#i'm not even bothering with trying to mask clipping anymore

[mercymaker]

So our vamp isn't so heartless after all...

[tetsuswaifu]

hi can i request a angsts-fluff timeskop Drabble where kuroo tears up/crys. like the entp in him probably try’s to laugh it off 😭 he probably never has been told it’s okay to try 😭😭😭

When the Laughter Fades

w/c: 2054

a/n: the idea of him crying makes me want to cry for him, poor baby just needs to let out his emotions. i know im an infp now, used to be enfp but age is getting to me lmao. thanks for the request, i hope you enjoy, have a wonderful day/night love 🫶🏼🫶🏼

likes, reblogs, and replies are always appreciated, thank you for taking the time to read my work :)

It started with little things, small irritations that you wouldn't have thought twice about. Your boyfriend, Kuroo, had always been an easygoing guy. His dry humor and sharp wit was the perfect balance to any stressful day—but today was different.

When you suggested grabbing coffee before running errands, his response was clipped, almost curt. "We don't have time for that," he muttered. You blinked, slightly taken aback, but you brushed it off. Maybe he was in a hurry today. No big deal.

Normally, he'd joke about being late or tease you about your caffeine habits, but today he barely glanced your way as he headed for the door. Just as he was about to lock it, he realized he'd forgotten his keys. His jaw clenched tightly, the usual lighthearted banter absent from his lips.

"Don't worry, I'll go grab them," you offered with a smile, hoping it would ease the attitude growing within him. It sounded like he muttered something under his breath that sounded a lot like, "Whatever."

At the store, it continued—his usual calm frayed at the edges. He seemed restless, impatient in a way that wasn't like him. When you asked if he wanted anything, he just shrugged. And when you picked up a snack you knew he liked, hoping to cheer him up, he sighed, "I don't need that." You didn't want to push it any further so you put the snack away.

The next hour was filled with similar moments. He snapped when you asked which brand of detergent to buy, muttering something about "just pick one already." When you tried to lighten the mood, making a joke about the endless lines at the store, he just grunted in response, barely acknowledging you. The rest of the errands followed the same tense pattern. When he did respond to you, his tone was callous, and it didn't help that every small inconvenience seemed to irritate him even more.

You weren't sure whether to address it or leave it alone. Every time you tried to ask him what was wrong, he'd brush it off with a halfhearted joke or a quiet "it's nothing." The Kuroo you knew always had a smile, a teasing quip ready to lighten the mood. But today, it was like he was wearing a mask that didn't quite fit, his usual humor stretched too thin.

By the time you got home, the tension between you was palpable. As you stepped inside, he lingered near the door, as if unsure whether to follow you in. You set the groceries on the counter, watching him from the corner of your eye. His fingers were drumming against his thigh, an anxious habit you hadn't seen in him for a long time.

"Tetsu," you said softly, unsure how to approach it. "Is everything alright?"

"I'm fine," he said, too quickly, too sharply. He turned his back, staring at the front door.

You couldn't take it anymore. Whatever was the cause of his poor attitude was getting to you and it needed to stop for his sake. "Kuroo, if something's bothering you, you can tell me. You're not acting like yourself."

He froze in place, his shoulders tensing up. For a second, you thought he might ignore you again, but then he turned around, his eyes flashing with frustration. "Why do you always have assume something is wrong?" he snapped, his voice louder than it had been all day. "Why can't we just get through one day without you assuming something's wrong with me?"

You flinched, taken aback by his sudden outburst. He had never spoken to you like that before, and for a moment you didn't know how to respond. "I'm just worried," you said quietly. "You've been… off today. I care about you and just wanted to help."

"Help?" Kuroo's voice cracked, and for the first time today, he looked at you—really looked at you. His eyes were wide, filled with intensity you hadn't seen before. "You think you can help? What, are you going to make everything better with some comforting words, a little pep talk?"

You blinked, your stomach twisting at his harsh tone. His words stung, but more than that, they confused you. This wasn't the Kuroo you knew and loved—the one who was always calm, who never lashed out like this. "I don't know," you admitted softly, not breaking eye contact, trying to stay calm despite the storm brewing in him. "But I'm here for you, if you want to talk. I just… don't understand why you've been so angry all day."

"Of course, you don't understand." Kuroo laughed bitterly, running a hand through his hair, his fingers trembling. "You don't get it. No one does."

He turned away from you again, his back tense, his breaths coming out in ragged bursts. He was losing control, and you could see it happening right in front of you, but you didn't know how to reach him.

"Tetsu…" you started, but he cut you off, his voice rising, his frustration pouring out now, unchecked.

"I'm tired, okay? I'm exhausted. Of everything. Of pretending like I'm fine when I'm not. Of trying to keep everything together for everyone else when it's all falling apart for me." His hands clenched into fists at his sides, his entire body rigid with tension. "I don't get to fall apart. I'm Kuroo—the guy who always has a joke, who always knows what to say. I'm supposed to be one who fixes things, not the one who—" His voice cracked, the frustration giving way to something you hadn't seen from him, something vulnerable. "Not the one who falls apart… it's not your problem. Alright?"

"It's my problem if it's affecting you," you replied softly, trying to keep your voice steady. "You don't have to do this alone."

Kuroo looked at you, his eyes tired. He laughed, but it came out more like a broken sob this time. "I don't even know how to explain it. I don't know how to not be fine."

You watched him, your heart sinking as you realized what was happening. He was deflecting, trying to laugh his way through the pain, like he always did when things got too hard. It was his way of keeping people at arm's length, of avoiding the real conversation that needed to happen. But this time, the cracks of his façade were too big to ignore.

"Tetsuro," you said gently, stepping in front of him, "you don't have to laugh it off. It's okay if you're angry."

He froze, his eyes darting away from yours, the tension in his body so thick you could feel it radiating off him. For a moment, he said nothing, his sharp jaw clenching as he fought to keep his emotions in check. Then, with a forced smile, he let out another weak chuckle. "I'm not angry," he said, though his voice wavered, betraying him. "I'm just… stressed. That's all."

But you didn't back down this time. "You are angry," you quietly said, your voice firm but gentle. "And that's okay. You don't have to pretend everything's fine when it's not."

His eyes flicked back to yours, and for a split second, you saw it—the fear, the vulnerability he was trying so desperately to hide. Then, like a dam breaking, his forced laughter faded into something darker, something raw.

"Fine," he snapped, his voice rising again as he threw his hands in the air, finally letting some of the anger slip through. "You want me to admit it? I'm angry. I'm pissed off. About everything. Work, life—everything’s a fucking mess right now, and I don't know how to fix it."

The words came out fast, like they had been building for days, maybe even weeks. His chest heaved with the weight of it all, his eyes burning with intensity from the frustration. "I've been trying to keep it together, trying to be the guy who can handle everything, but I can't. And now I'm taking it out on you because I don't know what the hell else to do."

He laughed again, but this time it was sharp, bitter, filled with self-loathing. "So yeah, I'm angry. Happy now?"

You stood there, letting his words hang in the air, the anger swirling around you both like a storm. But instead of pushing back or getting defensive, you just nodded, keeping your gaze steady on his. "I'm glad you told me," you said softly. "but you don't have to keep punishing yourself for feeling this way, Tetsu."

He blinked, the harshness in his expression faltering for a moment as he stared at you, as if he couldn't quite believe what he was hearing. "What?"

"You're allowed to be angry," you continued, stepping closer to him again. "You're allowed to feel everything you're feeling. You don't have to keep laughing it off, Tetsu. It's okay if something is bothering you."

For a moment, Kuroo just stood there, staring at you in disbelief, his chest still rising and falling with uneven breaths. Then, slowly, the tension began to seep out of him, his shoulders sagging as the weight of everything he had been holding onto finally started to come crashing down.

His lips trembled, and when he tried to laugh again, it came out more like a sob. "I don't know how to do this," he whispered, his voice breaking as his hands came up to cover his face. "I don't know how to not be okay."

You didn't hesitate this time. You wrapped your arms around him, pulling him into your chest, and just like before, he resisted for a second, his body stiff and trembling. But then, he gave in, collapsing against you as the laughter gave way to tears. His arms wrapped around you tightly, his grip almost desperate as if he was afraid to let go.

"I'm sorry," he choked out between sobs, his face buried in your shoulder. "I'm so sorry for being an asshole—for everything."

You shook your head, pulling him closer until his forehead rested against yours. "You're not an asshole," you murmured, brushing your thumb against the back of his hand. "You're just human. And it's okay to not have it all figured out."

He cried against you for what felt like forever, his emotions pouring out of him in waves, his body shaking with the force of it all. You held him through it, not saying a word, just letting him feel everything he needed to feel.

When the sobs finally began to subside, Kuroo pulled back slightly, his face flushed and tear-streaked, his breath coming out in shaky bursts. He wiped at his eyes, a tired broken smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "I must look like a mess right now."

You smiled softly, brushing a stray tear from his cheek. "You look like someone who finally let themselves feel what they needed to."

Kuroo let out another shaky breath, leaning his forehead against yours as he closed his eyes, the exhaustion clear in every line of his face. "I'm sorry," he whispered again, his voice hoarse but softer this time. "For taking it out on you. For everything."

"You don't have to apologize," you replied, your fingers gently tracing patterns on his back. He didn't say anything for a long moment, just stood there, holding you close as he let the last of his defenses crumble. And in that quiet, fragile moment, you knew that this—letting him break, letting him be vulnerable—was the most honest he had ever been with you.

"Thank you," he whispered finally, giving you a tighter squeeze. "For not giving up on me."

You pressed a soft kiss to his forehead, your heart swelling with affection for the man who had always tried so hard to be everyone else's rock. "You never have to do this alone," you whispered back. He stared at you for a moment, as if he couldn't quite believe that you were still here, that you hadn't turned your back on him after today. Then, with a small broken smile, he leaned forward and pressed his forehead to yours again. For the first time that day, Kuroo didn't try to laugh it off. He just held you tighter finally letting himself believe that it was okay to not be okay.

[c0ntr0lledchaos]

oh god the brain rot.

generation loss brain dump under the cut as I go back and analyze the vod

so, my first thoughts are the set is very different in this episode, and we see that the more gl!ranboo moves around. The first episode was very much a stage-like set while this one was set in what looks like a mall. if that has anything to do with this episode showing more characters becoming aware of their situation and it not being just a show anymore idk.

It's fairly obvious that while looking for the key in gl!Charlie something happened so that the act was dropped for a couple seconds and what was 'really' happening was shown. I wonder if that was due to the person who has been communicating with gl!ranboo (I'm assuming they're 'the savior') trying to hack in.

that last point also makes me wonder if at the end of this, we will see clips from the first episode shown in a 'new light' and see what was actually happening. I already saw someone point out that the bowl of slime looked the same as the guts. was gl!charlie covered in blood actually? Were some of the ingredients not what they seemed?

Mr squiggles saying 'Hey new friends!' to a group of people tied up with bombs around their necks was just the start of all the creepy vibes I was getting from them this episode

THE HAT. Mr squiggles did not like the hat. the hat is defiantly the one gl!Sneeg wore in episode 1 but it is also implied it was planted in this episode since Mr. Squiggles says 'Who put that there.' (That is later confirmed by the savior as he was trying to save gl!Sneeg as well) as soon as gl!Sneeg put the hat on he immediately started freaking out and his eyes start darting around the room. we already saw that the slime was guts but what else did he see I wonder

the chills I got when the showfall masks came into view

gl!Sneeg gets back in place, the mind-control mask is removed, a new hat is put on his head, and the person doesn't even bother to handcuff him again before leaving, confident that he wouldn't try to escape. then everything goes back to normal and gl!Sneeg is notably using his 'streamer voice'

in that scene the camera also focuses on the puzzler's face a few times, showing a look of what I believe was confusion. he didn't know what was going on but was aware of what was happening unlike everyone else

Mr squiggles also goes on as if this is the first time they are acknowledging gl!Sneeg

again, Mr squiggles with a cute little animation saying 'I like them all, I wish they could all live' just unsettling now

The puzzler seems to have just a little bit of knowledge about what is actually going on, hinting to Chat being in control of helping during the choosing of who gets to live and also when gl!Sneeg and gl!Niki are about to go through the tunnel

shout out to @twilight-trix who translated the winding:

"Ah it's simple you just have to find the cage"

"The cage that's in Charlie remember?"

"Another piece is in a jar of something sweet"

"The last one comes at a price :/"

the fact that all the other victims were kept alive means they planned for all of them to die in the games and puzzles. for gl!Niki's death even though Mr squiggles had already said a price needed to be paid, the puzzler still acts surprised that she had to die even though he was the one who killed her

also, I scanned the QR code, it just takes you to the genloss website. buy their merch, this shit is fantastic

this fucking screenshot has no business being that creepy

so showfall grabbed the back of the mask and the light on the logo came on but what exactly did that do? did it just up the filtering considering what was 'really' about to happen would have been pretty gruesome. EDIT: so I didn't notice before but the mask flashed and turned off as Ranboo went to leave the room. maybe the mask only works for so long before it has to be turned back on?

again, the puzzler seems as if he is talking about chat, saying that someone is saying his puzzles are too easy and 'is this one too easy' before another pipe puzzle shows up on the screen. he even finish the puzzle for us

gl!ranboo said a few things threw out the episode that sounded like generic videogame protag dialogue but it felt strange having the prompts like 'where should I search?' but not giving us the option to actually choose. I wonder if that is due to the first episode being a point-and-click style while this one was more dedicated to puzzles. is he still stuck on point-and-click mode? or are the other NPCs searching before we even get the option?

speaking of protag dialogue, gl!ranboo says 'It must not be the way, maybe there is somewhere else' in the same tone while staring hard at gl!Ethan, the next person to die. I've been thinking about how much control showfall has over everyone in this episode since they seem to have at least a little control over everyone except the savior trying to help gl!ranboo. I don't think gl!ranboo knew that gl!Ethan was next to die but I also don't think he is the one talking when he says stuff like that. just like a game's dialogue is supposed to prompt the player in the right direction, I think showfall is using him to prompt their show in the direction they want it to go. not all the time but at least sometimes

he also does not react at all to gl!Ethan dying or the pool of blood, speaking again in the same tone

and now that gl!Ethan has died, gl!ranboo is the first to say the other door is the exit even though he had just said that it must not be that door. he even volunteers to go first! I wonder if in the next episode, gl!ranboo will feel guilt over the deaths he was forced to help cause

the puzzler is fiddling with the detonator, working on it for some reason. why?

'I hope he's ok' gl!ranboo says in the same unfeeling protag voice. there is a chance he is just doing it whenever to drive home the fact of he is a protag but whatever

gl!ranboo solves a freaking Rubix cube in less than a minute then immediately says that he doesn't know what to do. yes, it might have been just an excuse to flex his Rubix cube skills but him saying that after makes me think. Gl!ranboo is a really smart person but is being controlled by showfall to forward the plot whenever they see fit. just how much of the actual gl!ranboo have we seen and how much has been showfall speaking through him?

I think this is further proven when he declines to solve the other cube in favor of looking around more even though we saw how fast he could do it the first time

the puzzler says he had been prototyping toys that go on people's heads, could he have helped make the mask gl!ranboo is wearing? what if he is an ex showfall employee and that's why he seems to know a little bit about chat

I think the fact that the camera remains on the empty chair for so long means that showfall was not prepared for us to go into that room. gl!ranboo was not supposed to go in there

the puzzler knew he was going to die but didn't know how. he knew that showfall was going to kill him

the puzzler tells gl!ranboo to go, to be set free, and gl!ranboo ignore it. once again showing how he is under Showfall's control

even while the savior talks Mr squiggles is trying to tell gl!ranboo and us not to trust him

gl!ranboo looks at all the cameras, looking at the one that was following him just as it fades out

closing thoughts:

the cast is made up of npcs, gl!ranboo (who is the only playable character), and the savior who is not under showfalls control.

the 'vilians' are not actually villains, seen as gl!charlie (and I do mean gl!charlie and not cc!charlie) played a random person this episode and also the villain from the first episode. the npc's are random people who have had personalities programed by snowfall to help push the protagonist forward, like most story. I made a joke to my partner about gl!sneeg being 'factory reset' when the mask was put on him but I think that is more true than I realized.

the puzzler is still an npc but is special, he was on showfalls hitlist for some reason. I am going to go ahead and guess he was a former employee and because of that he has managed to retain some of the information even after being put in the show. that is why he knew he was going to die and spoke to chat a couple times.

finally, gl!ranboo, the only playable character but not to us. I belive it is showfall who is 'playing' gl!ranboo and is simply letting us make a few choices along the way. that would explain why we didn't get to control gl!ranboo as much as we did in the first episode. we are the viewer's, not the players. why we get to control him at all? I'm sure that will be discovered in the next episode now that the fourth wall is gone.

also, the mask is definitely who gl!ranboo is being controlled so storywise it would make sense if at the end of this, when he truly brakes free, he takes it off. while I'm not entirely sure if that is going to happen I have two guesses on what might happen if it does.

he takes the mask off and this is the biggest fucking face reveal ever that will be extremely difficult to beat

or he has some really cool gory sfx makeup under it that will be horrifying.

I will not be disappointed no matter what happens though so until then, we will just have to wait for the next episode.