#it just wasn't my cup of tea and I wanted to rant

[inkyminx]

So here are my personal thoughts on LMK Season 5. We all have opinions, and this is mine so please don’t come after me.

Last night I just watched S5 of LMK and while it was incredible, I still have some questions and gripes with the plot and how things were handled.

First, I know a lot of people were concerned about the animation since Flying Bark stepped away and Wild Brain said “Howdy! I’m here now!” .

When I heard about this, I didn’t really care despite being sad about FB leaving but I was still hopeful as I’m familiar with WB’s other projects.

At the news, for some reason, my first thoughts were more “Oh God did something happened? Did Flying Bark go out of business? Were there creative differences?” BUT NOPE, everything was fine. Thank God.

I was excited to see how Wild Brain would animate the series, understanding they were obviously under a lot of pressure cause of SOME fans. I was just excited to see what they’d be able to do.

Obviously I was more joking in my concerns, like if they didn’t do anything JoJo reference or didn’t give MK a tiny face, I’ll be disappointed, but it was all fun and lighthearted, I really didn’t care.

And BOI did they throw it out of the park. While there was some stiffness here and there, it reminded me more of a comic book animation style and that’s always a good thing in my books.

I was hooked right away when I began watching episode one.

Second: Nine was a really interesting character and I like that I began to question if he was really an antagonist given how gentle, calm and understanding he was towards MK. I’m a simp for Matthew Mercer as well so YE.

But this is when my concerns come out as I felt like Nine was introduced late into the series where he didn’t feel like that much of a threat compared to the other antagonists in the series.

While he became a “good guy” after S1, DBK was a threat and strong presence in his season and we knew about him since episode 1.

So when he was gaining power and being possessed by LBD, his actions were unpredictable and I enjoyed a lot of his fights with the gang and his acts to gain power.

LBD on the other hand, she is a horror game character in a children’s show. She was threatening, creepy, a looming danger, mentally manipulative and she had that build up, RIGHT from when The Mayor was introduced.

She had her story, destroying the world to remake it into something she thinks will be better. She’s been around for God knows how long, so her goal was practically embedded in her mind.

Her interactions with MK, Macaque and Sun Wukong only made her appear more horrifying and it was clear to the audience through the reactions of the other characters.

She made Wukong hesitant when she began speaking about her host and knew how to threaten him, showed genuine fear in Macaque multiple times and showing he’d never be able to leave her,

Played with MK’s thoughts and mental state, used Mei’s possession of the Samadhi Fire despite probably knowing it was out of hand, etc.

Then we have Azure, he’s more of a tragic “antagonist” because much like LBD, he wanted to make the world a better place but he obviously made some mistakes along the way.

His finale was tearjerking and you wanted him to realize what he was doing was wrong sooner before he became corrupted by the Jade Emperor’s power.

You wanted to see him be forgiving with SWK or at least come to a middle ground with him along with the rest of the Brotherhood and embrace the power to make amends.

But he will never get that now and this fact makes him more tragic than he started.

But then…there’s Nine. Again, Nine is a very interesting character and we obviously want to know more about him. But I feel like he’s a combination of LBD and Azure.

This isn’t necessarily a bad thing- hell there’s probably characters that I like who are similar, but the problem comes from when he appears. Personally, he was introduced late so I didn’t really see him as a threat.

He wanted the chaos to corrupt but he was gentle in his tone as he understood that to MK, it was a hard decision and knew it relates to the “destiny” the kid was born with.

But what lacks is his build up. When I saw screenshots floating around, I started to piece together that he was the antagonist and he would be either stopping the gang from getting what they needed or pushing them into it but in a more “if you do this, how will others see you again?”

Kind of like if Macaque was doing something and Nine was like “after all thats happened, do you think MK would forgive you?” . That kind of stuff idk.

So when he appeared right at the end of the season, I was confused and grew worried for the climax.

Next thing I want to talk about and I know I’m probably gonna get crucified— the plot of the season itself.

Personally and I know it’s probably more of the “raising the stakes” , but I feel like there’s WAY too much “destroy the world” series out there, so when s5 introduced this, I had trouble understanding why.

Don’t get me wrong, in the series, there were moments when I thought “oh fvck OK” but when you introduce the theme twice but the second time it doesn’t execute well, there will be problems, minor or major

For s5- given the events of the season prior, I was hoping it would be a somewhat “cool down” arc with some events from the prior arc sprinkled in.

The celestial realm discussing who the next Jade Emperor will be, what’s gonna happen to Yellow Tusk, MK slowly growing and becoming comfortable with his monkey form and where he came from,

More of Macaque and Wukong’s past and their fight, and many more.

Speaking of monkey MK, I feel horrible but the execution of his “acceptance” of this form felt odd and not explored properly given what we saw in s4.

Don’t get me wrong, the meditation scene was creepy and well performed, but it personally felt a little rushed.

I predicted that INKY was gonna be a mental, psychological threat to MK after their fight in s4, and while I’m happy that I was sort of right, it felt too quick.

MK is one to push away and push down his anxieties and fears, and it doubles for his monkey form.

Because of this, I was expecting the majority of the season to be MK dealing with his birth, who he was meant to be, and while cheesy, have Mei and the others give him an intervention and end it with a hug or something sweet.

It may be a personal thing, but MK being a sacrifice kind of made me sigh and when it began to show, it made me question Nuwa more than I already did.

I was expecting MK to be like his idol.

Born from the stone, literally the new Monkey King (more like Monkey Prince) and wasn’t that different from Wukong.

Something easy to understand and swallow but for MK himself, difficult to get by as he didn’t grow up that way.

The sacrifice thing felt odd and out of place, and it personally didn’t make sense to me. Even the pillar came out of nowhere since I don’t remember anything about that happening before (unless it did, shout at me if that happened and I just can’t remember) .

And I think that’s the whole problem with the season. It felt rushed, there are more questions than answers and after episode two, it felt like I was watching a different show.

Yes, LMK is an action packed, energetic show that knows it’s comedy, knows when to be serious and they execute those perfectly. They have that balance.

But s5 gave me the same feeling that Ronin Warriors gave me when I rewatched it again. It had no cool down and I barely understood wtf what going on.

The concepts were interesting and I am excited to see what they’ll do in the future (ex: Macaque’s power and maybe diving into who he is, SIX EARED) , MORE MECHS and everyone getting their own abilities at the end,

But the entire season just felt rushed and it worries me if the crew didn’t have enough time to plan everything out. It felt like packed and loaded that nothing had time to breathe.

The finale even felt like nothing was accomplished and while the talk between MK and Wukong was sweet, it didn’t feel right.

It a CHAOTIC season and maybe the creators wanted the audience to feel something similar but I hate that it felt like I wasn’t watching LMK anymore.

The only time I felt fear and anxiety was the scene with Wukong trying to stop MK from sacrificing himself. The voice performance, the animation, IT WAS GUT WRENCHING.

But aside from that, everything felt rushed, dull (I hate myself) and it didn’t seem like there was anything to make the season stand out from the rest.

Don’t even get me started on the cycle. That sh!t was weird and out of left field. While I do think the rebirth is cool and definitely something I’m usually into,

The cycle Nuwa explained made me angry with her.

MK sacrificed himself in order to piece the world back together so his friends, while heartbroken from his actions, would be able to live without another harm.

So Nuwa revealing the cycle will reborn and start over again, it felt like MK’s sacrifice and meaning for it was YEETED out of the window and didn’t have a purpose.

LET THE BOY BE FVCKING HAPPY DAMMIT.

If they did have time to plan the season and it’s execution, what was going on?

If not, God I hope they aren’t disheartened, and they obviously have my support for the next seasons to improve.

S5 just wasn’t my favorite of the series as it has it’s problems (as every season but this felt more…present) and I feel it needed more time in the oven.

But if you like it? More power to you!

[satorusugurugurl]

If this request makes you uncomfortable or isn’t something you want to write, I apologize and please ignore my request!

Heyy! I was wondering if I could request a satoru x reader x Suguru smut? With like, some bdsm mixed in yk. Tying reader up, satoru is a tease, and likes to make her squirm and ask questions he know she can’t answer because Suguru is fucking her throat. But Suguru is mean. Mean and tougher than satoru. He tells satoru to stop being so gentle with you, that not only do you deserve rough treatment but you like it. And satoru listens to him, of course. I just want them to run through me like a train😞

Also same mean geto anon (again lol) I’m gonna just sign off w an emoji now :3 -🍭

Hi Anon!

This isn't my cup of tea, it's my FUCKING jam!!

Summary: Gojo and Geto had been on a two-week-long mission, which hadn't gone as smoothly as Suguru wanted. He was pent-up and frustrated. So, of course, Gojo called you to warn you it might not be a good idea to come over. You, of course, did not heed his warning. The second you get home, you realize that you were screwed.

Word Count: 3,706

Warnings: BDSM, rough sex, oral sex, so much sex, degradation, teasing, the smuttiest of smut

A/N: Good God, Satoru x Reader x Suguru is my weakness!! I put my whole heart into this. Geto Suguru, teacher AU, is my kryptonite!

Part Two

She Likes it Like That

“Y/N babe,” Gojo said in a hushed whisper, “you probably shouldn't come home tonight.”

You cocked an eyebrow, looking away from the first year's training. “I'm sorry, did you just tell me not to come home. . .to our apartment?” The world ‘our’ came out like acid.

Gojo sighed overdramatically. “Don't say it like that. I'm trying to save you! Suguru is in such a bad mood.” You listened to him walking around. “I sighed out loud when I noticed the last of my mochi was gone. Fuck you for that, by the way, and do you know what he said to me?” You pinched at the bridge of your nose, waiting for the rant to continue. “He told me to shut the fuck up! For sighing!”

“What did you do to piss him off? Oh, and just an FYI, I bought you more mochi, asshole.”

“Oh—” silence, “thank you-I’m sorry, please don't return it.”

“Satoru! Forget about the mochi. What happened to Sugu?”

The mission your partners were sent on did not go as planned. Their hotel had flooded; it was not like they had time to consider sleeping. The higher-ups sent them to an abandoned mountainside village full of cursed spirits. Poor Suguru had to swallow dozens for nearly two weeks. Gojo had enough; he couldn't stand the pained expression on his face as he gagged the last spirit down. So he decided to Hollow-Purpled the entire village.

The second they got back, the higher-ups scolded the hell out of them. Chastising them, complaining that they didn't do a good enough job. After all their hard work, the time they spent away from home, from you. Those bastards dared to complain about their hard work. It sent Suguru into a terrible mood, one that was bound to end with either a fight or someone getting fucked into the mattress.

One thing about Suguru was that when he was pissy, things felt out of his control. He needed to take control back. Which meant he wanted to have sex. He would be rough, really rough, tying either you or Satoru up, not letting you go until he had calmed down. Or if one of you was fucked too stupid to continue, his eyes focused on the other that wasn't tied up.

“So please, just stay with Ieiri tonight. I'm going to lock myself in my room. Last time he was this pissed off, the both of us were so sore we couldn't move.”

“Ugh, fuckin’ whatever.” This whole situation wasn't fair. You hated how your boyfriends were mistreated.

“Yeah, just stay the—oh, hi Suguru.” There was a shuffling in the background. “No, I wasn't talking shit.” Satoru nervously laughed. “Look, Sugu—no, put down the rope—”

“Toru?” Panic for your boyfriend sank into your stomach.

“Hey! Wait a second—Sugu—”

Before any other indication of what was happening came through the receiver, the other line cut off. So you quickly yelled to the students you had to leave and took off. By the time you made it, you were breathless from running and realized that in your panic, you left your keys at work.

You picked up the spare key hidden under the doormat. Just as you were about to unlock the door, it flew open. You slowly blinked, looking up at a very irritated Suguru. The man radiated gloom and tension. He was in his sweatpants, and his hair was tied in a messy bun, and, dear God, he looked pent up.

“Why the fuck are you using the spare key?”

“I-I uh—”

“Ooooh~ there she is~!” a hand gently rested against Suguru’s shoulder as Satoru peered down at you from behind your dark-haired boyfriend. “There's our girl!”

It only took a moment to see that Satoru mirrored Suguru’s frustration and anger. Oh fuck. The key fell from your hand as you took a step back. Suguru was demanding and rough when he was pent up. Satoru, on the other hand, was a tease. He liked pushing you, making you cry. Both of them being in a pissy mood simultaneously, this was a nightmare for you.

“Y-You, I thought you were in trouble!”

“Oh yeah, no.” Suguru’s soured face slowly twisted into a smirk as Satoru licked his lip. “But you~?” Suguru’s hand darted out, grabbing you by the front of your shirt, preventing you from moving further back. “You're royally fucked.” Before you even had a chance to respond, Suguru and Satoru grabbed you, yanking you inside.

“Awe~” Satoru hummed as he trailed his kiss up the bare thighs he lay between. “Look at you~ trying to clamp your thighs shut.” Gojo’s fingers were buried deep inside of you. Finger fucking you to the edge of yet another orgasm he would deny. “But you can't, can you~? Suguru’s got you all tied to the bed, spread out for us to use you.” A muffled moan escaped you. “Huh? What was that princess? You gotta use your big girl words.” Satoru tilted his head, cupping his free hand around the back of his ear. “Oooh! That's right, you can't talk when getting your throat fucked.”

You gagged as Suguru's cock hit the back of your throat. He was quiet, his eyes shut in concentration. He looked so fucking hot, so focused on the feeling of your mouth. Sweat was beading on his forehead as he pulled in and out of your mouth, grunting softly as you hollowed your cheeks. But the more Satoru spoke, the more Suguru knitted his eyebrows.

“I bet you want me to stuff your pussy, too, don't you~? You want to be spit-roasted between your two boyfriends?” Your pussy twitched at his words. “Oooh~!! Your cunt just twitched. Is that what our sweet girl wants—”

“Satoru,” Suguru snarled, “shut the fuck up.”

“Well, excuse the fuck out of me. Y/N likes it when I tease her.”

Suguru tsked, pulling his thick cock out of your mouth. You gasped and coughed, spit and precum coating your chin. Between your pants and the gasps for air, Suguru went to what you thought would be a head pat. Instead, his fingers tangled in your air with a hard yank, pulling you up to look down at Satoru. His face was flushed, cerulean eyes wide as he looked between his two partners.

“Look at the fucking slutty face she's making.” The grip on your hair tightened. “You think she looks like this because of your pitiful teasing?” A shaky moan escaped you as he tightened his grip harder. “No, she looks like this because this little slut likes it rough.”

Fuck, you wanted more, to run your hands over Suguru’s arms, to grip his cock, urging him to keep fucking your throat. You were desperate to trap Satoru's head firmly between your thighs, forcing him to kiss and lick your clit. Instead, you weakly tugged at the purple restraints tied to both your wrists and ankles. Suguru had set up the rigging underneath the mattress, making it impossible for you to move. Meaning if you wanted his cock back in your mouth or Satoru’s tongue inside of you, you had to wait for them.

What made it more frustrating was the fact that you were completely bare. Not allowing you to hide the way your body reacted to Suguru’s dirty words. He was telling the truth. And the truth was behind your body's reactions. Gojo could see it in the way your tight entrance clenched around his fingers. He could feel your pussy drip around him, your wetness running down his knuckles. Suguru was right; you did like it; no, like wasn't the right word.

You fucking loved it.

Suguru could see the wheels turning in Satoru’s head as his eyes glittered with lust and excitement. “Satoru~ do you finally see it?~” The way Suguru purred his name had Satoru’s cock throbbing. “You see why she came home, even though she knew she’d get fucked?”

“Yeah, yeah, she's a fucking slut.”

“Yeah, she is.” A sharp tug on your head made you yelp. Suguru grinned, cocking an eyebrow at you. “You want it rough? Want me to fuck your throat so hard you cry, pretty girl?”

“Y-Yes, please.”

Gripping his cock at the base, Suguru slapped his thick meat against your cheek. “That's a good girl. Now open up.” slowly, you opened your mouth to him. Watching your tongue slip out had his tip angry, throbbing red. “Now,” he smeared the beading precum over your bottom lip, “say ah~.”

“Ahh~” The second that sound left your pretty mouth Suguru shoved his cock in your mouth. Your eyes stung as tears filled your eyes.

Satoru’s fingers had stopped their slow movements inside of you. His mouth was dry as he gulped. Suguru had been rough before, but this was a whole new level. His thick fingers wrapped around your Y/H/C hair, holding your head in place. His hips pull back before slamming forward, his ass clenching with the force of each thrust. Blue eyes slowly trailed over to your face. Your eyes were red, big tears slowly down your cheeks, and your throat was fucked. Satoru swore he could see Suguru’s tip bulging in your slender neck.

This was fucking hot. Suguru’s bare back glittered in the low light of the bedroom, a sheen of sweat beaded over his toned muscles. It was like watching a god fuck a mortal Suguru radiated a dominating power as he watched their girlfriend choke and gag on his cock. Satoru’s cock was so hard it fucking hurt. Reaching down, he wrapped his hand around his throbbing shaft, jerking it slowly as he leaned down, kissing and nipping at your inner thighs.

The gentle kisses had you sighing contently around Suguru’s cock. Looking over his shoulder, Suguru sighed as he watched Satoru. His pink tongue was stuck out, gently teasing your damp folds. The sensation had you sighing around his dick, and that was not what he needed right this fucking second. Suguru wanted more; he needed it to relieve the tension in his shoulder. But that relief, the release he needed, wouldn’t happen, with Satoru teasing you like he loved to do.

“Satoru,” Suguru's voice was rough, “I just told you Y/N likes it rough.”

“Uh-huh~” Satoru’s voice was muffled as his face buried in your pussy, making you whine around the cock buried in your mouth.

“You’re not being rough enough.” Satoru pulled back, making you whine in protest. “Oh, I’m sorry. Do you want to come down here and eat Y/N’s pussy while I get my dick sucked?”

“No.” The cocky smile that was beginning to form on Satoru’s face was suddenly gone as Suguru reached his free hand down, wrapping his fingers in soft white hair. “I want you to fucking eat her cunt out like you fucking hate her.” Your eyes rolled back as Satoru was slammed back down into your pussy. The moan that left his mouth vibrated just right against our clit, making you cry out. “Ah~ fuck yes.” Your cries vibrated around Suguru’s cock, just the way he wanted. “That’s it, Satoru, keep it up.”

“Mmmmph.” Finally, having a picture of how Suguru wanted him to act, Satoru found himself motivated. Again, it might be because his boyfriend was tugging and pulling at his sensitive hairline. Yeah, that was motivating him. Fuck you like he hated you, he could do that. He was just as pent-up as Suguru was.

Fingers slammed inside your pussy, fucking in and out of your tight hole with a force and speed that had you crying out in pleasure. Your moans felt so fucking good, and the more you opened your mouth to cry, the deeper Suguru fucked your throat. He hit the back over and over again, his hand pressing firmly against Satoru’s head, pushing him harder against your clit. The two of you moaned while your mouths were being used; the sounds of whimpers, squelches, and gagging were like a symphony to Suguru’s ears.

Out of all the ways for him to relieve his stress, this was by far his favorite.

“Hah—fuck keep that up, Satoru, bring her right to the edge, then stop. I want her cumming with both of us inside of her. Fucking her so rough she has to call out of work tomorrow and Friday.” The thought of that had you pulling on your restraints. “Oooh oh, you like that? You like knowing the two of us will make sure you can’t walk or talk tomorrow?” Your muffled moans were quickly molded into gags as Suguru roughly fucked your face. “Yeah, you fucking do, you nasty little slut.”

Your mind was spinning as you felt yourself climbing closer and closer to your orgasm. The room was so hot and reeked of sex. It was all you could do not to allow yourself to cum right then and there. Satoru could feel it, the way your little swollen clit throbbed against his tongue, how your walls clamped down on his fingers. He wanted to send you over the edge. He was close to following you as he fucked his hips helplessly into the mattress, wishing it was your wet pussy instead.

One orgasm wouldn’t hurt, would it? You had been so good to them, allowing the duo to drag you into the house, strip you in the entryway, and tie you to the bed. Plus, on top of all that, they had left you alone for two weeks. You had to rely on that stupid vibrator Suguru insisted on allowing you to keep. That stupid toy was nothing compared to his tongue. Which was probably why he was bringing you to a mind-blowing orgasm in under three minutes.

Yeah, he was going to let you cum.

Curling his fingers up into your g-spot, Satoru fucked you as fast as his wrist would allow. Suguru instantly knew what was happening. From the way your eyes shut to how loud you were moaning around him, you were seconds away from cumming. If he was in a better mood, he might have allowed it to happen. Unfortunately, he wasn’t done with you yet.

“Stop.” Suguru scolded, pulling Satoru away from your dripping sex.

Both you and Satoru made disapproving groans as your orgasm slowly faded out of sight. “Doesn’t she deserve a treat? She’s been so good!” Satoru whined, licking your juices off his lips.

“I agree. Y/N does deserve a reward. But you need to give it to her in the roughest way that you can.” Suguru pulled his cock out of your mouth, allowing you to catch your breath. “Look at it this way. We get to blow off the steam while we make up for making her play with herself for two weeks.”

“Huh?” Those words struck a different chord in Satoru, and his cock twitched.

“Y/N, sweetheart, how often would you say you played with yourself when we were gone.”

You swallowed at the air greedily. “I don’t know, seven, maybe eight times.” Both your boyfriends shuddered, hearing the hoarseness of your voice.

“And out of all of those times, did you cum as hard as you do with us.”

“Not at all. They were all baby orgasms.”

Suguru shut his eyes, nodding his head. “See, Satoru, not only does our little slut like us rough and demanding, but we have to make up for those eight little orgasms.” When the dark-haired man looked back at Satoru, he saw a flash of white before your scream of shock and please bounced off the walls.

Suguru’s eyes were slightly wide as his brain tried to catch up with what his eyes had just witnessed. What he saw was Satoru balls deep inside of you. His thrusts were sloppy and needy, and fuck you looked as stunned as Suguru. One second you had been empty, pussy craving a cock deep inside of it from the denied orgasm. In the blink of an eye, Satoru was fucking into you more brutal than he’d ever fucked you before.

“I fucking told you, that toy was nothing compared to us.” Satoru snarled against the crook of your neck, digging his teeth into the sensitive skin. “Fucking stupid toy, not pleasing my girl.”

“Oh my—fuck, holy fuck!” You cried out, mouth wide open. Giving Suguru the perfect opportunity to get back to fucking your throat. The bittersweet taste of pre-cum had your mouth watering. He returned to the brutal pace he was in several minutes again.

“She needs that Satoru. What if we get sent on another long mission? She’s just supposed to suffer?” The thought of that had Suguru tilting his head, bangs falling in front of his eye. “You know what, I think you might be on to something. If we take her toy away, then we’d have to fuck her even harder the next time we get home.”

Satoru’s teeth sank harder into your neck as the tip of his cock slammed almost too hard into your cervix, making you scream around Suguru. “Exactly. Let me use reversal red on it, Y/N, please, baby.” You started to shake your head in a desperate plea to let you keep it. But Suguru’s cock in your throat made it impossible to do so. “What was that? Oh, right, you have your mouth full.” His lips moved against your pulse as his fingers dug into your hips. “Guess we’ll just have to say the way your clamping down on my cock is a yes in our book.” Your eyes darted up to Suguru, who had bought you the toy, for help.

“Mhmm fuck, yeah, I’m pretty sure she just hummed an ‘uh-huh’ around my cock.”

You wanted to argue, to fight against this rash decision, but you felt so good it was almost impossible to care. You were screaming around Suguru’s cock. Tears streaming down your face, leaving behind trails of mascara. They were both being so mean and rough. God, it was so fucking good. Who cared about a clit sucker when your throat and pussy were being fucked into next week.

“She’s close.” Satoru cried out, his balls slapping against your ass. “Oh fuck she’s hugging my cock so tight I’m going to explode Suguru.”

With blurry eyes, you glanced up at Suguru. His cheeks were flushed, and his eyes shut tight. “I know, oh fuck I know, I’m so close, Satoru, don’t fuckin’ stop, make her cum, make her cum so hard.” Both his hands grabbed your face fucking your throat roughly as Satoru cried out, his hand pressing roughly on your clit, rubbing it in fast circles.

That was all that you needed. You cried out, squirting all over Satoru’s crotch, abdomen, and the mattress. Your orgasm set a domino effect between your boyfriends. Suguru followed behind you, his body hunched over you, his hands gently squeezing your head as he filled your mouth full of his thick cum. You weakly tried swallowing all of it, but that was somewhat difficult as Satoru extended your orgasm.

His thumb continues to rub your clit until his face scrunch up, mouth open in a feral growl. Satoru's orgasm hit him like a punch in the gut. He fucked all three of you harder, closer to oblivion. The headboard slamming against the wall as the restraint dug into your wrists was the only thing grounding you to remain on Earth. Satoru didn’t let up on the rough thrusts until he felt his cum dripping around his cock onto the bed.

The throbbing pain in the back of your throat, deep inside of your pussy was all the confirmation you needed that your boyfriends had fulfilled their promise. Never in your life had you been fucked so roughly. But it was a pain that you warmly welcomed.

After coming down, Suguru was the first to move gently. The rough hands that had been holding you in a vice gently held you as he pulled his softening cock out of your mouth. “Lay down.” His gruff, gentle voice whispered as he helped rest you against a pillow.

“Oh fuck—“ Satoru lifted his head off your shoulder, “I haven’t cum that hard in a while.” He was so slow, pulling out of you, grimacing as you cried out. “Sorry, fuck I’m sorry, baby.”

You shut your eyes, listening to Satoru getting out of bed. You could hear water running in the bathroom as gentle fingers began undoing your restraints. “You did such a good job, Y/N,” Suguru whispered. “Such a good girl for us.” His praise had you humming happily as he made quick work of the rest of the ropes.

“Suguru, let’s order in, yeah?”

“Yeah, that sounds good.”

The next half hour was a blur of warm happiness. Satoru helped wash your body in a bubble bath before Suguru joined you, kneeling next to the tub, lovingly stroking your face and hair. After you were cleaned up, your hair brushed, and pajamas on. You crawled into your bed with fresh sheets and relaxed. Satoru and Suguru fluffed your pillows and brought you a cup of tea for your raw throat. When your dinner arrived, the three of you sat in bed together to eat as a B-grade horror movie played on the television.

After eating, Satoru left to throw out the take-out containers. “Mmm, thank you for letting us do all that,” Suguru said as he crawled into bed after his shower. “That mission, it was rough.”

“I’m always happy to help.” Your voice cracked, making Suguru frown. “Stop frowning,” you flicked his forehead. “I like it rough.”

The bed dipped, and Satoru wrapped his arms around your waist. “Y/N can handle it. She is dating the two strongest, after all.” Both you and Suguru scoffed, relaxing in the growing silence. “Oh, by the way, Y/N.”

“Yeah?” You yawned, snuggling into Suguru’s chest as he turned the bedside lamp off.

“Did you bring home my mochi?”

In the dark of the room, you heard a thump and Satoru’s whine before Suguru pulled the three of you closer to him. “Satoru shut the fuck up about the mochi.”

[rey-jake-therapist]

Okay, I cooled down, watched the episode again and... cooled down because I was pissed off again, mostly at the terrible lines that came out of Galadriel's mouth during that fight... "Do you want to heal me?" (that was so random lol), "the free people of Middle Earth will always resist you" (cringe intensifies), "You want to heal Middle Earth... Heal yourself !" (Peak cringe).

I already ranted about all the things I didn't like in other posts, I didn't change my mind a bit, so I will focus on what else I liked, especially after rewatching.

There are moments of the Haladriel fight I really enjoyed. Starting with this :

(gif posted by @tpmind)

This little smile, the first time we see him soften since season 2 started, and... god, I wish we could put sound on gifs because this "Galadrriel"... oh my heart. He was really glad to see his wife !

Then this, which was comedy actually :

(gif by @letthefairyinyoufly)

First, Evil Barbie looks very cute, I want to kiss him. Ahem, I derail. But this moment made me laugh so hard. Galadriel and all of us think of Sauron of this brilliant master mind who's got 320 plans in his head, is always ahead of everyone and manipulates us all like puppets, and here he's just like.... "Wut? Nah, I improvise often actually". I liked this line because it made him a more realistic villain, finally. There's a lot he can predict and plan but he can sometimes be surprised too ! Like at at the end, when Durin and his dwarves came at the rescue : he thought the Balrog had killed them all, probably. Sauron really doesn't like these dwarves lol

And I know it was not everybody's cup of tea, but I loved most of this duel. At least the beginning ! It was everything I predicted : she was the enraged gremlin, while he calmly avoided blows and barely struk back. At some point his face even said, "she serious? She wants to keep fighting? Boring, but if that's the wife wants..."

Because this is literally what happens. As he tells her, he doesn't want to harm her at all ! That's why he doesn't use any magic against her. It would be so easy if he did. Galadriel didn't best Sauron, he let her best him, at least until she rejected him again and angered him doing so. That's only then that he changed and became actually agressive. And even then, he effortlessly owned her. The only reason why she managed to scratch his face is probably that he was pissed and caught off guard by her refusal to be with him.

We saw how easily Sauron can kill someone when he really wants to. With a hand wave he would have thrown Galadriel against a tree if he had wanted to harm her or kill her, c'mon. He toyed with her like a cat with a mouse and it was delicious to watch. Galadriel wasn't nicer with the Numenor boys in season 1 than Sauron was with her during this fight. She was stronger than he thought though, he underestimated her, hence why she made him fall on his back.

And the sexual tension during this fight ! Incredible, and it just kept culminating until he stabbed her with Morgoth's crown. I'll come back to that in a minute. And the height difference, let's not forget the height difference !

I liked that we finally got the confirmation that earlier in the season, he used Nenya to communicate with Galadriel with visions, like I suspected. I didn't like how it was executed (shapeshifting into Celebrimbor to make him repeat "Aren't they the seeds you planted?" was a bit of an overkill), but I'm glad they clarified that, for her and for us.

Halbrand's appearance ! His puppy eyes! He was totally manipulating her like a puppy begging for food, but still, so cute... Man, he's good lol

Galadriel frozing, closing her eyes when he repeats what he told her and dropping her defensiveness! I loved that moment, too bad it lasted what? 5 seconds, then it was gone? I know many of us, me included tbh, thought he was just manipulating her again, even mocking her feelings (and ours as well), and that the way it was executed could make it seem like Halbrand was really fake, after all. I blame the terrible execution of this scene for that, tbh. Not Charlie's acting! he was perfect, he always is.

But back to the point : I think what this moment tried to convey, very awkwardly, was that he reminded Galadriel of this moment in the woods, and of her own words earlier in S1, as an echo to what he said just before: "Not all of it". And he did that not to manipulate her or to mock her, but to force her to force the truth that she refuses to admit : they're not that different. But again, it was terribly executed and suffered from a complete lack of emotions. It was supposed to be his "hit her with the truth" moment, I guess? If it was the purpose, it obviously missed the mark.

But wait, I said I would only post positive thoughts...

Now of course there's THIS :

Man, that was insane. I have no other words for it. It was horrible, yet disturbingly HOT. I must say on my first watching, I screamed "nooooo, you said you wished her no harm, what are you doing?!", and seeing him insisting to get Nenya really annoying. So that was it? He only cared for his freaking rings now?

(crédit @spellofwinter)

Trusting how he looked at her straight after stabbing her, I'd say not. He may say what he wants, but that's the look of a Maiar who's still down bad for his she-Elf. I mean look at him.

I liked his speech about how he would have not rested until all Middle-Earth worshipped her and all that, I loved it. It was ridiculously romantic, especially considering he was literally twisting the knife crown into her wound. It was really, "you hurt me, my turn now". He's such a petty bitch.

Galadriel's awful "The free people of M-E will always resist you" line kinda ruined the mood for me, and not just because she wasn't vibing as he was ; why does Sauron have the best lines of dialogs while Galadriel gets all the crappy ones? 'seems very mysoginistic to me.

Then I read some posts here and came back to the scene to rewatch, and wow, some of you are really good, you know that? And no, I'm not referring to the obvious sexual innuendo behind this move lol But as it's been observed by others :

He stabs her with Morgoth's crown, just as he was by Adar.

He aimed for the shoulder while he could have very well gone for the heart (proving that even then, he didn't want to kill her)

There's an undeniable significance in the fact that he stabbed her with Morgoth's crown and not with Adar's sword. As @apoloadonisandnarcissus pointed out in this post, it contains a very powerful dark magic, that will leave Galadriel forever marked with a wound that can never fully heal. Sauron knew that, and he chose this weapon on purpose.

One of the reasons why I never thought that the show would give us Dark!Galadriel at the of season 2, is that Sauron himself doesn't want her to become his "dark queen". He's drawn to her light ! That's why he wanted her to be his queen, because she's already the Lady of Light to him. He wanted her to touch the darkness, not to be wrapped in it like he is. She was supposed to balance him, that's the whole point... But now that she's determined to shut the door on him, he realizes that if he lets her go now, he'll lose her forever.

So he stabs her with Morgoth's crown, knowing fully well what it will do to her. Saying "I would have put a crown above your head etc." is Sauron putting the blame on Galadriel for what he is, as he believes, "forced to do", exactly like he accused Celebrimbor of forcing him to torture him. It's Sauron's playbook all over again : "I didn't want to do this, but you leave me no choice", "you did that to yourself", "I'm the victim here", etc.

My first reaction to this scene where he asks her to give him Nenya was to believe that he was only interested in the ring. But Ioved the fact that he talked in her head, because it's the first time he does that. And it's probably because of the wound he just gave her that he can do it. I didn't like the scene in itself that much because it looked like he was woodoing her more than anything else.

But the fact remains that he didn't take Nenya by force. And that's when @apoloadonisandnarcissus strongly disagree about Sauron's intent here :) You think the bond he created by stabbing her was accidental because his plan was to steal her light and turn her into a ringwraith, I'm saying it was his intention since the start to bind her to him. She was supposed to stick around though lol

Seriously, he could have just taken Nenya from her finger and let Galadriel become a ringwraith. Why didn't he just do that? It's not cryptonite to him, he could have just taken it. He renounced her, right? She didn't want him, he didn't want her as his queen any longer, so why asking her to give Nenya to him instead of just taking it, if he didn't care about Galadriel at all? We saw with Adar that Nenya will "work" even if it has been stolen, so Sauron didn't want Galadriel to give it freely because he thought he woudn't be able to use it if he just took it from her.

So, my theory may be delulu but is supported by Sauron's facial expression : he was still on a power trip. Clearly lol. He knew he could heal Galadriel with Nenya, and he intented to because he didn't want her dead, but only... if she gave her the ring herself. He wanted her to submit to him, entirely. He could have told her he wanted Nenya so he could heal her, but then she would have given it just for that, and that's not what he wanted.

Of course, he didn't expect her to jump instead. He tried to catch her hand to stop her fall, again, why? Why would he care if she lived or die? If the point of it all was to get his hand on Nenya, all he had to do was to walk down the cliff and go pick up Nenya down there. He had more than enough time before Arondir and Gil-Galad would find Galadriel. But he didn't do that. He just remained stunned, he couldn't believe what she did. Then he lashed out on Glug who just happened to arrive with his complaints at the wrong time. Though, tbh, Glug wouldn't have survived for long anyway, being sort of the unionist of the Uruks. Sauron's not exactly a democrat... Plus he hates them.

So, I'm convinced that Sauron's plan at this point was to bind Galadriel to him, forcefully, since he can't get her to join him willingly. He stabbed her with Morgoth's crown so he could possess her. His design was of course way darker than what he had in mind first - making her his queen and not resting until all Middle-Earth worship her - , but I don't think that making her a ringwraith was his purpose.

Now of course, we'll see what the writers do with that, maybe he'll just keep antagonizing her which will prove that binding himself to her but not totally enslaved was purely accidental, but it has the potential to take a very interesting turn, anyway.

Last thing I liked, and which also convinces me that deep down, this moron stilll cares about her, has also been noticed by several other fans. @galstelperion published a great edit of the shots that look like very much as if Galadriel was being watched by an eye from above, by Sauron. The first one is when she's found by Arondir and Gil-Galad.

Even when Gil-Galad tries to save her from the darkness that's taking her, it looks like they're being watched (I took a screenshot but it's really more obvious if you watch the edit)

Then, that's the effect we see from Galadriel's POV, when she wakes up after Elrond heals her :

And then again when the camera turns on her. See how she puts her hand on her wound (also her heart, ahem) immediately? It could be because it still hurts, of course, but it could also be because she feels Sauron's eye on her. In LOTR, Frodo's wound made him suffer each time the Nazgul who stabbed him was close.

Also, Galadriel's wound looks like an eye if we look at it with attention.

So my point is : Sauron DID check on her after he realized she was still alive. He knows she's fine because he's got his 24/7 livestream now. Fanfic writers, have fun with this information ;)

Why didn't he check on her immediately then? Easy answer : petty bitch. That's what he is, after all. It's possible he was conflicted ; not happy that she may be dead, but thinking that maybe it's for the best that she is, as @darklinaforever suggested if I'm not wrong?

And to finish with a very delulu theory that will certainly never be proven true : when Gil-Galad says the darkness is too powerful and he can't save her, Elrond answers with an absolute certainty, looking at Nenya : "I can". Then he puts on the ring, which we know is a very difficult thing to do for him because until now, he was totally against the use of the Elven rings.

Where does he take this certainty from, I wonder? I know he saw Galadriel use Nenya to heal Camnir, but Camnir was wounded by an Orc arrow. It's not even remotely similar as the wound that an object as powerful and dark as Morgoth's crown, Elrond would know that (and Gil-Galad would have probably saved her without Nenya, if it was such a wound). So how is he so certain? Probably because Nenya showed him. And who proved during this fight that he was the one using Nenya to send visions to Galadriel, in the earlier episodes? I mean, maybe not of all them, but we know he was the one who showed her visions of Celebrimbor prisoner of "the seeds that she planted" at least...

Who knows, maybe Sauron did save her after all hahaha. Maybe that's what Charlotte Brandström hinted at, when she said :

"I think Sauron even really loves Galadriel and you will see that at the very end."

What else showed in this episode that he really loves her?? I can't think of anything else. Binding her to him, with the potential intent to turn her into a ringwraith? from Sauron's POV I guess it's love, but it doesn't happen "at the very end". At the end of their encounter yes, but who would look at this scene and think "this real love right here?" While Galadriel's healing happens... at the very end of the episode. I'll let that sink in...

The main obstacle to the idea that Sauron still loves Galadriel is episode 7 : Galadriel is put in a cage by Adar, threatened by a spear which he uses to make her bleed, and yet we don't see Sauron reacting to that. It can make us think that he didn't care at all what could happen to her, but the thing is : we can't be sure that he even saw that she was prisoner of Adar, since we don't know what he can see from the walls where he's standing. We don't know if he stayed on the walls to watch or if he left immediately with Celebrimbor.... We don't know if the scene where Elrond charges is happening right in front of him, or in a totally different place... We know nohing, so there's still room to think that he simply has no idea where Galadriel is at this moment. For all we know, he believes she's still with the Elves. Or he saw her but also saw Elrond going to meet Adar, and assumed he could handle this on his own. Or we will learn in season 3 that he mind palaced everyone and was in fact masquerading as Elrond (lol, I hardly hope for that now).

That's one of episode 7's many plot holes : since they didn't stop showing Sauron obsessing over Galadriel, they should have adressed this, either by filming him while he looked at the scene, either by filming him while he left the walls with Celebrimbor. At least, we'd know.

In conclusion to all this, I'd just like to say that episode 8 was still very disappointing, but all these points I've found redeem it a bit to me. At least if I'm right about Sauron's intentions when he wounded her with Morgoth's crown. If his intention was only to make her a ringwraith and steal her light... It's even worse than I thought and it's indeed probably not doomship anymore, but sunkship.

[aestas---estas]

A conversation

Part 2 of this | MDNI 18+ | Simon "Ghost" Riley x Reader | ~900 words | fem!reader, assistant!reader, protective!Simon, probable military inaccuracies, mentions of previous creep behaviour of an unnamed character | divider by @cafekitsune | Read on AO3

Simon's in his office, it's early Monday morning and he thought it best to get an early start on his paperwork rather than toss and turn in bed. He had always been an early riser, even before the rigid schedule of military life, not to mention the insomnia and nightmares. But this time, it hadn't been bad, twisted memories or the unexplainable inability to get his body and mind to relax that had made sleep elude him — it had been you. You, in that perfect dress. You, calling him in the middle of the night for help. You, hugging yourself tight to ward off the cold. You, in his jacket.

A knock on the door startles him from his thoughts, and he just knows it's you — he recognises the pattern of the knock, and a glance at the clock on his wall tells him the timing would be right. He grunts in the affirmative, just like always, and watches as you enter his office with a steaming cup of tea and a small biscuit.

“Good morning,” you greet, the smile in your lips as ethereal as ever as you place the cup and saucer on his desk.

“Morning,” Simon says back, following your movements out of the corner of his eye, not truly giving in to the satisfaction to stare. He can see though, that despite the radians of your smile, you look… bashful almost. 

“I, uh… I wanted to apologise again for my behaviour last night.” Simon says nothing, keeping his face down as if concentrating on the files he had been working on. A sharp, singular nod was all the answer you got, which only makes you ramble even more. “He wouldn't leave me alone when I said I wasn't interested, as if my no wasn't answer enough.” 

You scoff, shuffling a little on your feet as you remember the annoyance you had felt over that.

“So I, uh… I called you. Had to lay it on thick, that's why I called you baby. I'm sorry.” Once again, Simon says nothing, but he raises his gaze to your face. “Should've probably called someone else. You don't deserve to be dragged into my bullshit.”

“Why did you?” He asks, effectively cutting your rant short, and leans back a little in his chair; thighs spread wide and hands cupped in his lap.

“Call you?” He nods, waiting for your explanation with rapt attention and a raised eyebrow you can't see due to the mask. “I don't know. Needed a guard dog, I guess.”

“A guard dog? That what I am to you?” 

“N-no, that's not what I… fuck, I'm fucking this up.” You take a deep breath, straightening your posture and finally meet his eyes. “You were the first person I thought of when I felt uncomfortable and unsafe. When you walked me home from the pub that one time… it was the first time in a long while that I didn't feel the need to look behind me. I felt safe. I don't think I ever thanked you for that by the way, so, uh, thank you.”

“Thought you wanted Johnny to walk you home.” It's not said maliciously, and it only serves to confuse you. Sure, you'd had a great time talking and laughing with both Johnny and Kyle, but if you had wanted either of them to walk you home that night you would've said so.

“I never said that,” you supply with a soft yet confused smile. “I'm a grown woman, Simon. If I didn't want you to walk me home I would've told you. If I wanted Johnny to save me this weekend, I wouldn't have called you.”

“But you did call me.”

“I called you.”

It's quiet for a few moments as you both observe the other, something that can't truly be named flowing through the air. “And the kiss?” Simon eventually asks.

“Just a thank you gesture,” you answer with a shrug, feeling your cheeks heat in embarrassment. 

“That all it was?” He prods, hands still clasped together as he leans forward with his arms on the desk. He's unconvinced, you can tell, and his penetrative gaze sends a shiver down your spine.

“No. It's something I wanted to do,” you finally confess, hoping the admission won't be shut down or make your work environment uncomfortable going forward. But with the way his eyes have never strayed once from your form, the way he brought the kiss up and keeps prodding for a truthful answer, you don't think it will.

Simon lets your confession hang in the air for a moment, but you don't back down, only meeting his gaze head on and waiting patiently. “Alright,” he eventually says at length before going back to his paperwork. You don't really know what to make of his response, or lack thereof. It's only when you're halfway out the door to his office that he speaks again and stops you in your tracks, “I didn't mind it. Neither the call nor the kiss.”

“I'll keep that in mind,” you answer, throwing him another bright smile over your shoulder. “Oh, and your jacket. I was going to wash it before returning it but my washing machine is acting up and I haven't had the time to fix it.”

“Keep it. Looks better on you anyway.”

--- Masterlist

[serverusslaype]

Special

just a random short angsty, sort of fluffy one-shot, Severus Snape x professor!reader

i just wrote this right now because im in an angsty sort of mood, and i wanted to post something. i miss you guys, and i am now currently writing part 14 to shameless!! woo!! that break did my brain well. i feel refreshed hehe. <3 thank you for giving me some tips on how to get rid of that godforsaken writer's block, good lord. i hated it. but i'm free now, until next time ;)

this is a drabble/one-shot so it's sort of vague-ish, so yeah, if there's any mistakes or anything i'm sorry. ;(

(i also didn't put the taglist since it isn't part of the shameless fic! just in case you wondered!)

warnings: mentions of cheating

"If it makes you stop crying," Snape began hesitantly as he stared at your tear-stained face, frowning with a scrunched nose of what seemed like disgust. "We can go back to my office, and I'll make you some tea." He said, shoulders rising and falling slowly as he sighed. Watching you be so sad and cry wasn't something Snape was fond of, and it was effecting him - more than he wanted to admit. He just hoped you'd accept his request of making you some tea, then perhaps he could figure out what was making you so upset, and punish the culprits. Snape had always had a little soft-spot for you ever since you'd joined Hogwarts as a professor a year or so ago. Usually he didn't feel such a way towards younger, new professors, however, your kind and sweet aura had him unexpectedly mesmerised the moment you'd introduced yourself to him. The Potions Master wasn't exactly sure why he felt this way towards you so soon, but he knew it couldn't be good - the last time he felt something like this was back when he was a child.

You looked up, still sobbing quietly, managing to slip a confused frown upon your face. "Tea?" You repeated quietly with a sniffle, pausing for a moment to ponder on Snape's offer. "...Tea would be nice."

You hadn't expected to bump into your usually gloomy, rude colleague whilst having what you thought was going to be a private breakdown after learning that your partner had cheated on you with your best friend. Almost two years down the drain, just like that. Snape had accidentally walked in on you hunched over your desk, crying hopelessly. He was about to walk away when you'd heard a deep sigh, startling you. And here you were. Being offered tea by him.

"Let's go then." Snape said with a flat tone, looking away from your sad eyes, unable to withstand the pain that was gathering in his chest.

You were at least two or three cups of tea down when you'd finally explained everything to Snape. From the start of your relationship to the unexpected demise. It dug up old, painful memories, and you were crying again.

"What's wrong with me?" You sobbed, taking another sip of the tea that Snape had made you; hot tears soaking your cheeks and dripping into the cup. Another deep, frustrated sigh slipped from Snape again as he watched you from his desk with a sad frown upon his pale features. "I don't get it," you sniffled, gripping the handle of the tea cup with white knuckles, "did I do something wrong?"

No, you couldn't do anything wrong, Snape wanted to say. He wanted to tell you how wrong you were, and how perfectly good you truly were. But he knew you wouldn't listen, and so he kept quiet, only muttering in disagreement.

"I doubt that, Y/N." Snape mumbled, though you didn't give him much time to say anything else before you stumbled into a self-deprecating rant.

"Maybe I wasn't worth it, I mean, it's not like I'm anything... special," you laughed dryly, avoiding Snape's cold eyes, "maybe I'm just the girl that everyone dates before they find their true love. I'm the girl that they use to find the one, I don't have any good qualities, I'm a pushover, and-"

Snape inhaled sharply, "Stop it, Y/N!" He bellowed, slamming a hand down on the desk that the two of you were sat at. Instantly, you went silent, your mouth hanging open in shock as your heartbeat suddenly sped into an incredibly fast pace. You glanced up at Snape with wet and wide eyes, startled by his unusual outburst.

"Severus-"

"No, Y/N," he held up a hand, silencing you, "you're wrong about yourself. You are special." Snape sighed, moving his hand to massage his temples. You couldn't believe what was coming out of this man's mouth. "You're more than enough. Your ex was clearly a fool to do such a thing to you. In fact, I can't fathom why they would choose your friend over you." Snape said with a stern tone, clearly distressed. Your mouth still hung open as you stared at him, flabbergasted. "You're kind, sweet, considerate, and your heart is twice the size than it should be."

"I..." You uttered quietly, staring at Snape, evidently speechless. He shut his eyes momentarily, suddenly realising what he'd just said. Yet another deep sigh slipped from his heaving chest, rendering you silent.

"You..." Snape stumbled, avoiding your eyes. There was no way he could look at you right now. He'd just opened the floodgates on what he truly thought of you. He probably looks like a right blithering idiot.

The room went quiet, and the two of you sat there in what felt like a somewhat-comfortable silence, taking the moment to acknowledge what had just happened.

You stared at the man opposite you, a sudden and unusual warmth blooming in your chest. For the first time since you'd met him, you took the opportunity to truly look at him. Snape's black eyes glittered in the low, soft amber light from his candles as he reluctantly glanced up at you, pressing his lips into an awkward thin and flat line. His shoulders rose a tad, tensing as he inhaled, and he shifted his gaze to the desk again. Clearly, he was unsure on how to navigate this current moment.

A tiny smile picked at the corners of your lips as you looked at him. "Thank you." You whispered, glancing down at his splayed out hands. Taking a chance, you reached out your own hand and placed it atop of one of his, feeling it flinch. Snape's eyes darted up to yours, and he returned your smile, though it seemed a little awkward.

Snape didn't say anything to you, he only nodded gently before pulling his hand back to himself after a few long moments, clearing his throat.

"Well, since you've stopped crying," he began, sitting up straight in his chair, "we can assume I've done a good job." A little chuckle escaped you, and it caused a loose, genuine smile to erupt on Snape's face. You noticed it, but chose not to say anything, instead silently admiring how well it suited him.

"Now I know who to come to when I'm sad." You joked lightly, and as quickly as the smile had arrived on his lips, it disappeared. You laughed, feeling a tad lighter. Though the awful situation still sat within you like a dead weight, waiting to be dealt with, it felt good to smile and laugh, especially with a man you thought to be devoid of such emotions.

"I don't think-"

"Thanks, Severus." You cut him off with a bright smile, making his heart flutter. Perhaps he would wander past your classroom a little more often than before.

Masterpost

[caitchercatlady]

Not Having a Good Time

-Heartslabyul Version

Note: Hey, everyone. So I've had these stories on the back burner for quite a bit, and I do have intentions to work on more than just this one imagines series. I hope you guys like this one nonetheless first <3

Riddle Rosehearts

As much of a stickler Riddle is for keeping the peace, unless it's necessary not to, he can tell when someone is not in the mood for nonsense in the exhausted sense of the word. He will ask to speak with you in private, away from any snickering and gossip.

"Queen's Rule #568: Grievances must be shared over a cup of lavender tea and the griever's favorite treat."

You and Riddle will enjoy this occasion in the quiet side of the garden, where Riddle allows you to rant about your issues as he listens with open ears. Riddle always had Trey and Chen'ya who would listen to his problems, so it was only right as a Housewarden to act upon his position with you, even if you aren't his house student.

He knows it's not the permanent solution, but, while also warning not to tell anyone that this happened, he gives you a hug of comfort, lifting your spirits just a little.

Trey Clover

You have your head to the floor, so you don't notice Trey approaching when you accidentally bump into him and step on the tip of his shoe. Already distressed enough as it is, you apologize profusely. Trey smirks as he replies:

"It is just a shoe, not my mother's flower garden. Why don't you walk with me?"

As Vice Housewarden, the solver of the majority of the dorm's problems and the mediator of all squabbles, it is Trey's natural instinct to approach you the moment he sees the frown on your face. He allows you to express your grievances as you walk through the campus garden.

Trey believes the best way to release stress is a nice baking session. He even lets you do the kneading and taste testing steps.

Cater Diamond

Even though you just want to be alone in Ramshackle Dorm, prior to your return to your dorm, Cater couldn't help but notice how stressful you've felt all week if your account is proof of anything. He couldn't help but send you a DM on MagiCam.

Your latest pic is looking pretty gloomy. If you wanna talk, spam me as much as you like. -CayCay <3

You gladly take the offer since you felt comfortable ranting not face-to-face. You can tell that Cater is reading them by reacting to each message you send with an alternate sad or a heart emoji.

As a peacemaking offering, Cater tells you that if you are ever interested in doing a "Cay Cay pampering session," he'd be at your dorm in half a finger snap to help clear the stress from your mind.

Ace Trappola

When you're not feeling your best, the last you need is someone or something to make it worse. Ace didn't get on your best side as he pulled off the "dunk your face into your lunch" prank today. He didn't react so nicely when you told him off, but after realizing what had gone on prior to that prank, he finds you during flying class to try to make things up for what he did.

"Yuu...what happened at lunch today, I'm sorry. I should've just said, "Hi," and asked how you were doing. I didn't know you were already mad. Please forgive me. If you can't, let me make it up to you somehow."

If Ace wasn't sincere, you supposed he would've waited until after class was over to apologize. Now that he was listening, you let out everything that had been going on before Ace pulled off the prank. You also express the "I message," which Ace is more than willing to accept.

With Vargas busy with...whatever Vargas is doing, Ace offers you to go on a flying ride with him. A little entertainment screaming would do you some good to make you forget about your problems...even just a little.

Deuce Spade

Deuce finds it odd that you've been less chatty as of late. You barely even spoke when the professors pointed to you for answers to their questions. He catches you after class and asks what's happening. He's all ears to hearing you out. That's when you finally respond, and he feels the pain with every word that comes out of you.

"Ah geez, Yuu. I'm really sorry. I think I've been feeling it, too, and when I'm feeling that way, I need a Blastcycle ride. Wanna go on one right now?"

You don't find that to be a bad idea, so you guys head out and take a campus ride to let the issues out of your hair. The island is lovely enough for its wind to brush it right out.

[marengogo]

UGH!-10: It's Too Early For This Shit

Nuts - by RM  [Right Place, Wrong Person]

[Music is a very big part of my life and I’m MOSTLY INCAPABLE of writing without music, so I just thought I’d share what I am listening to while writing this]

–🐺–🐺–🐺–

⚠️ super angry post ahead ⚠️

I've just opened the blue bird App and I'm already done for the day.

"the travel show should've been these two. I'm very fond of their dynamic", "so true. It would've been more interesting more fun and less drama", "Heavy on the less drama. We'd also be having discussions too, the way we are massively ignoring the current one is sending me-", "ikrrr😭😭 also actual and long conversations between them" ...

Is it so fucking hard to just not give into the people you swear on your life you are "protecting your fave" from? Is it so hard respecting your faves decisions? Is it so hard to ... I dunno ... express your frustration without having to shit on someone else who has ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO DO WITH ANYTHING?

So you are frustrated that 🐰solos, 🐻solos, and 🐰🐻ers are in 🐥's business as always? Okay. AND? That should never stop you from watching the show your fave worked so hard on! You support your fave, you show him that his will, wishes and opinions do matter and YOU REPORT THE MOTHERFUCKERS, YOU IGNORE THE MOTHERFUCKERS, AND YOU MOVE THE FUCK ON, FFS!

It is really as simple as that.

KPOPPIES and their mamas have been against 875 since time immemorial, yet here we are, supporting them because supposedly we think they are worth our support and them pursing their dreams. Imagine going "I wish 875 disbanded because we have to report antis everyday" ... in 2024? on the Blue Bird App? Really now?? Where've you been Fam?! On Blue Bird Dot Com IT BE LIKE THAT. In K-MEDIA it be like that. In The Streets of the World with ignorant people It be Like THAT!!

Being AMI is not easy. It is frustrating many a time, it is angering many a time, it is downright aggravating many a time, but you'll never see me disrespect ANY of the members because other people in the world are dickheads. NO BRO.

You sad? Stay off SM for a day or two. You mad? Bitch with your friends offline, rant on a post, and/or start boxing, I dunno! But whatever it is ALWAYS 👏🏾 AIM 👏🏾 YOUR 👏🏾 RAGE 👏🏾 AT 👏🏾 THE 👏🏾 RIGHT 👏🏾 TARGET 👏🏾 .

Certain people resorting to hate 🐥 and viceversa IS NEVER going to be 🐰's fault and viceversa .

🐥 loves all his hyungs, and arguably 🐿️ is the one he is closest to. But he also loves all "his" maknaes, and you don't have to believe he is even close to 🐰 but YOU WILL RESPECT the fact that for a good 7 years at the very least ever since GCF Tokyo came to be, both 🐥 and 🐰 seem to really not give TWO FLYING FUCKS about what any of us have to say about the time they choose to spend together. So much so that, not only did they do a whole show together, but where and with whom are they now? 🦻🏾 ...

Yes. I thought so.

Also more interesting more fun ... actual and long conversations you are just a hating hoe for that. Two people not being chatterboxes doesn't mean there is anything wrong with tem. Not your cup of tea? Move on alone, no need to shit on it. Sure 🐥🐿️ may have a more "marketable" dynamic from 🐥🐰 but maybe, just maybe, 🐥 wasn't completely aiming at entertaining, in fact on multiple occasions they even said they weren't sure if this would air at all, but they weren't bothered.

In fact, if you ask me, this particular show aired because it wasn't like every other show so hellbent on trying to entertain. It aired because this were two people who actually ended up entertaining while constantly reminding themselves that they had to, and mainly failing to do so. So fuck you wholeheartedly.

If any of the other members want to have their show I'll be up for any pairing, any trio, etc and it will be just as special and interesting in its own way. If it ends up being shit ... I can assure you it will probably not air which would be a shame because i would watch anything my boys want to show us.

Just, it would be great if for once, some people could stop the hate-comparison and try the appreciation-despite, it goes a long way, and for the looks of it, 🐥 & 🐰 are not going to stop until their 50 so ... yeah.

I'm so fucking angry obviously,

Marengo.

PS - If anyone tries to come at me saying that I hate 🐥🐿️ I'LL END YOU.

[dragon-watcher03]

I am a simple woman with simple tastes.

All I want is that when my crush rejects me, Kung Lao, Bi-han and Smoke are there to comfort me and to tell me 'if he doesn't want you, then I'll keep you'

(and yes, this is a request for some headcannons, please 🙏 and thank you 🥰)

Damn, aight then. (sorry it took me so long to answer this-)

Mk1 x Reader who got rejected

Ft: Kung Lao, Sub-Zero, Smoke

Note: I have been suffering from writer's block recently so for those who sent me requests, it might take a while for them to be answered.

Kung Lao

Bro was flabbergasted. Like the "what kind of idiot would reject you?" kinda flabbergasted.

He tells you they didn't deserve you anyway, and that you deserved someone who would dedicate all their time to you and love you with every fiber of their body, like him.

He thinks he's far more deserving of you than that douch who had the balls to reject a wonderful person like you. And deep down, he's happy they rejected you so now he can have you all to himself.

But he knows you're not in the right mindset to make that decision right now. Right now, he needs to reassure you that they didn't deserve you and you deserve someone better.

He'd wait a few weeks at most before confessing to you, he thinks that's the right amount of time to wait.

And when you accept his feelings he's extremely happy that you finally got over that person.

Now, whenever he sees them in public, he wraps his arm around you and smirks like he's showing them what they just lost.

Sub-Zero

He honestly wasn't surprised, no weakling like them could handle a beautiful, kind, caring, hard-working person like you. He doesn't tell you that though, he just stands there awkwardly as you rant to him about how they rejected you.

He's also a little happy they rejected you, so now you can realize your worth and see that you deserve better. He's not very emotional when you tell him, he's very good at hiding them.

He might pat your back to try and comfort you but overall he isn't really good at this kinda stuff. No one usually comes to him for comfort and they don't teach them how to do it in the Lin Kuei, so he just listens to you talk, and sometimes he'll pat your back or shoulder, but that's about it.

He probably waits a few months until he confesses to you, and he does it over a letter because he's too shy to say it to your face.

And when you accept his feelings, he lets out a sigh of relief and for the first time, he'll smile at you softly.

When he sees your ex-crush in public, he'll give them a death glare and grab your hip with one hand.

Smoke

He'd be very understanding and supportive when you come to him.

He offers you a cup of tea and sits you down and tells you to let it all out. So you do. And he listens to every word intently.

But deep down, he's celebrating over the fact that he still has a chance with you. But he'll never share this with anyone. Ever.

He's rubbing your back with one hand and will offer you a hug that lasts quite a long time, saying that it isn't your fault and you should focus on yourself for the time being.

He'd probably also wait a couple months before confessing to you, but he'd be spending those months with you as you work on yourself.

And when you do accept his confession, he's ecstatic and relieved. He's a very touchy lover, especially when around your ex-crush. He won't stare at them but he will make sure they know what they lost.

[yan-lorkai]

Hiii, can I request something cute with Integra and her darling? Maybe she's overworking herself or smth and her darling takes care of her. Have a good day!

.⁠｡⁠*⁠♡ a/n: I love this woman so much it's not even funny, she lives rent free in my head. Well, she, Alucard and Rook, they have the funniest conversations there lol. Stopping my rant here, hope you have a great day / night, darling! :)

.⁠｡⁠*⁠♡ Warning: Soft yandere content.

It wasn't uncommon for you that Integra wouldn't join you in your shared room when night came, sometimes she was quite focused on things that needed her immediate attention. Which didn't mean you'd just let her work until she fell asleep at her desk as happened once or twice. If you couldn't convince her to rest, at least you could keep her company for awhile.

In your hand rested a large cup of tea that you had prepared for her, gently knocking on her door until you heard a tired "come in."

There she was, hair tied in a messy bun while her glasses found place on her desk. Her head was thrown back as she rested her eyes for a few minutes, papers scattered all around. For someone so focused and determinated, today must have been one of those days she hated, her schedule so filled with things she could catch a moment to breath properly.

"Oh, Integra... I brought you some tea," You stammered not expecting her office or she for that matter to be a mess, holding out a steaming cup that you gave it to her.

Integra looked at you with a mixture of curiosity and wariness, Despite the months you've been dating, she was still suspicious of every little thing. Afraid of every little thing, almost as if she was still that little girl running away from her uncle. But you know this and so you smiled at her.

"Thank you," Integra replied sofly, accepting the tea with a nod and holding one of your hand on hers. She took a long sip, the warmth of the liquid soothing her nerves ever so slightly. Despite her reservations, she couldn't deny the comfort that your presence provided. "This was indeed something I needed."

She was accustomed to facing the darkness alone, her rough hands used to hold her sword anytime she needed to protect herself, but the light that radiated from you stirred something unfamiliar within her - a vulnerability that she was unaccustomed to acknowledging. Love.

She could see your love for her in your bright eyes. So much love, she could almost feel lightheaded. Integra hasn't loved ever since her father's passing, ending a happy cycle in her life and beginning a sad one, even if she didn't talk much about her own worries or feelings.

"Mind if I comb your hair?" You asked, holding her hairbrush in your hand. You were here on a mission and you will have her relaxing on your care, whether she wanted or not.

Integra seemed to know this, her beautiful smiled occulted by the cup. She hesitated only for a moment but nodded nonetheless, she felt a sense of calm wash over her when you untied her hair from the bun and began to comb it carefully, freeing it from knots. She liked that. The feeling that ran through her was good and welcome, just as you were welcome to stay as long as you wanted.

"You dote on me too much," Integra said, her voice barely above a whisper. You hummed not trying to contradict her when she was saying the truth.

"Of course I dote on you a lot, I love you, you dummy!" You laughed, feeling her freeze in your care, her cup forgotten on the table. "And it's because that I love you that I like to take care of you and spend time with you."

Her eyes searched for yours while she leaned back to your touch, almost as if asking you to touch her more, to hold her. Any other day she would have taken matters into her own hands, but exhausted as she was she felt like jelly in your hands today and you couldn't stop yourself from leaving kisses on the crown of her head.

With her hair done, you hugged her back tightly. Her soft natural scent making you inhale hard, you missed her warmth when you lay all these past days alone. And you secretly planned to lure her to bed this night by any means possible, so far you were quite successful on your endeavor.

"Come to bed?" You asked hoping to have her by your side this night, hoping to not have to hug her pillow and wonder when she'll finish her work. You gave her your best puppy eyes, mentally smiling she sighed. "Pleeeeease?"

Now she was smiling too, her hand coming to cup your face and very sofly caressing your cheek before pulling you in for a kiss.

Integra's lips curved into a rare, tender smile as she gazed at you. "Very well, dear," She said, her voice softening. "I cannot deny you when you look at me like this . Come, let us retire to bed together." She took your hand on hers, the warmth of her skin radiating to you.

Internally you were running in circles and jumping happily, content that you could convince her to sleep with you this time. Unbeknownst to you though she knew your plan all along and played along, wanting for a second to be just your integra, not Sir Integra Hellsing.

As you two cuddled, she felt her eyes closing slowly, her chest descending to a relaxed pace. You watched her sleepy face for awhile before following her to the dream world.

[lunaekalenda]

Kento Nanami is well-known for being the head of the most important business of Tokyo. A cold, strict, workaholic man who seems angry to the world. The newspapers talk about him and the media roast his attitude. Although he's handsome, well-ported and polite in extreme, all the social media influencers that like to rant about him as a way to earn money ask the same question:

Who would be able to date the Cold King?

"Who would be able to date? Goddess, I'm not a robot." Kento sighs, taking both cups of steamy tea from the kitchen counter and walking towards the couch. You put the phone down, receiving the tea and a forehead kiss from your husband as he surrounds the sofa to sit by your side, arm opening for you as you snuggle up against his body.

"It's true that you barely smile on pics or meetings" You agree with the post, making your man sigh and drink a long sip.

"Most of the times I don't even wanna be there." He says. He puts his cup on the coffee table, that shines with the reflections of flames, consuming wood on the built-in fireplace. You copy his movements, only to be able to hug your husband with both arms, leaving a kiss on the spot his unbuttoned shirt leaves naked near his chest. He sighs, his hand caressing up and down your back, fingertips dancing on your hips and back to your waist.

"Hm? You don't? Do you have better places to be at?" you tease him. His hands grip your waist stronger, taking your body to his lap, making you laugh.

"So funny, my love." he murmurs. Your legs rest on both sides of his, and his eyes and hand travel to the anklet he bought for you less than a month ago. Embodied with tiny pearls and a "K" in a large fan of colored gems. His lips curve on a smile. "This might be the cheapest jewelry piece I have ever bought you, and still, you don't take it off." You smile at him too, your hands on his cheeks, your thumb caressing his bottom lip sweetly.

"Maybe because it has your letter." you whisper. Kento smiles widely. You know that anklet wasn't cheap. As any other thing he ever bought for you. "And, really, I don't need all those gifts." His lips press a chaste kiss on your thumb, his hands going back to their original position on your waist.

"If I work non-stop and I can't gift my most loved one everything they deserve, does it even worth all the work?" You hit his shoulder slowly, making him laugh. "You deserve a lot more, my love. I'm sad I'm unable to give you everything." His right hand travels up to yours, taking the one you placed near his lips, tangling his fingers with yours before kissing the back of your hand. Your wedding ring shines when he places your hands on the couch.

You don't like public attention, and Kento doesn't want to expose you to the shitty world of gossip magazines. That's why he has paid so many paparazzis so they don't follow him, how his trips and dates are always invisible to everyone, how his enterprise has bought the silence of almost all the newspapers and magazines, but still, some of them are hungry for an exclusive.

His lips touch yours softly, just a caress, before he leaves a peck on them. None of you move for a second when he parts, before you find him smiling back at you. "I love you." He whispers. You peck his lips this time. "I love you too."

Time passes by while you spend the evening by his side on the couch, in front of the fireplace, head resting on his thighs while his hands caress your body. Your expensive pajama, another of his gifts, shows under the velvety blanket he put on top of your body half an hour ago. He keeps reading his book, humming for himself and taking notes on the margins while he reads, but taking his hand back to your body once he's done.

"Love, what do you wanna dinner?" he asks, closing the book and directing all his attention towards you. "Should we cook? Do you want to have delivery?"

"We have all the time of the world. And your food is better than any delivery so... Could my perfect, handsome, talented husband move the action towards the kitchen?" You whisper. Kento rolls his eyes before slapping your ass jokingly. Then, he stands up, taking the blanket away from your body before standing up, taking your body sweetly against his. Your arms get tangled on his neck as he lifts you easily, your lips finding his as he walks towards the kitchen, blindly walking around your exclusive apartment, reflecting yourselves in the clean marble floors and the huge windows that show a panoramic of Tokyo. Kento easily finds the kitchen, leaving you on the counter, stealing another kiss from you when he parts with a smirk.

"Time to cook, my love."

You pout towards him. After all, he's the one that took private classes with that five-star chef to impress you on your very first date, so his cooking always taste like a piece of heaven.

"Can't I just sit and look how you do? You look really really hot while cooking, hm?" Kento smiles again, rolling his sleeves up as he gets close, a brow raised in a silent joke. "And I'll make sure to reward you for your amazing work." His lips curve in a side smile when he pecks yours again, unable to let you go, in need to press his lips against you until he needs air.

"I'll be waiting for that reward."

"We'll see if the cooking deserves it." You tease. He points at you with a wood spoon before talking.

"It will, my love. Of course it will."

a little drabble for @dreamcastgirl99 <3 i hope you like it!

[yuri-is-online]

Hello Yuri!! Congrats on 500 followers!! You deserve it, your writing is amazing and makes me so happy whenever you post something new! (・∀・)

If it’s alright, could I request Ace Trappola, Ruggie Bucchi and Cater Diamond with prompt four if that’s okay? About the reader meeting someone at the ball and ranting to the boys about them.

Thank you so much in advance, and congratulations again!! ☆〜（ゝ。∂）

4. You met someone really wonderful at the Masquerade Ball and have been ranting about how he was totally the love of your life to your abnormally quiet friend. Actually, wasn't he invited too? Maybe you should ask him how that went.

Hello Rhea! It's always a pleasure to see you in my notifications, though you did give me a bit of whiplash with how fast this request came in (;ﾞ°´ω°´) It makes me very happy to hear I have managed to make you happy, I hope you like this post too. Also thank you very much for the kind words, they made me feel much better.

notes: they/them pronouns used for Yuu, I know the prompt says "quiet" but these three are sort of the chatty type so it's more like dodging the question (sorry), the other event requests can be found on my masterlist here. There's a movie reference hidden here (kind of) that if someone gets I'll probably scream idk.

Ace

There is a god in some sort of heaven and he hates Ace Trappola. Well maybe not a god, maybe it's just Riddle, and he certainly doesn't hate him, Ace is just being dramatic. But there has to be some sort of rule Riddle is breaking here, seriously what beacon of morals and etiquette sits pretending to sip tea while obviously eve's dropping on what should be a terribly private conversation. It's a nightmare made substantially worse by just how long he has been wanting to have this talk.

"Honestly I wasn't expecting to have so much fun, I thought Crowley was just going to put on a cheap tacky formal, not an actual ball with proper costumes." You feel light headed with joy for a change, technically half of the things you've experienced in this world you never would have in yours but a real, fancy Masquerade somehow felt more surreal than the overblots or flying brooms. Maybe it was because you had seen pictures of real ball costumes and masks that made it feel more tangible, like this was something you really were meant to be a part of.

"The costuming was indeed very impressive." Riddle swirls his cup just gently enough to avoid spilling his precious tea whilst making sure to pour Ace's all over the Heartslabyul lounge. "I was surprised at how impossible it was to tell who was who."

"I know! That's the whole problem." You practically jump up from the couch, before remembering yourself and settling down again. Ace notices you still move subconsciously closer to him, even if your silly head doesn't know just who he is. Or would it be was?

"Is it really?" Ace really wishes you weren't so used to ignoring his whining. "The entire point of a Masquerade is to be anonymous, isn't that why you and Deuce thought it was 'romantic.'" He had wanted to have this talk in Ramshackle where it was guaranteed to be private- scratch that he wanted to have it last night while he was trying to imagine what your eyes looked like under your mask. What they would look like if he moved his aside and just said what he was trying to for once instead of flirting more with the subtext than you.

"Well yeah I guess." You mumble. Your chest has been tied up in funny knots and Ace's unenthusiastic tone isn't helping with the pain. "But it's driving me insane to think I could have met my soul mate and all I know about him is that he makes a really attractive clown." Riddle chokes, tea cup clanking onto it's saucer as he politely tries to pass off his laugh as a cough. "Well not just that..." you mumble, closing your eyes to conjure up the memory of the jester who had produced a rose from behind your ear and insisted on leaving it there for luck.

"What sort of luck?" He held onto the rose just a second too long for your poor heart to bear, you swear he could feel it if he pressed his fingers that much closer to your pulse point.

"Well mine of course, how else am I supposed to find you when this is over." It's odd not to see the man's lips, your heart tells you it suspects he's smiling but it won't confirm it.

"That's not luck!" You laugh. "That's cheating!" He shrugs, as if to say he knows, that's the whole point. As if to say it's worth it to break the rules where you're concerned. It's daring, the way he holds you as you dance, the way your heart is screaming for you to just-

"I should have kissed him." You groan, remembering how Grim had charged in between you and your date screaming about how he'd never approve or something dumb like that. Just who did he think he was anyway?

"Well then why don't you!" Ace cringes as he says it, neck beet red as you go to sass him back before the oddly serious nature of his tone and the implication of his syntax force you to stop. Riddle's exit barely registers as you stare each other down, Ace from the corner of his eye and you with the full force you can gather.

"Would you have let me?" You whisper. A familiar touch lights just behind your ear, pressing in this time to trace the speed of your heartbeat.

"Only one way to find out, prefect." You expect him to run. Make some sort of joke about how he was pranking you, or say kissing before marriage being against the rules. But he doesn't. He waits, perhaps in the way he has been since the first night he showed up at Ramshackle, collared and crabby, just waiting for you to close the gap.

And embrace you as you fall.

Ruggie

Ramshackle was closer to the main castle than Savanaclaw. That was the excuse Ruggie had used to get you to agree to let him crash there, in his mind anyway. Really, all he had needed to do was ask, but you know that's not exactly how he works. Your relationship has always been a series of scratches, offers of give and take that tend to be minor but offer just enough of a technicality for true feelings to remain hidden just out of sight. That doesn't change how surreal it is to see him here so late, or the sharp contrast between all the stiff collars and plaster faces you both had been drowning in just a moment ago and the worn gym clothes you both wear for pajamas.

"Man I'm beat." Ruggie says, sinking into the couch. You aren't in much better shape, if he wasn't taking up a part of it you would be sprawled face down across the length the couch. Instead, you satisfy yourself with curling up into the far corner. You have a dreamy smile on your face, content like how he usually looks when he eats a large meal, or when he thinks you aren't looking.

"I think I found your soul mate hanging around the buffet tables tonight." You lazily tease, tracing nonsensical shapes on the floor to amuse the nervous energy from your earlier encounter.

"Oh yeah?" Ruggie sounds vaguely intrigued, but he doesn't move much. If anything he settles his neck more firmly into the sofa back, eyes intentionally trained on the ceiling. "What makes you say that?"

"He was stealing all the apple fritters." You say, dreamy smile widening when Ruggie snorts. "Too bad I intend on stealing him from you."

"Do you now." He murmurs, head tilting back down into his palm. He rests his elbow on his knee, but he doesn't look at you, not immediately. Your well into your little rant before he does.

"Well at first I was just going to steal the food-" that was the whole reason he had wanted to stay here, the two of you had hatched a plan weeks ago to smuggle in some containers and smuggle out as much food from the banquet hall as possible and it just made more sense to take it to Ramshackle "but he offered to give it to me so long as I danced with him." There is a container of said fritters in between you both, sticky with caramelized sugar and a good reminder of just how expensive the Masquerade Ball must have been to throw. It's odd to have food last so long in Ramshackle, odder still with Ruggie so close.

"Nice try." You said. "But you won't trick me like that. My friend trained me well and I need to bring those back to him."

"Are you sure about that?" The man's voice is muffled by his mask, white plaster forming three faces obscuring any meaningful detail of his real looks. He's radiant, something about the way he's managing to thread the needle through the crowd despite his exaggerated mask is holding all your attention despite Ruggie's warnings. You're supposed to be competing to see who would bring the most food home, but instead you're dancing in the arms of someone else, laughing as he kisses your hand when he dips you in tune with the song. "Your friend is missing out, I have the best tasting thing in the ballroom right here."

"I'm sorry I was so distracted I only managed to snag a couple things. Did you get anything good?" You roll out of the corner closer to the center, just out of his reach but oh so obtainable.

"Nope~" he says, letting the word pop and looking away with more shame than you have seen on his face... ever now that you think about it. "I uhh. I may have... also.. gotten distracted." Both of you look at the single container of apple fritters, suddenly very much aware that neither of you actually brought anything else back to your dorm.

"Laugh with me." You try to protest but Ruggie has both your fingers up to your lips, his trademark smirk looks good on you, he wishes he could take a picture. "Embarrassed prefect? You shouldn't be so worried, I told you how I felt didn't I?"

"But you don't know how I taste!" You manage to wail and he finally cracks, shaking with laughter and letting you curl your blanket around you in a ball of embarrement. You stay like that for a good long while, trying to beat down the smile that twitches at the corner of your mouth until Ruggie reaches over to unwrap you casing and pull your head into his lap.

"Well then, maybe you should let me test you." He's wrong you think as your lips meet, Ruggie has got to taste much sweeter.

Cater

"Well someone looks like they had fun last night~" Cater says and you giggle in response. He allows himself to pause before he continues, Cater really hates the sound of his own voice. How anyone can stand him is beyond him, and he knows the conversation he's about to have has a pretty good chance- no.

It's going to destroy the carefully built illusion he's woven around your "friendship" even if you react positively. Losing you would be painful, but keeping you in the dark would be even worse. He has to play this smart, play you correctly so he can try and keep your eyes with him even if they only look at the superficial face he wears.

Yes, Cater has to play you carefully, but he is off to a bad start. You know before he sits down that something is wrong, it's written all over his face sewn into his unwashed hair and dark circles under his eyes.

"I want to say 'you too' but honestly you look exhausted Cater, you sure you want to be awake right now?" You don't want to press him in case that makes him run, but you also know Cater a bit better than he wants to acknowledge. You don't really think the bit of yourself you have to share will help soothe him, but he goes along with his script anyway.

"Seriously, you worry too much!" He can't say about me because he wants your worries, and he knows that denial would crack his mask. "Besides I've just been dying to hear about the dance, you seemed really excited to go!" There's a sparkle in your eyes, a flush to your cheeks that he desperately wishes he had put there.

"It went well." That’s all you can bring yourself to say as your hands go to fiddle absent mindedly with the sleeves of your blazer.

"That's good?" He tries to poke at the topic but you don't go further. "Or was is it not good and you just don't want to think about it?"

"No! No it's just. I met someone. Or I think I did anyway." Cater blinks. Once. Twice. Three times just for luck because he knows, or at least he thinks he knows, that he was the only one with you all night. What you're saying just can't be right, there's no way you didn't know it was him all night. "He was just so easy to talk to! I completely lost track of time and didn't meet up with anyone else..." Your little embarrassed smile confirms it, you didn't know. He laughs.

"Sorry," he doesn't mean that "you're just too cute Yuu." He pulls his phone from his pocket as you desperately stutter.

"Look I'm really sorry I know I said I'd look for you, Riddle, and Trey but I was just... I don't know, moonstruck?" He laughs more, practically chokes as he quickly types an apology to Trey and savors your embarrassment just a moment longer.

"Don't you mean starstruck?" He teases and you suddenly find a bit of your fight back and fiercely shake your head.

"No way! That's for famous people. Moonstruck is for when you're overcome with ridiculous love for someone even if you don't know them." You pout and Cater looks at his phone, not to do anything really just to center himself and his thoughts. He has a choice to make, and he doesn't know where either path will go.

"Are you alright?" Cater should have known you would find him, there should be something scary with how unconsciously in tune with him you are. He doesn't say anything, but that doesn't seem to discourage you. You settle yourself next to him, sitting quietly keeping him company until he's ready to speak.

"It's all just a bit too much." He gestures vaguely at the room, uncertain why he's decided to speak about this now and not run from it. "Everyone's here wearing masks and hiding themselves like it's a fun thing to do."

"It can be." You say calmly. "But always dressing like this would be a lot." You look over the crowd with the stranger, the conversation lulls, and you try to examine the man's costume for a hint of what might be best to say. "You know," your voice is uncertain, but the words that come to you aren't ones you don't believe in, "everyone wears a mask sometimes, especially when they're afraid or lonely." The man says nothing, but something about the way he sits suggests you still have his attention. "You're not obligated to remove those masks for anyone, it has to be done when you are ready to accept the consequences of how other people will see you."

Cater isn't ready. He somehow doubts he ever will be. He wishes there was a way to confess this with a guarantee that the consequences won't burn him.

"You weren't the only one moonstruck." You look hopeful almost, exactly like you did when you'd pulled him from his corner to dance. Exactly the same as when you had when he had teasingly pulled your mask aside to kiss you, the same cute look he would never be sorry to see on your face. "Say are you busy prefect? I think there's something I need to tell you."

[inkabelledesigns]

Clearly I must be in the mood to talk about indie horror games, because I have another one for you. Disclaimer: I do not care for Poppy Playtime. Which, probably surprises people. I love indie mascot horror, I love dolls and toys, it sounds like this would be a perfect fit for me on paper right? Yeah no, it is not my vibe. Poppy Playtime feels extremely corporate compared to other indie games, and that combined with the way it exploits children, a story that doesn't feel rewarding, and an art style/toy designs that just don't do it for me, it's not my cup of tea. I only remain aware of it because I have friends that are into it, and I check in to understand what they're talking about/in hopes that it'll get better. So far I have yet to be convinced of that, but I'm open to the possibility of that changing.

https://x.com/mobgamesstudios/status/1841161203701121122

But we're not here to talk about any of that (at least, not for a few paragraphs). We're here to talk about the Nightmare Critters. So teasers for Chapter 4 have just recently been released, and we have some newly revealed toys called the Nightmare Critters: an edgy, dark counterpart to the Smiling Critters we met in Chapter 3. I'm not opposed to their concept. It makes a lot of sense for a toy company to have a variant toy meant to appeal to an audience of middle schoolers and teens who think they're too old and "cool" for toys but still like toys. Like, what do you think Monster High was in the 2010s? XD Okay, that's oversimplifying MH, it wasn't made solely for that purpose, but you get what I'm saying right? It makes perfect sense to me for Playtime Co to be covering their bases in that way, they are a fictional company seeking fictional profit after all. That would be profitable in all likelihood! I'll even say I like the idea of having a poison dart frog as a plushie with Icky Licky (though the small tongue confuses me). I don't love the design, but I do love the idea of taking a less common animal for a plushie and trying it out, we need more good frogs to cuddle.

No, my criticism of the Nightmare Critters is that they do not feel like a natural progression of anything in this world with the story we've gotten so far. And there's many reasons I say that. Last chapter, there was a LOT of emphasis put on our Bigger Bodies Dogday being the last of the Smiling Critters. And that sequence was incredibly heart wrenching where he straight up gets eaten from the inside and his corpse is possessed. It feels like having a new group of critters diminishes that. Like, yes, they're a different brand, but they're still in the Smiling Critters style, and you expected them to be done with that after how much time they got in Chapter 3.

It leaves me wondering if the devs got the wrong message from Chapter 3. Because let me tell you, the Smiling Critters were not the thing that brought you success my dudes. They are a Care Bears parody that were designed for horror monsters first, cute toys second, and they fall into an uncanny place that makes me wonder why any kid would want this as a toy. Like, when you're twisting it into horror, it should be uncanny, but you gotta start out at least a little cuter to fake the audience out. The mouth design is very not to my taste, I might go as far as to call it ugly, but ugly is incredibly subjective.

But no, the things that made Chapter 3 stand out were in the shock value. Which, I still don't get why they literally spoiled one of their better scares in the marketing. Huggy coming out of the TV should have been a surprise, that was one of the most unnerving things they've done in its presentation. The speaking directly to the protagonist, the change in his demeanor, the way he's animated, it was SOLID, and they had to spoil it in the trailer AND on their Twitter. It annoys me so much, don't ruin the surprise of one of the scariest things you've done in this game. X'''D Who is responsible for that marketing, Mob? But that rant aside, Chapter 3 was shocking because it was NOTABLY darker and more complicated than what came before it. Getting into the orphanage, the gruesome death of Dogday on screen for us to watch, the TV scare, those were some of its best moments. This is when the game said 'we're not baby's first indie horror game'. Which, a lot of people are praising, but I took issue with it.

I have no problem with Poppy getting darker, that's perfectly fine, but I DO have a problem with them not having a clear age rating or content warnings on their game to accompany that, and then selling merchandise directly to children. Like, no, you do not exploit the children, Poppy merch should not be in the same aisle next to Mario and Pokemon, it should be in the collectibles aisle with the stuff for older toy enthusiasts. Toys are for everyone, but these are toys from a story about murdering children where murder is shown on screen. We should not be selling that to kids specifically. There should not be a "back to school" sale, there should not be things meant to be brought into an elementary school for these kids for a horror game that, in my opinion, you probably shouldn't play if you're under the age of 16. Steam as a service may be geared towards teenagers and older, but there are still plenty of neglectful parents that let their kids play anything on there. And while it isn't Mob's responsibility to parent these kids, it would be nice if they made an effort to give parents a clear warning that hey, this is probably not something little Johnny and Susie are ready for until they're a little older. There is no excuse for why Poppy Playtime doesn't have a T rating, ESPECIALLY after Chapter 3. Like, kids can handle horror, there is absolutely horror out there that isn't dumbed down that kids can partake in and be perfectly fine, but Poppy Playtime is not one of them. But that's not gonna happen, because the children are the audience members that keep this game profitable. It was likely built on appealing to them and getting their parents' money, and I don't like that. Maybe it's that I have a kid in my life and have seen the inappropriate things kids his age bring to school, because their parents aren't researching anything their kids are into, but it just bugs me something fierce.

The Nightmare Critters, to me, feel like a marketing move first and a plot move...not second, no, this is like a solid fifth priority. The Nightmare Critters are there to sell a toy. They do not feel like a natural progression of antagonists or toys to focus on in this world, and it's frustrating to see Mob neglect all the other toys they've established. Like, okay, where is Catbee? Where is Boogie Bot? I would kill to interact with Boogie Bot for a chapter. Where is Candy Cat trying to eat us alive or holding victims captive in its body? Where is a living Bron in something other than those videos outside of the game? Why do we have the little wuggies but not a variant of smaller Mommy Longlegs and her two family members? Why is Boxyboo in your spinoff game with no trace of him in the main game? Where did the flower you replaced with Bunzo go? As much as I don't love it, where is the Freddy Fazbear on the toilet toy? You littered the shelves with background toys, and most of them have never been expanded upon. Like, you have made SO MANY toys in this world before this point, why are we making even more of them instead of utilizing what you already have? I love getting new characters, but it sucks that we don't get development on the old ones. And also, it's more expensive! Like I knew these Nightmare Critters were coming early because the trademarks for their names leaked. Trademarks get expensive, and when you're introducing so many new characters that are also being merchandised as real world toys, that stacks up in a hurry! That's real money.

We know over the course of the last year that several of the key people who worked on Poppy have left Mob to pursue other things. And the marketing for Chapter 4 makes that very obvious. The fact that there have been tweets showing someone from Mob saying on Discord that the teaser trailer was made using an early build of Chapter 4 and it'll look different in the future doesn't inspire confidence. Why are you releasing a trailer using outdated materials that doesn't reflect the current quality of your game? That sounds like you aren't really ready to be releasing a trailer. Why release a trailer or teasers now anyway? Because it's October? Because the holiday season is coming up and you want to sell toys? Because other major indie horror releases are doing a lot right now and you want a piece of the pie? (BATIM Chapter 3's seven year anniversary, Zoochosis releasing, I'm pretty sure FNAF has been doing a lot too following its own 10 year anniversary). Like, does this make sense to be doing right at this moment? Is there something else coming that made it so there was pressure to do teasers right now? The next chapter comes out in January of 2025, but it begs the question, how far ahead do you have to be to effectively market that? I don't know, I don't do marketing statistics, but I'm sure they have someone on board to who does that thinks this is a good move.

I'm just...disappointed. I want Poppy Playtime to be better than it is, but it continues to miss the mark. Once the shock value of Chapter 3 being darker wears off, you're going to have fans complaining again that it didn't go far enough, or even that it regressed. There will always be people who love it and hail it as the best indie mascot horror ever, good for them, I'm glad they're having fun. But this thing isn't as good as it could be by any stretch of the imagination. And I don't get why. The chapter based release thing also plays a part in it all. Now, I'm not hating on chapter based releases, I actually like them. They offer a very natural space for theorizing and combing through the details to predict what will come next, and it gives people more time with your characters to get attached to them. By all means, it's not a bad strategy. That said, the devs have talked about having a clear vision for the story all the way through, but the game throws so much disjointed stuff at us each chapter that it leads to some doubts on that. Like, I get it when Bendy had that happen. BATIM was very much an accident, they didn't intend to make a full game after the first chapter's demo was up on Gamejolt. They did it to capture the lightning in a bottle and made it up as they went, and I'm more lenient because I understand the circumstances (though Dark Revival I'm not so lenient on). But Poppy has no excuse. Their moves are very calculated and corporate, and it feels like it's here to sell merchandise first and tell a good story/be a compelling game fourth. And that's probably going to continue. It's a shame.

There is one upside though. The fandom has a way of making this world compelling and fun. Seriously, the fan content is great, mad props to all of you fan artists of all mediums for putting your heart and soul into it. I think this is why Mob thought making more critters was a good move, there are so many fun pieces of critter fan content. But like, that's because the Smiling Critters are super easy to make a fan character or AU out of. Like that is a template. There's just enough characterization and vagueness around them that you can make a lot of things work with them for a story and have it sound sensical to most of the fanbase. And there's a lot of fun interpretations to play with. Is it my cup of tea? Most of the time, not really, but I admire the effort and passion that goes into it. That's valuable!

In conclusion, I don't think the Nightmare Critters are bad or even a bad idea, but I don't think their execution was handled well. Had they been foreshadowed in the previous chapters or featured alongside their smiling counterparts, maybe I would be singing a different tune. But as it currently stands, they feel out of place/out of nowhere, they have a real associated cost with trademarks, they take away time that we could be using to explore other established toys, and it feels like they exist for marketing and merchandise rather than a natural progression of the world. Maybe I'll be wrong and they'll actually be a fun and creative addition to Chapter 4, I'm open to that possibility. But as it currently stands, they don't inspire confidence for me personally.

That said, I am mildly curious for what Simon Smokes is gonna be. Like, we know we're getting a mako shark and an alligator, but Simon Smokes could be many animals. So far I've heard either a skunk or a dragon, y'know to be a counterpart to Craftycorn. I'd actually like to see their take on a dragon, could be interesting.

Don't expect me to talk about Poppy Playtime often. I tend to keep my more negative thoughts to myself because I find that to be kinder, especially with indie games and productions. Like, who am I to yuck someone else's yum? My belief is that indie games come from a place of passion, a desire for freedom to create in ways you can't at a triple A company. It's about the art and making something that is meaningful on an individual level. Making an indie game is a real risk, it's vulnerable, it's scary, and I applaud anyone brave enough to put themselves out there and try. That's NOT easy! But Poppy Playtime, at this point in time, is handled by Mob, which, for all intents and purposes, operates as a company. They may be classified as an indie, but they don't appear to have the same heart as other indies. And that's part of what turns me off from them. You can make amazing art and be conscious of the bottom line/make profit, by all means, that's important and doable, you need that to survive. Just, sometimes it feels like this leans more in the direction of the profit than it does the art. And there's something about that that I don't vibe with. But maybe I'm wrong. Maybe they do have that heart and I'm just not seeing it, maybe I have it all wrong. I think, framing it as "this is how it appears to me" rather than "this is definitively what it is" is valuable.

I was chatting with my mom recently about leaving reviews on things, and her insight was really interesting. My mom reads a lot of books from independent authors, and she tends not to leave reviews, but she definitely doesn't leave negative reviews, even on the worst books with horrible grammar and no cohesive plot. She said she'd feel awful doing that, because that's messing with someone's livelihood, and you just don't do that. I see where she's coming from. I also don't want to mess with something that puts a roof over someone's head and keeps food on their table. It's tough to know where to draw the line between being constructively critical for the sake of being informative/educational about creating better art and doing something that will negatively affect someone else's life in ways beyond that critique. Like, I have the hardest time talking about Bendy critically because I don't want to hurt anyone, be that other fans or the people I know who have worked on it and put their all into that. I don't know if I'm doing the right thing by talking about all of this in a Tumblr post. I want to be thoughtful, I want to analyze media, really think about the "why" of it all. But there's got to be a way that does it that makes sense and respects all parties involved. Because regardless of how respectful those around me are, I want to be respectful. That's my standard for myself. I'd love to hear your thoughts on the matter. How do we go about being critical while also being thoughtful?

[diagonal-queen]

Hihi! May I req an emergency req? With male!reader accidentally dropping/pushing a plate or glass and breaking it. Reader rushing to clean the mess up even with his bare hands and out of concern, the character yells at them to be careful or smth and reader flinches? How would they react? (And if ur fine with it, reader having SEVERE daddy issues and domestic violence so that's why they act like that) pls don't make reader those crybaby types but someone similar to dazai but less uhm, dazai? Like dazai but when he seems human if u yk what I mean) and reader being a teen (14-17)

Format: Anything u want!

Characters: Kunikida, Fukuzawa, Chuuya, Poe and Ranpo (separate) (omg if u could, then ranpoe together being father figures I just love the ship it's my comfort ship😭💖💖)

Platonic pls :)) (chuuya being an older brother figure, Fukuzawa and kunikida being father figures)

I FEEL LIKE ITS TOO SPECIFIC SO FEEL FREE TO NARROW IT DOWN 😭😭. Make sure to take care of urself and have a wonderful day <33

-🩵

okay so. i'm really REALLY sorry T-T but i do not write male readers so i am gonna go gn with this (again i am sorry ily <3)

When Reader flinches after they yell

♡ characters: Doppo Kunikida, Fukuzawa Yukichi, Chuuya Nakahara, Edgar Allan Poe, Ranpo Edogawa (bonus Ranpoe together!), teenage!gn!Reader

♡ synopsis: Reader breaks a piece of flatware and when they go to clean it, they're yelled at and flinch. How do the characters react to this?

♡ cw: Reader suffers from domestic abuse-related trauma and has daddy issues, yelling, trauma response (specifically a kind of silent/blunt affect type reaction), swearing, mentions of reader's hands being cut (unintentionally by flatware shards), father and older brother figure dynamics, lmk if I missed anything

note: I hope you're doing alright 💙 Anon, and I hope that these make you feel better :') come to me for hugs if you need them. I also hate yelling and have daddy issues so like, I feel you my dude. AND RANPOE IS MY COMFORT SHIP TOO omggg they're the best DM me and let's rant about them. Apologies for errors and I hope you enjoy x

Kunikida:

Let's say you're a mentee of his at the agency. Kunikida obviously only has good intentions and would hate for you to get hurt (Yosano...*shiver*), so he kinda freaks out a little when he sees you about to grab ceramic shards with your bare hands

Caught up in his alarm, he yells at you not to touch the shards and then goes to get a broom (or one of those little dustpan things) to clean up the mess

He comes back and sees your expression, and is honestly a little confused at first. You did manage to stay out of harm's way so he doesn't understand what's got you so distressed (he's so smart but also so very dumb)

You sit there while he quickly cleans the mess but when he notices that your eyes have kind of glazed over and you seem to be somewhere else, he gets a little worried and asks if you're alright

You tell him that you got frightened when he yelled because it reminded you of something and he has a moment of '...shit'

Kunikida puts down his dustpan/broom, puts a hand on your shoulder and gently explains that he wasn't mad at you but that he was just worried about you. He'd rather you made a mess unharmed than cleaned up the mess but gotten hurt

Don't be fooled by his calm demeanour, he actually feels really bad and will probably beat himself up for making such a mistake

He does end up cleaning it for you and asks you to please take care of yourself and be careful

Fukuzawa:

He has an odd tendency of being very intense with his kids out of the blue and then immediately feeling bad for it which is exactly what happens with you

You were probably bringing him tea or something when you accidentally dropped the tray and the cup shattered. He probably barely even reacted at all to it honestly, mostly just because he doesn't care THAT much about a cup. He has more

But then you apologise and kneel down to get them and this man might be tough but he is a softie at heart and panics when his kids are in harm's way (you're basically his kid let's be real)

So he yells, and it's basically that one scene in the theatre from Untold Origins all over again, except unlike Ranpo he knows that you don't really shake such things off so easily due to your past. So he's still concerned just for different reasons

He knows that as a father figure in your life he's supposed to protect you and that he had good intentions but it still affected you negatively in a way, and he's like. Really really sad about that fact (but he doesn't show it awh)

He apologises for yelling and asks you not to try and clean up ceramic shards with your bare hands because infections and y'know your hands are a pretty important part of your body

Fukuzawa is still firm as he speaks but he's also very gentle and nice about the whole thing and sits with you until you feel better

If you thank him for looking out for you, he'll be thinking about that for like the next week :'((((

Chuuya:

Chuuya yells like, a lot, but he often makes a conscious effort not to do so around you because he knows that you don't like it. Being a habit though, it sometimes comes out unintentionally

So say you're bringing him something to eat while he's working or something and while you're approaching him you drop and shatter the plate.

He's like 'Oh let me get that' and was gonna grab the shards with his ability (he doesn't have an issue with doing it himself cus it's lowkey quicker), but then he sees that you're about to collect them barehanded and yells at you to stop

When he sees you flinch he immediately starts backtracking like 'Wait, no- that's not what I meant' and comes to kneel beside you and pat you on the head (or back, whichever)

He quickly composes himself and apologises, saying that he was just worried about you, not angry about the plate or you wanting to clean it.

He tells you that he's gotten cuts on his palms before and they 'hurt like a motherfucker' so he didn't want you to get hurt too (and he's kinda being jokey about it because he's nice like that)

He just exudes comfort energy, so your panic moment doesn't really last that long. He's honestly very chill about the whole thing because he knows that you're not gonna make the same mistake

Even if you did though he'd help bandage your cuts without hesitation

Poe:

Poe is the opposite of Chuuya- he just DOESN'T yell at all. That's why it caught you as offguard as it did

When you dropped the plate he was a little scared because of the loud noise, but was relieved to see that you hadn't gotten hurt.

He really doesn't care much about a broken dish, because he can buy a billion more with ease. He just cares that you were about to hurt your hand (I'm quite sure you can possibly injure nerves by cutting your palm, and as a murder mystery writer Poe would absolutely be aware of this)

So he yells in an attempt to get you to quickly stop when you kneel down to clean it, and when he sees your face he feels awful

Poe hates yelling too, so he is extremely apologetic about the whole thing. He feels really bad because he knows that you find a lot of comfort with him and he's scared he's just ruined your trust in him to keep you safe

You tell him that you know he wasn't trying to be mean or malicious but he still feels really bad about it (lowkey you end up comforting HIM ngl)

He decides to clean up the mess himself (and lets you cuddle Karl while he does because he's basically an emotional support animal)

Will literally do anything to get you to trust him once more because he feels such an unnecessary amount of guilt (you have to really hammer it into him that you DO still trust him- he doesn't entirely believe you (projecting sorry lol))

Ranpo:

Ranpo is the Super Highschool Level Older Brother Figure. And as such he is appropriately concerned when he sees that you're about to try and handle a broken plate with bare hands

I'm absolutely certain that several times in the past Ranpo's dropped his fair share of dishes and gotten cuts from trying to pick them up too fast and he doesn't want that happening to you

So he yells to you not to touch them. When he sees your reaction to this, for a split second he panics but he actually handles it surprisingly well for a (2)6 year old

He comes over and sits down beside you. Then he explains to you that he doesn't want you to get hurt unnecessarily (especially somewhere like your hands) because he cares about you, so he panicked for a second and that's why he yelled.

(to everyone's surprise /j) he does apologise to you for it and give you a hug to help ground you and comfort you (he also gives you a little squeeze cus he feels bad aw)

If you ask him if he's mad about the broken dish he immediately goes back to normal and is like 'Pfft not at all. It's a plate Y/N' and tells you not to worry about it

He does make you feel better about the broken plate, but this is Ranpo we're talking about. You think he's gonna clean it up, or even help you clean it? No, that job unfortunately still falls entirely on you (damnit Ranpo)

Except this time you take cautionary measures before you do so. And Ranpo's happy to see it :)

Ranpoe:

Right, so these two are just little children in the bodies of men in their late twenties. However they are still very much in touch with their dad sides especially when it comes to you

So you're carrying a plate for some reason (maybe they're busy solving mysteries and eating snacks idk) but you drop it and it breaks. Poe's a millionaire and Ranpo is Ranpo so they don't care that they have one less plate

Then you hurriedly apologise to them and bend down to grab the plate and they both overreact and yell at you to stop (for the same reasons written above in their seperate scenarios)

Once they see you flinch they both have different reactions. Poe rushes over to see if you're alright but Ranpo is more wanting to give you a second to breathe and process

And that's literally what happens. Poe (and Karl) rushes over to check on you and Ranpo waits a minute before he joins him.

Ranpo comes to comfort you while Poe gets rid of the broken plate, then when he comes back he helps Ranpo explain why they both yelled earlier. He lets Ranpo do most of the talking though

They both express that they're just glad you didn't get hurt. And that you're allowed to make mistakes! Just don't do anything that will get yourself hurt

Will let you help them with their work/watch them work if you want to (usually that stuff's confidential but hey it's not like people are gonna question Ranpo and Poe now is it)

anon i will be your parental figure and we can straight up just forcefully shatter plates together (with safety glasses on though!!!) to let off steam

[drifting-pieces-blog-blog]

is there any major moon knight news? (Comics or Show) I wasn't always online and barely keep up with marvel stuff but I really love Moon knight

Major news? In the comics: He's alive again! But that's old news. He came back about a month or two ago.

Moon Knight (the title, not the character) now has two runs going, which is just...Unheard of in the Moon Knight fandom! Which means he is popular and Marvel is taking note of it. Which can lead to a lot of very good things! Phases of Moon Knight is an exploration of different Moon Knights that have existed. This is interesting for those looking for more of that delicious lore and Khonshu stuff and more of the Fists. (Not exactly my cup of tea, as I'm in it for my boys, but I'll read it!)

Moon Knight has also been popping up in other comics a lot more! And not just as a background ghost! Check out the new run of Werewolf by Night! We're getting back to our roots! (It also has Elsa, who is greatly underappreciated).

Speaking of - Marvel MCU has announced that they have plans for a season 2 of Werewolf by Night! In no way is this an official promise to do it, as they have not confirmed the cast return, dates, or story, but only that they are looking strongly into it!

Which, if they bring back WBN, it could mean a wider introduction into the MCU and the formation of something that Moon Knight could become a part of! (My boys getting back together with Jack!)

Moon Knight also appeared in the What If Venom issue as a key player and let us not forget the Blood Hunt vampire extravaganza lead by McKay! And it didn't suck! (At least the parts that I read didn't. I've yet to read the main parts). Considering how much Age of Khonshu sucked, this is good news! And means that Marvel might start looking at Moon Knight seriously and as a $$ item.

Sadly, there are no news sources that I can trust right now about a season 2 of Moon Knight. They have discussed off and on that Oscar is up to continue the part and that they are looking at a potentially good story line for season 2, so maybe that means they are starting to actively consider making a season 2.

I do think that Marvel MCU is a little gun-shy right now. They have been scrapping movies and shows and plans left and right as the interest in superhero movies wanes. But honestly, the lack of interest has to do with the fact that Marvel shat out things so fast and so connected that people started to feel lost and disrespected for not knowing ALL the lore, when they really just wanted to see their favorite characters do the thing. That's just my opinion.

(DC also didn't help by the massive fiasco of shitty SHITTY movies that were coming out and then the constant censorship of the studio leading to director releases and reshoots... That that's a different rant all together.)

In other news, Marvel has ALSO started to secretly and quietly release novelizations of comic runs!! WHAT?! Venom What If-Moon Knight novelization just came out this past week! (There is also a Loki novelization that just came out for all those Loki fans out there).

So for all those fans that love to read more in search of deeper thoughts and secrets and takes, there you go! (Man I used to suck down Novelizations of movies when I was little and I think I'm looking that way again, I say as I eye the new Batman sequel book that is about to come out).

Sooo... Probably not the news you were looking for, but I've got my finger vaguely on the pulse of Moon Knight news and trust me when I say don't fall for all the fucking click-bait headlines that say SEASON 2?!!! and then it's just a retelling of some old news they found that the fandom already knows about season 1. I hate the way today's news stories are written.

[arimiadev]

visual novels I finished in 2023

I played quite a few visual novels in 2023, most of which are indie, and I want to share some highlights from that list. these are all VNs that I played all the way through and loved, so treat this also as a recommendation for each of these.

mahoyo

In the mansion on the hill, there lived two witches... It is the late 1980s—the twilight of an era of beauty and vigor. A boy moves to the city, barely missing two witches living in modern times. The boy leads a completely ordinary life. She carries herself with gallant pride. The girl lives a sleepy, hidden life. Each walks a starlit path. One would never expect their paths to cross. The story of how these three disparate people came together is soon to be told.

I've ranted a ton about mahoyo here and how much I love it. it truly is one of the best looking visual novels I've ever seen and one of my all-time favorites. I'll never be able to approach game direction the same after playing this. please do yourself a favor and play it, it's finally on steam.

model employee

Model Employee is a corporate horror visual novel where players take control of  the latest individual amongst millions to start working in one of Tethys' online shopping labyrinthine warehouses. Just discharged from the hospital and massively in debt for their life-saving cybernetics, the player-character must adapt to the "extreme" work-life balance of a Tethys Team Member- but they have help.  Penny, the artificial personality that controls all security, waste disposal, and employee surveillance in the facility, specializes in reinforcing an especially cutthroat variety  of workplace culture- and she's taken an interest in you.  With a vibrant cast, PC-98 inspired visuals and multiple endings, Model Employee is a modern horror story that'll stick with you long after you've clocked out of your shift. If you want to get ahead in your career, you gotta be willing to take some risks.

model employee is such a tightly structured visual novel for being made in just one month, making full use of everything while surprising you at every corner. every part of this game was so well planned and thought out- dystopian corporate satire isn't my cup of tea (we're living it) but the way they present everything in this game makes it feel so much more intense.

itch.io

beary the hatchet

It's Halloween 199X, and you killed someone during your morning shift. Honestly it's inconvenient. This job was imperfect, sure, but you got to wear a mask with no questions asked and the pay was livable. But now you'll have to keep the body in the backrooms till your shift is done. Bummer. "You're... the absolutely WICKED and AWESOME Bearwater Grizzly Killer, aren't you?!" ...and now enters the dreaded true crime fan.

beary the hatchet is such a uniquely lovely game to look at, even if the subject matter is grim. I love the color palette and tones in this, I love the 2.5D graphics, I love how expressive all of the designs are. it's a game oozing with style.

itch.io

disconnect

Late at night, a phone call from a friend keeps disconnecting from you... On and off, on and off, constantly... ...What would you do if you realized your friend wasn't who you thought they were? And how would you react when the truth was finally revealed? ("̷̢̑W̸̨̊o̸̫͊u̷̱͝ḽ̸͛d̴͉̐ ̵̚ͅy̵̜̽o̸̥͗u̷̮̎ ̷̜̏s̶̤̄t̸̥͐i̴̻̕l̸̰͝l̸͉̓ ̷͕́ȁ̸̩c̸̡̓t̵̜̊ ̵͓̈t̶̙̄h̶̦͂e̸̩͠ ̸̩̅s̶̘̏a̷̪͛m̵̮͒e̴͖͑ ̸̭́w̷̨̚á̴̱y̵̯̑?̶͎̌"̷͈̆) Find out what happened to our scaredy-cat protagonist, Indie－a famous horror storyteller on the H-T-M (Horror, Tales, and Mystery) forum. What would she do when she unintentionally uncovered a mystery hidden deep within her own home?

I love the style of disconnect and the unorthodox way of getting to the truth of the matter. I'm not normally one to play furry VNs, but the designs are adorable and I love the presentation of the game, it has a lot of animation in it. there's also one moment not too far in on this screen that made me scream...

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curse of the juniper tree

Curse of the Juniper tree is a tale of two siblings, a cursed tree and an isolated village. It is a short kinetic visual novel featuring 2d exploration. Walk around the snowy village and talk to its inhabitants! Story is loosely based off the fairytale called The Juniper Tree by the Brothers Grimm in Grimm's Fairy Tales in 1812.

this is a lovely and short story about two siblings living in a frozen land together. it's a very atmospheric story with so many beautiful blues and detailed character designs. the controls were a bit hard to figure out at times but it's worth your time.

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reaplaced

Grea Perrim is a reaper of souls, and it's her duty to bring the deceased to the other side. But in the world of reapers, death isn't any kind of equalizer. The value of a soul is directly tied to the peculiarity of its death. Grea's supernatural senses bring her to a Halloween house party with three costumed guests. She soon finds the most valuable kind of soul: the victim of a locked-room murder. In order to reap the soul, Grea must unravel the identity of its killer and explain its death in full. Is this the work of a human? A witch? Or something else entirely...?

reaplaced is a fun little whodunnit set on Halloween about a grim reaper out on the hunt who finds herself in the middle of a murder mystery. it's much more indepth than I was expecting and the soundtrack is wonderful—there's a lot of small touches to it that make it great.

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dual chroma [demo]

A gilded king, a powerful sorceress, and a malevolent figure governing a foul legion of beasts in a ruthless war against the Light.  For centuries, the Galens Empire has thrived upon the ancient tragedy that formed its foundations. No more than a fading past inked upon the pages of history, the Empire reigned in relative peace—until the monsters returned.  As the newest advisor to the Second Prince, you find yourself at the heart of a captivating saga, where mystery, magic, terror, and romance intertwine. Your choices in this narrative will determine not only the Empire's destiny, but also the fate of your heart. But take heed, for the path you tread may shatter the shackles of doomed love or repeat the ruin of Galens' past.

I don't play many otome demos but I played several that were submitted to otome jam this year, with dual chroma being one of them. I was surprised by the amount of care and attention put into the demo- it feels very solid with a lot of polish put into easing the player into this high fantasy world. I think I had an issue with how the tooltips would be shown (probably the frequency of them, as the in-line tooltips are very helpful) but it's been months since then.

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we know the devil

Anyone can kill the devil; that's why they always make teens the vampire slayers, the magical girls. But some kids can't even get that right; and that's why meangirl Neptune, tomboy Jupiter, and shy shy Venus have to endure one more week of summer camp and each other, singing boring songs about jesus, doing busywork for adults, and hoping god's radio can't hear them. Before they can leave the summer scouts, they've got to spend twelve hours in the loneliest cabin in the woods and wait for the devil to come and live through the night--or not. You know.

we know the devil didn't release this year but I finally got around to playing it. it's a visceral experience, something that feels foreign and familiar at the same time. I love the direction for it, the sketchy monochrome sprites against the colored photos- parts when there aren't any characters on screen feel that much more real, like you're watching found footage because of how tense everything is.

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doppelganger

The story is set in an alternate universe where the player is struggling with the memories of what they know to be TEMPUS and the mysterious look-alikes who pull them every which way. Can the player figure out the truth about this twisted world and return to the guild?

okay this is a bit of a weird one to end on, I just wanted to talk about it. doppelganger is a game made by holostars staff, i.e. the staff for the vtubing company cover corporation. I went into it expecting very, very little but I was presently surprised by how competently it was made. a lot of "bad" visual novels aren't fun to play, because they're overly long, extremely wordy, and aren't fun to read. I'd say doppelganger is "so bad it's good", which is a rarity for VNs- it's campy at times and over the top but doesn't overstay it's welcome, the pacing is remarkably good for what seem to be first time devs.

I cannot recommend this though if you're not already a fan of holostars tempus, as this is essentially just merch for them- think of it like a higher production voice pack or art pack. if you don't know each of the boys then you'll be lost, but if you do then grab another friend and play it, it took me about 4 hours to finish it with friends.

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[angel-maybe-alive]

My problem with Hades and Persephone retelling

(aka this will not end well for me)

So sometime ago I made a post about things I hate in "modern literature" basically me ranting about booktok shit, and I mentioned my pure hatred for the "hades/Persephone retellings" genre and I tried to explain it in the reblogs but I didn't phrased myself very well there so I want to do it again?

So here I go swinging another baseball bat to the wasps nest.

The Homeric hymn of demeter is this very known tale of why we have the seasons, the plot basically goes as: Hades god of the underworld kidnaps Persephone goddess of flowers, demeter her mother goddess of crops gets desperate don't do her job while trying to find her the world suffers yada yada something something in the end Persephone has to spent half of the year with her mother (spring and summer) and the other half with her husband in the underworld (autumn/winter)

Right

Now let's go to the " doesn't matter my opinion people will be mad at me "part

The full myth as is presented in the Homeric hymn of demeter has Persephone pretty clearly being kidnapped and held against her will

The myth was very clear about Persephone's not willingness to the marriage as she 1- screamed for help 2- was described as miserable when visited by Hermes 3- asked for her mother 4-lightened up once hearing about her 5- is described as being tricked by hades to eat the pomegranates who kept her tied to the underworld

In the context of when the myth was created the reasoning was pretty clear to be about the horrifying yet inevitability of wedding, and the separation between mother and daughter.

Arranged or forced marriages are a fictional thing to a lot of people nowadays, it's a thing of time pieces or something from religions that you don't understand and find oppressive but it was (and still is in some places ) a reality

The arranged marriage has its perks in some context as it takes away the burden of having to choose your partner and if your culture is build on this you would not see this as a oppressive practice just how things are the sky is blue and someday your father will choose your husband.But there's also the fear, your future husband could be half decent person there was a chance or an horrible monster very possible sometimes you truly couldn't know.

Kinda like death itself there was This uncertainty, the fear yet anxiety and maybe longing of it without knowing what would come next.

So in context this tale probably resonated a lot with girls and women at the time as a reminder that after the marriage they can still see their mothers time to time, it wasn't death itself just separation, even if their wedding was bleak as a dark winter, spring will come.

And I love this tale really

Then we have the new context, like I said the fear and longing of arranged marriage is not a reality to many people in modern western secular world, But suffocating mothers are.

There is discussion on whether or not Persephone went on her own will but it is a pointless discussion the result is still the same she has half of the year up here half down there.

But the retellings do a weird thing, some of them reframe it to make demeter the villain.

Demeter goes from grieving mother to an angry wench who it's just terrified of an empty nest and suffocates Persephone she is mother goethel locking Rapunzel in a tower,She is the opressor.

And hades is the stand in badboy he is rhysand, darkling, Damon Salvatore and draco Malfoy In leather pants and all the other guys in black clothes but not in a cringe emo edgylord way in a dangerous way with a jawline to cut diamonds and abs for days, rich and powerful a dominating alpha ready to sweep the damsel ad bring her to freedom.

Do you ever heard that anarbor song 18, if not listen it's exactly the hades guy on those retellings

And the thing is I have no true problem with this concept it's not my cup of tea(I prefer the golden retriever rather than the black cat) and I do think the amount of coercion and straight up sexual assault on those are quite not good, but it might be someone's else's cup.

The problem is calling this a feminist retelling as by making Persephone a willing bride it empowers her.

It truly doesn't.

The original was already empowering a grieving mother doing anything on her power to save her lost daughter is fucking punk.

Yet the rebellious vein of the modern author the desire to be that girl the one who had the guts to actually runaway from home after fighting with your mom for not letting you paint your hair, mixed with the desire to be coddled by a dark prince charming, aman who will desire you so much he won't be able to control himself, a beautiful rich man who will worship you, have amazing sex with you, will be enough of a feminist to respect your choices yet enough of a patriarchal alpha male to spoil rotten with all things money can buy, provide for you as you are his queen, this desire takes one of the most simple yet understandable tale of true feminine power and bastardize it to another opposite Attraction tale.

And this is why I hate hades and Persephone retellings.