#mm v route

[natasha-in-space]

So I'm replaying Ray's After ending rn, and it got me thinking that what I adore so much about Rika as an antagonist is just how damn scary she can be. I always found those who cause harm with good intentions (at least in their point of view) much scarier than those who hurt you with pure intention on hurting you. I think the best example of it is this CG in particular:

Look at that. Such a loving, gentle expression on her face. Probably kissing his forehead. Because she loves him. Heck, without any context, this CG looks even sweet, if you think about it. And yet, all that is while Saeyoung is forcefully sedated on a powerful concoction of drugs even a trained agent like him can't do anything about (and Saeyoung WAS definitely trained to deal with this sort of thing, hence it's mentioned that this is a 'special' kind of drugs). He looks miserable. Bags under his eyes, his expression pained and troubled, even his hair is paler than usual. All that as a direct result of her actions. But she's utterly blind to it. What's scarier, is that she knowingly shuts off her understanding of what's really happening. She's not oblivious to it at all. She just chooses not to see it that way. Simply because she doesn't want to.

Rika is the type of antagonist that will cup your cheek into her warm hand with the most loving of smiles on her face, all while you are getting elixir poured down your throat. Even whispering to you that you're doing great, that the pain will soon pass, and that she can't wait to see you reach the happiness she knows you deserve. I won't be surprised if she even cried genuine tears of compassion during some ceremonies for her believers. All while being the sole reason behind their suffering.

And that's... God, that's terrifying to me. I love that about her.

Rika Kim, they could never make me hate you

[yoosung-ah]

[marshmallowprotection]

If an MC did V's route but platonically, do you think (in theory) we would still able to pursue Ray romantically?

I mean..;;; I know I'm not the only one whose heart was utterly SHATTERED at the 'end' of Mint Eye, to put it lightly;; 😭😭😭😭

What would happen once we realised RAY WAS CAUGHT WITHIN IT????

Would we be able to see him again?? How would we reunite?? Would we be able to??

Would he want to be with us again if he learned that he was the one we truly loved, not V? Would he believe it? And actually;;; would he still love us like he did before, despite everything? 😭

I would burst into tears at the sight of his burns. I would want to run to him and hug him and nurse his scars from any stinging or pain that might still flare up every now and again

I'd cry so hard at it all ;; 😭

I want him to feel safe and secure and loved, because I love him, and I want him to know that I'll love him no matter what - and that I never stopped, despite, the uh. V route. IT WAS NEVER WHAT WHAT YOU THOUGHT, RAY.!!!! 😭😭😭

IT WAS ALWAYS YOU 😭😭

I mean, I do think it's possible to play it that way because it's up to you to decide how you imagine your fantasy scenario. You don't have to follow the games canon to make yourself a happy ending. You can make up anything you want once the curtain's closed, and you know, even before that, you can diverge away from it and explore new and exciting possibilities! 

If you want to view V as a friend and aim to love Ray in V's timeline, there is nothing holding you back from doing so!

I think the most important thing to understand is that you are his first love, and his last love. He can't imagine falling in love with anyone ever again, because you are the one who defined what the world could be like if he believed in something stronger than the torture that was forced into him. You helped him see that there could have been more, but when everybody abandoned him, he felt like there was no chance for him to ever see those days.

Now, the way I like to play this situation out if you romance him instead, is to go with the angle of Saeyoung taking you out of Mint Eye despite your protests to save Ray. 

Because, I do think if you tried to tell them that you wanted to find Ray, they wouldn't let you do it at the time. You made a promise to V that you wouldn't say anything about the fact that the hacker is Seven’s brother, too. So, you are constantly at odds with yourself to reveal the truth to save Ray, and trying to hold yourself together for the sake of everyone around you because you need to be strong for your friends.

I think even if you were able to tell Ray that you wanted to come back for him and you never wanted to leave him, he would still fear that he wasn’t good enough. He won't blame or be upset with you for it. He never is, because he always blame himself when he doesn't think he's good enough. 

He thinks that there was always something more he could do to make it better, even if there was nothing he could do with the hand he’d been dealt. Even if you fought tooth and nail to get back to him, you wouldn’t make it in time. But, make no mistake, you will remain in his heart forever, and he will not be able to go a day without thinking of you and the light you inspired in him. 

But, you're right to be wary of what will happen when the day of the reunion comes. It probably would have taken him that long to not only grow accustomed to the fact that he would have to see his brother again, but the fact that he would have to face you after putting you in a situation where you believed him to be dead.

He would feel so much guilt and shame overdoing that to you. He made you listen to what he assumed might be his last moments, and even if you promised to be there for him because you cared about him, it doesn't change the fact his doing so put you in a precarious situation of pain.

There's a lot you would need to talk about during that reunion, but his biggest fear would be that you would turn him away, not just because of the scars, but because he hurt you in an unimaginable way. 

He would be beside himself if he thought you were dead for that long only to realize that you were safe and sound. He knows he's not entitled to have an opportunity to come back into your life, but if you throw your arms around him the minute you see him that day, he will cry like a baby, and think whatever God that is out there for giving him the opportunity to feel your arms around him once more. 

[odysseussolar]

idk, in v’s route basically all the characters get on my nerves but NO ONE gets in my nerves more than fucking YOOSUNG.

I understand he was close with a mf but god damn, can you shut the fuck up for two seconds. You being there wouldn’t have helped anyone. No, she would not have calmed the fuck down at the sight of you, yes she would do all that shit because she just fucking did it.

MC is literally experiencing it and you’re straight up calling her a liar. And NO she will NOT say hello to her CAPTOR for you Yoosung.

[pastelsapphy]

rika: V TRAUMATIZED me!

me: okay... what did he do?

rika: he gave me unconditional love and wanted me to go to therapy to work through my trauma!!!!!

me: ....

[meenah-chan]

I needed V's route, don't make this much more harder, my babey 😭😭💔💔

[linhmiu201]

Replaying Ray's route. Aside from all of the bullshits we have to go through (like verbal abuse, imprisonment, starvation, V going back to Rika... I hate it T-T I should do some analysis about this later when I'm done with RAE), there are some good laughs.

Jumin did you just suggest disposing of Rika? lol Look how speechless your friend is!

Good boy Zenny, unlike V a certain someone. :)

Is this why we have this option at the first day's chat? lolol

[classydreamthing]

JUST SAY "YES"

ᰍ   ִ   ױ   ࣪   🪷⃝⃝     ݂    ๑   𝆬   𔒌   ⬞  

https://youtu.be/OHVIhbgU9p4

- Ray route Day 8

🌻- Sun Hee

🥀- Saeran

𓈃 ׂ (:̲̅:̲̅:̲̅[̲̅:♡:]̲̅:̲̅:̲̅:̲̅) - Sᴜɴ ʜᴇᴇೃ/ੈː͡➘

[The blonde would find herself sitting on the bed with one hand resting on her stomach, she certainly didn't feel like eating after everything that was happening but she could feel from time to time how her stomach demanded something to eat. Sighing heavily, she closed her eyes for a moment while in her head she kept thinking about Ray, that he should still be there and that she was going to do everything in her power to help him.]

🌻-Ray...

[She couldn't say much more than the door opened, quickly standing up and raising her guard when she perceived that black suit on the young man that she had, just one day ago, kissed on the cheek.]

🌻-Saeran.

🥀-You're not going to stop looking for that fool because you haven't eaten anything for a day, are you?

🥀- If you change your mind too quickly, poor Ray...

🌻- I have faith that Ray will return, do not want to disturb my heart because you will not make it.

🥀- "My precious Sun Hee . . . I'll do everything you want, but please don't abandon me..."

🌻- !? Hey!

🥀- Hehe... he's really an idiot. If he acts like this there is really no reason to abandon him.

🌻- I didn't stay with Ray for that, I really care about him and he would know that. He doesn't have to do anything for me to love him.

🥀- I'm sure Ray also wanted to lock you up like this. But.. he didn't do it because he is a coward .

🌻- ... He didn't do it because he respects me in the same way I respect him.

🥀- Huh..anyways. I feel in a bad mood because the RFA attacks are very boring.

🥀- My savior has told me that it's not time yet, and that's why I'm holding on, because otherwise I could launch a great attack that would end everything...

[At that moment the blonde girl only took her cell phone and she hid it, she couldn't quite believe what she was hearing but she was terrified of the idea that he was telling her the truth.]

🥀-Why are they so lazy on the other side? They don't even want to fight. I am in a very bad mood.

Are they thinking that I am nothing? How dare they?

🌻- I think you're going too far... they don't even know you-

🥀-Who told you to say that? I have not authorized you.

🌻- Do you have to authorize me?

🥀- Hah? Is your mouth the problem? .... Or is it your head..?

Don't think for yourself, I never told you to!

[The young girl did not have time to react as she was forcefully taken by her wrist and thrown to the ground, falling on her back and groaning at the pain of the blow that had taken her breath away for a second.]

🥀-Do you regret it now? You alone have come to this strange place. Your curiosity has brought you here.

🌻- !

[Her blue eyes fixed on other mint eyes, a haughty and creepy look is what she had on her, the boy's body cornering her on the ground and preventing her from any kind of mobility in her hands to get out of that situation.

Again that feeling of panic took over her, breathing somewhat agitated but keeping her body still from her, she could not allow herself to cry or panic, she would not tolerate it and she did not know what reaction he could have. She still remembered the words from last night.]

🥀-You are a prey that I have caught. I have caught you because you are very dumb and slow.

🌻- I'm not going to let you disrespect me-

🥀- The world has given you a chance but you have made a foolish choice! You're not thinking you've lived a good life so far, are you?

[The words of her father returned to the blonde's girl mind, feeling a lump in her throat as her fists clenched tightly due to impotence. A hot person would send him to hell but she had already heard insults like that from a former college classmate who she thought was her friend. She knew that people made comments like that to bring you down and the smart thing to do was to take it with a grain of salt even if her chest burned with anger.

She, Unfortunately, was inferior in that place but there were many ways to defend her honor and her pride, at least with less cruel ways.]

🌻- A good life doesn't exist, it will always have its flaws and difficulties... my life was neutral and you will not be able to disturb me by saying that, Saeran.

🥀-Haha! How arrogant. In your situation, you don't deserve to believe that.

🌻- Do you think I haven't reconsidered what you say? I have, many times. But I learned that in life you have to move on, I shouldn't stagnate.

🥀- Please... I can see many things that have been ruined because of you. You're nothing but a bag of bugs. Did you think I wouldn't notice, Sun Hee?

🌻- I've been doing my best not to make mistakes and do things right, in fact... I shouldn't even explain this to you. You can believe what you want but that doesn't mean it's the truth, my truth.

🥀- HAHA! Just because you've done a couple of things right doesn't mean you're not a disaster! You thought that if no one said it would disappear, right? Is that your truth? you are really stupid haha

🌻- ...

🥀-It is very vile from you to try to avoid it by covering it with excuses. Such a vile person has no right to think for herself.

🌻- Explain, please.

🥀-You know very well that thanks to your stupidity you have dragged yourself into the abyss... But in reality you deserve to be lower than that abyss.

🌻- Ah...

🥀-Your reality is nothing more than that. What, are you surprised? You thought it was more than what you are, right?

🌻- No. I just believe in myself. And do you know what I tried to do all these days? I tried to let Ray learn to trust himself. No one can tell you how much are you worth , only YOU know that.

🥀-You are the worst. You not only overestimate yourself, but you think you are a princess. Who in the world is going to love you? Nobody wants you in this world. Nobody!

🌻- Ray does it.

🥀- Listen to me well. I am going to tell you about a game that is just for you.

🌻- Go ahead.

🥀- Now you can only said to me one thing. You can only answer "Yes"

🌻-!

🥀-Okay, answer me.

[The golden-haired girl kept her lips sealed, looking nonchalantly at the man before her. All her life she had said yes to things that made her feel bad, putting aside her own feelings and desires, but this was the limit. She wasn't going to give in that easily. ]

🥀-You say it very low. I can't hear you... What do you say? I can not hear you.

🌻-....

🥀- I DON'T HEAR YOU!

[At that moment, the sapphire-eyed girl shrugged her shoulders a little, barely closing her eyes while she returned to taking that firm and annoying posture. She was not going to return violence with more violence but letting herself be stepped on was not in her ideals.]

🥀-Are you that stupid? You are nothing but arrogance! You don't even deserve to be purified. You are so foolish that you don't deserve to even rebel.

🌻-....

🥀-Your hopes are useless. Only hell will get closer. Remember well the rule that I just told you.

Since you are of no use, at least you have to entertain me in my spare time.

🌻- Ray wouldn't want that and neither would I, I won't.

🥀- ... Ah, I'm going to have to shut your mouth or something. When you become more docile and obedient, only then will I let you speak. By the way, didn't I tell you, that I hate the way you smell?

🌻- You said it.

🥀-And you still smell like this?

🌻- It's perfume, I'm not going to stop getting perfumed-

🥀- You don't know how to wash yourself properly? You haven't just poured water on yourself like up to now, right?

🌻-...!? EXCUSE ME?

[The young girl asked with some indignation, ironic that of everything said by the white-haired boy that was the only thing that really offended her severely.]

🥀- I'm going to tell you how and how much you need to wash before meeting me-

🌻- Hey, hey, that's already too intimate. I don't smell dirty, it's perfume I'm wearing-

(KNOCK KNOCK)

🥀-What's up? Don't interrupt me!

(KNOCK KNOCK)

[In a blink, that boy was standing up leaving the blonde on that cold ceramic floor.]

🥀-Consider that you are lucky.... No, forget about it. Because next time you're going to pay me double.

Enter!

?- Mr. Ray. The Savior..

🥀-... What?

🌻- !?-

?- Ah, sorry. Mr Saeran. The savior is looking for you.

🥀-Someone who can't even memorize a name doesn't deserve to talk about the Savior. I'm going to have to check the system here.

?- My apologies...

🥀-Once you find yourself in the basement, you'll realize you didn't need to apologize.

[Sun Hee slowly sat down, looking at the scene and coming to feel sorry for that stranger who had made a mistake, unfortunately for people with DID, expected.]

[Deep down she felt terrible, all her life she had been extremely submissive to that kind of treatment and suddenly starting to defend herself was not something that made her feel safe about her actions. She wanted to think that she was acting well but she didn't know it, she was trying to stay calm so as not to worry anyone but the weight of her emotions and Saeran's dealings were driving her crazy.]

[pumpkinrootbeer]

gonna be real i am NOT interested in another new avatar series i just want more korra content like PLEASE expand on those characters before you do a whole nother series waaah ;-;

[natasha-in-space]

All Good Things Must End

Ray/gn!reader;

From the beginning, you trusted Ray with all your heart. He was the embodiment of your fairytale dream come to life. Your respite from all the unappealing troubles of the outside world. But all fairytales have an ending to them. And yours is not as happy as you expected.

CW: brief mention of violence, erratic behavior, depiction of a codependent relationship. This is a Danger Ray fic! Set during V's route. Loosely based on the 7th day outgoing call to V (11:51 AM, after the 'Provoke' chatroom).

Lovely dividers by @/saradika-graphics!

Ray was a good man. A kind man. A fragile man, even. His entire appearance would remind you of a beautiful but delicate flower. So starved for love and warmth, yet so sensitive to every harsh touch of the wind, even the slightest of pushes against its soft petals would make it start to wilt. A flower that needed nothing but some gentle care and love for it to come into bloom. And, of course, you were willing to give him just that. After all, why wouldn't you be? Ray has been nothing but kind and caring towards you, ever since you stepped foot into this strange place, guiding you along the way while holding your hand and not minding any of your clumsy mistakes. He was understanding. Attentive. Curious. Always checking in with you and eager to hear about your day. Never ignoring you or making you feel stupid if you didn't understand a thing or two.

No wonder you found it so easy to open up to him in your short time here. You trusted that he would do no wrong by you. Just as he promised.

At least... that's what you thought. And appearances can be deceiving. Oh, so very deceiving. Now, it felt downright humiliating just how much of a blind fool you really were. How stupidly determined you were to deny and rebuke anyone daring to challenge your views on Ray.

You loyally refused to trust Rika's musings about Ray's 'darkness' during your brief stay with her, dismissing them as nothing but her twisted philosophy that you couldn't even begin to comprehend. You impulsively denied V's numerous warnings not to trust in Ray's sugary words, reassuring yourself over and over again that surely his affections for you must be true and earnest. You turned your back on every nagging suspicion buzzing at the back of your mind during short moments of unrest. You knew in your heart that Ray was a kind, tender boy. He was simply confined to an environment that would exacerbate his worst traits.

And he was only human, right? No one is immune to harmful outside influences being forced down upon them. Anyone could end up in his place one day, even you. It was no reason for you to be hostile and distrustful of him.

Then again, maybe that was just your mind trying desperately to keep you calm in the midst of a horrible storm you found yourself being forcibly thrust into. After all, accepting just how truly bad and out of your control things truly were here... How utterly helpless and vulnerable you were, with no one there to come save you if you needed it... How trapped and isolated you were in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by nothing but miles and miles of lush mountain forests, with no civilization in sight...

Just the thought of it would make a heavy lump of acidic bile rise up to your throat. The sad truth is... Ray simply provided you with feelings of solace and comfort that some deeper, weaker part of you was so desperate for. Losing that was something you were not ready to face yet. He was there by your side from day one. He had a better understanding of you than anyone else did. Of course you would cling to his familiar presence for this brief feeling of stability you yearned for so gravely.

In retrospect, it was always a losing battle for you to try and win. You could have done better. You really, really could have done so much better. Yet it still hit you harder than a sledgehammer to the back of your skull, when the bitter reality has finally reared its ugly head to you, without any regard for your fragile heart.

You resent yourself for hitting that call button despite your gut screaming at you not to. You were already well aware that you would regret doing that, somewhere on the back of your mind. But, in the moment, your worry for your friend overpowered your lingering anxiety. Maybe out of some sense of duty. V made it all the way here, just to save you. You played a big role in his capture, in a way. If it wasn't for you, he wouldn't be in danger. And not knowing a single thing about his whereabouts or even his state was... daunting.

So, you dialed his phone number.

You anticipated that he wouldn't pick up. Maybe you would receive a very brief phone call with him begging you to keep yourself safe, like he always would. Or even just a quick exchange of words between you two that would maybe give you even the tiniest of clues on his whereabouts. Something you could then relay to Seven. Make yourself useful. Actually do something, instead of just sitting there and driving yourself mad with dozens upon dozens of anxious thoughts clouding your mind.

What you received was worse than you could have ever imagined.

It was one thing to hear pained groans, gasps, and raspy coughing on the other end of the line. You already had an expectation that V would not be okay when you hear his voice. It still left your knees feeling weak and your heart lurching in your chest with a dizzying intensity, but you could handle that, to an extent. What you couldn't handle was also hearing a familiar soft-spoken voice that has become an unstated but undeniable source of comfort for you. A voice that was now sounding so cold and angry, that your brain had a hard time comprehending what was happening, seemingly shutting down completely, as you remained deathly quiet for the whole duration of that cursed call.

Ray just was not supposed to be there.

You have heard him get angry before. You have heard him lose his grip on reality before. You have heard him say things you couldn't truly agree with, despite you still going along with them regardless, to avoid causing him any disturbance. Those were all aspects of him you were not blind to. You just actively chose to overlook them whenever they would come up. Something that you probably shouldn't have done.

-But you never heard him be so downright cruel and vicious before. Seemingly not at all disturbed by the very real sounds of suffering from the other living person there with him. Even getting angrier at them.

Like it was something completely normal. Not at all worth getting upset or worried over.

You couldn't wrap your head around the fact that this was the same man that worried himself sick over you simply scraping a knee. He was so caring, so empathetic to you back then... over a small cut, of all things. And now, that very same man was not at all disturbed by such grave suffering happening right in front of him.

No, by the sounds of it... he was actively causing it.

And that's not something you could live in peace with.

The call lasted for a maximum of two minutes. That's the time that your phone would display to you whenever you mindlessly return to it, anyway. But it felt way longer than that. For those two horrible minutes, your ears were ruthlessly subjected to the merciless reality you were so desperate to avoid facing up until that very moment.

The bitter truth was that Ray is not a fragile flower. Nor is he a prince from a fairytale. For, fairytales are not reality. No matter how much you want them to be. He was a man, a human being, just like you. Just like every other person in this building. And much like any human being, he was more than capable of causing harm by his own two hands if he so chooses. In fact, he would do so purposefully. And a victim of his spiraling wrath was no longer some faceless unlucky believer that you could forget about in a matter of hours, despite you genuinely feeling bad for them. No, it was your friend. A friend who fought so desperately to save you, even at the cost of his own safety. A friend you have come to care for in the short time you have known each other.

A friend, you knew for sure didn't deserve to be suffering in the way that he was. By the hands of your other friend you cared for just as deeply.

Such reality was just too cruel for you to bear.

So, you do the most foolish thing of all.

You confront Ray head-on.

"-Y/N, you must be confused... I've done no wrong. I do admit that I... did loose myself for a moment there, but- but it was his own fault! If he just kept quiet and drank the elixir like my Savior has instructed, I wouldn't get so upset with him. And he kept saying his stupid lies... He wouldn't shut up. My head hurt so bad... You have no idea."

You are left feeling sick to your very core by the soft apologetic smile reflected on Ray's face, once you do have a chance to finally face him again. No matter what you say, how hard you try to show him how wrong and cruel his actions really were, it was all completely pointless. For someone so seemingly skittish and subservient, Ray was frustratingly stubborn in his beliefs. It was like throwing a tennis ball at a wall. The more force you put into your throw to get your point across, the harder it just bounces right back into your face, leaving you with the painful sting of your failure.

You shake your head, an ugly mess of emotions steadily clouding your sense of judgment. At some point, you lose track of your location and position. All caution goes out the window. All that remains is a debilitating feeling of betrayal, clutching at your insides like metal rods slowly puncturing your very heart. "It is still wrong, Ray! How can you not see that!? He was suffering, and you just- just-"

The words don't come out of your mouth, obstructed by the suffocating lump stuck in the middle of your throat. You were going in circles now. You have been trying to get through to him for almost ten minutes straight, and still no results. You have to take a moment to try and regain your breathing. A soft glowed hand rests gently upon your chin, causing you to tilt your head to meet Ray's gaze instead.

You are disgusted by the genuine concern etched onto his delicate features. By the unfeigned emotions of nothing but genuine care and affection swimming in his eyes as he looks at you. By the tender touch warming up your clammy skin. All of it is sincere. You know he is not lying to you. Not right now, at least. And that is a sickening realization to come to.

More than anything, you are disgusted by the simple fact that you cannot perceive him as a monster or an angel. Ray is no perfect prince from a fairytale, no matter how hard he may try and appear to you as such.

He's a human.

Just like you.

And this implies that he is capable of all the atrocities that any human being is capable of. As much as he is kind to you, he can also be cruel to others. As much as his hands soothe and tremble when they brush up against yours, they can also hurt and sully those he harbors hatred for. It's not all black and white, as you would like to delude yourself into thinking.

And his actions were truly appalling to you. You couldn't live in your fantasy world anymore. It was sullied. Destroyed beyond repair. Your Wonderland has been corrupted from the start, and you just denied each and every sign of it, until it was too late.

"My prince/ss... It pains me to see you in such distress. Though, your tender heart is another trait of you that I adore," Ray whispers to you softly, his thumb lightly brushing over your cheekbone. He was touching you so gently, it's almost like you were made out of glass. And yet, just a few hours earlier, these exact hands were causing so much suffering to someone you care so deeply about. The thought prompts you to swallow hard and clutch your hands together as they start to shake. He continues, seemingly undisturbed by your lack of a positive response. "-But believe me when I say that that villain is not deserving of your compassion. He tried to take you away from me... To ruin what you and I have built together. I cannot stand by and watch him do that to us. What if you got hurt because of him? I would never forgive myself, if that were to happen."

You shut your eyes, refusing to accept the reality unfolding before you. Everything was wrong. So very wrong. One part of you wanted to scream and shout at him, to make him see the twisted nature of his words by pure unrelenting force if you have to. But there was another part of you that contemplated just giving up and concluding this interaction altogether. The debilitating feeling of helplessness was just too much for you to handle.

You are not allowed to do either of those things, however. Instead, another hand lightly rests on the small of your back, pulling you in towards the source of your distress. And you don't fight it. You feel your forehead come in contact with Ray's chest, his flowery scent filling your senses, as both of his arms are now circling around you. You hear a happy sigh fall from his lips. It all seemed like a very cruel joke on you. A moment that seemed so sweet and touching, bringing you nothing but more hurt and anguish.

Did he really not see anything amiss with any of this?

"I missed you so much, my flower... You know, when I heard that liar try and talk to me like he knew you better than I do, I felt like I might just strangle him right then and there. Make sure he never utters your lovely name ever again." Ray's voice is slightly gruff from how quiet it is against the side of your head. A low hum vibrates in his throat as he nuzzles into your hair like an affectionate cat would, breathing in your scent with all the longing you could possibly ask for. Though, the only thing that comes from his affections is a sickening feeling of dread for you.

"-But I thought of you. I thought of your lovely smile... Your eyes, your voice. I know I shouldn't think like this, but... You gave me more strength than my Savior's words ever did. What I did... I did for you. For us, Y/N." He continues, taking a step back from the hug to look at you. Your gaze is cast low, as you don't reciprocate the gesture. You can't bring yourself to look at him right now. It's hard to even keep yourself from putting your hands over your ears to avoid hearing it all. He gently tilts your head up, however, making it clear that he wants you to look at him. "Please don't be upset... It breaks my heart to see you sad because of that villain."

That's when the dam inside of you finally shatters, all repressed emotions spilling out in a violent wave of hopelessness you cannot bring yourself to stop. You wrench yourself away from Ray's arms, your own hands now clenched into tight fists as you look him directly in the eyes. There's a fire burning ever hotter inside of your chest, and you make no attempt to put it out. You let it take over you completely, consequences be damned.

"Villain?Villain!? Ray, he did all he could to save me! And you locked him up and tortured him for that!"

Your mind is screaming at you to stop. To stop and fix things before they spiral too out of your control.

You're being too aggressive. Too blunt. Too disobedient. Staying safe requires you to be both calm and smart about this. And you are neither of those things right now.

But you don't care.

Even as you see the emotions in Ray's eyes shift from that suffocating affection to a mix of desperation and frustration you know well. He makes a step towards you. You make two steps back. This makes his brows furrow in what you could only assume was dissatisfaction.

You never backed away from him before.

"Save you...? No. No. Y/N, he tried to steal you from me. Poison you with his lies, like he has done to my Savior. He did it to me, too! I'm the one who saved you. I did what had to be done to protect you!" You can actively hear his voice changing from the shaky disbelief at your denial of him to rough desperation to prove you wrong. It's borderline scary how quick those changes are occurring right in front of your eyes. Almost in a blink of an eye. It's yet another blaring warning for you to stop.

One that you ignore.

Instead, your frustration boils up inside of you, making you sneer at his stubborn refusal to see reason: "By hurting him!? By making him choke and gag in pain? What was the point of-"

Your angry line of thought is instantaneously interrupted by a small yeep that slips past your lips, as Ray closes in on you in just a couple of quick steps, grabbing at your wrists with a tight grip. Tight enough to cause you some discomfort. His eyes are wide, and his breathing is noticeably shaky. Like he's fighting to get enough air into his lungs and failing miserably. He yanks you close, making you stumble into him without much time for you to struggle or push back against him. Mostly due to your state of pure disbelief. You never expected Ray to actually do anything to you. And while he wasn't actively hurting you, this was still shattering your perception of him to bits and pieces. Or, what remained of it.

"That was nothing, Y/N. He deserved all of that. He deserved that and more. You feel sad for him? You wish mercy on him?" You are suddenly pushed back against the wall, and Ray's slim form keeps you trapped in this makeshift cage you created for yourself with your reckless actions. Ray's voice grows shakier, yet also significantly lower. It sounded dangerous. Angry. His nose brushes up against yours, as he's leaning so close to you, you can't focus on anything but him. Your breath hitches as you instinctively press yourself up against the wall, the panicked pounding of your heart echoing in your temples. "You have no idea how badly he hurt me. What pain I went through because of that- that-"

You can't help but wince in pain as his grip on you tightens. An action that seems to immediately shake Ray out of his temporary fit of anger, as he gasps and quickly lets go of you, stumbling backwards with a frightened expression painted over his features. You don't even have to look at him to know that he is probably in a less than stable state of mind. You are left staggered, betrayed and confused, as you stand there, eyes cast low, rubbing at your wrists. They didn't hurt. Not much, at least. It's the psychological aspect of it that left an impact of you.

Ray's voice feels muffled as it reaches your ears through the constant flow of thought in your head.

"I- N-No, Y/N, I'm sorry, I didn't want to- Are you hurt?" You can see him taking a step back towards you, hand reaching out for yours, probably to check on your wrists. You can tell he's scared. And upset. Probably guilty. Which makes this even harder for you to grapple with.

Either way, you cut him off, not wanting to hear any more of this. Partially because you understand that staying to listen will only cause you to break further, if it was even possible at this point. Because he sounds so genuine, nervous, and miserable, it makes your heart ache for him despite yourself. Makes you want to look up, smile, and say that you're okay. That you two can figure it out together.

And you don't want to repeat the same mistake twice.

"Just... Leave, Ray." You mutter out quietly, not raising your eyes at him. You sound a bit too soft for your liking, but it'll do. Swallowing, you repeat yourself for good measure. "Please. Leave."

There is a prolonged pause between the two of you. It's almost too lengthy for comfort. Neither of you say anything for a while. But the tension in the air is thick, and it does not fade with time. It only grows. Crawling over you like snakes. There is a fear within you that prevents you from looking at him. A fear of seeing the pain in his eyes. Or, instead, to come face to face with that same anger that felt so alien to you.

Ray finally speaks up. His voice is barely audible.

"...N-No..."

He moves closer to you still. For the second time today, you are finding yourself backing away. But now, you turn your back on him and keep your hands locked where you can see them. You can feel them shaking. With a sigh, you repeat: "Leave."

And, as you soon learn, that was not a very wise choice for you to make.

You're quickly spun around before you can think to act, and Ray's fingers are digging into your shoulders with a disturbing intensity, leaving you little time to react. He's observing you as if you were a wounded animal that was left behind after being hit by a car. Like you're the saddest creature he had ever seen. And, for some reason, that look scares you more than the previous anger he showed you.

"I can't believe this..." He murmurs under his breath, his eyes darting over your figure, almost like he was searching for something physical on you that could be visible to the human eye. But he doesn't find it, and that seems to upset him further. You try to pull away from him, only to get jerked back in again, his hold on you tightening.

Only this time, he does not pay any attention to your visible discomfort. He was too occupied with his own thoughts that you were not aware of. It's like he doesn't even see you. Not fully, anyways.

He holds your chin and tilts your face to examine you more closely. As he does, his shaky breath sneaks over your cheek and causes you to shiver in place.

"He... He poisoned you, didn't he...?"

The hushed murmur sounds so utterly ridiculous that it almost makes you forget about the disturbing nature of this situation for a good moment. Yet, he was completely serious. And he wasn't even talking to you, by the looks of it.

"What? Ray, I-"

"-That's why you are saying all these things to me... That's why you don't trust me anymore." Ray cuts you off as if you were not there, his brows furrowing into a deep scowl, but not one aimed directly at you. One of his hands grips onto your chin, while the other finds your hand and takes it into his own, his fingers sliding between yours. He grasps it tight, in a hold that would feel reassuring, if it wasn't for the circumstances. "My Y/N wouldn't tell me to leave. I should've guessed..."

A shiver of fear runs down your spine. As your outburst of frustration subsides, you slowly start to realize the seriousness of this situation for you, as the fire of anger and betrayal subsides. Now you wish Ray was angry again. At least then he still listened to you. But how can you fix things when he doesn't even acknowledge you?

"-Don't worry," You are brought back to reality by a warm and assuring smile on Ray's face. One that only makes you feel nauseous. He leans in and presses a kiss to your forehead, making your breath hitch. Staying there, he whispers onto your skin, like a secret promise only for your ears to hear. "I will fix it, my prince/ss. I shouldn't have been away from you for this long in the first place... My Savior is far too busy to give you the care and attention you need. But now, I'm here. And I'm not leaving your side again. I promise. I'll make sure you are smiling again."

He does not let go of you again. While your fairytale might have been broken, his has only begun its story. And his happily ever after is not something he will give up on. Even if you did.

[thelazyhollow]

~Spoilers for Teo’s route~

So I’ve been lucidly playing through the last week and a half of Teo’s route to finally finish his in time for June and possibly more Harry content..??🤞🏻

and all of a sudden he’s in Mint Eye with his dumb ass of a cousin? Saeren/Ray is there in the garden 🥺 along with V and Rika having a secret conversation and I’m like…

WTF IS GOING ON?! HOW DID WE GET HERE?!

[marshmallowprotection]

Can you do something with V route Suit Saeran, I rarely see him talked about (heck the earlier ask reminded me he was there in V's route)

Like a situation where MC would be able to meet and talk to him in person, I think it would be cool

In hindsight, it was probably a stupid decision to head back to Mint Eye. 

But, you never wanted to leave in the first place, at least, you never wanted to leave without him. But, now he was gone, and in his place with someone you didn't know, but he knew you very well.

He knew you so well that he said the right words to make you believe going back would be the right decision for you. You wanted to know who this new man was, this man without a name, and he promised that you'd never regret it.

Now, however, with your back pressed against the wall and a pair of lips only inching away from your throat, you knew the only person to blame in that moment was you. He wasn't like Ray, his hair was wild, his eyes were sharp, and there seemed to be a cackle at the end of every single sentence he hissed into your ears.

You didn't hate it, that was probably the most mortifying about about it all.

Ever since you began to talk to him on the phone, the only thing you can think about was how enticing every offer he spoke into reality became something you wanted more and more. You wanted to give him what he wanted if only because it sounded like everything you had ever wanted.

He seemed to know how to pick you apart just from the look in your eyes, and you couldn't blame him for being able to see such a thing, if only because you had been such an open book with Ray. 

"You came back, darlin'," his voice cut through the piercing howl of static that lingered between you. "I knew you would... you wanted nothing more than to play my game... well, c'mon, I'm going to give you exactly what you asked for and you're going to be a good little toy. Just remember, you're the one who came back here and asked for me to play with you."

You shivered. "Please?"

He laughed and laughed. His eyes settled on yours as he leaned back to catch a glimpse of you. "I knew there was something I liked about you."

[luc606]

surprise! new fic! it’s rated M so I’ve decided not to cross-post, but you can read it on Ao3 here:

[angel-jihyun]

Think I'm one of the few people who can ignore Ray when trying to get/go through V's route

[killjoy-prince]

I feel like parallels could be made with these

[bumperbees]

Craving another otome game….