#hi future me i hope you're not dying as bad

[serenescribe]

I’ve been infected with the fever of Lilia’s bats adopting Silver as their non-bat pup, and it’s adorable! I suppose this is just me asking to see Lilia seeing his bats chitter and nuzzle Silver as a child or as a teenager. Whichever you prefer~!

[✐] ficlet frenzy

“Silver? Siiilver?”

No response. Lilia sighs, hands resting on his hips. Now where could his son be at this time of the day?

He’d just returned home after a trip to the market, and had called out Silver’s name in hopes of hearing a sleepy response and the soft pattering of feet before his son emerged at the front door. But today, he heard nothing.

And so Lilia had glanced around the house, leaving the groceries in the kitchen in favour of checking every nook and cranny of their little cottage. At the very least, he can still sense Silver’s presence somewhere, even if he can’t find him. Perhaps he’s playing a game of hide and seek? It’s a distinct possibility, Lilia supposes.

He comes up empty-handed until he tries the one room he had saved for last, for no reason outside of the fact that he can’t think of any explanation why Silver would be in there. With a flick of his wrist, the door to Lilia’s bedroom creaks open, the doorknob turning with the help of magic, and…

“Ah,” Lilia says, as he looks into his room.

He understands now why Silver couldn’t reply. Because Silver had been preoccupied.

Dozens of his bats — those sneaky little rascals! — surround Silver, chittering and flapping their wings at Lilia as he steps into the room. Lilia scoffs, rolling his eyes as he approaches the bed his son lays on. “Don’t give me that attitude,” he lectures, even as the bats huddle closer to the slumbering human boy, pressing against his neck and shoulders, clinging to his clothes and hair. Lilia squints, peering closer. “Did you cover his ears?!”

One of his bats — the largest of the group, and the boldest one, who always makes a habit of clinging to Silver even when Lilia chases the others off — squeaks out a response. Lilia folds his arms, lips twisting into a pout. “I told you, you cannot hoard him for yourself!” Another protesting whine. “‘Why not?’” Lilia echoes. “Oh, for the love of— we’ve been over this already! You can have your quality time with Silver, but you cannot hoard him like this! How heavy do you think you all are, hm, crowding him like that?”

The bats do not seem to care. Bastards, Lilia sulks, tapping his foot against the ground as they nuzzle into Silver, continuing to strategically cover his ears with the thin membrane of their wings in order to stop him from waking at the sound of his father’s voice.

Of course his pesky familiars don’t give a damn. They know the real reason why Lilia keeps fending them off — a deep-rooted jealousy that feels pathetically childish to admit, hidden under the guise of whatever excuse Lilia can think of on the spot.

“You win this time,” Lilia grumbles, throwing his hands up in defeat. “But mark my words, if you make Silver miss dinnertime again, I swear—”

The bats chirp back their protests, and Lilia’s voice pitches.

“You have no RIGHT to criticise my culinary skills when you can’t even COOK!”

[laughingfcx]

SMILE FOR THE CAMERA!

02. day2.mp4

cws: as usual, weird yuta <3 implied fighting, mild injury !? somewhat graphic description of death(?) ^_^ // masterlist is linked in the title!

wc: 1.4k!

good morning, afternoon or evening, pretty! i don't know when exactly you'll be watching this, of course, but i do hope you've taken my advice and waited for the next day to watch this! if you're even alive by now, that is! some people just end up dying, y'know, it's crazy.

good morning, yuta okkotsu. wait— why'd you just wish the weird murderer a good morning in your head? is he turning you weird too?

we— i don't have a lot to do today, so we'll go shopping! i mean, i do have to get more food, and running from the authorities doesn't really classify as fun in my brain anymore.

they want to kill me again, i think... see, i'm not against them, the higher-ups, but you gotta go with the flow, y'know? stay on top no matter what. one day, i'll be on top. mark my— actually don't, who knows what'll happen? maybe i'll end up dead! hmm, cherry or peach?

he looks back at the camera.

i'm talking gummies here; my best friend liked the peach ones, but i like the cherry flavour.

a pause; yuta pouts.

if i'm being honest, i really do miss them a lot. but they just don't understand, y'know? "do good, you'll get done good." that's just not a real thing anymore. to get what you want, you have to break the rules sometimes. i guess i broke too many, and now i've basically lost all the people i care about.

the camcorder is set down somewhere, and yuta takes a step back. he holds up three packets of something called happy cherries.

how long d'you think they'll last? eh, whatever— oh, oh shit, wait—

the screen goes black. you hear hurried footsteps, probably belonging to yuta.

that'll be $14.99, sir.

here, keep the change.

thanks.

he begins walking again; his steps speed up until he's running. vague yelling can be heard in the distance before it all just— stops.

yuta comes back into frame. he is in front of a background that suspiciously looks like the sky and nothing else, and his hair whips about messily because of the wind. he barks out a short laugh, one without any humour in it, before his mouth is set in a thin line.

they're not above sending my own friends to kill me now, it seems. rika, can you hold this?

the camcorder appears to be removed from his hands; he rolls his shoulders lazily with a yawn.

too bad none of them are anywhere near as strong as me.

then he perks up.

oh! by the way, i'm flying right now! check it out!

the camera pans around to show that he is indeed moving in midair.

rika's carrying me right now, but she's a cursed spirit, so you can't see her through the camera. but if you're still watching this, that means you can see curses in general. i'll introduce you guys someday!

the camera comes back to yuta's face. he mutters something under his breath.

if they don't kill me before that, of course. but, if i'm being honest, there's probably a higher chance of you dying from... ah... natural causes in the near future than me getting murdered by my old friends.

as if he has not just dropped that terrifying bombshell, yuta continues talking with a smile.

our next stop is the convenience store near my place! i'm really craving some instant noodles right now.

unfortunately, you'll have to go in the bag now.

yuta pouts. the screen goes black after some rustling, and he begins to hum to himself. then:

salmon cod roe.

the fuck?

yuta (you assume) makes a sharp noise in his throat.

inumaki?

mustard leaf.

what are you worried about? i'm fine.

bonito flakes.

that's not true.

yuta's voice is harsh; he seems upset.

i don't want to hurt you, toge. you'd better leave, now.

bonito flakes.

the sound of a— katana? being withdrawn breaks the tense silence.

toge.

a pause.

rika!

don't move!

the two voices ring out at the same time.

with a sudden jolt, your body goes rigid, then slack. you feel... powerless. weak. you can't move. you try to wiggle your fingers, your toes— nothing. somehow, this sudden loss of bodily autonomy is much more chilling than the self-proclaimed murderer who lives in your garage-sale camcorder. the only movement right now is the steady rise and fall of your chest as you breathe; even then, it's relaxed, when you know you would be hyperventilating right now if things were under your control.

huh?

sorry, that doesn't work on me anymore.

silence. it feels like yuta and the other person— toge? are having a silent conversation.

i warned you.

a loud crash, more running.

and then— the sky clears. metaphorically, at least. it's as if you're suddenly aware of everything again, suddenly able to move.

the recording is obviously paused; the screen immediately cuts to yuta. blood dribbles down weakly from a cut above his eyebrow, and there is a bag of frozen peas pressed halfheartedly to his cheek. he looks bored.

welcome home. i mean, my home. for now. as you can see—

he shrugs.

—there wasn't much of a fight. of course, i went easy on him. even if we're on opposite— no, even if we're not on the same side anymore, he still matters a lot to me. i don't want him to die.

but i bet you still have a lot of questions about a lot of stuff. like, why am i so sure about the person i'm talking to right now? what if you were just some old guy?

see, i can explain all of that. i'm not stupid, y'know.

the atmosphere shifts, tenses—

i wouldn't encourage you to think otherwise.

—and goes back to normal..

wait, i'm too low on sugar to do this right now.

he gets up and disappears from view, before returning with one of the previously purchased jumbo bags of cherry-flavoured, cherry-shaped gummies.

i already had the other two, but it wasn't enough, apparently. it's getting late, though. i think i'll tell you everything — or almost everything — tomorrow.

until then, don't die. it'd be so disappointing if you did. i mean, i'd still send flowers to your funeral, of course! but people are so much more entertaining alive than dead, don't you think? although...

when i really dislike someone, i think the best part is when they're writhing and crying and begging to die, when they're dying but they're also not quite there yet.

the smile on his face is bone-chilling, but also oddly attractive. whoa, dude, what the hell? why'd you just think that? what is wrong with you?

yuta pops another gummy into his mouth. his eyes close in appreciation; he looks like an eager, adorable puppy, albeit a concerningly sleep-deprived one, as he chews with a truer smile than before.

mm, i think that's enough for today! as usual, watch the next one tomorrow! goodbye!

he blows a kiss at the screen and your heart skips a beat. you shut your laptop down and get up.

"rika, do you think i made the right choice with her?" yuta asks. he is holding a magazine that was published last month. it is opened to the twenty-third page, which greets him with the title, GOING ON AN INTERNET DETOX HIKE WITH MY BEST FRIEND.

he is looking at one of the pictures in particular, the only one that does not present the scenery of wherever the author went. instead, it is a photograph of two people. the author, and her best friend — you. you smile up at him — only him, he likes to think — so prettily. he really, truly, sincerely hopes you make it out alive. he thinks the two of you would get along great.

rika shakes her head vehemently with a high-pitched cry, and yuta's smile disappears, replaced by a sudden unnerving lack of emotion. "come now, rika, don't be like that. it can't just be the two of us forever."

rika makes another noise of protest; yuta waves her away before closing the magazine.

"whatever, everything will work out, won't it?"

though phrased like a question, it is obviously a statement. as if the only option is for all this to end well. and that isn't really an understatement, is it? yuta will do everything in his power to make sure it does. and the best part is— he's powerful enough to actually do it.

taglist; @stillnotherapy @fishii28 @akaakeis @chososcamgirl @essjujutsu @xnqq @mikikkoo @brideads @schioedtei @starrissm @skullvgirl @satoryaa @aozui @kameyyy @dawnisatotalqueen @nothers @sonotpattismith @babysoo-meu

taglist is open :) i can't tag the bolded usernames!

UMMM YANDERE STALKER WHAT. I DONT LIKE THIS GUYS

im so down bad for him this isn't even normal

iya memorial service gc i will never forget u ("yandere yuta can redacted redacted" — someone in gc 2024)

next chapter will have much explaining also i was Thinking and the reader is so stupid like girl do NAWT [what she will do in the future]

i once had an entire bag of happy cherries while traveling and i felt so sick afterwards 10/10 experience would do jt again

fucking neighbours are setting off fireworks i hope they explode too (they sound like b*mbs actually)

© laughingfcx 2024 do not repost translate or plagiarise

[jasmineoolongtea]

Hi!!! How are you? I really like your blog and I saw you're taking requests rn? I have a little request, with either Gojo, Yuuta or Megumi, whoever you'd like to write it for/whoever fits better.

Basically, I just had a really big exam recently and the results came out and I didn't make it. It's hurt me a lot but I'm trying to be okay, I hadn't got a lot of time to study for it honestly, so I was like 50/50 confident but it still hurts seeing my efforts go to waste. And my parents are trying to be understanding, they really are, but it's not the kind of understanding I need right now. They're like, "Oh darling it's okay, you did your best even though we were confident you'd crack it easily," when all I need is to be held and told it's fine and that I'm worth more than just an exam. So I was thinking something where the reader gets off a call with her parents and is crying quietly in the bedroom because their attempts to make her feel better only made her feel worse and then the character (whoever you choose!) notices and it's just cute cuddles and reassurances?

a/n: hiii, i'm doing alright!! i'm so sorry to hear that and i've gone through the same things before. it does suck when that happens and it's gonna suck for a while but remember at the end of the day, it's just one exam and this one exam won't determine everything, plus i'm sure you'll bounce back even stronger in the future!! instead of just doing one i'll do all three of them and i hope that you feel better soon anon + sending a virtual hug your way ε(´｡•᎑•`)っ 💕

gojo satoru knows eavesdropping is bad, more so when it's deliberate. but in his defence, he only had good intentions when he approached your room with a mountain of treats and gifts practically ready to burst out of his arms the minute he saw your face.

well, at least that was the initial plan. that is, until he heard an unfamiliar and frankly terrifying sound originating from behind your door.

maybe he should have had more tact when opening your door, possibly even knocking beforehand as a way of announcing his presence to you, but in that moment, thoughts like those were the least of satoru's worries when he met your tear-streaked face peering up at him from your curled up position on your bed.

a loud thud echoes within the walls of your room, various objects suddenly falling from his grip as he makes his way towards you. you don't look at him though, curling further inwards into yourself as if in an attempt to hide your swollen eyes and flushed face away from him. you can't hear it, but satoru's heart cracks slightly at the mere sight of you like this.

"hey, sweets." his voice is soft, possibly the softest you've ever heard him speak. you're still turned away from his, your sobs dying down as you attempt to trap them in your throat. the bed frame creaks slightly with the new addition of his weight.

it doesn't take a genius to tell that you're clearly not in the mood for talking or jokes or any of the typical antics that he would pull out of his arsenal to see that smile of yours that he loves so much. it also doesn't take a genius to see that things like your phone aren't doing much to alleviate your pain since you keep glancing anxiously at it every 2 or more seconds.

he takes it upon himself to flip your phone screen upside down and place it inside your bedside cabinet, out of sight, and this earns him a shaky sigh of relief from you. the grip you have on your knees relaxes ever so slightly more but he knows that this isn't going to solve everything.

you don't react any further, it's as if you're frozen in your position, lost in whatever dark recesses of your mind you're trapped in. featherlike touches dance across your skin before being replaced by a much more solid, palpable feeling of his arms wrapping around your figure and suddenly there's a glimpse of light peaking through all of the gloominess.

the moment you register that it's satoru that's pulling you into him, you can't help but just let yourself go and sink into his steady grip as you bury your face into the expanses of his chest. finally just succumbing to the sheer exhaustion of just trying to hold everything in, you start sobbing unabashedly, letting all of the emotion pour out of you with satoru being more than ready to be the one to soak it up all for you.

a gentle hand caresses your back with drawn-out strokes as you allow yourself to be comforted by the steady beat of his heart, a reminder of his presence right next to you. "it'll be alright." he murmurs quietly, his words of comfort only audible to you, the only audience he cares about right now. you feel a soft kiss being placed on your forehead as his lips linger there for a moment longer.

satoru might not know why you're feeling so down but at least he knows that he can be the person to make whatever burden you're dealing with just a little bit lighter and sometimes, that's enough for the both of you.

there's a lot that fushiguro megumi is known for being good at such as studying, handling pets and wild animals, being quiet and brooding (according to everyone else except himself).

there's also a handful of things that megumi is known for being bad at such as conversations, getting his hair to stay down and comforting people in most scenarios.

maybe it's just him but he always finds himself tongue-tied at the worst times and is secretly so busy with being worried over the idea of him putting his foot in his mouth and saying the wrong thing that might make things worse to the point where he just chooses to say nothing, not realising that this also doesn't help the situation.

so when he stumbles into your room, after hearing the tail end of your conversation with your parents over your phone that only resulted in you breaking out into tears and is now faced with a deeply upset you, safe to say that he's very unsure on what he should do.

carefully, he makes his way into the room and sits on the opposite end of the bed from you. as he gets closer towards you, you feebly attempt to wipe off the tears streaming down your face in an attempt to downplay how you're feeling, lest you worry him.

that should be the least of your worries, he thinks silently to himself.

the room is largely silent, both of you avoiding looking directly at the other, that is until megumi suddenly speaks up. "...do you wanna talk?" he asks, his voice slightly hesitant. the same old fears of potentially saying the wrong things, especially in such a delicate situation like this, are swirling around in his mind again and he can't help but listen to them.

you shake your head, glumly. he so wishes that he could take away your pain and sadness in an instant, even if he were the one to bear it instead if it meant that you would stop hurting, but unfortunately, the world doesn't work like that.

"okay." he pauses for a moment, as if pondering on what next he should say or do, in this case. he reaches out his hand and gently grasps your wrist, pulling you towards him and into his chest. like waves caught up in a current, you let yourself sink into his grip and fall into his comforting embrace.

for some reason, when all you can feel is the warmth of his body radiating off of him and onto you with the rhythmic rise and fall of his chest against your cheek, you can feel most of the sadness that previously flooded all of your senses start to melt away, like ice thawing when the sun comes out. you wrap your arms around him and in return, he rubs tender circles upon your back.

you whisper a "thank you" under your breath and he nuzzles his face against the crook of your neck.

megumi may be bad at talking or using his words to express what he's feeling or even to communicate with others, however, when it comes down to it, it seems that he doesn't need to rely on words to be there for the ones who truly matter to him.

some people might think that okkotsu yuuta is being dramatic when he says that one of his worst fears is seeing you sad but to him, this fear and worry of his is very much a real one and it breaks his heart when he notices your once joyful expression has now morphed into something much more melancholic.

he's on his way to your room after seeing how downcast your mood was today, compared to your typically more cheery demeanour when he suddenly stops in his tracks after he picks up on another female voice coming from your room.

your mum's voice rings out from over the crackly speaker of your phone. "oh sweetie, i'm sure that was just a silly mistake and it'll-"

you cut her off bluntly, "i'm sorry, mum. i just think i need some alone time right now." and with that, you quickly hang up your phone in dejection, throwing it slightly off to the side as a deep sigh escapes your lips.

yuuta clears his throat awkwardly from his place in the doorway and you're suddenly now aware of his newfound presence in your bedroom. his tone is clearly apologetic as he speaks, "i'm sorry. i didn't mean to overhear your conversation, i was just on my way to check up on you after noticing how down you were today."

"i-it's fine, yuu." you reassure him, well as best as you can in your current state as you hastily try to hide any traces of your crying from him. "i'm just not really in much of the mood to talk right now." you don't dare to say more, afraid of the sobs that you've been choking down up to this point might break out.

he nods solemnly to himself.

"then do you mind if i come in?" he asks tentatively and you shakily nod back in response. he walks into your room and takes a seat next to you on the bed, though leaving a slight space in between you two as if he knows that sudden proximity to someone else, especially when you're in a state like this, might just be too much for you.

he raises his hand, stopping at a short distance away from your face and tilts his head at you, as if asking for permission. slightly confused you nod, thinking that he's going to cup your cheek or something, but instead, he brings his finger to your cheek and starts wiping away the tear streaks running down your face. his touch is so gentle, and the care and love he has for you is so evident through how delicately he's taking the time to caress your face as well at the same time.

you can't help but feel your lip wobble slightly with how tender he's being with you. the corner of your eyes start to burn a little bit as you attempt to hold your tears back though you feel your resolve wavering ever so slightly with each brush of his fingertips.

yuuta slowly moves his other arms around you and pulls you towards him into his embrace. you take that as him allowing you to latch on to him and so you do as you burrow your face into his shoulder, sinking into the comfort of his touch. he hums softly under his breath as he whispers words of gentle reassurance. it feels like a weight has been lifted off of your shoulders as quiet sobs escape from you.

he pays them no mind though, only seeking to soothe you with his touch and reassuring affirmations. you squeeze his hand twice as a silent 'thank you' and he presses a fleeting kiss against yours in return.

to yuuta, this is nothing worthy of a thanks from you as this is merely a drop in the ocean if it means that your heart is just a little less heavy.

[vermilionsun]

In my headcanons vere has a little problem with ppl who are driven by lust 🙋🙋 He has a disdain for Leanders "shameless" behaivor and straight up kills mc when they 'give in' in the demo (at least thats how i interpret it)

So i humbly ask for his reaction to an Mc who is just down bad for him in a silly kinda way. No innuendos no sexual comments just tomfoolery from mc, straight up leaning against the bar at the wet wick with a "ya come aroun here often ;D" and they slip and fall or something

i want mc to be down bad pathetic cause IM TOO, full on groveling at his feet (but cutely), the ex that shows up seranating at your door except they are not your ex you never dated them— wait why are they crying about my beauty —

You’re a G E N I U S.

I might need to make a part 2...

Pathetically-down-bad-for-Vere group, assemble!

Disclaimer! They/them for MC because we love inclusivity!

✦ “Jumpy, aren't you?”

The MC scans him up and down once again, eyes wide. “Damn… you come here often?" They wiggle their eyebrows, which earns them an amused chuckle from the Monster.

"Depends. Would you like me to come by more often, pretty one?”

“YES PLEASE–”

✦ When he presents the key to the MC, they proceed to walk towards him, a slightly dazed smile adorning their face. “So, how about I buy you a drink–” The MC proceeds to trip and fall in front of Vere’s feet.

✦ He lets out a breathy laugh before bending forwards to take the MC by the chin.

“Damn, I love that laugh already…:”

“You really should be more careful. City like this, someone might take advantage~”

“Huh... Yeah… whatever you say, beautiful.”

"Oh, eager, are we? You know, compliments like that might just convince me to make this a regular hangout." His ears flick.

✦ “What’s your name? or should I just call you mi–” The MC tries to get up but bumps their head on the small table next to Vere, who is desperately trying to stifle another chuckle.

"Careful, wouldn't want you hurting yourself this early on. Name's Vere. And yours, darling?”

“Your future partner, I hope,” they say, still somewhat dazed.

“Oh, is that so? You're pretty confident,” he comments, his tail swaying behind him, capturing the MC’s attention.

“Fluffy–”

“No.”

✦ “Tell me traveler, what brought you to this–”

“You,” they cut him off with a wink.

✦ “Unless you’re dying to consort with Monsters.”

“...I don’t like the way you said “consort”, but you’re not wrong. Sign me up—”

Vere: [Shocked Pikachu face]

✦ “Come, take my hand and we’ll go together.”

“Woah! Save the hand holding for after marriage!”

✦ “Do you like dancing? There’s a traveling troupe in Hightown tonight. Truly a performance to die for.”

“Are you asking me out?”

Vere looks taken aback for a moment, but before he answers, the MC chimes in; “Too late. You did.”

✦ “I know Eridia like the back of my hand—”

“oh, that’s why it looked so heavy…”

“...Uh, pardon?”

“May I help? I can hold it for you—”

✦ When Vere grabs them, nuzzling in their throat, murmuring threats, they almost faint in his arms in a dramatic “Now I can die happy” moment.

✦ When they meet again a few hours after, at the Wick, and Kuras mentions that he and Mhin were escorting the MC back, the MC walks forward into the light, only to end up tripping over their own feet and falling flat on their face… and once again, in front of Vere.

✦ “You seem more interested in having the floor as your object of attraction, do you not?” Vere asks with a sly smile.

“What can I say? You look good from this angle.”

“Wait, do you all know each other?” Leander looked confused between the people sitting at the bar. “You’ve met before?”

“We did. Not long ago either,” Ais considered his drink.

“I’m starting to suspect they’re stalking me,” Vere comments.

“If I were, I would have to say you're quite the elusive target," the MC winks at Vere as they try to get up, only to fall again. 

✦ Later, when Vere is alone at the bar, the MC slides onto the stool next to him. They rest their chin on their knuckles. “So, about that—” Their elbow slides on the smooth wood, causing them to stumble, trying not to knock over their drink. "Sorry about that," they say with a sheepish grin, trying to regain their balance. "So, about that drink?"

"Well, isn't that cute? I might just have to take you up on that offer."

✦ “So, you survived the night. Are you here for praise, or will a head pat do?”

“anYTHING JUST plEaSE–”

✦ When they arrive in the abandoned alley the MC tries to lean against the brick wall, only to smack their head.

✦ When they attempt to unbuckle his collar, he lashes out a hand, capturing theirs. “Tch. Don’t you know better than to touch without asking?”

“Can I please please please please—”

“No.”

“—please—”

“No.”

✦ Leander’s voice echoes from the Wick, and the MC glances behind them and back at Vere, only he’s gone. “...Not even a kiss good night 🥲?” They pout into the empty night air.

EXTRA: Modern era

✦ “Hey, can I call my phone from yours? I think I’ve lost it,” the MC looks at him with pleading eyes.

He raises an eyebrow and hands his phone over. When the MC presses call, their phone rings from their pocket.

“Thanks,” they hand his phone back.

He later finds out there is a new contact number under the name “My darling.”

[nczennie]

royal library.

Pairing: Reader x Ateez's Seonghwa AU: Royalty Genre: Angst, Fluff, Smut (18+ scene) Preview: You turn to look at Seonghwa, "Thank you for keeping my secret," You smile at him and he returns it, quickly standing to bow, "Of course, your highness. Your secret is safe with me". Words: 10.1k *Warnings under cut

Warnings: There is only one short smut scene (unprotected, penetrative sex), mentions of dying/being killed, infidelity? depends on your thoughts; it's an arranged marriage, pregnancy.

"Do you think his highness is handsome?"

You send a quick glare to your younger sister, where she sits on your bed, through the mirror of your vanity, looking past your lady in waiting who dotes on your hair. "I don't think that matters much, Rose," you speak out with an even tone. You're not one to share your emotions or thoughts with those who work around you, traumatized from the time one of your butlers heard you talk bad about a visiting elite family. He dimed you out to your nanny and advisor and you were punished for your thoughtlessness.

"So you're telling me you wouldn't care if you had to spend the rest of your life with someone you didn't find attractive? To have to," she pauses leaning in to speak closer to you, "Make babies with him?" Despite the work being done on your hair, you can't help but snap your head in her direction, completely in shock, "Rose!" you call out, feeling your face heating up with embarrassment. The younger girl can't help but laugh at you and you apologize to the woman behind you. Trying to keep your composure, you answer her, "All I'm saying is that there is no point to wish for him to look or act a certain way because what's settled is settled and there is nothing I can do about whom I am to marry".

Rose is the youngest of your parents three children, and even though she is but a couple years younger than you, you felt she still acted as a child. You blamed it on the fact she was coddled as the baby of the family. Your older sister was married some years ago and moved to her husband's kingdom, that left the throne of your own kingdom to you. Therefore leaving little Rose with no responsibility and no worries when it came to the politics of being a princess. Unfortunately, you couldn't say the same for yourself. Today would be the day that your future husband would move into your castle. You were betrothed to the Prince, a middle child himself, from a Kingdom just inland from yours. The engagement was arranged just months after he was born, being a year younger than you. And now all these years later, he was coming and you would meet for the first time.

"You look beautiful," your sister claims taking your full attire in now that you are the only two in the room. You give her a smile as you smooth down your dress, moving back in forth to take in your appearance in front of the large mirror. "Do you really not care about the man you are to marry?" She wonders, moving to straighten the tail of your dress. Letting out a sigh, you still your movements, "I think all I can do now Rose, is hope that he is a kind and understanding man".

You're thankful that the arrival of the Prince served as an event rather than a private dinner where you were certain you would've died from the awkwardness. The was ballroom filled with your family members as well as the other elite families that served important roles in the kingdom. The King and Queen wanted to throw a proper welcoming for the Prince; a welcoming to his new home.

Though the guests mingled about the room, sipping on drinks and snacking on hor d'oeuvres, the Prince and his company have yet to join. His ship had docked safely merely hours ago, you watching on your balcony with Rose, gulping loudly at the realization the man you were to spend the rest of your life with was aboard. The Prince and his small entourage politely asked for a couple hours of rest and time to prepare for the occasion, hence the delayment of their arrival here.

Making sure to stay in the corner of the room, you steered clear or any refreshments or food, the constant twirling of your stomach becoming uncomfortable as the anticipation grew. Finally, the butler closest to the door rang a bell, "May I present, his highness, Prince Wooyoung of Twilight".

The two large doors open as the crowd fall silent, moving to allow room for the new guests. You realize you're out of place when you notice your mother sending you a look, and you hurry and take your place next to her, your father and your sister. A few of the Prince's members enter first and you grip your dress tightly on your sides, in an attempt to ground you as well as dry the sweat forming on your palms.

You suck in a breath as you finally see the Prince enter the room, decked out in a deep red suit, the crown adorning his head sporting large rubies, the color of his Kingdom. He wears a happy smile, making sure to acknowledge everyone in the room as they make their way down the aisle people formed in order to meet you. You see Rose lean over your father in order to get your attention, "He's beautiful!" She whispers just loud enough to hear as your father sends her an unimpressed look. You merely look back to the Prince, his shiny black hair almost bouncing as he nods his head to those greeting him. With a gulp you straighten your posture as the small group approaches your family. You're thankful the music has started again along with small chatter making the atmosphere more comfortable. Prince Wooyoung stands front in center smiling brightly at your family, "It is a pleasure to finally meet you all, thank you for such a warm welcome". He gives his proper bow before standing up straight again. Your father begins to talk to him, introducing himself along with the rest of you as you let your eyes linger at the group of men in front of you. After taking in the Prince once again, you look at the men standing behind him, orbs gazing across them. However, once you see the man standing behind his right shoulder, you can't help but do a double take.

He stands slightly taller than the Prince, posture and gaze amazing as if he were royalty himself. You can't force your gaze away from him, studying his strong nose and full lips. He's beautiful, you think.

"And may I introduce my daughters," your attention is drawn back as your father introduces Rose and you to the Prince. Prince Wooyoung moves forward to take Rose's hand into his, giving it a small peck, you try to hide your smirk at how flustered she gets before the Prince moves to you. He does the same formality to you, warm hand taking in your own as he brings it up to his lips. His warm eyes stay on yours as he retreats, giving you a knowing look and small smile. This is it, his look says, this is the first moment of the rest of our lives.

You begin to feel slightly emotional and overwhelmed at the whole ordeal and you have to blink several times to contain any tears that try to surface, gluing your eyes to the floor to hide from anyone who may see. "May I introduce those who came with me from Twilight," the Prince says cheerfully. He introduces a few of his trusted guards, along with his personal butler before getting to the man you were captivated by earlier. "This is my advisor, Mr. Park Seonghwa". You find your gaze lifting once again to follow this Seonghwa as he steps forward to greet your family. "It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance," he speaks with a polite smile, eyes roaming along the line of you all before his gaze stops on you before bowing. You wonder if anyone could tell your cheeks have turned pink as your eyes locked, his dark eyes sending butterflies to your stomach.

Once the introductions were done, your mother steps forward clasping her hands, "Well then, you all must be famished from your journey. Shall we head to the dining room?" The Prince smiles brightly, hand coming to rest on his stomach, "I couldn't think of a better idea myself". She smiles at him as well as those around him, "Welcome home".

The past week since Prince Wooyoung came has been extremely busy, nearly everyday filled with schedules with the newly arrivals from the kingdom of Twilight. Showing them around the castle, the kingdom, introducing them to many people. Though it was the middle of winter now, your wedding was not set to take place till autumn; near the harvest moon for luck. However, both royal families agreed it was best for the Prince to move into your castle prior to the wedding. He was going to be the next King of your kingdom and they wanted to make sure he was fit for the job before it was sprung on him. He seemed good to you, not stern or self absorbed. He easily got along to everyone he was introduced to. Even the people in the village adoring him as his came into town to introduce himself and learn more about the people he is to rule soon. Prince Wooyoung was attentive to what he was learning about your home, he asked questions and took in every detail he could. Both of your parents have already told you how pleased they were at what an amazing Prince and person he was.

Though the week was busy following the Prince around, you have still yet to be alone with him. Not that you minded too much, though you would like to get to know him better before you were eventually wed, you rather get to know him at your own pace. That way, you could at least control one thing about your relationship.

It was finally the weekend and you have already decided to stay up later than usual this Saturday night. You were exhausted from the prior week but there was one thing you missed; your alone time. The only time you got to yourself was when you were in bed so you missed your occasional outings to the library just across from your room.

This library was not the main one in the castle, it was just a small library on the floor you reside on, meant to only be used by those sleeping on this level. But that meant most of the time it was only you and your sister Rose. Not that you found it trivial, for you loved the nights most where you snuck out of bed at night, moving across the hallway to take solstice in the small library, lighting the fire and enjoying a book in the peace and quiet with only yourself. As a princess, it was not often that you could be alone. Ladies in waiting, guards, or advisors following your every move for your safety, so they said. So you made sure everyone thought you were asleep before you made your trip.

You pulled your robe tighter around your nightgown, sneakily checking the hallway before deciding it was clear. Carrying your candle, you scurry to the door across from your own, making sure to open and close it as quietly as possible. Releasing your breath once you figure your safe, you set the candle down, moving to the fireplace to light a bigger source of light. Finding the latest book you were reading last time you were in the library, you make yourself comfortable on the small couch in front of the flames. The fire to your left providing just enough brightness for you to read your book.

It couldn't have been longer than 10 minutes before you hear the handle of the library door start to turn. You freeze in your spot before standing abruptly, heart pounding as you will yourself to think of an excuse as to why were out of your room unannounced and hiding away in here. You gulp as the door finally opens, but rather than a guard or butler entering the room like you expected, your brows furrow as you take in Park Seonghwa, Prince Wooyoung's advisor. You're unsure if this should make you less or more worried than you were before. He shuts the door quietly as you had before, turning around and finally taking notice of you behind him. At the sight of you he lets out a small shout of surprise, stumbling the piles of papers in his arms.

You're more overcome by the need for him to be quiet than being embarrassed of him seeing you, "Shh!" You hush him loudly, dropping your book and moving forward to him, showing him your finger pressed against your lips. "Please," you talk quietly to him, "I'd prefer if no one knew I was in here". Seonghwa nods, taking a deep breath, seemingly trying to calm down. He swallows, taking you in before quickly averting his gaze to the floor, "I apologize, your highness". You look down and remember your only wearing your nightly attire, not exactly appropriate for anyone to see the princess in. You quickly tighten your robe even further and cross your arms to cover yourself even more as the man in front of you continues to talk. "The butler informed me I could work in this library rather than walking to the main one since my residence is on this floor. I had no idea you would also be in here, please excuse me".

You gather he intends to leave, but you see no need for that, worried if they see him leave so soon after entering they might figure someone else in in here and find you out. "Please, don't apologize. I like to come here some nights and read but I keep it a secret as I would enjoy some alone time once in a while. Please, make yourself comfortable for your work, I would just appreciate it if you didn't mention to anyone you saw me here". Seonghwa nods, hesitantly looking at you before he bows, "Thank you, your highness". You give him a smile as he moves to the desk in the room, situated across from the couch. Leaning down, you pick up the book you had dropped before, fingering through in an attempt to find your page. "I won't be long, I'll just finish this chapter and leave you to your work". You sit back on the couch, sitting up straight and proper unlike before.

From the table across from you, Seonghwa shakes his head, "No, please don't feel the need to rush. You were here first, I just needed a space to get these letters done". He organizes the papers on the table before sitting down himself in his chair. The atmosphere falls quiet, and even though it isn't awkward, you find yourself unable to concentrate on your book; eyes frequently moving to take in the concentrated look on the boy in front of you.

A sudden flash of lightning shone through the windows above, an echo of thunder following shortly after. Seonghwa looks up at you in surprise by the sudden weather change, the sound of heavy rain can be heard throughout the castle. You give him a small smile, "Winter is our rainy season here". He nods, seemingly coming to understand. He looks back down at his paper but continues the conversation, "Does it ever snow?". "Never," you speak, closing your book and setting it beside you, "There isn't much high elevation here, plus we're surrounded by water so the environment doesn't make for very cold temperatures". Seonghwa looks up at you once more, "Aurora must have beautiful summers then," he speaks of your kingdom. You smile proudly, "Summers are amazing, all because of all the beaches of course. It may get hot but the breeze from the sea makes it bearable and the water from the ocean is refreshing to swim in". He smiles back at you, "I can't wait to experience it then".

He starts writing once again, but you purse your lips, not wanting the conversation to end. You speak up once more, "I've never seen snow before". Seonghwa looks up in shock, "Never?". You shake your head, "I've only left Aurora once, for my sisters wedding. But it took place in spring". Seonghwa hums pausing as if contemplating if he should continue speaking or not. "I can't imagine only being in one place forever," he finally says.

This only intrigues you, "Do you like to travel?" He smiles, "I love it actually, well when I got to I did." You nod at him to continue, "I'm from a small town where my family owned a orchard. We would often travel to different towns and villages to sell our harvest. But I ended up studying at a university in Twilight and I got my job as Prince Wooyoung's advisor," he moves to gesture towards the paperwork in front of him. You smile gently at him, "I wish to travel one day too". "I'm sure Prince Wooyoung will take you one day, to see Twilight at the very least".

You find your smile falling, but look to the fire to try to hide it from the dark eyes looking at you. Seonghwa clears his throat at the silence, "Are we to expect you at brunch tomorrow". Sighing, you use it as a chance to take your leave, "Yes, I will be there. Speaking of the occasion, I should probably see myself to bed". You stand, careful of your robe placement, moving to grab your candle from before. You turn to look at Seonghwa, "Thank you for keeping my secret," You smile at him and he returns it, quickly standing to bow, "Of course, your highness. Your secret is safe with me".

It's but a week later where you found yourself in the same predicament. Although this time you found yourself more prepared. You made sure to throw on a sweater on top of your gown and robe to appear more modest; it was already unheard of for a princess to be alone with a man before marriage unsupervised, but to be alone and merely wearing your nightly attire? You imagine it wouldn't go well for you.

So although this Saturday night you weren't expecting anything, perhaps a bit hopeful, you dressed more modestly, even making sure to brush through your hair before you ventured across in secret. Just in case a certain advisor happened to appear again. When the door to the library opened, you stood once more but only slightly less nervous about who was to come. Seonghwa also seemed more prepared as when he entered he gave you a smile and a bow rather than shouting in surprise, "Correspondence," he explains gesturing to the papers in his hands.

You both fall into a comfortable silence, Seonghwa writing away while you continue reading your book. However, you found that once you finished the book in your lap you had no desire to leave quite yet. Pondering, you try your best of ways to spark up conversation with the man sitting at the desk. Not sure why you're feeling the desperate need to speak with him once again. "How is Prince Wooyoung's company?" You finally find yourself asking. Seonghwa looks up from his paperwork, "Your highness?" He asks, not understanding your question. You feel your cheeks growing red, "Sorry, I just mean," You pause looking to rephrase your question, "Is the Prince a kind man?" Seonghwa's eyes seem to light up with understanding, putting his pen down to answer you. "Of course he is, I can promise you that". He cracks a smile as he recalls a memory, choosing to tell you about all the great times he's had with the Prince since getting his job. You listen with an adoring smile on your face, it was clear he found a friend in Prince Wooyoung.

"But anyways," he catches his rambling, "If I could tell you one thing, I think if you were in a position where you were unable to choose who you were to marry, to be able to marry Prince Wooyoung is truly lucky. Wooyoung is hard not to love". He concludes, and although it was meant to reassure you, you suddenly feel blue. "I suppose," you speak, "But there is a difference between loving someone and being in love with someone".

Seonghwa's smile falls and your gut turns at your confession. Having just confessed to the Prince's advisor a reluctance to marry could've just been a detrimental mistake. What he will do with this information you're unsure but you know it could very well be bad for you. "I'm sorry," Seonghwa speaks in a quiet voice, his larges eyes looking somewhat sad as he takes you in. Unsure of what to do next, you give him a quick nod before announcing your leave.

"Princess," he calls just as you reach the door to the library, "Your secret's safe with me".

You're surprised when Wednesday after breakfast it was announced that Prince Wooyoung requested you to join him for a walk around the gardens. It was the first day in a while the sun was beaming in the sky rather than greyness and rain. Though feeling a bit nervous, you join the Prince at the entrance of the rose garden maze, several guards keeping an eye on you both just a few steps behind. "Thank you for joining me," He speaks with a charming smile, bowing once you make your way over to him. "It's my pleasure," You return the smile and proper greeting as you both step into the path.

"Despite being winter, the roses are still so vibrant" the Prince observes as you walk slowly along the stone path. Smiling you reply, "Our winters are rather warm compared to most places. Even still, once it becomes spring you will seen how truly beautiful the flowers will bloom". He turns to smile at you before gulping, "I apologize for not making more of an effort to spend time with you, Princess. I knew becoming King would make me a busy man but I had no idea it would start as soon as I stepped off the ship". He lets out a nervous chuckle and huffs out a laugh as well, "I understand, your highness. They have thrust a lot of responsibility on you right away. I can only hope you are still enjoying Aurora".

"Oh, I am. It's beautiful here and everyone has been so kind to me. But my advisor was right, Seonghwa mentioned to me I should make more time to spend with you. We are to be married and I want us to be comfortable". You try not to visibly stiffen at the mention of Seonghwa bringing the idea up. He clearly felt the need to tell the Prince after what you had confessed to him in the library. "We have plenty of time before the wedding, Prince Wooyoung. I have no worries about that, but either way I am glad we get to enjoy this sunny day together". You give him a smile, desperate to reassure him.

The next Saturday rolls around, and the next, and the next. Saturday nights reading and working turned into Saturday nights socializing and joking with the Prince's advisor. And before you know it, Saturday meetings with Seonghwa also become Friday and Sunday meetings as well. Spending the weekend with Seonghwa has become the highlight of your week and yet at the same time you find yourself getting worried.

Rather than being immersed in your books like before he came along, now you are often sharing long conversations with the boy across from you or merely staring at him as discreet as possible if he works. Over the past weeks, your conversations are no longer only pleasantry. You talk to Seonghwa, truly talk to him about real things that you think and feel, and he listens. He listens and he makes you feel heard and understood, as if you're not just a Princess but a person, a friend of his. You enjoy the nights most when he tells you of his travels with his family, speaking of all different villages and kingdoms for you to imagine. You're a fool if you didn't notice the lingering stares and bashful smiles you both exchange, but there wasn't much you could do. Instead, you have chosen to merely pick from the romance section when you do read, blushing when you imagine the leads as you and Seonghwa.

You know it's wrong to grow such feelings for him, especially when you have to be married in the autumn, but you can't help it. You've found a friend in Seonghwa, someone to confide in and trust. You enjoy his company more than you ever thought possible and every meeting you both have, even more romantic feelings bubble up despite yourself.

Spring has come to Aurora and although the rain has lessened, there are still storms that bring rain and thunder. Tonight was one of those storms, although your Kingdom has just celebrated the coming of Spring with a major festival all day, now the festivities were over the night sky is blanketed with grey clouds and lightning. You don't mind, in fact you probably prefer it as you listen to the sound of the storm from within the library as you read your book next to the fire. To say you're reading though may be misleading as you actually hold a book in your lap as you listen to Seonghwa excitedly tell you his experience at the Spring festival. As he has no work to be done tonight, rather than sitting as the desk as usual, he chose to sit next to you on the couch. Keeping a respectable distance of course, but closer than you had ever been nonetheless.

You stare at the boy as he tells you his stories, seeing him up close like his makes your heart pound and you decide he is the most beautiful person you've ever seen. Noticing he stops talking and is looking back at you, you become self conscious, "Sorry?" you ask. He lets out a nervous chuckle, "I just said I apologize for boring you with my stories". Your eyes widen, almost panicked, "No! Oh, gosh, of course you haven't bored me. Please forgive me for making you think that. I just,I-"

You start to stumble as you try to weigh the pros and cons of what could come out of your mouth, yet your judgement is clouded with Seonghwa beside you, "I was just a bit distracted because I've realized how beautiful you really are up close".

His eyes widen in shock before he looks down, and you stutter to think again, "Not that I didn't think you were beautiful before. I always did, now you're just close and-" You stop yourself with a sigh as you notice the redness making its way up his neck but yet can't seem to regret telling him, even if you did sound foolish. Finally he reaches your eyes once again, "You are very beautiful too, your highness". You let out a small laugh as you avert your eyes, can't help but feeling a bit of a sting at his comment as if he has to agree with you because you a Princess. A second passes before he moves beside you on the couch, but rather than get up and take his leave as you thought he would, he moves closer to you, close enough that his arm brushes flush against yours. You freeze as the warmth of him, "What are you reading?" You're unable to face him as you answer, briefly describing the romance book on your lap. "Perhaps you can read to me for a bit".

Slowly letting your eyes meet him, having to gaze up because of how close he is, he gives you a smile to reassure you. You clear your throat before moving to start reading near the beginning of the book where left off.

You read through a couple of pages before you feel Seonghwa start to move beside you. Your breath gets caught in your throat as he places one his hands gently on your chin, moving your head upwards to meet his gaze, eyes meeting his round ones. His hand is warm and soft as it lingers, moving from your chin to cup your jaw. "I apologize for what I'm about to do," he states whispering, "Please forgive me". You avert your gaze, head feeling slightly dizzy as you try your best to process what he is telling you. Before you get a chance to answer, he leans forward to gently press his lips against yours. The lips you were staring at so intently before were now pressed against your own. The softness of them makes your eyes flutter closed, hands dropping the book closed as they reach to hold Seonghwa instead, afraid he will slip away if you don't. You both become lost as you kiss, not recalling who are or what duties you have, merely enjoying the taste of each other, lulled by the sound of the storm outside.

The next night you become fearful that Seonghwa will not return to the library, especially because of what happened before. You sit nervously on the same couch, not even bothering to open your book as you look blankly at the empty desk across from you. You knew what had happened had been a mistake, yet you didn't regret it at all. But did he?

You could only guess he had as the night drew later and he had yet to make an appearance. Feeling defeated, you let out a sigh rising to put out the fire and return to your room. You knew it was risky from the start, even just being alone with him in the room doing nothing but reading and working would get you both in trouble. Now though, having crossed the line and made your romantic feelings known for each other was even worse. Perhaps this caught up with Seonghwa and he was too guilty or scared to meet you tonight. But as you move, you hear the door slowly open, you turn quickly, a smile rising on your lips as Seonghwa quietly moves through the door, "You came". As he moves closer to you, you can sense your excited sentiment in not returned. You look on confused as he gives you a quick bow, "I apologize, your highness. What happened last night was unacceptable. Please, I beg of you to excuse my behavior". Your eyebrows furrow as he refuses to meet your gaze. "Did you tell someone?" you whisper out, figuring it was the only explanation for his change of behavior. Seonghwa finally meets your eyes, looking panicked, "No! Of course I would never," knowing it wouldn't end well for either of you.

You take him in again, feeling confused as ever, "Do you regret it?" He gulps, eyes wandering over your face, "I wish I did".

At his reply you found yourself walking towards him, "Then why?" You don't phrase a real question but you know he understands when moves his gaze to the floor, "It's inappropriate, Princess. You are to be married, to Prince Wooyoung, he is my Prince, he is my dear friend". Irritation bubbles up in your chest, "The Prince is not my lover, Seonghwa. He is a kind man whom I am to marry at some point but I have no romantic feelings for him". "It is not fair for me to hide my true feelings for another because of a man I was chosen to marry before I could even talk! The Prince is not the one who I want to spend my time with, he is not the one I confide in, he is not the one I want to kiss."

Whereas Seonghwa was studying your face before, he now looks down painfully at your confession, "Please don't do this to me". You feel your lips wobble as you try your best to resist the tears in your eyes, "If you decide to leave now and never come to meet me again, that is fine. But please, don't do it because who I am or my obligations. However, if you do not share the same sentiments as me, and wish to leave, I will not object". You manage to get out despite your shaky voice.

The library is silent except for the crackling of the fire as you wait for Seonghwa's decision. You nearly cry of relief when he takes steps towards you, moving forward to grasp your face in his hands, thumb moving to swipe at a tear that had fallen. He doesn't speak, merely moving forward to connect your lips much like they were the prior night. He finally separates, but keeps your foreheads connected. "It can be a secret," you finally whisper out, causing him to let out a huffed laughed. He smiles at the ground before moving to kiss you once more, "Your secret is safe with me".

You've decided time moves much too fast for your liking when it's already the beginning of summer. Weekend nights with Seonghwa don't feel like nearly enough and you have both resorted to meeting on some week nights as well. Much like tonight, a Thursday night, but you both grew inpatient having not seen each other all week due to the whole castle being busy with preparations for the summer festival.

You lay on your back now, Seonghwa hovering over you as you're both on the floor next to the fire. The blankets you both lay on are not particularly thick but they provide enough comfort for you both to revel in your kisses. Nearly every one of your meetings somehow ended like this, passionate kisses and roaming hands next to the fireplace. Perhaps it was the growing amount of scenes in the romance novels you've been reading, but lately you have been feeling as though these kisses and groping were not enough.

That's why you break away from the kiss, taking a breath before speaking out to Seonghwa, "I want you". He pushes off of you even more, eyebrows furrowed in confusion, "Pardon?" You sigh, moving to sit up, forcing him to do the same as he rests on his heels. Your robe has fallen off your shoulders but you don't attempt to fix it. "I want you, Seonghwa". You tell him again more firmly.

He gulps, tongue peeking out to wet his lips before he runs his hand through his black hair. "If you're insinuating what I think you are, Princess, then you know we can't". You can't help but frown, "I told you not to call me that". You both decided months ago you were much more comfortable with him merely referring to you by your actual name. "And why not? We're already doing this, are we not? What is having sex going to do at this point?" You continue as Seonghwa groans, closing his eyes. In reality you know it's a bad idea, Princess' are expected to remain untouched until the night of the wedding. If anyone were to find out you weren't a virgin, you would suffer greatly. But now, in the heat of the moment with Seonghwa, you found any risk worth taking.

Seonghwa sighs out your name, "You know that's a extremely bad idea, no matter how bad we might want it. There are too many things that can go wrong". He reaches to run his hand up your arm, attempting to comfort you. "Have you had sex before". You blurt out, he seems alarmed, eyes widened as his hand freezes on you. "Well, I-" he clears his throat, "Yes, I have". You nod at him, "With multiple people?" your question makes his eyebrows furrow, not being able to tell if he was walking into a trap. "There's been a couple of people, I don't really know why-" But you cut him off before he can finish. "I'm expected to marry a man and only ever sleep with him for the rest of my life. I'm expected to do this with a man who has been chosen for me because of our status. I'm not ever expected to share myself with someone I love? Why is that fair for me?" You realize you sound desperate but you feel overwhelmed with your feelings for Seonghwa and the realization what you have now won't be forever.

"It's not fair," He agrees, moving to adjust your robe over your shoulder. You look at him sadly, "I want to make love with someone I love, Seonghwa. I don't want the only sex in my life to be used just to make an hier. I want to feel wanted as a lover, not just as a wife". You sigh as you recall the passion in all of your novels, afraid you may never get to experience it. How was that fair when the man you love was right in front of you, sitting there so prettily and being the one you truly wanted to experience everything with. "I just want this one thing, even if it's just once". Your voice is a whisper at this point. "I love you, and I want to experience this love with you. I know it's not right, but there is nothing I want more in my life than to experience this with you".

"I love you too," Seonghwa states, "More than anything". At his confession you fear he will reject you, but you are pleasantly surprised when he moves forward once more to kiss you.

He lays you on your back once again, but this time you can tell he has a motive. You spend hours and hours that night by the fire, feeling loved by Seonghwa in ways no one has done before, in ways you're sure no one will ever be able to do again.

You sit next to your sister, Rose the next morning at breakfast. Prince Wooyoung is across from you and a couple of performers also joining you for breakfast. The Prince invited them as they have traveled far for the summer festival tomorrow. Seonghwa stands near the window, speaking intently with your own advisor but you find yourself smiling at the company at your table. Prince Wooyoung is loud and his laugh is contagious as the entertainers tell a story of their travels. You and Rose share a smile and you can't help but giggle at the Prince.

Ever since his arrival in winter, you have yet to spend but a handful of times alone with him, but it's times like this where you see that Seonghwa was right. Prince Wooyoung is hard not to love. But as you cast a glance at Seonghwa behind him, you knew you would never be in love with him.

You should've known from that fateful night that once would never be enough. Telling Seonghwa that you had just needed him once had ended up being a lie. It's been weeks since then and yet still every secret meeting you had with him ended with you underneath him, or him underneath you; you weren't very picky.

Just like now, it was well past midnight on a Friday night and despite everyone in the castle thinking you were asleep, you were in the library, next to the fireplace as you rode Seonghwa who lay under you. The first night you shared with Seonghwa, he had been so careful and gentle, making you feel protected and loved. But since that night, he has taught you many things. What it's like to be on cloud 9, making you feel pleasure you never thought possible in unthinkable ways. He taught you how to give pleasure too, how to make one that you love fall apart so beautifully it makes you feel powerful.

That's how you feel tonight; powerful. You braced yourself with your hands on your lover's bare chest, watching the black haired boy intently as his mouth falls open at the new found pleasure. You have been working diligently, attempting to find the right hip movement as you rode his cock to make him feel that best he could. Especially when he had made you come twice beforehand merely using his tongue. A deep whine escapes his lips as you ground your hips down in a circular manner. You stare at his lips unable to resist them, particularly when such pretty noises are falling off of them. Not stopping your movements, you lean down to capture them with your own. You kiss him deeply and quite sloppily as you are both focused on the pleasure, tongues clashing leisurely. "You sound so pretty for me," you murmur against his mouth. Whereas you had at first been shy when it came to things like these, Seonghwa's sweet and dirty words that fell off his tongue had started to rub off on you. If he could compliment you so prettily while you fell apart for him, it only made sense for you to do the same when the tables were turned.

Seonghwa's hands move up your thighs, rounding to grasp your ass firmly, using it as a grip to help you move along him in a manner he pleased. You could tell he was close when he broke from your kiss, head tossing backwards and his eyes closed tightly, ultimately consumed with pleasure. You feel motivated to bring him to an end, as it was your favorite thing to see. You move your hips quicker, hands roaming up and down his damp chest and abdomen, but always keeping your eyes on his face. He comes with a moan of your name and his body tenses, hands moving to grip your hips tightly and eventually stop you from moving any further on his stimulated cock. "Fuck," he mumbles out and moves his hands up your back to bring you down to his chest. You move to press kisses along his neck as you lay flush against him, his chest moving heavily in an attempt to catch his breath. You playfully bite his neck, "Are you okay?". He chuckles, hand running down your hair, "I'm perfect, my love. How about you? Do you need my help again?" He's considerate as always but you feel fulfilled from earlier and just watching him, "No, I'm quite perfect as well". He hums arms coming around to tighten you in a hug.

You eventually move off of him and cuddle into his side, the blankets and fire providing warmth despite the lack of clothing you both had. You keep your eyes closed, but you often find yourself close to tears after intimate moments with Seonghwa. As if the reality of it all sets in and drags you down. As summer wore on you knew your time with Seonghwa would be coming to an end. You would have to fulfill your duty as Princess of Aurora and marry the Prince they deemed fit to be the next King. You would have to live a life in a loveless marriage and forever knowing your true love was just out of reach.

Sometimes in quiet moments like these, pressed up against Seonghwa and he hold you against him, you find yourself praying. Praying for time to stop, for it to be summer forever, where you could be with Seonghwa forever in this library without a care in the world. For your secret to stay a secret.

Your sister Rose as fallen ill the past couple of days and has, despite her protests, been made to rest. There were a few castle workers who experienced the same symptoms as well. It wasn't uncommon, especially during this time where the change from summer to fall would be coming soon and now the mornings and nights were much cooler than the warm days. The drastic change in weather throughout one day can cause anyone to catch a cold, just like Rose. After seeing Rose, the family physician made his way to check on your parents, and then you. While he was here, he would now try to prevent any sickness, prescribing warms soups and teas and avoiding early morning walks without a coat.

You sit in silence as he finishes up your examination. He was usually a pleasant and talkative man, using jokes to distract from any uncomfortableness, but he had fallen silent as you told him about your symptoms. Letting him know it didn't sound like the same cold Rose had, but you still felt quite ill some days. He examined you longer than usual and it made you uneasy with the feeling you were much more ill than the others in the castle.

He finally finishes with a sigh, moving to remove his gloves and wash his hands in the basin. You sit up, fixing your dress as you wait for any type of explanation. "Well, your highness, since the wedding is only about a month away, I feel no reason to let anyone else know".

The physician turns to you with a kind smile, drying his hands. "I'm sorry?" you ask, confused as to what he was talking about. He comes closer, talking in a quiet voice as to not let anyone else hear, "You're with child, your highness. Congratulations". At his words you're almost certain you misheard him, but you were too frightened to ask him to repeat it. Your mind runs crazy and your ears start to rings. The physician must've been able to tell your panic as he moves to steady you where you sit. "There is no need to worry, I certainly won't tell anyone. The wedding will be soon and from my examination you're not too far along so you won't be showing in the dress. After the ceremony I will check you again and it will be like finding out for the first time".

You know he's trying to reassure you, but he doesn't know your true situation. He doesn't know what you risked to be with the man you love and now it has come back to bite you. You start to cry at the realization of what you've done, the consequences were to be extreme and you weren't even sure what to do at this point. The kind physician moves to grab a clean handkerchief to dry your tears, "There, there. I know it's not ideal but with the Prince moving into the castle some time ago something like this is just natural".

You wait in the library the next night after not leaving your bed since finding out the news. It was easy to say you were feeling unwell from a cold just like Rose and the others, when in reality you were so overcome with stress you didn't know what to do. It felt obvious that your first step should be telling Seonghwa the mess you were in, but being honest even doing that made you anxious. You've dragged him into this and at this point everything seemed like your fault.

Seonghwa enters the room quietly and sees you sitting on the sofa facing the fire, he finds himself smiling. "Hello, love," he says to draw your attention. "I heard you caught a cold, are you feeling alright?"

He moves to join you on the couch and rubs over your hair as if to comfort you. But when he hears you sniffle he grows worried, gently moving your head to face him. His eyes widen as he takes in your state, eyes red and still leaking tears, nose running, and everything on your face feels swollen from the nonstop crying you've been doing. "What is it?", he states, swallowing in an attempt to hide his panic, "Are you feeling unwell?" Having him here next to you feels as though reality has actually set in and you find yourself letting out a sob before you can even tell what what's going on. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry Seonghwa". Your words only worry him more and he takes you face in his hands, eyes roaming you as if he were to find the answer there. "Please, my love, you have to talk to me. What's wrong? What are you sorry for?"

You try your best to calm your breathing, hiccuping in an attempt to stop your tears but you finally are able to get your words out as Seonghwa waits patiently. "I saw the physician yesterday, it was supposed to be a normal checkup, for the colds going around". You get out, breath still occasionally getting caught in your throat. He gulps at the mention of this, automatically fearing the worst, you must be extremely unwell. "He told me," you continue, letting out another soft cry and averting your eyes, "He told me I was with child. I'm pregnant Seonghwa".

You can't see him, as you've closed your eyes, too afraid to see his reaction, but you can tell he's tensed from the way his hands froze on you. You're crying hard again to the point you feel nauseous and you're seconds away from moving to find a bin to empty your stomach into. But Seonghwa move to hold you, arms circling around you like they have so many times before. So many times have you felt protected by his warm embrace, but you doubt anything could protect you now. "It's going to be okay," He whispers out as he tucks you into him, but the comment only makes you angry. "No, it's not," you argue back but don't have the strength to move from his arms. "How can anything be okay, I'm to get married in a month and I'm pregnant. They're going to find out and they're going to kill us. All of us, me, you, the baby." You're rambling now but this is the first time you were able to voice your worried aloud. Seonghwa closes his eyes and rests his head against yours. He wants nothing more than to comfort you in your state but he doesn't know what to say. He knew from the start this situation was dangerous but he didn't ever think it would come to this point.

"It's all my fault, we should've never done this. You tried to warn me but I didn't listen to you. I was so selfish and now look what's happened". Your voice is weaker now, so exhausted from the endless crying and your head is pounding. Seonghwa's voice is shaky but you don't even notice in your state, "Don't say that. You know we both had a part in this, if anything, I was the selfish one. Thinking I would be able to love a Princess". You quickly turn your head up to look at him, noticing now tears brimmed in his own eyes as well. "Don't," you say, "You are more than worthy to love anyone you want. I'm just lucky that I was the one to receive your love". He gives you a small smile, hand moving your hair so he could properly see your face. "It'll always be you," he says your name, "Who will recieve my love". It's small, but the comment makes you feel a hint of happiness in what seems like a dark and hopeless situation.

You move to place a soft kiss on his lips before falling into his arms again. You both lay there for hours in silence, merely listening to the fire and trying not to think of the reality you're in just for a minute. "I'll figure something out," Seonghwa finally voices, "Just rest until you feel better and trust me".

It's a week later when Seonghwa asked to meet you in the library again. You've mostly rested all week, still acting as though the cold as weakened you and no one suspected a thing. You longue on the couch, hands fidgeting with your dress as you await your lover. Some time later the door finally opens and you smile as you face the opening. However, once you see who enters, it immediately drops and you rise quickly to your feet.

You gulp as he makes his way into the room taking a few steps forward. Finally you move to bow, "Your highness," you get out trying your best not to sound nervous. What he is doing here you're unsure of but your stomach twists with the thought that Seonghwa could also enter at any second. Had he found you two out? Had someone finally noticed you both meeting in the library?

Prince Wooyoung returns your greeting with a small smile. He walks past you to stand in front of the fire, moving his hands out to feel the warmth. You still haven't moved from where you stood, too stunned to comprehend what was happening. "You know," he finally speaks, but keeps his back towards you, "I'd like to think of myself as a kind and understanding man". "So when the physician finished my check up by congratulating me because my hier was already conceived, I merely thanked him and made him swore to not tell a soul".

Your breath hitches and you move to steady yourself against the desk. So Prince Wooyoung had found out, you're not sure you could blame the physician as he probably assumed you had already told the Prince. Your heart pounds as you watching Wooyoung who stares into the fire, moving to place his hands in his pockets. This was it, you thought, the Prince now knew the truth and your fate was in his hands, but perhaps there was still a chance you could save Seonghwa.

"I was so shocked when he told me, a little sad too I must confess," he lets out a small chuckle. "So when Seonghwa and I met afterwards I couldn't help but confide in him". Your eyes closed in defeat at the news. "I told him how sorry I was that you must have a lover. Not that I can blame you, we barely know each other and are expected to marry. Trust me, I know how rough it is. I felt bad for you, truly." He looks almost dazed as he continues to gaze into the flames with an unreadable expression. "I told him, Seonghwa, that there was no need to worry anyone though. I would keep a secret. I wouldn't mind raising the baby as if it was my own. I don't know if that would make everyone happy, but I figured that's what would keep everyone safe". You can't help the tears that come to your eyes as he continues his story, you have never felt guilt once in all the time you spent with Seonghwa. But as Wooyoung speaks to you know, you can't help but think how you both have hurt him. The Prince was never unkind, in fact you quite enjoyed his company when you did have it. But nevertheless, you knew Wooyoung would never truly be your lover.

"It was at this point that Seonghwa started crying. I was so shocked, never in all the years I've known him have I seen him cry. I was confused, I kept telling him it was okay, you didn't mean to hurt me. That's why I thought he was crying of course". Watching him with tearful eyes, you curse that you can't tell what he's really thinking. "But then he starts to apologize, and I'm even more confused! I have to get him to calm down before he could actually tell me what was wrong," he chuckles a bit. "I'm in love with her," he sighs, "That's what he says. I don't believe him at first of course. But when I stay silent he continues on and on. Explaining how much he loves you and how sorry he was so betraying me".

He finally moves to sit on the couch, running a hand over his face. "I was angry at first, naturally I think. I couldn't understand my Seonghwa falling for my bride to be. But I took a second and really thought. I know Seonghwa, he's my best friend." Your eyes roam over his face and you notice how tired he looks. "He would never do anything to intentionally hurt me, I know that. If you both fell in love then it was not spiteful. I suppose you both feel guilty about the whole thing. Not that we were ever lovers ourselves, we probably never would be, right?" His mouth quirks as he finally looks to meet your gaze. You stay silent and still, not knowing what to do. The Prince sighs once again, "Seonghwa would to anything for me, I know that. He offered to leave, to allow him to say goodbye to you and leave Aurora for good in order to sort this out". A tear makes its way down your cheek at the idea. Is that where he had gone? Had the Prince made him leave without a goodbye? "But one thing you might not know about me, is that I would also do anything for Seonghwa". You try your best to look into his eyes despite being blocked by tears. "So that's why I came here to tell you to leave".

There's a moment of silence as you try to comprehend what he says. "Excuse me?" you finally get out, your voice sounding hoarse. Wooyoung moves to stand, "Seonghwa is waiting for you, you will both go to the dock and take the passenger ship that leaves for inland in a couple of hours". Your eyebrows furrow and you feel dazed, "I can't, I can't leave my Kingdom. My sister, Rose what will she think?" You start to think of all you would leave behind. Wooyoung purses his lips, "Well I suppose you can stay, but I assume you know what that would entail." Marriage, you thought, marriage to the Prince and no Seonghwa. "But how can I leave? What will everyone think?" You couldn't quite comprehend the logistics of this so-called plan they thought out. "You've been sick, right?" He asks even though he knows the answer, you nod. "Well you've been sick enough so that the doctor suggested you move inland for sometime. Somewhere away from the sea, away from the humidity. We'll tell everyone the wedding is postponed, your health took a turn in the night and you had no choice but to board the ship". You look at him worried, could this really work? "Don't worry, the physician will be in on it too. Once you're settled you can write your family, Seonghwa will make sure of it. As for the future, we're unsure, but this is a plan to keep you both together for now".

You can't help but start to sob, hands coming up to cover your face. Wooyoung hesitates, but moves to embrace you. "I'm so sorry," you state, "You're doing so much for us despite what we did to you". He moves to hold you away from him, "Don't, don't apologize for falling in love. Just promise me you'll look after him, yeah?" He asks with a smile and you sniffle and nod, "Always. I'm so thankful for you, I wish there was a way I could repay you for your kindness". He chuckles moving away after give your shoulders a squeeze, "Well if you wanted to name your baby after me, I wouldn't complain". You let out a giggle as you wipe your tears. "Now go on and pack, not much though, you don't have much time before you need to leave and you both have to get there without being seen too much".

You nod, moving quickly to press a kiss to his cheek, "Seonghwa was right about you".

You look out over the ocean, the black abyss under the night sky. The stars acting as the only source of light as the ship moves quietly across the waves. Seonghwa comes up behind you, placing a blanket over your shoulders and a kiss to your cheek. "We should head to our quarters soon". You nod, turning to smile at him, "I just can't believe this is really happening". He smiles back at you, moving forward to give you a kiss and places a hand gently on your stomach, "I would do anything for you".

It was a whirlwind of a night, of a week, of a year that has led you to this moment but you don't think there could be a more perfect ending. What the future had in store for you all now you were unsure, but with Seonghwa by your side you were sure you would be able to risk everything and anything.

Copyright © 2023 by nczennie. All rights reserved.

Ever wonder what happens to Wooyoung?

🌼 All feedback is appreciated and welcomed 🌼

[saeyoungchoismaid]

Okay so I just finished my first round of Andromeda Six and here are some thoughts I have (both good and bad!). Pls feel free to comment with your thoughts or send asks or message me or whatever!! I'll update this anytime I get more info or think of smth new to add lol. Warning: obvi will contain spoilers.

The amnesia thing - I think the biggest thing for me that I wanna talk about rn is the whole royalty thing. While in general the whole thing is a really cool idea and either way I still love the plot, I think the whole 'I'm royalty' thing was WAY too obvious. Like the SECOND the a6 crew revealed where they found me, I was like "okay cool so I'm the princess got it." and then everything after that only fueled that theory (which obvi turned out to be right). Idk I just think if you're gonna have a game that's based around your main protagonist having amnesia, you need to make the player just confused as the char yk what I'm sayin? Like I shouldn't be able to know stuff that the char I'm playing as doesn't know yk? 😂

Nerissa - I think one of the biggest things for the fandom (that I've seen really only on Tumblr by the way lol) is the whole Nerissa thing so here's my two cents lol. I actually really like the plot twist of Nerissa being alive. My only thing is that it doesn't really make sense and bc she's alive, the whole thing with Vexx at the prison where he breaks down kinda gets (almost?) vetoed in response. To explain, I think it doesn't really add up that, at first, Oppo and others were like 'yeah, only the youngest princess' body wasn't found' (which in general was already weird cause ??? how do they know that her body wasn't found but then people also apparently quote unquote "didn't know she existed" like huh????). They mentioned NOTHING about the literal heir's body being missing??? Like idk if Zovack did that on purpose (and if so ???? homie wyd lmao) but if not, it's a big plot hole in my opinion lmao. Also just the fact that she was literally shot by Vexx (who held her bleeding out and dying body in his arms) and then shows up later like 'yeah no I'm completely fine actually' is CRAZY. Like what kinda medicine do these folks got that makes that so easy?? Like she's not on crutches, has a cast, a limp, like ANYTHING. It's absolutely bonkers to me. It's just very OP like okay so she can literally be shot in the future now and I literally won't react cause she's apparently immortal 💀 N e ways I think it's cool that the MC can choose to basically defy Nerissa and be like miss girl you're so wrong and I don't wanna do that is SO SLAY. Cause yeah no she was not it at first (and I lowkey didn't like her for a phat min). Also, kinda off topic, but I was surprised they actually showed what she looked like. Like, I guess her skin tone is ambiguous enough to work, but I think it would make more sense if they just said somewhere that the king had more than one wife, had a side hoe he got pregnant, yk smth like that lmao

Different species/race - As someone who has only played the game once, I'm not completely sure about what I'm about to say next, so pls correct me if I'm wrong! I think it's really cool that you get to choose from 3 different species in the beginning of the game. I was hoping that this meant that this would change your backstory, but from seeing some posts about this on Tumblr, I'm assuming this means that certain things will change but overall your backstory is the same and you're still royalty. Which is fine as long as the different species thing actually makes a difference. I just thought it'd be cool for one if it's like oh you're a human? Yeah, you're Peg'asi. Oh, you wanna be Tilaari? That's cool, but this character doesn't like you bc of it. Like that kind of thing would be super cool! Anyway, either way it's fine lol it's just a thought I had

Vexx - I haven't seen anyone say otherwise, but I personally really love Vexx and his arc/development. I never really blamed him for what he did since it was literally done against his will (and turns out Nerissa is alive anyway so it's like okay I can't even be upset that you killed her when she's literally alive). Something I will say though (which is kinda similar to my stance on the amnesia thing) is that I think it'd be nice to have a little more doubt on whether or not Vexx is on our side or not. Like, when you first find him and regain your memories, he's pretty cutthroat after the shock he initially feels. After that though, anytime you see him, it'd be described as 'an emotion I can't decipher crosses his face' or 'a piece of the old him flashes in his eyes' kind of thing and I was just like "yeah okay so he's good but is just being brainwashed or being blackmailed or smth." Like, there was no danger in it. Not once was I ever like "omg no he's gonna kill me/my friends/my boyfriend/etc!!!!!" Like no dude he's just a lil guy that needs help lmao. So yeah, a lil more uncertainty about him would've been super cool (or even an alt route where he really is bad and they didn't make him do anything. like there could be choices in the memory section of the game of your time in the palace where like if you were rude to him, he actually betrayed y'all kind of thing)

Kitalpha - I might just be dumb, but when Aya was explaining her backstory about her home planet, I was a little lost. Like, I understand the basics ig, but I overall am still confused on how it actually got destroyed lol. I read the Wiki and it still kinda doesn't make sense to me. Also, the info dump they give on this (and a lot of stuff in general) is CRAZY. Like I need so much time to process what you just said and you're already laying another bomb on me lmoa. That aside, I think it's really weird that such a (apparently) major planet that (apparently) hosted a major species went supernova 10 years ago and you just never hear anyone talk about it??? Even Aya says that people kinda just forgot about it and moved on. Like girl HOW?? (Like okay yeah with the whole Zovack thing I can understand cause they got more important matters ig but he only overthrew the throne a MONTH ago like what were people doing before then lmao). It also didn't make sense to me as to why no one wanted to help them??? Like Aya explains that they were just met with closed doors from EVERYONE. Like why??? What about a dying planet/species is so bad that people are like 'yeah, that sucks and all, but we aren't gonna help. Good luck w that tho! 🥰' Also, I saw someone on here say that they wish there was more definitive features for the Kitalphan than just having gills and I agree! I didn't even notice that Vexx had them for the longest time. Also the fact that we never get a scene where Aya/you/Vexx get to actually use them (to my knowledge anyway) is insane. Like, what's even the point of giving them the gills then??? lmao

Update: I found this post that explains more in detail about the races. "It was, despite that, their own choice as to whether to live above or under water, and those who chose to do so submerged, had their bodies altered to further adapt to their environment; webbed fingers and toes, bright colored skins to allow for better camouflage among sea life, nictitating membrane over their eyes. Those who chose to live inland, on the other hand, kept to the more human appearance, with only the gills telling the difference." So, from my understanding, those who choose/chose to live underwater are the ones that are more fish like whereas the ones who choose/chose to live on ground are the ones who look like Vexx and Aya (more humanoid looking but still fish-like qualities like gills). Still think it would be cool if we could then meet a Kitalphan that chooses to live underwater!!

Time - speaking of it only being a month, it's only been a MONTH bro???? Like, Zovack overthrew the throne, had the entire Peg'asi family killed, you've been with the A6 crew trying to regain your memories, visit like 4 planets, find love, discover your sister is alive, and start planning out your plans for a war all in ONE MONTH. Like, ig it's not super inaccurate, it's just kinda crazy yk? 😂 I saw someone say that they wished we could've spent more time on all the planets and I completely agree. For some like Orion, it makes sense that we couldn't really stick around lmao. For others though, I didn't understand why there couldn't be more downtime ig? Idk maybe it's as simple as there's nothing interesting enough to write about that will keep the player's attention that's not just boring filler? But eh idk how much I believe that. Instead of info dumping a lot of stuff, they could've spread it out for moments like these where like yeah we aren't exploring this planet or whatever necessarily, but we are learning more lore while we are here getting gas lol. Also the fact that other planets get mentioned but we don't actually get to see or learn anything about them. I can't think of any examples off the top of my head (but if anyone really wants I can go through the logs to find them), but like planets or stations they'd stop to refuel or whatever just never really get talked about. I think there was a place that was similar to Teranium or Cersa that everyone was like 'omg be careful here like don't wander off alone' and then like nothing happens (or am I crazy and mixing my stuff up and I'm just yappin??? lmao. I'll probs come back and edit this once I play the game again). (I actually think it might've been the pitstop they mentioned that was ruled by mercs so they probs wouldn't have any problems with the K'Merii. Maybe it's the place they're supposed to go to on their way to Goldis?? Cause isn't it that the place that Khandar (help is that their name??? Google isn't telling me his name help pls 😭) said he has contacts??)

Damon - I'm so down bad for this man it's not even funny. His route is the first and only route I've done so far and I really just have one thing to critique I suppose. I fell in love w his char bc he's this super tough, mysterious, elusive guy that teases the shit outta you and just in general dgaf lmao. When you choose his route, pretty much all of that goes out the window. Now, don't get me wrong here. I still love Damon and I love that we get to see his sweeter/softer side, but I don't like how his bad boy side kinda just disappears. Like, maybe in chap 9/10 it'll show up more, but since choosing his route, he's kinda just become a big ol softy (which again I love that about him but I just kinda miss mean Damon lmao). Like, when the whole Wren thing happened, I feel like as soon as Wren points the gun in our face, OG Damon would've gone FERAL. Like, even if knows he can't actually like stop them or whatever by fighting, like just starting to mouth off to get attention off of us would've been so UGH. Idk maybe this is just a me thing bc I like crazy men but yeah would've liked more consistency ig in that aspect?? lmao. Like, there was one point in the game where I lowkey almost didn't choose Damon cause he was such an asshole (and almost went w the other loml Bash). Like THATS THE ENERGY IM HERE FOR. Make him a morally grey char and stick w it yk what I mean? Yes, he has walls up and he's actually very sweet and care about his found family and has a soft spot for cats and blah blah blah, but you also need to remember his upbringing and why he is the way he is ykkkkk

June - Maybe this gets explained later or more in his route, but when he's explaining his backstory and who he is, I was a little stumped. I mean, he wonders the exact same thing, but why is it that he can withstand the testing that was done to him and is now a super human, but his own twin brother and soldiers and whoever can't. What makes him so special? I figured he was able to become this super human and the K'Merii and whoever couldn't bc he was being tested on when he was still in the womb. Again though, if this is the case, why did his brother not make it? Would love to know more about that whole thing

Okay I'll stfu for now...but I'm sure I'll be back LMAO

[minniethemoocherda]

Saying Something Stupid

I am loving all the Morph's First Pride art that I've been seeing! I am so glad that I am not the only one that has discovered a love for them and this pairing! I can't wait to see more of all you guys' amazing artworks! Xxxxxxx

Ao3

FF.net

"I know it was you."

Morph froze. Between trying to stay alive in that hellscape of a future, taming a feral Wolverine and having to defeat Sinister, again, they'd pushed that moment on Asteroid M to the back of their mind. A part of them had hoped they would never need to think about that moment again. But, as usual, life hadn't worked out in their favour.

"Listen, I'm sorry for eating all your breakfast muffins, but in my defence you were only eating raw meat for a while and they would have gone bad if I hadn't so-"

"Cut the shit Morph." Logan snapped. "We both know that ain't what I'm talking about."

Fuck. Morph was going to be sick. They could feel their stomach literally churning and Morph had never thrown up their own gloop before but they guessed they were about to find out and oh god why were they still making jokes even in their head and-

"Hey! Look at me!" Morph hadn't realised that they had begun glooping until Logan grabbed their arms and neatly squeezed through them. This close, Morph had no choice but to stare at Logan's face to see that the creases of his brow and the sharp squint of his eyes.

They were going to die. Logan was going to kill him. They wished he would.

"I-I'm sorry! I know I shouldn't have done it!" Morph cried. "But you were dying and I-I had to help!"

"That the only reason?" Logan asked and Morph usually prided themselves on the being able to read The Wolverine better than anyone, but for once they had no idea what the expression on his face meant.

Not that it mattered. Logan had been through so much shit since Asteroid M. The fact that he was still sane enough to ask was a miracle. After all that, the least he deserved was the truth.

Morph took a deep shuddering breath.

"No." They confessed, closing their eyes as soon as they did so that they wouldn't have to see the disgust on Logan's face. They had accepted a long time ago that Logan did not love them back. Which was fine. It would have to be. Because they were more than happy to be his friend, his best bud. Even though now, Logan probably never wanted to look at them again let alone be their friend or-

Someone was kissing them. Someone with a stubbled chin, bristled sideburns and slightly too sharp teeth.

Morph opened their eyes. It was Logan. Logan was kissing them. Which, it had to have been, it couldn't have been anyone else. Except at the same time it couldn't possibly be him. Because that didn't make any sense. Logan should hate them right now.

It had to have been a trick. Some cruel hallucination invented by Sinister to create the image of everything they'd ever wanted only to have it ripped away from them.

Then Logan pulled away and Morph was waiting for the big reveal except it never came and then seemingly unaware of their complete mental shutdown Logan started talking.

"I ain't good with words. And I'm still a bit fucked in the head and I've got my own shit to work through." Logan stated. "But, you're still the only one who can make me laugh. The only one who's always been there for me. Who's seen who I am and wants me anyway. So if you want, then I'm willin' to give this a try."

For once Morph was completely speechless. This was not happening. Even Sinister wouldn't be this cruel.

"If this is all some big joke I swear I-"

"Sydney." Logan breathed and Morph themselves forgot how to breath, as Logan moved his hands from their arms to cup their cheeks. "I would never hurt you."

"I can't believe this is happening." Morph admitted, their voice barely more than a whisper.

"What if I did this?" Logan then pulled them closer until once again his lips brushed against theirs. It was softer than the last kiss, which had been a frantic push of mouth and teeth, compared to the now gentle nudge of Logan's lips. This time, Morph allowed themselves to kiss back. Slowly they parted their lips and Logan didn't hesitate to open his in return. They tentatively traced their tongue along the lower length of Logan's teeth. The Wolverine gasped a growl that vibrated through Morph's body straight to their gut.

They needed to hear that sound again. They needed to make Logan make that sound again.

So they swirled their tongue along the tips of his canines which tasted of beer and breakfast and blood and it was beautiful. More than Morph could ever had imagined. Logan growled again, pulling them closer, hungrily deepening the kiss until he was practically devouring them.

Despite the pairs mutant powers, they both still needed to breath. So reluctantly they broke apart to gasp for air.

"Believe me now?" Logan panted through a smug smirk.

"I don't know." Morph teased, looping their arms around the back of his neck. "I think I might need some more convincing."

Logan didn't any other invitation before he pounced.

[spacebarbarianweird]

Since requests are open can I request a f!Paladin Ilmater Tav with Astarion, preferably with a happy ending for them both. (She joined the church after having seen abuse firsthand no thanks to her dad)

One more devoted Tav, now in the domain of Ilmater!

Ilmater, also known as the Crying God, is a patron of opressed, suffering and persecuted.  He is a willing sufferer, bearing the pain of others to spare them from it, and it is said that if he had his way he would do so for all the suffering in the world. His symbol is a pair of white hands bound with red cord. More about Ilmater Church of Ilmater

TW: A mention of CSA and abortion

Astarion x f!Paladin!Tav

Masterlist

Headcanons

Your oath is self-sacrifice. 

Abused and beaten by your father, assaulted more than once, you became pregnant at the age of 14.

A drunken healer terminated the pregnancy, but you nearly died from blood loss and injuries.

Afraid to face the consequences, the healer and your father left you to die in the streets, hoping no one would ever find you.

Whether it was pure luck or Ilmater's will is unknown, but you were found by a passerby who brought the bleeding and dying child to the local Ilmater monastery.

The Reverend Father took care of you and made sure you felt at home.

You have grown up among the Ilmateri, helping the poor and unfortunate, in places plagued by poverty, plague, or war.

You know much about the suffering of this world and have an open heart.

As you reach adulthood, you gain a vision.

Ilmater, The Crying God himself, appears to you in human form and presses his bleeding hand to your chest.

"Protect the less fortunate in my name. Choose your oath, paladin."

The only thing you manage to whisper is "self-sacrifice."

You tell the Reverend Father of your vision and receive his blessing to leave the monastery.

You wander the Swords Coast, living up to your faith and vows.

But one day, you are kidnapped by the Mindflayers.

Your oath dictates its own will. Save your friends from the Tadpoles, destroy the Absolute.

You are selfless and caring to all your companions. Especially Astarion, for he may have suffered the most.

You forgive him, care for him, trust him.

Astarion can't get enough of you - you are his knight in shining armor who has finally come to save him from his misery.

Thanks to him, you are learning to think about your own good, too.

Maybe choosing comfort isn't so bad.

Or thinking for yourself for a change.

But when the time comes to save the world, you make your choice.

You have to sacrifice yourself - to let them turn you into a Mind Flayer. You are a martyr, a paladin.

Astarion rushes towards you and holds you back.

He begs you not to do this. 

For the first time in two centuries, he has something. He has a future. He has you. 

"I have an oath to Ilmater! I must sacrifice myself!"

"Where was your god when you were raped by your own father? Where was Ilmater when I was beaten and tortured for two hundred years? Ilmater was the first human god I ever prayed to! And to him, I prayed for decades! And he never listened!"

"He did listen to you, Astarion! He... sent me."

A realization comes to you. 

Astarion is the embodiment of all the suffering a mortal can endure. Everything that could be bad has already happened to him.

You are a savior. 

But you're not saving the world, you're saving a man.

And the whole world he is.

Karlach willingly takes your place because it's the only way for her to survive.

You leave the city hand in hand with Astarion - he wants to see the world, and you know there are many people who need your help.

Over the years, you notice that Astarion's attitude towards Ilmater and the whole idea of "saving the less fortunate" changes.

Sometimes he prays with you.

He has read all the sacred texts dedicated to the The Rack-Broken Lord.

He won't admit it, but he recognizes himself in the image of Ilmater.

You, too, have changed. 

You are more selfish now, for you need to save yourself before you save anyone else.

--

Tag list

@tugoslovenka @marcynomercy @wintersire @vixstarria @not-so-lost-after-all @ashiro20 @theearthsfinalconfession @herstxrgirl @starlight-ipomoea @micropoe10 @astarion-imagine-archive @veillsar @elora-the-slutty-songstress @fayeriess @lumienyx @tallymonster @caitlincat-95 @tragedybunny @valeprati @lynnlovesthestars @marina-and-the-memes @waking-electric @ayselluna @connorsui @asterordinary @darkarchangel96 @locallegume

[moremaybank]

Hey love, I hope you're doing well. Is it okay if you do 17 with JJ Maybank?

I really love your work

- 🐈‍⬛

"what's wrong? why'd you stop?" / "nothing's wrong. i just wanted to take a second to admire how beautiful you are."

warnings 18+, protected sex (did i really just write that?), a mix of soft and rough!jj, language, i think that's it?? this warning feels really short

author's note thank you my love!

prompt list (requests closed) / jj masterlist

"Are you sure about this?"

Your eyes search JJ's, and you can see the doubt behind them. Doubt that you didn't want him as bad as he wanted you. And then you saw the guilt. Guilt from laying his eyes on his best friend, his personal definition of forbidden fruit.

The thing is, JJ doesn't realize that you've been dreaming of being in his arms since you were a kid. To run your hands through his sea salt-coated hair, kiss his pink lips, and tell him you love him. And, if you're lucky, hear him say he loves you too.

"Absolutely. I've wanted this forever, J," you respond. The uncertainty fails to wash away from his features, and you bring a hand up to his face. Your thumb grazes over his cheek as you look deep into his eyes. "I promise."

Finally, finally, a grin spreads across JJ's face. He wastes no time, surging forward and kissing you as if he's dying, and your lips hold the magical potion that can save his life.

It all happens so quickly. Your clothes are shed. Your hands are in each other's hair and all over each other's skin. Your lips collide over and over in a fit of passion. The kisses are made with love and lust in equal measure as you two finally partake in what your dreams are made of.

JJ's lips leave bruising kisses up and down your body, marking you all over and finally claiming you as his. When he makes it back up to your breathtaking face, he captures your lips in another harsh kiss. His tongue dances with yours, but you catch him off-guard, wanting to try your hand at asserting some kind of dominance. You suck on his tongue, pulling back before eagerly chasing his lips once more. He lets you and comes back time times harder than the last.

That is, until he abruptly pulls away.

"What's wrong? Why'd you stop?" You ask, your brows furrowed with concern as you try to catch your breath.

JJ's hand smoothes the hair away from your face before taking hold of your chin between his thumb and pointer finger. His eyes trail over your entire frame, naked and beautiful and begging to be touched, and he gives you a tooth-achingly-sweet smile.

"Nothing's wrong. I just wanted to take a second to admire how beautiful you are."

The words roll off his tongue with ease as if it's a phrase he's used to saying, and your heart threatens to beat out of your chest.

JJ, the most gorgeous boy you've ever known, thinks you're beautiful. You had always considered the thought to be impossible. Miraculous at best, and that wasn't because you doubted your beauty. It was because it never crossed your mind that he had even noticed. It's incredibly corny, but that proves that miracles do happen.

"Get over here and kiss me."

He indulges you, towering over your frame from his spot on the bed and pressing his lips to yours. It's slow and savoury, a full one-eighty from the fast-paced kisses he offered earlier. You moan against his lips and break away.

"Closer, JJ."

"I'm right here, baby," he breathes, nuzzling his nose against your jaw as he etches more kisses into your skin.

"No," you breathe, "closer."

Your legs wrap around his torso, and your heels push his lower half closer to yours. His cock grazes against your core, and your walls clench in anticipation of his future intrusion.

You see the hint of mischief in JJ's gaze as he catches your drift. He grants you one last peck, his hand circling his length. He guides the tip to your dripping entrance and probes you slightly. His eyes move back up to your face as he pushes his way in, and he gets lost in the way your face contorts when he does.

Your hands slide up his arms, looping around the back of his neck for support as he slides completely into you. A trembling mewl escapes your lips at how deliciously he stretches you out.

"So big, J," you whine.

"I know, baby. But you're taking me so well. You know how pretty you look with me inside you?" JJ questions. His hand glides up your thigh and finds your clit, starting to massage it. His hips begin to move and you throw your head back as he ruts into you with a perfect tenderness.

It's perfect. He's perfect, and you decide he should never be anywhere except right here, drowning in you.

"You don't have to hold back, JJ," you speak. "Give in. Fuck me the way you want to."

"No," he says, brushing your statement off, "you deserve this side of me. I wanna do this right."

"I want all of you, J. Don't hold back."

He gives you a once-over, and he commands your wish when he's sure this is what you want. He presses down on the back of one of your thighs and spreads you out to give him more space. His perfect cock ruts into you sharply, knocking the wind out of you.

You don't regret your request for a second because this is the JJ you wanted. Of course, you love his sweet and considerate side, but you hoped to see the side that didn't care what he took from people. The rough, unapologetic attitude that was just so him.

"Fuck, where have you been all my life? This pussy is perfect, so fucking wet for me," he praises.

"Your cock is perfect too, J."

"Yeah?" He taunts. "You gonna be my good girl and cum for me, pretty girl? I know you want to."

You lean up onto your elbows, moaning into JJ's mouth as you capture his lips in a fiery kiss. Your cunt squeezes him harshly, a tell-tale sign that you're about to cum for him.

"Gonna cum. Make me cum, J. Please," you beg.

Your pleading eyes and tight grip on his cock are too much for him, and he snaps. He fucks you hard enough to send you over the edge and then some, unable to get enough of your soaking heat.

"So. Fucking. Good for me," he speaks, punctuating each word with a forceful thrust. He jerks inside you as he finishes on the last one, releasing into the condom.

JJ leans his forehead against yours, closing his eyes as relief washes over him.

"That was amazing," you grin.

"You're amazing. I've been waiting for this forever, and damn, was it worth it."

updated jj taglist (join here!): @pankowperfection @oncasette @hopesdadswife @taintedxkisses @maybankslover @goldenroutledge @penny4yourthoughts @bmo-bri @hemogloban @princessbetsy123-blog @slytherhoes @maybank-archives @whoisdrewstarkey @aliyahsomerhalder @dreamingwithrafe @vigilanteshitposting @poppet05 @sw34terw34ther @adoreyouusugar @rosie-cameron @f4ll-for-you @rafesdirtyslut @slytheringirlthatkillpeople @tell-me-when-ur-ready @bbycowboi @venomwh0re @jjmaybankisbae @enhypens-hoe @pankhoeforlife @cecesrings @indigoreccs @laineywilsons @mvybanks

[jxckchxmpi0n]

hi :) i love you and your writing sm

could you do one with ethan (gf) where him and female reader are in a relationship and when he unmasks himself she’s like heartbroken and stuff with the prompts “you hurt me and i still trusted you” and like in the end where she kills him instead of tara in his death scene with the prompt “i guess we weren’t meant to be”

i’m sorry that’s like so much😭😭

Dying Wish

Ethan Landry GF x Reader |m.list

Summary : it's all in the request <3

Warnings: cursing, angst, character death, blood, gore,

word count: 1.7k

did not proofread

(also, omg! we reached 400 followers) Thank you so much! I literally love you all <3 I hope you enjoy this!

Your feet were glued to the floor, as if you stepped into a mouse trap. The glue pulling you down to the ground weakened your knees as you watched your boyfriend stand before you. He was in all black, holding that stupid mask in one hand and a bloody knife in the other.

He looked at all of you, Tara, Sam, and you. the boy standing in front of you wasn't the boy you fell in love with. No. The boy standing in front of you was a killer, he killed your childhood best friend, he was the one you ran to when you saw Anika's body lying there lifeless. he was the one telling you he'd protect you from all the bad in the world.

And yet there he was, standing just five feet away from you with an evil smile, and eyes darker than the black he wore. You didn't know who he was, he was a stranger, and you trusted him with everything.

"-Really runs in the fucking family doesn't it" his voice was ringing through your ears. The ringing getting louder and louder, "awe y/n don't look too sad" he raised his hands to his face making a crying motion with them.

"Fuck you!" Your voice shattered as you spoke. Baily laughed a your words. you hated them all they ruined your life all because they thought Richie deserved the ending he wanted.

Ethan and Quinn started to circle around you three. Baily walked around talking about how passionate Richie was about these killings, Sam was talking back yelling at Bailey, saying he's the reason Richie is a killer.

Quinn wasn't a fan of how she spoke of her brother, so she jumped forward, slicing the side of Sam's arm. As she tried to move away, she tripped, which pushed you towards Ethan. Pulling his arm back, he followed his sister's actions and swiped at your arms.

The feeling of your skin being ripped ran through your entire body. "fuck" you grabbed your arm putting pressure on the wound, Ethan smiled waving his hand in a no motion.

"If that hurt just wait for what I'm going to do to you later" your eyes were flooding with tears. You wanted to scream and yell at him, you wanted to yell at yourself for even thinking about the future with him.

Things had started to pick up, Bailey was after Sam, while Quinn went to Tara, which left Ethan after you.

You ran behind one of the cases that held the past victim's belongings, "You have no idea how long I've dreamt of killing you, feeling the knife pierce your skin, if you think you have it easy, you're about to be proven wrong." Pushing one of the mannequins into him you made a run for it. "Bitch" he grabbed the mannequin throwing it to the side as he chased you.

You saw Sam running to the stairs, going after her you saw Tara right behind you. Quinn was lying on the floor holding her side, "she got what she deserved" Tara's voice was shallow and airy from all the running. You couldn't help but laugh just a little as he ran up the stairs.

Kirby had showed up once again, stopping in front of Ethan she was about to shoot, but Bailey's voice distracted her allowing Ethan to jump at her and stab her. "Do you remember this?" in one switch motion he pulled the knife out again and stabbed her.

"Ethan, enough get the others!" Bailey yelled at his son from the stage Ethan looked over and noticed everyone was on the second floor. A wicked grin showed on his face as he noticed Quinn cornering the three of you. "Give it up sweetheart" You looked down and saw Ethan standing below you, he was covered in blood your, Tara's, and Chad's.

The anger toward him kept building over time, and as you looked at him it made it worse. "Asshole!" you saw a tool that was abandoned on the top floor. Picking it up you threw it at him, "You hurt me, and yet I still fucking trusted you" he moved just in time before the tool could hit him.

"Boo get over it!" his voice was strained from him looking up at you. "it's time sweetheart" he then pointed to Quinn; she was slowly moving toward you. Tara tried to hold her back as much as she could, Sam had a gun from Kirby, but it was jammed. you tried to help Tara as much as you could. taking a piece of wood that was lying around you swung it. Hitting Quinn in the back she yelled out, "Fucking bitch" but right as you hit her your foot got caught on a broken chair.

As your foot got stuck, that allowed Quinn to stab you in the leg. The feeling of the knife digging into your leg caused you to scream. Quinn was satisfied at hearing you scream, so she pulled the knife down, creating a bigger wound. Your entire thigh had been ripped open. "Get the fuck off me!" You tried to push her off but with your foot stuck any movement would throw you over the edge.

Tara heard your scream and came running, another piece of wood slammed on the back of Quinn's head. She let go of the knife, the warmth of your blood running down your leg, your mind becoming foggy. You were losing too much blood.

Before you could even realize what happened, your body fell backward. You stumbled over the chairs and fell over the edge, your hands grabbing the frame before it was too late. Sam finally got the got the gun to work, just as Quinn got up. "Give it up," her forehead and mouth covered in blood, half of it probably being yours.

Just as Quinn started running to Sam, she pulled the trigger. Your ears echoed from the bang; a long thud followed after. "Holy shit," Tara stood there for a second, looking at Quinn's dead body.

"Oh baby, come on, let go! Let me have you, " your ears focused on Ethan's voice. He was right below you holding his knife up. "Come on.... I'll make it quick... Maybe, " he laughed as he saw you slowly losing your grip.

Sam and Tara ran to you to help, but right as they reached you, Bailey ran up the stairs. "You monsters!" He got down on his knees as he saw his daughter lying there dead. "You killed her!" His voice shook the room as he yelled. "You will pay for this!"

Tara told Sam to go and deal with Bailey as she tried to help you. "No, Tara, you have to help your sister. Let me go" her eyes watered as she looked at you.

"Yeah, come on, Tara, let her go! I dare you!" Ethans voice screamed at her.

"No y/n I can't do that!" Tara's hands were slipping as they held yours. The mixture of blood and sweat, making it hard.

"Tara, let me go!" Your voice was shaking, the fear now kicking in. But you were ready, Ethan was after you, and there was no way out of it. You had to face him. "I'll be fine, just please, you have to let me go." As you spoke, your eyes followed the knife in Tara belt loop. Her eyes following yours, finally understanding.

"Come on Tara don't be such a bitch let her go. Let me kill her!" Ethan, tired once again to jump up and get you, but you moved too fast for him.

"Okay," Tara agreed she reached down, grabbed the knife, and slipped it in your hand. "Good luck. I'm sorry. " A small tear slipped from her eyes as she realized you and Sam were all she had left.

She let go of your hands. Dropping down, you could hear Ethan laugh with excitement, the feeling of your body free falling, and Ethan right below scared you, but you were ready.

In one swift motion, you managed to turn your body, landing on Ethan. "Fuck" pain shot from your leg as you tried to get up.

"Mmm, I have you all to myself!" Ethan's voice haunted you as you closed your eyes from the pain. The knife Tara had given you was just a foot away from you. Crawling to it, you rushed before Ethan realized. Slowly standing up, your fingers grazed it as Ethan sliced the back of your thigh from lying on the ground.

Following you, he got up. "There's nowhere to run. You're mine. " As he reached for you, you turned with the knife in your hand. Catching him off guard, you stabbed the knife into his mouth. As he fell to his knees, he looked at you with stupid puppy brown eyes.

"You're a killer, and I loved you. What a piece of shit," you twisted the knife, which caused Ethan to whine and cry out. Tears streamed down his face. "I guess we weren't meant to be." Once more for luck, you twisted the knife again, pulling it out, and his blood splattered all over your face. Your hands dropped the knife, shaking, as you struggled to keep yourself up you stared at his lifeless body.

Your heart shattered as you looked at him. He was everything to you, and you killed him. Was your head spinning with the memories or was it because you were dizzy. You couldn't figure it out. As you tried to reach Tara and Sam, your vision went black.

Your body became too heavy to take another step, collapsing on the floor as everything slowly became numb.

[vaguely-concerned]

Thoughts upon finishing Master and Apprentice! A good double read with Padawan; the ending of that leaving Obi-Wan slightly hopeful about his relationship to Qui-Gon makes for a very sad yet hilarious ‘Local Padawan loses last little bit of hope he didn’t even know he still had’ sort of vibe to the beginning of this one, which is set one (1) year later and Obi-Wan is So Done with Qui-Gon’s whole deal by this point (correctly btw). Also if you can’t tell already I will not be objective or free from bias in this because I love Obi-Wan so much and some of the stuff Qui-Gon pulled made me incandescent with rage on his behalf <3 let’s go

- 'oh obi-wan, you're so mature for your age, I keep forgetting you're only seventeen years old,' qui-gon says, word for word, repeatedly, in master and apprentice, apparently willfully deaf to the industrial-sized warning bells about their relationship dynamic that should probably be setting off in his head. qui-gon believes in vibing with the living force and being in the moment right up until the moment requires him to pay attention to the kid he's raising for more than oh, one and a half minutes of self-effacing inner monologue and then he's like 'well unfortunately there is simply no time for that right now there are prophecies to be pondered'. (the fact that the admission that obi-wan has essentially been left to raise himself emotionally and the resigned reframing of that as 'and maybe that is a good thing!' is part of the olive branch they extend to each other towards the end... will my sadness never end)

- most of all it's so heartbreaking to me that qui-gon seemingly never understands just how much obi-wan as a person is rooted deeply in shame. I don't think that's a feeling that's particularly prevalent in qui-gon's own inner world so he doesn't recognize how central it is in obi-wan's psychology and completely misunderstands and misaligns with him again and again and again and then gets annoyed with obi-wan for that, thus making the shame even deeper. doubly painful because he does see the way rael lives so much of his life out of shame now and feels sad about it, but can't see the way he's contributing to obi-wan doing so. this is what fucks me up so bad about the generational trauma in star wars -- no one here meant to be cruel. for all his faults I do think qui-gon does love obi-wan and doesn't mean to hurt him. but the original sin of the prequels as far as I'm concerned is qui-gon tenderly drying away obi-wan's tears as he's dying even while completely failing to see him, his eyes too fixed on anakin's future to actually be with obi-wan, who's there right now and needs him.

these are simply very different people trying and failing to understand each other, and the harm that can still happen in that… 'if you love me, you don't love me in a way I understand', all the way through the disaster line, even when the love is there, it is there, that’s what hurts the most, it just doesn’t reach where it’s needed, there’s a connection that doesn’t happen. (ironically I think ahsoka doesn't doubt that anakin loves her, it's just uh everything else that went down. so y'know family curse broken! new even more fucked up curse achieved now with more child murder. I mean there already was some child murder in this family but anakin upped the game exponentially) 

- a lil guy who's basically tarzan except the gorillas are replaced with protocol droids and then he becomes a jewel thief is one of the funniest star wars concepts I've ever heard and I hope pax and rahara get to pop up in more star wars media, they’re great fun. (also an idea I think would be super fun to make a character/campaign around in Edge of the Empire or something, everyone playing different droids and then one person being robo-parented lol) 

- was not prepared to have rael posit a theory of what essentially seems to be the jedi version of predestination in his despair, but I do love to see it haha. especially interesting since he, qui-gon and dooku must be among the people alive who've studied the prophecies in most depth, and they've all reached different conclusions -- dooku decides to join the war of light and dark on the side of dark for some reason, qui-gon (possibly the stubbornest fucker the jedi order ever produced) 'turns towards the light not to win some great cosmic game, but because it is the light', and rael in the middle falls into the depressed apathy of 'it doesn't matter what we do here, the outcome is already decided; for there to be true balance there has to be as much dark as light in the world so we're fucked'. but in the end he does take qui-gon's words to heart and turns towards the light rather than accepting dooku's offer, even if he might not believe it makes a difference in the long run. man I love rael. hobo-looking sonofabitch living in a castle for eight years will just suddenly fling out some deep jedi theology huh

- master rael 'I'm gonna make up for the big terrible mistake I made on accident by making an even bigger more premeditated mistake on purpose' averross (affectionate)

- the added layer to dooku’s fascination with prophecy after reading dooku: jedi lost — that his best friend in the world was a seer who couldn’t turn it off and it destroyed him……….. dooku you’re not getting him back if you just understand what he saw you know that right

- the more I read of master and apprentice the more I realize that the reason yoda and qui-gon don't get along is that they're two of the judgiest bitches the jedi order ever produced. They’re like two cats scowling judgmentally at each other from opposite sides of the room pretending to live and let live while going ‘you’re wrong tho’ internally. 

- I dunk on him constantly (not entirely without affection, however grudging), but Qui-Gon is genuinely a really interesting character. He’s so… he’s so. He’s infuriating but he’s infuriating in an equidistant sort of way. You feel me. He’s pissing everyone off equally and he just doesn’t care because again, he’s the stubbornest judgiest bitch around and thinks he’s right all the time. I would be free to just enjoy his ornery ‘no actually I’m right about this’ ass and the chaos he wreaks so much more if Obi-Wan didn’t have to live with the emotional consequences of it lol. 

- poor rael closing in on fifty with his puriteen middle-aged little brother clutching pearls about his getting laid once in a blue moon fhdskjahfas. again a really interesting insight into different ways of interpreting the jedi code, though, I love seeing the jedi not be an ideological monolith. to be fair to rael, having sex sometimes does seem to be the indulgence he has that causes the least conflict with his principles or loyalties so you know what honestly force speed you my friend why not. (and then there's qui-gon 'noooo sex is only okay if you're In Love (implied: like I was)!!!' jinn lmao. I wonder what he'd think of anakin and padme's relationship, would that pass the 'being sufficiently purely in love' test for him) I do like how consistently it’s shown that rael doesn’t mean to be cruel or unkind in anything he says, he always notices something landing too close to home and then pulls carefully back from it instead of pushing on. He seems to be the emotional intelligence powerhouse in this lineage (as long as he doesn’t have his feelings too tangled up in something, at least). 

Dooku: jedi lost also shows us that dooku absolutely knows rael is out there in the galaxy laying pipe and is, at worst, softly amused by it. So in this little family unit it’s only qui-gon losing his mind over it fjsdkafa I’m so used to having qui-gon be the wild card maverick compared to obi-wan ‘*in tears* but what are the RULES master’ kenobi, it’s so fucking funny that within the context that raised him he’s the stick in the mud 

I guess. the book also had a plot and it was not bad! some interesting insights about how the republic interacted with the big corporations and just how fucked everything already was by this point. I'm a pretty character-driven reader so that's what sticks with me for the most part

- obi-wan’s big teenage rebellion here being that sometimes. Occasionally. When he really loses his temper and gets hot under the collar. He’ll say something slightly passive aggressive out loud instead of keeping it contained inside his head. And qui-gon still can’t handle that gracefully AT ALL he snaps right back fdjskfhas. (I guess he also snitches on qui-gon to the council but well, you know, qui-gon was breaking republic law pretty brazenly at that point I think that moves beyond teenage angst and into ‘...master that’s a wholeass felony’ territory). Obi-Wan does go for a couple of low blows, but like. Nothing that’s not actually true, is the thing. And mostly he blames himself for not being good enough, because surely if he were qui gon wouldn’t treat him like this. Augh. hngh. Pain. suffering. 

- I am not one of the people who think everything would have automatically been just hunky-dory if only qui-gon lived and could have been anakin's master (in fact I would have given it a 50/50 chance of going exponentially worse way faster; being more similar as people is not always a guarantee that a relationship will go smoother and qui-gon is an incredibly difficult man to be close to for any length of time), but the way this book basically presents how the dynamic between dooku, rael and qui-gon could have gone on in the next generation too... it would have been incredibly unfair to obi-wan (as always I think that's just an universal constant lmao) but I think the odds of it turning out okay would have been better if you had him in the mix to run crisis control for both qui-gon and anakin, as he does for each of them individually as best he can anyway. at least he could have been free to be anakin's brother and friend purely in that scenario, without all the added mess of grief and having to take on a parental role there so young. he does basically fill that role in ahsoka's apprenticeship, after all.

- qui-gon finally hugging rael before he leaves the planet (and especially since when they were younger he wanted to, but held himself back from it)... that's still his big brother even with all the shit that's happened since ;_____; when someone teaches you how to swim (literally and symbolically) that shit stays with you I suppose

Relatedly: DOOKU getting hugged, and gladly. What the fuck. Are you all seeing this shit. I’m gonna cry or laugh I’m not sure which one why am I emotionally invested in the galaxy's most problematic grandpa now this sucks

[ladymarycrawley]

The blondie I'm in love with - Mason Mount

Request: Mason has a fake girlfriend but with a happy ending please (requested by @masterclassbaby sorry baby, I kept you waiting so long for this 🙈 hope you like it!)

Warning: one of my worst pieces to date I think but after months of lacking any motivation to write about Mason I got struck but this idea all of a sudden last night so

Tag list: @masonxomount @prideofpd @masterclassbaby @chelsealover @johnstonesfc

Summer’s hot and sunny weather it’s like the secret ingredient for good things to happen, such as good holidays in beautiful places. Better if shared with people we love and have fun with. That was the case for you and Mason who got the chance to spend some time together with some of your mutual friends, spending days at the beach and nights out, staying up late.

Another thing that usually happens in summer, football related, is the transfer window where players say goodbye to the teams they've played in until that moment and let some new teams welcome them for their new adventure. Mason made no exception as he was among those players too. 

The season that just ended wasn’t the best of his career for sure and he needed that month away from football to clear his mind as well as relax. 

“Well now everyone will make up some weird theories about your new hair colour and that'll be so much fun" 

Clearing his mind meant also doing some crazy things such as dying his hair platinum blonde (something that was quite en vogue among those football players…what’s the fascination behind it?). Most people, the ones who liked drama more than anything else, were certain there was some deep meaning behind those style changes.

"You'll be the one to blame"

"Me?? What does it have to do with me?"

"Cause it's always some girl's fault"

You rolled your eyes, making him giggle.

"As if"

"We could turn the whole situation at our advantage and make it fun"

"What do you mean? You're scaring me, Mount"

“Well, we could pretend you’re my girlfriend and you’re the one girl to blame”

You served him a kind of puzzled look, not seeing the whole point of the thing.

“And so? What’s the sense of it all?”

 “Just to give them something to talk about, you know the transfer window is here and I’ve had enough of random people assuming things about myself and my future as a player so we’ll give them a distraction”

"I'm not sure I want to be their distraction…"

After a one of a kind, rather weird courting you gave in and accepted to be his fake girlfriend: behind the cameras and the paps' flashes you kept on behaving normally, as if nothing happened, as if you were still a couple of good friends and nothing more.

One of the reasons why you didn't want this thing to happen was because you knew, like it or not, something deep down your soul would have changed the way you perceived him and, consequently, the trajectory of your friendship. You always had a soft spot for him, not only because he was one your best friends but because something stronger was burning inside of you.

When his best mates would nudge him to tell him someone was watching or it was time for him to start his little act of the boyfriend in love your heart started racing: the way he would move closer to sneak his arm around your waist and graze the pad of his thumb against your hip bone, matched with the tender touch of his lips lingering against your jaw made you feel kind of dizzy. What if you were falling in love with one of your closest friends, for real, not just to play some senseless game?

"We would really make a cute couple" He whispered in your ear, giggling.

You giggled back, annoyed by how this thing was a bit too funny to him. 

"We should break up at some point, you know that?"

"Who said that?" He kissed the sensitive skin behind your ear, causing goosebumps all over your arms.

"God Mase, I hate you sometimes" 

The smirk on your face as he was holding you tight to him made you a very bad liar, there’s no other place you would have rather be in.

Those days were soon turning into a slow agony: Mason would swim close to you and give you underwater hugs, napping with you on the same bed, placing his hands on your hips in the club at night so your bodies would sway together to the rhythm of the loud music. You were doing all the things a couple would do but you weren’t a couple.

This dynamic cooled down when it was time for him to get back in business as things at Cobham weren’t going particularly well but you were sure he’d have sorted it out as he was Chelsea through and through. But you were wrong.

He avoided talking about what direction his football career would have taken even with you, who used to be the one he would tell everything, even the smallest things.

When the day prior to his official announcement he sat on your bed in your London house to tell you he accepted the bid Manchester United made for him so he would have moved up north rather soon you felt as if the whole world was falling upon your shoulders and Mason was your whole world.

"Wh - what? You're not a Chelsea player anymore?"

The sadness filling his eyes was heartbreaking to say the least, he was gutted to leave his heart's club, most of all because he was kind obliged to do so if he wanted to go on playing, which was the thing that mattered the most to him.

Mason nodded as his chocolate pupils followed your body falling to the ground, on your knees.

"Hey, are you -" He asked, getting up in a rush to take you.

"Don't touch me"

He gave you a puzzled look and you soon provided him with an explanation. 

"You knew it, you knew you'd have left Chelsea and London from the beginning. That's why you dyed your hair this awful blonde that makes you look like a fuckboy. I hate you. You just used me for fun and you knew it from the beginning!" You cried out, trying to fight back the tears.

“You agreed when I told you about the fake relationship”

“Yes but you did it only because you already knew you would have left Chelsea and you used me as a shield against the fucking press!”

“I - didn’t know anything about United, we were in talks but it wasn’t official at all!”

“Fuck off Mason” You muttered, lowering your eyes as if you were looking for something on the carpet your tired body was abandoned on. Mason didn’t dare to look at you either, keeping his gaze down too.

"I dyed my hair simply because I liked it, because I had a shitty season felt the need to change something…I like you too"

"You what?" Your eyes now had to stop looking for something that didn’t exist on the floor and start to look at the handsome boy before you who just happened to say something quite powerful.

"Y/N I wanted to have some fun, yes, but I also liked you for quite a while and I didn't know how to tell you not to ruin our friendship." He kept on explaining with the softest voice.

“Oh so you now think you can get away with it by saying some sweet words??” Yes, those sweet words surely had an effect on you and denying it was the biggest lie ever.

“Come to Manchester with me”

That invite left you in a shocked state as it was the last thing you were expecting: why should he ask you to follow him away from London? You were good friends but that’s not the kind of question usually asked to someone who’s only a friend.

“Did you hear what I said?? I don’t even know if I want to be your friend anymore. You just used me and now you’re asking me to leave my city, my everyday life to follow you?”

“Yes, because I love you”

The three words. Mason just said those three words to you. 

“You’ve always been there for me when I needed it, you always keep up with my shit, including faking a love relationship, but now I feel like I’m ready to have a real one. I wanna get home from training and see you there, dozing off on the sofa and kiss your forehead or taking you out to dinner at some fancy place”

Mason was there, looking as the most fragile creature you’ve ever seen, opening his heart to you with no fear, he was being the Mason you fell in love with, little by little, over the years.

Warm tears, joyful ones this time, started rolling down your cheeks as you threw your arms around his neck, causing him to fall flat on the mattress.

“I hate you, blondie”

“You love this blondie, you’re such a bad liar” You got lost in each other’s eyes that were shining with a different light, a warmer one.

“This could be the moment where I confess I’ve always been secretly in love with you but I won’t” You whispered shyly, making him smile.

He smirked and caressed your lower back in a circular motion.

“You hid it quite well actually” You both giggled before he pressed his lips against yours in a real kiss, one of those sloppy but heartfelt kisses that took you to another dimension, a dreamy and ideal one.

The moment you were living was just too intense to think about anything else and soon you found yourself straddling him, not even realising the speed at which your clothes fell on the floor, too busy making love to him for the first time.

That bed felt like the best place on earth, the one where all your dreams and hopes became true, the one where you were safe from every danger the outside world might be holding against you.

“This is not just a summer thing, right?”

“This will be a thing for many summers to come”

Mase’s arms were now your home, the shelter you would have run to in case of extreme glee or of unbearable pain, it was the place to be.

[its-a-me-mango]

Tbh, its not the fact that smg4 didnt become a villain angers me in this mini arc. In fact im happy he wasn't. The most thing that bugs me so much is this whole entire mini arc felt rushed and forced, It made me confused, it was messy in lots of places. I dont mind if Smg4 would do the same mistake bc nobody learns from their mistake immediately, but right now i feel like they forgot what mr puzzles put them through. Like the relationship between meggy and puzzles, can meggy really forgive someone who put her through hell in WS? Who enjoyed watching her dying over and over again? Thats the main thing that bugs me, ofc im not hating the show, i still love it, its just this whole entire thing after puzzlevision just seems messy

Hope in the future things will be better and explains more, i have high hopes, but right now i just feel like this whole thing is a disaster right now, like i have so many questions and this arc just made more

Hi I get where you're coming from I promise, but without trying to sound like mean, you had high hopes for the silly weekly meme show that doesn't take itself too seriously, I really don't know what else to say to that.

Maybe I'm waaay too easy, I am happy to just watch a bunch of characters that I like do silly things together and sometimes have a story too them, as long as it's funny and makes me laugh I really don't care about whatever takes place. Yes I love it when they are serious and they tell really good stories/arcs and I love that, but I don't take anything too seriously because the creators don't either, not in a bad way but in a fun and silly way. It's hard for me now to get upset over SMG4, I learnt what getting overhyped for SMG4 does and I'm not making that mistake again lol. At its core, it's a show made for fun, it's not trying to achieve any major story or plot, it's there to have fun and THAT'S what I love about it and why I can over look a lot of things to it.

Don't get me wrong I love taking this shit seriously sometimes for the sake of theorys and analysis and things like that, but when you're taking it more seriously than the creators, of course you're gonna stumble and fall and get confused and angry. I didn't wanna turn my whole response into a "lol don't take it so seriously" ramble but, I legit have nothing else to say because I STILL don't get it!!! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA I WISH I COULD UNDERSTAND WHY PEOPLE ARE SO MAD OVER THIS ARC BUT I CAN'T!!!!! Whatever, I can't, lalalaaaa

Also I think Meggy can "forgive" Mr Puzzles or at least be at peace with what he did because she's seen that he is capable of caring for people, and you know Meggy just sees the good in people anyway, so yes she can because Meggy is cool, thaaaats my take lol :3

[thelonelyshore-if]

I LOVED the latest update! Everything felt great and I loved playing as my confused MC, this town had been giving him a bad vibe from the beginning and their gut feeling was rewarded in the worst way possible!

I can tell you now that my MC does not plan on dying, he is too worried about Willow to stop and too angry to be stopped. Whether it be an Eldritch being or another person, he'll bite his way out of this town!

Which is really sad to say that Jay, Ravi and Yasmin have lost all of his trust. Jay and Ravi because of lying and Yasmin on bad vibes and treating him like some puzzle to be solved, and it's heartbreaking since I really wanted to like Jay and Yasmin but my little guy is in total fight or flight mode and that means grudges are deep now.

Anyway, the update was amazing so thank you so much for making it and I hope that in the next one I get to meet Croft as she might be the only one I could ever trust in this town and also for my MC to get to fight any of those mentioned monsters!

Eeeeee tysm this put a big ol' smile on my face!!

You're touching on the exact energy I'm hoping for in regards to the MC. I think different MCs will have varied reactions to everything that's happened--fear, anger, despair, etc. But I want all MCs to be determined, whether it be to escape, to get back to Willow, to save the day or solve the mystery...the specifics might changed based on the MC, but they all want something.

All that to say, I'm hyped to hear about your MC! He sounds great.

And that's absolutely valid. Jay will definitely do what they can to make it up to the MC in the future. Hopefully they and Yasmin will be able to regain your MC's trust as the story goes on.

Ravi's a little more complicated though lmao.

Thank you for your kind words and telling me your thoughts!! Reading people's reactions to the update literally makes me so incredibly happy. I promise Croft is coming next update--and they're much more upfront haha. They'll be a good ally <3

[bentleysbeetle]

Hey Beetle, my front tyre is flat and I'm out of miracles for the day. The guy from the repair shop wants to charge me £47 to change both tyres, because they don't have the same brand as my back one in stock. Now, I think I can get away with cycling with two different tyres, but it would be better if I found a repair shop with the same tyres instead. What do the cards say? Would really appreciate the input.

@totally-a-sheep

//Beetle secretary again: I am still translating seeing as Beetle has not un-become a cat since last reading//

Oh no!!! Hi Luc!! That sounds tough, I got my tarot cards as quick as I could!!! I'm doing a simple read for you, 3 cards. The 1st one is the past, the 2nd one is the present and the 3rd one is the future.

First you got the two of swords!! They have their points up so that probably means 2 punctured tires!!! but you actually got it upside down, so that means before you had two NOT punctured tires. Which I think is true. Right?

UM. THE SECOND ONE IS DEATH. THAT MEANS YOU ARE DYING D: Maybe... Oh gosh..... Maybe you had an accident when your tire went flat and now you have a concussion and you're going to die :( I'm so sorry Luc I love you so much I'm gonna miss you

Okay uhhh... In better news, there is a knight with a wand, and he's on a horse! But he's upside down though... Ummm... I think he means travel, since he's on a horse, and the wand could mean it's a magical journey? So you are going to NOT have magical travel. You will have very little travel, and the travel you will have is bad. So whatever your intuition is telling you to do about this: DO THE OPPOSITE!! OR ELSE YOUR BIKE WILL BE HORRIBLE! and maybe you'll continue dying!!!! :(

Um... Please don't die!!! Wear 3 helmets maybe?? I love you! :(

//Serious reading under the cut!//

//Alright. Let's get on with it Luc, here's your more serious answer.

A two of swords in reverse usually means suspicion. It's like, lack of trust, treachery (my booklet mentions in partnerships specifically), and you know, be careful of people looking out to manipulate you. This one fell out as I was shuffling the deck, FACE UP. It was the only card to do this. I think this is a sign. Your tire going flat was NOT a coincidence. This? This was SABOTAGE. By SOMEONE YOU TRUST!

The second card. Oh my god okay it's a lot different than it sounds. It signifies change, things ending and beginning, hindsight, it represents opportunities, the card represents a necessary end to something. Your tire was meant to go flat, Luc. Because now? Now you have all these opportunities. You could have a dual tired bike, like some cursed version of a penny-farthing, you could get brand new fancy tires, or you could go back to usual! The world is your oyster, and this is your sign to make Oysters Rockefeller. Or Oyster Omelette. Whatever squeezes your lemon. This is the start of a new tire era, Luc.

Okay, I wasn't TOO off with the travel stuff, because the knight of wands represents creativity and progress! However, in reverse it represents... Falsehood, and lack of progress >:O! The knight of wands is someone who will talk a lot about a project, but do nothing about it! He's a representation of judging people by their actions, and not their words. Now, I'm taking this as a sign that you should probably be a bit wary of the people from the various repair shops. This first guy for example, why didn't he give you a discount because he didn't have your brand of tires in stock? That's not *your* fault! Covering a small expense like that is totally a worthy investment, after all next time you need a tire change you'd know that guy has your back! Instead you have to pay more?? Consider your options here! Consider your options and go to someone who actually sounds trustworthy! Hope this helps <333

[tobiasdrake]

love your db analysis posts! i'd love to hear your thoughts on ultimate gohan, if you have any. between him having little to no reaction to finding out everyone on earth is dead, and randomly letting gotenks fight buu instead of himself, he did not seem to be the same character at all to me, and iirc even piccolo says so, i just... find it hard to believe a non-rage-triggered power-up would do that to him.

Much like Android 16, I do wonder if there were more plans for Ultimate Gohan that wound up being scrapped by the shift in narrative direction.

We're first introduced to the concept of Ultimate Gohan as the Elder Kaioshin is explaining his abilities.

Gohan's dormant power has long been a recurring attribute of his character. In fact, this isn't the first time he's had an elderly sage draw out his dormant power.

Teaching him to draw out and control his dormant abilities was (stealthily) part of Goku's training with him. That Gohan was finally starting to make it his own and tap into his true ki is the reason for why he was repeatedly unimpressed by Goku's abilities.

Gohan didn't even realize it, but through his mastery of the Super Saiyan, he'd also begun to take control of and internalize the tremendous ki he'd always had stored away in him. And as he came into his own ki, what he could sense of Goku's ki proportional to his own didn't make sense to him.

Super Saiyan 2 was, then, the culmination of Gohan's development. His full power, channeled through the Super Saiyan and its amplifying effects - both for better and, uh, for worse.

But it's been seven years and Gohan's been indulging in his true love of academia, in accordance with the agreement Goku and Chi-Chi made about his future.

Goku may have successfully escaped having to get a job by conveniently dying at the last possible second, but Gohan's future is set on a course. He's going to be an academic. It's what Chi-Chi wants for him, and it's what Gohan wants for himself; Even Goku acknowledges that.

Seven years of rigorous study and zero martial arts practice later, Gohan isn't the guy anymore. In fact, examining just how much Gohan isn't the guy anymore is the whole point of his fight with Dabra.

Goku eyeballs Dabra as being roughly around Cell's power. This allows Dabra to serve as a yardstick for Gohan, so we understand what it means for him when he fails to measure up.

Gohan that was a Zanzoken/Afterimage. Nobody even does those anymore. They became obsolete after ki-sensing was normalized, because everyone can now easily sense which "image" is the real one. The one other time we saw a Zanzoken return post-23rd Tenkaichi Budokai, it was against Frieza, who can't sense ki.

Dabra is mocking you right now. He legit thinks you're so shitty at martial arts that you'll fall for this amateur-hour guff. And he's right.

I kinda feel Geets here. If I had to watch my last chance to ever fight my rival get wasted on this, I'd be losing my mind too. He fucking fell for a Zanzoken; Can I just take over already?

So. Yeah. Full Power Gohan isn't a thing anymore. He can still tap into the form - and for some inexplicable reason so can Goku and Vegeta - but this is no longer Peak Potential. Which is where the Elder Kaioshin comes in.

This is a classic formula of Dragon Ball. We've seen it in the RRA, Piccolo, Saiyan, Namek (twice!), and Android arcs. First, Goku gets the shit kicked out of him - sometimes even to the point of being presumed dead.

While the surviving cast members scurry about trying to find a way to face the bad guy, Goku - sometimes unbeknownst to them, sometimes not - is recovering and preparing to come back stronger than ever. This typically takes the form of some sort of godly trial or ordeal guaranteed to make him stronger than ever.

Then, at the 11th hour when all else has failed and all hope is lost, Goku makes his return to have one last epic battle for the fate of the world/universe/cosmos.

This is the Dragon Ball formula. Has been since the day the Four-Star Dragon Ball saved Goku's life from a lethal Dodonpa. Of course, getting Gohan back up to speed isn't going to be enough, since Majin Buu in his weakest form was able to do this to our Cell-adjacent yardstick.

I wonder what Dabra Cookie tastes like? I imagine it's like the wafer part of a Keebler cookie. Sugary and nice on its own but better with fudge.

So. Yeah. If Gohan's going to throw hands with Buu, he's going to need more than the power he fought Cell with. Fortunately, that's the Elder's specialty, and what makes this different than that other time Gohan had his dormant power drawn out.

That's right, we're limit-breaking again. Not the limits of human ability, the limits of Saiyan ability, or even the limits of Super Saiyan ability; We're limit-breaking Gohan specifically. Elder Kaioshin's abilities can not only draw out Gohan's full dormant ability but push it beyond Gohan's natural limits.

Full Power Gohan? Nah. This is Limit-Breaker Gohan. Not his full potential; Beyond his potential. Something entirely different from the Super Saiyan, but similar enough that he doesn't require much alternative instruction.

Kinda feels like a thing that shouldn't be able to exist, to be honest. After all the time that's been put into things like the strain of the Kaio-ken on a body, the effects of Frieza having power beyond his limits, or even what trying to use Super Saiyan 3 in a mortal body does to Goku in this very arc.

The idea of Gohan channeling ki beyond his limits seems like it should have some drawbacks, doesn't it? We do get some hints that something's weird about Gohan's new power. Piccolo can't even recognize his ki signature in this state.

This form is doing some weird shit to his ki. And, as Piccolo notes, Gohan's harder now. Gohan is here to take care of business, and nothing is going to get in his way.

But. Then. The switch happens. Suddenly, Gohan is no longer the protagonist and we need a way for Majin Buu to suddenly be too much for Gohan to handle. So we go from this:

To this:

In the span of two chapters. All so that Buu can ass-pull a brand new ability that's never once been mentioned before even though Kaioshin will later cop to having seen him do it twice, that will instantly make Ultimate Gohan stop being a solution to this problem two chapters after his debut.

A plan that, in fact, he began putting into place one chapter after Ultimate Gohan's debut. Never in the history of Dragon Ball has a brand new form or ability been obsoleted this quickly.

And then Gohan was basically thrown in the dumpster and this was never spoken of again, with Ultimate Gohan just becoming his new Strongest Transformation in follow-up products. You can feel the climactic final act being aggressively aborted around him, in favor of Goku and Vegeta's third act.

Hell, at one point, Goku even suggests bringing in Gohan to fight Pure Buu. Y'know. Since Ultimate Gohan is the strongest in the universe and all that. But Vegeta nopes it.

No explanation offered. He's just like, "That's not the plot anymore; Try to keep up, Kakarot." To be fair, Goku had a chance to bring Gohan into this too. They're both aggressively elbowing Gohan out of the spotlight here.

Mad disrespect.