#i think i did gifs years ago i could remade????

[afolksongs]

[odditycircus-2002]

Quan-Chi's Daughter Intros

A/N: Despite NO ONE asking for this. I decided to make these intros based on the reader from this request. Because of her backstory, my mind started concocting scenarios of her meeting certain characters besides her family. So, I hope y'all like this one.

Sub-Zero

Y/N genuinely: Even with your cryomancy, you have a warm soul.

Sub-Zero: Do not think it means I'll make this spar easier.

Y/N chuckles: I would be offended if you did.

/

Sub-Zero: Is it possible for you to restore Cyrax?

Y/N: Necromancy isn't my strongest suit, but I could try it for you, my friend.

Sub-Zero: That is all either Cyrax or I could ask for.

/

Y/N: How is D/N's training with your Lin Kuei faring?

Sub-Zero: She shows much promise but is reluctant to use her more demonic abilities.

Y/N: That's for the best ... for you AND D/N's sake.

/

Sub-Zero: You were there when Quan-chi remade Hanzo and Bi-Han into specters?

Y/N: I was, and while I could help Hanzo, I wish I could've done more for your brother.

Sub-Zero firmly: He is beyond saving, Y/N.

Night Wolf

Y/N: I still feel guilt for all my years working under Quan-chi.

Night Wolf: You’re not the only that harbors guilt for their past actions.

Y/N: Then we’re fortunate to have been enlightened before it was too late.

/

Night Wolf: Why are you so uneasy in my presence?

Y/N: Your Revenant was one of many that left his mark on me.

Night Wolf: I will do what I can to show, he is not who I really am.

/

Y/N: You allowed Hanzo to best you at the Tournament?

Night wolf: As you and I can both see, his path led to you and the revival of his clan.

Y/N sincerely: And for that, you have my gratitude.

/

Night wolf: Do not let your love for Hanzo become blinding.

Y/N: He opened my eyes to a world beyond the Netherrealm.

Night Wolf: I merely caution you to not mistake loyalty for blind obedience.

/

Johnny Cage

Y/N: You defeated Shinnok in Kombat?

Johnny Cage: Are you also going to say that's batshit insane?

Y/N: No, I wanted to thank you for doing so.

/

Johnny Cage: Man, you are hot as hell!

Y/N: That's because liquid fire runs through my veins.

Johnny Cage: Do you not know what flirting is?

/

Y/N: I'm sorry, but I'm happily married to Hanzo.

Johnny Cage: He's one lucky S.O.B to have tied the knot with such a hottie.

Y/N: I'm fortunate to have him in my life.

/

Johnny Cage: If you're a demon, where's your horns, fangs, and tail?

Y/N: I'm told my true face tends to intimidate humans.

Johnny Cage: It can't be as bad as Sonya waking up on the wrong side of the bed.

/

Raiden:

Y/N: As Dark Raiden, you frightened me.

Raiden: I can imagine many others share your sentiment.

Y/N: But not everyone could look at him, and could almost picture Shinnok in his place.

/

Raiden: Your daughter inherited your demonic abilities.

Y/N: I'm concerned about her losing control and doing something she'll regret.

Raiden: I trust you, and Scorpion trained her as well as you could.

/

Y/N: I may know how to keep Shinnok's amulet out of anyone's hands.

Raiden: What would be better than My Sky Temple?

Y/N: If you allow it, I would toss it into the Sea of Blood, far from anyone's reach.

/

Raiden: I wish to trust you, but it wasn't long ago that I saw you stand by your father.

Y/N: I left his side decades ago, and he then tried to have me killed.

Raiden: It's no surprise that Quan-chi doesn't value even his own family.

Spawn

Y/N: I left the Netherrealm for a good reason.

Spawn sympathetically: I'm afraid the Netherrealm is not through with you.

Y/N with a demonic reverb: It shall NEVER have me again!

/

Spawn: You remind me of someone I loved.

Y/N softly: Did you lose her?

Spawn: She's lost to me for all eternity.

/

Y/N: You were sent back to the mortal realm because you wanted to see your wife again?

Spawn: Just as you cut ties with your father and Hell to be with your husband.

Y/N: Now, we're both free to choose our destinies.

/

Spawn: You've escaped the Netherrealm while all its strongest fighters were after you?

Y/N: As my scars can attest, I almost didn't.

Spawn: You're lucky, then, that you didn't have to make a deal with the Devil to escape.

/

Noob Saibot

Y/N softly: I offer you mercy, Bi-Han.

Noob Saibot angrily: You think I need your pity?!?

Y/N: For you to be at peace, I have to free you of your shell.

/

Noob Saibot: You and your daughter fear the darkness within you.

Y/N: Shinnok and Raiden have shown me more than that absolute power corrupts absolutely.

Noob Saibot: You are both fools for not embracing your true potential.

/

Y/N: Sareena still speaks highly of you, Bi-han.

Noob Saibot: I am NOT the one she speaks of anymore.

Y/N: I know, so she'll be relieved to have you gone.

/

Noob Saibot: You married the man who killed me?

Y/N: I did, but I know what Hanzo did to you was unjust and unwarranted.

Noob Saibot: Then I'll take your life as retribution for him taking mine.

/

Cetrion

Y/N: Were my prayers ever heard?

Cetrion: Even from the Netherrealm, I could hear a small girl's pleas for a better life, but I could not intervene.

Y/N lowly: Then you know why I am here...

/

Cetrion testily: You assisted your husband in killing your father.

Y/N angrily: Quan-chi has been dead to me long before Hanzo took his head.

Cetrion: It is not surprising that a demon has no remorse for their sin.

/

Y/N: What makes you worthy of my worship?

Cetrion: I know you seek salvation for your compliance with Quan-chi's schemes.

Y/N: I will not seek that from someone who is compliant with Kronika's plans.

/

Cetrion: Your love and appreciation for life is virtuous.

Y/N: Then why are you so determined to end all of it?

Cetrion: Not end it, Kronika will start anew to restore balance.

BONUS: Shinnok

Y/N: Why in the 10 hells would my daughter ever serve you?

Shinnok: Because of your husband, it is her birthright to take Quan-chi's place.

Y/N with demonic reverb: D/N will not be yours to control!

/

Shinnok: Quan-chi should have beaten you as a child.

Y/N: What makes you think he didn't already try his best to break me every other way?

Shinnok: Obviously, it wasn't enough.

/

Y/N: All you have ever taught me about Death is false.

Shinnok: Then I have but one more lesson to teach you.

Y/N growling: I am DONE with your lessons.

/

Shinnok: Quan-chi's little songbird.

Y/N: I am neither his nor your pet bird any longer!

Shinnok: You are nothing more than lamb to the slaughter.

[mo0nfairy]

Bro when they remade the game of re4, Leon made me want to just....do anything for him. He's just- so- AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH.....You know? And thinking of him as a yandere made me giggle and kicking my feet

part 2. part 3. part 4.

tw :: yandere!leon, obsessive!leon, alcohol, kidnapping, drugging blood, being chained up, insinuations of suicide.

⸺ ommgggg !!! i've been playing the game bit by bit in my free time and im actively going batshit over this man. so here are some of my thoughts……………….

you met leon during the events of RE2 in raccoon city. you ever heard of scary dog privilege? that was basically him with you the entire night. your personal bodyguard, your guard dog. he saved your life over and over and over again until you both practically lost count. however, once you both survived the night and the sun arose, you went your separate ways (much to his dismay). law enforcement and the government were attempting to track down survivors, due to their theories of them having links with umbrella. you had absolutely nothing to do with it, obvi. so, to avoid it all, you vanished. and for 6 long, insufferable years, leon has lived without you. countless therapy sessions, solace in alcohol, and numerous partners who didn’t last longer than a month, nothing could make him forget you.

now (knowing your luck), you just so happen to be one of the missing hikers the police officers speak of in the very beginning of RE4. you were taking a daily stroll through the woods to meditate before you were kidnapped and brought into the los iluminados cult. fortunately for you, you managed to evade being infected. however, you have still spent the last week in sheer misery. running from the village-folk, dodging hidden bear-traps, and scavenging for any crumbs you could consume. you can only dream of the shower you'd take after this nightmare, where you can scrub your skin of the grime, blood, and god knows whatever substances have stained your form. you did befriend a lone wolf, however, so that's a plus!

leon just so happens to be in the same area you're in, only with intentions of saving the president's daughter. he had hoped that by becoming a secret agent, he would be able to manipulate the provided resources and find you. before he knows it, leon soon wakes with a gasp, finding his hands above his head and his wrists chained together. he yanks the chain down, only to hear a quiet voice whisper "hey, quit it!" that voice. leon springs to his feet and turns to verify his suspicions, the sudden movement behind you scaring you into doing the same. he gasps your name in disbelief, before he falls into awed silence while staring at you in complete captivation. you have no fucking idea how much he missed you. all these years of searching for you, dread satiated through him at the possibility of you being dead. leon knows in his heart he would not have the strength to live if you had truly been gone forever. but now, there are no worries. the light of his entire life is alive and by his side! exactly where they belong.

on your end, however, was a complete different story. that night 6 years ago was now an entire blur. umbrella had managed to hunt you down mere days after the event, drugging you with a variety of different remedies. their efforts succeeded and had caused you to almost completely forget that night. your brain has only been able to scrutinize the blood, the death, and the groaning and screaming of undead figures around you. weekly visits with your therapist are helping you disinter forgotten pieces, but leon wasn't present in any of these newfound memories. so, when this stranger whispers your name into the air and stares at you as if you had just descended from heaven itself, you aren’t able to connect the dots.

a smile, one that could rival the sun, breaks out on the face of the mysterious blonde. tears brim in his honeyed gaze. "oh, god. you have no fucking idea how happy i am to finally see you!” holding his hands out, he takes several long strides towards you to engulf you, to where you take several steps away from him.

"who the fuck are you?" his world shatters, "how do you know me? are you the one behind this shit?" your eyes are full of confusion and uncertainty. a major contrast to the look of heroism and gratitude you gazed at him with ages ago.

without another breath, leon pulls the chain towards him, causing you to spring forward. your wrists are tied above your head and your feet are practically dangling off the floor. there are now mere inches in between you and this man. and the look of sheer horror on his face is unforgettable.

"look at me…” his eyes feel like bullets stinging into you, tears spilling down his cheeks. “it- it's me, angel! it’s leon! leon scott kennedy, i worked in the RPD that night 6 years ago.” his breath hits your face as he desperately recounts the worst night of your life. “y/n, i saved your life. and you saved mine. don't you remember?"

leon’s hand cups your face, skin hovering over yours, almost as if he were afraid to fully touch you. his face scrunches up from the sobs racking through his body.

“don’t you know how much i still love you?”

you finally have the revelation that whoever this 'leon scott kennedy' is was with you that night in raccoon city. you also conclude that you are most definitely not getting away from him so easily.

n e ways.... i went wayyyy to overboard with this, but like i said, i've been having some THOUGHTS about re4 and our golden boy. also some other characters too, hehe…………

if you'd like to see more, pls don't be afraid to send some asks in !!

[bloodyknucklesforme]

Ribs | Gaz X Nina AU

This is a little sampling of the restaurant AU I've been drabbling in my docs for months now. Gaz and Nina are basically childhood friends and the same age so 26ish. Their dad's were in the military with Price, who now runs the restaurant they both work at. It's pretty much just smut and banter. Enjoy 💞

"Didn't think you were ever going to buzz me in," Kyle said walking into Nina's flat. He had a large brown paper bag in one hand and bottle of wine in the other.

"You brought me food." She shrugged, already grabbing plates and glasses. Her flat was small railway studio. The kitchen on the far wall, a small dining area followed by a couch the blocked off the living area which then backed into a foldable room divider that her bed sat behind. The singular bathroom was on the other wall. Kyle wasn't a huge fan of it, always felt cramped, except for the large windows on the one side that always let in light either from the sun or surrounding city.

"Is that all you want me for? Food?" He asked, purposefully pressing himself against her back as he placed the bag on the counter.

"You're good for other things, I guess."

"Like covering your shifts?"

"Definitely that." She elbowed him gently to move him out of the way as she unpacked the bag. "How was tonight?"

"Fine. It's a Tuesday," He shrugged as he opened up the wine bottle.

"Was Price pissed off?"

"Like he could be mad at you." He poured for both of them. "He might be upset I stole this bottle though."

"No one was going to drink this anyways." They clinked glasses and drank, eyeing each other over the edge of the glasses. They both finished, Nina first, winning at their unspoken competition. She handed him his plate. "You pick the movie?"

"I always pick the movie," He said.

"That's because you say my choices are garbage." She climbed over the back of the couch. Kyle walked around and sat down next to her, shoving the wine bottle between the cushions.

"That's because you only want to watch old James Bond films."

"They're good!"

"Not the ones you like." He wrapped an arm around her shoulder and pulled her into his side. He took the remote in one hand and started flipping through all the options.

"How about this one?" He asked.

"Heard it was shite." She used her fork to pick up a bite of pasta from his plate and feed it to him.

"You're impossible," He shook his head.

"I have Die Another Day on blu-ray."

"No."

They eventually settled on a middling comedy that was ignored within twenty minutes.

Half a bottle of wine and Nina was straddling his lap, their empty plates sitting on the coffee table. His hands raking up and down her back as she grinded against him. She tasted like wine and black pepper. He broke the kiss to pull her shirt over her head. It was actually his shirt at one point. One for a band he'd stopped listening to years ago.

He cupped one of her breasts and rolled her nipple between his fingers before taking it in his mouth. He always liked how her body jumped when his tongue first made contact. Her nails found their way to the back of his neck.

"Kyllllllleeee," She moaned. He stopped and rested his chin on her sternum, just above her breasts. She let out a disapointed sigh. "You're an ass."

"You gonna tell me why you didn't come to work today?" He asked, giving his best puppy dog eyes.

"Just an off day," she shrugged.

Kyle rubbed her back. Twenty years of friendship and she still refused to admit she couldn't lie to him. She could lie through her teeth to Price or Kate but never him. He watched her lie her whole childhood.

"You avoiding Ghost?" He asked. It did annoy him how she refused to talk about the older man. They danced around each other in person and in conversation. They went from being at each other's throats, screaming about dishes being remade and speed of orders, to a timid softness. Nods and patience unnatural behaviors from either of them.

"I'm not avoiding Simon." She scoffed.

"Simon? You on a first name basis now?" He held her as she tried to get up, now concerned. "Hey, did something happen? Nina, if he did anything we can tell Price. I don't want you-"

"We slept together. Okay? That's all," She snapped, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Is that it?" Kyle arched an eyebrow, he was relieved to say the least. "You could have told me that."

"I felt bad."

"Why would you feel bad? We're not dating, Nina," he chuckled. "You can sleep with whoever you want."

"I know but it's kind of slutty to sleep with a co-worker."

"We're co-workers."

"Yeah but we slept together before that," she laughed.

"Don't tell Price but last week I hooked up with the Irish guy that works at Kors."

"The ginger?" She exclaimed, laying her hands on his chest and leaning in close. "He's hot."

"He is. Name is Declan but they all call him Conor."

"And you were giving me shit for being on a first name basis with Ghost." They laughed and he traced her spine up and down.

"Can I kiss you again?" He asked.

Nina leaned down and brought him back into a kiss.

"Hold on," He grunted, wrapping an arm around her waist and lifting them both up from the couch. She giggled into his neck.

"I want to be on top."

"You won't get tired?"

"I'm a big girl, Kyle."

He dropped her on the bed and started to strip. There was a comfort of familiarity. They didn't need to be self conscious or awkward. Nina was his best friend. He knew her inside and out, literally. He still liked to watch her shrug off her sweats and panties. He liked to run his hand over the curve of her ass before smacking back down playfully.

He dug through her nightstand for a condom.

"Let me," she said, taking it from him. He finished stripping as she opened it. She sat on the edge of the bed as he stood in front of her. His thumb resting on her bottom lip as she rolled the condom on. He moaned softly as she stroked him. He pushed his thumb into her mouth and she sucked on it, bobbing her head softly. One of her hands rested on his hip, fingers drumming, while the other continued to stroke him. She rubbed her thighs together.

"Greedy thing, getting wet just from this," he murmured, resting his other hand on the back of her head, letting his fingers tangle in her hair. He always came back to her because it was easy and simple. A comfort food, a comfort fuck. They didn't always fuck when he came over, it was just a bonus.

He sucked in a breath as took the tip of his cock into her mouth. Even through the latex her mouth was hot. She bobbed her head till she had him half way. A string of spit kept her connected as she pulled back.

"I'm sorry. I can't stand the taste," she said, making a face. He laughed and wiped her mouth off. He made a mental note to get tested so they go forgo the condom during foreplay next time.

"You ready?" He asked, pushing her hair behind her ears.

"Lay down," she patted his thigh.

He ruffled her hair as he climbed onto the bed, laying back on her large assortment of pillows. Her bed was always comfortable and smelled clean.

He spread out his legs a little and beckoned her over. She crawled over him, capturing his lips again. He reached a hand between her legs, spreading her open. She was slick. She whimpered into his mouth as he rubbed her clit with his thumb. He chuckled, she was headstrong and stubborn until he had his hands on her. He took his cock and rubbed it through her folds.

"Kyle!" she whined.

"Take what you want, love. You wanted to be on top."

She straightened up, a flush ran from her cheeks down to her stomach. He held her elbow steady as she lowered herself down on his cock. She threw her head back as she sank down. He breathed deeply as he watched his cock disappear inside of her.

"Oh fuck.." She groaned as he bottomed out. Her thighs were already shaking and she had a dazed look on her face.

"Giving up so soon?" He asked, rocking her hips for her.

"Leave me alone. I had two glasses of wine." She groaned, holding his shoulders for support.

"So did I," He grunted as he thrusted upwards. "So much for being a big girl."

He flipped them. She stretched out her arms and closed her eyes, humming contently.

"You're really making me do all your work today, aren't ya?" He growled against her neck.

"I'll make it up to you in the morning," She said, hooking a leg around his waist.

"Are you going to fall asleep again?" He asked, thrusting slowly.

"That was one time," she yawned. "I worked a clopen close that day."

"Just keep your eyes on me, yeah?" He pressed a kiss to her forehead as he picked up his speed. The headboard bounced against the room divider. He panted against her forehead as he found his rhythm, the kind that had her making a noise to punctuate every thrust. She would clench around him whenever he hit that sweet spot."I love this fucking pussy."

"Is that all you want me for? Pussy?" She teased.

"And your arse." He gave her a light smack on the side of her ass.

He felt his pleasure building up in his stomach and spreading through his back and legs, the muscles becoming taught. Her back was arching and her legs squirmed.

"Cum on my cock, Nina. I need you to cum on my cock," He sucked on her earlobe. She clung to him.

"Oh fuck...Kyle...fuck..."

"Good girl. Cumming for me," He groaned. She always sent him over the edge when she finished. His thrusted hard, grunting into her hair as he came.

They laid there, both panting and him growing soft inside her. She ran her fingers up and down his back, soothing the wounds her nails made. They would shower the next morning, he'd make coffee while she made eggs. It was the usual.

"So, how is The Ghost in bed?" He asked.

"I don't kiss and tell," She answered, rolling her eyes at him.

"That bad?"

She slapped his arm.

"I'm allowed to be curious," he laughed, rolling off of her. "My real question is if you think he'd be down for a threesome."

She gave him a look and rolled her eyes again.

"If not him, there is the new guy."

"New guy?"

"A Scot. I know you like the accent." He poked her shoulder. "You can meet him during clean up night this weekend."

"I'm not working clean up night this weekend."

"You are now. Kleo asked if someone could cover for her and you were nice enough to offer."

"Oh I hate you."

"Simon will be there too."

She groaned.

"You're evil."

"You love me."

"I do." She kissed his cheek and got up from the bed. "You need to clean up before you sleep in my bed."

"Yes, ma'am," He followed.

It was three in the morning by the time they had the lights off and his arms were around her again.

"I wasn't joking about the threesome," he whispered.

"Go to sleep."

Tagging the Gaz and Nina lovers 💕: @water-bearz @gogh-with-the-flow @queen-ilmaree @macravishedbymactavish

Idk If'll post anything else in this AU but if I do it'll probably be more smut.

[crazykacey]

Different possibilities of future Sera Myu

Since it is the 30th of June, Usagi's birthday, I thought I might finally post this thing that has been in my drafts for some months lol

Let's go!

So ever since the end of Musical Festival Chronicle, I've been thinking about what would be the next Sera Myu we get? During the Senshuuraku of Chronicle, Riko mentioned that when Kaguya-hime no Koibito ended, they weren't sure if Sera Myu would continue so most likely the same thing applies now. It might be possible Myu might end but we had Super Live this year so there are chances. Many might think that since the Crystal series finally comes to an end, so does anything else related to Sailor Moon, but it is very much certain that they will keep pushing out merch as it has been very profitable so far and even the Sailor Moon Museum announced that it will reopen in 2024 so there might be more musicals just like back in the day! Although we still haven't gotten any news regarding it and I for sure thought we would get some new info today... ANYWAY we have gone through all the main 5 arcs, one short story and one original so what next? I have a few ideas. (check terms at the end of the post if confused)

1) Third installment in the Snow Kaguya series

For me, it didn't really seem like Snow Kaguya was fully defeated in Chronicle, as she was defeated in the same way as she was in KHnK so it feels super random that she would be defeated NOW so maybe they could do one more musical to finally defeat Princess Snow Kaguya (maybe as Eternal Sailor Moon)

2) Something completely new

It could be possible we might get something completely new and original. Who knows? lol

3) R movie or SuperS movie

Ever since KHnK, people have been wondering if the other two movies would be made into a musical, although KHnK bore no resemblance to the movie as it pretty much followed the manga short story to the T, it is still possible that the other two movies will be made into musicals.

4) Another Story musical

ah the forgotten gem in the SM universe. I really love Another Story and I wish it would get more recognition. And since they are going with the Super/Mugen arc theme as KHnK takes place around that time and Another Story is supposed to take place after the Mugen arc so it could be a possibility. How it works in action is kinda ? as Another Story featured every major villain from Dark Kingdom arc to Mugen arc but they could focus it on the Oppositio Senshi and Apsu. It also would be cool if previous Senshi actors would return as the Oppositio Senshi (for example, AE Inners)

5) Kaguya Shima Densetsu/Snow Kaguya hybrid

So this is kind of similiar to my #1 idea but I feel like this needed to be its own thing. It could be possible that they'd fuse these two stories into one where Snow Kaguya replaces Dark Plasman and she is somehow connected to Kaguya Island since they have the same name(although she was given that name by Kakeru but who knows. Myulore tends to be confusing sometimes lol). And the reason for this is that I think that we will not get Kaguya Shima Densetsu remade and I will get to that soon

6) The Dracul series remake

I have my doubts about this since the Dracul series tends to be kinda confusing and since it's a story that requires all 3/4 musicals to be watched and that all to happen in the span of 3 years would be kinda hard to follow (during BanMyu it only took about a year and a half as they did multiple musicals in the span of one year but now they are doing only one musical a year, not counting Super Live). And the 4 musicals had way too many plot points in them so it would be fairly impossible to put that all in one musical. Also, it had kinda dark stuff in it so not sure if it would be allowed to be performed in this day and age lmao. (But I actually had a dream some time ago that Sayaka Okamura(Snow Kaguya) sang Muma no Oodri as Death Lamia so yeah lol)

7) Sailor V musical

I think the best point for a Sailor V musical would have been in 2018 after LMF as the main story has ended and the cast at the time had had their "graduation". So as much as I want a Sailor V musical I do not really see them doing it now when they have a cast of all the Senshi (unless they decide to do multiple musicals a year)

8) Kaguya Shima Densetsu remake

I do not see this happening as of now cause I just cannot see Dark Plasman played by a woman. I do not mean this with the intent to hurt anyone's feelings or to attack those who are fans of the all-female cast. It's just that Dark Plasman has such a deep voice that I just don't think it would be possible, or if they did, I think I would personally not enjoy it. I mean, if there is someone who has a deep voice like that, I would be happy to see it, but it just seems kinda unlikely as the deepest voice we have had in NewMyu this far are Syu Shiotsuki (UNV-LMF Sailor Uranus) and Kei Oogi (UNV Kaolinite). So unless they return to the mixed cast they had in BanMyu I do not see Kaguya Shima Densetsu happening in its original form in any way in the near future.

9) Other side stories

This is kinda random but maybe they could make musicals from other side stories. This seems very unlikely tho as the other side stories are a lot shorter and KHnK (unless they decide to make the Exam Battles into one musical or something idk) Demon Tree arc is also a possibility

10) NogiMyu R

Don't really see this happening as it has been quite a long time since the previous NogiMyu (although Super Live made a comeback so who knows). The only things to support this are the facts that at the end of NogiMyu they teased us with the Black Moon arc and ever since then it's been a possibility. Also on the Official Sailor Moon website, NogiMyu is still listed in the "Stage" section even after all this time so maybe they could be planning something with it. But if NogiMyu does make a comeback, I hope they do not do the DK arc AGAIN.

So there are many possibilities but will any of them come true? Who knows lol

Terms

KHnK: Kaguya-hime no Koibito musical from 2021

AE: Amour Eternal, musical from 2016 based on the SuperS/Dream/Yume arc

BanMyu: Sailor Moon musicals made by Bandai 1993-2005

UNV: Un Nouveau Voyage, musical from 2015 based on the Super/Infinity/Mugen arc

LMF: Le Mouvement Final, musical from 2017 based on the Stars arc

NewMyu: "new" Sailor Moon musicals by Nelke 2013-2017/2023 (some consider NewMyu to be only the five musicals of the first five arcs but some consider since 2013 to be part of NewMyu)

NogiMyu: Nogizaka46 Sailor Moon musical from 2018-2019 based on the Dark Kingdom arc

[chemicalbrew]

2022 game list

2022. Truly, the year of uhh. I'm glad that not only can I write this post in the first place, but I have at least a few banger games to report on as well.

Thank Aidios, the list is much shorter than the '21 one. And due to this short length, it's going to be in order, just like my first list!

Shoutout to the three games I decided to cut (Head AS Code\Birth ME Code and Atelier Ryza) - they basically ensured that this year would have been off to a rough start. The former two are a pale imitation of the thrill of Zero Escape that I sought to replicate (complete with an unhealthy amount of innuendos) and the latter... turned out to just not be my kind of game, like, at all. I stared Ryza in the face and thought 'oh god, is this what is considered a fun protagonist these days??'

I was, in fact, impressed, that these games were logged this year and not an eternity ago... 2022 has been kinda rough :(

I'm still looking forward to the third ABiMe game, if only to laugh at it hysterically. I love how much the first two games upset me.

Honorable (maybe) mentions: CrossCode (PC, 2018) [♪ Battle 2]

On the surface, this is a game made for me. Incredible pixel art (even down to the squeaky clean UI), witty writing, a charming silent protagonist, a creative plot hook (I mean, have you seen an RPG try its best and mostly succeed at replicating an MMO game?)… but there is one problem.

It's also a platformer. That's all I need to say.

Ironically, this wouldn't be a problem if I didn't like the rest of the game so much - one of the things CrossCode does best is the distinction between the optional and the required. I didn't have to spend hours trying to make sense of the maps or execute somewhat brutal (for me, someone who is very much prone to avoiding platformers that require any semblance of skill) platforming challenges, but... I also did.

I know, I know - it's more telling of the problems I personally have when I play games than anything else, but at the same time, the way the game is structured meant that it gradually became more and more overwhelming for me, as most platformers do (see also: Celeste, Cave Story, etc...). So I ended up dropping it!

Which sucks, because, as I mentioned, everything else about CrossCode is super fun! The frantic battle system (that makes me think of early Ys, but on steroids) encourages you to mow enemies in your path down as efficiently as you can with the skills you yourself get to choose, the side quests do just enough to pull you into the world, the mystery of the very nature of our protagonist is mostly intriguing, and the music is everything you could want from a modern game that takes inspiration from the old, if I'm being honest. I find myself thinking about it a lot outside of the game, and while I was playing, it was a treat to look forward to new tracks.

I was totally ready to fall head over heels for this game, and in the end, I didn't even get to see the plot twist that every review seems to be so upset about! It's a tragedy, really.

Live A Live (Switch, 2022)

You might think I’m refusing to include the usual OST highlight because I personally didn’t think much of the soundtrack (and a lot of the tracks I did like ended up kinda overplayed), but no, I’m doing it because a) the remade OST is consistently taken down everywhere (thanks Square) and b) the remake doesn’t have an option to switch between SNES music and arrangements of it. If I had to put something in its place, it would easily be Select-A-Live, though. Simple, elegant, encompassing of the game’s main draw.

Anyway! Have you ever seen a game that prides itself on being as creative as it is compact (that has been remade maybe just a bit too faithfully)... and then throws all of its pride away in the final act? Cause honestly, this is as succinct of a description for Live A Live as I can muster.

What makes this game unique and seemingly ever enduring in the hearts of fans is how it wasn’t afraid to toy with what RPGs of the distant year of 1994 seemed to represent while also being a sort of love letter and time capsule to stories, tropes and themes of wildly varying sorts. The diversity here - from a wordless story of a caveman learning the joys of love to a straight up Street Fighter-turned-RPG boss rush to a futuristic narrative about duty and humanism and how these two things can clash with one another to... well, you get the point - is genuinely impressive, and with it, it’s easy to see how and why this game, even while being painfully niche, paved way to quite a few modern darlings of the genre.

The intrigue and joy born of brevity makes the subsequent twist even more impressive... in how far removed it feels from the rest of the game. The different paths converging, being forced to fight boundless hatred across time and space... borne of what could be described as either a tragedy worth mourning or a narrative so pathetic it makes everything the game spent the past 20 hours setting up feel insignificant in retrospect, no matter how tightly and lovingly executed it actually was, both in terms of gameplay and narrative.

At first I couldn’t believe the game dared return to the very early makings of the genre it so lovingly subverted. Then I was delightfully surprised - for the last time, as layers of subversion doubled in on themselves. The hero never saved the princess. The world collapses around him as he gets set up by his close friend (who was also, to make matters worse and\or more contrived, cheating on him... with the princess) and exiled from the world he knew, and as the Shakespearean antics of this chapter get cranked up to eleven, everyone the hero has known ends up dead for one tragic reason or another, which makes him do such a sharp 180 on the path of good that... he resolves to spread hate. Across time and space. Yup, the cause of literally everything you had to resolve up until now was a guy with no coping mechanisms who shouldn’t even be aware of half the places his incarnations end up in. It’s... a bit ridiculous.

And, in terms of gameplay, his chapter is aggressively old-school, with its ‘unique’ gimmick literally being random encounters, the exclusion of which I had been ready to praise the game for before this point. If Live A Live wanted me to appreciate what good it had earlier, it succeeded in the worst way possible.

Even starting the final stretch of the game feels strange - unless you choose the ~evil~ path, which, admittedly, is a genuinely wonderful spin on things I wish other games would recreate. Where else do you get to be the big final boss,  beautiful sprites and everything, seven times in a row, with your goal being to ruin the lives you fought so hard to preserve just a few hours earlier? Maybe it’s just me, but there’s something weirdly enjoyable about getting to actually exploit movesets that the AI would use against you with a deliberate weakness. Otherwise, you pick up right where the hopeful ending you painstakingly earned left off, and watch your character of choice whisked away into the world of previously mentioned tragic villain with no rhyme or reason.

From there, you must grapple with random encounters (made awkward with each of the previous characters’ movesets being carefully tailored for their own chapters, but not the semi-random pool of enemies present in this final section) and level design you’ve seen in many other games, while putting together a party comprised of characters who have no reason to know one another, whose sweet little arc ended hours ago. All to Defeat The Big Bad For Real This Time, I Promise?

I suppose that’s not how it actually ends, given the game’s previous well-constructed messages about love and community and righteous anger and all. But holy shit, the drop of quality I got to witness over the climax of the game, no matter how purposeful or cheeky, makes me want to do anything but find that out. I’m fine with how self-contained the initial stories were, and I don’t think this game needed a tacked-on ‘thread it together‘ ending.

There must be something wrong with your game if the most memorable thing its final stretch has to offer is... how gorgeous it looks. Especially since the rest of the game is not really a slouch in that department either - the ‘HD-2D‘ style ends up being the perfect happy medium between being faithful to the original and breathing life into it. Too bad it’s genuinely the only consistently good aspect of this game.

10. Grimm’s Hollow (PC, 2019) [♪ First Reaping]

This one was sitting in my backlog for a year and a half, and I honestly have no idea why - I barely even remember how I came across this gem, which is weird. I mean, it’s free on Steam (which is surprising to me considering the quality), cute, has multiple endings, talks about death and grief in that bittersweet way that never fails to restore my faith in humanity...

And best of all, it’s purple. >:) Well, not all of it, but like 80% of this game’s aesthetic is based on my favorite color, which was probably why I got interested in the first place. I wasn’t expecting to see a solid, if a little condensed, storyline about coping with loss and change and learning to make new connections in life and afterlife behind such a simple front, coupled with a neat battle system (and a couple bangers to accompany those battles!) that combines ATB and simple QTEs together in that solid way that vividly reminded me of playing Mario RPG in the kitchen, somehow. It’s sooo nice, at least for the short amount of time the game asks of you! Plus, there’s a decent amount of exploration, no random encounters, and you can just feel the amount of care put into everything. It’s a great way to spend an evening or two, honestly.

The endings you can get range from sweetness of closure to either the protagonist and\or deuteragonist to simple screens that could have passed for game over screens, but it’s fine. Literally the only noticeable flaw this little game has is how it refuses to make clear that you lock yourself out of half the endings by maxing your skill tree! I would have had no idea had I not randomly seen it online.

9. Unreal Life (PC, 2020) [♪ Dance Hall Crisis]

*this game is niche enough that the OST is not on YouTube, I'm linking directly to an mp3 instead. And no, the rest of the soundtrack is not remotely like this track, but who cares? It's my favorite, and I love how the very nature of this piece - being somewhat laid-back out-of-context, but standing out as a faster-paced backdrop for some of the more relatively intense scenes when seen in the game's entirety - says more about the nature of the whole experience than one might expect.

Unreal Life is so true to its name that it comes elegantly close to betraying the core of its story and setup with a mere glimpse at its title... but it manages to make its twist layered just well enough to leave the players satisfied and intrigued, not disappointed. The dreamy pixel art (I'm not sure if I would call this the greatest art seen in a game, but it's obvious that the person who made it all is skilled at converting the limitations of the style into genuine beauty), carefully crafted to convey just the right amount of detail in any given object so they come together in memorable set pieces, and the somber, almost nondescript a lot of the time, music, completes the experience that the game has to offer, every element further selling the feeling of uncertainty, loss and struggle beneath the wonderful sights and strange occurrences driving your curiosity.

I haven't mentioned a lot about how the game plays yet, mostly because it almost always felt secondary to experiencing the world. You walk around. You click on things. You talk to things. You get items and use them. It's a point and click, but instead of a mouse, you have Hal. A 'walk and click', if you will. And there's a lot of walking - almost annoyingly so, I would say, but it adds to the mood. It forces you to sit back and take in what the game throws at you.

The one unique thing the game does is the aforementioned memories - you're able to compare the past and present as experienced by inanimate objects in the world, and it is how you find the majority of clues you need. However, even this doesn't require much thought from you - the information you gain is plain to see, and characters comment on it as well.

The two characters right at the forefront are humans - a young girl in a pure white gown named Hal and another woman, miss Sakura, whose disappearance drives Hal forward across the whole story for reasons not even she can ascertain, imbuing the simple plot hook with a mysterious air. We see Hal struggling to piece together her place in a strange, dreamlike world that alternates between being almost conveniently welcoming and full of painful memories bubbling to the surface, but is always pervaded with a feeling of otherness... But the secondary characters that stand out in this game are all strangely unique - if you try to look at what people remembered most about Unreal Life, you'll likely see lots of talk about... a penguin? a dog? a traffic light?.. Yeah, if you ever wanted to have feelings about inanimate objects and talking animals, this game is for you.

For me, Zero was definitely the highlight of the game, for reasons quite simple - I just like casually rude characters that have changes of heart for the better. Especially if they're a piece of AI manifesting themself as an eyeball (insert AI: The Somnium Files-esque AI\eye joke here for me).

Despite the appeal characters like Zero hold, every piece of this world is, in truth, made in service to the main character - it's Hal's growth you and the other characters observe across the game, it's her thoughts (the ones you can literally access in-game) and memories she magically obtains from objects that move the game forward, and it's her reunion with Miss Sakura that completes it - in ways both expected by that point and surprising at the same time. I liked Hal because the game justifies almost everything about her by the time the end credits roll - you may feel like rolling your eyes at another 'silent, shy, hurt, naive, needs to grow and eventually does' sort of protagonist, but Hal overcomes the challenges set in front of her and within her with a pleasant sort of grace that would, I'd wager, make even the most skeptical players resonate with the image the game paints of her bit by bit.

Through Hal, the game wants to make you think about what you can do, what you want to do. Her struggles, both in the world she's trapped in and the one she came from, are meant to motivate and reassure you - you, too, in time, will know how to accept yourself, to live and contribute to the world. This isn't anything new or fresh by any means, but there's a reason topics like this are so enduring across media. Because there's always someone who needs to hear this in a way that resonates with them personally. And even though I didn't feel that resonance while playing, I appreciated the wonderful execution, even more so when I remembered that this is an indie game at the end of the day. It's kind of a cliche to bring this sorta thing up, I know, but recalling that the wonderful art was done by one person makes my heart swell, okay? You have to respect this game for coming from someone's heart and soul.

...and hey, what other game will give you a jar containing infinite shrimps? That's kinda a dream come true by itself, isn't it?

8. Shantae and the Pirate's Curse (PC, 2014) [♪ Scuttle Town]

Normally this game would get very similar treatment to CrossCode, being a platformer as well (or more accurately, a Metroidvania that takes just enough cues from 2D Zelda, in my opinion), but... I actually had a blast with Pirate's Curse?! Surprising everyone, me most of all. What stars had to align for such a miracle, making me blaze through a kind of game I usually steer clear from (enough that I was hesitant to play it for about a year, despite a hearty recommendation)?

Well... A lot of them, actually. I appreciated the straightforward level\area designs (more so than is probably usual in the genre these days, I feel. My favorite was Propeller Town, because I loved the way the pirate hat\'glider' handled in general) that nonetheless have just enough well-hidden collectibles inside, making repeat trips enjoyable, coupled with the freedom of movement you gain in this game as you progress (with the cannon at the end giving a quadruple jump and being able to dash and glide at the same time... it's so fun to blow through stuff that used to give you trouble with all those tools working together!).

I adored the mixture of pixel sprites (which are animated in such a lively way that it can be legitimately hard to stop staring at how everything moves) and proper character art, even if it took a bit of getting used to. And for the most part, I enjoyed the characters themselves, which do just enough for the game to give you an excuse to saunter around the world, while giving you the feeling of this adventure being a piece of something with a history (i.e. Squid Baron being self-aware and everything Shantae and Risky have going on - it doesn't have to be complicated to be fun).

But of course, the jewel on top for me personally has to be the soundtrack. There's the aforementioned Scuttle Town, which has managed to conquer my brain in ways few VGM pieces do, but also plenty more to enjoy besides that. The peppy and catchy music works in tandem with the cute visuals to ensure the player enjoys themself and remembers the experience fondly - and it really pays off!

Now, it's not like the game was without flaw - there's barely anything that qualifies as fast travel (aside from the usual 'warp back to town' item that doesn't work when you would need it most), which leads to some excess backtracking being involved; and the writing is nothing to write home about, aside from the aforementioned sense of continuity and some funky fourth wall breaks here and there. But in my heart, both of these can be excused - Curse is very much trying to carry that old-school game spirit within itself, and I didn't exactly play it to be wowed by a grand story. For the most part, the game achieved what it had set out to do, and impressed me enough to consider playing at least one more Shantae in the future, so it's hard for me to call it anything but a success!

7. 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim (Switch port, 2019-2022) [♪ Brat Overflow]

This is one of my favorite video game title screens, if we’re being honest. Everything about it just works - seeing the protagonists stand together against the literally looming threat, with what turns out to be their true hope right in front of them, with muffled sounds of siren-like voices and machinery as an accompaniment.

And then, a mysterious blue light flashes by, and our protagonist - well, one of them, turns to face the camera with an almost inviting expression on his face, as the song fully fades in together with the game’s logo. Yes, this is what 13 Sentinels is about - just another game about teens and young adults saving their doomed world from an inhuman threat. Somehow.

Or so it would seem, because a core part of this experience is watching the layers and layers of fuckery unveil themselves. ‘Oh, okay, so this is a time travel story!‘ Nope... I mean, kinda... ‘Oh, I get it, they’re teleporting!‘ Nope. ‘Oh, so the protagonists are all aliens, huh?‘ NOPE, it was a post-apocalyptic story all along!

‘Hm, I guess it really is just about beating the monstrosities, huh?‘ Not even that, that was just a side effect of lazy coding in the simulation that fifteen researchers forced their infinite clones into so they could survive on their way to infinite inhabitable planets. Which means that in the process of saving themselves, humans committed a very, well, human error that caused more problems than it solved, but in the end, reached their goal. This is how the game manages to both ask the fundamental question of ‘why bother with anything‘ and answer it in a defiantly hopeful fashion in one fell swoop.

So basically, the moral of this game is both ‘check your code before you commit‘ and ‘humans will stand proud in a vicious cycle of death and rebirth to protect the world and people they love‘. That’s both nifty and fucking nuts.

Of course, this is a small, surface level observation, and it doesn’t begin to cover everything that’s going on here. There’s cloning, a talking cat, androids, high school shenanigans, nanomachines, a gay awakening or two, a fucking shitload of artificial intelligence, identity crises of multiple kinds, and far more cheesy romance than was probably necessary (I guess 60% of this is set in a Japanese high school, but still... everything was dreadfully predictable lol)... There’s so much going on that, apparently, even the writer himself talked about struggling to keep the mysteries together in his head!! And a huge chunk of the story didn’t make it in because of time and budget constraints, with some of it only being explained in the game’s own information analysis section! (It honestly really shows, especially when you see the ending being set in the simulation and not the real world.) Like, let me tell you, when it comes to being convoluted, 13 Sentinels can give basically any game a run for its money!!!

So, then, why did I, someone who hates having convoluted jargon shoved down her throat, stick with it? Simple: I was lured in. Playing the story sections of this game is like watching a painting come to life, for many reasons. The gorgeous set pieces provided (with INCREDIBLE lighting. Screenshots don’t even do justice to how stunning this game is, because the lighting in these sections consistently blows your mind.), top-notch voice acting (made even more impressive by the fact that it was recorded outside of any studio, honestly) and the titular 13 protagonists’ growth arcs (turns out, they grew both as people and in the literal sense, ha)... It all makes for a very immersive experience - before you know it, you’re shouting at the screen as you get hammered by the numerous reveals this plot has in store for you... or watch Hijiyama lose his ability to think about anything but yakisoba pan.

Sure, the protagonists are often playing by the tropes, and, as mentioned earlier, the relationships between them are a mixed bag, but out of such a huge selection and\or mess of a story, everyone’s bound to find some part they enjoy. Personally, I’d say Ei’s story about finding one’s identity anew (immediately after committing murder) while falling in love with a schoolgirl next door (who definitely didn’t want to be involved in anything resembling a crime, especially one concerning her alternate self, but oh, she’ll do anything for his man, including becoming a schoolgirl with a giant robot.) was my favorite - again, just the right tropes and mood for me! >:) And in general, there are countless little details that show how much care intended to go into this game, making sure every protagonist’s story lines up or simply making it all more believable, ironically enough. In an alternate world where the developers had more time and resources... this whole cast might have been one of the greatest in video games (there was lots of build-up material planned and cut), but as is, they’re just good.

The last part that pieces 13 Sentinels together is its battle mode, where you actually get to control the ✨giant robots✨ directly and save the world. It’s a simple mix of real-time combat and tower defense, with little nuggets of quality character banter and lore files being your real reward for engaging with it. I mean, if you like this sort of thing, you won’t be feeling robbed or anything - each character has unique skills, and the game encourages you to experiment with your loadout... there’s even multiple difficulty levels and an ‘endless’ mode you unlock after the main story! But to me, the core appeal was in how mindless most of it was - number go big, kaiju explode, yippee... And then the final two stages turned my simple strategies on their head and sucked the fun out of the whole experience at the crucial moment when the story, for the most part, pieced itself together and I was feeling pumped! Oh well, ultimately, before I hit the roadblock, I was having fun putting on a show for Yuki-chan. :p

The soundtrack of this game is something I really appreciate, as well. Well, not all of it -  the story section’s music didn’t leave much of an impression on me, but the battle music... Why, yes, I love bashing manufactured robots’ heads in while dynamic electronic music with juicy bass blares in my speakers!!! In fact, hearing LYSINE randomly in a Youtube video was enough to spark my interest in this game in the first place. It’s absolutely one of the greatest highlights of my personal experience.

Ultimately, this is another passion project that came close to biting off more than it could chew, but the effort put in ended up shining through in almost every aspect. This was a strangely unique experience for me, one that made me reevaluate, at least a little bit, what I actually like about games I play. It might not stick with me in ways most other stories do, but I’m thankful to have (almost) completed it anyway!!

6-5. Ace Attorney: Dual Destinies (3DS\Android, 2013) [♪ Difficult People]

Ace Attorney: Spirit of Justice (Android, 2016) [♪ Dance of Devotion]

Look, I made the fifth and sixth mainline entries take fifth and sixth place, I'm a genius. (not really) Prepare for a somewhat nonsensical ramble as I try to piece together my far too numerous thoughts on them!

My favorite thing about these games might be how controversial they became\are in the eyes of the fanbase. If you ask some of the more invested people, they'll spare no quarter in trying to convince you how the change in the writing staff is the greatest blight on Ace Attorney as a whole... and then you play the games, and it goes a little something like this ('I pray for your ass' is 100% accurate, can confirm).

What I'm trying to say is... AA5 and 6 are surprisingly... good? Or, more accurately, not bad? Just different. I can understand how I have an inherently unusual perspective compared to long-time fans just by knowing in advance about the reason these games never quite feel the same as even their direct predecessor (cause, again, a lot of it is due to the original writer being forced to work on spinoffs at that time), but even then, I don't think being unaware would have changed my opinion too much. It's clear Yamazaki and co. had put some thought into these games, and besides that, it's just strange seeing the games bashed because of the new person at the helm, given that he also handled the fan favorite Investigations games (and yeah, I love them too, but I think in the end I appreciate the mainline games more).

Also, story-wise, AA4 was pretty weak; I'm sure things would have been different had it received a proper sequel that it clearly planned to build up to instead of the soft reboot that we ultimately got, but on its own it never stood out to me, probably because I don't seek serious affairs rife with a moody and inconsistent air from this particular series, so I was never upset with having to see those lingering threads go down the drain in the first place. I never really understood the allure behind the characters of Apollo (the most normalest guy in the world) and Trucy (who I think just exists to force a dichotomy between the changes Phoenix went through and his decidedly still soft heart), either, so I didn't really feel like there was anything to massacre in 5/6 (except for Phoenix - he truly had no reason to return to law, ever, and his presence sours both sequels and strips them of potential just about everywhere. The time we had to spend with him could have been used to explore Athena or Apollo's childhoods!!)

A lot of the problems DD and SoJ show - the struggle to have a proper story to tell, the dated humor (that naturally works better in these games, since they're more recent - Retinz's haughty 'I'll do anything for those clicks, baby' attitude in particular is a decent impression of what is just close enough to what would probably be called being an influencer in the modern day), the drawn-out trials such as 5-3 and 6-3 or 6-5... they all existed in some way or another even before Apollo Justice. Of course, that doesn't mean we can absolve the games completely of these flaws, but they shouldn't be unfairly judged, either. It's why I prefer to focus on the things I did enjoy here, even if DD has remarkably few of them.

You see, I initially was ready to declare Dual Destinies my new favorite game - Athena's introduction made quite a splash (truly, a multilingual neurodivergent icon the series did not know it needed), the shift in music style was intriguing, and Simon became my most beloved prosecutor in the whole series almost instantly (and for better or worse, he still is.) I also liked the unusual linearity this game has, just because I like things decently straightforward in my games.

As AA5 dragged on, however, the linearity felt more like a flaw than an asset, serving only to make the game feel empty. Other cracks started to show as well - the decision to split screentime between three protagonists harming each of them in turn (even if it was fun seeing how the Space Center linked Apollo and Athena before they even knew each other, it felt forced more than anything due to lack of a setup), the multitude of directions they try to take the game's prosecutor in and inevitably fail to capture the aura this 'archetype' had in previous games, resulting in a character that does barely enough for the story and leaves you eager for more (assuming you don't straight up dismiss him and his edgy attitude), the weakest soundtrack in the series, the unsubtle development of Athena's character (along with similarly blunt theming around 'the dark age of the law' and such, which I can only assume was done in an attempt to make the game easier for newcomers to approach... even though this is the fifth game in a storied and normally interconnected series... huh?)... things like that piled on quickly and soured my impression a hell of a lot. At least I had Simon in all his glory to keep me going - just like someone on Backloggd said, he 'deserved a better debut game than this'.

So in the end Dual Destinies turned out to be a lovable mess, the first half of it testing your patience and the second offering a payoff that's only enjoyable if you are invested in a character that, to many, pales in comparison to the series' past (I loved him, though, so by extension, I can’t help but like his whole game). Ah, and you can spend money to defend an orca, which is more fun to talk about than actually experience. What about Spirit of Justice?

To put it bluntly, it's also a mess, arguably a bigger one. But discussion of this specific entry deserves to have more nuance than this - if Dual Destinies is like having to dig through layers of dirt before chancing upon a solid chunk of gold, Spirit of Justice is like eating a burger that's serviceable, but it has bits of your favorite sauce all over the place, so you can't help but be tempted to finish eating the whole thing, even if it is in actuality mediocre. So let us ask the question once again - what about Spirit of Justice made it ultimately more enjoyable than its predecessor? 

The simple answer is that Dual Destinies, being middle-of-the-road in most respects, unintentionally does a great job of lowering your expectations for whatever comes next. Because of this, my opinion on Spirit often changed drastically while I played it - I liked it overall, but I felt like my enjoyment of it went against basic logic. Again, it was like eating your favorite piece of fast food - you know it's not exactly good for you, and you feel baffled about how much joy it brings you, but you can't stop yourself from feeling that joy.

My thought process while playing the majority of Spirit was something like ‘well, this story may be absurd sometimes, and the land of Khura'in, a setting created out of desperation to fix that was not broken before the new writers worked themselves into a strange corner, is just a bit shy of an affront to the audience’s intelligence... it continues to make a mess little by little of both pre-established character arcs and those of newcomers, and this is probably just the surface of a sizable list of reasons this game could be rightfully considered a disappointment by some… but guess what? There’s just enough remnants of squandered potential that, fortunately or not, the game has me hooked’.

That remained the case until the credits rolled and I stared at the phone screen with waves of a strange mixture of regret and satisfaction. To say that this is a weird way to end an entire series is frankly an understatement.

But in general, Spirit tries its hardest to appeal to the player on many fronts at once. The 3D models and animations’ quality has increased noticeably compared to their first attempt with Dual Destinies (and a lot of the witnesses are a joy to interact with as characters, too), the investigation sections, for the most part, are more substantial and thought-out than the previous game (you actually have to think about how to progress sometimes, wow!!), the attempt to have a story with a bigger scale is, if nothing else, something to be admired, and the soundtrack... why, it might be the best in all of Ace Attorney.

Music as a whole here is lots more memorable and moody, with many tracks for events based in Khura'in having a sort of specific somber and mysterious feel to them never seen in the series' past, and pieces that play while court is in session lending trials a resolute and somewhat desperate air (the cross-examination music in particular is my favorite across the whole series.), fitting of the stakes continuing to rise as you make your way through the story.

Yeah, that's right - they actually made another attempt to make an overarching plot work in an Ace Attorney game! And, as mentioned earlier, they tried to expand its scope beyond things we've seen before! Not to mention the countless characters from series' past they could not and would not let go of... and all of these things had to compete for space in a game, that, while being the longest in the franchise by a large margin, is constrained not only by series' tradition, having only five cases to unfold the story in, but also by just how much filler there is.

While Turnabout Storyteller is my favorite case in the series, period (the banter between prosecutors is great, most of the jokes land, and it has a great witness with well-handled DID representation in Uendo), it has little to say about what’s going on in the world at large, and I could talk forever about how flawed the parts of the story that do concern that are (I decided to cut all that inane rambling from this post, jeez).

So, it’s no wonder people have debates on the quality of this game to this day, especially its controversial handling of characters both old and new. Athena having all development of her character reversed, Apollo getting a contradictory backstory to bend the plot to the writers’ needs, and Nahyuta having his character arc compressed so much that his heel turn ends up being nonsensical, among many other things, like how in court, he manages to alternate between clean, sensible logic and running down the defense with raw insults, which continues to go on for three more cases barely unabated... It’s a mess from the word go, but there’s some heart in it, and it tried something new. That’s why it’s a game that I think will haunt me for a long time.

4. Panel de Pon\Tetris Attack (SNES, 1995) [♪ Thiana's Stage]

What could give a game that is about nothing but matching blocks by color such a high position? The fact that it has so much more to offer than just blocks. ...and the fact that I like match three games. With a caveat.

Said caveat is that I'm actually not overly familiar with games of that sort - I've barely played Bejeweled or whatever else might come to your mind when you think of the genre. Instead, there is a certain series of games called The Treasures of Montezuma that holds a weirdly special place in my heart.

When I was less than ten years old, I was glued to the PC screen, watching my mom and dad take turns obliterating colorful pieces on the screen to really repetitive music, and now here I am, an actual adult, doing the same thing to relax and pass the time. In fact, I made it a point to go through that series one by one over the course of this year, as a sort of nostalgic boredom killer, watching the games hit their stride and fall from grace after the first three entries (cash grab lol).

The things that made that series different from what I would usually see in the genre (and that ultimately made the whole family love that goddamn series for years) were as follows:

you can move other pieces while the ones you already matched are disappearing;

you're incentivized to plan ahead in one way or another to execute massive combos;

there's a fair number of different modes with the same core mechanics to keep things from getting stale.

Sound familiar? Yup, Pon hits all of these points just as well, with a puzzle mode and a VS mode that is a plain joy to play with someone else and delivers some satisfying challenge if you go through it on your own!

But not only does it play in a completely different way when you get down to it, it also (gasp!) has great, poppy visuals and music that is not repetitive! And it has multiplayer! I was not expecting to love a game that just randomly grabbed my attention with its bright and fuzzy game cover standing out in the list of (pithy) NSO offerings (RIP🥺) as much as I did. But it was too well-made not to!

Another important thing is that Pon is probably a hallmark of 'easy to understand, hard to master'. Sure, matching blocks is, as mentioned, not the hardest thing to comprehend in the world, but the unique thing about Pon is that said blocks come from the bottom, not top. You have almost complete reign over them - you can swap any two blocks that are next to each other horizontally, or make one of them fall down from an empty space.

This allows you to not only match blocks in threes one by one, but, more importantly, to set them up so they fall down and clear themselves in chains as well (or set up columns so that you clear 4 or 5 blocks at once all on your own, instead of praying to RNG to give you such a combination). Learning to set up and execute chains is far and away the most important part of this game, and it's what makes it unique, because, thanks to the aforementioned restrictions, the process is different from both other match-threes and games like Tetris and Puyo Puyo (neither of which I actually really like, so imagine my surprise when Pon consumed my soul for a few months...).

A successful play session of Pon requires many things - the knowledge of how chains are set up and executed, the reflexes to actually follow through on the execution, the ability to adapt to the random wall of blocks thrown at you, the understanding of how garbage blocks work in VS... The things people pull off at competitive level still seem like a fever dream to me, and even though I kind of feel like I got as far as I could in terms of skill, in the grandest scheme of things I'm probably barely above a beginner.

And yet, the game leaves you free to play at any speed you want, with most modes also offering you three difficulty levels - and the lowest settings make blocks crawl slower than a turtle. This kind of accessibility, combined with cute music and actually unreasonably pretty and sweet character art, makes this one of the most welcoming games I've ever seen - and I never have a bad time when I decide to sit down with a music playlist of my choice and just crawl my way up from minimum speed to... the actual maximum (99) on Easy or about halfway there (I maybe only broke 60 once or twice) on Hard.

So, basically, this might be the Chrono Trigger of puzzle games for me. I still think to myself about how badly I want to play it on a proper SNES controller now and then.

PS.

3. Trails of Cold Steel (PC, 2017) [♪ Investigation]

It's funny, I ended up posting about two Trails games at once, and yet, I made it a point for myself to take a long break between the two - an action that is, in general, greatly advisable, since Cold Steel manages to feel familiar and strange at the same time, and playing it without tempering your expectations can lead to ruin. Its high placing among the other games of the year is well-deserved, but compared to the rest of the series, in most areas, it falls short - this is a good RPG, but a barely acceptable Trails game. Not in the least because the protagonist's role can be aptly summed up with this (one of my favorite videos ever, I think.).

There are just enough things about this game that are consistently enjoyable and still feel (mostly) worthy of the high standards set by the series' predecessors that I managed to plow through it beginning-to-end in three and a half weeks, which is definitely comparable with my previous series track record (maybe even surprising myself a little.). The setting's structure takes cues from both Sky (with separate locations that you get to visit and thoroughly explore for a chapter that together make up the whole of a region) and Crossbell (with Trista and Thors Military Academy serving as a hub-like place where you get to observe fellow students' progress throughout the year) for an interesting attempt to shake things up a little and convey the growing sense of scale that surrounds Erebonia as a whole.

The shift to 3D, for the most part, is... inoffensive? There are two specific losses that came about as a result of it that I can't help but mourn (one is expressive character portraits, the other is the disappearance of our good old friend the battle grid, which demolished what little importance the MOV stat had in one fell swoop.), but as a whole, it's a very appropriate change and executed just well enough to not ruin whatever immersion you might have. And that's good enough, since graphics were never the series' biggest draw...

But the soundtracks are definitely one of them. The music in this game is a little hit-or-miss at times, especially compared to a game like Azure (at worst it just does its job, at best it haunts you at night - I guess I'm just being picky because of my experience with Trails ¯\_(ツ)_/¯), but it definitely manages to feel unique compared to previous entries by trying to go in a more 'orchestral' direction. There's a lot to like, even if it doesn't feel like it measures up to the past at times - at least a few battle themes are bangers as usual, and this game probably has the greatest amount of gorgeous and atmospheric field tracks you just can't get enough of. But for every track I genuinely love, there's always one or two, especially when it comes to battle music, that made me think 'okay, this is neat, but it's definitely not the same any more :('. Not to say it's bad, it's just... good at being different, I guess.

The NPCs, especially the ones around Thors (I love Beryl, Mint and Linde) and the ones that end up travelling places alongside you (most notably Annabelle and the classic duo of Ricky and Anton), also manage to bring joy whenever they appear. The more static ones suffer from the same problem they did in Azure - they serve more as set pieces than anything else at times, and they're part of the bigger issue that is this game trying to draw from what is, seemingly, more modern anime tropes. Man, that hurts to type. You could say that that sorta thing plagued the series since forever, but nowhere is it more noticeable than here.

It also, naturally, affects the story and its pacing, as well as the more prominent characters. I used to fear the school setting would ruin what the series has been building up towards, and it sorta did, but the crux of the problem is really the repetitiveness of it all. Start the month, do quests around the academy, explore the schoolhouse (half of which is basically a waste of time), go on a field study the next day, act a mediator to resolve a conflict in your class, watch tensions in the country rise in some way (very slowly), help out to mitigate that, go home, repeat for 70% of the game... eventually it all starts to feel like Groundhog Day or something.

That feeling is not helped by some characters feeling more like gimmicks than people - while I appreciate what the game managed to show about, say, Elliot's family or Gaius' connection to his homeland, at the same time it tries its damnedest to reduce them to 🎶 and 💨 respectively. And then there's Alisa, who manages to have a somewhat impressive arc about gaining independence and starting to find purpose in life (which matches Rean neatly, because half his deal is also searching for it. It's cool.)... but she has literally the worst introduction that feels as if it wants to ruin your impression of her (I've had enough girls falling on top of guys and vice versa for a lifetime, thanks). It's almost impressive how much fluctuation there is in how the members of Class VII are handled, especially when you remember it has someone like Emma whose whole deal is... well, maybe she'll tell us in the next game. They really want you to play the next game.

Even the characters I ended up actually enjoying (Jusis and Fie, mostly) got my attention in a way that feels... surface-level. Sure, this game can give someone a decent arc when it wants to (we love us some found family-lite), but it's not quite enough. Yet another way in which this game leaves you hungry for more.

Speaking of scale, it ends up feeling off on two fronts. One, the game resorts to telling you about it rather than showing it most of the time. Erebonia's capital is supposed to have a population that's two and a half times bigger than Crossbell's, and yet the 'half' of Heimdallr that you get to explore never really measures up to that expectation. It's fun to walk around there in its own right, but the writing surrounding the place creates a strange sense of dissonance... I don't know, I don't like how much that specifically felt like a reach.

Two, this game being concurrent with Zero\Azure is an interesting choice, but at the same time it feels like a taunt. Azure left us on a tense parting note, but instead of getting to explore the resolution of a goddamn occupation, we travel back in time to go to a military school. Yeah, great. It's especially silly hearing some NPCs freak out over the events that led to it all and how it affects them (most of which you are expected to already be familiar enough with), while the main story wants the player and the main characters to cast it all away and enjoy some festival.

I get it, and it's actually quite an appropriate thing to do given their position as literal students, but it's still quite ridiculous, and even the way all the endgame happenings undermine this sense of security you were told to upkeep is too sudden and strange to actually be enjoyable. (not to mention the final final boss that came out of nowhere... *grumble grumble*)

They really want you to play the next game. And the thing is, I will... next year... But only because I'm still waiting for the previous plot thread to resolve itself. And because Trails gameplay is Trails gameplay, no matter how many changes it goes through. (I ended up skimming over this particular matter, but all you really need to know is that the game balance here is particularly skewed, making random encounters feel like mere tissue to tear through and boss fights feel drawn out and easily won.)

2-1. Xenoblade Chronicles 2 (Switch, 2017) [♪ Our Hope] XBC2: Torna ~ The Golden Country (Switch, 2018) [♪ Battle!!] Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition (Switch, 2020) [♪ Where the Ancestors Sleep]

(yesss, I get to use my own gifs!! Consistent tagging sure pays off)

Xenoblade made me realize for the umpteenth time how much I love JRPGs. Xenoblade introduced me to the latest and greatest of characters I just love putting in the mental microwave. Xenoblade helped me meet lots of wonderful people. Xenoblade was there for me when I actually felt like utter shit trying to think about the future.

There is no way anyone should be surprised about this placement. For months, I’ve been struggling to describe just what makes this series so great, because the thing is, it’s just about everything. The games look great and offer you lots of vibrant fantastical vistas to explore, they manage to combine intriguing characters with compelling settings, they have incredibly diverse soundtracks, they break the universe in half in multiple ways before folding it back together and leaving you full of hope. That last thing is why I’m putting them all together here, instead of being needlessly petty and leaving one of them behind - while it’s true I initially found myself preferring 2 to 1 and still think it’s the more... ‘welcoming’ game out of the two, it’s their combined existence that serves to propel them to heights equal to my all-time favorites.

Just like with the other... half a dozen games on this list, I could go on forever about the details I find interesting to think about, or the things that surprised or infuriated me, or just... the battle system of Xenoblade 2 alone... But the one thing that matters is, I’m glad I gave these games a chance exactly when I did. It was precisely the right moment that made them resonate in that unique way that I think we all seek out in media.

The future

I had this section planned out roughly for '21, so what I'll do this time is mix together the lists for both years. Here's the first year's list, woeful as it is:

Ys IX: Monstrum Nox

Ys vs. Trails in the Sky

Dinosaur - patch still isn't out at the time of writing.

Legend of Heroes II: Dragon Slayer

Tokyo Xanadu - played the first two chapters or so, ended up beating Trails first

Popful Mail

Trails of Cold Steel

AI: Somnium Files

Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin

WarioWare: Touched

3DS Etrian Odyssey

Atelier series

Now for more relevant predictions, mostly obvious given the current list:

Trails of Cold Steel II

Great Ace Attorney, with the rest of CS being at least after this

Xenoblade Chronicles 3

Dead Cells (I have high hopes for the relatively recent updates)

Final Fantasy VII Remake

[teacherintransition]

BE FOREWARNED: Out of Nowhere, Your Dreams Can be Taken Away…

Living for the moment is the ticket for certain; but …

even the wisest of philosophies can crumble before fear and tragedy …don’t stop fighting

The other shoe drops; it’s bound to …it’s gotta drop. Covid turned the world upside down and the other shoe dropped: we began to fight the virus and reclaim normalcy. After all of that, it seemed tragedy and worry and fear would take a backseat for awhile as Kim and I remade our life and started pursuing our dreams long put off. The shoe …remember the shoe? It dropped

Without going into excessive detail and telling a story that isn’t mine personally to tell; let’s just say that for the last four weeks, our world stopped. We were faced with a serious medical crisis that would require an agonizing wait until a definitive diagnosis was made. In the past ten years, I’ve had three cancer scares and scare is a word that doesn’t do the mindset justice. All turned out well and I managed my anxiety condition pretty good. I lack the discipline when someone in my family is experiencing that state of the unknown …I fall to pieces. All kinds of things entered my current, unstable, frame of mind: why?!, should I go back to work?, how can I help them get through this?, our finances?, our dreams?, how do I hold things together?, will we be able to travel again? I mentioned these things first, because in the face of uncertainty; these concerns took a backseat to new earthshaking worries: I don’t want them to hurt …and, how could I live alone. Of course, two things I can’t control.

A year ago, we were on top of the world…now everything seemed to be falling apart. All of our hopes and dreams seemed to be sifting through our hands like sand. A selfish reaction? Maybe, but we did plan our future together …they are our dreams after all. But the immediate focus was, “how can I help you?,” and “please, I don’t want to be alone.” The primary actions required by me were to be encouraging and positive and to help in any way needed. Self centered thinking can be put to rest, when you commit yourself to those you love. It’s the only way to carry on …it’s the only way to see your companion through this dreaded diagnosis (which wasn’t definitive).

The uncertainty hung over us for four weeks, a failed biopsy, a new biopsy, a sonogram, etc etc. I literally could not think of anything in the future beyond this nightmare. I canceled our June trip back to Italy, I reexamined our nest egg; reacting because there was nothing to act upon until we knew. There didn’t seem to be anywhere to land or any future to pursue until we knew. I’d rather it was me.

Friday, the news came. No cancer …all clear. I took a deep breath …I embraced them and felt the release of tension, it was amazing. In a blink, this massive burden on our shoulders just disappeared. Yet, if there is an opportunity for me to overthink something, I will damn sure take it …it’s my thing, my modus operandi. Did I react selfishly? Did I do any good, provide any comfort? What would our new future have been like? Have we planned enough? Can you have a contingency plan for any possible trouble? Of course not …I needn’t be a dumb ass. Most all of life in played on the fly and you do the best you can. A new reality did get cemented in my brain: another bad thing is going to happen and someone will be alone in the future. The Great Teachers First Noble Law …c’mon you remember. Another reality, your dreams can crumble …the best laid plans can vanish like fog. Gotta accept this; it can happen at any time. We know this. Together, we realize that these special years in our lives can turn on a dime with a flipping of the bird at fairness.

This was a horrible four week ordeal, but we got the ending we wanted …this time. There is absolutely no guarantees as we know. Let’s agree that snafus in the lifeline doesn’t mean you stop dreaming and living. You adjust, but fight to live life well regardless of circumstances. I haven’t reconciled the “being alone” conundrum, but I’m a work in progress, I’ll look voraciously for the joys in life, but will work to be the family member I need to be for those around me. Today …my companion is well and happy. Today, we will dream again. Today, is a good day.

[kandadiff]

Van Der Wulff : Welcome Parents

Im starting the parents one over - after field day we see everyone is back but no parents yet.

~

Principle Fitzpatrick always claimed to want to do his absolute best by his students. He did this by making up his own school calendar and trying his best to keep the gossip about the students to himself and between trusted teachers. However, with Christmas coming up, a few teachers came to him regarding students who seemed to be having a hard time in the year so far. They suggested the resurgence of the students’ parents. Which is how we found ourselves in this predicament. 

It should have been a normal day of school. As normal as one could have at Van Der Wulff Academy. Field day was a few days ago and since everyone was back the school was full of life once again. Friendships were being remade and even some tried to rekindle relationships. The fact that Xavier was barely paying attention to that should have been your red flag but honestly you were to busy dealing with Bethany Thorne and working for her while lying to Xavier and saying you were working as a party promoter for Negan's club, The Red Room.

It was another long night of working for Bethany and you were exhausted. You walked next to Xavier towards class but you might as well have been walking by yourself. He gave you no attention. You thought he was mad because since Hawaii, Robin was spending his time in the guest room between Draven and my room. Your stomach flipped wondering if Xavier knew what happened between you two. No, he would have said something....or done something.

You're eyes spotted the taller boy walking with me towards the basement of the school where the majority of the rhersals took place. You tried not to thirst over him but your mind quickly wandered.

"Have a good class." Xavier said quickly shutting down your thoughts. You looked puzzled at the door he stopped by, this wasn't your classroom. He placed a quick peck on your forehead and started for the stairs.

"What the fuck?" You mumbled heading down the hall to your classroom.

~

Xavier did love Damien, in his own way. He considered them close friends and thinking about it, he would hurt someone for Damien if he had to - maybe not kill them but hurt them yes. He did know Damiens weakness though and as he approached the large black doors of one of the band rooms he saw it on stage setting up to sing.

Since coming back from Hawaii, he knew Damien and I hadn't spoken which made Damien go for the bottle and when he did that he was loose lipped about things he didn't think were secrets. Xavier unconsciously touched the scar that formed from the knife wound I had given him. He thought about Damien slurred speak to him a few nights ago while he was on his third bottle of Jack Daniels.

'Oh and she forgot when I had to hide her secret searches about Robin all when we were drowning up! He forgets that too! if not her parents would have moved her again! they hate him! Say hes a bad influence on her! but look she got with that old man without him! she's a bad influence on herself!'

Xavier wasn't foolish enough to hurt me here. No, you would know it was him - everyone who witnessed it in Hawaii would know it was him if anything terrible were to happen to me. And while Hoodie or Shawn didn't scare him. He saw the look in Robin's eye when he was choking him - and that made him think a bit smarter. He knew whatever the relationship between the both of us were - it extended beyond what he originally thought and that was dangerous for him. What if they teamed up on him again? His thoughts turned to you. Or if they turned on you?

"Mr and Mrs. Snow." He called back pulling himself out of his thoughts and looking down the hall. My parents approached him with wide smiles, he inwardly scoffed at how my mother was dressed. In all white and feathers like a Dove or an Angel. My father wore a simple champagne suit. "She's in rehearsal."

Stefani smiled "Can we watch? Thats allowed here, right?"

"Oh yeah." Xavier said opening the door. Rock music played loudly from the stage as the song started. Xavier smirked to himself recognizing the guitar riffs coming from Robins classic guitar.

A few students looked back as the parents moved to the two seats Xavier made sure were reserved for them. He took a seat by the door, just next to the lights. He knew neither me nor Robin could see them with the stage lights in our faces. It would be a sort of surprise. He kept his eyes on my parents. They hadn't noticed robin yet, instead both were focused on me - there smiles were enough to show the love they felt. It made Xavier a bit sick.

The song was one written by Robin for a class Xavier never did the work for. It was a good song about a kid getting involved in crime young and murdering someone and going to jail for it and I sung it. Xavier might have thought it was about him but he was starting to loose patience. That was until the song ended and Xavier could see the sudden change of expression in the Snow's faces. There happy faces turned stony when the song ended and I went to catch my breath the room watched Robin happy pull me to him and kiss my head while catching his own breath.

The room erupted in applause - all except for my parents. He flipped the lights on with a smugness he hadn't felt in a while and watched as my eyes scanned the crowd. He knew when I saw my parents - my smile quickly leaving my face. "Mom?" Robin stepped forward as though ready to pounce on the couple if they dared make a sudden move. The room didn't seem to notice. The teacher already calling other students for rehearsal.

We moved towards the backstage but Robin quickly shot out of my sight "How did you get here?" My mother hissed at him as he approached. "I'm going to file a fucking retstraining order on you. Stalking my daughter for years."

"We are happy! Just leave us be!"

"Don't speak for my daughter!" Stefani spat back at him. "You don't know what's best for her! You don't get it! You're not family anymore-"

"Does she even know who you are?" Daniel, my father asked. Robin glanced at him his anger simmering a bit. At least he hid his disgust behind designer sunglasses. "Or did you lie to her about that too?"

Stefani gasped, as though solving a conspiracy theory. "You're right!" she turned back to Robin.

"We told her to never, ever go near you again! You must've tricked her or some shit! What does she think your name is?" My father accused.

"You were always too close" Stefani shook her head, her hatred bubbling to the surface. "I bet you want to get in her pants or something! oh my god!" She grasped her husbands sleeve. "What if he did?! What If they are dating?!" She turned back to Robin. "Its cancelled! keep your filthy fucking hands away from my daughter!"

"MOM!" I shouted, I felt my face heating from the looks they were getting and I started to shove them towards the door. My stomach was doing flips as I pushed them into the hallway. I had known my parents didn't like Robin - they believed all the terrible stories about him. But I didn't know they hated him so much.

My father grabbed me to him. "Kalyn, what did he tell you?"

"Tell us, honey, nothing will happen to you. Did you both...?" her trail off made me confused and I looked at him. He was shaking in anger. his fists were clenched so tightly that I thought he would punch one of them.

I pushed my father away going to him in an attempt to calm him but I was snatched back. "Get the fuck away from her, you trash!" My mothers nails dig protectively into my arm as she neared robin.

"What the fuck!" I shouted pushing her away but she held me tighter.

"Leave this fucking school before I have you arrested!"

"You can't do that." Robins voice was eerily calm and deep.

"Oh yes I can!" Stefani spat back "You're never going to see my daughter again! You think I would ever let some fucking creep like you near her?! Now get the fuck away!"

"She's my fucking family, you blonde cunt!" Robin exploded throwing both my parents off for a bit. He stalked toward them and I gently pushed him back. He would swing at them - but he wouldn't touch me. "You are not going to fucking take her away again! She's not fucking rapunzel! You can't lock her up! If you touch her again! If you separate us again! If you take her from me again! I'll fucking make sure you never find either of us! I'll fucking bury you and your stupid fucking husband too you selfish fucking pricks!"

~

When you saw her, it was as though a cold rain had washed over you. There was your mother, dressed in one of her originally designed red dresses sitting in your desk. She looked just as you had last seen her - nearly perfect. Her hair was perfectly in place, her makeup natural seeming and you smelled her expensive perfume from where you were standing. You could see the smile on her face fooled those students around you, that knew every little about your mother. Given how they were looking at you now, you knew you were going to get the compliments about her or her job and how completely lucky you were. But you could sense the rotten essences at her core that started to show as soon as she looked you up and down and she made a face. "Sweetie, darling" She said standing up. "Why didn't you where the dress mommy made especially for her homecoming?"

"I didn't know you were coming." You said back through gritted teeth. Your eyes wandered over to Maddy who was looking at your mother as though she were some type of genie that would grant her three wishes.

"So unappreciative darling" she waved her hand. "I make you a one of a kind dress from my own fingertips and you can't even be bothered to wear it. Honestly, why do I make it then?" Great starting with the guilt trips early. "Oh well, this dress isn't bad. You look nearly perfect. And here is where it starts. The compliments that aren’t full compliments - always packed with some bitter sentiment in her words. “Come with me.” She gently took your arm in hers and you walked toward the man who was with her. “I’d like you to meet Boris Rosewood.” 

“You must be Arianna! Your mother has showed me nearly every picture of you! And I’ve heard so much about you! It’s great to meet you finally!” 

Your mother smiled and looked from him to you. “Boris is my husband darling.” She said and your eyes widened. You had absolutely no idea she had gotten married again. Your confusion seemed to amuse her “oh sweetie, done give me that look the wedding was a small intimate affair. Just very close family and you know I didn’t want to interrupt your schooling.” 

The man was too old to be a student, and the way he looked at your mom, you guessed the step-father title is coming soon.

~

[coolgenie]

Thank you to the lovely @eternallyasleep for tagging me on this approximately 84 years ago 😂🥰 This one took me a while cause these questions actually forced me to think! Plus, I agreed w/a lot of what @eternallyasleep had to say and didn’t wanna be too redundant with my own answers 😊

your all time favorite bl character and why:

I dwelled on this for so long because I didn’t wanna give such an obvious answer…but it’s gotta be Pat. So courageous in embracing his identity and his feelings when it all finally clicks into place. So bold in the way he reaches out to Pran to share his feelings rather than folding in on himself and hiding. So loving in the way he always insists on helping Pran and never because he thinks Pran is helpless, but simply because he wants Pran to know that he doesn’t have to carry the weight of the world on his shoulders when he has someone by his side whose willing to share the burden. So happy, animated, and never afraid to look silly if it’ll make Pran smile. I mean really. How could I not love him as much as Pran does?

what's the one character from a bl you wanted to punt into the stratosphere?

Wai. The show did its best to justify his actions but I never bought that bullshit. Outing your friend is atrocious enough but to subsequently make them feel like they’re the one who owes you an apology? Fuck that. Also, while we’re here…Pat’s dad can take a trip along with Wai. Apart from his atrocious behavior towards Pran’s mom and the toxic attitude with which he raised Pat, can we also just take a moment to remember how he was more concerned about Pran visiting Pat in the hospital than he was about his son being shot????

the best music moment from a bl

I have to choose Our Song in Bad Buddy. Iconic. It was all I could listen to for ages.

what's a popular heterosexual text that you'd like to see adapted into a bl/gl?

Ya know what? Screw it. Boys Over Flowers. This story has been remade way too many times and it’s tired but adapting it into a bl/gl could change up the dynamics and make it more interesting.

a scene from a bl that always makes you laugh?

This epic moment from Cutie Pie absolutely destroyed me 😂

biggest disappointment?

I'm gonna have to agree w/ @eternallyasleep on this one. I had such high hopes for Gram in Not You but the show just completely dropped the ball with his characterization, storyline, and relationship with Black. Riffing off that, I was also insanely disappointed with the show's (& the gang's) treatment of Black's character. Let's not even get started on the story itself. They could've done so much w/it but it left me wanting and w/many unanswered questions.

what two random bl/gl characters would make hilarious exes?

This question has me at an absolute loss 🤷‍♀️ Might I offer a chaotic af couple instead? Just imagine Tankhun from Kinnporsche and Secretary Foei from Cutie Pie….

who would be the funniest person to watch a bl in its entirety with and which one would you make them watch?

Drake Laedeke seems absolutely hilarious in real life. I think I'd make him watch My Engineer because it’s already chaotic and he’d just make it even better 😂

best wardrobe moment/or character wardrobe from a bl?

Just one of this King’s iconic looks 🙌

Tagging absolutely anyone who sees this and is interested in playing! 😁 Plus @bi-wuxian @machikeita & @a-true-idiot I don’t know you but I saw your username on one of my posts and was obsessed 😂

[ruanbaijie]

hey would you possibly be willing to share how you did the pantone gifset? or would you like to a tutorual?

hi anon! I’m gonna assume you’re talking about this edit 

I actually did this… a really long time ago (posted exactly 2 years ago on 3 june 2020 in the thick of the plague lalskdf) and my giffing style/ procedure has changed a lot since then, so the below will be a mixture of (what I can recall) of what I did back then + how I would’ve done it had I done this set today (by remaking one gif out of the 10)

1. google around for pantone colours and match them to the characters

I specifically googled for pantone colours with names - I don’t actually think pantone colours have official names (at least in my line of work when I’m exposed to pantone colours, they’re referred to only with their number codes), so I have a feeling whatever I found on google then were just random names generated by other people. you’ll probably need to do a bit of searching, especially if you want to find a name that “fits” the character

actual pantone chips from my work! they... don’t have names...

this is more of my personal way of planning out my gifsets - map out which character matches to which colour so that you know who you’re missing. save the colours you’ve selected so that you can use that colour later!

2. figure out the layout

create your file first, in my case I used 540x400

then use rectangle (U) to create a rectangle and fill it with the colour for that particular pantone. back when I was doing this set, I’d used the rectangular marquee (M) and filled it in with the colour, but the rectangle tool is much better since it gives more control over specific dimensions

position and duplicate

then recolour the duplicated to your next pantone colour

for the “pantone chip” itself, I used the proportions of an actual pantone chip (2x3cm, the colour part being 2x2cm) to create another rectangle (in white this time) of 200x300px

then add in a shadow - I played around with the settings to get a soft yet still visible shadow

then created frames 

3. import, sharpen, and colour your gif

do whatever is your typical gifmaking procedure to import your gif, sharpen, and colour - demonstrated only on wwx first, oyzz here is still as imported

back when I did this set, I hadn’t yet learned how to colour backgrounds and had just started playing around with layer masks which explains why the colours are so dull and not a uniform colour, but you can find a more detailed post on how I now colour backgrounds here 

this is where my current style differs from what it had been when I’d made that set:

on selective colouring (whites, neutrals, blacks), I played around with the colours till I got something that matches more closely with the pantone colour I’m aiming for

a trick is to use eyedrop (I) to select the pantone colour to see what are the individual %, and then to eyedrop the background colour and then gauge how close you are to the pantone colour

when the pantone colour is eyedropped, the hue, saturation, and brightness (HSB) are 350, 83, and 61 respectively

meanwhile, the red part of the gif is 2, 89, and 67. from this comparison (and by looking at the slider), I could tell my background colour was currently still too yellow and not magenta enough

so I went back to selective colouring and pushed the yellow slightly down and increased the amount of magenta

visually it kinda matches more closely to the pantone colour now, but just to check, I went back to eyedrop the background again and now, the HSB values are 348, 88, and 66 (vs. 350, 83, 61) - close enough for me to be happy!

4. the text

I actually googled for the font they used on pantone chips lol and got the answer from a reddit post:

not much typography creativity here, I just went with the recommended helvetica neue and sized down the text with each line

the gif posted in the original set:

remade:

[stanknotstark]

Violet Sunkiss (Loki x Reader)

Well it started as crack and then it got out of hand and DUDE THIS WAS SUPPOSED TO BE CRACK 😭 you can blame @natashas-favourite-knives​ (what do you think of the title ehhhhh?) for inspiring this piece and @justfangirlthingies and @mellifluousart and @creeping156tin-reblogs​ for encouraging it too 😂

Summary: What started out as a thought of “What if you had a sun burn and begged Loki to change you into a vampire so it didn’t hurt anymore” turned into something completely different...I’m not complaining but apparently I can’t write crack 😂

Loki rolls his eyes at your theatrics. 

“Loki, it hurts, I feel like you could cook an egg on my shoulders!” 

“Lokiiiiii, put your cold hands on-OW, ok, maybe don’t do that again, thanks.”

“Loki, how do you not have aloe vera, you’re a vampire, aren’t sunburns normal for you?” 

“Loki! Could you use your magic to put un-melting ice on my back?”

“Loki-”

“Darling, if you give another inane request I will not hesitate to put you to sleep until the sunburn is healed.” Loki tells you with a glare. 

You smile up at him, from the couch. Then you tilt your head, ever so slightly, baring your neck to him. When you see his eyes fly to your neck you smirk. 

“Loki, it burns really bad, would you change me so I can heal faster?” You ask of Loki, coyly. He doesn’t miss the pout on your lips.

Loki’s eyes flash to yours and he growls. “Do not jest about that, you know how I feel about that.” 

Your smirk widens into a smile. “Please! It really burns and it’s getting itchy! You know I have a hard time not scratching.” 

Loki rolls his eyes, bringing a hand up to rub at his face. 

“Sweetheart, if i turned you it would heal your sunburn but if you ever got another sunburn it would be ten times as bad. It is illogical to turn you for something this small, anyways.” 

“Small? Loki, my entire back is going to be peeling in a few days, you call that small?” 

“You completely missed my point.” Loki shakes his head then makes his way to the couch and sits next to you. He takes your hand into his, his long, sharp nails trailing over your pulse in your wrist as he envelops your hand in his. 

“Is that what you truly want? For me to change you?” Loki asks, looking at you through his lashes. 

You want to play with him, he will gladly play right back. 

Loki smirks when he sees your face slacken and you swallow nervously. 

You both have had the conversation. Loki wants you to change so he may have you eternally, you were hesitant and requested time to think on it.

Loki trails his free hand up your side until it rests on your neck, his thumb nail scratching slightly at the pulse in your neck. Loki watches with pride as your mouth falls open and you close your eyes, leaning into his touch.

Loki takes this moment to pull you to him, his mouth now rests above the pulse in your neck. He lets his tongue flick over your skin and chuckles when you gasp and your hands ball in his shirt.

“I thought you said you weren’t sure yet, darling. Have you made up your mind?” Loki whispers over your now goosed skin. 

“I-uh...” 

Loki pulls from your neck with a smirk. “That’s hardly an answer, sweetheart.” He tells you, inches from your face, in a smug tone. 

Loki watches as you come back to yourself, he doesn’t miss the stubborn flash in your eyes. 

“Unless you have a way to take away the pain and peeling...yes.” 

Loki looks into your eyes with a squint. He lets out a frustrated sigh when all he finds is you being a stubborn brat. 

However, he listens to you and settles a hand on your shoulder. 

“Ow! I told you-Oh....”

Loki smirks as you melt into his hand. He used his magic to cool your heated skin and relieve some of the pain. He could make the burn disappear but he thinks you deserve a little retribution for your actions and demands. 

When Loki is holding you after you melted into his touch, curling into his body on the couch, you let out a small thanks to which Loki smiles at but doesn’t respond. 

A week later you make the request again. 

“God, fuck, ah!” You shout, hopping on one foot.

Loki rounds the corner quickly and raises an amused eyebrow as you hop around, clutching at your other foot. He assumes you’ve stubbed your toe on the wall. 

“Stop laughing at me, asshole!” You shout at Loki who can’t help a laugh at your yelling. 

“Loki, it hurts really bad, can you change me so it doesn’t?” 

That makes Loki huff and leave the area, you smirking at his retreating form. 

It happens again a few days later. 

“Darling, the food just came out of the oven don-”

You take a bite against better judgement and hasfafsafa the food in your mouth till it’s cool enough to swallow. You fan air to your mouth with your hand then pout at Loki. 

“If you change me it won’t burn anymore!” 

Loki purses his lips and stabs his fork into the food he had prepared for you both. “I did try to warn you, if you would listen.” He tuts, ignoring your plead. 

“Loki! If you change me I won’t have to drive to the store anymore, I can just teleport!”

“If you change me I won’t ever get cold again!”

“Loki, change me so my nails get longer!” 

Loki doesn’t ever listen to your demands but he lets you keep making them because he has hopes that thinking about it so much will help you come to a conclusion on his question. Perhaps with your mind constantly thinking about it you’ll become familiar with it and even want to be changed, seriously. 

It happens one day when you’re both cuddling in bed, close to falling asleep after a long day. 

“Loki?”

“Hmm?” Loki hums behind you. You lay as the small spoon, your back to Loki’s chest under the covers. He lets his hands wrapped around your waist caress at the skin under your shirt. 

“If vampires couldn’t die there would be more of them, that means while you’re immortal there is something that can kill you, right?” 

Loki blinks as he regards your random but, definitely thought out, question. 

“Yes.”

“What can kill you?” 

“Every vampire has a...an achilles heel, if you will. You don’t know where it is till you’ve changed. If someone were to stab you there with pure silver, we cease to exist.” Loki refuses to let his lips form the word die. 

You’re quiet after his explanation but then you ask, “What’s yours?” In a small voice. 

Loki tenses, his hands that had been caressing you now frozen over your skin. Then he lets out a breath and relaxes. You weren’t going to kill him, merely curious. He trusts you wholly, and that might scare him a bit if he hadn’t come to terms with it years ago.

“The nape of my neck.” 

At Loki’s response you let out a thoughtful hum and turn in his arms to face him. You bring your hands from under the covers and wrap around his neck to rest on his nape. When your nails dig into the flesh and baby hairs there to slightly scratch, Loki shudders, his eyes closing, and pulls you to him, even closer. 

When Loki blinks his eyes back open you look at him with a soft look. 

“Change me.” You demand softly. 

Loki frowns. “Why?” Not sure if your heart was in the right place yet, the whole conversation said otherwise though. 

Loki watches as your eyes flicker over his face. 

“So that way if I ever need to protect you, I can. If a vampire were to come and attack you, try to kill you, I would be a liability. If you change me, that gives you a better chance of surviving.” 

Loki lets his lips twitch, as if wanting to smile. “Are you suggesting I can’t hold my own?” 

Loki feels warmth bloom in his chest when you laugh lightly. “No. Just that I want to help protect you if I can. The cherry on top is that I get to spend eternity with you, I suppose.” You say, your hands involuntarily pulling at the strands of hair on Loki’s neck, nervously at your confession.

Loki lets out a small breathy moan but really looks at you to see if you’re serious. Looking in your eyes he finds nothing but confidence and love. 

“Eternity is a long time, are you sure about this?” Loki asks, giving you one more chance to back out and retain a normal life. 

When you smile at him and nod he feels his face soften into a stupidly in love look. 

“Then your wish is my command, darling.” 

Loki shifts till he hovers over you, sleep forgotten long ago by you both. As he looks down at you he expects there to be a nervous look on your face, a small tick to hint at fear, but instead you look up at Loki as if this is exactly where you’re meant to be. This pulls Loki towards you so he may take your lips in a sweet kiss. 

Loki pulls from your lips and looks at you. “It will hurt when the transformation hits you. You will die,” Loki looks you in the eyes, to make sure you understand what you’re getting yourself into, “And then you will be remade.” 

At your confident nod Loki straddles your hips and rests on his knees. He brings his wrist to his mouth and makes a small cut. As the blood begins to flow from him he holds his wrist over your mouth and watches as the first drop touches your lips before you realize you need to open your mouth and drink his blood. Smart girl. 

Loki lets his blood flow and then you’re surging your arms up to grab Loki’s wrist and pull it to your lips. You suck at his blood with fever and Loki gasps. He hasn’t felt someone drink from him since he himself was changed. It’s a slight sting that’s overshadowed by a euphoric feeling. 

Loki lets you drink from him with small gasps and winces when the pain exceeds the euphoria. Finally you let go of Loki’s wrist and he lets out a deep breath he didn’t realize he was holding. Looking down at you he wants to smile. You’re messy when you drink, your lips are smeared in red, your white teeth also covered in red when they flash from under your lips. 

That’s when you let out a grunt and try to curl up. Loki pins both of your hands above your head and his body pins your body down so you won’t thrash around and hurt yourself. 

Loki does the only thing he can as you thrash from the pain. He whispers in your ear, giving you sweet nothings. 

“You’re so strong, darling.”

“Soon you will be with me for eternity.”

“Even in death you have found a way to be beautiful and invigorating.” 

Loki winces as you let out a hoarse shout, your face scrunched up in pain, tears falling down the side of your face into the pillow below you. 

“Shhh. It’s almost over, you’re doing so well sweetheart. Just hold on for a few more seconds.” Loki says, kissing the side of your face as your body slowly stops thrashing and shaking with a wild fury. 

When you fall completely still Loki pulls up to look down at you. The life is slipping from your eyes. 

“I will be right here when you wake, darling, then we shall start anew.” Loki whispers, kissing your forehead as your eyes lose all life. Loki brings a hand to come over your face and close your eyes for you, then peels his shirt off to clean at the blood on your lips. He unceremoniously throws the shirt somewhere in the room and returns his attention to you.

Loki brings your arms down to hug yourself, he shifts over to lay next to you then pulls you back into the spooning position you both started with earlier. 

He’s nuzzling his face in your nape when you take in a deep breath and return to the land of the living, more like conscious seeing as you were now dead though. His hand comes to settle on your chest. Loki admits, he will miss the feeling of your heart beating under your breast but he wouldn’t trade anything for having you for eternity. 

You both just lay there, Loki letting you get used to your new senses, and you taking in all the new information you’re receiving. 

Finally, when you’ve taken in everything new you turn in Loki’s arms, again, so you may look at him. 

Loki first sees your eyes are bright gold, then he sees your lips quirked up in a smirk. 

“Welcome to the land of the dead, darling.” 

Loki watches as your face goes from smirking to disbelief. 

“That is the most cliché-” You’re cut off when Loki pulls you into a kiss.

You smile in between Loki’s kisses. When he pulls back he looks at you with admonishing eyes. “Give me a break, you drank half my blood.” 

You giggle and bring your hands around his neck. Loki lets a hand grab behind your knee and drag it up his waist. At your gasp and shudder Loki looks at you with raised eyebrows. “I suppose we know where your spot is.” 

You nod, biting your cheek when Loki digs his fingers into the soft skin behind your knee. He loses interest though and rests his hand on the side of your thigh, caressing. 

“As exciting as tonight has been we do need sleep. You will need lots of sleep and blood for the next few weeks.” Loki rests his forehead on yours. He steals a peck from your lips. “Sleep. Come morning I shall teach you everything.” 

You nod and let your eyes fall closed. Sleep isn’t hard to find considering you now feel exhausted. 

“Love you.” You get out before falling completely asleep. 

“And I you.” Loki says, closing his own eyes and chasing after sleep. 

[jensengirl83]

Regret and Redemption Chapter 7

Dean x reader

Mechanic!AU

Word Count-2264

Warnings-Angst, language, heartbreak

Summary- Reader has left Dean and is trying to move on with her life. Can Dean prove himself and convince her to come back home?

A/N- Thank you to my beta @emoryhemsworth​​​ and all my girls and guy for the encouragement to keep going with this series. I love you all!

Amazing series cover and text dividers courtesy of @talesmaniac89​ 

To say Dean had a bad week was an understatement. Sam had told him that Stacy had filed a lawsuit against him and his business, he still missed his wife, and now he needed to sign his divorce papers. He had been putting off signing them since Sam had been there earlier that week. Signing them meant his marriage was over, that Y/N would no longer be his wife, and he would be alone for good. Alone. That was one of his biggest fears.

Dean always had the tough guy exterior but was actually a very complex man. He never liked to show his emotions, but they were there, and when Dean felt something, he felt it deeply. His Dad had been a hardass man, and Dean had always felt that was how he needed to be. He learned early on to just push down his feelings and be a man, or what people thought a man should be. It wasn’t just his emotions that Dean kept hidden, he also hid what an intelligent man he was. He never felt the need to broadcast it to everyone. He knew what he could do and that was enough.

He also had his fears that he kept to himself. That was one of the reasons he was in the mess he was in now. Dean had never thought highly of himself despite the cocky front he put on. He always thought that he was never good enough. He wasn’t a good enough son, brother, husband, etc. His insecurities fueled his need for the booze and women, seeking gratification any way he could find it. If he could have only curbed his self-loathing and been what Y/N needed and deserved, she would still be there, a fact that made him hate himself more and more every day.

Dean sat on his couch, whiskey in hand, as was his usual routine now. His eyes were drawn to the unsigned papers laying on the coffee table where they had been since he received them. He glared down at them as he clenched his jaw in anger and frustration, thinking on what he should do when his phone broke his train of thought. The face on the screen had made his mind up for him.

“I signed the damn papers Y/N! Your lawyer will have them in the morning!” Dean yelled and hung up the phone. He knew that was the reason why she had called in the first place.

Dean stood and threw his whiskey glass against the wall as he looked around for a pen. If a divorce was what she wanted, then that was what she was going to fucking get. Dean was at the end of his rope and just wanted everything to be over so he could mourn for what he lost in peace. He grabbed the papers from the coffee table and slammed them against the wall, signing his name furiously before throwing them and the pen to the couch. Dean grabbed his jacket and keys before storming out the door. He needed to let his frustration and anger out on someone, and he knew exactly where to go.

Y/N stared at her phone like it had burned her. She called to ask about the papers, but was his reaction really necessary? Her eyes had begun to glisten with unshed tears, her heart aching at the news he had signed the papers. Of course, she wanted him to sign them and get the divorce over with, but it was still painful to think that it was all over now. Her relationship with the man she had loved for so long was now going to be just a memory. Y/N began to pour herself a drink when her phone started to ring. She rushed over to answer and saw it was her editor.

“Hello Steven,” Y/N answered as she went back to pouring her drink.

“Hi Y/N. Are you free for lunch one day this week so we can discuss where you are in your latest novel?” he asked.

“Uh, sure. What day would be good for you?” she asked as she bit down on her bottom lip. She hoped to get a little more time to get caught up with her writing.

“How about tomorrow? I’m in town and could meet you at Harvelle’s,” Steven said, and Y/N could hear something in his voice.

“That’s fine. I can meet you there at one o’clock. Will that be ok?” Y/N asked.

“That’s fine! See you tomorrow Y/N,” he said, hanging up the phone.

Y/N hung her head and groaned. She was so far behind on her writing since all of this happened and she wasn’t looking forward to being bitched at. Everyone at her publishing company knew what had happened thanks to Dean’s stunt at her launch party, but she had been letting it get to her and interfere with her career. She wasn’t on a time limit to finish, but she knew they wouldn’t be happy to know that she had fallen behind.

Y/N made her way back into the kitchen and filled her glass with brandy. She had never been much of a drinker, but she had always appreciated a good strong liquor, especially these last few months. She never imagined this would be her life. If someone had told her two years ago that she and Dean would be in the middle of a divorce, she would’ve laughed at them. She wasn’t laughing now; nothing about her life funny at all. When they got married, she thought she would be a mother by now. Funny how life has a way of flushing your hopes and dreams down the toilet. Y/N threw back her drink, finishing it in one gulp, and decided to go to bed and end this shitty day.

Dean pulled up to the curb and slammed the door to the Impala. He never would’ve done this, but he was too pissed to think about it. He felt the grass give under the weight of his boots as he made his way to his destination. He didn’t come here often, but today he had things to say to the man that helped to make him the way he was. John’s tombstone came into sight and Dean’s legs felt like they were going to buckle beneath him, the weight of the emotion and unsaid words between him and his dead father bearing down on him. Dean collapsed to his knees in front of the stone marker. The words he had always wanted to say began to spill out of him like the tears that were spilling down his cheeks.

“How dare you! How could you do this to me Dad?!” Dean yelled at the tombstone in front of him.

“You always told me to act like a man. No one wants to hear a cry baby. Well, guess what I’ve learned Dad? MEN CAN SHOW EMOTIONS TOO!” he screamed as he furiously wiped the tears from his face.

“I’ve lost the only person who will ever truly love me for who I am because I let you get in my fucking head! I was always your little soldier huh? Always did what dad said, followed orders without question. Look at where that got me!” Dean couldn’t hold anything back as he continued to yell at his dead father.

“Why Dad? Why was I never good enough for you? Mom would love to know some of the things you said to me when I was young, raising me to be a man’s man. Well, that worked out great for you! Your reputation as John Winchester, the great mechanic, husband, and father is still intact while my life and marriage are falling apart!” Dean hung his head and sobbed but continued to speak.

“I can’t blame you for everything, now can I? You didn’t make me fuck those women. I did that on my own, but I can blame you for my low self-esteem and self-worth, and I do! It’s obvious now the only thing I did right that you thought was a good idea was to watch out for Sammy and ask Y/N to marry me,” Dean said as he looked back up to the name engraved on the granite in front of him.

“You’ll never know how much I wish that I would have been the son you wanted, Dad. Maybe you could’ve just been proud of me instead of screwing me up for life! I’ll always love you Dad, but you were a horrible fucking father!” Dean growled as he stood to walk away.

“I will never forgive you for how you made me feel about myself, but I guess I’m partially to blame for that. See you on the other side,” Dean said as he turned his back and walked away.

Dean had been so caught up in his emotions that he hadn’t noticed that someone had walked up during his screaming. Mary had been coming to place new flowers on her husband’s grave when she heard the yelling. Dean’s words had her speechless and she had hidden behind a tree to listen to the rest of what he had to say. She had never known that Dean felt that way about himself and it broke her heart. As she watched her oldest son get in his car and drive away, she knew what she needed to do.

Dean made it back home and took off his jacket when something fell out onto the floor. He looked down to see a piece of paper with something taped to it. He bent down to pick it up and his heart stopped when he realized what it was. Y/N had a charm made for him when they got married to add to the necklace that Sam had given him when they were younger. The charm had gotten lost and he never thought he would see it again. He pulled the perfect replica of the Impala from the paper and opened the letter.

Dean,

I’m not sure when you will see this, but I wanted to surprise you. I know you thought that you would never see this again, but I had it remade for you. I hope you love it! You deserve the world, but I hope this will be enough to show you how much you mean to me! Now that you had the clasp on the necklace fixed, you shouldn’t have to worry about losing it again. I know you love Baby almost as much as you love me, so I wanted her to be close to your heart again where she belongs. I love you, Dean Winchester! Forever and always yours my love.

                                                                                                                   Y/N

Dean held the charm in his hand as the note ripped his heart to shreds. Y/N always dated every note she had written to him, and this one had been dated almost seven months ago. He was so wrapped up in himself and feeding his need for reassurance that he hadn’t even checked his pockets. That was something she always did, left sweet notes in his jacket pockets. If Dean felt like shit about everything before, now it was tenfold. She had replaced something that meant the world to him and he had never even noticed. Dean unclasped his necklace and slid the small silver car where she had once been. Dean made his way to the kitchen and poured himself a big glass of whiskey. He had no intention of even pretending that he was ok.

Y/N woke up the next morning to pour herself her first cup of coffee when her phone vibrated on the counter, getting her attention. She turned to see that she had a text from her uncle. She opened her phone to read it and felt her heart begin to ache with the words on the screen.

Uncle Johnnie: Dean’s brother sent the divorce papers over this morning. They are signed and we have a court date two weeks from now to have it finalized. I pulled some strings and had it pushed up so you can get this over with. I love you, honey.

Y/N felt the tears trying to form in her eyes. This was it,  everything was going to be over in two weeks. It was a bittersweet moment. She was happy that everything would be done so she could move on, but she was sad to see the end of the marriage she thought would last forever. Y/N let herself shed the tears that had welled up in her eyes. She closed her eyes and let the emotions overtake her. She would always grieve for the man and the marriage she had, but now she had to move on and live her own life. Her phone buzzed with another text, and she looked to see what her uncle was saying now. She was shocked to see that it wasn’t her uncle that had texted her this time.

Mary: Y/N, I know you probably don’t want to talk to me, and I understand, but Dean is not doing so well, and I hoped we could talk about what exactly happened. He has me very worried and I can’t get him to tell me much of anything. I will always think of you as my daughter, Y/N. I truly hope you will message me back and let me say what I need to tell you.

@flamencodiva​​ @sorenmarie87​​ @foxyjwls007​​ @waywardbeanie​​ @emoryhemsworth​​ @voltage-my2dlove​​ @hardcoresupernatural​​ @msmarvelouswinchester​ @lyarr24​ @deanmonandnegansbitch​ @akshi8278​ @midsummereve1993​ @sutton2001​ @emory91​ @halesandy​ @miss-nerd95​ @ellewritesfix05​ @bxbyizzy​ @winchest09​ @adoptdontshoppets​ @defenderrosetyler​ @hobby27​ @whatareyousearchingfordean​ @talesmaniac89​ @deanwanddamons​ @atc74​ @superfanficnatural​ @smol-and-grumpy​ @supernatural-love14​ @vicmc624​ @squirrelnotsam​ @tatted-trina6​ @xhannahbananax03​ @coffeebooksandfandom​ @nihilismworld​ @winchester-wifey​ @mrsfox79​ @malfoysqueen14​ @moron225​ @deans-baby-momma​ @lovelyrocker​ @fablesrose​ @queenofchaos7​ @maralisa124​ @deangirl93​ @aimee-ginge​ @anathewierdo​ @donnaintx​

[toria-lilith]

Smoke and Roses - A Douglas Booth!Nikki Sixx fan fiction (chapter one)

A/N - Hi guys! So I made a post about this a few days ago but I decided, since I finally remembered the fucking password to this blog, that I’d rework some of the writing and plot points in Smoke and Roses, and republish it! I really hope you enjoy more this time round! 

Fic Summary: Holland Van-Ness is a PR manager. At only twenty three years old, she is smart, sharp and straight edge; and the best in the business at what she does. But when she gets involved with the reckless Motley Crue, her life changes forever.

DISCLAIMER:: I would like start by saying I do not condone any of the actions portrayed by any member of Motley Crue, any member of their crew, or any OC. This work is fictitious, and is in no way meant to glamorise drug or alcohol abuse. ‘Smoke and Roses’ is based on the events of Netflix’s ‘The Dirt’, and the autobiography of the same name, and follows the both of them closely, and will include details regarding the aforementioned abuse that may be triggering to some readers. The timeline in this fic also differs slightly from real life and The Dirt. With all that being said, proceed with caution, and enjoy!

It was the ringing of the phone that awoke Holland.

In her grogginess, she seriously considered rolling back over and ignoring it, but just when she thought it was done, it started to ring again; long, and loud, and tearing her back from the comfort of sleep.

Holland groaned. She rolled begrudgingly out of bed and made her way across her bedroom, where her phone was hung upon the wall opposite her bed by the window. Whoever was calling her better have had a damn good reason to be bothering her at nine AM, and on a Saturday of all days.

“Hello?” She said tiredly into the receiver, running a hand back through her dark blonde hair to push it back from her face, “Holland Van-Ness speaking.”

“Ahh, Holly,” a voice, irritatingly cheerful for the time of day, greeted her on the other end. “It’s Doc Mghee.”

Well, that certainly peaked her interest, and Holland was suddenly wide awake. Though she had known Doc for years, he rarely called for a chat, which could only mean one thing; he had a job for her. “Doc, good to hear from you,” she responded warmly, “to what do I owe the pleasure?”

It had been a year or so since Holland had last spoken to the infamous manager. He had been a close friend of her Father’s before he passed away, and had been the one to help her break into the music industry when she was a mere eighteen years old. That had been five years ago; and Holland was eternally grateful. She owed a massive amount of her success to Doc. “Tell me,” he said, “how soon are you able to get to LA?”

Holland raised an eyebrow at the question even though Doc couldn’t see her. “Doc, if I’m going to make a trip to LA, I should know what it’s about.”

Doc chuckled. “I’m getting to it. I’ve found you a band.”

“Oh yeah?” Holland had expected that, of course. She balanced the phone between her ear and her shoulder and reached over to her dresser to fish for a notebook and pen. “And… what band might this be?”

“You’re not going to like it,” Doc chuckled again, and Holland didn’t like the way he seemed to be deliberately avoiding answering her question. “But just hear me out, alright? I think this might be just the challenge you’ve been looking for.”

Holland felt a sinking feeling in her stomach. Part of her thought she knew exactly who had had in mind, and he was right; she didn’t like it. “...Go on,” she pressed him after a moment.

Doc chuckled for a third time. He sounded unmistakably nervous. “Motley Crue.”

For a moment, Holland was silent as she digested this information, and then she laughed. “No. Absolutely not.”

“Holly-”

“Are you crazy? Doc, you seriously want me to fly all the way out to LA to be their PR manager? That’s career suicide!” 

“Holly,” he went on pleadingly, “these boys need help. If anyone can sort out their shit-show of a public image, it’s you. They’re on the verge of real success here, but my God, their image has got to be fixed. They need you, Holly. Just come to one show. If you think they’re beyond help, I’ll pay for your flight back. But just give them a chance. These kids need some sense talking into them and they don’t listen to me.”

“Kids?” Holland scoffed. “They’re not kids, they’re grown ass men!”

“Look, the choice is yours,” Doc sighed heavily, “can I expect to meet you at the airport or not?”

“Dammit Doc…” she groaned loudly, making it very clear to him exactly how she felt. “Fine. I’ll catch the next flight out.”

Holland heard Doc cheer. “Holland Van-Ness, you are a star!”

The line went dead as Doc hung up. That time, it was Holland’s turn to sigh. She’d heard stories about Motley Crue that were rivalled only by her nightmares. In the six months since they’d debuted, they’d singlehandedly caused more problems than any other band Holland had managed, and she had had to put up with some serious shit. From their very first gig, Holland had decided they were trouble, and she had sworn to herself that she was not going to get involved with them or any other band like them. Apparently, that was not a promise she was going to be keeping.

Holland padded sleepily into the bathroom, where she lingered for a moment to brush her teeth and pull a comb through her hair. She paused by the sink to take a good luck at her reflection. She looked a damn sight better than she had done five minutes ago, but there was an emotion in her eyes that Holland didn’t immediately recognize. She realised after a moment, that it was fear. 

She drew in a shaky breath. When she told Doc working with Motley was career suicide, she hadn’t been joking, and that thought scared her more than anything. If she didn’t have her job, what did she have?

She rushed back into her bedroom where she dressed quickly and threw a few essentials into a small suitcase. Anything else she needed, or had forgotten, she supposed she could buy once she landed in LA. Holland had worked with a menagerie of bands; from small, local acts to headlining musicians. She had helped all of them maintain a fairly respectable public image. But now, in the cab on her way to the airport to meet Motley freakin’ Crue, she couldn’t help but feel as though she was completely out of her depth.

She made her way through customs fairly quickly and within the hour, found herself in a less than comfortable aisle seat on a four hour flight from Miami to LA. That sinking feeling remade its home in her stomach as the plane started its ascension, and Holland found herself gripping the arm rest, so tightly her knuckles strained white against her skin. She was at least comforted by the thought that when she inevitably wanted to return home, she wouldn’t have to pay for the flight.

As the plane made its way through the sky towards LA, Holland tried to catch up on the sleep that Doc had so cruelly taken from her but it was nearly impossible over the roar of the engines and her own feelings of anxiety, and so eventually, she gave up and resigned herself to watching the clouds whizz by the window. Before she knew it, LA was upon her, and she found Doc waiting for her by the luggage claim.

When she saw her old family friend, all her frustration momentarily drained away and she embraced him in a tight, if not brief, hug. “It’s good to see you, Holly,” he told her with a smile.

“And you!” She said. She looked anxiously over his shoulder, expecting to see the band stroll through the duty free stores towards them. “They’re not joining us?” She asked him.

“Relax,” Doc assured her quickly, “they’re not here. I thought you’d want to get some brunch and get settled in first.”

Holland smiled weakly, reassured. “That sounds great.”

She collected her suitcase and allowed Doc to carry it out to the cab for her. She could have carried it herself given that it wasn’t too heavy, but she was exhausted after her busy morning, and was secretly grateful for his help. When they got into the back of the cab, Doc looked as though he was going to start with some pleasantries, but when he turned to Holland and saw the look on her face, he knew she was ready to talk business. He could tell she had a lot of questions, and motioned for her to start.

“Alright,” she said, folding her hands casually on her lap, “first and foremost, where am I going to be staying? You didn’t mention a hotel or anything in your phone call.”

Doc grimaced and didn’t say anything for what felt like an eternity. “Once again,” he said, shifting uncomfortably in his seat, “you’re not going to like it.”

Holland’s face fell a mile. “Doc…” she deadpanned, “tell me I’m not going to be staying with them.” She looked at him intently but Doc said nothing, which only confirmed her fears. “Are you serious, Doc?” She asked him furiously, “working with them is going to be bad enough!”

“The money’s not bad,” he reminded her, hoping to diffuse the situation but she only scoffed.

“Yet clearly not good enough to buy me a hotel room,” she scowled. “Why the hell do I have to stay with them?”

“Holly, these boys aren’t like anyone you’ve ever worked with before,” Doc told her. “You’re going to have to work a lot harder with them than you have with any other band. You’re going to need them to trust you, Holly. And this is the way to do that.” He gave her a look that Holly recognized and understood almost instantly. It was the same pleading look her Father used when he wanted her to cooperate.

Even so, she groaned loudly. “Alright, fine,” she relented. “I’ll stay with them.” She sighed, turning to look out of the window to avoid seeing the triumphant grin on Doc’s face. “So, what are they like?”

“They’re…” Doc trailed off. He glanced out of his own window, as though the street passing by would inspire him. “They’re a handful,” he settled on eventually, “self centered. Arrogant. But, they’re talented as Hell, and I think they’ve got it in them to be good kids. They just need a little push in the right direction.”

Holland hummed in acknowledgement. She didn’t say anything else, but she didn’t need to. A beeping sound came from Doc’s pocket. He sighed, pulling out the small pager. A scowl passed over his face.

“Aw, crap,” he mumbled, “sorry, Holly. We might have to put that brunch on hold.” He slipped the pager back into his pocket and fed another address to the cab driver, different to the one he had initially given.

“Why?” Holland frowned, “what’s happened?”

“What’s happened is you’re about to start your job a couple hours early,” he said grimly, “there’s been a fight.”

Holland found herself rolling her eyes. “Of course there has,” she grumbled, though she didn’t know why she was surprised. When working with Motley Crue, she should have expected nothing less.

[myucornerorg]

I was tagged by @landofanimes!

RULES: go here, list 15 BANDAI sera myu characters (senshi are fine but name the actor too), randomize and answer! Then tag two other people from the fandom.

1. Your Parent: Jaguar Mask (Kenji Tominaga)

Ok...pretty weird parent, but I did try to be creative with the myu characters I put on the list. Jaguar Mask is this wrestler character from the 10th Anniversary myu Ai no Sanctuary who the Senshi cheer for, but then he gets turned evil by Dark Nibiru (he gets better later). I guess it would be kinda cool to have a famous wrestler as a dad...

(By the way, I recently found out there's a manga from the late '60s/early '70s called Tiger Mask, which was made into an anime in the '70s and has been remade a bunch of times. Real-life Japanese pro wrestlers have taken on the Tiger Mask persona as well. I wonder if this influenced the creation of Jaguar Mask...).

2. Sibling: Loof Merrow (Ono Hikari)

Well, that'd be a pretty cool sibling actually. Though she also lived thousands of years ago so not sure how that works...

3. Grandparent: Centi (Endou Ado)

Ok not sure how she'd be my grandmother but ok... (Centi is one of the Grimmseijin from Mugen Gakuen BTW).

4. Haunts You: Prince Dimande (Ono Hikari)

Yep, sounds about right. I mean, Bandai Dimande wasn't quite as creepy as PE Dimande (though I can still picture Hikari rocking "Junpaku no Megami"), but Dimande is a creepy guy regardless.

5. Boyfriend/Girlfriend: Chibiusa (Gunji Ayano)

Um...I don't date girls (I'm straight)...but for the purposes of this example let's pretend I do. Chibiusa is quite a bit younger than me (physically at least; obviously she's really 900+), so us dating would be kinda weird. Possibly even illegal if she's considered a child. (That's why I picked Gunji as an actress cause she's older than most Chibimoon actresses). Maybe we started with a mentor relationship and it became something more??

6. Ex: Kaolinite (Kawasaki Miki)

Again I don't date girls but we'll pretend. Man Kaolinite would be like the worst kind of ex. Maybe I dumped her when she started getting all evil, or maybe she cheated on me with Tomoe. Don't know. I'd imagine now that she wants to hex me big time. (Or just flat out steal my hostie and turn me into a vessel for a Daimon).

7. Best Friend: Tiger's Eye (Kasahara Ryuuji)

Um...WTH. Why would we be best friends? He's kinda creepy. (I feel like Ryuuji would be a cool friend though).

8. Proposed to you: Rei (Megumi Yoshida or maybe Kotani Misako)

That seems highly unlikely. Maybe she was drunk? Or maybe she secretly leans that way but didn't want to be with Minako anymore? The mind races...also since I just became reacquainted with Sailor Moon Abridged recently, I'm picturing the SMA Rei (a crazy, always angry, has-no-indoor-voice Satanist) in this for some weird reason.

9. Boss: Mamoru (Shirota Yuu or Kenji Urai)

That would be one cool hot boss...dang.

10. Random Person You Met at a Bar: Usagi (Ooyama Anza)

Of all the people I could meet at a bar LOL. I mean, Usagi did use her Disguise Pen that one time to get into an adult nightclub.

11. Rival: Space Knight (Mochizuki Yuuta)

So...my boss is Mamoru, but my rival is future Mamoru (since Space Knight is an alter ego of King Endymion's). Awkward. Also would be problematic as my sister Loof Merrow would be in love with him.

12. Gave you first kiss: Sailor Astarte (Hosoda Aya)

Well...this is getting, uh, interesting. My first kiss was with a senshi from the new moon, who's also secretly a goddess and a vessel for Dark Cain, an evil undead guy who's trying to end the world. My ex Kaolinite became a witch and part of the Death Busters. And my current girlfriend is a kid (and my boss AND rival's daughter to boot!). This is like a telenovela!

[GIF source]

13. Drunk and sing karaoke with: Miss Dream (Takeda Keiko)

Another villain...ok. I mean, she is picked on by the rest of the Dead Moon Circus, so she probably needs a friend.

14. Played 7 minutes in heaven with: Ami (Kawabe Chieco)

No joke...I had no idea what 7 minutes in heaven was and had to look it up. 😅 Anyway, I don't think Ami and I would make out or anything (though maybe since according to this list I'm a lesbian who's just getting around like nobody's business). Seriously though I think we'd probably sit and talk the whole time, like two reasonable, intelligent people. We'd have the deepest conversation one can have in 7 minutes, then exchange contact info so we can continue the conversation later.

15. Gave you your fave dessert: Minako (Ayumi Murata)

Can Minako even bake?? Still, I'd definitely appreciate the gesture.

**

Hmm...who should I tag?? I'll tag @kosmosinusa and @gracemyheart (hopefully you haven't already done it...if so sorry).

[khhunniewriting]

Love, Need, Want

[ Gang / Mafia AU ]

Warning: Suggestive and mature material ahead! Violence & Obsession.

You stood with attention when your Captain walked into the office. The rest of the lower ranks followed your lead- stand tall, chins up, and hand at the forehead. 

They were relieved and went back to work after the Captain recognized them. His attention turned solely to you. “Y/N this is Officer Jenny, she was sworn in this morning.”

“Detective Kwon, it’s so nice to meet you.” Her bright cheery smile contrasted with the dark pressed uniform she was fitted in. “I heard so much about you and look forward to working in your department.”

She was definitely new as she was calling you by a name you abolished a few months ago. It had yet to be permanently removed but you were working on the paperwork. You wouldn’t reprimand her for the innocent mistake. Instead, you offered her a warm welcoming knowing how hard it was for you on your first day. “Congratulations,” you smiled. “Welcome to the team.”

The Captain nodded, certainly you would help her get situated so he decided to leave it up to you. “Detective Y/N is one of the best. Follow her lead and you’ll do just fine here.”

“Yes sir,” Jenny saluted him off. 

That day you spent the majority of your time showing her around. You introduced her individually to the most important people in the building, the ones she would be interacting with on a daily basis. Later on, she would be formally introduced to everyone.

“Hello, my name is Park Jenny. I will be joining you from today on.” Jenny stumbled a bit on her words feeling nervous in the presence of so many hardened uniformed officers. “Please take care of me.”

Despite the stern and unmoved expressions most of the officers were kind, warmhearted people who had a genuine interest in keeping people safe and upholding the peace. The less welcoming were the detectives who saw a far more than the average officer. 

“This is what you all dragged me out of my office for?” One of the other detectives muttered loud enough for you to hear. He silently slipped out of the room not drawing any attention to himself. Another followed suit leaving only Detective Woo who silently got closer to you.

“How long do you think she will last?”

You sighed but did not respond.

Detective Woo had silently watched and overheard your conversation with the new officer earlier. “Why didn’t you correct her?”

Your eyes finally panned over to him. He was taller than you making your head tilt up just to meet his eyes. “I’d rather not explain my personal life to someone who will only be around for a few months.” Your department handled organized crime. Jenny would be sent to patrol areas where dead bodies usually turned up overnight. Surely she would ask for a transfer after a few months when it sinks in.

“It will be much easier when the paperwork goes through.”

Once again you sighed knowing very well that the paperwork would never go through. Not when someone rich and powerful was keeping it from being processed. 

“You can get your badge remade.”

Your clothes consisted of more office casual attire and a dark coat. Because you were a detective you did not wear the uniform or your name on your chest like the rest of the officers. “Wouldn’t make much of a difference.” 

For five years you had made your name known and now you were trying to erase it. 

\\\

Against everyone’s advice, Minsik did not let go of you. He kept an eye on you through his men and occasionally he would step out to get a look for himself.

He was unable to accept that he had lost you, unable to move on without you. He did not allow you to proceed with the divorce because he loved you more than he could ever love someone. 

Minsik needed to see you.

When his eyes landed on your figure his heart fluttered. There was an overwhelming need to run up and whisk you away from everything. Often he fantasized about keeping you to himself. 

Your eyes widened at the mere sight of him. The palms of your hands suddenly began to perspire while your heart rate exceeded what was the normal resting rate. With his tailored suit and expensive jewelry, he stood out like a sore thumb among the civilians and press that were gathered around the courthouse steps.

You had heard of hiding in plain sight but this could not be considered hiding.

Of course, you could hardly judge. For five years you were married to the man without knowing he was Sik-k. Your Kwon Minsik was one of many high ranking hitmen who called themselves H1ghr. They were a subdivision of the AOMG clan, their leader was on the world’s most wanted list.

Detective Woo noticed the way you tensed up. He placed a comforting hand on your shoulder to capture your attention. “Are you okay?”

Minsik’s pupils dilated at the sight of another man touching you. 

Quickly, you snapped out of your trance-like state. “Yeah, I’m fine.” The ache in your chest was back. Guilt nearly crippled you on a daily basis. You knew Minsik’s identity. You should have brought him in but you were conflicted. At one point you loved the man enough to take a bullet for him.

But you had seen his file.

The list of people Minsik had killed was long. The man you kissed was also the man you cursed for filling up the morgue.

No one would ever believe you didn’t know. They would accuse you of being corrupt. Everything you had done up until now would be questioned if you ever told anyone. 

Deep in thought, you nearly jumped at the sound of applause. Your sweaty hands banged against each other in sync with theirs only to be stopped by your commanding officer. He held you by the arm positioning for you to take the podium.

Detective Woo joined you in announcing how you had been successful in finding the body of a man who had been missing for years. 

Everyone was praising your good work but it wasn’t anything praiseworthy. You only knew because you had been present. The day you found out your husband’s true occupation. Actually, you should be punished for having kept quiet until now. The time was needed to process your situation.

“We will be taking a few questions,” Detective Woo finished off in the usual manner. Allowing the press to ask a few questions at the end of a case was customary.

“Detective Kwon it must have been difficult for you to enlist the help of another detective after years of refusing any help. What made you change your mind with this case?”

The fact that I knew his body was well disposed of in a location no one could reach. I couldn’t risk being questioned. Instead, I lead Youngwoo to believe he had solved the mystery.

“Justice is always my number one priority. I must think of what is best for the people and put my ego aside.” You sighed internally, fatigued by all the lies. “Detective Woo was exactly what this case needed.”

Minsik’s eyes locked onto yours, feeling every word. He knew you despised him for what he did. Criminal justice was truly your passion, you honored honesty above everything.

\\\

After another long night at your desk filling out paperwork you finally arrived at your small apartment. Overworked and exhausted, you missed the fact that your house was already unlocked. There was no resistance when you turned your key.

With half-lidded eyes, you shrugged your coat off letting it fall onto the linoleum. Free of its weight you began to roll your neck and shoulders simultaneously. Various aches and pains littered your body as of late. Physical pain you were used to but the mental woes were what slowly ate you up.

Lazily, you picked the coat off the ground to throw it atop a few cardboard boxes nearby. Next, you unstrapped your gun holster and gently set it on top of the coat- loaded gun still in its contents.

Most of your stuff was still packed up. There was little time for you to get settled into your new living situation. You did everything to keep yourself busy at work instead of coming home to face your new reality. 

All you wanted was to jump into bed and sleep. Showering and further undressing would have to wait for the morning.

Or so you thought.

As soon as you pushed your bedroom door open you were met with a soft glow of numerous candles. Red rose petals littered the majority of your spacious bedroom. On the bed, the roses seemed to be purposely set into a heart shape while stacks of money made up the rest. 

 “Do you like it?”

You jumped at the sound of your ex-husband’s voice behind you. ‘Minsik-” you could hardly utter his name without fearing for your life. There were dark bags under his eyes, a sign he hadn’t slept in months. You backed up into the room trying to keep him at a distance when you saw his smile fade. 

“You don’t like it.” He sighed deeply shaking his head. “What do I have to do for you to forgive me?” He took a few steps, closing the bedroom door behind him. “I love you Y/N, I need you to come back!”

Oh, how you hated the butterflies that fluttered even now when you were uncertain of his sanity. Clearly, you still loved him too but just as strong as your fear of him. “Minsik, a bed of flowers and money hardly makes up for years of dishonesty, deception, and -”

“Murder?” he asked unfazed by the implications of the word. He knew what he did was wrong. “See that’s what I love about you.” His hand went to caress your cheek. “You are so honest, loyal, and caring.” The complete opposite of me.

You were the only woman he could trust with his heart. All the other girls wanted his money, his power, his d*ck- but you.... you were the only woman who truly loved him. He needed you to continue loving him for who he was now that you knew all of him. “You’re so different from them,” his lips ghosted yours as he spoke. The slight contact brought the smile back to his face. He felt encouraged to kiss you when you didn’t move away. 

The small peck wasn’t enough.

Minsik began to desperately kiss you, forcing your lips open with his tongue. His hand traveled from your cheek to the back of your neck where he kept you from retreating with a bit of force. The other snaked around your waist then lower until he was grabbing your ass. 

Minsik’s lips and hands were so familiar to your body it responded on its own. Your hands felt up his abs to his chest until they were wrapped around his neck. You didn't even realize you were the one wrapping your tongue around his until he reclaimed it. 

His lips met your chin leaving a trail of open-mouth kisses along your jawline. When he got to your neck the kisses became much more forceful. He bit and sucked the tender flesh at the base.

“Minsik,” you gasped and moaned his name.

It encouraged him to rip open your white button up, popping nearly all the buttons off. He shoved the fabric from your shoulders and began ravaging the newly uncovered skin with his lips. 

Your mind was in a state of haze as your body temperature increased. The heat of the moment was getting to you far more quickly than ever before. Every time you tried to step back Minsik followed, reconnecting his lips lower and lower. 

Your legs nearly gave out causing Minsik to pick you up. “I love you so much Y/N.” His eyes roamed your sultry gaze. The way your chest rose and fell seemed to tease him. He undid the clasp of your bra with one hand before laying you on the bed.

“So beautiful,” he muttered as your chest was fully exposed. His lips quickly began claiming them as well. Months without any stimulation whatsoever had rendered you sensitive to the slightest of touches from the hands of the man you loved.

His thumbs circled your skin as he held your hips still. 

You voluntarily raised your hips to allow the removal of your black jeans. The roses and money stuck to your glistening skin reminding you of the reason you were in such a compromising position- naked on a bed of money and rose petals while your fully clothed ex-husband bewitches you with his touch.

Your eyes widened when he lifted your legs up onto his shoulders. “Minsik we can’t-”

“Do you love me?”

The question made you avert your gaze. Of course, you loved him but you shouldn’t... right? 

Minsik kissed up your calves to the inside of your thighs gaining your attention once more. “Do you,” his lips inched closer “love me?” 

The sight was almost too much. It took all your will to keep you from bucking your hips towards him.

“Don’t think about anything else but me.” Minsik knew he had wronged you but it was only to protect you. You loved your job so much that he couldn’t stand being the reason you stopped. “For five years, eight months, and sixteen days I haven’t thought of anyone but you.”

“I love you too Minsik but-” 

Minsik let go of your legs. He went back to hovering over you once again with his hand covering your mouth in an attempt to stop you. “That’s all I needed to hear.”

\\\

Days later Detective Woo sighed heavily as he went through the files you had last worked on. There were so many cases piled up on your desk, more than normal and they all had similarities between them. 

He grew suspicious of what you had been doing. He wondered if you had been going off the deep end, getting too close to a dangerous criminal.

His thoughts were interrupted when Officer Jenny arrived. “Jenny reporting for duty sir,” she playfully saluted Detective Woo desperate to get a smile out of him.

Woo remained stoic and free of any emotion as he handed her a stack of flyers. “Pass these out to the rest of your department.”

“Yes sir...” her voice wavered as her smile suddenly dropped. Looking up at her from the flyer were your determined eyes. She was unable to say much except one word, “Missing?”

Detective Woo nodded, “No one has seen her since the press address we made after our last case.”

Minsik loved you.

Minsik needed you.

Minsik wanted you.

Minsik had you.

You belong to him.

-end-

A/N: Have some dark slightly smutty content to make up for my absence these past few weeks ^^