#i must enter my grind era

[posallys]

"This is what he promises: it will happen. He will make it happen. And may the Fates bless anyone that tries to harm him; he will stop at nothing to keep his son safe." TAYLOR POSALLYS OH MY GOD??????????

IM CACKLING HEHEHEHEHH THIS FIC MEANS EVERYTIHNG TO ME AT THE MOMENT

[naeverse]

Divine Touch

Requested by: Anon! Request: That would be so good if there would be kink series(some aren't tho)! Good thing someone asked for it l'm shy I have a list on mind Imao: Roleplay, breeding kink, Exhibitionism, scene play, age play or ddig, praise kink?, cockwarm?, threesome with peter b parker prob, lactation kink, phone sex?, mirror sex?, dacryphilia, oh maybe like an au where the reader is pregnant n Miguel just get turned on by that LMAO

A/N: I completely adore this request, it's literally the inspiration for the kink series so thank you so much anon! I hope you enjoy the first one! ❤🧡

🧡staring: Deity!Miguel O’Hara x Fem!Maiden Reader

      🏺preview:  

“I must keep the balance in Nueva Yorkhaven or chaos would go rampant upon our lands.” He said, keeping his crimson eyes on you. “So if I take a life…

 I must replace it…”

⚔️summary: After being coerced by your mother into a marriage with a man you didn't love, who treated you poorly, you believed your life was over. It wasn't until you remembered one last divine solution that could possibly help alleviate your wretched situation.

🥟tw/cw: Big Dick Miguel, Breeding Kink, Clit Stimulation, Doggystyle, Grinding, Historical Era, Mythology-Based, Orgasms, P in V, Power Difference, Praising, Unprotected Sex, etc…

🍵Pet names: Cariño (Darling), Pequeñita (Little one), Querida (Dear)

     ⛩️Rating: 18+ explicit I SMUT I

 🧡 Word Count: 12.3k

(I do not own any of the photos used! All credit goes to the original artist!)

(*All rights reserved. DO NOT repost/translate/copy any of my work.*)

(This oneshot contains Breeding do not read, if you are not comfortable)

Breeding kink - The sexual desire to be impregnated or to impregnant another.

**YOU'VE BEEN WARNED**

As the sun began to dip below the horizon, casting a warm, golden glow over the beautiful village of Nueva Yorkhaven and bringing upon the covering of night, you, a fair maiden of the town, traversed during the dark hours down the cobblestone pathways. The gentle glow of lanterns that adorned every trail served as a guide towards your desired destination.

You clenched your black cloak tightly to your body, attempting to hide all traces of your being and the basket that you carried. With frantic, cautious eyes, you swiftly flicked them around, trying to detect any lingering presence in your path; but upon finding none, you quickened your pace.

On your covert journey, you passed cottages with ivy-covered walls and huge trees with dew-kissed leaves that danced in the moonlight, welcoming the night.

Your feet, adorned in black Astrids, carried you through the winding routes of the village, leading out into the quiet meadow that surrounded it. You left behind the dreamscape facade of your village to tread warily into the forest.

Following a dirt path that looked to be used before by countless others, it led you deeper into the meadow. Fireflies wove trails of light along the dark road, while the distant hooting of an owl echoed through the woods, making you jump. Your hand landed on your chest, feeling how harshly your heart was pounding.

You knew the consequences if you were caught, but it didn’t matter.

Things had gone too far, and you needed assistance.-

Divine assistance.

The forest was painstakingly quiet. Every rustling of leaves, cracking of wood, along with your timid footsteps, seemed to reverberate through the trees. A gentle breeze brushed past you, filled with the scent of pine and wildflowers, yet a subtle unease clung to the air like sticky sap on tree bark.

With every step, a voice in your mind told you to turn back, to stop.

You soon realized it to be your mother’s.

Her pestering and nagging words clouded your head the deeper you entered the woods.

‘You know traversing the forest in the dead of night isn’t fit for a young lady. Turn back now!’

‘What would Sir Hawthorne think of you?’

‘Turn back now or you would be seen as a disgrace to your father!!’

Tears pricked at the corner of your eyes, a shaky exhale passing your lips. Even though it was your own head, your mother’s pestering sounded almost too real; it shook you to your very core and even had you contemplating returning back the way you came when the silhouette of an ancient structure emerged in the distance, causing your worried thoughts to halt.

With a soft gasp, the idea of leaving left you as you hurried along, a sense of relief washing over you. You left behind the unsettling forest and looked upon the worn, yet sturdy stones that held up the quiet sanctuary of your town’s guardian. The large entrance was framed by weathered gray columns, adorned with two flickering torches that casted a soft glow of red-orange into the dark space. The air carried a new sense of otherworldly, different from the feeling of unease you felt before.

You gazed up at the olden engraving of letters, etched into the stone above the massive doors, reading under your breath:

Sanctuary Of Miguel O’Hara Guardian of Nueva Yorkhaven

Just uttering the deity’s name felt ancient and heavy upon your tongue. A huge grin spread across your lips, reading the name of the divine structure once more.

You did it. You actually did it.

You were here…

The harsh grip you had on your basket loosened; anxiety and fear that clung to your being like leeches faded away. You felt an overwhelming sensation of safety and security as you approached the ancient doors.

Despite the feeling of disbelief at your success, you set down your basket and placed both hands onto the ringed doorknobs. The doors were heavy, and it took all of your strength to hear the satisfying creak and soon feel the stone doors move out of their rooted place. You were only able to open them a little, but it was big enough for you to slip through, entering into the sanctuary of your village's infamous guardian.

Instantly a rush of cool air brushed along your body, making you hug your black cloak closer to you. The room was dimly lit with torches and candles as your feet walked along cool ancient stone, guiding you to the heart of the shrine. Respectfully, you drew down the hood of your black cloak, your eyes unable to take in the magnificent sights before you due to astonishment.

You had always heard stories and legends about the great Miguel O’Hara. How he saved your village from many horrific storms, dreadful winters, and blazing droughts. How, with his divine might, he crumbled armies and men who dared to harm his people.

Miguel protected your town and watched over every villager. He was there to pick you and your people up when you fell, whether that was with love, wealth, or glory.

The villagers of Nueva Yorkhaven looked to Miguel for needed support, and he was known to answer your calls of need every time…

Standing and gazing upon your protector's sanctuary, it resembled the great deity perfectly.

The room was styled lavishly in warm reds and muted yellows and oranges, granting a sense of protection to those who entered. Tall pillars rose at each corner, stabilizing the grand building, and the walls were decorated with sacred symbols—images of laurel leaves and celestial patterns that showed Miguel’s guardianship and lasting connection between the divine and mortal realm.

As you move further into the sanctuary, your eyes instantly are drawn to what lies in the center. On an elevated platform adorned with laurel wreaths and symbols of protection was your Guardian’s majestic stone throne, and in front of the throne was an intricately designed altar. The sacred surface was covered with offerings of fruits, flowers, prepared dishes, and tokens of gratitude that were carefully arranged. Candles flickered softly around the tributes as your feet led you towards it.

Nervously, you bit your lip.

You couldn't remember the last time you’d done this.

Before, your family would visit your great deity’s sanctuary once a month, dress his altar with beautiful gifts, and pray for protection until the next month when you’d return once more.

After your arranged marriage to Alden Hawthorne, a man who traveled to your village in search of a wife to betroth, your family stopped visiting.

Sir Hawthorne lacked all youthfulness in his appearance. His facial features showed his age, and he wasn’t a suitor who set hearts aflutter either; instead of his looks doing the speaking for him, his wealth did.

His stature and wealth led many fair maidens of your village to toss themselves at the older male in his late 40s in an attempt to get a grab at his riches.

Of course, without seeking consent, your mother had already given your hand to the salt and pepper-haired male, who, with one glance at you, agreed almost immediately.

You were the most beautiful in your village. A rose that bloomed gloriously amongst ordinary flowers. Due to the poor conditions of your household, your mother sought for more. After your father’s death, she became adamant on finding a living, so she used you to do so.

With the betrothal to Sir Hawthorne in place, from then on, only pesters and nags left the lips of your mother, demanding perfection and a great image. “You will be the wife of Sir Hawthorne, after all. You’ll have to act like it as well, dear," she'll tell you countless times until that dreadful day.

Vows that weren’t written by your hand and said by your heart were read aloud, expensive, lavish rings were exchanged, and the most atrocious kiss was shared.

You didn’t think your life could get any worse until after your wedding when your mother pulled you to the side. With a huge grin and beaming face, she told you what was to occur during your honeymoon.

Something so very abysmal it almost made you retch.

“During that time, the breeding of children will be had. You remember the drawings I’ve done for you—that is to occur.” She said with a smile. “All you must worry about is laying back, spreading your legs, and not being a little pest to him. Got it!?” She spat harshly, proceeding to speak of being a grandmother and having grandchildren to take care of and fill her day, not at all concerned for her daughter who was real and right before her.

And as you anticipated, that night was horrific and excruciating…

It was laden with weeps of sorrow and agony. The booming voice of your mother, that told you repeatedly to not be a pest and to not protest, filled your head while a pain that struck you like a hammer upon a nail hit you over and over again…

It’s a memory you try to efface from your mind.

After the dreadful honeymoon, you, sadly, had to live with him. Sir Hawthorne had a house built in your village, Nueva Yorkhaven, one so grand and modernized that it contrasted greatly with the usual dreamscape cottages.

You hated your life there as every day in the lavish halls of your new home, you were worried about only one thing.

Did Alden’s advances work? 

Would you bear him a child?

You would weep every time the idea crossed your mind. After two months had passed, Sir Hawthorne hired doctors to come to your home. You weren't showing any signs of pregnancy and that worried your ‘husband’ to death.

Finally, after what felt like forever, you breathed a sigh of relief for the first time in your marriage when the doctors told the two of you about the failure of Sir Hawthorne's advances. It appeared to have been a failed impregnation, but one on Sir Hawthorne’s part.

Your ‘husband's’ inability to produce an heir angered him immensely.

After the doctor visit, the facade of your marriage crumbled, and Sir Hawthorne revealed a side of himself that you had feared—he turned abusive—mentally and emotionally.

Every word that left your mouth was seen as an irritation. He demeaned and belittled you and constantly criticized your appearance.

Sir Hawthorne isolated you from villagers, housekeepers, your mother, and forbade you from having friends. He even halted your use and access to his riches—although it wasn't like you used it anyway.

As a sign of punishment, he forced you to assist in keeping up the house. He had housekeepers that worked alongside you, but he purposely gave you higher expectations than the normal help.

Despite the stress of your new job, you found solace in it.

It reminded you of the peaceful times back in your home cottage when things were right.

A time when your father and mother were together, your mother wasn't so cruel, and where you were loved.

It was a memory that always came when hanging clothes to dry or harvesting produce.

It wasn't until Sir Hawthorne discovered your contentment with your punishment that he made things even worse for you. He gave you harsher tasks, such as washing every window of his grand house to sparkle in the sun, redecorating rooms over and over again to his liking, and being made to work even in the dead of night.

The physical labor had become too much as he even denied you access to necessities like food and proper clothing.

You felt trapped.

Stuck in this cycle of degrading and forced labor that felt endless.

Many times you thought of running away, but to where? You didn’t have anywhere to go.

You didn’t have friends; he forbade it.

Your neighbors in Nueva Yorkhaven adored Alden. They’ll think you were the crazy one if you came to them with your troubles.

And you definitely couldn't go back to your mother; she’ll send you back.

It felt hopeless…

Like a blossomed well-kept garden, suddenly, an idea came to mind. One that after all these years, you've completely forgotten was the solution to any villager of Nueva Yorkhaven's debacles.

Miguel O’Hara.

The protector of your village, the guardian of every mortal being born and raised in Nueva Yorkhaven.

He was your refuge, your solution to this mess.

But standing before his altar, inside of his sanctuary, you’ve never felt so disconnected from him.

With shaky hands, you set your basket down upon the stone tiles and untied the black cloak from around your body, laying it down gently onto the stone floor to create a small cushion. You descended upon your knees, a neutral-colored bodice with short sleeves adorning your figure. Aimlessly, your eyes wandered the altar, trying to remember how your family did it before.

When you were all together… 

Father, Mother, and you…

It felt so long ago.

You pushed back the urge to cry as your gaze landed on the throne, a feeling of strength overwhelming you. You lowered your head, closed your eyes, and began to speak and recollect the words your father uttered all those years ago.

“‘O’ Mighty deity of protector and strength. I…I call upon you on this night to ask for your presence.”

You declared with a shaky voice. After a moment, only silence followed and filled the quiet sanctuary.

Fear and worry filled your being. After your father said those words, you remembered feeling a warmth, a rush, a feeling, something!

The only thing you felt was the heat from the candles and the excruciating silence that seemed to span on forever. Your lips trembled, tears beginning to slide down your cheeks.

Did your deity turn his back on you?

Was that why he wasn’t listening?

The thought only made you sob even harder. You lowered your head to the ground, placing your forehead against your cloak.

P-Please…Miguel. I-I need you.”

You cried, the sound of your weeping being the only thing heard after your desperate words.

It felt hopeless… 

It felt like you could feel his presence, but he just wasn’t answering.

Like he was just…

There…

Watching…

In the midst of your sobs, a strong hand cupped your chin, lifting it up.

In alarm, your eyes snapped open coming face-to-face with what you deemed utterly impossible.

“Lift your head mortal. You have shed enough tears.”

The booming voice of your deity said, his crimson eyes holding its divine blend of stoicness and softness as he gazed down at you.

You were unable to speak, only capable of staring back in shock.

Your mighty protector smirked, stroking your tear-stained cheek with his thumb before pulling away. The mere action sent a wave of heat throughout your body, the urge to cry and the sensation of sadness melted from your being.

Unable to keep your eyes off his mighty figure, you watched him walk away from you, his majestic scarlet robe trailing behind him whilst he walked up the steps of the stone platform to take a seat in his throne.

You still couldn’t believe he was here, blinking once, twice, thrice to make sure you weren't mistaking the sight.

Miguel O’Hara, your town’s powerful and divine guardian was, indeed, before you. Your eyes traveled to his seated being, taking in every part of him.

In the dimly lit sanctuary, the great deity sat on his throne. His tanned muscular frame exuded strength, a declaration of his divine might. His dark hair cascaded in waves, framed a chiseled face of stoicness. Crimson eyes stared down at you, the dancing fire of candles and torches reflecting off his red orbs.

Draped in celestial attire, Miguel wore a flowing robe of deep scarlet, adorned with intricate golden patterns. Atop his head, a circlet of gold laurel leaves styled his thick brow and around his neck hung a pendant, both signifying guardianship. To complete the divine being's attire, golden sandals that were crafted with celestial elegance dressed his feet.

Despite the times you came here with your family, Miguel’s appearance was a first.

There were legends and rumors that drifted through the village of his presence gracing the eyes of mortals, but many believed it untrue—but here he was, before you, sitting in his throne with a posture so perfectly regal and straight it was astonishing.

You didn’t know what to do or what to say; his previous touch seemed to be burned into your cheek. With a stunned expression, you stared up at the mighty deity who returned your shocked look with a stern gaze that shook you to your very core.

He then raised a thick eyebrow, his eyes still locked on you. “You appear surprised, yet you summoned me, mortal.” His deep voice seemed to echo inside the small space. You exhaled, breathing out the breath you didn’t know you were holding.

“Y-Yes, mighty deity. I-I did call upon you.” You stammered, not knowing what to do and hastily lowering your head in a bow while remaining in your kneeled position.

You thought you were dreaming. That this was all just a moment occurring in your time of slumber, but the thunderous voice heard before you said otherwise.

“Lift your head and state your reasoning for summoning me, mortal.” He said in a gravelly tone, one that contrasted greatly with his previous touch and soft gaze.

Like the mighty being ordered, you lifted your head, meeting eyes with the deity once more, and instantly you lost the ability to speak. All thoughts escaped your mind as you gazed up at him.

He was majestic just like he was described, painted, and sculpted by mortals; yet, standing before him in the flesh surpassed every interpretation drawn by man.

His tanned skin seemed so radiant and flawless, and his body looked taut and perfect. It didn’t help your stunned state that he was very attractive, despite his face being completely hardened and cold.

“Human. State your reason.”

He repeated, knocking you from your trance. Your lips quivered, trying to find the words, and when you did, you held onto them tightly, not letting them go.

“M-My name is Y/N. I’ve resided in Nueva Yorkhaven since my birth and I-I need your divine assistance, great deity.” You muttered with a voice of little confidence. Deep down, you were still shaken up at the fact that he was here before you, in all of his greatness.

Although the belief of him making an appearance to villagers was thought to be untrue in Nueva Yorkhaven, it was said if he did appear, you were special.

So were you…

Special?

You didn’t feel like it.

The celestial being grunted in disapproval at your words. “Y/N…it’s been ages since I’ve seen you here at my sanctuary, yet you ask for my assistance.” He stated in a rumbling voice that unsettled you like an earthquake.

Your lips trembled, shame visible upon your facial features. “Y-Yes. I-It’s, indeed, been a while since I’ve come to g-glorify you, mighty protector.” You said, tears beginning to prick at the corners of your eyes due to worry about how this interaction would go.

“I see…” He uttered, his piercing crimson eyes still trained on your small being before his altar and throne. “I hope you have brought a tribute along with your presence, Pequeñita.”

Hastily you nodded, opening the case of your basket and taking out the many offerings you had brought for your divine protector— apples picked from Sir Hawthorne’s garden, a woven beaded necklace made by your mother from your youth, cooked empanadas that you knew were the deity’s favorite, and something that you cherished deeply— the last letter written by your deceased father.

You placed each item in a neat arrangement upon the surface of the altar. “I hope you accept my offerings, ‘O’ great one.” You whispered, your voice carrying a blend of hope and reverence.

Miguel’s eyes lingered upon the sacred surface, taking in your tributes from his throne to settle his gaze upon the cooked meal. “Hmm, empanadas.” He uttered, his voice holding satisfaction at the sight of the delicacies. “You know your deity.” He chuckled, giving you a brief glimpse of his sharp fangs that gave a formidable aura before he turned his gaze back onto you.

“Wonderful choice of offerings, Cariño. I'm deeply pleased.” The great being said, filling you with relief. “As well, I am happy that you have come back to me after all this time.” He said, a comforting smile spreading across his tanned lips that brought a sense of warmth inside.

You placed a hand on your heart, giving your deity a deep bow once more. “I am grateful for your comforting words, mighty deity.” You said, a satisfied grunt leaving your protector’s lips at your appreciation.

“Now, tell me, mortal. How can I assist you?” He asked, his crimson eyes seeming to draw you in as well as his fanged smirk. You gulped, apprehension filling your being at his anticipated question.

You were aware of the reason you sought the great deity, but you didn’t know what other way for your life to be fixed if not for the dreadful request you were about to utter.

“Great deity, I…I need you to…

Get rid of my husband.”

You said in a trembling voice. A deafening silence filled the sanctuary after your shocking request, one that even seemed to surprise the great being.

His thick eyebrows rose on his face, his regal posture faltering upon his seat. “You want me to…get rid of your husband?” He inquired, his powerful voice demanding clarification and certainty, bringing you to nod.

You’ve heard of the great being ridding your village of bad people, of individuals like murderers, thieves, and outlawed criminals who came to seek refuge, but he’d done it of his own free will.

There wasn’t a story where a villager asked for the assistance of the protector to eradicate anyone, so it felt odd and a little scary to be the first.

Miguel hummed, his crimson eyes roaming over your being before returning to your face. “Pequeñita, I cannot lie - your request surprises me.” He said, studying you as he spoke. “Your husband is Alden Hawthorne, is that correct?”

Your eyes widened at your mighty protector’s knowledge of your husband, but you should have known - he watched over the villagers of Nueva Yorkhaven, after all.

“Y-Yes, protector. Alden Hawthorne is my…husband.” You replied, finding it hard to prevent yourself from speaking in disdain at the role the horrible male had in your life. While you spoke you kept your head lowered in a way that still showed respect but attentiveness to your great deity.

Miguel hummed at your agreement, shifting to rest his elbow on the armrest of his stone throne and placing his chin onto the knuckles of his divine hand that was covered with golden bands. The change caused his scarlet robe to ripple with his movement and the light to bounce off his circlet golden laurel leaves that sat upon his head.

“Alden Hawthorne.” He scoffed. “The foreigner who has entered my lands and who hasn’t even come to meet me?” He asked in disdain—it seemed Sir Hawthorne hasn’t made a good impression with your villager’s mighty guardian.

“Great deity, y-you are correct. Sir Hawthorne, i-isn’t from Nueva Yorkhaven. He comes from New England.” You said. “Sir Hawthorne also doesn't know of your divine presence upon our lands.” You explained to him in a shaky voice. A surprising fanged smirk spread across his tanned lips at your explanation. “You do not have to be formal when it comes to him, Pequeñita.

It’s just you and me.”

His words made your heart flutter. At your guardian’s request, you realized what you’ve been saying. Alden and your mother had taught you to always speak of your ‘husband’ in such a way—to always address him formally. It had become such a normal thing for you that despite despising your husband, you still did it.

Even now before your great deity, you were speaking such a foul name.

You bowed your head once more in appreciation. “O-Of course. I-I will not be formal when addressing him, ‘O’ great one.” You said, a little too delighted at the thought of deserting such a name that gave you a sense of freedom from your dreadful husband.

“As well as me.”

The divine being added with a small smile. Your eyebrows furrowed, not believing what your great deity just said. You looked up at him to see his crimson eyes gazing back at you, still holding their sternness but now a hint of tenderness was found.

It felt odd for him to ask you, a mere mortal, to abandon the formal names that were meant to be used to glorify and show his divinity. It was hard to abide by such a surprising request, but for your great protector, you would attempt to.

“I-I will try my best, M-Miguel.” You whispered, his name still holding the same weight when you read it upon the sanctuary entrance.

Miguel smirked proudly, leaning back in his seat and resting both of his hands on the armrests, using his thick finger to trace patterns into the stone of his throne as his scarlet eyes never left you. “Good mortal. Now, this…Alden.” The divine being said, returning back to your request at hand.

“I knew of him to be a problem when he first stepped into the village of Nueva Yorkhaven.” He said with a disapproving head shake. “No good comes from mortals who think of themselves as gods.” He growled, his lips turning up into a scowl. He looked at you once more, his crimson eyes settling on your kneeled being before him. “Tell me, what problems has this mortal caused in my lands?” Miguel inquired, his face hardening.

You wetted your lips, preparing the words that you were to tell to your mighty guardian. “Alden Hawthorne shows little interest in knowing your divine greatness upon our lands.” You began. “He…built a home by taking down the sacred trees of the village, and he uses others to serve him… l-like a deity.” At your words, Miguel’s thick eyebrows narrowed, his crimson eyes seeming to darken. “This mortal is living off the backs of people - My people?”

“Y-Yes, Miguel.” You confirmed causing him to snarl, his eyes wandering the room in rage before settling on you.

He looked to be sensing something, his crimson orbs glowing for a second, while his finger tapped the armrest of his throne in steady, thunderous beats, all the while keeping his intense gaze on you.

It was rather unnerving…

“But that isn’t why you want him gone…Is that right, Y/N?”

His surprising question struck you right in the heart. Every cutthroat word, demand, and task that Alden had given to you came rushing back in an instant.

“Y-You are right. T-The words I previously spoke i-isn’t the reason I want Alden gone.” You sniffled, trying to hold back tears that threatened to fall down your cheeks. Miguel’s eyes softened, his attention drawn to your trembling being. “Speak to me, pequeñita. What has this…foreigner done to you?”

His question only made the harsh memories flood back to you like a tidal wave. You shakingly exhaled, blinking back tears. “Frankly, if I were to recollect every wrongdoing that Alden has ever done to me, I’m afraid, you’ll be here forever, Miguel.” You confessed sadly, just remembering everything Alden had done to you was like an endless web of thorns, each holding a prickling reminder of the pain he has caused; some greater than others.

“Then forever, I shall be.”

Miguel’s deep voice filled your ears, brimming with comfort and warmth that instantly soothed your broken heart. Meeting his eyes, you found his enchanting red orbs holding love. “Tell me, Cariño,” he urged. “I might already know what you will say, but I want to hear it from your beautiful lips—if you may, my dear.” Your heart fluttered at your deity’s compliments and endearing names.

You knew speaking of this would only make you more emotional, but you knew you must.

For your deity you’ll do anything…

Before you spoke, Miguel gave you a small smile. “And if you may, will you come closer? I want to see you before me.” He asked, his request leaving you stunned once again. No one was ever to transverse further than the altar, but at your divine protector’s wishes, you rose to your feet.

Your bodice trailed behind you as you walked up the stone steps of his platform to step directly in front of him. His divinity seemed to radiate from him. One could instantly feel Miguel’s superiority and it made you want to kneel and glorify him.

You kept your eyes on your feet as even when he was sitting, Miguel still towered over you. A small chuckle passed his lips when you felt his divine fingers take hold of your chin, lifting it up to meet his gaze.

“Are you ready to begin, pequeñita?” He inquired, his intense gaze causing your legs to tremble slightly. You wet your lips, nodding slowly. “Y-Yes, Miguel.” You whispered. He gave you a fanged smile and released you to settle his hands on his armrest, giving you a nod to begin. You took a deep breath before starting from the beginning.

“M-My mother married me off t-to Alden two years ago.” You said, trying to hold back the agonizing desire to burst into tears. “I never liked Alden, ever since I casted my eyes upon him for the first time - he was prideful, egotistical, and a womanizer.” You explained.

“O-Our marriage wasn’t consensual from the start and as time passed I felt like I was losing control of everything. M-My mother led my life like it was her own, driving me to seal my dreadful fate with Alden in the spring.” You said in a trembling voice, a tear beginning to stream down your cheek at the recollection.

You couldn’t meet your great deity’s eyes, certain you’ll break down into a fit of tears; so you pressed on without casting him a glance. “A-After the wedding, t-the honeymoon occurred…” You trailed off, that horrific night coming back to you. A shaky exhale passed your lips, the trembling of your body only intensifying.

A large, rough hand was placed on your waist, the tremors instantly coming to a halt. “You do not have to dwell on details if it pains you so.” Miguel voiced calmly, stroking your waist with his mighty thumb.

With a small sniffle, you nodded slowly, deciding to continue, bypassing that painful night. “I-I was forced to live with him afterward, a-and he was hoping that I would bear a child for him.” Your voice quivering as you spoke. Miguel’s face remained unshaken, but the subtle tightening of his fingers against your waist revealed his inner turmoil.

Once you caught your bearings you continued. “I-I couldn’t help but be a little relieved when I discovered that I-I wouldn’t. T-The doctors were trying to be modest when they spoke to us, but we discovered that Alden couldn’t bear himself a child even if tried.” You said.

“H-His body couldn’t will it.”

To your surprise, a small smirk spread across Miguel’s lips at your words. “Ah, you see everything must be balanced, Cariño.” Miguel uttered. “Alden constantly took from the world, in turn, his ability to reproduce was taken from him.” He said so wisely with a voice of might. A greater burst of relief and satisfaction filled your being at your deity’s words.

“I-I’m grateful for that occurrence, Miguel. Very much.” You said very appreciative, recalling the many days and nights you spent stressing and worrying. Miguel caressed your skin through your beige and black bodice, the mere touch making your body burn up. “You are welcome, pequeñita, and you may continue.”

With a nod, you proceeded. “Because of his inability to create, Alden became angry at everyone and everything, but especially me.” You sucked in a breath and let it out slowly. “He began to treat me unwell, such as demeaning and speaking vulgarly to me in such a ridiculing manner.” You tried to explain in a stable voice, but failed miserably. Miguel listened intently, his mythical eyes never leaving your being as you spoke.

“Alden Hawthorne made me into his personal servant, and when he saw that wasn’t a harsh enough punishment; h-he made things worse by giving me impossible tasks to complete and dehumanizing me.” Your lips trembling horribly as you recalled the terrible memories. “A-And for two years, I've lived this horrific cycle of degradation a-and harsh labor and…

 I just wish to be free…” 

You said sadly, allowing your final words to fill the air. When you looked up at your great protector, he was fuming. Miguel’s eyes were darkened and anger could clearly be seen in his facial features despite his attempt to keep a hardened face. 

You’ve never seen your deity so furious, even the flames upon the candles and torches inside of the sanctuary seemed to intensify with his growing rage. “He’s really done these things to you, pequeñita?” He inquired through gritted teeth and sadly, you nodded. 

He growled, baring his fangs in fury. “So this useless leech believes he can come to my lands, live upon it and use and hurt my people?” Miguel hissed, his hand continuing to caress your waist in a soothing manner despite his palpable rage. 

You didn’t know if to be scared or appreciative of his shared disdain for Alden. Your divine protector’s anger was causing the entire room to heat up, the flames of the lights to burn larger with his rising fury. His narrowed crimson eyes moved in thought, his large hand lifting from your waist to settle on the armrest of his stone chair. 

Miguel's stern gaze landed on you, a deep exhale passing his tanned lips, causing the raging fire of the torches to settle.

“Allow me to consider your request…” 

He said as you hastily lowered to your knees before him, casting your eyes to the ground. 

During judgment, the great being would go into a state of complete thought. Like you've read in your youth, during this time, he'll become knowledgeable of the outcomes of his choices and if the human before him is worthy to be graced with their request…

And depending on their request, they could be struck down by Miguel himself in the place they stand…

You chewed your shaky lip, anxiety overwhelming you like an overflowing well. Being the first villager with the request of eradicating a human, it could be seen as murder, a disruption in the land of Nueva Yorkhaven. 

Your mind raced of what would occur. 

Would Miguel deny you your request, send you back to your life of torment and anguish by Alden, or strike you dead where you stand?

But there could be a possibility he does neither…

That he'll grant your request and you could finally be graced with the peace and freedom that you've yearned for…

However, you didn't want to get your hopes up…

If living by your mother's cruel words and residing with Alden Hawthrone has taught you anything is that hope strikes the heart deeper than any weapon when used carelessly.

And right now, you couldn't be careless to believe you'll reach the light at the end of the dark path. 

It'll only wound you even more if you do…

So, with a pounding heart, you awaited your great deity's next words, chewing your bottom lip raw and clenching your bodice so tightly that your knuckles turned white as you waited…

…

..

.

“I've come to a decision, mortal.”  

Your heart dropped, harshly gulping. Shakingly, you looked up to meet your deity's piercing crimson eyes, his face completely devoid of emotion. Giving him a curt nod to show your attentiveness, you prepared yourself for the worse—that he would reject your request and even worse, punish you for asking him such a thing. 

You were shaking in fear, full of anxiousness of what he decided that your heart was pounding so loudly you were sure he could hear it.

“With the request that you've traveled to ask me Y/N, I've come to the decision to…

Complete it…” 

Your eyes widened, everything seeming to have come to a stop. You were certain you had stopped breathing. “W-what?” You stammered breathlessly, looking up at Miguel’s stoic face in surprise. “I’ll rid the world of your husband, like you asked.” He said, your heart skipping a beat at his clarification. 

But before you can utter your astonished appreciation, his next words made you freeze.

“But, you must do something for me in return.” 

With furrowed eyebrows, your shock face turned into full of worry as you gazed up at your deity. You wanted Alden gone, but you were a little concerned at what the price you’ll have to pay to do so; 

However, your desire outweighed your fear. 

Hastily, you bowed your head once more, pressing your forehead onto the stone tile before his mighty feet. “W-whatever you need, Miguel. I-I’ll satisfy it.” You declared in a voice full of desperation. 

A hum left Miguel’s lips, before he ran his fingers through your hair, the action causing you to look at him. His piercing crimson eyes instantly meeting your poignant ones. 

“Don’t agree until you know my terms, Cariño.” 

He uttered mysteriously causing a knot of anxiety to build inside of your belly. You nodded slowly, chewing your bottom lip. Miguel leaned back in his seat, his eyes still on your kneeled being before him. “I spoke previously about a balance. You do remember that, right pequeñita?” He inquired, causing you to nod. “Y-Yes, I remember.” You told him, a little worried about how the balance of life was important when it came to your request; it didn’t help that Miguel’s face gave no hints on what he could possibly mean, making you even more nervous.

“I’ve never had one of my people request to take the life of the living. Due to this wish being from a mortal, I must demand something in return.” He explained, tapping his finger against his stone armrest. You wet your lips, looking from his large hands that were decorated with gold rings to up at his mighty tanned face. “And…w-what do you require, Miguel?” You asked, feeling your heart quicken. Your great deity’s eyes narrowed, his face turning completely stern. 

“I must keep the balance in Nueva Yorkhaven or chaos would go rampant upon our lands.” He said, keeping his crimson eyes on you. “So if I take a life…

 I must replace it…”

Miguel trailed off, his words repeating themselves over and over in your mind, yet you were still puzzled about what he needed in return. “Miguel…I-I do not understand.” You honestly said to your great deity, and Miguel didn’t hesitate to tell you. 

“If I am to kill Alden Hawthorne, you must bear me a child to replace the life taken, Y/N.” 

His voice seemed to echo and bounce off the walls of your mind, repeating itself for eternity, but you still couldn't believe what your great deity needed from you.

“Y-you want me to bear a child for you? In return for Alden being…gone?” You asked in astonishment. Miguel grunted in agreement, only making you even more baffled.

“But…a-a deity mating with a human is forbidden.” You reminded the great being even though you already knew his knowledge of the ancient laws. Miguel nodded at your words. “Indeed, but when it comes to…circumstances such as this, the laws are allowed to be bent.” He stated, his words causing a wave of heat to fill your being.

“So, Y/N…will you accept my terms in exchange for Alden Hawthorne to be eradicated or leave my sanctuary without my divine assistance?” The great deity inquired, his crimson eyes trained on your kneeled being before him. You could feel his gaze traveling along your body as you pondered your decision.

‘If I agree, Alden will be gone, things can go back to the way they were before his appearance into my life…but I'll have to bear the child of my great protector — and not just any child, a demigod!’ You thought in disbelief, chewing your bottom lip.

‘But if I do not, I'll return back to my dreadful life of sorrow being a mere servant to a man who I'm to call my ‘husband.’’ You pondered, trying to discover which choice would be better.

The thought of returning back to Alden was a nightmare, but you couldn't help the uncertainty that was bubbling inside your stomach like a potion being brewed by the village doctor at the thought of bearing such a mighty being. It felt like a huge responsibility, one that you weren't confident you would be able to handle.

You lowered your head in respect, gripping the fabric of your neutral-colored bodice in your fists. “M-Miguel, I…do not believe I-I’m the right person for this task.” Sincerely you told him in a trembling voice. “I-I want A-Alden gone, but I’m afraid of disappointing you.” Your words of ambiguity reverberating off the walls of the ancient sanctuary before fading into silence.

The feeling of Miguel’s piercing gaze upon you was intense as he grunted in understanding. “I comprehend your reluctance to agree to my terms, but without me, your fate will be jeopardized, my dear.” The divine being said, his deep voice causing you to lift your head and meet his perfectly chiseled facial features once more. His face still held its stoicness, but his eyes, like before, held a look of tenderness that made you warm inside.

Miguel leaned towards you, the scarlet robe shifting slightly to give you a glimpse of his toned pec underneath as he cupped your face in his mighty hand. “With my child, you would grow stronger.” He said, his eyes wandering your face whilst his fingers held your cheek with such gentleness. “This child shall heal all the wounds of your heart and return the joy you’ve lost back into your life, Cariño.” He explained, his expressions full of love and compassion, the most emotion you’ve seen since his appearance.

“This baby is your refuge— your solution if you wish to live in peace and happiness once more, Y/N.” He cajoled, the more he spoke, the more enticing his deal was…

Miguel, of course, was right…

The thought of having a demigod, a mighty being, a child would, indeed, help everything…

Before departing from your dreadful mother, she spoke heavily about you bearing a child—one that she could care for and love.

During that time, you didn’t understand her reasoning, only seeing it as her not loving you anymore and wishing to replace you, but it wasn’t that at all. 

Your mother was wishing for something to fill the hole in her heart that was created when her husband, your father, passed away. She yearned for a grandchild that could help her mend her sadness and grief, which her desires blinded her from the pain she was causing you. This revelation changed your view of your mother. Over the years, you’ve grown to despise her when really, she was broken just like you.

Perhaps, like your great protector has said, this child could fix everything. With their mere divine presence, they can restore the good in your life and return it to how it was before…

Your mother, back to her happy and loving self.

Alden Hawthorne gone.

And lastly, peace and joy being restored to your life.

If this child was to impact your life this greatly, you couldn’t help but want to agree to these terms.

It seemed as if it was your last hope.

Your last chance to make things right…

Miguel stroked your cheek with his thumb, drawing you from your thoughts and back to the grand decision beforehand. “So what will it be, Cariño?” The divine being asked, his eyes seemed to glow with hope and reverence, the look rather foreign on the great protector. After thinking it over, you knew your answer, causing you to give him a hesitant nod.

“I-I agree…” You uttered sincerely. “I’ll bear your child and bestow upon it the love that I could only have wished for in my years of being with Alden.” You affirmed, keeping your eyes on the deity and holding the confidence in your voice.

At your declaration, Miguel gave you a warm, fanged smile. “I’m delighted to hear your acceptance of my terms, querida.” He said, caressing your cheek with his mighty fingers before pulling away.

"But may I confess something in return?" 

He inquired, returning to his regal posture with his arms positioning themselves upon the stoned rests of his throne. You were intrigued, yet worried about what his confession could be.

Was it about the child? 

Your fate? 

What secrets could possibly be shared from a divine being to a mere mortal? 

It was a troubling thought...

Giving him your approval with a nod, you shifted on your knees into a comfortable position, awaiting the deity’s confession.

Miguel smiled, keeping his crimson eyes on you. "I’m known as a being of protection, a divinity that is to guard the people of Nueva Yorkhaven, but that is my only role— it’s what I was created to do." His deep voice echoed off the walls of the sanctuary and blended well with the flickering of candles and torches inside; but to your surprise, the deity’s usual stern expression suddenly saddened.

"But recently I’ve grown to want more…"

He uttered, silence following his words. You were stunned at his confession, never wondering from the great protector’s perspective that possibly he could desire something other than being a guardian.

You felt sympathy for him…

"What is it that you want?" You asked with a compassionate voice, one that seemed to be new to the great being. His thick eyebrows furrowed and his posture faltered. Miguel tilted his head at you, confusion found in his usually stoic facial features. "I’ve…never had someone ask me such a thing." Miguel admitted, a soft and uncertain chuckle passing his lips. The mere question of his desires seemed to cause him to be unsettled.

"M-My apologies." You began. "It’s just…humans always come to you with requests and desires, and you consult them each and every time." The words being pulled from your being as your mouth continued to move. "Yes, we bring you offerings and tributes to thank you, but what is it that you truly want, Miguel? What is it that you seek but believe it’s too far away that even you cannot seem to grasp?" You sincerely asked. 

Miguel’s crimson eyes widened,  his defined Adam's apple moving with a hesitant gulp "What I desire sounds rather silly, but it’s a mortal want, something as a deity I find to be impossible to obtain." He said with a small laugh, the riddle troubling you. Miguel smirked, taking in your confused expression.

"I desire love, little one."

Your heart skipped a beat at his confession. You weren’t expecting that to be what he wanted from the world. Like he had stated, it sounded like a human desire rather than from a great being that has lived upon the world for many, many years.

Miguel took in your face as he shook his head, a snicker passing his tanned lips. "I know, a silly desire from a great being as myself, but I want to love like you, humans." He said once more, his expression turning into one of deep thought.

"I do not mean love as in worship, but intimacy and connection…I want to experience what it is that causes mortals, such as your mother, to not be able to live on without the presence of their loved one." Miguel said, looking off whilst he spoke.

"I want to feel the beating of the heart and the flutter of the stomach that you humans write of in stories and tales. I desire a love that drives and strengthens me; one that courses through my being and is the reason I breathe." He admitted so vividly that it could be seen as he turned his red orbs back to you. His eyes seemed to slightly glow a bright red hue.

"But that isn’t what I wish to confess to you, Cariño."

You were even more surprised than you were before at his words. "W-What is it that you'll l-like to share, Miguel?" You muttered with a voice stained with anxiousness. You were nervous to ask what he really wished to reveal that was even more shocking than what he stated before.

Miguel’s entire face hardened, his stern eyes trailing along your being, taking in every part of you—the aged bodice that framed your figure perfectly, the dark circles under your beautiful eyes, and the failed effort of taming the unkempt hair upon your head.

Even in this state, something was happening and it troubled the great being immensely.

"You’ve…done something to me."

He simply stated, causing your breath to become stuck in your throat. "W-what?" You asked in confusion and fear, not understanding what he could mean. "You’ve done something to me, human." He repeated, his piercing gaze never faltering from your kneeled being.

Your eyebrows furrowed in perplexity, his statement leaving you completely bewildered. Despite how troubled you were by his words, you kept silent, looking down at your lap as Miguel's thunderous voice filled the sanctuary once more.

"When you arrived and called out to me in tears, I couldn’t stop myself from appearing before you," he stated. "When you told me your request of wanting your husband gone and your reasoning, it made my heart behave…oddly, especially when you did what no human has ever done and asked me what I desired." He tried to explain; however, his gravelly voice was laced with rigor and disarray.

Your heart dropped at his explanation of these "odd" feelings he was experiencing.

‘He’s not feeling what I think he’s feeling, is he?”

You pondered, biting your lip and rising slowly to your feet. “M-Miguel, I do not wish to speak out of turn or assume incorrectly, but is it perhaps that you are experiencing what you desire…? 

Love?”

As if a lantern was sparked inside of a dark forest, Miguel’s eyes widened. “It…It’s possible.” He replied in a suspicious voice while his gaze roamed along your figure once more before settling on your face. “To be honest, I’ve found you captivating since I first saw you in my sanctuary, Y/N.” He confessed with a small smile. “But it did sadden me to hear the debacles in your life. 

I would’ve eradicated Alden sooner to prevent them.”

His tone was completely cold and serious as he looked at you, but your heart fluttered at his natural protectiveness, something you wished you had alongside you in the years of being Alden’s wife-servant. “But…with your help, we can fix them now.” You whispered, remembering the terms of your agreement with the great being that brought a smile to his lips.

“Indeed…” He replied in a tone that he, perhaps, didn’t mean to sound erotic but made your cheeks burn nonetheless. You gulped, trying to regain your composure. “And…how would this be done?” You inquired, believing it to be a divine touch of his hands upon your belly would magically create a baby into your womb.

But this was far from a fairy tale…

“To seal our terms, we must perform it in connection to one another.” He explained.

“As one.”

You suddenly felt like fainting. The thought of experiencing that, with the great protector, shocked you more than anything you’ve heard in your time in the sanctuary.

Completely stunned, you could only look at him with an agape mouth and widened eyes. Miguel laughed. “Don’t be so surprised, human.” He chuckled, suddenly taking your hand and pulling you onto his lap.

With a gasp, you found yourself upon his thick thighs, your legs resting upon the taut muscles. Your cheeks reddened as instantly you were aware of how close the two of you were—the divine silk of his scarlet robe and your bodice being the only obstacles between the two of you.

You gulped, the action not helping your rapidly beating heart like you hoped. Snapping you out of your thoughts, Miguel cupped your cheek in his large hand, caressing your skin with his thumb as his crimson eyes roamed along your face.

“I know your first time was…painful,” He said sympathetically, continuing to stroke your cheek soothingly.

“But I’ll be sure to replace that memory to be something truly wonderful.”

He promised, his other hand moving along your side, feeling your body through your bodice. A shaky exhale passed your lips, eyes fluttering at the sudden intensity of sensations that were coursing through your being. You believed that due to his divinity, it was causing everything to be more heightened, every touch seeming to linger and burn into the surface of your skin despite fabric blocking his bare touch.

You couldn’t help but nod in approval, craving his divine touch. Miguel smiled, drifting his hands down to run along your legs, disappearing under your bodice to bring your housekeeper dress up and over your head. He dropped the neutral colored bodice on the ground beside his throne, revealing the white chemise that covered your bare body underneath.

He sucked in a breath at the sight, caressing your thighs and rear. “So beautiful, little one.” He purred, placing a hand to the back of your head and pulling you in for a kiss. You instantly gasped as he kissed you passionately, massaging your chewed lips with his tongue before entering your mouth to taste you.

You’ve never experienced intimacy in this manner, allowing him to take the lead and bashfully returning the kiss. Miguel’s arms wrapped around your body, pulling you flush against him whilst he continued to kiss you. Every part of his being wasn't left unnoticed. 

It was impossible.

It was hard to ignore how his pecs pressed into your peaked chest through both of your clothing, his burly arms and muscles that held you snug against him, and his thick thighs that flexed underneath your legs; even the intensity of his body heat was causing your core to throb in desire, a feeling you’ve never felt before. Everything about your deity was slowly blinding you, like a heavy fog was briskly clouding your mind with the only light source being him.

You wanted him, needed him to be able to see clearly again, and Miguel, like always, was there to cure your debacle.

He pulled away from your lips, the lingering buzz and taste of him still on your tongue and mouth. “Are you ready?” He asked, caressing your bare thighs soothingly, his suggestive question causing a pit of uncertainty and fear to fill your being. The memory of your dreadful honeymoon with Alden rushed to the surface along with the excruciating pain, sorrow, and the suffocating feeling of helplessness that followed.

Miguel instantly saw the fear that grew upon your face, bringing him to take your chin in his powerful fingers, his eye contact with you, unshakeable. “What occurred with Alden will never happen again,” he sternly said, his crimson eyes roaming your face, taking in every expression.

“If you are worried, the pain will not exist with me; your body will be too consumed with…other feelings that it will not allow it.” Miguel reassured, stroking your cheek. “And if, by chance, the pain does occur, don’t hesitate to speak—to tell me to cease, and I will. Do you understand me, querida?” The great protector inquired.

With trembling lips, you couldn’t help but nod, wholeheartedly believing his words of assurance. In Miguel’s arms, you’ve never felt safer, and you trusted that he would make this intimate experience with you enjoyable.

The deity gave you a smile, reaching down to undo his robe and drawing back the scarlet fabric to reveal his perfectly defined olive pecs, abs, stomach, and thighs; but what instantly got your attention was the enormity that sprung up from the red fabric to rest against your belly.

In all of your life, you’ve only seen the male’s intimate part once, and it was with Alden; but his was nothing compared to the great being’s.

Miguel’s tanned member was large and thick with a bulging vein and an angry mahogany tip. It pointed up to the ceiling, perfectly erect and hard. The sight intimidated and aroused you as you looked up at Miguel with stunned eyes. Miguel chuckled at your astonished expression, running his fingers through your hair. “We will take it slow,” he said, consoling you once more.

You bit your lip, looking back down at the size of his length, trying to imagine how it’ll possibly fit.

It seemed incredulous.

Your eyes snapped up at Miguel at the feeling of his hand beginning to draw your white chemise up, revealing your bare rear underneath. A heavy blush spread across your cheeks at being exposed in front of your mighty protector, drawing a laugh to rumble from his chest at your flustered state.

His crimson eyes looked down at your exposed crotch and up at you. “Do you mind if I touch it?” He asked, his tone sweet and not wanting to overstep. “I just need to see if you are…

Ready.”

Miguel explained, but you didn’t understand what he meant. Your mother had never gone into thorough detail when it came to intimacy, only stating this was how babies were born and what occurred, other than that, you were lost.

Nevertheless, you placed your trust into your mighty protector, giving him a nod. You assisted him by lifting your chemise to your stomach, allowing him more access to your sensitive area whilst you nervously awaited for his touch.

Miguel looked pleased at your approval, moving his ringed fingers between your thighs to run the pads of them along your folds. You sucked in a breath, eyes instantly becoming hazy at his divine touch. Miguel clicked his tongue at your lack of saturation before pulling away. He looked up at you, meeting your flushed cheeks and half-lidded eyes. “You aren’t…wet enough.” He stated, causing your eyebrows to furrow as he continued. “We’ll have to get there before we begin.”

Despite your perplexity, you followed his every word absentmindedly. Miguel placed his hands on your waist and slightly lifted you upon the girth of his cock. He groaned softly, his length laying against his stomach while your folds rested on the base of it. You moaned softly at the feeling of his warmth and hardness in between your folds.

Miguel looked up at you, a fanged smirk on his lips as he rocked you against him. The most unlady-like sounds began to be pulled from your throat at the sudden bursts of pleasure; his cock sliding between your folds and pressing into your sensitive bud with each push and pull of your hips upon him.

The great being grunted and groaned, his crimson eyes looking between the grinding of your pussy along his cock and up at you. “How does it feel?” He inquired, but you were unable to speak.

The pleasure was so intense and foreign, a tingling sensation seeming to sprout from your core and throughout your body. With clouded ears and dazed eyes, you noticed the divine being snicker softly, satisfied that you were enjoying it.

He gripped your hips tightly with his large hands, grinding your body along his cock with much force and speed causing your heavy gasps to change to loud moans in an instant. A wetness began to spill from your core, coating your thighs and his cock with each nudge of his base and tip into your swollen bud.

In all of your life, you’ve never felt this blissful. Naturally, you overheard the many housekeepers at Alden’s mansion speak of this type of intimacy with their husbands and lovers—of euphoric feelings that were so addicting, one could become entranced by the activity.

At the time, you couldn’t understand…

Your time with Alden Hawthorne was anything but enjoyable and euphoric as the ladies spoke of, but now…

You understood what they meant…

Everything about this moment was what they described—euphoric, blissful, and most of all, addicting.

Your hands landed upon his broad shoulders, a heat pooling at your stomach as you took control, sliding your hips forward and pressing your core along his base with each grind. Miguel’s large hand held your lower back to steady you, but his attempt in holding in his groans was intensifying the feeling. 

“Just like that, pequeñita.” Miguel moaned softly, meeting your dazed gaze. “You know how to please me.” He chuckled between his heavy breathing, the praise only making your stomach tighten like the thread of a spinning wheel about to snap.

“M-Miguel…” His name fell from your lips in a whine as your thighs began to tremble and still. You were feeling like you were about to burst with each ongoing friction upon your sensitive bud. 

“I can’t…Something’s c-coming.” You whimpered, gripping his shoulders tightly, blunt nails piercing the skin, but it didn’t seem to bother the divine being. At your words, you felt Miguel’s massive length twitch against your core, and a soft groan to escape his lips. “Can you hold it for me, pequeñita?” He inquired in a stable voice, despite being so aroused. The tension in your belly only heightened at his request, however, you bit your lip, nodding. 

Miguel grinned at your willingness and obedience, soon effortlessly lifting your body and standing from his throne. You gasped at his suddenness, his large hands holding your bare thighs and pressing you closely to his muscular body. Your arms wrapped around his neck as your white chemise fell down your body to cover his large hands that rested upon your legs. 

When you met the great being’s face, the look he held was different and very unexpected. His crimson eyes were brimming with love and affection, but something that you’ve only hoped your true lover would cast upon you. The sight made your heart skip a beat and your stomach flutter. 

The thought of a great being such as him feeling this way towards you, despite all that you’ve been through, made you feel profoundly grateful and touched. Everything about him felt heavenly, like this moment was the world apologizing for what it had put you through, and you couldn’t have been more thankful…

He walked to the side of his throne, lowering you to the floor without breaking eye contact with you. Your white chemise covered your figure once more, whilst Miguel’s hands were placed upon your waist to turn you around. You followed along with his wishes, giving him full control. He gently laid you across the armrest of his stone throne and pulled your chemise up to rest on your hips once more, revealing your bare bottom.

You bit your lip in anticipation, feeling a wetness sliding down your thighs at the longing for the addicting pleasure he could bestow upon you. A contented groan left the lips of your protector at the sight of your rear, his massive, ringed hands moving to roam the soft skin of your bottom. You moaned softly, the need to release was still evident in your belly, but only intensified with every divine touch of his hands upon your body.

You suddenly became aware of how massive and close the deity of protection was. His body heat was like a furnace on a cold winter night, his mere presence being able to warm you in an instant. His toned pecs and abs were palpable against your back through your chemise as he leaned over your body. The great protector’s hard cock poked against the back of your thigh causing your wet core to drip along your legs. Miguel’s lips grazed along your ear, the feeling sending a wave of heat to sprout through your body. 

“Are you ready for me, Querida?” 

He asked, seeking clarification in case of you regretting your decision; but you could sense he hoped you didn’t.

The many fearful and anxious thoughts overwhelmed your senses once more, but his sweet kisses along your ear and cheek were causing them to fade. “Y-Yes.” You replied hesitantly, still nervous about performing such intimacy that always terrified you after Alden. 

Miguel was relieved but still sensed your hesitance. His large hand caressed your stomach through your white chemise and continued his soothing kisses in hopes of calming you. “Trust me.” He whispered into your ear. “I promise, it would not feel how it was with Alden. It’ll be better.

I’ll make sure of it…” 

You always found the traits of the great beings fascinating, one of them being their inability to deceive. The deities could only speak the truth which only made you believe his words even more. 

“O-Okay.” You replied, taking the hem of your chemise in your hands to cope with your anxiousness but to also grant him better access. The sight only made Miguel smile, thankful that his words were able to settle your troubled thoughts. He pressed a final kiss to your cheek before pulling away. 

Your heart was beating rapidly against your chest as you felt him slide his tip along your soppy folds, the squelching filling the room. “Take a deep breath for me,” Miguel told you, stroking your hips. 

You took a deep breath, inhaling deeply, and upon exhaling, he pushed his length inside. A loud moan erupted from your throat, fingers gripping the chair at the intensity of your stretched core. 

“G-Goodness, you are…so tight.” Miguel groaned into your ear, his grip tightening on your waist. His enormity filled you up completely, and to your surprise, you didn’t feel pain as you thought, only pleasure that only heightened when he bottomed out. He groaned, kissing along your neck. “How do you feel?” He asked, his voice full of lust and desire, his hips stilled to allow you to adjust to his massive length. 

You could only frantically nod, your stuffed core quivering in delight at how wonderful the sensations felt. Miguel smirked, pulling out to the tip before slamming back in, causing you to release a choked moan. It was as if an avalanche of pleasure crashed into you and overwhelmed your every sense with the suffocating emotion. At your wonderous response, the great deity began to slowly thrust into you, dragging his massive length into you and sliding out. 

In all of your life, you’ve never felt something so good and addicting. Your unkempt hair spilled over his throne whilst the most unladylike sounds were pulled from your lips with every smack of his hips against your rear. “Such pretty sounds you are making for me, Cariño.” Miguel cooed behind you, wrapping an arm around your stomach to hold you close. 

The great protector kissed along your neck, nipping softly and grazing his fangs along the skin. It wasn’t long before the tension in your stomach returned. You whimpered and moaned, the improper sounds of skin and squelching bouncing off the walls of his sanctuary as the divine being took you to your blissful end. 

“M-Miguel, I- something’s coming.” You whined through body tremors and the clenching of your walls. “You may let go, querida. Give it to me.” Miguel moaned breathlessly into your ear, aiming his rhythmic thrusts to attack your sensitive spot over and over. 

Unable to hold it any longer, with a loud cry, you released the pent-up pleasure that was building in your stomach. Your eyes rolled, body shaking horribly in Miguel’s arms. Suddenly a rush of euphoria overcame you, making you weightless, like a feather being drifted off into the wind.

Miguel’s hips never ceased their movement, rutting into you as his grunts louden against your ear. "Are you ready to be mine, querida? To bear our child?" He asked, his pace quickening. 

The blood rushing to your ears and the pounding of your own heart made his words faint, but nevertheless, you heard him. Frantically you nodded. "Y-Yes. I'm...ready." You told him through breathless gasps and the slapping of his hips against your rear. 

At your final approval, a guttural groan escaped his lips as he burrowed his length deep inside you and released his warm, hot essence into your womb. You could feel his thighs tensing up against your legs and his toned chest heaving on your back whilst he filled you; granting you a child and fulfilling the terms...

The sanctuary was now laden with both of your heavy pants and the small flickering of fire upon the torches and candles. A comfortable silence fell upon the two of you as Miguel slowly pulled out, leaving you empty and longing for him once more. 

The great being kept you in his arms, seeming to not be able to let you go…

Not like you wanted him to anyway. 

It felt like forever since you were loved, and in Miguel’s arms was where you were cherished. 

But like all good things, they must come to an end…

“Your request will be completed, Y/N,” Miguel promised against your backside, caressing your stomach through your white chemise. In your moment of pure bliss, you’ve forgotten the reasoning behind the shared passion between the great being and yourself. 

His words brought you back to the harsh reality that you’ll have to eventually leave him…

He pulled away, fixing the scarlet robe upon his mighty, chiseled body whilst you also got dressed, drawing down your chemise and adorning your neutral-colored bodice once more. When you were finished, you turned to look at Miguel to see he was already staring back at you, his crimson eyes holding adoration in them.

He walked up to you, his divine body towering over your form. “Y/N…” He said your name upon his mighty tongue, making your heart flutter. You looked up at him, trying to calm the desire to avert your eyes due to how intense his gaze was. “Y-Yes?” The inquiry leaves your lips in a timid voice. Miguel gave you a small smile, cupping your face in his large hand and stroking your cheek with his thumb. “I need you to promise me something.” The great being uttered, his words greatly intriguing you. “W-what is it?” You asked, willing to do anything for him. 

The divine being’s eyes roamed over your face, taking in your every facial feature. “In all of my years that I’ve traversed this world, I’ve never experienced something like this.” He confessed, tracing his fingers along your jaw. “You’ve done something that no human has ever done, Cariño.” He whispered, leaning closer to you, so close that his breath fanned against your lips. 

“You’ve fulfilled the wish of a deity and have set my heart ablaze.” 

You sharply inhaled, staring at the great being with widened eyes. You wanted to believe that his words were false, that the great protector of Nueva Yorkhaven had mistaken his feelings of love for you as something else; but the truth of the most alluring trait about the deities continuously filled your head. 

He couldn’t lie. 

He was created unable to…

His words of adoration and affection were all real. The great being loved you out of all mortals and that thought only made you even more confounded. 

You wet your lips, meeting the red-eyed protector, and taking in everything about him: his morals, values, greatness, natural will to protect his people, and even his physical appearance with his perfectly sculpted body, chiseled face, dark wavy hair, and beautiful, scarlet eyes. 

In all your life, you’ve never fallen deeply in love, you were never given the chance to—being forced into marriage with Alden severed your ability to find love for yourself, however, after all this time, you believed you’ve succeeded. 

You’ve fallen in love with your divine protector...

“I…love you too.” You said, the words leaving your mouth before you could even think about it. Miguel’s thick eyebrows rose briefly in shock to soon settle once more. He hastily pulled you into a kiss, his plush lips interlocking with your own in a passionate entanglement that seemed to go on forever. 

When he finally pulled away, he kept you snug against him, his arms protectively wrapped around your body. “I want you to promise me you’ll never love another—that your heart will always burn for me as mine does for you,” he uttered, his deep voice filling the small space between you and adding to the tender moment even more. 

Unbeknownst to him, his promise was an easy one...

In the pit of your stomach, you knew from this moment onward, things would never be the same, and you were content with that. 

When you first pressed your lips against the great protector’s, it was as if you were being reborn, your wretched life leaving you as a new one welcomed you. 

Once you leave this sanctuary, Alden Hawthorne would be like a terrible nightmare that never occurred. Your mother and yourself could mend the relationship between the two of you, and you would always have a piece of Miguel with you even if he wasn’t there physically, holding you in his mighty arms. 

And you were satisfied with that…

Like the sun emerging to dispel away the shadows from a long, dark night and bring light across the lands, goodness was being revived into your life all because of the might of Nueva Yorkhaven’s great protector—Miguel O'Hara. 

Looking up at Miguel with glossy eyes, you smiled at him, wrapping your arms around his waist and pulling him into a loving embrace. 

“I promise. 

I’ll love you till my last breath.” 

A/N: Thanks so much for reading my oneshot! Shoutout to the wonderful anon who gave me the request, there is still more to come for you, but I hope you enjoyed it!

Make sure to like, comment, reblog and follow! If you would like to add a request to the kink series or have an idea in general, just message me or submit an ask! ❤️

<3 Taglist:

@oscarissac2099 @powerful-niya @szapizzapanda @mcmiracles @mreowmoreww @thedevax @jadeloverxd @lazyotakuofficial @migueloharacumslut @nattywattyy @homewreckingwreck @kinkybandages @prazinos @huniedeux @impossiblebagelcowboyfreak @anniee-mr @crimin4llyins4ne

(*All rights reserved. DO NOT repost/translate/copy any of my work.*)

[sunghoons-mole]

10:35

ᴺᴼᵂ ᴾᴸᴬᵞᴵᴺᴳ : 10:35 by Tiësto, Tate McRae ☆ 0:51 ───ㅇ─────2:52

so many things that i'm afraid of, but right now i ain't scared of nothin

GENRE // non-idol au , hyunjin x afab!reader

WARNINGS // suggestive, stranger danger, public grinding/touching, mentions of alcohol, attempted drugging, unwanted contact

FROM THE AUTHOR // in my hyunjin era @_@ enjoy :)

Hwang Hyunjin stood with his back against the bar and an elbow on the counter, eyeing the crowd before him. So many people came tonight. He wasn't surprised, necessarily. There had been an advertisement for one of the biggest DJ's in the industry, coming to this club tonight. His favorite club.

He had anticipated the crowd, but part of him was hoping it would be a relaxed night like usual. He should have known better.

The music was deafening, and Hyunjin could barely hear his own thoughts. However, he enjoyed the vibrations from the music pounding. He focused on the feel of it, the quaking feeling moving along the floor and traveling deep into his chest. This was one of the things he looked forward to in places like this. It made him feel alive.

His other favorite part was people watching. Hyunjin rarely went to clubs with others, and scarcely left with company. He wasn't sure what kept bringing him back here - yet he found himself walking through the doors each week, observing the crowd and purchasing a few drinks for himself.

He hoped he didn't look like a freak.

As he scanned the room for the nth time that night, his eyes found you again. A girl like you didn't belong here. He could tell. But you did a damn good job of acting like you did.

He tried not to watch you the whole time, but he had a strange feeling you needed someone keeping an eye on you. While he made sure to only check a few times per hour, you were definitely the most entertaining part of tonight.

How did he know you weren't used to the night life? For starters, you looked unsure when you entered the room with two girls glued to your side, and he swore he saw a look of fear wash over you when they went off dancing with strangers. But Hyunjin was impressed when you shook it off and began to bounce to the music by yourself.

Earlier, after you had been there for only a few songs, you made your way over to the bar where Hyunjin was stationed. His eyes flitted about the room, trying desperately not to look in your direction as he straightened his black button-down and took a swig of his second drink of the night.

His attempt would prove to be unsuccessful when you spoke to him.

"What are you drinking? It looks amazing." Hyunjin noticed the way you glanced at his arms, at his rolled up sleeves that had started to feel tighter since he bought the shirt. Had he imagined that?

"Piña Colada," he responded, unashamed. He enjoyed fun drinks that his friends pegged as "girly."

You turned to the bartender. "One Piña Colada, please."

You turned around and sauntered back to the dance floor, and Hyunjin found himself watching as you walked away. That tight black dress was far too small in the best way, confirming his suspicions that you didn't go out often. That dress must have been something you dug around in your closet for. An old garment.

"Another for me as well, please." Hyunjin said, sliding his empty glass over. He found himself anticipating the moment you'd come back for yours. He hoped you'd speak to him again when you did.

The bartender set the drinks down next to Hyunjin, giving him a nod and disappearing into the back.

Hyunjin sipped and watched you dance, your eyes closed, ignoring everyone in the room. He had no idea where your friends went. He wasn't even sure if he remembered what they looked like. All he knew was that he could never get tired of the way your hips moved, or of how the waterfall of your hair moved, giving him a glance at your bare shoulders.

He almost didn't see the man who came up next to him, leaning against the counter for a moment before dumping something small into the Piña Colada next to him.

By the time Hyunjin opened his mouth to speak, the asshole had already slunk back into the mess of dancing people, leaving Hyunjin with his blood boiling.

The current song ended, and you began to make your way back to the counter to retrieve your beverage. Heart racing, Hyunjin quickly traded his fresh drink for the ruined one on the counter, holding it close to him without drinking it.

You grinned at him, breathing heavily from dancing. "I hope it's as good as it looks." You took a sip, licking your lips. Hyunjin pretended not to think about how pretty and pink they were, imagining that they now tasted like pineapple and lipgloss.

"It's delicious. Wow. This is dangerous." You took a bigger swig.

Hyunjin noticed the guy who had tried to drug you, bouncing to the music but keeping an eye on you near the bar. Hyunjin made eye contact with him, not blinking. The guy nervously turned away.

You definitely didn't go out much. A frequent clubber wouldn't have left their drink alone.

Before he could give you a friendly scolding, you were dancing once more, drink in hand.

Hyunjin set his drugged beverage on the counter, motioning to the bartender and asking for a new one.

As he took a swig of the fresh Piña Colada, he turned back to the dance floor and saw the guy, dancing behind you. He lifted his hands and put them on your waist, causing you to flinch.

You turned and faced him, smiling nervously and continuing to dance, as if it was just an accident. But the man persisted, touching your waist and moving his hands closer to your ass.

Hyunjin felt the rage begin to blind him. If he didn't know any better, he'd guess you two were together. But the look on your face told him otherwise. You looked confused. Afraid. Violated.

All of a sudden, your eyes found Hyunjin's, and the world seemed to pause. He held your gaze, his eyes dark and strong, and you almost forgot the hands that were roaming your body uninvited. Something about this strange man at the bar made you feel safe, no matter what happened.

"Feel like having some fun?" the unwanted stranger growled in your ear, his hand brushing a strand of hair out of your face.

You backed away from him as much as you could in the crowded floor, but the people around you barely gave you any room to create a space.

You turned back toward the man at the bar, eyes pleading with his, hoping this stranger would come to your rescue. It was likely hopeless - you had said two sentences to this guy. Why would he be inclined to help you?

Maybe it was the way he was eyeing you, but you had hope he would.

Hyunjin read your expression, and set his drink on the bar without a moment's hesitation. He reached up and swept his bangs out of his eyes, tightening his ponytail as he made his way into the crowd.

Who did this asshole think he was? As Hyunjin wallked, he convinced himself that starting a fight was not the answer. His anger would only cause more problems tonight. He was determined to be gentle, to protect you without violence.

By the time he reached you, your body was trembling. Hyunjin's dark eyes stared down into yours, silently asking permission to dance. You nodded slightly, relieved.

Hyunjin's feelings of being the freak by the bar vanished. He was glad he had taken up the hobby of people watching, of coming to the club by himself. In some strange way, he felt it was his fate to come to your rescue, to save you from a monster who would have whisked you away to do god knows what. He didn't even want to begin to think about what would have happened if he hadn't come tonight.

So, he didn't think about it. Instead he put his hands at your waist gently, swaying to the fast beat of the current song. You looked over his shoulder to see where the man was, but Hyunjin softly touched your cheek, bringing his forehead to touch yours.

"Don't worry. He won't bother you. Not while I'm here." this comforting stranger whispered in your ear, and somehow it was louder than the club music. He put his forehead against yours once more, guiding your hips with his hands, and you followed his lead, arms wrapped around his neck.

The fear vanished, replaced with a warmth in your core as you pressed yourself closer to this stranger, face inches from his. This dance was nothing like you had ever experienced.

It was new to Hyunjin all the same. The way you danced so effortlessly against him was mesmerizing. He had watched the way your body moved for a majority of the night, and now here you were, doing the same but with him.

Hyunjin always watched the people dance. He never indulged himself. But it felt natural, and soon he was wondering how he had never done it sooner.

He was gentle with his touches, always testing the waters before moving further. It was hard to believe this beautiful, respectful man had come to your rescue for seemingly no reason. You were dizzy with appreciation and warmth and lust.

His dark eyes did you no favors, his strong hands failed to help the situation between your legs. In a moment, you spun around with your back to him, pressing your ass against him and continuing the dance. His arms went around to your stomach, holding you close, protecting you from harm - or from leaving him. He didn't know which.

He felt his cock twitch, worried you'd feel it and peg him as another disgusting pervert.

But to his surprise, he felt your hands reach back and touch his neck softly. You seemed to be enjoying his presence. He buried his face in your neck, inhaling your scent and nibbling your ear. Your sigh had his member stirring to life quickly.

"My name. It's Hyunjin." He breathed, almost in a whisper. For a moment he wondered if you could even hear him over the pounding of the music and the crowd. Louder: "Let me know if anything's too much, baby."

Hyunjin. He was ethereal. You faced him again, his bangs falling out of his tied-back hair, lips slightly parted, dark eyes claiming you. From that moment on, anyone in that club would have to go through him to get to you.

"Y/N." You brought your mouth to his ear, running your hands down his chest and toying with the buttons of his shirt. "Thank you endlessly for this dance, Hyunjin."

The way you said his name - he wanted to remember it forever, the way it fell from your lips so smoothly. It was music to his ears.

He hoped he wouldn't ever have to return to this club alone - for the atmosphere of it would never be the same on a night you weren't around.

~

with love, sunghoons-mole

[amlao]

Day 111 of Being Alone for the First Second Time in My Adult Life

Four years of no-contact

I finally had a romantic/intimate dream about someone else 🥹

It was just a random internet crush that I’ve never interacted with, but I woke up so happy because it truly feels like I’ve entered a new era.

I’ve had men try to reach out to me, but I’ve largely ignored it and have happily stayed single.

I feel confident, I rocked nursing school, I had the highest exam average in my cohort in the hardest class, and I feel completely apathetic toward male validation.

I’ve been dying to get to this place for so long.

For a long time, I was haunted by these dreams about Logan. I would go for days or weeks without thinking about him. I would have had a great day with Matt or just be really in my school grind.

Then, bam. I would have a dream so realistic that I couldn’t fathom how a recollection so vivid was still somewhere in my brain after all of these years. I would experience a flood of the same physical feelings I felt for him years ago in these dreams: that same euphoric high of intense love and adoration. On a normal day, I couldn’t tell you anymore how exactly his body was shaped or what his freckles looked like up close, but a fraction of my mind must have retained every detail, because it would all come pouring back in these dreams.

And I would wake up completely jilted. It has been so long since I had experienced those feelings, yet they somehow just happened. I would think about him more for the next couple of days.

Sometimes, those dreams would invoke a sense of pride. Like, ‘He’s reaching out to me, he’s emailing me, he’s haunting my dreams, and I still choose every day to wake up, live my life, and not speak to him.’

But sometimes, they would make me feel weak. Why am I still dreaming about him after all of these years? Anyone else would have moved on by now.

But my brain finally created an intimate scenario with someone else. With a new vision of someone’s face and body up close. With new, different feelings.

And the best part is, I’ll probably never even talk to this person and that’s okay. It’s just so nice to know that I can feel this way about someone else and that, even in my subconscious, they take precedence over Logan.

[trombone-minivan]

I had used an Insurgent for what I think was my very first car meet - back in the PS Communities era. The theme was off-road vehicles, and due to genuinely not having any, I took out my Wine Red Insurgent on SUV wheels. The other 5 peeps and I had loads of fun. However, I've rarely used the Insurgent for its intended purpose. When the need arose for a vehicle of its kind, I had a Nightshark on hand. One Insurgent lives in my Fast & Furious garage to this day - I'm not sure if it's the same formerly-Wine-Red one. I did use the F&F replica to utterly bamboozle camping MkII's a few times though...

The gunless IPUC looks so cool. Since the current merge glitch likely needs the recipient vehicle to be able to enter the LS Car Meet, I'm not sure if I'll be able to get one of my own, but I will try.

I have been accused of godmode at least once while whipping the Phantom. I love it, it looks like a regular ol' semi truck however, not only can it tank three and a half mosquitoes worth of rockets but it also feels quite a bit quicker than a semi truck should be. And ya feel that in the braking distance. Its biggest weakness was only bigger with the auto-aim on console but that didn't stop me from making a fool of any rocket-spammer I came across. The Phantom was a better pick than the Hauler, as it was cheaper, you could chuck sticky bombs out of it and it had seats behind the cab that, I believe, also got explosion protection.

My first Avenger was paid for in part by a dupe glitch, and my second one was the second flying vehicle on that character. Needless to say, the Avenger is pretty much my favorite aircraft in the game. Despite rarely getting to use the full might of one with even just one gunner, I did fly it from time to time on each character. First I must mention that the Avenger is quite fast and nimble for its size. Then, of course, the armor, which opens up new options of disrespecting tryhards. Such as chopping up annoying mosquito riders with the large propellers at basically no damage to yourself, or to bodyslamming hostile Buzzards into the shadow realm. I am also very fond of the aircraft carrier Big Drop™ technique. I first came up with the idea not long after the business battle in question was released, and I successfully executed it with a Dune FAV. I later tried it with an APC, which didn't work, so I thought they patched it and didn't try it anymore. I'm not quite sure if it was actually patched or if I just tried the few vehicles that didn't work, but it is 100% still possible. Just choose an unweaponized vehicle to be safe an you're golden.

The Terrorbyte was one for the grinders. The big idea with it was that you could manage your businesses from one mobile location. While the inability to buy supplies through it and the nature of some Air-Freight source missions made it not-really-viable for MC, Bunker and Hangar businesses, it was a CEO's best friend. It was a lifesaver for grinding Import/Export and Special Cargo, as it cut about a third from the cycle of one mission. You no longer had to go all the way to the office to start the next mission, just into the truck conveniently parked next to your warehouse. It was also a combination nest, upgrade shop and paywall for the mosquito. The weapon workshop was a nice addition and the unique multi lock-on turret was... there. The drone station had potential for participating in a bit of trolling, but I never really used it.

The Oppressor MkII really needs no introduction. The pair of handlebars welded onto a small jet engine, the shitter bike, the mosquito, the broomstick, or simply the MkII. It had many names. Together with the Terrorbyte, and to a point with the B-11 too, they mark the peak of GTAO's weaponized vehicle era. A bit of an Icarus moment, to be frank. People complained how the weaponized vehicles had nothing to do with the theme of the update, they rightfully complained about the vehicular combat boiling down to one vehicle. 'Twas a dark time in public sessions with the MkII on the loose. No sell mission was non-stressful, no cargo was safe. At any moment, some kid with a broomstick could show up and destroy hours of your time, just to be a dick. Giving it a 5-minute cooldown and later nerfing its missiles and countermeasures was something, but the MkII is still to this day incredibly annoying to fight in the hands of someone who at least slightly knows what they're doing. Thankfully, most don't. I feel the "but muh grinding" arguments in my soul, because grinding became Like That in 2018 and frankly, it is Like That to this day. Every 2018-and-later MC sale I've helped with had two to four MkII's, sometimes a stray Buzzard, Oppressor MkI or Scramjet. The reason I bought a MkII was precisely to streamline my sales. I messed up at least one MC bag sell mission (F in the chat. They're still not back.) by falling off my MkI and dying. But from day one, the broomstick was way too boring for me to use on a daily basis. I much rather utilized a combination of the CEO Buzzard and whatever car I had on hand. I even set up a random generator with every car in my collection to help me choose which one I'd use next. I continued like that until roughly December 15th, 2020.

Apologies in advance, for I am about to simp.

Not that many cars came out on Gallo Perrito's release day. I have but faint memories of how exactly I went about deciding which ones to buy, I'm not even sure if I bought the Toreador on release day or the day after. What I am sure about however, is that about two minutes after I had bought and customized it, the position of My Favourite Vehicle In The Game gained a concrete occupant. The Toreador just felt tailored to the specific kind of player I was then and am to this day. A mostly-solo grinder who likes cars, especially the weird ones. Back on topic though, the Toreador checked so many boxes for me.

Based on an obscure Lamborghini concept car from the '60s. Unlimited good-tracking missiles. A rocket boost. Some explosion-proof armor. No special radar icon. Hood-mounted machine guns of the Good Kind. Four seats. Decent customization. Submarine mode with the rocket boost available. Ability to be stored inside the Kosatka. It took me about a week of trying to balance my Toreador on the submarine's nose and a Reddit post of someone's Stromberg inside it to find out about the last one, but I digress. It became my go-to vehicle for just about everything. It is stylish enough for a session cruiser and durable enough to fight off trigger-happy missile spammers. Its weapons, armor and speed make it a viable option for most source or sell missions. Because it also has four seats, it's useful in a variety of scenarios like contact missions (although let's be real no one does those anymore). Above all else, I began to use it as a solution for any MkII-shaped problem I faced. I didn't always win and I was often frustrated, but as I said - most MkII users don't know what they're doing. I once racked up a very high mental state by just shooting down mosquitoes that came at me. But the Toreador isn't without its faults. Most famously, the car is 50% glass, which one has to keep in mind. Driving within lock-on distance to a hostile player means certain death on console. It also lacks off-the-line grip (without the boost in question), which doesn't help with maneuvering. More grip or an all-wheel-drive system would be ideal. Lastly, and this is personal, I just think it would look snazzy with some pop-up headlights. All in all, I love the Toreador passionately.

I'm not sure how it was on PC, but the Speedo Custom's console existence was tarnished by the infamous godmode glitch. With some trickery while exiting the nightclub, one could make the Speedo Custom completely invulnerable to explosions or Up-n-Atomizer blasts. Let me tell you, fighting one of these is incredibly difficult and annoying. Your only option being shooting the driver and/or drowning the van, perhaps with luck and a Cargobob. The most recent time I encountered a so-called Godmode Speedo, it took a focused effort of two or three players just to take the guy down once. Oh and did I mention the glitch is still not patched? The Speedo Custom can drift however, even just stanced without lowgrips. I wonder if I can take it inside the LS Car Meet if I remove the gun.

I have kind of a love-hate relationship with the custom Pounder. On one hand, it's not really fast, likes to tip over, isn't even grippy, and likes to get caught on things. On the other hand, the Mule is all that but slower. I made the mistake of 3 nightclub sell vehicles on old gen, but I was aware of it on PS5.

My first “expensive” purchase in the GTA world was this Insurgent, back in 2015, because I loved huge armored vehicles. Explosives weren’t quite as prevalent in the game world yet, but it was still nice to have the added protection from Kuruma nutjobs while repping the Saints.

After the release of the SUV Insurgent and the Pegasus Gunsurgent, there was an outcry for a pick-up Insurgent without a gun. Those prayers were unintentionally answered in the form of the Insurgent Pick-up Custom, which had a glitch to remove the gun turret from the roof, turning it into a harmless-looking armored truck. However, the turret itself still worked, resulting in the gunner angrily shaking their fists while bullets spewed from the truck’s grille. Discrepancies with the crosshair made it difficult to hit anything more than 200 yards away.

The Anti-Aircraft Trailer always arrived with its faithful Sadler companion. Lots of people slept on the AA Trailer, not knowing that the flak turret was incredibly strong and could down even an Avenger in two direct hits. Hooking this thing to the back of a Nightshark or an Insurgent made for a fast and dangerous doom train. The downside was that, once again, it was kneecapped by the developers’ poor decision to make the trailer take the slot of your personal vehicle, meaning that you couldn’t tow it with any of your cool armored vehicles and were entirely dependent on having a friend who owned something that could tow it unless you wanted to hurt that poor Sadler.

From the minds of mortal men, the mightiest of machines: Phantom Custom. Or, as our enemies liked to call it, the “god mode truck”. The single most heavily-armored vehicle in the entire game is this unassuming big rig, able to soak up almost 70 homing missiles before giving up the ghost. This truck cab turned the tide of many, many battles against stubborn shitters and was a cornerstone of crew fights, having no weapons of its own but being unable to be ignored. Hundreds of hapless griefers would pour ammunition into its completely impervious backside, standing perfectly still for a single revolver shot. Even tanks weren’t safe, as it was easy to take one down by strapping a load of stickies to the front and ramming it at full speed, armoring through the explosion like the mango Sentinel. The saddest part is that the counter to the Phantom Custom was as simple as getting in a plain old car and shooting the driver through the windshield, but none of these knuckleheads would ever dare risk their precious KDR by getting out of their shitter toys. They’d just keep bashing their heads against the wall and then cry that it was hacks. Some people never learn.

They may as well have called the Avenger the B-17, because it was a flying fortress. A fully-crewed Avenger was legitimately terrifying and could retake control of an entire session all by itself. If the gunners knew how to use thermals, they could keep griefers locked down so hard that they wouldn’t even be able to respawn. If the Hunter was the Valkyrie’s big brother, then the Avenger was Mom and Dad getting up off of the couch. But to me, the real fun of the Avenger was flying it solo. Unlike most aircraft, the Avenger had a significant amount of armor, and it was so huge that it could “joust” other aircraft and utterly destroy them by body checking them. At worst it would lose an aileron or two, and then it could just go nto VTOL mode and land gently. For a while I had a good collection going of hostile aircraft getting clotheslined into oblivion by my Avenger, but that ship has sailed. The other trick up the Avenger’s sleeve was being able to airdrop vehicles from two miles up. It was a laugh riot to load an Insurgent into the vehicle bay, pile eight friends and myself into it, and Operation Dumbo Drop that sucker onto the aircraft carrier. For such a big aircraft, the Avenger was able to fit in absolutely anywhere.

The Terrorbyte was the developers’ answer to players who wanted a luxury camper, because they’re incapable of adding any sort of “comfy” vehicle or property without turning it into some kind of secret war machine undercover base thing reminiscent of a transforming action figure playset. The Terrorbyte was nice as a mobile wardrobe and ammo refill station, and it came in handy as a roadblock in a few missions, but that was the extent of its usefulness. You couldn’t even load a regular motorcycle in the back, even if you glitched one into the bay. I would have taken this thing everywhere if I could have put a dirt bike inside it.

The Oppressor Mk II needs no introduction. This is the vehicle that heralded the downfall of the entire game. What could be more balanced than a vehicle that’s the size of a motorcycle, can fly, can hover, can rocket boost, can shoot dozens of missiles that can’t be dodged, can block incoming missiles, can be spawned next to you instantly with no cooldown, can refill your health and double your defense, and can’t be fallen off of? This cancerbike irreparably ruined public sessions and PVP to the point where the meta forced all other vehicles into two categories: those that could stand up to it, and those that couldn’t. “Counters” to the memebike were just things that didn’t instantly die to it or had more armor than its load of missiles could penetrate. It was like Akuma from Super Turbo in that it was so broken that the only counter to it was itself. That was the only reason I even owned one. People everywhere hated it, and the devs took years beating around the bush, giving it tiny “nerfs” that did nothing to address the problem, until numbers started dropping and they finally changed a number in the game’s code to make the missiles less accurate, but the damage was already done. What the Oppressor Mk II really killed wasn’t combat and PVP, but grinding and PVE. Innumerable calls for it to be removed from the game were shouted down with “but my grinding!” because it absolutely trivialized almost every mission in the game. You could play GTA without ever actually looking at the game, only the radar. Get on the rocking horse, hold forward until you reach the yellow dot, press the button until all the red dots are gone, hold forward until you reach the other yellow dot, watch green number go up. That was what the entire game had been reduced to. With the Mk II, every mission became a class of Harry Potter students flying their broomsticks to the magic castle and finishing the mission as fast as possible, and even one person speedrunning the objective would leave nothing left to do for the people who wanted to actually enjoy their cars and guns, unless everyone agreed beforehand not to use their memebike. Be it in peacetime or wartime, all it took was one meta slave to ruin everyone else’s fun.

One of the game’s answers to the prevalence of the memebike was to simply build a better mousetrap. Much like the Stromberg was the natural predator of the Oppressor, the Toreador here was made to fight the Oppressor Mk II. It combined the armor and aquatic capabilities of the Stromberg with the rocket boost and stealth icon of the Vigilante. Its effectiveness against its seemingly intended target was debatable, but it proved to be an effective vehicle in PVP nonetheless. I personally didn’t care much for it, because the glass cabin offered no protection from NPC bullet spam and passengers were unable to use drive-by weapons, but I still owned one because it was a fun car to jump around in and wasn’t allergic to water like the Scramjet. It also had this rare livery hidden its files, unavailable to anyone except GTA+ subscribers and people with knowledge of merge glitches. Ironically, despite the war camouflage motif, my Toreador never saw actual combat wearing it as most of us were already on our way out by then.

The Speedo Custom was good for delivering cargo as well as delivering death. This boxy buddy came free with the purchase of any nightclub to make dropoffs for it, and many people used it only for that purpose, not knowing how vicious the turret on its roof could be. It didn’t have much armor, but in urban firefights it could poke its stubby little nose out from around a corner and snipe hostiles from well beyond minigun range. I had so much fun with this thing that I used to give crewmates a sales pitch along the lines of “buy this van and get a free nightclub”.

For deliveries above the 90-unit cutoff, the Pounder Custom came out to play. It was forced to play a more blue-collar role compared to its smaller sibling, because installing the rocket turrets on it would cause it to get hung up on overhangs like that 11-foot-8 bridge. It did its job, it did it well, and most importantly, it saved a lot of people from buying the Mule Custom.

[bloodyserb]

Half of the escalators at the mall are shrieking and moaning like wounded animals, the other half are barricaded off and broken entirely.  The random distribution of escalators that have died versus those that are only wounded has turned the mall into a challenging maze, like something right out of a Resident Evil video game.  If this was Resident Evil, let’s say a PS2 era version, after I entered the mall and stood by the railing we would switch to a cut scene boom shot that would zoom out over the railing and reverse to show my position before tilting down to show the shoe store that I need to get to three floors down.  The shoe store is directly beneath me, and in pre apocalyptic times a direct route would only require stepping from one down escalator directly onto the next, but this is the now times. Civilization is crumbling all around us and nowhere is that fact written more largely than in the mall.

 My companion and I make our way to the opposite end of the floor we’re on to check out the escalator situation on that end.  Along the way we pass a different shoe store and she suggests that I go inside to take a look, but I know better.  I only have about enough gas in the tank for a single social interaction and I’m not about to give it up this early in the game.  As we approach I can see the sales guy start to stir, triggered by our motion.  I quickly doge to the side so I can see the shoes through the glass.  There’s nothing I want in there, and the glass proves to be an effective anti-sales barrier.

 Rounding the corner I can see that the down escalator is still turning on this side, I just need to make it past the food court to get there.  There are only two places still operating inside the food court, Umi Chicken and Thai Chicken.  I’m pretty sure there is no difference between the two, so I’m puzzled as to how this came to be, but here we are.  Umi chicken has posted a sample guy, Thai chicken can’t be bothered, and as we pass he lunges at us with a toothpick.  “Sample?” he says.   My companion and I simultaneously point to our mouths and silently speak the word “gum” like we’d rehearsed it.  The sample guy nods like he understands and returns to his position in the shadows.  He’s smiling politely as he does so, but there’s nothing behind those eyes.  He checked out this morning the moment he clocked in.

 We descend to the second floor, mechanical bits beneath us shuddering and grinding the whole way. The mall has recently changed hands and I’m starting to get the feeling that the new owners aren’t paying the maintenance bills.  This space is huge and you can feel the second law of thermodynamics pushing in from every corner.  If it can nip away at the tendons connecting the floors it won’t be long before the mall is brought down by the weight of its own bloated body and finds its throat in the drooling maw of entropy.

 Predictably, the down escalator from the second to the first floor isn’t working on this end, so we must reverse course and head all the way back to the opposite side.  My companion suggests that we try to find the elevator she thinks is hidden in the back of Macy’s.  If she’s right, and it’s working this could save us a lot of time, but if she’s wrong that could mean we’ll have to double back again, or worse yet, we could get stuck in the Macy’s elevator, possibly forever.  I decide to keep walking.  I can’t risk it when we’re already halfway there, and besides that my companion is really stoned and cannot possibly grasp the gravity of the situation we are in.

 The trip across the second floor is mostly uneventful.  We do spy another shoe store, but this time it is on the other side of the mall. The open space in the middle of the floor is filled by deflated Christmas ornaments that hang limply from the ceiling and shield us from view.  I can see that the shoes I am after aren’t in there either and the sales guy never even suspects that his inventory has been perused.

 One more dodgy escalator ride to go and we’re there.  This time it’s going smoothy until we’re about halfway down.  Our poor mechanical animal lets out a howl like it’s been caught in a leg trap.  The fingers of my left hand seize the railing hard, and my right hand reaches up to cover my ear.  Surely this can’t be it?  We were so close.  Were we supposed to take the elevator after all?  But it’s ok.  The howling subsides and we’re delivered gently to the first floor.  As I step off, I’m passed by a tightly bound nuclear family on their way up.  They’re looking around excitedly and speaking to each other in what sounds like a Scandinavian language.  These cheerful looking people can’t have come here to shop.  Each one of the brightly colored down jackets they’re wearing probably cost more than my mortgage payment.  It makes more sense that they’re disaster tourists, come here to explore the wreckage of the 20th century.

 The first-floor shoe store is probably the last business here with any life left in it.  It’s so clean, well lit and well stocked, that it feels like I’ve briefly stepped back in time.  I try to relax and browse casually like we used to do when we were young, and the mall was new.  It takes some effort at first, but it helps that some of the new old stock shoes are so incredibly dated.  I hold one pair in my hand that make me wish I could still go across the hall and buy the matching 8-Ball jacket to go with them.

 After four blissful aisles of strolling, I see them, the shoes I have been looking for, the ones from my dream.  Impossible to miss with their bright colors, they might as well be glowing and hovering like a save spot crystal.  There are three pairs of them on the shelf and my size is printed right on the box in the middle of the stack.  The moment I pick it up I feel that the weight of the box is off, a quick check shows that the weight of all the boxes is.  This is a one shoe in the box kind of store, a reminder of our current reality that snaps me back to the present day like an overstretched rubber band. The final challenge is here, but that’s ok because as you may recall I have been hoarding my ability to socially interact like a health pack before the final boss. My companion goes off on a side quest to find the NPC who knows where the other shoe is and returns with both the necessary human and the shoe only moments later.  Once the fit is confirmed, and the shoes photographed for Instagram, I make my way to the front where I expend the very last of my energy making idle chit chat while the payment goes through.

 The return to the car in the parking lot is smooth and unremarkable, because of course everything works fine in the other direction.  No game designer is going to waste a bunch of time writing stuff to take place after the final battle.

 Tl;dr:  I got new sneaks yesterday.

[dramione-tea]

recommendations & little snippets of myself

by Cassiopeia Candles ( Instagram: @casseopya.candles )

note: click the title in order to be directed to the desired fan fiction.

- for the dramione shippers, I wish you luck! 

Unrequited Love  [ casspiane ]

“Darling, I wished you knew,” 

Draco Malfoy x Original Characters (OC)

1. Love Never Dies. [ rosebuds_ ]

Rachel Farrell, pure blood witch, family of Gryffindors. First year is not the best for Rachel. She struggles trying to fit in and be accepted by those around her. Falling for Draco Malfoy, Rachel has to overcome a wave of obstacles. She finds it difficult to be accepted by her family and turns to the Malfoys... Which was undoubtedly one of the biggest mistakes she made. Find out what happens to Rachel and what truly changes her life.

- Literally binge read the whole book during my 6th grade examination. ( I know it was bad for me ) But hey I didn’t fail.  

P.S. Don’t be like me. 

2. midnight of the masquerade [ seraphilims ]

a story in which two people realize masks only hide the appearance - not the heart. 

- Love the story plot.  I’ve read this thrice in different years. 

3. Imperio [ pansyparks ]

The younger sister of Cedric Diggory, Arden, is a Slytherin who doesn't fit in. Draco Malfoy, a wealthy Slytherin bully. The two come together, and Arden realises that being a Slytherin isn't so bad after all; but with a few bumps in the road for Draco, can they stay together?

4. Dear Draco [ malfoyuh ]

❛stay a little longer❜

- 15 year old me were in tears, so was my heart.  Rate it as 5/5.

5. Let’s Kill Tonight  [ Bambey ]

Rebecca Rosewood's life is dramatically changed when she becomes a Death Eater. With blood on her hands, she is summoned by Voldemort to go to Hogwarts and extract information from the famous Harry Potter, finding herself hopelessly attracted to Draco Malfoy at the same time. But it all gets a little too much when her past finally catches up with her...

- One of the first fan-fictions I’ve read about Draco.

6. if looks could kill [ WhenInDoubtSleep ]

In times like this, the truth can rewrite the past and alter the future. In an attempt to find herself amidst the deceptive lies and horrible truths, she finds Draco Malfoy instead. She honestly just wants to make it out of the year alive...and maybe with a few less kisses from the blond git. Love story set during the sixth year at Hogwarts.

7. Always Had A Thing For Bad Boys [ oxNeverShoutNeverxo ]

8. Who Are You?  [ TheBlondeAdventurer ]

Draco Malfoy. One of the most arrogant teenage boys in Slytherin's house. He struts through the school and doesn't miss an opportunity to cut someone down, just as he has been by his father his entire life. Now enter Elena Crowe. A quiet girl who tries her hardest to stay out of trouble, and one of Ravenclaw's best students. She always has the best answers and never fails to help someone in need, even if they may not deserve it. In their sixth year at Hogwarts, Draco finally runs into Elena, whom he has never seemed to notice before. Elena does her absolute best to stay away from him, because all he can be is trouble, but Draco finds amusement by forcing himself into her life. For what reason, he doesn't know; but what he does know is that he enjoys bantering with this quiet girl, because even she can get riled up and fight back. But Draco will see that Elena is a lot more than what she may seem. Soon he will be battling morales, his past, his family, and both of them may end up facing off in the final battle not with Lord Voldemort, but each other.

- To be completely honest, read this one more than 3 times. 

9. Unwanted Legacy [ writtenbyciara ]

" admit it, you care about me. "

- Recently read this months ago and found it quite interesting. The author’s writing style is different from the rest as her words make you visualize more on what is happening. 

- Book 1 & 2 is complete, while book 3 is still on its way. 

Draco Malfoy x Hermione Granger (Dramione)

1. We Learned The Sea [ floorcoaster ]

Draco Malfoy turns himself in after a very successful career as a Death Eater, then enlists Harry and Hermione to help him in a scheme to bring down the Dark Lord.

- This gave me the feels.  Draco’s personality in this is far most different from the books and other fan fictions.

2. The Bachelor  [ Fluff ]

Hermione's mother is pressuring her into finding a boyfriend. On a whim, she applies and is accepted into the wizard version of The Bachelor. But what happens when The Bachelor is none other than Draco Malfoy himself?

3. Defending The Dark  [ Cece Louise ]

Almost three years after Voldemort's defeat, Hermione Granger is a Ministry-appointed Defense Inquisitor. Her next assignment: defend Draco Malfoy. She's sure there must be some mistake. Confronted with mysterious memories, candid conversations, and confusing feelings, she is plagued with uncertainty. Just who is Draco Malfoy? And does he deserve a second chance?

4. Graveyard Valentine  [ Bex-chan ]

Hermione thought she was the only person in the world who would spend Valentine's Day in a Graveyard, but she was wrong. He's there. Every single year, with his gloves, roses, and answers. Dramione Valentine's Day one-shot. Post-Hogwarts. 

- All time favorite.

5. Eighteen Months  [ Istalindar ]

When Hermione is diagnosed with a magic allergy and kidney failure during the summer, everything changes for her, friends, enemies..life.

6. Love Me Twice [ Bex-chan ]

'"They tore her apart and then wiped me out of her mind to send me a message. To mess up my life. To break..." he trailed off. Blaise nodded his head with understanding. "To break your heart," he finished for him.' Dramione. One-shot.

7. The Wrong Strain [ Colubrina ]

Everyone knew what veela were. Veela were magical creatures, breathtakingly beautiful, who captivated men with a single look. It would have been nice to have been that strain. Instead, Hermione Granger was infected by another. Instead of captivating all men, she was captivated by one. She'd die without him. She was already in almost constant pain. 

8. Entwined In Time  [ TheSummerNightingale ]

When Hermione and Draco get put into detention together, a potion mishaps throws them back in time: into the Marauders' era. As they begin to adjust to life twenty years into the past, the two become drawn together, sharing the bond of the future as they are forced to work together to return to their own time.

9. Destiny [ Annie Lockwood ]

Hermione's wedding night is everything but perfect for the young witch. Her new husband and long-time friend, Ronald, is passed out drunk and she thinks upon her life leading up to that night. Hermione falls asleep, despondent and alone. When she wakes up the following morning, she is still in bed with her husband. But it isn't Ronald Weasley.

10. Silencio [ AkashatheKitty ] 

One late night, hate turns to lust.

11. Clean [ Olivie Blake ]

Malfoy's handsome face was contoured into a condescending smirk. "No faith in that giant brain of yours, Granger?" She looked up at him defiantly. "Maybe I don't have faith in you!" she said, raising her voice. Malfoy only looked at her. "You'll find I'm very surprising."

12. Marked  [ Olivie Blake ]

Two dead. Three missing. The Order is down a leader and another innocent takes the Mark. Where is the Chosen One, and who killed Draco Malfoy?

13. The Fallout [ everythursday ] 

Hermione learns about growing up through the redemption of Draco Malfoy.

14. Every Day, a Little Death [ LovesBitca8 ]

It has become common knowledge that Hermione Granger cannot have an orgasm. Many have tried, none have succeeded. Can Draco Malfoy offer his assistance?

15. familiar faces, worn out places [ LovesBitca8 ]

“You are at St. Mungo’s. You were in a coma.” He looks me over again, taking a pause. “I am a Healer here now,” he says, like it explains something. My fingers stretch, drifting across his sleeve. He looks down, like I’ve thrown mud at him.

Forcing my vocal chords together for the first time, I whisper, “What’s your name?”

16. Kiss Me, Haunt Me, Kill Me [ LovesBitca8 ]

"So," she said, and her voice was just as he'd remembered it, "you've chosen to haunt the castle as well?" She lifted her brows. "I'm dead. What's your excuse?" ~*~ Draco Malfoy returns to Hogwarts as Potions Master to find the ghost of Hermione Granger floating through the halls.

17. Ribbons Down Her Back [ LovesBitca8 ]

The unintentional annual seduction of Draco Malfoy through a series of ribbons and bows - or - Christmas Fluff with a dash of Secret Santa.

18. Manacled  [ SenLinYu ] 

Harry Potter is dead. In the aftermath of the war, in order to strengthen the might of the magical world, Voldemort enacts a repopulation effort. Hermione Granger has an Order secret, lost but hidden in her mind, so she is sent as an enslaved surrogate to the High Reeve until her mind can be cracked.

19. The Library of Alexandria  [ SenLinYu ] 

 The Library of Alexandria is not for just any witch or wizard. Many bookworms may try but few are permitted to pass through its doors. The books residing there are ancient and powerful and, if one happens to make a mistake, the consequences can be rather—novel.

20. A Slow Cruel Descent + A Fragile Ascent  [ SenLinYu ]

A Slow Cruel Descent

The war grinds on and Hermione Granger, the lead intelligence for the Order of the Pheonix, is captured. Unable to crack her through interrogation without risking her mind, Voldemort conceives a cruel method of breaking her that involves a reluctant Draco Malfoy.“He stared at her in disgust.She looked—broken.The fire she’d still had when she was dragged in was now extinguished. Her eyes were locked on his face like she were memorizing him.“Stop staring at me.” He snarled. “You stupid bint. You’re supposed to be so clever. They can’t break you with torture but a fucking potion reduces you to a sniveling traitor.”

A Fragile Ascent

The War is over. Voldemort is dead. And Hermione Granger is broken.

21. Sweetly Broken [ LadyKenz347 ] 

As the dust settles following the Battle of Hogwarts, Draco’s confidence, belief system, and world are shattered.In an attempt to mend his broken pieces, he turns to vials that take the pain away. But once the high’s are no longer so high and the lows get so much lower, Draco has to start a journey of healing and redemption that often hurts more than it helps.

22. Truth, Lies, and Storytelling  [ BreathOfThePhoenix ]

“Hermione,” Harry took a deep breath and flipped the book over to see the back cover, “why is my name on this?”“Like I said, someone is writing about us. The film we just saw was based on that book,” Hermione tapped the cover of the book on the top of the stack, “and it was incredibly accurate.”Harry passed the stack of books over to Ginny, holding on to the first one. He turned the title of the book over in his head, mumbling the words quietly to himself.“Harry Potter… me… Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. Philosopher’s stone. Hermione, this feels weird. Am I the narrator?”When Hermione and Draco uncover a familiar new film called “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” they learn that the wizarding world may not be as well hidden as they thought.

23. DIVINATION FOR SKEPTICS  [ OLIVIEBLAKE ]

The latest in magical advancements is an enchantment that reveals the bearer’s romantic compatibility with another person. Effectively eliminating uncertainty from dating, the charm can tell you whether or not you’ve found The One with a precise, Hermione Granger-approved calculation of traits and preferences. It’s a foolproof method of predicting relationship happiness. It’s also, for Hermione, positively dreadful news.

24. Isolation [ Bex-chan ]

He can't leave the room. Her room. And it's all the Order's fault. Confined to a small space with only the Mudblood for company, something's going to give. Maybe his sanity. Maybe not. "There," she spat. "Now your Blood's filthy too!"

25. Hunted [ Bex-chan ]

Forced to work together when their old schoolmates start dying, Hermione & Draco must overcome their differences to solve the mysterious deaths. The tension in the office is getting rather...heated.

If you reached to this part. 

HEY THERE! 

Feel free to message me on instagram if you ever feel the need to fan girl, I do too most of the time. 

[listless-brainrot]

Avatar: The Last Airbender DS Game Review

no one asked for this but i don’t ever see anyone talk about the atla videogames, which is a true tragedy, and i know that this may be because the video games aren’t technically canon, but i think they’re still worth talking about!

i finished this game in about three days, and i’m going to be talking about its gameplay, graphics, and story, all in that order. 

spoilers below, as i’ll be talking about the entire game in depth.

Gameplay: 

the bulk of the gameplay consists of controlling your party of four, which consists of aang, sokka, katara, and haru. you can swap between any member of your party at any time using the touchscreen. you can run around with the d-pad, and you can also walk by holding down the b button. but onto the combat- each member has a specific set of attacks they can use, with two kinds of attacks and defenses, primaries and specials, with attacks assigned to the y and x buttons, and defenses assigned to the b and a buttons respectively. the game is jrpg-esque, in the sense that it has (somewhat) random encounters and a multi-person party, each with strengths and weaknesses. the random encounters aren’t fully random, as the enemies (which range from animals to machines) can be easily spotted and avoided in the overworld, but they do chase the party down. there is no in-game option to run from any random encounter, as you have to purchase smoke balls to run away from a fight. each random encounter will either drop a healing item or an unspecified amount of gold, which can be used in shops.

the game works in “chapters”, similar to the actual show’s structure, which has episodes, each of which start you and your party in/near a village, according to whatever setting the plot deems necessary. in each village, there is a variety of shops, which include an herbalist, medicine man, and fruit seller. the herbalist will mix together any random herbs you find (for a fee) in the overworld, creating single use status-buffing items that have varying effects based on the kinds of herbs used. the medicine man (unsure if that’s what he’s actually called) will sell incense and smoke bombs, with the latter used to control the rest of the party, with different kinds of incense used to dictate their behavior in battle. for example, defense incense will make the rest of your party use more defensive moves, rather than offensive. the fruit seller sells various healing items, which range between single and party-healing. as the game progresses, these items grow more and more costly, requiring increasing amounts of gold. there are also hidden item boxes, though these are found in both the villages and world itself. items can be held in a sizeable inventory, but items must manually be moved up into a six-slot hotbar for use during combat.

though the bulk of the gameplay is exploration and fighting, there are also some smaller parts within the game that switch it up a bit. there are minigames, such as four nations force, which can be found in villages and is a pai-sho-esque game with similar tiles, as well as opportunities to train certain members of the party, namely haru (at least in my experience). there is a segment in which you can control momo, and have him solve a puzzle to open a door, and in that same segment, there is a mission where you have to utilize the b-button to silently walk past guards. there are a few of fetch-quests, though they aren’t too difficult, and drive the plot forward. 

the gameplay isn’t anything groundbreaking or spectacular, but it serves its purpose well, and can make for some really fun strategy-driven moments where you have to constantly swap between characters to see if there’s advantages to using one over the other, and rationing out health items carefully to see if they’ll last you before a boss fight. there’s definitely a lot of combat, and, while the game doesn’t force you to, there is the inherent expectation of level-grinding, which can make certain segments of the game a whole lot easier, especially with unlocked specials and higher power. there is also the fact that, should you lose a random encounter fight with no smoke bombs, you are basically stuck in the fight until you win or quit, which are the only two options. furthermore, should you quit, you’ll be sent back to your last save, and you must manually save, as is standard for most games of this era, as it only prompts you to save at the very conclusion of a chapter. there is a bit of mercy, however- should your entire party die and you continue, your party’s health will be restored to at least a third, and all items used in the previous battle will return in your inventory, ready to be used again.

Graphics:

as is expected with ds games of this era, the characters are rendered in charming little pixel sprites, which each sprite being beautifully animated and full of personality. in cutscenes, each character emotes with their own set of sprites, and their mouths are animated when they talk. sometimes, their sprites are used for comedic effect- there are rarely moments where characters are just standing and spewing dialogue. there are also pixel-rendered portraits of each character in the party on the touchscreen, allowing you to see their health, moves, and level.

what’s interesting about this game, however, is that, while the characters are 2d sprites, their surroundings are 3d, and you can change the viewpoint of the camera at any time in the overworld with the l and r bumpers, allowing you to really see the entirety of the map. this makes exploring all the more interesting, as you can spin the camera around to see hidden loot boxes or other items you may have missed. in villages, there is a lot of new personality and depth given to each setting, especially familiar sights from the show such as omashu and the northern air temple. the aesthetic of the overall show is kept intact well, as even the npcs in new towns all appear to fit by design, and there is a sense of visual cohesion that makes it feel true to its roots. there are little nods to canon beyond just the main characters, such as one of the healing items in the game being a custard tart, and town designs expanding on already established settings.

each segment of the game carries with it a unique feel, making each chapter easily distinguishable from the last. the game has so much charm, with its bright visual styles and faithfulness to its canon inspiration, and each setting is unique and fun to explore. the only thing that may bog it down in terms of both gameplay and graphics is that a majority of the surrounding buildings in villages and cities can’t be entered nor explored- they’re just props. this gives a slightly empty vibe to the environment when you notice that the background props are just props. it would be much more fun to explore the given environment if there was more to do, rather than just the same three to five things. furthermore, while the camera function is very useful, it can also be really confusing in terms of navigation. there’s a map and a compass, sure, but sometimes you’ll be stuck spinning the camera until you’re absolutely sure you’re headed in the right direction. the map, at least, does give you an indicator on where you’re supposed to go next to advance the plot, and there is a similar kind on the compass as well, which helps immensely.

Story:

unlike other games (namely burning earth and into the inferno), this game’s plot is mostly standalone, and doesn’t follow the canon timeline very closely. there is less “a game about playing through the show’s events”, and more of “a game that uses canon elements to create a story of its own”. the story, which doesn’t fully fit within the bounds of canon, is still an interesting story to present nonetheless.

spoilers for the entire story begin here!

the story opens with aang, katara, and sokka in the north pole, where master pakku has been mysteriously replaced with a character named master wei, who tells the gaang that one of their waterbenders, named hiryu, has vanished. upon further investigation, a waterskin and a weird piece of metal is discovered where the waterbender was seen last- however, these investigations are quickly halted by the arrival of zuko and the fire nation, who kidnap katara as bait for aang. sokka and aang track her down to a fire nation prison, where they have to dress up as fire nation soldiers in order to sneak in and get info on her whereabouts in order to save her. while saving katara, they also discover another prisoner named lian, who is presumably being forced to work for the fire nation. after a brief battle with the warden, they find that lian has escaped on her own, and left a note behind, pointing them in the direction of an earth kingdom village.

after katara has been saved and the gaang follows the note, they find the village being terrorized by mysterious machines with the ability to bend/use singular elements, though they are being fended off by two earthbenders. upon further investigation, the earthbenders turn out to be tyro and haru, who were saving villages when this one was attacked by machines. after defeating the machines, the gaang learns from tyro that another bender has been kidnapped- an earthbender named yuan, who was one of haru’s closest friends. because of this, tyro encourages haru to join the gaang’s quest to find out where the machines are coming from, and points them towards the forest for clues, as a wise spirit resides there. the party then encounters a bear-like creature, which attacks them, though upon defeat, reveals itself to be the forest spirit, who gives them very cryptic answers when asked about the origins of the machines, saying something related to the heart of the earth kingdom.

somehow, this prompts the gaang (now joined by haru) to go to omashu, as it’s in the heart of the earth kingdom. aang decides to ask his friend king bumi to help them figure out where they need to go to find the origins of the machines, and the king, while happy to see his friends again, is forbidden from helping the group discover secrets, due to his royal counsul, who refuses to let them go to where they need to go. nevertheless, bumi directs them towards the earth kingdom royal library, where a scroll is found showing a series of bending techniques, as well as some kind of map. upon bringing their findings to king bumi, he points them in the direction of four paws island- an unmarked island off the coast of the earth kingdom. however, as the gaang prepares to leave, the fire nation attacks once more, forcing them to find an alternate route out of the city, where they are challenged by the royal counsul, who is revealed to be conspiring with someone relating to the machines. haru, enraged by the counsul’s traitorous actions, takes him on one on one, and, upon defeat, allows the gaang to escape to four paws island.

now on four paws island, the party finds more mysteries than they bargained for, as there are more machines terrorizing the people of four paws, as well as more benders going missing. unsure where to start, they begin to search the island for a statue they recognized from the royal library, soon discovering a hidden passageway underneath it that leads them to a model of the island itself, which holds a mysterious blue rock. the rock, covered in old writing, is then brought to the elder of the village, who reveals that it holds the entire history of four paws, and also serves as a key to a secret passageway. the passageway, which is discovered in the side of a cliff west of the village, is revealed to be a sprawling, underground lair, crawling with machines. at the end of it, a large machine sits in wait as a familiar face operates on it. the person reveals themselves to be lian, who has been building the machines in hopes of restoring peace to the world. the machines, she hopes, will wipe out and replace benders, thus evening the playing field, as the very existence of benders creates divide between people and nations. she worked with the fire nation solely to gain resources for her machines, as well as the omashu royal counsul, and she tries to persuade aang to join her, stating that he will never be ready to fight ozai. aang refuses, along with the rest of the gaang, and, in a fit of rage, she states that she will cut off his connection to the avatar state and unleashes her prototype bending machine on them, which uses three of the four elements to attack. upon defeat of the machine, the gaang rushes to catch lian before she can escape again.

the group now lands at an earth kingdom village that borders the air temples, and aang decides to take appa head off on his own towards the northern air temple, knowing that lian will most likely head there and destroy the avatar statues, mistakenly believing that this action will sever his ties to the spirit world. the story then alternates between aang at the air temple, and katara, sokka, and haru back at the village. while aang fights off machines and tries to protect the air temple from destruction, the rest of the group fights off machines in the forest, where the people from the village were trying to rebuild. after defeating the machines, however, a mysterious large machine appears, and katara, sokka, and haru are taken. when aang arrives back at the village after successfully protecting the temple, he is attacked by a drill-like machine, and has to destroy it on his own. upon defeating the machine, he discovers a large hole/tunnel in the ground, and decides to follow it, hoping it’ll lead him to his friends.

the tunnel leads aang to another village, where a large temple resides in the northwest that villagers refuse to enter, due to benders mysteriously disappearing around there. aang, after battling his way through the surrounding forest, enters the temple and discovers his friends imprisoned there by lian, and he is forced to save each of them separately. sokka is found trapped in a strung up cage, and he discovers a tool left behind by lian, which he uses to open locked doors within the temple. katara is inexplicably found on the other side of a large lava pit, and aang must fly across it to save her. haru is found in a metal prison below the temple, and, after being feed by sokka, tells the rest of the gaang where lian is headed. now fully reunited, the group heads towards the heart of the temple, which is blocked by a series of large rocks that haru makes quick work of, and they prepare to stop lian.

before stopping lian, however, the group discovers zuko, who lays injured on a bridge. aang, who runs to help him, asks if he needs help and assumes he was captured by lian as well, but zuko refuses to accept his help, instead berating the fire nation for trusting lian and her nefarious machines. the gaang reassures zuko that they will do something about the machines, but are forced to leave him behind, unable to do anything to save him at the time, despite aang’s protests. the group then falls for a trap, which unleashes an even stronger version of the prototype bending machine from before, which now has the ability to freeze water, and is forced to destroy it before they can continue. after the ensuing battle, aang, sokka, katara, and haru finally prepare to confront lian for the final time.

lian, standing in front of a powerful machine with the ability to use all four of the elements, is found alongside two other benders- hiryu and yuan, who are revealed to be working with and for lian, teaching her machines their bending techniques, as they support and believe in their cause, rather than held against their will, as originally believed. this upsets haru, who tries to convince yuan to join their group, to no avail. lian repeats her speech on division between the four nations and elements, stating that she would rather have thinkers in charge of the world, rather than magicians. she gives the group one more chance to join her side, lest they be eliminated by her ‘avatar’ machine, stating that benders such as yuan that side with her cause will be spared, and that benders such as zuko who refuse will suffer the consequences. aang, who firmly believes that zuko didn’t make the wrong choice, states that being the avatar is something that can’t be replaced by machines, and he and the rest of the party ultimately challenge and prepare to destroy her ‘avatar’ machine.

midway through the fight, however, a fireball is shot at aang, which none of the group sees except for katara, and she throws herself in front of it, taking the hit for aang. while the rest of the group rushes to her aid, lian mocks the group for being weak, showing that this is proof that her machine is stronger than all benders. enraged, aang enters the avatar state, facing the machine alone and destroying it quickly, soon passing out from exhausion once the fight ends. unlike in other iterations of this same game, lian survives and is helped by hiryu and yuan, who realize the consequences of their mistakes and elect to help lian and improve themselves. escaping as sokka and haru care for aang and katara.

aang eventually reawakens in katara’s arms, and sokka gets angry with katara putting her life on the line for aang, but katara says that she had to do something, as aang is important to not only the world, but her as well. aang learns that this message is applicable to his role as the avatar, realizing that he has a responsibility to help when no one else can, and he must accept his role in the world. soon, the group escapes the fortress over to appa and momo, and begin heading back to haru’s village, bringing him home before starting back off on aang’s quest to learn all four elements. zuko is also revealed to have escaped the fortress, and is upset that he missed his opportunity to capture the avatar.

spoilers for the entire story end here!

the story is extremely simple, yet chaming and full of twists. it’s definitely not something one would expect from atla’s usual fare, especially considering the technology and themes, but it still fits pretty well. lian is an interesting and dynamic villain, and her motivations are presented in a believable manner, and she makes for a pretty sizeable threat over the course of the story. the dialogue and cutscenes are generally entertaining, and the story is fun to watch unravel. the only things i personally took issue with were the pacing and some character inconsistencies. there’s a segment in omashu that’s a bunch of fetch quests that lead up to a joke, and, while the joke is pretty funny, bogs the pacing down a lot. there’s also no sidequests whatsoever (barring the singular one in the north), and there is no way to go back to a previous chapter, so you have to accomplish every single thing you want to accomplish before moving forward. the story is extremely linear, which works well, but i found myself wanting more, especially in the character department. surprisingly, haru works extremely well as a member of the gaang, and i found his interactions with them to be entertaining and fun to watch. it’s cool to have an atla piece of media that not only remembers him, but makes him an actual character. however, there’s not much for character on character interactions, even with all the cutscenes. i wanted to see more of this new gaang being friends, since it presented an entirely different dynamic from the show. there’s also the issue of some interactions feeling pretty flat, such as haru being imprisoned again and having no reaction to it, or sokka not being given much depth outside of being the butt of many jokes (outside of the one scene with the kid and the boomerang), but these are minor gripes in the face of the characters and story it presented. overall, i think the only big thing i have to complain about is the ending, which was changed from the original ending, where lian ambiguously dies and haru and yuan reconcile. it feels like a last ditch attempt to redeem lian and yuan, which i understand to some extend, but it feels extremely out of place and put in at the last moment. this also downplays haru and yuan, which is sad considering that yuan getting captured is what leads haru to join the adventure in the first place.

In Summary:

7.5/10. it’s a fun game with some difficulty spikes and a genuinely enjoyable story. i know that most tv show videogames don’t have a great reputation, so i think this was pretty good compared to what i’ve played before. the main things that keep it from being a 10/10 for me was the realization that the game wanted me to grind, lack of extra content that would’ve heightened the experience, some story and character snags, and rather repetitive boss fights. i took off an entire .5 for the fight with the spirit bear, which was a really infuriating experience (that was largely my own fault as i walked in unprepared), but other than that, i would genuinely recommend this game to anyone who wants a fun time with well-made spinoff videogame.

[underbardk]

The Bronze Bird Terrace Tile Inkstone of the Matsumae Domain

It’s not everyday that I come across a historical tidbit that manages to connect several areas of my interest. The Matsumae clan based in southern Hokkaido, in charge of the northernmost domain of Japan until the modern period, claims to possess an inkstone made from a roof tile from Cao Cao’s Bronze Bird Terrace in Ye.

According to the Bunmei 17 (1485) entry of the Fukuyama Hifu (1780), the official clan documents of the Matsumae clan:

In this year, the northern barbarians presented an inkstone made from a roof tile. This is a tile from the Bronze Bird Terrace built by Cao Mengde [Cao Cao] of Eastern Han. Later people inscribed seal script on the inkstone, the words which say: “The Providence of Heaven grants me with this disc of Cao. The time was Qingming when it presented itself to man. This ceramic disc is of considerable antiquity and quality, and I write to tell of its provenance.“

On its underside are the five characters “Jian’an Year 15 [210 CE]“. From then to An’ei 9 (1780) now in Japan is 1570 years. The Register of Inkstones says Bronze Bird Tiles often came from the Bronze Bird Terrace, then chiseled into inkstones. The antiquity of such artifact is evident. The inkstone is now stored in the treasure vault.

And sure enough, the Matsumae Castle has the inkstone on display:

(Image source)

Seeing this, two questions naturally arise:

“Is this real?“ and “How did it get here?“

Inkstones of the Terrace

The Bronze Bird Terrace, or Tongquetai, is an iconic structure in Cao Cao’s base city Ye built in 210, the 15th year of the Jian’an era. Ever since Cao Cao invited his sons Cao Pi and Cao Zhi to write poetry atop the terrace, the place has been surrounded by a poetic tradition that far outlived the physical destruction of the city in 580, such that the words Bronze Bird themselves would immediately evoke in the minds of the literati images of Wei’s former glory, of the women continually condemned to perform for the dead, of the impermanence of human life, and of the rise and fall of dynasties.

Writers and poets began to collect memorabilia of the Bronze Bird Terrace by the Tang dynasty. They would go to the ruins of Ye to look for roof tiles and carve them into inkstones where they can grind inksticks and dip their brushes. The inkstones made from the Bronze Bird Terrace tiles were apparently “quite well made“ and can “hold water without drying up for days” according to a Song dynasty guide to writing implements. It also describes what sets these inkstones from others:

In the past, when the terrace was being built, the tiles were made by pottery workers who would filter the clay with fine linen and then add walnut oil to it before firing; therefore they were different from ordinary pottery tiles.

Su Yijian (958-97), The Four Lineages of the Study (trans. by Tian Xiaofei)

The Southern Tang minister Xu Xuan tested it out to his amusement:

As soon as water was poured in, it infiltrated the inkstones; however much water was poured into them, they were dried out right away, and the wet surface made a sort of sucking sound. Xuan said with a chuckle: “Ain’t the Bronze Bird thirsty!” In the end the inkstones could not be used; they were no different from any ordinary broken tile and brick.

Yang Yi (974-1020), Yang Wengong tanyuan (trans. by Tian Xiaofei)

Regardless of their utility (or lack thereof), the allure of “owning a piece of history“ was attractive enough that the demand created a market for fake Bronze Bird Tiles:

The authentic ancient tiles from Xiangzhou [Ye] are decayed and useless. The world merely values their name. People nowadays purify the clay and then mold it in the shape of the ancient tile and bury it underground. After a long time they [dig it out again and] make it into an inkstone.

Ouyang Xiu (1007-1072), Lineages of Inkstones (trans. by Tian Xiaofei)

Some locals would fake such inkstones in the shape of ancient tiles, and have sold a great many of them.

Su Yijian (958-97), The Four Lineages of the Study (trans. by Tian Xiaofei)

It would seem that the Bronze Bird Terrace tiles commonly found were mostly fakes, since authentic tiles from the Wei period would likely have been disintegrated in the centuries, not least because the whole city had been razed. Even if an intact tile was found, there is no guarantee that it came from Cao Wei since the pavilions atop the terraces had been remodeled and rebuilt several times, including during the Later Zhao in 337 and the Northern Qi in 558. This is why a fake tile would have to include obvious features that would link it to Cao Cao’s time, such as a year number, despite there being no indication that Cao Cao required the tiles to his buildings to have year numbers (though the practice exists in Chinese buildings like the Great Wall, where bricks would be marked with the date of their production and the name of the supervisor in charge).

Ultimately, unless proven otherwise by techniques like carbon dating, it is most likely that the Matsumae inkstone did not originate from Cao Cao’s Bronze Bird Terrace.

Mass-produced Appraisals by a Thirteen-year-old

The description in the Fukuyama Hifu does not fully transcribe the words on the Matsumae inkstone. It leaves out some details, including the following words on the bottom which gives some clues on its true origins:

Gotten from the depths of the Zhang River bank for 39 copper coins. Calligraphy added for the amusement of the cultured and aficionados of antiquity. Appraised by Dixian on Chongjiu day, Xinwei year of the Hongwu reign (October 7, 1391)

There is a tradition of literati adding words onto artifacts, works of art, and natural landforms. But instead of adding his name onto an ancient artifact, in this case Dixian seems to be trying to add value to a piece of clay dug out of the ground sold on the market. Dixian (翟仙) may be a variant of Quxian (臞仙), the courtesy name of the Ming dynasty Prince of Ning Zhu Quan, a man of literary pursuits. However, Zhu Quan was only 13 years old in 1391. If the identification is correct, one must question the value of the appraisal or if someone else was using his name to add value to the tile.

In fact, the Matsumae inkstone isn’t the only tile to bear this inscription of Dixian’s appraisal on October 7, 1391. Similar Bronze Bird Terrace Tile Inkstones with this exact inscription (including the price of 39 copper coins) show up in museums in China, Taiwan, and even Japan (and some ended up on auction sites), suggesting that these inkstones may have been mass-produced in the early Ming dynasty. So the Matsumae inkstone is not unique in this regard. What is unique is the way the inkstone reached Matsumae.

The Bronze Bird Flies Northeast

The Fukuyama Hifu says the inkstone came via “northern barbarians“, which means the Ainu in this case. The later source Matsumae Kaki (1878) elaborates that the “barbarian chiefs from Karato presented the Bronze Bird Terrace Tile Inkstone“, where Karato (Karafuto) is the Japanese name for the island of Sakhalin. If this is true, then it means that the inkstone began its journey from China around 1391, went northeast to Manchuria, crossed the Tatar Strait to Sakhalin, then went south from there to Hokkaido where it reached Japanese hands on the southern shores in 1485.

The Ainu’s role in the inkstone’s transmission is interesting, since the Ainu wasn’t known for their appreciation for Chinese literary culture. On the other hand, foreign goods were often emblems of Ainu wealth and prestige, which makes it plausible as a item they would present to the Japanese regardless of whether they recognized the alleged history attached to the inkstone. It is not entirely clear how the Ainu came across the inkstone. It could have been bestowed by the Ming court to the Tungisic peoples of the Amur Estuary as part of the so-called tributary trade in return for local goods (though Ming records show no evidence of inkstones being given), and from there ended up in the hands of the Ainu as part of a regional trade connecting Sakhalin, Hokkaido, Manchuria, and Kamchatka. Otherwise, they could have taken it from Manchuria, as the Sakhalin Ainu were in the habit of crossing into Manchuria when the sea ice froze over. In this scenario, the inkstone would be part of the stationery set of a Ming scholar-official sent on business to Manchuria, likely the headquarters in Nurgan (today Tyr, Russia); and somehow got left behind when the Ming abandoned the area after the Tumu Crisis of 1449, only to be picked up by the Ainu or one of the indigenous groups in the Amur Estuary.

The retreat of the Ming from the Amur Basin had a ripple effect on Ainu-Japanese relations. According to the Hokkaido researcher Kazuyuki Nakamura, the Ainu depended on trade for metal products, and as the Chinese left the area they had to look to Japan. Increasing contact and trade disputes were a contributing factor to Koshamain's War of 1457, where Takeda Nobuhiro, ancestor of the Matsumae clan, made a name for himself defending the Japanese outposts in southern Hokkaido from the Ainu. In 1475, Ainu chieftains from as far as Sakhalin presented tribute to Nobuhiro as a sign of nominal submission. One would imagine that the inkstone ended up in Matsumae through similar efforts.

Map of relevant locations

Engagement with the North

Interestingly, there is another record of how the inkstone reached Matsumae, which has nothing to do with the Ainu at all. According to the Toukai Santan written by shogunal inspectors on tour to Matsumae in 1806, their hosts explained the inkstone as part of a dowry given to the Matsumae by the court aristocrat class (kuge) in Kyoto. If this is the case, the inkstone would have entered Japan through the usual Ming-Japan trade routes by sea. The Matsumae had close marriage ties to the kuge, so there were ample opportunities for the inkstone to be included in a dowry to the Matsumae.

On the surface, this explanation sounds more plausible than the Ainu route, but researcher Yasushi Kubo casts doubt on this simpler explanation. The Matsumae hosts had reason to lie to the shogunal inspectors, considering this was the time when Russia began to encroach upon Japan’s northern borders, and the shogunate was sensitive about where Matsumae stood. (There was a misunderstanding in 1799 where oversensitive shogunate inspectors saw a plaque on a shrine that read 降福孔夷 and interpreted it as “Fortune to the red barbarians”, when in fact it was a line from the Classic of Poetry that means “greatly blessed by fortune”. If not for the Confucian scholars in Edo, Matsumae domain would have been abolished then and there.) According to Kubo, the Matsumae had to play down their ties to the north to not rouse suspicion, so instead they made up an excuse for the inkstone that emphasizes Matsumae’s ties to central government. Otherwise, it would be difficult to explain why the earlier Fukuyama Hifu did not have the dowry story and instead has a less plausible-sounding origin story involving the Ainu. After all, Fukuyama Hifu was written by the well-learned Matsumae samurai Matsumae Hironaga, and it is hard to imagine that he would be unaware of the kuge dowry or had any reason to conceal it.

Remarks

Of course, there is the possibility that both routes described above are made up, since both descriptions are published hundreds of years after the purported event. The earliest independent eye-witness account of the inkstone being physically in Matsumae possession is an appraisal dated 1669, close to two centuries after 1485.

The Matsumae Castle Museum supplements the inkstone with a 1594 document stating that a Nakarai Shunran went to Ming China in the Zhengde era (1506-21) to learn medicine and returned to Japan with a Bronze Bird Terrace Tile Inkstone, gifted to him by his Chinese teacher. However, I wasn’t able to find out whether this is the same inkstone (as there is a number of such inkstones in Japan), or if Nakarai Shunran went to Hokkaido.

Regardless of how the inkstone came to Matsumae, it remained there as heirloom until it was sold off around 1922. For most of the 20th century it was considered missing until it was rediscovered in 2007. While not the finest specimen of a Bronze Bird Terrace Tile Inkstone - and most likely not from Cao Cao’s time - the Matsumae inkstone is nonetheless special for all the roles it might have played throughout its journey from China to Japan. From stationery to plaything to merchandise to emblem of prestige, the inkstone now rests as an exhibit in a display case in the Matsumae Castle Museum.

Selected sources

Kubo Yasushi [久保 泰] (2008), 松前家の家宝「銅雀台瓦硯」について

Nakamura Kazuyuki [中村 和之] (2008), アイヌの北方交易とアイヌ文化 : 銅雀台瓦硯の再発見をめぐって

Tian Xiaofei (2018), The Halberd at Red Cliff: Jian'an and the Three Kingdoms 　　

[hypmic-info]

ARB Prologue Part 1: The Setting

The prologue is quite lengthy and thus will be split into multiple 'sections’  as some may want to be skipped for the sake of time, and reading large chunks of text on mobile would be difficult. On autoplay, the voiced story is about 15 minutes so this will take quite some time.

The entire main story is voiced so please do choose the LEFT option when starting a chapter to hear the voices. I personally do not recommend leaving things on autoplay because there are no gaps between lines and it’s therefore easy to listen to your favourite boys!

Also, do not worry too much about picking the ‘right’ option because there’s very little difference between story branches - about two or three lines at most are given before returning to the main branch.

This section deals with the world building of Alternative Rap Battle, a slightly different setting from the main plot of the series. Please click the read more to venture on! Part 2 will be where the main cast enters. 

DISCLAIMER:

This story is different from the original plot. This story is original to the app. There are no relations between actual people, groups, events, etc.

MC H-Era, Year 3. The two of us walked through the gates of Chuo, and towards the Colosseum ahead. It was only the two of us.

??? Oi! Hurry up and get over here!

[ FOOTSTEPS ]

??? You only ran a little and you’re panting so much already? Really… What a weak kid.

MC CHOICE

A: S-Sorry…!!

??? Ha… In that condition, you’re a hundred years too early to be my apprentice.

B: It’s cause teacher’s luggage is so heavy

??? No excuse, brat. If you’re going to be my disciple, don’t complain about carrying luggage.

MAIN BRANCH

[ BEEPING NOISE ]

??? Hm? Ah. Time for my meds.

MC CHOICE

A: [SILENTLY GIVE HIM THE MEDICINE]

??? That’s right, I forgot I put it in the luggage.

B: I have the medicine

??? Tch. If you had it, just give it ‘ere. What a careless kid, jeez.

MAIN BRANCH

??? Hh... Now, let’s get going. Chuoku... where rappers take the stage.

[ TRANSITION: CHUOKU STAGE ]

MC CHOICE

A: Wa... It’s so big!

???

It’s not just big. The Colosseum's optimised for rap battles. You won’t see anything else like this.

B: It’s not as big as I expected?

??? You’ve got a mouth on ya. This is the optimal facility. You’ve never seen anything like this before.

MAIN BRANCH

??? Size, equipment, no matter how you look at it - this facility dedicated to rap battles by the pride of Chuoku is state-of-the-art. Look.

GIRL A Wow... This is going to be my first live rap battle!

GIRL B We’ve still got some time left, but let’s go sit in the audience. I’m so excited, I can’t keep calm!

GIRL C I get you! I can’t wait either! Who are you guys rooting for today?

GIRL B Hm... I’m a little worried, but ‘Buster Bros!!!’

GIRL A MAD TRIGGER CREW’S cool too, right?

GIRL C It’s gotta be Matenrou for me!

GIRL B But Fling Posse is hard to ignore... Hmm!

MC CHOICE - No branching

A: There’s so many women!

B: The venue’s so large but there’s even more seats

??? That’s right, since today today is the Alternative Rap Battle’s semi-finals. All the women in Chuoku come to watch.

It’s different from the street raps you’re used to with the scale and prize money on the line.

GIRL B Oh look! Over there, isn’t that DJ ROKURO?

GIRL C Ah, it’s really him!

GIRL A Huh?.. Who’s that?

GIRL B He’s a DJ! The Chuo Ward specially invites a DJ for the Alternative Rap Battle.

GIRL A Huh? But in the territory battles, don’t the speakers come out when the MCs start their ‘Hypnosis Mic’?

GIRL C Yup. In territory battles, or in rap battles elsewhere, the MCs speakers will start the beat. But in Alternative Rap Battles, it’s a DJ with both popularity AND SKILL who leads the match.

GIRL A Huh... Then DJ Rokuro must be pretty good then?

GIRL B Of course! You can’t be into rap battles and now know who DJ ROKURO is. [1]

GIRL C You don’t get anyone better scratching on the decks like DJ ROKURO.

MC CHOICE - No branching

A: Teacher, you’re pretty well known!

B: Teacher, they’re all looking at you..

ROKURO Tch. Don’t bother getting involved with them. Let’s go.

[ ROKURO AND MC GET UP TO LEAVE ] 

GIRL B Ah! Wait! DJ ROKURO! I’m a fan!

GIRL C Can I shake your hand please!

GIRL D Eh? DJ ROKURO? Where?

GIRL E I want to get his autograph!

??? You over there! Make way and get away from that man.

GIRL C Ah...

PARTY OF WORDS A Excessive contact with the participants will be regarded as obstruction of business and you will be removed immediately. Don’t make extra work for us Rokuro Doudantsutsuji. Come with us.

DJ ROKURO Yeah yeah.

[ ROKURO LEAVES WITH THE ATTENDANT ]

GIRL B Eh, no way...!

GIRL C Look over here!

GIRL B Just a second! Stay there!

[ A GIRL BUMPS INTO MC ]

GIRL C What big luggage, annoying!

GIRL D DJ ROKUROー！！

GIRL E

Can I get your autograph?

[ THE GIRLS CHASE AFTER HIM ]

MC CHOICE - No branching

A: Wait, teacher! Don’t leave!

B: Excuse me. P-Please move out of the way...

[ TRANSITION: HALLWAY ]

ANNOUNCER

Customers going to the venue, please listen for guidance. Today’s match is expected to be very crowded.

Those who have completed registration procedures, please take a your designated seats as soon as possible.

GIRL A DJ ROKURO already went so far ahead.

GIRL B Ah no... I though I’d be able to meet someone famous

GIRL C It’d be dangerous if you were called out by The Party of Words officials, so it’s not worth the risk.

GIRL B Well, I’m sort of nervous since the audience is so big this time.

GIRL C The number of people’s definitely increased. Even people who aren’t as interested in Hip Hop are coming to watch now.

GIRL A Of course, that’s cause when you fight with ‘Hypnosis Mic’, it’s so cool! The performances are amazing.

GIRL C Security for the Alternative Rap Battle is supposed to be tight and it’s pretty safe, but it’s also easy for beginners to enter as well.

GIRL B Unlike territory battles over territory, the alternative rap battles are way more entertaining

GIRL C Yeah yeah! It’s pretty easy to watch

GIRL A Oh, hey, our seats - I think we can get in from that gate.

GIRL C Really? Let’s go, let’s go

[ THE GIRLS LEAVE ] 

MC CHOICE - No branching

A: Rap battles are pretty popular huh.

B:  It get it, so MCs are really cool!

??? ーhey, you. 

ICHIRO Yeah, I’m talking to you. Tell me something. Earlier, didn’t you call that person teacher? No point in hiding the truth. The logo’s embroidered right there on your bag - DJ ROKURO.

JIRO Oi you. Don’t think Ni-chan doesn’t know if you’re lyin’ to him!

SABURO Unlike some morons, Ichi-nii is a smart person. There’s no point trying to deceive him.

JIRO Bastard... Who you calling a moron?!!

SABURO It’s obvious without me saying who it is. Ah, of course you would know who I’m talking about. Talk about a pitiful guy.

JIRO What ya say?!!

MC CHOICE

A: You know about DJ ROKURO?

SABURO Of course we know. You’d definitely know the name if you were even a little caught up with modern rap battles. What’s more, we’re participants in the Alternative Rap Battle.

B: It’s the ‘Buster Bros!!!’! 

JIRO What’s that to ya, huh?

MAIN BRANCH

ICHIRO

...Oi you, what’s your name?

[ MC NAME ]? I don’t think I’ve heard of you.

[ FOOTSTEPS APPROACH ]

SAMATOKI What? ‘s there something wrong with my eyes? I'm seeing that bastard Ichiro over there.

ICHIRO Samatoki...!!

— — — — — — — — — —

[1] There was a line that says モグリだよ、モグリ I have literally never heard this in my life. But judging by context, I assume it’s affirmation or a noise of excitement. 

I’ll post the next part in an hour or so while I do checks... and grind for Rio’s event. Please, this emu is giving me a hell of a time.

PART 2 >

[hopes4gf]

Wings of Fire (A MHA Fanfic): The Pulse

Later, on we get our scheduled matches and I fight Mina.

As we prance around the ring, demonstrating our skills and quirks, I feel Dad’s gaze right on me. As I try to build walls of ice to block Mina’s acid, I shoot her with a fire ball, ripping into her uniform. Mina is knocked out of the ring and I’m declared the winner. To win the third place spot, I’m matched with Tokoyami and Dark Shadow which makes him one of my biggest challengers, since we’re both skilled in attack and defense.

I go to the stands to wait for my match.

Shoto faces off with Midoriya. A match that's sure to please my father. Shoto does as he told Midoriya, fighting him only using his right side. But Midoriya attacks the ice walls he builds. What happens next shocks me to my core, Midoriya shouts, “It’s your quirk, not his,” making Shoto’s fire quirk spark a jolt.

I watch Dad spark with victory.

“Have you finally lived up to your purpose? That’s it! Very good, this is the dawn of a new era for us! With my blood in your veins, you will surpass me and live up to the reason I created you!” Dad exclaims.

I growl underneath my breath at my father’s prideful actions.

Of course he would choose to make a scene in front of Shoto.

Shoto creates a surge of fire, wiping Midoriya out.

Midnight stops the fight before it becomes brutal. Shoto wins.

The crowd goes wild at the sight of Shoto’s fire.

Shoto looks to me, disappointed in himself. I glare and head inside of the stadium to the waiting room, preparing for my match. How could I top him? Dad’s pride at his best.

As I head towards the rooms, I see Dad approaching the entrance of the battleground to meet Shoto.

“What’s the matter? Not gonna tell me to get lost?” Dad assumes.

Shoto stays silent.

”You need to learn to control your left side. It’s dangerous to control so much energy like that. I’m glad you’re finally seeing reason. Now, that you’ve abandoned your childish rebellion, we can get back to what’s important,” Dad says, proudly, putting his arms out for Shoto to hug him.

I feel jealous watching their interaction. What happens next grinds my gears.

”Once you graduate, I want you to be my sidekick,” Dad offers.

“There’s no way I can abandon anything. I completely forgot about you...I’ll think about it,” Shoto says, starting to accept his abilities.

Dad’s eyes widen and Shoto walks past him.

Before he can spot me again, I continue down to the waiting rooms.

I sit in my room and I deliberate the situation. Was that Shoto’s exception? Is he really going to work for Dad? Is that why he’s been distant all this time?

Suddenly, the door opens. Shoto appears with a new gym shirt on.

”What’re you doing here?” I ask.

”I betrayed you. I told you I’d never use my fire. But I didn’t have any other choice,” Shoto says in a monotone voice.

I sigh and stand to face him.

”You should’ve thought about that from the beginning when you dragged me behind you at the entrance exam,” I spit.

”Why are you still mad about that?” Shoto asks.

”Because it keeps happening over and over again! Don’t you even care?” I exclaim.

”I do care,” Shoto says.

”Than act like you do!” I exclaim, pushing him back.

He doesn’t fight me. Instead, he turns away and leaves.

My match is called and I head to the arena.

Let’s just say my fire burned dark shadow pretty badly. Putting her down with only one blast due to the blue light.

As I walk back into the waiting rooms, I realize that this gives me the opportunity to face the person I dreaded ever coming across.

Katsuki Bakugo.

Later, our match is called and we both head to the battlefield. Dad stares down at me proudly, finally acknowledging this match up.

Katsuki doesn’t even speak before the match, respectfully acknowledging my father’s presence.

We both clash, his explosions attacking me while my ice guards against him.

”Never thought I’d ever fight you in a million years,” I comment, as I dodge his explosions.

”I guess you can handle the heat, hot stuff,” He winks.

I send ice shards in his directions but he protects himself from my attack with an explosion.

”You’re gonna have to better than that if you wanna take me down,” Bakugo smirks.

I raise my brow, challenged by his skill.

I push myself up and forward, creating a large ice barrier. But before I can trap him with my Hell Ring, he blasts through the wall, shooting up and creating a large explosion that shakes the arena.

I feel my body start to ache at the impact of his explosion, the heat making my eyes start to close.

My body finally meets the grounds impact.

“How’d you know I was going to attack you with my fire?” I ask, my breath starting to slow.

”I remembered the Quirk Apprehension test. You faint when you charge up to much of your fire. It’s your attack quirk. This was fun though,” Bakugo says, standing over me victoriously.

I can hear Midnight declare his victory over me before my body slips away.

———————————————

When I wake, I realize I’m in Recovery Girl’s wing. Next to me, Shoto waits.

”You okay?” Shoto asks.

”Yeah, just a little worn out from Katsuki’s explosions. He’s pretty damn strong,” I say, wincing slightly at my sore body.

”Katsuki? You two on a first name basis?” Shoto asks.

I blush softly as I realize that I called Bakugo by his first name.

”I didn’t mean to say his name, I just-“

”You like him don’t you?” Shoto asks.

I blush even harder at my brother’s questions.

”I- um. Well,” I stutter.

”He came to see you earlier. He told me to tell you he came because ended up winning. He thought you might cheer up hearing that,” Shoto says.

I smile to myself at the thought of Bakugo coming to see me and winning the festival.

”He wasn’t proud of it though. He kept urging me to use my fire on him. He wanted a fair match. But if Midnight hadn’t stopped the match, both of us would’ve died,” Shoto laughs softly.

My eyes widen at the thought. It was that important to him? Especially after winning against me?

”Are you serious?” I ask.

”He was determined. They had to muzzle him and chain him up to make him stop. He went completely nuts. But when he saw you, something about him softened,” Shoto adds.

Later, one of the doctors walks in to let me go.

Me and Shoto walk to the train station together.

”I went to visit mom recently,” Shoto admits, breaking his silence.

My eyes widen, remembering him and Midoriya’s interaction.

”So did I,” I admit.

Shoto turns to me, surprised.

”When?” Shoto says.

”After the battle trials,” I admit.

Shoto stops me in my tracks.

”Why didn’t you tell me? About mom and dad?” Shoto asks.

”Why didn’t you tell me you were gonna work for Dad?” I bite back.

Shoto’s eyes widen and his face softens.

”You really think I want to drag you into that?” Shoto asks.

”It’s not my fault that you ended up with that scar! You’re running right to the man who’s exploited you for years, Sho! You’re not only betraying me, but you're betraying mom. She told me before you so that we can form a closer bond and prove Dad wrong. That we didn’t need him. But instead your asking for his advice. You’re allowing him to continue tearing us apart. So if you really really cared, you would stop whatever bullshit you’re doing and apologize to mom!” I yell.

“You’re right. But if I want to make it anywhere I have no choice but to ask him. Because if I can’t protect you, who is?” Shoto says.

”That’s for me to decide, Shoto. Not you,” I say, stepping onto our train before him.

We ride on the train in complete silence. We reach our home and we enter silently.

”Shoto, Aki, is everything alright?” Fuyumi asks.

”Leave them alone. They’ve had a long day,” Dad says, appearing from his study.

”But I have news,” Fuyumi says.

”What’d you say about news?” Natsu says, appearing from his room.

”I...I've been hiding something from you all,” Fuyumi says shyly.

We all raise a brow.

”I....I have a boyfriend,” Fuyumi blurts out.

We all stand in silence.

Before bursting out laughing.

”Fuyumi? She has a boyfriend?!” Natsu laughs.

”That’s impossible! She’s the shyest member in our family. And she’s a teacher, what kind of guy wants a teacher girlfriend?” I laugh along with Natsu.

Dad smacks us both over the head as we continue to laugh.

”Shut up, the both of you and respect your damn sister!” Dad yells.

We finally recover from laughing.

”Guess what, Aki? My boyfriend is a pro hero,” Fuyumi says cheekily.

My smile drops and I stare at her, dumbfounded by her words.

“Do I know them?” Dad asks out of curiosity.

”I invited him to dinner tonight, so, you’ll see,” Fuyumi says.

We all stare back and forth at each other, questioning our judgment.

We continue with our routines and dress up in a casual-formal mixed style.

Soon, we hear our doorbell ring.

Fuyumi answers the door and I sit at the table waiting.

My eyes widen as I see the man at our door.

Slick blond hair, eyes yellow like the sun, sun kissed skin with light stubble and beautiful red wings tucked behind him. He wears a white shirt and some blue slacks, looking quite handsome.

My jaw drops at the handsome spectacle in front of my eyes.

"Hawks," Dad says, glaring at the man.

"Endeavor-san! You haven't been answering my calls, old man," Hawks says coolly, striding inside.

"Why are you here?" Dad asks Hawks, glaring at him.

"Dad...he's my boyfriend," Fuyumi introduces.

"You gotta be fucking joking," I say, my jaw dropped.

Shoto smacks my arm after my comment.

"You two must be the kids from the Sports Festival. What you guys did was awesome! Maybe even better than your pops," Hawks compliments.

I blush softly at his remark and Shoto coughs softly.

"Come on, don't be weird. I don't bite," Hawks adds with a wink.

"Hi," Shoto waves.

I choose to stay silent and suppress my thoughts. I kick myself, remembering he's my sisters boyfriend. Let alone she knows about Katsuki. So I decide to stay silent.

"And you must be the quiet one. You're one tough kid, eh?" Hawks asks, directing his attention to me.

"Actually, it's the opposite. But it seems like the roles are reversed today," Fuyumi comments.

"Loosen up, you knuckle-heads. There's a legend in your presence," Natsu says.

"And you must be the middle child, what's up man?" Hawks says, giving Natsu a handshake.

"All good, just waiting for midterms," Natsu says.

Later, we all sit at the table to enjoy Fuyumi's dinner. As Fuyumi explains what their relationship is like, Hawks's attention switches from her to me, intimidating me.

He probably thinks I'm a big dork.

"And then, he smiled. And I knew, I liked him from that moment on," Fuyumi says.

"Now, don't sugar-coat it, babe," Hawks says.

As the new couple laughs from across the table, I start to feel uncomfortable.

"I think I'm gonna call in for the night," I say, resting my utensils down and standing from my seat.

"Oh no, was the food not good?" Fuyumi asks.

"No, I'm just a little tired from today. Busy, you know," I say nervously.

"I mean you did pass out during the festival," Natsu recalls, on the verge of laughing.

"Natsu, respect your sister," Dad says, smacking him upside his head.

"Buenas Noches (good night)," I say, excusing myself.

I sigh as the light of the living room fades from my vision. I step into my room and push the door of my balcony out.

I grab my phone and dial Katsuki's number.

It pings three times.

"Hey, hot stuff," Katsuki says through the phone.

"Hi. Shoto told me you came by, I was wondering how you've been," I say.

"Does that mean you were thinking about me?" He asks, cheekily.

I roll my eyes at his antics, my heart starts to skip beats as I hear his voice through the phone.

"You were worried about me. All I wanted to say was thank you," I say, dodging the question.

"I'll take that as a yes," Katsuki suggests.

"Asshole," I say.

"Dumbass," He says in return.

"If you want my opinion, stop fooling around," I say.

"Okay, fine," He says, giving in.

"I just needed to hear your voice. Hearing about you made me feel a bit better. And, my sister decided to bring her boyfriend home today, so you can only imagine how I feel," I say honestly.

"You lonely, babe?" Katsuki asks.

I blush softly and stay silent.

"Admit it, you want me with you right now," Katsuki teases.

"Maybe," I say, giving in slightly.

I hear him chuckle through the phone.

"I knew it," Katsuki laughs softly.

I smile to myself.

"Is there anything else you need before I head out?" Katsuki asks.

"Honestly...I wanna see you again. Not in like a group setting but privately," I say.

"We can meet in the classroom at lunch tomorrow," Katsuki suggests.

"Good," I agree.

"Night, Aki," He says sweetly through the phone.

"Good night, Katsuki," I say softly before hanging up.

Suddenly, I feel a gust of wind behind me.

"Was that your boyfriend?" A voice asks.

I turn and see Hawks standing behind me.

"No, he's just a friend from school," I admit.

Hawks smiles at me.

"Your sister told me a lot about you," Hawks says.

"What kind of cookie cutter crap did she say this time?" I ask.

"She told me that if there's anyone I should keep my eye out for, it's you. She says you're the heart and soul of the family. The one who's always trying to keep everyone balanced and together," Hawks says.

"That sounds more like her than me," I scoff.

"Is that so?" Hawks asks, stepping closer to my side.

"She's the one who asks us all the protective questions. My old man could give less than a shit about how we feel, but she's the one who actually talks to us," I admit.

"She told me you'd say that," Hawks admits.

I turn my head to face him, his eyes are glued to the horizon.

"The way she puts it, you're the only sibling who refuses to believe whatever canned crap you're fed. You tell only truth to her. You speak your mind, unlike your brothers who tend to bottle things up, I'm not suggesting you don't but it takes you a bit to open up, which is understandable. I respect that actually," Hawks compliments.

"What're you trying to get at?" I ask.

"I'm quite interested in you, not gonna lie. I watched your performance at the festival. I'd really like to work with you one day. And from what your sister has told me, I hope we can be friends. I can see that your old man doesn't cut you enough slack so, if you need a friend or someone to distract him for a couple hours, just call me," Hawks says.

I look down and I realize my phone isn't in my hands anymore, rather, in his as he types his number into my phone.

"I should head back before Fuyumi gets suspicious. I'll see you soon, kid," He says, handing my phone back before flying away.

I stand there flustered and confused. What the hell is going on?

———————————————

“King Explosion Murder,” Bakugo says, showing the class his hero name.

”I think that’s a little too violent,” Midnight disagrees.

Today in class, we’re picking our hero names! Since we’re getting ready to start internships, it’s best to have a hero name so people know who we are once we debut.

But a lot of us are struggling.

“What do you mean?” Bakugo says angrily.

”Why don’t you be Explosion Boy?” Kirishima suggests.

”Shut up, shitty hair!” Bakugo yells.

“Who knew it’d be so hard to pick a damn name?” I scoff.

”I know right! At least give us time,” Kaminari says.

”Denki, it’s been two months since we’ve started school,” Sero reminds.

Two months...in two months we did so much. Summer is coming near so that’s probably why UA is pushing these internships.

Suddenly, the class quiets down as Aoyama, the French laser beam boy steps up.

“Hold your breath. The shining hero...my name is I cannot stop twinkling!” He says in a theatrical tone.

“Come on!” Me and my friends exclaim.

”Take out the I and shorten the cannot to can’t,” Midnight corrects.

”She likes it?” We question.

“This fucking ridiculous,” Bakugo huffs, still trying to think about a name.

”Obviously. We’re picking a name, for gods sake,” I say in agreement.

Our classmates come and go with their cool names. And then my brother steps up.

”Shoto,” He says.

”Just your name? Is that it?” Midnight asks.

”Uh huh,” Shoto nods.

”It’s cause he’s boring as hell and has no flavor in him,” I joke.

The class snickers and Shoto glares at me.

”Then what’s your hero name?” Shoto asks.

A name pops into my head and I write it quickly on my writing board.

”My hero name is Sub-Zero,” I say confidently.

”That’s an awesome name!” My friends exclaim.

”Makes sense due to your ice quirk. But what about your fire?” Midnight asks.

”Might as well call her icy-hot,” Bakugo snickers.

”Shut up, you idiot!” I yell.

”Make me, dumbass!” He yells back.

I blush softly at his response and he smirks to himself, asserting his dominance over me.

"Anywho, I prefer to use my ice quirk a little more than my fire, so it only makes sense, but  one day I'd like to use a combo of the two," I continue.

"Well, then, good choice!" Midnight compliments.

I sit back down in my seat and Kirishima gives me a high five.

"Awesome name, man," Kirishima compliments.

"No pressure, Kiri," I say, staring down at his blank board.

He smiles shyly.

I turn to see Bakugo staring at us with a glare in his eye and a scowl across his lips.

"Remind me why you two are my goody goody best friends?" Bakugo scoffs.

"Because you're a big old softie," I joke.

"SHUT UP, YOU DUMBASS!" Bakugo yells.

"Angry Pomeranian~" I coo.

Bakugo growls under his breath.

Later, Bakugo goes up to the class podium.

"Kacchan? What does that mean?" Midnight asks.

I turn to see Midoriya blush softly. I recognize him calling Bakugo that. It's probably a childhood nickname or something.

"Tsk, it's whatever," Bakugo says in a scoff.

I see the look of disappointment on Midoriya's face.

"Don't say anything, idiot," Bakugo says in a low voice to Midoriya.

I smirk softly as he sits down.

"Got a problem, dumbass?" Bakugo asks.

"Not at all, 'suki," I say, using my own nickname on him.

The group's eyes widen but he doesn't lash out, he only scoffs.

"What the hell was-?" Kaminari starts.

Sero tapes his mouth shut.

"Just watch," I catch Sero whisper.

______________________________________________

Later, I head to the classroom and see Bakugo waiting for me like we planned.

"So, you finally gonna be honest with me?" I ask, stepping inside with a smirk on my face.

"What you pulled wasn't fucking funny," Bakugo scoffs.

"Sure it wasn't. Now, are you gonna admit that you were a little jealous of me and Kiri when we were talking?" I ask.

He blushes softly, realizing that I felt his gaze on me as me and Kirishima talked.

"I don't know what the hell you're talking about," He brushes off.

I put a hand on his chest, teasing him.

"Aw come on, I thought you liked me back," I say coolly.

"I didn't say I didn't like you back. But what if I was, jealous? Especially after that call last night, you hanging around with your sister's boyfriend and talking with my best friends," He starts.

"I knew it," I say with a chuckle.

"Just don't tell anyone," He says, turning away from me.

"Anyways, how are you feeling? You know after you won the sports festival and got a shit ton of offers from a bunch of pro heroes?" I ask.

"It's whatever. My mom's the one whose pushing my ass. But you sure calm my ass down, hot stuff," Bakugo says.

I smile at his words.

"Even if I yelled at you in class for being an absolute ass?" I ask.

"You know, that's different," Bakugo says, rolling his eyes.

"I know. It's just a front. But don't you think the group is starting to get a little curious?" I ask.

Bakugo pulls my hands off of him and puts his hands in mine. His skin is warm and slightly rough from his quirk.

"Listen, whatever goes on between us, is private. They don't have to know shit. They can stay curious for all I care. I want you to myself, which means no bullshit," He says sternly.

"Fine, but...what does that mean for us? Do you wanna just keep meeting like this?" I ask.

"You did say you were lonely, that you wanted me, that you wanted to keep seeing me-" He starts.

"Yeah, yeah, I get it," I say, rolling my eyes.

"To me, that call sounded like you wanted to commit to a..."

"A relationship?" I finish.

"Damn you," He scoffs, blushing again.

"You're cute when you're frustrated," I tease.

"Whatever...all I'm gonna say is that I'm open to it. A...relationship," Bakugo says shyly.

"Why?" I tease.

"You know why, idiot," He scoffs.

"Actually, I don't," I say innocently.

"I like you. You don't pack on bullshit, you're...nice. I like talking to you...and teasing you. And you're hot," Bakugo says simply, thinking as he speaks.

"I'll take that over a 'just because your hot', any day. I can work with that," I say with a wink.

"Since you asked me, why do you wanna do this this, huh? Just cause you're the only one without a lover?" Bakugo asks.

"No. I just like the way you think. And like your little quirks and ticks around me, it makes you a little more likeable to me. Also, you're just...comforting. Someone I feel safe around...even when you are a egoistic, protective jackass," I admit.

Bakugo laughs softly at my words, that damn laugh sends butterflies to my stomach.

"I'm gonna be honest, I wasn't expecting you to actually like me. You were one serious bitch," Bakugo says.

"Really?" I ask. "Sure. And I'll admit, I am one too but...you're just a little more tolerable," Bakugo compliments.

"You must be really into me if you're actually complimenting me," I tease.

"Shut up, dumbass," He says.

"So what time you picking me up tonight?" I ask.

"What? You mean like...for a date?" Bakugo asks, caught off guard.

"Yeah, duh," I scoff.

"6:00 I guess. But don't tell anyone," Bakugo says.

"And what do you mean by anyone, 'suki?" I ask.

"The group, you idiot. Or your brother," Bakugo mentions.

"He knows. He could tell when you came to visit me after our match. Anywho, he's not the one you've got to worry about, Bakugo," I say, walking towards the door.

"So formal. Just call me Katsuki or whatever," He scoffs.

"I'm just teasing you, you big idiot. I'll see you later," I say, walking out the door.

After I walk out, my phone starts ringing. I see the caller ID is my new friend, Hawks.

"What's up, bird brain?" I say.

"Hey, kid. I've got some news that you might like," Hawks says.

"What?" I ask.

"Shoto may have told me last night a little scoop about you denying Daddy Endeavor's offer to be his intern so...I snagged you before he even had the chance," Hawks says.

I stop in my tracks.

"Dude, I just met you and you're already going out on a limb for me? Thank god I don't have to deal with him for two months," I sigh.

Hawks laughs from the other end of the phone, I can see his smile from here.

"You'd be working as one of my assistants, I'd help you collect information, figure out battle strategies and stupid dumb shit that you'd have to track in my life. Pretty weight-less, huh?" He explains.

"Better than my dad's hunk of crap," I say.

"Good, I'll be over with Fuyumi at 5:00 so we can talk a bit more, see you then?" Hawks asks.

"Oof, I can't. I got a date tonight with a friend," I say cooly.

"You mean your little boyfriend from last night?" He asks.

"He's not my boyfriend yet, but I think he'll ask me eventually," I say.

"And what makes you think you've pinned him down just yet?" He asks.

I stop in my tracks to think.

"If you feel uncomfortable or need an excuse, just call me okay? I'll fly over whenever," Hawks says.

"Sure, I'll see you soon, I guess," I say.

"Sure, kid," He says, before hanging up the phone.

I grab my Dr. Pepper from my bag and I start to gulp it down as I walk back to class.

_____________________________________

When I get home, I ignore everything in sight, racing upstairs to prepare for my date with Katsuki.

"Why are you so happy today?" Fuyumi asks, standing by my doorway.

"You remember the boy I told you about?" I ask her.

"The bully? What about him?" Fuyumi asks.

"He asked me out on a date," I say with a smile.

"What? But I thought you weren't interested in him. Hold on, isn't he the same guy who made you black out at the festival?" Fuyumi asks.

"Yeah, but he's not all that bad. he's actually sweet and caring and considerate," I admit.

"You think Katsuki Bakugo is sweet, caring and considerate?" Shoto says, joining the conversation.

"From the look of that guy, he looked like he was about to at you," Natsu comments, also joining the conversation.

"He's got a point, Aki," Fuyumi says.

"Aw, come on! We talk all the time. And plus, all you've ever seen is what he's like on the surface," I say, putting on powder.

"You're kidding, right? You've actually had conversations with him, civil ones, but only in private?" Shoto asks.

"Yeah, just ask Hawks,"  I say.

"You're saying my boyfriend knows about this before any of us do?" Fuyumi asks.

"He's the one who got nosy. And plus, I work for him now, I have to be honest," I add.

"You work for him?" The three of them ask.

"Yeah, I'm doing the internship at UA with him. Dad knows already," I say, spritzing perfume on.

I look through the mirror and the three of them stare at me like dogs waiting for food.

"What?" I ask.

"Dad's gonna kill you if he finds out," Fuyumi says.

"Well then, I won't have a problem. As long as the three of you keep your mouths shut, I'll be fine. And plus, since we're all very secretive, there should be no issues, right, Shoto?" I say, turning to my twin.

"Huh?" Fuyumi and Natsu question, turning to Shoto.

His face goes beet red.

"Have fun," I wink, grabbing my bag and patting his shoulder.

I fix my short red dress and pull my jean jacket on my arms.

I hear Katsuki's car engine outside and I open the door to see him in front of our lawn.

I see a red camaro with the window rolled down, revealing Katsuki, whose wearing a white hoodie with a green camo bomber jacket over it.

"You ready, hot stuff?" He asks.

I open the passenger door and sit inside his car.

"What do you think?" I ask.

He smirks and I kiss his cheek. He blushes softly as he turns back to face the road, revving his engine before driving off.

He turns on a playlist and the first song is Dreams by Fleetwood Mac.

"I didn't pin you as the type to listen to Fleetwood Mac," I comment.

"I listen to pretty much anything that has good beats," Katsuki says.

"Ahh, you're a drummer. No wonder why you're my type. I play guitar," I add.

I feel Katsuki's gaze shift to me for a split second. I hear him laugh to himself at my comment.

"You're fucking cute, you know that?" He asks.

"So are you," I say.

I turn and see him roll his eyes. I smirk to myself and hum softly as the song plays.

We drive around listening to different music, humming and singing along like dorks.

At one point, I catch him singing to Hey There Delilah and I record him. When he notices me, he starts blushing profusely.

"Don't post that," He says frustratedly.

"I know, that's just my personal keepsake," I wink.

Eventually we stop in Akihabara, shonen central and we walk towards an undisclosed location.

"What're you planning, 'suki?" I ask.

"You'll see," Katsuki says teasingly.

Soon, we stop in front of some stairs and above it is a sign that reads "arcade".

"How'd you know I liked arcades?" I ask.

"Lucky guess," Katsuki says, scratching his neck.

I take his hand and we walk up to the arcade.

We reach the arcade and I look around at the 80's style arcade, the colors of all the pin ball machines and anime themed machines mesmerizing me.

"You happy?" He asks.

"More than happy," I say with a smile.

"I assumed you don't get to have much fun at your house since your Dad's a total jackass, this'd be the place I'd take you," Katsuki says.

"That's awfully sweet of you, 'suki," I say with a soft smile.

"Don't mention it, babe," Katsuki says.

I head to the front desk and we both get chip cards to play games.

First, we challenge each other to air hockey.

During the match, we both keep our eyes peeled on the puck and on each other. We match each other's energy, yelling and cursing when the other loses a match. I swear I've never seen someone so competitive over a game ever.

During the last rounds, we taunt each other.

"You're weak, you really think your quick enough to get past me?" I ask.

"Says the girl who passed out during the sports festival because of me," He teases.

"Shut up, explosion boy," I reply.

"You'll pay for that one!" He says, then putting the puck down.

We both yell curses at the puck as we both hit it back and forth quickly. I hit the puck against one of the walls and it shoots past Katsuki.

"Damn it!" Katsuki exclaims, putting down his guarder.

"Told you, you'd lose. Good try though," I say.

Next, we move on to the basketball game.

We both start and once but he gains speed, using his quirk to accelerate his shots.

I catch onto his trick and start to angle my balls with my ice flurries. The cold wind blows them into the basket.

"Cheater," He says.

"Scammer," I say.

"So are you!" He says.

"No I'm not!" I reply.

We go back and forth with insults as we shoot the basketballs.

The timer beeps and I look over at our points. Katsuki is ahead by 250 points and he smirks victoriously.

"Cheaters never win, babe. Now you know how it feels," Katsuki says pridefully.

"Shut up, asshole," I huff.

"You jealous, hot stuff? You jealous that you got beat by a big strong man?" Katsuki teases.

"One more game," I say, not accepting defeat.

He smirks and we move onto our last game.

DDR...Dance dance Revolution.

"Come on! You're a dancer, this isn't fair," Katsuki huffs.

"So you think you're gonna lose, huh? I thought you were a big strong man who is determined to beat me?" I ask teasingly.

Katsuki's eyes narrow, glaring at me. He stands at player two.

"Game on, icy-hot," He says with a newly discovered confidence.

I smirk and pick a vocaloid song.

I focus on the steps, gripping the back rail as I move my feet to the beat.

The steps move across quickly, as I move I score perfects. Suddenly, I'm caught off guard as the board says to switch sides. Me and Katsuki switch sides, quickly fumbling. Before I know, I'm almost off the edge of platform.

I trip over the steps but before I fall, Katsuki catches me, our bodies meet and the game ends.

"You good, idiot?" He asks, focused on me instead of the game.

"Yeah. Thanks for that," I say slightly out of breath.

We both stand upright and look at our percentile score.

We both score 85 percent, tying our score.

I laugh at Katsuki's face as he stares disappointedly at the screen.

"I thought you tripping would impact the score," Katsuki says.

"Oh shut up, you ass!" I say, smacking his arm playfully.

We both move to the prize table and cash in our earnt points. I spot a bunny plush from Ouran Host Club and grab it.

"Damn, it's 1500, I only have 1200," I say disappointedly.

I turn to Katsuki and he huffs, handing me his card. I hug him, thanking him.

As I hug the plush tightly, I see Katsuki's face turn pink.

He takes my hand in his and we walk down to the street.

"That was fun! You should gift me things more often," I say.

"It was only because you looked helpless," Katsuki says, scratching his neck nervously.

"Do you think that's cute?" I ask.

"A little," He scoffs.

"Then I think I should be cute more often, or is that a little too much?" I ask.

"I don't know. I kinda like it when you're feisty too, it makes you even hotter," Katsuki admits.

"Well, then I'm gonna have to find the balance of both. Anyways, what you did was sweet, I appreciate it," I say.

Katsuki blushes softly at my compliment.

"Why do you blush so much? You not used to getting complimented?" I ask.

"Shut it, d-dumbass," He says, getting more flustered.

I grip his hand tightly and we stop. He looks at me with soft eyes.

"If I'm doing something wrong, just tell me," I say.

"Nah, that's not it. I just...you make me feel happy. I feel really happy right now," Katsuki admits.

I laugh softly at his words, as I do, his tenseness is relieved. I feel his muscles relax in my touch. I caress his cheek his my hand, swiping my thumb across his skin.

"You make me happy too, you big idiot," I say through a giggle.

"So what now?" He asks.

"We could get some dinner, or we could go to your car and talk...but if you're up for it, we could try something else," I suggest.

"Like what?" Katsuki asks, raising a sly brow.

I pull his head towards mine, our lips close the gap between us. We kiss. It's a sweet but passionate kiss, I feel his touch on me start to get hungry as I taste the sweet flavor on his lips mixed with my strawberry lip gloss.

He pulls away from the kiss and takes a breath.

"Car. Definitely car," Katsuki says.

I laugh and grab his hand, leading him towards his car while gripping onto the plushie he helped me get.

We get inside the car's backseat and I straddle him down, sitting across his lap.

"Fuck, why do you smell so good?" I comment.

He laughs softly at my comment.

"That's my natural sweat, babe," Katsuki says.

I dig my nose into the crook of his neck.

"Why does your sweat smell like caramel?" I ask.

"My sweat has glycerin, glycerin is a sugar, dumbass," He says through a chuckle.

"Then that makes your kiss even more sweeter to me," I tease.

"Oh yeah?" He asks, his pitch starting to lower.

"Don't get any ideas, lover boy," I say seriously.

"Fine, but if you ask, I'll be here to grant it, hot stuff," Katsuki growls deeply in my ear, sending chills down my spine.

I kiss him once more and we sit there, making out until the sun completely sets over the city.

[hbhtrainees]

NEW DECADE [EP_1]

Summary: The 2020 HBH Trainees ring in the New Year together, Kyungchul is asked to be the leader of HBHT20. Series: NEW DECADE [HBHT20] Genre: Comedy  Pairing: None Word Count: 1.1k Warnings: Recreational use of marijuana. 

Kyungchul felt absolutely ridiculous right now. 

There he was, sat on a sofa in the corner of HBH’s New Years Eve party surrounded by his fellow labelmates and seniors. He tried to keep up with conversation, but about halfway through a lengthy rant by M.H, the leader of Vice, the edibles had kicked in. 

Kyungchul had consumed a gummy edible right before he entered the company party with Rushi, Haeun, Longwei, Sanghoon, and Jiah. Rushi and Longwei had made it clear that they didn’t think they could get through another company party without a little something extra in their system, so they bought a ton of edibles last weekend and offered them to people with similar stances on HBH parties.

Kyungchul thought it would be harmless. Just take a small gummy and relax a little through out the party. Before he knew it, he’d be back in his dorm, having the best sleep of his life. 

However, whatever Rushi and Longwei picked up must have been a higher milligram dosage than he was used to, because Kyungchul was having a very very hard time concentrating on the thread of conversation between Vice’s M.H, Triptych’s Nia and Eli, and Promise’s Jimin. They had all sought him out at the start of the party and pulled him aside to talk. Unfortunately, Kyungchul wasn’t really sober enough to contribute.

“And honestly, being a leader was scary at first.” Eli retells, focusing his attention on Kyungchul. “But I really relied on my members. They got me through.” “I was the leader of HBHNG. It’s a great honor to be a predebut leader.” Nia said with a comforting smile. The rest of his seniors looked at him with proud expressions, like he had just told them that he got into an Ivy League. Kyungchul blinked a few times.

“Wait... what?” Kyungchul asked, his own words sounding muddled. “Never mind, you’ll see.” Jimin shook her head, a knowing smile still on her lips. The looks he was getting from his seniors were starting to freak him out a little. Kyungchul managed a small smile back and stood up.  “Uh cool. Hey, I’ll see you guys later. I’m gonna go find my friends.” He said hastily, bowing to them individually before setting off.

It was hard walking through the dimly lit event hall stoned, but he managed to locate the one person he wanted to chew out.

Rushi was grinding in between Longwei and Haeun on the dance floor, totally unashamed. When the Chinese trainee spotted Kyungchul, she motioned him over with a bright smile on her face. “Feeling good yet?” She asked over the sound of the music. Kyungchul nodded his head at first, but then he shook it side to side. “How many milligrams was that edible?” He asked.  “Uh... I don’t know,” Rushi looked over her shoulder at Longwei, exchanging a confused look with him. “Maybe like, fifteen milligrams?” “Fif-” Kyungchul covered his face with one hand, unsure whether to laugh or cry. His body seemed to agree with laughing, and soon he was gasping for air, laughing his ass off like it was the funniest thing he’s ever heard. The other three started laughing too.

During their laughing fit, Haeun grabbed Kyungchul by his shirt, pulling him towards her. Now the four of them were dancing practically on top of one another, laughing and having fun. Kyungchul felt whatever confusion and discomfort he experienced earlier melt away. He was having such a good time with him and his friends. He didn’t want the feeling to stop. 

A few songs later, the music suddenly cut and the sound of feedback filled the room. The four trainees separated, their hands over their ears. Hak Bonghwa tapped the mic again.

“Hello! Welcome to the tenth annual HBH New Years Eve party!” Hak Bonghwa said. Everyone around them clapped, so the stoned trainees clapped along too.

“It’s amazing how only a decade ago, our company was made up of only seven male trainees and five staff members. Now, at the end of the decade, we are boasting three of the most successful groups in the industry, and have the most well-known trainee project in the country!” Hak Bonghwa stated confidently. The room around them exploded in cheers. Not too far off, Kyungchul saw Jiah, Sanghoon, Kitae and Kijung chanting and bumping their fists “HBHT20! HBHT20!” 

“Yes, yes. This past month, the trainees who have made the cut for HBHT20 have been announced. Fans around the world are anticipating the arrival of our company’s future! However, we still have to elect a leader for the new era of HBH. The one who will lead the future of this company to greater heights. And I think we all have someone in mind that will do this job flawlessly.” Hak Bonghwa stated. 

Something in Kyungchul’s stoned brain clicked together. He recalled the conversation he had with his seniors earlier that night. They kept talking about leadership...

“Oh fuck.” Kyungchul said under his breath.

“Lee Kyungchul,” Hak Bonghwa called out, a smile on his face. “Please come over here.” 

Rushi shoved Kyungchul forward, silent roars of laughter shaking her body. Of course she thought this was funny, but Kyungchul was downright terrified. How was he going to face his boss and the whole company being as fucked up as he was right now? 

Somehow, Kyungchul made it to the front of the room, taking his spot next to Hak Bonghwa.

“Lee Kyungchul, ever since you started training at this company in 2016, you have shown nothing but dedication and excellence.” Hak Bonghwa complimented. “In the practice room, you are a friend, a teacher, and also a fierce competitor. You have participated in Produce X 101 to prove to the world that you are a force to be reckoned with. You have brought honor to this company, and myself and the staff members of HBH all agree that you will be the future face of this company.”  Hak Bonghwa paused for the applause to pass over. Kyungchul hoped he didn’t look as near to passing out as he felt. If he did, Bonghwa didn’t acknowledge it.

“If you so do accept, it would be an honor to have you lead the next installment of HBH Trainees.” Hak Bonghwa posed. The whole crowd in front of them seemed to be holding his breath. “Uh...” Kyungchul took the mic from the founder’s hands clumsily, looking out into the sea of familiar faces. His brain was about ten minutes behind everyone else’s. He paused to try to form the right words. He swallowed hard before speaking into the microphone. “Let’s get it.” 

“Lets get it!” The trainees in the crowd echoed back with glee. The rest of the audience clapped and hollered a few straggled ‘let’s get it’s. Hak Bonghwa clapped with pride, a happy smile on his face. 

Kyungchul bowed to the crowd, wondering what the fuck just happened. 

[breakingasia-blog]

Top Streetwear Brands in Asia You Should Cop in 2020

Hypebeast. Streetwear. Fashion revolution. Skater counterculture. Style shift - Call it what you want, but it’s here to stay. Less than a decade ago, sneakers and hoodies were the go-to fashion statement of kids who are cool enough to not care about what other people think. Now, the mindset which prioritizes convenience over anything is on the loose. Thankfully, comfort and style now go hand in hand. Uniqlo isn’t the only Asian fashion giant taking over the scene. There is a handful of Asian brands that cater to the street scene that is worth checking out. Whether you are looking for hoodies, chunky shoes, or statement tees, we’ve got you covered. A Bathing Ape Considered as a fashion heavyweight, A Bathing Ape is a Japanese brand that offers pieces that centers on streetwear. This brand has made it into the mainstream so you’ll most likely see someone wearing it on the street wherever you go. Whether it’s a child starting out in skateboarding, or a style-conscious CEO, A Bathing Ape can perfectly suit their closet. This brand’s history can be traced back to the iconic ura-Harakuju era, or underground Harajuku, in the 90s. During this time, successful streetwear designers and brands such as Shin Takazama from Neighborhood, Sk8thing, Hiroshi Fujiwara, and Tetsu Nishiyama from WTaps were part of the same circle. In fact, Nigo, the visionary behind the brand, used to work for Sk8thing before opening BAPE. Because of his fascination and interest with 20th-century pop culture, you can see tons of references in their designs. BAPE is also known for its American collaborations with Stüssy Tribe. Li Ning Former Olympic gymnast Li Ning proves that there’s no better person to start a sportswear brand than an athlete. Li Ning has become a fashion powerhouse locally and internationally since it was born after Li competed for the Olympics in 1988. Li Ning is such an important sports icon in the country that he competed in the Olympic torch relay in the 2008 Olympics held in China. Of course, he wore his own tracksuit. His brand fared dramatically well in China since it lacked competition from American and European brands, which took longer to enter the Chinese market. The brand also collaborated with NBA superstar Dwayne Wade, and continues to support Chinese athletes.  One thing that sets the brand apart is its deeply rooted Chinese heritage which allowed them to break through the global barrier. With their fearless designs, Li Ning is set to trail blaze the fashion world for the next years. White Mountaineering Another favorite streetwear Japanese brand, White Mountaineering offers outdoor-inspired clothes. Despite only starting in 2006, the company has already made a name for itself in the international scene. Inspired by their commitment to giving their customers nothing but the best, the brand uses technical fabrics in their designs which include polar fleece, corduroy, and GORE-TEX. Whether or not you plan on using it outdoors, it will surely serve its purpose. The brand also continues to boast performance-focused collections.  Recently, the brand collaborated with Adidas to release a two-color-blocked Nite Joggers. The design first debuted in the White Mountaineering Paris Fashion Week FW19 show. The standout product is a must-have thanks to its rugged aesthetic that is set to complete your look.  White Mountaineering is the brand of choice of fashion-forward people who want to maintain their outdoor-inspired style. White Mountaineering’s philosophy also inspires its customers to demand fashion sustainability and connect with nature’s beauty. Clot Dedicated to bridging the East and the West, Clot is a Hong Kong-based brand that offers so much more than their amazing chunky shoes. The brand was founded by Kevin Poon and Edison Chen, and prides itself on thoughtfully designed apparel.  Clot has also made news in international fashion as it collaborated with fashion giants such as Stüssy, Converse, Adidas, Coach, and Nike. The brand even had links with Coca-Cola and Disney. Did we mention they also helped bring iconic music star Kanye West to Hong Kong for his Touch the Sky tour?  The brand is famous for its modern sportswear and street styles blended with traditional Chinese fabrics. Without question, you can expect to see more of the brand in the next years as it continues to evolve into a global brand. Inside Juice's New K11 Musea Store Hong Kong ©CLOT Team Manila A Philippines brand that started in 2001, Team Manila has cemented its status in the Philippine fashion scene thanks to its bold designs that feature nationalistic themes. Bursting with Pinoy Pride, Team Manila even uses images of the country’s national hero, Jose Rizal, with sunglasses on. The brand draws inspiration from the urban city scene and culture, and the day to day life in Manila. In fact, you can also see images of the Jeepney and popular Tagalog phrases immortalized in their shirts. Team Manila also stands out among its competitors because it’s not afraid to release political designs. Their recent West Philippine Sea shirt collection shows undying support for the country’s claim on the area. The founders of Team Manila also founded Daily Grind shortly after the mother brand became successful. Daily Grind offers fanny packs, caps, guitar picks, patches, and other accessories inspired by streetwear. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Team Manila (@teammanila) on Dec 27, 2019 at 3:00am PST Wacko Maria Its name is as attention-grabbing as its designs. The brand was founded by former J-league soccer players Atsuhiko Mori and Keiji Ishizuka in 2005. “Some time after I finished with soccer, I was drinking with my partner at the time. We weren’t thinking of doing anything big in particular, but we at least wanted to do something cultural, and that’s what we started with,” shared Mori with Hypebeast. This Japanese brand features designs that are heavily influenced by art, films, photography, music, and American culture. The owners also credited Italian architecture, and film directors such as Jean Luc Godard, and Bernardo Bertolucci, among others, as their inspiration. The clothing line is instantly recognizable thanks to its boldly embroidered designs with the text “Paradise Tokyo” or “Guilty Parties” – an ode to the Nakameguro and their offshoot brand. Wacko Maria reached cult status after its collaborations such as WTAPS, N. Hoolywood, and other brands. View this post on Instagram A post shared by WACKO MARIA FLAGSHIP SHOP (@paradisetokyo_wackomaria) on Oct 15, 2019 at 2:00am PDT View this post on Instagram A post shared by WACKO MARIA FLAGSHIP SHOP (@paradisetokyo_wackomaria) on Nov 27, 2019 at 3:48am PST Kirin This brand may be familiar to you if you love music since it’s the brainchild of rising Korean DJ Peggy Gou. The high-caliber streetwear brand takes inspiration from the style of the DJ herself, which explains the bold color blocking, Korean mythological motifs, and giraffe images (she loves them!). In fact, Kirin is the Korean translation of giraffe, which Peggy Gou refers to as her spirit animal. Even before she delved into the music scene, Gou has actually had a fashion background. She simply wanted the brand to reflect her music style which is full of energy. Kirin is a brand fit for everyone. With its playful designs and unexpected ultra-bright colors, everyone who is tired of the usual monochromatic streetwear looks will absolutely love it. One of the bestselling designs of the brand is a twisted gun print by Jae Huh, which sends a message of non-violence. Other popular designs form the labels are the baseball jersey-kimono fusions and the sliced track jackets. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Kirin (@kirin_) on Sep 15, 2019 at 4:21am PDT Ready to Shop? Now that you know some of the most in-demand Asian streetwear brands, you’re finally ready to swipe your credit card. When sporting this theme, make sure to take it up a notch by staying true to your own unique style. While the Asian brands mentioned above may not be as recognizable as Supreme, Stüsssy, and other Western brands, there is no denying that Asia will soon be an epicenter of the streetwear culture. Read the full article

[nauseateddrive]

LOVE POEM by Sean Kilpatrick

born from a box of porn on the forest floor

mating with weeds fast-forwarded

past the fault of parenthood

unburdening heavenward or worse

then when my bloody nose entered rosebud

holes like pollen to the trees exposed

I found you free of content

and blocked the whole cast

as your bandages unclasped

to fit my lick like flowers spent

their tongues on time

little circumcisions in the air

skirt to clit safety-pinned

all fallen in what

black porridge snares by

spurting the inch my siblings

drowned to life within

passing away inside a cramp

following the logic of the land

all nature’s one pink lens

now when we fuck it’s evidence

true love’s meddlesome obsessions raid the brain

my muse and sprite did masquerade

a name as plain as Jaclyn

she spared her haunted blood from my disease

laughing off its lease

needling her tummy

in moonlight rays’ jealousy

streaks of copper liquorish

socked about each knee

meat balloons in diabetic scones

painted orange with eyelashes

smoking cloves to sound unschooled but

genius shining through

she implied I do

with safety nets because uncles

kept her posed as pets

as every sensual animal and just as hurt

to which I sighed to put my rapier

through their eyes and see her weep

in fading visions unmolested

visited still upon quivering sheets

I however was less discrete

the shadows about my cheeks

made her nostalgic for wretchedness

and she became a damaged dainty shrink

candy-striping the sins of men

smarmy in anybody’s bed

but a virgin before the word was said

I am the cartographer of her paleness

these twenty years in centimeters

balancing on the string she pulled me with

my prototype feminine best

tiniest practitioner of indifference

all curves measured next to hers

without her

fleas dance amongst my eyelids

and sip the stuffing of my dreams

warped insane by rejection

ignorant of how to handle women

(be willing to leave at any moment)

one of the most beautiful things

about the most beautiful woman

I’ve ever seen is that she wanted

her death to leave behind a mess

boner big in the pudge of one’s twenties

thrown at nympho utters

shut the shutters and grind on grains

served in vain at chain locations

you complete toilet of a youth

believing every crush

done up by your wallet’s brush

love’s chemical reach unrequited

churns musculature divided

trying to split your flesh into hers

only by dysmorphia is that body yours

only by choking on her name

will you be able to gain its nutrients

her digestion is a smaller element of yours

gnawing blurred as the absence leaves her image bent

kill the image to see where it went

you live in prison regardless

every man should look like a stray skeleton by thirty

having loved enough to stop absorption

pricing himself out of adoration

managing DNA viciously

proliferators scalded till their tummies take

left snakes to raise alone with other feline lays

nodding through the lies they tell themselves at night

let each smile spit the morning up

beware if one outlasts your numbness with sweet entreaty

tactics of the needy whose greed arrives at your expense

when attention wasn’t met and takes revenge for everything

the cute must plot because they resemble the opposite of death

yet do its bidding in increments just as competent

then you realize how rare her loyalty is and spare the fee to care

against will and what will cuckold you again with age

when dying lasts

when to its feast we’re lashed

and the reaper cleans your face of every grace

I too will be sponging you cycled round these processes

made to diminish kings with a line or two of memory

through the bog that led us together to meet and suffer moments

on our best potential

death sits and gloats

feel the circumference of his cloak

and blow your fucking nose

where agriculture disguised the skull in fat

leading to an atomic conga line of golden calves

the atom as a plaster bath

in the plastic air copyright

stanching the beautiful carbon you fertilize

resurrection cumshot

from within a species garnered upside down

from a selling point behind the clouds

we were born in the era of the rubber chicken proverb

Sean Kilpatrick’s writing has been published or is forthcoming in Boston Review, Fence, Nerve, Bomb, Vice, Obsidian, evergreen review, Columbia Poetry Review and Sleepingfish. He has a Master’s Degree in Creative Writing from Eastern Michigan University.

[shogetsus]

Stripes of Auburn, Eye of Sapphire

22. Mai

Read on Ao3 | Read on FFN |  Masterlist

Summary: “I wasn’t the only isolated case of smallpox, back in the day. But I’ve been lucky to only lose an eye from it, that’s for sure…”

The harsh truth from the reality they live in weighs heavily on her. Masamune speaks as if somewhat detached from the horrible fact he lost his bride, of all people. However, to some extent she comes to understand a commander and head of a clan like him must have spent his entire life getting acquainted with death. May it be due to war, a disease, or just birth, the prospect of losing a loved one must be just that inevitable for people in that era.

Perhaps that’s why he goes by living life to the fullest, not missing a single moment.

Spoilers: Masamune’s route Warning for slight sexual themes.

Mai

“I came for a tryst.”

What? Did she hear him right? It wouldn’t be surprising otherwise, considering the very loud way her heartbeat begins to throb in her ears.

When at first Masamune had partially trapped her against the wall of her room, then he makes sure to let her know the new attempt isn’t going to end up as the former. Leaning an elbow beside her head, he cradles her cheek with his other hand, drawing Mai’s face up to meet his.

She’d previously thought she’d heard a purr, and turns out, it’d come from her all along. “Taking things a little faster, now?”

“What can I say, I do like turning up the speed on things,” His smirk widens, turning wicked and impossibly more alluring, “And you don’t seem to have any troubles catching up with me so far…”

Ever so temptingly and locking her in place with his gaze only, he slowly pulls the tie on her hair loose, her long copper locks falling over her shoulders like droplets. Somehow he manages to make such a simple gesture so erotic her breath catches, muscles going taut with anticipation.

“I left Kojuro in charge of Shogetsu for tonight. I thought you’d appreciate that,”

“I’m pretty sure I still see a large, imprudent kit in front of me,” Mai can’t help the small banter, visibly shivering at the feeling of his index finger sliding down the column of her throat.

Is she truly ready for a ‘tryst’ with ancient Japan’s most casual kisser, though?

Nah, he’s not really serious though.

With that in mind, her former hesitation takes a turn into a more playful mood, feeling up for indulging him in a little teasing game. And so, tiptoeing just slightly and holding onto his shoulders, she drops an open-mouthed kiss on Masamune’s cheekbone, right below his eyepatch. That side of his face feels a tad bit rougher to the touch, but it doesn’t make him any less attractive; in fact, rather the opposite.

“Tempting, but I think I’ll pass…” She breathes close to his ear, feeling more than glimpsing the way he worries his lower lip and sighs, low and deep.

“You keep saying that, kitten. It breaks my heart,” Leaning back, he fakes a pout while casually tucking a loose strand behind her ear. “I was kidding, though. Actually, I have a request for you,” Without further ado, Masamune properly enters her room, unfurling a large piece of blank paper on her desk—precisely in the same place when a certain letter was, mere moments ago.

The sight brings her back to the former source of her concerns, scratching the back of her head in an uneasy manner. Should she bring the Shingen Takeda subject up with Masamune? Truth be told, he doesn’t truly seem like the appropriate guy to confide such delicate topic on, all the more considering Shingen is technically his enemy by proxy, given Masamune’s alliance with Nobunaga.

It’s probably better if I meet with this envoy first, and then decide on what to do from then on, though. Besides, tonight doesn’t look like a good night to bring up something like that.

“Is something the matter?”

“Oh, no. It’s just… what gorgeous handmade paper!” Mai quickly brings up an excuse, “I guess since we are in the 16th century I can’t say its antique, but still!”

He quirks a brow, snorting, “Somehow that makes me feel old…”

“Haha, don’t be silly. But what’s it for?”

“I’d like you to draw me a picture,” Masamune says simply, “Something like what I saw in your sketchbook. I want to use it as a hanging scroll.”

A little confused, she tilts her head. What? He’s not meaning one of my clothing designs? That’s not really art, though. And come to think of it, he hasn’t yet returned the dress design he’d snatched from her sketchbook. “Why would you want that from me? I can’t really do calligraphy or landscapes…”

“Because I like your art. I can see the effort in it.” He replies in such a straightforward, matter-of-factly way it kind of stuns her for a moment. “It’s flawed in a rough, energetic way that makes it beautiful.”

Is he talking about her designs or himself just then? “Um, Masamune, they’re rough because they’re rough sketches…”

He shrugs, “I still think they’re impressive, and clearly something I haven’t seen before in my life,” His face softens, dropping a hand on her shoulder, “I really do appreciate the way you draw, Mai.”

The genuine, easygoing smile narrowing his face touches her heart, but most of it, his complete sincerity. It’s not just a vague praise, Masamune truly does mean every word he says.

“Thank you for that…” She can’t help beaming at him, a nice and warm feeling settling in, “Is that all you needed from me, though?”

“Yeah. And don’t worry if you mess up. I can always bring more paper,”

Plopping down on the floor beside her, Masamune’s eye is bright and vivid, and her cheeks start to hurt with how hard she smiles back at him. In reality, he’s the first person who’d thought of her drawings as actual art, and that mention alone makes her all the more joyful inside.

After looking down at the piece of blank paper before her, Mai summons the resolve to start. This will be my first time drawing a hanging scroll. I thought the pressure would block me, but I’m actually inspired!

Taking the closest brush and preparing some ink, first she settles for starting with a female figure, opting to figuring the rest out as she goes. It’s been some time ever since she doodled anything—a little more than a month, in fact—but doing something as menial as sitting down and draw something puts her more at ease than most things in the world.

Glancing fleetingly at him from time to time, Masamune remains quiet, resting a hand behind him and slipping into a relaxed position as he watches her draw. The metallic, golden crescent moon hanging on his belt and the curved patterns of his kimono catch her eye, bringing some inspiration from his ever so present moon theme.

It gets to be so easy for her mind to prone on thoughts of him lately, but she can’t truly help it. What are his favorite colors? Which patterns would suit him best? The first thing that comes to mind is that Masamune Date reminds her of a spring season—fresh, vivid, pleasantly warm and lively. The most colorful time of the year and, to some extent, the most positive in her opinion.

Struck with a nice idea, Mai continues her design in peaceful, companionable silence. “Hey, you. Still awake?” She says softly after a while.

“Mm-hm…” It’s a pretty relaxed response coming from a wordy guy like him.  

Lifting her brush, she gives him a good once over look, but he doesn’t look sleepy at all. However, he seems to be not quite here or there, watching her undisturbed yet most likely with his mind elsewhere.

It makes her smile regardless, content to have that comfortable moment between them. “Just so you know, I’m really happy you chose me for this. It means a lot you coming to me with this request.”

“Really, now?” A sort of realization dawns on his face just then, his eye widening, “Well, I’m glad.” Hesitantly, Masamune gives her the sweetest smile she’s so far seen in him, looking very much like a picture himself.

Man, if only I could frame that look on his face, so I could watch it every morning…

A soft, longing sigh appears to escape him, crawling closer. “I really do love seeing you smile, kitten…” Quite smoothly, he slips his arm around her, and her world suddenly shifts.

Huh? They’d moved so gently it takes her a moment to register she’s on the floor and Masamune’s over her. Out of the corner of her eye, Mai can see the brush rolling across the floor, ink trailing over the mat.

“Mai…” His fingers turn her face back up to his all too easily, warm breath fanning her lips. There’s something so incredibly tender in the way he stares at her, as if admiring a work of art.

The sight becomes impossible to resist, tilting her head up and dusting his lips with a fleeting kiss, barely touching. His hand travels up to cradle the back of her head, holding her so carefully, so lovingly, her heart feels like about to burst.

His chestnut bangs fall loosely over his face, close enough they tickle her cheek. “Just look at me…”

I am looking at you. You’re gorgeous, as always, and—

That train of thought doesn’t go further than that as Masamune returns to brush his mouth against hers; softly, seeming to take his precious time into savoring the texture of her lips, thoroughly enjoying the feeling of her.

She can’t remember the last time she’d been kissed like that, if ever—the sort of kiss one could only see in the movies. That perfect and blissful kind, the one that comes former to a declaration of—

Tensing, only slowly she pries herself out of the moment. “I… think there’s been a misunderstanding.”

Masamune’s eye flutters open, looking somewhat drowsy. “You think so? On whose part?”

“Perhaps on both,” Her voice comes off hoarse, and that makes him laugh, not minding as much and bringing his lips to her neck, breath hot in her ear.

When he nips at her earlobe, her treacherous body lets her know it doesn’t think there’s a misunderstanding at all, acting on its own accord and reflexively grinding against his thigh. His hair is incredibly soft as it brushes against the crook of her neck, prompting her to wind her hands through his locks.

Damn, damn! What are we doing?

Catching the collar of her juban in his teeth, Masamune pulls it down wolfishly, baring her skin down to her collarbone. A particular well placed nip sends her eyes rolling backwards, a groan escaping her.

You’re a flirt, and this isn’t going to mean anything, and we have to stop before it does. Because it’s going to get worse if we don’t…

“Masamune…” A hand sneaks its way up her thigh ever so teasingly. Come on, you’re not 15 anymore, keep it together! “P-please, let’s hold up.”

To her relief, he does so right away, “For what?”

Looking up at her, Mai has a moment to think straight. “I was still in the middle of drawing your picture for one. Now there’s ink all over the floor.”

“Well, that’s a problem.” Not making a big deal about it, Masamune moves away to lay beside the futon, watching her with clear amusement.

“I mean it, though,” Even when toying with a strand of her hair, instant regret courses though her, missing his passionate touch the very moment she’s reprieved of it. No. no, I need to focus. “Look, I think you’re mistaken about something, Masamune. You and I aren’t a couple, or an item, or a ‘thing’.”

Those alluring fingers of his stop midway. “I… don’t know what any of that means.” He deadpans.

She straightens up a little. “We’re not dating? We’re not lovers? I mean, as nice and fun this is, I’m not quite okay with sleeping with you on the spur of the moment.”

“… Who’s saying anything about sleep?” What? Oh no. Oh, no, no. Cultural AND language barrier alert!

“Okay, what I mean by that is, uh, bedding me. The sleeping part comes afterwards.” Mai struggles to make her point as best as she can, hoping it’s enough, “And those other things? That’s someone you might be ‘sleeping with’.”

Oddly so, Masamune keeps shooting her a confused look. “Why would you do that, though? I have my own futon if I want to rest…”

“What?” That takes her aback, not quite getting where he’s going. “You’re not trying to say you never—“

But just then, “… Hey, Mai, it’s the middle of the night. Keep it down.”

Her face goes white as a ghost. And things just got worse! It’s Hideyoshi! He wouldn’t barge in, would he? He’d better not!

Masamune appears very skeptical of that, however. “I think we should hide.”

“You too?” Apparently, Masamune’s first instinct is to grab the futon cover in a rush, bringing her with it. Clutching her close to his chest, he lies down and throws the cover over both of them.

There’s no way Hideyoshi’s going to fall for this!

Pressed tight against him, she can’t see anything but hears the door slide open. “Mai? Did you already fall asleep?”

Dozens of unmentionable things to say cross her mind at that, putting an effort into biting the inside of her cheek to keep as quiet as possible. Masamune, I’m going to kill you AND Hideyoshi if he finds us!

An awfully tense moment goes by, and Mai looks up into his face, watching her partner in crime putting a finger against his lips—still amused to no end. Staring at him in awe, it’s hard to believe how her evening went from a lonely and almost depressing one, to so many gears up as that.

Every moment with him seems to feel like a whole new exciting experience to unfold. I feel like such a kid. Honestly, though, this is fun.

Pressing herself a little closer to Masamune, she can’t help giving him a conspiratorial smile. The only air around them is their breaths, making both their faces flushed. “He’ll never stop lecturing if he sees us…” He mouths.

“Shut it—!“ They whisper to each other, their quiet breathing heating the air even more, noses touching. And yet, every moment she spends staring into Masamune’s eye—the brightest light around—the more their bodies seem to mold around one another, something more than just mere heat growing below the covers of her futon.

Hideyoshi, hurry up and go already!

After a long, tense moment, Hideyoshi sighs. “I guess she was sleeping? She makes a lot of noise in her sleep. Her breathing sounds a little labored too. Maybe I’ll ask Ieyasu if there’s a sleep aid for her.”

Masamune purses his lips, starting to snicker. “Don’t you dare—“ She warns him with gritted teeth.

He shakes in her arms, trying his best to restrain himself. “I can’t help it…“

“Suck it up!” An eternity later, they finally hear the door shut close and the sound of footsteps retreating back down the hall. Mai is the first to take a peek from below the covers. “Is he gone?”

A quite disheveled chestnut head makes his appearance as well. “Looks like it.” As the two of them leave the futon, Masamune can’t seem to hold back his laughter any longer. “Hah—hahaha!”

“Don’t laugh, you’ll draw him back!”

It doesn’t seem easy at all for him to contain his fit now that it’s started, but at least he tries to muffle it by sticking his face into her pillow, dropping unceremoniously onto his back. “You can be expecting some medicine for your labored breathing soon.”

She snorts, “If it’s from Ieyasu it’ll probably taste really bitter!”

“Still, I’m impressed with Hideyoshi��s mind. ‘Mai, you’re talking too loud… in your sleep!’” A small snicker escapes her at his attempt imitating his voice, “I kind of feel for his wife, to be honest…”

Soon, Mai can’t hold her laughter in either, plopping down on the futon once again next to Masamune. “Wow! I can’t remember the last time I did anything like that, if ever. I’m exhausted.” Turning on their sides and facing each other, his gorgeous eye is full of mirth, and she’s certain she must be looking the very same as him.

“Me too. All that good energy spent on nothing.”

“If you hadn’t started this, we wouldn’t have had to hide. That’ll teach you to interrupt people when they’re drawing…”

He quirks a brow, “In my defense, you were smiling so cutely, I just couldn’t resist,” As if to make a point, he shoots her a toothy grin, not bothering to wait any longer and cradling her close once again.

To be completely honest, there’s something about their undeniable chemistry that makes it somewhat hard to understand. Mai hadn’t had that instant connection with anyone before, and regardless of how they’re both admittedly playing around and basking in the moment, she can’t deny that inescapable feeling of being drawn to Masamune.

It’s as if they’re bound by invisible strings. It would be silly to call it fate, yet it’s hard to describe it otherwise.

Climbing down from their mirth, Masamune idly traces soothing circles on her lower back, sharing a blissful moment of peace and quiet. She sighs contentedly at his ministrations, burying her face in the crook of his neck, breathing on his masculine scent.

An endearing chuckle escapes him. “You look tired, but not tired enough to poke your cheeks, kitten.”

“You endless tease…” She snaps her teeth in a mock show of threatening to bite his approaching finger, managing to crawl even further into his arms. “Want to stay the night?”

“… Is that the way in the future to propose ‘sleeping together’?”

At that, it takes her a moment to register what she just said, her growing slumbering mind seeming to have made the decisions for her. Turns out, though, it’s a near impossible effort to let him go back to his manor at that point, so she doesn’t regret her words quite as much.

“In fact, I meant actual sleeping,” That train of thought brings her back to a former comment, turning up to search into his gorgeous blue eye. “Riddle me curious, though, but why do I get the feeling you never, um, spent the night cuddling up with anyone before?”

Propping himself on his elbow, he snorts. “I think I know where you’re going with that, and no, I didn’t,” He says, “I don’t know your future time customs, but in here, only wives and concubines are there to warm up a man’s bed,”

“Oh, right. But now that you mention it, how are you still single?” She can’t help but wonder. “Don’t get me wrong. I’m just guessing a guy like you surely must have had a lot of prospects…”

“Hah, not really.” He shakes his head, “But I do appreciate the sentiment, kitten,” He adds up sultrily.

“Seriously?” Maybe she’s biased—Who am I kidding, I totally am—but she finds that hard to believe, “Huh, I just figured, as the head of a clan, taking a wife would be a sort of a priority to you,”

“Well, I do was set up to be wed once, with a pretty lady from a northern clan,” Masamune goes on, relaxing further into her futon, “My cousin Shigezane married her sister, though, so the clan got into my fief in the end,”

“And why didn’t you?” As far as she knew about, Masamune seems to be to some extent the highest figure in the northern provinces, “Wasn’t a good match or something like that?”

“Quite the opposite. My bride and I were childhood friends actually,” As lenient as he seems to be with talking about it, his smile doesn’t look truly sincere then.

“So? May I ask what happened?”

Something in the way his gaze wavers just slightly makes her suspect there’s more to it. Is it he doesn’t want to allow himself having a partner? Or is it just him not looking forward to leaving another widow to mourn in the world, considering his job?

“Well, Mego died.”

She breathes, eyes widening in shock. “What?” He lays that out so simply and in a straightforward manner, for a moment she can’t bring herself to believe him. But he has no reason to make up a lie, “I’m… I’m so sorry, Masamune.”

“What for? It’s not your fault,” He pats her hand in reassurance, looking painfully honest. “I wasn’t the only isolated case of smallpox, back in the day. But I’ve been lucky to only lose an eye from it, that’s for sure…”

The harsh truth from the reality they live in weighs heavily on her. Masamune speaks as if somewhat detached from the horrible fact he lost his bride, of all people. However, to some extent she comes to understand a commander and head of a clan like him must have spent his entire life getting acquainted with death. May it be due to war, a disease, or just birth, the prospect of losing a loved one must be just that inevitable for people in that era.

Perhaps that’s why he goes by living life to the fullest, not missing a single moment. Oh, Masamune. And here I thought my life sucked. My troubles seem so small and pointless in comparison to all he must have gone through.

Struck with a sudden urge to just touch him, Mai reaches out and takes his hand in hers, “I wouldn’t call it just luck, though. I think, above that, it was your strong will what got you through,” Now aware of his admitted weakness, she puts an effort into smiling her most genuine smile, “I really like that about you…”

His face softens, taking the effect she’d been looking forward to, “Aside from my good looks, right?”

“What do you think?” Shooting him a sultry look, she opts onto changing the mood, “But you know what? Considering you just admitted you never experienced the pleasure of cuddling up, allow me to show you what you’ve been missing,”

“You’ve got my attention, kitten…”

She’d be a fool to think she’s only leaning forward and kissing him for other reasons aside of an all-consuming need to do so. Truth is, she wants him as close as humanly possible, craving for the warmth of his lips like a thirsty man in the desert.

If Masamune believes it’s selfish of her, he doesn’t seem to mind at all, eagerly following and going down atop the futon together in a messy bundle of arms and legs. “Now, lay down, tiger,” She advises after they part for breath.

Straddling him, Mai then proceeds to slowly and gently disrobe him, all the time under the scrutiny of his very intense gaze. His black cape goes off first, then the white belt holding his hakama in place, and so until he’s just down to his under kimono, leaving both in a matching state of dressing.

A teasing hand snakes up her thigh, and as tempted as she is to turn things more spicy, miraculously she finds the strength to refrain herself just so, dropping at Masamune’s side on the pillow. “Hey, I said just sleeping, remember?”

“Alright, alright…” Faking a pout, he seems rather more curious to see where she’s getting at than anything else, his eye fluttering close as her hands thread into his locks.

Turning off the lantern, the moonlight coming from the slit of the doors to her veranda haloes Masamune’s figure in breathtaking silver hues; his eye, half-lidded, still staring at her, seeming to enjoy her ministrations on his hair. Her fingers find the tie of his eyepatch, and after waiting for his explicit approval, the cloth goes off as well, dropped next to his pair of katana and rest of his clothing at the side of the futon.

Still massaging his scalp in soothing strokes, he hums contentedly. “Mmh, this is nice,” He manages to use whatever strength is left in him to pull her flush against his torso, legs tangling together under the covers.

Soon, his hums turn into quiet breaths, finally falling into a slumber, leaving Mai to bask upon the adorable view. All her worries appear to not matter as much anymore then, preferring to watch over him, not minding for what may come tomorrow.

For now, the world resumes to just the two of them, cuddled in each other’s arms. And she can only hope for the night to never end.

[notpreparedblog]

Introduction and Story

The Fire Emblem series, for me, has been one of those things that’s always been in my peripheral, but never really close enough to gain attention. I knew of a slew of characters from the Smash Brothers series, that it was a tactics style RPG, had knights, and horses, and magic…and that’s about it. Fire Emblem: Three Houses is the first traditional Fire Emblem game on the Nintendo Switch, and the first game of the series I sought out.

After just finishing my first play through of Fire Emblem: Three Houses, I really didn’t know how to review this game. I typically like to delve into each major mechanic and give insight into how it all ties together, but the idea of touching on everything is daunting for this game.

Fire Emblem: Three Houses is massive. I was initially amazed at how little I actually did after playing for three and a half hours.

Your three choices, Claude in the yellow, Edelgarde in red and Dmitri in blue.

By nature, there’s three different story line routes for you to take, each with their own twists and turns; The Alliance with Claude, the Empire with Edelgarde, or the Kingdom with Dmitri. There is a mid-point of the game where decisions must be made that drastically impact the rest of the game and splitting off into different forks. For that main reason, you will absolutely need to (and want to) play through multiple times.

With the branching story, each path you take gives you a different experience. My first go around was with Edelgarde and the Empire. I felt that some of the story beats were visible from a mile away, but they were never unsatisfying, and the characters actions in-story always made sense.

There’s a rich history in the world of Fódlan where Three Houses takes place, and I felt the game does a great job in reinforcing that, and making the world feel lived in.

  Gameplay

At the start of the game, you’ll be met with a few different difficulty options. First, you have the option of choosing hard or normal difficulty, which is self explanatory. Second, you must choose between classic and casual. Classic means that when one of your character perishes in battle, they are lost forever. Casual means that they more so retreat from battle when defeated, giving you access to them again the next mission.

I originally wanted to go for casual just so that playing the game felt less stressful, because I definitely wouldn’t be able to let one of my students die throughout the game, but I’m happy I didn’t. Going with classic made me rethink how I was going to utilize my team. If there is no risk of permanently losing a member of your team, all you have to do is throw characters at enemies without repercussion and overpower every battle. Part of the fun is treating the battlefield like a chessboard and trying to make smart decisions for that particular round of moves, and a few in the future.

Rhea, Archbishop of the Church of Seiros as well as her second in command, Seteth.

I also went for normal difficulty, but I felt that it was a bit too easy. I never did any grinding and completed all of the story, auxiliary and paralogue battles that popped up. With just that situation, I was consistently over leveling missions I was participating in.  It wasn’t until the final two battles that I felt the difficulty spiked.

Aside from difficulty, the gameplay of Fire Emblem: Three Houses is split into a few distinct sections; character development and the actual battles.

The overall template of Fire Emblem: Three Houses ends up feeling like the following; Begin month, instruct your students, build support and relationships between your students and other inhabitants of Garreg Mach, complete quest/auxiliary/paralogue battle, repeat the previous steps 2-3 times per month then complete the month with a story mission between weeks three and four.

You take on the mantle of professor after arriving at Garreg Mach Monastery, choose a class of students to oversee, build relationships with them through different actions that you take, then lead them on the battlefield.

With that in mind, don’t come into the game expecting endless battles and action. Battles become more fun because of the investment you put into your students, your team and goals in terms of selecting future character classes for them to excel at, and eventually become.

  Battles

Speaking of battles, the real action in Fire Emblem: Three Houses, comes from the different battle types. If you’ve never played a tactics-RPG game, battle fields are broken down into a grid system similar to a chess or checker board. Each battle has rounds where your team, allied teams and enemy teams are able to move all of their units once. During these rounds is when you would attack, use items, heal team members and so on.

  General battle map view, showing you the grid, obstacles, enemies units and more.

Story Battles: These battles, which usually occur once a month in-game, progress the story and usually offer the player the most unique setups. They feature more named characters, which are typically deadlier and require more thought on how to approach them, and more unique side objectives other than ‘rout the enemy’ or ‘defeat the enemy commander.’

Paralogue Battles: These battles hold the best content other than your basic story battles and are always character driven, with a particular conflict or goal in mind. One may require you to block four escape routes for thieves while another has draw bridges in the middle of the map that need to be re-taken. Many of them also reward you with one of the heroes relics and are always worth doing.

The unique aspect of this paralogue battle puts you in the middle of a battlefield with fog of war surrounding you. You can seek out enemies in the fog, or act defensively and wait for them to come to you.

Auxiliary Battles: These battles also soak up a battle activity point and are a step up in difficulty from basic battles. Many of them include rare beasts and reward you with various meat or resources to continue upgrading or repairing your weapons.

Quest/Basic Battles: Throughout your time at Garreg Mach Monastery, you will get a number of quests that involve a battle, many times rewarding you with another gambit battalion. There’s nothing much else to say about them. They are usually uninteresting and just require you to defeat a number of non-threatening enemies.

Basic battle list along with activity points on the top of the screen.

The downside of this aspect of the game, is map variety. Too often is a story map revisited for a paralogue battle or vice versa. The auxiliary battles or basic battles also pull from the same pool of maps. There were multiple times that I played through the same map two or three times in a row just completing quests, paralogue’s or even story missions. It would have been nice to have a larger map selection pool so that battling becomes less dull outside of the over-arching narrative.

  The Monastery

Garreg Mach Monastery acts as the central hub for most of Fire Emblem: Three Houses and feels like a character on its own. During the story, you’ll slowly unlock areas of the monastery to explore, and subsequently, give you more to do.

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On top of leveling up your characters in battle, you’re really expected to invest equal time during the following activities to better improve overall.

Professor Level: The professor level allows you to do more actions during the explore phase of the monastery, and gives you more battle points for when you decide to battle instead. You increase this by participating in extracurricular activities that I’ll talk a bit about below, building relationships and completing quests.

Training Grounds: Houses a tournament every month featuring a different weapon type. You choose a character to enter into the tournament. Winning nets you gold, an item and experience towards increasing your professor level.

Dining Hall: Various options available to sit down with other characters and build your relationship with them. A sound strategy would be to eat meals multiple times on the same day to increase the motivation of your students, so when you go to instruct them, they gain greater experience towards the selected skills.

Fishing Pond: Exactly what it sounds like. You use your bait to catch fish to use for meals at the dining hall. Each successful catch nets you a small amount of professor level experience.

Greenhouse/Harvesting: You have the option to plant seeds and cultivate them. Doing this will yield more seeds, items and again, professor level experience.

Tea time is another activity you can use to build bonds between yourself and the others at the monastery.

While overall I like the idea of the monastery, it’s design really leaves something on the table. I really don’t care much about having the best graphics, but environments look very blocky and outdated next to the detailed and interesting character models. Everything has a jagged edge, sort of like it was out of the N64/PS1 era, except with better textures.It’s a strange contrast that’s very noticeable.

  Characters

One thing I was not expecting, I guess being a newcomer to the series, was how large the character roster is. At first, I was worried about this because how is it possible to get really in depth with everyone and have it not feel superficial? There are always some characters that are developed more than others, and some that are forgotten. This really isn’t the case with Fire Emblem: Three Houses.

I really am blown away with how much personality each character is packed with. The house I chose for my first go around was the Black Eagle House. By the end of the game, following these same characters for nearly 50 hours, I could correctly answer any question they had, have perfect ‘tea times’ every instance, answer their queries correctly in the church and more. I felt that the amplified feeling of knowing they can die in battle also helped me get more attached to them. I never left a character to die, it just didn’t feel like an option.

Couldn’t help but think of animated Link saying ‘Excusssse me Princess Zelda.’

Aside from each character having distinct personalities, the voice acting is also superb. I usually read quickly and scroll past text but here, I waited and watched every conversation because of how much I enjoyed the voice acting.

Support Conversations: The more two characters get to know each other, the better their relationship gets. When that happens, support conversations unlock between those two characters, and they are lengthy. I started getting in the habit of waiting until I was eating breakfast to start activating these support conversations because they took so long to go through. At times, I would sit for 30-45 minutes strictly just listening to characters build relationships with one another. It sounds boring on the outside, but it really was a nice change of pace sitting back and enjoying these conversations.

The main growth of a character besides straight leveling up and support levels, are leveling skills and becoming classes that excel at those skills. This is mostly all done during the classroom sessions that you will be setting up for your team. Classes are all visible from the outset, so you can, and should to a degree, plan ahead for certain characters and see what you’d like to be.

An example of instructing a student on a particular set of skills.

If you really want a Dark Knight on your team, you really need to select an appropriate character, then focus on Reason, Riding and Lance skills. The same goes for any of the other few dozen classes that are obtainable. It’s really an open book, and although certain characters clearly excel at certain skills, you’re never truly bound to those skills. Get creative, and work on what fits your style as a player.

  Other Points

Cutscenes: I really enjoyed all of the cutscenes I’ve seen in Fire Emblem: Three Houses. They stand apart from the rest of the game, enacting a more anime style than what is presented elsewhere. Many of them included some unsettling images that reminded me of the feeling I have watching titans contort in Attack on Titan, or even some of the imagery from Berserk.

There are some unintentional comedic elements as well. One cutscene in particular shows three armies rushing towards each other for this grand battle. When it’s over, you head to the battle screen and everyone is standing around waiting for their individual orders.

The animation is top notch whenever given to the player. Unfortunately, cutscenes are sparse.

Online Recon: Another addition to Garreg Mach is online recon. When unlocked, an NPC as well as four other characters from other players appear. They each sell you one item at a small discount from just purchasing it in store, and you have the option of doing a mini-game with them. The mini-game scatters them across around half the monastery, and you have to find all four of them within 90 seconds. Rewards for completion include basic food items and one time, a battalion. It’s just strange and super laggy whenever you get near that section of the monastery.

One of the online recon travelers from other players games.

Pacing: The pacing of the main story can feel awkward with the system they have built. They really want to do one main mission every month, with you as the professor, teaching, battling, exploring and everything else during the same month. This is fine for the first half of the game where you are teaching students, and as a class, are being assigned one major mission per month, but the same is not the case for the latter half of the game. I don’t want to go into spoilers, but I felt the system faltered a bit later on and pacing seemed either too rushed, or too slow at times.

  Final Thoughts

I’m happy that I took the plunge into the Fire Emblem series. Outside of enjoying the board game/tactics play style, I’m a veteran RPG player, so those long conversations or bonding moments between characters are very welcome and I got just as much enjoyment out of character development as I did actually battling.

The downside, is that map variation was rather boring outside of unique ones used for story or paralogue missions. Graphics are also blocky and seem out of place for this generation of consoles (characters models were a different art style and looked fantastic).

There are three distinct paths for you to choose in Fire Emblem: Three Houses. While the first half of the game may largely be the same for all three choices, the second half is drastically different and you’ll want to check out the other paths.

As long as you aren’t expecting a visual spectacle or non-stop action, you’ll find the same enjoyment that I did with Fire Emblem. Now, onto the second playthrough…

  Review: Fire Emblem: Three Houses #fireemblem #threehouses #nintendo #nintendoswitch Introduction and Story The Fire Emblem series, for me, has been one of those things that's always been in my peripheral, but never really close enough to gain attention.