#she is very complex and I love her for it

[douqhnxtss]

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ REDAMANCY ⊹ ࣪ ˖⋆.˚✧˖°.

𝓡𝑬𝑫𝑬𝑴𝑨𝑵𝑪𝒀 (𝘯.) — 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘤𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯.

𝓝𝑰𝑵𝑮 𝓨𝑰𝒁𝑯𝑶𝑼 𝖽𝗂𝖽𝗇'𝗍 𝗇𝖾𝖾𝖽 𝗍𝗈 𝗁𝖺𝗏𝖾 𝗌𝗈 𝗆𝗎𝖼𝗁 𝖿𝖺𝗂𝗍𝗁 𝗂𝗇 𝓨𝑶𝑼 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗒𝗈𝗎𝗋 𝖽𝗋𝖾𝖺𝗆𝗌. 𝗌𝗁𝖾 𝗐𝖺𝗌 𝖽𝖾𝗍𝖾𝗋𝗆𝗂𝗇𝖾𝖽 𝗍𝗈 𝖻𝗋𝖾𝖺𝗄 𝗒𝗈𝗎𝗋 𝗁𝖺𝗋𝖽 𝖾𝗑𝗍𝖾𝗋𝗂𝗈𝗋 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝖽𝗂𝗌𝖼𝗈𝗏𝖾𝗋 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭 𝘺𝘰𝘶. 𝗌𝗁𝖾 𝗌𝖺𝗐 𝖻𝖾𝗇𝖾𝖺𝗍𝗁 𝗒𝗈𝗎𝗋 𝖿𝖺𝖼̧𝖺𝖽𝖾, 𝗌𝗁𝖾 𝗀𝖺𝗏𝖾 𝗒𝗈𝗎 𝗋𝖾𝖺𝗌𝗌𝗎𝗋𝖺𝗇𝖼𝖾 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗁𝗈𝗉𝖾 𝗍𝗈 𝗉𝗎𝗋𝗌𝗎𝖾 𝗒𝗈𝗎𝗋 𝖽𝗋𝖾𝖺𝗆𝗌. 𝗌𝗁𝖾 𝗐𝖺𝗌 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗈𝗇𝗅𝗒 𝖼𝗈𝗇𝗌𝗍𝖺𝗇𝗍 𝗂𝗇 𝗒𝗈𝗎𝗋 𝗅𝗂𝖿𝖾 𝖺𝗅𝗈𝗇𝗀 𝗐𝗂𝗍𝗁 𝗒𝗈𝗎𝗋 𝗅𝗈𝗏𝖾 𝖿𝗈𝗋 𝖿𝖺𝗌𝗁𝗂𝗈𝗇. 𝗌𝗁𝖾 𝖽𝖾𝗏𝗈𝗍𝖾𝖽 𝗁𝖾𝗋 𝗅𝗈𝗏𝖾 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝖿𝖺𝗂𝗍𝗁 𝗍𝗈 𝗒𝗈𝗎 𝗐𝗁𝗂𝗅𝖾 𝗒𝗈𝗎? 𝗒𝗈𝗎 𝗍𝖺𝗎𝗀𝗁𝗍 𝗁𝖾𝗋 𝗇𝗈𝗍 𝗈𝗇𝗅𝗒 𝗉𝗁𝗒𝗌𝗂𝖼𝗌, 𝖻𝗎𝗍 𝖺𝗅𝗌𝗈 𝗌𝗁𝗈𝗐𝖾𝖽 𝗁𝖾𝗋 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝖻𝖾𝗌𝗍 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗆𝗈𝗌𝗍 𝖾𝗇𝖼𝗁𝖺𝗇𝗍𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝖾𝗑𝖺𝗆𝗉𝗅𝖾 𝗈𝖿 𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘢𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘺 𝗒𝗈𝗎 𝗄𝗇𝖾𝗐— 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘳.

✧ fluff, angst, uni & ceo au, objectification (by parents), reader has terrible parents, cold!reader, arguments, reader has self doubt & fears disappointing her parents, kissing, ft. aespa, big time skips, arranged relationship/engagement (not ningy/n), running away, reader discovering herself, jimin × minjeong, sleeping in the same bed, kisses, rich!reader, reader is lwk mean if u think about it (at the start), thriller & mystery solving undertones, complex!reader (if that makes sense), yizhou becomes a detective, proofread — transfer student!yizhou × hot nerd!reader ⋆ wc! 8.07k 𐙚𐙚 OH MY GOD. i love this sm, soz it took me 22 days to write this, like very imagine I write they keep getting longer and longer, my lord. pls enjoy this dish kira has served that she gave her heart and soul into making, likes and reblogs are HIGHLY appreciated (pls interact i cried one too many times writing this T_T) i might expand on this fic like provide moodboards, a playlist, more drabbles that branch from this fic as extra content idk lmk what I should do!!

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YOUR MIND WAS DEVOID OF THE JOY. devoid of the joy anyone would expect experiencing upon getting a perfect score on their exam, that too of physics out of all subjects.

to you, the score was just a mark of reassurance that you weren't a failure in the eyes of your parents, nothing more. you gave everyone a blank smile who congratulated you, clearly impressed.

you looked up when you heard someone clear their throat in an attempt to grasp your attention to see a somewhat unfamiliar face. you didn't know her and you couldn't place a name to her face.

she stared for a second too long, you couldn't decipher why. before you could overthink all possibilities, her smooth and calm voice introduced, "hey, i'm ning yizhou! i'm a new transfer student from china"

you nodded, not knowing what to say afterwards. she pulled a nearby seat and positioned it at the opposite end of the desk, across from you. she sat down, now at eye-level with you.

"you seem to be thriving in physics and me.. well— i'm not the best at it to put it simply." you slowly nodded again, the chance that you may have been mute struck the transfer student but she continued, "can you do me a favor, please?"

you shrugged your shoulders, "i don't tutor." her mouth fell agape, two things she was speculating both having been rejected in a short three-worded sentence. you weren't mute and you weren't a tutor either.

she went through five stages of denial, she didn't want to miss the opportunity to be tutored by the campus crush scholar everyone couldn't stop talking about. no one ever saw you talk to anyone first, when you did talk in response to someone it was always short answers and nods.

you were quiet, reserved and always calm. people loved testing you for that fact. they tried every single way to get on your nerves but not once did you raise your voice or let your reserved persona flicker to reveal who they actually thought you could be.

yizhou was one of the people who admired from afar, wondering who you were actually like when you weren't so damn cold. today, seeing her 17.5%— she knew she needed to get some help.

no one actually loved physics, most who scored between average to a little below high just studied and got it over with. they all despised the subject with a burning passion. someone who didn't despise physics, rather loved it; was of course, you.

you were one of the best at physics in town, you loved every concept, every theory, everything that summed up the contents of physics. you were more than 90% of the time the best in the state, which is why your reputation was so important.

your parents couldn't afford to have a daughter who peaked and then fell down, refusing to get up. you got scoldings for being second in the state level, you weren't just some ordinary nerd. you were always referred to as a science prodigy since you were little.

best at science when you were in middle school, best at physics in high school and currently still upholding your record at being the best at physics in university. there wasn't a day when you weren't talked about.

whether it be by the parents passing by or gossiping, the principal and teachers bragging to others, your parents flexing their perfect daughter or the others in the university who admired you.

you were practically an icon.

you didn't mind the attention, you didn't love it either. you just dealt with it and were neutral about the topic. you were known for declining almost every interaction prompted by anyone.

parties, coffee, studying, tutoring, hanging out— you never agreed. yizhou wasn't aware of that and as she sat there across from you, your furrowed brows, carefully analyzing what she must've been thinking. she knew she needed herself to become an exception to your no tutoring rule.

"please, look i'm okay with my other classes but i can't for the life of me, not struggle with physics!" she rushed out, quickly taking your hands, looking at you with the brightest, most alluring cat eyes you'd ever seen.

some students murmured, some gasped. another thing you weren't known for: physical contact. the day when you punched a boy so hard he broke his nose when he tried to pull you into an empty classroom by tugging your wrist— to confess his undying love initially, all of them knew you weren't one for physical affirmation. at all.

you should've just pulled your hands out of her hold, that's what you would've done with any other human. however, you didn't. your mind went blank, you didn't know what to do.

her eyes and the warmth that radiated from her hands that covered yours had an effect that couldn't be explained with physics, chemistry, biology, math or any other subject you could think of.

looking at her hopeless expression, you felt as if you were going to commit a sin by rejecting her polite request. you let out a sigh, not so sure why you were saying what you were, "alright, i.. i guess i'll tutor you."

her pretty brown eyes lit up, a wide grin spreading across her face like a child who just got their favorite candy. she thanked you profusely, her hands leaving yours to clap a few times I'm excitement.

the warmth faded, leaving you looking at your colder hands. her fingers brushed past yours again when she took a pen and paper from your desk. she hurriedly scribbled something on the little sheet of paper before she handed it to you.

your gaze followed the notes content, it was her phone number and her name written below with a few sparkles and hearts drawn on. "text me whenever you have the time to discuss the schedule. bye, tutor y/n!"

she waved with her bright smile before skipping to her friend group. you read the note over and over again, a small smile curling up your lips. she seemed nice.

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"how do you love physics? it's the most boring shit ever!" yizhou dropped her head in her arms, exhausted from the never ending theories and concepts.

you lightly smiled, tapping the end of your pen on her head, "you know..." you drew out, but stopped before saying anything further. should she know about your feelings on physics?

she turned her head, looking up at you, raising her brows waiting for you to continue, "i know what?" she asked. you pondered for a few more seconds, shaking your head. her brows furrowed further.

"c'mon we're friends now, you can talk to me." she smiled, you couldn't see the smile, you knew she was by the way the skin near her eyes crinkled at the corners, chubby cheeks just visible enough to make you coo in your mind.

friend. you made a friend?

you didn't remember the last time when someone referred to you as their friend. you were a little dumbfounded, your little smile increasing at the corners at the thought before it fell again.

don't get too happy, y/n, she'll leave anyway.

she'll leave someday when she decides she deserves much better friends than an eye candy nerd who didn't know what their is to life outside of studying and presenting yourself elegantly.

for now, you chose to give her a response, "physics isn't my favorite subject," she audibly gasped, suddenly sitting up straight, this— this was tea.

her eyes were wide like she'd heard the most bizarre sentence to exist, "that's like a mathematician saying math isn't their favorite!" you only let out a little suppressed giggle at her shocked face.

"no doubt i do love physics," you said first and foremost, seeing her cringe at the statement. "but my favorite is not it." she nodded mindfully, understanding you perspective.

"so what is your favorite?" she slightly narrowed her eyes. you knew she didn't need to know anything more, "that's a conversation for another day." she gave you a little pout before she went back to the paper she was doing.

tutoring yizhou wasn't so bad. you'd rather not admit it, but you were starting to like the sessions. she cracked a few jokes here and there, sometimes spilled some hot tea about others which you never paid much mind to.

yizhou usually only spilled tea with her bestfriends, not with any student. but you weren't just some student for her, you were her friend. friends share tea, that's all, she thought.

she became even more nosy than she already was in her friend minjeong's opinion, why? she wouldn't answer. she noticed how you held eye contact when she ranted, albeit you didn't give any reactions other than nods and hums, she still liked it.

yizhou liked having your undivided attention. she chalked it up to her ego as you rarely gave anyone attention and you giving her just that made her ego jump. well her heart raced too, but you'll catch her dead actually acknowledging it at the moment.

"that's a gorgeous dress!" she exclaimed when she saw the little dress you drafted mindlessly. your eyes widened a fraction, your arm quickly covering the drawing, gulping your nerves down.

she wasn't supposed to see that. yizhou's brows furrowed when she saw your arm move to cover the dress. "it's nothing, focus on your test." you quickly ordered the chinese, your tone too precise, too calculated, as if you'd been in this situation before.

she didn't push it, opting to continue her work, though her mind was now occupied with many aswerless questions. what was wrong about doodling? maybe it was wrong for someone like you.

yizhou knew one thing was certain from the many more study sessions that followed after the dress drawing incident. you were secretive, and you were good at being secretive, also just as good at appearing perfect.

you were always the neat and perfect you. your image started to feel like it had been crafted carefully, like you'd spent years planning who to be seen as. you were strategic; every responce, answer and even laugh sounded as if it'd been planned out.

yizhou was starting to think you were a robot. she knew it wasn't true of course, but you intrigued her. you made her think so hard about you. aeri once said to her that she looked like she was stalking you.

she wasn't stalking you, why would she anyway? you just made her want to dig deeper, want to get under the bottom as to why you were so prepared for everything, like you knew every single way any conversation could flow, like you could read the minds of the people and immediately know what their intentions were.

something clicked in her brain when she was doing her homework in her room. you were mostly good at being flawless in every way— except that day.

the day when you drew the dress, that you hid as soon as she acknowledged it. that moment was a crack in your skillfully constructed persona. the dress was a small piece of who you actually were behind your picture perfect façade.

her pen stopped mid air, the realization sudden and gave her more questions and some answers to her previous ones. she saw your parents once, when they came to pick you up for whatever reason.

she saw the way your eyes darkened, turning more lifeless than they already seemed, almost like a void. your face remained stoic, hands clenched by your sides as your mum gestured for you to get in the car.

you were a puppet.

yeah, exactly! that's who you were. you were a million dollar puppet in the name of the kims' daughter. your mum and dad didn't look at you with anything, no love, no care, just blank.

you were controlled by your parents, one way or another. yizhou didn't like that. she knew she needed to help you, however, she didn't know how. she didn't know how she would break through your hard exterior to see the real you.

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slowly but surely, she tried to gather clues. she figured out that whenever your eyes would look around too much, almost as if they were searching for a card to play out of the many you'd prepared, it meant you were caught off guard.

she always payed attention, she tried her hardest to get more knowledge about you, yet with each passing day, the fire to keep searching dimmed.

she'd make a pretty good detective by the way she over-analyzed your every move. you'd make a good criminal by how nicely you portrayed yourself, knowing what to do in every situation while making sure no one caught on to your plan.

which in this setting, is you. what you are like under the puppet costume you were forced into wearing by your parents, according to yizhou's analysis and brainstorming.

she totally wasn't expecting that today she'd get a lot of answers to her previously unanswered questions. she sat on the table you two always studied at, in the far corner of the quiet library.

your attention diverted to the ring of your phone, it was your mum's call. you quickly took it, "i'll be back in a few." you spared her a glance before walking to the back exit of the library so you could talk without disturbing anyone.

yizhou nodded and went back to her work, she knew it would take a little time as it was your mum's call, she saw the caller id for a split second, she was getting observant.

the call was to inform you about a party they're hosting in honor of a new deal they just got and you needed to be there. you were taken aback, you were usually not to attend the parties.

your mum's sharp voice stated you needed to talk to the son of the opposite party they just made the deal with and hinted at a potential romantic arrangement between you two if things went according to plan, in her words.

you were infuriated to say the least; first she commanded you to attend a party, which she knew you hated, and second she was suggesting an arranged relationship. great.

the conversation ended on a terrible note, with your mum's loud orders and your quiet protests. what you said never mattered to her anyway, so now, you had a party to attend.

meanwhile, yizhou tied her hair up in a ponytail to prevent her hair from being a distraction because of the flowing wind. she yawned, tired from studying but she needed better grades, meaning she had no choice but to push through.

a few pages of your diary that you always kept near you flipped, an envelope and many pages slipping out, using the air as a medium to travel.

she shouldn't have snooped and violated your privacy, but with her recent tendencies of being overly nosy and her quest of unraveling your outer demeanor made her unconsciously reach out for the envelope and pages.

the pages— they confirmed her claim, they were a confirmation that you did indeed like drawing and fashion. she smirked knowingly seeing the countless suits, dresses, skirts, purses and pants.

the envelope— was something she didn't expect. her fingertips trailed over the edges of the envelope before she opened the flap. yizhou took out the stack of neatly arranged paper sheets covered in sketches.

sketches of her. kim y/n, the untouchable it-girl, drew sketches of her: ning yizhou, a sassy chinese transfer student.

was she dreaming?

her mouth was agape, confusion evident on her face and like with every interaction she had with you before, more questions arised that appeared to have no answer.

she saw an opportunity come to light in her mind, this could be her ticket to getting you to open up. she pretended to do her work whilst she waited for you.

you emerged from the door you went out from, eyes somehow darker than they already were, the formerly dark brown had been substituted by a gloomier, almost raven colour.

it was only when you sat down and looked forward did you see the opened envelope, numerous sketches and a yizhou who looked at you with a what is this? face like she was waiting for you to give an appropriate explanation.

"why did you snoop in my personal diary?" you didn't mean to sound so fed up, except the conversation you had prior with your mum played with your mind and the anger seeped out.

yizhou looked perplexed, "the pages and envelope flew out and i got curious." now that she thought about it, she had opened the envelope without consent.

"why are there so many sketches of me and clothing?" she got straight to point. the complexity of the situation really sunk in, there was no way to successfully cover up the fact that you loved fashion.

"that's none of your business, yizhou." you said her name for the first time. your tone was harsh, but the way her name flowed on your tongue? what was she thinking about?

you reached out to take the pages from yizhou who resisted, keeping them in a tight hold. "you can tell me. i promise i won't tell anyone!" she was not going to back down.

"this isn't something you should worry about. do your work." your voice was laced with authority and demand, which she'd normally obey though she had other plans right now.

"i want answers, y/n. don't change the topic." yizhou narrowed her eyes, looking up at you through her lashes. telling just one person won't be wrong, right?

you stayed still, contemplating every way this could play out like you did for every situation. yizhou noticed how your eyes moved around, she knew you were trying to make a decision in your mind.

she should really become a detective. was yizhou really trustworthy? you thought, you could make up an excuse right now but you'll have to come back at some point to tutor her.

you'd under no circumstances let your guard down and told anyone about your ambitions before. you were the perfect daughter of the kim's after all, your life had been planned out long before you were born. you had an path established by your parents to follow.

you let out a deep sigh, realistically speaking, what more could you do? you began from the start, from your dreams since you were little to become a fashion designer.

how your dreams were crushed over and over again, how you never had friends growing up as friends are distractions, how you had no choice but to comply to your parents' wishes.

her jaw was wide open, heart clenching as you told her how your hope and spark for having your own brand dulled, no longer having enough will power to fight back for what you love.

now, you just sketched in your free time and did what your parents wanted you to. you were just a pawn in their game of business, power and status.

yizhou was speechless, this was it. the truth she'd been hunting for the last month, her questions were answered and her heart, it was broken. she knew you weren't doing the best by your permanent gloomy eyes, yet she didn't expect it to be so upsetting.

now that she knew who you were, she wanted to help you. she wanted you to feel confident in your skills and believe in your passion. you shouldn't stop dreaming because they don't align with your parents' vision according to her.

"what if i help you?" she blurted out, only thinking about what she said when your brows furrowed, "help me in what?" you asked back. "you shouldn't give up your dreams!"

"what's gonna happen if i, let's say, actually do try reaching out to brands and showing them my designs?" you questioned, procrastination was your bestfriend and it showed.

"if they have functioning eyes, they will realize how your designs are amazing and offer you a deal, obviously!" she held up some of the pages, talking like she was stating facts.

you looked at her as if she was crazy, "there are so many ways i could be rejected and fail with this strategy." the word failure was hated upon in your dictionary as being first was always the goal for your parents.

"so? you will fall countless times and you should get up every time and learn from the fall and utilize the mistake so that you don't make it again. failing isn't bad, it's a necessary part of the journey of success."

her words stuck in your mind, they were the complete opposite of what you heard growing up. "you.. you sound too optimistic. the world isn't sunshine and rainbows; we don't live in a fantasy, this is reality where the concept of a happily ever after doesn't exist."

"your mentality needs a lot of fixing. i'm not too optimistic, you have the skill, your designs are unique and pretty. this isn't fantasy, yes i agree, but that doesn't mean you can't have a happily ever after, some don't have it but i believe you can!"

you didn't understand. why was she fighting you on this? what's her ulterior motive? there must be one, no one helps you without having a motive beneficial to them.

"you're talking nonsense. the world is dark, yizhou. your perception of the world needs a reset." your fury from earlier made your words colder and ruder, yizhou couldn't help but let a scoff slip out.

"you sound very full of yourself, y/n. i hope you do realize you're talking like how i expect your terrible parents to sound." her final sentence echoed in your brain and you stilled.

"infact, your perspective is extremely dark and dull. the world is dull but it's on you to find things to make your world colourful."

you didn't utter a word, processing the opinion. your mind went back to the rough retorts you'd spat to yizhou— recognizing the sole focus on the negativity of a topic, fixating on the cons and none of the pros, you were talking like your parents.

you never thought you'd ask such a bizarre, for you, question to anyone, yet here you were, in the library with a student you were supposed to tutor who you just told your whole life story to, asking her, "what do i do?"

yizhou's eyes lit up and a little smile made its way to her lips, "i think you should start giving your designs to major brands and collaborating with them, and at the same time slowly build your brand, plan it out, and we'll go from there."

her thought process made sense, although you weren't sure if you'd be able to do this, "this sounds good in theory, nevertheless i can't help but doubt if i have my ability to pull this off."

yizhou stood up, walking around the table and taking a seat beside you. she took both of your hands, "trust me, you can do it! i believe in you." her eyes held sincerity and warmth, a look you weren't at all used to.

"why? why do you believe me?" you muttered, voice barely audible. she smiled, "because i'm your friend, i know how you are. i know you're capable of achieving your dreams, you have that spark in you; you just need to ignite it and produce a fire."

you looked down, lips curving into a faint smile, this is what having friends is like? you actually made a real friend? "you think so?" you asked, eyes holding hesitation.

yizhou had the most hopeful grin on her face. this was the first time you'd completely let your guard down, let her lower the walls you'd mentally built around yourself. "yeah." she said.

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six months. it'd been six months since mission: freedom, named by yizhou, started. many things happened during the six months: you'd collaborated with many brands and your own was pretty much planned out, only a little more preparing as well as pulling some strings were pending.

you were condemned to around three or four dinners with your parents' business partner's son, park jihoon, which you reluctantly went to. the latter just didn't pick up on your super obvious hints that you didn't like the meetings or him.

you were now a part of yizhou's friend group, you refused to meet them at first but with her pout and cat eyes, you were left no choice. you considered all four of them your friends now.

if you'd told your self from half a year ago that you'd have four friends and a good career plan, she would've cringed and rolled her eyes internally, saying "stop talking fakery."

maybe the one above didn't like seeing you happy, you thought as you sat across from jihoon with your and his parents present, talking about the potential engagement of you two.

you wanted to dissappear. you wanted to just run away and hangout with yizhou, she was all that was on your mind. you two had gotten close. she always had your back, always there when you needed her.

she made you realize it's okay to depend on someone and not bottle up your emotions. she warped your perception of the world, showing you the colours and joys of adventure and exploration.

"y/n." your mum snapped her fingers, making you snap out of the spiral of thoughts in your head, "yes?" you straightened, looking forward to see jihoon give you a shy smile.

you now knew he picked up the hints you gave but chose to ignore them and live in delusion that you liked him when you hated as much as sparing him a little glance.

"you are happy with this decision, right?" the look your dad gave you was enough for you to know the question was only here to serve as a formality and the answer you were supposed to give was a yes.

you gulped, head starting to hurt. every time yizhou told you to rebel against them played like a broken record in you mind, however much you tried to suppress them, they didn't budge.

you nodded, knowing your words weren't on your side and you'd say something you'd regret later. your mum held a practiced smile which didn't reach her eyes, same with your dad.

jihoon and his parents were overjoyed, meaning you were the only person not actually approving of this arrangement. you wished the ground would swallow you up.

jihoon soon left with his parents, not before giving you a wink and sly grin. you gave a blank smile and immediately stood up, taking a beeline for your room as soon as they left.

you didn't know when the tears started flowing down your cheeks. you didn't know when you jumped out of your window, still in the elegant light blue dress you wore along with your plain flats.

you weren't sure where you were headed, your feet walked on accord of your heart, not your mind. you were accustomed to disregarding what your heart suggested, opting to be logical, never letting your feeling get a hold of you, but you'd changed since then.

you ended up at the door of yizhou and aeri's shared dorm, cheeks stained in tears and bottom lip quivering. you hurriedly wiped your cheeks, trying to rid them of the dried tears the best you could.

after a few knocks by you, a drained yizhou opened the door. her eyes were as wide as saucers when she took in your dolled up but tear stained and bummed self.

she didn't say anything and instead firstly ushered you inside, locking the main door behind her. she guided you to her room, gesturing to aeri who sat on the couch with a wide mouth at your appearance that she'll tell her later.

yizhou sat you down, giving you a cup of water and then sitting down on her bed with you. "so, what happened?" she asked, tone laced with worry, bottom lip in hostage of her teeth.

you told her everything that went down hours ago, she was flabbergasted. she thought these dinners you went to weren't serious and were just there to make sure your parents were occupied so that mission: freedom didn't face any problems.

"why did you agree?" she shrieked, fury swirled in her, each sentence that left your mouth only feuled the rage. "what could i do?" you had your head in your hands, it felt like your head on the verge of exploding.

she knew what she was about to say was dumb. so dumb. incredulously dumb. though it sounded the best and most logical, she didn't like seeing you upset like this because your parents can't stand to see their daughter happy.

"how about you run away?"

your head snapped to her, your gaze saying are you serious right now? she clapped her hands, "listen, you have a ton of inheritance money right?" she asked, mentally fitting the pieces of your puzzle of life.

you nodded. you were given a hefty allowance and had inherited a great sum from your grandparents from both sides, you had your own bank account that included all the cash.

"you go back, pack your clothes, tell your parents that you don't want to marry that jiyeon-jihoon whatever his name is, we both know they'll disagree. then you say i've had enough of being your doll, i'm leaving and shit. after all that, you leave and stay with me, i'll arrange everything here."

she said it so nonchalantly like she didn't just tell you to get yourself disowned. "i don't know if i can talk back to them. also i don't want to burden you." you'd never done anything out of line, you were always doing what they wanted you to, always tried to please them, even when you knew they wouldn't say any encouraging words.

nothing was ever enough for them.

"you'll have to, y/n. i know you can do it. i believe in you. and you're not a burden, don't think of yourself that way." she squeezed your shoulder encouragingly. "you do, but i don't believe in myself, ning."

"don't worry, i'll have enough faith in you for the both of us!" yizhou giggled and leaned in to give you a warm hug. your hands hesitantly wrapped around her. you'd only gave eachother a hug a few times before, each time a little less awkward than the last.

you pulled away, muttering a "okay, i'll do it." she looked at you, eyes having an unreadable expression. you couldn't register when she leaned in, realizing she just kissed your forehead when a strand of her hair tickled your cheek.

"i know you have it in you, my star."

the nickname sounded almost melodic, like a symphony you'd instantly fell in love with. "my star?" you asked, tilting your head. an overwhelmingly lovely feeling bloomed in yizhou's chest at the sight.

she hoped her cheeks weren't flushed or if they were, you didn't notice, "like the nickname?" you nodded, a bright smile on your face. the upcoming storm you could feel brewing didn't matter at all when yizhou was here with you.

"i'll get going now." you said and stood up, smoothing your dress our of habit. "nice dress." she said, you giving her a shy thank you in return, you were never good with compliments, having not received many by the people you cared most about in your upbringing.

you gave aeri a wave on your way out, her reciprocating the gesture with a smile. you didn't mention the kiss nor did yizhou when you left. she hoped you wouldn't ask, as she didn't know why she did that either.

you took the few pairs of clothes you actually liked wearing, leaving the closet still more than half full which were all the clothes your parents made you wear.

you packed your bag, a million thoughts and possibilities running through your head. should you really do this? should you burden yizhou? you wanted to think of every outcome, but you resisted, you needed to think of the future, you were not going to marry jihoon.

you changed into regular blue jeans and a white button up, slinging your bag around your shoulder after stuffing your phone, charger and a few essentials in the bag.

you composed yourself, your nerves were slowly getting to you, anxiety creeping up in your body. you thought of the freedom you'd started wishing for that you'd finally have after this and descended the stairs.

your mum and dad were both on the couch, discussing something amongst themselves when you stood infront of them. their attention diverted to you. your mum gave you a distasteful look as she eyed your outfit.

"what is this?" your dad asked, his deep voice ringing in your ears. you took a deep breath, repeating the sentence in your head before you spoke it out loud, "i don't want to marry jihoon."

the silence that followed the blatant statement was suffocating. it was like they were waiting for you to take back your words or say that you actually meant i do want to marry jihoon.

"what?" your mum broke the tense atmosphere. "i said i'm against this arranged marriage." you repeated your words, more confidently this time.

"i hope you're aware of what you're saying, y/n." your dad said, you could see through him, through his eyes which appeared their usual brown but had underlying greed.

your dad wasn't happy as this could break his deal, not because his daughter is going against him, against his morals. that's when it hit you like a punch in the gut, you really were just a moneymaker they were investing in by giving you the title of their daughter.

the years of bitter words you'd kept hidden about them and their unbothered gazes now were enough to break the little patience you had.

your mum stood up and walked over to you, "you will be his wife." you gritted your teeth, you were done. they were no one to treat you like this, you were done with tolerating their narcissistic, greedy and self-absorved selves.

"i'm done being the picture-perfect daughter you want me to be. i will not marry him and i certainly won't give up my dreams to follow your path and become equally as terrible as you are."

you wanted to say more, wanted to voice your frustration you'd skillfully hid for years, yet your flow was broken by your mum's hand meeting your cheek. your head whipped to the side, mouth agape.

"since you've learned to talk back and be an ungrateful brat, you'll learn to live as an orphan." your mum spat out. you neither replied nor cried, you weren't fazed by being a disappointment in their eyes anymore.

"leave, you're not my daughter." your father ended the conversation and you nodded. your mum huffed, "enjoy being a nobody, you're nothing without us."

you scoffed, a smirk on your face as you spoke, "good challenge, i'd love to prove your controlling bitchy self wrong." you didn't say anything further, you didn't wait for them to talk either.

you walked out the main door, leaving your twisted parents and past behind, ready to embrace everything you loved and cherished.

the feeling of freedom spread through your veins, it felt like you'd escaped from your personal prison that you'd lived in since you were born.

yizhou and aeri both welcomed you with open arms when you reached their dorm for the second time that night. you gave them a tired smile and thanked the two profusely.

yizhou had placed blankets and a few pillows on the couch, "i'll be sleeping here, you'll sleep in my room." your brows furrowed, "what do you mean you're going to sleep on the couch?"

"it's just for this night, i talked to jimin she'll arrange a bunk bed on top of mine in my room tomorrow." she talked like it was the most normal thing to sleep on the couch.

well, it was for her. for you? terrible, something you'd not done before and you couldn't stand to see her sleep there for you. "no, it's your dorm, i'll sleep on the couch."

past you would've rather died than have said that.

"what, no! you're not sleeping there!" she exclaimed, aeri just shot a knowing glance to yizhou, who glared at her. "how about you two sleep in the same bed, it's not that small."

aeri's voice brought a little pause of silence. yizhou spoke, "yeah, i don't mind. we can if you're okay with it, star." the assertive sentence paired with the nickname made your mind go blank for a second.

you didn't want her to sleep there and she didn't want you to sleep there whatsoever, the only other thing was for you two to sleep together as you didn't like the idea of her or you going to sleep with aeri too.

"okay." you said, running your hand through your hair in an attempt to camouflage the heat on your cheeks. you tried but aeri saw the redness on your ears and smirked to herself.

"it's settled then, good night you two, i'm off." aeri teasingly winked at yizhou, which went unbeknownst to you. she took the blankets and you took the pillows. you trailed behind yizhou to her room.

you two layed down, turning off the lamp, darkness enveloping the room. yizhou was exhausted and slept in the matter of a few minutes maximum and you were still wide awake.

your mind referred back to the hours prior, the little part of you that still loved them resurfaced even though you tried to bury it, tears were welling up in your eyes.

you wiped them with your hand, you did what you did for your future. you were now free, you didn't need to be flawless or perfect anymore; you could be you.

──────── ✧✦

a year. the earth had completed a full revolution around the sun since you left your then house. your inherited money and the money you got from your collaborations were enough for you to live without having to work another job.

in the past year, you graduated two years earlier, at the same time as aeri and jimin. you also officially started your own brand, named luciscura.

the word meant the light born from the shadows. it represented you, how you used to live in a dark world, in your parents' shadows and how with yizhou, you shined, you saw your own potential and turned your world vivid.

yizhou was in her third year and minjeong was in her last year. you still helped yizhou whenever she needed help in physics while you worked on your brand.

luciscura was a rapidly growing clothing brand, known for its chic, timeless and diverse style. the brand sold classy dresses, grunge pants, tops, bags, heels, everything anyone could think of.

you never ran out of ideas when it came to fashion. you were also quite popular on Instagram, known as the young and rich ceo and fashion designer on social media.

your instagram had a large following, though you only posted once every month. you were loved by everyone, like you were in university, but this time it was different.

everyone loved who you were, not the perfect image you presented of yourself in uni. you liked it that way. you'd also moved into a new appartment.

after aeri and jimin graduated, leaving yizhou and minjeong, the two started living in one dorm. aeri, an art major, was now one of the models of luciscura and jimin, a fashion design major, was also a part of your team.

the two loved working with you, you'd practically became one of them now, you proudly referred to them as your bestfriends. you were still quiet and preferred your small circle of friends.

you loved the new life you'd made for yourself. you were as content as you could be in the moment. you did face struggles still, regarding your brand and your parents.

your parents tried to meddle in your brand and sabotage it, however, as it goes— cunning parents raise even more cunning children, you didn't fall into their trap, it wasn't easy to fight against their corporation that had been there for generations, but you gave it your all.

you fought for luciscura, the brand you'd spent blood, sweat and tears making. jihoon sometimes dropped by your office too, in the name of a business deal and you did merely that, treated the meeting like you would a business meeting, though he tried to chat with you.

he tried to ask you out and you disagreed to his face, you told him you never liked him. he blew up, saying he liked you better when you were kinder. you said too bad. she's gone now.

many other fashion brands tried to get in your way, but what they didn't know was the fact that you were incredibly smart and strategizing was second nature to you. they posed a threat, you bit back, hard.

no matter what situation you were in, yizhou was there by your side. in the lows and the highs, when you were stressed or overjoyed, she was there. she was always there.

she never lost faith in you. you lost faith in yourself, but she didn't. she reminded you of how far you've come, how proud she was of you. she was there for you whenever you needed her.

you thought she did so because she was your bestfriend, and it made you mad at yourself for feeling the way you felt. you hated how much you liked, heck maybe even loved yizhou.

it was your birthday. you didn't even remember it, only apprehending you'd turned twenty one when yizhou walked in, cake in her hands. she looked at you like you were a alien when you told her you didn't know why she had a cake with her.

"you know, you're the first person i've seen who doesn't remember their birthday, star." she shook her head in disapproval. you shrugged with a smile, making her roll her eyes playfully.

"happy birthday, my star." she wished you, feeding you a piece of the cake she'd made herself, it was a little too sweet for you but you talked about it as if it was the best thing you'd tasted in your life.

"what's my gift?" you asked, tilting your head. she couldn't help but giggle, looking endearingly at you. she always referred to you as the gentle giant, as you were the tallest out of you five but with her, you were the most gentle and caring person.

"close your eyes," she began. you complied, she waved her hand infront of your eyes, checking to see if your eyes were actually closed. once she was sure, she bit her lip.

what she was about to do would either make her the happiest girl in the world or ruin the most ethereal friendship she's had in her entire life of twenty one and a half years.

she stood on her tippy toes, her hands cupping your face. you didn't know what was happening, you could feel her breath ghosting on your lips. yizhou leaned in, connecting her lips with yours.

you gasped, you didn't know what to do, you hadn't kissed anyone before. she knew the fact and swiped her thumb over your cheek encouragingly, making you slowly relax in her hold.

your hands hesitantly rested on her waist. you eventually got a hang of it, following the rhythm she'd set. she pulled away, butterflies dancing in her stomach and you hoped she didn't hear your heart which was racing a mile a minute.

"so, how's the present?" she asked breathlessly, her hands looping around your neck. "the best i've ever gotten." you giggled, letting your head fall in the crook of her neck, inhaling her intoxicating scent.

her scent filled up your senses, overwhelming you in the most amazing way. "i love you, my star." you didn't know how to reply to her confession.

it seemed like she sensed your difficulty in expressing yourself, "it's okay, you don't have to confess right now, i'll wait for you." she twirled a strand of your hair.

"i, i love.. i love you too." you said, you voice was muffled but she heard it. her mind went haywire then and there, she needed to hear the sentence from you again.

she cupped your face again, pulling you out of the position you were in, "say that again, please." the way she asked so gently and how her hold was so soft and delicate, it was like she feared you'd break if she held you too hard.

your cheeks were dusted bright pink, ears also red, "i said, i love you." she kissed you again. and again, and another time. she couldn't get enough of you.

the night was enchanting, knowing she loved you the way you loved her, you couldn't be happier. your heart felt elated, contented, it was a feeling you hadn't experienced before.

at some point, slowly but surely, luciscura grew, flourishing into one of the mainstream brands. yizhou at last graduated and it'd now been two years since you two started dating.

you were pleased. you were living your dream life. you were the ceo of one of the most iconic and popular fashion brands, luciscura; you had three beatfriends you'd never forget and you had the love of your life, yizhou.

somewhere along the way, jimin and minjeong began dating while aeri was happy with her single, model life. you couldn't wish for anything more than what you had.

you wouldn't trade your loved ones and luciscura for the world. your parents now wanted you back, but you knew better, they just wanted your money.

jihoon also tried to chase you, you had enough of it and one such time, kissed yizhou infront of him. that was enough to shut him up and get him off of you.

you and yizhou moved in together into a new appartment. she now ran a bakery along with minjeong. it was close to luciscura, which made it easier for you and jimin to visit yizhou and minjeong in between little breaks.

"happy second year anniversary, my darling." you kissed yizhou and gestured for her to look at your queen sized bed, filled to the brim with boxes.

you handed her a bouquet of silk ribbon roses you'd made yourself, "made this myself, all for you." she was lovestruck. she jumped into your arms, you twirling her around, your and her giggles mixing and filling the room.

"you're the best, i love you so much, happy anniversary!" yizhou pulled you in with the collar of your shirt with one hand while the other held the bouquet after you set her down.

she kissed you passionately, your hands already on her hips, lost in the feeling. "thank you so much, my star." she kissed you all over your face, making you giggle more.

"no, i should thank you. all that i am, it's all because of you, i'm nothing without you, my darling." you left a lingering kiss on her forehead before you pecked her again, your foreheads touching.

the day was perfect, you knew that if you'd told the y/n who was still in her first year three and a half years ago that this would be her life, she'd actually cry.

you would forever be thankful to your darling, your yizhou, for coming up to you after failing her physics exam. if it weren't for her being new and not knowing better, you wouldn't have been here.

your love for yizhou was everlasting. she was the love of your life, she taught you something no one else could. she taught you the act of loving in return.

ning yizhou taught you redamancy.

you showed her the most dreamy and ethereal example of redamancy you knew— the love you sacred in your heart for her.

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[bats-pajamas]

It’s absolutely wild to me that the fandom immediately jumped to the conclusion that Duke is willing to let Eulalie die over Pluto. I get that the two are closer, and that this series is built on moral complexities, but this seems like such a misreading. Duke said it himself, pulling the lever is the most important part. He trusts Pluto more than Eulalie to be able to get the timing right. You can see this when he tells Eulalie what to do,

"I need you to listen to me very carefully" "do you understand, cherie?" "don't get distracted"

Plus look at this little worry face he gives her

This scene honestly tells us more on how Duke views Eulalie than his views on Pluto. In universe, this is only at most an hour after chapter 114. Duke probably still has that on the back of his mind and believes Eulalie is a potential liability. And you can argue that this is another case of the Misfits being ableist infantilizing towards Eulalie. And just like every time Eulalie is underestimated by the Misfits, she proves them wrong (You think they'll learn their lesson by now) .

Furthermore, if Duke truly didn't want to put Pluto in danger he's willing to put Eulalie at risk, you would think he would've fought back more against Pluto's insistence on being the bait. Or would give Pluto more of a heads up before chucking him In front of the wild Hunt. Or hell, again in 114, why would he save Eulalie from the dogs, putting both Pluto and him at risk, instead of slamming the door and locking it?

Maybe this whole thing is biased because I love Duke. But one of my favorite things about him is his faults! Don't take this as me thinking in black and white, or trying to absolve Duke of any wrongdoings or complexities. Take this as me being frustrated because of misreadings of a character I like. Since we've been seeing the softer sides of Annabel's team many fans are expecting for the Misfits to be shown as more grey, me included. But Duke lowkey pulling a Annabel Lee seems like a huge jump, at least currently. It's also frustrating because Will and Montresor's episodes have been picked apart more than a carcass surrounded by vultures. Meanwhile this episode and duke is only getting a nibble at the skin.

Like always feel free to disagree with me. But if you want to share your own argument remember don't be a dick about it. I know I come off as angry at the end there but I promise I'm open to others's thoughts.

[notvenomsnake]

Back To Us

parings: Leon S. Kennedy (damnation) x fem reader!

tags: Smut, dry humping, oral (f! receiving), fingering (f!), mention of m! and f! masturbation, unprotected pnv, make out sessions, nicknames such as: princess and baby, a bit of foot rubbing on leg and crotch, Leon being such a dick/tease in bed, creampie.

summary: Leon is a cheater that ended this whole marriage. You guys have a daughter. Meeting up at a restaurant for a ‘catch up’ even though it’s for the sake of your daughter but things go somewhere you weren’t expecting…

a/n: this is my first ever post and first time writing about smut. I was thinking about this in head so i decided to write a fanfic on it. Let me know what you think! so i can might make more

(for later on into the story)

w.c: idk it’s a lot (sorry for grammar mistakes, i was rushing this)

5 months pregnant and a loving husband is such a great life to live when you were about to have a family with the love of your life but catching your husband in another woman’s cunt was the last thing you expected from him.

Looks like he had it planned it out since there was two glass cups on the counter and the fancies ones. You did notice there was a lipstick stain on the rim of one of the glass cup. But you just thought it was yours and the dishwasher didn’t wash it good. The moans of a woman helped you navigate the way to the scene upon you.

She was the coworker he told you not to worry about, how naive were you to actually believe that shit? I guess you were since you were greeted with that scene coming back from work earlier than usual. You regret saying ‘fuck you’ to him as you were going to see him in court in a few days for the future of baby’s custody.

A few years later…

Birds chirping and voices outside the apartment complex. You were woken up to your daughter shaking your body as she begged for breakfast. “What time was it…?” You mumbled, your throat was dry probably from picking up your daughter in the pouring rain with just a light sweater that you later gave to your daughter since she was cold and only brought a long sleeve.

11:48am It read on the red led lights flickering on the digital clock, you need to buy a new clock soon with your paycheck.

You made your iconic breakfast burrito for your and your daughter as she sat up in a high chair near the counter, she blabbers about school but one thing caught your attention. A day she calls ‘catch up day’ when did that exist? What the hell are teachers teaching these days, a day of parents hanging out with their kid sounds like blast to a child but not to an exhausting adult who’s ex husband is at least months late of child support.

“Sweetie, you know i’m very busy today.” A lie that can be easily seen. Even your 5 year old child knows. “It’s Saturday.” She barked back, since it when were 5 year olds so sassy. Probably learned it at her dad’s place this weekday. You hissed through your teeth. Of course you forgot it’s a weekend. Great. Now you have to do this stupid thing, you bet Leon doesn’t even want to—

“Dad said he’ll go.” Really? No way in hell he wanted to go to this stupid ‘catch up day’ or whatever it called. “Guess i’ll go too…” You wanted to launch yourself to the window, you have to deal with his ass again.

I mean it had been years since you seen him, maybe his muscles were bigger—You have to stop yourself, and think…are you actually going to this stupid thing. Yes, yes you are.

Now you’re stressing over a simple thing, a stupid dress. I mean you haven’t been this stressed since losing your daughter at Toys’R’Us. Red or Red wine, they look about the same but when you wear it, it’s shows the difference. You hear yelling and rambling about dragons and princesses. She burst into the room holding her two plushies as you can guess, a dragon and princess. Leon always spoils her with too much things even with that Barbie playhouse, that costs around what you can make in a day. “Can you please play outside.” You were most stressed as you pinched the bridge of your nose to ease the pain of this headache. “Also where’s that dress I put on your bed?” She shrugs as you sighed and go over to her room to see it laying on the ground. Another hour to get her ready. Her whining and pouting weren’t helping in her case. You only had time to do pigtails on her as her hair was all tangled and she kept complaining about it hurting. She quickly got off her bed and ran around.

5:40pm Almost 2 hours to get on her dress and do her hair?! damn, toddlers are hard work.

Back to the dresses. You walk back to your room. They’re dirty…? You hear giggling. Are you serious?! She spilled her juice all over it, it’s your fault. You probably didn’t close it right. You hated being a single mother sometimes. You wanted a vacation with a piña colada next to you with the beach breeze running through out your body. Too bad.

You digged deeper in your closet to find an old dress you having worn in a long time. The brand was known for being cheap, hm maybe it won’t hurt to try it on. It fills all the empty spaces you didn’t fill up back when you were 18. The only thing you hated was the slit part near your leg. It you were to lift your leg high enough someone could see your panties, they were not those sexy lingerie types but a plain design with Snoopy on the front, childish right? It was ether that or a thong, No way in hell. You had to do laundry soon enough.

At least the dress was a type of red color more like a dark red…Just hated the slit. It’s the only dress you got. The red bottom heals matched perfectly, I guess your daughter did help you out.

7:17pm…”Shit. we gotta go now.” You muttered seeing the time.

You buckled her sit in the car with the baby carrier which she called ‘too baby’ would she rather fly out during a car crash or stay safe and sound. You give her the tablet that you got her for christmas. Music was playing on the radio while being in the background ‘Dreams’ (2004 version) by Fleetwood Mac, great song but it didn’t help that a toddler was whining in the backseat complaining about the wifi and why her video isn’t loading. A long peaceful car drive turned into an annoying one. The gps made it worse as it kept giving you the wrong turns.

8:00pm sharp.

You finally made it after around 40 minutes of traffic, wrong turns and a whiny child. You see the bright ass led lights that showed the restaurant’s logo glowing along other buildings. The parking lot was packed, you saw families getting out of the car. Maybe that would be you and leon’s life if he didn’t cheat on you. Thats reminds you, that leon could be there waiting since the reservation was at 8:00.

You and your daughter entered the restaurant as the front desk staff asked for your name. Then they guided you to the table, Leon was sipping on alcohol already. His gaze went to his alcohol to his daughter as he greeted her first. He then looked up at you, up and down. Was that a good or bad thing in this situation of not seeing each other in year…

“It’s nice to finally see you, Y/N” His voice gave you shivers through out your body. “Uh…you too.” What was that type of response?! You sat across from him as your guy’s daughter had a high chair, being at the middle of table, between you two. He chuckled, the one that made you more wet as he thrusted more into you. To be honest with yourself, you used your vibrator while thinking of him as you arched your back on your bed whiling stuttering on his name.

The rest of the night went great, he was friendly…? Was it a trick or not but you didn’t care as you were drunk. As for your daughter, she went sleep.

“You gotten more cuter” You say as you clearly drunk and hiccuping. “Yeah?~ You have gotten so much more hotter, princess.” His response made your panties damp. He can see right through you. The tension between him and you was very strong. You make the first, you caress his leg with your heel which makes him stutter mid sentence. You were greeted with a sly smile of his the one he made when he was on the same page as you. “Like I was saying…” He continued rambling on as he had a grip on your leg as he guided it up to his crotch. A small moan escaped his lips.

“You aren’t gonna come in your pants are you?” You teased as he chuckled once again. “Well depends…are you gonna make me come, baby?~” That pet name was such a blessing hearing from him. But to answer his question, Yes. Yes you will, but not in public. “Maybe somewhere else…” You replied pushing what feels like the head of his cock back as he grunts.

“Yeah? Cause I would really love to see those soaked panties of yours right now as I suck that pussy’s living shit out of you.” So he did see the slit in your dress, he’s always so blunt and straight, was this really the guy that cheated on you…maybe you can forgive him…

You called your mother to pick up your guy’s daughter as you used ‘sick’ as an excuse. After she left, Leon and you took an Uber to his place because you two know damn well you would suck his dick as he drove to his place. The tension was soaring through the roof. Just looking into each other’s eyes was even making you wet and him, harder. When the Uber driver dropped you guys, their face was a bit confused that Leon grabbed your wrist and dashed out of the car.

Leon open the front door of his house and leaned you against the wall as he kissed you, all sloppy and dirty. Moans came out of you as he whispered “Yeah, you missed a fucking cheater like me, baby~?” He palms your sex which makes you squirm under his touch. “Y-Yes…god yes~ j-just fuck me…~” Left your mouth as he was a cruel man. “No. Not yet you needy thing.” His fingers wonder into the bottom of your dress, into your panties as he started trailing his kisses down to your neck. “Wanna see those perky tits” He said practically ripping your dress not like it’s worth a lot…He unclasped your bra and throws it away just like what he did with your ripped up dress.

He takes on your hard nipples in his mouth as he curled his fingers in you. “L-Leon!~” Was all that escaped your mouth. You were drunk as well so what else are you gonna do? “Don’t come yet, baby~ I gotta suck that pussy soon.” He grabbed you like as your light as a feather and threw you onto his bed. He couldn’t control himself before humping you like a dog in heat. His cock was so hard you could practically feel it. You hump back, you’re so desperate for release that you moan over some friction.

Looks like he planned this too, the music was on point, ‘redbone’ was playing in the background As The Smiths were playing earlier on.

“You don’t even remember how my tongue feels like right?~ Been so long since I took care of that little tight pussy” He teased before looking at your childish panties, he chuckles before pulling them down not even half way before slamming his head in between your thighs eating you out like a starving man. “Think about this pretty pink pussy while jerking myself off” This made you arch your back more, it’s like you’re seeing stars, his touch and mouth was a work of magic. The way his tongue lapped around your pussy and he rubbed your clit before digging his tongue deep inside making the room echo your moans for more. He pumped his two fingers in, curling them and taking down to you

“What a horny fucking girl, bet you can’t even touch yourself without thinking of me.” He smirked in between your legs as he continued. You comed around 2 times, he latched off your clit and withdrawal his finger before licking them up.

He pulled only unzips his flyer of his pants and he takes out his dick. The head is an angry red color, the pre-come is licking so my much on his tip. He lifts your chin up before sucking your tits again as he praised your body. “So perfect, so fucking perfect, can’t wait to feel my cock in between this tight pussy.” He smacked your pussy before jerking himself off a bit as he got his pre-cum onto his dick and without any warning he puts it in you. You yelp without any warning “M-missed you…” You say as you barely said and words just moans. He knows it’s caused your drunk but he gets more turned on by this.

Just the half of his cock is in you, not moving as he replies with “You missed me or my cock? Cause I been in so many woman after you. But you’re the best, baby.” The way his words rolled out his tongue made you moan out his name. He then apologized and says “i missed y-you too, princess.” He thrust all his length in you as you rolled your head and eyes back. Your mouth created a ‘o’ shape as you tugged on his used to be dirty blonde hair now it’s more dark than ever.

“Yeah, moan my fucking name” Such a cruel man but god this feels good. His dick is so big and thick it’s like a treat from heaven, his dirty mouth makes it even better. “H-harder~” You moan out. His response was smirk and chuckle. “Anything for you, baby.” He goes harder and faster reaching your cervix which makes you squirm and arch your back, begging for more and more. Your breast bounces up and down as he grips on one of them so hard. You scratched and dig your nails into his back so badly by how much your head was banging the headboard of the bed.

Thrust

“Feels-“

Thrust

“So-“

Thrust

“F-fucking good.”

The thrusting got more harder and faster. “Come with me, baby” He begged as his thrust got more faster and sloppier. You dig your nails into his nails as You just nod and come on his dick. Walks clenched around him. You could feel his big load coming inside you as you rides his climax, thrusting sloppy and slowly. He pulls out which makes a ‘pop!’ lewd sound echoing around the room, his come and yours mused together as it drips out of you before he grabs a handful of the leaking fluid and pushing it back into your swollen cunt. “Might end up paying child support for this other kid” He chucked…his corny one liners. He was a cheater and your ex husband but what could you say? He’s good at fucking the brains out of you.

@notvemonsnake!!

hope you enjoy it! let me know if you guys have any suggestions or tips about it!

[catboymoments]

Honestly Kiida is such an interesting character in the fact that she’s almost perfectly balanced on being manipulative and amoral but also being sympathetic and “kind” in her own way. Like I can totally see her either swinging into full on evil makima/belos archetype but she also doesn’t seem completely un redeemable. Like she very obviously cares about life beyond just what use it has, she cares for a pet and actively considers its needs which doesn’t tangibly benefit her.

Morally ambiguous characters are so fucking good man.

yesss YESSS I love villains that are complex and layered and female villains in general… also here’s a quote I wrote down that fits her hehe

[noma-is-here]

(this is copied from another explanation i gave a few days ago, apologies if some minor information isn’t accurate anymore. i hope this still helps)

Horse Race Tests (yes, it's HRT for short) is a series of videos by snakesandrews on twitter depicting multiple colour coded “horse” sprites (blobs with legs) racing through a maze. the contestants “race” by bouncing off of the walls (the angle at which they bounce seems to be at least partially randomised). the goal is usually a png of a few carrots; whoever touches it first wins.

some time after HRT started, the winning horses started to get named. currently we have:

blue: Bullet ‘n Board

brown: Door Knob

cyan: Cyan (won in a race only against herself, so it’s not clear if that’s her actual name)

grey: Downtown Skybox

orange: Jovial Merryment

pink: Comely Material Morning

red: Resolute Mind Afternoon

white: Superstitional Realism

yellow: [unnamed] (already won 1 race, but before the horses started to get named)

there’s also a bunch of nightmare/mutant horses, three of which got named: “A Mysterious Figure” (looks like a damaged version of Superstitional Realism), “Garbage Bin” (like all the other mutant horses, looks like a fucked up/corrupted version of Cyan) and “Nighttime Knifemare” (same as Garbage Bin).

based on how the races went and how the horses behaved during them, the audience has been crafting storylines for the horses. highlights include:

Jovial Merryment: has won the most races, people either think she’s the goat and make lebron edits of her, or they accuse her of using performance enhancing drugs

yellow: has helped Jovial win on multiple occasions by blocking the path of other horses. in one race, she also got stuck with Jovial in a small box where they bounced off of each other for a minute (this was interpreted as them making out/having sex on the track). thus people imagine them to be girlfriends.

Cyan: horror angst subplot in my yuri horse racing? it’s more likely than you think! (the fan interpretations are genuinely too complex to explain here. the short of it is: Cyan got trapped in hell and now has to relive her worst moments surrounded by figures of her own failure and the love she lost)

Superstitional Realism: tragic lover of cyan (abandoned/left behind Cyan and regrets it now)

Comely Material Morning: until a recent race, she never won once, even when she had a very good start. thus people imagine her as a nervous, anxious girlfailure (but now she’s a girlsuccess!)

Horse Race Tests is not a Tragedy

(apologies to the people expecting Deltarune content, i’m going to talk about bouncy, crudely drawn horses for a second)

i know the ending looks pretty grim, but let me offer an alternative interpretation of the final race:

three horses stood against Jovial Merryment and Superstitional Realism; A Mysterious Figure, Garbage Bin, and Nighttime Knifemare.

first of all, i believe all the mutant horses/NightMares are a product of Cyan’s mind and represent some aspect of how she views her past failure(s).

Mysterious Figure obviously represents Superstitional Realism through their similarity in colour. Cyan thought that she finally found someone in Superstitional Realism who wouldn’t leave her behind in the dust like all the other horses. But she was wrong, Realism eventually outran her too (someone had to win the race after all. once Realism realised that Cyan wouldn’t be able to reach the carrots, she took them instead to end the race).

i see Garbage Bin as a representation of Cyan’s own self-image and self-worth. After so many losses, she sees herself as incapable and undeserving of any success whatsoever. she thinks she belongs, well, in the Garbage Bin. the fact that Garbage Bin is also the closest in colour to Cyan can support this too.

Nighttime Knifemare is the hardest one to interpret, but based on the very sharp sounding name, as well as the fact Jovial suddenly appeared for the last race, i’m going to go out on a limb and say that it represents how Cyan believes the other horses (besides Realism) think of her. Cyan believes that the other horses—just like herself—see her as worthless, that they hate her for taking up space on the track, that they don’t care about her.

the last race disproves all of these false beliefs. Realism returned: she didn’t leave Cyan behind. Jovial joined the race to save Cyan: the other horses do care about her.

and lastly, who won the race? it wasn’t Realism, who Cyan lost to on her last chance at a real win. and it wasn’t Jovial, the best to ever do it. it was little old Garbage Bin. against all odds, against her own best friend, against the best horse on the track, she got to the carrots first. all on her own.

Jovial and realism could disprove that no one cared about Cyan, but only Cyan herself could disprove that she is incapable of winning. and she did exactly that. the carrots in this race were cyan too. she found herself again :)

credit to @scarkissr for the inspiration to this Cyan

(i’m kind of tired, so forgive me if this isn’t 100% coherent)

[ephemeralinstance]

the poetry of DAI

One of the things I really loved about DAI was that a lot of the language is really beautiful to read and listen to. Cole and Solas in particular often speak literal poetry, and it's just such a joy: I’ve watched as hosts of spirits clash to re-enact the bloody past in ancient wars both famous and forgotten ... I don't hear your hurt as much. Your song is softer, subtler, not silent but still.

Morrigan also has some lovely turns of phrase; so do Flemeth and Abelas, and even Corypheus has some poetic lines. Once I was but a woman, crying out in the lonely darkness for justice ...I have seen the Throne of the Gods, and it was empty

The quest titles taken from the Chant of Light also really add to the poetry of the game: Here Lies the Abyss ... What Pride Had Wrought

I missed this in Veilguard. Most of the companions and NPCs have a very modern and straightforward way of speaking; Emmrich is a notable exception, and I do enjoy his manner of speaking a lot, but overall I find it more characterful than beautiful. Solas still speaks in his special metre sometimes, but a lot of his dialogue focuses on antagonism and trading verbal jabs, so compared to DAI it feels a lot less poetic. We do get some nice lines from Morrigan, and Mythal, but since they're not regular companions this feels pretty few and far between.

In fact, I think the person who is most distinctively poetic in Veilguard is actually the Solasmancing Lavellan. She too speaks in Solas' metre, she uses figurative language, she has a much richer vocabulary and more complex sentence structure than Rook or indeed almost anyone else bar Solas. Or maybe I'm the prideful one, imagining his broken heart, so that I never have to face my folly. She comes across as intelligent, thoughtful and reflective. So although I have some issues with her very passive role in the story and the lack of reflection of different individual personalities, I do really love the use of language for her and the way it harks back to the poetic language I loved so much in DAI.

[jollmaster]

Hiya!! Really love how much effort you put into your au, it's really interesting and I love all the characters designs! I have a few questions

1. Where did Jan (Nifty's husband) end up after death and did he and Nifty end up reuniting? Same goes for Alastor's parents

2. How did Charlie end up meeting the others in her gang (besides Al)?

3. What are the main eight's (Charlie's gang) biggest regrets?

4. Have you ever thought of making a webtoon or webcomic of Asileverse?

5. What are your pronouns?

OMG I'M SO HAPPY TO HEAR THAT YOU LOVE THIS AU with all my thoughts and redesigns ❤️ and ofc here are the answers!

Jan, Niffty's husband, and Alastor's parents

unfortunately, Jan ended up in Sheol, on the Sloth swamps, and at the currend moment he's already on 5th stage of decay (practically dead); his little wife Niffty who was killed only a week after his death is more vital, glory to her!

Matilda and Roy are both living in Eden, and both are in permanent facepalm because of son's antics, and the only way they can communicate is to send messages through Charlie (sometimes that's a motherly slap)

I have a headcanon that in an alternative scenario Matilda would have become an exorcist, gone to the underworld during Extermination and given Alastor a REALLY good beating :D

how did Charlie meet the gang?

in brief it looks like this

in more details:

Vega, after being banished from Eden, lived for several years in Zepar's castle (he gives shelter to sinners when sandstorm seasons start on the 2nd circle), but decided to help Charlie when heard about her endeavors with shelter and help

Angel Dust escaped from Valentino, for whom he worked mostly as a guard for prostitutes (and managed to die a couple of times from painful shock after punishments), and was looking for a place to hide; ofc Angel didn't tell asile's landlady about this right away, and as a result almost EVERYONE got in trouble!

Niffty had been scavenging on the banks of Phlegethon for many decades, but seven years before the main events Alastor found her, washed up and got her a job as a maid in Cannibal town; for the last year and a half Niffty has been working at Rosie's manor, who took care of her, so girl has VERY useful acquaintances

Husk doesn't really want to tell everyone that he's a former overlord, and at first he just slept in the attic, where he secretly crawled in (Niffty found him there and was excited); Alastor, to Husk's great displeasure, recognized him, and they agreed over a game of cards that Husk would remain just a grumpy cat for visitors

not that Cherri Bomb was interested in the rescue, at least at first time, but she worried about Angel (Angel had saved her in first year in the underworld and taught her everything she needed to know), visited bro and always stayed with all of them during the Exterminations

Charlie's gang relations with sir Pentious over the years ranged from hostile to neutral (he had ambitions and guns), but after couple of years Pentious himself became interested in redemption and came to them voluntarily, out of a desire to rethink everything (+ because of one person who loved powder and guns as much as he loved :D)

Charlie's gang biggest regrets

in fact, the only one in Charlie's gang who drowns himself in his own regrets is Angel Dust with his survivor's guilt complex: his father and brother preferred to die at Adam's hand while he chickened out

in general, sinners mostly let go of "mortal" regrets: Husk once regretted forgetting beloved wife and all his six children, Alastor felt a little guilty about letting mom go to a Charleston hospital during the spanish flu epidemic (mom caught the flu and died in his arms; Alastor cremated her body and moved it to the family crypt in New Orleans a year later), but now they're just living their second lives

Charlie regrets not getting enough family warmth (more precisely, Charlie didn't get family warmth in traditional format, with mother, father and siblings; that's one of the reasons why she had children on her own and feels a bit jealous to sinners who had good family relations), Vega sometimes thinks she should have kept in touch with her lover in Eden after all, and misses sisters in arms

so most of their current worries are related to the current state of affairs (as we know, all is complicated)

webtoon/webcomic

all what I can say is MAYBE :D I hope to do something if I have enough time and desire!

pronouns

she/her, I'm just a woman ❤ but I don't pay much attention to this, for me it's not something important, so if someone writes they/them by default, I won't be offended

AND HUG YOU!

[flowersforthemachines]

Rate Your OC

thank you to @lucaanis @larkinna and @pinkvbay for tagging me <3 (and even standing on your knees, for some. woah)

Compassion: CONTEXTUALLY 9/10. I often think about that moment in ATEOHW when she tells Lucanis she picked the place she wants him to kill her in based on how easy it would be for him to get back from there on his own. Very normal!

But it's all very situation-dependant. She'll go all the extra miles for those she cares about, but won't spare a thought for others who stand in her way at all.

Bitterness: 3/10 with occasional spikes towards 8/10

Happiness: 5.5/10 pre-canon, 8/10 mid-canon [specifically around Bloor of Arlathan], 4/10 post-canon

Politeness: 5/10

Chivalry: I Don't Know. 6/10? But I'm eye-balling it here

Pride: 6.5/10

Honesty: post-canon 2/10. Local First Warden avoids talking about her feelings like it's the Blight

Love: 100/10. Top-1 woman who knows when she's in love and readily accepts it always <3

Bravery: 0-10. Because she's a coward (cough I'd rather die before anyone I love does so I don't have to deal with the grief cough). But she's also very brave in some other aspects. Complexities.

Recklessness: 9/10

Ambition: 2/10. Would be completely content to just be your ordinary run-of-the-mill warden. But alas!

Loyalty: 11/10 (she is also guard dog-coded. to ME)

Sense of family: 1/10. She was taken to the Circle when she was pretty young, and never really developed a sense of wanting/having familial relationships after that

Attractiveness: You know what, I am not rating that. You can rate her in the rb tags/comments if you feel so inclined. My judgement is my own.

Agility: 8/10

Sex drive: 8.5/10. Ghilasara who doesn't imagine relationship progressiong without having sex at least within the week after you get together VS Lucanis who needs to build up to Holding Hands is a beloved dynamic of mine.

Tagging @taamlok @inquisimer (can I see Marisol pretty please 🥺), @thewardenisonthecase (for Elisabeth, if you would <3), @hightowerqueen (for Bea OR Donella. whichever you prefer) @whispersleo (I Wish To Hear About Belasko) @sha-brytols (pls Esther facts. please) if you want to participate!

[phlurrii]

What would Bucket’s relationship with Flurry be like?

Bucket would be like that only child older sibling that’s already grown up and living outside the house when suddenly mum calls you up and goes,

“Congrats your an older sibling now.”

And proceeds to choke.

Bucket would be a little wary of Flurry at first, they are very much apathetic in comparison to Meau. She purposely made Bucket less capable of feeling empathy and emotions because of how much they crushed Meau herself, she didn’t want her functionally immortal child to deal with that hardship. A great example was a character interaction I did with @pokemon-ash-aus ! In reference to Meau’s virtual adoption of king as one of her own:

And as I said before, Meau and Bucket’s own relationship is a little out of the ordinary as well. Bucket does indeed adore and love her mother, but she can’t understand the level of complexity her mother can feel in comparison to themself. So she takes things Meau says a lot more literally given she cannot grasp the layers behind them. Yet, even so, her words don’t exactly hurt or affect Bucket much to begin with. She knows she loved by her mother and Meau would do anything for her, and in turn she adores her for it.

In turn, she would treat flurry more like a cool toy, then a family member. The most Bucket would be capable of expressing love is towards her mother and her children. Flurry is VERY far removed from her bonded wise, so he’s just kinda- there for her. She does care about him in her own capacity, just not as much as you’d expect!

Flurry on the other hand would LOVE her, absolutely adore her, constantly tackling, hugging, cuddling, any form of physical affection? Bros on it.

Bucket would’ve been his world even despite her more apathetic feelings towards him and my favourite part about it? Flurry would know this, understand she doesn’t really view him in nearly the same light… and love her all the more for it. He understands she can’t quite ever equate his love for her and that’s just how she was built. He loves her exactly as she is and in spite of her inabilities. This is what makes bucket care to the degree she does about flurry, even if surface level.

That’s her family, she wants the best for them, even if she’s not fully cable of feeling empathy or love for them in a high capacity. It’s a complicated, but understood dynamic between them ^^

[magnagaruzenmon]

Masked Rider

Mwahahaha I got what I wanted a Kamen Rider Fic with Chaewon as the lead. Thanks @star-vader-dio, I’m very appreciative and hope you enjoy my spicy additions

I had always loved the tokusatsu genre ever since I was a kid, even though I was way outside the target demographic. So when an audition notice popped up for a new series looking for “foreign talent,” I immediately jumped at the opportunity.

The first round was simple—a voice audition. After submitting mine, I was thrilled (and a little nervous) to hear that the director himself would be flying out to California for the second round. I knew I had to make a good impression, so I dressed sharp: a button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up and a pair of neatly pressed slacks.

When it was finally my turn, the director sat me down and started walking me through the role. It was an antagonist—not exactly a villain in the traditional sense—someone who was the same species as the main villain but followed a different path. The character would eventually become a Kamen Rider himself and even occasionally help the hero.

“Oh, so kinda like Abarekiller?” I said without thinking.

The director and the translator both froze and stared at me in shock.

“You know Abaranger?” the director asked in broken English, his eyes wide.

I nodded enthusiastically. “Yeah! And Kamen Rider, Ultraman—I love toku.”

The director’s expression lit up. He turned to the translator and rattled off a rapid, excited flurry of Japanese. The translator’s eyes widened in response before turning back to me.

“Can you spend a year in Japan?” they asked.

I nodded, a little wary but mostly exhilarated.

Over the next few weeks, everything changed. Originally, I had auditioned to simply voice a kaiju called Tsubarayamon, a fairly straightforward monster role. But after meeting me, the director was inspired to completely rewrite the character.

Instead of a minor monster, I was now going to play Hayato—a complex pseudo-antagonist who would start off as a mentor and helper to the hero in the first act, get captured and forcibly merged with the villains in the second, and finally emerge as a full-fledged Rider, an “extra hero,” by the climax of the series.

It was wild. And overwhelming. And exactly the kind of opportunity you don’t say no to.

So, I moved to Japan.

At first, the process dragged. Endless paperwork, background checks, visa applications. Everything moved at a snail’s pace—until, suddenly, it didn’t. One day, I got an urgent call that everything was approved and I needed to fly out immediately. Within a week, I was settled into a tiny apartment near Toei headquarters, armed with a short but very clear list of rules: be polite, work hard, stay out of trouble.

Soon after, I met Masuki Takata, the lead actress for the show. She was an older lady like mid 30s and carrying the heavy weight of being the first-ever female lead Rider in the franchise’s long history. From the start, she clung to me like a baby duck to its mother despite her being old enough to be a mom.

She knew the action beats and lines, but she didn’t really know Kamen Rider yet—the heart of it, the spirit behind it. Luckily, I did. Thanks to years of obsessively watching, analyzing, and loving the genre, I was able to help her connect with the role on a deeper level.

By the time filming began, Masuki had transformed into a natural. Watching her suited up, striking poses and delivering speeches with real conviction, made me feel a weird sort of pride.

As for me, I kept my head down. When I wasn’t filming, I wandered around Japan with my Nikon Zf, capturing snapshots of shrines, neon-lit streets, and hidden countryside temples. It was the adventure of a lifetime—and it had only just begun. The first day on set was chaos. Organized chaos, sure—but chaos nonetheless.

Crew members buzzed around adjusting lights and props, while costumers rushed around tightening belts, fixing capes, and double-checking every last piece of gear. It smelled like fresh paint, hairspray, and nervous energy. I was already half-suited up, waiting for my first blocking rehearsal, when I overheard Masuki chattering excitedly with one of the assistant directors.

When she spotted me lurking by the craft services table, she practically bounced over, practically vibrating with excitement.

“Guess what, guess what, guess what!” she sang. “We got two huge surprise castings for the villains!”

I raised an eyebrow. “Bigger than me?” I joked.

She rolled her eyes. “Way bigger. We’re talking Chaewon from Le Sserafim and Yujin from IVE!”

I blinked. “Wait—the Chaewon? Yujin?”

Masuki nodded so hard I thought she might give herself whiplash. “Yeah! I know them! Well, I know of them, but also a little personally. Kazuha and Rei were my students when they studied korean, and when I visited them in Korea, I met the whole crew a few times! They’re super sweet, you’re gonna love them!”

I gave her a skeptical look. I’d been around enough actors and celebrities to know that “sweet” didn’t always mean genuine. Most of them could turn on the charm like flipping a switch, but it didn’t mean they actually liked you. And idols? Idol training basically was acting school half the time.

“I’m sure they’re nice,” I said diplomatically, reaching for a coffee. “When the cameras are rolling, anyway.”

Masuki caught the doubt in my voice and narrowed her eyes mischievously. “You don’t believe me.”

“I just… don’t buy the whole ‘everyone’s best friends’ thing,” I shrugged. “It’s showbiz.”

Her grin turned downright evil. “Fine. I’ll prove it.”

Before I could protest, she grabbed my arm and dragged me across the set, weaving through lighting rigs and racks of costumes until we reached a cluster of people gathered near the villain set. Standing in the middle, dressed in sleek, villainous leather outfits that looked like something out of a sci-fi fashion show, were Chaewon and Yujin themselves.

Even out of the spotlight, they looked perfect—like they had been airbrushed into existence.

Masuki cleared her throat dramatically. “Chaewon-chan! Yujin-chan! I want you to meet my friend!”

Yujin beamed, flashing a professional idol smile. Chaewon, however, tilted her head slightly, her gaze sharp and assessing as she looked me up and down like she was sizing up competition.

I bowed politely out of reflex. “Nice to meet you,” I said.

Chaewon didn’t even bow back. Instead, she gave a small, almost imperceptible nod and said in clipped Japanese, “Hajimemashite.”

The tone was polite. The vibe was not.

It was like an invisible wall slammed down between us.

Masuki, bless her, was oblivious as she continued gushing about how great we’d all work together. Meanwhile, I locked eyes with Chaewon, and in that split second, we both seemed to reach a silent agreement:

We didn’t like each other.

At all.

It was going to be a very long shoot. Despite the rocky introduction, I was determined to stay professional. This wasn’t my first rodeo dealing with difficult coworkers—or, in this case, coworkers who thought I was the difficult one.

Still, I wasn’t looking forward to the first rehearsal.

The scene was simple enough: Hayato, my character, was supposed to clash with Chaewon’s villain character, who was some kind of corrupted warrior queen. We had to go toe-to-toe in a choreographed fight scene, with plenty of banter and smoldering tension.

Easy on paper. Awkward as hell in reality.

The stunt coordinator walked us through the sequence slowly. Block, parry, spin, fake punch. Chaewon moved like she’d been training for this her whole life—sharp, clean, focused. I had to admit, grudgingly, that she was good.

When it was time to run the scene for real, the cameras started rolling, and something bizarre happened.

It clicked. Instantly.

We fell into rhythm like we’d been sparring for years. Every fake hit landed perfectly; every dodge was timed to a fraction of a second. Our banter—her icy taunts, my gruff retorts—snapped with electric tension that even the director started losing his mind over.

“Sugoi!” he shouted from behind the monitor. “That’s it! That’s the energy I want!”

Masuki stood off to the side, grinning like she’d just set up the best prank in the world.

We finished the scene with a dramatic final clash, breathing hard, both of us glaring daggers at each other in character. The moment the director yelled, “Cut!”, the spell broke.

I stepped back, brushing imaginary dust off my sleeve. Chaewon immediately turned her back to me without a word.

“Pleasure as always,” I muttered under my breath.

I could’ve sworn I saw her shoulders stiffen.

For the next hour, we worked through more takes, and it was the same every time: On-camera, we were magnetic. The chemistry was undeniable. Sparks flew—sometimes literally, thanks to the pyrotechnics. Off-camera, we didn’t say a single word to each other unless absolutely necessary.

When we finally broke for lunch, Masuki bounded over, nearly vibrating with excitement.

“You guys are so amazing together!” she squealed, practically shaking my arm. “Like, seriously! You’re like rivals in an anime!”

“Yeah,” I said dryly. “If by rivals you mean ‘can’t stand the sight of each other.’”

Masuki just laughed and patted my shoulder like I was a particularly stubborn golden retriever.

“You’ll warm up to each other,” she said cheerfully. “Or you’ll kill each other. Either way, good television!”

I sighed, staring across the lot where Chaewon sat with Yujin, laughing over something on her phone without even glancing in my direction.

It was going to be a very long year. Lunch that day was supposed to be a quick break, but somehow Masuki roped me into joining her and Yujin at the cafeteria attached to the studio.

“Chaewon’s busy,” Masuki chirped as we waited in line. “She’s meeting up with Sakura and Kazuha at that trendy cafe across town.”

I shrugged, grabbing a tray. “Good for her,” I said, not bothering to hide the lack of enthusiasm.

Masuki giggled but didn’t press the issue. Instead, she introduced me properly to Yujin, who was already laughing at something one of the crew members had said.

Up close, Yujin was…different from what I expected. A lot of idols I’d met before had this slightly distant, polished air about them, but Yujin felt normal in the best way—genuine, quick to smile, and totally unbothered by the chaos around her.

“Finally, we meet properly!” she said in near-fluent English as we sat down with our food. “I’ve heard a lot about you from Masuki-chan.”

I raised an eyebrow at Masuki, who just grinned innocently.

“All lies, I hope,” I said, making Yujin laugh so hard she almost spilled her soup.

Lunch turned out to be way more fun than I’d expected. Yujin was sharp, funny, and full of energy without being overbearing. She was easy to talk to—the kind of person you could lose track of time chatting with. We swapped stories about working on set, favorite shows growing up (turns out she loved Power Rangers as a kid, which led to a long debate about which season was the best), and awkward fan encounters.

Masuki mostly listened, laughing along, occasionally jumping in with her own stories about the times she’d visited Korea.

It wasn’t long before the three of us were swapping bites of each other’s food like we’d been friends for years. Yujin even taught me a few silly Korean phrases—most of which I later learned were mildly insulting but all in good fun.

At one point, Masuki leaned back in her chair, hands behind her head, smiling like a proud matchmaker.

“I knew you two would get along,” she said smugly.

“Don’t get cocky,” I shot back, grinning. “One good lunch doesn’t mean you’re a genius.”

Yujin snorted into her tea. “I don’t know. She might be. She’s good at reading people.”

We were laughing again when I glanced out the window and caught sight of Chaewon returning from her lunch, sunglasses on, looking effortlessly cool and entirely uninterested in anything happening around her.

For a moment, our eyes met through the glass.

She didn’t wave. Neither did I.

Yujin followed my gaze and smirked knowingly.

“Don’t worry,” she said in a mock-whisper, leaning in conspiratorially. “She’s actually really nice… once you get past the ‘terrifying ice queen’ phase.”

I laughed under my breath, shaking my head.

Somehow, I doubted that phase was going to end anytime soon.

After lunch, we were back on set shooting the second half of the fight sequence. The afternoon sun filtered through the high windows of the studio, giving everything a hazy, surreal glow.

In between takes, while the crew reset the pyrotechnics, I wandered off toward the edge of the lot, stretching out my arms to keep loose. I wasn’t expecting anyone to be around, but there, leaning casually against a railing with her phone in hand, was Sakura.

I recognized her immediately—how could I not? Even if you weren’t a fan, Sakura had that kind of presence that stuck with you. She was one of those people who had been through it in the idol world and still managed to come out stronger on the other side.

She looked up as I approached, offering a polite nod.

“Hey,” I said, a little awkward. “You’re…Sakura, right?”

She smiled warmly. “Yeah. You’re Theo?”

“Yeah,” I said, running a hand through my hair. “It’s an honor, honestly. I’ve admired you since the IZONE* days. It’s really cool seeing you here.”

Her smile grew a little softer, a little more real. “Thank you. That…really means a lot.”

There was something surprisingly easy about talking to her. Maybe it was because we were about the same age, or maybe because, beneath all the fame and idol polish, Sakura felt grounded in a way that reminded me of friends back home.

We talked for a few minutes—nothing heavy, just light conversation about how wild filming schedules could get, and how different tokusatsu sets were compared to music video shoots. She laughed when I joked about still not understanding half the production lingo the staff threw around in Japanese.

“You’re doing great,” she said, tapping her phone against her palm. “You fit in better than you think.”

And when she smiled at me—really smiled—it was the kind of genuine thing you didn’t see a lot in this industry. I felt a surprising rush of gratitude.

“Thanks, Kura,” I said before I could think about it, using the nickname Masuki had thrown around earlier.

Her eyes widened slightly in surprise, but she didn’t correct me. Instead, she just gave a small, almost shy laugh.

And that was when I heard the footsteps.

Chaewon stormed across the lot, half still in costume, her leather boots thudding against the concrete. Her hair was slightly mussed from the action scene, a few strands falling loose across her forehead, and she looked— Well. She looked really good. Unfairly good. Annoyingly good.

“Why are you talking to Kura?” Chaewon blurted, stopping a few feet away, her arms crossed tightly over her chest.

Her tone wasn’t playful. It was defensive. Almost accusing.

I blinked, caught completely off guard by the fire in her eyes.

“It’s called ‘being friendly,’ Chaewon,” I said, sharper than I intended.

She narrowed her eyes at me, mouth opening like she was about to say something else, but I barely registered it because— God help me— She looked so freaking hot when she was mad.

It was infuriating. And deeply, deeply distracting.

For a moment, all I could do was stand there like an idiot, my brain torn between wanting to argue and wanting to— Well. Definitely not something I should be thinking about on a professional set.

Sakura, bless her, stepped in before things could get weirder.

“I was just checking up on yo Chae,” she said smoothly, her voice light. “And Theo was being kind enough to keep me company.”

Chaewon’s jaw flexed slightly, but she didn’t argue. Instead, she shot me one last look—a mixture of suspicion and something I couldn’t quite place—before muttering, “We’re up again,” and stomping back toward the set.

I exhaled a long, slow breath, dragging my hands through my hair.

Sakura chuckled quietly beside me. “She’s…a little protective sometimes.”

“You don’t say,” I muttered, feeling my pulse still racing for reasons I really didn’t want to unpack right now.

I had a feeling working with Chaewon was going to be the death of me. That night, I ended up at a bar with Masuki and Yujin, tucked away in a cozy corner booth while the noise of the city buzzed outside.

I wasn’t drinking—someone had to be the responsible one—and besides, I liked keeping a clear head, especially when it came to making sure my friends got home safe. Masuki nursed some fruity cocktail decorated with a tiny umbrella, while Yujin, predictably, was trying to convince the bartender to make her something “dangerously sweet and slightly illegal.”

We were laughing over some dumb inside joke when, on the walk back to our apartments, Yujin suddenly piped up.

“Hey, Theo,” she said, nudging me with her elbow. “I saw you talking to Chae and Kura today. Does that mean you and Chaewon are friends now?”

I let out a short, humorless laugh, shoving my hands deeper into my pockets. “Not even close,” I said.

Yujin grinned mischievously.

“So what’s the deal, then?” she asked.

I sighed, running a hand through my hair. “My body is in love with her,” I admitted. “But my brain can’t stand her.”

Yujin burst out laughing so hard she nearly stumbled off the curb. Masuki just shook her head, used to this kind of chaos by now.

“God,” Yujin said, wiping tears from the corner of her eyes, “that’s perfect because…” She trailed off, smirking like she was sitting on the world’s juiciest secret.

“Because what?” I asked, suspicious.

Yujin bit her lip dramatically, then leaned closer.

“Chaewon feels the same way,” she said in a singsong voice.

I blinked. “You’re kidding.”

“Nope,” Yujin said, practically bouncing on her heels. “She was complaining about you after lunch. Said you’re infuriating…and also weirdly hot, and she hates that you know how to flip her over during fight choreography without even trying.”

I groaned, tipping my head back to look at the sky like it might offer me divine intervention.

“And you know what I think?” Yujin added, her voice turning mock-casual.

I gave her a look. “I’m almost afraid to ask.”

She smirked wickedly.

“You two should just fuck. Seriously. That much tension? It’s not good for either of you.”

I barked out a laugh, shaking my head.

“Fat chance,” I said. “I value my sanity, thanks.”

Yujin just laughed harder, looping her arm through mine as we kept walking.

“Sure, Theo,” she said, grinning like she knew something I didn’t. “Keep telling yourself that.” A few days later, I was tucked away in one of the studio’s tiny sound booths, doing voiceover work for the monster side of my character.

It was a weird experience—matching guttural, growling sounds to scenes of someone else in heavy prosthetics and a rubber suit, throwing the Hero around like a rag doll. The booth smelled faintly of coffee and old rubber suits, and the only light came from a monitor looping the footage on repeat.

I’d just finished a particularly savage roar when the intercom crackled to life.

“Good, good,” the director’s voice said in accented but enthusiastic English. “You capture Tsubarayamon’s…inner rage very well.”

“Thanks,” I said, pulling off my headphones and stepping out of the booth for a breather. My throat was already raw, but I figured a few more takes and I’d be done for the day.

The director was standing outside with the translator, looking unusually animated. His hands flew around as he spoke rapidly in Japanese, his whole face lighting up like he’d just had a revelation.

The translator grinned and turned to me.

“The director…he’s thinking,” she said carefully, “about adding…romance.”

I blinked. “Romance?”

She nodded. “Between you…and Chaewon’s character.”

For a second, I thought I must have misheard her.

“Wait. Romance romance?” I asked, half-joking.

The translator laughed but nodded again, confirming my worst—and maybe also best—suspicions.

The director chimed in excitedly, gesturing between two imaginary people, then pressing his fists together.

“Good tension!” he said in English. “Explosive chemistry!”

I felt it then—an involuntary, traitorous hum under my skin, like every nerve ending had flickered awake at once. My heart gave a stupid little jolt I tried very hard to ignore.

Because yeah, my body? Absolutely thrilled at the idea. But my brain? My brain was already stifling a groan so deep it could have been classified as a natural disaster.

Of course they’d noticed the sparks. Of course they’d want to bottle that chaos and serve it to the audience like fine wine.

“Sounds…fun,” I said with a strained smile, trying very hard to sound like a professional and not a man moments away from losing his mind.

The director beamed, completely missing—or maybe deliberately ignoring—the undertone of panic in my voice.

“Good, good!” he said. “We start writing new scenes this week!”

As I trudged back into the booth to record my next line, I couldn’t help but wonder if this show was going to make me a star… Or just drive me completely insane.

Probably both. Later that night, I found myself flopped across the couch in Masuki’s apartment, recounting the day’s disaster to her and Yujin between mouthfuls of convenience store ramen.

“So let me get this straight,” Yujin said, poking at her noodles with her chopsticks. “They saw how much you and Chaewon want to kill each other and thought, ‘Perfect! Makeout sessions, but with emotional trauma!’”

“Basically,” I said, letting my head fall back against the cushion with a groan. “I’m doomed.”

Masuki was sitting cross-legged in the armchair, sipping green tea like a wise old sage. Well, slightly older sage—she wasn’t that much older than us, but she had the vibe of someone who had already survived several lifetimes of drama.

Yujin, meanwhile, was looking way too excited about the whole thing.

“You know what would fix this?” she said, grinning like she was about to drop the most obvious answer in the world.

I glanced at her warily. “I’m afraid to ask.”

Yujin leaned forward, slapping her hands on her knees for emphasis.

“You and Chaewon should just fuck the shit out of each other. Get it all out. Hate-sex style. Super passionate. Maybe break a table or something.”

I almost choked on my noodles.

“Yeah, no,” I said, coughing. “That’s not really my flow.”

Masuki snorted quietly behind her tea, but then set the cup down and shook her head.

“You two don’t need to jump each other’s bones,” she said, more patiently. “You need to talk. Like actual adults. Sit down somewhere quiet. No cameras. No other people stirring things up.”

I raised an eyebrow. “You seriously think talking would fix whatever…this is?”

Masuki shrugged. “Maybe not fix it. But it would help you both figure out why you’re so worked up about each other.”

Yujin leaned back dramatically, throwing her arms over the back of the couch.

“Boooooring,” she said. “But okay. Fine. Talk first, then fuck.”

I threw a pillow at her.

Masuki just laughed, standing up to grab more tea from the kitchen.

“You can’t shortcut everything, Yujin,” she called over her shoulder.

Yujin caught the pillow and grinned at me. “Shortcutting’s more fun, though.”

I sighed, scrubbing my hands over my face.

Maybe Masuki was right. Maybe actually talking to Chaewon—really talking—could save us both from whatever slow-motion trainwreck we were hurtling toward.

But deep down, a small, reckless part of me wondered if Yujin might not be a little right too. The next few days were…strangely peaceful.

With Chaewon and Yujin off performing at their group concerts, the production schedule shifted. Masuki and I ended up filming scenes that focused more on our characters’ early bond—the mentor-mentee dynamic the audience was supposed to fall in love with before all the chaos later.

It was a relief, honestly. No lingering death glares from Chaewon. No snide comments. Just straightforward work, the way it was supposed to be.

Masuki was easy to act with, too. She had this natural way of pulling you into the moment, making the lines feel real even when the dialogue was something ridiculous like, “The spirit of courage burns within you!” or “You must trust the power of our bond!”

Between takes, we hung out by the monitors, sipping canned coffee and laughing about how none of our characters seemed to believe in doing anything the easy way.

“You know,” Masuki said one afternoon, flipping through the script revisions while we waited for lighting to reset, “they’re starting to really set up the Hayato and Rina subplot.”

Rina being Chaewon’s character.

I leaned over her shoulder to look. Sure enough, tucked between fight choreography notes and costume updates, there were new scenes marked in red: — Hayato struggles to deny growing feelings for Rina. — Rina wrestles with conflicting loyalty to villains and attraction to Hayato.

I groaned quietly, sinking into my chair.

Masuki laughed. “You’re acting like it’s a death sentence.”

“Feels like one,” I muttered. “It’s gonna be a miracle if we can say two words to each other without starting an argument, let alone sell a romance.”

She gave me a sly look. “Sometimes fighting is the romance.”

I snorted. “You sound like Yujin now.”

“Good. She’s right,” Masuki said simply, stretching her arms overhead. “Real chemistry is messy. That’s what makes it interesting.”

I didn’t have a good comeback for that. Mostly because I knew, deep down, she was probably right.

Still, I shoved the thought aside and focused on the scene we were about to shoot—a simple training montage where Hayato teaches the Hero how to fight smarter, not harder. It was nice. Easy. No messy emotions to trip over.

But even as I moved through the choreography, somewhere in the back of my mind, I couldn’t stop picturing that stupid, fiery glint Chaewon got in her eyes when she was mad.

And wondering how the hell I was supposed to fake falling for her… When I wasn’t sure it was going to stay fake at all.

The last day before Chaewon and Yujin were due back was packed tight with one of our most important shoots yet: Hayato’s merging sequence.

The setup was dramatic as hell, and everyone on set could feel the tension crackling in the air.

Hinata—Masuki’s character—had just lost a brutal fight against the villains. She was bloodied, exhausted, and half-conscious on the ground. The main villains loomed over her, ready to drag her off to be “reconditioned”—code for mind control, brainwashing, whatever nightmare the writers had cooked up.

Cue me—Hayato—stumbling onto the battlefield, defiant but visibly wrecked from the earlier fight scenes we’d filmed that morning.

We ran through it once, the cameras rolling.

Masuki, ever the pro, made Hinata’s fear palpable—eyes wide, lip trembling, hand reaching out helplessly toward me. She had always played Hinata’s connection to Hayato like he was her anchor, her brother figure. Losing him wasn’t just a tactical blow; it was emotional devastation.

I charged forward, shoving myself between her and the villains.

Right on cue, the Tsubarayamon monster suit actor—this massive guy named Kenji—lurched into the frame, all snarling and thrashing around with massive claws.

This was where it got tricky: the merging sequence.

I gritted my teeth and threw a punch at the monster…only for Kenji to catch my fist midair.

We struggled, choreography rehearsed to look messy and desperate. Then came the “fusion effect” moment. CGI would handle most of it later, but for now, I had to act like something invisible was crawling into my skin—twisting me from the inside out.

I dropped to my knees, convulsing, clutching my chest. The practical effects team hit a hidden trigger that sent smoke curling out of my costume.

Masuki crawled toward me, gasping out Hayato’s name, but she was dragged back by the villains.

Meanwhile, I slowly rose to my feet… But it wasn’t really Hayato standing there anymore.

I lowered my head, my hair falling in my face for effect, and when I looked up, my expression was cold. Unrecognizable.

Without a word, I turned and walked toward the villains, now standing at their side like I’d always belonged there.

Behind me, Masuki’s anguished cries filled the soundstage.

The director yelled, “Cut!” but nobody moved for a second, the scene had landed that hard.

Masuki scrambled up first, shaking off the dust from the fake rubble. “That was insane,” she said, grinning. “You looked terrifying.”

I gave her a half-smile, my heart still pounding in my chest. “Felt like I was gonna pass out halfway through,” I admitted, laughing.

The next few scenes were quicker.

I filmed a short shot of Hayato—well, Tsubaraya now—staring blankly at a city skyline backdrop, flexing his fingers like he was getting used to a new body.

Then we jumped into the next key moment: the big bad of the season, a masked warlord in crimson armor, calling Tsubaraya via a slick communicator prop.

I stood on the villain base set, dim and smoky, answering the call with a sharp nod.

“You have demoralized the enemy,” the warlord’s voice rumbled through the speaker. “Excellent. You are one of us now. Come. Claim your new place.”

A costumer swooped in between takes, handing me a sleek new outfit: darker armor plates, a longer cape, and a belt that would eventually become the Kaiju Driver once I built it in the next episode.

We got a few slow, ominous shots of me slipping into the new gear, glancing into a broken mirror prop at my distorted reflection—Hayato’s face still there, just…buried under layers of corruption.

By the time the director called it a wrap for the day, I was drained. Physically. Emotionally.

But for the first time in a while, it wasn’t because of Chaewon.

Tomorrow, though? She’d be back. And the real battle would start.The day of Chaewon’s return was harder than I expected.

I wasn’t ready for it—the way the air shifted when she stepped back onto set, or the way my body reacted without asking my permission.

It was like I’d missed her. Like something hot and restless had been sitting under my skin this whole time, waiting for her to come back.

But she didn’t look like the Chaewon who used to scowl at me over every minor inconvenience. She looked softer. Gentler. Like the edge had been sanded off just a little during her time away.

And it scared the hell out of me.

So I shoved all of it aside and threw myself into the work. Into Tsubaraya.

We were filming on the Villains’ headquarters set—a towering, cold interior dressed up like the inside of a warship, with a fake skyline of a crumbling city projected outside the windows.

I walked in slow, controlled, the new villain costume feeling like it was molding itself to me more with every step.

At the far end of the room, VonKaizer—played by a veteran actor with the stage presence of a king—stood overlooking the city.

He turned as I approached.

“Ah, Tsubaraya,” he said, his voice deep and commanding. “It’s good to see you comfortable with your new host. How does it feel?”

I let a wicked little smirk tug at my mouth.

“It’s a head rush, boss,” I said, letting my voice drip with arrogance. “This body is so sensitive. So…squishy. And the emotions—” I gave a low chuckle, stepping into the character fully, “—they’re dialed up to fifteen. It’s intoxicating.”

Without thinking, I turned to Rina—Chaewon’s character—and reached out, lifting her chin between my fingers.

It wasn’t in the script.

But it felt natural. Dangerous. Electric.

“How do you handle all of this, Rina?” I purred.

Chaewon’s eyes widened—genuine surprise flashing across her face before she quickly buried it beneath Rina’s cold mask.

“You get used to it, Tsubaraya,” she said, voice stern but a touch unsteady. “But do try to keep your new human impulses under control.”

I felt a ripple—Chaewon bleeding through the character for a second—and it stiffened something inside me, made the boundary between Theo and Tsubaraya blur just a little more.

I straightened, pulling away with a smirk that felt too real.

“I think the first thing I’m gonna do is cause some carnage,” I said, turning back to VonKaizer. “Rattle the humans a bit. Bait out Astra…see what this body and this power can really do.”

VonKaizer smiled approvingly and stepped forward, holding out a mass-produced Driver.

“Go for it,” he said. “But don’t forget your weapon.”

I shook my head once, a little too sharp, and revealed my own Driver—something new, sleek and cruel-looking, dripping with crimson malice.

The prop department had outdone themselves. It practically oozed villain energy.

VonKaizer laughed darkly, and I gave a mock salute before striding out of frame.

Chaewon—no, Rina—followed me off-screen, her steps quick and angry.

As soon as we were out of camera range, she hissed under her breath, still in character but with a dangerous edge of reality, “What the hell was that about?”

I turned slowly, softening my steps like a cat cornering prey.

“What do you mean?” I asked, feigning innocence, my voice soft and unbothered.

Rina’s—Chaewon’s—eyes narrowed into slits.

“You touched me,” she snapped. “You never touch me.” Her face was flushed, her chest rising and falling faster than it should have been.

I stepped closer, letting Tsubaraya’s predatory charm leak through.

“Well,” I said lazily, “things are different now. This body…it’s making me feel things I’ve never felt before. I don’t know what I’m doing. But I can tell you this…”

I tilted my head, smiling in a way that was half-sincere, half-dare.

“I like it. It’s exhilarating. And you, my darling Rina…” I paused, savoring the way she stiffened. “You look ravishing.”

Before she could find a comeback, I blew her a quick, mocking kiss, spun on my heel, and stalked away.

The director’s voice rang out: “Cut!”

The tension snapped instantly, and I exhaled hard, feeling the lines between Theo and Tsubaraya still buzzing uncomfortably close.

The director came striding over, smiling so wide it looked like his face might split in half.

“Theseus-san,” he said in rapid Japanese, “that was incredible! The way you moved—the confidence, the swagger—you had it all. Keep it up!”

I bowed slightly, still catching my breath. “Thank you, sir,” I said.

He clapped my shoulder, beaming. “No—thank you! Fantastic!” he added, tossing the last word in English with a proud grin.

I laughed, finally letting myself relax as the crew began breaking down the set.

But somewhere deep inside, a small uneasy voice whispered:

That wasn’t just Tsubaraya back there. That was me. The cab ride back to the apartment complex was the longest ten minutes of my life.

Chaewon and I sat on opposite sides of the backseat, arms crossed, eyes forward, a wall of hostile silence between us thick enough to suffocate.

I could feel her in every cell of my body.

The slight twitch of her fingers when she was irritated. The way she kept crossing and uncrossing her legs. The faint scent of her shampoo—something sharp and floral—that made my brain swim.

And underneath it all, this weird, chaotic rush of emotions pounding against my ribs like a trapped animal.

Anger. Frustration. Want.

I dug my nails into my palm and focused on the streetlights streaking past the windows, trying to breathe.

When the cab finally pulled into the lot of our apartment complex, I practically threw some yen at the driver and stumbled out into the cool night air, desperate to shake the static clinging to my skin.

But before I could make a break for the elevators, Chaewon’s voice, quiet but razor-sharp, cut through the night:

“Theo. Come up with me.”

I froze.

Turned.

She was standing a few steps away, arms loose at her sides, her face unreadable except for the slight tremble of her lips.

Everything logical inside me screamed no. Screamed walk away. Screamed this is a bad idea.

But my body had other plans.

My legs moved before my brain did, carrying me silently into the elevator beside her. We didn’t speak the entire ride up. Just stood there, side by side, the small space around us crackling with barely restrained energy.

When we reached her floor, she opened her door without a word and walked inside.

I hesitated for a half-second.

Then followed.

The door clicked shut behind me, sealing us into the thick, electric air.

I barely had time to register the neat little apartment—the cozy lighting, the faint scent of tea and flowers—before she turned around and slapped me.

It wasn’t hard enough to really hurt. But it was enough to make my head whip to the side and my blood roar in my ears.

Before I could react—before I could even think—she grabbed me by the front of my shirt, yanked me down, and crashed her mouth against mine.

The kiss was messy. Angry. Hungry.

I staggered back a step from the force of it, my hands finding her waist instinctively. Her nails scraped along my jaw as she kissed me harder, almost like she was trying to devour the months of tension between us all at once.

Somewhere in the back of my mind, I thought, this is a terrible idea. But that thought burned away the second she moaned low in her throat and pressed herself flush against me.

Clothes came off in a desperate, clumsy rush—fingers fumbling, mouths barely breaking apart long enough to breathe.

And then we were in her bed, the world narrowing down to heat and hands and teeth and us.

Every kiss, every bite, every thrust was a war we were fighting with our bodies instead of our words.

And for the first time since I met Chaewon, we weren’t battling against each other.

We were battling with each other—for something.

When it was over, we lay tangled in her sheets, the only sound our ragged breathing and the soft hum of the city outside.

I stared at the ceiling, heart hammering, brain whirling.

This wasn’t supposed to happen. This wasn’t me. This wasn’t her.

And yet…

I turned my head to look at her, expecting regret. Shame. Maybe even anger.

Instead, Chaewon just stared back at me—her face flushed, her hair a mess, her eyes dark and unreadable.

Neither of us said a word.

Neither of us knew how.

We sat in her bed for a while as we both tried to find the words to say. To write this off as a one time thing but my body and my heart desired more and in the few glances I took of her I could tell she felt the same way. I thought maybe—maybe—after that first time, the tension would bleed out of us. That we’d be able to act normal again.

But I was wrong.

So, so wrong.

It started with a glance. Then a scoff. Then a muttered insult.

We were still naked, sheets tangled around us, and already we were at each other’s throats again.

“You’re such an asshole,” Chaewon muttered, pulling the sheet around herself like armor.

“And you’re a brat,” I snapped back, raking a hand through my hair.

I meant to get up. I meant to grab my clothes and leave before either of us could say something even worse.

But then she gave me that look—half-glare, half-dare—her eyes dark and challenging under her messy hair.

And suddenly I wasn’t walking away.

I was on her.

Chaewon gasped as I slammed her back into the mattress, the sheet slipping free from her body. My hands pinned her wrists above her head, and she writhed beneath me, her nails raking down my arms.

“You’re impossible,” she spat, even as she arched into me, her body burning hot against mine.

“And you’re infuriating,” I growled, ducking down to capture her mouth in a brutal kiss.

This wasn’t gentle. This wasn’t sweet. This was punishment. This was relief.

We clawed at each other like we couldn’t get close enough, couldn’t erase the months of tension in just one night.

Her legs locked around my hips. I bit down on the soft skin of her shoulder, leaving a mark. She tugged my hair hard enough to make my eyes water.

Every thrust was a fight. Every kiss a surrender.

Chaewon cursed my name like it was a prayer. I growled hers like it was the only word I knew.

And somewhere in the middle of all that fury and fire, something inside me cracked wide open.

Because underneath the anger—underneath the desperate, punishing pace—there was something else.

Need. Want. Something dangerously close to love.

We came together in a tangle of limbs and shouts, both of us trembling from the sheer force of it.

For a moment, the world went silent. Just the sound of our breathing, ragged and raw.

I collapsed beside her, heart slamming against my ribs, staring up at the ceiling like it could give me answers.

Chaewon lay stiff beside me, her chest rising and falling fast, her fists clutching the sheets like she was afraid she’d lose herself completely if she let go.

Neither of us spoke.

We didn’t have to.

Our bodies had already said everything we were too proud—or too scared—to admit. I drifted awake slowly, the morning light creeping through the curtains in thin golden beams.

For a second, I didn’t know where I was. The sheets were soft. The room smelled faintly like flowers and skin. And there was a weight pressed against my side—small, warm, breathing steadily.

Then I felt her move.

Chaewon.

Still half-asleep, she shifted closer, her nose brushing against my bare chest as she nuzzled into me with a sleepy whine.

“Mm…” she mumbled, voice thick and husky from sleep, “…of course you’re warm and cuddly in the morning…”

She said it like it was a complaint, but her arm tightened around my waist anyway, like she had no intention of letting go.

I stayed absolutely still, my heart hammering so hard I was surprised it didn’t wake her up completely.

If I said anything, if I moved wrong, the moment would shatter. She’d remember who we were supposed to be—enemies orbiting the same star—and she’d push me away.

But right now?

She wasn’t Chaewon the fighter. Or Chaewon the brat. Or even Rina the villainess.

She was just Chaewon.

Soft. Warm. Vulnerable.

And god help me, I never wanted to move again.

I let out the smallest breath of a laugh, barely a puff of air against her hair, and muttered under my breath, “You’re not so bad yourself, brat.”

She made a small grumpy sound in the back of her throat but didn’t pull away. Just buried herself even deeper against me, like she was chasing the heat she pretended to hate.

And for the first time since we met, I let myself think—really think—that maybe, just maybe, there was something more here than anger and lust.

Maybe, buried under all the fighting and tension, there was something real growing between us.

And terrifyingly enough… I didn’t want to run from it. Chaewon stirred first after we nodded off again.

I felt her body tense against mine, her hand flexing against my chest like she was waking up into a memory she wasn’t sure was real.

Then, suddenly, she bolted upright with a gasp. I blinked up at her, still groggy, still drunk off the scent of her and the heat of her body.

“Shit,” she muttered, running a hand through her tangled hair. “I have call time in like… thirty minutes.”

She swung her legs off the bed, cursing softly in Korean as she scrambled for her clothes.

I should have stayed in bed. I should have let her go.

But when she stood up—naked, gorgeous, hair wild, cheeks flushed from sleep—my body made the decision for me.

Without even thinking, I slipped out of bed and followed her into the bathroom.

Chaewon caught my reflection in the mirror and froze, a towel half-wrapped around herself.

We stared at each other. Tension snapped back into the air, heavy and electric, like a struck match waiting to catch fire.

I took a step closer. So did she.

The towel dropped to the floor, forgotten.

In the next heartbeat, my hands were on her, pulling her against me, mouths colliding in a kiss that was all teeth and tongue and desperation.

The shower was already running, steam filling the tiny room, fogging up the mirror. I backed her into the stall without a second thought, the hot water crashing over us as she moaned into my mouth.

It was messy. Hungry. Out of control.

She clawed at my shoulders, nails leaving faint red trails. I gripped her hips like if I let go, she’d disappear.

Chaewon pressed her forehead against mine, panting, her breath hot against my skin. “Fuck,” she whispered, voice wrecked and beautiful. “This is so stupid.”

“Yeah,” I rasped, kissing the corner of her mouth, her jaw, the soft hollow beneath her ear. “But it feels so good.”

And it did. God, it did.

The slick heat of the water, the urgent press of her body against mine—it was overwhelming, addictive, like we were trying to memorize each other before the real world crashed back in.

I lifted her easily, bracing her against the wall, and she wrapped her legs around me, biting down on my shoulder to muffle a cry.

We moved together like we had something to prove. Like we were trying to burn out whatever was happening between us before it swallowed us whole.

But it was too late for that. Way, way too late.

We came undone together, shuddering through it, holding onto each other like lifelines.

And when it was over, when our breathing slowed and she finally slid down to stand on trembling legs, she rested her forehead against my chest for just a second longer than necessary.

Then, without a word, she pulled away.

Chaewon toweled off quickly, threw on fresh clothes, and shot me a glance that was equal parts longing and defiance.

“I have to go,” she said, voice tight.

I nodded, even though every part of me screamed for her to stay.

She hesitated in the doorway—just for a second—before disappearing down the hall.

Leaving me alone in the steaming bathroom, heart pounding, wondering what the hell we had just done…

…and what the hell was going to happen next.

After wandering the streets for a while — still riding the strange, electric high from this morning — I remembered I was out of toothpaste. Very glamorous.

I ducked into a corner convenience store, grabbed a couple of tubes, and then let myself drift down the aisles, picking up a few other things I needed without much thought.

Halfway through checking out, I glanced at the time.

Chaewon should be wrapping up filming soon.

The thought came so naturally — so reflexively — it almost startled me. Like my brain had already filed her under important people to think about without even asking for permission.

I stood there at the register for a second, hesitating… then just sighed, gave in, and paid. Grabbing a bag, I headed down the street, found a little food stand I liked, and ordered a second meal. Not for me. For her.

It just made sense. Of course she’d be sick of catering. I was sick of it too.

I hopped on the train toward the studio without overthinking it. At least, that’s what I told myself.

When I got there, Chaewon was standing near the lot entrance, fiddling with her phone.

She looked up as I approached — and the surprise on her face quickly melted into something softer. That warm, brilliant smile that punched me right in the gut every damn time.

“Ah, you shouldn’t have,” she said, grinning as she took the bag from my hand.

I shrugged, trying to play it cool even as my chest warmed at the way she beamed up at me. “Figured you’d be tired of the catering. I thought about you.”

Chaewon’s whole face lit up even more. “Thank you, Oppa,” she said sweetly, slipping into the honorific with such casual affection it made my pulse stutter.

Then she hugged me — quick, tight, instinctive — like it was the most natural thing in the world.

She stayed close after that, unwrapping her sandwich and nibbling on it while we stood together, chatting easily as we waited for Masuki and Yujin to finish shooting a fight scene.

“So,” Chaewon said after a few bites, licking a bit of sauce from her thumb, “what do we do now?”

I shrugged, smiling helplessly. “I like you. A lot. And I’m not sure what we’re supposed to do about that.”

Chaewon laughed — that bright, slightly mischievous laugh that made you feel like you were sharing a secret with her. “Everybody loves me,” she said dramatically, tossing her hair. “Haven’t you seen all my flags?”

I barked out a laugh. “Yeah, well… I have one too, brat.”

She scrunched her nose at me — that devastating, heart-stealing gesture that had probably started a hundred fanwars. “You’re not so much of an asshole after all,” she teased, nudging me lightly with her shoulder.

I grinned. “Are you finally coming around?”

She bit into her sandwich, chewing thoughtfully before saying, “You’re the cold one, you know. When we first met, you glared at me. I thought you hated my guts.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Excuse me? When we first met, you looked at me like I was a cockroach.”

Chaewon groaned dramatically, slapping my arm. “Only because you looked at me like you wanted to stab me!”

I laughed, loud and genuine. “Resting angry face. Genetic curse. Sorry, brat.”

Chaewon rolled her eyes with an exaggerated huff. “Oh, you’re so funny,” she said, deadpan.

I just shrugged again, grinning. “I try.”

She paused then, sandwich halfway to her mouth, and looked at me with something a little more serious in her eyes.

“I can see why Yujin and Sakura kept telling me to give you a chance,” she said softly.

The words hit me harder than I expected. I laughed a little awkwardly, trying to deflect the rush of heat I felt. “Helps when you’re super fun too,” I said, nudging her playfully.

Chaewon flushed slightly at the compliment, ducking her head in a way that made her seem almost shy. Without really thinking about it, she leaned closer, our shoulders brushing.

And that’s when I realized — too late — that we were being filmed.

I turned my head just in time to see the director standing behind a handheld camera, grinning like a kid who just found buried treasure.

He smirked at us and called out, “One more take!” in a sing-song voice.

Chaewon gasped and covered her face with her hands, laughing. I just shook my head, chuckling.

Of course.

[hearts-hunger]

okayyy who's ready for my review of s1e3

pros

bella ramsey finally gave some convincing ellie in this episode. the scene with gail was so ellie. if game ellie had had to deal with a therapist, she'd do it just like that. the joel's house walkthrough segement was done well too.

i'm definitely interested to see more of the scars. i think that's something the game definitely needed, and humanizing them and giving them their own lives apart from being one-dimensional freaks to kill is a solid move on hbo's part.

i guess i liked dina talking about her relationship with jesse? i always was curious about them. but everything surrounding that conversation was....... not it, so, mixed feelings.

i liked that ellie had a room in joel's house :(

cons

i fucking TOLD y'all tommy wasn't going to seattle. i called that shit last week. ironically they're ruining his character by not letting him ruin his character, because the tragedy of tommy in the game is that he loses everything for revenge and ends up a bitter, broken man. emotionally mature farm boy council leader tommy is just unsatisfying. like, are we writing a fix-it fic here? this is such a huge breakaway from the game that it's going to require so many changes down the line, and it also just cans tommy's character. so, goodbye to gabriel luna, i guess. it's a huge fucking waste.

wooooo boy does druckmann feel pleased with himself. gail and tommy talking about ellie like she's some sicko. "some people can't be saved" shove it up your ass, neil! that like was so "ellie has a violent heart" coded i almost threw up and died. shut up.

the dina/ellie "rate the kiss" scene being rewritten into the tent scene was suuuper weird. like, instead of an endearing moment of happiness that plays into ellie's guilt and her complex relationship with dina as it is in the game, it turned into this really shallow superficial straight-male-pandering pile of garbage. dina acting like a ditzy bi-curious "but not gay!!!!" sorority girl while they're ON THE WAY TO AVENGE JOEL???? like, now is not the time????? dina at this point in the game is ride or die for ellie. it's beyond whatever chemistry they have. she's really and truly in love with her. but the way the tent scene plays is that dina brings up this middle-school kind of thing in the middle of what is the most serious journey of ellie's life. it felt very off to me and a disservice to dina's intentionality and commitment to ellie.

the town hall council meeting was so stupid. like, it took up a bunch of screentime just for the same result to come about. ellie and dina snuck out and the rest of the town didn't know. why reinvent the wheel here? it was just a waste of time to me.

why are we trying so hard to make seth likeable??? why not make tommy supply them and sneak them out, at least? throw us tommy-revenge truthers a bone?

gail's character is so annoying and stupid and i hate her. who even is she. i so do not care about her to the extent that i just want to skip every scene she's in.

also, another thing about the tent scene, i didn't like that dina said she had gone back to jesse. it all feels a little queer-baity, a little "make dina bombshell pretty and definitely still into men even after she kissed ellie". don't do my girl like that. she loves jesse in but she's in love with ellie. it's more than just sex and adrenaline and crushes and whatever. idk, i can't really put my finger on it, but it just makes her out to be kind of immature in a way that messes with her character in a substantial way.

let me know your thoughts! inbox is always open, and my tlou sideblog is @ellies-miller if you want to hang there!

[sageandred]

I've been thinking about where these characters will go IF Bobby is dead

Eddie- Ryan Guzman has spoken in an interview he did, saying Eddie may face consequences or something to that effect of the entire storyline for seasons with Chris. I was thinking about what @ johanna-swann said in this post (about Eddie being disconnected from everyone in the 118 except Buck) & where the other characters are in life circumstances and emotionally + the fact of Eddie's absence during Bobby's death. He's going to feel guilty, no doubt, I mean I assume (can't trust Tim or Ryan Murphy), but he's got his son back and it's a 1 win, 1 lose situation. But everyone is grieving. Everyone will also have their connections they've been building up for seasons. Buck will have his (ex-)boyfriend, Hen has Karen and her kids; she's also especially connected to Chim, Chimney has the same and his family, and Eddie just has Buck, who's keeping his emotions hidden about the Bobby situation. I'm thinking, this could be a direct consequence of all Eddie's been doing for all seasons (and where his focus lies-Chris (understandable), women and relationships that go no where); I think this could be an opportunity for Eddie to have more conversations with other characters besides Buck and how we could actually get relationship-building with Hen, and Chimney, and now Ravi, that should've happened a long time ago. How is this a consequence you ask? I could see Eddid really struggling before the comfort of it all and him having panic attacks again. I could get into a whole in-depth talk on the ins and outs of Eddie, but basically I think he will really be operating between emotions of guilt, regret, and also gratitude surrounding the complex scenario of getting Chris back at this time, feeling like a bad father, and all that's led up to this point (his mistakes and all that).

Buck- struggling a ton in silence; this is going to mature Buck, for better/for worse; Athena/Buck connection (that's basically his stepmother even more now)/they're eerily the same that they most likely won't talk about their real emotions at first. I think Buck, specifically, is going to think/have some kind of crisis about where his life is going at some point, and it could make him more responsible, for the lack of a better word (stepping up to more situations and standing in leadership, idk)

Chimney- guilt/he could've saved him; a LOT of survivor's guilt; possibly depression; probably will be him struggling after the birth of he and Maddie's son, now; might question his role/compare himself to Bobby in every aspect (career, fatherhood, things of that nature)

Hen- very similar to Chim: guilt, "what could've been; if she becomes captain at some point, she won't want it/will feel very guilty about it; she'll probably be the glue though ultimately (her or Ravi-see thoughts on him below)

Ravi- I could see him wanting to quit again, either go to a new station/change professions, or more likely could push him more into being a firefighter/a reason why he wants to continue doing it and stepping up for his team after some time of the initial immeasurable grief that ensues

Athena- she is the most I'm unsure about; they're going to put her through obvious pain, so Angela can act for these episodes, but I don't know if she'll be honest about it, or hide the way Buck will; May and Harry will have to come home and help her out; I thought she'd talk about/mention Emmett, but after Angela's comment, I'm not as convinced even if she's trolling. I really don't know where they'll go with her specifically if he's dead (read my denial), because I can't see her finding love again while the show is airing, because she's already come to this realization 2 times, 3 if you count younger handcuffed-to-the-bed man (as Hen's laughing).

[lottielee-altar]

It’s canon that Taissa is gay af and even slept around with women in her college years so I’m so confused where the discourse that she isn’t gay is coming from. It’s even canon that she’s the one who always helps bail out Natalie when she’s in trouble and pay for the rehabs and yet most people deliberately forgets and ignores it. The YJ fandom is so weird about Taissa.

YES!! This isn’t even a case of it being subtext anymore—her being gay is explicitly there! I am also so confused where this is coming from.

Also, yes! Taissa is also explicitly shown to be the one to help out Natalie when she gets in trouble, and the only time she avoids doing so is when it also puts her at risk during election—a vulnerable time not just for her but also for her family because she believes they’re under a threat.

Taissa has pretty much been a straightforward character in these two aspects: she’s there for her friends and loved ones even when she’s not completely in control of herself, and she’s always been into women. I really don’t see how either of this could be ignored when they’re in your face!! It’s devastating how the yj fandom treats Taissa’s character because even if you weren’t a big fan of the direction the writers are taking her in, it’s still very much evident that she’s a great and complex character.

Can I just add that I’m also not a big fan of the takes that Taissa is a cold person? Pre-crash she was really competitive and her icing Allie out was sneaky, but she was just a teenage girl who did not know that the repercussions of her actions would be so severe—she does not deserve to be labeled as uncaring towards her teammates because she wasn’t! Also she might not be the most vocally expressive about how much she cares for her team, but it was shown time and time again that she does. She respects them and wants them to be safe. She makes sure to help them out in times of need. Her putting her girlfriend first is NOT a sign that she doesn’t love her friends because her actions show that she truly loves all of them.

[fructosetolerant]

Showdown in Chinatown Review 🎥

I just finished R1999's 2.5 patch yesterday, I wrote a review of it on my privtwt but the character limit of Twitter is seriously unbearable so I'm taking my reviews to Tumblr (⁠ب⁠_⁠ب⁠)

⚠️ THIS IS ONLY THE EVENT STORY no character stories yet because I want to review them seperately also SPOILERS AHEAD!! ⚠️

Favourite Character: Liang Yue

She's the limited character of this patch so I will admit there is some bias, but it's very little since I also love Noire loads. I really loved her character in the story: how she has the heavy expectations from her parents, her love for films, and how she was able to distinguish fiction from reality.

Favourite Moment: Liang Yue's flashback to the first time she watched a C07 movie as the CG shows her child self sitting at the bench, then shows her current self sitting at the same bench as she has never forgotten Qi Xing's words from that interview.

Favourite OST: Originally it was the EP Rock Solid but I'm currently listening to The Truth Will Come as I'm writing this.

Favourite NPC: Poitier / Constance Scott (I CAN EXPLAIN MYSELF FOR SCOTT)

Let's first clear my name. Scott was someone who parallels Liang Yue in the sense that they have expectations placed onto them, it's just that Scott's one is in the negatives. (Now that I think about it Maltida makes sense too) She was raised in an environment where her mother didn't really acknowledge her and always looked down on her so when she meets Latham/Loggerhead she looks down upon her so that she can feel superior in something. She wasn't cold or calculating, she was lashing out. Go forth inferiority complex.

Liang Yue Family expectations: You must fulfill your duty as the Zhenzi of Qiangliang. Liang Yue feels this duty yet also feels like she doesn't live up to it. (Like how she sees Qiangliang responding to her call as a coincidence)

Maltida Bouanich Family expectations: Beryl Bouanich don't care 😭😭😭😭. Yet Maltida wants to be the best (fostered positively)

Constance Scott Family Expectations: You are nothing... Scott wants to prove herself (fostered negatively) (self fulfilling prophecy)

I get where Scott is coming from and yes I do very much hate her, yet I understand her. She shouldn't have treated Loggerhead like that. That was foul.

Main Themes

The main themes, from what I could gather are:

Diaspora (shown in the earlier chapters)

Liang Yue and Noire are both characters that show this (while they haven't moved there we see cultural clashes, familial expectations, and connections with the community in Chinatown). I do wish this was further explored seeing the strong start from the beginning but I do hope and think we'll get more patches with this theme in the future.

The roles people play / peeling off to appreciate one's individuality

Double entendre with the roles in a movie, the role of the Zhenzi, etc. As someone who has experienced some form of parasociality from my YT channel (I'd like to keep it a secret but it's pretty obvious), I think that this is conveyed well as Liang Yue peels back the layers with sense. Going in blindly will create problems for both sides and I'm glad that this was tackled so well as coming to embrace someone's individuality is beautiful, like Noire says.

How fiction affects reality

The line between C07 and Qi Xing was blurred for the actress. How C07 inspired conviction in Liang Yue. I love it as it reminds me of when I watched Youzitsu and felt so inspired I put my life together for a few months.

Identity (We're Reverse: 1999 guys of course we have identity)

This is a really bad transition but this is my blog we BALL!! But I need to write an apology letter to Noire because for the whole time I thought she was based of off Wong Kar Wai (I love In the Mood for Love it's the only film I've watched from him but well I made this blog for a reason it's time to consume media) because her name was Noire like Noir films. But she makes action films oh I'm stupid (⁠-̩̩̩⁠-̩̩̩⁠-̩̩̩⁠-̩̩̩⁠-̩̩̩⁠_⁠_⁠_⁠-̩̩̩⁠-̩̩̩⁠-̩̩̩⁠-̩̩̩⁠-̩̩̩⁠)

I really love how Noire is written: how she is passionately in pursuit of the better film, how she shows that deep down creators will always want to create, and especially how reckless she was in the past. I was like Noire in the past as well, reckless and selfish, and honestly a jerk but I've learnt from those mistakes. It takes a team to create something better as we are limited to our own brains when we think alone.

⭐ AFFLATUS TALK 🌱

Liang Yue: Star

The aspiration to be a hero that brings happy endings to everyone, the desire to prove herself. The star that she saw that day was in the Detective C07 films.

Noire: Plant

The care for her set (environment). I don't really see anything else other than that. I also think maybe it's because they wouldn't want to release too many star afflatus characters (including Barcarola from last patch as well) but I think that plant is very fitting for her. Like I see the vision y'know.

I'm out of things to yap about now but if you read this all thank you so much 🙇‍♀️🙇‍♀️🙇‍♀️ I hope to remember to write the next review. I'm always open for discussion, thank you again!

[wigglesdtuff]

I feel like I definitely think about Olive more than I should. I'm not really into ocs that often but at this point she is just real to me. Like yes, Robin and Franky have a baby girl her name is Olive what do you mean she isn't canon. She's a cutie, I love the idea of her having permanently messy unruly blue hair, and I believe Robin actually really likes that she looks so much like franky. I love the idea of Robin having someone that belongs to her, makes my heart ache in the best way. The fic is genuinely so delightful and takes up a lot of space in my head lol thank you for writing it!

No but like genuinely same.

I know fankids aren't everyone's cup of tea and that's totally understandable and respectable. I just personally love the idea of Robin getting to give the love she clearly has for others to someone so wholly. Someone she could make sure never felt the loneliness and isolation she experienced growing up. I think there's plenty of avenues to explore this, but something about having a kid on the ship like Roger and Whitebeard did makes me run in circles. It can be done - it has been done. She's so strong and kind, I just think that she would genuinely love to love another person the way she wanted to be loved. The way, as an adult, she knows she was loved, the world was and is just too complicated and cruel it didn't work out. I love the complexities of motherhood in stories having a complicated relationship with my own mother and far off dreams of being one myself, so it's almost for sure projection, but I find it a very fun way to do that in a way that I get to share some character analysis of my favoritest character at the same time. Anyways, I'm happy to know someone else thinks about her all the time because I truly feel insane sometimes lol. I'm glad I've been able to connect with a lot of folks! Thank you for reading :> She is so real and canon to me too. I also think Robin loves that she has Franky's hair, because who on earth wouldn't love genetic bright blue hair without having to dye it??? Also I think Franky knows how to fix the messiness, because he's experienced with it, so sometimes she lets him do her hair while she does his... Ugh I just love them. The family. The abandoned building something new and whole together. Weird, but all love!!!

[disgracefulthings]

I Just Finished Reading Nimona, and Oh Boy, the comic is so much better than the movie

That being said, the movie is still really good and obviously a different story than the comic its adapting. I definitely recommend watching/reading both versions, but anyway I wanted to talk about the characters and how they differ from version to version, so spoilers ahead!

First, let's start with Ballister Blackheart/Boldheart. Movie Ballister is forced into villainy, while comic Ballister chooses villainy after being kicked from the institution after Ambrosious 'accidently' blown off his arm. He is still trying to do the right thing, but he is more morally grey than the puppy dog Ballister we got in the movie. That being said, I still do like movie Ballister and it's clearly trying to do a different thing than the comic. In the movie, the reason why people didn't want Ballister to be a knight was because he was a commoner, while that isn't an issue in the comic (Ambrosious in the comic is also a commoner). Either way, he's still a fun character and I love them both, even though I do love Blackheart a little more.

Let's just start and say that I love Ambrosius Goldenloin's locks a lot more in the comic. He's also just a more interesting character. I'm not a huge fan of movie Ambrosius, he's definitely one of the weakest characters and while he does have some fun/cute moments, I don't think he's as developed as the rest of the main cast. Comic Ambrosius on the other hand is one of my favorite characters. Like Blackheart, he's more morally grey, and there is one scene I love more than anything. In the comic, Ambrosius would insist that him taking Blackheart's arm was an accident (Ambrosius lost a joust to him, and his weaponed got discharged after the joust, which ended up hitting blackheart and taking his arm). It isn't until near the end of the comic does the truth comes out, that Ambrosius was rigged to win that duel, and was giving a better weapon to gain the advantage, but it only ended up costing his victory since he wasn't used to using that weapon. What I love love love about this scene is that Ambrosius apologizes, and Blackheart points out that that's the first time Ambrosius apologized for taking his arm, and Ambrosius was taken aback because he never realized that he didn't apologized. He was too busy making excuses to notice. Anyway at the end of the comic he gets his shit wrecked, and I just find it more compelling than movie Ambrosius who we don't get to see get a final resolution with Boldheart.

Nimona's personality is pretty much the same in both versions, but her backstory and themes do differ. Movie Nimona is very obviously a trans allegory (i can't believe I missed that with my first viewing, it was very obvious), and I don't think it's the same for the comic, but I could be wrong. It's not bad, just very in your face, and what I do like about her backstory is how it ties to a very important character in the movie, Gloreth. Comic Nimona has a lot more focus on her abilities, and I love at the end of the story when she uses her blood to make another version of her, that was so cool. I do prefer the movie ending where she gets back to Boldheart, instead of the comic where they don't really meet up again (she's alive, but she doesn't approached Blackheart as 'herself' again). I'm just a sucker for found family and happy endings. I probably prefer comic Nimona and her power set more, but they're both really good characters.

I gotta say, I prefer the movie Director over the comic. I think the movie version is a more complex character, the comic version motives aligns more with gaining power, whereas the movie version's motives include keeping the status quo no matter what. She's technically a twist villain in the movie, but she was very obviously going to be the main bad guy, but I don't feel like the movie was trying to trick us by hiding it (the older audience anyway). I love the scene in the movie when she tells (fake) Ambrosius about her nightmare, about a crack in the wall (status quo), and how nobody listens to her concerns, and how they subtly bring that back when she wants to use the canon to kill Nimona, and the knights she trained turned their backs on her, because she is incapable in seeing how she's in the wrong.

Anyway those are my opinions on the characters. Both stories have a lot of merit, but the comic is def my fave! Please see them both if you haven't