#kino shots

[the-eyes-of-andyserkis]

[ Part One ] - [ Part Two ] - [ Part Three ] - [ Part Four ] [ Part Five ] - [ Part Six ] - [ Part Seven ] - [ Part Eight ]

[eggonthemoon]

FUCK

I'M CAUGHT UP ON HONKAI STAR RAIL AND NOW I GOT SEVERE AVENTURINE BRAINROT

WTF

[diabolik-art-blog]

Christmas Night

Chapter 01: [ Kino x Yui ]

Admin's note: The first chapter of 13 Christmas one-shots. I wanted to start with Shu because he is always my favorite but my boy Kino needs more attention. I'm still in shadowban so sorry I can't replay your comments. Don't forget to support my One Shots in AO3.

Christmas night is one of the most beautiful nights of the year. The city of Tokyo is very beautiful and spectacular at this time of the year. In the center of the city there is a big tree that is beautifully decorated and a golden star shines on top of it. There is a box next to the tree for people to give their gifts to the orphans.

It is the night before Christmas and tomorrow the beautiful Christmas carol will resound in the city. People are doing their last Christmas shopping. Couples hold each other's hands and walk in the city. Smiles are seen on their faces and they all look happy.

Everyone looks happy. Except for the girl who looks at the happy people from behind the window and has a bitter smile on her face. She wishes to experience this feeling of happiness with a real family just for a few moments.

While looking at happy couples and people from behind the window, Yui remembers her happy memories with her father on Christmas nights. Her father, who tried to kill her a few months ago. Remembering these bitter memories brought tears to her eyes.

Yui wiped her tears with her sleeve and got up to go to Kino's room. As she walked slowly down the corridor, she wished that Kino would not ignore her this time. Yui reached the back door of Kino's room and knocked as her body trembled with fear.

*knock knock*

Yui: Kino-kun... can we talk?

No sound could be heard from behind the door. Ever since Yui and Kino came to this city, Kino has never spoken to her even once. Kino no longer pays attention to her like before. He locks himself in his room for hours and rarely comes out.

Yui mustered up all her courage and boldly opened the door to the room. She saw Kino lying on his bed playing with his smartphone as usual.

Yui: Kino-kun... I just wanted to know how are you? can we talk together?

Kino does not answer her again. Yui doesn't know the reason for Kino's neglect, but after what happened, she blames herself for everything and can feel that Kino is angry with her because of the recent events, even if he doesn't say it.

Tears gathered in Yui's eyes. Yui walked out of the room with trembling steps and closed the door. After the door was fully closed, Yui quickly ran to her room and threw herself on the bed, buried her head in the pillow and started crying. She could feel her heart breaking into pieces. It seems that Kino hated her and this means the end of the world for her.

After Kino betrayed the ghouls, the ghouls got angry with him and attacked him. Kino didn't want them to hurt Yui, so he ran away with Yui and they came to Tokyo. But everything changed. Every day, Kino ignored Yui and did not pay attention to her at all.

After their savings ran out, Yui found a small job to make ends meet. She blamed herself for this and tried her best to make Kino happy.

Hours passed and it was midnight. Guessing that Kino was sleeping now, Yui found the courage to go out. She quickly changed her clothes and left the house. While walking in the streets, she looked at her money that she had saved for several months. She wants to make Kino happy with a big Christmas party so she can see his smile again, but before that she has to do some shopping.

Yui walked the streets for hours to buy all the things she needed. She was walking back home when she felt that someone was following her. At first, she thought that it was just her imagination, but no, it was not imagination, it was reality. Someone was following her and upon realizing this, Yui started running.

Yui didn't know what to do, she just ran with all her breath. Out of fear, she lost her way and just ran through the streets and alleys until she reached a dead end.

???: Little lady, why are you running away? I haven't done anything with you yet.

Yui: Please don't come near me. Please stay away from me.

The unknown man who had been following Yui the entire time gave a wicked grin and approached her. He tilted his head towards Yui, staring into her innocent pink eyes.

???: Do not worry. If you don't resist, I promise you it won't hurt at all.

He was staring at Yui's innocent face and white skin and put his hand on her cheek and with that Yui shivered and tried to defend herself.

???: You are very thin and skinny. What a pity. But the skin is white and soft. And you are very very beautiful. I'm sure your taste is very sweet hahaha.....

Yui pushed the unknown man with all her strength and tried to run away from him, but the man was much bigger than her and quickly grabbed Yui's neck and squeezed with all his strength, trying to scare her.

???: Little girl, if you resist any longer, I swear that your beautiful and lovely face will be filled with blood and I can no longer say that your face is beautiful.

There were tears in Yui's eyes. She could hardly breathe. The man slowly let go of her neck and imprisoned Yui between the wall and his body. He unbuttoned Yui slowly and ran his tongue over her skin. Yui was crying non-stop and her moans were spread in the alley.

The man was enjoying these moments and lust until he felt the shadow over him. When he turned back, he saw a boy with wine-red eyes and raven-black hair staring at him with dead eyes. Seeing him, Yui looked at him with a pleading look.

Yui: Kino-kun...

Kino: You stupid man.... what the hell are you doing?

Before the man could say anything, Kino punched him hard in the face, causing his teeth to break and his face to be covered in blood. Seeing Kino's extraordinary physical strength, the man panicked and ran away without resisting.

Kino was staring at Yui's confused look. Yui tried to get up on her shaky legs and walk towards Kino.

Yui: Kino-kun... I...

*slap*

Yui's speech was stopped by a hard slap on her face. Yui's eyes were wide and her cheeks were red. Kino's slap was so hard that Yui's cheek was red. Tears flowed from Yui's eyes and Yui touched her cheek.

Kino: Silly girl.... Why did you leave the house without my permission? Don't you know how big and dangerous Tokyo is?

This was the first time Kino had spoken to Yui again in a while. Yui was shocked but happy. She was happy that Kino was talking to her again. While looking at Kino with tears in her eyes, she smiled softly, which shocked Kino.

Yui walked over to Kino and hugged him. She buried her head in Kino's chest and started crying.

Yui: *Sob*.... Kino-kun..... I'm sorry.... I'm sorry that your life was ruined because of me.... I'm sorry that you left your homeland because of me..... and I'm sorry that I made you hate me...

Surprised to hear Yui's strange words, Kino started to laugh. Yui looked at him in surprise. He hadn't laughed in a long time. Kino hugged Yui tightly. He held Yui's face with both hands and caressed her red cheek and kissed her gently.

Kino: My stupid prince..... you thought I hated you? No, you were wrong. I hated myself.

Yui: What?

Kino: I hated myself for bringing you to another city, but I didn't even have a good job with a decent income. You had to work for me and I hated myself for not being able to do anything for you.

Kino kissed Yui's red cheek again.

Kino: You are always my princess. I will never hate you. You are the only person I love more than my life.

Hearing Kino's words, Yui smiled softly and sank into his arms. They stayed in each other's warm arms for a while and drowned in each other's love.

Kino helped Yui pack her things. He took her hand and they went home together.

Yui: Kino-kun... This is our first Christmas together. Let's celebrate this Christmas together and start a new life.

Kino: My life is always with you, Yui. You are never going to leave me. I will stay by your side until the end.

Kino placed his lips on Yui's and encouraged her into a warm kiss. Their tongues intertwined and this kiss warmed their hearts on a cold Christmas night. It was a new beginning for them. Starting a new life together.

[mariocki]

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)

"Things happen here about... they don't tell about. I see things. You see, they say it's just an old man talking. You laugh at an old man. There's them that laughs and knows better."

[kabutoraiger]

recently i’ve been trying to make my letterboxd list of “favorite practical effects” more comprehensive which has involved a lot of googling movies i watched a decade ago to try and remember what the effects work was like.

in searching up one of my all time faves, dark city (1998) i came across this review (screencaps added by me for comparison)

this is from an old site that specifically reviewed visual fx in films and they seem like they were very passionate about it. so reading this was kind of jarring bc it’s just. so polar opposite to how i think of these things. truly almost incomprehensible to me to imagine being such a fan of vfx that you start your own website about them and yet your criteria for them is. “how much could this pass for a real thing.”

when practical effects are blatantly unmoored from the “real”: when sets are obviously built on a soundstage, when stop motion monsters exist next to humans, when miniatures look like little toys... THAT’S cinema to me. not that i would ever say no to practical effects made to look as believable as possible, i love the craft involved in that, but in general the artifice is so much of the appeal.

there’s this amazing and sometimes eerie liminality to watching flesh and blood people occupying physical spaces that are so clearly constructed. walking through candy colored scenery that human hands obviously built, where the sky is a painting, but to the characters it’s their lived reality. characters going about their daily lives in cities that, when the camera pulls back, look like something from an i spy book.

they’re on a stage. they’re following a script. they don’t know it, but i do. the audience seeing the artificial truth of a world that its inhabitants can’t can be so powerful, whether that adds to a feeling of all-knowing delight or tragedy or horror.

and especially, you’d think, in the case of dark city, where the characters are literally living fake lives assigned to them by their alien overlords who play with them like their own personal set of barbie dolls. (but, uh. spoilers, i guess, for anyone who hasn’t seen it. still worth it even if i just ruined the twist for you.)

[boardchairman-blog]

**Shots of the Episode**

Andor (2022)

Season 1, Episode 10: “One Way Out″ (2022) Director: Toby Haynes Cinematographer: Adriano Goldman

[killjoy-prince]

Manga and merch haul from today!!

[tarabyte3]

Reprieve

Fandom: Andor

Characters/pairings: Kino Loy, past Kino Loy x OFCs, past Kino Loy x OMCs

One shot (846 words)

AO3 link

Summary: Kino Loy finds reprieve in his memories every night while lying in his prison cell.

Warnings: Explicit rating, masturbation, hand job, sex, PiV, anal sex, oral sex, infidelity, prison

A/N: This is the very first Kino fic I ever wrote. Originally posted to AO3 November 18, 2022. It's a short, introspective piece where he thinks back on his past relationships as masturbation material. Also I made him bi because why not? So there are descriptions of sexual encounters with men and women. Enjoy!

A part of Kino thought it was sad and pathetic that he looked forward to this every night, but he worked hard. Had been locked up there for years with no comfort or touch of another person except born from necessity or violence. And though he could see the light at the end of the tunnel, as faint as it still was, he had no one waiting for him when he got out.

So every night he laid on his hard mattress pad and tried not to think of parts or numbers or keeping forty nine men in line. Instead he thought of feminine hips and masculine hands, of tongues and moans, and he silently thrust into his own hand until he came in hot streaks across his belly.

He thought of his first girlfriend and the way she had tentatively stroked him, not quite getting the rhythm or pressure right, but it was his first handjob so he still finished in an embarrassingly short amount of time. Before prison, he hadn't thought about it in decades, but here every memory of touch and release was precious so he tried to recall how her hand had felt. Tried to recall how she looked up at him, shy and flushed, unsure of herself, but emboldened by his groans and the feeling of him twitching in her fist.

He thought of his first boyfriend. A co-worker from his first job. The two of them had fumbled around with much more expertise with their hands and enthusiasm with their mouths until they had found that rhythm as well. That had eventually led to fucking each other like they had just discovered sex. Truthfully, they had, in a way. He'd never buried himself inside another person or been filled and used before him. There had been a moment where he believed he could do that for the rest of his life and be happy—until the novelty wore off. Then they realized they didn't have much in common outside of bending each other over beds and chairs and desks, and then showing up to work at the same place.

After that he had fallen in love for the first time and sex became more than release. It had been prayer and worship. The thrill of seeing another person undone beneath you while your heart soared and your fingers itched to clutch them to you and never let go. But he hadn't loved Kino in the same way Kino had loved him, so then he had also felt true heartbreak for the first time.

To soothe his pain he'd sought out company in the arms of someone else. Found her in a cantina, and she had fallen to her knees in the bathroom and taken him so deeply into her mouth and throat that she had swallowed around him and driven him nearly cross eyed. He'd come, fully buried and hips pressed firmly against her lips, with a quiet curse. Then the high had worn off and left him feeling worse than before. As he dressed, he said an awkward thank you before scurrying out and never seeing her again.

He had a few more partners, a few more awkward fumbles, a few more loves lost and hearts broken, before he found something solid. The woman he thought he would spend the rest of his life with, even when the fire of their sex life simmered to embers after nearly a decade. He had known her body so well that sex was like coming home. Like saying I love you, even as the Empire closed around them. When life seemed bleak, he found hope and release in her arms. But then there had been an accident at work, and he came home early that day to find her in bed and not alone. Truthfully, he would have stayed. Tried to find a way to keep their love going and get past the hurt, but for her that was the end.

By then he was too tired to try again. Too angry. So he put all of that righteous fury into something he could fix. His factory had been taken over by Imperial forces, and, as a result, the work conditions and pay had gotten worse while the hours got longer. Injury got you fired and replaced, and there was no empathy for illness or weakness. No community. He put all of his passion into fighting for something better for the people around him, workers he oversaw. For it he'd been arrested for treason and crimes against the Empire.

That was how he found himself in his cell: a patchwork of heartache, loss, and laughter. Of every hand that had touched him and tongue that brought him pleasure. A patchwork of memories that he clung to as his hand reached into the pants of his uniform to find himself already hard with the anticipation of release. So he palmed himself, spread the moisture already gathering at the slit of his erection down his length, and let his memories give him a reprieve.

[mino-diabolik]

[𝐃𝐈𝐀𝐁𝐎𝐋𝐈𝐊 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐒] 「𝐓𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: 𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐔𝐒」 𝐑𝐮𝐤𝐢 𝐯𝐬 𝐊𝐢𝐧𝐨 [𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐎𝐧𝐞]

—𝐑𝐔𝐍—

Under the guise of the void of night, a wounded First Blood charged through the desolate street, seeking a crowd. Unfortunately for him, nighttime remained the span of slumber for mortals.

Therefore, there would be no one to come save him from this waking nightmare.

The soles of his sneakers tapping along the sidewalk and the mess of his hasty breaths were the only sounds in the dead silence. Mystic latched a hand around his clavicle, putting pressure on the wound oozing with blood; his hand was sullied away from the fair tone it usually bore. It would be an understatement to describe the bloody mess hidden underneath his hand by the simple term of a “bite”. It had felt as though the Vampire had tried to rip off a chunk of his shoulder.

A grim cackle echoed around him, leaving no hint as to the direction of its origin. Mystic startled, splashing a puddle as he came to a halt in the middle of the street. He kept his eyes wide open, scanning the space around him, which remained eerily unperturbed.

The unanticipated ghastly graze on the hairs of his arm tripped a violent shudder all along the bones of his spine. He scarcely had any time to spin around and face the incoming danger when the swift flash of a shadow moved past his eyes. A hand clawed down into his arm, running him back against the empty shop; chips of bricks crumbled onto the shoulders of his jacket. An expression of fright in his pale complexion and an audible gasp sipped right out of his mouth.

Ruki hovered over him, casting a macabre shadow over the starving glow in his steel-blue eyes. “Caught you.”

Mystic felt diminutive pinned into the cold solidness of the cement, frosting over under the man’s gaze. He stiffened up with the air catching in his throat and all of the color draining from his already jade visage. He battled through the onslaught of fear freezing over the pit of his stomach, forcing up the most bitter of his smiles. He shoved his arm up, pressing it up against the jut of his throat before the Vampire could consider moving in closer. “Fucking beast,” he hissed.

“You say that,” started Ruki, turning his chin up as Mystic added further pressure into his defense, “yet you’re scrambling about while leaving such a sweet scent behind.” He gave the Founder’s gory collarbone a subtle glance over, before turning back to meet the fierce glare in his mismatched eyes. He yanked an arm up, clutching his jaw with a tight grip. “It is as though you are begging to be eaten up.”

Mystic gritted his teeth, flashing off the pointed ivory canines on both top and bottom rows of his denture; a deep growl rumbling up through his ribcage and into his throat. He felt his jaw creak and his skull bend under the Vampire’s grasp, grappling to slip away. Unfortunately for the weakened demon, his strength had majorly decreased, rendering his struggles against the Vampire futile.

Ruki clawed into Mystic’s wrists, ripping his arms to either side of his head. Blood dribbled down from the hand he’d kept over the wound of his shoulder; crimson staining the second party’s hand, slowly rolling over the joint under his palm. He delayed no longer as he swiftly dove down and plunged his fangs into the open wound.

In a simultaneous state of shock and agony, Mystic let out a scream; eyes shooting wide open. He fumbled about harder than in previous attempts at escape, finally breaking into a crazed breathing mess. Tears brewed at the edges of his eyes and mouth gaped open with nothing but a pitiful string of huffs and whimpers. His shoulder soon felt numb; left arm going limp by connection. He could barely feel the tips of his fingers anymore. He wasn’t sure whether it was due to the pain or the lack of blood… perhaps even his body found rapture in said torture. He could no longer tell.

Ruki looped an arm around Mystic’s waist, hoisting his slumped figure up. Though the attitude with which his fangs jabbed through the Founder’s skin could be called barbaric to say the very least, his touch was awfully tender. These faint carrasses shuddering of his nerves muddled his hazy judgement further. All fingers of his bound hands twitched, and a yelp decamped through the gap between his lips. Strangely enough, it wasn’t a helpless cry for help. Mystic’s pale features held a faint blush and the haze in his eyes were of unadulterated rapture.

Mystic dug his nails into his palms, unconsciously angling his head further out; slumping back with defeat. Ruki released the grip he held on the Founder’s hands, cradling his waist and spine completely. He slowly slipped his hand up into the nape of his neck, casually digging his fingers into the other’s mane of hair. Mystic shuddered, weakly pinching the edges of Ruki’s blazer, unable to do much else for himself. The world around began feeling darker than it previously had been, and he couldn’t even feel his legs anymore. Oddly enough, the amount of detail with which he felt every mouthful of blood leave his body through the veins on his shoulders was staggering.

“I should’ve known!”

The silence shattered and a screeching pain from the open wound at his shoulder split his skull apart, making him scream out in absolute agony.

A hand clutched Ruki’s shoulders, jerking him away without having pried his fangs from Mystic’s skin, creating an unsightly tear through the jade layer of epidermis. The violent shock of agony shook him awake, eyes widening and gasping as though he’d been yanked out from the depths of the ocean. Before he could finish processing what had just occurred, he staggered upon his first attempt at standing and fell at the feet of the newcomer.

“I could pick up that scent from miles away,” Kino huffed, reaching down to tug the Founder back up to his feet. The yank tore the wound further open, causing him to hiss in discomfort.

“Can you both stop fucking grabbing my arm like that?!” Mystic jerked said limb out of the Vampire’s hold. “It’ll fall off at this point, you pair imbeciles!” He snapped around to face the way Ruki had skidded away, then back at Kino, pointing accusitorangly with his one uninjured arm. “Both of you!”

Kino placed a hand on his chest, “Me too?”

Mystic felt a sudden urge to slap him. “Yes, you too! If you hadn’t been messing around with ingredients in the house of a witch, of all places, we wouldn’t be in this predicament, you goddamn idiot! Look at Ruki!” He jerked up his unwounded arm to point away in the direction of a dazed Vampire as he staggered back to his feet.

“Alright, but is that my fault in any way? Powerful substances like aphrodisiacs aren’t supposed to be laying around for anyone to grab. Especially if they’re a fume of any kind!” Kino retorted, earning him a groan from Mystic in response. “The only one at fault I see here is you for not even trying to fight him off in the first place. You even lovingly embraced him in front of me!”

“I never opened my arms to ‘lovingly embrace him’! He was stumbling about and was about to fall flat on his face, so I stepped in to catch him! I wasn’t just about to let him crack his skull because you were acting like a child that can’t keep their hands to themselves!”

“If you had just let him be, we wouldn’t be in this situation!”

“We wouldn’t be in this situation if you hadn’t been messing around!”

Ruki finally managed to stand on his feet properly. He lifted his head, calling out with audible annoyance, “That’s quite enough. Whoever is at fault—that doesn’t matter.” He crooked his finger, gesturing Mystic to his side. “Mystic… we are not done yet.”

The Founder turned pale, shuffling back against the wall. His knees quivered and his muscles felt sluggish; none would respond to his orders. As much as his mind screamed for him to escape, his body would not cooperate.

“Oh, you are done,” Kino balked, lifting an arm in front of Mystic; placing himself between him and the Vampire, despite the latter standing a few meters away from them. “Have people not told you not to touch what doesn’t belong to you? Keep up the charade and you’re going to kill him. Go dunk your head in a bucket of ice or die in your misery, I couldn’t care less.”

As much as Mystic wanted to retort, he considered his options. With an arm almost falling off its stump, perhaps allowing Kino to say as he pleased for now would be the best of any remaining options. Being left behind at Ruki’s mercy would most definitely not end prettily.

He leaned back against the wall with a short exhale, feeling battered beyond belief. Deep azure met the mismatched pair of ores, glowering past the Vampire Prince standing between them. Mystic shuddered; a fiery sensation blazed deep in his stomach. The vivid memory of Ruki’s hands trailing along the curve of his spine and the subtle verbal indicators of bliss vibrating into his skin as ivory fangs pierced through his flesh brought heat to the Founder’s face. Mystic gritted his teeth, attempting to kick off those thoughts and exchanging them for the blaring pain he’d felt. The fear he’d experienced from running through the desolate streets in the dark of night; helpless to find someplace where he could lay low and breathe without worrying to make a sound.

Mystic stepped back, pressing his back against the wall as much as it was physically possible. He lowered his head, seeming exhausted and defeated all at once.

The prince offered the other Vampire the smuggest of smiles as he said, “Take that as your ‘no’.”

“It wasn’t a request,” Ruki spoke in a low voice, ire vibrating off his tone.

“And I wasn’t asking,” Kino taunted.

Ruki opted to ignore him and hastily moved towards them, raising his voice. “Mystic!”

The Founder flinched, shrinking back into his place as he turned his face away.

The elder Mukami had lost his composure long before that moment; only standing and active because of the aftereffects caused by the conjure Kino’s carelessness had victimized him for.

The pitiful state in which Mystic stood—battered, bloodied, pale, and frightened to his very bones—made a diminutive area within his chest ache with guilt. It being clouded by his bloodlust, he decided that the only way to get rid of it was to pin the Founder down and have his way with him. Not caring of whether he begged and cried for him to release him.

Mystic very vividly sensed the Vampire’s desires. While the places he’d laid his fangs tingled with anticipation, the rest of his body burned up from the depths of his core; unsure of where such a ravaging reaction brewed from. He hated it. He hated that sensation so much. Mystic repeatedly scolded himself with the reality of the situation: Ruki wasn’t in his right mind. That was all. Whatever may have occurred between them at some point was well in the past.

“He’s so stubborn,” Kino huffed.

“But he isn’t like this,” Mystic whispered, much like speaking to himself rather than making a comment. The prince of Vampires glanced back, driving the Founder’s hazy gaze back at him. “He wouldn’t be like this if only you hadn’t been acting like a damn child back then.” Mytsic’s voice suddenly started rising and his tone harshen with each word, “If only you had just not stuck your hands in places you shouldn’t have, we wouldn’t even be in this situation, you fucking idiot!”

He’d lost it. The aggressive combination of pain, fear, and anger fueled Mystic’s outburst in a way he hadn’t felt in in decades. Through the blur of tears, he could see red, and could think of nothing but to spit out curses, as well as faulting everyone within his vicinity.

Kino, however, didn’t see it that way. The Founder’s accusations and tones had more than certainly rubbed him the wrong way. His brows lifted with amusement; smiling with his lips but not his eyes. “Is that so?”

Mystic blinked, as though he had only then realized the awful manner in which he’d allowed himself to go off on Kino.

“Alright,” the playfulness in the Vampire’s tone was long gone, leaving only frost-covered words, “I’ll keep my hands to myself then. This isn’t my problem, after all.” Then, he stepped aside, no longer blocking Ruki from reaching Mystic.

The Founder’s face blanched as the older Mukami's bloodlust-filled eyes scanned over his figure.

“Serve yourself.”

Ruki pounced without a second to spare. Mystic dove out of his spot, barely missing the maddened creature as he crashed against the wall, prying chips of cement from the wall. Mystic clutched the wound on his collarbone, giving a final glare—that of which was almost overflowed with terror—at Kino, who only offered him a cruel smile and salute. Mystic didn’t have enough time to cuss him out before he had to jump out of his spot for a second time. He stumbled back and crashed, stifling a scream as he dragged himself back. Soon after, he scrambled to his feet and took off, never once daring to cast a glance over his shoulder.

[Admin!Danny: Okay, the first time around I was writing this I accidentally deleted the entire draft, so I had to rewrite it all over again 😃🔫 Anyways… This is something I’ve been wanting to do for a while now, so here it is: a VERSUS featuring Mystic as the MC. Forgive me if either Kino or Ruki came off as out of character, it’s been a long while since I’ve written for any of the canon boys (though keep in mind that their individual relationships with Mystic changes their attitude somehow). Either way, I hope you enjoyed the first part! Stay tuned for part two soon! ⭐️]

↳ [ Next ]

[landofanimes]

@sera-myu-week 2022 | Day 6: Other Stories

While most Sailor Moon musicals are based on the series’ main 5 arcs, the shows have also presented different stories - sometimes derivative of other arcs, sometimes completely new (and one time based on a manga side story!). 

Not counting the times Bandai mixed different arcs into one, we could count 5 other stories on stage:

The Legend of Kaguya Island (1999(x2), 2004, 2005)

Dracul Arc (2000-01)

Sanctuary of Love (2002)

Kaguya Hime’s Beloved (2021)

Chronicle (2022)

- Kaguya Island and Sanctuary of Love are myu originals; - The Dracul arc uses some concepts from existing arcs but its plot is a myu original, and it is the only arc told in chapters through sequential shows;  - Kaguya Hime’s Beloved in based on the manga side story;  - Chronicle is a myu original that takes place after KHB; - Both Sanctuary of Love and Chronicle were made as commemorative musicals in honor of the anniversary of Sailor Moon - the 10th and the 30th, respectively.

[ariadnasdiary]

Hidden in the shadows - A Halloween special

Mun Ari: Hello!! Although I don’t celebrate Halloween (I'm more of a "Día de muertos" person for OBVIOUS reasons lol So! I'm not late, but rather in time!!), I wanted to make something special! It’s been years since I made something for the occasion ^^. Plus! It was the perfect excuse to share this gorgeous commission @vixen-ocs made for me! OF COURSE I HAD TO MAKE AN SCENARIO TO SHOW IT OFF :D. Cause’ in this blog we LOVE the Phantom of the Opera! Hell yeah!!!

Note: Also! Let's consider this one-shot for Diatober - day 14: possession.

Anyway, enjoy!

When the curtain goes up, the show begins. She has done it various times already, yet she can’t get used to the feeling. She can’t help but feel a knot forming everytime in the pitch of her stomach. However, she has to focus: she knows he’s watching.

But that doesn’t help with her nerves, so she pushes that thought aside. If she gets nervous, her voice won’t be able to reach the correct notes. That pisses him off, he has been taking extra care to fix that bad habit of hers. Last time, he punished her severely: by making her sing until her vocal cords felt like bleeding. 

“The curtain is about to lift, are you ready?” someone asked her, interrupting her swirling thoughts.

“Y-Yes!” she stuttered, that’s not good.

“You sure?” the staff member asked her in concern.

She knows what people say about her: how was an amateur like her able to get herself a spot in tonight’s show? She didn’t have a proper education regarding music or singing. She was a nobody, who everyone thought she "thought she knew how to sing". But everyone had their doubts: how would she be able to sing in such a big scenario, when she was so shy and stuttered whenever she had to speak to a big audience? When she couldn’t even look into the eyes of the director when she was selected as part of the show? 

“Sure! Don’t worry!” she smiled reassuringly, although she was fighting with all her might to sound confident and bury her nerves. 

The young staff member nodded and gave the sign to the rest of the crew to start the show. Everyone went to their places and so did she. 

“Ladies and gentlemen! Boys and girls! Welcome to Eden Opera House! Today’s show promises to be unforgivable!” the master of the ceremony announced. “This is the third call! Let’s begin!”.

The orchestra started playing the introduction melody, a round of applause was heard and everyone backstage were preparing the last details for the show.

“Today is very special you see!” the master continued “We have a special number prepared just for you! You may have never heard of her, but that makes her the most intriguing part of tonight’s show!”

She could hear the low mumbles of the audience, all curious as to what it could be. 

“Don’t let this young lady fool you! Don’t you dare underestimate her! She might be young, small and unknown! But her voice… her voice is like nothing you have heard before!”

Ari closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She knew the song, she knew how to sing it, I was going to go well. It better be. 

"We present you: Miss Ariadna!" 

A round of applause was heard and soon the curtain lifted. Ari opened her eyes and for a single second, she saw the public. She was scared, but remembered his words:

"Don’t look at them. Look somewhere else, never to their faces or you'll lose the little confidence you'll have".

She quickly looked at the distant vase of roses placed as part of the decoration at the very top of the theater. That should do. She bowed to the audience and then waited for the music to play. 

To think she would be standing as the main singer… not once it had crossed her mind. It all happened so suddenly…

She was visiting an old friend in the theater as she was in town for some time. He has been working there for quite some time, however things didn't turn out as she should. She wanted to have a glimpse of the theater's scenario. Her friend told her no one was working that day and she started singing to spend some time while his friend had to do some things before finishing his shift. 

It was a sweet song, one that she had memorized as it was her favorite. She sang it as it came naturally to her, she never thought of her voice as anything extraordinary, she simply enjoyed it. Who would have thought that a certain someone would be there and came to like her voice? 

When she finished, she heard an applause. She was straddled and for a moment thought it was her friend, until he spoke:

"Not bad~ considering it came from a tiny amateur like yourself~"

She didn’t hear him coming, not a single footstep. It was like he was part of the darkness, and decided to make himself noted. 

“W-Who’s there?” she asked to that darkness that had spoken to her. 

“I’m impressed there’s still someone who doesn’t know about me yet” he replied.

She made some memory and THAT rumor came to her, her friend had told her about it. It was said that within the deepness of the opera house existed a strange being. No one knew how or when he arrived, they just knew that he was already there. He dedicated himself to observe the people acting there, if he liked their talent he would help that rising star to shine. Every artist he had chosen had gone over the top. When people ask them about their secret, they refuse to speak other than: “he saw the talent in me and got me here”. Oh, but there’s also a dark side to this man: if you dared to try to tame him, trick him or go against his wishes… death was sure to come to you. Many dead bodies appeared all around the theater installations and no culprit. The common similarities of the bodies were disposed artists that had failed or pushed their luck into being liked by him. Everyone blamed him, they knew it had to be him, but there was no proof and not to mention that, how could you take justice to a phantom? Besides, it has been over a year that no talent has been chosen. People wondered when he would choose someone, but they knew he wasn’t gone. They could feel it, even if they never truly saw him.

“T-The phantom of the opera?” she asked, a little mockingly.

It couldn’t be him… right?

“The one and only~”

From the shadows she could see at the distance the figure of a man, ever so elegant as  mysterious. 

She knew she had attracted unwanted attention, a praise from him was like a curse: either a one that could end in bless or death. 

“I’m not really sure if I should be honored or scared to make your acquaintance,” she said sincerely.

She earned a low chuckle from him.

“That depends on you,” he simply replied.

She wanted to run, but she knew better that once the rumor turned to be true… she had to be careful. You shouldn't run, you shouldn’t test his patience, always listen first, and most importantly: obey. 

The lights suddenly went out and Ari shrieked in fear. She could hear him laugh and as she sought for any source of light or exit, she had to try. 

“Come”.

She didn’t want to, she was scared to have been chosen by him. Especially when she was no artist. 

Her eyes caught a glimpse of light, and another until it formed a path within the pitch dark atmosphere. 

“I won’t repeat myself” he warned her “You must know better not to test me”.

She had no choice, she followed down the candlelight path. The more she walked, the deeper she got. At a certain point, she arrived at a huge mirror, but it wasn’t an ordinary one: it led somewhere. Ari was forced to continue and she got into the very heart of the opera house.

The music started, the melody making her focus on getting ready. Sweet music notes surrounded her and she silently counted until she had to start singing. The lyrics came natural to her, after all she had been practicing them nonstop. If she could describe him: he seeks perfection and results. Under what purpose? Who knows.

After that night they met, he didn’t care for introductions or formalities. She tried to explain to him she was no aspiring artist, she only sang for fun and it was merely an impulse for that exhibition. He didn’t care, he only asked her to sing for him. SHe tried to refuse, but he had intimidated her into giving in for her sake. 

After an improvised song, the first that came into her mind, he decided to choose her to be his next pawn. And she had no say in it. 

Word after word, her voice reaching the right tone. She had worked so hard for it. She wanted to please him, so she could be safe. He had promised to let her go if her performance was flawless. That’s why she tried not to complain about the harsh training and all the sleepless nights. Not until she learned the lyrics and got everything right, she had to.

High pitches, medium ones… everything was simply going perfect. She was almost there.

Strangely, as the nights and rehearsals went, he became more insistent and had a need to get closer to her. He wasn’t hiding anymore from her, no longer instructing her from a distance, he had gone so close to her… she no longer feared the uncertainty of his appearance. Strangely enough, it made her feel at ease. 

The song almost came to an end and she discreetly looked up in the private and furthest balcony in the theater: a place only destined to him. 

He was indeed watching her: every movement, examining and attentively listening to every sound her voice made. Like the harshest critic and the most inquisitive professor. However, he was smiling. Maybe she had passed the test.

She reached the finale and after an epic end, the audience broke in joy. Applauses and ovations, some even threw flowers and the cheers made her open her eyes in awe as well as flustering her. 

She bowed and the curtain fell. Just as it did, everyone backstage gathered around her.

“How did you improve so much in such a short amount of time?”

“Did you hire a teacher? Present him to me!”

“You have such an amazing voice! Like that of an angel!”

Angel… yeah, he described her voice like that as well.

“What is your secret?”

Oh, that question…

“I have a magnificent teacher, strict… but he knows what he’s doing”.

The rest of the crew and artists prepared for the next act, and Ari was allowed to rest in her dressing room. She was nervous, what would he think about her performance?

A celebration came afterwards, right after the show ended and the public left. 

“What a successful night!” the owner exclaimed, while all his workers cheered with him.

“Did you see the amount of people we had tonight? They sure filled every seat!” someone said.

“I think it was thanks to the announcement set all around town!” another said “After all, HE chose someone else after so long!"

“Now that you mention it… who was the artist he chose this time?”

Everyone looked around, and someone suddenly exclaimed.

“Where's Miss Ariadna?”

Little did they know, she was having a hard time walking in the darkness of a long secret hallway. Taking her deeper and deeper into the very heart of the opera house. Wondering just how things had turned out since she made the mistake of showing her voice to no other than him. Singing to ease her fear and somehow feel accompanied, a song of resignation.

“In sleep he sang to me, in dreams he came that voice which calls to me and speaks my name And do I dream again? For now, I find The Phantom of the opera is there inside my mind…”

Taking step by step, closer where she had to go… after all she couldn’t refuse when he called for her.

“Sing once again with me Our strange duet My power over you Grows stronger yet And though you turn from me To glance behind The phantom of the, opera is there Inside your mind”

One could believe the owner of such a voice was to be trusted, but that could lead you to become prisoner of him. A mere puppet obeying his commands, to his heart’s content. 

“Those who have seen your face Draw back in fear I am the mask you wear…”

“It's me they hear”.

She kept walking, following the voice that always answered back no matter the song she dared to sing.

“(Your) My spirit and my (your) voice In one combined The phantom of the, opera is there Inside my (your) mind!”

It worked like a secret code to identify each other whenever they set an encounter. One could freak out if you hear someone replying to your songs, but at this point Ari was already used to it.

“He’s there, the Phantom of the Opera” she sang more to herself, to get ready for what was coming. It was hard to guess his mood by his voice only… 

She finally arrived at her destination. The chamber hidden meters and meters deep into the Opera House. But there’s where he hid. 

Ari doesn’t understand why he had to hide, in such a frightening place like that chamber. You could hardly consider it a home: a single yet huge bed, a huge organ occupying half the space, a single desk filled with papers and sheets of music spread every inch of the surface, bottles of inks and pens and everything hardly illuminated by candles. 

He wasn’t anywhere to be seen… until she felt a goosebump. 

“Looking for someone~?” a voice startled her coming from behind her. 

She turned around and there he was: wearing his special tuxedo, the one he apparently used every night there was a show, his gala outfit. She met him with that same tuxedo. Not to mention the mask he wore hiding half his face. The so-called Phantom of the Opera… or Kino as he had presented himself to her. 

“I guess…” she replied, shrugging “You called for me?”

“As boring as ever” Kino seemed disappointed, she had learnt that scaring people and especially her was a hobby he enjoyed. He hated it when she didn’t react like he expected.

He passed next to her and took a seat by his grand bed. Ari never knew how to behave or anything when it came to this situation where he called for her down to his hideout.

“A-Are we going to practice?” she asked, better prepare for it.

“You want to?” he asked, arching his eyebrow.

“N-Not really…but you always call me here for that” she replied, resignation echoing her voice.

He looked at her, but she looked somewhere else.

‘Never look for long to his face, he hides it for a reason and he can kill you for that’ those were the warnings his rumor had to offer her and she always took them into consideration. 

“Considering your performance tonight…” he said.

There it was, he was about to grade her. His all so strict teacher. Always seeking perfection.

“I think you deserve something regarding it”

“Is it bad?” she looked at him slightly scared.

“That’ll depend on how you see it”.

He made her a sign to step closer. Ari gulped, but did as he wanted.

When she was right in front of him, he spoke.

“How do you think you did?”

Ari thought it, but she never knew. If she thinks she did good, he’ll defer and vice versa. How was it this time?

“So?”

“I think… I could always improve?”

He chuckled. Maybe her answer was right?

“There’s always a space for improvement” he agreed “However~"

He tugged her by the waist and she was suddenly trapped in his embrace, looking straight into his face. Up close, it felt surreal. He had that mysterious yet breathtaking beauty: deep red eyes, pale like snow skin and dark hair like the very night. Yet that was her opinion… one she couldn’t share as no one had ever gotten a closer look at him. He wouldn’t allow it, he liked it to be like a shadow hidden within the darkness. She felt nervous when he was close to her, she always felt he could see deep into her soul or read her thoughts. She couldn’t truly hide anything from him… in many ways. He was always looking, he had an eye on her specially. 

“This time, you fulfilled my expectations” he said, satisfied “congratulations”.

Was that a complement? She thought those didn’t exist in his vocabulary. 

“R-Really?” she asked, seeking confirmation.

“Feel honored, none of my students got to please me like you did tonight” he gave her a smirk, one that made her flustered as was unfairly breathtaking. She hated feeling like this. 

“I-I’m so glad then” she looked down into her dress, in an attempt to hide her face. 

“For you to be satisfied with so little as a compliment” she heard him chuckling, that damn sound that made her stomach be filled with butterflies. Hopefully he wouldn’t listen to her altered heartbeat. 

“That’s too much coming from you,” she admitted.

“So you admit it?”

“Is there any point in denying it?”

“No, I like it that way”

She wanted to go and hide, she didn't like to give him the satisfaction to see her so altered by him or anything that he did or said. She felt weak all of a sudden, maybe it was the lack of energy after the relief of his approval. 

“Good, I guess… I’ll get going now” she said, but when she tried to break free from his embrace, he didn’t allow it. 

“It’s been a long night” he said “Stay here”

“E-Excuse me!?” she raised her head, surprised by the sudden proposal.

“Calm down, I’m being considerate, you know?” he seemed like he was enjoying it “You are barely keeping yourself awake at this point”

That was right, she felt her eyelids heavy, it had indeed been such a long night. 

“Consider this both an order and your reward” he said and Ari couldn’t fight her tiredness anymore. 

She sighed and allowed him to position her into his lap, her back leaning into his chest. Slowly losing the fight to keep herself conscious. He was oddly kind tonight, she couldn’t tell why. She was so tired, she could have sworn he was playing with her hair, soothing her to sleep. 

“Sleep” he said, may have sounded like a commandment, but his voice was soft and also sounded so far away from Ari. “And have sweet dreams, my angel of music”.

He could be so kind when he wanted… and she couldn’t help but love it when he was like that and when he specially referred to her like that. She would only allow him, because he was the only one that saw her talent and acknowledged it. He claimed to see her potential and he brought it into the light, he had proven it. Whatever the reason was for investing so much in her… she didn’t mind it. 

“My angel of music… you’ll be the one to make my plans come true” he smiled with a dark note Ari didn’t get to see, long lost into the land of dreams.

Besides, she was willing to let him use her for whatever purpose he had.

After all… she loved being his angel of music.

Mun Ari: The tension… I could feel it up until here!!! Part 2? Nah~ jk! I made it to be a one-shot… unless 7u7. Anyway! Thank you Vale! I love it!! Also! Is never too much to mention that the song credits goes for the creator and I don't claim them as mine! I just copy them from Spotify jeje~

[cheeseknives]

Damn I haven't played Black Ops in ages

[daenystheedreamer]

re: your tags from another anon before, i for one am ignoring white lannisters in favour of Crazy Rich Asians lannisters i Mean... who would do tywin better, charles dance or michelle yeoh...

michelle yeoh would be SUCH a good tywin omfg i know she could emotionally abuse those lannister bitches so well... i dont watch enough kdrama because im allergic to watching straight people have relationship drama for 30 episodes but i LOVE park chan-wook's the handmaiden (10/10 movie highly reccomend) and kim min-hee could SO do cersei omg dye her hair blonde and give her green contacts and LET HER COOK!!!

[what-does-the-moose-say]

The world is a harsh place for a girl who wants to go to the cinema but there is not really anything to watch.

[saradika]

So in my OC fic, a guy used to own this factory until he was arrested for identity fraud and the Moff took it over. When I read Andy’s interview I was like “well what if the factory he’d tried to unionize was that one” so I started a oneshot (probably gonna be multiple chapters by the time I’m done)

Coincidentally, the factory where Kino works is also based on an ocean planet. When he’s on the shuttle and wakes up to see the waves on the surface of Narkina 5 he has a moment where he thinks they’ve changed their minds and taken him back home

Ooooh this sounds like such a cool idea - that definitely works out so perfectly! That’s so exciting to hear about your one-shot, I love when things work out like that for a fic!

(And omg I am 😭 at that second part - thinking he is home!!!!!! That is so good and so brutal.)

[sailoreddy]