#it's like the only change I've noticed so far and it's NUTS

[sillimancer]

I'm officially at Average Dude levels of testosterone now according to recent blood test results and nothing nor no one could have ever prepared me for how oily my face has become

[princesssmars]

alone together

a karlach x princess!reader.

in the blink of eye, you go from a carefree heir to a throne to a damsel in distress stuck in a tower. but there's a strange woman stuck with you, and maybe you can make each other a little less lonely.

wc : 8,655

contains: fxf. fem!reader. skin color not described. fluff. some light angst. smut. g!p karlach. oral and penetrative sex.

a/n: fuck that poll i'll do TWO fics for her i never cared! karlach has a little soldier because those bg3 mods have affected my brain and i need her to take me to pound town. sorry i rushed the ending i need this fic out NOW. enjoy :3

throughout history, many tales have been written about the failures of monarchs.

there was thaymor the vain, whose search for everlasting youth to sustain his envied beauty led to him making a deal with faeries for a youth spell, but they didnt tell him he would absorb this youth from his entire family, killing his lineage in only a few short years.

atreyu the acceptable, whose father went from being the hero who defended his village from raiders to the king who turned it into a flourishing kingdom, while the most his son accomplished was developing a new bread recipe in the palace kitchens. to be fair, it was rather tasty. bit too many nuts.

but the one story you loathed the most was cassara the chilled. a young, beautiful, and promising young princess who was locked in her room for nearly half a year as punishment for a false accusation of pushing her brother, the crown heir, down a flight of stairs. in her lonesome and desperation, she had turned to dark magic to sustain herself, and by the time her parents found her, she was a cold and petrified shell. nothing more than a glamorous statue.

you would read these stories in the palace library and, admittedly a bit morbidly, laugh to yourself. your family line was known for its intelligence and charisma, able to control your kingdom with ample care for its citizens and contributing greatly to its numerous advancements.

it'd been this way for decades - so how on earth were your parents so damned stupid?

you had noticed things like this before. the pair of them listening too closely to what citizens had to say while holding court. a few years back a fanatical farmer had told them he saw a sign from one of his gods that unless the kingdom slaughtered half its cows it would be leveled, and the king quickly gave the order. then it was later revealed that the farmer had eaten some contaminated mushrooms he had found on his farm and didnt even worship any gods.

the kingdom ate a lot of chicken that year. some of the court mages used spells to increase the egg output from the livestock to make up for it, which led to you quitting the meat for two years. those magic chickens were...odd.

but besides that, your life was nothing short of amazing. you were the only child and the crown heir, so even though you had the unbearable weight of the heavily bejeweled crown in your future, with all the luxuries you were afforded like dresses, jewelry, lavish balls, and dinners, it was very much worth it.

on a day when you had political tutoring instead of attending court, your parents must have done something to piss someone off, because the next time you came in you'd never seen a citizen have such nerve. it was an old woman dressed in black rags and holding a weird-looking staff, most likely a witch.

your family had no qualms against magic wielders as far as you knew, seeing any amount of help to grow their empire as worthwhile. but that changed when she aimed her stick at your parents and spoke.

"your contempt for life that does not fit your 'purpose' is an affront for everything your kingdom supposedly stands for. a kingdom i helped your ancestors build. and all i asked in return is for you to remember my terms. to not disrespect me after all i've done. but you have failed. and for this you must be punished."

you were going to call her insane, call the guards to seize her and make an example out of anyone who would threaten and say such baseless claims about your family. you had heard the story of how your ancestors built this kingdom from the ground up hundreds of times, and not once was it mentioned that they received help from a witch.

you weren't afforded time to think it over when her staff pointed at you, her gaze making your blood run cold. the trinkets and bones attached to the end of the warped dark stick brimming with glowing tendrils of magic.

"your daughter, such beauty, such grace, such a beacon of what your family stands for," she taunts and moves her head side to side as she mocks you. "i will give you a choice. your daughter or your kingdom."

you scoff at her and the panicked whispers from the commoners and guards around you. this is bullshit. for all you knew she was nothing but a druid playing dress up, most likely hurt that her flower farm was torn up in one of your father's recent expansion projects.

"this is crazy, we all know this is crazy, right?" your head whips to stare at your parents, who won't even look you in the eye. you start to feel sick, refusing to believe for a second that they could actually be considering this. "mother, father!"

your father raises his hand and the room goes quiet. he stands, an imposing figure by himself, and his cloaks and crown make him more so. the family crest glimmers from his chest, a golden dragon with its wings bared. you try to remember what it stands for to quell the fear in your chest.

your family is strong, your family has knowledge that goes beyond others, your family is more powerful than this pathetic pretender-

"please, just...just don't hurt her, we beg."

your eyes strain at the sight of your father, the king, on his knees with his hands clasped together.

he's pleading with her. this woman is threatening your life and he's begging to her.

you only manage to have one last thought before you're enclosed in a cloud of black and feel your body being ripped through space.

your family is fucking stupid.

your new life is far from what you're used to, but you become suspicious of how pampered elisia - the hag - has made everything for you.

you live in a tower, a tall and black and imposing thing that if you weren't a damn hostage you'd probably think thrice about entering. it stood at the top of an abandoned keep you think you'd heard of in another bedtime story, something about an ogre and a damsel…whatever.

elisia had made it extremely clear that there would be no way for you to escape. her magic would keep the place functional while she was gone; the dark halls lit up, kitchen stocked, library filled. but try to navigate the gigantic lower level that led to the exit and you’d end up in an endless loop that left you feeling dizzy enough to give up for the day.

(for good measure the keep was also situated on a crumbling mountain above a pit of actual lava. have to applaud her efficiency.)

but then you asked if she had planned on you going insane, as would eventually happen if you were left here alone.

the sound of her cackle rang in your head for a few days.

‘what makes you think you're alone in here?’

the cloth of your bed was soft, the gentle canopy making you long for the glamorous and full one you'd had at home. but even the mocking familiarity couldn’t rouse you into sleep that night. every tumble of a rock echoed throughout the halls of the prison that was now your home, making vomit rise in your throat as you remembered the witch’s words.

you tried to calm yourself down, convincing yourself she only alluded to another thing being here to scare you. for the first day you tried to follow your daily schedule as well as possible. wake up, clean and dress yourself, eat some breakfast, focus on hobbies and interests, tea in the garden, etcetera.

but to say it was a struggle is an understatement. you forgot how everything was made easier by your maids and lady’s in waiting, having issue with just doing your hair alone. you didn’t even want to begin on breakfast, fighting with the damned bewitched oven and settling for a fruit salad.

and so you stick to reading, it’s not like you need help doing that. it reminds you of when you were younger and your governess would call out “sick” and when a replacement was being prepared you’d wait on the cushy classroom chaise and read and read and read until your eyes started to hurt.

and now you’ve resorted to reading a cookbook. you’re halfway through a recipe for grilled cheese when you hear it, the displacement of rock in the walls and a dull, eerie humming. you feel the goosebumps rise on your skin and try your best not to let your fear show as you pass a quick glance up at the doorway.

and an eye is staring right back at you.

the book falls from your hands and hits the ground with a hard smack, throwing you from holding the eyes gaze as you make sure it’s alright before looking back at the doorway, only to find nothing there.

this is getting weird. and unsettling. and annoying. and so you muster up all the foolish courage you can, pick your dress up by the hem, and chase after the creature.

you recognize it’s not the smartest idea, chasing after something potentially dangerous and definitely stalking you. but if it’s resorted to staring at you from doorways it can’t be prone to violence. hopefully. curse your father for burdening you with his impatience. and dimwittedness, apparently.

whatever the thing is its fucking fast, tucking and weaving around corners almost faster than you can keep up with.

(you mentally thank your fitness educator for making you routinely run laps around the gardens when you became too lazy for your parents liking back when you were twelve. sucks you’ll never see her again, she was always funny.)

the mysterious being messes up and you cheer to yourself when you hear it stop itself from crashing into the wall.

“hah! looks like you’ve-“

gods above you must look like a dunce, panting in the middle of this dark hallway as you stare at the big bad that was staring at you in your entrapment. but it’s not what you expect. it’s not a monster, or a creature, or the angel of death here to free you from the torment of boredom.

it’s a woman. a devil woman. a very large and disturbingly attractive devil woman.

gods above, you’d been involuntarily celibate for far too long.

it’s clear she’s not going to start conversation first, appearing as if she’d rather sink into the walls themselves than explain herself to you.

“are we going to keep staring at each other or are you going to explain why you’re stalking me?”

“i’m not stalking you!” she blurts, clearly annoyed by your accusation. well, if she only responded to being called a pervert you’d just have to deal with that.

“you were standing in the doorway and ogling me as i was reading, sounds pretty stalkerish to me.”

“that’s not- i wasn’t ogling-“

“and you’ve clearly been in here with me a while, i’ve heard that weird humming and seen that light before. why not introduce yourself if you weren’t being a creep?”

“i’m not a stalker! i’m supposed to be here!” her eye twitches and you figured you’ve pushed her far enough to the truth. you didn’t want to annoy her too much, the giant woman looked like she could snap you in half with ease.

no, don’t think about that. stop staring at her muscles. stop it-

maybe she notices your silence or maybe she notices how you are not no politely checking her out, because she takes the infernal axe off her back, - which you hadn’t even noticed, survival skills going down the drain - sets it gently on the ground, and slowly starts to walk towards you.

you try your best not to show weakness or fear as she approaches, clearly trying to show you she doesn’t mean to harm you. she could have easily harmed you earlier when you chased her like a mad woman through the keep, and you start to feel a bit flushed with embarrassment.

“i can kind of explain why i’m here, if you’d like. somewhere more comfortable preferably.”

she leads you back to the kitchen and the whole time your eyes never leave her body, taking in every detail you can to try to piece together her story.

she has numerous scars starting from her face and trailing down her body, the gaps in her leather outfit letting you see the raised veins and literal vents in her arm and shoulder. add the injuries and incredibly well defined muscles together and it’s not hard to figure this woman is no strain her to hard battle, and could easily overpower you if she so desired.

(yet again you have to trample your inner libido at the thought. you need to get out of this place and fast.)

once in the kitchen, you both shit down and you listen as she tells you everything you want to know, answering every question you have without failure.

“what’s your name?”

“karlach. named after my mum. what’s yours?”

“princess y/n of tuquestia. are you a devil?”

“an actual princess, eh? here i thought that old witch was exaggerating. and no, i’m a tiefling. blame the burning skin and engine on that bitch downstairs mizora.”

“mizora? why the hell would you get mixed up with her?”

“i didn’t ask to. it’s a long story. i think your foods burning, love.”

“gods damn it. whatever. why are you here? how long have you been here?”

“guess that wicked witch is old buddies with my devil because they made some bet way back when that if she managed to screw over some kingdom they both hate mizora would give up one of her best soldiers to help her.”

“so what, your an extra ounce of protection to make sure i don’t jump out of a window?”

“guess i am. and please don’t, wouldn’t end well for either of us.”

after an hour of trying to make a simple meal and glaring at karlach whenever she’d tease you, a warmth bloomed in your chest uncaused by the infernal being across from you. until that point you had pondered when the effect of the endless days of loneliness would seep in, when you'd start talking to visions in your mind before slowly going insane.

but now you had karlach. big, loud, always yapping karlach.

you didn't have many friends back home. you had your handmaidens who were respectful but always too careful, brief flings from when you snuck out to the local towns taverns and polite conversations with visiting monarchs and royals. but never a true friend.

so you’re unable to tell if the way karlach acts is…normal. it’s not like she’s just standing behind and watching you as you try to live your life during the day. not that you’d mind that much.

it’s quite the opposite; she’s always talking. maybe it’s because during your first conversation you made a one off comment of resorting to talking to an old teddy bear you’d found in your closet for company, but there doesn’t go a minute where’s she doesn’t just strike up a conversation with you.

she asks what your home is like, how did you grow up, what it was like to be a princess (that ‘was’ stung more than you expected), if you ever had any pets, any friends, a boyfriend.

you’d snorted at that, telling her if there’s one thing you were grateful to your parents for it was respecting your preference for women. she goads you to go on and listens intently to your story of the time you and a neighboring princess got caught in the quite the situation behind one of the curtains at a large gala…

you figure it’s only polite to ask her all of her questions back, and clearly it’s the right option since each time you do her face lights up almost literally and she animatedly explains every little detail of her life and adventures before she got screwed over and stuck in avernus.

and oh, avernus. if there’s one thing to smack you into reality it’s when she finally deems you trustworthy enough to tell you how exactly she’d become one of mizoras best. you were not the least bit surprised that someone like gortash would screw her over.

(you’d only met him once at your parents invitation and faked food poisoning when he had asked you for a dance. karlach laughed so hard at that her fingers scorched the table you were sitting at. it felt in that moment that you’re stomach was even warmer than her.)

but when she explained everything after he gave her up, the pain of being taken from her home, having her heart replaced, turned into a killing machine and mistaken for a devil, your heart ached. all you wanted was to reach out and touch her, to place at least a comforting hand on her shoulder, but another pain she felt was going without contact with anyone because of her engine.

your old sociology instructor would weep in joy if she could see you know, mourning for the life of someone you just met could have had. all you wanted wasnt to escape this tower, or to wear the latest dress made custom by your tailor and drink some of the not sneakily hidden wine in the kitchens stone walls. it’s just to make her feel better.

so you come up with a plan. probably not the smartest one, but the only one that’ll get you results quickly.

you go about the morning as normal. wake up, clean yourself, meet karlach in the kitchen for breakfast. easy peasy.

now there’s just manning up and going through with this. you had told karlach you were making omelets, the tiefling practically bouncing in her seat as she cleaned off her axe while she wanted. as soon as you could tell she was distracted, you raised the vegetable cutting knife to your hand, took on a deep breath, and then-

“fuck!” her head jerked up at your cry, body standing up on automatically as she watched you cradle your hand to your chest and keel over. she goes to place a hand on your back to help you up and see what’s wrong when she stops herself, so close she can nearly feel the fabrics of your dress brush against her skin.

“damn it, princess. um, ok, it’s not too deep, i’ll get you a towel.” she rushes around the kitchen, searching for a piece of cloth to help you with your wound. but once she sees one sitting not even two feet from you by the fireplace, she’s stopped from alerting you by a swooshing air coming in from the hall, specks of magic floating through the air.

“what on earth are you doing?” elisia‘s voice comes out in a screech, looking like a cloud of darkness as her tall frame draped in black cloaks moves into the kitchen with a quickness. she’s just as quick to dig her nails into your wrist and bring your injured hand up to her face, ignoring your whimper that sends a pang of worry into karlach.

“what, are you turning into an idiot like your father? how can you be so inept?”

“ok ok, it was just an accident!”

she spits out a curse in a language you don't understand and drops your wrist, ignoring your grunt of pain. “the whole point of this is for you to be trapped here, not for you to end your life because of pure foolishness.”

her eyes zip to karlach, and you admire how the tiefling doesn't stand down to the hag's piercing gaze, squaring her shoulders almost like she is preparing for a fight.

“you. did you forget about our precious zariel’s little gift?” elisia smiles down at karlach’s chest, which noticeably glows brighter as her frustration rises. “one touch and you could have burned it closed. do you enjoy watching my hostage bleed out on the stone?”

“i don't think making her pass out and likely die from excruciating pain is in your plans either. i can't help her if i can't touch her without endangering her life!”

the echo of her booming voice leads to an eerie silence, both of you waiting for what elisia says next. your eyes meet from across the room, glowing amber trailing down to your hand before you give a quick nod to let her know you’re okay.

elisia groans, tapping her staff on one of the sturdy counters. “fine. what do you need in order to do what you’re here for?”

”i…i need an engine upgrade. just enough to be able to make contact.” you can't help but notice the tick in karlach’s voice, a slight glimmer of hope at just the idea that she’ll be able to touch someone again, even if it’s just you.

“you’ll still be able to use it as protection, yes?”

karlach nods, and after a few seconds of contemplation, the witch wordlessly disappears into a plume of smoke.

“do you think she’ll consider it?” you question, voice strained as the stinging of your palm reaches a new high. in a rush the woman is collecting the things needed to take care of your wound, gesturing for you to sit on top of the table while she helps as much as she can without hurting you further.

“focus on me, yeah? it’ll be over in a second.” she holds a bottle of alcohol over your hand waiting for your confirmation that she can pour it on the slash to sterilize it. you wish you could say you reacted gracefully, but based on her facial reaction it’s safe to assume the sound you cried was anything but pretty. quickly she guides you to dry it off and wrap it in a bandage, a sigh of relief escaping you when the would is properly covered.

“thank you. sorry if i made you worried, didn’t mean to cut so deep. still not very good with knives.”

“of course i worried, you’re - wait, you did this on purpose?”

you give her a sheepish smile as she stares at you in shock, eyes darting from your hand to multiple spots on your face before she bursts into a loud laughter, your body going stark straight from the surprise of her mood shifting so suddenly.

“glad to know i was right about there being something more than air in that head of yours, princess. now i’m aware you’re also crazy.”

“hey, it worked didnt it? now you’ll get your engine upgrade, and you’ll finally be able to touch me.”

“yeah looking forward to wrangling your stubborn ass from trying to find more secret tunnels in your bedroom.”

“i know they exist! what keep doesn’t have a secret tunnel?”

you’re thrown into a playful argument about how she’s certain that secret tunnels that you remembered dearly from your old castle wouldn’t be in every type of royal origin, while you try to persuade her it’s basically an untold law for building a keep.

all the while she’s trying to ignore how the light of the fireplace brings out the warmness of your skin, while you decide not to bring up how to the idea of touching you made her bite her lip and stutter her breath.

karlach gets her upgrade sooner than later, the itch appearing with a nice but scared-looking tiefling who uses a strange-looking metal to fix karalch up. you can tell she's trying to stay calm through the endeavor, not wanting g to risk the poor man due to her excitement. and the whole time you stay by her side, eyes trained on the rather strange way the procedure is done.

but once its done she stands there, almost unable to believe what she hopes to be true. she turns her body to face yours, eyes near begging for either of you to do something when you wrap your arms around her neck and push your body into hers.

and gods, is she warm. like cuddling up with a wool blanket in bed during the chilling midsts of winter. you can tell your sudden act of affection scared her at first, but once she realizes whats happening she wraps her arms around your waist so tightly it feels like shes trying to fuse you into one.

you hear elisia in the back, groaning at the act before leaving with the stranger in a hurry. when their footsteps are no longer heard karlach lifts your body up with ease, twirling you around before setting your body back to the floor.

her chest is having, excitement coursing through her body as flames rise and retreat from the vents in her shoulders.

“i cant believe it. i never thought i would- that you and i could-”

she cuts herself off with the most joyous laugh you've heard from her yet, pulling you into another hug and burying her face into your shoulder, minding not to scratch you with her horn.

its almost adorable how cuddly karlach becomes after that; a giant war fighting barbarian nervously asking if she can receive a random hug in the middle of the day, standing behind you as she makes sure you're following the steps of a recipe you found, even indulging you when you ask for her hands to warm your stomach when your moon week arrives.

only two weeks after her upgrade do you realize that you have feelings for her. maybe you've known for longer, only denying it in the fear that you'd lose the only true friend you'd ever had. even if she didn't return your affections, the reasonable part of you knew she would never turn you down in a harsh way. but you knew yourself, and knew the embarrassment would lead to you distancing yourself from her and ignoring her at any chance possible, which was the opposite of what both of you needed at this time.

you try your hardest not to make it obvious, but when she catches your eyes lingering on her a few times too long she decides she cant ignore it any longer, choosing to finally have that long awaited talk with you before you head to sleep.

she was escorting you from the library back up to your room for the night, gently guiding you with a large palm on your back while your attention was focused on a book you had found deep in the history shelves. it was endearing, how you'd pay little attention to where you were going and nearly trip over a stair before cursing it under your breath.

“i knew you were a bit of a history buff, darling, but you cant exactly learn if you give yourself a concussion.” karlach smiles.

you don't reply, mumbling something about being too engrossed in the text. with a choked back laugh she shakes her head and bends down to pick you up, one arm under your back and the other under your legs. she can see your eyes widen over the edge of the pages before going back to what you were doing. once she reaches your door she not-so-delicately kicks it open before placing you on your bed, bending down to start helping you take off your slippers.

once she's done she starts to look up at you when she takes a quick glance around your room. she’s only been in here a few times, when you’d fall asleep hunched over a tome in the library and she had to gracefully put you in your bed. there isn’t much in here save for the bed and a simple closet. but her eyes catch on the tally’s you’ve been keeping on the wall, inching closer and closer to the three month mark.

she starts to second guess herself. why would you have any feelings other then basic ones of friendship with her, a barbarian ordered to prevent you from leaving a tower you were trapped in? as much as you tried to hide it it was clear how much you missed your home, your parents, the grand lifestyle in which you were raised.

she’s about to make a quick exit after asking if you need anything else when you're doing it again: staring into her soul like you apparently so enjoy doing.

“is there anything else you need, princess?”

you feel a sharp pull below your stomach, not expecting the effect her words would have on your body, only increased by the feel of her large hand still around your ankle, the heat radiating from her and hitting you full force as whatever shes feeling grows in intensity. you gently reach a hand up to feel over the ridges of her cut horn, down to the slit in her eyebrow and the shaved cut of her hair. the whole time she waits, chest rising and falling as she tries to keep her composure while your touch continues its journey down and down until your gentle fingers are grazing over the curve of her nose and her lips.

you finally kiss her, and despite how damned good it feels she can't help but feel bad about how desperately she wants so much more. with all the carefulness she can muster she kisses you deeper, pulling you to the edge of the bed so that your legs are on both sides of her body.

“karlach, please…” you whine out into the quiet room, eyes closed at the bliss of her pressing her body closer to yours, her mouth deciding to start kissing down your throat when you stop kissing her to speak her name. not like she seems to mind, for every time you moan out her nails dig into the fat of your hips through your dress.

“gods, i’m so glad i was right. knew you wanted me, i had hoped you did.” her words are muffled by a quick bite to your throat, her mind going blank at the high pitched moan you let out at the press of her sharp teeth into your skin. she sucks a few more marks into the flesh before dragging her tongue in a line from the bottom of your neck back to your chin, staring into your eyes once she stops.

“clothes. clothes off, now.”

she obeys your demand, standing straight up to start working at her boots before tugging off her shirt like it’ll burn her, your slight giggling doing nothing to help her speed. once she’s done she looks back down at you, rolling her eyes to the sight of you laid pretty on your stomach, arms cushioning your head as you wait for her to undo the basic laces on your dress.

“you really are a spoiled princess, huh?” karlachs deep laugh does nothing to stop the need growing inside you, and neither does the feel of her hands ghosting over your back.

“don’t be mad just because i know my worth, brute.”

you can only let out a gasp when her fingers dig into the fabric and rip it down the middle, yanking the ruined dress out from under you. she waste no time in getting you into the position she wants, spreading your legs apart and pushing you down by the middle of your back.

“if i’m being too rough you’ll tell me, yeah?” you weakly nod your head from its place in your covers, but with a small pinch to the left cheek of your ass you know that was the wrong answer. “give me words, baby.”

“yeah, yes, fuck i will.” you don’t have time to be embarrassed by the desperation in your voice, since as soon as the affirmation leaves your mouth her fingers are spreading apart the lips of your cunt and licking a hard slow line up into you.

if she wasn’t explicitly put inside this keep to keep you safe you would have thought she was trying to kill you in the most euphoric way possible. she eats you like she’s starving and isn’t sure when she’s going to eat again. you then remember that before you the last time she slept with someone else was back when she was free in baldurs gate, so a decades worth of longing and lust has been steadily building inside her body.

and now she’s going to take all of it out on you. the thought just makes more cum run down your legs, eagerly caught by the hot mass of her tongue.

you thought she’d be more talkative but instead she’s laser focused on your center; she spreads you farther and farther to get a better view of you, rubbing at your clit with her wide thumb before pinching it when you wiggle your hips back at her. she ignores your whines in favor for drawing those deep sounds from the inside of your chest when she takes the bud inside her mouth and sucks, pulling roughly until your legs start to shake.

“karlach, fuck ‘m close, ‘m close!”

“that’s it, come on princess, cum for me. cum so i can split you open around me and make you mine.”

and like she’s a god that commands it you do, back arching near painfully as your hands fist the sheets and your throat goes raw with the force of your moan bordering on a scream. the whole time she refuses to slow down, sucking even harder as you cum so hard you fear you’ll pass out.

a minute later your high starts to die down, slick covering your thighs and a light sheen of sweat coating the rest of your body. you knew you’d been pent up these past few weeks with only your hand and pillow for satisfaction, but that was…intense.

you feel karlach pressing light kisses to your backside, leaving more little bites and marks around your hips and up your back. she briefly settles her body on top of yours, and while the weight and feel of her sends fireworks up to your brain and down to your cunt, the warmth of her is making the sweat on your back feel even worse, a pout forming on your lips.

“mmm, you’re hot.”

“glad you noticed.” she laughs, the deep timber of it rumbling through her body and into yours. for a brief second, you think you’d like to feel it for the rest of your life. the thought of it only makes you more desperate, trying to burrow your face deeper into the bed.

“think you can handle another? or does the princess need her bath and rest already?”

with a newfound determination, you try your best to lift her off of you, pushing your hips back into hers in the hopes she’ll feel enough pity to give in and roll off of you. instead, you get the opposite, both of you moaning at the grind of your ass against her groin. and fuck, does she feel big. bigger than you've ever taken, and there were some heavy hitters at the tavern you'd frequently sneak out to. soldiers who were big and strong and looking for a pretty thing to make their troubles go away for the night.

and now you had the upgraded model of all of them combined in front of you, lips still covered in your cum as she stared at your body like she wanted nothing more than to get her hands on it and not let go until she was fully sated. you crane your neck back and up to kiss her, tasting yourself as the two of you share a sweet yet intimate kiss, tongues fighting for dominance before you give up and let her win, hips continuing to buck when her long muscle pushes its way into your mouth and starts to explore.

you can only hold on to your small amount of patience for so long, and karlach starting to suck and bite at your tongue isn't helping in the slightest. your hands desperately reach up to grab at her, any part of her you can reach. you grasp helplessly at her large hand that's gently wrapped around your throat, her claws just barely scratching the sides. she squeezes the tiniest bit and you nearly cum from that alone.

“aw, you’re so desperate for it, aren't you baby?” she chuckles, loosening her grip so you can give a weak ‘mhm’ in response. “tell me what you want and it's yours.”

you tilt your head back farther, big wet eyes staring back at hers and clearly having the desired effect if her lip bite and groan are any indication.

“just want you. want you inside me so badly it hurts.”

in under a second her strong arms are flipping you around like it is nothing, spreading your legs and holding them up for you to hold, your brain instantly following her lead and doing as she intends. while you do that her hands are busy pushing the fabric of her pants down her hips, throwing them to the floor with a huff before she settles back in front of you, staring at you as you stare at her. well, a part of her.

she takes a few seconds to revel in the attention you’re giving her, pretty eyes trailing up and down her body, spread out oh so obediently for her while you willingly give yourself to her to indulge in. she’ll have to remember to tell you how much it means to her in the morning because all she can focus on now is fucking you until the both of you pass out.

and so she fits herself into place, swollen thighs helping to keep yours apart as a red hand goes to align herself with your entrance, catching your eyes again and waiting for your enthusiastic nod before pushing herself inside. you moan at the combination of pleasure and pain, grip on your legs faltering as your head falls back onto the bed. karlach isn’t doing better, moaning at the same time as you at the feeling of finally getting to be inside you.

“gods-fuck,” she groans, pushing her hips further until she’s finally fit her entire length inside of you. you’re given a few moments to adjust, but impatient as ever you buck your hips, whining as despite the fullness it’s still not enough.

she smiles, resting her body on top of yours, throwing your legs over her shoulders, and kisses you before starting to thrust at a speed that makes your eyes cross.

there are no words to describe how it makes you feel, just like there are no words you’re able to speak as she wrecks you oh so beautifully and oh so roughly. the only sounds in the room are the rough plap plap plap’s of her thighs meeting yours, the wet sounds of her length coming in and out of you, and the squeaky moans being exerted from your chest that had your cheeks hot to the touch.

needing to ground yourself you reach out for any part of her you can, fight hand gripping around the thick keratin of her horn. your left can only grip onto the stub of her other one, but as your nails dig into the skin at the bottom of it a loud cry leaves the barbarian as she somehow makes her thrusts hit even deeper.

you can’t even begging to imagine what you look like, the (former?) esteemed and regal crown princess spread out and moaning at the top of your lungs as a blood war fighting tiefling barbarian fucks you six ways into next sunday. but with each passing minute of her dick pressing into that oh so good spot inside of you, you can’t find it in you to care. you deserve this. karlach deserves this.

and gods is it so hot to see how much she takes advantage. she has all the stamina of a titan, only momentarily stopping her brutal pace to make sure your weak legs stay up and apart. if you didn’t know any better you’d think she was in a trance, gaze fixed on the sight between the both of your legs.

with a gentle tug on her horns you bring her head back up to look at you, those beautiful amber eyes droopy as her mouth falls open in another moan. you whine and yank slightly harder, pursing your lips at her confused face when you realize you’re still unable to communicate anything other than squeaks.

she brings her lips to yours so fast your heads bump, both of you giggling into the kiss. despite the continued frenzied movements below its sweet and intimate, a soft and fuzzy feeling growing in your chest as she pulls away and starts to press short kissed to your lips and cheeks.

“feels so good, princess, you’re so damn good.” she pants, resting her head in the crok of your neck. the small bit of praise makes you whine and clench around her, her thrusts stuttering for a moment before she digs her knees harder in the bed to make up for the extra resistance.

“aww, you like that?”

you turn your head in the opposite way out of embarrassment, hoping she’ll drop it and bring her focus back to the view of how her cock gradually comes back sticker each time she pulls out of you. instead she nudges her forehead into your chin, bringing your eyesight back to her.

“you like to act like a brat but you just wanna be all good and pretty for me, don’t you? it’s alright, you can tell me.”

face scrunching, you scratch your fingers again at the stub of her horn and she lets out a mix between a groan and a laugh, quickly hitting her hand down to the apex of your thighs and rub harsh circles on your clit.

“oh fuck, karlach, fuck!” your words are high and slurred, mind going blank at the pleasure she forces onto you. you feebly try to slow her down, gripping around her wrist to try and calm the overwhelming pressure building up. “i can’t, can’t it’s-“

“cmon baby, can talk a bug game but can’t take it? do it for me, yeah?”

she doesn’t wait for your answer, cutting off any potential sass as her finger rubs faster and harder and she tilts her hips ever so slightly upwards so she’s pressing directly into your spot, and in under a minute you’re clenching around her and nearly losing your mind at the sheer force of your orgasm, too blinded by the pleasure to notice karlachs strained keen as her thrusts come to a halt and the warm feeling of her cum flows inside of you.

she allows you to bask in the euphoric peace between sleep and consciousness for a few minutes, pulling herself out of you and gently shushing you at your strained whimper. her fingers brush away some of the stray sweaty hairs from your forehead and pressing sweet pecks to your cheeks.

“need some help, hun?” she asks, already predicting your tired nod. without a hitch she gently picks you up, not wanting to disturb you from the peaceful state you were currently in. with all the grace of a ghost she carries your limp body to the small bathroom, turns on the enchanted tub faucet, and gently placed your in the warm water with her sat behind you.

you go in and out over the next hour. you remember the feel of her rubbing the sweat off of your skin, her gentle praises whispered into your hair, her body warming up your towel to dry you off before tugging your nightgown over your head. when she rests your body on tops of hers on your bed, with the gentle hum of her engine calling you to slumber, your final thought is that you wouldn’t mind staying in this tower a little longer.

for the next few weeks everything is nothing short of perfect. the introduction of romance only brings the two of you closer, never going more than an hour separated. its nice to pretend that the two of you aren’t trapped and are instead two lovers on a really weird vacation, spending your days eating magic food, reading books, and making love before doing it all again the next. day.

elisia surprisingly only visit once, silent as a ghost when she appeared in the doorway of the simple chamber room when karlach had decided to join you on a small couch while you were napping, staring at the both of you silently before huffing and leaving in a plume of smoke.

now, you've always been a deep sleeper, something that worried your parents in infancy but became something they were glad for when they heard comparisons to babies that cried all throughout the night. as soon as your head hit a pillow? it was lights out, your body quickly drifting off into a peaceful slumber until you were ready to arise exactly eight hours later.

when you finally start gaining those first few bits of consciousness you feel floaty, high off of what happened the night before, and your body ready to cuddle up to the warm and cozy tiefling still in bed with you.

but when your fingers extend to the soft sheets next to you they feel nothing. she's not there.

your body jerks up, grasping the shirts to cover your chest in a grasp for self-comfort as you look around your room, which is also empty.

you know logically she’s probably off for a short while to get something to eat or doing her daily rounds around the keep, your brain coming up with any scenario other than ‘regretted last night and left you in the dust.’.

before you can come up with more ways to drive yourself crazy, you can hear faint noises in the distance and below you - metal clashing, grunts of exertion, before the sound of someone hitting the wall so roughly that there's no way they didn't break any bones rouses you from your bed, quickly throwing a robe over your body before rushing down the spiraled stairs.

you let out a shrill shriek when a large airborne object nearly takes your head clean off as soon as your foot touches the last step, heart racing so quickly you fear you’ll pass out. your eyes focus on the space in front of you as you quickly try to figure out what danger has entered your ‘home.’

karlach, dressed only in her small sleeping top and trousers is rigid and staring straight at you, clearly disturbed by your scream and unmoving until your subtle nod lets her know you’re unharmed, she has a few bumps and scrapes including a long bleeding gash on her arm, blood trickling down until it reaches her fingers which are gripped around one of the large kitchen knives.

you don't need to ask what the danger is because it'd be hard to miss it even if you were blind. there's a knight standing just a few feet away from her, donned in shining silver armor and holding a similar shining steel sword. his helmet has been thrown aside to reveal an admittedly dashing face and blonde mane, the stereotypical look of a prince charming.

well. charming until he opens his mouth.

“princess y/n! finally, i have found you! your father the king has been contacting numerous kingdoms to track you down and bring you home safely. don't worry about this beast, i will slay it and you will finally be safe from your captors!”

“oh you want a beast i’ll show you a beast, pretty boy-” karlach moves to attack the knight before you step in front of her, placing a gentle hand on her chest to stop her in her tracks.

“how did you get in here, sir?”

“its sir garrick, your highness…” the man answers, eyes flicking between you and the hand you have on karlachs chest. you don't care to move it, though.

“and how did you get in here? you just.. walked through the drawbridge? no other obstacles?”

he nods. and though its an answer it does nothing to help you or karlach answer the question on your minds.

“do you reckon she’s dead?” karlach asks.

“i doubt we could be that lucky.” you roll your eyes and turn to face her, the woman relaxed at your touch but still on guard because the knight is still staring at the two of you like he just saw an owl bear pick up a lute and start singing. you do suppose this was rather odd, a lost princess found in a tower and gravitating to the giant barbaric tiefling rather than the knight in shining armor.

when you look into karlach’s eyes you can see a glimmer of hope inside of them, just the same as when you revealed your feelings for one another and when she’d tell you her dreams of returning to her home city again in the dead of night.

“well clearly she allowed this guy to get in here, or else he’d probably have a goats head and a cows arse by now-“

“excuse me, what’d you say?”

“which means she might allow us to leave, right? probably with some invisible strings attached?” karlach’s hand lightly grips your waist, her smile wide as she even considers the possibility of the both of you leaving.

and while you try your hardest to outwardly match her enthusiasm, your mind is racing with questions and hypotheticals. this woman had a vendetta against your father, went through the trouble to take one of zariels prized soldiers and have her watch over you day in and day out, and now you could just…walk out?

karlach goes to retrieve some proper clothing while you and the ever-so-confused knight stay where you are, the man thankfully answering every question you have while you wait for your companion to come back. you can tell he desperately wants to ask about your closeness, subtly reminding you that he's been trained to take on large threats in enclosed spaces, even fighting numerous devils in his travels. you ignore it as your mind continues to race with the possibilities of what could happen when you walk through that door, if this is all some sick joke and as soon as you walk through the doorway you’ll throw up your own guts.

but it fades when karlach comes bounding back down, fully geared and with a small bag slung over her shoulder, failing to hide the optimistic smile on her face. her large hand encloses around yours, and you cant help but to return the smile and grip her hand just the slightest bit harder.

“alright pretty boy, show us the way home.”

the knight hurriedly nods and starts towards the entrance. when you reach the large stone door, the one you've stared at so many times with despair in your heart, its indescribable the feeling you have when the sun hits your face and the sounds of birds tweeting fills your ears.

karlach is shaking your hand, smile wide and eyes bright at she looks up at the sky for the first time in a decade. as you start to walk she rambles about all the foods she cant wait to try, visiting her home city again, sleeping in a real bed for once, and all you can think is that you would stick yourself in that tower again just to keep her by your side.

[starberry-cupcake]

GUESS WHO'S BACK??? Happy new year you bone-loving weirdos (affectionately)!!! Let's start 2025 with Nona!!!

previously, in this react series:

we (I mean me, but also you, alongside me) finished harrowcita del 9

we read some short stories

I made a gideon craft as a gift and the person I made it for told me that the recap I wrote in the back made it to some discord server somewhere

my legacy is being unfunny

NOW LET'S START WITH NONA:

(that's how I called 2 of my great-grandmothers)

I decided to skip all the praise for the book because some of them were getting a little too involved with the story and I don't want to know anything, thank you very much

I did however read the blurb in the inside cover that I missed the last time

I wonder if at some point I could make like an audio version of a recap as I read, because my reaction when I read the following was Something, but then again you'd have to deal with my pronunciation of the names and idk if I want that

anyway, blurb says "with Pyrrha, Camilla and Palamedes"

???????????????????????????????????????????

I thought it was judith and coronabeer twin??????

I'm gonna change her name from regina george twin to coronabeer twin now because she outlived her other nickname

she's the only nickname graduate so far

who took palmolive out of the tamagotchi river loft???????

who set him loose????

how is phyrrha there, she was with gideon/harrow/gideonharrow fusion??????

"each night, Nona dreams of a woman with a skull painted face"

don't we all

the list of books says "Nona the Ninth" and so does the title in the paratext

instead of dramatis personae we have a guest list for a party

there are a lot of dogs invited to the party, which is nice

one of them has six legs

there's also people with BOE names

and one kevin, love to see it, I'll remember him

lots of meme potential there

there are some camilla annotations beside all the people from BOE allegedly nona wants to invite

still not seeing coronabeer and/or judith

gonna imagine that, wherever they are, they're making out

good for them

we got two poems after, the latter of which is a bit heart wrenching, I don't wanna ask about it

then we got a title that looks like a bible verse

had to google it and it is a verse about peter and a disciple finding jesus's tomb empty

ice cube barbie is locked tomb jesus confirmed

I've never mentioned this before but this has happened to me ever since book 1, and since it's here again I'm gonna say it

I have noticed I have a bad knee jerk reaction to the adjective 'fat' being used so often for so many things, but I'm trying to work thought it

don't wanna project my trauma onto unintended narrators

we got a summarized recount of events of what might be how emperor asshat and some of his lyctors got where they got from maybe present times???

there's talk about cryogenics for a lot of people and an evacuation plan from earth

and names are erased but we have some initials that could be augustine, mercygirl, cassiopeia and gideon

I don't think c is not!dulcinea because she was meant to be a newer model lyctor

during this recount he's in the beach alongside harrow, who he says he's gonna hurt

harrow apparently says she still loves him

gideon would be kicking him in the nuts

also, I thought the emperor was with yandere twin

what the hell happened between the two books???? where's everyone????

DAY ONE (hot sauce and 5 days until the tomb opens) CH 1

we've got a recorded statement of what feels to me like the Pool Situation Wink Wonk You Know The One

is she harrow??? or is harrow in the river with the emperor and this is a new person???? who is this????? is harrow's soul in the river???? where is gideon's perfectly preserved body that we knew camilla was carrying around with coronabeer and judith???

I don't know anything

but my wife is here, so it's all good

also, she's apparently sharing a body with palmolive now

so now the wife ideal turned into a polycule situation, I guess

didn't have that in my 2025 cards

I have two hands, apparently, idk

turns out, palmolive was somehow freed from his tamagotchi loft in the river and placed in camilla's body so they share it

how? by who? when?

glad you asked, I don't know

they're sharing space now, that's all I know

it's kind of like the lyctors should have been if the emperor wasn't an asshole, I guess

because it seems they can also switch easily and like coexist without totally cutting the other one out

it feels a lot healthier and organic in their relationship, even though palmolive is a soul guest

palmolive says camilla's body is a temple, so I'm glad we agree

pyrrha is also there, I assume taking over og!gideon's body fully, since he died, afaik

they're taking care of nona, who doesn't know who she is and they don't seem to know either, but if she has harrow's memories, I don't know what to tell you

they're living in a complicated militarized situation with few resources and little light use

palmolive thinks he could write explicit materials for a living but camilla doesn't want them to be remembered for that

palmolive wrote a lot of Things to his bae in correspondence, so maybe that's already part of his legacy

nona is sent to her room while palmolive and pyrrha argue about BOE acting weird

camolive want to rescue people, pyrrha thinks it's a bad idea and wants to get nona away from the planet

pyrrha also mentions a "she" that's crazier than camilla and makes references to commander wake me up when september ends but that one died???? twice????? so idk who this new "she" is

let's remember, for the record, that both og!gideon and pyrrha were Intimate with commander wake me up before we go go

apparently there are more people who are planet refugees in this one planet than two houses combined

which doesn't surprise me in the least, because that's how oppression often works, but is good to have it confirmed

heralds are also still a problem and camilla wants to fight them

pyrrha thinks that's a bad idea, because there's data of that not being possible

but she doesn't know that camilla hect is perfect and can do everything right always

it is important for me to clarify that, more than anyone ever in this book series, nona is the true definition of what in my land we refer to as: "está en un cumple"

the literal definition of the phrase means "she's in a birthday party"

the idiom definition is that someone is totally unaware of what is going on, without understanding what's around them, often used for people in a content state while unaware of a problem everyone else is worrying about

I truly think it's a very good way to describe her and I can't translate it in a way that feels the exact way, especially due to the party context

I headcanon her wearing this shirt

she also wants to save the animals, while camolive want to save the people

pyrrha is just tired and wants to retire to a farming planet to live in peace

I get it, though, imagine having to serve emperor asshat for so long

poor cavalier deserves some rest, og!gideon had the right idea when he exited the entire situation

saw an out with that fight in the river and left the chat

pyrrha is also worried about BOE capturing and torturing camolive for interrogation

and there seems to be an underlying plan between camolive and pyrrha that I'm not entirely sure of yet

nona, apparently, goes to school, because she's in a cumple, as previously established

going to school on top of the eye in the sky and the military issues and the social strife and the potential torturing doesn't sound ideal but very glad there's still an education system in place among all that

AND THAT'S IT FOR NOW!!! It's proving a bit complicated to do recaps with a paperback but I'm gonna try to find my footing!! See you on the next one!!

[octuscle]

Hey, support! So I’m Gus and there’s this really handsome muscle daddy at this marine research center I work at and I want to get him to notice me. He’s really into beefy, well-dressed himbos with nice facial hair and big pecs. Could you help me out please? I don’t want to be too dumb cuz I really want to keep this job, but you can change me however else within what would be his type.

Chronivac is currently experiencing a few technical problems. But I've heard about this tanning salon. “Magic sunbed”. Ask for sunbed 2. 20 minutes should be enough. Definitely no more. Otherwise I can't guarantee anything.

Bekim has had a shit day so far. The turnover isn't right, his boss has given him a telling off. You're only the second customer. He greets you like an old friend. Couch 2 is free. Special offer for today only and for new customers: 30 minutes for a surcharge of just 10 percent and the special lotion at half price. Bekim explains that 20 minutes is basically useless. The skin only tans after 20 minutes. A lot helps a lot, you think. You've never been to a tanning salon before. The staff will know what they're doing.

You go into cabin 2, strip off and rub yourself with lotion. The lotion stinks. You look for an expiration date. Obviously still good for over a year. Then the smell of musk, sweat and sperm must be… Should you leave your underpants on now? Or take them off? To be on the safe side, you undress completely and lie down on the couch. You look for a switch to start the process. You are struck by lightning. It gets light, it gets warm. You close your eyes and try to sleep.

Sleep is out of the question. It's so hot. You're lying in a puddle of sweat. And the stench of the lotion is getting worse. So more intense… You don't actually find it bad any more. More like… Exciting. Your cock is getting hard. You start to wank. Your colleague from the lab in front of you. You can literally feel him running his fingers through your beard and pulling down your dungarees to suck your nipples on your monstrous pecs… Wait a minute! Dungarees? No, lab coat. Right? Never mind, your cock is almost bumping into the top shell of the tanning bed. Your balls are bursting. And then you shoot a geyser out of your cock. A fountain forms three or four times. And soon you're lying in a puddle of sweat and cum. Shit, you could have saved yourself the lotion…

The tanning process ends as abruptly as it started. Cold and dark. The upper bowl slowly rises. Shit, there's only the towel, which is far too small as always. But where are your things? “Yo, Bekim, where the heck are my clothes at?” you shout. Bekim knocks and brings you your dungarees, jockstrap, socks and work boots. The submissive pig couldn't resist wearing your clothes. You noticed he had a crush on you months ago when he started working here. You were one of his first customers. And then you became a regular customer. Shit, he was so excited, he did everything wrong. Well, today he's one of the old hands here. And somehow a buddy of yours. As long as the clothes are neatly laid out and not full of wax, it's okay if he lives out his fetish during your tanning session. Bekim wants to suck you off as a thank you. “Next time, Buddy,” you say. You have to go back to the lab. Your pager has already beeped four times. Some damn ventilation system isn't working as it should.

Bekim is like, the top dude of all time. He's not just about making sure your tanning bed is always ready for your regular sessions. He also hooks you up with the good stuff so your biceps stay swole and your nuts stay juiced. That's how the guy at the Marine Research Center where you work likes it. He's a real muscle daddy. And he's into his dumb janitor hoe.

[hearts4werka]

NNN day 5 | Whispers Of Madness

summary: ever since one unfortunate day, you havent felt the same mentally. The dark entity that now permanently stabled a special place in your mind, making you go more insane with each passing minute. Whenever you try to reach out for help to the one person you trust, being your best friend matthew he always argues that nothing is actually there and your brain is messing with you but you know more than youve lead onto. Are you going to finally shatter and possibly lead to murder, or maybe finally banish the evil living inside of you?

warnings: ANGST, demon possession, dark entity, murders, mental health issues, satanic language, dark topics, suicide, police involvement, heavy language, blood everywhere, choking, skin bruising, mysterious black goop, viewers advisory is supervised! Proceed continue reading caution!

authors note: somehow we’ve made it to day 5 of consistently posting fics wohoo !! This one took me a portion of my time and this week has been pretty busy for me so I’m surprised I got this far, hope yall enjoy this bc I surely did writing it

no nut november | masterlist | guestlist

Ever since that unfortunate night, I have never felt the same mentally nor physically. A constant demonic voice mocking my every move and slowly driving me towards insanity, flashes of a dark entity remain stuck and impossible to get out of my mind, making me want gouge my eyes out to escape through death. Sometimes i dont even recognize myself in the mirror, just noticing each and every one of the changes in my physical apperance as well as my behavior and I think if others noticed them too or do am I the old me to them? or have I never actually changed and my mind can somehow create physical forms of different versions of me on its own?

- The night of the incident

I slowly stirr awake in the middle of the night due to strange noises my ears keep picking up, rubbing my eyes with the back of my hand I glance out the window to see nothing but pitch-black ahead of me. The soft moonlight being the only available source of light pouring into the room, my eyes scan the dark room for a possible source behind the strange noises. Its almost like whispering but not human whispers in particular, almost like a demonic voice... yeah no, demons dont exist so there no such possibility. Just to be sure Im not going completely insane I do a double check but now looking harder into the dark to try and justify the source of the noise is nothing harmless.

Thats until I see something dark looming in the corner of my room.

It appears to be a shadow but with a dark and demonic energy radiating off it, my eyes scan the whole silhouette and get stuck on a pair of brigh red eyes staring down at me becomes imprinted in my mind permanently which sends a cold chill down my whole body, making me rise in awareness and fear, my body immediately waking and becoming completely stiff, my abilty to move vanishing from my grasp of control. The dark shadow figure starts to step closer to me and my instincts kick in, subconsciously backing away from the proximity of the red-eyed creature as it stands at the foot of it. "W-who are you?" I shakingly breath out, my mind becoming consumed with fear and theories that this could possibly be the end of my life.

The red-eyed figure doesnt make a sound or a single move, my breathing now labored and heavy as it continues to stare down at my shaking form. Feeling completely vulnarble and defendless, it’s like theres no escape and I've been trapped, even cornered in the dark depths of my mind. "Agite... Tenebrae... Abyssi..." I hear a faint demonic whisper, identical to the ones I've heard before and realize where its coming from. Suddenly I get a shock down my whole body, almost as if a feeling of being possesed or something possibly entering my soul and attaching itself to it.

I convince my overthinking mind its nothing and Im just imagining things now, this is not real. Demons dont exist and they surely can't possess you, right? it cant be real, its not. Shaking my head to throw away any possible negative thoughts left behind and lay my head back down on my pillow, attempting to sleep of the demonic energy I still feel coursing through my veins. My mind manages to slowly drift off to sleep, my eye lids falling heavy as I slip into unconsciousness but the demonic whispers still remaining surrounding the shell of my ears.

- A month after the incident - Present day

A sudden snap of Matt’s fingers in front of my face kicks me out of the negative energy in my mind, him giving me an unamused expression and sighing. “You seriously weren’t paying attention again?” He annoyingly huffs, his lips becoming a thin line as his arms cross over his chest. “I’m sorry, I was just-“ while I am in the middle of my sentence and want to explain myself, the demonic whispers cut me off and start whispering in my ear until I look around and see him. The red-eyes creature. No matter how hard I want to take my eyes away from him, they just refuse to move alongside with my body. Just becoming frozen all of a sudden, “What? Are you good?” He stammered visibly shadowed with concern, his eyes darting around the room to find the spot my eyes are stuck on but is met with a simple empty room.

“What are you staring at?” He pondered, still in desperate search to find something I could possibly be staring at with such horror contouring my features. My breath starts to become more deep and shaky, the same feeling I felt coursing through my veins every time it appears, it’s almost like it’s making its appearance known before hand. Matt finally snaps me back to reality, jerking one of my shoulders to give him a response to his worried questions, when I look at Matt’s face and back where it was standing. It’s gone. It’s not there anymore. “Where did it go?” I mumbled with a trembling bottom lip, becoming tense and more aware of my surroundings. “What do you mean by ‘where did it go’ ? You’re fucking freaking me out Eli.” He inquired, still anxiously looking around before moving closer to me. Immediately noticing me tense up for some reason he doesn’t have the knowledge of and I just wouldn’t speak about it.

“It’s fucking not there anymore! It’s gone, again!” I clutch Matt’s arm into my chest, seeking any comfort and safeness I could get a grasp on. The whispers start again, this time approaching me closer until I feel a faint icy breath breathe down my neck which makes me flinch. “ǨḐlēʃ-tū yǫur crēāṭōr, ǝLizaʊƃth…” my hands immediately go to cover my ears, the satanic words echoing in my head and bouncing off every wall, almost delivering me a headache. Under my breath I keep begging it to stop, to release me from the hellish cage it’s trapped me in against my will just to torment and demolish all that’s left of my soul that it hasn’t destroyed yet. My mental health wasnt the best before and it just got worse after, I reached out for help to everyone I could but they either called me schizophrenic or ‘completely gone off the rockers’ by professionals, refusing to help me and ignore the actual issue.

“Is it this again? Seriously Eli, you have to stop scaring me like that!” He argues, becoming slightly annoyed. No matter how much I tell him about this mister lurking in the shadows, he just says ‘you need to get some professional help or go to a psychiatrist’ but when I tell him the stories regarding the ‘getting professional help’ that they ignore me and don’t believe demons actually have a possibility of existing. “You didn’t believe in this demon shit and always denied it, why do you suddenly act like you got possessed by a damn demon or something?” In that moment it hits me, the realization and theory of being actually possessed by a demon hits my head and if we’re an object I would possibly get a concussion.

“I’m not! It’s just that… oh, forget it. It’s gone now so it doesn’t matter.” I state, taking a deep breath to wash away all of the emotions I’ve been feeling at once in a single moment. It’s shocking how much my body can take and has taken ever since it appeared in my life, or does it? Maybe my mind likes to think and make it seem like I’m doing good but in reality I’m loosing my mind completely? When is it going to end? How do I make it end? Questions rise in my head as I start to overthink and get my anxiety to an impossible level. “Eli, what the fuck has been happening with you? You seem completely psychotic like those possessed girls in horror movies.”

“I-I don’t know what I am at this point, please just go home and stay safe. I’ve scared you enough already I don’t want to give you a heart attack” I breathe out, gesturing for him to go away as I my ears perk up with the demonic soft whispers coming back, the dark figure standing right in front of me. I immediately cover my ears as the whispers get louder and louder, suddenly I feel a pair of cold hands wrap around my neck and pure force starting to pull me upwards into the air. I become short on breath as Matt freaks out and quickly runs over to my body in the air, now being face to face with the black figure. My arms immediately attempt to remove the arms off my neck for more air but it only tightens its grip, Matt pulls at my feet but it’s not much affective. The red gloomy eyes staring into my soul and twisting my insides with the dark energy possessing my body.

The world around me becomes silent and I can’t hear whats happening around me. “Ǩo ǃàdêr ȯf Ḑoom, ʔou Ƀhall kjømbāť ʔo ʃiln Ǫne ȯf ḏhe ʔeḥples ȯf Ꮑȯvær lǟv or ʔe ťæpt ǝn ḟi ʃhyād ǷārtǤ, ȯy ʗhǯice ElizǞbeth. ȶime Ƀ is spiraling ȯut…” the sentence constantly keeps being repeated until my ears start to bleed but I don’t feel blood coming out of my ears, some kind of cold black goop starts to escape through my ears as I finally get released. Falling back onto the ground with a loud thud and coughing hysterically, the pain and bruises spreading across my body as well as deep purple marks saturate my neck. I feel this sudden urge, something driving me up to my breaking point, willing to do anything to escape this hell.

Matthew quickly runs over to me, examining my body and the bruises left as horror and concern fill his features. “A-are you okay? Are you bleeding anywhere?- oh fuck!” He stammered, noticing the mysterious black goop coming out of my ears. His eyes were so focused on my body he didn’t notice it at first, seeking as if he couldn’t handle all of this happening at once and neither was I but he was scared out of his mind when I was left with no emotions in my face. My mind backtracks to the demonic words spoken to me and somehow I feel I know what to do, I don’t feel like myself anymore. It’s like I’m some kind of puppet in a show being controlled on how I’m supposed to act, I pick myself up and walk towards the kitchen while ignoring the concerned questions falling from Matt’s mouth.

I can’t believe I’m actually doing this but I can’t live like this anymore, he follows behind me and into the kitchen. My body starts to almost move on its own as if someone else had full control over it, reaching into the drawer where all of my knifes are kept and pick up the sharpest blade I own. Rising it into the air and turning to face Matthew, his anxiety immediately spikes to ungodly levels as he puts his now trembling hands. “What are you doing with that? Elizabeth, put it down!” Desperate demands leave his mouth in attempt to make me out down the possible weapon in my possession but I don’t listen, as much as I don’t want to do it, I might be my only way of escaping.

I charge at Matthew and stab him in the chest multiple times as hysteric cries leave my mouth while he screams bloody. His blood squirts all over my clothes and stain them, he falls to the ground and quickly I jump on top of him to weight him down and deliver a stab to immobile his arms, more blood covers our clothes, faces and the floor all together as I continue to cry out apologizes and explanations. “I’m sorry… I have to do this, I’m so sorry, Matt I’m sorry but I have to…” I cry out as blood and tears run my cheeks, to end the miserable pain he is experiencing I swing high into the air, gripping the handle of the bloody knife with both of my hands before apologizing for the last time and plunge the knife through his head which kills him in an instant.

My hands finally detach from the knife and immediately go up to my face, wiping off the blood and pouring tears from my face. Loud sobs fall from my mouth at what I have done, I just killed my best friend. Out of pure cold blood I killed my best friend, I-I’m a monster, a psychopath and everything fucked up. I am the demon… the demonic figure whispers another sentence in the weird language it has been using ever since trying to communicate to me but now it sounds more evil, like curses stuck to my name by the black shadow and following me around anywhere I go. “Ǫne lǻst stȅp ǵhǵn ɓe dǿne, ȵaM Ƀǿ̃e ȅt Ƀe ǵhǵe ȶǿ Ƿȯrld ȩfree, hāv ǵʍоḏ tɼȯ ḏon sǿlf ɴǿw. Ḕdǿn ḥesīṭȅte, ȅLīzǝbeth.”

The same feeling of knowledge runs down my spine, realizing what I’ll have to do next in order to be set free. My hands go back and take the knife out of Matthew’s dead body and line the sharp tip with where my heart lies, I close my eyes shut and with one swing I plunge the cold bloody knife into my heart. My body falling down next to Matthew’s already dead one, hearing the faint sirens of police in the distance as I slip into unconsciousness but by the time they make it to the kitchen, my body disappeared and only with the bloody knife left on the ground. It was evident two people have been killed in the process regarding the blood bath that was created but no matter how long or how hard they searched for my body, it was just gone. Almost as if a dark entity dragged it down with them to the deepest pits of hell…

Guestlist!

| - @sturnioloblues - @sturnsxplr-25 - @strnzzvsp - @sturniolosweetheart33 - @luvvs4chriss - @pussypie456 - @choclatestarfishwithahat - @venusxsturnio - @bagsbyclair0 - @sturnstvs - @dykes4chris - @hoe4matt - @cayleeuhithinknot - @strnilolover - @marrykisskilled - @phone4pills - @emely9274 - @cupiidk1lls - @lily-strnlo - @nicksgirlfriend - |

[whoishotteranimepolls]

My observations part 2 there's been some developments

There have been some new developments in fandom behaviors and trends that have changed since my last post about this and since a lot of people have liked it, I'll give the curious people an update before I forget

I have noticed something about the Trigun fandom. I thought you all were just ride or die loyal however, if it's wolfwood holy crap! You guys give the unhinged trio a run for their money. Do you know how many times I've seen unhinged comments about his Catholic titties. And why is the Catholic part so important that it must be emphasized every time? Otherwise you all are still ride or die no matter the character. But I have found a streak of unhinged crazy that I apparently missed the first time around.

I know someone mentioned they wanted to see the Fairy Tail fandom mentioned so I will mention you. So are you alive Fairy Tail Fandom are you okay? Your characters do get requested with some frequency and some of them are pretty iconic but you guys just don't do anything except if it's Gildarts v Shanks. Because how many rematches are we on now because people like that specific matchup just so they can post the meme about Gildarts being Shanks from Temu. Otherwise characters don't do all that well. But I will say one thing. You guys are giving one piece a run for its money when it comes to cursed matchups. However, I'm sure it's a good thing. Remember people are very annoyed with that fandom on my blog

Soul Eater. What has gotten into you guys? If it's Stein the fandom is worse than the unhinged trio. Any other character? I never know what you guys will do

Fullmetal Alchemist you guys have finally exposed you're crazy! Her name is Olivier Mira Armstrong and the unhinged things said on those polls. She is now one of those characters I now question should I mark this as mature content because apparently some of you want to be stepped on by her amongst other things. Remember people I read basically everything that is put in the tags. And for those who doubt her power, as of me writing this, she's tied with Senshi in their poll.

The unhinged trio is still just as bad as ever for those who are not aware, that's the nickname I gave to Jujutsu Kaisen, Dorohedoro and Black Butler because those three fandoms collectively are just nuts. However, the unhinged trio may get a lineup change soon. So I'm going to break down the three of them since I've noticed some specific things about you guys so let's get into that

Jujutsu Kaisen I will give you one thing. You guys are creative when it comes to slutty nicknames I think that's the best way to put it. They're hilarious! I'll give you that. However, I think some of them have scarred me for life. So if you want to know why some of these slutty nicknames are getting shared in the poll reblogs it's because of you guys. But the nicknames some of them are unhinged. However, never change. Jujutsu Kaisen fandom your entertaining. If not, terrifying sometimes. However, without a doubt, this fandom belongs in the unhinged trio. You are the gold standard of the unhinged trio. Your feral unhinged madness cannot be matched by any other fandom.

Dorohedoro I'm wondering if you truly belong in the unhinged trio because I think your craziness only applies to Noi and not to the other characters. So I'm curious to see how this plays out over the next few weeks because as far as I'm aware there's only Three maybe four characters in that show Noi a blonde chick a blonde dude and a lizard. So we're going to see over the next few weeks if you all truly belong in the unhinged trio because there are some other fandoms that definitely are gunning for your position

Black Butler I also wonder if your craziness is fandom wide because you guys don't seem to care if Sebastian is in a poll, but if it's Undertaker or Grell holy crap the levels of insanity. So again, I will be testing to see if you truly are worthy of your spot in the unhinged trio

And I think the Senshi polls meme/trend has kind of died down. I haven't found a request in the inbox for a while and he has officially lost to Noi from Dorohedoro by a large margin and may lose but it'll be close to Olivier Mira Armstrong from Fullmetal Alchemist apparently we found his weakness strong, powerful women.

I hope everyone has enjoyed my second entry into my poll analysis series You can find part one here

[itsscromp]

Rocket Raccoon X reader

Hey everyone, I present to you a fic of the greatest marvel character ever, Vol 3 is my top movie of this year. Rocket means so so much to me. so without further delay, let's get into it. Word count:1K

It was hard. To put it into context, you were kidnapped from Earth when you were only 5. Sold onto the black market and forced into slavery. You were abused, manipulated and toyed with for 16 years. 16 flarking years !!!!.

By this point you've had enough, you planned a huge escape and barely managed to. Crashing onto a head called Knowhere. But you didn't care, you were free. Free from it all. But right now you need to survive, taking in odd bounty-hunting jobs no matter how small or large the unit amount was. You needed food and shelter. Sometimes it led to unconventional methods, you robbed people of their units, but this time you took it a tad bit too far, and it led to an assault with a nova corps officer off duty. The next minute you were held down as they cuffed you and transferred you to the Kyln prison. After being sanitized and changed into your prison attire, you were tossed into your cell.

"Hey easy pal !!"

"Shut up"

The guard locked the door and left, this couldn't get any worse.

"What are ya in for ??" A voice spoke up, you turned to find not any human or alien. It was... a raccoon. A talking raccoon who could stand on his two legs.

"What in the..."

"I ain't askin' again humie"

"Assault and battery."

This talking raccoon snorted. "That ain't even worse than what I've done."

You got up and laid down on your bed, Freaking uncomfortable.

"Got a name kid ??"

"Why do you wanna know ??"

The raccoon rolled his eyes. "It's what you humie's call lightening the mood."

"Humie ??"

"Just some nickname I give, now do you got a name or otherwise I'm just gonna call ya humie"

"Fine fine... Y/n. You ??"

"Name's Rocket, Now here's how It's gonna work out. You don/t get on my bad side and we'll be good, got that"

Y/n rolled their eyes and rolled over to the wall of their bed. "Fine by me"

Over time you noticed that the other prisoners weren't too kind too to Rocket. It made you a bit sad for him.

"Hey, freak how's it going ??" One said to him.

"Better now that I'm with your wife" Rocket looked up and smirked.

"Watch It rodent, or you'll get it" He kicked him, making Rocket fall to the ground. His tray filled with food now on his shirt.

"Flark nut !!!"

This agitated the prisoner and he stomped towards him ready for a fight. But he then felt a sharp pain in the jaw, from being punched by you.

"Leave him alone !!!"

The prisoner's friend lifted you off your feet by the collar of your shirt.

"Your gonna get it now..."

But then the guard broke up the fight and got you and Rocket away from them.

"You... You helped me ??"

"Yeah, I... I have a thing against jerks like that..."

Rocket couldn't help but feel somewhat grateful for how you helped him. His whole life no one helped him, he was always on his own. But then here you are.

"Hey kid, how bout you say we get outta here ??"

"How this is the most secure prison"

Rocket scoffed. "I've escaped 30 prisons before, this one is gonna be no different. But I will need your help, If we work together we can both get out ok ??"

"Ok... what's the plan Rocket ??"

"We wait until dinner time and I'll tell you then"

So a few hours later, Dinner time and everyone was gathering for their meals, You and Rocket got your food and sat at a separate table away from everyone.

"Ok, you see that dude with the keycard ??"

Y/n turned around gently to avoid suspicion and found a guard with a prison key card.

"I need you to get that key card and bring it back and I'll cause us a distraction."

You nod and got up, walking over to the guard. Without raising suspicion, you pick-pocketed the key card without getting the guard's or the prisoner's attention. You placed the key card into your pocket quickly and went back to Rocket.

"Got it, what next ??"

Rocket then looked around and then began his distraction, scooping up some food onto his spoon and accurately flinged it at a prisoner and watched the entire thing unfold.

"Now, let's go while the guards are distracted."

The two then snuck away from the fight and then found their belongings.

"Surprisingly they aren't that good" Rocket chuckled and gathered his belongings.

"You telling me" Y/n quickly changed out of their prison attire and the two then went to find a getaway ship. But as they did, the alarm went off.

"Me and my big flarking mouth"

"Return to your cells immediately or we will use lethal force" The guard yelled at them.

'Run !!!" Y/n shouted as the two ran to find a ship, avoiding the flying bullets. Rocket was running slightly faster as he was running on all four's.

"Over there !!" Rocket found a ship and then began to hack into the door. but as y/n caught up to his, they felt a graze on their leg. One of the bullets grazed their thigh and began to bleed, You started to limp quickly as Rocket got the door open.

"Come on, come on, get on humie !!"

The two then managed to get onto the ship and started it up, jumping far away from the prison, into a part of the galaxy away from them.

You started to smile as you cheered on.

"We did it !!!"

"Hehe, hell yeah we did kid !!"

Y/n kept cheering but felt the sting of the graze. "Ow ow"

"Hang on I'll be right back"

Rocket then went around the ship and found a med pad and strapped it onto your thigh, activating it. You felt a slight pain as he then took it off, your wound gone.

"The galaxy keeps just surprising me"

"Guess so, look y/n.. your a good kid... and I uhhh.." He scratched behind his neck "I was wondering.. if you uhh... want to stick together ??"

You looked at him for a little bit before smiling and nodding. and with that, an epic friendship was created.

Taglist @callofdudes @rogertaylorswift @mybelovedraccoon

[contentloadingandstuff]

Hi! I asked if you could do a smut prompt with a character you don't like writing for (I didn't realize until after) and I apologize. You can change the character, I believe it was Beidou.

NSFW Headcanons - Kuki Shinobu

A/N: Hello, anon! No worries. I've noticed a serious lack of best girl on the blog, so here she is. I hope you like it!

CW: Anal, toys, toy jobs, prostate play, edging. Male!Reader, Top!Shinobu. Quite vanilla, actually.

NSFW under the cut.

Accepting her as your girlfriend means giving her your body and your mind, and vice versa. She wants to use both to their full extent. 

Aside from casual, comfort sex (some vanilla missionary or gentle oral), Shinobu likes to experiment. In fact, the few following months after crossing the threshold of sexual intimacy will be spent on learning about each other's bodies, as well as exploring kinks. 

This girl knows the value of delayed gratification, so setting aside her own thirst for your sake is completely fine by her. She takes her time getting a grip on what you like and don't like. She will spend practically hours weekly pleasing and teasing every part of you, head to Toe. She paid attention to biology lessons, so expect her to know all the spots that make you whine and beg for more. 

Every time she blows you, her tongue is working diligently on your frenulum, while her hand gently cups your nuts. Despite being a virgin when she first gave herself to you, Shinobu has things well thought-out and planned. Knowing that just a little pressure is the difference between her ball grab being pleasant and being painful, she pays a lot of attention to it. Your prostate will also be her target, whether it be full-blown milking or just a toy in your ass to mix it with standard sex. 

Your nipples will also be tended to - with her tongue, some wooden pegs or just her fingers. She hopes to make you cum hands-free only by stimulating them one day. 

Shinobu has amassed a large collection of toys to use on herself and you alike. She owns a wide variety of dildos, strap ons and grinders, that are used mainly on you or by you when training her. Buttplugs, cock rings, nipple clamps, a ball crusher, humbler, cock sleeves, cuffs and collars… it would be quite hard to find a toy she doesn’t have yet. Oh, and she has vibes. Lots of vibes. 

She wants you to get the most you can out of your body, so expect her to be quite persistent in making you care for yourself - only partially because it makes you hotter and better in bed. Shinobu will gladly help you train endurance, edging you with utmost skill for hours on end. It’s challenging, but she’s there to support and motivate you all the way.

Speaking of, Shinobu grew to like toy jobs quite a lot. Using a rubber pussy on you means less distractions from having her insides rearranged, allowing her to focus more on milking you as best she can. It’s easier to control your orgasms as well, but what takes the cake are both the sounds the lubed toy makes and the expressions and noises you make. She gets to fully appreciate the groans and soft pleading for orgasm without any distraction. 

Jerking you off also has another meaning for her - it allows Shinobu to fully satisfy you. See, exploring your body and training it is all cool, but the problem is her body. No matter how much she tries, it just won’t cooperate. 

You have a large cock, no doubt about that. As most girls would be, Shinobu is very happy about that, but it also creates a serious problem. You’re just too big for her. She is a smaller woman, and her insides reflect that. Shinobu isn’t sure if she’s just shallow, or if she’s too tight, but penetrating her deeper or going at a faster pace can turn overwhelming pleasure into pain and discomfort. But undoubtedly your size alone can make her cream around you. Suffering from success. 

That wouldn’t be a problem if she could actually cum multiple times like other women. Her slit gets far too over sensitive to continue fucking after just one or two orgasms. It’s absolutely fine by her, but the thought of not making you cum scares her. Shinobu is just worried about underperforming, or not being able to keep up with you. 

Even though she prefers bottoming, Shinobu will top you most of the time. Being able to control the pace and depth of your fucking is really helpful for her, and lets your girlfriend enjoy sex to the fullest. 

To combat that, she will ask you to help train her. Lots of soft, intimate cockwarming will happen to let her womanhood adjust to your mouth-watering size. Even that can make her cum. Her body just hates anal, but she won’t have that. You’ll find yourself slowly stretching her asshole with various dildos and toys over the course of an hour or so, just to make her cum from actual anal in 5 minutes. Worth it for her, no doubt. 

Training her endurance will also be a big thing. You’ll grab a pair of cuffs, a spreader bar and a bullet vibe and tease her clitoris until she cries and begs for an orgasm. Too bad for her - she’s agreed to this training, and teasing her well-developed outer lips is just too fun. Her moans are on a scale of full sighs to high pitches - music for your ears.

Despite being given a wonderful personality and a beautiful face, fate had not gifted her a great body. Her boobs are relatively small, her ass is mediocre (booty shorts and lots of squats make up for that), but she does have a nice pair of meaty thighs - perfect for both resting your head on and fucking. Her slit is too tight for a comfortable fit with you, however her lower lips are well developed and her clitoris is easily accessible. She works on those without pause, just for you. 

Pleasing you is probably her biggest kink of all. She’s that perfect type of lover who gains pleasure from others' pleasure. She could eagerly suck you off for hours, only wanting to hear your voice and taste your seed in return. A fair price by all means. 

Her favorite position is cowgirl, both the standard version and the reversed way. Easy to make it comfortable, one allows for a full viewing of your muscular chest and handsome face, and the other for showing off her perfect, hard earned ass. 

“Hold it… hold it… oh. Shoot. Well, don’t worry about it - you lasted an entire minute longer! I’m so proud of you! Wait. W-what do you mean it’s my turn?”

Thanks for reading!

[give-soup-please]

folks, it's been a while since i've done an unhinged TSP analysis

WELL HAVE I GOT SOMETHING TO SHOW YOU!

I reset my progress because I wanted to hear some dialogue that doesn't repeat. which means playing through the dreaded skip button part again

I noticed something interesting

this is a clip from the dialogue where he asks what purpose his desire to change for others. and as i was listening with headphones in (which is the only way i listen to TSP, for those lovely dulcet tones to be as close as possible to my ears) I noticed that at one point, he actually gets closer to the mic. now, this is semi common between takes as far as i can tell, (and is usually equalized afterwards, i think) but it's the fact that he seems to do this in the middle of the line that's driving me crazy. I'll put the quote in and note in italics when it sounds like he's closer to the mic.

"Surely you’ll not be moved by my howls of fitful anxiety that you sit with me and just stay here-" after which, he seems to retreat back to his normal spot???????

is he actually trying to get closer to us physically for a moment? the implications are driving me nuts! like- is he so desperate for some form of contact that he-

OOOOOGHHHHHH

it's entirely possible this was an accident, but it's unlikely there would have been a cut in the middle of the line, and the VA knows what he's doing.

he- is trying to get closer to us- to make up the distance that we've created! he's that desperate for attention, for someone to listen to him that he's attempting the impossible! and the retreat afterwards!

does he realize he's crossed a line? is he embarrassed? is he settling back to his normal spot in frustration? so many potential interpretations here!

oh man, i love this game.

[shadowynn]

| death's sweet kiss | two |

♥♡♠♤♣♧♦♢

pairing: hisoka x fem! reader, chrollo x fem! reader (though, it will mainly be hisoka x reader for the first bit)

genre: soulmate/poly au

warnings: some cursing and violence

summary:

hisoka had never been interested in love and you were just another object to be used for his own personal gain. he never planned to get attached, but it's not long before he finds himself in deeper than he ever planned to be.

No one had ever treated him the way you did, and he often fought the urge to keep you locked up and far away from the rest of the world, where he could keep you all to himself.

despite his outward demeanor, chollo has always longed to be loved, and yet, no matter how long he searches, you always remained just out of reach. and then, just when he's given up, you come tumbling into his life in a whirlwind he had never expected.

It’s no wonder Hisoka is so enraptured by you. You’re so terribly pure, it feels as though it’s a sin to think I could ever have you.

wordcount: 8.2k

a/n: i can't make any promises, but updates for this fic should come out fairly quickly in the beginning. i've got quite a bit of this fic written already, though i do have to go back and make some changes and switch to second person, so i'm not entirely sure. but hopefully, you all won't have to wait too long for updates here. thank you all so much for your support thus far, i appreciate it! and with that said, we're now onto the second phase of the hunter exam!

| one | two | three |

♥♡♠♤♣♧♦♢

"What do you think happened to Gon?" Killua mumbled the question through the mouthful of nuts he was munching on before grabbing another handful from the bag you were holding. "Do you think he'll make it?"

"I'm sure he'll be here soon enough."

You and Killua had finished alongside Satoz nearly twenty minutes ago, but neither of you had seen any sign of Gon or his other two friends in the steady stream of examinees making their way out of the swamp. It made you feel slightly guilty for abandoning the boy so quickly earlier, but there was nothing you could do about it now. Not without sacrificing passing the exam yourself.

But Gon's absence wasn't the only one you were aware of in that moment, and it was Hisoka that stressed you out more. You had scanned the crowd of examinees several times over the past few minutes, but he was nowhere to be seen. The thought of him not passing had left you feeling relieved at first; his absence would allow you to put your full focus on the exam, but now it simply made you antsy. If he failed now, you had no guarantee of ever seeing him again and you might have very well lost your only opportunity of ever meeting him.

Any anxiety that had built up, however, quickly disappeared when you finally spotted him coming up the path. It didn't take long for your relief to be replaced with confusion, though, when you noticed Leorio's unconscious body hanging across his shoulder. He deposited the body against one of the trees along the edge of the clearing before settling against a neighboring one to wait.

Gon and Kurapika appeared just a few minutes later, scanning the crowd for whom you could only assume was the man Hisoka had been carrying. Curious to hear what might have happened between the four of you in your absence, you waved the two boys over to where you and Killua were waiting.

"If you're looking for Leorio, he's over near the trees." You pointed over in the direction you had just mentioned. "What happened to you guys though? He was unconscious when he arrived, but I think he's starting to wake up."

"We ran into Hisoka," Kurapika began, "and Leorio couldn't see it was a fight he wouldn't be able to win."

Upon hearing they had chanced a fight with Hisoka, you did a quick assessment over the two. They might have had the capability to become a Hunter, but it was obvious neither of them would stand a chance against someone like Hisoka who was sure to have more combat experience than the two of them combined. You weren't sure exactly how powerful the man was, but you were fairly sure he was even above your own level; his nen far stronger than your own.

Kurapika must have played it safe as he remained uninjured, but you could see the faintest of bruises beginning to form around Gon's neck even before you used your nen.

In all your time wondering about your soulmates, you had never stopped to consider the possibility of you being the one who would have no desire in pursuing a relationship. Seeing the way your parents had been had secured the idea in your head that you would be a perfect fit, while the result of your uncle's rejections had left you worried about being rejected yourself. And while you had contemplated what to do with Chrollo often, you had never stopped to think about treating Hisoka with the same caution and distrust until you saw the bruises along Gon's neck forming the outline of a handprint.

"Hey, Gon, do you mind if I take a quick look at your neck?" you asked, bending down to your knees to get a better look at the bruises before Gon could even accept your request. "Why'd he attack you guys, anyway?"

"Leorio and I saw him kill several of the other applicants who had surrounded him in the swamp, and while I told Leorio our best course of action would be to just run, he wouldn't do it. He might have even gotten himself killed if Gon hadn't come when he did."

"Do you two know each other from somewhere?" Gon asked as you inspected his throat. You were careful in your touch, gently tilting his neck to each side to assess the overall damage while you worked your aura into his body and began speeding up the recovery process. It wasn't nearly as bad as you had first assumed, but your anger towards the incident did leave you fully healing it. "He seemed pretty interested in you and asked about your name."

"No, I've never met him before." Your body tensed up, not at all liking what Gon's questions implied. If Hisoka had asked about you, then he knew. He most definitely knew. "Looks like it was just some mild abrasions, so you shouldn't have a thing to worry about."

"Wow, how'd you do that? It feels better already!" Gon replied, oblivious to the state his words had put you in. He twisted his neck back and forth, amazed by the new ease of the movement. "Do you think you could take a look at Leorio too?"

You paused, the conversation might have begun to turn away from the topic of yourself, but the new one wasn't any better. One glance in the direction Leorio was sitting you noticed how close he was to Hisoka, the latter of whom was currently assessing your small group with a smug smile across his face.

Oh, he most definitely knew.

You stifled the curse that threatened to roll out. You knew you wouldn't have been able to remain invisible for the entirety of the exam, but you had been hoping for a little more time than just the first phase. Now the only advantage you had over him was that your mark was safely tucked away beneath your clothing. He wouldn't be able to prove anything until he saw it and you didn't plan on showing it to him until after you had finished the exam and settled your own thoughts on the matter.

"Sure." You did your best to return Gon's smile, but you knew it didn't quite meet your eyes. And while Gon seemed oblivious to your current state, you saw that both Kurapika and Killua were assessing you more closely. Your reaction to Hisoka had not passed either of them by.

You wanted to stay as far away from Hisoka as possible, but knew it wouldn't matter. Not anymore. Not when you were confident he knew who you were at this point, so there was no reason for you to try and stay hidden anymore. And really, you should have known from the beginning what a useless plan it was. From what you could tell, there was only one other notable nen user beside the two of you, so he had probably picked you out the moment you had arrived at the exam.

“Don;t worry, Leorio, Miss y/n says she can help you.”

Well, if for some reason Gon hadn’t confirmed your name already, he had now. There was no way Hisoka hadn’t heard Gon’s words from just a few meters away and you inwardly cursed him and your bad luck for coming to the one exam he happened to be at too.

“You a doctor?”

You shook your head, trying your best to focus on the task at hand and not the eyes boring into your back. “My parents were though, so I’ve picked up on some things over the years.” Crouching down in front of him, you carefully prodded at the side of his face that was injured, using gyo once more to assess the damage. “It looks much worse than it is,” you murmured, tilting his head to the side as you patched up a few of the internal injuries. Hisoka must have gone easy on him because there were no broken bones or a concussion to worry about. Just a clean hit that would lead to a sore face over the next few days. “So, just try not to get hit in the head again, okay?”

“Well, it’s not like I did it on purpose, you know? At least, I don’t think I did.” Leorio’s face was heating up, whether by how close you were or his embarrassment from being beaten. “I don’t even know how I got beat up so badly in the first place. My memory is so hazy.” 

“It would probably be a good idea to not tell him what happened,” Kurapika whispered as you climbed back to your feet, and all three of you nodded in agreement. The farther you all stayed away from Hisoka, the better.

“Excellent work, everyone.” Your conversation drew to a close as the first phase of the exam came to an official close. “The second phase will take place here in Visca Forest Park, so I will now take my leave. I wish you all the very best of luck.” And with his job now done, he made his way back into the swamp they had all just come from.

The gates to the park opened at his leave and you heard the next examiner calling you inside. With a new phase underway, you helped pull Leorio to his feet and followed the rest of the applicants into the gated grounds. It was a significantly smaller group than what you had started with, only around fifty or so applicants now left of the four hundred you had started with.

“Welcome all! I’m Menchi, your examiner for the second phase.” The girl who addressed your group was not quite what you had been expecting. Young, charismatic, and with a soulmark boldly on display beneath the mesh of her shirt, she was the exact opposite of the man who had led you through the first phase. 

“And I’m Buhara.” The man behind her was also not what you had been expecting, with a build at least five times your own size.

“Sounds to me like you’re getting hungry,” Menchi continued after Buhara’s stomach growled loud enough to shake the ground near them.

“Not just hungry. I’m famished.”

“Well, there you have it. The second phase of the exam will be,” Menchi paused, drawing out the anticipation, “cooking!”

Cooking?

While just as surprised as the rest of the applicants, you could feel the relief flooding through you. If there was one thing you did pride yourself on, it was your skill at cooking. Your mother had taught you the basics when you were young, but you had really flourished when you had been taken in by your uncle. He had an innate ability to ruin just about anything he touched when it came to cooking, and you had quickly learned it was in both of your best interests for you to take over the cooking from then on. 

You understood the complaints held by the other examinees, however. What did cooking really have to do with being a Hunter? Not even your uncle, a Triple-Star Hunter, himself, would have been able to pass a phase like this, but it left you feeling more confident than you had for the first phase. If all you had to do was prepare a meal that would satisfy each of them, then well, you were pretty sure you had already guaranteed passing this phase as well.

But despite your excitement, the majority of the other applicants turned from disbelief to amusement upon learning the two examiners were Gourmet Hunters, and it was pissing Menchi off. You could see where they were coming from, as much as you loved cooking, you had never wanted to center your whole life pursuing it, but you also knew these two were more than met the eye. Not only did they have enough skill to pass the exam at a relatively young age, but there were plenty of natural ingredients that took some level of determination and skill to obtain. 

“Today’s required ingredient will be pork. Feel free to use meat from any species of pig in Visca Forest. Once you have acquired your meat, you will use these cooking facilities to prep your pork dishes. To pass the exam, you must create a dish to satisfy our discriminating palates.”

So that must have been what the real challenge of the second phase was, obtaining the pork. And though it did set you a bit on edge, wondering just how hard it would be to obtain, you still felt relatively at ease, confident in your ability to do whatever task they had set before you. 

“But we won’t be evaluating on taste alone, so you better take this seriously. Is that clear?”

Menchi’s mood had soured tremendously since the beginning, and you were beginning to wonder if the other examinees’ lack of seriousness from the beginning had just put you all at a serious disadvantage. “When we’ve both eaten our fill, this portion of the exam will be over.”

“Let the exam’s second phase begin!” 

With the second phase officially underway, you followed the rest of the examinees into the forest to search for the main ingredient. It wasn’t until you had started parting ways with the rest of the examinees, that you noticed the four boys from the first phase had stuck close to you. Without quite realizing it, you had become a part of their group and had formed a temporary alliance. And though you had no desire forming an alliance with anyone when you had started the exam, you enjoyed the company this unexpected friendship had brought, especially Gon and Killua who were beginning to feel like the younger brothers you had never had. And in the end, you knew having allies could be beneficial. Especially allies you knew you could trust.

“Man, this is way easier than the first phase,” Leorio stated in between his half-hearted effort calling for the pigs. The swelling in his face had gone down a bit, and he seemed to be in a much better mood than he was before. 

“I just hope it’s as simple as it seems,” Kurapika replied, mirroring your own thoughts. You had been confident when you had first set off, but after nearly ten minutes of searching, you were beginning to wonder if the phase wasn’t nearly as easy as it was made out to be. And with the mood Menchi had gone into, you didn’t put it past her to make the phase impossible for any of you to pass. 

“Hey, guys, look!”

It was Gon who spotted them first, taking off down a hill before any of you could process what had happened. You quickly followed after him, thankful the pigs actually existed, but your relief was short lasting when you finally saw the pigs for yourself. 

These were no normal pigs. Standing at least four times the height of any pig you had seen back home and with a snout that looked as though it could pack its fair share of a punch. You could feel your confidence dwindling at that moment, having spent years practicing combat against humans and other nen users, but not anything such as the creature before you. 

“Are they chewing on bones?”

The pigs hadn’t noticed your group at first, but upon Leorio’s question, your presence had become known. A split second later, the pig who had caught sight of you first let out a ear splitting squeal causing the entire herd to start charging towards you. 

The five of you reacted instantaneously, running away from the herd as quickly as you could. You had thought you wouldn’t be able to run a single step more after the first phase, but you soon realized you could still go quite a bit further when a herd of giant, angry pigs were chasing after you. How you were going to kill one without killing yourself, you weren’t sure just yet, especially once you saw just how far one of those snouts could throw a person. 

If you could just get a few moments of peace, you were sure you could think of something. All you had to do was get close enough to create a connection that would allow you to snap the pig’s neck. While you weren’t familiar with this specific breed of pig, you couldn’t imagine them being much different from the pigs you were used to. In order to help hone your ability, your uncle had often sent you to help the local farmers out in slaughtering their livestock. An act you had seen the purpose of - you couldn’t practice it on other humans, after all - but never enjoyed. Even after all the years of training, the ability to end a life so swiftly and easily still frightened you. 

Taking a brief moment to assess your surroundings, you noticed the overhang of a branch just up ahead. Darting off towards it, you pulled yourself to safety above the rampaging herd. One of the pigs saw you, however, and ran full force into the trunk before you even had a second to catch your breath. You swore, barely managing to grab a nearby branch to keep yourself from being thrown off. 

Upon seeing how the action left the pig dazed, you knew this might be your one chance to act. Jumping down on top of its back, you slammed both of your hands down on top of it. The pig reared beneath you, but you managed to hold the contact just long enough for you to work your aura through its body, feeling the spot you were looking for and… snap. 

The pig was cut off mid-squeal, frozen for just a second before the weight of his body left him slamming into the ground. You jumped off before you got yourself smashed, taking a few seconds to let yourself breathe now that the rest of the herd had moved on. 

Gon, Killua, and the others caught up with you on your way back to the villa, each one dragging a dead pig of their own behind them. You set up shop at stations beside each other in the middle, but while they each set their pig up to roast, you were the only one to start looking at the rest of the ingredients you had each been given. 

“What are you doing?”

“Cooking?”

You looked up from the garlic you had been mincing to see Leorio peering over at your station. You had felt his curious gaze among others for a while now, but had just assumed they were trying to get a few hints and tricks from watching you. All of them, that is, except for one. You had felt Hisoka’s eyes boring into you ever since you had gotten back, unabashedly taking you in from a few stations behind you. 

“I’m making sweet and sour pork,” you continued, doing your best to ignore it and thankful you were familiar enough with the recipe and act of cooking to not allow his gaze to distract you too much from the task at hand. “What are you making?” You turned your gaze to his station, too absorbed in your own task to really take a look around you and see what everyone else was up to.

Leorio laughed. “Why go through all that effort when you can pass with just the pig?”

“I like cooking.” You shrugged, unperturbed about putting in a little extra effort when it wasn’t much harder in your mind. And it gave you a distraction from the man who seemed keen in taking in each of your movements from behind. “Well, that, and the fact I’m hungry and it sounds good.” This was also true. Besides the handful of nuts you had shared with Killua after the first phase, you hadn’t had anything else to eat and you were starting to get hungry. Menchi and Buhara never mentioned anything about not being able to sneak a few bites here and there, and you weren’t about to let good food go to waste. 

You were grateful you had stuck with it too when the first wave of examiners started turning in their own pigs only to receive negative reviews from Menchi. Either she was just super particular about her food, or she was taking out her anger on them from before. Whatever her reason was, however, you were starting to sweat alongside the rest of them. You may have had some experience in cooking, but you had never had to butcher your own meat before. You had a general idea of which cuts were the best to use, but were still nervous when it came to how your dish would turn out. Just because you liked it, didn’t mean Menchi would. 

After each of your four friends had their own dishes turned away, they started coming to you for help. You could feel the gaze of the other examiners beginning to become more frequent as well, trying to mimic your work for their own. You helped them out as much as you could while balancing your own dishes, giving them ideas and showing them how to execute certain processes. But in the end, there was no point. Just as you were putting yours together and gathering the confidence to have it judged, Menchi stood up and addressed you all. 

“I’m pretty stuffed, so none of you pass on to the next phase. Exam’s over!”

The fork in your hand dropped at Menchi’s statement, wondering if you had just heard her correctly. Was the exam really over? Had you all really just failed?

The field grew silent at first, just a few murmurings among the applicants checking to see if they had all just heard her right and if she really had failed them all. But once the shock had passed, the uproar was swift to hit. The worst of it coming from an examinee numbered 255, who smashed his entire workstation with his fist in retaliation. 

“Say what you want, but you all still failed.” Menchi didn’t relent. Despite how much he and the others were beginning to protest, she stuck to her decision without any hint of wavering. Not even when he went to attack her, causing Buhara to send him soaring through the air. 

But despite the uproar he and the others were making in that moment, you quickly realized they were not the real threat. While everyone had focused on Menchi and the other examiner, it was Hisoka who caught your attention. 

Whatever interest he had held for you earlier was gone, his full attention focused on the blue haired examiner before him. You could feel the anger radiating off of him, unable to completely conceal his bloodlust behind his suave exterior. He held another playing card in his hand and you were swiftly reminded of the reason he had been disqualified the prior year. But before he could throw it or you could do something to stop him, a voice from an intercom up above interrupted them all. 

“Well, that said, it seems a bit excessive to fail every single applicant.”

A giant airship could be seen coming up from behind the villa. With the Hunter Association logo printed clearly on one side, it was clear who the blimp belonged to, but not as to why they had now made an appearance in the exam.

You didn’t have to wait long. Once the airship reached the area directly above you, someone jumped out of the side and landed with a blow that left the whole ground rumbling. Dust went spiraling from the force, but it was impossible for you to hold back a gasp when it finally settled and you saw who was now standing there.

“Chairman Netero?” you questioned, more to yourself than to anyone in particular. What was he doing here?

“You know him?” Kurapika asked.

You nodded. “He’s the head of the exam committee and has been friends with my uncle for longer than I’ve been alive. They used to be a part of the same Hunter group back before my uncle retired, and I think they even took the exam together. He used to come visit us occasionally when I was younger.”

But that didn’t explain why he was here now. You had expected to see him towards the end of the exam, but not now. And the only explanation that seemed plausible was that his appearance had something to do with the fact they had all just been failed by Menchi.

“Oh, I just tend to work behind the scenes,” Netero began once Menchi had introduced him to the rest of the crowd. “I just intervene when little issues like this one pop up. Did you really choose to fail all this year’s applicants based on their general reluctance to challenge the unknown?”

“I’m sorry, sir. I just snapped when one of the applicants insulted the Gourmet Hunters and I made the exam harder than necessary on the rest of them. I feel like I must resign as examiner, so if you will, please let them retake the second phase.”

Your heart soared at Menchi’s request. Were they really going to let you retake the second phase? Did you still have a chance at passing the Hunter Exam?

And with Netero swiftly approving Menchi’s request, as long as she participated in it with them this time around, you could feel the panic from earlier beginning to fade away. It wasn’t over, not yet. You still had a chance to pass, just so long as Menchi’s decision to go boil some eggs wasn’t as impossible as the first dish had been.

♥♡♠♤♣♧♦♢

“Wow, that was a lot of fun!” 

“And delicious!” you added to Gon’s statement with a smile of your own before popping the last bit of your egg into your mouth as you made your way back to the airship that had previously brought you here.

Much to your relief, the second attempt had been far simpler than the first. Menchi had taken you all to a place called Split Mountain where you had been tasked with obtaining one of the eggs rooted between the two cliffs that made up the mountain. And though you had slight reservations in the beginning - heights really had never been your thing - Gon had been right. Once you were back on solid ground, the act had been quite fun and the eggs delicious. 

With the second phase now completed, Netero gave you and the remaining forty-two applicants a brief introduction before giving you free reign of the ship for the next twelve hours. Gon and Killua ran off nearly immediately to go explore, but you remained behind with Kurapika and Leorio, feeling their sentiments of wanting to relax and eat while you had the chance. 

“I just realized they never told us how many phases there are,” Kurapika said as you made your way towards the bedrooms. 

“Say, you’re right. They haven’t said anything.” Leorio turned to you. “You know the chairman, y/n. How many phases do we have left?”

You shrugged. “I may know him, but I’m just as in the dark as you are. I only know what snippets I’ve picked up since the exam started. It seems most people have said there’s usually five or six.”

“She’s right. That’s about how many there’s been as long as I’ve been doing this.”

Your body tensed at the voice that spoke up behind you, integrating himself into the conversation you had been having. It was the same man who had tried to poison you earlier that morning and get you out of the exam before it had even started. Tonpa, the rookie crusher.

“If that’s the case, we should probably go rest now. Who knows when our next chance will be,” Kurapika replied, turning back around to follow through with his original plan, but Tonpa stopped your group once more.

“Okay, but I’d be careful if I were you. They only told us when we would be arriving tomorrow, not when the third phase would take place. The last thing you would want would be to wake up and find the third phase had come and gone without you.”

“I suppose that makes sense.” Kurapika milled over his words. While you knew it was just another scheme he had whipped up to see you fail - Tonpa’s body screamed of his real, manipulative intent while there had been nothing but honesty from Netero and his secretary - he and Leorio seemed to be inclined into believing him.

“I wouldn’t worry about it to much. The third phase won’t start until tomorrow morning,” you butted in, fighting a yawn. “He’s just trying to keep you from getting any sleep tonight so you’ll fail the next phase.”

“Yeah, and what makes you so sure? I thought you said you didn’t know anything.”

“I don’t. I just know when someone’s lying, and right now, the only honest thing that’s come out of his mouth is to confirm the number of phases.” 

Leorio opened his mouth to dispute you once again, but Kurapika cut him off. “She did know who was telling the truth in the swamp, remember? I think she really can detect when someone’s lying,” he began, head tilting as he took your figure in. “And why would she lie to us now? She did her best to help us pass the last phase, and I don’t doubt she would have passed the first attempt if she didn’t waste so much of her own time on helping us. Why would she sacrifice herself to try and help us pass only to trick us later on?”

Leorio’s face reddened at Kurapika’s words, but he wasn’t the only one. You couldn’t fight your own blush from blooming at the younger man’s praise. You hadn’t thought about how your actions may have prevented you from passing the second phase, nor had it dawned on you until now that those few precious minutes might have allowed you to submit your dish on time. 

“You’re right. Good thing you’re with us, y/n.”

“There’s no guarantee my dish would have passed, you know?” you replied once you had all bid Tonpa farewell, doing your best to ignore Tonpa’s frustrations towards you for openly calling his scheme out. You’d have to make sure to keep an extra close watch on him in the future, unsure whether or not he would attempt to retaliate. “I think Menchi was determined to make sure all of us failed, regardless of how any of them had tasted.”

“Are you kidding me? That was delicious! There’s no way she could have turned her nose up at that,” Leorio exclaimed, having eaten the majority of your meal once you realized it had all been for nothing. “Where’d you learn to cook like that?”

“My mom taught me the basics when I was younger, but it really just took lots of practice and experimentation.” You laughed, fighting another blush at his praise. “Maybe once the exam is over, you can come visit me in my village and I can cook for you all. Sort of a celebration dinner for passing the exam.” 

You were surprised by how much you meant the invitation. You hadn’t come in with any intention of making friends, but after everything you had gone through and would go through, it felt strange just parting ways afterwards. And while Leorio was still a little iffy in your mind, you thoroughly enjoyed Kurapika’s company, as well as Gon’s and Killua’s.

When the two decided they would be heading straight to bed, you bid the two goodnight and made your way down the hall to shower. You were just as exhausted as they were, and terribly hungry, but you also couldn’t wait to wash off, hating the sticky feeling of the sweat and grime that covered you from the day’s events. And if you showered first, it would give the dining hall some time to clear out before you made your way down there, giving you a bit of privacy and a chance to relax. After a day surrounded by people, you wanted as much peaceful time to yourself as you could get. Especially when you had no idea when your next chance would be.

You sighed when you stepped into the shower, just standing and soaking up the warmth of the water for the first few minutes. Not only did it feel nearly heavenly to finally strip your skin clean, but it also helped to soothe your tired muscles before you had the chance to use your aura and do it yourself. 

Once you were clean, you quickly washed the clothes you had been wearing as best you could with what you had on hand. You had another set of clothes in your bag, but they were for more casual wear than actual training, so as long as you set the clothes out to dry overnight, they would be ready for you in the morning. They wouldn’t be the cleanest, but it would still be better than what they were after today, and the last thing you wanted to do was put them back on after finally getting clean.

When you were done, you tugged the oversized sweater and shorts on. Unlike your other shirt with its turtleneck, the sweater left the edges of the soulmark along your neck and upper torso showing. You didn’t normally hide either mark completely when you went out and about in your village, but you did tend to cover the majority of them. While most of the villagers were unable to see either mark, the fear of someone recognizing the spider kept it hidden under a layer of clothes at all times. You didn’t usually mind the outer traces of the web showing like it was now, as no one would be able to tell what it actually was, but today was different. With Hisoka on this ship alongside you, you were afraid of what might happen if he saw it.

It wasn’t just that you were anxious about how he might react to you having two soulmates, but how he might react knowing exactly what it meant. You’d be lying if you said the mark didn’t embarrass you at times, leaving you to often wonder how the universe thought one of them was a perfect match for you. Sometimes you would even wonder if it had been some mistake, some error in the universe, but upon meeting Hisoka, you began to fear this wasn’t the case at all. 

You were by far perfect yourself, well aware of the blood that covered your own hands. No matter how much you strove to be the person your parents would be proud of, nothing you did would be able to make up for your past sins. Perhaps no mistake had been made after all, and your relation to them was simply a dark reflection on yourself, showing who you truly were inside.

You didn’t know what you were going to do, only able to use the exam as an excuse to put it aside  for so much longer. Sooner or later you would have to come to a conclusion, if Hisoka didn’t end up making one for you. And if that was the case, you needed to prepare yourself for whatever that might be and the rejection that could surely follow. 

Sighing, you ran a hand through your hair, fidgeting with the strands until they hid the rest of your mark from view. You didn’t want to go out, not with the way your mood had suddenly soured and not with the threat of running into Hisoka, but you needed to eat. After the way the exam had started, and with no guarantee of food in the future, you needed to make sure you ate and refueled your body while you could. 

So, before you could talk yourself out of it, you slipped your fingerless gloves back on and made your way back out into the hall. Dropping the majority of your belongings in the room Leorio and Kurapika had crashed into, you headed over to the dining hall to eat.

There were only a few other examinees still hanging around in the dining hall when you arrived, making it easy for you to spot the one person you had been hoping wouldn’t be there. He was settled in the corner of the hall, empty plates discarded across the table and replaced with a half-built tower of cards. The way his eyes snapped in your direction the moment you entered the hall, all but telling you he had been waiting for you.

You fought the urge to leave and head back to the bedroom, knowing your quick escape would only make things worse for you in the long run. Instead, you shifted the edge of your sweater to ensure the mark was covered and made your way to the buffet table as quickly as you could without giving your nerves away and without another glance in his direction. Your appetite had almost disappeared from the nerves his presence brought, but you couldn’t leave now. You needed to eat and as long as you grabbed something, you could then disappear into some random corner of the ship and eat your meal in peace. There were plenty of benches along the windows in the hallways you could go to, all of which were better spots than anywhere in this room.

Once you had a semi-full plate, you left the room without a second glance in anyone’s direction and wandered around the ship until you landed at a spot far enough away to make you comfortable. Pulling yourself up onto the ledge next to the window, you leaned against the pole behind you and turned your gaze to the world passing by beneath you.

“y/n, wasn’t it?”

You had just begun to relax when you heard the voice behind you a few minutes later. Turning your gaze upwards, you took in the hazy reflection of him in the window and hoped he didn’t notice how his sudden appearance affected you.

He had certainly wasted no time. 

“Can I help you?” You tried to keep your voice as even as possible, hoping your attempt at disinterest would make him give up and leave like all the others before. 

“That depends.” 

Taking your reply as permission, he jumped onto the ledge opposite you, pulling one leg up to his chest while the other was left dangling off the edge. He extended his hand in greeting, which you were quick to note was his left. You debated whether or not to take, fearing he would pull something to get a look at your own mark all the while searching for any sign of his own beneath his bracelets.

“My, there’s no need to be so defensive, sweetheart.” Though he seemed unfazed by your choice of remaining still. “I had you pinned as a manipulator, you know, but who knows, maybe you really are a conjurer. You’re definitely guarded enough to be. It’s simply killing all these little men’s egos. They haven’t quite decided what’s worse, that a young, pretty woman doesn’t want anything to do with them, or that she might just be better than them.”

“And what do you think?” Your eyes narrowed, wondering just what he was trying to get at by this conversation all the while doing your best to stop your cheeks from tinting by the way he had offhandedly just complimented you.

“Oh, the former most definitely. I have no qualms with the fact your talent is miles above the other applicants. In fact, the idea of finding out just all that you can do is really quite exciting indeed.” He smiled, though it did little to settle your nerves, and stole a strawberry from your plate. “Which is why I wish to propose an alliance.” 

His words surprised you, leaving you struggling to come up with a response. Out of all the things you expected to come out of his mouth, the last thing you expected was for him to propose an alliance for the exam. 

“I don’t need an alliance.” You shook your head, turning your head back to the window unable to hold his gaze any longer. What had prompted him to suggest one? Was it simply a way for him to get closer to you and see just all you were capable of like he suggested, or was it something else? Something more along the lines of believing you were incapable of finishing the exam by yourself. “Nor do I want one.” 

“Oh, is that so? Then just why do you continue to stick around those four boys of yours?” Hisoka’s head tilted, tone playfully accusing as he caught you in a lie. “You wouldn’t happen to be in alliance with them, now would you?”

“That’s different.” 

His brow lifted, silently prompting you to elaborate, but you were saved a response when your name was called from further down the hall. Peering past Hisoka’s shoulder, you saw Gon and Killua coming down the hall with Netero in tow. 

Both boys seemed taken back at seeing you alone with Hisoka, eyes glancing in between the two of you as they approached. You inwardly cursed at your luck, knowing fully well how the situation might look from the outside and the questions that were bound to come later when they caught you alone. 

“Mr. Netero said if we can beat him in a game, he’ll make us Hunters!” Gon recovered first, eyes focusing on you as he spoke. “Do you want to play too, y/n?”

“No, I’m okay.” You forced a smile as you shook your head, doing your best to ignore Killua’s curious eyes beside him. Out of the two of them, Killua was the one more likely to question her on just what Hisoka had wanted from her, a question she didn’t have the answer to. “I’m about to head to bed here in a minute, anyways.” Even if you weren’t exhausted by the first two phases, you had no desire to partake in whatever game Netero had proposed. Not when you knew you would have better luck passing the exam on your own than beating Netero at anything.

“Ah, y/n, it has been a while, hasn’t it? I don’t think I would have even recognized you if Goro hadn’t told me you were participating this year. You’ve grown quite a bit these past few years.” Netero smiled at you, unperturbed by whose company you were in, unlike the other two who were still eyeing Hisoka with distrust. Hisoka, on the other hand, paid them little mind, much more interested in your conversation with the chairman. “How is your uncle, dear? I can’t get much out of him these days, all he ever wants to talk about is you.” 

Your cheeks tinted, embarrassed by your uncle’s mentions of you. “If he’s not starved in my absence, then he’s doing just fine. Retirement hasn’t seemed to hold much of an impact on him; he can still pack one hell of a punch,” you replied, having felt enough hits from him over the years to know he was just as capable as he was fifty years ago. Even with all your training and your ability to heal yourself in a fight, you had still never managed to beat him fairly in a fight, and yet, he had announced you more than ready to take the Hunter Exam on your twenty-second birthday last fall. 

“And you as well, from what I’ve been hearing.” Netero laughed at your statement. “I’m looking forward to seeing just how you do, but for now I’m afraid I will have to bid you good luck and let you get back to your previous conversation. I’m quite eager to see what all these two can do.” 

Netero bid you goodbye with a wave of his hand before leaving, allowing Killua one final look between you and Hisoka before following afterwards. 

Speaking of Hisoka, you felt your nerves return as the others left, leaving you alone with him once more. He didn’t seem upset by the interruption, and there was a gleam in his eyes that hadn’t been there before, as though something said had caught his interest. 

“Well, if all you needed was to ask whether or not I would form an alliance with you, then I believe we’re done here as I hold no interest in one.” You jumped up from your seat, stretching out your muscles in an attempt to loosen yourself up. While you were indeed tired and ready for bed, you were much more interested in finding a valid excuse to get away from him. “Goodnight.” 

You turned just in time to catch his movements in the reflection of the window beside you, but not quite fast enough to stop him completely. His hand grabbed your wrist, pulling you back towards him and tugging the collar of your sweater low enough to see the name that resided there.

“My, what an interesting turn of event,” he hummed, brushing the remainder of your hair out of the way. “Seems like our sweet, little y/n has a spider for a mate.”

“And what of it?” You could feel your face getting hot and reached for his wrist to pull it away and cover the mark back up. “I’ve never met him, so if it’s information you’re after, I don’t know anything.”

“Oh, I’m aware.” Hisoka’s reply made you stop, leaving your hand momentarily wrapped around his wrist. “He’s been looking for you for some time now. The fact you’ve evaded him for this long is quite the impressive feat.”

“You know him?”

You couldn’t keep the surprise out of your face. While you were shocked at hearing Hisoka might have met her other mate before, you were just as equally shocked to hear he had been looking for you. Did that mean he wanted you? And while the thought sent a shiver of excitement coursing through you, it was quickly followed by fear. What if he found you? What would happen then?

“Perhaps.” Hisoka’s head tilted, that unnerving smile of his just as present as ever. If he was deterred by the fact you had another soulmate, he didn’t let it show. But based on where this conversation was heading, you were beginning to wonder if he hadn’t known all along. And he had to, right? Because he had known exactly who the man was without seeing the full figure of the spider that laid lower on your chest, a fact that didn't hit you until that moment. “And with the right persuasion, I might just be able to introduce you.”

“And just what sort of persuasion are we talking about?” 

“Oh, I’m not too picky on the details. You can start by becoming my ally for the exam and then who knows just what it might bloom into after that. I think I'm beginning to quite like your company, after all.”

You could feel the blush working its way up to the back of your neck, uncertain if he was referring to what you believed he might be. He took advantage of your shock, using his free hand to reach for your left wrist, but you were prepared this time around. Using the grip you still had on his arm, you turned, tugging him hard enough to knock his balance off just long enough for you to paralyze his arm for the time being. Your fingers worked their way up his arm, hitting each pressure point along the joints before finishing with one last jab at the juncture where his neck met his shoulder before letting him go and creating some much needed distance between you.

You expected cold retaliation, remembering what had happened to the others who had antagonized him and readied yourself for his incoming attack. But it never came. His eyes only traveled to the left arm now hanging uselessly at his side before back up at you, all the while giggling.

“It seems my initial guess was correct. You are a manipulator.” You didn’t understand why he was smiling like that, more unnerved by his amusement at the whole situation instead of the bloodlust you had been expecting. “How exciting.”

“You’ll regain full motion of your arm in time for the third phase tomorrow.” You couldn’t keep the shudder from racking through your body at the way he was now looking at you. “As for your proposal, I’m afraid I’m still going to refuse. I don’t need your help with the exam and I don’t need your help in finding him.” 

And with one final look, you gathered up your belongings as quickly as you could and took off in the direction of your room, hoping he wouldn’t dare follow and not stopping until the door was firmly shut behind you.

♥♡♠♤♣♧♦♢

taglist: @mandysfanfics

[vidavalor]

Hi! I'm the anon who asked about the logistics of together-the-whole-time twist back again. Firstly, thanks so much for your response! Secondly, sorry, should have worded that better! It's not the sleeping together part that would be the twist for me - I actually was confident we'd get the romance canonised, either with a kiss andor with an outright declaration and some hand-holding-forehead-kisses-type tenderness, though not necessarily until the 3rd season, I'm definitely on board with 1941 part 3 and now that they've kissed I have a pretty good feeling about some shape or form of implied, innuendoed or faded-to-black sex scene, or even something like Newt and Anathema, if it fits, in the next season - it's more about the fact that a first kiss an insanely long time ago and a secret, coded, largely unspoken romance since then that's been happening mostly past the audience's nose would put a pretty dramatic spin on everything else we've seen so far. A change our entire perspective and everything we thought we knew spin. Because that would mean that the story we thought they're telling is not in fact the story they're telling after all, that we've gotten the first 2 seasons in a completely wrong context, and that's where the feeling that this might be too much of a rug pull comes in. You don't need to respond again if you don't want to, after all you've already laid out your thoughts excellently as always, just thought I'd give you a follow up. Anyways, hope I'm wrong and you're right!

Hi. I appreciate your follow up. Please help yourself to cookies... Apologies for the delayed response. I save Asks as drafts in my folder to reply to if I'm going to and I somehow overlooked this one for awhile so I apologize. Let me add a few things here about why I really, really, really disagree with the idea that an ancient times vavoom would be "a rug pull" as you put it and "not the story they're telling." (I'm also not sure how you're okay with one happening in 1941 but not millennia ago when, really, both would mean that you'd have been "fooled" by the story? What's the difference, really?) This is actually exactly the story they're telling and there are plenty of suggestions of that.

I recently wrote a meta that I'll link at the bottom listing all of the things that Good Omens has shown you and then provided context for you later and I didn't get through a third of them... that I've even noticed so far. I'm sure there are more. What this does is recontextualize what you've been watching. It deepens it. You call that a "rug pull" with a tone that hints you might think it deceptive in a negative way. I see it as literally brilliant sleight-of-hand storytelling that's innocent in its intent. It's trickery in a magic show sense. Part of my argument to you is that a show where one of half of the couple we're talking about is a magician has a theme of narrative sleight-of-hand lol. It is very much intentionally not giving you all the information you need to have a complete picture of any one scene from only that one scene by design. It's been doing this all along and it is a way of building layers into the story and your understanding it. There is no reason not to think that this would not be the case for scenes related to the central relationship of the show that is between its main characters because every single one of them to date has already been about them.

I don't think the audience would find this complicated so I don't see it as too much of a deception. I think people would kinda go nuts for it, actually lol. You're already watching a show that keeps telling you things later that have you recontextualizing what you've already seen so don't sell yourself or the audience short. All it does is then allow the audience to see what a bunch of us expect is already there anyway. It'd make rewatching the show even more fun. If you ever want to already get a taste of that, theorize for a bit that I'm right and that this has been going on for ages and then go rewatch the show a bit and see what you spot in places. You'll be surprised by how much it all just sorta slides into place. That's because they've built it that way. You're reading a novel that's written out of chronological order and you're only two-thirds of the way through it... are you not expecting a few surprises and some deepening of your understanding of what's going on before the end of it? This show is no different.

I guess I'm saying that ain't no way that the show that keeps making scenes that change your understanding of scenes you've already watched and, as a result, your understanding of Crowley & Aziraphale's relationship, isn't planning the mother of all those scenes that will completely recontextualize the whole damn thing. They are absolutely going to have kissed before 2.06 but the way they recontextualize the whole series at once is if they make the first one near the start of the timeline.

S3 audience during The Ancient Times Vavoom lol:

[mysticmiav]

Alrighttt am close to finishing Pride & Prejudice, about 60ish pages left (am a slow reader okay and I got distracted with Manacled while reading)

Some more thoughts and a lot of yapping (and spoilers? I guess?) I've had in during my recent reads:

First of all, having watched the P&P 2005 movie first and then starting to read the book, I can't help but keep going "Oh this is different!" At some parts akdksk

I love love love the small hints in the book of Mr Darcy liking Elizabeth more and more that is visible in the book. Imma have to rewatch the movie to see how (if) they did that there, but I don't remember noticing it as visibly. In the movie, it felt a bit of a "ah so that's a thing now" while in the book, I noticed some more emphasis/mention of Darcy noticing her more and more, conversing with her, wanting to talk with her and meet her.

I died at the Rosings part when she told him of her daily walk route, assuming he'd want to avoid seeing her, but my man probably went "sweet!" And just came to see her ever since (not to mention, he might've assumed her telling him of her route was a subtle way of inviting him to come see her? Idk my man was down bad he probably took that bit of info and ran with it akfkskkw)

The little things like him moving his chair closer to her- I pretty much died.

Him wondering at whether she'd mind living at a long distance from her family- my man was practically already wondering at if they were wed, meanwhile Elizabeth is confused why he's talking to her akfkskfk

It just feels much more ahh developed? Or hinted at enough to make his feelings to her not come out of nowhere lol

And of course lets talk about the confession scene!! I combusted

I admit that I loved how they did it in the movie; I LOVED the setting (that location and that weather!! Ugh!) and the energy and the tension. Loved every bit. Not to mention how much I liked the actors and how they played the characters!

And yet, I absoloutly went nuts over how Austen did it in the book!! The tension and anger and energy all there, but it just felt more raw and visceral?? Idk how to put it. I just died and came back and died again reading and rereading that scene omg

It's getting to see the narrator mention Darcy taking her silence or lack of negative reply as encouragement to continue with his confession.

It's the earlier back and forths and their witty exchanges, which resulted in him believing them to be on the same page. Hence, the conversation about living at a far distance from her family, I take it he assumed she noticed his intention and he thought he was being rather too direct, which is why his mood changed and he pulled his chair back when he caught himself.

But ironically enough, him thinking they were on the same page and that he was being transparent with her, that she was able to see through him, all just goes to show on how different of a page they were.

It's honestly brilliant.

And that just makes the confession scene work so much better, at least for me.

Getting such a clear view of how he must have feelings for her, and how clear he thought he has been about them, and how he thinks she picked up on it, makes his confession and the tension of that scene work so well, because he really thought they were on the same page. He really expected it to go one way because of those assumptions he'd had.

And then it went so differently, and so horribly at that, that I can't help but claw at my wall aaaaaa it's so good

No wonder he got pale with rage lmao

Ohoh and when Elizabeth went "You are mistaken, Mr Darcy, if you suppose that the mode of your decleration affected me in any other way, than as it spared me the concern which I might have felt in refusing you had you behaved in a more gentleman-like manner." And saw him start at this I DIED she went for the throat and honestly fuck yeah he needed that slap off the high horse

Even as am writing this I reread the scene for what could only be the tenth time already it's just so good aaaahhhh

(Also, I definitely understand that they probably changed the scene a bit in the movie for the sake of making it look more intresting, at least location wise; the outdoor setting and the spot it all takes place in is definitely a more visually intresting scenery to look at than a closed indoor room, and I think it does make the change of the scene work well in the movie! I still love the book version more but I totally see why and love the change was made in the movie adaptation)

Okay another point about the confession scene is how much I loved the irony in Darcy saying it must be because of how he worded his confession, in a way that slighted Elizabeth's pride because of how he mentioned her relations, that she's rejecting him, and yet he had framed his whole declaration on how it was against his better judgement that he came to like her, how he pointed it out the inferiority of her comings and family (and thereby, painting himself superior). That he's pointing out he must've hurt her pride when his whole talk stemmed from his own pride is such irony I love it

And bruh homeboi really expected her to go "whoa am so thankful you came to love me still!" ???? My man really thought she'd be flustered at him insulting her family and telling her he loves her in the same breath and he still had the audacity to pickachu-surprise-face at her own anger at his words akfksd

Okay enough of that scene, I still have a few kore things to talk about akfkjw

Next up is just how much Letters play a role in the story and even in the characters. Idk this is just a brainvomit of some of the notes I'd taken while reading, but the jest of it is the recurrence of characters sending letters as a narrative tool and, oftentimes, a way to paint certain aspects of the characters.

Elizabeth and Jane, while away from each other, both exhange letters regularly, and their correspondence is neat? I think is the word; they take the time to sit down and write to each other. When they recieve a letter, they also take the time to sit down and read it. Like when Elizabeth receives Jane's letter with the news of Lydia and Wickham, just as she and her uncle and aunt were about to leave to go on a walk, it is mentioned that instead her uncle and aunt set off to let her enjoy the letter at her own time. Just the use of the word enjoy speaks volumes to me at how Elizabeth regards these correspondences; a genuine sort of happiness and joy, and hence she likes to take the proper time to read them, and also the time to write them.

So when it says that Jane's first letter got missent somewhere due to her writing the adress remarkably ill, it's hard not to feel a shift or to know something bad must've happened. Because with how much care she usually puts into her letters, something must've caused her haste in writing the adress of that letter, so badly it was sent elswhere.

This broke a formula we kinda grew used to in those correspondences between Elizabeth and Jane, and managed to set a feeling of dread by simply taking something of that status quo and changing it. I just love it so much ugh

Darcy's letter(s) I feel like fall under a similar light; he obviously put a lot of care and time and thought into them. Gave them the time and length needed, given the importance of the content. They were very thorough and expansive, and touched on the important topics and discussed them sufficiently (lmao I feel like am giving him a critique analysis).

It shows enough of his character methinks.

Mr Collins letters, much like he himself is in person, often focus on the flattery. Of others (especially Lady Catherine) and of himself (cuz ironically, by how often he breaks his back complimenting others, he always traces it back to himself, to how he thinks of it, to how grateful he is of it, to how deserving he thinks it is, to how thoughtful he is with it). In person, it was hard to miss how much he cared for the rooms and their furniture and interior, and I chugged it to it symbolising how shallow he is and how much he cares about appearances, whether in the literal sense of the word or more like the esteem and regard others have of him. In his letters, he focuses so much on appearing thoughtful and grateful and thankful and concerned where needed, in a way you feel he's simply doing it in a "but no one could dislike me! I've been nothing but nice and thoughtful etc" way, you feel? Again, by focusing so much on such pleasantries, he seems only focused on coming across positively.

Also, all in all, he's the epitome of "talks a lot but says very little."

Lydia's letters are more or less hasty and careless; it's obvious she doesn't set aside any special time to write them (like her letters to her mom while she was away at Brighton including things like "oh Mrs Froster is calling me so I must haste" or something along the lines) and, much like her own conversations and interests, seem scattered and childish (which, yeah, she is a child. But you get the idea. She comes across as silly, wild and reckless, while also being somewhat shallow)

I just think it's a very neat way to show the personalities of the characters further using the letters as a tool.

Ahhh I think that's mostly it for now!! So many thoughts cuz am loving every bit of this akfksk

[somehow-a-writer]

Alfred's Party {2p America X Reader}

(Y/N) was Alfred's younger sister, the two shared a house which sometimes drove you nuts, due to Alfred loving to throw huge parties. As the music blasted from downstairs, you pushed off the bed and slowly made your way downstairs to join the party after Alfred had basically bribed you to come down to meet a couple of his 'awesome' friends. There was also someone you invited, and hoping to see him there as well gave you more motivation. You shoved her phone into your pocket while walking down the hall and stairs, joining the rest of the people there, there were a couple of shouts of hello from a few people nearby that you kind of knew as you passed by, sending a small way in return. (Y/N) scanned the crowd for Alfred, in the process noticing a friend and crush carefully navigating through the crowd. Allen Jones. A small blush quickly spread across her face as she looked away, continuing her search, however before you got too far in looking for the blonde you felt a pair of arms wrap around your waist and lift you into the air, earning a squeak in return. "There you are, sis!! I've been looking for ya everywhere since you agreed to join us. Here, come ooooonnn, I want to introduce you to some of my friends!" A familiar voice shouted, you quickly placed it as Alfred. You chuckled a little as you were set down, turning to face him and giving a small nod. Most found him obnoxiously loud, which he could be sometimes when your energy was low but for the most part, you didn't mind his high energy, it sometimes made life fun. "Alright, Alright, I'm coming. There is someone I want to talk to quickly first though, at least to say hi. I'll meet back up with ya soon, kay?" You said, glancing back to where you had last seen Allen, he wasn't there anymore instead, he was only a few feet away and just barely out of Alfred's sight, thankfully. Alfred gave you a questioning look before shrugging. "Sounds good dudette, we'll probably be in the kitchen so come find us there." He told you before heading off, leaving you to turn and nearly run into Allen in the process. Quickly stopping yourself as your cheeks quickly become a rosy color, a chuckle comes from Allen as he looks down at you.

"Hey there, doll, I know you wanted me to come but I didn't know you were that excited to see me." Your face turned a couple of shades darker at his teasing, shaking your head with a soft smile. "Well hello to you too. I'm glad you came, I know how things can get sometimes between everyone… But I want to help try to change that cause you're one of the greatest people I know!" You say, smiling happily at the end. A chuckle escapes Allen as he ruffles your hair, softly kissing your forehead, what you didn't notice was his cheeks becoming flushed at your compliment. He didn't need to say anything for you to know that he was very grateful for what you told him. Before you could say anything else you noticed your phone going off in your pocket, checking it quickly you saw that Alfred was checking to see if you were still coming. Sighing at his impatience as you slipped the phone back into its home you look back to Al who tilted his head at your reaction, you quickly explain and apologize. Allen just shakes his head, "No need to apologize doll, I'll make sure to still be here for when you're done. After all, I don't want to leave and make a cutie like you upset~. If ya can't find me, shoot me a text and we can meet back up once you're done, sound good?" "Yeah, that works, I'll try to be quick so you're not waiting too long, Al. See you in a bit!" You say and start to walk towards the kitchen, before you could get far someone grabbed your wrist and pulled you back towards them. Looking up and noticing it was Allen you went to question him but were quickly stopped as there was a soft peck on your cheek, causing your face to turn several shades of red from the unexpectedness of it. Soon after he let go and you quickly headed towards the kitchen, keeping your head down to hide your crimson cheeks, in the process missing Al's face turning bright red at the same time.

Once Alfred noticed you getting closer he quickly came over, grabbing your wrist and leading you towards his friends. "You took forever! I thought ya totally forgot about me." He says, giving you a small, playful pout. Giggling as you shake your head you respond, "No, just got a little caught up chatting with a friend." You didn't want to explain who said friend was quite yet. Alred just nodded and stopped as you both reached two males, one was fairly tall with spiky blonde hair and blue eyes, and the other was a fairly pale albino who was a bit shorter. When they noticed you behind your brother they immediately broke into a grin while waving in your direction. "Yo dudes, this is my younger sister, (F/N)! She's kinda shy but really fun to hang with." Alfred introduces you to those who seemed like the 'awesome' friends he was talking about. he introduced you to each, the blonde was Denmark or Mathias, and the albino was Prussia or Gilbert. You chatted with them a bit, cracking jokes and teasing Alfred with stories when you could. They did seem pretty cool, you're not sure about awesome though, but you could see why Alfred liked hanging out with them. After a bit of back-and-forth chatting with the trio, you apologized and explain you promised to meet back up with your friend, Alfred nodded as you exchanged goodbyes with everyone before walking out of the kitchen. Once back in the living room you quickly started looking around, scanning from one end to the other in an attempt to try to find Al again. Once you couldn't spot him, you whipped out your phone and shot him a text asking him where he had disappeared to. Shortly after sending it, you got a response back, 'Come upstairs and find me dollface~' was all it said. You tilted your head in confusion before slipping your phone back into your pocket and heading back upstairs.

After searching a few rooms and avoiding some others, you went back to your room to put your phone on the charger before continuing your search, to your surprise you accidentally found Al leaning against the wall, looking at you with a smirk. "And here I thought you had forgotten about me. I would've been oh so wounded if such a pretty lady like you had forgotten me~." He said with a teasing tone as he came up to you, slipping his arm around your waist and pulling you closer. A blush spreads as you look away, trying to hide it from his as you laugh a little. "I would never forget you. I got a little distracted by telling some of Alfie's friends some stories about him." You slipped out of his grasp for a moment, walking to your nightstand and plugging your phone in. Patting the bed near you as you sat down, urging him to join you so he didn't have to stand. He walked over and took a seat beside you, looking over at you he hesitated saying something before shaking his head. "Hey (F/N)… C-can I ask you something?" You were surprised at how shy he was currently, choosing not to mention it you smile gently and take his hand, gently rubbing your thumb over the back in small circles. "Of course, you know you can always talk to me about stuff." "Mmm… Well, I was just kinda wondering if maybe… you had feelings for anyone?" He quickly looked away, almost afraid of your answer as his face turned several shades of red. You could feel your face heating up as well, glancing from him to the floor. "Um well- I actually do… But I don't think he feels-" Before you could finish your sentence you were cut off by Allen grabbing your chin and lifting your face so you were facing each other, his crimson eyes staring into your (e/c) eyes intensely. "Who is it?" "It's you, ya oblivious dork…" You quietly mumble, glancing away once more. Next thing you know a pair of lips crash onto yours roughly as a hand cups your cheek. Your eyes grew wide as you process what's happening, you feel your face and ears heating up as you slowly melt into the kiss, closing your eyes. You wrap your arms around his neck, gladly returning his passionate yet loving kiss.

Allen's other hand started roaming around the hem of your shirt as he licked your bottom lip, asking for entrance which you teasingly denied his access with a small smile. His hand slithered up under your shirt and squeezed your chest, earning a small gasp from you, seeing his opportunity he quickly slipped his tongue into the new territory. You slid your leg over his lap and moved to sit in his lap, never breaking the kiss as the both of you battled each other's tongue. As you both pulled away for air, you grabbed the bottom of his black shirt, pulling it off, he followed after and slipped your (f/c) shirt off; reflexively you covered yourself, suddenly embarrassed. He left a gentle trail of kisses from your cheek down your neck and to just above where you had your hands, carefully and slowly pulling your hands away. "I promise you don't have to hide your body with me, I find you insanely beautiful in every way possible and I want you to feel the same way. I love you so damn much." Allen said sincerely, giving you a warm, loving smile. (F/N) smiled shyly, hiding your face in the crook of his neck to hide how flustered you were. "I love you too, Al. I believe you, I guess I was a bit embarrassed c-cause… You're the only one who's seen me like this…" Al caresses your back, kissing the top of your head. "Thank you for telling me, we don't have to continue if you don't want to." Shaking your head, you quickly look up. "N-no! I don't mind continuing, just a wave of shyness overtook me first." You explain, cupping his cheek and kissing him again. He grins into the kiss, holding you close as you start exploring each other's now shirtless torsos.

For obvious reasons, you didn't notice Alfred had sent you a bunch of texts, worried about the fact that you weren't responding he went to look for you. After searching the party and everywhere else you typically go to when you need to hide from people he let out a sigh, heading to your room, it was the only other place he could think of that you were. Without knocking he opened the door, not noticing what was happening at first till he looked up. "Hey (F/N), we're having a food- ALLEN!? (F/N)!? WHAT THE HELL, GET AWAY FROM MY SISTER!!" Alfred instantly went into an overprotective big brother mood once he saw his 2P. You squeak as you quickly pull away but press yourself against Allen to keep yourself, at least somewhat, covered. "W-Wait Alfie, I swear you don't need to worry!" Allen carefully wraps his arms around you so he can pick you up as he stands. Carefully setting you down so your back was to the door, that way no one else could see you exposed before grabbing both your shirts, he hands you the one that was thrown to the side earlier, giving you a quick peck in the process. "Mmm don't worry baby, I should probably be heading back anyway. I'll be seeing you later doll~." Alfred crossed his arms, growing even more angry. "Not here you won't be, now quit stalling and get out! (F/N) we are going to have a loooong chat about this and why he was here." Alfred said, following Allen out of the room and downstairs to make sure he left. You nod quickly, slipping your shirt on as you listened to the conversations. Once the two had left and the door closed, you fell back onto your bed, covering your face which was a decent shade of deep red, that was the last thing you were expecting to happen, and knew you were gonna have to explain to a much angier older brother that the 2Ps weren't as awful as everyone made them out to be. Maybe you should try to plan a world meeting with both groups to explain things so everything wasn't nearly as tense, you were hoping to try to prove they weren't the "monsters" everyone claimed they were but that seemed to now be a tad rushed.

Hiding in your room for the rest of the party, you texted Allen till there was a knock at your door and a head slowly poked in, it was Alfred. "Hey (F/N), can we talk about earlier? I promise to remain calm if we do." You nod, sitting up and walking over to him. "Alright, as long as you promise not to instantly go into protective mode until I fully explain." Alfred hesitates before agreeing, leading the way back downstairs and to the large couch. The two of you take a seat, getting comfortable while leaning against the back so you could face each other. "Alright dudette, first of all, please explain why the hell you were with him of all people. You know what they're like!" "You're right, I do know what they're like and I know they're not nearly as terrible as you all make them out to be. Yes, they can be dangerous but they have other parts to them that you all never bothered to learn about. Al was here because I invited him and the reason we were together was because not only are we friends but we're now together. As in dating. I've had a crush on him since meeting him and it only grew the more we interacted, despite knowing all the warnings you and everyone else have told me, I can't control it. I heard the rumors that Allen was a flirt, I heard what he was like. After we met, however, I also heard that he quickly stopped flirting with all the others and he only continued with me. I've seen different sides of him that he doesn't show others, his genuine happiness, his anger, his protectiveness, his intimidation, his sadness. Allen isn't just a flirtatious, dangerous, unruly guy everyone seems to think he is. I wanted to talk to you about giving the 2Ps a chance to start over, along with everyone else. Honestly, I always hated how terribly you all talked about them even before getting to personally know them, and now I definitely want to prove and show everyone what they're truly like. To give both sides a restart with less tension, hatred, and fear and more kindness, understanding, and respect. No one has to be the greatest of buds right away or ever, just as long as things aren't nearly as tense. Please big bro, I deeply care for and love Allen and care about the others as well. So can we please invite Al back over some time to restart?" You say, going off, you didn't raise your voice but it was definitely full of emotions. You didn't understand why things were like this, especially if no one really knows each other, it just seemed so unfair.

Alfred's eyes widened as he listened to you, staying quiet as you explained. He glanced away once you finished and scooted closer, pulling you into a tight embrace knowing you were going to start crying if you continued, he promised not to go into an overprotective mode like earlier but he was still worried about something happening to you, truthfully he'd be worried no matter who it was. "Alright, just please don't cry. I'm sorry for yelling like I did earlier, it wasn't fair of me, I don't have a good excuse for it… I know I can be a bit much when I get protective. It's just, you're my lil sis and I don't want anyone to hurt you in any way. I swear, I will try to at least be more respectful for your sake if nothing else. So, how were you planning on getting everyone together to talk about this?" "A huge world meeting, with both sides in the same area. For now, mind if I invite Al back over soon, we can at least start from there?" With Alfred's approval nod, you grab your phone from your pocket and fire away a text to Allen, checking which dates he was free and coordinating with your brother once you had the information. Soon a date was set for you three to get together and talk, and probably have supper knowing how your boys were.

A few days pass by, today was the day Allen was supposed to come back over so everyone could chat. Hearing a knock at the door you jog over from across the room, opening the door you're greeted with a bouquet of (f/c) (f/f) being expended towards you by Allen who had a shy smile. "Hey, I know you mentioned you like these types of flowers and I wanted to do something nice to make up for potentially getting you into more trouble the other night. A-and I'm sorry if I cause you or your brother any problems." His voice grew quiet on the last part, just enough for you to still be able to hear him, as he scratched the back of his neck. "Please, you don't need to apologize. Come in, I think we have an empty vase nearby that they would be perfect in. Thank you lots, they're absolutely stunning. I love you, Al~." You say, carefully taking the flowers from him and opening the door further, before walking off to put the flowers in the vase you quickly kiss his cheek. Allen chuckles a little, his cheeks tinted pink as he follows you in, closing the door after him. Once the flowers were placed in the vase, he takes your hand in his, intertwining them as the two of you went to the couch and wait for your brother to come down after his shower. Al sits down and without getting the chance to think he grabs your waist and pulls you down onto his lap, helping you adjust how you were sitting so you could face your older brother as well. A blush instantly spread across your cheeks once you realized what just happened. As you leaned against him, you heard Alfred coming down softly humming something.

Alfred hesitated for a moment before continuing to walk over to the couch where the two of you were waiting for him. He sat down, situating himself so he was facing you as well. "So… I just wanted to start off by saying… I-I'm sorry. It was unfair of me to yell at you the other day. I realized how much my sis cares for ya and everyone else as well, so for her, I will try to be more respectful from now on. However, if you ever hurt her, there will be hell to pay." Allen looked surprised for a moment before waving his hand with a light smile. "It's alright bro, I can only imagine how I would feel in your shoes in this case. And I promise, I wouldn't dream of hurting her. I care for (F/N) way too much to even begin to think of hurting her in any way. I only want to see her smile, no matter what it takes." You think for a moment before quickly perking up and quickly looking through your chats on social media for a certain person, the boys look at you in confusion at your sudden actions. Pressing the video call button, you hold your phone up so the camera was on you, soon the other person joins in the call you started with a cheerful grin and a wave. "Well hello there poppet, this is a nice surprise! Is something the matter, you do not normally call suddenly like this?" Inquired the pink-haired Brit known as Oliver, England's 2P counterpart. "Oh no, nothing's wrong, please don't worry Ollie! I more so wanted to hear your observations about something, Matt and Francios too, if they're there as well! But if now isn't a good time, then I can always chat with you about it later?" You state, returning Oliver's smile, a little worried that now wasn't a good time since you didn't check in like you typically did. There was a giggle from the other end as he started walking towards another part of the house, presumably toward the living room where the two could be found often. "Don't worry your pretty little head about it poppet, I will always make time for you if you need something. I mean, you are basically family after all. Let me get the grumpy bears so you can ask your question, I would hate to take up too much of your time currently." Oliver stated, shortly after he called to Matt and Francios who were talking on the couch about something.

Noticing the approaching figure, the two turned to him, raising a brow in question as he joined them on the couch. "Right then, (F/N) has requested an answer from the three of us about something, and considering her plans with Allen today, I have a feeling it's something important. Is that correct dear?" A small laugh escaped your lips as you nodded. "Yeah, you hit the nail right on the head, Oliver. Hiya there Matt and Francios, nice to see you both again! Actually, it's about Allen, I wanted Alfie to hear from others that spend more time with Al about this instead of solely the information I had. And who better to ask than his brothers?" Francios and Matt waved or gave a quiet hello in return to your cheerful greeting. "So, what are you lookin' for? Ya know I'm always ready to spill the beans if I can embarrass him." Matt questioned, putting out the cigarette he had as he looked towards Oliver's phone and at you. "Oui, I am with Matt. What kind of information could we possibly give that will help in your endeavors, chère?" The Frenchman asked, tilting his head to the side slightly. "Well, I was telling big bro about how after Al and I met he wasn't the flirt most people knew him as. I wanted to hear about the kinds of things you might've noticed with him about it?"

Oliver quickly perked up upon hearing the request, he was quite the observer after all so he noticed quite a few changes. "OH! Well then poppet, I hope you are comfortable because I have quite a bit to tell you if that's the case! I'm sure Matt knows quite a bit as well, especially if it concerns how he felt. Let's see, where to start." He thought for a moment, tapping a finger to his chin. "Like you mentioned dear, he did quite quickly stop his flirtatious habits after meeting you, I believe it was only a handful of days before he was groaning about how he gave up. Questioning didn't do much good at the time but it became apparent the more you two met. Whenever he came home from meeting you, or even just seeing you, his energy was much more joyous and he had quite the grin. I often found him lost in thought or mumbling to himself about you. Whenever he noticed something you might like, he always made sure to send you something about it or purchase it to leave as a surprise gift from an 'anonymous friend'. It was honestly an adorable sight to watch, it became clear that he truly cared for you and just wanted to make you smile. I often noticed him mentioning you more often the longer you knew each other and the more you met. He even made all of us swear not to do anything that would potentially embarrass him the first few times you came over. He even had me teach him how to make (favorite dessert) for your birthday so he didn't mess it up." Oliver recalled, chuckling to himself a couple of times, Allen on the other hand had grown quite red at what was mentioned, he thought he hid most of that quite well. "Awwww~ Al, you're so adorable." You smile at your boyfriend, giving him a quick kiss which only seemed to worsen his blushing. "Thank you for that Oliver."

Francios was the next to speak up, lighting another cigarette as he did so. "Mmm well, I presume I shall share as well. Allen started coming to me for relationship advice. Not sure why however, he knows I'm not one for relationships. Nonetheless, I guided him as best I could. There were lots of questions about what one should do on first dates, the types of gifts to give someone you were interested in, and so on. I did my best to give him tips and advice on how to treat someone you were interested in properly. If I remember correctly, you asked about a few things about Allen as well (F/N), non?" Now it was your turn to turn red as Allen smirked at you. "I-I'm not going to answer that…" There was a chuckle from the other end. "Your reaction speaks for itself, mon cher ami. I did notice he was always smiling more when it came to you, as well." Matt nodded, seemingly in agreement with the Frenchman's last statement. "I noticed that as well. Too bad I can't tease him for crushing so hard anymore… But I'm glad you both finally told each other. Took ya long enough." The Canadian said, sighing as he shook his head. "Ollie's right though, Al always came to me to try to help him figure out how he was feeling around you. Also, talkin' about ya quite a bit whenever he came home from spendin' time with you. I swear, you might've replaced baseball as his favorite thing to talk about. You both were painfully oblivious when it came to each other's feelings though, I swear you both did such similar things that you'd think one of you would pick up on it… I didn't really pay too much attention to his behavior changes aside from that, mostly cause Ollie would always gush about it and how adorable he found you both." At this point, neither of you could hide the blush that covered your face, hitting both ears as well. You shyly laughed, rubbing the back of your neck, Allen trying his best to hide his face in your shoulder. "Ahahaha… Yeah, guess we were a little blind… A-Anyway! Thank you, Francios, Matt. I really appreciate all of what you guys said. I really hope it helped you see Allen in a new way as well, big bro. I promise to make it up to y'all for buggin' you about this so suddenly, it's the least I can do!" There was a collective light laughter from the other side, everyone reassuring you that it was fine and you didn't need to worry about it, hesitantly you nod, accepting this. "Oh yes, before we go, Oliver may I get your help on this new recipe? I keep messing it up and I'm not sure what I could possibly be doing wrong…" Oliver beamed, almost bouncing in excitement. "Dear poppet you should have come to me about this sooner! I would absolutely love to help you learn any recipe, I will make sure to message you about this when you are less busy." With that, you thanked them all once before everyone exchanged goodbyes.

Alfred glanced down in embarrassment before looking back at you both again, a look of sincere regret written on his face. "(F-F/N) I'm so so so sorry for everything I said about him, that was no way a hero should act. I really do appreciate you trying to show me your perspective and calling them as a backup with more info and different sides. It's gonna be a bit of a difficult change, all things considered, but I promise to give them an honest chance. After all, a hero really shouldn't judge without having the full story right?" He chuckled a bit, ruffling your hair. "Besides, one of my sidekicks is genuinely happy, and I trust in you and your opinion, so if this is what you think is best not only for you both but everyone as well then the hero shall support you in this!" You laugh a little as he calls himself the hero, and a smile of pure joy follows after as you practically hug-tackle Alfred down, falling off the couch in the process. There was a moment of silence followed by laughter and then making sure (F/N) and Alfred was okay. Alfred returned your hug once everyone calmed down, almost squeezing the life out of you. "A-Alfie… Need-… Air…!" You gasp, hugging his as well but more so focusing on making it out alive. He quickly released his grip, apologizing. "Well since we got all the serious talk outta the way, I'll leave ya lovebirds alone. I need to head over to Arthur's so if ya need anything just gimme a call sis! I'll see ya later. And um Al, I hope we can hang out sometime and resolve things." Alfred said, standing up and heading toward the door. Allen looked a little surprised but gave a small smile in return to Alfred's offer. "Yeah man, you seem like you'd be pretty fun to hang with. I'll make sure to have (F/N) give me your contact info. Oh and by the way, you're a really great older brother to her, you should be proud of yourself and her. See ya later dude." Allen said you waved as Alfred cracked an embarrassed smile and left.

Note: This is the first story I've put this much effort into a story before… I've also never had this much of an urge to write before.

[theroachsankles]

in ur opinion, what makes a robot truly sexy? or just who are ur top 5 hot robots

WOOF well my friend, I like to be very detailed when it comes to explaining robot design! So strap in!

We'll start with a face!

A slightly or even heavily inhuman face is what really packs a punch! The fun work around with expression due to a lack of the normal human face is something fun and challenging! And I'm really into that!

I also think using real life helmets and masks are really great for figuring out a robot's visage. There are so many out there! It'd be cool to use those as inspo!

Lights for eyes are a favorite of mine! Especially if the glow changes based on intensity of mood!

Which is great if you combine that with an inhuman face!

Next is body!

Really shape language is the way to go! Pick a shape and go nuts! I do love verity in robot bodies just like with human ones, but in robot cases you can go HAM on the augmented body which is super fun, especially if you over exagerate! They don't have to have organs so again you can go HAM on design!

Referencing real life armor, just like masks, is a fun one as well! I even enjoy when a robot character pulls from human musculature systems! Especially with the idea that you can SEE each muscle at work when they move! I eat that shit up!

EXTRA LIMBS!!! This is fun in design because of the idea of how that would work with movement and also gestures when at rest! It's like a puzzle especially if you plan on drawing robots!

This isn't a requirement but a specific things I've noticed. If the robot can wear clothes, it makes them instantly more interesting. Why do they wear them? How do they feel about them? Do they even need clothes? Who cares!? It's hot XD

Lastly are just a few things that I find hot and fun!

Steam. Nothing hotter than literally showing signs of high body temp! Especially if this robot is in a fight! Talk about HOT XDD

LIGHTS LIGHTS LIGHTS! I adore the different colors and placement of things like biolights and the glowing eyes and even glowing teeth if you're feeling spicy! (Almost all my robot Ocs have glowing teeth and steam up alot)

Also I don't have to draw actual feet. I hate drawing feet XD

If they get to have a developed personality outside of just "I am a machine I do not feel" cause that lacks alot of the fun to be had with the kinds of questions you can ask with robot characters!

Augmented voices are a MUST! I wanna hear that bass! The weird electricity to the voice! It's so much fun!

As far as top five hottest robots? WOOF that's a toughy but l'd say probably in no specific order

Megatron from tfp- his design is PEAK transformers design! Just the right amount of inhuman and human so that he's readable! I love how expressive his face and really all of the tfp robots faces are! I think his shape language comes across perfectly alien, especially versus the rest of the cast! He also has scaring from his times as a gladiator and I think that's AWESOME! Also HE GOT A WALK AND WAIST WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME!?

The Giant from Iron Giant- while I wouldn't say he's hot and sexy, he's adorable and was my first robot crush uu. He's a true sweetie and his story is a tear jerker for so many reasons. His design is also CLASSIC and I love that about him! (It helps that he went crazy with grief and had all those weapons. Was really into that XDD)

X-49 from Samurai Jack- look him and his episode up! He's got everything I love about a robot design! He wears a cool 30's hat and coat and only wanted to find his pug Lulu! Very much loved him and his episode and thought his design was sleek as hell!

Zima from Zima Blue- while he is more human looking than the rest, I was so enamored with his powerful story and seeing him evolve from a little pool cleaner to a tall stoic artist looking for purpose! His last scene was also a favorite because of the way you could SEE how he was put together!

Ultron from Avengers Age of Ultron- To be blunt, I'm NOT a big fan of marvel movies and Ultron was the last movie I saw. It wasn't a great movie but ULTRON DUDE!? GAWD you wanna talk about HOT? He follows all my attractive robot bullet points and then some! I don't remember anything from that movie outside of his scenes and I think a character death who I didn't care about since he was under developed. BUT I TELL YA WHAT I'll watch that movie just for him.

I could go on for hours about this and honestly would've listed alot more robots but I wanted to add a bit of verity to the list!

I appreciate your time! I hope that answers some things for you! (Also if you wanna see some of my robot designs, check out my Instagram @theroachankles1997 I post alot of robots there uwu)

[ask-sum-2ps]

Awakening

That's right! guess who's finally back into the swing of things! your favorite pink haired fox thing, things have finally settled down. and i'm somewhat caught up with my collage work, but now i feel safe and mentally secure enough to start working on my blog and my boys again; if you all have noticed or not the blog has gotten some visual upgrades, mainly it is lore and that lore will be unlocked going further down the line. i want the lore to be like a fun puzzle, i will be sprinkling hints as i go. now that states this blog will still be goofy silly haha 2p hot men, but lore is still fun to have and i like making it now some more updates below

For Starters, it's been a while since i've shared about my precious cats. We'll start with my older son, Thomas (tried to be Tomato but Thomas stuck) he is a big fat boy, love him a lots and his Brother Catalina (we thought he was a girl until he grew nuts)

so those are how the cats are and of course if you guys ever want i'll happily show some more pictues of my sweet baby boys. but now to the actual star of the blog and what you really wanna see. . . . . .

Me (just kidding)

Now the 2ps, so i have made a realization that on this blog i currently have 41 2p characters for the blog and 164 characters in total for the blog. so to make it so i don't end up fucking dying from trying to ya know trying to draw and keep track of every character. i will be separating main 2ps from side 2ps, you can of course still talk and ask the side cast stuff but i will mainly be focusing on the main cast. speaking off the main cast they will be getting some outfit changes/new looks just because i wanna give them some nicer outfits, the main cast will also be getting some more Indepth information that i will be posting on the blog so you can learn more about some of the lore i have for them

Klaus and Azrail are in grey cube jail because they are so ungodly pale that they disappear on the white background so i needed a different color to help them pop out but looking at it they are still kinda pale, at least they're a little bit more visible.

of course i also have a good few asks that i need to answer from last i left the blog off, although i won't be answering all of them as i will mainly be cleaning out my inbox and answering the ones that i feel like i can answer in a way that won't be disappointing. that includes a joke one my boyfriend gave because he is silly (i love him despite his silliness) so rest assure that there will be some asks finally answered but i hope i will get some new ones seeing as i will be more active (the art will be simpilar to help me do this easier)

i will also be doing more artist adventures with my 2ps, one of those things i want to do is animation and animatics. so expect to see some of those in the future, but if you would like to see early wips and other stuff i may do i do have a youtube channel although so far it's only character playlists for some random 2ps but i will still give the link if you guys are interested

um i'm not sure what else i should mention in this update, uhhhhhhhh oh! right you might be wondering why i'm orange simple reason is that it's autumn so ya'know orange. yeah seeing as my Sona Jam is an animal like creature i made it so she changes during the seasons. mainly to reflect how i like to change during the seasons (close and hair wise) funny enough in the species i made for Jam the they only change for winter but Jam is special as she changes seasonally.

each are different flavored too, Spring: Strawberry Lemonade, Summer: Cherry lemonade, Autumn: Orange Lemonade, Winter: Blackberry Lemonade

and those should be all the updates i need to give, i'm happy to be back! i missed everyone a lot

[mewkwota]

In my eons of living somehow I've never drawn Jin so here is a first.

So I recently checked out Tekken Bloodlines.

The only word I can really describe it is with a high-pitched Ehhhgn? I wanted to share what I felt here and not The Other Site because any more than 3 words over there gives me too many staring eyes.

I've made it no mystery that I've been left sorely disappointed with another video-game adaptation from this site (albeit a different studio but still, you let it happen). So I was already going into this with some mixed feelings.

Now that I've finished it, would I say it's on that level of Oh-So-Off? As far as I'm aware I don't think there was a sense of disrespect in the changes to the story and all that. I was just left mildly unsatisfied.

Maybe it's just me being cynical, but what is it with adaptations watering things down to a mellow, dramatic something or other to appease the general audience? I came into this hoping for Tekken, which I tend to associate with cool moves, big energy, hype music, and a huge helping of unapologetic goof mixed in.

We got the cool moves, if anything? The visual effects aren't too bad, but I feel like the excess of slow-mo for emphasis ended up doing the opposite to me. And perhaps my memory is also failing me, but the music was also nothing of note. It all sounded like that wonderfully cinematic orchestral stuff that I don't find memorable.

To me, it lacked energy.

My only other-- and very menial-- nitpick was the direction of the voices. Overtime, I noticed a lot of the gals started to sound similar, like in their tone. Why are you all so serious? Why are you all so quiet? Why does Heihachi sound like that? He's not big and commanding, he sounds like an ~evil cartoon shogun~. I don't know who that is??

If I can say one nice thing about this adaptation, it was nice to get more glimpses of Jin's time being raised by Jun prior to the release of Tekken 8 where we see so in the actual games. But the rest of it after, there's definitely changes, I understand. You can only keep a "tournament arc" drawn-out and still interesting for so long.

I grew up with Tekken, the 3rd game was my very first. And with my understanding that not all adaptations will be perfect, I wasn't expecting a perfect masterpiece to this game I like, but I still felt like it was missing a whole lot to really tie in for me.

Perhaps others saw something more in it, so you are always free to feel differently. But right now, I'm still not convinced that I can trust Nut-Flex with anything.