#mc isn't the only one to spend it with a lovely woman!

[loveandleases]

(Happy Valentine's Day~ I hope everyone has a good day be that alone or with someone. Thought I would do a nice little snippet of one of the Valentine's Day of MC's past. It's a bit long but either way hope you enjoy.) Shifting around in your desk chair, you reach a hand out to graze along the soft petals of roses sitting on your desk. It had been the third set of flowers that came for you today. The first were in your chair when you arrived this morning, the second set waiting for you in your locker in the break room. The third set, the ones you’re currently admiring, were waiting for you when you got out of your meeting.

You had to admit, they were quite beautiful. Each dozen a different color than the one prior. The first a soft yellow, with a card wishing you a good morning. The second a nice orange, another card with well wishes for the day. This set, a nice lavender shade, though the card had yet to arrive.

A soft smile on your face, that is until you feel hands cover your eyes. Your body stiffens, wondering if it’s the sender of what is getting to be your little flower garden. Then slowly your senses begin to adjust allowing you to pick up a familiar scent. A scent you’ve grown familiar with. Warm vanilla. Making it easy for you to put a face to the voice that then whispers into your ear.

 “If it isn’t the second most popular person in the office.”

 Reaching up you grab her soft delicate hands and move them down, finally opening your eyes. “Were you that bored without me here, Kara?” 

 She scoffs, before looking down into your eyes. Furrowing her brows, an expression that doesn’t suit her delicate features at all. You watch as her gaze drifts , realizing then that you’re still holding her hands.

Pursing her lips Kara yanks them away, almost as if the simple contact burnt her. Her cheeks slightly redder than they were before. Must be the heat, at least that’s what you thought.

“I was getting tired of picking up all the slack. Do you know how many nights I had to stay late? I thought you were supposed to be back last Friday?” 

 It’s hard not to grin at her, as she folds her arm and gives you a very forced pout. Kara was never one to stay late at the office, unless you were involved.

“Sorry, flight got delayed. By that point Keegan just gave me the rest of the weekend off. Has it been busy?”

 “No more than usual, that’s not the point. I’m going to visit my parents this week. I was hoping I would see your before I leave. I can’t leave in good conscience without knowing the second best office worker is here.” 

 She starts to fiddle with her bracelet, her fingers grazing along the little rose charm. 

 “Those are some really big words Ms. Clarke. Some would say you’re vying for my spot.”

She shakes her head, looking around the office with its fluorescent lighting and stark white walls. Then to the flowers that adorn your desk. The most colorful thing in such a dull space, well aside from you. “I hope you like them.”

 Your gaze follows hers, and nod without a second thought. “How could I not? Beautiful aren’t they?” 

 You don’t hear the sigh she lets out, or see the smile she sends your way, as you grab a stack of papers to take into the copying room. Kara follows suit, mentioning the recent visitors to the office, the amount of filing she had to do all by her lonesome. Some would say Kara could be dramatic, especially in her retelling of stories. Though you had to admit that was something you always enjoyed about her.

 “So, did anything happen?”

 “When?” You begin pressing along the screen of the copying machine, content when it actually works. Whirring as it begins to cycle through the papers, and print them out.

“On your vacation.” Kara flips through the extra sheets of paper on the counter top. Little did you know, the only thing she was paying attention to was you. Not the corrections on the files, the whirring of the machine or the warmth of the room.

The only thing she was focused on was the way your eyes crinkle as you smile at her. The way your fingers tap along the screen of the machine, ensuring it prints just enough. The levels of the ink to your liking. The way you rubbed the side of your neck, still trying to fight the stiffness from sitting at your desk for so long.

Shaking your head, leaning a hip against the counter as the papers continue to print, you look at her. Unsure of what shes thinking when she looks at you.

“Nothing out of the ordinary, why?”

She swallows, licking her full lips before grinning at you. “I thought Chris would have asked…”

 Her voice cracks, she then begins to cough. To cover what she almost let slip.

“Ask wha-”

 “If you wanted to have lunch before I go back home over the weekend. It’s no big deal. Don’t worry about it. I guess you two were just too busy.” She winks at you grabbing the copies before you could manage. Nice save Kara. 

“Come on, if we were busy doing...that, why would I tell you?”

 Kara rolls her eyes, walking backwards out of the office.

 “Kara wai-”

 “Ouch!”

 You can’t help but stifle a laugh, as Kara turns to see who she ran into. Ignoring the papers that had fallen out of her hands and now litter the floor. “Chris?” 

 “Hey sis. Really need to watch where you’re going. What if I got hurt? What would you do without me around to save you?” 

 Kara was about to retort, when she noticed a bouquet of white roses in Chris’s hands. “Where did you-”

 “Wait, more flowers? Chris you shouldn’t have. I told you I wasn’t mad about you not coming on the vacation with me.”

Chris side steps Kara and leans in to kiss your cheek.

Kara glances to Chris, then to you holding the flowers so dearly, admiring the beauty of the soft white petals. She folds her arms across her chest and leans against the door frame. “Mom would be proud.” Kara simply says, though part of her realizes it’s said with some contempt. The reason behind that can be thought of on another day.

 “Let me go put these in water and we can go for lunch.”

 Chris walks towards Kara, leaning against the wall watching MC as they walk happily to place the flowers with the other three bouquets.

“Really beautiful flowers. I honestly had no idea it was even Valentines Day I was just coming to ask them for lunch.” They smile to themselves, pleased with their good luck. Not only did they forget it was Valentine’s Day but in MC’s eyes Chris was more thoughtful than ever. The bouquets were not only a sign of a happy day, but also of an apology for not going on the vacation for the weekend. Yeah no dog house for them. 

 “How did you get them?” Kara asks, her eyes scanning Chris.

“Ran into Isaac outside. Said they had a delivery, I asked who for. Imagine my surprise when they said MC. Bet I can guess who they’re from.” Chris turns to Kara, a smug expression on their face. They don’t bother to hide their disgust when the name falls from their lips. Cam. “Cameron.” Chris clicked their tongue.

She doesn’t bother to correct Chris. Even if she did try Chris wouldn’t believe her. They always seem to think the worst of Cam. Regardless of what anyone else says. Chris had always been jealous of their relationship. So much so that it seemed they never considered that someone else may feel something for MC.

She doesn't bother to hide the look on her face when she sees Chris lead MC out of the office, or the feeling inside her gut. One she isn’t quite familiar with, one she isn’t willing to admit.

 Kara takes the card out of her pocket and throws it into the bin. The handwritten words to be forgotten, not to see the light of day. Not to sit along the other handwritten cards she so painstakingly filled out earlier in the day. Along with the flowers she had chosen. 

A card that simply reads, Happy Valentines Day. With Love, Kara.

[sylusdarling]

Love and Deepspace FanFic Recommendations

Because who doesn’t need something new to read?

Last updated: 01/06/2025

Rafayel:

Sirens Call (AO3)

8.3k words, “In which Rafayel is suffering through his rut and you offer to help him, monster f****** style.”

Second Ebb Day (AO3)

2.9k words, “Ebb Day is when Lemurian's are at their weakest. You expect to spend the night wiping his brow and feeding him broth, but Rafayel has other ideas and he desperately needs your help to realize them.”

Starlight (AO3)

3k words, “After his birthday, Rafayel holds you to your promise of trying new things.”

The Ebbing (AO3)

4.6k words, “Inspired by Ebb and Flow "’There are so many things I want you to do to me.’”

Hearbreak Anniversary with Rafayel (Tumblr)

It was your anniversary with Rafayel. One year of togetherness. But what if he does not show up when you expect him to? What if he was spending it with MC?

Oh oh, I like it baby (AO3)

4.6k words, “your date with rafayel doesn't go as planned, so you have fun with him instead.”

Sylus:

Strictly (Un)professional (Tumblr)

5.2k words, “master and servant. man and his right hand woman. you and sylus are labeled many things, but does love exist in many labels of your relationship?”

Imagine being Loved by me (AO3)

4.6k words, “In short, it’s the MC/Reader’s birthday and Sylus let’s her have her way with him.”

Sleep Kitten (AO3)

518 words, “Sylus has a meeting but you have a bad dream, and seek him out.”

The Crows Plunder (Tumblr)

23k words, “𝐀𝐁𝐃𝐔𝐂𝐓𝐄𝐃 𝐎𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄 night of your engagement ceremony, you suddenly find yourself as the infamous captain sylus’s bargaining chip toward getting back some valued possession of his from your own father. it doesn’t help he’s one maddeningly attractive pirate king, and you’re more than eager to escape from an unwanted marriage. you can only make the most of things on this boat, surrounded by pirates, in the middle of the ocean, and it doesn’t prove too hard with him around.”

Do Anything {To Me} (AO3)

2k words, “There’s a wet sound as his mouth unlatches from you and he says, “Just one more, sweetie. Please.” His eyes are glazed over, drunk on the taste of you. “I’ll make it worth your while.”Or, Sylus is more than willing to submit to you when it comes to sex. All you have to do is ask.”

Xavier:

Bunny Tears (AO3)

7.9k words, “Xavier has once again managed to almost burn down the kitchen, leading the two of you to be covered in ash. A small suggestion to shower together leads to a little bit more...but really who's surprised by this turn of events?”

His Name (AO3)

4.6k words, “He chanced a glance at her head and noticed the fabric she wore and held to her nose, eyes closed and mouth panting softly. The jacket he’d let her wear when they were walking home together from work. His jacket.His.”

Zayne:

Raining Flowers (AO3)

11.4k, “You could hardly call Zayne your childhood friend, coming back into your life just a few months ago. There was an unspoken distance that he put between you, a mental arms-length evident through his mean remarks and long silences. Little did you know, that seeing you with the charming painter would spark something in the doctor.”

The First Fall of Snow (AO3)

7.7k words, “The Emperor isn't interested in his concubines, but an encounter with you is enough to change his mind.” - has a part 2

Nocturne of Twilight (AO3)

16.6k words, “he is your husband and you are his wife. but of course you know the bitter truth—you will never be able to replace her”

Missed Dinner (AO3)

3.8k words, “After Headquarters mentioned that you'll be taking a long business trip to a neighboring city, you wanted to spend your last day in Linkon City with a certain doctor. But things did not go as planned. There were times that made you think if there was romance blooming between him and the new head nurse, with that you decided to make use of this trip and distance yourself with Zayne.Who would have thought, this distance would affect him?”

Call me when I’m distant (AO3)

8.1k words, “You're trying to chase away the fantasies that have been tormenting you for months, born out of Zayne's indifference, when suddenly the very object of your desires appears while you're in a very compromising position. You're mortified, but when he offers to help you out, you'd be stupid to refuse.”

Pretty when you say my name like that (AO3)

3k words, “zayne’s preferred method of relieving stress”

[night-market-if]

just binge-read TNM and your writing has finally gotten me back into reading (and spending!) on interactive fiction again :) i have a couple of Thoughts™️ ...... i have too many feelings to express how much i am OBSESSED with your lore and worldbuilding and characters .... i love them all so much (even milo, that little rat) and i want to put all of them in my pocket to keep them safe <3 i have a couple of questions if you don't mind !!! no pressure

Do your characters have any special meanings of their names? i ask because of my best bro Caliban; my first thought was linking him to Shakespeare and "You taught me language, and my profit on’t / Is I know how to curse. The red plague rid you / For learning me your language!"

How would the characters feel if the MC was religious? Would anyone either be interested or wary or uncomfortable?

And now I gotta talk about my girl, my best baby, the love of my life, my girlboss, my reason for existing: bella <3 i find her as a character soooo fascinating. as THE biggest lesbian you'll meat, usually i find strictly dominant characters a turn-off, especially male characters, but that's a personal thing ofc! that being said, bella is just .... *chef's kiss* she is 100% in control, but ... she's not cold. i almost would describe her as "warm," for she dazzles as the brightest light in every room, her flirting and smirks easily given away. but of course, that's her persona, how could we forget the murder plans hello??? BUT with the MC? those touches 👀 those feelings 👀 how can a woman be so cold yet so warm?

will we ever see our beloved bella in a submissive role? or the better question is: what does she consider to be a submissive role? like, I'm not even referring to the bedroom, would she allow the MC, either now or in some distant future, to take care of her—acts of service, physical touch, words of affirmation, etc. is her dominance an intrinsic part of her nature, or is it caused by her past trauma (because i know miss girl has a lot)? is it just one and the same? to her, is receiving love and affection the same as being submissive? because to me it sure isn't! 🤔 i think I'll stop this essay here lol, but just wanted to say i love your writing and the complexities of figuring out your place in life <333

I'm sorry this has taken so long to answer! Thank you so much for such cool questions.

You are right in thinking of Shakespeare for Caliban. Though, that character is far more dickish in the Tempest than what my inspiration is for him. I read a book in college called Prospero's Daughter. It is a phenomenal book that is a retelling of the Tempest. That was more of where the obsession for the name came.

As for the characters of the Night Market, they don't actually have any special meaning. The name Belladonna was rolling around my head for a while because I love the idea of a poisonous flower. But, it wasn't something I pulled from somewhere. Milo's true name does have meaning but that has only been mentioned once on a specific path in Book 2. Gabriel is a little bit of a nod to the more Christian angels but only loosely. Because I do associate the name Gabriel with a Supernatural character and the two of them are nothing alike. LOL

2. If the MC was religious, Milo and Malcolm would be wary as fuck. Milo's father was a very religious man and hid behind his religion. And Malcolm has seen a lot of duplicity in the world of religion before and has not had a lot of good experiences. Both would be incredibly hesitant to trust a religious MC. It doesn't mean they can't, it just might take time.

Gabriel would of course be on board, as long as it was to the Knowing. Another religion would cause him some turmoil due to the Knowing being the only true god in his mind.

Belladonna would be fine with it. She is an incredibly religious woman at heart and she would be open to a lot of discussions with it.

Hazel would be more curious than anything else. She would want to know why the MC believed and what it entailed. She may or may not agree.

Pen would just laugh.

3. So for Bella, I had a very specific idea in mind when I started her characterization. I want her in control and I want her to be someone who has her shit together, but I wanted it to stem from confidence. Not trauma. I think we see a lot of cold characters being cold due to their past shaping them into that. I wanted Bella to just know her self worth and go from there. Hence the warmth to her but the ability to ice out anyone that pisses her off.

Submission for Bella is complicated. I don't think she ever sees herself being submissive but she would use it to describe clients in the past. I don't think she would use it to describe MC. But, you will be able to see her in roles where she has to lean on someone else for help. It is not that Belladonna doesn't want to show that side to anyone. It is more that she assumes that she can take care of it. Even while sick, she believes herself above it all. That she can do this herself. When she can't, I think it comes as more of a shock to her.

But, for a romanced MC, there are some moments coming up that I think will speak of this. I am very excited to write them.

[klutzyroses]

Hii! I would like to request how would the ikevamp boys feel about a mc with daddy issues (with Comte,Vlad,Faust,Vincent and Arthur) Thank you in advance

*coughs awkwardly*...Well if this doesn't hit home a bit.

IkeVamp HCs: SO with Daddy Issues

How do they react to an so with daddy issues?

Suitors: Arthur, Vincent, Comte, Vlad, Faust

Warnings: Toxic parent-child relationships, implied abuse

Arthur

Oh luv...

Suddenly her past behaviour towards him makes so much sense.

She had been so off with him at first, to the point where he was almost under the impression that she hated him, that he had to wonder if there was a reason behind it.

Only when they have become closer did she open up to him about her complicated relationship with her father who, much like Arthur, was quite the playboy, but to a more extreme, reprehensible extent.

She speaks to him of the many times her father had missed an important event in her life, birthdays, school activities, because he had a mistress that he found far more important.

It saddens him to know that she felt so irrelevant in the eyes of the man who should have loved her the most.

But then...he isn't complaining about taking that position.

He is determined to make sure she never spends one moment question her worth.

He will certainly let her know that there will be no woman who will take her place in his life, she is his priority and she will be second to no one.

Vincent

He himself had a...contentious relationship with his own parents, thus, he is fully understanding of Y/N's ache.

Though, from the sound of it, her father seemed to be the predominant issue between her parents and his behavior was to a worse extent.

From being overly controlling to being downright militant, hearing how treated her hurts him in ways he couldn't imagine.

How could anyone be that way to his scatje? It's painful to think about.

He will do everything he can to let her know how special she is, how perfect, to him she didn't to worry about being a certain way. She could just be herself.

To prove it, he will paint her the way he sees her; As the perfect, beautiful sunflower she is. The way everyone else sees her. The way she deserves to see herself.

Just because her father was too blind see it, doesn't mean Vincent will allow her to be blind to her own shine.

Comte

His heart aches for his poor cherie.

When he learns of her childhood growing up with a selfish, narcissistic father, he feels slight anger and upset grow inside him for the man himself.

It may not be reasonable to hold any hostility for a man who isn't present, but he can't help it. Anyone who thoughtlessly hurts his cherie is no good in his eyes.

He, as something of a father figure to the rest of the mansion's residents, knowing how it feels to care for someone he is essentially responsible for, can't understand why someone would mistreat a loved one that way.

Especially a person as endearing and lovable as Y/N.

He knows as her partner, he can't actually fill the void of a father in his beloved's life, but he will more than make up for it by fulfilling her every desire. Physically and emotionally.

Y/N will never want for anything, whether that be a shiny pair of heels or just a long warm hug.

Is money a substitute for love? No, but spoiling her is as much a pleasure for him as it is for her, because he loves her.

Vlad

Knowing a thing or two about...less than present parents, Vlad sympathizes when he learns that Y/N's father was very much a non fixture in his daughter's life.

It makes him hurt for her when she tells him of how distant and neglectful her father was when she was a child, and had passed away when she had barely reached adolescence, leaving a larger hole in her life with his absence.

He listens carefully and comforts her accordingly before making a very...unexpected offer.

With his power, he is capable of allowing her just a little bit of escape. Just a brief moment of tenderness with her father.

The tenderness that he never gave her in life...

Whether or not she accepts the offer, Vlad means well. He himself is not her father, but he will do his best to close the gap he left in the heart of his beloved flower.

Faust

It may seem like he is somewhat indifferent to the fact that his guinea pig's father was an excuse of a human, but in truth, Faust is disturbed by what she has to say about it.

To hear her father was a verbally violent, hot tempered man that treated his daughter in such a unforgivable manner sickened him.

How appalling. He may not show it in any other way than to frown, his eyes glinting coldly.

He will plainly tell her that if the man was like that, there was no use in even saying she had a father to begin with.

Harsh way of putting it, but not completely untrue. Y/N was and is better off without him.

The memories hurt, the lost possibilities of reconciliation hurt, yes, but in the end he will make sure she understands that it was for the best that she will not see him again.

Now she can move on with people who actually care. Like him. And she should brace herself, because he has little to no intention of letting her go either.

🌸

[guardian-of-time-if]

Final Years with MC snippet: Naxok

Here is Naxok's snippet. It's a little shorter, but this one is actually sweet instead of sad.

Naxok once again found himself on his favorite rocky beach, looking out into the ocean. Even though he isn't sailing anymore, he still likes to remain close to the water. Being inside can be stifling. He tries to be careful about getting more rest, mostly so he can avoid being yelled at, but he can’t help it if he never grew out of his restlessness. 

He shakes his head and throws a rock out onto the water. The waves are too high for skipping rocks, but he does manage to get one bounce before the water swallows the stone. After tossing a few more rocks, he finds the base of a fallen tree to sit on.

“I should have known I’d find you here.”

At the sound of her voice, Nax turns to see the woman who’d been by his side for the last several decades, looking as if she hasn’t aged a day. He lets out a whistle at his lover’s approach. “I don’t know how it’s possible, but you look even more beautiful than you did when we met.”

She laughs. “I don’t know it's possible, but you’ve become an even bigger flirt than the day we met.”

He smiles back, and slides over to make space for her to sit next to him. She takes the offered seat, and leans her head on his shoulder. He reaches up to drag his hands through her hair. 

“If you’re going to hang on on the beach by yourself, you could at least pick a sandy one,” she teases.

“You clearly have not had the delightful experience of trying to get sand out from between your toes,” he remarks with an exaggerated shudder.

“I have,” she objects, giving him a playful nudge.

“If you miss the sand so much you could have gone to that beach without me.”

“Nonsense. What would I do at a beach without my pirate captain to protect me from getting carried off?” Naxok bursts out laughing, especially when she playfully scowls at his reaction. “Naxok, I’m perfectly serious. How can I be expected to defend myself from pirates? And what would happen if I ended up in the water. No, I simply must have you there.”

“As glad as I am to see you, I assume you have a reason for seeking me out?”

“I noticed you’ve been spending a lot more time out here, and I was starting to get worried about you.”

“Well, you don’t need to worry about me. I just miss the sea is all.”

“I thought you said you were ready to give it up?”

“When I that, I was, but now that it’s been a few years, I’ve been thinking more.”

“About?” She prompts, the earlier teasing in her voice gone.

“I always assumed I’d die young, either at sea or in battle. I never expected to live this long. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve grateful to have these years with you, and I wouldn’t trade them for anything. I just…” He pauses to run a hand through his mane of black hair. “I’ve lived the life I wanted to lead. Despite the occasional nagging thought, I have no serious regrets, but now, I’m thinking about the way I want to die.”

“Naxok,” she sighs his name, wrapping her arms around him.

“I know it’s morbid, but I’m getting old, MC.”

“I know, but I don’t want you to go.”

He pats her hand. “You’ll be okay. We always knew this day was coming. The only thing to do is embrace it.”

She gasps, dramatically. “Is this the same man who once said, ‘when death comes for you, you kick him in the face, and go back to what you were doing’? If not, I’d like to know what you’ve done to my love.”

He playfully rolls his eyes. “I was young, and dramatic back then.”

“You mean you’re not dramatic now?”

“Oh, I’m obviously still dramatic, but there was a lot of life I hadn’t experienced yet. I grew up a lot after I fell in love with you.” He gives her a quick peck on the forehead before switching back to the serious topic. “The next time my old crew comes in, I’m going to ask them to take me back out with them. Before you protest, I won’t be acting as captain, those years are behind me. I just want one last voyage before I depart from this world.”

“Before you ‘depart from this world’? Nax, please tell me this isn’t a front so you can get yourself killed.”

“It’s not,” he promises, meaning the words with his entire being. “I know I have a history of impulsivity, but I’m not taking this trip just to get myself killed. I really just want to see the world one last time before I die. I’m even thinking about writing a book as I go.”

“Writing a book? I don’t think I've ever seen you read.”

“Hey,” he protests, with no real offense. “Just because I don’t hoard them like your mage prince doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy them.”

She laughs, and Nax can’t help but smile at the sound. He’d always been told he’d grow out of his childish antics, but the more time he spent with MC, the more he wanted to keep her laughing. If he was going to leave her soon, he wanted her final memories of him to be happy.

“I just meant to draw some maps, and make some notes of the coolest things I’ve seen during my time as captain. Few pirate captains live this long after all, I doubt it would be a bad idea to leave some notes, or you could keep it if you wanted. Have some of my favorite memories written by my hand after I’m gone.”

“I think that’s a wonderful idea.”

“I do have pretty good ideas,” he insists, mostly to make her laugh. “And I have one more.”

“Let’s hear it then.”

“I want you to come with me.”

“I think that is a very good idea,” she agrees before leaning in to give him a kiss.

[the-eeveekins]

I know basically everyone is disappointed by the lack of a kiss, the wedding, or a direct "I love you" and how safe they played it. But god, they could've played Sulemio so much safer and it was absolutely one of my biggest fears for the ending.

They could have tried to walk back the relationship almost entirely by having them go "Oh, now that the Holder system is gone, we can truly be friends without that forced engagement over our heads!"

They could have done almost the exact same ending. But Eri isn't with Miorine, and doesn't call her sister-in-law. Miorine goes to pick Suletta up at the field, but there are no rings, they're not as physically close, Eri and Miorine talk, but not as in-laws and Miorine just says "Let's go" to Suletta at the end.

They could have played it so safe and so ambiguous, like so many anime before them have, that we could have had another Atra & Kudelia situation again. Despite the polyamorous nature of their relationship with Mika (or perhaps because of it) and because their marriage was only confirmed after the show ended, many people refuse to acknowledge that they're a couple: they only got married for political/tax purposes and because of their promise Mika, but not because they could possibly have feelings for each other.

So yes, they played it safe. But they still committed to having a sapphic relationship be the center of the show. We saw them fall in love and change each other, push each other to be better. We saw Miorine confess to Suletta, with Suletta accepting her confession (Ep 11). We saw Suletta properly propose to Miorine, say she wants to ask her to stay be her side forever, and have a wedding with matching rings and dresses (Ep 17). And finally we saw them reunite after the break-up, with quite possibly the most passionate hand-holding ever, agreeing to spend their future together and moving forward with mutual trust and faith in one another (Ep 22). Maybe the words weren't the big, common romantic ones people expect, but these were scenes showing their love and affection for each other.

And they still committed to doing enough so that you know in the epilogue: they're married and they're in love. The show says they got married, they have their matching rings, they love each other greatly and they live together as a family with Eri and Elnora. And it had nothing to do with the Holder system. It had nothing to do with Suletta being naive. It had nothing to do with it being a teen romantic fling. It's been 3 years, and despite the hardships, they've only grown closer and more in love in that time.

Yeah, sure, I guess they left room for people to deny it? But I guarantee you 95% of those same people denying Sulemio today would still find a way to deny their relationship even with a kiss or a wedding. They'll always find a way to explain it away and deny gay relationships. And if you want to deny their relationship just because they didn't kiss or didn't say "I love you" on screen: romance is way more than a single act or set of words, and there are so many different ways to show two characters love each other than those two things.

So yes, Bandai played it safe. But the staff still committed to making it's first female MC a gay woman, still committed to make her romance a core part of the story, and still committed to making them a canon couple that was officially married at the end of the show. Even dedicated yuri anime never gets enough time to go that far.

[deathvalleyqueen]

After spending 3 days arguing on Steam this is what I have learned.

After posting several reasonable arguments of why xyz thing is a part of Veilguard - including citing lore, the short stories, etc... that people just want to shit on the game because mostly they don't find characters attractive, that the characters are Pan, and you have the option to make a transgendered MC. The amount of times I have seen "woke" being used to describe the game is absurd. They need to expand their vocabulary.

It's so gross when you get down to it - I want to stress these are not my opinions by any means - they hate Neve because she is a disabled woman of color and "Who the hell wants to romance a woman with one leg- I would never date her in real life". They think no one wants to romance Darvin because he is a black man. They hate Lucanis because he is an "ugly anime boy with wings", the hate Bella because she is "fat and has saggy tits" and she is not white, they hate Taash cuz she is too masculine, they hate they made Harding "ugly". Emmrich is like the one they say "he looks okay" but he is white...

I genuinely think the people on Steam are just angry that people who aren't like them are getting rep in this game (which I love to see, I know how beautifully diverse this community is), like the only people who play Dragon Age are white men who just want women for the male gaze. It's beyond toxic. They are constantly complaining "women don't play real games" while I have almost 1k hours in Destiny which is a "real" game to them but my opinion isn't valid because I am a woman... and will probably play the game on the easiest mode. Like excuse me sir I have done every single Raid in Destiny, I have solo'd Legend the campaigns in D2, I have very rare achievements in BG3 that are combat based, all things you can see on my profile, like I have pretty serious gamer chops. But my achievements to them are null because I am a woman. The worst part is some of them are women. Sexism and Misogyny in gaming is very much alive, particularly from other women.

There is no pleasing these people, there is no having a reasonable discussion. There is no citing actual lore from the games that supports things in Veilguard, there is no pushing back against them because they will legit just start calling you horrible names and Steam does nothing as far as moderation which allows these people to run amuck and entitle them to be bigots. Really, it's one of the most disgusting places I have had the misfortune of seeing.

[mageofseven]

The Brothers & Dia Walk in After a Fight

This is based off of this song, which I've been listening to a lot these last few days. This was a very random bit of writing I did. I had urge to write it so I did. I meant to write for all of the Boys, but then I got really emotionally exhausted so I stopped at Dia.

Scenario: MC and their boyfriend get into a fight, ending with the human breaking up with them and abruptly leaving the room and the man utterly confused and in pain.

He eventually goed looking for MC and finds them playing the piano and singing this song. He waits for the song to end before talking about things with them.

TW: child abuse, neglect, and a gore-y description in Satan's section.

•▪︎▪︎◇°●♡●°◇▪︎▪︎•

Lucifer:

"Love..." The pride demon watched them from entrance of the music room.

The human's hands were still floating over the piano keys. Their head hung low and their eyes stayed glued to the instrument.

"It's not you..." MC said softly. "I thought...I thought you were like him. And that was comforting for a while...and scary."

Lucifer pursed his lips and listened. He knew who they were talking about: their father, a man with an high and mighty opinion of himself, who always put himself first, but in truth was a man broken by life.

MC has told him about their father before. Lucifer had pledged to treat them better than he ever did, but no matter what he did, the past had its claws dug deep into his love.

"I'm sorry..." A tear slid down on onto a white key. "The problem isn't you; it's me. It'll always me."

The pride demon strode over and leaned down before hugging them from behind.

"Love, you aren't a problem--"

"Lucifer--" MC turned around to meet his eyes. "I'm...I'm broken. You know this."

The human put a hand on one of his arms and squeezed it.

"I don't know how to have a healthy relationship. I-I just see my parents in my head...see how he treated her. I don't know else to be than how I've seen."

"You can still heal from it all." Luce told them. "Your childhood is not a death sentence. You can be different than your parents; we can be different from them."

MC shook their head.

"I don't know..." They whispered. "Lucifer...I need time."

The demon watched his love for a moment longer before kissing their head.

"Understood, Love."

Mammon:

The second brother just stood awkwardly in the doorway. After he got his head screwed back on right, he ran after them, but didn't expect...this.

"Mammon...just go." MC kept their eyes down at the piano as they shooed him away.

"Hell no!" The demon rushed over to them them and leaned in to try to meet their eyes. "Babe, we aren't ending things like this."

MC closed their eyes, refusing to meet his gaze.

"You're just like him and I can't keep doing this to myself..."

Mammon has been trying to handle his debt situation, mostly due to MC's encouragement. They even started working part to help him clear it, despite his protests

And Mammon went and fucked it up by charging another 5k to his card and hid the invoices under his mattress, as if the human couldn't see the corner of the papers stick out.

Not only did he rack his debt up higher, he tried to hide it from his partner.

This set MC off and scared them into thinking he's just like their father.

Mammon knew about that scumbag. He chose to spend his money on alcohol and expensive watches while his wife worried how she was gonna get food on the table for three kids and wore raggedy, holey clothes.

But Mammon wasn't like that! Yeah, he has his issues, but if actually had a wife and kids depending on his income, he'd be way better with his finances!

"Babe..." He stared at them. "I'm not like that scumbag. I would never let you starve like he did."

Tears fell down their cheeks as MC had a flashback from their childhood. They probably weren't even in kindergarten yet or maybe they had only started it, when MC looked up at their mom and told her they were hungry, only for the woman to scream at them, saying 'What do you want me to do? We have no food!'.

"Babe. Babe!" Mammon had both hands on the sides of their head and leaned in close to meet their eyes. "It's okay. C'mon, you're not there, Babe. You're here with me. Everything's gonna be fine."

MC stared up into to their boyfriend's blue eyes before jumping from their seat and throwing their arms around him.

"Promise me." They said softly in his ear. "Promise me you won't turn out like him."

Mammon squeezed them tight.

"'Course not." He told them. "Imma put you first. Always."

Leviathan:

The envy demon was frozen in the door way. He didn't know why he ran here; he should have just ran to his room like always. The fear of losing MC took over his body though and he found himself following the music.

If MC knew he was there, the human showed no signs of such. Even when the song ended, they just hung their head and occasionally shook it.

Finding the courage within himself, Levi stepped forward.

"Henry..."

"You know..." The human began. "He wasn't always who is now...he just let his insecurities corrupt him till...till my mother didn't know who he was anymore."

Levi winced. He knew what they were implying. The envy demon's jealousy and insecurities have been pretty bad lately. The man just couldn't help it though. He still couldn't believe that out of all his brothers that MC chose him and as much as that made him happy, it also felt like bad judgement on the human's part.

After the childhood they've had...Levi couldn't blame them for comparing him to their father. Maybe he really is as bad as that bastard or maybe he's sliding in that direction with no brakes in sight.

Because of these thoughts, the man couldn't bring himself to say a single thing for the longest minute of his life.

MC sighed.

"Go back to your room, Levi." They told him, fingers back on the piano keys. "I don't think we have anything to talk about right now."

Satan:

The wrath demon was sitting on the bench next to the human. When he enter the room and saw them playing this song, he felt no need to hand around the edges of the room. His place was right next to his Kitten after all.

When the song ended, MC neither spoke nor looked at the man next to them despite his eyes on them.

"I know what's going through your head, Kitten." He said softly. "I scared you and now you are comparing me to...that man."

Devil, he hated that man. If Satan was allowed to, he would hunt his Kitten's father down, rip his spine from his body and shove it down his throat.

MC's father was a drunk and an angry one at that. Anything had the potential to set him off and send him on a rampage. Punch holes in the wall, dent appliances, throw the computer around till I was a just a broken box of loose pieces. His destruction was mostly to his environment, but occasionally he would actually dare to hit MC and their siblings, just to randomly calm down and suddenly to hug and kiss them on the couch, like none of it ever happened.

Satan's...lost of control had scared MC and reminded them of their childhood. By the time he cooled down, he saw the look in their eyes. His Kitten was no longer there. They were relieving the past, a memory too traumatic for them to function with. When they came back to, they screamed at him to stop, that they were over, and ran away.

"I-I had a flashback." MC said in a shaky voice. "We...were in my mom's room watching TV. We heard the front door of the apartment open and a bunch of crashing, slamming, screaming, cussing..."

MC started crying and the blonde rubbed their back in comfort, causing them to lean into him.

"We all jumped out of bed, even Mom." The human sniffled. "The three of us hugged Mom's leg and cried. Eventually, she left us alone in her room so she could go out and try to calm him. The screaming got worse. He threw a chair against the wall...I thought he was gonna hurt Mama."

Satan lifted the human up and sat them on his lap, holding them tightly.

"I know it was very scary for you, Kitten." He kissed the side of their head and rubbed their arm. "But I'll never hurt you like that, you know this."

MC sniffled.

"I don't like seeing you angry."

"I know. I'm working on it though. For myself and you."

His Kitten was delicate. He always had to keep this in mind.

Asmodeus:

"Dolly!!!"

After the final note of the song, Asmo launched himself at the human, hugging them close.

The man didn't realize just how bad of a headspace they were stuck in today. He didn't know and continued to talk about himself all day and it triggered so much pain within them.

"Doll, I am so, so sorry!" He squeezed them.

MC didn't even have to say it; the lust demon remembered just how self-centered their father was. He knew how sensitive they could be about this sort of thing and he didn't blame them at all for their outburst.

"Azzy..." Tears poured down their cheeks. "Don't leave me. I'm sorry..."

"Doll..." The demon started peppering kisses all over their face. "I could never, ever leave you so don't go thinking such bad thoughts."

The couple obviously had a lot to work through. Asmo was willing to help his Dolly work through all of it though.

Beelzebub:

Beel stood right behind the human as they played their song. When the music ended, the big guy slowly and gently reach out to the human, laying his hand on their shoulder.

"Muffin?"

"I'm sorry." MC whispered before sniffling. "I'm so sorry..."

Beel bent down and picked up his human from the bench. He held them close, even rocked them gently.

"You don't need to apologize."

"I shouldn't have talked to you like that..." MC said softly. "It just hurts too much. You're too good for me, I-I..."

"Shh." He continued to rock them. "It's okay."

The demon has heard this all before. With how they grew up...well, the human wasn't used to having a healthy relationship, to say the least. They've seen so many awful things...but never again.

Beel was here for his Muffin. Trauma isn't something easy to recover from, but he'll be here for them every step of the way.

Belphegor:

Belphie laid on the ground behind the human, arms outstretched and staring up at the ceiling. He listened to the whole song like this.

Once the last key was hit, MC lowered their hands and let silence hang between them. Slowly, the human slid off the bench and joined him on the ground. The demon wrapped his arm around them and let them lay their head on his chest.

And still, the two said nothing because what was there left to say? The couple has been stuck in this cycle for so long at this point. They're good then suddenly they're not, MC lashes out and cries else where, Belphie comforts them and then the're good again.

It was an exhausting cycle...but that's how it went. It wasn't MC's fault they went through what they did as a child. It wasn't their fault that they felt it's affects to this day.

All the seventh brother could do is be there for them each time. After all, he loved his Human more than anything. Plus...he owes them. Majorly. After all, he added to their trauma the night he killed them and he can never take it back.

Belphie was gonna take care of them. No matter what.

Diavolo:

Dia only recently bought his Queen the piano and had not heard them play it till now.

And what a way to hear them play. After a fight, as they sing about their deep seated trauma that plagues them to this day.

He knew about his Queen's parents, how they fought their whole marriage, how their father would talk down to and emotionally abuse their mother, how their mother would take out all of her pain on her children...

Both of their parents grew up in abusive households and let that abuse trickle down into how they treated their kids. Human life...it sounded so complicated to the prince.

Because of all of this, Dia knew the human only lashed out because they were in pain.

Before MC even finished the song, their boyfriend came up behind them and set both hands on their shoulders. The human just kept playing.

When the song ended, Dia gave their shoulders a gentle squeeze before sitting next to them on the bench.

"Do you feel any better?"

The human shook their head and avoided his gaze.

The pince reached out and took their hand in his and gave it a soft squeeze.

"Take all the time you need. I'm right here."

The human looked over and gave him a small, sad smile.

MC hoped a day would come when they wouldn't be so afraid. What they had with Diavolo though...it felt like a dream. So they were waiting to wake up, to have their heart crushed, to discover that things were not as they seemed.

MC was used to heartbreak. What they weren't used to was love.

[summercreolefanfictioner]

Well, I can understand how's that Jigokuraku anime-only watchers jump into the assumption that Gabimaru and Sagiri would end up together. I mean, their dynamics are strongly exposed episodes to episodes. In the current episode, they seems already understanding each other. Meanwhile Yui only appears in Gabi's memory. Although Gabimaru still mentioning his wife like always, it gave the "okay, something isn't right with our MC that he's overly obsessed to his wife, there must be something fishy about his wife" vibes. Moreover, in the opening theme we saw a scene where Yui is bowing and multiple doors slam right before her. Also that scene where Yui and Gabimaru are standing face to face, then suddenly Yui is replaced with Sagiri. That's dragging people to conclusion "so the wife is going to disappear?" "Ohhh sure they will get seperated". It must be spend years to get all the episodes animated. I hope people would take their time to read the manga since it worth reading (and remove their bad thought about Yui's existence).

(tbh I agree with you on the last part since I would love if people would just read the manga but alas some of them have no patience)

in my honest opinion, I like both ships (gabiyui and gabisagi). it's just that I don't ship sagiri and gabimaru romantically and I know well they won't develop any romantic feelings for one another (I have canon evidence for this). and even if I didn't read the manga, I would be aware that gabimaru is fixated on being with yui as soon as possible and this is evidenced by episode 1 up until episode 6 (I am writing this in a time where episode 6 is the latest ep)

episode 1 already hinted abt yui being closed off from the public after gabimaru was arrested. she doesn't talk to anyone. she doesn't eat the meals prepared for her. she is basically locked up in the house she shared with gabimaru in iwagakure, waiting for his return bcos she knows he will return to her. remember, they already had this one convo that if ever he wanted to leave the village and stop killing, she will stay and follow him.

and gabimaru, realizing that she was still out there waiting for him (as per sagiri in episode 1), decided to embark on this whole shinsenkyo journey. hence why this toasted marshmallow of a guy (huhu I am sorry) is like "let's go find the elixir" "I can't waste more time" "I need to return to my wife" to the point of almost killing sagiri bcos he has to get the elixir before the other iwagakure ninjas make landfall. in short, as much as possible, gabimaru wanted this shinsenkyo trip to end quickly (as evidenced in episode 6). the only time he made a stop on rushing their journey is when sagiri fainted due to her injuries and inhaling poison (w/c was gabimaru's fault so yeah nothing romantic there)

and I don't think there's anything suspicious abt gabimaru thinking or mentioning his wife or something. dude has nothing after all other than yui. remember, the only good thing in iwagakure that gabimaru has is his wife and with her, he learned a lot of things (like saying thanks, praying to gods, cooking like a normal couple, emotions called love and hatred and weakness).

as for sagiri, well she has a lot on her plate given how men always look down on her being a samurai and that she should just be a woman and go home and bear children from the next yamada head. hence why she was always in a constant "I am a samurai and I will not back down just bcos you see me as a woman" thing. but hey episode 6 has highlighted her in a new light so yeah I am glad people are now changing their opinions abt sagiri bcos she ain't weak as what they deemed her to be. plus given how she's has not been sent off to the battlefield before shinsenkyo, it makes sense why some people look down on her.

I know there's a lot of emotional development and learnings gabimaru and sagiri have with each other throughout the series, but I don't think it's something that will turn romantic (even Mappa emphasized in the ending song abt sagiri's wish for gabimaru and yui to be reunited and this also speaks abt the song). one thing abt Hell's Paradise that I like is that they make all romantic ships SO OBVIOUS AND STRAIGHTFORWARD. like viewers won't have to think "I think this person will fall for this person" or "there's sexual tension" bcos the show will let you know if there is romance blooming.

besides, just bcos two people develop emotionally together, doesn't mean there has to be something romantic between them. you can grow emotionally through a reliable mentor, a close friend, a stranger, a scene from a movie or drama. in short: NOT EVERYTHING HAS TO DO WITH ROMANCE.

plus I take Hell's Paradise as gabimaru's redemption arc but also sagiri's new beginning arc. bcos after this trip, gabimaru will finally have his happy ending while sagiri will embark on her own journey (they just met in the middle to teach each other an important lesson)

and I didn't know people take the opening like that hehe. tbh yui bowing with the doors closing kinda signifies gabi's journey in kotaku tho. like there are 3 sliding doors and kotaku has like 3 areas??? that they all need to bypass before getting the elixir. and getting the elixir means getting the pardon which is equal to being free and being with yui. that also seems to be the case with yui being replaced by sagiri like he has to face this trip first before meeting her. again this is MY TAKE on the opening.

maybe we should just ask Mappa why they animated it that way so we won't have further assumptions.

bottom line: while I do get annoyed at gabisagi shippers who think of the pair romantically, I get uhh 'sadder' than 'annoyed' bcos some of them tend to romanticize stuff just bcos a guy saved a girl or they comforted each other. the thing is, if people always romanticize every interaction between gabimaru and sagiri, then they are missing the whole point of these two characters' self journey.

(but if you still ship gabimaru and sagiri romantically without accepting canon evidence and basing everything on all your delusional beliefs, then uhh idk bout that)

[alleykatart]

Finally getting around to Wake the Dead and I wish I'd gotten around to it sooner. Genuinely enjoying it, 13 chapters in. While I love smut, it's really nice to have stories where smut takes a back seat to fighting horrifying threats.

The LIs are all interesting people, the setting is unique, and the different alliance groups are interesting and/or amusing.

The art, as per usual, is pretty great, and I love that for a change, the female LIs outnumber the male LIs. (Also, PB, come on, use the long hair for the male MCs again, it's pretty!) I also appreciate that they're a variety of archetypes. Eli's the stoic bad ass, Troy's the rogueish jokester, Shannon is intelligent and capable but her skills lie in the lab more than out in the field, Angel is... Okay so Angel's basically Jinx, and Sledge is a bad ass warrior woman who can crush your throat with one hand, which isn't for me ("I didn't make him her for you!"), but I can see why they included her, and her art is bad ass.

My only big complaint is that the timeline seems pretty inconsistent and unreliable. Sometimes it feels like MC was originally written to be a lot younger, or for the Z-Day to have happened earlier in their life.

The big zombie event started 21 years ago, but MC is consistently treated like an actual child despite being at least 25, since they were 4 when the outbreak happened. I seem to remember something indicating that all hell broke loose in 2021 in one chapter, then 2025 in another. Ultimately 4 years isn't a huge difference but it does help me contextualize things a bit. (I could be wrong on this, I wasn't taking notes and I'm pretty sure I'd taken my sleeping meds before reading those chapters so I may have just misunderstood a bit.)

King Trent was old enough to start the Renfaire back in 2018 (I think.) which would make him... 40s/50s, but neither he nor Ali look over 35 maybe.

And the survivors are still finding food and medical supplies that are still good and/or effective 21 years later. Even food with preservatives will go bad or dry out eventually. Gasoline and other resources seems to be plentiful, as are bullets, livestock and other things.

I think my biggest issue is that it's 21 years after civilization completely collapsed but the story is wobbly on when that actually happened from scene to scene.

None of it's enough to make me stop spending my hard earned diamonds to make my paper dolls kiss, but I'm still a little confused on the exact timeline.

[welcome-to-the-cafe]

Clover (2014)

我回来了！

对不起大家（大家主要指我好友X小姐），进一年在工作上比较忙，回家重没精力写高质量博客。但我从没放弃这个电影评价/讨论平台，也从没放弃对亚裔电影的爱好。说起工作，咱们讲我最近看的喜��爱情片。、

The more specific a trope, the more memorable it is. A seemingly cold, well-put together, highly competent bespectacled guy flirts/bullies a messier, plucky, strong-willed girl.

I think my friend has mentioned Clover before, or I must have seen some part of it, or maybe the vibe is just so familiar. Maybe there was an anime along similar lines? Something like the class president dating the resident gyaru? Or some wuxia show where the bumbling female mc catches the heart of the demon king?

Regardless why this dynamic feels so familiar, the particular setting of the movie being a corporate office became more and more interesting to me as the movie progressed. Saya (the girl) and Tsuge (the guy) 's love bully dynamic honestly isn't as strong as the trailer implied; the plot moves past this pretty quickly, and the main conflict is a semi love-quadilateral, with Saya and Tsuge in the middle, and Haruki (Saya's childhood love) and Shiori (Tsuge's boss' spoiled sister) pursuing them respectively. There really wasn't much question whether Saya or Tsuge would reciprocate those competitors, but whether the relationship would stand the tests of mutual insecurity, and honestly, motherfucking capitalism and toxic work culture. I'm not sure if the movie set out to say anything about the latter topics, and maybe I'm reading a lot more into it (and Japanese work culture a decade ago; damn 2014 is the last decade???) than I should, but the look into (a movie version) of a Japanese office was...elucidating.

Main thoughts:

The CEO demoting the older subordinate/midlevel manager to chauffeur for spending time with his own family. The CEO is portrayed as a huge asshole who exploits his underlings, and this was treated as a shocking moment for us and Tsuge, but what bothered me most was how the older man just went along with it cheerily. I wondered if the old man not just leaving the company is realistic in their work culture.

The entire situation of Tsuge being Saya's direct manager being portrayed as okay while Shiori being Tsuge's direct superior (kinda) being shown as exploitative/tyrannical. In-universe however, both were pretty much celebrated by the company and coworkers. I wondered if Japan had more lax workplace romance rules than the US; it was plainly obvious that both relationships affected their participants ability to perform their tasks (ok not Shiori, bc she never did any work anyways). Tsuge directly prevented Saya from making a huge blunder and covered for her; did he only do that because they were dating? Upper management would like to know...if upper management wasn't also interested in bonking him.

I noticed that most of Saya's female coworkers were around her age and also single. One funny scene was Saya's work buddy scanning the lobby of the hotel they work at and letter grading their male comrades for dateability: age, face, body, money, etc. A slew of C or below, and then Tsuge comes and is an A+. There is only one older woman, and she is also single, and mostly serves a comic relief (and a bit of a jealous gossiper). One of Saya's friends' gets married. I wondered if Saya and most of her coworkers would just leave the workforce after getting married, and if they wanted to or were expected to.

Saya and Haruki deal very differently with the trauma of being ripped away from each other in middle school; Saya swears to save herself for him forever and date nobody else, while Haruki dates around but forever feels unfulfilled, at the same time purposely not contacting Saya because "it'll make him weak". It's interesting that finally meeting each other again seems to be the impetus for both to stop the yearning. I'm glad Saya was pretty firm in rejecting Haruki after her relationship with Tsuge began, but still treated him as a good friend.

In the end, the CEO wryly states he can't afford to punish Tsuge for choosing his personal life over career this time due him being too useful. Interesting that Tsuge being so useful and hardworking, and being mostly a hardass who didn't have much time for women, was what put him in the sights of Shiori in the first place. In another less gracious version of the story, Shiori and the CEO could easily retaliate against Tsuge and especially Saya for the humiliation in a myriad of ways.

A lighthearted fun movie for most of it. I think the significance of the title is kinda...shoehorned. Saya feels finally feels lucky, but luck aint got nothing to do with it.

[moccahobi]

LISTEN HERE! IF YOU WANT COMPLEX CHARACTERIZATION, THIS IS THE FIC FOR YOU (or maybe any of Ella's because ooof she is a master at them from her fics that I've read!). I loved the ways we see our main character navigate their life and their struggles with being able to make music a sustainable career for them.

Ella is a master at adding so many small intentional things that can kinda seem like light comments but also add so much to who our main characters are!

Some examples of this are this beautiful line: "In all the misery that it brought you, loneliness was your comfort zone." LIKE TALK ABOUT HOW THEY USE DISCOMFORT TO RELAX BECAUSE THAT'S ALL THEY'VE EVER KNOWN?!?! And this constant mindset of discomfort is present throughout so much of the fic. There is so much that our mc has to work through that is mostly only hinted at or lightly touched on and while we don't see the explicits of it, we get to see their growth which I think is just as beautiful.

I found myself really rooting for their growth more than them getting together with Yoongi. Like I wanted them to get their dreams (and Yoongi did too)!

Yoongi is also a complex person who, for a good chunk of this fic, gave me a sour taste (no spoilers don't worry), but Ella does a wonderful job at exploring complex situations and complex people. I feel like it's really easy to idealize people (esp stars) and to want idealized characters in our fics, and it's nice to see an exploration of gray areas. We are all so grey, full of mistakes and achievements, and I think it's so beautiful and Yoongi really shows that in this fic (and irl imo). He's kind and tries to offer kindness even in tense situations and I really love that! I really liked the line: "No one should have to be alone with this". It reminds me of a phrase in a book I am reading (How We Show Up... I highly recommend it) that talks about the importance of community when struggling. Yoongi isn't close to the mc when he offers to spend time with them with this line and yet he knows the importance of community and tries to give that!

Speaking of community, this fic passes the Bechdel test (have 2 woman talk about something other than a guy) which is something I've become super aware of with fics lately. Not that all should or can (like if I am following a cute and simple romance line, there might only be 2 characters present or if it's MxM and I only use OT7 characters) but it was just interesting to note!

Reading this fic took me a long time but I am so glad I did! It was a super enjoyable read and something that I loved as well was finding bits of the fic to scream about in Ella's dms as I read. We had some super interesting conversations both about her characterization and also about our philosophies on life! It's something I want to do more with longer pieces because it felt not only like a wonderful read but like a bonding experience. It also has been super helpful with writing this review since I can look back at our conversations and use it to add to my thoughts!

Now We Reign | myg

☆summary: when working on a collab together makes you and Min Yoongi seek comfort with the other, you discover there’s more to life than loneliness. Only, hurdles mark your path in Min Yoongi’s life, and it’s unclear what the outcome will be. Will you be destroyed by him and his world, or will you learn to reign over it, together with him?

☆pairing: Min Yoongi x singer female reader

☆rating: 18+ (minors DNI)

☆genre: work collaborators to lovers, idol!au, smut, angst, fluff

☆warnings: alcohol, cursing, OC has family problems similar to those Yoongi went through, financial insecurity, loneliness, cheating but not cheating because they are on a break, sexist interviewer, explicit content: grinding, dom!reader, switch!Yoongi, big dick!Yoongi, oral sex (male and female receiving), jerking off, face riding, tits/nipples play, hickey, fingering, protected sex, choking, clit play, denied orgasms (due to consensual drunk sex), fingering, mentions of anal sex, handcuffs, anal plug, anal fingering

☆word count: 34.9k

☆a/n: it’s so weird to post something other than The Forgotten Spaces :’) I hope you’ll still enjoy this! As per always, thank you to @moonleeai​ for her incredible work as my beta reader! You’re the best <3

☆Read the other installments in the Life Goes On series here!

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[klutzyroses]

Hi there! Could I request ikemen vampire suitors reaction to MC with galaxy eyes that glitters in the sunlight and when looking at the stars. Vincent, Charles, Leonardo, Vlad, Faust, and Comte.

How pretty!

IkeVamp HCs: SO with Galaxy Eyes

How do they react to an so with sparkling galaxy eyes?

Suitors: Leonardo, Vincent, Comte, Faust, Charles

Leonardo

What gorgeous eyes she has...

His cara mia is already pretty enough as she is, but it's her eyes that truly captivate him. He could spend all day dreaming of their splendor.

Especially in the dark. The way they glow and sparkle is enough to put him under a trance. As a pureblood, he has been alive for a very long time. Centuries and decades and yet, he has never seen such eyes like hers before.

He will definitely spend his time complimenting and teasing her, often cupping her face at random and tilting her head upwards to lock eyes with her, just to get lost in those sparkling orbs of light and to see them widen in surprise as his own soften in affection for her.

She is precious, the most beautiful he has ever seen and he will make sure he tells her that one way or the other as many times as she may need to hear it.

He will press a kiss to her forehead and caress her cheeks with his fingers as he peers into her glowing eyes. When questioned, his response will come as naturally as the sunrise.

"No reason. I just felt like looking at the stars."

Vincent

He can barely look away from at all...

Her eyes...so beautiful...

From the first moment he sees her, he is speechless. Her long lashes framing her large, iridescent irises could have lit up the room if it were dark.

He takes no issue with telling her how lovely she is. Particularly when it's dim and she seems to be glowing, her eyes like a calming light in the darkness.

She is so angelic and breathtaking to him, he wonders if he could even dream of replicating her in a painting.

He isn't confident that he can, but he can certainly try. So when he does get around to asking her to model for him, he only ends up getting distracted by her eyes, so much so that he forgets to paint. It isn't until she asks him if he is alright that he remembers what he is meant to be doing.

"Ah, Sorry, its just...your eyes are so beautiful, I got a bit lost in them. I don't know if i can do them justice..."

Comte

If the door could take him through time, her eyes could take him through space.

He could see the entire night sky in her gaze and he will never tire of telling her this, even if she is embarrassed.

She is a beauty and she needs to know that. Especially when she can be seen in the day, her eyes seeming to gather the light and emit their own ethereal glow.

He wonders if there are any jewels in the world that could compare to hers...

If there are, she could easily put them to shame by batting her pretty lashes, making her orbs glitter beautifully.

On the chance that he does find a particular gemstone that does happen to remind him of her, he gifts it to her, the stunning gem complimenting her perfectly as her eyes sparkle with delight at the gift resting against her collarbone.

"As I thought, it looks beautiful on you. Even if it doesn't quite compare to your eyes, ma cherie."

Faust

What lovely eyes...simply remarkable.

Can humans have such eyes? Is she human?

Once it is confirmed that she is indeed human, he finds it doesn't deter his interest in the young woman. In actuality, his interest is just the slightest bit piqued all the more.

He will keep his opinions on her eyes to himself, silently observing her during the day as they catch the sunlight and shimmer as her thick eyelashes flutter like butterfly wings.

Its rather fascinating, especially when she catches different shades of light through her dazzling irises, reflecting several colors like a white diamond.

He finds it truly mesmerizing when her eyes glow dimly in the darkness, like a feline's, but more enchanting, more alluring. He may randomly seek out her gaze, simply wanting her to look his way so he can observe those spectacular eyes of hers.

"Fascinating. Let's see what colors you can show me with those eyes..."

Charles

Wow~ Incredible!

The man is awestruck at her beauty when she looks in his direction with those starry eyes of hers.

It's like slipping into a pond of stars and constellations.

He will not be averse to spending ages staring into her gorgeous gaze, to the point the maiden herself is blushing from the embarrassment, only adding to her already stunning appearance.

He will simply gush about it every now and again, because every time he thinks he is getting used to it, her eyes capture yet again in the dark of night, with an ethereal glow that makes her appear otherworldly.

It's enough to put him in a trance. She could tell him to do anything and he would. Not that he wasn't already crazy for her but she has him even more in love with her beautiful eyes. And Faust will certainly hear the most of it.

"I could spend all day looking her, Docteur! She has the prettiest eyes in the whole world and they sparkle so much and when she blinks, her lashes make them look like stars in the day, and, and..."

🌸

[juminsmysticmc]

so I have been thinking of this for a while- imagine the story of Jumin being in an arranged marriage with Sarah, but reversed. Like MC having to marry someone else and Jumin stopping the wedding and all cause he loves MC. I think you haven’t done this before, but if you did (im quite blind), you can ignore this. Thank you!

Jumin saving Mc from an arranged marriage

Hey there! This is something you could like, it's quite similar except that Mc is the one ending the relationship and she isn't in an arranged marriage -> Stay with me

But now, please enjoy this writing and make sure to tell me afterward how you liked it!

Jumin let out a deep sigh as he turned around in his bed with the bedsheets made out of the best silk in the world.

His body moved from the right side to the left, making his eyes go towards the big door of his bedroom. Behind that very door, another woman other than his fiancé was sleeping in his bedsheets. Honestly, not that he felt any negative feelings towards his own fiancé, he didn’t even love the woman he had to marry. He didn’t want to marry her ever, but the fact that you were sleeping there made him nervous. And even more because after he kissed you, you confessed that you too were in an arranged marriage and couldn’t accept his feelings, despite perhaps feeling the same. ,,Why? What’s the reason for your arranged marriage? I could support you and your family with everything,’’ he said, almost begging you. ,,Jumin,’’ you smiled, taking his hand ,,I am in an arranged marriage with a royal family from overseas. I can’t marry you,’’ you told him and then left. And of course, there was someone he couldn’t compete with - a king. Despite Jumin thinking that he would take much better care of you, you couldn’t leave and say no to the marriage your father planned, even though you knew that you were literally sold out to a bad, old, perverted man who already had more than one person to spend the night with. You were promised to him and you wanted to keep that promise to protect your family. Everyone except your father, at least. Jumin sighed again. His hands were now over his face as he tried to stay calm and think about his next steps. But first of all, the RFA party was to be held. With yours and the help of the members of the RFA, Jumin could make clear to his father that he loved someone else and wouldn’t marry the woman his father wanted him to marry. It was a big thing, the media was going berserk to know who Jumin loved, and the drama the two women made was even better. Jumin planned to propose to you, but knowing that you had an arranged marriage with a royal person made him realize that he could put you in danger, so he didn’t take the step. It was the end of the RFA Party when you talked to the remaining members, explaining that you couldn’t be part of their group. ,,I will move overseas anyway. I will marry a King in another country. The wedding is already planned. But, I enjoyed the party very much and I know that I will miss you. I got to know you for only ten days through the group chat, but I already like you all,’’ you said. Your eyes were shining because of the tears you had in your eyes. Everyone looked down, apologetic. No one guessed that you had to leave them after everything you went through with them. ,,I even thought, you and Jumin would…I thought…’’ Yoosung didn’t end his sentence due to the looks of the other members and you too were feeling even worse. Everyone noticed, you thought. You took a deep breath and looked at each member, saying the things you wished them and thought of. ,,Zen, you are such a hardworking man. Keep it up and you will achieve your dreams,’’ you said, and these words were really words of a ,,see-off’’. Jumin didn’t want to hear them, it was painful to see you hug the others and the sniffles. ,,Jumin,’’ you said, holding his hand, ,,am I allowed to meet you one last time in your home?’’ you asked, shocking everyone, even Jumin. But if he declined, he would have been the stupidest man and so he gladly agreed. Once you arrived at his penthouse, things led to something Jumin was strictly against, but with you, he had the feeling that rules were non-existent, that rules were meant to break, to rebel. ,,I want to sleep with you, feel your skin on mine and love you. I want you to take me to the stars, make love to me for the first and last time before the old man in that other country will…’’ you couldn’t end your sentence, as Jumin’s lips were once again pressed on yours, his hands on yours before the two of you had a night he would never forget. But the night ended as quickly as it began and when Jumin woke up in his bed sheets made out of silk, your body was nowhere to be found. You only left a message which told him how much you loved him and that you would miss him. Jumin was devastated and everyone could see it. ,,I think we should find out who she has to get married to. I mean, she did confess, didn’t she?’’ Zen asked in the group chat. This was the first time Zen was actually feeling bad for Jumin who looked as if he could die any day. ,,I can. I am the super-intelligent 707 after all, the hero of the heroes, the one who will bring back Mc to her Jumin. Who needs a king with a kingdom when we have a black-haired man with a cat?!’’ Seven said, making everyone in the chatroom desperate. But he indeed found out a lot. After all, you had been gone for three months now. To everyone’s surprise, there was something you didn’t share… As soon as Jaehee saw the files the hacker illegally sent her, she knocked on the door to the room where Jumin Han had a conference. Ever since you left his eyes were colder and for the first time in her life, Jaehee wished she had waited. Nevertheless, she approached him, went down a bit, and said that it was something concerning you, making Jumin’s eyes immediately soften. He was crazy for you. If anything could change your fate, he would accept everything that was needed. He excused himself before he left the room and together with Jaehee, he opened the file. ,,A princess? She was a royal herself?’’ Jumin asked, noticing that her father was Korean and that her birth mother, a royal, died after you were born. Your father, in order to be seen as a royal, married you off. Jumin felt sick, disgusted by your father. But whatever news came afterward made him feel even worse. ,,A medical file?’’ he wondered, making Jaehee fumble with her fingers. That’s when Jumin and Jaehee found out that they had to take you away from that place as fast as possible. You were pregnant and Jumin knew perfectly well that he was the father. The whole RFA was ready to travel to the country none of them ever saw, just to break off a royal engagement. It was dangerous, it was something between life and death, but Jumin needed to save you, no matter what it was, and the RFA totally supported him.

,,We look like a gang,’’ Yoosung chuckled as the group approached the guards in front of the cathedral. ,,Your names!’’ the guard yelled and the RFA hoped to come in, hoping you put their names on the list, even though they weren’t invited. Indeed, Yoosung Kim, Hyun Ryu, Jaehee Kang, Luciel Choi, and Jumin Han were on the list, among all those that were invited. But apparently, you didn’t think they would come because as soon as the doors were opened, you turned your head around and made big eyes seeing them. Your heart was beating like crazy as your eyes met Jumin’s. Your hand was holding your other, just to hide the trembling. The king looked annoyed ,,SIT OR GO OUT!’’ he hissed. With a smirk, Jumin answered that he would go out immediately, ,,But I first need to take my fiancé and my unborn child with me,’’ he said, making everyone gasp, even yourself. Jumin approached you. He walked up the aisle alone, the black smoke made him look so handsome that you thought the air would miss breathing. ,,You look so wonderful,’’ he whispered as soon as he arrived. He took your hand and then in a bridal style in his arms, the white dress made you even heavier, but he had to hurry and since he didn’t want you to run, this was the best idea. ,,START THE MOTOR!’’ Zen hissed to Seven, and quickly afterwards everyone was settled in the car. The guards were behind you, but no one could stop you anymore. After all, who would have wanted a woman with another man’s baby anyway? Jumin at least was happy now that he had you and you were just as happy.

ᗰᗩᔕTEᖇᒪIᔕT

06.09.2022 // 21:27 MEST

[rfaromance]

op i fear if you don’t stop me I’ll request the whole alphabet-when you get back, would you be willing to do a, c , s , and z for saeyoung (and whoever else you want so it’s not just him lol) good luck at your work and convention!

I'm always happy to gush about Saeyoung JDKDJDJF but I'll do Jaehee too!

Saeyoung 🚀

A: He's far more awkward than he tries to let on! He can joke and laugh and tease, but only when he's masking. He certainly has his sadistic side, but he also melts when he's on the receiving end, too. He doesn't know how to handle genuine emotion, because he's never been allowed to feel, to exist, to just be. He's always had to be the strong one. So when he's actually close and intimate with his lover, whether holding hands or on a date or just hearing "I love you", he malfunctions. He forgets words in every language he knows. He sweats enough to make a robot short-circuit. He turns as red as his hair. True emotion is his weakness.

C: Oh, Saeyoung is far stronger than he looks! While he's usually on the behind-the-scenes work for the agency, he does also go on field missions at times, so he needs to stay relatively fit! He can definitely scoop his MC, or give a piggy-back ride if they'd prefer. However... sometimes he wants to be the one swept off his feet like a bride or carried into the sunset (bedroom) like a princess. Indulge her!!

S: SNUGGLE CENTRAL. SAEYOUNG IS SO TOUCH-STARVED. Once he touches his MC, it won't be enough. He's constantly holding back during his route because he knows once he gets a hold of you, he won't ever want to let go. That means a lot of hugs, cuddles, and even glomps. He's happy to be a weighted blanket for you, and he's happy to spoon and just feel his lover's warmth and heartbeat and know he's not just dreaming, but living a real dream.

Z: Saeyoung is a very light sleeper. He struggles to sleep for long periods of time unless he's absolutely 100% out of energy, and even then he's usually easy to stir. He's always had to be on the lookout and on guard, for his entire life. Whether shielding Saeran from their mother's blows or ensuring a target doesn't spot him on a field mission, he has to be constantly alert and able to run or fight at a moment's notice. He sleeps with his back to the wall, so that he always has a full view of a room he's in. This makes him an excellent big spoon! But if his MC is a light sleeper, they'll probably wake each other often, whether because someone shuffled too much, snored too loudly, or got up to use the bathroom. If you're a deep sleeper... well, Saeyoung will probably spend half of his "bedtime" just staring at your adorable sleeping face. Or wiping your drool. 🤷‍♀️

Jaehee ☕️

A: Jaehee isn't awkward as much as she is... anxious? She's good at keeping her composure and often apologizes for not being more exciting, but that cool, level head is what makes her such a great asset to the RFA and a wonderful friend to have if you're a highly emotional person. She makes a point of stating she isn't inexperienced in matters of romance, but I have no doubt she'll need to warm up to PDA with a woman. She will be doting in private, but she will worry about public opinion and probably get flustered if her partner is bolder about being romantic in public!

C: Jaehee is STRONG. The judo queen would be happy to carry her lover, and she'd be beaming even if blushing as red as holly berries. She may not enjoy being carried quite as much, if only because she'd hesitate to give someone that much control. But if she trusts you? Scoop her. Let her feel special.

S: Jaehee is the type who would love snuggles but be bad about front-facing hugs. She's also big on hand holding. Jaehee isn't the type that needs to throw her body around someone; on the contrary, a simple touch of the thigh or stroking your thumb along the back of her hand is more intimate and meaningful to her. (But she's certainly not opposed to sitting side-by-side with hot cocoa and a blanket to watch Zen's DVDs.)

Z: Jaehee will try to insist that she sleeps in a separate bed, since she works at odd hours sometimes and doesn't want to disturb her partner. Jaehee MCs, you'll need to step up, here. Force her to sleep at normal times. Don't let her get up to order coffee supplies at 4 am. She needs REST, and if you have to entangle your legs with hers and wrap your arms around her to keep her in bed, so be it. (She could probably shake you off, but she wouldn't because she'd realize you're just looking out for her well-being.)

[uptownthots]

according to my Kindle I'm 43% through the book right now. my general notes as of rn are: (under a read more bc I yap so much sowwy💕)

1.) there is no central plot. there's like...suggestions of a plot, or perhaps a handful of subplots, but 2/3 of the main POV characters have no concrete goals or motivations (one of them barely has any fucking character traits), and the third character's goal feels like the subplot to a greater central plot that just. isn't there.

2.) the main main character is an insufferable little cunt and I hope he dies genuinely. he's the only one with a clear-cut motivation, and that's to break up the other two POV characters, who are engaged to be married for strictly political reasons. they are not in love, but the main character is so pissed off about it be spends the first half of the book crying and getting drunk and sleeping around and crying and childishly antagonizing his romantic "rival" who is literally just Existing. It's important to note that polyamory is normalized in the book's world + one of the main character's father's was implied to be in a poly relationship, so I have no idea why the mc's romantic interest getting political-married is such a catastrophic deal to him. Within the context of the world it doesn't make sense. It's also implied that the main character sleeps around a lot prior to the beginning of the story so idk why he's allowed to do that but it's a huge fucking problem that his love interest (who he isn't even in a relationship with) gets engaged to a woman he has neither sexual nor romantic feelings for?

3.) this is supposed to be a poly romance and it sucks so fucking bad. I assume the author wanted to do an enemies-to-lovers thing with the main character and his romantic rival and then they both get together with the main romantic interest, but it doesn't work because the characters aren't "enemies," they're "woman who exists and the man who fucking hates her for it." You know how fandom mlm shippers harbor like. a bizarre level of hatred for female love interests of characters they headcanon as gay? That's what the main character's hatred towards his romantic rival feels like. She doesn't even antagonize him back when he starts shit with her 😭 the main character is so unpleasant I can't root for him to get with ANYONE, let alone two people, and he isn't written well enough for me to be interested in seeing him grow and change as a character. I don't want or expect characters to be nicey all the time but I feel like ROMANCE doesn't work if one of the characters sentience sucks. I don't want him to get laid I want him to die!!

4.) The smut sucks so fucking bad. The characters fuck so often and all the sex scenes suck. Scenes featuring female characters read like they're written by a) someone who isn't attracted to women trying to imagine what people who are attracted to women find attractive, or b) a misogynistic gooner. and I am confident the author is neither of these things which makes it all the more bizarre to read. When we're in the main character's head he is always thinking about the breasts or bodies of the female characters in the room with him (they all have huge massive titties if you're wondering btw.) It's very disappointing to pick up a supposedly queer author write "queer romance" that somehow caters almost exclusively to the most bottom of the barrel cishet male standards. And when I say that I don't mean "they shouldn't be having sex they should be Yearning" or whatever. I just feel like self-proclaimed "queer genderfuck poly smut" should maybe do a little more than "what if a cishet woman had huge knockers and a cishet man put his penis inside her and also never reciprocated oral and also what if the clit doesn't exist and we don't mention it once ever."

4.5) SPEAKING of "genderfuck" the main character (cis man) has shapeshifting powers and, as part of his scheme to break up his romantic rival and love interest, shapeshifts into a girl specifically and exclusively for the purpose of spying the romantic rival during a "women's only" tea party she was hosting. After failing to spy because he got distracted fucking a side character he declared that his penis "makes him stupid" and shapeshifts himself a pussy even though he repeatedly said he did not want to bc idk. peepee too horny. Sincerely manifesting that this isn't what's being referred to as "genderfucky" because. oh my god??? 🫡

5.) this is more of an aside but it gets its own point bc it pisses me off so much. "queer genderfuck" story but it HAD to throw in one Mean Predatory Butch Lesbian into the mix for flavor I guess. She's the romantic rival's personal guard or something and is overprotective of her + flirts with nearly every woman she interacts with (including fem!MC if you're wondering) and in-text its clear you're supposed to think she's a mean bitch but I refuse. I don't even like her but whatever!! I find her character really out of place and bizarre like she's feels like such a Made Up Guy To Get Mad At. which i know is a weird thing to say about a fiction book where quite literally every guy is made up but I think that just speaks to her feeling out of place. Why is the only explicitly butch woman a mean cunt* for no reason....okay!

6.) another aside but! one of the fantasy cultures in the book is explicitly Romani-coded (through both the text itself and on the author's Tumblr) but they're also literally known as the animal monster fuckers who are only as racially diverse as they are because they, specifically, LOVE fucking non-humans and "beasts" so much. again. oh my god????

anyway thanks for coming to my TED talk <3

I've vagued about it before but I cannot for the life of me find the post BUT i've been reading the self-published fantasy novel by a popular personality on here and its so so God awful. I think the second worst book I've ever read. anyway its not enough to yap in my friends DMs so I will be yapping here occasionally hehe 🫡