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mrchoppedslefthand · 7 days ago

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[SPOILERS] Homicipher Is Actually Romantic, Convince Me Otherwise [Analysis/Opinion] [SFW]

Word count: 3,332

Edit: 11/7/2024

[Feel free to skip to the last objective "Individual route discussion + what made it romantic" if you want to get straight to the point]

Homicipher is truthfully a romantic (or platonic) game. It is a game that has to be looked at from a different perspective when it comes to love/romance. A game where you have to take in consideration of the characters and the nature of their 'other world'. Today's post will discuss into what I believe made Homicipher an oddly, but romantic game, despite its shortcoming and abrupt ends.

⚠️[MAJOR LORE/CHARACTER ROUTE SPOILERS] ⚠️

Discussion Objectives:

Definition of Love & how it plays into Homicipher

The nature of the 'other world' and ghosts

Individual route discussion + what made it romantic (thoughts)

What Is Love & How Does It Play Into Homicipher?

Love has many layers of definition and associations. Maybe, that is why some may deem Homicipher to be "unromantic" and some disagree on that thought. It also varies based on the type of content/exposure you had consume in the category of love [whether romantic or platonic]. Socially, from a common standpoint, love is a strong attachment or affection for someone. Often from a social standpoint associated with dates, affection, and intimacy. However, love is always changing, since it is a social script on what its suppose to be, and changes as society progresses. Some notions stay the same but some begin to change (just like how language and certain concepts begin to change in the other world, a different society from our own). For the sake of a "true" definition of love. I will be using the definition offered by the Oxford Language Dictionary. So, what is love?

Love as a noun is...

"An intense feeling of deep affection"

"A great interest and pleasure in something"

"A person or thing that one loves"

Love as a verb is...

"Feel deep affection for (someone)"

"Like or enjoy very much"

Not long after its release there had been a fair number of comments/reviews criticizing Homicipher for its lack of romance. This claim is NOT entirely wrong. From the expectations of a "normal" Otome/dating sim it doesn't necessarily meet the requirements because of its lack of intimacy, affection and interest from a HUMAN/SOCIETAL perspective. We must remember that romance/love does not necessarily equate to kissing, hand holding, and intimacy especially considering that these are the HUMAN (societal) views on what romance/love is. A concept that had become lost in the 'other world'. So how can we call Homicipher romantic if we have to cross out the influence of our society? The answer is that we can't fully avoid it, HOWEVER, we must be open to a different perspective of what 'their' version of love is (platonic love/or romantic). No matter how lacking, dense, twisted and grotesque the moments we have spent with these ghosts are. In some shape and form it CAN equate itself to love (platonic/ or romantic). I think a lot of people forget that time itself can be equate to some complicated level of love. The fact you spend time with someone, and it develops to something further for worse or better, something that even love may not be able to name, is what this game demonstrates.

Homicipher has a consistent theme, the loss of truth, the acceptance of ignorance and the concept of eternity. Which shockingly is where the romance comes from. When we allow ourselves to rot in that world. When we ignore the exit and choose to stay, is where the romance comes through. Love is complicated. What can I say?

·:¨༺ ♱✮♱ ༻¨:··:¨༺ ♱✮♱ ༻¨:··:¨༺ ♱✮♱ ༻¨:·

The Nature of the 'Other World' & Ghosts

Alot of the ghosts we encounter can be friendly, but also just as deadly. We hear it from almost all of the casts warning or discussing about how dangerous a lot of the ghosts (including themselves) roam in this world, and in different endings, succumb to this danger ourselves. The longer we stay in this world, we soon start to become no different. As we, a human, begin to slowly transform into a different entity. We begin to react more violently (though it can be argued that since our MC is a serial killer, she might have just been violent and cruel in general). When angered, or things start not to go her way, she gets filled with bloodlust and takes it out on who she's with. Killing is a common thing to do in this world, especially when experiencing anger, sadness and even boredom. The concept of death is a little complicated as they can easily regenerate themselves back to "life". As the game progresses, we learn that some of these ghosts cannot grasp certain concepts (such as love), remember their own name and self, and don't have exact words (sometimes none) for items.

When sometimes even confessing that you like some of the ghosts they question you, and state that they cannot understand you or that feeling (platonic/ or romantic). We are in a setting that is beyond the mortal realm, there aren't any exactly "ideal" dates in a place different from the moral realm... so you're going to be stuck in a scary place, having a scary "date".

However just because they cannot understand the concept of love, doesn't meant that they can't feel it. It is something that the body may still feel, and the mind not being able to put an identity to that feeling or even situation, since meanings and concepts get lost within this realm. The fact that we are allowed to spend an eternity in this realm, with our handsome casts of ghosts. Is oddly and sadly romantic. For Mr. Crawling it is his devotion and loyalty to you, it is how he worries and cares for you, it is his affection and attempts to soothe you. For Mr. Silvair it is his care for you (as research of course lol), your usefulness (which is why he is attracted to you), but even then, one of his endings he keeps you as a head, when you had become useless to him. For Mr. Gap he finds you intriguing, he wants to play and follow you around, always asking for parts of you with consent, loves to brag about himself to you. For Mr. Chopped it is his want to rely on you, to feel safe with you, to protect him, to spend time with him. For Mr. Hood it his willingness to help you for an eternity, to roam with you forever, keeping you away from danger. For Mr. Machete it is the fact you both spend an eternity searching for a home together, to suffer boredom together, to suffer within each other's presence. For Mr. Scarletella it is his obsession for you and his willingness to spend an eternity with you.

·:¨༺ ♱✮♱ ༻¨:··:¨༺ ♱✮♱ ༻¨:··:¨༺ ♱✮♱ ༻¨:·

Individual Routes + What Made Them Romantic

[Not in any particular order]

Mr. Crawling

If I had to rank who had the most "romantic" route overall, it would be Mr. Crawling. With the definition usage of love from the Oxford dictionary, verb and noun he checks all the list. Not only that, but we spend time with him the most out of all the other casts. He was the very first ghost we meet (briefly in the beginning) and got stuck with. We are like a baby bird imprinting on him because we saw him first and spent time with him the most, so of course we might feel the most attached to him compared to the others. As the game progresses Mr. Crawling doesn't fail to let us know that he cares for us and our safety warning us of the dangers that come and explaining how to navigate our way around danger. He expresses his worries when we disappeared. He seems to have some concept of love (platonic/ or romantic) as he admittedly tells us that he likes us and ask us if we like him. He expresses how he wants to follow and protect us. He also has so many cute scenes! Scenes where he pats our head, scenes where we lay together, chat a lot together. He is devoted and loyal to us, never harming us even once.

We even get a scene where he gets jealous when we called Mr. Chopped cute with the cat headband! So, he also makes an attempt to be cute too! We are always together with him, and that makes us BOTH happy. Although we don't have our traditional romantic dates like shopping, movie night. We get a bed scene and get to take him back home with us.

There are many types of romance. Platonic and romantic. You the reader/player is allowed to view it however you want. The game does not punish you for the lack of interactions with the casts. You just end up missing out on certain scenes/moments with them is all. However, for the sake of this post I will be making attempts to talk about the romantic aspect (but platonic romance can also be put into place).

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Mr. Silvair

lt's apparent that Mr. Silvair keeps us as research material and confines us in his lair. He is interested in our body, and also interested in returning our mind/intellect back to its original state. It is this interest in us that makes him "love" us. Does confinement and research count as love? Well...maybe not in terms of human definition but in the Mr. Silvair way, it's the closest thing you can get to romantic (or platonic). Afterall, the concept of love has become lost in this world.

I believe he still has some attachment to us, because in the ending A Head's Life, he still keeps you as a companion along with Mr. Chopped. He claims that you are no longer useful/capable but that it is okay, as long as danger is no longer here. When you choose to ask him why he did what he did and ask if he likes you, he tells you it was for research and that love is something he cannot understand. He also doesn't understand why you get so angry when he helped you return your intellect back. He still though has some sort of concept of empathy, because in his route when you choose to kill him and hide yourself away. He comes follow you and expresses that he's sorry and tells you a little about himself. He allows you free will, at this point, allowing you to leave him or stay with him.

·:¨༺ ♱✮♱ ༻¨:··:¨༺ ♱✮♱ ༻¨:··:¨༺ ♱✮♱ ༻¨:·

Mr. Gap

Mr. Gap always wants a piece of us, literally. Why does he? Because it's just for fun. The most interaction we get with him is through the multiple crevices within this world and the short route he gets in chapter 4. He takes but sometimes may give. However, he doesn't fail to be thoughtful. It's hilarious how in chapter 4 when he offers us a crowbar in exchange for your heart, you can just smack him for it with no consequences. He also likes to brag about himself to you which honestly is a little cute. With his ending Return, we only have him left in the 'other world'. Our comfort lies with him, although he may be a little annoying, he is the only one we have left. We maybe have become a little codependent on him, but maybe he likes that?

God his annoyed/disgusted face is so hilarious, do it again Mr. Gap! He seems to stick around with us mainly just for funsies and being nosy, and honestly, he is so real for that. But it seems he likes to stay around with us at least. In the return end he is with us, and continues to stay lurking, perhaps watching over us until he is needed. Quite handy am I right? Haha.

He is depicted as quite the gentleman, but also just as fun and teasing. There are times where he does help you with no charge, such as barging into his hole (the face he makes in that scene is hilarious). Again, when presented with beating him for your crowbar, he gets a little upset but, honestly still helps you out. He probably thinks violence is funny which is why he constantly still teases you by asking to take away your body parts. It's just too fun!

Someone had brought up to my attention that Mr.Gap tends to ask for parts that can be easy to part with as we progress. Asking for our feet, legs, and fingers instead, when he seems to still clearly prefer the heart over the other parts. He adjusts his request when he realizes we won’t give our heart.

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Mr. Chopped

Mr. Chopped is just a head; how can he possibly be or have anything romantic? Well, not necessarily to the level of Mr. Crawling but, we get to have a few small moments with him and spend some time with him. Since he is just a head, he can't help but need to rely on others. Of course, he has to be selectively about it because falling in the wrong hands devastates him.

Mr. Chopped when he gets forced into playing with the deer child, he seems happy to see a familiar face and calls us out to help him. Our poor baby was in trouble!

His ending head hunt is tragically sad but also bittersweet. MC cares so much about Mr. Chopped that she spends an eternity as an entity searching for a lost head, searching for Mr. Chopped who she failed to rescue.

During his own special route Mr. Chopped does his best to help us, but there is only so much a head can do. To make up for his lack of body though, he seems to be more expressive with his mouth and emotions. We get to take him to get a haircut and wash his hair. This seems pretty date like to me. Although our time was abrupt and short with Mr. Chopped. It makes me happy that we get this small, cute scene with him, which makes him much more lovable.

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Mr. Hood

Mr. Hood protects you from harm, and also heeds your commands. He also carries you around. He means no harm and is there to guide. He cares for your safety and seems to dislike anything dangerous or threatening towards him and others that he protects.

At the end of his route, he states how often you get in danger and takes you with him, telling you that he must protect you since you asked him to (referring to an earlier scenario when you asked him to stay with you, when you reunited with Mr. Crawling and the others, but he leaves). So I would assume he would always be by your side now eternally staying together and protecting you from danger when needed. How cute! Some people are into that. But personally, for me Mr. Hood felt more like a father/brother to me. Maybe it was because he was always willing to guide us? But some people are into the brotherly/fatherly type of men, and hey I don't judge.

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Mr. Machete

At first, I did not see the appeal to Mr. Machete, he seemed like a ghost that killed for boredom and most of the time we just followed him around aimlessly...WELL, after playing his route and letting it soak in my brain. That is entirely the whole point of his character. He is a ghost that had become bored because he had too much time on his hands and continues to search for his home. He is our tsundere dummy macho ghost, and honestly, I love that about him. He could've killed us again like how he tried earlier, but after that first attempt, he reluctantly allows us to follow him. It's funny how much he runs away if the odds are against him, and when he mocks us it's even more hilarious. Mr. Machete likes us if we are strong opponent for him, he even expresses that he thinks we are fun and likes us when we defeat Mr. Hugeface on our own.

Not going to lie, I fell for Mr. Machete right here. We were low on blood, and he just slices his hand, FEEDING us HIS BLOOD. Like OMG that was so hot, he opens our mouth forceful, and we drink his blood. He somewhat cares about us, to be doing all of that for us. After that we get a timed choice to stall or follow him. When you choose to stall he pauses with you and asks if you're okay and to catch up with him. For someone who had been reluctant and annoyed at us for following him, took a moment of his time to wait for you. He WANTED you to tag along with him. We then venture on with him aimlessly searching for his and our home. Torturing each other with our presences. But maybe, just maybe, they can slowly become that home together that they were searching for.

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Mr. Scarletella

I LOVE HIM SO MUCH. At first, he appears to be just any ghost that wants to attack us. It took me a while to warm up to him because of so little we knew about him. I thought he wanted to take our name for fun/or collection, but then it's revealed that he knows us. That he harbors some sort of love and obsession for us and believes that we love him because of all the blood and bodies we "offered" him. In a twisted way, this situation is a cute and romantic misunderstanding. Mr. Scarletella fell in love with us for providing him many blood and bodies. He wants us to spend an eternity with him. He WANTS to spend an eternity with us. He invites us to this other world because perhaps he wants us to become a ghostly being just like him, or maybe he wants to have easier access to us (since his myth that he only appears on rainy days) to meet us. Although we didn't get to have as many interactions with him, that is what makes this love toxic. It is a parasocial love, he fell in love with us from afar. When you piece everything together with your dictionary the words he proposes to you sound like wedding vows when you give your name to him. Which make it all so more lovely, even if he takes our soul away.

(My translation/interpretation of the scene, where he asks for your name)

Chapter 2, Scene 24

Scarletella: "You found your name...?"

Scarletella: "Teach me your name." (ARF ARF WRARF)

Scarletella: "I want you." (YES PLEASE)

Scarletella: "Will you give your name?" (OF COURSE)

Scarletella: "Your name?" (👁️👄👁️)

*You give him your name here*

Scarletella: "I have your name."

Scarletella: "I have obtained you." (YES YOU DID, COME TAKE ME)

Scarletella: "Let's leave together." (ARF ARF WRARFFFFFFFF)

Scarletella: "I love you"

Scarletella: "And you love me."

Scarletella: "You gave it to me...Thank you" (I'LL GIVE YOU IT ALL)

Scarletella: "Forever/eternally together..." (YES SIR)

Scarletella: "Together." (ARF ARF WRARRF ARFA)

He is quite the romancer hehe. It seems like Mr. Scarletella has some form of concept when it comes to love, which is to be together forever, even if you end up as a blood pool. Together is together.

I find it interesting how his two endings: Scarletella and Scarlet Rain parallels each other so well. In the Scarletella ending, we (mc unknowingly) give our consent to being together forever with Mr. Scarletella, but we are still alive. When MC wakes up, she sees a clear umbrella on the floor and picks it up. I believe that we have now embodied or spirited the umbrella, spending eternity with Mr. Scarletella. He owns us now.

However, in the Scarlet Rain end he becomes ours, the umbrella stays red, and we still, eternally are together forever.

#文字化化 #homicipher #mojibake #mozibake #mr crawling #mr chopped #mr silvair #mr gap #mr machete #mr scarletella #mr hood #homicipher analysis #homicipher thoughts #homicipher opinion #homicipher game

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raven-at-the-writing-desk · 9 days ago

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not me doomposting about l*ona again

I pointed out in an older post that Leona seems to demonstrate a unique ability to unite others under a common cause. This is in spite of the lore stating that it's very difficult to get different kinds of beastmen to see eye-to-eye, so much so that Sunset Savanna's acting king, his older brother, has yet to really unify their people.

WELL.

***Spoilers for Leona's Nightmare Suit vignettes below the cut!***

A central theme to Leona's Nightmare Suit vignettes is figuring out what makes someone worthy of being "king". At the start, everyone is reminded of Jack Skellington's status as the "King of Halloween, which makes him the most important person in town. However, Leona's quick to point out that the title isn't what's important, but what one achieves is. He then expresses interest in what it is exactly that Jack Skellington does around here to earn his crown. His opinion of Jack isn’t that good; in the event story, Leona thinks Jack doesn’t pay attention and doubts that he can have deep thoughts. Jack describes his duties as making Halloween the scariest it can possibly be. He drives around in his buggy, walks his dog Zero through the local cemetery, studies and conducts experiments, and reviews the proposals from Halloween Town residents. An important part of his job is considering his people's ideas! But Leona thinks there could be a more efficient way to do this rather than having the king read the proposals one by one. We can see a divide between their ways of thinking; Jack is willing to hear individuals out whereas Leona is focused on efficiency. This is also reflected in how they assign tasks later in the vignettes. Jack has everyone going up one ladder to decorate, while Leona commands the witches to do this task, as its much faster for them to do on their brooms. I don't know if this was intentional, but the way Jack rules feels reminiscent to how Leona often describes his older brother, Farena/Falena. So often does Leona mention that Falena is too kind and cares too much for others, which impedes on the political and economic gains he could be making if he were just more focused on his goals. “[Falena] could just focus on the kingdom’s affairs–you know, his JOB–but nooo, he’s gotta be the caring big brother who’s nice to everybody." (If you want to read a more in-depth analysis of Falena vs Leona's priorities when it comes to ruling, please read this post.)

Leona claims that the qualifications for king around here are actually really simple--and yeah, maybe there's nothing more to his line than this, but considering that in his home country one's order of birth is also a strong determinant, a merit-based system like what's seen in Halloween Town probably is simpler to him. And that means it's his time to shine and be acknowledged when he wasn't successful at earning this recognition back home.

Now, what REALLY surprised me in these vignettes wasn't that Leona knows how to boss around his peers and put their strengths to use (for example, he tells Vil, who has an eye for detail, to look over the embroidery, and Idia, who is a science and math whiz, to handle difficult calculations). It's that Leona is also perfectly aware of the abilities of the Halloween Town residents--people he has only known for less than three days--and uses them and their skills well too. That's an insanely short amount of time to get to know an entire TOWN'S worth of people and what each of them are like... yet he just pulls it off effortlessly????? HUH... This earns him the praise of Dr. Finkelstein, the mayor, Jack, Sally, and Skully. Sally in particular highlights Leona's strengths very concisely, stating that he can accurately assess the situation and give appropriate directions on how to act in that situation. Skully adds that Leona technically doesn't move himself or do any of the dirty work, he's focused solely on giving orders. This makes him a "king" and a leader of equal standing as Jack Skellington. And then Skully--SKULLY, THE OBSESSED HALLOWEEN OTAKU THAT THINKS HALLOWEEN SHOULD BE A VERY SPECIFIC WAY--says that Halloween was made possible by not one, but two great kings this year. It just goes to show how much one can truly accomplish when not barred by a negative environment and a lack of social support.

One definition of "king" that is offered in these vignettes is "the one who can bring everyone together". That's certainly something that both Leona and Jack do, albeit in very different ways. But then, at the end of the Halloween Town segment of the vignettes, Leona acknowledges that "king" can be defined another way. He realizes that Jack is recognized as king not just because he's a leader, but because he's also needed and loved by the townspeople. This, too, is a "king". However, it seems that this is a definition that Leona somewhat looks down upon, as he basically apologizes to Jack for not thinking highly of him at first. Again, Leona prioritizes getting shit done, no matter what the cost of it may be--and even if it earns him the ire of others. This, as I said earlier, puts him in stark contrast to Jack, as well as his own older brother. But here and now, we have Leona finally seeing the strength that a different kind of ruling can have instead of always speaking so disparagingly about it. Even if it's just a little... it feels like he's growing and learning, doesn't it?

The vignettes end on flashing forward to Leona back at Savanaclaw dorm. A few of his freshmen students are goofing off right before magift/spelldrive practice is about to start. As soon as Leona shows up, the freshmen snap to attention and rush off to change for practice. Jack (Howl, not Skellington, lol) remarks that usually the other first years are so lazy, but their attitudes completely changed when their dorm leader appeared. Ruggie chimes in, saying that Leona keeps the entire dorm in line... THJBAEBVUFAEIYAFIOYBVADFILH ThEN HE CALLS THEIR KING THE BEST... AND JACK AGTREESS... WHAT DO YOU MEAN, SHUT THE FUCK UPAS ALREADY STOP POGINTONG OUT HE'S A AGOODFK leADER DFOR YOUE AEPEOPLE YADFJKHAFLIYVDGVYUADGVUEGAVN

In response to the praise, Leona says that simply scolding misbehaving students doesn't make you a king. If it were as simple as that, it would be a pretty cheap throne build only on flattery. The vignettes end with him telling everyone to move their asses to practice. lh WDBHFAIYOEAIYEIYF BUT TAHAT'S PRETY YMASSIVE FOR HS CHARACTER... These vignettes demonstrate that Leona's not fixated on the title of king, but what it means to truly "be" a king and leader. He doesn't value being called a "king" if he feels it's easily earned, he wants to prove himself worthy of it and earn that title through his talents. This all circles back to a thought I had a while ago: that what Leona is after isn't the literal seat of king, but all the things that come with it but was denied of in his childhood. Respect, admiration, recognition for his abilities.

And 💦 Leona doesn’t realize it yet (either that, or he’s in complete denial) but… He also fits that second definition of “king” 😭 He’s the type of person that gets things done (like what he believes should define a king) BUT GIS DORM MEMBERS ALL ALSO NEED AND LOVE HIM…

OOoogohoggoOGH... OTL I hate how well it comes together...

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strwberri-milk · 2 months ago

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Hello, I love ur LADS works <3. Can i request the boys on the day of their and reader's wedding, their reaction to first seeing the dress and their vows in the current timeline. Tysm 🩷

i literally wrote this entire thing and then tumblr deleted it so im so MAD - wrote this w/ reader being g/n bc what if you wanna wear a sick pantsuit to your wedding, focues on the first look/vows!! but i dont write vows bc i dont know the touch of another human also very very slight references to myths you dont need to know them to read this/its not really a spoiler

Zayne took an active role in your wedding planning because you wanted him to. You know he's got his preferences and even though he bends to your will a majority of the time you know that you want as much of his input as possible.

A part of him honestly wanted to be there for you to pick out your clothes for the wedding. He wanted to spend the afternoon telling you how amazing you look and how excited he is to marry you but he knows it would make you much happier to surprise him on the day of. Besides, he has a reputation to maintain as a professional doctor - crying in the changing room is not conducive to such an image, you tease.

The day of the wedding he focuses on the empty space in front of him. He doesn't want to look at the walkway until he knows your day, knowing that the anticipation of your presence would just make him cry. Unfortunately for him when it's finally time for him to meet you at the alter he immediately starts crying. He doesn't even notice that tears are sliding down his face until the officiant hands him a tissue.

You can't help but tease him a little for his reaction but you're crying just as much, bringing a hand up to wipe away his tears as you laugh. He leans into your touch, the two of you sharing a quiet moment until it's time for the two of you to say your vows. His vows are concise yet affectionate, detailing the moment he knew he loved you. It's a day that's just out of your reach, one that you can't remember but one he clearly looks upon fondly.

When it's time for the two of you to kiss he steals the breath out of your lungs. He kisses you hard, passionately as a reminder of how much he loves you. You can't help but blush a little at how intense the kiss was but the way he looks at you is even more intense, thanking you for giving him the opportunity to be loved by you.

Xavier was always happy to give you his opinions for the wedding whenever you asked for them. He might not have a strong opinion but he does definitely have one, telling you that he wants but that he's also happy to just go along with whatever you want. All he cares about is that he's marrying you.

When you come down the aisle he can't take his eyes off of you. He's had a determined look throughout a majority of the ceremony, one you recognise from moments of intense focus whenever he's working. It's his default for trying to stay calm throughout the day, waiting anxiously for you at the alter. Now that you're finally here the look on his face softens, smiling at you as he watches every step you take to him carefully.

His vows are simple, swearing to protect you for the rest of his life. Somehow, you get the sense that he's spent a lot of time working on the words, his speech more formal and elegant than you're used to but it's still perfectly him. He smiles at you softly the entire time, his absolute adoration for you obvious as you listen.

When he kisses you it feels like the first time. He holds you delicately, hands cupping your face as he whispers another "I love you" against your lips. He tells you how excited he is to finally be your husband, promising you again that he'll always be by your side.

Rafayel went all out for your wedding. Anything you wanted he got for you, no questions asked. Surprisingly, he actually didn't have very many wants for the ceremony himself, constantly telling you that as long as you're happy he's happy. The only thing was he really wanted to design your wedding attire, wanting it to perfectly match is. You had to fight him for it, telling him it'd defeat the purpose of it all being a surprise. You end up compromising by allowing him to pick the fabric and pattern - that way you two could still match but he doesn't know what the final product looks like. Besides, he already designed the wedding bands so he wasn't too upset about losing this battle.

His eyes are glued to the head of the aisle, waiting for you to come down it. The second you appear his eyes start watering just the slightest, wiping his tears as he waits for you to come to him. His breath feels like it's been stolen out of his lugs, taking your hands in his when you finally stand across from him. His vows are memorised so he doesn't bother to reach for any notecards.

He promises you the world, telling you that he'll be waiting for you until all the seas in the world dry up and even past then. His words are ardent, almost feverish as he devotes his entire being to you, reminding you time and time again that as far as he's concerned, his life means nothing to you.

After the two of you kiss he buries his face into your neck, holding you tightly as his vows continue. They're simple yet just as devoted, Rafayel telling you that right now, his words are just for you.

Sylus, like Rafayel, spared no expense for your wedding. He has less opinions about the whole ceremony and tells you that whatever you need to make you happy then you have to get it. As long as you want it, you'll have it.

When he sees you for the first time he's rendered speechless. He's got a good poker face though so to everybody else, they just think that the smirk on his face is a warning to you of what's to come but you can see the softened arch in his brows, the way his lips are just the slightest bit downturned in anxiety. You reach out of his hands, laughing softly at the fact that they're shaking. Nobody can tell but you, keeping your hands in his so he has something to ground himself to.

His vows for you are hushed, barely heard by the audience since as far as he's concerned, they're promises that are only for you. He loves you more than anything, and he swears that he'd never do anything to hurt you for as long as he lives. He promises that he'll go along with all your schemes and love you with all of his heart - even though that comes to him as naturally as breathing.

The audience is surprised to see such a soft version of him come out in public, the look in his eyes when he sees you making them all melt. He kisses you softly, holding your face in his hand as he makes sure you understand the depth of his feelings for you while he swears his life to you.

#love and deepspace x reader #l&ds x reader #zayne x reader #xavier x reader #rafayel x reader #sylus x reader #l&ds zayne x reader #l&ds xavier x reader #l&ds rafayel x reader #l&ds sylus x reader #lads zayne x reader #lads rafayel x reader #lads xavier x reader #lads sylus x reader #lnds zayne x reader #lnds xavier x reader #lnds rafayel x reader #lnds sylus x reader

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gardening--tools · 4 months ago

Text

me while playing fo4 because i’m an opinionated bitch and i disagree with bethesda’s character design

anyway. presenting,

a detailed look at every companion’s appearance, according to me.

(these are all headcanons. they might not be yours, but they are mine. i wrote this as a fic-writing reference, but i don't mind sharing so long as we're all nice about it. also, spoilers ahead for companion quests, both in vanilla game and dlcs. you've been warned okay love you have fun. sorry in advance that you can clearly tell who my favorite character is.)

cw: heights represented by the united states customary system. sorry metric users :/

Ada. Modified RobCo Assaultron. 2074 model. SN has been sanded off and replaced with "ADA", painted carefully (lovingly) in blue script. It's clear that it has been reapplied multiple times, as many times as necessary. Post-Mechanist quest, she requests to have the names of her fallen friends painted on her body as well.

Cait. Pre-addiction recovery, scrawny-strong. Blood, muscle, bone and not much else. Very short. Like, south-side of 5'3". Has a very rectangular body shape. Hard angles. Was bright strawberry blonde when she was a kid, but it got darker as she got older. Hazel eyes. Freckles year-round and all over. She doesn't burn super easily, but she doesn't really tan either. Just freckles. Nose is crooked from being broken too many times. Post-addiction recovery she is a beef. cake. With Sole's help and resources she gains plenty of weight post recovery. Other than the normal weight gain that comes after recovering from addiction, she finds she enjoys exercise—especially weight lifting—and that it helps her manage her cravings. Her biceps are unfair. If I can be honest, I really only shared this so I can start proselytizing for my Fat Cait Agenda.

Codsworth. Standard GAI Mister Handy. 2076 Model. SN: 01HND-7619-0163. This is only visible because the 2076 Handys had their SN's embossed. All other markings that were printed or painted on have eroded away. A cute fact about Codsworth is that, despite his 200 years of wear and tear, he doesn't have a single dent on his exterior panels. Not. A. Dent. Scratches, yes. Scuffs, sure. No dents. He takes his structural integrity very seriously, thank you. He will brag about this if you let him.

Curie. Pre-companion quest, Modified GAI Miss Nanny. 2072 Model. SN has been scratched off and replaced with what is probably "CURIE", but the combination of chicken scratch writing and 200 year old marker makes it illegible. Post-personal quest, Generic Female Synth Body. Average body weight, brown hair, brown eyes. (I know she technically has "Hazel Blue" eyes but I disagree. It's my post and I get to make the rules here.) Her only deviation from "average" is her height. Generic Synth Height is 5'10", for both male and female synths. Takes time to look neat—neatly trimmed nails, trimmed hair, etc—and enjoys it.

Danse. M7-97 was a vanity design* so Danse looks a little different from the Generic Synth design. Still has the brown hair, brown eyes, but is a touch shorter than the standard. 5'8". Latino or Hispanic. His hair is insanely thick, but his beard always grows in a little patchy and with the odd blond patch just below his right ear. (This was not an intentional part of his “design.” Genetics, even synthesized genetics, get funky sometimes.) Carries weight like a strongman weightlifter. Thicker than average, even for the Brotherhood, so he's always had to have his flight suits and PA specially altered. (Thicker than average in regards to BODY TYPE you sickos– This is not that kind of post lmao.)

(This post from slocumjoe is a huge influence for my headcanon for Danse! Thank you for going through your archive to find it!)

Deacon. The Average Guy Ever™. Average height, average build. I'm firmly in the "Deacon is a Good Spy, actually" camp, so. Uncanny ability to adjust how he looks just by altering his posture. His weight has always easily fluctuated, so he can go from stick thin to bulked up in a matter of weeks. No matter how many surgeries he gets, he cannot hide the freckles. They always come back. He would have had piano hands if he hadn't been a chronic brawler in his youth. Knuckles are very crooked now. Eyes so blue they're nearly grey. Ginger. Has long eyelashes that are frankly illegal for someone who covers his eyes all the time.

Dogmeat. Dog. He has six toes on his back left foot.

Gage. 5'11". In an alternate universe, would tell people he was 5'9" just to fuck with them. Was a towheaded kid whose hair darkened significantly as he grew up. If he spends a lot of time out in the sun, though, it will turn a sandy blonde/light brown. He keeps his hair short because otherwise it gets very curly and floppy and it really kills his "bad-guy raider" vibe. Would be one of those white boys who tans super well but also thinks wearing sunscreen is for the weak. Scarred to shit. Holds onto muscle for a really long time. Underbite. Slutty little waist because I think that's funny.

Hancock. John Prime was already pretty wiry to begin with, and becoming a ghoul has only emphasized this. 5'7" but seems shorter because he's always leaning on something. Draping, even. He's like if a man was also a liquid, somehow. His remaining hair is incredibly thin, but is the most vibrant golden blonde anyone has ever seen. Eyes are dark due to discoloration, but sometimes—if he's taken in a ton of rads—the edges of his irises will glow subtly. Several piercings on his ears, but he used to have more. Lost them on account of his nose falling off. (You know how it is.) Replaced them with an astonishing collection of rings. Cheekbones that could slice a brahmin. Missing his fourth toe on his right foot.

MacCready. Definition of scrunkly. Not a lick of fat anywhere to be found. 5'5". Has a Gunner tattoo on the left side of his forehead and he hates it. It's why he wears his hat so low. Had an ear pierced once, but it got ripped out ages ago. His left earlobe is split now. He very clearly needed braces growing up but obviously didn't have access to that. Bottom teeth are crooked. His cuticles are picked to shit. Sandy brown hair. Cuts his own hair, but only cares about the hair around his face. Line of sight. Sniper. You get it. Is generally too lazy/uninterested in the rest, and will neglect it until it gets too long, so. Mullet (hot).

Nick. See, the problem with my synth grandpa is that this is the only character whose design Bethesda completely and utterly nailed. Like yeah, he does look like that. You got it. You did it. Perfect, no notes. Like all other Generic Synths, he's 5'10".

Old Longfellow. Exactly what you would expect an Old Hermit-Mariner Driven To Eldritch Madness By The Fog and The Sea would look like. The wildest eyebrows anybody has ever seen. Like you could take a comb through those bad boys. His hair is past his shoulders and fades into his beard. Stark white hair due to the stress of living alone on an island and from What He's Seen. You cannot convince me that there are not some Lovecraftian nasties living in the sea. They Know Longfellow, but Longfellow Knows Them. 6' until he stands up straight and then he's like. 6'5". Liver spots across his face and hands. Looks like he has cataracts in both eyes, but somehow can see better than you.

Piper. By far the companion whose Bethesda!verse appearance I disregard the most. In my heart she is a South Asian woman. On the taller side, between 5'8" and 5'9". Super thick, dark brown hair that in fact does just Look Like That (unfair). Her hair grows from fairly far down on her neck. Deep brown eyes. Spends lots of time on her makeup, even when she's out in the 'wealth chasing leads. Prefers red lips and dark liner close to her lid-lines. Her cupid's bow is super pronounced and she does her makeup to highlight it. On the softer side in regards to physique. Has a burn scar on her right forearm from a cooking mishap back when she was still trying to figure out how to live on her own and take care of Nat at the same time. Bites her nails.

Preston. Personification of someone telling you that everything is going to be all right. Tall, 6'. Pretty standard physique for someone who grew up on a farm and then became a soldier in a wasteland militia. Very square hands. Lets his hair grow out a little bit because he (forgets about it) likes it. Brown eyes that look like honey when the sun hits them. Other than the two scars on his face—one running down his left cheek, the other a small nick on his top lip—he has a scar from a bullet wound on his right shoulder. Has a stick and poke tattoo of the Minuteman coat of arms on his left arm, just where his shoulder meets his bicep. Top lip is bigger than his bottom lip. Dimples when he smiles. Huge smile, smiles with his whole mouth. Legs like an adonis. Someone get this man into some 4' inseam shorts, STAT.

Strong. Super mutant. He was a Butcher, so he's a little beefier than your average mutant. Of course, this is only known to other mutants, as the subtleties of mutant physiology tend to be lost on non-mutated humans.

X6-88. Generic Courser Build. While Generic Synths are designed to blend in with the everyman, Generic Coursers are designed to inspire fear in every man. (booo bad joke tomato tomato) 6'3" but stands so perfectly straight that he seems taller. Has the superhero build, but like naturally. Keeps his hair in a short fade. Bottom lip is lighter than the top lip. Has little lines around his mouth from all his frowning. Has one (1) singular scar on his chin. He won't tell you where he got it (it's from him eating it on concrete steps. That was the one mission he asked for an extension on, so the evidence of him beefing it would heal.) Also chronically wears sunglasses. Behind those aviators are grey eyes that are so pale and sharp, they almost look white.

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officialspec · 8 months ago

Note

can you pleeeeease post your dm sexuality/gender hcs on here.... 🥺 i don't have a twitter but i wanna know. it's like a pandora's box to me now i'm like scratching at the door. let me in

heres the link 2 the thread (mild spoilers btw) ill post a transcript under the cut for ppl who dont have twitter

first off i think laios relationship to sex is super removed for like 50 reasons without even getting into his actual sexuality

he grew up in a place with very repressed ideas about sex and has a lot of fear about asserting his presence in situations

his special interest takes precedent over any social interactions he has and the level of closeness he feels towards people

he has a hard time figuring out his feelings towards other people both bc hes autistic and bc he has freaky deviantart fetishes that make sex in his mind a very abstract concept <- this one is me projecting mostly

that aside, i feel like gender-wise hes attracted to ppl so infrequently it may as well be entirely case-by-case

the idea of him being gay appeals to me from the 'raised with traditional values he Does Not fit into/hasnt begun to question it yet' perspective, i lauve characters who put a lot of stock into performing a role thats expected of them and fail miserably for unknown (gay) reasons

from his perspective tho i dont think he would ever really label himself anything. hes going to pride parades in the shirt+shorts Ally Fit to clap for his friends

hes also 'cis by indifference' imo... i love tmasc laios hcs it just doesnt mesh w his personal history to me. i do think hes got some kind of therian gender thing going on (not trans or nb but a secret third thing) but i cant see him changing anything abt his appearance/pronouns to accommodate that post-canon. hes just doin his thang

falin is in a similar boat for gender. i LOOVE tfem falin but the village repression thing has been bugging at me so i dont think i subscribe to it anymore (canon purist sorry) BUT if u hold that hc i am clapping and cheering regardless

instead i was propagandised to a while back and i LOVEEE the idea that being fused w a male dragon and the residual traits she has after being revived have given her a type of gender euphoria she didnt realise she was missing. a little boygirl swagger if u will

sexuality-wise i also dont think she would care to label herself, shes a lesbian by virtue of only being interested in One woman and zero other people. without marcille i do think shes still exclusively attracted to women, and i like to imagine she might experiment around a bit during her travels post-canon (pre-relationship). hearing abt it might put marcille on the news though

marcille is very simple That is a transfem lesbian. she cant get pregnant, shes obsessed w being femme and all that combined w her half-tallman struggles to be seen as 'properly feminine' by elf standards reads very transfeminine to Me. also her bookboy crush REEKS of comphet its not subtle

i think a more comfortable marcy might have the space to experiment w being elf butch like her manga boys but thats mainly self indulgence for me. utena could have saved her

senshi is gay his whole thing is abt not being able to perform dwarven masculinity to a proper standard (soft hearted, not as strong or rugged as his peers) which is like gaycoding 101. also hes a bear. homosexuality be damned by boy can work a grill

adding onto this i rly think senshi got some type of euphoria from being an elf in the changeling chapters. he was feeling himself so much i think he was using it as an outlet to have fun being a little fem and fruity without needing to justify it. do u understand

i dont have any particular opinions abt him gender-wise beyond that. his bulge is an essential part of his character design but i also saw a transmasc senshi a couple days ago that made me nod my head thoughtfully so i could go either way

chilchuck is cis and bisexual this is just canon. not even just his old man crush on senshi altho i do think thats very funny but they put his ass on a cover themed like hes in a dating sim with all the men and women in the cast and then slapped it in front of a chapter called "bicorn". i simply cant pass up that kind of overt signaling. its so fucking funny what else is there to say truly

izu to ME is a transmasc aroace lesbian (this one has the least basis in canon i just know it to be true) shes a little genderfluid with it nd uses he/she i think. i like to imagine she consistently uses masculine personal pronouns to refer to herself either way tho (boku, ore)

i think izutsumis gender/sexuality is entirely secondary in priorities to her body dysphoria. she has a lot of learning and acceptance 2 do before that kind of self discovery is on the docket and in my mind eschewing gender on some level is part of that. get sillay

shuro is cishet but at least he feels bad about it. next listen listen to me i dont think he would ever actually examine this but i need u to put on ur tin foil hat with me for one second. i think estrogen could have saved her. i have more thoughts on this but im not gonna propagandise too much on this post just know that im right

kabru is a transmasc bisexual this is also practically text. his whole thing of being treated like a doll by milsiril to put in pretty dresses, plus i think it would be pretty easy for him to stealth in the west since tallmen are seen as inherently more masculine than elves

(i also think changing genders is just more common for elves. theyre androgynous enough that it wouldnt be hard and like who in their right miiiiind would be the same gender for 500 years. dwarves too)

i think he started presenting as male socially in the west but didnt need to consider medical transition until he moved to a more mixed culture where other races might see him as a woman

i dont have to explain the bisexual part. have u seen him

namari is a butch bisexual this is just canon straight up. shes not transmasc but i think the default settings for dwarven women is like 4 years of T regardless. shes a hit at all the local cruising spots despite her renfaire nerdisms i know this

and just bc im thinking abt em kiki and kaka are identical and kiki is tfem :} theyre both attracted to women but kaka is a sub so i forgive him

THATS ALL 4 NOW theres a lot of characters so i cant have thoughts abt all of them at once but i hope this was good. im right about everything forever as per usual

#ask #headcanons #passes out. my Mind #dunmesh

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redxx95 · 4 months ago

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Exploring Kurosawa's internalized homophobia and compulsive heteronormativity

oh yea baby we bustin out the Big Words for this one 😎

This was supposed to be posted at the end of pride month but Life happened and it got delayed a lot 😩 So yea happy pride month (and happy birthday Kurosawa I guess 😂)

(btw I think I've never mentioned this on any of my other posts but english is not my first language, so if anything I write ever sounds awkward, that's probably why 😅) (also I had to merge a bunch of images to get around the image limit, this post is really long, the word count is at 1930 words 💀)

Hope you guys enjoy the read! 💞

Spoilers for anything up to vol 11

Let me start this by saying that there's no actual textual evidence of Kurosawa being gay (rather than bi/pan), so this interpretation is definitely veering towards headcanon territory. I'm also not trying to establish this as the only Correct opinion and anyone is of course allowed to have their own sexuality headcanons, this is very healthy and valid 👍

Kurosawa's internalized homophobia

The first scene I want to put under a magnifying glass is this one.

Let's examine what's going on here: Kurosawa has just tried to kiss Adachi, whose hesitation he perceived as disgust. Then he pretends it was disgusting for him too, because he thinks that is the average reaction anyone would have, extending this to Adachi as well. The way he says "who'd be into that?" is already lowkey homophobic, but the japanese line makes it even more evident: "普通嫌だよな" (= "Normally, you'd dislike that right?"). Keyword here being "普通" = "normal, ordinary", implying that anyone who would like that is abnormal. So what does that say about him then, who was so happy to get the chance to kiss another man? This is pretty much textbook internalized homophobia, where he has accepted what he perceives to be the general opinion on gay people and has made those values his own, hating himself for it (albeit only briefly here), which is why he internally apologizes to Adachi.

This is not the only instance of him feeling like that, although this next part is slightly more speculative than the more obvious example above.

So we all know that Kurosawa is a jealous, jealous man. It's one of his defining character traits and it's often the source of conflict and comedy alike. But he does not express his jealousy equally across genders. With men he has this strong rivalry where he needs to prove himself better and more worthy of Adachi's attention.

But with women he has a different approach: gently coaxing them away from him, lest they realize what a catch Adachi really is.

So, why this difference? The answer I have is that he doesn't actually believe he can compete with a woman. If Adachi wants to be close with a man, Kurosawa thinks it might as well be him, he's the best option after all. But if Adachi wants a woman, he cannot offer anything and is therefore the inferior option. He believes this even after he found out Adachi's not completely repulsed at the idea of being with a man. Even if Adachi's okay with men, he'll always prefer a woman.

And whenever he imagines anyone else with Adachi, it's always a woman, specifically Fujisaki, which he believes is "his type".

And he at least thinks he's very far away from that ideal. (He's not but that's a topic for a different essay.) If anyone's wondering why he even bothers at all then if he's so sure that a woman will out-compete him, I think the lyrics from the anime opening actually put it best, specifically the last verse:

I have these impatient feelings I doubt this love will come to fruition But still I can't give up this happiness There's a feeling here I can't resist A love like a castle in the sky

So basically, his plan is that he might as well ride the high of his first ever crush as far as it will go, intercepting where he can to prolong it just that little bit further, until it all inevitably comes to an end. (a castle in the sky = an unreachable dream) This plan kind of fluctuates throughout volumes 1-3 as Adachi gives him a bunch of mixed signals, but it holds true most of the time.

Adachi's side

Now I'd like to highlight the way Adachi actually thinks about their relationship, because it serves as a great contrast to Kurosawa's assumptions about him.

Throughout the first three volumes we see him grapple with his newfound feelings for Kurosawa, but he (almost) never puts his gender at the forefront of his musings. The manga makes it very clear that it's his lack of romantic experience and low self esteem that make it hard for him to accept Kurosawa's affections, and not the fact that he's a man.

This second page here being his own little gay awakening, where he realizes that he is not, in fact, disgusted by intimacy with a man.

It's also worth mentioning that when he later introduces Kurosawa to his parents (ch 41), they are immediately welcoming of him, suggesting he grew up in a very tolerant environment.

And it's not like he's completely unaware of heteronormativity/homophobia either, especially after he does his research in vol 8, but he is slightly more defiant in responding to it.

(I love how he just buys that bag he probably doesn't need that's supposed to come with all the wedding magazines, just as this very tiny act of rebellion.)

So now that we can see how different Kurosawa's thought patterns are compared to Adachi's, the next question we should ask ourselves is: Why is he like that?

Heteronormativity in Kurosawa's life

(yes we're finally getting to the comphet part of the essay 😂)

First let's look at the environment he grew up in. There are not many scenes with his family, but from those that we do have, we can at least make some assumptions about how he must've been raised.

His mother is clearly the authority figure in his life, judging by how she's described as "strong" and how terrified he is at her merely setting down a teacup (while Adachi has a more mild reaction). Her reaction to the news of them dating and Kurosawa expecting his parents to go as far as disowning him for it would suggest that she might just be generally homophobic.

But when they actually go meet her we see this slightly more nuanced perspective.

She's not entirely against it, but she does believe they are making a mistake by choosing to be together, hence why she thinks they might "regret it". There's many hardships that gay couples in Japan face, some of which we even see discussed in the manga, so it's not hard to see why she would be concerned for her son. The way she talks about Kurosawa never causing any problems, but "changing" ever since he fell for Adachi further supports that conformity is what she believes will ultimately lead to a successful, happy life. And that's also why she accepts Adachi later, when he's made it abundantly clear in his speech that they are happier in this non-conforming relationship than they were without it.

To contrast, her other child Mari is shown to have a very progressive stance (see: her pep talk in ch 47) and it would not surprise me if that is the reason she's rarely in japan and is never seen together with her family, save for the one time they're all at the wedding. She might find the conforming environment too restrictive and preferring to keep her distance. (shoutout to naina for this bit 🙏)

So that's Kurosawa's family situation. Now let's check how his social circle holds up.

From what we see of his friends, they never even seem to consider him possibly being with a man.

And his work environment seems rather toxic to say the least.

It clearly dictates traditional gender roles as the ideal. Nobody except Fujisaki even clocks any of Kurosawa's advances on Adachi as romantic in nature, even though he seems to be quite obvious about it (see: ch 34.5). And it's not like dating in general is discouraged at Toyokawa either, as we can see from all the women constantly vying for Kurosawa's attention.

From all this we can conclude that Kurosawa's upbringing and social/work environment is painfully heteronormative and until he falls for Adachi it seems he never questioned the status quo either.

The famous onsen scene, while funny, also reveals the sad truth that Kurosawa, in his 30 years of life, probably never even had the chance to explore his sexual orientation, rather focusing on being "perfect" in his straight relationships.

Speaking of those relationships...

He apparently had a bunch of girlfriends, who all seem to have dumped him pretty early on. His mother's surprise at him expressing a willingness to commit also makes me think he's never brought anyone home either. He also only seems to have a surface level understanding of what a proper relationship is supposed to entail, if his idea of an ideal date is just "what the average person" thinks is romantic. So why were all of his relationships so short-lived? Before I answer that...

Intermission: Kurosawa's smiles

It has come to my attention that this is not common knowledge, so let me explain: There's a way to tell apart Kurosawa's fake smiles from his real ones, without any context clues, just purely visually.

Real smiles: (ch 23, 24, 37)

Fake smiles: (ch 5, 13, 32)

The difference being very simple: Blush = real, no blush = fake 👍 And before anyone mentions it: No he doesn't just blush when he's around Adachi, that last fake smile is actually directed at him. (ch 32)

Edit from the future: This holds true like 90% of the time, but as Toyota's art style becomes more detailed, this doesn't apply as much in the newer volumes. I think there's also new details added that I haven't quite figured out yet so take this bit with a grain of salt. (The images below are still from her early art style though.)

So now that we have this additional knowledge, let's take a look at every instance Kurosawa is paired with a woman.

He's smiling in all of these. Not a single one has a real smile in it though.

I think he's never actually had his heart in any of his relationships, and the girls probably noticed it and that's why they dumped him.

And, of course, the first time he actually falls in love...

... just so happens to be with a man.

Even his friends comment on this, who have known him since high school.

It's almost funny how perfectly this aligns with real life gay people. Having numerous, short-lived relationships with people of the "wrong" gender is one of the more common traits of compulsive heteronormativity. (source: me oof) (but also shoutout to the "Am I a lesbian?" masterdoc, google it if you don't know, it's truly eye-opening)

After dating Adachi

So we have already established that he's far happier when he does finally get to date Adachi, but do any of his other thought patterns change?

Honestly it seems like he throws every single reservation about being seen as gay out the window.

He starts bragging like crazy about his new relationship to anyone willing (and unwilling) to listen, he has no qualms about PDA, he marks Adachi up and down so everyone knows he's taken and the only thing stopping him from proclaiming his love for Adachi to the whole world is the still very much existing societal homophobia. But he is a lot more easy-going about it now than he ever was before.

And I think the best way to describe this mental shift is, hear me out, the date song from volume 4...

... specifically the last 2 verses as a whole, and this section in particular:

"I won't let anyone divide our fraction! You couldn't pry this thrill from my hands when they're cold and dead!"

Horrible lyrics aside, this perfectly encapsulates how Kurosawa simply couldn't care less anymore now that he finally has what he's wanted for more than a year, maybe even his whole life. All the societal pressure pales in comparison to the sheer euphoria he feels at finally having someone that he loves and who loves him back just as strongly, feeling cared for and seen like no one else ever did.

And, you know, just happens to be a man. 🏳️‍🌈

#cherry magic #my essays #this is the mother of all essays I've ever done jesus christ #this thing spawned like 8 other post ideas btw #can't wait to finally get to those lmao

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hughiecampbelle · 4 months ago

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The Boys Preference: Watching Reality TV

Requested: a request for the boys preferences, how would they react with f!reader live watching reality tv shows like Kardashian’s etc, would they love it - anon

A/N: Hope you like it my love! This was really fun to imagine :D My old roommate loved reality TV and I swear I heard so much about it it feels like I've watched it for myself lol. Feedback is always appreciated 💜💜💜

Butcher says what you watch is ridiculous, but, much like a dad who says this, he'll stand behind you and watch entire episodes. Only after it's ended does he throw a fit, claiming that was the dumbest thing he's ever seen and it's rotting your brain. When you talk about it with the rest of your friends, the latest episode or drama, Butcher is full of strong opinions and will tell you to your face this person is a c-nt and that person deserves better. You don't make a big deal out of this, though you share knowing looks with everyone else. He's not very good at hiding his interest in reality TV, but you also don't want to scare him away. You like watching it with him, you like his opinions. It's not often he shows interest in something outside of work. If this can offer a thirty-minute distraction, you're more than willing to share.

Hughie doesn't personally love it, but he would never tell you to stop watching it. He asks you questions about the people and the latest episodes. He never forgets who is who and forms his own opinions about the shows having never watched them. He likes that he can show interest in something you love. The least he can do is listen to you talk about it. When you and someone else are debating the drama and unpacking the story, he definitely shares his own ideas. He listens so carefully it's as if he actually watched it with you. If he catches you watching it, he'll sit beside you and put faces to names. He finds it incredible that his idea of these people was so wrong, yet so right. He really has nothing against reality TV and if it makes you happy, that's what matters. He uses it to bond with you more than anything else.

Annie has pretty neutral feelings about reality TV. She might watch half an episode with you, but it's just never been her thing. She's not going to pull a Butcher and make fun of you for liking it, but she's not going to go out of her way to ask you about your thoughts on the newest episode/season. It's just one of those things that aren't for her. Still, she can't deny how happy it makes you and she's glad you have some sort of distraction from all the craziness of your jobs. She makes sure not to interrupt your TV time and will pass you notes instead of distracting you, hoping it's less disruptive. When you and M.M. sit together and bond over your love for it, it can't help but make her smile. You two need this. A break from the drama and life and death for more silly drama about relationships and brands and family.

M.M. loves reality TV. He tries to never miss an episode. When he does, he's horrendous about spoilers. He will yell across the room for you not to spoil anything when you're telling Hughie about the latest drama. He acts like a child, placing his hands over his ears. You two sit together all night and binge the newest seasons. Sometimes, when it's been a while, you'll re-watch the last seasons so that when the new episodes start, you'll know what's going on. He always shares whatever snacks he's gathered and is a stickler about talking while the show is playing. If you can, he'll pause it so that you can unpack the drama. If not, you'll have to wait for commercials. Since he was placed in charge of The Boys, he's had less time to indulge in this vice. He's more lenient about spoilers which you find sad, but you do your best to give a good break down of the show.

Frenchie watches it with you, but he's pretty vocal about his distaste for their actions. If someone crosses someone or cheats on someone or gets in a fight, he's the first to be standing, yelling at the TV, throwing snacks at the screen. It always makes you laugh and more often than not you have to calm him down before watching the rest of the show. He just gets so worked up. Especially when they're doing stupid stuff that'll get them in more trouble. You've learned quite a few French swears from these tantrums. Sometimes he gets so worked up he has to walk away, watching the rest in his own time so that he doesn't disturb your enjoyment. He has so many opinions and makes it known that certain people are favored over others. He comes to their defense so fast it actually makes you laugh and defends their actions regardless of how petty or downright bad they are.

Kimiko doesn't watch it. She's not too interested in TV, but she can understand the appeal. Between you and Frenchie, she knows basically everything about the people and the plot, asking questions as if she's been watching the whole time. She loves how happy it makes you. Everyone on this team needs a healthy outlet. She noticed that your typical partner in crime (M.M.) hasn't been around to watch it and, not wanting you to feel the absence, Frenchie stepped up. If neither are around, she'll join you, working on something else that grabs her attention, but mostly she just likes the idea of just being with you. Every so often her attention will be grabbed and she'll understand why you like it so much, but overall it's more of an opportunity to just be with you. Be in your company. You don't notice this happening until it's happened a few times. It makes you feel seen by your friends, appreciated by them.

Bonus! Homelander thinks it's absolutely ridiculous. He stands behind you and will take a few minutes to watch (completely out of context) before deciding whatever show you're watching is shallow, and fake, and idiotic. He makes his opinion known of course and actively shows his disgust anytime he catches you watching it. He can't ban it from Vought Tower, though he's thought about it. Homelander doesn't watch very much TV as it is besides the news and a few select channels. Overall he thinks TV in general makes people stupid and reality TV is at the top of the list. He doesn't care how much you like it or the lore behind the stories, all he sees are six pack abs, and lip filler, and people doing dumb things to get famous. If you're talking about it with Firecracker or The Deep you know the conversation ends in Homelanders presence.

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catchingdaydreams · 5 months ago

Text

Dungeon Meshi spoiler

Theory time : Laios greatest desires

It's been bugging me about what Laios greatest desires are as there are different ways to portray it. So here's my interpretation.

Firstly I want to acknowledge that Laios is still or some what is still the ultimate monster. Whatever he wrote down in his book describing the ultimate monster abilities (not physical appearances I'm focusing on) came true in one way, shape and form. Firstly, the ability to consume the lions desire in the first place. Secondly, in the side stories his poop actually creates a forest. Now the quote "can change shape" actually occurs twice throughout the series (so far).

Firstly turning into the monster and secondary, turning back to a human. The second time was not an act of the Lion as said quote "no magic works on it", thus it is completely Laios doing to shape shift freely. It's also interesting to note that both times he sheds his skin when changing into a new form. Like why this specially? Funny enough we do see this other time, as he turns into a wolf in his dreams to save his friend from the nightmares.

Furthermore, while turning back into a tall man, he isn't completely monster free. His aura remains that other monsters still recognize and therefore fear him.

The idea that weaker monsters fear stronger monsters to the extent of avoiding them is mentioned many times throughout the series. For example Senshi talks about how delicate the food chain is and that a stronger monster (squid/ krachen one) caused an imbalance to the abundance of other species. Naturally dragons are known to be one of the strongest monsters in the dungeon, as Thistle set a variety of different species to kill his party. Yet a common thing arises, coexist is near non-existent as power overall dominates all (either by kicking others off their territory or eating the weaker one). This Laios presence being the ultimate monster is not only removing other strong-ish monsters but disrupting the overall food chain.

Now that I establish what I think Laios is I want to drive it back to what his ultimate desire was. Here are some common ideas that I've seen from others on what his curse was:

To never turn back into the ultimate monster again.

Laios has repeatedly mentioned that he wanted to be another race and fauns over Falins chimera form. So never being able to shape shift again could be his curse.

Never will be full.

This theory stems from when Laios is still eating the dragon despite his friends being full/stick from overeating. They make a comment of concern when Laios says he's not really full yet. There is also speculation from one of the panel of Laios being dramatic as he tried to eat a walking mushroom.

Monsters fearing him and/or fail to cultivate them

In my opinion all of these are correct. Yet how?

Laios cannot eat monsters anymore

It was the main driver/theme thought the series from him and his group to eat monsters to survive. Yet little by little Laios ambitious desire to eat monsters for survival quickly became for the pleasure of taste. This isn't a bad thing, as I would like to clarify. Yet the Winged Lion doesn't really have a grasp of humanity and sees desire as desire, thus is exploiting Laios to go down a gluttonous path. And it does this by offering/guide them to a variety of monsters and access to water and basic needs for cooking. This though doesn't work as Laios is Laios. He isn't selfish. His desires for monsters mixed with the need for acceptance is heavily stated with wanted to integrate and cultivate monsters up on the surface. Furthermore, as he's not alone unlike other dungeon masters such as Thistle or Mithrun, his actions are quickly dispelled if they are reckless. For instance Senshi makes a very important note of keeping the ecosystem in balance and to not over take/kill species as it would upset the food chain. Without his party, gluttony would further be his downfall.

Yet becoming the ultimate monster can also be seen as a gluttonous ideal. He's a apex predator, thus like an actual apex predator no one is able to challenge him / prevent him on what he can or cannot eat eat. The only downfall to his survival is his abundance of prey. Heck being able to eat the lion's desire also alludes to his power of gluttony too.

So with the curse, wouldn't it be ironic to prevent his desire to eat monsters. Being the ultimate monster is now a double edged sword as prey escapes him. He cannot share his desires for eating monsters amongst his people anymore, thus the quotes or trial and error from the epilogue pages. Even if he gets his hands on a monster he cannot truly enjoy eating it, as it never makes him full, which can be interpreted from the epilogue page as well. One might look at the page and interpret as him getting ill from eating the walking mushroom too.

Basically, Laios, as a monster, cannot be a part of an ecological process such as a food webs. He wanted to be accepted and liked by his peers, now he's rejected by nature. Forced to crave for the taste of monsters flesh but it remains elusive.

Forever unsatisfied

By ones desire

Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk

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hxrukii · 3 months ago

Note

I like your mane 6 requests. If possible, can you do, Applejack!reader with Epel, Vil, Ruggie, Trey and Sebek?

❝I didn't learn anythin'! Ha! I was right all along!❞

╭・๑ 𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲︰ʚ Some of NRC with a Applejack!Reader.‧₊˚✦

‧₊˚↷ 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫(𝐬)┊❝ Epel Felmier, Vil Schoenheit, Ruggie Bucchi. ❞ ⸜⸜*

↷︰ʚ 𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐞 ‧₊˚✦ Reader and Yuu are the same person and is a female. Sorry anon, I didn't do Trey and Sebek because I actually had no clue on how to write them, I hope that it's okay!

╰・𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠(𝐬) ‧₊˚꒰ Spoilers for book 3. ɞ‧✦

Apple farmer besties for real

Would probably invite Applejack!Reader to visit his family in Harveston.

The two of them are very competitive, so they would probably compete on who can pick the most apples, who can carve the best apple, who can carry the most thing, etc...

Would probably complain to Applejack!Reader about all the things Vil makes him do.

Feels very comfortable around Applejack!Reader and feels like he can be himself without being looked at weirdly, so he usually speaks in his hometown's dialect whenever he's around her.

Is very happy that Applejack!Reader can mostly understand his dialect, and doesn't hesitate to ask whenever there's a word she can't understand.

Applejack!Reader is the more rational one in the rational, and is usually the one to calm Epel down when his loses his temper.

Admires Applejack!Reader's strength al lot, ask her about her workout routine and trains a lot more so that he can be more manly than her.

Both of them have big families so they like to tell each other about funny things that happened to them and their family back home.

"Hey, once breaks start, would you like to visit my home in Harveston? We could compete and see who can carry the most apple crates in one go!"

Probably thought that Applejack!Reader was an Epel 2.0 or something

Was pleasantly surprised that Applejack!Reader seemed to have more manners than Epel.

Likes how honest Applejack!Reader is and often goes to her for her opinion. Vil doesn't want someone that only tells him that he looks nice in anything even if they clearly don't think that the clothes look good, he need someone honest that tells him exactly what they think without holding anything back.

Enjoys eating the apple recipes that Applejack!Reader makes him, he doesn't eat them all the time, but can still eat them from time to time.

After all, if one apple a day can keep the doctors away, it must mean that apple are healthy, right?

Very impressed by Applejack!Reader's strength, he didn't expect her to be able to carry a whole table by herself during VDC while Savanaclaw needed two students to carry the same table. (Yes, this is a reference to that one episode from MLP Equestrian girls)

I honestly feel like Vil and Applejack!Reader would have the same relationship as Rarity and Applejack.

Somehow always bickering about something, mostly Vil scolding Applejack!Reader for her lack of elegance while Applejack!Reader just argues back or something.

"Potato, it's only been a few hours since school started, how is it that you're already covered in dirt? No, having Alchemy class is not an excuse. Also, please close your mouth when you chew."

The both of them are somewhat opposites.

While Ruggie can deceive people as easily as he breathes to get what he wants, Applejack!Reader is horrible at lying, and values honesty quite a lot.

But both of them are extremely hard working and self-sufficient, so they are not entirely polar-opposite. Though, Applejack!Reader is, inarguably the more reliable one, as in, she won't try to steal something from you are tell you that you own her a favor or something.

Both of them really care about their families so they can probably understand the feeling of wanting to help their family as much as possible.

Ruggie was probably really intimidated by Applejack!Reader, since he grew up in Sunset Savana, where most women are much physically stronger and more strong-willed than the men, including Leona. And even though Applejack!Reader is no beastman, Ruggie has seen her beating up three Savanaclaw students at once during the period where she was rooming with Leona

He knows not too underestimate her.

Though he really isn't that shocked by her strength, since, once again, most women in Sunset Savana are strong than the men.

If Applejack!Reader ever proposed to give Ruggie some of her cooking, he'd probably be suspicious on if she wanted him to owe her a favor or something, but once he learned that she isn't, he would probably happily accept, after all, who is he to deny free food?

"Oh? You made this? For me? Well, don't mind if I do than! Shishishi!"

꒰ ◁ ꒱┊❝Back to Epel, Vil, Ruggie's Masterlist❞

#twisted wonderland #disney twisted wonderland #twst yuu #epel felmier #vil schoenheit #ruggie bucchi #epel x reader #epel x yuu #vil x yuu #vil x reader #ruggie x yuu #ruggie x reader #twst x reader #twst x yuu

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theemissuniverse · 1 year ago

Text

“IMPENDING DOOM” SHAO KAHN X FEM!READER

SUMMARY : You are an Earthrealm warrior. Shao Kahn challenges you. He will stop his attack on Earthrealm if you win the fight against him. If you do not, you will marry him and become his bride. (Spoiler alert, ya dumbass loses) also plot change, you save Kung Lao at the tournament so bro doesn’t die. Hurray for you! (This is also one of my favorite things I wrote and idk why)

A/N : Also Shao Kahn >>> General Shao. But also side note HOW DID KUNG LAO DIE IN MK 9 LIKE DID THEY NOT SEE SHAO KAHN WALKING UP BEHIND BRO????

A/N : Also on the note, I feel like in my personal opinion, y’all characterize Shao Kahn wrong. I feel like if Shao Kahn were to have a lover, he’d actually be more gentle with them and treat them like a goddess. Just because he’s a bad guy doesn’t mean he doesn’t have a soft spot. Like he has one for Sindel, Mileena and Skarlet so I would just assume he would have one for his lover

A/N : Also ALSO this is written more so like for the reader to be curvy/chubby but you can imagine her not being that way if you please

WARNINGS : (MDNI)! f receiving, breeding kink, slight dirty talk, some praise, unsafe p in v, insecurities

Here’s part 2

MASTERLIST

You couldn’t stand him. He was so smug about the whole ordeal. The truth was you didn’t know if you guys would win. Johnny was already down so now that was one less warrior.

Liu Kang went to try and free Kitana. You just stood there and impatiently watched the scene.

Shao Kahn however couldn’t keep his eyes off of you. He had met you previously and became rather obsessed with you. He claimed you would be his soon enough. He would stand by that claim too.

Kung Lao had defeated both Shang Tsung and Quan Chi. It had been surprising. Sure, Kung Lao was an excellent fighter but those two were excellent sorcerers.

That’s when you saw it. Shao Kahn walking up behind him. “No!” You were the closest one to him. You immediately grabbed Kung Lao and switched him over to behind you. You then kicked Shao Kahn with your flying kick so hard that it knocked him down.

Gasps were heard. At this point, Liu Kang had freed Kitana. You went over and helped Kung Lao up. “He was going to kill you.” You informed him.

Liu Kang helped Kung Lao up a little and brought him closer to him and Kitana. You looked at Shao Kahn, awaiting for his reaction.

He does not react the way you expect him to. A low dark chuckle erupts from his throat. He is amused.

Shao Kahn stands up from the ground. You can see the intimidating look he gave behind his mask. “I like women that have fire.”

You rolled your eyes slightly. Shao Kahn had been trying to use his advances on you since he had met you and of course, none of it worked. “You’re done, Shao Kahn. You’re just mad that Kung Lao best you. Don’t be a poor sport about it.”

“Poor sport? Care to make this interesting?”

“What are you going on about?”

Shao Kahn started to circle you and by instinct, you circled with him. He stared you down from your head to your toes. “Fight me. If you can best me, I will attack Earthrealm no longer.”

You were surprised. He would stop attacking Earthrealm just like that? What you didn’t understand was why he was willing to take that kind of risk. You may be no Liu Kang but you were one of Earthrealm’s top defenders. The best female fighter.

“Just like that?” You questioned not believing the tyrant.

“Just like that.” He confirmed with you.

You looked him up and down, trying to figure him out. “That doesn’t make any sense. You’re already trying to conquer Earthrealm. So what more do you want? What do you want if I were to lose?”

Shao Kahn had a deep chuckle at that question. He was waiting for you to ask him that. “It’s very simple. You will marry me and become my Empress. I need a strong, well put together woman and you are exactly what I’ve been looking for.”

You actually couldn’t believe it. You would have to marry Shao Kahn if you lost? You stopped circling around him and Shao Kahn stopped as well. You were too shocked to speak.

You found your voice though and shook your head. “Fuck you.” You were about to walk away but the sound of his voice made you stop dead in your tracks.

“Afraid you’ll lose? That’s hilarious. You’re one of Earthrealm’s strongest fighters and even you believe you cannot best me? Pathetic.”

You absolutely hated him because he knew how to push your buttons. You turned back around to face him. It was like you were almost accepting his challenge.

Liu Kang looked between the two of you before walking over to you. He rested a hand on your shoulder. “(Y/N). Do not. He is not to be trusted. Even if you do win, he most likely will not keep his end of the deal.”

“I am a man of my word, Earthrealmer.” Shao Kahn stated as if he was almost offended Liu Kang would even suggest that. “Come on, (Y/N). I say it’s a win win. Saving Earthrealm or marrying me? What could be better than that.”

You scoffed at his cockiness. You turned your attention to Raiden, seeing if he approved with what you were about to do. Raiden seemed unsure but he nodded for you to do whatever you had to do.

Turning your attention back on Shao Kahn, you took some steps forward. “You gonna buy me a pony if I win?” You couldn’t help but sarcastically say.

Shao Kahn chuckled. Oh, did he love your nature. You had a lot of bark for someone that was an Earthrealmer. That’s what intrigued him so much. “Oh, I will give you more than you can imagine.”

You rolled your eyes slightly but did not say anything. You took your fighting stance and Shao took his.

Instantly, you started with offense. You punched, kicked, and continued this pattern and Shao blocked every hit you tried to connect.

You were very confused because Shao did not try to be offensive with you. He was on defense. This pattern continued for some time until you gave him a great big push.

When you did so, he did not react to it. You tilted your head at him. “Why are you going easy on me?”

“I prefer my Empress to not be so bruised up.”

That’s when Shao started to turn into offensive mode and you were on your defense. He swung his hammer at you about a thousand times and you ducked every hit.

Shao Kahn punched you in the gut and then kicked you in the stomach. You fell down on your back.

You felt the wind get knocked from you. You had to regain your composure quickly. You moved to the right when he tried to stomp you while you were on the ground. Then you swept his feet and he had fallen on the ground.

Shao Kahn groaned in pain. You smirked to him. Shao did not give up easily in the slightest. The Emperor got up and charged at you.

You ducked every hit that tried to come in contact with you. Every blow he tried to throw it did not connect. Until one of the eventually did.

His right fist connected with your face. You fell to the ground instantly.

Shao Kahn felt slightly bad. Your lip was bleeding and it looked pretty bad but he could not show it. You felt your lip as blood leaked onto your white shirt.

You got up and stood your ground. He was impressed to be completely honest. Most female Earthrealm warriors would’ve cried or backed out by now. Not you. That’s why he liked you so much.

You went to kick at his stomach but Shao moved out the way. He went to hit you in your chest but you blocked his movement. Finally, you landed an uppercut and it made Shao Kahn stumble back a bit. This time Shao was bleeding a little.

Shao felt his nose and nothing but a smirk came on his lips when he saw the blood trickle down his finger. It was your turn to be surprised. You knew he was sadistic but you did not know he would enjoy you hurting him.

With you being distracted, Shao hit you in the chest with his left fist and then kicked you in your stomach, making you fall to your knees.

Shao backhanded you and you fell to the ground. You groaned in pain. Usually Shao would kick his enemies while they were down but he would not do that with you.

He picked you up by the shirt and saw your weakened condition. “Say it.”

You didn’t want to but he was stronger than you. You felt as though you failed everyone. You could not believe that he had actually beat you.

You were too weak to go on and everyone knew that after seeing the fight. You signed some and made sure not to look at him in his eyes. “I concede.”

Shao Kahn smirked. He helped you to your feet and helped you stand properly. Shao wiped the blood that was leaking from your mouth.

The blood was on his fingers. Shao Kahn placed the fingers in his mouth and sucked the blood off. You looked at him a bit disgusted by his action.

“The tournament will be paused.” Shao Kahn told the Earthrealmers. “I have a bride that needs to get ready.”

You tried to hold back your eye roll. Shao Kahn made Quan Chi open up a portal and Shao Kahn made you come through it with him.

Shao Kahn had some business to attend to before handling you so you were sent to his room. You actually could not believe how big his room was.

You walked further into the room. The bed was the biggest thing about the room. He had a full wardrobe, a big shower and bath and big windows.

The room was dark. Not in the lighting sense but the color. It was red and black. You were not surprised by this in the slightest.

A knock was on the door. You didn’t know if you should even say ‘come in’ because well this was just now your room. “Come in?” You questioned more so then said.

A woman that had looked just like Kitana but had tarkatan features entered your room with clothes. “Father, said to give you these.”

You had realized that this was Mileena. You carefully took the clothes out of her hands. “Thanks.”

“I’m so excited! I will have a mother finally! Father, says you are a strong woman. I don’t quite see it but I believe in his intuition.”

You didn’t know if you should’ve been offended or not. You also felt a little bad. Usually, you had a pretty good tell if people were evil but Mileena didn’t really seem like she was evil to you. “Your father is an annoying tyrant and I cannot stand him.”

Mileena laughed a little. You had to admit, it was a bit unsettling. “Father said you would say something like that. We’ll be a family shortly, dear. Do not worry.”

That bad feeling came back to you. Mileena seemed to be desperate to have a family and you could understand that. From what you were told, she was Shang Tsung’s experiment so she most likely did not have a sense of identity. “Hopefully I don’t claw my eyes out in the process.”

“I’ll let you get changed.” Mileena left the room, leaving you there.

You changed into the outfit. It was a long fitted red gown with lace attached to the back. The problem was that it showed off your stomach and you were a little bit on the chubbier and curvier side.

You sighed a little then looked down to realize that your thighs also did the same thing. The clothing wasn’t too revealing. (Surprisingly for Shao Kahn’s taste) but it was revealing in all the places you did not want it revealed.

The door opened and closed. You turned to look to see Shao Kahn had stepped in. He was about to say something but he stopped in his tracks when he saw you.

You were the most gorgeous woman in all of Outworld to him. Hell, even in all the universe. He mentally thanked himself that he put you in that outfit because god, to him, it was doing you a lot of good.

“You look breath taking, My Empress.”

You rolled your eyes and turned back to the mirror. “Cut the shit.” You told him and he laughed. “What is so funny?”

“Your Earthrealm language is amusing.”

“I’ll show you amusing.” You more so mumbled under your breath. Shao Kahn heard you but he chose not to say anything.

Shao Kahn had placed his things on the table next to you. When he did, he saw you staring at yourself in the mirror. He noticed the looks you were giving yourself. “Stop looking at yourself like that.”

You didn’t bother to look at Shao Kahn. You kept your eyes glued to the mirror. “Like what?”

“Like you don’t appreciate what you are seeing.”

You didn’t respond to him. You continued to stare at yourself in the mirror, trying to convince yourself that the outfit looked good on you. You couldn’t get with it. “It doesn’t flatter me.” You told him truthfully.

Shao Kahn did not understand what you meant. “What do you mean?”

You gave him a look like he should know. You pointed to your stomach that was sticking out. “Do you not see this? I look like I’m pregnant.”

Don’t play into that because the thought of getting you pregnant drove Shao Kahn crazy. Shao Kahn stood behind you. He grabbed onto your stomach and gave it soft rubs despite his hands being so large and rough. “This is a body of a woman.”

Shao was in love with your curvy body. With all parts about you. Your stomach, your thighs, and definitely your ass. He was obsessed with every part of you.

You were surprised at how good his hands felt on your body. You wanted to fight it but you had given into his rough touches.

Shao Kahn started to rub all over your body and massage you. Your back, your neck, your stomach, your arms. He was rubbing everywhere he could rub. “This is a body of my Empress. I would not have you any other way.”

You were severely confused. Severely. Shao Kahn was a tyrant that only cared for his goals and his pleasure but here he was, rubbing you down, talking to you sweetly and making you feel good about yourself.

You slightly moaned at his touches. His hands felt like the Elder Gods themselves. You didn’t want the feeling of his hands all over you to stop.

But you had to snap yourself out of it. You hated this man. He ruined you. He was taking over Earthrealm as he was doing all this for you.

Shao Kahn was not a good man.

You broke out of his hold and pushed him back. “For the record, I did not enjoy that. I am just touched starved.”

He chuckled a little at your statement. He knew you liked it but he would play along into your bit for now. “Touch starved? When was the last time a man touched you like that?”

It felt like never to be honest. “None of your business. Now give me my space.” You were again, surprised that Shao Kahn had listened.

You touched the veil that went over your hair and it was long, down to your back and to the back of your legs.

“That Earthrealmer seems fond of you.” Shao said, breaking the silence.

You were confused as you fixed your earrings. “Who? No one is fond of me.”

“Liu Kang. I see the way he looks at you.”

You rolled your eyes a little at that but still didn’t look at him. “He’s just my friend. He just cares about me. Not that you would know about the caring for someone department.”

Shao Kahn watched as you put your earrings on. He honestly wanted to push your buttons. He found it extremely amusing. “Soon, I will have my victory. And I’ll kill him. He will be burned by his own fire.”

The statement pissed you off to no end. You couldn’t control your temper. You turned around to face him and you slapped him across the face, hard. You almost knocked his mask off.

Shao Kahn did not show you a reaction. You were waiting to be slapped back. Waiting for him to try and maybe beat on you mercilessly.

What you didn’t know is slapping him across the face turned him on. In fact, he started to feel himself become erect.

You looked at him puzzled. “Aren’t you going to hit me back?”

“Now, why would I do that?” You didn’t respond to him. Shao Kahn’s hands went behind the back of your head and he fixed the veil on top of your head.

The two of you didn’t speak a word as he fixed it. You just watched him. You couldn’t believe it.

When he was done, he pulled away. “Meet me down in the dining hall for dinner.”

Shao Kahn walked out the room and closed the door. You just stood there in complete shock.

This was going to be interesting.

You decided that keeping Shao Kahn waiting wasn’t a good idea and you walked out of the room. You went downstairs all the way to where dinner was to be served.

There sat Shang Tsung, Quan Chi, Reiko, Mileena, and Reptile. You weren’t really intimidated by the sorcerers, Mileena, or Reptile but you were by Reiko because you had never met him.

They all stood from their seat and bowed to you. You gave them a look, weirded out. “What the hell are you people doing?”

“Showing respect to new Empress. Well almost Empress.” Shang Tsung stated simply.

“Ugh. Don’t remind me.” You grumbled under your breath. You were about to grab a chair and sit down but Shao Kahn’s voice stopped you.

“You do not sit there.” He motioned for you to sit on the throne that was across from him. “You sit there.”

You looked to the throne and then back to him. “You people take these Outworld politics way too far.” You said before sitting on the throne. “For the record, I still hate all of you…besides Mileena.”

Mileena giggled at this. “You will learn to enjoy our company eventually, Empress.” Quan Chi told you.

“Yeah right. I’d rather have Sub-Zero freeze me to death then-“ Your statement was cut off when a servant set food on the table. When she did, you realized the meal was consistent of all your favorite foods.

You rose your eyebrows confused that he had knew this information and you looked back at Shao Kahn. “How did you know I like this?”

“I know everything.”

You looked back at the food and then back at him. “This does not earn you brownie points.” You lied to him, pointing your finger at him.

Shao Kahn smirked, knowing you were lying to him. He watched as you began to eat. When he did so, he noticed Reiko was staring at you.

You started to notice Reiko’s stare and it was making you a little bit uncomfortable. Especially because you didn’t know him very well.

Shao Kahn looked at you then turned his attention to Reiko. “Reiko. Do you like breathing?”

Reiko looked at the Kahn a bit confused at the question since the answer was obvious. He couldn’t have an attitude though when addressing him. “Yes, Shao Kahn.”

“Then I suggest you stop staring at her before I have to put an end to that.”

It was so bizarre to you seeing Shao Kahn stick up for you but you chose to block the feeling in the pit of your stomach out and continue eating.

When you were done, you were getting ready for bed. You wore a red nightgown and fixed your head up for bed. One thing you were not looking forward to is sleeping in the same bed as Shao Kahn.

You took your earrings off and were placing them on the dresser. You heard the bathroom door open and you saw Shao Kahn walk out with a towel wrapped around himself.

You were taken aback. First of all, you had never seen Shao Kahn without his armor. You never seen his face.

His face was very masculine. All the right areas were sharp. His nose was big and pointed down. His eyes were a dark red. As red as the color of blood. His head was round but chin was pointed down. Again, he had strong masculine features.

I mean, he was a big man but you did not expect for him to be that big. His chest stood strong and some scars were around his rib cage. Probably from fighting in kombat.

He looked so…good. So, good that you felt a pool of wetness come between your legs.

‘God. I really am touch starved. There’s no way I find a psychopath dictator hot.’ You thought to yourself.

Shao Kahn walked over to the mirror to examine himself. “You’re staring.”

Of course he knew you were. You scoffed and turned away from him. “Am not.” You tried taking the necklace off your neck. “I just never seen you without your helmet.”

Shao Kahn turned to you and smirked. “Is it something you like?”

“Hardly.” You lied.

Shao noticed you struggling to get your necklace off. He walked up behind you and his hands went to your neck. You released your hold on the necklace and allowed him to do it.

You felt himself press up against you. You gasped a little. Oh, he was big. Extremely big. You probably should’ve guessed since he was a big man but you still did not expect for him to be that big.

“Don’t act like you don’t feel it.”

Ugh, you hated his cocky self. “I’ve met men who had bigger.”

Shao Kahn chuckled knowing you were lying. “Sure you have.” He took off the necklace and placed it on the desk. He grabbed a pair of boxers and placed them on him.

Reality was starting to hit you. You were actually forced to marry this tyrant. You were going to be his wife. You were going to be Empress of Outworld. You were going to be on the same side as people you once found to be your enemies.

Shao Kahn started to lay in the bed. You turned to him with your hands on your hips. “So, when do you plan to marry me? I’d like to get this over with.”

“After I win the tournament.”

“Tuh. Who says you’ll win?”

“I am Shao Kahn. Kahn of Outworld. They will taste no victory.”

Everything within you hated him. You couldn’t understand why he was doing this. Why couldn’t he just leave Earthrealm alone? “You’re such a dick, you know that? You literally invaded Edenia and claimed it to be your own. You rule Outworld with an iron fist. Is that not enough? You need to take my home too?”

Shao Kahn didn’t speak. It was like he was contemplating on what he was going to say. The tiniest part of him felt bad but at the end of the day, he was a sadistic ruler. He did not care for anything else. “This is your home now.”

You shook your head. “If this is your way of winning me over, you’re pretty shitty at it.” You told him point blank.

After you turned off all the lights, you got into bed and faced the left side which was the opposite way so you weren’t facing him.

Shao Kahn knew you were mad but you would get over it eventually. He was Kahn of Outworld. You would want him. He also knew you. He knew you craved power just like he did. You just were better at hiding it. That’s why through out your entire stay, you did not throw a fuss at him taking care of you.

He knew you liked he was taking care of you. You just didn’t want to admit it because you didn’t want to be the bad guy.

Shao Kahn grabbed the blanket and laid it on top of you. His hand instinctively went to the inner part of your thigh so he could pull you closer to him but when he did, he felt how wet you were.

You mentally cursed yourself for being so turned on earlier. Shao was at your ear. His breath made the back of your hairs stand up. “Why don’t you let me take care of that.”

Before you could say anything, Shao’s hands were already on it. He pulled your panties down slightly and placed his fingers over your clit. Then he started to rub in circles.

You let out a deep moan that you felt like you had been holding in for the longest. Shao made sure to be more gentle because he knew he was heavy handed. He didn’t need to apply that much pressure to your clit because his hands were so big.

Shao Kahn kissed your neck as you let out a string of profanities. It was far more sensitive when he was rubbing it.

He had already been hard but you felt him grow even more and you didn’t believe it was possible for him to be that big. You felt his member grow on your ass.

This was a mistake. You would regret it. Absolutely would but at the moment you didn’t care. The way he was taking care of you now gave you more than enough reason to let him keep going.

You were surprised that he wasn’t eager to fuck you. He was taking his time making sure that you got all the foreplay that you needed.

Shao stuck his fingers in your pussy and started to pump in and out of you. His fingers were big so they worked well inside you.

You moaned even louder and started to move on his fingers to feel more of him. “I will show you how an Emperor takes care of his Empress.” Shao told you.

He removed his fingers from your pussy and licked all over them. You tasted so pleasant to him that he had let out a groan at the taste.

Shao Kahn took off his boxers. Then he got up and hovered over you. He took off your underwear completely and threw it on the floor. His dick slapped against your stomach. Just looking at him above you turned you on.

He picked up your legs and dragged you down to him so your pussy was right on his dick. Then Shao entered you. He made sure to enter you very slowly, knowing how big he was.

You let out the biggest moan and threw your head back. Shao moved very slowly in you, grunting at how good your pussy clenched onto him.

He filled you completely and you didn’t know whether you loved it or hated it. You moaned each time he thrusted in you. “Faster, please.”

You didn’t need to tell him twice. Shao Kahn went faster inside of you. Usually, he would go very rough and hard but he would do something different for your guy’s first time. (Yes, he was that sure in himself that this would happen again.)

“Oh my god. Yes. Oh my god. Shao.”

“That’s right. Scream my name. Let everyone know how good I’m making you feel.”

Shao Kahn watched as your stomach jiggled with each thrust. He licked his lips and felt all over your stomach. “Mine. All mine.”

You could barely form words. It felt like everything was becoming blurry. He buried himself inside you like you were the only woman he was interested in. Like you were the only woman in the world.

“No other man can have you.” Shao told you as he fucked you. You started to pant heavily. He wrapped your legs around his waist and started to pound even harder. “You will give me children. I will bury my seed in you.”

He was fucking you so good that him cumming inside of you seemed like the best idea in the world. “Oh shit. Oh shit. Yes. Yes.”

“That’s it. Take all of me. You’re so good.” The overwhelming amount of pleasure Shao was giving you was far too much. You started to cry. Shao noticed this and he brought his hand to your eyes and wiped the tears. “I know, my Empress. You can cum soon. Wait for me.”

You didn’t think that was possible. He was hitting in all the right spots. “Please don’t stop.”

Shao loved you being so needy for him. “Oh, I don’t plan to.” The sound of skin to skin contact and your moans filled the room. When he saw you were trying to cover you mouth to conceal your moans, Shao slapped your thigh. “Move your hand.”

You whimpered some but removed it. “I-oh-don’t wanna be-oh my god-too loud.”

“I do. In fact, I need you to be louder.” The way you clenched on him made him throw his head back. He started to become close.

Your nails dug into his arms and clawed at him until he was dripping blood. That only turned him on more.

Pants started to turn into high pitch shrieks. You were too close. You didn’t think you could keep it up much longer. “I can’t.”

“Aw, you’re doing so good though.” Shao Kahn pounded into you a bit rougher. “I thought you didn’t like me but look at you. You’re about to fall apart.”

You dug your nails in more harshly and he grunted at it. The pain felt too good for him. “Please, please, please. I’m so close.”

Talking to him was doing the job. “Oh yes.” He gripped your thighs tighter to keep you in place. He planned to cum inside you and he was going to accomplish that. “Make a mess on me. Cum on your Emperor.”

The two of you released. You squirted all over his chest. He came inside you hard. So hard you could actually feel it. You moaned loudly, screaming his name.

Shao kept going until he knew you were fully done. He slowly pulled out of you and then rubbed your stomach. “You were always mine but now you are indefinitely mine.”

You could not believe you just did that.

TO BE CONTINUED????

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