#i am never attempting animation ever again my GOD

[frownsdaily]

day 12

[lxnarphase]

━ ❝ OH, IT'S MINIKUNA ! ❞

✮₊‧⁺...content: heian era!sukuna x wife!reader, fluff, mentions of childbirth, sukuna is an overly proud father, sukuna is whipped for his wife

✮₊‧⁺...lunar's note: based of this little blurbie and this one too !! needed some fluff with kuna bc he would love having a baby girl idc what anyone says !!! also i did my best describing the birthing process in a time accurate period but it's definitely a bit inaccurate because...i have never had a baby LOL

no one has ever seen sukuna ryomen, king of curses, wince before.

not until today, at the wrath of his pregnant wife who somehow got a hold of his fingers instead of his hand.

one of the nurses did warn him to not give you his finger and to ensure you always hold his hand. but by the gods, he swears you almost ripped his finger off.

it's cute to him, however, when you attempt to curse him out.

'gods, sukuna, i despise your entire being!'

'i know, my wife.'

'i should've never let you get me pregnant, you animal!'

'you begged for it, my wife.'

'i am never letting you bed me again, use your hand for the rest of your existence!'

'you can't keep your hands off me, my wife, no need to lie.'

but the sigh of relief, the way you instantly look down and coo once the sound of wailing filled the air...it makes him melt just a little bit.

he can't deny, seeing you in pain made him heated. it took everything in him not to kill every midwife, nurse, and lady-in-waiting in your birth room for not being able to make this process completely painless.

except chiyo. he would have to reward your personal physician for preparing you so well for this...

what did the old hag like again? wines, meats, gifts for her grandchildren back at home?

hm, yes, that would be great for her. of course, he'll say it was from you. the king of curses shows gratitude for no one.

he's pulled out of his thoughts at the hushed whispers once the other women exam the baby before following your unspoken request to hold your child.

"d-do you think lord sukuna will harm our lady for this...?"

"i hope not, surely he can make an exception, t-they both are still young and can always try for more!"

"but he's the king of curses, t-there no way he won't have a reaction!"

before he can demand what they find so important to discuss in front of you, chiyo hushes the girls with a wave of her hand, ushering the girls to help wipe off your sweat, tears, and clean off the baby—gentle like it's the finest glass, she instructs—before turning to sukuna with a knowing smile.

"well, your greatness...congratulations on having a healthy and gorgeous little girl," she hums, wiping her hands with a clean cloth before going to rinse her hands to help stitch any rips and clean you up.

the room falls silent aside from your soft little coos and the wails of your daughter as you brush the wet, fluffy hair on her little head.

all the women in the room continue to work, but it's clear they are silently waiting for his outburst.

everyone knows that a proper heir to any throne is a boy...but now, sukuna's first born child is a girl.

but rather angry, yelling, and threats to your and your child's life, the room is filled with Suku's booming laughter, which practically shakes the entire room.

instead of an enraged expression, pure delight, and excitement are painted on his face as he sits next to you on the soft cushiony bedding on the floor, his hand caressing the rounded cheek of your newborn.

"so, you've given me a girl," he hums in delight, all four of his eyes narrowing. "this will be the one who takes over my throne once i decide to step down?"

this thing, this tiny, itty bitty baby...came from you both? it's almost laughable how small this baby is compared to his hand, that something so little could be related to him.

she's...nothing short of perfect. "absolutely divine...she will not just be beautiful like her mother, but as powerful as both of us."

he's so proud of you and your child. he would shower your daughter with riches, love, and anything she could ever want and ask for.

but, he couldn't lie.

she's a damned fat baby, big head and all.

"sukuna, watch your mouth!"

he can't help but laugh, not realizing his thoughts came out of his mouth. "what, it's a good thing! means she's healthy," he boasts with a grin, leaning down closer to see her better.

"she looks strong already. as soon as she is able, i will personally teach her how to be a truly malevolent little princess, how to properly slit the necks of her enemies, how to—!”

oh, he is so excited, it's adorable.

“sukuna, shush, i just gave birth to a child with a massive head like yours, give me a moment," you say with a light laugh, your smile still reaching your clearly tired eyes.

“…apologies, my wife.”

chiyo can't help but laugh with you she finishes applying the healing ointment on your lower body, using a bit of her cursed energy to speed up the healing process to help you skip any serious pain.

after all, nothing but the best physician for you in sukuna's palace.

"always such an excitable boy, my lord, ever since you were a young man," she hums, helping one of the midwives properly wrap your baby in the soft, clean cloth.

"be gentle with her," you instruct him, gently moving your arms toward him so he could take the little bundle. he's...nervous, but he hides it well.

you place your daughter in his arms and he looks down at her, suddenly conscious of how loud he's breathing. she's got his hair, still a bit wet but soft and fluffy. it's pink, just like his.

a pleased rumble vibrates his chest, and he doesn't even realize he's doing it.

but then...her eyes open.

both sets.

he almost didn't notice it at first, they're just so small, but they're there. the same color as yours, pretty and big, filled with so much life.

his eyes burn, vision getting blurry. no words come to his head, he can't think of anything to say. he's so caught up in his thought he doesn't even notice chiyo ushering the other girls in the room out and shutting the door before quietly tending to you with water or food.

she knows that look, you do as well. she's been around longer than uraume to know her master, knowing the king of curses since his young years as the unwanted child of the village, abandoned by his mother for his 'horrid' appearance.

she was lucky to have found him before the villagers got to him, torches, axes, pitchforks and daggers in hand to take care of the child who they believed to have brought misfortune to their home.

getting him to safety was one of the best decisions she'd ever made, king of curses or not. no child deserved to be abandoned like that. and now, he's seeing himself in that tiny little being in his arms right now...chiyo can only imagine what he's feeling.

so, out of respect, she keeps her gaze averted, pretending she does not see the misty gaze he gives your daughter. this is a moment for you and him, and she does her best to make all her movements as quiet as possible.

all sukuna can think about in this moment is how he used to be just as tiny as this. he was just as vulnerable in his mothers arms. he couldn't talk, couldn't speak, couldn't fend for himself.

yet, his parents looked down at him just like this and decided he was an abomination and didn't give him a chance.

but now?

sukuna knows he would never, ever let anything happen to this little bundle in his arms. he would rather destroy the entire planet before letting anything happen to his baby girl. no one would make his little one suffer and live to see another day.

he flinches just a little, feeling your soft hand rubbing his bicep. "it's okay, my love," you softly coo at him, reaching up to wipe a tear from his eye before it had a chance to drip down his cheek. "she's going to grow up feeling loved and cherished because she's got a great father."

"hmm..."

a smile crosses his features as he looks back down, looking at the squirming baby so makes a little noise before calming down when he strokes her little, chubby cheek again to keep her from crying again.

"and she's got a great mother. she'll be the most wonderful princess in all of history," he says with a toothy grin, chest rumbling with a laugh.

"aww, my love, that's so sweet..."

"seriously, though, how in hells did you squeeze this thing out of ya? thing's got the head of a watermelon."

"sukuna, give me back my baby, and chiyo? get this man some food to stuff in his mouth before he says something to warrent the rage of a new mother."

all rights reserved © lxnarphase | do not repost, copy, translate, or alter my work

[fandomizedtrash]

Worthy of an Emperor

Summary: When abundantly worshipped, the Gods would send one of their own to the leaders of Rome as a thank you and reward for their loyalty. As a daughter of Jupiter, you would have never assumed that one day, your peaceful life would be altered forever, as your father sees you as the perfect gift, and bride-to-be for a certain Roman emperor.  (Emperor Geta x daughter of Jupiter!reader)

warnings: Smut, 18+, dubcon, (if you squint), Historical inaccuracies, mythological inaccuracies (come on y'all, who saw this movie for the history), arranged marriage. 

Word count: 2.2k

REQUESTS OPEN

I have not written a fanfic in a very VERY long time so I might be a little rusty. Nonetheless, enjoy!

As a demi-god, your life was more lavish than most young women. Your mother, the daughter of a senator, was seduced by the God many years ago resulting in your conception. And since your birth, a life at court and amongst the most powerful families and men in Rome has been your world. 

Ever since you came of age, nearly every man you passed gazed in your direction. Enchanted by your divinity. Not that you paid it much mind, you were preoccupied with texts, maps, scrolls, and the animals that surrounded the palace. Whatever path your future held was not one that worried you or one you particularly thought about. As long as you had your freedom, what was there to stress about? 

Which is why when your father Jupiter, king of the Gods told you that you were to marry one of the twin Emperors of Rome, you almost laughed in his face. 

“Tell me you are joking?” It was a warm spring day, Summer just on the horizon, while crouching down, you tending to your plants and flowers in the palace garden, your father shot down from the heaven’s in a bolt of lightning startling you. 

“I am afraid I am not. Although I cannot imagine why such news would upset you. Being the bride to one of the most powerful men in all of the Empire.” Your father explained, lecturing you as if you were a child.

“You don’t know Emperor Geta the way I do.” You replied grimly, focusing again at the flora in front of you.

Your contact with the infamous red haired tyrant and his brother has been limited. The few times you were in his vicinity were not particularly found moments. Most of which included the terrible Gladiator tournaments. Spectacles of senseless violence in your opinion. The Emperors would shout and scream and whatever poor souls were sent to fight to the death. The knowledge that he took enjoyment from such brutality gave you everything you needed to know about him. 

What you didn’t know however, was that during these games, the Emperor’s eyes would often wander to search for you in the crowd. It was not a particularly difficult task. You quite literally shined out amongst the mortal spectators, a sight more pleasing than the gory entertainment provided.

During one particular game, as your eyes scanned the box of senators and generals, attempting to distract yourself from the bloody battles below, your vision locked with him. He, like all men who were fortunate enough to gaze upon you, became mesmerized. Your soft skin, and graceful body made Geta dig his nails in the arms of his regal chair at his desire to have you. 

“The Emperor has built me a new temple and has been consistently leaving offerings, being my most faithly worshiper, and in return I have decided to gift him the best thing a God can offer a mortal.”

At this, you shot up from your crouched position. “I am not a present to be offered.” You declared. “I don’t care if he built you a million temples, I would never marry such a man.” Anyone would be crazy to challenge a proclamation from a God, much less the king of them all. But you weren’t just anyone. Divine blood ran through your veins, and your fate would not be bound to a man as sadistic as him. 

“You forget that you don’t have a say in this matter. I can think of worse lives than one as the empress of Rome.” 

“Please.” Your anger had turned to desperation. “I am sure there are other ways to bless and reward Emperor Geta.” 

Your father slowly started walking towards you as he spoke. “I have already promised the Emperor that you are to be his. And I am not one to turn back on an oath.” 

You have never experienced such anger. Promising such a thing before even consulting with you. But a promise from God was as good as done. 

“You need not fret about Geta. He wouldn’t dare hurt a daughter of Jupiter.” You scoffed. Of course your safety was in good hands, but that meant nothing for your happiness. 

“I do hope your sentiment changes. I heard that the wedding is to be the grandest Rome has ever seen.” Another woman would have been bouncing up and down from glee. What you would give to trade places with her. 

“You are to be formally presented to the Emperor tonight. Do make a good impression.” It was the last words your father spoke before a flash of lightning whisked him away to the heavens, leaving you and your racing thoughts alone. 

***

You were escorted by your mother to the main hall where your husband-to-be stood there waiting. Upon hearing the news of your engagement, one might have thought it would be her to marry the emperor. 

“To think that my own girl will soon be the empress of Rome.” She pressed her hand to her heart at the sentiment. “Gods know you were meant for such a life.” 

Your heart was pounding as you made your way to the thrones. Eyes fighting back tears as your destiny awaits you. 

“Emperors.” Your mother began, ���may I present my daughter, y/n.” She practically shoved you in front of her, placing you front and center before the twin tyrants. 

“Imperators.” You bowed your head softly at a feeble attempt to humble yourself. 

Geta immediately shot up from his seat to approach you. Eager to get his hands on his eventual wife. 

Taking several paces forward, you and the emperor’s face stood mere inches away from yours as his eyes scanned your face and body, relishing the sight in front of him. 

“Oh yes, she will do quite nicely.” He uttered, sending a nervous chill up your spine. “Your father spoke far too little of how beautiful you are. But there are not enough offerings in the world to thank Jupiter for such a bride. I certainly look forward to having you by my side y/n.” His brown eyes left one more piercing gaze into yours before turning away with the rest of his advisors and senators. 

You let your eyes close as you took a deep breath trying to calm your nerves. 

He wouldn’t dare hurt me. You reminded yourself. You are a daughter of Jupiter, you are part God, there is no future that awaits you that you cannot handle.

***

Everything happened so fast. Within two days, your once peaceful life had turned to non stop preparations for the upcoming nuptials. 

Even you had to admit, the dress given to you was lovely. Chosen by Geta himself, the handmaiden proclaimed as she adorned you in luxurious fabrics and gold. 

You hardly recognized your reflection staring back at you in the mirror. Despite you heritage, you never felt particularly better or more deserving than any other young Roman women. Or your life would be anything too out of the ordinary for a high born.

Looking back now, what a fool you have been. Your whole life, you have been a pawn in-waiting for the fastest man who had the resources to claim a divine bride. And who other than one of the emperors himself. 

The next thing you knew, vows were spoken, music was playing, and every person around you was smiling and laughing, drunk off the finest wines in the Empire. 

“You have hardly touched your food empress.” Geta spoke, drawing attention to the final word of his sentence. 

“I am not a hungry imperator.” You responded, voice sounding as neutral as possible. 

“We are married now, love. Geta will suffice.” 

Unexpectedly. He placed his ringed hand on top of yours. “I do hope that your mother prepared you well for what to expect as a new wife.”

You shuddered as your muscles clenched. Of course you knew, your mother, along with the other ladies at court well explained to you what happens on a wedding night. But with the unexpectedness of it all and the hectic planning, the thought barely crossed your mind. 

Turning to face him finally, you managed to croak out a response. “I am aware.”  

“Splendid.” Geta squeezed your hand fervently. “I hope you know how lucky I am to have you as a bride.” 

“Why me?” You blurted out. It was impossible to keep the question inside of you. “You could have had anyone. Someone to strengthen the growth of the Empire. Just because of my blood does not mean I will serve any use to you or Rome.” Your new husband smirked arrogantly. 

“Our soldiers and generals are stronger than you think. I didn’t marry you for the sake of the Empire. We are already unstoppable. The second I laid my eyes on you in the Colosseum I knew I had to have you. Why do you think I built that damn temple in the first place? For fun?” Your breath got caught in your throat. 

“Caracalla is throwing a fit at the fact that I get to have a divine bride.” He laughed, clearly amused with himself. 

“To think that you are now all mine.” Before you knew it, he smashed his warm lips onto yours in a feaverent kiss.  

“Enjoy the festivities my love.” He broke off the contact suddenly leaving you gasping in shock before turning to you one last time. “I promise what awaits you tonight will be even better.” 

***

It was a warm night, but that did nothing to stop your chills. The party was still in full swing in the halls of the palace, but Geta was growing impatient to have you all to himself, alone. 

You looked out the window and onto the streets. What you would give to be just an ordinary girl, but ordinary was never meant for you. 

“Come here my love.” Geta grabbed your hand and made you face towards him. Like before, he pulled you in for another kiss, this one deeper, more intense, more needy. 

As the kiss continued, Geta started to slowly strip away your clothes. His hands tugged at the ropes holding up your gown and it fell to your feet, leaving you completely exposed.

Once naked, he placed his hand on the back of your neck, lightly squeezing it. “All mine.” His gaze continued to relish the sight of you.  

“Please.” You began. What you were pleading for, you didn’t know, but from what you have seen of the emperor, it was anyone’s guess what he was capable of. 

“Don’t worry, empress, I will be gentle.” guiding you towards the bed, you laid down on the soft mattress, eyes shut so tight you felt they might never open. Perhaps you would be able to find some pleasure in this. From the few whispers you were able to snatch, the ladies of the palace spoke of great satisfaction and delight of their intimate moments with lovers and husbands. While the conditions are not to your liking, maybe there is something to be enjoyed. 

At the foot of the bed, you could hear Geta’s heavy fabrics drop to the ground. A second later, he started climbing on top of you. 

“There is no need to worry.” He whispered in your ear. “You are half god after all, I have every intention of treating you as such.” 

His hands made their way down as his thumb started rubbing your clit gently. 

A moan escaped your lips at the sensation. For the first time this night, your body started to relax, taking in the pleasurable sensation as your new husband had his way with you. 

He soon stopped and his fingers traveled lower, towards your entrance as he slid a finger in and out tortuously. 

“Wet already are we?” His question needed no response. Geta was clearly amused at his once reluctant bride now softly moaning right under him. 

Once you finally felt adjusted, he slid a second finger in without warning, stretching you out even more as his pace continued while sounds of pleasure left your mouth. It felt like an eternity when he finally stopped.

“I’ve waited long enough to have you, I believe my patience has finally run out."

You dared to open your eyes and swallowed at the sight of his erect manhood, not knowing if your body was capable of consuming such a thing. 

Before you had any time to prepare yourself, Geta already started making his way inside of you. 

In one excruciatingly slow motion, the flaming haired emperor stretched you out to the limit as you arched your back. 

Your eyes clenched shut again, trying to adjust to his size. His thrusts were slow, but the pain slowly faded away, replaced by a building pressuring in your sensitive area. 

The thrusts started to pick up pace as you let out another groan. Soon, you felt his fingers touch your chin and lift it upwards.

“Look at me y/n.” He pleaded.

Your eyelids softened, but you did not fully open them, still unwilling to look at Geta in the eyes. 

“Please.” His voice now desperate. Gone was the sadistic emperor you once knew. 

At that, you finally opened your eyes and stared into his dark orbs. His movements became more wild, and the building pressure inside of you reached its climax as you released a sob of relief. 

Geta followed soon after, collapsing on top of you as warm fluids filled your insides. 

You painted, trying to come down from the incredible high you just experienced. 

“I know you don’t love me.” Your husband said, voice a bit dry upon finishing the consummation. “But maybe one day you will.”

[musingsofahufflepuff]

Bloody Lips and Bruised Egos

Mattheo Riddle x Theodore Nott; fluff/angst

summary: when Mattheo gets in another fight, his best friend takes it upon himself to patch him up. Theodore is just his best friend…right?

a/n: when i tell you i’m a feral, rabid animal for this ship, that doesn’t even begin to cover it. yes, there will be more. god i love gay panic

Mattheo hisses as the antiseptic hits his wound with just a bit too much force. The movements are clumsy and unpracticed but he grits his teeth through it anyway. In front of him with his eyebrows furrowed is Theo, intense blue eyes staring down one of the many cuts on his face. Theodore lets out a frustrated string of expletives in Italian, or at least, what Mattheo thinks are expletives. He’s not entirely sure. But what he is sure, Theo has clearly never played nurse before.

“Theo—”

“Merda! I’ve got it Matt.”

He continues to grumble under his breath as he tries to fix the blood he managed to smear across Mattheo’s face worse than the fight had.

“Hold still!”

“I am!”

But instead of being frustrated like he probably should have been, Mattheo was trying not to laugh at how seriously Theo was taking this. If anything, it was kind of cute?

“Teddy—”

“So help me God, Mattheo.”

“What! I didn’t say anything! Your bedside manner is atrocious, Theo. Have you never cleaned a couple cuts before?”

Theodore’s hand stops its movements, eyes flicking up to meet his from where they were focused on his cheek. Mattheo holds his breath as they stare each other down. Because damn it, no one can intimidate him like his—Theo can. Mattheo breaks the staring match as he shakes his mental slip of the tongue away, praying his cheeks aren’t on fire.

“This time is different,” Theo’s voice cuts through the tense silence, pulling Mattheo from his thoughts. He shoots him a questioning look, not even needing to ask how?

“It’s you, dumbass.” There’s his answer but it just leaves Matt more confused. Theo must have picked up on the slight tilt of his head, curls shifting on his forehead, because the taller boy sighs. “Maledetto idiota. I worry about you,” it’s punctuated with a flick to Mattheo’s forehead, making him blink and pull his head back in surprise. “Oh.”

Then like it never happened, Theo is back to cleaning his wounds, gentler this time. The touch is almost feather-light, like he’s scared of hurting Mattheo further. Theo works in silence until Mattheo speaks up again; his tone dropped down, no longer making an attempt at banter. Vulnerable.

“You didn’t have to do this y’know. I could’ve done it myself… or gone to Pomfrey.” His gaze is locked on his lap, head still tilted up for Theo to do his thing. There’s a few more beats of quiet and Mattheo doesn’t even have to look up to know Theo’s trying to figure out what he wants to say.

“You got these because of me. I should be the one cleaning you up.” There it is.

Brown eyes flick up to meet blue ones, so much passing between them without a word. “You didn’t make me deck that bastard in the face.”

Theo dodges the reassurance with a shrug. He traces over the worst of the gashes with his thumb, uncharacteristically soft. “I don’t think they’ll scar.”

Mattheo hums in response as he tries to push past the gushy-feely bullshit with some banter, “that’s good, wouldn’t want my face to get any uglier.”

Theo’s brows furrow again. “What are we doing Matt?”

Mattheo’s mouth goes dry, caught off guard by the question, “wha—what do you mean?”

“Are you just playing dumb? You know what I mean.” And damn it, Mattheo does know. The lingering glances, the sitting ever so slightly too close for two people that claim to hate physical contact, the late nights smoking together and talking about everything. Mattheo is intimately familiar with what Theodore is referring to. But he’d rather take another fist to the face than admit it out loud. And maybe part of him hoped his best mate felt the same and they’d never have to have this conversation.

But a quiet voice in the back of his head, the one he tries to shove away every single time it comes up, is glad Theo’s the one to say something. That maybe something can change and Mattheo can finally do the things he’s wanted to do. The things he’s longed for in the privacy of his four poster with the curtains drawn in the middle of the night. The things he’s yearned for since his stupid, stupid heart went and fell for the one person he couldn’t have. But instead of giving in, his walls come back up and he’s sliding off the edge of Theo’s bed.

“No, I’m not playing dumb, jackass. And next time, just let me handle the clean up. It’s not like I’m dying.”

Theo’s soft expression instantaneously evaporates, making Mattheo regret ever opening his stupid mouth. Hell, he wishes Theo would look mad, pissed, hit him, anything other than the cold, dead eyes he’s getting now. And he wants to apologize, he really does. But pride? ego? cowardice? holds him back.

So he does what he always does when it comes to Theo and this stupid little dance they’ve been doing all term. He runs away. And fuck, he really does feel like a coward. But he can’t—can’t what exactly? He’s not entirely sure.

Before he can make it to the door, Theo’s barking his name. “Mattheo! Wait.” And he’s barely given a moment to react.

Theo grabs him by the collar of his shirt and yanks him close. As their chests bump together, Mattheo’s eyes widen, heart thundering in his chest. The grip on his shirt slowly relaxes and is shifted to the back of his neck. Mattheo braces for a punch.

But instead he gets lips lightly pressing against his. And fuck he thinks his heart might stop. He’s experienced kisses before, heated make out sessions in broom closets and sloppy drunken ones at parties but nothing like this. This is gentle and tender and sweet in a way no one else has ever been with him. And he damn near melts.

His hands automatically come up to cup Theo’s face, a hint of scruff under his fingertips. Mattheo’s seen Theo kiss people before; passionate, like he’s trying to devour them whole, but this is different. He could have never anticipated Theo’s lips to be so soft, the movement like he’s scared Mattheo might break apart without warning. Maybe he will.

Before he can quite get addicted to this feeling—this sinful, heavenly feeling—Theodore’s pulling away. And it takes everything in Mattheo to not chase after his lips. Instead they stare at each other for a moment, breathing a little heavy and cheeks lightly flushed. Then Theo’s running a hand through his hair with a murmured curse under his breath and leaving the dorm. Taking Mattheo’s heart with him.

[ghostbustting]

hihi, i love your writings! can i get a 80 slash fic where it's around halloween time and the reader was force to attend a party with her friends. Slash notices reader and how hot her costume is. ( a bit modest version of the playboy bunny outfit ) Slash is cocky but the reader doesn't know who the hell he is but after a few drinks...they are upstairs doing the devils tango. 😈

Idk why this took me so long yet so effortless, but october seems to be the perfect month to post it 🙌

♯ ; “𝑩𝑬𝑯𝑰𝑵𝑫 𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑩𝑼𝑵𝑵𝒀„ ༘⋆

Saul "Slash” Hudson x Fem!Reader.

Contains SMUT ; p in v, squirting, dirty talk (?),

oral (f receiving).

The smell of booze and sweats fill my senses, I guess you can already imagine how terrible it is. I can't even remember when did I ever agree to step a single toe into this god awfully packed Halloween party? At this point, I'd rather go trick or treat instead around the neighborhood and receive some sweets by the end of the night.

The whole night I made it my quest to try and stick close to my friends, following them, a similar sight to how dogs would follow their owners around. It was never my desire to attend this party anyways, wasn't quite of a party person at the first place, let alone a Halloween party where I have to dress up in costumes and shit. Yet my friends were quite hard to resist, forcing me to come with them to this party.

So here I am, standing at the corner of this unknown loaded house in my terrible attempt of a Playboy Bunny costume, buying my costume from the nearest store available just a day before the party, despite the cheap fabric making it look like I only put on a black swimsuit and a bunny ears bandana. It was quite revealing, I could feel eyes on me as I walk around, but who the fuck cares?

My friends were long gone from my sight, last thing I seen from them was when they were dirty dancing around some dudes. Unfortunately, I was no fan of that activity, leaving me to just stand in the corner of the party like an absolute outcast. I didn't mind. I had my cup of drink and that was enough to keep me occupied till my friends are ready to take me back home.

News flash, they never did take me home.

In fact, I have completely lose sights of every single one of them. Those little fuckers dragged me here and literally left me to rot between all of these party animals when I could've had a movie night back in my place. What a waste of a Halloween night. Isn't it?

I crush up the empty red plastic cup in my grasp and swiftly threw it away into the trash can, which everyone seems to be oblivious of, judging from all the empty plastic cups laying around on the floor, ready to cause someone to trip and fall.

However, the still fueled up plastic cups set on the table have managed to catch my attention yet again as I find myself making my way back to that table and seeking another cup of drink, which makes this my... third drink..?

My mind shrugs off the forgotten count of drinks as I spot one particular cup with more liquid filled inside besides the other cups. A grin on my lips, my arm stretches and my hand reached out for the cup.

Only to be met by another hand.

A big calloused hand that belonged to a man I couldn't place who or where I would recognize him from.

My eyes trailed from his hand that was lightly touching my own, up to his face, which was mostly covered by those voluminous curls of his hair, a hat sitting perfectly still on top of those curls. Behind those curls, were eyes that peeks through his own strands of hair with a gaze that met mine almost instantly. Almost as if he was inspecting me just like the way I seem like I was inspecting him.

"This cup's taken, sweetheart." He spoke to me, his voice causing a rather odd and unfamiliar tingling feeling in my stomach.

Only then did I realize how warm the feeling of his skin was against my cold one, his voice able to mute out the loud rock music that has been blaring through the speakers all evening as he say, “Or should I say.. Bunny.” This time, he ends his words with a chuckle, eyes trailing up and down my costume.

I raise my eyebrow at him and reluctantly let go of the cup from my hand, “Whatever.” I muttered before taking a different cup displayed on the table, yet somehow still feeling the gaze of those eyes that belonged to him on the side of my head, gaze so strong that he was practically burning a hole right through me. Just as I turn to him again with a sip of the drink, it was proven that he was indeed still gazing over me.

A sigh left my lips from the liquid that cleared my throat, my hip carefully leaning against the table while I listen as words seem to leave him yet again, “No company, Miss Bunny?” He ask, his hand reaching up to deliver the cup to his lip, I watch his adam’s apple bob as he swallow the liquid.

”My friends are here, but they… well, they found other companies.” I shrugged.

I hear him click his tongue and shake his head, “And let you isolate yourself over there in the corner? Sounds like a bunch of fakers to me.” He scoffed, a small smirk playing devilishly on those lips he owned on his face.

”No, no..” I shake my head with a small chuckle, “I didn’t want to attend this party at first anyways, so—”

”Well, why the fucking hell not?!” He threw his arms up, the liquid spilling from his red cup just a little, “With a costume as sexy as this, I surely thought you’d be much more of a party animal.” WIth each words he spoke, I can feel more and more the way his gaze seems to caress the skin of my body up and down. It was rather odd… it made me feel a certain feeling in my heart that made it beat faster, my thighs clenching just a little. Or was it just the effect of the drink? I couldn’t even figure it out before he spoke yet again.

A step was taken from his shoe, his body moving closer to my own, “How ‘bout I show you the real fun of the party? Some talking, dancing, more drinking maybe?” The mysterious man suggested, that same smirk on his face, “I’ll keep it appropriate. I promise, Miss Bunny.” He spoke almost in a teasing way that I was quite confident this night wouldn’t end up in such an appropriate ending anyways.

”Fine then, rockstar looking guy.”

The moment I let my decission slip out, the moment names were shared, and the moment my third drink became my fifth, time seems to fly in a way that is quicker than ever. Each joy of a party that the guy— Slash showed me became a comfort I found building up in me around him. My still somewhat sober part of a brain tried desperately to comprehend whether this feeling is caused by the alcohol in my system or just purely by the fact this man is so mesmerizing. Perhaps even both of those.

The more information I learn about him, the more I feel a magnetic sort of pull towards him, I just hope my pupils aren’t heart-shaped at this very moment. As time passes by, it feels as if I’ve known him for decades and decades already, in knowledge of small details of his very own life. HIs famous band, Guns ‘N Roses, his love for snakes, his guitar skills.. Can he be any more interesting?

Touches were shared here and there, especially when we joined the people dancing around to the music. His large warm palm on my waist was a touch that have been spiritually tattoed onto my skin, a touch to think back every now and then about the strange and mysterious— yet charming stranger I met at the Halloween party.

I mean, honestly, I didn’t know how it all ended up this way.

However, my half sober guess was a 100% correct guess as the first moment we were just dancing and drinking innocently, the second moment we were in some random bedroom, the third moment.. I'm on top of his body, stradling his naked lap as I bounce up and down his large cock, moans pulled out of my lips like a dirty prayer. His hands were yet again placed on both of my waist as he help me bounce up and down, the tip of his cock that was already slick from my saliva moving smoothly in and out of my hole.

”Oh god, yes!”

I gasped, my head thrown back as dirty moans cannot stop pouring from my lips which were smiling widely from ecstasy. Looking down, my eyes lands on the ripped stockings I wore and the way his cock slipped in and out of my dripping cunt, not to mention the way one of his hands have moved to use his thumb on my clit, rubbing harsh circles.

The bastard was smirking back up at me, small grunts leaving his lips as he buck his hips up to me every here and there, “Shit— How are you so fucking tight?” He chuckled breathlessly through his grunts, the circles he rubbed over my clit became more urgent while his hold on my waist tightens to the point it might leave a mark.

My mind was clouded, I couldn't think of another thing other than how good his cock filled me up, fitting just perfectly inside of me as if his cock was made specially for my cunt.

Eventually, my body fell ontop of him as my body became weak, limp with his cock still burried deep inside of me. Slash didn't let that stop his fun though as he suddenly flipped our position, positioning me on my stomach on the bed while he took his position behind me, hand on my hip and the other on his member.

"Gonna fuck this pussy so hard.." He grunted as he finally pushed his head through my folds, pushing a lewd moan out of my throat, "You like that, mm? Such a good bunny, aren't you?" He laughed, his hand coming down to smack across my ass.

The sting that lingered on from his palm caused me to gasp loudly, eyes rolled to the back of my head till they were shut tight with my face pressed into the pillow, "Fuck! Please.." I cried out as he thrusted in and out of me with a pace of no mercy, no resistance, hips snapping back and forth as sounds of skins slapping fills the room.

His arms slowly trail to wrap around my stomach, as if they were snakes lurking around me and ready to feast on me. I feel him placing his weight on me, chest on my back while he press his lips onto my ear, "Gonna fuck you dumb. Now you can be a real fucking rabbit."

Those were the last things I managed to hear before I feel him thrusting in and out of me again. Hard. And fast. I could hardly utter out a letter as my words were taken away by each pump. He was fucking me like rabbits would, humping like rabbits do. It was rough. It was dirty. And I loved every single second of it.

I can feel the veiny skin of his cock dragged in and out of my walls, the tip hitting every single spot that made the pressure bunch up even more in my stomach which only increased when he tightened his arms around it. Nasty moans left my lips, so loud that it eventually turned to lewd screams, eyes rolled to the back of my head.

"S-shit!" I gasped, "More, more.." My words came out in a desperate pant of lust, my ass trying to grind back against him.

Yet another breathless laugh escaped him, "Dirty slut.." He spat, one of his hands trailing up to slip two digits of his fingers past my lips, to which I instantly sucked on like— as he worded, an asbolute dirty slut. Humming around his digit and swirling my tongue around them, I feel him twitching right inside me.

Yet somehow, he never ever changed his pace, staying determined on that rough and deadly pace that made me feel like I'm on cloud nine.

I pull my face away from his fingers as I gasped out, "Close.. I'm so close.." My hand flew to his arm as I hold it tightly, needing something to hold on before I could pass out right on his devil of a cock. "Please.. finish me.." As much as I hate hearing myself and admitting it, I sounded the whiniest I've ever been, underneath him, begging him to give me the best orgasm I ever had.

"You're fucking crazy if you think I wouldn't.." He grunted, fingers digging into the soft skin of my waist as he finally starts slowing his pace, obviously just as close as I was, at the same time he reached down to my sensitive clit, rubbing those same harsh circles he did earlier.

It didn't take long enough before I let out the loudest moan I did tonight right as the fluids of my cum came squirting out of my cunt, "Oh fuck! Fuck!" I gasped, never once experiencing an orgasm like this. Eventually, I feel his own thick cream filling me up till I'm full of him, his voice groaning right in my eyes, something I wish I could listen to every sinful night I went through.

As soon as we finished, Slash pulled out of me and pulled my hips up so my ass was in the air. Being in my fucked up stance, I didn't know what was going to happen till I feel his warm tongue lapping our mixed cum that was oozing out of my folds, eating it out like he was starving man.

My throat was way too tired to even be loud anymore, only letting out a quiet and strangled moan as he finished, hopping onto the spot on the bed right next to me, a wide devilish smirk already on his glistening lips that was soon attatched to mine, my tongue tasting both of us with a grin building in my own face.

I feel him reach for my bunny ears and took it off me. Only when we pull apart that I noticed he have put the bunny ears on himself and place his own hat on my head.

"You look stupid."

He laughed at my statement while one of his thumbs ran over my ruined and smudged make up. "You still look sexy, bunny."

Well damn it, I guess I love Halloween.

[minhosimthings]

Saturday Adventures

Synopsis: Saturday meant your daily lattes with a foam bear drawn on top. What you didn't expect was your cafe boy crush to fuck the mind out of you on that Saturday.

Pairings: Sunghoon × fem!reader, includes Jay from Enhypen (not in the smut part)

Warnings: SMUT MINORS DNI 18+, fingering, brief sex against the wall, overstimulation, swearing, fluff at the beginning, mention of food, Sunghoon calls reader 'princess', 'pretty girl' and 'darling', p inside v, size kink, protected sex

A/N: let me give you the briefing in brief, Mona brain go brr, Mona decided to write

When Sunghoon signed up on his brother's offer to volunteer at the family cafe, he had never expected to meet the person he'd be calling his, for the rest of his life.

"Park Sunghoon are you paying attention?" Jay waved his hands in front of Sunghoon, gripping a coffee cup very tightly is his hands as younger brother stared off into the distance, milk in his hand. "Yes I am for god's sake." Sunghoon sighed, "Your voice is like drilling machines in my head Jongsoeng."

Jay rolled his eyes and stared out to where Sunghoon's eyes were set. "You're waiting for her aren't you?" A mere question escaped from Jay's lips, which seemed to sadden Sunghoon even more.

"She usually comes by this time." Sunghoon checked the watch on his wrist. His father's watch, he reminded himself, an article he was very much proud of. "Y/N isn't it?" Jay questioned again, wiping the coffee cup with a rag, "Maybe if you pay attention to me and learn how to make a foam animal, you can impress her. She does like bears on her coffee a lot."

Sunghoon groaned and averted his eyes from the door to watch Jay carefully pour the milk foam into the light brown latte, the foam spreading around the liquid like clouds swirling around a bright blue sky. It was mesmerizing to him, how his family so easily poured the foam to form beautiful figurines that the girl that usually comes by at six pm enjoys. He loved watching your beautiful face, become giddy with excitement as you took your bear-decorated coffee from him at the front counter.

"Your lover is here."

Jay's words exploded like an atom bomb inside of Sunghoon's mind, his head whipping around to the chiming of the bells. He always liked those bells. Christmas, was it, that he bought them? Or halloween?

"Hey." You smiled up at Jay at the front counter, "The usual please Jongsoeng." "You're late today." Jay smiled back at you, waving a hand to his brother at the back to start brewing up the tiny brown beans, "Sunghoon was sweating his ass off." You let out a tiny laugh at that, taking a tiny peek at the apron clad man working silently behind Jay. Broad shoulders, beautiful curls of hair, perhaps the most amazing arms you've ever had the pleasure to witness, and a solemn face working with his hands frantically checking the machine in front of him, if he was hell's incarnate, it mattered not for you.

"Tell him I'm staying over a bit late tonight. Got some work to finish." You said, as Jay handed you your bill, "Gotta work late." "That's great." Jay winked at you, "He's the one who works the night shifts before shutting the cafe." He shoots you a small grin with all of his teeth on display, "Have fun."

Sunghoon's eyes and mind couldn't process anything as he watched you type away on your laptop, brows furrowed, coffee cup empty. The soft lighting from the cafe's lights illuminated your face well, frustration evidently wrapping your face into its cocoon.

Jay had left earlier that he usually does and now, at ten pm, Sunghoon had nothing to do except stare at you, and attempt to make a bear on a latte. Practice made a man perfect, but for Sunghoon, it just made him tired.

One drop, then two, then another and the bear formed at last! Sunghoon stared at it in disbelief, it was perfect. Now, the task was just to carry it over to you, and give it to you with a solemn expression that did not scream 'i am infatuated with you, even when you are a complete stranger'.

"Miss?" Sunghoon tapped your table with uncertainty, "Your refill." He set his tray down on the table, where the coffee cup stood with perfect stillness, the tiny foam bear springing with delight. Your eyes flickered to Sunghoon's for a moment, before settling on the bear.

"You made a bear." You stated simply, talking the warm cup into your hands, "And please, call me Y/N."

"Y/N." Sunghoon repeated, the name falling off of his lips like an ill forgotten melody, "I'll leave you to your bears." The smile that escaped your lips at his joke, looked like heaven to him.

"Are you single"

Unfortunately the human mind sometimes randomly blurts out whatever it wants, when it is in closed proximity. And your mind did exactly that.

Sunghoon's eyes widened at you, his brows reaching the top of his silver hair. His fingers fumbled with the tray in his hands, as he stared into your soul. "Y-yeah." He spoke, stepping closer to your table, slipping into the seat opposite you.

"Damn im single too." You awkwardly laughed, "We have so much in common." Flirting was never much of your forte, and it evidently showed as Sunghoon's ears (and yours) turned bright red.

"Oh what a coincidence!" Sunghoon said, in an awfully cheery tone. A minute passed as you both of you looked at each other with solemn faces before bursting out laughing.

"I am literally so sorry." You said in between fits of laughter, looking over at Sunghoon's eyes, which were crinkled to form crescent moons, which, in your humblest opinion shone brighter.

"It's alright." Sunghoon said, before glancing out the glass door, "It's getting late, you should get home." You checked your watch. Eleven pm. It indeed was getting late.

"Oh yeah." You quickly shoved your laptop into your bag, before looking down at the undrunk bear latte. "What about this little guy?" You picked up the cup, carefully handling it. Sunghoon smiled at you gently and led you over to the counter, ignoring your protests of paying for it to be packed up. "I'm not letting a pretty girl like you pay for that." He smiled, handing you the cup, "Plus its Saturday we have a nonexistent policy of not letting women pay on Saturday after ten pm."

God his lips.

"I'll take your word for it then." You laughed, "Don't blame me if Jay scold you tomorrow though." Sunghoon scoffed and stepped closer. "He's not at tough as he looks, darling. Trust me, I'm the more rough one."

Darling leapt out of his mouth like a beautiful chord struck on a Grandstien piano. His hair fell perfectly on his face, illuminating all the correct spots, like a painting.

"Can I kiss you?"

You had been taught in your psychology class that the human mind often knows when to shut up, bar a few exceptions. You had never known such exceptions before, until now, when you realised that you were the exception.

Sunghoon's hand travelled to his neck, scratching it awkwardly before looking at you with snake eyes. "Why not?" He chuckled lowly, "Who am I to refuse a pretty girl's kiss?"

His lips were surprisingly soft, an ice cream touch to your lips. It was a sort of cold comfort, one you enjoyed thoroughly, as Sunghoon's hands ghosted over your waist. Although you tried to ignore the sticky feeling between your thighs, you couldn't help but let out an unholy noise into his lips, as his fingers gripped your waist so hard.

"Fuck Sunghoon." You gasped, as the bulge in his pants pressed tightly against your pussy.

“Sunghoon,” you brokenly whisper, your voice would be bordering on whiny with all the neediness that comes with it, “please, I need you.” The pleading look you give him is vulnerable, if not desperate.

Sunghoon had you pressed against the wall the minute your voice left your throat, peppering kisses down your neck, you waist being held hostage by his hands. You didn’t try to stop him.

“Such a good slut for me, aren't you princess?” He moved his hand to run between your soaking folds. You bit your lip at the feeling, feeling his fingers graze your clit before dipping to rest against your entrance. He tapped it twice before pulling away completely, moaning at the loss you turned to face him. Unbeknownst to you, Sunghoon had moved his head so that when you turned, his lips would brush against yours. You whimpered at the feeling and pushed your lips against his. Allowing him to take the control, he deepened the kiss- stroking your mouth with his tongue. You could feel him trying to pull away and whimpered before trying to keep the kiss going, he laughed again at your neediness. “Now, now princess, you don’t want me to fuck you against this door, do you?”

"This is a cafe, Hoon." You let out a breathless sentence, "Where are you gonna find a bed?" Sunghoon chuckled into your face, his hot breath hitting your neck, before easily lifting you up. "There's a room at the back darling, let me fuck you properly like you deserve."

Sunghoon's kisses were devastatingly sweet, as he laid you gently on the bed, quickly slipping on a condom from his bedside table, not before asking you for permission if he could fuck you or not.

This tenderness didn’t last long though, the gentleness quickly transforming feverish and greedy, moans vibrating from both your chests and your bodies suddenly burning. When you both pull away, you feel his fingers slip under the straps of your tanktop and slide them off your shoulders. “Get this off,” he demands breathlessly, and you comply , stripping for him hastily.

“You’re beautiful,” he breathes, and you whimper at his words, clit throbbing at the thought of being fucked by a man you've only admired from afar.

He presses his hand against the plush of your inner thigh and spreads your legs, using his other hand to pump his cock with languid strokes.

You mewl feeling him drag the tip of his fat cock in between your folds, mushing it and teasing it against your clit sending pleasure coursing througch your body and making you throw your head back with a whimper.

feverishly, he runs his length over your slick folds, grunting as you rocked your hips to meet his touch. After a few intense minutes, with desperate teasing and soft moans slipping from your glossy lips, you squeeze your eyes shut, feeling your orgasm building rapidly. suddenly, he pulls away, making you to whimper at the sudden loss of friction. But before you can protest, he silences you with a brief kiss.

“‘M gonna put it in, okay?” he murmurs hotly, lining up the tip of his cock against your hole before gently pressing the aching tip inside.

Your mouth hangs into an ‘o’ shape, eyes pinched shut as he slowly sinks his cock into your core. You squirm and whimper as you tread the line between pain and pleasure, walls fluttering as his hips press against the back of your thighs. the feeling of being filled fully by Sunghoon sends you into a daze everytime, and he’s so deep inside you can almost feel him in your throat.

“g-god, you’re so big,” you whimper, face flushed as your body adjusts to his huge size. The initial stretch burned, but he slid into you smoothly, his cock slipping through your folds with ease. He felt you clamp down on him, his head thrown back as far as it could go, thick neck exposed to you. you bit down on his shoulder, where it met the base of his throat, trying to mask the gasp of pleasure that sent your eyes rolling back in your head. he grunted at the sensation, enjoying the sting. Sunghoon sucks in air between his gritted teeth sharply as your tight walls clamp down on him, engulfing him in your warmth and sucking him in. While he gives you a second to adjust, he slides his hands under the backs of your thighs, feeling your cold skin hit his warm one.

“oh, baby. you want me so badly, don’t you? should’ve asked me sooner. m’gonna make you feel so good.” his hands were on your hips, guiding you backwards and forwards on him.

“You’re so fucking good.” Sunghoon groaned, an edge of excitement in his voice.

Sunghoon was a delicious weight on top of you, the drag of his hips slow, meeting yours hard. the pressure made you lightheaded, his body moving against yours like the thick drip of honey, smooth and sweet. you couldn’t make sense of it, of how fucking good he felt, grinding deeper and deeper into you like he’d found buried treasure. the overstimulation had your third orgasm building nice and quick, waves of pleasure making you dizzy.

“you like it like this?” Yes you did. “don’t think i can go without this now, you know that? Such a good fucking girl.” You couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think, just let his words wash over you. “so beautiful, taking me so well.”

“Are you gonna come for me? one more time, baby. need to feel that perfect fucking pussy.” well, His wish was your command, because then you were gushing. The one thing you could feel was him, none of your other senses worked, you couldn’t see past the tears that fell, couldn’t get any words past your lips. Maybe you screamed, you weren’t exactly sure.

"Fucking hell." Sunghoon groaned, falling next to you on the bed. The room came to light properly to you now, and you noticed all the Sunghoons staring at you from the shelves.

"Hoonie?"

"Yes princess?"

"Did you just fuck me in your childhood bedroom?"

Sunghoon chuckled and turned to look at you, his hair slightly parted, and his lips wet. "Nah." He pulled himself closer to you, "This is just a room Jay and I like to call our den. You know, for keeping old childhood stuff and I figured, since this was the only place here where there's a bed, it would be a... much better place to fuck you than the floor. But I do admit-" he shuddered, "looking at my brother's old pictures staring at us is very creepy."

You giggled into his chest, as you felt sleep hit your mind. You yawned, and settled yourself comfortably into his arms, warmth enclosing you, like a fur coat or like a boy carefully drawing a bear on your coffee every Saturday.

[matchamida]

kenma’s smashing birthday

the nekoma team thinks you should really watch what you say. [a short kozume kenma x reader]

“Hey Kenma, wanna smash on your birthday?”

A horrid silence settles amongst the boys as they stop in their tracks and swerve their heads to you.

Taketora trips on his laces.

“Listen here,” Kuroo begins dryly. “Because you’re my friend, and I know how your brain works, I understand what you mean.”

“And what exactly could it mean?” Yaku squawks with a reddening face.

“Smash?” you clarify. “It’s a—”

“I know what smashing is!”

Kuroo throws back his head and laughs.

“Shut up! Ugh, I never thought I’d have to say that sentence out loud…”

“Sorry, what’d you say out loud?”

“I’m not falling for that. And you!” Yaku redirects his glare in your direction. “We’re in public! Think before you speak, will you? You’re attracting attention!”

Kai smiles politely. “Yaku-san. I don’t mean any disrespect, but it’s your volume that’s causing people to look at us…”

“…we need to move, now.”

“Wait, I need to tie my shoe.”

“Tora, for the love of god, you have ten seconds.”

“I’m hungry.”

“Lev, you bastard, we just had yakisoba. You had three plates. Gah, you monstrous beanstalks and your appetites.”

“I’m sorry you’re not a part of the beanstalk club,” Kuroo offers somberly. “You see, we only accept qualified members, which you’re clearly not.”

“Wouldn’t wanna be qualified when there’s an old rooster on board. With no taste in protein, I might add.”

Kuroo smiles, but his eyes don’t. “Lev, what do you feel like eating? Your options are either boring meat, or healthy, tasty, good-for-your-brain fish?”

The two impatiently wait for their favored answer.

“…since when did Nekoma have a beanstalk club?” Lev ponders.

“…Fish it is.”

Yaku sighs irritatedly. “Tora, you done?”

“Uh, not yet.”

“What—it’s been five minutes! How are you still tying your shoe?”

“S-sorry! It’s just that g-g-guh-GUHHHH-HUHHH-girl over there keeps staring at me and it’s making me nervous!”

“Are you struggling because she’s staring or is she staring because you’re struggling.”

“Both…” Yamamoto wails pitifully.

“Taketora-senpai, I’ll cover you from her eyesight!” And Lev stands very close to Yamamoto’s head to tower over his kneeling figure.

“Get away from my/his face, you idiot!” Yamamoto and Yaku shriek in mortification, prompting more people to look over.

“We’re not doing anything inappropriate,” Kai informs a staring passerby. “We’re okay,” he adds as Yaku attempts to pull Lev away, only to stumble and knock Lev onto Taketora. “Really, we’re fine,” Kai concludes as all three boys collapse like bowling pins.

Kuroo sighs haggardly, and looks over to you. “Now look at what you’ve done.”

You lay a steely gaze on the rooster enabler. “Like you weren’t a part of it.”

“Hey, I wasn’t the one who started it.”

“I just asked a question! Oh yeah, hey Kenma—”

“You’re all idiots,” Kenma finally says, emerging from the corner he vanished to earlier. “If everyone wants to treat me on my birthday, the least you all can do is behave and not act like animals.”

“I’m behaving,” you protest. “I'm doing a good job of it.”

Kenma shoots you a sour look. “Not doing a good job of being mindful. Do you ever think about what comes out of your mouth?”

“Huh? All I asked was if you wanted to smash on your birthday. We can have the team join us if you want.”

Kuroo coughs. Kenma looks ready to vanish again. In fact, you think he’s turning transparent as you speak.

“…I’m not asking too much, am I,” he mutters.

“Sooo.” You shuffle in disappointment. “No smash?”

Here, Kenma gains his full opacity back.

“YES, we can PLAY SUPER SMASH BROTHERS! Don’t be so weird about it. Besides, I’d… never say no to you…”

The bowling pins stop their squabbling and look over, understanding finally dawning on their faces.

“You couldn’t have clarified that earlier?” Yaku demands.

And here, Kenma deflates, spent from raising his voice and interacting in general. He slinks back into his corner. Kuroo inhales, and lets out another sigh like the old man he is.

“Now that that’s over with,” he says, grinning faintly, “ready for some birthday smash?”

“Always,” you say warmly.

“Do not,” Yaku warns. “Let’s get out of here already. Lev, Tora, up!”

“Um, Yaku-san.”

“Tora, what now?!”

“I need to tie my other shoe.”

[moobloom-mention]

How Hard Is It to Keep a Clone Child Out of Trouble? (Extremely Hard, Apparently)

Summary: Y'know, for only being a few weeks into coparenting Lil Petey, Petey's gotta admit that he's beginning to get the hang of it. Now if only he could get Dogman to start taking it as seriously as he is.

Content Warning(s): Swearing

Word Count: 2048

Please accept this humble sacrifice, Dogman fandom. I am eternally in your debt.

----------

Y’know, for only being a few weeks into coparenting Lil Petey, Petey’s gotta admit he’d gotten pretty damn good at knowing what the kid got up to in his free time. 

Not that it’s exactly hard to figure out, the kid is his clone after all. Anything Petey had shown interest towards in his youth was bound to be explored too by Lil Petey- so far with a lot more enthusiasm than his past self had shown. 

Though there were a few twists and adjustments to the kid's interests. Like his favorite superhero being Spiderman instead of Batman. Or his favorite animal being a dog of all creatures. 

Ha! A dog. 

His eyes roll, the familiar itch of annoyance redirecting itself toward his latest attempt to shuffle a paper bag of groceries into the crook of his right arm. He grins pointedly as the bag finally slouches into his shoulder without a single item escaping. 

With his newly freed hand he dives impatiently into his coat's pocket, pawing at the fabric for the spare house key Dogman had given him a few weeks back. 

"In emergencies," the mutt had signed, a disgustingly pleasant smile on his face. 

It'd been a... surprisingly sweet gesture. One that Petey had easily disguised his shock beneath an angry shout of "-fine!" before he'd swiped the key from Dogman's hands. "Anything to get you off my back about it." 

And it had. Dogman never mentioned the house key's existence again. Not after Petey used it in the occasional emergency. Not whenever he used it to collect Lil Petey while Dogman was out. Hell, there wasn't even a knowing grin after Petey began to use it to come-and-go as he pleased. 

For once, the mutt had nothing to say. 

Good, Petey grunts to himself. Dogman already had too many opinions for someone with such a limited range of verbal speech. 

He lets himself grin at the thought as he refocuses on rummaging for the key. It really shouldn't be this difficult of a task; he's only got two pockets and he's pretty damn sure he put the spare in the left one. 

And yet every small object he feels within his coat seems to be everything but a key. 

The crinkling wrapper of something Petey's 98% sure is gum. 

An unfolded plastic paperclip for whatever strange reason. 

That monkey wrench he'd been looking everywhere for yesterday. 

For god's sake, a crayon?  

Petey's ears flatten. How many times had he asked Lil Petey to not wear his coat during playtime? 

He drags the collection of useless crap from his pocket, eyes scouring the pile to ensure he hadn't accidentally grabbed the key in his thinning patience. When that's proven futile he dumps the junk unceremoniously into his right coat pocket and returns for another search. 

Nothing. Nothing. Yet another crayon he somehow missed the first time. Nothing. Something that feels suspiciously like a key- 

"Ha-ha!" Petey cheers as his paw fastens around the key at last. He could almost kiss it if it weren't just in the world's saddest equivalent of a junk drawer. 

He settles for a less-disgruntled expression as he continues his walk back toward Dogman's house, tail flicking in the park's light breeze. He's got better things than kissing a key to worry about. Things like- 

Uh. What was it he'd been complaining about earlier? 

The key? Couldn't be, he'd just finished that tangent a moment ago. It had something to do with his clone. 

God, like the kid didn't take up enough of his thoughts already. Seriously, how on Earth did Grace ever raise him? His clone caused enough trouble even with parenting help from Dogman, he couldn't imagine going through it without assistance. 

She must've been a whole different animal to- 

Oh-ho, that's the one! Lil Petey's favorite animal. 

Again, Petey's eyes roll. Pfft, like a dog could ever be considered better than a cat. There were too many things to complain about, like how they shed everywhere and barked up a storm at anyone undeserving of it. Not to mention their tendency to stick their noses in places it didn't belong- both physically and metaphorically. 

But whatever, bygones be bygones and that whole mumbo-jumbo. Just because the kid's got an opinion doesn't mean he's right. 

Terrible choices in "favorite animals" aside, it still doesn't take away from the fact that Lil Petey was beginning to step in Petey's much heavier footprints in more ways than one. The kid was already inventing things left and right- whether it be some contraption, comic book, or obnoxiously catchy song. 

He can only hope that he'll be able to save the kid from his past spout of "teenage angst". Petey shudders. Yeah, he'd rather put up with an underwater adventure than go through that. 

Petey shakes the thought just as he's greeted with the familiar blue-tinted wood of the doghouse's front door. He stoops just barely low enough to fit the key into its lock, gaze flickering between the suspicious tilt of his grocery bag and the door. 

One of these days he'd get around to inventing and installing a cat-sized door. Or just bug Dogman about it until it got replaced. Whichever came first- which knowing the do-good mutt, was probably the latter. 

Finally he's able to twist the door knob, shuffling the grocery bag into both hands only after he's able to wedge a paw in the doorway. His foot nudges the door fully open to reveal the bright red carpeting of the entryway with Lil Petey and Dogman- 

Huh. Y'know what, maybe it'll take a few more weeks for him to fully grasp the mischief one small Petey can cause. Because where he'd expected the kid to be drawing, tinkering with something metal, or even just entertaining Dogman in a game of fetch, this is... 

Worse. So, so much worse. 

Lil Petey sits proudly atop Dogman's back at the end of the entryway, the mutt reared up on his hind legs not unlike that of a horse. The kitten's head is practically drowning in a cowboy hat that came from god-knows-where, a sight that Petey would usually burn into his memory before feigning annoyance over. 

But for once he can't. His shoulders remain square, rigid even as the door bumps into his shoulder in its feeble attempt to close behind him. 

Wide, green eyes remain ensnared by the sickeningly familiar device that sits innocently in the paws of Lil Petey. A device with blue and pink components and a simple heart engraved deep into the barrel of a gun - 

Petey tail kinks just as a strangled cry tears itself from his throat. In a flash of orange and black stripes he flings the bag of groceries in the general direction of the kitchen, using the force of his throw to propel himself and snatch Lil Petey from Dogman's back. 

"Papa!" the kitten cheers as he's swept into Petey's arms. God, what Petey wouldn't give to be as ignorant as this kid- to smile and cheer like he hadn't just been holding a very real and dangerous weapon. 

Er- maybe "dangerous" isn't quite the right word...but it definitely isn't meant to be used in some game of "cowboy"! 

Lil Petey doesn't protest when he's set on the edge of the kitchen counter, even going as far as to giggle when Petey almost trips over the now forgotten bag of groceries. The mess doesn't matter. 

Not when his focus is on scouring the kid for something- anything that could be amiss. 

Orange paws cup Lil Petey's cheeks, turning the kitten's head from side to side. 

No love-heart eyes. No bruises or scrapes. No words of undying devotion. 

Petey drags a paw down his face, heaving out a loud breath of relief. Thank god the kid isn't traumatized. At least any more than the usual. 

He gives another glance over Lil Petey before he finally lets the familiar bite of anger sink its teeth into his veins. "Who gave you this!" Petey demands, unceremoniously dumping the Love Ray(c) into the sink basin. He doesn't even wait for the kitten to respond, instead whirling toward Dogman. 

Petey's pupils shrink. The mutt at least has enough decency to look sheepish. Not that it'll save Dogman from his pre-dug grave. 

Venom drips from his hiss. "You- " 

"80-HD did," Lil Petey pipes up. He can practically hear the smile in the kid's voice. "I asked him to find me a cowboy gun!" 

Petey's eye twitches, the target of his fury transferring seamlessly from Dogman onto the thought of 80-HD. One day he'd dismantle that robot and rebuild it with "common sense" as its main function. For now, though- "It doesn't even look like a cowboy gun," he bites out. "It's got a heart on it for crying out loud!" 

Small, orange eyebrows furrow. "Why?" 

"Because it's a Love Ray!" 

"Why?" 

"Because I needed a Love Ray at the time." 

"Why?" 

"Because it was a part of one of my many masterful plans to take over the city!" 

"Why?" 

"Kid -" 

Deep breaths. Deep breaths. This isn't something to get this angry over- 

Petey pauses. Wait, no- this is exactly the type of thing to be furious over. 

It doesn't matter that the Love Ray led to a disaster in its own right. Or that 80-HD gave the kid the device. it never should've happened because there was an adult present, watching. An adult that's easily bribed and slobbers over everything, but an adult nonetheless! 

His gaze hardens onto Dogman. It's not even as satisfying as it usually is to watch the mutt's ears droop and guilt fill those big, brown eyes. 

"You were supposed to watch the kid!" he snaps. "Is this what usually happens when I'm not here? You let him play with dangerous weapons?" 

Dogman's head shakes, his hands coming up in an attempt to sign a response. "I-" 

"Ah-at," Petey hisses. "I don't wanna hear it. Bad dog! Bad, bad dog!" 

"Wait!" Lil Petey calls, leaping from the kitchen counter. Petey almost stumbles from just how fiercely the little kitten attaches himself to his leg. "It wasn't Dogman's fault!" he protests. "He tried to take it away until I said I'd keep the safety on!" 

"Wha-? There's no safety button on that thing!" 

Dogman's guilt-filled expression suddenly dissipates, brows furrowing as he glares sternly toward Lil Petey. 

Ever the con artist, the kitten only scratches the back of his neck with a shy smile. "...oops?" 

"Morons," Petey mutters miserably. "I got a moron cop dog to watch my moron of a clone." 

Dogman barks his complaint just as Lil Petey manages an offended "Hey!" 

"I don't wanna hear it! You're grounded, kiddo." 

"But-!" 

"No 'buts'!" 

Petey pointedly ignores the soft giggle the word "but" draws from the kid, his orange tail unraveling Lil Petey from his leg and pushing him toward the stairs. 

Neither Dogman nor Petey move even once the kitten- and his giggle fit -disappear upstairs, the trouble-maker likely beginning to formulate his attempt to lessen his grounding sentence rather than heading to bed like Petey would hope. 

His ears flatten. He seriously didn’t want to physically wrangle the kid into bed tonight. More often than not it led to having Lil Petey ask to sleep with him, and at that point Dogman just had to be invited as well. 

In the corner of his eye Dogman's hand twitches. 

"Petey," Dogman signs.

"Don't," the cat interrupts, pressing a hand to his brows. "You're lucky I'm not packing a suitcase right now.” 

He smiles pleasantly as Dogman's expression turns panicked, though it quickly falls as a high-pitched whine interrupts Petey's moment of triumph. 

"Hey, I just said I'm staying! It's like you don’t even listen someTIMES-!” 

Dogman crashes into Petey in a pile of limbs, the mutt barking joyously as he licks at the fur on Petey’s arm. He grimaces. At least it isn’t his face this time. 

“Get off!” Petey snaps, shoving Dogman aside far kinder than the mutt deserves. Thankfully Dogman keeps his distance this time around. “Go put the kid to bed, I’ve got shit to do.” 

Like putting the Love Ray back in storage, he thinks. Or dealing with the groceries. 

Fuck, when did he become so domesticated?

[beatcroc]

a year!!! as of today i have now been drawing these funny little pizza freaks, to the exclusion of almost everything else, for!!! an entire year!!! i wanted to do a nice group shot/lineup of everybody to compare to when i first started trying to draw them because oh boy were they bad. i never even posted most of them anywhere because they were so bad. but im posting them here, now, to see how everything's changed/evolved.

this is probably the hardest time i've ever had trying to figure out how to work with a style, but we got there eventually; i'm pretty happy with the handle i've got on everybody now...dont let ur memes be dreams. lots of unimportant journaling and idle thoughts abt it below.

older pics

the first one is the VERY first time i drew them, before i thought i was going to actually have any interest in drawing them [lmao]; it was just the one isolated image, for my friendserver, to illustrate the funney message, so there was no attempt to make it Good or actually understand anything going on w/ the designs or style.

second is the original run of practices sketches to start trying to figure them out for real; done after i started having ideas for the comics and such and realized oh god maybe i am actually gonna draw fanart for this. [again, lol, and lmao.]

third one is the first pt art thing i posted on here. there were a couple weeks of sprite studies between this one and the previous image. the one on the top right wasn't part of that post i just threw it on as space filler; i'd intended to shift to doing Sprite Redraws But Stylized to explore tings more, but that was the only one i did. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

individual characters

peppino: by far the hardest dear god. bro what ARE your shapes how DOES your face work. jesus christ. everything i have trouble with this style for, peppino has it in excess. i draw in polygons! i need consistency! and that is the last thing this kind of style is concerned with. they are made of squarshy clay and i do not understand how to mold them. i was really hoping trying to learn this game's style would GIVE me that kind of flexibility for fun exaggerated facial expression but i don't think much came of it in the end 😔. anyway on the bright side all this means once i got peppino figured out a little bit everybody else clicked way easier.

fake peppino: honestly i never did anything with him on purpose except for how his eyes work + the perma-smile thing. i figured ok hes supposed to look weird and off model so whatever happens with him happens. and it did. and it kept happening. it is still, in fact, happening.

noise/ette: somehow, for every bit that peppino was the least natural thing i've ever tried, these two worked pretty much right off the bat. i still don't understand it, seeing as pretty much all the things at play for peppino are also at work for them. i think the new sketches are actually a little worse than older ones but not enough that i care.

gustavo: really funny bc i drew him on model twice and just went 'okay, cool nice, easy, um. he doesn't have any fucking legs?' fortunately he was the only one i had a strong idea for how to stylize him [square] and it worked exactly as i was hoping so wahoo.

brick: is an animal and therefore 5000x easier and more natural for me to draw/stylize than anything else in the cast. that is Just a rat bro. i can draw a rat.

gerome: i think the funniest one here. the most drastic and least necessary change imo. i was gonna have him be really small at first, like smaller than the noises, but then i just... didn't. he's just peppino-sized now. also i gave him like. actual human facial structure, which is funny bc in most cases i'd do anything to avoid, but it works well for his being A Rock to give him some angles and definition like that+ to differentiate his vibe from the rest of the cast who are all very squishy. also since he is essentially Just A Head it's good to emphasize that too ig.

john: i only drew john a couple times but he gets to be here because i like him. and because most of the stuff i applied to gerome was readily applicable to john, though i did try to keep him a little more uncanny because he is a Huge And Lanky Freak. i hate that he is barefoot btw but idk how to make his color balance look right with shoes.

pizzahead: i did not want to put him on here honestly but i Have drawn him a handful of times and more importantly i didn't know what i was gonna do with john's pose if i didn't have him there to be glared at. the only thing that's different with him is giving him wider-bottomed pants, which i got from when i tried to draw these guys in clone high style [i never posted that one either][i will eventually]

snick: he gets to be here because 1. he's like 6 lines 2. i like him and 3. ive scribbled him a few times offhand and it went pretty well

misc

there are some guys missing because those are guys i didn't draw enough [or at all] to have gotten comfortable with them. sorry

i would have Liked to shade these but for the time being i have accepted that my grasp of light/shadow has decayed to the point im not going to be happy with anything i try there, so For Now i am working on my presentation with flats i guess. gerome has a shadow only because he's shaded like that ingame and looks naked without it

anyway if you are still reading [hi?] i get to shamelessly plug now. i'm over the hill of my pizza run now, and while i still have plenty of things i want to make here, most of the bigger more in-depth ones have passed. pizza tower was the first thing in THREE YEARS to get me out of my oc groove to doing fanart, and once i am done with my ideas here i will be going right back to it. if you like my art or how i write characters/interactions you should check out my oc/webcomic blog @jamverse . i can't promise people who like pizza stuff will be terribly into my designs, but i can guarantee i treat my guys with the exact same sort of tone i handle the pt guys with. and hell, i've mentioned it a few times before, but like 70% of my characterization for fake pep is just copied off one of my characters, so if u are going to miss him... he will still be there in spirit >;p

and if you dont care about any of that and are still reading thank you anyway. actually making these comics + seeing how shockingly well-received they've been has done a lot for my confidence, and for seeing that my kind of stuff IS something people enjoy :')

[prettyboysdontlookatexplosions]

prev post inspired by reading brandon taylor's filthy animals, which is, like, fine i guess, which is kind of simultaneously not surprising bc i've never read a collection of allegedly well observed stories focused on the minutiae of human interaction that i actually liked and also disappointing because i like his writing in his newsletter so much lol. (and to be fair i also really liked his story "prophets" which is not in the collection.) and actually for the most part the dialogue feels more or less human which stood out to me because of how much i fuckin hated severance (novel, not currently buzzy apple TV show i have also complained about lmao). but then you get an exchange like this:

"I do like him," Sophie said after a moment, and it startled Charles.

"How? You don't know him. I don't know him."

"There's something good and wounded about him. Like you."

and it just instantly pings my bullshit-dar. i'm like, she would not fucking say that, where "she" is "any human ever to live, ever." and for whatever reason when it comes to this kind of thing (literary short stories invested in the minutiae of human interaction) my instinct is then to be like, well i guess i am a dummy. i guess i am being stupid and unfair to read this and be like, girl what? and maybe i am, i don't know. maybe when on the next page charles says "So I cleaned it, swept the glass, you know? And it was the weirdest thing. I don't think I've ever seen a person more exposed." i am also being stupid to be like, you've never seen a what? what? who talks like this? i don't know. a lot of people love this writing, according to goodreads, which as we all know is an unfiltered and objective accounting of human opinion. maybe lots of people talk like this and i just happen not to know any of them. or maybe, again, i'm totally missing the point of literary fiction and there's some kind of reason i'm just not sophisticated enough to understand for why you would write texts as naturalistically as "u there?" and also have this emotionally repressed dancer say "i don't think i've ever seen a person more exposed" like that is a normal, not weird thing to say, a thing that would just come out of your mouth naturally. like obviously i am not so stupid as to believe literary dialogue ever actually is "naturalistic" or should be... but perhaps i am barking up the wrong tree if i want it to convincing? if i want my disbelief to be suspended?

(tw in the next paragraph for suicide & ED stuff discussed in the book)

the thing that compelled me to post mid-book comes from a story later on that also concerns these characters (sophie, charles, and lionel, who is the "him" they have met the previous night and that charles has slept with and sophie is... befriending? ish?) lionel is the POV character in the first story, and i liked that one actually partly because it's about a guy trying to have a normal time at a campus party at the school where he is proctoring while on leave of absence which he has been taking since his suicide attempt last year. none of these exact biographical particulars apply to me but the general vibe has some overlap with my college years for sure lol and so i was like, well true. anyway. so in a later story we're back with lionel and sophie is like, are you with someone, and he said no, god no, and she asks why not, and he............. rolls up his sleeve to show his suicide attempt scars? and she asks what happened and he tells her, and then he gives this little monologue essentially describing what it's like to be depressed which is fine and they talk about that and his recent self-hospitalization, and then she's like... ok i'm actually going to type this one out too:

"My parents died. And then my sister, a few years ago, died. Overdose. And sometimes, I think, Fuck. Enough. Or sometimes, it's like, Why not make it a full set?"

"Yeah," he said.

"I used to purge. Everybody thinks it's about being skinny and being light for ballet. They think it's to look a certain way. But I think most of us purge because of the control. Like, there's a moment when you go from feeling full and awful to feeling clean and clear and bright. There's just a moment, right before you get it all out, before you're burning up and convulsing, when you feel something go ping and you know it'll be all right. Thats what it's about. That little ping of clarity. Anyway, I used to purge. When I lived with my grandma. All the other girls in ballet did, too. It's not special or anything, but I did. And then I got these awful ulcers. And I couldn't dance because I had no energy and my vision started to get weird? I felt like my body was betraying me."

Lionel sat up then. Sophie's thumb traced his knuckles.

"Then my sister died, and I thought, I can keep doing this or I can try to fucking live. Really live. Dance is awful, don't get me wrong--if your foot is too big or your shoulder doesn't bend a certain way. There are fewer than zero jobs. And everyone is on coke or a serial rapist. But when I'm dancing, sometimes, I feel that little ping. I know where I am in the world. I can feel myself. And, like, yeah, my technique is not classical. Come on. I learned to dance in Arkansas. But as long as I can dance, I'll be okay. I don't need ABT. Or Royal Ballet or anything. I just want to dance for as long as I can."

"It's your something," Lionel said.

"Everybody deserves a something, right?"

Lionel nodded, and Sophie blotted the corners of her eyes with a sleeve.

and i........ uh.............. fucking hated this lol??? i fucking hated this entire scene. like it really activated my "oh fuck OFF" instinct." and i hated it in a way that felt unusual and unexpected because i think of my problem with literary fiction, when i have a problem with literary fiction, is that it is too, like, withholding or afraid of emotion or afraid of seeming sentimental or whatever, but this..... is....... fucking sentimental. this feels really actually quite fucking cheap to me? i DON'T UNDERSTAND why this collection of short stories is giving me an EATING DISORDERS 101 POST FROM HEALTHLINE.COM???? like i... ok. not everyone in the world has spent as many hours of their lives reading about eating disorders as i have "lol." but this literally feels like Very Special Episode dialogue. including the part where the connection between these two people feels too easy. which, again, up this point i was like, well this is just a mode of developing relationships i don't understand because of my intellectual deficiencies... but now i'm like, actually maybe it's just bullshit, because this degrassi ass monologue is bullshit. the scars thing, also bullshit - bullshit in a specific way i found irritating because, lmao, back when i was drafting a certain wildly self-indulgent fanfiction of mine, there was a period of time in which i entertained the concept of a character dropping the same kind of reveal with the same scar-revealing gesture, and then i opted not to do that, because i was like, "on reflection, this feels like a bullshit." like this feels stupid! it feels actually stupid! hollow and melodramatic and unearned! not, like, not to my taste or too sophisticated for me to get or too subtle for me (an idiot) to be into... and actually not even just "not that good." like this is actively bad, to me. maudlin! distasteful! cliché! cheap!!!

anyway. idk. i guess i was just startled by this because it seemed so obviously self-indulgent and unserious that i was really unprepared to find it in a book by, like, a serious author, that people take seriously. i want there to be a lesson here but i'm not sure that there is one except maybe that i gotta get more comfortable with embracing being a hater even if i'm worried it will make me look dumb. but, like, having a character say out loud, in dialogue, "i know everybody thinks it's about being skinny, but it's actually about control," in a book published in 2021? flowers for spring... groundbreaking....

[cheesemonky]

Chapter 2: Just Listen To Me!

pairing: fairy!felix x fairy!reader

Series Masterlist

Word count: 2k

summary: A fairy gets their wings once they're 13. A normal one at least. You're 23, and still without any. This leaves you without a mate, because who would love a wingless fairy? So when you decide to leave, it's quite the surprise to find a fairy with a wing missing…

warnings: swearing, a shitton of dialogue NOT PROOF READ lmk if i missed anything :3

You hesitated for a moment, taking in the sight of the injured fairy before you. His breathing was laboured, and his body lay still as if he were dead. Almost his entire back was bloodied, as well as the ground around him. How long had he been here like this? After some contemplation, you approached his body slowly. Crouching down, you managed to get a closer look at his wound. Someone or something had completely ripped out his left wing. There was no sign that any animals were recently in the area, nor any humans. Dread settled in the pit of your stomach as you examined the gruesome scene before you. The absence of any immediate threats allowed you to focus on him. Gulping down your unease, you carefully inspected the wound. It was a clean tear, as if someone deliberately removed the wing. The unnatural precision made shivers run down your spine.

“Who could have done this..?” You muttered to yourself. Broken wings weren’t a rare sight, but to have an entire one torn out was… more than unusual. Your fingers traced the edges of the wound, and the blood felt far from fresh. Suddenly, you heard the caws of birds overhead. You had to get him out of the open. Hooking your arms under his, you dragged him out towards a large tree. Propping him up against the trunk, you set down your backpack, rummaging through it to find a shirt. You ripped a long piece of cloth out of it and wrapped it around the wound and across his chest. He didn’t sustain any other injuries, as far as you could tell. Maybe… you could stay with him a while. Just to make sure he was okay when he woke up. So for hours you waited, waited for him to come to his senses.

Just as you began to doze off next to him, you heard his breath hitch. It was a few seconds until his eyes finally fluttered open, and god, were they the most perfect things you’ve ever seen. He looked over at you for a moment, confusion and pain evident in his gaze, before he shuffled away from you. His eyes widened as he took in his surroundings and the makeshift bandage on his back.

"Where... am I?" he rasped, his voice barely audible.

“Australia.”

“Yeah, well, I know that…”

“Then I don’t know what to tell you.”

“What state..?”

“Sydney. What, you not from around here?” He sighed deeply at your words, rubbing his temples partly in weariness and also in annoyance.

“I am but… this isn’t my home.”

“Where is it then?”

“Well, you see, I’m a fairy so I live in a village with other fa-”

“I know, idiot, but that’s not what I was asking.” He looked at you in confusion and a hint of hurt. You were coming off a lot harsher than you wanted to. Maybe so long without any interaction was the cause.

“Sorry- let’s try again. What’s your name?”

“Felix. You?”

“Y/N. You’re a fairy, right?”

“Yeah. What about you?” You fiddle with your hands a little, attempting to keep your voice steady. To be fair, it wasn’t his fault. You don’t have any wings, so how could he tell?

“A fairy…” You mumbled, hoping he would sense how uncomfortable you were and drop the question.

“Hm? What did you say?”

“A fairy.” You said, slightly louder and firmer this time. And once again, the now familiar face of confusion he seems to like bearing appears.

“Where are… what happened to your wings?”

“Does it really matter?”

“I’m just asking… did they take yours as well?” You felt a little bad for him, honestly. You were being so unpleasant to someone you had just met and saved the life of. 

“I never had any.”

“What?”

“Wings. I never had any wings. I never got mine.”

“I feel like you’re lying to me.” This time, instead of snapping at him, you turned your body to face him. You hadn’t noticed, but he was listening quite closely to everything you had been saying. Hands in his lap, head tilted to the side and his face was clearly focused on what was being said.

“I’m not. I just… never got wings.”

“How do I know you aren’t just a tiny human?”

“Have you ever seen a human this small?”

“... no.”

“Exactly.” For a while, he looked away and at the tree in contemplation, fiddling with some of the peeling bark. You weren’t sure if he believed you or not, especially with how unreal your story sounds to others. With the silence dragging on, you decided to raise a question that should’ve been asked at the start.

“So what happened to your wing?” His eyes widened as he realised that he in fact did have a problem with his wing. He turned his head to get a good look at the shiny piece of him that was laying a few metres from where he was before, still with ling

“I… don’t think you’d believe me if I told you.”

“I literally told you I was a fairy without wings.”

“Well-... okay, fine. In my village, I was part of this group called Stray Kids.” Strange name, but okay. Who were you to judge? Plus, the name sounded somewhat familiar.

“We’re… not really superheroes, but we did help in defeating the Sound Monster.”

“Wait, that was you? The news of you guys taking it down was going around everywhere! I heard it even reached parts of Korea, which is like, really far away. Maybe not superheroes, but definitely celebrities. Is that how you lost it?” Though you chose to believe it, you still had a few doubts. Was it really this sweet and adorable young man who helped kill it?

“Nah, it was too long ago for my back to be bleeding out now. You see, after we took it down I went back to just see if we missed anything. And we did. There were these strange pieces of… something that had formed after the battle. I picked one up and I felt more magic in that moment than I have in my whole life.” The story started to sound a little more unbelievable now, yet you continued to trust him on it.

“I hid it well for a while. I didn’t even tell my friends. Until I had to defend myself and some other against a human. I used a bit too much magic and someone from our council was there to see it. I had an entire court trial and everything! I didn’t realise having too much magic was a crime.”

“It isn’t. Not where I’m from.”

“Well, it was more “illegal possession of unidentified magic” and “dangerous use of magic”. But how was I supposed to know?”

“Okay, those sound more like things you could be arrested for. But the wing..?”

“Right. So, it turns out fairies are idiots and the only way that they know how to get rid of someone’s magic is to take away a wing or two.”

“So they just… ripped it out?”

“Basically.” You couldn’t help but feel bad for him. To have a part of you just taken away like that would mean immense pain, physically and mentally. And it makes sense now as to why the cut was so clean. 

“Did it work though?”

“A little too well. I lost that extra magic plus some of my own. I haven’t got much left anymore.”

“So what now? I mean, I could teach you a thing or two about living out here but I'm not letting you follow me around." Actually, you probably would. Even though you're glad that all those who hurt you are in the past, you still get lonely. Plus, he's kind of like you in a way, no? With a missing wing and all.

"Huh? What, no way! I need to get my magic back!" He said with a bit more cheeriness than necessary. It was your turn to be confused now.

"And how do you plan on doing that exactly?"

"Okay, now you won't believe me." Has this guy really not learnt anything? If an anomaly such as yourself can exist, you're sure that others could as well.

"Just tell me. It's not like my opinion will stop you anyways." Glancing at you once more, he took a deep breath and continued his story.

“Well, since I was young, my mother always told me this story about-”

“Wait, wait, you’re going off of a children’s story?”

“I-I mean, it’s pretty believable… Plus it's not a children’s story! There’s been a lot of people who’ve actually managed to do it…” You were starting to get a little suspicious with his story. You didn't want him to get into any unwanted trouble or danger.

"If you want me to be convinced, you should try a bit harder to make the story believable."

"Didn't you say it didn't matter what you thought?" You opened your mouth to respond, but you closed it straight after you realised you had no response. There wasn't anything you could say about that. You sighed, nodding once for him to continue.

“It’s been rumoured that somewhere deep in our Bush, the Heart of Eris is still there.”

“Eris… Eris as in the Goddess of Fairies?”

“Yes, that Eris. It’s the thing that sourced all fairy magic and the reason we still have it.”

“... please don’t say what I think you’re gonna say…”

“Look, just listen to me, yeah? I’m gonna try to find it!” You fucking knew it. He really did live up to the ‘dumb blonde’ name. What was he thinking, following the story of a children’s tale? And he didn’t even have a proper amount of magic!

“You are literally gonna die out there.”

“Then come with me.”

“...huh?” You stared at him a while, trying to see if he was being serious or not. You felt like you were the only one using any of their brain cells at that moment. He wants you, a fairy without wings or any magic, to go with him, an injured fairy who has barely any more magic than yourself, to find something that probably doesn’t even exist?

“No.”

“What- why?! Come on, maybe we could even get you a pair of wings!” For a moment, you were tempted. Even after learning to live without any, you’ve always known that you would be happier if you did have them. But wasting all of your hard work out here to go look for something that could get you killed? Not worth it.

“I said no. That’s it.”

“I-... fine then. It’s not like we’re friends anyways. I’ll go myself.” As he began to stand up, you grabbed his arm gently. You were a little surprised he didn’t put up more of a fight.

“At least rest for a while. You’re still injured.” He stood still for a moment, not facing you, before settling down back where he was before. You had to stop yourself from smiling at the small pout on his face as you grabbed some things from your bag. Pulling out a small blanket you had brought from your old home, you passed it to him while you grabbed a sweater for yourself. He mumbled a small thank you before turning to lay on the ground. You stayed up for a while, just until he fell asleep before falling into your own slumber. But your dreams were unexpected. They were those same nightmares. The ones you hadn’t had for ages now. They were back and they hurt so much more than last time. Though, there was someone in the background. You heard Felix’s voice, talking so sweetly about something or other. And then there were wings, and the Heart of Eris and everything he had talked about. Was this dream telling you something?

The next morning, you woke up early to find some berries or small nuts and seeds to eat. By the time you got back, Felix had woken up too and had folded your blanket for you. Holding out a seed for him to take, you packed your blanket back in.

“I’ll be going now. Thanks for the help though.” His smile was far too bright for you not to change your mind. Plus, that dream wasn’t any help.

“Let me help you more.”

“What?”

“I’m coming with you.”

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leisel's note: helloo!!!! this is kinda of rushed and there is a lot more dialogue than i wanted but i cant help ittt im sorryyyy but yeah thanks for reading and reblogs are always appreciated :3

[michanvalentine]

I'm quite a selective person. I enjoy writing stories, but I almost exclusively do so within the Final Fantasy VII fandom. Not every character or plot from the comics, anime, video games, films, or TV series I follow inspires me. So you could say my inspiration is even pickier than I am. And I both love and hate it for that.

Baldur's Gate 3 hit me like a freight train; it’s been such a looooong time since I felt this kind of overwhelming obsession for something (or someone, considering Astarion in particular). It’s amazing how it’s reignited my creativity in so many ways. Unfortunately, I can’t draw—at least not as well as I’d like—but who knows? Maybe I’ll attempt some messy sketches. For now, I’ve started writing a fanfic, just on a whim and without any particular plan. I don’t know where it will take me, but I’ve put Astarion in an unusual situation just to see what might happen. Alongside him, I’ve paired two characters who, in my opinion, provide the perfect contrast to him: Karlach and Halsin.

The premise is this: Halsin asks Astarion and Karlach to help escort a caravan of refugees to the nearest safe haven in the former Shadow-Cursed lands. The caravan is attacked by a group of bandits, and Astarion ends up reacting in a way he never expected: like a hero. Lol. With all the disastrous consequences that implies.

It’s not an adventure story, far from it. It might fall into the comedy genre, perhaps, with a touch of introspection and romance—who knows? Maybe even a little angst, but just a tiny bit. As I mentioned, I don’t know where all of this will lead me… or if I’ll manage to see it through! Because, of course, I’ve hit a roadblock just as things were getting interesting, alas. How do I get that lazy, stubborn cow that is my inspiration moving again?!?!

In the meantime, here’s an excerpt from "The Day Astarion Found Himself Saddled with Parenthood." ***

As if it had read his mind, the little one’s body suddenly tensed for an impossibly long moment before relaxing again. Its tiny lips curled into a satisfied smile. Then, the stench of excrement tickled Astarion’s finely tuned senses. He couldn’t believe it. He wouldn’t believe it!

“Oh, come on! This thing crapped itself… correction, it crapped on me! For all the gods above and below, what do I do now?! Oh gods, I’m going to vomit. This… this… I don’t even know what this is, but I’m going to vomit! It’s disgusting, I think… I think… I am going to vomit!”

“Stop yelling, or you’ll wake it up,” Karlach snapped from the other side. “What’s a little steaming dung anyway? For starters, when we trudged through the Illithid colony, our boots stepped in way worse. And then—”

“Gods, grant me patience because if you give me strength, I’ll massacre someone,” Astarion growled in return, torn between several equally unappealing options: drop the baby and claw his way out of the rubble; rummage through his pack for something—anything—that might serve to clean the little terror’s bottom; or, alternatively, solve the problem at its root by biting into the brat.

Damn it, Halsin was the expert in snot-nosed, piss-soaked orphans!

The chaos abated slightly when Astarion noticed his personal plague had opened its eyes and was staring up at him intently, its tiny fists clutched to its chest and its little mouth sadly turned downward. He froze. Oh, no.

And yet, yes. After a brief pause, the whelp scrunched up its face, opened its mouth wide, and let out a scream with all the force its tiny lungs could muster—and Astarion couldn’t comprehend how something so small could make such an earth-shattering noise.

“There, I knew it,” Karlach muttered.

“You’re not helping,” Astarion retorted, clutching the now howling, flailing infant against his chest as he shuffled toward his pack. ***

Will I ever manage to finish writing this little madness of mine? How do you guys unlock the keyboard? I need support!

[actual-changeling]

it's 2 am and my impulse control is dead so have the arcadia fic poetry-ish writing at the risk of it being some level of cringe. who knows. certainly not me. context? uhhhhhh.

honestly it can be applied to literally every single interaction they have ever had so there's that.

———

Just this once, as if you ever knew moderation. One bite from the forbidden fruit, then I will put it down, I swear, chew, swallow, spit out what remains and force your fist to unfurl.

I will love you, just this once, as if you remembered when you first found it, as if you could ever lose it again. You didn't just pluck the fruit, you buried the seed and tended to it, watched it grow with dirt-covered hands, watered it when it threatened to burn. Just this once, but you put up a fence to keep it safe, you put up signs saying 'mine' because without ever asking you knew.

You still know.

It doesn't mean anything, when sweetness drips from your lips and sugar covers your fingertips. It doesn't mean anything when you close your eyes to savour it. When you decide one more bite, then I will stop, just until I reach the pit, until my teeth find something hard and unyielding.

Skin bursts open as you dig your canines into it like an animal, like a dog, like someone who does not know moderation and has found ambrosia in their hands.

Is it yours to take? Is it yours because no one else came to claim it as theirs? What if someone did come? Did you point at the sign and send them away? Did you stop them from destroying the fence and blocking the sun so they could watch your plant wither for a while?

Did you try? Did it mean something? Does it now?

Just this once. Fruit after fruit grows as you take and take and take, just this once, every single time. It keeps giving, so you keep taking, taking what's yours, taking what should be yours—what should have been yours for a long time. It wasn't, it won't be, you fear, so you close your eyes and say, softly, ripping into flesh, I will devour you, just this once.

As if it will sate your hunger. As if it didn't make you want more and more, as if you weren't going to reach for it again. You will devour, and you will deny your hunger until you're starving, attempting to calm it too late.

Teaching it to crave, violently, because you will say just this once and he will nod and say I know.

I mean it, but you're always hungry, living around the ache in your stomach. I mean it.

I know you do, he tells you, because you do and he does. You will not ask and he will not offer but you devour the fruit and swallow the pit, taking turns, until you no longer feel empty.

Just one bite, because you did not learn from Eve, because God is no longer watching, because you know it will never be 'just' anything.

You say it anyway.

[aheathen-conceivably]

Antoine’s job at Abraham’s ranch was more difficult than city life had prepared him for. Most days he spent hours on end shoveling hay or cleaning stalls while Abraham trained the horses. For three generations, his family had bred and raised the finest horses to sell to the region’s cattle ranchers and farmers. Antoine found him, and his ranch, surprisingly comfortable despite the constant heat and warm smell of animals that permeated the air. 

The work itself left him sore and exhausted, but at peace. When he had first tried wrangling or taming any of the horses, it had been a nightmare; but slowly Abraham explained to him how to tune his movements to their cues, and he learned how to respond to them as though by second nature. Every day and every attempt became easier, and Abraham allowed him more time with them. Then as they learned to trust him, the horses seemingly came to love Antoine just as much as he had always loved them.

Only for all his weeks at the ranch there was one horse who had never let him come near. She preferred to spend all her time in the darkened silence of her stall rather than outside in the sun like the other horses. Each day when Antoine entered to spread hay, she whinnied from the distance as soon as she smelled him, kicking her feet and backing into a corner until he finished his tasks.

But compared to the unrelenting sun at noon, the hostility of the darkened barn was peaceful. So any minute he had free, Antoine sat there with her, whistling quietly and calmly, as he looked into the distance so that he wouldn’t frighten her with his gaze. As the months went by she gradually became calmer in his presence, eventually coming to sit peacefully on the ground as he whistled for her. He couldn’t be sure, but it seemed like his whistle was the only thing that calmed her, and the songs overpowered the initial fear she held for him.

He had been sitting there month in and month out during the height of the noonday sun, when he heard the soft rustle of hay that meant she had risen to her feet; but there was no scratching or angry neighing afterward, just the quiet clacking of her hooves that told him she was coming nearer.

She poked her nose over the curve of the gate, signaling to him that she had finally grown to trust him enough to come to him on her own. He moved forward slowly, still whistling the same tune that he did every day. To his surprise, she didn’t move away at the sound of his boots. As he brought his hand close of her face he eased his whistles into words, “Hey there, girl. Abe told me you don’t much like anyone, huh?” He laughed quietly, blending it into another soft, whistled tune so that the sudden sound wouldn’t scare her, “Can’t say I blame you, you know? Knowing what I know about some folks in the world.”

His quiet speech was interrupted by heavy footfall and an impressed whistle. At its sound the horse retreated back into the shadows. “Silver, huh? Must say I am impressed. Only person she ever liked was my granddaddy.”

Antoine turned toward Abraham, following him to the stools facing the stalls and grabbing the cigarette he offered, “She’s the only horse here who ever actually met my granddaddy, God rest his soul. Her breeding days are past her, so I suppose I shoulda sold her long ago. Probably not worth a cent anymore, but I just can’t do it to her, not with how long she’s been here, when she was granddaddy’s favorite horse. I wouldn’t push her, but you get her to let you ride her and you’re welcome to, anytime you like. Promise me you’ll be cautious though, huh? I’ve seen her buck off one man too many to try myself. But then again, she never let me pet her the way you just were.”

He took another drag off his cigarette and then rose to go back outside, giving the horse in the corner a sad look, as though she knew more about his life and his family than he wanted to share with Antoine that day. Then he tipped his hat at her and walked away, telling Antoine that their brief moment of respite was over and there was work still to be done.

Previous / Next

[gascon-en-exil]

Sixty-Four Ways in which Octopath Traveler II Improves Upon the First Game

In honor of Octopath Traveler II's second anniversary, I've put together a list of the many ways in which this game excels above and beyond the solid foundation laid down by its predecessor. Why sixty-four? Because it's eight squared...or eight to the second power, if you will. This series practically begs for lame numerical jokes.

Obligatory disclaimer: I am not claiming that the original Octopath Traveler is a bad game.

I played and enjoyed OT quite a bit when it came out, and I completed another full playthrough during the last few months as I was starting to put this post together. Around half this list came about from stuff I'd only remembered in replaying OT for the first time in years. I do still think it's a good game, and I had a fun time going through it again - but I also think that OT2 surpasses it by just about every objective metric.

And that's a good thing! It's great to see game developers taking feedback on a first project and using it to make improvements to the follow-up. If there's ever an Octopath Traveler III I would only hope that they continue to do so and make the newest iteration even better in which case I'll then have to make a list of 512 reasons why it's better, God help me. I have however gotten angry anons in the past whenever I've praised OT2 too much over the first game, so this is my attempt at heading that off at the start. A bunch of these points are straightforward improvements in game design; it's only near the end where I start dipping into more subjective territory even though I do have my points to make there as well.

#64. Battle speed toggle

This is what you're going to notice first, no questions asked, and also why you should absolutely never play OT right after OT2. Double battle speed is something you won't realize you miss until it's not an option. As an added bonus, the x2 modifier isn't a basic fast-forward toggle but still allows the animations and audio to be fully enjoyable at double speed.

#63. No purple chests

This is one even the biggest OT defenders will concede. Forcing you to bring a specific character into almost every dungeon lest you miss out on some prime loot (or alternatively requiring you to awkwardly backtrack with Therion later) is just bad game design.

#62. More interesting Talents

Related to this, Therion's Talent slot being taken up by the purple chest feature is just one of several boring mechanics occupying that space, alongside Ophilia and Primrose's NPC summons, Olberic's group defend command, and Tressa finding money when entering a new screen. They're all functional, but it makes traveler Talents feel rather underwhelming on the whole. OT2 dispenses with this. Summoning is still present but not a Talent, and the others mentioned have all been replaced with more engaging stuff like AoE buffs/debuffs (Throné and Temenos), new mechanics for escort NPCs (Partitio and Agnea), and the ability to learn combat skills from NPCs (Hikari).

#61. Capture and Concoct are redesigned

Technically applies to the scholars' Analyze as well, but that only got a small buff in the second game. These two Talents on the other hand are vastly improved. Concoct in OT2 can now be boosted and also interacts with Castti's Latent Power for easier resource management, and is overall stronger and more versatile even if it lost three of its element-breaking options.

But Ochette is the real winner when it comes to Talents. H'annit's Beast Lore is a clunky Pokémon-esque system that's rarely worth using when there's a less awkward Path Action that does the same thing as hers (Olberic's) and when the limited summons on beasts discourages you from using them much outside of certain boss summons vs. Galdera or similar (and even then there are easier setups). In OT2 though beasts can be summoned any number of times, and Ochette has a chance to auto-capture them so she can build up a stable of summons even without going through the hassle of whittling down their HP and throwing a Pokéball spending turns trying to capture them. That beasts you don't need any more can be turned into consumable items adds yet another useful layer to the mechanic, and Ochette's companion animal and access to story-based summons grow along with her unlike H'annit's leopard.

#60. A recent inventory tab

Another small but appreciated quality of life feature. In OT items and equipment you obtain are immediately sorted into a set order within your inventory, which can make them tough to find if you just got a new weapon or armor piece and want to try it out on someone. OT2 has a tab organizing your inventory in the order it was acquired, so that's less of a hassle.

#59. Opening chapters are more organically handled

OT begins opening chapters for your non-starting traveler in medias res, allowing the rest of the party to come along for the combat segments and scaling up the challenge as you recruit more travelers. This would be nice for earlygame leveling...except for the nagging issue of your starting traveler being forced (something OT2 unfortunately does not fix) so it's impossible to keep everyone at equal levels even if you try.

OT2 improves this in several ways. One is that opening chapters for the other travelers are now optional if you don't want to bother with the easy early stuff. Another is that these chapters are now "instanced" in a sense, only available to their respective traveler. This allows their difficulty to remain evenly tuned for the specific experience of starting out with each character, and is also about as close as OT2 gets to acknowledging the disconnect both games have in their individual stories, i.e. that they're never written like these characters have an entire JRPG party behind them all the time. In their Chapter 1s (and Osvald's Chapter 2) at least, they don't.

#58. As well as being more fair if you start with one of the squishier travelers

Certain travelers are rough to begin with in OT because they're either glass cannons (Cyrus), lacking in offensive options (Ophilia), or both (Primrose). OT2 solves this by giving the travelers with these same starting jobs temporary party members who help them in their dungeons and boss fights and also do a good job of teaching the player how best to use these more group-oriented jobs.

#57. A smoother difficulty curve in earlygame

Even though the travelers can't tag along with the others' introductions anymore, OT2 makes up for this by reducing the challenge level of the early midgame. Chapter 2s in OT all have level recommendations in the 20s, whereas in OT2 they're all in the teens. This makes getting out of the earlygame and moving on to bigger things less daunting from the start, on top of several of the improvements coming up.

#56. Time of day acts as another difficulty toggle

The day/night system of OT2 impacts a wide variety of game elements, but one of its subtler effects is that the random encounter rate is higher at night. This allows you to more easily tailor your leveling experience to your party's current strength. Further, nighttime enemy groups generally being tougher can be counterbalanced by fielding Throné and/or Temenos with their night-based combat Talents.

#55. Redesigned job skill lists

Most of the base jobs have improved skill lists in OT2. Dancer has more offensive options like Ruinous Kick and Dagger Dance, scholar is more flexible both in terms of damage (Elemental Barrage) and support, hunter drops two low-accuracy, multi-hit bow skills in exchange for a more precise one and an actual axe skill, cleric can restore its own SP with Mystical Staff, etc. Warrior loses the easy opening cleave of Level Slash, but gets the arguably more versatile Aggressive Slash and the useful Vengeful Blade instead. The only ones that feel a bit weaker are thief for losing Share SP and merchant for losing out on its magical AoE option...but Sidestep, Donate BP, and Hired Help are all accounted for and just as strong as ever if not more.

#54. More flexibility with breaking and boosting

OT2 introduces a number of readily-accessible ways (ex. Ruinous Kick, Weak to Poison, Ochette and Temenos's Latent Powers) to break enemies regardless of their weaknesses, which cuts down on the annoyance of having to build teams around covering every possible scenario. There's also more uses for BP, such as the aforementioned Concoct as well as various other Latent Powers. Partitio's Latent combines with Donate BP and a support skill he can grab early on (see below) to make him into a reliable BP battery. As these are the two signature features of Octopath's battle system, these upgrades are much-appreciated.

#53. Earlier access to EXP/JP-boosting support skills and accessories

OT locks the support skills boosting EXP and JP behind secret jobs and the equivalent accessories behind post-story side quests. OT2 on the other hand provides the former from base jobs and the latter from chests in the late midgame, with the JP Augmentor in particular being accessible very early if you know where it is and don't mind cheesing your way through a certain area. There's additionally another base job support skill that increases gains in both at night, which makes early leveling even quicker.

#52. Overall stronger early support skill options

On top of these, Boost-Start (+1 BP at the beginning of combat) has also been bumped down to a base job. It's joined by powerful new additions like Full Power (full Latent Power at the beginning of combat), Vigorous Victor (30% HP and SP regen after each battle, which largely makes up for SP Saver now coming from a lategame secret job), More Rare Monsters (easier Cait and Octopuff hunting), and of course A Step Ahead from the early secret job Inventor which can break most encounters.

#51. The job license system

In OT no two travelers can have the same secondary job, but in the second game you can acquire up to three licenses for each of the base jobs for a maximum of four travelers using each at once if you choose. These licenses also provide some nice bits of optional gathering content, and apart from scholar and to a lesser extent apothecary - which require stealing rare drops off uncommon enemies - none of them are particularly frustrating to obtain.

#50. Caits (and Octopuffs) are more of an event but also easier to find

As mentioned, the hunter support skill More Rare Monsters exists to make these high-value enemies more likely to spawn, and there are additionally accessories that do the same thing (and stack with the skill, I think?). They also get their own distinctively quirky battle theme music so you're guaranteed not to miss them.

#49. More Path Actions offer more overall flexibility

OT2 doubles the number of Path Actions that serve the same purpose (obtaining info, escorting NPCs, etc.), which greatly increases the range of possible party combinations to cover whatever you might need as well as gives you more options for accomplishing specific goals, ex. getting items based on your level, or knocking out NPCs without having to fight them. The in-game time system does occasionally limit these options since not all NPCs are available both day and night, but all the same it's a welcome improvement.

#48. Variety in chapter and story structure

A common criticism of OT is that, with only one significant exception (Olberic's Chapter 2), every one of its thirty-two story chapters follows exactly the same format: town exploration, usually requiring the traveler's Path Action -> dungeon -> boss. In OT2 some chapters lack dungeons, bosses, or both. While less content might seem like a drawback, it really helps the structure feel less repetitive, and because there's forty total chapters, with the non-boss chapters being split evenly among the cast, the overall experience doesn't feel less substantial. It allows also for -

#47. Fewer random dungeons/bosses

A common problem of OT leashing its stories too strictly to the dungeon + boss structure is that several times one or both of those elements will feel tacked on purely out of obligation and not in service to the narrative. Take Ophilia's and H'annit's Chapter 2s, or Alfyn's Chapter 4...or both Chapters 3 and 4 for Tressa. Because OT2 is comfortable allowing certain chapters to pass without these, this is much less of an issue. Some of the game's most dramatic story beats come out of chapters that lack bosses, ex. Osvald's Chapter 2 or Castti's Chapter 3, while others like Agnea's Chapter 3 and Ochette's Chapter 2 (Cataracta) provide room for character moments by dialing back on the combat.

#46. More overall nonlinearity

That parenthetical up there is significant, because around half of OT2's stories have chapters that can be completed in any order. While this isn't executed perfectly - recommended levels will still railroad you in most cases - the greater variety of options at any one time gives you more choices when deciding which traveler's story to continue next in contrast to the strict linearity of each of the stories in OT. Further helping this is the fact that -

#45. Solistia is more geographically complex

Orsterra is so obviously laid out as a video game world that it could be called a deliberate stylistic choice: eight biomes in a ring around an inaccessible center, with all of its areas divided across three concentric circles starting from the inside and working outward. It's incredibly artificial, and opinions will vary as to whether that's charming or silly.

While Solistia still has the common video game issue of wildly contrasting biomes right next to each other (its western continent is especially bad about this), in all other respects it's a much less predictably-designed setting. There are no rings or obvious circular paths around the world, the regions are broken up across two continents and a large island, and chapters now jump around locations in a less blatantly linear way making the threefold division between early, middle, and lategame towns slightly less on the nose.

#44. The creepy RNG-dependent endgame previews

There's a lot of negative points to be made about how little effort OT makes in setting up its final boss that I'll bring up later, but one early quirk of OT2 is that you'll randomly enter a different screen only for it to be eerily dark and filled with strange shadowy monsters you won't fight anywhere else...and then once you beat them, the screen goes back to its normal state as if nothing happened. It's very unsettling the first time it happens, and even when you know it can happen it's rare enough to still catch you off guard.

#43. The ship opens up the world

And getting back to geography, once you buy a ship around the game's midpoint OT2's exploration opens up quite a bit compared to the first game. The Sundering Sea is a semi-open traveling space with treasure, distinctive enemy encounters, and optional dungeons and bosses all its own. It's an appreciated aesthetic addition as well, since it offers you a perspective on the world of Solistia that you wouldn't get to see otherwise. This is another worthwhile departure from OT's rigid wheel-and-spoke map layout.

#42. Fewer optional dungeons offset by more mandatory ones

Looking at raw data, OT has a larger array of optional dungeons: 28 vs. 19. Those numbers may vary slightly depending on how you define a dungeon in this series, but the point is that the first game has more of them. It doesn't really feel that way however, because with more chapters as well as the Crossed Path system OT2's overall dungeon count turns out to be roughly the same in the end. This also allows OT2's optional dungeons to stand out more as a group, with all but one of them by my recollection either having a boss, an associated side quest, and/or a unique piece of loot needed for one of the secret jobs. A handful of OT's optional dungeons seemingly exist only for level grinding as well as whatever's available in their treasure chests. But while we're talking about dungeons...

#41. (Slightly) more dungeon type variety

Try to name an OT dungeon, mandatory or otherwise, that isn't a cave, forest, sewer, ruins, or lavishly-decorated interior space. At times they'll vary based on which biome they're in, ex. the ones in the Frostlands will be snowy, but that's about it. OT2 brings back all of the above for its dungeon settings, but there are also some more inventive ones like a ghost ship, factories, a clock tower, a ruined castle, or canyon ravines. When there's over fifty such spaces in each game to explore, even that bit of extra variety is appreciated.

#40. Improved visibility in low light areas

Here's one I noticed only on my recent replay: OT is dark in a lot of places, particularly in many of the aforementioned cave and forest dungeons. While that's nice for atmosphere, the lighting can sometimes be so poor that it's hard to tell where you're going which is more frustrating than anything. In spite of its day/night system and its main plot about an endless night, OT2 is ironically the brighter game all around, with visibility noticeably better in even the darkest dungeons. The only times I can recall it being an issue are in the Cavern of the Moon and Sun where it's worked into exploration (you have to keep flipping between day and night to illuminate the path ahead) and in the dungeons you'll have to go into during the Final Story when everything is covered in dense purple mist. In that instance though the darkness matches the story, and additionally those dungeons are ones you've already entered before under normal conditions, so you're not fumbling around in the dark of a completely unknown space.

#39. More interesting rewards from chests

Another point I noticed only recently. An oddly large number of chests in OT contain either money or common consumables, which while undeniably useful also aren't the most exciting things to get when you open up a chest (especially if it's a purple chest!). OT2 largely fixes this by offering rare rewards from chests more often, whether that be equipment or less easily obtainable items.

#38. Major money sinks to make leaves more valuable

Money is more valuable in the Octopath games than in many other JRPGs due to everything merchants can do with leaves, but it's still fairly easy to amass a ton of wealth in both titles just from exploring and battling and getting most of your equipment from chests, stealing, etc. rather than buying it. It'll take longer to get to where you can thoughtlessly fire off a Hired Help every battle in OT2 however, because between the mandatory ship (100K leaves) and the two extra merchant job licenses (100K and 300K) there's enough big ticket items in the midgame to keep you watching your wallet.

Having three Path Actions that use money rather than just one also plays into that a bit as well, but to a lesser extent. On the subject of Path Actions, you likely won't need to shell out large sums of leaves as often in OT2 to restore your reputation in towns on account of there being more ways to get items, info, etc. without lowering it...but honestly the reputation system in OT2 feels like a vestigial, arbitrary relic of the first game. See, for example, why Agnea innocently attracting NPCs with her dancing can lower reputation, but Osvald mugging them or Temenos coercing them into confessions can't.

#37. Shops and inns can be entered

A minor point, but OT2 has so many more interior spaces in its towns. This not only helps with storytelling - recall the scenes in OT that take place in "inns" that are just a bare room with maybe one table - but it also allows for more architectural diversity like on Toto'haha as well as for the possibility that vendors appear out in the open like in Ryu.

#36. Party banters are easier to see

Another common complaint in OT is that it can be easy to miss party banters in chapters, and that there's no way to go back and rewatch them or see them at all if you didn't unlock them while going through. OT2 fixes these issues with the ability to watch them in the journal, even if you didn't see them at the time, and also removes some of the clunkiness of triggering them by spreading them across more chapters rather than needing each traveler to speak to all of the other seven in every chapter after their first.

#35. More thoughtfully utilized voice acting

Sadly, party and tavern banters are still unvoiced in OT2, which sucks because they're still the most frequent source of interaction between the travelers.

In all other respects though, the second game is much better in the ways that it makes use of its voice acting. In OT most NPCs out in the world choose from a selection of short voice lines to be tagged to their dialogue, while story cutscenes have a mixture of full voice acting and voice tags. The latter effect can be rather disorienting, especially when there's a mid-scene switch between the two styles for no apparent reason. OT2 scraps the voice tags for NPCs, but now every cutscene is fully voiced. The tradeoff is more than welcome and makes for a smoother, more cinematic narrative experience.

#34. The travelers are chattier in combat

In addition, the travelers have significantly more customized combat voice lines in the second game. This is especially noticeable in that they now react to the actions of their party members, such as when they break foes or get low on health. It's an extra level of banter that makes them feel more like they're fighting as a group, and allows for little character moments in the way they address each other. For example, Osvald is the only one of the travelers who doesn't refer to his allies by name, but he does have unique break lines for each of the others.

#33. As are bosses

Only a few OT bosses, like Darius and Simeon, have in-combat dialogue. This is far from the case in OT2, where a bunch of the story bosses - including all of the travelers' final bosses - have dialogue sequences with their respective characters. This can make the flow of combat a bit messy if you deal too much damage too quickly and end up getting rushed through different phases, but that mechanical hiccup aside this is a great way to layer on the dramatic stakes and work in some more character development for the travelers as they're facing down their greatest enemies.

#32. More diverse animations and weapon sprites

A simple improvement, but a nice one even so. Equipping different weapons of the same type is now more noticeable, and the travelers' combat sprites are overall more dynamic and expressive. Everyone loves the shamelessly horny Stimulate animation, just for starters.

#31. Bosses have more varied mechanics

Something I noticed on my replay of OT is that its bosses can be surprisingly simplistic. All the core ways the games have for ramping up difficulty are there - changing weaknesses, adding shields or actions per turn, inflicting status effects and massive amounts of damage - but with the obvious exception of Galdera that's more or less it.

OT2 compounds these mechanics with a wealth of new ones that turn many of the bosses into uniquely memorable experiences: concealing turn order, locking certain menu options, charming party members or copying their skills, countering boosted attacks, etc. There's even a pure puzzle boss in the forced solo encounter Karma, to say nothing of how the Vide fight actually allows you to use all eight travelers at once. This complexity is particularly noticeable with the optional bosses that appear in both titles, like the Monarch and the Dreadwolf, because if you compare their tactics across games they're much trickier the second time around.

#30. Secret jobs are more accessible before endgame

Each game has four secret jobs. In OT all of them are gated behind powerful optional bosses that you very likely won't be strong enough for until after you've completed most of the story. While these are indeed memorable fights, that leaves the problem of there being very little content left on which to actually use these incredibly powerful jobs. There's exactly three bosses with HP totals that surpass the gods that give you the secret jobs, and not much reason to try them out otherwise save for making the endgame grind faster.

OT2 locks one secret job (arcanist) behind a challenging lategame encounter and another (conjurer) behind a boss gauntlet that's only available after you clear arguably the hardest of the travelers' final chapters. But inventor can be unlocked as soon as you clear your starting traveler's opening, and it and armsmaster get their skills from turning in items acquired from the world and from dungeons meaning you'll get significantly more use out of them before endgame.

#29. Quality over quantity with side stories

This is another matter of raw numbers. OT has one hundred side stories; OT2 has only two-thirds that many. This does though allow for the second game's set to stand out a bit more overall, especially the ones that get creative with solutions. Additionally, when you factor in how many of OT's side stories are leadups to the final boss, or are three-part NPC mini-stories stretched out across each town in a single region, it rarely feels as though OT2 is really missing out. It's more than got that covered with -

#28. Scents of Commerce

Partitio comes with a unique mechanic that essentially amounts to three side stories just for him - only each of them gets the full cutscene treatment and adds something significant to the experience of the game: an in-universe sound test, a lore dump library, or the mandatory ship purchase that I've already praised for how it opens up the map.

#27. The Crossed Path system

Meanwhile, arguably replacing the multi-part NPC side stories are the Crossed Paths, four two-part stories that see the travelers broken up into pairs as they pursue unique narrative threads and add a few more dungeons and boss encounters to the total to boot. This is an extremely welcome addition that actually allows the travelers to interact with one another directly, and it's little wonder that it was such a big part of the game's prerelease marketing and so looked forward to among fans. The general consensus is that OT2 could have taken the idea further, but even so it's a massive step up from OT's travelers feeling completely isolated from one another for 98% of the game.

And hey, I turned the Crossed Path system into an entire partial AU for my fics, so it's safe to say it did something right!

#26. Traveler themes show up in their final bosses

Moving more toward lategame stuff now. Everyone loves how Octopath makes high-energy variations of its traveler themes to lead into their boss fights. OT2 though takes this a step further by having those "In Pursuit of..." themes come in as a bridge during their final story bosses, which makes each of those encounters feel a bit more personal. Agnea meanwhile goes even further with this idea. For her showdown against Dolcinaea she gets a unique vocal rendition of her theme music playing in the background, which is just one of many ways her final chapter builds on and surpasses Primrose's in fourth-wall-leaning theatricality.

#25. The credits don't roll after finishing one traveler's story

One of the first game's more baffling minor decisions is where it places its credits. In OT2 they're moved to the middle of the Epilogue, a much more fitting location that emphasizes that you're looking back on all of the travelers' journeys, not just your starting choice (or whoever else's story you finished first).

#24. EX skills

I didn't make a separate entry for Latent Powers because they're just a flat mechanical addition, but EX skills are different in that they either 1) provide a generally more interesting reward for tracking down the god shrines out in the overworld or 2) come in during or after the travelers' final bosses as an often powerful story-based upgrade, ex. Osvald unlocking the One True Magic, or Agnea putting together the Song of Hope. Some are just notably strong on their own merits, like a buffed Share SP, Prayer for Plenty repurposing a support skill from the first game, Windy Refrain for turn order manipulation, or Heavenly Shine as an endgame nuke with a massive damage ceiling. And even the ones that don't see a lot of use, like Negotiate Schedule or Disguise, usually have some interesting flavor to them.

#23. Lategame bosses have more even difficulty distribution

Optional bosses in OT at or above the levels of the travelers' final bosses are, with only a handful of exceptions, not all that impressive. This leads into the issue I mentioned with the game's secret jobs, where once you're strong enough to unlock them there's only three more bosses that will actually put up enough fight to warrant using them. OT2 has quite a bit more going on with late optional bosses built for endgame teams (Heavenwing, the Behemoth, the Scourge of the Sea, etc.) as well as the boss challenges that come out of the Final Story. And that's not even mentioning Galdera 2.0...

#22. And the endgame grind is less tedious

The snowballing effect of more readily-accessible EXP and JP-boosting skills and accessories is that grinding out jobs and levels takes significantly less time once the travelers' stories are done. In OT the lack of a true narrative finish means that around that point you'll hit a wall and have to do a bunch of grinding to get ready for Galdera (assuming you're not using some kind of cheese low-level strategy). But in OT2 there's just generally more to do and less needed to work on if you've been leveling consistently earlier on. Also, two of this game's secret jobs don't even require JP, so that drops the total needed for a traveler to max everything out by a hefty 30K.

#21. Next chapter NPC side stories get the full cutscene treatment

Both games have a selection of side stories involving story NPCs that unlock once the traveler stories are done, and which tend to be a bit more substantial than most others like them. This is even more true in OT2, where these side stories get fully-voiced cutscenes. A shame they're among the only ones of that sort to not get recorded in the journal...but still a plus.

#20. An actual Final Story

And yeah, I absolutely have to mention this too. OT's final encounter is locked unintuitively behind a number of sidequests, and it consists of a fairly easy gauntlet of reused bosses followed by an extremely difficult two-part fight with no way to save at any point in between. You get a short cutscene, and then a prompt like you've finished just another sidequest, and...that's it. Underwhelming doesn't begin to describe it.

In the second game though the Final Story has numerous cutscenes, a temporary new world state, multiple all-new boss encounters that you can save in between, a proper ramp-up to the final boss, and then of course the final boss itself which is powerful but not overwhelmingly so like Galdera is in OT. It's dramatic, cinematic, and gives all the travelers a chance to shine both in and out of combat, with callbacks to the Crossed Path system and the ability to use all eight at once against Vide.

#19. And an actual Epilogue

And once you're done with Vide, you're free to start the proper Epilogue sequence. The travelers bid farewell to each other, the appropriately-timed credits roll, and then everyone's back in New Delsta for a big party ending where all the surviving NPCs show up and give you a big sendoff. Needless to say, it's an ending that actually feels deserving of the label.

#18. Both of which give a bit of weight to your initial choice of traveler

It's nothing huge, but OT2's ending wraps back around to caring a bit about who kicked off your journey. Your starting traveler gets a handful of unique lines before and after the final boss, and they're also the last left behind in the Epilogue so they get to deliver a quick monologue once everyone else has gone on their way (in reverse order from how you recruited them, no less). This is most noticeable with Agnea, in that her sister becomes temporarily playable in the New Delsta sequence since Agnea herself takes the stage for the ending.

#17. Party members can be switched at any time after a point

Another small but very noticeable perk is that once the Final Story begins you can now switch travelers in and out of the party at any time outside of combat. No more needing to return to a tavern whenever you need a different Path Action or have to switch equipment between active and inactive travelers!

#16. Postgame challenges are harder but less frustrating

That's a big help for the bosses in the Final Story as well as those that surpass them in difficulty, because it's so much easier to prepare for them (on top of the aforementioned benefits of less EXP/JP grinding, etc.). Galdera is back and harder than ever, but you can save directly before the fight and there's no need to do a boss gauntlet first making the experience much less annoying.

#15. The Extra Battles update amps up the difficulty even further

And if that wasn't enough, OT2 got an unexpected free update in 2024 adding four new ultra-difficult boss encounters from the main menu. These handily put to rest the accusation that the second game is easier than the first because of how much stronger and more flexible your characters can be early on. True Vide the Wicked especially blows both Galderas out of the water in terms of challenge.

#14. While also working as an homage to the first game

Two of the Extra Battles are against the eight travelers of OT. Getting to see them all as incredibly powerful enemies working together to take you down can be quite entertaining, and their abilities combine direct nods to the first game with new material (like Crossed Path-esque paired skills) built off what OT2 adds to its mechanics.

#13. Solistia has more adventurous worldbuilding

Now onto some more subjective stuff. Orsterra is a stock JRPG fantasy setting, lovingly recreating the tropes and clichés of that type of media to get the whole HD-2D aesthetic off the ground back in 2018. It recalls the classics of the genre, as well as series that continue to make that its stock in trade, ex. Fire Emblem...but it's certainly stuff we've seen before.

That's why I was so pleased to see the second game move the timeline forward, pulling from 19th and early 20th century referents and giving Solistia more of an Industrial Revolution feel. There's urbanized cities, early modern tech just ignore the lack of firearms, and light prodding at themes like colonialism and income inequality. It's mildly less Eurocentric, from the Wutai-flavored Hinoeuma to areas that call to mind the 19th century US. There's also a society of infantilized animal people who are subjected to racism and colonial incursions, which...we're probably all better off not reading too far into.

#12. And also more substantial (if sometimes tongue-in-cheek) lore dumps

The Mercantile Manuscript, a reward from one of Partitio's Scents of Commerce, is a treasure trove of lore for Solistia. Some of it can be rather silly, like why there are still only the six weapon types from OT, but it's all in good fun - and unlike the first game, you don't have to go through a tedious boss gauntlet to get these lore dumps either.

#11. New Delsta is a huge step up for Octopath towns/cities

I've gotten a ton of mileage out of it in my fics, in part due to some substantial real-world additions of my own, but New Delsta really is a cut above anything else we've seen from cities in this series in size, scope, and narrative significance even in spite of it not actually featuring in that many chapters. Nowhere else better captures both the glitzy surface and seedy underbelly of large early modern cities; honestly, the likes of Atlasdam and Grandport from the first game can't even begin to compete. (This, incidentally, is a big reason why I find it so odd that both Octopath canon and fandom mash the two games together so readily, when it's immediately obvious just from looking at these cities that Solistia is centuries ahead of Orsterra technologically and socially speaking. I suppose it doesn't bother everyone.)

#10. The day/night system makes NPCs feel less static

Somewhat related, but another bonus of the ability to toggle between day and night is that NPCs are sometimes in different places depending on the time of day. This helps further the sense that they're not just stationary sprites delivering their canned dialogue and waiting for you to use your Path Actions on them. It's nothing on the level of, say, Majora's Mask or anything, but it's still appreciated.

#9. It also avoids the awkwardness of lategame sunset areas

And while we're back on time of day, most lategame areas in OT are blanketed in a perpetual sunset. One could say that this adds to the dramatic feel of those final areas...but it's also every bit as artificial as Orsterra's map, especially since it doesn't impact all regions (ex. the Woodlands). Almost every location in OT2 has both day and night lighting variants, with sunrise and sunset transitions between them, so that artificiality is a thing of the past. Funnier still is that the game nonetheless produces a similar effect by covering Solistia in perpetual night during the Final Story, so it gets to have its cake and eat it too.

#8. The traveler stories showcase more diversity in genre and tone

Like the setting as a whole, OT2 simply has more going on in terms of its narrative referents. This one game containing a rightful-king-reclaiming-his-throne story, a temporally-messy nod to the actual Industrial Revolution, a somber tale of a wrongfully-accused prisoner straight out of 19th century French literature that takes a hard right at the Power of Love right at the end, and a very dark family drama that ends on a note too overwhelmingly bittersweet for the game's overarching destroy-an-evil-god schitck to even handle. It's certainly not all perfect, but damned if OT2 doesn't go places.

#7. And (some of) the travelers themselves are less tied to stock archetypical traits

Along with that comes the game stepping away from some of the familiar clichés of fantasy JRPG characters. The premiere magic character is a buff bear daddy. The warrior is a lithe twink prince. The cleric is skeptical of everything and only pious in a very unorthodox sense. The dancer literally is just a stage performer and not a sex worker under some thin euphemisms. It really helps this cast stand out from that of the first game's, and with all the extra character moments these guys come off rather stronger overall.

#6. Select chapters go the extra mile in terms of structure and/or atmosphere

You can probably already pick out the chapters I'm referencing. Partitio's Chapter 1 is a self-contained bildungsroman that uses multiple time skips to convey the growth and decline of a town along with basically all of Partitio's character development in a very short span of time. Osvald's opening is a structurally and mechanically claustrophobic prison break sequence that hits the ground running with showing off how OT2 likes to vary its storytelling techniques. Castti's Chapter 3 is bleak and melancholy, letting flashbacks do the heavy lifting in a sequence with no significant combat but a ton of gruesome death. And Throné's Chapter 4 is the darkest thing Octopath has ever done, with an eerie ramp-up of a gondola ride leading to a nightmarish town area that's all the worse because of how much is left up to implication. The boss himself is even worse, and even if the story fumbles Throné's distinct lack of a happy ending you can tell that it at least tried.

There are others in here of course, like Hikari's climactic battle or the fourth-wall-leaning in Agnea's finale, but you get the idea. There's a ton of memorable story moments in this game.

#5. Actual narrative tie-ins to the Final Story

While the Final Story does hurt some travelers' individual stories, like Throné's or to a lesser extent Partitio's, the buildup is much more palpable and appreciable than it was for OT's series of seemingly innocuous side quests and 11th hour text dumps building to Galdera. The amount of thought that went into piecing together the actions of the Moonshade Order across all the stories and Crossed Paths is quite impressive, enough to where I can mostly forgive certain clumsily-handled threads.

#4. A better realization of the overarching theme of both games

The loose thematic concern of this series as a whole is, fittingly, the idea of traveling, of finding oneself and connecting with others through journeys both physical and otherwise. OT nods to this in a more literal sense as well at the end via a side quest in which the king of Marsalim vows to put on a play about the travelers' stories. It's the game's way of commenting on itself as narrative.

This is incredibly easy to forget about, as it passes with little fanfare through a minor NPC. Not so in OT2, where the last part of the Epilogue sees Agnea get up on stage and monologue this theme outright before putting on a show (not seen by the player) implied to be about her experiences traveling with the rest of the cast. Needless to say, that's much more thematically resonant and leaves you with a much stronger impression compared to OT's total lack of an ending.

#3. It's a good bit gayer

Me being me, of course I'm going to point this out.

It doesn't matter which level we're talking about; whether it's between the travelers, NPCs, or some combination thereof, OT2 lays on the gay subtext much more heavily...even if it's still quite mild, to be fair. OT has Leon and Baltazar; OT2 has Papp and Roque. OT has Lianna and Eliza; OT2 has Pala and Mikka. OT has Olberic and Erhardt; OT2 has Temenos and Crick. Castti and Malaya, Dolcinaea and Veronica, the Timberain princess and her female gardener, Partitio in general, crossdressing NPCs in the Brightlands...and then on top of that there's a distinct lack of no homo'ing arrangements in a lot of these cases, unlike disappointments like Alfyn and Zeph. Osvald and Clarissa are totally platonic, Throné and Temenos get a Crossed Path but no real shipping fodder, Partitio is kind of clueless and innocent about women, etc. Hell, just the fact that not all of the Crossed Paths are M/F helps a great deal with OT2 not feeling like it's trying to neatly and heterosexually pair off all the travelers.

#2. And just all-around shippier if you're into that

But even so, no matter what kind of ships you like the extra character interactions really add to the shipping content. That's true from the straightforward, ex. Hikari/Agnea, to the just-barely-shy-of-text, ex. Papp/Roque, to the obvious juggernaut and spawner of many a fix-it fic that is Temenos/Crick. Actually, that last one has more fanfics for it on AO3 than the most popular OT pairing...even with the first game having had an extra five years' worth of fanwork for it!

#1. Them

Look, if you know anything about my OT2 work, you saw this coming.

I have a lot of feelings about Osvald and Partitio, both as individuals and even more as a pairing that isn't exactly canon but nevertheless works incredibly well if you read it as such, from their Crossed Path to that one extremely gay party banter to how perfectly it works out for cute post-story family fluff to the ending CG sticking the two front and center and also touching. It's kind of silly that they're not even Partitio's most popular gay ship, because the game itself tees these two up beautifully. Osvald is just too much bear daddy for some people to handle, clearly.

I've had many OTPs over my years in fandom, but Osvitio is the first one that's actually gotten me to write fanfic. Go them.

[chaos0pikachu]

i am almost embarrassed to report that my friend and i are now at episode 522 of one piece, so just before they go to fishman island......

and i have to say! sanji post-timeskip (so far)? activates my fight instict like nothing else :) wish that him being on momoire island wasn't what it is, tbh; in my opinion that would have been an opportunity to, idk, make sanji less instead of more of a creep + his 'challenge' on the island just kinda makes everything worse......

(it's also incredibly interesting to me how transphobia and cissexism operate during that whole thing—because those people's gender is never taken seriously or seen as authentic, at least not by sanji who is the one we have to watch navigate the island + the way everybody is drawn in this strange caricature way; my friend has told me there are going to be characters in the future where it's better and the whole thing with ivankov and impel down exists but still)

the thing is, this part of sanji being a gag almost makes the whole thing worse for me, in a way where i know why he is like that and that you can’t really take it out anymore, it's part of his character whether i like it or not, but i just want to take a hammer to his head every time it happens

nami, robin and zoro post-timeskip look gorgeous, btw! especially robin's hair, love me a slicked back hair look!!! and zoro's scar? 👀 interesting! going to love seeing what all they can do now, not gonna lie!

also, the gang being back together? 🥺 i love it <333

Sanji is one of those characters that is very frustrating because there's times when he's great - Whole Cake is Sanji at his most interesting - and I genuinely dislike how power scalers are always trying to pit him against Zoro. Sanji's "dream" doesn't even have anything to do with being "the strongest/best" in terms of power like Zoro which is what makes him interesting. And what makes his relationship with Luffy different from Luffy's relationship with Zoro (which is important, if there's a man Sanji would ever be and has been openly valurnable with it's Luffy, Luffy, Luffy).

Luffy values Sanji for his compassion, feeding a starving man is why Luffy wants Sanji on his crew. If Sanji never wanted to fight again he would still be Luffy's cook, chef of the Strawhats.

All that said, and while I understand fans desire to headcanon - or outright attempts to rewrite canon - to make Sanji more palatable, fact of the matter is, this is just his character. Oda isn't doing anything subversive with Sanji, nor is Sanji some sort of queer coded icon. Oda is very obvious and straightforward with which of his characters are queer.

One of my best friends is a Sanji STAN they love him, but they acknowledge that he is, well, like that. Even Sanji's reaction to the okama isn't something that doesn't have history in animanga. Who have been a joke in shounen for decades. You want good queer representation in anime or manga? Watch or read shojo, josei, GL, or BL, maybe some seinen. Shounen is often times, not where it's at. They exist: Yu Yu Hakusho, Gurran Lagann, Tsubasa Chronicle, Neon Genesis Evangelion but they're - in my experience - way more rare.

Like off the top of my head I can think of plenty of shojo series that included a queer character/characters and/or queer themes: The Gentlemen's Alliance Cross, Godchild, Wish, Fushigi Yuugi, MARS, Cardcaptor Sakura, Sailor Moon, My Love Mix-Up (a lot of ppl just assume this is BL, but it was published in a shojo magazine and even won the manga award in the shojo category), The Rose of Versailles, Tokyo Babylon, Paradise Kiss, god honestly the list goes on and on.

Meanwhile in shounen/seinen land there's Puri Puri (One Punch Man)🥴🥴

Point being, Sanji isn't new or unique, he's like the anime version of a Vince Vaughn character but with pathos in between all the obnoxious gag comedy.

I'll warn you Sanji is near unbearable in Fishman, but I did like his story in Dressrosa which is one of my personal favorite arcs of the series.

A lot of folks were hating on the new Robin look but I LOVED it. She looked like a wine auntie and I love that energy b/c Robin would be a wine auntie just one that may or may also be a witch in a Practical Magic. Absolutely fabulous.

That mini arc of everyone returning and coming back together is actually another fave of mine from the series. I love seeing everyone reunite, I thought Luffy's bits were great, the way chaos just explodes around the strawhats was amazing.

A lot of folks seem down on the post timeskip arcs but tbh most of my fave arcs are post timeskip. Oda DOES get a bit to indulgent in terms of length, but hell Impel Down and Marineford were also - imo - to damn long lol so Dressrosa, and Wano's lengths weren't that bad for me.