#it feels so fucked up. why are you more compelled to be rude to me because i'm wearinf glasses. bitch i am nearsighted

[narcopathyfiles]

it's honestly so bad for my Sanity though because it affects the way people interact with me so hard and i'm already like. Medically crazy about it

[sabertoothwalrus]

I’ve seen you post some labru stuff and I’m curious what your thoughts on it are. personally I don’t see it? I can buy Kabru having feelings for Laios, but I think Laios wouldn’t be interested in Kabru, so it makes me wonder why so many people ship them. (Tbh I feel like Kabru has more chemistry with Mithrun anyway)

Sorry if this ask sounds rude, I just genuinely don’t understand the appeal of the ship, but I want to understand and I trust your analysis of characters very much :] maybe there’s something I’m missing

I really like both ships, actually!

For labru, there’s sooooo much I could talk about. The inherent homoeroticism of being narrative foils. The inherent homoeroticism of being the king’s advisor. All of chapter 76. The fact that Kabru has mask upon mask upon mask, and Laios is the first person that made his facade absolutely crumble.

Kabru struggles with being genuine!!! Everything he says and does is so perfectly calculated, even when he sort of means it. But since Laios doesn’t get social cues, Kabru gets thrown for a loop.

I get so frustrated when people act like Kabru still hates Laios by the end of the manga!!!!! He killed those corpse retrievers for being corrupt, and yet he couldn’t bring himself to kill Laios. He has such a strong sense of justice, and knew that killing Laios would be a mistake. Because, after meeting him, he could tell he wasn’t actually evil. He’s strange, sure, but not evil.

Kabru DEFINITELY wants to be friends with Laios!! He was not lying about this!!!

But this last comic shows how much Laios wants to be friends with Kabru, too. He’s so nervous after calling Kabru his friend 😭 he doesn’t want to be presumptuous and fuck it up again.

Laios does show an interest in Kabru, at least when Laios thinks he’s interested in eating monsters too. Like,, what was up with THIS

Laios’s gaze is LINGERING. Plus, (this is before that bit at Thistle’s house when he forgets his name) he brings up Kabru when they first form their plan to eat Falin.

And maybe this is just because of my own personal experiences, but Laios reminds me a lot of my own girlfriend. I think they have a similar flavor of gay/aspec & autism combo where, had I not asked her out first, she probably never would have considered being interested in me. But she was very down when I did.

The tricky part about labru is more the political aspect. Regardless of whether you see Laios as aroace or not, he’s in a situation where he will probably get married. He had a fiancée before he was age 13, likely betrothed since he was a baby. He’s already comfortable with the idea of getting married because He’s Supposed To.

However, Laios is king, and could make gay marriage legal if he wanted to (He would probably do this for his sister and Marcille before considering it for himself ). But at the same time, I think Kabru would object to Laios making whatever policies he wants without considering the repercussions of how other kingdoms might react, especially when they’re just getting Melini off the ground and need lots of support from other countries. Laios and Kabru getting gay married anyway and dealing with the aftermath could make for a really compelling story.

I do think Kabru would be a good ruler. He’s already fit for it. He speaks a dozen languages, he knows people and their motivations, and likes politics. The manga already joked about Chilchuck’s daughters trying to marry a king, so it seems like noble blood isn’t too important, but Kabru’s foster family IS nobility. When it comes to heirs, I do like trans Kabru headcanons, but at the same time, I think it’d be cute if they adopt anyway. Kabru seems like he’d have strong feelings about adoption given,,, yknow.

The alternative version of labru to this is Laios gets straight married out of obligation, and Kabru is his mistress hdhdhshsj. I don’t know if I could see Laios doing that? or if Kabru would risk the scandal of being outed as Royal Advisor and Regent trying to seduce the king. It could go SO downhill. but maybe that would be fun.

NOW FOR KABUMISU.

I knew people shipped them, and I could see the basis for it while reading, but I wasn’t really sold on it until the very end. There’s something about “I had no desires left. I decided to create new desires, and one of them is you” that’s really charming.

There’s also something funny about “the demon ate my heterosexuality so I’m gay now”

I think it’s interesting that Kabru hates elves. He was raised by them, and he hates them. He hates feeling patronized by them. He made absolutely sure that elves wouldn’t take control over Melini, not just for his sake, but for Rin’s.

But Mithrun’s interactions with Kabru are founded on more mutual respect. Though, that’s not to say that Mithrun doesn’t still have his biases towards short lived races..

Where Laios doesn’t understand social cues, Mithrun does but just doesn’t care. For that reason, I think Kabru would enjoy spending time with Mithrun. It’d give him a break from his compulsion to calculate all of his social interactions. But at the same time, Kabru is the KING at bottling his emotions. Mithrun is blunt, but also doesn’t care enough to pry. If Kabru had anything bothering him, I could imagine him seeking Mithrun’s company to avoid thinking about it. Could make for a fun dynamic.

I do think it’s funny that Milsiril 1) took care of Mithrun for potentially 20 years and 2) is only four years older than him. I imagine this could lead to funny situations.

I don’t ship things for no reason! I think both of these could work platonically, romantically, one-sided, or even “requited but they don’t do anything about it.” Their relationships compel me and I think it’s sort of bad faith to brush off either like they’re nothing more than baseless yaoi pair-the-spares. To me, I see just as much of a foundation in the source material as farcille.

After all, dungeon meshi isn’t a story about romance, but it IS a story about love. It’s a story about life and death and grief and the love that comes with it. Regardless of shipping, these characters love each other!!! And I love talking about it!!

[davekat-sucks]

Okay! Hi! So I have something fun to say! I read the anon talking about Karkat being headcanoned as ace. It made me remember the person who runs this blog saying Dave is uncomfortable with sex. I have a narrative reason as to why Dave would be uncomfortable with sex. Two actually! I decided to reread a certain chapter and I realized something. It’s big! The biggest scoop this fandom has ever had!

I think you guys would love it! The fandom is going to have a rude awakening someday. You guys are going to be SO HAPPY! Let’s watch this thing burn down together and hold hands singing Kumbaya My Lord Kumbaya! Fuck I’ll bring stuff to make s’mores!

This me going off about the homestuck epilogue DaveKat scene again and there is some brutal topics covered in here, you’ve been warned. I imagine Dirk was in control of the some of the narrative when Karkat and Dave had sex. I think Dirk had a lot of control over what happened but not all of it. Free will is still a thing. Here is Dirk saying as much! He says he likes using persuasion!

Did you guys catch a certain part of this when reading it? The non stop animalistic fucking part I mean. That’s weird to say about your family. Moving on.

Dave and Karkat don’t really admit that they like each other romantically… seems like they don’t want to. Right that’s what the fandom must have picked up on. It’s hard for them to date because of the Ace/Aro thing. Or. They DONT. They don’t want to date. They never did. They’re forced to. In meat, it looks like Dirk just wants Dave to top this guy.

Here. Read what Karkat says.

Then Karkat says “I’m glad you’re my friend.” “I don’t have to wonder what is missing!” Karkat doesn’t have to wonder what is missing! We’ve got everything we need here! But wait! they’re not just friends! They are… best… friends? Karkat sounds unsure of what to even say here? He sounds like he doesn’t know where this is going. What he’s even being pushed to say. He said what he meant already. Dave is the one asking him if they are more than friends.

Look. If someone with the powers of a god is compelling them to talk about their feelings and this is the most Karkat can say, it means there is NOTHING ELSE THERE. Dirk is losing his shit here.

Here’s an excuse! “Maybe relationships isn’t a thing Karkat does!” Hold on to that thought Dave! If it makes you feel better about having animalistic sex with a guy! I’ll come up with anything to make you think that.

“HE WANTS IT! YOU WANT IT!” Karkat wants it! You want it too, Dave!

It’s nothing to worry about Dave! You two can do it right here on the couch if you want! Please want that! I mean he loves you so much! See you two are so so so close! He’s going to bust it open for you! Dave he wants it! Dirk wants it. He is excited at the idea of it. Karkat doesn’t seem to care and diving into Karkat’s head to convince him he loves Dave isn’t Dirk’s goal. Karkat falling in love has nothing to do with anything. Why would Dirk even care? Dirk only cares about Dave having sex here. Dirk isn’t really influencing Karkat either, he doesn’t get into his head at all.

I don’t know how much Dave wants Karkat. I’m not able to really discern that. Though I wouldn’t count this as a confession. Dave is drunk! Or at least tipsy. He has someone else chatting in his head. He can even hear hear what Dirk is saying.

Dirk is saying all sorts of things in Dave’s head. Dave is stressed to the point of sweating. What was Dirk going to say before he was cut off? A threat? It sounded like a threat. Is it supposed to be encouraging!? Either is fucked!

The let me do this myself bit reads more like an act of defiance. Let me see if this is right or not, Dirk! Though if you’re under the influence and someone has been fucking with your mind to fill it with what they want for you, do you think that isn’t ABUSE?! Brainwashing? Do you think Dave is being lead to believe Karkat actually wants to date him? I think all of those things are true here.

It all reads like Dave and Karkat are forced together. Like that’s even what the writers are trying to fucking say. It reads like they are spitting on the couple and using them as a narrative tool. Someday in the future they have to address Dirk and Dave’s relationship.

When I read this line it conformed for me something I was certain of before and I’m certain that is what is being said here. I think there is a clear reason as to why it was put into this chapter. What Dirk’s intentions are. Read it and see if you can catch what I’m going to point out.

There it is. This is what the epilogue is going with.

Born again virginity. Dave didn’t have his virginity before he died at 13. Why even bring up a line like that if meant nothing. If was a joke?

Why was Dave willing to pay Dirk respect for killing himself in Candy?

For that matter! Why is Dirk so into Dave topping some guy? Isn’t Dirk a bottom? Why is Dirk so into talking about his son and/or brother having animalistic sex with one of the few male characters left alive? Karkat is someone the fandom would have loved to see Dave end up with since they smiled at each other once in Act 6.

So. Here’s what I want to get at. The to long didn’t read version of what I wrote!

What’s the two narrative reasons Dave doesn’t want to have sex?

1. Dave doesn’t want to have sex with someone if Dirk is just going to come into his head and get off to it.

2. Dave isn’t comfortable with having sex because of unresolved trauma.

What was the scoop? The big scoop that would tear the fans apart?

Karkat and Dave aren’t in love. They never were. Karkat wanted to say he appreciated having someone who put so much faith in him. It meant something to him. He said he feels content with that. He doesn’t have to wonder what is missing.

Karkat is Dave’s best friend. They are close. I love that. I want them to have a normal relationship, but they don’t. And they can’t. Even the running for president plot line was introduced so we could have Dave backing Karkat and giving him support. But that, once again, may have just been the narrative fucking with them, setting them up to have a moment like this. This is the problem with meta fiction. How much of this is the characters? The writers? The gods overseeing them? They have Calliope and Dirk picking at these assassinated characters like vultures. Just like how Calliope had John and Terezi get with each other in his dad’s car. John might have liked her but he was dying in that moment. Narratively, that was setting Terezi up to want to bring him back to life. To think they could be lovers in some way, and maybe they can. I don’t know. How much of that was John being fucked with? This story is a horror story. No one here is happy. Nothing here is good. Nothing is clear.

The one thing I am sure of is that born again virgin line meant something. Dave was holding onto his new founded virginity. Maybe he didn’t even feel comfortable saying he liked men because that is like saying he might have in someway enjoyed what Bro did to him. Maybe he didn’t want to have sex because of a terrible experience he had. Maybe the writers of the new homestuck content will pivot, maybe they will undo all of what is being set up here. But why do that? They like the drama!

I can see them containing with this theme. Dave was molested before homestuck even started. That is what is being said here. Bro molested him. Dirk feels horrible for it. He wants Dave to be the one to decapitate him too, like it’s closure.

The true to long didn’t read is basically this: Dave and Karkat is only canon because it’s forced. The writers are even announcing it! Thanks for the years of us having to listen to people falsely celebrating DaveKat! Now we’re going to just sing our hymns and celebrate their destruction.

That actually makes sense. It is fucked up if all along that Ult Dirk and by extension Hussie, WhatPumpkin, James Roach, HICU, and the fanbase itself, are forcing the two without their consent and they can't escape it.

It was so obvious from the start and yet people accepted it for what it was. This kissing in the laundry scene now gives a different meaning now that these boys did not actually want this but are forced to anyway without their say.

[bioethicists]

Why do you use '+' and '/' instead of words? Not to be rude, I am curious

LOL thank you for being polite about this. i've gotten some pretty rude/condescending comments or tags about it (one person just tagged a post of mine "you can just type out 'and' babes, it's fine" which like... fuck off?). one person tagged a post of mine 'for further study' specifically of my syntax which my friends + family had a FIELD DAY with

there's a few reasons- partly bcuz i communicate via textspeak quite regularly + my texting is actually so much more atrocious bcuz i do not make an attempt to correct most typos. i keep pretty intense hybrid academic/field note/personal journals + i already used '+' in those for brevity's sake so that i could write faster. additionally, i have a compulsion which sometimes makes me feel the need to write words 3x before moving on but symbols/numbers are not usually affected by this + i suppose that on the flip side, my liberal use of / is related to the compulsive need to be as thorough as possible (as well as put things in 3s) + a fear that i will miss information + 'spoil' my point. i do very genuinely worry that my points will be 'wrong'/'contaminated'/'bad' if i don't put certain things in 3s.

but also, when i was hospitalized in 2022 i got very attached to my concepts related to dialectics + multiplicity + i got a tattoo of the '+' sign to represent this. with language, my goal is usually to tear it up (forgive me but that beckett quote rules my life) rather than string it together. using things like '+', '/', '|', liberal use of '()', etc (i've also felt quite compelled to make use of the assignment operator, '< -', but i'm probably going to confine that to poetry for the time being) lets me feel like i'm seeding my language with a sense of multiplicity while remaining (more) concise (than i could have been)

also also, i do a lot of programming for my job (like statistics/data analysis programming in R) + i've gained a great appreciation for the brevity/precision/elegance offered by programming. similarly, i do a lot of translation (well not so much anymore due to The Tasks) which similarly has brought me to a much more antagonistic relationship with the limitations of language + a desire to capture the thing in between it which is perhaps a really silly thing to claim i could do by replacing my '+' signs but. someday.

needless to say, my formal academic writing is NOT like this but my hope is to someday gain the resources i need from academic in such a way that i can dedicate 100% of my time to writing which aligns with these values.

if this seems excessive, it is because i am insane. hope that helps.

[paragonrobits]

there's been some real drama with that Youtuber I Hate and a youtuber whom i have come to greatly respect and honestly its been a delight seeing that youtuber i dont like going full circle on 'fuck around and find out' and apparently rapid-fire switching between constantly crying about being victimized and being a vicious and hateful person to apparently EVERYONE who interacts with her (follower or not) and it's a real case of a kind of internet personality i find exhausting but its made me realize a few things:

one is she apparently considers superhero comics an inherently Bad genre without artistic value (a bold statement coming from someone whose big media opinons are 'the entirety of Japan are man-children who do sex crimes' and 'i'm going to hate on these cartoons for not turning into a murder frenzy at the last second'). i'd say she's clearly never read Magneto's story arc under Claremont, or anything to do with the Morrison run on Doom Patrol (its artistic, demented, filled with coming to terms with horrific trauma, your own depersonalization, and also the primary antagonist is literal nonsense) or the famous story God Loves Man Kills but i ain't holding my breath

the second thing is that apparently she's under the belief that once you have been victimized, it excuses all your actions. This lines up with some common elements i've seen in fandom, especially those who fixate on villlains as the True Heroes, similar to some of my other thoughts on how people seem to tihnk a compelling/tragic origin justifies anything the character does. This is the mentality of completely divorcing a character's moral place in a narrative from their actions, and instead based on their victimhood. It really explains the whole idea i keep seeing there, and its something to address in my story concepts.

Third thing is more important, more profound. Its hard for me to articulate WHY people like this bother me so much; that they're so unrelentingly unpleasant, cruel to everyone around them, and even similar attitudes of people who are just casually rude. Even if there's no harm meant, you can just... not talk like that. You don't have to be mean with every single word you say, and you can resist the urge to turn every exchange or observation into an opportunity to sound like a smart ass; that's how you get stuff after James Earl Jones dies, you post pictures of Mufasa's death and then fail to understand why people are upset by you immediately making a joke about an inoffensive, much beloved voice actor who never did anything to you.

So i think about how to describe this... or perhaps how to AVOID this. How to talk and act in ways that's softer and doesn't hurt people for a quick joke or jibe, or acts like they can't understand why its wrong. And then I remember the game Undertale, where in the Pacifist route (the only route I've ever played), Sans will warmly tell a player who has actively refused to ever kill or hurt a single monster by saying that 'it just means you kept tenderness in your heart', and i think that's a good way to do it.

Just keep some tenderness in your heart. Let yourself be open and be gentle as much as you can. A thing that is tender ache when it hurts something or hits something pretty much at all, so its important to keep that tenderness so you DON'T hurt others too.

The world is sad and unpleasant enough as it is. You don't need to make things worse just so you can feel better about yourself.

[peachlybeloved]

I posted on twitter recently about how frustrating it is to watch episodes in which Mulder is inexplicably far more cold and dismissive towards Scully, and I’ve been thinking deeply hard about it ever since and I realized what I REALLY wanted to say was that I don’t ACTUALLY believe Fox Mulder is a perfect guy. In fact, the real reason I wrote that post was more so because I staunchly dislike the way that gets handled in the writer’s room.

To start the discussion, Fox Mulder is a victim of trauma which has caused him to become partly antisocial. He also happens to be a man. If you want the truth, I think Mulder can ABSOLUTELY be rude sometimes!! In fact, I think he has a terrible case of foot-in-mouth syndrome. He is impulsive. He is childish. He is obsessive. He can be inappropriately crass and honestly kind of a creep at times. He is! unfortunately! sometimes dismissive and condescending towards Scully!! Both of which are a result of him being rather socially inept and also, as I mentioned before, a man. A man capable of misogyny.

Obviously, these traits are reasonably unpleasant to view. But if he was perfect, he wouldn’t be an interesting character, which is why, in a literary sense, these traits STILL make him a compelling character. Or at least, they give him the potential for this to be the case.

To get to my point, it’s really the way these traits of his are HANDLED in the writer’s room that pisses me off!! ^_^ WITH such negative traits, the writers have the opportunity to move him in a better direction ON SCREEN towards growth and self-betterment. However, these episodes of which I speak ENTIRELY FAIL TO ADDRESS THIS BEHAVIOR FROM HIM. In order for these negative traits to pay off they must be acknowledged and/or addressed, neither of which seem to happen as a consequence of his behavior.

During these “dickhead” episodes, none of the characters really seem to pick up on it let alone challenge him. And in the rare chance they do, he doesn’t change and it’s never spoken of again. Most frustratingly of all, these spells of childish and rude behavior are often confined to a single episode. Just one isolated 45-minute event in which he seems far more irate than usual and in turn, acts dismissively and coldly, often towards a woman he claims to love, and often disregarding all previously established character development. And so, the next episode rolls around and we’re back to regular programming. The more familiar balance between his lovable traits with his more challenging ones. And so you see, when the writers dial up the dickheadisms for an episode, fail to address it, and move on like it didn’t mean a thing, THATS FRUSTRATING. It’s frustrating because there was potential for him to get to build character, to learn to respect Scully better, to grow as a man and set a good example. So when the writers choose not to acknowledge the problem, it feels more like they just wanted Mulder to go on an inconsequential power-trip of vague misogyny and self-importance. Which DOES feel like a betrayal to his character. And it’s a betrayal to his character NOT to properly examine his negative traits, where they come from, and how he can grow from them, precisely BECAUSE he IS. Ultimately. A LOVABLE PERSON.

You see, this really isn’t a Mulder-bashing post at all, because I really do love him!! Aside from being rude and condescending and a bit of a fucking freak sometimes, Fox Mulder IS a kind person under this defensive trauma induced layer of coldness he puts on sometimes. He is dedicated, he is compassionate, and he is relentlessly loyal to the few select people he chooses to love.

I KNOW he does grow and change across seasons, slowly opening up to possibilities and ideas he hasn’t before considered, learning to let people in and love him, and in turn learning to love them back properly. I just would have loved to see this growth addressed more head-on in writing without it coming off as a joke to the writers. An unflawed character is boring writing, but writing a flawed character and then failing to let him visibly change or even address why it’s a problem is frustrating writing.

In conclusion: Fox Mulder possesses a myriad of antisocial traits which he was socialized into for reasons outside of his control. This is amazing set up for a GREAT character growth arc which ultimately has felt far too underdeveloped and sloppy to me so far. Which is! Disappointing whenever it jumps out on screen to say the least. I still love him endlessly tho. :,)

So anyway. THATSSS probably my biggest critique abt the x-files writer’s room abt half-way through!! ^_^ See ya.

[veilkeeper]

your favorite bioware game is jade empire? can i ask why? (not trying to be rude, i just don't see a lot of people talk about it)

short answer: if you play it, i don't need to answer this question.

long answer: it's a mix of nostalgia and the game just being really really really good. jade empire was one of the first RPGs that really sucked me in (fable 2 being the extremely notable other example), and it was also my first bioware game. it was basically my introduction to the format and genre, so it's hard for it to not have cemented itself into my psyche in that way.

on top of that it is also, and i can't stress this enough, really really really good. the world is big, beautiful, and full of memorable characters. the setting is based heavily on east asian cultures and mythology, so it stands out in a sea of "generic medieval europe-ish" fantasy settings, the aesthetics are top notch and imo still hold up even though the game is now twenty years old. the mechanics are fun to play with, even if the combat is characteristically a little clunky (my last pt, i built my character to be so OP that i was able to repeatedly stunlock the final boss and i spent the whole fight laughing). and i LOVE how they handle morality; it's not a black and white good or evil; open palm and closed fist (this game's moral philosophies) are both able to be used as justifications for harm when taken to the extreme, and i think that's more compelling than just "one option is always the good one and one option is always the bad one." i'm told it's reminiscent of the dark side/light side in KOTOR, if that helps.

and man. your followers are AWESOME. similar to DAO, you have a pretty big cast of characters who can accompany you on your journey, and they all bring something to the table. i've had a crush on sagacious zu since i was a kid, and wild flower and her whole story with chai ka is the prototype for anders & justice in da2, but done better. kang the mad, black whirlwind, and henpecked hou are all fantastic to have around. and this game also features probably the only example of the "undercover princess" trope that i actually like, because she is also amazing. and there's romances!! including bisexual romances, and sky is my bisexual boyfriend 5ever (even if! it's so hard!!! to trigger his m/m romance!!! i always fuck it up and have to reload 😭)

and the story is just. unspeakably superb. i can't talk about it because i don't want to risk spoiling it for people who haven't played, but it builds so elegantly and has THEE most iconic twist i have ever seen in a video game. there's so much depth and grief and hope and you get so so attached to your player character as you uncover their past with them, and eventually try to fulfill their destiny. this game made me feel shrimp emotions that have yet to be recaptured by basically any other game (except, once again, fable 2 play fable 2).

[thecactifindahome]

Tbh, I kind of can imagine that? Maybe bevause I watched the show first and shortly after finishing it I went to the books... But I get what you're saying and I'm ready for him to fight back and even snap if he wants to. Have you reas New Tales of the Vampires and Mayfair Witches too? Do you like them? I've decided to read all of them at least once, just to understand more of this universe as a whole and then re-read the ones that are relevant to the show and/or I enjoyed the most. I finished Pandora yesterday and now I'm around 80 pages into Blood and Gold. I loved the former, B&G is too early to tell, but I admit Marius is not my favorite, so who knows... But I'm excited to see Pandora and Bianca again, including any appearance of Armand, even if it's brief. I struggled with Memnoch, but the chapter he was in was 100% chef's kiss 0 notes from me. 😍 Anyway, why do you feel that way about Rolin? Has he said anything frustrating? I haven't seen many interviews yet, and the few I have, it's mostly with the actors. I see people's interpretations of his interviews on the tag all the time, but I've seen so much distortion and stuff taken out of context on other fandoms before that I want to fact-check first. And I will eventually, it's just that right now I'm prioritizing the books because I'm sick of seeing different opinions all the time and not being able to join book discourse. 😅 But I believe it would be creative suicide to waste the potential of such compelling characters, specially someone as rich in terms of baggage and development as Armand. His arc is so eventful and touching that he could have his own show with 10 seasons and 200 episodes tbh. And don't worry about Tumblr being weird and the late reply, I just enjoy chatting, whenever that happens. I can take long to reply too, so I get it. For me getting a proper answer is better than a fast one. It's all good. 💗

I'm going to be wailing and tearing my hair if we don't see him having fun while committing some terrible harm next season 🥺 Getting ready to hunt Malik isn't enough, I need him to tear somebody's scalp off for no real reason except that he likes their hair.

I've read Pandora and Vittorio, although I have to admit Vittorio left no impression on me whatsoever and I couldn't tell you anything about it except that there were no returning characters in it, lol. But Pandora is great! It's kind of revelatory to see who she was before the catatonic despair, she's so fiery and alive, and funny and rude. The only downside is that it makes seeing her so dead inside later on sad ): I read The Witching Hour a thousand years ago, too, but it didn't really grab me. I didn't dislike it as such, I just didn't click with it. It might have just been bias due to hating the witch/vampire crossovers so much, though ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Blood and Gold is compelling to me, even if there are some things that make me grind my teeth pretty hard (Bianca got such a raw fucking deal, and oh my god the theater era, I'll basically accept not trying to get him out of the cult due to fear/shame/Akasha but there’s no reason not to send him a letter like 'Hey Amadeo, I'm alive, glad you made it out'). But he's got a lot of depth to his character, and he makes it pretty clear that he knows why he keeps ending up alone. And as a Roman history enjoyer*, Marius' idealization of Rome is exactly what you'd expect from an Augustan era wannabe-patrician (his half-Gaulish ass was definitionally a plebeian). Is it distasteful to the modern reader? Absolutely! But that was a highly typical perspective then.

Rolin Jones, well, I'll say two things: his fixation on everything having to serve loustat is starting to warp the basic sense and structure of the show, and reading the s2e8 script made me realize that he does too much cocaine. I don't think he has a clear vision of the show beyond romance and badass moments, I think the other writers are the ones trying to do something more. And like...how many times does he have to say that Daniel’s turning was spiteful and will never be shown before people believe him? Why would he keep downplaying and trying to manage expectations for D/M, a highly popular and acclaimed aspect of the books, if he actually intends to spend much time on it? Why would he try to unhype his own show? I'm at work so it's hard to dredge up citations, but his choices themselves are indicative imo.

Oh, I know what you mean, some people are incredibly dishonest, or maybe just delusional, about the book content. Or maybe I'm being ungenerous and they make these grand declarations because they sincerely don't understand what they just read, who knows? But people will tell you nonsense like that Lestat never loved Armand, which is simply a stupid thing to say, because they're pathologically insecure about their otp and try to establish themself as such an authority that nobody feels the need to see for themselves. Mad respect to you for going to the books 😊

*Not that kind of Roman history enjoyer, of course, it was a dumpster fire that is a far better cautionary tale than anything to admire and only a lunatic would try to emulate ancient Rome. But god damn, it's fascinating.

[randomnameless]

I’m surprised at the amount of billy asks you get. Does it mean that they’re popular? All i know for sure is that they certainly seem to interest a lot of people. And i agree that they really do have the bones for a fascinating character, but the developers couldn’t be bothered to build something from those bones because 1) sim shenanigans, you can’t have your self insert react strongly if you’re meant to project 100% onto them, but billy does have traits that keep getting mentioned by more than one person plus the few actions they do choose and a backstory, which doesn’t seem like cardboard to me imho, but also 2) earl gray, and what invader added is the most damning detail of them all. Or rather, not a detail, but the anchor that sank billy. I know we’re meant to keep flamey and edelgard separate in our minds because edelgard is marketed as a poor sad waifu you must feel compelled to rescue, but it doesn’t erase her actions or flamey. When we have evidence saying that silver snow is meant to be the primary marketed canon route and so much of the conflicts across two games come down to the actions of one person plus a poorly thought out loptous stand in, all it tells me is that the main character was doomed to fail because the developers could not decide how to write a school mystery + romance of the three kingdoms sympathetic to cao cao so they tried to “fix” that or make it “gray” by turning it into a dating sim to artificially raise the emotional stakes. At least to me it says they didn’t have confidence in billy as a main character at all because so much of it hinges on centering edelgard and the players picking faves out of the rest of the cast, and to make it more insulting the compensation is being able to kill billy in the spin off? I myself don’t really have any big faves in the games because i only play them casually and read your blog, but what i do know is that it makes me hate edelgard for essentially being the gravitational center of the games like a narrative black hole and the developers being too cowardly to really cement her as a villain, and it doesn’t make me like warriors either because it doubles down on trying to explain her position instead of telling a story and because shez fans are extremely annoying and rude online, no surprise that many are also edelgard fans.

I'd say it's a cumulation of everything!

I think the fandom (myself included!) might have been a bit harsh on Billy because of their avatar status, even if I still think Rhea's S-support "aloneb4u" is shit and Seteth not giving any fucks about her and centering his support and convos on "we must find her so she will reveal da truth 2 u" is bonkers and both of those instances can't be only attributed to Hresvelg Grey but to "only the player is important", like the theory i came up with the self-insert scissors.

But yeah, I feel like at one point, Supreme Leader hijacked the "main character" or "character at the center of the plot we want to tell" spot, all gravitas went to "can u kill the student who loves u and bear with the sad uwus for the rest of your run ??" instead of, you know, the greater plot Nopes teased us with a Larva vs Sothis that never happened?

I compared FE16's story to many things earlier on, but the general thing is "why are we talking and following the least interesting parts of Fodlan", Supreme Leader's war of unification is meh, bias or no bias, I would have loved to see a War of Heroes game, or even a game set during the Sothis vs Agartha era (or the two why not) - but here we just have Ashnard lite with an uwu glazing, without even tackling a traditional or underlaying issue from the FE series about coexistence between people and acceptance and whatnot.

(the reason why AM is still, imo, a letdown because it ignores the dragon in the room)

What was Billy supposed to be? Supreme Leader's luf interest? A character that can conceptually fall (if they pick Tru Piss) thus can ascend in other routes? A self insert? The character you're supposed to navigate the world with?

I think Billy being a silent protag was a disservice to them - despite all of its faults, Nopes at least gives more light to Billy and it's refreshing, even if the game will never add 1+1 because Hresvelg Grey.

TBH I think Fodlan has its own share of fans being annoying regardless of the character they support - and while Barney is pretty chatty, ultimately Barney is the deviant art OC with two swords because why not, a sekrit past that is never explained and somehow stronger than everyone who is actually as empty as an oyster shell. We don't know what Barney wants, to be a merc? Yeah, but why? Is it because Barney is searching for somewhere to belong - just like Billy in a way - ?

As for the cardboard mention, it's most likely again in relation to Hresvelg Grey and Fe Fodlan's writing - the games don't spend enough time to build a sense of friendship and camaraderie between the cast to make the "betrayal" hurt or even the "y must we kill people we knew :'( " meaningful, so we only have the "wah sensei why didn't you pick me :(" or the general "i'm sad to fight against you" but like, mate, who are you? Why are you lamenting having to fight against Billy - someone who is opposing/invading your country and everything you stand for - like Billy and 12 months in Rhea's rocky mansion meant so much to you, much more than the 17 years of life (with acquaintances, friends, family, etc) you had?

But it's also in relation to Hresvelg Grey and the silent protag - why no one can give a reason - save for Supreme Leader "lizards BaD + MAGA" - to join this route, heck, not even Billy can say why they joined this route...

In French we have a saying that goes "comparaison n'est pas raison" more or less meaning you can't always compare things bcs context and all, but after TS's protag Serenor - who also has Gary Stu moments! - Billy not saying a thing about Supreme Leader's nonsense, frowning at Dimitri and being silent during Claude's monologues is... annoying.

But when Billy isn't in Fodlan games, they can talk and there's still the forbidden rule of not adding numbers - never ! - but they shine more.

[mychlapci]

for the character ask game i've got three for you!

standford pines

five pebbles

prowl (idw specifically)

i've been trying to get to this all morning but i had to go to the grocery storeeeee. anyways...

Ford... the character of all time...

How I feel about this character

Normal. Obviously. Very normal. But seriously, he was one of my favourite gravity falls characters, i feel like he's very much misunderstood by the fandom, either deeply villanized or has his reletable flaws whittled down to be more palatable. there is so much wrong with him to explore. alas, i am not smart enough to dig as deep

All the people I ship romantically with this character

no one. no one at all. In all seriousness, i was never that much of a fiddauthor fan, but i've read some good fanfics of them, so that counts i suppose

My non-romantic OTP for this character

the Stan twins duo, of course. Although I really enjoy to imagine the dynamic Ford and Mabel could've had

My unpopular opinion about this character

I think he was actually quite reletable and not to have a kin moment or anything, but I saw a lot of myself in his flaws, so I can't really imagine why someone wouldn't sympathize with him.

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon

canon old man birth Ford and Mabel bonding episode!!!!! PLEASE

Pebbles, my good friend Pebbles... i have not played much nor have I really done a deep dive into the lore yet, so forgive me if I don't have much to say

How I feel about this character

stinky rude little guy. i enjoy it very much. as i said, i'm not up to date on the lore, but i know he's kind of having a fucked up time and i love me a man in peril.

All the people I ship romantically with this character

not well-versed enough in the lore to ship him with anyone. i can't even imagine who. people have probably found a way. god i hope he's ship-elligible, because if there is a reason why he wouldn't be... then i have to go delete some drawings

My non-romantic OTP for this character

pebbi x the spear i throw at his head

My unpopular opinion about ths character

Not many. Though I've noticed in let's plays that many people straight up hate him with with a lot of vigour, I think they should give him a break

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon

I don't know. Perhaps more interaction? although i wouldn't want to actually travel through unfortunate development more times than once, tbh... I think the game utilizes him well. AND you can throw shit at him, so that's all i need to amuse myself

Proooowl!!! baby girl. i am gonna sound so stupid here. I am not good with. remembering what happened in the comics.

How I feel about this character

He's an asshole. And I love him.

All the people I ship romantically with this character

I mean... everyone knows what i'm all about, as long as that robot's holes are full, i'm game. I don't quite get jazzprowl in its entirety, but I find it fun and compelling enough so I suppose I'll go with that. And I've been a fan of prowlop lately, I think he an Optimus could have a really fucked up dynamic together. Constructiprowl is a favourite of mine. And I have a little guilty pleasure spot here just for Prowl/Fort Max

My non-romantic OTP for this character

Not quite sure, I think he would be extremely fun to pair with anyone just because he's such a dick and no one likes him. I honestly think that a chapter dedicated to him and Rodimus getting into shenanigans would be hilarious

My unpopular opinion about this character

Not sure if this is necessarily me going against the popular opinions, perhaps just me against the expectations i had when i heard everyone else talk about him, but... I don't think he's actually as evil and twisted as people make him out to be? he's an asshole, yes, but I don't think he's actually a heartless bastard incapable of not feeling guilty for his actions, as i've seen him portrayed sometimes. if anything, guilt eats away at him so much that he's doing everything he can to stay in control of it. if he keeps stubbornly assuring himself that he did what had to be done, he'll manage to stay sane. i don't know. re-reading that, it sounds stupid as hell but i don't have anything else to say so i can't delete that....

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon

all that said, i think some people should have punched him a little bit harder

[golbrocklovely]

since i got a bunch of asks about it, here's my opinions/reaction to snc's new video with kris and celina

so… i guess the main question i gotta answer is did i hate the video? i've let my opinion of snc's content with kris and celina be known in the past so i know a lot of you are curious. the answer is… no, i didn't hate it. did i love it? also no lol

let me try to explain the things i didn't love about this video:

first, i think one problem i had was that they almost turned this into a murder mystery party/game and that in itself felt a little tactless. they've done it before and i didn't love it then, but with these four individuals, things are usually never taken seriously and i felt like at times they were more playing a game rather than investigating. not to mention, yall don't know/have all the information. things have been lost to time, you don't have the actual evidence. you're already "playing" with one hand tied behind your back. maybe instead of trying to solve a murder, you just… investigate and talk to whoever is there and wants to talk. rob was there trying to tell his story, and yall called him a loud mouth for talking over the other spirits. that's a little rude lol

and then i think my major issue with the video is that… i just can't vibe with celina's abilities. do i believe they're real? yes. i don't think she's coming up with shit out of thin air and claiming to be right or psychic. i definitely think she experiences something and believes what she sees in her mind. my issue is that snc hear her take, and run with it the entire video. and even when the spirits are saying no to her theory, or snc are being pulled away from what she told them, they still wait and hold out until something says that yes she's right. and i just feel like, she's not a psychic, i don't get why you take her word at face value and believe it to be reality to the very end. especially when at multiple points the spirits were disagreeing with her.

is it possible she's right? yeah it very well could be true. but i just think it made the video a lot less entertaining when you focused on her theory the entire time instead of just talking to whoever was there and letting them say their peace.

i think the card game that they did was kinda cool, but if sam is right, they should have ended the game immediately since they pulled a spade card, and that meant no.

i think the most compelling evidence they got was during the estes method and in that one room with the mirror. those two spots were really cool. the evidence they caught in there was interesting. i think the ring of lights was intriguing, but they should have had a camera on the ground to show them when they would light up since we basically missed every time they did since sam was pointing the camera at kris, celina, and colby.

also i know snc didn't come up with the name, but the hairy man as a demon/monster thing? fucking hysterical. also the clip from the other guy's video just looks like a person that was hiding out in the trees so… maybe be a bit more concerned about that not it being a demon.

overall i think the video was fine. not my favorite, but also not a video i hate. would i rewatch it? possibly. i'd give it like a 6.5/10

[marshmallowprotection]

You know?... not too long ago I saw some posts on Twitter talking about Saeran in general. They were basically claiming that he was the worst written character in Mystic Messenger because of the fact that there were so many versions of him, as if the writers didn't know what to do with him and/or just rewrote the character to please a part of the fandom that wanted him as a possible partner and make profit as the only end even if it "ruined him". Concluding that, Unknown as the original Saeran was the best and the real one while the other Saeran/Ray from another story ruin his essence and they shouldn't exist. Fuck, look I love Unknown with everything for god sake but it saddens me to have read those posts not because they don't like the Saeran/Ray from another story, ok I respect that, it's their opinion, but what I don't like is that they say that loving more or just loving the other versions of Saeran is wrong and that's why Cheritz doesn't release more Unknown/SE Saeran content (I pray to heaven to see SE Saeran again in a title image or some DLC, I don't give up hope but I understand that bringing out romantic content with them is tricky and that's why most of the time Saeran or Ray appear nowadays for the romantic theme with MC. I for one don't mind if I don't get anything romantic out of it because I get it but like many others I enjoy Unknown's character and will take anything I get from him). I'm not saying they have to change their minds and like the character within Another Story but I would ask for respect for the people who do enjoy him there and the reasons why that is the case. I appreciate everyone but all the Saerans in the game, they are all amazing, you get to connect deeply with some of them, I may love one more than another but they are still amazing and deep in their own way. Seeing them, understanding them, the way they deal with situations, how they struggle and how they will move forward with a different perspective. I love them all for who they are and the message they each convey to the player.

I'm very grateful to have many Saeran and to see how they develop in different realities with or without MC. Saeran in general is a complex and deep character with so many layers to peel back to discover who he really is.

Anon, the best advice I can readily give you is to block people who post things that upset you. The block button is a handy dandy tool, not just when it comes to people who are genuinely malicious but in the case of people who just annoy you for whatever reason.

Fandom experiences are a lot better when it isn't spent feeling dread and shame over things that others don't like that you do. You're allowed to like a different thing from someone else and share how those things make you feel, but not everybody has to talk to you to agree/disagree. Literally, once you think in the realm of curating your time and energy to feel a better way for you, it's enjoyable to be in all of these spaces.

I love Saeran, too. I love Unknown, SE Saeran, Ray, Suit Saeran, VAE Ray/Saeran, and GE Saeran. The layers that compound Saeran Choi as a person are so compelling to me. I've loved him since 2016. I'm out writing stories focused on every facet and face because there's just so much to explore and be in awe of.

He's complicated! The amount of time it takes to study him and figure him out takes a long time, and media literacy goes far if you're trying to figure him out. You don't have to like him. Any of his parts. You can like a few and dislike others. You can enjoy all of him, too. You're not being forced to like a specific Saeran. Literally. Just go for the content you want and don't bash the other stuff. You don't have to like it, but don't be rude in spaces where the people who do like it are!

Seriously, we're on Earth for a short time. Don't spend most of it hating things if you can help it.

[late-nite-scholar]

TES Shiptober- Dream

I have no explanation for this. It just happened. Prompts by @hombrediablo

Wordcount- 830-ish

Warnings-language

Dagoth Ur x Nerevarine (who is not described, vaguely implied to be Dunmer)

made in picrew. description in alt text

***

It was the moment. The moment. The Nerevarine, walking down the path toward him. In the space of a few heartbeats, the fate of everything would be decided. 

“Welcome, Sweet Nerevar, to this place where destiny is made.” A practiced line. He’d had plenty of time to think about what to say when this all finally occurred. 

But the Nerevarine seemed much less impressed. They bared their teeth, snarling at him. “Don’t you fucking ‘Sweet Nerevar’ me! Not after you spent months teasing me!” 

This was not how this conversation was supposed to go. The outburst caught him off-guard, and he found himself answering more honestly than intended. “I am not sure I understand what you mean.”

“Nix shit you don’t!” Stabbing a multi-ringed finger at him, the Nerevarine glared daggers. “Months of dreams, Dagoth. Months. And I didn’t care that they went in that direction. Cool, cool, you and Nerevar were lovers, let’s do it up. But not once did you see things all the way through! You cut me off every single time!”

“I ended nothing before resolution. You were the one who left before the… climax of things, Sweet Nerevar. I was willing to overlook such a slight. Perhaps you did not feel ready. I do not hold a grudge for that. But to accuse me…”

“I didn’t end shit!” The Nerevarine shouted. 

“No, I did.” A new voice spoke, and they both froze. The third floated not far from the Nerevarine, putting on their best patient teacher look. Dagoth rolled his eyes behind his mask. 

“You are not supposed to be here at this time, Vivec,” Dagoth pointed out. 

“I thought perhaps I should set the record straight. Especially since this is not why this meeting is supposed to occur.”

“You’re the one that’s been cockblocking me all this time?” The Nerevarine launched themselves at Vivec, knocking them both to the ground. Dagoth watched for a few moments, as they cussed and swore. Then they were shaking Vehk, slapping him until the flame that wreathed his head went out. Vehk seemed too bewildered to do anything in response, cowering back from the angry hero. 

Eventually, after standing awkwardly for a few moments, Dagoth felt compelled to do something. He gently pulled the Nerevarine away from Vivec. 

“I think he understands. You don’t have to keep going.” 

Tears ran from the crimson eyes of the Nerevarine as they shouted one last time, “I trusted you! But you were just going to treat me like you treated him! You told me you didn’t know what was going on!”

“Nerevarine, please…”

“I don’t ever want to see you again, Vivec. I know what happened last time, and I don’t trust you anymore.”

He disappeared again, and Dagoth watched the spot for a moment before asking, “What happens now, Nerevarine? Our meeting has been interrupted most rudely.”

The Nerevarine moved closer, looking up at him as their hand reached up to rest on his chest. “I would like, now that we no longer have any interruptions, to finish what we started so many times before. If you wish to as well, Voryn?” 

As the Nerevarine spoke his given name, Dagoth knew he would not refuse.  

***

“I don’t understand, gahata…” The child (though not for much longer) crossed their arms at their grandfather. “That doesn’t seem right.”

“But I remember it! The Blights lifted, the Dreamers returned. Those who had been afflicted also returned, cured. Sometime later the Nerevarine descended from the mountain, dressed in the colors and sigils of the Sixth House and with the Sharmat on their arm. They told us they were leaving for a honeymoon in Akavir and we haven’t seen or heard from them even two hundred years later. I was youngin’, but that kind of thing stays with someone their whole life.”

“The Temples don’t say that’s what happened.”

“You think the Temples are going to spread a story like that? No boy, they needed something cleaner, something palatable. So they have their version. Not that it really matters, it all got sorted in the end, didn’t it?” 

As the child left, the grandfather retreated to a back room in the house, carrying two mugs of tea. He gave one to a hooded figure, huddled on a pallet bed. The figure’s shoulders shook with the ghost of a laugh as a red eye and a gold eye reflected from inside the hood.  

“Thank you. You know they’ll never believe you, young man? The story is too far-fetched, even for the truth.”

“But I still have to try, M’Lord. And I’m no young man anymore.”

“Indeed. And I have almost finished fading. I’ve been without my power so long I’ve forgotten it. It’s almost time. Perhaps we will go together.”

“Well, M’Lord, I’d be quite honored if it came to that. After takin’ you in and getting to know you all these years.”

“Thank you, my friend.”

The two old men drank their tea in silence after that, lost in their thoughts.       

[raven-moon33]

Hi, I commented on the latest update of your fic but I just wanted to repeat myself that "A Kidnapping By Any Other Means" has been an amazing and very compelling read. I love how you wrote the family and incorporated previous incarnations. I love the mystery and the various twists and turns you throw in. But, more importantly, I LOVE how you wrote Enid and Wednesday. Their interaction at the end of chapter two is going to stick with me for a long time. But I'm mainly writing this to say that I really hope you're doing okay after all the unwarranted shit you received after chapter 13. For people to berate you like that just because a story decision, one that was meant to be upsetting, upset them? That's fucking awful. Writing is a long and lengthy process and no one should tell you how to do it after you've spent so much of your time on it. This is all to say to keep up the great work and fuck anyone who tries to keep you down

Omg, thank you so much for this amazingly kind and sweet comment! I don't think I can express how much it means to me after some of the tumultuous emotions I've been feeling recently.

I'ma be real, a big part of the reason I'm so invested in writing this story is because writing it is helping me get through a really rough patch in my life at the moment.

Enjoying the writing process, coming up with my own headcanon lore, and just building a hopefully fun and engaging story has been awesome enough, but having so many people enjoy it and give it so much more love then I ever expected any of my writing to receive has legitimately brought me to tears (happy ones!) on several occasions, and is helping me get through the stuff I'm struggling with.

Some of those less-than-kind comments have admittedly been getting me down and have even started dampening my enthusiasm for the story.

I might've even considered not continuing it altogether, since adding another stressful thing to my plate right now (especially when that stress is coming from something that's thus far been a humongous source of support for me during this difficult time) would be very bad for my mental health, but having so many wonderful people like you loving and supporting and engaging with my story is making me determined to stick with it.

And, just to make it clear, the comments I'm talking about are NOT any that are angry with some of the characters and their choices, upset because of things that are supposed to be upsetting in the story, or ones that are calling for my blood in a loving way that makes it clear how much they're engaged in my story.

Outside of the purely loving and supportive comments I get, those are the comments I love to read, since it means people are engaging with the story in the ways I hoped they would, getting involved in a discourse about whether certain characters were right or wrong, how certain events made them feel and why, and how people are excited to see what's coming.

The comments I'm talking about are the few people who are criticizing me directly in frankly rude and hurtful ways. Everyone is entitled to their opinions, but if you don't like my story choices to the point where you no longer want to read my story, then just feel free to not read it. My feelings won't be bruised as long as you're not unnecessarily mean about it in an intentional comment that you never needed to make in the first place.

But anyways, I just want to thank you again, theenbynightingale; people like you are the ones helping me through a really hard time in my life, helping me grow more confident in my skills as a writer, and helping me keep my spirits up enough to continue writing this.

I appreciate you all so much and am sending all my love to you guys. I'm going to work hard to get chapters out as soon as I can so you have less time to wait before you get to see how this arc is resolved.

[another-lost-mc]

I want to hatefuck Mephistopheles

mephistopheles gets under your skin in all the worst ways, but why does kissing him feel so good?

pairing: mephistopheles x gn!reader

content: nsfw. frenemies to something more. angry makeouts after arguing, some derogatory language/insults hurled on both sides.

word count: 0.9k

Mephisto spots you at the Demon Lord’s Castle when you’re both invited to one of Diavolo’s parties. When you end up in his proximity, he makes some snarky comment about how he thought he recognized that foul stench as soon as you walked in.

He’s always using your humanity as an insult to make himself feel that much superior but you don’t realize it’s really a poor effort on his part to find reasons to despise you. He hates how attractive you look in your RAD uniform because it’s more flattering than some drab, grey suit has any right to be. It draws his eyes to all the parts of you he wants to touch and taste. These parties are even worse—you’re wearing something Asmo probably had made for you. It accentuates your best features and teases him with only the slightest bits of skin on display. Other demons openly eye-fuck you when you walk past them, and Mephisto tries so hard not to look as obvious when he does the same from across the room.

You’re completely oblivious to the attention and are too focused on the vitriol he mutters when you’re close enough to hear him. You try to be cordial with everyone, but with him it feels like a waste of time. Not only does he brush off your attempts to be polite, he seems to despise you more as time goes on.

Diavolo tries to draw you both into friendly conversation and insists you share a dance when a new song begins to play. It would be rude of Mephisto not to offer you his hand with the prince watching nearby. He leans close to your ear and growls about how expensive his shoes are and warns you about ruining them with your clumsy footing. You want to kick him in the shin and stomp away, but his arm on the small of your back drags you closer to him instead.

You get a whiff of his expensive cologne that’s a little smoky and spicy and faintly sweet. He notices your nose wiggling slightly (and he refuses to think it’s cute) when he asks what your problem is. You tell him that you’re grateful his cologne does a good job masking how bad his breath smells. It’s a lie—he smells faintly of Demonus and the cake they passed out for dessert—but you’re scrambling for insults to match the ones he’s thrown your way all evening.

You break away from his grasp as soon as the dance ends, and you storm towards one of the doors to get some fresh air in the gardens. He’s surprised and more than a little insulted by your rudeness, and he feels compelled to follow.

You roll your eyes dramatically when you realize he followed you outside and you’re tempted to tell him to fuck off already. "Can't you just leave me alone?"

He can sense how hostile you are to his presence and it irks him even more—you can’t get rid of him that easily.

"Someone has to teach you some manners."

He's within arm's reach in an instant, and you don't even care if he tries to hurt you at this point. Maybe it would give you an excuse to finally give him a good slap? But then he grabs you by the back of the neck and you stumble into his chest when he pulls you forward and crushes his mouth against yours. It muffles your surprised yelp, and a growl reverberates deep in his chest when you bite his bottom lip. It should be a hint for him to let go and pull away, but it seems to spur him on even more. His tongue bullies its way into your mouth and you hate the whiny, keening sound that rips from your throat when it glides teasingly against your own.

His gloved hand on the nape of your neck tilts your head slightly so his lips slot against yours more comfortably. His other hand gropes the swell of your ass and pulls you close until you're flush against him. You feel the outline of his cock against your hip and desire pools in your belly.

Your body trembles with need because part of you doesn't care that it's Mephisto grinding against you and tongue-fucking your mouth. Your fingers clench in the lapels of his jacket and you’re tempted to tear at his clothes and scratch your nails against his bare skin.

You pull away from him suddenly when you faintly hear someone calling your name from inside the castle. You're still shaking from the rush of it all and it feels like the world is tilting beneath your feet. You have no idea what you're doing, or what you might've let him do.

Mephisto's green eyes look inky-black as clouds block the moonlight and cast him in shadow. He's panting heavily and he smirks when he catches you staring at him. It’s sinful how he licks his lips and slowly runs his tongue over his fangs. He reminds you of a starved beast about to pounce on a tasty-looking morsel. His hands twitch at his side because he's tempted to reach for you but it’s too late. You spin on your heel and rush back to the party before he has a chance.

You're equal parts surprised and disappointed that he doesn't follow. You don't see him again for the rest of the night, but you know whatever happened between the two of you is far from over.

read more: mephisto masterlist | obey me masterlist

[ikyw-t]

kay im gonna try to have a good and productive day today so help me god