#getting into the swing of things

[yuripoll]

KNOCKOUTS: Kakegurui (2014 - ?)

Kakegurui is an ongoing psychological series written by Homura Kawamoto and illustrated by Tooru Naomura about a school that runs on games of chance.

Hyakkaou Private Academy. An institution for the privileged with a very peculiar curriculum. You see, when you're the sons and daughters of the wealthiest of the wealthy, it's not athletic prowess or book smarts that keep you ahead. It's reading your opponent-the art of the deal. What better way to hone those skills than with a rigorous curriculum of gambling? At Hyakkaou Private Academy, the winners live like kings, and the losers are put through the wringer. But when Yumeko Jabami enrolls, she's gonna teach these kids what a high roller really looks like! - AniList

Original JP available on Book Walker & ENG published by Yen Press.

CWs under the cut. General severity rating: mod to major.

not strictly yuri <- there are canon lesbians, an overwhelming femslash majority on ao3, and an undeniable homoerotic pull himejoshis are sure to enjoy, but only a small portion of homoeroticism is texually romantic. it's a shounen with yuri flavour.

sexual content <- kakegurui has ecchi elements, and you get the typical sexual framing that comes with that, including frequent pantyshots. no sex happens but there is obvious arousal and non-explicit masturbation.

dehumanisation <- the only way i can think to word this. people in heavy debt are treated as "housepets," less than human. this results in bullying, harassment and controlling their lives after graduation. the bullying extends to hitting and forcibly cutting hair; harassment includes forcing a girl to strip and threatening rape (both in ch5); control extends to essentially selling people's lives and arranged marriages.

forced sex work(???) <- not totally sure how to categorise this but i think it needs a heads up. references throughout to, in conjunction with above and in the same vein as arranged marriages, making women have sex for political or social gain. never shown or described in detail, but it is a looming threat.

worth mentioning; while the housepet and life plan stuff comes up every now and again, its not as frequent or as dire later on as it is in the early chapters. the recurring cast are, generally speaking, nicer as the series finds its footing.

problem gambling & financial distress <- most characters are obscenely rich so impact of gambling addiction is lessened, though it is a bit glamourised.

violence <- typically in the case if going to drastic measures in gambling, like breaking a finger to win or risking chopping a finger off. includes trauma to the eyes and fingernails. bloody, but not excessively. not graphic, and not especially frequent.

suicidality & attempted suicide <- punishment for one gamble involves jumping from a height (ch33), and presumably to death. ch68, someone threatens to kill herself to make her opponent fold. also, presentation is crazy enough that it doesnt feel like it would be especially triggering (imo) but one character is very fixated on her own death, particularly in regards to getting shot.

internalised racism <- ch19, a child is told to give up on her dream because a japanese person couldnt do it

vomitting <- scene in ch57. not super detailed but icky enough that i baulked at it a bit, and im not usually bothered by it.

[teegeewrites]

Getting Into the Swing of Things

Getting Into the Swing of Things

Synopsis: Pauline accepts Princess Peach’s golfing invitation, where she has the pleasure of meeting some of the princess’s wonderful friends during their time together.

This story is a direct continuation of The Mayor and the Princess. After becoming friends, Pauline accepts Peach’s invitation to a round of golf after learning she had nothing scheduled for that time. They meet at the Bonny Greens golf course, where Pauline is introduced to Princess Daisy and Rosalina, and they hit it off almost immediately. Unfortunately, she also encounters Wario and Waluigi, who are less than desirable company. Despite this, the four women enjoy their golfing day, with Pauline receiving helpful tips and encouragement from her new friends.

There’s not much to say here; it’s as clear-cut as they come. Nevertheless, writing this fic was a pleasure, and it effectively propels the Pauline series forward.

[whats-in-a-sentence]

It took a few days for Niobe to get into the routine.

"Incarnations of Immortality: With a Tangled Skein" - Piers Anthony

[kelocitta]

Message incoming

[mr-doodles]

Okay soooooo

Also I just hit 1,000 followers!! That's genuinely so cool!!!!

Thank youuu!!

[the-shy-wolf]

Guy ate his own pants

[mooshroomterrarium]

umm big stretch or something idk

[kelddaa]

forehead kisses

Inspired by this screenshot:

(image credit to @/lesboubleo on twitter)

[chipper-smol]

my foolish child went and found a featherless biped as a pet and now I have to fend off every threat on land because the stupid thing can't fly

[starjunkyard]

Hilson should have had ONE. (1) honest to god fistfight. Not talking about no pansy ass scuffle either i need a FIGHT. Im talking bloodied noses nd bruised cheeks. I need them to exchange words that will alter the course of their relationship forever. MOST OF ALL. They need to make out nastystyle afterwards

[katabay]

earlier this year I started writing a comic about the siege perilous-grail quest situation after finally finishing the didot perceval, and it started circling around kay and perceval. kay as gatekeeper, taboo anxiety vs chivalry, and perceval not doing things "correctly," arthur's enduring affection for kay. that general area. also the horror of the grail quest itself.

this is comic is part of that narrative arc, so with THAT in mind: this is an abridged scene of a longer arc revolving around kay associating camelot with a cage, perceval's associations with jewelry and knighthood and the color red, and arthur's relationship with kay.

[some other scene context: perceval has injured his hand and can't participate in the tournaments, so he's craving some kind of fight. kay is disinterested in replying to this challenge, but he's not above reminding perceval of their first meeting. it's just mean enough in a weird-intimate kind of way that perceval's like, ok so we're doing the antagonistic version of court romance rituals. he picks up hunting because kay can't leave the castle.]

on the subtext of jewelry:

Clothes Make the Man: Parzival Dressed and Undressed, M.D. Amey

on the topic of kay, gatekeeping, and taboo anxiety:

Cei and the Arthurian Legend, Linda Gowans

the whole Red Knight/Perceval Shows Up In A Dead Man's Suit Of Armor transgression-situation (which kay references through red jewelry) mentioned is told in both de Troye's and Wolfram's Perceval narratives :)

anyway! to close out all this out: the transgressions. incredible! what is camelot but a bunch of transgressions stacked on top of each other tbh.

[antikr1sta]

dazai calming his pet slug with a gentle caress of the neck <:

(halfway through exams, got a couple more to go !!!

[hwangbastard69]

Long time no Wolfwood

[scrumpster]

Full offense but if as a queer goy your first response to “Jewish people are in danger because of Kanye West’s antisemitic comments” is “they’ll come for queer people after they come for the Jews, we need to act” you should really be asking yourself why you need to make this about queer people and not Jewish people to care enough to act. Like yes this isn’t good for anyone but why does it need to be about you for you to care. Queer Jews are already in danger from this. Are we not human enough for you to give a shit about us?

[zephyrchama]

(Obey Me! Belphegor and MC. The problem with naps.)

You were in trouble.

It had been several hours since you were able to move. Your legs were heavy, most likely numb. You wanted nothing more than to kick and stretch out your neglected muscles. The battery on your D.D.D. was running low.

Belphegor was deaf to the world, his nose buried in your naval with arms coiled around your waist. He was the world's clingiest lap blanket. Despite bending his knees, Belphegor's feet stuck out over the edge of the couch. You had tried fruitlessly over the hours to wake him, but things were getting dire.

You poked at his cheek. Slow and soft at first, but with increasing intensity until you reached a point where Leviathan himself would have recruited you for a button-mashing game.

"Belphie. Belphegor. Belphegor. Belphie. Belph. Belphegor. Hey!!"

You whacked his forehead with your D.D.D. There was no response. You sunk back into the couch cushions to create a bit of distance between your stomach and the demon's face. The next plan was to pinch his nose.

This was also futile. Belphegor clearly stopped inhaling and appeared fine, but such a length of time without breathing would cause brain damage in humans. It disturbed you. He was probably fine, being a demon and all. It was still concerning. You squeezed his nostrils until the excessive passage of time made you uncomfortable and let go. A couple of seconds went by before Belphegor breathed in with a loud snore. Any sense of relief was quickly and easily washed away by annoyance.

You groaned and leaned forward over the demon's head, placing your elbows on the edge of your knees to better cradle your face in your hands with despair. You balled your hands into fists, pressing them against your forehead, and let out a wail.

"Belphie, I'm begging you. Wake up."

Silence. You felt like you were going to explode.

"I have to pee."

You might as well have been talking to a large rock. The demon's weight on your lower stomach was not helping the situation. In an ideal world, you would have reached the bathroom over an hour ago. You leaned back once more and stared dismally at the sleeping figure in your lap. You were running out of options.

"Hear me, Denizens of Darkness. I am Master of Belphegor, Avatar of Sloth. Heed my call and do as I command. Get off of me!"

Wisps of magic curled up your arms, dancing across your neck and face. Its light made everything brighter. Traces of powerful energy - Belphegor's own energy - blew through your hair, whooshing past your ears. Belphegor was forcefully shifted into his demon form and rolled off the couch with all the grace of a baby chick learning to fly.

A deep rumble escaped his throat at the rude awakening. Belphegor lifted himself up in a daze. The fluff on his tail stood on edge as it swung turbulently from side to side. He clenched his jaw, barring his teeth menacingly. "What are you doing?"

You had already seized the chance to leap up. Only, your legs betrayed you. There was no strength to stand and you fumbled over onto Belphegor, colliding with his back. You both momentarily flailed on the ground.

"Explain yourself," he growled while you struggled to stand. Blips of magic were evaporating off your clothes, adding to the disorientation.

"Carry me!" you demanded. "That'll be faster, you've gotta carry me."

Even if you buckled your legs together to hold things in, you worried that wobbling down the hallway with jelly legs would be an impossible endeavor.

Belphegor looked at you the same way he would look at a diseased toad. With no context, he was wholly confused.

"I need the bathroom, now!" It was all you could think of. Magic started swirling at your wrists again as you began to chant, "Heed my words, in the name of the sorcerer..."

"Ok, ok! Wait!" Belphegor scrambled to his feet. He winced at the thought of being commanded again. His chest tightened, already afflicted by the start of your spell.

You had your knees locked together, digging your nails into your palm in a desperate attempt to hold your bladder in. It wasn't the best pose for being picked up. Belphegor did his best. He couldn't carry you in the elegant, suave manner he liked to dream about. Instead, he held you with both arms like an oversized bag of potatoes.

"Go, go, go!" Time was of the essence. He was slow to get a move on, so you beat on his shoulder with your fist. "This is all your fault!"

Belphegor blew a strand of hair out of his face. His expression was a sour frown. He was still cranky from being woken up. "Fine. Just hang on."

You don't get to see the demons use their abilities often. They like to play human in front of you. Unfortunately, with your head buried in Belphegor's hoodie and your mind occupied with other worries, you did not have the luxury to admire the way he bounded through the house with hardly perceptible speed. In just a few quick steps, not even five seconds later, you had arrived at your long-awaited destination.

You rolled out of Belphegor's arms and hastily slammed the door shut in the confused demon's face.

The Avatar of Sloth skulked across the hall to lean against the wall opposite the bathroom door. Now alone with his thoughts, he had ample time to get his mind in order and plan out exactly how to get revenge when you came back out.

[time-slink]

i miss etho vault hunters so bad