#new rendering process eh

[metalljellyphish]

Pen wip cause I wanna talk about my traditional art process a bit; typically I just do sketches that will either stay sketches or get transferred to then digitally render.

But sometimes I’m like eh fuck it we ball, and do some ink and marker work. Usually how I do it is cleaning the sketch up a bit (mostly any guide lines, but then sometimes I’m like nah or just forget) then go in with marker over the sketch. It’s a lot easier with greyscale like I usually do with comic-y stuff since the pencil doesn’t look as bad smeared in grey (and yes marker will smear your graphite lines, it’s awful, you just gotta be careful when doing it)

But I’ll color sections with marker then go back in with pen for details. And no joke, I’ve tried several pens out but like these Sharpie pens (the actual ink pens NOT the fineline markers there’s a huge difference) are actually my go to. They don’t really bleed with the alcohol based markers and trust me I mainly use knockoff/offbrands, and pretty cheap and easy to find

lol excuse the gay but that’s the best example I have I’ve doing the marker over sketch thing.

But this new comic I’ve been going back to inking first mainly cause I did it in blue pencil lead over the usual grey graphite, which is very difference, it’s got a little waxier consistency more so like drawing with a colored pencil. But it’s big gimmick is its way easier to filter out digitally so you don’t have to erase your sketch lines, believe me I’ve ruined many a drawing from erasing too hard.

Just an example here’s the same wip with like 5 second of photo adjusting just off my phone photo settings, I could get it a lot cleaner with an actual program or even if I just worked on it longer

Anyway, it’s just a neat little art thing. I could yap a lot about drawing stuff, it makes me wish I could stream drawings, maybe some day I dunno ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[luckypies]

Another one hehehe

Hiiiiiii yallllll I'm back on my bullshitttttt so uhhhh ehem

🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨

MAJOR CONTENT WARNINGS FOR THE FOLLOWING THREAD FOR MENTIONS OF DISMEMBERMENT, PISS, GORE AND OTHER SUCH STUFF!!!!!! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED AND PLEASE SCROLL IF YOU ARNT IN THE RIGHT HEADSPACE

🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨

Lust bringing a disheveled and sobbing Cross to Sci to "make him better" because his new toy keeps poking his skull where he shouldn't and found his stash of "toys" so it's only right that he gets taught a lesson! Cross tries to fight back and uses what little strength he can muster to fight against being put under, but after a struggle Sci splashes some mystery liquid in Cross's face which distracts him long enough to be bound to the table for his operation. "Since you've put up a fight with us both you now get the luxury of feeling *exactly* what's going to happen to you!" Cross's eyelights shrink at the horrid grin that's displayed on Lust's skull "maybe this'll teach you to not snoop where you shouldn't, though I won't let you be *just* like my lovely toys *sans* you get to keep most of your limbs" Cross shutters at the use of his long forgotten name as he sees Sci move out of the corner of his sockets, something shiny flashes into view as sci kisses Lust. "So sweetness what exactly do you want me to do with this disrespectful whore? And more importantly can I use this?" A small hand saw comes into Cross's view as he begins to shake rapidly looking between the duo as he starts sobbing and begging between wet gasps as he all tries to struggle out of his tight binds. "Uhhggrr, hold on Lusty we can't talk in this condition" Sci puts the saw down carefully on a towel covered table as he goes behind Cross to pick up something that sounds metallic, as Cross throws to process what he's hearing, Sci has already put whatever contraption over his mouth effectively cutting off any noise he makes. Nothing but muffled pleads can be heard. "Ehem now that *that* is taken care of, Lust, my lovely gumdrop, may I ask if I can use old reliable of whichever part of your choosing baby?" Any other context across might have thought Sci's sweet words and affection towards Lust would've been cute, but the way he was waving that saw made Cross want to throw up. "Hmmmmm how sharp did you make it this time dear?" Lust asks as he nuzzled into Sci. "Eh haven't gotten around to it, but definitely enough to teach this whore a lesson it'll never forget" Sci points the saw at cross as the most malicious smile creeps on his face. "Either way which limb like arm or leg, wanna know how I need to position it and all sweetie~ gotta give you the best show and all!" "Hmmmmm do his both arms right at the forearm, want to make sure if it disrespects me again there's more than enough left to play with hehehe~" the combination of Lust's laugh and how casually he talks about rendering Cross armless makes him hyperventilate as his bowels releas a stream of quickly cooling piss which makes the duo scowl daggers into him. "And now the whore pissed itself like a useless bitch just great, we'll hope you like stewing in your own piss because no way am I cleaning that up" Sci's words ring in Cross's skull as he faintly wonders how bad he's fucked up now because of his accident. Stuck in his head he doesn't realize that both Sci and Lust have gotten closer to him, or the fact that extra restraints have been placed on both of his arms. What snaps him out is the feeling of Sci's saw being placed on his bone

[so-i-grudgingly-joined-this-site]

Just sliding in here cause I am bored and basically ate through your sandman meta tag

Hot take: judging fictional characters in fictional circumstances that don’t even resemble our own society is a really wild concept.

Judging the endless from a human point is totally moot cause you know, they aren’t in the end mortal humans living in this age and time.

Especially since each Endless function represents both sides of the coin. Destiny is purpose but also can be restraining. Death can be violent but also can be a mercy. Dream includes hope but also our fears. Destruction well destroys but it is necessary to the process of creation. Without Despair, joy would be like light without the existence of shadows. Desire can be sweet but also end in obsession. Delirium is chaos, but often the best things come from it.

Humanity needs both sides.

They are their aspect, their domain. So it is in their nature, their duty to fulfill both. If they would only do the things we deem as good, they would fail in what they are.

It’s a bit like with the turtle and the scorpion where the turtle let the scorpion on it’s back to cross the river safely but the scorpion stings the turtle and when the turtle asked why the Scorpion said „It is in my nature“

Are some of Dreams choices bad? Totally from a human point. But then again all our choices are based on our expected consequences by society or faith. The endless are barely a real family, they don’t answer to each other, their parents eh parenting was „we fucked you exist now so good luck with that“. The endless are prayed to as gods in nearly every iteration of polytheistic pantheons, they inspire faith, but there is a reason why there is a distinction between the endless and gods as well.

The only thing they know has some consequence is that you should not kill family blood but even then, the consequence is not really one cause they can’t even die through the other gods as long as their function is needed. There will always be a new them until the very very very last moment of existence.

That last bit about the one thing with consequence being spilling family blood... what's really interesting is that I just read in The Sandman Companion that the "one rule" for the Endless was intended to be "Do not love mortals." And even then, it runs like the Jedi code where literally everything else--including sex or even rape--is totally okay provided there's no feelings involved. Which is utterly bizarre, because it renders the rule basically useless. If the rules are to prevent the Endless from harming each other, or harming the mortals, then why is there no consequence to it???

I SUSPECT the "killing a family member" deal might have more consequence if one Endless directly killed another. Lyta only goes free because Daniel-Dream specifically pardons her, and it's mentioned that Despair 1.0's killer is suffering for all eternity in some undisclosed way. So it is possible there would be a consequence for one Endless directly killing another, we just have no idea. Sure the murdered one's function would just reincarnate, but the murderer might have something happen to them or have their function changed somehow.

And as for the rest of it: yes, the Endless are incredibly alien to us, they're far removed from humanity and even gods, and their upbringing was incredibly shitty, so it would be odd to expect them to act morally according to our standards. The authorial intent was probably to capture the idea of some beings on a completely different level than even traditional ideas of gods/the divine. BUT how they are presented to an out-of-universe audience as part of a constructed work matters. Usually when I discuss the morality of Dream's actions I try not to make it about whether or not he himself is necessarily "good" or "bad" on some modern morality scale, but more how we're intended to think about him as a character. Especially since the series culminates in his death. Are we supposed to be cheering like the end of Return of the Jedi, or are we supposed to be mourning him too? Both?

[beautifulpersonpeach]

BPP have you heard the news about Baekhyun EXO suing SM for not paying him and trying to get him into an 18 year contract????????!!! Day XXXXX of SM being a shithole of a company like they keep proving that Hybe dodged a bullet not being able to acquire them 🤣🤣🤣 but fr theirr really fumbling the bag so bad like im not even an sm stan or a stan of any sm groups but i feel really bad for all of them!!!! If there ever was a villain it would be an sm bec of their ultra evil corp practices!!!! Capitalist business will always be evil but SM bar is so low atp. Do you think sm will be able to survive in the long term???

*

Ask 2: PART4 OF THE SM DRAMA BPPP Lmfaooooooooo. It's hilarious to me how kpopies are acting brand new about SM's abuse of their idols. Didn't you say SM holds the record as the most abusive agency in existence? And SM stans just pretended like HYBE is the worst thing known to man when Bang PD was apologizing to SM idols while Chris Lee was coercing Pink Bloods to not side with HYBE. No wonder SM stans project their narratives on Hybe artists all the time. It's envy and jealousy and some kind of self delusion prolly eh? I feel bad for CBX but at least they're standing up for themselves.

*

Ask 3: i always saw the sense in hybe buying sm. the idols are great and would florish with the kind of artistic freedom and high payments hybe offers their artists. hybe kept talking about changing the company culture and better management framework. but sm stans were so against it to the point they looked irrational and that's when i fully understood their hatred for hybe and anything connected to bts. i mean why would they say no to better pay and better contracts and accept their favs getting mistreated under sm? after the latest chen baekhyun lawsuit, i can't help but feel sad this industry is beyond saving and the fans are directly responsible for why.

***

Hi Anon(s),

Anon in ask 2, there's really no need for the tone you're taking in that ask. I understand the schadenfreude, but it's frankly not necessary, especially considering it's the artists who have the most to lose in this scenario.

Like I said during the HYBE/SM/Kakao drama, I personally would have advised HYBE to not acquire SM because there are fundamental cultural differences in how both companies are run, as well as significant intangible costs that would render the financial benefits moot. Also, HYBE underestimated the extent of animosity SM stans have to anything related to BTS. Can you imagine if that acquisition happened and this lawsuit story came out? Who do you think would be the scapegoat dragged to hell and back for SM's decades-long history of abuse, slavery, and neglect?

JYPE is a much better acquisition target for HYBE as it's easier to realize accretive synergies, they're closer in company culture, and the company is significantly better run than SM. The only issue is JYPE would be more expensive to acquire than SM. If you recall, I said SME remains the cheapest of the Big3 companies to buy, and so the returns HYBE would realize from that target would dwarf the others in the near-term, but over time would normalize to zero.

And so,

I was incredibly relieved when Bang PD pulled back from pursuing that acquisition, and felt kinda vindicated when he cited some intangible/indirect costs as reasons for pulling back. Because I'm sure whatever he saw the longer the process dragged on, the more he realized the rot in that company just runs too deep.

Fans of SM groups make up a majority of the whole k-pop fandom, and so a lot of narratives, behaviours, and beliefs that permeate k-pop, come directly from SM stans which as I've said before, is directly fostered and structurally supported by the company itself and has developed over literal decades. When you see people decry mistreatment of their idols and what not, it's because that is what they know. They've seen this shit before, but they've been forced to rationalize it in a way that absolves them of guilt for paying the salaries of the executives they've seen their own idols cry in court about being abused from.

The sad thing though, is that the company has successfully conditioned many of the fans to downplay, ignore, or accept what has been plain to see for decades. It's been common knowledge for years that SM uses a loophole to bypass the legal contract lengths and I've talked about this before. When Jessica Jung wrote a whole book about the extent of abuse in SM, it was Exols, Shawols, MeUs, and other SM stans going after anyone who talked about it and called her a liar, and rather claimed the abuse is happening under other agencies instead (they're not entirely wrong but it's more complicated than that). This sort of thing has happened more times than I can count.

And so it goes, until the SM idols inevitably file a lawsuit, which has happened every 2 - 3 years for the last two decades, and the fans are forced to confront the reality that they're funding what essentially amounts to an enslavement empire run by an unrepentant group of despots.

The competitive environment in k-pop causes them to redirect that anger and they project it on everyone else, the most accepted target being BigHit/HYBE and HYBE groups - despite having zero proof for anything of the sort happening in BigHit. The industry is notoriously cut throat and no company in this industry, both in Korea and internationally, is blameless, including HYBE, but like I've said before, there's levels to this shit. And again, SM is the absolute worst of the bunch.

I often see what people here call mistreatment under BigHit, and choose to keep my mouth shut because a lot of those claims pale in comparison to the rest of the industry to the point it sounds like first world problems. I mean, so much worse is the baseline in this habitat. Also, I trust that the idols themselves who have more information that any of us do, to ultimately stand up for themselves. BTS basically proved this in 2018 and 2019 when they showed they have independent legal representation separate from HYBE, a protocol that HYBE actually encourages for their artists (contrast that with SM's statement of "outside forces" lol), and that any incidence of discord or lawsuits from BTS so far have been proven false. The idols can stand up for themselves and always do, and that's what we're seeing with Chen, Xiumin, and Baekhyun. I wish them luck, and this time around, it seems the fans are taking their side rather than demonizing them as happened with Jessica.

But given the years of conditioning SM has done, this won't be the last time we see something like this from that company. The fact that every 2 - 3 years they're taken to court by their idols for the very same thing and nothing ever changes, and the fans continue funding the machine perpetuating so much abuse, doesn't give me much hope.

For newer fans it can be interesting to see things I've alluded to in the past happen in real time, so let's see how it all plays out. I'm personally hoping that this time around, I'm very wrong in what I think the conclusion of this fiasco will be.

[gophergal]

For the artist asks: 5, 13, 23, 16 and 24? :3

5. Anything you haven’t drawn yet but want to?

I have this thing I call The List in my sketchbook that I keep adding more crap to draw to. So. Yeah a lot of things. For example, a sequel to my "comfort character" drawing (the one with Medic, Sub-Zero, and Michael Myers in the car) but it's just the other halves of my otps (in this case Heavy Weapons Guy, Scorpion, and Jason Voorhees) begrudgingly hanging out because their menfolk are out raising hell and they're waiting on them.

13. Show your favourite drawing from last year

Oh that's so fucking hard to choose. Uhhh. I'm gonna show multiple because I can.

These two are my favorites I did for class, From The Garden and Body(Flesh Prison)

This is my favorite original fun drawing (Fettuccini the Good Noodle is my ttrpg character Korn Kenny's pet giant eel)

Then my two favorite fandom pieces. In which I fed the lesbians and acquired a new ship that has consumed my brain, respectively

16. What’s the most daunting part of your process? Ex, planning, sketching, lineart, rendering etc

Lineart my fucking BELOATHED. Unless I'm in a flow state, it's hellish. Absolutely feels like dragging myself through barbed wire and broken glass

23. Do you listen to music or watch shows while you work? If so, what’s your favourite?

Usually, I listen to podcasts or video essays. Podcasts: it's usually Distractible. Because I'm basic. Video essays: I like anything that goes in depth about media analysis.

24. How do you deal with artblock?

Smack my head against the desk and power through with a prompt or something. Harder to do during the semester since I also have class work that takes priority over fun stuff, but eh it is what it is. I just try not to let art block win by being stubborn.

[ARTIST ASKS]

[cisthehuman]

Cis Rambles: Lunar's Design Rules pt 1

I've said this a couple posts before, but one thing I'm working on is a second (and third and fourth) outfit for Lunar! However, I really want to put some thought behind it so I wanted to dedicate some rambles on different elements of her second outfit (and beyond). Please enjoy!

In terms of thinking of different designs for Lunar, I've already made some attempts before.

The one on the left was a very very early first pass. The right picture is when I sat down and was like "Cis let's try a bit harder for your streaming child". Both were done when Lunar still had her old design. Below you can see I changed the sixth one because I didn't like it.

The first time I was planning outfits, I was still planning on making the pngtubers myself, make an overlay to go with them myself, and even a corresponding intro track. Somehow I didn't think this was ambitious and every streamer did this lol

However, I was following styles I liked. I was still following what Vtubers did when they got a new outfit--getting a new style that may or may not fit their character's personality. This is not a bad thing of course, but sometimes I've seen new outfits where they seem to follow more of the streamer's style than the style of the character. Again--not a bad thing just a little observation. All of the new outfits people get is really amazing since it takes time to design, fully render, and animate the new outfit.

For me personally, I couldn't really do that with Lunar. Maybe because I separate us so much, I felt a little weird in giving her my tastes if that makes sense. Obviously, I know Lunar isn't real, but her style isn't my style. So I decided to venture into what her style could be. I thought doing this would be important as character should be recognizable not just based on their face, but on their silhouettes as well.

So I decided on making some character rules if you will to help guide me in designing different elements of Lunar's new outfits. As I said before, this will focus on her hair!

After designing her 2.0 look, I was on a high of making a cool design that I just went wild with creating looks for Lunar.

We'll be seeing this picture in the next few posts about this, but for now let's focus on their hair.

Like last time, the main key element I kept was her hair color. Every thing else changed dramatically with each outfit. Some of them I don't mind (like #3), other's I'm kinda like eh it's missing something (like #2, #4,#5,#7) and some I'm like nooooo (#6).

When I realized these conflicting feelings, I had to think about what made me feel this way. Why did I think something was off? Her hair color is the same, everything is fine, right? And then it hit me--it didn't feel like her. I know I'm kinda repeating myself, but I'm just stressing how interesting the process is.

As I'm writing this, I'm still in the process of completing this fun little pic of Lunar. Again as I was working through this, I was thinking, why/how does this feel like Lunar and the other styles I gave her don't?

So I decided to closely look at her "default" design to see what made her hair look/feel like Lunar.

The key elements I noticed were the shapes in her hair. At the ends, I flicked them out, giving them a bit of a wild edge to them. Another key element are her little pigtails. As they are by her ears, they kinda provide her with another key element to fool with. I also noticed the shape of her bangs. I gave her different bangs before, but I realized I made them a bit too fluffy. I drew them almost using the same lines as her head. So to wrap up my musings, the three elements I noticed to keep in mind were:

Hair flicking out at the ends

Pigtails/upper element with hair

Thin bangs close to forehead

With this information I set to work on going through pinterest and finding some inspos.

Here are the first four! lol enjoy this rare look of Lunar without her glasses.

So let's chat a bit about some of the design choices I decided to do while exploring different hairs. I found inspiration pictures of different twintail wigs. Fun fact: a lot of my design inspiration comes from drag queen wigs.

As the twintails in Lunar's default design are a minor part of her hairstyle, I wanted them to major part of her hairstyle for this second outfit. I drew them much bigger and behind her ears for this reason. I forgot to color it in, but I also played with different accessories for them also! Another key thing I wanted to add for this second outfit was colored streaks or gradient to her hair. I tried coloring the secondary color as the main and it gradating out to her natural purple hair color but it looks strange and unrecognizable to me so I stuck with coloring her hair at the ends or adding streaks. I quite like what I did on the four one, as it plays with the upper element of her hair by just having one little sprout there. And there is a secondary color in the back of the hair (kinda like Stocking's hair in Panty and Stocking). I kinda like that one for a dark look.

Here are the other four!

For this set, I played around with shapes and texture. I quite like the first one to be honest. I think Lunar looks really cute with a curly textured hair. The pink also is very cute. The second one in the first row is also a fav because of the hair going outward horizontally versus vertically. I also think the green gives a really cool look too. Very skateboard chick. The two in the bottom row I also like but I feel I need to put back in my brain to cook more. I like the long pieces of fringe and the shapes of the twintails. I just feel like something is missing.

I'm sure you're wondering if I found a final hairstyle yet--and the answer is no lol.

But I did have fun exploring Lunar's style! I genuinely would like to have all of her outfits planned so then when I can commission the artist who does her png is available, I can just send them the file and not stress about not having anything. A stitch in time saves 9 as they say.

Either way, I'll see you next time as we go over Lunar's outfit exploration! I haven't started fully drawing out what's in my head, but I'm already very excited~

See youuuu neext timmeee~

[jupitercl0uds]

please for the love of god talk to me about fonts. please i’m so serious i need to get infodumped at about this

this is mostly technical stuff but then again i am obviously an artist so i might bring up more artsy stuff

also this is going off the top of my head so some aspects may be inaccurate!!! particularly the stuff about pre-digital fonts!!!

while fonts have kinda existed as long as writing, they really started to properly exist around the time of the printing press, in the 1400s. then, in the victorian era, they invented the typewriter. these obviously had plenty of benefits to society as a whole, but i'm kinda gonna just. overlook that. cause it doesnt really matter here.

while the printing press didn't really have 1 font, typewriters did have a standard font, as i'm sure youre aware. in america (and plenty of other countries), this was american typewriter, which you can still use today!

fun fact: there's a good change your favourite font predates digital fonts!!! some examples are times new roman, papyrus and (as i said earlier) american typewriter

in the 80s, paste up, a long tedious process where you would have to cut out and paste everything onto a grid by hand, was rendered obsolete, because of the growing use of home computers. 3 companies (apple, microsoft and adobe) play a giant role in everything because capitalism.

while apple was the most popular at first, you probably already know that microsoft would then dominate the market, offering alongside itself all those wonderful little microsoft office programs i know so well. all of these companies had a big design rivalry, and like most rivalries of that kind, they've definitely died down a bit by now. don't get me wrong, they're still competitors, so they're still gonna have their discrepancies, but microsoft and apple aren't design companies, so they're kinda just. eh.

they also had SO MANY BAD THINGS about them. did you know that arial shouldn't exist? oh and by the way, i HATE arial. its so ugly. its an eyesore. same with helvetica, though i think i prefer arial.

arial was created specifically to imitate the ever-successful helvetica, which is why the two fonts look so similar. you see, apple owned the rights to helvetica and microsoft wanted it for themself, so, they commissioned a very very similar font instead. i believe there was a legal issue over here in europe that never happened in the usa, because if you can create the same product in a different way in the usa, you can get the same patent. the same rule does not apply in the eu. there are differences between helvetica and arial, but they are predominantly in the way they're drawn. i dont have my graphic design program installed right now, so i cant give a good visual demonstration, but i'll try to explain.

basically, in vector graphics, there's always multiple ways to create the same image. for example, if i want to make a circle, i can use 4 rounded vertices or i could use 5 and still get the same image.

anyway, this is what microsoft did for the majority of the letters, with a few exceptions, such as capital G. also i believe the kerning and spacing is slightly different??? btw, kerning is like complicated spacing. it's specifically the space between 2 characters rather than the entire body of text.

then theres the file formats.

it's important to know the difference between bitmap and vector. if you draw, you're probably using bitmap, if you design, you're probably using vector. in adobe terms, photoshop is bitmap while illustrator is vector.

bitmap is typically easier and more standard for general images, for example when a vector image is exported as an image, all the most common image files (png, gif, jpg, hell even webp*) are bitmap.

*i hate webp files a lot.

however, vector can give you a more crisp image in a more lightweight manor. whats more, no matter how large you make your bitmap image, when you zoom in enough, you will eventually start to see the pixels. that isn't the case for vector graphics, because it specifically stores the instructions for how to make an image rather than the actual image itself.

so, when everyone's been using bitmap fonts and then suddenly adobe come out with these amazing new otf files, which use vector over bitmap, everyone wants in. the main issue?

what is always adobe's biggest problem? that's right,

CORPORATE GREED 🎉🎉🎉

adobe paywalled otf files, so what did apple and microsoft do? apple created ttf files, which is basically the same thing as an otf file, and also gave them to microsoft for completely free. this then pressured adobe into releasing otf files to the public, too. funnily enough, while both file formats are commonly used, it's probably more likely that you use TTF files in your everyday life.

while i have more to say (because i ALWAYS have more to say), that's all i can at the moment. as i said, fonts have a very rich history and that's only the tip of the iceberg!!!

[etiennekissborlase]

Bitcoin Mining Difficulty Skyrockets Demonstrating Network Strength

Bitcoin Mining Difficulty Skyrockets, Demonstrating Network Strength https://bitcoinist.com/bitcoin-mining-difficulty-skyrockets/ The most recent Bitcoin mining difficulty development has generated a lot of buzz in the cryptocurrency community. According to the most recent information made accessible by BTC.com, mining Bitcoin is now more challenging. This modification increased the difficulty of mining Bitcoin by 1.72%, pushing it up to a record-high of 48.7T. The digital currency has reached an important milestone today after experiencing a lot of volatility over the past few months. Despite the current negative market, the average Bitcoin network hashrate hit a new high of 348.6 EH/s at the same time that mining difficulty is increasing. This implies that more miners are entering the network, which is encouraging for Bitcoin’s stability and long-term health. It is noteworthy that the mining difficulty of Bitcoin has varied significantly over the previous year, starting with 29.79T on April 27, 2022, and reaching the aforementioned record high on April 20, 2023. Mining Difficulty Level Up In Last 12 Months The mining difficulty has significantly increased during the last year, rising by 64%. It’s interesting to note that the majority of the changes made in the last year have led to a rise in mining difficulty. There have only been five occasions when mining has been less challenging. This suggests that the network is becoming more secure because successful assaults now need more processing power. How difficult it is for miners to find a valid hash for a block of transactions is indicated by the mining difficulty. It adapts to keep a regular block time of roughly 10 minutes every two weeks, or every 2,016 blocks. What Is Bitcoin Mining Difficulty? Bitcoin mining difficulty is the degree of difficulty in solving the mathematical equations required to mine new blocks and validate transactions on the Bitcoin blockchain network. To maintain an average block discovery time of 10 minutes as more miners join the network, the difficulty level will increase as more miners join. The mining difficulty is adjusted approximately every two weeks, or every 2016 blocks. The adjustment is dependent on the total network hashrate, which is the total computational power used by all network miners. If the hashrate increases, so does the difficulty of maintaining a constant block discovery time, and vice versa. In the early days of Bitcoin, mining difficulty was minimal, and it was possible to mine Bitcoin using a personal computer or a basic mining rig. However, as more people began mining and the network expanded, the difficulty increased considerably, making Bitcoin mining more difficult and costly. The record mining difficulty on the Bitcoin network is proof of the network’s tenacity and resiliency. It still attracts a wide range of miners and investors, which is encouraging for its long-term prospects. Bitcoin Mining Difficulty All-Time High The mining difficulty of Bitcoin reached an all-time high of 36 trillion in November of last year. Now that miners are turning off their computers in droves due to a severe bear market, however, it has dropped significantly from its all-time high. The combination of falling cryptocurrency prices and the introduction of more efficient mining hardware has rendered many miners unprofitable. Meanwhile, the network’s security will increase as more miners join, making it more challenging for bad actors to execute their plans. The overall cryptocurrency market will benefit from the rise in the crypto network’s average hashrate and Bitcoin mining difficulty. It proves that the network keeps getting stronger and more secure despite the industry’s turbulence and uncertainties. At the time of writing, Bitcoin was trading at $28,313, down 8% in the last seven days, data from CoinMarketCap shows. -Featured image from Inside Telecom via Bitcoinist.com https://bitcoinist.com April 21, 2023 at 07:43AM

[blouisparadise]

Upon request, today we have a rec list of bottom Louis fics that feature DILF Harry. If you enjoy our rec lists, please be sure to like and reblog this post to help spread the word. Happy reading!

1) You Make My Heart Beat Like The Rain | Explicit | 6611 words | Sequel 1 | Sequel 2

"You're stunning, eh?" Harry whispers, his Canadian accent thick with lust. It usually slips out when he gets horny because he knows it turns Louis on. Harry presses his lips into the curve of his neck. His hot breath makes Louis shiver. He opens his eyes and sees Harry's bigger, tattooed arms wrapped around him, completely engulfing his smaller frame—and, fuck, maybe he is up for it.

Why does his boyfriend have to be such a fucking DILF? He blames it on a twitter thread he read a few weeks ago.

2) Coldest With The Kiss, Nice With The Cream | Mature | 11136 words

Louis has a thing for older guys, no one knows why but he just does.

Harry is a lonely dad.

And oh, Damien loves yellow a little too much.

3) Give So Much (Not Enough) | Mature | 24610 words

“For my little lion,” Louis slid the smoothie bowl in front of Oscar, letting him dig in with his little hands. “And for daddy.”

He didn’t process the bowl in front of him, the push across the table causing a raspberry to roll off and fall on his lap, because Louis calling himself mummy may make him feel all sorts of mushy emotions, but Louis addressing Harry as daddy was suddenly having a very different effect on him. Since when did Louis saying daddy out loud render him speechless?

“Daddy’s still sleepy, but we’re up bright and early right Ossie?” Louis’ cooing shook him out of his daze. The man coughed, picking the raspberry off his lap and swallowing it with unintentional, and very unnecessary, eye contact with Louis. “Well, is it better than your protein smoothies and why?”

Harry chuckled, spooning another heap of the strawberry banana goodness into his mouth, “Way better sweetheart.”

4) My End And My Beginning | Explicit | 24749 words

When Louis starts as an intern at a new company, he becomes particularly fond of the boss’ five children. And maybe the boss himself as well.

5) I’ll Find A Home Inside Your Heart | Explicit | 25808 words

In awe Louis stared up at him, his eyes wide and his lips parted. “I don’t usually make it a habit to go on dates with my clients,” he breathed.

Harry grinned, his touch light as he carefully swept a strand of hair out of Louis’ eyes. “Make an exception for me?” He asked cheekily, chuckling when Louis rolled his eyes.

“Well, since you asked so nicely,” Louis snorted and let Harry link their fingers together where they rested on the countertop. Finally, a shy smile crept onto those pretty pink lips of his and with his hands on his hips, Louis jut his chin out. “Are you gonna kiss me or what?”

Of course, Harry didn’t need to be asked twice.

6) Sedative Duty. | Explicit | 46588 words

Pop-star of the moment Louis Tomlinson is on his third-world tour. He decides to hire renowned professional dominant Harry Styles to unwind while on the road. In an effort not to raise suspicion by the crew, fans, and press,  Harry pretends to be his bodyguard. He ends up being far more than that.

7) Somebody To Love | Explicit | 51471 words

A hesitant fist hovers, ready to knock on the hard surface, when suddenly the door swings open revealing a small child with a huge smile plastered on her face.

“You’re here, finally!” She beams up at him, haphazardly brushing her orange hair away from her eyes.

He can’t help but let a grin fill his face at her anticipation. Bunching his pants at his ankles, he crouches down to her level. “You must be Margret.”

“Actually, only my daddy calls me that when I’m in trouble,” she explains with an assertive tone. “So you can call me Margo.”

“Well, Margo, it’s nice to meet you. I’m Louis.”

8) This Is How You Fall In Love | Explicit | 53538 words

When Harry Styles' 16 year old daughter dragged him along to see her favourite artist, Louis Tomlinson, in concert, the last thing he had expected was to be invited backstage. Unaware his life was about to change forever.

9) The Bachelor | Explicit | 53953 words

“Don’t tell me, you’re Lola,” Louis pointed at the little girl and she crowded her father’s leg shyly, sticking her thumb in her mouth.

Harry chuckled lightly and cupped the back of her head with a large palm, his calloused hands catching the fine strands of her hair.

“She’s shy,” Harry told him. “Plus you swore mighty loud…M'Harry by the way,” he stuck his free hand forward, his diction belying his way of life- slow and casual.

The somewhat dainty-looking loud-mouth flicked a look to his hand, then back to his face. Harry waited patiently for him to take it.

“Louis,” he finally shared, clasping Harry’s hand with his smaller one and giving it a gentle squeeze, placing his other over the top of both of theirs. “Tomlinson,” he added. “I’m your personal assistant,” he added.

10) Ever I Saw | Explicit | 58342 words

Daisy Road Ranch.  A place for those in need to receive the help they deserve, even when they may not believe it.  A place where they don’t have to fear what, or whom they left behind.  A place where they can find themselves, or find a different way of coping with their issues.  Daisy Road Ranch.  A therapy ranch for those who’ve been abused.

Louis needs to find himself again.  Harry wants to help.  Can they find their way?

Check out our other fic rec lists by category here and by title here.

[danses-with-dogmeat]

could you do the “reaction to first time being shown affection” but with the new vegas/fo3 male companions as well?

Romanced! Male! FO3 Companions and the first time they’re shown soft forms of Affection

Here is some more fluff for all of you lovlies! Man, I love doing these sweet prompts so dang much 😅  Seriously, if there’s ANY characters you want to see for this that I haven’t done, please please please don’t hesitate to ask, cuz these reactions are just good for my soul (... or Sole, eh? Get it?).

Fallout New Vegas (M! Companions) reactions are also on the way for this prompt as well, and should be done soon! 

Butch:

     Lone's eyes fluttered open, taking in the sight of the darkened vault 101 bedroom as they stretched their legs from beneath the thin blanket with a small sigh. A blush spread to their face as they felt their partner stir beside them, repositioning himself onto his back, an arm thrown up over his head as a deep breath escaped his lips. They turned to get a better look at him, smiling slightly at how peaceful he looked. Eyes still closed, mouth dangling open slightly, hair tousled about every which way upon his head as it crushed into the pillow behind him. Lone just stared at him for a while,  their heart beating insistently in their chest as they thought back on the events of their first night together… them and Butch… who would've thought? 

They would have liked to pin it on the way he's changed over the years they've known him, because certainly ten-year-old Lone would have scrunched up their face in disgust at the idea of having a crush on the self-absorbed bully. But… truth is, Lone's always suspected that their feelings towards the fellow vault dweller had been more… complicated than simple hatred, or simple attraction. No, these feelings seemed to go deeper than that, even before, when they were kids and he would get on their nerves constantly, or in school when they were teens who frequently argued with each other, they knew there was something more at play between the pair, though they never would have admitted it at the time. Now though, they couldn't believe they had ever seen him any differently as they gazed tenderly at their partner through half-lidded eyes, filled to the brim with affection for the man that lay beside them.

Lone tentatively reached up a hand, not wanting to wake him, but needing to touch him. They brushed a lock of hair from his forehead, running their palm over the top of his head and smoothing down any stray strands that stuck out. Pausing their movements briefly, Lone brought themselves into a sitting position, keeping their side of the blankets up to cover their bare body as they scooted closer to him and reached their hands out towards his head again. Though his hair wasn't all that long, they rarely had the privilege of seeing it void of product, which often made it difficult to play with. Lone decided to take advantage of this instance. They took three separate strands between their fingers, crossing them over each other a few times before twisting the end, willing the little braid to hold its shape before moving to another section and doing the same. A smile spread on their lips as they carried on with their little movements, leaving a handful of tiny braids in the wake of their gentle hands as they continued listening to him snore softly below them. 

As they grew less fond of the braided look, Lone smoothed each one out and began to thread their fingers upwards, giggling at their work as the entirety of his fawn-colored hair stood straight up over his slackened expression. Now if only I had dad's camera…

Their ability to stifle their laughter weakened, preventing them from suppressing the snort that escaped from them; the sound effectively jolting their companion awake.

"What the…?" He shook his head, attempting to expel his grogginess as he realized what had woken him.

"Why are you...? Wait, what happened? You laughin' at me?"

Lone nodded as another snort escaped them, Butch's confused expression now acting as the source of their second bout of giggling.

"Why? What happened?" He looked down quickly, trying to conceal any bare part of him that peeked through the thin Vault-Tec issued blanket. A panicked flush creeping up his cheeks as he tried to find the source of their amusement.

"No, no, it's nothing like that." They assured him, grabbing at his face with their hands to bring his attention back to their eyes, "Here."

Lone made a motion upwards, to try and smooth his hair down to a reasonable height, but Butch's own fingers followed, brushing the substantial mountain of silky locks that stood at attention atop his head before they could fix what they'd done. His eyes widened as he realized what Lone had been laughing at, shaking his head in an attempt to loosen the upright strands.

"Oh, you think that's funny, do ya?"

Lone smiled at him, shrugging as they prepared to answer him with some smart-ass remark, but he was upon them before they could utter a word. Their partner tackled them, pressing his lips to theirs as he forced them downwards against the mattress where he pinned their arms up over their head. When he had firmly secured their wrists in his grip, he released them from the kiss, now staring down at them smugly, a glint of triumph playing in his stormy blue eyes. Lone's heart beat raggedly in their chest as they breathlessly gazed up at their lover as he held them down. Though, to their surprise, he pulled further away from them and released his grip on their wrists, quickly bringing his hands down to their sensitive sides. He pinched his fingers slightly as he ran them over their ribcage, causing them to erupt into a fit of unbridled laughter, writhing underneath his cruel ministrations as he grinned wildly at them.

“How’s that for funny, huh, wise guy?”

Charon:

     “Tell me something.” Lone stared up at the stars as they spoke, Charon’s stiff shoulder brushing their own as he lay beside them at the top of the parking structure, his shotgun still lying across his chest, held firmly in his grasp.

“What?” His gruff voice inquired. Lone couldn’t tell if he was being short with them because he was still unsure about spending the night at the top of the ruined concrete parking structure, or if it was because he genuinely didn’t understand their request, either way, they didn’t mind clarifying.

“Just, tell me something about yourself. You already know almost everything about me, and we’ve been together a few months now, and yet…” They trailed off, trying in vain to coax a proper response from their companion.

“What would you like to know?” Lone sighed softly, but smiled in spite of themself, shifting onto their side so they could look over at him. The ghoul was laying rigidly on his back, his eyes remained trained on the sky, as they had been since Lone suggested he quit keeping watch and just relax with them as they stargazed. Well, he stopped keeping watch, but I don’t think he ever got to the ‘relax’ part.

“Well… what do you want me to know about you?” They asked him, attempting to draw an answer from him without using a direct order. Ever since the two had become involved, Lone had felt uncomfortable with the idea of holding Charon's contract. Well, truth be told, they had always hated the idea of him being forced to obey their every whim and order because they held some torturous piece of paper, but now it felt especially immoral.

Silence fell over the pair as Charon struggled with Lone’s request, half of him wanting to abide by what they said and begin the process of opening up to the person he felt closest with, while the other half grappled with the phrasing of their question. The shadow of his officially void contract rendered his own preferences obsolete as the years of habit continued to keep him chained to the false comfort of his own complacency. He was never allowed to want before.

Lone gazed at him, noting the hard expression adorning his scarred face as the internal conflict raged between his temples. Charon’s pale blue eyes became obstructed as his brow furrowed, his jaw clenching as he ground his teeth in an effort to force his mouth to produce any words that could possibly provide an answer to Lone’s question.

The ghoul’s body shuddered as Lone extended their hand, sliding it over his chest before it came to rest atop one of his. They flexed their fingers, a suggestion to loosen his grip on the barrel of his shotgun, but he refused to budge. They kept the contact with him for a moment more, but as he showed no sign of yielding to their touch, they pulled away, rolling over onto their back once more.

Well, it was worth a try. Lone closed their eyes as their fatigue washed over them, remaining on the verge of consciousness as they awaited any response from their partner.

Instead of words, they felt a soft brush against their hand, and Lone peeked one eye open to witness the ghoul’s action as he pressed on, drawing his larger hand to rest over their own. Though the action was miniscule, Lone felt their breath catch in their throat as Charon slid his thumb over their skin soothingly. They hummed as a small grin graced their lips, shifting in his grasp so that they could entwine their fingers with his.

Lone’s expression dampened as they felt him pull away slightly, believing that perhaps they’d pushed their companion too far with their… official hand holding; but they were surprised as they felt his nails meet their wrist. He smoothed his fingertips up their arm slightly, before doubling back, capturing their hand fully in his own again. At that, Lone resumed their own comforting movements along his roughened skin. The ebb and flow of the pairs’ dancing hands seemed to coax something out of Charon, a sort of tenderness that Lone was otherwise unfamiliar with.

“I want… ” He started, and Lone held their breath, but continued running their fingers over his hand encouragingly.

“To tell you… it is no longer the contract that is binding me to you.” His movement against Lone ceased in his effort to continue speaking.

"At first, I did not think I would ever be able to separate myself from it. But now… the paper is obsolete. I'm loyal to you. I want you to know that."

Lone's heart leapt in their chest, as they felt tears of relief fill to the brims of their eyes. They couldn't say how long they'd been hoping to hear this from him, it was getting to the point that they thought they never would; that the dreadful scrap of parchment shackling Charon to his horrendous past would taint their relationship until the end of their days, but now…

A scarred finger brushed against Lone's cheek, capturing the tear that had escaped them in their moment of relieved contemplation. They turned their head, following his hand's retreat, and their eyes met his. A once stormy ocean now seemed to resemble a calm, pensive pool as he peered at them with a clarity he never thought he could have achieved.

Fawkes:

     Lone’s eyebrows drew upwards as they gazed sympathetically at the mutant. Fawkes was hunched over, his head buried in his large hands as small grunts of frustration pushed their way through his overlapping fingers. He’d been having flashbacks all day long, the brief snippets of his time as a human tormenting him in their fragmented incompleteness.

“Fawkes?” They tested. Lone hadn’t been able to rouse him from his state of anguish since the pair had returned to their Megaton home. Three hours ago. They rose from their chair, moving to sit beside him on the couch. Thus far, they had let him be, believing that the memories he was struggling with would either come back to him fully, or slip away from his grasp altogether, as they usually did. But this time they appeared to be more insistent and less comprehensible, rendering their companion aggravated and exhausted, and leaving Lone feeling utterly useless.

As they settled beside him, they brought a hand up to rest on his broad shoulder, feeling the pulsing tenseness of his muscle as his heavy breathing forced his shoulders to rise and fall raggedly.

“Hey,” They said softly, “I know it’s hard, but you have to try and let it go.” Lone brought their hands up to grasp at his, gently pulling them away from his scrunched up face.

“That’s not you anymore. You’re Fawkes.” They told him, looking into his strained eyes, “You’re free now, free from the vault, free from who you used to be, and free to make your own choices. To be your own kind of person.” Slowly bringing their hands down towards his lap, they continued holding onto them tightly as they tried to bring him back to reality, tried to ground him back in the present.

“You’re my closest friend, Fawkes, no matter who you were, I love you now. For who you are.” Lone’s words seemed to finally draw his attention to them, his weary eyes softening at the sight of them, as the present world around him seemed to solidify. They felt his hands squeeze theirs to the brink of being too tight, holding firmly enough to keep him tethered to this reality, and when they flexed their fingers beneath the intense pressure, he became aware of his actions, and ceased them. The mutant’s grip softened as he exhaled, finally letting his taut muscles relax beneath his ravaged, olive skin.

“That’s it. Welcome back.” Lone smiled up at him, their own relief evident in their softened expression. Fawkes slumped a little lower, his fatigue forcing his shoulders to slouch and his head to bow forwards, as he blinked away the last shreds of the past that stubbornly tried to linger in his mind. Lone saw his shrunken frame as an opportunity, and withdrew their hands gently from his grasp, bringing their arms up to wrap around his shoulders. The hug was a little awkward, with his position facing straight ahead on the couch and Lone seated beside him, not to mention his much larger frame, which proved to be difficult to fully embrace; but, after a moment, he managed to bring an arm around Lone in an effort to return the gesture, allowing them to sink further into the security of his chest.

The pair remained this way for a few moments, both pressing the other firmly to them as they relaxed into the contact and grew more comfortable. Fawkes was certainly unused to the action, but his contentment was palpable in the way he slowly gave into Lone’s touch, leaning his head against theirs and clutching at them just a bit tighter before finally slackening and pulling away.

“Thank you, Lone. It is hard to feel… lost for such a long time.” His usually gruff voice came out like tattered silk as it was softened by the emotion accompanying it, and they couldn’t help but notice as Fawkes’s hand remained settled over their shoulder, still seeming to steady himself with the unwavering contact.

“Lone, how am I ever going to repay your kindness when you continue to assist me in so many ways each and every day? Your friendship is truly unparalleled.” Lone smiled at that, chuckling slightly at the sincerity of his words.

“Some people just… need more help than others.” They told him, “I’m happy to keep helping you every day, even if you can never repay me for it. That’s what people do when they care about each other, Fawkes. Love isn't a commodity to be bought and sold, at the expense of one and the gain of another; it’s something you reciprocate on your own terms, something you give to yourself and others without condition or expectation of gaining anything in return.”

Fawkes nodded his head slowly, eyes unfocused as he thought through Lone’s words.

“If that’s the case… Then, right now, I vow to love you as you say I should. Unconditionally. And hopefully that will be enough.”

Jericho:

     The ex-raider collapsed with a groan, burying his head, face first, into the plush pillows atop their mattress. His rifle and bits of armor were strewn throughout the Tenpenny apartment, and Lone strolled behind him, trying to kick his things into a somewhat organized pile as they too tried to make themself more comfortable. 

Bits of armor clattered to the floor as Lone made their way to their shared bed, smiling exasperatedly at their companion, stretched across the entirety of the mattress, preventing them from settling beside him.

  I’m tired too, you know. They thought, releasing a puff of air as they considered how to go about solving this little problem of theirs. Lone tried dropping their bag beside the bed, the loud thud sounding as close to his ear as they could get it without physically hitting him with the sack, but Jericho didn’t even flinch. They clicked their tongue, peering around the room as they searched for a way to rouse him. As Lone started towards their shelves lining the wall of the hotel room, eyes set on the plethora of miscellaneous items they might be able to use to their advantage, a raucous snore erupted from within the plushness of their pillow-clad mattress. Lone groaned, turning about to face him before starting back towards the bed. Fine, you don’t want to make room for me? I’ll make it work anyways.

Lone approached the unconscious ex-raider, poking at the firmness of his back, testing, before hopping up in the air to land, stomach-first, on top of their companion. 

“What the shit?! The fuck you think you’re doing?” He grumbled through the thick fabric.

“Just making myself comfortable.” Lone shifted their hips and shoulders, settling themself more firmly onto Jericho’s back. 

“And you’re expectin’ me to put up with this shit?” He lifted his head, straining his neck to glare back at them questioningly. 

“I really don’t see what you can do about it, old timer.” Lone leaned forward, digging an elbow into the back of his ribcage as they brought their mouth to his ear. They felt him tense at the pressure, bringing one of his arms back awkwardly as he tried to find a grip on them. Lone swatted his hand away with theirs, leaning onto their other side to avoid his flailing limb. As he felt their weight shift, Jericho twisted his body in an attempt to overturn them, but Lone instead decided to bring their arms around his shoulders, clinging to him so that their body shifted with his as he tried to roll them off. 

“Mother fucker--” Lone began to giggle at his frustrated growls, as he rose, propping himself up on his elbows, with Lone still gripping him firmly, arms wrapped tight across his chest. He paused his thrashing, and Lone felt him shifting his head downwards, extending his neck to reach for something with his mouth… 

“Ow-- Hey!” Jericho took a part of their wrist into his mouth, biting down hard, causing their grip to loosen, and at the opportunity, he decided to throw himself backwards onto the mattress, effectively crushing Lone beneath him. They felt the breath get knocked out of them as he landed, now settling himself on top of them, grinding the back of his head into their chest in an effort to make himself more comfortable in the most obnoxious way possible. 

Well… that could have gone better, but hey, at least now I’m on the bed. 

“Alright, you win.” They said, their voice coming out strained due to the pressure on their lungs. 

“Damn right I do. Old timer… fuck you.” Lone laughed at that, reveling in the way he took their name calling so seriously. 

“Alright, alright. I get the point, can you get off me now?” 

“Nah. I think I like this. It’s real comfortable. Think I’ll just sleep this way.” Lone groaned at him, trying weakly to tousle him off their body before giving up with a loud sigh, being sure to blow their hot breath of frustration straight onto the top of his head. They felt his body shudder. 

“Fuckin’ fine, little tike, I’ll get off.” 

“Uck, don’t call me that.” Lone said as he rolled off of them, falling onto the mattress at their side. They peered over at him to see his reaction, pleased at the dark-eyed glare that bore into them, a glint of humor shining in their depths. 

“Look, I’m allowed to complain,” They told him, shifting onto their side so they could see him better. “You friggin’ bit me.” The ex-raider smiled deviously at that.

“Hmm. Yeah, I did. And I’m about to do it again.” With that, he lunged at them, an arm wrapped around their waist to hold them in place as his teeth met their neck. 

“Hey! What the--?” A moment later, the sharp pain dissolved away and was replaced by something soft as Jericho pressed his lips to the tender spot, soothing over the mark he had left. Lone’s eyes fell closed as his mouth moved up to their jaw, peppering kisses as it moved across their jawline to their chin, before finally drawing upwards to meet their lips. 

“I hope you know.” Lone heard him say as he pulled away from them, “This ain’t over yet.” They felt the mattress shift as he collapsed back onto it, and they smiled at his words, scooting closer so they could throw an arm over his stomach as they pressed their head to the crook beneath his shoulder. Lone meant to say something cheeky in response, but before they could utter a word, they felt themself dissolve into sleep as the soft sound of Jericho’s snores filled their ears.

Here is the original post with the Fallout 4 M!Companions

Here is the post with Fallout New Vegas M!Companions

[betterthantheywerebefore]

As I was waiting for the not insubstantial delivery of nearly all my Warhammer from my parents’ house, I couldn’t resist grabbing some Reaper Miniatures from a nearby retailer, in order to sate my rabid hunger for kitbashing. I already had many of the tools I needed, as well as a new putty I hadn’t used before - Magic Sculpt - so all I needed were some unsuspecting models to hack up.

Yes, I know it goes against the point of converting existing models to start the process with fresh models entirely, but sue me. This hobby always finds a way to take your money.

The base of the body was a miscast of Reaper’s Ziba, Female Efreeti, as seen below:

Personally I didn’t like how large her head was in comparison to her body, and due to being a miscast, the model didn’t fit together well anyway. I DID like the shape of her armour, though it would need to be altered a tad to remove touches like the scale mail in order to give it a more fitting vibe. 

I replaced her head with a cow skull, pretty good daemonic / nighthaunter fare, and her arms with another miscast model I picked up. Some manner of troll gentleman? I’m not sure, but you’ll see more of him later.

Already in possession of some Tyranid arms, I wanted to create a multi-armed beastie, and so with a few touches of the putty to remove their very distinctive ‘nid tubing cutaways, I pinned them to her back. 

The horns would not cut it. A creature of this majesty needed something a lot more imposing. I cut off the existing ones and replaced them with talons from yet ANOTHER unidentified Reaper nasty, ending up with this look. 

The staff was created from stiff wire and the head from a Tzeentchian staff for that extra occult vibe. I’m imaginging at this point that she’s some manner of Greater Daemon of Tzeentch, evidenced by the staff and less than fully martial design. The uh, curves, and the musculature (which I enjoyed sculpting) could render her a part of any of the pantheon really, which added to the Undivided vibe I wanted to go for with the entire army, so that was good. 

All in all, for a stopgap to keep my hands busy, I love how she came out.

Yes, I know she’s primed terribly in the below photos - I foolishly used a cheap black primer before I got my hands on a proper bone one, because I was impatient. Eh, I’ll pretend the blotchy look is intentional to give her some texture.

And a size comparison with a regular human for scale (and lesbian tension). 

[demonfox38]

Completed - Hylics

Just enjoy yourself.

I've been feeling failure avoidant lately. Like, for the last thirty years or so. It's said that tolerance of failure and learning from your mistakes will make you into a greater person. And man, am I going to be mediocre for a long, long time. But, last weekend was quiet, and I had the opportunity to do something for myself, for once. I figured, being so repulsed and fearful of failure, that "Hylics" was just what I needed to play.

"Hylics" is a 2015 avant garde RPG Maker game by Mason Lindroth. Its mechanics are typical of most RPG Maker games, save for two unique spins—the use of limited but taxing enemy encounters and repeated massacring of the main character to gain strength. Couple with a muted, experimental soundtrack, a limited pastel color palette, and the use of physical models and clay sculptures for environments and characters, the presentation of "Hylics" is unique and fascinating. Like, the closest comparison I could make is some kind of hybrid child between the artwork of Mœbius and the purposefully bizarre RPG Maker game "Space Funeral."

It's weird. That's by design. But, is it parsable?

Oddly enough, the game's plot should feel relatively familiar to most RPG fans, if not conveyed directly by the somewhat randomized text. There is a man on the moon (Gibby) doing something evil. What that is? Eh, not all that clear. Mostly making people mad or difficult to talk to, I'm guessing. But, the only person interested in reaching him is Wayne, a mild-manner schlub with less money to his name than what sits outside in a trash bin. (Possibly, his brother? Both are moon themed in design in name, after all.) Partnered with Dedusmuln (an archeologist obsessed with water coolers and paper cups), Somsnosa (a depressed ruler of bugs named after childhood misspellings of the creator's name), and Pongorma (a sealed-away knight with dominion over moving skulls), Wayne goes forward in cycles of death and resurrection to eventually put Gibby's tyranny to an end.

Ya know. Heroes of light stopping an entity of chaos. Mostly the plot of the first "Final Fantasy", but run through a Playdough factory and a text randomizer.

So, fighting and dying. Proper management of both falls under prevue of most video games. In this particular case, successfully killing an enemy grants Wayne meat from its remains. After he has similarly been melted like a wax figurine, Wayne enters the afterlife, whereupon he can process said meat to give him more health before returning to the land of the living. Now, this only applies to anyone in the party with him. To best maximize health, it's best to wait to have as many characters as possible, then start rendering meat. Honestly, that's pretty manageable. You can run from fights, and for the most part, it's easy enough to weave away from enemies. I wasn't able to push it quite to the point of having Pongorma prior to starting meat processing, but the other three characters were able to have a healthy HP pool with the running shenanigans I was doing.

Maze navigation is a secondary skill needed for this game. Most of the combat zones take place in labyrinths filled with small passages and abstract junk. Many also include insta-killing obstacles, which honestly, isn't that bad. (Frankly, I was bummed when Pongorma joined the party because that cut off a way I could easily kill Wayne's party and return to the afterlife.) Being able to identify weird paths will often award you with additional items or the presence of Sages, beings that grant tokens that eventually allows the player to learn an ultimate magic spell from a TV (that I really didn't end up using anyway, but that's beyond the point.)

Oh! Yeah! You also learn magic (i.e., gestures) from watching television! And you can go back and have new partners watch them whenever you want! Very helpful. Gotta have those Space Shurikens and Mystic Meat spells on the list ASAP.

I feel weird, being unable to say more about "Hylics." It's strange, yes! But, reasonably so. It's kind of like playing an RPG in a language you don't speak well. Which, hell. If you love JRPGs, you may have done that a time or two. I also like how approachable it is, both from a player and a developer's perspective. This is definitely an auteur work from someone with a unique vision. If we all had the time and dedication, we could make a game like "Hylics" (if not with the same art and music style.) I think if you ever want to make video games, you should play this game. This sets reasonable expectations in both what a person can do and how unique one can be with small development tools and a good perspective. Definitely better than trying to recreate "Super Smash Bros" or "Fortnite" in Unity for the sixteen-kajillionth time.

Also? It's three hours long and $2.99 on Steam. Trips to art museums cost more than that. It's a good afternoon treat. Adds some diversity to your media diet. And don't our brains need that?

[xu-ren]

Meeting the students

Genre: Fluff

Pairings: Gojo Satoru x reader

Wordcount: 700+

Gojo is a little shit and I love him. Anyways, I hope that you enjoy. 

My requests and askbox are open, so pretty please don't be shy.

Masterpost

*~*~*

[Name] disinterestedly watched as the curse, froze in mid jump towards her as the temperature dropped to sub-zero temperatures around the curse from her curse technique.

Catching a movement at the corner of her eye, she prepared to freeze it only for the thing to lift her up and spin her around. Mentally breathing a sigh of relief, she berated the thing spinning her around like a child or worse, a puppy.

“Sa-chan, don’t jump at me like that! Do you want to turn into an ice sculpture?!?”

“But I wanna see you! I miss my hunnybunny soooooooo much! Besides, besides, I would be the prettiest ice sculpture around, definitely better than that yucky thing.” Gojō protested while gesturing wildly to the poor frozen and forgotten curse, nearly dropping [Name] in the process, earning him a knock on his head.

“Aww, I’m sooooooo sorry! I would never drop my precious snuggle muffin!” Cue Gojō nuzzling [Name]’s cheek in apology.

“Sensei!” Yuji, the precious cinnamon roll that he is, unknowingly saved his sensei from another knock on the head from the increasingly incensed [Name].

Yuji was followed by Nobara, irked at having to chase after their idiot of a sensei after being abandoned at the entrance of the building, and Megumi, who looked like he wanted to be anywhere but here from the very moment he noticed the drop in temperature.

“Wifey, meet my students! Aren’t they cute? Oh, they aren’t as cute as you though!” Gojō, holding [Name] by the waist, presented her to his students like a child showing off a new toy.

A shocked silence befell the scene which was broken by none other than [Name].

“Wait…….. What…?!? When did I marry you?!?” erupted from [Name] in disbelief, who had completely abandoned her image as the ‘Jujutsu’s Ice Princess’.

All three of the students’ heads were swinging back and forth between the two older sorcerers, as if they were watching a ping pong match.

“Hai, sensei!” cut in Yuji while raising his hand.

“Hai, Yuji-kun?” Gojo pointed at Yuji, inviting him to ask his question.

“You are married, sensei? Why doesn’t your wife seem to know?” Yuji gave voice to the question in all three of the first years’ heads.

“Oh, I-“

“Because we aren’t! He never asked me before!”

“Oh, that’s right! I haven’t asked you yet!” Gojo further punctuated his realization by hammering his closed fist on his palm.

[Name] gaped at him, rendered utterly speechless by his flippant reply before turning to the students and introducing herself.

“So, I’m [Last name] [Name], nice to meet you.”

“Kugisaki Nobara, I’m sorry,” Nobara sincerely introduced herself.

“Eh? Ah, for that idiot? Don’t worry about him.”

“Hunnybunny, did you just call your super duper loving boyfriend an idiot? How could you? Does my little sugarplums not love me anymore?”

Making it a point to ignore Gojō’s whining and his latching to her back, she turned to Yuji for his introduction instead.

“Itadori Yuji, it’s an honour to meet you!” Yuji introduced himself enthusiastically with a thumbs up, gamely following along.

“And the last but not least is Megumi-kun, right? I haven’t seen you in a while.” [Name] turned to her boyfriend’s longest suffering student.

“[Name]-san, it’s been a while.” Megumi inclined his head to her, a man of a few words as always.

“Now that we are all introduced to each other, why don’t we go for dinner? My treat,” [Name] clapped her hands together and announced.

“Ano, [Name]-san, sensei is…”

“Ah, it’s fine, let’s just ignore him for now. So, where do you all want to eat?”

This sparked off another argument between Yuji and Nobara on where to eat while Megumi, proceeded to push them to the entrance of the building.

[Name] mentally thanked Megumi while gearing herself up for the conversation with Gojō. He had continued his whining undeterred by the conversation that was happening around him so she first pinched his cheeks to gain his attention.

“Owwww, [Name]-ch-“

“Sorry, Sa-chan. You are an idiot but you are the best idiot that I can ask for.”

“Aww, [Name]-chan is soooooo sweet. But, but, it’s not enough, you really hurt my feelings, you know? I demand reparations,” Gojo looked like he was a breath away from mushing her cheeks together.

“We can talk about reparations after this, and after you explain yourself, not before,” [Name] wagged her finger sternly at him while taking a step backwards.

“Besides, you know that I will say yes if you ask, right?” Upon dropping the bombshell, [Name] dashed away to join the students at the entrance.

Gojo was the one left stunned, with an atypical blush on his face before…

“[NAME]-CHAN!!!”

[yououui]

"Why is it so damn difficult for you to believe you're worthy of love?" but it's Kurogane saying it to Fai because we all know who the one that needs therapy is in that duo lol

They are given the luxury of time in Clow following the battle. A few days to rest and recover, to look back on what has transpired and consider what should be done moving forward. Syaoran spends almost every moment with Sakura, as is to be expected. Kurogane finds his time filled with Fai at his side; each morning, a knock at his door marks the start of a new day as the mage comes to fetch him. They take their meals together, wander the town and the castle together, visit the medics for checks and fresh bandages together. At the end of each night, they share some of Clow’s sweet wine and then part ways for their own beds.

Mokona usually hops between the two pairs depending on how she’s feeling that day, but she usually sleeps curled against Sakura’s neck.

They spend this evening on the balcony of Kurogane’s room. Kurogane’s weight is leaning against the thick stone safety railing and Fai is sat precariously atop said railing. Kurogane would have barked at him to get down, but he knew that Fai would easily be able to save himself if he happened to fall.

“Syaoran is going to have to leave soon,” Fai murmurs, eyes watching a lone, drifting cloud. “Time is ticking.”

“Hn.” Kurogane grunts in response as he takes a drink. “And what’re you gonna do?”

“I was thinking I’d join Syaoran-kun, if he’ll take me,” Fai responded. “It would break my heart if he had to do this on his own. And it’s not like I have anywhere else to go!”

Fai laughs as if the depressing statement is a joke. He’s tense, Kurogane notices, the topic of conversation painting a plastic smile on his face. Kurogane wants to tell him to knock it off. The sight of it makes something crawl under his skin.

“And Kuro-sama?” Fai asks, his gaze turning to the ninja. “You’ll return to Nihon, right? Tomoyo-chan must be thrilled you’re finally returning.”

Kurogane clears his throat before responding, “No, actually. I contacted her last night. I’m gonna join the kid, too.”

Fai’s rehearsed smile falls for a brief moment as he’s struck with surprise instead. His eyes shine impressively even under the dark sky until he shuts them with a laugh. “I would have thought Kuro-sama would run home as soon as he could, but Syaoran-kun will be so happy!”

Kurogane doesn’t ask the question lingering on his tongue—and Fai? How does he feel about it?

Kurogane clears his throat again—there’s nothing stuck in it but it’s tight for some reason as he continues on the topic. “It’s not like it’ll last forever. I’ll go back to Nihon when we get those two idiots back and I can give them a proper punishment for worrying us.” Fai’s smile softens as Kurogane speaks, the first vestiges of something real as he chuckles quietly to himself. Kurogane continues, “And… y’know if you wanna settle down somewhere when it’s all over… you can always come back to Nihon with me.”

“...Eh?” The surprised look is back on the mage’s face, his smile frozen from the pure shock of the question. He laughs nervously for a moment and looks away from Kurogane as he processes the question. “To Nihon? D-Did Tomoyo-chan say she has a job for me?”

Kurogane’s brows furrow with a frown. “No. I mean, I dunno. There might be a job you can do, but it’s not like you’d need one. Tomoyo and the Empress wouldn’t kick you out, anyway, and besides. I can work enough to cover you.”

“M-My, is there something in the wine?” Fai is laughing again, forced and awkward like he doesn’t know what else to do or say. “You’re making yourself sound like an old-fashioned father—I didn’t know Kuro-sama could make such jokes!”

“I’m not joking, you idiot,” Kurogane tells him, frustration rising hot in his blood at Fai’s adamant refusal to accept what Kurogane is telling him. “What’s so hard to believe about taking care of someone you love?”

There’s a pause, a moment when even the air around them seems to still along with Fai’s breath. “...Love?” It’s a quiet murmur, more to himself than anything, spoken like a child hearing an unknown word for the first time.

Kurogane’s frustration dissipates in an instant, his shoulders falling with a sigh. “Yes, you idiot. Love.” He should have known better than to assume Fai’s strongly built defenses would fall so quickly, even if the mage was trying. Kurogane has been honest with his feelings for such a long time now, he didn’t think there was a way Fai couldn’t see it. But if Fai, in his self-taught method of avoidance, refused to see it, there was no other choice than to say it outright.

Fai silently turned and pushed himself off the balcony railing to fall silently to his feet. He cradled his glass of wine close to his chest, like it could act as a shield somehow. “K-Kuro-sama shouldn’t tease me so much.”

The forced happy tone from before has disappeared. Now, he sounds properly hurt, his voice trembling as if on the edge of tears. He begins to leave and Kurogane catches him by the arm to stop him.

“Oi, what the hell have I done recently to make you think I’m lying?” He asks Fai. “You think chopping off my own arm was my way of teasing you?”

Fai’s eyes—two again, and Kurogane didn’t know how much he loved the color blue until that moment—widen as guilt sweeps over him. “I-I didn’t—” He lowers his head as if in shame. “I didn’t… mean it like that…”

Because of course Fai had to know, no matter how much his toxic thoughts tried to tell him otherwise, that Kurogane at least cared for him. No person would willingly give up their own blood and tie them together for life, nor cut through their own flesh and bone without another thought without at least some bit of concern and attachment. And Fai would always feel guilty for those decisions, even if Kurogane was adamant that they were his choice and he would make them again.

“After everything,” Kurogane releases Fai’s arm to tap his knuckle against the underside of Fai’s chin, gently getting him to lift his head. “Why is it still so damn difficult for you to believe you’re worthy of love?” Kurogane asks, voice so soft and mushy it surprises even himself. He can’t help it though, nor can he bring himself to care. Not now. Not with Fai.

Something teeters over the edge within Fai and his eyes immediately fill with tears. Although Kurogane never wants to see the way his lips tremble before parting with a much needed sob, he will always prefer the open honesty over the fake smile. Kurogane wraps his one arm around Fai and lets the mage have his much needed cry, slender fingers grasping desperately at the front of Kurogane’s shirt as tears stain the fabric.

“Come back to Nihon with me, mage,” Kurogane says, whispers into Fai’s hair like a secret kiss. “When it’s all over, come with me.”

Fai is rendered speechless for a long while, his throat tight and words interrupted with gasping, cathartic sobs that are sometimes mixed with unabashed, joyous laughter. He nods in immediate agreement. Kurogane only holds him closer.

[xxdragonwriterxx]

🔥You Are Human, And Damn It, You Are An Important One!🔥

A/N: Hey everyone! I’m back! It looks like my tags finally decided to sort themselves out so I wanted to (finally) post a new story! I’m still working on requests though, so don’t worry, those are coming soon! I just wanted to post this in the mean time while I edit those and test if my tags are really fixed on one of my originals so that any requested fics will actually be seen later should an error occur. Thank you so much for your continued support and patience, you guys are so amazing! I hope this makes up for my temporary hiatus! This one actually has a bit of a heavier tone to it but I think I’m finally happy with it! Thanks again for the support, and don’t be afraid to talk to me! Shoot me a message or just spew random bullshit and I’ll still respond 😂. Enjoy!

(Warning: themes of non-con & abuse. This is set in a brothel, but there’s nothing explicit, it’s just mentioned or implied. Just wanted to put it out there! Viewer discretion advised!)

🐉Song Recommendation: “The Gardener” By: Sarah Sparks 🐉

Word Count: ~7k

~~~

It was that time of year. The time of year that Levi hated the most. The Underground Market Festival. It was the time of year in which merchants from all around would come down to the Underground City, away from the prying eyes of the Military Police, and sell anything and everything to the nobles who weren’t exactly looking for orthodox materials. The normally filthy, mostly empty streets would be filled with members of the wealthy, dripping in jewelry, cash, and lavish clothing as they paraded around the sorry excuse for a city, boasting of their wealth and privilege as they bought enough food and luxurious goods to feed three times the number of people in the Underground while sharing none of it.

The days were starting to blur together. Levi honestly couldn’t tell if it had been a day, a week, or a month as the drugs in his system continued to work just like the brothel owners wanted them to, rendering him practically inoperative and perfect for use. His head pounded, swimming with confused thoughts. His gaze was unfocused, warped, and his whole body felt suffocatingly hot despite his lack of cover, his legs shifting as his body instinctively searched for a relief he didn’t even want. But that was exactly how they wanted him.

The sound of his door being unlocked made him look up slowly, his eyes taking a few seconds to fully focus on the man standing in the entrance of his room, a wide, malicious grin on his face. Levi couldn’t help but wrinkle his nose in disgust. The man smelled of sweat and stale alcohol, and his unkempt appearance made Levi itch, even when drugged out of his mind.

“Oh, Levi…” the man cooed, making Levi shudder. “I have another customer for you.”

Even though Levi had been through this time and time again, even though he had been trapped in his filthy room since he was caught stealing from a merchant friend of the brothel owner at age twenty, even though the drugs in his system were making his body scream for what this new customer could give him, he still couldn’t help the wave of dread that washed through him, the fear. Levi didn’t fear much, having grown up on the streets of the Underground alone since he was abandoned by Kenny at the age of ten, but this? This he was scared of.

He thought back to the wretched old man that had abandoned him as a small child and wondered what he would think of him now. Would he be disgusted? Unsurprised? Angry? Not that it mattered. Levi knew he would never see him again. But even so, his brain couldn’t help itself from going down those roads, asking questions of “what if?” no matter how many times he reminded himself that it didn’t matter. He was just some bastard thug turned whore in the Underground. Nobody was going to even remember him, let alone care about who he was or who he may be in the future.

Levi was once again brought out of his daze when the pig in the doorway moved to the side, letting a noble woman saunter into the room. She had a wicked grin on her face as she approached him, ignoring the brothel owner as he slammed the door shut behind her, giving them some privacy. She was covered in glittering jewelry, and although the dress she wore was extravagant, it was very tight fitting and low cut, barely considered decent, her large breasts one breath away from spilling out over the top. Her hair was pinned up in a lavish braided style, twisting and coiling tightly, and held together with real gold pins that Levi knew must’ve cost a fortune.

“~Well, hello sexy,” the woman purred as she approached the raven-haired man.

Levi had to force himself not to grimace, even with the effect of the drugs, when she slithered her way over his thighs, her hands reaching up to cup his face. The smell of whatever custard perfume she had on was overwhelming, making his eyes water and his throat close up. Her hands felt clammy from all of the lotions and creams she had slathered over her skin to make it look shinier, making them feel like dead fish rubbing against his cheeks.

“Well? Aren’t you going to ask my name?” The woman demanded in a sickly sweet voice, making Levi close his eyes in barely suppressed agony.

“What is your name?” Levi asked in a low voice. He felt the woman preen above him at the sound of his voice, knowing she thought his deep tone was for setting the mood rather than the effect of his despair.

“My name is Lady Clarissa! What’s your name, hmmm?”

“Levi,” He said quietly.

“Oooh, Leevviiii, I like that,” Lady Clarissa practically moaned. “Say, Levi, you were quite expensive. That must mean you're really good at what you do. I can already tell that you fulfill my personal tastes in terms of appearance, so why don’t you convince me of the rest and give me a good time. Don’t make me regret spending my good money on you. Don’t make me punish you.”

Levi gritted his teeth when she ground her hips into him, trying his hardest not to fight back. He knew it would be difficult, the drugs making his movements and mental processes much slower, but at that moment, all he wanted to do was shove her off of him. Swallowing the bile in his throat, Levi reached for her as she leaned down to force her tongue into his mouth.

It was that time of year. The time of year that (Y/N) hated the most. The Underground Market Festival. It took everything in her to avoid groaning in annoyance as the people she was expected to call her friends dragged her down into the filthy Underground City for a day of “fun”. (Y/N) would much rather be back at home, reading a book in the library, or relaxing with the horses in the barn, or secretly practicing her sword fighting skills with the guards of their estate. But her father had forced her to go when her friends had shown up at the house, begging for her to come with them. He claimed she needed to get her priorities straight and actually present herself, show the honor and pride that came with being part of the (L/N) family. (Y/N) thought there was very little honor and pride in parading their wealth around like they owned the world, especially in front of people who constantly struggled to survive on a daily basis.

(Y/N) walked slowly down the worn cobblestone streets, suppressing the urge to gag at the sight of other nobles walking around, looking and acting as if they were rulers of the walls. She barely looked at anything, only stopping to occasionally buy food when she noticed the hungry children hanging around, looking for a scrap to steal. She could tell they were wary of her, but she never stopped trying, always offering them the food in some way, even if it meant leaving it in a secluded space for them to find later.

Her friends constantly tried to get her to engage, running up to her with crystal jewelry, silk clothing, and delectable foods, attempting to entice her, only to get pushed away. (Y/N) wanted no part in any of it. Even her attire spoke volumes about how little she wanted to be there. She knew that to the people of the Underground, the dress she wore would be considered something of utmost value, but when compared to the nobles around her, she looked underdressed and plain. She wore nothing more than a subtle red dress covered with a black leather jacket, paired with black combat boots and matching gloves, no jewelry to be found except for the simple white earrings she wore in her lobes.

Her father had been less than pleased with her appearance, but stopped arguing when she announced she was leaving, the lord just happy she had at least agreed to go to the festival. She knew he was disappointed in her, annoyed that she wasn’t like the other noble ladies who loved to flaunt their luxurious lifestyles and bend to the every whim of the lords around them, looking to marry early for money and power. (Y/N) wouldn’t be surprised if the entire reason her father wanted her here was so she could possibly win over the affections of a single lord milling about, one that was rich and influential. It was for that possibility alone that (Y/N) had originally thought to wear something that made her look underdressed, having to swallow the bile that rose in her throat at the prospect of catching some snobby noble’s attention.

“Yeah, her name is (Y/N)! She’s the one right over there, I think she could use a good time.”

(Y/N)’s head snapped up when she heard her name, her eyes shooting over to where her friends were standing in a group in front of a large building. All of them were looking at her, covering their faces with their hands to hide their giggles. Dread filled her to the brim when she saw the sign in front of the building, her face paling in horror.

“That one, eh? I think we can arrange something like that,” the brothel owner said, a smug smile on his lips as he stared at her, his grin only widening as her cheeks flushed a brilliant red. “Don’t worry, I’ve got one in particular that could give you a good ride. He’s expensive since he’s my most popular, but he’s worth it.”

(Y/N) opened her mouth to argue, her cheeks on fire as her brain fought to think of something, anything to get her out of this situation. She didn’t want to fuck some random stranger for no reason, but she especially didn’t want to have sex in a brothel. She found them vulgar, repulsive, and horrible. The way they treated their “workers” was appalling. Just as the words finally reached the tip of her tongue, one of the girls she had come to the festival with cut off her impending argument.

“Damn, I’m jealous! If he’s that good I’m almost tempted to take him myself. But she needs this. She hasn’t loosened up the entire time we’ve been here and I think this might help. She’ll take him.”

The greasy man smiled and wrote her name down, happily accepting the roll of cash her friend handed him before getting up, supposedly to let the man know that he had another customer on the way. (Y/N) tried to escape when she could, but her friends rushed up and caught her before she could slip into the shadows, dragging her over to the brothel and shoving her towards an open door where the brothel owner stood, a creepy smile still plastered on his face.

“Guys! I don’t want this!” (Y/N) whispered frantically as she was dragged towards her doom.

“It doesn’t matter if you want it or not, you need it!” One of her friends said with a laugh. “Besides, you’re going to have a fun time. Don’t make us regret spending that money for you!”

(Y/N) was practically thrown into the room, stumbling as she fought to catch her balance, before the door was slammed shut behind her, the loud sound of the lock being latched reverberating around the room with the finality of a death toll. Huffing in anger, (Y/N) stood and brushed herself off, smoothing out her dress and straightening back up to her full height, fighting off the panic slithering up her spine.

A low groan of pain coming from behind her made her whirl around in surprise, her eyes landing on a shorter, pale skinned man with stunning silver eyes and raven black hair. Gods he looked pathetic. She could definitely tell he was attractive, it made sense now as to why he was a popular choice, but he looked sickly, his cheeks hollowed out, dark circles under his eyes, and a muscled yet neglected body starting to wear thin from years of hunger and constant overuse. The sight made her want to be sick. How could anybody be cruel enough to force themselves onto this obviously abused man? How could anyone willingly pay money to fuck him rather than help him?

“Um, hello,” (Y/N) said quietly. “W-What’s your name?”

The man raised an eyebrow, not used to the soft, kind, almost shy way she asked for his name. The women and occasional men he dealt with most of the time were demanding, controlling, and sadistic, knowing they paid for a man they could use, and their voices usually projected that. Yet, this woman looked as if she had been forced to do this, further supported by the way she had been nearly thrown into the room by whom he assumed was her friends.

“Levi,” he said quietly, waiting for the usual routine to start, no matter how much his gut twisted in disgust at the thought.

“Hi, Levi, I’m (Y/N).”

“(Y/N)...” Levi murmured softly, training himself to memorize it despite his swimming brain, knowing she would want him to scream it out later. Whether in pain or in pleasure, he wasn’t sure yet.

“Um…” (Y/N) was about to speak, her mind scrambling for something to say when her eye caught sight of a large bruise on his neck. Her eyes widened and suddenly started scanning his entire body, her stomach roiling more and more the longer she stared. Now that she was really paying attention, (Y/N) could see painful bites, hickeys, and splotchy bruises littering his neck, jaw, chest, and thighs. Her eyes narrowed on the long, bloody scratches running down the length of his chest and back, and she noticed blooming red patches of skin all over him that were raw and aching from being slapped hard and rough over and over again. 

He was wearing a loose pair of worn boxers as his only cover, and (Y/N) could only imagine what other horrors the thin cloth was hiding. Glancing down, she saw him shift uncomfortably, his boxers tented by his arousal. The sight made her growl in anger, knowing that to keep him going after he had already had so many customers for the day, a drug was being used to make him insatiable, forcing him past the point of pain and probably clouding his judgement and mental process as well. It made her want to go cut up the brothel owner and serve him to a pig.

Without thinking, (Y/N) rushed to him, reaching out to him, only to freeze when he flinched. She heard him curse at the involuntary movement, knowing it was his job to appear as unaffected and sexually appealing as possible, and it made her heart clench even harder, her hatred for this place and the people who ran it increasing tenfold.

Taking a deep breath, (Y/N) immediately slowed her movements, trying to appear as calm and unhurried as possible. Her gaze softened and glazed with unshed tears when he closed his eyes, his arms reaching out as he prepared for her to sit on his lap and have her way with him like she knew every other man and woman who used him did. Gritting her teeth against the fury she felt, she carefully slid her way across his thighs. She felt him force himself to relax under her as he leaned forward to let her kiss him.

When he felt nothing, and heard something click, Levi cracked open his eyes in curiosity, only to have them fly open all the way when he felt something cool and wet against his neck. Looking down at the woman in his arms, his lips parted in shock, watching in confused awe as she leaned back and soaked a small cloth in some water from a bottle, rinsing the fresh blood from the fabric. Looking to the side, he saw a small first aid kit by her feet, the container open to reveal a variety of medical tools inside.

(Y/N) leaned forward again, raising the towel to his neck to dab at his abrasions, washing them carefully, reverently, almost... lovingly. Levi opened and closed his mouth but no words came out as she continued to work on him, delicately cleaning his jaw and neck before carefully moving on to his chest. Was this some kind of strange ritual she always performed during sex? Did she just find him dirty and want to clean him up before putting her lips or her pussy on his skin? His mind was running a million miles a minute as she worked on him in silence, only pausing when he hissed quietly at the feeling of his gashes being washed.

(Y/N) frowned as she gently swiped the cloth along the red gouges in his skin. They were deep, most likely caused by the long, sharp nail extensions some ladies liked to wear, or the dull blade of a man with violent tendencies. It didn’t surprise her, a lot of the men and women who used people like this did have sadistic qualities, but it didn’t help to quell the now roaring fire in her blood, wanting nothing more than to fight against the injustice of this man.

“W-What are you doing?” Levi finally managed to ask.

“Cleaning your wounds.”

“Why? Is this some kind of-”

“Preparation? No. We aren’t going to do anything. I just want to help your injuries heal.”

Levi felt like his brain was full of static, like his mouth was stuffed with cotton. He wasn’t complaining, far from it, but he couldn’t get a reading on this woman. Why would she, a noble from the surface, want to help him, a hopeless whore from the Underground?

“Wha-”

“Before you ask what my intentions are, I’m just going to tell you that I didn’t even want to do this. I was forced to come to this festival because my father wants me to become more of a proper noble woman. But since I wasn’t too thrilled about having to be here, the people I came with thought I could use an opportunity to loosen up, and paid for me to do this with you in the hopes that I’d start having fun with them afterwards. But I have no intention of doing any of that. I hate how everyone in the Underground is treated like shit, and the last thing I want to do is take advantage of someone who obviously isn’t in control of his situation. I just want to help.”

Levi closed his mouth, all of his protests dying on his tongue. He still had questions, a lot of them, but he decided those could wait, her explanation making him feel surprisingly relaxed for someone who had trained himself to never take the word of a noble at face value. He had never met anyone like her. Even before he was forced to whore himself out, all he had ever known of nobles was their complete lack of humility and egotistical sense of self-importance. 

It was silent for a moment, but this time, the silence was more comfortable, both of them starting to relax a little as (Y/N) continued to patch him up. Levi felt himself loosen up a bit, his muscles unwinding as his hands settled on her waist, keeping her securely balanced on his lap as she worked. Pride swirled in (Y/N)’s chest as she felt his tense muscles soften, her eyes sparkling as she started to work her way towards earning his trust.

“What’s your happiest memory?” (Y/N) asked suddenly.

Levi quirked an eyebrow in suspicion, “Why should I tell you, brat?”

“You don’t have to if you don’t want to,” (Y/N) said, shaking her head and stifling a giggle at the nickname. “I only asked because I figured we may as well talk while we do this. Not only that, I feel like you could use some happiness right now. But I don’t want to make you uncomfortable, so if you don’t want to talk to me, you don’t have to.”

Levi was silent for a minute, the cogs in his mind turning as he tried to make what he believed to be the right decision despite the fog clouding his judgement. Just as she had promised, (Y/N) waited patiently, not pressuring him to answer, or even bringing up another question. She merely sat in silence, her clear (e/c) eyes narrowed on his injuries as she worked to make him feel better.

“There was a time when I was with my friend Farlan, a few years back. We were doing a job, trying to get rid of a troublesome merchant for a client of ours when we found out the merchant had a cat. We were hiding around the corner, waiting to strike when that damn cat jumped up onto Farlan’s lap. I’m fine with cats, but that was the day we found out Farlan had some kind of allergy to them. He was trying to hold back his sneezes but finally lost control right when the merchant came around the corner, and Farlan ended up sneezing really violently in his face. That merchant got so scared he must’ve jumped at least three feet in the air, and even managed to piss himself before he took off. We still had to finish him off later, but in that moment, when Farlan was mortified and our target was running for the hills because of a cat induced sneeze, I couldn’t help but laugh a little.”

(Y/N) had paused in her work to listen to him, and couldn’t help but smile when he finished his story. Going back to work, (Y/N) didn’t ask what happened to Farlan, not wanting to drag him back down after she had finally gotten him to talk to her, about something so personal no less.

“What about you?” Levi asked.

“Hmm, I think I’d have to say when I got my horse for my birthday,” (Y/N) said. “I was never around the horses, wasn’t allowed to be in the barn because it wasn’t “proper for a lady”. But I loved them, loved seeing them on the streets when other nobles would come visit my father or when the soldiers from the Survey Corps would come back from a mission. I couldn’t stay away, so no matter how much my father tried to squash my love of them, it just wouldn’t happen. My mother eventually convinced him to let it go, and surprised me with a little chestnut filly that I named Sashay when I was about sixteen years old. Now, she’s my best friend. We’ve been through everything together, and she’s the only one who doesn’t try to force me to be something I’m not. Aside from the royal guards, I guess. They learned a long time ago to stop trying to get me to sit still and look pretty when I beat all of them in the sword fighting ring.”

Levi’s brows shot up into his hair at that, his lips parting in surprise. “You know how to sword fight?”

(Y/N) chuckled. “Yeah, not what you were expecting, huh?”

“No,” Levi said. “I’ve never heard of a noble woman who could fight, let alone with a blade. Are you any good?”

“I tend to think so, but that all depends on who I’m up against,” (Y/N) said with a cheeky smile.

For some reason, Levi couldn’t help but smile back for the first time in years. His lips felt chapped and strained from disuse, but it felt good, a light feeling flooding his chest with warmth. “You said earlier that your horse’s name is Sashay,” Levi said, suddenly changing the topic.

“Mm hm.”

“That’s weird.”

(Y/N) giggled at his bluntness, making another fluttering feeling swirl in his chest. He had never met anyone other than Farlan who saw his language as something other than rude.

“Yeah, I suppose so,” (Y/N) said. “But I named her that because she is a sassy chestnut mare. I like to imagine that if she were human, she’d be someone you wouldn’t want to mess with, someone who wouldn’t take shit from anyone, but would do so with a spicy attitude. So I named her accordingly.”

Levi huffed a laugh at her response but almost immediately regretted it when the movement of his chest caused the rough gauze at her fingertips to brush against his injuries a little harder than before, the stinging sensation making him hiss in pain.

“Sorry!” (Y/N) said, quickly retracting her hands and holding them up, waiting for him to give her the signal to continue.

“Not your fault,” Levi mumbled, motioning that it was alright for her to get back to work. “Thank you, by the way. I don’t think I said that before.”

(Y/N) shook her head. “You don’t have to thank me. I want to do this.”

Levi wanted to ask her why but remembered what she had told him at the start of this and decided to trust her word, swallowing the question and instead changing topics. “Why do you even have this? Do you always just carry a first aid kit around?”

“Only when I come to the Underground. I want to have it available for those who really need it.”

“You do know that at least half of the people down here would kill you without a second thought to get to that medicine. Or they’d kill you if they thought you were pitying them.”

“I know, but I’d like to think I can handle myself a bit more than the average person. Even so, I usually keep it hidden unless I really want or need to use it on someone, and it’s only for quick patch-ups anyway. I can’t really fix anything major.”

(Y/N) finally finished with his front and carefully slid off of his thighs, moving slowly to begin working on his back. She made sure he was okay with everything she was doing before settling herself down onto the edge of the bed behind him, her hands reaching up to start her work once more.

Levi wanted to know more about her. He felt as if he could talk to her for hours, as if he had known her for years. He wanted to know what made her laugh, what made her cry, what her vision was for the future. It was insane, so much so that Levi idly wondered if he’d fallen off the deep end. But he couldn’t deny it. She was just too intriguing, so surprisingly kind, so genuine.

What was your childhood like? What are your favorite things to do? Do you come down here often? When will I see you again?

The questions continued to rattle around in Levi’s head as they once again lapsed into a comfortable silence but he forced all of them back, not wanting to seem either too desperate to get to know her, or be seen as coming on too strong.

After debating with himself for a while, Levi finally settled on, “You’ve mentioned your father a lot, and how he doesn’t want you to be yourself.”

(Y/N) tensed a little, her face twisted in a grimace behind Levi’s back. “Yeah… he used to be better about it, but ever since my mother died, he’s been like a tyrant. He’s upset he didn’t get a son in the first place, but now that he’s stuck with me for a daughter, he’s even more disappointed that I’m not someone he can easily make profits off of by marrying me off to someone. Not only have I been adamant about not allowing it, but no nobleman wants a woman who can think for herself. A woman who can ride a horse, go toe to toe with her soldiers, has an opinion, and is knowledgeable about current conflicts. They want someone who will dress up all pretty for them and be in bed, ready to satisfy them when they get home from gambling and drinking all day while sitting on their parents’ money.”

Levi scoffed and (Y/N) huffed in agreement. “I’m just not that kind of person. Every suitor that has ever met me has run away from my casual attire and sailor’s mouth.”

“Your father wasn’t like this when your mother was alive?” Levi asked.

“He was, but he wasn’t as bad. My parents were in an arranged marriage, but they got along alright. At least my father loved my mother enough to listen to her most of the time when she told him to lay off of me. I honestly think she’s the reason why I have such a strong fighting spirit.”

“I’m sorry she’s gone,” Levi said awkwardly, not used to providing words of comfort.

“Thanks,” (Y/N) said genuinely, a warm smile gracing her beautiful features.

“I didn’t know my mother that well,” Levi said haltingly, still unsure why he felt comfortable telling her about things he hadn’t even talked to Farlan about. “She died of a disease when I was four years old. She was a prostitute, like me, so I never knew my father. When she died, I was picked up by a man named Kenny, who I thought might’ve been my father for a short while, but as I grew older, I realized he wasn’t. I don’t have any proof, I just know. When he abandoned me at ten, I was alone for a few years before I met Farlan.”

“So… you didn’t get stuck doing this because of your mother?” (Y/N) asked carefully, almost afraid to ask in case it made him shy away from her.

“No,” Levi said slowly. “I was twenty years old when I was caught stealing from a rich friend of this brothel owner. I had made a mistake and there was no way out. He figured out who I was, a thug who was known at the time for carrying out favors for people, whether that meant stealing or killing depended on how much they were willing to pay. Unfortunately, this led them to Farlan, and he gave me a choice. Me, or my best and only friend.”

“And you chose to save your friend at the expense of yourself,” (Y/N) finished for him in a hoarse whisper, filled with horror and unbridled fury at what this man had been through. She figured she should’ve been alarmed, he had just admitted that he had blood on his hands. He was a thief, a thug, a criminal, a murderer. But (Y/N) knew those things were nearly requirements for living in the Underground and no matter how she thought about it, she couldn’t think of anything that would make this man deserve what he was going through.

(Y/N) opened her mouth to say something just as she put the last bandage in place when a loud pounding on the door startled them both. “Time’s up, you two!” The brothel owner shouted through the door.

(Y/N) shot up from the bed and rushed around to where the water and first aid kit sat, quickly packing up the little box of supplies and splashing her face with water, trying to make herself look sweaty enough to look convincing. Once everything had been packed away, (Y/N) stood and shrugged off her leather jacket, throwing it to him.

“Here, take this, it’ll keep your boss from seeing the bandages and trying to get rid of them. It’ll also give your injuries a little more protection from the bacteria in this room.”

Levi wanted to refuse, tell her he couldn’t accept a gift like this, even if it was temporary, but no words would come out as he watched the beautiful woman in front of him mess up her hair and swipe her fingers across her lips, trying to make herself look as wrecked as possible. When she finally looked the part enough to seem convincing, (Y/N) made her way to the door, turning one last time before she opened it to throw him a wink and a sweet smile.

“~Goodbye Levi, I hope we can see each other again soon.”

The lilt in her voice was fake, an act for anyone who may be listening on the other side of the door, meant to be taken as a sickly promise of more sexual endeavors to come, but he could feel the genuine emotion in her statement.

“I hope so too,” Levi said quietly after she had already left, the once comforting quiet of his room now making him feel lonely and empty.

The sound of pounding on his door woke Levi abruptly, making the raven-haired man growl in anger and annoyance. It was rare that the poor man got to sleep, not only because customers could come in at almost any time, day or night, but also because of the horrible insomnia that often plagued him. It made him even more irritable to be woken up, his body sore and his mind groggy as another round of pounding roused him further and prompted him to swing his legs over the side of the small cot he was provided when not busy fucking, and make his way to the door.

“What?” Levi snapped when he swung open the door, genuinely surprised that the pig who owned him hadn’t just burst into his room like he always did, raving about yet another customer for Levi.

“Get your shit, you’re going to the surface.”

Levi blinked. This had to be some kind of joke. The brothel owner never let anyone under his foot leave the brothel, let alone the Underground. Even the highest class noble women couldn’t request for him to come to them, the old man not trusting his prostitutes to be sent back. Especially Levi.

“Oi, your ears gone to shit now? Grab your pathetic bullshit and get out of my sight,” the man snarled, his small, watery eyes narrowed on Levi like he was the scum of the world.

Shaking himself out of it, Levi didn’t hesitate for another moment, rushing back into his room to grab the pitifully few things he had with him, including the leather jacket he had gotten from (Y/N), draping it over his shoulders to hide his healing injuries just in case it was a trick. The festival was still going on afterall, this could just be some ruse the old man set up to make the experience more interesting for the men and women who paid for him.

When Levi returned, the man pulled a gun from his jacket pocket and jerked his head, signaling Levi to follow him. Levi knew better than to risk running. In his full health he could’ve easily escaped from the man’s clutches, but with little more than a half hour of rest, his injured body, weak muscles, and the remnants of the drugs still working through his system, Levi didn’t trust himself to outrun a bullet, and knew the pig wouldn’t hesitate to fire, no matter how valuable Levi was to him. 

Even though Levi kept expecting the brothel owner to turn down a secluded street and lead him right into an ambush or trick of some sort, he never did, leading Levi right to the stairs exiting the Underground. When they reached the guards at the base of the stairs, the man took two slips of paper from the inner pocket of his worn brown coat and showed it to the guard. When he was cleared to continue on, the brothel owner turned and motioned for Levi to stay close as he stomped his way up the stairs, grumbling incoherently to himself all the while.

Breaching the surface, Levi brought an arm to his face, shielding his eyes from the intensity of the sun as it attacked his face with warm, bright light. He eventually got used to it, slowly lowering his arm and rushing to catch up with his boss, who was impatiently grunting for him to hurry up.

Passing through what appeared to be a busy market square, Levi followed the brothel owner along the lively cobblestone streets until they reached a quieter part of the town, stopping along the edge of a beautiful flower field, the grassy meadow filled with colorful blossoms that secretly took Levi’s breath away.

The sound of horse hooves caught his attention, and Levi looked up only to have the air fly from his lungs when (Y/N)’s bright face came into view, the stunning woman seated astride whom he assumed to be Sashay and flanked by two armed men.

“Right on time,” the brothel owner grumbled, his little pig eyes narrowing when he saw her passive aggressive smile.

“Of course I’m on time, this is my deal, remember?”

“Yeah, yeah,” the man growled. “Are you sure you want this one? He’s my most popular, I’d hate to lose him.”

“Yes, he’s the one I want. Besides, I believe the money I’ve paid you has far exceeded the profit you have earned from having him around. I’m sure you will be able to manage.”

The man sneered at her but didn’t respond, using the muzzle of the gun to push Levi forward and digging in his pocket to fish out the same pieces of paper he had shown the guards on the stairs, handing them to (Y/N).

“Thank you, sir. I believe we are done here.”

The brothel owner slunk off, casting dark looks at her but refusing to argue as he hunkered off to head back down to the Underground, where he would continue to rot like the rat he was. Levi watched him go before turning to (Y/N), surprised by the bright smile she flashed him when he met her gaze.

“(Y/N)? What’s going on?”

(Y/N) smiled even wider and held up the pieces of paper she had been handed. One of them was the file labeling him as a slave to the brothel owner, keeping him from escaping, and the other was a bill of sale. His eyes widened when he saw her signature on the bottom of both pages, officially registering her as his new owner. He opened his mouth, about to speak when she took both pages in her hands and ripped them in half, letting the torn pages float onto the street below, forgotten, useless.

“There, you’re free now.”

Levi was at a loss for words, his mouth gaping open. “(Y/N)? What-”

“Before you ask me what my intentions are, I’m just going to tell you that I couldn’t stop thinking about you. I couldn’t stop thinking about your life, your sacrifice, your pain, and I decided I could do something about it. You are human, and damn it, you are an important one! I couldn’t just leave you there. Now, you won’t have to work for anyone but yourself. You won’t have to cater to anyone else’s needs and you can fulfill whatever dreams you have.”

“But, that must’ve cost you a fortune, to cover more than the amount of money he’s made off of using me? What about-”

“You don’t have to worry about me, Levi. I want to use my funds for good, put them towards the people who need it the most. That includes you. Especially you. I couldn’t bear the thought of you having to stay in that shit hole for even a second longer than necessary.”

“What do I do now, then?” Levi asked, trying to focus on keeping his voice steady.

“Well, you can do whatever you want now. You’re a free man, you can find a house and settle down somewhere, or you can go back to the Underground and pick up your life where you left off. You can join the military, or you can start a small business here in the square. It’s anything you want. You get to choose your life now.”

“And what if I don’t want to do any of those things?”

(Y/N) couldn’t help the smile that flashed across her face then, her heart filling with warmth. “Like I said, it’s your choice, you can do whatever you want, carve your own path, but if you want to come with me, you’re always welcome to.”

Levi’s lip twitched and he took a step forward, reaching up to pat Sashay’s muzzle as he got closer. “Alright, I’ll follow you.”

(Y/N) beamed before turning around to nod at each one of her guards, dismissing them. When they had left, presumably returning to (Y/N)’s family estate, she reached down for him, her hand extended for him to take. Placing his rough palm into her warm hand, he allowed her to help him up into the saddle behind her, his arms wrapping around her waist to keep himself secure as (Y/N) kicked Sashay into an easy canter. Sighing blissfully, Levi let himself relax, his chin coming down to rest on (Y/N)’s shoulder as they made their way home, together.

Levi had never expected to see the day when he would willingly go with a noble, but then again, he never thought he’d ever meet a noble like (Y/N). Now, as he felt her warmth soak into his chest, he knew he’d made the right decision.

Levi finally felt the remnant effects of the drugs in his system fade away as the sun beams broke through the fluffy clouds in the sky, leaving his mind clear. He was making this decision all on his own, nothing left to impair his judgement, and no matter what, he knew he would never regret the path he chose to take just so long as (Y/N) stayed by his side.

[24maki]

🖤

a fate stronger than death | chronoir fanfiction fanlore oneshot. includes gore and death. time set in the past. ( Kanae & Kuzuha )

— these past rivalries exist, but they don't matter especially when the future is stronger

"You'd make a good duo with Kanae," Iwanaga suggests, as he walks beside the vampire.

Kuzuha tilts his head, "Eh? Kanae? Who's that?"

The CEO took a moment before freezing in his step, "Ah, right." He puts on a smile and continues down the hall, leaving the other male confused.

He doesn't remember.

——————

Kuzuha clutches the wound at his waist, slowly comprehending, for the lingering pain was unfamiliar to him. He's used to his injuries healing immediately— expected of all his years as a vampire— so this experience was completely new to him, almost putting him in an anxious state. Yet he still glares at the priest, and his mischievous grin unwavering. His confident expression, a perfect copy from the beginning— before the fight, before they stood on the chapel's ruins.

"No more stalemates?" The vampire asks.

Of what used to be the entrance, of mighty pillars, intricate arches, and stone tablets with carved protections, is now nothing more than a load of rocks. Kanae adored this church, he protected it as the duty was reverently given to him and only for him to uphold. Though now miserable, he still holds that sense, even feeling guilt for spilling just a few drops.

The priest is in an unfortunate state as well, his robe's neat collar is ripped open, and he bleeds heavily at the base of his neck. Near his collarbone reveals a deep claw mark, from the length it appears to be made by an abnormally powerful creature. The vermillion leaks slowly and endlessly, however the priest is calm: Kanae withstands the pain, he is insists on keeping his posture and a proper hold on his handgun. Knowing he was nearing his end, he could at least leave after the deed, therefore with dignity.

"I suppose," he responds.

——————

A vampire NEET and a human with a comforting presence.

One rowdy and the other earnest.

How can two contrasting individuals fit each other so well?

Relationships with poor compatibility definitely need time to adjust, like time to realize views and respect them, and time to feel comfortable with each other. Yet the two miraculously filled in the blanks, instantly forming a tight bond as if they knew each other before. Their bond led many to believe that their fates were meant to intertwine, a fate that defies time— a fate stronger than death.

But that's as far as the questions go, no one else dared to look further, or rather, there was no need to.

——————

"So it's a tie after all..?" Kanae asks weakly.

His bloody form lays on top of a large stone, which was once the church's altar. His clothes with shredded ends, cinnamon hair gracefully freed from its' ribbon, and the beads of his necklace lost somewhere in the rubble. Such a strange and disgraceful way for him to die, but he couldn't help it; the vampire managed to be the last one standing, thanks to his inhumane physiology. He took advantage of that and pulled the priest's arms off right on the holy stone, to render him no longer able to hold any weapon or demon-possessed gun that could finish him off. Kuzuha wanted to humiliate him until satisfaction, taunting and teasing him of his mortality, yet Kanae knew he was about to die too.

The cursed bullets that he had shot dissolved in his rival's blood, spreading quickly throughout his limbs like poison. The feeling was a fire inside of him, easily shattering most of his joints and slowly turning his body numb, the process visible from his pale skin withering to a charcoal ash. This sight of weakness infuriates the vampire, it was difficult for him to realize the inevitable.

He growls, "It's not! You're the one to end— filthy, lowly, mortal!"

Kanae gives the smile that annoys him so much, "Of course you'd... say that..."

Kuzuha could feel the weakness almost completely disabling his legs, he grasps the stone table to keep himself up. The other could see the frustration in his blood-red eyes and his glistening fangs. They may be enemies but he felt genuinely worried for him, and some small part of him hopes that the vampire gets the win he craves. It was fine to lose now, that he thought, he did all he could and all he had to do.

——————

"3! 2! We are ChroNoir—"

"ChroNoir desu!"

"..."

——————

Soon it was the vampire's turn to fall, his last bits of strength lasting no longer than a few minutes. The grip at the edge of the table is lost, he groans when his body harshly hits the floor. He lies on his back, red eyes staring up at the gloomy grey skies, the priest's blood dripping from the table to stain his cheeks and fill his limp palm. There was no use in wiping it off, it was all over him.

"Are you..? Still there..?" Kanae manages to whisper.

Kuzuha grimaces, "Still not dead, mortal?"

He attempted to chuckle, "Unfortunately."

Kanae could still hear his heart threatening to stop, the beat getting slower and slower as he continued to bleed out. His vision was starting to lose focus, together with the rest of his senses dulling. It's a miracle that he hasn't lost consciousness yet.

"If only..."

Kuzuha didn't catch it. "What..?"

"If... only..."

"Speak clearly..! I can't," he hisses from the sudden pain, "hear you well."

"If only we... were not... enemies. We would be... the best... of friends."

"Tch."

——————

"3! 2! ChroNo—! Hm..."

"..."

"3! 2! ChroNoir desu!"

——————

An opalescent mist forms out of thin air, and from it emerged a mysterious figure, humanoid but unfamiliar. They safely navigate through the ruins and find them, the two pale unmoving corpses near each other. From the mess and blood, it was obvious that there was a fight. The figure walks up to observe them, their hands finding that their hearts had stopped beating a while ago but their bodies somewhat warm.

"What a tragic end," they comment. "I wonder what happened."

They catch a sort of hissing from the side, walking over, they discover a blood-stained handgun. It did not look ordinary with its glowing yellow streaks. Out of curiosity, they pick it up. A deep voice instantly invades their mind, demanding that they tell what had become of his 'contractor'.

The figure grins, understanding a bit. "Interesting... Say, what do you think of reincarnation?"

——————

"Otsu noir~!" Kanae and Kuzuha say simultaneously.

🖤 — end

i decided to repost this oneshot so tumblr can see it :D

point of view shifts between past and current relationship between Kanae and Kuzuha. Kanae as an exorcist and priest, Kuzuha as a powerful pureblood vampire. Nijisanji as a mysterious organization but that's not the focus.

inspo here ⤵ Kuzuha mentions that Iwanaga was the one to suggest that Kuzuha and Kanae would match. x the pinned comment in the video is a discussion of ChroNoir lore involving reincarnation. x wholesome ChroNoir intro and outro. x outfits. Kanae / Kuzuha