#i feel like this is a torch i and i alone have to carry because either the rest of the fandom is dead (good)

[vexwerewolf]

I’m suddenly getting swathes of Lancer hate across my feed… Has something happened in the fandom? “Union is ______ how could they paint them as even remotely good. They allow _____, and I hate the devs they are ______. The whole thing is just 40k with communist veneer”.

Like am I taking crazy pills…? I thought that all of the problems were literally like right there on the tin “we are a utopia in progress! We will obtain it by any means possible even if it means being everything we say we are not/fighting against. As the player you decide what is right. How much will you ignore for someone else’s idea of utopia?�� Like doesn’t it mean all the tools to actually change are there and that is the HOPE aspect of all of this?

(Sorry if this in incoherent grammar is a weak point and I pulled something in my back simply standing up. Now I am sad and crook backed in spasmodic pain)

This isn't an argument I feel super enthusiastic about stepping into, because it gets the most annoying sort of people in your mentions eager to maliciously misrepresent what you say.

However, yeah, there are some pretty terrible readings of Union floating around. I'd invoke "media literacy" because think that a lot of this comes from people not really holistically engaging with the fictional future history of Lancer, but also from a sort of dogmatic purism that requires future societies to be flawless, else they're irredeemable.

It is important to note that ThirdComm is the direct descendant of two highly imperfect societies. FirstComm was formed as a response to the Three Great Traumas of discovering the Massif Vaults (and thus that they were the inheritors of a fallen world), the wars over the Massif Vaults, and the discovery of the lost colonies, all of which collectively showed humanity how close it had come to total extinction.

FirstComm decided that it had a responsibility to ensure that humanity never risked extinction again. It manifested this by trying to colonize every habitable planet it could find, pumping out ship after ship to seed the cosmos with as much human life as it possibly could. This led to problems when it encountered civilizations like the Karrakin Federation and the Aun, who had been carrying humanity's torch just fine by themselves, thank you very much.

SecComm was an Anthrochauvinist fascist state. The book defines it thusly:

We can see a lot of Anthrochauvinist historical romanticism in the mech naming schemes of Harrison Armory, SSC and IPS-N - the fact that Harrison Armory names its mechs after great military leaders of pre-Fall Earth history, IPS-N does the same with naval figures, and SSC uses the names of Earth animals. Even the GMS Everest is named for a mountain on Earth. It's very Cradle-centric.

Anthrochauvinism was, to be clear, largely just an excuse for colonialism and hegemony. Atrocities could easily be justified under by stating that whoever they're being committed against were a threat to the Continuance of Humanity - a term that SecComm got to define.

It's also at this point that we have to zoom in from broad sociopolitical points to address one very specific piece of history: the New Prosperity Agreement. This was signed to prevent the outbreak of a Second Union-Karrakin War, and mandated that the Karrakin Houses would maintain privileged levels of autonomy within Union, and that they would be granted colonial rights to the entire Dawnline Shore. This agreement, struck in 3007u, basically defines much of the current political situation today.

ThirdComm was a final and inevitable reaction to the atrocities, abuses and excesses of SecComm. The unspeakable horrors of Hercynia were the spark, but I need to stress how little Hercynia actually mattered in the larger Revolution - at the start of NRfaW, it's explicitly stated that almost nobody in the galaxy even knows where it is, let alone what happened there. The Revolution was a generalized response to SecComm's tyranny, with no single rallying cry.

The Revolution might also have failed entirely, but for a critical error by Harrison Armory: pissing off the Karrakin Trade Baronies. After getting kicked off Cradle, the Anthrochauvinist Party organised a fleet at Ras Shamra to try and retake Cradle. Simultaneously, however, they were attempting to secure protectorate agreements to steal worlds in the Dawnline Shore out from under the KTB. Putting these two together and making five, the KTB assumed that the fleet was pointed at Karrakis, and started the First Interest War.

The First Interest War initially favoured the KTB. They smashed the fleet above Ras Shamra and simultaneously conquered the moon of Creighton in the Dawnline Shore. However, they underestimated just how ruthless Harrison I was - he "retook" Creighton by relativistic bombardment, and then conquered four of the 12 worlds of the Dawnline Shore with mechanised chassis, a technology the KTB had not adopted and had no counter for.

To prevent further loss of life, Union was eventually forced to broker a peace agreement that saw Harrison I handing himself over to Union justice in return for Harrison Armory's continued sovereignty, and the KTB joining Union as a full member state.

So, with that historical context out of the way, let me get to the second part of this absurd essay I'm writing.

Third Committee Union isn't a civilization that arose from whole cloth. It's shaped by five thousand years of Union history, six thousand years of post-Fall history, and six thousand years of pre-Fall history before that. It is, ultimately, an extremely well-thought-out and well-worldbuilt fictional polity, in that all of its imperfections come from traceable root causes in its history.

Why does ThirdComm permit the abuses of the KTB? Because to stop them, it would likely have to go to war, and such a war would butcher billions. Worse, to do so, it would probably have to ally with Harrison Armory and make horrific concessions.

Why does ThirdComm permit the expansionism and cryptochauvinism of the Armory? Because to stop them, it would likely have to go to war, and such a war would butcher billions. Worse, to do so, it would probably have to ally with the KTB and make horrific concessions.

Nobody in CentComm likes that Harrison Armory are empire-building expansionists. Nobody in CentComm likes that the KTB has a hereditary nobility and enforces blockades against planets that rebel against it. The problem is that ThirdComm is, in historical terms, still relatively new. They've been around five hundred years, and compared to the 1600 years that SecComm was around and the 2800 years FirstComm existed for, that's not very much.

ThirdComm is attempting to decouple itself from the Cradle-first politics of its predecessor, and to amend the many, many atrocities committed in the name of Humanity. It is not easy to do any of these things. SecComm was defined almost entirely by the fact that if it didn't like what you were doing, it would send in the military as a first response. Every time ThirdComm chooses to do the same, its legitimacy erodes, because the mission of ThirdComm is to prove that diverse, vibrant and compassionate human civilization can exist without devolving into war and bloodshed. ThirdComm always tries diplomacy as a first response because if it doesn't, millions of people could die.

[wonnieluv]

Goodness knows, the wicked’s lives are lonely - Sim Jake

Summary: Jake Sim doesn’t know what year it is, he doesn’t know what month it is, he doesn’t know what day it is, and he doesn’t care. Ever since that fateful day in 1692, he stopped caring. Now, it’s 2024 and he’s grown more violent, more vengeful, more cold, more… alone

vampire!Jake x fem!reader

warnings: death, themes of reincarnation, blood, y/n’s life is not easy, suggestive, biting, kissing. lmk if I missed anything

masterlist

The smell of fire was overpowering, screams echoed off of the trees but they were not afraid, no… they were… excited, passionate, enraged.

He remained where he was, hidden in the trees as he watched the people march through the forest, his forest. They carried torches that burned an angry shade of orange against the trees.

The angry crowd halted at a large tree deep in the forest. Not much could be seen from the back of the crowd, but through the smoke, a young girl could be seen climbing a platform. Her tear streaked skin illuminated by the glow to the torches as the crowd shouted curses at her.

“Burn the witch!”

“Kill that spawn of Satan”

As she looked upon the sea of angry faces she once knew. The smiles she used to see now replaced with scowls as their mouths cursed her.

In the midst of her thoughts she failed to feel the toughness of the rope against her neck until it was too late. Harsh hands shoved her off of the platform. Her told hands keeping her from struggling as she was left there to die

“what… have you done”

An angry voice boomed from deep within the woods. He stepped out onto the path. Fangs gritted in a snarl, claw-like hands bared, eyes glowing a bright red due to the reflection of the fire form the torches. His aura was fierce and intimidating as he approached the crowd. He was angry.

Without hesitation he immediately began to kill. Clawing hands clawing the chest of anyone who dared step in his path. Fangs plunging deep into the necks of every person in his sight.

By the time he laid your body on the ground, your head in his lap; tears no longer fell from your eyes. The heat that once warmed his palms as he caressed your cheeks has now almost completely disappeared. Your eyes still wide open as they gazed up at him as his own tears began to wet your pale cheeks.

“I’m so sorry… I didn’t protect you… I couldn’t save you on time my love…”

“Return to me please… Y/N…” He finished with a final kiss to your forehead as he lay you peacefully to rest.

From that moment forward, Sim Jaeyun would proceed to break every single promise he once made you.

He began to feed on humans again as he did before he met you, only this time, he was far more violent, more cruel, more… wicked.

࿎

Within the vampire world, there are councils and laws to regulate how much human blood vampires were allowed to consumed within certain time frames as the consumption of human blood has the ability to increase a vampires powers.

Sim Jaeyun no longer cared for the rules. He fed, and fed, and fed, and fed. He recklessly killed any human he wanted whenever he wanted. He didn’t care. No matter how many he killed, he couldn’t satisfy the need for revenge.

In response the higher powers banished him to an eternal prison deep in the forest where he now resides.

“They say he is bound by a magical barrier and is unable to leave the woods. They say that’s why the woods are off limits because you can no longer be protected if you step into the barrier. They say- what?! I’m not done yet” the older boy sneered at the 4-year-old who eagerly raised a hand.

“W-well what about his family. Does he get to see his mom and dad?” She asks with wide eyes

“Are you serious” the boy scoffs “He’s a monster, a wicked, blood-thirsty monster. He’s better off alone. Anyways as I was saying…”

You had heard many of the tales of the castle nestles deep within the forest. Whether you believed them or not, you were still unsure. All you know, is that the castle exists and anyone who has ever step foot in the forest has not lived to tell the tale.

Now, at the age of 20, you stare out the window at the looming spires you can see just over the tree line from the window of the orphanage you work in. The orphanage you once called home- well, still called home. Your life had been nothing easy.

Since you can remember, you’ve lived within the walls of the orphanage. No family in the town wanted to adopt you, so, you found yourself staring out the window wondering what life was like in the rest of the world. What life would be like when you finally escaped this forsaken town.

Now, as you stumble into adulthood, you’re not sure if you ever will. You were smart enough, forced to quit high school halfway through to help the older women with the young kids at the orphanage.

As December came with the cold whisper of winter, things proceeded to go as they always did. That is, until the prized daughter of the mayor of your town disappeared into the woods one night. The mayor had decided enough was enough.

“On the night of Christmas Eve, we shall sacrifice a loyal town member, a pure member of our community to try and please whatever lays beyond the edges of the forest”

I pity the poor soul who’ll end up being sacrificed due to the madness of this town. You thought as you continued to clean.

What you didn’t expect, was to be the poor soul stood at the edge of the woods while the entire town beckoned her to step in. To walk the old path to the dark castle deep in the forest. But who were you kidding no cared for an unwanted orphan anyways

You held your head high and stepped onto the path. Faint footprints of the forests last victims still visible as you trudge through the cold. You don’t look back, you don’t cry, you just walk.

You keep your eyes ahead of you, bracing for whatever lies ahead of you. Eventually the footprints in the snow disappear. Maybe the last victim didn’t make it this far, or maybe the snow covered them. You opt to believe the second option in naive optimism.

The first gets thicker as you move further into the forest until you make it to the one place you never imagined you’d ever be. The castle.

In that instance you hear rustling behind you. As you turn around, the last thing you see is the movement of black fabric against the wind before the whole world goes dark.

࿎

It’s been 331 years and 90 days since you were taken away from him but who’s counting.

Jake is. Does he know what year it is? No. Does he know what month it is? No. Does he know what the date is? No. All he knows is it’s been

331 years and 90 days since you were taken from him.

331 years and 90 days since he’s vengefully killed every human who put you to death.

331 years and 90 days since he has felt any emotion other than hatred and anger.

You see to him, loving you was the easiest thing he’s ever done.

Having you by his side was more important to him than drinking human blood, than hearing the screams of fear and pain as he drained his victims, than having people cower at the mention of his name.

But you were gone…

And now here he is, banished to these woods where he can only feed on the few foolish humans who attempt to prove he doesn’t exist.

Very few animals live here anymore, he killed them all.

He lounges around the castle until the scent of his next meal hits his nostrils, he rushes to claim his next victim before returning the castle and waits around for the next one.

This has continued for years, probably centuries at this point, but again… who’s counting?

Here he is today, he could sense the presence of a large group of people outside the forest, maybe this time he’ll have a feast on his hands. He smirks at the thought. He decides to take his time with this one. Why not play with his food a little?

Well that was the plan, until he smelled something. A scent he hasn’t smelled in 331 years and 90 days.

it can’t be…

Before he knew it he was standing behind a young girl in a white cloak as she trudged along the path shivering in the cold with nothing but a lantern to light her way.

“Y/N” he whispers to himself

He continued to follow you silently as you continued on your way towards his castle. Your scent was intoxicating. It has taken every last bit of self control for him to not bring you into his arms and turn you for eternity as he should have over 300 years ago. But he resisted as he knew, you aren’t the same person he once loved.

As you reached the bottom of the palace steps, he stepped out of the shadows. He noticed your body trembling as your features have become pale due to the cold of the winter. In a blue of panic and impulse he rushed to you. The next thing he knew, your body had fallen limp in his arms.

He just sat there. On the steps of his castle with your body limp and cold in his arms. The image reminiscent of that day he lost you for what felt like an eternity.

He rushed inside the castle with you in his arms. He laid you gently on the bed in the bedroom he kept as his own (despite the fact that he doesn’t sleep). With panicked eyes and shaky hands he tended to you. Wrapped you warmly in the blankets and even lit a fire in the fireplace while surrounding the bed with candles to keep you warms.

Once he felt he had done enough, he sat on the floor next to the bed and help your hand in his as he stared at you. He wanted nothing more than to take you into his arms and hold you once again, but he knows that wouldn’t be fair to you, so he’ll wait. He’s waited an eternity to see you again, what’s a couple more hours until you wake up?

࿎

Hell. That’s where you’ve deemed you are. In the deep pits of hell. Your body sweating, your head throbbing. The first thing you see when you open your eyes is red. Red walls, red furniture, red blankets.

Where in the 50 shades am I…

You use your hands to help yourself sit up, or… you tried to. As you look to your left hand you see it’s being held… by another hand. When you trace the hand to its owner your met with the pale face and dark eyes of a man you’ve never seen before.

“Oh my god!” You immediately jump back

“No no! I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you…” he immediately stands up trying to reach out to you

“Don’t touch me!” You continue to back away from him until you reach the other end of the bed. You immediately stand up on wobbly legs

“Please sit back down. I’ll explain everything! your body is still recovering form the cold…” he says in a panicked manner.

You look into his eyes as you try to read him but you can’t. Yet for some reason, your mind is giving you no reason to not trust him and your heart… your heart is urging you to move closer to him.

You only partially listen to your heart as you sit back down on the edge of the bed.

“Who… who are you?” You ask

He sits next to you, leaving a reasonable amount of space before he answers.

“My name is Sim Jaeyun… but you can call me Jake... and I’m the vampire who resides in this forest.” He softly explains

Your breath hitches “so the stories were true…”

“Mmm” he hums in response

“So you’ve killed all those people… all this time… and I’m next…?” You don’t look at him as a tears trickles down your face. You know the answer already but you still asked.

“Yes… I did kill all of those people… but no… I’m not going to kill you” He says as he slightly inches towards you and reaches up to wipe your tears.

You slightly flinch at the contact of his hand on your face before your body subconsciously relaxes into his touch.

“Hey… look at me” he cups your face with both of his hands guiding you to look at him “I won’t kill you. I would never kill you. I can’t lose you… not again…” his voice trails off at the end

“…again…?“ Your head snaps up as you try to search his eyes for an answer

“I’ll explain that in time but… you need some warmer clothes and some food” he points to a bathroom behind you “there’s clothes in there for you. I’ll be downstairs in the kitchen when you’re done” he smiles as he rises from the bed.

You almost want to pull his wrist back, missing to feeling of him being near you but you remind yourself this is a deadly vampire.

I’m the moment your stomach grumbles.

Well if he poisons me at least I’ll die with a full stomach

࿎

After changing into new warm clothes, you make your way to the kitchen. The smell guiding your nose to the spacious kitchen where you see Jake cooking… ramen?

“I didn’t know supernatural beings ate ramen? I thought you were bound to this forest?” You try to suppress a giggle

He whips his head around in surprise not hearing you approach despite his heightened senses.

“Oh! Uhhh… yes… well no… I’m not bound. I can leave the forest I’m just invisible to humans. They can’t see me… I can’t touch them” he scratches the back of his neck. You could’ve sworn that if he had blood running through his veins it would’ve rushed to his cheeks.

“It was the first thing I saw when I went to get food” he said sheepishly “if you don’t like it I can go get something else!” He rushes out.

You just laugh at this point. How are you supposed to believe this is the feared vampire that has terrorized your town for generations. This man who doesn’t look over 23 years old, who’s fumbling over making ramen for you… a monster…? There’s no way.

“W-what’s so funny” he says with a nervous smile

“There is no way in hell that you are the monstrous vampire everyone is afraid of… this has to be a prank” you turn around “okay guys! Jokes up! This was funny-”

You barely finish your sentence before your back comes in contact with the counter behind you. You wince slightly and when your eyes open again Jake’s face is hovering above your own adorning a devilish smirk.

“I wish I could prove you right darling…” he chuckles as you feel his breath fan your face “but unfortunately…” he lowers his head to whisper into your ear “I am the monster”

A shiver runs down your spine as you put your hands on his shoulder to support yourself as his head dips down to your neck.

“And I could kill you too…” your breath hitches as you finally feel the sharpness of his fangs graze your neck as his hand cradles your head to keep it in place “but I’ve waited too long to have you with me again”

He leaves a light kiss on your neck before lifting you up to sit on the counter with him in between your legs “so… you should get used to it my love…”

The next thing you know he’s off of you and back to tending to the ramen you had long forgotten about as you’re sat stunned on the counter.

“Now you should eat and get more of your strength back” he smiles at you as he sets a bowl down for you on the table.

You snap out of your daze and hop off of the counter to sit at the table and eat the ramen. You say nothing as your stomach takes over and you begin to eat. As you’re halfway through the bowl you notice he’s staring at you.

“What?” You say as you swallow the next bite.

He blinks out of his trance and clears his throat “oh… nothing”

You continue to eat as he glances at you. You know he’s trying to not stare at you but you decide to not ask about it quite yet and you focus on eating the delicious ramen in front of you.

࿎

After you’ve eaten Jake guided you back to the bedroom you were in earlier.

“You should sleep for now. You’re probably still recovering from the cold earlier” He goes back to the fireplace to tend to the fire to keep the room warm for you.

“How do you know my name…?” He freezes at your question

“W-well… you told me earlier… remember?” He says as he turns back to the fireplace

“No. I didn’t... also I’m not gonna be able to sleep if you don’t answer some of my questions so… why avoid it”

He sighs turning to you “fine… but please… just… ugh” he groans out “no questions until the end”

You nod. He gestures for you to sit on the bed and you do. He sits down with you taking a deep breath.

“I knew you a long time ago” he starts looking out the window. An unfamiliar light in his eyes.

“How long ago?”

“Over 300 years ago”

Your eyes widen at his answer

࿎

Your heart raced in your chest as you ran through the forest. Your lungs burning. You had stayed out far too late and now it was dark. You had to make it home by morning so your only option was to go through the forest by yourself in the dark.

Not far into your journey, you hear the sound of footsteps behind you. Without looking back you ran with everything you had. Unfortunately the light of the moon shining above you was obstructed by the thick trees and you tripped on a branch you had not seen.

“Well well… look what he have here…” a man chuckled from behind you.

You turn around and begin to back away seeing two men begin to close in

“No please!” You try to beg

“Look at her… she’s so scared. I bet her blood’s delicious” his tongue poking out to lick over the prominent fangs as the two of them immediately rush at you picking you up and pinning you to a tree

“No…” you flinch bracing to feel the pain but the next thing you know, their hands are off of you…

You look up and see another man fighting both of them off.

“Stop hunting in my territory if you know what’s good for you” he seethes

“Next time you won’t be so lucky Sim” one of the two men spat out as they both turn and in the blink of an eye disappear into the forest

The man they called Sim turned to face you. “Are you alright…”

You flinch back as he tries to approach you “please… just let me be on my way”

He says nothing as he scoops you up into his arms “hold on tight m’lady”

You obey as you lock your arms around his neck. You feel a breeze as he rushes through the forest with you in his arms. It’s all so overwhelming so you bury your head in his neck and close your eyes

“We’ve arrived darling…” he gently lets you down. You open your eyes and immediately recognize the entrance to your town.

“How-? I-I… Thank you sir-” You turn to properly thank him but he had disappeared as quickly as he had appeared in the first place.

You searched for weeks for him until one day you stumbled across his hut in the woods.

He did everything in his power to get you to stay away but you were stubborn. You showed up at the same time every Tuesday and Saturday and just like that… his undead heart began to yearn for you.

He had fallen in love with you. He knew he would do everything to keep you by his side. He loved you passionately as if you’d disappear at any moment until one night… you did.

He searched endlessly for you until he found your scent parked with the smell of… smoke?

“They hung you… someone accused you of witchcraft and that was the end of it…” he breathed out

“The day they took you from me… I vowed to never protect a human the way I had protected you…” you could sense the anger in his voice as he continued.

“I-I didn’t know what to do… I was so angry so I just killed. I killed and killed and killed. All of them-” his words were interrupted by a sensation he never thought he’d ever feel again for the rest of his cursed eternal life

Your soft, warm lips on his

But before he could kiss you back you had pulled away.

“Jake…” you look into his eyes with tears in your own as you hold his face in your hands.

You places on of his hands over your own as he looked into your eyes and for the first time in 331 years and 90 days, a tear slid down his cheek.

“Y-you were- are my everything… and they just took you away from me… I didn’t know what to do” you continue to hold his face in your hands as you wipe is tears as they fall.

You maneuver him to lay down on the bed as you lay with him resting your head on his chest. His arms immediately circle your waist.

“I can’t lose you again” he says as he buries his head into your hair.

“You won’t have to… they all probably think I’m dead…” you say with a hint of sadness lacing your tone.

“What to you mean… they would want to know you’re alive” he runs a hand through your hair

You shake your head as tears of your own form in your eyes “I was sacrificed… to you” you look up at him

You see an immediate shift in his features to anger “how dare they… those filthy humans… they should know better that one sacrifice wouldn’t have been enough anyways, I’ll kill them all some day-”

“Hey hey…” you cut him off “maybe it’s for the best…”

“Y/N… how is this for the best… don’t get me wrong, I’ve yearned for the day I could have you here all to myself for all of time but… that’s not fair to you. What about your family… friends…” he caresses you cheek as worry laced his tone.

“I don’t… have any… I’ve been an orphan my whole life Jake… I’ve been… alone my whole life”

He sits in silence. The anger coursing through his veins only gets stronger hearing you recount how lonely your life has been but he decides to say nothing about it this time. Instead… he utters the words he’s never uttered before…

“Let me turn you… my love. Spend an eternity here… with me…” he says with a kiss to your forehead as he gently caresses your waist where his arm lays.

You look at him. You’ve known this man for a matter of hours, he’s given you no reason to trust you because granting you the ability to keep your life… so why… why do you believe every word that comes off of his tongue. Why do you want to say yes and spend the rest of your life by his side cursed with eternity as you live out your days with him in the castle. Why do you want to let him turn you into the monster everyone believes him to be…

Maybe because… he never was a monster to you. Because you knew deep down as you heard the tales, the whispers of his name on the street… that there’s more to Sim Jaeyun. You’d spent your entire life alone… Jake had spent 331 years and 90 days alone. Maybe, just maybe, he’d make you as happy as he did in your supposed past life.

Your heart speaks before your brain has the chance to…

“Please… let me spend the rest of eternity with you.”

He brings you into a passionate kiss. You can feel every emotion flowing from him. The love he holds for you, the yearning he has felt all this time, the pain he’s felt due to you not being here with him, and the desperation to have you as close as possible.

As he turns your bodies to lay you onto your back he breaks the kiss and looks deep into your eyes

“I’ve waited for this day, for centuries… but I cannot undo it once it’s done my love…” he says as he caresses your cheek once again “are you sure you want this?” He asks searching your eyes.

You nod with a soft smile “Yes Jake… I’m sure”

He smiles before giving you a soft peck.

The next sensation you feel is like fire across every part of your body. It burns but it doesn’t hurt. The venom of his fangs sinking deep into your skin as you link your fingers with Jake’s in one hand and grasp onto his hair with the other. The sensation like nothing you could describe. It was uncomfortable yet soothing. It coursed through your veins until you felt across every inch of your body, and then all the sudden… everything went cold.

As Jake detached from your neck, you could see with blurred vision the blood dripping from his fangs before he rolled over to the side and pulled your back to his chest. With one last kiss to the back of your head he whispered

“Sleep for now my love, when you wake… you will be hungry…”

With that you let your eyelids close knowing that when you woke… Jake would be right there beside you, where he would remain for all of eternity.

This was like 10x more suggestive than I wanted to be so sowwy

tags: @chlorophylliaa

[firelilyfox]

Nightmares & Soft Words

Dune : Paul Atreides x female reader

Warnings : fluff / mention of loosing someone / mention of war / teasing

You had a nightmare & Paul comforts you

(English is not my first language so please excuse spelling and grammatical mistakes)

Words : 1033

______________________________

Your breathing is shallow as you wake up in the middle of the night because of another horrible dream. Beside you lays Paul who is still peacefully sleeping. His dark curls have managed to fall all over his beautiful face and you resist the urge to touch it to remind you that you are back in reality. Weeks have passed since you were able to sleep peacefully. Too much worries and sorrows filled your mind with fear.

Fear to loose Paul. Fear to see all your friends die. Fear that this brutal war will never end. 

But you haven’t told him about any of that. Paul has such a big responsibility to carry around, that the thought alone telling him about your stupid litte nightmares was pathetic. He deserves to rest and not have to think about his girlfriend being anxious about something that hasn’t even happened yet. 

You take a last look at him and deciding to go for a litte walk through the halls of your underground home. The massive, old stonewalls always seemed to calm you down since you were a little kid. You imagined all the stories that they had been witnessed and all of the Fremen that were here before. 

Every footstep of yours sends a little echo through the empty hallways and while you let your thoughts run free, you somehow find your way to the waters of the souls that died for the greater good. Normally this place would make people sad, but for the Fremen it is a great honor to still be a part of the remaining for eternity. 

The torches on the walls flickers and their light is reflected by the water, wich made the big hall looked warm and gloomy. Before you could take a seat near the water, something catches your attention. Paul was leaning against a wall right behind you. The look on his face made you nervous. 

„Why are you up? Did something happen?“ 

He comes towards you with a frown. „That’s what I should ask you, Y/N. What are you doing here in the middle of the night?“ 

„Oh it’s nothing. I-I just needed fresh air“, you shrugged. 

Paul shakes his head with a smile of disbelief. „You are terrible at lying, love.“ He puts his arms around you and pulls you closer to him. You let him, but still trying to avoid direct eye contact. You are more than sure about the fact, that Paul would be able to see all the horrible things you dreamed about in less than a second. So you just leaned against his touch and trying your best to put on an effortlessly smile for him. 

„Really it’s nothing. Maybe I ate something wrong or haven’t drank enough. We should go back to bed.“ You are trying to get out of his grip, but instead you can feel it tightened around your waist. 

„I won’t let you go anywhere now, until you told me the truth. You seem upset and I will be dammed if I let you go back to sleep like that.“ Paul puts his finger under your chin to force you softly to look at him. That’s when you start to tear up a little. „Talk to me, love.“ 

You sigh. „I had a nightmare again.“ 

His thumb softly wipes away a tear that was rolling down your cheek. „You haven’t told me you were haunted by nightmares before.“ 

„I didn’t want to stress you about something pathetic like that. With all that is going on with the war and the revolution right now … and the Fremen seeing you as their leader … there is no room for something irrelevant like that.“ 

Paul shuts you up with a soft kiss on the lips. Your hands grabbing the thin fabric of his shirt to hold him close to you. 

„Never say something like that again or I’m forced to use the voice on you to get rid of that stupid idea that your nightmares are irrelevant or that there is no room for you coming to me with your problems.“ His words were determining but his voice sounded so very soft, that your heart melted a bit. „I couldn’t possibly do any of this … crazy Lisan al Gaib stuff without knowing that you are alright by my side.“ 

You couldn’t hold back a little smile. „You are very good at finding the right words, Usul.“ 

You using his Fedaykin-Name always had the impact of lightens up his gaze. It reminds him, that you two are very much equal and that he is a part of something worth fighting for. 

„Now tell me what this nightmares are about.“ 

And you did. You told him everything while going back to your room and he hold your hand the entire time. The words came out like a waterfall but now that you hear them out loud, they not seemed so scary anymore. You felt the moment the tension left your body when the two of you got back to bed, lying next to each other so close that no nightmare can come between. 

„If you ever have thoughts like that you need to tell me, love. It is unbearable to me if I can’t be sure, that you and that pretty little head of yours are doing okay.“ He tapped his finger against your forehead. „Do you understand?“ 

„I do understand. But for now…“ You say while you sit up again and take a seat on his lap with spread legs. Paul leaned back on his forearms, admiring you as if there is nothing more beautiful in this world. And to him, there is none. „For now my head is doing more than just okay.“ 

He gives you a little smirk. „That’s good to know. Maybe there is a way we could make your body feel the same way.“ Paul grabs your hips and you start kissing him passionately while your fingers run through his hair. A dark sound escapes his throat as you are slowly moving your hips to create pressure to his growing length between your legs. 

„We should figure out how good you can make me feel, Muad’Dib.“ 

[deanbrainrotwritings]

—   KEEP THE LIGHTS ON

SUMMARY : “Hi!! First time requesting a fic so if this is dumb.. well yeah. A fic where Dean and the reader are about to do it (😏😏) and hes very focused on her thighs/hips area and she's got stretch marks there and he traces/kisses/grabs them? It's rough, intense, and passionate? 😳😶 okay love you and your writing byeee 🏃‍♀️” — anon

PAIRING : dean winchester x fem!reader

CHARACTERS : none

WARNINGS/TAGS : explicit(18+), smut, as always unspecified skin colour and weight (lol), 

WORD COUNT : 2.0k

A/N : close your eyes song title. I loved this request as soon as I got it, and that’s why it didn’t take long! I’ve seen some stretch marks are lighter than the skin and others are darker than the skin and also that they feel like grooves so, I hope this is okay! *insert Scott Pilgrim and the L-word scene bc I can’t say ILY* AND HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY Xx

You’d never been so comfortable and confident with a man before. Comfortable with yourself. Confident in your own skin.. Every insecurity you had in every other aspect of your life, sex-releated or not, flew out the window because you knew Dean. 

He had a way of making you feel beautiful all the time. Either with his facial expressions when you caught him staring, his words when you were alone, his actions at any chance he had to get his hands on you. He was very expressive, wordlessly so, and gesticulating. 

You had to get to know the real him to understand him and, you know… he’s complicated. He’s guarded, but beneath all that there’s a soft centre to him, like a brownie. And overall, he’s sweet and good and soft. Perfect. Like a brownie. 

Eventually, getting a read on him gets easier, but not entirely easy. Which is why he was currently taking your breath away with his lips moving down your neck and his hands tangled in your hair as he guided you down the hallway to his room. But only after admitting he’d been wanting to get you in his bed for years and you’d be damned if you let your fears and worries get in the way of getting your first taste of him after pining for him almost as long as he’d carried a torch for you. 

You had to be stupid to believe that Dean was shallow and cared only about a woman's appearance or attractiveness. You never thought you weren’t enough all those times Dean left with or hit on any women but you. All you thought was that he simply didn’t see you that way, which was only half of the truth. He wanted something more than one night with you and he just didn’t have the guts to tell you so. 

But tonight, after a sleepy hangout at the Dean Cave, after watching a variety of movies that Dean liked—movies he excitedly wanted you to enjoy as well when you said you’d never watched them before. And then going to the kitchen to get more snacks for the next film… 

Well, you don’t really remember what led to it, maybe you said something in your exhausted state. Or maybe he did. You had a feeling that if you made the first move and confessed something you wouldn’t have in the right state of mind, he’d hold it over you and tease you about it—if everything went well. 

Or maybe it was just a buildup of every little thing that the two of you shared with each other and all the history and all of everything else that you were. 

Now that you had his mouth on yours, quick and firm and desperate for attention and for a taste of you… You had a feeling making your stomach flutter. To some extent, the two of you were very aware of each other’s feelings and still decided to do nothing about it. 

What a waste of fucking time. 

Still, something about waiting made this much more intense. Your skin ignited at his touch when his fingers snuck up into your shirt. Your flesh became warmer and warmer after each rapid heartbeat, excitement from his wet, breathy kisses. The air in your lungs failed to escape correctly, failing to reach the full capacity of oxygen the more thrilled you became. 

You wanted to devour him whole. But all you could do was kiss him back with as much passion and fervour as you possibly could. Your palms smoothed up scarred skin, flushed and warm and taut. Your nails scratched and your fingers tugged at anything of his that you could hold onto. 

When you got to his room, he’d made your head spin more than it already was from his kiss when he pushed you into his bedroom door to shut it. 

“Sweetheart,” he moaned against your mouth and your breath audibly hitched. The sound of his voice, the way he spoke that pet-name to you made your stomach clench and your clit throb. Or maybe it was the way he pinned your lower body to the door with his hips and the way he held your gaze when he flexed his hand beneath your shirt, his fingers spread across your ribcage.

His other hand moved back up to your cheek and his thumb brushed against your cheekbone. Your lips parted at first when he did that and your eyes searched his curious eyes longingly, but he seemed to be on his own mission. You bit your lip anxiously instead as you attempted to maintain eye contact, your cheeks burned when his green eyes dropped down to your lips. All you could feel was his erection pressed into your soft skin through the flimsy layers of his pyjama pants. 

And then his cock twitched. 

It was driving you crazy.

Being this close to him felt like a chemical reaction. You bubbled as he came into contact with you and you could probably evaporate into nothing if you were just a reactant. You never thought you’d feel consumed entirely by a person as if they were a reagent. You’d be embarrassed if it were anyone else but Dean who made you feel this pathetic. 

Your eyes reacted faster than your body when Dean dove back down to capture your bottom lip. He sucked on it softly and rolled his hips into you and you breathed shakily against his mouth at the combination of pleasant sensations that occurred simultaneously. 

You buried your fingers in his hair and then you felt his own gripping your hips tightly. God, you wished he’d dig into you and mark you permanently, but instead your thoughts ran through the imaginary engine of a plane and turned into smithereens when his tongue entered your mouth.

He lifted you up and his hands slid roughly from your ass to your thighs. You clung to him and kissed him hard, pouring yourself wholly into the kiss until he drunkenly stumbled to his bed and dropped you into it. All the while, he was still completely attached to you and getting more desperate now that you were as malleable as dough in his expert hands.

He pulled away from you breathlessly, lips parted and wet and red and perfectly kissed. His cheeks puffed a little and he had a tiny smile that shined mostly in his eyes when they fluttered open. You thought you’d be sucked right into his dilated pupils as he admired you beneath him, but he went right back to your neck and your cleavage while his hands pushed and pulled away at your clothes to get you naked.

For the fraction of a second, your body snapped out of the trance he’d placed you in when you felt his fingers trace and dip gently into the marks on your skin. The magic was gone only for a few moments when you opened your eyes to him between your bare legs, he looked up at you in surprise. Surprised at your reaction.

“What?” He frowned at you. The cute pout made your eyes brighten and your body relaxed once more as you smiled down at him. 

You were hesitant and he was patient. And then his expression mirrored yours, smiley. But he was so soft, with those crinkles at the corner of his eyes, and those dimples above his pillowy lips. He didn’t even make a big deal out of it and that made you release a soft breath and with it, the tension disappeared from your body. 

“Are you sure?” You asked him, pressing your teeth into your bottom lip. He lifted a brow at you before both brows came together in amused confusion. He slowly pulled himself up your body and shamelessly dropped his hips at your centre, practically grinding his covered erection against your bare, wet core. 

You inhaled sharply and he smirked at you. He slid his forearm up beside your head to balance his upper body above yours and continued to brush his thumb against the lines you were more than familiar with that resided at your hips. 

“Wanna hear it explicitly, is that it?” He murmured, his tongue dipping out to pull his lower lip into his mouth. Then he planted his teeth on the shimmering, plump flesh. What a journey. 

You were amused when your eyes flickered back up to his and you pulled your own lip between your teeth. He was cocky and maybe it didn’t help that you were a mess beneath him, but you couldn’t help yourself. 

“I’m gonna fuck you hard in my bed,” he told you. Your eyes widened slightly and you breathed unevenly as he rocked his hips against your heat. “But first, I’m gonna memorise every inch of your body and I’m gonna make you wait ‘til I’m satisfied. And only then,” he whispered, dropping kisses along your cheek and jaw, “I’ll give you what you want.” 

You licked your lips and allowed Dean to move lower to pepper kisses along your breasts until he slowly made his way back down between your legs. Part of you wanted to whine when he brushed his fingers over your stretch marks again, but there was something about how casual he was about them that made you want to see where this was going.

“What do I want?” You grinned down at him just as his lips made contact with the lines in contrasting colour to your skin. He smirked and looked at you through his lashes. His warm breath tickled your thighs when he chuckled and you shivered, bumping his bicep playfully with your knee. 

“Me, I hope,” he answered, almost bashfully. He buried his fingers into your hips and pulled at your skin, following the lines that decorated your body while keeping his eyes on you. You squirmed as he continued to touch and mouth at your stretch marks. “But mostly, my dick.” 

You laughed, “what?” And Dean nipped at your hip, along a few lines on either side of your body and your body shuddered pleasantly. 

“You asked what you wanted. I said: me and my dick,” he recapped for you playfully. You rolled your eyes at him, but you couldn’t help smiling. Dean went from playful to sexy and dragged his lips down your pelvis. Your hips wiggled in anticipation and your breath became shallow, but Dean only breathed against your soaked cunt. “If… all ‘a this proves anything.”

The warm air slipping between his lips aroused you to the point of wanting to pull his face between your legs and trap him there with your thighs. You felt yourself turn hot at his words, both from embarrassment and from lust.

“Dean, please,” you begged with a whiny laugh. 

Instead of replying with something witty, he swirled his tongue around your entrance with a moan. You felt his spit and you held your breath when he flatted his tongue and dragged it up to your clit. You closed your eyes and arched your back when he sucked and flicked the tip of his tongue against your clit. 

And then it was all gone and your body became loose once more. You opened your eyes to Dean pulling his shirt over his head, exposing the freckled skin you’ve always wanted to kiss and mark with your mouth when you patched him up on hunts. 

Before you could get your hands on him, he got out of bed and pulled his pants and boxers down his legs swiftly. He barely gave you time to see, to admire what you came to accept as the prettiest cock you’d ever seen. 

“I told you,” he smirked, slipping between your legs and lowering himself on your body to kiss you. “I’m takin’ my time.” You groaned in protest against his lip, but eventually every complaint you had on taking it slowly dissipated from your mind as he pushed and pulled at your body in ways you didn’t think you’d liked until he began working your body. 

You didn’t want to admit it, but dammit… Sex with Dean was better and more satisfying than the sex you had with any other man. 

You couldn’t tell Dean that. Never. It’d go to his head. Rightfully so, but still. All you could think about is the embarrassment he’d cause you to feel by reminding you, every chance he had—with that smug smirk of his—about how good you said he makes you feel. Better than any other man. 

taglist

@rominaszh @livingdeadmak @lanassmarty @murdockscumsock @zepskies @candy-coated-misery0731 @stxrgazer03 @epsilonsagittarii @lyarr24 @spnfamily-j2 @globetrotter28 @deansbbyx @lickmybawls @jackles010378 @winchstrdean @deanwinchestersgirl87 @the-achievementhunter @deanfreakingwinchester @k-slla @madzzz0797 @laylaackles @fanfic-n-tabulous @kristophalis @mrlonelycat @taylortots-world @evznackles @ohnosy @juicyballsworld @angelbabyyy99 @girls-alias @impala1967rollingthroughtown @kezibear @kaleldobrev @iwishiwasntreal @pasteldecrack @blackcherrywhiskey @dayhsdreaming @littlemadamred @xshortputax @imsapphine @il0vebeingdelulu @isadumbass @wandamaximofenthusiast

or follow @deanbrainrotlibrary for fic notifications

main masterlist

dean winchester masterlist

month of love 2024 masterlist

© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED TO DEANBRAINROTWRITINGS 

do not steal, plagiarise, translate, or republish my work on another platform

[starryeyedjanai]

All things end and all things change.

Steddie | 23k | Explicit | Read on ao3

written for @patchworkgargoyle for the server gift exchange! 🥰 this is also a fill for @thefreakandthehair's winter challenge

Summary: 

When Eddie took over Robin's room, Steve made a promise to himself that he wouldn't scare Eddie off, that he wouldn't do anything to let him know that he’s still carrying a torch for him this many years later—because Steve feels like Eddie had to have known in college.

He had to have seen it every time Steve looked at him for a beat too long, every time he looked to Eddie first when told a joke, every time he wore his feelings so loudly because he’s never had to reign them in before.

And now he’s doomed to spend more than a week letting Eddie show him glimpses of his life that he’s never seen before, parts of him that he’s kept to himself up until now.

Steve feels like the more he gets to know Eddie, the more ingrained these feelings for him become.

But, you know, other than all of that, what could possibly go wrong?

Or, Steve was planning to spend the holidays alone, but there's no way Eddie's going to let that happen.

-

excerpt under the cut!

“Hey, are you going to be in town for New Year’s Eve?” Eddie asks as Steve walks out of his room, bleary eyed and barely awake. “I told you I’m visiting my uncle Wayne for Christmas, but I can be back in time for New Year’s Eve if you’ll be here.”

“I’ll, uh, I’ll be here,” Steve says, his voice still scratchy from sleep.

“What are your plans for Christmas now that Birdie’s gone home with Chrissy?” Eddie asks, dropping the curious act and getting to what he really wants to know.

It’s too early for this.

Eddie knows he has less of a filter when he’s just woken up, so this is a targeted attack.

He’s been avoiding answering the question when Eddie’s asked what his plans were before, but Christmas is in a few days and it looks like his hemming and hawing around an answer—‘I might go with Robin and Chrissy,’ and ‘I’m not sure yet’—won't suffice anymore.

Robin left yesterday with Chrissy to spend Christmas and New Year’s Eve with her family, her first time taking Chrissy home to her parents, and Steve obviously didn't go with them.

He hums and takes the cup of coffee Eddie pushes into his hands when he takes a seat at their kitchen table. He takes a sip, trying to formulate a way to not say outright that he’s staying here alone.

He shrugs his shoulders and says, "I’m not doing much. I’ll be in town for New Year’s Eve though,” because his brain is still mostly offline and he’s hoping Eddie will leave it alone. (He knows that he won't, but it’s a nice thought.)

Eddie asks, “How are you getting to your parents’ place? Or are they coming to town?”

Eddie knows Steve isn’t super close with his parents just like he knows that he hasn't spent Christmas with them since he graduated college—he and Robin have spent it together since she and her parents aren't big on Christmas as a whole.

They did visit Robin’s parents the first year after college and spent the holidays there, but since then, they’ve just had Christmases at their apartment, getting each other a couple gag gifts and a couple real ones and opening them in front of their comically small Christmas tree. The only reason they aren't spending it together this year is because Robin’s parents want to finally meet Chrissy.

He gulps down more coffee before saying, “I’m not going to Hawkins.”

“Steve, work with me here. Are you or are you not spending Christmas with your parents?” Eddie asks, leaving no room for ambiguity or ‘misinterpretations’ of his question.

So he just sighs and comes clean.

“My parents are in France for Christmas, so I’m just hanging out here for the holidays,” he says, not looking Eddie in the eyes. His parents did invite him to come along, but his passport is expired and he didn't want to stress about getting it renewed in time for the trip.

“Hanging out here alone?” Eddie asks.

Steve nods, still not looking at him, fiddling with the handle of his coffee mug.

“And how’d you get Robin to leave without you?” Eddie asks, suspicion in his voice.

“What do you mean?” Steve asks, playing dumb.

“I mean there’s no fucking way she’d let you spend the holidays alone, first Christmas taking her girlfriend home or not. So what did you tell her you were doing for the holidays?”

Steve sighs, so worn out all of a sudden. He wishes they weren't having this conversation at 8 in the morning—well, he wishes they weren't having it at all, wishes Eddie’s ADHD would have let him forget to ask what his plans were before he left for his uncle’s place.

“I may have said I was spending the holidays with you,” he says sheepishly, finally looking up at Eddie.

Eddie levels him an unimpressed look and then, in an even voice, he says, “Okay. So you’re coming home with me.”

“No,” Steve says. “No. I swear I’ll be fine. It’ll be nice even. Relaxing, having some time to myself.” It sounds weak even to his own ears, so he’s not surprised when Eddie doesn't let up.

“Uh huh, sure. You come sit by me when I’m doing my virtual D&D sessions even though you don’t play because you hate being alone for that many hours, but you want me to believe you’ll be alright being alone for more than a week over the holidays?”

God, it's so not fair bringing up how needy Steve is right now. Steve only pretty recently realized how codependent he and Robin were. They spent almost all of their free time together before she started dating Chrissy and when she moved in with Chrissy and Eddie took her bedroom in their apartment, he had to actively stop himself from monopolizing all of Eddie's time because he doesn't deal well with being alone.

He keeps finding himself almost meandering into Eddie’s room first thing in the morning because spending any amount of time without someone’s voice filling his ears is unbearable to him. Even just having someone in his presence, even if they weren't talking, is better than being alone.

He tries to save face by saying, “I swear I’m fine being alone—“

“Nope, you’re coming home with me,” Eddie says, cutting Steve off, his voice final. “It’ll be a tight squeeze since my uncle’s place is pretty small, but he’ll be glad to have someone to talk sports with, so—you’re coming.”

And this is why Steve has been trying to avoid this conversation so hard for weeks now, skirting around the truth with half-answers and changing the subject because he knew Eddie wasn't going to drop it once he knew.

He really has no choice but to accept or else Eddie won't shut up about it. Or worse, he’ll tell Robin and she’s definitely not going to drop it. And she’ll be disappointed that he lied and she’ll make him drive to her parents’ house and threaten to come get him if he refuses and it’ll spoil her Christmas with Chrissy and her parents. And he doesn't want that, obviously.

This is the first time Robin’s been serious about someone and all he wants is for her to spend her Christmas in love and happy and not worrying about him.

So he says, “Fine. Fine, I’ll go home with you.”

As much as he doesn't want to insert himself into someone else’s holiday plans, he doubly doesn't want to ruin Robin’s Christmas.

“Great. We leave tomorrow afternoon.”

The triumphant smile on Eddie’s face doesn't lessen the growing guilt and unease in stomach.

He really was going to be fine, spending the holidays alone. It would have been quiet and he would have hated every second of the silence, but he could have handled it.

His parents were never super into the Christmas spirit part of Christmas anyway. They never had traditions or decorated the house or anything. Growing up, Christmas was mostly about the gifts—not that he was complaining. He always had the newest toys or video game consoles, so for the most part, he was happy enough to skip the rest of it.

It was only when he was dating Nancy and saw how her family gathered for the holidays and spent time together that he realized that his Christmases were always kind of lonely even when his parents were around.

So after college, when he and Robin moved in together, they started to make their own traditions for the holidays, decorating their apartment and wearing matching pajamas and FaceTiming Robin’s parents on Christmas morning.

This would have been the first Christmas since he started having actual Christmas traditions that he’d be spending it alone. So yeah, it would have sucked, but it would have been worth it if it meant Robin got to have her Hallmark Christmas movie moment.

And now he’s apparently going to the Munson’s for Christmas.

At least now Robin won't actually kill him when she gets back and finds out what he did for the holidays.

read the rest on ao3

[creativestorylove]

After endless waiting...

I have been noticing you since we were kids. I always watched you from afar, and sometimes, rarely, you looked back at me and waved friendly until your hand was put down hastily as you and your mum walked by.

I've seen you playing in the garden, always alone but in a very creative way. At some point, you started to craft your own toys, your own fight enemies. You showed great talent, but your parents had no encouraging words for you. I saw how frustrated you were, practicing all day long just to prove that you were worthy.

As a young teenager, you've kept training several fighting styles, but you had to do it in the late evening because you had to study all day long. Your father started to train you for being his heir, so you finally were seen in a way. I always hid behind a corner or a column, stealing me away from my chores, just to be near you. When you noticed me though, your reaction was way less than in your childhood. You flashed a slight smile, but then your face grew cold. The early precautions of your parents were working.

As we grew older, being in our late teenage years, your reactions got more from time to time. We both got more brave, knowing we had something for each other, though we hadn't exchanged a word. When no one was looking, you smiled at me, almost cracking up in some chuckling, when I tried to wave walking by and just ran into another person. When your father noticed weird noises of you not paying attention to him, you came back to the topics that were discussed without struggle. You had your mimic trained so well over the last few years because our interest in each other grew more, and we both craved those little glimpses of each other.

Now, a few years later, you came back from a long trip being the new Ceasar. I was looking forward to seeing you again after months of absence. I felt my heart racing as I noticed you walking up to me through the halls. But you weren't alone. You were followed by almost the whole senate, so I knew, I couldn't look at you and greet you back. You slowed down, still seriously talking to them but you brushed the back of your hand against mine as you walked by.

I will always remember this airy, wavering touch of yours, inhaling your fresh scent and going back to the lingering sensation on my hand that faded too quickly. I knew that this sparked the fire inside of me and you, like to matches being lit. Now, my desire to be near you was growing stronger every minute since.

Really late in the night, my feet carried me through the palace, like I hadn't control over them. Nobody was awake anymore, but you. I knew where I would find you. Too many times, we had tried to meet up there - in your private rooms, where the gap between my status and yours would mean nothing.

With thousands of mixed feelings, I entered without knocking and closed the door behind me carefully. There wasn't any light from torches or the fireplace. Just the blue moonlight was shining through the open windows and revealing your dark figure, waiting for me.

Want a second part? What do you think about it?

@darknessisafriend

@satlun

@kaffeina23 (do you want to be added to the taglist?)

[youcouldmakealife]

At what point does Holden realise he has more-than-teammate feelings for James

I can give you the exact moment it dawns on him somewhat consciously.

It's part 15, line of thought, after James blurts out the first 'my brother's gay' (Ethan would be so disgusted to know he facilitated this, even indirectly), and it's right this second here.

Is that what it means? That James has clocked him? Georgie did, but he’s queer enough to have had a serious boyfriend, and he comes off pretty aware of what’s going on with team, maybe because he has to make up for his captain. James doesn’t strike Holden as a particularly perceptive person. Could be a matter of takes one to know one, but for some reason Holden finds himself backing away from that one like it’s a stove giving off heat, can’t even get close to it, let alone touch it.

'Some reason' is bullshit, he knows exactly why he's backing off the thought that James might be gay, and why touching it would be as dangerous as it is.

He does have those feelings earlier, albeit unconsciously, (Georgie's already called him on the pigtail pulling), and honestly he comes to the Whalers with a torch that he's been carrying for...a while (U20s, to be precise), but it becomes a full scale Problem uh...sometime around the point James took a swing at him, even if it takes him a few days to realise what, exactly, that problem is.

And yes, Holden knows exactly how that sounds.

[from-the-coffee-shop-in-edoras]

OK, people were very nice to me yesterday about my latest absurdly niche blorbo: Guthláf of Rohan. I wrote a little story about him (it's below and it's only 500ish words). But I feel like I can't post it in isolation without explaining myself a little better first.

The fact that he's Théoden’s banner bearer is the only detail about Guthláf’s life in the canon. But just that by itself was enough to grab my interest because I took a class on ancient warfare in college, and one of my major takeaways was that the flag bearers were often the bravest and most selfless guys in a battle. They were highly visible, highly vulnerable, and highly prized as a target for the enemy. That's not an encouraging combo, and they had an appallingly high casualty rate. And yet, the ones who pursued it did so willingly and considered it an honor!

Although Guthláf's name literally means "battle survivor", he did not avoid the flag bearer’s usual fate. He’s listed among the fatalities at the Pelennor Fields (along with Halbarad, the only (?) other named flag bearer in the books). So I wrote the drabble-ish story below about Guthláf’s experience of his own terrifying job. (I also, of course, have a full head canon about his personal life—how he spoke Rohirric with a rural accent that stood out in Edoras, how the early loss of his family drove him toward recklessness, how he was maybe in love with fellow obscure blorbo Wídfara, etc.—if anyone is interested! And I decided that he's the tall, blonde drink of water on the left below, who I believe is otherwise unnamed and is too young to be Elfhelm or Erkenbrand.)

Anyway. Story (ish) here:

Alone among his éored, Guthláf carries no weapon. In his left hand, he holds his shield, his one and only means of protecting himself; in his right, he carries his banner, a charging white horse on a field of deep green that whips furiously in the cold wind above his head.

Alone among his éored, Guthláf does not strike blows. His war is fought not with strength of arms but with strength of spirit. He has only to keep himself going long enough to let his banner do its work. To signal the direction of the charge and mark the vanguard of the attack. To be the rallying point around which scattered troops coalesce. To lead the way, like a torch in the dark, so that those behind know where to follow. He has only to keep that banner flying, set high and stark against the cool blankness of the winter sky, so that every Rohirrim heart can see that they are yet unconquered, that victory still lies ahead.

Alone among his éored, Guthláf can never hide or blend in. His banner draws the eyes of foes just as easily as friends. His every move is visible. Noted. Tracked. Hunted. The hope he kindles in his fellow riders is equaled by the hatred he inspires in their enemies, and there is no greater blow such an enemy can strike than to bring him down, to achieve with the death of one man the turning of a tide that can change the fate of thousands.

Alone among his éored, Guthláf has no hope that he will survive unscathed to see old age. Banner bearers don’t last long in times of war, and Guthláf is his éored’s fourth bearer in five years. He has only to walk the streets of Edoras to be confronted with the reality of how the lucky banner bearers end their days–empty sleeves tied up where an arm used to be, angry red scars across unprotected faces and necks, canes and crutches that will never fully compensate for crushed legs, twisted spines, shattered hips. The unlucky ones end instead in hastily raised barrows, resting eternally in the sometimes distant and friendless lands where they finally slid from the saddle, bloodied and broken and desperately looking for a loyal hand into which they could pass the banner before everything went dark at last.

And yet, Guthláf wanted this job. He fought for this job. It means everything to him. Because even as he rides to his death, charging into battle on his gray warhorse with his banner streaming brilliantly in his wake, he has never felt more alive. He has never felt so much bigger than himself. When he carries his banner, he is no longer just Guthláf, son of Hulac. He is instead the spirit of Helm, and Eorl, and Frumgar and all the great warriors of old. He is the sound of thousands of hoofs thundering together across an open plain. He is the sight of the jagged white peaks towering over the lush green and gold grasses of the Mark. He is Rohan itself, not just a man but an idea. And an idea can never be slain. When he carries his banner, Guthláf becomes immortal.

[oldiesstationlover11607]

heyo! i’ve just recently stumbled across your page and i’m OBSESSED💜 may i please request some more torchbearer x reader content🧎‍♀️🙏🏼

maybe some torchbearer x reader with a newborn? like how would that scenario play out with everything going on around them? possibly some fluff with a bit of angst 🤷🏻‍♀️ idk! that’s totally up to you! :)

anyways i fear i’ve got sooo many ideas up in my noggin and would LOVE to see how you’d write them out! you’ve got seriously amazing skill btw :)

thanks!

Torchbearer w a newborn - Headcannons

Warnings: Some angst

A/N: hello anon! this is gonna be a little different bc I had so many ideas I just thought some headcannons would be cute :) enjoy!!

Torchbearer having a newborn in Trench

This child was definitely not planned, Torchbearer wanted to wait until the world was 100% safe for a kid before he brought one into the world.

He blames himself for bringing a child into a world as bleak and dangerous as the Trench. He never speaks it aloud, but every time the baby cries or you look tired and worn out, the guilt eats away at him. He silently wonders if this is a place where light can survive, let alone thrive.

The baby was born during the SAI era so the stress was high. At first he was scared shitless. The amount of pressure on him already being the leader of the Banditos and looking after Clancy who was back in Dema was a lot. It took a while for him to warm up to the idea of having a kid for him.

Torchbearer is such is girl dad it's crazy. On top of that he probably insists on the child having a fire or light related name

He has always been the symbol of hope and light in the dark for the Banditos, but now with a newborn, he feels a deep fear that he’s never experienced before. The fear of failing his own family. He worries that he might not be able to protect you and the baby in the suffocating darkness waiting for you in Dema.

While the baby cries in the dead of night, the Torchbearer often stays up long after the two of you fall asleep. He stares at the flickering flame of the campfire, while admiring the two of you and hoping everything will be okay.

He’s fiercely protective, always keeping the baby close to his chest, even when it exhausts him. His overprotectiveness sometimes leads to tension between you two because he does his duties around the camp with this baby strapped to him like baby yoda. You want to trust him with the baby but you can't shake the feeling that there's danger everywhere he goes.

The baby is captivated by the flame he carries. Their little hands often reach out toward it, and it fills him with awe. He loves the curiosity of his kid, it reminding him of himself when he was younger.

When Clancy comes back from Dema he falls in love with the baby, helping to raise them and playing lots of games with them. However occasionally they steal Clancy's Ned antlers which is the cutest thing ever but Torchbearer gets super frustrated with it.

The baby’s first word is “light,” which both fills him with pride. He gets so excited because it's while he's holding his torch and starts bragging about it around the camp (all the Banditos know he's a dad bc he never shuts up about it)

//

Hope you liked this!!

REQUESTS OPEN

[dalekofchaos]

The problem with Rey choosing to rebuild the Jedi Order and take the Skywalker name

When I look back on Rey's journey throughout the trilogy is that it's apparent to me that she really doesn't show a desire to be a Jedi.

In The Force Awakens, Rey wanted to find her family, she is mesmerized by so much green in the galaxy and ultimately protecting her friends.

In The Last Jedi she wanted to find her place in the story and bring Ben back to the light. Rey ultimately comes to terms with the fact that she wasn't born into any powerful bloodlines and made peace with her family being gone. Rey forged her own heroine's path and it worked.

In the Rise of Skywalker, Rey goes back to the same hairstyle she had since she was a child and the same outfit in TFA, but in white, it's like all the growth from the last movie never happened. Rey's motivation is whatever the plot demanded it to be. She wants to "earn" Luke's Lightsaber(fuck you JJ) and she wants the Jedi to be with her. Now it's a plot convenience to stop the bad guys. And she's in killmode everytime she sees Ben. Now the uplifting message that she's not related to anyone is gone, she's related to the literal Satan of the Star Wars universe. Now she wants to kill Palpatine out of revenge. Now she has this new found reverence for "Master Skywalker" when it was never there to begin with. It's only because of Ben's redemption that she doesn't strike Palpatine in anger. Ben dies, Rey goes to the literal tomb of the Skywalkers and symbol of the family's misery, buries the sabers and takes their name.

TROS absolutely destroyed Rey’s characterization. In a way that’s kind of mind blowing actually. She’s definitely meant to be a parallel character to Luke, but Rian purposely wrote it to subvert fan expectations. A lot of people probably saw the story trajectory following the OG trilogy after TFA, which had a very similar vibe to ANH. However while both Luke and Rey start out as mysterious nobodies, Luke very much did not want to be Vader’s son. His curse was being the son of this monster, and finding out the truth about his lineage. Meanwhile, for Rey, it’s literally the exact opposite. She wants desperately to be apart of something. Kylo points out her weakness perfectly in TLJ- “Your parents threw you like garbage… But you can't stop needing them. It is your greatest weakness. You're looking for them everywhere… in Han Solo… now in Skywalker.” Rey wanted to apart of something bigger than herself to belong. While Luke’s hero’s journey started by accepting his parentage, Rey should’ve begun by accepting that she alone was enough, and she deserved a place in this story for her own merits.

TROS absolutely dismantles this by having Rey discover she’s actually related to the big bad (just like Luke), which somehow earns her a place at the table. Except unlike Luke, who had 3 films prior to truly hate/come to terms with Vader, Rey meets Palpatine in the very last movie, and he essentially becomes a villain-of-the-week or a Marvel villain of sorts. There’s no build up. Rey’s powers suddenly need to be “explained” to the audience, via her lineage, and it’s horrendous because the message of the prior films showed that anyone can have the force. Also Rey suddenly having an attachment to Luke or the Jedi order makes no sense from her character’s perspective. It feels as if Rey is supposed to represent the audience, and her worship of Luke is reminiscent of how fans (who’ve had 47 years of Star Wars fandom prior) should feel about him. But Rey as an individual, as a character, should not view Luke in this way. They did not get along in TLJ, and in the long run, his impact on her was very minimal. And by clinging to past ideas, it just shows Kylo Ren/Ben Solo was right. She can’t stop needing parental figures to feel loved/belonged. She needs to carry that torch.

Now Rey is expected to be this Jedi Master 15 years later.

Here's the problem. Rey has never shown a desire to be a Jedi. It's just something that was necessary to become. They never explored what Rey wanted.

“People keep telling me they know me. No one does” neither did JJ Abrams or DLF, apparently.

To me, Rey's desires were to have a family, to live on a green planet and to live in peace with Ben, her other half. While Ben's story should have been actually completing what Anakin. Saving the one he loved and starting a family.

Ben died and so instead of giving what Rey wanted, she's given what JJ Abrams and DLF wanted, a Jedi's life of duty instead of a desire of love and family.

Now it feels like Rey is going to be like they ended things the way they did so Rey could succeed leading a Jedi Order where Luke failed and to me, that's boring, might as well just say Rey is going to become Legends Luke.

For me, personally, the more interesting story moving forward would be having Rey go darker. Completely subverting fan expectations, but I know Disney won’t do this. However, based on how TROS ended off, I think it could be an interesting way of continuing the story and re-gaining interest from fans who’ve become bored with the same formula.

Just imagine. Rey founded a new Jedi Order, but Rey isn't happy. She thought this is what she wanted, but it isn't. She does her best to mask her feelings from her students and fellow Jedi Council members, but deep down she knows what she wanted is long gone. "But what if he can come back" she thought to herself. she grows darker and starts committing dark acts to bring Ben back. If she condemned herself to the dark side, so be it. If her own Jedi Order turns against her, so be it. She throws away the Skywalker name and leaves the past behind her. She will find Kylo's helmet, wears his sweater and take his title. The force took her other half, so Rey will rip apart the force to bring him back.

Sources

TROS Concept Art

Pablo Ruiz

reyreybutt

clari.saiyazam

[petterwass]

Ho'olheyak really is quite the tragic figure once you read her file, isn't she?

For all her being very funny and her inexhaustible Bug Bunny energy, she really has been through so much, forced into a generations-long project that she never asked for, as a mere infant.

Is a small baby she was subjected to some sort of horrible brain surgery that forced the entirety of her species history into her brain and drastically cut down her lifespan, which is implied to be both very traumatic (only a infant could possibly survive it because once a child is old enough to have a sence of "self" it would have been completely obliterated along with their mind) and with incredibly high mortality (As Warfarin puts it: "I don't want to ask her how, many siblings she *had*).

All to force her to continue her family's generations-long project to restore the bloodline powers of the ancient ku'kul'kan.

While she maintains that the brain surgery does not in any force her to do this, she could if she wanted to, drop the entire thing. But I wonder how true that is.

After all, the sunk cost fallacy is real, and once you've already paid with half of your life, what choice is there really but to continue the work? To to otherwise would be to say that the price you paid was not worth it. That the price your mother paid, and her mother before her, going back hundreds if not thousands of years, was not worth it. That the goal they worked towards is not worth trying to achieve. That the sacrifice that was forced upon you has no meaning.

Which child, implanted with scenes of your people's lost grandeur and raised from birth for this single mission, could really say that they are doing it of their own free will? That they had a choice, when they were selected to pay the price for it even before they were born?

One wonders also, how this has created the Ho'olheyak we know. How different would she be if she did not have her people's history rattling around in her brain since before she could talk?

It also explains in a way, her wanting up always work alone. After all, who else could understand the importance of her mission, how everything and everyone can be sacrificed on its altar if need be, than the one who has already paid the highest price for it, and who can literally feel the wingsbeats of ancient ku'kul'kan in her mind? Who else could ever understand.

And that's not getting into her equipment, how each part of the gear she carries is intended to mimic a trait of the mythical Ku'kul'kan, how this burden she carries is literally too heavy to bear without using her arts to lighten it (her exoskeleton alone weighs over 90 kilograms. Without using her arts to lighten it, she would not be able to move). How perhaps the burden of reviving a extinct bloodline would be too much to bear for any human, except perhaps, one created for that express purpose with Arts and brain surgery, to be the perfect, or indeed, the only possible banner-bearer that could endure the weight of generations of sacrifice towards a single cause? Maybe I'm reading up much into it but the parallels are there.

And in the end, soon enough, as her drastically shortened lifespan runs out. She will breed, likely several times to endure she has backup infants (and isn't that a cold-blooded thought? "the first one might not survive, better make more") . And she will subject her infants to the same horribly invasive and lethal brain surgery as was done to her. Until one of them survives. And that one will carry on the project. That one surviving baby will bear the torch. Will burn their life from both ends.

Of her own free will.

You can probably draw a lot of interesting parallels here. Both to the greatness of multi-generational work: "I plant a tree so my grandchildren can sit in the shade", but also to continuing cycles of abuse: "This, was done to me. I will do it to my children in turn. And they to their children. And the one that survived will carry on the torch."

I don't know. I just think she's incredibly fascinating and interesting once you get beyond the first, obvious outer layer of Sexy Fucked Up Evil Snake Woman.

There's really a lot there. And I love her. She is so very much more fucked up than you initially think she is.

[cosmos-coma]

Absolutely you can!! Oh, how I miss out dear brooding vampire ♥️♥️

C - Comfort- How would they help you when you feel down/have a panic attack?

Detlaff may seem complicated from the outside but he has always been a simple man- he knows actions speak better than words. He also knows that in delicate situations he does not always have the best luck in choosing the right words. So he just wraps his arms around you, holding you so so close as his warm earthy scent flooding over you and gives you the grounding breath you so desperately needed.

D- Dreams - How to they picture their future with you?

Dettlaff.... actually tries his best not to think too hard about the future. Because deep down he knows that, unless a miracle comes, his time with you on this word is finite, and that one day he will be without you. So instead he focuses on the here and now, he wants to turn dreams into reality today because you won't always have tomorrow.

H- Honesty- Do they have secrets they hide from you or do they share everything?

Dettlaff always prefers to be honest with you, he hates secrets in general and doesn't really understand why people keep them. However, he did keep his vamparism from you for a while, just until he was sure you weren't the "torches and ptichforks" type.

J- Jealousy - Do they get jealous easily? How do they deal with it?

He likes to think he's not, but he 100% is. If any stranger gets far too close while talking to you, or god forbid gets brazen enough to reach out and touch you, you can bet that within seconds there'll be a familiar hand wrapping around your waist and a possessive little squeeze to follow.

K- Kiss- Are they a good kisser? what was the first kiss like?

He is a pretty good kisser, but your first kiss together was a little rusty. He's picky when it comes to love and he doesn't feel anything half way to it had been quite some time since he had last kissed, but by god did that first kiss carry all the love, passion, and heart he could have possibly fit into it.

L- Love confession? how would they confess to their you?

Like I said, Dettlaff doesn't half-ass his feelings, but hes also rather reserved and selective. You definitely caught his attention when you first came into his life, but at the time he was so convinced he was better off alone that it took him a little while to come to his senses. But when he does he pulls you away to the quiet library, away from everyone and everything so its just the two of you. It's there that he finally confesses just how much he loves you and that you have bewitched him mind, body, and soul.

N- Nicknames- What do they call you?

Moth is one of his favorites. Though he's not always fond of the "predator-prey" insinuation when it comes to bats and moths, they've always been one of his favorite creatures, much like you.

P- PDA- Are they upfront about their relationship? do they brag about you in front of others or are they shy?

He's not so bold when it comes to PDA. He just doesn't see the need in making a show out of your relationship. But that's not to say he's not openly affectionate! The man loves to keep within arms reach whether wrapping an arm around you or just letting his knuckles brush against yours, he likes to let you know that he's always there if you need.

(Now if someone is openly flirting with you? Then he gets a little more brazen, :) )

[mdhwrites]

Was Boscha Mistreated In S3?

TL:DR Boscha is actually one of the best written parts of S3, mostly because she actually has some efficiency to how she was written. This does not mean the writing succeeds in its goals because the misguided priorities and management of S3 of TOH is why this isn't some sort of praise. It is the ALMOST success in three specials that I think are objectively a complete failure of writing.

@hinobodyishere wanted a follow up to their previous ask about Boscha and I at first dismissed and deleted it, partially due to misinterpretation. That since we did get Boscha in S3, how was she handled? Was she given respect in regards to the trauma foisted upon her?

Well... Yeah actually. For the most part she is. They genuinely tried to give her a sympathetic character arc and their fumbling of it didn't have to do with disrespect, it had to do with one of the DUMBEST decisions of all of S3 I think. Not one that breaks themes just... Why would you do this? I have NO explanation for why the choice while I can at least tell you a concept for why other things were done.

But let's start with the good and that's that in a season that has some of the absolute least efficient storytelling I have EVER seen, especially in terms of wrapping shit up, Boscha keeps her biggest strength as a character and that is weirdly subtlety and in turn efficiency. Anyone who loves Boscha can probably back me up on this that so many of her weird quirks as a character come from small choices. I've talked in the past about how Amity is the ONLY person she never is mean or cruel to, even once Amity abandons her and that shows how subservient she was to Amity, not the other way around like most people portray it. This also coincides with her response to Luz coming to die. "Wow, you're a really good friend." And that implies she genuinely does understand friendship and loyalty and from what we can tell, she may be mean to even those around her but she is ALWAYS loyal and faithful to those she cares about. She knows what being a good friend is.

I bring this up not just to praise Boscha but also to lead into her trauma. We are explicitly shown her losing essentially her last two friends. Any trace of what her past was is GONE because of the Collector (your reminder that the Collector is a fucking monster btw). She is the last of her friend group. The last one still carrying the torch for what she thought reality was before Amity kicked her to the curb out of nowhere. Skara presumably did the same to be a part of the Entrails. Her reality is already fracturing and it was her own failure this time to protect them that led them to die. She is all that exists of the Banshees anymore. This is reinforced by how Miki manipulates her. She threatens Boscha with being in danger. With being vulnerable, something she's not used to because she always saw herself as Queen Bee and either sharing a throne with Amity or by herself. She is desperately holding onto what little she has left.

Willow's scene next is... Up and down to put it mildly. It is mostly to dogpile on the already heavy and EXTREMELY forced shit they're doing with Willow. A reminder: No one is asking fuck all of Willow this episode, few EVER have, and yet 'Dependable Willow' comes out of fucking nowhere. So while Boscha talking about the weight of responsibility is actually good for her, it is in line with the rest of Boscha's feeling that she's pressured to keep walls up against the world, it's not really anything new and it has little to do with her current trauma. At best, it helps explain why she's leading Hexside because she's the one who actually will take responsibility.

Then we get to the scene I mostly LOVE. Yes, I am a Lumischa shipper but I don't like it for the unrequited love angle. Like I said before, Boscha has lost EVERYTHING. She has lost way more than any of our 'trauma' victims amongst the Hexside crew. Even Hunter was never alone like she has been for MONTHS after having to watch TWO of her friends die instead of just one like Hunter did. The closest he ever got was the time between Hollow Mind and Labyrinth Runners which was like what? A week? It is genuinely incredible how shitty Boscha's life has been the entire time since the Collector showed up. Miki isn't even really a friend. She feeds into Boscha's fears and paranoia. She is actively trying to pull out the most damaged and worst parts of Boscha, essentially using her PTSD against her, for again, MONTHS.

So here is her chance to get SOMETHING back. To reverse the original sin that shattered her world. Finally, the Blight mentality that she must have at least gotten some of from Amity that she's lived her life with can come back. Amity can come back. That's why she's desperate and pleading with her. Then-

"Boscha, you're hurting me!"

I... There is something about the delivery of that line that makes my skin crawl in a way I can't 100% justify. It's not even out of character. It's her last chance after all so she'll go pretty far to keep Amity there. It's just... Not many characters physically hurt each other and Boscha doing it here comes across, especially after the faux confession, like a needy ex getting ready to assault their old lover. For an episode that is essentially trying to redeem Boscha, I don't think it's a good choice. She's been villainous enough already, you didn't need to go that extra step but that may just be me.

But, writing wise, this scene is correct. It is her darkest hour. The moment that forces her to self reflect and choose a path. Is she a Banshee, or is she a slave? Does she stand proud like she always has but now for the right reasons or does she cower in villainy?

And we don't get a proper climax. Then again, neither did the episode.

We're going on a tangent but bear with me because it sets up what I think needed to happen. See, Boscha showing up and promising to kick Kikimora's ass off screen is... Bad. It's not a climax, it's instead tepid and weak, complete with, in the SECOND TO LAST EPISODE, "Don't think we're square" or whatever the fuck Willow says to Boscha. Why? Why are you STILL kicking narrative cans down the lane instead of actually giving any fucking resolutions? It's so indicative of the entire problem of S3 just having no fucking clue, nor interest, in wrapping anything up or giving any sort of real satisfaction to narrative plot points IT CREATES.

Worse yet is tying this around Kikimora of all people! I actually don't hate her as a character but like Boscha, the minute Belos is dead, her utility is over. Her dramatic weight has been gone for over half a season because ever since Falls and Follies, she's been a gag character. Yet, she's canonically beaten our main characters as many times as Belos has and unlike Belos, the main cast has never beaten her themselves, especially in a fair fight if you want to count Hunter's fight against her while she's drugged as a win against her. This is a character who is going to get the same reaction Luz gave: "You again? REALLY!?" because like... Why? Of all the characters to bring back, why bring back Kikimora as a final antagonist? I actually do have explanations for that, it's part of why S3 could never have been good even with a longer version of itself, but different blog.

No, it is the fact that despite bringing her back, despite giving her another objective win against our heroes... She isn't beat. We actually don't even know if Hexside succeeds in beating her. In this adventure show, the villain could have just peaced the fuck out and kept doing whatever she wanted instead of getting her ass beat and giving us a real action scene, something that is sorely lacking in For the Future. It makes no sense narratively, by genre convention, or thematically. And don't claim they ran out of time because that means they kept Kikimora through however many drafts it takes to make an episode and somehow decided to never write in how to actually give a climax to this episode that isn't just Camila and Luz talking about a subject that ANY villain could inspire by kicking Luz's ass.

So. What should have been here?

My suggestion is a roughly three minute trick, maybe less. I'm not asking for a lot of time, you can probably get it from not bothering to show Belos during the main portion of the episode and let him showing up at the Collector's Castle be his whole appearance because the foreshadowing of Caleb leads to literally nothing. In this fight scene though, we'll get our redemption.

Luz is lost and they're still struggling against Kikimora. Suddenly, Kikimora gasps and fires past them. Her shot shows scattered stone and smoke... And Belos walks through it. He smirks at Kiki and asks, "Ah, I see you're still as impulsive as ever." Kiki fires again as Belos gets past Hunter who is seperating the others from Belos. They all see a stone pillar rise at the last second and explode. Amity sees Belos wink at her while hidden by the smoke and looks across the way. Emira winks back at her.

Belos waves a hand and from the Earth, an abomination of rock, dirt and plant begins to rise. He speaks again but we don't look at Belos, we see Emira with Barkus next to her down a potion, her eyes glow with oracle magic and she speaks through that, channeling Belos more purely than she could otherwise. Kikimora screams at him that he's dead and starts to pummel the abomination when a screech sounds from above. Viney drops a potion from Puddles and it crashes into Kikimora's cockpit. From it, tentacles comes out, trying to grab Kikimora but instead knocking her out of it. She falls. The ground zooms close. She shuts her single eye to brace for impact.

It doesn't come.

She opens her eye. She is met by three.

Boscha keeps her face close and her voice low as she says, "You tried to silence me. You tried to take the last thing a Banshee has to her. The thing that anyone who knew our team, knew my friends, would be familiar with. The only thing that'd confuse them is that it's not a nerd in my hand but a little snake. I for one welcome the change." Boscha's face is lit up and you can see fire dancing in her eyes as she says, "Now, like a Banshee, let me hear you SCREAM!"

And Kikimora's scream scatters the birds as a pillar of flame erupts. We don't see the body, to keep it ambiguous and for pacing. Instead, Viney shows up to give a bit of healing and tell them they can go, we've got this. Then everyone leaves and joins back up with Luz to be kidnapped by the Collector.

In this version, we get a real climax and an actual send off to Hexside. Besides Skara, who could be shown coordinating things for a moment, we get a send off of all the named characters we know. I didn't mention Matt but his construction magic is there. So is illusions. So is a lot of types of magic working together, you know, like the show says is better, to pull this off. True unity between more characters than we get in the FINALE. And then a final moment for Boscha to make it clear she's still her but she knows who deserves her rage now rather than using it simply to stay on top.

It is A resolution to the core plot of the episode. You know, that thing that never happened, instead we got the SECOND resolution of Luz's character arc and that was it. Even if people might have still called it filler, it would at least have served as not just a cameo for Hexside but a curtain call for it that also highlights the changes to the kids there that Luz introduced. It would have SOME sort of point besides being there for Willow/Huntlow fans and a very forced "I want to be understood" that only makes sense from a meta perspective and makes Luz look like an over demanding bitch in canon.

But we didn't get anything like that. Why? ...I don't fucking know. I use a lot of words to try to explain shit but I've got nothing for you. The best I can is that it's because the writers felt obligated to include Hexside but no one actually cared about it or its characters and I just don't know why you would write that way, not when you had so much else to wrap up.

But for wrapping up this blog: Boscha continues to be one of the most weirdly nuanced characters of all of TOH and I kind of have to assume at this point it was entirely on accident. If attention would have ruined her, I would rather they disrespect her and let her stand tall as the time the broken clock was right. See you next tale.

======+++++======

This is your reminder that at chapter 28, Boscha hijacked my over 300k word behemoth, with over 100 chapters, and essentially became the main character of a story that was supposed to be Lumischa. I LOVE writing this bitch and have thought way too much about her.

I have a public Discord for any and all who want to join!

I also have an Amazon page for all of my original works in various forms of character focused romances from cute, teenage romance to erotica series of my past. I have an Ao3 for my fanfiction projects as well if that catches your fancy instead. If you want to hang out with me, I stream from time to time and love to chat with chat.

A Twitter you can follow too

And a Kofi if you like what I do and want to help out with the fact that disability doesn’t pay much.

[danganronpasurvivoraskblog]

Dangancember 2024 - Danganronpa Top 24 Class Trials - Number 13: Danganronpa V3 Case 2

//V3-2 is, personally speaking, the absolute centerpoint of this ranking.

//If, instead of a tier list or a ranking, we were to put these trials in an alignment list, this one would be True Neutral, all the way. I have about as many pros as I do cons.

//But overall, the reason it's here is because as far as not just DR cases, but mystery cases in general go, this is overall extremely solid.

//It's a simple crime with basic science and pacing behind it, while also successfully applying itself to the absurdity and leaps in logic that this franchise is known for.

//First and foremost, Chapter 2 of Danganronpa V3 is important, because it's the first full chapter we get where we play as Shuichi.

//Which suffice to say, compared to Kaede, is the definition of a different, fresher perspective. For me, it's highly important that this chapter, and the chapters going forward, really showcase Shuichi's potential for development, and the greats of his character, because at first, there doesn't seem to be much setting him apart from Hajime and Makoto.

//But right from the start, you can see how the events of Chapter 1, and especially Kaede’s heartbreaking exit, are already sparking a transformation in him. Shuichi goes from a quiet wallflower with a fancy hat to someone starting to find his voice and purpose, which is no small feat given the trauma he’s carrying.

//While I adore Kaede with every fiber of my being, the writing behind the protagonist switch; how Chapter 1’s gut-punch of an ending flows seamlessly into Chapter 2’s cautious optimism and simmering tension; is nothing short of genius. Love it or hate it, V3 deserves credit for its masterful approach to character development and dynamics. Shuichi’s growth alone rivals that of Fuyuhiko, and that’s saying something, considering Fuyuhiko's arc is practically the gold standard for glow-ups in the series.

//And let’s not forget, this chapter marks the rise of Kaito Momota, Luminary of the Stars and, let’s be real, one of the series’ most loveable dorks. Kaito doesn’t just barge into Shuichi’s life; he rocket-launches himself into the central spotlight. It’s the beginning of a bromance for the ages and the start of a journey that cements Kaito as one of my all-time favorite characters.

//The events of Chapter 2 may not be as high-stakes as some later chapters, but they hit differently. There’s this somber yet determined vibe as the group struggles to adjust to life without Kaede, their beacon of hope and perseverance.

//Shuichi, however, takes it upon himself to pick up her torch, vowing to carry her dreams forward. Of course, just as everyone starts to find their footing, someone decides to kick the bucket.

//Monokuma's motive of this case is very similar to the first motive in the series; the videos that show the most important people

//At first, this sounds like a rehash, but...it's not. Because what's actually DONE with that motive is clever and EXTREMELY different in terms of the stakes.

//For one thing, the motive videos were distributed out to the students, but due to Monotaro's mishap, almost everybody got motive videos that belonged to another person. For example, Shuichi got Kaito's motive video that showed Kaito's supposed grandparents, and never actually sees his own.

//But despite this being revealed to be a product of Monotaro's sheer incompetance, it still ultimately leads to a murder. In a way that's as indirect as it is creative.

//The investigation in this chapter is a standout, especially because it highlights a significant shift in how investigations are handled now that Shuichi is leading the charge.

//With Shuichi in control, the investigations in Danganronpa V3 feel noticeably different, and dare I say, a touch more sophisticated, than those in the previous two games. It’s not just about finding clues anymore; it’s about seeing the layers of deduction and theorizing unfold in real-time.

//Now, don’t get me wrong, Makoto and Hajime are both observant and intelligent in their own right (All of you give Hajime way too much smack for the Octagon thing). They’re both clever in their own ways, and their underdog energy is part of what makes them so endearing.

//That said, they do suffer from a shared drawback that despite their knack for solving mysteries, they’re pretty average kids with no real experience in investigative work. Their process tends to involve gathering evidence during the investigation phase and then saving the big ideas for the class trial, where everyone can hash it out together.

//And let’s face it, when the going gets tough, Makoto and Hajime have a habit of leaning heavily on their more experienced companions. Particularly their deutragonists, and even their antagonists.

//Think about it. Whenever Makoto is stuck, Kyoko swoops in with her icy logic to steer him back on track. Hajime, on the other hand, has both Chiaki's sweet but razor-sharp guidance and Nagito's…uh…chaotic brilliance to fill in the blanks. They’re like the tag team of backup brains, always there to nudge the protagonist toward the right answer when things get a little too complicated.

//But Shuichi is different. For the most part, he doesn’t rely on others to carry him through the investigation or trial phases. His detective instincts and sharp observation skills give him an edge that Makoto and Hajime didn’t have.

//Sure, Shuichi isn’t entirely self-sufficient. He gets occasional encouragement (or sometimes a much-needed push) from Kaito, Maki, or even Kaede in the first case. However, when Shuichi picks up on a clue, he doesn’t just file it away for later debate. He actively thinks through multiple possibilities for how it might fit into the bigger picture.

//This isn’t just a random quirk of his character; it’s a deliberate design choice by the developers, and it’s subtly brilliant. Shuichi’s talent as a detective means he doesn’t just find clues; he uses them, often in ways that make you, the player, stop and think. His thought process unfolds with a complexity that feels fresh and engaging compared to the more straightforward methods of his predecessors.

//You might not immediately figure out where a clue is leading, but that’s part of the fun. It’s detective work with a little extra oomph, and this carries on over into the trial.

//What makes Case 2 in Danganronpa V3 such a standout is that it’s a challenging yet totally fair puzzle.

//It’s the kind of case that makes you scratch your head in frustration, but in the best possible way. The type where you almost feel like you have it all figured out, but then you’re thrown a curveball that forces you to backtrack and reevaluate everything.

//Classic Danganronpa shenanigans that...aren't so classic because a lot of the cases don't do it as well as this.

//At the start, you’re practically led by the hand to focus on Himiko, who seems like the obvious suspect. She’s connected to the magic trick, her answers are super dodgy, and she’s acting way too evasive for comfort. It’s a pretty classic setup, where the real culprit, Kirumi in this case, is hiding in plain sight, all calm and composed, being the ever-dutiful and supportive character.

//She’s like the perfect little undercover villain, making it a lot harder to guess who the murderer is without giving you a nice, satisfying moment when the truth finally comes to light.

//And then there are the red herrings. SO many red herrings!

//The whole situation with the piranha tank reveal, for example, keeps you on your toes and second-guessing everything. Just when you think you’ve got it all figured out, you’re slapped with another plot twist that throws you for a loop.

//V3 really has a knack for making you feel like you’re solving the mystery, only to realize you’re solving a puzzle that’s been hidden inside another puzzle inside yet another puzzle. It’s like the mystery equivalent of a Russian nesting doll. You think you’re done, but nope, there’s more.

//The use of the setting is also top-notch. Case 2 pulls from multiple locations; the pool, gym, dorms, etc. and it’s not just for variety’s sake. It’s actually pretty complex how all these places tie together, especially when you factor in the ropeway system with the inner tube and Ryoma’s hidden body.

//The whole thing forces you to think critically about the relationships between these locations, which is a welcome change from the usual "everything-happens-in-one-room" setups.

//The fact that the body ends up in a piranha-filled tank during a magic show adds a level of theatricality that makes this case feel especially Danganronpa: Dark, twisted, and just a little bit fabulous.

//While the setup clearly tries to make Himiko look guilty, the clever dual-purpose stage setup, designed for both her magic act and the killer’s plot, shows just how intricately the crime was planned.

//But despite the very apparent complexity, for the more attentive players, the evidence is all there to piece together without being too obvious a la 1-3.

//The pool rules banning swimming at nighttime aren’t just there to annoy you, they’re actually a subtle hint about how the crime was staged. And those floating items in the pool are subtle enough clues pointing you in the right direction without spelling everything out.

//It’s clever, really, and makes for a satisfying moment when you start connecting the dots. Sure, some people (NicoB and Game Grumps) figured it out almost immediately, but for most of us, it’s a slow burn. The way the piranha tank was rigged to reveal the body at just the right moment is the kind of detail that makes you feel like a genius when you finally figure it out.

//And then there’s the whole time-of-death drama. Narrowing that down, then narrowing down the suspects and discovering who has an alibi, is a real rollercoaster.

//Just when you think you’re getting somewhere, there’s a twist: Maki met up with the victim after the time of death, throwing everything we’ve been discussing into chaos. Suddenly, everything we just learned seems irrelevant, and it’s back to square one.

//But that’s what makes it so satisfying, and actually, not as much of a drag as you think. The crime feels complicated, well-thought-out, and rewarding to untangle, which is the hallmark of a great mystery case. It never feels like it drags because the evidence and situation is slowly but surely walked through.

//Oh, and let’s not forget the body discovery scene, which, in my opinion, is the most disturbing in the entire Danganronpa series. Yes, even more disturbing than Nagito’s in my opinion.

//It’s not just shocking; it’s uncomfortable, the kind of moment that makes you freeze in place because of how sudden it is. That level of unease is what makes this case stick with you long after the trial is over.

//In the grand scheme of things, Case 2 is pretty solid. Some might think I’m spending too much time talking about a topic that seems relatively minor, but to me, this trial actually features one of the more realistic conversations in the series.

//Just because the characters were wrong about their theories doesn’t ruin the immersion. If anything, it makes it better because it’s such a rare occurrence for everyone to be so off the mark. It’s a refreshing change from the usual trials where the pieces just seem to fit together too neatly. When everyone’s thrown off like this, it just feels more real, and that’s why I like it so much.

//Why then, does it not make the top 10?

//First of all, Case 2 is great as a standalone case, but in the grand scheme of the story, it's kind of there just to self-assure Shuichi more of his mission post Kaede's death. Beyond that, it doesn't really carry much weight in the overall story.

//The only significant revelation that contributes to the story at large is POST-trial, when Kokichi reveals that Maki's motive video proved that she was hiding her identity, and is the Ultimate Assassin, not the Ultimate Child Caregiver.

//V3-2 is like the middle child of the game’s trials. Solid, important in its own right, but not exactly stealing the spotlight.

//In most Danganronpa cases, the murder, the twist, and the trial’s outcome feel like they’re shaking up the whole story, leaving lasting ripples that affect the development of the characters and the trajectory of the plot. But in Case 2, while the death of Ryoma and the shocking reveal of Kirumi’s true nature are significant moments, they don’t exactly send shockwaves through the game. It’s more of a “here’s a murder, let’s solve it, okay now let’s move on” kind of deal.

//In case I haven't made it clear yet, it is still a well-crafted mystery with plenty of twists and turns, but it doesn’t come with the same weight as some of the other cases in the series.

//Even Case 3 of this game still gave the arc of Angie's student council that highlighted the desperation of the students, and the character arc of Himiko once it was over. It takes huge risks that completely alter the dynamics of the story and characters, and while they don't pay off in any meaningful way, it still leaves us with consequences that echo throughout the rest of the game.

//In contrast, Case 2 feels a little more like a necessary filler, checking all the boxes for a Danganronpa trial without feeling like it dramatically shifts the overall plot, or more importantly, without really going the extra mile.

//It deserves credit for being an early case that is already about as complex as the later cases of Danganronpa 2, but that generally sets the bar too high, and comes with more consequences than benefits.

//It’s the kind of case where you solve the murder, learn a few secrets, and then move on. Sure, Kirumi’s true nature is revealed, which adds depth to her character, but it doesn’t exactly shake the foundation of the game like some of the later cases do. It’s almost as if Case 2 is setting the stage for bigger events to come, but it doesn’t fully step into the spotlight.

//So, while it’s a satisfying mystery in its own right, it doesn’t carry the same level of intrigue about its broader effects on the narrative.

//The bigger issue, however, and I know that this is a hot take, is this:

//Ryoma and Kirumi are the LEAST INTERESTING victim and killer in the ENTIRE SERIES.

//Yes. I went there. Now let me explain myself.

//When I first played Danganronpa V3, Ryoma’s death genuinely caught me off guard, but, in hindsight, it made sense. At that point in the game, Ryoma was going through a very small, underdeveloped arc where he’d basically resigned himself to not caring about his life anymore. He even joked that he wouldn't mind if someone killed him, just so they could escape the killing game.

//And, as the game tends to do, that’s exactly what happened. Ryoma got his wish. But in one of those rare moments of self-awareness, he confides in Shuichi earlier that maybe, just maybe, he might take those words back.

//It was a small, almost fleeting glimpse into his character’s potential for growth, which made me think, "Hey, maybe Ryoma would find a reason to keep going after all." But no. He was killed off way too early.

//I loved Ryoma, so it was still sad to see him go, but I can’t fault the game too much for his death. It was actually the most logical thing to happen given his character arc up to that point.

//But then I started reading fanfics, like Three-Point Shot and I’ll Trade My Life For Yours, and that’s when it hit me that...man, the writers REALLY dropped the ball with this character.

//Ryoma's death came too soon, and in hindsight, it feels like it robbed him of a chance to properly develop. His internal struggle, his motivations (or lack thereof), and his personal arc were left unresolved by the end of Chapter 2.

//And to make matters worse, as I already said, Case 2 barely has any effect on the overall narrative, and as such, Ryoma’s death hardly even affected the rest of the characters.

//In previous Danganronpa games, Chapter 2 always seemed to be a turning point for at least one of the remaining students.

//In Trigger Happy Havoc, Taka fell into Despair after Mondo's death.

//In Goodbye Despair, Fuyuhiko’s character was completely revamped following Peko’s death.

//But in Killing Harmony? Ryoma dies, and then…crickets.

//The cast barely even acknowledges his passing, and it feels like the emotional weight of his death was completely ignored. It annoys me way more than it probably should.

//It especially bothers me because of the way it portrays Ryoma struggling with deep depression and suicidal thoughts after his arrest and the loss of everything that mattered to him. He frequently talked about wanting to die because he saw no point in living. I thought (naively, apparently) that after Kaede’s execution in Chapter 1, Ryoma would have a change of heart. I thought he might finally realize that he couldn’t just give up and that he would start fighting to escape with the others. Maybe he would’ve even grown into a character we could root for.

//But instead of that, he gets offed by Kirumi, who’s really just here to serve the murder plot. It’s like the game didn’t even give him a chance to become someone we could care about.

//And then I thought if instead of Ryoma, we killed off someone who didn't have a solid character arc to begin with? Take Himiko or Angie, for example. Both were already set up as characters who were primarily interested in escaping, but they didn’t really have the kind of deep personal struggle that could’ve been explored in later chapters.

//Again, I must emphasize that I loved Himiko's character arc, but if it's a choice between the character arc that Himiko got versus the character arc Ryoma COULD have had, I'd have to pick the latter.

//It would have made way more sense to kill one of them off. At least then there wouldn’t have been the feeling that we lost a character who was right on the verge of becoming something more.

//And then...there's Kirumi...Who in my opinion is the absolute worst part of this entire affair.

//I know some people like her, and she’s got some decent qualities here and there. And I'd be lying if I said my opinion of of Kirumi hadn't DRASTICALLY improved over the years. By the time Summer Camp came out, I'd stopped being such a hater and seen her for her good points.

//But honestly, for the most part, she’s pretty boring and one-dimensional, even today. As a killer? Meh. She’s not exactly the most thrilling or inventive, and her motive…oh boy, her motive...

//It’s like the writers decided to throw a dart at a board of random ideas and landed on "let’s make her do this ridiculous thing."

//To this day, people try to explain her reasoning to me, and I’m just here NOT GETTING IT. I mean, sure, it's better than the motive that follows it, but that’s not saying much. This motive just doesn’t hit emotionally the way a second case in a Danganronpa game should.

//Just as a reminder for those who might have forgotten, the motive of this chapter is the videos that show the most precious people to that character, but due to Monotaro's mixup, most of the cast go without seeing their own motive videos.

//Kirumi just so happened to be one of the sole exceptions where she actually got her own video. And do you know who Kirumi's most important person in the world is?

//It's...LITERALLY EVERYBODY IN JAPAN.

//Watching her motive video, Kirumi was reminded of the responsibility the Prime Minister of Japan had entrusted to her. Tasking her with the care of every single citizen in the country and giving her full legal authority to achieve this.

//Effectively meaning that Kirumi herself, this teenage "perfect" maid, is the Prime Minister of the goddamn country.

//This realization hit her hard, and she became determined to escape the school at any cost, even if it meant betraying everyone around her.

//In her mind, Ryoma became the perfect target. She viewed him as the weakest person in the school, believing that since he had no will to live, he posed no threat. With this in mind, she began plotting his murder in the days that followed.

//*siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiigh...*

//Okay, so where do I start on how hopelessly STUPID this is?

//Now, what really frustrated me; and I'm talking SEETHING levels of frustration here; was Kirumi’s attempt to play the "sad, misunderstood" character, with her crocodile tears. If you’ve ever seen someone fake emotional distress so badly that even a rock would be able to tell, that’s what Kirumi was doing.

//Kokichi, of all people, is the one who immediately sees through her act. She comes out with this tear-filled tale of self-sacrifice, begging everyone to understand her motive, and it’s all just a manipulative ploy to try to get one of them to take the fall for her.

//For me, it just felt like way too much of a personality switch that turned Kirumi into someone gentle and unreliable into someone irredeemably scummy. One minute she’s the helpful, hardworking Kirumi, and the next, she’s full-on villain mode. Out of nowhere!

//It's like she swapped her "mama bear" persona for the "I’ll sacrifice you to save my own skin" one in an instant, and honestly? That was just so irritating.

//And before anyone makes any attempt to defend Kirumi’s actions, let me just say that I am fully aware that Kirumi is not this manipulative or conniving, and the only reason she acted this way is because she was trying literally every trick in the book to ensure her survival, and it’s interesting how she’s the only killer who genuinely does everything she can to defy her fate to no avail.

//I do understand that Kirumi did genuinely care about the other students, but ultimately weighed the costs of a handful of people that she’d only known for a few days, against the entire country full of innocent people that she had promised to protect, and decided the latter was more important. And she’s not exactly wrong in this decision.

//So I don’t think Kirumi is a bad person for this. It’s entirely reasonable, and I do get the whole point of her actions was to show her desperation, as all the tact she was established to have gets abandoned in a fit of desperation and desire. It’s an incredibly well-handled character moment, and I appreciate the game for that, especially since we don’t tend to see this with other culprits.

//But I still have my problems, because it doesn’t make me care about Kirumi any more than I should. I didn’t feel bad when she went down like I did with Mondo and Peko. They had depth, emotional weight.

//I didn’t get any of that from Kirumi.

//In fact, let's go through the motives of the Case 2 killers in this series just very quickly, and see how they stack up.

//Mondo killed Chihiro due to a trauma attack that Chihiro unknowingly induced upon him. Chihiro himself could not have known about Mondo's trauma, and even after the case is resolved, Mondo's actions show that he meant Chihiro no harm, and genuinely wished that he could take his actions back. Mondo's death afterwards also traumatized Taka, and completely reduced him to a husk of his former self.

//Peko killed Mahiru out of a desire to protect Fuyuhiko, and her final moments are a debate of whether or not she was a tool to Fuyuhiko, or someone with her own agency. When she dies, and is nearly permanently split from Fuyuhiko, her tears are enough to reinforce that she's very much a human, although one who's lived most of her life groomed as a weapon for him to wield, even though that wasn't the case. It's what makes her final moments more heartbreaking when Fuyuhiko finally gets his true feelings through to her.

//Ayame killed Kizuna because she understood the stakes at hand, and that Akane would turn out to be the Blackened if Kizuna died. So she makes a self-sacrifice and takes the fall for her.

//And Emma, while yes, she's a member of VOID that was told to kill the other characters anyway, the only reason why she buckled down and killed Kokoro is because Kokoro unknowingly awakened some past trauma that really pushed Emma over the edge before she could stop herself. Had Kokoro not done that, Emma might have had some second thoughts.

//As you can see, the basic pattern of the Case 2 culprits is that all of them are among the more sympathetic killers in the series; even Emma. Their motives are either one of two things:

They break in response to a deep-rooted trauma that they lack control over.

They sacrifice themselves for the sake of another person.

//Kirumi also fits into this trend, since she falls into the latter, making sacrifices and bending over backwards for the sake of her country.

//However, they key difference between her and the other C2 killers is her motive is significantly more...unrealistic.

//We've all been in situations where we've had to face things we've said or done in the past, and sometimes we don't know how to handle it.

//We've all been in situations where we've made some degree of sacrifice for our friends, family, or the people we care about, regardless of how major or minor.

//Only a select few people have had to care about the responsibility of carrying an ENTIRE COUNTRY on their shoulders, and I GUARANTEE you that the one's that do haven't played Danganronpa.

//It's not that it makes Kirumi an irredeemable character, or a person that you can't feel sorry for. It just makes it very hard to sympathize with her, because...you couldn't understand how that responsibility feels if you tried.

//The sheer scale of consequences here compared to every other motive in the series makes it so hard to take seriously. It's one of the few times where a motive goes way TOO far. Especially since V3 Monokuma hasn't displayed that he's incapable of taking out an entire country of people at this point. He got killed by his OWN ROBOT ACCIDENTALLY in Chapter 1!

//And ultimately, it just alienates her from you instead of making you understand her plight.

//When Kirumi is revealed as Ryoma’s killer, my opinion of this trial started to plummet. The whole situation just left a sour taste in my mouth, especially her weak attempt at an emotional outburst and the whole manipulation angle.

//However, there are some things worth noting that make it a bit more interesting.

//While the second cases of the previous two Danganronpa games had these super heavy, gut-wrenching conclusions, this one didn’t really hit me that way. I mean, yeah, Kirumi’s motive was weak, but what really struck me was Ryoma’s motive video.

//Ryoma got his video from Maki, and it's revealed that he had literally no one left to fight for, because everybody close to him was already dead and gone.

//It was like his entire life had lost all meaning, and he was ready to give up, and that’s where things took a real dive into the depressing zone for me, as well as where the parallels to him and Kirumi started to make the most sense.

//Kirumi was fighting for the sake of EVERYONE.

//Ryoma had NO ONE.

//Ryoma had given up on everything, and in a way, it felt like he was just offering up his life for Kirumi, hoping she would escape. You can’t help but feel for him at that point, especially when you realize that Kirumi, with all her power and responsibility as pseudo-president of a country. was trying to escape to save her nation, while Ryoma had no one left to save. not even himself. It’s a pretty tragic setup when you look at it from that perspective.

//Now, Kirumi’s desperation was kind of compelling. She’s literally running from her execution, like literally trying to escape in the most dramatic, desperate way possible.

//Which, honestly, was kind of hilarious when you think about it. You’re caught red-handed, the jig is up, and now you’re sprinting like it’s an Olympic event.

//Side note: this is another moment for me where the English Dub of the game hits like a fucking truck. Kira Buckland sounds like she broke her lungs with Kirumi's desperation.

//And yeah, if you've played any game or watched any show that she's in, you know that Buckland is one of the absolute best VA's in the market. Her most famous role is Yorha 2B from Nier:Automata, and it's not hard to see why. She also voiced Hiyoko in the previous game, and the parallel between them is like night and day.

//Speaking of which, while I know I said that I wouldn't normally talk about them as part of my opinion of the trial unless it was important to the narrative, we need to talk about Kirumi's execution.

//Strand of Agony, stands out as one of the most impactful executions in the entire Danganronpa franchise, showcasing a blend of symbolism, brutality, and psychological tension. It's a masterfully crafted sequence that rivals the visceral intensity of Leon's and Peko's executions, with just as much emotional weight as the latter.

//The scene begins with Kirumi being relentlessly pursued through a hallway by protesters holding "Notice to Quit" signs in multiple languages, reflecting her role as an Ultimate Maid who is no longer wanted. Cornered and desperate, she spots a thorn-covered vine dropping from the ceiling, and with no other option, she grabs the vine, enduring the pain as the sharp thorns pierce her hands, and begins to climb, her determination to escape driving her forward despite the agony.

//As she ascends, she encounters a new obstacle; circular saws embedded in the walls, spinning to block her path. Despite her hesitation, Kirumi's resolve doesn't waver. She continues to climb, suffering deep cuts and lacerations as she forces her way past the blades.

//Her screams of pain and her increasingly ragged appearance underline her sheer will to survive. When she finally emerges from the saws, bloodied and exhausted, she looks up to see what appears to be salvation: sunlight streaming through a gap in the ceiling, promising freedom.

//However, her relief is short-lived. As she reaches for the light, her hand touches not the open sky but a painted illusion. A childlike drawing of the sun and sky meant to mock her desperation. The cruel twist is a poignant moment, driving home the futility of her struggle, and it's made worse when in her state of despair, the thorned vine snaps, and Kirumi plummets to the ground, meeting a grisly end as she crashes to the floor.

//The execution's thematic resonance is chilling. It dehumanizes Kirumi, treating her as a spider trapped in a web of her own making, climbing a dead-end path only to fall to her doom. The gruesome imagery and tragic irony make it one of the franchise's most memorable scenes.

//And...that's really all I have to say on this one. Again, overall, my opinion of it is that it's really solid, and that's about it.

//We can only go up from here.

[c-rivalsduo]

Sixteenth Day Event Prompt:

Dream remembers the Syndicate

this is a MESS because i wrote it all chunky and pieced it together but like. hope y'all like?

don't think there are any cws, but if you need some lmk :)

-

Memories come in pieces. 

Flashes of thought and sensation, emotions and images, textures and scenes depicted in bright stabs of sudden reminiscence. They hit him like bullets, leaving him disoriented and wandering for hours at a time trying to reconcile his world with the one he sees in his mind, the vast server full of holes and destruction. 

Structures unmake themselves in front of his eyes, accommodating buildings that have never been there, and he can hear laughter from voices he knows he’s never heard. Sometimes, he’s sure he sees a familiar face, but when he chases the echoes of red eyes and dark feathered wings, they fade into nothing. 

The memories themselves never hurt, but when they leave he can feel his teeth aching, skin flushed and feverish. Tommy thinks he’s sick. Punz offers cool towels and water with chunks of ice. Tubbo brings him extra blankets. He can’t bring himself to use them, voice choked by the feeling of weight on his shoulders. 

He doesn’t wear armor. He’s never needed to wear armor. The crown on his forehead weighs as heavy as a helmet, as a mask. Taking it off only to sleep becomes wearing it only when he’s alone, when there is no one else to see him caressing the gems set into the worn gold. 

He takes to carrying a sword with him at first, and then an ax. 

Through these bouts of wandering the server, trying to put together the memories that sing in the back of his mind, he begins to discover things that aren’t quite right. There are seeds of trees planted where they shouldn’t be, and a strange red vine crawls through the undergrowth of nearly every forest. An empty ravine a thousand blocks out from spawn has manmade holes set deep inside, though there are no torches or visible signs of paths to reach them. A golden desert snows night and day, ice gathering atop sand in huge drifts. 

He can connect some of the pieces. Tommy, cheeks hollow and wrists thin under a dark blue uniform, digging out a space in that skinny little ravine. Punz’s gray eyes flashing red as he turns away, readying a blade at someone’s throat. Most of the details are lost to the storm of disconnected ideas, though, and when he tries to press them together, his nose begins to bleed, and he hears the fuzzy chorus of XD’s power. 

When he finds the house, he hasn’t had a flashback for nearly three weeks. He thought they were over – an anomaly, a bout of sickness that had finally left him behind – but the tundra had brought that familiar stir in his stomach, and he had to force himself to keep walking through the thick snow. It felt wrong to be there, wandering into the frosty night without the burden of armor over his shoulders, without something to trade, to give, and he couldn’t understand why. 

The thick door opened slowly. It was roughly hewn, and the hinges were old enough to creak with rust. The inside was dark, lit only by the thin streams of light coming through the rattling windows. Though the windows shook, the house was solid, wood unbothered by the burn of the icy wind and the heavy snow. 

In the fireplace, there were still charred logs, waiting to be lit. Though dust coated the surfaces inside, he could see marks of a home – handmade plates sitting on shelves, brooms hung on the wall, cups set out to dry. Someone had lived here, months – or years – ago. On the walls hung… pictures. Paintings. Art of a huge pigman, fists placed triumphantly at his hip, looking back over his shoulder, skin stained with gold scars. In some of them, a winged man stood next to him, practically miniscule in comparison. In a single one, there was a group of four – something tall and slim with its arm around a woman’s shoulders. She was holding the hand of the winged man, and the pig stood behind them all, arms spread in a loving display. They were all smiling. 

Cautiously, he reached out, hand sliding gently down the painting. Beneath his fingertips, he was sure he could feel the velvet of the cloak, the fur of the pigman’s snout, the airlight touch of the winged man’s feathers. 

And all at once, he could hear it. The laughter. The high, breathy laughter that was so characteristic of him, followed by that chuckle – the one that wasn’t quite real, the one he manufactured to sound like a villain from one of the myths he loved to liken himself to. 

And then – and then, and then, other voices, joining the laugh, loud and bright and together. An older, deeper guffaw, thick with age and experience. A thin, reedy giggle, edged with inhuman humming. A soft chuckle, solid with mirth. All together they formed a choir, one that felt like an undeniable, unreachable promise of home. 

Though the memories came almost full-formed – thick fingers dancing through thin locks of hair, grins full of sharp teeth, tails that flick and dance with a gaiety the remembrance makes it hard to call up – their names do not return to him. He can see them so clearly in his mind's eye, can picture them walking from this house and into another server, off to find a place outside of the violence that had seeped through the cracks of this one. 

He wonders if they found it. He wonders if, with their memories intact, they were able to escape the miasma of this world, the sinking paranoia that follows you, that grows with each talk. He’s only experiencing it secondhand, and he can feel himself growing more and more scared of the people around him. Quackity seems to grow taller when the lamplight shines over his scar, when he holds a pickaxe too tight. Tommy looks a decade older when he wipes his eyes, breathes too hard. 

He wonders if XD will let him find them again.

-

ao3 link

[seiko-e]

jjk angst/ fluff

Gojo satoru

Sitting on the couch with your child in hand, you remember the day how your husband first confessed his feelings for you…. “WHERE'S YOUR BRAINNNN, THE SIX EYES WHERE IS ITT, HOW COME ITS NOT WORKING!!!!” “Maybe because YOUR SO NOISY AND PLUS, THE FRKN CLAW MACHINE IS BROKEN, ITS DIFFICULT TO PREDICT ITS MOVEMENTS!!!!” “Gee, anyways spit it out, what exactly is your purpose in inviting me to an arcade, pls dont tell me your gonna make me carry all of the plushies you've won” “Shh i'm gonna tell you once i figure out this machines timing and win the plushy, so do me a favor of silencing that cute mouth” “HAH! And what if i don't~?” He wins a plushy and turns to hand the plushy and leans closer to you “I will put my tongue inside, oh, and i don’t mean inside your mouth~”he chuckles Your face immediately got red as your brain already went to something spicy And after that, you got only one plushy while satoru got a big ass slap on his face You remember lots of sweet memories with you and your husband in the past, knowing that you can never create new once with him. Still, you hope he also remembers your sweet past and would guide you, now that you're alone with your child in the land of the living…

Geto suguru

You stand in front a grave of a person whom is dear to you, as it rains of sorrow… “Hey wait up!” “HURRYYY OR IT MIGHT DIE” The girl huffs and gasps for air as she runs as fast as she can. Pass the rocky streams and trees,is a small dark cave, The boy lits up a stick to use as a torch, inside the cave is a kitten who seems to be injured, Its other eye was missing, right ear bleeding, half of the fur was filled with red. “You have the med kit right? Go and patch the kitten up, i'm not really good with patching up so i'll stay here and keep in watch for any danger or predators, got it? The girl nods in response ands starts to patch the kitten up, but then realized, the kitten isn't breathing anymore The girls heartbeat spikes and starts thumping in nervousness “Um…suguru….the-” “Y/N!!!” Before the curse can devour you, the boy is able to grab your arm, suguru dragging the girl away from the curse as the girl quickly stands up and the two run… Several weeks has passed since that incident, both still can't forget and would even joke on how much of a moron the other is “Hahahah if it wasn't for your idiocy, we wouldn't have to run like foxes” “OH YEAH?? WELL IF SOMEONE HAVE JUST LET THE KITTEN BE, WE COULD HAVE JUST PLAYED IN THE PLAYGROUND LIKE WE ALWAYS DO” The boy laughs as the girl pouts “At Least that was memorable, creating cool memories is our top priority right?, after all…you'll move to america in a few days” “Yeah…we got 4 days left…” “Then i wish america doesn't have monsters like the once we encounter here, that way, i wouldn't have to worry about you being in danger” “Yeah, i wish so too.., suguru, promise you won’t get eaten by those monsters, ok?” “In that case, you must also promise to stay away from danger” “Ok! I promise” “Promise” The rain starts to cry louder, you dropped you umbrella on the ground as you kneel down in front of suguru’s grave, clothes drenched in the rain and puddle. “At least you fulfilled your promise of not getting eaten and ate them instead….”you exclaimed with a cracked, low voice.

that's all for the jjk fandom as my reward for gaining 100 likes achievement, feel free to request