#or like a sho situation i guess? no that seems unlikely. it's either all or nothing or one for them probably

[artekai]

I should play P5S and make it about my OCs somehow

[constantlyunlightening]

Quiet

Day 10: Public Places w/ Shoto Todoroki

Warnings/Other Kinks: Bratty Dom, cum play (i guess that’s what I’m gonna tag it as), panties in mouth

If you haven’t read my Shoto Todoroki NSFW headcannons, you should. Cuz this is in line with my bratty dom theories. Is he dumb or being a smartass? Who knows?

Anyway, Shoto is super fun to write. I really liked doing this one and I hope you guys like it too!

Disclaimers: 18+ years old to read, all characters are aged 20+

He told you the next time you wore that dress in public, he wouldn’t be able to hold himself back. You had taken it as a compliment at the time, not a threat.

But on the day where the two of you were supposed to be heading to some fancy hero event, you found that specific dress laid out on your bed waiting for you. Honestly, you thought the gesture was adorable! Was Shoto picking out an outfit he wanted you in? You had simply forgotten all about what he had said last time.

So you put the dress on. 

It wasn’t until after the two of you mingled around the event a while before he pulled you to a corner and you heard his deep voice dance against your ear. “So you wore it? Remember what I said last time?” His voice bounced in your skull and the hand that heated up at your waist quickly jogged your memory. “I warned you.”

And with that, he dragged you away at the nearest opportunity and shoved you into a supply closet. That’s how you ended up with your dress hiked over your hips and Shoto fucking you into the walls of the tiny closet. 

You’re pretty sure the two of you had knocked something off the closet shelf in your flurry, but the cock pounding you into the wall made it really damn hard to think. Shoto had his head dipped down, lips and teeth and tongue attacking the flash that stretched your collar bone as he tightened his grip on your thighs. You were clawing at his back, trying to bite the inside of your cheek but the way he was tearing into you made it so hard to keep your noises down.

“Sho-shoto,” an urgent, whine of a whisper was all you could manage to hiss out without screaming. “I- if I make too much noise, we’re going to get caught.” A tangle of words, ushered out as quickly as possible to keep you from yelping as he speared deep into you.

He didn’t pause his hips, but he did pause the ministrations he had been trailing over you, only so he could look up at you with hues of smoke and frost. It was almost vexing how calm he looked. You were falling apart and other than the beads of sweat rolling down his face and a few labored pants. “Then stay quiet?” He offered, as if the solution were obvious. As if you could keep quiet with the hero pounding you senseless. 

With a raspy groan, you covered your mouth with a hand you detangled from his shirt and shook your head as his length rocked against your insides, slipping in and out much too snugly. “I-I cant-”

You couldn’t tell if the way he stared at you silently was him trying to actually access the situation or was him just hiding his smirk. Was he being a smartass with a poker face right now? Or was he genuinely racking his brain for a solution. You’ve been dating this man for how long now? And you still had no idea as to if he was the smartest person you knew or the dumbest. 

You weren’t ever going to find out you were pretty sure. Especially not right now with your whole body vibrating in need. 

He pulled out of you, and the seemingly randomness of it had you trying to suppress a yelp as your body strained with the sudden emptiness, trying to clamp over nothing. “Sho- what are you doing?” Your voice sounded pathetic even to your own ears as Shoto released your thighs, gently settling you back onto the ground. Had he decided to stop? Had the solution to her not making noise was to just be done? He sure didn’t seem frustrated at all but it wouldn’t be unlike him to leave you hanging and pretend like he was doing it to actually help. Or maybe he did think he was actually helping? Either way. He can’t just fuck the air out of you and stop! He couldn’t!

In your panic you failed to realize he had been working on tugging off your panties from underneath your dress  balling them up in his hands. You opened your mouth to question his actions again but in the next moment, the balled up lace was in your mouth. A muffled noise strangled out around it as Shoto was once again grabbing your thighs, and dragging you right back up against the wall and in the air. “I didn’t have a gag,” he stated simply as a small smile came to his lips. It looked so tender. But you couldn’t help but think it felt rather conniving. “It had a wet spot on it, so I know it tastes good too. But you can take it out if you think you can keep quiet on your own.”

The break without him inside you had been just long enough that the pleasure had mellowed out and left you with an ache-y opening from his earlier attack. And so when his head pushed back in, the sensitivity had you absolutely choking on your makeshift gag. You knew for a fact you wouldn’t be able to keep the noise down on your own. Shoto seemed well aware of this too as he slowly began to resheath himself in your heat, letting you adjust to the painful sensitivity and let your need build back up with each and every inch of him plugging into you. Again, that sweet smile had reached his lips as he got himself buried balls deep. “See? It worked.”

He seemed self satisfied. And it was hard to argue with saliva starting to pool at the back of your throat, dampening the lacey gag. Your hands were free. You could have reached out and removed it, but Shoto decided it was time to return to that pace from earlier without any warning. His hips were snapping up and you felt like you could feel him all the way to your stomach as he rocked you against the wall. You could no longer think about the way you could taste yourself on your panties, couldn’t think about how anyone could catch you two locked away in the closet, couldn’t think at all actually. You couldn’t even fucking see as your eyes rolled back into your skull.

He wasn’t kissing your neck anymore, but instead, focusing on watching your face contort into pleasure and you knew for a fact he was messing with you when he spoke up again with that same steady cadence. “Your eyes are looking weird. What’s wrong?” He questioned, concern etching his voice but he knew. He had made you make this face all the time and maybe he had been concerned the first couple but now he knew. Now he was just doing his very best to get under your skin as you helplessly wriggled your hips down onto him. “Should I stop?”

This little shit.

Don’t you dare! You tried to snap out at him but all that you could get out of your mouth garbled around the fabric and you felt a burst of drool dribble down your chin as you whined and huffed. And Shoto, your loving, caring, sweet, sweet partner found it within himself to fucking laugh. This man who had the poker face of a statue managed to find his sense of humor at your expense while he was balls deep inside of you. It wasn’t a boisterous laugh, hardly more than a chuckle but it was more than he usual produced. And the real kicker was, you were too senseless to even fully enjoy it right now. In contrast to the urgency in which he speared into you, he managed to let a hand move up to help clear the dribble off your face with his thumb before he regained his grasp on your thigh and continued wildly knocking your thoughts out of your head.

“I won’t stop unless you ask me to,” he murmured in reassurance as he dipped his head back down, and you missed the growl he let out against your skin as you trembled and writhed around him. He would have loved to take more time with you, but the event put you at a limit and he wasn’t about to leave his precious lover empty handed. 

He was about to leave you utterly full in fact. 

With the force from his speed keeping you suspended in place, his hand found a spot above your folds and the pad of his thumb found that sweet spot of yours fairly quickly. He groaned deeply in response to the muffled keening you gave off as he rolled your clit under his finger and as he teased and toyed and rammed his cock into your cervix, you gave in to an orgasm that rocked your whole body and he lost himself in tandem. You were filling up with sticky heat as Shoto left one last love bite against the expanse of your shoulder and your body milked him for every drop of his worth. He had to collect himself before he could slowly pull out of you, watching a drop of his essence plop on the ground beneath you.

You were shuddering as he carefully lowered you to the ground, trying to inhale deeper but choking on the concoction of saliva and lace. Shoto was kind enough to help fish out the soiled undergarments and let you flounder for air. 

“Are you alright?” Real concern this time as he brushed the hair out of your face and you were met with that combo of smog and snow as his gaze met yours. 

You slowly managed to nod your head but as you caught your breath and came to your senses, a few realizations hit you at once.

You were still in public.

And you were now filled with wet cum that was starting to leak down your inner thighs.

You moved to clench and you gave a loud whine. “Shoto! Why did you do that? I can’t clean up here.”

He blinked and his head tilted to the side and stared down at you. “Do what?”

Was he for real?

“You- its all up inside me now! How am I supposed to walk around right now? Why couldn’t you have picked somewhere we could wipe down?” You scolded quietly, embarrassment flooding through you at the thought of walking through the party like this. Then you spotted the damp pair of panties Shoto was holding in his hands and another flare of emotions ran through you. You groaned.

“I figured we didn’t want to make a mess in here. Was I wrong?” His brows furrowed and now you were left to believe that he seriously just didn’t think about the implications of his girlfriend having to walk around the rest of the evening filled with his load, and a pair of soaked underwear.

Or maybe his poker face was really just that good.

[marshmallow-phd]

Catching Rain

Part of The Untamed - EXO Wolf Universe

Genre: Wolf!AU

Pairing: Minseok x Reader

Summary: You were more than satisfied with your life. You attended a nice college, had nice friends, a nice boyfriend. That’s what your life was: nice. You weren’t looking for anything more, so what were you to do when this seemingly harmless boy walked into your life and turned your nice little world into one much more dangerous?

Part: 1 I 2 I 3 I 4 I 5 I 6 I 7 I 8 I 9 I 10 I Epilogue

**

The theatre was loud, opposite of its normally hushed nature. People were yelling back and forth, saws and drills screeching as they tore through wood. In the background, sewing machines could be heard, along with the occasional curse as the needle got stuck in the fabric. One person, however, was quiet, focused. The paintbrush in his hand was small. The hairs tightly pressed together in order to create the perfect details on the backdrop. Erik was hunched over, sitting cross-legged on the stage floor as he squinted at the distant forest he was perfecting. Setting your bag down in the second row, you headed up the stage stairs.

“Hey,” you said softly in order not to scare him. 

Blinking, he turned around. His glasses were on the very tip of his nose, having slipped from the slight bit of sweat that had conjured on his face from the glaring stage lights. With a green speckled finger, he pushed the frame back up to its proper position. “Hey! I thought you had a project?”

You shrugged. “I did, but… I kind of hit a wall and needed to give my brain a rest. I’m sorry, I guess I should have gotten lunch with you anyway.”

“That’s alright. If you want, I still have half of my sandwich left.”

Smiling, you ruffled his hair. “Thanks, I’m not really hungry.” Minseok’s dismissive response had ruined the idea of food for you. Later you knew you would be starving, but right now food sounded like a great way to churn your stomach and see what it had been brewing all morning. “I’m just going to go hang out in the seats, if that’s okay?”

“Yeah,” he nodded. “No one will bother you or question it. Not that anyone would notice in the first place.”

“It’s pretty crazy around here, isn’t it?”

“You missed the big explosion when Dorothy couldn’t find the armchair for the second act. Turns out, someone just leaned a piece of wood for the set against it and hid it from view. Still took us half an hour to find it.”

You snorted. “Wow. I’m actually kind of sad I missed that.” You kissed his cheek, careful to avoid a smear that you were sure he had no clue about. That stupid guilt knocked once again.

The seat was only slightly comfortable, the cushion long ago worn down from a thousand performances. You stewed there in the second row. Though it wasn’t appropriate during shows, you didn’t think anyone would care if you set your feet on the seat in front of you. Folding nearly in half, you hid your face from those who might look your way as you cranked the handle to get the gears in your head to turn. 

Confusion seemed like too weak a word to describe what was going on in your head. You were angry, frustrated, sad, relieved. There had to be some language in the world that tied those emotions all together. You just didn’t know it. Perhaps that one word could be the pill you needed to no longer feel this way. If you could shove all of that into a single box, you would be fine. But is it ever that simple? When you closed your eyes and tried not to think of anything in particular, Minseok’s face faded into view. You’d shake your head to drive the image away. It came back anyway.

You felt powerless against this unseen pull, this innate desire to see him again, even after what had just happened in the courtyard. Your mind made excuses, told you that if you simply asked him to explain then he would. Looking up at Erik, you sighed. 

There was no comparison because they were two different people. Erik was the sensitive artist, the kind who went to coffee shops on Friday nights to hear a mediocre guitar player sing his “poetry” because he believed everyone deserved an audience. Minseok, on the other hand, was a strange combination of math lab nerd and soccer team captain. He was goofy and dorky, easily amused by corny jokes, but also had the physique of someone who ran five miles in the A.M. for the fun of it. What you couldn’t figure out was what drew you to him in the first place. In any normal, not-already-dating-someone situation, you wouldn’t have been interested in his type. Yet, it was almost… effortless, being around him. Even after all these years, you sometimes had to force yourself into conversation with Erik. Comfortable silences didn’t exactly exist in your relationship, but you always chalked that up to your own personality. Now you wondered if those moments would be better with Minseok. 

Was this a normal thing? You heard stories of college sweethearts all the time and for the last few years, you thought you and Erik would join that club. You hadn’t thought about marriage, per se, but you hadn’t seen an end either. The idea of coming to a fork in the road had never occurred to you. While logic and third party advice you’d casually picked up over your life told you to stick to the left, you were being drawn to the right. One road you could easily see where it led, signs, clear pastures, and everything. The other way wasn’t as clear, disappearing into thick woods that were both inviting and foreboding. You didn’t know if there was another side for the road to come out to. The only way you would ever find out would be to follow it. 

You were able to sit there in that second row seat for a few hours, surprisingly, with your phone and the internet as your companion. Only occasionally would you contemplate that fork again. Left, right, left, right. Easy, hard, easy, hard. In the end, you decided you needed to see Minseok again to really decide. 

The stage manager called it quits late in the afternoon. Erik washed up his brushes and came to meet you. “Hungry yet?” You nodded, more for something else to do before you were alone again. “Good. I’m starving.” Taking your bag like the gentleman that he was, he waited for you to stand up and then walked you out of the theatre.

Dinner ended up being a small burger joint that Erik had been craving all day. You gave no complaints as you started salivating at the thought of their fries. Surely they had to have some sort of secret, addictive ingredient to make fried potato sticks so incredibly delicious. The two of you ended up splitting a large basket of the side. It stayed equally in the middle of the table so no one could say that the other was hogging. Yes. Safe. Easy. Seeable. 

Erik offered a follow up to dinner, but you feigned exhaustion (though there might not have been any faking truthfully, as your mind was tired from constantly running throughout the day). He walked you all the way to the door of your room. As usual, he told you goodnight and leaned in for a kiss. But unlike your normal anticipation, you flinched back to avoid his lips. He stared at you in confusion. Clearing your throat, you made it up to him by kissing his cheek before running for cover in your dorm. From the light of the hallway, you could see that Erik stood on the other side for a few seconds, hesitating to understand what had just happened, before finally walking away. 

Teeth clenched down on your bottom lip, you pulled your phone out of your back pocket. Thankfully, Willa was still out so you were alone. The glare of your phone burned in the darkness. You squinted as you moved your thumb across the screen, unlocking it before opening the contacts. The number you wanted was easy enough to find. The pad of your thumb hovered over the little green phone. It accepted the slightest touch and switched over to calling mode. You placed the speaker to your ear. 

Rrriiinggg. Rrriiinnngggg. 

“Hello?”

You sucked in air. He’d answered. You didn’t have a plan for this. You didn’t have any sort of plan after pressing call. You’d hoped that he was one of those people who didn’t have a voicemail set up. 

“Hello? (y/n)?”

You hung up. 

**

Minseok watched you stalk off in the exact direction he wished you hadn’t. Anywhere else; he would have been fine with you going anywhere besides the theatre where your boyfriend was. His wolf growled and clawed with jealousy. Why was he so stupid? Since when was keeping his mate a secret more important than being with you? Of course he wanted to eat lunch with you, to see how you got along with his brothers. But the idea of Baekhyun figuring it out had caused him to panic. As obnoxious as Baekhyun could be, he wasn’t stupid. At some point during the meal, Minseok would have done something a little overprotective and Baekhyun would have started to connect the dots. Unfortunately, he’d already picked up on something. 

“Oooo, breaking the rules, are we?” The brat even had the audacity to wiggle his eyebrows at the eldest wolf. 

Not holding back, Minseok swung, hitting a good target on the upper arm. 

“Ow!”

“First, it's not a rule,” Minseok grumbled. “Junmyeon simply suggested that we don’t date. Besides, you’re one to talk. How’s Daisy?”

Baekhyun was hardly phased. He sported a cheeky grin. “She’s great.”

Bored, Sehun asked, “Can we just go eat now? Who cares who Minseok was flirting with?”

“I wasn’t flirting with her!” Minseok shouted. He explained in a lower voice, “She’s having trouble in her math class so I’m doing Sungkyu a favor and helping her out so she can pass. That’s it.”

“So why didn’t you want her to eat with us, then?” Jongin asked innocently. 

Minseok flinched. Jongin was more observant than anyone would give him credit for. Not that Minseok was subtle in any sense of the word. “I didn’t say that I didn’t want her to eat with us. Knowing you all, you would have let something slip about what we are.”

“Minseok, we all caught that she was willing to join us,” Chanyeol said. 

Huffing, Minseok grumbled, “Are we going to go eat or should I just go by myself?”

Shrugging off the odd behavior, Baekhyun turned and headed for the parking lot. Minseok was quick to follow, feeling smaller than normal surrounded by his pack members. In his head, he pictured himself running back towards the theatre, bursting through the doors, and - in true dramatic fashion - declaring you his. 

That would be a complete disaster. He should only do that if he wanted you to never talk to him ever again. 

Minseok hardly paid attention as Chanyeol drove them to his favorite pizza place. He was in a trance as the others took control of what to order. Physically, he sat in the booth next to Sehun with Baekhyun on the other side. His shoulder was pressed into the chipped wooden guard rail that ran along the wall but he hardly noticed the uncomfortable poke in his skin. His mind was still back at the campus. He was driving himself crazy trying to figure out how he was going to make this up to you, how he was going to explain his bizarre switch up to you. He hardly ate, which was fine since the others were more than happy to devour the three large pizzas with varying toppings. The others weren’t bothered by his quietness since it was nothing new. Minseok was always more of an observer than a participant. In a time like this, it worked to his advantage.

There was no consulting Minseok when the lunch was through. They all simply piled back into the car and headed out of town towards the woods. Vague mentions of going for a run were tossed around. Minseok didn’t voice any sort of agreement. He wasn’t in the mood. Ha. A wolf not in the mood to run wild among the trees? He really was turned upside down because of you. While the younger ones headed straight for the trees, Minseok headed up the porch and through the front living room until he came to the kitchen. Oh, thank god. There were still beers in the fridge. He grabbed one and immediately opened it, still chugging as he walked over to the breakfast booth. 

“Did you have fun?”

Junmyeon slid into the booth across from him. Minseok put the can down. “Yeah. At first. We had fun with the project. It was when the others showed up that things…  went bad.”

“What do you mean?” Junmyeon asked with a frown. 

“I… panicked. The others invited her to join us and I….” Minseok shrugged. 

“Worried that the others would figure it out?” Junmyeon guessed. The response was a nod. 

“Figure what out?” 

Shit.

Baekhyun stood in the entryway, looking back and forth between the eldest and the alpha. Minseok gulped. He thought that all four of them had gone out on a run and he hadn’t heard anyone else in the house. Stepping further into the kitchen, Baekhyun asked again, “Figure what out?”

Minseok looked to Junmyeon for help. None was to be found. 

“You should probably tell them.”

“I’m not going to tell just Baekhyun so he can go running and tell the others and exaggerate.”

“I can always call a family meeting.”

“I don’t want to make that big of a deal out of it.”

“Too late on that. Besides, that’s the best way to get everyone here. Get it out of the way.”

“Or to get none of them here.”

“I’m still standing here,” Baekhyun scoffed.

Minseok looked at him. “I know.”

Junmyeon sighed. “Baekhyun, will you go get the others? Tell them it's important?”

He nodded. “Sure. Be back in a flash.” He left, already shedding the hoodie over his head. 

Slumping down in the booth, Minseok felt defeated. Junmyeon sensed this immediately. “It really won’t be that bad. And they need to be prepared.”

“Prepared?” 

“Yes. Once a pack member finds the first mate, the others will slowly start to find their own. It won’t be immediate. It could take years, really. But it’s like a domino effect. They should be aware that it's their turn next.”

It made sense. The pack was always connected, both in mind and in instinct. But it had been just them for so long, the idea of bringing in mates to the fold was odd. Minseok wasn’t sure how the others would react. Fists clenched on the table, he leaned his head down. It took almost half an hour before the rest of the pack came back. Yixing had arrived first, coming back from a lab he was making up from earlier in the week. The rest came into the kitchen ten minutes later. They were knocking into each other as they yanked on shirts and pants. 

“Okay, Junmyeon, what’s the emergency?” Jongdae asked, very prepared to be his usual sarcastic, troll self. 

But Junmyeon didn’t reply, letting Minseok take the reins instead. Minseok didn't want to do this. He wanted to run, to keep his secret a little while longer while he figured this whole thing out. But Junmyeon was right. It was time.

“(y/n) - the girl that some of you met today… she’s my mate.”

It was pure silence in the kitchen. It was unnatural in this household. The only time it was ever this quiet was when the house was empty. 

“I’m sorry,” Jongdae said. “You said… mate? Right?” Minseok nodded. He growled.  “Fantastic.”

“You really found your mate, Minseok?” Yixing was more enthusiastic about the news. He looked elated, even. A small smile was creeping up. 

Despite the stunned silence, Minseok found Yixing’s energy infectious. “Yeah. I did.”

“Have you told her yet?” Chanyeol asked. 

“She has a boyfriend,” Jongin reminded him. 

“Oh. Right.”

“I’m working on it,” Minseok said. “I just-” His phone vibrated in his pocket. Pulling it out, his eyes widened at the name popping up on the screen. With sixteen eyes on him, he answered, frantic. “Hello?” A gasp on the other end. “Hello? (y/n)?” You didn’t answer. Two seconds ticked by and you ended the call. He stared at his now black screen in shock. Then his brain started again. “I got to go.”

“Was it her?” Junmyeon asked. 

“Wait, I have more questions!” Baekhyun whined. Minseok was out of the kitchen in a heartbeat, jumping into his car and flying down the road. He didn’t know if you were hurt or in trouble. Why had you called him? Why didn’t you say anything? He was determined to find out. There was only one problem. 

He didn’t know your dorm number. 

You’d briefly mentioned the shared campus housing with your best friend, but that was all the information he had. Looks like he would have to find it the old fashion way. 

Asking. 

As soon as he parked, he headed towards the dorms, thankful at least that the two large housing buildings were close in proximity. He headed for the smaller cafeteria located in the lobby of the first building. The kitchen was closed but there were still students taking advantage of the open seating. Okay. Here it goes. 

The first few groups that Minseok asked had never heard of you. He was starting to berate himself on what a stupid idea this was. He should have called you back and asked you to call him when you were ready because it most certainly would have gone to voicemail. But his luck soon turned around. He approached a group of three girls sitting in a corner. One of them had a camera. 

“Excuse me?” They looked up. Minseok cleared his throat. “I’m sorry, but I’m trying to find (y/n) (l/n)’s room. Do you happen to know her?”

One girl narrowed her eyes. “Why do you want to know?”

Minseok swallowed. “I… I have her notebook. She’d left it behind earlier at study group. She really needs it for class on Monday but I can’t get a hold of her.” Please believe his stupid lie. 

The girl who’d spoken made eye contact with her two friends. “She’s in room twenty-three-nineteen. If she doesn’t answer, just slide the notebook under the door.”

He could almost jump from elated joy. “Thank you!” 

Taking off, he headed for the stairs. Your dorm room was only on the second floor so it didn’t take long to follow the signs until he was right outside your door. Only now did the possibility that your roommate would be the one to answer cross his mind. What lie would he have to come up with then? He had to take the chance. 

After knocking, he waited, shifting from foot to foot in an attempt to release the nervous energy surging through his body. The door swung open. 

It was you. Thank goodness. 

You were not the same level of relieved. “What the hell are you doing here?”

Crap. He probably should have thought of that. “You called me.”

You looked back over your shoulder before stepping out into the hallway, letting the door shut behind you. “So? That doesn’t mean you can just show up here!”

“I need to talk to you.” 

You licked your lips. No, please don’t do that. It’s too tempting already to grab your face and kiss you against the door. Without speaking, you went back into your room. Well, that was a bust. But before he could walk away with slumped shoulders, you came back, this time with shoes on and your bag. “Let’s go.”

He gave no protest as you led him out of the dorm and into the dark. He had no idea where the two of you were headed, but he planned on embracing whatever came his way. The two of you were going to talk. His heart was thumping hard against his sternum. He was getting more alone time with you. Who knew what would end up flying out of his mouth in these next few hours. Would this be the night of truths and revelations?

[kitkatopinions]

I'm tired of fantasy world writers being like 'oh, this is my allegory for racism in my fantasy world where actual racism doesn't exist, also I'm going to not do any research on how to properly include said allegory, badly portray it, make my main characters affected by this white or white passing, and then use racist stereotypes later.' Long post full of RWBY criticism ahead.

RWBY is terrible with the Faunus racism they chose to make part of their story. They made the White Fang an evil terrorist group, they made Blake lecture fellow Faunus about how they're the ones actually hurting themselves by using violence against each other, they framed comfortable and peaceful protest as the only good way despite establishing that peaceful protest didn't work, and they made their child slave coded character who literally got branded turn into nothing more than an abusive stalker and then had him killed without ever addressing the aforementioned child slavery. Also, the only Faunus among our main cast now that Sun is gone is one of the most privileged of the Faunus. Blake can pass as a human if she wants to, she grew up fairly rich, she has two loving parents, and she comes from an inherently powerful position as the daughter of the Chief. Having Blake be privileged would be absolutely fine, if she acknowledged her privilege, wasn’t the mouthpiece on Faunus rights, if she wasn’t the only Faunus in our main cast, and if she didn’t repeatedly lecture other Faunus.

On top of that, two of our main cast have been racist (within the narrative of the show) towards our main Faunus character, one of them learns from it (even though that as well was badly handled) and became the only member of Team RWBY to ever call out human's being racist after season three. Oh wait, except the other member of our main cast that was racist that never had it addressed because it was treated like a joke now has yelled at a racist once, in an incredibly tense situation, so I guess her racism is gone. It’s good that it’s gone, since CRWBY is pushing her and Blake as a couple, but it’s frustrating that her racism never even got a ‘that wasn’t funny’ and we never see Yang learn any better, because it feels like CRWBY brushed it off and acted like it was fun and quirky instead of treating it like the casual racism it was. They do a similar thing with Robyn in season seven which came out in 2019, when she calls Marrow ‘Wags.’ Also none of our main cast are ever seen protesting for Faunus rights (sans a two second flashback of child Blake at a rally and a non canon RWBY chibi cartoon.) I don't think Ruby - our main protagonist - has ever even mentioned Faunus rights. In a world where Adam was branded with the SDC logo under fifteen years ago at the most, racism and fighting racism should be a big part of the story, and instead, it's brushed to the side and used for the occasional 'we don't like racism btw' moment now that Blake got rid of a Faunus run terrorist group. To me, this implies that the number one threat to the Faunus… Was the Faunus, and although some humans are still anti-Faunus, no one has to devote their time or energy into fighting for equality. In season 7, Blake doesn’t even attend the rally of the political figure running against Jacques Schnee - who as far as I’m aware, is the only business owner or person in power who has ever displayed anti-Faunus racism in the show. By the way, please feel free to correct me if I’m wrong. It’s been a hot minute since I watched through the show.

Instead of attending a rally that seems very important for the Faunus, Blake goes dancing with her crush. It’s like she stopped caring about politics and rights after the White Fang got removed. That feels so bad. Also, I'll note that most of the actual POC Faunus that can't pass as white in this show are on the bad side (Sienna, Fennec, Corsac, Lionheart, Ilia, Marrow.) And either they die, or they must learn to give up their destructive ways and become better people. I’m not saying this was intentional, I’m saying it’s a pattern, it’s alarming, and the writers should’ve known better.

I believe Miles Luna and Kerry Shawcross have admitted that they mishandled Faunus racism, but first off, it still doesn’t excuse them because they were grown people putting out a product that premiered in 2013 and they should’ve known to do research and do better. But second off, I still feel like they haven't done the research they need to and continue to mishandle the racism by ignoring it when they want to and bringing it up only to let us as an audience know Weiss and Yang aren't racist anymore. They can’t just cut the Faunus from their storyline now, but they can’t just ignore it, and need to actually make it a better allegory. Honestly though, one of the big reasons I'm convinced that they still haven't done any real research on how to properly portray POC or racism is because of how terribly they're handling the Ace Ops.

They're writing a fantasy show, they aren't tied to real world portrayals of law enforcement, but they went the route of commentating on real world police, corrupt police, and use of excessive force. That's fine. But things are already pretty dicey just starting off because of how they've mishandled and continue to mishandle Faunus racism. Outside of Jacques Schnee and his company and business partners, I don't remember seeing Faunus racism in Atlas (not Mantle, Atlas.) If I'm wrong about that, again, please correct me, I may have missed it. But without seeing actual discrimination against Faunus within the police force, right off the bat, that's a mishandling of commentating on police brutality. But also, other than Clover who is now dead, the Ace Ops are all people of color. CRWBY made their bad cops all not white. Even Ironwood - who is white passing - is voiced by a person of color who has said he believes that James is Chinese American. I'll point out that being a Hunter is pretty much just being a cop with more freedom and seemingly less rules. Qrow (a Beacon Huntsman) goes around destroying public property and comments on how some hunters work outside of the law, and yet it's only the Ace Ops who are held to real world ACAB rules and everyone else gets to be a good cop/law enforcement officer. Ruby gets to proudly proclaim herself a Huntress, Weiss gets to arrest people, Jaune gets told that he deserves his Huntsman license, we've been getting told for seven seasons that Hunters help people and do what's right, and we're given long time Hunters and mentor figures like Oobleck, Glynda, Qrow, and now Robyn is being framed that way, and they back that up. Even training Atlas soldiers like Neon and Flynt are fine and fun. But only the Ace Ops are bad, corrupt law enforcement officers. So that way, we can have the entirely white passing Team RWBY beat up the entirely POC, not white passing Ace Ops. Even though Team RWBY is a byproduct of the same kind of program and even though we’ve seen the police discriminate against Faunus in Vale. If CRWBY wants their allegories to be taken seriously, they need to recognize that RWBY and co are also certified police. Also, it’s really not funny to see people use ACAB as a reason why the Ace Ops are of course bad, but then turn around and simp for Winter, and be like ‘We want Winter to be redeemed, but Harriet? What a bitch!’ Like… I’m side-eyeing that pretty hard.

Speaking of Winter, now she’s in charge of the Ace Ops. But unlike Marrow, Winter doesn’t just look sad sometimes and blindly only follow direct orders without protest. She’s actually feeling all kinds of things, and she’s actually being framed as strong, intelligent, and reasonable. I’m sure no one forgot this, but I’ll note it anyway; Winter is white. Having Winter be the only Ace Op to actually listen to JRY and do things without James explicitly telling her to (although I don’t consider what she did a betrayal or going behind his back) is dicey. They could’ve given this moment to Harriet and nothing would change. ‘This lady typically follows orders, is short tempered, and pushes down her emotions, but she can still recognize a fairly good idea when she sees one and can actually think for herself, so although this isn’t a betrayal, she compromises and lets Team JRY go after their friend.’ Yeah, idk guys, I feel like there was literally no reason to slot Winter in with the Ace Ops to be the lone voice of reason when Harriet could’ve become the new leader and played the exact same role. Instead, Winter gets to have a power move where she puts Harriet in her place. Winter is given actual depth and gets to put down the black woman who the writers have made display nothing but anger for the whole season. The fans rally behind Winter because she was given depth and hate Harriet because she has none, but that’s the fault of the writers. Btw, ‘this black woman won’t show any emotion besides anger’ is a racist stereotype. It would probably have taken like five minutes on google for Luna and Shawcross to have realized that it was a bad idea to write a black woman in any sort of position of power to be constantly angry + hiding her emotions. Elm is in the same boat as Harriet, and I was going to say it’s less severe, but then I remembered that she literally attacked Ren for talking about their emotions.

Look, my point is that RWBY as a show has never handled allegories like racism and corrupt police well, and either they should stop trying and stick to ‘make believe land is just different than the real world’ or start putting in the work and fix this. By the way, I’m not trying to make anyone feel bad for watching or even enjoying RWBY, but I hope people can watch it while recognizing that some of the things CRWBY has chosen to put into their show are destructive and that the creators need to be called out. I’ll continue to hope that most RWBY fans do recognize that RWBY is deeply flawed, but I’ve just been stewing recently about someone who told me that I shouldn’t have expected the show to address Faunus racism in the Atlas arcs because that ended when Adam died.

I want to make it totally clear that I agree with and support ACAB in the real world and I'm not against it being used in fantasy works, I just think CRWBY is doing a poor job of portraying it and many fans are misusing it and it feels disrespectful. This is an actual real world movement with actual real world consequences. It feels very bad to see people use it to argue that the writers who have never handled allegories of racism well can make an all POC group be a destructive, violent, easily controlled, easily beat group of corrupt cops that need a white woman and fellow cop to be the voice of reason.

[courage-a-word-of-justice]

Sk8 2 - 8 | Kemono Jihen 2 - 3 | Wave!! 2 - 5 | Back Arrow 3 - 6

Sk8 2

What’s with the filter over the recap?

These dance moves are cool (a derpy kind of cool)…but I’m seeing them all with the volume off (due to background noise), so I’ll have to find out what the audio is like later. Update: Rude-Alpha! Someone I actually do know!

I was worried about Truck-kun causing another Isekai Incident ™ there…phew…*wipes sweat off brow*

Is Langa…left-handed, perhaps? Or are left-handers not necessarily better with their left foot?

Langa’s mother’s so funny! It’s rare to see a mother who isn’t dead or just not talked about in anime.

Why is it that parody Sailor Moon transformations always happen with the buffest dudes possible…? That’s why it’s rare to get something like Boueibu, where it takes itself (semi-)seriously.

Lately, the urban aesthetic is cool. HypMic, Akudama, IWGP and now this…

Langa is 17. *takes notes on eligible bachelors, LOL*

“A huge family only embarrasses you.” – *nods*

I see! Although I don’t know anything about skateboarding, I can relate to him when he’s fixing a board up for Langa because I can see it’s Reki using his passion for a friend.

Oh, that’s why they call it Sk8 the Infinity…!

I keep calling it “wiping out” in my head when I watch…I’m no surfer, but I guess I’m more used to surfing lingo.

Hitori piledriver = piledriver by oneself ( I guess…?).

Sk8 3

I’ve never heard of this Takuma Nagatsuka (voice of Miya Chinen). He sounds like Kohei Amasaki…

Hmm…normally skateboarders wear protective gear, right? Couldn’t Langa have gotten some of that (now that I think of it)?

I guess this is also Reki’s pride as a board mechanic on the line here…never saw it that way until I thought about it like that.

I think I remember reading a comment once about Bakugo and Midoriya from BnHA – about how Bakugo seemed sluggish in his progress because he’d been training his Quirk from day 1, while Midoriya was trying to catch up. I think Chinen is in a similar situation.

I think what Chinen has is stability, above all others.

There’s a piece of paper in the back that has “supoort” (sic) written on it.

Chinen’s not…“smiling with his eyes”, you call it. In retail, you learn how to smile with the eyes even when it’s fake.

Kemono Jihen 2

Inari? Like the fox shrine?

So Shiki is a spider-guy and…what is Akira? I’ve heard whispers he’s a yukiotoko, but I don’t know at this point in time.

Kabane’s kinda short, LOL, even in comparison to Akira.

Shiki is definitely Bakugo, Spider Version…LOL.

Oh, BnHA came out in 2014 and Kemono Jihen in 2016 (manga).

Oh, that drip apparatus. I’ve only ever seen it in real life, I think – my dad uses one for his coffee.

Kemono Jihen 3

…hmm, I don’t think I’ve seen much set in Shinjuku. I think there’s Mayonaka Occult Koumuin, part of HypMic…and that might be it.

I laughed at “small meeting room”.

Apparently “biddy bait”, according to Urban Dictionary, is meant to mean “a lure for hot women”. I don’t particularly like Urban Dictionary, because the editors who make these definitions are clearly biased in some way or another while writing their definitions, unlike an actual dictionary.

Aw, come on! Why is it fire from the tail?! Fire from the mouth like a dragon is cooler!

Kabane’s getting ahead of himself! (LOL)

Just noticed Kon’s hoodie has a design that says FOX, but the X is inside the O.

…thank goodness for Shiki’s hand…

Akira’s been a bit of dead weight recently, so I hope he gets developed soon.

Back Arrow 3

I wonder if Shu Bi is asexual and/or aromantic…?

“…inherited the spirit of the former sheriff…” – That’s Atlee’s job…oh wait. It’s about the undies again…

This is fishy…this whole “paradise is beyond the canyon” thing.

Ooh, I get the feeling Shu Bi and Arrow will either come to blows with each other or fight on the same side…

Sk8 4

I wonder if episode 8 will look weird in the titles…? I mean, it will be “Sk8 8”…

I would think Reki’s straightforward emotions would be spiky shapes.

I knew women were something objectified by S, but…Langa, the deuteragonist? That’s new.

It just hit me: This would be so good with a dub…!

*Langa casually eats 10 burgers* - LOL.

“This has gotta be way too late!”

So now an anime character has stolen a motorcycle…LOL.

Back Arrow 4

The title of this episode seems to be “Is Today Yesterday’s Tomorrow?”, the service’s title that I’ve got in front of me is “Does Genius Come When Least Expected?”

This map reminds me of +Anima’s continent.

I seem to remember Boueibu was constructed as half an episode of idle talking, half fighting. Why do I bring this up? Because Back Arrow seems to be constructed similarly, episode-wise.

The reason I like the hot-blooded mech series and not the serious ones…is stupid things (<- I mean that affectionately) like Shu Bi pulling out a phone in a world like this.

What’s with the shot of Elsha’s butt…? I know it seems somewhat justified, considering the position her Briheight’s in…but the leery angle is a bit annoying.

…I keep thinking Bit will get a Briheight one day and he’ll be like Zenitsu – powerful only when he doesn’t know it.

Shin Fusui, right? “Ren Sin” kinda makes sense, given we didn’t know any better, but so does “Ren Shin”…Sin as a first name though…? Anyways, it’s Shin Fusui, Kei Suiitsu, Nen Kasei and Ko Chisen. Their names match their elements.

I never realised how skimpy Kei’s outfit was until she was without her Briheight on the ground…eesh, women and their skimpy outfits in this universe…

Wave!! 2

I’m going to differentiate this anime from the other Wave (Wave, Listen to Me) with 2 exclamation marks…also, I’m not able to mark this episode down until 4 episodes have gone, or until AniList makes a TV entry for this. Update: AniList did eventually make an entry for the TV version (i.e. the version I'm working off) of this anime.

Nalu was playing an invisible ukulele even in the bath, LOL.

I noticed Masaki keeps his corgi between his legs so that the dog doesn’t run away. That’s probably only a thing dog owners do, because I don’t think anyone inexperienced with pets would know if they could do such a thing.

Why do I get the feeling the symbol on one of Masaki’s shoulders is (meant to be) Rip Curl…?

I read some of the 4koma for this series (found on the website) and…Sho’s so cute, envying this ‘warm family”. Nalu still has his ukulele, even at the dining table, LOL.

LOL, random rainbow. Every time I read subs about Masaki extolling surfing, I’m reminded of what I call “translator’s high”. It’s the feeling of working under deadlines and being inspired to churn out a high-quality release.

…well, this is a surfing anime. I should have known this would talk about places that get lots of hot weather and big waves (like Australia) because Joel Parkinson is from Tweed Heads, Sydney.

Who’s Jojo Pardinen?

Why does Masaki call Tanaka “Murphy”?

Wave!! 3

Oh, so that man is Masaki’s dad…Right.

The real spirit of characters is shown after they’re defeated…that’s my thoughts, anyway.

I know what a repechage is…in fact, I learnt about that through the FP and M manga.

Oh! It’s “Nalu”, but written “Naru”.

Wave!! 4

Is there a 3rd place in these competitions?

Wait, so the guy in the pink shirt is Masaki’s dad, but then the Hawaiian shirt dude owns the shop. Am I right on this now…?

There is a magical girl called Sally, IIRC, and the description does match.

LOL, I like how the teacher is so indecisive.

Back Arrow 5

Shu Bi’s so pretty…I had my eyes on him from the beginning and now that’s paying me back tenfold.

I wonder if Shu will ever get a Briheight…? (I wanna see it!)

Back Arrow 6

Pretty boy farms!!! It sounds like abuse in a sense, but it also sounds like a dream (?!)

Bit reminds me of Sousuke (Classicaloid).

Oh, so the funky gold hat-thing with the purple ribbon is what the head diviner wears.

LOL wut…his name is “Bruh”? *tries to hide stupid smirk on face*

Wait, if it’s a pretty boy farm, how do you produce new pretty boys without women…? *scratches head*

Question: What is Gote’s conviction?

Wave!! 5

Kadomatsu (the bamboo), huh? Must be New Year’s. Likewise, the bush warbler (uguisu) means it’s spring.

Sk8 5

Milk, straight from the carton…*sigh* Boys… Update: (This is referring to how guys are typically shown chugging straight from the carton. As you can tell from the comment, I don't particularly like it.)

I like how suddenly, all the barriers come down for these guys, even though Kaoru said at one point they shouldn’t be coming down.

Battle of Ganryujima.

Sk8 6

…this woman Reki has the hots for is going to be a dude…that’s normally how this joke works.

Oh well, that was also a funny moment.

“Dangerous stuff is forbidden.”

Hiromi in a swimsuit is…vaguely disturbing.

Kamata? Y’mean, she has the word for “scythe” in her name and she’s a “mantis woman”? Makes sense.

Even on their day off, the Sk8 crew are fun to be with.

Sk8 7

Whoa! Straight to the OP!

…I’m suddenly scared. What if Langa’s mother gets put in danger…? (Like in Kanon.)

Sk8 8

I want Langa to punch Adam. In the face. Now!

…is Snake…Ainosuke’s butler? I can sort of guess from the hair…and the matching theme [of Adam, Eve and the snake in paradise]…

It is the butler!

[blackfemmecharacterdependency]

6. Passion Project

“What the hell am I reading?” The woman squealed in his ear, “And why is it ALWAYS something bizarre with you?”

“Did my favorite perennial flower get my emails?”

“Simon… you do know that I have both college AND a job to do, right? That not all of us achieve our dreams the first try?”

“I pay you good money for the work that I ask you to do!” Simon complained. “Unlike your day job that both pays you less than your male counterparts and less than you deserve in general.”

“Yeah, well… I live in the real world. Not like there’s some magical train to take me away from society and all it's problems. But, seriously… researching is one thing, but this feels oddly like stalking. First of all… I had to do some very illegal things to get this information - which, yes, I went ahead and did it, because by the time I got to that point I was feeling a little bit insulted by the thought of failing. Secondly… who IS this woman, Simon? How do you even know about her and what are you going to do with this information?”

“I met her in my everyday life and was interested in her, but found a simple background check difficult. I was people watching for a new story, but it’s become more like a passion project, now. But, I feel like you’ve got a lot to tell me about her!” He was teeming with excitement.

“I… found out things, things that I never would have wanted to ever know about anybody and am now honestly considering charging you for the therapy it’s gonna take me to get over this information… Where in your everyday life did you meet this person?”

“Why… what’s… what’s wrong with her?” Simon asked.

“A LOT. But… I don’t know… I guess she’s doing better, if you’re just seeing her out and about, but… I just…” Tulip yelped.

“Tools???” Simon called out.

Deep breathing. Then, she was back. “Sorry. Mikayla’s out, so I’m by myself and EVERYTHING is startling me. I’m gonna send you everything I found and my charges for this information. And Simon… please don’t ever send me anything like this again, and I mean it.”

“I only wanted to find out if she changed her name and why. How difficult could the information have been?”

“Most people don’t just change their names out of boredom, Simon. Also… it isn’t right to look into somebody this way. I’m only giving it to you because I don’t deserve to be the only person who has had to look at this.”

“That bad?” He heard sniffling. “Tools…”

“No, Simon! This is messed up! Don’t ask me for another favor again if you don’t know ANYTHING about the situation!”

“I’m sorry. I won’t do it again, I promise.” 

She let out a deep breath. “Is your mom going to the retreat or whatever this year?”

“Yeah. She’s super excited about it. She says that she hasn’t seen yours in too long. Is she going?”

“Yeah, she was able to scrape up this year to reserve her spot.”

“Mom’s already pulling out all of her Single Mom Squad shit.”

Tulip groaned. “I’m really glad that they had a support group and stuff, but honestly. Why did it become their entire personality for so long?”

“Because it was their little escape from having smartasses like us at home.” Tulip laughed and Simon reiterated, “Really sorry about whatever you read about Grace.”

“I… Is this somebody that you think that you could care about, Simon?”

“Yeah?”

“Okay. Just… be careful. I don’t see how they’re even still standing, much less how they’re in a position to care for someone else. I don’t know if I’m more afraid that you might get hurt if you get attached or that she might, but… it just looks like it’d be super hard to build with this person. They’ve got… a lot of... history.”

“She’s tried to warn me of that and I ignored her and will most likely ignore you.”

“Well, I did my part, anyway.”

.

Her name was not Grace St. Catherine… Well, it was, because she had it legally changed four years ago. But it had been Grace Monroe when she was born… up until when she was 10.

She was kidnapped when she was 10. Apparently there was a ransom requested, and whenever it was set to happen, the kidnappers took the money and did not return the child. Nobody who knew her before saw her again for 8 years.

When she was 18, she was arrested for assault and when giving her name to arresting officers, said 148, but eventually Grace Monroe. From there, she was discovered to have been missing for 8 years and her parents were contacted.

The Monroes conducted every possible test available to check the well being of their now 18 year old daughter. She was treated for several illnesses, including STDs and a number of mental issues...

She was committed at age 18, and declared a ward of her parents, instead of convicted, and spent the next three years recovering. At age 21, she was allowed to be classified as an adult. She changed her name, and lived with her parents until 2 years ago...

When she began working at the bookstore...

Tulip had even been able to find court documents, police records, and psychiatric files. So… yeah. He owed her big time, even beyond payment for having read even a portion of this stuff. Some of it was simply things Grace had reported to her doctors. Some were things that she had not spoken of, but there was physical evidence enough to grant some ideas. 

Years of damage to her uterus… Bruises and scars on her back, knees, thighs, wrists… A symbol carved into the back of her neck… He clicked on the images given from medical reports and saw the same A that had been spray painted on targets’ doors. He now knew who these people were, and why they deserved whatever Grace and her friends were doing to them. He looked at the photos of the girl before her disappearance vs the teenager in the mugshot. That didn’t even look like HIS Grace. She was the same person. He saw familiar features - her perfect round nose and beautiful full lips, the shape of her face a little more shapely there - probably wasn’t eating as well… but… that was a stranger. Only her eyes looked the same. Passionate but filled with pain. Beautiful and wide enough to get lost in, but dark, cold, and freakishly mysterious. 

He quickly called her and she picked up, “Did I not just see you a few hours ago?” she teased.

“I was just thinking about you… hoping that you’re okay tonight. Are you okay?”

She laughed, “Are you?”

“I just… want you to know… whatever happens, I’ll always be here for you.”

She was quiet for a long time. He wondered what she was doing on the other end of the line. She was looking at a selection of masks and knee pads, but her mind was no longer on the outfit for her Date Night, but the man on the other side of this phone conversation.

“Thanks, Simon… Um… Are… you sick? Is something happening to you? This just really feels out of nowhere and quite frankly, I’m a little worried.”

“There’s nothing to worry about! I’m fine. I just… really care about you, and had to tell you that.” 

Grace could’ve sworn that she saw a chorus of red flags being twirled around before her. Dancers, circling her and performing tricks with them. She was never one for rose colored glasses. She learned a long time ago that those weren’t for her… so these were red flags. She also knew that she often saw red flags where there were white ones. Because she didn’t believe in surrender, only blood for blood. She was angry in general, and usually seeing red. Simon’s red flags were probably no more red than any other poor guy that tried to simply make her smile over the past few years. But then he said,  “Grace, I lo…”

“Simon, I really can’t do this right now. I’ve got something I’m in the middle of. So, like… Just… I’ll talk to you another time.” She hung up and snatched a mask that looked like it was crying blood and a pair of purple knee pads. “Not L words, Simon. For fuck’s sake…”

.

Simon had learned so much, then she was just gone. She wasn’t at the bookstore in days and whenever he finally asked her coworker, they said that she had a no call, no show and they hadn’t heard from her since. She didn’t respond to any of his texts. She seemingly deactivated social media (or worse, blocked him), and she wasn’t even staying at home, because he drove by several times for two days, then literally camped outside for another two. If she was inside, she hadn’t answered, and he hoped that she wasn’t just ignoring him pining through the door. He hoped that she just wasn’t there to hear him beg her to please at least tell him what he did wrong.

He went into the flower shop and the guy that he had become super familiar with as “152” online, even though his nametag said “Heath,” asked him what he could help him with. Simon ordered a bouquet and wrote out a card for Grace, apologizing for whatever he did wrong and asking her to come back, He sighed and asked Heath, “Could you make sure that Grace gets this, please?”

“Grace?” the guy repeated, eyeing Simon suspiciously. “I don’t know any Grace, Mister.”

“148, maybe?” 

Now, the guy looked downright ready to fight. “I don’t know what you mean, but you’re making me uncomfortable, so I’m going to have to ask you to leave, now.” He even tried to refund him for the flowers.

“No, no… Please, just… tell her that I’ll be waiting, if she ever feels better…” He left and Heath followed him out of the door, watched him get into his car and drive off before he went back in to call Grace, panicked about that visit.

“Who the hell is this person and how does he know where I work?” Heath asked. 

“Let me guess, a little taller than me, skinny, blond with gray eyes and something on his head trying desperately to be a ponytail? That was Simon. I must’ve mentioned the flower shop, or something.” She knew that she never had, but to tell her friend that this person had potentially stalked her and learned about him in the process just seemed like it would cause more harm than taking the blame.

“You must’ve mentioned it? Grace. Either you mentioned it, or you didn’t, and YOU would know. It isn’t like you to be careless about our personal information!”

“I know, I know, but maybe I said that it was my favorite flower shop or something. Heath. You know that if you want, I can get you a job at basically anywhere else that I own.”

“I like flowers!”

“Then, I’ll buy another flower shop you can work at, if he made you feel threatened.” 

“Are you safe? He seems a little attached. He bought a really expensive bouquet and left a card. It’s sealed but I can read it to you.”

“No, I’ll stop by. I’ve got some job hunting to do, but…”

“Why don’t you just work somewhere that you’re familiar with, or somewhere that you own?”

“I don’t know. Because, I’m suddenly hyper aware of how messed up I am again, and I wanna feel like a normal person.”

“Well, I hate to break it to you, but normal people don’t get to just start over when life seems to be too much. We’ve gotta just continue to live it out, and change only ourselves, and maybe eventually our circumstances. Normal people would have called out of work (if they could even afford to) and came back, whether or not they were better and pushed through being miserable.”

“Are you suggesting that I return to the bookstore and ask for my job back?”

“Yeah. If it’s normal that you’re shooting for. But… I’ve got the feeling that you’re avoiding this creep.”

“I think things are moving way too fast. That’s terrifying.”

“Good news… that’s terrifying for normal people, too. Not everything that we do and feel is because of what the Apex did to us. If your manager likes you and values you, you can probably coax them into forgiving you for vanishing, with a good sob story.”

“Gonna go with dead homie,” she said. “Meds, etc. The whole works. If that doesn’t work, guess I’ll buy the bookstore. I really don’t feel like looking for another job, anyway… And I guess I can’t avoid him forever.”

.

She was back at work the next week. She noticed Simon sitting in the coffee shop whenever she came in. She skipped going for her old routine, to clock back in and get to work. She had to take down the Read Across America stuff and make sure to have all the Easter and Earth Day stuff situated… When was Easter this year? She checked her calendar as she grabbed her legal pad to start planning displays whenever she almost ran into Simon. He’d come over when he saw her return to the floor. She was startled. Then annoyed. “Simon. Please…”

“What did I do?”

“You’re… getting a little bit too… familiar. You didn’t do anything, I just don’t know how to handle having somebody else in my space this much. I just… need some space.”

He frowned and nodded his head, shoving his hands into his pockets. “Okay. You’re the boss.” She wanted to say something… explain why she was like this… why she could only trust her friends, who were more like her immediate family than her parents… even that she desperately wanted Simon to be in her space and to wait for her to be comfortable with having him there…

But, she couldn’t find any of those words. Even if she had, what if she were wrong? What if Simon catching feelings would be the worst thing to ever happen to her, or to HIM, for that matter. She watched him go, and hoped that after she had some time to chill out a little bit, she might be able to contact him again, and get another chance. So, she watched him leave the bookstore and get into his car. He peeled off, and she didn’t know if that meant he was angry or if there was a fluke with the car. She just hoped that he didn’t just show up at her friend’s job or anything else like that. Or something worse. The last thing he wanted while sad was to get on her friends’ bad side. The last thing she wanted was for him to learn that the hard way.

Simon overthrew every piece of furniture in his home. Samantha rushed into her room and hid, terrified of the noise. He cried, shook, paced…. How could he show her that he was on her side? Why did she want space?? Was she afraid of him??? DID SHE HATE HIM???? He flopped onto the floor, holding his head and shivering with tears, trying to catch his breath. 

He needed some place else to handle dealing with her, he realized as he glanced around his demolished home. A storage unit, maybe… He collected all of his stuff pertaining to her and put it all together. He stuffed it into one of his bags and put it into his trunk. He could clean up his house whenever he stored things away safely. He needed a big storage unit. He had a feeling that he was going to be collecting more while giving her some “space.”

This was how he might cope. He turned on the light in the new storage space and set down a few boxes. He hadn’t been back into the bookstore. There was no need. He wasn’t writing right now, anyway. He had more important things to do. He’d printed out  everything Tulip had researched for him and made plans to visit places he highlighted from all of the files. He got some photos professionally printed up - some poster size, some not as big, and some he simply just had various photo sizes. He just thought they would make nice decor for his new space. Grace had deactivated, but he still had just about every photo of her saved to his phone or computer, and they had taken a few as well…

He also… was starting to take them of her whenever he watched her… He just really missed her. It was only a couple of months in her presence, but that was longer than he had been interested in another person in a while, and he had never been this interested in anyone before. Any time he ever thought that he might be going too far, he reminded himself that she had both done and been through much worse than anything that he was up to at the moment, and that became his truth up until the very last time that he ever had to tell himself anything. 

That was May. By May… he didn’t think. It was simply part of his lifestyle. Following, watching, studying, photographing, sometimes recording. But, she still hadn’t reached out to him, and he wasn’t sure if she wanted him to reach out to her. He tried to test it, by leaving her a bouquet of those red poppies that he’d seen her and her friends put on their friend’s grave. He watched, recording her reaction whenever she got home and saw them on her doorstop. She looked around, startled, kneeled to check the card. “Missing you. - S” She looked… relieved. He wasn’t sure who she thought they were from, but she grabbed them, went inside, and moments later, came out with an overnight bag and her turtle. She didn’t come home for days.

Next, he texted and said, “Hey. Sent you flowers. My mom asked about you. Hope you’re okay.” He watched her check the text before she went into the train station, but she didn’t reply. So… she still wasn’t ready, but he was letting her know that he was still waiting. By that time, nothing felt unreasonable to him. He was simply waiting for her to realize that she’d had enough space. He was curious about where she went to when she’d leave for days. The next time he scared her into not staying home alone, he’d follow. It was all that he could do at the moment.

07. Things Went Wrong

[x-ximenas]

Midnight (Pt. 2)

Prompt: Midnight - 5SOS. A bit of Stay - Post Malone

Pairing: Female!Reader/Roger Taylor

Warnings: Mentions of sex (I don’t go in full detail, but there are big innuendos), sad sad things  and my terrible grammar and punctuation remember English’s not my first language.

Word Count: 3,488 words

A/N: So sorry for taking this long to put this up, been having some trouble with my finals, but I survived!! If you liked this bit, I’d love to hear some comments! If you’d like to be added to a taglist for upcoming parts comment, dm me, ask me… just communicate with me!

A/N pt.2: Like most of the time, I took a few literary liberties, there are some movie things, there’s some real stuff, so… yeah.

A/N pt.3: If you’re looking to read some Brian stuff, I have a multipart story (pt. 1, pt. 2) -sadly not finished- but if you read it and like it I’ll do my best to do something about it.

// Part 1 // Part 3 //

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The light was streaming through the almost translucent curtains, warming the room up nicely; birds were chirping at each other, content at today’s weather, thankful for a sunny day instead of the typical foggy grey-ish looking one. It looked as if today was a promising day, one to spend outside, walking in a park, maybe having a picnic with your friends; a day to fall in love and to be truly happy even if you were just having a lazy day with your lover.

Roger woke up due to the light that burned his eyelids, indicating that it was early in the morning and that he had to leave before Y/N woke up. Last night was different to him, it felt different at least, they rarely talked about that kind of transcendental stuff -the future, you know?-, they rather just joke around, as if they were real friends, as if they weren’t naked under the covers and they were just lazing. 

Last night felt special, he reckoned, they seemed more connected than usual and Roger was okay with that, but simultaneously he was really scared about it, he didn’t tend to form substantial bonds with the people he kept this type of relationships, he rather just do what his body craved for and leave, no more words required, just the carnality of the whole ordeal. But with Y/N was different, there were so many interesting things that he enjoyed about her, and unlike the other woman that he frequented, he had to work to get to her, she was unique because she was herself and nobody else. So why was he so afraid?

With a sigh, he looked over his shoulder, Y/N was still very much asleep on the other side of the bed they were still lying on, small snores slipped from her mouth intermittently, she looked calm, a similar feeling resting on Roger’s chest as he gazed at her with tenderness, a feeling that soon was replaced with pure guilt.

He stretched his arms over his head and stood up wanting to crack his back but stopping so that he wouldn’t wake her up. Even though he had considered staying multiple times he always decided against it, so as usual he just grabbed his things from where they laid randomly on her floor and took them to the hallway, where he started to dress himself in the clothes he found on the way out of her flat.

Like most times, guilt rested on the pit of his stomach making him feel fidgety and uneasy, he hated leaving and he hated lying. He groaned as he rubbed his face with both hands, last night repeating in his head, the question, her skin, her lips, and how she opened up her soul, he was really stupid for ignoring such raw moment and even more for not speaking up.

“Say you’re mine” He groaned, his head lulling forward in concentration, sweat dripping off his face, mixing with hers as it cascaded down the valley of her chest.

“I’m yours.” She moaned into his ear, earning a grunt in return as she clawed at his back, surely leaving some red marks.

The small pang of pain apparently edged Roger as he responded in an animalistic manner: “Yes, you are.”

“And I’m yours” he mumbled, before kissing her, such mumble was lost by the feeling of each other’s lips and the slapping sounds their bodies made as they rocked against one another, the headboard moving in harmony.

He's never felt more alive...

He looked around her flat, taking everything in, truly second-guessing if he should leave or not, but his mind was suddenly taken off the topic when his eyes caught sight of a little notepad lying on her countertop, a pen next to it. A thought crossed his mind and he decided to listen to it, so he grabbed the notepad and pen and wrote down a simple sentence for Y/N to read once she wakes up.

As if a note could make his departure any less hurtful, as if it could cover all the things he was keeping from her.

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Mirroring Roger's wakening, Y/N woke up with the tender touch of the unusual rays of sun grazing the exposed skin of her back, echoing the touch of Roger's coarse fingertips, even in her sleep she swore she could still feel his touch. Unlike earlier in the morning the birds have ceased chirping and the only hint of their presence were their silhouettes intermittently blocking the sunlight; they were basking in the gift that was the sun, its appearance was bizarre, so when the clouds decided to let the star come out and play, nature sung along to the tune that the light gave off.

Even though her brain already knew that Roger was no longer laying next to her, the ghosts that danced on her skin made heart hopeful, she longed to find him in the same place he was in when they decided to fall asleep; reason why when she turned her body on herself and face the other side of the bed, her fingers stretched in search of her partner's body heat, yet she found nothing but coldness and the empty bed, leaving a similar feeling on the centre of her chest. It's amazing how, after all this time, she can still keep her hopes up.

Y/N's hand mindlessly patted around the place where Roger used to rest, and with a saddened sigh, and after finally giving up, she lied on her back, her hand coming up to rest on her forehead, the feeling of emptiness spreading throughout her body at a much slower pace than pleasure spreads out. With a shake of her head, she decided to begin sitting up on the bed, firstly using her elbows then the heels of her hands and when she finally was in a comfortable sitting position she moved her body closer to the headboard as to lean her head on the cold surface. 

Yet another sigh escaped her lips as she rubbed the tiredness off her eyes, she didn't necessarily know why she was tired, maybe it was the outcome of last nights events or... she was tired of running around in circles, chasing Roger endlessly on this ridiculous cycle. Now, she groaned in frustration. Y/N had found herself stuck in yet another series of emotions, as of lately her feelings have ranged from love and appreciation to despair and anger, Roger really had her fucked up.

She swiftly threw the scarce covers that were left on her to the other side of the bed making her shiver, consequence of the quick exposure to the sudden gust of air that came through her open window. Her arms flew up to her breasts in an attempt to cover herself both from the cold and the physical vulnerability related to being naked. And like that, she made her way to her bathroom, despite being in her own flat that little walk felt as if it was emulating the popularly known "walk of shame". 

Without much going through her head, she started to get the shower ready for her liking, the water hot, but not hot enough to burn her skin red. As she jumped under the constant beating of the water her mind went numb and her actions quickly switched to auto-pilot, she wasn't up to giving the Roger situation more thought, knowing that if she let her head keep weaving this fantasies she will end up hurting herself even further, parallelly, she also knew that picturing tragic and saddening endings to this thing they had going on wasn't any good for her mental health, either. She was perfectly aware of how her mind could wander off and she was afraid that if she let herself do so, she might end up facing Roger and finally wrapping things up before they wrapped themselves, not a happy outcome, though.

Finally turning off the water of her shower she stepped out of the fog with a towel loosely wrapped around her chest as she held another towel to her hair, giving it a soft yet lazy massage as if to dry it up. On her way out the bathroom to her room, she quickly exchanged the hair towel with a brush, carefully unknotting the mess that was her hair.

With a huff, she opened her closet doors, looking for something nice to wear on an equally as nice day. She was going out with Kat and Donna once again, just this time they decided it was wiser to meet in this sweet little café before heading to Biba instead of meeting at a pub to watch Y/N's lover perform. She quickly threw on her underwear and some bell-bottom brown suede pants, a white button-down sleeveless shirt with a barely-there flower design; and for shoes, a pair of heeled brown and beige suede loafers.

She took a quick glance on her full body mirror, trying to make up her mind on how many buttons she was going to leave unbuttoned. After making up her mind, she was begging to the gods that the mark Roger left wasn't visible if she were to bent over a bit or if the flap of the shirt were to move slightly. Huffin out, her eyes quickly diverted to her face -she decided to ignore the hickey, it was there, fuck what people thought- her hair was brushed out, parted by the middle, sho all she did was brush the front strands behind her ears with the help of a white headband. As she got closer to examine her face, she quickly made up her mind to not over-do her make-up, she'll just brush her eyebrows, add some black mascara to both her top and bottom eyelashes and paint her lips a soft hue of pink.

With a shake of her head, she made her way to her small living room, deciding it was rather wise to water her plants and feed the cat before she went out with the girls. As she poured water on the mildly dry soil she muttered soft encouraging words, complimenting the way that their flowers bloomed or how green their leaves were, caressing the beautiful plants that made her home look lively, plants that she took care of religiously, keeping her somewhat grounded and making her small flat look lively, turning it into a home of her own. Next, she opened the door to her flat, knowing that it was almost certain that Whiskers was standing patiently outside waiting for her daily treat, although Whiskers wasn't hers, she loved him endlessly, he was a lovely cat, endlessly spoiled by everyone that lived in the building.

After leaving a small plate with food outside her door, she took her bag and left the flat, locking the door behind her -a thing that she had initially forgotten about-. As she walked down the street, she took notice on how despite it being sunny outside, a nice gentle breeze of air run from one side of the city to the other, and how when she got tired of the burning sun and she decided to hide herself in the shadows the buildings casted she got cold. Still, she made her way to the café near Biba that the trio frequented, her stomach groaning in protest as she realised she hadn't even had the care of taking an apple or some other snack to eat on her way to the café.

When she got there, she found herself facing the quiet little café, Donna nor Kat anywhere to be seen, so she made her way to one of the tables in the back, a waiter not far behind her, offering a menu with a soft smile. She quickly scanned the menu, pretending to make up her mind in something to eat, the waiter just stood there with a smile, Y/N went there quite often and she always ordered the same thing, he was taking her order in consideration, because the people behind the bar were already making her usual.

"I'll have... I don't know, the usual I guess" she answered, there you have it, bingo!

Everyone in here knew her already, the trio had the tendency to hang out there every once in a while, sometimes they just went there to relax or study, other times they reunited to chat and eat, prepare themselves before heading to Biba or whatever store they had in mind that day.

Y/N waited for her friends to arrive, they usually arrived on time, but strangely enough, the pair were taking a little more time to get there. You see, Kat and Donna were roommates, which made hanging out way easier for the three girls, they could all chill in Kat and Donna's place and have Y/N share a bed with one of them. Also, that meant that when they decided to go out Kat and Donna arrived simultaneously, and usually quite punctually, maybe they overslept.

Though Y/N's thoughts were quickly diverted when she saw Roger walking past the café, a know quickly forming on the pit of her stomach and maybe even her throat when she saw the same brunette from the night before running to catch up with him right in front of the large window showcasing the place, right in front of Y/N. It all seemed like a very poor written joke and she was having none of it, especially after seeing how the brunette's hand looked for the warmth of Roger's, smiling up to him and getting a smile in return... why couldn't she be her? It wasn't fair, it wasn't right, she felt played with, was she just that? A toy?

The clearing of a throat broke her out of her sad daze, as the waiter from before looked at her with an understanding smile, placing her black tea in front of her along with a croissant and a pain au chocolat; she smiled in return, though the smile never reached her eyes and the hunger she once felt when she arrived quickly dissipated into a feeling of nothingness, sickness even.

With a mumble of a 'thanks' she started to play around with her food, adding sugar and milk to her tea, even though she didn't really think she was going to drink it, too afraid that it would propitiate her sickness. But she didn't need to eat or drink anything to make the queazy feeling in her stomach grow, no siree, all she needed was to see Roger and the girl walking into the café, holding hands, finger intertwined.

Her gaze never left him as her eyes quickly watered, and he felt her eyes on him, how couldn't he? He had seen her the moment they stopped in front of the little place, he knew this place from Y/N's stories, he was well aware that this place was Y/N's little place and here he was, standing with another woman by his side, oh how he felt stupid right now, he knew he shouldn't have walked in there, he knew he was making a huge mistake, but he wasn't able to stop Gina -that was the brunette's name- from entering the warm looking café.

Roger had met Gina not too long ago, he had bumped into her at Biba to be exact when looking for clothes with Freddie and Mary. He wasn't planning on talking to her, but she was too kind and too sweet, and he was too stupid, he never dared stop her from talking. And one thing let to the other, and next thing you know they were seeing one another, Gina didn't know about Y/N and Y/N didn't know about Gina, until know, and he could feel the betrayal in her eyes without even looking at her, he had turned Y/N down so many times, too scared to fuck things up; but here he stood with another girl under his arm, a real douche.

Y/N's hand shakily rose, calling for the waiter, she was taking her food with her and she was heading back home, she couldn't stand the thought of being near them, she didn't know if it was out of pain and hurt or maybe even disgust. He quickly arrived by her side and she gently gave the food back to him, asking if he could wrap it up for her to take and if he could tell her how much she had to pay for it. And so he did.

He returned to the table with her food in a little bag and the bill for her breakfast, so she was quick to pull out some pounds, not caring for how much money she was leaving as tip, she was aching to leave and so she did, only bothering to write a quick apology note to her friends, she knew they'd understand.

As Y/N left the café, Roger finally dared to look at her and in doing so he could tell how badly he had screwed up. Y/N looked gorgeous, with her hair flowing down her back, barely being put back by the pearly white headband that rested on her head, her eyes, despite the sadness that had found its home there, were gorgeously framed by the darkened lashes, lashes that were starting to stain her lids, as they were wet from the tears that threatened to escape her eyes -he had made her cry, and it made him feel awful every time-; her lips that once were painted a light shade of pink were turning a paler shade by the second, as she was removing its colour every time her tongue darted out to wet the drying skin, same skin that was being bitten down as a way to anchor herself to stop the tears from forming. There she went, one of the most beautiful girls he had ever been with, he should've run for her, he should've chased her, but his feet felt heavy as his hand was wrapped around someone else's.

Y/N quickly hailed a passing by cab, wanting to get home as soon as possible, yearning to leave the awful scene behind, same scene that replayed in her head. Roger didn't kiss Gina nor anything close to it, but the proximity that they shared gave Y/N chest pains. She looked out the window absentmindedly as she told the cab driver were to take her, her fingers tracing small figures on her legs, trying to keep herself grounded. Don't cry...

As Y/N's gaze was kept on the outside, she took notice on how the weather changed, the sun that she was awoken by was no longer in sight, hidden behind the typical London clouds, it appeared as if rain was soon to approach but it didn't, it just taunted the brave folks walking around unprotected from the unstable weather. The birds that were once caught flying around had made up their minds and decided on heading back to their respective nests; the warmth that hung on the air had been replaced by stronger winds, leaving Y/N feeling cold not only externally but from the inside as well.

Y/N handed the driver some money and headed to her flat, her feet dragging as she went. The weather had indeed forgiven her, for as she passed the entrance to the complex rain started to pour. With a sigh, she got her keys out, only stopping herself from entering to pet Whiskers, who purred at the saddened woman, he could feel it radiating off of her and he didn't know what else to do to comfort her but this sole thing.

Once she closed the door behind her she fell to the floor, her back against the wood as she just let the tears roll down her cheeks, no sobs came out of her mouth, no sound escaped her, she just wanted to let everything out at once before pretending everything was okay. The living room's window was open, intensifying the lack of warmth in the place, she lived alone but never felt the solitude, not until today, the only company she kept was Whiskers, her plants and Roger, though she quickly realized she had to stop counting him as a company. The tears that were streaming down her face were leaving wet patches on her shirt and pants, not like she minded, but it made her shiver every time wind blew through the window.

She didn't know how long had she been sitting there, just crying her eyes out, but once she felt she had no tears left to cry she stood up, placing the cold food on the countertop and as she was about to open the bag her eyes drifted to a small piece of paper, lying out of place.

Sorry for leaving, dove. Maybe I'll stay one day... A future for the two of us.

// Part 3 //

[sillyfudgemonkeys]

tbf, the Oku arc also had the bs morgana/ryuji argument with inconsistencies like "Oh Ryuji's just in it for the fame/chicks!" as if his trauma from Kamo wasn't a thing, and like, when was he obsessed about getting chicks by being a PT? And then the plot favors Morgana even after running off, nearly running over the PT in car form (which i'm pretty sure would kill/injure them), and then robbing Haru of the big conflict scene with her dad

not to mention the same crap of Ryuji apologizing even though Morgana insulted HIM, akin to the Ann and Makoto situation; if we're pointing out character assassination in the Kamo arc it's only fair to bring it up in the Oku arc (not to mention Mona's whole hissyfit preventing the player from doing ANYTHING with free time, even though those scenes could've easily been edited to not include Morgana ye there're some damn good reasons the Oku arc is unanimously hated) 

Under cut cause length (I agree but....there are things that make it a bit murky)

100% agree with the free time stripped away, that was a bad design choice. That being said, I don’t think P5 offers a lot to do after you max stats and max CoOps (P3/4 have a similar issue but, hear me out, P5 is newer and probably should’ve fixed that by now), like more free time is great for people that don’t have this game down to a science like me (I tend to literally just sleep the last like 14 days of the game so I can get to the next story beat cause there’s nothing else to do, first playthrough to boot....I’ve played too much of this game even for trophies orz). Royal helps a bit with the darts game and my Palace (latter being a curse and a blessing)...oh and the challenge mode (except you know....majority of it is behind a paywall :D....but like the batting cage and darts games I don’t feel any motivation to keep playing it, not like the counterparts with Judgement. Fishing is a bit better, maybe it’s because I have something to work towards (better gear, better bait?) but there’s not a lot of variety so I’m kinda bored fast. Tycoons’ fine, maybe add more card games, but that one is solid...but it’s outside of the time block mechanic so there’s no issue??? The arcade is a treasure trove of stuff we could do just for fun (I ought to make (another) post about what we could have tbh). The game is kinda barren in terms of stuff to do ironically (maybe they needed to bring back P3/4 style quests or maybe more mini games I dunno just something). Moving on tho

And also I agree Haru was ROBBED...and so was Oku. Nothing really more to say tbh, her spotlight was stolen and Oku suffered as well. (I mean Kane suffered too, and instead of having Mako’s spotlight stole she ruins other chars spotlight instead and set off a domino effect that’d lead to her and Futaba taking the most spotlight as the game goes on but I dunno I’m just salty 8U) At least how she joins isn’t bad (idea? good. Execution? bad), and the lack of screen time where it went wrong as well. 

As for the other stuff....I agre....tho......here’s the thing (and what makes it murky)...when it comes to Mona....apparently they didn’t translate him well. He’s apparently NOT super mean to Ryu, he’s more of a joking kinda tone (at worst it’s P4 levels of banter, which.....imo is fine in theory since there’s no malice in those) when he does it. Like....take the part in a battle if Ryu misses, he’ll say “GAWD Skull, you’re PATHETIC!” with as much vitriol and contempt one could muster....but in the Japanese it’s like “you lame, lame guy” with an “ahaha haaaaa that was really bad :(” kinda tone (so it’s suppose to be like “haha....that was lame bro”). (he’s also supposed to come off as a wannabe gansta but they didn’t translate that.....unless they meant to translate him being insufferable then well 8U bad choice) So like...anytime he insults Ryu it’s suppose to be in a more friendly joking manner than what we got. This is probably why Ryu kinda lets him walk all over him. Ryu is suppose to be the one that actually fire shots first at Mona, and why it’s keen he apologizes first (that being said, even tho Mona’s shots are more playful/in good faith in the Japanese...I dunno how I feel about him doing that from like...the beginning when he barely knows them. 1) he lacks the familiarity and he does it from the beginning and 2) he lacks being the “mood lifter” that Yosuke’s role is coupled with putting his foot in his mouth, it makes no sense for Mona to be ragging on anyone even playfully). So apparently it’s more of a character assassination from the localization team (guess they didn’t fix it in Royal?). (it’s probably why.....iirc Mona ranked higher than Ryu in one of the first JPN polls?). (I still hate Mona tho, even tho I do know it’s possibly a localization error....I still don’t like him....plus other stuff he does too so...yeah). This isn’t the first time it happened tho in the series.

Past examples: PQ1, as much as I hold it higher than PQ2 all around, did character assassinate Teddy in one aspect. Him with Koro, in Japanese he has a failed but benign nickname/insult for Koro that’s like “puppy-doggy,” they translated it as “mutt” in english. Freaking mutt. I still think they should’ve used “Dawg”, not only is it closer to how the Japanese intended it, but it also works with Teddie already saying “fo’ sho.” Then there’s Yukari.....now I think it’s only with Junpei but apparently she’s more of a motherly scolding type when talking down to Junpei, and it doesn’t translate well in english (this and the “cold woman who keeps her emotions in tact” doesn’t either).....that being said I didn’t see it explaining her other bad behaviors so~! *shrugs*

THAT BEING SAID, man did Ryu come swinging OUT OF NOWHERE around Futaba’s dungeon. Straight up just calling him useless (ironically enough tho......he is) like????? Hold up, who are you and what have you done with my Ryu....but technically it was a bit before Oku’s arc started....and......while JARRING as all get out, it does make some sense.....it’s happened enough times befor Oku’s dungeon that they want to capitalize. And even if Mona’s banter was more in good nature, he and Mona still bantered so him maybe bullying him (partially cause fame is getting to his head now) isn’t TOO far off. 

As for Ryu and wanting fame, I’ll....yield for now. I could’ve sworn Ryu had soooome build up of wanting to use his fame for girls.......Actually, wait, I remembered something (both Ryu and one contradiction, it’s a minor one but yeah, minor compared to other arcs in both multitude and magnitude tbh). I think it’s just he was enjoying the PT’s popularity a little too much (rather than just tied to girls). I feel like it’s an arc he’s going through rather than character assassination, a weird choice (esp since they treat it like a team too later but-I’ll get to that).  I mean like I said with Dungeon 3, they were like “no we aren’t going after who the police are going after..........BECAUSE THEN THEY’LL TAKE THE CREDIT!” Like???? Didn’t think the fame went to your head just yet (you’d think it’d be starting as soon as Kane was caught rather than well prior). And then there’s.....Day Breakers....before we even got the game, happening sometime right as or right before Kane’s dungeon begins....he says some things that confused me. It was something along the lines of not wanting to go after small fish, or they needed a big target (the line was kinda implying eff the little guys)....and it confused the HELL outta me. Because we had JUST GOTTEN an article and Ryu was described as the reason the PT was formed, and everyone was like “Oh he cares so much about the victims!” only for him to not.....really.... with that line....and it was just weird. And while that is Day Breakers (it was made in mind to give us a taste of what was to come).....there’s that line I just mentioned that happens around the same time as DB.....which means the devs planned to this “we want to be popular” back in Mako’s dungeon..... which, in that dungeon it’s weird as hell cause we’re really not that far past them still being like “no save the victims above all else!” but again this change started happening in dungeon 3. Tbh I say this but I bet I can find a line or two around dungeon 1/2 for Ryu showing he’s more than just about victims.....which is weird....this isn’t handled with the delicacy it should if they wanted to go with that narrative....but it’s not all Dungeon 5′s fault tbh.

But that does lead to the contradiction (or I should say it’s weird/doesn’t make sense thing)...... We don’t want to go after Oku cause it seems fishy, and Ryu isn’t happy about it cause he wants to but yields, then Mona gets mad at Ryu (probably from being called useless, you know, cause Ryu’s been firing actual shots lately unlike Mona but the eng audience doesn’t realize it cause bad translation). But still he gets mad at the ONE PERSON who also wants to go after Oku???? That’s so counter productive??? And iirc then the game goes from the group being “we need to not go after Oku cause it seems sketch despite knowing what we know” to “of course we’re going after him! and *gasp* I can’t believe he’s done this! Even tho we’ve known about it we’ll be surprised! Also we’re ALL now responsible for having popularity go to our heads u_u” despite the fact we’re kinda only going after him cause of Haru’s plight (which is also where PQ2′s bold face lie comes in). 

Frankly I think Ryu and Mona should’ve been volatile to each other from the get go (just a mutual hate, iirc maybe similar to Mark and Nanjo from P1). Just complete animosity, and both being at fault by the time dungeon 5 happens. With both apologizing at the end. OR, make the Oku dungeon a place where the whole team is split (kinda like the Namatame TV scene in P4). Like I said good potential, just bad execution. 

Oku’s dungeon’s writing isn’t good by any stretch of the means. But a lot of stuff is either translation issues, or shitty seeds that were laid a lot prior t o this dungeon (and thus not really it’s fault it came about, its job is to resolve/capitalize on those seeds now). Kane’s? Literally trying to uproot and lie about an arc, not even laying seeds like Ryu, just straight up lying. Characters won’t act exactly like they used to. Oku’s Mona takes up a lot of Haru’s screen time, but in Kane’s the game literally bends to Mako’s will to get her into our team. 

Oku’s plot, while fumbled is plausible: Two chars who fight the entire game finally blow up, one runs off and ends up dragging in and recruiting another char who ironically is connected to our target....and is dragged in because Mona was near said target....cause she’s his dad....As opposed to Kane where: An adult thinks it’s a good idea to ask a normal student to look into something that cops usually look into (TWICE) even tho all he needs is a list which he should be able to provide due to having a bunch of names dropped the day of the confession and thus not actually NEED her or the events to even take place. Or the fact that the game seems to think Mako’s situation is any way plausible to ever happen and thus be taken seriously, along with all the character/story consistency being thrown out the window. 

Like I like Ryu and hate Mona, but....Ryu has some flaws tbh.....beyond just harassing Anne, he’s not perfect and that’s ok (tho how they handle any and all of it is not ok). Some seem counter intuitive to his apparent good boi nature. He’s kinda like Makoto with writing inconsistencies, but he’s limited to like....two diff modes while Mako is whatever the writers feel like atm consistency be damned. 

Also here’s the thing with Car Mona part.......either the writers forgot (wouldn’t be surprised)......or....they’re ignoring what they did. Mona literally states he needs someone to drive him when he first transforms:

Perv pyramid scene doesn’t really show Makoto driving-driving (she could just be gassing it while leaning, but like.....how much do we have to turn this wheel-whatever that’s not the issue here). Only time he is driving without input is when the team gets dragged into PQ2 (which makes sense), or with the Showtime (btw I hate these and that damn star), but the star “making the impossible possible” makes that make sense..... But this.....shows it means Haru must’ve tried to run us over. Now grant it she’s on Mona’s side, but it really begs the question....was it her idea or was it Mona’s? Or can Haru just not drive? I can def see Mona telling Haru to floor it tho, and her being like “Sure thing Sensei!” 

Oku’s arc, while badly written (and stuff setting it up was also badly written), makes some logical sense (execution was flubbed, but I can see it working at least  with someone more competent). Kane’s doesn’t make any sense on any level...and is badly written. It’s just, whatever Oku’s does (writing wise), Kane’s does worse and goes farther in making sure it’s worse. It’s like comparing two rotten apples. Oku’s is half rotten (not completely rotten, there’s still some non corrupt parts to that apple, but still rotten), and Kane’s is completely rotten (a mushy mess, nothing redeeming, rotten to the core). Both are bad, both are rotten, but one’s more far gone. 

[airiat]

Find the Word Tag Game

rules: find the four words in your writing, and then pick four more that other people need to find in theirs.

tagged by: @curiousartemis & @that-nordic-bish

tagging: @doomedteaparty @hircines-meatloaf @ash-yam-stew @aetheriumity @diamond-loki (and anyone else who wants to!)

my words (combining the ones from each person i was tagged by): smirked, laughed, smiled, confused, fury, shock, soft, kiss

words for you: beautiful, hurt(s), touch(ed), quiet

*might be sneaky and include these words even if they’re modified (ie: softly, laugh) because i write in present tense*

pulling from my WIP fic Lead Me Not into Temptation and my WIP short story Windrime (not yet posted). 

content warning: mild NSFW and then straight up smut at the end

this is a looooong one, fellas. strap in 👇

smirk(ed)(s):

LMNIT: 

At this, he smirks in the way I have begun to associate with his inflated sense of self. “I would’ve, had you just asked.”

//

“Not afraid, are we?” he asks, and though his face is obscured by his helmet, I can still sense the smirk he wears behind it. “The temple’s at the top of this next hill.”

//

She nods and leaves for the main hall of her home. When she’s gone, Teldryn walks over to the fireplace in the corner of the room and tosses another log into it. Almost as if the fire reminds me of the surely frigid temperature outside, I pick up a fur from the bed and wrap it around my shoulders. My eyes drift to watch him as he prods the fire. The spell of Calm he used on me was incredibly effective--I cannot recall a time when I was as at ease as I am now. Eventually, he notices my gaze, and that smirk of his appears.

//

His smirk takes on a devious edge. “That was a very strong spell I used on you. It often has the unfortunate--or fortunate--side effect of behaving like a truth serum.”

Windrime: n/a

laugh(ed)(s):

LMNIT:

“This makes mead seem like cow’s milk,” I say after a moment. He laughs and moves to refill my mug, but I hold a hand out to stop him. “Unfortunately, I find myself on your island for business, not pleasure.”

//

I let out a loud laugh, and I see the Dunmer at the fireplace startle at the sound of it. The grin on the face of this mercenary touches every feature now. He knows the game I’m playing at.

//

Teldryn laughs. “Nords really do have such absurd tales. That can’t be poss-,” he starts to say, but I interrupt him.

//

“Duck!” I shout, fabricating a ward spell in front of us. Barely a moment later, a swarm of darts dripping with poison comes pelting into the ward. My magicka is resilient enough to hold them off, and they rain to the ground after making contact. The assault lasts all of seconds, but adrenaline now rushes through my veins. When I am certain it is over, I release my spell and stand. From behind me, Teldryn begins laughing, though I fail to find anything humorous about the situation. I then hear Frea scold him with motherly disapproval and he immediately ceases.

//

"Who are you to dare set foot here?” Miraak questions, sizing me up as I remain on my knees at his feet. “Ahh... You are Dovahkiin. I can feel it. And yet, you have never slain a dragon.” He laughs with cruel humor. “You have no idea of the true power a Dragonborn can wield! Mul Qah Div!” He Shouts, and from his body materializes the form of a dragon’s natural armor, but translucent and glowing orange like embers.

//

I cannot help but to laugh at the way their dynamic has taken shape; Teldryn, the tactless, excitable child, and Frea, the weary mother who constantly has to correct his poor social graces.

“See?” Teldryn says, motioning to my laughter. “I’m a halfway decent mage--she’s fine.”

//

I risk a light laugh as the dagger leaves my neck. “Here in the flesh.”

//   

“...you mean a dragon? Are you serious?” he pauses to let out a laugh, and my eyes snap open in anger, bracing for another fight with him. “Do you not even realize the power you have within you?”

//

I snort with laughter. “Now that’s something I’d pay a few septims to see.”

Windrime:

I must laugh at the nature of his inquiry. How unlike him it is to speak with even a semblance of romance. Perhaps he feels the gravity of tomorrow, too. “Surely I cannot contend with something that is divine in its creation,” I respond.

//

I know not my reason for asking this question, only that it was pieced together from the fabric of my mental exhaustion. Teldryn laughs. “Alright,” he says. “I think it’s more than time for you to rest.”

//

I bristled at his words. “Protect me?” I laughed, but there was no humor in it. “Have you forgotten who I am? I can force my enemy to their knees faster than you could draw your sword. If loving me is a burden, then I release you from it. I have no further need of you, Teldryn.”

//

“By the Eight,” I say, laughing against his lips. “Your breath is rank.”

//

“Not today, my friend,” I say, laughing as I lure him away from the area with an irresistible shake of a tankard before dumping it in a clearing in the grass for him. Then, I return to Kalina who grazes serenely near our tent without even a hint of attention paid to the unguarded feed bag.

//

smile(d)(s):

LMNIT:

“I wouldn’t dare think anything else,” he says with the hint of a smile. "Teldryn Sero: the best swordsman in all Morrowind is at your service . . . for the right price.”

//

“Five thousand septims,” he answers, the smile spreading to both sides of his mouth.

//

“Sure thing, friend,” he says with a smile casually thrown back at me as he begins to walk forward, resuming his earlier path.

//

I pause for a moment, not having anticipated the enthusiasm he reacted with. Instead, when I look into his face, I can see that his excitement is earnest; in fact, he radiates it. His smile is wide and toothy, and he practically bounces on the balls of his feet—the picture of a child waiting with anticipation to open gifts on Saturalia. It’s almost as if he has suddenly been given renewed purpose in his life.

//

Teldryn nods and Frea smiles, both in encouragement. I take a deep breath and push the door open. It groans on its ancient hinges and a cloud of dust rushes forth at me, but I step inside.

//

Teldryn then comes to stand next to me, and Frea in back of us. Teldryn and I lock eyes. He smiles, waving his hand with a flourish as if to say “they’re all yours.” 

//

[NSFW]

He reaches over and brushes his fingertips between my legs to silence me. When I startle at his touch, the humor in his smile morphs into something more wicked. “You’ll just have to wait,” he purrs.

//

“I look just like a Nord now,” Teldryn proclaims, his smile wide.

“I beg to differ,” I say, putting aside my notebook. “Though if you covered your face...”

“Always so serious you are,” he says, smile turning coy. “Besides, wouldn’t that be doing you a disservice?”

//

I want to finally speak my gratitude to her, but the front door opens and Teldryn comes bursting through with an exasperated groan as chunks of snow come tumbling off his coat and boots. I glare mercilessly at him as he pushes back his hood and runs his hands through the mohawk that has gone flat on his head. He catches my eye through my stare and smiles at me as if he were oblivious to the venom in my expression. When he shakes his head wearing the same bemused look that he’s given me so many times before, however, I know that he’s just choosing to ignore it. After he too has removed his coat, he comes over to the fire, taking the seat directly next to mine. I lean away from his closeness, but he doesn’t seem to notice, and even if he does, he’s unbothered by it.

//

“It was no trouble at all. I love a good fight,” I say. She smiles in agreement--a woman after my own heart. Fjoara never seemed to want to crack a few skulls if she could avoid it. “I apologize for disturbing you. I didn’t think anyone would be here.”

Windrime:

“Mm, nothing, love,” I murmur, soothed once again by his touch. I turn to face him, wrapping my arms around his neck and burying my face into it. Teldryn sighs, trading his concern for contentment as his hands slide around my back to hold me. I smile against his skin before pressing my lips to it, pulling him closer to me still.

//

“Hi there, my beautiful girl,” I coo, pouring out a little feed into my hand for her. She raises her head and dips her muzzle into my palm. I smile and run my fingers through the black strands of her mane while she eats.

//

“Perhaps I should have,” I retort, barely able to hold back my smile. “That with all your complaining.”

confuse(s)(d):

LMNIT:

While I wait as Teldryn takes Frea to show her where she can stash her gear, it occurs to me that if I am to pose as a prisoner, I should not have Dawnbreaker with me. I am confident enough in my skill with magic, so protection is not my concern, it’s that I cannot even fathom the idea of anything happening to it. This sword is the only tangible testament to my accomplishments, and what would be left of me if I were to lose it? When my companions return, I have unstrapped the scabbard containing it from my body and clutch it in my hands. They notice what I’ve done and look at me with confused expressions.

//

As I consider the possibilities, each grimmer than the next, my mind clouds with worry. However, when I see his knapsack sitting atop a chest and his chitin armor hanging on a rack in the back of the main hall, I feel it dissipate. He would, of course, take his belongings with him if he were to leave my service. I confuse myself with the attention I now pay to his presence. Surely it would not be a loss if I were to no longer have it, especially when I have such a valuable companion in Frea.

Windrime: n/a

fury:

it’s not in either piece! only mild rage allowed i guess

shock(ed):

LMNIT:

I am shocked by the implausibility. A construction of this magnitude should have taken many years to complete, not mere months. The implications of this conjure deeper dread inside me. What otherworldly forces had reached their hand into Nirn?

//

Frea and I are frozen silent by our shock, but she is fast to recover, returning to me and bending down to retrieve my plate of food from the floor. A shell of myself, she guides me back to my seat and places the plate in my lap. She then takes the place next to me that Teldryn once occupied seemingly only moments ago. I cannot eat in fear of being unable to swallow, nor can I bear to process what just happened, so my eyes wander to seek a distraction. They dart from the fire to the ceiling, then glimpse the bed where… Finally, they are drawn to the back of the room, and I realize that his armor is still hanging from the rack. He’d left it behind. Could that mean…? No, surely not. It was nothing more than a consolation prize, a reparation, to make up for what I had just lost.

Windrime: n/a

soft(ly)(ens):

LMNIT:

[NSFWish]

The fire is so warm at my back, and it fills the room with a soft light that casts alluring shadows over his body. I hadn’t previously thought much of the tattoos that trace around his cheekbones and run down the center of his bottom lip, but I now see them as a wildness that makes me want him even more. As I look into his eyes which mirror what I’m feeling inside me, I realize there is nothing I need more in this moment than to feel his hands on me.

//

I push aside the furs covering my body and swing my legs over the side of the bed, but do not get up. As I sit there, my eyes are led to the window where I can see that it is snowing softly outside. It makes my heart ache for home. I know I have not been on Solstheim for very long at all, but it was never my desire to come here in the first place. I had done so out of obligation, knowing that this journey is part of my fate.

//

As I wait for her, I sit on the edge of the bed, running my hand absently over the soft brown fur that lines the inside of the coat. It must be bear pelt, so quite warm indeed. Frea reappears a minute later with my backpack, Dawnbreaker, and the Aetherial Crown. In the chaos of last night, I had forgotten all about my sword, so when Frea gives my things to me, I immediately unsheathe it to check that it is indeed still intact.

//

Her ferocity outshines both of ours combined, and we immediately sober. Frea’s hand softens on my arm, and she takes her other off Teldryn. I don’t look at him, don’t speak to him, and he doesn’t me, but our shared embarrassment hangs heavy in the air. I notice suddenly that my hands are now empty, and I find that my plate had fallen to the floor sometime in the midst of my rage. Most of the food still remains on it, but the sight is still salt in my wounds. I hear Teldryn quietly backing away from us and I look up to see his downcast eyes and the way he cradles the hand against his chest that only seconds ago held an intent to harm.

//

“Yeah, Fjoara’s…” I can feel my voice soften when I say her name, so I immediately break off the sentence. “I hope she’s able to help you, but I won’t be around to see it. I’m headed back to Raven Rock in the morning.”

//

[NSFWish]

Then, after what happened last night, things took a turn for the worse when my care for her became muddled with attraction. I never could have dreamed I’d feel desire for a Nord. She is beautiful in a way that a Dunmer woman couldn’t compare to with her bright winter-blue eyes and the litheness of her body in all its soft curves almost too delicate for the power she has within her. There is a growing need within me to provide for her and ensure her safety, though I know she is capable of doing these things for herself. I truly have nothing to offer that she doesn’t already possess. Her wealth appears limitless, guidance and accommodation are given readily just because of who she is, and her abilities in combat dwarf my own—a spellsword, like me, but in combination with that fucking voice of hers, she’s a lethal weapon. What does that leave me with, then? Sex? No. I’m a sword for hire, not a, well…

//

They are there carved into the side of a mountain, the stone of their structure crumbled and softened by the passing of millennia. There is no dragon, at least none that I can see from our far distance, and only the wind stirring the tops of the trees, not the roar of certain death. I try to stave off these grim thoughts for now, but the heaviness of my breath is still seen in the white plumes of steam that unfurl from my lips. It is panic that holds my lungs captive, holds me captive. Teldryn’s words from last night echo in my chaotic mind, but they do little to quell the emotions this time. My companions and I ride steadily towards our fate, but the tension of nervousness blankets only me--the air around them is free and clear. They are ready for this. I should be as well.

//

“Do you remember what we spoke about last night?” Teldryn murmurs when my shaking lessens from gale-force to a barely perceptible tremor, and I nod. He holds me more softly now, lifting his free hand to brush the hair away from my neck with the very tips of his fingers. I shiver again, but for a different reason. I wonder once more if I should kiss him, if this may be my last chance to, but he speaks again before I’m able to. “Frea and I will be right there with you, but you won’t need us. You’re more powerful than either of us could ever conceive of being.”

Windrime:

The night’s wind blows soft caresses against the bare skin of my arms. It is warm, unseasonably so, and I sit beneath the heavens with my lover beside me. His own touch on my skin is the unwavering competition to the wind who both vie to lay claim to the greatest expanse of it, him for warmth and it to chill me. In the end, it is my lover who comes out triumphant when he guides me to rest my head on his chest, his large hand finding purchase on my shoulder as I nestle my arms in between our bodies. We lay together swathed in the soft grasses of the field where we made our camp, and the wind sighs through the nascent tree leaves of budding springtime. It is such a reprieve from the unrelenting winter, even for a Nord whose bones may as well be made of ice. 

kiss:

[MAJOR NSFW ahead]

Teldryn’s fingers thread roughly through my hair as he bends down to press his lips to mine. My arms find their way around his neck to pull him against my body, and he groans at the contact. He kisses me, mouth closed and desire restrained, until I take a hand and palm him through the outside of his pants, my touch drawing a moan out of him as his hands tighten in my hair.

Teldryn then pulls back to begin kissing up my neck and jaw as he simultaneously climbs the rest of the way onto the bed. “Lay down,” he murmurs when his mouth is at my ear

//

I immediately quiet and nod submissively, but he doesn’t take his hand away. I’m glad for this. My hunger for his touch is insatiable. I close my eyes to concentrate on silencing myself, and suddenly his fingers curl against my walls. My eyes snap open at the climax I now feel building deep inside me, but it doesn’t take long and I whimper against his hand as my body burns with orgasm. When I’ve finished, he exchanges his hand for his lips and kisses me as he takes his fingers out, cupping my sex with his hand for a moment before pulling away from me and moving to the other side of the bed.

//

[back to SFW]

“I…” I try to speak, but there are no words to convey what I feel, so instead, I step forward and wrap my arms around him. He doesn’t hesitate to return the gesture. I bury my face in Teldryn’s chest, breathing in the scent of sweat and smoke on his clothes. He holds me for a minute, and it’s comfortable, secure, nothing like the way he touched me that other night. Rather, his hand strokes my hair so gently. I think briefly of kissing him, but that would be to ruin this peaceful moment where nothing more is expected of me. We remain like this for a short while longer, then we separate and Teldryn leads me back to the campfire.

//

“Do you remember what we spoke about last night?” Teldryn murmurs when my shaking lessens from gale-force to a barely perceptible tremor, and I nod. He holds me more softly now, lifting his free hand to brush the hair away from my neck with the very tips of his fingers. I shiver again, but for a different reason. I wonder once more if I should kiss him, if this may be my last chance to, but he speaks again before I’m able to. “Frea and I will be right there with you, but you won’t need us. You’re more powerful than either of us could ever conceive of being.”

Windrime:

“I love you, Fjoara” is all he says in reply and leans down to kiss the top of my head.

//

His breath turns into kisses peppered up my neck. “Not even ten minutes? They’d be none the wiser.”

//

He leans down to kiss my forehead once before standing up to leave. When he is gone, I roll onto my back, looking up at the lantern that swings gently from where it hangs on the ceiling. My eyes follow it for a dozen passes before I am finally convinced to leave my bed.

***

oof you can totally see how bare-bones my writing was when i first started my fic back in september. i hadn’t read this stuff in awhile. what a ride.

[osmw1]

Dimension Wave  Chapter 15 — Somewhere Efficient, Profitable, and without Anyone in Sight

The next day. Last night, to celebrate the three of us getting together, I treated them the best herring I had. Our party got real lit and we crashed hard at the end of the night, even though it’s not like we got drunk or anything.

“So, what’s this about?”

I try to remember what happened yesterday. After getting a passerby to cook our top-quality herring, the three of us hung out by the riverbed—lantern in one hand, dinner in the other. We chatted about how we’re all Spirits, Yammy’s communication disorder, how she was anxious about being a bother to others, and even how my sisters forced me to play as a girl. I feel like we got a lot closer. That was fine. I can still remember up to that. But what’s this about?

“… zzz…” “… ‘tis how… I speak…”

Lying before me are Shouko in her yukata and Yamikage in her underwear. And yeah, I’ve nothing by my underwear on too.

“Wha…? What did we do last night?”

This game is rated PG; booze is restricted for minors, so I can’t even blame myself for being under the influence for any mistakes I may have made. And of course, nothing lewd can be depicted in game either. I’ve heard rumors that there are new VR games for adults only, but I really don’t think this is one of them.

“Ugh, what time is it?”

The sun shines through the windows. At the very least, I can tell it’s not morning anymore. I open up my menu and check the clock. It reads 1:24 PM. Jeez, it’s midday already. We’re absolute degenerates to be sleeping in on our first day as a party.

“Shouko! Yamikage! Get up!”

As soon as I shout at them, Shouko sits up with her eyes half-open. Judging by how she’s the only one in her PJs, I’d assume she dragged us all the way here.

“G’mornin’, Kizhna…” “Oh, wake up already…”

Beds really are too OP in this game. I think we got at least four, five hours of sleep. It’s probably a safety measure for dealing with people who stay up and play too much. Anyway, now’s not the time to get sidetracked.

“Shouko, what happened last night?” “Ev’body looked sho shleepy, sho we headed back to the inn.” “Mm-hmm.”

She’s not conscious enough to speak properly, but I still understood her. It seems like the three of us somehow managed to stagger back here.

“It woulda been dangeroush to shtay out there, so I got a big room for ush.”

I think I got the gist of the situation. But… but…

“But why are the two of us naked?!” “… ahh!”

Ah, she’s fully awake now. Shouko looks around at her surroundings before speaking again.

“Good morning, Kizuna. Quite the fine morning, isn’t it?”

What a refreshing smile.

“It’s past noon already!”

  The truth was actually awfully simple. Because clothes will wrinkle in this game, Shouko was being considerate and stripped us down. I guess wrinkles are a pretty big deal. But it’s not like there aren’t dry cleaners in town. As long as you have enough money, they can clean anything. And because they’re not expensive either, female players tend to often use them, apparently.

“I am truly sorry, Kizuna, Yamikage.” “No, don’t be. I should be thanking you instead.” “Aye. Had you not taken us safely to shelter, it may have landed us in an unthinkable predicament. We ought to be grateful to you.”

Yamikage was quite dazed after waking up. She was super embarrassed about other people seeing her nearly naked. She even blurted out ‘D-Don’t stare…’ as if it weren’t embarrassing for us too. Plus, she let her old-timey speak slip. It’s probably a part of her roleplaying. I mean, who actually speaks like that in real life?

“But, y’know, I’m a dude, right? You gotta be more careful. I mean, yeah, we can’t do anything in this world, but still… it wouldn’t be right.” “That’s true. Since Kizuna looks exactly like a girl, the truth had slipped my mind.”

Yeah, I know, I’m currently a girl, but… I guess I do look obviously feminine and same goes for Yamikage. She didn’t really seem to worry about seeing me naked though. If Dimension Wave weren’t so detailed, everybody looks pretty much the same. Of course, everyone looks good—unlike real life—but everyone is humanoid in nature. It is what it is. Those two know only know me through the body and voice of Kizuna†Exceed. They should be careful around a guy like me… but it’ll probably be fine if I’m more careful too.

“Well then, let’s make up for lost time. Where’re we headed to today?” “About that…”

Shouko makes an uneasy face.

“As fitting as the Forest of Eternal Darkness was for us, every other place I’m familiar wouldn’t be good for Kizuna. I mean, there would be plenty of people who would see us.”

She does have a point about her concern. If I were to be honest, it’s not like an absolute must that we keep it a secret. We’d have our priorities backwards if we let something like that stop us from hunting together as a party. We thought about simply waiting until nightfall to head back to the forest, but it’d be kinda a waste. It’s not really Energy-efficient for three people, Shouko said.

“In that case, maybe it’s not worth hiding anymore. It’d be impossible to keep it a secret forever anyway.” “I understand, Kizuna, but would it not be a shame if we so easily reveal your secret?” “Forsooth.”

Well, I guess so. If this were any other MMORPG, people could just go online and find out how the game works. But in Dimension Wave, most people don’t know even know what goes into forging a weapon. Gutting-type weapons are the weakest, so it doesn’t see a lot of use. But that’s because people don’t know that there’s more than just attacking with gutting weapons, hence why Shouko and Yamikage don’t want to give away this cash cow.

“So, what we want is somewhere that’s worthwhile for Energy, money, but also with no one around…” “‘Tis quite the list of requirements!” “I’m afraid we may be a little too greedy.”

We’re all in agreement about that. It’s almost as greedy as having a six-figure income requirement to even consider marrying someone. It would be weird if such a place existed with nobody there. Not to mention, the chances of being seen by anyone is definitely greater than zero. Hell, we might just be asking for the impossible. In an MMORPG, there are always locations that are popular and locations which are deserted. But if it’s a place where no one goes, it usually means it’s not efficient to grind there.

“And somewhere empty too…?”

I’ll admit to being unreasonable. There’s no way somewhere like that… wait a minute. There is a place like that. I didn’t get a good grasp of whether it was Energy-efficient or not, but at least I know the monsters are stronger there than the Forest of Eternal Darkness. But, it’s a little—

“Miss Kizuna? Is something the matter?” “Did you come up with a good idea?”

Both of them look at me with anticipation. Their expectations of me might be a little too high after the whole Lizardman Dark Knight battle yesterday.

“I can think of a place where there’s no one around but with monsters stronger than the ones in the Forest. Though, I really can’t say so for sure.” “What sort of place is that? ‘Tis an easy decision should we head there directly, no?”

… it’s not like I think it’s somewhere we should go, but it seems like Shouko and Yamikage are interested. No, we should decide as a group. I just threw out a suggestion.

“The ocean.” “The… ocean?” “Yeah. I paddled out to the open sea on a wooden boat before we met, right off the coast of the first city. I didn’t have much Energy then, so the monsters were pretty damn strong. I had to retreat, but I’m thinking that there’s three of us now…” “I can see why you’re unsure.”

How many monsters are there? Are we strong enough? Will we be safe? There are just too many unknown variables. It doesn’t seem like any of us would be good fighting on water. The monsters are strong too. But because almost nobody has fought them before, their mats are rare to say the least. And assuming that their mats sell, we would do well to go grind there.

“There’s another issue.” “Pray tell, Miss Kizuna.” “My boat’s too small.”

It would be pushing it trying to fit three people on my Wooden Boat +3 and that’s just for seating capacity. If a monster were to come at us, we would be dead in the water.

“Where did you get the boat?” “Ah, I found it in a market stall at the first city for 40,000.” “Perhaps we could directly contact the seller?” “Yeah, if only I knew their name. It was just some random market stall after all…” “‘Tis a handcrafted piece, no? The name of the craftsman should be inscribed somewhere.” “Wait, really?”

It’s obvious for MMOs to have the crafter’s name written somewhere. I check out my Wooden Boat +3 in my inventory. There it is. There’s a “Crafted by” line in the description. “Sheryl”. Surely, there’s gotta be more than one Sheryl. It’s so normal, yet so odd.

“I’ll try calling her.”

I let the others know before selecting “Chat” in the menu. Then I punch in S-H-E-R-Y-L. It’d be nice if everything works out well. I bought the boat about a week ago around noon as well. I don’t think she’d suddenly become nocturnal, right? Well, even if my call doesn’t go through, I can try again later at night. Of course, if I were to call her three times and I still can’t reach her, I’ll take the hint that she’s not interested. I could always go see her in person as well. Maybe I should ask her if she knows Alto, seeing how he’s got all sorts of connec—

—Sheryl has joined the chat.

“Hi, sorry for the sudden call. My name is Kizuna†Exceed. I bought a boat from your store about a week ago.” “…”

Huh? No response. Did she pick up? No, wait, this isn’t a phone call. It’s not like I could’ve called the wrong person. Plus, her name was easy to spell, so I’m sure it’s right.

“Do you hear me okay?” “… yep.” “Oh, good. So, I have a question for you. Since the boat I bought the other day fits only two people, I’m wondering if you have anything a little bigger.” “… nope.” “I-I see…”

I got my hopes up a little, but I guess nothing’s that easy. Back to square one, I suppose.

“Alright then, thank you for your ti—” “But, if you’ve got the mats, I could make you one.” “Mats, huh?” “There’s only a single person I can think of that’s bought a boat from me… I think I remember you. Seeing how easily you can drop 40,000, I’m sure you’re able to assemble materials too.”

Oh, right. If I recall correct, the 40,000 serin covered the costs of the raw materials. I don’t really know what her goals are, but I think I can get her to make me a boat as long as I front the costs.

“… it all depends on the size of the boat, too. How big are you thinking?” “I’m wondering if you can make me something big enough to seat three people and have enough room to fight on as well.” “…” “Umm…” “… hold on. Lemme crunch the numbers.”

I know I’m asking for a lot. And materials for a boat, eh? Seeing how the boat I have now costed me 35,000 serin, something three times… hell, even four, five times as big would run me about 170,000. Honestly, in that case, it’d be over my budget. I don’t even have that much money.

“… can you c’mere?” “Sorry?” “Can you come here?” “‘Here’ as in the first town?” “Right.” “I could make the trip, but it’ll take a while since I’m in Second right now.” “Right.” “You want to meet up, right? “… right. And if possible, bring the other two along too.”

I glance over at Shouko and Yamikage and pause to think.

“Can I run the idea through my friends first?” “Sure.” “And in that case, when would be good for you?” “Anytime is good. I’ll open my stall at the same place when you get here.”

—Sheryl has left the chat.

I’m still a little fuzzy, but at least we’re a step in the right direction. … it’s tough speaking with someone who’s so quiet.

“How did it go?”

The two of them ask me. Gotta explain it to them that our plans have changed.

“I got ahold of her, but it seems like we gotta help out in crafting.” “Whatever do ye mean?” “Well, I’ll cover the funds, so don’t worry about that. That’s not the important part.” “Then?” “We gotta meet the woodworker in person. She says she wants to meet both of you too. I said I’ll leave that choice up to you guys.”

She said, “if possible,” so we’ll see what we can do. I don’t think she’ll force us all to meet her. Well, if you asked me though, I’d like for us to go together.

“Then let us go together.” “Aye, aye.” “Y’all sure? I kinda feel like I volunteered you guys to go already.” “I’m sure. I don’t so much feel forced by you, Kizuna, but I also have no other plans.” “For I am your shadow, Misses Kizuna and Hakoniwa, I will always be behind you two.”

I guess I should be happy? But at the same time, you kinda sound like a stalker. In any case, our plan now is to head to Lurolona. Even though we said it’d be inefficient, we still went to the Forest of Eternal Darkness that night. We’re just playing it by ear.

contents: /prologue/ /ch001/ /ch002/ /ch003/ /ch004/ /ch005/ /ch006/ /ch007/ /ch008/ /ch009/ /ch010/ /ch011/ /ch012/ /ch013/ /ch014/ /ch015/ /next/

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[thejpfdude-blog]

Initial Impressions of the Fall 2017 Season

Well it’s that time of the year. Halloween The initial impressions of the season post! As always:

Every show I’ve watched has aired at least 3 episodes (actually, this time all the shows aired exactly 3 episodes!), so it’s the time to post what I think is good so far (”so far” being key: shows can get good in the middle/end, and good shows can drop off), complete with lists of random stuff!

Before I get into the nitty-gritty, some words about the season so far. I think it’s fair to say it’s been a hella good start to the season. Now I know I said that for the past few seasons (and they didn’t end so well...) but I can really feel it with this one. There’s a lot of good shows in all sorts of different genres, and though none of the shows I’m watching at this point are a de facto 9 or 10, some of them have the potential to get better as time goes on. We’ll see though: still way too early to really tell.

And with that, here’s the rankings so far for the season, complete with initial scores after 3 episodes:

Rankings:

1. Kino’s Journey (8/10)

2. Shokugeki no Soma S3 (8/10)

3. Just Because! (8/10)

4. Juuni Taisen (7.5/10)

5. Pingu in the City (10/10 ANIME OF THE CENTURY) (7.5/10)

6. Net-juu no Susume (7.5/10)

7. Mahoutsukai no Yome (7/10)

8. Blend S (6/10)

9. Love Live! Sunshine!! 2nd Season (6/10)

10. Animegataris (6/10)

11. Kujira no Kora wa Sajou ni Utau (5/10)

12. Osake wa Fuufu ni Natte kara (4/10)

Awards:

Best Anime: Kino’s Journey (HM: Shokugeki no Soma S3)

As stated above, there hasn’t been a show yet that’s greatly amazed me. But that doesn’t mean this season’s bad: in fact there’s a lot of shows ranging from great to pretty good, and in the long run that ends up being a good thing. Currently, the show on top of the list is Kino’s Journey, a remake of the older series with the same name. Disclaimer: I haven’t watched all of the old series (only 2 episodes). Honestly though, I would say that (so far) the old series is better. The drab colors really added a nice layer to the atmosphere, something that I think the new version lacks with its brighter colors. However, that’s not to say the new series isn’t good. I’ve loved the episodes so far, especially the most recent one with the moving country. They really make you think about the different topics presented: for example, the moving country and who’s morally right in the situation -- the diplomats of the country or the soldiers seeing their country getting run over. It’s that kind of stuff that makes Kino’s Journey a fun watch. No matter what kind of anime fan you are, I would recommend it. Something to really make you think, something you can enjoy even if you aren’t the type to watch that kind of show (like me).

Shoutouts to Shokugeki S3 for returning back to the norm and having a nice balance of competitive food making and fun slice-of-life moments. If it continues like this I wouldn’t be surprised to see this show high up on my list.

Worst Anime: Osake wa Fuufu ni Natte kara (HM: All the shows I dropped)

So I read the manga for this before, which makes this hard to determine whether the show is actually this bad or if I’m tired of the stuff I already watched. The one thing that bothers me about this show is the whole concept of “cute when drunk”. Like she needs to be drunk to be all lovey-dovey with her husband, which is pretty... questionable. Because at its core, this show’s about an alcoholic and her husband. The romance isn’t really romance, it’s just “hah cute moments”, which compared to ones from a show like “I Can’t Understand What My Husband Is Saying” is pretty shallow. Honestly considering dropping this show even though it’s only 3 minutes, because I haven’t had the greatest experience with 3-minute shorts.

Shoutouts to all the shows I dropped: you know who you are.

Best Surprise: Net-juu no Susume (HM: Just Because! and Juuni Taisen)

I have to say, I had no expectations for this going into it. I actually was planning of dropping it after the first episode. But a second watch with my friends made me realize: this was a super cute romance. It’s straight-forward: there aren’t any rivals or stupid misunderstandings. Just some cute and funny moments with Moriko and the other dude, along with the rest of the guild. Unfortunately this show is only 10 episodes, so I hope they get together soon for that cute adult romance. Or not, because anime romances.

Shoutouts to Just Because and Juuni Taisen:

Just Because wasn’t something I expected much from given the drama tag and how I don’t really like dramas. But so far, it’s been a comfy experience. The atmosphere of the show is very calm (I love the color usage in the show) and there are some humorous moments in the calm slice-of-life. Now how this show does in the long run depends on how good the drama that I 100% know is coming is. But for now, it’s been a pleasant surprise, something I look forward to now.

Juuni Taisen was something that my friend recommended to me, but even with that I didn’t expect much. Well, it’s been a fun ride. Though the deaths are pretty predictable, what isn’t predictable is the stuff that happens in the middle, and that’s where the fun of the show comes from. If you’re expecting twists and turns everywhere, this probably isn’t the show for you. But overall, it’s well thought out and I’m enjoying how the battle royale is progressing so far. Should be interesting to see how it ends, even if we know the winner already.

Worst Disappointment: Boku no Kanojo ga Majimesugiru Sho-bitch na Ken

I had to dig deep for this one, and it’s a huge reach. I didn’t have much expectations for this show, but what I did expect/see was that it would be like Seitokai Yakuindomo, a show I’ve heard of and was planning to watch sometime. Well, if this show is anything like Seitokai, I might have to delay watching it. Because man, it’s pretty juvenile stuff. I know comedy is subjective and all that, but it didn’t really tickle my funny bone. Something about it annoys me more than anything. Might be the characters. Either way, a meh show in a pretty gud season.

Best Girl: Yoshiko Tsushima (Love Live Sunshine S2) with HM to Megumi Tadakoro (Shokugeki no Soma S3), Kino (Kino’s Journey), and Moriko Morioka (Net-juu no Susume)

Storytime (not really a story but oh well). I have two keychains on my backpack: one of them is of Pickles from Neko Atsume (which is something I won in a raffle). The other is a nesoberi-styled Yoshiko that I bought for twice the original price. Point is, Yoshiko is the best Love Live. And by default, since there isn’t anybody else to compete with her, she’s best girl so far this season. Though she’s pretty controversial in the LL community, I really like her schtick as the geeky loser of the group. I say that in the nicest way possible, because I can relate a lot to her. The chuuni thing isn’t overdone, which is good given I thought I wouldn’t like her at first from that. Though there are a lot of great girls in Aqours, she’s by far my favorite.

Shoutouts to another girl that’s been fun to watch so far in Megumi, a badass in Kino, and an adorable NEET in Moriko.

Best Guy: Kai Musashisakai (Animegataris) with HM to Pingu (Pingu in the City)

Usually this is a hard category for me to pick winners of, and this time wasn’t an exception. I dug deep to find a character I’m enjoying so far: the chuuni. Except he’s a weeb chuuni, so it makes it better. Plus his chuuni moments aren’t annoying, similar to best girl above. It seems that the recent trends are the chuunis who aren’t been too annoying: characters like Kaikai, Yoshiko/Yohane, and Rikka (to an extent). Nice to see that.

Shoutout to a character who I’m not even sure is a guy. But he(she?) is the protag for a show that, memes aside, has actually been a super enjoyable watch. Would recommend.

Worst Girl: Nayuta Kani (Imouto sae Ireba Ii.) with HM to Shizuku Ariyama (Boku no Kanojo ga Majimesugiru Sho-bitch na Ken)

So literally the reasons I dropped their respective shows. Let me start with Ms. Blunt: every time she talked, I preemptively braced myself for what trash she let out. It got so annoying that it ruined what was probably an all right show that I would still be watching if not for her. I’m honestly kind of surprised she’s so popular among the people watching, but then again the people continuing to watch this show would be the ones who enjoy the characters. Selection bias and all that.

Shoutout to the the other girl who made me drop a show. Childhood friends are usually characters I don’t hate, but my goodness like the above character she didn’t have a filter and it was annoying as heck to watch. Though unlike character/show above, I think even without this character I still would’ve dropped Boku something something for the... other questionable characters.

Worst Guy: Literally Nobody

I honestly can’t think of anybody who gets this award, even in my dropped shows. The closest candidate would probably be the main protagonist from the imouto show, but he wasn’t that bad if you discount his imouto problem. I guess this is a good thing, though?

Best OP: “Kunshi Ayauku mo Chikou yore” (Osomatsu-san 2) with HM to “Aikotoba” (Animegataris), “Mirai no Bokura wa Shitteru yo” (Love Live Sunshine S2), “Bon Appétit♡S” (Blend S), “Rupture” (Juuni Taisen), “Ugoku Ugoku” (Shoujo Shuumatsu Ryokou)

There are a lot of good OPs this season, but my favorite is from a show I’m not even watching. Osomatsu-san 2′s OP has great visuals with a catchy song to boot. I love how they incorporate the credits into the OP: it’s like they were meant to be there instead of just put randomly to the side like most OPs/EDs. Plus the traditional Japanese influence in the song (flute, taiko) is a nice allusion to the show’s theme: a old-time cartoon made many many years later into a modern anime. Good stuff.

Shoutouts to the following other, great OPs:

Animegataris: This was a close second, but ultimately I liked the visuals for Osomatsu-san’s OP a bit better. Song-wise, this one is the winner out of all of the OPs here (well maybe tied with the Love Live OP). A nice electronic beat complete with a nice payoff that makes it hard for me to keep my head still. Visual-wise it’s pretty decent: shows all of the characters, has some shots of the mysterious event that the show hasn’t alluded to yet. Helps that I like the character design (though some of the characters’ eyes are a bit... too spaced apart.

Love Live Sunshine S2: Obligatory LL Sunshine insertion. The song, of course, is top notch. And visual-wise, they really improved on the CG animation. It looks really fluid, and I can actually watch it instead of cringing at how bad it is. A vast improvement. Side note, the arm pumps they do 4 seconds in makes me laugh every time, and I don’t know why. Probably because it looks so stupid. But, hey, if it works.

Blend S: This OP’s been meme’d pretty hard so far, or at least the first few seconds of it have. Past that, you get an OP that’s on par with the Working series OPs complete with a song sung by the cast (which seems to be the norm nowadays with this type of anime). Pretty standard stuff, but it’s the type of stuff I like so I’m rating it higher from that. Helps that it’s a fun, peppy song.

Juuni Taisen: At first I didn’t really like this OP, but as time passed I really got into it. The song’s decent and the visuals are all right. The one thing I can say this OP does well is that it really gets me into the mood of the show. Something about it gets me hyped before each episode. And really, that’s what an OP’s job is, so I give it credit for that.

Shoujo Shuumatsu Ryokou: This OP is conflicting to me. On the one hand, I love the electronic song (future funk isn’t really my thing, but it’s nice to listen to here). More electronic songs in anime would be pretty ok-hands. Plus the visuals are fun to watch (not to mention the dab is some dank stuff). Yet on the other hand, it just... doesn’t fit the show’s tone at all. I expect this kind of music with a more cheerful anime. With this show, which from the episode I watched was more of a relaxed slice-of-life with a melancholy setting, I don’t think this OP works with the show. Honestly, if this was the OP to a happy moe slice-of-life show, it would be by far my favorite OP. But as of now it’s at a weird stage of denial and “nice”.

Best ED: "Umarun Taisou” (Himouto! Umaru-chan R) with HM to “Let's Go! Muttsu Go! ~Rokushoku no Niji~” (Osomatsu-san 2) and “Keshin no Kemono” (Juuni Taisen)

Not as much good EDs, but this was an easier choice than the OP section. I’m not even watching this show, but Himouto’s ED is top notch. Now I know that’s not a popular opinion, and trust me I know why. It’s literally just chibis dancing to a moe song. But my god, that’s the kind of stuff that really tickles my fancy. I’ve probably watched it around a hundred times so far. The song is catchy as heck, the chibis are cute as fudge (especially Kirie), and it’s done something nobody or nothing has ever done: made me want to watch the show. But seriously, can I just say how fudging cute this is? Highlights are 0:42 - 0:53 and a minute in with the background dancers (ignoring the Umaru). Good god. The cute levels are out of control.

Shoutouts to the two other EDs I enjoyed:

Osomatsu-san 2: Like the OP, the song + visuals were top notch. I loved the stop-motion animation for the ED. Going through each character was my favorite part of it -- the stuff after that wasn’t as fun, but still overall an enjoyable experience.

Juuni Taisen: Like the OP of this show, I didn’t enjoy this at first. But the song was pretty catchy, and I liked the visuals of showing each fighter in their casual everyday lives. It’s a nice way to show off their personalities and also show what order they’re gonna die in. No surprises so far from this show.

Bonus Awards (complete with short descriptions):

Worst Character Design: Just Because!

My god them some weird eyes.

Best Guilty Pleasure: Love Live Sunshine S2

It’s so bad but I can’t stop watching. Pls help.

The TheJPFDude Happy Show of the Quarter-Season: Net-juu no Susume

Happy romances are happy.

And that’s all! Thanks for reading all of that good stuff. It’s been a good season. I’m enjoying a lot of shows, and though most of them’ll honestly probably fall off within the next few weeks, at least we have some potential good ones.

Well, until next time, I’ll see you in the next post!