#i hope i can deliver on the hype

[otomehonyaku]

DIABOLIK LOVERS More,Blood Genteiban DVD Translation ☽ Mini Drama III (Ruki, Azusa, Kanato, Ayato)

Original title: DIABOLIK LOVERS MORE,BLOOD 限定版 SPECIAL DISK IV Mini Drama III Voiced by Sakurai Takahiro (Ruki), Kishio Daisuke (Azusa), Kaji Yūki (Kanato), Midorikawa Hikaru (Ayato) English translation by @otomehonyaku Click here for the audio (thank you @uzi-boozii for providing the audio!)

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Please do not reuse or post my translations elsewhere or translate my work into other languages without my permission.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Here's the final instalment of the More,Blood special disks! ✧ദ്ദി( ˶^ᗜ^˶ ) This is my least favourite of all of them (even though Ruki is obviously my favourite Diaboy) because I think Ruki kind of got the short end of the stick in terms of content in my opinion... I had hoped we'd get to see more of his inner struggle seeing as the rest of the CDs have these fun little bits talking about what they'd like to do with Yui and stuff, but this one had a little less of that ( ; ─ ; ) Still, the part where Ruki talks about Yui having agency? A king indeed...

Anyway, there's more good stuff coming soon! As always, have fun listening and reading along! (♡ˊ͈ ꒳ ˋ͈)

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

[This scene takes place right after the last episode of More,Blood, when Ruki and Ayato each take Yui’s blood and the two agree on working together against the Founders. Note: AY stands for Ayato and AZ stands for Azusa.]

00:00 Ruki: Leave her to sleep. If the Founders are coming for her soon, we need to be prepared. Isn’t that right, Sakamaki Ayato?

Ayato: I ain’t taking orders from you, asshole. Yours Truly can do as he pleases.

Ruki: These are no circumstances for liberal ideas, unfortunately. Quarrelling will not help us if we have to face off against the Founders.

AY: You don’t have to tell me that. I ain’t handing her over to those Founders. Or you, or anyone else, for that matter.

R: Didn’t you just say that you can do as you please? 

AY: So what if I did?

R: She also has the right to decide for herself. You’re free to think of her however you like. However, only Eve herself can make the choice. 

AY: That ‘Eve’ shit is none of my business. Pancake didn’t have any rights to begin with. She’s my prey. I shouldn’t have to listen to every single little thing that my prey wants.

R: Eve has a stronger will than you think she has. I urge you not to take that lightly. Especially not by considering her mere prey.

AY: Tch. Self-important bastard.

R: Besides, it’s only a matter of time until the Human World is no longer safe for her.

AY: What do you mean?

R: As the lunar eclipse progresses, your power will weaken. The Founders are undeniably waiting for the perfect moment to strike. You know this, and yet you’re still picking a fight with me?

AY: Fuck…

02:03 R: The Founders are immensely powerful. We vampires are no match against them with the lunar eclipse chipping away at our strength. Are you fine with the Founders taking Eve away? Because that is exactly where we’re headed right now.

AY: Of course not! I told you, she’s—

R: Yeah. You sensed the same danger I did and that’s exactly why you came here, right? So, if you would…

AY: Alright, I get it. So? What should we do? You gotta have a plan ready if you’re gonna boast like that.

R: I have something in mind, though it poses great risk. Especially for Eve.

AY: Anything’s better than letting the Founders get their filthy hands on her. What is it?

R: We bring her to the Demon World.

AY: The Demon World?!

R: This lunar eclipse is not just any lunar eclipse.

AY: Yeah, Reiji also said it’s taking place at the same time in both the Human World and the Demon World.

R: Exactly. Which means that you pureblood vampires are particularly susceptible to its influence.

AY: I know. Isn’t that why we resorted to joining forces with you lot?

R: However, our working together still does not guarantee victory against the Founders. We barely know anything about them.

AY: So that’s why you wanna take her to the Demon World?

R: This might be a gamble, but there is a possibility that the effect the lunar eclipse has on us is reduced there. Of course, I have no experience with this either.

AY: So it’s all or nothing?

R: Exactly. We have little hopes of winning against the Founders to begin with if we stay here. Don’t you think we would have better chances of succeeding if we go to the Demon World?

04:04 AY: If we take her along, Pancake might be more likely to die, though. More people’ll go after her just because she’s human.

R: You can’t even protect her from regular folk in the Demon World? Are you really that weak?

AY: The fuck?

R: You’re a Sakamaki. You should be able to deal with such nobodies with ease.

AY: Are you fuckin’ with me? Of course I can!

R: Our enemies are the Founders. The so-called First Bloods, who are said to be the origin of all of us. This is no time to be thinking about the lower classes of the Demon World.

AY: In any case, I’m not gonna let Pancake die. Besides, I definitely won’t let her fall into their hands.

R: Save your yapping for after we save Eve. If you’ve made up your mind about crossing the barrier, let’s get out of here quickly. We need to get to the Demon World before the lunar eclipse reaches its climax.

AY: You like givin’ orders, don’t you? Asshole.

[There’s a knock on the door.]

Azusa: Ruki… The lunar eclipse is pretty far along… Oh… Ayato? Why is he here…?

R: Don’t mind him. What’s important is that Eve is in great danger.

AZ: Eve?

AY: Those Founder assholes are after Pancake.

R: And the wolves that attacked us here seem to be their familiars.

AZ: Founders…? But why are they after Eve…?

Kanato: Mukami Azusa. I will never forgive you.

AZ: Oh, Kanato.

AY: Kanato? What’re you doing here?

K: I will avenge Teddy!

AY: Avenge Teddy? 

K: I can still hear him screaming amidst the flames. He’s hurting… He’s burning…

AY: Ah, so Teddy’s a pile of ash because of you.

06:14 AZ: Yeah… I’m sorry…

K: Apologising won’t give me Teddy back! I will never forgive you, Azusa! You burned him! I can’t forgive this. I won’t forgive this! I’m going to kill you!

[Kanato attacks Azusa, causing the two of them to topple over onto the ground.]

AZ: Oh…

K: I’ll fucking kill you! I won’t forgive you! I’ll never forgive you!

AY: Hey, Kanato! Cut it out!

[Ayato stops Kanato.]

K: Ayato! Why are you getting in my way? Do you want to get killed too? My Teddy is… Teddy is…

R: Are you alright, Azusa?

[Ruki pulls Azusa back onto his feet.]

AZ: Yeah… I’m alright…

R: What did you do to him?

AZ: When I went to get Eve… I ran into Kanato, and he stopped me…

K: Of course I did! She’s mine!

AZ: But we need Eve too, so… I threw his precious bear… into the fireplace…

K: He’s not a bear! He’s Teddy! Teddy! Teddy…

AY: Hey, Kanato. Doesn’t matter what he did. Stop crying.

K: Teddy… It hurts, doesn’t it? It burns, doesn’t it? I feel so bad for him… I will take the girl home right now.

AY: Huh? What’s this all of a sudden?

08:22 K: She will repair Teddy for me. I will take her home right now. Where is she?

AY: This isn’t the time to be asking that. You heard it too, right? The Founders are after Pancake.

K: That has nothing to do with me. She will repair Teddy.

R: You saw the pack of wolves too, didn’t you? You know full well how powerful the Founders are. Don’t get careless.

AZ: That’s true, Kanato… Eve might be in danger…

K: Shut up, shut up, shut up! Stop scolding me!

AY: But you wouldn’t want Pancake to die either, right?

K: What? I don’t care. If she dies, I’ll turn her into a beautiful wax doll. I don’t see anything bad about that.

AZ: Then… What about Teddy?

R: Yes. If you let her die, you will never hold Teddy in your arms again. Are you fine with that?

K: I don’t understand. She’s mine. I can do with her however I please, and she will repair Teddy for me!

[Kanato starts walking away.]

AY: Hey, Kanato! Where are you going?

K: I’m going to look for her. Where have you hidden her?!

[Kanato leaves the room.]

10:04 AY: Tch. He’ll kill her himself in this state. Damn it, I got no time for this shit— Hey, Kanato, wait!

[Ayato follows Kanato.]

AZ: Ruki… I’m sorry. It’s my fault…

R: No, it’s fine. We need Eve the most, after all. 

AZ: Yeah, that’s true…

R: We’d better hurry. We have to get to the Demon World before the lunar eclipse reaches its climax.

AZ: To the Demon World…?

R: Yes. I think our odds of protecting Eve are better there. Can you go tell Kou and Yuma?

AZ: Yeah, got it… We will protect Eve… right?

R: That’s exactly why we’re leaving for the Demon World.

AZ: Ruki… If one of us becomes Adam… I wonder if… all of us will one day… see the same bright blue sky… that we saw back then.

R: Yeah. We might.

AZ: This time… Eve would be there with us… right?

[Azusa leaves the room.]

R: There is barely any time left… But we will be the ones to protect you, Eve. No matter what it takes.

[Wolves howl in the distance…]

[shinozaki-ayumi]

Happy 10th anniversary to Tortured Souls and 9th anniversary to Blood Drive lol

[sonntam]

Today I found out that X-Box store not only has cute Pentiment t-shirts, BUT also "Tell Me Why" merchandise!

Can't say that Tell Me Why was my favorite game from Dontnod, BUT it was a solid game (especially in comparison to LiS:True Colors which was very underwhelming). I also appreciated both the trans protagonists and twins representation. Plus, this kind of artsy designs for video game shirts is exactly what I love.

And since I was buying from the store anyway, also got the Obsidian planet sweater. It's supposedly LGBT pride merchandise, but it's so understated that I can wear it pretty stealth.

[pastryfication]

Can you please, if you'd be so kind, do one with Oscar x driver!reader, and him proposing on media day, when they're talking in front of people? And Lando has to hype him up before. 🤭

hi!! thank you for your request!!

i can’t imagine oscar proposing in front of so many people—i think he’d be more the type to do a private, intimate proposal—so i’ve changed the request a bit. i hope you still like it!

just say yes | oscar piastri

pairing: oscar piastri x driver!reader

content warnings: mentions of hungary 2024… also, this is messy! i’m not even sure myself what is going on.

the race hadn’t worked in your favour. starting p8 and moving down to p11 wasn’t good enough. just out of the points, in a race with so much potential, wasn’t good enough.

in the final lap, you wanted nothing more than to exit the car, throw away your helmet and hide yourself away in the hotel. but then, your race engineer turned on the radio and delivered the message you had waited to hear for so, so, so long. oscar had won the race. oscar passed the finish line in first place.

now, after such news, your eagerness to finish the race wasn’t build on the need to sulk, but instead, an eagerness to celebrate your boyfriend.

as soon as you were out of the car, you were running towards were you knew he would be. the smell of burnt tires and gasoline faded to the background and you threw yourself against him, race suite and helmet still on, and enveloped him in a hug.

you were so happy you wanted to cry. he deserves this more than anyone else and to see him achieve it was a dream come true for you. as he decented the podium, you were in the crowd and clapped louder than anyone else.

oscar had found your face in the crowd as he stood on the top step. he smiled brightly when your eyes met, and when lando initially ignored him and he felt the world slowly crashing down on his happiness, your silhouette was what he sought again.

you were there. you were always there. even when you had a shitty race yourself, even when he could see how sad you were about the position you ended up in, you still came to celebrate him. and you poured your entire heart into the celebration, pushing yourself into the crowd of papaya to be closer to his beaming face.

too caught up the the giddiness you felt, you truly hadn’t noticed anything wrong until oscar pulled you aside just before your media duties. he wasn’t smiling quite as bright as he was supposed to, considering he just had his maiden win. he explained, voice a bit strained, that he had been allowed to pass lando. he told you how the win didn’t feel completely like his own, like he didn’t quite deserve it, and you listened with a frown on your face.

this was his win. he deserved it. he earned it fair and square. and you told him exactly that. you told him while holding him close in another hug, your mouth up close to his ear so only he could hear the sweet words you whispered.

as you leaned your head on his shoulder and comfortingly rubbed his back, oscar mind began to cloud with thoughts of the ring in his trouser pocket. barely a hundred meters away, tucked safely away in his jeans in his drivers room, lay the diamond ring he so delicately had picked out with your sister.

he wanted it then, he wished so desperately to have magical powers so he could make it spawn in his hand, but he didn’t, so instead, he took your hand in his and dragged you along.

“where are we going?” you asked, but it was for deaf ears. he had a mission and he was going to accomplish it. he was going to propose right then and there. he was going to spend the rest of his life with you.

୨୧

the reporter had to fight hard to hide the smirk when he spotted the diamond on your finger. it stood in stark contrast to the dull race suit hanging from your waist, sparkling prettily against the sweaty fireproof shirt clinging desperately to your damp skin, compliment the op1 cap on your head perfectly.

“what is it i spot on your finger?” he asked, microphone pushed up against you eagerly in await of your response.

“well, what does it look like?” you answered, showing it to him with a joyful smile adorning your face.

“i guess your boyfriend wasn’t satisfied with just a win.” the reporter laughed.

“fiancé.” you corrected. “and my fiancé is quite satisfied with his amazing win. but you can never get too many things to celebrate.”

[leilanihours]

"I like your hand in mine, but I think it would look even better if it was wrapped around my throat " - I forgot what number prompt it was lol but could you do this smut with Nika Mühl congratulations on 1K queen

# SHE'S GOT MY ATTENTION, SHE'S CONFIDENT

pairing: nika muhl x bartender!reader

word count: 812

warnings: smut (MDNI), head (reader receiving), mentions of self-pleasure (nika's)

prompt: "i like your hand in mine but i think it would look even better if it was wrapped around my throat"

⭑ from lani: first smut of the celly 😜 WATCH THIS TIKTOK FOR BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF THE SHOT TRICK

celly masterlist !

main masterlist !

"WRAP YOUR LIPS around the bottle, put your hands on my head, and then just follow my lead, okay, babe?" you explain to the brunette in front of you.

nika bites her lip and nods as her friends are hyping her up from their respective seats. she blushes at your use of the nickname, hoping that it goes unnoticed by you.

you smirk at the power you have over the girl, wanting to tease her a little bit more. you notice the amount of distance between you two, disapprovingly shaking your head, "c'mere, don't be shy."

nika's eyes slightly widen as you pull her closer to you by placing your hand on her hip. you're only inches apart now, you could practically feel her heart beating against your own.

"okay, i'm ready," she affirms. she towers over you due to her height, but it's obvious that she needs a little confidence boost. you're banking on this shot to do so.

you twist open the lid of the small bottle, placing the base of it in your mouth as you tilt your head back, waiting for nika to come up behind you.

she follows your previous instructions, placing her lips on the rim of the bottle and gently placing her cold hands on either side of your face.

you take this as a sign to go, so you swiftly place your own hands on her jawline and spin your head so that you could flip the bottle of liquor to deliver the shot. nika flips along with you, her head now being the one that's tilted back.

you remove your mouth from the bottle quickly as nika downs the shot, feeling the burning liquid flow down her throat.

you lick you lips at the sight, not even realizing that your hands had drifted down to her waist, bracing the girl in support.

once she's standing upright, you take one of your hands and grab hers, lifting it in the air as the room fills with cheers.

you're both laughing when the exchange is finished, hands still intertwined. but the second your eyes meet, the room stills.

there's nothing but pure lust and desire lingering between the two of you - it's almost painful. there was no denying that nika was gorgeously sexy, it was one of the main reasons you were so eager to perform the shot with her.

after being so close to each other, it was insanely hard to back away. it was like you two were drawn to each other with an unbeatable magnetic force.

you can't help yourself when you whisper in her ear, "look, i like your hand in mine, but i think i'd like it better if it was wrapped around my throat."

nika's demeanor changes entirely, the atmosphere (and probably the shot she just took) giving her a newfound confidence, "when does your shift end?"

"baby, i run this place, it ends whenever i want it to," you smirk.

she bites her lip as she quickly pulls you into one of the bathrooms, instantly shoving you against the door and smashing her lips onto yours.

you moan at the feeling as it goes straight to your pussy, dripping into your underwear. it doesn't help when the brunette actually listens to your words from earlier and slyly wraps her hand around the base of your neck.

she squeezes gently, pressing you tighter against the door. her knee somehow ended up between your legs, pushing up against your clit.

"fuck, i can feel you dripping on me already," she groans as she begins to kiss down your neck and cleavage.

"yeah? you wanna fuck me now or what?"

"i'm getting there, baby, no need for the attitude," she shakes her head, peering down at you before lowering to her knees.

she unbuttons the denim shorts you had on, slowly pulling them down as her nails and rings trail red marks on your skin.

she begins to place teasingly light kisses on your thighs, working her way closer to your clothed pussy. you whine at her pace, ready to complain before she has you stepping out of your soaked underwear.

"mmm, who got you this wet?" she mumbles, thumb teasing your clit.

"you, nika- fuck," you sigh once you feel her tongue run through your slit.

soon enough, she's rubbing tight circles around your bud and fucking into your hole with her experienced tongue.

you find yourself grinding against her face, chasing down your climax. you look down at the girl, only to find her toying with her nipples underneath her shirt with her free hand.

the sight pushes you further to the edge, and with a few more laps of her tongue, you're coming undone with your legs shaking.

"holy shit," you pant out of breath.

she laughs at your fucked-out state, "yeah, you're definitely coming home with me."

— leilani signing off ! 📁

[ayeforscotland]

Can you explain what's going on with the tech bubble? I know it has something to do with AI kind of.

You’re going to have to settle for the version I can write while drunk.

Basically lots of tech companies are invested in AI, they’ve built up a lot of hype around it. Problem is - most commercially available “GenAI” is pretty useless. The hype has sold people on the idea, but the product doesn’t remotely deliver what it promises.

For AI companies to generate revenue, they need organisations to adopt it en masse and not experimentally.

Problem is, ‘AI’ expensive as hell, if you’ve ever used an AI image or text generator, you’ll know it’s essentially pulling the lever on a slot machine and hoping that it comes up with something that you like. Pulling that lever requires power which requires money.

As companies begin to realise GenAI isn’t doing the job, the demand for the GPUs that generate that power plummets. Similarly companies that have used GenAI to create products (See Adobe Stock) also tank.

[deepestnightcolor]

Hi,hi!! I absolutely love your fics; they keep me fed 🙏🙏 and I've come to make a Sam x afab!Reader request.

As much as I love Penny, her one sin is being Sam's counterpart. That said, if you're comfortable with it, maybe Penny's finally ready to confess her feelings to Sam, and she's walking to his house when she knows he's most likely to be home alone but she hears faint moans from his window..🙈

ᴀ/ɴ: I hope this delivers, hehe

ᴘᴀɪʀɪɴɢ: Sam x Fem!Reader (x Penny)

ᴡᴄ: 1554

ᴍᴅɴɪ ✧ ᴡᴀʀɴɪɴɢꜱ: exhibitionism, someone watches you having sex, masturbation, cursing, dirty talk, angst

☾ ᴅʀᴏᴘ ᴏꜰ ᴀ ᴘᴇɴɴʏ ☽

Penny would do it. Yeah, she would finally do it. Today. Or maybe tomorrow? Yeah, tomorrow would work better, right? She could go through what she wanted to say today and tell him tomorrow, yes. That sounded like a plan. A good plan. Perfect plan. Like she hadn't had that damn plan five consecutive days in a (censored) row.

Penny had decided: it had to be today. Or she would never do it.

The ginger had memerized the words by now, knew them by heart. If someone had woken her up at 3 in the night and yelled at her to speak, her practiced confession would be the first thing to fall from her lips. "Sam - I really like you. And I feel there is some kind of connection between us that I'd love to act upon. Would you perhaps like to go on a date with me?" Solid statement, clearly structured, giving him an option, just like she had read in all these books. The words even jumped off her tongue as she made her way to Sam's house - today would be a great day for this. She knew Jodi would be out with Caroline and Vincent would be with Jas - what could *possibly* go wrong? There was his window already, so why worry? It would be nice!

"Alright, Penny. You can do this. He probably won't even say no! Why am I beating myself up about it? Jee," she murmured, trying to hype herself up and dragging her feet at the same time. She tugged at her skirt as if it would grow any longer, tucked away strands of hair as if she hadn't stood in front of the mirror to brush them like that. She took another deep breath. She was 20 steps away from a nice date with her crush. So why didn't she take these last few steps?

Closing her eyes, she finally walked forward. 1, 2, 3, 456789- "Sam - I really like you-"

The words got stuck in her throat as soon as she heard it. Coming from Sam's window was a subtle sound, but she was close enough to hear it. It couldn't be, could it? Small huffs and puffs that definitely belonged to the blond. But then again- he was alone, so maybe he used the time to take care of "business"? She had read that taking care of "business" was healthy, so he wasn't really to blame. But what now? Should she just turn around and go? Probably, yes. Anything else would have been a breach of trust - and Penny had always had a good morale compass. So why did it feel like her legs were chained to the ground? Why was there this sickening twist in her stomach, urging her to step closer? And why, for heaven's sake, were her legs obeying that?

She had taken another step closer. And another. "Just another small one," she told herself, promised herself. There wasn't any need to step closer, there wasn't- oh God, she had heard him groan. It was low, deep. A little like his voice, and yet so much more gravelly. "That's it, fuuuuuuck, yeah, that's fuckin' it!"

Her ears were burning with hot embarrassment, hearing those words, so obviously moaned, hearing him curse- she felt a pulse go through her like a lightning bolt, making her clit throb in her panties. Penny frantically looked over her shoulders, one way, then the other, quickly pressing her thighs together. She should really go now, go home and wait for Sam to be done. Return tomorrow. Totally not step up to the window like she was doing now!

Then again- it was okay, right? They'd probably be dating by tonight anyway, right?

Another pulse, this time going through her core. She could feel that she was getting slick down there, nervosity bleeding into excitement. She would have never admitted it, but she had always wondered what Sam looked like naked. She knew he was athletic and strong, very well aware of the fact that he could easily pick her up- God, the thought alone made her feel all giddy.

"Fuuuuuuck, yes, Yoba, fuck."

If she hadn't been sure by then, she was now. Finger tips pressing to the windowsill out of Sam's window, Penny got onto her tippy toes to take a peek. Just a tiny, little peek, promise!

There he was, making her heart skip a beat in her chest. Muscular back turned toward the window, head thrown back in his neck, his blond hair all messy as his hips worked forward. Penny almost *moaned* at the sight, seeing her crush so vulnerable, in such a state of bliss.

She was so enthralled that it took her a while to realize that there were a pair of legs wrapped around these slender bucking hips, and the fact that there was another string of moans bleeding into Sam's. It took her a while to realize that Sam wasn't alone, and that he wasn't taking care of his "business" by himself. That he wasn't moaning for whatever scenario he made up in his head, but for you.

"Saaahammm," your voice whined, strained with the rough fucks that made your body shake.

All color drained from Penny's face. Sam...Sam...was having sex with the farmer?

Her hands clasped over her mouth, eyes wide open as she started at the two figures. She couldn't see much of you, but she could hear you now, loud and clear, loud and *full of pleasure*. You babbled his name in hiccuped moans, your legs clenching tighter around him whenever he hit a spot, your hands sprawled our on his back, scratching down the pale skin whenever your moans grew a little more high-pitched.

"That's it, baby, thaaaaats fuckin it! Love th-this Lil pussy, baby, *shiiiit*, don't want anyone else's," he panted, thrusting faster inside of you as if to make a point. Penny could feel tears well in her eyes, but that didn't mean she looked away. No, quite the opposite. She pressed her upper body against the window sill, leaning in a little further, trying to make out more of the two of you.

Sam was fucking you quickly, fucking you like she deserved. She had been Sam's friends for years! She had been the one that had a crush on him for years! And now you were the one having sex with him? Good sex, at that? You seemed to enjoy yourself, given the way you gasped for air, begged for more. And Sam, like a dog, delivered. Humped into you, stroking his hands up and down your sides while praising you.

It should have been her! Her jaw was clenched as her hands slid down her skirt, under the fabric of her panties. Her jaw was clenched when she realized that she was wet, and the tears started to flow when she began to rub at her clit.

"My girl, my pretty, goregous girl," Sam slurred, making Penny's breath hitch, her clit pulsing under the gentle, steady rub of her fingers. She could be his good girl, his perfect, pretty, goregous girl. Not the farmer.

"Mhhhmng! Sam! Fuck! I- you are *so* deep," you moaned back, making the blond chuckle breathlessly. "Just howcha like it, baby- know what my girl wants- cunt suckin' me off so well, fuck, do I *love* you, baby..."

Love you? Was that the reason he had gotten so distant the last few months? God, she had thought he had become shy! A small sob left her lips as she pushed a finger inside of her, desperate to replicate the feeling of the rough fuck you must have been receiving.

The high-pitched moan that came from both your and Sam's throats were caught by Penny, swallowed down with a sense of bitterness. He loved you? Yeah? She didn't want him anyway. Didn't want you as a friend either. Didn't want to watch your bodies intertwine, didn't want to admit *how* wet it made her. How hard she had to bite back not to moan, especially when your moans became so beggy and high pitched. She hated that she was fucking her cunt with two fingers in the middle of the daylight while watching her crush and his...his...girlfriend? Fuck. And yet it made her stomach twist and tie in a way that she had never felt before. A burning pit of lust and desire, and yet also ice cold jealousy.

"G-gonna cum!" "Cum for me, baby, cum-" he slurred, making Penny speed her fingers up as if he meant her, the arousal making her cheeks flush. She could hear you sob for Sam as he groaned, the blond holding you closer to his chest as he fucked into you hard, making her head fall against the wall of his house, eyes closing as she felt the waves of her orgasm sift through her.

It took Penny a few shaky breaths before she could stand upright again, taking a glance into the bedroom again. There you were, pressed against one another, holding one another, Sam whispering sweet nothings to you.

She pulled her fingers away abruptly, scoffing as she smeared the wetness on the window sill, turning around with her chin held high.

"Sam - fuck you."

Deep inside, though, perverted excitement lingered.

[darkwicks-secret-fanfic-author]

Hi there! I hope you are doing super well. I saw your post about you being a writer. I wanted to know if you can write a Tokyo Debunker HC of Mc being a fashion designer. They create clothes for women and men. How would Jin, Romeo, Leo, and Taiga react?

You can disregard this if you don’t want to do it. I’m just super curious and excited to read your work. Take care! 💙

Jin

Would absolutely put MC to work on customizing every dress shirt and suit they have.

Would want MC to autograph the work by putting their initials somewhere discreet, like the inside of a shirt cuff.

Absolutely makes MC measure them and take notes before every piece is cut and made. It's not that he thinks that his measurements have changed, more that he wants the direct attention and control of having MC do it.

MC would never have to want for anything because Jin would pay them 4x their asking rate and chide them for lowballing themselves.

MC would make them a custom set of pajamas for their birthday or Christmas present. Jin would act like it's expected of MC and not bother saying thank you or appreciating the gesture with words, but MC would come in the morning one day to deliver tea and notice that Jin is wearing them. Tohma would tell MC later that Jin wears them every night.

Would commission new suits for the ghouls of the house because no one expects the chaos twins to have fashion sense and they can't go around embarrassing him anymore after the Pit incident.

Romeo

"Excuse me?? Wear WHO?? WTAF, I'd never debase myself with something indie!!!" would be the initial reaction.

He'd wait until he saw Jin or Taiga in MC's designs before he'd realize what an idiot he made out of himself.

Romeo would be the most to treat MC like an actual designer. He'd go to MC's studio and look through pieces on the rack as well as MC's portfolio of sketches and finished pieces. He'd like bits from different shirts, blazers, ties, etc. and commission a suit that would look the best on him.

Would try to convince MC to only do clothing for himself and Taiga as a status symbol.

He would then immediately change his mind and get designs drawn up for the staff at the Casino.

Taiga

He doesn't actually care if he's covered in blood, let alone what he's wearing so it wouldn't be a big deal for him at first.

Taiga's first fitting would be scheduled by Fico so that he could get some new dress shirts that aren't stained by likedove blood or similar. It wouldn't be until he had MC's attention on him and noticed how comfortable the shirts were that he'd enjoy the clothing.

He would be the least demanding of the ghouls about the specifications of his clothes, but the most outwardly pleased by the efforts after all is said and done.

Would probably commission a couple sets of suspenders.

His new suit jacket would look amazing for all of probably 2 days before he ended up ripping it on a tree limb or something while hunting anomalies to eat.

A lot of his casual clothes would be loud prints that MC would secretly screaaaaaaaam about combining, but it would make Taiga smile and actually seem...happy? so it would give MC more reason to do it.

Fittings and other personal appointments would eventually show the difference in personality in Taiga; the loud forgetfulness would give way to quiet and charming.

MC should definitely not accidentally stab themselves with a needle though. That would maybe be bad. or hot. oops?

Leo

As soon as Leo found out about MC's passion for fashion, he would immediately start trying to make fun of them and claim they're frumpy NPC fits...

Which in turn would push MC to actually design something for Leo. They'd go all out on making a street fashion fit that would be in loud colors and a clash of styles and solids. After being taken aback by the effort put in it... Leo may actually love it. Not that he'd show it of course.

Would ABSOLUTELY hype MC up on Tiktok and insert himself in as manager for their work.

Would go Live for a fashion show that he didn't tell MC he was going to do.

Leo would probably start giving advice (in his own way) on MC's design choices to keep them more popular among streetwear and not just mode-kei.

Would bully Sho into buying MC's fits.

THIS WAS SO MUCH FUN THANK YOU BLUE! I didn't know how I'd feel about Leo and MC designing outfits but honestly I could see Leo getting super into it.

If I have the free time i'll do little shorts with each of them! Thank you for popping my prompt cherry.

[liyawritesss]

Could you possibly write more on having what's basically a long distance relationship with Mateo as he's an agent? I found your headcanons for Gekko with a s/o who is his hairdresser so cute and it's rare to see him written with a citizen!reader (or really find a lot of writing about him at all at this point lol-)

Honestly I just want more fluffy words written with this concept-

ʟᴏɴɢ ᴅɪꜱᴛᴀɴᴄᴇ ʀᴇʟᴀᴛɪᴏɴꜱʜɪᴘ ᴡɪᴛʜ ɢᴇᴋᴋᴏ

-> synopsis | what would a long distance relationship be like with agent gekko from valorant!

-> pairing | mateo armendariz de la fuente/gekko x blk!gn!reader

-> contains | pure fluff, a couple of curse words, 2nd person (you, your, yours), terms of endearment in spanish at the end

-> a/n | aaaahhhhhh tysm for this request! gekko absolutely has my heart so it was my pleasure to write these out! I also agree that the gekko tag (quite frankly a lot of the valorant agent tags) are kinda dry, so here’s my contribution to it! hope you all enjoyyyyyy <3

-> join my tag list!

-> tags | @f3r4lfr0gg3r @badass-dora-milaje @lees-chaotic-brain @uranometrias @jacuzziwaters

I'd like to say that some instances in this scenario will play out differently depending on the timeline of your relationship. What I mean is, certain things can be different depending on if you met/were friends with/started dating Mateo before his induction into the Protocol compared to if the two of you met afterwards. In this instance, we'll go with the route that you two werre good friends before he joined Valorant. Regardless, however, his love for you is very strong and withstands whatever distance his job puts between the two of you, and even though it gets hard sometimes, he reassures you that no one else has his heart but you.

Honestly pray for you and his' phone battery because there's not a time - if he can't help it - that he isn't on the phone with you. Obviously not when he's in the battlefield (he tried it twice and got scolded by you and Brimstone individually. So instead of calling you he listens to the playlist you made him), but throughout the day he's got your phone ringing. You two also fall asleep on the phone together most nights, whether it be just through voice call or though video call. Sometimes he wakes up before you due to training or an early call, and he takes the time to admire your sleeping form. If it's you who happens to wake up before him, you do the same, tracing the curve of his head on your phones screen and imagining being there with him. Yes, you both snap screenshots of each other, but neither of you know it!

On the occasion you both wake up at the same time you'll both do your morning routines together. It consists of a lot of sleepy groans from Mateo - he hates having to be a morning person - with you encouraging him and hyping him up for the day ahead. He returns the favor with a lot of sleepy flirting and compliments on how good you look, and also gives you encouragement for the day ahead. Alongside his pals of course, of which Wingman is the most vocal.

His radivore friends miss you just about as much as he does whenever the two of you are away from each other. If he's moping - they're moping. They kind of play off of Gekko's emotions a little bit, especially when it comes to you because they love you just as much as he does. You did give them shelter and a place to hide after Gekko rescued them, after all, so they're just as protective and loving of you. In fact, sometimes one of them will even waddle or fly up to Gekko with his phone spouting garble that only he can under stand as them asking to call you so they can say hi to you. Mayhaps there's a battle for attention from all five of the little crew but there's definitely enough of you to go around!

Mateo likes to surprise you with little things to reassure you that no matter where he's at or what he's doing he's always thinking about you. Some mornings you'll wake up to a fresh bouquet being delivered to your door, or lunch being delivered to your place of work or university. Sometimes you come home to random packages you know you didn't order, but quickly surmise that Gekko is the culprit when a little gift note is found on the inside of the boxes.

Playing off that, he has his card linked to your phones e-pay so whenever you feel like going out, ordering takeout, etc, he'll have you do it on his expense. It took a while to get you to agree to this because you didn't want it to look like you were just using him for his super covert - yet highly paid - status. But Gekko was quick to put that kind of thinking down: "Hey, in a way, I'm technically buying the stuff for you! Y'know since it's my money? Eh? Don't sweat is, chica, it's all good. Lemme take care of you, yeah?"

A handful of other agents know about you and have even greeted you! Reyna says 'hi' every once in a while, while the likes of Phoenix and Neon are always hounding him for a chance to say hello to you, making jokes about how they're looking out for him in the field for you. Jett knows you because she asked Gekko to ask you if there's any good Korean spots the team should hit up if they're ever in L.A. (of which he took 'offense' to, as if he wasn't sitting right there!). Killjoy is his brainstorming buddy on gifts to send you because she does the same for Raze. Basically most of the agents on the younger side know that Gekko's got a partner, while the older ones acknowledge it but don't pry/aren't as invested in the relationship.

When coming home to visit during vacations, Mateo will go all out for making up for lost time. It essentially consists of doing the things the two of you used to two as teenagers - skating around town, taco-truck hopping, tagging some walls and ending the days with a visit to the boardwalk. Most days however, the two of you just prefer to stay in and enjoy each other's presence for the time that you have each other. Little at home dates like movie marathons, sip-and-paints, cooking dinner together are some things that help the both of you reconnect after being away for so long. And of course, dying his hair!

Gekko will let you do anything to his head to be honest, he trusts you completely. You're both very artsy as well so he's always down for whatever you've got planned, and you've done a variety of styles on him, including hearts, stars, flowers, smiley faces, different prints, and more. At the end of his visit the two of you will do your hair the same color so that it's one way to show you're connected with the inevitable comes and he has to leave.

He also got you two those mood bracelets that are connected no matter where he is in the world. A couple of programmed taps will let you know all of how he’s feeling - how much me misses you, how much he loves you, good morning and good night signals, and even a series of flashes to represent kisses! And of course he had Killjoy to jailbreak it and program more sayings in it, but eventually it got to be too much for the device to handle, so she literally just made yall a new pair in your favorite colors that can send those same messages and even emojis! (yes he spams you with kissing emojis - and so do the radivores!)

He’s got so many nicknames for you it’s insane - sometimes you wonder if he ever uses the same one twice in a day! He likes to see your reactions to each one and concludes a couple to be your favorites judging by how shy or squirmy you get. HIS favorites however, in no particular order: mi vida when he’s being sweet and charming, querida when he’s being silly and playful, and carino for those serious moments and when you wake up/go to sleep together. He gives you cute (albeit sometimes random) nicknames as well that make you giggle and he loves that from you. You’re sure his little critters have some for you too but he doesnt tell you due to ‘critter-rangler confidentiality’.

If you enjoyed, please leave a like, comment, and reblog for others to see! And don’t be shy to send in a request!

[cerastes]

Are you going to give Arknights: endfield a go when it releases?

Yep, but I've been honest on stream about my current impression on it: It doesn't look too good. We talked about it, and basically, Liduke wasn't the best option for art director to be honest. She's really good at what she does but what she does, is lacking in scope: The colors don't look good, too muted, too sterile, designs aren't super good, no design has wowed me the way pre-release Arknights designs wowed me (Specter, Hoshiguma and Skullshatterer made me very hype, to name a few). It's like I'm looking at a slab of dirt. Just... Where's the color? In the maps and the designs of the characters. The moment Angelina showed up in her Bloodline of Combat fit, it was so funny to me, because her bright red jacket instantly became the single most colorful thing in the entire game.

Liduke works very well with pale blacks, whites, reds, yellows, and complimentary winter palettes. Look at Hellagur, Schwarz, (her) W, (her) Ines, etc, they look really good. But that's because we have an overarching cast and world of color to contrast them to. When everything is like that, it doesn't look good. I'm a bit disappointed by Endfield's presentation, to be honest.

The gameplay, or what we've seen of it... Doesn't really look fun. It's plain and simple as that.

It's rather difficult for me to write this because I strongly believe in not doomposting and looking at the virtues of things, but at least from what we've seen, it's just being very difficult to find these virtues in Endfield. The best thing I can say is that I still have faith in it simply because Arknights has really delivered to hell and back in terms of being a game and in terms of sheer raw style. The way it keeps evolving Tower Defense (and Tower Offense, to be honest!) is impressive, so I have no doubt brilliant and passionate minds are working behind Endfield, but it feels bad framing it this way because I'm saying "I like their other work" without being able to find a lot to say about Endfield by itself.

I'll give it a try, because I love Arknights and Hypergryph has been phenomenal in my opinion, but if this was a stand alone game not associated with HG or AK, I really don't think I'd look at it twice, and it saddens me to say. I'm hoping to be proven wrong.

[cantpickonefandoms]

Sooo guess what came in the mail for me!!

It’s really good and I wanna ramble about some of my favourite things in the comic so THIS IS YOUR SPOILER WARNING!!

OK SO:

-First, this is probably my favourite of all the TDP comics that have been put out, TTM was chock full of Rayllum and I loved every second of it, and I loved learning about Rayla, and Claudia and Soren’s pasts in their respective comics, but I have been dying to learn more about Callum and Ez’s past for a long time, and this comic delivered plenty of what I was hoping for, I think the only thing I’m kind of disappointed about was we didn’t learn much about Sarai or about Callum’s bio dad, but that’s alright, that’s more of a gripe of mine than anything.

-The story starts off with Callum and Ezran coming back from the incident with the waterfall and the raccoons that Callum mentions during 1x09, nice continuity nod!

-There’s a part where Ezran is struggling to explain to Harrow how he can talk to animals and Harrow just gently tells Ez to slow down to let the words come to him, Harrow is such a good dad!

-Callum makes this face when the boys discover a library:

I love that nerd so much! (All I could hear when I read this line was “I’d like to spend my vacation at the LIBRARY!”)

-There’s a handful of moments where Callum quotes Sarai, little tidbits of advice she gave to him.

-There’s a great moment where Ezran goes around talking to several kids and offers them comfort and sends them to the town hall for safety and Callum is completely blown away and tells Ez that he was amazing and he sounded just like Harrow in that moment.

-There’s another great moment where Ezran wants to go check on the kids in the town hall while Callum reads about the dream warden and of course Callum doesn’t want Ez to go alone and we get some genuine vulnerability from Callum when he admits that he promised to keep Ezran safe for Harrow and that he thinks if he succeeds then Harrow will be proud of him, and that he feels like he keeps failing at keeping that promise, poor guy doesn’t realize that Harrow already is proud of him!

-Easily the best moment is when Ezran talks the dream warden down, the the story of the dream explains that the creature had a young elf friend, but eventually he lost his friend started giving people nightmares as a result, now during most of the comic there’s a lot of times where Callum is irritable towards Ezran, he scoffs at a lot of Ez’s suggestions, he mocks Ezran’s ‘weird animal thing’, and there’s a part where he’s trying convince Harrow to let him come with them to the east side of the village, and is annoyed when Harrow permits him to come on the condition that he keeps an eye on Ezran, and when Ez talks to the dream warden he says that creature reminds him of his brother, that Callum makes him laugh and draws imaginary animals for him, but around the same time every year, around the time when Sarai passed, Callum becomes angry, but that Ezran still loves Callum and refuses to give up on Callum, I love this message so much, also Ezran is truly wise beyond his years, he’s like somewhere between four and six in this story and he shows this level understanding and patience towards Callum dealing with grief and missing Sarai, that’s incredible!

-Later Callum tells Ez that he has a gift for talking and that Sarai would be proud of him, and Ez tells Callum that she would be proud of him too, I love these boys so much!!

-JERK FACE DANCE ORIGIN REVEAL HELL YEAH!

I loved the comic so much, I loved looking into Callum and Ez’s past, I loved the angst, I loved the message, I loved all of Ez’s animal sidekicks, I had such a good time reading it! This is just making me more hyped for season 7! Idk if they’re gonna put out another comic, but if this the last TDP comic then I’d say they ended on a high note.

[andy-15-07]

A Love Unscripted

Summary: Daniel and Y/N, co-stars on a film set, experience an intense connection that quickly blossoms into love. As they navigate their deepening relationship, they find that their off-screen romance becomes the greatest story of their lives.

Paring: Daniel Brühl x reader

Words count: 2907

Daniel Brühl Masterlist | Masterlist

It was a bright, crisp morning in Berlin, and the air buzzed with excitement as the cast and crew gathered for the first day of shooting. This was no ordinary film set—this was the next big project from a critically acclaimed director, and everyone knew it had the potential to be a masterpiece. The title of the film, still under wraps, hinted at a deep, emotional journey that would challenge both the actors and the audience.

Y/N arrived on set with a mix of nerves and excitement, feeling the weight of this opportunity. It was their first major role, and although they had done their fair share of indie films and theater, this was different. The script had resonated deeply with Y/N when they first read it, and they knew this role could be a turning point in their career.

As Y/N stepped out of their trailer, adjusting the costume that already felt like a second skin, they noticed a familiar face on set. Daniel Brühl was speaking with the director, his warm, easygoing smile lighting up his features. Y/N had always admired Daniel’s work from afar—the subtlety of his performances, the way he could convey so much with just a glance or a slight change in his expression. Meeting him in person, however, was something they hadn’t quite prepared for.

Taking a deep breath, Y/N walked over to where Daniel and the director were chatting. As they approached, the director noticed Y/N and smiled broadly. "Ah, Y/N! Perfect timing. Come meet your co-star."

Daniel turned towards Y/N, and for a moment, the world seemed to slow down. His eyes met Y/N’s, and there was an unmistakable spark—a connection that went beyond the usual pleasantries of a first meeting. Daniel’s smile widened, and there was a warmth in his gaze that immediately put Y/N at ease.

“Hi, I’m Daniel,” he said, extending his hand.

“Y/N,” they replied, shaking his hand. The touch lingered a bit longer than necessary, and Y/N felt a strange but pleasant flutter in their chest.

“It’s great to finally meet you,” Daniel continued, his voice smooth and genuinely kind. “I’ve heard a lot of good things about you.”

Y/N chuckled, trying to ignore the heat rising to their cheeks. “Well, I hope I can live up to the hype.”

“I’m sure you will,” Daniel said, his eyes never leaving Y/N’s. “I watched some of your previous work. You’re really talented.”

Y/N was caught off guard by the compliment. “Thank you, that means a lot coming from you.”

Before the conversation could continue, the director clapped his hands. “Alright, let’s get started! We’ve got a lot to cover today.”

The first scene they were shooting was a pivotal one—an intense confrontation between Y/N and Daniel’s characters. The air was charged with anticipation as the crew set up the shot. Y/N took their position, trying to focus on the character’s emotions, but found themselves distracted by the fact that Daniel was standing so close.

Daniel, sensing Y/N’s nervousness, leaned in slightly and whispered, “Don’t worry, just be in the moment. We’ve got this.”

Y/N nodded, taking a deep breath. As soon as the director called “Action,” the transformation was instantaneous. Y/N slipped into their character’s mindset, and the world around them faded away. The scene required them to confront Daniel’s character, emotions running high as they delivered their lines with a mixture of anger and vulnerability.

Daniel was incredible. His performance was raw, powerful, and it drew Y/N in, making it easy to react naturally. The chemistry between them was undeniable, and it crackled with intensity, as if they had known each other for years instead of mere minutes.

When the director finally called “Cut,” there was a moment of stunned silence on set. Y/N blinked, coming back to reality, and noticed that the crew was staring at them with something like awe. The director had a wide grin on his face.

“That was fantastic!” he exclaimed, clapping his hands together. “The chemistry between you two is electric. If we can capture even a fraction of that in every scene, we’ve got something truly special here.”

Y/N glanced over at Daniel, who was still looking at them with that same warm smile. “You were amazing,” he said softly, his eyes full of admiration.

“So were you,” Y/N replied, feeling the flutter in their chest return.

As the day progressed, the initial nerves melted away. Daniel and Y/N fell into an easy rhythm, their connection both on and off-screen growing stronger with each take. Between scenes, they would chat about everything from their favorite films to their experiences growing up in different parts of the world. They discovered they had a lot in common—a shared love for classic cinema, a penchant for exploring new places, and a mutual respect for the craft of acting.

During lunch, they found themselves sitting together, away from the rest of the cast and crew. It wasn’t intentional, but it felt natural, as if they had always gravitated toward each other. As they ate, their conversation flowed effortlessly, punctuated by laughter and the occasional teasing remark.

“You know,” Daniel said, leaning back in his chair, “I didn’t expect to meet someone who’s as passionate about cinema as I am.”

Y/N smiled, feeling a warmth in their heart. “I could say the same about you. It’s nice to talk to someone who gets it.”

Daniel nodded, his expression thoughtful. “It’s rare to find someone who really understands what it’s like to lose yourself in a role, to feel that connection with the character and the story. I can tell you’re someone who does.”

Y/N looked at Daniel, their eyes meeting once again. There was something in his gaze that made their heart skip a beat—an intensity, a depth that went beyond mere attraction. It was as if they were seeing each other, truly seeing each other, for the first time.

“I feel the same way,” Y/N admitted, their voice soft but sincere. “There’s something about this project, about working with you… It feels different. Special.”

Daniel’s gaze softened, and he reached across the table, his hand gently covering Y/N’s. “I feel it too,” he said quietly. “I think this could be the start of something really wonderful.”

The rest of the shoot passed in a blur. Days turned into weeks, and with each passing moment, Y/N and Daniel’s connection deepened. Their scenes together were electric, filled with a chemistry that was palpable to everyone on set. Off-camera, they spent more and more time together, often finding excuses to stay late after a day of shooting just to talk, to be in each other’s company.

One evening, after a particularly grueling day of filming, they decided to take a walk around the city. The night was cool, the streets quiet as they wandered aimlessly, talking about everything and nothing. Daniel seemed more relaxed than usual, his usual charisma softened by the late hour and the intimacy of the moment.

As they walked along the Spree River, the moonlight reflecting off the water, Daniel suddenly stopped. Y/N, who had been in the middle of a story, turned to look at him in surprise.

“Is everything okay?” Y/N asked, concerned.

Daniel smiled, a little sheepishly. “Yeah, it’s just… I’ve been wanting to ask you something.”

Y/N’s heart began to race, a mixture of curiosity and anticipation bubbling up inside them. “What is it?”

Daniel hesitated for a moment, as if searching for the right words. “Do you believe in love at first sight?”

The question caught Y/N off guard. They stared at Daniel, their mind racing. Did they believe in love at first sight? They had always thought it was something that only happened in movies, in the stories they told on screen. But as they looked into Daniel’s eyes, so full of sincerity and something deeper, something that felt a lot like love, they found themselves reconsidering.

“I’m not sure,” Y/N replied honestly. “But… I think I might be starting to.”

Daniel’s smile widened, and without another word, he took a step closer. The distance between them disappeared as he gently cupped Y/N’s face in his hands, his touch warm and reassuring. Y/N’s breath caught in their throat as Daniel leaned in, his lips brushing theirs in a kiss that was soft, tentative, and full of unspoken emotions.

The world seemed to fade away in that moment. There was no film set, no crew, no cameras—just the two of them, standing by the river, lost in each other. The kiss deepened, and Y/N felt a warmth spread through their entire body, a sense of rightness, of inevitability, as if this was exactly where they were meant to be.

When they finally pulled away, both of them were breathless, their foreheads resting against each other as they shared a quiet moment of connection.

“I’ve wanted to do that since the moment we met,” Daniel admitted, his voice barely above a whisper.

Y/N smiled, their heart full. “So have I.”

They stayed like that for a while, wrapped up in each other, the rest of the world forgotten. It was a perfect moment, the kind that Y/N had only ever experienced in the movies they loved so much. But this wasn’t a script, and this wasn’t a role. This was real, and it was happening to them.

As they walked back to their hotel, hand in hand, Y/N couldn’t help but feel like they were living in a dream. But it was better than any dream they could have imagined—because it was real, and it was theirs.

The days that followed were a whirlwind of emotions, both on and off set. Their relationship blossomed quietly, just under the radar of the curious eyes of the cast and crew. Though they kept it professional during filming, it was impossible to hide the subtle glances, the shared smiles, and the way their hands would brush as they passed each other by.

Y/N found themselves falling deeper for Daniel with every passing day. He was kind and considerate, with a sense of humor that caught them off guard and made them laugh when they least expected it. They had never felt this way before, and it scared them as much as it thrilled them. But there was a comfort in Daniel’s presence, a sense of safety that made them feel like everything was going to be okay.

One afternoon, they had a rare day off from shooting, and Daniel suggested they explore the city together. Berlin was full of history and culture, and though Y/N had been there for weeks, they hadn’t had much time to truly experience it.

They spent the day wandering through art galleries and museums, stopping at cafes for coffee and pastries. Y/N couldn’t help but notice how Daniel seemed to know all the best spots, the hidden gems that only locals frequented. He would tell stories about the city’s history, pointing out landmarks and sharing little anecdotes that made Y/N feel like they were getting a private tour from someone who truly loved the place.

As the day turned into evening, they found themselves at a small, cozy restaurant tucked away in a quiet corner of the city. The candlelit atmosphere was intimate, and Y/N could feel their heart racing as they sat across from Daniel, the flickering light casting shadows across his handsome features.

“This place is beautiful,” Y/N said, looking around at the warm, inviting decor. “How did you find it?”

Daniel smiled, a little shyly. “I’ve been here a few times. It’s one of my favorite spots in the city. I thought you might like it.”

Y/N reached across the table, taking his hand in theirs. “I love it. Thank you for bringing me here.”

Daniel’s eyes softened, and he squeezed Y/N’s hand gently. “There’s something I’ve been meaning to say,” he began, his voice serious.

Y/N felt a flutter of nerves in their stomach. “What is it?”

Daniel hesitated for a moment, as if searching for the right words. “I know we haven’t known each other for very long, but… I can’t help the way I feel. From the moment we met, I felt this connection between us, something I’ve never experienced before. I don’t want to scare you off, but I think I’m falling in love with you.”

Y/N’s breath caught in their throat, their heart pounding in their chest. They had felt it too, but hearing Daniel say it out loud made it all the more real, all the more intense.

“I feel the same way,” Y/N admitted, their voice barely above a whisper. “I’ve been trying to make sense of it, but… I think I’m falling for you too.”

The relief in Daniel’s eyes was palpable, and he let out a breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding. He stood up from his seat, moving to sit beside Y/N, and pulled them into a gentle embrace. Y/N melted into his arms, feeling the warmth of his body against theirs, the steady beat of his heart under their cheek.

For a while, they just sat there, holding each other, letting the world outside fade away. It was as if time had stopped, leaving just the two of them in their own little bubble of happiness. They talked quietly, sharing their hopes and dreams, their fears and insecurities. It was easy to be vulnerable with Daniel, easy to let down the walls they had built around their heart.

As the evening wore on, they decided to head back to the hotel, their hands intertwined as they walked through the quiet streets. The city was alive with the soft hum of nightlife, but Y/N only had eyes for Daniel, who looked at them with such affection that it made their heart ache in the best possible way.

When they reached Y/N’s hotel room, they lingered outside the door, neither of them wanting the night to end. Daniel brushed a strand of hair from Y/N’s face, his touch tender and full of longing.

“Can I come in?” he asked softly, his voice full of emotion.

Y/N nodded, their heart racing. They opened the door, leading Daniel inside, and as soon as it closed behind them, he pulled them into a deep, passionate kiss. It was a kiss that spoke of all the emotions they had been holding back, all the desire and affection that had been building between them since the day they met.

They stumbled toward the bed, their lips never breaking contact, and as they fell into the soft sheets, Y/N knew this was where they were meant to be—wrapped in Daniel’s arms, lost in the feeling of being loved and cherished by someone who saw them for who they truly were.

The night was a blur of whispered words and tender touches, of shared laughter and quiet moments of connection. When they finally drifted off to sleep, tangled up in each other, Y/N felt a peace they had never known before. It was as if all the pieces of their life had finally fallen into place, and they knew, deep in their heart, that this was just the beginning of something truly beautiful.

The next morning, they woke up to the soft light of dawn filtering through the curtains. Daniel was still asleep beside them, his face peaceful and relaxed, and Y/N couldn’t help but smile as they watched him. They had never felt this content, this happy, and they knew they had found something special, something worth holding onto.

As Daniel stirred awake, his eyes meeting Y/N’s with a sleepy smile, they leaned in to press a gentle kiss to his lips. “Good morning,” Y/N whispered, their voice full of affection.

“Good morning,” Daniel replied, his voice husky with sleep. He pulled Y/N closer, his arms wrapping around them as if he never wanted to let go. “Last night was… incredible.”

“It was,” Y/N agreed, their heart swelling with emotion. “I don’t want this to end.”

“It doesn’t have to,” Daniel said, his gaze serious. “I meant what I said last night. I’m falling for you, Y/N, and I want to see where this goes. I don’t care about the logistics or what anyone else thinks. All I know is that I want to be with you.”

Tears pricked at Y/N’s eyes as they looked into Daniel’s sincere gaze. They had been so afraid to let themselves fall, but now that they had, it felt like the most natural thing in the world.

“I want that too,” Y/N said, their voice choked with emotion. “I want to be with you, Daniel.”

He smiled, a smile so full of warmth and love that it took Y/N’s breath away. “Then let’s make it happen. We’ll figure it out together.”

And so, they did. As the film production continued, so did their relationship, growing stronger with each passing day. They faced the challenges together, navigating the complexities of a public relationship in a private world, but nothing could diminish the connection they shared.

When the film finally wrapped, and it was time to say goodbye to the set and the characters they had brought to life, Y/N and Daniel knew that this was just the beginning of their story. They had found something real, something lasting, and as they walked hand in hand into the next chapter of their lives, they knew they were ready to face whatever came next, as long as they were together.

In the end, it wasn’t just a love story scripted for the screen—it was their love story, one that would continue to unfold in ways they could never have imagined. And as they looked into each other’s eyes, they knew that this was the greatest role they would ever play, not as actors, but as themselves, deeply in love and ready to take on the world, side by side.

[shina913]

Nothing | KTH

Pairing: Taehyung x Fem!Reader

Rating: 18+; SFW

Genre: Established relationship; domestic AU; fluff

Warnings: Some light innuendo but not too explicit (I don't think)

Word count: 948 words

Summary: You wake Taehyung up at the crack of dawn to get some pastries.

A/N: Just a little something fluffy I wrote for Taehyung! Hope you enjoy it!

"Hey, love. It's time to wake up."

Taehyung half-grunts and moans in response. He lazily swats his hand in your direction, his eyes still closed. "Go away."

You laugh as his hand misses. "Come on, you said you'd do this with me."

He sighs heavily, still keeping his eyes closed. "Do I have to?" he mutters into the pillow.

"Pleeeease?" you sweetly beg.

Today, a French bakery is opening in your city. You and Taehyung fell in love with their croissants during a trip out of town. For months, you've considered getting them delivered whenever you had a craving, but it wasn't worth it. However, now that they are finally in your area, you are excited to have easier access to them.

You try to jog his memory. "Remember those chocolate-almond croissants? You kept trying to take a bite out of mine?"

He remembers but doesn’t understand why he has to get up at the crack of dawn to get them. “But why so early though?” He croaks.

"Come on, it's opening day. They've drummed up all this excitement on social media. I don't want them to sell out before we get there," you reason. And everyone seemed very hyped up about those specific croissants, which worried you.

He grunts again, which annoys you. You frown and give him a shove.

"Listen, I let you drag me out of bed for Record Store Day—multiple times a year, I might add," you snap. "So I think it's only fair that I wake you up for pastries. Once we're done, we'll get a yummy treat out of it."

A pang of guilt hits him, and he finally turns over onto his back to face you. "Okay," he says drowsily. You can hardly contain your excitement as you kiss him on the lips and quickly hop off the bed. You rush into the living room to make some coffee to bring. "I'm driving!" you yell out.

******

You find parking right at the end of the block and walk up to discover that there are already five people ahead of you.

“What the hell? It’s 5:30AM on a Saturday,” you grumble. “How are we sixth in line?”

“I hardly think those five people ahead of us will buy all of the almond croissants once the doors open,” he says mid-yawn.

You both walk up behind the last person in line to take your places, sipping on your traveling mugs filled with fresh-brewed coffee.

Taehyung sighs. “What time do they open again?”

“In half an hour,” you answer.

He stifles a groan but quickly stops himself. This was something you enjoyed doing, and it would be childish of him to complain since you never do whenever he takes you with him to past RSD releases or even midnight screenings of his favorite movies. You love seeing him excited about something, and it's wonderful that he wants to share those experiences with you. This is a great opportunity for him to do the same.

As you wait, he drowsily sways behind you, occasionally resting his forehead against your shoulder blade as he fights to stay awake.

It’s five minutes before opening time, your mug is nearly empty. You turn around to find that the line has significantly grown, now stretching around the entire block.

“Guess we came at a good time, huh?” He’s more alert now after polishing off his coffee minutes ago. You smile at his enthusiasm, appreciating that he’s indulged you in your baked goods pilgrimage.

As the doors open, a delightful aroma of freshly baked bread fills the air, energizing the waiting crowd of patrons. The line moves swiftly as customers have had ample time to decide on their desired pastries while waiting.

Now it's your turn, and as you step into the bakery, you feel the warm and cozy atmosphere welcoming you, offering a refuge from the chilly fall air outside.

One of the employees behind the counter greets you and prompts you to place your order. They carefully pack everything into a box and finish it off with a red bow. When they tell you the total, Taehyung cuts in front of you, presenting his credit card with a smile and a wink at you.

While walking back to your parking spot, you unwrap the box and reach in for a chocolate almond croissant. With the first bite, you hum in appreciation. Taehyung smiles, noticing how happy and satisfied you appear. He takes the car keys from you since you drove when he was too sleepy earlier. When you settle into the passenger seat, you turn to him.

“Thank you,” you say softly.

His brows furrow. “What for?”

“For a great morning,” you beam at him.

He gazes at you affectionately. "I'd gladly wake up at 5AM to get pastries with you, just to see you smile like that."

You tilt your chin up to plant a kiss on his lips. Then, his eyes wander to the half-eaten croissant in your hand. Without warning, he bends down to take a bite. You squeal in surprise, and both of you start giggling as he ends up covered in powdered sugar and chocolate.

You reach up and use your thumb to wipe the corners of his mouth.

"You know, I can show you how grateful I really am when we get home." Your eyes remain fixed on him as you bring your finger to your lips and suck off the sugar and chocolate crumbs, ensuring to lick away any traces.

Taehyung's breath catches, and his fingers tightly grip the steering wheel. "Alright, let's hurry up and buckle that seatbelt, shall we?"

Nothing Masterlist | Main Fic Masterlist

You’ve reached the end! Thank you so much for reading!

If you loved it, please comment, reblog, or send me feedback! 📩. I love hearing from readers! If you didn’t like it so much, I would still like to hear about it. Help me become a better writer! 💜

[polin-erospsyche]

Bridgerton Season 3 Part 2 Thoughts

Alright, it’s been a few days since the end of Season 3 Part 2 of Bridgerton, and I’ve had some time to think about all of it and rewatch the show. I have some thoughts. I’m not sure how much this will add to what everybody has already said, but I’m hoping that by writing this, I can free myself from the torment that is my Polin obsession. There are a few points I’d like to hit on, so this will probably be separated into parts.

1. The Break Between Part 1 and Part 2

I’ll start this whole thread with what seems to me like a big reason for which Part 2 was received the way it was in the fandom: the break. Of course, that is not to say that Part 2 was perfect. It wasn’t. I think by now we all agree that something was missing from it. Some used the word “lackluster”; others deemed it “disappointing.” However, what seems interesting to me after having spoken about it with some of my friends who watch it but are nowhere near as invested is that they overall enjoyed Part 2. Some even thought Part 2 was better than Part 1, with more solid storytelling. I personally have come to the conclusion that it is overall a great season and a very entertaining one. With its flaws, of course, but then again, no season of Bridgerton so far was ever perfect.

The difference, then, to me, between casual viewers of the show and the fandom, and maybe what could explain the difference in the level of disappointment we felt after Part 2, is the break. How we lived the break more specifically, and the AMOUNT of media we consumed during it. In effect, this break was essentially a great idea and the worst mistake Netflix could have made. A great idea because it caught a lot of people’s attention. With nothing to do but to wait after that carriage scene of all scenes, the only place to turn to, if you couldn’t get it out of your head, was online with the fan community. And god knows we were fed. Constantly and very, very well. With drops nearly every day, interviews, stills, and everything else, we had plenty to interact with. On top of that, you add fan theories and possible spoilers and a constant assurance that this season would get “very steamy, the steamiest,” and you end up with a lot of hype around Part 2.

I truly believe we might have been disappointed if we had gotten the whole season in one go, but the fallout might not have been as bad because they simply wouldn’t have had the time to build so much hype around it. That was the stupid aspect of putting a break in the middle. Nothing, I think, could have come close to what each one of us hoped and prayed Part 2 could be. It is the eternal problem of expectations vs. reality.

One last thing that I will add to this is the reputation Bridgerton has built for itself over the years. Bridgerton, when it was first released, was new, thrilling, a show that bent convention of traditional historical drama, a show that was steamy. We had a lot in terms of intimacy scenes in Season 1. Then Season 2 came, and fans were disappointed. Then Season 3 rolled along, and fans are finding themselves equally disappointed (now I see there are actually wars being fought over which season between 2 and 3 was the least steamy or showed the least amount of nudity, and I just sit here rolling my eyes because is this really necessary? Anyway, I digress. This is not the point here). We, as a fandom, have come to expect more nudity, more steaminess, more focus on the main couple, and each season for the past two we get disappointed. Season 1, no matter what you may think of it, and Queen Charlotte both delivered, I would say, in terms of focus on the main couple and steamy scenes. That is because both of them had fewer things going on in them, fewer side plots. My friend said something to me that made me laugh: she said that if you expect a romance show focused on the main couple above all else, you will inevitably be disappointed. However, if you make your peace with the fact that the format has changed somewhat, then it’s actually great fun. I personally think that the problem is the format has changed, but Bridgerton is still being sold to us on its original pitch, and if the original pitch is to be kept, then the 8-episode format is nowhere near enough to cram everything in, ending up in a weirdly paced show with disjointed scenes and a disappointed fan base.

Now that the problems have been laid out, and despite the flaws, this season still remains so beautiful, especially due to the complexity in both Colin and Penelope individually and as a couple (which I cannot wait to discuss!). It is worth sitting with it and taking it as a whole and not as a Part 1 and Part 2 😊

[unlikelyjapan]

s2e9 rewatch notes (part 1)

Omelette - I'm hoping I can pull through and finish this rewatch in its entirety before I leave on vacation. While the analysis is fun, the actual act of watching the show feels very masochistic vs. last season, which I must have watched a dozen times.

The-not-sexy-sex-scene: It's interesting that the credits start to roll on a black backdrop before we even get the blue-hued (read: frozen) sex scene, and its set to a song that was written about a death/funeral (The Day the World Went Away by NIN).

As a bit of context, Trent Reznor's grandmother (who raised him after his parents flaked out) died right before the release of The Fragile, and this song was thought to be written as a reflection of her funeral. I know they didn't include any lyrics in the scene (that would be too on-the-nose for a director that delights in subterfuge), but in no world is this a happy or lustful track - it's frail, wistful, and entirely about something (someone) that has been lost.

There's some laughter in there, if you squint, but it's mostly intense and needy glances replete with swinging chain for the feral audiences sake. The stark/open "little death" eyes at the end (as Claire is presumably sleeping ) punctuate the scene UNTIL....

.....Sydney is buttoning up her coat (i.e. getting frigging dressed) in the very next beat, frustration in her voice as she notices the stains on her whites (God, is this a sheets parallel?) .

This is hot on the trail of her getting undressed (revealing her 3 of swords tattoo) at the end of s2e7 as Carmy and Claire make out in the split montage, which is the only reason I'm thankful this was released as a binge series this year.

There's not much more to elaborate on here that hasn't been discussed in this brilliant analysis by @belassima- the classic "getting dressed after a sexual encounter" trope turned on its head. We don't see Claire again until friends & family, and this is wholly on purpose. I'm suing Christopher Storer for damages after the series finale.

Syd and her Dad have such an enviable synergy - but you can tell she's over leaning on him as her "person". He's checking in on her stomach (foreshadowing the dumpster scene) and acts as her lone hype man. "I don't know how you do what you do, but I am excited".

Emmanuel - "I never want you to feel like you have to make everything the thing."

a.k.a - "You know, there are other fish in the sea."

Sydney - "Why can't we put everything we have into everything that we can"

a.k.a - "I want to funnel everything into catching this one - this is a borrowed quote from my soulmate business partner."

Emmanuel - "Baby, if that's true, then why put so much pressure on this one?"

a.k.a - "What is the reason/what is so particularly special about this fresh hell you've been subjecting yourself to?"

Sydney - "Because.....I don't know if I could do another one"

Ok - more nuance is required here. According to Syd hivemind, the answers range from "Syd's been burned in a relationship/partnership before", "Syd also has Lupus", or purely "Syd has failed too many times and is scared". We still don't know enough about her past, but I tend to look at this through a strictly fearful/nihilistic prism - she feels like she can't take any more heartache (along with the physical and financial ramifications) from another crash-and-burn endeavor.

But Emmanuel's worried eyes tell a bigger story after she delivers this line, so.....I dunno! I hope S3 covers this understanding gap in a big way.

Strange Currencies playing overhead of the city, taking us to the ally where Carmy is having THE panic attack. I transcribed every image he cycles through while the song plays backwards:

*Sex scene of Carmy staring down expressionless at Claire in bed, Claire leaning down to kiss Carmy.

*An old picture of Claire staring straight ahead, a Sweet 16 birthday picture of her sticking out her tongue in a tiara, one of Carmy's drawing of her with glasses from class. Cut to a flash of Claires face with a wry smile in sepia lighting, followed by another one that is similar but almost taunting. These sepia images get creepier as the panic attack escalates, but also more focused.

*Another drawing of Claire smiling with glasses with Mikey's voice echoing in the background "the motherfucking glasses came off!"

*Another old picture of Claire smiling without glasses, followed by another.

*Mikey and Richie and another "the motherfucking glasses came off!" soundbite.

*Drawing of Claire in glasses again for a brief flash, followed by Carmy and Claires first kiss at The Bear.

*"Carm, this is a good thing" with Stevie, as Carmy crumples to the ground in the ally.

*Claire up-close in sepia sort of half-wistful/half-scruitinizing Carmy

*Donna screaming "fuck you" and Mikey braying at the dinner table, Lee reacting, a dish smashing.

*Sepia Claire turning and smiling to the camera.

*More braying and fuck-you's from Mikey and Lee

*Just Claire's eyes in Sepia-mode, staring across at him with a joker-esque smile as the braying and swearing and fighting continues.

*Donna screaming "are you motherfuckers okay!?"

*The drawings of The Bear in Mikey's hands, him looking up affectionately at Carmy.

*Donna slapping Carmy - Carmy looks up in the ally as if something has slapped him out of it.

Donna and Mikey summon Sydney after this - Mikey with the acknowledgment of his dream (The Bear) and an ounce of brutality from Donna (as in: how dare you care about me, Carmen). These two figures, engines of chaos and trauma, steer him towards Sydney's first words to him.

"Hi, Hello..."

*Strange currencies - "These words* You were the most excellent CDC at the most excellent restaurant in the entire United States of America. What are you doing here I guess?" *you will be mine. You will be mine all the time*

I....I don't understand how the panic attack is ambiguous for people off of this site. I don't understand why it's not noted in reviews and think pieces. I don't understand why otherwise smart people put forth simplistic narratives like "Carmen just needs to make peace with his family" or "he fumbled Claire, his shot at happiness." I just don't understand.

Sydney passing Verdana "Now fool might be my middle name" as she stares down at the sign saying they will be permanently closed May 1st - along with the instrumentals, a clock ticks in the background. A flash of Nilah's face is interspersed, smiling back at her. "But I'd be foolish not to say..."

If this is an ellipse to a "Carmy loves Syd, Syd is fully gay" moment in later seasons, I'll be pretty disappointed since that would be a too-easy way to shut things down.

On first viewing, I took it as "Syd sees herself in Nilah" - she aspires to be her, Nilah gave her forewarning about partnerships that aren't official, Nilah was empowered, optimistic, and in control....and Nilah has not succeeded, highlighting Sydney's anxieties about failure at the same time Carmy is cycling through his own debris.

But the song lyrics are ambiguous, and everything is on purpose, and god damn I hate what fan theories have done to my mind.

Anyone catch that on the F&F menu listed on the whiteboard (as Natalie enters to sit with Carmy) the course of Seven Fishes is followed by the Bolognese? The feast was followed by the meal he prepared for Claire being served at friends and family? Yeah, I did.

The mother father painting - I feel like everyone was riffing on this during the earlier part of the week. The absolution of the mother due to the absent father. Syd being the mother (present) and Carmy being the father (absent). Donna (alive) vs. Mikey (dead). The idea of family haunting the dining room. The idea that this painting in the restaurant supplants what is trying to be built (found family). I suppose the parallels are endless here.

It's also just a truly shitty painting, a gauche reminder of Carmy's absence/inattentiveness.

"What exactly is a ServSafe certificate"?

Carmy was most definitely deflecting, he's a well-venerated chef. There are moments of inconsistency in the show that I let slide (giardiniera a la minute? bitch please) but there had to be a reason for this - his fatigue, his guilt, his inattentiveness reaching a breaking point.

Once he says "I'm fine on mom" Natalie sees it all coming to a head.

Sydney stickering her little Coach K vision board as she arrives for her shift. I just realized she doesn't really start paying attention to the book (a dorky 'go get 'em' gift from her Dad) until Carmy ditches her at Kasama. Coach K exists in the leadership void left by Carmy - it seems so sad to watch her pre-game by bejeweling a picture of a middle-aged man, but that sad pseudo-prayer card is the closest thing she's got to a north star right now.

Also, she's been fixated on and extolling the virtues of Coach K to Carmy all season and is met with....complete incuriosity, I guess? He never prods further, even when he sees her making this dinky thing for her station. It's almost like he knows, on a subconscious level, that this guy is supplanting him as Syd's guide.

But it's also her finding her own voice through advanced mentorship, which is great.

Carmy pointing at those aforementioned stains, Syd undressing in front of him, Carmy making plans to dress her again, them mutually deciding to dress in matching clothes until service. I cannot guys, I cannot.

Carmy getting spit-roasted for his deflection from Nat & Syd ("I know you just missed him *eyeroll*" "Do you have a phone these days?") - I feel like he's so under fire/exposed that he doesn't even recognize of the gravitas of the "I need your focus like you need mine" comment at first.

"What's your relationship with your mom like?" This scene has been discussed to death on here, I don't really have any new insights as it relates to Carmy/Syd and their maternal links or timing. I think the part that hasn't been explored much is Carmy's frustration with Nat which is thinly veiled as concern.

We saw in Fishes that Mikey and Carmy (and Donna) blame Nat for provoking bad behavior with her concern and neediness. Carmy says "she's expecting a miracle" like she's the sole sibling that enabled their mother. By way of Donna's disease and (I presume) unwillingness to seek help, the Berzatto kids really only had two options - enable by pacifying, or GTFO.

Mikey could be as atrocious as Donna. Donna is atrocious. Carmy played soothe-sayer and then left at 18. Natalie tries to cultivate some sense of family - the same family Carmy pays homage to via his restaurant, his menu, his girlfriend, Richie, his endless self-flagellation - but is resented for her own wayward attempts, even though they're very explicit expressions of love (sometimes) and longing (always). There's some really gnarly projection happening there that I expect will rear its head more in S3 between the two of them.

Cue Carmy being a douche to New Noise (although I love that little moment where he cock-blocks Connor, the new chef, and Tina smiles to herself a little).

Tina's been working tirelessly alongside Sydney and asks "Carmen, do you even have a phone?" as Syd tells him the contractor for the shelving called him eleventy-thousand times. There is a lot of emasculation happening on his own restaurant floor (formerly The Beef, the temple of gross masculinity) between the trifecta of Syd/Nat/Tina this episode, and it's only ratcheting up the defensiveness - his excuses and deflections fall flat, but he's not listening or learning yet.

Marcus' dessert check, (with Syd and Carmen looking like a panel of matchy-matchy top chef judges on the other side of the table):

Sydney is looking at Carmy with affection as Marcus receives a package from Denmark (whereas Carmen doesn't even react) - it's the second time she's looked at him like that in the conversation (the first being "workshopping the name") but it's been a long while since she's projected admiration his way. She sees how much he's done for Marcus in cultivating the whole customized Copenhagen experience for him, she sees his service, she sees her values humbly and quietly executed by him.

The Michael 😭 followed by the silence and "You can throw down, huh?" - what a perfect moment of TV.

I'm pausing here for tonight before my grammar falls apart (if it hasn't already), I'll unpack the rest tomorrow.

[bonzos-number-1-fan]

TMAGP 10 Thoughts: History Lessons

What an episode. I'd love to do a bit of preamble up front but there is a load to talk about. No one needs me to ramble before the ramble. This will be a long one so buckle in, kids.

Spoilers for episode 10 below the cut.

Another episode that jumps straight into the incident. I really enjoyed this one. Both for its novel format and also for the way it lays the foundations of what's to come. It's also nice to see an incident that is mostly mundane. There was very little in this, outside of an allusion to something more sinister, that was out of the ordinary. A fairly British dude telling a unique British story. However, I don't think there is an awful lot to say here that isn't quickly expanded upon later in the episode or that won't be best served talking about elsewhere.

So let's get to the more interesting bit of this case. For those of you not from here, or a little too young to remember, the reason it's all so authentically British is because Mr. Bonzo is TMP's version of Mr. Blobby. A very real TV show mascot from the 90's. A lot of what was just discussed in that interview is lifted from Mr. Blobby's real history. He first appeared on a Saturday night variety show called Noel's House Party in its "Gotcha" segment. He was first introduced as a children's TV character to prank unsuspecting celebrities. He got very popular and became a mainstay of the series, became a huge icon at the time, launched a fairly massive range of merchandise, plans to create a Mr. Blobby theme park happened, and he even had a chart topping single. Blobby was a big deal and still pops up a fair amount. He didn't do any murders that we know of, and no one dressed as him to kill either. There is also this which I think everyone should watch to better prepare themselves for Mr. Bonzo, or to soothe the horrors he's already inflicted.

Colin's back! He's still weird! Not much to say here but it's nice to see him and Celia interact.

Next up were hear Alice and Sam, via Sam's phone, exploring the damp ruins of the Magnus Institute. There isn't a whole lot to say in this portion of their exploration but it's nice to see them outside of work again.

Gwen's section of this episode was really the standout IMO. Anusia is killing it and continues to kill it more and more each episode. I think Gwen is now my #2 blorbo. Colin had an early lead with a great email but is more of a background character at the moment. I am really excited to see how Gwen is going to react to this down the line. Whether the abject terror of meeting Bonzo is going dissuade her from pursuing Lena's job or further stoke that fire. I also wonder if she's going to assume what a lot of us are assuming. That the more recent Bonzo related murders are perpetrated by Bonzo, and that the envelope she gave him was his next target, which further plays into the golem references. Can't wait to hear more about what his role is in regards to the OIAR.

But no one could possibly replace Mr. Bonzo as #1 and I'm sure we can all see why this episode. Just everything about how he's being handled is perfect. A lot of history to ground him, incredibly ambiguous origins, his teeth are not soft, topped off with one of the most impactful "screen presence" of the entire TMA cast. Everything I was hoping for.

For those not a part of the ARG, and not a part of the Statement Remains discord server for it, Mr. Bonzo quickly became a massive fixture of basically everything that happened on that server. It's where my blog's name is from. Which is to say Mr. Bonzo has been a HEAVILY anticipated character and has had no small amount of hype built up around him. RQ have managed to deliver on that and then some. It's really pretty amazing he's managed to show up and not be a disappointment if you were part of that crowd, but they really pulled it off.

Bonzo Fact: Did you know that Mr. Bonzo is entirely unique in all of TMA? He's the only character to have a canonical design. He's the only character we can truly behold, and his visage is glorious and awe-inspiring. He is, quite literally, more real than any other character in the show. (Ignoring historical characters we never met)

I'm sure lots of you will have seen what Mr. Bonzo looks like but for those who haven't and have missed it on my posts, it's this.

If you checked out the links earlier, which you should have, you'll see that he's very close to Mr. Blobby. And, yes, he is kinda creepy if you're grossed out by weird mascots but he's not "Oh my god!" levels of horrifying. That's the original Mr. Bonzo, Mr. Bonzo the suit, not Mr. Bonzo the monster. This is who Gwen met.

Which really raises a rather interesting question; when did the suit stop being just a suit? Which in turn raises a more interesting one; why did the suit stop being just a suit? It's pretty clear that Mr. Bonzo really did start off as something mundane but whatever he is now very clearly isn't.

After all that excitement we return to Alice and Sam fumbling about in a ruin. Interestingly we're no longer listening through their phone, but a tape recorder. Which is actually a fairly big deal. Not because it's a TMA thing but because it's an analogue format that's not being digitised. So far that's not been something we've been able to listen through. Which means "Freddy" has some tricks up its sleeves, or "Freddy" isn't the one listening. The actual contents of this part isn't terribly important for the most part. Archivist's office, worms and trapdoors for an allusion to TMA, mystical symbols maybe, lots of books, etc. The real revelation here is "why they chose us… why they didn’t choose me". Likely confirming that the contents of CHDB (see masterdoc) was mostly the first step. Sam "failed" and wasn't chosen for whatever came next. It also likely confirms that Gerry wasn't chosen either as the two had remarkably similar test scores. Anyway, after that they call it quits and head on home.

Now, if you weren't reading the transcript's you'll have missed the introduction to a new character, [Error] played by Beth Eyre who voiced Lucia Wright from MAG 130: Meat. As Alice and Sam leave a padlock rattles on a trapdoor before a key twists and the lock pops open. The trapdoor opens and [Error] emerges. Very very little to really say here. Imprisonment below the Institute probably isn't a good sign, and they're the likely immortal overarching villain of either this season, or the show in general. But combined with strange PoV on those events, what was likely a mystical prison, and it being under the Institute that was burned down for a reason it's not good news. Unless it was burned down to free them, then who knows.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Incident/CAT#R#DPHW Master Sheet (I added the Magnus Institute's child psych eval. sheet to it)

Somewhat notably here CAT1RB2275 is also very close to the trailer's case number of CATIRB2275.

DPHW Theory: 2275 is actually a pretty interesting number. For clarity this refers to only the initial recording that Celia heard, not anything related to Mr. Bonzo beyond that. 2 in Death is pretty reasonable as the statement brings the subject of murders up but doesn't dwell on them much. 2 in Pain falls under the same explanation. The 7 in Helplessness tracks well too because not only was the format of the interview a bit of a gotcha, but the content dealt heavily with imprisonment. Both in context to the show's premise and the legacy's impact upon his life. It was also eerie and weird and mascot-centric which is good Weird fodder.

The reason this is all so interesting is because it's possible this is an entirely mundane incident that still happens to line up well with the DPHW of Mascot (Kids). What occurred in the interview didn't seem supernatural, what was described in it also seemed mundane. It's only really the last couple of lines that hint towards something supernatural occurring but notably none of that happens in this recording itself, the details of it discussed, nor are any of the people on the recording first hand witnesses to those events and retelling them. But despite all of that the mundane occurrences of the interview still heavily reflect the supernatural ratings of the section (subsection).

CAT# Theory: CAT1. [Insert your favourite screaming reaction GIF here.] I've got no clue what to make of CAT#'s at this stage. This one wasn't particularly elucidating. Gonna be a long few weeks.

There are a couple of theories floating about that I'll briefly mention because someone will do it if I don't. The Subject/Agent/Catalyst theory presumes a lot of stuff about the OIAR I don't think holds up, and assumes they're happy to throw away information which I don't think they are. See here for more. The Person/Place/Object theory overlooks that Dolls (Watching) is CAT2, and not a place, and that Agglomeration (Miscellany) is about a collection of objects despite it taking place at Hilltop. A location only important to us listeners. If you do like those theories by all means keep liking them. I'm just not convinced by them and it seems prudent to mention that I have seen them.

R# Theory: B is right in line with what I outlined last week. Bonzo-themed murders are not overtly supernatural but they are something that definitely happened. The Klaus doc also have a few incidents with the note "Mr. B", including the only known S rank. With Gwen's reaction being so strong I think it's a good indicator that S rank's follow the pattern.

Header talk: Mascot (kids) -/- murder is just another header that seems pretty weird. The section (subsection) bit is all pretty normal but that crosslink again shows that crosslinks have very little structure to them. I'm starting to wonder if they're actually relevant at all, or pre-assigned like other elements are. They're starting to seem more and more like vibes than anything.