couple pressed up against the wall next to the bar. The others were clearly looking at them too, Seungmin’s grimace not warning enough.

“Oh my god, is he for real?” You gasped, your grimace now matching Seungmin’s at how Changbin’s hands where clearly up the girls skirt right there, no doubt groping her butt.

“Well, he’s still faring better than me,” Jisung commented dryly, and you felt so sorry for the boy you couldn’t even laugh when he knocked his coasters down again.

“That reminds me, a girl asked me earlier if you and Hyunjin were dating,” Felix threw in, looking between the two of you and despite Hyunjin’s suddenly sour mood you couldn’t bite back a grin.

“Which one?” You inquired, curious who had been checking him out. Felix quickly scanned the crowd before finding who he was looking for, unashamedly pointing at her. Your eyes followed, quickly recognizing her from one of your classes. Despite your best efforts you couldn’t help but feel a short sting in your chest because if she was interested in Hyunjin her chances were definitely better than yours had been.

“That’s Chaeyoung,” you explained, managing to keep your voice stable and enthusiastic. “She’s in my Thursday afternoon course, total cutie. You should talk to her Hyunjin.”

“Why are you trying to set me up again?” Hyunjin only asked, not even bothering to grant Chaeyoung a single glance. It was true, you had made it a habit to try and set him up with someone back when you had desperately been trying to overcome your crush, thinking it would be easier if he were taken. Over time it had simply become a tradition you hadn’t really dropped since then.

“I don’t know? I’ve never really seen you hook up with anyone, I just don’t want you to combust at some point.”

“I haven’t seen you hooking up either,” He pointed out and you didn’t really know what to say to that, so you decided to ignore it. He had a point, but the reasons for that were not something you wanted to tell him, of all people.

“Chaeyoung’s a really nice girl and she’s gorgeous, if she’s really interested in you I think-“ you stopped mid-sentence, the words dying on your lips when Hyunjin’s hand unceremoniously slipped onto your exposed thigh. The conversation had apparently been drowned under the music because no one commented on how you never ended your sentence, mouth hanging open like an idiot before you caught yourself. Hyunjin was always touchy when he was drunk, and he was definitely drunk after he had rushed down three cups in a matter of minutes. There was nothing more behind this than him wanting you to stop trying to set him up.

“Someone should really stop Changbin.”

Everyone made the mistake of looking over to your friend again at Seungmin’s words, cringing even more at how the girl already had one leg wrapped around his waist, basically letting him grind into her against the wall.

Seungmin’s prompt evolved into a discussion of who would be the unlucky one to break them up and you were grateful no one was suggesting you. Despite your best efforts you couldn’t quite ignore Hyunjin’s hand, his fingers annoyingly soft on your skin. And, fuck, you weren’t sure if he was even aware but they were brushing the inside of your thigh, ghosting over sensitive skin. He couldn’t possibly be doing this on purpose. Why would he be?

You barely caught that Felix had been the unlucky one who was designated to kick Changbin’s ass and tell him to go somewhere at least a little more private.

“Thank fuck we didn’t bring Jeongin today,” You threw into the round, mostly just to save face and pretend you weren’t fighting with all you got not to clench your thighs together when Hyunjin dragged his nails up the inside of your thigh, stopping only when he ever so slightly dipped under the hem of your skirt. He had to be doing this on purpose.

“I mean, I’m glad he’s getting some, but damn, we’re too good at our own job, this is self-sabotaging,” Minho stated, blatantly ignoring that you had failed big time as wing-men when it came to Jisung, while you barely had to do anything for Changbin.

You chuckled, proud that your laugh didn’t hitch at the consistent movement of Hyunjin’s hand. What the fuck was he doing? You had half a mind to ask him, but you deemed it too embarrassing if he really wasn’t doing this on purpose and you called him out on subconsciously getting you all riled up. He’s always touchy when he’s drunk. He’s always touchy. It was better than him being pissy at any rate.

“Can someone take me home, I think I’m gonna be sick,” Jisung moaned from where he was resting his forehead on his arms, half hanging off the table, and you weren’t sure if he was drunk or close to crying, but either way it would be better if he got back to his dorm right about now.

Minho and Seungmin both got up with a sigh, hooking their arms under his to pull him up.

“You guys gonna be fine?” Seungmin, the only somewhat sober one asked and you were cut short before you could even reply.

“I’ll make sure she gets home safely,” Hyunjin immediately supplied and you didn’t want to point out with the way he was slurring you would be the one taking him home safely. It wouldn’t be the first time you walked home together, either one or both of you drunk, so Seungmin and Minho accepted gratefully and focused back on pulling Jisung up with them.

“Now where’s Cha-“

“How can you be so unaffected?”

You turned to Hyunjin, not quite understanding what he was getting at but giving up your search for Chan immediately. He hadn’t been super drunk when you’d last seen him, and even if, he was a big boy and could get home by himself just fine.

“What do you mean?” You asked dumbly instead, and in place of a reply Hyunjin’s hand slipped lower between your thighs, thumb now brushing the inside too.

“You know what I mean.”

You weren’t sure if it was because he was drunk but his voice was raspy. So obviously, you did the only thing you could think of and started giggling in panic, successfully killing the moment that you weren’t sure had even been one. If it left Hyunjin utterly confused he didn’t say so, instead pulling his hand away from your thigh, finally giving you enough focus to breathe again.

“Do you still want to look for Chan?”

You shook your head, instead grabbing onto his arm and pulling him towards the exit, struggling when you noticed just how much he was staggering.

“Jesus Christ, you’re drunk. Let’s just get you home, alright?” You sighed, swiping his hair out of his eyes and patting his shoulder when he almost hooked his foot in the doorframe and fell.

“M’not drunk,” Hyunjin muttered, burying his face in your shoulder and hanging onto your arm with almost his full weight and that’s when you knew that the fresh air had kicked in. Sighing, you shifted your weight best as you could and continued staggering down the empty road down campus towards Hyunjin’s shared dorm with Seungmin, Minho and Felix, hoping that one of them would be home already and would let you in.

Deciding to push your luck a little you slowed your walk, taking a breath of fresh air before deciding that Hyunjin wouldn’t remember this conversation tomorrow, so if there was ever a chance to ask it would be right now.

“Why did you act so pissy earlier when we were joking around?”

“What do you mean?”

“You know what I mean,” you echoed his words from earlier, but with an entirely different meaning. Silence settled over you, leaving only your steps, dragging under Hyunjin’s weight, and his heavier ones to sound in the empty area. He wasn’t going to answer, so you decided to shortly let go of him in retaliation. You immediately regretted that choice when he only clamped down on you harder and almost caused both of you to fall.

Readjusting your grip you continued shuffling down the road, deciding to give it another try.

“Why did you decide to get shit-faced, knowing damn well you will regret this tomorrow?”

“Nope.”

You huffed in annoyance at how he made the p of the word pop loudly, but decidedly did not give you an answer. You were growing increasingly frustrated.

“Why do you always act so uninterested when I try to set you up with nice girls?”

“Not gonna answer.”

“Okay, then riddle me this, why the fuck did you feel me up in the middle of the bar with Minho literally right next to me?” Frustration was audibly laced through your voice now, with how uncooperative he was being, but he caught you off guard when instead of replying he simply stopped in his tracks, taking a deep breath and then walked straight to the bench at the side of the street, sitting down heavily. You were left standing by yourself, looking at him questioningly.

“Come here.”

You stood rooted on the street, dumbfounded for another moment what he was getting at, before you took a couple of steps towards him, heavy with hesitant confusion, ready to settle down on the empty spot on the bench. Instead Hyunjin grasped your wrist and pulled you off balance, causing you to stumble. It didn’t matter if you tried to catch your fall because Hyunjin had other plans, his other hand catching your thigh and pulling you down on his lap.

“What are you-?”

The rest of your words was swallowed by his lips on your mouth. You felt almost as if you were caught in some type of twisted deja-vu, because this had happened so many times in your mind. But while you had dreamed of kissing Hyunjin, it had never gone down quite like this, and it hadn’t felt like this either. This was needy, carnal. Your legs were splayed on either side of his, skirt naturally hitched up, and his hands were on your cheeks, cupping your face, fingers digging into your skin as if he was scared you’d move away if he didn’t hold on to you. You were way too shocked to do anything, even if he weren’t making sure your lips stayed on his. You couldn’t even react, not until he took your bottom lip between his and bit down, eliciting a gasp from you that was somewhere between surprise and almost whining. His tongue followed, soothing the bite, and that’s when your brain shut down and you whimpered, hands slipping into his hair. It was soft, it always was, but this was different, because when you dragged your nails over his scalp, getting stuck in a tangle of his hair he groaned and you swallowed the sound. It sent warmth straight to your stomach. His hands slipped, from cradling your face to cupping the back of your neck, and you welcomed the added pressure, the way he meshed your lips together so desperately. You whimpered again, a little whinier, a little needier, and it was all Hyunjin needed to slip his tongue into your mouth. He tasted like alcohol, but he also tasted like him, and you thought you couldn’t possibly get enough. Hyunjin’s other hand was everywhere at once, running up your legs, scratching your thighs until you were gasping into his kisses. It was messy, your mouth wet and your lips kiss-swollen and you couldn’t stop touching him either, savoring the way the slightest touches made him react.

Leaning back slightly, just enough to catch your breath, another whimper slipped over your lips when you caught his gaze, dark eyes looking into yours so greedily you wanted nothing more than for him to wreck you.

“What are we doing, Hyunjin?” you whispered, and even that seemed inappropriately loud for the eerie silence of the campus road.

“Whatever you want bunny. Whatever makes you feel good, just tell me.”

You closed your eyes, taking a deep breath to gather your thoughts because he had never, never, talked to you like this before and it was causing heat to pool right between your legs. Even just the thought of him fucking you until you couldn’t think straight made you clench around nothing, regretting that he wasn’t doing so already.

“But why are we-?”

He shut you up with another kiss, going straight to sucking on your bottom lip, his tongue adding to the pleasure. Your eyes fluttered shut, questions dying down again. He was moving from your lips to your jaw and then to your neck, leaving a wet trail. He wasn’t even close to leaving a hickey, his bites too soft and too quick, doing nothing but to add to the tingle of anticipation running down your skin. You felt his hands move down your arms, almost hoping they would settle on your ass but he stopped just short of the hem of your shirt, running a fingertip along it until you were shivering. You felt him smile against your skin in between kisses, before his fingers settled on grasping onto the upper edge of your top, slipping down the strap and pulling until it left the soft flesh of your tits exposed. You had half a mind to stop him, thinking your bra would go next, the sheer lace doing very little to cover your hard nipples anyways, but instead he bit down, all softness from earlier gone. You gasped, loud this time, the sound turning into a moan when his lips wrapped around your nipple, sucking hard enough you could feel every movement of his mouth even through the lace. His tongue was swirling around your nipple, causing your breath to become erratic and your hands to clench in his hair, so hard he was groaning against your skin again.

“Hyunjin since when-?” You didn’t need to finish your sentence, but you immediately regretted even attempting to talk when his lips detached from your nipple, the spit-soaked material of your bra a cold contrast in the night air.

“I always tell you how pretty you are.” It wasn’t an explanation by any means but his mouth was still busy ghosting over your skin, his other hand now coming to slip under your bra, fingertip drawing over your nipple so deliciously it almost made you forget the questions you were burning to have answers to.

“You call everyone pretty, so why are we, shit, god you’re good-“ It took a few moments for you to collect yourself again, breath agitated and the heat between your thighs impossible to ignore while Hyunjin’s mouth had settled on your nipple again. His hands had finally dropped to your ass. He was pressing you down on his crotch and you had lost all capability to speak when his hard dick pressed against your wet underwear. Holy fuck, no matter what his motivations were he clearly wanted you right now.

“-why am I dry humping your dick on a park bench, you don’t get hard for all your friends, do you?”

„Nope.“

Again he let the p pop, but this time he accentuated the sound with a lazy grin, because despite your protests you were rolling your hips just the way he wanted you to, grinding yourself on his hard dick. Your underwear was sticking to your center, no doubt covering his pants in your juices already and the thought of it only made you wetter. “Your skirt looked so cute today, I really wanted you to ride me.”

You didn’t deem it necessary to mention that you had worn this skirt many times before and it had not ended up with him telling you he wanted his dick inside you. Not when he was swiping his fingers over your wet panties, groaning at the slickness between your legs. “I wanna go down on you so badly bunny, I’d love to make you cum all over my tongue.”

You could only whimper, no coherent words forming in your mind because he had swiped your slick underwear to the side, his finger now slipping through your wet lips. There was something about the fact that he was still holding onto your ass, pressing you close enough that he could reach your drenched folds from behind that made your head swim with pleasure. He had rushed his kisses before, but he was not rushing this, running his fingers from your clit down to your entrance slowly. He kept spreading you open, making sure to coat his fingers to his knuckles in your wetness. It was lewd, night air kissing your exposed skin while he was brushing his fingers over your slickness until you were shaking from just that.

You dropped your face to the crook of his neck, your moan muffled by his skin when he finally sunk two fingers into you up to his knuckles. He stilled, enjoying the feeling of you clenching around him while your fingernails dug into his skin, surely leaving marks even through his shirt.

When you started grinding your hips slightly, trying to get some friction and fuck yourself on his fingers because he wasn’t moving his other hand came up to your waist, stopping your movement.

“Nuh-uh, I wanna make you feel good, let me do this.”

You could only nod, hoping he could feel the confirmation, accepting that you’d behave if only he would finally do something. You were rewarded with a crook of his fingers you felt right at that sweet spot that had you arch your back.

“Right there, Hyunjin, do that again please.”

“That felt good?” He drawled, purposely crooking his fingers again, harder this time, and your moan was so breathy you felt dizzy. He finally motioned for you to move, lifting your hips so he could slip his fingers out before he fully sank them into you again, repeating the motion until you were bouncing on his lap, skirt bunched in his free hand and hitched up so high there was no way it covered anything. Eyes fluttering open to look at Hyunjin you knew you were right because he was mesmerized by the way your lips swallowed up his fingers, wet sounds every time you lowered yourself down on his hand.

“You’re doing so well, think you can come like that for me bunny?”

“Yes, god- fuck, yes-“

You were a stuttering mess, your words barely intelligible when Hyunjin picked up the pace, pushing his fingers into you at an angle that hit your most sensitive spot every time. It didn’t take long to have you seeing stars, your orgasm a tight curl in your stomach. Pressing his face to your tits again it only took one more harsh suck on your nipple and the knot unfurled, your walls clenching as you came hard on his fingers. Your orgasm was causing your body to be wrecked with shivers, his name falling over your lips like a mantra until your throat felt sore. His fingers were still inside you when you slumped against him, his free hand cradling your head, letting it rest on your shoulder.

“The fuck did we just do, Hyunjin?” You mumbled, uncertainty lacing through your post orgasm haze. You were far from calmed down, body still tingling from head to toes, a shiver running down your spine every time he moved his fingers inside you just the slightest bit, but with it came another realization.

Your crush on Hyunjin wasn’t gone. Possibly had never left, and now that he’d made you come on his fingers it was crashing over you like a tidal wave. You needed this to mean something because if it didn’t you were almost sure there was no way you could get over it.

“I don’t know about you, but fingering you in that cute little skirt was definitely on my bucket list for tonight.”

His words were still slurred. God, how had you managed to completely ignore that slur once he kissed you? He was drunk and you let him finger you in public because he was horny. His god damn bucket list for the night. Were you ranked lower or higher than getting shit faced in a cheap campus bar?

Anger was welling up in your chest - at yourself for being so stupid, for thinking you were over him, and at Hyunjin for making you a drunk fuck and disregarding over two years of friendship.

It wasn’t fair, because it happened, friends casually fucked, and he couldn’t have possibly known it would hurt you. You couldn’t have known either, but now it was too late. The squelching sound resonating in the silence when you lifted yourself off his lap made you cringe and you couldn’t smooth out your skirt and step away fast enough. Your shirt was wet with his spit, and you could feel him all over your body, which only made everything all that much worse.

“So, we’re done here now and that’s that.”

It was supposed to be a question, but even to your ears it sounded more like a statement, and you were almost grateful. A question could’ve meant that you wanted more. You didn’t want him to know before, and he certainly couldn’t know now.

For a short moment Hyunjin was looking at you with an expression you couldn’t decipher before he carelessly wiped his fingers on his pants, completely ignoring the awfully visible tent from his straining dick.

“Want me to walk you home?”

You bit your lip in order to stop yourself from crying out in frustration. Who was this person, and where had your best friend gone? Hyunjin cared, he always did, so could he not tell how you were clearly struggling, how you were barely keeping it together while he completely shut himself off from you emotionally? You would not lose this friendship because of one stupid mistake.

“Yeah, please.”

[omegastation]

Once saw someone describe ME as copaganda and honestly... I feel like that's a 100% accurate statement. It honestly dampens my enjoyment of the saga. Genie is out of the bottle, as they say.

Open contempt for civilian agencies, check. Repeated instances where they present fascism as a Good Thing Actually, check. Cops and military almost unilaterally depicted as correct and just, check. Ones like Harkun are treated as merely bad apples and hand-waved away whereas any and all politicians are treated as incompetent at best or outright corrupt/malevolent at worst. Not to mention the whole thing with Khalisah al-Jilani.

Idk. It all just feels so dim-witted and mean-spirited.

There are a lot of good things that make me love it with all my heart, and things that are not so good. I try to do my best to acknowledge the bad stuff and remain critical. So yeah, I do agree that some elements of the trilogy should be analyzed closely because it's kinda fucked-up.

Genie is out of the bottle, I find that the expression explains a lot. Because Mass Effect is a product of its time and place, and /insert the speech from LOTR/ the world has changed. I don't mean to say that it was never this bad, because I think it was, but we now are getting images, videos and live updates all the time showing us exactly how bad it is. We see so much suffering and injustice. And it's us "outside". Some are inside, and they're the ones showing us how bad it is. So... It's harder to see specific themes, stories and characters that are unchallenged. It's harder to see injustice being portrayed, even if the content doesn't always condone it.

I also think we are more critical in general. We are, unfortunately, used to specific issues so it's easier to recognize when they appear in fiction. I can really see that in the way people talk about specific characters. People idolize less, and I honestly think that's an improvement, because idolatry, at least how I see it, is not about seeing characters or stories as they are, but putting them on a pedestal. Characters are complex and flawed, and that's what makes them interesting. Real growth happens when characters change and adapt and rethink their position. Sometimes it means they have to look inside themselves and see the ugliness, and that means we get to see the ugly too. Not only that, but we can also contemplate what is ugly inside us, and see what we can do to change and grow. But not so long ago, before my hiatus, it was really hard to step away from "this character is a god" or "this character is flawless and if you don't see it you're not a fan" and "no no i can't see this issue at all, doesn't exist, lalalala" talk. Now it's harder for people not to see the issue. But the issue was always there.

You talked about Khalisah. I saw a meme on FB recently that says that if we can't hit someone like Khalisah in the new Mass Effect, we shouldn't bother playing it, which to me is 1. disturbing, 2. missing the fact that wars need journalists and reporters, even someone like Khalisah who is not always playing fair. I don't understand the option to hit her. I've ranted about it enough here. If you don't hit her, you get to encourage her and reassure her. It's obvious she's falling apart and she needs to be reassured. One of my favorite quotes in the game is what Shepard tells her: "Keep asking the hard questions." That's what is needed in a time of war. And sure, this one beautiful interaction and line won't take away the fact that some choices can feel mean-spirited but to me, it means it's not black & white. I see the ugliness, I do, but I also see the beauty.

IDK where I'm going with this. I guess that Mass Effect was never flawless and unproblematic, and in a way, I think it's a good thing that issues are seen and we can have a critical look at the worst parts of the trilogy.

But what is very specific to you, anon, is what you can tolerate, appreciate or enjoy. Some parts of the trilogy make me sad and or angry but it doesn't stop me from really enjoying the whole. If you find that you don't get to enjoy it anymore, because too many elements make it difficult to appreciate and it's now a real dislike, don't forget that you can step away. I'm not telling you that you have to do it. You can do what you want, but don't forget that you don't have to force yourself to love something. It's okay to move away from things because you now find them disappointing.

[once-upon-an-animation]

So I just finished reading Harry Potter for the very first time as an adult (pirated, of course, because screw JK Rowling). And uhh, I have some thoughts!

- I can definitely see how/why people fell in love with this series as children. So many different and interesting characters, Hogwarts seems like such a fun and interesting school, and the magic is essentially limitless, with so many different spell types, branches of magic, magical items, magical creatures, magical environments, so on and so forth. Had I read this series as a child, I could easily see myself becoming obsessed as well.

- I was actually pleasantly surprised with the diversity in these novels? For how discriminatory JK Rowling has demonstrated herself to be, and how long ago these books were written, there was actually quite a few characters of color and characters from foreign countries in there. Now, of course most of these characters were relegated as side characters, and some of their depictions seem kind of…questionable, but yeah, a pleasant surprise.

- I was a Percy Jackson kid growing up, and I’ve commonly seen accusations of Percy Jackson being a HP ripoff. Having read the HP books now in full, I don’t agree with that accusation, but I can kind of see why those comparisons were made. Some of the details in PJO feel eerily similar to certain details HP (alarm bells literally went off in my head when Harry received an invisibility cloak) and Rick also admitted on an FAQ on his blog that he wanted to replicate the likability of HP, so he took inspiration for certain elements from HP. Do with that what you will, I guess 🤷🏾‍♀️

- Continuing with the PJO/HP comparison, I do feel like the worldbuilding in PJO, while smaller, is a lot more solid than HP. I also feel like the child characters in PJO are more likable and relatable. However, there are some things that I think HP does better than PJO. For starters, I think HP does a far superior job of exploring emotions, and handling the emotional complexity and fallout of certain events, especially on the part of the protagonist. Rick’s decision to focus on constant action was a bit of a detriment to Percy’s character, as Percy’s emotional reactions to major events tended to be glossed over and/or made very brief. I’ll never forget in BoTL after the campers witnessed so many of their siblings and friends die in battle…and then everything just ‘went back to normal’, and their grief reactions were practically nonexistent. HP at least had wisdom to actually dwell on certain emotions and let them simmer for some time in the narrative. While I prefer Percy’s personality to Harry’s, I consider Harry to be a better written protagonist, because he actually gets to perform significant emotional reflection and introspection on the things that are happening around him. Harry’s emotions are presented in a far more complex and compelling manner, because of how layered and nuanced they are. I like that Harry had moments where he doubted his best friends. I like that Harry actually had changing love interests over time, and that his desires in a romantic partner evolved and became more mature over time. I like the Harry had a deeper emotional connection to the villain, a connection that he always had to grapple with the implications of. I like that each death was painful to Harry, and we actually got to hear him reflect on what each death meant to him for an extensive period of time. And oh, what a pleasant surprise it was to see Harry doubt Dumbledore in Deathly Hallows, to see Harry have such conflicted feelings about a character who had mostly been presented as being perfect and flawless up until this point. It was extremely sad, but it was very raw, and a far more realistic depiction of the messiness of teen emotions.

- Another thing that I think HP did better than PJO was the use of adult characters. I know that it’s a very intentional point for the demigods to feel neglected and abandoned by their godly parents and to have to suffer through the world alone, but at the same time, PJO makes weak use of both the gods and of mortal parents, and Chiron, as sweet as he is, isn’t exactly a complex character. Not only did HP strike a better balance between child-led adventures and parental involvement, but the adult characters presented to us are just miles more interesting and nuanced than any adult character presented to us in the original PJO series. The adults in HP had such intriguing backstories, secrets, and skeletons in their closets, all of which had a unique impact on the kids. And it’s not like having the adults present weakened the conflict, or downplayed the danger the kids were in.

- I’ve praised HP a lot, but there are some things about it that I also didn’t like. First of all, as a black woman, that slavery plotline with the house elves was absolutely insane to read, especially with the other students treating Hermione like she was nuts for wanting the house elves to gain freedom. On a related note, I also think the tense relationships between wizards and other creatures was underexplored in general. In Deathly Hallows, we clearly see that the discontent of these other creatures leads to some of them siding with Voldemort, but we’re never told what becomes of that or what becomes of the SPEW agenda after Voldemort dies. I’m assuming things didn’t just magically get better, did it?

- Another thing I definitely did not like is Romione being endgame. I am so sorry to the lovers of this ship, but Ron was so disrespectful towards Hermione throughout the series to an extent that I cannot, in good conscience, get on board with. I, for the life of me, cannot understand why Hermione is attracted to him or would want to spend the rest of her life with him, and she deserves so much better! In my world, she would have ended up with Krum or Neville, or just literally anyone else other than Ron.

- Harry and Ginny are more tolerable to me as an endgame couple, but I just wish that Ginny had a stronger presence in the story and/or more character development. Additionally, a small part of me feels like Harry had a stronger relationship with Luna than Ginny; Luna seemed to understand him even better. I almost feel like Harry and Luna would have made a stronger pair.

- As mentioned earlier, one aspect of HP that I had trouble with was worldbuilding. There are too many aspects of it to go over all my feelings in detail, but generally, I think that the books often fell prey to lots of lore-dumping (especially at the end of the novels when it was time to unveil the secrets and mysteries). I also think that because of how limitless the magic is, there were so many Deus-ex-machina moments that didn’t feel like they got the best set-up or foreshadowing. Along that same vein, I also feel like the magic is kind of ill-defined. Now, I understand that HP utilizes a very soft magic system in which the rules are pretty limited, but it’s hard to get a sense of where the magic starts and stops. As a result, if feels like the characters are so conveniently able to solve certain conflicts because a new magic object or concept can pop up whenever they need it.

I have a lot more thoughts than this, but this post is already long enough, and the rest of my thoughts are really just minor nitpicks. And again, please keep in mind that my first time reading this series was as an adult. I don’t have the same nostalgia or attachment for it that long-time fans would.

Anyhow, I’m off to watch the movies, and I’ll be continuing to read other childhood series that I never got a chance to enjoy. Next up: Artemis Fowl, and His Dark Materials!

[realchemistry]

Everything that went right and wrong with 9-1-1 season 7 (according to me, duh!)

Let me start by saying that I enjoyed the season a lot, but that doesn't mean that it was flawless and I thought the finale didn't deliver. So, this is me pointing out what I did and didn't like and why, and how I wish it'd happened instead.

Also: it's a short and somewhat rushed season due to the writers' strike, this I know. You know who else knew? TPTB. So, nope, it’s not a valid excuse for any of its shortcomings. If they tried to bite off more than they could chew, that's on them.

Everyone knows that having a three-episode arc for the honeymoon was a bad choice, it was clear because the episodes dragged due to it and the Bathena drama made no sense. Let's say they had to keep up with the tradition and that it's a huge budget deal to build those sets so they had to milk them for all they were worth. Fine. It could've still been made more interesting, but wrong choices were made. I didn't appreciate the whole pirates taking over thing, and the season ended with the cartel, which... why do you want to have POCs being the bad guys so badly?

So, let's go by the assumption that having a three episode arc for Bathena's honeymoon was the only choice possible, fine... but didn't Madney deserve a lot of attention as well considering they got freaking married? Why was that not a two-parter? Why not have a first part with cases and some fun bachelor/bachelorette shenanigans, and have Chim disappearing be the cliffhanger? Why not dedicate a big chunk of the second part to that, like they did, and then actually give the wedding some breathing room? Sure, it mirrored their kiss after the whole Doug debacle but these are two main characters who got married. It's a drama show but the drama gets old if there are no bright moments in between.

The inclusion of Amir was interesting because of what it brought up in Bobby. Plus, the actor was clearly great and he was such a big deal that he, well, he was given A LOT of screentime. This made me mad because the show, as previously mentioned, was short on time as it was. Having a new character come in and have such a huge role would make sense if we were talking about a full season. As it was, his presence meant that some of our regulars were pushed to the background. Their storylines suffered for it, and while the show usually does this, it's sorta okay when screentime is divvied up between the regular cast. When it's an outsider... well, I have some issues with that. Like, we literally know more about Amir than we do about Ravi at this point. Also: Amir was clearly an amazing person and he was wronged time and time again. Athena got to play solo-cop as it's her thing, and we're supposed to think she was being heroic instead of downright wrong and abusing her power? If I were Amir, I'd sue her and I'd burn their house down for real (not really, but you know what I mean). They put this man through hell. Sure, Bobby saved him... which felt such a white savior redemption thing. And I know the show and the character said otherwise, but it still felt awful and then it just got worse. In any case, they could’ve made this story play out with more nuances instead of devoting so much of a short season to it to the detriment of our stable cast. 

Buck had an amazing start of the season, finding himself and his truth and sharing it with his family. The fact that they had him entering the dating scene with a character like T*mmy... I didn't like that. Any random person would've been better. But, also, I don't wanna be that person but this is my blog so I'm gonna be: Oliver clearly hasn't been enjoying the latest interactions between these characters to the point where their scenes, few as they are, are actually hard to watch. The last one was literally the most cringe inducing moment of TV I've ever witnessed. Instead of Buck exploring himself, we have him reacting to the odd, negative and out of place comments that T*mmy keeps throwing his way. It's just weird and not at all the happy story Oliver was hoping for, so I get him. I hope this gets better next season, with BT being bones and Buck being able to thrive instead of falling back into a revamped awful dating life.

On the other hand, this season was the Buddiest of them all. Well, I mean, it had the most hints of it actually happening at some point. When Buck talked about there being underlying sexual tension in the premiere, it was just ashslgjñhjsdñgjsñdg. They were comparing Chris's interactions with girl friends and boy friends but we all know that wasn't all that was. We had Eddie talking about how much growth Buck had done from being a playboy, which funnily enough he never got to meet, to the person he's today. Another great indicator were the whole 100th/101st episodes, with Buck clearly wanting to get Eddie's attention due to jealousy, which everybody could see, and the ~reveal that the episode was from Buck’s POV which was also incredible because that man is so in love it’s just insane. But, even most importantly maybe, was Maddie's scene with Buck... It was a mirror of her calling him out on his guy crush on Eddie from season 2, with the circled with a heart around it, but the next episode it got real. To me, her words and her face spoke volumes: first she couldn’t believe Buck was with Eddie’s friend, then she told him he might not be sure of his own feelings and finally that if there’s something he needs to tell Eddie, he will, just in his own time. That was NOT about Buck being bisexual, it was Maddie reading right what Buck was reading wrong: how Buck had been jealous because of the way he feels about Eddie and how he was putting his feelings for Eddie into somebody else. Someone safe for the time being, all things considered. That's a thread waiting to be pulled when the right time comes if I ever saw one! I've been giddy just thinking about it ever since, tbh. We also had a Buddie scene in pretty much every episode, and I absolutely adored them in the bachelor party because they were so in sync, as they were all season long actually. The parallel of Eddie asking for Buck’s help at the end was nice as just that, but the story... I’ll rant about it later. I love that Oliver has been pushing the Buddie agenda harder than ever, so I'm hoping he's talking Ryan's ear off about it and that they'll demand it from Tim soon enough.

Onto Eddie, the problem with the whole Kim thing actually starts because they killed Shannon in the first place. They should've never done that, I've always thought this way. She was a great character and seeing Eddie co-parent with his ex would've been great storytelling, he could've still had a breakdown due to divorcing her or even her dating again or whatever. Besides the insanity of Kim going back to his house after learning the truth, the fact that Eddie broke down and caved in was understandable. I actually thought that was pretty well done. The problem was all that followed. We don't care about Marisol because the show never made us care about her, so her part in all of this is completely irrelevant.

As for Chris, I honestly have SO many issues with his reaction. Him being confused would only be right, but being that mad with Eddie? I honestly feel like I'm missing something because the two of them have developed such a strong relationship that it feels like Chris's reaction was totally OOC. Why wouldn't Chris want to know Eddie's side of the story? Why would he want to leave his dad and his house? Why would he want to leave the state? Why would he want to go live with his grandparents? Sure, he has a good relationship with them at this point, but we can only gather that by... imagining it, for the most part. How long since they been around? Why not mention that they were visiting or that Chris was with them when he was away to set the stage? It honestly feels like it was all improvised and they wanted to leave Eddie without Chris and this was all they could come up with. There were other ways that could've actually made more sense to get to this place, but they chose to do it in a way that's both hurtful to the characters and to their progression throughout the seasons. Make it make sense!!! There's also the fact that the finale script was all written under the assumption that Eddie and Kim were kissing when Chris showed up. That didn't actually make the cut. This is clearly a consequence of rushed scripts and filming schedules, and while we can interpret every scene saying they kissed as an exaggeration or simply a wrong interpretation of the situation, it actually made me very mad. Having characters rehash what happened the episode before so the people who missed it can catch up is normal but I hate it with my whole heart. Those people can go to hell, but if they're gonna spend time of the finale doing that, the least they could do is make the facts fact. Sure, Eddie was going insane and he said it was hard to explain but everyone in-show very much believed that Eddie kissed Kim. This is upsetting because of the exact reason why that kiss was cut, as said by Ryan in an interview this week.

On top of this, Chris is 13 years old. Eddie letting him go is not it. Eddie has every right to tell him he's staying whether he likes it or not because he's his father and he gets to decide where he lives. The show tried to make the whole thing come out as noble but I thought it was bullshit. From what we know about Eddie, he wouldn't just let him go: he would either tell Chris to stay put or go with him. The fact that, again, they clearly wanted to have Eddie alone for whatever reason, and they couldn't find a better way to pull it off... that's just bad on TPTB's part.

Hen and Karen were put through hell once more for no reason. Why can't the big obstacle for them be simply getting through Mara? Why do they have to get to a good place only for it to be ripped away? Don't say it's drama tv, I don't care, people on screen deserve happiness, damn it! They most of all, tbh, and the fact that Denny was so upset just made it 5464641636469 worse. Then we had Madney helping out, which was lovely but completely unrealistic from a legal pov and also... why can't HenRen just get what they want without a het couple's intervention? So Ortiz has enough power to get Mara away from them but she didn't know that the people wanting to foster her were part of the 118 even though she had something to do with Gerrard being reinstated? I know this is what Tim implied on his socials to explain why someone as shitty as Gerrard would be taken back by the firehouse... which, I don't know if that even makes sense? Does she have the kind of power to do any of this?

A lot of questions now:

Why was a random woman given so many precious minutes of the finale just so Athena could have a car to go after an innocent man? Why does she keep getting away with asking for personal favors, recklessly involving Maddie too? Why wouldn't the editor of the episode give us a frame at least of Buddie by Bobbie's hospital bed? This made me particularly mad because it actually looked like Oliver and Ryan were not there filming (though we knew they were), and that's why they kept showing their backs. Maybe they had lines, maybe not, but a few seconds while Chim, Hen and Maddie talked would've been nice... since it clearly seemed like nobody was particularly perturbed by Bobbie's state. I'm sorry but I can't fear for his life when his wife is away trying to get revenge and his team are just... there. Also, why are him, Athena, the aforementioned neighbor and Amir allowed to just walk into a house that suffered that much fire damage? Wouldn't the structure be compromised? Plus, Athena and Bobbie kinda were awful to Amir, first killing his wife and then accusing him and all, so why would he want to talk about anything with Bobbie, nevermind say he's earned his family? He was wronged so badly, he didn't owe them a thing, it's honestly ridiculous. Then Bobby came back so fast... but he had quit before and forgot about it? The Gerrard reveal was actually not something I hated because I love a good shake up. I bet he'll last three episodes at most. We know this isn't gonna be good exactly, and it makes zero sense, but a change in dynamics is always refreshing and could put some things into perspective. I hated when Buddie weren't partnered, but I ADORED the way Hen was weirded the fuck out by the closeness she is not used to having with Chim while on the field, so I can't wait for some of it.

Things I wanna see:

More May, more Ravi, Eddie’s sisters. More Buddie. No dating people to fill up time for either of them. Eddie’s gay/demi awakening (I swear, if this is not where his story is going, it will all feel like such a waste, much like during his previous breakdown). Chris and Mara going back home soon. Gerrard and Ortiz getting what they deserve.

This is so long it's insane, if you've read it, I thank you. If I think of anything I forgot, I'll add it later. If you have anything to contribute, please do. I'm around and I'd love to discuss this show and all its intricacies.

[moltensmusings]

I have a question about your RWBY au: how would you handle teams facing consequences when making a big decision that backfires?

My problem with RWBY is that despite making choices that should had have consequences (telling government secrets to Robyn hill, pointing a gun at Whitney, agrus incident etc) the characters instead get rewarded for their actions.

What will you do differently?

I apologize because this got long and maybe veered a bit from the original question but here we go.

For a TL;DR: we need better world building, more apparent character flaws the narrative actively calls out, and villains to be dangerous

I think the main issue with why RWBY never had proper consequences, is that it largely operated (and still somewhat does) on rule of cool. Characters are powerful when the plot demands it in ways that kind of make the stakes feel nonexistent.

To properly implement consequences for characters we need to know what their flaws are and what they could get as punishment if those flaws aren't handled.

Our characters have some referenced flaws, but often times their flaws either never get checked because the writers don't view them as flaws needing to be fixed, or they're excused in canon. Bad things don't happen to them mainly because they mess up, they happen because bad people do bad things.

While pyrrha is the character I'm most annoyed about with the lack of depth, all of them are written to be cool and kind of flawless. So first step is I'd set up clear flaws from volume 1 and have them face consequences that will carry over long term. Here are some examples.

Ruby: For Ruby I feel like she tends to focus on handling things herself. She's incredibly self reliant to the point that she makes a lot of choices to do things solo that ultimately could get her killed. But the writers never go that far. She faces off against Cinder twice and leaves unscathed, if we're going to have her track Cinder to the tower, Ruby needs to leave wounded. Allowed to live because Cinder let her. Give her a scar that remains on her for the rest of the series. Maybe it's normally covered but it's a reminder of the dangers she faces. And even then we don't have to have her learn her lesson yet.

Yang is one where her consequences will effect the Atlas arc. Because I want her semblance to make her black out when she rages. Something she never focused on fixing because normally she could direct it before she blacks out so that the only person hurt is the one who caused the rage. Her teachers keep warning her of the damage she does to the area around her and how her black outs get longer the angrier she is. But she kind of waves it off because she's had this semblance for years and she knows how to deal with it.

However during the vytal festival when there are several competitions between schools and we build up a rivalry between team villain and team rwby we see her anger boiling. She's containing it and does a good job for a while, but the Mercury fight is the last straw. When she attacks Mercury its not just that she hits him once, in fact the villains new her rage made her black out and expected her to hit once. She downs him bad. She has to be restrained and the entire of remnant bears witness to her building rage culminating in her pummeling a kid from a different school. And when she attacks Adam that's once more her lashing out before thinking leading to her arm loss. When she travels she's met with wariness and fear because people know her as the girl that destroys.

Her six month hiatus is not just full of her wallowing over her arm, but angry over everything and raging out sporadically. I'd honestly give taiyang the same semblance as her being the one to help her train to properly control it. But the shadow of her actions won't disappear and people will try to exploit that weakness if she doesn't curb it.

For Blake it would be her being a traitor and running. RWY need their trust regained by her that she'll have to actively work towards doing so but it won't just be them. In Atlas Ironwood knows her past because he would've run checks on any people if interest and found her connection to Adam who was one of the people leading the attack on Beacon and subsequently also was the leader of a group that attacked Argus. Finding out she was a loyal follower of him almost her entire life means that she isn't let into the inner circle and in fact spends most of her stay in Atlas monitored and on probation. The group vouches for her but that can only pacify someone like Ironwood slightly.

For Weiss I'd have her actually be very loyal to authority figures in a way that often causes arguments between her team and her. In Atlas it would cause a major fight because if Yang were to spill secrets to Robyn, Weiss would probably avoid speaking to her for a decent amount of time. I think by that point she'd not outright tell Ironwood herself, but she would be furious at the disrespect. It would mean that more often than not, she's causing unnecessary disagreements in the group but it would also mean that she knows best how to handle people in places like Atlas.

Largely I'd just have a big focus on how dumb choices they make effect their relationships with people outside of the core group. Revealing secret information leads to Penny becoming very disappointed in them and a slight breakdown in the friendship. Potientially if Yang did it without talking to the others it now means Yang gets into a verbal fighting match with the rest of the gang because everything starts to go wrong.

Going off to fight things alone or not properly training means you get into situations that could maim or kill you. Trusting anyone too easily can result in someone dangerous entering your group with the intent to cause harm.

In general I'd really just focus on building flaws, turning down power levels at the start, and making the world and villains more dangerous. Also I think making each kingdom distinctly different in its politics and government could've helped make it so that the group trying to approach all situations the same backfires a lot. It's something I'd have to rewatch the show for to list specific instances of things I'd make consequences for but those are my current notes.

[archiveikemen]

Xeno Main Story: Chapter 4

This is a fan-made translation solely for entertainment purposes with no guaranteed perfection; expect mistakes, grammatical errors, and some creative liberties. All original content and media used belongs to Cybird. Please support the game by buying their stories and playing their games. Reblogs appreciated.

Read this before interacting

Xeno-san’s stern face came closer and closer, until it was right in front of my face. 

Rina: Eh…? 

Unable to peel my eyes off him, I could only stare… 

The overly unrealistic situation wasn’t clicking in my head, and then—

Xeno: … You haven’t been sleeping much, have you?

Rina: !

(He’s right, I’ve been too busy lately and had trouble sleeping.) 

Xeno: You have dark eye circles too, and your fainting spell just now must’ve also been due to lack of sleep. This shows that you’re not managing your health well. 

Feeling the warmth of Xeno-san’s embrace was only momentary as he immediately let go. 

Rina: I’m sorry… I’ve been a little busier lately. I took some work home to complete and didn’t have much time to sleep. 

Xeno: That can’t be an excuse for making mistakes in your work. 

Rina: … Got it.

His cold words felt like a stab at my heart. It hurt because I knew he was right. 

(It’s indeed as he says. I could’ve made an even worse mistake…) 

I shrunk apologetically. 

… However, Xeno-san’s following words shocked me. 

Xeno: Sometimes, getting some sleep and proper rest is part of work. 

Rina: Eh!? 

Xeno: What? Did I say something weird? 

Rina: N-no. 

I made a messy attempt at explaining my reaction to him.

Rina: I was just surprised that you would think that way. 

Rina: I’ve always thought you were the kind of person to not rest at all. 

Xeno: Unlike you, my performance never gets affected by my lack of rest. 

He answered matter of factly. 

(What? I can’t believe someone who gets absolutely zero rest exists.) 

… Even so, Xeno-san’s words sounded highly convincing. 

(Despite always dealing with such hectic work, this man was flawless at all times. I’ve never seen him look tired.) 

Xeno: If you’re going to do something, don’t presume upon others. I don’t tolerate any half-baked work. 

His harsh words went straight to my heart, but that was because he was the hardest on himself. 

… Once I thought of it that way, I found myself able to accept them. 

Rina: … I apologise for letting you witness this pathetic sight of me. I’ll bear that in mind. 

(I should try even harder. I’ll think of how to manage my time, and do my best to avoid exhaustion…) 

Rina: I’ll be more diligent in order for my work to meet your standards, Xeno-san!

Xeno: … Oh really?

Xeno-san looked slightly surprised. 

Xeno: I expected you to start wailing and complaining… well, words are pointless if you don’t have even that much resolve. 

Xeno: Be more mindful of managing your health from now on. 

Rina: Okay!

Xeno: … By the way, do you still have work from your company to complete today?

Rina: Eh? Yeah, a little bit.

Xeno: Then this is enough for today. Go back to your room. 

Rina: Ah… 

I was chased out of his room before I could respond.

…

(I failed again…) 

I felt dejected by how much of a good-for-nothing I was. 

(But as Xeno-san said just now, I can only work harder. Anyway, I should finish all my leftover work for today.) 

I recalled what happened earlier while I spread my work out on my desk. 

(When I was kicked out of the room, I didn’t get the chilly feeling I usually do.) 

And those arms that held me… they had an inexplicable feeling of gentleness. 

(Back when we first met, he also caught me mid-fall.) 

Xeno-san’s attitude and speech were always cold and unfeeling, but I sometimes feel warmth coming from him. 

(His character is so hard to grasp…)  

(If he were truly a cold person, wouldn’t he have let me fall instead?) 

(Or am I the only one who thinks that?) 

“I want to know more about Xeno-san” — such feelings started sprouting in my heart. 

…

On Saturday—

I was in a corner of a glamorous event venue filled with a bustling crowd of people. 

= Flashback Start = 

Sakura: Kawanaga-chan, today’s event is your first job at the main office. Since it’s your first time, the most important thing is for you to watch and learn. 

Rina: Got it! Please guide me well. 

Sakura: This is very sudden, but get ready to leave now! exe Creed’s attending an event today. 

= Flashback End =

(I didn’t expect the event in question to be the Japan premiere of “Strange Game”!) 

“Strange Game” was a super popular foreign drama series. 

I heard on my first day at the condominium that exe Creed were the singers for its theme song. 

(What an amazingly large scale event! As expected of a drama series with a production budget larger than that of a movie.) 

From the moment we arrived at the venue, the members got busy preparing for the event and I lost track of where they went. 

= Flashback Start =

Sakura: You can go ahead and have a look around nearby. 

= Flashback End = 

(… Although that’s what I was told, opportunities like this are rare. I should take the chance to make some notes for my presentation.) 

I stood in a corner waiting for the event to start while keeping that thought in mind…

(I’m feeling out of place with the event’s atmosphere…) 

…

Not long after, the event started.

Journalists and fans who won tickets crowded along the venue’s red carpet. 

(Oh, that’s Director Smith!) 

The director of the series was the first to make an appearance on the red carpet, he was a big name in the film industry. 

(The main cast are here too!) 

Amidst the thunderous applause, camera flashes going off and people walking by like characters in a Hollywood movie, the next guests to appear were…

Female Fan 1: Oh! Isn’t that exe Creed!? In the flesh!?

Female Fan 2: No way, could it be that exe Creed sang the theme song!? 

Female Fan 3: You must be kidding me! This is the BEST! 

Loud cheers erupted through the venue the moment exe Creed came out. 

(A-amazing…!) 

Information about exe Creed being the singers for the theme song was intentionally kept a secret from the general public as a surprise.

The cheers for them were even louder than for the actors. Especially for…

Female Fan 1: Xeno~! Look this way! 

Female Fan 2: AHH—! HE’S SO HANDSOME! 

Xeno: … 

(It seems that the loudest cheers are for Xeno-san. He’s very calm about it, though…) 

The members looked dignified as they stood on the red carpet, basking in the dazzling camera flashes. 

(I thought I already knew this, but they’re seriously mega superstars…)

For the sake of fulfilling my dream, I had to successfully convince those impressive people to accept my proposal. 

Rina: *sigh*… 

I couldn’t help but sigh.

Enveloped in the passionate cheers, the event and my first day of work at the main office came to an end. 

…

… The next day. I got dressed and went to the living room. 

(Looks like everyone’s here… hm? Why does something feel off?) 

Sakura: Know your limits, Xeno. 

Xeno: This is not a joke. I refuse. 

The other members were watching from the sidelines as Sakura-san and Xeno-san argued.

Rina: What’s going on? 

Hugh: Xeno and Sakura-san… they’re fighting. 

Ivy: Not really fighting, just a little bit of a tricky situation. We’re discussing what to do about it. 

Jace: We attended the event for “Strange Game” yesterday, didn’t we? 

Jace: Director Smith is inviting some of the event’s guests for a party today. 

Rina: Is that so? 

(But what does that have to do with Xeno-san?) 

Finn: The invitation received this morning states that Xeno’s attendance is requested and he has to show up no matter what. 

Rina: Oh! 

Yesterday, the director seemingly invited all members of exe Creed to the party. 

Sakura: We turned the invitation down due to scheduling conflicts, but… 

This morning, another invitation was received and it stated that Xeno-san’s attendance was compulsory at all costs. 

Rina: That’s… 

exe Creed’s schedule was planned all the way down to the minute; how could they possibly have the time to attend last minute events? 

Rina: Um, can’t we turn it down again? I think it’s too unrealistic to expect such a last minute invitation to be accepted. 

Xeno: I think so too. I could attend if the invitation was formally offered a few months in advance… this unreasonable request won’t be accepted. . 

Sakura: I was shocked too, but Director Smith is known for his carefree personality. 

Xeno: So what? Does that mean he can force me to attend when I clearly can’t? Today’s recording and filming will go on till night time too. 

Rina: Xeno-san…

As usual, Xeno-san took his work very seriously and his work arrangements were always perfect.

He must be feeling frustrated because his plans were messed up. 

(The request was impossible to begin with. How could they request a super idol’s presence at the very last minute?) 

Sakura: No, you have to attend.

Sakura-san declared firmly. 

Sakura: The rest of you guys get it, don’t you? Our company was only founded 5 years ago, we don’t have much of a history and are very different from large entertainment companies.

exe Creed’s entertainment company, “Aerolight Productions”, was founded by Sakura-san. 

Sakura: As a new company with no backup force, the slightest slip-up could put us at risk of being crushed. 

Sakura: We must be cautious when dealing with prominent figures like Director Smith. 

I was told that the director’s daughter was a big fan of exe Creed and especially Xeno-san. 

Seeing how passionate his daughter was about them, the director himself got interested in exe Creed and invited them to be the singers for the theme song after finding out their level of global influence. 

Rina: And so he invited Xeno-san to his party? 

Sakura: Exactly. Even though there’s no boundary between professional and personal matters here, the other party is a big shot after all. 

Sakura: We’re in trouble if we upset him, that’s why we can’t turn down the invitation. You understand this too, right? 

Xeno: … [upset]

Sakura: Today’s schedule has been changed. The other members will handle the work, so you absolutely have to attend the party. 

Sakura: This is an order from your producer and company president. 

Xeno: … [still upset]

Rina: Um… Xeno-san, I understand that you feel this is unacceptable. 

Rina: But why not take it as a last minute gig, then get over it and be done with it? 

Rina: Rejecting an unreasonable director like this one could potentially affect your career… 

Xeno-san looked displeased, but eventually… 

Xeno: … Fine. 

Xeno: … This doesn’t mean I tolerate such things. I’m only agreeing to this one event to avoid potential issues that may arise because this particular director indeed has the power to negatively affect our careers. 

Sakura: Thanks, Xeno. Sorry, but we’ll be counting on you..

Ivy: Leave the work here to us. 

Hugh: I will… fill in for your part of the dance.

Xeno-san nodded and the tension in the room slightly loosened up. 

Sakura: Still, we can’t let Xeno be the only one attending. … Kawanaga-chan. 

Rina: What is it? 

Sakura: You’ll attend the party with Xeno. 

Rina: Eh!? 

Xeno: Why would this girl…

Sakura: The other staff members are busy helping out with exe Creed and Gem Cuddle’s work. 

Finn: I mean, this girl is a staff member from the main office.

Sakura: Artists can’t attend public events alone. An accompanying staff member must be present at all times. 

Xeno: … [shocked]

Jace: Hehh, in other words, Aegis-chan will be Xeno’s partner. 

Rina: T-the responsibility’s too heavy! 

Xeno: Are you running away from it, Aegis? 

Xeno-san fixed his eyes on me.

Xeno: It was your idea for me to accept the invitation as a last minute gig, so you’d better be prepared for the worst. 

Rina: …!

(He’s right. How could I chicken out when I was the one who said that to Xeno-san…) 

After a lot of hesitation… I nodded. 

Rina: … I understand. I’ll do my best. 

Xeno: Don’t just do your best, do it perfectly. 

Rina: Got it! 

(Ugh, I have to do a good job…!) 

Sakura: Now that it’s been decided, Kawanaga-chan should get ready too. Do you have clothes suitable for parties? 

Rina: I- I don’t. 

Sakura: Then it’s time to go shopping.

Sakura: Here, take the card. Go buy yourself something gorgeous and cute. 

Xeno: You know what to buy, don’t you, Aegis? Don’t wear anything strange. Choose something suitable for attending parties. 

Rina: I- I do know. I’ll get going! 

(Will I be able to do well as Xeno-san’s escort?) 

(I feel anxious… but I have to do it! Let’s settle the clothes shopping first!) 

[imagined-by-simp]

"Obey me!" characters and their Hogwarts House - Part 1 of 3

(Contains: Lucifer, Mammon, Leviathan and Satan)

As you may know, the thing with the selection of your house goes beyond your personality: they look for your core values. That's the whole reason why Hermione was a Gryffindor even as she is a nerd, and the reason Harry could be a Slytherin. So that was also my process for choosing each of their houses:

Yeah, hot take: Lucifer is a Hufflepuff.

LUCIFER - HUFFLEPUFF

Ok, hear me out before screaming about him being Slytherin!

The core values of Hufflepuff are: Loyalty, patience, hard work, and fair play.

The only thing that is above his pride (as a demon, because that's his sin and he was shaped after it), is his loyalty to his family. He said so after falling and giving his loyalty to Diavolo: anything for his family, even if that breaks him in the process.

He also praises MC when they work hard and he is a workaholic. Another thing that can break his walls of pride is his loyalty to Diavolo and MC... because those things mean more to him than his own sin.

He is incredibly tolerant and has great patience with his brothers, MC, Diavolo, and Barbatos. He also tries to play fair (although his fairness is more into the eye-for-an-eye).

He can also be incredibly dependent on his brothers, even if he tries hard to be independent. He just can't see a life without them (to the point that when they are looking for Thirteen it's implied that he was tempted hearing MC and his brothers' voice. He is the only one, along Mammon, that is tempted with MC).

Is also pretty clear he is not driven by ambition or seek of power. If he tries to be flawless and be powerful is because he thinks it is the best way to protect his brothers, not for his own desire. In fact, it's quite clear in some chapters that he does get tired of that facade. So yeah, he can't be Slytherin at the core.

MAMMON - GRYFFINDOR

The core values of Gryffindor are: Bravery, helping others, and chivalry.

Mammon gives everything he has to help others, even if it's not his family or friends: a child with the witches, a puppy he found, MC when they were new in the Devildom, and he is the whole reason why his brothers and himself are the seven lords of the Devildom. He was even tempted by the grim reapers' house by hearing MC's voice and go with them.

Even if he has wishes, he can be really unselfish and put his wishes under the ones of others. Buy MC things even if he wanted to buy something for himself? Yup, he does that a lot.

He also is very brave, he was the one who stood up against Lucifer, Diavolo, and even God (he was the second hand of Lucifer for a reason). He is so brave that he can watch horror movies even if he becomes a baby and he wishes to fight his inner fears for the sake of others.

LEVIATHAN - HUFFLEPUFF

The core values of Hufflepuff are: Loyalty, patience, hard work, and fair play.

Levithan has as the top priority the concept of friendship and the loyalty towards it.

Even if he doesn't have a lot of "I care for them" in his list, when you are in it, it's hard to be out of it.

He also accepts challenges if he feels like it would be a fair one and he actually accepted the end of that test with MC in the first season. That was what it was, even if he didn't like it.

He puts a lot of effort into his cosplays and games and he is really grateful when someone tries hard for him, too.

SATAN - RAVENCLAW

The core values of Ravenclaw are: Intelligence, creativity, knowledge, planning ahead, and wit. 

Satan is all about looking for knowledge (because he is traumatized lmao). He has books and spells for almost everything and he actually seeks who he is beyond his sin and the wrath of Lucifer.

He thinks the best way to resolve any conflict is to think of ways to prevent them and if they are happening, look for solutions on knowledge.

He also loves to play with ideas and schemes, even if he ends up not doing them.

He seems to really look down on people who aren't interested in learning and growing. He thinks of Lucifer as stubborn and way too must-do-it-in-this-way and that makes him angry, but he can give him his respects when Lucifer does something clever. He respects his brothers when they are creative or witty, and that's one of the reasons why he liked Belphie from the very beginning.

[allgirlsareprincesses]

What did you think about fourth wing??? I'm dying to know. There isn't enough hate (coherent analysis) about these US Air Force Propaganda books. Please share your thoughts ☕ if you feel like it of course. I just really love reading your analysis about character building and romance 💋

HOOBOY. Brace yourself for the negativity. And for those of you who enjoyed Fourth Wing, turn back now and preserve your peace!

Firstly, I lowered my expectations going into this book. Not so much because I thought it would be bad, or I wouldn't have bothered, but because I've been burned before (I liked ACOTAR but hated ACOMAF and quit it about 3/4 the way through... I try to keep my negativity to a minimum but maybe some day I should post my full rant on that series, too). For the most part, I can be satisfied with a proactive heroine and a brisk pace.

And for the first half of the book or so, that's what I got. I liked Violet and the way she used her wits and studies to overcome obstacles, and I was charmed by her friends and dragons. Xaden struck me as kind of a cookie-cutter Sexy Emo Bad Boy, but that's okay. As long as Violet was having a fun adventure, she could have a steamy romance with the tattooed hottie, too. Dain sucked, but to his credit, at least he was written as sucking from the jump instead of like Tamlin who was character assassinated in the second book...

But then, once Xaden decided that he needed to personally oversee Violet's protection instead of just Liam, I started to notice that our heroine had stopped driving the action. Suddenly, she was reacting to things that happened instead of making plans and following through. She stopped using her wits and her book knowledge, she didn't pursue the obvious mysteries that should have intrigued her, and she just generally retreated into more of a helpless damsel than she had started. And here was Xaden, being JUST as controlling and protective as Dain, but because he's sexy and has a magical justification for his protectiveness, he gets a pass.

And then the worst part. It's revealed that Xaden's not ACTUALLY a bad boy at all. In reality, he's secretly noble and generous and self-sacrificial. Just like Rhys, this guy with the Dark Prince aesthetic is actually secretly perfect, and he's also been obsessed with the heroine since he first met her. So there's not REALLY any way for him to grow or any conflict for him to overcome, because he's already this perfect, flawless, blameless hero. And Violet doesn't figure out his secret on her own through clever sleuthing, doesn't defy expectations to do something no one else will do, she just discovers Xaden's noble crusade and decides to go along with it. Because why wouldn't she? He's already done all the hard moral work (or so we're told) of risking everything for an enemy. Now she just gets to go into battle and nearly die so that Xaden can have Man Pain.

It was just deja vu. Once again, a proactive heroine became passive when confronted with the perfect sexy man with the bad boy aesthetic. So BORING.

And lest you think I'm being too critical, I want to point out a variation on this story that I actually love: The Folk of the Air series, by Holly Black. In that story, Jude is similarly a proactive heroine who meets a sexy bad boy, but there are two key differences in her story: one is that she never STOPS being proactive. Take a look at all of the major plot points in that trilogy: nearly all of them are created by Jude herself, and frequently when she's taking action in opposition to what other characters (even allies) want. Jude makes plans, she follows through, she takes risks, she defies convention. The other major difference is that Carden is ACTUALLY a bad boy at the start of his story. He's a selfish, vindictive brat, and it takes him a long time to grow to a place of maturity (at which point he's still not perfect, but he's better). So he doesn't just have the Dark Prince aesthetic while being secretly perfect - he's actually a real antagonist to Jude, which makes their story much more compelling.

So yeah, those are my thoughts. Hope you enjoyed this rant.

[anti-dazai-blog]

y'know, it's kinda ridiculous that dazai eventually won without much difficulty. in recent chapters of the manga, we witnessed for the first time that dazai was struggling so hard, which showed him less omnipotent than he was, and more human at the same time. but it turns out that he was making a fool out of fyodor all along!!!! he lost to the power of alliance!!!! ...excuse me? then what was meursault arc all for?

i love bsd, but there are too many things that annoy me, and the flaws of the series are rarely talked about. so im reaaally happy to see you criticizing the series. i love your blog sm, please never stop posting!! 💕

YES EXACTLY!!

Dazai’s omniscience does NOT help humanize him. All that it does is give him more accountability in everything that happens. He doesn’t get the luxury of pleading ignorance because at this point, the story has made that no longer believable. 

No matter what, Dazai knows everything all the time, doesn’t make mistakes in his plans and strategies, and is capable of anything. If this is the case, which I said it was semi-jokingly in the early days of this blog, he really can be held accountable for pretty much anything and everything happening. Which I’d really rather wasn’t the case.

One of the main themes of bsd is humanity. No one’s special or perfect, everyone’s a human being trying their best to get by. The Meursault arc did a pretty decent job of humanizing both Dazai and Fyodor, two characters who were previously shown as (intellectually) flawless, by having them struggle in their battle of wits against each other. Having both of them mess up or miscalculate in some way made them seem like real people and not just two algorithms playing chess. 

Having Dazai reveal in this final episode that he knew everything all along, everything went according to his plan, and there was never any challenge to begin with entirely defeats the purpose of the arc. What are we supposed to take away from this? That Dazai automatically wins any fight because he’s Dazai? That removes all stakes. 

Why continue watching a show if you’ve already been told that one specific character will always win—and not only that, but it won’t even be a struggle for him to get there, because he knows everything about everything all the time. 

I really, really hope that this was an anime-only ending. Asagiri can still fix this. Admittedly, bungo stray dogs has always been character-focused rather than plot-focused, so while I trust Asagiri to handle the characters better than this, I’m not really sure what to expect plot-wise. But I’m gonna hope for the best.

[localsimp4moms]

Yandere Fairy tale JJBA x Reader AU Concept

ome mindless idea I came up with that probably isn't that original. However I may as well post it lol

But imagen a fairytale where Y/N takes on the role of a young herbalist who runs into a range of troubled individuals whom they chose to take care of. However, in the world of magic and witchcraft there is only so  much Y/N can do with their medical abilities to take on those who are now in her care.

I feel like it would be fun to be able to write some stories such as imprinting, enchantment and so on depending on what characters YN takes in. For example ‘Lil Red’ aka Narancia Ghirga.

I feel like Narancia would be able to add a fun twist on little red riding hood, instead of being a defenceless little girl who relies upon others I can see him being someone desperate to prove there independence; though they went about it in the wrong way. As a young run away turning to crime in order to help themselves live day to day only to pay for it now that they are older and a furtive. Due to this them becoming someone who does not truly live like everyone else, instead living for the thrill of life day to day. With little or no care what happens to themselves... Until they meet their darling- a blessing sent by god in there eyes...

Below is some rough drabble of something that i may write for this example above. Please keep in mind this was not proof read just because I wanted to writing something about this au to see if there was any interest at all lol.

Small woven basket clutched tightly in hand, as you make your way down the dirt path. Trees overhead gently rustling as the mid summer breeze sweeps across your face. Song birds keeping you company as the world of green and brown makes you forget today's woes.

As the path of dirt slowly fades into a clearing all you can do is allow a faint smile, pulling the page of paper from your breast pocket. The ingredients needed for tomorrow's patients; it was a little more than you were expecting to have to collect… 

Oh well! You know these woods all too well,  it should not be an issue to venture a little deeper than you normally would.

It was easy to get the first couple of ingredients you needed, keeping them bundled together with woven string in the basket you clutched. Though you had come up short on something…  No issue, further you travel! 

Pressing on slightly deeper into the woods, trees grew slightly more dense and the shrubbery thicker. Slightly nicking at your ankles as you graze scanned for the elusive herb. It shouldn't be too hard to find…

Aha! There it was; the pure white flowers that stand tall, proud as if they knew they were to aid in saving someone. Deep green stems that reach up to the cracks of light that fought their way to the ground through dense leaves. 

“Finally found you!” The sound of your voice called as you see your goal. Eyes bright as you worked your way closer to the gift of the woods. The steps taken each time you get closer breaking small twigs that rested upon the ground. Though as you stumble your way closer, stepping upon a mossy log you have witness to a small birds eye view of the miniature meadow in front of you.

The sea of pure white, soldier-like flowers reaching out to their backdrop of brown and green -trees enclosing this small ocean of purity.  Though as one's eyes settle upon the centre of the scene in front of you the peace of white is disturbed; intended slightly damaged, missing.

Browning knitting into a frown as you go to inspect, what could cause harm to such a flawless place?

Gently stepping down from the log, keeping careful as to not harm nature's creations, you approach the place in which it was damaged. The sun seemingly envelops the patch in a golden glow. Though the closer one gets the smell of pollen and sweetness is overtunt to that of bitter iron, metallic. 

Less than 10 feet away the stains of red corrupt the small flowers, no longer pure white- bruised with deep reds that had begun to oxides to varying shades of brown. Your eyes widen for a brief moment, breath held in…

Placing yourself on your tiptoes… taking one more step forward…

There you bear witness the frail figure of a stranger, skin a tan colour… Face obscured from view by a nest of black upon them. Deep blues, greys and blacks adorning the body that lay upon its own back. Clasping tightly to a cloak that barely was draped upon their shoulders, a bright red that was abused with the marks of blood and dirt.

A sudden gasp of fear escapes from your lips as you stumble forward. Still unsure as to what was truly occurring in front of you, though the smell of something foul and metallic only allowed the imagination to run so far…

The crunch of flowers arise as the basket once clutched to tightly was abandoned and left behind, the sound continuing as your fumbling steps trample the ground and all else that lay in your wake… Inorder to help someone.. 

It’s not too late is it? How did they get here? How long have they been here? 

Not a single thought made a connection as you fell to your knees at the side of the stranger. The brown pants you wore deepinging in hue as you kneel into a sickly smelling substance that coated most of the flowers around you both…

Blood-

BlooD! What? Why is he bleeding so much?

No- That should not be the most pressing thing at the moment- Is he breathing? Lowering your ear close to the strangers mouth you tried to feel- hear anything. It may have only been a moment though it was silent…

Then-

The rough sound of gurgling had allowed itself to escape from the stranger. That is one victory at least- It wasn’t too late.

A myriad of cuts lay upon the strangers skin. Varying in depth and size… Though the largest one upon his stomach- he needed help. But you are in the middle of nowhere- There's no hospitals close enough-

Home! You can treat him to some extent at home! Call the doctor in the next town over immediately  when you get there- But how?  How were you going to move the young man? 

You can’t- 

He will bleed out- Compression? How? 

Mind running amuck causing more strife than any good you simply followed your gut… Screaming of seams fill the air as the shirt you hard warn becomes a makeshift bandage… Once white of the purest kind the   cotton soon found itself soaked in red…

…

…

…

The once warm breeze of the summer's day was dwindling into that of the cool nights. Song birds had long gone to sleep and the quiet humm of night life within the wild animals took their place. Though the song of a young out of breath herbalist echoed on as the harsh sound of weighted feet upon cobbles accompanied the noise.

Before long a bash of a heavy door against ageing walls is the welcome home an empty house received. Dark without light… The creaking of floor boards is ignored as your tiered figure places a groaning young man upon your own bed.

Quickly reaching for an oil lamp, to allow for some light to aid you in your fleeting hope to help this stranger, you strike a match obtained from the bedside table. Struck it and like magic you now have a faint light…

The cluttering of glasses, mortar and pestle and so on carried themselves out through the night… Only ever so often interrupted with the sound of water being dumped into the yard or the yelps that escape this strange man's lips.

…

…

You had never spent so long washing your hands before, no matter how much you tried to wash them they seemingly did not lose the deep red colour- or smell. Though it could just be your mind playing tricks on you.

You were yet to see someone as hurt as that young man in your bed. 

With a quick sigh, you shake your head dumping the bucket of water out once more before you hurried down the street to the well for what felt like the hundredth time… The soft glow of yellow showed you the sign of a new day, though no birds sang just yet. It was only you with the sound of rope being yanked as you drew a new bucket from the well… 

As you enter the house, you take the bucket to the bedroom in which the stranger still layed. Placing it beside the bed as you retrieve a cloth from the kitchen, you could finally try and clean some of the grime that had dried to his skin that would not budge before.

Folding the soft fabric that was in hand before plunging it into the ice like water, slowly bringing it to the face of the stranger. Gently brushing it along his chin, trying to avoid harming the bruised skin that seemingly covered half his face. 

The tanned skin of the stranger slowly contorted in discomfort despite the attempt to avoid pain. Though you couldn’t help but speak to the sleeping figure. “I’m sorry… I know it’s cold- uncomfortable even… but I need to clean you up.” Your eyes soft as you gaze upon the slender man, a slight smile upon your face as you continue to clean dried mud from his cheeks.

“Don’t worry, I’ll make sure the doctor comes here soon. You’ll be the first he see’s… I’ll make sure of it.”  In all honesty you didn’t know if you were trying to comfort the man who laid in your bed or yourself more, though your voice reminded me softly as you smiled.

He’s stable, he will be fine.

Your eyes however soft in the gaze grew heavy, one of sleep over powering you. Though you could not sleep- not yet they still need the doctor… You need to keep watch…

Placing your head on the mattress you rested for a moment. Hearing the now regulated breaths of the stranger… 

You slightly chuckle to yourself as you grow more drowsy as moments pass by “I think I’ll call you… lil red. The cloak you held onto no matter what… and well- you seemed to be covered in enough red when I first saw you..”

The war with your eyes slowly lost as your vision faded to black…

…

…

…

It was not the sound of song birds that awoke you- but the sudden sound of yelling. Then the harsh pain of your hair being pulled by the root- Causing one's eyes to thrash open in a half asleep array of fear, anger and confusion.

Sight still blurred by this sudden startle- though the sound of a voice that was coated in rage.

“Who the fuck are you!? Answer me you whore- Or I swear I’ll strangle you right here and now!”

[enstarriedownbad]

♥ Himeru x Fem!Reader fanfiction ♥

Unmasking our flawless facades

Chapter 3: Reimei visit (3/3)

Characters in this chapter : - HiMERU - Sazanami Jun - Tomoe Hiyori

Read Chapter 1 here!

-- Location: Reimei corridors --

"Kazehaya... Tatsumi" is out of the hospital? You had never heard of that name before. Jun said something about a senpai being hospitalized while he made you tour the academy. He must be this person. Reimei's revolutionary.

You resume looking for the specific Open House day classroom.

-- Location: Reimei classroom --

Two of the teachers there are giving a lecture about the new courses coming in the next school year. You sit on one of the chairs, next to a student from Reimei.

Teacher 1 - "Unfortunately, our school only offers 2 of the 3 new programs: Producer and Designer. As the Shuuetsu Academy is at the top of the CosPro hierarchy, they do have all 3 of them unlike us. Both of our academies, however, follow the same policy: you can change your major mid-year without any difficulty. This is because all 4 programs - Idol, Manager, Designer, and Producer - share a similar curriculum, only the activities vary."

Teacher 2 - "Though I may confirm today that the Idol course is still only available to male students as of right now. Nonetheless, feel free to come to pick up some flyers in the teacher's room."

Interesting. This means that going to the Shuuetsu Academy is strategically better since it offers a more varied course choice.

You continue to listen to their presentation. ... ♪

.

.

A faint noise from the outside catches your attention. Through the classroom window, you see a crowd of Reimei students forming around someone. Unless your eyes are deceiving you, it seems they are all Special idol Students, judging by their striped ties. You get a glimpse at the one who is at the center of it all: a blue-haired man with golden eyes.

As soon as the boy next to you witnessed the scene, he got up and left the classroom to follow the crowd outside.

'What is with this hype? Is he a super famous idol?'

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-- Location: Reimei corridors --

-- Time: Around 5 pm --

The reception conference lasted for about an hour. You still have one hour to kill before meeting up with Hiyori and Jun for dinner.

It is still snowing a bit outside and the sun is setting. Even though the area around Reimei is restricted, you remember passing by a convenience store while on the bus. Maybe they are selling some hot chocolate or something to warm you up there. You walk down the school's lower floor.

On your walk, you pass by the teacher's room. One of the faculty members mentioned some flyers -about the courses- being made available there earlier. Even if you seem to favor the Shuuetsu Academy's options, it is always good to have a Plan B.

Teacher - "Here are your last administrative papers. I am so sorry about what happened, I am delighted that you recovered and I hope you will find your place in the Shuuetsu Academy. Though I don't worry much about that."

?? - "Thank you, Sensei," he says as he collects a pile of paperwork and puts it in his bag.

Another faculty staff hands you a flyer. You grab it and leave the room at the same time as the other student they were talking to.

After a second long look, while walking towards the exit, you realize this student was the one at the center of the gate commotion previously. His face does not look very familiar to you even though, as a producer, you are pretty up-to-date with recent popular idols.

?? - "Hmm? Do you have something to say to HiMERU? A fan maybe?"

You - "Ah", you say as he caught you off guard. "No. Sorry, I didn't mean to stare at you. I just happened to see you from afar earlier."

HiMERU - "I see. HiMERU is sorry for the assumption", he says as the both of you head out for the exit door.

-- Location : Reimei entrance --

It seems to have stopped snowing. However, as you step foot outside, you feel the first drops of rain falling on your skin. Next to you, HiMERU looks down while looking at his paperwork. You assume it must be because he did not plan the sudden rain.

You - "Excuse me, we can share my umbrella if you want."

He looks surprised.

HiMERU - "Thank you but HiMERU doesn't need it. Besides, HiMERU does not need useless rumors spreading around."

You - "I saw you getting handed a bunch of paperwork, it would be better for those not to get wet. And don't worry about your reputation, I'm just gonna walk if that's an issue."

You open your umbrella and hand it to him.

HiMERU - "What about you though?"

You - "It's fine. I don't have any important documents on me and I can just hurry to my destination, it's not too far from here. You can just take it," you reply selflessly.

He gently grabs the handle and covers you both as the rain is getting heavier and heavier. He looks like he is hesitating on his next move.

HiMERU - "... Where were you heading to?"

You - "I was going to the nearest convenience store, though I'm unsure about its exact location and how to get there."

HiMERU - "Well," he sighs. "I guess HiMERU can accompany you there."

You - "Thank you but what about your reputation then?"

HiMERU - "It is getting quite dark anyways, people won't be able to recognize HiMERU anymore under this rain. And the path to the convenience store is usually vacant."

You - "Oh well, thank you! As you can tell from my Yumenosaki uniform, I'm not very familiar with the area haha. So your help is very welcome!"

The two of you start walking together. HiMERU holds the umbrella covering you both -as he is taller-, and guides you around the area.

The street sounds relatively calm and silent. After all, the Reimei Academy is placed in a quite deserted area. The only active people there would be the Reimei students, but most of them are inside their dorms as it is a weekend evening. As for the other visiting students like you, they all rushed towards the first bus station after the sudden heavy rain. Nonetheless, the sound of the drops of rain tapping on the umbrella is quite relaxing... ♪

You - "So, I heard by chance in the faculty room that you are going to transfer to the Shuuetsu Academy?"

HiMERU - "You don't need to know HiMERU's business. But since it will become public information soon, HiMERU can tell you that he's indeed going to transfer to the Shuuetsu Academy."

You - "Okay. Well, I might see you there," you tell him with a smile.

HiMERU - "Oh? I assumed you were going to enroll in Reimei since you are visiting today."

You - "You're not wrong, I'm just hesitating right now. I have some friends in Reimei but Shuuetsu has a more varied course choice."

HiMERU - "Doesn't Yumenosaki offer even more courses, such as the Singing, Vocal, Music, and Theater courses? So why switch schools?"

You - "It's a long story...", you say with a low voice. "But what about you? I saw people running to see you earlier, you seem to be pretty appreciated here so why transferring?", you ask curiously.

HiMERU - "That..."

He does not reply but his expression says it all, even if he tries to keep a neutral expression. It looks like both of you asked the wrong questions. The atmosphere suddenly becomes quite heavy. HiMERU points to the grocery store in the distance.

Even though it is a Saturday, the shop is open: lucky! Well, that chat was short...

As the two of you are walking lost in thoughts towards the shop, thinking about what made you change schools, you are quickly set back to reality after the thunder hits.

You - "!!"

HiMERU - "!!"

You - "T-that woke me up! Maybe before going back, you should wait and stay under a roof for a moment", you tell him as you enter the grocery store and take a look inside. "You can come with me if you want. It looks like the place is empty, so there's no risk of your reputation potentially getting damaged."

HiMERU - "HiMERU does not-", he stops. "Sure," he says as he joins you inside.

-- Location: convenience store --

HiMERU sits in the store's meal area, looking through his phone.

While in the shop, you are looking for something to buy for Jun, as a thank you for making you visit the school. Of course, Hiyori will get something as well.

You - "Say, HiMERU-san (?), what kind of gift should I buy for a friend? Would you rather have something to eat or...?"

HiMERU - "HiMERU likes breath mints but he doesn't know about your friend."

You - "Understandable," you say as you sneakily take a pack of them.

You then go for the strawberry candies for Jun and for the chocolate ones for Hiyori. While manually checking out, you also purchase two hot chocolates through the indoor vending machine.

You join HiMERU and take sit in front of him. You hand him a cup of hot chocolate and the mint candies.

You - "For you!"

HiMERU - "Thank you but why?", he asks, embarrassed.

You - "It's cold outside. You're an idol right? I have idol friends, and I got used to making sure they never catch a cold", you reply enthusiastically. "And for the candies, well, take them as a gift!"

HiMERU - "Thank you...", he repeats with a smile.

While the two of start drinking, you burn your tongue on your beverage.

You - "!!", you release a faint noise.

HiMERU laughs discreetly at your awkwardness. You catch a glimpse of a genuine smile on his face before he returns to his natural serious expression. You take a deeper look at him. Student from the Reimei Academy, blue hair, golden almond eyes, handsome... That is when it hits you. A bit more than a year ago, you saw "HiMERU" doing his debut on TV.

HiMERU - "?"

You - "Wait I think I saw your debuts actually. I hadn't memorized your name though, that's why it didn't ring a bell when you presented yourself."

HiMERU - "Hmm. Is that so?"

You - "Your image looks a bit different though. If I recall correctly, a year ago, you seemed like a cute idol who tried his best to appear serious? But now it looks like you are naturally so haha."

HiMERU - "...!"

He looks surprised.

HiMERU - "Should HiMERU appear more 'cute' then?", he asks you with the most earnest expression known to man.

You - "I don't kno-", you stop as HiMERU takes your hand.

HiMERU - "Or maybe a more mature image would suit HiMERU now, yes?", he says as he kisses the back of your hand.

Surprised, to say the least, your heart skips a bit.

HiMERU - "Your comment has been heard, though. HiMERU will try not to forget about his old image. After all, he won't let his first fans down", he says with a serious expression as he lets go of your hand.

Himeru looks at you in the eyes to see if his persuading trick worked, only to realize that you are blushing and are too flustered to hold eye contact with him.

HiMERU - "Hm...? HiMERU thought you had some idol friends. Aren't you used to seeing them act like this?", he asks you playfully.

You - "Hum", you stutter after getting back to your senses. "Well as you said, they are my friends, so I know when they are just playing with me. But I was not expecting that...", you reply while trying to maintain a composed figure.

However, despite your efforts to hide the effect he had on you, the man did notice the shift in your attitude after he kissed your hand. He is very observant of his surroundings after all.

As the two of you resume quietly and awkwardly drinking your beverages -you because of shyness after what happened, and Himeru because of his effect on you-, you notice that both the storm and the rain have gone away. This silence also made the two of you realize that night has completely fallen. It is almost 6 pm on a winter evening after all. Himeru finally breaks the silence.

HiMERU - "So how are you going to get back home? It's already pitch black outside."

You - "Oh, uh, I don't really know. Maybe..."

He knows the area is not very safe for a lady at night: the only not-empty place is an all-boys boarding school around the corner. Plus he also noticed that there weren't many people on the path you two took to the convenience store: it would be even more vacant on your way back...

HiMERU - "Do you need a ride home? HiMERU was going to order a taxi. If you want, it could drop you home as well. HiMERU will pay for it of course."

Wow... Sharing a taxi with a gentleman you just met sounds like one of those shōjo mangas' plots, in a good way. You cannot say that this does not make you feel flattered.

You - "Really? Thank you so much for your proposition HiMERU-san! I would have gladly accepted but I'll be meeting some friends soon, I will ask them to drive me home."

HiMERU - "HiMERU understands," he says as he sends a phone message to a taxi.

"🎵🎵🎵🎵🎵🎵!"

Your phone rings. You pick it up. Hiyori's name is showing on your screen, you accept the call.

📞Hiyori (on the phone) - "WHERE ARE YOU? ♪", your phone blasts as you instantly lower the volume and turn off the speaker mode. "Hey, Y/N-chan! Our practice is over, are you still inside Reimei?"

You - "I'm out of the school property, I'm inside the grocery store nearby!"

📞Hiyori (on the phone) - "Okay got it. Chauffeur please go to the convenience store down the street," he says to his driver. "See you in a minute!"

You - "See you!", you reply to him as you hang up. "Sorry about that," you say to HiMERU.

HiMERU - "It's fine."

You - "I'm gonna wait outside for my friends."

HiMERU - "Let HiMERU wait for them with you," he says as you both stand up.

You - "Thank you so much! But aren't you waiting for a taxi?"

HiMERU - "It is okay. HiMERU is going to buy some flowers before getting in the taxi anyway. Besides, it hasn't arrived yet, HiMERU just sent them a message. So HiMERU can wait with you."

Flowers, he said? Does he have a green thumb? Or maybe they are for someone else...?

He opens the shop's door for you and lets you get out first.

HiMERU - "After you."

You - "Thank you!"

HiMERU - "It's only natural".

-- Location: Reimei Academy area street --

You see Hiyori's luxurious car arriving in the distance.

HiMERU - "By the way. HiMERU believes you haven't told him your name yet. May HiMERU know what is it?"

Hiyori's car stops right in front of you.

You - "Oh, it's 'Y/N'."

HiMERU - "《Y/N》... Well, it was nice meeting you Y/N-san", he tells you with a soft smile. "

You - "Likewise, HiMERU-san," you tell him, returning him a smile.

HiMERU - "Oh and here is your umbrella, HiMERU doesn't need it anymore."

While giving it back to you, your hands touch. It reminds you both of HiMERU's act earlier; you two back up, flustered.

The chauffeur gets out of the car and opens the door that is in front of you.

You - "Have a nice evening, HiMERU-san," you tell him while getting in the car. "I hope we will meet again."

HiMERU - "HiMERU is looking forward to it as well."

Hiyori's chauffeur closes the door after you and starts the car directly.

.

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-- Location: Hiyori's car --

Hiyori & Jun - "Hi again!"

You - "Hi! How was practice?"

Jun - "Well you know how Ohii-san wants everything to be perfect. It was excruciating."

Hiyori - "Come on Jun-kun~ After getting defeated by Trickstar recently, we must practice more to get back to the top!"

You - "Were you working on a new Eve song or an Eden one?"

Jun - "It's a secret haha."

You - "I see...," you reply with deception.

Jun - "But don't ya worry, once it's out, you'll be the first one to know!"

You - "Can't wait to listen to it!"

Hiyori - "So in the meantime, have you made a decision regarding the school you will enroll in?"

You - "Not yet. But I learned that Shuuetsu has more varied course options, so I'll visit tomorrow to make a final decision."

The car stops.

Hiyori - "I see~ Well it seems we've arrived at our destination. Let's continue our discussion inside."

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-- Location: Café --

The three of you sit down in the restaurant. Besides one or two other clients, it seems like you guys are the only ones here.

You - "Isn't this one of the restaurants that are operated by your family’s corporation, Hiyori-senpai? I think this is where you took Trickstar and me last time."

Hiyori - "You are correct. ♫"

Jun - "Please don't call her your little pig again, Ohii-san."

Hiyori - "Come on Jun-kun☆, I told you last time that the nicknames I give are part of my many charms," he replies playfully.

What a nostalgic sight.

A waitress takes your orders at your table and leaves for the kitchen.

Hiyori - "So, Y/N-chan, if you join Shuuetsu, I was thinking on how Ibara-kun would act towards you..."

... Oh yeah. You forgot about him. Knowing Ibara's personality, he will either mess with you with his "conquer!" persona or he will get along with you as his real (?) self. It is like playing Russian roulette when dealing with him, you never know what is in the back of his mind.

Hiyori - "I decided to give him my trust him as a fellow member of Eden. But, since this time the issue isn't within our unit, we should not tell him about your plans, at least not for the moment."

You & Jun - "Agreed."

Jun - "Also, Y/N, who was that man with you earlier when we came to pick you up?"

Hiyori - "Hm? There was someone with her earlier?"

Jun - "Yea but you couldn't see him from your angle, and I could only catch a glimpse of him from afar. He was a Special Student from Reimei, judging by his uniform."

You - "Oh, that was HiMERU-san! I met him today, we chatted a bit together during the storm."

Both of the boys look at each other.

Hiyori & Jun - "You said 'HiMERU'?"

They pause for a moment.

Hiyori - "First you-know-who and now HiMERU?"

Jun - "... Woah I need a second to process that."

'What are they making such a fuss about?', you wonder.

Jun - "Actually, I feel very happy to hear that. Both of them were in pretty messed up states y'know? I don't really believe in God but this might be a miracle," he tries to whisper to Hiyori.

Hiyori - "It is in those moments that Ibara-kun would rejoice about making new strategies," he whispers back.

Jun - "Bold of you to assume he doesn't already know, Ohii-san."

The waitress comes back with a plate and serves you your meals and drinks.

Hiyori - "Let us toast to a new page then!", he says as he lifts his glass.

The two of you join him.

You & Jun - "To a new page!"

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Author note :

HiMERU first appearance woohoo!! Longer chapter to honor that! Can I get a A for effort (the game edits)

Also, I'll try to keep the MC as neutral as possible so that you can always relate to her :) From friend groups at Yumenosaki, physical traits, personality, etc...

(She won't be an Anzu v2 who never talks ofc.)

The canon CosPro timeline is so complex but I'll try to follow it as much as possible!