#predictions game submissions

[mssishipi]

wet the bed — sjy

— soft people fucks the loudest.

content tags: established relationship, sub!jake&reader, jay cameo, explicit content (smut) unprotected sex, multiple sex position: 69, doggy style, mating press. squirting, overstimulation. lots of whining and moaning, they fuck like rabbits :) MDNI. WC:2.4k

note: this is a request from an anon, hope u like it!

Who the fuck decided that two soft, submissive people in bed are automatically boring?

"Too vanilla," they say with wrinkled noses and half-laughs, like they know what happens when the lights go out.

You and Jake have been together for nearly five years—since the final months of high school, when you stumbled into something that felt a little too gentle to be real, too safe to be intense. Most people around you just don’t get it. They whisper that your relationship is sweet, sure, but stale. Predictable. Lifeless, even.

But they don’t know a damn thing.

They don’t know that you and Jake don’t need dominance or power games to melt each other down into quivering pieces. You don’t play roles. You don’t lead or follow.  You move, he moves. You're both responsive, both hungry, both gentle in ways that burn just as deep. It’s not about who takes control—it's about how far you’re both willing to unravel for each other.

If those assholes could see what actually happens behind closed doors, they'd choke on their smug assumptions. 

"Nghh—baby..." Jake's voice is slurred, barely even speech anymore. His face is buried between your legs, the heat of his breath searing against you, tongue dragging slow as he works you over.

 And fuck, you are gone, head thrown back, hips twitching, thighs trembling around his ears.

The only soundtrack is the obscene wetness of his mouth on you, your choked moans, and the blaring growl of an electric guitar seeping through the wall, his room mate, Jay’s latest desperate attempt to drown out the symphony of you and Jake destroying each other.

It doesn’t work.

Your ears are ringing. Your vision blurs every time your spine arches off the mattress. Your legs are shaking so hard they barely stay hooked around his shoulders. Your body is covered in bruises and teeth marks. Jake’s arms are clawed raw, red streaks down to his elbows from where you grabbed and dug in, helpless under the waves he pulled from you again and again and again.

You’ve lost count of how many times he’s made you come, how many times you’ve done the same to him. It's a haze. A loop. An exchange of pleasure until your bones feel hollow.

You barely catch your breath before his fingers are inside you again, curling just right, his mouth crashing into yours, swallowing your moans as you clench around him and cum hard enough to see stars. Your hand slips between you, wrapping around him, stroking with messy urgency until he gasps into your mouth and spills across your stomach. 

Then comes the slow grind of hips in missionary, Jake above you, eyes glassy, sweat dripping down his temple. He pushes in deep, moaning into your throat while you clutch at his back, legs locked around his waist, and both of you fall together again. 

Vanilla, their ass.

The aftershocks haven’t even stopped vibrating through your bones when Jake rolls off of you, chest heaving, lips parted. He sprawls across the sheets, flushed and trembling.

Without a word, you swing a leg over him, straddling his face. He groans like a man starved as your thighs settle against the sides of his head, and your gaze lowers to his cock. thick, flushed, and still rock hard despite having cum four fucking times already.

You lean down, tongue flicking out to tease the head, your breath warm over his slick skin. His hips twitch instantly, a soft, choked whine escaping from under you.

“F-fuck,” he gasps, voice muffled between your thighs.

You take him into your mouth slowly, savoring the weight of him,  the way his whole body tenses beneath you. At the same time, you feel his tongue drag through your folds.

You moan around his cock, the vibration making him jerk. You grind back against his mouth, and he groans right into your cunt, tongue sliding in and curling upward. He hardens it, fucking you with it, slow and deep, as your hips begin to roll.

It’s a filthy rhythm—your mouth stretching around him, sucking harder, faster, your spit dripping down his shaft while he licks and licks and licks, tongue relentless, hands gripping your ass as he pulls you tighter against his face. Your thighs clamp down on instinct, not letting him breathe, not letting him stop.

You feel the familiar pulse in your core and the slight twitch of his cock against your tongue, he’s close, again. You squeeze him tighter with your lips, hollow your cheeks, and the sound he makes is damn near ruined. His whine hits a high pitch, hips jerking once, twice and then he spills into your mouth. You swallow it greedily.

Jake latches onto your clit now, sucking, and you are barely holding on, every nerve burning. Your whole body is tensed, arms braced against his thighs, cunt pulsing uncontrollably around his tongue. Your thighs clamp even tighter, grinding down until he can’t even moan, just hums and licks and loses himself.

Jake loves it—loves how wet you get, how you suffocate him with your thighs like it’s nothing, how your pussy clenches around his tongue. He loves the little tremble in your legs, the broken cries you try to stifle, the taste of your arousal dripping down his chin.

"Jake, fuck! I'm gonna cum!" you squeal, your voice shaking, one hand fisting around his softening cock, feeling it twitch, swell, harden again.

Your hips grind down one last time, helpless, chasing that final drag of his tongue as your orgasm hits. You cry out, body shaking above him, pussy spasming around his mouth. Your forehead presses to his thigh, gasping, and you barely manage to keep sucking him as your world shatters again.

Jake lets out a high whine, hips twitching upward into your mouth. He’s still so fucking hard, again. You can feel it, thick and throbbing between your lips.

He moves again as another orgasm crashes into the both of you.

Another orgasm.

And another.

And another.

You lose count. Time folds. The two of you are always going at it like rabbits, bodies slick and tangled, pleasure drawn out like it might never end. At some point you’re flat on your back again, back arched off the wet bed, sheets soaked with sweat and everything else, Jake’s mouth between your legs for what feels like the hundredth time.

You’re delirious, you feel like you are floating.

He pulls back, lips shiny, chin drenched. You barely get the chance to breathe before he’s kneeling between your thighs, jerking himself off with quick, rough strokes. His eyes are locked on your chest, on the rise and fall of your breath, on your wrecked body twitching with aftershocks. He grits his teeth, then pulls his cock free, aiming it at you.

You're hypnotized.

By the way it twitches. By the way his jaw clenches. By the way his abs tighten and he throws his head back with a broken moan as hot ropes of cum spill across your chest, painting your skin with another climax that somehow hits just as hard as the first.

And still, he's not done.

Jake leans forward, one hand smearing the mess across your breasts, mouth crashing into yours with wild hunger. His cock presses against your thigh, still hard and leaking.

"You want more?" he pants against your lips, voice hoarse, almost disbelieving at how far you both keep falling.

You nod, eyes wide, lips parted. Jake flips you over in one smooth motion, pushing you onto your hands and knees, body trembling beneath him. His hands grip your hips, pushing inside again, deep, slow, a stretch that feels impossibly full despite how soaked you are.

You both moan at once. And then he starts to move, hips snapping into you, the slap of skin-on-skin echoing through the room, drowning out even Jay’s music, which is now thundering through the walls in one last futile attempt to ignore what’s happening just a few feet away.

“Ahh, fuck, Jake, baby!” you cry out, fingers clawing at the twisted sheets as the rhythm builds.

Jake groans behind you, bracing himself with both hands on yours, pinning you to the mattress as he drives deeper, rougher. You love this position—God, how you love it. He finds every spot, angles his hips just right until you’re gasping, sobbing into the mattress.

“We’re so fucking good together,” Jake pants into your ear, his voice shaking with need, “Fuck.” His lips find your neck, kissing everywhere he can reach, hot, sloppy, open-mouthed, desperate to mark.

You tilt your head back blindly, catching his mouth in a messy kiss over your shoulder, tongues tangling, moans swallowed between breathless gasps as he starts to thrust harder, deeper, your bodies slamming together.

You’re clenching around him so hard, you can feel every ridge, every twitch of his cock. The orgasm hits, your breath catching, head lolling forward as heat floods you from the inside out. "Fuck!"

Jake keeps going through it, keeps thrusting through your high, refusing it to end. Your hips instinctively push back against him, your eyes roll back, jaw slack, pleasure crackling through every nerve.

“F-fuck, I—shit,” Jake chokes out, repositioning behind you with a sharp slap to your ass that makes your whole body jolt. He watches it jiggle with a low groan, hips snapping forward again and again. Every thrust knocks the breath from your lungs, and your arms finally give out.

You collapse forward, face buried in the soaked mattress, drool slipping from the corner of your mouth, your body slack and trembling. Completely, utterly fucked out.

“B-b-baby,” Jake stammers, leaning over you again, his chest slick and warm against your back.

You feel his arms slide beneath you, one curling tightly around your waist, the other slipping under your body to knead your breast in slow, circular motions. He’s still thrusting, slower now, but no less intense. You feel every inch, every grind of his hips, his cock dragging against your overstimulated walls as he pants against your ear.

“You can take another one for me?” he whines, voice cracking into a whisper. “P-please? Pretty—pretty please?” 

You moan weakly, unable to find words, only nodding as your fingers twitch into the sheets. You’re half-asleep, fucked so deep into the mattress your limbs barely move but Jake’s still moving, still inside you.

“Don’t s-sleep, nghh, baby, fuck,” he breathes, nuzzling into your nape, teeth grazing the sweat-slick skin there before sinking in gently, biting down as his hips start to pick up again.

The pleasure's too much now, tangled with pain and pressure until your body doesn’t know the difference. You're a trembling mess, whimpering, twitching, your muscles weak from everything he's already wrung out of you.

You don't know how he's still strong enough to shift your limp body, but suddenly you're on your back, legs pushed up and pinned high beside your shoulders. His hands curl behind your knees, holding you wide open as he sinks into you again with no warning.

He grunts as he slides home, balls-deep, moaning loudly, eyes locked onto your face, drinking every twitch, every gasp, every flutter of your lashes. His hips start pounding again, relentless, slapping into your soaked cunt with wet, brutal rhythm.

Your mouth falls open, lips slack, eyes half-lidded. You can't even speak.

“Baby! L-love you—ahhh!” Jake cries out. One of his hands slips down, thumb pressing to your clit and rubbing in tight, fast circles.

You twitch violently beneath him, chest heaving, body barely holding together.

Even with your consciousness slipping—your mind half-blacked out from pleasure and fatigue—you feel it again. That same heat blooming low in your belly. Your legs are burning in the mating press, your lungs clawing for air, your head spinning.

“J-Jake, w-wait!” you sob, shaking your head from side to side, voice cracked, but his thrusts only get harder, his thumb moving faster, and ruthless.

“Don’t stop, don’t stop—just one more,” he begs, almost delirious.

“FUCK!” you scream,  fingers twisting the sheets, your body shaking as it hits you. “Fuckfuckfuck!” you shriek as your entire core contracts violently. Your back arches. Your vision whites out. You feel the gush of hot liquid pulsing from your cunt, soaking the sheets, his pelvis, everything.

Jake groans loud and deep. But he doesn't stop. He keeps moving, keeps rubbing, his thumb grinding your clit as you cry out and shake under him. Your legs jerk in his grip, body trying to retreat, but he doesn’t let go.

Your voice cracks—"No! No more!"—but it's lost in the noise.  

“O-one more, baby, please,” he moans as he leans over you again, his body trembling, lips brushing your ear.

Your scream rises again as his cock drags through your soaked walls, now slick with your release. You’re squeezing him so tight he’s nearly frozen in place. His eyes roll back, mouth dropping open.

“Jesus Christ, people! Tone it down!” Jay roars from the other side of the wall, banging his fist hard against it, rattling the drywall. His voice is muffled, furious, but distant and irrelevant.

Jake doesn’t even blink. He’s too far gone. His hands tighten around your thighs as he slams forward, again and again, slick friction loud and obscene, the slap of your bodies echoing through the room.

“Last one,” he gasps. “Fuuuuck, baby, fuck—!”

You scream again, nails digging into his wrists as your body explodes for the final time—another hot gush forced from your cunt, a violent surge that splashes his abdomen and thighs. Jake throws his head back and howls, the tension in his spine snapping as you clamp down so hard around his cock it punches the orgasm straight out of him.

He cums inside you, trembling, moaning, his voice broken and high as he spills deep, cock twitching wildly, over and over. His whole body quakes as he presses into you, emptying himself in ragged pulses that stretch on and on.

By the time it ends, you're both shaking. The room is thick with heat and the sharp, musky scent of sex, every surface damp with sweat, slick, and release.

Jake pulls out slowly, carefully, and even that soft withdrawal makes you both moan. The two of you are oversensitive. 

Jake collapses beside you, arms immediately wrapping around your waist, pulling you in close. His face buries in the crook of your neck, lips pressing the faintest kiss to your skin.

You curl into him instinctively, legs tangled, your body heavy and sore but warm in the aftermath, without another word, you both drift under—naked, tangled in each other’s arms, unconscious on a mattress you’ve completely wet the bed in.

[crisiscutie]

punishment. (rebirth)

pairing: 🐍Yandere Sephiroth/Fem!Reader🕊️

You thought you could get away from your Yandere lover? Think again...

Content warning: NSFW. Noncon. Yandere Sephiroth. Physical/Emotional Abuse. Fear/Primal Play. Size Difference (yass)

A part of you knew that you wouldn't win. But you tried anyway. Maybe when you can finally be at peace with yourself if you actually fought this time. Whatever happens, you need to make sure that you won't go "home" with Sephiroth.

As soon as you saw him waiting in the dark woods behind the inn, you knew you had to act quickly. The one area that used to be your haven is now tainted with his presence. You just left him, but now it's time to show yourself that you've really moved past him...

You summoned your blade as you rushed at him. For a good moment, he played along, effortlessly parring your strikes. He felt an influx of new strength from you, but it was still not enough to overcome him. Your cute defiance only made his raging cock eager to take you. You're his precious darling, and you need a reminder of who you belong to.

Eventually, he grew weary of this "mock" fight. He closed his eyes and coolly jabbed his blade through your lower arms, thighs, and leg all at once, causing you to yelp and then crash to the ground. You tried to keep your tears at bay as the coppery taste of blood lingered in your mouth.

Don't worry. You still got spirit. You thought. But as Sephiroth's slit eyes flickered open like a snake, the doubt set in. He stared you down, studying the best ways to play with his food. His tall and menacing stature cast a shadow over your smaller frame. He just couldn't wait to have you. Your womb will be his.

The next few moments happened so quick you couldn't keep up with him. He lifted and shifted your body, straddling your legs to his hips. Wooziness washed over you, no doubt from the blood loss. Your vision had a slight blur to it from the throbbing pain that overwhelmed your senses and your arms hung limply at your sides. You just now registered that your panties were brushed to the side, his cock slowly pushing in and out of you. He was just barely inside you, and already your cunt was struggling to take him. His gloved hand cupped your cheek, relishing in your broken, submissive beauty.

As your unprepared cunt constricted around him, his thrusting quickened. He wanted to keep teasing you, but his primal need to claim your womb overrode it. Your body quivered with an odd yearning for his seed. If only your clit and cunt revulsed from him as your mind did.

You were full of love for him at one point. But when his temper and mind games became too much to bear, you had no choice but to flee. But of course, he found you here, at the very inn you both first met. He always said you're so easy to predict. You clenched your teeth when your abused cunt stretched further around him as he descended further. He was just too big for you to take. Not that he cared though. But as if something within him possessed him, he sent you crashing to the ground, almost crushing you under his weight afterward, while a cruel smirk formed on his lips.

Tears cascaded down your face. Your beaten body squirmed from the impact aftermath. He threw your legs over his shoulders as his cock battered your cervix without mercy, as his own satisfaction is paramount, not yours.

No. No. NO!

A sharp, stabbing pain radiated in your stomach as your cervix struggled to resist his brutal mating press. You could only pray to whatever fucked up higher power out there to end this. You didn't even recognize Sephiroth at this point. His heavy, lusty grunts and the savage rutting of your cunt felt more fitting for a rabid, feral animal than the suave mastermind he believed himself to be.

Your mouth opened and closed, but the only sound that escaped were pitiful whimpers. You don't have the means to take care of a child, especially not his. And you don't even want to think about what Sephiroth even is now ever since he became one with JENOVA. You don't want any trace of them in you. The very thought of them cumming inside of you was revulsive. Unfortunately, the sadistic bastard was more than capable of sensing your thoughts and emotions. Your revulsion only fueled his drive to make your cervix yield.

After enduring more and more of this intense mating press, your prayer seemed to be answered as you lost all sense of thought when your cunt juices sprayed and slathered his cock. Not too long after, He let out a soft groan, one that was finally appropriate for his suave persona when his sticky, JENOVA-corrupted spunk flooded your defenseless womb. But he didn't want to pull out of you yet. He was determined to have every single drop of that "repulsive" alien cum in you. His lips drew nearer to yours, just savoring the sight of your tearful eyes rolling back with a sickening smirk he had never worn before. The essence made from him and his goddess mother, whom you dared to reject, will now defile every part of you, and he couldn't be happier about it. He reached out for your stomach bulge, stroking his large cock through it.

His domination didn't even stop there. Even his seeds in your body relentlessly hunted and ravaged your lone egg for as long as they could, coiling around it like a snake until the last seed penetrated it. Twisted, happy delusions flickered in Sephiroth's mind afterwards, the future visions of how this seed of life will blossom into a beautiful product of love that he and you created together.

When he had finally come down from his orgasm and the rush of power, his touch became surprisingly gentle and affectionate toward you, but there was still a mocking air to his actions, of course. He cradled your petite body and healed it using his dark magic.

"Good girl~," he said and gently patted your head. You lost the privilege of becoming his true equal, so now, the special role of his pet is what you'd have to resign to. You're his property now. Though it's something you can't be ungrateful about. It was a special mercy that he would only extend to you.

As his dark magic slowly mended your wounds, you felt a brief sharp sting of pain, a reminder of the despair to come, resulting from your disobedience. From now on, as Sephiroth's pet, you will no longer be addressed by your name. Your identity will be completely under his control, tailored to his cruel likings. After the mending was complete, he set a course for "home". The environment around you two distorted as he summoned a dark purple portal. He princess carried you into it and glowered at your small, broken form one last time.

He can't wait to begin your training.

While in the process of posting old and new stuff to my AO3, I ended up rewriting most of an old fic. Hope you guys enjoyed this!

[arcadia-smith]

MOB!Bucky x MOB!Female reader.

The tension between her and Bucky had reached a breaking point, the air crackling with the weight of the unsaid. After their last meeting, there was no question that he viewed her as a threat—his smoldering gaze told her everything she needed to know.

It had been a week since that first confrontation. Her efforts to fortify her operations were starting to pay off, but it hadn’t gone unnoticed. Bucky had made his first move—quiet, calculated, like the predator he was.

It came in the form of a raid on one of her smaller, more vulnerable warehouses. The place had been a logistical hub for arms trafficking, and though it wasn’t the most critical part of her business, losing it sent a message. She knew it wasn’t a coincidence. Bucky was sending a message. He wanted her to know that he wasn’t afraid to strike, even in places she thought were out of reach.

The next morning, she stood in front of the wreckage, anger simmering beneath the surface. It wasn’t just the loss of product or money; it was the principle of it. This wasn’t just about business anymore. He wanted control, and he wouldn’t stop until he had it.

She reached for her phone, dialing the one person she trusted to make things right. “Get a team together. We’re going to hit him where it hurts.”

Bucky's Move

Bucky sat at his desk, swirling a glass of whiskey, eyes narrowed as he stared at the map of her territories. He’d been watching her—her every move, her every decision. The raid had been his first strike, and he couldn’t help but feel a certain satisfaction. He didn’t take pleasure in destruction, but he took pride in sending a clear message.

His thoughts were interrupted by the sharp knock on his office door. Without waiting for a response, it opened, and his right-hand man, Sam Wilson, stepped inside.

“That warehouse you hit last night? It’s only the beginning, isn’t it?” Sam asked, taking a seat across from him.

Bucky didn’t answer immediately, instead leaning back in his chair. “It’s not about the warehouse. It’s about power. She needs to understand that we don’t play by the same rules.”

Sam studied him for a moment. "You’re sure this is the right move? She’s not like the others. She’ll retaliate.”

Bucky didn’t flinch. “She’s good, but not good enough.”

Her Counterstrike

Bucky’s mistake was underestimating her. When she sent word that she was coming for him, she didn’t just send a message. She made it personal.

She'd spent years cultivating a reputation for never being predictable. Every move she made had a countermeasure, a backup plan, and an out when things got complicated. So, when Bucky thought he had her cornered, he didn’t know she had already set up her own trap.

That night, a convoy of his men were scheduled to transport a large sum of money through a warehouse on the outskirts of town. It was a routine operation, one Bucky had probably thought was beneath her notice.

But she'd been tracking his operations carefully. Her crew was ready. The convoy was ambushed—swift, clean, and devastating.

Bucky’s prized money never made it to its destination. She made sure of it. His loss was monumental, not just in terms of the cash, but in the sheer humiliation.

By the time Bucky’s men realized what happened, the money was long gone, and the message was clear: You’re not the only one who can make tactical moves.

Bucky’s Response

It didn’t take long for Bucky to learn that the convoy had been hit. The news spread through his network like wildfire. His fury was palpable, his eyes blazing with a dangerous edge.

He knew this wasn’t just a retaliation—it was a declaration of war.

With a low growl, Bucky leaned forward, his gaze sharp. “Get me everything you can on her operations. I want every move, every person, every secret. I want her found and taken down.”

Sam watched him carefully. “You’re playing a dangerous game, Buck. She’s not someone you can just intimidate into submission.”

Bucky stood, grabbing his coat. “No, she’s not. But I can make her bleed. And I will.”

As the moves and counter moves unfolded, the game between her and Bucky took on a life of its own. Neither of them were willing to back down, and the stakes continued to climb. What started as a business clash had become a high-stakes battle for control—a battle neither of them would be willing to lose.

The lines between enemy and potential ally had blurred, but neither of them would show weakness.

Find the moodboard here.

[sweetheartssorrows]

𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐆𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐊𝐈 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐂𝐀𝐍𝐎𝐍𝐒 ★ 𝐍𝐒𝐅𝐖/𝐌𝐀𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐄 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐍𝐓 𝐈𝐒 𝐀𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐃. 𝐒𝐅𝐖 𝐈𝐒 𝐈𝐍𝐂𝐋𝐔𝐃𝐄𝐃.

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Shigaraki is a switch that leans towards submissive due to his daddy issues and mommy loneliness/desperation. He usually clings to his lover in private and acts like the dominant one in public, acting unbothered but sometimes throws a fit in public like a child (ex. when he doesn't get something he wants), and you usually punish him for it. But he likes it.

Of course, Shigaraki is kinky, he has the weirdest but most predictable fetishes and kinks that well-fit him. Some being bondage (doesn't matter who's being bonded), hand fetish, choking (which goes along with the hand fetish) and most degrading techniques— like humiliation, name calling and glory hole. He also enjoys pain. A LOT. Which, it gets a little dangerous, he or you use techniques like biting (which you also use out of sex for teasing), spanking, and, cock/pussy slapping. He does do non-consensual sex, but it's not his kink, it's just when he's drunk and is hyper-aroused so he begs to fuck you/you to fuck him. Sometimes he likes somnophilia, but he tries holding back to respect your boundaries. — Using toys is a huge turn-on for him, he likes pegging, and, vibrators (on you and him), he doesn't use that many toys, just the basics.

Yes, Tomura enjoys quirk play, like in the given examples, he'd decay your clothes off and then...well, get started on you.

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Tomura is a (huge) 6.5 in/16.51 cm flaccid dick, and when erect, it can range between 7.5 in/19.05cm to 8.0 in/20.32 cm at most.

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He is very snuggly afterwards, rather if it's him dicking you down so good you won't be able to walk for weeks or you riding his hard dick so good he's lost his senses, he's take a bath with you, worship you, you worship him, you guys do selfcare and then snuggle. That's how it always ends.

Tomura doesn't believe in "rounds," he/you goes until you're both satisfied and exhausted, unless, of course, one of you have to stop bc of a medical or mental emergency (ex. bleeding, crying, panic attack, uti, etc.).

He's very bratty, take that in, sexual or not. He will throw tantrums when he doesn't get his way (rather that's with you, with others or in battle), they can be tiny, him biting, whining, pouting and stomping his foot, but they can also be huge (and destructive), him screaming, knocking things over, hitting/dusting anything in sight (he tries to not hit you) and getting on the ground and letting out his aggravation until he gets too tired and then just cries for comfort— which is how all his tantrums end, him crying and grabbing at you, desperate for comfort and forgiveness for his outburst.

Tomura's favorite body part of his lover would most likely be their breasts/pecks and their waist, rather they had no/tiny chest, a huge one or the size of Wendy William's, he'd love them, kiss them, bite them, snuggle them, hell, he'd motorboat them too. Rather his lover had "rolls," a skinny waist or think they had no waist because of their weight, he'd still hold them by it as they kissed. He wouldn't care about your body weight, but when he gets on his game, he's gonna insult everyone because of their looks, accent, body weight, etc.

Speaking of your body and appearance, he'd literally pop a boner as soon as you walked in the room, rather if you were dressed in the most revealing thing ever, your casual outfit, or your literal pajamas— boner alert. 𝐈𝐌𝐀𝐆𝐈𝐍𝐄 𝐒𝐂𝐄𝐍𝐀𝐑𝐈𝐎; He'd probably be playing on [insert device] and you'd walk in the room, he'd be too engaged in his game to notice you until he recognized your scent, he'd look up/back at you and try to cover his grin with a poker face and then get hard, then his smile would fade a bit and he'd cover it with a pillow, blanket, or his device.

♡︎ He wouldn't care for holidays like Valentine's day, Thanksgiving or Christmas...until he met you; Valentine's day, he'd likely do one or two of three things, fuck you, be all inlove and smitten or gift you with candies. Thanksgiving, he wouldn't really say anything, he'd just enjoy the food but he'd think about how happy he is to have you, and Christmas, an abundance of money would be stolen and spent to keep the love of his life happy. ♡︎

⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀

That's all, people! Sorry this was kind of short, I hope you all enjoyed this first post. ★ 𝐍𝐎 𝐈𝐍𝐒𝐏𝐎 𝐖𝐀𝐒 𝐔𝐒𝐄𝐃! 𝐈𝐌𝐀𝐆𝐄 𝐌𝐀𝐃𝐄 𝐁𝐘 𝐌𝐄 𝐎𝐍 𝐏𝐈𝐂𝐒𝐀𝐑𝐓! 𝐌𝐘 𝐐/𝐀 𝐁𝐈𝐍 𝐈𝐒 𝐎𝐏𝐄𝐍𝐄𝐃, 𝐅𝐄𝐄𝐋 𝐅𝐑𝐄𝐄 𝐓𝐎 𝐀𝐒𝐊 𝐀𝐍𝐘𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆, 𝐑𝐀𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐈𝐒 𝐑𝐄𝐐𝐔𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐒 𝐎𝐑 𝐐𝐔𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒 𝐀𝐁𝐎𝐔𝐓 𝐌𝐘 𝐖𝐑𝐈𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆!

[mischiefmaker615]

Take Me to Church

Inspiration: "Take Me to Church" by Hozier

Summary: Even a god can worship..

Requester: @slytherinqueen4life

Rating: R

Loki’s POV

Those eyes.. those eyes hold far more cruelty than I ever had in all the nine realms..

So much power.. power I could never ask for, for they demand submission.

My submission..

Her beautiful hair fell over her shoulders, framing her gaze while she kept me beneath her. Her nails dug into my shoulders, indicating through strength just how much she was taking me in.

I could watch her all day..

How she dragged herself up and down while I felt every inch of her grip me like a vice. I knew what she was doing, and gods knew how long she’d keep me over this cruel edge before she’d decide for when I could fall..

‘’Norns..’’ I breathed out, barely a whisper while my hips bucked instinctually up now and again and would earn myself another squeeze of her cunt. Gods she could ride me all day I’d still never tire..

And just before I could feel that heavenly state of bliss, her cruelty would begin again and she would seat herself down on my cock, rendering me immobile once more while I remained with her cold chains around my wrists. Gods knew I could break these, easily, but there was something about her.. her fierceness, her power, her domination that kept me from taking control.

She could have It all if it pleased her.. that’s all I could live for..

She would wait until she had me fidgeting, aching to rut into her again but I knew better than to move. Rewards were far but oh so worth the wait. As my eyes closed, willing patience once more before she decided to move her hips again- she removed herself entirely from my cock.

Confusion more than anything had me raise my head to look upon her, fully prepared to beg if I needed to for her to return and sheath my cock once more- but she had different plans.

Her knees brought her up my body, her dainty yet capable hands helping her along while she crawled to my gaze, her own piercing mine.

Gods yes.. just as I find myself struggling often to predict her next move, this one I found myself guessing easily..

Eagerly..

My nails dug into my palms, willing myself to remain patient, even while my mouth watered in demand. My cock hardened impossibly more and my muscles tensed to remain still.

Her knees finally.. finally planted themselves beside my head, and yet she still cruelly waited until she found me fidgeting once more.

Damn her sometimes..

But one found no room to complain when their mouth was busy.

I found hear her nails digging into the fabricated headboard while my impatient breaths fanned her cunt. Her thigh muscles tensed and I dared wondered if she was as desperate as I was while she kept up her cruel game.

Norns let me give you my life if you grant me this very moment to worship you in the bedroom.. to hold onto my promises I’ve vowed when you’ve so diligently and deliciously broke yours..

But not this one..

She finally sank herself down, a mix between a sigh and a gasp leaving her lips when her cunt enveloped my tongue. She began to slowly pull herself up, only to sink herself more onto my muscle I kept upward for her.

The mere taste of her had me humming against her flesh, the vibrations enough to earn me a faster pace while her hips began to tilt and sway back and forth. This action allowed her to use the tip of my nose to grind against her clit, the part of her I would help myself whenever she would offer it to my lips. Now and again she would oblige, grant for mere moments of mercy where I would lift my head up eagerly to suck upon her swollen bud and caress it with my tongue.

I could die like this.. gladly suffocate with her thighs pressed against my cheeks and her scent intoxicating my senses..

Another moan of pleasure from me would give another level of speed from her. Her legs would begin to shake while she would switch her position to where she so desperately needed me. Once she would remove her bud from my lips she would then hump it against my nose, indicating how much she needed my tongue inside her before she would switch off again.

My tongue couldn’t get any deeper in her- despite it’s attempts to reach her soul. It would desperately thrust up into her, acting as the one part of me that remained at attention for it’s turn.. but not now.. this was her pleasure, and she was going to take it..

Another moan left my lips, already feeling her walls began to flutter while I caressed her entrance, having found out just how close she was before she quickly moved her clit back to my mouth with a failed attention to hide what I already knew.

I knew what she wanted and how she would end this.

With desperate pants leaving her mouth, I felt her fingers glide into my hair, helping to lift my head and press my face more into her cunt while she weighed herself more upon her knees in an attempt to get closer. I ate like I was a starving man with the idea that only her essence could revive me from Hel’s torment..

With just the beginning of her moan, I was ready for her and she drew herself up quickly before my tongue shot right into her core, my nose and mouth pressing up into her with eager movements, I had her coming with a cry.

She was mewling upon shaking limbs, my name flowing from her lips as if I were the one to have dominated her..

With a single sound of a click, I could feel my arms sink into the mattress once she’s released me from my bounds. Her game was over, she was raising her white flag and recovering from battle while I feel her legs muster enough strength to raise herself from my mouth.

This wasn’t over.

Upon her surrender my hands instantly flew to her hips, stopping her in her tracks as she even dared flex a muscle to dismount from her perch. Her breath hitched, showing she had taken on a sudden confused state but she and I both knew that once she resigned, I was back in control and therefore making sure she planted herself back onto my face and stayed there until I have had enough.

Her moans and cries fell upon deaf ears.

 She’s brought me upon her religion and I fully intended on committing until I am at her mercy once more and begging for salvation. As cruel as she may be out there, behind these walls she’s granted me heaven.

So let me worship.. and take me to church..

Note: perhaps a failed attempt at being poetic but my brain demanded his POV on this one Lol

DM a song for your own Musical Mischief Loki one shot :D

Tag List: @foxherder13 @asgards-princess-of-mischief @fire-in-her-veinz @nervouseden @kathren1sky-blog @eleniblue @lokiswife-dark-fox-queen @queenofstarsign85 @gemini-serpentis

[daydreaming-nerd]

The Bonds That Break Us (Rhysand x Female! Reader) Part 6

Part 1 , Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Final Part

Request: "Would you do a Rhysand x fem!reader series? Maybe fem!reader is Rhysand's mate and Tamlin's sister? So secret love?"

AN: Took a wild leap with this one...

Summary: It was almost as if the cauldron liked to play games, as if it had sensed years of boredom and predictability and begged to be entertained. Its method of absolving its melancholy? Mate the High Lord of the Night Court to the younger sister of the High Lord of Spring. 

Warnings (so far): mentions of physical abuse, mentions of SA, major sexisim, SMUT, dirty talk, angst.

Word count: 3557

(all photos are from pinterest)

“And if they win? If my brother and Beron get their way?” I ask Rhysand who is clearly lost in thought, but it’s Mor who answers.  

“Then you would be forced to marry Eris. As fucked up and sexist as it is, they’re going to call into question who had claim of you first Eris or Rhys.” Mor answered clearly, hating the words  coming out of her own mouth. 

“Oh,” I murmured, it was all I could say, the thought that all of this could have been for nothing. Those days spent in a cell, weeks keeping Rhysand and I a secret it didn’t change the outcome of my life. 

“I won’t let it come to that,” Rhys said, walling over to me and pressing his forehead to mine. “I won’t let them take you from me.” 

“You’re right I’m sure we can figure this out,” I reply, not trusting my own words.  

“Let’s go shopping girl, it will give brooding old Rhys here time to think of a plan.” Mor said, trying to lighten the mood. “You can borrow something of mine while we shop.”

“Mor’s right we should get me some clothes,” I giggle looking down at the too big shirt of Rhysand’s that I was wearing. I press a chaste kiss to his lips trying to bring a smile to his face but it doesn’t work. I move towards Mor but I feel Rhy’s hand pull me back. 

“Not without one of these,” he says, pressing his lips to mine passionately. I nearly moan at the way he is always able to kiss me into submission. I swear I’d do anything he asked me if he just kissed me like this. 

“I love you,” I smile, pulling away from the kiss. 

“I love you too,” he smiles, running his thumb over my lips. “Take care of her Mor.” 

“Like she was my own mate,” Mor smiled before leading me to her bedroom.

“This wasn’t just a shopping trip you know?” Mor says, holding up her glass of wine to her lip. “I wanted to thank you.” 

She had insisted that we go out for a drink and for dinner before turning in for the night and given the long day we had I was more than willing to do just that. 

“Thank me for what? I hardly think I’ve done anything but cause problems for your cousin and your court,” I sigh popping another grape into my mouth. 

“Yet I’ve never seen him so happy,” she sent me a knowing smile. “I’ve known Rhys my whole life, never have I seen him so at peace, so willing to live. When his parents and his sister died he was given the title of High Lord, one he never felt like he was ready for. It made him unhappy, but all that has changed because of you.” 

“How did Rhys’ family die?” I ask sipping my own glass of wine. All of the color drained from Mor’s face.

“You don’t know?” she asks bewildered. 

“No he never told me,” I answered, afraid of whatever answer she might tell me. 

“I shouldn’t tell you this,” she said, trying to resume sipping her wine. 

“Mor please, tell me.” I beg her. 

“Okay but don’t let Rhys kill me,” she starts. “200 years ago Rhys and your brother were friends, but your father figured out that Rhysand would be the most powerful High Lord and sought to bring him down a peg. So one night he and Tamlin as well as your brothers went to the Illyrian Camps and slaughtered his mother and sister in cold blood. When Rhysand’s father found out both went to the Spring Court only leaving you and Tamlin alive.” 

I could hardly believe what I was hearing Tamlin had always told me that the agents of the night court had killed our family for stealing their wings, that they were to be an enemy of our court. If I ever asked him to tell me more he would refuse. “But why would Rhys and his father leave us alive?” 

Mor let out another sigh, “Rhys was supposed to kill you. That night he stood over your bed with a dagger, the mating bond snapped into place. He told me that he fell to his knees before you. It was too late for him to rectify what he had done to your family, but when he found his father holding a dagger to Tamlin’s throat Rhys begged for him to live and he did. But Tamlin took Rhysand’s fathers own dagger and drove it through his heart anyways.” 

I nearly felt my knees give out, he had known for 200 years and said nothing. I couldn’t stop myself from reeling. My heart rate began to pick up and suddenly this dress was too tight, this room was too hot and the walls were closing in. 

“I need…I need some air,” I gasped. It was all I could say before taking off. 

I heard Mor calling for me inside the tavern but I couldn’t stop, not for anything. The chill of the night air did little to calm my heart rate down.  I wove through a sea of people, all of them balking at the unfamiliar face. I even heard murmurs of ‘that’s Tamlin’s sister’ and my gut churned. All that was going through my head was he knew, he knew, he knew. 

So I ran, and I ran, and I tried to outrun the feeling but it didn’t matter how far I went, I couldn’t escape the shocking truth I had just heard.

I found myself sitting by the edge of the river about a mile outside of town. Something about the sound of the water flowing by and the crickets chirping gave me time to think. It wasn’t agents of the night court that killed  my family, it was the High Lord, and Rhys. I supposed I should be mad, but given the events of the last few days, what Tamlin did to me, what he’s still trying to do? I’m almost glad Rhys nearly put an end to it all. But it doesn’t change one thing. He knew we were mates for almost 200 years and didn’t tell me. I had heard him calling down the bond for an hour now, but I shut him out. I needed time to process this. 

Behind me I heard the flap of massive wings and then a thud, I turned to find Azriel standing behind me. His face was kind. Not angry or upset like I thought it would be. He looked friendly. 

“It’s a bit cold out tonight, mind if I join you?” he asked, gesturing to the spot beside me. 

“I’m afraid I’m not the best company, but be my guest.” I reply, patting the spot next to me. His massive frame came to sit beside me and as the breeze floated in from my right he curled a wing around me shielding me from it.  

“So you found out how to shut Rhys out of the bond?” he smirked. 

“I guess so,” I shrugged, not taking my eyes off the river before me. 

“Nice,” he smiled like he was proud of me for doing so. 

“Is he mad?” I ask, cringing slightly. 

“No, but he is worried. The second Mor came back and told him what happened and he sent all of us out to find you. I wouldn’t be surprised if he has the whole of Velaris doing search and rescue by now.” Azriel explained casually.  

“I’m sorry. I just needed time.” I said picking at the rocks on the ground. 

“Don’t be. It was a big blow,” he started. “Are you mad at Rhys?” 

“I know I should be, but I’m not. I just wish he had told me.” I sigh.

“You know I was there that night. I was at the townhouse when he returned from the spring court. He was a wreck, an honest to gods wreck. He was so stricken with grief over what he had done that he disappeared to the Illyrian mountains for a week.” he explained. 

“But why didn’t he tell me?” I plead.

“I don’t know. I think he wanted to, but the timing was never right. He spent nearly 200 years loving you from afar and then you finally felt the bond snap. I think he was so happy that he was scared he would lose you. That you would reject the bond.” he said. 

“I suppose I don’t know what I’d do in that situation either,” I sigh.

“One thing you can be sure of is that he does love you. I’ve never seen a person love another person more. Hell he’s trying to claw into my mind as we speak but I’m not letting him,” Azriel chuckles. 

“I suppose I should go back then,” I laugh beginning to stand up. 

“I’ll take you. Do you want me to winnow you there or do you want to go the fun way?” he says, cocking an eyebrow. 

“What’s the fun way?” I ask nervously, dusting the dirt off my dress. 

He snapped his wings out in answer. 

“Oh definitely the fun way,” I smile. “I’ve never flown before.”

“Rhys will be pissed that I’m taking your flying virginity but he’ll get over it eventually.” Azriel smiles before scooping me up. “You ready?” 

“Yes!” I squeal in anticipation and excitement. 

“Hold on tight princess,” Azriel laughs, launching off the ground into the sky. 

My stomach bottoms out and my grip on his neck tightens as the river below us gets smaller and smaller. All the air leaves my lungs as we continue to ascend and then we’re soaring through the sky.  

“Oh my gods this is amazing!” I shout with joy into the night and I feel Azriel’s chuckle reverberate through my body. 

“Do you trust me?”  he asks, raising an eyebrow.

“Yes,” I smile, still unable to  hide the joy I feel.  

“Let go of my neck, I'm going to let you free fall,” he instructs me. 

“But you’re going to catch me right?” I ask just to be sure. 

“You’re going to be my High Lady one day, I will always catch you,” he says nonchalantly.

“Okay let’s do it,” I say, removing my hands from his neck. 

“See you in a second!” he laughs before letting go. 

I feel myself falling through the sky and it’s the most freeing feeling ever. I can’t help but let an excited whoop out as the wind whips my hair about. I have never felt more powerful, more invincible than in this moment. Every worry about my brother, about Beron and the council are gone, for once my mind is clear. 

I see Azriel tucking his wings in above me diving down to meet me and in mere seconds I feel him scooping me up again. 

“That was so fun!” I shout. 

“Don’t ever tell Rhys we did that he will have my head,” Azriel laughed and I could see the townhouse below us. 

We land on the terrace and the sound of our laughter brings Rhys out to meet us. 

“Thank gods I was scared something had happened to you,” he said, rushing over to press a kiss to my forehead.  

“I’m fine you overbearing mother hen,”  I laugh putting my  hands on his forearms.  

“I’ll leave you two to talk,” Azriel said backing away. 

“Wait!” I shout before running over to throw my arms around him giving the biggest hug I possibly could. For a second he doesn’t hug me back, in shock from my sudden action but then I feel two arms wrap around me. “Thank you for everything, for the talk, for the ride.  All of it.” 

“Of course y/n any time.” he smiled. I backed away and took Rhys’ hand as he began to lead me inside. 

“Oh and Azriel!” Rhys called making Azriel turn around. “I saw that,” he smirked and I know he meant the free fall. 

“Damn,” Azriel cursed before taking off into the night. 

Rhys turned to me, mood more somber now. “I think we need to talk,”  he said quietly, like the words would hurt him if he spoke them too loud.  

“I think we do too,” I replied. 

We walked upstairs to the bedroom, everything was just as we left it this morning. Bed unmade, sheets thrown everywhere. The only noticeable difference was my new trove of dresses hanging in Rhys’ closet. My heart warmed at the sight of it. Something so small yet so meaningful at the same time, so domestic. Something I had unknowingly wanted for a long time. 

“Why didn’t you tell me?” I ask turning around to meet his violet eyes. 

“Please believe me when I say I wanted to tell you. I never planned on keeping you in the dark about it. That night I went to kill you I had such hatred in my heart, I had lost my mother and my sister and I wanted revenge. I was young and stupid and following my father blindly. But when I saw you  the bond clicked and I had never known such love. I remember it all. I fell to my knees before you and I realized what I had done. I had killed my mate's family. When I saw my father and Tamlin fighting I begged them to stop, begged my father to let him live. I couldn’t tell them why for fear that Tamlin would kill you just to hurt me. But eventually my father gave in, but Tamlin still stuck a dagger in his heart. When I got back to Velaris I had become High Lord and I couldn’t cope.” he explained, stepping closer to me to cup my cheek. “I have spent the last 200 years in agony knowing what I did to you.” 

He paused taking in my face like he might never see me again, like I might reject the mating bond, and his eyes started to glass over. 

“The day the bond snapped for  you was one of the happiest days of my life. But you were already so hesitant to let me in, you wouldn’t even let my name pass your lips. I knew I couldn’t tell you then for fear of losing you forever. I had to make you see that I wasn’t the monster Prythian paints me to be. Even though I acted like one that night. I was selfish in not telling you. You deserved to know the truth. But please forgive me, and I will spend the rest of my life making up for it in every way I know how. They might seem like empty words, but I love you so much, I don’t think I can live without you.” he finished and I saw a tear slip from his eye. 

“Rhys, I’ve already forgiven you.” I say wiping the tear from his face. “And maybe that makes me a terrible person, forgiving and loving the man who killed my family. But look at what they would’ve done, what they stood for. Tamlin locked me in a cell and was ready to sell me off to be Eris’ breeding vessel. The way my brothers and father always treated me they would’ve done the same, maybe worse.  Who knows what miserable fate you might’ve saved me from. Your true character is reflected in people like Azriel and Cassian, in this beautiful city you’ve kept secret and protected for years. I see all of you Rhysand and there is not a part of you that I don’t love with all that I am.” 

Rhys lets out a sigh of relief before smashing our lips together. I can taste the salt of his tears and the salt of my own. I throw my arms around his neck pulling him impossibly close 

“I love you so much,” he cries between kisses. 

“I love you too,” I say back smiling. I sit down on the bed and pull him down with me. 

“Wait we can’t your still hurt,” he protests. 

“Rhysand, if you don’t get on this bed and fuck me right now I swear on my life I will get myself off.” I gripe at him. 

“While I would love nothing more than to watch you play with your pretty pussy. I think I’d rather do it myself tonight. But you need to tell me if you’re hurting at all okay?” he fusses. 

“I will, I promise! Now please touch me!” I whine taking his hand and placing it on my breast. 

“With pleasure mate,”  he says, squeezing my breast. He snaps his fingers and our clothes are gone. 

“That’s a fun little trick,” I laugh pulling him down, needing to feel his skin on mine.

“Only used for times where I desperately need to be inside you,” he purrs and chills coat my body. 

I kiss him hard letting my hands caress his shoulders and arms, all of him pure muscle, lethal and totally at my mercy. He pulls my hair back to give himself access to my neck and I feel a wave of arousal flow through me as he finds that sweet spot that drives me wild. 

My hand drifts down his front  grazing every muscle on it’s way until I find his cock already hard and dripping with precum. I wrap my fingers  around it and begin stroking it. My hand feeling incredibly small compared to the size of him. His hips buck fucking himself into my hand at the contact. 

“Fuck mate,” he lets out a low groan in my ear. “How is it that even your hands feel perfect around my cock?” 

“It’s because I was made for you,” I muse nibbling his ear. 

“Hmm,” he hums in delight. “You know what was really made for me?”  

“What?” I ask as he pulls his cock from my hand. 

“This,” he smirks before plunging himself inside of me. I arch my back off the mattress in pleasure as he lets out a guttural moan. “Gods your so fucking tight!” 

“Oh fuck Rhys!” I moan, scratching my nails down his back. 

He starts fucking me hard, the mating bond glowing brightly between us. If this is how badly we need one another before the mating ceremony I shudder to think what will happen after. If he thinks a few weeks will be enough he’s dead wrong, I could do this for the rest of my life. 

He snaps his hips at an angle that hits a particularly sensitive spot and I can’t help but moan even louder. 

“Gods I love the sounds you make when I fuck you,” he says with a feral grin before sinking his teeth into my neck. 

“Oh gods Rhys I’m close!” I groan, running my hands through his hair. 

“I’m right behind you mate, make a mess on my cock,” he grunts and it’s enough to send me over the edge with his name on my lips. 

“Fuck y/n!” he screams, spilling his seed inside me.

As I feel his warm cum coat my walls he collapses on top of me and though he’s crushing me it’s an welcome weight. His skin on mine is the best feeling I’ve ever known. His shallow breaths coat my neck as I rub soothing circles on his back. We spend a few minutes catching our breath as I continue to hold him close to me. 

“Did you talk to Cassian and Az about Beron?” I ask. 

“I did and I think we have a solution.” he answers without moving his head from my chest. 

“What is it?” I inquire further, dying to know. 

“We toyed with the idea of having the mating ceremony early but with the meeting so soon it wouldn’t be safe. If we were to walk in there as a newly mated pair I would have Beron’s head ripped off within moments of him talking about you like you’re an object. It’s too dangerous,” Rhys said. 

“Agreed,” I chuckle nervously. “But if we can’t mate officially then what do we do?”

Rhys rolls over from his spot on top of me so that he can see my face, no doubt wanting to gage my reaction to his proposed solution. 

“I make you my High Lady,” he says with pride in his voice. 

I knew that Azriel had said it earlier but at the time I didn’t believe him. It didn’t seem possible. I bore no real powers besides winnowing, I had no political knowledge. How could I possibly be High Lady.  

“But do you really want that?” I ask. “I mean you’re not just doing it to make sure Beron and Tamlin don’t win right?” 

“I’ve always known you were going to be my High Lady y/n. But I knew that the title came with responsibilities. I didn’t want to pressure you into it.” he explains. “But to answer your question more directly, yes, I want it. I want you to be my equal in every way possible. Why do you think I brought up Kallias and Viviane when we were on the Summer Court terrace?”

I smile remembering the interaction.

“Then I guess I’m High Lady of the Night Court now.” I smile triumphantly. 

(I was debating wether or not to put this sort of plot twist in here so please leave some feedback because it helps me to know what you guys like and how I can write better for all you beautiful stars!)

Taglist: @crystalferret202 , @heyyitsnat21 , @cheshire-salvatore-mikaelson , @randomperson1234sblog , @local-fangirl09 , @bleh-81, @annaaaaa88 , @tenaciousperfectionunknown , @judig92, @aunicornmademedoit, @sharknutz , 

 @slytherintaco , @isa1b2h3 , @nickishadow139  , @sarawritestories , @coisas-da-dani ,  @lovemesomevesey ,  @graceshifts , 

[strixcattus]

I really enjoy looking at this still from Slay the Princess:

In the midst of all the weird imagery from the first part of the Stranger route, you see for a moment—and it is cut off at the end, so I had to be quick with my screenshot—every route laid out in front of you, paired up as the game does elsewhere, and described, interestingly enough, from what I can only believe is the Voices' perspectives, or perhaps the relationship between the Princess and the Voice of a given route.

Consumption: The Beast (Hunted), the ribcages in the bottom right. Being eaten, alive or half so, is one way or another the outcome you face in the Beast. This one seems to be the least connected to its route's Voice, though I can still see it in a relational sort of way. Betrayal: The Witch (Opportunist), the nail-studded... I can't tell what it is, but it's at the top left. Betrayal on your part is the cause of the Witch's route, and it too is inevitable in some form once you're on that route—the Opportunist is very vocal about it.

Skepticism: The Prisoner (Skeptic), the chains at the bottom. Pretty clear analogue given the name of the Voice, but not to neglect—you reach the Prisoner by taking the blade (distrust of the Princess) but ultimately using it to free the Princess (you take the time to think critically about what you're being asked to do, and decide the Narrator is less trustworthy). Blind devotion: The Damsel (Smitten), the... I can only imagine locks of hair at the top. You reach the Damsel by immediately and wholly assuming she has no ill intentions, an attitude made manifest in the Smitten.

Rivalry: The Adversary (Stubborn), the spikes to the left. The Adversary route is, so long as you embrace it, about your probably-a-metaphor-for-sex-I-mean-the-Eye of the Needle-isn't-even-trying-to-veil-it eternal fight with the Adversary, with the Stubborn in strong support. Submission: The Tower (Broken), the stone columns to the right. One of the most clear-cut "this is about the Voice" examples—the Broken has completely submitted to the Tower's will, even though the player still has a few chances to resist her.

Terror: The Nightmare (Paranoid), the eyes in the upper right. Of course, the Nightmare is all about fear, and the Paranoid is the embodiment of your fear of the Princess—the fear that made you lock her in the basement and the fear that stopped your heart when she broke free. Longing: The Spectre (Cold), the wisps in the bottom left. This one is interesting, and almost made me second-guess my "Voices" reading, as the Spectre herself is clearly a creature of longing—but then what about "Submission?" The Tower is not "submitting" to anything. That's her whole deal. Perhaps this one is connected to your desire for something other than what the Narrator calls the "Good Ending..." or perhaps it has something to do with the Cold's interest in feeling something, which he expresses in a few routes (the Greys being the most obvious).

Pain: The Razor (Cheated,) the spikes at the top. She skewers you, and you die. Over and over again she skewers you, and you die, and it is painful over and over again. I'm not sure I have much to add to this one. Unfamiliarity: The Stranger (Contrarian), the abstract DNA-like strand at the bottom. You reach the Stranger by refusing to interact with the Princess, leaving her an unfamiliar blank slate whose actions you cannot predict and thus fracture into every possible image of her.

And at the heart of it all, an emotion that can only be described as—what? The Narrator doesn't get the chance to finish his sentence before you wake up in the Prisoner's basement, but I'd think the answer is obvious once you've finished the game.

After all, this is a love story.

[lucifoge]

I been dipping my toes in modifying Art mod_Goose's just for fun, I can add whatever I want in the game now hehe. Of course I added Ivory :sob: it's predictable.

IW heavily inspired by HUNGRY LI's art mod.

Malach's halo + tattoo available to DL in slaves submission

[highdio]

DIO and the Plan for Heaven

I've received a lot of asks for my take on how the "plan for Heaven" in Part 6 relates back to Dio as a character. Some of these included theories and asked whether I agreed with their points. The best way to for me reply is to walk through some misconceptions I've seen repeated about the Heaven plan and at the same time give my own views on how the Stand ability that Pucci enacts in Part 6 can be reconciled with what we know about Dio in canon. Spoiler: IMO the form that the Heaven ability ultimately takes - a universal reset that grants all of humanity knowledge of their preordained fate in advance and down to the micro-level of individual occurances - is not necessarily the outcome that Dio predicted or even desired.

1) The "Heaven" that Pucci enacted in Part 6 is not derived from a subconscious psychological need for security or safety on Dio's part.

This seems basic but I've seen this in comments: the belief that the Stand ability Pucci unlocks through Dio's "heaven" formula relates back to Dio's own need for security and peace of mind. This panel specifically gets talked about, in both discussions regarding Heaven and of Dio's larger worldview:

Of course here Dio is describing "human" needs. Dio doesn't consider himself human and doesn't include himself among those seeking these comforts. Importantly, neither does Araki:

"From perspective of the world in which living creatures naturally prey upon the weak, what DIO is doing is the correct thing. It's out of line with society's norms though, which were created to make it easier for humans to survive. Considered from the worldview of the "Law of the Jungle" [弱肉強食], DIO is acting normally. …People might say I'm anti-social when I say this, but, in a sense, DIO is someone I admire (lol)." (Jump Remix Vol.11 (March 2002), my translation).

Asked to describe his feelings on Dio, Araki heads straight into setting up a direct opposition between "society" - which provides the security, comfort and safety for its participants that Dio describes in the above panel - and Dio, who lives by what Araki calls an "anti-social" code unconcerned with these comforts. It's central enough of a character trait for Araki to say all this unprompted in response to a general ask about DIO.

So anyone claiming that Dio's Heaven plan came out of a need, conscious or not, to allay his own insecurities and for his own peace of mind ignores the fact that Araki wrote Dio with an entirely contrary mindset.

It's also worth considering the context of the panel, since it will relate to a discussion of whether Dio even wants a world where people know outcomes in advance. Dio is describing humankind's need for comfort and security in an attempt to convince Polnareff to submit and to continue to serve him. Araki ties all of this to fear: Polnareff must either give into his fear and resign himself to a comfortable life of submission or he must overcome his fear and reject those comforts.

ofc Dio is playing a game with Polnareff at the same time, using time-stop assisted sleight-of-hand to convince Polnareff that his own body is physically submitting, unconsciously descending the same two stairs. This game, where fear and submission are directly tied to the promise of comfort and security, presents choosing the comforts of society as the weaker, non-heroic path. tl;dr, accepting the security that Dio describes in that panel is a bad thing. Keep this fact in the back of your mind.

If Dio isn't motivated by a need for security, and instead lives according to rules of the natural world, maybe Dio wanted a universe where all of humanity knows its fate in advance for practical reasons, i.e., it would make humans resigned to their fates and simple to rule over?

Again, we need to consider what, exactly, this would mean for Dio.

2) Dio did not intend to create a world where all of humanity became resigned to its fate as a means of ruling over mankind, because this would remove all the pleasure of accumulating and exerting power.

I've discussed this before: Dio actually likes people who take the most arduous path, seemingly rebelling against their own security and comfort. While it is possible that Dio wanted humans to be more docile, this would definitely take away one of Dio's favorite hobbies: subjecting humans to extreme psychological pressure to see how they react, something Dio indulges in regularly. The Heaven achieved by Pucci (a universe where everything is known in advance by its participants) would mean that everything - from that lady sacrificing herself so her baby could be spared in Part 1 to Hol Horse trying to shoot Dio in the back - would be robbed of all dramatic tension. A knowable universe is a boring one. Dio as an immortal would be highly aware of this. And we know that Dio loves a good fight (Araki draws Dio at his most alive and expressive during direct physical confrontation) and loves an opponent who fights back (it's the reason he moves from disdain to respect for Jonathan over the course of Part 1 and the reason he "realizes he likes" Hol after Hol's rebellion). A known universe changes the very nature of "fighting back." When opponents know the outcome of a fight before it starts, combat is reduced to simply going through the motions.

In short, Pucci's universe makes it too easy for a guy who is all about the drama of testing and transcending limits. It would take all the pleasure out of being Dio.

This is where the value judgment I discussed earlier comes in, the one where the comfortable path is also the easy one, and where choosing security means choosing resignation and cowardace. How is it possible then to assert that Dio wants a universe, an eternity, where everything is resignation? It isn't, and he doesn't.

(Here I should point out the obvious fact that the Dio and Pucci flashbacks in Part 6 take place, from a timeline perspective, concurrent with Part 3. While it's surprisingly often that people attribute what they perceive as a difference in Dio between Parts 3 and Part 6 as an easing or maturing in Dio's outlook over time and reflection, there can be no evolution or softening in Dio's thinking between Parts 3 and 6 because there is no time gap. Dio's words in Part 3, if we take them at face value (since sometimes he lies), reflect what he's thinking at the same time he's devising his plan for "Heaven.")

Instead, there's a telling scene early in Part 3 where Dio discusses that "standing at the top of the World" means overcoming fear:

Now consider the Heaven ability that Pucci unlocks at the end of Stone Ocean within the context of this monologue as well as the Polnareff stairway scene. Knowing your fate - the ultimate goal of the universal reset - isn't overcoming fear, it's having the hardship of fear removed. "Fear" in the above passage results from the experience of failure and the reflexive bodily reaction during future struggles to the possibility that one will fail again. When all is known in advance, this fear is removed. The possibility for "conquering" fear that Dio describes to Enya is likewise removed altogether.

Additionally, in Part 6 and while discussing "Heaven" with Pucci, Dio directly states that "true happiness cannot be attained… by being the ruler of the human race," contrasting this with the true victory of "getting to see Heaven." This dialog yet again gives the lie to an assertion that Dio wants universal precognition as a practical means to easily dominate all of humanity.

3) IMO Dio did not know what form the "Heaven" ability would take, just that it would be an OP, transcendent power.

I've talked about this before too but one of the coolest elements to the Heaven formula is how gnostic it is. Some people just ignore this fact, but it's critically important to look at how Araki chose to characterize the "formula for Heaven." 14 cryptic words, the "souls of 36 sinners," a specific latitude and longitude, the phases of the moon. This is esoteric, occult-type stuff. Add to this Dio's own description of how the destruction of his stand will "give birth to something entirely new":

This language is extremely important. It seems the critical detail that's missing from the formula of heaven is what shape exactly the "heaven" ability will take. The outcome of Dio's heaven plan is missing from the formula because that outcome - "whatever is born" - will be revealed through the process. This is precisely why "courage" is needed: this is a leap of faith into the unknown.

It stands to reason that Dio himself would be uncertain what power would be unlocked through the formula. After all, this theme is a throughline throughout Dio's life: Dio constantly does stuff where the outcome is both unknown and radical. Using the stone mask, taking and assimilating Jonathan's body, powering up on Joseph's blood: Dio's pursuit of power consistently leads him to make "leaps" where the outcome is knowable only as "something new" and something transcendent. So it's not just plausible that Dio didn't know what new ability would emerge with the destruction of his Stand, it's in character. And of course, unknowability and the need for "courage" in the face of an unforeseen outcome directly mirrors Dio's assertion in Part 3 that "the one to stand at the top of the World" is the one who "conquers Fear."

4) Pucci has as much a role as Dio in shaping the form that the "Heaven" ability ultimately takes.

If you ignore all of the above and instead assert that Dio had his plan fully mapped out and specifically envisioned a future where he and all of humanity were disavowed of the illusion of free will - comforted by going through the motions of a fate they had already lived through - then Pucci himself becomes unimportant. The character gets reduced to a simple cog or a lackey, carrying out the gruntwork of an absent master architect.

Instead, imo the specific backstory and worldview that Pucci brings to his and Dio's relationship is the key element that shapes the form that "Heaven" eventually takes. After all - this point is not debatable - it's Pucci himself, not Dio, who seems most in need of the comfort, the certainty and security, that a universe in which all know their fate would provide. Pucci's entire backstory is built around the trauma of unforeseen consequence. The reset universe really is, then, the realization of Pucci's own personal "Heaven."

Please keep in mind that Dio did not expect to die and fully expected to be the one to enact the Heaven formula himself. Of course Jotaro had something to say about this, so instead we get Dio's disciple and "trusted friend" executing the formula.

(Add to that the obvious, meta fact that Araki developed the "plan for Heaven" specifically for Part 6. The plan (or even the notion of "getting to Heaven") isn't mentioned in any prior part, and isn't part of Dio's story anywhere prior. In the true "meta" sense (e.g., the real-life production conditions surrounding the fictional work), the Heaven plan is written by Araki for Part 6 and as the major driver of Pucci's story, inseparable from the character. Araki tightly tailored Pucci's backstory around the idea that bad twists of fate sow profound misery and that knowledge of what fate has in store can allay inevitable suffering, the premise of the universal reset. Even Pucci being a priest has obvious synergy with the concept of "Heaven." Without Part 6, without Pucci, the heaven storyline never gets written. And within the story itself, without Pucci the formula to get to "Heaven" is never enacted.)

All of this is to say that discussions that try to link the reset universe and resultant universal precognition too closely to Dio's own personality, his backstory and his philosophies ignore the fact that Heaven was enacted by the gravitational convergence of two individuals who each brought something to the formula. Dio strongly shaped the course that Pucci's life took and Pucci in turn shaped the form that "Heaven" took.

[ceilidho]

im tryna write viking soap!!!! tips for writing soap? hes such a strange fella and i really enjoy your characterization of him

I have two competing versions of him in my head, one that’s a bit more serious (see: my fic Saltwater) and one that’s a bit more self-indulgent (I still feel like it has some veracity, like I try to tie anything I write to the canon characterization, but it’s definitely mostly because I’m a freak and this version of him makes me h***y)

In my head, Soap is very charming and smooth talking. He’s got a real lightness to him, like very class clown vibes, but when someone finally manages to hurt his feelings, he’s known to sulk and mope for a good long while. His feelings can be deeply bruised, but it takes awhile to get to that point because usually he just shrugs things off.

I feel like he’s got a real problem respecting authority lmao. In the games, he’s WAY too familiar with his COs for being a sergeant. He almost fully made the executive decision to kill Makarov despite his captain yelling at him to back down, and he actually really respects Price. You know he’s incredibly good at his job because that behaviour would not fly if he were at all expendable. He does follow orders, obviously, but you can see that he has a lot of resistance to just immediately acquiescing.

When he finds the people he respects and admires though, he sticks to them like glue. Soap is an incredibly loyal person in my head, like could never be bought off or blackmailed into betraying his chosen people. You could even take this to the extreme if he’s pledged his loyalty to the wrong person, but he’ll go to hell and back for someone he cares for. (I think this is one of my more realistic traits for him, but I love warping this when I write Soap as a bit more unhinged; he’s possessive and will not let go, will not move on)

I also feel like he has a very unpredictable temper, like you don’t know what’s going to set him off. You could be yelling at him and calling him names and he’d just smirk and enjoy it, or you could mumble a little snarky comment under your breath out of frustration and it would set him off. Impossible to predict how he’s going to react. He doesn’t appreciate being insulted or patronized and little comments can hurt his pride.

Super horny. Crazy sex drive. This is my most self-indulgent characterization lmao but in my head he’s just always ready, like he has a hair trigger. Absolutely obsessed with pussy (and dick). Massive oral fixation, loves to have things in his mouth. Bordering on submissive in bed, but with a partner smaller than him, he kinda goes a bit crazy and ravenous and likes to pin them under him. He’s also the kind of guy that’ll do anything once, if he hasn’t tried it.

[firequeenofficial]

This weeks submission for @mcyt-soulmate-sweepstakes is for the prompt illusion. Me and my wonderful amazing soulmate @arabella377 (go show her love or die by my blade - her piece is here) successfully melded our minds this week and chose the same prompt!

This is a continuation of the Ranchers fics I did ages ago, set between this one in DL where Jimmy tells Tango about the other Life Series and this one in LimL where Tango tells Jimmy he still remembers Double Life (I've decided there was a chance Tango's memories could get wiped at the start of LimL so I get to write two reunions cause I'm normal).

Just a warning: this goes into some heavy topics regarding friendship, grief, and how much missing someone can hurt. If you're not in a place mentally and emotionally, I would not recommend you read it now, since it comes directly from my own experience and I was nearly crying writing it. Take care of yourself <3

If you want to read it on ao3, the link is here, and if you want to read the version with shipping and kissing etc (but the exact same plot and mostly the same wording), that one is here.

Without further ado, I present to you, illusion!

Tango remembered Double Life.

That was the first thing he noticed when he woke up on Hermitcraft when it was over. Pearl had won, and he had lost, and - as predicted - he remembered every second.

Every wonderful, short, spare second. There weren't enough, not nearly enough. He needed more time. More time to live, more time to fight, more time to-

Oh, who was he kidding. He just wanted more time with Jimmy. He wanted to hear him laugh, to watch the sun rise on his golden wings, to see that amazing smile just one more time. He wanted to show him how much he meant to Tango, how Tango would have done anything, anything at all, to have just a little more time with him. 

And now he'd lost his last chance.

The first thing Tango did after respawning back in his bed in the Citadel was double over and scream like a wounded warden.

Then he forced himself to get up and keep moving. He made himself act normally. When Etho showed up at his base a little after the respawn, he wasn't acting like a part of him had been ripped away. When Bdubs and Impulse joined them, probably acting out of FOMO, their interactions looked just how they always did, like they hadn't been soulmates just minutes ago, like their last death hadn't been in tandem.

But then Pearl sent a message in chat.

<PearlescentMoon> Tango can I borrow you a sec

"Oh, sorry, gentlemen!" Tango grinned like his heart wasn't about to burst out of his chest, like he hadn't spent the entirety of the conversation counting breaths in and out, like it wasn't taking all his concentration to keep his hair from flaring so high it would scorch his ceiling. "When Pearl calls, one must answer!"

Impulse laughed. He was the closest to Pearl out of the four of them. "Of course! Can't keep her waiting."

Tango took off without waiting for the others to fly together to Pearl's.

He worried for a second that Impulse might follow - he shared a base with Pearl after all - but an anxious glance over his shoulder showed him heading with Etho and Bdubs toward xB’s base.

Pearl was waiting for him at the end of her bridge when he arrived.

He could tell immediately, from the look in her eyes, that she remembered too. Just like Jimmy predicted.

"Oh, Pearl," he said, and pulled her immediately into a hug. She was taller than him, but that didn't matter when she fell to her knees, letting him crouch so they were level. Double Life hadn't gone well for Pearl, not for one second.

She was so young. Tango had spent an entire lifetime in the Nether before he'd even stepped foot in the overworld, far too many servers ago. He was older than most of the Hermits even knew. But Pearl... She was so, so young, only a few servers old. She shouldn’t have even been in the Games.

"It's over now," he breathed into her hair, holding her tight as she sobbed. "It's over. We're out."

"H- how can I look at Cleo again?"

Oh.

"I can keep her away if you want," Tango offered, not sure what else he could do. "Just for a little bit."

"She stole him!" Pearl gasped. "She stole him from me! I need to-" She made a sound that was eerily similar to a dog growling. How much time had she spent entirely alone with Tilly? The sound was followed by another shuddering sob. "I can't do this, Tango. How can I live with this?"

Tango swallowed and held her even tighter. All he had to offer was the truth. "I don't know. I'm sorry." After a moment, he added, "The best we can do is try, I think. I don't know that there is anything else we can do."

All things considered, Double Life had been amazing for him. Almost like a mini paradise. All he regretted, really, was his first death and his last. And not getting Scar with the warden. He would gladly go back and relive each and every moment. If he could go back and never leave, he'd do it in a heartbeat.

But Pearl should never have to go through any of that again. She never should have gone through any of it in the first place. He'd never been that fussed about the drama happening between the four of them, her and Scott and Cleo and Martyn, but he wished he had been now. He wished he'd done something to help. He wished it hadn't been necessary.

"It's gonna be okay," he promised. "I'm here, whatever you need."

"Th- thank you."

Before Tango could say another word, the sound of an elytra reached them, followed by the worst possible voice to show up at this moment.

"Hey, Pearl, is Gem around?" Cleo was chipper, not immediately registering the scene before her.

She noticed, however, when Pearl wrenched herself out of Tango's arms, sword already out and swinging, screaming, "YOU STAY AWAY FROM HER!"

"Woah!" Cleo launched herself into the sky to get away from Pearl as Tango rushed to grab the moth-hybrid's arm to stop her from following. "What's going-"

"I think it's best if you leave." Tango's voice was colder than he'd meant it to be, but it got the point across.

Looking confused and worried and hurt, Cleo turned and flew off, looking back only once.

As soon as she was out of render distance, Pearl collapsed again, and Tango knelt beside her, pulling her in as tight as he could.

Neither of them spoke for a long time. Pearl didn't mention how, the longer Tango held her, the closer the embrace got to unbearable warm. Tango didn't mention how every tear that landed on his skin stung and hissed as it evaporated.

He missed Jimmy's feathers wrapping around him every time he hugged Tango.

Finally, when Pearl trusted herself to speak again, she whispered, "I can't lose her, too."

"I know."

"She's my best friend."

"I know."

"How are you doing this? Jimmy was-"

Tango swallowed. "I know."

He knew. Jimmy was amazing. He was kind and gentle and funny and just the right amount of self-deprecating to match Tango, and he was such a good builder and he never blamed Tango for anything and he was just. Perfect. He was perfect.

And Tango missed him.

"I know," he repeated.

He was glad he couldn't cry. It would make staying strong for Pearl - who so clearly needed it more than him right now - impossible.

"Hey, Pearl?"

"Hm?"

"You'll never lose me."

Pearl's shoulders hitched, and she buried her face deeper in Tango's shoulder.

"I'll always be your friend," he swore.

Pearl sniffed, then repeated, "You'll always be my-"

"-soulmate, my Rancher."

Tango's head whipped up with a gasp, his attention immediately pulled away by a familiar voice, speaking familiar words. The words Jimmy had said to him in their final moments side by side, in the brief seconds where they were together in the void after Pearl's win.

There he was. Jimmy. His Jimmy, his Rancher, his soulmate, standing behind Pearl, just inside her base, that adorable smile on his face.

Tango froze, unable to believe it. "J- Jimmy?" How was he here? How was this possible, he wasn't a Hermit, and yet, there he was, clear as day, on Hermitcraft!

"Hm?"

Pearl looked up, then over her shoulder to try and follow Tango's gaze. But, instead of looking excited or asking what was going on or encouraging Tango to go to him, she just turned back to him, brow furrowed.

"Did you say Jimmy?" she asked.

"Y- yeah! He's right there!" He looked back to Pearl for a second, and when his gaze was immediately, instinctively, magnetically drawn back to Jimmy, he found-

Nothing.

Startled, Tango launched to his feet, rushing to the spot where Jimmy had just been, he was just here! "No, where did he go?! Come back!" He looked around, expecting to see him standing somewhere else, hiding just behind a corner or a column, ready to just out and scare him. He was here, he was just here! "Jim!"

Pearl's voice was so gentle, far too gentle, when she said, "Jimmy's not here, Tango."

"No, no, he was here, he's here, I saw him! I heard him!"

"I didn't hear anything, mate."

"Well, you weren't listening! I heard him, I know I did!"

"Tango. It's just your brain playing tricks on you, man. He's not here."

If he could cry, he would be a mess right now. Instead, his flames roared, reaching up like they could somehow reach Jimmy like that. He was here. He had to be.

But he wasn't. He was- he was gone. He was gone, maybe forever, who knew? Jimmy said there had been previous games, but Tango didn't know if there would be subsequent games. What if they'd lost for nothing? What if he was stuck remembering Jimmy forever but never seeing him again? How could he live with that forever?

"Tango?"

The blazeborn jumped. Pearl sounded a million miles away - he'd forgotten she was even there.

"Sorry, uh, what were you saying?"

Pearl gave a sad smile. "Go home, mate. I'll be okay. Take care of yourself."

"But you-"

"I'll be fine." She pulled him in a tight hug. "Thank you for coming."

Tango squeezed her as hard as he could. "You'll come to me if you ever need anything, right? Promise?"

"I promise."

They pulled apart, and Tango took just one second to squeeze her hand. "We'll get through this. You'll see."

She couldn't muster up another smile, just sighed and wiped her eyes and breathed, "I hope so."

With one last shared look that contained words that didn't exist in any overworld language that Pearl would be able to understand, Tango opened his elytra and shot into the sky, flying in a straight shot back home.

As soon as he landed - fell, really - in front of his citadel, he staggered inside, barely keeping his knees underneath him until he reached the main hall, where he'd found sound echoed the best. Then he planted his feet, tilted his head back, and shrieked. Immediately, his hair turned icy blue, his skin paled and the flames at the end of his tail turned to sparks. And then he went on screaming. On and on and on and on, until his throat burned and his lungs were empty and his fire was almost all the way to the top of the high ceiling. The citadel wailed with him, echoing his voice around a million times until it was all he could hear, until the wardens far below awoke and joined in, until every mob within his walls was joining in the symphony of pain.

Only when he physically couldn't scream anymore did he finally fold in on himself, dropping to the floor.

The citadel returned to sleep, leaving behind a silence that pressed on him, making breathing difficult.

The missing him hurt. It hurt so much, worse than a creeper explosion, than an arrow in the back, than an enderman fist around his throat. It hurt worse than anything he'd ever felt in his life. Even when Jimmy had become distant after their second death, it hadn't hurt like this. That was fear. This was... agony. It was torture, pure torture. He'd had his heart sliced clean in two, and he could feel it so keenly, the other half of him unknowable servers away, unreachable.

And then-

"Tango? What's wrong?"

Tango's head shot up as he stood faster than ever before.

He was there! Jimmy was there! Tango knew he'd seen him, he was right!

"Jim!" He gasped, rushing right at Jimmy, so relieved he started laughing.

He threw open his arms, ready to toss them around his Rancher and never ever let go again, but.

But.

But he fell right through.

He just barely managed to catch himself before falling splat on his face, then turned around, panting, eyes wide.

Jimmy was smiling at him, just a little, like he couldn't make it reach any further.

"Pearl was right," Tango breathed.

"I'm sorry."

Tango squeezed his eyes shut. He couldn't bear to look at Jimmy, knowing it wasn't really him.

"Why couldn't you just leave properly, like Joel or Scott or-" Tango's voice broke, and he swallowed, crouching as he made himself keep going. "Why did you have to hang around like this? Why did you have to get my hopes up?!" He was shouting again, and he caught himself before he could keep going. Even though he wasn't real, Tango didn't like shouting at Jimmy. He pressed the balls of his heels into his eyes, trying to ground himself.

"I'm sorry," not-Jimmy said again, his voice perfectly matching the regret Jimmy would have had in his voice. But then he said something Jimmy wouldn't have said: "Technically, you're doing this to yourself."

It was true. And yet, Tango couldn't help blaming the illusion on itself. It was just his own stupid brain lying to him, Tango knew that, but it was easier to blame the spectre than himself. So he screamed, punched the floor so hard a bit of rock chipped off, and opened his eyes so he could toss the rock right at not-Jimmy. It passed right through, of course, but it also made not-Jimmy disappear.

Tango was alone again.

He allowed himself five minutes to sob tearlessly. No more, no less.

Then he buried himself in his work. When he was fixing redstone, he didn't have space in his head to think about anything else. When he was building, he was too busy doing calculations about distances and muttering to himself about palettes to notice if a certain blond avian was standing nearby. When he was test running with Hermits, their terrified screams and confused questions easily drowned out any other voices that might be trying to talk to him.

It became easier, with time. Easier everyday to ignore not-Jimmy, though it nearly killed him every time. With practice, he stopped looking away in the middle of conversations whenever the hallucination spoke, though his heart still skipped a beat at the sound of his voice. After many, many attempts, he learnt not to reach for him when he wasn't focusing entirely on his actions.

He visited Pearl often, the pair getting closer quickly. She was the only person who knew Jimmy still followed him around, which was why she trusted him enough to tell him she occasionally saw Scott, too. She joked that they'd have to make the two meet up sometime. Tango, who still felt like there was a beast clawing at his ribcage every time he even thought about the way Jimmy looked at Scott sometimes, hadn't laughed.

The pain never faded. Most days, it was... manageable. Something he'd simply learnt to live with. With Pearl and Impulse and Etho's help, he learned to smile again, and then laugh. He knew Impulse and Gem were helping Pearl too, though none of them had any idea what was going on. He knew Pearl was talking to Cleo again.

He knew she still had to leave her sword at home whenever she knew she would be seeing Cleo.

Some days, though, the pain was unbearable. It would hit out of nowhere, while he was relaxing or working quietly or even laughing at something. Xisuma once joked Tango was neglecting his livestock (which did not exist) when he was spending all his time down in his hole, and Tango had laughed, finding it genuinely funny. But then he'd remembered the cows they had on the Ranch, and with no warning whatsoever he was on the ground, his entire body running out of strength to keep going in an instant as he gasped for breath. Xisuma had panicked above him, and not-Jimmy had knelt beside him like he could help. It hadn't helped even a little bit.

It felt like grief, he realised. Jimmy was alive, he knew, and some part of him was certain he'd get to see Jimmy again, maybe even soon, but still the missing him was so strong the only word that fit was grief. He didn't know how much longer he could go on. How long could a creature of the Nether, far from home, live with only half a heart?

"Tango?"

"Hm?"

He looked up at Impulse, realising he'd been speaking. They were sitting in the Nether, just chatting about nothing in particular.

"Sorry, what?"

"You good, man? I lost you for a minute, there."

"Y- yeah. Yeah, I'm good." He could almost feel not-Jimmy's hand on his shoulder. "Just been a long week, you know."

"Tango, it's Wednesday."

"Right. Long day, then."

"It's noon."

"Right."

Impulse gave a small smile. "If I'm boring you-"

"No, no, no, no!" Tango interrupted, horrified. He'd never meant to upset Impulse with this. "Oh my gosh, I'm sorry, no! No, it's not that, I swear."

But Impulse just laughed. "I'm teasing, man! I know how you get, it's fine."

Tango sighed and lay down, arms spread to the side, fingers digging into the soft, clay-like netherrack. He stared at the ceiling, far above. The overworld was beautiful, and he wouldn’t give it up for anything, but he usually felt safer here, where he couldn't see the sky, like he was less likely to float away.

"What's bothering you, buddy?"

Tango took a minute to try and think it through, to figure out how to explain it to someone who would never remember how it felt to have a soulmate. Finally, he asked slowly, "What does it feel like when you miss Skizz?"

Tango had never met Skizz - at least, not that could remember, he was less sure now that he knew there were gaps in his memory - but he’d known Impulse long enough that he’d heard plenty about him.

Impulse looked down at him, shocked. "What's brought this on?"

"Just..." Tango sighed again, frustrated with his inability to put it into words. "Just answer the question. Please?"

The other man was silent for several seconds. Tango knew it wasn't entirely fair. After all, there was a reason Impulse rarely, if ever, spoke of the angel who had pulled him out of the Nether. The angel who had quickly become his best friend. But Tango couldn't think how else to explain to Impulse what he was feeling.

When Impulse spoke, it was with barely disguised pain. "It feels like a part of me is missing. Like, the only thing I want is to see him, but I don't know what I'd do or say to him if he wasn't standing in front of me right now. I'm scared, sometimes, that he wouldn't want me anymore, that maybe he's found someone else, someone better. Some days, it hurts so much I can't get out of bed. Some days, I'm terrified I'll never see him again, even though I know he'd do anything to get to me if he could. And I would too. But the pain is always there, no matter what. I've learnt to live with it, but... but it still hurts. It doesn't ever stop." Impulse paused, his breath hitching. Like Tango, he couldn't form tears, but that didn't mean they didn't have some other way of crying. Tango screamed. Impulse simply stopped breathing altogether.

As a nether golem, Impulse wasn't a creature of fire like Tango was, so he didn't need air as much, not like Tango or most of the other hermits. He could go hours without breathing. And, apparently, he sometimes did.

Eyes still trained straight above, Tango nodded.

Another long silence, and then:

"When I joined Hermitcraft, it felt like I was abandoning him." Impulse spoke quietly, breathless in the same way Tango would have shouted. "Like I was going on to something so, so much better and leaving him behind after he'd refused to leave me down here. It felt like I was telling him I didn't care about him. About everything he'd done for me. He told me to go, and I knew it would be better for me, for both of us, in the long run, but I couldn't shake this feeling that, if I never saw him again, it would be my fault. I'm worried if we meet again and I tell him how amazing it is here, he'll think I prefer it over any server that has him in it. But really, I would give entire servers just to see him again."

Impulse swallowed, and Tango glanced at him to see his hands over his face, his back completely still. Not a single breath stirred him. Tango let the silence stretch out so Impulse could work through whatever it was he had to let out before he could go on.

When he was ready, Impulse finished, "For a long time, he was all I had. Now, I have everything except him. And I hate it. It doesn't make sense, cause I love my life here, and I love everything I've built, and I love you and all the others, but..." He trailed off.

"But you love him more," Tango finished for him, voice soft.

"Yeah." Impulse turned his head to meet Tango's eyes. He still wasn't breathing any more than he had to to speak. "Who is this about?"

Tango let his eyes gaze slide away. "You don't know him." Impulse didn't remember Double Life, and he wasn't on Jimmy's list of people who remembered the others. He had no way of remembering Jimmy.

Tango still hadn't managed to build up the courage to talk to Grian, the only other Hermit who would have any memory of the Life Games.

"You love him?"

Tango's throat closed up, a sure sign that a scream was just one breath away, so he just nodded instead, pulling his arms into his chest.

After a moment's hesitation, Impulse leaned back to lie next to him. On Tango's other side, not-Jimmy mirrored their position.

Impulse's next question was wary, probing. "Does this have anything to do with whatever Pearl's going through?" When Tango didn't answer immediately, Impulse added, "Only, you both started struggling at the same time."

Tango swallowed down the scream. "Y- yeah. It's... something like that. How is she doing?" It was easier to talk about Pearl than himself.

"I thought she was doing okay, but then she snapped at Cleo again the other day, so I don't know. She wasn't even doing anything, just talking to Gem, but Pearl nearly ran her through. I don't know what's going on with her."

"Every day is a step further," Tango said. "She's... We're getting there."

"If you need to talk-"

"Thanks, man."

They were silent for several moments, Impulse not breathing and Tango smothering screams, before Tango turned to him and said, just to watch his eyes light up, "Hey, did you see what Grian's been doing?"

"Incredible, right?!"

Impulse never missed an opportunity to rave about Grian's building. 

*

The pain never stopped. It never went away. Some days, it pinned him to his bed. Sometimes, he did nothing but scream all day. Once, he saw Etho come up behind Bdubs and hug him in just the same way Jimmy used to do to him, and he'd had to excuse himself before he could make a fool of himself. But still, it got easier. He learnt to work around the pain. These days, his eyes passed right over not-Jimmy, his voice registering only in the very back of his brain. If his heart skipped a beat, making his fire flare up in the middle of a conversation, then the other Hermits didn't mention it. If his eyes sometimes stared at nothing, whoever he was speaking to just waved a hand to catch his attention back. If he sometimes just curled up with Pearl, neither of them saying a word, then Gem and Impulse gave them all the space they needed.

Some days, she showed up at the citadel and begged him not to let her anywhere near Cleo. Sometimes, he would spend hours in her base, eyes squeezed tight shut, his own fire giving him flashbacks so vivid he could feel not-Jimmy gripping his arms, holding him still.

It was hard, and it would probably always be hard, but more often than not these days, it wasn't impossible anymore.

Then Grian announced The Rift had come to life, and they were being called to another server.

Tango was just as excited as the others - this season of Hermitcraft had lasted far longer than previous ones, and while they were all still having fun, they were still eager for something new, to meet new people and have new experiences. In the days leading up to the date they'd decided on for passing through the rift, rumours spread like wildfire about what the new server would be. Would it be somewhere any of them had been before? Would they recognise anyone from their time in the server hub, or in other servers? Gem especially seemed ecstatic, though she refused to tell anyone why.

It seemed like a lifetime passed before the morning finally dawned where they could step through the mysterious portal in Grian's basement. As they gathered around it, Tango noticed Gem was gripping Pearl's hand tight. Pearl's clinginess over the past few months, rather than scaring Gem away, had instead brought the two closer together, and they were rarely seen apart these days. Cleo had learnt to spot when Pearl was feeling especially territorial and was keeping a carefully wide berth, talking animatedly with Joe.

The gathered Hermits were excited, curious and anxious, which was a recipe for disaster when you wanted to get their attention. After a few attempts, Grian gave up and turned to Impulse. No words were needed before Impulse held out an arm for Grian to fly up to and perch on so he could fling his voice out as far as possible.

"Guys, can we just chill for a second?!" he shouted.

A kind of silence fell - with this many Hermits together, it would be impossible to get a complete silence - and all eyes turned to Grian.

"Right, I know a few of you know this already-" his eyes held Pearl's for a second "-but mysterious portals can be dangerous, so we need to be on our guard. The most important thing, of course, is to have fun, but I don't want to come back with any less Hermits than we went with, okay?"

Nods and agreeing cheers from the Hermits got the small avian grinning.

"Last one there's a rotten dragon egg!" he announced, and leapt off of Impulse's arm to fly straight through the portal, disappearing.

Impulse chuckled, shaking his head fondly, before rushing after him. The other Hermits followed with cheers, and Tango, laughing, was swept along in the tide, straight through the portal.

*

Right off the bat, Empires looked amazing. Everyone he met was so friendly, and there were even a few familiar faces - Joel was loud as usual, and Scott was painfully awkward around Pearl and Cleo, the former of which did her best to avoid him, and the latter seeming very confused about the whole situation. Gem laughed as she was welcomed like a returning hero, and Pearl and False were confused when they received the same treatment.

The tour was a lot of fun. Tango enjoyed seeing the creativity of the players in this world, and how it differed from that of the Hermits'. Unlike the patchwork that was Hermitcraft, everything here seemed to somehow fit together perfectly. And yet, every single build showed the unique mark and style of its builder, like a signature on a piece of art.

In fact, the entire server seemed to be one huge masterpiece.

He laughed when they arrived at Tumble Town. Something about it was familiar, like home, even though he'd never seen anything like it on Hermitcraft, and it was certainly nothing like the Nether. Still, something settled in his chest, a monster whose roaring he'd learnt to ignore returning to sleep at last.

When he first saw him, Tango's eyes simply slid right over him like they'd done so many times. But then he heard the gasp, and he whipped around to look back fully, heart pounding.

Because Jimmy was staring back at him, eyes wide, like he was seeing a ghost, like he couldn't believe it.

Immediately, Tango started noticing other things. Like how he wasn't wearing the outfit not-Jimmy was always wearing - a sheriff's uniform rather than his Rancher getup. Like how, despite this, his bandana was still around his neck, just like how Tango's was under his cloak. Like how his eyes still held that same sparkle, his mouth still quirked up at the side in the same way, his wings still shone like the purest gold.

"Is that-" Tango gasped.

"Is that my Rancher?!" Jimmy's voice was high pitched, excited, squealing in a way not-Jimmy had never done, not once.

Tango's feet were moving before he knew what he was doing, running right at Jimmy without holding back. For one horrible second, he worried he'd just fall again like he had that day what felt like years again. But then Jimmy caught him, and they were a tangle of limbs and wings and a tail and both were laughing and Jimmy was crying and Tango thought he'd never let go. Instead, he lifted Jimmy up - the avian was taller than him, but weighed next to nothing - and spun him around and around, overjoyed.

When he put him down again, Jimmy pulled back a little so he could cup Tango's face and look into his eyes. He was beaming, and Tango couldn’t resist reaching up to brush a lock of hair from his forehead that had escaped the usual confines of his fringe.

Finally, finally, he was back with his Rancher, and he couldn’t smother his smile. This was how it was supposed to be, how they were supposed to be, and he couldn’t put into words how much he’d been missing it. It was…

It was perfect. It was everything he'd been dreaming of for far too many months.

With a shaky laugh, Jimmy leaned down and lifted Tango’s face just enough to press their foreheads together.

"I missed you," Tango breathed.

Jimmy hummed. His arms had fallen down to wrap around Tango’s back, keeping him close. "I missed you too. So much."

"Yeah?"

Jimmy swallowed, nodding against Tango’s forehead. "Yeah."

Tango’s relief was immeasurable. He’d never admit, but when Impulse had mentioned being afraid Skizz wouldn’t want him back, the same fear had bloomed in Tango, too. But it wasn’t true. It wasn’t true, Jimmy had missed him just as much as Tango had! He burst out laughing, too happy to hold it in. "We’re sticking together from now own, big man."

Then Grian cleared his throat, and the two jumped apart - mostly, only their hands were clinging to each other now - and turned to look at the audience they'd forgotten they had. Tango's hair was burning bright with embarrassment, and Jimmy's hand was warm and clammy in his.

They'd never held hands in Double Life, Tango realised. They'd curled up together in bed, clung to each other after dying, fell asleep draped over each other, but they'd never held hands.

He forced his brain to focus, to meet Grian and Scar and Scott's gazes and not grin completely like an idiot.

Scott was grinning. "Awww, this is sweet!"

"I take it you two know each other, then," Scar said casually, and Grian burst out laughing.

He could hear the smirk in Jimmy's voice when he answered, "We've met."

Grian only laughed harder.

Tango couldn't bring himself to mind. For the first time in far too long, he felt like he was exactly where he needed to be - at Jimmy's side. 

[evidence-based-activism]

What do you make of this? “The VAST majority of women are sexually submissive. I think it's around 3/4? I can dig up sources later if I feel like it

The attraction to power and dominance is way deeper than social conditioning and deeply engrained into all human social behavior. It's encoded into the social games we play to determine our standing with each other and which people we find fuckable.

Don't be graping folks, but also don't be denying women the means to sexually and socially satiate themselves by creating a deficit of men who will handle them as roughly as they quietly crave.”

I think it's ridiculous.

I've talked in the past about how men and women really do not feel sexual attraction in fundamentally different ways. The most important point from this post is that "sex differences in self‐reported sexual behavior were negligible ... [when] participants believed lying could be detected, moderate in an anonymous condition, and greatest [when not anonymous]" indicating "sex differences in self‐reported sexual behavior reflect responses influenced by normative expectations for men and women".

This is important, given the extent to which society is permeated by the expectation that women will be sexually submissive and men sexually dominate.

And even keeping this (i.e., that people tend to provide responses congruent with societal expectations of them, at least in sensitive topics) in mind, the percentage of women who report "preferring" sexual submission is far, far lower than 75%. The closest thing to a representative statistic we have comes from YouGov (a polling/data analytics company), which suggests that 21% of American women prefer being "submissive in bed" [1].

Some other research [emphasis mine]:

A review concludes "that traditional sexual scripts are harmful for both women's and men's ability to engage in authentic, rewarding sexual expression, although the female submissive role may be particularly debilitating" [2]

This article is particularly relevant: "Study 1 found that women implicitly associated sex with submission. Study 2 showed that women's implicit association of sex with submission predicted greater personal adoption of a submissive sexual role. Study 3 found that men did not implicitly associate sex with submission. Study 4 demonstrated that women's adoption of a submissive sexual role predicted lower reported arousal and greater reported difficulty becoming sexually aroused" [3]

Further, this article found "women’s submissive behavior had negative links to personal sexual satisfaction and their partner’s sexual satisfaction", and although they specified this was "only when their submission was inconsistent with their sexual preferences" they failed to indicate what percentage of the sample preferred sexual submission. They did, however, find that "women’s submissive behavior" was negatively correlated with "women’s interest in dominant partner" suggesting, at the very least, that women with no interest in dominant partners are engaging in submissive behavior as a result of the "high prevalence of traditional sexual scripts" [4]

---

For the "dominance games" bit ... I expect they are referring to how, for some species, male animals will fight with each other for the "right" to mate with the female animals. He seems to be conveniently forgetting that the aggression in this analogy is being directed towards other males. So, even if we were going to concede the accuracy of the analogy (which I do not), it would be entirely irrelevant to the matter at hand.

Further, the fact that humans may have demonstrated a behavior in the past and/or that other animals demonstrate it now, does not justify the behavior in humans in the present. Infanticide is common among both male [5] and female [6] mammals, as well as in human history [7], but I doubt anyone plans to defend that particular "reproductive strategy".

---

Further, the belief that there are women who secretly "want" men to "handle them roughly" and are simply lying when they say otherwise, is straight from the standard list of rape myths [8]. And acceptance of these misogynistic myths is correlated with men's sexual violence against women [9].

This makes such assertions both incorrect and dangerous.

---

In conclusion: this individual is both factually incorrect and logically inconsistent, and his apparent embrace of rape myths suggests he is – at the very least – an unapologetic misogynist.

References under the cut:

Moore, Peter. Most Americans Open to Sexual Dominance and Submission. YouGov, 13 Feb. 2015, https://today.yougov.com/society/articles/11593-most-americans-open-sexual-dominance.

Sanchez, D. T., Fetterolf, J. C., & Rudman, L. A. (2012). Eroticizing inequality in the United States: The consequences and determinants of traditional gender role adherence in intimate relationships. Journal of Sex Research, 49(2-3), 168-183.

Sanchez, D. T., Kiefer, A. K., & Ybarra, O. (2006). Sexual submissiveness in women: Costs for sexual autonomy and arousal. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 32(4), 512-524.

Sanchez, D. T., Phelan, J. E., Moss-Racusin, C. A., & Good, J. J. (2012). The gender role motivation model of women’s sexually submissive behavior and satisfaction in heterosexual couples. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 38(4), 528-539.

Lukas, D., & Huchard, E. (2014). The evolution of infanticide by males in mammalian societies. Science, 346(6211), 841-844.

Lukas, D., & Huchard, E. (2019). The evolution of infanticide by females in mammals. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, 374(1780), 20180075.

Levittan, M. (2012). The history of infanticide: exposure, sacrifice, and femicide. Violence and Abuse in Society. Understanding a Global Crisis. Santa Barbara, ABC-CLIO, 83-130.

Payne, D. L., Lonsway, K. A., & Fitzgerald, L. F. (1999). Rape myth acceptance: Exploration of its structure and its measurement using theIllinois rape myth acceptance scale. Journal of research in Personality, 33(1), 27-68.

Yapp, E. J., & Quayle, E. (2018). A systematic review of the association between rape myth acceptance and male-on-female sexual violence. Aggression and violent behavior, 41, 1-19.

[making-your-fave-in-fr]

Welcome! One at a time, please. And no biting.

After being inspired by @making-you-in-spore, @makingyourfavindti, and my general love of scrying up fandragons, I've decided to make this silly little gimmick blog! Now, it's time to answer some frequently asked questions. I'd recommend reading through this all before sending in a submission.

Submissions are currently CLOSED

How are you doing this/What is Flight Rising?

Flight Rising (or FR for short) is a browser game where you collect dragons. I use the Scrying Workshop's Predict Morphology feature to create the base dragon, then I give them clothes with the Dressing Room.

What's that gibberish at the bottom of each post?

In case anyone wants to recreate the guys I make, I share the dragon's breed, gender, colours, genes, and what apparel I used below. If y'all DO make one of my scries into a real dragon, I'd love to see it!

What’s your uploading schedule?

As of November 20th 2024, I set up a queue that uploads once every three hours or so, for a grand total of five posts a day. However, this is liable to change in the future. And depending on my motivation, I might miss a few windows.

What tags do you primarily use?

#fave scry (self explanatory)

#not a scry (anything that isn't a scry)

#not my scry (for sharing other people's scries that I like)

#my scry (for sharing scries I made without an ask first)

#remade scry (for scries that I've remade for whatever reason)

#realized scry (for actual recreations of my scries on FR)

#scry help (need help with scrying your own dragons? I'll tag those kinds of posts with this)

Be warned that I will be including images of whatever character/thing I do, including body horror, creepypastas, etc. If you are uncomfortable with those, then please block/ignore posts with the #unsettling scry tag.

Why do you not use skins/accents/this one breed/etc?

I try to not use skins/accents since it's hard to find exactly what I'm looking for, but will still use them on occasion. Also I just find certain poses kinda ugly, unfortunately cough cough female mirror. However, if you want me to use a certain breed/gene/colour/etc, then feel free to tell me in your ask!

What's your PFP?

A scry of V2 from Ultrakill

What won't you do/why did you ignore my submission?

You'll find a list of things I will/won't scry below the cut. That's the #1 reason why I might ignore your post. Also please keep in mind that I’m one person, and also in college. I don’t necessarily do requests in order, either.

Who are you, anyways?

You can call me Drako! She/Her pronouns, please :)

I WILL do:

OCs

Characters from just about anywhere (though there are some exceptions. See below.)

Real people (actors, celebrities, yourself, etc)

Basically anything. I'm not kidding. You want me to turn your bowl of mac and cheese into a dragon? I'll do it. Just keep in mind the previously stated exceptions :3

I WON'T do:

Requests where you don’t tell me the media. You can be vague/funny with the character name, but you gotta tell me where they’re from.

Anything involving IRL politics, tragedies, etc

Anything from a blatantly NSFW/fetish-y media. Mature-rated media and media with LIGHT adult content are alright, though. If you’re unsure, feel free to ask me!

Anything DSMP, Harry Potter, or South Park related

I swear I didn't just copy and paste from makingyourfaveindti. I just don't feel comfortable doing those things, either.

[gascon-en-exil]

Ranking the Jock Studio Love Interests, Take 2

I judged the jocks after the first demo, so now it's only fitting that I do the same based on the second. This one comes with quite a bit of character content even on top of the introduction of Jock Studio's various minigames and resource management systems, and perhaps unsurprisingly all this new material has caused my personal rankings to shift around some.

I still won't be including Ace or the two NPCs. Ace is still a hilarious MC but is fairly unremarkable in explicit scenes, being as adaptable to his partners as characters in that role typically are. Jacques gets to be delightfully campy and now has some mystery surrounding him and the clearly illicit nature of the club, while Matt seems to be straight but is also leaning toward bicurious and does get a shirtless scene if you can find it. Neither is developed enough to rank alongside the main jocks, though.

Beware of spoilers for the second demo, which just got its wide release today...although this is all still prerelease content so there's nothing too revealing. What is revealing however is the demo's artwork, which contains almost nothing in the way of individual character CGs that are at all SFW. Working around that to get images for this post was a bit of a challenge, although not a bad one to have by any means.

#6. Avan - down from #3

The biggest drop for me, because the second demo doesn't do all that much with Avan - and what it does, I'm not especially into. Contrary to my earlier predictions, Avan is clearly riffing on the trope of people in positions of authority secretly being huge subs. He's actually the most submissive of the jocks in this demo, and gets off on Ace taking the lead in explicit scenes and ordering him around. Also nipple play, which...eh.

But more than that, Avan gets stuck playing the straight man (no pun intended) to the antics of the other jocks and especially Yuuto, which cuts into his entertainment value a good deal. The suggestion that his character development will take the form of him admitting that he's just as much of a horny pervert as Ace or Yuuto doesn't seem all that interesting, and most of his student council business remains mysteriously offscreen so it's tough to dig into. Possibly he'll play a role in some overarching storyline involving whatever underhanded stuff Jacques might be up to regarding the legitimacy of the club, but at this point there's just not that much to enjoy about him if you're not into uptight wet twinks.

#5. Leo - up from #6

The bump isn't wholly on account of Avan dropping, because while I'm still not into his vibe sexually Leo gets some good shades of character development in this demo. It leans more on his nerdy interests as a gamer and computer science major, and it also plays up his tendency to overextend himself which manifests itself in one scene in a way that works in the game's energy mechanic. There's also the very brief suggestion that Leo had a difficult home life, one of the rare instances of any of these guys referencing their families.

He's also noted to be the only virgin in the club aside from Ace, so their explicit scenes play up their mutual inexperience. Leo is not at all shy about leaping into sex however, which I do appreciate at least a bit even if the overall package isn't really my type.

#4. Yuuto- up from #5

Yuuto seems to be slowly growing on me, even if he's just as random and hyperactive as before. His fourth-wall-leaning quips about acting like a character in a video game land better in a demo that's more about mechanical features, and with more dialogue there's more opportunities to pull humor out of his malapropisms. It's not just weird English and puns around Jacques' name either; at one point he manages to fuse a Japanese expression with a Spanish one and presumably ruin both of them in the process.

I am though picking up on another rather curious element of Yuuto's character, one I recognize from its appearance in one of the love interests of Camp Buddy. For lack of a better way to describe it, it's as though the devs want to explore pup play scenarios but aren't into the gear and the explicit kink dynamic that comes with that. Like the CB character, Yuuto is messy, hates bathing, has an affinity for literal dogs, and even has the exposed canine teeth that I suppose have to mean something in anime art styles. His version of the blowjob scene that closes out the demo even has him giving head on all fours, with Ace directing him like an overactive pup in need of discipline. I can't be the only person who can see that, right?

#3. Bryce - down from #1

There's no question that Bryce delivers the horny goods, as his scenes both explicit and otherwise draw ample attention to his bushy, musky armpits and well-developed ass and pecs. Humorously, because the demo ends with a blowjob and never ventures into anal, Bryce is the only character whose ass gets any kind of attention in explicit scenes - even over the more obviously submissive Avan and Leo.

But as a character...oof. Bryce's open, unrelenting homophobia is increasingly painful when it's no longer a one-on-one thing but instead has him casually dropping slurs in group settings. I get that the other characters can't call him out on that in a big way for the moment because he has to go through his development, but it's still tough to take him at face value as merely a grumpy asshole who doesn't want to be a team player. Worse, this demo offers no real hints at why Bryce is so desperate for cash that he's gone gay4pay, or touches on why he's so violently closeted beyond abstract references to the homophobia of his frat brothers and wrestling teammates. And since all of those guys exist purely offscreen, that means the only tangible source of homophobia in the demo is Bryce himself. He's definitely a character in need of a full-length storyline to make him actually palatable.

#2. Zayne - up from #4

Alright, I can admit that Zayne has more or less wooed me. He's far and away the most romantically-inclined of the jocks, and while that's accompanied by a teasing insincerity it does help him stand out from the crowd. There's still a good bit of mystery surrounding his character, particularly in a comment after his blowjob scene where he calls it his "first" but then doesn't elaborate, but unlike Avan's student council business or Bryce's bigotry the surface level here is pretty appealing on its own. Is Zayne already catching feels for Ace, or is he newly exploring his bisexuality so Ace was the first guy to give him head? We can only speculate for now.

The suave romantic Dom angle translates readily into his sex scenes, even if I didn't find them to be especially noteworthy for the most part. He is I'm fairly sure the only one of the jocks to have his being uncut worked into an explicit scenario, even if he's not the only uncut guy in the cast.

#1. Derek - up from #2

Derek's vibes continue to be just what I'm typically looking for in a dating sim love interest, above and beyond his being the biggest guy with the biggest dick. Props for not making Ace deepthroat him during his first blowjob. Derek is still the gentle giant soft Dom, and even though like Avan he's frequently made to play the straight man (again, no pun intended) to the rest of the group he goes along a little more readily with the other characters' silliness so he comes off as less stuffy. He's also amenable to Ace directing softcore daddy kink dialogue toward him; twenty-four is young for a daddy, of course, but then daddies are always relative.

But what really cements Derek's place at the top for me is a surprisingly revealing optional scene where he admits that Ace reminds him of someone he used to know who went to the university. This guy is likely part of Derek's reservations with the adult film industry, and why he's so protective toward Ace in particular. I really wasn't expecting a character reveal of this level from any of the jocks in this demo, and having seen just about everything in this one I'm now actually a bit disappointed that none of the others get anything truly equivalent. That just makes Derek more endearing however: the raw sex appeal of Bryce combined with the smoother romantic appeal of Zayne, at least for me. Naturally if twinks are more your speed Derek may not rate as highly.

Bonus Round: Jock Pairings

And we're not done! The second demo surprised me again by working in elements of three of the nine community-chosen jock pairings that will get erotic CGs as part of the game's stretch goals and may also work into another stretch goal of allowing you to play matchmaker and pair up the characters with each other rather than just with Ace. That's one of the features I've been most excited about, so I really liked the inclusion here. These three pairs show up in several group scenes throughout the demo, with each one additionally getting an optional individual scene during the one free day. The following rankings are based mostly off those free day encounters since they're the best at establishing these characters' dynamics, but I'm taking into account the rest as well.

#3. Derek/Bryce

No, I'm not ranking them last because I want them both to myself. This is some prime beef-on-beef fantasy territory, and Ace's internal monologue does its best to sell their dynamic as Derek domming an unusually receptive Bryce.

The problem, though, is that the dialogue doesn't really bear that out. One of the things I like most about these jock pairings is that they present an opportunity to show off sides of the characters that might not come out in their interactions with the MC. But that's not present here, and it's instead just more of the same: Derek as the levelheaded mentor figure, and Bryce as the abrasive jerk who begrudgingly accepts someone else's attention.

Bryce's personality being what it is, this pair is unsurprisingly the only one of these three to not come off even slightly romantic, and that's liable to be the case for any of his relationships until late in his character development. It's also disappointing to see Derek, who as mentioned is protective of Ace for ambiguous backstory reasons and elsewhere takes up the mantle of Team Dad for the whole group, not even attempting to call out Bryce for how rudely he talks to and about the other club members. Sure, when these two get around to fucking it'll be undeniably hot...but having to put up with Bryce until he finally gets over himself is going to be a chore no matter who he's paired with.

As a minor plus, this scene also confirms that Bryce has some belly fat he wants to get rid of even if he refuses to change his diet or cut back on the booze. If you're into guys with a gut, that's about as good as you're going to get from this game.

#2. Avan/Yuuto

The established relationship pair, essentially, as they're roommates with an obvious odd couple dynamic. Avan's the long-suffering responsible one, while Yuuto's the agent of chaos. I've even seen people saying that they feel like they're breaking this pair up if they have Ace go after either of them. I don't think that's quite true, especially after seeing both of them in action in their explicit scenes and knowing that Avan is super submissive and Yuuto desperately needs to be collared and leashed...but hey, alpha pups exist so it's not wholly implausible.

Anyway, this pairing does contribute to my perception of Avan being one of the more boring jocks in the second demo. The biggest thing it adds to his character is showing that he's more reserved around Ace, as Yuuto is quick to proclaim that Avan normally sleeps naked and bathes with him and that the two are basically friends with benefits already. It's funny in the moment purely from how outlandish it all is, but it's going to take some development before we get to see Avan properly cutting loose. As for Yuuto...Avan is pretty much the only thing keeping him from dying of his own flagrant disregard for personal hygiene or getting arrested for indecent exposure, so that's nice I suppose. At least unlike Derek and Bryce I can see a path to a gradually developing relationship here.

#1. Zayne/Leo

Right from the start, these two are astonishingly cute for a side pairing.

The writing doesn't even go for the cliché of the popular guy crushing on the nerd, either; Zayne gets to display his academic capabilities in helping Leo with his studies, and Leo gets a bunch of positive affirmation over his geeky interests and his status as a "short king." Plus, he has a rare moment of downtime during their individual scene. Zayne also seems to be less insincere in his flirtations when it's not directed at Ace, so it's easier to buy him actually being interested in Leo or at least willing to be so at some point down the line. Zayne is kind of the anti-Bryce in that his side pairs are liable to come off as more romantic than the rest purely on account of his flirty banter, but unless he's got some dark secret about why he acts like he does that's not really a bad thing. (Though that does call to mind that Zayne/Bryce is another one of the player-chosen pairings. We may be in for some unstoppable-force-meets-immovable-object antics here.)

It's impossible for me not to notice as well that this is the only one of these three pairings where both characters went up in my estimation, and how that might partially be the result of their interactions with each other. But it's hard to avoid it; these scenes between the two of them establish new dimensions to both their characters, and I can see them having a good bit of sexual chemistry as well once they get into it.

[chaoticgoodthief]

for the stp ask game: 5, 11, 23 (Smitten)?

5. Who is your favourite Voice?

No matter how long I play, Contrarian still holds a special place in my heart. He's basically everything I want in a character. Silly little goober, now with a free serving of Trauma TM. As much as I love Hero like most people do, I've been loving the Silly Guys + Pain combo meal for ... probably a good few years.

11. Any non-canon Vessel-Voice you think is fun to see?

Hmmm tough choice. I mainly enjoy Voice-Voice dynamics personally, although I'm not really sure why. And even the Vessel-Voice interactions that I do see are usually most enjoyable when canon because they have history with each other.

But that being said, I do think Opportunist and Tower would be really fun. The Voice most prone to betrayal and the Vessel that expects nothing but submission and loyalty. Considering thow you can get Opportunist in the first place (*cough cough* let the Narrator control your body *cough cough*), it would be fun to see what plan Opportunist comes up with. Who knows? It might not even be that different to Broken's plan, even if done based on different reasoning.

23. Any first impressions regarding Smitten? How about now?

Ooooh boy, prepare for a ramble, buddy.

Surprisingly, I clocked onto the dark side of that little lovebird's deal fast. My very first impression of him was kind of... eh. That's sure a guy. But then, when he immediately sided with Opportunist when Opportunist was on team Save The Princess and started talking about "redemption". I got Burned Grey, saw how quick he was to turn against the Long Quiet when the Princess died, his well... burning hatred for Cold.

And I think that's when things clicked. This was the messed-up Paladin, who likely would hurt the people around him in the name of "doing the right thing". There seemed to be no limit to how far he could go if he thought his actions justified, no way to calm his dangerously volatile emotions other than the Princess' presence. If he and Opportunist were left to their own devices after the Thorn route, I would be more concerned for Opportunist's safety.

My impression has only been further solidified the more I learnt about him. His refusal to acknowledge the harm done by even the worst of the Princess' actions. His actions in Dams3l and the events leading up to it. All of them pointing to me being right on the money of my initial assessment of the warning signs. (so much so that I even unknowingly predicted Dams3l when writing an AU version of him, but that's a story for a different time).

...So overall, pretty consistent impression on Smitten's personality.

Thank you so much for the ask!!! This was super fun! :D

[luigiblood]

Complaints about Switch 2 & People

Oh boy. I have a lot to say regarding the Switch 2, how Nintendo is handling it, and how people are handling it.

When it comes to the Switch 2 system as I see it, I am actually fairly content of what it is. You can criticize certain aspects like the HOME Menu, the games actually speak deeply to me in general, it would definitely be a system that I would very happy with as far as I'm concerned.

I will speak mostly as someone from France, so expect a lot of prices in euros here, rather than dollars.

This post has the potential to be dated over time. This might have been written too much in haste, and it's entirely possible that I would just change my mind on some of what I said.

Switch 2 Pricing

Now the elephant in the room: Yes, the pricing fucking sucks, especially in Europe. I absolutely will never pay the games at the suggested retail price. I can see some people being like "yeah you're just a Nintendo fanboy you'll pay full price anyway," even though on Switch throughout its entire life I never really paid actually much of anything at full price. A first party Switch game is usually 60 euros here, but I pay them at 45, day one, brand new, just from the store. It's not so bad for the experience that I get out of them.

The system itself is also very very expensive but I'll be honest, considering what the system is capable of, my initial prediction of 400 euros definitely felt too low. However I did not really expect the price of 470 euros. Too close to 500 for comfort for a single system like that. It sucks. But at least I pay for a system mostly once, I ain't those collectors who buys systems and collector's edition by the bulk. I can reasonably afford it, I just need one, and even then, to be fair, stores would lower it, I saw the price of 440 euros, which I think is at least more reasonable. It's still 500 for the Mario Kart World bundle, but it's not so bad, it's still paying a lot less than the game on its own regardless of physical or digital.

When it comes to Switch 2 games, Mario Kart World's price is 90 euros physical, and 80 euros digital. Donkey Kong Bananza is 10 euros less for physical and digital. My personal limit is 70 euros for a single physical game, because I'm still willing to pay at least the current full price for a game, but anything above that, I will absolutely aggressively pursue ways to get those cheaper. When it comes to France, where I live, physical Mario Kart World is 70 euros in stores, and Donkey Kong Bananza is 60 euros. It's still a bunch, to be honest, but I'll still try to get some of them further down if I can, but it's more reasonable than these insane "intended" prices from Nintendo. I sure still ain't paying full games digital yet.

But let's be clear here: You shouldn't support these high prices. It sends a message to the already pretty greedy game industry, who will absolutely take notes.

Also, to anyone who dares using the argument that games used to be way more expensive back then as an excuse: Fuck you. Straight up. This isn't an argument, this is an information. Yeah sure it was like that back then, but that isn't a reason to be this submissive and just accept this bullshit. Not at a time when the game industry is feeling a huge crisis when everyone gets fired, now we have to deal with that industry filling their pockets even further with even more of our money to make up for it? Fuck no. This isn't just about Nintendo here.

Game Key Cards

Just to be informative: Game Key Cards are Physical Game Cards that requires you to download the full game to play them.

This part was blown out of proportion. Personally I don't blame Nintendo on this, because third parties would have figured out how to do it even if it wasn't a properly defined thing. At least this is straight up clear on the front of the box, with a clear definition of "required download". This is just something that happened for a while on Switch 1, even other systems, and it's just basically a type of game cards to know about.

However people seriously misinterpreted this to affect every Switch 2 game, and I'll be honest with you, people are just straight up stupid. Imagine saying in the Nintendo Switch 2 Direct that there are new Switch 2 Cards, in red, that benefits faster read speeds. They straight up say that, so then to say now that they don't have game data, yeah nah that's just a straight up misinterpretation and I don't think it was hard to interpret it right. If I had that page in front of me I know I would just think that it is not affecting every game.

Mario Kart World and Donkey Kong Bananza DO NOT have this Game Key Card banner on the box art, while some others like Street Fighter 6 and Bravely Default do; this is clearly just for third parties who decided to cheapen out like crazy and fuck us all.

Nintendo Switch 2 Edition Game Cards

This is a recent development, where apparently a Nintendo UK Customer Support person said that NS2 Edition physical releases includes the upgrade pack as a code instead of being in the cartridge.

I'll be honest, this is strange and confusing to me. Game Key Cards bothered to mention what makes them different straight on the front of the box, but NS2 Edition box arts absolutely don't, they just say they include the game and the upgrade pack, but there's zero evidence that the upgrade pack would be a code, regardless of english or french.

I would straight up say IF this is true, then Nintendo is lying by omission, and I would be really mad about it. But the only source is a person who took a screenshot of an email, from a customer support person, from which I don't necessarily 100% trust on its own, even if it's an official source, but I still haven't found out what is the real source of this information, as in, who took the screenshot.

I would say to tread wisely before taking conclusions, because, well…

Misinformation is everywhere

People are just bad at reading. Frankly you should maybe do yourself a favor and stop trying to understand every aspect for the time being.

Nintendo is far from saying everything yet, I'm definitely frustrated at the lack of certain information especially for those who preorders. Though honestly, you should not preorder. Seriously you shouldn't do that so early. The preorders I do are like, at most a week before release? And I can just buy games from the store myself the day of release if I feel like it.

But people are so speeding up over any information that they just forget how to read. I honestly want to call names to anyone who does spread bullshit like that. I know it's easy to hate Nintendo, but you don't need to come up with bullshit to do it. If you wanna hate Nintendo, at least know what you're hating at before I make fun of you. It's not hard.

Tariffs

The fact that tariffs in the US finally got some "gamers" actually aware that politics can affect them is simply ridiculous. Cool that it happened for some, but it pains me to say this but it's so late. I ain't forgetting the bullshit. You should have been more involved before that. Politics isn't just stupid people you don't like talking bullshit, they decide shit for you and you should speak up and THINK.

Fuck Trump, and Fuck Nazis.

Switch 2 isn't innovative?

Personally I remember when people complained about the motion controls of the Wii. When they complained about gimmicks in general. Now we're getting a console that doesn't seem straight up outdated hardware wise, and accumulates the most amounts of gimmick I've ever seen from Nintendo.

But now I see some people sad that Nintendo isn't innovating. But what else do you want them to innovate on?

Instead I get the answer of "surprise." That answer is too easy to me. I'll bet you that whatever hardware surprise Nintendo comes up with you wouldn't be happy with it right now. I personally see gaming as basically a solved thing in terms of how we play. I still seriously think we peaked a while ago.

People respond with touch screen, motion controls, but frankly, those were stuff that we dreamed about from a technological standpoint. Gaming has always been tied to technology, and Nintendo was simply the one who said "let's bring some of them" instead of competing for power. The only thing I can see is like, more accessibility features and tech for more people to play.

I also saw mentions of how the Switch 2 is essentially a Switch Pro. It's the same thing again, even with games. I can tell you the exact same shit with Sony and Microsoft, just saying. I sure wasn't excited by the PS5, I personally feel like a lot of games could have worked with a bit less fidelity on PS4 and I wouldn't have batted an eye. I don't believe the graphical upgrades on PS5 are this impressive. I got impressed by the Switch 2 personally because it's almost like going from PS3 to PS4, since Nintendo was essentially a gen behind for a while. I think the games are actually way more worth the gen upgrade in terms of framerate.

In fact I dare say I could probably play on PS5 and Switch 2 for 20 years. That's right, I think we don't need hardware upgrades anymore. I think we're already good. PC is just shit, and everything is super expensive for barely any upgrade from hardware from 5 years ago. 4K is straight up overrated if you don't have a big enough screen, like I can't tell the difference unless it's real big. I personally prioritize framerate, and now I get told about 120 FPS which is something I don't have any idea of what that seriously feels like as someone who never had the opportunity of this kind of screen in the past.

I don't believe any hardware upgrades will feel impressive graphically anymore. Everything is about graphics, and at Nintendo I see a game with insane terrain destruction freedom that isn't voxel that I totally believe would not even run that well on Switch 1. That's the real shit I get excited about.

Nintendo Switch App

Why the hate on the Nintendo Switch App actually? It's just extra stuff.

Voice Chat was the only thing that seriously sucked in it and was a stupid feature of Nintendo Switch Online on Switch 1. It's like you guys forgot why you hated that app to begin with. I actually like what Zelda Notes is doing on it.

I think Splatoon 2 & 3, and Animal Crossing were handled pretty well on it too. Smash Bros. Ultimate however, I think it's very badly done, and it should have existed on web. The fact that it's not even a NSO requirement anymore at least for the app itself is cool, and at least adding friends with QR codes in the future is pretty cool and handy to avoid using friend codes.