#but its for the gags so like... idk if I can take it seriously

[science-lings]

*not including major characters that are already pretty kickass

[goldfades]

can I pls request 🍯 "49. on your knees" and "50. choke on it" with the man the myth the legend quinn huggy bear hughes?

also congrats on 1k!!

𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐢𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 | qh⁴³

♡ ─ word count | 737

♡ ─ warnings | NSFW under the cut!! jesus, where do i start... oral (m. receiving), lots of anger and degradation LMAO, hair pulling, toxic!quinn maybe idk depends on how you look at it, its just nasty stuff y'all

♡ ─ ev's notes | angry quinnifer>>>

Quinn had been hearing about this all day, he was tired. Quinn had liked some girl's post on instagram and you kept bringing it up, it was getting his last nerve. He didn't understand why you thought he would do anything like that when he was with you. He tried to explain it a millions times already, Quinn had never been unfaithful and he wasn't about to start now.

As he sat there, listening to you go on and on about the Instagram post, he felt so frustrated and slightly angry. "Fuck, Y/N."

"What? She was in a bikini Quinn, come on."

"You're overreacting," Quinn retorted, his frustration evident in his voice. He couldn't understand why a simple like on a post had blown up into a full-blown argument.

"It's just a picture, Y/N. It doesn't mean anything. I can't control what people post on their profiles," he added, trying to reason with you. Quinn had never intended to hurt your feelings, but it seemed like every attempt to explain himself fell on deaf ears. "Plus I already went back and un-liked it, what else do you want?"

Your arms remained crossed, and you shot back, "It's not just about the picture, Quinn. It's about you liking it. It's like you're encouraging that kind of attention."

Quinn let out a bitter laugh. "You don't need to get jealous, Y/N." He watched you, anger lingering in his gaze. He knew this seriously couldn't be about a photo, there had to be more. "You have me, okay?"

"Do I?"

He didn't need your brattiness, especially right now. Quinn's frustration bubbled up as he heard your retort. The words hung in the air, he felt a surge of anger at your response. "Jesus." He scoffed as he looked at you, anger in gaze. "Do you want me to prove it?"

You rolled your eyes at his words which made him even more angry.

"If you wanna be a fucking brat, fine." Quinn glared at you. "Get on your knees. I'll prove it to you, Y/N."

Your expression turned from annoyance to desperate quickly as you heard his words, your heartbeat speeding up. You knew this wasn't the best way to solve this issue, but your pussy was telling you do it was. You did as you were told and got on your knees, right in front of Quinn, looking up at him.

He unbuckled his belt and took off his pants effortlessly, pushing them aside. He sat back down on his chair and looked at you waited for you to continue, and you wasted no time -- Quinn wasn't in the mood to wait.

You took his hard cock out of his waistband, holding it tightly as you looked up at him. "Fuck," he groaned. He grabbed your hair and pushed your mouth to his tip and you quickly slipped him inside your mouth, savoring the sweet taste of his pre-cum.

"Yeah, that's it, fuck." Quinn's head fell back as you kept bobbing your head up and down his cock. He pushed your head further on his cock, knowing you could take him deeper in your mouth, making you gag. "Yeah? Choke on it, fuck. You still jealous, baby?"

He put your hair in a makeshift ponytail so that he could have complete control on your movements as you gagged around his length. "You can't be jealous when you're the one who's sucking my dick now, sweetheart, you know that you're the only one who makes me feel this way."

He pushed your head further until his tip hit the back of your throat, your tears spilling as you gagged around his cock. Your chin was covered in your spit and his pre-cum as you kept bobbing up and down on his cock; you couldn't even remember why you were mad.

"You're such a fucking slut, all you needed was a reminder who's cock you gag on and now, you're fine, huh?" Quinn grunted out those nasty words with each thrust of your mouth.

You felt Quinn twitch in your mouth and you knew he was close. A few more thrusts into your mouth and he was cumming, all while gripping your hair. As soon as he finished cumming inside you, he pulled you off his cock. You caught your breath as Quinn gripped your hair, pulling it upward so he could give you a sloppy kiss.

-> make sure to check out my navigation or masterlist if you enjoyed! any interaction is greatly appreciated! <-

thank you for reading all the way through, as always ♡

[onlyseokmins]

$$60 billion (part 2) • l.s.m.

How did a legendary bounty promised for turning in the wasteland's most infamous outlaw transform into a sick, little inside betting joke amongst your traveling companions? Though you have no idea why they're doing it… you sure as hell don't want that very same gunslinger comrade worth sixty billion double dollars to know anything about it either — but oops — looks like he already does! Damn you and your temper, some unhelpful lip-loosening alcohol, and one no-good, sorry excuse of a preacher you sometimes think of as a friend.

Pairing: outlaw!lee seokmin x fem!reader Genres: smut (minors dni!), trigun!au, action!au, apocalyptic/post-apocalyptic!au, space western!au, slight enemies to comrades to ??? !au, angst, fluff, they're dumbasses your honor 🙏 Warnings: swearing, blood, guns, injuries, medical tingz, destruction, mentions of knives, violence, unsettling space western things, slight body horror and hints at altered dna, weird religious cults, mentions of eating/food, alcohol, threats, bets among friends, tame-ish alien/monster/plant sex (????? listen it'll make sense - think of him like howl's bird form on steroids idk), mating, possessiveness!, marking, bruising, jealousy, smelling/scent kink???, wet messy sex uwu, wing kink (??? listen i was gonna explore it more but decided not to ok??), BITING (bc it's me), mechanical/robotic fingering???, gagging, bulge kink, oral sex (explicit male receiving and brief fem. receiving), seokmin's dick is like SLOPPY TOPPY LORGE w/ a mind of it's own, lowkey forgot how to write smut sorry </3 WC: 13.2k of 32.7k | Part 1 | Read on AO3 A/N: this is for the Now that's 90's - A Seventeen collab and loosely based off/inspired by the Trigun anime/manga! You do not need to know it as I manipulated a whole lot of elements for my own narrative but beware of various spoilers if you do go ahead and check out the series after reading!! I hope everyone enjoys the conclusion and please check out the other writers in this amazing collab ❤️PS, I know nothing abt chess lmaooooo but let me know your thoughts and feel free to ask any questions regarding this au's intricacies!! This part might get a little confusing because of a flashback!! (starts right after the italicized paragraph and ends with "...in this moment...")

The silence is palpable.

"Does it hurt more to get stabbed in the back or shot?"

Only the continual rustling sound answers your philosophical question. Not that you actually care because you weren't really expecting a reply.

So, you keep talking.

"I think it would be more painful to get stabbed… but it would take longer to heal from a gunshot wound."

There's a brief pause in the motions behind you. But the quiet resumes, though the practiced skill of a needle threading through your skin quickens. While the local anesthetics Tonim's doctor supplied is doing its job for the most part, you swear you can still feel the tug of flesh being sewn together.

Or maybe you're just thinking too hard.

"Look. I'm… I'm sorry."

If tension could personify itself right at this moment, it would do so with ease, given how heavy its presence currently sits in the room. A low voice finally speaks up, gravely and roughened after such a long period of silence and the hairs on your neck rise.

"Are you really?"

"… Yes."

A heavy sigh — one burdened with all the worries of the world — follows. You wince and then tremble, wishing you could turn around. It's easy to guess what he's thinking but god, do you wish you could see his face to confirm. The fear of the unknown paralyzes you.

"I seriously am."

"Doubtful. I know you only asked me that question to subtly say you'll be okay and heal just fine but it's not that simple."

The callousness in his tone and the sharp way he says your first name makes you want to shrink down, shrivel up, and quite frankly die on the spot. Gritting your teeth, you succumb to the apparent silent treatment until the snip of scissors signifies your surgeon has finished treating you.

You think twice about your options upon hearing the click-clack of medical supplies being put back into the first aid kit. Then you think, "fuck it!", and use your good arm to keep the fabric of a spare t-shirt pressed against your chest and shift so you can face the man who just rather aggressively threw a handful of unused alcohol prep pads back into their designated slot.

"I'm super duper, utterly, and truly apologetic, Seok."

The gunslinger heaves another grand exhale of irritation. He doesn't even so much as glance at you, frowning sourly down at the roll of gauze in his hands instead. The temptation to reach out and touch him — soothe him — is strong but you decide against that (for various reasons) and resort to huffily pouting instead. Amazingly it seems to work, because he notices right away and folds way too easily without much of your sway, finally facing you with a reluctant but serious expression.

"Then what did you learn?"

Your gaze lowers, eyelashes fluttering while you drown in your feelings of shame and wrack your brain. The urge to toy with the silver chain around your neck is strong though you resist the tick and hesitantly answer instead.

"Um, that I need to fortify my mental block better?"

"Try again."

"Uh…"

"How about the way you're not supposed to play the hero?"

The tin of the trauma kit rattles as Seokmin slams his left hand down on the bed, leaning menacingly toward you. Though narrowed, his eyes seem to glow. You can't help but whimper at the intense ire dancing in those irises paired with his sharp tone. Like the desert's suns, it simmers and radiates off of him with rays of heat that you can easily feel given how close he is.

"I'm, I'm sorry!"

"No, you're not," he states sharply though the rigidness in his body relaxes after your squeak of another apology. "You almost died!"

You'd defiantly cross your arms if you could. "Between the two of us, you were most at risk of dying."

"Was not! And we both know my chances of injury are much, much lower than yours."

"You can't lecture me and flex your stupid powers this time! It's different 'cause Jihooon was fuckin' with my mind."

The harsh bitterness is more so directed at yourself and the damned Crimsonnail than Seokmin. But as usual, you vent all your frustrated emotions out on him, especially whenever he brings up the fragility of your mortality. You both stare stubbornly into each other's eyes, thinking back to what happened and what could've happened.

Lina's protected. The Tonim residents were all immobilized. Seungcheol, Seungkwan, and Mingyu are in good spirits. You are safe.

A burst of air rushes into Seokmin's lungs, relief filling him as he idly scans your figure for injuries. Casually reloading his revolver just in case, he beams as you approach. The mirrored expression of victory on your face accompanied by a hand reaching out causes his whole body to shudder in pleasure. There's nothing he'd like more than to intertwine his fingers with yours.

Instead, he settles for returning your enthusiastic fist bump. Nudging his shoulder against yours, Seokmin chirps out, "Good job, partner!"

"Partner?"

"Yeah, partners."

You shake your head like you can't believe him, amusement tilting up the corners of your lips. He wants to tell you everything, all of it. But his ears catch the faint click of a contraption behind him and he looks over his shoulder just in time to see Jihoon's crossbow assemble.

Joshua looks mightily displeased but makes no effort to put a stop to the Crimsonnail's actions. Seokmin can only thank his lucky stars that Soonyoung remains in a catatonic state. Dealing with a ginormous worm so soon after being in its stomach a couple days ago was not appealing in the slightest.

The fingers of his prosthesis splay out, cybernetic arm lowered and extended outwards in front of you as you turn around as well. He knows you hate unwarranted protection but you'll have to forgive his instincts this time. Nevertheless, he trusts you. And as Jihoon opens fire, Seokmin leaps into action, expecting you to do the same — only to do a double-take when you don't move despite a flurry of nails breaching the air.

Your eyes remain unfocused. Glazed over and cloudy, posture tense but still. He sneaks observatory looks your way from afar while firing Geranium. Round after round, breaking nail after nail to prevent any harm befalling you. A maniacal laughter rings out and Seokmin freezes, putting two and two together.

Then he snarls.

Jihoon must've sicced his killing intent — a nasty ability to project and create illusions of destruction in someone and break their will — on you. Cursing, he starts making his way closer to you, inwardly reaching out to you and begging that you'll break free of the blonde-haired man's clutch on your psyche.

You're obviously more than capable. He knows this. But your movements are sluggish, slowly releasing Sirocco from your grasp. The empty pistol lands on the sand with a muffled thud and Seokmin's pretty sure his heart mimics it. A look of terror and horror spreads across your facial features, surely subject to something awful within the confines of your own mind.

And while you're experiencing visions of things you fear coming true, he's stuck in the vivid reality where they do.

You spin around with a wild look in your eyes — full of rage and anguish. He stumbles back as you teeter one foot at a time toward him and in the distraction, a nail pierces right below your shoulder blade.

Someone wails behind him.

You scream.

Seokmin rushes forward. But he's tackled suddenly to the ground and ends up flat on his back. Completely winded and left with his vision smarting, blinking in confusion at the blurry double halos that definitely shouldn't be around the duo of suns in the sky.

Then your face comes into focus. And god, forget the suns — in all your glory and in all your fierceness, you shine brighter than them all combined — hallucinations be damned.

It takes a bit of wrangling around, given how you try to wrestle and pin the man down. The clunky gun you're waving around goes off several times, harmlessly lodging bullet holes into the sand cushioning around Seokmin's head.

"Stop it, you're gonna hurt yourself!"

Moving and lashing out like a wild animal before it's fully sedated, his words don't come through the hellish haze Jihoon's trapped you in. You pull the trigger with no regard for the injury to your shooting arm.

Bang!

Bang!

Bang!

Bang!

Bang!

Bang!

He dutifully counts each round fired, multitasking between that and the effort it takes to contain your struggling movements. Once again, thanks to the overpowered strength of his prosthetic, the man's finally able to sit up with you secured in his arms to cease any further movement.

"Lovely, lovely mayfly," he murmurs. The stable cybernetic hand gently feels around the impaled shoulder while a trembling thumb rubs your abnormally chilled cheek. "C'mon and snap out of it, pretty."

Not a spot of recognition in your blank glare. His eyebrows furrow as cold metal presses in between them. Seungcheol is cursing, Mingyu and Seungkwan are shouting loudly. Jihoon gloats.

But none of that matters. Seokmin drowns all of it out by diving in the pooling depths of your empty irises. Searching, calling, begging. Biting his lip, he delivers a quick slap and pleads, "Come back to me, love."

And like a mist that rises after dawn, you return to him. Your stunned grip on the gun falters, the final bullet rattling in its chambers. The pained expression on your face slices open his own heart but its shredded form takes flight in utter relief.

You're back. You're going to be okay — he'll make sure of it. And even if you don't know it, you're his and he's yours.

"Y-you're dead," you choke out and all he can do is smile despite feeling like he's on the verge of crying. Elation, anger, guilt, hope, longing, worry, joy — all of it turns and tosses within him like a rustling flurry of winged creatures struggling to break free.

So, he smiles at you and grasps the barrel of the old pistol aimed at his forehead. "I know, mayfly."

Jihoon howls in fury. Joshua finally steps forward, striking a military pose with his hands behind his back. Composed as ever, his voice remains its deceptively sweet self compared to the harsh jerking movements he's subjected upon the gray-eyed man via telepathy.

"You've crossed the line, lost number thirteen."

"Don't call me that!"

It's no surprise that the pecking order in Dokyeom's henchmen sowed seeds of dissent. Though Joshua was simply a right-hand man, he remained the only unnumbered member, proving the lack of disposability DK saw in him versus the others.

"Know your place."

"Which has always been at the top! But because of you — !"

" — The top of those already at the bottom, perhaps. Respect your superiors and your orders, Crimsonnail. You were not to lay a hand upon Master Dokyeom's brother. Ever."

"I didn't!"

"Or a member of his little group." His indifferent gaze swept over Seokmin protectively cradling your body. "This voids our involvement and nullifies any further implementations of the game."

Joshua would thank his lucky stars that the humanoid typhoon is letting them leave scotch-free if he was a decent man. Unfortunately, he's not — already considering what punishment to enact upon Jihoon per his master's orders. The Crimsonnail feels a shiver down his spine, further enhanced by Joshua's frosty, disdainful look of disapproval as he telepathically drags Jihoon to the car.

Still, it's a good thing Seokmin's a pacifist by nature, that he's more preoccupied by your well being than anything else. Your brow begins to bead with sweat, the pain of your wound finally sinking in past the adrenaline rush wearing off. Black circles dance in your blurring vision, the gun falling from your grasp as you droop forward and rely on the unerring sureness of his support and the safety within in it.

Seokmin knows he needs to get you medical help right away, and it's the only thing he can focus on. There's no time for exchanging a blow with a blow nor the faintest idea of revenge.

Not yet. Not now. Maybe never if it means putting you in harm's way.

Was he really going to give up following the bloody trail to hold his brother accountable for the unspeakable crimes he's committed? Throw away the blank ticket Rem spoke about? All for one person?

The questions all swirl around in his head like a nebulous mass. And like a newborn star — one that's been long in the making — the answer is crystal clear and shining bright as you sit in front of him now looking devastatingly beautiful to him despite all that's happened. Most importantly, you're safe.

But all he can say in this moment aloud is, "I'm sorry."

For a multitude of reasons. So many of them. You seem to spot something in his eyes, frowning ever so slightly.

"You don't have to apologize for anything. I'm fine."

"I almost lost you."

"But you didn't."

"…I know. And I'm so fuckin' glad."

Seokmin runs his fingers in a distressed manner through dusty, matted strands of reddish-brown strands. Immediately drawing attention to the dirt, grime, and dried blood coating and dulling the cybernetic's buzzing glow.

"That's gonna be a pain in the ass to clean."

He appreciates the subject change, shooting you a lopsided grin. "Yeah, tell me 'bout it."

"Let me help."

You get up before he can protest. A tactical way to coerce him into worrying about helping you rather than arguing. The coy part of yourself is applauding the method, especially when the calloused flesh of his palm splays against the bare skin of your lower back in the name of support as you both walk to the bathroom.

That same part whispers naughty temptations to drop the t-shirt covering your chest, press up against him, and see his reaction. But your reasonable, reserved side is too held up on various other matters to give in.

Sadly, you find out you can't offer as much assistance as you would've liked. But Seokmin seems heartened by just seeing you up and about and close to him. Plus, you make use of your idleness while he washes in the sink by reaching for the few stocked amenities you can reach with your good shoulder above it when he asks for them. And you receive a heartfelt smile in return.

"I probably should've just showered."

You shrug. "You still could."

"Nah, it's fine, I can do it later. What about you, though? You're going to need help with those stitches."

"What a roundabout way to say you want to bathe together, Seok. You could've just asked."

Maybe you expected him to splutter nervously or protest fiercely at the tease. You certainly don't expect him to just shake his head — silver earring flashing in the vanity's dull lighting — and chuckle.

"I'm being serious, goof. Besides, it's not the first time I've seen you in the tub."

"What?" you squawk and his grin doesn't falter. In fact, it turns into a smirk.

"I'll go get Sherry. Lina's gonna want to see you too, she wouldn't stop crying about her pretty savior getting hurt."

You frown. Was he still going to dodge The Talk™? And did he think you were really just going to him out of your clutches that quickly?

"We still need to chat. You promised."

His eyes flash. "… And you don't like promises."

Yes, that was exactly why. He knew your history. Still, you refused to back down.

"No, I don't. But I like you… and, and most of all, I trust you. I just want the truth, Seok. Even if you think it'll hurt me, at least be honest. Trust me back. I promise it'll make it less painful if you tell me why you thought I wasn't serious. So, please…"

Don't let me down.

It's unspoken, but he can clearly hear it in your tone. A battle-worn sigh escapes so you try to lead him and finish with a question where he can give a more straightforward answer.

"… How long have you known? About the bet, I mean."

Despite wavering between semi-alertness and bordering the edge of losing consciousness, you're aware of Sheryl's presence as she bustles around with Seungkwan and Mingyu to clear out an empty room above the saloon temporarily used for patients. Seungcheol waits outside the door with you two, a cigarette loosely dangling from his lips.

When Sheryl leaves, she sneaks a peek at the way your face buries into Seokmin's neck, how the man carefully assesses the rest of your body for injuries. His touch is gentle, the cybernetic arm coated in blood as it holds the nail in you steady. He'd been adamant about being the one — the best one — to treat you. Smiling, she hands Seungcheol a couple of double dollars and the pastor raises an inquiring eyebrow.

"For that little game of yours," the woman whispers knowingly and gestures to the two who just exited the room and Seokmin hurriedly heads inside. "They told me all about it."

You lift your head to glare at Seungcheol and then your other comrades as you pass, wondering if this was some sick form of revenge for pulling one on him and if Sheryl was so keen to set you up with someone in the same way pompously done for her. But your shoulder feels like it's on fire so rather than reprimand your stupid, back-stabbing friends and slump back wearily against Seokmin.

He's a simple man who certainly can't hide a silly smile at the unconventional snuggling. Lifting his chin, he then tilts his head questioningly to the money in Seungcheol's hands. "You're still doing that bet?"

"Haf'ta win the lasses 'n hopeless romantics over 'n have 'em rootin' fer ya."

"Y-you know about the bet?"

Seokmin hushes you with a low murmur, words muffled by the press of his lips to the crown of your head. You can't make out what he says, but the timbre is soothing enough that your eyes close.

"Gotta make that sixty billion somehow if we're not turnin' ya ass in."

"Fair enough!" The wanted man laughs and closes the door with his foot.

His cheerful demeanor then dropped to focus on the proper procedures to treat your wound and that's when the silence settles in, soon followed by the weighing air of unresolved tension between you. And now, you're continuing the determined path to fully speed-run ahead and break it, though he shrugs nonchalantly at the question.

"Known for a while, to be honest."

"Seriously? I thought it was a secret!"

"C'mon, you know how bad Cheol is at keeping them."

"Yeah, right," you roll your eyes. "That man takes things to the grave — literally!"

"You're too hard on him." Seokmin leans toward you, bracing himself with an arm supported by the sink and brown eyes sparkling with humor. "Think about how much you've learned about him."

"Against my will, too much…"

"Which means I'm right."

"… I guess you do make a fair point."

"Of course. He's a completely open book once you peel back that damn protective hardcover of his."

Still, you sniff disdainfully and frown. "I swear, you're the only one who sees him like that."

"Like what?"

"Like…. unafraid, unconcerned, unbothered by all that he is, all that he's done, et cetera."

"Why not? He's done the same for me. Besides, I've said it before but he has those eyes, you know. Kind."

Ah, and that's what gets you to resign with a small grin. It's just like Seokmin to see only the good in people.

"And you're not all that different," he continues with a broad, knowing smile. Immediately you bristle and he clarifies, "from me." Some part of you momentarily wonders if you spoke your thoughts aloud or if he just simply knows them that well. "As loath as you are to admit it, you care for him. Most importantly, you trust him."

Though your face sours at the thought, you don't retort right away. Sure, Seungcheol is a trusted ally. And maybe the motivation to free Jeonghan from the control of the Eye of Joshua wasn't solely because it was simply the right thing to do. But also because it might brighten the dull spark and leave one less bloodstain on the hand of a man who bore the burdensome weight of all sins like a cross on his shoulders.

Then you wave away those thoughts for now. "So, is that why you thought I wasn't serious on how I feel about you. 'Cause of the bet?"

"No, because I never knew the full extent of it. But… if you're saying it had to do with your feelings, then I would have to say yes — though I find it hard to believe any bet's worth my bounty."

"Oh." Your cheeks heat at unwittingly giving it away.

Seokmin smirks when you avoid his gaze, and he moves in even closer. "No one has sixty billion double dollars just lying around, mayfly."

"You're just saying that so no one turns you over to July."

"Well, you won't do it, will you?"

"You don't know that," you fire back, intending to heighten your defenses that only weakly falter because you're still not looking at him.

"But I do."

"Yeah? Prove it!"

Ooh, a challenge.

And one more step closer.

"Because you care too much about the man you like to put him behind bars."

Your eyes dart back to meet his, ready to squint reproachfully only to widen at how the gunslinger's face is only a breadth away from yours. Breath hitching, you desperately want to whine out in irritation but it comes out in a low whimper. Seokmin's canines flash in the bathroom's dim lighting.

"That's not, that's not fair." The wall pressing into your bare back keeps you from retreating and the hand keeping the t-shirt covering your chest feels how your heartbeat speeds up. Your skin is on fire, only the cool temperature of your locket and its chain preventing you from utterly exploding after the plaintive admission of, "You already know everything. But…"

"But…?"

The unconscious action of biting into your lower lip only gets realized by the way it keenly draws Seokmin's eyes. Electric blue flashes against brown irises yet they darken to almost black with the sudden thrill of desire that rises to the surface. He's so close, you can feel his breath caress your face, and you swear you hear it deepen into a low grunt before he raises a brow for you to continue.

"But… b-but I don't know…a single… thing."

Seokmin has forever believed Rem's take regarding the ticket to the future always being blank. For him, it's always been an unknown path forward that he's let lead him wherever and to whatever destination.

He holds himself back, just enough to utter the (practically what should be unneeded) words of reassurance, "It could only ever be you — and it's always been only you — that I could be in love with so much, mayfly," and then he's eliminating the meager distance between the two of you. For the first time, he stamps that blank ticket with an assuredness of the future and outcome he's never had before — with a kiss.

Cradling the back of your head with his cybernetic prosthesis, the other cups your cheek and then trails down to your collarbones — but no further than appropriate. His mouth, though, disregards the very notion. A teasing tongue repeatedly runs across your bottom lip to smooth out the indents caused earlier by your teeth then naughtily pokes and prods its way between, eliciting a sweet gasp from you he absolutely devours.

Your whole body shudders with happiness, eagerly surrendering to the man's wild, possessive fervor as he passionately steals the breath out of your lungs and stakes his claim on you by leaving behind shiny kiss-bitten lips. Seokmin only draws away, panting, to admire his handiwork, light-headed and dizzy with delight.

"I love you," he reconfirms with his forehead resting against yours and nose tickling your own, "… partner."

Breathlessly, you joke back after placing a soft kiss on the corner of his mouth. "Love you too, partner."

And that was that.

With your shoulder injury on the mend and the other members of your little ragtag group nursing their own bumps and bruises, you all decided to spend one more night in Tonim — much to Lina's delight. While she merrily bounced from one 'hero' to the next, you playfully reminded Wonwoo that he still owed you some free drinks. You were eager to take advantage of the fact and he was more than willing to accommodate.

The tavern that originally held a subdued, slightly hostile air to it when you first arrived was now filled with an unfettered joyous harmony. You're so easily swept up in the ambiance of such high spirits and jubilant townsfolk as mug ales filled to the brim get passed around and clinked together, you fail to notice Seokmin's sudden withdrawn nature.

Not until the next morning do you first realize something's off.

"You're sure about this?"

"Oh, no. Not you too, Seok."

You'd already flipped off and shoved away a complaining, terribly hungover Seungcheol and finally got rid of the watchful, fretting gazes of Seungkwan and Mingyu. The duo had been hovering around you with concern ever since you downed a full glass of alcohol last night. While you generally just let them be and were quite thankful not to wake up with a pounding headache, you certainly weren't above crushing all of Mingyu's pudding cups if he meekly asked one more time if you were okay or needed help.

Seokmin leans against the open door frame as you pack. The pulsating glow of lost technology flickers in your peripheral and keeps you aware of his quiet presence. Part of you had always wondered if the ever-running currents of lighting synced with the flow of blood through the rest of his body.

The gunslinger doesn't speak, and you wonder why. And though you'd like to flatter yourself and entertain the notion that he's watching you — while other times that may be true — you don't feel the weight of his eyes trained on your motions. It wasn't like there was much to stuff in your bag, the satchel's leather cracked, faded, and well-worn after all these years of use through the desert and everything you truly value remains strapped some way to your body. So once you're finished, you inquisitively peek over in his direction.

Brown eyes are trained on the clunky gun on the mattress — the same one you'd pressed against his head. It's also the exact same pistol Chan had spent his adolescence restoring and repairing. Left unnamed unlike the honorary grave Seokmin had helped you prep before leaving the ruins of Ivywood behind. Meanwhile, his gaze darts to linger in contemplation on the chain around your neck before his eyebrows furrow, emphasizing the drawn out features and dark circles beneath his eyes.

"You look tired, you doing okay?"

"Yeah, just haven't been… sleeping well."

Frowning, you step toward him. Although he doesn't back away, his entire posture stiffens. "Will you be able to make the journey?"

He snorts, gesturing to your shoulder you're trying not to move too much. "Isn't that what I'm supposed to be asking you?"

"I'll feel better at the border."

Seokmin nods understandingly. "The weather will align well."

Within the sandstorms that relentlessly swirl near the Melca Border Sea of Sand, hides the only SEEDS floating ship that survived the Great Fall and you have to get the timing just right to reach it. It's home to a large community of humans, and most importantly, it's what you would consider a true home to you and Seokmin. Already, your energy restores — excited at the prospect of getting to relax in a place you trust and people you truly enjoy being around.

"Jun can take a look at my shoulder."

"That's true, it would be good for him to do."

"And I'm sure Hao's going to want to check your arm, maybe fashion some fabric that's not only bulletproof but also nail-proof."

"He's gonna give us both a scolding."

"Wouldn't be the first time."

You share a look of fond chagrin. Even though Seokmin's well over a century older than Juhui and Minghao, they were direct Earth descendants aboard a ship full of lost technology and geniuses in their own right. Those facts alone gave them all the confidence and utter audacity to more often than not, act like fretting toma mothers over the two of you.

Nonetheless, you appreciated them with all that's remaining of your heart.

The trip to the Melca Border wasn't a straight shot from Tonim but it wasn't as far as you thought. A bittersweet farewell to Wonwoo, Lina, Sherry, and the rest of the townsfolk was to be expected. Though their sorrow weighed you down, the knowledge that you were parting from them with good memories and the expectations to visit again kept your steps light-footed.

Seokmin remains zoned out the entire time. You bulk it up to his normal reaction whenever something emotional was on the horizon. Returning to Melca held a grand spread of wonderful, warm memories with a scattering of dreadfully sad ones too. Though the floating ship's defenses have been bolstered to the max over the years, the terrible events weren't easy to forget.

But they were incidents in the past and it's thanks to the intellect of the two who greet you at the entrance of the ship that their defenses continue to improve. Luida proudly stands behind them, accompanied by Brad and his wife.

"Greetings, weary travelers."

"We're no strangers, Luida," Seokmin protests against her formality.

The elderly leader's playful grin smooths out the wrinkles lining her wise face. "Welcome home, children."

It's a simple phrase but one that fills you with inexplicable warmth. Hansol might be the son born of her own body, but no one is immune from her maternal instinct. She beckons for everyone to come inside where the main quarters lie and the growing crew population will certainly be enthusiastic upon hearing about your return.

Seungcheol, Mingyu, and Seungkwan trail after without fuss, also elated to be aboard the familiar floating ship. You smile with genuine delight and step forward to follow while Minghao takes one look over his wire-rimmed glasses to survey Seokmin's dusty figure and elegantly tilts his head knowingly in the hallway leading to the technology laboratory. Glittery, colorful beads woven through the long strands of his two-toned hair clink in time with the movement.

It's hard to hide the snicker that escapes as you watch Seokmin trudge after Minghao like a scolded puppy. Your glee at someone else's suffering doesn't last long when a gentle hand clasps your shoulder. Wincing at the pain, you meet Junhui's puzzled look before his eyes narrow.

"You're hurt," he says, disappointed but not surprised, and leads you away to the med bay. It's exactly what you expected, in fact, the main reason behind why you're here — and yet, you sulk and whine petulantly just because you can.

"Not my fault that the only way to get here is by timing everything right to jump into a sandstorm and then onto a flying platform."

After instructing you to lie down on the medical bed and cutting the fabric of your shirt without fanfare, Junhui clicks his tongue. "You only come to visit when you're hurt."

"Not true!"

He concentrates on disinfecting and resewing the torn stitches in the tender flesh around the parts of your wound that are still healing. His tone borders on slight resentment but the concern weighing in it smoothes it all over.

"And yet most of our time spent together is only when you visit so I can patch you up."

"It's not like that."

"I know… but I would've met you elsewhere."

"Boring."

"Can't you courteously pretend to care about yourself out of consideration for those who worry?"

"You'll go gray at such a very young age if you stress all the time, Jun."

He shakes away silver bangs that threaten to impede his vision, unamused. "And you'll end up buried under the sand next time."

"Sounds cozy."

"I swear —"

You wave his growing ire away. "Seok takes care of me just fine."

"Yes," Junhui's cat-like smile causes your metaphorical hackles to raise. "He does care deeply about you."

"I'll punt you into the fifth moon and give it a second crater with your body."

"Now, now… violence is never the answer."

"Violence is the only reason you have a job!"

If you weren't as close as you were, perhaps he'd be offended by your claim. Instead, he kicks you out (after ensuring you're indeed in relatively good health), leaving you to laugh victoriously. Then, you set off to the technology lab in good spirits, hoping to catch Seokmin and commiserate with him.

Instead, you find a lone Minghao sitting refinedly amongst all the tech with grace and poise. He was in his element. Fiddling with and poking at a well-worn, familiar cybernetic tech with a thin silver instrument, he simply raises an eyebrow to acknowledge your presence.

"Did you fit Seok with a new arm?"

"But of course," the man sighs wearily, "despite my best efforts, my darlings always return home to their father with quite a beating."

"… Then you'll hate what I'm about to tell you."

"No, I cannot fashion you a pierce-proof trench coat. However, I will acquire some stronger material… but there better not be a next time."

You purse your lips and pout. It often seemed like Minghao worried more about his inventions than the people using them, though you knew that to ultimately not be true.

"So, he already told you what happened."

"Oh, yes… he told me everything." Heterochromatic eyes suddenly meet yours, sharp with a spark of amusement. "See, I almost didn't want to give him the latest modification but…"

"But…" You repeat warily.

Junhui was always mischievous, though most of it only ended with harmless pranks. On the other hand, Minghao's sarcasm-filled humor rarely made an appearance, and when it did, it usually delighted in the sickest of satisfactions.

Yet, he simply shrugs, evasive as always. "I think you'll like its improvements."

There's something foreboding about that statement, but he ushers you away under the pretense that he needs to concentrate. And shortly, you find yourself stopped by curious passersby or familiar faces in the hallways to the main quarters. Since your last visit, a multitude of passengers have a lot to share and update you on. By the time you reach your own pod, you're socially exhausted.

Sleep came easy but finding Seokmin did not. The SEEDS ship was already big in the first place and additional construction enlarged it further. An itchy, achy feeling pooled inside your gut on the second evening you'd been unable to catch sight of him. Finally, you acknowledged the bitter truth — he was avoiding you.

You had to come to terms with how delusional it was to think that once everything was out in the open, the scattered puzzle pieces would magically fall together in their rightful places. It should be easy, right? It's what happened in those cheap novels Junhui dug out of an abandoned pod in Melca back in the day. He'd given them to you as a birthday joke — Minghao sighing and handing over your real present (the first bullet-proof trench coat) — but you'd actually read through all the cheesy, steamy piles of romantic drivel.

Seungkwan, ever the cynic, and Seungcheol — who's naturally a heathen — quickly destroyed the slim spark of hope of ever hoping to feel those flutters in your gut. Meanwhile, Mingyu was someone precious and wholesome with a romantic outlook on life underneath the great muscular physique he'd gained from carrying that heavy concussion gun around.

You often wondered why they never tormented him like they did to you. But despite his indomitable stature, the emotionally soft man's tears were the most powerful weapon in his arsenal. Even if he didn't quite realize it, his comrades certainly were aware.

And Seokmin… well, if you knew how Seokmin felt about romance, you wouldn't be stuck in the position of wondering why the fuck he was avoiding you.

Again.

"Where is he?"

"Good morning," Mingyu greets the following morning, cheerful as ever. "If you're still hunting Seokmin for sport, he said he's feelin' a little sick!"

"Sure."

"No, he really is." Seungkwan refutes your aggressive eye roll with a gentle shake of his head. "Loverboy hasn't come out of his room for days and when I almost knocked the door in earlier, he finally responded only to sound like a dying toma."

Your face contorts into a morbid combination of concern and irritation, shifting between the two expressions. "Probably 'cause he stayed out all last night!"

And with a dramatic huff, you glower at the pastor seated in the cramped corner of the floating ship's kitchen area. Seungcheol deemed it was cooler, darker, and the farthest spot in the enclosed space from any of your misplaced wrath. He smiles, the white stick between whiter teeth jollily flicking up and down at you, taunting.

He reveled in the knowledge of being safe since he'd been the only one able to provide any information on the humanoid typhoon's whereabouts. The pastor — who still enjoyed a late-night smoke to cure some of his insomnia — considered it his saving grace to catch sight of the fellow gunslinger slinking through the shadows in the halls. Apparently, Seokmin had been sneaking outside the past few nights and remained resolutely ever-elusive during the day.

"Should go see 'im. Yer all antsy and 'm bettin' he's missin' his… mayfly."

"Oh, go fuck yourself," you snarl and storm out, missing the man's bark of laughter before he continues contemplating the best way to siphon money during a confessional.

The unfaltering stomp of your combat boots is the background beat on your walk to Seokmin's pod. His halls aren't far from the kitchen area and yet each footfall feels like a step into the unknown, the lights above seeming to grow dimmer the closer you get.

Why was he acting like this?

Did he regret everything that happened between you?

Was something wrong?

Would he shut himself away from you?

Worry and anger swirl together, mirroring the vortex of sand you had to pass through to get here. Seokmin's never shut you completely out before but you're familiar with his reclusive acts when things get too much. Too close. Too emotional. And you're afraid to be the catalyst to another spiral.

So, you knock. Harsh, loud, and ultimately unforgiving if ignored.

"Seokmin, open up! I know you're alive!"

A mutter of "Barely," carries through the door before he clearly answers with a curt, "I'm not feeling well but I'll be fine."

"Open the door."

Silence.

"Please."

The silence continues — and your temper flares. "Don't make me go get my bag and grab my lock-picking set!"

You can hear sounds of cursing and some rustling around before the door slowly and reluctantly opens, Seokmin hiding in the shadow it casts.

"As you can see, I'm quite fi —"

Both a coughing jag and the firm push of your shoe interrupts his confident statement. "Sure hope you weren't about to say you're fine!"

A faint smoky scent permeates the pod. You cough and pause to let your vision adjust to the darkness. The first hint toward Seokmin's unusual behavior because he thrived in the sunlight, no matter how weak the sunrays that reached the floating ship were. Then second, you blink in wonderment at the black heaps littering the bed and floor.

Feathers. Everywhere.

Reminiscent of the time you'd broken Seungcheol's ridiculously expensive pillow against Mingyu's bulky bicep during a good-natured fight with Seungkwan's assistance. But instead of an explosion of brown and aqua toma plumage causing you all to sneeze, these were inky dark like the night sky and resembled piles of soot against the pod's stark white backdrop.

You whirl around to find Seokmin retreating to the corner of the room, hands slamming on top of the dresser for support. His back is to you with two thin wings jutting out from it. Feathers rustle as he pants, shoulders coinciding up and down with the motion of the wings.

"Seok, how did… how did this happen?"

It's not fear that causes your voice to tremble but worry. The appearance of his natural Plant form is no longer shocking. In fact, the more you see it, the more you find it eerily beautiful. Probably similar to those who believe them to be messengers of a higher power. But he's only ever transformed in dire situations — either due to stress or the rare exhaustion of his superhuman abilities against stronger foes.

He doesn't reply so you take a cautious step forward. An animalistic growl erupts from his throat, followed by a pained groan. You gasp as he shakes, protrusions rupturing from the lower parts of his shoulder blades. Two more wings burst out and unfurl below the trembling ones already quivering on his back.

So that's how they hide and reappear.

"Is it 'cause you're sick? Choi said you've been staying out all night. You could've caught a cold or something's in the air. Never know what's floating around here." You babble as you frantically search for signs in the mirror above the dresser for any hints to what's caused this.

Seokmin's bent over and you note what should be brunette roots of hair are now pitch-black too. Closer and closer you creep until you can make out each bead of perspiration trickling down his neck and how they coat every bare part of his body in a sheen of sweat.

Then his head snaps up. An eye — unshielded by the black fringe of his red-brown tipped bangs — narrows to glare into your widened ones. A tempest of electric blue rages within it. Like the hottest type of fire, it burns more than you could ever expect in a vortex of one prominent emotion.

Desire.

An involuntary shudder overtakes your whole body, and you unconsciously bite your lip. Seokmin slumps back down, granting respite from that ardent azure glow.

"Sick," he snarls and laughs, strained. "Sick in the head, that's for sure."

"How… how can I help? What can I do for you?"

"Get out."

"Seok —"

"I'm serious, mayfly. For your own good. Leave."

"My own good?"

"I'll, hah, I'll explain… explain it later."

Your arms cross. "Oh, really? Or will you avoid me again? Like you have been for the past several days?"

"I haven't —"

"Don't you dare feign indifference! I'm not stupid — we talk about our feelings and then you retreat. Just be honest with me… please."

You promised.

He sucks in a very deep inhale through clenched teeth, seeming to regret it instantly because his grip on the edge of the dresser is hard enough to crack the strong material. Glowering at your reflection again — not daring to acknowledge your very real and extremely close presence in the room — Seokmin bares his sharpened and widened incisors in a snarl.

"We will talk, mayfly, please believe me. Now's… hah… just not great timing with… with what's happening."

Irritation easily gives way back to worry. "At least tell me what I can do for you. Should I get Jun?"

"He can't do anything. Gotta just… work it out of my system."

"Work what?" You frown, knowing how rare it is for the medical specialist to be stumped.

"It's not for certain…" Four different wings flutter in agitation at various speeds. "Not a lot's known about Plant physiology," his mouth turns downward, "even I don't have a thorough understanding."

"Is it a disease?"

"Wish it was that simple."

"You're talking in riddles and running verbal circles, Seok."

"… Dokyeom and I are independent Plants. Likely the only ones, well, you know — still functioning. Alive. When Rem found us, research was obviously done."

You know the story very well and nod. "And had been conducted before."

"'Course thanks to Rem, it wasn't as invasive but there were, hah, occasional talks. Theories. And then, of course, before us twins, there was…"

"… Tesla."

A Plant with a lifespan of only two-hundred and thirty days.

Seokmin swallows. "Tesla. Yes. I recall bits and pieces. Hypothesized with Luida and company… Outside of Dokyeom following the unethical methods humans sometimes conduct for experimentation," he snorts at the irony, "it's thought that Plants… can copulate… with a mate… of their, hah, choosing."

"Really?" Your eyebrows raise, intrigued. "That's a brilliant discovery!" Then they furrow. "Wait, are you saying that this," you wave your hand to gesture at his current form, "is because… you're, er, ready to… mate?"

He holds his head. "… Yes."

"Oh, okay. So, you need like… relief? A mate? Should I…?"

Your questions hang uncertainly in the air, unfinished because you're really not sure what you're supposed to even offer. A sarcastic smirk graces Seokmin's lips, condescending in the sort of way that's aimed more at himself.

"What kind of man do you think I am, mayfly?"

"A very, uh, Planty one for sure."

"Better than leafy, I suppose."

"Though you are quite… feathery."

Finally, he turns toward you, a wry and defeated smile on his weary face. His wings stretch outward and curl back in, elegantly waving toward you as if drawn in your direction. You can't help but smile at the object hanging from a cord around his neck.

"You still keep that old thing around?"

He looks at the golden cartridge and chuckles. "It's special."

"Me holding a gun to your head was special?""Meeting you will always remain a treasured memory, no matter the manner of how it happened." Seokmin falls quiet, lost in thought before hesitantly asking, "Did I not mention Plants mate for life? Well, at the very least, I know I do."

"Oh." Your astonishment reveals itself in a breathless gasp. There's no escaping that all-consuming, fiery cerulean gaze. "So is this the first time you've been… ready to, uh, mate?"

"No, I'm used to the way these cycles come and go. But this for sure is the worst bout yet."

"… Why?"

You hold your breath. He takes a step forward. Then another.

He's so close, if you leaned the slightest bit forward you'd press up against each other. Somehow, with an overwhelming sense of shyness guessing the underlying thoughts and what his answer will be, your eyes roam his bare upper chest and torso.

If you could caress him you would. All the shiny black feathers adorning his wings and the occasional ones sprouting along his forearms pointing to his Plant abilities. Each scar along with every bit of metal or his body's naturally grown wood that replaces chunks of lost flesh. He's kept them as reminders of when he's failed humans, though you've seen them only as when they've failed him. He shivers, like he can feel it, as if he knows what you're thinking and you questioningly re-meet his burning stare as he shoots you a wane smile.

Sheepishly, he rubs where the cybernetic arm attaches to his shoulder. Many have turned away in disgust or mock pity at the disfigurements. Yet despite the true abomination he looks like right now, there's only ever been pure empathy and acceptance he doesn't deserve — all from you.

"Conscious consent and reciprocation."

Your lips turn upward, joy causing your soul to unwittingly sing. "Does that mean… I'm your mate?"

"No."

It's like Gunsmoke completely collapses, and you're left twirling without footing in space. Seokmin matches your fallen expression with one of his own.

"What? Wh-why?"

"Don't get me wrong, it's —"

"I swear if you say 'It's me, not you'…"

He rather adorably tilts his head. "How did you know?"

"It's a typical cliche," you roll your eyes, "just give it to me straight, Seokmin. Is it 'cause I'm human?"

"… It's not that simple, and this isn't something trivial. It's — hah — it's a huge commitment." The use of your given name indicates his seriousness. "A lifetime one. For me, it's only ever been you… and it will always be you for as long as I live, which could be your whole lifespan! And I don't, hah, I don't know — hell, it's taking everything I can not to tear a dead man apart, let alone what I'd do if you'd change your mind, want something — someone else."

"You're doing it again, projecting and underestimating my feelings for you."

"It could be the effect of my pheromones, mayfly. We don't know every —"

"That's right! We don't know! So we have to trust each other and see."

"It's —"

"Let's not subject ourselves to the hypothetical. And what do you mean by dead man?"

Seokmin's jaw tenses, fingernails digging into numb skin. His wings waver, like they're considering cocooning around him for protection. But their tips simply flutter as if soothed by an unseen force, preventing them from enclosing completely.

Teasingly, you lean toward him and squint. "What else aren't you telling me, Seok? You pick a side hustle up that involves the deceased like Choi?"

He snorts at the audacity and doesn't take the bait. Instead, unfamiliar but still achingly familiar irises dart to your neck, tracing the silver chain laying against your skin. A dull sort of sadness fizzles out those blue fires and you clasp the shape of the locket beneath your shirt in realization.

"He was a boy, Seok. A boy I grew up with for a short period, one that felt like a brother to me."

"… You said you loved him."

"When?"

"… To Cheol. After you first met him."

"That would've been so long ago? How do you even remember that?"

He sighs, heavily. "It's not easy to forget. Your voice was so warm, so gentle, so in love when you admitted it."

"Love can mean different things! And I assure you, my feelings for you differ greatly from how I felt about him. And… he's… he's long gone, Seok."

Guilt burns in his eyes. "I know. Which makes me all the worse."

"No, it doesn't." You shake your head, a resigned smile resting on your lips, and hold your arms out. "'Cause I understand and forgive you. And most importantly, I love you."

It's uncertain if those words break or restore him, but the hard rigidness in his body melts away, sagging in a semblance of relief. Then he rushes forward into your waiting embrace, wings helping to propel him forward until they wrap around and press you to him tight, tickling areas where his arms aren't squeezing around you.

"And I adore you, my lovely mayfly."

You groan. "When will you stop calling me that?"

"Never," he snickers and you feel the curve of his lips as he comfortably nuzzles into the crook of your neck. "For as long as you're mine."

"Yours?"

"Mine."

"Sucker."

A chaste kiss brushes the lower tip of your ear. So ticklish and unexpected, you pull back with a giggle and playfully swat his shoulder. And just as he's about to dive forward and prove your little comment correct in retaliation, you burst into full-on laughter that leaves Seokmin to settle his hands on your waist with confusion crinkling his brow.

"What?"

"So that's why you were always having a deathly staring match between my childhood memorabilia?"

"… Was not."

"You — the most sentimental loser ever — definitely were!"

He pouts momentarily, the cute jut out of his lower lip quickly transforming to a devious smirk. "You'd bet on it?"

"Totally." You place your arms around his neck, bringing your bodies closer again and matching the charge of electricity with a clever tilt of your lips. "I'd win, too."

"And what's on the table?"

"Sixty billion double dollars, of course."

"That so?"

"Mhm, and it seems like someone's bounty matches that worth."

Seokmin quirks a brow. "Seems like you want me on the table."

"Winner takes all?"

"Mayfly, I've always been yours."

"Sap," you laugh again.

A bright grin certainly declares your delight in victory, though your partner in crime uses the distraction as an advantage for his earlier loss and wastes no time. Diving in, a sharpened canine grazes your pulse point, automatically causing your head to tilt to offer easier access. Two left wings sweetly swoop down for support, feathered tips tenderly brushing your forehead.

The heat of his tongue placates the dragging scratch of his fangs. Though it sears you alive, heating your entire body from the tips of your toes, swirling in your core, and concentrating beneath Seokmin's lips on your skin.

When reaching that cold, familiar necklace you treasure so much and he can't help but loathe, it's seized between his teeth before he registers the action. Tugging it away from your neck like a dog, you wonder if he'll even shake it like one. His eyes follow the length of the chain, focusing on where the locket pops out above your chest.

You raise a questioning brow. "You gonna just play with my jewelry or take my clothes off?"

"Oh," Seokmin whispers, jaw dropping, and suddenly stands stiffly at attention.

You watch, entranced by the bob of his Adam's apple as he visibly gulps. Large, calloused hands — so practiced in undressing you for baths and patching up wounds — falter as they skim along your sides in a fleeting touch. Smiling encouragingly, you intertwine your fingers with those of his prosthetic while leading the other one beneath your shirt, the rough flesh of his palm blisteringly hot against your stomach.

"Is this okay? Can it help calm your Plant powers?"

"Yes… but that means… giving yourself to me… forever."

"Can't think of anything I'd enjoy more."

Confident, you trail kisses up his jaw to his cheek, stopping near his ear. Playfully tugging at the earring hoop as you pull away. Then you break away and bend over, shimmying off your shorts in one smooth motion. Stepping out of them, next goes your top. As each fabric hits the floor, Seokmin's eyes become more lidded, heavy with want. Smoldering. Desiring.

Four black wings fan out and stay as rigid as his stance. As if they're waiting with bated breath. And when you finally stand bare before him, he sheepishly drags his gaze to the floor with a flustered smile.

"I'm the one naked and you're embarrassed?" you tease and his posture relaxes.

"Because you're a vision to behold."

"Says the one who looks like an angel."

You back up until your knees hit the side of the bed. Like those morbid tales that depict curious listeners following a luring call to their demise, Seokmin's only a step behind you. He doesn't dare let his eyes stray further from your own, a goofy grin on his face.

"Consider this my fall from grace then, mayfly."

Gingerly, you sit on the edge of the mattress, waiting for his next move. He towers over you in this position. Formidable in appearance yet oh-so-gentle when picking up your left hand to kiss your knuckles and rub his thumb across its faded scar. Another smooch gets placed to your inner wrist and you hold your breath at the passion in those blazing cyan depths that refuse to look away. Then, a cautious touch to your shoulder urges you onto your back. Obediently, you lay down and a bunch of stray loose feathers fly up into the air upon impact.

"Beautiful," he murmurs.

The clothed knee resting between your legs helps his arm support the weight of his body hovering above you. A tentative hand slides down from your shoulder to your hip, leaving goosebumps in its wake. Caressing every scar, memorizing each color and swirl of ink decorating your skin, and erasing any insecurities or blemishes you see in yourself. Cold digits draw whimsical shapes and tickle your abdomen, stopping above your pelvic bone.

"May I?"

"Of course."

Seokmin rejoices in your consent by littering your collarbone with love bites. And his touches move lower, tender despite their mechanical nature. Warmth blossoms and flows under every surface of your skin Seokmin's traced, coiling and settling in a pulsating — almost painful — heat rupturing between your legs.

Only he can be the one to relieve this ache which he precisely aims to do. A simple, single brush across sensitive folds instantly has your breath hitching, shaking beneath him.

"Are you alright?"

"Mhm… yes."

He audibly gulps at your unexpected whimper of ecstasy, reluctantly tearing away from watching amorous bliss overtake your facial expression to the wet heat detected by his pointer finger's sensors. A feral growl rumbles in his chest at the debauched sight of desire beginning to dampen your thighs — the trace of what he's been smelling from you now overloading every single one of his senses as he coaxes more to flow from you. Seokmin's more than thankful for his enhanced vision and the glow of cybernetic technology baring your most intimate parts to him.

Guided by an instinctual impulse, he eases a finger inside. Your back automatically arches off the bed, eliciting a sweet gasp of delight. The cool touch of the digit seized tightly by the pulsating walls of your cunt slowly warms as it adjusts to the welcome intrusion. He soothingly brushes the knuckle of his middle finger across the soft outer flesh of your pussy to relax its grip. Eventually it lets up enough to let him explore further and deeper than your own have ever reached.

"I'm… I'm not sure how best to please you," Seokmin admits, drinking in your every reaction to his curious ministrations. "But there's this urge, this need, to make you feel good. Prep you properly for my… my entry."

By pure accident, he strokes a rough patch of nerves that makes your eyes roll back, hips lifting at the sensation of wanting more of whatever that feeling was, and your quiet noises melt into a loud, needy moan.

"More," you plead, "touch me more, Seok."

He eases his other finger inside without question, grunting at the squeeze that almost prevents him from moving to where you want him the most. But unlike the rest of his quivering body, the prosthesis remains steady, still, and patient. Waiting until it can bully itself and a third finger past your entrance's vice-like clench.

You start pulling on your breasts, trying to alleviate the tingling in them. Seokmin observes with a keen eye and a toothy, fanged grin. After a bit, he leans down to let his tongue trace the underside of one mound, leaving behind a saliva trail shining in the unconventional lighting as he tends to the next. Alternating with playful nips and naughty tugs to your nipples whenever your grip on them falters from the overwhelming pleasure.

So attentive and eager, soon you're writhing beneath him as you hit your peak. One hand grips your hip tightly, surely to leave a bruise with the way it cramps. His other doesn't let up, well-oiled mechanisms continuing to pump in and out of your trembling pussy until you whine from the overstimulation.

His wings fold protectively around both of you like a canopy as you share a tender kiss. Dazed and happy, you tenderly brush back black bangs and play with one of the feathers that's sprouted near the hairline above his ear. He shivers.

"Let me take care of you too."

"Are you sure? What about your shoulder?"

"That's the least of my concerns right now."

"I can still…"

"Later. First, I want to help you."

Suddenly, Seokmin's shy again, flushed cheeks darkening. "I… I think I'm a little different… down there so it's okay if you don't want to… or get scared."

"It's not like I've seen enough dicks to compare whether what you're packing is normal."

The both of you share a goofy laugh that eases the presumed awkwardness. He sits back to unbutton his pants but you stop him.

"May I?"

You might as well have knocked the air out of his lungs. He stares at you wide-eyed and then emphatically nods, finally clearing his throat to squeak out, "Sure."

Ignoring the aftershocks of your earlier orgasm, you sit up and kneel in front of him. Intent on a few minor distractions, your mouth and hands start at his shoulders to work their way down. Imagining you have the power to heal the damage dealt to his body and soul through tender touches.

You see a sad sense of beauty and justice in the patchwork of metal bolts and bark. And as you apply marks of love that bruise and blossom between them, he lets out a content warble. You're quick to undo the button of his pants, both of you gasping at the utterly wet mess seeping through the material when you tug the zipper down with your teeth.

He lifts his hips to help and once he's just as naked as you do you take him in. Anatomy was meagerly touched upon during your days at the convent, so truthfully all you're aware of at the sight of his heavy cock is the need to be filled with it.

And the closest thing to take him is your mouth, jaw already aching before you even open it. Almost reverently, your hands wrap around to stabilize it. Seokmin hisses pleasantly at the contact.

"You don't have to —"

He's cut off by a groan as you inquisitively suckle the tip. The copious amounts of slick smearing from it and down the base taste sweeter than Seungcheol's lollipops and you moan heartily, causing his thighs beneath your elbows to tense at the vibrations.

"Oh, mayfly."

A wing caresses your cheek that bulges as you take more and more of him, Seokmin's hands tearing at the sheets. The tip of another wing tantalizingly drags down your bare back. Your hands begin to explore, finding the puffy edges around the slit from which the thick cock emerges from. His hips jolt upwards at the contact to sensitive tissues, causing you to gag.

"Ah, 'm sorry!"

While he whispers repeated apologies, you're only compelled to take him further. Slowly you get used to the stretch, but no matter how much more you're able to squeeze down your throat there's still enough of his length for both of your hands to play with. It gets easier the more aggressive you get, his cock seeming to respond to your vigor in tandem. Soon you're lost to the haze of whether you're bobbing your head up and down or it's swirling languidly in your mouth on its own accord.

Seokmin's hips stutter but you feel the tremor first pulse against the inner walls of your throat. His cock throbs as you pull off of it, hollowing your cheeks and parting with deliberately powerful suction. A loud pop releases its tip and your hand supports its weighty girth falling forward. You dig the nails of your free hand into the muscle of his quaking thigh, ducking down to teethe at the puffy slit from where his cock must emerge.

Moving on to licking and dragging the point of your tongue along the sizable vein lining the underside causes Seokmin's low groans to turn into a high-pitched trill. Once you reach the swollen, leaking head and nibble on the hard glans, it spasms wildly and finally erupts. From the top slit seeps sweet syrupy fluid that readily overflows into your awaiting, open mouth.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you," he blabbers.

You'd reply that there's no need for gratitude, perhaps you'd thank him, but the viscous release keeps spilling out. Rivulets trickle well past your lips and coat your chest. Although still in a euphoric daze, his eyes flash with sharp satisfaction. Instantly possessive at the sight of your bare body decorated so erotically.

His wings snap open — filled with purpose — and your face is pressed down into the mattress. Surrounded in a smoky musk as the angelic monstrosity it belongs to and destined to be your mate hovers above.

Your voice comes out hoarse as you raise up onto your elbows and spitefully spit out a black feather. "Do those wings of yours prevent you from being topped or something?"

"I'll let you find out another time, partner," Seokmin huffs, laughter evident despite his apparent breathlessness. He steals a tender kiss, pleased grunting at how your lips — shiny and swollen — taste of him. "But for now…"

Like an anchor, the tech material warmed by your shared body heat and passion winds underneath your hips, keeping them raised. A calloused, ticklish touch roams traces your spine. He draws an occasional spiral here and there as he goes, mindful of your wound, until firmly pinning the nape of your neck to the side, creating the perfect arch of your back.

"I think you'll like this," Seokmin says as if he isn't liking the view below him.

But for you, straight ahead lies the dresser's mirror. It reflects the full manifestation of an independent Plant poised to devour a human in the most intimate sense. The fearsome size of his cock lies heavy on top of your ass, leaking droplets of arousal all over your backside.

"Will it fit?"

"Of course, you are mine to claim and take." His hips just forward and you both moan. "I think we're both wet enough to try."

"I trust you."

"Let me know if it hurts in any way and we'll stop right away, mayfly."

Many troupes of desert-traveling dancers have mesmerized you before. Yet even they can't compare to the graceful and smooth motion of Seokmin releasing your neck to align his tip with the entrance of your cunt and slowly bullying his way in.

Tears of pain mixing to unfathomable pleasure blur the vision of your mouth widening to let out whines and moans. "Seokkie…"

"Mhm, mayfly… my love… my mate."

Finally, the front of his thighs are flush against yours. Hips pressed tight against your ass. Fully sheathed inside your tight hole, neither of you have ever felt such intensity before. He surrenders his body weight on top of yours, hands braced outside of yours clenching loose feathers and silk sheets. The outer heaviness matches the intensity of what your pussy struggles to accommodate.

"Mine."

Seokmin's hips swirl at a slow pace. Rather than thrust, he massages the sensitive glands at the base of his cock with the soft flesh of your ass. His length seems to shrink and grow and writhe with a mind of its own, filling and teasing you nonstop. Leaving no surface of your inner walls untouched or untended to for too long.

"Yours."

You shudder in blissed-out delirium and Seokmin lights up — literally.

Fluorescent lines glow in distinct patterns across skin, brightening the more he starts to pant and build up your shared pleasure. Sharp canines prick into the skin of your unmarked shoulder as he wraps his prosthesis under your stomach to raise your hips, the new position driving you faster to that rapidly approaching edge. You cry out with a lurch, blurrily making out his glowing form that shudders above.

Though the view in the mirror gets hidden by black wings stroking your entire body. Teasing the underside of your tits and tenderly brushing away the stings of his teeth marks.

"I-I love you," Seokmin rasps.

"Love…" You manage to enunciate the words, mind emptying and drool wetting the bed as your second peak approaches. "Love you too."

Pain and pleasure draw forth an onslaught of your apparent arousal that lecherously mixes with the frothy mess dribbling from his cock. Claws appear on Seokmin's right hand, another addition to the bestial Plant features emerging in the throes of passion. He's not completely lost to the primal thrall though, able to resist from breaking skin.

Delicately scratching your waist without drawing blood, then using the finely pointed tips to pluck and tease effortlessly at your clit. You cry out, body shaking as waves of euphoria crash against the shoreline of imminent pleasure.

Seokmin helps ride out your peak with a couple of speedy thrusts. The feeling of his hips slamming into you has you seeing more stars than Gunsmoke's galaxy contains. And just as you're overcome with too much stimulation, he lets go with a particularly strong bite into the top of your shoulder.

His cock softens and its heavy weight like a blanket along with the continual pump of his warm, soothing release. The feeling of it leaving none of your inner walls untouched feels as sweet as it tasted on your tongue and helps ease the ache inside your cunt. Still joined together and slick with stickiness, he collapses onto his side and gently assists you with rolling over so you can face him.

"Hey, you."

"Hello there yourself, lovely mayfly."

Your nose wrinkles but gets smoothed out by feather tips playing with the ends of your hair. Seokmin smiles as you snuggle closer into his chest so two of his wings can cocoon around you as the heated fervor from prior activities cools.

"Did that help?"

"… Yes," he says though his tone wavers with hesitance.

You raise your chin and see the electric blue luster hasn't faded yet from his gaze. Sheepishly, the corner of his mouth raises and you shiver, feeling the swell of his cock stretch out your pussy. The bulge it creates brushes against Seokmin's abdomen and he twitches.

"Sorry, it's… I'm gonna be kinda insatiable now that I've had a taste…" He trails off, wings snapping behind him. Slowly, he pulls his hips away and you both hiss as his cock is dragged out.

"What are you —"

You're cut off by the animalistic glimmer in his gaze, catching the feral smirk that he attempts to hide by licking his palm. Quick as lightning, Seokmin fleetingly swipes the outer lips of your cunt and brings his fingers, tonguing at them. Body set aflame again, neither of your break eye contact as he moans headily.

"But not of this," he rasps.

Before you know it, you're staring up at the glow-in-the-dark stickers on his ceiling with your mate between your legs. His wings trail along your calves, their flexible ends curling near your inner thighs, encouraging them to spread and stay open, pinning them in place.

"Oh, aren't you a beauty?"

He moans shamelessly at the sight of your messy, glistening pussy. You squirm at the ticklish sensation of his feathers and that smoldering, ravenous look. If only he knew what it was like to see him devour you with his mouth.

Delicious.

Just like the feeling of his tongue working its way inside and licking up the shared essence of your releases.

Your fingers weave between strands of hair as black as night, tugging lightly and accidentally snagging one of his ear feathers. He moans eagerly, and the vibration has you shuddering, already quickly nearing another mind-shattering orgasm. But you don't let him carry you there too fast, smooth brain muscles trying to form a question.

"How… long… how long do these cycles last?"

Seokmin presses a loving kiss to your twitching clit and blows, entranced by how you clench around nothing. Then he smirks, elongated teeth shining in the darkness like a predatory warning though you have nothing to fear.

"As much as you can handle but… we're really only just getting started, mayfly."

The motion light kicks on as Seungcheol shifts his boots in the direction of the unlit kitchen area. Junhui and Minghao's entrance awaken the rest of the lights and they frown at the makeshift bunker set up.

"What are you three doing in here?"

Seungkwan sleepily mumbles a curse word and next to him, Mingyu blearily rubs his eyes. A scattering of empty pudding cups and bottles lie around them as well as a disorganized array of poker cards.

"We're afraid to venture out of here."

Junhui shares a secretive look with his closest friend at Seungkwan's cryptic words. "Ah, so that's happened. Or happening."

"'Bout time y'all came 'round. Time for ya to pay up!"

"Pay up for what?"

"Compensation. 'M the one who got the closest to bein' right knowin' they'd fuck after confessin'."

"If anyone needs compensation, it's me for the mental damage of having to make one of my lovelies into an enhanced sex toy."

Seungcheol guffaws. "Ya didn't! Ya lil cheatin', schemin' scientist!"

Meanwhile, Mingyu looks mighty concerned. "Does that mean Seokmin has a dildo for an arm?!"

Minghao crosses his arms with a steely glare. "No."

"Oh good. I don't think I could look at him the same."

"I don't think any of us will ever look at him the same again."

Junhui eagerly rocks back and forth on his heels, hands stuffed in the deep pockets of his lab coat. "Do you think they discovered all the functions and benefits of it yet?"

"Should be our next bettin' round."

"No more bets. I don't care if it's half a double dollar to go in, I refuse to go through this again."

Mingyu elbows his raven-haired companion. "C'mon, your heart's warmed by this!"

"Warmed and consumed by the rage and fury of hellfire, yes."

Giggling, the tall man smiles widely and holds his hand out. "Alright, I win then!"

"Win what? Thought you didn't remember your bet."

Mingyu purses his lips. "Only because none of you took me seriously and joked with a bunch of gross innuendos when I said they'd find their home in one another!" He then sighs dreamily. "But if I'm right, we'll know by tomorrow morning."

"Who says it'll be tomorrow mornin'. Might take weeks. Months even, I reckon'."

"I'll kick you all out before it comes to that," Minghao threatens and runs a hand through the few strands of hair without a bead. He tosses a wad of money in front of Mingyu. "Never involve me in this again."

Despite all the grumbling, everyone has a sense of lightness in their hearts at the thought of their dear friends finally getting together. And the happiest of them all is Mingyu, who cheerily gathers his prized double dollars, dreaming of all the pudding he can buy.

A lone figure stands on the edge of the valley of the Melca Border. The Sea of Sand, aptly named, can change tide and turn vicious at any second. Their cloak billows in the sandy winds that whip around them, though even the steadfast hood can't hide the satisfied smile on their face.

"You did well," they commend and the name that falls from their lips is one some might consider lost to the sands of time.

"Saintess." Another figure materializes out of the sand gusts in response to the praise. "It is to be done as you said."

"Very well. Shall we go now?"

Whether it's the mysterious sands that swirl around and whisk them away or the lost technology cube that transports them, no one will ever know for no one ever saw them. Like ghosts, they disappear and find themselves outside the real ghost town — where it all began.

A toma croaks in the distance. Brave travelers dare cross the ruined wasteland and the saintess meditating atop one of the largest rocks hidden in the shadows opens her gray eyes tinted by lilac in the glow of the moons to observe. Despite all of her traveling, the white robes wrapped around her body remain in pristine condition.

She turns behind to look at the man standing over a scattering of stones, staring intently at one of them. With poise and purpose, she dusts off her clothes and strides over to him.

"Chan."

Brown eyes tear away from his own name carved into the headstone in front of him to look at the one who's said it aloud.

"Yes, Saintess?"

"Do you regret it?"

"No. Never."

"Good," she states, satisfied with his response. With a grand sweep of her hood to cover short, dark hair, she gestures to the east. "We will set up camp one more night before returning to the Saint in the morning before he speaks with our Master."

Chan mutely nods, following the saintess back into the desert where she confidently leads him to a cave that will shield them from the unpredictable nature of Gunsmoke's wastelands. He thinks of you, the girl he must keep safe and two brothers. One with wings as pure white despite his continual revelry with hate-filled darkness, the other bearing ones the complete opposite color of his twin — a wild card.

He reminisces over the Blessed and Holy Sisterhood of Little Ivywood, the convent and all the orphans that lived there. Pondering Sister Meryl's role, who stands before him now as the revered Saintess, leader for the Eye of Joshua and second only to the Bishop of the cult named after himself. She moves curious little statues back and forth across the surface of a large flat rock and the young man can't help but ask her a question in the unnerving silence.

"Do you think this will work?"

Meryl smiles elusively, as always. She picks up the smallest one with a deliberate flourish, placing it on a blackened space close to the last row of alternating squares carved into the stone's surface.

"Have you ever played chess before?"

"No, what is it?"

"An Earthern board game. It is quite complicated." Gesturing to the piece she just moved, she continues. "This is a pawn, the weakest of all chess pieces."

Chan bristles. "But strength comes in numbers, no? There are eight of each color, surely the right side can find a way to win."

Unfazed by his agitation, the saintess nods placatingly. "With the right strategy, even a pawn may become a queen — the most powerful. Unpredictable." She points to a white figurine with a cross on top of it. "Enough to checkmate a king."

Entranced, Chan watches as she rearranges and repositions various pieces across the faux chessboard. Soon, the pawn that took on the mantle of a Black Queen captures the White King. His eyes roam what's left on the battlefield at the end of the match, pointing to one that looks like a tower.

"What's that one?"

"A rook. It best supports an allied pawn towards promotion from behind the scenes." Her eyes sparkle mischievously. "It's most powerful during the end of the game, as you can see."

Chan gulps, holding his breath for a moment, and clears his throat. "Then I'm ready."

"Wonderful," Meryl nods, "we'll depart for Master Dokyeom's stronghold in the morning. I'm sure Joshua, our dear Saint, will be… pleased upon our return."

"To the glory of the Black King's rise."

"And to the glory of our so-called queen."

Keep him safe, Chan thinks to himself as he settles on the ground. And yourself. One day we'll reunite in the most joyous of occasions…

He pulls out a faded wanted poster with the infamous outlaw worth sixty billion double dollars, donning a wishful smile before closing his eyes and murmuring, "I'd even bet this impossible amount on it."

onlyseokmins: April 2024 ©

[genericpuff]

Hi Puff! Idk if anyone has asked you this yet but what are your thoughts on the god of war game series? Are they actually more "accurate" about the greek mythology then LO? xD

oh lord, I'm def not a good person to ask about this question because I haven't played through all the original God of War games (though it makes me laugh to think about them because watching my oldest brother play the first game when I was like 7 years old was the first time I'd ever seen video game boobies LOL) but considering it's just a hack and slash game in which you brutally murder the gods... ima give it a big noooo on that one LOL it's about as accurate as LO in that it's more about spectacle and drama than it is about actually being accurate to the myths they're based on lmaoo

As for the Norse series of games, I actually HAVE played both God of War 2018 and Ragnarok and loved them both, though I'm not as well versed in Norse mythology so I also can't say if what they take from Norse myth is accurate. Obviously I know that Atreus/Loki has zero relation to fictional character Kratos from Greece and I have basic understanding of general concepts like Yggdrasil and the nine realms among other things like that, but the finer details regarding the stories of the characters themselves I'm not as brushed up on. Hella great storytelling though and I appreciate the lengths they went to to make it feel like a Norse-myth-inspired environment, even down to the vocabulary and terms used.

Just like with LO, you shouldn't be taking any of what God of War does or says at face value. If you like the games (or LO), use it as an opening hook to get more into the actual myths if they interest you. But definitely don't use them as any sort of credible source LOL

Now that I'm typing out my thoughts on this though, I think the biggest difference between GoW and LO (one that makes GoW far superior to it) is that the creators of GoW never once led their audience to believe that they were more than what they were, a hack and slash video game inspired by specific myths. What you see is what you get with GoW, but LO - and Rachel - constantly feel like they're actually trying to be taken seriously and that's what makes it all the worse when their storytelling is godawful and the amount of actual "myth" they have in the comic amounts to as much as a Family Guy cutaway gag. Just completely directionless and uninspired to the point you wonder why it's even an Greek myth retelling to begin with. At least GoW fully immerses itself in the myths their games are based on and has a shitload of fun with it, with LO it'll just source some copy pasted Princeton document or lazily tell some mythological metaphor that has nothing to do with the overarching plot so that it can remind you "hey this is a Greek myth retelling!" before getting back to its bland Keeping Up with the Kardashians romance. The mythological "inspiration" in LO feels more like tired lip service at this point rather than actual inspiration, which is really bitterly ironic considering Rachel used to tote around calling herself a "folklorist" and claiming that everyone else's knowledge of Greek myth compared to hers was "basic af".

TL ; DR: The biggest difference between GoW and LO in their retellings is humility IMO.

[voiceofsword]

hiii can i ask you about cannibal niki?? what ya think bout him?? (in theory, where Niki's parents were the ones who 'ate fish' in the cult of Shinkai!!) and if ya open to request can i see a lil rinniki kiss?? on cheeks or something like dat just a smol doodle🤲 (AND SORRY ABOUT MY ENG IDK HOW TO WRITE😭)

hello anon! putting this behind a readmore again bc it might be a little long (it is) but i assure you the doodle is at the end of the post! sorry if i sound at all hostile during any parts of this post i tried to look back and change the wording for a lot of things, but like that other long ass rinne post i made it's smth i feel very strongly about! 🙇

i’m gonna keep it real with you, i’m not particularly fond of that headcanon! i feel like i’ve mentioned it before, and i respect anyone who likes it, but i see it as sort of edginess with no concrete basis besides gags and a crucial main story scene (that i think disproves it), therefore i don’t rly like talking about it or discussing it. i’ll go on to explain where i think the origin for this headcanon lies, bc while i do think it’s something that can be extrapolated from the story, it’s not necessarily the “truth” behind niki’s parents, or him being a cannibal, or anything like that.

in the main story chapters 136-140 eichi goes on to explain crazy:b’s weak points: if worse comes to worst, alkaloid can use these points against them to take them down. in 139 specifically, eichi says that niki himself is hard to exploit — but they can use his father’s infamy to their favor. niki’s father was a famous chef known for his cooking tv programs. he had a period of popularity which was quickly ended when rumors were spread about him using human meat during one of his shows, and thus he was sworn to never be on tv again. 

you see, it’d be perfectly reasonable to assume niki’s father is a cannibal if eichi said this in all seriousness. however, taking context into account and how during this and the previous chapters eichi is going out of his way to make crazyb sound as bad as he feasibly can, it shows that this is their last resort and that the smear campaign needs to WORK. ES needs to make crazy:b look as bad as possible to make them give up. also eichi is kind of known for making his speech grandiose and generally making things sound more severe than they actually are, this is enstars 101. and even so, eichi himself softens the claim immediately afterwards, saying that these accusations were made at a time when tv stations were trying to get the idol industry back on its feet — they made that up, because they wanted to make sure there was no competition on the same network! and he follows that up with saying “yeah lol that’s pretty normal in this industry”. 

i won’t make any mention of the shinkai cult here because there rly is no ties except for…the cannibalism, i think? i also feel like what kanata talks about in meteor impact addresses something that may or may not have happened a long, long time ago, and at a very dire time rather than something reoccurring — and i doubt niki’s parents were even alive. i havent seen this spoken about anywhere else so im not sure where you’re coming from, sorry anon :( 

that aside, niki also seems to be at least somewhat aware of what happened, and the ramifications it had on his own life. you have to understand, niki’s parents left the country when these allegations started popping up, and niki’s been on his own since then — niki’s not stupid. if his parents didn’t tell him, he pieced it together himself. he knows what happened, and generally makes light of the situation and having to live on his own because that’s just how he is; these events have helped shape how niki is, on a fundamental level. but all of that aside, he more than anyone knows that his father would never do something like that, that all of it is baseless lies made to hurt him:

when i say these things shaped him, i mean that the incident has made him feel like, regardless of whether the allegations are true or not, his father caused a lot of trouble to many people. niki idolized his father — and seeing this happen to him, niki is left to think that he, too, is bound to cause people problems, both bc of this, and his constitution. he makes it a point to be like i don’t want to be like my father, again, not because of the cannibalism, but because the whole ordeal had very lasting repercussions on niki, on their family, perhaps even for any chef that might’ve pursued a similar career path to his father. i find it hard to believe that it was a one and done type thing; tabloid news and everything. he probably had his name run through the mud. 

niki consciously tries to not make trouble, he laughs off his insecurities, he tries not to take up too much space, even now. gotta keep his image clean but it's also like. obviously hes not really going out of his way to expose himself and be in the culinary world more than he needs to. he carries the weight of knowing his family name is taboo so that just kind of bleeds onto how he perceives himself and what he does — that coupled with his condition makes him feel like he deserves the bare minimum. bc of these things happening, i can also imagine his parents drilled the idea into his head before they left — to not cause trouble for others if it’s the last thing he does. kind of on the nose, niki does mention during one of the flashbacks that his father told him human meat is the one thing he must absolutely never do. which is like. well, yeah

also (tapping mic) part of the reason rinne causes so much trouble for him is because he wants niki to see that it’s ok to cause trouble for him back — that if niki goes out of his way to do stuff for him, even if begrudgingly, rinne can pay him back in kind. one of rinne’s main drives is that he wants to be able to dismantle this idea niki has in his head that he’s less deserving of good things because of his past, and his body. i’d even go as far to say that it’s an integral part of their relationship and both of their characters. um anyways

people are allowed to think or portray him however they want, of course, but i think saying that his father is a cannibal and thus niki is a cannibal too feels like completely dismissing parts of his character for the sake of making this otherwise “wholesome” person be more 'edgy' and perhaps aligning more to their tastes. i can’t police how people perceive him but i think a lot of where this stems from is wanting to have a character to project specific aesthetics onto, latching onto small bits of his story and lines without really looking at the full picture. 

niki tries so hard to be someone who can move past these allegations and still struggles with thinking that he can do what he likes lest he be like his father, so, idk. i personally don’t like to engage w/ or see these interpretations. to each their own!

also as to why niki makes jokes about eating people and it’s somewhat a recurring gag with him: well personally i think he’s just a little weird. it’s done in a cutesy playful way like "omg u smell so good i could eat you right up!" and its more like... a compliment. (esp coming from him w his rly good sense of smell and taste) yeah its joking abt eating ppl but not joking abt cannibalism itself its all theoretical eating. (have u never joked about wanting to eat someone up…or wanting to bite ppl.. i think it’s kind of like that. it’s just that they juice him for the bit)

also to thank you for your patience. here’s the doodle ♡

[cakejerry]

asks pt.2 more recent ones

ft fanfiction anon, minho is ugly, thank you minjoon people for the links and fic recs!!! and the anon with the random jikook takes

ive been debating answering this one, like... yeah, obviously. but no jimin hate is allowed on this blog so youre getting blocked

idk, ive also been thinking about posting this but... i don't have any thoughts. except that this just proves how close they are, in any sense. and yes that was literally a joke we don't actually think their parents were involved, cmon. 'meds exist' cmon. 'suicide everyday' yeah you're a troll never message me again, goodbye.

this is why i can never take any of those charts seriously, they all say something different and everybody's #1 somewhere. its literally all imaginary and extremely unimportant. and instead of frauding jimin, which would have gotten him nothing but hate, i wish instead they'd left jungkook alone so we could see who ACTUALLY has what it takes

i have literally never understood the hype around jungkook. but maybe thats because he only started glowing up around 2019, which is when most of these taekookers came to the fandom, lol. but your last sentence was funny, 10/10

jimin should have always been the center of that triangle. vmin vs jikook i would like to see it. the classic main drama lead thats semi toxic and interesting and the second lead who's the best friend and the better option but jimin chooses jungkook anyways lol

minjoon under the stars ahhh jimin is such a sweet little glazed donut that needs to be handled with utmost care

blocked. also that's because namjoon has the charisma of a tree. but jimin could have chemistry with a brick wall so suck it. minjoon forever

cute little fanfiction moment but i dont think it holds any water in real life terms, or means anything, honestly. but thank you for the links

here come the fanfiction writers. also that's the finger heart emoji for the curious minds my laptop is prehistoric. anyways. im not gonna grace this with any further comment.

sure

this is making me ctfu because its just a clip of jungkook dancing to 3d but anon is sooo disgusted ahahhahaha. bts were different??? different from what :joy emoji:. also, if you see this, elaborate on your last sentence please.

i literally dgaf he is so ugly and his bug eyes weird me out and im convinced kpop fans have a mass gaslight thing going on trying to convince me he's attractive. 2. jonghyun wouldnt work with jimin for several reasons i just brought him up because whenever im thinking about 'men in the industry who aren't shit' he's the only one who comes up. 3. love that you just fully spiraled into waxing poetic about jimins ass there. understandble.

sure

well yeah but specifically the tweets i was posting are so... racially motivated. whitewashed jimin=white=good=pure=innocence=bottom and top jungkook=rough=tough=raw=dirty=dark skin. like it was just so weird to me.

umm sure, whatever you say anon. im gonna forget all of what you told me now because i genuinely do not want to know.

yup this is the general consensus in cakejerryland

thank you for this rec actually!!!!!!!!! it looks scrumptious and WILL be posting my thoughts upon finishing!!!

thank you random citizen!!! omg idk if you knew i have a hyung kink or not but this is sooo not that. laugh emoji laugh emoji jimin is soooo cute he's a kiddo playing around!!! babyy

i respect the grind. i do not, however, respect him.

okayy anndddd... what do you want me to do about this?

yes he wants to be perceived as such. we agreed upon this when seven dropped. and idc and it doesnt matter to me because i dont expect any of bts to come out so they will all forever be ambiguously straight and theres no point to discussing it further

fanservice is in the job description. but you said it yourself. 'natural' dynamic. they're simply the closest and we can't deny this

umm sure. i didn't see anything special in those clips at all lol i was not gagged. they were just looking at each other and they do that every single time they're in public or on camera or on stage together

lol hawaii was ... a time. they were also "doing laundry," don't forget.

[3cheers4evil]

mbav (season 1) hungarian dub notes

‎i know that translational changes are necessary for things to make sense in another language, but i'll take minor tweaks as something worth sharing. this is just for fun !!

the title is translated to our vampire, the babysitter <3

three cheers for evil

erica: “these girls have been telling me to bite them for years" → "these girls have been telling me to suck it for years" like the vulgar expression to suck a dick. ok

ethan straight up refers to his underwear in cheer uniform as thongs. off to a strong start

blood drive

ethan (to sarah): “take two [cookies]” → “you can take mine too” its so cute. however he grumbles instead of saying “come on” when leading her out of the room

b: “to bore them to death?” → “to make them laugh at us [in a ridiculing way]?” honestly makes sense idk why a vampire nurse story would bore anyone to death

guys and dolls

when ethan’s parents go upstairs u can overhear rory talking to debbie dazzle and originally u can’t hear much of what he’s saying just giggling & something about making out. you hear this clear dialogue in hungarian: “so when i eat like a pig, i gag this much while brushing my teeth. so i prefer chewing gum instead. if you want to make out, i can chew one right now” right before they show him saying he knows where the best gum in town is

at the disco beach party for jane when debbie winks, originally there’s no more dialogue, but in hungarian ethan says “this is so cool!” :)))))))))))

double negative

in the og evil!hannah says “how about i say this? you’re a pathetic little weasel!” in the translation she says something non-hungarian??? like it’s not in my language idk wth it means i posted the audio when i tried figuring it out with scripts and numerous google searches but couldn't detect it

instead of evil benny they keep saying bitchy benny dshdfgsdhfwehsdjf

friday night frights

coach ed calls benny a truncate dwarf instead of sugar mcversey

smells like trouble

after ross catches bethan roleplaying as etharah instead of saying they should come along to the hockey game he says the two should go in a pair

b (about the concept of sarah rejecting ethan): “gives u one less thing to worry about” to “gives u one more fear” help

ethan says “i chickened out” (about asking sarah out) in a high-pitched voice like he’s making fun of himself ?????

originally benny says nothing after his grandma leaves and bids them good night but they add him saying “that’s tough” cuz he opens his mouth slightly so they felt the need to add something? lol

die pod

e: “i wonder if my allergies will kill me before the sun stroke does” b: “my money’s on the sun, you burn like a marshmallow” → “my money’s on the sun, you’re burning already” as in to be very embarrassing

b (after telling pod girl his bowling story): “you know, i think you’re really interesting” → “you know, i personally think this was a very exciting story” girl…

b (ethan tells him to shut up with his stupid gardening motto): “that’s all i got” → “i’ll shut the hell up”

doug the vamp hunter

(about erica making fun of evelyn’s blood substitute) sarah: “i guess she’s used to packing nerd lunches” → “i guess she’s used to packing lunches for babies/diaper wearers”

erica: “serious mullet fail” → “seriously sprained/damned taste”

r: “good thing you’re bad at magic” → “good thing you’re a lame witch [very feminine term]” 

the brewed

instead of teethan they called him tetün which is basically louse + ethan… and yea he says it sounds cute coming from sarah 😭

this just made me giggle but since they have to lower original sounds when dubbing something, they sometimes add their own effects. the only added sound i detected was them adding a loud door handle sound when a zombie opens a door with a knob. and the sound is late

revamped

jesse: "my favorite fledgling" → "my dearest little rookie" there's a translation for fledgling throughout the show so idk why he'd say this

[pepperoniandmeatballs]

☆Bathtub Breakdowns☆

An angsty fic about our favorite skeleton Killer! Basically a debrief on what goes on in his head when he's not feeling his 100% silliness!! He's just a girl.

But I wanna mention a big WARNING for SHELF HATEFUL THOUGHTS, VOMIT, GAGGING, SUICIDAL IDOLATION, VERY BAD COPPING SKILLS, REFERENCES TO HYPER SEXUAL TENDENCIES, DRUGS AND ROMANTICIZING NOT SO GREAT STUFF. Please please stay safe guys and if you prone to like idk manifest these kinds of things don't read. Like seriously.

But anyway, In my opinion it's not that bad but it does have some triggering topics soooo ya... be careful?

_______________☆__________________

Trembling fingers frantically scatter agaisnt cool metal as he heaves. Mouth full with black tar, he gags and wretches all over himself. Spilling his insides down the drain like black goopy rain. White hot pain travels through magical veins like fire as he messily carves more diagonal lines up fractured wrists. The cuts are so deep HP dwindles like falling snow, however he's not cutting to kill. He's cutting to feel.

Killer can't even see how crooked and messy they are as they overlap each other creating a thick pool of blood that fully covers the whites of his marrow. It gives him a little rush of power that fuels his left hand into continuing. Because this is him. He's the one breaking himself beyond repair not others. He's the reason he's bleeding, shaking and draining himself empty. Its all his fault. And that very thought makes him laugh in a manic display. It's a weak attempt of control but it works. It works so good he loses himself in the movement.

Hours before his recent endeavor, he sits in the infirmary shrouded in guilt beyond himself. Horrors by his side, with bandages in one hand and a deep frown in his features. On his left Dust sits by idly, he's red scarf had been pulled down to reveal his mouth, exposing he's scuffed up face as he breathes heavily.

He was the one who had to carry Killer through the woods, up two flights of stairs, past a heavily concerned cross and into the infirmary. So it makes sense why he's panting like a dog.

They're mission was a success but at the cost of Killer's soul being damanged in the process. It hadn't been anyone's fault but his own. He hadn't been paying all that much attention as they entered the A.U. Lost in space, thinking about nothing in particular, which should've been his first red flag. He's always thinking. Something wasn't right and he ignored it like an idiot.

Perhaps he was manic. He never knows it till after, when he has to face the detrimental consequences of his previous actions.

Everything after that was as fuzzy as Cross's cotton gloves as he lurches forward. Thick blotchy black hate paints his lap. He gurgles and gags as he rasps a breath. He feels like he's drowning.

"Gross.."

Dust from all the way across the room grumbles. Horror lays him back down with unsteady hands. Face making a sour expression as he does so. Killer probably looks a wreck as he drowns. Soon a veiw of midnight tentacles fills his blurry vision until he drifts off into a dreamless slumber.

Now, the waters' hot against his bones as blood flows steadily down the drain. It's almost comforting. The way the water trickles down the back of his head, taking blood and vomit with it. They swirl together in a murky pond of crimson. He's wet and cold but he feels. He feels. It makes him crack a little smile as he's arms sting like killer bees because he feels and last night he didn't but now he does. The pain guides and grounds him to a softer place as he leans against the cold, cool surface of the tub.

He'll stay like this, even just for a little while. Atleast till he's back to whoever that person he is with the others. He assumes that is normal killer. Not cutting in the shower to feel an ounce of emotional coexistence killer. As normal as Killer can get, that is. He's erratically unpredictable at best and recklessly bipolar at worse. Even for this castle, that's not normal.

His white shorts are stained red now, he'll just have to throw those away. There's no salvaging the stained. He thinks bitterly as he curls into himself. The water's cold now. He feels numb and tingly. He needs to get up; do something, but at the same time he just doesn't want to. He's body craves it but he'd rather drown in his own filth than twitch he's fingers.

He just doesn't care anymore to pretend, to put on a show, not right now, not here. Here he's alone and painfully sober. Would weed even fix how broken he is right now? A souless addict who's not even real. How pitiful. He's nothing but a bad joke someone found on the bottom of their shoe. A burden for anyone who's had the misfortune of even looking his way. He's a parasite who feeds off others and he's never ever satisfied.

He fills himself with sex and drugs and sweet adrenaline. He burns with a hunger so violent its practically animalistic, the way he's constantly wanting more. Its never ever enough.

He doesn't have a real self anymore, no real personality. The real him died the moment he made that deal. Causing him to became this. This walking, talking, tool for anyone to pick up and use. That's what he wants. To be used, to be manipulated, handled, bended this way and that way till he snaps like elastic. That's why he taunts and taunts. That's why he acts the way he does, to get that delicious response to his fabricated facade.

That's why he clings to the boss so closely. That's why he tests his patience to the absolute thinness. He's an addict to the power play, to the pain, to be played with in such a horrific way it makes his psychotic little mind do flips. He wants to be destroyed by Nightmare's hands and then molded back together just to be broken again. It's sick and twisted but he doesn't care because he's nothing but that. Rottoned and diseased.

Color tries to fix him and he doesn't understand why he still sees a skeleton who onced lived in the same bones he does. And like the miserable leech he is, he uses Color's kindness and feeds off of it. Colors so different from Nightmare and yet it still gives him that same blissful high that leaves him patheticly obsessed.

Without them he wouldn't be here. He's so whole heartily dependent on others that when he's alone he doesn't know what to do with himself. It's sad honestly. How pitiable he is. It should disgust him if he wasn't so disconnected with himself.

"Who's the real killer?"

They mock and laugh at him. All of them secretly hate him. Everyone. They just keep him around to tormet him. Or maybe there just raging masochists like him. How hyperitcal then.

As someone who stands on the edge and let's the wind sway them every which way he understands what it's like to want to die but not commit. Disheartening isn't it? That he rather hide in the bathroom and waste water than step outside and put on another show.

He rather bleed himself out then get up and start the day. He's such a disgrace. Even Dust atleast rolls outta bed and sulks in the living than in his room. Don't get him wrong though, Dust is no better than killer when it comes to this stuff but atleast he has the ounce of decency to not parade himself around and be a nuisance to all.

He wants a cig, anything at all to smother the agonizing emptiness but deep down he knows he doesn't deserve it. Not right now. The water's still running and he's barely bleeding now. He won't die, not like this but he'll be hella sore tomorrow. Lucky for him there's no errands that need to be done so he'll get to cause as much caos as usual.

"This is what you deserve."

While he self-loaths he decides to occupy himself by looking around his restroom. It's simple for Nightmare's gloomy castle. The walls are a deep purple with gold accents here and there with black trimmings. His bulb went out a while back so the room is filled with red candles. Crimson wax drips from them and its funny how much he finds himself relating to those candles. Its not like he needs them, he just likes them and they're dirt cheap. It never gets fully dark anyway, not with killer soul always glowing. It's annoying to say the least but you get used to it over the years.

His bedroom is much smaller than the others and Is the closet to Nightmares study. Sometimes if he's really quiet he can hear him writing. He lets out a breath as he stares at himself through his crooked reflection.

The mirrors glass is cracked due to a violent episode he had months ago. Tore up his knuckles and fractured all his fingers. But it was worth the pain since he got cross to sit down and pick all the individual glass shards out of his hand. Killer can still remember the touch of fingers. How he made him feel delicate and fragile.

Normally he likes things to be intense and rough but on the occasion does he crave passion and vanilla. Something raw that beats lust. Something that leaves him breathless and feeling vulnerable.

He snorts and leans his head back against the tub to stare at the ceiling instead of his mangled display. Stars he's a mess. Wanting love and affection like he deserves that. What a cruel joke.

"So stupid."

He mumbles quietly, it sounds weak even to his own ears. (Ears?) He wonders loosly just how much HP he lost today. Probably quite a bit to feel this shitty. A shitty feeling for a shitty monster. Sounds about right.

He's a murderer, a manipulater, a manic monstrosity. A sadistic freak who puts his life and other endanger just for the thrill. How is he even still alive at this point, because if we're up to him- well you know what he would do. He wouldn't be in the shower sulking around like some kicked mutt.

"Killer?"

He doesn't realize how quiet it got when he heard it. At first he assumed it was just another episode until he heard the timid nock. Cross.

"Hey man, um, you missed breakfast so I brought you some coffee.."

His voice is muffled through the thick door and the sound of the shower but he can still hear that awkwardness in his voice. He's probably picking at fingers too, just like he always does when he's nervous.

"I can leave it by the door but.. Boss says he wants to see you- not now but like, in awile, ok?"

Killer litsens silently. He doesn't want to talk, he doesn't trust his vocal chords to not sound like a little bitch.

"Ok... I'll be in the training room, if ya need anything. See ya around Kils.."

He feels bad. Cross in all his degree and cleverness deep down is still a sympathetic solder who tries to do his absolute best. Helping him comrades must be an old habit becuase here that doesn't happen often. When one of are going through it Nightmare's the one who fixes it or distinguish it. The other just try to mind their business and leave the other alone.

But Cross on the occasion will do something small. Like a worried look, or hand in patrol or a damn coffee that killer can smell all the way from the bathroom and fuck does it smell heavenly. Cross is just good like that and it baffles killer how he can find it in himself to care that much. Even if it's a small gesture it still counts and damn does it help.

So now he moves because he doesn't want to not drink something that might help his neverending numbness. He still doesn't deserve it but who gives a fuck. Later he'll steal a Xanax from Dust and see Nightmare with as much normalcy he can pull out of his ass.

With blood soaked fingers he reaches up and turns the sower off. He falls into routine perfectly. Slowly get up, make your way out off the tub without passing out, crawl towards the cabinet, try not make a mess as you fumble with the bandages and wash your hands. All of it, he's done a million times before.

After shucking off his bloodied shorts and damp clothes he heads to his messy closet and grabs a pair shorts, stolen from Cross, and a long sleeve black turtle neck, thanks to Dusts laundry always finding perchase in his room. Normally his long ass gloves are enough to cover everything but his wounds are fresh and he half assed the bandages so.. long sleeves it is. His soul still looks wrecked from last night as it shakes and fizzes around the edges.

He's a mess as he fumbles toward his door. Slowly does he turn the nomb, expecting cross to be hidding out behind a corner or something. When he peeks out he finds the hallway empty. Good. Looking down he finds the mug full of dark brown goodness. Losing his balance he sits down with a thump and snatches the cup with the gracefulness of a drunk.

The door closes with a click and he's left to wallow in this dimly lit room. With a groan he pushes himself against the wall and pulls his knees to his chest. He looks down and stares at the mug.

A mocha Frappuccino, that's what it is. It's obvious Cross made it. It's in his favorite mug, Dusts' mug, nice and cool with messily drizzled chocolate syrup and almond milk. Killer takes a sip and the tight coil in his gut loosens slightly because of hazelnut. Killer loves hazelnut.

________________☆_________________

I love putting all my favorite characters through it lol.

Any request for a future fic with Kils? I'm desperate. XP

_________________☆________________

[kiddokori]

but you're so right about everything with totk. you put it in words so well 😭 idk if you found memory 9, so i won't spoil anything, but it was SO GOOFY look up gmod smile after you watch it and explode instantly. loftwings would've made the game infinity better, like skeleehorses can go over gloom (such a silly name btw) and horses are always great, but there's nothing to ride in the sky??? missed oppurtunity imo. i basically play with no tech becuase i hate using it 😔 i have much to say on this game and sadly most of it around the plot isn't thatg nice

SKELEHORSES CAN GO OVER GLOOM??????

but no yeah i dont enjoy the tech lol. i think modern tech in fantasy is a slippery slope from “woah cool its so interesting how this fantastical society developed things we never couldve thought of” to “this isnt even fantasy its just sci-fi with medieval paint slapped over it” thats what botw vs. totk is to me. we went from giant magical mechs and tech that felt more like sentient creatures to a straight up four wheeler. also its just clunky. to me. vexes me.

i am playing it very slowly for several reasons so im not far im only two memories in (trying to do them in order) lol but im not impressed by the writing either again ive only beat the rito “dungeon” idk what to call it. it was fine. really felt like they just tried to replicate the divine beasts but it didnt work. the weird disembodied voice felt forced in totk its just this random exposition guy that felt like he was just there for the sake of mimicking the structure of the champions talking to you where in botw that makes sense because they’re important characters that you learn more about and play a role in the story and also they literally died and their souls were trapped in their beasts. and totk was like ah shit ah fuck we gotta have another disembodied voice throw this guy in there and have him lore drop on you. who is he. who cares.

and then the divine beasts were like interesting involved puzzles there was one i thiiiink the camel you literally had to turn entire parts of it to line up electrical signals to get places and unlock things it was a little frustrating but i had to think about it!! same with the elephant you had to control the entire mechanism to move things and you had to Think about it. the rito ship was just go find these things. ok the divine beasts were also that with the terminals but you had to work for it. totk really just went go walk around for awhile and find them. no real puzzle to it. there was a little bit with the doors/levers but it did not feel nearly as involved or thought through.

i will say i did like the boss fight the ice guy. cool guy. looked cool baller music neat new little thing you had to do to beat it i liked it. that was cool i will give them that they know how to get me pumped for a boss fight

ok but the cutscene with zelda near the beginning was goofy as hell. just straight up like woaaaahh she floated into the sky thats crazy!!! whaaat!!!!! felt extremely silly. i was sitting there like is this a gag is this supposed to be funny i cannot tell. very much threw me off. could not take seriously

also. fucking. got rid of her again. if they wanted to have the same success of botw maybe they should’ve gee idk changed the formula again and let zelda be with us. a two player zelda game would be so cool. even if it was still single player and we could just interact with her and have her with us im thinking kindof last of us/resident evil 4 style where she helps you do certain puzzles or helps you fight like other npcs. even if she just stayed at the base and helped purah with research and you could talk to her thatd be more interesting. GIVE HER TO ME!!

the intro really just felt like oh we have to get rid of zelda again because we need link to be alone so we can copy botw uhhhhh magic rock teleports her to the past yeah yeah that works. they decided they needed this to happen and then made a story to excuse those choices rather than actually construct something cohesive.

im not even halfway through the game so i dont wanna be tooo hard on it or form strong opinions but id rather be pleasantly surprised than disappointment after getting my hopes up. i havent been spoiled for anything but i have seen people complain in general so im kinda leaning towards disappointment lol. like its zelda im still having fun i just also am looking at it from a critcal point of view and i have plenty to say. i used this as an excuse to talk for a looong time anyways. im currently working on getting specific horse colors that i preplaned by looking at this horse chart to name after characters from a book i like ✌️ i didnt pay 70 dollars to not have any fun with this game so help me god i am going to enjoy Some of it

[purplesurveys]

1899

Do you ever worry about your future? (i.e.: college, marriage, kids, etc) Not really. I think I've mostly learned how to have an "accept whatever's coming" mindset, which might sound lazy but it helps a lot in, like, not being constantly paranoid. If anything what I only find myself thinking about repeatedly is the future in the context of my parents – will I be the child who'll live with them when they get old, would they ever get seriously sick, etc.

Does your family use coasters? Is anyone in your family excessively tidy? We don't; we just use the placemats for glasses. My mom is very tidy and very particular and very uptight with neatness...but somehow that doesn't translate to coasters haha. We manage fine without.

What’s your least favorite chore to do around the house? Do you have to do this often? Ironing. Its optionality is what makes it burdensome for me lol, if that makes sense. I don't always have to do it in every laundry cycle so when I do, it feels like an additional chore.

If you went to your mom/dad or whoever you live with and said “hey, I’ll clean the whole house if you give me 20 bucks” would they go for it? Would you raise the price? 100% they will just laugh at me for asking money when they know I'm already perfectly capable of earning my own, haha.

Are you usually late, early or right on time? Usually right on time, or anywhere between 1-5 minutes late.

If you wrote a journal entry about your last date, what would it say? I can't remember when my last date was.

On a scale of 1 to 5 how organized are you? I'm like a 6 at work and a solid 2.5 anywhere else.

Name a movie you can watch over and over again and not be bored with? Roman Holiday or Two for the Road.

Do you wear pajamas to places other than at your house? Apart from the house and accommodations like hotels and Airbnbs, nope.

Do you take showers in the morning or at night more? Morning. It needs to be the first thing I do every morning, otherwise it won't feel right when I work.

What is the wallpaper on your cellphone? Lockscreen is Namjoon at a museum; home screen is the latest OT7 selfie from Jin's first day out the military. It's the one where Hobi has clearly been drinking because his entire face is red, lol.

Do you still have your tonsils? Yes.

What is the worst thing someone has ever done to you? Told me I'm worthless, unworthy of love, a burden etc. Idk I blocked everything from my memory but that's essentially the idea.

Have you ever gone nude/streaked in public? No thanks.

Do you snore? Steal the covers? Roll around in your sleep? I snore sometimes, which is the most noteworthy thing I do when sleeping tbh. Otherwise I barely move and always wake up nearly in the same position I fell asleep in.

Why aren’t you with the person you love? I'm not romantically interested in anyone.

Could you go out in public looking like you do now? Yeah. I was supposed to be out for an event but this typhoon did not shut the fuck up all day. Internet's out, landline's out, and even cell signal was mostly out inside the house so I've been working from my car and didn't have time to change out of my event clothes.

Do you like the rain? Love the rain.

What is your mom listed under in your phone? Just her number. LOL. It's a running gag now tbh; it's hilarious when people see it and are shocked when they find out I don't have my mom officially saved, so because the reactions are always priceless I've kept it that way.

Do you like going to the dentist? Yeah it's fine but I just hate when they use that sandpaper thing to aggressively wedge in my teeth gaps. Makes me so paranoid.

Are you afraid of speaking to large audiences? Not usually. I'll be fine if I know what to say.

Are you afraid to tell the truth sometimes? Sure.

What’s one quality about yourself that you feel sets you back but also helps you? Gosh. Uh...maybe liking my alone time a little too much, I guess? I could benefit more by joining communities, signing up for hobby classs and workshops like painting and pottery, and meeting new people...but idk. I'm also just as content staying my shell when I want to.

Was anyone who had been in your company today in a bad mood? It was just me and the rain today.

The last time you felt sick what exactly was wrong? Food poisoning. Drank bad milk.

What did you do today? Weathered through work despite the nearly-nonexistent signal and carried out the most stressful event ever (it was a face-to-face that needed to be redone and repackaged into a Zoom event with uhh *checks watch* barely 2 hours of prep). I should feel proud but now I just kind of feel bad because I was tense and stressed all day and could have spoken more nicely to some colleagues who kept getting stuff wrong. I didn't humiliate them or say bad words or anything lol but the perpetual people pleaser in me just doesn't like showing that I'm angry. Idk. It's hard to balance being firm and gentle.

[ney-thank-you]

mario movie was a very movie.

🍄⭐️🍄⭐️🍄⭐️🍄⭐️🍄⭐️🍄⭐️🍄⭐️🍄⭐️🍄

there i said it. i know ill be murdered for such a hot take 😔

but seriously

⚠️spoiler warning⚠️

it was definitely a fun kids flick, it felt very "illumination-y" with some of the character designs (*cough cough* every human besides mario family and Charles martinet character *cough cough*) but i wont count that against the film. its a nit pick and i will admit that.

in fact most of my criticism are nitpicks.

- it felt rushed at times, scenes were back-to-back that felt like they needed SOMETHING, anything there to make them transition smoother

-luigi was painfully absent from a lot of the film. DK was underutilized, too

-while we're at it, why didn't Toad's character get to do anything else with his frying pan? was it really only a gag? i was waiting for him to use it again after the first time.

- that blue star thing was more annoying in its brief screen time than all three of the Gargoyles from disney's The Hunchback of Notre Dame.

- Bowser.... oh Bowser..... i wanted to like him in this... Jack Black did a phenomenal job... but there was something slightly off about him that vibes with me wrong I guess...

-Chris Pratt sounded great as mario, actually, he and Charlie Day were the best parts of the movie IMHO.

-Peach, while she wasn't annoying, she lacked any depth... and speaking of,

- Honestly the stakes in the movie were in fact very high, but....it never actually felt like it..? Mushroom Kingdom was at risk of being taken over by The Big Bad^TM and yet. it didn't ever feel like there was danger?

-Mario's bizarro character "arc" if you can call it that. it starts with him, like Captain America, being like "i could do this all day" taking on the bully and being there for Luigi. i get it, ok. but there was never really a time when that was LEGITIMATELY challenge (save for the end, which is when he overcomes the challenge again) like, it felt like the obstacles for Mario's goal (save Luigi) felt manufactured at best and nonexistent at worst.

-Peach never got a good reason to trust Mario or spend all that time training him. I will put an addition to this post on what things i would change to fix these minor gripes*

- I did love all the little details and references, part of me wished it was taking place in the 80's instead of modern day, but thats again a personal stylistic choice.

- It looked very nice, The look of everything simultaneously seemed soft and sleek but also textured and real, idk it was a nice blend of "cartoony video-game world" and "life-like rendering"

- The whole wedding thing, while funny, (I freaking screeched at that first piano scene) fell short most of the time, and there wasn't enough juxtaposing Bowsers "evil bad guy vibe" with the "soft, i just wanna get married uwu" like he mostly felt like a dork who was lost in the script and almost fell in the just generic bland kids movie bad guy (something i personally think The Sonic Movie barely avoided with Dr. Robotnik)

-i have so much more to say but i think i will leave it at that. or i will make a yt video. who knows!

[bernardelli]

im only 4 episodes into the 1998 show so maybe my opinion will change + stampede was my intro to trigun so i dont have the nistolgia or whatever but i do like stampede more 😭 the og show is just so. idk i just can not take it seriously with the way its written rn it feels like a comedy trying to hard where stampede i Can take seriously but its still funny with appropriate gags

[1d1195]

I’m SO ready to read what you have in store for both Honey and the academic rivals!! I just know that it will be SO GOOD! And you’re so real for loving the jealousy aspect lol I LOVE reading about it but irl I will literally GAG and not in a good way HAHA

I’m sorry you’re not feeling too well rn :( it’s suck so much to constantly feel like that and it’s even worse when it amplified with one’s cycle! It’s hell for so many reasons! I’m so sorry you’re going through it :( I hope that you’re able to feel a bit better and have been able to do things that make you smile!!!

You’re so kind for even remembering!My midterms went pretty well actually! I did better than I expected which is crazy considering I haven’t been all there lol my weekend has also been a bit busy but I’m a nice way! Went out for a birthday thing for a friend so my social battery has been running a bit low but I enjoyed it which is fine! How was yours?! Hope you got in some rest after a busy week! You are always deserving of it!

Btw idk exactly when you start the new school year but IM WISHING YOU THE BEST OF LUCK WITH IT!! I have no doubt that your teaching abilities are just amazing and I know you’ll be able to have a great year! Remember that you’re doing your best and that is always enough, please take care of yourself!

The Jump tie back idea was NOT STUPID!! Bestie it was my fave moment in the last part! It just proved how even when they weren’t in each others lives they are so intertwined that even the universe was trying to make them come back to each other/not forgot their bond!! While this isn’t a soulmate au, THIS IS VERY SOULMATE CODED AND IDGAF IT WAS SO CUTE AND PERFECT FOR THEM!!! Such a lovely story and you never miss!!

OMG ITS ALREADY BEEN A YEAR😭😭😭OUR ANNIVERSARY 😭😭😭 WDYM ITS BEEN A YEAR?! It feels like a lot of time has passed yet at the same time it doesn’t feel that long?? Idk lol i seriously should be thanking YOU! You’re so kind to everyone on here and you create such wonderful stories that you share with us! And thank you for being so easy and fun to talk to. It doesn’t matter whether you’re telling me simple things or opening a bit of your heart, it’s always so lovely getting to talk you! You have no idea how insanely wonderful you are, thank you for being such an amazing person and pen pal! Love you lots!!!💗💗-💜

I had like two other stories outlined but I think they're going to go on the back burner from now. There's enough of an outline that they can wait really till whenever. I am excited about them though! I think Honey will be really adorable overall (even if I'm writing some pretty mean parts right now). Academic rivals I think won't be a ton of parts and I think it will kind of jump into the middle of their story, but I think that will be really grumpy/sunshine of them 🤭

It's okay, really. I guess it's "nice" I'm consistent. I can pretty much time when I'm going to feel kinda low. I think I hide it pretty well--not sure that's a good thing but it is what it is. I've got to do a lot of grocery shopping and meal prep today which I'm kinda dreading. Just want to keep writing 😭

I'm not surprised you did well! Based on how you study and worry about your classes I assume you're an amazing student. Like probably top of your class? We vibe like that and I always felt the same way. It takes a lot of hard work and sacrifice--but I'm glad you had a good weekend! Even if your social battery was drained.

My weekend was fine. Went for a few walks and just been writing my little heart out. I did get to rest. I wish I had read more this summer but that's okay. Hopefully I can use all the books I didn't read as a reminder to myself to take time during the school year to do something I like and need to do for me.

You're very sweet, I'm definitely going to try and find more balance--I did a pretty good job last year but some months get crazy. May/June is usually craziest (obvi) but that's a while from now so I'm not going to worry about it much until then.

AHHHH! That's so sweet. I'm glad it didn't come off stupid. I really felt conflicted by how lame it might have sounded. I think it helped that I never mentioned Harry knowing about it until that moment. 🤭

You're going to make me cry 😭 I'm really glad I came back to tumblr. Even if it's a little crazy now and things are different, I think about how I was feeling between 2018-2022 and how different I feel now. It is really nice to have a place where I can vent and chat even if it's a bit anonymously. I feel like you guys know me a lot better than a lot of my friends. But yeah. I love you SO MUCH! 💕 Thank you for being a part of my blog 💕

xoxo

[greatfunkystatic]

Media Thread Vacation Megapost!

Yo, so I went to travel for a month to visit my fam, and I went thru a LOT of media in that time. Since a lot of them were small reviews, I decided it's better for me to just upload the small ones into one big post rather than spam like 11 different posts rn. So, I hope you enjoy!

(This is ordered by when I experienced it btw)

The LEGO Batman Movie (2017)

1/2 Movies I watched on my flight to visit my family. Honestly, I think the original Lego Movie was better. It definitely had some fun parts but tbh I feel like it was phoning it in a bit more with this one, along with kinda relying on the big IP characters more than playing on them. Robin was peak tho.

Now You See Me 2 (2016)

2/2 Movies I watched on my flight to visit my family. How the fuck did I not watched this movie series until now. It's got magic, it's got noble thieves, it's so fucking great. MS/HS me woulda loved this.

Eureka Seven (2005)

God damn, this may have been the slowest burn I've had from a show ever, but the ending was pretty fucking good. Renton was kinda ehh, but everyone else was good. DOMINIC AND ANEMONE ARE PEAK.

Deadpool and Wolverine (2024)

What a fucking blast of a movie. That shit was really fun to watch, and may have had one of the best opening sequences I've seen in forever. It went a bit too hard on the whole Disney/Fox/Marvel thing, but it definitely did feel like it was more an homage to Fox Marvel movies in the past 20 years. (And of course Deadpool would be the one to pull Wolverine back, because of fucking course)

Blade Runner (1982) (Rewatch)

Altho I don't note media I've experienced before, this was with a group of friends and I was rewatching so I can prepare for 2049, and man. It's just fantastic. I don't know how else to describe it. Like I wish I could describe more, but all I can really say is that the movie is just incredible. The atmosphere and the experience is just all actual kino. Hope you had a great birthday, Sorel.

Kingsman: The Golden Circle (2017)

God this feels like a Nickelodeon TV movie and I mean that in the best way possible. You shouldn't take it seriously, but it's just straight fun and also REALLY cool. Elton John is quite possibly the high point in the movie.

Bladerunner 2049 (2017)

This one is getting its own post.

La Chimera (2023) (Unfinished)

2/4 movies I watched on my flight back home. I'm not gonna lie I just clicked on this without knowing what the movie is about because the cover and title looked cool. I was kinda liking it due to giving me a bit of nostalgia of the types of movies I'd see on TV back home or the movies my parents would watch, but idk if it was me being tired or just disinterested but it couldn't really hook me in fully. Maybe once I find out more about the movie I'll actually go finish it, but for now this is where we part.

Murder on the Orient Express (2017) (Movie)

3/4 movies I watched on my flight back home. RAAAAAAHHHHH I LOVE MURDER MYSTERIES I LOVE HAVING THE SUSPENSE AND MYSTERY OF TRYING TO FIGURE OUT A CLOSED ROOM CASE RAAAAHHHHHH. god i wish i was good at solving them tho. Btw the ending is both really fucking funny and also really fucking moving. GOD I NEED TO READ SOME AGATHA CHRISTIE I'M A FUCKING POSERRRR.

Detective K: Secret of the Living Dead (2018) (Unfinished)

4/4 movies I watched on my flight back home. Really funny movie, altho it did feel a bit slow and some of the gags did feel a bit overplayed, might be a cultural difference tho. I was enjoying it but unfortunately I couldn't finish it before the flight had ended, so a full review will have to wait until another time.

Nyan Neko Sugar Girls (2010)

I really hope it's not the rabies…

[solar-halos]

i lied i need to talk some more about west side story

okayy so i’m a fucking freak and have been putting on a song from the original and then immediately switching it to the remake so i can compare and contrast. here are my findings:

1) in the original, the girls carried “america” but in the remake i have to give it to the boys 😔😔 idk i just REALLY love how anita said “everyone there will have moved here” all like snarky and sassy, her banter w bernardo was so consistent throughout the entire song and i appreciated that. but maybe im just jealous bc the flirty way anita said it in the remake wasn’t being directed at me (im just playing) (ariana debose is sooo pretty)

2) the jet song… this one was different but kinda in a fierce way. sad they didkt keep the “great, daddy-o!” line bc even in the original it sounded so silly but i do like how “we’re jets” “the greatest!” was more whimsical in the original and then i equally like how “the greatest” line was said so seriously and kinda solemnly, it tied into the whole peter pan vibes that tony was telling them to grow out of

3) speaking of america… time for the “why are women more willing to assimilate than men” discussion. (in my experience!!! from what i’ve seen growing up!! not saying that this is a universal truth, especially as an Observer and not an Experiencer). well, if your dad moved from a poor town like mine and moved to america, then you’ve probably overheard him saying something like “ughh i would be so rich back home but im so poor over here” so i think it’s kinda like an ego thing? like back in his town everyone was poor, and he thought he was cheating the system by leaving, and then he’s in america and he’s like “pause.. im still poor and i STILL can’t provide for my family fuck this.” and then i think in a social perspective women are kinda just expected to sit there and shut up and that kinda forces them to see the best in things. also i know the us has its own problems but imma just say thank GOD i live here and not where my dad grew up, so there’s also the opportunist mindset that i feel like is rlly appealing even though america has been historically very unkind to woc

4) i was NOT rlly fucking w “gee officer krumpke” in the remake idk like why are there so many pauses just spit it out you are NOT ben platt omg. and seriously why did they take out the “my daddy beats my mommy, my mom clobbers me” line!! like i said, that is SUCH a timeless line and replacing it with “my moms an SOB” doesn’t even make sense (unless they’re using an acronym im not familiar w). also the original was so much more violent omg everyone’s getting slapped around… like chill. BUT “the trouble is he’s grown” was delivered so dcom-y in the remake, like they wanted us to be gagged or something. corny!

5) rachel zegler already makes “i feel pretty” so much better and i think this was something the new movie was tryna make a point out of bc the other songs are like this too, but it really stuck out to me how much space they used in the remake for the dances. like in “i feel pretty” they’re basically confined into a rlly tiny space, and even in “gee officer krupke” they’re literally just outside a building, so it was nice to see them play around w that

[aizenat]

Like, to this day, I still don’t understand what Us was trying to be. Like I get it in a sense. Idk, I tend to be good with subtlety, and I love a good indie horror. I get it, and I read all the essays to get an even better understanding of it. But the execution was kinda....meh to me. It’s too exposition-y. And the “twist” that the Adelaide we spent the movie rooting for was originally a Tethered one was like “okay.” I mean even with its themes, what was the point of that other to just be a twist? 

I think that no matter how good an actress is, if the story is pretty confusing and convoluted, general audiences are not going to go crazy over it. Especially if you don’t get pretty campy with it. Us was also very dark both in themes and execution. It was more horror than the psychological thriller we got from Get Out. Get Out was crazy and insane, but rooted in a sense of fantastical science that obviously reflects a lot of what we see irl. With Us, you have to think and think and think, and even though I love thinking, I wasn’t able to start putting pieces together until I read a few essays to get me started. Like, I’M the sort of person that if I’m confused on something, I’ll look it up, but the rest of society will be more like “hm. wasn’t like Get Out. Anyway, are we going shopping after this or what?” 

I think what made Get Out work was that it was very obvious and on the nose with what it was saying while also being so over the top and satirical that it had a camp element to ease fans into the horror better. You know something is off from jump. The weird silent auction. Lakeith Stanfield’s behavior (and how changed he is from his intro in the beginning). The blind artist who takes a liking to Daniel’s character. The weird looks Daniel gives every time the white people he’s around say something stupid and so “I’m not racist, I voted for Obama” in a move that feels like it could have came straight from a Key and Peele sketch or even Family Guy. 

As such, when the horror part comes in, the thought of being trapped in your body while a white person invades it and uses it against your will, the audience (no matter their personal race or experience) understands it. I think that was another element to the movie as well: it actually showcased what it felt like to be a Black American, especially with how we have to dance around whites to not make them feel uncomfortable all while they don’t care how they make us feel. And then when it’s revealed they don’t care about us but how they can use us, it made even white audiences pause and think about the Black experience in a way most had never done before. It forced whites to face their own attitudes and behaviors, turning a mirror on them. 

With Us, I don’t think it does that great of a job of holding up that mirror. The Tethered represent how our lives are able to exist rather comfortably because of the oppression of others. But we don’t see that oppression until AFTER the Tethered come to attempt to murder and replace the main characters. It’s also confusing on what the Tethered are. I think if Peele had been brave enough to take a supernatural approach, a shadow world would have made things flow better. But instead, these mother fuckers are just “underground?” Like what? What was keeping them there? Why couldn’t they just leave and live their lives? 

Also, if the Tethered exist to suffer so that the “real” people can live, then why do they look like us? Oh, because we’re all the same, we’re all human, blah blah blah, gag me. Seriously! I may sympathize with a poor Indian woman working in factory, or a girl in Latin America whose parents were killed by cartels, but they’re NOT me. That doesn’t take away they’re humanity; they shouldn’t have to BE ME for me to see their humanity. So what is the point? Are the Tethered a part of ourselves that we suppress, or are they representative of those oppressed in our world for the benefit of the few in “developed” nations? It’s like it’s trying to be both, and Peele needed to focus. 

The whole shit with the white family too; idk why that needed to exist tbqh. I felt like they could have just focused on the Black family and it would have been fine. It felt like we were trying to pad the run time a bit. The gag of the white family existing and Duke Winston’s character feeling constantly jealous over what they have, as though they are always one-upping him and his family also feels unfair to the Black family. They are still oppressed in the context of their own society, but they are put on the same level as the white family when the Tethered come?

I’m also never sure what the takeaway is supposed to be from the movie. Like when it’s all done, how are we supposed to feel? What are we supposed to take away from it? 

I think if Peele wanted to just have a horror movie for the sake of horror, then make it horror. Make the shadow people simply supernatural creatures that want their revenge. Let them be more representations of the main characters “shadow selves.” Not necessarily suffering so they can be happy or whatever, but literally their shadow selves. Opposites (instead of just supped up versions of who they already are) who are also everything the “real” people wish they could be if they just let themselves go. Stop holding back. And make it more about the shadow people trying to corrupt the “real” people so that they can then take over their bodies and finally live outside of the shadows. I think that would have been more interesting, more focused, and also stays consistent with the body snatcher trend of Peele’s movies that would make it familiar enough with Get Out to know it’s saying something without confusing audiences so much that they just walk away like “huh?” 

Virtually everyone I know who watched Us was confused by it after immediately seeing it. Sure they understood SOME pieces after thinking of it, but the overall message was not clear, and was not conveyed to the general population. And without some film critics who get paid to review this shit (and whom many have more insider knowledge that they could then use to provide context and improve their commentary) helping to springboard some ideas on, I can’t imagine the average movie goer just going into the movie and immediately GETTING IT. You know? 

It’s a shame because I WAS excited to see Lupita in a horror film, and I really wanted it to be good. But it was just a bit too chaotic to fuck with completely imo.