#just speaking on the 1 subject i know about and trying. TRYING to get us a little more respect around here

[jennilah]

I think you're in the right to have a rant! It's shitty how undervalued CGI is as an art form. You do amazing work. I'm absolutely blown away by what was shown on your 2023 reel.

oh thanks! like, its not about what should be used, you can go argue with the director and producers about that. its not about whats better, either- the entire video series details all of that already, Im not going to repeat it. i implore you, they are very good and worth watching.

but people really do learn something was CGI and its on-sight. the only department on a movie that i can think of where the hip cool thing is to tear it apart simply because it exists

even if the effects are done well- they see Godzilla and know its CG and therefore its just bad and will never be as good as the movies with the rubber suits. those ones had heart, you know (you know, the ones that people called corny and stupid and juvenile for decades but now have rose tinted glasses for? You see what Im getting at..?)

i forgot to link it, but this is an oldie but a goodie. This video ran so Jonas' video essay series can SPRINT.

(However I think they both make different points. This one is about how the public tends to turn a blind eye to iffy and aged VFX when its a truly excellent film with a great story, just as you do with movies with bad practical effects. Jonas' series is more about the current trend of completely erasing and minimizing VFX workers' work because its now being treated like a dirty shameful secret and how its creating a very, very bad feedback loop for everyone- both the audience and artists)

[7seas-of-ryy]

I Need You | Part 1

Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8

Author’s Note: I want this to be multiple parts because I have a storyline that would feel crammed if I did it in one part! Not sure exactly how long I'll make it! Angst AND fluff!!

Summary: You've been in love with Azriel for as long as you can remember but it seems he always wants what he can't have. You want him to be happy with Elain but what will it cost you?

Pairing: Azriel x Reader

Warnings: Nightmares, let me know if I need to add any others :)

You were running as fast as you could and it wasn't fast enough. The creature was catching up to you and the second it got you, you knew you'd be gone forever. Sweat poured down your body, fear was coursing through you as you heard the monster start to... laugh behind you? It was truly enjoying the chase. Suddenly shadows started to appear, starting at your ankles then wrapping around your body until they were covering you entirely.

Azriel. He was here to save you and the relief you felt was sweet. You knew the shadows would protect you. Until, as quickly as they appeared, they began to fade away. What? No, this can't be happening. You're cover is entirely gone and the creature jumps at you. You struggle against it and scream for the shadowsinger but its no use. It sinks it's teeth right into your neck and right as you're about to die...

You jolt awake. Immediately grabbing for your neck to make sure there are no marks and convince your brain there was no actual monster.

The immediate dread of putting on a smile for the rest of the day hit you. Everyone in the IC had their own problems and nightmares, you didn't need to burden any of them with your own.

So, you got yourself ready for the day, put on a happy face, and headed down for breakfast. Only Cassian, Feyre, and Rhys were down and eating already.

"Good morning sunshine" Cass spoke with a mouth full of food.

You smiled at him and sat down with a cup of coffee, not in the mood to fill your stomach after that horrible dream.

"How did you sleep?" Feyre asked, her kind eyes watching you

"Good" You forced out and Feyre's eyebrows rose at the clipped word. Rhys and Cass were now watching you as well.

"Uh I was thinking of going out today, maybe try out the new bakery that opened up." You said quickly, hoping they wouldn't notice you trying to change the subject.

"Oh! Azriel was just telling us he wanted to try it out! He'll definitely want to go with you!" Feyre spoke

As if speaking his name had summoned him, he walked in with Elain at his side.

"Did I hear my name?" The shadowsinger asked

"Our dear friend here was just telling us she was going to try that new bakery today and we knew you wanted to as well." Cass said while throwing an arm around you with a big smirk

Azriel's eyes lit up ever so slightly. "Ah yes, I did want to try that. I'm afraid I'll be busy for a while. Would you like to go tonight instead?"

You nodded your head with a shy smile, "Yes that would be nice. I'll meet you there"

He tilted his head in acknowledgment at you and went back to his conversation with Elain.

You had been crushing on Azriel for so long, maybe too long. For a while you'd hoped he felt the same, but it seemed his attention was always elsewhere. He's been too busy with Elain all the time so you barely got to hang out with him anymore. To say you were excited to finally get some time with him was an understatement.

You went up to your room, packed your bag for the day and left for the city. Even though you had a rough start, maybe today would be a good day... Maybe.

[firestorm09890]

there's a part of canto vi I've been thinking about since it came out, and it doesn't actually have anything to do with Heathcliff.

this

She is bitter as fuck and as time goes on she's getting worse at keeping it down. Sinclair's the one who started it, by talking about how sad it is that they'd never get to see color, and Rodya starts to get a little irritated over it (yeah, sure, pity the Backstreets folk and their poor miserable little lives, privileged nest boy), but she's obviously trying not to straight up call Sinclair a privileged nest boy because she doesn't want to. But then Yi Sang and Ishmael join in on talking about how sad this place is with no color and she just can't keep her opinion down.

But that makes the atmosphere tense, and she hates a tense atmosphere, so she changes the subject and her tone, not giving a damn about how obvious it is. also, haha, ice and cold references.

And actually, this doesn't really have much evidence to support it, but I wonder if she holds a higher level of resentment for Sinclair in particular.

Canto II had some discussion about how Rodya wishes she was special (and while I think what Sonya said about her killing the tax collector just to feel special is absolute bullshit, I do also think there is some truth to her wanting to feel special), and introduced us to the concept of The Sign in a way that was vague and more like foreshadowing than actually introducing it. Then Canto III was all about The Sign, and how special Sinclair is, and since then we've had people talking about signs and stars and a new birth of the world and it's all stuff Rodya doesn't get to be part of.

I don't think she wants to hold resentment for Sinclair, and she especially never wants him to know, but going back after all this time and rereading this one interaction with him in Canto II felt pretty jarring.

the more important part of this is the way it feels like she's making a joke at Heathcliff's expense, for being poor, like even though she's also from the Backstreets she feels she's "above" it.

She absolutely does not feel this way.

On my way to find the first passage, I reread some other interesting stuff:

Once again, there's the harsh juxtaposition between casual, fun-loving Rodya, and tired, poor man's advocate Rodya. Almost everyone on the team speaks through the lens of a Nest dweller (I have to wonder if learning that Heathcliff was apparently raised in a mansion made her even more bitter), and the way she's so short with her mention of the Sweepers makes me think she's thinking about how painfully obvious it would have been to any other Backstreets dweller. And then, right after, dropping back into her casual voice, and Sinclair revealing that Rodya used the fucked up Backstreets creature to tease him...

Other obvious moments of Rodya being bitter as hell about rich people include this part of S.E.A.

and this part of her observation logs on Spiral of Contempt (actually, nearly everything in that log that isn't about the physical abnormality has to do with how much she hates how rich people look down upon the poor)

Hong Lu's canto comes after Don's, and then after his is Ryōshū's, who, based on her source material, probably served one of the most awful, contemptuous rich people the sinners have access to, and I really hope at some point here Rodya gets to snap in a big way

...hey so I wrote this entire post at 1 in the morning and then saved it to drafts because I didn't want to post something at 1 in the morning. the Timekilling Time trailer came out about two hours later, featuring both Rodya... and the long-awaited return of the Yurodiviye. so now it's past 3 in the morning for me but I'm posting it now anyway because ohohoho seeing the Yurodiviye again has given me SO much energy

I have a feeling all this is going to be very relevant extremely soon

[bloodsbane]

what i love about laios is that he's actually very good at putting puzzle pieces together BUT HERE'S THE THING 1) he needs to HAVE the information, and 2) (this is important) he needs to KNOW it is information he should care about

and i think this could be said of anyone but the thing with laios is that people tend to view his lack of awareness wrt social etiquette and memory problems as pure indifference and/or obliviousness; sometimes they misinterpret his motives based on their inaccurate expectations of him and therefore don't give his thoughts on a subject the credit he deserves

one of the most obvious examples of this happens at least twice in the manga as i remember it, but the most recent incident was when they were trying to resurrect falin. there's a moment where laios mentions reconstructing both of the warg skeletons, as their bones are mixed in with hers. both chilchuck and senshi balk at this, with chilchuck complaining aloud, questioning laios' priorities,

and laios quickly, angrily retorts. his reason for making the suggestion is perfectly logical and practical, but because his friends are used to his interest in monsters influencing his judgement, often in ways they see as frivolous or dangerous, they don't come to the same conclusion. one which i'd argue is kind of obvious considering the situation

we see it again during his fight with toshiro, where toshiro demands to know what laios plans to do to save falin. laios takes a minute to answer, but he DOES answer, following the logic that if falin is a chimera because of (and controlled by) the mad mage, then the logical next step is to confront/defeat/usurp them

then in the following episode, when chilchuck brings it up again, laios explains what he (now) knows about thistle, mentioning that he's the same elf that laios saw in the living paintings, which is why he knows thistle's connection to delgal. the party reacts like this:

i'd say this is an example of them feeling frustration over laios' habit of having 'bad timing', not knowing when or how to speak at appropriate moments. theyre judging him for not saying something earlier, as if he already knew all this but didn't think to mention it when it was relevant, when the reality is that laios only just now had all the pieces he needed to understand the full picture

and i mention this bit specifically because i think it's a great way to explain what i mean by point 2: laios needs to know when information is important and worth considering

which, again, feels fucking obvious. but as someone who ALSO has debilitating issues with remembering important shit, i find this particular element of it pretty relatable and critical to my overall point. it's not laios' fault that he didn't know who thistle was or his significance - why the hell would he assume that a person he met in a living painting, presumably long since dead in reality, should be someone who's face, name, or motives he keeps in mind?

ultimately, i guess what i'm trying to say with all this is that the way others treat laios' intelligence is not congruent to how actually smart he is. one of the things i love most about laios, what is possibly his biggest strength and the reason he is such a great protagonist, is that laios is willing to think things through and find the most logical conclusion to a problem, no matter how outlandish or dangerous or seemingly impossible that conclusion may be. sister got eaten? race back down to go get her. can't afford food? fight, defeat, and eat dangerous monsters. sister's fully digested? use black magic to bring her back. now she's a chimera? defeat the mage controlling her and use that power to fix it.

anyways. what was even my point with this post? i guess it is that laios is smart, at least as smart as anyone else in the cast, arguably smarter than some. he is intelligent and utilizes that intelligence in many ways, not JUST when it comes to monster info (though that is his best and sexiest brand of knowledge)

and also please be nice to your friends with memory problems. it's rough out here for forgetful bitches

[ohnoitstbskyen]

PINNED POST, FAQ, INFORMATION

Hi, I'm TBSkyen. I make videos on YouTube sometimes. This is my main tumblr blog, the "brand" blog as it were, where I maintain my Social Media Presence™ on this site.

I use the ironic ™ to signal my personal discomfort with the work of being a minor media personality even while I still do that work and make a living off it.

I have a sideblog called @tbposting, mostly for shitposts and reblogs, and in my opinion I have pretty darn good taste in reblogs, so you can follow that if you want. It's also where I'll do random personal posting, microblogging, etc.

This main blog is primarily for 1) answering asks, and 2) posting my Original Content™, usually my main channel videos, as well as the occasional longer essay or critique. Sometimes I'll reblog an interesting or useful thing, or boost a friend's work, but I try to keep the spam to a minimum.

---

About Me

I am a thirtysomething content creator whose primary expertise is character design.

I have a bachelor's degree in English, never finished my master's, did most of a bachelor's degree in history, and that's it. These are my academic qualifications, no more and no less.

My professional experience is primarily being a freelancer and self-employed creator. I spent the better part of a decade working as a commission artist, running webcomics, drawing fanart, and the occasional animation work and not safe for work commissions, and I have at this point a decade of experience and self-study in the subjects I cover. I have also done online community management for, god help me, almost twenty years, so that's a part of my skillset I'll never escape.

I do not have any particular professional creative industry experience, although given what I hear from my professional friends, sometimes that seems like a blessing.

Please maintain a critical distance when engaging with my work. I am a critic. My work is very rarely meant to be taken as authoritative or didactic, and when it is, I will make it clear in my writing. Just because I speak with confidence doesn't mean I am trying to assert objective truth.

---

TAGS (to follow, or filter)

#tbanswers is the tag for every single ask I answer on this blog

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Yes, I know the spaces are inconsistent. It's not on purpose, I just typed them in haphazardly when I started using them and it's stuck.

---

FAQ (before you ask)

Q: Will you ever do a video about ____ ? A: The answer to this question is almost universally "maybe someday, if I have time, and if I feel I have anything worthwhile to say." And the more realistic answer is "no, because I already have far too much on my plate and I have burned myself out too many times." In general, please don't ask me this question, I will most likely not answer it because I have given the same answer a thousand times, but I still feel guilty about not answering them.

Q: Will you continue your series of videos about ____ ? A: Yes! I will continue the let's plays I started, I will finish the Boss Designs series, I will do another What's the Deal With, I will do more shorts about the subjects I've got going on. The main obstacle is, again, my tendency to overload myself.

Q: Do you have a PO box? Can I send you something? A: Not yet, but I'm looking into it. It may be a while before I get it set up.

Q: Do you have merchandise? A: A little bit, yes, at tbskyen.redbubble.com.

Q: What's your opinion on [game/movie/comic/book/etc]? A: I struggle to answer very open, broad questions like this. Most things I have opinions about, I have multiple opinions, and different ones depending on the perspective and specific element in question. I'm much more likely to answer specific, bounded questions.

Q: Can I send you fanart? A: PLEASE. Askbox, tag me on bluesky, send it to my email! I love seeing every piece of it!

Q: Why do you never appear on camera? A: A forest witch cursed me to look not quite but ALMOST like Paul Giamatti in all photos and videos ever taken of me, and his laywers sent me a cease-and-desist.

Q: Are you gay/straight/bi/other? A: The decision I've made for myself, at least for this period of my life, is that privacy is precious, and once given up can never be reclaimed on the internet. I am open about being aromantic (not asexual), because it's a sometimes invisible and underdiscussed identity, and I know it would have helped me a lot to see someone speak about it when I was younger.

The rest of it is for me to know, and for you to speculate about, although preferably somewhere I can't see it. I accept that this is a part of being a Personality, but it still feels weird, y'know?

Q: Is it weird if I find your voice kinda hot? A: I've put a lot of work into developing this voice and making it nice to listen to, so that's not weird at all and I find it quite complimentary, thank you.

I generally don't mind people doing flirty/thirsty posting about or at me, just so long as we all understand that 1) you should never give a stranger like me information which could be used to harm you. Nicer-seeming YouTubers than me have turned out to be monsters.

And 2) it will never go beyond playful online flirtiness. I like to fluster my live chat, I'll flirt back in an ask or a post maybe, but I am not flirting with you, or inviting any kind of closer intimacy with you, the person I responded to.

Think of me like a comedian doing crowd-work at a show - you can chat to me in the bar after the show, but when I asked you what you do for work I wasn't looking for a personal connection, I was doing my work as an entertainer. Please no sending me nudes, or propositions, or confession letters in my email inbox. We are strangers, and I am always performing a persona in public.

[leeknow-thoughts]

୨୧ ENDEARING

𝝑𝝔 cw : they're in love your honor!! porn with so many feelings and a plot, p in v, foreplay, oral (reader rec.), petnames, angst if you squint, so much fluff, no clear dynamics but Minho is on top, realistic smut (a rarity on my page), slightly jealous!Minho if you squint, reader is Han's younger cousin and is one of the skz managers!! (read part 1 if you want more context!!!), drinking (nothing crazy but still felt like I should give a warning for it just in case), so many kisses,

𝝑𝝔 part two of "Kiss it Better"

𝝑𝝔 a/n : guys I love Mimo, he's so sweetieful I'm gonna fucking vomit

It was harder to sneak around than either of you thought it would be. Concealed kisses in empty practice rooms, his hand grazing your thigh under the table during dinner with the group, him sneaking out of the dorms to come over to your apartment in the darkest hours of the night. Being an idol meant he had no privacy, and being his manager meant at times you also had no privacy.

"You know," your older cousin, Jisung, starts from his seat on your couch, "I think Minho is starting to warm up to you, he's been acting different since you two went to Japan together to film his vlog."

"Really? I don't see it," you lie.

If only Jisung knew just how differently Minho had treated you since then. How Minho's once cold touches became gentle kisses to your face, how his glares became lingering gazes from soft eyes, or how his sour words became the sweetest of compliments. Jisung couldn't know that though, he couldn't know about how Minho had fallen for his younger cousin.

"I'm telling you, something is different," Jisung hums, "maybe it's because hyung is seeing someone?"

"H-he's seeing someone?" you can't help but stutter, "I didn't notice."

"Well, he's always sneaking out at night, he thinks we don't notice, but we do, I just am wondering who it is," Jisung confesses, "I hope he'll introduce them to us soon."

"Mhm," you hum, "I'm sure he will soon," even though you hope for the opposite.

"So what about you? Are there any boys who are trying to get with you?" Jisung changes the subject.

You shake your head, "no, no, you know this Ji, guys just aren't very interested in me."

"Well, you didn't hear this from me, but I think one of the guys in our film crew has a little thing for you," Jisung wiggles his eyebrows, "maybe you should give him a chance, he sounds nice."

"M-maybe?" you speak only so he'll be quiet.

Later that night your doorknob is turning, Minho stepping into your apartment, "jagi," he calls out to you.

"Hey Min," you say from your spot on the couch.

You hear him shuffling around in the kitchen for a moment, "I brought you some ice cream and other goodies," Minho announces, "also you have some mail."

"Mhm," you groan, you sit up and get a good look at the man who is standing in your kitchen, scooping your favorite ice cream into a bowl for you, and you can't help the warmth that runs all throughout your body at his gentleness.

"Did you have a rough day?" Minho inquires as he puts the tub of ice cream back into the fridge, finally turning to face you.

"Kinda," you inform him through a shrug, "just swamped with school and work and Ji came over earlier today as if I didn't just see him yesterday and my cat has a cold and yeah... today is just not my day," you ramble.

Minho is bringing the bowl of ice cream to you and wrapping you in his arms, rubbing soothing circles on your back, "I'm sorry, jagi," Minho muses, gently cupping your face in his hands, "I brought some wine, and I was at the store a few days ago and I noticed they had a sale on your favorite bath bombs so I grabbed a few of those for you," he informs.

"You're the best," you mumble, bringing Minho in for a tender kiss.

"I know," he hums against your lips, "let's take a nice bath together," he proposes.

He leaves one last kiss on your lips before he is standing up and walking into your bathroom, "eat your ice cream, jagi, I'll take care of everything else," Minho reassures.

You begin eating your ice cream and you hear the water for the bath turn on. You had just finished your bowl of ice cream when Minho is calling you into the bathroom.

You stand up and put your bowl in the sink before joining Minho in the bathroom. The only part of your apartment that you genuinely had no problems with was your jacuzzi style bathtub, it was large and perfect for relaxing in. The bath was full of warm water with bubbles floating on top, "I'm gonna go pour you a glass of wine," Minho announces before he steps out of the room.

You practically tear off your clothes and slowly sink into the warm water, letting the feeling of warmth and comfort completely consume you. "Jagi," Minho hums, opening the door to your bathroom carrying two wine glasses and a bottle of your favorite red wine in the other hand.

You can't help the smile that breaks across your face when you see him, he puts the glasses down on the counter, popping open the bottle before he pours you a glass of wine and hands it to you. "You always know just how to make me feel better, Min," you say while taking a sip of your drink.

"I try my best, jagi," he muses, beginning to take off his clothes so he can join you in the bath.

He eventually sinks into the tub across from you, sitting there with his own glass of wine that he poured. "So, I didn't know your cat was sick," he says after a moment.

"Yeah," you chuckle, "she woke me up getting sick on my bed this morning, so I took her to the vet, the poor thing has a stomach bug," you explain to him, "they are giving her some medicine and treating her overnight at the clinic."

"Ah," he nods, "I was wondering why she didn't greet me when I walked in," he takes another sip of wine.

"Yeah, I just hope she starts feeling better," you mumble, taking another sip of your drink, "but, enough about me, how have you been?"

"Y'know how work is, hell, you probably know more about my job then I do," he chuckles and you can't help the smile that spreads across your face, "it's well, work," he sighs, taking another sip from his glass, "honestly I'm excited for our break that's coming up soon, speaking of which, I was going to go camping and well I-I wanted you to go with me."

"Oh?" you raise your eyebrows, "me?"

"Well who else would I be talking to?" he deadpans.

You playfully roll your eyes, "I mean - why me?"

"I- you're my girlfriend," he tells you like you don't already know it.

You scoff, "well I know that- I-I just I'm not one for the woods."

"Well then we don't have to go camping, we should just take a trip, wherever you want," he rubs his face.

"W-wherever?" you can't fathom what he is telling you, "are you being serious?"

"Why would I lie to you, jagi?" he counters, "of course I'm being serious, is there anywhere you want to go?"

"I-I don't care, m-maybe Okinawa, I heard it's really pretty this time of the year," you comment.

"We can definitely do that," Minho's voice is like honey, the sweetest you've ever heard.

No one has ever spoken to you quite as sweetly as Minho has, it threw you for a loop everytime he would speak to you gently like this.

"I can't believe I used to find you intimidating," you mumble, talking about the man across from you in your tub.

"Most people find me intimidating, jagi, I think you're in the small minority of people who don't see me that way," he whispered in response.

"I can see why people think you are, but now whatever they find intimidating I just find endearing," you quietly confess.

You look into his eyes, his gaze soft, it was always soft when he was staring at you, like it was a privilege only you had, him looking at you that way. "I think that's the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me," he breaks into a grin.

You take one last sip of wine before you're reaching up and placing the empty wine glass on the sink counter.

You dip your head into the water, wetting your hair before rising out of the water. You grab a bottle of shampoo, pouring it on your head, before massaging it into your scalp.

Minho repeats what you do, wetting his hair before shampooing it. You're putting your head back in the water, rinsing the shampoo out before grabbing your conditioner and putting it in your hair.

Once Minho rinses out the shampoo from his own hair you pass him the conditioner, letting him apply it.

While waiting for the conditioner to set in your hair you're moving over to Minho and straddling his lap, he takes a sip of wine before he's putting the glass back on the edge of the tub, his hands moving to your thighs under the water, gently squeezing the skin in his hands.

"You know, I can't believe how lucky I am to have you," you whisper before leaning down to kiss him gently.

You kiss him gently, hoping that your kiss will be as gentle as the way he speaks to you. A passionate kiss that he happily returns, it reminds you of the first kiss you two shared, the one that is a secret kept only between the two of you.

Each kiss you two share is a secret, almost like a language only the two of you know, one so tender and full of emotions. So rare and cherished because you both know you're the only two who will understand the words. As if every sentence spoken in the language was punctuated with a kiss.

Your chest went tight at your sudden realization, you love Lee Minho.

"You okay, jagi?" the man you love's voice snapping you out of your trance, "you went all still for a moment there," he chuckles.

"Y-yeah," you insist.

His right hand comes up to cup your face, pulling you back down for another kiss, "m'kay," he mouths against your lips.

Your lips move together in an almost hypnotic way against each other, in a way that leaves you dizzy and wanting more and more and more. You want as much as he'll give to you.

"Jagi," he hoarsely whispers against your lips, "y-you're perfect, y'know?"

Your arms link around the back of his neck, placing a peck on his lips before leaning back to get a good look at him, his eyes were glistening, wet hair slightly disheveled, and his lips are kiss bitten.

He breaks out into a toothy smile when he notices how you're looking at him, "you know, Ji thinks you're seeing someone," you inform him.

"Yeah?" Minho lowly chuckles, his eyebrows raising, "if only he knew I'm seeing the prettiest girl in the world, who just happens to share the same last name as him."

You can't help the blush that creeps onto your face from his sugary sweet words, "yeah, well, only if he knew I was seeing the handsomest guy in the world, who happens to be his best friend," you counter.

Minho's hands are tracing your sides now, tracing the stretch marks on your hips in the softest way imaginable, "they look kind of like lightning," he hinted at your stretch marks, "they're sexy, is that weird that I find every part of you sexy?" he ponders outloud.

"Just a bit, but I can't say much, I find every part of you sexy," you confide with a light blush on your cheeks.

You watch as the tips of his ears turn red and a shy smile breaks across his face, "every part?" he questions.

"Every part," you affirm, "even the parts you don't like," you whisper the last part.

You lean in and place a tender kiss on the underside of his jaw, while he leaves a kiss on your collarbone. Ripples of electricity flow through you when he gently bites down on your sweet spot and you can't help but gyrate your hips.

"J-jagi," Minho groans against your neck, "y-you're so fucking perfect."

"Make love t'me?" you request.

You can feel Minho's smile against your collarbone before he speaks, "let's rinse the conditioner out first," he suggests through a small chuckle.

You're quick to move off of him, dunking your head under the water, rinsing out the conditioner from your hair before watching him do the same. "You're eager," he teases, standing up from the tub before he's stepping out onto the bath mat.

You get a good look at him like this, a body so beautiful it looks like it was sculpted by the ancient Greeks. You can't help the way your eyes trail down his naked form, taking all of him in, from his beautiful face down to his strong calves and every piece of him in between.

"Like what you see?" Minho teases, grabbing a towel before drying himself off.

You can't help but rub your thighs together when you stare at his cock, semi-hard and quickly chubbing up.

You're standing up quickly, stepping out onto the bath mat, water dripping down every curve of your body, Minho is wrapping you in a towel of your own, helping dry you off.

He sinks to his knees without shame before he is drying off the lower half of your body. You can't help the whine that escapes your throat when he kisses your inner thigh, mere inches away from your cunt.

"And you say I'm eager?" you can't help but retort as you push the hair out of his face, his brown eyes staring up at you.

He smirks before kissing above the mound of your cunt. "I have the most beautiful woman in front of me, obviously I'm going to be eager," he compliments.

You're going to say something back to him but before you can you're moaning at the feeling of him gently sucking your clit into his mouth. "M-Minho-" a whimper tears itself from your throat.

"Just relax, jagi," he rasps before giving your clit a long, drawn out lick.

Your hands are grabbing at the sink counter for support because your legs are shaking so much you feel like they may give out on you. Minho's mouth working wonders on your clit, alternating between sloppy kitten licks, harsh sucks, and long drawn out movements of his tongue.

Your mind is turning into static and with every ministration of Minho's tongue you just fall deeper and deeper into the comfort of pleasure. Your hands are in his hair while his hands are wrapped around your thighs, keeping you still for him.

Time slows down like this, the only thing that matters in this world is the way your body shakes with every time Minho sucks on your clit. "My sweet jagi," Minho growls against your cunt, the vibrations of it sending you leaps and bounds closer to your orgasm, "are you enjoying yourself?"

He's not trying to tease you when he says this rather looking for genuine feedback and wanting to make sure he's doing a good job, "Minho d-don't you d-dare stop," you command, hands tugging on his locks.

And he is in no spot to deny your commands, returning to kitten licking your sloppy clit.

With a particularly hard suck on your clit you're squeezing your eyes shut and all that can be heard is white noise as you ride through the shockwaves of your orgasm, Minho's tongue gently licking over your clit, drawing out the fire pooling in your lower abdomen.

Your thighs shake in his grasp and your breathing becomes jagged while the bliss of your orgasm begins to fade away. "F-fuck," you cry out.

Minho gives your clit one last kiss, a gesture that makes tingles run up your spine, before he is standing up.

He is quick to bring you in for a passionate kiss and you can taste your essence on his tongue and it feels oh-so good to be this close to him. His tongue in your mouth and the taste of your own cum filling your taste buds. His hands resting on your hips before slowly moving up to your breasts, tweaking your pebbled nipples with his fingers.

When he pulls away from your lips he is breathless as he stares down at you, "you're so beautiful," he whispers, his chest heaving.

"Min," you choke, "p-please," is all you can manage to say.

But Minho knows what you want, almost like he can read your mind.

"I don't have a condom, jagi," he informs you.

"I'm on birth control, just please fuck me, Minho," you beg, "I think I'll go crazy if you don't."

He laughs at your remark, "okay," he whispers, pressing one last kiss on your lips before he's gently flipping you around, bending you over the sink counter.

You can't help but squeal as your body is pressed against the cold surface of the counter. A strangled moan tearing itself out of your throat when you feel Minho's cock rubbing against your entrance.

You look up into the mirror above the counter, watching Minho's face as he slowly pushes his cock into your awaiting cunt. Relishing in the way his eyes shut tightly and how his mouth falls open, a guttural groan ripping from his throat as he sinks into your pussy.

You can feel every vein of his pretty cock like this, questioning why you hadn't let him fuck you raw before. But you don't have much energy to think, not with the way Minho stills inside you, waiting for you to tell him to move, letting you adjust to his cock. Gentle with you even when you can tell he wants nothing more than to fuck your brains out.

"My perfect j-jagi, God i-it's so fucking warm 'n tight-" he groans, leaning forward and placing a gentle kiss on your back, you can't help but clench at his words which pulls an immediate reaction out of him, "g-god jagi, I-I c-can I move pl-please?"

You're nodding more frantically then you hoped you would, but you don't have time to be embarrassed when Minho's cock starts slowly thrusting into you. You watch as his brows knit together in the mirror, the look of pure bliss on his face.

And when his pace picks up and the head of his cock finally hits that spongy spot inside of you, the one that has you seeing stars, you lose all your composure.

You turn into a moaning, whimpering mess, letting out little 'ah,ah,ah's each time his mushroom tip kisses your cervix. Your head falls and you do your best to completely drown yourself in the pleasure of the moment.

The only sound you can hear in the room is the sound of skin slapping against skin accompanied by you and Minho's groans.

A strong knot begins forming in your lower abdomen, one that grows tighter and tighter with every hypnotizing thrust of Minho's cock.

Honestly, you don't think it can get any better until Minho's fingers trail down your side, moving to softly rub rub rub your clit.

And that is what sends you over the edge of another orgasm, the band in your abdomen snapping as you cum around Minho's cock.

Moans escape your throat to no avail as you clench on his cock, every thrust into you more delicious than the last.

"G-gonna cum," Minho announces with a low growl, "gonna cum in this perfect little cunt."

"P-please," you plead, chanting the word like a mantra as you feel hot ropes of Minho's cum spilling into you.

He rides out his orgasm thrusting into you erratically before his hips eventually stop their movements and now the only sound that can be heard is the two of you's labored breaths.

"My perfect girl," Minho leans back down, placing kisses along your spine, you whine when his cock slips out of you, "thank you."

You can't help the dazed, almost drunken-like grin that spreads across your face as you feel his cum dribbling out of your cunt.

Minho cleans the two of you up after that, helping dress you in one of his baggy shirts and a pair of your underwear while he wears a pair of grey sweatpants and a white tank top. He grabs the wine and the wine glasses and brings them into the kitchen, putting them in their respective places before joining you on the couch.

The two of you sit on your couch, your legs thrown across Minho's lap while you watch the show that the two of you had been binging for the past few weeks. Minho's hands tenderly massaging your calves, rubbing away any remaining stress before gently tracing shapes on your shins.

When he gets up to grab water he returns with a glass of water in his hands and a letter in the other hand, giving it to you, "it's from Hannie's brother," he informs you, placing your feet back on his lap.

You tear open the letter, a wedding invitation for you and a plus one of your choice. "Ji's older brother is getting married," you inform him, "it's a wedding invitation."

"Ah," Minho nods, you pass the letter to him letting him read it over, "a plus one?"

"Yeah," you shrug, "I would take you but, y'know..." you trail off.

"Yeah, I get it," he hums, placing the letter on the coffee table.

Two weeks before the wedding and Jisung was accompanying you while you went dress shopping. "Ooh, that one's nice, fits the theme," he comments when you come out of the dressing room with a nudish-pink frilly dress on.

"Yeah, I guess, what are you wearing?" you question.

"I'm wearing a grey tux, y'know being the best man and all," he informs, "but my date is wearing black."

"You have a date?"

"Well he's not a date, more like a friend, it's your favorite person," he wiggles his eye brows, sarcasm dripping from his voice, and obviously he was hinting at Minho.

Little did Jisung know, Minho was your actual favorite person, but he couldn't know that yet. "Are you bringing a date?" he interrogates you.

"No," you chuckle, "who would even be my date?"

"I'm telling you, y/nnie, that guy on our camera crew!" he gaffs like it's obvious, "I'm positive he'd love to go with you! And he seems nice! And I promise I won't embarrass you in front of him!"

"I dunno Ji," you sigh, just hoping Jisung will be quiet.

Later that week you were at the filming of one of the SKZCODE episodes, organizing the boy's schedule whilst waiting for the boys to get done with their hair and makeup the camera and set crew setting up, "y/nnie!" Han muses, you snap your head up, looking up at your cousin, next to him was a man you had seen at other recordings, one of the cameramen.

"Did I ever introduce you to Jang Siwoo-ssi?" he motions to the man next to him, obviously hoping to start off a conversation between you and the man next to him.

"N-no?" you stamper.

"Ah! Well he is the guy I was telling you about," he reminds you of the cameraman that he said had a thing for you, "and you two just sound like a good pair, so I wanted to introduce the two of you," he was straight to the point with his words.

"H-hi," the man - Siwoo - greets, a blush creeping onto his cheeks.

"Hi," you return, "I'm Han y/n, I'm Han's younger cousin, and one of the managers."

"Well you two are already hitting it off! Oh look at the time! I need to get dressed!" Jisung is quick to run off.

"Uhm Han was telling me that you needed a plus one to a-a wedding," Siwoo informs.

"O-oh, yeah-"

"-well I think you're really pretty a-and if you still don't have a date I-I would r-really like to go with you?" he cuts you off.

"Oh," your tone falls, you can't not accept, if you refuse, Jisung will interrogate you to no end, "y-yeah sure, I-I'll give you my number."

You pull your phone out of your pocket and hand it to him, letting him type his phone number into your phone before he hands it back to you. "Siwoo! We need your help!" another cameraman calls.

"Coming!" the man in front of you responds, "I'll uh text you."

"Y-yeah okay," you agree.

Later that night you texted him the details for the wedding. The wedding that came sooner rather than later.

Your doorbell rang and you knew it was Siwoo, the two of you deciding to ride to the wedding with Han and Minho. You let the man into your apartment, the two of you making mindless chit chat until the door is being opened by Han, Minho behind him. "Who's this?" Minho asks, motioning to Siwoo.

"He's her date," Han informs Minho whilst grabbing a water out of your fridge.

"Ah," Minho's eyes find yours and you give him an apologetic glance, trying to convey your thoughts with your eyes.

The wedding ceremony itself was rather short, followed soon after by the reception, a reception where you were seated between Minho and Siwoo, Han on Minho's right.

You curse whatever God put you in this position, having to ignore Minho for so long, especially when he looked oh so good.

"I'm going to grab a drink, do you want anything?" Siwoo asks as he stands up.

"I'll join you," Han stands up, joining Siwoo.

You shake your head and let out a shaky breath, turning to Minho, his hand is quick to rest on your thigh, "you look nice, jagi," he leans in to whisper in your ear, "that color looks good on you."

"Minho," your voice trembles, "at times like this I wish I didn't have to pretend to hate you."

"Me too," he hums, "maybe we could sneak off? I could tell Han you're not feeling well, call a cab, and we could go back to your place," he suggests.

To say it's tempting is an understatement, Siwoo sliding back into the chair on the other side of you makes you almost jump up into the air. Minho's hand flying off your thigh and settling back onto his own leg.

Siwoo didn't seem to notice, though, which you were thankful for. "H-hey I had fun today, b-but I don't feel too good, I think I'm gonna head home," you announce to Siwoo.

"O-oh I'll take you back home," he offers.

"Oh, uhm, Minho was going to take me."

Siwoo looks between you and Minho for a moment. "Oh you two are-" you can see the gears turning in his head, "a-a couple?"

"Who are you talking about?" Jisung asks, standing behind his chair.

"Y/n and Minho!" Siwoo gaffs like it's obvious.

"What!?" Han's jaw practically falls to the floor in shock, "the-there's no way! I mean guys he's just talking out of his ass right now right?"

"I-I me-mean yeah!" you try to lie.

"Minho! You've been bumping uglies with my cousin!" Han can see through your lies, turning the blame onto Minho.

Now it is Minho's time to stammer and try to act oblivious, "w-what n-n-no!"

"Oh my God!" Han groans, "I'm so mad at the two of you I can't even look at you!"

Han is soon stomping away, leaving in a huff, you turn your attention back to Siwoo, "I-I honestly have no words, uhm, I- I'm gonna go," he announces his departure.

You glance at Minho, feeling so embarrassed you could cry. "M-Minho," you whimper, biting your tongue so you don't cry.

"Jagi," Minho coos, his hand resting on your thigh yet again, "c'mon let's go home," he insists.

He is swift to order an Uber. You can't help the lump welling in your throat the one that spills over with salty tears running down your face, "oh, jagi," Minho is quick to pull you up, across the reception venue and out into the hall.

He has you trapped between his body and the wall, "sweet girl, hey, look at me," he tilts your chin up so you're looking up at him.

His brown eyes lovingly gaze at you when he speaks, "everything is gonna be okay," he tries to reassure you.

"But it isn't!" you sob.

"It will," he promises, "I love Jisung, but not in the way I love you and not more than I love you. Are you hearing me, jagi? I love you."

The world could be hit by a meteor and you wouldn't care, not in this moment. Because all that matters is the man standing in front of you, cradling your face.

The man who has you as his cat's emergency contact, the one who knows every uninteresting thing about you, the man who loves you. He's in front of you, and he is unwavering in his love.

"Y-you love me?" you choke through a sob.

"I love you more than the tides love the moon," he confesses, "you don't have to say it back, I want you to mean it when you say it, don't just say it because I did," he insists.

"M-Minho," you pull him in for a hug, "I do love you," you confide.

"Y-you're being serious?" his breath hitches in anticipation.

"As serious as a heart attack," you try to joke through your tears.

You pull apart from the hug and look into his brown eyes, his gaze is tender, like always, but it's not just his usual tender gaze. The way he looks at you now is different, it's the look of love.

"Can't believe you love me," he whispers, "in no world am I deserving of your love."

You can't help but smile ear to ear, "are you trying to make me cry more?" you chuckle.

"No," he leans down and presses the softest kiss on your lips like if he kisses you too harshly you'll fall apart, he kisses you like you're made of the most fragile china, "I never wanna make you cry."

"I love you," you say it again for whatever reason, but Minho doesn't mind.

"I love you more," he insists, wiping the tears from your face, "don't worry about Han, he'll come around, he can't stay mad at me and you forever."

"Minho-hyung," Han's voice rings in your ear, both you and Minho's gaze snapping to the man, who looks like he walked in on the two of you, "y/n, I-I," he sighs, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have gotten mad at you two," he apologizes, "so how long have the two of you been a thing?"

"Since that trip to Japan," Minho informs him, his hand moving down to interlink with your own.

"Well, you hurt her I hurt you," Han shrugs, "b-but I'm happy for the two of you."

"See? Told you he'd come around," Minho whispers to you.

Han is quick to return back to the wedding without another word, "so are we still going back to my place?" you mumble.

"Yeah, let's go," he agrees.

[transhawks]

Why does everyone treat Hawks having always been an assassin as canon? I know he was brought in as a replacement for Nagant but as far as I’m aware there’s no actual proof he killed anyone before twice

You're right! We've never been explicitly told he has a kill-count of anything but 1 (rip Jin). However (honestly you knew this would make me actually write, didn't you?)....

1. The HSPC has changed (somewhat)

It's spelled out to us that Madame Prez wasn't like her predecessor. Her methods weren't as brutal, she was way into a war of information. In some ways, crueler. Kaina wasn't executed - instead she had her hair shorn and was defamed, humiliated.

Nagant assumes Keigo has been used like her. Horikoshi says Madame Prez groomed Keigo from a much earlier age than the middle school-aged Kaina so he had way less ability to leave or question (additionally, he was so sheltered from society and marginalized that he simply would have been incapable until he was an adult).

This is what the story says outright. So, yes, you're right - everything else is speculation. But then the question is why people believe this is canon outside of the typical abysmal literacy found in this fandom?

2. But Hawks being Hawks doesn't Make It Easier

Truth be told, I'm on your side. I used to very much doubt he had much of a body/kill count. I still think it might be single digits if we consider actually murdering someone with his own hands/quirk, though I suspect he might be responsible for deaths in other ways. I would have completely accepted Jin being his first (and only at this point) murder.

So why did I change my mind about this? Simply; Keigo's a fucking freak. I say this with love.

Every so often Keigo says or does something in this manga that both confirms he's kind of insane and in a very different moral space than everyone else, and just off-handedly mentioning he went and, after being subjected to third degree burns and essentially losing limbs, immediately went to eliminate every last sample even after the battle (where he was carried off by Tokoyami mind you) as in....destroying Jin's body or ensuring no one can use it. He's offended when it's clear Dabi got the better of him with this.

Mind you, he's the world champion at repressing his feelings, duh, but the fascinating way he speaks about this (a minute after screaming they NEED TO KILL JIN AGAIN) speaks volumes. Keigo's completely undaunted about handling death and its aftermath. If he's never killed before, he's been certainly trained to in a way that he handles it professionally.

There's one more thing that makes me think Keigo did kill before Jin. We can argue over how much Keigo hesitated killing Jin, but I think it's a point in that he did in how much he ABSOLUTELY does not with All For One.

Like he does not hesitate. Immediately tries to put a feather-knife through his brain. Logically, I mean, I think anyone would try to one-shot AFO because the more time the man that has (until he rewound himself) the more time he has to fuck you up, but still. He tries to stab through his man's head as soon as he gets out of the portal.

Here's Keigo just admitting it, albeit saying he expected it wouldn't work, but really, he's more apologizing he can't immediately kill this man.

No hesitance.

My final piece of evidence is that Keigo is currently walking around Japan in a suit with a katana begging mfers to "try it bitch". Like being quirkless, not a hero, none of that is stopping him if he needs to defend himself. And it's not like he can pin someone away with his feathers. Nor does he have dozens of daggers at his disposal anymore, just one blade. He's the type to try and finish things quickly as the manga has shown time and time again. I really hope no one actually tries to assassinate him because there's an extreme likelihood he'll just decapitate them in the SPC boardroom.

3. Red, Red Hands

To recap, we know Keigo has been trained to kill, in a multitude of ways (and not only with his quirk), and has always seen killing as option/tool he can use. The HSPC might not be as eager to kill as Kaina's era was, but they raised Keigo with the intent to use him to be able to kill people and cover it up. While there's no proof of other murders, there's proof he's been given the training, tools, and expectation to kill. And his attitude towards killing isn't making it seem like he's not done it before. Of course, he's not agonizing over it like Kaina, which makes me think he was used sparingly to kill.

But the other thing to ask is - will Keigo continue to kill (and not like in personal defense) or lead to the deaths of others? He's already set on reforming the Public Safety Commission by allowing for the reform of Villains who cooperate, renaming the Commission to distance itself from solely heroism... We're still a few chapters away of seeing what this new president has in store for society and how he'll distinguish his methods from the people who created him, but we also have two hundred and fifty chapters of him expressing dislike of how he's used, so perhaps it's fair to say he's not continuing the cycle?

[nocturnowlette]

[SUGGESTIVE POST]

So I just wanna talk about one of my fun little nsfw experiments I've now done a few times with my subjects.

Turns out that a lot of them seem to enjoy edging, so during one session, on the spot, I decided to create a little game.

The first thing I did was to establish a "Barking Loop". It went:

1. Bark

2. When you Bark, you feel reminded of who you're Barking for.

3. When you think of Master, you feel so grateful and subservient to me.

4. When you think of Master, you hear me command you to Bark again.

This makes every Bark powerful and lead to an endless loop of Barking in their mind (or texting to me). I reinforce the loop over and over and over again until they're a wordless, barking mess. I assign this loop the trigger "Bark Loop", then bring them back up.

Next, once up, I use the trigger once for them to feel how powerful it is, and reinforce the idea that it eats up all of their thoughts even when fighting against it, then I bring them back up again.

Once more, I use the Bark Loop, but specifically calling it a "Weak Bark Loop", and telling them they can fight against it if they stay focused on it as much as they can. Any time their focus wavers, the loops eats that focus up and gets stronger and harder to resist.

I keep talking to them in order to distract them, having fun seeing their words eventually devolve into a mess of barking, before letting them know that there is actually a way to fight against it: whenever they edge, they very very slowly start to get their focus back.

Any time they edge, they think of me, dedicating all of their pleasure to my sake. It makes them all horny and stupid, but it takes control away from the barking, allowing them to speak to me.

Then, I force them to reply to me with, "Yes, Master." to some question with perfect grammar, forcing them to edge to get back to that point. They always mess it up a few times, it's adorable, and every time they do I make the loop stronger.

And then, finally, I give one more suggestion: if they cum, they get too exhausted to resist the loop, and their mind is trapped in Puppy Space for the next hour, feeling desperately horny and needing to edge, all while thinking of me.

If they do edge enough, they can escape having won, but they're so constantly surrounded by temptation that only one subject has ever won, and that was after cumming once and me bringing them back up for fun to try again.

By the end of just one of these sessions, the subject ends up ridiculously suggestible to me. I need to be careful because just one Bark Loop trigger can make them turn into a mess. Even with strong safeties installed, they seem unable to fight against it on their own.

Or, maybe they just don't want to.

Oh, and for any of my subjects reading this that have the Bark Loop command installed,

Wake Up.

Don't want any pups getting lost without my permission.

Anyways, I hope this post inspires you, pups and hypnotists alike.

[zoeykallus]

Hello there!

Would you mind giving us something angsty? Like, Reader confesses her love to the batchers (and maybe Rex and Mayday?). They do feel the same, but they react in the wrong way somehow, so that reader gets hurt, but in the end there is something like a happy end? Like separate little short fics or one-shots.

I know that's probably a lot of work, so please don't feel pressured to do this.

Aloha! Yeah, I think I can do that 😊

The Bad Batch/ Mayday/Rex x Reader Prompts – Confessions

Part 1/7 - Tech

Warnnings: Love Confessions/Angst/Hurt/Comfort/Fluff

Masterlist Ko-Fi (If you feel like giving me some coffee)

AC: I tried to tackle this one with the thought in mind that Tech is/might be in some autistic spectrum. Now please don't throw any stones at me, I have no real life experience on that subject, so I kinda wrote this one the way I feel Tech after almost three season.

You've had feelings for him for a while now. Your heart beats faster, you feel warm when he approaches you and your eyes meet. You could listen to him day and night, no matter what he talks about. You think a part of him knows this, must know it, because when he discovers something new and wants to tell someone about it, he usually comes to you automatically. Because you listen to him attentively, every time. Your feelings go beyond friendship, you long to be close to him, you miss him every second he's not around. But you know Tech is somehow different. Sometimes he's very forthcoming, seems to enjoy being around you, but other times, he's more distant, almost as if he's trying to keep you at arm's length, as if he can't handle your presence right now. You have no idea how exactly to assess this behavior, it often feels like a roller coaster ride. It's not always easy to deal with and adjust to. But you want to do the right thing, so you don't push him when you realize he's pulling away, even if it hurts.

But one day, you summon up all your courage. Tech and you are working on damage to the outer hull of the Marauder. Until just now, he was telling you about his idea to improve the alloy for the metal of the outer hull and how he plans to make certain modifications to the ship in the future. Now, however, there is a brief pause, and you continue to work in silence. Your gaze wanders thoughtfully from his helmet, which is resting on a toolbox behind him, back to him Your heart is pounding in your throat, your hands are even shaking a little as you decide to finally tell him, to tell him how you feel about him. "Tech?" His name comes over your lips, almost like a whisper. He heard you, though. Normally he would answer you and listen without looking up from his work, but something about the way you say his name catches his attention this time. He pauses, turns his head in your direction and looks at you, his eyes widening a little. "What's wrong?"

His gaze, those beautiful eyes, like dark brown amber. Your knees go weak. You try to hold his gaze, but every now and then, you blink and look to the side before looking at him again as you speak. "There's something I need to tell you" His brows move up questioningly. "Is it something important?" You hesitate for a second before saying, "I guess it's a matter of opinion. It's very important to me" Surprised, you watch as Tech puts down his tools and turns to you. "Then let me hear it," he says promptly. Now you have his undivided attention. Your stomach is tingling, your heart is doing wild tricks in your chest. Your mouth goes dry, and you hastily reach for the water bottle to take a few sips. As you put the bottle down, your hand trembles so much that you can barely put the bottle down properly. Tech doesn't miss this, of course, his brows draw together in concern, but he waits silently for you to tell him. "I have feelings for you," you suddenly say so quickly, with a look on your face as if you were ripping off a band-aid. Then you smile nervously, inwardly cursing at yourself.

He stands there, motionless, and looks at you. Occasionally he blinks. You don't know what you were expecting, but some kind of reaction would have been nice. You nervously hold your breath.

"Romantic?" he finally asks after what feels like an eternity.

You finally dare to breathe again. He sounds thoughtful, confused, maybe even overwhelmed, but you can't quite put your finger on it right now, your own thoughts and your heartbeat are so incredibly loud.

"Yes, Tech. You know, accelerated pulse when you're near me, tingly feeling in my stomach, the need to be close to you, to want to please you. Bittersweet nervousness..."

For a moment, he looks at you as if you have a rare disease that might be contagious, and your stomach tightens at the sight. You regret saying a single word. "I'm not sure how to deal with this," he says thoughtfully, averting his eyes, "I can't... process" You can't help but stare at him helplessly. You feel the blood drain from your face, and your whole body suddenly seems to become much heavier. You swallow and say in a helpless attempt to pretend everything is okay, "It's okay, Tech, we don't have to talk about it" You turn back to your work, avert your gaze, and you miss Tech's confused, questioning look as he asks, "Don't we have to? You said it's important to you" "No," you say and put the tool to work, "We don't have to, everything can just stay the way it was before" He looks at you silently for a while longer, lost in his thoughts, before resuming his work. _______ Over the next few days, you hardly speak a word, in fact you avoid him. You feel like an idiot, hurt and exposed. The thought that Tech knows about your feelings makes you feel like you're walking around naked and every one of his questioning, scrutinizing glances weighs heavily on you.

One evening, as you sit alone in the cockpit, you hear someone walk toward you, and by now you can already tell that Tech is approaching by the sound of his footsteps. You shrink into the co-pilot's seat and focus obsessively on the datapad in your hands. As he says your name, your shoulders shrink down, you try to make yourself even smaller, you don't look up as you answer, "Yes?" His voice sounds soft, but still in his very own matter-of-fact way, as he says, "A few days ago, when you told me about your feelings, you said we didn't have to talk about it and everything could be the same. But it's not. You're avoiding me, avoiding eye contact. I realized that my first reaction made you feel insecure, probably even gave you the wrong impression. I've come to the conclusion that nothing is the same as before and that there is a real need to talk about it" You sigh softly and ask, "Is there something on your mind?" Instead of answering, Tech leans down towards you. Surprised and a little startled, your eyes do wander in his direction. He kisses your cheek gently and chastely, then sits down in the pilot's seat.

Your fingers automatically move to the spot where his lips touched your cheek, leaving a soft, tingling sensation. You feel warm, but at the same time you are confused and can't help but stare at him questioningly. "After some time to process what I've heard, said and felt, I've realized that these feelings are apparently mutual. I hope that's not a problem" You blink several times and straighten up a little in your seat. A soft smile at the corners of your mouth. "That's not a problem, Tech, not at all" He nods, smiling. "Good, so we can explore this new territory together, right?" You resist the urge to fall around his neck, you know that Tech processes things differently, especially in the interpersonal sphere, that he takes longer and values physical contact very differently. You nod, your smile a little wider. "I'd love to, Tech," you say softly. Your heart almost leaps out of your chest with joy as he reaches for your hand, tentatively at first, but eventually with gentle determination. With a cautious smile, he says, "I hope you'll be patient with me" You laugh softly, gently, and beam at him as you reply, "I have all the time in the world for you, Tech"

[literaryavenger]

Broken - final part

Summary: The wait for Bucky's trial is finally over.

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Female Reader

Warnings: Minimal use of Y/N. Language. Innocent and broken Bucky. Mentions of Bucky's past and nightmares. A lot of fluff. My poor attempts at being funny.

Word Count: 3K

A/N: this is the last part of this story! I had originally planned on making it much longer but I honestly didn't have many ideas to go on, so I decided to use the ideas I did have and end it there. So here it is, hope you like it!

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5

Masterlist

Slowly you start to forgive the team, starting with Peter that came to you one afternoon handing you some flowers and a teddy bear as an apology and making your heart melt. How can you stay mad at such a sweet boy? 

After about a month you're back on speaking terms with everyone, except Steve and Tony.

For some reason you can't get over the fact that they started the whole civil war and were the ones to decide to cut you out of it.

Everyone tried to make you see things from their side, even Thor and Bruce that were back from New Asgard along with Loki, who couldn’t care less about the whole situation but kind of enjoyed the chaos. 

After that night with Bucky’s nightmare you talked more about pretty much any subject, and he came to you everytime he needed comfort.

Bucky also isn't able to keep his hands to himself anymore, not that you mind, a feat that did not go unnoticed by the team.

You never miss the knowing looks they give each other every time Bucky hugs you or randomly grabs your hand.

Even though you couldn't bring yourself to forgive Steve yet, you start being around him more and more especially after Bucky asked you to start coming with him to his meetings with Fury.

The closer it gets to his hearing, the more touchy Bucky seems to be with you, as if his hands on you is the only thing that keeps him grounded to reality. 

The day before his hearing Bucky can't get himself away from you, following you everywhere since you woke up in the same bed, a thing that started to happen more and more every time he had a nightmare.

Some nights going as far as going to sleep directly in your room without even stepping foot in his.

Steve bides his time the whole day, trying to choose his moment, which came in the early afternoon when you left Bucky on Scott's floor with Cassie while you went to yours to get some Pop Tarts for Cassie since, not surprisingly, Thor finished the ones in their kitchen.

Scott thought that spending time with Cassie, which Bucky has come to be very fond of, would help the super soldier take his mind off the trial, and he was right.

When you get to your floor, and Steve sees you're alone, he doesn't think twice about approaching you.

He's speaking before you even have a chance to realize what's happening. "Listen, I know we’re not in the best terms right now, but I want to talk to you about Bucky."

As much as you want to ignore him you know he really cares about his best friend. And since he’s been nothing but respectful of your decision to avoid him, you think that him actively seeking you out means this is important.

So you nod at him to go on and, with a relief sigh that you're actually gonna listen to him, he does. "Here’s the thing, we both know Bucky’s been through a lot…" he starts, choosing his words carefully as to not give his best friend away completely.

"He’s been doing so much better, and even I realize that’s largely thanks to you." you’re about to protest, but he raises his hand to stop you. "It is. We all see how he is when you’re around, but you don’t see how he is while you’re away on missions. He’s like a puppy just waiting for you to come back, brooding away everytime someone that isn’t you walks through the door."

You can tell he’s trying very hard not to smile as he thinks about it, but fails miserably, before shaking his head a little and getting back on track.

"Anyway, my point is you’re important to him. Tomorrow is gonna be a really hard day for Bucky and I want to thank you for being there for him. Not just for the trial, but for everything I know you do for him. And, I realize it might not be my place to say but, as the only family Buck has left, I feel like I have to tell you: please be careful with him. After everything he’s been through the last thing he needs is to get his heart broken."

Steve knows maybe he said a little too much, but he needs to know Bucky's in good hands. Even if he does trust you with his life, he also wants to know he can trust you with his best friend’s heart.

He doesn't expect you to answer, your face staying neutral the whole time he spoke, and he's about to turn away when you basically throw yourself at him, giving him the tightest hug he’s had since you started avoiding him.

All you can think about was how glad you are that Bucky has someone who cares about him as much as Steve does.

Now more than ever you can see Steve’s reasons behind his choices, how he was motivated by his love for a guy he sees as a brother, the only family he has left.

You get it, you truly do, but seeing it makes you almost cry on Bucky’s behalf.

"I promise you the last thing I’d ever want to do is hurt him." is all you say as you let go, a wordless understanding between you both that you forgive him.

You grab the pop tarts you came here for and go back to an awaiting Bucky and Cassie, who are wearing tiaras and giggling making your heart melt.

The rest of the day goes fast and soon you’re getting into bed with Bucky, not wanting to sleep by himself tonight.

"Hey," he says as he wraps his arms around you. "I just want to say, in case things go wrong tomorrow-"

"Don’t say that, Buck." you interrupt him. "Everything’s gonna be okay, and you’ll come home a free man." you say firmly.

"Doll, we both know there’s a very real chance that I’ll be found guilty and sent back to the Raft. If that happens, I don’t think I’d be able to live without you knowing this…"

Before he can say anything else, you put your hand on his mouth, effectively shutting him up. "Don’t say anything, please. You can tell me tomorrow, after we come back home together."

You can tell he’s trying really hard to hold himself back, but eventually he agrees and you take your hand away, getting more comfortable in his arms and falling asleep in each other’s embrace for what Bucky prays won’t be the last time.

The next morning comes and Bucky’s a bundle of nerves, so worried that time seems to go by in a flash.

Suddenly he’s in a courtroom, asking the judge to please repeat his rouling one more time.

A full pardon.

He can’t believe it. Yes, he has to go to court mandated therapy and has a probation period to go through with the team, but still.

Now he feels like time’s going in slow motion, all he can see it’s you as he turns to your seat next to him. You hug him with tears in your eyes as you tell him how proud you are of him and that you knew he was gonna be okay.

Somehow, you made it real for him. Hearing you acknowledge it makes him believe it and then he’s crying too, not able to hold back.

Steve puts a hand on his shoulder, making you let go of each other and turn to him, a smile so big on his face that you can see all his stupidly perfect teeth.

You all finally get home and, as soon as you enter the living room on your shared floor, you hear a chorus of “congratulations!” followed by loud noises and confetti falling everywhere.

You’re as shocked as Bucky and, as you turn to Steve you see a surprised look on his face too, which turns confused when he looks at you mirroring his own reaction, the same question in the tip of both of your tongues.

But before you can ask each other, Bucky beats you both to it.

"Did you do this for me?" he's amazed, overjoyed and then as confused as you when you both shake your heads no.

Then the mystery is revealed.

"I did it." All three of you are shocked when you turn around to the voice, thinking you were imagining it, to find a very real Tony Stark standing in front of you, the rest of the team behind him.

"You did this?" you have to make sure you heard him correctly.

"Yeah, I did. I’m amazing, get over it." And with that Tony walks away towards the bar. There he is.

You turn to Bucky and Steve and since all they do is stare at you, you just shrug and go to join the rest of the team in celebration, the super soldiers right behind you.

You joke and laugh and dance all together for hours, until eventually you find yourselves sitting scattered around the living room, various conversations going at the same time.

You're sitting on Bucky’s lap, his arms around you and your head on his chest as he jokes with Steve and Sam when you notice Tony going behind the bar, where nobody else is.

You feel the need to follow him so you kiss Bucky in the cheek and tap his arms twice signaling him to let go of you. When he does, somewhat reluctantly, you get up and walk after Tony.

You lean on the bar, crossing your arms in front of your chest. But before you can say anything he speaks, not even bothering to turn around.

"Don’t need to thank me, Cyborg deserves it.- You roll your eyes at the nickname, but decide to let it go for the time being.

"So what, you’re his biggest fan now?" You know you were kind of pushing it, but you just need to know what changed.

He turns around and you get ready for him to yell at you again, but instead he smiles in a way that was too sweet not to be genuine. Yep, Tony Stark is full of surprises.

"I’m not. But I see the way he looks at you." you raise your eyebrow at him.

"How does he look at me?"

"It's the same way I look at Pepper." He answers without skipping a beat. "I know he knows he's not good enough for you, but I can see he's trying to be. That's all I could ask for." he shrugs and turns back around.

You know he means it, as much of a genius as he is, even he couldn’t come up with a lie like that, that fast.

You stare at the back of his head while he works on his drink, both of you thinking of a way to approach the next subject the right way.

When he turns back to you he puts a glass in front of you, your favorite drink in it, and takes a sip of his own drink. After a few more moments of silence, he decides to speak first.

"I’m sorry. For keeping the whole war thing from you and for how I treated Barnes. I had a lot of time to think about it, I read all the Hydra reports we found on him, I rewatched the footage… I can see now it really was out of his control. I shouldn’t have blamed him for something he had no way of stopping. And I shouldn’t have kept something so big from you. I really am sorry."

You’re glad he finally sees things the way you do, but you can’t help yourself as you say "I appreciate it, and I forgive you, but I’m not the one you have to apologize to."

"Trust me, I know." he sighs. "Pepper already gave me the speech…" he says sheepishly.

God, you love that woman.

He makes his way around the bar and stops in front of you.

He gives you a hug and whispers in your ear. "I’m doing this for you, too. I don’t like it when you’re mad at me and I need you to know I meant everything I just said.-"

You’re a little confused at what he’s talking about until he lets go of you and walks towards the couch where Buck’s still talking to Sam and Steve.

"Bucky," he starts, and the room goes silent "I just want you to know that I’m sorry for blaming you for my parents’ death. And it’s not just because the government believes you’re innocent, after everything I’ve learned about your situation the past month I can’t not believe you were a victim and still call myself a genius. I also read some of dad’s old journals from when he worked with the Howling Commandos... You guys were friends. I realize you wouldn’t have hurt him if you had a choice. And I’m also sorry for the name calling, Terminator."

You roll your eyes with a smile at his last sentence while the others snickered at the nickname.

You go to stand next to Tony and wrap your arm around his waist and, when he wraps his around your shoulders and looks down at you, you gave him a squeeze, letting him know you're grateful to him for doing this.

You look at Bucky who doesn’t quite know what to say so you let go of Tony and make your way to sit back down on his lap, his arms going around your waist automatically. That seems to snap him out of it.

"Thank you, Tony. You don’t have to apologize, I understand why you were angry, but I appreciate it. Howard was a good man, he didn’t deserve an end like that." Tony doesn't say anything back, merely nodding and going to sit next to Pepper.

Well, that’s a start.

Everyone goes back to their own conversations and you turn back to Bucky, who's already looking up at you.

"Thank you." he says low enough so only you can hear.

"I didn’t do anything, it was all him. I told you, anyone with a functioning brain can see that you’re a good person." you tell him with a smile.

He smiles back at you, holding you tighter as you lay your head back on his shoulder while looking at your friends talking and laughing amongst each other. You're happy that things are back to normal, with the added bonus of Bucky finally being completely free.

The party eventually ends and the living room slowly empties out, the last people remaining being you, Bucky and Steve.

"Well, I’m going to sleep. You guys should too, today’s been a long day." Steve says, giving Bucky one last pat on the shoulder and, with a smile to the both of you, he gets up and leaves.

You’re sitting in a comfortable silence, not really feeling the need to get up just yet, when you feel Bucky leave a soft kiss against your shoulder, which makes you sit up a little straighter and turn to look at him, your arms going around his neck.

"We still have a conversation to finish… Are you gonna let me talk now?" He's much more confident than he was last night and you nod, curiosity now taking over you.

"Great… I’m just gonna get to the point. I like you, doll. The longer I spend time with you, the more I feel like myself. I feel at peace, like the last 70 years never happened because I know that’s not what you see when you look at me. You’ve never been scared of me, never looked at me like I was a monster. You spend  time with me because you want to, not because you have to. You don’t mind having me around even when we don’t talk and all I do is look at you. You comfort me when I’m sad, calm me down when I have a panic attack and hold me until I fall asleep after I have a nightmare. You never judge me or make me feel guilty or like I’m too much, and you never push me to talk about anything, you’re always patient and let me take my time. I truly appreciate everything you do for me and I need you to know that. And to be clear, when I say I like you I mean it in the ‘I’d like to take you out on a date’ way."

You’re almost crying now, your heart melting as you look at an expectant Bucky. You honestly have no words to reply, so you do the only thing you can think of.

You lean down and kiss him softly, feeling him kiss you back almost right away, his lips are so soft you almost moan into the kiss. After a few moments you pull away, forehead resting against his.

"I really hope that means you like me back." he says with a goofy smile, making you giggle.

"Yes, I like you too." you gave him another kiss. "You make me feel seen. You make me feel important. You make me feel safe. I love spending time with you and having you close. And I’d love to go on a date with you."

This time he’s the one to initiate the kiss and you can’t help but smile into it. Suddenly he gets up, picking you up bridal style and making you squeal in surprise.

He laughs at your face while he takes you both to your room, where he lays you gently on the bed.

"I could’ve walked, you know." You tell him while chuckling.

"I know." he answers before basically lying on top of you while you laugh, smile seared onto his face.

You hang onto each other as you fall asleep, more than glad to have found the other and both silently planning your future together.

Bonus part

Requested taglist: @aesthetic0cherryblossom @buchi91 @sapphirebarnes @ordelixx

[outsideratheart]

Helium (Alexia Putellas x reader)

A/N: This is chapter 6 of The Legacy Series.

You laid on your sofa debating whether or not to call Alexia. This seemed to be happening a lot recently but given that you had been out for breakfast together you wasn’t sure if she would want to see you again. 

Things had been going really well between the two of you, both on and off the pitch. On the pitch you had officially found your groove having scored 11 goals in the last 7 games. Off the pitch you find yourself in an unfamiliar state of happiness. Days off were never spent alone and you no longer made table reservations for one as Alexia joined you in your goal of eating at every restaurant and drinking at every coffee shop in Barcelona.  

Your thumb hovers over Alexia’s contact before hitting the call button. It rings 4 times before you get her voicemail. You see this as a sign that you should get an early night so you do just that. Besides, you have training in the morning so you only have to wait a few more hours until you can see her again. 

Only the next morning you arrive at Joan Camper and a certain midfielder is missing.

“Oh Y/N” Mapi grabs your hand pulling you towards her table in the canteen “You know why Alexia is late don’t you? The two of you are always together so she will have told you something” 

You could think of many words to describe Alexia but late is not one of them, especially not when it came to training. This was reason enough for concern but you didn’t want to worry the rest of the team so you chose to lie.

“She had a photoshoot this morning but don’t worry she’ll be here in time for us to destroy her at the fitness test” you hoped your joke would help cover the lie and to your relief it was.

Alexia did turn up to the facility albeit it 2 1/2 hours after training had started. The rest of the team didn’t think twice about it given you told them she was going to be late but you on the other hand wanted to know why she was late. 

The two of you partner up for the next drill and it gives you the opportunity to question her away from the other girls. 

“Is everything ok?” You ask her. 

“Thank you for covering for me this morning. It won’t happen again” she dodges the question and you recognise the avoidance technique all to well. 

“Ale” you grab her hand and pull her to the side of the pitch. 

“What are you doing? We are in the middle of training” Alexia looks around and sees that you have caught the attention of a few staff members. 

“And we will go back to that in a minute. Talk to me? Has something happened?” 

“I’m fine. I overslept” 

“That’s a lie” you call her out without hesitation. 

“It is” Alexia mumbles as runs back onto the pitch where the rest of the team are waiting for you. 

For the rest of the session it felt like Alexia was avoiding you and only you. Every so often you would catch her eye, she would hold the gaze for a couple of seconds, flash a quick smile and then turn away. At least you knew she wasn’t ignoring you. 

Alexia’s behaviour continued for the next couple of days and every time you asked her about it she found a way to change the subject. You started to worry but after talking to Mapi & Jenni you learnt that sometimes Alexia does this. She goes quiet and pulls away but it doesn’t last longer than a week. 

“Alexia please wha—“ 

You don’t get the chance to ask her what is wrong yet again because you are interrupted although this time it isn’t by the Spaniard it is by Lieke.

“Y/N your mum keeps calling me because you won’t take her calls. Care to explain?”

This gets Alexia’s attention. Over the time she has known you she has learnt that you are very close with you mum so that fact you are ignoring her calls is a concern.

“It’s fine. I’ll handle it” you try to keep your response as short as possible.

“Is it about the thing?” Lieke speaks in code given that you are not alone.

“She just wants to check in and make sure I’m behaving here in Barcelona. You know how she gets” you joke.

“You’re lying” Alexia know you well enough to know when you aren’t telling the truth.

You found it ironic. Here Alexia stands calling you a liar when she has been lying about what’s been going on with her for the last week.

“It’s what we do, no?” You want to get a reaction out of her. You want her to admit she that has been keeping something from you but she doesn’t. Instead she mumbles something incoherent before walking away.

“She wasn’t calling to check up on you Y/N. She wants to go if you plan on going back to Amsterdam for the event” Lieke didn’t speak up when Alexia was around but she did want to talk to you about it now.

“I’m not going. I’ve told her this multiple times but she keeps pushing. I’ll tell her to stop calling you”

“I’d go with you. I know its been a few years but I had fun when you took me to the last one”

“I’m not going Lieke and you know why”

You went home that night in a much worse mood than you wanted to. Something was wrong with Alexia and you just wanted to help her but she was determined to shut you out. Then there was your mother who took the word persistent to a whole new level. 

The team had the next 4 days off, now normally you would have made plans with Alexia but you hadn’t had the chance so you try to call her to see if she was up for doing something only her phone goes straight to voicemail. One ring and she declined the call, it stung.

The next morning you text her to tell her you’re free if she wanted to do something. By doing this the ball was in her court, all you could do is wait and hope that she replies. Hours pass by before you admit that Alexia isn’t going to call but you’re not willing to waste the day at home so you decide to go to the training ground. You had a lot on mind over the past couple of days but your mind was calm whenever you were on the pitch.

You’re not sure how much time has passed but you know it must have been a few hours because the groundsman turns the flood lights on. When you arrived he told you that you could stay as long as you want, the man was a saint and often helped you sneak into the grounds when you weren’t suppose to be there.

Out the corner of your eyes you see two people and you can tell they are female by their silhouettes. You are in two minds as what to do; go to them and possibly get in trouble or pretend you didn’t see them and hope they go away. When you see them walking over you prepare for the worse but as they get close you recognise them.

“Y/N” Eli says as she gets closer.

The sight of the two Putellas women causes a pit to form in your gut. Alba stands quietly to the side of her, her eyes red from recent tears.

“Hi. Is everything ok?” You ask fearful of an honest answer.

“Have you seen Alexia? We have been trying to get in touch with her all day. She always comes here when she needs an escape” 

Why would Alexia need an escape? Could this have something to do with her recent behaviour?

“I haven’t. I tried calling her last night and texted her this morning to see if she wanted to something today but she didn’t answer. Eli, is Alexia ok?” 

“We don’t know” this is first time Alba looks directly at you and the heartbroken expression is enough for you to reach out for her.

“Are you ok Alba?” Your hand rests on her shoulder in hopes it would bring some kind of comfort. You hadn’t spoken to her since that day at the stadium but she was Alexia’s sister which means you cared for her.

“I need to find my sister. Will you help?”

“Of course. How about you go back to her apartment to see if she has come home and I will see if I can find her, I can think of a few places” 

“Gracias Y/N” Eli says.

This sounded a lot worse that you original feared. At first you thought you had done something to Alexia or that she wanted space like you did a couple of months ago. Now you knew this wasn’t the case and it in fact had nothing to do with you.

As you drove home your eyes scanned the streets hoping and praying by some miracle that you find her but it was wishful thinking. You enter the code to the gate and what you are met with isn’t something you expected. Alexia is sat on your door step, her knees tucked into her chest and her arms wrapped around her legs. She looked so small.

“Alexia, what are you doing here? You mother and sister are worried about you” you scold her but instantly regret it when she looks up and you see her face. Tears were falling down her face and given the puffiness of her eyes they had been for quite a while. 

“Come here” you hold your hands out and pull alexia into your arms. Her body shakes as she seemingly lets go of the emotions that she has been bottling up for god knows how long. “I’ve got you” 

In order to open the front door you have to let her go but you keep a hold of her hand. Once inside Alexia is back in your arms. You care deeply for this woman but only in this moment did you realise just how much. Seeing Alexia this broken breaks your heart. 

“I’m sorry” Alexia pulls away and tries to wipe away her tears only for you to stop her. She didn’t need to hide her pain, not around you.

“There’s nothing to apologise for Ale. Do you want to talk about it? You don’t have to if you don’t want to. I just want to know what I can do to help”

“You’re already doing it” the smile that appears on her face is weak but nevertheless it is a smile.

With her hand in yours you lead her to the sofa and wait for to be ready to talk about whatever it is that has her so upset.

“It’s the 10th anniversary of my dad’s death”

“Oh Alexia” you rubbed her thigh soothingly.

“I didn’t want to come to you because I knew that it would bring up feelings for you too, how could it not. I know I’ve been cold towards you but I knew you’d recognise my pain and I wanted to try and get through the week. I just wanted to be alone, I always do”

It’s moment like this that you realise just how similar you and Alexia are. You both had the same coping mechanisms for your grief, as unhealthy as they might be.

“Yet here you are, with me, in my house, after sitting on my doorstep waiting for me to get home” 

Alexia cannot help but laugh. Her actions and her thoughts did not align in the slightest. Deep down she knew why she came to you, today but she wasn’t ready to admit what it meant.

“I just needed to escape”

It’s as if a light bulb goes off and you cannot believe what you are about to suggest. 

“How much of an escape?” You ask her.

“This city is too much right now so I’ll go anywhere, why? What do you have in mind?”

“Something I hope not to regret” 

You could feel Alexia’s breath on your shoulder as she watches you open your contacts on your phone. She doesn’t see who it is you call but the opening sentence of what you say next gives her the answer.

“Hallo mama. Ja ik kom. Ik heb twee kaartjes nodig.”

The call is short and sweet for two reasons. One, you wanted to give Alexia your full attention and two, you didn’t want to answer you mother’s endless amount of questions.

“C’mon, I’ll help you pack” 

“Y/N wait” Alexia runs after you as you make your way to the front door “Where are we going?” 

This is why Alexia came to you. You knew what to do to help her when she didn’t know what to do herself. 

“I’m taking you home” 

“No, I’m not ready for that yet” Alexia’s grabs your hand and pulls you back into the house.

“Not your home Alexia, mine. You showed me Barcelona through your eyes and now you get to see Amsterdam through mine”

This time Alexia’s smile is wide. You were taking her to Amsterdam, the place that you told her so many stories about. 

Only 24 hours ago you were adamant that you wouldn’t be attending the annual Johan Cruyff foundation gala yet here you are on your way to Alexia’s apartment so you can help her pack. You may not want to go but you knew this is exactly what Alexia needed. 

[live-laugh-legolas]

Love languages of the Fellowship

Aragorn: Words of affirmation

-This man speaks poetry

-Will tell you how beautiful you are by comparing you to a sunrise or some shit

-Holds you close while speaking to you, so only you can hear him

-Limited PDA so when you are alone his affections feel extra intimate

-Will always let you know how appreciative he is of you

-So gentle with you and the best listener

-Understands that sometimes you just need him to listen and don’t want him to fix anything; but will help immediately you if you do

-I don’t know if this makes sense but he loves you by making sure you love yourself

-Keeps his verbal compliments private and shows how great you are in public; compliments can feel subjective and he makes sure people come to the objective conclusion that you are so great (I have no idea how to properly explain this)

-Loves a good hug and to bury his face in your hair

Legolas: Quality time

-Any time spent with you is great but I think he would show his partner the world *cough Gimli*

-Will take you on an adventure so he can see the excitement and wonder in your eyes

-If you ever mention wanting to see someplace he’s already getting the bags ready

-Even in the most beautiful places he will be looking at you cliche

-I think intimacy is something that he doesn’t quite understand

-Not in a negative way, but in the sense that he loves so much that he doesn’t really know how to express it

-Will just stare at you, it’s almost creepy, but you are just so pretty

-Is very playful with those he is close to

-If he teases you it’s likely because he likes you and feels he can let formalities drop

Gimli: Gift giving

-This man would gift you the world

-Treats you like the king/queen that you are

-Always wants you to have something of his or from him with you at all times, and vise versa

-I think he would carry your picture with him like his father did

-Always trying to impress you and show off

-His love is rooted in a deep respect and admiration

-Will never be overbearing; if you want to do something he will support where he is needed but won’t take over

-“That’s my wife/husband/partner!”

-Your #1 supporter and the president of your fanclub

Boromir: Quality time

-I firmly believe this man to be a picnic type of guy

-Will get the softest blanket and all your favorite foods and will bring you to a spot he scoped out weeks prior because it had to be perfect

-Will feed you grapes; probably turns into a game of trying to catch them in the air

-He will do anything to make you laugh; whether it be play fighting or a dramatic reenactment of a story, as long as it makes you smile he has no shame

-Wants you to be prepared for anything so he will teach you everything he knows; like how he taught the hobbits to use swords

-Will show you off and brag about how amazing you are and lucky he is

Frodo: Gift giving

-Doesn’t do grand gifts like Gimli would; but the small things that make him think of you

-He will pick up something and just hand it to you; a pretty flower, a cool rock, etc

-Will bring home leftovers if there is something you will like; I’m talking food in a napkin in his pocket and totally crumbled when he gives it to you

-It’s the thought that counts

-Will cuddle up with you and silently read a book together, only turning the page when you’re ready

-Loves to listen to you rant over your interests and hyper-fixations

-He may not know wtf you are talking about but he will actively listen with a big smile nonetheless

Sam: Acts of service

-I mean this one is pretty obvious

-This man will move a mountain for you

-Anything he can do to make your life easier consider it done

-I feel you would probably have to stop him from doing too much otherwise you would be left with nothing to do

-If you are craving something, no matter how obscure, he will get it or make for you

-Supports all your interests and hobbies; he reminds me a bit of my dad who will do extensive research if you mention you are interested in something so he can talk to you about it

-Can be a little overprotective at times but only because he loves you so much

-If anyone dares to say anything that is even a little rude about you he’s coming to your defense with a puffed up chest

Merry: Words of affirmation

-Unlike Aragorn he doesn’t speak like he thinks he’s Shakespeare or something

-More like compliments that don’t even seem thought out

-Just speaks his mind; Will blurt out randomly that you are so beautiful when you are doing the most mundane tasks

-They will all be there for you at your lowest, but this hobbit senses it before it even happens

-It’s like a sixth sense; the ‘oh no y/n is upset’ sense

-Will always keep his eye on you to make sure no one is bothering you

-Definitely does the tough guy thing until he gets a splinter, then it’s all over (do you know the reference?)

-Gives nicknames, sometimes odd ones

Pippin: Physical touch

-This sweet little fool is a cuddle bug

-Although the touch can also be excitedly jumping on you

-Probably accidentally elbows you or something because he is always standing so close

-Will grab your hand and exaggeratedly swings your arms

-When he is around you his mood just soars

-He’s like those dogs that never stop wagging their tail and it turns into a weapon of mass destruction

-Includes you in everything. It’s second nature to him that you must be invited

-Often he doesn’t even ask, just pulls you along and will explain on the way

This is the first time I’ve written anything like this so feedback is welcome. I didn’t include Gandalf because in my eyes he is a grandfather lol

[communicationthroughlyrics]

I Work Too Hard, Can You Fuckin' Pay Me?

Part 3 - Y/N moved to escape some of thier looming troubles from Westview, to the place that their best friend said would make a difference. New job, new digs, will Y/N make a change for the better, or leave another city with their tail between thier legs?

TW: Smut, Intersex reader, Y/N is gonna get themselves into trouble 🫢

Word Count: 2.3K

Read Pt. 1 HERE Read Pt. 2 HERE

I Can Make Your Body Levitate, If You Let Me

The next morning, the sun peeked through the blinds, casting a warm glow over the room. You stirred in bed, reaching out for Natasha, but she was gone. The sheets were cold where she had been, the side of the bed untouched. You sat up, the events of the night before playing through your mind like a sultry, erotic film. You felt a strange mix of satisfaction and emptiness, the intensity of the encounter leaving you craving more, yet you knew that you had set clear boundaries.

Swinging your legs over the side of the bed, you somewhat dressed yourself and stumbled into the kitchen, the floorboards cold against your bare feet. The aroma of brewing coffee filled the air, and you realized Natasha had left you a note next to the pot. "Had to run. Thanks for the wild ride, Y/N. Catch you around the club. -N" It was simple, but it brought a smile to your face.

You poured yourself a cup and walked to the fridge, Natasha's absence leaving a surprisingly empty feeling in your chest. But as you scoured the shelves for something to eat, you spotted Wanda sitting at the picnic table in the backyard. She was dressed in her usual attire, a simple sundress and sandals, with her dark hair pulled back in a loose ponytail. She was nibbling on a piece of toast, seemingly lost in thought.

Grabbing an apple from the bowl on the counter, you walked out the back door to your house, taking a deep breath, and filling your lungs with the fresh morning air. The sun was just above the horizon, casting a warm glow across the untouched grass. You peered over at Wanda, who was sitting at the picnic table in her backyard.

The quiet of the morning was interrupted by the sound of you biting into the crisp flesh of the apple, gaining the attention of the woman next door. Wanda looked up, her eyes meeting yours over the fence. She offered a tentative smile, and you returned it, feeling a bit awkward. "Morning," you speak quietly.

"Sounded like you had quite the night," Wanda commented, her voice carrying a hint of amusement. "I heard Natasha's car leave early." You felt a blush creep up your cheeks, but she just shrugged. "It's not the first time she's spent the night with someone new around here.”

You cleared your throat, taking a sip of the hot coffee to buy yourself some time. "Yeah, we had a... good time," you admitted, trying to keep your tone casual. "Just a friendly neighborly chat."

Wanda raised an eyebrow, a knowing smile playing on her lips. "If you say so," she said, taking another bite of her toast. You couldn't help but feel a bit self-conscious under her gaze, wondering what she thought of the noise that had surely carried over the night before.

Shaking off the awkwardness, you sat on the porch's top step, watching as Wanda's dog, a fluffy golden retriever, frolicked in the dew-kissed grass. The sight of her enjoying her quiet morning routine was comforting, a stark contrast to the chaos of the club and the intense passion that had consumed you hours ago.

"So, how do you like Foxwood?" Wanda asked, breaking the silence. You took a moment to consider her question, the apple juice from the fruit lingering on your tongue.

"It's... different," you replied honestly. "But a good different. I think I could get used to it." 

Wanda nodded, a knowing look in her eye. "I've heard it can be quite the change of pace," she said, her voice carrying a hint of something more. You couldn't help but wonder what she knew about Natasha and the club. 

"How long have you lived here?" you asked, changing the subject.

"Oh, uh, since I left Westview," Wanda said, taking a sip of her coffee. She glanced back at her house, her expression wistful. "I've seen many people come and go, looking for something new. Sometimes they find it, sometimes they don't."

You nodded, taking another sip of your coffee. "I'm hoping to find some peace here," you said, the words coming out more earnest than you had intended.

Wanda's gaze softened. "Well, if you need anything, I'm just next door. Any friend of Piet's is a friend of mine. And Natasha, she's a good time, but she's got her own demons to deal with. Just remember to take care of yourself, okay?" There was a gentle warning in her tone, one that you couldn't ignore.

You nodded, feeling a strange mix of gratitude and unease. "I will," you promised, finishing off your coffee. "Thanks, Wanda."

With a final smile, Wanda turned back to her breakfast, and you retreated into your house, the whispers of Natasha and the club slowly fading into the background. As you stepped into the shower, the hot water washing away the sweat and scent of the night before, you made a decision. You would keep Natasha at arm's length, and enjoy the casual fling, but you wouldn't let her become your everything. You had too much to figure out on your own.

Months had passed, and you found yourself falling into a comfortable rhythm. You were finally unpacked completely, you felt that you were comfortable at home, and work. You had even started to make a few friends around town. You'd run into Nat at the club occasionally when you felt like going out with Piet, but try as she might you kept yourself at an arm's distance, not wanting to start this fresh start the same way you left Westview. You also talked to Wanda more frequently, growing closer as you got to know the older woman without the shadow of her younger brother looming over you.

Pietro was happy you were getting acclimated but wasn’t too thrilled about how close you were getting with his sister. You assured him over and over that it was nothing, but even you knew that was false. Your next-door neighbor was insatiably attractive, and you couldn’t help but want to explore further. You just weren’t sure if losing your high school best friend was also worth it. 

After a particularly taxing day at work, you decided to text Pietro and let him know you would be swinging by the club tonight to blow off some steam.

When you entered, there was something in the air, a tension that had been building since you saw Nat last. It was like you could feel the electricity between you even before you laid eyes on her. You had decided to go out with some friends from the office, a casual Friday night out, but the moment you stepped into the club, you knew Natasha was there.

Her eyes locked onto yours from across the crowded dance floor, a smoldering look that sent a shiver down your spine. She was dancing with a group of men, her movements fluid and sensual, but it was clear she was only doing it for show. You watched as she excused herself from the group as you ordered your usual, the smirk on her face growing as she approached you. "Miss me?" she whispered in your ear, hand resting on your chest as she leaned in, her breath hot and sweet with the scent of whiskey.

You couldn't deny the spark that ignited within you, but you kept your cool. "Can't say I have," you lied, sipping on your drink. Her eyes searched yours, looking for any hint of the truth. But you had learned to keep your cards close to your chest. "But it's always nice to see a familiar face," you added with a smirk. Some of your coworkers had already worked thier way over to a table, others were lingering by the bar and watching the interaction from afar, eyebrows raised and whispers echoing behind you.

Natasha's gaze lingered on your lips, and you could see the hunger in her eyes. She leaned in closer, her hand sliding around your waist. "Let's go somewhere private," she whispered, her voice thick with desire. You hesitated for a moment, knowing where this would lead and not wanting to play with this fire again. However, the desire to feel someone's body against yours was too strong to resist. Downing your drink in one, you set the glass back on the bar and motioned that you were going in the back for a little bit to your coworkers.

Hoots and hollers came from the table full of people from your office, as you followed her through the club, the lights and music pulsing around you, a stark contrast to the quiet of your nights at home. She led you to the same VIP room where it all began, the red velvet curtains pulled back to reveal the space. "It's all yours," she said, a devilish grin playing on her lips.

As she began to dance for you again, you couldn't help but be drawn in by the seductive sway of her hips and the way her eyes never left yours. The whispers of doubt grew louder, but so did the whispers of desire. You took a deep breath, letting the beat of the music fill your chest, and decided to indulge in the moment.

As Natasha danced closer, her body brushing against yours, you reached out to touch her, the warmth of her skin sending a jolt of excitement through you. She responded eagerly, her hands sliding up your thighs and her mouth finding yours in a fiery kiss. You felt the walls you had built up start to crumble, the passion between you undeniable.

With a growl, you pulled her closer, wrapping her thighs around your waist, her nails digging into your skin as you kissed her neck, feeling her pulse race beneath your lips. You knew this was a dangerous game, one that could lead to heartache, but at this moment, all you could think about was the way it felt to have someone in your arms.

You laid her down roughly, your eyes roaming over her body as you stripped off her lingerie. She was as beautiful as ever, her red hair fanned out on the pillow in the corner like a fiery halo. You felt your cock twitch with anticipation as she reached up to unbuckle your pants, her eyes never leaving yours.

The whispers of the past grew louder as you kissed her again, but you pushed them away, focusing on the here and now. Your hands found her breasts, squeezing gently as she moaned into your mouth. You could feel her wetness, her pussy begging for you to fill it. You didn't bother with foreplay, you already knew what she liked, and you knew she was ready. Reaching down into one of your pockets, you removed the trusty wallet condom, slipping the folded leather back into your pocket while the redhead was squirming below you, kneading your breasts while you tore into the package and slid the article over your now pulsing shaft. 

"Fuck, Y/N," she moaned, reaching down and slowly pumping your length as you leaned down and nibbled at her neck. You smiled against her warmed skin, biting down on her collarbone, causing her to gasp and arch her back as you soothed the spot with your tongue. She fisted your hair, pulling your head up. "You're so big, baby." she moaned into your ear, causing your eyes to flutter shut and a growl to come from your lips. 

Without warning you entered her, and the world around you faded away, leaving only the two of you and the passion that burned between you. The whispers grew quieter as you lost yourself in Natasha, her moans of pleasure echoing in your ears. It was as if she had cast a spell over you, one that made you forget about everything else. You moved together in a dance as old as time, your bodies in perfect sync, your hearts racing in time with the music.

But as the night grew darker and the whispers grew faint, you couldn't shake the feeling that this was a mistake. That you were playing with fire, and eventually, you would get burned. You didn't know if you could handle the intensity of what was growing between you, the fear of losing yourself in Natasha's world. The unmistakable feeling in your gut was creeping up in your stomach, the feeling like this should be someone else. But for now, you pushed those thoughts aside, giving in to the heat of the moment, hoping it would be enough to silence the whispers once and for all. 

Shifting Natasha to your lap while you stayed nestled inside her, you encouraged her to begin riding you as you both sloppily kissed one another.  Your hands found themselves on her hips, aiding her in setting the pace that had your eyes rolling back in your head. The room was spinning with lust and the smell of sex. You were suddenly pulled from your passion as the sound of the curtain being pulled back drew you back to reality. Natasha was still riding you as you looked over,  feeling like ice water had now been dumped over you. 

Two pairs of sea-green eyes took in the scene before them, both with extremely different emotions behind them. 

Fuck.

[xjulixred45x]

If you don't mind me can I request male reader who like Akaza from Demon slayer with the Hazbin Hotel.

Bonus: respect woman.

Hello! Normally i would Say no bc My Requests are Closed but you're lucky that i'm in a good mood to write and also i am a fan of this Man✨ 😭

Thanks for the Request ❤️

(to the other Readers, don't take this as something usual, the Requests are still Closed, i'm just in the mood to write THIS for now)

Akaza! Reader in Hazbin Hotel

Genre: headcanons

Reader: male

Warnings: Reader is a fighter, violence(?), hell, slight change in Akaza story so its not a Copy-paste and make "more sense",idk, I MAKE THIS IN A RUSH OF ✨INSPIRATION✨SO ITS NOT PROFFHEAD!!

You were born and raised in the Edo era, in Japan. and it was a nightmare.

You lived in poverty all your life, practically alone with your sick father who could barely take care of himself, but he always tried to take care of you above all else.

You spent a lot of your life trying to take care of him back, but it was difficult because of money, you couldn't afford it. so you did the only thing you could think of: steal medicine.

Obviously many times this didn't turn out well, and they ended up catching you and taking you to be beaten and tattooed like a criminal, but it was the kind of life you led until your father died.

That was when you hit rock bottom, but you met certain people who helped you move forward. a martial arts master and his sick daughter (who reminded you a lot of your father).

And it was the time when you lived better, you took care of your teacher's daughter and you learned from him, you had a good life.

you and his daughter even fell in love!

everything had fallen into place in your life...

until conflicts broke out again.

You don't remember much about your last days of life, it was a cycle of going, killing whoever got in your way, returning with whatever you wanted from your group, and whatever followed...

You just wanted to go home.

but you died before that.

and just as you expected, after everything you had done wrong in your life, you ended up in hell.

It wasn't exactly like the hell you had imagined growing up, but it was definitely difficult to adjust, knowing that you were dead, in this hole of misery, far from them...

but you didn't waste your time. You discovered quite quickly that several of your physical abilities had stayed with you, so you took advantage of them and became a quite formidable demon.

You wouldn't say you were an Overlord, but you were definitely an anomaly to Hell's QUO status, a demon who had become powerful without the need for owning souls.

something very strange.

so many Overlords, feeling threatened, tried to go after you, only to never be seen again...

As for the Hotel issue, I think that Akaza! reader would be skeptical, I don't think he would have a problem offering himself as a test subject for the hotel because 1- there is Alastor, someone very strong, and 2- he has a small hope that the hotel will work and maybe, just maybe he can redeem himself and go. to heaven with his love and his teacher, what he loves most. although he wouldn't say the last thing out loud.

Speaking of relationships, Alastor and him can actually get along in a very ambiguous way, Alastor is not happy with someone who is so strong without even having souls of their own, so he is cautious, but not in a threatening way.

Although there is something these two have in common, THEY RESPECT WOMEN.

Alastor can definitely introduce him to Akaza! read several of his female friends to be more "social" and get possible blackmail material.

Alastor secretly knows of the possible motives behind why Akaza! Reader would like the hotel to work, he thinks he is naive, but he doesn't make fun, Alastor partly understands why he feels that way. leaves him alone in that sense.

...but it bothers him in every other way! using it as an armrest, innocuous phrases, crushing it with things out of nowhere, etc. He always has something up his sleeve to piss him off.

but they can ally if women get involved ;)

Charlie is so so so so so happy to have Akaza! reader as another participant alongside Angel and Sir Pentious! She constantly thanks him for his collaboration and tells him how much it means to her.

Lots of encouragement during the trust exercises! she realizes that Akaza! Reader is not very talkative, and although she does not force him to change, she "subtly" encourages him to be more open with the exercises.

Although that does not mean that she admits the fights, she tries to encourage Akaza! reader to find another way to get out his anger and energy in less destructive ways.

I think she would be the only one who knows through Akaza! reader why he wants the hotel to work, and she is SO MOVED by him because Reader wants to redeem himself and that gives him a lot of motivation to do more exercises.

Even if is sometimes a double-edged sword because she feels pressured not only by wanting to help her friends, but also by Akaza's cute motive! reader.

Akaza! reader is very protective of Charlie even if she is the princess of hell, he is like a bodyguard! or a very loyal pitbull. Charlie finds it endearing (but please don't rip that demon's head off please---)

Vaggie is scared of Akaza at first! reader for his aggressive nature.

She is afraid that he will end up directing that destructive energy towards them if he is very angry, so she is very cautious at first.

but eventually she can relax more and more with him as she realizes that (at least with women) he's not going to explode on anyone who doesn't deserve it. and that in fact he is a good man.

sparring together! Vaggie feels kind of bad that he doesn't have a gun, but is surprised at how tough he is.

If she finds out his reason behind going to the hotel, she supports him a lot in his journey of redemption, more than before, she empathizes with him.

They both have similar motives.

Vaggie really appreciates when Akaza! reader defends the female staff against Angel's out-of-place comments. she may even allow him to hit him.

You two are the main people in charge of protecting the hotel.

Let's be honest, Angel dust at first was just "flirting"/sexually harassing Akaza! reader until he beat him up and never did it again.

He thought he was simply bitter about life until he remembered that on one occasion he told him that "he was taken" and he didn't take it so personally.

After the duet with Husk, he went directly to apologize to him and they were on bad terms.

Angel occasionally likes to prank him like everyone else in the hotel, but he's considerably less annoying with Akaza! reader because he knows what he is capable of.

When he eventually finds out why he is "taken" and why someone like him is in the hotel, he can't help but empathize with him a lot (from his sister in heaven), and tries to be his "Husk" at his lowest moment. .

Even if technically Akaza!reader is stronger than him in every way, he takes care of him in his own way, watching his drink, not being robbed, etc.

Angel is definitely not used to so much respect when it comes to his gender identity, which is why he respects Akaza a lot! reader.

They generally start off on the wrong foot but manage to be friends.

Husk likes Akaza! reader, simply because it gets on Alastor's nerves and because he knows that he won't kick the ass of someone who doesn't deserve it. He knows everyone is safe with him.

He definitely knows about his reason for being in the hotel and pities him, respects his privacy a lot after that and doesn't let him talk drunk.

Husk may get to have his "loser baby" moment with Akaza! reader but in a platonic way, helping him when it is especially difficult to stay away from violence.

They can even have a father-son relationship, Husk is very similar to Akaza's teacher! reader in many ways EMOTIONALLY SPEAKING so Akaza! reader feels comfortable with him.

she definitely tells him things about her past as Overlord to entertain him.

Sir Pentious at first was TERRIFIED of Akaza!reader, his reputation was as a tough guy who went after evil people and Pentious (having his poor self-image) thought he would kill him as soon as he saw him.

but fortunately it was not like that!

but he was definitely avoiding it for DAYS before he heard from the others that Akaza!reader wasn't that bad and was actually quite nice. to give him a chance.

and Pentious did just that. and he was VERY surprised.

Akaza! reader has had to dismantle several of Sir Pentious's evil machines using his enormous strength, and although Pentious was heartbroken to see his machines destroyed, he was also VERY surprised by Akaza!reader's capabilities, even giving me more things to do. break and test their strength (imagine this pair getting to know the Rage Rooms).

Pentious Minnions occasionally go to Akaza! reader when P. is not there, which is fun to see because Akaza!reader would try to get away from the Minions that come after him like ducks.

Akaza! reader clearly notices Pentious's crush on Cherri, and encourages him to do something now that he has time.

(Can you imagine Akaza! reader's Koyuki becoming friends with Pentious in heaven? It would be Epico).

Mononeuronal pair.

Niffty is strange.

but I can definitely see Akaza! reader protecting it constantly. so Niffty likes him. But I wouldn't really say they are friends.

In general, everyone has some kind of respect for Akaza! reader. They hope you can reach your goal.

Shares, reblogs and comments are very welcome!

Again, this DOES NOT MEAN that orders are open again! I'm just taking a break and deciding what things to write and what not to. thanks for the request ✨❤️

[kiirotoao]

Navigating Concessions: The Case Against and For Byler

Alright, so this sounds insane coming from a Byler, I know. But just to really tease out all of the reasons why I like/ship Byler, I want to try something. (I’ve also been receiving a small influx of questions arguing against Byler, so that’s where this idea came from.)

I’m going to try to examine some moments that raise questions amidst Mike and Will’s relationship and try to explain them as if there’s nothing romantic going on. Nothing. After that, I’m going to go into why I do see things as potentially romantic.

1. “It was a seven.” (s1)

Well, obviously nothing’s going on, here. It’s the first 8 minutes of the show, and we’re just establishing the characters. The purpose of this scene was to show that Will is honest, and it’s nothing new to Mike. Showing Mike’s reaction is to emphasize just that - this is a normal occurrence, and he has no idea what’s going to happen next.

The thing about this scene that I love is that it’s simple and to-the-point. It’s true! Nothing is happening here, not yet, and that’s the point. Even in normalcy, Will trusts Mike. Even though this is a setup of what’s about to happen to Will, this ends up being the defining point of Will’s character that allows us to root for him. I can agree that nothing romantic is necessarily happening here, but it’s really sweet that the show decided to start here with the two of them over anyone else in The Party.

2. “Crazy together.” (s2)

In this scene, they’re literally talking about the Mind Flayer and El. It’s not about themselves. To say that this is a true heart-to-heart is not genuine. They’re confiding in each other after Will went through a bad episode and Mike is simply empathizing with him. To say that entrusting in someone with your deepest secrets is romantic is untrue, because friends do it all the time. This was probably included just to show how Mike and Will dealt with their traumatic experiences.

This is already getting painful and I regret everything. So the biggest counter point I know for this scene is that indeed, Mike brings up El. Therefore, his mind is on her, right? Well, it’s actually a lot more fleeting than that. He brings her up, but he immediately drops it and focuses on Will right after. Subject matter is often used as a point of contention for Byler/Mleven because the topic is always Mleven, but this time, it’s just plainly untrue. Mike and Will are talking about this encounter with the Mind Flayer, and Mike is empathizing with Will by bringing up a situation similar to his through El. He thinks of her as a claim to his main point, being there for Will. Mike is sweetly giving his time and his comfort to Will, and they’re both being vulnerable about their fears. You simply cannot deny their vulnerability to each other that’s uniquely theirs. This exploration and presentation of intimate traumas is so sweet of them to confide in each other.

3. The shed scene (s2)

This scene is heartbreaking. Will is possessed, here. We don’t know if he can fully hear Mike, evidently because he’s struggling to express himself. Everyone is fighting to get Will back from the Mind Flayer. This moment is sweet as it sheds (haha) light on Mike and Will’s origin story as best friends for years, which doesn’t include anything romantic of the sort. It’s just a retelling of them meeting on a swingset and choosing to be best friends. It’s cute, but it’s nothing much more than that. Plus, Mike is speaking alongside Will’s family, so he’s directly parallel to family in this sequence.

First and foremost to counter this - guess who isn’t here? Dustin and Lucas, who definitely have memories of Will in their lives, right? But no, neither of them are there. They’re needed to transcribe the Morse code that Will taps while Mike is there, in the fray, giving his all to fight for Will. And Mike is in tears. This scene tugs at the heart because it remains one of the most vulnerable moments Mike has ever shown onscreen. And yes, Will may not fully hear him, but Will is trying. Mike is the third person he’s hearing from, and it’s clear that Will is in a state of struggle. He’s not given up, not succumbed to the power of the Mind Flayer just yet. Will almost cries, too. We only see his face fully harden again when Joyce speaks to him after this scene with Mike. I love this scene because of how emotional it is. Mike is doing everything he can to keep Will present, loving him alive alongside the two people who’ve raised him. To me, this isn’t simply a display of Mike being like family, it’s a display of Mike’s intimacy with Will that’s just as strong as the other people who’ve loved him his entire life.

4. The rain scene (s3)

This one seems obvious and plain enough, Mike and Will don’t get each other. They’re arguing, disagreeing about what teenage-hood is, and they both very clearly define it differently. Mike comes to Will trying to understand him, arguing that he’s just prioritizing his girlfriend at this point in life and that he can’t pay attention to everything that he once did. In contrast, Will says that he just wants thing to stay the same with The Party together, playing D&D, having fun like they used to. He and Mike are no longer on level ground. When Mike says, “it’s not my fault you don’t like girls,” it’s the final indication that he knows that he himself likes girls and that they cannot be on the same field since Will doesn’t appear to want the same things that he does and can’t relate to Mike because he doesn’t have a girlfriend. Mike also continues to talk about El and how he clearly prioritizes her. Will just isn’t growing up the same as Mike and Mike clearly isn’t into Will. He hasn’t been all season. He’s just spelling that out here since Will prompted him to.

On the surface, they’re separating. At the core, they’re not on the same level. But underneath, they’re just trying to learn what the other wants. Once again, if this was meant to highlight the separation of the friend group, where are Dustin and Lucas? Dustin’s far away, but Lucas could have come in. He’s right there at the Wheeler’s house. But no, he’s not there. This is a scene between Mike and Will alone as they defeatedly explain why they’re upset as a final plea to each other. Will starts it, Mike carries it. Just like the “crazy together” scene, this is an exclusive moment between them as they share what’s on their hearts, and El is on Mike’s mind as an added point to his perspective compared to Will’s. I’m always so fascinated by Mike’s wording because by saying “it’s not my fault you don’t like girls,” he emphasizes Will’s lack of attraction rather than lack of a romantic relationship which raises a question to me of why Mike would peel back that layer in the first place. It’s not answered fully here, but it raises the question nonetheless, and to ignore that and say it’s just Mike merely drawing a line of differentiation between them is shallow. All in all, yes, they don’t get each other. But that’s why we have this scene, because they’re trying to find out, and based on the way their breaks in conversation leaven them both rather stunned, maybe they know each other more than meets the eye.

5. “Not possible.” (s3)

This scene lasts, like, ten seconds long. It’s far too insignificant to analyze, and anyone who does is looking way too deeply into the subtext. This scene highlights that Mike and Will are still friends and still can very much miss each other like anyone would when a close friend is moving away. It’s a sealant to their once broken relationship to set up their friendship continuing on and that the both of them still like D&D and that the game as well as The Party as a whole will continue to be relevant to the story. If anything, this moment sets up that Will is in love with Mike as only he makes the promise to not join another party, showing his loyalty to Mike that Mike does not explicitly reciprocate. This entire thing was included in the show to give the audience a breath of closure for them this season and show that they still are close. This one hurt to write, too. Holy shit.

The show very well could have shown us that Mike and Will’s relationship was still intact through the hug sequences during Hopper’s letter, but nope, we get another exclusive Mike and Will moment. Once again, Dustin and Lucas are pointedly not here, making this not about The Party but them in it. And this time, it’s through the thing they argued about and both still clearly wanted to commit to, further disproving the idea that Mike has grown up way faster than Will and was truly ready to ditch D&D. Mike even brings up joining another party first. Will simply replies to him. And the smiles that they give each other are so sweet. Comparing how Mike is left confused and frowning when El leaves him to this little glowing smirk when Will leaves him is insane. Will makes Mike smile; it’s a tiny flirt that can go unnoticed, but the brevity helps not to call out too much unneeded attention to it, otherwise, would them flirting for minutes on end seem appropriate after the reality that they’re parting ways and helping the Byers move out? I don’t think so. Still, it’s rather key to me that they filmed this exchange between the sadness. It’s a breath of closure alright, one that looks up on their relationship.

6. The airport scene (s4)

This scene is so undeniably awkward. There’s literally nothing romantic about two friends reuniting like this. It’s strained, Will’s lying here about the painting being “nothing,” and Mike makes terse and disinterested remarks. He’s clearly not focused on Will. Just before this, by contrast, he was able to kiss El, hug her, and he gave her flowers. This puts a gap between Mike and Will to set up how they become “best friends” again later on, setting them apart on a journey of growth that stays platonic. It’s pretty obvious that Mike doesn’t really care about Will right then.

This scene is undeniably awkward. But y’know who Mike isn’t awkward around? Literally everyone else in his life. He can hug everyone he loves except for Will. And yes, he kissed El, but it’s been established that they kissed a lot the summer before and can do that instinctively, and yet Mike cannot write that “love, Mike.” Will then responds with doubt upon seeing Mike so closed off to him, not wanting to give away something that Mike may not accept or treat well even after so much hard work has been put into it. It’s a moment of testing the waters, and yeah, Mike doesn’t pass the vibe check, but it helps to set up how differently Mike actually thinks very exclusively regarding Will: “Hawkins, it’s not the same without you.” If Mike simply didn’t care and they started from the bottom, why is he talking about home and being a team literally two days after this with Will alone? This scene sets up not just a growth of friendship but of the bond these two have that not even awkwardness or ignoring it can deny.

7. The apology scene (s4)

So now we get to the days after the awkwardness. Being back together, Mike is able to see how rude he was and how much he still values Will. These two are unstoppable when it comes to overcoming dangers, and Mike knows that. He simply misses his friend who’s been through so much together with him. He brings up platonic terms like “team” and “best friends,” clearly wanting Will back in his life as just that, a best friend by his side. Best friends reconcile after bad arguments all the time. This was finally making up for not seeing their forgiveness after last season’s fight. This scene highlights their maturity to understand wrongs and overcome self-doubt, establishing their working together for the rest of the season to come.

Alright, I couldn’t even pretend to deny their togetherness in the concession. Because seriously, no one can tell me that this scene wasn’t romantic. Mike, completely and admittedly unprompted (re: “oh, I didn’t say it” “you didn’t have to”), comes into Will’s room, shuts the door and establishes privacy before he lays down his heart not only at the Rink-O-Mania but for the “year” before it and how Hawkins isn’t the same without Will. Yes, he mentions platonic terms, and yes, he never says “god, I needed you” or “I love you,” but did he have to? The intimacy and visually private moment is so very clearly written between these two alone. You don’t get these types of moments often between mere platonic characters. This type of outpouring is written and framed with a closeness that’s almost uncomfortable for the audience. Just look at how they react to each other. They’re on the verge of tears, happy, relieved, and excited to be back together as a unit. It’s a sure sign of Mike’s maturity as he doesn’t just brush this off or play it down in a merely friendly way. This is focused, this is only for Will. It’s a reconciliation as well as a promise. Again, no, it’s not openly romantic, but it sure as hell serves as an example that Mike can be vulnerable and tenderhearted to Will just as Will gives grace to him.

So, I mean, I don’t know. Are there any arguments I missed? Because I remain pretty unshaken. Byler’s endgame and all the setup is there despite the concessions.

[rainbow-crane]

In-Depth Analysis On All The DR Characters Because What, Are You Gonna Try And Stop Me? Who Are You, My Mom? Yeah, I Didn't Think So- Part 4: Yasuhiro Hagakure

I've actually managed to hype myself up a good bit for this one, despite the fact I'm not fond of Hiro. If there's anything I've learned since starting this series, it's that taking the time to actually absorb these characters and their full existence in the narrative reveals a lot more than you get just by playing the game normally, and I'm hopeful that doing that will make Hiro that much better of a character for me. So, let's dive in.

Per usual, this analysis uses only official materials from the DR series, primarily the english translation of the game. If you aren't that interested in lengthy yapping, then keep scrolling.

Part 1- Character Design

Yasuhiro Hagakure wears several layers of clothing, having a haramaki, white button-up, and his old high school uniform all on over a yellow shirt and a pair of baggy black pants tied up with a yellow bow. His old high school emblem is purposefully designed to look like the yin and yang symbol, and his hair is up in locs styled to bend backwards and stick out at odd angles.

Yasuhiro is a dual character, typically either being the most relaxed or the most panicked person in the room. This sort of duality is likely why he was given the yin and yang symbol, a symbol of balance, along with his talent. Yasuhiro was given the talent of SHSL Fortune Teller, or Ultimate Clairvoyant, and has a unique connection to the spirit world. This may also be why his hair is designed to stick out, similar to how when you touch an object with enough static, your hair stands up. In this way, we can see Yasuhiro is visibly connected to the spirit world at all times.

Part 2- Character Introduction

Hiro is actually the first character to speak in-game after Makoto's self-introduction, calling out in surprise when Makoto gets to the main hall with everyone else("Woah, hey! Another new kid?") He then continues on to be the first one we're able to identify as speaking after the class panover is completed.

This immediately makes him stick out, as this is the character the game makes a point to show you directly before anyone else- not Sayaka, Kyoko, Byakuya- nope, Hiro is first and foremost. Despite this, he fades into the background of the conversation almost immediately after as everyone else decides to introduce themselves to each other. When we get back to his introduction(one of the last ones we see), he introduces himself as someone who takes it easy, and tells you to do the same. We know from Makoto's internal dialogue that he has little to no knowledge on fortune telling, and thus, have almost no insight to Hiro's perspective. We also learn that within the psychic community, he's referred to as 'Supernova'. As he begins to speak, though, we learn exactly what the game's plan for his clairvoyance is: a big joke.

Though, he himself admits he's joking around, and invites Makoto to talk about Lemurian civilization. Lemuria is a debunked theory about a potential 8th continent that was believed to have sunk into the Indian Ocean, disproved by further research on continental drift and plate tectonics. Despite this, it still remains as a subject of conspiracy for many, and tells us a lot about Hiro's interests. Combined with his talent in fortune-telling, Hiro is someone with a fascination for what lies beneath the surface of human understanding. We also learn that he's of drinking age(20 in Japan, though this was changed to 21 in the English translation to reflect international drinking laws). He admits this is due to being held back a few years, waving it off as a 'long story' that we never get to hear.

As the class continues to talk, he remains completely calm, and insists it's all part of the fancy school's orientation. He continues to hold this belief even after Monokuma appears at the entrance ceremony, playing off Monokuma's threat of the killing game and Monokuma himself as a bit.

"Reveal the trick...?" "Yeah, cuz I mean... Y'know, this is all some kinda trick and all, right? So uh, like..."

So our first impression of Hiro is that he's a laidback older guy who isn't the sharpest knife in the kitchen, and that he's into conspiracies.

Part 3- Early Game Development

Once the game's officially started, Hiro very much takes a backseat so the story and mystery can develop, to the point where even when the entire class is talking about their explorations and what they found, Hiro remains silent, only telling the others to chill and continuing to say he believes this is all planned by the school. He appears completely unbothered by the whole situation.

"I mean, this was all planned out, right? The people in charge of Hope's Peak put this all together, right? Man, if I got stressed every time something like this happened, I'd have ectoplasm shooting out my mouth!"

Despite this, if you take the opportunity to talk to him in the laundry room the following morning, you get this:

Despite Hiro's insistence that this is all normal, he's run himself ragged trying to find out why they're trapped in the school. It suggests that his relaxed attitude towards the situation may be some kind of a facade to keep both himself and the others calm. He continues to insist upon it even after multiple days have passed, when Monokuma reappears again to give out the motive videos("Why the hell are you laughing?" "I'm just impressed at the total commitment to this whole act.") He refuses to acknowledge the mere possibility of this situation being an actual threat to their lives, even after watching the motive video of (presumably) his mother and sister in danger.

He insists on it to the point where he doesn't realize the truth of the situation until "Junko" is impaled with a ton of spears and dies right in front of him, and even then, his reaction is delayed, not realizing until Makoto and Byakuya check her for a pulse.

"Sh-she's... dead!? Then that means...! That means everything that's happened so far is real!? It's not a joke or whatever!? It's really real!? Hell no! Someone save me! Let me outta here! SOMEBODY HELP ME!!!" "You're j-just now accepting that...?"

He switches from total calm to ungodly terror, as he didn't experience the dread leading up to the incident that everyone else did. The horror renders him immobile for nearly the entire investigation, only pulled out of shock when Makoto shows him his broken glass ball.

"Did that guy totally dupe me!? He said it belonged to the pillars of history... Genghis Khan, George Washington, Napoleon... He said whoever controlled that crystal ball controlled the world! Was that seriously all BS!?"

"I'm almost afraid to ask, but how much did you pay for that thing?" "Everything I'd saved up from fortune-telling for two full years. Came out to be like... a million."

Not only did he pay that much for what was pretty obviously a glass ball, he fully believed that story despite the fact one of the named holders that 'controlled the world' was a failed emperor that died in exile. It is a hand-sized glass ball. Paying $1M in USD shouldn't have even been on the table in the first place.

Hiro goes into the next chapter still completely panicking, babbling on to Makoto about the 'ill omen' that is the items set in the display case and once again begging to the heavens to be released from the school.

"Ahhh! I've been struck with knowledge! It's an ill omen of total devastation and ruin! L-Let me outta here! Let me ouuuut!"

It's a bit late, as the only dangerous item from that case was used in the previous murder, but better late than never, I suppose.

Prior to the motive announcement, Hiro reveals that he was the one to pick up on the goings-on outside of Hope's Peak, having been in the dining hall and heard what he described as 'noises like a construction site'. It's important enough that Monokuma confirms the noises to be a) real and b) the result of some level of violence, as his provided explanations are an explosion or machine gun. So although Hiro himself hasn't had much of a story yet, he's still keeping his ears open and is at least paying some attention to the problem at hand now.

During the investigation, Hiro ends up in a much better position, now able to not go into total shock and do an investigation of his own. Although it doesn't yield many results, talking to him makes it clear that he's both trying to find something useful and trying to keep what information he does have private before the trial, which is progress. He's doing something instead of just sitting on his ass, and he's trying to remain secretive, even if he's really bad at it.

When the trial comes around, he's excited to provide evidence, being the one to tell the class about the e-handbooks in the mailbox despite insistence that he probably couldn't help anyway. Despite this, he takes it well when he's told he's wrong the second he's given a reason.

"No, she DID have a way! And I can tell you what it was!" "I highly doubt that." "Shut up! I'm telling you, I know how she could've done it!" ('it' being Chihiro entering the girls' locker room)

"She used the thing that was in the main hall!" "Huh? What thing?" "I'm talkin' about Leon's handbook, of course!"

"Why not!?" "Because Leon's handbook was broken." "Oh! Well then yeah, I guess that'd be pretty impossible, huh?"

Part 4- Midgame Events (In fact, we're gonna frame you for murder!)

Now that Taka's grieving, Hiro remembers he's significantly older than the rest of the class and decides to step up as the class rep and keep everyone calm and focused, at least until Taka can take over again. Although it doesn't last for very long, it's a nice gesture on Hiro's part, and shows some level of responsibility from him.

He's the one to direct the class to the 3rd floor and opens up to conversation about what they found, doing everything he can think of to both keep the class' gaze fixed ahead and try to rouse Taka from his silent state, though this falls apart the second Hina starts talking about a ghost.

Despite his efforts, Kyoko is the one who's really in charge here, and instead, Hiro becomes a messenger for her, alerting the rest of the class to 'bathtime' and acting as a voice of reason when both Hifumi and Taka become obsessed with Alter Ego.

"I happened to do a psychic reading for a certain famous CEO once... And that guy was seriously head over heels for a mannequin. He had a wedding and everything! And your eyes just now... I saw the same look in HIS eyes!"

"Oh, Taka! Are you back!?" "Who the hell's Taka!?" "Um... you?"

He also delivers letters to everyone in class when Kyoko has an important update on Alter Ego, assuming that the files have been decrypted. It's also worth noting he has remarkably clean penmanship, and this is attributed to his supernatural beliefs.

The following morning, when Hiro is one of the many students to go missing, Celeste sets it up so that almost everyone is led to believe that Hiro is the obvious culprit before he even so much as gets a chance to defend himself- falsifying and planting evidence, removing proof of innocence to the best of her ability, and manipulating Hifumi to help her- all with the stroke of luck in her favor that even after remembering his life before the game, Hifumi still couldn't betray her when he tried because her legal surname was the same as his first. On a surface level, almost every slip-up or seemingly stupid move was shrugged off as 'well, Hiro's an idiot anyway, so he probably didn't realize,' which is exactly what Celeste bet on. The only one who wouldn't automatically fall under this assumption (Kyoko) was so distracted by her own schemes that she was pulled out of the investigation for the vast majority of it. Even Byakuya completely fell for it until Makoto pointed out some of the inconsistencies to him.

But here's the thing: Hiro's gullible, not stupid. He may fall for other people's schemes, but he can just as easily craft his own and sell them, even when the person being sold to knows they're being duped to some degree. He's a businessman at heart, and you can't become a successful businessman if your schemes don't work. If Celeste wanted her plan to work, then she chose the wrong guy to frame. (The game never actually addresses this directly, but from a meta perspective, it's pretty obvious Hiro is just being used as a red herring, and it's all symbolized in his handwriting- Hiro is more put-together than he's given credit for, and that truth creates the physical evidence of his innocence Celeste couldn't change.)

I mean, Hiro deliberately plays up his own stupidity in the trial, taking the argument that was supposed to work against him and using it in his favor to convince everyone around him of his own incompetency. That's not the strategy of someone incapable of working out a survival plan.

"Come on, I'm not smart enough to think of trying to change my handwriting anyway!" <- a direct contradiction to when he writes Toko's name in blood in handwriting not of his own in the following chapter

Hiro being a red-herring suspect for a murder is quickly followed up with Hiro being a red-herring suspect for a murder. Yes, they do it twice, but this time, Hiro himself believes he's responsible. So there's enough differentiation to warrant it within the plot.

With chapter 4, Hiro's paranoia hits an all-new level. And for good reason, too. Not only have there been 5 attempted murders in the span of just over 2 weeks, 3 of which were intentional and 4 of which were successful, there's also a known serial killer chilling with the rest of the class that's known specifically for attacking men. Not only that, he was literally framed for a double murder case just a couple days ago, and to top it all off, Sakura, the visibly strongest person not only in the class, but also officially recognized as strongest person in the world, has been outed as a spy for Monokuma. So naturally, Hiro's a little on edge when he receives the invite from Sakura to meet in the rec room. So when he hears her muttering to herself-

"This is it... I'm going to end it today... I'm going to end... everything." "As soon as I heard that, I just knew... I knew she was gonna try and kill me! She was gonna kill me and make her escape!"

So, rather then let that potential end happen, he made the panicked decision to defend himself.

He admits to this pretty quickly in the trial as well, as the moment the dying message is disproven as being from Sakura, he caves and tells them everything that happened from his perspective. And he feels terrible about it, too, accepting that he has to die for what he did.

"Well, that's what happened. Go ahead, roast me, boil me, do whatever you want..."

Once Makoto and Kyoko are able to prove he's innocent, it's a massive weight off his shoulders. His fear and panic all but disappear, and he spends the rest of the trial in a much more relaxed state.

And once the trial is over, and they've all heard the truth about Sakura's case, he throws his full support to Hina and Sakura, unable to be mad at either of them.

"This is because of our misplaced hatred. I don't blame her(Sakura)! I CAN'T blame her! And nobody can blame Hina, either!"

Besides being a suspect in both murder cases, Hiro has another important moment in chapter 4. At breakfast on the first morning, after sharing his prediction of no more murders, he tells the story of his encounter with aliens, in which a burger that was supposedly 100% beef was beamed up by an alien spaceship. And because aliens supposedly steal cows, the meat separated and only took 30% of the meat. When he went back to the restaurant, they admitted to mixing pork into the meat. This story is representative of Hiro's own fortune-telling, as only 30% of his predictions are real and the rest are done just for money.

Part 5- Character Relationships

Though none of them are given a main focus in-game, Hiro has fairly important dynamics with about half the cast of THH. Actually, basically everyone that made it past chapter 2 has an established dynamic with Hiro.

5.1- Kiyotaka Ishimaru

Though it's a bit of a one-sided relationship, Hiro is the only character to show any concern for Taka going into chapter 3. After the brutal death of Mondo, Taka goes comatose, and won't eat, sleep, or speak to anyone. It's when in this state that Hiro attempts to get him back in action as class rep, more than once. Unfortunately, he never really succeeds, though this does leave us with the implication that he was the one who told Taka about Alter Ego, as it doesn't make sense for it to have been anyone else at this point.

5.2- Hifumi Yamada

Similar to Taka, Hifumi spends chapter 3 with a special interest in Alter Ego. Hiro is the one that tries to get through to him, calling out his strange behavior and likening it to a former client in love with a mannequin. The two of them also bounce off of each other quite a bit in the first half of the game during group conversations, and when they do, it often paints Hiro in a more reasonable light. As the older and therefore more mature of the two, he knows when Hifumi is full of shit and calls him on it, particularly when he's being horny("But he's a guy! And also a computer program!" "Oh, that aspect is no problem." "That... aspect?").

Hifumi later goes on to work with Celeste to frame him for the murder of both Taka and himself. It's unclear if he had any resentment for Hiro or if he just agreed with Celeste that he'd make a good scapegoat.

5.3- Celestia Ludenberg

Celeste frames him for murder, despite the fact that they didn't have much interaction before then. Why Hiro, though?

"Because you're stupid." "That's it!?" "And in that regard, I made the right choice. I'm so glad your stupidity surpassed my every expectation. Life must have been tough on your parents, though." "I feel like I could cry..."

Not only is this one final dig from her before her execution, it's also just blatantly wrong. Not only was Hiro not there for the majority of the investigation(by her design), but the supposed stupidity of his character she's referencing had almost no effect on the investigation or trial. Rather, it was the assumptions of the rest of the cast that benefitted her, with characters like Hina and Byakuya going along with the same assumption she wanted them to. He was almost immediately proven innocent by Makoto, and was only considered a suspect because Celeste herself kept hounding the idea.

In short, this proved Celeste the idiot. She didn't know her opponent at all, and so she lost, lying about it to the bitter end.

5.4- Sakura Ogami

Hiro's lack of a significant relationship with her is more important than what they did have. Throughout THH, Hiro consistently refers to Sakura not by name, but by the demeaning nickname given to her online, 'Ogre', due to how physically imposing she is. As such, the two never really connect, and when she's outed by Monokuma as the spy, he turns against her immediately, even when they were relatively friendly with each other up until that point. He doesn't necessarily want to distrust her, but not only is her allegiance under fire, but he's already been betrayed and directly put in the line of fire once. He has to consider his safety first, so he cuts her out with the others, though he does say if she makes good on her assertion to defeat the mastermind, that he'll forgive her("If she really can beat the mastermind like she said, that'd go a long way in my mind...").

But even if he isn't condemning her to hell like Byakuya and Toko, he still doesn't know her. He never bothered to try. So when she invites him to talk, he stays on his guard. The game has rendered him unable to connect to her, and so when he hears her speak of 'ending everything', he can only assume the worst. And it leads him to open the case of Sakura's attacker- not Toko, not Jack, not Byakuya. Hiro starts it. And he carries that guilt into her trial.

5.4- Byakuya Togami, Aoi Asahina, Toko Fukawa, Genocide Jill

Hiro has a fairly antagonistic relationship with the other non-main-character survivors(and Byakuya, if you consider him one). The 5 of them spend most of the latter half of the game at each other's throats, often for miniscule, petty things. This is mostly used as a source of comedy, with each pointing out the others' flaws and making each other look dumb. However, when it comes down to it, they can get along and cooperate when it's important.

He gets along best with Hina, as both were part of the overarching group from the beginning, and both are consistently present whenever the group splits up(for example, before Chihiro's body is found). And because Toko and Jack follow Byakuya around, and Makoto and Kyoko are the main characters, the two of them end up as an unintentional pair when it comes to group dialogue, even ganging up on Byakuya or Toko when appropriate. That said, Hina doesn't like him much, either.

5.5- Kyoko

Kyoko acknowledges Hiro's attempts to become the leader of the class in Taka's absence, and uses him to communicate with the rest of the class about Alter Ego when necessary. He acts as her messenger, suggesting she trusted him to some extent, enough to let him be the messenger. Their relationship isn't expanded upon outside of this, though.

5.6- Makoto Naegi

Despite his mounting paranoia and trust issues in the previous chapters, Hiro is shown to trust Makoto specifically, likely because he was the one to prove his innocence in both chapter 3 and 4. He holds Makoto in high regard, enthusiastically agreeing with Kyoko to let him hold the knife in chapter 5 and attempting to explain the dismantling of Monokuma to him: "I'll explain what's goin' on, Makoto. Cuz that's how much I like ya! Byakuya found this li'l fella layin' around, then we tore it apart!" "That doesn't explain anything..."

Part 6- Hiro's Clairvoyance

Despite Hiro's claims of only having a 30% accuracy rating at best, his fortune-telling and bouts of clairvoyance are accurate a good few times in THH. I'm not doing the math to see if it actually falls between 20-30%, but it is enough to be significant.

In the prologue and 1st chapter, Hiro insists that the killing game must be a prank because of his total certainty that the execs of Hope's Peak were the ones who locked them in the school. This is revealed to be true in chapter 4, when Alter Ego reveals the Hope's Peak Headmaster planned the shelter, and the board signed off on it.

In his 1st FTE, Hiro reveals he's already seen that his and Makoto's paths intersect, and that the mother of their children is the same woman. This becomes true if you get the bad ending in chapter 5.

The chapter 2 cover art has Hiro holding a manga with Taka and Celeste covered in blood, with the number 2 beside Taka. This accurately depicts that Celeste would kill Taka in the following chapter, and that he'd be one of two victims of hers.

In the start of chapter 4, Hiro reveals a prediction that there won't be any more murders. This turns out to be true, as the only other deaths after this are both by suicide.

Hiro's wild guess about what started the Tragedy was later proven in the series to be correct repeatedly- Hope's Peak students' deaths started and continued the domino effect of the Tragedy. Hajime became Izuru due to Natsumi's and Sato's murders; the student council were all slaughtered inside the school as the beta kg; the Reserve Course students killed all the Main Course students that weren't either 77-B or 78-B, and then committed mass suicide via brainwashing. All the students were killed.

Part 7- An Inner Look

During THH, we get a look at both Hiro's bedroom and his locker in the main story. This gives us a unique glimpse into his mentality that we don't get with anyone else in THH.

Interestingly, his room and his locker are very different, despite them both containing his fortune-telling materials. In his bedroom, his books are stacked fairly neatly on the desk, and his divination tools are organized, being set on separate tables with a protective tablecloth underneath. The singing bowl and incense- which work for ambience- are kept on one desk in the back, while his cards and dice are kept on the main table in the middle of the room. Meanwhile, his locker has his books shoved awkwardly into the bottom, while his divination tools are all lumped together on the top and have no separation or organization. The locker's state even leads Makoto to say that its owner "probably has organization problems in every part of their life". This may suggest that his room is clean for the sake of potential customers, or just that the lack of space in the locker was inconvenient.

Part 8- Late Game Events

When chapter 5 opens, Hiro's 'dumb guy' shenanigans are cranked up to the max. While everyone's investigating the 5th floor, talking to Hiro in the garden reveals his conspiracy theory on the inevitable global domination of the world by plants. He also gets excited about the 5 chickens, claiming the number 5 to "contain the mysteries of the cosmos" and says it's a good omen.

When he tells the rest of the survivors about the garden, he decides he wants to use the lawnmower to create crop circles, as a signal for help. What he fails to realize is that there are no crops in the school, and that no one would be able to see them from above if there were. It's this moment that Hina points out how ridiculous he's getting:

"What the heck's happened to you...? You weren't like this in the beginning, you know." "Well back then my personality hadn't quite solidified yet...!" "I didn't think it was possible, but I'm more disappointed in you now than I've ever been..."

This suggests Hiro's characterization, from the ground up, was designed to be laughed at. (That's a surprise tool that will help us later.)

When the other survivors decide to dismantle Monokuma, Hiro is the one who actually undergoes the process of dismantling and opening him up, with the only one we see helping with the parts to be Toko. This puts him directly under fire if Monokuma wakes up and decides to punish the perpetrator. It's safe to assume this is why he and Toko were chosen by Byakuya to do the actual dismantling. He also goes on to be the one to get the TV working in the data center, suggesting some level of proficiency with technology that's never explored again.

When the 5th trial begins, Hiro's panicking, insisting that Kyoko is a ghost("she's like the latest evolution in ghost technology!") and has to be corrected before the actual trial can start.

When the final investigation begins, and Kyoko, Byakuya, and Toko have all gone off on their own, Hiro decides he's going to go off on his own as well, declaring he's going to use his "totally awesome spirit power to figure out the mastermind's identity!" This declaration goes nowhere, as he's the only survivor you don't need to talk to before Monokuma's clue, and his only dialogue before the trial is him avoiding you. This 'totally awesome spirit power' is never used in the final trial, either.

When the final trial begins, Hiro is the first to make the accusation Monokuma wanted- that he was the only innocent one, and that everyone else was working together. But when Hina and Byakuya piggyback off of him, he's the first to realize that they've all been given the same evidence. Simultaneously, somehow, he's the last one to realize the evidence is fake("Wh-what? Wait, hold on... This doesn't make any sense... How can the three of us each have that kind of evidence!?")

When Junko reveals the truth to everyone, he's the first to beg for mercy. He's brought to despair- "We get it... We get it, okay? You're totally awesome, right? We get it already! So help us! I'll do anything! Just help me!" "A peasant begging for his life? How delightful! We've never witnessed such a travesty firsthand..." But when Makoto fights back, he's also the first one to embrace hope(assuming you shoot the characters in the order they appear):

"But to live means moving forward, right...? So even if it's hard... even if we're scared... we don't have any choice, do we? I want to keep on living! I want to open the next door! There must be something new waiting for me! So that's why... That's why...! No matter what, I need to get out of here! The whole fortune-telling thing doesn't matter anymore! What matters is my own gut feelings! I... I've decided to have faith in myself!"

He, along with the other survivors, votes for hope. Junko is executed, and the seven of them leave together.

Part 9- Ultra Despair Hagakure (yes we have to talk about this)

TW: discussion of pedophilia and incest. Skip to part 9 if you need to(5 paragraphs down).

Ultra Despair Hagakure, or UDH, is the spinoff-spinoff LN unlocked by completing "spinoff" game Ultra Despair Girls. It follows Yasuhiro Hagakure in Towa City as he's saved by former captive Kanon Nakajima, and the two of them try to survive the Monokumas and find a way to escape. The novel's state of canon is unclear, but it doesn't directly contradict anything in the main series continuity in terms of plot progression.

The problem with UDH (well, for Hiro anyway. Kanon is a whole other can of worms for the Leonalysis) is that UDH establishes Hiro as a pedophile. Kanon is 15, and says as much in her internal dialogue, but Hiro(who introduces himself as mid-20s) spends the LN being attracted to her, and that attraction combined with his money-hunger pushes him to stick with her, hoping to squeeze money out of her rich father upon their escape. He describes her as 'the type to have a baby by 21', and there are multiple instances of him being turned on by her, either while she's fighting the Monokumas or when she ends up physically leaned against him. All around, it's just a really unfortunate choice they made for his character that serves nothing to the main plot besides acting as a way to emphasize how cute Kanon is. Why did they choose to have Hiro act in this way towards Kanon? Simple: UDH is a fetish novel.

UDH adds no significant development to the worldbuilding or its pre-established characters, with two exceptions- Hiro, and Leon. Both become victims of immoral fetish content, though Leon at least gets the shield of plausible deniability from an unreliable narrator. Hiro doesn't get that since we see his first-person perspective. The plot of UDH is structured around Kanon, despite its being named after Hiro, and centers on her feelings of lust and desire for a relationship, using the setting of UDG as a backdrop. Hiro is an older man than Kanon, and Leon is Kanon's cousin. Both of these characters had their names and base personalities recycled to act as her love interests, as an excuse to write fetish content. It's as simple as that. And Hiro in particular suffers because he's the living and present man of the two, so to make the content, he's given perverted, sexual thoughts about Kanon, a 15 year old girl, as a grown adult in his 20s, not because it's something Hiro would've done, but because it's part of the older-guy fetish. It's unnecessary for his character, and doesn't appear at all in the next and final appearance he has in the series, nor does it ever come up outside of this LN.

UDH is a dark spot on the history of Yasuhiro Hagakure, and one of dubious canon at that. But it's still important to acknowledge that was written and released as official content within the DR franchise, and therefore, must be part of this character dissection. Ultimately, I've come to the conclusion that, due to the entire LN being primarily fetish content, it can't in good conscience be held up as part of Yasuhiro's own character. However, it is reflective of Kodaka's lack of care in the treatment of Yasuhiro Hagakure as a character.

Part 10- Danganronpa 3: Future Arc

Hiro, alongside Makoto, Kyoko, and Hina, are brought back as part of the lineup for DR3's Future Arc, participating in a new killing game with 12 new characters.

10.1- Character Design Pt 2

Hiro's design is updated to his Future Foundation uniform, with his pant sleeves rolled up, his blazer over his shoulders, and a bright blue tie. His locs are now pulled back, he's wearing thin-wire glasses, and he's pictured holding his crystal ball(though again, it breaks in the 1st episode).

10.2- Hiro's Subplot

In the first episode of the Future Arc, Hiro's left out of the meeting by the others and told to wait outside. He's then left out of the killing game and locked outside the building by accident when the exits are blown up, and left to fend for himself in occasional clips for over half of the season until Byakuya shows up to break into the building.

His only role in the anime is an occasional cutaway to him wondering what's going on inside, only to be shot at by a helicopter with a machine gun and barely survive unscathed. The anime straight up tells the audience the reason for this in one of the opening recaps:

He's the only survivor from THH not to play a significant role as well, as Makoto, Kyoko, and Hina are active in the kg, Byakuya is the one to lead the rescue effort, and Toko and Jack get a dedicated episode in Towa City with Komaru to hunt down Monaca. All this to say, his occasional bit of barely surviving is all he gets in comparison, which isn't much.

10.3- Byakuya Togami

As the only character Hiro has significant interaction with in the season, the relationship between Hiro and Byakuya is mildly expanded upon. Once Byakuya arrives, Hiro immediately falls in line beside him, following orders to lay explosives and try to break into the building, complaining all the while as Byakuya watches and directs him. It's all reminiscent of their relationship at the endgame of THH; however, Byakuya appears to be more fond of Hiro at this point, stopping him from triggering the trap in the lobby and keeping him out of danger at his own risk. In that vein of logic, Hiro being told to stay outside by not only Byakuya, but also Makoto, Hina, and Kyoko wasn't because 'no one likes him', it was because of genuine concern that he'd get caught up in something that wasn't his fault. It was because they liked him that he was safe.

Part 11- Racism in Danganronpa

As we've seen, Hiro is a character without much of a story to talk about. He's got his bit moments, and a banterous dynamic with the other survivors from THH, but even in his own novel, he doesn't have his own plot to speak of, nor does he ever receive any significant character growth in 8 years of DR history by real-world years. He is wholly a gag character, meant to be messy, stupid, and altogether unimportant in comparison to the rest of the cast. And to call this anything other than flat-out racism would be flat-out ignorance.

First off, in a series with over 100 characters, Hiro is one of 3-4 characters who are canonically dark-skinned(I can't remember if Akane was dark-skinned or is in "it's just a tan" club with Hina, Sakura, Teruteru, and Gonta). Of those, he's one of two black men, and the other is a racist caricature whose sole purpose is to die in demonstration of a 'game mechanic'(Daisaku Bandai). So already, we can clearly see that black men, as well as any other dark-skinned characters, aren't prioritized in DR's narrative.

When it comes to Hiro specifically, though, the specifics of his character- his design, his backstory, and the perception the other characters have of him- all at least partially stem from blatantly racist stereotypes. It's not just a matter of lack of rep, it's a matter of stereotypical and often outright offensive representation.

Scroll back up to see Hiro's THH design again. He's dressed in multiple layers, making him look 'grungy', like he doesn't care about his appearance, and he's the only dark-skinned character to have a black hairstyle throughout the entire series. There's a point in the game where, if you choose to speak to him in a group setting, Genocide Jill refers to him as "Afro Thunder" as a derogatory remark. Even from a character that gives everyone nicknames, this is clearly racism, as the other nicknames are plays on the characters' names ('Big Mac' for Makoto, 'Tick Tock' for Taka, etc).

While the details of Hiro's backstory aren't fully expanded upon, we do have enough information from his mother, Hiroko, and some of his dialogue in THH to have enough of an idea. Hiroko was a teen mother, and considering Hiro is in his mid-20s(23 at the youngest) while Hiroko is around 36 during the events of UDG according to the UDG artbook, that would mean she had him at age 13, at the oldest. In addition, Hiroko isn't dark-skinned, meaning that either Hiro got his color solely from his father, or his mother was biracial and just didn't get those genes. In addition, we know that his father wasn't around for most of his life, as he left Hiroko for an unspecified act she 'let go on too long,' which implies infidelity. We do know his dad was around long enough for Hiro to remember him, though, as he's able to recall an instance where his father burned their house down due to smoking in bed. Now, this may be on me, but the implication all this seems to suggest is that his father, who would've been black, left his family and left the teen mother to raise Hiro on her own, and that the one depiction we receive of him paints him as irresponsible for causing a house fire. It's not expressly canon, but it's the implication the given information leaves for the player, and is eerily similar to the stereotype that black men are irresponsible and absent fathers that knock up younger women.

Throughout all of THH, Hiro is perceived as stupid. Just about every character that interacts with Hiro calls him an idiot at least once, and he's repeatedly portrayed as not understanding what's going on around him. The only character that's ever less aware than he is at any given time is Genocide Jack or Toko, and that's because the two don't share memories. In chapter 3, his supposed idiocy is emphasized as the reason Celeste targeted and pinned a double-murder on him, and how she was able to get away with framing him for so long. Almost everyone agreed with her that Hiro's idiocy explained away the flaws in logic from his perspective as a killer. Byakuya even says as such("He probably thought that if nobody saw his face, it wouldn't matter if he was seen. Because he's an idiot, you see."). He falls for every little lie Monokuma drops over the course of the game, to the point where he contradicts himself at the start of the final trial. There's a moment in chapter 5 where Hina goes on about how stupid he is, and asks him what 10+10 is. It offends him to the point he forgets what question she asked, and when he asks her to repeat herself, she just says "Don't worry. You've already answered it." Even Makoto, the POV character who we're meant to project ourselves as player onto, goes on about how stupid and disorganized he is at multiple instances when talking to him. Not only do the other characters perceive him as stupid, but the game wants you as player to perceive him as stupid, too, at the detriment of his own characterization as a successful and sleazy businessman who's made millions. Stupid, disorganized idiots who spend $1M on a glass ball aren't normally charismatic and clever enough to be making that much at such a young age from the ground up.

And maybe, maybe, if Hiro were the only instance where a dark-skinned character were subject to this volume of stereotypes, and the rest of the dark-skinned characters were all excellently developed and unique and well, not written consistently with racist tropes, then you could try to make the argument that this was by mistake. That it wasn't fully intentional, or that the creator was just trying to make a variety of characters, whatever. But every single dark-skinned (or tanned) character in the series suffers from some kind of racist trope. If it's not this, or being a blatant caricature like Bandai, it's being a monster brute who's viewed as an inhuman monster(Sakura, Gonta), it's being an islander cultist who follows some indigenous violent god(Angie), etc. The racism within Danganronpa's dark-skinned characters is inherently a part of their characters, to the point where you cannot separate the sins of the author from the character. Yasuhiro Hagakure is a byproduct of racism, and it holds him back as a character from being expanded upon outside of what the stereotype allows so long as he's written by his creators.

Part 12- Fortune Telling Does Matter (Why we should care)

We've now thoroughly dissected Yasuhiro Hagakure and his role, or often lqack thereof, in the story. He's a gag character built on racist tropes that the creator didn't give a fuck about, and was lent out for a fetish piece. He's an idiot, a useless guy whose own creator built to be pointed at and laughed at. Why should anyone care about Hiro? The answer comes in the epilogue of THH, from Hiro himself:

"...Ah! I get it now! If there's no road, you just gotta build one! Creation... Fate is telling me to remake the world! That's... my hope! I've reached the next stage! The next chapter of Yasuhiro Hagakure's Life Story is about to begin!"

'If there's no road, you just gotta build one.' Hiro was made with racism, yes, and went underused in the source material, but that doesn't mean that was all there was to his character. If you dig into the work, you'll find a passionate man that cares deeply for his interest in the unknown, someone who researches and collects artifacts in his free time, and who genuinely believes in his clairvoyance, and used that passion and belief to build a career and life for himself. The pieces are in place for his story to continue, and if the source material won't do it, then well, can't we? Danganronpa is known for its love and attention to detail of its characters. Each and every character is designed with the potential to become the protagonist of their own story. That includes Hiro. He does have the potential to rise past the source material in the right hands, and those could be your hands. Who's to say? Maybe there's some unwritten genius hidden within that next chapter. That's the beauty of fanwork; untapped potential can become a fan favorite if you know where to look.

Afterword

"Hey guys, Sayakanalysis is taking a while, I want an easy one next." Well look how that turned out. This shit was NOT easy, not by a long shot. I've come to the conclusion that there is no easy character to analyze in this godforsaken series

That said, I am happy with how this turned out. Even if Hiro is a bit all over the place, I genuinely like him a lot more now! There's actually a lot of fun to be had with his character if you're willing to look deeper into him; that's what I want people to take away from this

Anyways, it'll probably be a nice long wait for the next one because uh. Junko is next. And V3 is basically the only time she doesn't show up soooooooo hope you enjoyed catch ya later