#or toxicity's ongoing plots as well
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beastenraged · 1 year ago
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Seraphim (that six winged thing)
(@hallowed-nebulae, first bit of the chapter I'm working on!!!)
I flex my hands. My bones, my knuckles, feel ready to pop out of place.
Weird, because what I did in that fight against the other 'me' earlier wasn't anything too energy intensive. Physically or magically.
Maybe it's just a response to this...place. This Mirage Arena that somehow feels different from the one I fought in before. It's as crazy and as full as that one, but different.
Someone else rules here. I don't know how I know that, only that I do. That something rumbles in my chest in response to that knowing.
"What'd you think?" I whisper to Xehanort.
He blinks slowly, like a cat. He is so much like a cat, it's never not funny.
"You fought well."
Okay, not what I meant. But I'll take it. I wave Xion over, and try for Kairi too.
"Hey, wanna come over?"
The two shake their heads. "After we're done talking," Xion clarifies.
Oh, they're talking? I wonder about what.
But more importantly, Ven is throwing himself at a tall man with long silver hair. A man that I remember as cameoing in so many games past his original source. Like Smash. So much Smash.
(I liked playing Cloud more. In Smash.)
Sephiroth.
It's...interesting. That Ven knows a Sephiroth. I don't know know personally, but I...
I watch him, carefully. Seeing those green eyes that have wild animal slits. I know all too well what he very often represents. It's not really about the world-destroying stuff, here.
Because if this Sephiroth was a Jenova-crazy, he wouldn't be here. Interacting peacefully with Ven, treating them like a child of his. Being kind to this world's Xehanort in turn as well.
No, but he's like me, isn't he? Made to be a soldier.
(Made to kill.)
But unlike me, he's a lot better at it. He has to be, to be full-grown here, looking like he does, having that super human strength to carry two very different individuals.
I lick at my back of my teeth. They're buzzing. Everything about me is buzzing.
I don't...like him. Hm. I don't like him, I decide. There's something off about him, alongside the really good at murdering bit.
(Maybe it's because you can't eat him?)
(Look at him! That green he carries is poison to you!)
Shut up, weird thoughts. Shut up, shut up, shut up.
"-is going on?"
Oh. My hands are over my ears.
"Just...noisy. Here." I explain. Gesture to the area.
Xehanort nods. He gets it.
Why is it that my enemy seems to understand me better than everyone else?
(I miss Namine.)
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demonking-propaganda · 2 months ago
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13 spoiler-free reasons why you should read Mairimashita! Iruma-kun
...if you haven't done so already ���� (With "spoiler-free" I mean I'm not describing plot points or characters, but under the cut I'll discuss the overarching themes, so be warned if that's too much for you. The first 7 reasons may be enough lol)
It's both funny AND wholesome. I literally can't read it without laughing out loud, and there are a bunch of chapters that make me cry every time I read them.
It's clever! The Japanese version contains several puns based on the kanji "魔" (read "ma", = devil, demon), starting from the title, but it's a recurring pun. The English translation adapts them pretty well. Plus, there are some of the best plot twists in recorded history (IMO). And the names and characteristics of most characters are based on real-life demonology.
It's queer AF. Like, really gay. There are explicitly homoromantic relationships and several nonbinary and gender non-conforming characters. One of these is the best unashamedly nonbinary character ever written. Plus, the manga premise can be seen as an allegory of hiding in the closet. The only thing that made me uncomfortable because of cisnormativity (boys in drag as a joke) is completely fixed in later chapters, and very well so.
It's feminist, without being preachy or paternalistic. Simply put, the women/girls are three-dimensional, complex characters, as the norm should be. And there are lots of them, without it being a harem (...the harem trope is actually used as a joke).
It's spooky and adorable, imagine Halloween vibes all year round. Both main and background characters are super diverse, and if you like monsters there is stuff for you.
Most characters are neurodivergent-coded. It's basically the autistic/ADHD manga.
The art is phenomenal. It's especially good to see the improvement of the art style over the years (the first chapter was published in 2017 and the manga is ongoing). Some panels are really breathtaking.
8. The story is about personal growth - like most shounen manga, fair enough. But the protagonist, Iruma, is so far from toxic masculinity I dare say he's the antidote to it.
9. It's also about found family, the discovery of unconditional love, and trust, and healing from familial trauma.
10. It's about finding a group of friends you belong to, and transforming your weirdness into a strength, identifying and cultivating what you're good at instead of fitting into a mold.
11. It's about the beauty of learning in your own way, and the importance of education and the shaping of future generations.
12. And the reason why I opened this blog: it's about fascism and fighting against it. I mean real fascism, as in "a powerful individual/group wants society to be hierarchical and oppress certain minorities, elevating a specific subset of the population based on intrinsic characteristics which are being misleadingly treated as merits". Ethno-nationalistic stuff. More specifically, it's about being a somewhat politically illiterate person, who learns about systems of oppression beyond personal injustices. It's about questioning what is the best way to arrange society.
13. Most importantly, this manga gives you hope about the future, something I find harder and harder to have. Hopelessness is dangerous - as people without hope stop fighting. This manga makes me actively feel better. Since it's ongoing I can't ensure it will always remain that way, but I've come to trust the author enough that I expect it to.
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sweetinsaniiity · 2 months ago
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ateez as !mafia members
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pairing: y/n x ot8 members (bullet format headcanon) genre/au: mafia!au, no smut, but still MDNI since there are depictions of violence (fitting for mafia members), though they are not explicitly described (warnings below), toxicity in relationships, falling in love, red flags, marriage, engagement, pregnancy, betrayal, deception, bank heist rating/warning: PG-18+ so MDNI!!! no smut (though there are hints of it), however the genre itself has mature settings, gun use, !daddy dom Hongjoong, mentions of sadism! Seonghwa, two-faced! Yunho, sociopath! Yeosang, Stockholm Syndrome! San, manipulative! Mingi, lunatic! Wooyoung, brutal! Jongho word count: 6K words (approximately 750 words per member) synopsis: Just Ateez in the mafia with their personalities and how they found love in the most unconventional manner. notes: I've been getting a lot of requests for mafia! Ateez and tbh, I've been itching to write something like this anyway while, spoiler alert, the second part of Sick, Little Games is ongoing. This was a plot for something else, but oh well. Enjoy! Warnings at the end. taglist: @ginger-mingi @0rangemilk @ruubyrubes @oddracha @jaytheatiny @roxannecos
networks: @cultofdionysusnet @wonderlandnet @othersideoutlawsnetwork @illusionnet @pirateeznet
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HONGJOONG
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The Sovereign; the head, the brains
pure evil because why the hell not?
honestly lacks empathy, he will get what he wants, come hell or high water
no nonsense bullshit leader, he is an extremely calculating, conniving and diabolical mastermind
he walks the talk and immediately takes action after making a bold decision without a second thought
always gets make fun of because of his height, but it's okay, they'd be dead by daylight
when getting information, he doesn't get involved. why?
because he's the one who taught everyone they needed to know, every bloody, gruesome detail
brilliant strategist and an absolute criminal genius, nothing gets past him
could off anyone or anything without any expression or remorse, whether they're innocent or not
there are rumours that Hongjoong had tied a cinder block on someone's foot and the tossed them in the ocean for information
or that perhaps he broke into prison alone to save Seonghwa and then broke back out without getting caught
we will never really know, but if it makes your skin crawl, then it's probably true
and speaking of Seonghwa, the other half of Matz, they built the mafia from scratch
feared by many but will burn the world to make his members happy
will sacrifice the world if it means being with them
or sacrifice Wooyoung if he gets pissed enough
but with how Wooyoung is, he'll end up sacrificing himself, instead
he will never, ever admit that he has a soft spot for the man, though
the others aren't any better either
but he'd tell himself, as long as he'd think of them as five year olds to begin with, being a leader becomes a bit easier
he meets you when he was in the pub one night and he saw you go in the bathroom
he was stunned and was immediately smitten
without thinking, he got up from his seat, went into the bathroom, locked the door, and waited for you
you were surprised and scared, obviously, but blushed when you realized that this was the guy that you've been eyeing all night
but you were too drunk to flirt back, so you ended up puking on his shirt
Hongjoong saw red, and in a fit of rage and lust, he demanded that you come home with him to make up for it
it was so embarrassing and the next year, you automatically remembered it when you woke up
you also woke up to a naked man who slept peacefully beside you and you were mortified, and you knew that this man was no normal man, so you couldn't make a move to leave
but it was okay, his demand to take you home turned into marriage after two years
!daddy dom
very demanding both in his profession and in bed
although you didn't agree on everything he did, you had no right to stop it, and if anything, you admired how he ran his empire
there has never been a time where left you unsatisfied not only in that area, but also in general when he has to get busy
not big on affection but loves holding hands, though he will never admit it
would get on his knees if you asked him to
8/10, approach him with caution
SEONGHWA
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The Sadist; devil incarnate in looks and in action
causes as much pain as possible for his own benefit
not necessarily a schadenfreude, just extremely bitter and very goal-oriented
he doesn't hide the fact that he's a sadist, but he doesn't go around bragging about it
he just doesn't give a shit, he didn't invent the moniker
but Seonghwa never k*lls, ever
which makes things worse because he's a very patient man, he will get the information he needs even if it took him days or weeks
it prolongs his enemy's agony, in his mind, they'll eventually give in, and he's usually right
the other half of Matz
went to prison for Hongjoong because he wanted him to start Ateez immediately
he didn't mind prison, it was rather peaceful for him
if anything, it served as a turning point for his criminal life, he had made tons of connections, both by force and from his charm, and Hongjoong was less than surprised
if anyone was to grow their network, it was him because when God made Hongjoong, 95% was for his insane leadership and criminal mind, the rest was unknown
as a person, Seonghwa is cold and expressionless. the only time he shows emotions is when he's in an "operation"
he always gets his hands dirty, he would disable his enemies, but he would never end them
the fear of d*ath and the unknown is delicious, he said
it made him feel alive, or feel in general
he may not be the leader, but his members have a certain respect for him
except for Mingi. he does care for the taller member a lot, but Mingi made it his life's mission to annoy him as much as possible
and unfortunately for Mingi, his manipulation tactics don't work on him
"You think I'm an idiot?" Mingi would tease.
"Hardly. I think you posses above average intelligence," he would deadpan
you meet him when you tried to join the mafia
Seonghwa isn't a saint, but you're no angel either. you eliminated everyone trying out just so you could be on top
you didn't care if you cheated or crossed anyone, you had to be on top even if it killed you
and unknowingly, you had sparred with Seonghwa, and he lost
when you found out he was the Park Seonghwa, you were embarrassed because he had let you win on purpose
it hurt your ego, you had never lost before to anyone, and Seonghwa's smirk told you that he knew this
you trained under his wing, and slowly, you began to fall for him
he looks like he has never moved for anyone, like a panther, his moves are elegant, mysterious, and sleek
and you're the only he cares enough to hurt about, you were what truly made him feel alive rather than the blood that totaled his hands
at first, he rejected you, he didn't want romance to hinder him from his job and all of what came with it
you were heartbroken, but you accepted it, it made sense, falling in love wasn't in your cards, but you fell anyway
Seonghwa couldn't stay away from you, however, whenever he saw that you were making steps to move on, his heart would bleed
in the end, you won, because he did fall for you, he fell much, much harder
in fact, he had fallen for you way before you did, he just didn't want it fester in case it stopped him from being the ruthless Ateez leader
!possessive boi
so much so that he pretty much coerced you into a relationship, not that you minded, you thought it was hot
if he can't have you, then no one else can, he's going to make sure of it
a walking, talking, oversized red flag, but you're colour blind
the members often teased him for being whipped, he would just glare at everyone until they left
you always melted whenever he would pull you and gently kiss your on the forehead
in public, you'd both be very professional about the work, but when it's just the two of you, God knows how much you both can't keep your hands off of one another
9/10, approach at your own risk
YUNHO
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The Serpent; a treacherous snake who will betray you
he's very friendly, like that of a small puppy, and may seem like he's very reserved
but make no mistake, Yunho excels in using psychological t***ure and will go to no end for his goals
behind his smiles is a brutal man who is worse than Seonghwa, for a man who is willing to betray anyone is very ruthless and powerful
when the enemies are getting interrogated, he often makes them believe that they are safe and that he's on their side
he will listen to them, bring them food and comfort items like clean clothes, clean pillows, and the likes, while they are detained
facade drops when he's done getting what he wants and destroys the enemy before they catch on
or when he's in an especially cruel mood, he would sometimes warns his enemies that he'd hurt them
the enemies would then panic while they're imprisoned, but Yunho would never do it. He would do this everyday until the prisoner goes insane waiting
but for the most part, Yunho typically let Hongjoong and Seonghwa handle all the bloody details, he had more penchant with the ones he had the settle some scores with, which was not common
he has a soft spot for Jongho because he's the only one who would shake his head at him when he got too far
Jongho would also be the one who'd tell him to cut his 'playtime' short because in his opinion, it's waste of time
he's so good at his act that the members don't even know his real personality sometimes
but Mingi, the other half of YunGi, does
they've been together all their lives, what's another life of crime? Only Mingi truly understands him
and you did too, you knew Yunho for who he really was and he absolutely loved you for it
Yunho and Mingi were childhood friends who had moved away when you were in middle school
you had the biggest crush on Yunho and you never forgot him even after all those years, and apparently, neither did he
one day when Yunho robbed a bank and held everyone hostage, his breath was caught in his lungs when he saw the fear in your eyes as you held your hands up
at first you weren't sure, but when you took a closer look at the man who had decided to rob the bank you worked at, you couldn't help but grasp
he completely aborted the heist and took you with him instead, much to Mingi's surprise
you didn't want a criminal for a boyfriend, but unfortunately for you, Yunho worked on his facade
he did everything to win you over, be it flowers, clothes, jewelry, etc.
you were going to fall for him all over again if it's the last thing he'll ever do, he had no idea why he was doing it or why it had to be you, but it had to be
you always frowned at him, he can't buy your love, so he changed his tactics, he began to cook, massage your back, rub your feet, and do every acts of service he could think of
and his hugs were always the tightest
Yunho was close, all he had to do was just do whatever it was that made you squirm, and behind all the sociopathy, he was genuinely happy that you were seeing him for who he was
you fell in love with the facade and he dropped it when you did, but it was too late
you knew in your head, that you shouldn't, but you couldn't help it
you didn't mind, he treated you like a princess and he was so sweet, and deep down, you knew Yunho was a good man
but was he?
every time Yunho thought about, he couldn't but smirk as a chuckle bubbled up from his chest
but he did really love you, he's always had, there's no doubt about it, how could he not when you're the most beautiful person he's ever laid his eyes on?
that love is based on his own standards, though, and you shall never find out, he'd rather end you than let you go
9/10, if you value your sanity, keep your distance
YEOSANG
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The Resistance; he refuses to do bad by choice
he prefers to stay in the shadows because he doesn't believe that violence is a one and done all deal
he's more of a backup just in case things get messy
one could say that he's a pacifist, a peace monger of some sorts,
a very cunning and calculating person, however, when his patience runs thin or worse, out
has a very deceptive face that he uses to his advantage and he usually looks calm
but he's a true sociopath with no true open compassion with very warped beliefs
equally as psychotic as the others, if not worse
the others are very upfront about their brutality and violence
but Yeosang pretends that he doesn't like violence because of his disconnect with the world
but when he does get violent, the hair on everyone's arms rise
even Hongjoong is sometimes horrified of his actions, believing that he originally had good intentions, but lost them along the way
his pacifism is for the greater good, at least in his mind, but he definitely goes too far with his wickedness and delusions of grandeur
one time, he watched Yeosang interact with their enemies and he became very unsettled
he was just talking to them as if it was just a normal day
until he heard Yeosang say, "This is a brawl. I'll let the last man standing go free."
both of them watched as the enemies started betraying and eliminating each other until the strongest man was left
Hongjoong raised a brow when Yeosang offed the last man and he asked him why
"I don't like people with no honour," Yeosang shrugged. "He has no loyalty to his team."
Jongho, his best friend, wasn't at all surprised at how twisted Yeosang's logic was
they both decided to send him to a mental hospital for the time being to sort himself
that's a lie, the last thing the police would look for to find a criminal was in a mental hospital
and that's where he met you, he couldn't help but wonder why someone as sweet and innocent as you would be doing here
you never did tell him your reason, but he didn't care, he slowly lost his mind when he realized that he liked your company
when you saw him, you thought he was cute, until you found out that he was actually crazy in the head
that didn't stop you from hanging out with him though because you were curious why he was always alone
Yeosang mentioned that he has a violent background and he was pleased when you just shrugged and said that everyone lives differently and some things that are right for others may not be for another
he knew then and there that he had to have you
imagine Hongjoong's surprise when he picked up Yeosang and he threatened him that he'll remove the mental hospital from existence if you didn't come along
and he actually would, all you had to do was say the word
the leader sighed when all you did was smile at him, looks like Yeosang found someone to tether him down
the way Yeosang was looking at you as if you'd tell him to actually to burn the hospital was endearing and so Yeosang coded
8.5/10, just don't get in his way
SAN
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The Assassin; the indestructible gladiator
if a job or task seems difficult, consider it done when it comes to San
the perfect machine, he will do everything and anything that is asked of him without questioning whether or not they're moral or ethical
he's very by-the-book and indifferent, his cruelty depends on who's asking and it ranges from tame to absolute destruction
extremely skilled at hiding his atrocities and never leaves behind any evidence
which is why he is Seonghwa's favourite member
because a psychopath following a psychopath always ends well for everybody
despite his rugged appearance, San is very quick-witted and very scheming, especially when he's about to get caught
second to Yeosang in making himself try to look normal in public
the only difference being that he is very hollow and he doesn't have a sense of entitlement in what he does
San is not interested in knowing why his tasks are the way they are nor why he has to do them while Yeosang only does them if he think there's some greater good in them
the sooner he does what is asked of him, the less headache he has
because he's perfectly aware that he's a tool for the mafia to use for their own benefit and he's perfectly fine with that
his platonic soulmate, Wooyoung, is trying to dissuade him from this line of thought, he's deeply saddened that that's how San thinks of himself
the tattoo on his thigh remind him of that everyday
he saw you for the first time when Seonghwa had instructed him to eliminate you because you were at the wrong place at the wrong time
at first it wasn't a problem so he kidnapped you in broad daylight
when San took the mask he had put on your face and took a closer look at you, his biggest problem started then and there
he had never seen someone so small, so pure, and so utterly scared of him
he couldn't do it, he couldn't eliminate you, especially not with his own hands, his heart wasn't letting him move at all
for the first time in his life, he felt the need to disobey
it was love at first sight, so after explaining to you honestly why he had to do it, you halfheartedly went into hiding in his house
he lied to Seonghwa that you were gone, and the older wasn't convinced, but regardless, he let it go for now
it was certainly a new arrangement for both of you, you were angry because you knew he put a hit on you
your greedy brother sold you to the mafia so before you changed your mind, you told San to do whatever he wanted with him
San smirked, for all the people he took orders from, yours was the one who made his heart sing
one day, Seonghwa visited San's house by surprise after a couple of months, he was shocked that you not only were you alive and well, but you were now playing house
so San does the most insane thing he could do, he proposed to you in front of a jaw-slacked Seonghwa
Seonghwa almost had an aneurysm when San came clean, mafia morals states that it's taboo to touch a member's partner
it wasn't difficult for you to say yes, you had come to love San for who he was although it was difficult at first
he was a gentle lover, and you didn't care what he was or what he's done, San's loving and caring personality made up for it
you two would stargaze on his roof as you both held hands, sometimes he would put a rom-com movie to make you happy, or he would plan a picnic just for the two of you
being engaged to San was the best decision of your life
you genuinely love the way he was, killing machine and all, but you couldn't help but fall in love with him more
especially with how attentive he was on your needs, especially adjusting to the mafia life
his kisses were definitely the sweetest
9/10, you'll be safe as long as someone doesn't put a price on your head
MINGI
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The Politician; his silver tongue can make pigs fly
he has the ability to gain control in literally any situation because of the power he exudes
very charming and very dangerous because of his impeccable confidence towards himself
as charming as he is, he is mostly mad, intimidating and mad
smooth talker, he can get away with justifying his atrocities
he is a textbook diplomat, he can talk his way to get whatever he wants, whenever he wants, from whoever he wants
him and San made a deadly combination, one did whatever anyone wanted and the other can convince the enemy that being dead was good
Mingi's charisma is something to be trifled with, everybody wishes to shoot him but somehow find themselves compelled to not do so
highly intelligent and loves to manipulate people for fun to make himself appear more trustworthy, much like his childhood best friend, Yunho
in actuality, he is a heartless, psychopathic animal who would do anything to conform his sick-minded personality
when he's irritated, he'd violently force others into unfair deals sometimes for the mafia, sometimes because he's bored
expert extortionist, by the time the enemy realizes that they've been made to say and do whatever Mingi wanted, it's too late
there is no backing out because Mingi has no problem ending people who waste his time
he has no mercy, because unlike the other members, he eliminates swiftly, he doesn't care about playing games
his members, especially Seonghwa, Yunho, and Wooyoung, loved playing with their victims, Mingi did not
he also eliminates for absolutely no reason but for his entertainment and his intimidating aura helps him in this regard
as a person, Mingi is actually rather chill
San said that if he didn't know how deadly Mingi was, he would have killed him a long time ago with hoe annoyingly chill he was
"Look at this schmuck," San would scoff. "Doesn't even look like he can shoot a gun."
"Wanna find out?" Mingi shrugged. "Your muscles ain't shit."
and that's how he won against an angry San, who was blinded by his annoyance, when he smacked the gun out of San's hand
things like these always come easy to him, all he had to do was exploit their weakness and use it against them
and it was how he almost has you in the palm of his hand, all you had to do was surrender to him
he hadn't mean to see you, one day he was out with Yunho for coffee and when they were about to leave, you passed him and your scent was captivating
one thing that made his brows raise was that, yes, his manipulation worked on you, but something didn't sit well with him
you felt like the prettiest girl whenever Mingi would shower you with gifts and loads of attention
he was your type of guy - tall with jaws craved by God, body slim and hips begging to be held - he was a dreamboat in your eyes
sooner or later, what turned out to be curiosity on his end, transformed into an unhealthy obsession
you were his, whether you liked it or not, whether you knew it or not
and so you rejected him when he confessed his want for you, which absolutely shocked him, all you did was smirk, you had him where you wanted him
but it was your turn to be shocked when he smirked, all the obsession he showed, the attitude, the gazes, the confession, he had you where he wanted you
you couldn't help but laugh when you realized at how you manipulated each other, but Mingi was starstruck
you weren't complaining much, he had the most dominating hold on you, and if you escaped from him, you'd pay, because you can always run, but you never hide from him
10/10, do not approach
WOOYOUNG
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The Hedonist; disorder and havoc are what makes him fully function
wholeheartedly believes that chaos is the only solution to peace
the most deranged out of everybody, his mania has no limit because unlike the others, his violence brings him pure pleasure
is the most headache-inducing member because of his impulsiveness and inconsistent cruelty, which makes him one of the most frightening members
he can be very cruel, and when he is, his methods are very, very slow and prolongs the agony of his victims until they beg him to just end them
sometimes they're so fast that his enemies don't know what hit them
- the master of prolonging his victims and playing with his food before devouring them
it all depends on his mood, but the point is, his unpredictability is what makes him very dangerous
he is highly capable of hurting everyone without hesitation due to his lack of restraint
however, what sets Wooyoung apart is his high impulse control, this means he can control himself on command
what makes him especially dangerous is that he is completely aware of what he's doing and he knows that consequences of his actions, he just doesn't care
in short, Wooyoung is absolutely crazy and not in his right mind
it was technically his fault why Yeosang was as unstable as he was, but he thought to himself, he was doing his friend a favour
"Have you ever regretted meeting me?" Wooyoung grinned.
"Every single day of my life," Yeosang scoffed.
sulking, he dragged San with him so they could get a tattoo together, later, he offed the tattoo artists for agreeing with him and not bothering to stop his decision
he was surprised that San didn't even protest, but that was his closest friend so he won't argue
when Yeosang was sent for damage control, the man just face palmed himself and left, deciding that he'd rather get punished by his leaders than involve himself in this mess that is Jung Wooyoung
but make no mistake, as demented and highly unstable as he is, he is Hongjoong and Seonghwa's right hand man and the members respect that
though they are close to ousting him and the members are very, very close on making a petition to demote him
brilliant planner, he plans his attacks in advance, as impulsive as he is, he always prefers tactical planning rather than facing his enemies face on
after all, his strategic mind was what led him to plan and steal you from your home
you were the enemies daughter, and Wooyoung's insanity knew no bounds because for all the things he had made plans for, your capture was the one that made his skin tingle and his blood run fast
but you can't change a leopard's spots, despite all his planning, Wooyoung ended up climbing your window at night so he can see you
you were half naked as you prepared for sleep, but you ended up screaming so loud when you saw a shadowy figure climb your roof
he quickly covered your mouth and you both his under the sheets when your father came in the room
you sheepishly told him that you saw a bug fly in from the window and got surprised, in the end, he bought the excuse and left
"Hello, princess," Wooyoung smirked as he traced your skin with his finger
you squirmed, you knew Wooyoung's fascination for you and at first it irked you, but only because both of you were in a Romeo and Juliet situation
you have always been attracted to him, and he knew it, but you couldn't do anything about it
months and months after that, he still kept pursuing you and it got so bad that he would purposefully pick a fight with your father just so he could have an excuse to see you
your father was livid, it wasn't really a secret how much of an absolute lunatic Wooyoung was in the mafia world
however, even he couldn't deny how intelligent Wooyoung was and how his operations were always a guaranteed success with no loose ends
Wooyoung being with you had more pros than cons and at the end of the day, your father was a businessman
when your father had requested a meeting with Ateez and proposed a merge, they had agreed after both sides presented their thoughts
your father hissed at Wooyoung to hold his horses when he tried to grab you
imagine everyone's surprise when Wooyoung said this merge would have happened anyway, because you were already four months pregnant
9.8/10, intelligence and insanity would bring the apocalypse
JONGHO
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The Liar; the most complex out of them all
while everyone focuses on being out there in action and extracting what they need to know, Jongho preferred to be in the side lines
not that he didn't know how to be out there, rather, they don't want him in there
Jongho is extremely cruel, and what the other members are good at, he's twice as brutal
he's twice as sadistic as Seonghwa, the only difference is that he doesn't get pleasure in hurting, twice as deceptive as Yunho, though not as arrogant about it, and he's twice as manipulative as Mingi
a lot of their enemies always underestimated Jongho and it only made him smirk
he always looked calm, emotionless, and nonchalant most of the time, it's usually this time where Jongho strikes
an exceptionally clever and absolutely cunning criminal genius and is most similar to Mingi - he doesn't like to play with his victims
his bloodthirst has does not accept limit, it's to the point that fellow member, Yunho, once suggested that the mafia may not even be enough to satisfy his bloodthirsty ravaging
with all of that being said, Yunho had took it upon himself to pull Jongho out of the action
"Goddamn it, Jongho, so much blood," Yunho clicked his tongue in annoyance when he saw that the enemy was long gone. "What did you use?"
when he lifted up a frying pan, Yunho's mouth drops, how much force had it taken for Jongho to produce this much blood with that?!
instead, he became the interrogator, and he is in charge of extracting even the hardest information he can get
which is fine by him, he's sick of being told off by his leaders about his brutality anyway, he owes no one an explanation
Jongho doesn't like to get his hands dirty, most of the time he can manipulate someone or force even an entire group to give him what he wants without lifting a finger
so now, Jongho's content with sticking to the question, the physical and psychological t**t**ing was his members' forte
however, even some of the members fear him, it isn't like Seonghwa where it's fear out of respect
some enemies are hard nuts to crack, and this is when Jongho enters, they call their last resort
easily the most dangerous and spine-chilling member, he doesn't get involved in all the brutality now, but when he does, they're very vile
they're so vile and atrocious that Hongjoong had instructed that only the worst of the worst should be brought to Jongho
his best friend, Yeosang, tried to contest this verdict, but to no avail, even he knew how bad it can get with Jongho
of course, the higher the peak, the harder the fall, and in most cases on his end, it's pure, unadulterated rage
this is Jongho's biggest weakness as it causes him fatal flaws of mistakes that are very much crucial
like that one time you callously kicked him out of the local library
despite his ruthlessness, he actually loved reading and gaining knowledge on the most mundane of things
so when you started your new job there, of course, he took notice of you, how could he not?
you were something worth reading, you were an enigma that tempted him to read further on, but he stopped himself, he wasn't all evil - you were innocent, his life wasn't for you
you looked so sweet, he didn't want to corrupt you, but oh, did he want to so badly
his thoughts were interrupted with a phone call from Yeosang, and the next thing he knew, he was seething in anger outside
in your defense, you didn't mean to, you took notice of him too and you cheeks blushed all the time, you panicked and didn't mean to kick him out
you were going to pay for this, he thought, and so he had this brilliant plan of following you into your apartment
you were about to close the door when his foot stopped it and he squeezed his way in, you didn't even have time to be surprised, he left before he could do anything
"Dude, you're an idiot, that isn't how you pick up girls," Yeosang snickered in delight
"Rich coming from the guy that met his girl in the nut hut," he snapped
in the end, he did man up and apologized to you the next day, and to Jongho's surprise, you invited him to your place for coffee
you confessed that you had a bit of a crush on him, this straightforward attitude made his heart skip and he tried to dissuade the confession
but you surprised him more when you admitted that you knew what he was and what he does,
you were the daughter of a man who owed money to Ateez, and your father did end up paying all of it back, but Mingi wanted him gone anyway
Jongho decided to let him go since he did do his end of the bargain
it was absolutely wrong, you couldn't get him out of your head, and when you were about to forget him, he suddenly showed up at your new job
you eventually found out that his love was the most genuine
he wasn't the biggest fan of physical affection, but he did love showering you with it the best he could
he loved fixing your hair for you when it got windy, he loved patting your head and then leaning in to give you nose boops
the way he listened when you talked without making it about himself, it meant a lot to you
or when he would eat your favourite food with him even though the food you liked wasn't his cup of tea
or perhaps when he automatically removed food from your plate that he knew you hated
your favourite was when he would hold your hand under any table, or any hidden physical contact
10/10, extremely dangerous, do not approach at all costs
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𝙵𝚞𝚛𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝙽𝚘𝚝𝚎𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚆𝚊𝚛𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜: please do not take this seriously. This is not a representation of the Ateez members in real life and this is not a go-signal for anybody to fulfill this type of fantasy. This is figment of this author's wild imagination to share with anyone and it shall stay that way.
𝙳𝚒𝚟𝚒𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚜: @thecutestgrotto
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thydungeongal · 1 month ago
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Reading your recent posts about "DMS make it work" and like, I'm a pretty new GM, I have a home-brewed campaign I want to run for my players and attempted twice so far, this second time is working a bit better, but lately I've been noticing that genuinely, the reason why this isn't working out well is because noone wants to engage with my goddamn world, my players make up characters and I have to tell them how to fit them into my world or make up while new tribes etc to make them fit.
And when I try to U know, actually have them follow the path I've set I get really worried about "railroading" when I'm still far more open than a actual adventure module. Every time I think about like adding in some cool epic moments I would also enjoy I remember posts about "DMS who want players to play prebuilt stories should just write a book" but like ... Modules are prebuilt too?
Yeah, there's definitely a balance to be struck between, you know, players actually being willing to engage with the GM's prep and the GM prepping their games in such a way that there are meaningful ways for the players to actually interface with the game.
Like okay, a lot of the objection to GMs plotting out a story ahead of the time also applies to a lot of modern adventure modules: a lot of modern adventure modules are basically presented as a linear succession of events that need to happen for the story to progress, which just completely turns player narrative agency into an illusion. This is why whenever I talk about GM prep I stress the fact that the GM shouldn't just prep a linear succession of encounters but more like a situation or a location and then let the story be whatever happens when the players engage with that situation or location. On the player side, conversely, as part of the give and take it is important that players be willing to engage with the GM's prep without needing to be led by the nose and being proactive, engaged players.
And since you mentioned modules, I think it's important to mention that older (I'm talking late 70s and early 80s) adventure modules for RPGs rarely presented any kind of linear narrative that required a succession of events to be completed, but they were more like. A place or a situation for the characters to get stuck in. And that sort of adventure design still has value imo!
So yeah, there is a lot of nuance to this discussion, but I do need to make a point here: these past few posts have been very much about players rejecting the premise of the game itself. Part of being a good player (including GM!) is respecting the effort the other players put into the game. There can always be an ongoing discussion about what players want out of the game and how the game should progress. But outright refusing to engage with what the player actually bringing the game to the table has actively set up for you is downright hostile and an expression of a toxic player culture that treats the GM as a special type of guy who must serve the other players.
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s-aint-elmo · 1 month ago
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*twirling my hair* do you have some good yuri manga recs?
(lying on my stomach and kicking my feet) i'm SO glad you asked!
to preface this i'll be excluding better-known yuri or yuri that's recently gotten its flowers (whether thru virality or adaptations) (e.g. in love with the villainess, love bullet, bloom into you, etc. etc.) and will instead be recc'ing works i don't often encounter in the wild. some will be more well-known than others, but all of these i've enjoyed and would encourage others to check out! under the cut because. this got. so long. i heart yuri <3
multi-chapter
the princess of sylph (ongoing; self-publishing): plot-heavy fantasy yuri between a bereaved princess with the aura of a thousand sad hamsters and a persistent nun whose silliness conceals a deep well of trauma. gushed about it plenty here. i recommend starting with the serialized version, the proceeding to the twitter version + extras. cw: blood, violence, dismemberment (nothing too graphic, more standard monster-fighting fare).
i love amy (completed): school loner strikes an unlikely friendship with the girl known (and feared) for her violent tendencies and single-minded obsession with the school prince. cute but striking and skilled art with a surprisingly nuanced handling of trauma and neurodivergence. cw: attempted child murder, animal death (non-graphic). there are also depictions of standard yandere fare (kidnapping, torture basements) but they're always presented comedically.
i see you, aizawa-san! (ongoing): girl who steadfastly pretends not to see ghosts meets one she just can't seem to ignore: a deceased classmate and former j-pop idol, who has taken to haunting their classroom. ft. art that harkens back to classic shoujo and a supernatural mystery centred on the relationship between the two leads--that one of them can't seem to remember. cw: blood, body horror.
school zone girls (on hiatus): slice of life yuri comedy ft. a massive interconnected web of girls spanning at least three schools. it juggles gut-busting comedy with genuine heartfelt moments of character growth and connection and expresses it all through a solid, dynamic art style. the sprawling cast also makes for incredible outsider pov moments that lets us really appreciate how far some characters have gotten. this genuinely motivated me to revamp how i approached ensemble casts for my ocs.
brides of iberis (completed): wedding planner unenthusiastic about her engagement falls in love with a bride she's taken as a client. bittersweet but deeply loving; and so compassionate to each and every character, even the men the female leads have relationships with. cw: infidelity.
destroy it all and love me in hell! (ongoing): model student finds her miserable, tightly controlled life unraveling after being blackmailed by the class truant into indulging her ugliest impulses. toxic yuri extravaganza eleganza between two girls desperate for escape and the catharsis of fucking! shit! up!!! also hits that sweet sweet "love triangle as a conflict of ideals" beat. cw: blackmail, coercion, bullying, violence, emotional abuse, physical abuse, verbal abuse, adult/minor relationship.
yuri is forbidden for the yuri otaku (completed): passionate himejoshi enrolls in an all-girls private school to observe class s yuri in action, but never to engage in it herself--at least, until a misunderstanding wins her the resident gyaru's heart. a surprisingly poignant exploration of being queer in a repressive society and experiencing your queerness through the safety of unobtainable fantasy.
the superstar idol crushes on me today too (ongoing): failed idol-slash-middling radio personality finds an unwanted superfan in the country's biggest superstar. explores the merit of pursuing your artistic passions in the face of repeated failure, and what makes an emotional anchor in the fraught seas of showbiz. they are also just so so funny. what if i emphatically declare you my rival in show business but you've been in love with me since you saw me in a cooking show as a child actor and you take any excuse to spend time with me and have my attention with blinding enthusiasm
normality and monsters (ongoing): outcast weirdo witnesses the class idol devour their homeroom teacher in one bite and begs to be trained in the art of appearing normal. the art is snappy and charismatic, the monster design is properly grotesque, and the friendship of convenience between the two leads teeters between overcoming the monster's nature and just being a prelude to the monster acquiring a new meatsuit. cw: blood, gore, death, body horror.
a monster wants to eat me (ongoing): suicidal girl meets carnivore mermaid who promises to eat her if she develops a desire to live. it's been a while since i read this one, but the monster designs are once again sick as fuck and the drama of being cared for by a creature that finds you tantalizing is sooo juicy. cw: suicidal ideation, blood, gore, violence, body horror.
liar satsuki can see death (completed): high schooler who can see corpses before the death occurs strives to save as many lives as possible despite being branded a liar by the entire student body. this and ryouko's other manga, a walk to death, are pretty banging declarations on the value of living ironically (or maybe aptly) wrapped in so much death. blanket cw for blood, gore and death bc i tell you every mini-arc somebody dies in a fun new way and we'd be here all day if we listed them out.
anthology:
i'm the villainess but i'm being captured by the heroine?!: an anthology featuring heroines of otome games swerving hard and sweeping the villainess off her feet. i am such a sucker for villainess yuri. mean women forever. my favourite chapters are vol. 1 ch.1 and vol. 2 chs. 1 and 4.
honourable mentions:
my idol sits the next desk over! (completed): loner idol otaku ends up deskmates with her oshi and between jealous sabotage from a rival stan and the herculean task of acting normal around your fave, lands herself in the first and closest friend group of her life. one girl does explicitly have romantic feelings for another girl, but i bumped it down here because it isn't explored to the extent it could have been. it felt like it was setting up a slow burn only to end abruptly. do not recommend if you want a love story, do recommend if you want lonely people forging deep and enduring bonds of friendship.
the one within the villainess (ongoing): the villainess of an otome game reawakens for her condemnation and sets off on a path of vengeance for the sake of the beloved transmigrator who's occupied her body for years. it's ostensibly het, but to hear the way that the villainess speaks of her transmigrator, the first person to love her wholeheartedly and wish for her happiness and so inadvertently prevent her from becoming the hollow bitter woman she originally grew into...... like. that is yuri. like what if i knew your life in its entirety and loved you for it and i found myself in the position to give you the happiness i always wished for you to have. what if we wrote fix-it fic for each other on the fabric of the universe. what if we never even had a conversation but we knew each other the best and loved each other most. and we were both girls. do you understand why i'm insane about them. cw: blood, gore, violence.
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a-big-chicken-nerd · 3 months ago
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Ice Emperor related fic recs?
ohohoho most certainly
thin ice breaks easily by lightningchicken has gotta be my all time favorite ice emperor fic. never fails to make me go a little insane its SO GOOD
lost and found by idkwhyimhere5462 is an absolute banger with the plot being utilized so perfectly to really show off what ice emperor was like during his reign as well as vex and boreal and their dynamic and its extremely good
adventures with the ice emperor by idkwhyimhere5462 is a series of absolutely banger oneshots
ruler from another realm by cybersearcher is an absolutely iconic one and a must read. not your typical ice emperor fic but the never-realm world building is too good
whetstone by spinchip is awesome i love the open ending and the continuation of akitas plot and the characterization SO much
i hope we both die by spinchip is another banger by spinchip because btw spinchip does nothing but bangers so definitely check out all their zane and post-ice emperor fics both on ao3 and tumblr
bitter cold by redboar is a LONG one!!! 100k+ words!!!! ice emperor is so cool in it and the way vex and grimfax are written is extremely good
i think that i damned the both of us by penofwildfire is truly premium quality toxic yaoi if shipping ice emperor and vex is your thing
how the frost forgets by kzfine is still currently ongoing and its super good so far with plenty of focus on vex as well which is always excellent to see
the ultimate guide to re-becoming zane julien by fronhdoesthings is awesome and still currently ongoing and it has really good illustrations and is just overall great
there are a lot of great zane focused post-never realm fics as well but i tried to keep this list to just ice emperor ones that stay WITHIN the never realm LOL one billion fics upon ye
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accio-victuuri · 18 days ago
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it’s been a while since i’ve shared my recent reads! so here’s what i have picked up in the past months. felt inspired cause i’m really enjoying the story i’m reading now, w/c i initially picked up as a manhwa but i’m impatient so i switched to the novel. it’s called the hunter is gonna lay low or the hunter wants to live quietly. it’s such a gem! cause it starts of pretty simple and funny then the author manages to put in the plot and well, it’s plotting. lol.
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if you like systems/dungeons, cast of characters, time travel, mystery and the most delicious slow burn then this is for you. i hope this gets animated at some point cause it’s so good! 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 this is the only novel on the list so it’s pretty special that the story led me to WANT to read the source.
i’m literally listing what i’ve read so yeah. and pretty much a v short reaction to it cause there is a lot (53). it’s a mix of ongoing and completed works at the time of writing and when i read it so i’ll mark that too.
1. Sweetie, Sweetie, Sweetie - this title is so misleading cause you would think it’s a modern story full of sweetness when it’s not. this deals with kingdoms/royalty, superpowers — and isekai.
2. How my Daddies Became mates (completed) - first foray into mangas because i most prefer manhwa/manhuas — i know, sacrilege. but yeah, it’s a cute story of two dad telling their kid how they met and fell in love. It’s so wholesome! a short read when you feel tired of all the toxic bl stories. 😂😂😂
3. Unintentional Love Story (completed) - pick this up! it’s so good! slice of life kind of vibe and falling in love in a small town.
4. Someone like You (completed) - this was something i started before and went back in now that it’s completed.
5. Isekai no Sata Wa shachiku shidai - i don’t really go for Mangas but this one pulled me in! I love myself some isekai plot. it’s just sad that no one has updated the translation for so long so that may put some people off in picking this up.
6. Bend over Backwards (completed) - corporate slave x international model. if you like this kind of dynamic then go ahead. Only 40 chapters plus a bunch of side stories so this kind of thing is a good choice.
7. Dinner with a Vampire - pretty obvs with the title.
8. Mister Wonderful teases me
9. Romance but not Romantic - omegaverse! the kind where the omega needs the alpha but initially hated him.
10. Be, Be. - omegaverse with modern royalty!
11. Smoky Nectar 1 - a short read that continues to a part 2 and it’s good ✌🏼
12. Smoky Nectar 2
13. Reincarnated to Devil King Evelogia’s World - this is so uniquely unhinged that it became. endearing. No. I swear. I haven’t read anything like it. I love it tho. Maybe some people will find it over the top but it’s now one of my personal faves.
there’s an animated version of it if you wanna start with that just to see how cute they are lol.
14. Bullying the Dog - an MC who didn’t get much love then he meets the ML who shows him what it’s like. it’s so somft.
15. Bittersweet Martini (completed) - i’m gonna cheat here and copy/paste the first comment on this story cause i think it perfectly describes the story: “If you're looking for a casual pleasure read with a green flag story with heavy flirting, which leads to a lot of blushing but also deals with a more serious topic towards the middle, without leaning too much into the drama, then look no further.”
16. Over the Paradise - guideverse with zombies!
17. Hero vs Villain - what happens when the supposed hero and villain become friends and fall in love? this was so nice!
18. Night of London - vampire and werewolf pairing! come on! Let’s gooooo! 🙌🏼
19. Kill my love - omegaverse and assassins!
20. Turning - Another work that i would most likely pick up the novel version cause it’s that good! Regression theme! ❣️plus the setting is they are in a kingdom where people have powers.
21. The Moon is coming to me - I have already talked bout this before and it’s one of my absolute faves! I didn’t know the Manhua was released! So i was so happy to enjoy it in that form. The translation for this is very close to the end so pick it up!
22. Cozy Obsession - transmigration where the MC knows how the story goes so he is trying his best to change the ending.
23. Summertime (completed) - one of my favorites! love it when friends become lovers and some may say the ML here is manipulative but i wanna say in a good way. lol. anyway, it’s classic, atleast from the MC’s side that you’ve known this person some time and that summertime everything has changed.
24. My way with you (completed) - gonna cheat again with this one by pasting here what someone commented: “LISTEN UP GUYS this one has everything: healthy happy relationship, supportive friends, trauma and healing, mysterious past connections, beautiful men, hot af smut, 100% consent, cutest lovey dovey couple, NO drama, NO “misunderstandings”, NO second ml, NO annoying interfering side characters. You will cry, but because it’s just so good.” 💯
25. Netkama Punch - i haven’t finished and progressed much as i would like tho i know a lot of people have this as their favorite! I will get back to it! The premise of hidden identity and online gaming is one of my fave so i will surely pick this up again.
26. Through the Years - i haven’t finished this yet but it’s a lot of people’s fave
27. Fools (completed) - disillusioned guy meets excitable puppy 🤍
28. Moonquake (completed) - a very unique concept. people on earth have powers and then some of them decided to rebel and live in the Moon. Our MC is one of the best ones on earth and is supposed to bring down the leader of the rebellion. but you all know what happens, they fall in love! AHHHHH! and i have to say the art in this too is exceptional.
29. Men’s wear store and the Royal Princess (completed) - this may be weird for some or slow / not enough action lol. i enjoyed it tho! the MC cross dresses and finds someone who loves and accepts him!
30. Ex Hot Neighbor (completed) - a story that centers around a misunderstanding! MC thinks he can’t date the neighbor cause he’s his friend’s ex. but nope!
31. Forest Sea (completed) - A good and solid fantasy story. Please give it a try! The whole birds vs snakes thing was kinda weird at first but the author made it work.
32. When you were asleep - this hasn’t been updated in a while and it’s so sad because the art is topnotch! the plot is good too, especially the dreamscapes but there’s still a lot to discover cause we wanna know what happened in the past. Why is MC even having these dreams and all that.
33. Beum & Go’s Unholy…. - still ongoing and read few chapters
34. Spring, the color of love (completed) - what a wonderful story. Oftentimes, as a reader, you have that sense of boundary with the narrator. But this one — you can feel and understand what the MC is thinking and going through. even tho i haven’t experienced what he did, i can totally get it. this is one of those tropes where they fall in love during their school years and some misunderstanding happens, they meet again years later and try again. something i would love to re-read even if there are parts of it that hurt. and it’s just proof that if something is meant to be, it will come back to you.
35. Keep Holding On (completed) - a short and sweet read with friends to lovers trope!
36. Wolf in the House (completed) - i am so late with this cause i feel like every list has this story as one of the best. I have to agree! it’s so good! tho i have to say i’m more attached to the second pairing. this one is a perfect mix of fantasy, action, comedy and romance. A solid recommendation!
37. Touch within the Abyss (completed) - AAAAAHHHHHH! a hitman x blind cinnamon roll! read it now! please! it’s so sweet! their love and care for each other is so pure 🥹🥹🥹🥹🥹
38. 99% in love season 1 (completed) - from bestfriends to lovers in the cutest way! they start fake dating and it leads to more obvs.
39. 99% in love season 2 - their college life and this one has smut scenes!
40. Alpha Trauma ( novel ongoing ) - if you know Omega Complex then you might be aware that this is a sequel of sorts but follows the second lead’s love story if you may. Everyone loves Dohyun so i’m one of those happy readers who is happy that he gets his own story, tho the POV in this is not his but his Omega. If you like ABO and campus setting then this may be for you.
41. Soul Sealer’s school life - The MC is the soul sealer who has to do good deeds to prolong his life, then he meets the ML who has a strong spirit in him. It’s a perfect blend of fantasy, comedy and not so much romance as of the moment. The art is 💯 and i really like to see where this goes!
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42. Guidance with Benefits - still ongoing and read few chapters
43. Chiguha Kuna Kisu (completed) - if you like a short read that will make you have overall good vibes then this is it. school setting, two cute boys, a fortunate miscommunication and starting a relationship. it’s so good and made me want to look for more mangas! 🤍
44. Spicy Milk Candy - yandere but in a good way. that’s all i’m gonna say.
45. Ruby Red wo Kamikudaku (completed) - i’m just gonna add the summary below but it’s truly a unique read!
Akane is an Omega who can see people's pheromones as multicolored "crystals”. During his school days, when he was lonely because of his peculiar constitution, he meets Makise, a school nurse teacher. 5 years later, they are miraculously reunited, but Makise has a secret
46. Yume Nara Doko Made Yurusaremasuka (completed) - corporate slave x young policeman. 6 chapters of sweetness!
47. Sparkling Baby (completed) - this is supposedly a sequel for the second lead, but i haven’t read the first story. I just love how the MC/ML first met and then made a mark on each other as strangers — but it wasn’t there time yet. and so they meet again later and navigate their lives together. What attracted me to this story is how the MC changed because of love. For years, he had this sense of what he think is love and looking back, maybe it didn’t work out because love isn’t supposed to be like that. What he found with the ML is real and why it feels different.
48. Ashita kimi no mono ni shite (completed) - this so wholesome! school setting and friends to lovers. quiet boy x cool guy
49. Koibitu Keiyaku chu ni suki (completed) - friends to lovers! fake dating. and well, look at them. so precious together:
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50. Camboy Bunny (completed) - i think the title says it all. A delicious read!
51. Beyond the Memories - AAAAAHHHHHHH! the story in itself should be sweet and fluffy but the author manages to squeeze in the undercurrent of there is something wrong. as a reader, there is something big that we don’t know and once it comes out — all of it will be shattered. it looks like there is some sort of regression and MC doesn’t know this but the ML does. The question here is when his memories will come back and will he forgive the ML. We are not in that part yet with what’s available right now so i’m excited!
52. Private Call (completed) - another omegaverse.
53. Senza Replica - guide/esper. very few chapters out and something i will go back to.
I read everything except the novel at BATO. 🫶🏼 covering my may-october 2024 reads.
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ripplestitchskein · 5 months ago
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Thinking about this anti idea that the show switched gears on them. I don’t understand it. I’ve never understood it. I’ve already talked about how it’s pretty clear from the writing and show setup in the first few episodes what the focus would be but what baffles me is that it’s also just not true that the character’s issues are purely centered on and only expressed via the romance aspect. They are pretty good at applying the character’s issues to all aspects of their lives and interactions. Especially with Blitz because he is the main character.
Blitz, to put it simply hates himself, plain and simple. We all know this. He creates scenarios to force others to see him as he sees himself. He is a textbook case of someone who self sabotages due to extreme self loathing. He’s not sabotaging his work or his life in general though. We can see Blitz is hardworking, he is ambitious, he has his life together from a material perspective. He had a roof over his head, clothes on his back and food in his fridge. He provides these material things for a whole other person as well.
Where Blitz self sabotages is his relationships. It’s made clear from early on in the show it’s NOT just romantic relationships, it’s ALL of them. Blitz targets what he thinks will drive people away the fastest. I need it to be super clear that he does this to everyone and its ongoing even if sometimes it’s less prevalent. The show is about Blitz and Stolas, whether you like it or not they were the two characters who were focused on in the first few episodes. And the plot is driven by their issues and always has been, what gets disregarded in these arguments that the show is only about Stolitz now is how we see these issues manifest outside of the romance aspect of the show consistently and regularly just maybe not in entire episode long plots, it’s a through line.
With Moxxie Blitz insults him, he makes comments to make him uncomfortable. He targets little insecurities he has with himself. As we’ve gone along and they’ve developed he does this less, he compliments him more, he gives him responsibility. I think we see a good subtle example of Blitz’s influence in Moxxie on Full Moon. The Welcome to Hell, Bitch line was pure Blitz. His comfort with saying “So fuck him good sir”. These are the kinds of little things that slowly and carefully drive the changes in their relationship.
For Moxxie and Millie as a couple he inserts themselves into their relationship. He makes sexual jokes about them both. He mentions having a threesome with them. He follows and stalks them. It’s an odd and imo off putting behavior, one I think we’ve theorized about a lot and that’s lead to some interesting takes on his character and his view of monogamy in general. I don’t agree or disagree on the reasonings, I don’t have any info to make an informed decision on it but after Apology Tour it was kind of cemented for me that this behavior was also a pretty effective way to test them and drive them away. They are a very loving and committed couple, if I were a serial self sabotager faced with pushing away a couple to prevent them from getting too close, what is the best way to drive them away for good? Obviously, be the toxic third, have them join the Blitz Exes. He’s not going to admit that’s what he’s doing of course, so he approaches it in earnest like he does most things he is deluding himself about. Go all in on denial.
Blitz only ever tests the fence about them though, he never makes any serious moves on it, and he has largely stopped doing it at all after Chaz and Ozzie’s. I think that episode, how he felt after sleeping with Chaz, was the turning point for him when it came to them. It remains to be seen though.
I think GhostFuckers will be the place to explore it if there is anything left to explore about that. We seem to be getting a Millie based flashback and that might shed some additional light.
What also saves Moxxie and Millie from the full force of his self sabotaging behavior is that there is a built in buffer by them being his employees. He always has a way to keep them at arm’s length if there is a power dynamic he can fall back on.
With Loona she is a very closed off, anti-affection person. With her, the tact Blitzø takes is give her too much attention and show too much love. Smother her in affection no matter how many boundaries she sets and how much she protests about it. In Queen Bee he’s too in his head over Stolas to bother with that, and it’s sadly probably the most in sync they’ve ever been until the end. I pointed it out before but in Full Moon Blitz treats Loona very differently. He imitates her and actually snaps back at her when she says Stolas is dropping him, it was a very different interaction than earlier episodes and I think another subtle sign that how he feels right now is changing him and he’s making efforts. He hasn’t simpered at her for awhile. And he obviously is giving her a more active role in the day to day.
These are ongoing threads and they are all part of of the larger picture of Blitz’s growth and change. Just because a romantic relationship is helping drive that change doesn’t meant other things aren’t, or that the only changes or growth we see are only about the romance.
The fact that that there are two episodes focused entirely on Fizz speaks for itself.
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xsherewrytesx · 5 months ago
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↳ Toji Fushiguro x f! black reader
summary. You and Toji were broken up for 8 months+. Your constant pressure for him to improve led to frequent fights, driving him to spend more time at the mechanic shop and racing than with you. Despite knowing you meant well, the strain became too much, and Toji eventually ended the relationship.
genre: heavy angst, modern au, 18+, explicit smut
fic warnings. ooc, profanity, mental health issues, toxic relationships, cheating, explicit smut, drug use, mentions of depression + more to be updated as story progresses.
Please read with proper discretion. this is a work of fiction. all characters are written to portray roles that are necessary to the plot and are in no way a reflection of their canon counterparts.
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 one + two + three + four + five + six + seven + eight 
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status: ongoing
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junnieverse · 1 year ago
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✧ — JUNNIEVERSE PRODUCTIONS
PRESENTS !
" spill your guts "
... Olivia Rodrigo's GUTS album
x ENHYPEN !
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WELCOME 💌 : hi everyone, so this is officially my first ever series so thank you very much for being here. I am without a doubt in love with not only olivia's sour album but her guts album too that has been on repeat on my spotify every day. I soon grew inspired to write some oneshots for the enhypen members with songs from this album and I can only hope you all like them.
I also wanted to make sure that these songs gave off a vibe that linked to a certain member and I could easily think of a plot with that member and the song so it wasn't easy since I wanted it to all come out 'perfect' but albeit it was also really fun to immerse myself into these songs and write the stories so I just hope that you all enjoy my work.
I do want to give a small disclaimer too that this is ofcourse pure fictional work and I do not in any way perceive the members to be as toxic or have any traits like how they are in these stories. (Y/n) isn't much of a saint either in a few of these but they are simply a wounded character. Don't hate the character, hate their actions (well maybe we can tomato this toxic enha /hj).
once again, thank you all so much, I appreciate your support greatly :)
— this is mars signing out !
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PAIRING : enhypen x reader
GENRE : angst , slightly suggestive , very little to no fluff
WARNINGS : toxic enhypen , mentions of infidelity , mentions of alcohol/drinking , swearing , mentions of insecurities , possibly suggestive language being used , etc
STATUS : ongoing
TAGLIST : open
(either comment or send an ask to be added, no dms pls)
✧ — [ 6 / 7 ] members completed !
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✦ track 01 : logical
⨾ featuring yang jungwon
— you had known from the beginning that your relationship with jungwon was far from perfect, many would simply put it as toxic because of how manipulative he was but you were too blinded by love that all the lies and deceit felt meaningless. it was too late before you realised how dysfunctional it all was, love wasn't logical after all.
ꗃ you can read it [ here ]
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✦ track 02 : making the bed
⨾ featuring lee heeseung
— he was unattainable and yet you still wanted him. pretending to be someone you weren't putting yourself in difficult positions simply for his attention. with every move you made, it seemed you were digging yourself a deeper hole for a one sided love and through it all you were losing not only the people who cared about you but yourself.
ꗃ you can read it [ here ]
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✦ track 03 : the grudge
⨾ featuring park jongseong
— "forgive and forget" they'd say, if only they knew it wasn't that easy. jay was one of the people you trusted the most and he only betrayed your trust, no matter how much you tried to forgive him, you knew it would take alot of strength to heal from what he put you through and letting go of the grudge you held against him would be a long journey.
ꗃ you can read it [ here ]
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✦ track 04 : get him back !
⨾ featuring sim jaeyun
— despite having ended things with jake you were conflicted between hating the man and loving him all in one. you missed all the happy memories between the two of you but it was even harder to forget all the hurt he put you through. revenge is best served sweet, maybe it's time you get him back!
ꗃ you can read it [ here ]
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✦ track 05 : bad idea right ?
⨾ featuring park sunghoon
— you were completely over sunghoon, no feelings for him whatsoever... or atleast that's what you would tell your friends. he was no good for you and yet no matter how many other guys came your way, sunghoon was the only one on your mind, maybe reconnecting as 'friends' would be fine, it wasn't a bad idea... right?
ꗃ you can read it [ here ]
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✦ track 06 : love is embarrassing
⨾ featuring kim sunoo
— you felt like a complete fool. you told everyone he was 'the one' but seeing sunoo with someone else hit you like a truck. it was humiliating having to deal with the fact that you so easily fell for him and yet he had his eyes set on someone else. you knew you had to let him go and yet you were still holding on onto false hope.
ꗃ you can read it [ here ]
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✦ track 07 : vampire
⨾ featuring nishimura riki
— the ever so loved and popular ni-ki, cherished and adored by everyone for his fame and popularity and yet here you were laughing bitterly at how naïve and blinded you were by him. he would tell you how much he loved you but it had already been too late before you realised how he used you to get where he was, draining everything in you like a vampire.
ꗃ you can read it [ here ]
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oasisdew · 7 months ago
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~~Given sequel and what we've got so far~~
We've gotten only two(2) chapters of the sequel so far and I personally think, the stage for the next arc is already set.
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Given does follow a pattern in story-telling if you pay attention to it. And it does address one issue a couple (the main two couples) at a time meticulously.
The first arc was about RitsuMafu, and the plot was Mafuyu falling in love with Ritsuka and being forced to face his trauma from his ex's suicide and doing whatever was needed to move on from it, taking first steps towards healing.
Likewise the second arc was about AkiHaru, and the plot was Akihiko realising the extent of his feelings for Haruki and being forced to face his trauma of being in a longterm abusive relationship and doing whatever was needed to break free from the toxic cycle he was stuck in.
The third arc got a bit complicated with Hiiragi being mixed in the equation of RitsuMafu. Hiiragi introduced the problem that RitsuMafu were to face and got a subplot of his own (that's also still ongoing).
But essentially the third arc can be seen as divided in two parts the two parts that the two movies are covering. 1) 'Hiiragi_mix' as in the first part where Hiiragi (and Shizusumi) successfully did recreate the traumatic experience for Mafuyu again to face knowingly or unknowingly. And 2) 'to the sea' where RitsuMafu had to face that situation and prove the strength of their love and mettle of their characters to overcome the challenge.
But more importantly the main objective of that arc was Mafuyu getting full closure, not only from Yuki, but from the effects of trauma and grieving and the guilt that comes with it. As well as having to face the issues that traumatic experience gave him, as in his doubts about expressing himself, his doubts about his own worth as opposed to what he brings to table musically for Ritsuka, his hesitation of letting go of Yuki fully etc. These were all the issues that his previous relationship gave him. The unsurity of it all and the persistent feeling of fear of doing something wrong again with the everpresent feeling of perpetual shame and guilt for forgetting a person who for sure for a period of time he thought of as essential for his own existence. There's also been hints of his complex regarding Hiiragi specifically. Hiiragi is always being described as charismatic. Everyone thinks so. He has 'star quality' which Mafuyu probably fears(feared) he lacks. Yuki forming a band with Hiiragi wasn't easy for Mafuyu to take. Not in a toxic way, but in a deeply insecure way. We see him reacting oddly to Ritsuka praising Hiiragi in any capacity. Trying to not feel pressured by it, wanting more of Ritsuka's attention to himself. Literally fidgeting.
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Then the same Hiiragi's band won CAC against 'given' and right after that Ritsuka joined 'syh'.
To Mafuyu it probably felt like Ritsuka leaving the loser band and vocalist Mafuyu for the winner Hiiragi. Ritsuka admitted it himself, Hiiragi was cooler than he imagined. Hiiragi successfully intrigued Ritsuka too. And Ritsuka was won over by him because Mafuyu wasn't enough. He needed to sing, and he couldn't.
(And then they metaphorically did throw him in the sea too. It was awful but I digress 😑)
But anyway, all these issues, insecurities, the culmination of it ALL as well as all the stages of grieving for Mafuyu, they were all masterfully handled in the last arc. Or second RitsuMafu arc.
Now that brings us to the second AkiHaru arc and like it or not, just like how Mafuyu had to grieve properly and find closure from all his remnant issues from his previous relationship and childhood, Akihiko will also have to face the issues he is still carrying from his last relationship. The gaslighting that he endured, the misplaced guilt that he probably still feels, the fear of doing something wrong again to fuck it all up for himself and Haruki and probably the band too.
And believe it or not, we have already seen the seeds of it. Also, I personally think Ritsuka will be the catalyst of Akihiko's arc this time and we are gonna get the Ritsuka arc either mixed with Akihiko's one this time or right after.
Now let's see what we got thus far.
1) AkiHaru LDR. Akihiko's ring and them living separately even in Tokyo as well as Akihiko's little show of flirtation to get Haruki flustered.
All of these point to something that I'm sure most of the fandom is vaguely aware of but can't put their finger on surely.
I personally think these point to the issues Akihiko brought from his experience of being the victim in an abusive relationship.
LDR is simply him choosing to not sacrifice his music for the sake of his relationship. He learnt from his previous relationship that that's not the way he gets to retain himself much less his relationship.
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The ring is the symbol of his clinginess, or his innate urge to belong. To belong to someone. But with that also comes his fear of binding Haruki unfairly to himself. His need to be clingy to Haruki is constantly at odds with his fear of somehow being codependent or worse still, making Haruki codependent on him. So he himself is donning a ring and showing it off but he doesn't want Haruki to, especially if Haruki doesn't by his own accord. Haruki didn't show him his own need to belong to Akihiko, he simply asked, (with a strange look on his face too if I may add) if he should also wear a ring, and Akihiko declined. No matter how dramatic he tried to make himself sound to Mafuyu that's the root cause of it.
Akihiko living separately even when in Tokyo too also probably comes from the same fear and deep rooted issues. He was at the receiving end of such a relationship once and it was excruciatingly painful for him. His ex leaving the country for months and then coming back to only have sex for a few days with him(and then kicking him out but he had been gaslighted to think all of those as his faults so we no talk about it yet) while he was stuck in a place full of memories and yearning for those times to come back again and feel the love and happiness...he doesn't want any of those to happen to Haruki. He knows living alone is better than living with memories.
So on one hand he is desperate to bind himself to Haruki, donning the ring, going broke just to see Haruki every week, still bringing Haruki coffee, on the other hand, he is trying to set Haruki as free as he possibly can. Living separately, not making him wear the ring.
He is also still an insecure jealous mess when it comes to Haruki. It started with the second chapter of given and it's still going on. Akihiko wants Haruki's attention to himself all the time. He also needs to know that he still is desirable to Haruki and that comes from his abandonment issues. His parents as far as he is concerned didn't want him the moment he became a liability and don't even let me start on his ex. So being able to make Haruki flustered still is important to him. the assurance that he is still needed and desired and it's not all been just a whim on Haruki's part, or if it were indeed a whim, it's still there as strong as it was the first day, Akihiko needs to be reassured of it from time to time.
In contrast, I know that most of the fandom will disagree with me but, Haruki's issues are nonconsequential at this point. Is he probably sad to see Aki go? He obviously is. He also is possessive with his 'insect repellent' comment and seeing Akihiko instantly changes his whole demeanor. But Haruki is essentially in his essence this chapter. Thinking and planning and working. Missing Akihiko is inevitable but I don't think it's death sentence for Haruki. A large part of what Haruki possibly feels in this situation we see from Ritsuka's POV which is a trick Kizu uses frequently to mislead readers. Ritsuka is projecting high key. He and Haruki are fundamentally different. So he should be treated as an unreliable narrator here.
I think the difference between how Ritsuka and Haruki work is that Ritsuka can be at ease knowing that Mafuyu is at home safe and he himself has Mafuyu to come back to while he goes work outside forgetting everything in the world.
But for Haruki, he considers himself to be the home and can wait for Akihiko to come back to him indefinitely as long as there's a promise of him coming back.
Which brings us to the issues of RitsuMafu or more specifically Ritsuka that's been shown in this chapter.
So the issue with 2) Ritsuka is that he has no issues. I know there are many fans who want Ritsuka to breakdown or cry etc but the truth is that Ritsuka has no problem except for his own tyrant king workaholic self.
In previous arc we did get some covers that made us question about Ritsuka's mental state. 👇🏼 The main one being the left one but the right one too.
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It's more been the words written on the left cover that were vaguely worrying. For the first time we saw him thinking about Yuki and the fact that he had been a big part of Mafuyu's life. And I understand some fans being disappointed that we didn't see him ponder on it again.
But the truth is, Ritsuka is 1) too healthy an individual by nature and by nurture to constantly be worrying about things that he can't control. He'll always find a way to cope healthily whatever the outside world throws at him and he did find a way to get closure from Yuki the last arc, it was to help everyone Yuki left behind get closure from him. 2) If he really indeed has to confront Yuki then it'll come after he has worked on his own issues so we'll have to wait and see if that happens ever.
Now that being said Ritsuka also does have to confront and control his own self. As they say, even the best things can be too much. And Ritsuka always had been and right now (after ten years period) especially is under the danger of being too much. For himself and for others.
To put it simply, he is too good. Thinking of everyone and how to make them reach their full potential and thus pressuring himself and occasionally others especially the ones he loves.
This started ten years ago though. The inferiority complex of 'given' being thought of as inferior to 'syh', the guilt he felt leaving his own band to play for the rival band.
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As well as his need to commit himself fully to things that he has committed once and his continuous need to challenge himself which doesn't let him go easy on himself a bit. His need to fix everything, every situation and his ability to do so ends up making him cornered more and more and it's been piling up.
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There's also this thing that he is biased about 'given'. He considers it his 'own' band, while he feels responsible for 'syh' and isn't one to shrink from his responsibilities. He gives his 100% to make Hiiragi shine, he specifically does so because he knows Hiiragi's potential.
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But that doesn't stop him from feeling guilt towards his own band and especially mafuyu.
Now here's the thing, Hiiragi is syh's vocalist while Mafuyu is Given's. And syh's style is populist style, it's not about quality, it's about taste and syh and Hiiragi appeals to public taste more.
In Ritsuka's own words, they are 'flashier' than 'given'.
And here comes the conflict for Ritsuka. He has truly no one else to blame for but himself. He has made Hiiragi a star and now he wants the same fame for his beloved aka Mafuyu. That's what they were arguing about.
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He wants Mafuyu and 'given' to become even more popular. It's literally the conflict of interest and he is fighting himself on both sides.
Which brings us to Mafuyu at last. Mafuyu isn't buying this. And that's deeply satisfying and comforting. Mafuyu who once was scared of Hiiragi 'stealing' Ritsuka's attention, or being too charismatic now wants no part in competing with him. He isn't scared of Hiiragi's brightness anymore and is deeply secured in Ritsuka's affection to the point where he actively is fighting with Ritsuka about music and says that he doesn't need to stand out simply because it's not Given's style. It'll sound fake and fabricated he says. And I agree.
I think this is what Ritsuka's arc is gonna be about, at least for now. He's been putting himself on spot too much, he once had this realisation that just because something is popular with masses, it doesn't mean it sucks contrary to pretentious intellectual beliefs. All because of syh and Hiiragi.
He'll have to come back to his senses now and realise that on the other hand popularity isn't and can never be the criteria on how you create art. Given's style is simply different from what appeals to mass but that's what makes given unique.
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peoplesrazor · 1 month ago
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Finally getting around to a follow up
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Link to my first post.
When I first talked about this I ended the post by saying:
I might make another post in the future and touch on other stuff related to this. What Lily says about Amity breaking up with Luz because of her behavior. Whether the people around Luz should have confronted her more often and so on.
Finally getting around to that other post. Thanks to @risingphoenix87 for the reminder. This time I'm starting out knowing it's going to be a long post.
Heavy spoilers for The Owl House in this one.
First, I want to make a point I didn't in the last post. The reason I didn't is I was trying to "meet Lily where she stands," as it were and discuss the ideas she as she presented them. While I think that was a good approach over all to this video, it may have ended up sounding like I agreed with something I do not.
The idea I'm talking about is that of Luz's trauma response changing.
In this and other Owl House videos Lily claims Luz used to have a different, more proactive response to trauma, and that in season two that response changed.
I need to point out, I don't think that's true. Rereading my post, I realized I said her response changed because she did. That's not really what I meant. What I meant was her emotional responses changed, not what she's actually doing. Small, but important difference there.
To explain more clearly:
Luz is still pretty proactive. Even as she becomes more guilt-ridden and upset, she's still determined. She's still active. She's still at the center and the one the others are looking to for answers. Amity literally ends a pretty simple statement, that at least they'll all be together at the end of it, with the phrase "Right, Luz?" in the second episode of Season 3. (It's horrible timing, but that's plot convenience.)
What changed was Luz's response to failure. Think of all the times in Season one when the stakes were pretty low and Luz messed up. She what? Smiled sheepishly? Gave a nervous apology, maybe? Said oops! Didn't know that would happen, silly me? The kid set my second-hand embarrassment off the whole season.
Then something happened that raised the stakes and had real consequences. That led to Eda getting captured, nearly petrified, and losing her magic. That led to her only way home being destroyed.
Something that Luz blames herself for.
And season two just builds and builds on that. The stakes get increasingly higher. Luz puts more and more pressure on herself. She wants to make a new door. She wants to reassure her mother. She wants to stay on the isles. She wants people to listen to her about Belos. Just building and building, until she finds out she was actually part of Belos' plan all along.
So, yeah, Lily, girl's a little rattled.
Okay, now that I got that off my chest, onto the argument about confronting and breaking up with Luz.
I'm going to say Luz is dealing with Toxic Guilt. The link there is to the UK counseling directory's entry on the subject. They offer a lot of information on the subject and ways to help someone get through it.
Note some of the characteristics. Excessive self-blame. I helped Belos. Perfectionism. The first part of the in school hero speech. The way she scoffs at the word hero guts me. Self-punishment. The second part of that speech. The never been born part. Negative self-image. Oh my Gosh, Hunter, they're all going to hate me. Ongoing and persistent and Impact on well-being are literally just what's going on with her.
I don't think I have to point out that the website says nothing about just giving up on someone who is going through this. Granted, Lily says the others should be confronting her more, but she follows that up almost immediately by saying Amity should break-up with her. To me, the connotation is clear: just wash your hands clean of this one, time to move on.
I swear, Lily, the more I examine your media takes, the more I wonder about things I hear about your real life. I understand it can be difficult if it starts to become damaging to your own mental health, but there is no sign it's doing that with any of Luz's friends. Lily, if you just wash your hands of someone because they are going through something and aren't as fun to be around, they aren't the toxic one.
You are.
As for confronting Luz: Maybe. Maybe, if they were aware of the time in school when she indirectly wishes she'd never been born. I don't have any reason to believe they are, though. None of them are around and the teacher and other kids don't react much. It could be because she does kind of revert to that, sheepish, was I doing something strange? behavior after. Just the weird kid being weird in their minds.
If they'd seen that, sure ask her if she needs to talk or something. I'm sure Luz would just put them off. Say she's fine. Maybe they'd keep a closer eye on her. I can't see much more coming from such a talk, though.
I have a feeling you mean more than that. Like what? Give her an ultimatum? Shake her? Again, the others do show concern for her state. Her mother talked to her and comforted her when she came to her room to sleep. Amity wants to find the Titan's Blood before telling Luz because she gets that Luz was upset about their attempt at a portal door not working.
I'm not going to really entertain the idea of a breakup here. No reason to argue why it wouldn't happen. It's silly to think it should. Amity's reactions to Luz being down is normal, I think. It's fine that Amity is concerned about her. It's fine that she tries to be upbeat and thinks of fun couple costume ideas and such.
She cares about her and believes in her. So does everyone else.
Besides that, Luz is functioning. She's getting up every morning. She's getting dressed. Going to school. She helps the others trying to get a door to work. She goes out dancing with Amity in the rain. She seems to be eating, showering, etc. She goes with the gang to get new clothes. She agrees to Amity's couple costume and goes with the others to the Halloween event.
Heck, she's in the situation with Hunter at the graveyard, because she was helping Hunter with the "seeing Belos thing." She uses her Glyphs to find the Titan's Blood. She helps fight Belos when he possesses Hunter. She's the one that catches Flapjack and is ready to dive in to get Hunter before her mother does it instead.
Her mother has to move her aside, because she's still being proactive.
And after all that, after all that guilt and drama, it takes just the slightest bit of understanding from her friends, a little encouragement from her mother, and the tiniest of nudges from her girlfriend for her to agree to, at least, go back long enough to get her friends safely back to their families and possibly confront Belos.
She's not better. Not after her friends learn the truth and encourage her to keep fighting. Not after her first talk with her mother. Not after the second one that unlocks her Palisman. She's not ready to take the step of forgiving herself.
That's why she has the nightmare she does at the beginning of episode 3.
The Collector clearly is using things personal to the individuals he's playing with. Now, it might seem like he got info from other puppets, other sources, but I think he got information just from King, Eda, and Luz and used that as like a pool of metaphorical building blocks to construct their personal nightmares.
Take note. That room King wakes up in in his dream? Yeah, King never saw that room in the episode it was in. Luz did.
This also explains why Amity flubbed her line. Luz is absolutely right. Amity would know it was duel not battle. So, would Luz. Granted it could be Amity fighting back, but it sure looks like Luz realizing it's not her and messing with her by poking at her and so on that breaks her out. Like Luz realizing it wasn't real broke the dream for a bit.
If that's the case, he didn't get that info from either of them, and none of his other puppets would have read those books. Remember, Amity is literally the only other person to even buy one of those books. Only a handful of other people even know they exist.
So, who would have read those books but isn't an obsessed nerd who knows them word for word and might be young enough to not understand the difference between duel and battle?
King. He's read them. He says so at the end of Edge of the World, the same episode where Luz saw that room. The collector learned about the Azura books from King either before this game of nightmares, or while setting it up.
The above wasn't a random tangent. I'm trying to set up the thought that The Collector used knowledge he pooled from them collectively to build the world of his nightmare game, but zeroed in on their individual worst fears to play with them. The reactions of Luz's friends in her nightmare shows she's not yet ready to forgive herself and her fear that they either didn't, or at least shouldn't, have forgiven her so quickly.
See, you can get this kind of insight by actually paying attention to what a story is doing, rather than complaining about what it's not doing, Lily.
Luz is not ready to forgive herself and all the reassurances from her friends and family aren't going to do it for her. What does it take for her to reach that step?
Well, what was it that she wanted? What thing did she really want that finally brought her Palisman to life? To be understood?
And who understood making a large mistake while trying to help?
The Titan. He gave her the last nudge. Until then, she really felt like she was as bad as Belos. She even says as much. She can't really argue when he says all her negative feelings aren't true. He would know. He's gone through the same thing.
As always, my opinion.
Notice though, that she got through all that without any of her friends and family confronting her more often and without Amity breaking up with her. Neither of those things would have helped either, because neither is what she needed. They may even have made it worse.
Deep down, she may even have known what she needed on a sub-conscious level.
What was it she said to the The Collector?
"People are complex and sometimes they just need a little kindness and forgiveness."
Yeah.
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spleelover06 · 1 month ago
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Why I prefer Yo-Kai Watch over Pokémon
I have mentioned before that I prefer Yo-Kai Watch over Pokémon, and if you're interested in knowing why, here are the reasons why I do:
1: It's interesting how the YKW anime doesn't always just focus on the main protagonist as it also focuses on what some of the other characters and Yo-Kai do more. Pokemon pretty much focused too much on Ash Ketchum for over two decades despite having different friends from different regions. We mostly never get to see what Ash's friends are up to.
2: The side characters in Yo-Kai Watch don't get replaced every couple of years, and it feels like the crew behind the franchise actually gives a damn about their characters, unlike the Pokemon franchise, where they constantly and commonly introduce new characters and rivals and then replace them with new ones every now and then, which I did find pretty cool at first, but now it's gotten old and annoying, and I just wish they'd stop with that.
3: I find the Yo-Kai Watch fanbase to be more sane and less toxic, and it isn't around the same level of how toxic and annoying the Pokemon fanbase is, which is why I left it and also kinda regret being in it. The shippings in Yo-Kai Watch aren't really taken as seriously as the shippings in Pokemon, and there isn't really any shipping wars happening in the Yo-Kai Watch fandom, at least from what I've seen. Plus the fanbase behind the YKW games doesn't seem as bad either.
4: Yo-Kai have more personality and can make more noises and say far more than just their name, which makes it easier for me to know what each Yo-Kai is individually like.
5: The episodes in the YKW anime feel more of my style as I have always personally preferred episodic shows over shows with a lot of ongoing storylines and with the whole to be continued thing which I can find really annoying.
6: The Yo-Kai Watch games, to me, are more enjoyable than the Pokemon games are because there's more exploration to do, there's lots of content in both before and after finishing the game, the cutscenes don't really take up space during my time playing it and they are at least more interesting (especially since there are ones where they speak with voices), and the graphics, soundtracks and settings looks great to me.
7: The storylines in the games and anime are better, plus I find Nate to be a better protagonist than Ash. Nate acts more like a person in the real world with actual personality and it's interesting to see how he can see creatures that other people can't in a non forced way. This goes for Hailey Anne as well because both characters are quite relatable for people in the real world. Ash on the other hand just travels through participates in Pokemon leagues over and over again, and the show can mainly suffer from having him as the main character since it's mostly through his perspective, and the plots mostly involve him and even have him there even if he's just there not doing much (what's the point of even doing that?).
8: There aren't as much gender stereotypes used in Yo-Kai Watch as there is in Pokemon. What I mean by that is the fact that Ash's female come out as either girly girls that participate in stuff that makes them wear dresses and do elegant/graceful stuff with their stuff, or tomboys that want to accomplish something strongly just like Ash. Not only that but all of Ash's' companion's personalities and traits in Pokemon can blend into one-another, resulting in them lacking true individual personalities. Meanwhile in Yo-Kai Watch almost every character is shown to have their own personalities even if they share some traits with each other, showing that there are no gender stereotypes overused.
9: Yo-Kai Watch isn't afraid to leave the status quo like how Pokemon mostly is because we get to see Nate go through different challenges and plots as the series continues, while before season 25, the Pokemon series was too afraid of leaving the status quo to the point where they had to keep Ash going to different regions while keeping him at the age of 10 with Team Rocket stalking him. There are no excuses why they had to keep on doing that other than being afraid to leave the status quo.
10: There's no overuse of clichés in YKW, like Nate having feelings for Katie does not become so forced for example as well as how not every episode plot has the good ending we'd all sorta expect to happen. Heck, the premise seemed pretty original to me also. While in Pokemon, it's about a new trainer becoming a champion and/or Pokemon master overtime and encountering/defeating evil teams in every single region, and this is one of the reasons why I left the fandom. The whole premise just seemed really clichéd to me and it's something that the Pokemon anime was too afraid to change it up more until the horizons series came (I'd say it's more tolerable than the original anime).
And that's me done with explaining things out about why I think this way. I've tried to think the opposite of this when I was younger but I fully failed to do so and went back to my original thoughts on the two franchises. There's just too many Pokemon, games, seasons/episodes, movies, altered storylines and characters from the Pokemon franchise for me to give a damn about them while Yo-Kai Watch gives out all of that stuff in a way where they're not overdoing it and that makes the series more interesting. If you think the other way around, then I can handle that opinion of yours. This pretty concludes what I wanted to say here and I hope y'all understand what I felt like saying here. If you do, thanks.
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nanaminokanojo · 3 months ago
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BAD NEWS | CHAPTER INDEX II (Part 65 onwards | Ongoing)
-just when you thought you were over your humongous crush on your older brother’s best friend, geto suguru, you couldn’t be more dead wrong, and maybe there isn’t really anything holding you back from acting on it now that you’re all grown up…except satoru doesn’t like suguru for you because he knows his kind all too well: a huge ass playboy who breaks hearts like he changes socks. but you think. MAYBE you’ll be the exception...maybe not.
CHARACTERS: drummer!geto suguru x (fem/afab) reader x guitarist!sukuna | gojo satoru | itadori yuuji | kugisaki nobara | fushiguro megumi | sukuna | fushiguro toji | nanami kento | choso | tsukumo yuuki | shoko ieiri | utahime iori
GENRE: full-length smau + prose | band au, tats, piercings, the whole shebang | college au | stupid pining | aged-up characters | friends to lovers (?) | this is gonna have smutty stuff because why not?
TW/CW: strong/mature language | adult content so mdni on some parts; just skip them. you’re not missing much | mentions of alcohol, drugs | mentions of cheating, promiscuity, mild dubcon (consent >>>), etc. | again, god-awful pet names i’d cringe at if a 3d person says it | toxic behavior | will add more if something arises
MASTERLIST | CHAPTER INDEX I
CHAPTERS: 65 | 66 | 67 | 68 | 69 | 70 | 71 | 72 | 73 | 74 | 75
76 | 77 | 78 | 79 | 80 | 81 | 82 | 83 | 84 | 85 | 86 | 87 | 88 | 89 | 90
ADDITIONAL NOTES: i will be using pics and other media which would fit situations and make the smau-ness of this piece a little more realistic and entertaining when i believe it’s appropriate/fitting to the plot. having said that, with regard to inclusivity, i just want to put it out there that they will not necessarily be aimed as the exact descriptions to fit a supposedly generic reader nor will they be representative of a specific race or color (even if you’re/the reader is gojo’s sister here). it’s all for the simple fact of media availability, for funsies and the fact that i don’t exclusively write in consideration of those aspects when using reader-insert characters unless i specify it. thank you for understanding.
© ORIGINAL WORK BY nanaminokanojo. CHARACTERS ARE INSPIRED BY GEGE AKUTAMI’S “JUJUTSU KAISEN”. [20240814]
PHOTOS/IMAGES/GIF/FANART/ANY MEDIA CREDITS GO TO THE RESPECTIVE OWNERS.
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blackswampotter · 3 months ago
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Honestly, this is kind of a bummer
My take on this show was always that it was pretty much fine.
Nothing incredible, but average. Average with some legitimately good ideas and plot points sprinkled in.
And, given how many average shows get to move forward, I figured that would be the same here.
But, nope, no more Acolyte and it's weird how disappointed I am by that.
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Yes, much of the dialogue was clunky. Yes, the pacing suffered in the way it suffers for many of these streaming shows. Yes, several of the characters were fairly forgettable.
But, in spite of all that, I did find myself curious enough to keep watching. I liked the mystery angle and the different perspectives on the same tragic event.
I liked Sol and wanted to see what he was hiding. I liked the way Mae and Osha swapped roles and I liked the cliffhanger endings they both got.
I wanted to see where those characters were going to go and now we won't get that. And, yeah, that's a little sad.
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It also sucks because the action sequences in this show were genuinely great and many of the fights were just straight up better than the prequel duels.
They were more vicious, more intense, and shot with a sense of urgency and dynamism.
And, something I find really funny about that is that this show, in a lot of ways, was trying to give the toxic fanboy types exactly what they claimed they wanted:
Prequel level action, focus on the Jedi Order, something outside of the Skywalker Saga, a darker story with a more villainous perspective, etc...
All of that, and they still loathed it for a bunch of annoying reasons.
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End of the day, if the viewership isn't there, it isn't there. I don't want to give the rage merchants too much credit, but I do think they managed to pretty effectively poison the well around the discussion of this show.
They made it miserable to talk about or share any excitement or interest in the show, so fuck it.
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Honestly, I feel like this is a prime example of a Disney Plus show that should've just been made as a proper, feature film released in theaters.
Relying on streaming metrics for a show this expensive meant they really couldn't afford low viewership. Plus, it was the ongoing week after week discussion that allowed the aforementioned well poisoning to continue for so long.
I'll be shocked if we don't get a novel or comic book or something that continues the story.
But, I guess we'll see what happens. Might be funny to just never expand on what the fuck Plagueis was doing in that cave lol
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beabnormal24 · 7 months ago
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https://www.tumblr.com/beabnormal24/749880910352105472/hi-i-just-need-to-vent-i-do-not-have-the-words
This!!!! Oh my god!!! I really did like landoscar fics at first. But the way the amount of fics now that just portray Carlos as the bad guy is insane!!! And it's not just landoscar but lestappen fics too!
Carlos always ends up being the antagonist or the ex that was horrible and well as you've said a ab*ser. I get it that it's fiction and it's their writing and they're free to do whatever they want.
And I understand that sometimes in some plots why Carlos had to be the bad guy. It makes sense plot wise. Great. You're free to write what ever you want.
But there's a line that should not be crossed. And they cross it all the time.
And sometimes you can clearly tell that they do not like Carlos just from how they write him. Especially in fics where Charles or Oscar are the main protagonist in lestappen and landoscar fics because the writer will always make Carlos this horrible character. And it’s always the fics with lestappen and landoscar as side ship or vice versa. Which again ok everyone has their fav drivers and are free to have opinions but the way they are so easy and quick to make Carlos (a real person that they don’t know personally) an ab*ser.
The way I have backed out of multiple ongoing fics that i did like recently because they didn’t tag it properly (probably for like a shock element) and Carlos was this ab*ser character and was horrible to poor Charles and Lando and Oscar and Max were this saviour protecting them from big bad Carlos. One fic is somewhat understandable but multiple fics that’s just hating and being vile towards Carlos is insane. And making him this character that is always this ab*ser like character.
The way this behavior has turned me away from lestappen (which was how i got into f1 rpf bc I loved them and still do but i just cannot read or appreciate them anymore) and landoscar is actually crazy. I have been in multiple fandoms with ships that I don’t like and let the shippers be. Always been a firm believer in “don’t like don’t read/dni” but sometimes you have to interact and call what they’re doing wrong. It’s not even the ships that are bad it’s the shippers. They are so toxic and this toxicity makes you turn away from the whole ship.
Sorry if this doesn’t make sense but yeah…
Anon, this made incredibly sense, and I have to share this because I have never heard truer words. I, too, have had to clock out of ongoing fics because of this, I just can’t stand it when Carlos becomes the bad character, sometimes even without a logical reason at all!
Like once I was reading this Landoscar fic and all of a sudden they just straight out started saying that Carlos was stupid and an idiot and he was an asshole, but that didn’t even fit in the entire dialogue the characters were having!
In another fic, they went as far as k*lling Carlos, just because they hated him.
This is not fiction, this is a problematic mentality. I get that you can despise someone, but as anon said that’s just taking it too far and it has become extremely toxic and disgusting.
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