#in that order. which is kinda funny that I keep making them closer | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

personasintro · 2 years ago

Text

Mutual Help | #18

𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐭: @kithtaehyung

↳ 𝐬𝐲𝐧𝐨𝐩𝐬𝐢𝐬; in order for you to pretend to be his girlfriend, he helps you with your sexual desires ⏤ he calls it mutual help

⇢ 𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠: jungkook x reader

⇢ 𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: fake dating au, fluff, angst, smut, slow burn

⇢ 𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬: explicit language, mature content

⇢ 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭: 7k+

⇠ 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐯. | 𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐱 | 𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐭 ⇢

Leaving your overthinking for the rest of the day has probably been one of the best decisions you've decided to make on this starting trip. You won't let yourself overthink all that stuff, not allowing yourself not to have fun and think through every Jungkook's action. It shouldn't matter if he did it to get Kiko's attention or not. You know her attention is subtly focused on the both of you, no matter how many times she's trying not to stare at you and act nice towards you. Maybe she just feels bad after you stormed at her, and you can't forget the fact that she's hiding something, according to Jungkook's words.

He told you how he wants to enjoy this trip, regardless if Kiko will be here or not. And she is, yet you can see him watching her whenever he thinks nobody sees him.

After all of you had fun at the lake, you let yourselves dry in the burning sun before it got too hot and unbearable, to change into clothes and play some sport games. Namjoon brought a soccer ball, which obviously led to a soccer game. At first, it was a men vs women game, which could never lead to a complete trouble free game. Surprisingly, you weren't bad as a team like you expected you to be. You were doing pretty good actually, to your standards and mutual strength at least. Unfortunately, and quite obviously, men were better and it seemed super easy for them to win.

"That was foul!" Minjae screamed at them, making sure they heard her across the huge soccer field that you made for yourselves.

"No, it wasn't. Seulgi stumbled on her own, Namjoon didn't even touch her." you told her, replaying the memory you just saw a few seconds ago.

"Y/N! You are supposed to be on our team!" Seulgi laughed, shaking her head at Minjae's attempt to save your already bad score.

Shrugging, you just sent them an apology smile. "I'm just honest."

Looking at Jungkook, you saw him sending you a flying kiss with a smirk, his way of thanking you because they just added another goal to their score.

Then you created a new team, a mixed team so all the men could finally play at least some kind of serious game. You, Jungkook, Jimin and Seulgi. The other team was Kiko, Hoseok, Namjoon and Minjae while Taehyung remained as a referee. Your team won, with Jungkook's energy and skills, you barely had to do anything other than to kick him the ball whenever it somehow stumbled in front of your feet. Regardless of that, you were still proud of yourself for winning, even though it was mostly Jungkook and Jimin's merit.

The rest of the day went like this and before you realized it, it was time for dinner while the sky was getting darker with each passing minute.

Now, the sky's completely painted dark with beautiful stars sparkling in the distance with sounds of crickets echoing through the space. Even the sound of fire sizzling and the warmth that spreads on your face because of it, is oddly calming. You take that moment to cuddle up to Jungkook, who's sitting next to you, with his arm over your frame pulling you closer. Stomach full, all you can muster to do is listen to everyone's chattering and laughter that slowly fades in the distance as you let yourself think. Your eyes automatically drift to Kiko, who's sitting obliquely from you, head resting on Hoseok's shoulder as he keeps laughing and nodding along to Namjoon's funny story of how he broke his sister's bathroom door.

"Hey, are you sleepy?" Jungkook asks softly, shoulder slowly nudging the side of your face as you frown.

"Kinda," you sigh, "But not really. I think the fire's making me sleepy." you admit, appreciating the warmth of it warming your face.

Even though it's July, it gets even colder at night than back in Seoul. It makes sense, considering you're surrounded by hills and more located to the South.

"You wanna take a walk?" he asks, your head lifting in interest as you look around.

"But it's dark." you point out, not seeing any lamps, well instead of the flashlights and disposable torches the boys had brought, that surrounds the space around you where you're camping.

"Oh, are you scared?" Jungkook nudges you with his shoulder again, shaking your whole body with the single movement as you roll your eyes. "Don't worry, I'll protect you." he promises, a cocky grin earning its place on his lips.

"I'm not scared, you moron." you tell him, faking annoyance and it still makes him chuckle at your attempt.

"Sure, whatever you say." he muses, teasing you but all you give him in response is another roll of your eyes and grin that can't be hidden anymore.

"Okay, let's go. But if we see or hear anything suspicious, we're coming back." you tell him, pursing your lips while you stare at him sternly, daring him to say something different.

His nose scrunches and he starts to laugh at you, but nods to your words nevertheless. "We'll take our phones with us and light up our flashlights on, you big baby." he says, jumping to his feet as he shakes his head to ruffle through his hair.

Big—big baby? The audacity!

Standing up, you dust your sweatpants and take Jungkook's hand that he holds up for you to take.

"We'll be right back. We're gonna just take a walk." Jungkook informs the group, making them nod in response before they barely pay attention to the two of you leaving.

They are too busy chattering while drinking beer and soju. Or at least it seemed like it because as soon as you're in the safe distance of not hearing them, Taehyung turns around and watches you walk further and further away.

"Do you think they're gonna fuck?" he asks, cheeks red from the fire but also from the amount of soju he's already drank.

Jimin cackles, telling him to stop drinking that much although, his own eyes drift to your disappearing bodies. What they don't see is the look on Kiko's face that makes her straighten and take a deep breath. It doesn't go unnoticed by Hoseok and he wraps his arm around her petite frame, pulling her closer as he presses his nose into her hair.

"You okay?" he asks her silently, making sure nobody else listens to him.

She looks at him for a brief second before her eyes focus on the flame of the fireplace Jungkook and you made. It's almost as if it's mocking her straight in the face. "Yeah, I'm sure." she assures her best friend, giving him a weak smile but he's not buying it.

"Kik," he sighs, but she just shakes her head in response.

"I'm fine, Hobi." she tells him and ends the conversation there, but still cuddles to him even more.

When he squeezes her, she feels at least some kind of comfort and is incredibly thankful for her friend. Hoseok knows, yet doesn't pressure her into anything and even if she's acting like nothing's wrong, he begs to differ but doesn't say anything. He shows his support with the stronghold he has on her body, silently telling her that he's there for her.

"What? I'm just wondering!" Taehyung exclaims, shrugging his shoulders innocently and the simple act makes Jimin snort.

"Stop wondering about your friends' sex life." Jimin reasons, hearing a loud snicker coming from Namjoon's mouth this time while Seulgi and Minjae busy themselves with stuffing their mouth and act like they're not listening to the conversation.

"Don't tell me you don't think they're shagging—"

Hoseok cuts him off by throwing an empty cup at him, perfectly aimed at Taehyung's forehead. "Shut up, Tae." he scolds him, but grins nevertheless to ease the tension that his reaction might have caused.

Taehyung frowns, rubbing his forehead as if the empty cup could've really hurt him but he listens. He closes his mouth and starts to bicker with Jimin, when he gives him another lecture about alcohol and his low tolerance.

"This is healing," you fill the silence with your soft voice, eyes focused on the moon lightening above your heads.

Jungkook follows your vision, humming in response before he looks at the lake that sparkle with the same reflection of the moon. "It really is," he agrees, "It's cold though." he chuckles, hearing you doing the same.

"Yeah, I thought it'd be slightly warmer. I hope we won't be cold while sleeping in tents." you voice out your worries.

"We'll just have to wear a lot of clothes. But if you're gonna be too cold, just tell me. We can sleep in the car." he says, making you smile at his thoughtfulness.

"How are we gonna fit there?" you chuckle, not being able to imagine the two of you trying to fit in the back of his car, even though his current car is bigger than the one he used to have. Or you could just sleep in front, but you surely won't get any quality sleep there.

"Then I'll sleep in the tent and you can sleep in the car." he shrugs, your mouth pouting automatically at his words.

You'd feel awful and guilty for sure if that happened. Sure, Jungkook is a big boy and probably doesn't get cold that easily, compared to you, but still.

"Jungkook, no." you shake your head.

"Or, we could just cuddle and keep ourselves warm." he pokes you in the ribs, causing you to giggle as you slap his shoulder.

Or, that's an option too.

"How are you feeling?" you ask, nibbling on your bottom lip when you're met with silence and Jungkook's steps halting until he stops.

"What do you mean?" he asks, brows furrowed in confusion.

Stopping too, you walk closer to him and lean against one of the trees that are near the edge of the lake. "Kiko's here." you point out, causing him to chuckle while he hides his hands into the pockets of his cargo pants.

"I'm aware," he laughs lightly, and you do the same because it's nice to see him not depressing over her. "I really wanna enjoy this trip, but I can't help but notice how close she seems to be with Hoseok."

And then you see it. Frown settles on his lips at the mention of Hoseok. Of course, he noticed how close they were and probably still are at the fireplace.

"They're best friends, Kook. You don't think they're dating, do you?" you cock your head to the side, a breeze slightly ruffling your hair.

"No," he shakes his head, frowning once again. "I don't know, something feels shady. They're definitely hiding something, I just have no fucking idea what it is."

The memory of Jungkook telling you about the possible secret that Kiko's hiding crosses your mind, but you're just as clueless as Jungkook is right now. You don't know them that much, but Jungkook does.

"What could she possibly be hiding from you?" you think out loud, thinking about all the possible scenarios that could've happened.

"Whenever I see her looking at me, or even when we were talking at Jin's wedding... I could see how guilty she looked," he says, deeply in thought. "I know her so well, I just know there's something more to this and Hoseok basically confirming that at Jin's wedding just proves my suspicion."

"Well, either way, she's not gonna tell you and neither will Hoseok. How are you planning to find out?" you ask, growing confused.

There's nothing he can do. The only thing is to get your little plan to keep going and finish it before some damage will be done. Surprisingly, playing Jungkook's girlfriend isn't hard so far. The two of you have always been more touchy and comfortable around each other, so none of this feels uncomfortable or foreign to you or Jungkook. Obviously, it all faded away and even stopped when he started to date Kiko which you understand. It was out of respect to her, even though she probably never voiced jealousy. That's what kind of gentleman Jungkook is.

"The only thing I can think about, considering her weird and suspicious behavior, and the fact she seems so fucking guilty about something... what if she cheated on me?" he says quickly, his brain processing his own words while he seems to be stunned he finally voiced out his suspicion. It makes it more real and now that he said it out loud, it makes much more sense.

But even to you, it doesn't make much sense. "You think she'd cheat on you?" you ask confusingly, knowing how Jungkook swore that she's the least selfish person he ever met.

"Argh! I don't know!" he exclaims, covering his face into his huge hands as he groans into them.

Sadness overcomes your features and your body moves on its own, hugging Jungkook's muscular body while you cuddle your face into his chest. His hoodie smells just like him, his favorite fabric softener and that sweet, yet muscular scent he always holds. Sighing, he hugs you closer to him.

"I don't think she'd, but what am I supposed to think?" he asks, voice muffled by your hair as he kisses the top of your head.

"She loves you, Kook. I don't think she cheated on you." you tell him, but he just shakes his head.

"We don't know that." he disagrees, causing you to chuckle as you slightly pull away and look up at him.

Your noses are almost touching from the proximity between you two.

"We don't, but I can see the way she's looking at you. She's trying to be so nice to me," you let out a dry chuckle, causing Jungkook to do the same thing, however his one isn't dry but almost loving at the mention of his ex.

"That's her." he adds, and you fight the urge to roll your eyes.

"But I just see the sadness in her eyes. I might not know her that well, but even I can tell. She doesn't seem jealous..." you trail off, looking back into his dark orbs that shine underneath the moonlight.

"You'll tell me when this gets too much for you, right?" he asks, your brows furrowing in confusion as you stare at him.

"Of course, that's what we agreed on." you remind him, surprised he brought up that topic.

He nods, bringing his back to your face as he gently grabs it and starts caressing the apples of your cheeks. Your eyes flicker shut, enjoying how soft his hands feel against your skin and you happily hum, making him chuckle but not stopping him. Nudging your nose with his own, you whine at his hot breath fanning your face.

"Kiss me, Kook." you whisper, having this sudden need to feel those plushy lips again.

You haven't kissed since you came here, which is quite surprising because you thought you'd, at least as soon as you saw that Kiko's here too. But for some reason Jungkook never insinuated a kiss.

But he listens to you now, kissing you by quickly connecting your lips as he holds your face even tighter. It feels needy and it strokes your ego that he kisses you almost as if he missed your lips. Well, you certainly missed his ones.

The moan slips out of your mouth as soon as the kiss gets rougher and he slowly backs you, until your back meets the tree again. His hands are everywhere, from gripping your hips to pulling up your leg and hooking it up over his hip to properly feel your thigh, all while he's still kissing you. Your own hands are occupied by nails digging into his hoodie before they trail down to his ass, giving him a squeeze. He smiles into the kiss, but still doesn't pull away. You're gasping for air, causing him to detach your lips but his own starts to work on your neck where he ducks your skin. You're moaning, head leaned against the tree while the wood is too harsh and uncomfortable, but you don't dare to move. Excitement overtakes you're whole body and with your leg that he's still gripping tightly, hooked over Jungkook's hip, you grind onto him. He groans, grinding back where you can feel his bulge. Through the countless amount of layers, you can't feel him the way your body craves to, but it's still enough to make you clench around nothing as you feel yourself getting aroused.

You grind against each other, desperately trying to get ahold of that pleasure and lust that clouds your minds and bodies, but the clothing you're both wearing and position makes it hard. It's not enough, unless the two of you would undress which isn't such a smart idea considering the weather. As if Jungkook thinks the same thing, he stops grinding against you and rests his head on your shoulder while his chest heaves with quick breaths. You're no different, long and loud breaths leave your mouth as you wrap your arms around his frame. Slowly, he lets go of your leg and steadies himself more before he fully straightens himself and grins at you.

"That's not what I was expecting when I asked you for a walk," he jokes, a loud snort coming out of your mouth as you shake your head at him.

It's always like that. You never planned for this to happen, it always just does. Naturally, and you like that because it doesn't feel forced.

"I wasn't expecting it too, but I'm not complaining." you grin, hands brushing through his fringe that got too long and keeps falling into his eyes.

"Trust me," he says, grin disappearing as a darkened look overtakes his already doe and dark eyes. He hovers over you, teeth nibbling on your ear before his mouth brushes your earlobe. "I'd fuck you here, if it weren't this cold."

Your breath hitches in your throat and you restrain yourself from reacting audibly, knowing he'll love that and tease the shit out of you later. You can't believe he just said that. Would he really do that?

"I wouldn't let you," you mutter, mustering a serious and tough expression where you raise your brow and purse your lips to prove your point. "Someone might've seen us." you reason, but the only thing he gives you in return is a loud laugh that makes you shush him straight away, a huge grin spreading on your lips.

"Who? There's nobody here." he says, outstretching his arms like he's the one who's proving his point.

"You don't know that, it's too dark to tell." you shrug, giving his chest a good slap when he smirks at you.

"Exactly, it wouldn't be too hard to tell if we're fucking or not."

"Oh my god!" you exclaim, hearing him cackling. "Just shut up, Jeon." you shake your head at him, hiding that huge grin again from him by walking past him and getting some safe distance from his dangerous and irresistible self.

"Oh, am I Jeon now? Thought I was Kook."

You hear him teasing you, before he jogs over to you and places his arm over your shoulders as he pushes you closer to his chest. You don't protest, not when he's incredibly warm and comfortable at the same time.

"Thank God, you're not my real boyfriend. I couldn't stand you." you grumble, teasing him as you poke his hip before you wrap your arm around his frame, holding him.

"Ah, you wish. I'd be the best boyfriend." he shoots back, making the two of you burst in laughter as you keep bickering and teasing each other for the rest of the walk back.

It just reminds you that nothing has changed. Well, apart from you get to kiss him— amongst the other stuff — now.

When you get back, you give Jungkook a last nudge to his shoulder before you detach yourself from his hip, looking at your friends. Taehyung wiggles his brows, cheeks flushed even in the darkness and you don't have to guess what caused it, considering the stupid amused grin he always has whenever he drinks too much alcohol. You're not the only one who notices it, Jimin tells him something but his best friend just shushes him and waves a hand in front of his face, telling him to shut up.

"You guys done?" he asks, wiggling his brows while staring at you before his eyes averts to Jungkook.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Jungkook asks, confused, reaching for some dried seaweed as he munches on it.

"Ignore him, he's had enough." Jimin speaks up before Taehyung can open his mouth, frowning at his best friend's interruption.

"Where's everyone?" you ask, changing the topic since you've got an idea what Taehyung was aiming at. Whatever it could be, it's not something that should be said in front of Kiko, or anyone at this point.

The seats where Hoseok, Seulgi, Minjae and Namjoon were sitting are empty, and now that you pointed out their absence, Jungkook seems to notice their missing too as he starts looking around.

"They went to sleep," Kiko answers, cuddling herself to some fluffy blanket as she glances at you before she focuses on the flames instead. "I think I'm going too. Tomorrow is gonna be a long day." she says, letting out a chuckle but it seems forced and tired.

She stands up, still wrapped in the purple blanket as she bids everyone a goodnight before she goes into her tent, joining Seulgi and Minjae.

"Is she okay?" Jungkook whispers, glancing at Jimin who gives him a saddened gaze before he shrugs.

"She seems a little bit off, but I think it's just awkward for her to be here with you guys." Jimin explains, his voice silenced so everyone sleeping in the tents nearby can't hear you. He gives you an apologetic look which you just shrug off, knowing he's only telling the truth.

"She knew we were coming here, I suppose." you mutter, ignoring Jungkook's side glance before he sighs and grabs you by your shoulders.

"Well, we're going to sleep too. You guys, don't set anything on fire." he tells them, Taehyung already spacing out but still protests whenever Jimin tells him to go sleep.

It's clear Jimin doesn't want to leave him alone, something that wouldn't be a good idea in Taehyung's state. It's funny and cute how they remind you of your friendship with Jungkook. They have each other's back all the time.

"We'll try to," Jimin chuckles, patting Taehyung's head as he cuddles to Jimin's side. "Goodnight."

Approximately twenty minutes later, when you bid goodbye to Jimin and Taehyung, you and Jungkook are happily nestled in your sleeping bags. With a few layers of blankets that Jungkook brought underneath your bodies, it's softer than you expected it to be and you find it comfortable. The only thing that bothers you is the chilly air that makes you toss around as you're trying to keep yourself warm.

"Come here." Jungkook sighs, his own sleeping bag rustling as he pulls out his arms to pull you closer.

"What are you doing?" you mutter, silently humming as soon as you feel his warm chest pressed against your back. You're definitely warmer now.

"Cuddling you, obviously." he snorts, nuzzling his nose into your neck causing you to let out a silenced giggle.

With his large hoodie already on, the very one he brought you from his car as soon as you started to complain about the weather and being cold, you allow yourself to relax. However, Jungkook doesn't stop there and he starts kissing your neck, leaving soft and innocent pecks that make you bite your lip. You don't move, allowing him to kiss you some more while he rubs your body which is difficult to feel, since you're wrapped in your sleeping bag. Unzipping your sleeping bag, you ignore your body protesting by shivering from the temperature in your tent.

"You're gonna be cold." Jungkook murmurs against your neck, his silenced and raspy voice causing you to shiver again. Not from the cold this time.

"You'll warm me up." you tease, turning to your side so you can be closer to him.

He welcomes your hands on his chest as they get underneath his hoodie, feeling his hot and naked skin there. How can he be so warm when you're close to freezing? His toned abs are hard to miss and you wish you could just take his hoodie off, and see the piece of art. You've never been totally mesmerized by abs and muscular bodies, although it's a nice thing to look at. But everything changes when it comes to Jungkook. He's perfect, an amazing piece of man that makes every woman's heart flutter.

"You bet." he teases back, causing you to giggle as he pulls you closer, kissing you this time.

Your lips mold together, the feeling already familiar but never boring. It's something you could never get enough of, especially when he's so good at it. Two minutes of constant kissing and innocent touches, his own hands disappear underneath all the layers of your clothing when he finally finds your skin. Even the littlest touch of his fingertips make your body heat up, and you completely forget about the cold. He spends a few minutes just rubbing your stomach, his touch leaving soft and tingling sensation all over your body, before he hooks them under the hem of your sweatpants. Detaching your lips, you breathe out a shaky breath as you glance at Jungkook.

He's staring at you, dark eyes boring into yours while his hands disappear into your panties.

"Kook," you breathe out, "Guys are here."

And Seulgi, Minjae and Kiko too.

"They're all sleeping," he says, finger circling your clit as you bite into your lower lip to prevent yourself from moaning. "I checked when I went to take a piss."

Snorting, you let out a chuckle of disbelief. "Wow, that's so hot. Thank you." you tell him sarcastically, your words dying down when he starts to part your folds and slips one finger in.

"I'm honest," he tells you lightly, shrugging as if he's not fingering you right now. He pumps his finger, nuzzling his face to your neck as he starts sucking your skin there. "You love when I'm honest."

"Mhm," you moan, back slightly arching when his finger rubs against your sensitive spot.

"You love when I do this," he purrs against your skin, adding another finger as he curls them inside your tight hole that makes you whimper.

Goosebumps appear all over your body, your hips slowly grinding against his palm as he keeps pumping his fingers in and out. The sound of your wetness is muffled by your clothes, but it's still clear to your ears. It should be embarrassing how wet and hot you became just for him. Yes, the little make out that happened on your walk helped, but you both know it doesn't take a long for him to make you crave for his touch, pleading him for more.

"I do," you let out a choked moan, eyes rolling back when he adds another finger, penetrating your heat even more.

Your walls are wrapped around his fingers, swallowing them in with so much eagerness that makes Jungkook proud.

"You're so needy," he growls, grazing his teeth against your jaw before he kisses it. Your hands clutch onto your sleeping bag desperately, all while he lets out a dark chuckle. "So needy for my touch, for me."

You should be embarrassed because he's right. You tend to act tough, not necessarily in these kinds of scenarios, but still. Even Jungkook knows that and whenever he can stomp on the confidence and tease you, he takes the chance and does it. However, you don't feel an ounce of embarrassment. Agreeing with him, you nod and purr at the same time, body desperately meeting his hands as he picks up the pace.

"I am," you agree, voice strained as you try to control yourself. It feels good, so fucking good, but you don't want to cum just yet. You want to enjoy this for as long as it's possible.

"Oh, baby. You know all you gotta do is tell me and I'll give you everything you want," Jungkook feigns sorrow, knowing those words drive you crazy. He feels you clenching around him, your moans silenced by you biting a lower lip, and that's all he needs to be smirking. "I'd have fuck you against that tree, if you weren't scared someone might see." he whispers darkly into your ear, biting onto your earlobe.

It all happens quick, too quick for you to control it or cherish the way pleasure shoots through your whole body, while you're cumming. Your moans in the form of Jungkook's name are silenced by his mouth enveloping yours. As much as he wants to hear you, his name leaving your mouth repeatedly, he can't let anyone else hear you.

He fucks you through your orgasm, stopping when he hears you whimper from overstimulation. Pulling out his fingers, he puts them into his mouth and makes sure you're watching him when he does that. Your heat throbs, both at the sight and the euphoric feeling of your orgasm, yet you don't have enough. Especially not when you see him licking his fingers clean before he kisses you, letting you taste yourself on his tongue and lips. He growls, hovering over you while his tongue attacks the inside of your mouth. Your tongues dance together, moving swiftly like it's the easiest thing to do. Hands disappearing under his hoodie, you let yourself feel his naked back moving forward to his abs.

He can't help it, you're too irresistible even if it's in a freaking tent and in the middle of mountains with his friends sleeping nearby. Maybe even that small fact makes him go feral, grinding his crotch against you. Getting out of your sleeping bag has never been easier, your hands busy trying to take off Jungkook's sweatpants while he takes off his hoodie, along with his shirt.

"Fuck, I need you." he says, before he kisses you again and helps you to take off your shirt. He's met with your exposed breasts, licking his bottom lip at your puckered nipples which he wraps his mouth around.

The sensation is amazing, his warm mouth warming your whole body all over again and just like that, you feel that same need to fill your pleasure needs. Jungkook's movements are eager, so eager that he tosses his sweatpants rather carelessly causing the piece of clothing to bump into the tent's walls. The tent shakes, causing you to giggle as he shushes you by his lips, chuckling into the kiss. He helps you to undress, making sure he heats up your body with his feverish kisses and constant rubbing of your exposed skin.

"Fuck me, Kook." you plead, nails grazing his exposed and muscular back he's flexing while he's hovering over you.

"Oh, I will," he promises, leaning down to kiss your collarbones as he makes up your neck and jaw. "But you need to be quiet, yeah?"

His voice is low, sending another set of shivers down your spine as you gulp, pressing your thighs together.

"I thought everyone's sleeping." you mutter, teasing him with eyes but you don't show it on your face, too focused on him to even lift the corner of your mouth in a smirk.

"They are," he nods, hands disappearing between your bodies as he spreads your legs and cups your heat which is still wet with your cum and another arousal. You're soaking wet, you can feel it slowly trailing down your ass and staining the unzipped sleeping bag underneath you. "But we don't wanna wake them up." he smirks, his eyes dancing in amusement almost as he's teasing you for being loud.

Oh, he certainly is. As soon as realization hits your face, he smirks even more while pulling away. Your eyes drop to his covered crotch, noticing an evident bulge that's growing with each passing minute. Unfortunately, your sight is dismissed when Jungkook starts to rummage through his bag that he put in the corner of your tent. He pulls out his wallet before he successfully gets the condom. When he turns around and meets your gaze, he sees your raised brow.

"You brought condoms?" you question, wondering if he planned on having sex here.

You sure didn't, not that you're complaining. But you're curious and you love to tease him whenever you get the chance. His doe eyes that were darkened just a few moments ago are completely switched to a wide eyed Jungkook, making look so innocent and young that it makes your heart jump.

"Well, not purposely. I always have them in my wallet." he explains, voice sounding soft all of a sudden.

His lips are set into a slight pout as he stares at you, looking wary for some reason. Little do you know it's because of the exact thing you're teasing him about. He worries that he just planned on having sex, even though there wouldn't be anything wrong with that. You both agreed on this, you two fucking. But still, it doesn't sit well with him knowing you might think he planned this. You're a beautiful woman, it doesn't take long for him to resist you. But you're his best friend before you're someone who he has sex with. He really wanted this trip to be about adventure and great memories, and he kind of let it go naturally. Whatever feels comfortable for you and everyone else. He definitely didn't expect Kiko to show up here, even though this exact topic occurred his night thoughts that made him wide awake for the most of the night.

"It's okay, Kook," you giggle, sitting up as you reach for him. "I'm just teasing you." you assure him, seeing his tensed muscles relax before he scoffs.

"Screw you." he murmurs, grinning as he opens the wrapper by opening it with his teeth while his other hand is too busy pulling his length out.

Taking off his boxers, your mouth salivate wishing you could see him instead of being met with his outline. Judging by the way his hands move and body rustles against the blankets, you know he's giving himself a few pumps before he puts the condom on.

"You're about to." you fill the silence, smirk audible in your voice as he chuckles and gets closer to you.

Adjusting your positions, so he's nestled between your legs, he gives you a kiss and lets his mouth stay on yours while he slowly fills you up. You know it's his way of shushing you, knowing you'd most likely whimper at the sudden stretch of his hardened length. The both of you are trying not to get caught after all. When he's all in, he detaches your lips as he leans his forehead against yours waiting for your signal. As soon as he registers the small nod and little 'go on', he pulls out slowly before he smashes in his way back. With each thrust he makes, the harder it gets to control your moans and even though you've never been that awfully loud, no matter how many times Jungkook teases you about it.

Your legs starts to hurt from the missionary position and with a quick squeeze of his bicep, Jungkook slows down and questionably tilts his head. Without saying a word, your palms sprawl against his chest as you push him while sitting up. He gets the message, laying down immediately while he slips out of you in the process. Hovering over him, you let your legs to rest against his side while you grab his length. Pumping him, you wish you could see that lustful glint in his eyes and the vulnerability that he doesn't show that often:

"Baby," he moans, hands gripping your hips.

Chuckling, you position him against your entrance before you sink down onto him, your eyes rolling back at the pleasure and stretch.

"Fuck, so tight." he groans, nails digging into your skin the entire time he fills you up. He doesn't stop even when you start to ride him, setting up a slower pace that makes less sounds. Nevertheless, the sound of your thighs meeting Jungkook's can't be manageable and it's clear to your ears.

With Jungkook's help, he starts to roll his hips into yours as he meets your thrusts, sending another wave of pleasure through your body with different intensity. It feels amazing, his length so deep inside of you, all while he keeps hitting your g-spot. Slowing down, you circle your hips as you kiss him. You really want to savor every minute and feeling he makes you feel, you don't want to cum just yet. Jungkook is in no rush, kissing you back slowly as he lets you take control. He lays there, enjoying the way you move your hips. After kissing for a few minutes, you start to pick up your pace which becomes tougher, considering how long you've been in this position. Your thighs already ache from the stretch, but thanks to Jungkook who notices your struggle, he starts to meet your thrusts like he's done before.

Everything is slow, yet sensual and intense. It makes your head spin and your heart swell with foreign and wonderful feeling. You can't go all wild, knowing there's everyone just a few meters away from you while you're surrounded in complete silence. But even without this little fact, it still feels right. Maybe it's because you're both lazy and sleepy, just wanting to enjoy the pleasure and something different. If you knew better, you'd say this is how making love feels like.

You almost slap yourself at that, knowing you're nowhere emotionally near that. But it feels nice to have him this close, it's different from the sex you had before.

Considering you've had an orgasm and your walls are still sensitive, you feel yourself tightening as your arms fail you and you fall onto Jungkook's chest. He takes over, still laying underneath you as he grabs your hips and starts to pick up the pace. Even from his submissive position, you may say, he's able to take control and hit all the right spots within your walls. Hands gripping your ass, he spreads your ass cheeks while his nails dig into your skin again. It's the first time tonight when it feels, what can be considered, as a rough move.

"Kook," you whimper, mouth pressed against his shoulder with eyes screwed shut, as you feel another orgasm approaching you.

"Shhh," he reminds you, letting out a grunt when he sets an almost animalistic pace. His balls smack against your ass, the sound already too loud to be heard outside, but you don't stop.

Pleasure washes you all over again, your mouth ready to leave the loudest moan as your whole body shakes. What you do comes naturally, in the desperation to silence your moans, and you gently bite onto Jungkook's shoulder while he keeps fucking you.

He grunts, your teeth digging into his skin although, it's nothing unbearable or too painful, but it shocks him. Few more pumps and he's coming into the condom with a silenced growl. His thrusts get sloppier with each second, before he completely stops and his length starts to twitch. You wish you could feel him cumming inside of you, despite the littlest feeling of him filling the condom, it's nothing too recognizable. When he's done, he sighs and drops his head down while he hugs you closer to him. His arms leave your ass and they wrap around your frame, gripping you tightly making you giggle.

"Fuck, that was amazing." you comment, pecking his shoulder where you bit him. It's too dark to see if there's any mark, but you hope not. You made sure you weren't biting him too hard.

"Yeah," he breathes, chest heaving with harsh breaths while his length starts to soften. "That was... different." he chuckles, hands gently caressing your back that makes you hum.

"I could fall asleep like this." you murmur against his neck, cuddling to him even more.

A soft chuckle leaves his mouth, his hand gently slapping your ass. "No, you can't sleep now. You gotta pee and put some clothes on, you're gonna get cold like this."

He's right, now that your lust has been fulfilled, you can already feel the real temperature in the tent. Your skin is no longer hot and that same rush of heat that came with each moment of pleasure is gone. Even though your body still tingles from the intense orgasm, it's just not enough to keep you warm anymore.

"Nooo," you whine, cuddling to him even more while your perked nipples rub against his chest. He bites his lower lip, cringing when his length slips out of you and you whine again. "Can't you just cover our bodies?"

You try, knowing you're just teasing him and you'll be shivering any minute. Jungkook groans at your stubbornness and you smile.

"No, now come on. Go pee." he slaps your ass again, making you jerk as you pull yourself up and stare at him.

"What if something's out there?" you ask, simply out of curiosity and maybe out of fear as well.

"I'm going with you, big baby," he grins, rolling his eyes at you that you can't see. He's sitting up, hoisting your bodies in the process. "But we need to put some clothes on."

Sighing, you put your clothes back on, cringing when your juices meet the material of your panties. Regardless of that, you fully dress yourself and let out a hum of content when you're warm again. Jungkook does the same thing, disposing himself of the condom full of his cum as he makes sure he'll throw it somewhere safe. You're both stumbling out of your tent, seeing there's no one awake and there's complete darkness around you. Good.

But still, when Jungkook lights up the flashlight on his phone, you're both grinning at yourselves and you just know, you're going to be sleeping heavenly tonight.

#networkbangtan #ksmutclub #ficswithluv #btswritingcafe #bts smut #jungkook x reader #bts angst #bts fluff #bts au #jungkook fic #personasintro #mutual help

1K notes · View notes

hemeruni · 1 month ago

Note

alright confession time now that everything's almost burnt down: i never really cared for cometcare or darkermatters. i just saw them as... not really all that necessary for the time, since the main comic should've been kc's main focus? especially now that we know arc 3 was just cometcare without hemera and miley and maybe some others i'm forgetting

SPEAKING OF HEMERA i always thought she would end up becoming a doctor in a very stressful moment in order to protect her friends and it would end badly for her but she would live or something. man she deserved better and now i have a rewrite in my head in which cuddles makes her into the "perfect patient", not after her death by stitching her parts to the parts of other dead characters, but by keeping her alive, manipulating and isolating her, and overall fucking her up mentally after she tries to become a doctor at sparklecare, but she lives in the end. she's very traumatized, but she lives. also doom dies and mood lives because i also really like her and i'm sad that she dies

THAT PISSED ME OFF WHEN I LEARNED IT BECAUSE ITS LIKE. WHY BRING UP THAT PATIENTS CAN BECOME DOCTORS THEN IF YOU AINT GONNA DO SHITTTTT!! HEMERA WAS COMPLETELY WASTED!!!

Hem could’ve been manipulated into being a staff member by… Noah . HEAR ME OUT

Noah is being used to make some sort of Frankenstein monster, what if… sorta like Dolly in the main plot, Cuddles uses the body of Noah to convince Hem to be a staff member and use her techniques of plant splicing on patients? IDK!! Anything would’ve been better than just. Helping the antibody and dying the volume later only to be made into a Frankenstein like monster .

Like yeah Uni could’ve gotten closer to Hem, but like. Miley??? Why are those two apart of the Perfect Patient if it’s supposed to be a combination of Uni’s "worst mistakes" when . YEAH. She did tell on them, but they weren’t CLOSE CLOSE.

That’s still kinda why I believed Doom and MAYBE Carrie would’ve died?? Maybe since Hemera used to be rowdy (just like Noah) maybe she would feel some sort of… sympathy and try using her new found staff powers to keep the remaining group safe? Therefore potentially giving her a "redemption arc" in some sense of the word. Even though she doesn’t really need it (but we don’t talk about that)

I can ramble about it for hours now being able to fucking. Speak about all of this lore BUT ALSO yeah I hate CometCare. Darkermatters is. Fine but it’s funny to imagine now that it’s just a natural response from Tears to. Nuke Spinch because the incest was getting SO bad. That’s the only redeeming quality about it… and Turner. I like Turner. I like Turner a lot .

I do really like the idea of Hem getting more stitching as the comic goes on, kinda following the path of her sibling in a way, but she actually. Makes it, which should be unlucky, right? Imagine living that long, doing all of those horrific things, yet you get to live. To live with the guilt of knowing of your crimes and being placed in a world that doesn’t need you. A world that isn’t made for you. A world that, from every angle, doesn’t even know you exist outside of your crimes?

Anyways yeah I like this fox a lot . Thank you for the meal /SILLY

#sparklecare #sparklecrit

28 notes · View notes

followthebluebell · 7 months ago

Note

Thank you so much for all your tips! We retired the slicker because it kept losing teeth so I’ll try to get a new one asap. He’s a fussy little ragdoll, I can only seem to brush him when he’s eating a meal. For the cornstarch, do you just rub it on the mat and brush it out? And is a human shaver okay for cats?Thank you!!! This made me realize I have to do tons more research; he was a surprise and I’ve been shamefully negligent. I thought regular brushing with just one brush was enough. Thank you

You're welcome! Ragdolls tend to have very soft and cottony coats, so I absolutely recommend getting a new slicker. The corn starch is indeed just kinda rubbed into the mat and then brushed out--- although it won't harm the cat if he happens to lick a little off. That's another REALLY nice thing about corn starch.

I caution heavily against clipping your cat yourself because cat skin is VERY thin and it tears open pretty easily. A very small nick can easily become quite a large one. Cat skin also tends to form folds that are held together by mats, and these folds get caught in clipper teeth if you aren't cautious. The best way to prevent this is to flatten out the skin and make sure you see the skin BEFORE letting the clippers get anywhere near the cat.

however, I know some people are going to try clipping their cat anyway. So I'll talk about the tools I use.

I personally use Andis 2 speeds for the bulk of my clipping with a 10 blade for most trims, occasionally a 7. Very rarely, I'll have to use a 15 or, even more rarely a 30. Blade sizes work in reverse: the higher the number, the closer the trim. So a 10 is closer to the skin than a 7, a 15 is closer than a 10. 30 is as close as I can get. 40 is downright surgical and makes me too nervous to use.

There's a lot less length control when using human clippers, because you can't switch out the blades. This is also a concern because blades get HOT (for reference, I usually keep three 10 blades on hand so I can easily switch them out). Humans don't really have to take this into consideration because we don't spend that much time shaving. Human clippers also aren't designed for the much softer fur cats have, so they get jammed WAY easier and that can cause skin tears. We also have thicker skin compared to cats.

I will use a manscaper lawn mower for clean-up on cats who are really matted around their uro-genital area or an injured area that should be exposed. For a really close trim, you can't beat it. Again, I don't really recommend this for at home use. I just think it's funny.

But let's say budget is an issue and you're looking for something small, light, and cordless. Something that's a bit more similar to human clippers and is friendlier to the budget than a full on corded clipper. You could look at 5-in-1 clippers. I don't remember the one I use at work--- it's a new one that my boss literally just got, so it's not my model, but I've been pretty pleased with it so far.

It's pretty similar to a Codos Pet trimmer, which are very budget friendly. It CAN hypothetically be used all over a cat, but keep the heat in mind! You can't switch out the blades on a 5-in-1, so you need to keep a careful eye on that heat!

Finally, let's talk about blade disinfectant. I just use Cool Care. It also works as a blade coolant; it doesn't cool them off instantly or anything, but it's quicker. You want to disinfect blades between uses because nasty stuff can grow on them.

I hope this helps. Don't feel bad for not knowing this. We don't talk enough about pet grooming in general. We don't see a wide array of these products in stores (at least, I don't; my stores don't really stock any of this stuff. I have to order it special, but maybe that's regional?).

#cat grooming

63 notes · View notes

modgryphonrambles · 20 days ago

Text

Here have a little ramble about Husam and the way he thinks when it comes to his bosses and his opinions on them. Because Husam only ever treats people with the amount of respect he thinks they deserve.

Hope it's okay if I tag you two, @scrybe-of-death and @star-on-a-beach, just this is about Edward, Fukayna, and Rubio.

Edward has not earned Husam’s respect, but also he has not earned his disrespect. Husam is very neutral about the Pharaoh and mostly just treats him with as much respect as is needed for him to keep his job. Also, since I’ve not had a chance to truly talk about it, Husam does treat his job as one of Pharaoh’s guards pretty seriously. Mostly, the way he acts on the job is a direct response to what guard he’s working alongside at the time. If it’s someone who’s slacking or chatty, he’s more likely to be casual and interact with them. If it’s someone who is being super serious, then he will be too, standing at attention in silence. He does tend to be more casual when talking to people who approach the temple, but as was seen with Carbine, he’s more than willing to use force when he feels he needs to.

Husam isn’t really sure what Fukayna is to him, the dumbass never read the contract he signed, and Fukayna never left him a copy (though honestly if he had, Husam probably would have torn it to pieces when he went on that little rampage afterward). But Husam does not respect Fukayna in the slightest, and if he’s ever ordered to do something, he will actively be disobedient and might even try to sabotage things. Fukayna kinda messed up with Husam. If he’d played his cards right and offered better regular pay than what the Pharaoh gives him, or offered a better house for him to live in, or even just a higher rank than some of the other guards he has, then Husam could’ve been a decent guard at least for a little while. Instead, he brought Husam’s family into this and immediately made himself Husam’s enemy.

Then we come to Rubio, who in a very short time has done something very difficult. He hasn’t just earned Husam’s respect. He’s earned Husam’s loyalty. Husam wouldn’t just kill for Rubio, he would die for him, something he wouldn’t do for pretty much anyone else. Not that Husam would admit that out loud, and not that Rubio would ever order him to kill or fight for him. Now, granted, Rubio and Husam have had a lot of one-on-one time together, and Rubio is far closer to being Husam’s equal than Fukayna or Pharaoh are, which has helped a lot in gaining Husam’s trust. But with the respect, trust, and kindness Rubio has shown Husam, it would take a lot to make Husam betray him or Razzie, he��d rather die than have that happen.

Also, a little off-topic, but it is so funny to me that for Husam it’s only been 6 days between meeting Fukayna and the current RP with Bastet. This poor boy has been through a whiplash of emotions in less than a week.

#vian's oc brainrot #husam lore

8 notes · View notes

maulfucker · 2 years ago

Text

Ok some thoughts about senator Maul AU because I keep thinking about it

Palpatine never finds an apprentice in this AU, so he ends up not being such a huge threat

The events of Phantom Menace only kinda happened - Naboo was attacked by the Trade Federation, but there was no Sith to pursue them and kill Qui-Gon, so things got resolved much more easily

Qui-Gon lives, so he gets to train Anakin, and Dooku doesn't get tempted by the dark side

I think Dooku still quits the Jedi Order, but this time it's because he feels like he could do more good as a politician than as a jedi. He keeps a good relationship with the Jedi Order and the Republic and doesn't become a separatist

Every time he's in Coruscant he visits Qui-Gon and Anakin (and Obi-Wan) and chats with them over a nice lunch, which is good because it gives Anakin a politician role model that isn't Palpatine, and a better perspective of his options - he can leave the Order if he finds a new purpose, it's not a betrayal or a failure

Maul was raised in Dathomir so he's not a sith murder machine, but since he's such a powerful Force-senstitive he was raised closer to his mother and the Nightsisters than to his brothers and the Nightbrothers

(Savage and Feral are alive and happy btw. They visit Maul in Coruscant sometimes. I think he might also have one or two sisters because why not)

He still doesn't like Jedi but it's like. He doesn't want to kill them, he just thinks they're way too limiting and self-righteous. Like how Obi-Wan doesn't like politicians

He rarely makes speeches on the senate, so hearing him speak is a rare treat

Picture holonet social media hornyposting under every clip of him speaking because he has a very sexy voice

His outfits are also pretty daring (read: sexy) compared to most (male) senators. The entire Dathomir delegation dresses pretty similarly, but he gets the most attention

Maul vs Padmé who wore it better type posts

He and Padmé have this weird kinda-rivalry because they're very opposite in a lot of ways, but they still vote on the same side in a lot of topics since they both have a very "I am doing this for my people" mentality

He also absolutely hates Palpatine because he gets extremely rotten vibes from him (he's more attuned to the dark side than the Jedi so he probably Feels Palpatine's dark side vibes better than the Jedi. He Feels Palpatine is Bad)

When/if the Jedi Order ever finds out Palpatine is a sith he will be very unsurprised

Ventress is a representative and Maul's "apprentice", learning the Senate life from him

I'm making her younger than her "canon" age here (by about 10ish years) because it makes more sense to me and because giving Maul a government-assigned baby sister is funny

From what we see in the movies each world seems to only have one senator but I want the Dathomir delegation to have at least two because I think it's more fitting (and realistic, every world needs more than one senator what the fuck)

I think it would be funny if Maul swears he's gonna quit soon and Ventress will take his place in the senate but then the other senator retires first and makes Ventress her successor so Maul has to stay a senator for longer. He just wants to get out of this fucking planet

On the Jedi side of this AU I think Anakin grows into a much more disciplined jedi because Qui-Gon the rules bender would definitely stay in contact with Shmi so Anakin's anxieties regarding his mom will be more controlled, and they would be contacted immediately when she gets kidnapped by the tuskens so they save her faster and she doesn't die and neither do the tuskens and everything is fine

Plus Anakin gets to know his new family better and have a brother and add a new dad to his collection <3

Maybe Obi-Wan gets Ahsoka as a padawan this time, so she can have a master who actually wants to teach, and also be kinda-siblings with Anakin and cause chaos with him while Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan aren't looking

The Separatists never really take off, so the clone wars never happen, but I think the attacks on senators that were happening at the start of AotC still happen because I think it's fun to have drama and have Jedi escorts assigned to senators (read: good excuse to set up an obimaul and allow the anidala plot to happen)

I want Maul to be miserable wet cats with Obi-Wan on Kamino so I am allowing the clones to exist. Purely for comedic plot opportunity. And because I love clones so I want them to exist

But I think this time they only made a single batch of like 10-100 clones and were waiting for the Jedi to get back to them with approval to make more

Maul sees this and goes "Absolutely the fuck NOT" so no more clones are made after those. Sad!

With Maul there to help the Jango fight is much more successful (and 50% less humiliating on Obi-Wan's side) so they capture him and no one has to die

Sidious had to hire Jango this time since I am not letting him have an apprentice, so Jango is like "I was hired by some old weirdo in a cloak who called himself Darth Sidious who sounded and looked a lot like the chancellor from Naboo" and Maul feels so fucking vindicated that YES the bad vibes he gets from Palpatine were correct can we PLEASE kill him now

Jango gets arrested and maybe he makes a deal to work under the Jedi instead of staying in jail so he can take care of Boba instead of leaving him to his own luck

Boba being raised with Jedi younglings while Jango is busy offworld....

The clones also become part of the Jedi Order so they can help Jedi with peacekeeping and defense and stuff

Palpatine gets found out and arrested and/or killed by the Jedi and everyone else gets to live happily ever after. Eventually.

... this is. Way longer than planned. I'm having fun

#hm i should make an original post tag #senator maul au #long post #maul #darth maul #ventress #padmé #palpatine #obi-wan #ahsoka #anakin #qui-gon #count dooku #... ok that's enough tagging characters. find this if you will. don't find this if you willn't.#this post spent so many days in my drafts because there's just so many thoughts to write down #and this isn't even every thought #i want maul to take obi-wan to dathomir expecting mother talzin to get rid of kenobi for him but she actually welcomes him #because he's dooku's grandpadawan and dooku is an old friend. and maul is mega pissed. like. how dare you get along with my mom.#also. live ahsoka (and ventress) reaction every time obi-wan flirty-banters with maul #and delayed obi-wan reaction when he remembers maul is a senator and this is highly inappropriate behavior #maul does not react he just glares at obi-wan #also imagining maul using magic and fighting with a magic-infused staff. sexy.#i need to post this already or else it will remain forever in my drafts #so let it be known this is not a complete solid idea this is an idea in progress #have fun thinking about it with me

83 notes · View notes

cinemaocd · 6 months ago

Text

The Mirror and the Light stream of concsciousness ramble on Wreckage....GO!

So the opening works really works for me I think the new footage is seamless and even the aging works because the tone shift is dramatic at the end of season one...the lighting the excessively bright lighting in the wedding scene and I'm wondering dear god Peter I hope you haven't taken to heart all our bitching about the brightness levels in season one??? Surely this is an aesthetic/artistic choice and then I remember that it matches the discordantly sunny scene at the end of season one when Henry embraces cromwell after Anne is killed. I love that Rafe and Crom just exchange one word "done" and Rafe wishing it weren't bloody and being a tad accusatory and I remember those scenes in the book when Anne flirted with Rafe in order to tease him ...So much of the dialog is very um not in the book but I like the ax quote it probably has a precedent. Love that we are diving straight into the plot and Call me is a different person but the same clothes and the dialog has to be too on the nose to help newcomers, which is a choice and I guess I'm fine with it because it's ep one. Still. Keep up people. The ambiguity continues when we don't actually know what the letter is though its implied its from Mary and if so in the next scene Crom fully lies to the king's face about it. Love the lightning in the tower scene with Chapuy, kinda wanted it to be a folly outside under the open sky like in the book but I guess they couldn't just conjure up a sunny day. the hilarious chapuy cromwell frenemy banter continues...OMG seeing Richard, even from behind I knew it was him and he looks more like historical Crom every minute and is probably closer to his age than mark but oh look Crom's wee knife. I love that we are getting bad ass crom and his knives and his bully boy moves with the poles and calling himself a dog (*dies) and especially the scene in the privy chamber when he practically tackles fitz...The scene with mary was letter perfect to the book but somehow missed the tone of the book which was funny but also tragic...and the mouse bones embrace was entirely great and lilith lesser is KILLING it and she'll pray for him and dear god he needs it...oh the cap thing was sexy when it should have been awkward but I forgive because when they are busted by lady shelton and she says "unhand the lord privy seal" it kills me...love crom and lady shelton they are another great pair of flirts. Oh and then the triumph of the signing and lording it over the other lords and norfolk having to eat shit was golden. Henry gets scarier/weirder in every scene and I love it. Margaret Douglas making the most of her two lines and being HBIC throughout was golden: FORESHADOWING. Jane continuing to be awkward as well as flirtatious with cromwell...also love the scene where they walked through a dark hallway and he leads her into the light of the dance...the light of Henry's love. Oh and the lovely reunion between Mary and her father only marred by the weirdness of Henry saying "you've loved and done as much for her as my kin" and then qualifying it...TACKY, but then jovial crom at the cheerless picnic with his boys where he is telling them all smiles about the white rose promise to Katharine and they all total bitches about it except Richard. I love you Richard. I don't remember Ghost!Wolsey having this many lines in the book but I can never get enough JP in a red Cardinal's gown so I don't care. Cromwell's orange jacket is amazing but I think Mark is actually having some kind of asthma attack in some scenes because he's wheezy, maybe they should build a fan into his suit. Same thing with Damien, though I think his breathlessness might be character work as Henry is getting progressively less fit as it goes on.

#the mirror and the light 2024

9 notes · View notes

celestiall0tus · 1 year ago

Text

Tales of Bloody Bug and Chat Noir - Chapter 12 - Pharoah

Beginning || Previous || Next

Alix ran around the new Tutankhamun exhibit in the Louvre. Jalil followed her and explained each display. She took notes before he started in on his theories to the next. She made her way to Tutankhamun’s specter as their dad joined them.

“How’s everything going, you two?” Alim asked.

“Amazing. I’ll have the best project for History yet,” Alix beamed.

“And you, Jalil?”

“It’s unbelievable! You managed to get everything I need,” Jalil exclaimed.

“Need for what?” Alim pressed.

Alix rolled her eyes. “Oh, here we go.”

“Indeed. I want to direct your attention to the scroll on this wall.”

Alim and Alix followed Jalil as they approached an adjacent wall.

“So, Dad, you know this, but for Alix, the one with the scepter is Tutankhamun the First. There, opposite, is Nefertiti, his princess. There are exactly one hundred mummies beside them. She died several years before him and the sun god, Ra, took her as his goddess.”

“Get to the point,” Alix said.

“I am. Tutankhamun wanted to bring his princess back to life by offering the sun god a new wife. The scene illustrates a ritual he devised. However, nobody has ever fully deciphered the hieroglyphics, but I have. It’s a magic chant that needs to be recited in order to complete the ritual. I’m sure of it. I just need the scepter and I can carry out the ritual.”

“I mean, that’s cool and all, but it looks like you need a human sacrifice for the ritual. Aren’t we long past that?” Alix asked.

Alim sighed. “Jalil, I love the interest you take in your study, but even if it were to work, I can’t allow you to do that.”

“Yeah. And the human sacrifice thing again. Who would you even use for it? Did you even think of that?”

“Indeed, I did. The lucky sacrifice I picked is none other than Chloe Bourgeois,” Jalil announced.

Jalil pulled out a crudely drawn imitation of Chloe. Alix snickered while Alim scowled.

“Alix, don’t laugh at that.”

“I mean, it’s kinda funny,” Alix admitted.

“No, it’s not, young lady,” Alim scolded.

Alix pursed her lips as Alim stepped closer to Jalil.

“As I’ve said, I admire your dedication and passion for history and the supernatural aspects of it, but I cannot allow this. Not only because I cannot stake my entire career and our livelihood on a potential legend, but I will not let you indulge in these murderous fantasies.”

“Don’t you see it’s perfect? We could discover the secret to resurrection and keep Alix safe. No more anger, no more worries.”

“How would this help her?”

“Because Chloe is clearly a focal point for a lot of Alix’s anger and stress. We remove that and-.”

“Absolutely not. Jalil, do you hear yourself? We should be helping Alix work through it to the point. Not eliminating the cause without knowing the reason why. Without getting rid of the roots, it will spread. If not Chloe, it’ll be someone or something else.”

“But-!”

“Enough! I won’t hear of this anymore. I want you to take the day off, Jalil. I need you to get your head on straight before you even consider coming back here.”

Jalil opened his mouth but closed it and stormed off.

“Dad, you’re not upset that we aren’t making progress on my… issues, are you?” Alix asked.

“Alix, honey, no. You are young and going through a lot of change in your life while dealing with a past trauma. It is a challenge, but we’ll handle it at the pace that you’re comfortable with. That is what matters most.”

“But what if we never find out? What if I don’t get better?”

“Sometimes that happens. Which, we just need to learn to adapt, just as our ancestors did. We are still human and capable of so much. Even if you never find the source of your anger and trauma, you’ll learn to adapt and live around it. Sometimes it’s all we can do. Much like your mother.”

“Was she hurt?”

“Well, let’s just say she didn’t have the upbringing you and Jalil have. Far from actually. It made her very slow to trust and guarded. I’m still amazed I got through her walls, but I’m glad I did. I got to be with the most amazing, flawed woman and human I’ve ever known. On top of that, we had two equally amazing and flawed children, just like we are.”

“Is that why you push me to make friends?”

“It is another reason, yes. I know it’s cliché to say love saved us, but it really did. I wasn’t half the man I was before I met your mom. She made sure to toughen me up and in return, I softened her. With me, she was able to open herself up, even if it was just a little.”

“Did Mom have trouble too?”

“Oh, yes. And I’d get to hear all about it, but that was all part of the process. It’s a slow and painful one, but one that must be taken at your own pace.”

“Excuse me, but are you the Director of the museum?” Nathalie asked.

Alim and Alix turned to the entrance where Adrien stood with Nathalie and Gorilla. Alim stepped forward.

“I am. May I help you?”

“My boss’s son heard about this exhibit arriving and wanted to visit it to gather information for a school project. Is it open?” Nathalie explained.

“It may not be open just yet, but I can allow this. After all, my own daughter has been doing the same. Uh, Alix?”

Alix stepped up beside Alim. “Yeah?”

“Would you assist him while Jalil is out for the day?”

“Do I have to?”

“No, but I would appreciate it.”

Alix considered, approached Adrien, and gave him her notes. “Give these back to me or you will hurt.”

“That’s not what I exactly had in mind,” Alim remarked.

“Sorry, Dad, but I do have to get to roller derby.”

Alim’s eyes widened. “I forgot about roller derby! It’s not a match today, is it?”

“No, just practice.”

“Thank goodness. Do you need a ride?”

“Nah, I’m good. Thanks though.”

“Stay safe, Alix. See you for lunch!”

Alix waved goodbye and headed for the museum exit. She stopped when a tall, muscular man with roseish black skin, blue glowing eyes, and decked out in gold Egyptian jewelry, shendyt, and mask. She eyed Jalil’s scarab necklace in the collection of jewelry.

“Jalil?” Alix asked.

“Jalil is gone. I’m the Pharoah!”

Alix grimaced and ran. She headed back to the Tutankhamun exhibit. She made it down the steps when Pharoah blocked her path. She skidded to a stop and scrambled back.

“You’re fast, Alix, but not fast enough.”

“Enough, Jalil! Cut the fucking crap!” Alix roared.

“Alix?” Alim called.

Pharoah turned where Alim’s voice came from. Alix took the opportunity and ran to hide. She transformed into Bloody Bug and ran back to the exhibit. She spotted Pharoah approaching Alim while Adrien, Nathalie, and Gorilla made their escape. She chunked her yo-yo in, and it wrapped around Alim. She pulled him out of Pharoah’s path.

“Go! I’ll keep him busy!” Bloody Bug yelled.

Alim hesitated, then ran.

Bloody Bug turned as Pharoah closed the gap. Her eyes widened to see his mask had shifted to a lion’s head. He landed a blow on her side and sent her into the wall. The impact created a crater with her plastered to the bottom of it. She took a sharp breath as she felt the pain through her suit. He reached in, grabbed her face, and lifted her up.

“Fucking bastard! That hurt!” Bloody Bug roared.

“Then let’s make this easy for both of us. Give me your earrings.”

“Over my dead body! Lucky Charm!”

Ladybugs swirled and created an unassuming box. Pharoah laughed and picked it up.

“Is this the best you can do, little bug?”

Bloody Bug snarled and swung her legs up. She hit the corner of the box and it exploded. Pharoah yelled as she was propelled back. She rolled and staggered to her feet. She headed out of the museum as she heard his furious screams. She got as much distance between her and Louvre as possible. She slipped into an alleyway and de-transformed. She leaned against a wall and groaned.

“That hurt.”

“This is bad. We should go see Master,” Tikki said.

“My thoughts too, Tikki. I think we should use elation. What do you think?”

“Maybe call Bomb Bee back too?”

Alix nodded. She stuck Tikki in her cap and headed for Wang Fu’s massage parlor. She headed in and found him finishing with a patient.

“Ah, my next client. I’ll see you next week,” Wang Fu said to the patient.

Alix slipped past the patient and shut the door. “I’m going to need help again.”

“Twice in a row? It’s not that one girl again, is it?”

“I’d rather that. No, my brother was akumatized into this demigod thing. He had a normal mask, then it was a lions, and then I was seismic punched into a wall with my own impact crater. Still feel the sting of it.”

“Not to mention she blew up the exhibit and scepter that Jalil wanted to use to perform an ancient sacrificial ritual. So, he’s going to be coming right for her,” Tikki added.

Wang Fu’s eyes widened. “That’s… concerning to say the least. Alright, one moment.”

Alix took a seat while Wang Fu retrieved the Miraculous Box. She lifted her shirt to check for bruising, but didn’t’ see anything. She had expected to see a massive black bruise of Pharoah’s fist in her side.

“Don’t worry. So long as you have me on, you won’t sustain any injuries, though you’ll feel the pain still,” Tikki reassured.

“Fucking lovely,” Alix groaned.

“Alright, here we are. Make your choices,” Wang Fu said.

“How many am I allowed?” Alix asked.

Wang Fu considered. “I’ll lend you three this time. Just as before, they are to be returned immediately after.”

“Well, I know I want elation and action, but what would you suggest for a third?”

Wang Fu considered, then took off the turtle shell bracelet he wore. “This belongs to the kwami of protection. I think you can guess what it does.”

Alix snorted. “I don’t know. It might take a lot of guesses. Oh, you have anything I could give Tikki to recharge?”

Wang Fu nodded. He left and returned shortly after with a plate of store-bought cookies. Tikki munched on a few before she flew up.

“All good.”

“Good. Saddle up, it’s going to be a long run,” Alix said.

“We aren’t transforming?”

“You said it yourself. He’s coming for Bloody Bug. It’d take longer, but we’d keep the others safe until we get the jewels to them. Now, in the cap.”

Tikki giggled and hid under Alix’s cap. Alix messaged Marinette, asking where she and Alya were. She waited a minute when Marinette said she and Alya were at Places des Vosages. She put her phone away and headed to the location. She spotted them with Nino, sitting on the fountain. She slipped into an alleyway, transformed, and lassoed the three of them. She pulled them into the alley with her.

“Woah! Bloody Bug? What’s up, dude?” Nino asked.

“No time. I need help. I decided to pick a fight with a god and pissed them off. You three are going to help.”

Alya squealed and jumped forward. Bloody Bug handed Alya the bee comb. Alya bounced, put the comb in her hair, and transformed into Bomb Bee.

Nino’s jaw dropped as he pointed at Bomb Bee.

“Surprised? You should be.”

Bloody Bug snapped her fingers, getting Nino’s attention. She held up the panja bracelet for Marinette and the shell bracelet for Nino. “You two have the same deal as Alya. You get these for one time, help me, and give them back. Marinette, prove yourself strong and not too soft-hearted by accepting elation. Nino, you’re just here, so congratulations.”

Marinette put on the panja bracelet while Nino put on the shell bracelet. Orbs shot out and circled them before they morphed into a magenta tiger kwami and a green turtle kwami.

“Alright, make this snappy you two. We have a god hunting me,” Bloody Bug urged.

“Oh my. Very well. I am Wayzz, kwami of protection. Pleasure to meet you, young man.

“And I’m Roarr! Kwami of elation at your service, girlie!”

“Tell them what they can do and how to transform,” Bloody Bug interjected.

“Right. You can generate a shield saying ‘Shelter.’ To transform, say, ‘Wayzz, shell on.’ To de-transform, say, ‘Wayzz, shell off,’” Wayzz explained.

“And for me, when you say ‘Clout,’ you can deliver a devastating sucker punch! Oh, and “Roarr, stripes on,’ to transform and ‘Roarr, stripes off,’ to de-transform,” Roarr yelled.

“Be careful with these powers. One per transformation and then you have five minutes before you turn back. Now, suit up,” Bloody Bug ordered.

“Wayzz, shell on!”

“Roarr, stripes on!”

“Sekhmet, give me your strength!” Pharoah demanded.

Chat Noir ran in as Pharoah’s mask shifted to a lion. Pharoah clapped his hands together that sent a shockwave that repelled Chat Noir. Chat Noir scrambled to his feet as Pharoah grabbed his face.

“Where is that wretch, Bloody Bug?”

“Couldn’t tell you even if I wanted to, which I don’t.”

“You’ll soon change that tune when I-,” Pharoah started.

“Hey, ugly!” Bloody Bug yelled.

Pharoah turned to see Bloody Bug standing atop a nearby building. He laughed and dropped Chat Noir. He stepped forward when Bloody Bug jumped down and approached him.

“Bug, what are you doing?�� Chat Noir asked.

“Oh, you know. The same thing as before.”

Chat Noir raised a brow as Bloody Bug didn’t move. He stepped forward to intervene, but she held up a hand and counted down from five. He tilted his head when she got to one and used her Lucky Charm that created a simple book.

“A book? That’s just as useless as your bomb,” Pharoah mocked.

“See, that’s where you’re wrong. The book is a trident true that’s never failed me before.”

“We’ll see about that.”

Pharoah reached for Bloody Bug, but she jumped back. She hurled the book at his head that staggered him. Chat Noir jumped in and knocked Pharoah off his feet temporarily. Pharoah got back to his feet as a massive spinning top slammed into him. Bomb Bee and a cerise tiger heroine stood atop the spinning toy.

Chat Noir’s jaw dropped, and eyes widened seeing the tiger girl. He was captivated by her simple, yet beautiful tiger-themed suit that was cerise, the perfect blend of red and pink, of femininity and aggression, accented elegantly with bronze stripes. Her deep magenta hair was pulled back into a pair of high pigtails that whipped wildly in the wind. All that paled in comparison to her savage, orange tiger eyes that shone with a wild delight.

“Cowabunga, my dudes!”

Chat Noir snapped out of his trace as a guy in a turtle themed superhero suit shield surfed past him, pulled along by Bomb Bee. He tilted his head at the nagging familiarity of the turtle hero’s voice.

“Curse you, Bloody Bug! Too cowardly to face me alone?” Pharoah roared.

“Aww, is the cowardly lion too scared to face us?” Bomb Bee mocked.

“Excuse me?”

“C’mon, meow meow. Let’s see how those tiny claws compare to a real wildcat.”

Bomb Bee gestured to the tiger hero, who stood ready to fight. Pharoah shook his head and went for Bloody Bug, but the turtle hero cut him off as Pharoah’s attack bounced off the turtle shield.

“I don’t think so, my dude. You want Bloody Bug, you’ll need to defeat me. Before you defeat me, you’ll need to beat them.”

Pharoah roared and reared his arm back for another attack.

“Shelter!”

A dome-like turtle shield covered the turtle hero, Bloody Bug, and Chat Noir. Pharoah pounded on the barrier, but it wouldn’t relent.

“Anyway, will he does that, name’s Carapace, dude Noir.”

“You… seem familiar. Have we met?”

“Can’t say we have. If we have, hit me up. I wouldn’t mind this hero gig again.”

Chat Noir hummed as he looked back at the tiger hero. Pharoah finally turned away from them back to Bomb Bee and the tiger.

“Fine. I’ll squish you two first.”

“Let’s test the strength of your claws, kitten. Clout!” the tiger exclaimed.

Chat Noir watched as the tiger and Pharoah’s fists connected that sent shockwaves out that ripped apart the street. They stood even for a brief second before the tiger pushed back against Pharoah. He struggled to fight against her when Bomb Bee snuck around and used Venom to paralyze him.

Carapace dropped the shield, allowing Bloody Bug to take the necklace and break it. The Akuma flew up from the broken pendant. She caught and purified it, then grabbed her book and threw it up.

“Miraculous!”

The book burst into a swarm of ladybugs that repaired the damage done while Pharoah reverted to Jalil.

“What happened? Where am I?” Jalil asked.

“You were akumatized. I had destroyed the Tutankhamun exhibit and painted a target on myself. Now, any reason you went into that exhibit?” Bloody Bug asked.

“I… wanted to used Tutankhamun’s scepter to perform a ritual. I hoped to prove one of my theories true, but also protect my little sister.”

“Little sister?” the tiger asked.

“Yeah. She had a foul run-in with that awful Chloe Bourgeois and was nearly consumed by her rage. It sent her spiraling and I just… I wanted to keep her from that happening. She was so scared of it and I hated seeing her so broken down. I felt like I couldn’t do anything when I should be able to. I’m her older brother, and I can’t do anything to help her. What good am I to her?”

Bomb Bee started towards Jalil when Bloody Bug knelt.

“Your sister sounds like a hard case to crack, which I can relate to. It’s not easy going through life with those challenges. She’s going to have her highs and lows as we all do, but the biggest thing you can do is just be there for her. As long as you do that, you’re doing great.”

Jalil’s eyes widened as Bloody Bug saw a flash of recognition. He reached out and pulled her into his arms. “Thank you! Thank you so much! I promise I’ll be there, always!”

Bloody Bug chuckled nervously. She patted Jalil’s head, then pushed him away as her earrings chirped.

“Bug, you’re about to change back,” Chat Noir said.

“Fuck. Cat, get this man back to his home. Carapace, Bomb Bee, and Lady Tigress, move it.”

Chat Noir watched the four of them all head in different directions. He watched the tiger, Lady Tigress, vanish before he scooped up Jalil.

“Where am I taking you?” Chat Noir asked.

“Uh, the Louvre.”

“Right-o! I’ll have you there faster than you can say ‘meow.’”

Alix returned home after she gave the miraculous jewels back to Wang Fu. She managed to swing by roller derby, but she had missed practice. Her coach would have laid into her, but she explained Jalil was akumatized and she didn’t want to put the team at risk, which shut her coach up. She had checked her phone periodically on her way home to see Chat Noir had eagerly messaged her, asking about Lady Tigress. She had put her phone on silent as she ignored him, not wanting to indulge his curosity.

Alix headed for the stairs when Alim called to her. She turned as he grabbed her shoulders and looked her over.

“Are you ok? Are you hurt? Any injuries, bruises, or anything?” Alim asked.

“I’m fine. It was just practice, Dad. We don’t actually hurt each other until match time.”

“You’re talking about… derby? No, Alix, not that. I’m talking about your fight with Pharoah. You’re not hurt, are you? I saw the impact and the overall destruction of the exhibit, but-.”

“Wait, Dad, you aren’t saying I’m Bloody Bug, are you?”

“Alix, you can’t fool me. Well, maybe. I didn’t recognize you immediately. It was like I saw you, but it wasn’t you. It was… such a strange feeling not being able to recognize you from your face. As your father, I should, but I couldn’t. I likely wouldn’t have until you spoke. I didn’t place the voice immediately, but I know your tone and speech patterns. They’re just like your mother’s.”

“Yeah, you can’t hide the truth from us, Alix!” Jalil yelled.

Alix glanced over as Jalil ran down the stairs and joined the conversation.

“I heard it too. It was harder for me to place, but I caught on once I recognized where I’ve heard such a tone before.”

“Ah, fuck it. Fine, yes. I’m Bloody Bug,” Alix admitted.

Jalil gasped. “We knew it! How do you do it? Did you gain them from some ancient ritual or a blessing from an old god?”

Alix rolled her eyes and took off her cap. Jalil and Alim looked at Tikki, who was curled up taking a nap.

“Interesting. Looks like Jalil’s theory of magic creatures might have some weight after all,” Alim mumbled.

“Does that mean you’ll-,” Jalil started.

“Absolutely not. Jalil, we have to keep this secret. That means no interrogating whatever this creature is or revealing any information regarding Alix’s superhero identity.”

“So, wait, you’re not mad? And you’re not going to tell me to stop?”

Alim sighed. “I would like to, but I know you. You listen when you want to but have developed a habit of disregarding the rules. Not all, but a lot of them. I know if I told you to stop, you’d just keep doing this. It’s how you are and how your mother was. You both are the types to learn by doing. It won’t matter how much I warn you otherwise, you’ll still do it to find out for yourself.”

“That’s not always true. I listen to you sometimes.”

“Yes, but would you listen to me on this?”

“Probably not.”

“Exactly. I don’t necessarily like it, but I can’t stop you. I want to keep you safe, but I can’t always. You’re in those stages where you are becoming your own person. As much as I’d rather shelter you, I know she wouldn’t want that. She’d have encouraged and supported you, so that’s what I’ll do. For you and for her.”

Alix took a shaky breath. “I appreciate it, but you don’t have to do everything for her if you don’t want to.”

Alim chuckled as a tear fell. “Well, maybe not, but it’s how I can honor her memory and wishes. To see you both happy and strong, just like she will have always wanted. For you both to live a life where you could be yourself. If being Bloody Bug is part of that for you, I will support it and you.”

Tears fell from Alix’s eyes as she hugged Alim. “Thank you.”

Tikki yawned and sat up. “What’s going on?”

“Ah, she’s awake. Greetings, little creature. It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Alim said.

Tikki blinked. “Uh, Alix?”

“They know. My voice gave it away,” Alix said.

“Oh. Yeah, the glamor isn’t the best in this age, but we’re also not designed for this kind of environment. So, yeah,” Tikki remarked.

“What’s the glamor do?” Jalil asked.

“It masks our holder’s identity. The appearance is the big one, except it can’t mask the immutable like body mass and height. It can also hide the voice, but not necessarily the tone and speech. Which, I guess that’s how you figured it out, Mr. Kubdel?” Tikki asked.

“Yes, but please, call me Alim.”

“Well met, Alim. My name’s Tikki.”

“Likewise, Tikki. Are you by chance hungry? Is that something you can do?” Alim asked.

“She can and probably is. I didn’t have any extra snacks packed, so, yeah.”

“Not to worry. I’ll help you with that. What do you eat, Tikki?”

“Sugar. Preferably sweets.”

“Well, that would explain the boxes I’ve been seeing from that one bakery run by Tom and Sabine.”

“Yeah, I’ve been treating Tikki a little more. Plus, I had received a free box of macaroons from Tom last week for when Cat and I kept Marinette safe from Evillustrator.”

“Treating me or yourself?” Tikki grumbled.

“Hey! I get hungry too and they do have the best pastries in all of Paris. So, I’m allowed to indulge too,” Alix remarked.

Alim chuckled. “Alright, you two. I can swing by and get some pastries for Tikki. Let you use your money on other things, Alix. Just make sure you’re still careful out there, ok?”

“Always. Thank you, Dad.”

Alim smiled and hugged Alix. “Always, Alix. I love you.”

“I love you too, Dad.”

25 notes · View notes

skitskatdacat63 · 4 months ago

Note

2, 3, 4, 9 and 18 for the ask game!! (sorry i'm nosy feel free to ignore some of them)

No no thank you, I appreciate it 🤭🤭 (random ask game !!)

2. your regular café order

Hmmmm, man, I love croissants so much.....it's such a shame they're so overpriced where I live. I miss eating one every day sigh. Otherwise I usually like an iced mocha! I prefer to drink cold drinks away from home, and mochas are probably the best coffee drink since you don't need to fiddle with the milk/sugar

3. the food you like to eat when you get a cold

Funny you ask this when I literally still have a cold rn lol! I don't really get sick these days, so I honestly can't think of anything in particular?? But as a child, I always had ginger ale with saltines or toast. Now I just suffer and drink coffee as always haha

4. your favourite song to hear randomly play in a store

It always kinda tickles me I guess when I hear a Glass Animals song from their first two albums in a store, cause I feel like it was their 3rd album, which I don't really like, that got them mainstream attention. So hearing the first two albums, knowing they still get enough attention, makes me happy. I also always think about my mom being like, "omg they were playing your song in the store!!!" me: which one?? my dad: the peanut butter one!!!!(Gooey on Zaba)

9. ao3 text that you keep under your pillow<3

MAN. SO MANY. But there's this one fic I think about literally all the time of my otp, called "The Man on the Train." I go back and read it all the time. It's a pretty basic meet-cute but it really stuck with me, I'm so fond of the concept, them meeting on the train and gradually getting closer and closer, despite never even talking until way later. I love that kind of outside perspective, where all the information is gradually revealed, and your perception is tied to what the narrator of the story's perception is, because you're learning about the love interest at the same exact time(since its an AU too.)

18. what makes you feel jolly

Nothing right now- Hmmmm even though I have turned into more of a cave dweller(read: shut-in) the older I've gotten, nature still really makes me happy(if I'm understanding this question correctly, I can't tell if its jolly in a general sense or jolly as in holiday cheer LOL) Just seeing the sky and clouds and plants always makes me happy, I like finding beauty in the mundane(see: my 5 billion pictures in my gallery of the sky.) Having a good conversation or making someone laugh is also pretty jolly :)

#ty for the ask!!!!!!#hope these make sense im kinda braindead lately icl #catie.asks.

6 notes · View notes

whatyourusherthinks · 6 months ago

Text

We Live In Time Review

I didn't know much about this movie. It's one of those come out of nowhere movies, which, can I say, I'm starting to get a little annoyed by. I thought I was gonna have my week set by watching Venom: The Last Dance early, but no, I gotta struggle to find time to watch this thing that A24 threw out! The fact that it was A24 didn't help things, but apparently it was only distributed by them. One of the producers is Film4, which is a production studio tied to Channel 4. Channel 4 is a British television channel that isn't BBC so you've never heard of it. But I like the Big Fat Quiz and Countdown, and they have Richard Ayoade and Noel Fielding on their shows a lot and I love those two. The other thing I heard about We Live In Time is that it is sad, which, honestly, I was hoping it was! Bathos and action can only go so far, and sometimes it's healthy to be miserable for sometime. That's why I listen to Frightened Rabbit.

What's The Movie About?

Tobias and Almut (Andrew Garfield and Florence Pugh respectively) are in love and need to deal with a lot of struggles, such as Tobias wanting kids, or Almut wanting to compete in a cooking tournament instead of getting chemotherapy for her cancer.

What I Like.

This movie made me cry. Yes, I wept at this film readers (or, at least my eyes were moist for most of the run time) and I am not ashamed to tell you that. We Live In Time is very direct about the final fate of the couple, and because of that every happy moment they share is heartwarming, every argument they have is meaningful, and every sad moment inches the Sword of Damocles closer to impaling me right through the heart. I love the characters. Tobias is a massive nerd who has a hard time speaking his mind, yet is amazing with kids and shockingly romantic. I like that Almut is incredibly driven to for what she wants even to the point of self-destruction, but isn't entirely stubborn and will to compromise with Tobias. The situations in the movie are so adult and realistic. A big conflict in the early parts of their relationship is Tobias wanting kids and Almut not, and the scene where they finally confront each other about it is my favorite in the whole movie. I love that they are forward about their desires, they treat each other like adults, and yet they can be unreasonable in their response to each other! The acting is spectacular. I'm already a pretty big fan of Andrew Garfield, and Florence Pugh was quite excellent as well. And the movie is pretty funny. It's bit of dark, dry British humor, which is all fine by me, I love that stuff. I knew it was when one of the first conversations in the movie is about getting an old dog who's going to die before Almut to help prepare their daughter for her death I was gonna be chortling a lot. We Live In Time is definitely a Studio4 movie than an A24 one.

What I Didn't Like.

The story being told out of order is questionably necessary. It's not confusing per say, and in the end I came out positive on the whole thing. But a small niggle in the back of my head is making me wonder it is would just be better if the story was told in order. Like, was the reason it was told out of order just to be artsy? That's kinda obnoxious. Admittedly this structure does aid telling the audience about what's going to happen at the very end so we can get all the delicious pathos from the happier moments of the story, but a flashback structure would do the same thing. The reason I'm coming away positive is that it blends emotional moments of the character's lives in a very pleasing way, and climaxes in a way that it couldn't if it was told linearly. But that's just one of my two bothers hanging off of my experience with this truly excellent film. The other one, and this is EXTREMELY petty, is that the title sucks. Like, I get what they were going for, and it's not strictly incongruous with what the story is about. But it's so forgettable. I keep wanting to tell people about this movie in my day-to-day but I have to keep referring to it as "That sad romance movie with Andrew Garfield and Florence Pugh. Time something. Time Is Gone or something like that." Which is frustrating.

Final Summation.

I fucking love We Live In Time. (Yes, I had to scroll up to doublecheck.) It hit me it exactly the right spot, at exactly the right time. This movie is definitely worth checking out, even if you are a little skeptical. Just bring something to dry your eyes.

#We Live In Time #Recommended Movies

5 notes · View notes

miabbh · 3 months ago

Note

hi mia! do you think baekhyun is really a manipulator? i read somebody writing an “essay” abt his real personality, and idk whether i should agree or not >.< i mean ,have you ever felt manipulated by him? (im asking you bc you’re closer to him in some ways)

anonie, hello!!!

i don't know exactly what you're talking about, nor even found that "essey" and maybe you're asking as a joke and i'm overthinking cus my sense of irony is broken and i wanna cry

that manipulator part—is it towards everyone as part of his personality; or is it towards his audience (us); or is it... i don't know... how's his real personality? very different from what we see, from the idea we have of him from all the content and replies and all?

this way, it's quite hard for me to give you a good opinion as i can't quite comment on what you read and made you this undecided.

although, imma make my own "essay"!!!!

first thing first: no, i do not think he is a manipulator. and honestly, i can't quite see from what from part of his real personality it is possible to get that conclusion.

i was in the kpop world for soooooo long before actually start enjoying EXO and baekhyun. i don't quite remember the time, really, nor the circumstances around it, but i do remember thinking for the first time i saw him "i wish i get to my twenties so confident of myself as him".

baekhyun knows what he wants—he's successful because he has goals and works hard to achive them and because he believes he can achive them. and also, he always said—out loud, all the words, very slowly for everyone to understand—what he wants.

being a manipulator understands that the person, through the weaknesses of the one being manipulated, uses those same weaknesses to harm in any way in order to achive what that person wants. this goes for all the manipulation types—somehow mess with empathy.

i personally never noticed a time when baekhyun tried to mess with our empathy in a serious way, besides those jokes in which he exaggerates some pain just to "see us worried about him because it's cute". all i've seen until now is a man that owns his words and actions, if he makes mistakes he takes responsability and apologizes without excuses to make him look nice for the picture.

i don't know how long ago that essay you talk about, anonie, was written, but if it also mentions anything from last year situation in macau or something similar that happened before, i kinda get the point. and why? lemme explain:

baekhyun is (almost) everyone's sweetheart cus he's funny and silly and has that chaotic and lively energy that just melts everyone's hearts. he's like a puppy, for real (and i'm a cat person 101%). besides that, he's such a great professional! he owns the stage, he owns the screen, the own the audience everytime he needs too. that gives him a kind of a...... too naive image, at first. like he doesn't know what he's doing but it works so he keeps going cus people like him that way (?)

that's why i think he can >be seen< as persuasive (manipulator is actually too strong a term to apply to someone like him) "oh no, he made a mistake😱😱!!! oh and now he's silent and quiet, there is no rain of messages on Bubble like before 🥹🥹 oh man come back we miss you! we still love you come back!!" as if it was a way of making people forget about the situation and move on out of affection.

spare me of that.

i do trust his silence as much as his words.

no one can see in a sandstorm. we need to wait for it to calm down to see—or to hear, in this case. it doesn't mean that the storm was forgotten—surely there's sand everywhere—but now everyone can see clearly and you can choose what path to go on your own.

last year, during all the vaping situation, baekhyun only showed up after weeks!! away for the fansigns. what he did: he apologized, publicly and in front of all eris in the room, for his actions—never defending himself, but apolagizing!

he's a manly man—honest, serious when he has to be, responsible, mature, confident, hardworking, kind, sensible.

sad and the real thing here is that nowadays it's not seem as the bare minimum. and then, when people do the right thing, it looks like they're being just so honest and vulnerable and !!!!!!it messes up with empathy!!!!!!! making people possibly see it as a manipulation.

i don't even see baekhyun as persuasive, really. it is only natural for human beings to follow someone we admire, and it is not necessary for that person to even say it, or try to buy us through emotions and acts to follow their lead. you just do because that same person makes you feel safe and confident and you just do—some more aware than others (reads: more in ✨delulu✨ than others, but it's everyone's own business).

from the beginning, baekhyun wins over everyone with his charisma, talent, hard work and strong mindset. nothing changed.

and i really really really really don't see him as a manipulator

now that part of "have you ever felt manipulated by him?(i'm asking because you're closer to him in some ways)" really got me anonie cus how much do you know 🧐🧐??? or was it all a joke and i really still wrote this all anyway cus i just love speaking my opinion on things??? what do you mean??????? pls come back to my inbox and explain to meeeeeeeeeeee

anyway

anonie, i never did. my admiration for baekhyun is for all the person he is—and still i point his faults, i don't try all the ways to consider him innocent for his mistakes, and honestly i even get kinda mad at him from long time to looooong time cus i need to process things too

something silly but that i've been thinking quite a lot, but never found a good moment to say it

⚠️cw: religion | you can skip to final notes in blue

i attend to a roman catholic christian mass every week. it's not my faith anymore, i don't pray nor participate actively on it; i just watch, listen, disassociate and take some notes to take to life. given the time in the religious calendar, lately there is a lot of talk about jesus christ and how everyone that followed him was just... happy. this is the speech "christians are happy because they welcome the son of god, because they welcomed jesus into their heart"

at first it didn't make any sense to me—with all due respect, i admire jesus as a great person who walked this earth, but i couldn't understand how it was possible for him to be a source of such joy. as a good overthinker, i looked for a metaphorical meaning and almost cried cus i really wanted to understand how people could say that so frankly and so deep in emotion

and then, it clicked. i feel something like what they're all talking about—that happiness and love without even ever see each other, touch, hear, smeel, feel, sense at all meanings. for baekhyun.

talking of him sometimes makes me want to cry. i mean, how the shi am i, a 20yo girl that had a miserable grade on an exam that defined her life for a year, gave up on college and is still trying to not freak out in this mad world, cry over a man that is on the other side of the world?? like- hello?!!

and still i cry everytime without any shame cus the way bbh made me feel loved and appreciated and made me act up for my dreams is so revolutionary in my life that i am so grateful to that friday january 19th 2024 for bringing him back into my life through the random and stupid tiktok video of "YA! BAEKHYUN!"

it was gradual, thought. to the point only one year after i realized this. i lost the vision i had of him when i was 13~14 years old, to see that same him with more mature gaze, realizing that it's okay not to agree with everything, that i can leave the live if i feel like it and that's okay because we still love each other.

growing up also helped me realize his honesty that he's not afraid to show, especially now. and guys, we even know the silly shit the says when he needs to excuse to use the toilet!

final notes

please anonie send me the post if you can, i want to read it too!! sorry for the long post 😅 got a bit to excited....

so, from my side the answer is no. though, i really think this is a personal thing you could think about and try to understand why you're so in doubt, like what's making you itch. feel free the talk to me too, i love discussing things!

he knows when to be silly, and he knows when to be serious; when to be on the spot light and when to step back; he takes responsability for his mistakes and makes of us almost personally be a part of his life. i never met someone like him, let alone an idol.

#anonie #sorry for such a long post and if it was a joke sorry for not getting it 😭#mia's purrs

1 note · View note

notmeobsessedw60y-o-rockstars · 5 months ago

Note

Sorry I didn't touch base yesterday. Fridays are busy.

That's actually fun that you make an Easter treat at Christmas though. Mix things up. Keeps life interesting. I will certainly look for them. I'm not a baker at all but I love eating desserts lol.

I watch a lot of live things too online. There are a couple of Temple things on YouTube from when they toured in 2016 and I watch them quite often. I'm so glad Jeff & Mike & Stone got to do that with Chris considering what was to come. You can tell how much those guys all loved and respected each other and I think that's why I love that record so much. It was made for a sad reason but it must have been quite cathartic. What's your fav Temple song? I love you Angel of Fire. It's so beautiful. Audioslave is great too. You could tell Chris was having fun and just wanted to be creative with different people.

Snow is not my favorite thing no lol. I mean it's pretty at times and where I live genuinely looks like a Christmas card for months but it's horrible for driving in and I get nervous. Though I do enjoy snow shoeing with my bff when the snow is down and it's safe to do so.

Oh my! Yes Fourth of July is amazing! I can only imagine how intense that song was to see live. As for my fav?! That's a hard one. That's a 3 way tie between 4th/Spoonman/Fell on Black Days. But there's not a bad song on the album truthfully.

I could definitely recommend some PJ songs. Some of my favs in their lesser known catalogue would be.. Fatal; Alone; Hard to Imagine; Wash; Footsteps. That's just to name a few lol. Funny story about Footsteps (that you may know as a Chris fan) but it's the same music as Times of Trouble. Chris and Eddie both took Stones music and wrote 2 different but both fantastic songs. I love that. Of the two Footsteps is my fav.

Oh I don't think I've heard that Christmas song? I'll have to check it out. There's so many good ones. It's a tradition in my family to listen to the Boney M Christmas album. It's so good and always puts me in the spirit. I like the classics. Little Drummer Boy. I adore the version that Bing Crosby and David Bowie have that combines LDB and Peace on Earth. It's so beautiful. One of my non fav non traditional Christmas songs that most probably don't think of as a Christmas song is Fairytale of New York by the Pogues.

You said you'd like to have snow. Why is that? What activities would you like to do snow wise?

its alright, I was pretty busy too 😭

Omg yes angel of fire is so pretty! But I've gotta say that Say Hello 2 Heaven (though maybe kinda "basic" 😭) has to be my favorite. That song is the kind of song that just feels like an album closer even if it's not, like the adults are talking by the strokes and tighter & tighter by sg. Do you have any songs you feel are like album closers/openers? Honestly I like thinking about how I'd order an album differently from how it actually is.

What're your favorite live shows? Mine have got to be Ratm at Pinkpop '93, which is the most well known one but it's just legitimately SO GOOD. Like FISTFUL OF STEEL IN THAT SHOW is probably my favorite performance of any song ever :0. And my other fav is probably Sg live 1989 at Rhino records, because I find it to be a really good unfiltered look at the band in their earlier years.

I'll have to listen to those PJ songs sometime! Actually I didn't know that about Footsteps but by listening to the first bit I could tell. That's actually pretty interesting!

I'd like to have snow mostly because I don't even really remember what it's like to play in thick snow 😭 I'd just like to do those typical snow activities that I've never done since toddlerhood, like snow angels, sledding, maybe even snowball fights. I guess it's a way to connect with where I came from. Maybe if where I lived did get more snow I'd dislike it too lol

#srs24

0 notes

ihavenotsleptindays · 2 months ago

Text

You know, I have a lot of thoughts about the newest book and the series as a whole, so I'll add onto this with my own thoughts and headcanons.

Spoilers for all of Dungeon Crawler Carl:

I find it kinda funny that some people didn't like how much it moved away from the game aspects because I found it great. In the universe, they are going into literal war. A game has been made reality for all who used the area has a playing ground for the longest time. And story wise, it's the characters breaking points for most of them. It's pushing just how far certain people are willing to go and how there are certain lines carl won't cross. It's his and many other characters' final breaking point. Game aspects would only muddle that.

I also find it fucking hilarious at the idea of deux-ex-ai. Because the AI is a little shit that while he enjoys having Carl around. Is just as invested in watching him die. Sure, there are occasional cop-outs like that thing with the Nagas but that's more on the author. The AI has been consistent on the fact that it's murderous, and mostly there for entertainment. It is having fun with this and really only cares about what is interesting. Which is why it allowed Agatha to do what she did. The author showed his hand a bit too much with that one but the AI is definitely consistent.

Bea and Carl, oh God those two. So this is going into more headcanon territory and both why those two stayed with one another and his mindset at a whole. So we all know Bea is kinda... uh... a bitch would put it nicely. He often has moments of surprise learning what she did before realizing it's completely in character for her. So I am gonna say that those two had a mutually toxic relationship at best, with the possibility of it leaning more in the abusive from Bea. I have this idea mainly from small things. The comments made about the amount of money she makes from cat shows, how she has an entire room for Donuts trophies, she had gotten Carl's coworker fired, she picked fights with him often and kept his stepmother from him. It definitely seemed like she tried to keep control from the apartment, to the money, to who he was talking to soooooo...

Now that's just Bea, why Carl stayed? So this is kinda a theory about Carl in general. I think for one, the river he talked about is his mental health issues. We know what happened with his mother, and I'm pretty sure his Dad also has issues so I kinda thing that river is inherited issues bubbling to the surface. Now, why did Carl stay with her when he didn't care? Probably just to feel normal? He definitely feels like he tried to find something in his life. It wasn't Bea, he didn't really care or maybe he did but shoved the feeling down. He probably stayed with her in order to have a sense of normal? Keep a normal job, get a girlfriend, move on with your life like you should. I think this mainly due to the one relationship he had before the collapse that he did care about, Donuts. Did it get closer after the collapse. Yes. However, he did care about her. Enough to look for apartments that allowed cats and attempt to catnap her. Why? Because you don't need to pretend to be normal with a cat.

I really hope Matt sticks the landing near the end with this one because it's so fucking good. Especially the newest chapter, everyone is so fucked.

I have been afflicted with a terrible curse: tearing through a book series, and upon finishing, seeking out the fandom only to find that most of that fandom appears to be reading an entirely different series than I am, lol. I brought this on myself, to be clear. I think a big part of the mismatch is that it's a genre I'm not that familiar with and that I don't care about/for in and of itself, so I'm coming at it from a different perspective. Also, maybe I'm reading into things too much! But what can I say, a girl needs enrichment in her enclosure, and there's enough meat on this bone that I will be occupied for a while.

All of which is to say, I read through all seven books of the Dungeon Crawler Carl series that are out to date (thanks, free Kindle Unlimited subscription!), and now I have a lot of thoughts and no one who cares about them ;____; I played myself ;_______;

This series is such a hard sell in general, because on the surface it looks like male power fantasy garbage, it's litRPG, and there's a decent amount of mildly obnoxious dude humor at first. But a) it's only slightly male power fantasy garbage, b) it's not tedious litRPG and in fact the genre evolves and shifts into more straightforward SFF the further in you get, which is clever on a meta level and also a relief, c) to the extent it is litRPG, it mostly isn't boring and annoying about it (no stat nonsense for the sake of stat nonsense), d) the mildly obnoxious dude humor is often genuinely funny and to the extent it is obnoxious, there's some in-universe reasoning for that.

Anyway, the premise is as follows: Earth is suddenly and devastatingly mined for its natural resources by aliens. This results in the death of billions: everyone who was indoors is instantly killed. Anyone who was outside gets a chance to enter the "dungeon", which offers a chance for the remaining humans to compete for an alleged chance at freedom and sovereignty if they reach the bottom floor, but it's basically The Hunger Games: a propaganda exercise that's meant to earn money for the aliens running it as a game show, only this is a dungeon crawling RPG rather than a Hunger Games/Battle Royale situation. No one has ever reached the bottom floor. The best result most achieve is to reach the tenth floor, where they can take a deal for some variety of indentured servitude.

Enter Carl, our hero, a former (late 20s? early 30s? don't recall his age, but somewhere around there) Coast Guard technician who is outside when it all happens because he chased after his ex-girlfriend's cat, Princess Donut, a best in show tortie Persian cat. Carl and Donut enter the dungeon, Donut eats a magic treat and becomes a sapient talking cat, and the books follow their struggle to survive and fight back against the cruel and inhuman system they've found themselves in.

Tonally, the series is interesting in that it manages to balance a very bleak, dystopian premise with genuine hilarity and moments of legitimately heart-wrenching emotion. Also, this is not a "lone heroic super cool guy saves and fixes everything" kind of story. This series is interested in teamwork and community in dire circumstances, and the found family of it all is genuinely moving. As a whole, it's just bonkers entertaining. I love when I can tell the author is having a blast, and you can absolutely tell that Matt Dinniman is having an absolute blast.

Anyway, a list of things I enjoy about this series and/or a list of general thoughts, some of which include mild spoilers:

PRINCESS DONUT. i love her. this cat is amazing and hilarious. She's exactly like you'd imagine a prize-winning Persian cat named Princess Donut to be. also, to my delight, she gets to be a fully rounded character. like yes, she's hilarious and often comic relief, but she's also taken seriously, and Carl is absolutely Insane about this cat. He fuckin' loves this cat, and the cat loves him. Also, hilariously, she has higher stats than Carl at the beginning. (In fact, she mostly has higher stats than him throughout, so she's technically the party leader. Which is why their party is called the Royal Court of Princess Donut.)

Donut has A+++++ insulting skills. On multiple occasions, I have lol'd in horror and delight at her savagery. A favorite:

Rezan: Why does that cat always type in all caps?

Donut: WHY DIDN’T YOUR MOTHER DRIBBLE YOU BACK OUT ONTO THE TRUCK STOP BATHROOM FLOOR, REZAN?

lest this give you the wrong impression, Donut is a classy lady. She is a princess, after all. but also she is savage.

Carl! The books are mostly in first person POV, so we're in Carl's head for most of them, and he is a great example of an unreliable narrator. He'll seem fairly generic at first, but stick it out through, like, the first third of the first book and onward for the slow and steady reveal of his Tragic Backstory and also such exciting psychological and emotional issues as: Insane about Donut; claims he "doesn't like drama" while in actuality he is clearly Repressing Everything; secretly an idealist who wants to believe the best of people; deeply committed to protecting people; full of revolutionary, anti-capitalist, anti-authoritarian rage; holy abandonment issues batman; simply Does Not See It when various ladies basically throw themselves at him; generally Barely Holding It Together at all times.

people on reddit, mostly: Carl's stats!! blah blah blah power stuff. me: okay, but why is Carl Like This. let's deep discuss that. Also let Carl have a little breakdown. As a treat.

these books are so wildly, delightfully anti-capitalist, lol. I poked around Reddit and tumblr a bit, but didn't see anyone discussing this series' politics, but that aspect is super interesting to me. The series is very, very concerned with revolution and resistance and the form those things take when very few options are available to the oppressed, plus the ethics of revolutionary violence.

The dungeon AI! This thing is Way Too Online in a gross dudebro way, but frankly, it's still funny with it, and the evolution of the AI's character is fascinating. Also, I regret to inform you that I do find it extremely fucking funny that the AI has a thing for Carl and his feet. This is wholly hypocritical of me: if Carl was Carla, and the AI made the same comments, I'd have bounced. But what can I say, comedy is about subversion, I guess.

PREPOTENTE. MY PRECIOUS WEIRDO GOATMAN CHILD. Prepotente was a goat; upon entry into the dungeon and eating a magic pet treat, he becomes a goat man type thing, and he spends much of the series as one of the most dangerous and skilled dungeon crawlers, along with his "mother", the shepherdess Miriam Dom. he's a total fuckin weirdo who screams a lot for no reason and i love him. he better fucking survive the series, i swear to god.

one running theme of the series that I love so much is that Carl does not give up on people, and he does not write them off. He often runs into fellow crawlers who, if he was being bloodlessly practical about things, he should have bailed on. They're people who aren't prepared, who haven't leveled up enough, who aren't likely to survive much longer. But he doesn't abandon them, and he doesn't assume they can't get better. He sticks with them and helps them, and they help him. It's about found family ;____; they all love each other so much ;______;

MORDECAI!!! he's a changeling skyfowl and the team's game guide and later manager, and is a former crawler who took a deal. This is supposed to be his last season in the crawl, before he's free of his indentured servitude. he is Dad Shaped. automatic dad. there is in fact something quietly devastating about his Dad Shapedness.

There's a whole super interesting thing going on with the dungeon NPCs, and how we start out assuming most of them aren't "real". unsurprising spoiler alert: they may have been created by/for the dungeon, but many of them are very much real, and once they realize the position they've been put into, they're pissed.

i truly have no real idea where the series is going with its running theme about parents and children, and the protection or lack thereof of children. Our most heroic characters are consistently shown protecting and caring for the NPC children, even when it's at great cost to themselves.

everything to do with the Dungeon Anarchist's Cookbook, the secret book with writing from prior crawlers that Carl is given, makes me Emotional. I'm honestly shocked the whole Cookbook was never planned, and that it was a result of Patreon votes. It's hugely important in the seventh book, not so much on a plot level--I can see how Dinniman could have gotten to some of these same plot beats without it--but on an emotional and thematic one. There's something so affecting here about the continuity of resistance, of finding hope and strength in the people who came before you, of planting seeds you water with blood and that you may never get to harvest, and the sheer, furious love of the whole thing.

so apparently Dinniman is a pantser when it comes to writing. Clearly, he's having fun, and it's more or less working out so far, but it does make me concerned about his ability to stick the dismount. I saw in an AMA that he likened it to building a spaceship with legos versus building it with a plan, and that he has fun writing himself out of corners. That's all well and good, but some of the things I'm most interested in this series are the overarching themes, and it makes me wary of those themes not getting a proper payoff. I guess I should just enjoy the ride, and accept that there will almost certainly be many loose ends.

On a meta level, I find it very funny and ironic that when I took a look at the reviews for the seventh book, I saw some people complaining about the absence of the more "entertainment" and "game" aspects of the series: no interviews with the outside, no "character sheets" for Carl, fewer big fights for Carl himself to take on, the AI taking on a more active 'deus-ex AI' role. Because in-universe, the dungeon crawl is no longer entertainment. At this point, the crawl has become an actual war, and the game genre it takes on--4x strategy--reflects that. Carl and the crawlers' choices have increasing ramifications outside the crawl, where actual war is breaking out at least in part as a result of their actions. The AI intervening more and more often to put its finger on the scale is part of the conflict; it's fighting this war as much as the other characters are, if with still inscrutable motivations.

This is in fact one of the central conflicts of the series: to what extent is this still a game? Has it ever only been a game? The crawlers and NPCs are in fact fighting for it to not be a game: they're saying "my life is real, my suffering is real, and if you won't acknowledge that, then you're coming in here with us to fight and die too. Not just a game anymore, is it?" And on another side of the conflict, you have the AI insisting that this stay a game, something with rules and a narrative and at least an attempt at fairness, however much the AI manipulates those things.

It seems like there's something of a genre shift going on with this series. As a reader who's not particularly interested in or invested in litRPG in and of itself, I'm fine with it shifting to being more straightforwardly SFF, and in fact, I think that's an interesting and fun choice on a meta level: the more the crawlers and the AI break and change the game, the more the genre of the series itself shifts.

#dungeon crawler carl #holy fuck I love this book #book 7 is so fucking insane #read it #dungeon crawler carl spoilers book 1-7

368 notes · View notes