#but also i don't remember are they really related

[aninipanin1]

GALA

Notes: Just wanted a little drama with a mix of reader being a silent diva yuhhh, A Noel Noa centric piece hehehe hope yall enjoy! PS: YES, this fic is a bit inspired by Cinderella RAHHH

"Hmm, that dress looks better than the first one. It matches your personality well." Anri said, her eyes looking at your phone screen where the photo of your dress was displayed. You nodded your head, taking into consideration Anri's opinion. You did like that specific dress personally, too, so you were happy that it fit you, at least in Anri's eyes.

"Yeah, I'll just buy this one then. It's actually on sale so I knew I had to get one of these for the Gala. Eepecially since my parents would definitely disown me if I do not wear anything proper, at least by their standards." Sighing, you pressed the order button on the app, shoulders sagging a bit. Your family was invited in a gala held by the company your parents worked in. Due to their high position, your whole family was invited, including your fraternal twin sister.

It's been a while since you met up with your whole family due to the Blue Lock project, but also because you did not have the best relationship with them, especially your parents.

"You know you can always not go, right? Especially since (S/n) is there. Geez, I still wonder why you put up with her. Nobody liked her in our class instead of the boys who just wanted to have a chance with her."

Anri sighed, remembering her college days where she shared a class with your sister. And needless to say, her arrogance in the subject which she almost failed at always pissed her off. It was really surprising as to how someone so...down to earth as you was related to someone like that girl.

You gave her a sheepish smile.

"Sorry about that. She's just like that because of our parents, I swear. And well, she's still my sister. I can't just abandon her like that, Anri."

The woman sighed and shrugging her shoulders.

"It's your choice, Y/n. But, personally, I would definitely cut her off. She's too toxic, especially for you, since we both know how she treats you even if you're older than her."

The conversation ended there as you both were thrust into silence, eating your food away on the cafeteria for both your breaktime when your phone vibrated. It was a text from your mother.

Mother:

Oh, and bring a date with you. Surely, as my eldest, you have at least a love interest and even better, a boyfriend by now. Make sure he's dressed appropriately, too.

"WHAT?!" You burst out, causing Anri to also spill the water in her mouth in shock of your outburst.

"Geez girl! Warn me next tim-...WHAT?!" She screeched too, as she read the text that you forced on her face.

"The gala is happening next week! How am I going to find a date so soon!? I...I don't even know any guys who can be a date." Sulking, you placed your head hopelessly on the table. Your mother thought wrong about you, just because your sister can pull guys does not mean you had the same charm and ability as well!

"Tell me, Anri-san! How will I charm a guy into at least agreeing to be my date for the night! Hmm, I wanna ask (S/n) so bad how she does it..."

Anri can only sweardrop at your words. Really? After all that you went through, you still think you are not charming enough to make a guy pay attention to you when you literally has world class players on their knees, just waiting for you to pay attention to them?

But then again, the lack of emotional connection you had with your parents as well as the absence of love from them may have messed up your perception of all types of love, even romantic love. And now, that made Anri a little sympathetic about your situation.

"Don't worry! I'm sure you'll find a guy who'd be okay with it soon enough-"

She comforted you until her eyes stopped on a familiar man who also entered the cafeteria, the white hair, and the tall build familliar to everyone in the facility, and probably the world, Noel Noa.

It was, after all, a few minutes after 1 p.m., and many of the staff and coaches took their lunches. Noa was one of the latest to do so since he was trying to come up with a better team to start in the next match of the NEL.

Anri knew that this maybe the only way to get you to solve your problem while also helping the guys to finally get over themselves and confess to you.

'I'm so sorry, Ego-san! But you all are legit slowpokes and I can't see her being stressed about this!'

"Why not ask one of the coaches to be your date?" Anri exclaimed, a little louder to make sure that the coach who was busy picking his food on the machine heard. You did not seem to notice Noa, as you tilted your head at her.

"Eh, I don't wanna disturb them, Anri-san! They're already busy enough around here. And the gal of me to show up with someone so famous like them! Besides, the gala is until 12 midnight, and they have training for the next day-"

"What about us coaches, Ms. Y/n?"

You let out a shocked 'eh,' before turning your head to see the Noel Noa, sitting on the table beside yours and Anri's. He was wearing his usual calm and collected face, but it was evident in his eyes that he was curious as to why you were quite distressed.

"Oh, its nothing, Noa-san...!"

"She needs a date on this gala, and she can't find one. She wanted to know if you guys would be fine with going with her." Anri said, trying her best to hide the mischievous grin on her face, and she succeeded to a degree, but the look on her eyes shout that she was plotting something.

"Eh? Anri-san! You don't have to answer that, Noa-sa-"

"I'm fine with it." He said with a straight face, making the nervous and embarrassed look on your face vanish replaced by one of disbelief and shock.

"Huh?"

"I'm fine with it. Just tell me when and what I should wear." He said, trying his best to remain passive, to keep his composure. Deep inside though, he felt happy. Finally! It was his turn to be with you.

"Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! Thank you so much, Noa-san! I promise I will pay you back for this!!" You exclaimed excitedly, hugging the tall man out of pure glee and emotion, which made him become even more frozen in his place.

Luckily for him, you could not see the redness that starts to form around his neck, a moment of vulnerability and change from his usual no-nonsense personality. But, what he did not remember was Anri was still there, with her having a mischievous smirk as she watched the number 1 striker in the world blow a fuse just because of a hug.

'Oh, the power you have over these football nerds, Y/n...'

"Eh, where are you going, Noa-san?"

Some of the Bastard Munchen players were a little confused to see their master exit his office, but instead of doning his usual track suit that the facility provided, is garbed in a black and gold suit that complimented his features and build.

It was not the first time the striker wore formal attire (being invited into many famous events over the years, and the pictures of him attending are all over the internet) however, it was still a little weird to see him wear a formal attire in a sport setting.

The man's usual cold eyes turned to them, but there was a hidden twinkle in them. An emotion the players cannot decipher, and thankfully, they did not have to do that themselves as he answered their question.

"Y/n's parents have a gala in their workplace where her attendance is a must. And well, she needed a partner to go with her which is where I come in."

He adjusted the sleeve of the suit, not seeing the wide and open mouths of the players. Especially Isagi and Kurona, Yukimiya and Hiori meanwhile, just smirked at the unfolding scenes.

They are definitely telling the other stratums about this in hopes it reaches the other masters. For what? For the drama, of course.

"You? She could have chosen better..." Kaiser rolled his eyes. In his mind, the master was too serious and intimidating to be standing to someone like you, who in his eyes was like a twinkling star, gracung upon everyone with your warm light, yet not enough to blind or outshine them.

And he thinks all these idiotic masters do not deserve a woman like you. Yes, especially the man he wants to go against. After all, why would he wish upon someone who he thinks is not good enough for you? The person that he feels is the closest he got from a parental figure.

Even if the man is almost perfect, it was still a no. He has to be perfect in Michael Kaiser's eyes before he lifts his cold and domineering glare upon them.

But Noa was far from bothered, ignoring the boys' words, and was more focused on fixing his looks. He was not a man who cared about his looks, but he would be meeting your family along with the fact that he had to show the world that he was mlre than worthy being with you (my man forgot hes the number 1 striker in the world)

He looked down at his watch, squinting his eyes a bit to read the time.

8:48 pm

'Hmm, I wonder how she's doing now...'

"Stop moving for God's sake!"

"I'm trying...! But it hurts..." You said with animated tears as you squirmed in your seat while Anri helped you with styling your hair. You both were in Anri's office as she offered to help you style up for the night. Helping you with your more than tangled and messy hair due to the days of not caring for it properly, having to run around the facility to do endless chores, it was even a luxury to put it in a decent updo.

And well, Anri was less than gentle with how she's treating your scalp like it was a barbie doll that had no pain receptors.

"I'm almost done! And...there! What do you think?"

She spun you around the mirror to show you her masterpiece, and you were not going to lie, it was beautiful. Your hair shimmered due to the few products she put in your hair, but the main event was the braids that frame your head, almost like it was its own tiara with a few flower clips on it to make it even more sophisticated yet ethereal. (Decide your own hairstyle around this based off your hairtype:)

Your hair was for once a bit bouncy and not so tangled to the touch that it felt like you were arguing with your own strands, ready to rip it off from your head.

"Wow, from all the pulling you did, it came out really pretty!" You exclaimed excitedly, not believing that the girl in the mirror was you. Anri rolled her eyes at this.

"Told you. Never disturb a magician when she's working her magic. Now let's start with that makeup and change that tracksuit into your dress."

The makeup was really light, just enough to compliment your facial features and make it pop more (because you are lazy when removing makeup and pretty privilege does that to you, reader;), and well, it was not a surprise to see you already yawning at the boring procedure Anri was going through to fix your makeup.

"Geez, have you no like feminine bone to atleast have some sort of...reflex to atleast know the basics of makeup?" She asked jokingly, as she curled your eyelashes only for you to blink your eye uncontrollably.

"Um, I think I do. But its not like I don't wanna put makeup. Its just that, growing up, I was not allowed to." You said which made Anri confused.

"Really? But from what I can see from your sister's social media, she looks to be really good at it, even from her very old posts thatbwould pop up in her timeline."

"Yeah, well she is my family's treasure. She can do whatever she wanted or get what she wished for, I didn't really have any of that luxury growing up. I was the older sister, so of course I have to give up what I want to her if ever she wanted it. And that also included...my freedom to express myself, I guess."

Your voice grow even more quiet as you opened up about your past. It was thr first time ever that you did, atleast to Anri. But, knowing you, she is not surprised. You were always the people pleaser, always so ready to help others even if you cannot anymore. Even if you cannot carry the pressure anymore, you still would if somebody asked you.

Now, it made sense. You act this way because your parents conditioned you to be like that whilst spoiling your younger twin sister. The unfair treatment and lack of freedom you may have experienced molding you into what you are today.

A person who rarely cares about herself has trouble expressing your true self below that kind and caring nature, and does not believe that the people around her can truly love her for who she is.

And that hurted Anri. She loved you. You two have become the bestest of friends, almost sisters ever since this project started, and she hates how lowly you think of yourself, yet look at everyone else, even those who do not deserve it, highly.

You call everyone worthy of care and kindness, yet you were never kind to yourself. And now, she knows the root causes of this.

But, there was hope. There are people everywhere, even just in this facility alone that loves you dearly. The Blue Lockers, who view you like you are their older sister. Heck, even the foreign players like Kaiser and Lorenzo, and the rest started to view you as such too.

Then, of course, there are those you met who love you differently, viewing you in a different light. And Anri hoped that one day, the love of those people will change your mind about this thinking.

'Zwip!'

"There! All done...Oh my!" Anri cheered, her once dim expression brightening once she saw you in the beautiful silvery blue dress that sparkled under the light of the room. You had matching jewellery accompanying it too, but the dress really did make you look like a living princess as it hugged your figure, the skirt billowing to the ground elegantly as if it wanted to match your own elegant movements.

"Huh...it looks really good..."

"Why are you surprised?" Anri said, raising her eyebrow.

"Nothing...just...this is the first time I ever get to pick my own dress. My parents are always the one who buy our dresses for us, and well, I don't exactly get...a flattering one." You said meekly, Anri can only frown at that.

"But your sister's is?"

"I mean...I guess? But she's already pretty and charismatic...she can make an entire room focus only on her!" You happily complimented, just as Anri was about to add into your claim, your phone's alarm rang, telling you that it was already 9:00 pm.

"It's time..." you said nervously, as you put on the pair of clear heels before walking to the door, not forgetting to thank and say goodbye to Anri.

"Your taste in suits is so boring." Chris Prince commented towards Noa, who ignored him, causing the English coach to get pissed off.

"Why are you even wearing that?" Snuffy incquired curiously, rolling his eyes at Lavinho and Prince, who only questioned the man's style, failing to ask important questions. When Noa heard the question, however, he could not help but feel a little proud and smug, the ends of his mouth twitching slightly in a cold and unnoticeable smirk.

"Y/n is going to be participating in a gala tonight, but she needed a date. So, she asked me to be her date and partner for the night."

Crickets.

Well, until the information finally processed in their minds, and needless to say, the three other masters were less than happy.

"WHAT?! You, of all people?!" Lavinho exclaimed as he approached Noa, like he was ready to fight or debate him over the fact that did not deserve to be your date on that said gala.

"My poor Y/n, she doesn't deserve a man like you. I bet she'll be oh so bored in that gala." Prince said, not pretending to hide the fact that he was indeed jealous, as veins portruded in his forehead and neck about the fact that you went with his main rival instead of him.

Meanwhile, Snuffy remained quiet. However the fake smile, dead look in his eyes, and the portruding veins in his neck and clenched fist was enough of a story to tell. He was more than pissed off at what he is hearing.

With the green-face of jealousy leering at the three coaches, Noa knew he had a one up at that time. And needless to say, the faces the others pull made his ego boost up even more.

But, it reached its peak once you entered the cafeteria, all dolled up for the night in your dress. You greeted all of them so sweetly, not even noticing the effect you had on the four professional players. Noa felt proud that he got to be the one who would be with you for the night. That you chose him over the other three (he was just lucky that he was the one in the cafe at the right time, but we don't mention that).

"Umm Good Evening, sorry to interrupt..." You bashfully said noticing that the four masters were talking to each other, thinking that they were discussing something related to the Neo-Egoist League (they weren't).

"It's nothing. Let us get going, Ms. Y/N..." Noa said, dismissing the rest and taking your hand to guide you outside the cafeteria. He did not want you to get distracted by the others, wanting to look at your beauty by himself.

By the time the other three managed to find themselves catching their breaths, you were already waving goodbye as Noa tugged you to the exit of the facility to head to the gala.

"Wha- hey!"

"Tsk, that selfish robot."

Oh...

That's the only word that is repeated in your mind the moment you both arrive in the venue. Now, there were only a few people outside of the venue, and most of them were waiting to sign up to enter.

But, the amounts of stares and whispers that were already felt and heard the moment THE Noel Noa stepped out of the taxi and sweetly helped you out of the car was definitely palpable.

How can you forget that you literally invited the number 1 striker in the world to be your date in a company gala?

You turned so embarrassed and flushed at the attention, not used to it, unlike Noa, who remained as passive and emotionless like he always was, used to the attention someone of his popularity always experienced.

"I'm so sorry for all this trouble, Noa-sa-"

"Why are you apologising, Ms. Y/n?"

You were taken aback at the question, gulping before stating your reasons.

"The attention must be really uncomfortable...and I know you already have a lot on your plate due to your fame and all, and for me to add into it by inviting you here must be making it worse." But he just shrugged, offering his hand for you to take and for him to lead you.

"It's nothing. I agreed to it knowing what the consequences are, so you have nothing to apologize since I made the choice to say yes. Now, shall we get going?"

Blinking at the reason, you gave him a genuine smile before accepting his outstretched hand and headed for you to sign up.

Just as expected, you had the privilege of having a VIP entrance slot along with your plus one, due to your mother and father being one of the top executives of the company. But, as you signed up, a crowd formed around Noa, who looked quite annoyed at the attention he received before he sighed.

Leaning to whisper in your ear, he did not care for the gasps and whispers of a supposed relationship you two may have.

"Go in first without me, I'll deal with the crowd, and I don't want to inconvenience yourself any further. I'll find you inside."

At first, you tried to argue, wanting to help but looking at how he handled himself in front of a crowd compared to how you did, you knew that staying would just make it worse, so you just nodded with an understanding smile and sent him with a cheerful thumbs up before entering the place alone for now.

The venue was beautiful. The ballroom was quite larger than all the previous venues these events were held in. The chandeliers looked magical, mixing in with the gold and cream the whole place was decorated in. Classical music played and echoed through the whole place as well as small chatters from the people already inside. Speaking of the people, there were definitely hundreds of them already inside, some looked to be journalists too, as the camera flashes can be seen here and there.

You felt like a child in the middle of the huge crowd, a bit overwhelmed but at the same time excited. Mainly because of the food that you can already smell being prepared by the chefs and other staff in the venue. You were also quite happy that what you initially thought of being overdressed was proven wrong due to the many bedazzled dresses and suits that grazed the floor, and even better than your measly jewelry, were real minerals like diamonds, emeralds the size of a thumb was around the necks of the women or dangled from their ears.

It was a gala of opulence, a place where the rich people tried to outdo themselves, to compete with their fellow rich friends to become the star of the show.

"Well, well. If it isn't my lovely older sister grazing us with her...presence."

You turned around, already feeling dread at the notion of seeing her again. There she was, her hair in an elegant bun, wearing a bedazzled pink dress that hugged her beautiful features well, elegant black heels, opulent ruby necklace and diamond earrings only befitting someone of her stature.

Your younger twin sister (S/n) was the definition of elegance and power. The dream of every parent, just like yours. The moment she graduated in business school, she immediately entered the same company your parents worked in and rose the ranks quickly, now standing as a president of the company's media branch.

Yes, you had to admit, you were always jealous of her growing up. Being the smarter and prettier twin, since you both were fraternal twins, your features and every characteristic were different. She was always better than you, the bright sunlight to your measly starly twinkle.

But, nevertheless, you tried to be the best big sister that you can. Supporting her even if you felt jealous, and for a while, you two were close when you were kids. But as she grew up, she realized she was the favourite and something changed in her, turning around to try and destroy your life always. Probably because you were older, and she thought that you would inherit everything your parents had if she didn't try to be better and bring you down.

So she simultaneously did that. Better herself and brought you to your lowest. And the sisterly bond vanished.

You loved her, you did. But there was no way you would be fixing a relationship you did not break. You were kind, not a saint.

"Hi (S/n), how are you? It's been so long, huh?"

"I guess it has been. Everything has been better for me. Work has been hard but rewarding, though I doubt I can say the same with your...babysitter duties?" She smirked at first, then sneered at the thought of your job.

She, along with your parents never failed to bring down your role as a manager for a football facility the moment they heard of it. Sure, it got better when Blue Lock TV picked up ratings and was popular all over the world, but you were still viewed lowly. After all, you were not a player or its director or head, just a lowly manager/babysitter of the players, why is that important in their minds? In fact, it brought embarrassment to the family.

You always tried not to let it affect you, but it does hurt to be brought down a peg just because you did what you loved. But, you being you, you just smiled, not wanting an argument to form.

However, as if your day could not have gotten worse, your parents arrived along with a man you recognized for two reasons: he is a popular actor and model in Japan, and he was also dating your sister. You don't know much, but last time you heard from them, he already proposed to her which you were more than happy for her.

Just because you didn't like your family, does not mean you'll be a bitter Betty. No, you would not stoop low like that. Being raised in a toxic environment made you polish and garb a thick skin, after all.

Your mother immediately scrunched her nose at your appearance while your father just looked at you boredly and coldly as he always does.

"Mother, Father-"

"I told you to wear something that would not embarass our family. And what do you do? Wear this childish costume? Preposterous." Your mother sneered, squinting at the cheap fabric. After all, they did not give you any budget to buy a good one and so, you bought one out of your own money.

"This is why you aren't to be trusted with yourself, Y/n. This dress is unfit of someone in the L/n lineage." Your father said with a straight face, shaking his head. Meanwhile, your sister just snickered in the arms of her quiet fiance who did not want to get involved in the family mess.

You just nodded at their supposed advice, too tired of the day to even argue and embarass yourself infront of so many people.

'Tune them out, Y/n...like you always do, remember?'

"And to add to the mess you are, you do not have a partner with you? I specifically told you to bring one. We cannot afford to have our eldest daughter of all people to be gossiped about her future of being barren and alone." Your father continued and your mother seemed to realize the lack of partner beside you, and she became even angrier.

"Wait, I have one tonight, father. He just excused himself-"

"How many years have you used that excuse on us, young lady? Do not lie to us about your imaginary date for the night. You disappoint us with your fashion, we let it slide. But, not showing up with a partner? This is outrageous!"

"Mother, relax. I am sure there is a valid explanation for this. After all, Y/n over here is busy with her career of babysitting to even care about herself. Perhaps that lack of self-care is the reason why men rarely approach her." Your sister comforted your mother who was red in the face. Hearing this, your mother's anger turned into cold rage.

"I suppose. You have disappointed me and your father as usual, Y/n. And you question why me and your father did not pay for your college education in that foolish sports medicinal course? Because of this. You are irresponsible, and you lack anything noteworthy to you. Adding to that, you cannot even do the bare minimum of find a somewhat successful man and give us grandkids that can hopefully not get your genes and provide our family something to be prided by." Your mother sighed, her words breaking your heart. You heard of these words before, but it hurt nonetheless. But as if, the wound was not painful enough, your father decided to rub more salt unto the wounds.

"You are the eldest, Y/n. I already lowered my expectations on you the moment you talked soblate compared to your sister as an infant. Yet, you still wreck my already lowered standards. I gave the expectations of the eldest to your younger sister, who carried them gracefully and smartly, and that load made her better. I thought lowering the load on you would atleast make you a bearable daughter. Starting from now, if you do not have atleast a man to introduce to us of good name, then I would have no choice but to marry you off to the first man that offers to me."

Your eyes widened so big at this, like your worse nightmare was happening. Knowing your parents, they were serious about this. And you didnt want to be shackled in a loveless marriage just to produce kids that you cannot love fully because they were not out of real love. And besides, you were not ready for marriage yet.

"But father-"

"That's final."

"Finally, father. I am so tired of carrying everything in this family. Thank you for putting this...leech to use." Your sister sneered, liking the shock and blurry look in your eyes from unfallen tears. They were like snipers, hitting you in where they knew you were weak quietly. Even literally, as the rest of the gala participants were happily mingling, due to the fact you and your family were in a corner as they told you what they thought of you as privately as one can get in a ballroom.

But as if some sort of deity or god saw your struggle, you were saved by a hand touching yours as well as the silence of the whole ballroom. But the most telling and almost hilarious display of reaction was that of your family.

Your mother's eyes were wide as well as her mouth. Your father tried to maintain his composed expression, but you can see the shock in them, too. But, the most entertaining expression was that of your sister who had the perfect mix of angerr and shock in her face.

But, you wondered, why was everyone wondered. Well, that was until you looked up to find who held your hand, and it was Noel Noa.

The whole episode with your family made you forget the fact that your date for the night was a famed striker all over the world. Everyone knew his name and face, even if they did not know football well.

"I'm sorry for the interruption, but I am afraid she looked to be uncomfortable, so as her date, it is my responsibility to take her away from anything that may inconvenience or irritate her." He said in his usual cold and almost apathetical tone, if it was not for the fact that he held your hand and back quite intimately, a fact you did not notice because you were too tired from the mental beating from your family.

"O-of course...Mr. Noa, there is...no...problem with that." Your mother said, putting up her friendly and professional smile she uses when talking to those she knew was superior to her.

Your father stayed silent, but his usual cold, hard gaze softened. Of course, your parents were social climbers, so seeing a man of Noa's status and fame definitely humbled them.

Before anything, Noa guided you into the garden of the place and sat you down on the edge of the fountain.

"Sorry about the drama...Noa-san."

"Again, you don't have to apologise. You have to stop apologising for things out of your control and are not your fault." He said sighing, watching the beautiful colors of the water's reflection. You followed his gaze, as the water showed your face.

The face thay you hated all your life. Recognizing how it was not as pretty as your sister's face. That your sister seemed to have inherited the good traits of your parents while you get their least attractive ones (atleast in your parents' opinions and words), how you wished your eyes were the same shape as your sister's, or the way your nose looked, or even the size of your face. Everything.

You thought you moved on from the self-incarceration. But, the words they said to you made you revive the heartbreak you felt growing up as an insecured teen, a feeling that your parents and sister fueled even more, making you struggle with even the thought that you were deserving of attention and love growing up.

Then a drop fell unto the water's surface, then two, then three, until you were softly sobbing and hiccuping under the moonlit sky and the drowning sounds of the fountain.

Until you felt a soft yet calloused hand wipe a stray tear from your face. Realising that you were crying in front of Noa, you tried to turn your face away and hide it.

But, his reflex and pull were stronger and made you stay facing him. Pulling out a handkerchief, he softly wiped away all the stray tears that fell on your face as he finally spoke.

"You're an angel for the amount of patience you have with your family. I arrived there a few seconds before I stepped in, and from what I heard, I can just imagine what they have been telling you before I arrived. Or even way before that."

"Yeah...I'm used to it. But, that doesn't mean it hurted less, you know? It felt like...all the years of emotional and mental solitude and abuse came back. It played like a movie..."

He stayed quiet for a few seconds, just nodding his head at that. Truthfully, he was given a heads up about your family by Anri, and he was so thankful that she did. He thought it could not be that bad until he heard the hurtful words they told you as well as the preposition of them marrying you off to some guy that asked them first.

Like you were worth nothing.

Which just does not make sense to him. You deserved a man who would be willing to go through hell and back just for your hand in marriage, not some random man who just had to ask and would already get to be the one to see you in a white dress and veil.

But, that night, was definitely the night he knew that his feelings for you was more than attraction now. The first moment he saw your beauty and intelligence in the field, he knew he was interested in you.

But now that he got a deeper look into who you really were as a person, that you were kind, patient, and coolheaded enough to not burst in flames in front of your parents made him love and admire you for your strength even more.

He was a man who thought the saying "Kindness is strength," was foolish. Absolutely unethical. Sure, revenge is not always the best course of action, but getting back at the person can sometimes scare them off from doing the bad things they do again and again, so it is logical to a tee.

But, you gave him a new perspective. That maybe being the bigger person at times of extreme mistreatment leads to the more logical outcome. After all, it was not really you who embarassed themselves in front of the world's best striker that night, right?

By the time you managed to fix yourself and go back to the gala, the small program started. It was not that long, but as you sat beside him in the table where your family was assigned in, you both definitely noticed the new personality your parents immediately had.

Your mother approached him with a smile, sometimes lightly scolding you to fix your posture or your smile, but she was less brutal and she even used the loving mother tone she uses to your sister only.

Your father, on the other hand, was more discreet with his agenda. Asking him questions about himself and his relationship with you.

The two of them saw this as the first time you were being a good daughter. To be able to attract a man of his fame and status was a win in their eyes. They loved the attention that Noa brought to their table, the eyes of everyone, even the ones from the CEO's family was on Noa's.

You tried your best to tell your parents you both were not together, that he was just kind enough to be with you for the night. But, they did not relent. They want you to end up with him not because they want you to be happy, but because they just want the attention and power that having their daughter be the one Noa was dating.

But other than you both, your sister also noticed the attention on you and him and that pissed her off. Not used to not having the attention on her, she was muttering curses under her breath. Wondering how her ugly and incompetent elder sister attracted the number 1 striker in the world. Truthfully, she did not even love her fiance, wanting only his wealth and fame. So she thought that all the people's attention would only be at her's, but then her sister had to ruin it. Bringing a man who is known not just in the country, but in the whole world.

'She doesn't deserve him!' That was all that ran in her brain, to the point she even started to ignore her own fiance, in hopes that maybe, if she tried to act impressive enough, she would get the striker's attention away from you to paying attention to her instead.

'She did say they were just friends, and she doesn't look like she likes him like that. So, it'll be easy.'

Well, it was more of a struggle than she thought when the whole night Noa stuck to your side. With your sister's eyes being more susceptive to romance than yours, she can see the look in the striker's eyes when he looks at you or would do anything for you like getting your food for you, or even kneeling on the ground just to fix the ribbon that tied around your heels.

It was a one-sided love, where you were oblivious. A displacement that was disadvantageous to what she wanted to do.

As the night passed, you both were lucky enough not to be bothered too much, even if almost everyone at the party had some hidden agenda in getting close with him for business of sorts, it was definitely a fun time compared to the other times you attended their company's gala.

When you arrived back in the facility, before Noa can walk you to your room, Anri was already there and dragged you to her own room and helped you get out of your hair, make up and dress while urging you to tell her the juicy details of the night.

"It was a little embarrassing how much my parents wanted me to end up with him, probably just to widen their power of some sorts. And I felt so bad for Noa-san having to deal with (S/n) trying to flirt with him. Hmm, what do you think I should gift him for all his help tonight, Anri-san?"

Anri gave you some ideas while deep down, she laughed evilly at the reactions of your family, especially that of your sister. Of course, that was the reason she set you and Noa up for this as well, for you to unintentionally flex that your job was not for the faint, and that you were not the ugly sheep of the family.

'If only her sister knows it isn't just the number 1 striker after her at all. Ooh the drama that would be bring!'

No additional times for this one I'm afraid because this fic became TOO LONG THAN I EXPECTED LMAO. I don't even like Noel Noa that much yet this happened...I cooked too much I'm afraid chat. But anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed this and yes I AM FEELING A LOT BETTER. This is also a bit of a character explanation for why I made Adult!Manager the way she is (like how she acts and all) so yeahhh, to all who relates to this YOU ARE ENOUGH AND LOVEABLE Dont let anyone tell you otherwise, mwah!

Blue Lock is WRITTEN by Kaneshiro Muneyuki and ILLUSTRATED by Nomura Yusuke. All credits to the both of them.

[jikooklove9795]

I honestly don't know and can't even relate what went on JM's mind that one day to just set his expensive watch on JK's birth time, randomly come on to do the live. It really is so delicate...I would love your take in this...maybe because I want you talk about it so badly😄. Your way of articulating words and collecting stuffs so delegently amazes me everytime

Hi Anon 😊

Thank you so much for your kind words. I truly appreciate each and everyone of you who takes the time to read my posts. Your words made me so happy, Anon.

I already did a post about it.

Here you go:

This was such a sweet and thoughtful gesture from Jimin! It truly speaks volumes about the depth of his bond with Jungkook. It showed his desire to make the moment deeply personal. By choosing something so symbolic, a watch launched in the year of Jungkook's birth and setting it to his exact birth time, Jimin demonstrated his attention to detail and how much he treasures Jungkook. It was a reflection of Jimin's admiration to Jungkook's existence and the profound impact he has on his life. It was as if Jimin was saying, "This moment in time is when someone truly extraordinary entered the world". Its not just a celebration of a birthday, its a celebration of Jungkook as a person, his journey and the role he plays in Jimin's life.

What's even more touching is that Jimin let us, fans be part of such a personal and meaningful moment. The way Jimin shared this intimate act with us shows his genuine heart and his desire to make Jungkook feel celebrated. By encouraging everyone to wish Jungkook and emphasizing how special the day was Jimin didnt just highlight Jungkook's importance to him but also invited us all to cherish and celebrate him together. Its heartwarming to see how much love and admiration Jimin has for Jungkook and the way he cherishes him and makes him feel loved and cared for. Such a gesture is not just thoughtful, its deeply heartfelt and unforgettable.

This level of care and thoughtfulness reminds us why their love is so special. These meaningful acts show how deeply they understand and appreciate one another. Moments like these reaffirm the beauty of their genuine connection and Jimin's gesture will undoubtedly be remembered as a testament to the love and affection he holds for Jungkook.

This gesture wasn't about material gifts or grand displays it was about something much deeper. It was about making Jungkook feel seen, valued and loved on his special day.

Jimin's action was also about the importance of cherishing the person he loves and cares about and taking time to highlight the importance of Jungkook's presence in his life.

This was more than a gesture. It was a timeless expression of gratitude, love and affection and their beautiful connection.

Thanks so much for this ask.

Have a nice day, Anon 👋🏻

[riptides-n-roses]

Hiii! First I want to say I love your posts and one of the best! Second I Would like to request a Roman X Reader when he lost at WrestleMania 40 and how he would be like with reader backstage? If not it is fine!

GGRRAAAHHH! OFC OFC! I CRIED SO HARD THAT NIGHT OMFG! THIS ONE SHALL BE FLUFF FOR ONCE! ♡

changes - roman reigns

⛧ pair: roman reigns x reader

⛧ tags: @88changemymind @cyberdejos2 @reigns-prophecy [huge thank you to anon]

⛧ no warnings/smut this time. Just an emotional roman after an incredible match and reign.

⛧ writers block is the absolute worst omg. I'll go ahead and be honest, sometimes smut gets a little too hard to write and I don't really want this blog to just be smut. This will be my first fluff since most of my drafts are smut related. Also again this one is short but I hope it's a fun little read.

⛧ after an incredible title reign, things will be different but right now all roman can ever need right now is you.

⛧ word count: 588

Wrestlemania.

The biggest night in WWE. All superstars have an amazing opportunity to make a change or write history for the books.

This was also a night for some big title cards. One of which was your partner, Roman Reigns. He is the Trible Chief, The Head of The Table. The main event was when he takes on Cody Rhodes, for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship.

It was a match everyone was talking about that sparked a lot of debate on TV and social media. Tonight's main event was going to be talked about all year regardless of the outcome.

You held Roman tight in your arms, giving him a big hug before his match.

"You're going to do great out there" you started, "it'll be a night to remember."

"I know it will." Roman replied, gently stroking your hair. "I made a lot of history with this title"

After a warm embrace for what seemed like forever, you let him go, giving him a kiss on the cheek as a signal for good luck.

.•°☆.⋆｡⋆☆•˚｡⋆｡˚•☆˚｡⋆.☆•��.⋆

1...

2...

3...

Cody had finished the story. The new champion held the newly claimed title high as the audience roared.

"Here is your winner...and the NEW Undisputed WWE Universal Champion...The American Nightmare: Cody Rhodes!"

You watched the screen in the guerilla with tears in your eyes. This was one of the most beautiful moments in WWE storytelling. A lot of stories have been written and not just for Cody but for everyone involved.

You couldn't imagine how Roman feels in this moment. He's successfully held the title for an incredible reign of 1,316 days. 3 years. That was already impressive on its own status.

After the pay per view went off air, Roman was desperately looking for you.

"Y/N!" You heard him call out for you. You immediately went to go look for him, needing to give him the most well deserved love he needed.

When Roman saw you, he immediately rushed into your arms, holding you tight.

"Hey baby...I saw" you started, "Are you okay?"

It took Roman a bit to respond, knowing the entire match was a lot to take in.

"Tonight was a moment..." His tone was soft "I've made a name for myself, including my in ring career..."

You listened to him, allowing him to state how he felt in this moment.

"What I'm trying to say is...I'm happy. Not because of my reign but because of what it meant for wrestling. For this company..."

You felt him shiver, you think he was caught up in his feelings.

"I love you so much, y/n... you truly have helped me with everything for the 3 years I've held that championship."

Roman looked into your eyes, small tears forming in his eyes. You smiled and gave him a soft kiss on his lips.

"I love you too, Roman. I'm happy I can be there for you..."

He smiled when he heard how you loved him.

"I know everything will change now...but you're still you, Roman. You've made an impact for WWE. You should be proud of yourself."

"Don't worry I am" He laughed, "Would you...like to get something to eat before we make it to our hotel room?"

You smiled, giving him another kiss "Sure. I think that'll make you feel better. We can get food and laugh about good times."

"Sounds like a plan"

The two of you kissed one more time before going to your dressing room, holding hands on the way there.

"I love you, y/n."

[masterjedilenawrites]

What Happened Last Night (2)

Fives wakes up on New Year's Day with no recollection of the night before. Shenanigans ensue as he goes on a quest to piece together what exactly he and his brothers got up to on New Year's Eve.

< Previous Part | Next Part >

Part Two - 10:00 AM

Fives x fem!S/O | 3k words

Content: drinking, drunkenness, hangovers and related symptoms, memory loss, sexual references, cursing

Note: So happy the first part got such positive reception! I didn't mean for this much time to pass before part two, though, so hopefully I can get the rest of the story out in quicker updates.

"So... what happened last night?"

Fives questioned their new companion as the four of them trudged down the walkway. They were quite the motley crew. Faith, obviously, was the normal one. She had her partially-braided hair beneath a beanie while the rest of her was snuggly wrapped in a nice pink peacoat. She walked in a straight line at a steady pace.

And then there were the hungover clone men beside her.

They all had on lady's sunglasses to block out the stupidly bright winter sun. Their crocheted scarves and pastel hats, also borrowed, were pulled haphazardly around their faces. Their hands hadn't been able to fit in any of the offered gloves so instead they cradled steaming paper cups of caf, though only Hardcase could stomach drinking it. Tup had promptly thrown up his first gulp in the bushes outside Faith's apartment; Fives had wisely decided to not even chance a taste.

And now they were shuffling down the streets of Coruscant's surface level at varying paces, trying so hard to appear normal that they very much looked like creatures who had never been outside before. Faith had to hide her amusement every time she looked over at them.

"Do you really want to know?" she responded to Fives's question with one of her own. She didn't mind telling the stories, only that there were so many it would probably take her all day to properly tell them all.

Tup groaned from behind rose-tinted glasses and an orange plaid scarf. "No, I really don't."

Hardcase chuckled over his near-empty caf cup while Fives swerved to avoid a lamppost that he had suddenly noticed.

"We have to know," Fives insisted. "We need clues."

"We need breakfast," mumbled Hardcase.

"You had a plate full of eggs, you're fine."

"You used up all my eggs?" asked Faith. "I needed those for a recipe."

"We'll get you more." Fives elbowed Hardcase. "Right?"

"Ow!"

"We don't have time for this... where are we even going?" Tup whined.

Faith slowed down with a shrug. "I don't know. I was waiting for one of you to take the lead."

Fives handed his untouched caf over to Hardcase and set his hands on his hips. "How? How can we possibly know where to go when we don't remember anything?"

"And when we don't have a proper meal on our stomachs?" Hardcase chimed in. Tup was about to protest but he held up his hand. "I'm being serious. Get some food in you, and you'll feel better. My headache's already gone."

"Okay, okay," Faith stepped in. "How about this. There's a cafe up ahead. Let's stop there, get something to eat, and I'll tell you everything I know. Then we can come up with a plan on where to go."

They all agreed on the plan and followed Faith to the cafe, getting a booth in the back where no one would get to overhear whatever details were shared about their wild New Year's Eve. A waiter brought over glasses of orange juice and slapped down some menus. Faith slid in behind Tup on one side, much to Fives's annoyance. He made room for Hardcase to join him on the opposite side, but the antsy clone waved him off.

"I gotta find the 'fresher first."

"We don't have time!" Tup hissed after him.

They would've been on the move sooner had it not taken fifteen minutes to convince Hardcase to change back into his own clothes. He'd grown quite fond of Faith's ultra-soft sweatpants, despite what little they did to cover his manhood. Fives had refused to let him outside until he changed into something more publicly acceptable.

"Are all clones that... well-endowed?" Faith mused while watching Hardcase scurry away.

Tup almost choked on his juice at her shameless question. Fives couldn't decide between feeling self-conscious or attracted.

"I knew you were checking me out!" Hardcase called across the cafe.

"Wait," said Fives, fighting the urge to readjust himself while on such a topic. "So we didn't... I mean... you know...?"

Faith shook her head and smirked nonchalantly.

"But... I woke up in your bed." Fives also fought to keep his disappointment from showing. There were bigger problems at hand, true, but it would've been nice to know he'd at least had a good tumble in the sheets for all these troubles.

"You passed out in my bed," she leveled an unamused look back at him. "You went in my room without asking, begged me to snuggle with you, and then passed out."

Tup started snickering.

Fives glared at him. "So... we snuggled?"

"I did not snuggle with you."

Fives hid his frown behind a menu. He must have been sloppy drunk to not even score first base.

"Where did you sleep?" Tup asked. He tried for another sip of juice, pausing to make sure the liquid stayed down before going for another.

Fives couldn't help but lower his menu back down as Faith finally started sharing some useful information about the night before.

"Well, most of you had passed out around the place. My friends had already left, except for Suzy, who was just as drunk as the rest of you. So I walked her home and crashed on her couch. She's just across the street from me so I didn't think it was too big a deal leaving you all at my place. I was planning to be back before you woke up, but then I remembered your jacket and thought I'd get that taken care of first. Took longer than I thought."

"And Dogma was there when you left?"

Faith nodded. "Yeah, the two of you were on the couches. Hardcase on the floor. Fives in my bed."

Fives felt a warm tingle at hearing her say his name.

"And what time did you leave?" Tup kept up his questioning. He wished he could be taking notes.

"It was probably close to one at that point. Not too late."

The waiter returned just as Hardcase made his way back from the refresher. Hardcase put the orders in for them, giving Tup a knowing look as he pushed Fives further into the booth to take his seat.

"Frittatas and fruit, huh?" Faith raised her eyebrows. "I would've taken you for a meat and carbs guy."

Hardcase slung an easy arm across the back of the booth. "Oh I'll eat anything, but a hangover like this, gotta stick with the brain food."

"Sheesh, you sound like Kix," said Tup. He supposed fruit didn't sound too disgusting, especially since he'd been able to keep down half a glass of OJ so far.

"Kix." Fives sat up straight as an idea took hold. "Dogma's a practical guy, right? If he woke up before us, he'd probably want to get some medical help first."

"And leave us to fend for ourselves." Hardcase nodded. "Sounds about right."

"He probably took Rex's helmet with him, too."

Tup visibly relaxed in the corner of the booth. "Well then... case closed. No need to rush."

Fives could see Faith shaking her head and gave her a questioning look.

"You didn't have any helmets with you. Not at the party or when you came to my place."

Tup tensed back up again.

"It's okay," Fives quickly supplied. "We still have a starting point. We'll find Kix, see what he knows. Go from there."

"Doesn't sound like much of a plan," Tup grumbled. "The food's taking forever and we don't even know if Kix knows anything. We're screwed."

Fives glanced over at the chrono hanging on the cafe wall and had to admit he was starting to worry, too. It was already half past 10. An hour and half left before Rex would put an end to their active service.

Faith must have noticed his worry as she leaned in toward him. He'd been annoyed at not being able to sit next to her or across from her, as if seating arrangements really mattered that much. But her effort to get closer to him specifically did make him feel a little better.

"Maybe we can split up? Whatever you need from me, I'll help."

She gave a genuine smile and Fives found a surge of confidence.

"Okay," he decided, grabbing his juice glass and slamming down the liquid. His stomach turned at the sudden weight but he pushed aside the feeling. "Tup, stay here with Hardcase and get some food in you. Faith, leave your comm here. We'll use Kix's to let you guys know what we find out."

"Why am I the only one who needs food?" Tup asked him suspiciously.

"I'll get a stimpack from Kix or something," he tried to act casual as he pushed Hardcase out of the booth so he could join Faith.

"And why couldn't I get--" Tup started arguing back but Hardcase shushed him.

"Tup, stop cock-blocking him, man," he said loudly, giving Fives a wink as he slid back into the booth. "Read the room."

Fives couldn't hurry Faith out of there fast enough.

* * *

All around him, figures blurred as they moved faster than his mind could keep up with. Lights streaked across his vision and the beat of a bass vibrated the floor beneath his feet. There was the smell of alcohol and sweat, sounds of laughter and trumpets, the warmth of huddled, dancing bodies mixed with cold breezes from the open windows.

That was all on the outside. In the inside, he was the happiest he'd ever felt. Like he was floating on clouds. No missions, no firefights. Just the company of his brothers and booze, and a night that promised infinite possibility.

He could feel the burn of liquor in his throat and a body pressed up against his, though he couldn't see who it was. And then everything started to blur further and further into oblivion, until it disappeared altogether and all that was left was a throbbing in his temples and a lurch in his stomach.

"You okay, there, soldier?"

Faith rubbed at Fives's back as he hunched over a paper bag in the seat beside her. He tried to focus on her touch and not the weight of the liquid accumulating in the bag. They'd taken a speeder cab; a mistake. He was embarrassed at not being able to chip in any credits to pay their fare, and now worse, the motion was finally dislodging those sickly symptoms he'd been fighting to keep down all morning.

"What the hell did I drink?" he moaned, cursing the fact his breath now stank to high heaven.

"Blurrgfire," Faith said with a small laugh. "You had about eight of them at the party. Not sure what you'd had before I showed up. And then at my place, you boys helped me clear out all the wine people have gifted me... I think one was a 50-year bottle. That's probably what did you in."

"And you really stayed sober the whole time?"

He wished he could remember her. Pieces of the party were coming back to him. Silly words distorted by blaring speakers, like shingaling and slizzard. Some faces glitching in slow motion, like Hardcase and his redhead. But no Dogma. No Rex. And no Faith.

"I've been on medication for depression for a year now," she explained so casually that Fives finally forced his eyes away from the floor to look at her. "It feels so good to feel normal for once, I don't mind being the chaperone for my friends. I stay out of the way and let them have their fun, keep an eye on things, make sure no drinks get spiked, that everyone gets home safe. And yeah... sometimes I pick up some strays along the way. You clones are by far the funniest guests I've had."

He had so much he wanted to ask her, not about their current predicament, but about her life. He'd spent time with plenty of civvies while on leave, but none interesting enough to have a meaningful conversation with. Besides, it was easier to leave a stranger behind in a bed than to have to say goodbye to a friend.

"Well I'm glad you find my problems so entertaining," he decided to tease instead. He hadn't felt too nauseous turning his head toward her, so he thought he'd try sitting back in the seat again. Faith's hand stayed on his shoulder to steady him and then regretfully pulled away once he'd settled.

"You said you left your apartment around one?" he said. He hoped by hearing more details, other memories would come out. "So where were we at midnight?"

Faith tucked a leg under her and started outlining the timeline as she knew it. She'd arrived at the cantina with her friends at 9. Fives and his brothers were already there and had immediately taken to her pretty friends. They'd all drank and danced for a few hours, and then the topic of her untouched wine collection came up. They left around 11, but the group split on the way to her apartment. Fives, Tup, and her friends Lenny and Lecrae had ran off in search of fried chicken, for some reason Faith couldn't remember. They'd shown back up at her place just before midnight with more liquor, no chicken, and new tattoos. They rang in the New Year and then played strip poker until everyone either left or passed out.

"I got a tattoo, too?" He already had a sleeve of different patterns and symbols but hadn't noticed anything new added. And no telltale itch that usually accompanied fresh ink. But then again, he'd really only been able to feel a headache so far.

"Supposedly on your ass? That's how the strip poker thing started. You wouldn't show anyone without making a game out of it first. I think you were full of shit."

There was a teasing glint in her eyes that gave Fives that sense of déjà vu all over again.  It was the strangest thing. He couldn't remember her but he knew she had been part of his night. If her account was true, she would've been in the background of everything, silently laughing at their antics and subtly keeping them out of any real trouble. She wasn't a knock-out beauty, so he likely hadn't paid her as much attention as the others in his inebriated state, at least not until everyone else had left. A shame, he now knew. She was cute in her own way. Endearing. He wanted everyone to like him, but the feeling was even stronger with her. Maybe it was better they hadn't slept together. A woman like her, he'd want to remember every moment with.

He shifted under the guise of resettling his stomach, while really making sure his knee could knock against hers whenever the speeder turned a corner.

They soon arrived at the GAR headquarters. Kix wasn't scheduled for this next mission so Fives was confident he'd be putting his time in the medbay instead. If he hadn't gone out on his own New Year's adventure. Faith couldn't recall whether she had seen a clone like him or not at the party. Fives had to trust that Kix didn't suddenly get fun overnight and would be hard at work per usual.

They hustled through the hallways to the medbay, and then snaked their way through the beds toward the back room. No sign of Dogma anywhere, though there were plenty of clones who looked like they'd had a similar night. Fives made a beeline for some cabinets, looking for a stimpack. Faith hung back awkwardly and jumped when Kix burst through the door behind them.

Whatever chastisement was on the medic's tongue died out upon the sight before him. "What are you wearing?"

Fives still had Faith's sunglasses and bucket hat on, finding the florescent lights just as bothersome as the sun. He'd undone the scarf in the cab when he'd been throwing up his guts so the pink and yellow fabric now flapped about as he spun between cabinets and drawers.

"Hey, man," he responded nonchalantly, having finally found a stim. "You seen Dogma?"

Kix shook himself. "You know what, I don't want to know. You need to leave."

Fives went to the corner next to the full-length mirror and shrugged his pants down enough to see his rear. No tattoos. He wasn't sure if he should be relieved or disappointed, so instead he just jammed the stim into his flesh before Kix could grab it away.

"Aren't you supposed to be deploying soon?" Kix demanded. He went to toss the empty stim and did a a double-take when he noticed the strange woman standing in the corner. She gave a small wave and he sighed.

"You can't just march in here with a civvie and steal supplies," said Kix.

"I'm not stealing. They're meant for the GAR and I'm using them...."

"They're meant for battle. Injured, dying soldiers. Not to erase the mistakes of a reckless night out." Kix waived his hand toward the door and it was clear he was frustrated by more than just Fives. "I'm a doctor, not a nanny."

"So no Dogma?" Fives changed the subject.

"No," Kix snapped.

Fives cursed. Their one lead. Now they were back at square one.

"Would he have gone to anyone else?" Faith asked.

Fives only rubbed at his temples, finding it difficult to think. The effects of the stim would take a few minutes longer to be felt, but he didn't have minutes. The morning was waning and they were no closer to figuring anything out than they had been when they'd first woken up in a groggy stupor.

Kix looked at the time on his holopad. "Alright, I've got a battalion coming in soon. I need every hungover lump in here to clear out. Including your girlfriend. Let's go."

He shooed them all the way out into the hall, though Fives didn't need too much coaxing to get out of there. He wasn't a fan of the medbay.

"We can retrace your steps," Faith was starting to suggest as they walked down the hallway at a substantially slower, more uncertain pace than when they'd come in.

But then came a booming voice that caused them both to jerk in surprise.

"Fives! What the kriff?!"

They turned to find a clone standing across the hall, arms crossed and eyebrows furrowed beneath a Republic cogwheel tattoo. And he was pissed.

Every Character Tag: @dangerousstrawberrypie, @justanothersadperson93, @arctrooper69, @sleepycreativewriter, @techie-bear, @theroguesully, @cw80831, @cdblake1565, @msmeredithrose Clone Bois Tag: @kaijusplotch, @rebel-finn, @lucyysthings, @marvel-starwars-nerd, @nekotaetae, @severalseashellsbytheseashore, @lackofhonor, @flowered-bicycles, @foodmoneyandcats, @nahoney22, @dangraccoon, @lulalovez, @aconstructofamind, @skellymom, @the-mom-friend-dot-com, @tardisgirl420 What Happened Last Night Tag: @griffedeloup

✨Join A Tag List Here!✨

🌙 Master Master List | ☘️ Stories Master List

< Previous Part | Next Part >

[coffeegnomee]

Im curious, if you had to make a required reading list or VODs to watch before anyone was added to Lifesteal, what would you put on there? My starting point would be barrier blocks and then I think I’d lose my sense of ideas

oh like for new players? hmmmm. barrier blocks for sure because it breaks down how the server works from the meta. and then some explanation of the cycles by someone, i'm partial to my post but that's pure bias.

but maybe a hot take, but i don't think new members need to watch the past, esp vods. i think it skews their perception of the server.

this is something that i thought about a lot last season looking at minutetech, bc he's been watching lifesteal for a long long time.

but it hit me one day during the joker arc just how insane it is to go from being a viewer to being a player on the server. because you can watch two players interact all day every day and see how lifesteal works,

but that's not YOU there in that conversation. You yourself are going to be different and will affect the story completely differently than anyone else.

you can watch mapicc and zam talk, but take out one of them and they're going to act differently towards you than they act towards each other. it doesn't really matter how they are between each other or any other member, you have to survive for yourself.

and it hit me in the joker arc bc minute had this perception of zam, knowing that he cares about the server and isn't this destructive, but none of that mattered because 1) zam had been changed by s4 and all of s5 up to that point and 2) minute was being a menace Specifically to zam, not dying all season, and now wanting to end the server in peace, which zam was absolutely against.

minute's actions changed how zam approached their relationship, so it didn't matter how much minute knew about the server and about its players, he was going to have to figure it out for himself what to do.

and i think a little (or a lot) of the tension this season is because kab and derap were longtime viewers before joining. they both have a perception on how zam is and acts and it affects how they interact with him, but zam doesn't have any of that same kind of backstory for them so he acts differently than they might expect. this was huge in how derap was pushing zam do things for himself so he wouldn't burnout and go evil like he always does. and kab thinking he was spineless bc all she remembers is eclipse (though her memory for the past is so terrible)

mane was also a long time viewer, but it doesn't feel like he's particularly taking the relational knowledge and putting it to use (at least not yet), but he did have a perception that lifesteal is all about the pvp and he had to learn otherwise. idk who he definitely watched, but it was for sure zam since s2 (when he also took mapicc and zam in a 2v1 and thought he would win but then got obliterated by them which made him realize the lifestealers were better at pvp than he expected) and obviously probably clownpierce and between that you would think it's only fighting. and probably write off zam being zam for why he would take loosing fights, but conclude that that was not being the point of the server.

basically your best teacher for how lifesteal works is logging on and doing things.

but i also might change my mind on this. there's a good number of youtube videos i think would be good for new members to watch, the cleansing and s3 finale, s4 TA prison (and bacon's second channel video on how he got in), leo's s3 finale and the dupe war, honestly spoke's wormhole truth video, subz's repairing s4 spawn after duper war, clown's funhouse. kind of a broad strokes on the exploits used and how, different types of video ideas, and a bit on how teaming and betrayal plays out.

but the lore just lores, you can't understand how it works until you live it.

but as an audience member i got lists and lists of required vods because i think for us it is always good to understand how people interact with each other in the past to understand why they are the way they are now. and we're not actually involved in anything.

[romance-club-daily]

Comments on the update (january/2025) that nobody asked for:

Remember that these are my opinions, you don't have to agree with them.

Astrea's Broken Heart:

I think in the end things finally started to engage, I was finding this second season a bit stale (?). I still don't like that ABH is from the HS universe, but I'm curious to know their connection with the book of the apocalypse, the spear and HSR. Regarding David, I'm missing the element of the 72 demons and how this would be a difficulty for the relationship between him and Audrey, the story of the separation is fine, but it lacks substance. The idea of the demons tormenting his mind and damaging their relationship seems more interesting to me. About their scene, @teatimemols I really didn't like the scene you mentioned, and the one with the cuddles too :| The first one was weird, the second one... it wasn't really cuddles... Let's see if the next one improves. Cassiel's path, impeccable! I love reading their scene together, and him saying that he finally wants to show this love for Audrey to the world 10/10. I was hoping that Mikael's brother would be someone from HSR, or even the angel Gabriel, like a twin, but… There's nothing to do about that. I have a slot for Rafael but he doesn't enchant me very much, I think it's ok. Malek, I think it was obvious that he was connected to the beast and I don't understand how the characters didn't realise this before, I mean, he knew a lot about what the Astreans were looking for and nobody got suspicious? Not even Mikael, in a more serious way? At least by the end of this update everything will be clear and the plot will progress further, I hope.

Soulless:

I hope Wincy gets better soon! Soulless is still my favourite story. I loved the scenes between Vincent and Vyxaria, one of the best routes in the story. I missed the others having romantic scenes as well (apart from Threxio/a who had a quick one). But I understand, because they couldn't fit everything into one episode. Also, the gang in a new setting? Fantasy clothes for them! I hope Threxio/a can change clothes as demons, finally. I can't wait for the next update!

Heaven's Secret Requiem:

Honestly, I'm not a W|W player, but this situation with Anna's path is horrendous. I took routes where the LI M|F is forgotten, but for these routes in particular it's even worse, because it's clear that she knows what's going on and doesn't give a damn. The same goes for Greg, who has no involvement in the plot except for his sister. ABH's Cassiel, who takes a similar route, is important to the plot and isn't just about his sister's death. The mistake lies with the author who doesn't want to develop the two characters and has clearly only put them in to fill quotas, if they were white and male I don't think this would happen, she'd quickly find something for them to do. Like with Dead Man Boris and the dead weight Yan. The plot is cool and all, but if the LI path you choose isn't treated with the slightest bit of respect/is sidelined the story loses all its fun to me.

Cain not being related to Yan and them looking alike is very strange to me, apart from the fact that they never interact. Him being the traitor doesn't surprise me either, it makes a lot of sense. Dmitry has an ok route I guess.

7 Brothers:

I'm enjoying the plot and I'm happy for James' girls I guess (I like Avery and Simon more, but that's me). Grant's route is going well, I don't think he's boring, I just think he needs to be more involved in the plot (?). Tristan's route is also going well, I think. I hope there'll be more action in the next update.

The Parallel Universes Bureau:

I really like the fairy theme and I'm really enjoying the story, the bad thing is that it will only last one season! Albert and Orion's paths are very good and reducing the number of LIs from 5/6 to 4 was an advantage for a short story. I still think should be around 15/16 episodes per season as it's an anthology, it's not too little or too much time. And I think they're already sowing the seeds for next season, the agent who calls the MC all the time to talk to her is appearing a lot in the story, I think they're hints for the next MC.

Also, it's been my comfort story since Hell and high Water ended.

W: Time Catcher:

The writing is as impeccable as ever! Shen's path *chef's kiss*, Lucien's too! And I'm tempted to open a slot for Renato! I'm just hoping for a bit more action, I guess it's just my impression, but the story is a bit stale? I don't know, showing the repercussions of the Vatican story after Praevius died, how Nova's "father" and the general are acting, something like that would be good. The detective plot is getting a bit tiring? But apart from that it's sensational!

The Thunderstorms Saga:

I'm enjoying the plot, Ganash's route is going well! The conspiracies and the king's sudden interest in Tiss is making the plot moving more, it's good. I'm just sad that although they've added other races to MC the characters, we're not going to see the same diversity in the secondary characters, just the mountain elves I guess. I think it's going to be like the other Jester stories, towards the end the plot really become engaging.

And the Haze Will Takes Us:

At first I didn't engage with the story, but these last few updates have been good! Reading how the village's paranoia is building and how their reaction to the events is going has been interesting, especially with Novak's arrival. This story is one that doesn't let you imagine what might happen next, because they might, I don't know, decide to dump Lada at the haze at any moment now, or kill someone for nothing too, or the gods appearing out of nowhere too. A wild ride, I guess (that's a compliment).

Shakespeare's Code:

I've really enjoyed the Eds! Especially Edmund! The toad is the goat! and the opportunity to be a villain is also interesting. I'm still confused by all these stats, but still trying to understand. The dialogues are too flowery for me, so sometimes it gets boring, but I think it's more of a personal problem. I think Shakespeare is M's servant too, he seems suspicious, especially with his son's illness and all.

The Missing:

A good start, I liked all the LIs and the genre of the story is one I like a lot, I hope the mystery holds us from start to finish and the author continues to do a great job. It's nice to see an MC who's competent at what she does too, without being a Mary Sue, it'll be nice to follow her. I just don't know if the story is going to be only detective and drama, because some shadows and trolls have appeared. Will there also be supernatural elements? I hope not.

Garden of Eden:

I've given up on the story, it's really not for me, I can't follow it at all, I really tried. I'm going to go diamond mining and read only the parts of Doo-yeong's scenes.

Chasing You 2:

Same as Garden of Eden, I really can't read the story anymore, Ellia barely appears and all that happens is smut with Ezra and Alexander. Only diamond mining and reading Ellia's part.

Dracula: A Love Story:

I don't know what is happening anymore, just hoping for the finale and I hope it comes soon.

[sneepity-snoop-snorpity-sneep]

I apparently come across as the same age as my younger coworkers, possibly because I am holding the vestiges of my whimsy in a deathgrip and also because they are experiencing the highs and lows of marriage and I'm not (seriously, I once had a conversation with an old lady at an urgent care where she was talking about her kids, stopped mid-conversation and went "you don't have any, i can see it in your eyes" TTvTT). If i were a cartoon I might be failing the above person's character design test

a lot of people do NOT 'look like adults'. Hell, in my experience a lot of folks look about the same if they're between 16 and 25 depending on the person and the only real way to find out where they fall on that range is to straight-up ask them

on one hand, yes, fiction and character design in cartoons specifically is meant to convey information about the characters to the audience quickly and easily - that doesn't mean shorthand like this is a good idea

visually conveying important information about your characters to your viewers is one thing, catering to the members of the audience who become viscerally uncomfy with characters not fitting in the exact boxes they think characters (and usually real people) should fit in is another thing ENTIRELY. People are gonna surprise you and do backflips around your expectations in real life just by being themselves sometimes, and frankly fiction gets better when this part of the human experience is included (at least i think it does)

like this whole complaint could've just stopped at "I don't like it when writers/designers sexualize characters whose role in the story doesn't have anything to do with their sexuality or lack thereof" and most folks would agree - like anybody from the clone wars fandom remember what they decided to have ahsoka wear for the first couple of seasons for no real reason? but that doesn't actually have any bearing on the character themself, again, see young ahsoka running around doing jedi commander stuff and having character arcs that her clothes are coincidental for at best (girl was literally in a war zone with not only no protective clothing, but not clothing at all covering at least three vital organs hhhhhhhhh)

and also, since this seems to be about hazbin hotel, I'd like to point out that there's probably some overlap OOP is seeing between 'character is being sexualized by the writers and/or fans' and 'character is in a story that includes adult themes about sexuality, lust, etc, and is shown to visibly have a sex drive/sex life/sexual experience', as many adults do.

But i still don't really see this as a bug over a feature, i mean....yeah hazbin hotel writes adults whose lives include sex-related stuff in a very different way than other adult shows which include sexuality (gonna use arcane and castlevania here, because i just recently re-watched both), but they're also all very different kinds of stories.

hazbin hotel, while not being quite the same kind of show like say family guy or south park, where you might find over-the-top sex/profanity based comedy, is the kind of adult animation that decided to have sex be a more relevant part of the setting and sometimes plot. Characters make sexual references, innuendos, jokes, etc, all the time even when there isn't any actual sex going on, while the other two shows I mention simply have sex being A Thing Adults Do Sometimes and there isn't (usually, with a particular exception *cough cough Lenore + Hector*) anything majorly plot-relevant about it.

but as far as your audience goes, that's really a difference in preference than a sign of good/bad writing or character design. Like i'm definitely more of a fan of the latter style of including sexuality in stories about adults. The hazbin hotel take on writing adults and sex isn't my cup of tea, but neither is it a deal breaker for adult media in general for me. This may be because I am Not Going To Pay Attention To Whatever Nonsense The Horny Fans Are Doing Now. i'm just not.

like a lot of the above complains seem to be rooted in how members of the audience will see the character, which is really not the greatest way to judge a work of fiction. Inevitably, at least some fans will draw porn of any character regardless of canonical age or if the story they're from actually has any kind of sexual content or not (doesn't Disney have an official vault of porn of characters from a bunch of their kids movies/shows? yeah) and if that's an issue for you you may not be curating your own online experience as much as you should. Gotta learn to think 'Do i actually want to see/engage with this or will it just make me unhappy' before u actually look at something. I regret to inform u i dont know any way outside of experiencing the consequences of NOT doing that to learn when I should. I'm talking about the moment when i see a unfamiliar word online ending in 'philia' and i take a moment to notice my curiosity before pondering if i really care to look it up

in conclusion, trying to box actual adult's appearance/behavior into boxes on who should and shouldn't be allowed to have a visible sexuality is just kinda reminiscent on the aspects of western shame culture that presume you can stop people behaving badly by making the potential targets of that behavior act so as not to encourage it.

Understandable gut motivation. Poorly thought out reaction

Alright.

At First I Was Going To Make A Joke About How Stupid This Thing Is, But Now That I’m Thinking About It This Is Just More Gross, Infuriating, And Sexist Than It Is Stupid And Funny.

Adult Are Adults.

Fictional Adult Are Fictional Adults.

I Don’t Care What Height They Are, If They Have Curves Or Not, If Their Personality Is Childish Or Adultish, Or If They Look Like A Child Or A Adult.

They Are Adults No Matter What.

Also “ProShippers Take Her And Run”… Can You Just… Not Do Or Say Anything Ever Again?

Either That Or Change Your Ways?

[remcadll]

Wow crazy how it’s been two months since mha ended. what the hell was that btw

[startswith0]

Shinichi : these are a few of my favourite things!

Football/soccer!

Detective mystery novels!

Singing! Even tho he's tone-deaf

And, Ran Mouri! 🌸🌸

[saturnscherie]

༄ A Second Chance for Tsumiki’s Happiness

༄ An analysis on why I think Megumi *chose* this memory a second time, for his final moment before death.

When Yuji accepted Megumi’s wish to die, Megumi knew that he didn’t have to continue living because Yuji was finally going to get rid of Sukuna and take him down along with him.

But, when Yuji saw him again after that scene, he found young Megumi in the same memory that changed his life forever. The scene where he chose to become a sorcerer, to protect Tsumiki’s happiness.

I always implied that we see this memory a second time because it was supposed to be a representation of Megumi walking towards death to join Tsumiki in the afterlife.

I think this is what's being presented because, in the memory where Gojo finds Megumi, Megumi was on his way home to Tsumiki, who we saw later on, waiting and watching through their window for him to arrive.

This small but significant detail of Tsumiki waiting for Megumi is important because it seems Megumi wished to return to the day when he accepted Gojo’s offer to become a sorcerer.

After all, he knew that if he went back to that day he could just keep walking forward, instead of turning around; he could choose to join Tsumiki at home, instead of choosing to become a sorcerer.

(He even turns back around to face his home mid way through his convo with Gojo. It looks like a part of him wanted to just go inside instead of hear Gojo out.)

༄ Tsumiki’s Happiness

From my understanding, Megumi never wanted to be a sorcerer for his own sake. He only chose that path because it was his only way at the time, to bring Tsumiki happiness.

Megumi further proves this point when he talks about his dream life because he didn't mention being a sorcerer at all. He only mentioned wanting to create a world where Tsumiki wouldn't have to suffer and if he couldn't do that he wanted to at least be able to preserve their fragile life.

༄ Tsumiki was the first person Megumi truly wanted to save and not being able to do so, made him lose his will to continue living life, without her.

If you remember, at the end of the Shibuya Incident arc, Kenjaku said that they carefully picked every person they gave cursed objects. We find out later that Tsumiki became the vessel for Yorozu, meaning she was given her cursed object.

This implies that Tsumiki was specifically targeted to be used in their Jujutsu terrorism because she was involved in the world of sorcery, through Megumi.

I think Megumi understood that this was the case, and couldn't help but blame himself for becoming a sorcerer, even though it wasn't his fault.

In his mind, the day he chose to become a sorcerer is what would eventually lead Tsumiki to her downfall. Her death meant he wasn’t able to protect her happiness, the one thing he so dearly wanted to do, from such a young age.

At the end of the day, all he ever wanted out of agreeing to be a sorcerer, was to make his older sister happy. If Tsumiki was happy, he would be happy as well. A life without her had no meaning because ultimately, her happiness was his reason for living.

༄ Final Thoughts

Megumi returning to that same memory gives off the impression that maybe, just maybe there was a small feeling inside of him, where he believed that he could get a second chance at protecting Tsumiki’s happiness, by joining her in the afterlife.

He already knew that the life he lived as a sorcerer didn’t bring her happiness. Choosing to go home instead of choosing to be a sorcerer, would give him another chance to save her. They could both start over and continue living their life, together in peace, without being involved in the cruel, harsh world of Jujutsu Sorcery.

༄ I will make a separate post [Part 2], explaining why I think Megumi *chose* to turn around a second time, in the scene with Yuji, instead of joining Tsumiki at home/joining her in the afterlife. ♡

[fozmeadows]

I think you're right, and if I can talk specifically about this phenomenon in relation to fandom, which often serves as a microcosm of wider social trends, I also think an additional factor is the false belief that certain parts of the internet are primarily young adult, as opposed to adult, spaces. While young adults in general and teens in particular have always been welcome in fandom, the current ubiquity of social media means that many younger fans, by virtue of never having had to pass through adult gatekeepers in order to access private fandom spaces, have grown up assuming that adults are the exception in fandom, rather than the rule. This misapprehension is further compounded by the anonymity of the internet, which makes it easy to assume that anyone you're talking to about a shared interest must be roughly your age until or unless they say otherwise; the general attitude of contempt still held by much of mainstream culture for the idea of fannish adults; and the prominence of certain large fandoms geared around youth-centric media, such as CW shows and YA novels. And the thing is, fandom was always horny! But once upon a time, that horniness wasn't publicly accessible to anywhere near the same degree it is now. Even when it was happening online, it was in private servers and email chains and sites like Elfwood and DeviantArt, or in livejournal communities that were subsequently lost during Strikethrough - places, in other words, that you had to scratch around to find, or where you had to dig through layers of other stuff in order to meet people who were specifically interested in the same stuff as you. Public, social-media-enabled fandom, by contrast, has really only been the primary mode of fandom for the last 15 years, and for the first half of that, it was still new to everyone. Now, though, you've got kids who've grown up taking the current online format of fandom for granted - and for the above stated reasons, many of them have also come to assume, albeit wrongly, that adults are the minority; that either we've been ageing out of our passions rather than sticking around, or that nobody ever finds fandom as an adult. And so it comes as a shock to some of these young adults to encounter unapologetic adult hornyposting on main, not because they're not also horny themselves, but because they're still young enough to be embarrassed about it in public. Take, for instance, something as comparatively mundane as straight people doing anal, or just plain old cunnilingus - do you remember how absolutely scandalous, how salacious those concepts were in high school? I don't mean in the privacy of your own thoughts or what you'd actually done or wanted to do; I mean the idea of a random classmate knowing that you'd thought about it, or done it, or wanted to do it, and passing judgement. Particularly for teenage girls, the shame was excruciating. You had to know enough about sex not to be judged immature, but not so much that you'd be thought a slut; it was death to show you were flustered, because then you were probably a virgin, but being disinterested made you frigid and being confident made you look easy - which meant that the only safe reaction you could possibly have in public if someone brought up sex was to pull an Uno reverse and accuse them of being creepy and gross and weird for having done so in the first place.

Which, to be fair, in many instances, they often were, because teens are not known for their tact or implicit respect for the boundaries of peers! But while there are absolutely other radicalizing factors involved in the puriteen phenomenon in fandom, more and more often, I can't help thinking that the reflexive, knee-jerk declarations of ew, gross, that's weird, even when couched in callout language, are most often representative of embarrassed, insecure young adults trying to avoid the judgement of peers by signaling that they absolutely know the exact right amount about sex, and they're not a prude or a slut or a virgin or anything else, they're totally normal but that person over there is a freak, and we should all pay attention to them instead, because why are they even saying that stuff in public?

Which impulse then, very easily, gets diverted (both internally and by exploitative bad actors) into why are you saying that stuff where I, a baby minor twenty year old, can see it: because these same people think that fandom is a youth space, not an adult space, and thus believe their discomfort should be the yardstick against which normal vs gross should be measured - when they are, in fact, the outliers. Because whereas a certain degree of sexual confusion, embarrassment and uncertainty is normal for people who are either going through or just out of adolescence, or who are just becoming sexually active and/or romantically autonomous, for anyone older, more experienced or less sexually anxious, those schoolyard taboos and stigmas no longer hold sway. Which is not to say that being embarrassed and wanting to be selective about the content you engage with means you're doing fandom wrong; that's absolutely fair at any age. What it means, rather, is that staying embarrassed is not the goal, and is therefore not the guiding impulse through which we police the people around us. The heart of fandom is enthusiasm: caring about something enough to build a community around it, to critique it passionately and in depth just as often as you sing its praises, or, yes, even to write fucky porn about it, and none of this is possible if you're spiritually looking over your shoulder at all times to check if the popular girls in your science class think you look cool doing it, or if you're internally panicking about people knowing you have desires and kinks and interests and compulsions. We all have desires and kinks and interests and compulsions! That's why we're here, at the desires, kinks, interests and compulsions buffet!

As ever, the length of this post got away from me, but the point is this: the reflexive impulse to deflect attention away from your own embarrassed feelings or lack of understanding about something by calling another person gross and weird for mentioning it is, in the most literal and non-pejorative sense, developmentally juvenile. And that doesn't make it bad! It's something pretty much everyone goes through! But that also doesn't make it good, either, and particularly in the context of adult horniness occurring in an adult, horny-positive space wherein individuals are expected to engage according to their own comfort levels, it's not bringing anything useful to the table.

I think a significant part of this whole neo-Victorian sexual moral panic is down to the fact that society en masse simply isn't prepared to confront the incomprehensible nature of what the average person gets off to. Since time immemorial, normal people have been getting off to weird, gross shit in the privacy of their own heads. With the internet giving us mass, unfiltered access to each others' raw sexual expression, we're all just freaking each other out.

[tj-crochets]

Hey y'all! It's winter again which means my annual search for lotion I am not allergic to is back on (aka my hands are dry and I want to find better lotion lol) Currently, I use Aveeno, the one with oats I can never remember the name of. I am not allergic to it but it's not super effective for me, so I'm once again looking for a different lotion option - I am allergic to coconut, macadamia nut, almond, and cinnamon (and vinegar but I doubt that would be in lotion) - I am not allergic to but my asthma is triggered by mint, any menthol-adjacent anything, cedar, sandalwood...basically any "wood" smells or fake musk smells, and most essential oils. Also fake "sweet" smells - I can usually handle citrus scents better than other scents in things like lotions and soaps without wheezing, but any strong enough scent can be an issue

If you happen to have a lotion, especially a hand lotion, that you think would work for me please let me know! I know it's a long shot but I thought it was worth asking

[dixidin]

NO TIME TO TALK ABOUT ME PULLING AN ALL NIGHTER AND ME POSTING THIS CRAZY LATE PRESSURE IS TRENDING

And yes, I did forget his esca and such, but in my defense I was too focused on fish man. beard...

(Also light reminder that I'm taking free art commissions currently :3)

[thepoisonroom]

'I flirted with the idea that instead of being trans that I was just a cross-dresser (a quirk, I thought, that could be quietly folded into an otherwise average life) and that my dysphoria was sexual in nature, and sexual only. And if my feelings were only sexual, then, I wondered, perhaps I wasn’t actually trans.

I had read about a book called The Man Who Would Be Queen, by a Northwestern University professor who believed that transwomen who were attracted to women were really confused fetishists, they wanted to be women to satisfy an autogynephilia. And though I first read about this book in the context of its debunkment and disparagement, I thought about the electricity of slipping on those tights, zipping up those boots, and a stream of guilt followed. Maybe this professor was right, and maybe I was only a fetishist. Not trans, just a misguided boy.

About a year later, on the Internet, I come across a transwoman who added a unique message to the crowd refuting this professor. Oh, I wish I remember who this woman was, and I wish even more that I could do better than paraphrase her, but I remember her saying something like this: “Well, of course I feel sexy putting on women’s clothing and having a woman’s body. If you feel comfortable in your body for the first time, won’t that probably mean it’ll be the first time you feel comfortable, too, with delighting in your body as a sexual thing?”'

-Casey Plett, Consciousness

[wildfey]

I get people's frustration with JFA. It has some annoying aspects. but honestly. I think it's kinda good.

I think JFA suffers because it's squished in-between AA1 and T&T which are both games that stand out a lot more. Both of which are also 5 case games (though of course, JFA came out before RFTA. But pretty much everyone in eng-lang fandom plays RFTA as a fifth case in AA1). But JFA introduces so many concepts and characters that become iconic for the series - Franziska! Morgan Fey! Adrian Andrews! Pearl! And then ideas like the magatama and the minigames that are separate to the normal courtroom gameplay, the idea of changing the prosecutor for every game - those are all from JFA!

I think thematically it's also a really strong game. I wonder if the short dev cycle (and three months is. Ridiculous.) was maybe why JFA uses a lot of these narrative shortcuts - Every case in JFA reflects some aspect of character relationships between the main cast (this is actually my fave thing about the game!). We actually see so little of Franziska in the game but we see lots of characters who represent Franziska - I personally at least love that.

I think it has real issues - the speed at which it was written probably is a really significant factor in that - JFA feels very short to play through and has some dangling threads - Franziska notably gets some really interesting development which then stops short of where you expect it to go. And then when we see her in T&T and AAI it's almost like seeing the end point of that but without some of the bits in-between. AA4 is similar in that you feel a bit like there's a missing case that's specifically character related - Franziska and Klavier both obviously had more planned for them that was cut due to time pressure.

I don't actually remember what's changed in the anime cuz I haven't seen it since 2020 or something and I am notoriously a bit of an AA anime hater. I remember they changed some of the age gap stuff in big top which... Fair. That's an easy fix.

Been thinking about Justice for All because of Wildfey so I was rewatching the grumps play it who had some (Fair) complaints, some of which I think the anime did a good job of fixing. But there are some issues/weirdness to the game for sure.

But I also can't forget how Shu Takumi had 3 and 1/2 months to write the entire flipping game. He said when you broke it down that "meant that I only had one week to sketch out the plot and tricks for each episode.”

Also we were supposed to get 5 cases. We might have had some emotional closure for Franziska. Can you imagine???

So those cases have some issues. But consider the following:

"When Takumi did finish his script at the end of two-and-a-half months, it amounted to 1,500 pages"

Anyone who cranks out 750 pages a month of comprehensible story line deserves a fucking award. And a LONG vacation. What the hell capcom.

[majimasleftasscheek]

Do you have any plans to make stickers? Bc my god would I KILL for a Goromi one to put on/in my welding helmet

I do! I have some samples of sticker sheets I've made but currently working thru a couple of manufacturers cuz there's some things I like and don't like about the few I've tried