#like sure.... but very lazy improvement ? Hazy ?

[silusvesuius]

deux

this tree from my new drawing looking goated afffffff 👑👑

[kaidsos]

Exposure || Hitoshi Shinso

summary :: your relationship with Shinso is exposed.

warning: cursing, smut, monoma is a bigger ass than usual, probably grammar/spelling errors

note: university!ua, aged-up, secret relationship, bsf bakugou, spanking, daddy shinso, begging, slight fluff

———————————————————————

The breeze whipped against you as you stepped out into the night. Your arms wrapping around yourself and fisting the thin material of your t-shirt. It was well past curfew, but you had grown accustom to sneaking out.

You slipped behind the building, being mindful of your steps as you moved further into the shadows. No lights were shining through the windows as the other students had long since gone to bed. Despite the full moon hanging high in the sky, there was nothing to illuminate the path and you had no choice but to rely on muscle memory.

Then there was a soft wisp of fabric and a tentative touch to your waist. Warm fingers grazed the skin where your shirt had bunched up and you relaxed into the familiar sensation.

"There's my kitten."

Shinso dug his fingertips into your sides as he pulled you flush against his chest. His head dipping until his face was tucked into your neck. "I was worried you didn't get my message."

"My phone died before I could reply." You mumbled as you twisted in his grasp. "I didn't want to make you wait too long."

Your hands lifted to his waist, thumbs hooking in the band of his UA sweatpants. The dark patches beneath his eyes hadn't worsened since you saw him last and you knew he’d been overworking himself. A frown etched onto your features as you pressed closer to him.

"Stop pouting," he murmured as he dropped his head to rest on yours. "I've missed you."

With exams quickly approaching you hadn’t been able to see each other through the week. Your days consumed with class or training while your nights were spent studying and preferably rest. That was something your boyfriend had clearly missed out on.

"I missed you so much." You sighed, leaning into his touch.

Keeping your relationship quiet had been relatively easy before. You had slipped away with one another at any given chance and when the weeks were long you had always had the weekends!

Until you didn’t.

His training with Aizawa only became more time consuming and you had fully immersed yourself into studies. With the weekend coming to an end you couldn’t help but wonder if the secret was worth it.

It had made sense in the beginning. With a best friend like Katsuki Bakugou it was a bit difficult to attract romantic attention. He was protective and moody and he already disliked the sly general studies student.

Shinso had been an outcast among his peers. It had improved after the first Sports Festival, though not everyone had been swayed. You heard the whispers that followed him, noticed how eyes would linger on his broad form as he sulked down the halls. When the words didn't cut deep enough, some got bold enough to step up and if they were foolish enough to challenge him—

"Kitty," He said lowly, hand lifting to wrap around your throat in an attempt to pull your attention back to him. "What's going on in that mind of yours?"

You let out a soft gum as you met his gaze. “Would you be happier if others knew about us?"

The thumb that had been caressing your jugular paused, his brow furrowing for a moment as his eyes narrowed. "I've never cared about others. I care about you. As long as you're mine it doesn't matter who knows."

"In other words you're leaving it up to me." You grumbled, not bothering to resist the urge to roll your eyes. A low growl pushed past his lips as he twisted you on your feet, pushing forward until your back was pressed against the cool stone. You gasped in surprise, back arching away from the cold. "Toshi—"

"You've got an attitude tonight." His hips knocked against yours as he pressed forward again, chuckling when you whimpered. “Where's your jacket, kitten?"

"I-I was in a hurry to see you and forgot it."

A lazy grin tugged at his lips and his eyes flickering over your frame before he moved away. He reached back to grasp the hoodie, pale skin catching your eyes as the material bunched above his hips.

Shinso had trained hard to get into the hero program and it showed. His frame had broadened, muscles strengthening to the point that they rippled without his intent. You had found yourself staring at him far more than you cared to admit. Whether it was in class, the commons, or across the cafeteria— he always stood out among the others.

Suddenly a ball of fabric hit you in the face, spurring you into a fit of giggles as you fumbled to keep it off the ground. You wasted no time pulling the sweatshirt over your head. It was still warm from Shinso and you inhaled deeply at his lingering scent.

When you finally met his gaze again his brow was quirked in amusement. You rolled your eyes, quickly adverted your gaze so the hood dropped to hide you from view.

Shinso slipped his hands past the hood, gripping the base of your neck and tilting your head back. "Silly kitty," he hummed, lips brushing against yours. "I didn't realize giving you my sweatshirt would have such a thrilling response."

His words did nothing to ease your embarrassment. A soft whine slid past your lips as he forced you to hold his gaze and you barely began stuttering out a response when he closed the space between you.

Your breath caught as his mouth moved against yours and he lazily rolled his tongue along the seam of your lips. When you didn't immediately part he snarled, a hand dropping to grasp your hip as he shoved a knee between your thighs. A harsh jolt of his leg caused you to inhale sharply and he took the opportunity to shove his tongue past your lips.

"Alright, kitten," he spoke into the kiss. "Time to go back inside before you get sick."

Your brow furrowed in hazy confusion, " I thought we were..."

"You have no idea how badly I want to." Shinso grumbled, mouth trailing along your jaw. "But the next time I touch you I'm not stopping until I've had my fill, and kitten, I'm starving."

His teeth sunk into your neck at his words, pulling a soft moan from you as your fingers threaded through his thick locks. Just before you were sure a mark would be left he pulled back, pressing a soft kiss to the irritated skin.

"Like I said it's getting cold and I don't want you getting sick." He placed a final searing kiss to your lips before pulling away.

•

You overslept the following morning.

It had been thundering fists against you door that had woke you up. Bakugou had called you every name but your own as you fumbled to let him inside.

"You're late, dumbass." He snapped, pushing his way into the room and plopping onto your bed.

You scoffed, but said nothing as you began racing around the room. It wasn't until you had shoved your things into a bag and started gathering your uniform that you paused.

"What the fuck!" You snapped, throwing your hands up in defeat. "I don't have a shirt."

"Wear your extra." He replied dryly, earning a glare from you.

You didn't bother hiding the roll of your eyes. "Wow, why didn't I think of that?"

"Watch it, idiot! I'm not the one who loses everything." Bakugou snarled before pushing to his feet and marching across the room. He grabbed the black sweatshirt that had been draped across the desk chair and slung it at you. "Go!"

A groan pushed past your lips as you stomped into the bathroom. You were quick to pull on the pieces of uniform you could find. There was a slight shake to your hands as you got dressed and you weren’t surprised with your abrupt morning. You fisted the fabric of the sweatshirt, lifting it to your nose and inhaling deeply before taking a final glance at yourself in the mirror.

Aizawa had very little to say about your uniform mishap. His gaze had only lingered on the black material for a moment before warning you not to make it a habit.

"I've never seen this before, Y/N." Mina chirped, reaching out to pinch the hoodie between her fingers as she flashed you a cheeky grin. "I'd have stolen it by now."

"I just got it the other night— day! I got it the other day." You nearly cringed as Mina's eyes narrowed.

"What are you looking at, extra?" Bakugou suddenly snapped, pulling your attention away.

You followed his gaze to the back of the room and locked with purple hues. Shinsou's lips quirked up for the slightest moment before looking past you to meet the explosive blond's eye. The warmth that his features held for you was nowhere in sight as he scoffed at the other male.

However, no words were spoken before the bell rang out.

The remainder of the day seemed to go by without any more incidents. You had felt an overwhelming sense of comfort wearing your boyfriend's sweatshirt. Though you would never admit it the time without him had been hard. Harder than you ever thought it would be.

You had enjoyed sneaking around, you both did, that's why it had gone on without a hitch for months. There was something about rushed touches and stolen glances that left you spinning in delight.

Before you were able to succumb to your thoughts your name was called. Your eyes trailed over the campus grounds in search of whoever had called for you and sure enough you caught sight of Kirishima waving you over.

A laugh had barely slid past your lips when you slammed into a solid frame. You let out a surprised yelp as you stumbled to the ground and landed on your bottom with a groan.

"I thought class 1A students were meant to be agile."

You didn't bother hiding the look of disdain that crossed your features as you looked up at Monoma. He had the nerve to sneer as is he hadn’t been the one to knock you off balance in the first place.

"Go screw yourself." You hissed, pushing yourself to your feet.

Before you were able to move past him he grasped your wrist. "Why don't you do us all a favor and drop out of the hero course? I think you've wasted enough of UAs time."

“Let go of me." You pulled harshly at his grip, which only tightened in response.

"Let go of you?" He feigned a moment of thought. "I'll tell you what, if you can—"

Whatever game he had been wanting to play died on his tongue as a sharp smack rang out. You were released so suddenly you nearly lost your balance.

The hand that had been holding you was in the crushing grip of Shinso, who stood tall between you and the other male. You couldn't quite catch a glimpse of his face, but the frightened gleam in Monoma's eyes told you enough.

A crowd had formed around your trio, the sudden intrusion unsurprisingly catching their interest. You instinctively shifted closer to Shinsou, who was still barring down on the stuttering blond. "W-what—"

"Stay away from things that aren't yours." Your boyfriend snarled, fingers tightening around Monoma’s wrist until it popped.

"You think she's yours?" He snapped, glancing nervously at the crowd before finally ripping his hand free. "You're delusional.”

Shinso didn't gift him with a response. Instead, he turned his focus on you and for a brief moment, you understood why Monoma had looked so frightened.

The purple-haired male easily towered over you both and his stature seemed to double in size as he held himself firmly between you. His jaw was set so tightly you were surprised his teeth didn't shatter and there was a predatory gleam to his usually passive gaze that made your chest swell in excitement.

Mistaking your observation as hesitation, Shinso held his hands by his sides. His palms turned towards you in surrender as his gaze softened, "kitten?"

The secret seemed so pointless.

Shinso had claimed you and it was as if everyone held their breath for your response. He had every bit of faith in your ability to protect yourself, but he had reacted out of instinct. You knew by the way his back stiffened beneath the curious eyes that he hadn't thought it through. He looked desperate and seraphic and you could not remember why you had kept him hidden for so long.

"Hitoshi—"

That was all it took. With a single stride he had closed the distance between you, head dipping to press his forehead against yours.

Wordlessly, he plucked the hand you had been holding protectively against you. A low rumble that could only be described as a growl vibrated from his chest as he stared down at the blooming marks. Had he really grabbed you that hard?

"Monoma?" Shinso pressed four fingers to your wrist, dangling it softly in the air as he turned on the blond with a heavy gaze.

His wide eyes flickered between you and your boyfriend before he replied. "What?"

The moment the word had left his lips his frame froze and a murmur rolled over the crowd. His shoulders had a strange slouch to them, his back was straight and his eyes were still locked with yours.

"Why are you looking at them? Look at me."

Unsurprisingly, he obeyed.

"Your quirk doesn't quite work when you can't think for yourself, does it?"

There was a humorless jape in his tone, a low rumble that shot straight to your core. His tongue clicked against his teeth as he spoke once more. "I'll make this quick. You don't look at them. Don't speak to them. Don't even allow them to cross your mind."

And it was over.

Monoma stumbled back in shock as he regained control over himself, heat flooding his cheeks as he hurried away from the crowd. You didn't bother to watch him retreat as you reached out for Shinso.

He let out a soft sigh as you grasped at his uniform blazer, turning his attention back to you. For a moment his gaze flickered down to your wrist, but this time you tugged the sleeve of his sweatshirt down.

"Can we please leave?" You asked softly, all too aware of the crowd around you.

"Of course."

•

"That's my good kitty."

Your back arched from the mattress as Shinso pressed his tongue flat against your clit and lapped at it lazily. His thumb rolled over your hip, attempting to soothe the area he had gripped when he trapped you beneath him. He ran his tongue along your slit before finally delving inside of you.

A moan tore from your throat and he pressed his palm flat again your stomach to hold you in place. Your thighs trembled as the coil in your stomach tightened, so close to bursting free if he would just—

"Hitoshi!" His name pushes past your lips as your thighs clench around his head. Your hips rocked against his face and he moaned into your heat, licking and sucking at your core.

Then he was gone.

You couldn't bite back a whine of annoyance, however, the feeling was short-lived as long fingers curled around your throat. Shinso’s broad frame hover above you, eyes heavy with lust as an almost cruel smirk twisted at his lips.

"What's my name?"

"Daddy!" You blurted out, face heating as you realized your mistake. "I'm sorry daddy, I didn't mean to!"

He sucked a sharp breath through his teeth, head shaking slowly as he held your wide gaze. "You know better kitten. I'll have to punish you."

Another whine in protest fell upon deaf ears as he pulled you up by your neck. It wasn't until the both of you were on your knees, chest to chest, that he released your throat in favor of gripping the back of your neck. "Bend over for daddy."

You did as he ordered, heart jolting in your chest as he led you to press your face against the mattress. Your back arched in an attempt to grind your ass against him, desperate for some type of friction. A low groan vibrated in his chest as his clothed cock rubbed between your soaking slit. "Take your punishment like a good kitty and daddy might let you cum."

"Look how pretty you are." He purred softly, smacking his palm down on your ass in contradiction to his tone. "That was one. Count for me."

Another harsh slap sent you forward, teeth sinking into your lips as you spoke. "Two."

"Three." Came another. You felt yourself clench at the painful pleasure, eyes screwing shut in an attempt to suppress a moan.

Shinso let out a low chuckle as he bent down to press a soft kiss to your reddening skin. "You're not meant to enjoy this, kitten."

"I'm sor— four!" You rushed out as his hand connected with your opposite cheek. Then again, "five!"

"You're fucking dripping." He murmured and for a moment you weren't sure if he was taking to you or himself. "I bet you'd cum on my cock the second I shoved it inside of you."

His fingers kneaded into your rear before smacking against you once more. You had barely gotten out the number when it broke into a moan as Shinso reached around to pinch your clit between his fingers.

"You want daddy to stretch you with his fat cock? Do you think you earned it?"

"Yes! Please daddy, I need you so bad. It's been too long!" You whimpered and despite your frazzled state, you were able to murmur the next count of his hand.

Then you felt the head of his dick at your entrance, prodding slightly as he split you over his tip. He was thick and veiny and despite the number of times he had fucked into your pussy he always seemed to stretch you just right.

You couldn't hold back your moans as he fully sheathed himself inside you, hand connecting with your ass once more before holding you in place. When he made no motion to move you whined, attempting to roll your hips back against him only to earn another smack.

"Two more for missing your count." He snarled, "don't you dare fucking move."

Another smack rang out and you whimpered, cunt clenching down around his length as you fought the urge to shift. "N-nine."

His cock jumped inside you, spurring another moan from your lips as you fisted the sheets. The final slap was loud and it stung against your raw skin. You stuttered out the final count and he pulled from you, only to slam his hip into your tailbone as he sunk deeper than before.

Shinso let out a groan, fingertips digging into your asscheeks and spreading them as he watched himself fuck into your tight heat. "I can feel how close you are. You wanna cum on daddy's cock?"

You nodded wildly as you pushed back to meet his thrusts despite your trembling legs. "Please let me cum. Please, please, please!"

His lips covered every inch of skin he could reach, sucking and biting as he shifted hips to buck deeply into you. "Cum for me, kitty."

All of your self-control vanished at his words, your body twitching against him as you finally allowed yourself to succumb. Your cunt pulsed around him, spurring curses and moans that echoed in your ears as you finally reached your peak.

Shinso shifted his hips, hitting against the sweet spot he has grown all too familiar with, spurring you into a moaning mess beneath him. "Roll over, baby— I wanna see you."

Despite the haze from your orgasm you caught the change in his tone and your brow furrowed as you rolled onto your back. He wasted no time gripping the curve of your knee, pushing it into the air to get a clear view of your sopping pussy. His other hand wrapped around his hardened length, pumping it slowly as he stared down at you.

He drug the head of his cock along your slit and he let out a low hum as he slid the tip in, only to pull it out again. You were a moaning mess by the time he sunk into you, babbling nonsense as he hit up into your sweet spot.

Shinso dipped to press his lips against you, praise spilling from his lips as his hands sought out your own. He laced your fingers together, effectively pinning your arms to the bed. Your second orgasm took you by surprise and you arched from the bed, legs tightening around his waist as heat licked up your spine.

He fucked you through it again, however, when the bliss began to fade he waste no time running slow circles against your clit. You jumped at the contact, brow furrowing as you met his gaze with a whine.

The haze you were losing yourself in had a moment of clarity as he stared down at you. His eyes were blown wide with lust, however, there was an ounce of something else you hadn't seen before. He almost looked sad—

"You're mine." Shinsou muttered breathlessly, and while it had been a statement you couldn't help but see the concern in his gaze.

"I'm yours." You whispered and moment the words left you his mouth was on yours, smothering you with a searing kiss as his languid thrusts picked up once more.

"Mine, mine, mine.” He growled, enunciating each word with a hard thrust. The fingers that were on your clit sped up in time with his hips, "come with me— fuck! Come with daddy."

You spiraled over the edge for a final time, fingers tangling in his purple locks before you pulled him into a kiss. Shinso sunk his teeth into your bottom lip as he fucked into you, chasing his own climax. He moaned into your mouth when his hips rolled against yours and hot ropes of cum covered your fluttering walls.

After a few more lazy thrusts he rocked onto his knees, reaching between you to grip the base of his cock as he slowly pulled out. He let out a groan as he watched his cum seep from your used cunt, hot and white and all his.

You were his.

"Are you okay? That was differ—"

"I love you."

Your heart leaped at his confession, eyes widening as you stared up at him. Your words were barely above a shocked whisper as you replied, "I love you too."

•

"Open the fucking door, extra!"

[ga-yuu]

~Kurama~Main Story Chapter 4~

Chapter 3

*

*

*

----Part 1----

Kurama: "Nonsense. Strength is a gift. The strong are born strong and are a threat to the weak. Take it on a whim and eat it to the bone without a second glance. That's the way it is."

Yoshino: "I don't know about that. Isn't it true that those who are strong in the now, were once weak?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

1. I'm not a person who gives up....(+4/+4)

2. If I don't believe in the possibility....

3. Just because I was born weak...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Yoshino: "I'm not a person who gives up...."

Kurama: "You can't just chalk it up by saying 'I won't give up’. .....It's the fact."

A strong wind blew as Kurama spreads his wings.

I closed my eyes tightly, and the next minute when I opened it, Kurama was already high up in the sky.

(He's gone.)

Yoshino: "Well, now that we've declared war, it's time to get stronger."

..........................

(Phew, that took quite a while.)

As I hurried downhill to return back to the Imperial Palace.....

Shigehira: "....! Yoshino-san!"

Morinaga: "You look fine! We were worried."

Yoshino: "Shigehira-san, Morinaga-san!"

Feeling relieved, I ran up to them.

Yoshino: "Thank you for coming to pick me up."

Morinaga: "......!"

(Um?)

Morinaga: "No, nothing. That's right! We were here to pick you up."

Yoshino: "Well, actually..."

(That's right. They would feel doubtful that I already knew they were looking for me.)

Shigehira: "Just so you know, I wasn't in the mood to search for you or anything... I just didn't want you to cause problems for being so vague..."

Morinaga: "Says the guy who came to me panicking saying that 'Yoshino-san is missing. This is a big deal."

Shigehira: "No..I..."

(? really?)

Yoshino: "Thank you so much, both of you..."

Shigehira-san's white cheeks flushed slightly.

Shigehira: "I mean, I heard you went to pick some herbs, but looks like you didn’t get any. But that doesn’t mean you should disturb the rest of us by being late!”

(Ah....Maybe they found the basket I threw at the demon in the forest when it chased me.)

Yoshino: "Actually, a lot of things happened..."

Morinaga: "What do you mean?"

I told them about the demon that chased me and Kurama, who rescued me.

Shigehira: "Ngh....... You really do love getting into trouble, huh?"

Yoshino: "Sorry."

Morinaga: "Calm down, Shigehira. After all, Yoshino is safe. That's more important."

Hands were placed on either side of my shoulders melts my heart with warmth.

Shigehira: "I'll tell you what. .......we’re getting late."

Yoshino: "....Yes."

Shigehira-san's distant concern was also clearer this time.

Morinaga: "Let's go back first. You can tell the rest of the story on the way."

................

In the evening of that day, at the Imperial Palace....

Yoritomo: "Thanks for coming back before dinner."

After my report of the morning incident, the second meeting of the day was held in secret.

Yoritomo: "Report back to me with the results."

Morinaga: "Yes. We sent out a search party but as expected, Kurama seems to have left Kamakura far behind."

(Just as he said.)

Even though he was saved, Morinaga-san and Shigehira-san had already reported that I had tried to hide Kurama from them.

I felt guilty and looked down gently.

Tamamo: "As for the demon that attacked Yoshino, I went to the scene to check it out, but the signs were already gone."

-----Part 2-----

Tamamo: "As for the demon that attacked Yoshino, I went to the scene to check it out, but the signs were already gone. It seems to have been a demon powerful enough to do harm to humans. In front of Kurama, he would have had to be blown away without a shred of his soul."

Kagetoki: "We have investigated the area and there have been no reports of any suspicious damage."

Yoshino: "If there was a demon, like that, someone would have noticed..."

Shigehira: ".....I wonder if it's a recent inhabitant."

Tamamo: "I can't be sure about that."

Yoritomo: "Continue to survey the land on a regular basis. I'd like to think this whole fiasco was just a coincidence, but we don't have enough to go on."

Kagetoki: "Yes, sir."

Yoritomo: "Yoshino."

Yoshino: "Yes."

I'm going to be reprimanded for my carelessness---I'm ready for that.

Yoritomo: "Well done."

Yoshino: "Eh?"

Yoritomo: "It was only by your cleverness that you were able to run into Kurama and come back safely."

(Huh....)

Yoshino: "I was just overlooked because I was weak."

Tamamo: "Still, one wrong choice and you would not be here. If he had raised his voice at the sight of Morinaga or Shigehira, blood would have flowed without question."

Morinaga-san and Shigehira-san also looked at me warmly.

Tamamo: "It would have been better if I had gone with her. I'm sorry I put you in danger, Yoshino."

(Tamamo...)

Yoritomo: "What do you think about Yoshino, Kagetoki?"

Kagetoki: "......."

I tense up when I see a pair of smart eyes looking at me through glasses.

Kagetoki: "The collection of medicinal herbs for the Shogunate has not been accomplished, has it?"

Yoshino(blushing): "...! I'll pick it tomorrow. Well...I'm going to have to ask someone to come with me in case something goes wrong."

A smile crept across Kagetoki's thin lips as he watched me think for a moment and added----

Kagetoki: "Is it not a sign of stupidity to be able to suggest improvements from failure? Her willingness to contribute voluntarily to the Shogunate was also unexpectedly positive. .....Congratulations on your survival, Yoshino."

(---At one point I wondered what was going to happen, but I never thought I'd get such warm words from all of you.)

Yoritomo: "Take the rest of the day off."

Yoshino(blushing): "But first, may I make a request?"

(I don't want to spoil it like this.)

On the back of my eyelids, apart from the horror, I had a vivid impression of Kurama.

Yoritomo: "What is it?"

Yoshino: "I want to practice using my powers so that I won't be intimidated in front of demons. So will you ...... ................. ..........."

Everyone(Making the Pikachu meme face): ".................................."

I slowly began to speak my thoughts to everyone who looked at me in surprise.

........................

A few days later----at the Rebel's mansion.

Kurama: "Hey! Yoshitsune, get up."

-----Part 3-----

Kurama: "Hey! Yoshitsune, get up."

Yoshitsune: "Mm...thirty minutes more...."

Kurama: "You said the same thing thirty minutes ago."

Yoshitsune, who had been dozing in Kurama's room, finally raised his eyelids in a daze.

Yoshitsune: "Still...sleepy...."

His purple crystal-like eyes, more hazy than usual, caught sight of Kurama sitting up.

Kurama: "You're a rebel general, so act like one. Why do you often sneak into my room to sleep?"

Yoshitsune(expressionless): "I feel calm when you're by my side. I always have."

Yoshitsune, who said in a serious voice, curls up like a cat, seeking warmth.

Kurama: "You are old enough to tackle your own nightmares."

Yoshitsune(expressionless): "Do you remember, Kurama? When I was a kid, you used to wrap me up in your feathers, when I was sick."

Kurama: "I don't remember."

As Yoshitsune lazily relaxes beside him, Kurama picks up a sake cup from the tray beside him.

Then he drank the liquor in it like it was water.

Yoshitsune: "It's not good for your health."

Kurama: "You're the only one in this world who gives health advice to demons, Yoshitsune."

Then-----

Yoichi: "Here’s your lost and found property~ ♪ “

Benkei: "Yoshitsune-sama!"

Without even asking, the sliding doors of the room opened and Yoichi and Benkei stepped inside.

Yoshitsune: "Hm?"

Kurama: "Now the noisiest ones are here."

Benkei: ".....! Kurama, you..."

When Benkei saw Yoshitsune sitting upright, his eyes suddenly became very sharp.

Benkei: "WHY ARE YOU NOT TAKING CARE OF YOSHITSUNE-SAMA WHEN HE WAS SLEEPING? WHAT IF HE CATCHES A COLD? HUH?"

Kurama: "All creatures are born naked. That's the way nature is. It is a sign of weakness to catch a cold."

Benkei: "You said it, you bastard. From now on you'll be naked."

Yoichi: "Haa...they both are such a pain in the ass and I’m not in the mood to separate you."

Yoichi shrugs his shoulders.

Yoichi: "Hmmm....Maybe I should leave you guys to yourself and sleep here with Yoshitsune-sama."

Kurama: "Get out. This room can only accommodate up to 2 people."

Yoichi: "Aww...so that means only Yoshitsune-sama can enter?"

Yoshitsune(expressionless): "Really? Kurama. Thank you."

Kurama: ".............."

Kurama looked unusually out of sorts as Yoshitsune stared at him nonchalantly.

Kurama: “So, Benkei, Yoichi. Have you both come to ruin my peaceful time?”

Benkei turns to Yoshitsune, his expression tightening.

Yoshitsune instantly understood his intention and straightened his posture.

Benkei: “I have news for you, Yoshitsune-sama.”

Yoshitsune: “Let’s hear it.”

The lazy atmosphere from earlier has naturally disappeared from Yoshitsune.

Benkei and Yoichi felt it, and their skin twitched.

Benkei :”-----There are indications that a prelude to the war against the Shogunate is about to break out.”

.......................

Morinaga: “Go on Yoshino. Pull the reins.”

Yoshino: “Mm, Yes.”

I pulled the reins of the horse I was riding to a halt in response to a shout from Morinaga-san, who is riding ahead.

Morinaga: “Good. I think you now know how to ride.”

Yoshino: “Thanks to you, I’ve managed to get used to it.”

(If I keep practicing like this, I’ll manage to stay out of trouble on the battlefield.)

Morinaga: “Mm. I’m glad. Big brother is proud of you.”

(I’m happy that Morinaga-san is complimenting me.)

Morinaga: “Now, let’s go down that slope!”

-------Part 4------

Morinaga: “Now, let’s go down that slope!”

(Ehhhh)

Yoshino: “It’s too steep!!!”

Morinaga: “Don’t worry. You’ll get used to it soon. The basics are the same, but you have to be careful about shifting your center of gravity, as I’ve just explained. Just gulp it down and let it go.”

Yoshino: *Gulps*

Soldier 1: “I feel sorry for Yoshino-san.”

Soldier 2: “I don’t want her to get hurt.”

Before I knew it, I heard shouts of sympathy from the soldiers who have gathered behind me.

Soldier 3: “YOU CAN DO IT, YOSHINO-SAN!!!

Soldier 4: “MORINAGA-SAMA IS A DEVIL!”

Morinaga: “Look, how everyone’s being cheerful. YOU GUYS ARE GONNA BE DOING 500 BARE-KNUCKLE FIGHTS, FOLLOWED BY A ROUND OF FISTICUFFS.”

Soldier 5: “Damn it! YOSHINO-SAN, IF I GET HURT, PLEASE PATCH ME UP!”

Yoshino: “I’LL BE FINE, BUT YOU HAVE TO BE CAREFUL NOT TO GET HURT FIRST!”

It was a pleasant surprise to find that, as I learned to ride, I soon became acquainted with the warriors who came and went from the palace.

After the soldiers had left like a storm....

Yoritomo: “Is your training over, Yoshino, Morinaga?”

Morinaga: “Ah, Yoritomo-sama!”

Yoshino: “Did something happened?”

Yoritomo: “I was passing by and happened to see you, so I thought I’d give you the good news. As you wished, I had Yasuchika prepare a demon for you to slay. We can practice using your fox powers when he comes here.”

Yoshino: “Thank you very much! I’ll do my best.”

(Tamamo gave me some tips on how to use it, so now it’s just a matter of practice, right?)

At that time, when I was shining with a new determination......

Shigehira: “Ah, there you are, Yoshino-san.”

Yoshino: “Shigehira-kun!”

Shigehira: “.....Ah, Yoritomo-sama is also here.”

Yoritomo: “What is it, Shigehira? Came here ‘by chance”

Shigehira: “No I’m not! Don’t tease me for everything.”

Morinaga: “But when did ‘Shigehira-san’ become ‘Shigehira-kun’?”

Shigehira: “Urm.....”

Yoshino: “No, no, Shigehira-kun at first told me not to use any honorifics, but I can’t take advantage of his kindness.”

Some time ago I began to help with the chores in the palace.

In this connection, I exchanged a few words with Shigehira-kun, and he gave me permission to talk to him in a friendly tone.

Shigehira: “.....Since we’re friends and all, as proof, you see, I came to question Yoshino-san about her laxity in her work.”

Shigehira-kun places a document in my hand.

(Let’s see, this is the proposal on casualties on the battlefield that I spent a whole day yesterday preparing....)

Shigehira: “Here. There’s something wrong. The stockpile of medicines is different from the figures I checked yesterday.”

(Oops!)

Yoshino: “I’m sorry. But can you wait? I’ll fix my mistake later and bring it to Shigehira-kun’s house.”

Shigehira: “I can’t wait that long. If you’ve got so much work to do, why don’t you just leave it to someone else rather than making mistakes?”

Yoshino: “But I’m sorry, this is my work. How can I...?”

Shigehira: “Yes. I suppose so. No one wants to take on that kind of work anyway. So......if you have no choice, I can take care of it for you in that case.”

------Part 5-------

Shigehira: “Yes. I suppose so. No one wants to take on that kind of work anyway. So.......if you have no choice, I can take care of it for you in that case.”

(Eh?)

Yoritomo:  (⌒‿⌒)

Morinaga:  (◕‿◕)

Kagetoki: “----Shigehira. If you wanted to help her, why don’t you come out and say it directly?”

Suddenly a shadow appeared above me and a low voice fell.

Kagetoki: “I came to call on Yoshino, and found that there were quite a few people here.”

Yoshino: “Kagetoki-san!”

Morinaga: “Why are you here?”

Kagetoki: “I came to stop you because you’ve been holding Yoshino longer than planned. After this, it’s time for her classes on the history of samurai and the basics of the art of war.”

Yoshino: “Oh, I’m sorry. I got carried away and it’s already that time....”

Tamamo: “We’ll have to wait for that too.”

(Ah, that voice.)

Tamamo: “Yoshino must be exhausted. I suggest you give her a break.”

Yoritomo: “Where did you disappear off to in the morning?”

Tamamo: “I had some important business in town. I’ve been going all over Kamakura to buy sweets for Yoshino.”

Yoshino: “So many!?”

I can’t help but widen my eyes at the overflowing packages of sweets in his arms.

(I’m surprised, but I’m happy.)

Yoshino(blushing): “Thank you very much, Tamamo.”

Tamamo: “Think of it as a sign of my support. Here take it. I’ve also brought some of my favorite sweets to share with everyone.”

Kagetoki: “Sweets? Very well, then.......”

Tamamo: “Kagetoki, let me warn you....”

Tamamo faced Kagetoki with a rare and serious face.

Tamamo: “If you drown my carefully hand-picked sweets with your syrup....then no sweets for you!”

Kagetoki: “Why not? It will double the sweetness.”

Yoshino: “Kagetoki, why are you saying that with a relaxed face....?”

Yoritomo: “His taste buds are broken. So don’t worry about it...”

(When we are all talking like this with each other, everyone’s personality really stands out.)

----I wouldn’t have known all this if we hadn’t worked and trained together.

Yoshino(blushing): “I’ve been busy lately, but my days are full of life. I feel like I’m not alone, I’m moving forward with you.”

Shigehira: “If that’s the case, then surely that’s what it means to be one of us.”

Yoshino(blushing): “....Mm, thank you.”

I suddenly realized that everyone was smiling at me too.

Morinaga: “We must thank you too. Thank you for joining us, Yoshino.”

Yoshino(blushing): “Yes! I look forward to working with you!”

Kagetoki: “---And it was just as well.”

Kagetoki-san suddenly looked down at the document I had received from Shigehira-kun.

Kagetoki: “Because it looks like your ‘proposal’ will be live sooner than you think.”

Yoshino: “You mean.....”

Yoritomo: “You’re right. In the ‘outpost battle’ that is about to come...”

................

Same time---at Yasuchika’s mansion in Kyoto.

Courtesan 1: “Oh, it’s that child...”

Courtesan 2: “Yeah. I heard that he is in the service of Yasuchika-dono. His name is....Ibuki, I believe.”

Ibuki: “Good day, ladies and gentlemen.”

On the way back from the fortune-telling session, a group of courtesans were walking along the corridor and looked at each other.

A young boy walks past with a bouncy gait.

His long, swaying sleeves attract the eye, but his voice is surprisingly low and mature.

Courtesan 1(blushing): “Ah.....  A child of rare beauty.”

Courtesan 2(blushing): “Yes. Absolutely.”

Whether he heard it or not, Ibuki continues down the corridor with a clear face.

Then the door to the tatami room opens.

Ibuki: “Yasuchika-sama, I have just finished my errand.”

Yasuchika: “Thank you for your hard work.”

After replying without making eye contact, Yasuchika lightly waved his hand to his men who had gathered.

Yasuchika: “Everyone! You can go home today.”

All silently thanked and left.

Ibuki: “As usual, the powerful Onmyoji of this court is well experienced. As expected of my ‘master.”

Yasuchika: “Stop talking like a creep, you bastard.”

The tone of voice was harsh and unbelievable for a young child.

But Ibuki didn’t show any care....

Ibuki: “How can you be so cold to a cute child? Yasuchikaaa.”

Chapter 5

[edcn911]

chicago’s very own  eden harvey  has been spotted on madison avenue driving a 1969 chevrolet camero , welcome ! your resemblance to taylor hill is unreal . according to tmz , you just had your  twenty fifth birthday bash  . your chance of surviving new york is uncertain because you’re  maligned , but being liberated  might help you . i think being an  aquarius  explains that .  3 things that would paint  a  better picture of you would be a deep red lip stain , scattered polaroids depicting hazy memories , conversations with strangers at 3 am . ( i’ve been to prison . none of my family knows that , though . ) &( cis female + she / her  ) +  ( emily , 25 , she / her , pst )

❤️ hi friends and loved ones , this is eden , east’s problematic older sister . she’s a fucking train wreck so i already apologize for the shit she is bound to cause . please hit the like if ur into plotting with me ! ur all cute af , xoxo .

biography .

name : eden harvey

age : twenty five

gender : cis female

zodiac : aquarius

sexuality : bisexual

profession : artist / sculptor 

hair color : brown

eye color : blue

piercings : both lobes

tattoos : none

born in london , eden is the first child of her parents , the budding family welcoming in easy two years after eden’s birth . there’s not much to note in the early years of her childhood other than the family relocated to chicago when she was six . she was never an easy child to deal with . she was constantly getting in trouble at school and at home . she just didn’t want to listen to anyone and had a very strong disdain toward authority . the first american school she was sent to she was quickly expelled from for her behavior and this caused an immense rift to form in the family . eden’s reckless antics was enough to suck the life from her parents . literally . when it came to her younger brother , east , they were burnt out . they kept him in one place and were abusive . it was easier to exert control over east than it was for them to manage eden . she protected her brother fiercely from the mistreatment of her parents , but this toxic family dynamic only encouraged eden to act out further . she became accustomed to sneaking out at night , sleeping around , and doing drugs . eden contemplated running away from home multiple times during her youth ; the only thing that kept her in one place was her brother , east . her lowest point was when east tried to take his life when he was 15 . it was probably one of the most traumatic events of her life and while she served as her brother’s emotional support and rock , it rattled her to the point where eden began to drink consistently . this started a habit that she still partakes in to this day .when she turned eighteen and was more assured of her brother’s wellbeing , it was time to flee the nest . she spent a few months in new york on her own , working on her art . eden always had been compelled toward the arts . painting , sculpting , and other physical art forms really drew her in as a means to get out of the negativity in a way that’s healthy and not self destructive which is basically her brand anyways . she met someone who owned several art galleries around the pacific northwest , so by age twenty , she had relocated to seattle and was getting her work put in galleries and other art exhibits . she never really stayed in one place for long , though . eden is a notorious nomad and she often moves around a lot . she doesn’t really ever ‘ get comfortable ’ anywhere . despite traveling around america , eden always made it her first priority to look after her younger brother . she kept in contact with her circle back from chicago as well just to keep an eye on him and make sure that he is safe , happy , and healthy . she blames herself a lot for the way his childhood turned out . her relationship with their parents was deplorable and eden was 100% the instigator in it all . she feels like if she was a better person , her parents would’ve taken a different approach in raising east . more recently , she has moved back to the east coast to be closer to her little brother . this action was inspired by actually spending three and a half months in prison in oregon . eden was arrested for driving without a license and driving while intoxicated . she also tried to resist arrest , but managed to get that charge dropped in court . eden managed to keep this entire thing from her family . she didn’t want to see the disappointment in her brother’s eyes , so she excused her absence as ‘ soul searching ’ and filled his head with false tales of self improvement . currently , she is trying desperately to adjust back to normal life after her brief prison stint and put the pieces of her life back together . bet .

personality .

eden is a very bullheaded individual --- meaning , she’s going to do whatever the fuck she wants , when she wants , how she wants it and there is nothing that anyone can say to sway her . it’s very much her way or the high way when it comes to eden ; she’s really unwilling to budge on mostly everything . while i wouldn’t go as far as to say that she has a temper , i would say that eden has a pretty bad attitude . she’s a pessimist at heart and it definitely speaks through her art . she never depicts anything too happy and one could argue that eden ha sonly experienced fleeting moments of happiness in her life . shifting to a different note , eden is passionate . she is akin to a wildfire . she’s intense and she stares people right in the eye when she speaks to them . as much as she loathes people , she’s also so deeply fascinated with them . she’s the type of girl who is sitting at the bar before last call , in deep conversation with someone she doesn’t even know the name of . there are some brighter points to eden’s persona that i would love to cover --- i promise she isn’t all doom and gloom ! aside from her fierce sense of loyalty , eden is very intuitive and empathetic . one wouldn’t really associate those traits with someone who is so rough on the exterior , but eden feels very deeply and she tends to take on the emotions of others around her . i would describe her as a chameleon in the sense of she can easily change her colors to fit in with those around her . if the mood is light and jovial , she can be that way . if the atmosphere is tense , then she is going to be apprehensive and trigger - happy . that’s just how she is . i would best describe eden as the type of girl who is akin to a breeze in the air . she just goes whichever way she pleases and where she lands is where she lands . deep down , she is an incredibly sad girl who struggles deeply with her past and who she is as a person . she lacks self - love . she knows she’s a lot to manage and doesn’t really see past that or why she would ever be worth anyone’s time of day beyond that . with that said , eden is very good at faking it . if she wants to portray herself a certain way , she will . for example , she wants east to believe that she is put together and has all of her ducks in a row -- so she goes above and beyond to make him believe that because she can’t handle him ever looking down on her . it’s a weird concept she has with mostly everyone who has made an impact on her life . she’s good at acting like she doesn’t give a fuck when in fact she really , really does . 

 plots .

while i would LOVE to write out a bunch of extensive plot ideas like i had for pavarti’s intro , i am lazy . like real fucking lazy , so i decided to list some plots that i would absolutely ❤️ to have for eden , separated into both platonic and romantic categories ! 

romantic : someone eden broke the heart of badly , hateship , friends with benefits , exes on bad terms , one night stand , mutual infatuation / one sided infatuation 

platonic :  roommates , childhood friends , good influence ( on eden ) , bad influence ( eden on your muse / your muse on eden ) , muse , art friends , party buddies , confidants , enemies , friends turned to enemies , fake friendship , sibling like friendships , platonic soulmate 

[ryanmeft]

Five Thoughts: Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

NOTE: this piece contains spoilers. This is your only warning. 1

There’s a cottage industry of films that cater to nostalgia for an older time, and accordingly load themselves up with retro props. Tarantino does this to a degree, but he paints with it. Relatively long stretches of the film are given over to views of Hollywood streets of 1969, and you can appreciate these shots for their artistry even if, like me, you weren’t even a thought at the time. They aren’t played in the hazy, romantic way of a movie designed to trigger memories, which is often a way to cover up a screenplay’s laziness. The signs, marquees, clothes, cars and various miscellaneous accoutrements are gaudy, lavish, and just over-the-top enough without being ridiculous. The film’s look, handled by Tarantino’s regular collaborator Robert Richardson, portrays the excesses of that era as they were.

2

Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt share something in common: the older they get, the farther away from heartthrob status they move, the better they become as actors. DiCaprio’s role here is washed-up TV cowboy Rick Dalton, one of those names that was probably not his real one. His former show, Bounty Law, is fictional, but bears all the hallmarks of a western TV show of that era, from the overwrought narration to the way DiCaprio poses heroically before dramatically shooting men down; his opponents are polite enough not to fire until he’s done. Off-screen, he’s an alcoholic who rages at himself more than anyone else, at one point talking to himself in a mirror and threatening his reflection. There’s an extended scene with DiCaprio and a child actor (Julia Butters) that is obviously more Tarantino talking than the characters, but which is fascinating for the same reason the conversation about socks in Million Dollar Baby was: instead of rushing headlong through the plot, it takes time for people just to be people who talk about what they’re reading and how they feel. DiCaprio nails it perfectly, and you actually feel something for this louse.

Pitt, too, seems to have begun to embrace his age, and here uses it to the advantage of his character, Cliff Booth, a stuntman and Rick’s friend, who never got very far in the stunt business due to his cockiness and the impression (never confirmed or denied) that he murdered his wife. If Rick is our window on old Hollywood excess, Cliff is our every man, the person most of us would be---in fact, the person most of us would be lucky to be---if we had chased dewy-eyed dreams to Los Angeles. I suspect Pitt, 55, is not wearing much make-up, allowing his age to show. He has the hangdog look of a working class man who routinely shakes his head at the world he’s found himself in.

3

Tarantino’s love of trash film is on full display. Said Roger Ebert, paraphrasing Pauline Kael, “The movies are so rarely great art that if we cannot appreciate great trash, we may as well not go.” Tarantino appreciates great trash. I got much amusement simply out of the titles of the movies invented to fill out Dalton’s filmography. The Five Fists of McCluskey. Red Blood, Red Skin. Kill Me Now Ringo, Said the Gringo. Italian film is deservedly renowned for quality, but like any well-formed person, it can laugh at itself, too, and bears a dual reputation for wonderfully satisfying garbage, be it low-budget spaghetti westerns or the fantastically cheesy and exploitative Giallo films. America isn’t spared, either. Bounty Law seems to exist to poke gentle fun at how terrible those old TV shows were (sorry, dad), and Tarantino even sticks DiCaprio into The Great Escape, a classic film that, as we see, could never be made with modern acting styles. Perhaps my favorite use of this was one few will mark: DiCaprio dancing on a 60’s/70’s style variety show that will make anyone under 50 think “They really would watch anything back then.”

4

You may be going to this film simply because it is Tarantino making it, or because it’s refreshing to have something to see at the multiplex that isn’t made by Disney. You may also be aware that it is set around the events of the real-life Tate-LaBianca murders. Rick and Cliff mostly flirt with the edges of the Manson cult. One of Tarantino’s gifts as a writer here is that he reminds us that as the murders were being planned, life went on elsewhere. Manson himself shows up very briefly, Rick and Cliff pass Roman Polanski and Sharon Tate as they drive, and people such as Steve McQueen and Mama Cass show up for a few minutes or even a fleeting few seconds. Tarantino puts the events in context, even if it is in service of his obsessive need for pop culture references. There are, however, two scenes which bring us closer to the real events. In one, Tate, played by Margot Robbie as an ordinary woman and not a walking tragedy, visits a theatre to watch one of her own movies; I believe the film, The Wrecking Crew, is shown in its original form, with the actual Tate, and certainly the actual Dean Martin. In the second, Pitt’s Cliff visits the Manson ranch to check on a friend, and it is one of those scenes where Tarantino proves he is more than shock. Expertly planned in the style of Hitchcock, the tension builds unbearably, and terrible consequences are thwarted only narrowly and by good fortune.  

5

Like Inglourious Basterds, the film is revisionist history, and if you saw that one you might have some idea how this one ends. Surely, scolds and nags will wave their fingers at Tarantino over the fact that Cliff and Rick (and dog Brandy) prevent the Tate-LaBianca murders by killing the would-be assailants; it won’t improve their impressions that it happens in the most brutal way possible, with every bit of Tarantino’s penchant for over-the-top violence on display. Of course, if the director cared what his detractors thought, he wouldn’t be him. Whatever you think of the scene, there is no doubt it is perfectly and hilariously executed; the laughter of the audience comes not just from the insane nature of the violence, but from the admitted cathartic thrill. Tarantino is allowing us to see what is a major fantasy of most of us: the ability to go back in time and prevent a horrific act while visiting that same intended brutality on the perpetrators. It is the “If you could kill baby Hitler” quandary, except for Tarantino there doesn’t seem to be any moral hesitation; the Manson family is ripped to shreds in ways even the most vengeful would-be vigilante can scarcely conjure. The film then ends on a wistful note, as Tate and her friends get to go on with their night as though nothing happened. The director gave us this as well when he blew up the entire Nazi high command in Basterds, and with the satisfaction of a former slave getting to visit his wrath upon slavers in Django Unchained. If one of the roles of fiction is to explore things we want but cannot have in a flawed world, Tarantino often succeeds.

[gamesmakers]

I’ve been going around in circles thinking about writing recently. 

First things first: I plan on finishing Quicksilver and The Dandelion Project. Everything else is pretty up in the air.

I’m very much of two (or three, four...) minds about writing fanfic. I love the THG community. It’s supportive and appreciative of its creators and generally lovely.

In some hazy way, I’d like to publish a piece of fiction someday. I don’t have a particular project in mind. I don’t really care if it’s a full novel or just a little story in a collection somewhere.

This may very well be me being bigheaded, but I feel that a couple of the things I’ve posted as fanfic could be publishable with some (major) editing and (a little) filing off of serial numbers. With some, I feel I have an original story with THG serial numbers painted on. Is Quicksilver really a THG fanfic, or is it an original historical romance whose leads happen to be named Katniss and Peeta? The basic idea for that story has been floating around since I was in middle school, before THG even came out. At the same time, though, the basic idea for that story has been floating around since I was in middle school, yet I never bothered to put pen to paper to write it until now. Fanfic allows me an already interested audience and almost immediate gratification that keeps me motivated. Ask me how the book project I was planning to write in 2017 went.

Am I using fanfic as a safety blanket to not have to improve? Again with the disclaimer about seeming full of myself, most of the feedback I get on my writing is pretty positive. I know - or at least my anxious little brain knows - that there are technical issues with my writing. It’s overly passive. I shove adverbs into practically every sentence (see what I did there?). And terrible as it may be to admit it, with fanfic, I don’t feel the need to make those changes. I’m not getting paid, it’s just a hobby. If something’s hard, I don’t have to do it. Combine being told my writing is bad, laziness, and my fear of rejection, and I’m not sure I’d ever even send something in for consideration. At that point, why even bother writing original work?

I’m honestly not posting this for assurances that I’m good enough. I just keep coming back to the same set of questions, and I’m guessing that some other writers in this space have had similar thoughts. If you have, I’d love to hear how you eventually got yourself out of this headspace. If you’re still as stuck as me, well, good luck. 

[ciathyzareposts]

Gobliins 2 – Final Rating

By Ilmari

I am a bit torn about Gobliins 2. I began playing it with great expectations. The second game in the Gobliins-series showed clear improvements over its predecessor, being easier to play and fairer, while still retaining the wackiness of the first game. The more I played, the more irritated I became, when the game wouldn’t just stop. I felt that the producers had tried to cram a bit too much into the game, that there was too much of a repetition of similar themes and puzzles and that the whole would have just improved from cutting away some of the material. I feel the need to balance my rating carefully in order to accommodate both of these aspects.

Giant’s face says it all

Puzzles and Solvability

Puzzlewise, Gobliins 2 has quite a different feel from Gobliiins. The main reason for this is the move to a more traditional adventure game style, where the player has access to many different screens, instead of being forced to go through a series of discrete levels. Mind you, the game still consists of a linear series of areas, which could even be called levels, but at least these usually contain more than just one screen. This does get rid of the crudest problems of motivation in the first game, where the goal of one screen was not yet clear and became apparent only in light of a later screen.

I have to admit that especially with later parts of Gobliins 2, the goal was often a bit hazy; for instance, here I had no indication I should be creating this portal.

Another big difference lies in the way the goblins are used in the puzzle solving. In the first game, the goblins had clearly distinct roles, for instance, only one of them could pick up and use items. Here, the roles of the goblins are more similar, neither of them having any particular skills the other wouldn’t have. They still do interact with the environment in different manners, but these different manners seem often to be based just on the whim of the producers. They do try to justify these different actions by the different attitudes of the goblins, Winkle being more whimsical than Fingus, but this difference is not very strict – we do see, e.g. Fingus playing a trick on the cook of the castle.

Or trying to draw something on a picture

It’s difficult to say whether the essentially similar skill set of the two goblins is a positive or a negative thing. On the one hand, in the first game it was usually the inventory person who had the most interesting things to do, the actions of the wizard being way too random and the actions of the strong guy too simplistic and often just pushing switches. In the second game, none of the goblins had a more important role than the other. Indeed, even more so than in the first game, the puzzles often relied on cooperation, when one of the goblin did something and the other had to do something else in the small window of time when the first one was doing it.This was at times even frustrating, especially if the action of the second goblin required precise pixel hunting and/or missing the window meant beginning a long puzzle sequence from the very beginning.

I’ve already spoken of the repetition that hindered my enjoyment of the later parts of the game, and this repetition can be seen especially with puzzles. Many of the puzzles seem like Rube Goldberg machines with an Escherian twist, in that a series of complex and sometimes even geometrically absurd steps (e.g.put goblin’s hand here and see it come out in a completely different place) are required for some seemingly easy task, like getting a goblin on top of a shelf. The problem is that many of the steps used – like the just mentioned hand trick, or the one where a goblin is placed on something that is used to slingshot him – are introduced quite early in the game and then used over and over again.

Looking back at what I’ve written I might sound overtly negative in my opinion on the puzzles. Even with all their flaws, I do still prefer the idea of freer puzzle combinations in Gobliins 2 to the level-based style of Gobliiins. If only the puzzles would have been more varied and less in need of precise timing and positioning.

Score: 3.

Interface and Inventory

The producers have improved upon the first game and got rid of the ridiculous health bar that was nothing but painful. They even added hotspots, thus avoiding most of the pixel hunting (it still is a bit of a trouble in the timed sequences, where the hotspot exists for a fraction of a second).

Hotspots even tell you the name of the characters

If I do have to say something critical, the game mechanism of changing inventory objects between two goblins seems somewhat superfluous, since most of the time the two goblins have an identical inventory. And speaking of inventory, it is still very bland.

Score: 5

Story and Setting

The story of the game is less complex than in the first Gobliiins. For the most part, there’s basically only one motivation for PCs: rescue Prince and get him home. The final twist of the game, with the Prince being possessed by a demon, comes out of nowhere and feels like it was made just to lengthen the game. Setting, on the other hand, is rich and colourful. Sometimes many of the elements don’t make any sense – why is there a basketball player on a tree village? – but this just goes with the general silly tone of the game.

The dream sequences were especially delightful

Score: 5.

Sounds and Graphics

I am pretty sure the producers took the easy route and merely used all the same music as in the previous game – it still sounds good, but this is a bit lazy. Graphically the game is on par with its predecessor with images reflecting the wacky tone. All in all,since the game looks and sounds like the first one, a similar score is definitely in order.

Score: 6.

Environment and Atmosphere

I applauded the first game for its wealth of silly animated gags. The sequel also delivers on this front. Lot of the charm of the game is trying different variations in interacting with different objects and seeing if the outcome changes. Since the threat of death has been lifted, the players are free to tinker.

Score: 8.

 It was not at first apparent that goblins could be used like bowling pins.

No, let’s think about this again! The final stages of the game lost the momentum, and all the wackiness just couldn’t help with my growing irritation. Thus, I’ll deduct a few points from this category – but not too much, since I still adore the beginning.

Score: 6.

Dialogue and Acting

Based on the two games I’ve played, Goblins-series is so heavily focused on clever animations that the producers have mostly ignored text and dialogue. The second game was perhaps a bit more literate than the first, but this isn’t saying much.

The voices speaking the various lines sound more like overeager theater enthusiasts than true professionals. The actor in the role of Fingus is particularly lacking in talent, sounding like a second-rate imitation of Walt Disney voicing Mickey Mouse.

Score: 2.

(3 + 5 + 5 + 6 + 6 + 2)/0.6 = 27/0.6 = 45. If the game would have ended a lot earlier, this would have been a fine score, but since it now continued longer than was necessary and became more than a bit of a chore in its last moments, I’ll deduct one more point. 44 it is then, making the second game a bit less to my liking than the first game. Will Moczarski wins this round!

CAP Distribution

100 CAPs for Ilmari

Blogger Award – 100 CAPs – For moving from great enthusiasm to utter boredom in the process of playing and blogging through this game for our enjoyment

38 CAPs for MorpheusKitami

True Companion Award – 30 CAPs – For playing along Gobliins 2 almost to the end and proving ample commentary

The Cult of Teeth Award – 5 CAPs – For taking part in the teeth appreciation comments

Colonel Mustard – 3 CAPs – For research on the linguistics of mayonnaise

15 CAPs for Demon Throne

Teeth Award – 15 CAPs – For the best set of teeth in the game

10 CAPs for Will Moczarski

Psychic Prediction Award – 10 CAPs – For guessing the exact score of Gobliins 2

9 CAPs for ShaddamIVth

The Cult of Teeth Award – 5 CAPs – For taking part in the teeth appreciation comments

Where No Adventure Game Has Gone Before Award – 4 CAPs – For finding out the secret of the cosmic whereabouts of TAG headquarters

8 CAPs for MisterKerr

It’s a Good Game Award -8 CAPs – For sharing interesting analysis and memories on Gobliins 2

5 CAPs for Mayhaym

The Cult of Teeth Award – 5 CAPs – For taking part in the teeth appreciation comments

3 CAPs for Agrivar 

Mythology 101 Award – 3 CAPs – For a creative explanation of mermaid queen’s missing eyes

3 CAPs for Lisa H.

Cooking 101 Award – 3 CAPs – For explaining how to make mayonnaise

source http://reposts.ciathyza.com/gobliins-2-final-rating/

[lena-in-a-red-dress]

Supercorp Artist AU

Kara Danvers is something of a local celebrity artist in Midvale. Every street fair she can be found drumming up interest in the arts by taking improv requests from the crowd and drawing each idea on the spot, from memory.

Most are goofy: lazy dogs with lolling tongues begging for belly rubs, a little girl with a bubble of gum exploding across her cheeks, cartoon ducklings splashing happily in hyper realistic puddles. All the while, she explains the color choices she makes, reducing her figures to their basic shapes, the concept of scale.

She also puts in shifts at the face painting station, drawing long lines so they can receive whatever ornate design she'll bestow on their cheeks. All of them are clever and fantastical-- fire engines turned to water dragons, pandas with bamboo pompoms cheering on their wearer, tigerish housecats prowling jungles of books.

But she also takes time for larger projects. Each festival, she can be found in front a wall of canvas, painting whatever strikes her fancy as crowds gather to watch for ten, twenty minutes before wandering off in search of candy apples and funnel cake.

During one such festival, a photographer from out of town is prowling the cordoned off streets, snapping photos to capture the charm of small town americana. They pause at Kara's wall of canvas, and... don't leave. They stare, captivated, as Kara swirls colors together in amorphous shapes that don't resemble anything at all but somehow convey... comfort.

The photographer snaps just one more photo: Kara, oblivious to the world around her as she focuses on the world of color blossoming in front of her. They longer a little longer, hoping to speak with her, but Kara doesn't look up from her work for hours more, long after the festival closes down.

A few days later, the town paper is delivered to Kara's doorstep. A picture of her graces the front page, but one unlike any she's seen before. Haloed by the lights of the festival behind her, Kara's profile was captured in a moment of utter concentration. The crowd at the edges of the image were hazy, but Kara was in perfect focus.

The photograph is breathtaking. A balance of color and proportion that draws the eye to her frozen image. What catches Kara's focus the most, though, is her own smile. It speaks of some hidden knowledge, of happiness. She can't recall what she might have been thinking about-- all she remembers of that session is being entirely in the zone.

The credit at the bottom of the image lists the photographer's name.

Lena Luthor.

It's not long before Kara's agent calls her.

"I've got a buyer for your festival painting," James tells her, the sound of his smile plain even over the phone.

"You know I don't sell those, James."

She donates them around Midvale, as a thank you to libraries, cafes, and schools.

"I know, but you were already not sure where this one would be going." It's true. She's already running out of new recipients around town. "And trust me, what the buyer is offering is worth breaking tradition."

He tells her a figure, and Kara nearly chokes on her coffee. "Are they insane? It's not worth that much! I did it for FUN--"

"A painting is worth what someone is willing to pay. And that was only their first offer. I could probably broker more..."

"Who is it?"

James makes a hesitant noise. "The client wants to remain anonymous. I've only spoken with an intermediary."

Kara scrubs a hand over her face. She can hardly wrap her brain around it.

"Youve been saying you want to grow for a while now. What do you say to taking that first step?"

She sighs. Midvale is comfortable. Her work is beloved, even the stuff she doesn't like. A precipice looms under her feet, and far below her small fish is about to leap into a large pond.

"Yeah, okay."

"Great! I'll make it happen. How soon can it be ready for transport?"

"As soon as they want." For that kind of money, she'll deliver it herself.

---

The painting is shipped that day, and so begins a whirlwind of notoriety. The picture in the Midvale Chronicle spreads to the county times, and then to the internet as word of her painting's fate spreads.

Galleries all along the coast invite her to show more pieces, and private collectors reach out in droves. Other artists start sending her invitations to art shows of their own, and suddenly she has connections and contacts across the country.

People want to know her.

It blows her mind, but she loves it. She loves it so much that she moves to National City and open the private studio she's always wanted. Barely a week after arriving, she receives yet another invition to a gallery opening, this time for a local photographer. She almost tosses it before she catches sight of the artist's name.

Lena Luthor.

Kara makes James come with her as backup. She doesn't know any photographers, and anxiously worries that her invitation had simply been a mistake. But when they arrive, the other guests smile at her like they've already met, nodding in greeting as Kara tries to scope out which one of them could be Lena.

She finds herself before she finds her host.

That is, on the wall under a warm focus of light, she finds the same photo of her that had run in the gazette. Again, she's captivated by her own face, somehow even more beguiling in a gallery full of other, equally breathtaking art.

"Can I tell you a secret?"

The unexpected voice beside her makes Kara jump. She turns to find a tall woman in a patchwork velour dinner jacket and wide rimmed glasses.

"This one's my favorite."

There's something about the way one hand is tucked into the pocket of her trousers, and the sharp study in greens eyes that sparkle in a smile, that clues Kara in.

"You're Lena."

Ruby lips spread into a smile. "Guilty." She extends a hand in greeting. "Thank you for coming. I was hoping to meet you."

"L-likewise," Kara stumbles, struggling to maintain her composure and not focus on the heat of Lena's palm in hers. "Wow. Y-your work is amazing."

"Thank you."

"This photo launched my career," she blurts. "And the rest... just, wow."

It's true. There are pictures from all across the country. Some are pastorals, but more feature the people that populate the towns she visited. Twin girls busting a gut laughing over a dripping ice cream cone-- a farmer's face in zoom, weathered and creased by life-- a woman alone on a bus bench, tears in her eyes. On and on and on Kara sees life captured in plain honesty.

"That's kind of you to say," Lena says.

"No, I mean it! It's amazing! I mean, when I paint like that," she gestures towards the photo, "it's because I don't see what I want to, so I have to make it. But you... its like you see the beauty that's already in the world."

Lena looks at her in warm regard, her smile turning quiet.

Only then does Kara realize that their hands are still joined together. "Oh! Sorry."

"I didn't mind," Lena returns smoothly.

Kara's heart pounds furiously. Before she can think of something else to say, a suited man sidles up to Lena and speaks low in her ear. She watches Lena nod, before turning to face Kara directly.

She's not wearing a shirt. The lapels of her jacket plunge downward to meet just below her ribs, framing another work of art in the form of pale skin and gently curving cleavage.

"Mingling duties call," Lena tells her, apology in her voice. "It was lovely speaking with you."

Kara nods dumbly.

"Please enjoy the champagne. It was very expensive."

From anyone else the comment might have seemed pretentious, but the devilish smile that comes with it has Kara laughing.

"Sure thing. I'll take care of those potstickers too."

She keeps an eye out as the night progresses, but she never gets a chance to speak with Lena again. She makes some new friends though, and regales them all about which stall to get the best popcorn balls from at the Midvale Festival, and how they'd need to stop by Buzzed and Toasted for the best cocoa and cupcakes on their way out of town.

Exhaustion drags her home before she can catch Lena's eye again. Disappointment stains the thrill of their meeting, and she spends the next morning picking apart the few words they'd shared for where she'd gone wrong.

When her phone buzzes, she's distracted enough not to notice that the caller is an unsaved number.

"'Lo?"

"Is this Kara Danvers?"

"Um... yeah?"

"This is Lena Luthor."

Kara jolts, banging her hip against the corner of her kitchen table. "Oh! Hi! Hi. How are you?"

"To be honest, I'm a little disappointed we didn't get the chance to continue our conversation last night."

A flush heats Kara's cheeks as she nervously adjusts her glasses. "To be honest... I was just thinking the same thing." She pauses. "Wait, how did you get my number? I mean, I'm glad you did, don't get me wrong, but how?"

"Mr. Olsen left your card with my assistant last night."

James is getting a bonus. Immediately.

"So, I was wondering," Lena continues, "would you be at all interested in joining me for dinner at my place tonight?"

"Wuh-- yes! I definitely would be interested in doing that."

She can practically hear Lena's smile. "Great. How does seven sound? I can text my address to this number?"

"Yeah. It's my cell. Seven sounds great."

She'll have to pre-game a snack in order to make it that long til dinner, but she can do it.

"I'll see you then, then."

"Looking forward to it."

She barely manages to end the call before her knees go weak and she slithers to the ground to lay in a pathetic heap.

"What is my life right now?"

----

The address Lena sends leads her to an upscale neighborhood near the wharf. Color lurks behind every corner: graffitied on the sides of buildings and traced onto shop windows and adorning every bus stop overhang.

Kara knows why James hadn't directed her to this area when she'd been scoping out apartments-- even with her recent windfall, she couldn't afford a place here long term. She half expects a doorman when she approaches Lena's building, but all she finds is a normal callbox.

She's buzzed in immediately and one short elevator ride up deposits her into a short hallway left artfully unfinished with polished concrete floors and exposed lighting.

Lena's loft is little different, but the industrial feel works with the high ceilings and simple floor plan. Art exists everywhere Kara as she steps inside: sculptures and beautifully blown vases, and art hangs on every wall.

Including one very familiar piece.

"You're the anonymous buyer!"

Lena looks not at all embarrassed. "I fell in love with it that night in Midvale. It makes me feel."

"Feel what?"

"Depends on the day." Lena tilts her head towards the kitchen, where tantalyzing aromas brew with promise. "Shall we?"

Pasta and wine occupies them for one hour, then two. Over chocolate cake they talk for hours more, about everything and nothing. Lena is smart, and funny, quick to smile and wildly disarming when her eyes soften halfway through their second bottle of wine, focusing on Kara like she's suddenly the only art that exists.

"You intrigue me, Kara Danvers," she says as the clock nears midnight.

Kara holds her gaze, emboldened by the wine humming in her veons. "Can I kiss you?"

"You're welcome to do more than that."

Their lips meet in a tangle of wine and chocolate frosting, and the rest of the world falls away. Kara doesn't leave until morning.

[virmillion]

Ibytm - T minus 8 seconds

Masterpost - Previous Chapter - Next Chapter - ao3

Words: 2,416

Logan fidgets listlessly with his pen, taking it apart and putting it back together, apart and together, apart and together, apart and together and apart. His mind flirts with the idea of throwing the whole bundle across the room and heaving an agonized scream. Probably not the best idea, especially when the director is due to show up any minute. Well, due to show up any ten minutes ago, more like. Logan wrestles with his mind not to jump to the worst possible conclusions— you’re getting demoted you’re getting fired he hates you he lied about liking your presentation he’ll want a follow-up in a time frame that will guarantee failure and you’ll fade into mediocrity and obscurity as a lowly intern just like everyone always said you would.

He is not terribly successful at fending off the worst possible conclusions, if you couldn’t tell.

In the same moment as he screws the grippy back onto the pen for perhaps the thousandth time, the door bangs open. Logan immediately straightens and rolls his shoulders back, praying that the director was looking down at something and didn’t notice Logan being so lazy as to not be at ramrod attention at all times.

“Logan.”

“Hello, Direc—er, Robin. What did you need to see me for?”

Director Gazebo stalks past him, flipping through a thick binder overflowing with document covered in highlights and black-out redactions and annotations. “I’m fine, thanks for asking. How are you?”

“Oh! Oh, sorry, I, um—I’m good—uh, well, I mean. I’m well. You thank for asking.”

Sighing heavily, the director shoots him a wary look and continues toward the window, where he pulls down at the blinds to peer at the storm raging outside. Lightning slashes in an angry arc across the sky. “I assume you don’t know why you’re here, then.”

“I—no, I don’t, sir. Sorry.”

The director leaves the window and turns around, massaging his temples with his thumb and middle finger. “Logan, you’ve done some impressive work in your time here.”

“Thank you, sir, I—”

“Did not let me finish. You’ve done some impressive work, but surely even you must understand that there can always be room for improvement.” Logan’s heart leaps into his throat as he feels his mind ripped away from the present and thrown back into high school, where the threat of a bad grade—and the accompanying disciplinary consequences—lurked around every corner. “What manner of ultimate goal or achievement did you have in mind upon becoming a part of this organization?”

“Well, sir, to go to space, I guess.”

“You guess?”

“To go to space, sir. I want to go to space, and I want to use whatever extraterrestrial knowledge there is to advance what humanity is capable of. Er, that of which humanity is capable.”

The director is at the table in an instant, slamming the binder down hard on the solid surface. It’s achingly loud, and Logan very nearly drops his pen in surprise. He tucks it behind his ear, just to be safe.

“See, you say that, and it’s the answer each of your colleagues has said you’ve given them, and I’m sure you do believe that you want to advance the world and take risks and do the right thing in the name of research and exploration, but that is simply not reflected in the work you’ve done.” The director pulls out a dog-eared page, pointing with a thick finger to a chunk of text highlighted in pink. Logan spots several appearances of his name in the area. “Ever since you first earned an internship here, you’ve been doing the same work. It’s always been of objectively high quality, always pleasantly impressive, but never surprising, never ambitious. Very by-the-book, which is all fine and well, but I didn’t allow Katie-Lee to promote you simply so you could continue at your same level of repetitive mediocrity.

“You got your promotion based on the hope that it would inspire you to take more risks with your work. Look at your colleague Roman, for example.” The director slides out another sheet, this one generously marked up in yellow and orange and blue. “See how much ground his work covers? He looks into topics most people have never considered, explores connections few have ever thought of. Your promotion came earlier based on seniority, but you and Roman have both been in our sights for a good while with regards to moving you up the ranks. You aren’t special simply for doing your job. You need to go above and beyond if you want to achieve the dream you claim you have, despite all evidence pointing to the contrary.”

Logan blinks quickly, wondering if—or terrified that—his eyes are as red as they feel. “With all due respect, sir, I—”

“If any of that respect is here as you say, you would do well not to knee-jerk reject and contradict the facts I have been so considerate as to lay out for you. You’ve seen your numbers, you’ve done the work, you’re ready in all technical and legal respects to continue working toward your ultimate goals, but you just don’t have the passion for it. You don’t have the fire behind your eyes, not like Roman does. Roman is always moving, always talking to his colleagues, always broadening his horizons and learning as much as he can from the world around him while you isolate yourself and refuse to absorb any information that doesn’t come from a block of text in a legal document.

“If, by some miracle, you find that fire, that passion, that deep and true desire that you so stubbornly insist you have? And you really apply yourself to your work, not that safe middle path you’ve been taking, you prove that you really want this as much as you say you do, maybe we can see about getting you higher up the ladder. But that presentation you gave me? By all accounts a good presentation, but a predictable one. Nothing exciting, nothing unexpected, nothing a monkey at a typewriter couldn’t’ve spat out eventually.

“Work on obtaining the attitude and tenacity you currently lack, and I will do everything in my power to get you where you want to go. I do expect you’ll disappoint me, though I hope you prove me wrong.” The director strides over to the window and tugs at the blinds again, peering out at the ocean of tears falling from the clouds. Lightning strikes, highlighting a cold emptiness in the director’s face that Logan hadn’t noticed before. Maybe that he didn’t want to notice before. “I doubt you will.”

Logan swallows tightly and nods, belatedly realizing the director can’t exactly hear a gesture. “Yes, sir, I will do everything in my—”

“It was not a question.” The director lets the blinds fall one final time and takes a few measured steps toward Logan. It’s stunning, really, how imposing the man can seem at barely an inch taller than Logan. Logan isn’t terribly tall to begin with, but still. “You will likely fail, at which point nothing will change, and you will have proven me correct. Is that all?” Logan stays silent. “Then I think we’re done here.”

The director takes his leave, the door slamming shut behind him with a bang. Logan stares hard at the ground and tries not to cry. He suddenly feels very, very small. Small like a child, told off for sticking his hand in the cookie jar. Small like a new employee on strict probation, prophesied to fail before he’s begun. Small like the insignificant nothing he is, with all the worlds and stars and galaxies and universes rippling out and away from him, and he’s only the smallest speck, not worth the dust stuck to the underside of a cockroach.

It’s not until Logan feels a hand on his shoulder that he blinks and jolts back into himself. A glance at his lap reveals his fingers making quick work of the pen, which is in more pieces than Logan thought possible. Or maybe he just broke the pen.

“Sorry, we kind of need this meeting room,” says a familiar voice. Gentle, hesitant, worried. Logan turns, his vision hazy—he doesn’t remember removing his glasses—and registers something resembling Joy’s silhouette. She says something else, her tone dipped in concern, but whatever it is shoots past Logan’s ears and filters through the walls, joining the weak spurts of dwindling rain outside and dousing the soil below with sympathy.

Somehow, Logan finds his feet moving of their own accord, carrying him past Joy and out the door and to the stairwell, the entrance to which might as well be solid cement. He can’t get his mind to cooperate with the idea of that thing opening up to throw him down a few stories and deposit him at the feet of someone who’s always been better than him, more passionate than him, more dedicated than him, more, well, more than him.

“Oh, hey, let me get that for you!” someone says, squeezing past him to pull open the door. Logan blinks, and he’s pretty sure he nods his thanks to them as the door slips shut. It’s so much quieter than when the director slammed the door shut behind him.

He blinks again, and he’s at his desk. He doesn’t remember opening the door to this floor, much less all the flights to get down here. His legs don’t seem to be bruised, so he probably just walked himself the whole way and didn’t tumble down in a heap, but he can’t say for sure.

He blinks again, and he’s juggling almost all of his belongings in two unsteady arms. All that’s left is his coffee mug of the day, which he reaches for with an outstretched pinky. In a flash, the pen falls from behind his ear—he doesn’t remember putting it back together, much less tucking it away—and as he instinctively reaches to catch it, he knocks the mug to the tiled floor.

It shatters.

Something in Logan splinters as he goes perfectly still, watching the rattling debris.

There’s a good chance Roman’s head pops up in its usual spot over the partition, since Logan can’t really work out any other explanation for why he can suddenly hear his voice. “Whoa, hey, are you okay, man? Here, let me—”

Roman is always broadening his horizons while you isolate yourself and refuse to absorb any information that doesn’t come from a block of text in a legal document. “I got it.” Logan scrapes together the shards with a piece of scrap paper he fumbles from his desk, folding them up and tucking them into a ziploc bag that lives in the front pocket of his main binder—usually for notecards, but this works, too. Well, it mostly works. As he seals up the bag, he loses his grip on everything else, and all the papers gathered in his arms flutter to the ground, out of order and slipping under his desk.

The shape broadcasting Roman’s voice drops to its knees and tries to help pile together some of the pages. Logan maintains a blank expression and gathers the rest on his own, slamming them onto the desk in the only show of emotion he trusts himself to have right now. The bang echoes in his ears.

Roman’s voice comes back, and Logan wonders why it’s so hard to reconcile this silhouette with the voice of the person who is (and apparently always has been) better than him, more ambitious than him, living the life that was supposed to be his , rather than the social butterfly intern one desk over. “Look, if this is about what Patton said the other night, I’m sure he didn’t mean to—”

“It’s not about that.” The coldness in Logan’s voice sends a lance of ice through his veins and strikes his core. He yanks the stack of papers from his desk and rips the remaining pages from Roman’s hands, clutching them to his chest as he stalks toward the door. He ignores how quickly the other people on this floor pretend to be busy doing absolutely anything else as he thunders past, though their stares burn like suns into his back once they’re out of his line of sight.

Logan does not care.

Logan does not have it in him to care.

“Is this about that meeting with Gazebo?” Roman tries, tumbling over his feet to keep pace with Logan. “I thought he said he liked—”

“Yeah, well, he did. And now he doesn’t.”

Logan lets the door slam shut behind him.

And he gets in his car. And he drives. And he drives and drives and drives, and he keeps on driving until all the storms raging in his mind come to a head, a breaking point that guarantees a maelstrom of chaos and hellfire if he doesn’t let it out.

He yanks the steering wheel to the right, pulling off the unfrequented road that he doesn’t remember turning onto. Onto which he doesn’t remember turning. Whatever. It doesn’t matter, anyway.

And he cuts the engine and he gets out and he slams the door shut and he balls up the bag of the shattered pieces of his mug in his fist and he chucks them far into the dead grass stretching away from the road and he screams. And he screams. And he screams and he screams and he screams, his head tilted to the uncaring heavens and his mouth hanging open like a starving beggar in a barren wasteland and his body collapsing to the ground and his knees scraping over the gravel. And still he screams, until no sound dares to even try escaping his throat, save for a hollow whisper, an echo of anguish and rage and despair and resignation.

And he gets back in the car.

And he drives home in silence.

And when he walks in the front door, he knows how ragged he must look, and he knows Virgil can see it. And he knows he’s late, too late for words. And he opens his mouth to explain himself, and Virgil shakes his head. And Logan lifts his arms, desperate for something solid to tether him to reality, desperate for reassurance, desperate for Virgil, and Virgil turns away. And Logan sits on the couch as the bedroom door softly clicks shut.

Logan does not sleep that night.

[pass-the-bechdel]

Marvel Cinematic Universe: Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)

Does it pass the Bechdel Test?

No.

How many female characters (with names and lines) are there?

Six (31.57% of cast).

How many male characters (with names and lines) are there?

Thirteen.

Positive Content Rating:

Three.

General Film Quality:

Entertaining, but overrated.

MORE INFO (and potential spoilers) UNDER THE CUT:

Passing the Bechdel:

Though Nebula and Gamora trade a couple of lines on a few occasions, they invariably speak about either Thanos, or Ronan. 

Female characters:

Meredith Quill.

Bereet.

Nebula.

Gamora.

Carina.

Nova Prime.

Male characters:

Mr Quill.

Peter Quill.

Yondu Udonta.

Ronan.

Korath.

Rocket.

Groot.

The Broker.

Drax.

Thanos.

The Collector.

Denarian Saal.

Denarian Dey.

OTHER NOTES:

Seatbelts on spaceships should really be mandatory.

Aahahahaha Peter has a woman on his ship whose name he can’t remember and whom he forgot was even there! Oh, it’s so funny and charming! What a classic misogynistic cliche intro! Garbage.

Rocket chastises Groot to ‘learn genders’, and I don’t think the irony of a raccoon (a species with almost no visually-evident sexual dimorphism) saying that to a tree-person (whose species - if sexually dimorphic at all - certainly has no reason to adhere to the humanoid/mammalian model) is deliberate. The other alien higher-life-forms they encounter in the film are pretty uniformly human in appearance (not much effort going on in the ‘alien’ department besides just painting people in bright colours), but lack of imagination from the creative team doesn’t mean that the binary gender system we’re accustomed to on Earth has any broad bearing on the galaxy at large. 

Aaahh, and now Peter is explaining his scars to Drax, with lovely stories of women he cheated on in the past because he’s ~such a stud~.

Thanos tells Ronan off for his dull political raging and whiny behaviour, but he’s sitting on a shiny floating throne himself, so I’m not sure he’s earned the right to criticise what other people have got going on.

Rocket suggests that Gamora trade sexual favours to get things from other prisoners, because we’re being Like That with this movie.

The Collector keeps female slave ‘assistants’, whom he evidently treats so nicely that Carina commits suicide by infinity stone at the first opportunity in order to escape him. We’re just doing so well for the ladies in this film.

As a great comedic beat, Drax calls Gamora a “green whore”. It’s both a shitty line, and nonsensical, since Drax isn’t supposed to comprehend metaphors and he has no reason to believe Gamora is a literal ‘whore’ (nor is he likely to use such a colloquial term, considering the calibre of his standard vocabulary). Basically, it’s a rubbish line from every angle, and all in service of a misogynistic joke. 

This film is a terrible waste of Djimon Hounsou.

Ronan is very theatrically over-the-top in his pronouncements, but Lee Pace does his damnedest to make it work on delivery.

Why does Ronan’s flashy purple infinity stone weapon not kill people when he shoots them with its energy blast? Obviously it would be terribly inconvenient to the story if he just casually killed all the good guys, but honestly. It doesn’t make much sense. They coulda at least pretended there was a reason.

The part of me that is susceptible to acts of heroism is affected by the guardians all joining hands to share the stone’s power. Not enough to feel that the film or the character relationships actually connected on an emotional level, but enough that this ending doesn’t feel totally unearned.

Drax patting Rocket’s head while he’s crying over Groot is a lovely touch. THAT is the strongest character interaction of the film.

So. I’ll be honest: I don’t like this movie. I don’t think it works. I think it’s essentially just a string of gimmicks, loosely attached, entertaining enough on the surface but with no meaningful depth to hold in the mind or keep the audience engaged once the credits kick in (it’s also much heavier on the sexist tropes than any other MCU film previous). I don’t hate it, but it doesn’t give me anything that I value in a viewing experience, it just happens and then ends and that’s it. And the reason it doesn’t work is, frankly, the writing is lazy as shit. It makes a sub-par effort at establishing character and thus relies heavily on cliches, it rarely bothers to incorporate relevant plot and motivations and such into the story at early points in order to generate narrative pay-off, and the world-building is hazy at best and, like the characterisation, trades predominantly on expectation of stereotypes rather than actually creating anything original.

Let’s start in the obvious place: with our lead character. I’m tempted to just say ‘Peter Quill is garbage’ and then move on, because it’s true and also, he’s just not complex or interesting at all, which is ridiculous because he’s got that whole ‘alien abduction’ origin story and there should be like, literally any layers at all to his story instead of him just being an obnoxious Lothario who makes pop culture references like that counts as having a personality. But, here we are. I’m not familiar with the comics so I don’t know if this is a common complaint from fans who can’t believe their boy got all his nuances deleted in favour of such an inane cliche, but if this is exactly what Quill is like in the comics too? That’s no excuse. Part of the magic of adaptation is the opportunity to improve upon things the source material did wrongly or badly. The Quill we’ve got here in this movie is such a bland template he’s almost functionally useless; he barely impacts the story at all, especially in any way that is relevant to his personality or skills and necessitates his presence (the dance-off distraction is the only good Quill moment, and it’s also one of the few inspired choices in the whole film). At the end of the day, Quill exists so that the story has a Main Guy, being a straight white American male (and making sure we all, excessively, know about it), because God forbid we be expected to identify with anyone else. I have heard people sing the praises of the film for ‘subverting cliche’ by not having Quill and Gamora actively hook up by the end, as if that somehow makes it better that every single other aspect of that tedious forced romance plot is still squarely in place and set to play out in future films (pro tip: if the main guy still ‘gets the girl’, only it doesn’t happen in the first film, that’s not subversive. That’s still playing the trope dead-straight). Quill not immediately being shown to be rewarded with sex is not some incredible feat of original storytelling, and it certainly doesn’t absolve him of being a dime-a-dozen pig of a character. If that’s the most ‘unexpected’ character element you can cite, you’re in dire straits. 

Now, I’m not gonna talk about every character individually, because in most cases there’s not much to talk about; Drax is the big warrior guy with the Fridged Family backstory we’ve seen so many times before it elicits zero (0) emotions now; Groot - though an interesting idea on paper - is basically just a Deus Ex Machina of whatever ability is most useful at any given moment, too ill-defined to have boundaries to his powers and conveniently not using his full potential whenever it would allow the characters to win too easily; and Rocket, well, Rocket is actually the only one of the leads who manages any meaningful nuance, which is unfortunate because most of the time he’s just used for sarcastic comic relief. The other character I am going to talk about is Gamora, and it’s because she’s a prime example of how this movie fails to establish things so that they feel like they actually matter or the character’s motivations are understandable, etc. We are introduced to Gamora when she overrides Ronan’s order for Nebula to retrieve the orb from Xandar; as it turns out, Gamora’s introductory moment (literally the first time we see her or hear her speak) is also her act of rebellion when she puts into action her plan to escape Thanos’ clutches and go her own way. The problem, obviously, is this is her introduction. We’ve never seen this character before, we’ve only just met Ronan and Nebula as well, Thanos is barely more than a concept, as is the planet Xandar and the politics around it. Nothing has been established yet about the life that Gamora occupies, so her ploy to escape it? Meaningless. We don’t even find out that Gamora was not planning to retrieve the orb for Ronan until she tells us so after she’s been arrested, and we have literally no reason to believe her because we don’t know her yet because her character has not been established at all. The traditional way to do this would be to show her in her old life, doing as she’s told and/or witnessing terrible things being done by her compatriots, and showing the audience that she has clear misgivings so that when she turns, we understand the context and can believe that’s a logical character decision based on established personality and morals (think of Finn’s introduction in The Force Awakens for a textbook example). Because no time or effort is ever invested in establishing who or how Gamora is, everything we know is delivered to us directly in dialogue, all tell, no show, and what could easily have been the film’s most dynamic character is instead hampered by having her development choked off to avoid spending time on letting her origins matter (despite the fact that those origins are essential to the plot).

On which note, lets talk bad guys. Thanos first, because there’s not much to say, and that’s not a good thing: Thanos is actually pointless to this film, the only reason he’s there is so that the MCU can use him to actual purpose in later films and his relation to Gamora and Nebula and the hunt for the Infinity Stones needs to be established first, but as with everything else this movie is terrible at establishing things effectively. Consequently, Thanos...just floats around on a chair, and then Ronan tells him to piss off and we don’t see or hear from him again in the rest of the film, and there’s no real effort made to integrate Thanos into the story so that he seems like anything other than a dead-end subplot cluttering up the movie for no reason. The closest Thanos gets to anything notable is when he chides Ronan for his boring politics, but even that is symptomatic of the wider problem with this movie’s lazy writing: Ronan’s whole character is essentially just another dull archetype - in this case, the extremist villain - and a solid nothing at all is done to establish his politics or what they mean, other than death for the people we’re told are the innocents. This is a problem with the world-building of the film as a whole, because none of the galaxy’s politics is fleshed out, there’s no context to why the Kree have a problem with Xandar or why we should care, and Xandar kinda gets treated like the centre of the universe but it also seems that’s just for convenience sake so that the plot can return to a previous location for the final act. Hell, I haven’t the faintest fucking idea where Earth is supposed to fit in to all of this, other characters talk about it so it’s clearly a known quantity to the rest of the galaxy, and yet no one knows any details about it and Quill never bothered to go back there for reasons which really SHOULD be explored and yet are not even mentioned (that would seem like some of that characterisation he doesn’t have), so I don’t know what we’re supposed to interpret from that. I’m not confident that the creative powers bothered to think about it, considering how much they didn’t think about anything else. This is a movie where ‘human, but painted’ passes for ‘alien’ and society apparently functions exactly like Earth, tedious misogyny and all, despite the absence of cultural sharing to explain the Earthlike similarities (and boy oh boy do I HATE the laziness of science fiction where everything being identical to Western culture on Earth is treated like it’s ‘just the natural order’ that should be expected to develop in any sentient species, instead of a complex system shaped by unique and varied influences over thousands of years and dependent upon environment, religion, philosophy, and a myriad of other factors not replicated in these poorly-drawn ‘alien’ cultures. I get that you’ve gotta employ at least some shorthand in order to get on and tell your story within time constraints, but come on. If you’re not gonna think about world-building at all, don’t set the story on an alien planet). Above all else, we know that Ronan is the villain because he’s painted (literally) as one; he’s the bad guy through visually-indicated othering, because we all know good guys don’t look like that (whereas most of Ronan’s enemies on Xandar are just regular-looking white folks. Curious...). Sure, Ronan is also introduced spouting rhetoric and then smashing a dude with a hammer, and that seems like villain behaviour, but that only reinforces the point: Ronan’s role is made unmistakable through age-old tropes, and it’s never explored or subverted or made dynamic from there. Like Quill as the ‘hero’, Ronan is a dime-a-dozen cliche.

So anyway. Lets talk plot. This one goes like so: Quill collects the orb from Morag, where he coincidentally runs into Korath and company who just-so-happen to be after the orb at the same time (how it is that multiple interested parties only just found out that one of the most powerful destructive forces in the universe is just chillin’ on this abandoned planet, they don’t bother to explain). Quill runs into both Gamora, and Rocket and Groot, the other parties happening to be after him for different reasons and coincidentally converging on Xandar at the same point. Everyone gets arrested and sent to prison, where they meet Drax and promptly escape and fly to Knowhere so that The Collector can exposition-dump about Infinity Stones. Drax calls Ronan up, just literally straight-up calls the bad guy to come and find them because I guess figuring out a normal plot reason for the villain to catch up with the good guys was too hard, so we had to go for extreme stupidity instead. Ronan gets the orb and goes back to Xandar to destroy it, and our main characters figure they should stop that, so they do. Roll credits. Now, you can make pretty much any story sound basic and stupid by breaking it down into its component pieces, but the important thing to note about this layout is how many convenient or just plain stupid aspects there are. There are almost no character meetings or story developments that come about logically through the sensible development of plot driven by character’s motivations springing from established narrative, etc, and part of that problem is absolutely because there’s so little established character/world-building to begin with, but it’s also because whatever there is tends to apparate when it is needed without any sign of existing beforehand; that is, very little of the story is seeded early on so that it can come to fruition later in a narratively satisfying fashion. The Nova Corps sentence the characters to the Kyln prison as if it’s a big scary concept, but we’ve never heard of it before so we have no reason to consider it trouble. Drax appears and other characters literally tell us why we should pay attention to him, instead of him being, say, pre-established (SUCH AS by having his family tragedy shown on screen as a dual-establishing event for him and Ronan, or something to which Gamora was privy in some way in order to intro her misgivings as discussed above, or even just having someone reference the legend of Drax the Destroyer BEFORE getting to the Kyln (you could also, y’know, establish the Kyln itself in talking about how Drax was sent there. Just saying)). Intro the idea of Knowhere and/or The Collector BEFORE heading there so that it’s less convenient for Gamora to just-happen to have a buyer already set up for the item we didn’t even know she had planned to steal as part of the escape plot we didn’t know she was hatching. For the love of everything, establish some actual REASON for Ronan to follow our characters to Knowhere, instead of just ‘Drax got drunk and called him’. Link the pieces of your story together with concepts and developments that build upon each other in a narrative progression. That’s the difference between having a plot, and having a string of chronological set pieces (some of which - like Morag and the Kyln - don’t even have a purpose anyway beyond providing some action-scene opportunities). 

Before I close this out, I just want to run through a little exercise to demonstrate something that you never, ever want to happen in a story. You never want to have a lead character who can be deleted from the plot without leaving a hole too big to be easily filled by the rest of the cast. But what happens if Peter Quill is removed from this story? Well, pretty much all of the misogyny disappears, so that’s a plus. Someone else is gonna have to retrieve the orb from Morag, but we could easily send Rocket and Groot to do that. Gamora can still fight with them on Xandar exactly as it happens in the actual movie, only this time it’s not just pure coincidence that they conflict. We saved vital time that the film spent on Quill’s inconsequential childhood abduction (and we could save more on trimming the pointless action on Morag), which is time that could be better spent on all that other establishing crap I was talking about earlier, tightening up the narrative. Quill doesn’t serve any important purpose in the Kyln, so we can remove him from that no problem, nor does he matter on Knowhere other than a frankly stupid and ultimately pointless moment when he saves Gamora (definitely unnecessary when we’re removing the romantic subplot bullshit along with Quill). And then what? The characters agree that not letting Ronan destroy the galaxy is probably a good call (not Quill-relevant), they head back to Xandar, fight some bad guys, hold hands, win the day. We lose Quill’s only good moment in the form of the dance-off, but it’s an acceptable loss in order to strengthen the entire rest of the film by deleting the most meaningless character: the lead. We also arguably lose the Ravagers in the process, but as much fun as Yondu is, the plot can also survive completely intact without him (the only time the Ravagers matter is for the previously-identified useless damsel contrivance with Quill saving Gamora, and then they do help out on Xandar in the end, but they aren’t necessary for that - the Nova Corps could have been expanded just a smidge and taken care of everything). On the other hand, if you remove Gamora, you lose the connection to Ronan/Thanos as well as the moral compass of the Guardians; some other character would have to be significantly altered to fill the gap. You lose major Deus Ex Machina skills without Groot, and without Rocket someone else’s narrative has to change in order for Groot to have a buddy (plus you need a new mastermind for various plans, though that’s an easier hole to fill). You skip Drax and you do lose a major plot development in the form of him drunk-dialling Ronan, but admittedly that’s one of the worst things in this whole dumb waste of a movie, so maybe it’s not such a loss. You could ditch Drax. But, that’s not important, because Drax isn’t packaged as the leading man: Quill is. If you delete Drax, you don’t really streamline or improve the story (you could fix the one big flaw in his character very easily, he doesn’t have to disappear for that). You delete Quill...I know, comic book adaptation, dropping the main character is not considered an acceptable alteration when you’re improving the story for the screen. But come on. The least they could do is make him actually matter, not just be a perfunctory inclusion for the sake of sticking this ‘weird sci-fi’ as firmly in the centre of over-done cliche as a lazy gimmick story ever could be. There are a few chuckles to be had with this film, and it’s not entirely boring, but it’s not half as endearing nor even an eighth as inspired as it thinks it is. I’m not impressed by any of it.

[unproductivx]

How to FOCUS During the Holidays

I know - during the holidays, especially a festive season like Christmas, then New Year’s, then Chinese New Year (for those who celebrate) it can be so terrible difficult to put down your phone, turn off your laptop, close the YouTube tab or whatever it is you’re doing and just WORK. 

Believe you me, I struggled with this so much - which is why I ended up wasting a good three weeks of my holiday doing nothing in particular and cramming everything into these last two weeks I have. Not good. So here’s a guide to those of you looking to shake the lazy vibe and get some work done! 

Note that I based this off what works for me; try it out and see if it works for you or not! Feel free to reblog and add any tips you use to stay productive!

1. Sleep! 

Something I find terribly hard to follow; but when you do follow it it does you worlds of good. If you’re planning to work the next day; or do anything at all - sleep early. If you’re like me and you have trouble falling asleep (maybe another post?) and you’re well aware it takes you at least 1.5 hours before you drift off; do a little bit of math - if you want to be asleep by 10pm, then go to bed around 8.30pm to be safe. 

Enough sleep is important and even if you think it’s bs  - trust me, you will feel a thousand times better after a proper rest.

So:  sleep early because it links to #2 on this list. Don’t drink too much caffeine too late into the night and sugars before bed (oops, I’m a sucker for ice cream) is a definite no-no if you know it makes you jittery.

2.  Wake up early!

I know the feeling. It’s 8am and your alarm just rang but your head is fuzzy;; the warmth of your bed just seems to pull you in and the next thing you know, it’s 10 and your “short nap” didn’t go as planned. 

Especially for me; I find my work ethic ruined if I wake up late and that’s 2-3 hours of good, usable time wasted. If you like going out in the afternoon then try to get all your work done in the morning. It makes me feel much better and improves my mood. 

Don’t laze around after waking up. Give yourself maybe 20 minutes to stretch, sit on the sofa in the living room so your brain kind of adjusts to being awake before you start work. Maybe you want to look at your texts; answer some insta DMs or watch a bit of TV. If you’re easily distracted (don’t lie, I see you) then set a timer. We wouldn’t want all that effort getting up early being wasted by spending those hours watching TV, now do we?

 Go take a shower. If you feel sleepy, a nice shower will be good enough to wake you up. Not only is it relaxing (I use warm/hot water; I can’t stand cold water, thought it is more effective in really waking you up) it really helps me clear my mind and I suppose you could multi-task and plan your day in the shower. 

To all you singers out there; SING IN THE SHOWER DARLIN! Nothing wakes me up better than jamming out to some Panic! at the Disco or Imagine Dragons in the morning! Play your favourite songs! If you’re living with a room-mate or share walls... play the music softly. ;)

3. Breakfast!

Righty-ho. Breakfast, the most important meal of the day. Make a cup of tea, coffee, milo or your preffered beverage; and be sure to eat some wholesome food. Perhaps toast, some eggs; ooh maybe some baked beans - or if you’re going for something lighter and healthier - yoghurt and cereal, or even some oats. Whatever floats your boat! 

You need to have energy to focus and that can’t happen on an empty stomach distracting your mind, now can it?

4. Finding the Right Place to Study

NO, not your bed. Do NOT under any circumstances, try to study in your bed because the chances are, you’ll fall asleep or you’ll loose the motivation to study. 

The right place to study should be well-lit, paired with enough space for your books and a comfortable chair. My study table is quite crowded; so I like to study in the kitchen - lots of room on the kitchen table; it’s well lit and airy. Crowded tables tend to clutter your mind, which is why a clean desk is always preffered. If there really isn’t anywhere for you to go or the lighting is horrible everywhere - get a lamp. Buy some cheap organization drawers from maybe Daiso (that’s what I did) and put stuff away.

The trick is to make things easy to put away AND easy to take out. Clutter happens when you’re like me and too lazy to put things back where you took them from. 

So, in summary :

- well lit

- enough room to work

- not cluttered

- comfortable chair (not too comfy; we don’t want to be drifting off to sleep)

5. Music/Ambient Noise

A popular method of really getting into that zone is to use study music - usually lo-fi, no lyric instrumental music. I don’t have anything against lyrics;; its just the words tend to distract you when you’re working but if you’re someone who can work with that type of music and that’s what works for you, go ahead! 

I for one, definitely can’t. My favourite playlist has to be Brain Food  on Spotify - I like the electronic beats and it really feeds my brain. It’s jumpy but not too wild; just perfect to excite my mind on a hazy morning. I’d also reccomend Instrumental Study also from Spotify; it’s a more mello kind of music. Spotify and Youtube have fantastic study playlists and music available so you’ll definitely find something to your tastes!

If you’re not one for music; then ambient noise/white noise are great silence blockers! Websites like Coffitivity offer the ambient noise of a coffee shop for you to work; and there are multiple other sites like https://www.noisli.com and https://asoftmurmur.com (also available as an app) that can help you study/relax! There are forest noises; rain noises; and a huge number of ambient whie noise that can help you focus. 

note- this is not sponsored by anyone;; i just like these sites and apps and I find them very useful!

6. Focus Apps/Pomodoro Timers

So one of the most effective work flow methods is the pomodoro one; my personal favourite. You go through a cycle of work (perhaps you set a time of 25min or 30min) and then get a short break of 5-10 minutes afterwards. The apps I use to do this (I have them on my phone) are Forest (my personal favourite; I upgraded to premium and I’ll elaborate more later), Tide (a good alternative to Forest; it’s what I used before Forest and comes with ambient nose like rain, ocean waves, a library, etc. and can also be used to help you sleep! Really love the app!), as well as Flipd (gaining popularity across studygrams particularly; and basically locks you out of your phone so you can get work done), and lastly TickTick which is a to-do list plus pomodoro timer! 

Alright - so I like Forest because it’s a great idea; you set a timer for say, 35min and when you set that timer, you plant a tree. If you exit Forest during those 35min, it will kill your tree. So this is the baseline motivation to stay off your phone (to grow the tree). Flipd doesn’t work as well for me and I like to Google things on my phone (vocab, theorems, etc) so Forest premium lets me whitelist applications like Google Chrome so I can use those apps and it won’t kill my tree.

7. Ready, Set, Go!

Now that you’re wide awake, energized and in the mood - play your music and start that timer! Go! Start working without distractions - because that’s the biggest thing about holidays. The temptation to procrastinate is so real. But drill yourself into a routine like this and get used to working, because the pay-off is huge and you’ll thank yourself you didn’t do it later.

Hey! So I hoped this helped you and if it did, share this so that other people can benefit too! If you have any other suggestions/tips, do share! I’m excited to see what I can learn from the rest of you :) 

With that, I wish you happy holidays (or what’s left of it) and a very happy new year! p.s. new year’s resolution post? y/n?

[consultingsister-aa]

❤ [ love, Sebastian ]

FOUR AND ONE // @asteriananthologies

❤  five four times my muse says they don’t love yours, and the one time they admit it.

I. Cecelia’s life has improved greatly the day she realised it didn’t need to be anyones birthday to buy cake. During the awkward ten minutes between her getting out of work and Charlotte getting out of school she had picked out a three layer chocolate cake, grin on her face from tesco. Of course, Charlie had chastised her for the decision, although it didn’t stop her digging in when they got home. Probably because she knew this was the closest thing Celia got to making dinner. Perched against the breakfast bar in the kitchen, while Charlie sat in one of the spinning chairs, they each attacked the cake with forks, enjoying the almost rebellious feel of not cutting it up into slices. “Do you think you and daddy would ever get back together?” Innocent eyes look up at Celia, as if she was just asking if she had a nice day at work. She knew what she was doing, Cee was sure of it. 

As she chews on her mouthful of cake, she pretends to consider. She can understand her daughter’s desire. It would be nice to have a settled home life. “No. We’re very different people now. Does that make you sad?” 

To her mother’s surprise, Charlie shakes her head rather vigorously, swallowing her cake before admitting, “I like having two christmases.” Celia points her fork towards her with a lazy flick of her wrist, as if to say, that’s my girl. “I know why you don’t want to be with James though. It’s because you love Sebastian now. That’s okay by the way, I know I should be sad about it but I like Seb too.” She gets it all out in one breath, obviously it’s been on her mind for a while. Now Cecelia really does choke on her cake; coughing and spluttering as she meets the younger girls look, shock etched into her own watering eyes. “Charlotte, I do not love Moran. What the hell?��� 

II. “You do know that if- when this all goes to plan, your boyfriend shall be going to prison as well, Cece?”

221b Baker Street was a mess of files, papers, documents, crime scene photos and half drunk cups of tea. No seat, surface or inch of wallpaper was free from some sort of proof that James Moriarty was, in fact, the world’s most evil man alive. Or at least, in the opinion of the rooms occupants. Sherlock lent against the mantelpiece, looking tired but satisfied while Mycroft and John had managed to clear enough space on the dining room chairs to sit. Celia, on the other hand, stood in the middle of the room, looking around their compiled evidence with barely hidden glee, only for her smile to fall at Sherlock’s words. “And who exactly is my boyfriend today?” 

But it was John who offered up an answered, muffled slightly by the hand covering his face. “Sebastian Moran is my first guess.” He peaks through his fingers to see Celia’s look of shock mingled fury and grins at her. “Cee, we’ve been following Moriarty’s staff for weeks. You think we didn’t know you met up with him? We actually considered you might be working for Moriarty at one point. They Sherlock noticed you were twirling your hair around your finger whenever you talked to him. Classic Cecelia in love move. Mary confirmed it for us.” All three of the men seemed to get more and more satisfaction from her, as Cecelia stared about, open mouthed. She actually hadn’t known they were following Sebastian. They had considered that as risky as following Moriarty himself, but obviously they had worked around that. Without telling her! Maybe this was back when they thought she might have been a double agent. She’s actually sort of pleased with that vote of confidence from them all, but the idea that she was in love with Sebastian Moran? Fucking ridiculous. She stutters over her words. “I don’t– I’m not– for fuck sake!” They’re all grining now. “I do not love Sebastian fucking Moran!” 

III. Celia has never been good with blood. The fact she only gets vaguely nauseous these days is actually a grande improvement. Having completed one year of medicine at university though seems to have given people this idea that she’s practically a doctor. What most people don’t seem to realise is she spent every second class outside the lab breathing deeply in an attempt to get the corrider to stop spinning. She’s half convinced that this ‘turning up on her doorstep bleeding to death’ thing is her friends idea of exposure therapy. She also doesn’t totally buy that she was the closest safe house to Sebastian when he got stabbed; surely Moriarty has better places for his staff, and his second in command no less, to get stitched up than her house. Still, apart from all the blood, she’s pleased to see him. It gives her a little rush to know that he would come to her when in need. She’s always liked to be needed. “I want you to know,” Cee begins, breathing through her mouth as she pokes him with her needle, wincing herself, “that I’m not doing this out of love or compassion or anything, I’m doing it so you don’t bleed all over my carpet. Medical care is free in England, ya know? I’m charging you.” 

IV. What might be for the first time in her life, Celia looks awful. Her whole face is completely drained of blood and dark bags underline her eyes; a mess of lack of sleep and waterproof mascara not coming off. She can’t exactly sit up to greet him, three broken ribs will do that to you, but she does offer Moran a grin. Maybe it’s the fluorescent hospital lights, but even this small amount of effort seems to flush her cheeks and sickly green. 

She knows what he did. Moriarty would have likely gone the full hog and killed her the night previous if it wasn’t for him. Cee would have liked to say she didn’t give the criminal mastermind what he wanted but her threshold for pain is very low and she’ll cry at the drop of a hat these days. She’s not sure how long Moriarty got alone with her. It felt like hours but it could have been minutes for all she knows. He had sweetly explained to her that he was going to hurt her with the intention of causing the most pain he could, without allowing her to pass out or become unconscious from lack of blood. You can imagine the mess Cecelia was in then when Mycroft finally showed up with an army of policemen and ambulance crew, no Moriarty in sight. But she knew, she knew who had talked Moriarty out of his plan, and she knew who had called her brothers. He had appeared above her last night, in a haze of tears and pain like a guardian angel, willing her to stay awake. It was so hazy now she could not have been sure it was even him, but his visit to her sick bed confirmed it for her. He can’t stay long, she knows that before her says it. The only thing worse that Mycroft finding out would be Moriarty finding out about his visit. She’s starting to understand now. “It wasn’t just because of our case against him,” she whispers, her throat dry and scratchy from all the screaming and begging the night before. “He thinks you–” tears are rolling down her cheeks already. “He thinks we love each other.” She forced a smile. “I assured him we did not.” 

V. It had been months of rain. She knew that was impossible, if the rain didn’t let up for months they would probably all drown or something, but that’s what it felt like. New York City was as grey as London was when she left it. The whole world was grey without Charlie in it. Pointless people leading pointless lives, going about their business like the world didn’t end when Charlotte Holmes did. Cecelia’s world ended. She’ll carry on for the sake of carrying on but her hearts not really in it anymore. She tries to find passions in other things; persuading herself that Charlie wouldn’t have wanted her to just give up. In truth she doesn’t know what Charlotte would have wanted. It probably doesn’t even occur to a nine year old what she would want for her mother after she died. Parents shouldn’t have to bury their children; it was one of life’s sickest jokes. In a shallow attempt to remove herself from her own grief, Cecelia had uprooted her life in London and gone across the pond. New York had always held a sort of fantastic distraction for her before, but the grey cloud had followed her over to the States and hung above her head as a permanent fixture. Everyone was getting bored of her depression, she could feel them judging her silently, it’s been a couple months now, she should be over it. 

She’s been so numb to everything lately she isn’t even worried her door is unlocked, even though she is sure she did leave it locked this morning. It’s not like her to be so forgetful, although she’s not been herself of late. But the light on the living room… that is wrong. The man on the chair in the corner? Definitely out of place. She didn’t leave that here this morning. “Oh my god, what do you want?” She throws her purse to the sofa, heading directly to the drinks cabinet. He’s already got there before her; doors open; glass missing. “I have nothing–” her voice breaks and presses her hand to her mouth to cover a sob. “I have nothing else to give you Sebastian!”

It’s sick how much she’s missed him. She’s wanted to hate him, tried to with all her heart. But, as hard as she tries, she can’t. She can’t even blame him. He didn’t want her dead, she’s vaguely aware he’s as cut up about it as anyone. Maybe not her, but surely she gets some sort of mothers-privilege. She gets to be the most sad. 

“What happened? Did she go with you with willingly? That’s how much that little girl trusted you. She left her own home with you because– because I said she would always be safe with you. I did. I promised her.” This has been bubbling for weeks. The grief has given way to anger, finally. It makes her even more mad that he’s going to just sit there and take it like a wounded puppy. That’s all he is, he’s a dog on a leash, Moriarty giving commands. Sit boy, come, fetch Charlotte Holmes and lead her to her death! It makes her sick. 

“I trusted you.” Her voice is thick with tears. “I did more than that, I loved you. I loved you so much.” 

[smilyoongi]

I AIN’T NEVER DID THIS BEFORE

Pairing: Yoongi x Hoseok

Genre: smut (oral), some graphic language, 

Word count: 3k

masterlist

The pen was monotonically hitting the surface of the desk, the sound it made getting lost in the sea of voices that filled the classroom of the last period. Yoongi couldn't wait to get out of school, the day seeming a thousand hours long. It was now spring, which meant school was almost unbearable, everyone waiting for the summer holidays already. Yoongi too couldn't concentrate on any school work, the sun brimming brightly in the sky, early birds chirping, fresh summery wind distracting him from anything else.

Of course, it wasn't the only thing that has been distracting him recently.

Yoongi wasn't the most popular kid at school, you could say he fit in with the masses, trying not to stick out too much. For him, the school wasn't the place for friendships, yet he made one exception and that was Jung Hoseok. When Yoongi first came to school, Hoseok was the first person he talked to and the first real friend he made. Hoseok always treated him nicely, their friendship improving over the years as they both grew closer to each other, both letting their walls down. The thing with Hoseok was, that even though he was quite a popular guy in their school, he never pretended to be anything more than an average student, treating everyone as his equals. To this day Yoongi still gets surprised by the fact that the boy is his friend. All of these things were great and Yoongi certainly was very grateful for a person like him in his life, but that wasn't the reason why he was so distracted. He knew that he will eventually start liking someone, or feel incredibly drawn to a person, but why did it have to Hoseok? That's right. For the past few weeks, Yoongi found himself feeling weird when he is around the boy. He would constantly get nervous and wary, every compliment coming from Hoseok making him blush. He kept catching himself staring at his lips whenever he was talking, their weekly sleepovers now tragically painful for Yoongi, unholy thoughts bracing his brain while all they were doing was sleeping in the same bed, as friends do. Unfortunately, Yoongi couldn't find the way to solve this problem, so he took the easy way deciding to avoid the boy as much as possible. Sadly his decision brought him even more misfortune as Hoseok soon caught on and requested they spend the whole weekend binge-watching movies at his house. It was currently Friday and Yoongi tried to mentally prepare for a constant aching of his heart. A loud bell could be heard in the classroom, making everyone rush out of the class to which Yoongi just sat in his place waiting for everyone to get out of the class so he could exit calmly.

Dragging his feet forward Yoongi made his way towards the bus stop, the only wish that he had was to plop down on his bed and let it swallow him whole. He was almost at the bus stop when he felt someone ruffling his hair. As he was about to kill the person with his death glare his eyes caught a glimpse of who was Hoseok, giving him his usual carefree smile, making Yoongis expression change immediately, his lips forming into a content smile.

"Heading home?" Hoseok asked, his breathing still fast from catching up to the boy.

"Yeah, maybe I should really stay in to-" Hoseok didn't let Yoongi finish, his finger now resting on Yoongis lips. "You're not running away from me sweets, not today" Hoseok replied, earning an angry scoff from Yoongi to which he replied with a cheeky grin. Teasing Yoongi was definitely one of his favorite activities.

For Hoseok it wasn't necessary for the boy to sleep over at his throughout the weekend, he just wanted to know what was wrong and knowing Yoongi, he realized he will need more than a day to finally crack. Hoseok cherished their friendship greatly, that's why such behavior truly scared him. He didn't know what or who provoked such behavior from his side, but he was set to find it out.

The two of them got into the bus, Yoongi sitting down next to the window making Hoseok sit down next to him, which to Yoongis surprise was really close, making their thighs rub against each other. See a normal person, wouldn't think much of it, such type of skinship being normal between friends, yet it was the only thing in Yoongis mind for the whole ride. Yoongi was aching to touch him, to feel his soft skin against his fingertips, to brush his hand through his hair and so much more. Hell, he didn't dare to think of getting touch by him, he knew he would go completely insane if he did.

-

A squeaky nagging sound of Yoongis ringtone woke him up from his slumber, making him wince. Right after the boy went home he decided to take a nap, in hopes that it would maybe lead to him oversleeping his plans with Hoseok, however, the red-haired boy was as stubborn as always.

"Hello?" Yoongi replied in his husky voice, his eyes still closed, trying to savor the last moments of sleep.

"If you're not by my house in ten minutes I'm seriously going on a killing spree to your house" Hoseok replied in an exaggerated tone.

"Geez Hoseok, have some decency, I was sleeping" Yoongi replied, not phased by the boy's outburst.

"Good. Now you'll be able to stay up for the rest of the two nights we're gonna spend! Can't wait for you to come, I already ate two bowls of popcorn by myself and it's definitely leading to obesity, hurry!" Hoseok exclaimed and hung up, leaving the boy sprawled out in his sheets.

He is in for a long night.

-

It was a bit over four hours that Yoongi has showed up at Hoseoks house with a huge pizza and a few rental movies. The two of them have so far watched two movies, both of them becoming a bit lazy from laying on the sofa for so long.

"Ahh, I really didn't think that getting bored of watching movies was an option" Hoseok sighed, adjusting the pillow under his head. Yoongi hummed in agreement, trying to come up with better alternatives.

"Well we could always watch something else, that isn't a movie, you know", Yoongi added, looking up at Hoseoks eyes for confirmation, to which Hoseok raised his eyebrow, his eyes sparkling with newly developed curiosity.

"Like what?"

"Well you know... we could watch something on Youtube or maybe a live stream? There are also some good podcasts with visuals and-"

"Let's watch porn," Hoseok said, in the middle of Yoongis sentence, making the smaller boy freeze in his spot, his cheeks darkening a few shades as he still tried to swallow the fact that Hoseok literally suggested them to watch other people having sex. Together.

"U-uhm... porn?" Yoongi asked, not trusting his voice.

"Yeah! When I think about it, it's so weird that we never watched porn together, everyone watches it with their friends when they're young. Come on Yoongi-ah do you really want me to believe you've never watched it?" Hoseok asked, his voice full of disbelief.

To be honest, Yoongi has never really watched porn before. Not because he was against it, it just never crossed his mind. That's why the situation was even scarier. Yoongi didn't know how he will react to it, let alone watching it with Hoseok.

"Oh my god, you seriously haven't?" Hoseok chuckled, disbelief coating his features. To find a person like that was more than rare. "That's even better, I can show you the good stuff first. What are you into? " He smiled, already connecting his phone to the TV and opening his browser, typing in the websites Yoongi never heard about.

"I don't... I'm not sure" Yoongi replied, his shyness getting the best of him.

"Okay then, I will just show you whatever that I personally watch. I do indeed have a few favorites", Hoseok replied already clicking on the video. The screen suddenly went dark, two incredibly attractive men showed up on the screen. It started out slow, two of the males kissing passionately, their hands wondering through each other bodies. Yoongi felt the way his breath became uneven, his jeans becoming just a bit uncomfortably tight. He glanced at Hoseok, who seemed as normal as ever as if he was watching regular TV. The same actions in the video continued for a few more minutes until one of the guys dropped to his knees, taking the other guys hardened member in his hands, spreading the precum all over the length. The action made Yoongi bite his lip, his eyes running between the two guys on the screen, not sure which one was more satisfying to watch. He wanted to touch himself so bad, so fucking bad, but he couldn't, he was still aware of Hoseok who was sitting right next to him.

"Have you ever done something like that?" Hoseok asked, his voice now lower and almost inaudible, yet loud enough for Yoongi to able to hear it.

"N-no, but I really want to" As soon as these words left his mouth Yoongi wanted to punch himself in the face for letting such words leave his mouth. He was thankful for the lighting of the room that was now dim, it was easier to hide his flushed cheeks. He couldn't even look at the boy. The room went silent again only to be filled with filthy grunts and moans coming from the TV. Yoongis eyes suddenly snapped to the side as he heard Hoseok letting out a sound he has never heard from him before. It was the purest and lightest moan he has ever heard, He noticed that the boy was palming himself through his sweatpants, his member already looking rock hard under his touch.

"W-what are you d-doing" Yoongi spoke out, not able to stop looking at the sight in front of him.

"I'm sorry Yoongi, it just feels too good to stop" Hoseok let out, his gaze looking at Yoongi through hazy eyes, his head slightly tilted back, the muscles of his body now tense. Yoongi stared at boys crotch area, his fingers grabbing the material of the cushion, itching to get closer to it. Hoseok's body always looked great, but he never saw it this way. His legs were lazily spread on the couch, the material of his sweatpants tightly wrapped around his thighs that looked so tense, so firm. His upper body was lifting up and down from the heavy breathing, his baggy white shirt revealing the side of his neck, small beams of sweat already appearing on his skin. He looked so ethereal, so needy of someone's touch. To Yoongi he was irresistible.

"Can I help you?" Yoongi asked, surprising himself with his own words. Hoseok looked at the smaller boy again, his eyes even though content with the boys request still holding a shocked expression.

"Are you sure? You don't have to do anything you don't want" Hoseok reassured, hoping that the boy didn't just say that because he was feeling uncomfortable.

"I-I said I wanted to try it," Yoongi said, slightly lifting his body up from the couch and just a few steps away dropping to the ground in front of Hoseoks lap.

"Then I'd love that sweets" Hoseok purred, lightly lifting up his body to slide off his sweats down his legs along with his underwear, his erection slapping to his stomach. Yoongi's eyes hungrily wondered over Hoseok's bare lower half. He knew that this wasn't going to help him get over his feelings rather making it harder for him (all puns intended) to resist him, he was walking into a burning fire and he was fine with it. He wasn't going to let this chance slip away. He looked at Hoseoks throbbing dick and licked his lips, his eyes traveling up only to meet a pair of eyes looking back at him intensively. That was the moment when he understood that he had no idea how to give a blowjob. He didn't want to make a complete fool out of himself and this was the only option.

"C-could you teach me how to..." Yoongi trailed off, his eyes never leaving Hoseok's. Hoseoks glance that was full of desire changed to a soft one, the adorable boy in front of him getting the best of him.

"Take it in your hand and stroke it" Hoseok replied with a command, his voice full of control. Yoongi obeyed, leading his hand forward, his small hand taking hold of Hoseok's member. His thumb went over the tip, drawing small circles over the tip, just like he saw in the video. His hand started going down along his shaft, and then going back up, earning a hiss from Hoseok. Yoongi continued the action, enjoying the deep breaths coming from the red-haired boy.

"G-grip it tighter" He breathed out, feeling an insane amount of pleasure just by this small gesture, Yoongi's fingers wrapping perfectly around his length. Yoongi complied, adding more pressure to his grip. He started quickening his pace, causing the boy to moan out loud, his moans so pure yet so sinful, setting every nerve in Yoongis body on fire. Hoseok's hand suddenly touched Yoongi's in order to stop him. Yoongi looked confused, afraid he might've done something wrong.

"Did I do-"

"No, you did nothing wrong love" He stopped Yoongi, his hand that was resting on his thigh now traveling to rub Yoongi's cheek, quickly pulling his face closer to his in for a short sweet kiss. "I just want to cum with your mouth around my dick", he said, his breath hitting Yoongis skin.

Yoongis view became hazy, the feeling he imagined for so long now happening in real life throwing him off guard. He got closer to Hoseoks heat, his breath now fanning on the sensitive skin of Hoseoks length. Yoongi stick out his tongue, licking a line along Hoseoks dick, making the other boy wince. As his tongue went up his dick, giving it cute kitten licks he suddenly felt a pair of hands tangling in his hair and with one powerful move Hoseok sunk his dick in Yoongis throat, making the other boy gag. It was harsh and out of nowhere, but he couldn't deny that he enjoyed it. He wanted to be good for Hoseok. He wanted to show him just how good he can be for him.

"This is what you get for being a little tease", Hoseok grunted, his hands finally pulling his mouth away from his dick. "You liked it didn't you? Look at me, god you look so hot like that" Hoseok moaned out, taking in the view in front of him. "Now take it slow, hallow your cheeks and don't forget - no teeth" Hoseok guided the boy. And Yoongi did as he was told, starting off slow, his mouth going up and down the length of Hoseok's throbbing dick, enjoying every second of it. Yet Hoseok enjoyed it even more. He looked down at the sight of his dick disappearing into Yoongis tight mouth, reaching the end of his throat, small moans vibrating against his dick as he did so.

"God your mouth is so tight around my dick, fuck", Yoongi was the hottest sight he has ever seen so far and swore he could burst any minute, but he didn't want to. He wanted this to last as long as possible, not sure if this will ever happen again.

Yoongis pace quickened once more, except that this time Hoseok didn't stop him. Yoongi was enjoying the feeling of Hoseok inside in his mouth, his hands pulling on his hair, he enjoyed the feeling of Hoseok's thighs that he was holding onto. He enjoyed this moment of complete bliss, where nothing mattered. The clock stopped ticking and there was just the two of them to enjoy this moment.  Yoongi kept fastening his movements, taking all of him in his mouth over and over again, feeling Hoseoks dick twitch in his mouth. Hoseok has never felt so good touched by someone else, he was so close, his hand still harshly gripping Yoongis hair.

"I-I'm gonna c-cum" Hoseok moaned out, his eyes trying their hardest to stay open and not miss a single second of the view. A few more bops of Yoongis head and he was already cumming, sending a huge load of cum down Yoongis throat. Yoongi swallowed it all and continued to kitten lick the sensitive area, letting the red-haired boy ride out his high. After a few seconds, Hoseok lifted himself up from the couch, putting his sweats back on his legs with his underwear. Just as Yoongi was about to stand up he was lifted up by Hoseok and situated on his lap. Hoseoks lips searched for Yoongis ones as fast as he could, connecting them together for a lazy, sensual kiss, both of them a bit tired of what they just did. Hoseoks arms went around Yoongis waist, securing him even more comfortable in his lap, pressing his body closer to his, making the smaller boy feel safe in his arms. Yoongis hands caressed Hoseoks neck, playing with his hair throughout the kiss, making the boy hum in appreciation. The room that was now a bit messy, soda cans and snacks spread out all over the table and floor, multiple blankets and pillows laying around them, the dim light coming from the TV, a faint smell of their sweaty bodies felt like the most magical place both of them could be in. Neither of them knew what this meant and they didn't need to. They had the whole weekend to figure it out.

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Taking requests!

[haxorus-imp]

Alien Affections - Villainous/Reader - Chapter 5

Black Hat was currently sitting at the desk within the silent solitude of his office and growled out in frustration. He could still hear Dementia clawing at the entrance to his office, even behind the closed doors. In which constantly disturbed the tranquility of his office. Stupid girl just can't take a hint that he's not interested in her pathetic self. And he never will be interested. Ever. She always does this. 'Pay attention to me! Give me a kiss! I take pictures of you when you're not looking! I l-l-lo-...' Black Hat gagged. He couldn't even think of that filthy word. Besides. What she feels isn't -that particular word-. It's an obsession with himself. Black Hat sighed and turned around to face outside the rose-tinted window of his office. Silently pondering to himself. He still can't explain why he hasn't killed the foolish woman yet. Her unneeded 'romantic' advancements have been a bother ever since she joined Black Hat Inc. His pride won't let him say it, ever, but a little voice always says that it's because his group of employees is currently small. They're all he has at the moment, like it or not. Well, at least the newbie didn't have the same bothersome promiscuous tendencies as Dementia. Then, something clicked within the memory bank of Black Hats' mind. Ah. He nearly completely forgot about the new employee living under his roof. Their name was (Name), wasn't it? Not a common name given to humans around here. From what Flug relaid, the newbie wasn't from this planet. They're an alien, in short terms. Not a very impressive one in Black Hats' book. He knew that explosion he heard from the roof was bad news and he waited for Flug to come and announce his failure. As soon as the door to his office creaked open, Black Hat was ready to dish out a rage-filled tongue lashing. But, he was shocked silent when Flug creeped into his office with another human being following close behind and looking at all of the things in his office with interest. Him, being as sharp and as intelligent as he is, caught the unusual differences of the new individual as soon as they walked in with Flug. They weren't a normal human at all. Big ugly eyes, squishy features that could bruise easily, and that fucking annoying relaxed posture and smile. He had to grind his teeth when he saw that lazy grin to prevent him from snapping violently at the fool. Everyone needs to be at attention when he's in the room. He IS the major authority over this manor. Apparently, the disrespectful newcomer didn't seem to know that. Well. Not yet, at least. He made sure that Flug saw his displeasure. The coward obviously tried to explain the events to his fullest non-stuttering abilities, without much success. As Black Hat expected. When questioned, you answered with some interesting information. Apparently, you're an engineer and computer tech from a foreign place. It was interesting indeed. Black Hat grinned with his own personal malice as he chuckled at the memory of them taking the 'handshake' and shocking themselves. Oh, he longs for the moment they fuck up. It will be an absolute pleasure to rip apart his new one-of-a-kind toy. Speaking of which, where are his underlings? Black Hat turned his chair around and faced back towards the inside of his manor. He transformed his visible eye into a ruby red color and changed the pupil into a snake-like iris. It shimmered with ominous magic as he began to scan over the mansion. It was only now that Black Hat noticed the scratching on his door had fallen silent. Scanning over the halls with careful slowness. Finally detecting his minions. "There you idiots are." Black Hat grumbled, watching them as the light signatures flickered about and floated with their respective bodies. He mentally counted them. Pink, Dementia, Blue, the disappointing mutant bear, Orange, Flug, and...? The color of the last one, which he presumed to be yourself, was flickering in and out of existence more than the others. While the others shared a luminosity to a lit light bulb, the new signature looked like it was muddled in a fog. Hazy and unclear. Black Hat simply brushed it off as his magic not settling well on your body. Then, he noticed the energy signatures of his underlings sitting around in a circular formation in the kitchen. Allowing the eye to return to normal, Black Hat looked at the clock and noticed that it was noon. His minions must'ave gone in there for lunch. He might as well go get something himself.

--

Black Hat walked in the halls towards the kitchen from his office. Upon approaching the kitchen, he could hear you, Flug, Dementia, and 5.0.5 having a very involved conversation. Apparently, the newcomer was telling stories of their own planet. How utterly boring. He only caught the end of a conversation topic when he silently walked into the kitchen. "-so, even if we stop car accidents, we won't have to rely solely on donors to save people's lives. We can simply 3D print a compatible organ!" You finished. "Wow! That's-...that's amazing!" Flug exclaimed, intrigued by the information. "Your people's medicine may not be as advanced as some of our own technologies, but you seem to be a lot more adamant about saving lives and improving the medical social structure of your own-" "Ahem." Black Hat snarled, cutting off Flug. Upon entering the room and finding himself getting ignored, Black Hats' mood dampened considerably. It appears that not only have they forgotten the rule, it seems that the damn alien appears to be enforcing it. Or, they're just so idiotic to ignore him and his presence. Either way, it pissed him off. Flug and 5.0.5 were startled at the sudden appearance of their boss in the doorway. Dementia was too busy stuffing her face with a sandwich to speak up, but she at least acknowledged him by sticking her arm in the air and waving rapidly in his direction. And the newbie, you, were just sitting there lazily laying back in the chair at the end of the granite table on Flug's side. Leaving a large empty black chair sitting at the tip of the table. At least they knew which chair was his. They looked over in his direction and smiled. Eck! He hates that smile so much...he'll enjoy every second of his claws shredding and tearing into their soft flesh. "Oh. S'up, boss?" They greeted, lightly waving over at him. "Ah! Y-yes! Greetings!" Flug stuttered, his anxiety resurfacing, obviously. "Mmmmppphrprmrmrrbbbt!" Dementia attempted to say, her mouth full of garble. Black Hat just squinted at her crudeness in disgust. The bear merely whined a squeaky sounding 'hello'. Black Hat merely grunted in response. "What are we having for lunch?" He questioned, walking by all of his quiet minions towards the lengthy granite counter that currently had a few plates and sandwiches on it. "We are having some BLT's and Swiss Cheese with Turkey and Ham sandwiches. Well...most of us. Flug refused to eat his share. So, grab whichever one you want, I guess." You said, taking a bite out of your choice sandwich. Much to the queasiness of Flug. Black Hat merely picked up whichever one was the closest and carried it back to the table with him. Sitting in his large black chair, then he began to eat. It was mediocre at best. Definitely not something worth being devoured by him, but it'll do. For today. "Flug, is the machine ready yet?" Black Hat broke the awkward silence that took over the room when he stated his presence. Flug jumped at the mention of his name. "Ah...n-no sir. Not yet." Flug murmured. "B-but it'll be done by tonight, just in time for tomorrow! I can assure you!" Flug quickly said, catching the glare he received from Black Hat. "And what of you, (Name)? Are you still working on those spybots I wanted?" Black Hat asked, taking a bite of his lunch and chewing. "Ah, no. I finished." You brushed him off, munching on your sandwich. You completely ignore the slight choking sound that came from Black Hat at the answer. "Finished?!" Black Hat coughs and swallows. "How many did you make?!!" He raised his voice. Startling most of the crew at the table. All except you. "About 10." You replied calmly, while wiping your face clear of a condiment smear with a napkin. "10? That's not nearly enough!" Black Hat scolded. 'Oh shit. He's one of those slave-driver, hardass, prankster type of bosses.' You mentally groaned, keeping your face relaxed and posture lax. "We're gonna need more than a simple 10 spybots." Black Hat calculated for a brief minute. "We're going to need about 55 of those spybots by the end of the day." Now it was YOUR turn to choke on your sandwich. "I'm sorry, what?" You bluntly replied, the relaxed posture was still there, but the facial expression had changed to a more confused and stunned emotional state. "You heard me. We need 55 of those by the end of the day." Black Hat confirmed, resuming to eat his meal.

. . .

"I'm not doing that." Suddenly, everything was quiet. So silent, you could hear a pin drop. All of the others, Flug, 5.0.5, and Dementia were all stunned silent at that response. Black Hat on the other hand, had paused and raised his head up to gaze at you directly with a burning leer. "What did you say?" Black Hat growled in warning. "I said, I'm not making 55 Spybots." You repeated. Everyone heard Black Hat inhale and the atmosphere grow immensely heavier in the room. "I don't think you know who you're dealing with, (Name)." Black Hat rumbled, voice raspy and eyes slowly turning a menacing red. The tension was rising high in the room putting everyone on edge. Until. "Cool your jets before you fire them up, boss. I just want you to go look at the ones I made first before I continue the project." You explained, cracking the negative atmosphere like a fragile mirror. Black Hat, however, was still staring at you with an accusatory glance. "Me? Go see your Spybots? For what?!" Black Hat growled. "Well, duh. I'm not going to make 55 spybots, only for you to say you hate them and make all of that hard work meaningless. Don't get me wrong boss, making Spybots is easy stuff. But, if you don't like the way they look, then all we do is waste resources and time. So, I want your input before I make any more." You explained, a chilled out and carefree expression on your face. Black Hat stayed silent and pondered the explanation in his head. It was over in a few seconds, as he stood up and deposited his plate into the sink, and walked by you. Turning his head slightly and leering down at you. "Mind your tongue next time if you want to keep it in your head." He warned. "I'll be down in the lab in 10 minutes, (Name). DON'T. Keep me waiting." He announced, then he turned and left the kitchen. It took a few silent moments for the atmosphere to clear up again. "Wow. What an angry dude." You muttered. "Oh, hey Flug! I -...Flug?" You asked, looking over to the other side of the table, seeing Flug, 5.0.5, and even Dementia hugging each other and shaking violently. "Why are you guys trying to share body heat? Is it because you're shaking? Funny...it's not that cold in here." You asked, oblivious to the faces of fear on your peers. Flug then spoke up. "D-Don't ever d-do that again, please." He shuddered.

--

Black Hat was patiently waiting in the lab. Keeping a watch on the clock as time ticked by. It was only about 8 minutes until he heard the door to the lab open. Revealing yourself as you walked in. "About time you showed up." Black Hat deadpanned. You furrowed an eyebrow at him. "I arrived in time, did I not?" You shrugged. Black Hat merely waved you off. "Yes, yes. Where are the spybots? I must see them for myself." He demanded. "Alright, alright. I'll get them." You submitted. You walked over to the hiding place that Flug suggested to you earlier. Opening the safe, with Black Hat breathing down your neck, and pulled out the tray. Walking them over to the workbench, you laid the tray down, stepped back, and leaned on Flug's own personal desk. Offering Black Hat all the room he needed to judge the spybots. He picked one up, a dragonfly model, and rolled it around in his hand. He made a few humming noises of thought and sat it back down onto the tray. It was a few minutes of him examining the spybots with a careful eye and and a few quiet mutterings to himself. He turned around to face you again, to which you were leaning back against Flugs' respective table, patiently waiting for him to finish. "I find these...acceptable. Not the greatest spybots I've seen, I have seen better, but you produced both quality and quantity. With a certain uniqueness to them." He stated. "I expect 55 of these tomorrow at noon. As we are having another catalog photo shoot for our wares. I need them by then for showcase. Make sure they work before you finish." He warned. "Also, write down all of the information on how to turn these things on. The last thing my company needs is a customer that's confused about a product with no description or documented information." He finished. "Got it, boss!" You gave a thumbs up and grinned lazily at him. Black Hat squinted at you, in a possible 'I mean it ' way, and walked out. Leaving you alone in the lab. Welp. Might as well get a head-start right? It's still late noon and you made 10 spybots in about 5 to 6 hours. Why not try to get ahead for tomorrow? You sat down at your station and began to work again. Thinking of different insects for different climates and writing the information down as you go. It was hard work, but this is a cake walk compared to the stress of college!

--

Black Hat made it back to his office, closing the door and walking across the dimly lit room. Taking a seat at his desk and looking over papers. He must admit, some things have gotten easier. Now with a pair of two intelligent minions under his powerful thumb, he can dish out twice the products. If it's worth while, he might even make some real dough. However, you have an attitude that he finds absolutely irritating. The lazy grin, the calm undertone, and their BLASTED passive aggressiveness. He knows what you're up to! Trying to get underneath his skin! Oh, Black Hat was absolutely ready to shred you to ribbons at the moment you disagreed with him at the kitchen table. You were pretty much saved by, what he expects, was your pathetic attempts at flattery. But, yes. He thinks you just thought quick on your feet to escape his wrath, let alone impressed him with some of your Spybots, which you didn't impress him much. Barely at all really. A couple of pretty looking robotic insects and reptiles can barely hold a candle to some of the Spybots he has seen. He's seen Spybots that could turn invisible and some that can't be detected by radars nor metal detectors. But, of course, villains will willingly cannibalize each other in the business world. Most of those places where he saw top-grade Spybots were constantly raided by rival companies. Now, most of the expensive and worthwhile technology is hidden in secluded clubs and groups. Which means, if you want great technology, you need a lot of money and be chummy with an insider. Which, of course, was ridiculous to him. Too much work! It's a villain conquer villain world out there! Only the best survive! Hiding from your rivals is stating that you're a coward. No wonder they get targeted! Black Hat spat venomously at nothing in particular. His company would never crumble nor cower at rivals! He is the INFAMOUS BLACK HAT! The very being of nightmares and fear itself! Black Hat cackled as he chuckled to himself, his ego thoroughly stoked. Ah, he loves preening himself. Both physically and mentally. He turned around from his papers to look outside his rose-tinted window again. The day was growing older, and soon night will be coming around. With that, he gives the outside city a nice blue-green, sharp-toothed smile. This is just the beginning. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Next> <Previous ~First~

[icybeanheadcanons]

Hihi~ I know I said I'd drop this by a while back, but I wanted to wait till your ask box was calmer so you wouldn't feel overwhelming 💖 What are your headcanons for the different Gasters, if you don't mind? (Like before, please feel free to take as long as you'd like to answer; it's always worth it!) ~

I was wondering when I'd see this ask in my box. Bless you for waiting for my ask box to calm down. It really helped.

Gaster Headcanons

Undertale

Goop

 -Royal scientist as we all know

-holy fucking memes. The memes never stop it seems. Probably Alphys who introduced him to them.

-plays piano, and composed a piece of music for his boys. He taught Classy Bean how to play piano.

-The dad jokes never stop.

-bad habit of forgetting to eat when he works on his experiments

-SCIENCE. The more complex the science, the more interested he is.

-what’s sleep? He forgets to sleep. A lot.

-his sleep schedule is so out of whack oh my god. His internal clock is fucking jacked up.

-adores kids, and kids tend to adore him.

-Dotes on the people he cares for, and made sure he made time for his kids.

-Classy Bean’s love for science comes from him.

-Tale’s love of puzzles is from him.

-Puzzles are wonderful he loves them

-Coffee is his savior okay

-When he isn’t working on something he loves, he’s pretty lazy.

-made a scrapbook of sans and started on one for papyrus before he fell into the core.

-was a great dad until he fell into the core.

-Wasn’t completely erased from existence after falling into the core. Nobody dared speak of him, (it hurt too much) though many forgot him, a few never could. These people include Classy Bean, Toriel, Asgore, and Alphys.

-the void is the worst place ever, but now he’s able to watch his boys grow up and check in on them. Its the best he can to be there for them. He wishes he could do more.

-Classy Bean’s machine isn’t to other multiverses. It’s him trying to make a door to the void so he can have his dad again.

-Always hums the tune he made for Classy Bean and Tale when they go to bed, almost as if he’s singing them a lullaby. Whenever he seems to do this Classy Bean seems to be able to go to sleep that night. He hopes it’s because of him.

-6 ft. tall by default, but he goop now so he can shift to being a bit taller or being much shorter.

-loves dogs. Annoying Dog is an actual dog that fell into the underground. Some animals fall in all the time, and the dog was one of them. Gaster took the dog in as a pet which is why Annoying Dog is around Tale and Classy Bean so much. Annoying Dog though has become the town’s dog.

-Alphys was the one to get him out of the void. She had found a weak spot in the void so he could step out. It was a really dangerous operation and she was trembling with the phone when she called Classy Bean in a panic.

-Classy Bean Shortcuts him and Tale to the lab immediately. He’s still pretty goopy from the void, but Classy Bean runs to him already sobbing.

-Goop is crying too, scooping his boy into his arms. Tale hardly remembers him but he gets pulled into a hug too. Goop lives with his boys now.

Underfell

Grump

 -Super fucking cautious holy shit.

-Red Boy whenever he’d go out to play had this lecture he’d have to go through, a list of everything he’d taught him.

-Ha, he was never alone though. He watched over him, stalking him through town because he was worried.

-He’s the one who installed several thousand locks on the house. The windows have puzzle locks. Ain’t no one crawling through windows.

-He was super strict with Red Boy and Soft Edge, but behind closed doors super affectionate and loving.

-He taught them to stick together. No matter what. They’re family and they are going to be the only ones to trust down in the underground. He was enforcing tight bonds as much as he fucking could.

-Taught Red Boy piano and how to sew.

-Made all of Red Boy’s and Soft Edge’s clothes by hand.

-Taught Red Boy some science along with Soft Edge. Soft Edge vaguely remembers it.

-When he went out with his boys he would pick them up and carry them. No excuses. He couldn’t let them trail behind. Sure killing children was frowned upon but it didn’t really stop monsters from doing it. The harsh punishment didn’t always get carried out when they couldn’t find the culprit unfortunately.

-Was friends with Jerkby, who was a bit older than Red Boy. Probably about three years. Jerkby didn’t have parents, they were dusted after all, and he’d allow Jerkby to stay in the shed (Jerkby refused to step inside a stranger’s house). When they grew closer where Jerkby trusted him more he let him stay in the house.

-When he disappeared into the core they were all still relatively young. Jerkby got rougher, and meaner. Red Boy is the only reason he kept any bit of kindness that he had beforehand.

-He was violent in the void. He hadn’t ever killed anyone really just beated them to near death before leaving them alone. So he’d never been outright violent. The void made him beyond angry though.

-When the barrier breaks, the void wavers enough from the pulse to let him out, and he immediately tracks down his boys.

-Red Boy almost threw a bone attack at him until he realized it was possibly his dad.

-Soft Edge doesn’t buy it, but the uncanny resemblance to his hazy memory is too much for him to deny. He is the one who demands to hear the his story.

-Red Boy quizzes him on things only he would know and he passes with flying colors. As soon as he does Red Boy is LAUNCHING HIMSELF AT HIS FATHER.

-Red Boy cries for the first time in a long time, and honestly he can’t blame him. He’s holding back tears himself.

-He’s so proud of his boys and who they’ve become. He’s proud of Red Boy for not trusting him immediately. It meant he did his job to keep him safe in the underground. He’s proud of Soft Edge for achieving his goals. So what they’re rough around the edges? They’re alive.

-They live together on the surface.

-He’s 8 ft tall. He likes to tease Red Boy for ending up short.

-The surface??? Is so different??? He’s baffled.

-There’s cute shit and edgy shit. How the fuck is he supposed to choose between these things. He’s serious.

-Very indecisive when choosing shit. Like he likes both the cute things and edgy things. Though he leans toward edgy more, it’s hard for him to deny anything cute.

-He’s all about adapting to new living situations, so he’s proactively trying to improve.

-Literally makes notes on a notepad so he doesn’t forget what’s acceptable and what isn’t.

-Watches some TV to figure out some basic interactions. Red Boy and Soft Edge also help him learn.

-he’s still a little rougher around the edges than his boys though. It’s surprisingly difficult for him to wrap his head around a peaceful environment.

-He argued with his boys on how many locks they needed for the door. They went with 3. The windows have 1 basic lock much to his irritation.

-oh my god he hates country and the pop genres. He thinks their bullshit and the grate on his nerves.

-his aura is terrifying and so he’s very difficult to approach.

-He fucking loves cats. He wants 20 of them. Soft Edge constantly tells him no. “WHY THE FUCK NOT?”

-Okay he knows he’s supposed to love the sky and the surface but could the sun shut the fuck up??? Just??? Turn down the brightness.

-He discovers quickly that he isn’t a morning person. Mornings are awful and whenever someone greets him with good morning he stares them dead in the eye looking utterly exhausted as he says, “There are no good mornings.”

-Please get him coffee. He is dying. No he’s not being dramatic get him fucking coffee. (he’s being a dramatic lil shit)

Underswap

Oddball

 -He’s not the riverperson. He’s still the royal scientist. But it seems as though he has more of Riverperson’s personality.

-Ya know Goop? And his dad jokes? Increase ten fold.

-Speaks in riddles it sounds like, but he’s just talking I swear.

-Look at his boys!!! His boys are good. He’s kind of,,, a weird dad. A parent figure who doesn’t know shit about raising a child let alone two.

-When Honey Bear showed interest and an advanced understanding in science and other things he instantly jumps on this chance to teach him.

-He’s a semi decent teacher. Some of the material went over Honey Bear’s head which frustrated him. He’d try to explain only making it worse. Honey Bear had random clicks of when it suddenly occurred to him what he was talking about and he’d become very angry at his past self because it was so easy.

-A chaotic neutral kind of person.

-what a fucking brat holy hell. Shit eating grins are his signature smile.

-He loves to go around and calling random things cursed for no apparent reason.

-enjoys the looks of horror and confusion from people when he does something odd again.

-When he disappeared everyone was confused. No one knew what happened to him except the King and Queen along with Honey Bear and Sassberry.

-He’d only been able to teach Sassberry some music theory, and Honey Bear sewing. He was very disappointed.

-spent his time in the void listing what he was gonna teach his sons. It kept him from going insane.

-During a reset, he was spit out of the void like a spitting bullet when they arrived to the surface. He keeps a close eye on Chara to make sure they don’t reset. Who knows what’ll happen if they did, he’s finally out and he refuses to go back to the void. Chara is semi terrified of him and making him made so they refuse to reset. Even went to the point of breaking the reset button. This makes things a million times better between the two.

-The day he disappeared he had asked Honey Bear a riddle. “How is a raven like a writing desk?”

-Honey Bear tackled him to the ground he was so happy to see him, and the first thing he says to him, “I’ve been thinking about it for what feels like 50 years of how a raven is like a writing desk and I need to know. How?” He shrugs and gives him a shit eating grin. “How would I know I’ve been in the void for 50 years.” Honey Bear is screaming.

-He lives with his sons after that still though.

-He is a mess to live with. He leaves shit everywhere and he has to ask constantly where he put something down.

-Sweet tooth. He visits Sweetby’s cafe often and has become good friends with him.

-doesn’t make puns but he thoroughly enjoys hearing Honey Bear make them.

-He’s 5’4. Taller than one son, shorter than the other. He’s fine with this.

-he’s very poor at reading a room. He says such weird shit that people generally have a hard time understanding him, but when he gets weird awkward stares is when he figures out he needs to probably shut up and pay attention to what the fuck is going on.

-He wants to teach people things.

-loves to learn and he grabs too many fucking books at once to learn something.

-Seems to oddly? Be a genius at languages and he quickly learns French, German, and Russian.

-makes random noises because he feels like it while he does things. Sometimes it’s just random humming other times it’s squawking.

-kind of has hipster tastes but just cause he likes really weird shit.

-loves spicy food that feels like you’re standing on the surface of the sun.

Swapfell

Worrywort

 -Paranoia and anxiety bean

-also the royal scientist.

-He double checks his work about a hundred times before doing anything.

-He’s the epitome of internal screaming, but is calm on the outside.

-A fondness for riddles. He doesn’t indulge them often because it pisses off a lot of monsters.

-taught his boys how to hide and keep out of trouble. He also taught them ambush attacks, and other guerilla tactics. It was in case they ever got in a fight. Hit and run tactics would keep them alive.

-Is an amazing at strategy for combat surprisingly. He learned about it because of how the underground became so vicious.

-he has a billion locks on the doors. Windows have iron bars he welded on them. They’re wide enough for hands to reach through and open the window but that’s it.

-Was a very stressed bean with his work as the royal scientist. He brought his boys to the lab constantly just so he could relax enough to work.

-Undyne worked with him closely, and ended up becoming friends with Rus. Undyne ended up being a close family friend.

-Voice of reason. Please don’t do the thing. That thing is bad. How does he know? It’s literally written on the thing.

-When they started working on the core, he started writing notes for the boys. They were full of advice, and reminding them he loved them very much. He made them in case something bad happened because of how dangerous the project was.

-HE TOLD UNDYNE THE CORE NEEDED TO HAVE RAILS.

-He fell in during a check on the process of putting up rails.

-Undyne kept an eye on Rus and Scaryberry for him, but could only do so much since she was the new royal scientist. She kept them afloat for as long as they needed. He appreciated this deeply. He noticed she took care of them financially for as long as she could.

-he blames himself for Scaryberry’s anxiety and Rus’s extreme levels of stress. That was… his bad. He must have looked rather frantic to the kids which couldn’t have been very good for them.

-He spent a lot of time crying in the void. At least they had his letters to look to for guidance even if it didn’t cover all of their problems.

-He experimented with the void and managed to cause a reset that spit him out of the void. He doesn’t understand what happened but he accepts this bullshit.

-He finds the fallen child immediately and explains what he did, and apologizes. He begs for them to do another pacifist route, one last time. Chara wanted to live on the surface with everyone and agreed. With his help after breaking the barrier, he helped them break the reset button. It scared Chara but, he reassured them it was the right thing to do.

-7 ft tall. He’s on the taller side for monsters.

-His reunion with his boys is full of tears for everyone. Scaryberry is crying. He always wanted to know his dad and he has the chance to do that now.

-He lives with his sons because he missed too many years with them.

-He takes turns cooking with Rus, but Rus is much better than him at cooking.

-He’s okay at cleaning. He doesn’t clean up often though and will tag team a room with Scaryberry.

-He’s got insomnia, and so he struggles with sleep. He passes out on the couch often and when he wakes up he gets a bit startled before he remembers he’s on the surface and not the void.

-When the boys leave the house he’s always making sure they have everything they need. It’s important to him that they have a way to contact him.

-He listens to music a lot to relax. It helps to a degree.

-Reads to Scaryberry a lot because he didn’t get to do that a lot and Scaryberry still wants to have that sort of childhood experience.

Horrortale

Eerie

-Scratched and clawed his way out of the Void.

-His body ended up being very torn up because of this, and he lost a limb. Specifically his arm.

-Do not ask about the Void. He’d rather not talk about it and suffers PTSD from everything he witnessed. He barely escaped with his sanity.

-His humor is morbid, and self deprecating.

-low self esteem from the void. Lets just say he wasn’t exactly… alone.

-He has a rather unsettling vibe, but so do most monsters from this AU. It’s not that he’s bad, its just that… you can feel he’s seen some shit.

-Loves his boys. He couldn’t confront them right away when he crawled out of the void because he was barely keeping himself together. Not only that he was not prepared for a brawl.

-not a fighter. I’m serious. You will kick his ass. You can be terrible and still win.

-pacifist

-Loves his boys! He’s so proud of them, and they’re so brave for everything they did.

-Axe was upset about him not coming to them as soon as possible until he heard about the condition he came from the void to the underground. Now he’s just happy he has dad back at all. He could’ve been eaten so easily… It scares him.

-Scared of the dark. Requires a nightlight or some form of dim light.

-He heard one superstition and then proceeded to look up others. He now treads very lightly.

-He starts to study mythology. He loves the stories and learning what Humans believed in the time they were underground. It seems they weren’t the only ones who suffered great ordeals.

-Not a goop dad. The Void was the reason for the Goop like appearance, and he was painfully and barely holding himself together.

-believes in the paranormal. He’s seen shit that he will never elude to that makes him believe. He’s not a fool. Is everything paranormal? No, why the fuck would it be?

-After some time of getting to know his boys more, they let him move in. He’s thrilled with this.

-Rate of success for cooking is debatable. Sometimes he just shrugs and says, “It’s a fire day today I guess.”

-he’s 5’6. The Void made him shrink a bit, and was originally 6’ tall.

-excitable. He’s not loud like Sugarskull, but he’s very eager to do things and talk with people.

-He understands monsters had done what they had to do to survive. He ends up learning about how some humans have been known to cannibalize without lack of food, so he likes to shoot that back at those who judge him. He also lists any other instances of cannibalism humans have shown if people continue their rants.

-He knows how to argue/debate. It’s an important skill to him. If he makes a mistake he’s reasonable and backs down.

-Actually pretty good with people. He’s generally well liked.

-Surprisingly functional, but there are days… Those days that pull him down in the void again and he can’t escape. He’s not grounded and they sneak up on him randomly.

-Nightmare every night, but he doesn’t remember. He wakes up smiling, but with a slight feeling of terror that he tends to brush off. He’s fine nothing happened as far as he’s aware.

-Constantly reminds himself he is safe. He’s with his boys. Everythings okay. They’re on the surface.

-Randomly stomps his feet on the ground to prove to himself that it is indeed real, and that he is indeed solid. He needs the reminder.

-not a fan of Undyne. He knows what she’s done, and her decisions as a queen were foolish in his opinion.

[kyaramaya]

As Above, So Below review

(no spoiler review)

Omg just finished As Above, So Below..... That was probably the scariest horror movie I've seen in a while... I don't remember being this tense during a movie in ages (except for Parasite, but that was dramatic tension and not... Fear tension).

I don't get why it has like a 26% critic rating and a 40% audience score..... Like personally I'd rate it at least an 80% .. true, the second half of the movie veered away from how it began, but it tied all the loose ends up very quickly and succinctly in the last 20 minutes or so. There wasn't any last minute Deus Ex Machina type gimmick to save the day, and I can't recall an instance where Chekov's Gun wasn't used for plot and/or character development.

Some quick facts-- this is a found footage horror movie that takes place in the catacombs of Paris. There ARE jumpscares in this movie, don't think there aren't. Even when I could tell it was coming, I jumped-- so they were GOOD scares at least! I think they only started up in earnest in the second half of the movie, I can't remember in the first half.... I'll be honest, because of this movie and The Descent, I'm really questioning if I have claustrophobia now.... And I think the answer is yes.... Now on to the review!

Acting.... Oh, the acting!! It was wonderful!!! I really don't have anything to improve with the actors! They were believable in their circumstances (isn't that all we can ask?) and their fear felt genuine. It gave me a real thrill! I'd rate the acting 10/10, simply because there is nothing I would change about it and I enjoyed it immens-- not saying everyone deserves a Oscar nomination.

On Rotten Tomatoes, someone said the female main lead was unlikable. I highly disagree. I didn't NOT like her for a single moment-- she began the narrative with the determination and courage you would see in a male action movie lead. I'll be honest, this movie scared the bejesus out of me. And I don't scare easily!!! If anyone other than her played the lead, this movie would've been unbearable. However she provided a steady, sure guide that allowed the movie to progress instead of a lead that jumped at every shadow and flinched at every noise.

The sound design in this movie was really something-- not totally outstanding, but definitely notable for a horror movie. 5.5/10

Lighting was ... Well, awful. It's a found footage film taking place in the catacombs. What did you think it would be? Though the brightness of it was refreshing even for the design--my laptop brightness was set at halfway instead of all the way lit, like it usually is for horror movies. 7/10

I've seen in other reviews that the plot was laughable, that there was nothing to progress the movie other than frights.... Sure. But I don't think that's a mark against it. It's a found footage survival horror-- SURVIVAL. HORROR. of course the plot takes a back seat. I'd say the beginning was a bit hazy, but by the time they were underground, the objective was clear. I'm actually very impressed by the climax and resolution, regarding plot. It turned out better than I expected and put so much more weight and depth into those famous Dante words everyone's heard before. I think it's lovely that AA,SB gave this fresh spin on it. Plot beginning 4/10 plot mid-ending 7.5/10

Conclusion: in my mind, this movie started out linear and definitely ended in a circle. Interpret that as you will. It was definitely an enjoyable watch (if you can watch it between your fingers) and I'd recommend it to any horror fan who hasn't yet seen it. This feels like a movie to be enjoyed the most at first watch, not one that can be repeated monthly. Overall I'm more than satisfied with the outcome! My jaw dropped and I smiled at the ending! It was well worth my time and I'm surprised, as a self proclaimed horror fan, I haven't seen it sooner. Overall, I would rate this movie 8/10, due to the fact it was enjoyable, nothing about the film particularly bothered me as amateurish or a lazy, and that it proved to be a better fright than any recent horror flick I've seen.... And that's the keyword here: this movie was undoubtedly a FRIGHT!!!