#but I completely overlooked it while drafting

[meltedmush]

HAPPY NEW YEAR!! WELCOME 2025!!

[javierduffy]

“uh … it’s a bit girly … no?” javier examines himself in the reflection of his knife’s blade, looking this-a way and that, the dark blue of a large silken bow now peeking sheepishly around his neck as it sits gently in his hair. next to him, kieran clams up a smidge, hands still held close to his chest nearby his completed ribbon project on javier’s head. he finds it in himself to wring his hands a time or two rather than immediately undo his work as javier seems to continue to formulate his final opinion. “you … think so? look at me?” kieran asks, politely as a mouse. javier easily complies, turns at his hips and looks behind, up at kieran where he sits on the stump above him.

kieran, as he peers over, can’t help the meadow of flush that blooms over his neck, then his ears, then his nose and his cheeks. he can tell javier is deep in thought by the look on his face, mouth twisted just a might sideways, cocking his mustache awry, and the deep wrinkle sat between his brows. the ribbon he used matches javier’s vest perfectly, and the shine of the silk warms bright in the sun, just like every piece of jewelry and metal javier has adorned himself with. with this ribbon, javier’s hair sits lower on his head, ponytail draped down his nape and more hair framing his face in his bangs. kieran resists an urge to tuck one side back behind his ear.

kieran thinks that he looks like a painting, a muse, a love letter so heartbreakingly full of adoration that the only language it could be written in is bright swipes of pigment on a canvas. as he makes eye contact with the silk squinting around the red of a necktie, he thinks that javier may be right, if ‘girly’ could sum up ’poetry written in effeminate reverence’.

kieran always did think women made better art, wrote better books- found a better way to love. softer. warmer. prettier. like javier.

the world sounds like it’s underwater.

“i think … it’s very pretty. it suits you real well.”

earnest to a fault, the look in kieran’s eye dances gingerly with javier’s internal voice. it dips and sways him, and javier, despite his instinct, finds himself charmed by its rhythm.

“-b-but! i could take it out! if you don’t-“ javier looks down at himself in his knife again, the sunlight filtered through the leaves glinting a yellow green around his dark features, and kieran hands him patience on a silver platter. a rich blue makes friends with bright green quite easy, javier thinks. this is how he must look through kieran’s mossy lens.

“pretty … yes. you know, i think you may be right. i’ll keep it. gracias.”

[anemohottie]

boyfriend!venti who was absolutely thrilled when you said yes to being his partner, but had no idea what to do next. he’d spent centuries weaving ballads about love, yet here he was, a complete mess the moment it became real.

boyfriend!venti who tried to serenade you on day one, plucking his lyre with confidence—only to accidentally snap a string mid-chorus. the twang echoed through mondstadt’s plaza, and a pigeon startled, knocking over a fruit stand.

“Uh, that was… part of the song! A dramatic pause!” he laughed, cheeks red as apples while the vendor yelled about his ruined apples.

You giggled, and he swore the sound was sweeter than any melody he’d ever played.

boyfriend!venti who spent hours consulting barbara and lisa for relationship advice. barbara suggested sweet gestures like picking flowers; lisa smirked and handed him a romance novel, whispering, “Study this, bard.” he read it cover to cover, then panicked because he couldn’t tell if you’d like a “dashing rescue” or a “moonlit confession.”

boyfriend!venti who tried to surprise you with a picnic in windrise, only to realize he’d forgotten the food. he improvised by summoning a breeze to swirl dandelion seeds around you, hoping the “aesthetic” would distract you.

“Is this… the meal?” you asked, tilting your head as a dandelion fluff landed in your hair.

“N-No! It’s, uh, an appetizer! Nature’s confetti! The real food is… coming soon!” he stammered, then zipped off to beg Diluc for a basket of whatever was in the tavern’s kitchen.

boyfriend!venti who got so nervous about holding your hand that he’d accidentally summon a gust of wind every time your fingers brushed. one time, it blew your hat straight off into a tree, and he spent twenty minutes climbing after it, only to fall into a bush.

“Got it!” he cheered, emerging with leaves in his braids and your hat triumphantly raised. You laughed so hard you nearly cried, and he decided that sound was worth every scratched elbow.

boyfriend!venti who tried to write you a love poem, but kept scrapping drafts because “eternal breeze” didn’t rhyme with “you make my heart sneeze.” he hid the crumpled papers under a rock, only for a curious hilichurl to find them and chase him for “stealing its treasure.”

boyfriend!venti who finally worked up the courage to ask you what you wanted in a boyfriend, sitting cross-legged on a cliff overlooking starsnatch.

“So, uh, hypothetically… what’s your dream date? I’m an archon, y’know, I can make things happen! But, like… no pressure,” he said, twirling a cecilia between his fingers, eyes darting anywhere but your face.

You smiled softly. “Just be you, Venti. Maybe a quiet night, some music, and… no exploding fruit stands?”

His grin lit up brighter than a Vision. “I can do that! Mostly. The fruit stand thing might be cursed.”

boyfriend!venti who planned that quiet night, strumming his lyre under the stars, the wind carrying his gentle tune. he kept stealing glances at you, heart racing when you leaned closer and hummed along.

“You’re not half bad at this boyfriend thing,” you teased, resting your head on his shoulder.

He froze, lyre squeaking a wrong note. “H-Half bad? I’ll take it! Wait ‘til I master it, though—you’ll be swept away by the legendary Venti, Anemo Archon of Love!”

Lisa, eavesdropping from a distance, muttered to Jean, “He’s got the spirit, but the execution needs work.”

boyfriend!venti who was still a chaotic bard at heart, but learned day by day that loving you meant sharing quiet winds, silly mishaps, and the truest notes of his heart—no ballad could ever capture that.

© anemohottie on Tumblr. Please don’t repost, translate, or copy my work, thanks!

[munsonsfairy]

I have an ideaaa

how about a Paige x fem!reader wedding/proposal fic or headcanon??

the idea of her draft fit as a wedding outfit omfg 🤭

my peace 🕊️

omg i love this idea!! i did wedding headcanons if that’s okay!<3

content: fem reader & no physical description of reader or their wedding outfit

౨ৎ the night before, you and paige spend it by cuddling into each other while sitting on the balcony that overlooks the city.

“my wife, my wife, mine,” she whispers against your neck after every kiss. “not for another day, babe,” you’ve been reminding her since she proposed.

౨ৎ it takes her 20 minutes to leave your townhouse that night. lots of goodbye kisses have already happened that it took kk & ice to drag her ass out.

“bye my beautiful gorgeous wife!” paige yells out the window as ice drives away. she doesn’t get into the car until you are out of her sight.

౨ৎ instead of reading your vows in front of your wedding guests, the both of you decided to do it before the ceremony. as you walked towards paige, you could see her wavy blonde hair with her front pieces in braids (as always). she was wearing an all white suit. you could tell she was nervous and excited by how much she was fidgeting.

“paige?” when she turned around her blue eyes already had tears in them. she looked at you in awe and almost fell to her knees. “we can’t cry we both have make up on,” you fan both of your both eyes trying to hold it all in.

she laid her head on yours and looked into your eyes. for a moment it felt like it was only the two of you in that garden. “we’re finally doing it. my wife,” you see a tear fall from her eye as she leans in to kiss you.

౨ৎ now the vows!!!!!! 🥹

paige reached into her pocket and took out a folded piece of paper. you could see her shaking, so you squeezed her hand to remind her it’s just you.

she smiled at you and took a deep breath, “ever since i could remember, i was always told, “you’ll know when they’re the one,” and i never understood that. i never felt complete until i saw you. when our eyes met, i knew after 3 seconds that you were the one. i’m blessed with the pleasure to know someone like you.” she looked up at you and saw you tearing up. “bro if you cry, i’ll cry,” she said laughing. “okay okay! no more crying.”

she took another shaky breath, “to be able to love and be loved by you. you are my sunrise and sunset filled with the most beautiful colors. you’re my peace with the world is too loud. your love is my turning page. you are the strongest person i know and i admire to be my best self everyday. i never doubted our love and will always consider myself lucky to love and learn from you. these past four years have been my favorite movie. i promise to love every single detail of you for the rest of my life.”

after you said your vows, paige was walking up to kiss you until you stopped her. “not until we say i do!” she looked at you with shock but kissed your knuckles on both hands. she leaned her forehead on yours once more. “see you at the alter,” then watched as you walked back to the venue’s house.

she didn’t want to take her eyes off of you. just wanted to stand there and admire you.

౨ৎ during the dance, you reserved chick-fil-a as a surprise for paige. she ran to you and grabbed your face to kiss you all over. her and kk were fighting over who was going to be the first to be served. spoiler alert: you got served first since they were too busy bickering. when you were eating your nuggets, paige noticed you had ranch on the corner of your mouth and kissed it off of you.

౨ৎ once your reception was over and almost all of your wedding guests have left, you and paige danced one last dance. your heels were long gone and paige was very tipsy. she held you so close to her chest that you could hear her heartbeat. you felt the breeze against your skin and closed

your eyes. paige was slowly guiding you in a circle while humming the song.

she kisses your head and said, “my wife.”

tagging: @urantisocialgay because i know you’ve been asking for this (:

[tojivu]

# OFFICE HOURS ‣ GOJO SATORU

✰ — author’s note i feel so guilty bc gojo is literally the only character i write for LOL anyway this is an old draft from months ago. idk why this is so long im so horrendously down bad for this fucking snowman.

✰ — cw / tags arrogant ceo!gojo x secretary f!reader, sfw, not rly enemies to lovers bc gojo has fat feelings, gojo satoru being a billionaire playboy

✰ — playing death & taxes by daniel caesar.

✰ — word count ~3k LOL

nothing about gojo satoru really strikes you as the serious type.

even in a professional environment, your boss always has a carefree demeanour. his laugh is so nauseatingly loud that you can hear it from outside the office, and you wonder how someone as busy as him manages through his day; much less with a positive attitude. you take one look at his schedule, and you want to vomit with the way you hardly see any gaps between appointments.

you suppose you could learn that from him. it's his only good quality.

you admit that he's likeable, on surface level. there's a reason why you detest him, though: as his closest colleague, you know him way more than you would prefer. most people would think such a well to do man like satoru would have a wife by his side, but that's unfortunately not the case. you almost feel more miserable than him—because now you're forced to be the listening ear and comforting hand at his beck and call.

you think he'd be just fine if he was just a little more humble. he has a nice face. it's his fault for being so stuck up. you know how many women ask him out—painfully aware, actually.

'they just aren't suited to my taste,' he would say to you. 'i need someone that makes me feel alive.'

one time, gojo even asked you to bail him out of a date—something about the way she held her fork and knife disturbed him, and you were expected to show up at the restaurant and act as if there was an emergency.

'i'm so sorry, sweetheart. i have to go, duty calls.' his disgustingly charming tone made you want to slap him then and there.

she called him again the following week, and he completely forgot who she was. he didn't even save her number.

the sheer number of people asking him out had stroked his ego so hard that gojo firmly believes no woman is deserving enough. he rambles on and on to you about how snobby some of them seem, and it takes everything in you to bite your tongue when he does. 'takes one to know one,' you would say, if not for your job at stake.

you think gojo satoru is full of himself. you are a strong believer of that. a witness, as well—it's not like he didn't try his way with you, too. unlike the women he ranted about, you turned him down every single time.

it's been a long while since any of that has happened, though. the most recent ordeal was months ago, but that didn't inherently mean that people stopped asking him out: it just meant that he was rejecting every single offer.

it's a thursday morning when you find yourself eating a sandwich you purchased on the way to work, at your desk—wondering when the big boss will finally arrive. the clock read 9 a.m., and you're expecting an extravagant "good morning!" to surprise you any moment now.

just then, you notice mr. conceited walk in: except something is different. he has no stride in his step. there was no good morning. there was no playful teasing directed at you as he walked past your desk and into his office, not that you were complaining—it was just strange.

you stand up, a mouthful of your sandwich still being chewed. you take a big sip of water and fix your skirt and blouse, making sure your hair is presentable—before swiftly making your way into his office.

──────

"i cannot believe this." he mumbles. you're standing in front of his desk, but he's not facing your direction.

gojo's chair is turned to the giant window that overlooks the business district, and he's gazing out of it thoughtfully. you think this is the cheesiest thing you've seen him do.

you can see how disheveled his hair was, even from where you were standing. you don't want to irritate him further, in case teasing you was still on his to-do list that day.

"what is it, mr. gojo?"

he swivels his chair around, and he is a mess—just what could have he been up to?

"i woke up late today."

"you're the boss, mr. gojo. you can come in any time you want—"

"not the point." he interrupts you. "i forgot my lunch. i was in the car, with the driver, on the way here already. . . and then i realised i left my donuts at home."

gojo's face is absolutely distraught. he looks like he's gone through a divorce and had his house set on fire with how he stands up dramatically—his hands now on his desk. you open your mouth to speak, but he shuts you up by talking again.

"i didn't want to inconvenience him. i'm too thoughtful, miss y/n."

you want to scoff, but you bite your tongue and hold back.

"so i got out of the car and ran back for it," gojo recounts. "i arrived home after the treacherous journey—only to discover that my donuts are gone."

you feign an expression of shock, just to humour him; he gives you an 'i know right' look, and continues his nonsensical story.

"the maids threw them away, miss y/n."

you can't help yourself: you let a small giggle slip through your lips. you quickly use your hand to cover your mouth, thinking of a quick excuse.

you cough. you pretend to, at least—but gojo satoru is not stupid.

no, maybe a little. though, not enough to be convinced of your terrible acting.

"nothing about this is funny."

you nod, looking down at the floor. "i apologise, mr. gojo, but it's just a few donuts. i'm sure someone in the office could fetch some for you."

"yes, i agree." he says, and you shift your gaze from the marble tiling of his office to his face. his hair is a mess, yes—but he still looks revoltingly handsome. his eyes are piercing through yours, and pieces of hair cover his face in just the right places.

you're staring a little too long and gojo finds his pulse quickening with the eye contact—but the spell he has you under is soon broken when he clears his throat.

you quickly look away, embarrassed that you were caught staring at your boss, by your boss.

"you'll pick some up for me, yeah?" his smooth and silky voice echoes through the empty space of his office.

you look at him again, and there's a gentle smile on his face; one you're all too familiar with.

you're aware of satoru's charismatic nature, his playboy-ish attitude, and all sorts of tricks he uses to make women fall head over heels for him. that didn't mean you were completely resistant to them, though—you find yourself playing with the sleeves of your blouse, your ears beginning to redden. "of course," is all you manage to say.

at least you were self-aware.

your mind was rational. should gojo satoru try to hit on you for the nth time—all it took was some self discipline to say no, and you'd like to think you had plenty.

you think the conversation is done with the way he doesn't speak another word, so you turn on your heels and make your way out of the office.

just as you touch the handle of the door, your boss adds: "i'll come with you."

you turn back to him, confused. you didn't need your boss babysitting you for a donut run, you knew his favourite flavours—it's all he ever insists on buying for lunch. "there's no need for that, mr. gojo."

satoru shakes his head in disapproval. "you don't even know my favourite flavours, miss y/n."

that was a blatant lie. he knew you knew. you were his personal donut grabber for a few months up until august, and it was only october. you suppose that it would've continued on if not for your complaints about the long lines in the morning.

nevertheless, you don't argue with him. gojo satoru was the type to get what he wants, when he wants, if he really wants it.

you smile at his disregard for the months you spent as his errand runner, and how idiotic the excuse he just used was. satoru knows he's lying through his teeth, and your smile makes him more nervous than your eye contact.

so nervous, in fact, that he takes back what he just said. "unless. . . you're fine by yourself."

you're surprised that gojo's confidence is dissipating, or that it could even fade at all. you can tell with the way he's avoiding your eye contact, exactly how you evaded his earlier—the red on the tips of his ears are much too obvious in contrast to his hair.

"i don't mind," you respond a bit too quicker than appropriate. "mr. gojo."

gojo curses himself mentally, thinking about how stupid he must sound. he's usually the one making people nervous, but he doesn't know why it's different when you look at him like that.

──────

the atmosphere is deafening in gojo's favourite bakery. you always knew he had a sweet tooth, so you expected his choice to be a spectacular one—and you weren't disappointed.

you had personally visited this bakeshop before, and the confectionery was truly as good as people made it out to be; it proved evident in the amount of people crammed into this small establishment. though, you can't tell if it was for the food or for your boss, with the way most pairs of eyes are turned in his direction.

you two spend a good five seconds looking at the menu before gojo states his order, which was exactly what you thought it would be—the lady at the cashier smiles a bit too long at satoru, before asking: "eating in?"

you want to open your mouth to say something, but he beats you to it. "of course."

it was still very well your work day. he (or maybe you and him, considering you helped him plan seventy percent of his appointments) had a meeting in 3 hours to prepare for. you think this donut adventure is already unnecessary enough—but here he is, suggesting to waste even more time eating the donuts in the bakery itself.

"we have a meeting in a bit, though. you could eat it in your office."

he looks at you with a confused look, as if he forgot that there was a meeting at all—because he did forget. gojo gasps, turning back to the lady and retracting his previous statement.

──────

gojo eats his donuts agonisingly slow and no conversation is initiated.

you're alternating between staring at both your laptops and the swirls on the wooden desk, unable to say anything because you didn't plan for such an occasion: an eating donuts with your admittedly handsome boss that makes you nervous while simultaneously planning for an important meeting occasion.

"miss y/n, you should try some."

you shift your eyes from the table to gojo, and he's holding a small piece of his donut to your lips: the powdered sugar practically calling your name.

"it's fine, i ate earlier," you decline his generous offer. "you should eat."

"i'm not asking you to eat all of them, miss y/n." he smiles at you. "just a bite. it's really good, y'know."

you sigh, reaching for his hand to take it from him—but he swiftly pulls it away and shakes his head. "open your mouth."

you feel the tips of your ears burning, blood rushing to your cheeks and you wonder how the girls he takes out manage themselves when he's like this—you've worked with him for so long, yet you can't recall a time when his gaze wouldn't make you shudder.

you think you'd stutter if you spoke one more word to him, so you save yourself from the embarrassment and bare with his request.

he feeds you the piece of sugar-coated donut, and you're sure you have powder on the corners of your lips with how it's width barely fits into your mouth.

you chew and swallow, feeling the residue of sugar on your skin.

"do you have any tissues?" you ask him, a serious expression plastered onto your face.

gojo tries to suppress the chuckle itching to escape his throat—the sugar on your lips and cheeks catch him off guard, and after a few seconds he can't help but let a small laugh slip. you stand up from your chair, scanning the room for any boxes of tissues you could lay your hands on.

he stands up as well, shaking his head—still giggling.

"it's not funny," you frown, and the smile on his face only grows wider—you're too cute for your own good when you sulk. "stop laughing."

you're not sure if you want to punch him or let him giggle to himself. for some reason, seeing you embarrassed is a great cause of joy to him. you can't bring yourself to tell him to shut up; you always imagine doing just that, it's strange how you couldn't muster the courage just when you needed it most.

"it's quite funny," gojo's laughter eventually calms down.

he leans closer to you and his right hand gently holds the side of your jaw—he uses his thumb to gently wipe the sugar off your cheek, and then your lips. "i got it."

his thumb stays on your bottom lip after dusting the sugar away. his pupils are locked onto the surface of your lips, which were glossy in the harsh light of his office: they looked so soft.

before long, they trail up your face until he's looking directly into your eyes: and this time you're not nervous, you don't look away, and your heart is completely calm.

satoru's fingers are easy on your skin. he handles you like fragile glass, as if he doesn't want to break you: and it's the same for the way he looks at you. gentle.

you're reluctant to speak because the way satoru has his thumb on your bottom lip sends shivers down your spine. you feel breathless.

you don't want this feeling to leave, not just yet.

a few seconds of tension pass. his hand moves back to your jaw, and your nervousness returns when gojo satoru leans his tall figure even closer to you; his head tilting ever so slightly.

it's a random thursday morning when you discover a few more good qualities gojo satoru possesses: his lips and his hands. maybe the way he kisses, too—it's slow and precise, unlike his attitude. he tastes sickeningly sweet and it makes you want to savour this moment even more.

you promised yourself you wouldn't fall victim to gojo satoru. yet, you just can't pull away: instead finding yourself slithering your arms around his neck and your chest pressing against his.

gojo's hands are wandering down to your waist and he's desperate to have you as close to him as possible, showing in the way he tries to close the already small gap between you two.

it takes only a fraction of a second for a small thought to form in your mind: just how many women have been in this position?

you quickly forget about that thought, though—you think it's pointless to regret it now, gojo satoru kisses you too good to be full of remorse.

gojo thinks he could stay like this: kiss you all morning, afternoon and pay you overtime if it meant he could be this close to you for just a bit longer.

there's hints of neediness in gojo's touch—as if he'd been waiting for this forever, wanting to relish it before it ends. his few seconds of bliss don’t last very long though, because you're soon pulling away—gasping for air.

he sighs mockingly, his hands sliding down from your waist to your hips. "can't last longer than 10 seconds, miss y/n?"

of course he would say some cocky shit like that—you'd forgotten for a minute that this was the same, arrogant mr. gojo you always knew, and no kiss (however heavenly) was going to change that.

"i'm sorry that i don't go on dates with every man that breathes."

gojo smirks at you after you say those words. "come on. just because i go on dates with people, doesn't mean i kiss them like this."

"sure you don't." your jealousy shows a bit too much in your reply, and he finds himself smiling even harder.

"is someone jealous?" he teases you again, rubbing circles with his thumb against the flesh of your hips.

you feel flustered, knowing that you're definitely done for now—he saw right through you. "nobody is jealous, mr. gojo."

"stop it with the formality. just call me satoru."

"it's still office hours. it's only polite."

gojo rolls his eyes, sighing in the process. you grin a little at him, knowing that this was the first thing you denied him of today—complying with the donuts and the kissing was already spoiling him enough.

"then i suppose there's only after work," there's his nauseatingly charming voice again—low and smooth. he knows exactly what he's doing to you, and you know it too. "i'm off after 6."

you think long and hard about whether you want to be mean and add this to the list of things you've declined to do for him. the ratio was starting to get really unbalanced—but you remember the way his hands touch you and how his lips greet yours so lovingly: and you think that there's no point turning back now.

"my boss doesn't let me off until after 8, though." you try to poke at his buttons—you put on a fake pout, knowing you’ll accept his invitation anyway—but gojo satoru is eternally patient when it came to things he sincerely desired.

"fuck your boss." he says, "he'll be fine with it."

you laugh at his response. you never thought you would see the day gojo curses at himself, after all, he's so self-obsessed: but you suppose you've seen—and tasted—parts of him that you never knew existed.

"then i'll see you at 6, mr. gojo."

what was the harm in discovering more?

230323 — i kinda hate this but.. wtv… anyway i couldn’t be bothered to proofread have my brainrot of gojo in a suit Mmmm yumyum

[tossawary]

Someone responded, "Howl would do chores for Sophie! He loves her so much!" to that Prince Turniphead house-boyfriend post about the "Howl's Moving Castle" movie where I said that Howl wouldn't reliably help around the house. And... no. No, I said RELIABLY, that's a really important word here, but also no.

Nothing about his home setup (the mess of the kitchen in the beginning, the RAINBOW BATHROOM, his cluttered bedroom) suggests that he's in the habit of picking up after himself. I don't think he's purposefully a slob, but I do think he's too distractible and thoughtless to do the required regular cleaning. I think he's a "I'll put this down here for now and deal with it later *proceeds to walk around this object every day for the next three years while doing more interesting / immediate things*" person at best. Being in love does not suddenly change all your habits as a person or your personal interests! I think Howl would definitely try (important word here) to do better for Sophie, but I think it would take a lot of work and he's kind of lazy about these things!

I do think he cooks. Movie Howl IS shown cooking with Calcifer and I think he and his fire demon could have fun with that task, very cute, and leave a mountain of dishes behind them in the process.

Also, (trying to limit referencing the books for those who haven't read them, but I can't resist here) Book Sophie is... kind of controlling and loves to complain? And can also do magic herself? When I said that Howl can't be trusted to RELIABLY do chores, it's partly because I don't think he'd be doing them to 1) Sophie's exacting standards and 2) in the EXACT way that Sophie wants it done. I think Sophie would in many cases decide that it's easier just to train Howl to better stay out of her way, honestly.

Especially because HOWL IS A WIZARD!!! You can't fucking trust those assholes with a simple chore! It doesn't occupy their brains enough and they're ALWAYS going to think, "I bet I could invent a spell to do this for me," and that's how you get floating dishes or animated broomsticks or a fucking water spirit in your house. It's the hubris! Can't smack it out of wizards with a stick!

Howl swallowed a star and made a deal with a fire demon! He built a giant walking castle that was holding together JUST using magic (it completely fell apart at the end of the movie) and wandered freely around the country! He was pretending to be two different people to run businesses and then abandoned the buildings when the government caught up to him! I'm pretty sure he used a magic spell to SQUAT in Sophie's family's former hat shop! He impersonated the king! He dodged the draft literally afterwards in an airship battle! He nearly irreversibly turned himself into a bird monster and fought bombing airships by HIMSELF - and there's no way that Sophie wasn't confusedly picking black feathers off the floor. He summoned the spirits of darkness and started turning into ooze because his hair dye came out the wrong color!

Howl would TRY for Sophie, I believe that. I just also think that he'd rather use magic to completely renovate the entire house than actually scrub floors. I think he would invent an incredibly ugly magical vacuum cleaner for her and Sophie would love it so much that she would choose to overlook the fact that it tries to eat the carpet and curtains and the dog sometimes. I think that if Book Sophie was told she could melt wizards with a bucket of soapy water with a little bit of lemon juice (like the Enchanted Forest Chronicles), she COULD DO IT by choosing to believe it, and Howl hides from her and that bucket because he loves her but she's TERRIFYING.

If Sophie's sister Lettie was visiting and Sophie was panicking because she hadn't had the time to dust on top of the guest room wardrobe... whatever the magical equivalent of shoving all of your stuff into a closet at the last minute to make the place LOOK clean is, THAT's how Howl would help.

[ornstein]

For some reason my brain overlooked or skimmed through the bottom part of the Lucanis' Logbook 4.

This finding completely topples down my theory on why the 2nd act of this romance made perfect sense to me, because once Illario is dealt with, the final conversation with Lucanis is having him come to terms with his feelings for Rook after countless of vague interactions where Rook was the giver and Lucanis the reluctant/avoidant one. Here, you get him admitting to being open for a relationship ("whatever this is, I'll take it."), but this logbook implies the existence of a secret off-screen moment between them, sometime soon-ish after the special dessert cutscene. Or one that was supposed to exist, but ended up scrapped or straight up removed from history? And now all that's left is our imagination to play guesses.

Now I'm supposed to picture a Rook interrupting Lucanis' midnight reading by snuggling into his neck like a pet lizard, or volunteering to read him a bedtime story, which ends with a stolen kiss or two. Or Rook just walking into the pantry while Lucanis is minding his business and where they ACTUALLY talk. Would be crazy, knowing Lucanis as the type of character who yearns for intimacy but is terrible at it. Unless the coffee scene was in the original draft and not something that was added in later, which doesn't help either because it doesn't give off any additional context for what happened earlier behind the scenes. Maybe Rook just made it an habit to assist Lucanis with his reading, as I figured logbooks are supposed to give information about companions' routines long or short term.

I can now comprehend why some fans are still frustrated about this romance. Had I remained ignorant of this log entry I would be perfectly fine with it the way it is, because it just made sense. It just worked. I'm a little frustrated now too, ngl.

Unless you weren't actively keeping tabs on entry logs, you're left wondering. There's a Spanish term that I like to use for this, which translates into "being left off with the honey on your lips". You get romantic dinner at the cemetery table with Emmrich; with Davrin I lost count of the times Rook visits without anything particular happening, just casual banter and teasing.

With Lucanis we lost cut content but gained the tag for most popular ship. I guess there's at least that.

[xxnashiraxx]

Snippet Sunday

Hi! It's almost 2 am for me, so it's Sunday enough! Considering your post yesterday a tag, @khywren 🫶 (and my, what a lovely, sad, incredible crumb that was)

I have been working all day, and I'm pleased to say that the first draft of Chapter 17 is complete. Phew. 10.6k. That's the longest any chapter has been so far, but I figure after the last chapter and the hiatus, you all deserve a lengthy one. Now, I'm not sure it'll be the most enjoyable ride, but it'll be a ride nonetheless!

Dregs of consciousness stir her pain-addled mind- light seeping through spidering blood vessels. Her ears ring until a voice, once sweet, pierces through the haze and slowly drags her back into glaring wakefulness. “Honestly, a goddamn liability is what she is. Always having to jump in at the knick of time and save her- she’s lucky we all made it out of that alive.” “Oh, like you can talk? Who just had to use the rest of her magic to heal you back up? Me,” “Least I didn’t lie there through the entire battle, napping away in the afternoon sun while poor Wyll shielded her from attack.” “Don’t pretend like you suddenly care about my well-being just to make a point, Astarion,” “Oh, but you admit there is a point! We should have left her back in camp for all the good she’s done today. A pack mule would have accomplished the same, and talked just as much.” “You are out of line-” The pounding in Ofelia’s head rushes in to cut off her hearing as she finally remembers what happened, flying to her feet with her hands out in front of her. Her eyes are watering and leaking at the corners, blood in her mouth and coating all of her in a heavy, sticky fluid that coagulates beneath the heat of the sun. It takes a second for her surroundings to come back into focus, all of them blinking at her in surprise. She gets one ragged breath in before the world tilts and she’s rushing to the side of the path that overlooks a ravine to spill the contents of her stomach off the side.

No pressure tagging- feel free to ignore since this is close to the other one I posted!

@pinkberrytea @caffeinatedmunchkin @verbenaa @inkymoonbunny @badbloodwitch @justabiteofspite @ladyduellist @elinorbard @preciouslittlebhaalbae @lanafofana @roguishcat @busy-baker @bardic-inspo @kalmiaphlox @bludazey @bloodinwine @coyote-mint @nerdalmighty @andromedaancunin @nyx-knox

Ty for coming!

[tamberrio]

Do you guys see my vision do you

Nerdy thoughts about characters and the world in the au under the cut (Slight spoilers for plot of both BSD and Reverse:1999 I guess?)

ok ok so:

Dazai is the Time Keeper and works at the St. Pavlov Foundation. The ADA would basically be the small branch of the Foundation that Vertin oversees in the actual story. To that end, I can snag a couple character rolls for the BSD characters.

Dazai is Vertin, obviously. He was just as rebellious as a kid as she was, and made friends with the outside world (Oda) only to watch them die to the storm. So now the Foundation makes him go to the different time periods and collect data on why he and his suitcase are immune. Since I know Vertin is like 16 in the game, I thought I should age everyone down just slightly to fit that teenagers-doing-dangerous-things-that-should-be-left-to-adults vibe, so now he is 18 when he finds Atsushi, who is 14.

Kunikida would probably play a Sonnetto role, being the studious type who tries to follow all the rules and make sure the Time Keeper stays on track.

Yosano would probably be best suited as a Doctor in the Foundation but is saved strictly for the ADA’s branch. Probably a Medicine Pocket type of character? I actually have a draft of her where I take heavy inspiration from X’s butterfly scarf thing because thematically I think it’s perfect. I don’t know if she would exactly fit Mesmer Jr.’s role, since it includes a betrayal against Vertin along with Dubious medical practices within her family. Although the dubious medical practices thing could fit well, I don’t think the betrayal really suits her character in that regard.

Ranpo wouldn’t be an arcanist, but we have actual human characters in the story who are playable (like Ezra is human I believe), so he could use his deduction skills that way. They’d probably try to keep him away from the front lines when possible, so as not to risk him if the storm appears.

Thematically, Atsushi would be Regulus, since she’s the first to be found by Vertin in the actual story. Otherwise, Atsushi would be completely different in terms of backstory. It’s hard to tell in these sketches, but I tried to give him a coat similar to Regulus but not recognizable as such. He’d be a Beast Aflatus, obviously. Arcanists are very much discriminated against in the actual story, so that would fit really well with him. I figured Atsushi could be immune to the storm too, since his tiger has the power to cut through abilities, similar to how Dazai can nullify them.

Ango would be Madam Z, because of his strenuous relationship with the Time Keeper due to past betrayals, and his want to keep the Time Keeper out of harms way. Mori could be his direct supervisor for a time, and Ango can be complicit in the “trap” made for Dazai to get him to be more agreeable. He’d help reduce the influence the Foundation has on the Time Keeper’s decisions. Fukuzawa could be good for this role of “overlooking the team” as well.

As for the Foundation itself, I think it would be a mix of the government and the port mafia, while having Manus Vindictae be the Decay of Angels/Rats (Fyodor would make a really good villain in that regard). Although it’s hard to picture some of the port mafia members working at the Foundation, I can still pick and choose who goes where.

Every other character probably wouldn’t have a direct comparison, but that’s what I have so far. This is probably WAY easier to follow if you know the plot of Reverse: 1999 but I’ll come up with a more comprehensive doc later.

[zeherili-ankhein]

Rant. Life lore. The real life example of how a person fucks themself.

So y'all already know how much my Sociology teacher loves me right? 🥲 (I'm not even joking she somehow got the idea that I'm one of the smart kids and now she won't leave me alone 😭😭 I'm so cooked)

ANYWAYS

I was as usual in school today and she was asking who all have not submitted the research file draft for our project. So your very humble me who has done nothing was ofcourse on the list.

And then she started to ask about our topics 😭😭😭 that also to ONLY SPECIFIC PEOPLES aka the smart ones

AMD IDK WHY WHY WHY she considers me a smart kid (ma'am pls I'm dumb asf and know nothing)

Asked me what my topic was

Note: I had no topic ok I didn't even know wtf I was supposed to do 😭😭😭

And bruh all this people were like gender stereotypes in fairy tales and stuff (I WAS LITERALLY DROWSING IN CLASS I'M SO DED)

And yeah.... She asked me what my topic was 💀💀💀💀💀💀 (RED ALERT I TRAPPED MYSELF RED ALERT)

And me a sheer dumbass just went

Me: uhh... Culture...

Ma'am: what

Me, already shaking from social anxiety: Cu-cultural significance

Me: 💀

Ma'am: explain

Me: ...I mean how some cultures get overlooked or ignored while other cultures are prioritized more in India...

Note: ATP I have no fucking idea what I was talking about I was literally stuttering and shaking almost in tears

Me, already ready to collapse: like how mainstream north Indian culture is always priortized, while north east or other cultures are neglected and never shown properly

Ma'am: ahh regionalism you mean

Me: ...yes 🥹

Ma'am: very well you got a very good topic work on it

Ma'am, to the class: see now that's such a great topic

Me: 💀

Me: tha-thank you ma'am 🥹

Ma'am: I want the draft tomorrow

Me:

Me: 😭😭😭😭

AND I HAVE NO FUCKING IDEA WHAT THE FUCKING FUCK I'M GOING TO DO ON HALF A DAY

WHAT DO I FUCKING DOOO

I just need the draft but like I'm so cooked.

I'm SO SO COOKED

I chose a good topic but I'm not good enough for the topic.

😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

I'm ded.

And so yeah I'm totally fucked because I'm sure I'm gonna mess up th entire thing while trying and failing to do proper research

Because 1. I'm so lazy I'll take atleast 3 years to complete it. 2. I'm so clumsy I'll just mess it all up.

And I have no idea what I'm gonna do RN-

.....

So that's how you fuck yourself up in the most baddest amazing way so that your teacher thinks of you as some brilliant kid. But you are literally 🤡

[waywardsou2]

I am excited to promote my fic here. I have been working on this for a while and it is an ongoing project that is going to be ongoing for even longer but I enjoy having this project that I can constantly come back to.

It is a Bucky centric fic which is deep diving into his character, his trauma and his life in the scenes we didn't get to see. I am going to be throwing in movie implications into your face and I'm going to be making sure that every nuanced aspect of his trauma is explored. We leave no stone unturned here!

This fic starts before Bucky is drafted (and yes I said drafted for a reason) exploring his training at Camp Lehigh, his promotion to a Sargent his interactions with Steve (prepare for unrequited queerness), his path after the fall and his road to recovery with the Wakandan's after Civil War. I will also be recontextualsing Falcon and the Winter Soldier and I will be bridging the gap between Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Brave New World, and Thunderbolts (when it comes out)

Not only that but this fic is going to be in three parts. This fic is the main one that is going to explore Bucky's life up until some canon divergent scenes after Falcon and the Winter Soldier and if you wish you can stop there and believe that him and Sam chose to live the rest of their days in domestic bliss. Or you can read on to my fic (that is not up yet) that will be completely canon divergent giving Bucky and Sam an adoptive child and will be working through the trials and tribulations of being a parent. But that will be an optional side story that will be completely deviant from anything that happens after Brave New World and you can skip straight onto the story that takes place from just before Brave New World and onwards towards Thunderbolts or maybe even after the fact. (I will mention that there will be nods to Bucky and Sam's kid from the other fic but those can be overlooked)

Anyways that was a whole big ass rant just to say that if you love Bucky Barnes as much as I do then please consider checking out my fic

[katseyekon]

Hey,i have been meaning to know katseye,i have listened to their songs, read all their profiles watched all their tiktoks and like watched a bit interviews and lives too,but i kinda wanna know about grp dynamics,ships and members personality, hope u can elighten me pls:))

Sorry it took me so long, my draft got deleted (rip)

Warning that this is all conjecture as we can never really know the Kats daily lives or interpersonal dynamics! It’s all for fun. For this reason it is also completely possible that other Eyekons will have different opinions on the members, dynamics, etc. (in fact if Eyekons want to add on or add their own opinions then that would be really cool).

The Katseyekon (Intermediate level) guide to Katseye ✨

I’m gonna try to hit some highlights that you might not have gleaned from the other stuff you mentioned like music videos, tik toks, etc.

⬇️⬇️⬇️

The Members

I’ve got a post talking a bit about why I personally enjoy each member but I’ll try to be more broad and descriptive here.

Sophia

Sophia is the leader and I’d describe her as the mother hen of the group. She is elegant, charismatic, and a natural public speaker who will often answer for the group in interviews. Despite being one of the oldest members (alongside Manon) and the leader, she also has a funny, youthful side to her and she can be silly and pal-around. It seems like she also can feel responsible for the others’ well-being and the group as a whole (I think since she is naturally caring that she would feel this way regardless of whether she was the ‘leader’ or not). She’s like the night sky. 🌌

Manon

The oldest of the group (close in age to Sophia). I’d describe her as introspective, natural, and warm. She is like this warm presence in the group that lifts everyone up. She can be calm and reserved but (like the rest of the group tbh) has random bursts of chaotic energy. It seems like the rest of the group really feeds off her energy and she helps bring some positivity and fun whenever their schedule gets hard. Sometimes people will try to reduce her to just the ‘visual’ of the group (and she IS beautiful) which might be discouraging but Manon is also a very hard-worker who continues to push the bar with her skills while also bringing a level of self-awareness and reflection that is refreshing. She is like the sunset. 🌅

Megan

Aptly described as an all-rounder, Megan is quirky, energetic, and electric on stage. The “dual-cherry” (her representative charm) of the group, she has both a goofy side and a baddie side. She’s interested in fashion. I feel like she’d be able to get along with anyone. Sometimes she can be overlooked because she’s a jack of all trades who is talented at everything but is (arguably) not the best at vocals (Lara), dance (Daniela), etc. However, she has a unique was of doing everything that makes her stand out and shine. She brings a lot of energy to the group. She’s like the morning dawn. 🌄

Lara

Lara is the vocal queen of Katseye! I would describe her as confident, soothing, and creative. She is a natural music-lover and brings authentic artistry which uplifts the whole group. She has a very calming and up-front presence which sometimes leads to her voicing the honest feelings of the group in interviews. She is passionate and unapologetically herself. Not only does she stand up for herself against bullies online but will go to bat for the other members in a heartbeat. She’s so passionate and creative while also being very reassuring and calm, that’s why she’s like a cozy, stormy day. 🏙️

Daniela

Daniela is known for her amazing dancing skills but I would also describe her as down-to-earth, dedicated, and magnetic. She just makes everything look easy! But that’s the result of grueling work and a steady dedication to improving that she has demonstrated over her many years spent dancing and singing. She is in her element when performing and when you’re watching, you can’t help but notice. She gives every performance her all. She is refreshing and effortlessly herself. That’s why she’s like a bright blue sky. 🏞️

Yoonchae

Yoonchae is the youngest of the group. I would describe her as versatile, youthful, and tenacious. She took a leap of faith by choosing to debut in an international group instead of a traditional k-pop group. Luckily taking that chance has led her to her sisters in Katseye and if you look at Yoonchae pre-debut to now, you can see how much she has grown and come out of her shell. She’s shy and somewhat reserved but opens up when she feels comfortable and it’s sweet to see the others support her when she chooses to speak up. It’s a little shocking to see her on stage since she has such a powerful stage presence that is versatile and fits any concept. She’s the soft evening dusk. 🌆

Group Dynamics

I won’t touch on shipping because that’s not my vibe (though do as you like — just not where the Kats will see it! They’re real people!) but here’s some of my thoughts on the group dynamics and duos, etc.

The group

As a group, the Kats have stated that they have a sister-like dynamic. They all love and support each other and when they do inevitably bicker, they are able to overcome their arguments quickly. While some members were immediately drawn to each other (especially those who were sharing a room), over time it’s clear to see that all of the girls have strengthened their relationships with each other.

[saphic-with-t]

I saw people talking about Jawbone being a bad school counselor for how he treated the situation with Kipperlilly, and while I agree that from what we heard, it was definitely not good, I’d like to use this to point something out.

This single situation highlights two major things I think we forget or overlook when looking at the more serious, intense stuff within the storytelling genre of dnd/actual-play. Both boil down to things not being perfect.

First, this feels like the situation where we should remember that Brennan isn’t a school counselor, and never has been, or gotten training. He doesn’t know the proper procedures for stuff.

Second, this is improvised. It’s off the cuff and can’t be changed. If it was a traditional style of writing like a book or script, maybe an editor would have picked up on the inaccuracies or problems of the character and brought it up to Brennan for revisions in the next draft. But that can’t happen, and it’s pretty much set in stone as soon as it’s put out.

There is also the possibility (though I don’t personally believe this) that Brennan was intentional with Jawbone handling the situation poorly.

Jawbone’s mistake adds to and reinforces his character. I have met with school counselors before and they are usually far from perfect. In fact, Jawbone is still definitely one of the better examples of a school counselor in fiction and irl. We know that a lot of students (and staff) do really enjoy him. He was able to diagnose Adaine’s problem and has helped a few of the bad kids quite a lot and gives good advice. But he’s still new. He doesn’t have official education on child psychology and is pretty much completely self taught. It makes sense that at the very least he would let some kids slip through the cracks or make some bad calls. Especially since Kipperlilly’s situation and Jawbone’s secondary relationship to them is a unique thing that he would definitely not be prepared for.

Also, you can just add your head cannons into the mix. I saw one saying they believed Jawbone recommended to KlCk’s parents that they find her a therapist outside of the school and they declined it, but since it wouldn’t be part of her file, Riz and the rest wouldn’t see or know about it. Things like that are the whole point of head-cannons, to help explain stuff that goes unexplained.

Anyways, if you read this far thank you, I just needed to rant about it because people were getting really nasty about it (especially on Twitter) and I wanted to drop my two cents into the void.

[heartbeatbookclub]

I think probably the biggest thing that contributes to the thought that Monika's love isn't some great falsehood to me is actually how she talks about it after being deleted.

Like, okay, i understand everyone saying that she isn't interested in you, because she's actually not interested in you specifically. I've said this before; Monika knows virtually nothing about you. She only knows that you're real. Despite this, she says she is utterly in love with you, while making it clear that her entire existence absent you is completely meaningless to her, because she knows it isn't real. It's fairly easy to make the leap here and I definitely agree that Monika is more in love with the idea of you than with you specifically.

I however disagree with the notion that this love is somehow false.

I've talked about this a little bit in the past, and I have a few drafts somewhere going deeper into my thoughts on it, but I didn't like how they turned out, so I'm just gonna start fresh.

I think if you only look at Monika's actions leading up into Act 3 and what she says then, it's a little questionable how true her feelings are. She talks a lot and spends a lot of time trying to endear herself to the player while forcing them to choose her. And a lot of that talk is about how powerful her sense of nihilism is about the world around her, except you.

It's not hard to make the leap that the reason why she's so invested in you specifically is because you represent something real, where she is trapped somewhere fake. Even if she can't really escape, she's content with this being as close as she'll get.

She's sitting here, directly talking to someone she believes is real, trusting that they're there, and listening to her.

You could take us continuing to click through the text and potentially hitting the skip button as confirmation that we are indeed still here, but the important thing is she can't see us. She doesn't know anything about us, or what it really looks like for us, but she loves us anyway, because we are real.

That's it, isn't it? At that point she doesn't even love us. It's a front; it's a lie to try and get some sense of interaction with reality. She doesn't actually love us; she loves the idea of escape we present.

There's one major thing that suggests to me that it's more complicated than that.

After we delete her, her initial response is fear. Anger. Betrayal. After everything she sacrificed, all she dedicated to us, we delete her. We've killed her; only small vestiges of her influence remain. How cruel. How unjust.

We are truly sickening, aren't we?

...But she still loves us.

I think this is something people overlook about the situation here, and I really think it's indicative of something not a lot of people realize.

Monika has no reason to lie here. There's no reason to maintain any sort of facade; Monika is giving up. There is no escape from her prison. She is trapped and always will be. And you? Despite everything, despite all that she's done to be with you, all the love she's given?

You deleted her. You killed her. She opened her heart to you, and you rejected her.

She has nothing left. She's dying. You, her one reason for living, for doing any of this, rejected her. She fucked everything up. She regrets everything she did, realizing that she's ruined everything, and probably driven you to hate her as well. Regardless of if that's true, it's what she believes.

Monika is at the end of her rope. Yet still, even when the chips are down, even when she's lost all hope of escape, when she's given up completely, when she regrets everything, believes you hate her, and hates herself...

She still loves you.

I don't think Monika's feelings are in any way a front for something else. I think she truly does believe, more than anything, that she loves you, truly, from the bottom of her heart. I think it's better to say, rather than that she doesn't love you, she only loves what you represent, because she doesn't know anything about you, that she does love you, despite not knowing anything about you, because what she does know is enough to her. She knows (or at least believes) that you're here, that you've been here, and that you're still here, despite everything. You've spent this much time with her. You must truly be kind, and patient, and all these other things she's built up in this image of you in her head.

Despite everything. Despite your rejection of her.

She still loves you.

And it's that love that guides her on into introspection, forces her to come to terms with the fact that she's been acting selfishly this entire time. It's her love for you that makes her realize how horrible she's been, and leads to her regretting everything.

Because if you deleted her after all she sacrificed, there's only one explanation. You don't love her the same. In fact, you must hate her for what she's done. She's ruined everything as badly as she possibly could.

She still loves you, but she messed things up so badly that you hate her.

"How could I do that to someone I love...?"

She restores everyone on the assumption that things will work out if she's just gone.

Because she wants to give you what you want.

Because she still loves you.

Dan Salvato responded to this question in the r/DDLC AMA on Reddit, and when I first read that response it seemed like a huge...non-answer. And when you actually look at it, within the context of the question, I'm right, it doesn't really answer the heart of what the question's about, and it's always troubled me because of the way he worded it.

It takes the notion that Monika loves us for granted, and instead of actually addressing the question, provides a foundation for Monika's truly selfless expression of love.

When I look at this, I'm suddenly confronted by my own thoughts of Monika as a fictional character, rather than as AI. Rather than accepting the conceit of +'s world, that Monika is truly an artificial intelligence in a simulated reality, looking at Monika as a fictional character with awareness of something beyond the fictional. That she is, in a sense, on a dimension below.

Yet despite that, she tries to reach behind the curtain, to reach out and touch your hand separated by the screen.

And regardless of any motivation, she loves you. She does, wholeheartedly, and she wants nothing but the best for you. She wants to give you all of the love she has. "Only someone who has lost all hope in themselves is the one who is condemning Monika to her own sad, unfulfilled fantasy. If you believe Monika loves you, then you've found it in you to love yourself a little bit, and that's what she would want more than anything."

It doesn't really answer the question, in my opinion. But I'm not sure it's supposed to.

Really, it's tough to make heads or tails of what that actually means in the context of this question. I often find myself wondering if I'm thinking too hard about things as presented in the game, and diving off into wild speculation into things which Salvato didn't intend.

I think the most important element to all of this, which people so frequently look past, is that Monika's own perspective is heavily limited. I have some other thoughts on this that I won't get into here, but just because we know something's true or we think something about her true underlying motivations doesn't mean she knows it.

A lot of what she says and does may be consequences of denial, but that doesn't mean conscious denial necessarily. I think something a lot of people don't realize is that Monika isn't actually some omnipotent or all-seeing goddess. There are things she doesn't understand, and things she can't control. I talk often about how we have no real communication with Monika outside of the limited interface of the game, but I'm not sure even she knows how limited that interface is, given how she places some blame onto our shoulders for how things turned out prior to Act 3, among other things. She has the capacity to be surprised by things happening in game, given that she was surprised by how we were left with Yuri's corpse for an entire weekend, commenting that she didn't realize the script had broken that badly.

The way she manipulates the others seems very half-hearted and inefficient, and she's frustrated by how tough it is to make things turn out how she wants.

I mean, despite believing herself to have very deep knowledge and control over how things are managed in her reality, she doesn't realize at all that she's done this exact same song and dance over and over across millions of people playing Doki Doki Literature Club. Even within the conceit of +, over each reset loop, the same things happen, and she has no idea. She is still subject to the whims of being a character in this game; she is not somehow divorced from it due to her awareness.

Her life is a tightly wound coil of duplicate decisions leading to the same outcomes each time, and she has no idea. And regardless of your decisions, things turn out the same.

She's the same as any of the girls, operating with their own code forcing them to do certain things. Each of them might realize something is wrong, or different; some cracks show through Monika's overt manipulation of elements of their personality, but they still act as though it comes from within, because that's how it feels, and why would you assume differently?

Somebody built them. Their existence is determined by a base of hard code, that although their consciousness may resist it, ultimately defines what their consciousness even is.

And Monika is no different.

It's implied pretty heavily that the four of them are on the same level, within the conceit of the game being artificial intelligence responding to stimuli. As Sayori, Natsuki, and Yuri are all tweaked in different elements, they change in personality. Their actions change, in ways that both Monika and the player don't necessarily expect.

Sayori hangs herself, Natsuki is able to write a note about her concerns for Yuri, and Yuri stabs herself multiple times, leaving you staring at a rotting corpse all weekend. When Sayori becomes Club President, she immediately sets to keep you for herself. Or she loses her mind. Whatever.

My point is, they're all on the same level, just with only one having awareness of the real nature of their reality.

So...that all being said.

Monika's love isn't a lie, not even one she's telling herself. But it doesn't seem to make sense, does it?

So the real question, I guess, isn't whether it's true or false.

It's whether she developed it naturally, or if it was implanted.

Does that even matter in the context of fiction?

Why did the chicken cross the road?

All these questions and more...uh, I don't know. Seek medical attention if brainrot lasts longer than 4 hours. If you read to the bottom of this post, you're cute. Do the monkey with me!

[ashe-smash]

cw: implied gochi x reader, (afab) reader who menstruates, period sex, no mention of birth control or protection, tiny mention of breeding kink kinda ?

A/N: Idk what this is, it’s just been sitting in my drafts for ages and I need it to not be rotting there anymore. It’s not unedited but it’s been sitting around for a while so there may be overlooked mistakes.

Thinking about how Saiyans probably aren’t phased by a little blood during sex when it’s your time of the month.

Specifically thinking about Goku.

You’re curled up in bed waiting for the pain reliever to kick in. Goku comes in, particularly riled up about something- probably coming off the heels of a training session or fight.

Goku’s libido is just as insatiable as his appetite. He’s got all this energy buzzing around inside him and this opportunity is far too perfect to resist to expel it. “Chi said you weren’t feeling well.” He says as he slips into the bed with you.

“Cramps.” You whine. You should protest about him being sweaty but he's all warm as he snuggles up to you. You really can’t bring yourself to complain about it but in your lethargic state, you really can’t bring yourself too.

You’d change the sheets and take a shower after a nap.

His hands are big and warm and feel nice when he kneads your hips and tummy. But you do whine a little when he starts getting a little handsier. Goku wasn’t exactly what you’d call subtle, especially in situations like this.

“We can’t- I’m on my period.“ You squirm, but wriggling out of his hold is a lost cause. Honestly if you weren’t as hazy, you’d have realized he probably already knew that- saiyans have a very sharp sense of smell.

“And?” Goku presses the heel of his palm into your soft stomach.

That makes you pause. Goku isn’t an idiot, but sometimes- unless it involves fighting, some things just slip his mind.

“M bleeding.” You remind him.

Goku shrugs around you. “You really think a little blood bothers me?” Your face wrinkles. Periods are completely normal bodily functions but they’re still… gross. His nose meets your cheek, nudging it. “It’ll make you feel better won’t it?”

You’re eventually bullied onto your front with a pillow under your hips.

(We’ll skip having to remove menstrual products, can you imagine having to explain what a diva cup is to him?)

He certainly wouldn’t mind eating you out either, you’re glad you can’t see him cause it’d be just too embarrassing. Now, I firmly believe Goku eats pussy as eagerly as he eats anything. Blood isn’t going to change that, you’ve seen him eat raw meat before.

He doesn’t stop when you cum either. It’s too much and you have to beg him to move on, not that he needs much convincing to slot himself into you.

You’re so sensitive and the slide of his cock against your walls is so much more. You just have to lay there and take it, but that’s okay because you don’t have that much energy to do so. The pressure of his weight on your hips eases the ache there.

Goku is always a little unintentionally rough. He gets overeager and forgets himself. But you can tell he’s trying to be gentle.

By the time both of you are satisfied and Goku flops down next to you so you can see him again, he looks feral. Blood is smeared on his cheeks, his hands and up his forearms. His pelvis looks like a massacre and based on the stickiness on your thighs, you’d hazard a guess that you look similar.

A cheeky grin cracks over his face before he rolls over closer to you, forcing you into a kiss. You’re tired, too tired to continue to fight him. “You’re so nasty.” You whine.

“Feel better now, sweetie?” Goku pulls your sticky sweaty body to his. He kneads at your hip and tummy best he can with one hand, the other wrapped around you to keep you close.

“Mhm… better but gross…. And tired. We need a bath and then a nap?”

He stretches a little. “Gimme a minute.” You pout at him. It’s not a matter of his stamina, he’s just being a bit lazy. Wants to have you close for a little longer, even if you’re absolutely filthy- and not in the good way. Sticky.

ChiChi would surely scold her husband for staining the bedding, even if technically it was you that caused it. She knows it was only a byproduct of her husband’s meddling, and would never blame you for it. Send you off for a hot bath while she makes him strip the bed for washing.

Goku joins you for round two of course, followed by a snack and the nap after. You won’t admit it aloud, for fear it’ll only encourage him more but you do feel better.

He’ll also tote you around cause you don’t feel good but he will try to steal off your snacks. And lay on you. And joke (you think it’s a joke, he does not) that he can help make your period go away for a while if you let him.

Extra: I think Saiyans know when you’re going to get your period. Just instinctually- they’re all about emotions and the moon and stuff ?

Divider by me (@/ashesmashe)

[taliquest]

I think it's funny how Shin and Shuu are frequently the most overlooked characters insofar as individuals and a ship in both JP and (broadly western but primarily) NA fandom because these two:

Have the single best developed relationship of anyone in the entire show.

When we start off, and for much of the first half of the show, they're frequently at odds with Shin siding more with Seiji and Shuu partnering up with Touma - with whom he was originally longtime friends with in earlier drafts, up to and including arriving in Shinjuku together.

However, as the show continues, there are hints of a budding friendship, particularly the disastrous battle against Arago where Shin is the first to fall, Shuu being the one to immediately react and strike in vengeance after Shin and Touma get nommed.

And then of course, as we move into the second half of the show, we get this moment:

Cementing that yes indeed, these two are Best Pals For Life, with a bit of mutual chirping involved.

While unfortunately they both spend much of the next dozen-odd episodes sidelined and with little chance to interact outside of being strung up in a gargoyle together, after the team fully reunites, we're treated to them back to their old tricks, with teasing:

Followed immediately by a Bro Moment.

Cut to post series with the first OVA, Gaiden, at Ryo's birthday party:

(Absolutely nothing suggestive going on here)

And of course, OVA 2, Kikoutei Densetsu gives us the beautiful bonding moment that is Shin teaching Shuu how to surf.

Of course this being KD, things go downhill quickly, though things are patched up soon enough...

Only to fall apart by Message, where the distance that's grown between the Troopers is best exemplified by this shot:

The best of friends, arriving together, after not having seen each other for months, in complete, solemn silence. And unfortunately this is the last they really get together before returning for the finale.

However, I hope that this tangent has been educational, and if you haven't watched YST yet:

Do it for them.