#i wonder if he's actually going to be at the mansion for the episode

[orionshounds]

this was the greatest revelation from the stream

[auroralwriting]

hii!! this is so random but i just read ur spencer reid x genius! reader fic and i was wondering if u could like expand on it?? or like maybe the team finding out that they went on a date and everyone is like oh gosh finally?? thank u and i love ur writing :P

wedding bells

spencer reid x genius!bau!reader

part two to the gun, can be read as a standalone

spencer and you were enemies, now, you’re just into each other. what happens when you show up to jj's wedding as each other's dates?

word count: 1.6k

warnings: the most insane amount of tooth rotting fluff (you're welcome)

thank you for this request! i decided to expand even more and connect it back to the actual episode i wrote about, 7x24 :)

It had been about two weeks since you’d gotten out of the hospital from your last case; the bank robbery. You managed to get out with a couple of stitches and bruises. You were lucky to be alive.

The one good thing that came from the whole ordeal was the fact that you and Spencer, who was your previous academic-agent enemy, had turned into somewhat of your lover.

It started with trivia night at O’Keefe’s. The two of you decided to just pair rather than join a large team, and you kicked ass. You allowed Spencer to handle more of the academic side of trivia while you took pop culture. Quite literally, you were the only team with points.

That date went so well, that you ended up going out to dinner at the new Chinese place by Spencer’s apartment. That one went great too, and a third came along, a simple date that included Spencer taking you to an art museum.

You actually got to know Spencer, and he got to know you. Sure, you’d been team mates for years, but with suck a strong rivalry, you never got to know the man. You were both eerily alike, and things were going great. There had been no cases, Strauss gave your team a break after JJ’s boyfriend had almost died, along with you.

Spencer and you were at his place watching Doctor Who when you got a phone call. You picked it up, “Hey, Rossi.” The tv was paused and Spencer was looking at you expectantly. “Mhm.. mh- Oh my god! Oh, Rossi. That’s such a good idea. Yes, I’ll be there. I’m, uh, actually with Spencer, so I’ll pass on the message.” Spencer raised an eyebrow at you as you hung up. "Okay, don't freak out, but JJ and Will are engaged."

"What!" Spencer exclaimed with a bright smile. "Oh my god!"

"And Rossi and Will are planning for the wedding to be this Friday," You continued. "JJ doesn't know yet, so we have to keep it a secret."

"Speaking of secrets," Spencer coyly began, "Does Rossi know about, well, us?"

You chuckled, "I didn't tell him, but he knows we've been together more. Significantly more,"

"I've been thinking," Spencer said. "What if we don't keep this a secret anymore."

The only reason it was a secret in the first place was because the team would freak out if they knew you were going out. "I don't think now's the best time to tell them. We don't want to steal JJ's thunder." you frowned.

"No, no!" Spencer quickly shook his head. He grabbed both your hands, rubbing them with his thumbs. "Do you want to be my date to their wedding?"

Your heart raced at his words, and you felt the heat rise to your cheeks. "Yeah, Spence. I'd love to be your date." You smiled brightly.

The wedding was only three days away, and you were quick to go out with Penelope to buy a dress. You wanted something elegant that wouldn't take away from JJ, so you decided on a flowey, burgundy-maroon dress. It was formal, but nothing too glamorous. The whole time, Penelope kept rambling about how since she and Kevin were no more, the two of you could be girl-dates. You casually agreed, not wanting to give up Spencer and your cover yet.

You'd asked Spencer if he wanted to see your outfit on Thursday, but he wanted it to be a surprise. So, with Pen, you both did each other's hair, makeup, and got ready. You arrived together at the Rossi mansion to make everything less conspicuous.

"Oh my god!" Penelope whisper yelled. "Kevin has a date--a date!" She grabbed you and dragged you to Emily and Morgan in a panic. "He brought a date, and I didn't bring a boy date, oh my god I look like an idiot!"

"Pen, you don't look like an idiot." You rubbed her arm softly. "He's the real idiot for moving on so damn fast."

Emily nodded, "And you look so gorgeous, I bet he can't help but think about you. Play it cool."

Penelope took a large sip of her drink. "I'm- I'm gonna go, go somewhere, uh, somewhere he's not."

"Hi, Penelope!" Beth, Hotch's new girlfriend, said cheerfully as she walked up.

"Hey, hi," Penelope quickly walked off.

Beth gave a soft laugh, "Hello everybody."

You smiled and pulled her into a hug, "Ex problems, don't mind her. Hi Beth, and hi Hotch. You both look great."

"Says you! You look absolutely stunning! That is so your color." Beth smiled as she took your hand to spin you around lightly.

The three of you said hello to Jack as well. As the group began to disperse, you quickly spotted Rossi. You made your way over to him, a smile on his face. Rossi was like a father to you. Growing up under his help and guidance, he was more than just a mentor. "Oh, honey. Look at you, you look so grown up."

"Dave, I've been grown up for a lot of years now." You laughed as he kissed your cheek. "Have you seen Spencer by chance?"

"Not yet," Rossi replied. He raised an eyebrow at you, studying your face. "You two are together, aren't you?"

A look of panic crossed your features. "Shh!" You quickly hushed, looking around to see if anyone noticed. When they didn't you turned back to him. "We've been going out on dates, hanging out. That sort of thing. We aren't.. boyfriend-girlfriend."

"I'm happy for you two," Rossi smiled. "You two make a good pair, especially now that you aren't planning each other's murders."

"Who was murdered?"

You turned around to see Spencer standing behind you. His eyes went wide when he saw you. The way you turned, bright eyed and graceful, it made his heart leap in his chest, especially when you looked so ethereal.

Spencer breathed your name softly, looking to Rossi. You gave a small nod, letting him know that Rossi knew. He walked over, giving you a small hug to secretly press a kiss into your hair. The two of you hadn't really kissed yet, but you knew it would happen soon.

"You're an angel," Spencer softly spoke, caressing your cheek as you smiled.

"You look amazing, too." You replied.

Rossi and Spencer gave each other a quick hello before he excused himself to go reveal to JJ that this was her wedding night. It only took a few minutes and JJ ran up to you. You hugged her before she could say anything.

"You knew?" Her voice cracked, but you knew it was from joy.

"We all did," You smiled. "Hey, while you and Will get ready, let Spence watch over Henry."

JJ's eyebrows furrowed as she watched Spencer nod quickly, giving your shoulder a squeeze with the sweetest smile she'd ever seen him give someone. "Uh-"

"Don't worry about it," You shook your head. "This is your night." When you saw JJ was about to ask again, you filled her in. "Going out on dates, not dating."

She just smiled, holding up her dress. "This is it. I wanted to ask you, actually, if you wanted to be my maid of honor? Help me get ready?"

Your eyes filled with tears, "Oh, Jayge. It would be my absolute honor." You hugged her again tightly, leading her upstairs with her mom.

It didn't take long until the ceremony began. You were already at the end of the isle, watching Spencer do a magic trick with the ring with Henry. You giggled, Spencer's eyes meeting yours as he smiled back to you.

JJ was the most beautiful bride you'd ever seen. She came up to the front and you hugged her, taking her flowers from her and standing next to Spencer and Penelope. As the ceremony went on, you found yourself tearing up. Weddings always made you cry. Spencer took notice, taking your hand and pulling you against his chest as he rubbed your arm. The team was too busy watching JJ and Will to notice.

The dancing was the best part. Penelope pulled you to the dance floor before Spencer even had a chance. You happily slow danced with her, then Derek, who stole you away. From there, Hotch had a dance with you, and then Rossi. Finally, at your favorite slow song, Spencer approached.

"Dave, would you mind?" He softly asked.

"It would be my pleasure." Dave passed you off to Spencer with one hand as Spencer slowly pulled you into his arms. If you took closer notice, you'd see him go to Strauss and begin to dance.

"Hi," You whispered, one hand in his as his other rested on your waist. Your free hand was on his shoulder. The two of you began to sway to the music.

"Hi," He echoed, giving you the softest look you'd ever gotten. "I missed you. I didn't even get a chance to dance with you."

You softly giggled, "Well, now it's yours. All yours, Spence." You leaned in closer, "You're the only one I wanted to dance with."

The position changed, both of Spencer's hands were on your waist as you wrapped your arms around his neck. This was much more intimate. "You're the only one I want, too." The double meaning made your stomach twist in the best way.

As the two of you danced, your teammates began to finally notice. "Oh my god," Derek mumbled. "Those two dumb geniuses finally got together."

"Actually, they're just going on dates," JJ corrected as she swayed with Will.

Emily smirked, "Not for long by the looks of it."

"They make such a sweet couple," Beth cooed.

Penelope gasped, "Oh my sweet baby Jesus, I took her away from him all night!"

"I'm sure he doesn't mind." Hotch smiled, actually smiled, as they all watched you lean your head on his shoulder, one of his hands coming up to the middle your back to splay out, almost protectively, holding you closer.

"I think I hear some more wedding bells in our future." Derek smiled.

[zeroslashsix]

Following my Gambit post, I love love love the way Rogue's powers are handled in X-Men Evolution. Like Gambit, Rogue tends to have a certain set of 'roles' when she's in a show/movie: she's focused on inner torment about her powers, on being a Spicy Southern Belle, or her romantic connections. Which is to say, her stories are usually about emotions and relationships, which is fine, I love those parts of her as much the rest. But if she's not fighting, her powers are only really viewed through a lens of how she feels about them, and how they impact her ability to connect with others.

And here's X-Men Evolution, fully leaning into the fact that Rogue’s power is one of the most dangerous in the entire show. I love the s3 ep "Self-Possessed" so much because it takes the brakes off her, and really commits to the idea that stacking powers is catastrophic when you consider she can wield multiple omega-level powersets at the same time. Her main limitation is that she doesn't want other personalities in her head, she limits her power usage because she just doesn't like it, and yeah, totally fair, but Rogue could absolutely wake up one day, go through the mansion and decide to be an omega squared. X-Men Evolution is about teenagers who are still figuring out their abilities, even at the end of the series when they're a year (two years?) older. By the finale, they have more control and training, but they are absolutely still growing into adulthood and have not reached full potential.

Which is why I think "Self-Possessed" is such a fascinating look at Rogue's powers. Every iteration of Rogue imposes a time limit on her absorption, meaning that any powers she absorbs will only stay with her for a short time. But in that episode, when she's succumbing to all those personalities in her head, her time limit stops existing. She can access powers for months, maybe even years after the initial absorption. Mystique's powers couldn't have given Rogue that ability; the only way Rogue could do such a thing is if that potential already exists inside of her. This implies that when she absorbs a power, that power stays inside her as long as the personality does, and her "time limit" is just a matter of control, or lack thereof.

This seems to be backed up by the s3 finale, where Mesmero and Mystique mind control Rogue to gather powers, and Rogue proceeds to SWEEP the X-Men, Brotherhood, Acolytes, and Magneto in less than 24 hours. By the end of it, she seems fully capable of using any and all their powers at will, ignoring any sort of time limit. Mesmero can mind control others, but he can't enhance them. He cannot give someone powers they don't already possess. The only reason Rogue could do all that is because she was already capable of it, and the fact Mesmero could mind control this out of her seems to imply that Rogue's limitations are entirely self-imposed, mostly mental/emotional, or maybe a lack of experience. (Similar to the season four finale where Rogue seems to use Leech’s power better than he does, probably just because he’s a little kid and she’s an adolescent so has a better grasp on powers in general)

Like, no wonder Mystique and Destiny wanted her powers. No wonder Magneto was so thrilled to have her in the ranks in the first season. No wonder so many people in the world want to use her; she is the all-mutant, the living multi tool that can gather multitudes of power in one place and then combine them. The only reason she isn't considered omega-level is pure technicality; in terms of destruction she could actually lay down, Rogue is absolutely as dangerous as plenty of omegas. The requirements for an omega are 1) infinite power, and 2) limitless power. Rogue has the first one; she can stack an infinite number of powers. But she lacks the second; all her powers must come from the outside, and she cannot generate them herself. But if she has access to multiple omega powersets like she does in Self-Possessed, that technicality kind of stops mattering once the punches actually start flying.

Which all leads into Rogue's main emotional journey through X-Men Evolution, which is perhaps my favorite she's ever had: being used. That's why she was adopted. That's why she was raised being unable to touch, being lied to by both her moms. That's why she was taken into the Brotherhood, and it's why Mystique will never leave her alone. Extra fascinating because after the reveal in season one that Mystique is Kurt's mother, Mystique leaves Kurt completely alone for the rest of the series, while simultaneously stalking and manipulating Rogue. Why the difference? Because Kurt is not a useful tool. Not compared to Rogue. And I think Rogue sees that difference, which makes for such a juicy dynamic when Kurt is so interested in actually loving Mystique, for insisting that Rogue should forgive their mother and 'let hatred go,' because he genuinely thinks that anyone can be saved with enough love. Whereas Rogue, who has seen Mystique's 'love' up close for her whole life, is desperately trying to get away from that, with good reason.

One of the reasons I wish we’d had more seasons, or at least more episodes in the last season, is how seamlessly Rogue’s feelings about her powers flowed into her feelings around being used, her feelings around family, and being dehumanized to the point of mind-wipe by her own mother. Yes she’s sad about the no-touching thing, but that’s nothing compared to being seen as a literal object in the eyes of others, because her powers are utterly perfect—for someone else to use. Which flows into questions of bodily autonomy, of who her powers “belong to” vs. who they “should belong to.” Especially considering that Rogue is only at full power when she loses control/is under someone else’s control, which could lead someone to conclude, “Well of course Rogue should be under someone’s control, preferably mine. She’s so powerful when someone else is controlling her, and so weak when she controls herself. It’s honestly such a waste for Rogue to be her own person when she could be so much more. She needs to be used to reach her full potential.”

In a perfect world, we’d have way more X-Men Evo than we got. More seasons, more episodes, more time to explore whatever the hell Rogue had going on. And if I was allowed to pick, I would have loved to see Rogue with a character arc of self-ownership. In particular, it would be so cool to see her powers develop to the point she can have a “Self-Possessed” crisis and control it, fully aware of herself and all the powers she holds. I’d love to see her use those powers for her own benefit, on purpose, independent of both her mother and the X-Men. I’d love to see a self-serving Rogue in the XMenEvo. Not necessarily evil (though it would be a fascinating villain arc) but a Rogue who chooses selfishness as an act of rebellion. Who can use all those powers simultaneously, consciously, and disobediently. Vengeance, maybe? Or something that heightens humans’ fear of mutants? I’d love to see Rogue become inconvenient to the X-Men, at the very least, either physically or philosophically. Certainly nothing so dire as the Phoenix saga, but something that uses her powers to their fullest extent. (Damn could you imagine Rogue as the Horseman of Death if this went in the opposite direction. How fucking overpowered would Death!Rogue be, how the hell would the X-Men deal with that)

Anyways. Fanfiction is the folklore of the now or whatever. And XMenEvo was already a crazy high school AU anyway.

[cursedmagician]

so. let's talk about that episode shall we?

major ii 17 spoilers under the cut, and lots of theories. read at your own risk.

divider by strangergraphics ✮⋆˙

I have no idea what to even think about that episode. I watched this at about 8 in the morning my time, and now I am in shambles and have been for the last several hours. I'm going to dump all my theories in this one blog post.

my first topic, and the elephant in the room - THIS IS NOT THE LAST ACT. NO WAY.

I've seen people asking if this is the last act and therefore the last ever episode in the series, and to that I say... obviously not. there's still so many plot points to be resolved.

like, for example, why would they add in a scene of the prime shimmers going to the contestant grounds if they weren't going to do something for it later?

yes I know that they were already used as merely a small plot device to allow the episode to progress, but when you think of it in the grand scheme of things there must be something more to it.

also, and - I may be going crazy here - but there might possibly be some sort of parallel of when cobs tells mephone to go "home" with him. we now know that all those previous theories of mephone being made with the shimmer egg are correct, because of fan. since that is the case, I feel like it would make sense for mephone's true home to be with the prime shimmer, right?

I feel like this could be a plot point in the next act. mephone feels more at home with the prime shimmer than he does with cobs (obviously). he would meet them and realise he feels strangely connected to them, and then he figures everything out which leads up to him discovering his true family. and I hope cobs rots and dies FOREVERRR

another point to add onto this is that remember how soap and mic took that photo together in the last episode?

well, soap was going through her recently deleted.

on apple (and I'm assuming meeple as well) devices, it takes 30 days for photos in the recently deleted photo to be fully erased from the device. before that, you can restore and fully erase as many photos as you like.

at the end of this episode when everything created by melife has been erased, baxter is seen walking up to soap's phone here.

in a scene where everything is gone, don't you think this is weirdly symbolic? they didn't have any other reason to show this which leads up to the next theory.

mephone is most likely going to find a way to bring everyone back through some way, and it might be through this system. I'm not saying I know how he's gonna do it, but this will totally be some sort of factor in the next act. hopefully.

second topic - what about bow and bot?

and I know what you all are thinking. I know that bow is definitely not gone, since she obviously isn't supported by melife anymore. (I'm a little curious, bow mentioned that she can't escape the confines of purgatory mansion, but since now that's been deleted, would she be able to roam free? just a thought...)

the same could be said for bot, since they were made by fan and test tube and not by melife. but there's been some speculation going around saying that since bot was made out of materials from test tube's lab, they would be deleted too right?

I actually think that's not necessarily the case.

we have no idea if test tube's materials or her lab was made out of things generated by melife. for all we know, she could have ordered the mechanical parts from overseas. she could have dug up the space she needed for the lab herself.

all we know is that the locations made for the game itself are generated by melife. however, test tube's lab has really nothing to do with the contest because it is its own thing.

so I think this entire theory is genuinely plausible. bot might still be out there somewhere, and I'm not going to say on the invitational island because we don't know if that entire thing was deleted too or just the floor's face. they genuinely might be making their way over to the season 2 grounds right now, wondering what is going on.

which could possibly make way for a bow and bot meeting, AND they might team up too to save the day!! that definitely feels like a direction that adam would be going for, and I personally would totally stand for it.

third topic - can mephone X be avoided or stopped somehow?

here's what I'm thinking.

lightbulb actually managed to dodge mephone X here, and even though yes she did get got in the end, you can at least delay the process or maybe even outrun them altogether.

there must be a reason as to why only the person who is being targeted can see mephone X, but that's a theory for another day.

now, this part is less of a theory and more of an idea - that is supported by numerous twitter posts - but what if you are able to see mephone X with another me device thingy?

think about it, what if taking a picture or just going through the camera app enables others to see them, therefore allowing the contestants to potentially disable mephone X for good?

assuming my theory is correct and they do come back somehow, I doubt that adam forgot about this plothole completely. there must be more significance to this in the future.

we all know how the main writing team writes. they think of everything, down to the small details, and the reference previous things that were thought to be insignificant before!! reminds me of bfdi in a way.

fourth topic - misc stuff/yapping

and well of course I had to dedicate an entire section to just my yapping alone. I know I'm still pretty new to blogging, I don't have many posts yet, but I think it's worth it to just leave my thoughts out here for people to cry over also.

firstly... OJ and paper's last conversation was an argument. lol!! XD!! also it was so funny as to how paper got so ticked off after salt said OJ is her boyfriend. I understand that he might have still felt pretty heated after everything that had been going on, + the argument they had earlier. and I know that OJ is very important to paper. but I still think it was really hilarious. some could say jealous. "he's not your boyfriend he was MINE!!"

ALSO!!! also also also THIS fucking scene...

this is gonna haunt me for the rest of my life man. what the fuck. imagine if slasher movies were like this... like jigsaw or something. if I saw this in a slasher movie I would be terrified for my LIFE (something these contestants don't have).

I really really liked the scene where paintbrush was crying over lightbulb btw. jazzy did an amazing job at that, and they said that they didn't even cry to be able to voice it!! she's a very talented va, I aspire to be like her someday...

another thing I wanted to mention is this tweet made by brian a while ago (screenshot I nabbed from me_phone4 on twitter) yes this is absolutely going to be for inanimate insanity. no questions asked. hope is on the horizon guys.

ok I think that is the end of this post. likes and reblogs are appreciated, and also reblog if you want to add onto my theories later!

for now, signing off!! - CURSED MAGICIAN

[helpfandom]

Hi, I stumbled upon your Yandere BTAS, which, along with Cape Crusader, is new. These are my top two favorite iterations of Batman. I was wondering if you could do BTAS-Bruce Wayne/Batman with an autistic Y/N. Where his need to protect leads to full-on smothering and Y/N is forced to stay in the manor rather than attend public school, etc. Can be headcannons or full stories. btw, I love your work, especially the yandere platonic.

Thank you anon!! I haven't seen Caped Crusader so I went with B;TAS!!

I actually got my autism diagnosis which was interesting, because so many traits I didn't realize were autistic traits, so I'll probably redo my asks about autism soon.

Can anyone guess the episode this comes from?

@lonleydweller and also @artisticdoofusxx because I think you would like this one

<333

°⁺⁎⋅❤︎⋅⁎⁺°⁺⁎⋅❤︎⋅⁎⁺°⁺⁎⋅❤︎⋅⁎⁺°

°⁺⁎⋅❤︎⋅⁎⁺°⁺⁎⋅❤︎⋅⁎⁺°⁺⁎⋅❤︎⋅⁎⁺°

He met you, somehow, the details are irrelevant, but most likely through just interacting with his city, or perhaps he heard your name muttered through the city, no matter what, he's a little interested in how a kid like you gets through Gotham City with it's hustle, bustle and crime filled nature.

Naturally, at the start, he's not going to do much until Robin mentions a classmate of his with the same name as you and the same characteristics and... it's you. The same person he was curious about.

Well, why not do some research anyway?

He's certainly... intrigued with you. Far more than his normal obsessions would be, he's just... a little worried. (Far more than worried, really, it's bordering on insanity with how often he finds something and thinks of you - whether it be a crime he worries that you could have been the victim of, or simply a busy street that seems overstimulating to even him, the dark knight. He practically becomes a hypochondriac when he thinks of you, not worried about him, but worried about you.)

But when he finally does muster up enough reasons and courage to do it in his mind to actually kidnap take you home? He's far, far worse than he was then. It's already stressful enough for you to have been kidnapped by Bruce Wayne, the most successful man in Gotham, but his smothering borders on suffocating when you finally get used to living a new space, everything you've ever looked at or considered being spotted there in the mansion, but you're not allowed to leave, to see those you considered friends. Only Dick and Alfred and HIM as your only source of human contact.

Oh, and if anyone finds out that you, Bruce's newest and latest child is autistic, and decides to attempt to capitalize on that?

You are never seeing the outside again after that.

[takerfoxx]

So I've been having people trying to get me to watch Re: Zero for a while now, and I've always resisted because Isekais just aren't my thing, and I avoid multi-season shows as a general rule. But then I found out about the return from death gimmick, and how they actually take the trauma of dying and resurrecting seriously, and that definitely is up my alley, so now I'm finally giving it a shot. Just finished the mansion/demon dogs arc, so here's some quick thoughts.

I admit, most of the pilot didn't really grab me, as it was standard isekai fare. I even rolled my eyes a bit when Subaru started lampshading common isekai tropes. Like, how long has this genre been a cliche? But once he started dying and they began to really make use of the gory groundhog day loop thing is when I started to get into it.

However, the mansion arc really grabbed me.

I like this. I've always enjoyed traumatic time loops. Higurashi. Madoka Magica. Summertime Rendering. There's something about immortality that's as much a curse as a blessing that really vibes with me, and I got sucked in watching the poor guy try to unravel the mystery, trying different things each time, only to fail miserably every time. Even if he was functionally "immortal," it really makes you cheer for him to finally break the loop and make it to the next day with everyone else alive.

Also, I just like Subaru. Design-wise, he's nothing special. Standard anime protag. But he definitely is not you're standard bland isekai self-insert vehicle. Like, this guy has a personality. He's riddled with doubts, anxieties, and trauma, and overcompensates by being really extra and dramatic with a forced cheerfulness that people do come to see through. I also like that even though he's crushing on Emilia hard, he's also not doing the standard "can't spit it out" thing that I really dislike and find cringe. Instead, my man is shooting his shot! Over and over! And for as silly as his method is, he's so over the top with it that it keeps working!

Plus, even though he can be a real idiot sometimes, he's also clever. He examines his mistakes from previous lives and makes changes to try to unravel the mystery. When he finds out that he's cursed to being unable to reveal his return from death thing, he takes advantage of that, using the curse's dark magic as bait for those who could sense it! He uses his shadow magic's instability to his advantage. And though he makes mistake after mistake, he still learns from them and acts accordingly.

And I really like that they're not skimping out on the trauma that his repeated deaths is causing him. His boisterous is very much a mask, one that almost slips several times, until it finally does and he breaks down. Yeah, I can get behind this guy.

Though I do feel sorry for Emilia as a character at this point. As the love interest, she's fine. She's cute, kind, has an interesting power, Puck's funny, I can see why Subaru fell for her. Unfortunately, right after her introductory arc, she got overshadowed HARD!

So, you mean to tell me that you're going to give us Rei Ayanami. Who is a maid. And a demon. Who can kick all kinds of ass. Who also has a really tragic backstory that ties into her personal flaws and character. Who undergoes a hell of a character arc despite still being a supporting character. And there's two of them?

Yeah, I can see why I didn't know who Emilia was before starting the show but already knew about Ram and Rem. No wonder they're all over the place. And Beatrice is just hilarious as well. I really hope Emilia gets her own focused arc, because the twins have only been around for a few episodes, but they're easily the most interesting thing about this show.

But it's still early and there's plenty of time for character development. Needless to say, I'm kind of hooked. Gonna start the next arc tonight.

[kotegiris]

[Event Story] 1st Anniversary -Butler's Prayers-

I recommend reading Episode 1 before this event story if you want to avoid spoilers!

all ✧ next chapter

Chapter 1: Ritual of Prayers

-One day in December-

Muu: Aruji-sama, it’s already almost the end of the year!

> Yeah

Muu: Just a while ago, I could hear the cicadas chirping, but…

Muu: Now I can’t hear anything anymore!

Muu: Winter’s so quiet.

> Yeah, it is

Speaking of quiet… I feel like it’s especially quiet today.

There were no signs of the butlers in the mansion.

> I wonder where everyone is

Muu: Huh? Now that you mention it…

Muu: I haven’t seen them in a while… Did everyone go somewhere?

Knock, knock

Muu: Huh? Aruji-sama, someone’s here.

> Come in > I wonder who…

Opens

Berrien: Pardon me, Aruji-sama.

Muu: Ah, Berrien-san!

Muu: Hm? I’ve never seen you wear that before.

> What’s the outfit for? > What is it?

Berrien: Actually…

Berrien: Uhm… Aruji-sama? Pardon me for asking out of the blue, but…

Berrien: Could you come with me?

Berrien: There’s something I’d like to show you.

> O-Okay

Berrien: Thank you.

Berrien: Please follow me.

Step…step…step…

Muu: Hm~... I feel like Berrien-san looked more serious than usual.

> Yeah, he did

Muu: Just where are we going…

-A little later-

Berrien guided Muu and I to an old church.

Muu: Heh~. So there’s a church this close to the mansion.

> I had no idea

Berrien: Yes. This church is usually closed.

Berrien: Once a year… Only at this time, right before Christmas, the church is open to hold the “ritual”.

> Ritual…?

Berrien: Yes. Please take a look.

I looked in the direction Berrien was pointing.

Everyone was gathered there.

Butlers: …………

Butlers: …………

Muu: Ah! So this is where everyone was.

Muu: Everyone’s wearing the same outfit as Berrien-san… Looks like they’re quietly praying.

Muu: They’re so focused; it doesn’t seem like they’ve noticed us…

> I wonder what they’re praying for…?

Berrien: They’re…

Dong… dong…

At that moment, the church bell rang.

Muu: Waah! That surprised me…

Berrien: Hm… It seems like praying time is over.

Just as Berrien said, when the church bell finished ringing…

The once silent butlers suddenly began talking.

Flure: Guh…

Lato: Are you alright, Flure?

Flure: Y-Yeah… I’m fine.

Flure: I just remembered some things while praying.

Flure: Sigh…

Flure: H-Huh? Where did I put my handkerchief…

Lucas: Flure-kun. If you’d like, use mine.

Flure: Huh? A-Are you sure, Lucas-san?

Lucas: Yeah. Please use it to wipe your tears.

Lucas: I brought it to wipe my own, but…

Lucas: It seems that my tears… have all dried up a long time ago.

Flure: Uhm… T-Thank you, Lucas-san.

Lucas: Don’t worry about it. Now moving onto the next ritual…

Lucas: Oh? Over there is…

Nac: Aruji-sama. And Muu-kun too.

Fennesz: Huh? Aruji-sama?

Noticing us, everyone walked over.

Lucas: Berrien, you’ve brought Aruji-sama.

Berrien: Yes.

Berrien: I thought it’d be better for Aruji-sama to know about the ritual.

Lucas: I see… Yes, you’re right.

Lucas: It would be hard to hide it from them…

> So… what kind of ritual is it?

Lucas: I-It’s…

Butlers: …………

Muu: H-Huh?

Everyone suddenly went silent…

Muu: Is it… Hard to talk about?

Berrien: I’ll explain.

Berrien: I leave it to everyone else to continue the ritual.

Lucas: Yeah… Sorry, Berrien.

Miyaji: Then, we’ll be excusing ourselves for now.

Lamli: Yeah. See you later, Aruji-sama.

The butlers bowed to me and left.

Only Berrien, Muu, and I were left in the church.

Muu: Everyone seems gloomier than usual today…

Muu: Is this “ritual” that bad?

Berrien: No. It’s not that they dislike it.

Berrien: But… Remembering those who have passed away…

Berrien: It’s unavoidable that they’ll feel sorrow.

Muu: P-Passed away…?

> Is this ritual for…

Berrien: Yes. This ritual of prayers…

Berrien: Is for mourning the Devil Butlers who have passed away.

[starkdirewolflove]

Latest episode of X-Men ‘97, wow.

Omg there was so much going on in that episode can’t believe it was only 36 minutes.

Love square of Jean, Scott. Madelyne and Logan. Love triangle of Magneto, Rogue and Gambit, relationship drama galore.

I find it really amusing that Emma Frost has a front row seat to the drama with Jean, Madelyne and Scott like her own personal telenovela. Love that Madelyne has been forging her own path and becoming a part of the council of Genosha.

There’s a reporter doing a documentary about the X-Men and Xavier’s school. I’m a bit confused about Roberto being there. When we first meet him he’s a young rich party boy, heir to a wealthy Brazilian family that can just take a private jet wherever he wants to go and is ashamed and afraid of people, particularly his mother learning he’s a mutant so he leaves after episode one. Then he’s just always at the mansion hanging around with Jubilee and he’s in this documentary about a mutant school. Is he out to his family as a mutant or does he not care who knows anymore? I feel like this should’ve been addressed at some point.

Things are still really rocky with Scott and Jean, I can understand why he blew up at the reporter, she was being really invasive about his personal life and calling him a liar about having a son. And who was that doctor to make any statement about the birth? The bigot refused medical help to a woman in labour. But then he goes and has his psychic affair with Madelyne, dick move. And he’s been doing this since she left while shutting Jean out then turns everything around on her. Like Jean has been traumatised by what Sinister did to her. She doesn’t know how long he had her abducted, what he did while she was his prisoner, her mind is all messed up and on top of that her husband had a baby with her clone who had completely stolen her life (not Madelyne’s fault, this was 100% Sinister’s evil plan) and the only one who is actually supportive and understanding of her pain is Logan, no wonder she kissed him. Good on Logan for not trying to make the kiss into a big deal, Jean and Scott are married and he respects that even though he’s in love with her. The betrayal from Scott was even worse for Jean because their psychic connection has always been sacred between the two of them and her anchor when the Phoenix was overwhelming her and then he disregards all that because he’s in love with Madelyne too supposedly. Like I get their shared grief over having to give up their baby, it doesn’t give him a free pass to cheat on his wife.

Gambit was such a gentleman throughout the whole Rogue and Magento stuff, even though it was breaking his heart to see her with another man he respected her choice, didn’t try to blame or shame her about it and said they can be friends still. Rogue had a really rough time this episode. From the start of this season I felt uncomfortable with this Rogue and Magento pairing but when she explained their history to Gambit it was even worse because it just sounded like grooming and made Magento a creepy sexual predator. So Rogue ran away from home as a teenager after the trauma of putting the first boy she kissed in a coma and being rejected by her dad, gets taken in by Mystique who gets her to use her powers as part of her mutant terrorist group then brings this vulnerable teenage girl who is afraid to touch anyone to a middle aged man to help her control her powers and instead of doing that he fills her head with his ideologies and because he can touch her without it hurting either of them they become lovers. 🤢🤮 so creepy. Magento leverages the council of Genosha that he will only lead them if he can take Rogue as his “Queen” or co leader to the public, so she feels backed into a corner after seeing how amazing things on Genosha were for mutants now. Then after that amazing dance scene she realises that Gambit is the man she truly loves and what they have is more meaningful and goes beyond being able to touch and she chooses her swamp rat only to lose them both by the end of the episode.

The attack on Genosha was brutal but it was so amazingly done. Cable traveling back through time to try and warn everyone about the attack even though it goes against the rules of time travel, seeing Madelyn for a moment, her recognising him as her son by his eyes and him calling her “mom” as he got pulled back through time. The music, the chaos and panic you could literally feel through the screen, Magneto’s holocaust flashbacks, the Morlocks being trapped and thinking no one was coming to save them, Nightcrawler almost dying saving Rogue and Magneto.

Rogue and Gambit were the ultimate power couple fighting their way to the Morlocks, a better dance than the one she had with Magneto. Magneto saving Rogue and Gambit while he tried to shelter the Morlocks from the sentinel blast, so tragic. Then Gambit saves Rogue from getting herself killed by attacking the sentinel in a rage, takes it on by himself to save everyone and destroys it but sacrificing his own life in the process 😭.

The tragedy is they foreshadowed this in the first episode when Jean/Madelyne went into Trask’s mind and then both Jean and Madelyne got a psychic premonition of the attack just before it happened but were unable to do anything to stop it.

When the dust settles at the end you see the X-Men witness the aftermath of the attack, the few surviving mutants gather around the crater where Rogue is cradling Remy’s body. She’s finally able to touch him but only because he’s dead. “Sugah. I can’t feel you.” 💔

That killed me at the end, was so shocked that they killed Magneto and Gambit within minutes of each other. I know they probably won’t be dead forever but fuck that was brutal.

I know next week’s episode is gonna be Storm centric so we’ll probably have to wait 2 weeks to see what happens with the rest of the X-Men and hopefully by then Storm is ready to rejoin the team. There was a moment in the Genosha attack where Val Cooper is helping evacuate mutants to the gardens and she looks back at the sentinels and there’s this look in her eye that made me wonder is she Val Cooper or Mystique in disguise? We haven’t seen Mystique in the show so far but what if she’s been there all along? Maybe she was afraid of being exposed as an imposter by the sentinels because they’d know she’s not human.

[anonnie-in-wonderland]

nightsong

chapter 1

Word Count: 2.3k

rating: T for now

genre: romance | fluff | hurt/comfort

tags: idolverse | btsxreader| ot7xreader| hybrid!reader

previous

It was a good thing he’d been looking down, otherwise he would have missed it, or worse…stepped on it. Rewinding to where it began, when the day started, everything was actually going well. When the company came to them, pitching the idea for a show that featured BTS relaxing in the woods, Namjoon had been quick to express skepticism.

“Do you really think Army would want to watch that?” The leader had questioned. “I mean…just us hanging around?”

“I think you’re underestimating how much your fans would like a sneak peek into what the group does on their down days.” Sejin chuckled, tablet in hand. “And they support everything you do. From what I understand, all you’re expected to do is anything you normally would on a relaxing day in the woods.”

Talking amongst themselves, the members had decided to give it a try. Nothing wrong with doing some R&R on the job. Especially if it felt authentic and not like work.

So, In the Soop was greenlighted, and a day for the filming of the first episode was set. They arrived in PyeongChang to find a rolling hilltop vista surrounded by lush woods waiting for them— not that any of them expected the company to spare any expense. The house they were staying in was closer to a small mansion, and after everyone explored and chose rooms to get comfortable, the day commenced.

It wasn’t as though they didn’t genuinely enjoy each other’s company, but wandering off to practice their own ideas of relaxation had been the best plan. They found each other at lunch time, chatting and joking around as usual. It really did feel like they were on a retreat, ignoring the film crew all over the property. 

Then came the rain, a sudden downpour that sent them scrambling to collect their things and run back in the house. Without an umbrella, all they really had to protect themselves were jackets or the towel Jin spread on the grass to sit on.

That was what covered his head as he ran, head down, up the slippery stone walkway to the house. Some of the others were ahead of him, already inside, but just as he had almost caught up, something small caught his attention, right before he placed his foot down. Startled, he stumbled back, nearly slipping and falling on his ass to avoid falling on what he first thought was just a leaf. Then a sharp wind made it move, and a thin, awkwardly bent wing rolled to the side.

Blinking, he leaned down further, unable to control his curiosity and surprise.

“Jimin!” Yoongi called; he, Namjoon, Hobi and Taehyung were standing in the house’s open doorway, peering out at him in bewilderment. It was fair, since he was standing in the middle of a storm instead of coming inside. “What are you doing?!” His voice was almost lost to the sudden, howling wind. What was this, a monsoon? Were summer storms supposed to be this intense in the region?

“I found a bat!” He called back, wondering if it was…well, alive.

His friends stared at each other, trying to decipher what he had said. “What’d he say?”

“He wants a cat!”

Jungkook, who had taken it upon himself to take down the tent some of the members had been resting under—and then chase it down when it began to blow away, had caught up with him by then. The maknae was especially soaked through without any protection, hair plastered to his face and wide eyes peeking from between his bangs. “Why didn’t you go inside, hyung?”

Jimin glanced back, pointing down to the creature on the ground that for all he knew was dead. They might be getting soaked through for a dead bat.

Adjusting the compressed tent under his arm, Jungkook crouched to stare at the tiny animal too. “Is it…”

“I don’t know.” Jimin replied. “It won’t be after this storm if it is.”

Jungkook reached out a finger, determined to get an answer.

“Yah, are you crazy?” The singer jerked the younger member’s arm back. “Don’t touch it!”

“How else are we supposed to know?” Jungkook stared at him as if the logic made perfect sense.

“What are they doing?!” They heard Jin’s voice shouting incredulously. Looking up the path, they could see their ever thoughtful hyung had gone and retrieved dry towels for the other members, and everyone had them draped over their heads and shoulders.

“He wants a cat!” Taehyung informed him, to which Jin’s face twisted in bemusement.

A tiny, weak noise of complaint came from the ground beneath them, and Jimin glared at the maknae, who had taken the moment of distraction to poke the bat anyway.

“You never listen to anything I say!” he complained.

Jungkook shrugged sheepishly, grinning. “At least we know it’s alive.”

              ♥━━━━━━━━━━•.♡.•━━━━━━━━━━━━♥

“I don’t think we should have brought it in.” Jin mumbled, “Bats carry disease.”

“So do dogs and cats sometimes.” Taehyung pointed out, huddled in behind Jungkook and Jimin as they stood over the weak little creature that had been placed on a towel after getting blow dried on low heat.

“We couldn’t leave it outside like that, hyung,” Jungkook added. “It would die.”

Jin rolled his eyes, “Fine, but touch it as little as possible.”

“I can’t believe you all risked getting sick for one little bat.” Yoongi sighed, handing out mugs of hot cocoa. Everyone had gotten out of their wet clothes, taken hot showers and dried off. The maknaes had been scolded over their actions, but Jungkook was especially unremorseful, too fascinated with the small bat they saved. It hadn’t done much since being brought inside and laid on the towel. Just shivered with its eyes closed. They could see it was breathing, but not much more about its condition than that.

“I’ve never seen a bat this close before.” Jungkook mused, his arms folded on the counter and his chin resting on top of them. He was staring closely at the creature, “I wonder what it’s like to be that small.”

Suddenly, the bat’s eyes opened, bleary and beady as it let out another weak cry. 

Namjoon peered around the maknaes, “So tiny and cute…”

Jin breezed by to sit at the kitchen table with his cocoa, still keeping his distance from the bat. “Namjoon, you stay away from that thing. One wrong move and you’ll squish it like a grape.”

The leader backed away immediately, eyes flickering in panic.

Hoseok looked up from where he had been scrolling on his phone, “This site I found said that we should check it for injuries. It might have been down on the ground because it was hurt.”

 Taehyung stared over at his hyung, but quickly shifted his attention back to the bat. “How do we do that?”

Hoseok’s thumb tapped the screen before he replied. “Blow gently on its fur to examine any hidden areas.” 

Jungkook instantly sucked in a deep breath, until Jimin put a hand on his arm. “Not like that! You’ll blow it right off the counter.” 

The older singer shooed the maknae aside, staring at the dazed little creature, who still hadn’t moved from the middle of the towel. He blew very lightly, the russet orange fur moving with the exhale. There were some scrapes, probably from getting knocked around in the wind. What was most concerning though, was the tear in its right wing.

“That should heal up on its own.” Hoseok informed them.

Jimin turned, skeptical. Bat wings looked so thin and delicate. What were the odds they wouldn’t need a vet?

“That’s what the site says.” Hobi defended, showing them the webpage he was reading from. “Also if we want to give it water, the best way to do that is with a paper towel or on the end of a clean paint brush.”

“I have those.” Taehyung wiggled away from where he was wedged between Jimin and Jungkook, presumably to go and fetch them.

“What’s it eat?” Yoongi questioned, rummaging around in the giant stainless steel fridge. Luckily fully stocked. “I mean, it needs food right?”

Hoseok’s brow furrowed as he continued to look. “Um…I think that depends on what kind of bat it is. They have different diets.”

“Can we feed it fruit?” Jungkook asked, watching the bat seemingly watch him. Its little nose wiggled cutely, and it gave him a watery blink. He smiled. Namjoon was right. It was cute. 

“What if it drinks blood?” Taehyung asked as he came back with a brush in hand.

“Ew,” Jin cringed, and Hobi made a noise of distaste as well. “That would be disgusting.”

“I don’t think those bats live in Korea.” Namjoon voiced, looking in the fridge with Yoongi since he had been effectively chastised away from the bat. “So we shouldn’t have to worry about that.”

Meanwhile, Taehyung had wet the end of the brush in the sink. He carefully approached the counter, dangling the tip in front of the bat’s face. It didn’t react at first, shivering and blinking. Determined, the curly-haired man brought it closer, and the animal lifted its head a little, a tiny tongue darting out to lick at the bristles. It lapped up the droplet, squealing with a little more vigor than it previously had.

The men all watched it all open its mouth, fangs half the size of rice grains visible. “It wants more,” Jimin whispered. Taehyung hurried to comply, wetting the brush a little more and bringing it back again. The bat continued drinking, and several of the members couldn’t resist a coo. Cute was cute. 

As it grew more animated, licking and squeaking, Yoongi broke the silence with a question, “…Do bats even live in this part of the region at all? Where’d it come from?”

“It’s too small to be any of the native bat species.” Hoseok confirmed, brows lifting in surprise as he stared at his phone.

“An invasive species?” Namjoon guessed, “I read some bats can fly hundreds of miles in a day.”

After having had its fill of water, the bat backed away from the brush, though the noises didn’t quiet down. “Is it hungry?” Jungkook asked.

“We still don’t know what it eats. Or what kind it is…” Yoongi reminded them, opening a water bottle and taking a sip. “Unless Hobi has any ideas.”

“Er,” The rapper shrugged. “It could be a couple. The fur color and size matches this.” They flocked around his phone for a better peek.

“‘Little brown bat’…” Jin read. “This bat isn’t brown!”

“It says they’re commonly brown but come in different colors,” Namjoon muttered, “So I guess that’s a good enough guess for now. They eat insects though. We don’t have that.”

Taehyung ruffled his hair, thinking. “Trial and error then?”

             ♥━━━━━━━━━━•.♡.•━━━━━━━━━━━━♥

The group sighed in relief as they watched the bat accept the rice from the end of the chopsticks Jungkook was holding. The little creature’s mouth smacked as it chewed, a piece stuck to its nose. 

“I think he likes it!” Taehyung cheered. He held up a raisin, which the bat sniffed, considered, then took from between his fingers. That was eaten less enthusiastically, but swallowed nonetheless.

“You’ve decided it's male?” Yoongi raised a brow. “It’s not like you can really tell.”

“Um,” Jungkook glanced up, giving the bat a few more pieces of rice. “How could we tell?”

Everyone directed their attention to Hoseok, who made a face. “You all have phones too…” Still, he dug his out of his pocket and navigated to the page they’d been consulting. “Oh…” he giggled. “Someone has to pick it up and turn it over.”

Silence descended over the members, until Jungkook decided to voice his opinion. “Jin-hyung should do it.”

The cup noodles he had been eating slipped from his chopsticks, the broth splashing him a bit. “Yah, why me? I told you I’d be hands off.”

“You’re always saying you’re the oldest.” Jungkook explained.

“That has nothing to do with this,” his hyung protested. 

“Is it really that important that we know in the first place?” Yoongi mumbled, eating his own noodles across from Jin. “We’re going to call someone in the morning to come get it, right?”

“Well we can still use the right pronouns in the meantime.” Jimin reasoned, Jungkook nodding in agreement with his hyung. “So who’s doing it?”

Jungkook considered picking the bat up and doing it himself, since he wasn’t scared and it hadn’t acted aggressive so far, but Taehyung had already donned a rubber glove, carefully reaching for the tiny thing.

It squealed, wiggling in his hold before settling down. They managed to get it onto its back, and Hoseok brought over his phone, with pictures of what both male and female bats looked like side by side. 

“I don’t see any…you know.” Jimin gestured.

“Bat balls.” Taehyung said, drawing a giggle from Jungkook and Hoseok.

“So…she’s a girl?” Namjoon concluded.

“I dunno, probably?” Taehyung shrugged. “Let’s go with that for now.”

“Please put the bat away for the night.” Jin sighed. “We’ve fed her and determined she’s a girl. How much more time are we spending on this?”

Jungkook knew Jin normally liked tiny, cute things. But he probably was still worried the bat carried rabies or something. 

“Hyung’s got a point.” Namjoon said, back in leader mode. “Let her rest, and we’ll see if there’s a wildlife rescue that will come pick her up tomorrow.”

Taehyung put the bat back on the towel and took off the glove. Jungkook decided she needed somewhere a little comfier, and he and Jimin found a small box they put the towel in, along with a water bottle cap to use as a drinking bowl. Considering her wing injury and sluggishness, they weren’t sure if she could fly, so they didn’t bother covering the box’s opening.

“Bye,” he waved as they exited the kitchen and turned off the light, leaving the box on the counter. 

[dayseedrawz2]

My thoughts on episode 3 + theories!!

I'll talk more about this on my YT, but for now here's a tumblr version

(SPOILERS BELOW)

Okay so starting off, my unfiltered thoughts throughout the episode

-They actually spend time together when outside the adventures aww! (Not like they really have a choice, but still neat-)

-Jax being a bitch

-"Zooble turns Straight" Welp, the whooooooole fandom was right!

-Bubbles reversed dialouge. Damn they really don't want those content farms no more.

-CAINE AN POMNI INTERACTION YEAAAA (It was one piece of dialogue I'm so delusional)

-He made this adventure JUST for Zooble cuz they never go and he really wants them to GUYS HES NOT A VILLAN SEE?

-Jax being a bitch

-LUIGIS MANSION REFRENCE FUCKING YESSS

-Wow the visual here are super pretty :o

-...and horrifying

-Jax being a bitch

-I haven't mentioned yet but the lil quirky powers or whatever are cool

-Wow the lore Caine writes for these stories is just like your average artist who torments their OCs (he so me fr)

-2D ANIMATION!!! Also Kinger and Pomni being like the funniest duo ever

-HOLY FRICKLE FRACKLE THEY DEFINITELY DID NOT WANT CONTENT FARMS TO FIND THIS EPISODE

-the monster is awesome looking tho

-THE THERAPY SESSION SEGMENTSS AAA

-Also Caine has a Trans flag hanging somewhere in the circus neat

-He forgot he could use his powers to just teleport Zooble to him lol

-Back to the spooky stuff

-Wow Kinger can actually use a gun! (Never thought I'd be saying that sentence-)

-KINGER AND POMNI GO TO ACTUAL HELL WHILE THE REST JUST HAVE A TEA PARTY WITH MARTHA

-Also JAX IS TIED UP BAHAHAHA

- "You know how men are, always having the silliest priorities..." "Heh, dont i know it!" I think the bunny doll shippers really like that scene

-Zooble has some sorta body dismorphia and has opened up about it to Caine multiple times seems like

-Uhh Caine... you okay buddy? CAINE YOU GOOD BRO? CAI

-CAINE HAS EMOTIONS/SELF AWARNESS CONFIRMED???

-Pomni gets fucking posessed ok

-now we know why it looked like kinger was hitting Pomni with the shotgun

-KINGER AND QUEENIE WERE MARRIED CONFIRMED???

-Father daughter bonding aww...

-I love how the whole fandom took one good look at Ragatha and went:

GAY GAY GAY HOMOSEXUAL GA-

-also Pomni and Ragatha are on good terms now aww...

-Caine and Zooble Should Pass that pipe from ep 2 and legitemently vent to each other

-Jax is pissed because the Jester actually had a good fucking day for once lmao stay mad

-NOW WE KNOW WHY HE STAYS IN THAT PILLOWFORT IM GONNA FUCKIN CRY NOW

Overall, this was definitely my favorite episode so far! The team is getting better each and every episode! SOOO much happened here!! I'm super excited to see what happens next!!

Okay, THEORY TIME!!

-Okay so to start lightly, so far, all the episodes we've seen contain:

Gangles mask breaking

Jax breaks the 4th wall

A cute/sad heart to heart conversation or interaction

A reference to angels or god or Christianity in some way

Interesting right?? Wonder if this keeps up...

-On the topic of Christianity, I saw a theory saying that if it's true that the gang developed the game (which may be true because of that computer science line), When Pomni says "I knew it would end up like this... He just wants me to suffer..." she may not be referring to Caine, but her Boss at CnA.

If that boss exists and is NOT named able, Imma be mildly upset-

-Okay, Alot of people have been talking about Jax being an NPC, and I wanna bring up my opinion on this:

As I mentioned earlier, he always breaks the 4th wall, witch could be seen as a character in a game being like "What do YOU think?" *Insert Game Options here*

I saw another theory saying that if this is true, Jax might be self aware or sentient to some degree, and This is why he tortures everyone. He knows that this world Revolves around the players and nit him so he wants to make them more miserable.

-OKAY, NOW WHAT (I) WEVE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR... THE WHOLE DEAL WITH CAINE GLITCHING OUT AN' STUFF!

As one of many Caine angst connisuars on this platform, I really enjoyed this scene...

Caine knows that he only exists to make adventures and if he can't do it well enough than he serves ZERO purpouse and his existence is useless... (he's just like me fr)

This has SO MUCH POTENTIAL FOR A SERIES FINALE.

Since in each episode we've (mostly) seen a character being comforted (mostly Either Pomni being comforted OR someone being comforted BY Pomni)

What if the last episode had Caine and Pomni having a heart to heart?

(Shutup this is not about showtime I swear let me have this-)

Someone abstracts, (Ragatha or Kinger probably,) and it's Caine's last straw. He finally breaks and the circus goes into ruins. Pomni does her best to comfort him. This could go one of two ways:

Either she sucseeds and happy ending for everyone :D

OR, they fail and The Circus is destroyed, Taking Caine down with it.

Maybe then that would be how they escape cuz if Caine is emotionaly attached to the circus, it would be completely destroyed or erased if Caine finally broke...

The angst potential is crazy...

This is terrifyingly close to what I wanted to do with R-M AU UHHH I MEAN-

Anywayyyy I believe that's all! If yall have anymore theories lemme know!!

[bluginkgo]

Ep 8 Theories

With the series finale come my last minute theories and thoughts regarding the episode and what could be going on towards the end of the episode.

Spoilers, duh

I'll be trying to stick with how the episode played out, might occasionally end up jumping around though. I have heard plenty of rather negative/disappointed thoughts regarding the ep. Overall, I'm very happy with how it ended- yes there are a couple issues, but I don't think they took away from the main idea. Most of my theories will mirror that.

First being, V is alive! The queen returned in the best and coolest way possible. Couple things here.

I do wonder if V was more than suspicious of Tessa and her identity. So in the end, chose to not go with them on purpose- fake her death, and see how the rest goes.

Something that was on the sentinel's part/fault, they didn't actually boot loop her, giving her a higher chance of escape. Rather unsatisfying explanation to some, but to me, it is more than enough. The sentinels have less knowledge/programming made by humans, and it was already seen that V could overpower one of the sentinels. Seeing as they are a pack running team, seeing that defeat might have just turned those tides. A bit of a silly thought, but silly is this show and the reason I love it.

The biggest thing that had me confused was this. Perhaps I'm slow- and I am- but I had to think about what possible promise the Absolute Solver could have made and later tricked her instead. That would probably have to go all the way back to ep5:

"You will not have to discard your pets, and I will not discard you."

In a way, this line was aimed both at Tessa and J- who was simply a bystander. The Absolute Solver kind of promised not to get rid of Tessa, someone that J seemed to have a close connection with. Technically, the AS never got "rid off" Tessa, simply repurposed her just like all of the WD in the mansion to become DDs. Perhaps there was a background deal between AS and J that included the promise of leaving Tessa alone, or doing something for the AS and being freed from its control after. Either way, the AS broke that promise and J simply gave up. She chose to side with the "winning side" and lost all of her fighting spirit and reason to be. Perhaps that is why during the fight, she simply never returned. We saw J being tossed into a crevice and that was all- before her returning in the credits rebuilding the ship. When the tide changed, she didn't see a reason to keep on fighting alongside the AS and dipped out of her shift.

The comment of "I never needed either of you." also made me wonder if this also implied that all J needed was Tessa. Someone of higher authority to tell her what to do and which orders to follow. J never needed friends, only a boss that oversaw them all in an orderly manner. But then again, that's just my thought, in no way a concrete theory.

Less of a theory and more of a observation. Seems that a lot more of N's memories were wiped slowly one by one, and this would be one of the reasons as to why. If the AS wanted the team to retain their personalities, it would need to get rid of the things that could traumatize the team and therefore change how they behaved- especially seen with N. He seemed to always have the least amount of memories from the past, surprising until you see that maybe this was because he woke up during the transferring process between WD and DD. That would completely change how he behaved, his core personality would be gone- the one that the AS got so attached to.

A call back from ep4: "We do our jobs, and that thing leaves us alone." Perhaps V and AS also had a deal. Because they all retained their personalities, and at first maybe their memories as well- before the CYN administration started to delete them- V could also make a deal with the AS for her and N's freedom. The deal was broken, V chose to raise her sword against Cynessa entity instead which irked the AS. An attempt was made on V's side to salvage the moment, perhaps to say that she could still finish the overall job, choose the "winning team" as according to J earlier in the ep. Of course, that didn't work.

Gotta give it to my tired and sick brain, I couldn't figure out what Uzi meant by "Just me in here." Nor how Uzi was even able to start fighting the AS control unlike in ep7. What changed? Well Uzi, herself said it, "You don't fricking own me." Uzi's personality and desires was something that the AS could never use for its own gain. Unlike with Cyn- who did not want to be discarded- Uzi didn't really have any wishes and desires that the AS could fulfill/poach. Yes, in ep4 Uzi was often forgotten by her classmates and seemed to want to hang out with them all as well. "So glad you fit right in. Super cool-" is what she told V. She wished to fit in at some point in time. The AS took that thought and said, "'aight I got this. To fit in/make sure N doesn't leave her Imma just get rid of the obstacles!" in a very AS way. The snap that occurred between ep7 and ep8 was Uzi's dislike of being "owned" by something. She's always prided herself in being her own drone, with her own personality and character. The AS constantly wants that control, to be able to move its puppets as it wishes. Once Uzi said "no" to it once, it gets easier to say "no" to it again and again- because the method is always the same. The callback ping stops working and instead Uzi takes the control.

So, the Solver of the Absolute Fabric, the Void, the Exponential End is this. It has a final form that always resided in Cyn. It appears that Nori knew this as well, because she made a comment of:

"The Solver needs a host- destroy Cyn's heart."

The AS's final form is a black hole, much like those that the Solver drones have been able to create. Except in Cyn's case, the form of the AS is much bigger and more grand. Cyn's core behaved a lot like how J's core did back in ep2

All of her parts became miniature black holes before floating away off of the screen. Perhaps each drone that has some form of the AS in it- be it a DD or a Solver drone- will eventually become this. Hinting at the fact that if N and V were to die, their cores would become small black holes. In Nori's case, something similar would happen as well, if the core was to be destroyed. In Uzi's case, if her core is destroyed, the size of the black hole would be similar if not bigger than the one we saw in ep8 from Cyn. Depending on how much control the AS has in the drone, the bigger/smaller the black hole will be post core death.

Now as for the end. The ending I'm actually fine with. It's very open ended, leaving it to us to figure out the truth and the lies. For us, the viewers, to fill in the holes that may be left and choose where the story goes from there. Some may take the path of: this is all a lie, none of the things post Uzi integrating with the AS is real, others may take the route of the happy ending and that everyone figures out how to live on. I'm more with the happy ending gang.

The ending doesn't solve anything though. Much like how the image says "I'm not solved" the problem was never solved. The AS still exists and at best, what Uzi did was put the whole kill all of the universes thing on a pause. But here's where I give the one and only thing I have a gripe about regarding this episode:

The moment between N running to check on Uzi to Uzi waking up where everything is destroyed. Half of the confusion regarding the ending of the series and many disappointments I see stem from this scene alone. Because it's so sudden and rough that it makes the episode feel rushed. I expected the entire episode to be a big fight and then leaving about 5 minutes for the ending/denouement- that's generally how these sorts of animations go. My issue is with that scene and the rough transition. What could have helped, I think, was to have 2-3 minutes of Uzi chatting with the AS directly. Doesn't need to be anything grand- put her and the AS in a black plane/mindscape and have them chat. About why the AS is still even fighting, and make a deal/truce with each other showcasing the reasoning behind the integration/fusion of Uzi and the AS at a much better pace. Then, have her wake up with the Fatal Error, continue on with the ending. Granted, this method would take away from the suspense and tension feeling that was originally felt when we saw Uzi with the "Fatal Error" on her visor. Furthermore, the surprise that we felt when we first saw Uzi's eyes.

Another theory as to the possible sudden/rough transition would actually be this. When Uzi imploded the planet for the umpteenth time in the episode, the things that were surrounding her slowly started to go back up- much like they did when Cyn was calling for the second core collapse. Perhaps her actions, in fact, did cause the core collapse and then yeeting her into god knows where like Nori and Yeva in the past. All the while this was happening, the AS integrated with Uzi. But because Uzi is much stronger now- mentally and physically- the AS couldn't take complete control like it did with Cyn. Instead, it was a partial fusion of the two entities. Giving Uzi the extra solver powers seen with Cyn, but keeping her personality intact instead of the AS exploiting it like it did with Cyn.

Finally, my take on what the hell is happening with the post credit scene. I've seen a lot of people take this scene in the way that Uzi is living in a simulated ending. They never actually won, and the AS simply created an entire illusion of a happy ending just for her to cope better. Here's the problem with that theory:

Cyn was known for being able to switch between all of these forms without needing to lose her original body. The AS is now integrated into Uzi and has given her the power to do the same thing Cyn was capable of doing. "But Ginkgo, why does Uzi seem so tired then? And why show the empty halls?" To be for real, if I had a little tail that would constantly spout that I look good in a bow and other comments, I would be tired too. Regarding the hallway, depending on time of day could mean how many drones are out and about. In ep2, it was shown that a lot of places become deserted when it's not being used, same applies to the school. Furthermore, a small idea just came to mind, maybe hiding the AS parts of herself takes a lot of energy and makes Uzi tired. When the drones are all gone- the ones that are at least afraid of her- she could let that mask slip, thus glitching out occasionally and dipping into the other forms.

Overall, I genuinely enjoyed the episode and was really sad to see the series come to the end- still coming to terms with it really. While the ending is very open ended and gives a great opportunity for season 2 to pick from, I wouldn't be upset if there is no S2. If they ever did announce there was one, I'd be really happy, but if there isn't that's alright as well. Liam did a wonderful job with tying the story off, open ended for us to play around with and continue the journey of these characters in a way that makes us happy.

Glitch stated that they have some things they'll be using N and Uzi for, my gamble is they will mostly likely return for events- Glitch Inn, promotion of products, GlitchX, etc. What I would love to see is little snippet episodes of little shenanigans they might get up to. Post canon mini episodes if you will.

Most of these "theories" don't match up to some older ones I may have done, but when something comes to an end, there isn't much to theorize about in the future. Plus I've been under the weather for a little while TwT So I don't have many braincells online currently. But thanks for seeing through these last "theories" and thoughts I had. Maybe in the future, if I come up with some other insane idea I'll share it. Until then, I'll be seeing you later >:3

Have a cookie for getting through all of this bs XD 🍪

[angelfirstclass]

Magneto: A Villain playing Dressup or Reformed Tortured Soul?

This is going to be hard one for me because I don't want to be too negative about Magneto because I think in X-men 97 he isn't the villain, but upon rewatching the show I think this question is viable. I may be accused of being a Romy shipper and Charles apologist, but I'm not really. I like Magneto in the show and he says some of the best lines in the show. But sometimes he says and does things that are kind of assholey am I right?

To start off with, the way that he introduces himself and announces that he's the heir to Xavier's mansion and the X-men. Did he really have to barge into Xavier's office and confront the team as they were bonding together playing basketball? He is so smug in that scene which is something I like about Magneto, his Alpha male strength and directness. It's hot and works when I'm writing Magneto fan fiction, but it is a tad presumptuous. His first reactions from everyone on the team is anger and suspicion and then he wonders why he's not getting a warm reception. He could have been normal and called or rang the doorbell or something, but it wouldn't have been as dramatic or as Magneto to come barging in.

The way that he says My X-men at the end of episode 1 is kind of smug and sinister is not? Maybe it's just the writers wanting tension out of that moment and having the readers shocked by Magneto, a known X-enemy inheriting everything, because at that moment we don't know if Magneto is going to be a good leader or not.

Then we see Magneto in action and he's playing the good guy. He saves a child from a busted ride and the Morlocks from the Friends of Humanity. It is shocking to the X-men but also shocking to humankind because of Magneto's past crimes. He enters leading the X-men tamping down his evil past and his more destructive methods of getting back at anti-mutant groups, but he is still Magneto with all his arrogance and his confidence and his strength of belief in himself.

Something that I actually love is the line that he toes the line between trying to be a good X-man and his feelings about humanity. He has seen so much that he is formed by those traumas and pain which cannot be so easily let go of. When he talks of not harming the Friends of Humanity members, the sneer when he says "sapiens" is pure gold. This Magneto is a tempered Magneto and we have to appreciate how far he's come. If it wasn't for his love of Charles Xavier he would be 1000 times worse.

It could be argued that other people might have made better leaders of the X-men, but for this season's storyline having Magneto play the leader was brilliant. He was just enough of an asshole to make the whole thing interesting and made the twist at the end more believable because he never really lost himself completely. You saw moments of him being potentially selfish, arrogant, cruel throughout the season which made him an interesting, complex character.

"My intentions here was not to cause drama or discord." Lol! Says the man in the cape and big M on his costume and the one who barged into the mansion without notice. Yeah, sure, Jan. He yielded to the UN, but not until after he proves how powerful he could be. A note to point out his that Wolverine talks about people being upset over all the things Magneto has done and "can't say I blame them" for being upset and I take this seriously. So currently he's trying to reform, but in this universe and timeline, Magneto has done some awful things.

The trial scene is really amazing. There are some great lines in it. The speech is probably the most compelling reason to want to trust Magneto. He is a great public speaker and he speaks of his past, how the oppressed become oppressors and that loving or being different will cause you to be punished. He is speaking Xavier's words and attempting to walk his past, but he must also acknowledge his past and the consequences of them. This is where I get confused or conflicted as I don't know if Magneto went too far or just enough or is justified or crazy. I don't know and I don't think it's something that the writers even know- like that is the crux of the show itself.

His sardonic wit is the best! "Oh to play by the rules and still they come for you." Yes. It's all going sideways and Magneto is not panicked in the least. He may be a lot of things, but dumb is not one of them. He saw this all coming and knew it was a matter of time that the extremists broke through and the judges would be deemed traitors of the race. It's like a part of him wanted things to get extreme, so the X-men would get to be on his side and see that humanity is not to be trusted and making nice doesn't work.

When asks if this is the high roads destination and essentially kidnaps all the judges, viewers are justified in thinking he might have snapped and gone back to his evil ways. We are surprised to see that he is walking Xavier's path and applaud him for that. He eventually lets the people go and asks them to not let him let them down and that's so poignant because we see just in episode 2 what Magneto is capable of and what he could do if he wasn't walking Xavier's path.

Magneto did a pretty good job of leading the team from episode 3 to 5, he is concerned about Jean, Scott, and Nathan and coordinates the team. He fights clone Jean or Madelyn and she taunts him with the line about a villain playing dress up as a hero. I think that line is so apt with Magneto because I think that his character arc is at the heart of the storyline. I wrote once saying that his relationship with Xavier was the thesis of the story and I also believe that Magneto's belief of Xavier's ideals and his own is also a pivotal part of the story. Madelyn had the power to delve into the psyche of each mutant and find their weak spots, so it proves here that Erik is self conscious of seeming to play the hero and most likely doubts his own commitment to Xavier's cause.

Then we go to Genosha in episode 5, where Magneto is king, literally. There are posters and statues of him everywhere and this all was his dream. Magneto is a savvy politician and understands making grand speeches or doing publicity stunts. Even other mutants at Genosha understand that he is the handsome face of Mutant kind and especially after joining the X-men and following moderation is liked by moderate mutants as well as humans. Even when he speaks to the group, he acknowledges that this was all Charles' dream and he didn't believe that it would happen. He is asked to be king and then he asks Rogue to be his queen. Episode 5, I think is tragically the peak of when Erik is believing Xavier's dream and thinking that peace is possible and happiness is possible for him as well. He is letting down his guard, accepting the King position, declaring his love for Rogue, trying to walk Xavier's path, be a good X-man, and etc. We know what happens next tragically however.

Everything he believed gets snatched and beaten out of him in Genosha. He tried to walk Xavier's path and it did not work out for him. He was already scarred, but this time was too much. He was kidnapped, tortured, and saw many deaths. He was already toeing the line before and felt justified in a way for committing crimes and atrocities and Genosha set him back to that way of thinking.

When we see him later, trying to persuade X-men to join him, EMPing the planet, attacking members of the X-men trying to stop him, he is traumatized and reacting poorly to Genosha. I don't justify his behavior, but I understand it. This is an Omega level mutant that has a track history of hurting humans for hurting mutants, so when a massacre hits it is not surprising that the mutant in question flexes his powers and gets angry.

What I don't know and am still on the fence about is how dedicated he truly was to Xavier's cause. Was he really a believer and dedicated to being a X-man or did it just take one incident for him to return to his ways? Also, how far is too far? Who is allowed to seek revenge or retribution? And to what extent? It is these questions that I think are so fascinating and I'm glad I don't know. These questions about Magneto are what made the show so interesting and complex and wants to make me see Season 2.

[midoribobatea]

Rose Valentine - Ammon's Card

Part 1 & Part 2

(Not 100% accurate translation ,So sorry in advance for any mistranslation and any missgramer)

A Special Bouquet - Part 1:

*Note before reading the butler story: This story contains spoilers for the ``Rose Valentine'' event.

We recommend that you read up to episode 13 of the event story before reading it.

If you wish to avoid spoilers, please return using the button on the top left.

.........

Immediately after the first day's social party...

In celebrations for Valentine's Day. I wanted to do something for Ammon.

additionally to handing out rose chocolates, I thought of two other plans

The first is to do what Ammon wants.

The other plan is to give Ammon the blue rose.

Apparently, blue rose has the meaning of ``dreams coming true'' and ``miracles''.

I will now carry out the first plan.

I decided to write a letter and ask Ammon, `Tell me what you want me to do.'

[Lonestar's Mansion Rose Garden]

Then, one day, a few days before the social party...

I was sitting at the garden table, watching Ammon work in the garden.

Ammon received the letter and said ,``I want to talk to master after work.''

I decided to wait by his side until he finished his work.

As part of the decorations for the party, it seems that Ammon is also entrusted with taking care of the roses.

And after finishing all the garden work... Ammon came to me.

Ammon: Thank you for the waiting, Master!

Ammon: I'm sorry for making you wait all by yourself in a place like that.

Ammon: You didn't have any problems while waiting?

Choices:

<Yeah, it's alright>

In fact, I was able to see Ammon's work up close...so I wasn't bored at all.

Ammon: Is that so? That's a relief.

Ammon: Well then, Master, my work is finished...

Ammon: Let's go out together right away!

Choices:

<Eh? Going out?>

Ammon: That's right. After all, Master, didn't you write it in that letter?

Ammon: 'You'll do as I please'. Please keep your promise♪

Choises:

<I-I didn't said exactly that...>

Ammon: Well well♪don't worry(/sweat) about details♪

Ammon: Anyway, you'll make my wishes come true, right?

Ammon: If that's the case, there's a cafe I'd like to go together. I'd love for you to come !

Choices:

<A cafe?>

Ammon: That's right. This is a famous store that is different from the one we went to before.

Ammon: It seems that rose cakes are popular there. I always wanted to go there~

Ammon: But it's hard for me to go there by myself...

Choices:

<Eh, why?>

Ammon: Actually…. Most of the customers at that cafe are women or couples.

Ammon: As expected, I was hesitant to go in alone.

Ammon: And…. There's not much point if I did go alone.

Ammon: After all, It has to be with master~♪

Choices:

<What does that mean...>

Ammon: Hehe. You'll understand that when we get there, Master.

Ammon: Come on, let's go, Master!

Ammon: A delicious rose cake is waiting for us~.

Choices:

<Y-Yeah...alright>

[Rose Town]

Ammon, who seems to be having fun, takes me to the rumored cafe...

It seemed that there were only couples and female customers in the shop.

An old lady who seemed to be the owner noticed us and called out to us.

Old owner lady: Yes, yes, welcome. Will you be two?

Ammon: That's right! I'd like also a private room if possible...

Old owner lady: Yes. It's just got empty right now.

Old owner lady: Here we go. Please come this way.

[Rose Town Cafe]

With the guidance of the old lady, I sit in a stylish private room table seat.

Ammon: Hehe. No one is watching here...

Ammon: Can I sit with you? Master.

Choices:

<Of course>

Ammon: Thank you very much.

Ammon: Heh.. The other customers were looking at us.

Choices:

<I-Is that so?>

Ammon: That's right♪Maybe we looked like a couple too~.

Choices

<N-now...I wonder>

Ammon: Now~ Master. Don't get embarrassed ♪

Ammon: Things like being a couple are about to begin now.

Choices:

<Eh...?>

Old owner lady: Hello. Are you ready to order?

Ammon: Yes! I would like the special cake for Valentine's Day only.

Old lady owner: Yes, yes. The cake only for couples.

Choices:

<Only for couples...?!>

Ammon: Hehe... This cake has a reputation for being exquisite.

Ammon: But since it's only available to couples , people like me can't come here to eat it...

Ammon: That's why I had to be with Master.

Choices:

<S-so that's why...>

Ammon: That's right♪ That's why.

Ammon: So Master too... Just for today, please be with me as a couple.♪

Ammon: Because today you will listen to my wishes, right?

Choices:

<Y-Yeah...alright>

Ammon: Hehe. As expected of Master, You get it.♪

A Special Bouquet - Part 2:

[Rose Town Cafe]

A little while later, a whole small cake was brought out.

It's a very beautiful cake in the shape of rose.

Ammon carefully cuts it in half and places it on a small plate.

Ammon: Here you go, Master.

Not only is it beautiful on the outside, but the cross-section of the cut side also looks delicious.

I slowly brought the beautiful cake into my mouth.

The flavor of chocolate, melting fresh cream...and a faint aroma of roses filled my mouth

It was so delicious that just one bite brought a smile to my face.

Choices:

<Delicious...>

Ammon: Hehe. That's good.

Ammon: By the way…. It seems that you can enjoy various flavors of this cake depending on where you eat it.

Ammon: The taste is different between the part I cut into my plate and the part my master ate.

Ammon: Please take a chance to try this flavor as well.

Ammon: Here, open your mouth. Say Ahhh~

Choices:

<Ehh?!>

Ammon: Oh dear? What are you surprised about?

Ammon: This cake is only for couples, so this is the correct way to eat it.

Ammon: No one is watching anyway, so Master don't need to be embarrassed either♪

Choices:

<Ammon is watching...>

Ammon: That's right. I'm watching it perfectly.

Ammon: I want to see my master eat my cake.

Ammon: You will make my wish come true today, right? Master♪

Choices:

<I-I get it…>

With mischievous smile Ammon directed the fork toward me

Just as Amon wanted... I decided to have some cake and eat it.

Choices:

<A-Ahh~...>

Ammon: Yes, well done♪

Ammon: What do you think? Isn't It delicious?

Choices:

<Yeah…>

It's true that the cake that Ammon made me eat was delicious, but...

I felt kind of frustrated that I was constantly being defeated by Ammon.

If no one is watching anyway... It might be a good idea to try again.

Choices:

<Well then, It's my turn>

Ammon: Huh? It's master's turn...

Choices:

<Yes, Say ahh~>

Ammon: M-master...

Ammon: Hehe. That's kinda bold, Master...

Ammon: I would never be able to do something like this in front of everyone else...

Ammon: Well, it's okay for today♪it's a secret only between us two♪

Ammon: Well then… Ahh~...

Then Ammon and I took our time and ate the cake slowly...

The two of us enjoyed our time together just like a couple.

-After a while-

Ammon: Now…. I wanted to be a couple with master for a longer time, but...

Ammon: We have to go back soon. Master also has to prepare for the social party...

Choices:

<Oh, wait a moment...>

Ammon: Huh? What's wrong, Master?

Ammon: Maybe...Master doesn't want to go back yet?

Ammon: So selfish~ Well, I don't hate that side of Master either...

Choices:

<T-that's not what I mean...>

In order to carry out my final plan...

I asked Ammon to come alone to the garden tonight.

Ammon: coming to the garden tonight you say?

Ammon: Hmm…. I don't know what the master is planning...

Ammon: I got it. I'll definitely go.

Choices:

<Thank you Ammon>

Ammon: Hehe. No need to thank me.

Ammon: As a couple, it's only natural to listen to your partner's requests♪

[Lonestar's Mansion Rose Garden]

The night of the same day….

I snuck out of the social party...and waited at the rose garden for Ammon to arrive.

While hiding a single blue rose behind my back..

Step step...

Ammon: Thank you for waiting, master.

Ammon: As promised, the master's lover has arrived♪

Choices:

<A-Ammon...>

As always, Ammon stares at me with a devilish smile on his face.

I wanted to surprise Ammon...but the look in his eyes made me feel like I was going to get distracted in Ammon's pace.

I lowered my eyes as I approached Ammon...

I held out the single blue rose in front of him.

Ammon: Huh...!? Master,this is...

Ammon: Maybe...This rose for me...?

Choices:

<Yeah...>

Ammon: Blue rose...

Ammon: In the language of flowers it means 'dream come true.' ...And 'miracle'...

Choices:

<As expected of Ammon, You're very knowledgeable>

I am grateful for the miracle that I was able to meet Ammon...

And someday I wish I could live with Ammon in a peaceful world.

It is the perfect flower to express such a wish.

Choices:

<That's why, I'm giving this rose to Ammon...>

Ammon: Master...

Ammon: I lost...

Choices:

<Eh?>

Ammon: I was planning to make my master's heart pound...

Ammon: Master gotten ahead of me...

Ammon: Really….I'm no match for my master.

Ammon: To be able to meet such a wonderful master... I'm the one who should be grateful.

Choices:

<Ammon...>

Ammon: Hehe. But my heart can't be the only one keep pounding, right?

Ammon: Please wait a moment, Master.

Ammon: There's something I want to give to master.

Choices:

<Something you want to give...?>

As Ammon goes deeper into the rose garden...

He came back with a large bouquet of roses.

Ammon: How do you like it? Master.

Ammon: I secretly prepared it during the day.

Ammon: A bouquet made of 365 roses...

Ammon: like our talk with the 2nd floor butlers the other day.

Ammon: If I were to hand over a number of roses to my master... I'll give 365 roses.

Ammon: And what this number means..

Ammon: 'I miss you every day'...

Ammon: Master. I want to stay together forever.

Ammon: This bouquet... represents my feelings.

Choices:

<Ammon...>

I Received the large bouquet of Roses from Ammon.

I'm sure Ammon carefully selected each one.

I had never seen such a beautiful bouquet of roses before.

Choices:

<It's really beautiful...>

Ammon: Hehe. It's really nothing at all.

Ammon: Compared to the blue rose that my master gave me... It's no big deal at all.

Ammon: I was able to receive such a wonderful gift...

Ammon: Please look forward to getting something in return from me. Master♪

Choices:

<Eh? But I already received the bouquet...>

Ammon: What are you talking about?♪ That bouquet is a Valentine's gift from me.

Ammon: Giving back something in return to master is a different thing.

Ammon: Next time I'll make Master's heart pound even more.

Ammon: Hehe. Please look forward to it, Master♪

-End-

[otomehonyaku]

DIABOLIK LOVERS アニメ公式ノベライズ Official Novelization ☽ Chapter 3 Translation

[Previous chapter] ☽ [Next chapter]

It’s time for chapter 3! I will try adding more translation notes for particular words/phrases in footnotes from now on, which might be fun for people who are learning Japanese (although I don’t recommend calling anyone a 穀潰し in real life lol). I know I said last time that this book seemed a little light on the bite play but I actually take it back, this chapter was pretty steamy with both Ayato and Shuu… (〃ω〃) Have fun reading!

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Originally written by Yukuzuki Hiroha 結来月ひろは Translated from the Japanese by @otomehonyaku

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

STORY Following her father’s job transfer, Komori Yui is sent to live with the Sakamaki brothers. However, these six brothers turn out to be sadistic, ill-tempered vampires. The men are after Yui’s sweet and incredibly rare blood, and go to great lengths toying with her body and soul to get it. Before long, Yui finds herself trapped in an alluringly dangerous love game(1)...

1. 吸血愛戯 (ラブゲーム): Stylised as ‘love game’ but written with the characters for bloodsucking (吸血), love (愛), and play (戯). The latter character also has a connotation of playfulness/mischief.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

DISCLAIMER This is an unofficial translation intended for those interested in reading the story of the Diabolik Lovers game/season in a slightly more literary format in English. I have no affiliation with Rejet or Frontier Works whatsoever. All rights belong to them, but PLEASE DO NOT POST THIS TRANSLATION ELSEWHERE OR TRANSLATE TO OTHER LANGUAGES WITHOUT MY PERMISSION.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Episode 3

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

That night, the moon stood high in the sky, but the Sakamaki mansion was wrapped in fog.

In the dining room, Yui joined the brothers for dinner. It was a habit for the six of them to assemble in the dining room once a month for a banquet. As Yui sat at the large table, she wondered why she had to be included, but there had been little room for her to protest when they half-dragged her in here.

A variety of luxurious dishes reminiscent of a high-end restaurant were placed on the table in front of her, but even as she eyed the food, she couldn’t bring herself to eat.

Vampires don’t even need this kind of food, anyway, Yui thought cynically. Her eyes shifted to Ayato, who was sitting next to her. He ate his dinner using a knife and fork with surprising dexterity, behaving in a more refined manner than she had ever seen him. The same was true for Reiji and Subaru, who were sitting across from her.

The saying goes ‘dining together is happy together’ (1), but this family was worlds away from that. A heavy silence had fallen in the room. Shuu, who was sitting right opposite Yui, did not seem hungry either, and simply slumped in his chair with his eyes closed.

I don’t feel like eating. To the brothers, I’m no different from the food that’s on the table right now, anyway… Yui thought, and lost her appetite completely.

“You’re not eating much, Bitchlet,” Laito suddenly said from behind Yui, startling her. “You’ll get anaemia if you don’t eat well, you know? Would you like me to feed you?”

“Laito,” Reiji interjected sternly. “It is rude to get up during dinner.”

“Fiiine. Let’s continue this later, okay?” Laito murmured to Yui, and hummed quietly as he returned to his seat.

The dining room was only quiet for a moment before a loud sound made Yui jolt. It was Shuu, who had pushed back his chair and stood up.

“Shuu…?”

“I can’t be bothered,” the eldest muttered as he walked out of the room.

“That good-for-nothing (2)…” Reiji remarked, his voice tinged with resentment, when Shuu closed the door behind him.

Good-for-nothing? He’s saying that about his own brother?

“Oh, well. That’s what happens to people who’ve been spoiled since birth.”

The Sakamakis don’t seem to care about one another to begin with, but these two really seem to hate each other…

“Teddy, what would you like to eat next?”

Yui looked towards Kanato when she heard his voice. He sat with Teddy on his lap and was trying to feed him.

“Shall we try this banana snowball (3) first?” The purple-haired triplet said as he stabbed the snowball with his fork to pick it up, but it split in half.

Kanato frowned in frustration and began bringing down his fork onto the remnants of the snowball over and over, laughing maniacally. He didn’t stop even when the plate broke with a loud crack.

Reiji appeared fed up with his younger brother’s behaviour, and spoke up. “You all cannot keep yourselves together even at our one banquet of the month… Let us call it here for today.”

Everyone aside from Reiji stood up and left for their rooms immediately.

I should go back to my room, too. Albeit hesitantly, Yui put her hands on the table to push herself up when she was fairly certain she could leave.

“Wait.”

Reiji’s voice brought her to a halt.

“Have you no manners? To place your hands on the table like that… If I ever see you do that again, I will punish you thoroughly. Understood?”

“…Yes.”

His punishment must be pretty severe, judging from what Yui had seen of Reiji’s personality so far. Dejectedly, she returned to her room.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

“Ah…”

Yui sighed heavily when she sat down on the edge of her bed. She was glad to have a day off, but it seemed impossible to relax. Come to think of it, I usually helped out Dad on my days off…

Wanting to help her priest father with his work in whatever way she could, Yui usually kept the church clean on the days that she didn’t have school.

It hasn’t even been that long (4)…

Even though she had seen her father only days earlier, her life with him already felt like a thing from the past. Suddenly reminiscing about the days spent with her father, she opened the drawer in the nightstand by her bed and took out her father’s diary. However, the memories that her father had penned down were still nowhere to be found.

“So they really are gone…”

It felt like her own memories with her father had been erased with them. Yui felt herself getting teary-eyed. But why? When I first saw it, it was written right there.

Yui brings me so much joy. The fact that she is not my own child bears no meaning at all. She is truly a blessing, and I am nothing but grateful for every day I get to spend with her.

Her father’s familiar handwriting had spelled it out clearly for Yui to remember. But why had the writing disappeared from the page completely?

The only clue I have is this picture…

Yui quietly stared at the picture of her father and her infant self. The picture alone would not get her anywhere. Besides, I don’t even know what kind of cruel fate awaits me if I try to leave.

Yui sighed again.

Completely at a loss, she slid the picture back between the pages of her father’s diary and returned it to the drawer.

“Whatcha doing?”

Yui shrieked when she looked in the direction of the voice. Ayato was straddling her desk chair in reverse, his elbows propped up on the back of the chair and his chin resting on his hands as he watched her.

“W-why are you…”

“I can do as I please,” Ayato stated, tilting his head to the side ever so slightly. “Hurry up and give me your blood.”

Oh no… I have to hold him off.

“I-I was just about to take a bath.” Yui tried to slip past him, but to no avail. “Huh? Ah!”

Ayato stood up in a flash and threw his arms around her, embracing her from the front. Yui struggled against him when he ran his tongue over the nape of her neck, but his arms soon settled on her waist. It was impossible to run from him.

“Ayato… Please, I’ve been feeling anaemic lately…”

The stress from being in a new environment might have also played a part in it, but since Ayato had taken her blood yesterday, her physical condition had been worsening.

Ayato paid her worries no mind. “Shut up.”

He was clearly toying with her. His tongue found her skin again, licking her as he occasionally made low noises of pleasure. The wet sound of it echoed through the room.

Yui tried to endure it by squeezing her eyes shut, but it inadvertently only made her focus on Ayato more. A small sound escaped her lips at the anticipation of not knowing when his fangs would pierce her skin.

“Feels that good, huh?”

Yui tried to get back, but Ayato wouldn’t budge. “That’s not…”

Just when Yui thought his grip on her waist loosened a little, Ayato bent down to her chest and pressed his lips against her skin. He let out a low moan as he sucked hard. The pain made Yui’s voice slip again, and he finally looked up.

He didn’t… bite me?

Looking down at her chest, Yui did not see blood, but a red mark in the shape of a rose petal on her skin.

“That’s my mark of ownership.”

“N-no…” Yui pushed against his chest to get away, but he only gripped her tighter.

“Don’t move. I’ll give you more.”

Enjoying the feel of her skin, Ayato leisurely moved his tongue to the other side of her chest. He pulled down her sweater to expose her skin further, almost to her most sensitive parts, and began covering it in love bites.

“I want to hurt you more. More, and more…”

“Ah…”

Yui could barely move. She could only try and stand the pain.

When Ayato finally let her go, his red love bites fluttered across her chest like flower petals and clearly marked her as his.

“We’ll continue when you get out of the bath. You’ll only get more anaemic if I feed on you now and that’d just be a bother,” Ayato whispered in Yui’s ear as he embraced her tighter. “Just hurry up. You know what’ll happen if you make me wait too long.”

This time, Ayato let her go. He left the room.

For what felt like the umpteenth time today, Yui sighed heavily. What’s happening to me? Still, no matter how she thought about it, she couldn’ come to an answer.

“In any case, I should take a bath first.”

She knew it was part escapism, but Yui felt that she would lose her sanity completely if she could not do these kinds of normal, human things. Yui grabbed a fresh towel and a clean set of clothes, and headed to the bathroom.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Come to think of it, this is the first time I’m using the bath here.

On the first night, when Yui had only just arrived at the mansion, she had lost consciousness and simply slept for a while, and the next day, she had used the shower room near the pool.

I know it’s foolish to think about, but I can’t help but wonder what kind of bath they have… Daydreaming about her impending bath time, Yui stepped into the bathroom.

It was lavish. Marble covered the floor of the large room in front of her, and a large, white clawfoot tub stood near the back wall. I’ve never been in such a luxurious bathroom before, Yui thought. Even the sink is made of marble. She put her fresh clothes on top of the sink, and her eyes drifted to her reflection in the mirror in front of her.

The marks on her chest were undeniably there. But why would Ayato do this?

Yui had no hopes of running away from the mansion to begin with—the brothers had told her so—and it seemed unnecessary to brand her as his for the world to see.

But still, the throbbing pain of the love bites made her thoughts drift to Ayato even when he wasn’t with her. When she thought of it like that, she realised that the marks must have served Ayato’s intended purpose.

Yui was startled by a sudden splashing sound and she spun around to look at the bathtub. What was that? Is someone there?

Gingerly, she made her way over to the bathtub and saw Shuu, eyes closed and lying fully-clothed in the water. Yui did not know why he was in there with his clothes still on, but he looked like he was trying to drown himself.

“Shuu?!”

Before Yui could reach out to him, Shuu’s languid voice sounded from under her.

“Damn it, don’t yell like that.”

“B-but if you stay in there with your clothes on…”

“Strip them off me, then.”

“What?” Not used to Shuu speaking that way to her, Yui was briefly at a loss for words.

“Didn’t you come in here to see me naked?” Shuu asked, trying to gauge her reaction.

“N-no!” Yui stammered. “Please don’t say such inappropriate things… I came in here to take a bath.”

Shuu’s clear blue eyes watched her face become red, and let out a low laugh as if he enjoyed seeing her flustered. “Would you like to join me?”

“T-there’s no way...”

“Your red cheeks suggest otherwise.”

Realising Shuu was making fun of her, Yui inadvertently shot him a glare, but he simply repositioned his head on the edge of the bathtub with a dissatisfied expression on his face.

“Boring.”

Clearly not intent on getting out of the tub, Shuu closed his eyes again.

Yui’s fear that he might drown dissipated, but even though she felt somewhat relieved, Shuu’s overly sluggish behaviour left her with a complicated feeling. All they’ve done since I came here is manipulate me…

Yui thought of the six brothers’ faces.

So Shuu is the eldest and Reiji is the second son, then the triplets Ayato, Kanato and Laito, and then Subaru is the youngest. But…

“You’re brothers, but why are you all so different?” Yui wondered aloud.

“We’ve got different mothers.”

“What?”

“…Reiji and I have the same mother, and the triplets have a different mother,” Shuu said in a detached voice, his eyes still closed.

“I… see.”

So that’s why they don’t look alike, Yui concluded, but suddenly realised that he had missed one brother.

“What about Subaru?”

“Also got a different mother,” Shuu said, before completely submerging himself in the tub.

“Wha—Shuu!”

In a state of panic, Yui reached out and grabbed both of Shuu’s arms. At the feeling of her hands on his body, his eyes flew open.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

The blurry vision of a boy, slightly taller than him, plagued Shu’s mind. When Shuu was younger, the boy always reached out a hand towards him, took him to all sorts of places, and showed him things he had never seen before.

However, the next moment, Shuu’s sight was taken away by a cloud of burning ash. His memories with the boy faded into nothing. That day, Shuu could only stare, dumbfounded, at his friend’s village as it burned to the ground, black smoke rising from its buildings.

“Edgar…”

I couldn’t do anything… My only friend, and I couldn’t do anything to save him.

Everything you love can be taken away from you in the blink of an eye, and never even leave a trace. Just like that boy.

All Shuu was left with was a feeling of powerlessness. All was meaningless.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

“Shuu, it hurts…”

Shuu snapped back to attention at Yui’s voice. What did I just…

When he looked at Yui, her face was twisted in pain. Why is she making that face? And… she’s so warm, he thought, slightly confused. As he looked at his hands, he involuntarily reached out and grabbed Yui’s hands tightly. So this is… the body temperature of a human.

Shuu tugged hard at Yui’s arms and pulled her into the bathtub with him, causing her to shriek. Water splashed around them.

The human girl was now soaked to the skin. Her wet clothes made her look thinner (5) than she already did.

Shuu did not know why he did it. He found it difficult to think about anything but the feel of her warm body—the human warmth that he’d gone so long without.

“Let me drink your blood.”

Yui gasped. Fear washed over her face when she looked up at him.

“Hm? Are you scared?” Shuu traced a hand along her neck and pulled it towards him. Perhaps out of fear, Yui squeezed her eyes tightly shut.

Shuu gazed at the porcelain-coloured skin of her exposed neck. “You’re so pale. I wonder how your skin will look when I sink my teeth into you and stain it bright-red with your blood…”

As he spoke, his eyes trailed slowly downwards to her chest. When his gaze fell upon the red marks there, he couldn’t hold back a laugh.

“Ayato. What a control freak.”

“Shuu, I thought you were the only one…” Yui met his gaze even though she was shivering. “I thought you were the only one who’d be different… So why…”

The fatal flaw of humans—they tended to be much too trusting. Shuu felt himself becoming increasingly annoyed at her foolishness. “Let me be clear. I’m a vampire.”

This is too bothersome.

“I’ll show you a whole new world.”

The hand that had been trailing across Yui’s neck, Shuu now used to pull her roughly against him so he could sink his teeth into her shoulder. Yui bit down a shriek.

“Your blood is so warm… I feel like it might burn me.”

Desperately, Yui tried to block out his voice.

“Ah, you’re getting turned on… What a lewd woman you are, running so hot when I bite you.”

“I-It’s not…”

Eagerly gulping down Yui’s blood, Shuu came to a realisation. He raised his face to hers. “…I know now why you’re here. It’s your blood. It’s really something special.”

Blood from the wounds Shuu had inflicted on Yui dripped into the bath, almost as if her body was crying for her.

“Don’t offer your help to me again.”

Yui’s tears of blood quietly disappeared into the water.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

A little while after Shuu had left, Yui came out of the bathroom and dragged herself to her room. Memories of what had just happened flashed through her mind.

Shuu actually wasn’t interested in her. That’s why she thought he wouldn’t hurt her, but Yui realised that had been a very naive assumption for her to make.

At the same time, she thought it strange that her blood was ‘something special,’ as Shuu had called it. I don’t think that means I have a rare blood type, Yui thought as she opened the door to her room. She sighed and closed the door behind her.

“You’re late, Pancake.”

Ayato was sitting on her bed.

“I’m thirsty. Hurry up and give me your blood.”

“Ayato, I’m…”

She’d already told him she was feeling anaemic earlier, but Shuu had only just fed from her as well. Yui was certain she would keel over if Ayato took her blood now, and yet the redhead jumped off the bed and stalked towards her.

“You have no right to refuse me.”

Ayato grabbed her from behind and snaked his arms around her waist.

“You’d be better off surrendering to my fangs,” he said as he bent down to her neck to bite her, but he suddenly froze. “Huh?”

On her neck, he found fresh bite marks.

“What’s this?”

“It hurts…” Yui hunched up her shoulders in pain when Ayato ran his fingers over the wounds.

“Reiji? No, Shuu. That motherfucker…”

Ayato grabbed Yui’s hand and forcefully dragged her out of the room.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

The two ended up in the gaming room. It had a billiards table, and a rack with cue sticks and a dart board were placed against the wall. When Ayato spotted Shuu lying on the sofa, he strode over and started yelling at him.

“Shuu, you fucker! Are you picking a fight?”

Shuu didn’t respond and his eyes remained closed, which only angered his brother even more.

“Hey, listen to me!”

“Shut up.” Shuu muttered. He clearly did not feel like arguing with Ayato.

Ayato clicked his tongue in response to his brother’s sluggish behaviour. When he looked around the room in anger and his eyes spotted the dart board, he thought of something.

“Let’s play a round of darts!”

“…I can’t be bothered.”

“Like hell you are!”

What should I do? At this rate, they really are going to fight… Just as Yui hesitated whether she should step in to stop them, she suddenly heard someone clapping.

When Yui looked behind her, Laito was leaning against the billiards table, looking at the three of them in amusement.

“How lovely. Our little bitch will be the grand prize!” Laito’s smile deepened when he looked at Yui. “Hehe. This is the best!”

“Grand prize…?” How did it come to this? Yui had a hard time comprehending what was happening.

“You are being way too rowdy.” Having overheard his brothers’ bickering, Reiji now stood near the wall with an irritated look on his face. “Would you care to tell me what is going on?”

“Ayato and Shuu are going to play darts against each other. And what better way to spice things up than a grand prize on the line, right? So, we thought Bitchlet would be the perfect prize.” Laito motioned to Ayato and Shuu to signal that it was their competition.

”Again with the nonsense… If you must, then do it quietly.”

“Okay…”

Yui had hoped Reiji would step in and end the argument, but he hadn’t. Shuu opened his eyes to look at Yui.

“I don’t care about her… so just let me sleep in peace,” Shuu mumbled and closed his eyes again.

Reiji scoffed in response. “I already expected you to say that.”

Reiji? Yui watched as Reiji was staring daggers at his older brother even more than usual.

“You do not even have the guts to accept a challenge. The word ‘coward’ (6) must have truly been invented for this man right here.” Reiji paused for a second, but then continued his tirade. “What a good-for-nothing, useless man.”

Shuu slowly got up at this remark. His sluggish demeanour disappeared completely—his face briefly suggested that he was out for blood—before returning to his usual state. “I’ll do it, Ayato.”

“Well, I wasn’t gonna accept any other answer.”

And so Ayato and Shuu’s battle for Yui began.

The two brothers barely missed their targets when throwing the darts, but somehow, Shuu seemed to come out on top. When Shuu examined the darts he was using, Laito called out.

”Shuu’s next shot could decide the game! If he hits the right mark, our little bitch will become his… How exciting!” Laito sent a sidelong glance to Yui, who stood speechless next to him, as he laughed in amusement.

She quickly looked away. Would it be Shuu or Ayato? Whoever won, Yui had no choice in the matter.

“This is insane,” she muttered. I’m not an object! Yui tried to leave the gaming room, but Laito grabbed her by the shoulder before she could get near the door.

“Oh, my. Our grand prize suddenly started moving on its own!” Laito’s tone of voice was light-hearted, but his unrelenting grip on her shoulder suggested otherwise.

“Let go… It hurts…”

“Hehe.”

Yui glared at Laito even as her face twisted in pain, but he only returned her glare with a shameless grin.

“You’d better look. Shuu’s about to throw, you know.” Laito pointed to his brother, who had just assumed a throwing position and was holding the dart expertly in his hands.

Shuu…

Reiji and Ayato looked on, mildly displeased, as Shuu threw the dart towards the board. It soared through the air in a straight line, perfectly hitting the mark that Shuu had aimed for.

Ayato clicked his tongue in annoyance. Reiji just stared at the board, the winning dart sticking out of it. Shuu, however, sighed in relief that the game was finally over, and turned on his heels and immediately headed for the door.

Shuu? Yui stared after Shuu in confusion.

Laito noticed this, a glint of mischief appearing in his eyes. “And your prize is… Bitchlet!”

He gave Yui a strong push, sending her stumbling towards Shuu with a yelp. The force of it caused her to slam into Shuu’s back.

“I-I’m sorry.” Yui stammered an apology, but Shuu stayed silent, his back still to her. “Um… Shuu?”

He slowly turned around to face Yui, and leaned in to whisper.

“Humans are nothing but prey to me.”

Shuu’s low voice and dangerously glistening eyes as he looked down on her made Yui freeze in place. He grabbed her chin with a hand and tilted her face upward with a rough movement to expose her neck.

Yui flinched.

“You know that, right?” he said as he bent down to her neck. Yui was immobilised by fear. “Don’t bother me anymore.”

With these words, Shuu unceremoniously sank his teeth into her skin. The pain running through her neck sent her spiralling into darkness, and she soon lost consciousness.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

1. 食卓 (しょくたく) は団欒 (だんらん): A figure of speech in which 食卓 refers to a dining table, and 団欒 means a ‘happy place,’ or ‘sitting together in a happy circle/harmony,’ thus suggesting that dining together is supposed to be an enjoyable activity to bond with one another.

2. 穀潰 (ごくつぶ) し: Good-for-nothing; deadbeat; parasite; useless person. This is the nickname Reiji often uses for Shuu.

3. スノーボール: A snowball is a kind of chocolate, snowball-shaped and often filled with fresh cream.

4. 懐 (なつ) かしい: Adverb denoting a feeling of nostalgia; looking back fondly on something that happened long ago.

5. 貧相 (ひんそう): Thin (body); poor/seedy-looking. In Diabolik Lovers, the boys usually use this word to refer to Yui’s body as “not much to look at,” especially referring to her lacking in the chest area.

6. 腑抜 (ふぬ) け: Coward; spineless person. Literally someone whose ‘guts have slipped out.’

[offbeatcappuccino]

queen of tears is going to cure me~ episode 1 summary and ramblings

Kim Soo Hyun has a penchant for playing what I saw someone playfully describe "the colorblind man". Obviously the term is not referring to the actual medical condition, but rather his willingness to either not see or ignore the red flags associated with the 99.5% looks like they would kill you and 0.5% is a cinnamon roll-esque girl boss. These girlies are the ones that society deems to be villains because of their arrogance and abrasiveness. However, these "Evil Queens" are Kim Soo Hyun's "Snow Whites" because, by the end of the show, he will be fixing their unprocessed childhood trauma with the power of true love. Hong Hae In (played by the wonderful Kim Ji Won) is the recent addition to a long list of women which include Ko Moon Young, Cheon Song Yi, and Cindy.

In Queen of Tears, Kim Soo Hyun plays Baek Hyun Woo, who serves as the legal counsel for the Queen Group In the opening scene, Hyun Woo is asked to recount how he met his wife Hong Hae In, the current CEO of Queen Department Stores and a chaebol heiress. He met Hae In for the first time when she was working as an "undercover" intern. While his other colleagues are miffed by her obnoxiousness and indifference towards their work, Hyun Woo tries his best to help her and even goes as far as telling her that she needs to step up her game because he's worried that she will be fired for her performance. When Hae In asks him to reflect on why he feels that way, we see Hyun Woo confess his feelings for Hae In in one of the funniest ways ever seen in kdrama history. Completely oblivious to the fact that Hae In is a multimillionaire, Hyun Woo offers a pragmatic declaration of his love by listing his academic qualifications, his ability to pay rent on his studio apartment, and even the fact that his family owns "35 cows". Hae In is amused and flattered by the proposal and the rest is history. When Hyun Woo discovers Hae In's true background, he freaks out and resigns his job. Despite this, Hae In literally chases after him in a helicopter and promises to "never make him cry".

After nearly three years of marriage ,Hyun Woo and Hae In's relationship has become a shadow of its former self. While in public, Hyun Woo and Hae-In's marriage is lauded as the "marriage of the century" and a stunning example of a progressive South Korea where love can overcome class and social boundaries, Hyun Woo and Hae In are in nothing but a loving relationship. They sleep in separate beds, eat breakfast as far as they can from each other, and are constantly at odds with each other at work.

Complicating the tension between the two are their surroundings. They live in a multigenerational mansion with the rest of Hae In's family and their "work" and "personal" lives become intertwined. For their chaebol family, every personal decision is also a calculated business one that can impact their investments and prestige. In these conditions, as the outsider, Hyun Woo receives the shorter end of the stick in their marriage. At work, he is routinely degraded at work by Hae In when their opinions do not align and at home, his in-laws treat him like a second class citizen ordering him around like an employee rather than their son-in-law. For example, in one scene, we not only see the family members forcing the couple to have a child but they also insist that the child's surname be Hong (mother's last name) rather than Baek (traditional father's last name). Throughout all of this, Hyun Woo's humiliation is exacerbated by the fact that Hae In never appears to stand for him and is complacent to all the verbal and emotional abuse he faces from their family. While all of these scenes are shown with a splash of comedy, they also convincingly convey Hyun Woo's desire for a divorce even if it must be paid with an immense cost.

With much of Episode 1 conveyed through Hyun Woo's point of view, it is tempting to brand Hae In as a terrible wife. However, we are offered glimpses that suggest her feelings towards Hyun Woo are far more complicated. For instance, shortly after the scene where Hyun Woo is bossed around by her family, she privately confronts her younger brother for being disrespectful towards Hyun Woo. Such actions are accompanied by moments where we do see that she yearns for him and is hurt by his disdain towards her and their marriage. However, like many of her tsundere male counterparts, she struggles immensely with emotional transparency. Instead of engaging in heartfelt communication, she resorts to offering cold blasé remarks, which gaslight Hyun Woo's genuine concern and anger.

What is interesting about the world that Queen of Tears creates is that the protagonist does not benefit from male privilege. In fact, many rigid patriarchal practices are subverted in the drama. For instance, instead of the bride moving into the husband's marital home, the opposite occurs when Hyun Woo relocates from his family's farm to the Queen's Mansion. There are also other notable examples such as the insistence of Hae In's family to take the maternal surname, which contrasts the default cultural practice of taking your father's last name and their unique custom of forcing the men who married into their family to prepare the dishes for their memorial service. These scenes not only highlight the unique interplay between gender and socioeconomic but also force the viewers to reckon with the patriarchy. It is jarring to see the roles flipped and it makes us question how displacement, abuse, and oppression are normalized for married women in Asian societies. As a South Asian, many of Hyun Woo's experiences parallel the stories frequently recounted by my own mother, aunts, and grandmothers.

With only one episode, it's hard to discern whether this set up solely exists for comedic shock value or whether the show is making a` genuine social commentary. If the latter is true, I am excited to see how the writers will utilize this theme in moving the plot forward. For Episode 2, I am also intrigued to see how the cliffhanger in Episode 1 will be addressed. Is Hae In telling Hyun Woo the truth or is this her twisted way of her testing his love? Who knows, but I know for sure that Queen of Tears will make me anticipate the weekend more than I usually do!

[louislovesdilfs]

Homesick (part 3)

I'm sorry if this is shorter than the others or at least I think it's shorter I really have no idea. it's worth it tho, I think. From the next I will go episode by episode maybe skip a few to add something like this but I will mostly follow the show. I loved the 60th special, Donna will always be my favourite;)

source: r/gallifrey (on reddit) it's a debate started by @/AnticitizenPrime, It's a great theory but I suggest you to check it out if you want after reading this.

◇ I don't necessarily believe the theories I use to write this fic are canon, they just inspired me to work on this. Do NOT take them as canon. treat theories ans headcanons as such.

♤ sorry for the mistakes, english is not my first language.

♧◇♡♤♧◇♡♤♧◇♡♤♧◇♡♤♧◇♡♤♧◇♡♤♧◇♡♤♧

"Y/n didn't want to leave, he was watching a Christmas romcom with my mother" Rose jokes getting in the TARDIS, Y/n is behinds her and enters closing the door,

"I was waiting for them to kiss!" he says but realise it only makes his situation worse,

Rose chuckles pinching Y/n's cheek "ohh an hopeless romantic!" she teases him, Y/n can't respond to that, it is true, so he just moves on getting near the console, he feels like he understands the commands and how to guide the TARDIS, he does want to try but is almost afraid of doing so,

"can we stop by my house?" he asks looking at the hoodie he's been wearing for...well from the begging, not gonna lie it is a nice 'NASA' hoodie but it won't be as nice when it starts to stink.

"sure do, just not for too long" The Doctor answers turning to him with tiny grin, Rose tho realises something, she turns to Y/n clearly wanting to ask him something,

"when did The Doctor take you?" she asks, Y/n was there before her, she figured not too long before since the two men didn't knew eachother that well, she sees Y/n is not from her time, he doesn't fit in at all.

"uh 2023, november 21st, I believe" he says not totally sure about the date,

"2023? is that a good year?" she asks slightly curious

"uh, well..." he mumbles hesitating, it's not bad like 2020 still there are wars... but that's a detail he decided to keep for himself.

The TARDIS lands in the same alley it first appears, Y/n gets out feeling sick. Ugh this place, he just wants to pack some clothes and go off again but the other two have other plans that he doesn't know about yet.

He walks not really waiting for The Doctor and Rose who try to keep up with him, he frantically searches for the keys to his house, as soon as they turn the corner a fancy mansion is waiting for them, The Doctor and Rose look at Y/n surprised as he opens the big black gates which reveal the wide path with a green garden on the sides, it looks so expensive but well tooken care of.

"well you didn't mention you were rich" Rose walks fast reaching Y/n who shakes his head

"I'm not, my parents were. This is a family mansion, my great-great grandfather bought it, then my great grandfather passed it to my grandad and he passed it to my dad, when my dad died I inherited all; My sister life assurance, my mother life assurance, and last my dad's. This money come from loss and grief. How could I ever define myself rich?" it is a rhetorical question, he doesn't want an answer and Rose will surely not give him one, she looks at The Doctor who has not look away from the young man for one second, he is clearly thinking about what Y/n just said and maybe he's wondering something else too, too many coincidence happened after the regeneration, The Doctor doesn't want to address them yet and neither does Y/n but sooner or later they will have to, willingly or not, Rose will make sure of that.

They enter the mansion greeted by giant stairs not too far from the big front door, the inside aren't as old as the house looks from the outside, they actually look both aged and modern, it's a style that suits the place but not really Y/n's appearance.

"not bad, not bad at all" The Doctor speaks his mind looking at the place.

"not at all" Rose agrees scanning every angle of the entrance with her eyes.

"my house is your house...I guess.." Y/n shrugs telling them to do whatever they want. He sighs going upstairs with his hands in his pockets, for how much he hates this place is good to be at home.

Y/n sits on his bed, looking at his room, it's been the same since he was 14, same posters, stickers on the windows...Even the 'I want to believe' poster on the wall near his bed, he always loved space, all the drawings and pictures in his rooms make it clear, it's funny how now he is travelling in time and space like it's a short day trip, it almost makes him chuckle.

A knock on the door makes him quickly turn his head to see The Doctor leaning against the door frame, his eyes lightened as he looked at The Doctor.

"can I come in?" he asks putting his hands in his brown suit pockets, he took off his coat and left it somewhere in the house probably, The Doctor enters as Y/n nods him to come in, he looks around the space themed room amused by it.

"X-files, great show." The Doctor comments looking at the poster on the wall, and Y/n chuckles

"shame you're not a little green man," Y/n chuckles tilting his head and The Doctor almost smirks at the young man's little gesture, The Doctor always seems to appreciate the little tilt Y/n does but still scoffs at his comment

"last time I checked you were monkeys" he shors back and Y/n squints his eyes at him

"oh shut it you face changer" he says and The Doctor smirk sitting on Y/n's bed next to him.

"big place you have here" he says changing the subject, Y/n's face darkens a little

"empty tho" he points out looking up at the ceiling, there are little stars that glow in the dark attached to it, The Doctor notices them too before Y/n speaks breaking the silence

"you have a big place too" he points out, he then falls with his back on the bed, his hands resting on his chest for a split of a second before he quickly rests them on the sides of his body.

"not that empty anymore" The Doctor follows him with a smirk slowly reaching for the young man's hand, a little touch before fully holding it. Y/n chuckles turning his face to the man next to him, he gently rubs his knuckles, is a cute little moment between them, Y/n feels something in his stomach he never really felt before, or maybe he's just hungry.

"you know what happened to me before you regenerate" Y/n suddenly says, he didn't want to but he knew it was something to be said sooner or later.

"yep" The Doctor says popping the p, his mood dropped slightly but his hand is still holding Y/n's a little tighter,

"I lead 10 people to death, I didn't save them, I saved myself" he admits, his voice slightly broken

"that's what you were supposed to do, I couldn't bare the thought of loosing you Y/n." The Doctor reveals looking directly in the young man's eyes, he knows that comment is selfish, but it's the truth, he wants to know more about Y/n, about who he is or what he become.

"I fell in a time vortex" he realises ignoring The Doctor's comment, "I felt my body wither and die or age back to when I was born, my body shredded with the time winds I-" he stops biting his tongue before continuing "I touched every point in history, I'm there as I'm speaking, my head, it is filled with information I shouldn't have, it hurts." he lets out not noticing the tears running down his cheeks

"I can take it away" The Doctor says reaching the man's cheek with his free hand, he brushes his cheek wiping away a tear.

"don't you dare" Y/n says firmly, he can stand the pain, he wants that knowledge.

"what am I? am I like you now? will I regenerate? can I die at all? It's like a tango in my chest!" Y/n asks many questions as his mind runs in the thousands of possibilities.

"there was a legend in my planet, about the Timelords origin, someone says we are nothing but evolved humans, it's not proved, but you Y/n, you might have evolved in something closer." The Doctor brushes Y/n's hair away from his face, the room go darker and the stars on the ceiling started to glow, Y/n smiles and a light shaped as a star appeared on his face, this sight made The Doctor's hearts almost melt as well as Y/n's. They look at eachother and right there The Doctor thinks he found someone who will stay. They share a kiss, not stolen, not meaningless, not rushed; it's sweet, waited, slow, they both take their time, they then part they're silent for a second before Y/n breaks it.

"I want to drive the TARDIS with you" Y/n says not really asking more like demanding it. The Doctor laughs

"that's a lovely idea" he says trying to hide his excitement but failing miserably.

They both go down stairs after Y/n showered and packed most of his clothes. Rose is stealing Y/n's cereals wondering around the house eating loudly before stopping in the study.

"Is that your dad's study?" She asks taking a bite

"umh yea, he actually died in there, couldn't bare the loss of mom shortly after my sister. Couldn't keep the family going, what a pathetic little man." Y/n says not really interested in what's he's saying, he doesn't like his father, he was never at home, and when he was he was locked in his study till night time.

Rose closes the door feeling chills as she looks at the chair where he died. They then go in the living room and Y/n lights up a cigarette opening one of the windows.

"you know, all the men in my family died here, my great-great grandfather passed away in his sleep, my great grandfather died after a bee attacked him in the garden, my grandad was found dead in the library and my father in his study, both died of heart attack." he admits breathing the smoke in and out, it's been a while since the last cigarette, he needs it.

"let's hope you won't carry on that tradition." Rose mumbles a bit unsettled by this information

"let's go shall we?" The Doctor says looking at both of his companions.

They leave the masion getting in the TARDIS leaving the bags with his clothes in his room, it's smaller than the one in the mansion but still pretty, he got the stars on the ceiling of his own room to attach them in this one, and the 'I Want To Believe' poster of course.

As he goes back in the main room The Doctor is patiently waiting for him near the console with a wide grin on his face. Y/n smiles at the man rushing to the console while Rose is on the phone with her mother, Y/n doesn't know what they're talking about but it's clearly something Rose doesn't care about.

The Doctor carefully explains how the comands work and what they are for, Y/n already knows something, watching The Doctor driving helped him even if he never really watched the control as much as he watched The Doctor.

The man looks at Y/n starting to drive the TARDIS "watch closely if you want to learn" Y/n smirks tilting his head slightly which makes The Doctor quickly look away.

"I'm watching" he says in a casually flirty tone to which The Doctor responds with a glance