#so while in theory everything is open to me it's going to be more difficult to prove my level of spoken french given i sound Like This | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

admirationandromantics · 2 months ago

Text

Stress-reliever

Okay, so another request! I really like this one, and I had a lot of fun writing it too. Sorry it took so long, but I try to work at an acceptable pace. Anyways, this story is about reader having an assignment and being hella stressed because she can't understand anything. Josh, her friend, comes over because she doesn't answer any of his texts or calls and gets worried about how hard she's pushing herself. And he knows the best way for her to relax...

Word count: 3k (Unedited)

I let out a silent scream, slamming my fist into the book. Goodness sake, why was this so difficult? I look at my word count, and it’s nowhere near finished. I don’t even have a good point I’m writing about. Everything I’ve written before this has been great, or at least good. This was the exception. I don’t understand the lectures, I don’t understand the book, I don’t understand anything. No shit my essay would be trash.

My phone start plinging, but I ignore it. I have to get this. Maybe I’ll read the chapter one more time. I’ve lost count on how many times I’ve already read it, but I don’t have anything better going for me. I tried youtube videos, getting someone to explain it to me, reading, writing, everything. This was stressing me out, and the deadline is in one week. I don’t have good sources, or backups. I can’t change the theme.

The phone rings again, but this time, I put it on silent. I have to get this, I need to understand it. Maybe I need a breather? But I don’t have time. I stand up and walk to the window. I can at least get some fresh air inside, I deserve that. I click the lock, pulling the window open. The fresh winter breeze flows into my room, shuffling my papers and pulling my hair. The outside arena has been filled with water, making a large skating rink. A bunch of people are skating, some with families, some while holding hands. They’re probably all finished with tests, exams and deadlines. I take a deep breath, filling my lungs with the ice cold air. A shiver runs through me, and I take it as a sign to sit down again. This essay isn’t going to write itself. I correct my papers and open the book in the right chapter again. Just keep reading, just keep reading. I’ll get there eventually.

***

A loud knock is heard on my door, pulling me out of my trance. I’ve written how much? 4 sentences? At this pace, I’ll have to pull all-nighters all week. Someone knocks on the door again, and I check the time. It’s late, not too late, but who would be here at this time? I get up from the desk, walking to the door and unlocking it. Outside in the hall, Josh is standing with his stupidly cute smile and a plastic bag.

“Josh” I sigh weakly, hugging him while putting all my weight on him. I’m so tired, so stressed and sick of my studies.

“You look horrible” he whispers back, hands going around me to stop me from falling on the floor.

“Thank you, I appreciate it”

“Have you been outside today?”

I look up at him, giving a guilty smile. He sees right through me and rolls his eyes. I let go, opening the door wider to let him in.

“Brough you take-out, figured you were too obsessed with whatever you’re doing that you haven’t eaten”

“You’re an angel”

“I know” he smiles, putting the bag down and pulling off his jacket. He goes to sit in my desk chair, glancing over all my notes.

“Hard stuff” he grabs a paper, reading quickly over the highlighted lines. I turn to the food, taking out the different boxes. Chinese food, how sweet of him.

“I’ve never been this stressed in my entire life” I complain, my neck sore and eyes tired. I grab a roll, eating it quickly. I’m apparently very hungry too.

“You know, I actually wrote about how stress affects-”

“Stop!”

“What?”

“I don’t want to hear about how it’ll kill me, you psychology majors are insane with your theories”

“It’s not a theory”

“Do you really think knowing this will help me or stress me out more”

“Yeah, you’re right”

I take another roll, sitting down on the bed and eating it.

“You know, you could do something more stress-relieving…”

He’s smiling, but I don’t know why. I don’t have time to do anything else right now. But, if it worked, I’d probably understand and write much faster. The offer is tempting.

“Like what?”

“Well, according to your stress-patterns you-”

“Don’t psycho-analyze me” I threaten, pointing a finger at him, my hand now empty again. He puts his hands up, smirking. That stupid smirk.

“Fine, okay. Let’s think of normal things then… taking a hot bath”

“I showered this morning”

“It’s not to get clean, it’s to relax”

“No, next”

He shrugs, shaking his head in disbelief. I know I’m difficult, but he’s still here, so I haven’t cracked him yet.

“Go for a walk?”

I laugh at him. No way I’m going somewhere, and when inspiration strikes I’m not there to take advantage of it. It might hit when I’m 20 minutes from home, and when I get back, it’ll be dead.

“How about I put it this way Josh… I’m NOT leaving my room”

He thinks hard, trying to come up with something. I subtle darkness coats his eyes as he looks up at me again, and I smile, intrigued by what he’s come up with.

“I can only think of one more thing”

“And that is?”

He opens his mouth, but stops himself and snickers. I’m left in the dark.

“Nah, you probably wouldn’t want to”

I look around confused, throwing my hands out. I’m literally open to anything as long as I can relax a bit.

“Oh, please tell me, I’m desperate” I whine jokingly, making him laugh.

“Oh really? How desperate?”

“Incredibly desperate, I’ll do anything”

“Anything?” he asks, and I can already sense that I’ll regret saying it. He leans forward, loving that he knows about this secret thing which I don’t. God, he’s a prick.

“Yes, now tell me” I urge, my curiosity overwhelming.

“Fine, okay” he leans back on the chair, looking me up and down. “I mean, I could help you relax a bit”

“With what?”

“Jesus Christ”

“Will you just tell me Josh?”

He stands up, making his way over and cornering me with his arms. Oh. Ooooh… I heat up just from the thought, getting wetter by the second as I think about all the erotic possibilities of this encounter.

That’s what he meant. I almost feel stupid for not getting it at first. But I have to remember that we’re friends, and this is a very intimate act. Would I really want to jeopardise our friendship for an essay? I already feel my body betraying me, heart racing quicker than my thoughts.

My body gets the better of me, and I lean into him, capturing his lips and throwing my arms around him. He doesn’t waste time, returning the favour and leaning over me, pushing me back on the bed. Hand goes to my thigh, lifting my leg up. He places himself in between them, staying over me with the help of his other hand. A tight squeeze over my knee makes me gasp, and he uses the opportunity to put his tongue in my mouth. He explores all of me, touching in all the right places, occasionally rubbing where he senses I feel weaker. I pour all my tension into him, another form of it building up in my stomach, begging to be satisfied.

“Josh…”

He doesn’t stop, mouth instead moving to my neck as he kisses and sucks.

“Tell me if you want to stop” he whispers against my skin. I don’t want to stop. I’ve wanted this for a long time, and using my stress as an excuse? I don’t know what will happen after this, but I do know that I want to fuck him. For as long as possible.

He hits my spot under my jaw, making a loud involuntary moan escape my lips. I feel him smirk against my skin before biting down. My hand immediately flies to my mouth. It would not be good for me if the other people in the nearby dorms heard me.

“I want to hear you” He’s quick to take hold of my hand, trapping it over my head, pressing my whole body down on the mattress. God he’s hot, I’ve never seen this side of him. I always thought he was ‘just talk no action’, but apparently I was wrong.

“Fuck” I whimper, feeling messy and needy for him. He knew what he was doing, and it was working a little too well.

“All my calls, all my texts, everything left unanswered…”

“I was studying” I breathe out, voice high on ecstasy. His knee goes between my legs, and I lean against him, letting myself grind down on his leg.

“Was it not just a trick to get me here? Don’t think for one second I haven’t seen those glances you give me when you think I’m not watching”

“Josh…”

“Don’t worry, when I’m finished with you, you wouldn’t have to be so secretive anymore”

He grabs the hem of my sweater, making me sit up a bit to drag it off. I’ve been home alone all day, so a bra was not necessary, leaving me half naked, the cold winter air from the window making my nipples hard.

“Oh lord…”

“Not gonna even the playing field?” I tease, tugging at his shirt. He laughs and unbuttons it, undressing quickly and throwing the garment on the floor. He does the same with his belt, dragging it off his jeans and leaving it on the floor. I feel a tug on the bottom of my pants, and he drags them off with ease, leaving me only in my panties.

“You’re so fucking beautiful” he comments, laying himself on top of me again and capturing my lips on his. I feel around his upper body, gracing each curve and muscle. My hands wander to his back, pulling him closer, making him lay more of his weight on me. The kisses get wetter and sloppier as we keep going, my pulse going faster than ever before. I pull away a little, needing to take a breath. He uses the opportunity to work on my chest, kissing down my collar and groping my chest. His mouth keeps sucking, leaving dark marks all over my upper body.

“Josh, please” I whimper, feeling the need overcome me. This is too much, I need him down there, fucking me senseless, just as I’ve always wished for.

“I love hearing my name coming out of those pretty lips of yours”

He moves lower, kissing the inside of my thighs and stroking my folds over the soaked fabric.

“You’ve been wanting this for a long time haven’t you?”

I take a couple of deep breaths before answering, my body dysfunctional from all the waiting and different types of simulations.

“Y-yes I have”

“And you finally got what you wanted”

“Please”

He raises his head, looking up at me. That stupid smirk is still plastered on his face as he’s come face to face with the reactions he gets out of me.

“Say it again” There’s no use fighting him, my body begging to be touched.

“Please”

“Again”

“Josh, please”

“As you wish”

His head goes down again, biting and licking my thigh as his fingers slowly drags my underwear off. It falls off my feet, and his tongue takes a long lick over my folds. My immediate reaction is to close my legs, but his hands stop me, holding both of them in their place. He takes a chance, one of his hands moving to my heat, stroking over the wet area.

“You’re already so ready for me”

His tongue finds its way to my clit, licking soft circles as one of his fingers moves inside me, curling upwards. My legs jolt again, but he doesn’t mind, instead keeps pumping his finger and getting me off with his tongue. I feel my edge come closer, and I try to hold it, not wanting to come so incredibly fast.

“I know you’re holding back dear”

I try to come with a reply, but it leaves my lips as incoherent erotic melodies, going in tact with his rhythm. He takes out his hand, relieving some of the pressure which is begging to be let out. I try to steady my breathing, but am interrupted as he puts another finger in, filling me even more up. His tongue applies more pressure than before, and I can’t control myself as I come all over him, spilling my juices down his fingers and lips.

I take deep breaths, ecstasy washing over while throwing my head back. Fuck he’s good. I feel my legs twitch from all the action, pent up stress and energy leaving my body as the high lowers.

I hear something hitting the floor, and look up to find him standing in front of me. Naked. Big. Holy shit, how am I supposed to take that.

“You look scared” he smiles, going on top of me once again, giving me sweet kisses. I taste myself on him, but the passionate nature of it is almost… romantic.

“Just, surprised” I manage to breathe out.

“Oh, you haven’t seen nothing yet” he teases, giving me another passionate kiss. His dick graces over my folds, coating itself in my last high. His hand goes down to adjust himself, but before he inserts himself, he looks down at my flushed face, waiting for something.

“You want this?”

“Yes I fucking want this, Josh please”

He doesn’t need to hear anything else, slowly inserting himself in me. I throw my head back, feeling him fill me up, widening my walls. He groans as he keeps going, letting out a deep breath as he’s all in. He waits a couple of seconds, still holding himself up over me.

“Fuck, you feel so good” he exclaims, cheeks red and breath heavy.

“Please keep going” I urge him, and he starts moving. Slowly going out and slamming deep into me again. It takes a couple of pushes for him to get his rhythm back. The room fills with both our moans, and I pull him down, killing some of them on our lips.

He takes hold of my thigh, pulling my whole leg up, letting himself deeper inside. My nails scratch his back as he keeps going, both of our orgasms building up. I hold on to him, chest against chest, his pelvis rubbing against me as he slams himself in and out.

“Let me ride you” I whisper, and he stops for a bit, taken aback by my request.

“You sure?”

“Get on your back” I breathe out, trying to sound stern. My tone fails me, and I just sound desperate instead, but I don’t mind. I want him, I need him. He obliges, laying down on his back. I move on top of him, and he looks up at me, mouth agape and eyes blank. He’s so turned on, so hard and so desperate. Probably as needy as me. I steady myself, lowering my body onto him, letting him inside. I bit my lip to stop my noises, feeling him go deeper than before.

I watch his face, cheeks still pink and skin shiny. His mouth keeps opening, letting out the most vulnerable sound I’ve ever heard from him.

��And I thought you looked good on top” I start, feeling a smirk find its way to my lips. “Turns out you’re even better under me”

“Fuck, you’re gonna make me come” he whimpers, grabbing hold of my thigh, bouncing me up and down on him.

“That’s the goal” I lean down, kissing his collar and neck while still bouncing my ass on him.

“You’re so incredibly hot”

His grip tightens, probably leaving red marks which’ll last for days. I feel my core building up, getting awfully hot and tight.

“Josh, I’m going t-”

“Do it, do it”

I can’t hold myself, coming all over his cock, tightening around him. I give a cry, body sweaty and hot as I try to keep the rhythm going. The pain starts getting to me, the cause of overstimulation and exhaustion. He notices, and uses his hips and arms to turn us around.

I slam back into the maddress, my breath being knocked out of me. I don’t get time to regain it as Josh ups his pace, slamming into me harder and faster. I grip the sheets, trying to stay grounded as I feel my whole body rocking back and forth. He leans forward, intertwining my hand in his, while still keeping up the pace. I grip his hand hard, tension building up again as he uses the other to rub my clit.

“I love you like this, all fucked out” he whispers, making me tighter. I wince as I come another time, pain and pleasure shooting through me. I’ve lost feeling in my legs, letting them hang weakly around his waist. He grunts and moans, burying himself in me as he reaches his orgasm. I feel him twitch inside me, sloppily pulling out as he collapses beside me. His hand goes to my chin, turning my head towards him before leaning forward for a kiss. I let him, sinking into the small action.

“Still stressed?”

“More exhausted, but no, I’m not stressed” I explain, slowly regaining control of my pulse.

“Need a power-nap?” I nod, and he walks to the bathroom, coming back with a warm wet cloth and cleaning me up. We both drag ourselves to the top of the bed, getting under the covers and relaxing. I lean into him, feeling his body sink down.

I think about the essay, everything I could’ve done in the time we fucked. The theme is hard, and the texts are difficult, but… Shit!

“Omg” I exclaim, sitting up.

“What, is something wrong?” he asks, looking up at me with concern. I stand up, walk to the desk and grab my computer before laying down with him on the bed again.

“I suddenly understood this one passage” I exclaim, not feeling that tired anymore. I actually understood something! Finally!

I open the computer, and start typing on the related paragraph. This was gonna be good, I could finally get the parallel I wanted, and compare it to the subtext.

“Well, I’ll be laying right here if you need me again” he makes himself comfortable, kissing my chin and letting his fingers rub soft circles on my arm.

#until dawn #joshua washington #josh washington #josh washington x reader #josh washington x reader smut #josh washington smut #josh washington imagines #josh washington until dawn #until dawn josh #joshua washington x reader smut #joshua washington smut #joshua washington x reader #until dawn smut #until dawn fanfiction #until dawn fanfics #until dawn imagines #until dawn oneshots #friends to lovers #smut

166 notes · View notes

shojimezolovemail · 4 months ago

Note

hi! jjk men tearing up when yn kisses their forehead 🤭

A/N: thank you so much for the request!!! if you don't see your fave, feel free to send another ask! request open :-)

A/N pt 2: sorry that some of these are longer than others, i promise i love all these men :”)

warnings: allusion to canon level violence, pet names (sugar, doll, darling & honey), other than that mainly fluff! let me know if i missed anything ^_^

characters included: satoru gojo, suguru geto, kento nanami, toji fushiguro, & choso kamo

✰ satoru gojo ✰

A particularly difficult mission was left to the past of the last few hours but it was one Gojo couldn’t shake off of himself. It was one where both of your lives were nearly compromised and that alone was enough to churn his stomach.

“Satoru?” your voice called, breaking him away from a spiral within his mind. “Look at me, honey, please?” Your tone almost desperate as you took in his slumped posture against the seat he was in, legs pressed together as if he were folding himself up.

You got closer to Gojo, standing in front of him and using a hand to cup his face. The gentle touch was enough to begin soothing his racing mind. A sweet kiss pressed to his forehead then to the crown of his head.

Tears pooled along his waterline, breaching containment as they rolled down his cheeks.

As he always kissed away your tears, you returned the favor and pressed a few over where they would begin to stain against his skin.

✰ suguru geto ✰

For so long Geto believed that anything that could go bad would inevitably happen to him. He was spiraling down such a deep, dark depth of his mind until a strong force of light forced itself into to his life. You.

He felt as if divine timing had to play a part in uniting you two but you had other ideas of it.

“We were simply meant to be. Call it fate, or divine timing, whatever you’d like, Sugu,” you’d look over from where you stood in front of the stove, smiling at him and melting his heart.

“You really won’t settle on my divine timing theory?” He asked as he began closing the physical distance between you two.

“I think it’s more fun to pretend that there’s little red strings wrapped around our fingers and that’s what brought us together,” you tried to sound serious but couldn’t help the laugh in your voice at the theory that you spoke of.

Your laughter like the first inkling of spring after a hard winter to Geto, welcoming him into your warmth as it was all consuming. He was a sucker for everything about you though, in truth.

A small smile fell upon his lips, “You’re ridiculous. A red string tying us together? I think that’s a new one.”

You stood on your tip toes to press a quick kiss to his forehead, “You heard me, sugar. Do you mind grabbing the girls for me? I’ll plate up lunch right now.”

Geto stood still for a moment, warmth radiating throughout his body as he processed what you had done. Something within him stirring when he turned to leave the kitchen. His throat tightening at the act of intimacy.

Eyes welling up with tears and a quick cough to cover up the hiccups that followed him beginning to get emotional.

✰ kento nanami ✰

Rarely did you wake up earlier than Nanami but when you did, you tried to make the most of the time you had before he would wake up. He so often spent the hours of the night finishing up paperwork or lulling you to sleep because he had a habit of prioritizing your health over his.

While of course, that was sweet you knew eventually it would catch up and impact his life so when he’d stay up late and sleep in, it was almost a cause for celebration on your end.

You hatched a plan to make breakfast for him as he often would for you when he woke up before you. Nanami slept soundly as you slid out of the bed, careful to leave him with the warmth of the blanket you two shared and little noise as you departed the bedroom.

Soft hums falling past your lips as you gathered all your ingredients, tapping your foot as you awaited for the toast to pop up while you began the eggs.

Truthfully, you weren’t paying much attention to the clock so when you glanced up to see your lover standing in a half-open robe with his chest on display as he leaned against the doorway of the kitchen.

A gasp of surprise leaving your lips, “Good morning honey,” you said with a flushed smile.

“Good morning darling,” he moved to get closer to you but you held up a hand to stop him.

“Ah ah - take a seat at the table, the food’s almost done,” you pointed a spatula toward him, earning a chuckle from his lips.

Nanami took a seat at the small dining table, watching as you moved around the kitchen and finally plated the breakfast you had prepared.

You poured a glass of water and presented the food to Nanami, his hands coming to rest on your hips. A sleepy smile on his lips as he looked up at you.

“Why didn’t you wake me up to help you, darling?” he questioned, thumbs rubbing over your hips through your pajama pants.

One of your hands came to cup his cheeks, “You looked so peaceful, Ken. I didn’t want to disturb you, my love.” You leaned down to press a kiss to his forehead, wrapping an arms around his shoulders.

Nanami couldn’t help the warmth that spread all over his body, eyes beginning to burn with tears.

“You’re too good to me, my darling.”

You press another kiss to his cheek now, “I treat you to what you deserve, Kento.”

✰ toji fushiguro ✰

It was another night of patching him up after a particularly bad job he had taken on. The only sound in the bathroom the ripping of gauze and a weak fan that pulled the fumes of rubbing alcohol away from the two of you.

You didn’t bother scolding him now, he knew you were upset but the state he came home in was too bad for you to think of anything else but stopping the blood staining his clothes.

Toji watched you gently clean his wounds, hisses falling past his scarred lips with quick muttered “Sorry, sorry!” from you every time he made noises of discomfort.

He clenched his fist together, the burning of the alcohol never got any easier but one would think that someone of his caliber would not react to something like wounds being treated.

“Doll, would ya look at me?” he questioned with his normally unfriendly tone, quickly adding a “please?” to possibly convince you any further to give him attention.

You met his eyes for the first time since he had come home, worry and fear brimming your waterline.

A kiss to his forehead all you could give, it was quick and sweet. A way of rationalizing that he was in fact right in front of you.

Toji didn’t know what came over him but his throat felt as if it were closing up. One of his hands shot up to grab it, confusion weighing on his brows.

“You okay, Toji? Something hurt?”

He blinked twice then met your eyes again, a small smile on his lips.

“Hm? Yeah, ‘m good, doll. Don’t worry. Just thought about how much I love ya s’all,” he spoke nonchalantly as if his own heart beat wasn’t beating like a drum in his chest.

✰ choso kamo ✰

The love that existed within Choso was overwhelming and all consuming. He was so hopelessly in love with you. Everything you had shown him about being human amazed him and left him hungry for more.

He wasn’t entirely clueless but there were things that he needed coaching on such as kissing or when its appropriate to express love to one another in public. Not to imply you didn’t love when he showed you affection but there was certain things strangers shouldn’t be subjected to.

When he got a better understanding of kissing, he was obsessed with it. Any chance he got, he was pressing a little one to your lips, cheeks or any part of you he could get his hands on.

Choso lived so long only expressing his love to his brothers but now that he had other people to express it towards, he was hooked.

For a while his love and devotion was used as a weapon against himself and others around him, of course not through his full understanding of the situations he was put into.

You two were interlocked in your bed, limbs tangled under a mountain of blankets on a particularly cold night. Would either of you bother to close the cracked window though? Not a chance.

Choso had his head rested against your chest, listening to the thumping of your heartbeat as he often said it soothed his mind. Your body stirred under him, his dark eyebrows furrowing to look up at you - his eyes full of question.

“I’m gonna go grab a snack from the kitchen, you want somethin’?” you questioned as you ran a hand through his hair and began to scoot out from under his head.

He blinked up at you before shaking his head, “I think I’m okay. Thank you though. Love you,” he smiled.

You leaned over the side of the bed he was against now, a kiss presented to his forehead before you disappeared out of the room.

Choso’s pale skin immediately flushed a pink hue, a grin forming on his lips and some tears rolling down his face.

A wet laugh to himself, wiping his fallen tears away before you’d return.

#jjk #jjk x reader #gojo x reader #gojo satoru #geto x reader #geto suguru #nanami kento #nanami x reader #toji x reader #toji fushiguro #choso kamo #choso x reader #jujutsu kaisen #jjk blurb

240 notes · View notes

yuurei20 · 8 months ago

Note

Hello! I wanted to ask, but do we have any visual descriptions of the blot monster that killed Ortho? Like even just if it was big or if it had claws anything like that lol

Also this is a bit of a darker question do feel free to not answer this part but is the it ever implied or said how exactly Ortho was killed? Like did the blot monster like.. bite or maybe squash him? (Ngl I'd normally ask it in a more graphic way but I don't wanna make you uncomfortable)

Anyways I hope you have a good night/day whenever you read this <3

Hello hello! ^^ Thank you for this question!

I do not believe we have any detailed description of exactly what it is that happened to human-Ortho and, interestingly, we do not really know what happened to Idia, either!

There is a loud sound of something striking against something else and Idia says, "Everything after that is a blank for me. By the time I woke up, Ortho was gone."

What was that sound we hear after the monster lunges for Ortho? Metal against metal? Someone or something hitting a wall, or floor? How did Idia fall unconscious, and what happened in between Ortho being attacked and Idia being knocked out?

"Everything after that is a blank" may be insinuating that something happened during that "everything after," but he either can't or does not want to remember what it was. Very curious!

And there may be more to this scene than meets the eye 👀

When Ortho reacts to the creature coming down the hall, he doesn't call it a phantom: he calls it a monster.

"Monster" is one of the various ways that the cast refer to Grim (re: Animal vs. Monster vs. Cat vs. Dire Beast vs. Tanuki (pt1) / Animal vs. Monster vs. Cat vs. Dire Beast vs. Tanuki (pt2) ).

STYX labels him a dire beast in Book 6, but at the same time we learn that Grim is under a powerful spell that STYX's supercomputer can't actually analyze!

Grim might not be a direbeast at all, and we have already heard of creatures that will blend in with direbeasts in order to hide: phantoms 👀

I first came across this theory via Vtuber Toro-san (shared with permission) who points out some interesting things we know about the creature:

1. It was subject ROS-3367A, which possibly means that the phantom originally came from the Queendom of Roses, and Grim is theorized to have been at least partially based on Dinah from Alice in Wonderland.

(In Book 6 we also hear about a SUS-332OB, theorized to be from Sunset Savanna.)

2. While the weaker phantoms frozen on the higher levels of Tartarus in Book 6 mostly growl, the stronger phantoms frozen deeper inside would sometimes speak, saying, "I'm hungry, feed me flesh," "Don't go, stay with me" and "I want to be friends, too."

This is not impossible to tie back to Grim, who recalls waking up "hungry and alone," saying "it was real cold."

He follows with, "What happened after that again? It's all so foggy..."

Grim is mysterious enough on his own, not knowing where NRC is located (which begs the question: how did he get there?) and having significant gaps in his memory, in addition to being so unfamiliar with basic information of what is (presumably?) his own world that other characters often express surprise. (re: Grim's Memory / Grim's Experiences)

3. The chimera in the prologue has long been theorized to be some form of overblotted Grim. Is that his true form as a potentially flesh-eating, unfrozen phantom under a curse and/or blessing that no one understands?

We do not know! :> To the original question: it is difficult to pinpoint how exactly it was that Ortho died, as we do not know exactly what it was that killed him. (If it was the chimera in the opening, though, we have an idea of what it is he may have looked like at the time!)

We know Ortho was killed by a monster who had just escaped from a place built expressly for the purpose of housing lonely, violent, and hungry creatures--but that is all!

Perhaps a mystery to be solved as the plot thickens 👀

#twstask #twisted wonderland

141 notes · View notes

dav-suburbiia · 5 months ago

Text

another BANGER episode

some thoughts below

Hu Jing and Levi Fontana I will love you forever and ever and ever. I had headcanon’d Levi to have ASPD for a bit and I think this episode helps with that sentiment! he’s such an interesting character, just like Veronika said. giving him a (very platonic) nose kiss

I’m curious about Hu’s past . did she perhaps lack something to live for, and eventually found it either in her talent or in her more “nurturing” way of life? perhaps in a “if I can’t take care of myself, I will take care of others” deal. I adore her, I hope she’s able to find a time where she can comfortably open up about it rather than having it forced out of her.

I immediately knew why David didn’t mention Arei reassuring him. it’s, surprise, a common symptom of depression to believe you don’t deserve good things, including emotional support. so it was less difficult for him to pretend it didn’t happen than to accept that someone cared about him in that way. he probably didn’t lie with bad intentions in this case but, regardless, it was still a dick move not to tell Eden about it.

honestly, just in general, Eden needs a break from all the bullshit in this killing game …

speaking of Eden. the fork scene?! that fork should look familiar to those who have studied that mysterious “bloody hand” scene in the prologue. obviously, those hands are too light to be Eden’s, and I still stand by my theory of them being Xander’s. I do have a whole theory about this small clip with the new Eden CG in mind, but I’m a little embarrassed about it so I likely won’t talk about it with anyone but my close friends …

either way, this entire sequence was INSANELY interesting. I’m happy we got to see Arei alive and well again. I just like seeing her experience that genuine catharsis she needs, and looking to improve not only herself, but being open to see another “shitty” person improve! it is a shame that dream was cut short…

so, on another note, shocker! David wasn’t lying about having Xander’s secret. well, not as much of a shocker to me. I believed he was telling the truth for a while. I’m glad we got our confirmation- though- this means we can officially say Teruko’s mysterious brother is six feet under! whoopie!

(not something to be happy about actually. I’m sorry, girl.)

I wonder what happened. it could just be some standard tragedy but my ridiculous compulsion with connecting everything is telling me that what happened to her family has some major plot relevance. She “didn’t go with them”… where? What happened? Only time will tell us for now, and I’m no expert theorist, so I’ll leave that to the smart people-..

oh, right, Nico. I doubt Teruko is going to pursue them as the culprit? if she was, I think the “select someone” thing would have happened. I assume all she wants here is clarification and for them to elaborate more on what happened with that whole Ace situation. I look forward to what they have to say. I’d love to finally get some closure on that fiasco.

that is all! lovely episode, can’t wait for next week. hope you all had a very (un)lucky Friday the 13th. :]

#david rambles ★#drdt #danganronpa despair time #drdt theory

47 notes · View notes

takenbypeter · 9 months ago

Note

It's me, hi! (Last one I promise)

But I was wondering if you could write about Wonka and reader watching a horror movie, and afterwards, as she would feel scared, him trying to make her feel better/safe by holding her, maybe singing to her..? It's just an adorable thought 🥹 thank you!

Movie Mistakes

Willy Wonka x reader

Words: 638

You couldn’t believe you actually caved.

Typically you would do anything and everything to avoid scary films, all because you knew how it would affect you.

Some jump scares by themselves you could handle, but if added the suspense, tension, and music, you were a goner.

Now to be fair this particular movie was one you actually did want to see. You heard so many great things about it when it came out, but still you were in debate about actually watching it. As always though Willy had convinced you.

As much as you tried to act like you weren’t phased by all the blood, jumps, and slightly horrific deaths throughout the film, you couldn’t help but flinch at each noise, eventually opting for the view from behind the cracks between your fingers. Willy on the other hand, seemed to be unbothered.

In fact he was so engrossed by the film he didn’t even notice how tense you were. At least not until you were home.

Now Willy knew of your nature with scary movies just from what you’ve told him but by the way you were agreeing with all his thoughts and theories on the way back had him believing you were alright. It wasn’t until he left you to take a shower and then returned, finding you on the bed with your head and body completely enveloped in a quilt that he realized something was off.

“What are you doing?” He asked, a hint of laughter hidden in his voice. The question prompted you to shift underneath the cloth, still keeping it wrapped around your head.

“Huh?” He heard, muffled.

Shaking his head he came over, picked up the quilt and stuck his head underneath finding you in the process.

“Are you alright?”

“Oh me? Yeah I’m fine, just imagining a world where who knows what comes out from my closet and tries to strangle me in the worst possible way, but I’m fine, I’m good.”

Willy tilted his head clearly not believing your words and your promising boxed smile that was obviously forced. So again he lifted the quilt and climbed in while you moved over to make more room for him.

“I thought you were okay.”

“I am, I'm just afraid to close my eyes, and I have to sleep with my head covered and my back to the wall.”

Willy reached out, his hand coming to rest against your face while his thumb ran over your cheek a couple times before he moved it downwards stopping on your shoulder, “if someone comes through those doors they’re going to have to get through me first,” he said. The idea was ultimately hilarious to you, being that Wonka didn’t have a harmful bone in his body, but it did help you in feeling a little bit better.

“If I knew this was going to happen I would’ve never pushed for it,” he said and you shook your head. “I wanted to watch it. I went to see it. I’ll be fine.”

Willy glanced over your face, “what can I do to help?”

You bit the inside of your bottom lip for a quick second, maybe out of embarrassment, or probably just pure nerves but all you said was, “just stay with me tonight, please?”

It may seem like a such a simple request but for a chocolatier who sometimes got random bursts of ideas in the middle of the night, it would prove to be slightly more difficult. But still he agreed, “I’m not going anywhere.”

With that being said Willy opened his arms and you naturally crawled in.

That night you slept well and it was all thanks to the warmth of Willy’s body around yours. That warmth plus the light humming coming from the boy quickly put both you and him sound asleep.

#willy wonka x reader #willy wonka imagine #willy wonka fanfiction #willy wonka fanfic #wonka imagine #wonka fanfiction #wonka x reader #wonka fanfic

80 notes · View notes

henrioo · 10 months ago

Note

Hey! Could I please request some fluffy scenarios about Shanks X Male and Mihawk X Male Reader (separately if that's okay) who's love languages are physical touch and quality time, but is also struggling with anxiety? Sorry for going on anon, this is my first time ever requesting and I'm a little nervous lol

°•*⁀➷ TOO MUCH LOVE, TOO MANY THOUGHTS : SHANKS AND MIHAWK

꒰ SYNOPSIS ꒱ : You love your partners, you really do, but sometimes those voices inside you gain control over your body, making you withdraw into your own fears and feelings. Good for you that your partners won't give up on having you by their side.

꒰ WARNINGS ꒱ : MALE! READER, M! READER, NOT POLY! The reader can be Trans or Cis, talking about homophobia but nothing happens, a lot of talk about insecurities in a romantic relationship, talk about anxiety and fear

꒰ WC ꒱ : 2,4k at all, 1k for Shanks and 1,4 for Mihawk

꒰ NOTES ꒱ : Hey thanks for this request! It had been some months and I don't have any idea if you are still there but anyway thanks for that, that request is part of the first ask I received when I opened for male reader so this means a lot to me. The ask doesn't talk too much about the insecurities of the reader because I wanted that you guys could imagine your own, here talk more about how they would handle and help you. Enjoy!

★彡 Shanks

It may not seem like it, but the redhead is a master at reading people, all it takes is a few nervous glances and body language and he knows exactly what the problem is.

However, while he knows what the problem is, he is not that good at knowing the best solution for it. Part of him just wants to grab you and say "stop with that and let's just kiss." Luckily he knows that not everyone works like him, so he is able to understand that you may have different limits and such a direct approach can make the situation worse and even push you away from him.

So, firstly, he tries to understand exactly why you are suffering from so much anxiety when it comes to spending time with him and having more physical touch. Are you ashamed or afraid of doing PDA because of prejudiced looks since you are both men? Are you afraid that he will reject you if you show this need for time and affection? Are you publicly ashamed of others? Regardless of what's going through your head, Shanks wants to understand so he can give you truer love.

When he has a little idea or some theories, which he will achieve after observing you a lot in various situations and talking to all the other men on the ship, he will try to talk to you. Of course he will never force you into anything, he just wants to try to understand and maybe ease this weight that you are carrying alone. Even if you just want to scream or ramble without knowing exactly how to express your feelings and anxiety, he wants to be there for you, to show that he is willing to listen to you, understand you, especially validate and support you. He wants you to see that he is there for you in every situation.

Whether you decide to speak or not, the outcome changes very little. The difference being that having talked to you, Shanks will be able to understand you more easily, thus being able to make fewer mistakes in his attempts to help you and make you more comfortable with everything. If you don't decide to talk, he will be forced to make several trials and errors on how to make the environment more favorable for you to feel comfortable and overcome your anxiety, so you can give in to your desires for physical touch and spend more time with him. quietly.

Since you may have anxiety about initiating contact, Shanks will do all the hard work for you. Which, let's be honest, isn't very difficult, the redhead adores you like a loyal servant to a god, he can't keep his hands off you. It may seem funny to others to see a pirate as strong as a stray puppy following you, especially when they discover that Shanks' lover is a man, but what can he do... He is a man completely in love with you .

It's not uncommon for him to go after you, but if he notices your difficulty in initiating contact, he'll go even more after his presence. Every time he is free on the ship he will come after you, suggesting that you play a game, have a snack, talk, dance, sleep, he never runs out of ideas knowing that coming up first with a goal can make you calmer since you will just need to go with the flow and not think about everything on your own.

With physical touch, the difference is that he will pay extra attention to your comfort, it is normal that every time you are on land he is glued to your side. Holding hands or a hand around his waist practically hugging you, he just doesn't want to let go of you. In bars or any other establishment he would like to sit next to you, he would never put you on his lap, wishing that this choice came from you first. Shanks doesn't want you to feel humiliated or insulted by him wanting you on his lap, especially if you're nervous about showing affection publicly because you're both men.

But that doesn't stop him from having some physical contact, when his hand isn't occupied he'll put it on your thigh or your hand on the table, if he's drinking he'll leave his foot close to yours or even leave his foot close to yours. His leg pressed against yours. Even if it's small touches, he wants to show you that he wants to touch you just as much as you want to touch him. On the ship things are easier, he can simply hide the two of you in your shared room, thus avoiding the teasing of your crewmates and also having a little more privacy.

In the end he will just try to demonstrate that he wants your touch and attention as much as you do. He knows that actions can be stronger than words and he firmly believes that, so he will always be by your side to show you that he would never turn down spending time with you or having a make-out session. You are his boyfriend, after all! The man he loves and would do anything to see smile, he could never get tired of you.

Shanks' greatest happiness will be seeing you slowly loosen up and work on your anxiety better. When you start spending time together or touching, he will be celebrating inside. In the end, he just wants your attention and for you to show how much you love him, so he will never refuse if you want to spend time together. And even if it takes a while, even if you don't touch him for months, even if you need to talk a lot until you feel more confident, he doesn't mind at all. You are the one he loves and he would do anything for you, no effort is too much, you are worth everything he has to face and suffer, and he will accept it with a smile on his face.

If you think Shanks is easy to notice his difficulties then it only takes Mihawk an instant to notice something wrong. The difference is that the redhead will consider that some of the reasons for your anxiety could be external stimuli such as other people, reputation, shame or fear... Mihawk is a little more insecure at this point.

★彡Mihawk

His early theories for your anxiety and difficulty having quality time and physical touch with him is that the culprit is, well... Him. Are you no longer in love with him? Don't you feel comfortable? Not attracted? Is he not that interesting of a person to spend time with or is he not good at physical touch? It doesn't matter, he would initially think that it must be something he did that caused his estrangement.

He would have a few moments alone to consider everything, perhaps you no longer enjoy being in that castle without anyone's company but his. When he manages to calm his mind and open himself to any possibility, whether good or bad, he finally decides to talk to you. Luckily, Mihawk is extremely verbally expressive and is very good at communicating, so even if you were just rambling and getting lost in your own words, he will be able to understand you or even help you with how to express yourself better.

The conversation may seem a little suffocating due to Mihawk's firm gaze, but you've been his lover for long enough that he only pays attention to you like that. Furthermore, you can see a worried touch and even a loving look if you pay close attention to the way he looks at you.

Other than that, he is extremely patient with you, he will listen to you for as long as necessary and will only speak if you allow it and feel comfortable discussing it at that moment. Then he will try to analyze the entire situation to better understand your fears, insecurity, anything that is making you anxious and pushing you away from him. He will never judge any of your motives or tell you they are silly, no matter if you were just shy, if you were nervous about appearing clingy, if you were too nervous about his beauty? It doesn't make any difference why, if it bothers you in some way, then it's totally important and valid for him.

And just as he doesn't care about the reasons, he also doesn't care about the solutions to help you with your problems. He loves you with all the depth and loyalty he could have, so he is also willing to give his blood and sweat for the good of your relationship. For Mihawk it's more than fair for both lovers to make an effort, especially when one of them is in trouble, so not for a second does he think of you or this whole situation as a burden. He loves you and you love him, you are partners, you are the man he chose to spend the rest of his life with, if he doesn't make the slightest effort in trying to keep the relationship on good terms then he doesn't deserve you. That's why he will always do his best.

After that he will try to make everything easier for you, he might give you a few peaceful days without looking for contact, wanting you to breathe before facing your problems. After that he will begin his plan to slowly make you approach him again and feel comfortable coming to him whenever you want... And well, maybe he will be much happier when he can finally touch you again and spend time with you. , it may not seem like it, but Mihawk also really wants your company and the idea of being without it makes him extremely moody.

He will initially try to recapture the moments together, quality time is easier for Mihawk and he thinks that starting with that is the best way for the two of you to get closer again, after all you wouldn't be forced into any touching if you weren't already completely safe. Then he will reminisce about some of the activities you used to enjoy doing together, be it reading in each other's company during a calm evening, the sound of the fireplace and the birds outside providing a more peaceful environment for you to relax your mind and let go of the anxiety. go away. He will also invite you to garden together. If you don't like getting dirty he will just talk to you and ask for your help. That doesn't make you put your hands in the dirt. However, if you like it, he will be very happy to teach you or listen to his teachings. He will work in the garden while you talk about where you could use those vegetables. If you want, he can also help you make a flower garden or plant anything else you like.

He will also love your company in the kitchen, he may use the excuse of testing new recipes to include you more, maybe he will even try to make something that you like to eat from another island. If you cook, like it or want to learn, he doesn't mind your help either, as long as you are happy and coming out of your shell, forgetting your anxiety and allowing yourself to be comfortable and doing what you love again, he is satisfied. Also, he may start trying to initiate physical touches, if you are a swordsman he will love some sparring sessions with you, although he won't go easy on you. After all, you are a man and a worthy opponent, you can notice that his movements are much more sensual and loving, it is as if he is trying to seduce you, win you over again and using all his body language in favor of this.

If you don't fight or don't want to learn, although Mihawk would love to teach you, he can still think of other activities with physical touch. His favorite is dancing. You will find him the most patient and dedicated partner possible, if you understand dancing he will even let you guide, moving and handling his body as you wish. Furthermore, he could even go into activities outside of his standard if that could help him relax and be calmer with touch. Trying on clothes? You have Dracule's entire wardrobe at your disposal, luckily you are both men so this part is easier. Messing with hair? Of course, go ahead and touch his black hair, if you have longer hair he will enjoy learning how to style it or take care of it.

Other than that, once he notices you getting more comfortable, he'll go back to the subtle physical touches. Mihawk is not the type of lover who devours you in public, but you will always find his hand on your back, either guiding you or just making it clear that he is there. He will also offer his hand to help you get up or down from places, a hand on your shoulder or arm if you are in a situation where he wants to make it obvious that he has you and that he won't let anything bad happen.

He doesn't like more sensual touches in public, so in the privacy of four walls you will have more of that, light touches on your neck or your thigh, but they still won't be perverted touches, just a more romantic and deep touch, something he wants to keep for your eyes only.

Mihawk is a lover who is slower to deal with his anxiety, he in no way wants you to feel pressured, so he will wait with open arms when you are ready to regain intimacy. He'd also hate for you to feel like you're obligated to have this kind of intimacy with him, so he also doesn't mind if you don't like the closeness. In the end the truth is just unique, in Mihawk's eyes you are the perfect man, if you don't like so much intimacy and touching he is satisfied with that, if you like touching and want to be with him 24/7 he will too be more than satisfied. He needs you, everything you give him will be a gift. Therefore, even though he seems like a stoic and even cold man, Mihawk would never deny or be ashamed of your touch, you are the only one who can do whatever you want and he will never be bothered by it.

112 notes · View notes

artsekey · 1 year ago

Text

Procreate Dreams

I've been playing around in Procreate Dreams for about a week or so now, and I think I've got enough of a handle on the software to offer a fair review! If you're interested in hearing my thoughts, click the read-more below.

A little context before we get started; I have two degrees in animation, but they're both in 3D. My personal specialty is tech and articulation/rigging, but I think my background puts me in a unique position with Procreate Dreams; I know all of the theory behind animation, but I'm not going into Procreate Dreams and comparing it to a professional-grade software I generally prefer to use (like Toon Boom Harmony, for example).

So, let's get into it!

First Impressions

I hated it. I opened the software, it crashed. I couldn't figure out how to enable onion skins. I couldn't increase or decrease the exposure of my frames. I couldn't figure out how to swap to the eraser. I was confused, I was frustrated, and then I realized that I was expecting to jump in and animate without taking the time to learn the software first.

Once I stopped trying to strong-arm it and started looking up documentation, things got a little easier.

Re-Thinking My Approach

Procreate Dreams isn't comparable to any other animation software I've used before. The UI is different, there's a focus on gesture over buttons, and everything about it is meant to be minimalistic. None of this reflects poorly on the program, in my opinion. It's different. You can't go to Procreate Dreams and get mad at it for not being like the other software out there in terms of how it's used. In fact, I think one area of Dreams that should be applauded is the sheer ambition on display. It's a hybrid of traditional frame-by-frame animation and offers a slimmed down version of some of After Effects' most useful compositing & motion graphics tools. That's just plain cool.

The Good

For those of you who've used Procreate Dreams, you may find it's a little... difficult to see all the good it has to offer through the muddied waters it's launch-day bugs kicked up, but under all the grime, there's a little bit of gold.

Dreams is a one time, $20 USD purchase. That's huge in terms of affordability and accessibility in the software market right now.

The "Perform" option is great, and I think we'll see the longer that it's out, the more creative people are going to get in using it. I've already seen people create gorgeous parallax on their illustrations.

Simple compatibility with Procreate is a huge win. I'm finding my pipeline uses both software together.

The UI is a mixed bag overall, but I find the ability to move between flipnote mode and timeline mode to be great. It keeps the screen free, but I can still access the features I need while doing frame-by-frame.

The move/filters option is a great way to add a little compositing magic to your work.

The Bad

The "bad" here exclusively covers issues with the software as intended. Bugs will be covered under "The Ugly" below.

The lack of a lasso tool is a huge setback. I've seen people saying that it doesn't make sense not to have that feature at launch, especially when it's part of Procreate, but I understand why it may have been difficult to implement in conjunction with the move/perform/warp options. If you save a warp on top of an illustration, then cut and move part of the drawing, how is the warp/local translation data applied to that image? Does the pixel remember it's movement, or is it applied on top of the drawing? There's a lot to consider.

Similarly, the "reference" tool in Procreate would be an excellent tool to add color to layers beneath current layers. "Add Reference Track" would be great! That said, I think this conflicts with the move/warp tools like the above.

The timeline is a time sink. I should be able to adjust the exposure of my frames easily and consistently. As of right now, I have an 80-20 shot of selecting my layer or grabbing the handle for exposure. A small button on the edge of each frame (like a dot) would improve this considerably.

As far as I can tell, you can't mask a group onto another group.

No double-tap on the Apple Pencil 2 to swap to the eraser. This one I'm not sure about; it runs in Procreate, it seems simple to implement here... though it'd be great to see it customizable.

The Ugly

This includes bugs and other issues that are separate from the features (or lack thereof) of Procreate Dreams.

Crashes are frequent. I haven't used the software reliably during any of my sessions so far, but Dreams' autosave feature is extremely strong and very forgiving, so I have lost no work.

My pen pressure become erratic at times, necessitating a restart of the software.

Sometimes my pen will stop working, though other features in the app will continue to run.

The good news is, I think that Dreams is overall a huge win for artists and animators worldwide. Everything that's not working about Dreams will hopefully be resolved in future updates. I'd encourage anyone who wants to try animating for the first time to pick it up-- with the understanding it might take some time to get used to/master.

#procreate dreams #dreams #animation #review

61 notes · View notes

bloogers-boogers · 4 months ago

Note

Oooo ask blogs are fun)) Cain and Abel how's parenting going and what do you think about your Dad and Lucifer's situation

Cain: OHOHOHO—! where to fucking start?

Abel: just start by answering the question

Cain: bitch let me speak. Wait, what was the question again?

Charlie: I think they were asking about your thoughts on our dads being together...

Angel Dust: And how y'all do it

Vaggie: they did NOT ask about their sex life

Angel Dust: it was implied

Vaggie: it was not

Husker: just answer the fucking question, kid

Cain: WHO YOU CALLING A KID!?? I'm literally older than all of you hoes!

Abel: we're doing great! Raising Macey has been wonderful so far

Cain: for YOU. Raising Macey is wonderful for you. Do you know how difficult is to tame a kid from wrath?? VERY difficult. It's to be expected by demons who's strengths is rooted through anger. You can imagine all the punches I had to take just to feed her. For a wrath demon it's like the ocean breeze of the beach but for us outsiders that don't belong to the wrath ring is like teaching a rabid hyena how to not bite your arm off. It's a battlefield everyday and this ain't nothing to what we'll expect when she hits puberty.

Angel Dust: if you knew it was gonna be difficult to raise her, why pick a baby from wrath?

Cain: because! ... Abel's from wrath, so.. well he loves challenges. I do too. It just— it fits right?? Okay. Simple as that.

Abel: *smiles*

Cain: *blushes deeply while rolling his eyes* fine. Seeing her reminds me of Abel, and I don't know she's fucking adorable, have you seen her? Also I love getting my arm yanked off every time it's bath time.

*Everyone looks at him in concern*

Cain: it's fucking worth it. It's like when you raise a cat.

Abel: when it comes to our opinions in our dad dating Lucifer it's kinda divided because at first we kinda thought this was genuinely just a professional agreement.

Cain: fuck nah, I knew from the very start that plan would crumble in failure the moment papa called us explaining the situation he was stuck in, our dad's an emotional mess. We know him well enough to call him insane. But I didn't think he'd be wanting the devil's ass. More like, a gay awakening to say the least but not 'wanting the guy that took my wives' awakening y'know

Abel: I mean.. the guy is okay, he's just as mentally fucked up like our dad

Cain: or even worse

Abel: they're very sad old men

Cain: stupid too

Abel: I feel bad for him. But I personally do think our dad's a little confused and shouldn't rush himself into a relationship with the literal devil

Cain: your jealousy is beyond comprehension. He's a daddy's boy. A very overprotective son, picky too

Abel: I'm not jealous. I'm concerned. Neither is stable enough to maintain a relationship

Cain: neither were we

Abel: so you're approving this?

Cain: hell nah. That'll just add more fuel to the theories that I'm Lucifer's spawn. I just think if those two do go official it wouldn't be that bad. Though our papa can score better but then again if you think of it, down here. 'Better' is the open can of beans laying inside sewer water

Abel: we are very grateful that Lucifer did offer himself to far extents as marriage just to keep our dad from being abused and tortured. We haven't yet thank him, with everything that's been happening we haven't had time and he's very awkward around us. Though we still do plan on thanking him when we're given the chance

Cain: most likely when we leave

Abel: point is, we can't say we like him for our dad's actual partner. As an individual he has good intentions, very bad at expressing them, but a genuine okay guy. But if our dad's crazy enough to give the devil a chance, we won't interfere. We just would have a hard time understanding it.

Cain: theres a part of me that thinks our dad's still freaky for our momma *hopeful smile*

Abel: ...

Abel: sure, honey. Whatever makes you sleep at night

Angel Dust: after rereading the ask over ten times I don't think they were referring to the relationship on itself, you guys, I think they were referring to-

Cain: times up! Next question!

#asks♡#marriage au?#ask the duck trope!

10 notes · View notes

o-sunny-day · 3 months ago

Text

WE AINT MAKIN IT OUT OF THE ROOMMATE TORIEL NEUTRAL ENDINGS WITH THES ONES 😭😭😭

AUUUGH WHY DO AMVS HAVE TO TAKE SO LONG TO MAKE anywho,

casually obsessed with an actively grieving man who hides all of it deep within himself, staying with a woman who has known grief all her life.

Okay ill explain about the songs I gave a bit more, I mean- if you’re really that interested

oh and also *pulls out secret box* theres more

and I have like 30 others- but I mean…. you don’t want that, do you?………………but by chance…..some MIRACLE…..anyone wants………my………i mean……..my dms are open…………..I also like other neutral runs yk……..and like………yknow……….Undertale………

FRANCIS FOREVER!!!! This ones pretty self explanatory if you listen/you’ve listened to it before.

Not being who you want to be cause your other half isnt there, not being able to sleep, “I miss you more than anything” THE WHOLE SHEBANG!!!

Yk I actually made an animation inspired off of a certain part in the amv I have in my head for this song- But I used “Sailor Song” instead because……..I actually don’t know why, come to think of it-

BUT BASICALLY the line “I look up at the gaps of sunlight” before “I miss you more than anything” HURTS, yes, but ALSO

Sans cant exactly be looking up at….the sky cause uh…..underground. So he’s looking at the hole that you fall from!

THE ONLY THING!!!! This one is mainly vibes, lyrics are REALLY GOOD TOO but vibes for the neutral ending specifically…Its kinda nostalgic and childhood wondery (I LOVE SUFJAN STEVENS SO GODAMN MUCH OMG) and thats very much how I feel Toriels house/general demeanor is like :3

But i’m kinda stealing from the fan assumption/theory that Papyrus is often the only thing that convinces Sans that some things he does ARE worth doing even in a repeating world

“how do I live with your ghost” “everything i see/feel returns to you somehow” “I wanna save you from your sorrow”

ok but the saving from sorrow thing has 2 meanings, 1 twords Papyrus and the other to Tori, cause ALSO stealing from the fan theory/assumption that Sans hides a LOT from Papyrus and while I dont personallyyyyyy believe it cause I think the King Papyrus thing was a one time REALLY difficult choice- BUT ITS SAD AND IT WORKS FOR HERE.

THEN! it also works for Toriel cause he’s saving her from sorrow from telling her about what the human is really like

SLEEPYHEAD! This is from Toriels perspective now!!!

Again, pretty self explanatory if youve listened to the song, “theres dust upon the stairs” OMG! DUST!?!?! LIKELIKELIKE UNDERTALE???!?!?!?

Also “I have never been the type to go to church, but I pray for her(Him) each night” Toriel is shown to be religious in Deltarune so id assume shes the same in Undertale…

“Please dont forget that im your friend”

DON’T FORGET!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!!?

But anywho- in an amv of this id think that… Toriel has no fucking clue whats up, cause Sans hasn’t told her, but she still “prays for him each night”/is worried for him cause CLEARLY HES UNWELL

DEAR THEODISIA….IS MORE SANS AND TORIEL/ALSO ASGORE THAN THE ENDING ITSELFFFFFFF BUT JUST HEAR ME OUT

Burrs whole thing is about his daughter… and Hamiltons is his son….

Toriel and Asriel…and Sans and Papyrus….IT ACTUALLY WORKS SO WELL AND I SOB IMAGINING THE AMV POSSIBILITIES

Asriel: you will come of age with our new nation, we’ll bleed and fight for you, we’ll pass it on to you AAAAUUUUGHHH

Papyrus: pride is not the word im looking for, there is so much more inside me now, you outshine the morning sun AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Asriel will blow them all away by being KING some day, and Papyrus will by just being the coolest motherfucker in Snowdin and also ROYAL GUARD

9 notes · View notes

abhorrenttester · 1 year ago

Text

Alright, so I saw a video today talking about parallels between Homestuck and Undertale, and it mentioned the theory of Deltarune being a post-scratch Undertale, and that got me thinking, so I want to put my theory out there to see if anyone can make anything of it.

The scratch is a thing in Homestuck where, because the characters are kinda inside a video game and their universe is destined for failure, they damage the game's disk enough to essentially get it to crash and do a hard reset. This would replace their universe with a near identical one, and while they should be erased with the rest of the universe, they find a way to avoid that and go to this new universe themselves.

My idea is that Undertale is a post-scratch Deltarune. While there is no game disk to destroy, Ralsei talks about how the dark fountains cause destruction that affects everything. Now, I have no clue how the rest of the game is going to play out (obviously), but I feel like each new chapter is going to involve the creation of a new dark fountain, and even if they are closed, the repeated opening is going to cause stress on the world. Maybe even enough to cause the universe to "crash". This I doubt, but since the game is all about control, it could be a thing where Kris, Susie, and Ralsei realize that the world is to far gone in the end to fix, so their only chance to do anything is to follow the ancient texts, and reset the universe, and there's something about Kris making the choice on their own, without the player's input.

Following this theory, they do so, and the universe is reset, turned into Undertale. But in Homestuck, a group of kids manage to make it through the scratch while remembering the old universe. So who from the Deltarune universe makes it through? Personally, I say three people. Sans, Papyrus, and Gaster. Sans and Papyrus are close, and while I've yet to see anything saying that Gaster is in the game, I feel like he is going to be a large part in the later chapters, so my whole idea is this;

The events of Deltarune happen. As the story progresses, and the world starts to fall apart, Gaster will appear. He is clearly connected to the Skeleton Brothers in some way, and while the main story will be progressing and his backstory will be revealed, he will try to find a way to survive the scratch. However he does, he ends up taking Sans and Papyrus with him. This makes them the only people to survive the scratch. Everyone else (except for the player, who is confusing and difficult to add to most meta theories) gets reset, and lives out their lives in Undertale. Gaster works for Asgore as his royal scientist (I imagine he would be able to manipulate Asgore into giving him the job if necessary). Meanwhile, Sans and Papyrus show up to Snowdin Town one day, and become people who live there. Gaster, motivated to try and get his original universe back, makes a machine. A machine which is intended to make everyone into the versions he wanted, but instead makes him into a part of the universe. That's why his machine which he "fell into" (used himself as a base to recreate his universe) ended up spreading him into pieces throughout the new universe. This is why characters seem to remember bits and pieces through resets. That's the part of Gaster inside of them.

Also, Sans. In Deltarune, although he has some meta moments, they are only for laughs. But in Undertale, after he has witnessed the universe reset itself and what that did to Gaster, he is more aware of the player's resets than anyone (besides Flowey). If he witnessed the UNIVERSE reset, then it would explain how he would be aware of the player's resets, and why he is so intense about it.

Papyrus kinda messes this up, as he is generally oblivious to the escapades of the player, even more than most. But, he isn't coming in until Asriel does, which makes me think that something big is going to happen to him, causing him to be so oblivious.

The only reason I'm giving this so much thought is because of how close Toby Fox is to Homestuck with his stories. I don't think he would steal a major story point straight from Homestuck, but he could use it as a base for what he ends up doing. It's clear that Undertale and Deltarune are intertwined with Homestuck, and the thought that they both end up using the same game mechanics to reach different goals seems plausible.

If nothing else, than this is my guess that Gaster will be important to the later story of Deltarune, and we will find out his backstory, and what the hell happened to him in Undertale.

70 notes · View notes

mental-ch-illness · 10 days ago

Note

um i really don't know who to ask about this so i hope you don't mind this here. im in a capital b Bad place rn, not necessarily mentally but productivity-wise i am non-functional. have known i am autistic for years now but recently finally got a diagnosis which opened up new help routes from the govt. i love with and am entirely reliant on my parents. im supposed to be a student but can't attend school bc Fuck Up.

my parents are suffering so much bc of me and are very uneducated about autism and everything is really difficult for us right now. we are a large family and so far treatment for me had cost SOOOOOO MUCH and im still not getting any better. my parents discovered ABA therapy and want to put me through it. they don't understand anything about the negatives they are just desperate for things to get better no matter what it costs on my end (which makes sense since im the one putting them thru this). i know they love me but it hurts a lot knowing how little they understand when they things like "well why can't you just do that" when they learn what masking is (i already do and also it's painful and that's such a shitty solution).

im so scared they're gonna make me do ABA and it's really expensive (you sign up for a chunk of sessions at a time and each one is 8k)(we are NOT RICH) but i can't just refuse because this has been going on for so long and everyone is miserable and im ruining my family. i can't just refuse a potential solution. but im so terrified i've heard the stories of what happens to people who go through ABA and i DONT WANT THAT TO HAPPEN TO ME

im a minor, financially dependent on them, and i love them more than anything so i can't just leave or smthn; they are always arguing and crying and it's always bc of me and i just want to be better for them; but they want me to do ABA

i need advice im so sorry i just don't know what to do at all anymore. should i suck it up and try it? it might break me inside but if it gets my outsides to function properly maybe it doesn't matter idk

I am so sorry you're going through all this. I want to reassure you that your parents very much love you. You are not a fuck up. School is not built for us. It's made to funnel people in structured 9-5 jobs with little support for anyone who can't fit into those boxes. I have been where you are now and I promise you that it does get better. It takes time and hard work— like... a lot of hard work— but it does get better. Hopefully your new diagnosis allows you to have more treatment options and you are able to achieve so much!

As someone who has experience with ABA, I have So Many Thoughts™️. ABA can be useful at teaching life skills, such as sorting, cleaning, safety information, communication, and tolerating overwhelming situations (example: doctors/dentists, school, etc). Personally, I find that it CAN be a great tool... but only in the right hands AND in a properly trauma informed and emotionally responsive environment.

Unfortunately, most people view ABA as a way to control problematic behaviors and increase compliance, instead of a form of theory that allows for a better understanding of the functioning of behavior. Personally, I think it is can be used for very young children or those who have much higher support needs. Again, it should be used to teach basic life skills. Even when that is the focus of a learner's program, it's very easy to get wrong which can lead to traumatization, prompt dependence, and more.

The field of ABA is just like any field of science and will need time to grow and change, but it's not something I can provide my full confidence in at this current. While it has improved in many ways since its early conception (it's kind of hard to get worse than rebirthing), it still has a long way to go. One of the biggest problems with ABA is that it fails to take the experiences of those with Autism into account. It took months of cajoling before I could convince an ABA practitioner to approve a oral stim toy for their client, and within that first week their self biting went from over 100 instances a day to less then 50. The practitioner seemed so shocked that an autistic person might just have a good idea or two on how to help another autistic person. Go figure.

Personally, I would look into Dialectical Behavior Therapy. DBT is known to help those with Autism learn to cope with emotionally overwhelming situations as well as sensory overload. Another really great thing about DBT is that there is often a group therapy aspect to it, which helps those with autism learn to interact positively in social environments with others who are going through similar experiences.

Hope this helps!

#autism #autism spectrum disorder #every day is a good day to support people with autism #advice #anonymous

3 notes · View notes

dearweirdme · 1 year ago

Note

I think people need to remember that they CANNOT be open if they're in a relationship. As much as shippers and army would support them and want them to be the ones to throw themselves onbthe blade and martyr themselves, the reality is that a relationship announcement would go down like a dead weight in their home country right now, not to mention some other countries where they have a presence.

People confuse indulgence and enjoyment of fan service with an acceptance of homosexuality or they think US/Western politics apply and that's just not the reality. Hell, even some of their shippers would turn on them because some people are only shipping them, not because they actually believe in them, but because shipping 'keeps them away from' and disassociates them from women

It means their sasaengs and solos pissed off because look how entitled the first feels to them and look how the second talks about each of them individually.

Do people really think solo JKers and KTHs are going to be super supportive if it turns out they've been in a relationship with the very person they've been openly despising so much?

And yes, people like that shouldn't get to dictate but those are still things that the guys would need to take into account because should or not, the backlash would still be unreal.

They would get so much ship if a romance was revealed between them, shit that ARMY couldn't protect them from. It would be their domestic fans, their peers, maybe even their friends and family members turning on them.

South Korea still has long strides towards acceptance; real acceptance and not just idealised acceptance.

Shooting the shit online and speculating is one thing because they can deny fan theories but when you're all up in JK or Tae's lives, putting them on the spot with questions that, if answered honestly, could potentially blow up their whole lives, careers friendships, families etc---then no wonder they're not into it because your putting them in the position to either confess or lie and who the hell would feel good about that?

I believe I've seen enough to convince me that their relationship goes beyond friendship and so I think they put out what they can and share what they feel comfortable with and unless SK suddenly has a dramatic overhaul on LGBT rights or they really decide to out everything on the line (and honestly, why would they?) that's the best you're gonna get from them and fans and shippers need to accept that and stop putting them in difficult situations in lives and stuff.

Imo, they've made it as obvious as they possibly can while still protecting themselves with a cover of denial should they ever need it.

---and that's why their relationships with the other might seem different or more open because the deniability factor is already in play there and guaranteed since there's nothing to actually hide or protect.

Hi anon!

Yep yep, I agree!

#taekook

44 notes · View notes

victheclown · 11 months ago

Text

Dance with the Devil (BandPunch)

(Actual writing continues under cut !!)

Opening the giant doors leading inside of the Studios’ theater, Robin led the much shorter man through the empty line and all the way backstage for now, all the while Leon glanced around the place with a curious look while he was being metaphorically dragged to where they were meant to go.

L: “Woah… Dude, this place is really cool! I can totally see why you were put to guard the place here-”

R: “Of course I was! It simply makes sense.”

L: “Sure thing dude, hehe.”

Finally, from behind the stage, the two were on the actual theater stage. The entire seating area for a potential audience was empty currently, and apart from a few stage lights now being turned on, all of it was dark. It was actually almost entirely empty, apart from them both, and a few origami soldiers that seem to be roaming about, doing… whatever really.

L: “.... Huh! Kinda liveless here. Figured there’d be more of an audience!” R: “There will be. But…” Robin crossed his arms, turning away from Leon as he gazed off to the side for a moment, furrowing his brows as he thought for a moment… Was this good? Will this work out? Was he even… Entirely sure what he wanted to do anymore?

… It’s like every bit of a plan he had for this moment suddenly slipped his mind. He could only barely think straight now as he let out a quiet, mildly frustrated sigh… Why was it so hard to think? He has no issues planning anything down to the smallest letter, to make sure everything would be perfect… Why couldn’t he now?

L: “... But?” The demon slightly tilted his head in response, just a little confused before Robin quickly turned back towards him, putting his hands behind his back with an attempt to throw away any doubt and regain his composure once more.

R: “... We won’t need any audience tonight. I'd only like to practice.”

Leon quickly put on an excited smile again as his tail began to sway around a little behind him. L: “Yeah! You said something about dancing, yeah dude?”

R: “Mhm…” L: “.... Just, uhh, why me exactly? I’m not sure if my style of dance is exactly what you need-” R: “- And yet, you are the only one who knows at least something about dancing in general.”

L: “... Yeah! Sounds about right.”

With that out of the way, Robin looks over to a small group of Folded Soldier Shy Guys carrying equipment around, before pointing at one of them and calling out to them. R: “You! You’re going to be on the piano again. Just as practiced, alright?? I don’t want to hear anything out of tune today!” Without hesitation (and possibly out of mild fear), the Origami Shy Guy hurries over to a small stage piano, which it rolls over a little to get it into position before sitting down on the chair. Robin looks back down to Leon, clasping his hands together in front of his chest.

R: “Alright darling. It’s really not difficult, just a simple waltz. All you have to do is follow my lead.”

L: “... Isn’t that going to be a bit hard? Why didn’t you get someone taller than-” R: “We’ll manage. No more talk back now, we ARE doing this, okay-”

He was going to admit, seeing Robin this adamant about this was a little confusing to say the least. But he was completely up to helping his fellow dancer, even if he didn’t quite understand his thought process behind asking him in particular. With a quick crash course from Robin around how closed positions in a waltz worked and Leon having an at least decent grasp at how it worked in theory, he eventually snaps his fingers at the Shy Guy at the piano, signaling it to start playing on his cue.

R: “Okay… You don’t need to do much. Just… Follow what I do. Simple enough?”

L: “Yup! Can do, dude.”

Well then. Robin took a bit of a breath before placing his right hand, slowly, on the other’s back, and then leading Leon’s left hand, letting it go at his right shoulder then, where Leon placed it then. Taking his now free remaining hand into his own then, he taps the back of his heel on the ground to alert the piano assigned Shy Guy.

Then, counting down from four, their dance began. To the slow and graceful music from the piano, Robin attempts to guide Leon around the stage in their dance. It went about as he nearly expected - Leon wasn’t doing terribly, but he definitely wasn’t at all familiar with such a slow and coordinated way of dancing. Needless to say, he fell over quite a few times, whether it be over his own feet or over Robin’s.

It did test Robin’s patience, quite a lot even. But something inside his mind wanted to keep going anyway, if just to be here for a little while longer. Even if this just went wrong in every possible way, simply the way of being this close, hand on hand, arm around him, moving so closely together to the soft ringing of the piano keys echoing through the theater… He couldn’t deny it. It was a feeling he didn’t want to stop.

As the amount of times they had to try again due to a dumb mistake from Leon, he began to grow a little less enthusiastic about all this. He expected this to be difficult for sure, but that he was going to be THIS bad at this? He honestly did expect at least a little better of himself… And part of him thought that Robin did so as well. During their next attempt, his gaze wandered off to the side a little, with a frown on his face.

R: “... Hey, darling. Look at me.”

Robin was rather quick to catch up on this. After getting Leon’s attention and gaze on him once more, he took a moment to try and figure out what to say, and ultimately… he just spoke freely from his mind for once.

R: “... You’re doing great, Leon. You’ve never done this before, so don’t feel bad. Alright?”

Leon quietly stares up at Robin for a moment, not quite sure what to say or how to react. He then let out a quiet chuckle before putting on a happy little grin, his tail slightly swaying around a little as they moved.

L: “Heh... Okay. Thank you.”

As he smiled up at him, Robin felt as if his heart just began to burn up inside of his chest. A feeling, amongst many right now, which he wasn’t used to at all. He nearly instinctively put his hand on top of it, lightly pulling and pressing on the bands that made up his harness to let out some built up emotions through his hands. But in no way was that enough. How was he supposed to even react to something he’d never known before? Should he laugh? Cry?

R: “... Heh… Haha.. Ahahaha-!-”

… He ended up doing both. He suddenly stopped and let go of Leon, supporting his hands on his knees as he lowered his head with a mixture of laughter and some light sobs. It was nearly out of his control now. He lived for drama, sure… But this was something else, even for him.

Leon stumbled back a little when Robin almost broke down laughing and crying, nearly forgetting he even felt down before. Instead he now felt a little panicked at this rather unnatural reaction from his friend.

L: “R.. Robin?- Are.. Are you okay, dude-” But it was almost to no use. Robin put a hand on his head, hiccuping a little from the continued cry-laughter as he seemed to try and specifically avoid looking Leon in his eyes right now.

R: “Haha-... Stop… Stop looking at me with that… Dumb… Cute… Face of yours..!..”

That was all he managed to bring out between fits of laughter filled with tears running down his face.

L: “... Huh?”

Not all too sure how to react or what to say, Leon simply stood around, waiting for anything else to happen. He lightly fiddled around with the zipper from his jacket, until Robin managed to calm down enough to get back up, letting out a few shaky laughs as he wiped any remaining tears from his eyes. Though there still remained a hint of distress in his voice as he finally began to speak up again.

R: “... Haha… Wow… I’m a mess… What a disaster…”

L: “Hey… Robin, dude- If something’s up, you can tell me..” R: “... I actually don’t even know what to say… Somehow…”

Robin let out a groan in frustration, grasping his harness’ bands with both hands as he took a deep breath, looking over to the much shorter man now with some desperation in his eyes. This was a scenario he wasn’t at all prepared for, a scenario he COULDN’T prepare for. He attempted to have everything figured out, that nothing could go wrong with this… And still he failed. All of these immense feelings messed up his brain and heart in more ways than he could ever have anticipated.

… He wanted to be angry so bad, but he couldn’t. Not at Leon, even when knowing he was the direct cause of this.

He can’t just be angry at him.

R: “... I can’t take this… Everything you do… Everything you say… It makes me feel so… so… gah-! I can’t take it-!...” That brief outburst got Leon to step away a little further, his tail wrapping slightly around one of his legs as his ears went down a little. He was a little stunned for a moment, not quite sure what was going on with his friend here, until he spoke again.

L: “... Do you… Want me to leave?” R: “No!- That’s EXACTLY what I DON’T want!-..... Gh…”

He truly couldn’t take this any longer. Whatever it was that was building up so much inside of him now, he couldn’t bring himself to contain it any more. Without much thinking, he reached over to grab Leon’s hands, leaning down to him as their faces were now only inches away from one another.

R: “You don’t understand Leon- I… I love you. I love you so much it makes me crazy-”

His voice quivered as he spoke, and for what feels like the first time in forever, he spoke completely freely from his completely overwhelmed mind now, flooded with emotions not even he could keep locked up for much longer.

R: “I.. I don’t know what to do. What was I thinking- To think this entire charade I’ve been putting up was in any way going to help with this- if only it made it WORSE- and I-... I…” L: “... Hey.” Leon briefly interrupted him in his stutters, wrapping his fingers around his hands now as he gave them a gentle squeeze. He was still a little unsure how to go about his own words, especially with how distressed Robin was in the moment. But part of him wanted to take the chance…

L: “... Did you mean this? What… You just said?” R: “... Yes. Yes I… I did.”

Both of them looked the other in the eyes now, with both now taking a moment to try and make up their mind on where to go from this. This was rather sudden…. But they could make it work, surely.

L: “... Heh, I’ll be real, this is kind of a surprise… Coming from you, from all people.” R: “... What makes you say that?”

L: “Y’know… Nothing against you really, but… You didn’t exactly seem like the kinda guy lookin’ for any kinda relationship like that… Especially not with someone like, well… Me.” Robin frowns a little for a moment, holding Leon’s hands a little closer to himself now as his tone begins to appear a little more collected again than it was just before.

R: “Oh darling- Don’t say that. You are a very interesting individual, yes… And your taste in music is abominable at best at times…”

He then let out another slightly frustrated breath, letting go of one of his hands now to cover part of his face, which was beginning to heat up quite a lot at this point.

R: “... But the Vellumentals be damned, your energy, your unrivaled passion for what you do.. And so much more… It’s something someone couldn’t help but… Love…”

By that point, Leon couldn’t help but smile again, his tail swaying back and forth now. A thought came to his mind then, something he in one way was a little hesitant to go forward with… But what the hell, here goes.

With Robin leaning down far enough that he could reach his face, Leon reached up just as much as he needed to with his free hand to place it on the back of Robin’s neck and gently pull him into a kiss, not thinking too much about it now. Robin was a little surprised for a moment. And though part of him was still quite overwhelmed by his own inability to keep his emotions in check… he didn’t quite pull back in any way, leaning into the kiss as he placed his own free hand on Leon’s shoulder.

Time practically stopped as the two stood in the middle of the theater stage together, in each other’s arms. They weren’t quite sure how long they’d been here now for as they eventually break the kiss, looking into each other's eyes in complete silence now.

Somehow, despite how wrong things went just before… It was all so good now, so… wonderful even. Robin almost couldn’t believe it actually… But now was not the time to freak out about it anymore. Somehow, it worked out… He didn’t know how, or if he would ever understand… But it worked.

L: “... Hey… Want to try that dance one more time? I think I’ll get it right this time.” R: “... Sure, sure. Of course.”

With a quick indicator for the piano music to start again, the two made their for now final attempt at this dance. It went well, not perfect, but well. And towards the end, Leon swiftly took a hold of Robin and picked him up into his arms, with little to no effort. Robin let out a surprised gasp for a moment, holding closely onto the other’s shoulders before he realized what was going on. Leon simply gave him a smile, his tail swaying in circles with excitement.

L: “Hehe, how was that?”

He let out a happy little laugh, Robin glancing off for a moment as he put a hand over his now very warm face.

R: “... Your posture needs work… But… It was good… Very good…”

In a way, he couldn’t help but admire that bit of confidence Leon showed him now. With Robin in his arms, he decides to sit on the stage floor now, loosening his grip on him a little so he could move.

L: “Heh, hard to get a good posture going when you’re so tall.”

R: “Now now… No excuses, heh.”

Robin moved a little to the ground himself, and after a moment of consideration pulled Leon over to his lap, loosely putting his arms around him, to which the other happily snuggled up against him with his head and a very soft and quiet purring sound. His tail slowly began to wrap around one of Robin’s legs now as the two cuddled up together.

R: “... Didn’t expect you to enjoy this that much.” L: “Mmrrp…”

He let out a light chuckle as he began to run a hand through Leon’s hair slowly as he leaned against him, to which Leon only responded by rubbing his head right into his hand.

R: “Heh… Look at you.”

He let out a soft, happy sigh, continuing to slowly and gently brush his fingers through the demon’s tied up hair. With the silence filling the theater room, it was a rather calming experience, something both of them rather enjoyed. Leon opened his eyes then as he looked up to Robin, speaking up with a lightly joking tone.

L: “Hmhm… Did the practice help at all by the way? Or was it just to get me to come with you?”

R: “Hm? Oh… Well yes, but… I really did want to practice a little also.”

Robin let out a light hum as he spoke, his gaze trailing off a little as his hand stayed gently rubbing Leon’s head now.

R: “... I do have a big show coming up after all… My big debut.”

L: “Yeah! You talked about that! You’re gonna nail that, I know it.” R: “Heh… I know… Hey. You should come to see it. If you can, that is.” He quickly raised his head at that, a small sparkle coming up in his eyes as he grins up at Robin.

L: “Oh…! Totally!! I can totally manage that, yeah!!”

His tail sways a little against one of Robin’s legs it was currently wrapped around, to which he gave a smile of his own in response.

R: “Heheh… Wonderful.”

They were there for a few more hours for sure, until it came to Robin that he had a few things to take care of of his own now. Soon enough, the two got to the currently very quiet entrance to Shogun Studios, where they bid each other farewell.

R: “Alright... Until next time then.

L: “Yeah! It’s been… Really, really nice with you.” Though his normal enthusiasm still shined through, there was a hint of how flustered he was now also. Robin couldn’t help but chuckle at that before leaning down to the demon and giving him a kiss on his cheek, rendering the other speechless for a moment.

R: “Remember me in your dreams now, will you darling?~”

Leon was stunned for a brief moment, slowly putting a hand over what was now the smudge of yellow lipstick on his cheek. It took him a moment of just staring up at Robin before he could speak.

L: “... Heh… I will… I could never forget someone like you.”

R: “I’m simply flattered.”

He smiled down at him as he slowly turned his way back to the way towards the studio, giving him another smile and a wave as he spoke.

R: “Take care then, darling… I love you.”

This last part…. Came almost naturally now. He felt so calm, even with all these new feelings still stirring around inside of him. And surely, that feeling was mutual between them both. With a wagging tail and a very enthusiastic wave in return, Leon stumbled his way off on his own.

L: “Love you too !! See you !”

R: “... And when the time comes, don’t forget about my show!”

L: “I promise you- I wouldn’t miss it for anything in the world!”

#writing #pmtok #paper mario #the origami king #los #legion of stationary #bandpunch #Hole Punch | Leon #Rubber Band | Robin #I wrote this a while ago before i got active on tumblr again n remembered this so fkgdsjkgsd #may not be great #im no good at writing but i like to get silly sometimes #this was one of those times #i love them so much no one could ever love them like i do im gonna sob #crying wailing even/pos

19 notes · View notes

holdonunreal · 17 days ago

Text

Chapter 10: On That Rainy Night

Summary:

The second part of the class trip! While the others are fast asleep, you lie awake, caught in a maelstrom of thoughts, memories and feelings. To calm yourself down and clear your head, you decide to go for a walk in the middle of the night. At the same time, the Smiling Critters gather in one of the rooms and do what they always do. Bubba tries in vain to convince the others of his theory that what happened in the mall was supernatural. But his friends react with rejection and ridicule. Outside, in the cold and silent night, you finally meet a girl who seems strangely familiar - a girl who is just like you.

Notes:

Finally another update for this story! No, I wasn't away for long, but rather focused on the Sorceres Apprentice story, as it was going through the roof at the moment. Not that I want to ride the hype or anything, just had more fun at the moment. But I like this story indifferently. Unlike the others, it's quite close to reality and I like that a lot, especially with the school/college setting. Have fun reading, leave kudos and a comment! wc: 7.6 k (Longest Chapter YET!)

It was quiet in your room.

The calm wind blowing through the open window. The small wooden table underneath, overflowing with sweets, powerbanks, wallets, alcohol and other normal things.

And you were awake, as always.

The memory of the incident at the mall nags at you. You keep seeing Karasu and you cowering behind the billboard, frustration overwhelming you. Your telekinesis, normally a secret, broke out uncontrollably. In front of everyone's eyes, the Smilling Critters' movie drinks burst - a mess of sticky liquid, surprised, shocked faces and silent confusion. Everyone stood there, completely baffled, except DogDay.

You left her behind without an explanation, and the more you think about it, the heavier the feeling becomes. It wasn't just a spontaneous action. It felt like crossing a line, almost like bullying - only with forces that no one could understand.

What was I thinking? It was so unnecessary, so wrong. I'm almost behaving like Karasu, who always tells me I "have to use these powers".

You continue to stare at the white mattress above you, as you have been doing for hours. Your thoughts are constantly revolving around today - or rather yesterday. Especially the use of your superpowers won't let you go.

I've become stronger... I would never have been able to do it from this distance before. I also didn't get headaches like I usually do.

It's a strange thought to imagine that your telekinesis is actually getting stronger. You remember Karasu's explanation: it's like a muscle that grows with training. Even though this idea is difficult for you, it makes sense in a strange way. Of course, no one would believe you if you told them that you can move things with your thoughts - but so what?

Your blanket is so warm, your body so heavy and you just wish you could sleep right now. Enjoy some peace and quiet, since the others are finally neither talking nor doing anything, you don't often get a chance like this, especially with Karasu.

Although Karasu was probably the only person you could begin to understand - and that's putting it generously - you still felt isolated. You're not a computer genius like Boogie, a gamer like Boxy and certainly not a social person like Karasu, who is constantly invited to parties and socializes effortlessly.

You are just...nothing.

You've always kind of stood between everything without really belonging. And although you were not completely indifferent, you had long since stopped getting your hopes up.

At least you have your telekinesis now - but instead of making you feel special, it just makes you an outsider. A freak who fits into this world even less than before.

Not that you ever wanted to be the star of the school. You just wanted peace and quiet. You'd prefer not to go at all.

It was a bad thought and you know very well that you shouldn't think along those lines - otherwise it will end badly again. These feelings, this nagging feeling of not belonging anywhere, of not really being noticed by anyone... you're no stranger to them. You've had them before. And Karasu, who always insisted that it was "just a phase", couldn't understand it. At some point, you stopped arguing against it - it was no use after all.

Depression.

You never liked using the word, but it seemed to be the only logical explanation. To you, it felt almost inevitable. Anyone else who suddenly had superpowers would perhaps dream of heroic adventures or of exploiting their abilities. But you?

You just thought about how they were isolating you even further.

You never had very many friends.

I want to go home.

This thought keeps coming to the fore as the memories of the day come flooding back to you. Everything hits you like a slap in the face, but most of all that one moment in the mall. Why did you do that? Why did you pay so much attention to DogDay of all people?

After the talent show and later at the party, she suddenly seemed to like you. She congratulated you, even gave you her Instagram - a moment that meant more to you than you would ever have admitted. But then?

Absolutely nothing.

No message. No likes. No sign that she thought of you even once. It was as if you were invisible, as if you'd imagined the whole thing.

Although she showed interest back then, she is now completely ignoring you.

And why did it hurt you so much?

I need to change my mind, fast.

The darkness of the room lies heavy on you, like a blanket that holds you down. The quiet breaths of your roommates are the only thing that breaks the silence. Occasionally there is a snore from Karasu or the squeaking of the slatted frame. The thin curtains allow the pale light from the large luxurious streetlamps to enter only dimly, casting distorted shadows on the walls. It smells of detergent, musty suitcases and a trace of cheap alcohol that Karasu has probably opened.

A walk at night.

The thought returns like an old friend who brings you to your senses. You did it back then - for other reasons, yes, but it always helped. The view of empty streets, the cold air, the feeling of being invisible in the dark.

You carefully push the comforter aside. The weight of your body on the mattress gives way slightly and you hold your breath as the frame creaks softly. The sleepers don't react. You slowly get up, hoping that the thin walls of the room will swallow your step.

Your gaze falls on the backpack lying open next to your bed. The mess inside mirrors your head. You quickly reach for your jacket, feel the rough surface of the fabric under your fingers and pull it on. Your phone and headphones lie under your pillow, next to the charging cable that you didn't even roll up properly earlier. The keycard is halfway out of your trouser pocket - always on the verge of getting lost, like so many things.

You hesitate for a moment. Your gaze wanders to the other beds. The even breaths, the shadows of their faces on the pillows. It would be easier to just get back into bed, close your eyes and forget the day.

But you can't. Your thoughts are too loud, the air here is too stuffy.

You pull the door open slowly, so quietly that even the soft click of the mechanism feels like a bang. A cold draught greets you as you enter the hallway. Your heart beats faster, not from fear, but from this strange, fleeting feeling of freedom.

You raise your tired arms to the height of your head. The headphones slide over your ears, the music starts to play, and with every step you take, you feel your thoughts coming into order.

You don't know yet that this walk will give you more than just a little peace and quiet.

Little do you know that you are about to meet someone who will change everything.

"I still can't believe it."

Bubba pushed his glasses higher on his nose with one finger as he stared at the cards in his hand. The light from the lamp above him cast a warm glow on his light blue, slightly disheveled hair, which the wind had moved through the half-open window. His brow was slightly furrowed, as if he was going over the words in his head again.

"Can you finally stop talking about it?"

Kickin sat opposite him on the floor, cards held casually in one hand while he slicked back his blond hair with the other. It stood up straight as always, a trademark that had earned him the nickname "Chicken". His black jogging bottoms were loose-fitting, the tight white T-shirt emphasizing his athletic build. An AirPod was stuck in his left ear, playing soft music - a contrast to his annoyed look.

The other Smiling Critters turned their attention to the circle in the center of the large room. Conversations fell silent as they watched the heated, semi-humorous discussion between the two. Some leaned back in their chairs, others sat scattered on the beds, all of which made a slightly chaotic picture.

The room was filled to the brim with the Smiling Critters. Originally it had been a room for four, assigned to the girls Crafty, Bobby, Picky and Hoppy. But gradually the others gathered here - as they always did. They were an inseparable group of friends, and somehow this room seemed to be the natural meeting place.

Of course, the whole thing was not in accordance with the rules. According to the rules of the school trip, no one was supposed to be in another room, and certainly not in such a large group. But as long as they were quiet and withdrew before midnight, the teachers often turned a blind eye.

The beds were neatly lined up against the walls, but the floor was a different story. Bags, pillows and blankets were spread out as if an improvised camp had been set up here. In the corner stood a small, portable Speaker from which soft music was playing. The light from the ceiling lamp bathed the scene in a warm, golden glow that made the room seem larger than it actually is.

It was one of those nights that felt strangely calming despite the noise and confinement. Here, among friends, it didn't matter how many rules they broke. All that mattered was the moment.

"I'm serious, guys..." Bubba said, his voice muffled but serious as he placed a card on the small pile in the center. His light blue hair bobbed slightly as he tilted his head to rearrange his cards. Then his gaze wandered to Kickin, his counterpart, and back to his hand. A soft, thoughtful sound escaped him as he weighed his strategy. "Something like this can't just happen."

Hoppy's voice came from one of the corners of the room, calm but with a hint of impatience. "Can you explain it?" She was sitting on top of one of the double bunk beds, her legs stretched out and one hand buried in her green hair. Her eyes wandered to the two in the middle of the room. "If not, there were probably some idiots who wanted to take the piss out of us. And apparently they totally succeeded."

Bubba sighed and placed the cards in front of him. His glasses reflected the warm light of the ceiling lamp as he closed his eyes briefly and then looked back at Kickin. "So..." he began, but Kickin just shook his head.

Kickin, the cool one of the group, sat casually on the carpet with his legs drawn up. His blonde hair, perfectly styled as always, stuck up like a cockscomb, and the single AirPod in his ear flashed faintly. With a wry grin, he looked up at Hoppy. "Those weren't idiots trying to screw with us. That was too..." He hesitated, searching for the right word. "...Perfect. Too weird. Whoever it was, they knew what they were doing."

"I see..." says Hoppy after a few seconds and takes her hand out of her green hair. She reaches for her phone, looks at it briefly and casts a quick glance around the room. Her eyes meet those of the other girls before she smiles sheepishly and turns back to the boys in the middle. "Are you just saying that to mess with Bubba's head so you can win?"

"That's not nice, Kickin," Bobby adds in her slightly squeaky voice. She sits on the lower bunk and fixes her bright red hair. Her outfit - a dress, high heels and carefully applied make-up - leaves no doubt that she cares about her appearance, but her posture remains relaxed.

Bubba and Kickin barely listen to them. They take turns playing cards, draw new ones from the deck and mumble numbers and strategies to themselves. The small circle they have formed seems like a closed-off world for the two of them, into which the voices of the others barely penetrate.

However, the attention of the Smiling Critters is focused on someone whose words always carry weight. A calm, gentle voice rises and cuts through the quiet murmuring. "But what could it have been?" DogDay asks, her words like a soothing melody.

DogDay stands behind Bubba, leaning casually against the wall. Her gaze wanders slowly around the room while her long blonde hair falls loosely over her shoulders. There is a relaxed authority in her posture that is unobtrusive but palpable. When she speaks, the conversations fall silent for a moment and even Bubba and Kickin raise their heads briefly.

Hoppy turns abruptly around the room, her eyes darting around nervously and almost panicked, before finally settling on Bubba. She crosses her arms in front of her chest and puts on an annoyed, slightly nervous smile. "If one of you even dares to say superpowers for the ten thousandth time-"

"Superpowers?" Bubba interrupts her abruptly, without even a second's hesitation. His voice cuts through the tension in the room like a knife.

All heads turn towards him, the conversations fall silent instantly. Bubba dramatically raises his last card, which he holds between his fingers, and lets his gaze wander slowly around the room. A mischievous smile creeps onto his face, as if he knows for sure that he has won the full attention of the group.

"W-Well... Maybe Bubba-" Crafty begins cautiously, her voice hesitant, as if she doesn't want to speak the thought aloud.

"Forget it." Kickin interrupts her without a moment's hesitation. His voice is determined and almost annoyed. Without looking up, he puts his cards upside down behind him for a moment, pulls his AirPod out of his ear and turns his full concentration to the game. "We don't live in one of Bubba's anime-supernatural worlds, okay? There are no people with superpowers."

Bubba's gaze darkens slightly, a hint of anger mingling with his previously amused expression. But before he can say anything back, Kickin slaps his next card onto the pile.

"Uno. Asshole." he says dryly, without looking up, with a wry grin that is almost a challenge.

"Tsk!" Bubba hisses and turns abruptly towards the window. His thoughts are going crazy, a state that is alien to him. Normally, his head is a well-oiled clockwork mechanism - every cog is in its place.

His whole life follows a strict order. He gets up at exactly the same time every morning, eats the same breakfast, takes the same bus and talks to the same people. Routine is his foundation, and he loves it that way. But since the beginning of this semester, it feels like his perfectly planned life is falling apart at the seams.

Okay, maybe he's exaggerating. His grades are still excellent, his friends are the same as always, and objectively speaking, not much has changed.

But then there's you.

You, who appeared out of nowhere. The little boy he had never seen or noticed before. The boy who was the only one to pass the college chemistry exam. The boy who took away his chance of a recommendation for the coveted internship. The boy who won the talent show together with that idiot Karasu - with tricks that even he, the so-called genius, couldn't explain.

He has his eye on you.

In Bubba's world, everything revolves around data, facts and calculations. You don't fit into this world. You're an anomaly, a flaw in the system. You just showed up, took center stage and proved twice that you could outdo him. Once with the chemistry test, and then with the talent show. The talent show especially gnaws at him - the embarrassing moments when classmates asked him, the all-knowing Bubba, to explain your tricks and he had no answer.

It bothers him. You bother him.

"Do you want to lay?" Kickin suddenly asks, his eyes fixed on Bubba with a mixture of annoyance and amused mockery. He chews his teeth impatiently and turns to the side as if he wants to involve the other Smiling Critters in an imaginary talk show. "Or are you about to connect virtually to Pornhub?"

"Dude..." groans Hoppy from the top of the bunk bed, her voice dragging through the room with an annoyed undertone. She glances down to where Kickin is sitting and rolls her eyes demonstratively. "Just let the poor boy play."

Kickin shrugs his shoulders but is not deterred. With an exaggerated sigh, he throws another card onto the pile. "I'm just helping him, Hoppy. Maybe he needs inspiration to finally lay a card."

Bubba snorts softly and turns the card in his hand between his fingers, but his gaze remains fixed on Kickin. A muscle in his jaw twitches - the remark has hit home, but he doesn't let it show.

The others in the group exchange glances, some smiling with amusement, while others just sigh in annoyance. DogDay, on the other hand, turns her gaze away from the action and looks out of the window. She didn't like it when her friends teased each other, even if it was only harmless teasing. Her face is calm, her posture relaxed, but her thoughts seem to be elsewhere.

The silvery light of the night falls through the curtains and makes her long, blonde hair glow like a soft veil. Her bright eyes catch the shimmer and look almost ethereal as she gazes out into the darkness.

Then she pauses. Her gaze lingers on a figure moving across the castle courtyard.

You.

With your hood pulled low over your face and headphones in your ears, you creep through the night, a shadow that almost seems to disappear in the silence. DogDay watches you for a moment, her eyes following your movements as you walk into the distance.

"DogDay?" One of the voices in the room asks, snapping her back to reality. But her eyes stay on you for a moment longer. Something about you - the solitude with which you walk, the stillness of your silhouette - draws her attention in a way she doesn't quite understand herself.

It was quite obvious to her that you liked her. The way you looked at her - shy, insecure, but also admiring. But the "why" remained a mystery to her. She didn't understand what exactly held you to her, and not knowing made her hesitate. Because although she knew that something was hovering between you, she had never made the effort to find out more about you. Who you are and what's bothering you - all that remained unknown to her.

In the first few nights after the talent show, she had often thought about writing to you. Just a simple ‘hey’ or ‘how are you?’ - something to bridge the silence that prevailed between you. But every time she opened the message screen, she lacked the courage. She had no idea what to say, and maybe she was afraid of what your answer might be - or whether it would come at all.

And now, while she sees you out there all alone, she feels a little bit bad. She knows that she could have taken the first step long ago, maybe even should have. But as is so often the case, she stays calm and watches you walk.

The atmosphere in the room remains tense, but the momentum is unmistakable. While Bubba triumphantly places his penultimate card on the pile and quietly, almost reverently, murmurs "Uno", Hoppy and Bobby simultaneously give him annoyed looks.

"It was just like in Stranger Things," Bubba begins, his voice full of conviction. "In the third season, remember? That episode in the mall where the girl with telekinesis... she did exactly what happened to us today!"

Hoppy lets out a theatrical groan and throws his head back. "Seriously, Bubba? Are you trying to sell us Stranger Things as proof of your theories now? That’s soooo weird."

Kickin raises an eyebrow and turns to Hoppy with a lousy grin. "You know what else is Weird? CatNap," he interjects dryly, not hiding his sarcasm.

His comment elicits another synchronized sigh, this time even from Hoppy, who looks up from the game for a moment. "Oh no. Please don't tell me you're dragging CatNap into this now."

DogDay, however, remains silent, continuing to look at you with a half-absent gaze. You have almost disappeared from her field of vision, but something about your presence echoes in her mind. The rhythm of your steps, the way you move - it's hard to say exactly what it is that captivates her.

In the room, however, the discussion continues. Bubba frowns, his hands resting on his cards for a moment as he looks Kickin straight in the eye. "What about CatNap? Do you think she has something to do with this?"

"Where is she anyway?" Crafty suddenly asks, drawing attention to herself and turning away quickly. She sits in her corner, her drawing pad on her knees, and scribbles something, lost in thought.

"Who cares," mumbles Kickin dryly, without taking his eyes off his map.

"Kickin!" shouts Hoppy indignantly, and all heads turn towards him in the middle.

"What?!" he asks, annoyed, and gives her a cursory glance. "She doesn't want to be part of the group, anyway, does she?"

"What... are ya’ talking about?" Hoppy sounds surprised, almost indignant. Her eyebrows draw together as she stares at him as if he's just said something completely absurd.

"She's a total introvert," Kickin continues, his tone unchanged and casual. "Almost never talks, and the only person who really gets along with her is DogDay."

A brief silence spreads. The remark strikes an uncomfortable chord and the group seems to pause for a moment, as if they are weighing up the words.

DogDay takes her eyes off the window, turns around slowly, and her calm, gentle voice breaks the silence: "Maybe it's because no one has really tried to get to know her."

And that's where you come in.

( " Distant flickering’s, greener scenery. This weather's bringing it all back again " )

The streets are shrouded in darkness, cold and alien, like an unknown world that belongs only to you. The fog clings to the streetlights, which look like pale candle flames, and lends the scenery a touch of surreal horror - just like in the games you like so much. But instead of fear, you feel a strange sense of security.

The biting cold cuts through the air, sharpening your senses, and each breath leaves behind a fleeting cloud that fades into nothingness. Your headphones muffle the world around you until it's just you and the music. The beat permeates through your body, giving rhythm to your step, and the melody wraps everything in a bittersweet cloak of nostalgia.

( " Great adventures, faces and condensation. I'm going outside to take it all in " )

The castle garden seems endless, a labyrinth of winding paths, cold stone and empty spaces that blur in the darkness. You've been walking for ten minutes, and you still haven't reached the edge of the grounds. The streetlights cast a dull, orange light that gets lost in the fog. Benches and scattered statues appear, looking like ghosts of times gone by, but there is no sign of people.

( " You say too late to start, got your heart in a headlock " )

And that's exactly what you like.

You've never been a fan of crowds, of the chaos they bring - the voices, the jostling, the expectation to fit in. It feels like the world around you is getting louder and more crowded. In moments like these, you want nothing more than to be at home, wrapped up in your warm blanket, with your phone in your hand and soothing music in your ears.

(" I don't believe any of it ")

Out here, surrounded by silence and darkness, it's different. It feels like a little getaway, a place where you can finally just be. You take a deep breath, the cold air burns in your lungs, but it's a good burn. A burn that makes you feel alive.

With heavy legs and the feelings of the last few days, you take one step in front of the other. Your thoughts are a jumble that seems to clear with each passing minute in the cold fog.

And then you pause.

In front of you, at the edge of the path, is a bench. A simple wooden structure covered like a bus stop, marked by the weather, under one of the old streetlamps. Its orange light makes the fine veils of mist glow.

( " You say too late to start, with your heart in a headlock " )

But it's not the bench that gives you pause.

It is the person sitting on it.

Who is that?

You get closer, the footsteps on the ground seem louder than they should be, almost like a heartbeat pounding in your ears. Your nervousness grows with every step, a strange tingling sensation spreads through your body. It's not just the darkness or the fact that you can't quite make her out - it's that she's sitting there, in the middle of the night, like a shadow that has dropped out of your thoughts.

The hood covers almost everything, leaving only part of your face visible in the dim light of the lamp. But this posture - the slightly hunched shoulders, the relaxed grip on the phone - seems so strangely familiar.

( " You know you're better than this " )

You try to delve deeper into your memory as you slow down. Maybe you saw her somewhere on campus? Or at an event? No, that doesn't fit. It's not just the face you can't recognize - there's something about her entire presence that seems familiar.

You ask yourself that as you get closer. And as you get within a few steps, you realize that you're holding your breath. Your gaze lingers on her and your mind works feverishly, but you can't get any further.

Then she moves. A little twitch, a nod, as if she has noticed you. But she doesn't say anything, doesn't make a sound. Just this quiet, almost imperceptible twitch that heightens the tension between you even more.

( " Wear a different pair, do something out of step ")

You walk past but look in the direction of the bench. The person is sitting there, on the right-hand edge of the bench, their body leaning slightly forward. Ludwig's mighty castle rises up behind him, its towers and walls looking like a fairy tale in the pale moonlight - or like a dark dream. The sky above is streaked with black clouds, with the moon only occasionally breaking through and casting silver streaks across the scene.

You keep walking, but your steps become heavier. The air around you seems to condense, as if the moment stops time for a moment. Your gaze lingers on her, even though you try to look as inconspicuous as possible. You don't want to stop, you don't want to attract attention, but your heart is beating so loudly that it almost betrays you.

Then it happens.

She raises her head for a split second. The hood shifts a little, just enough for her eyes to catch the light. Black, deep obsidian eyes that hit you in a way that no words can describe. It feels like they're looking through you, like they can see everything you are - or what you're trying not to be.

( " Afraid to start, got your heart in a headlock " )

Your breath hitches, your steps slow down and your thoughts race back. Those eyes... you know them. You know it, even if you're not sure where. And then the images flash through your mind like lightning on a stormy night:

The girl behind the curtain at the talent show, just as hidden as you, her presence almost invisible, but noticeable, nonetheless. Her face appeared for a fleeting moment in the crowd of the party, just as you had used your power to help Karasu. And now she sits here, under the moonlight, with that impossibly pale skin that almost glows in the night, and a silhouette that blends perfectly into the darkness.

( " Throw a stranger an unexpected smile ")

Everything about her seems to mirror you - the same loneliness, the same inconspicuousness, the same way of moving in the shadows and yet being aware of everything around you.

You want to say something, want to stop, but your legs carry you on. You walk past, turn your head slightly in her direction, and part of you hopes that she will say something, that she will speak to you, stop you.

But she doesn't.

Instead, she sits there, like a ghost in the night, and the moment passes so quickly that you almost wonder if you imagined it. But the memory of her eyes remains. They burn themselves into your memory, stronger than any other memory of that day.

So, you keep walking, your eyes firmly fixed on the ground. Your heart beats incredibly fast, an uncontrolled rhythm that almost takes your breath away. A hot blush rises to your face, burning into your pale skin, as if your cheeks can't hide the chaos inside you.

A strange feeling spreads inside you, difficult to describe. It's a mixture of nervousness, curiosity and something you can't put your finger on. It feels as if this fleeting eye contact has triggered more in you than it should - or was allowed to.

You are less than ten meters away from the covered bench and the girl sitting there when you feel the first drops. They are cold, surprisingly cold, and hit the ground in front of you with a fine 'plink'. A few heartbeats later, the scattered drops turn into a steady rain that suddenly brings you back to reality.

The sky opens up above you, the sound of the rain swallows up the silence of the night. The darkness around you seems to grow thicker due to the wetness, and the moon disappears behind the dense clouds.

Does it have to rain right now?

You stand still. Your breathing, which was so frantic a moment ago, falters briefly while the raindrops roll off your hood and turn the world around you into a diffuse, blurred painting. Something about this moment feels meaningful - maybe the rain, maybe the bench behind you, maybe those eyes you can't get out of your head.

As the rain gets heavier and heavier, you feel the cold slowly creeping through your jacket. The drops are pelting down on you, faster and heavier, and you realize that there is no way to stay dry if you keep going like this. A frustrated breath escapes you as you look for somewhere to shelter from the rain.

But the streetlights only illuminate empty paths, bare trees and the wet asphalt. No canopy, no corner, nothing that could save you from the weather.

Except ...

The bench.

Your gaze glides back over your shoulder to where the covered bench stands - and the girl. Your heart skips a beat. The idea of going back makes the blush shoot back into your face. But there's no other choice. If you get completely soaked now, you can forget the jacket for tomorrow, and you know how cold it will be once it's wet.

If I get completely hit by rain now, my jacket won't be dry by tomorrow. I'll have to stand down somewhere...

I have no other choice.

( " With big intention, still posted at your station " )

With a slight sigh, almost inaudible in the increasingly loud rain, you turn around. Your steps are hesitant, almost creeping, as you walk back towards the bench. Every meter brings new nervousness, and you frantically try to find a reason why this isn't a bad idea.

You just stand there for a moment, unsure whether you should really sit down. The rain pours down steadily and the cold in your jacket leaves you little choice. Slowly and almost mechanically, you move to the left-hand corner of the bench, the cleanest spot, and finally sit down.

The cold of the seat shoots through your trousers and you automatically cross your arms as if that would help keep the heat in. Your gaze wanders forward - the ground, just a meter away, is already dark and shiny with wetness. Drops splatter in all directions, and the monotonous sound of the rain fills the silence between you.

( " You say too late to start, got your heart in a headlock " )

It's unpleasant. Not the cold or the wet, but the strange tension that hovers between you and the girl in the right-hand corner. She sits there rigidly, her hood pulled low over her face and doesn't even seem to notice you. But you somehow feel her silent shadow anyway.

( " I'm walking, you've been hiding " )

To avoid being completely overwhelmed by the situation, you reach for your phone in your pocket. Your music is still playing, but you turn it down, almost to a whisper. Just in case, in case she says something... or in case you decide to say something.

But for now, it remains silent. Only the rain speaks.

You pull your phone out of your jacket pocket, your fingers slightly clammy from the cold, and unlock it almost mechanically. The playlist flickers in front of you, but no song really seems to fit at the moment. You scroll through the tracks, sliding your thumb back and forth indecisively.

Tame Impala? The hypnotic beat and echoing vocals could be just the thing to capture the mood. But perhaps something darker would suit better, something to accompany this strange, surreal night? Silent Hill? The oppressive sounds of the game have always fascinated you. Or maybe something by Arctic Monkeys - a song that captures the rain and the mood of the streets, like a scene from a movie.

You haven't made up your mind yet, just clicking haphazardly through the songs. But the moment brings back a memory so clear and vivid that you can almost feel the smell of your parents' old car.

The wet streets that shimmered like glowing snakes in the light of the headlights. The familiar sound of the radio, quiet and a little scratchy, like a distant companion in the darkness. The steady drumming of the rain against the windows, so soothing and yet melancholy. You remember the feeling of security that filled you back then, although you couldn't say why.

You tap the screen of your phone to play the next song. The melancholy rhythm and the voices fill your ears while the rain swallows up the rest of the world. But before the first verse starts, your gaze glides over the home screen again.

No messages.

The background is empty, just a plain standard screen. No images to remind you of anyone or anything - it was easier that way. And yet you stare at the time up in the corner, far too late to be awake, let alone sitting outside in the cold.

Involuntarily, you wander over to Instagram. It's almost a reflex. Your finger hovers over the icon before you open it. The list of chats appears, speaking of a desperate attempt to maintain some semblance of social ties. But your message is missing.

DogDay.

The hope that something might finally come from her flickers. Just a short message. A "hey" - something that proves you're not completely invisible. That she's thinking about you, just like you're thinking about her.

But the chat remains empty. No new dot next to her name. No heart, no reaction.

You lock your phone and put it away, trying not to think too much about how stupid and hurtful this little void in your life seems. The rain continues to patter, the song reaches its chorus, and you wonder if DogDay is now sitting in a warm room somewhere, surrounded by friends, without a thought for you.

And the rain stops - suddenly, almost unreal. The world around you seems to stand still for a moment, only the soft dripping of water from the leaves and roofs reminds you that it has just been pouring down like a bucket.

You hesitate before you move, as if you are afraid of destroying this magical feeling. Finally, you get up slowly, the stiff cold of the wet night still in your bones.

Your gaze involuntarily glides to her out of the corner of your eye. She's still sitting there, motionless, her hood pulled low over her face, but something about her posture seems less closed off than before - or maybe you're just imagining it.

As you stretch, you hear a muffled clacking on the floor next to you. Your eyes automatically wander downwards and your heart stops for a moment as you realize what it is:

You've just dropped your sleeping pills, you're pretty sure.

The small white pills have rolled out of the opened packaging, scattered across the wet ground, shimmering in the faint light of the street lamp. It feels as if time has stood still. Everything else fades out - the rain that has stopped, the cool night air, even the girl next to you.

But you can feel her gaze.

Although you don't look directly at her, you're sure she's seen it. The pills, the packet that fell out of your jacket pocket so suddenly - everything is now lying open in front of her.

Your stomach tightens as your thoughts swirl wildly. It's as if your mind is banging against the walls of your head, a desperate shouting with no destination. Your throat feels tight, as if someone has placed an invisible grip on it, and your hands go numb with nervousness.

If she spreads the word... I'm finished. It's not just me, people will think that Karasu is taking something like that too, or worse, drugs directly. That's it...

You stare at the pills as if they could disappear by themselves if you just wait long enough. Your heart is pounding so loudly that it seems to drown out everything else. A dark shadow spreads through you: Shame, fear, the cold knowledge that this could be the end of you.

Your fingers twitch slightly, as if they want to move, but your muscles don't obey. You feel frozen, a stupid mistake on a night that has already demanded too much of you. The cold sweat on your forehead adds to the uncomfortable feeling of being exposed, as if the night itself has betrayed you.

You are paralyzed. Every thought lurches wildly, pulling you in a different direction, but no one can lead you out of this moment. Your face is burning, but it feels as if your blood is freezing in your veins. Your breathing is shallow, every fiber of your body refuses to move.

That's it... Karasu's reputation is ruined. Boogie and Boxy will think I'm a junkie. Or worse, they'll think I'm suicidal. It'll be the first thing DogDay ever hears about me. And the last.

A cold shiver runs down your spine. Your gaze remains fixed on the floor, as if you could stop time if only you didn't move. Maybe if you just sit here, nothing else will happen. But the silence grows, the seconds drag on, and the weight of the situation pushes you further and further down.

Can't I just drop dead?

"Placebos."

Huh?

The voice to your right is barely more than a whisper, but it hits you like an electric shock. Your head jerks to the side, your gaze fixes on her. Her hood is deep in shadow, but you can see the hint of an expression - not a grin, not pity, but something strangely calm, perhaps even knowing.

Her face is beautiful.

The obsidian-colored eyes, deep and mysterious, meet yours, and for a moment you feel like you're sinking into a vortex of darkness. It's as if she's looking right through you, as if she can see what's going on inside you, all the thoughts you're trying so desperately to hide.

Her pale skin, almost unnaturally soft, shimmers in the soft light of the moon breaking through the clouds. She looks so fragile, and yet somehow strong, almost unreal. Like a work of art.

You can't move. Not because you're still panicking, but because you just can't stop looking at her. It's as if this moment has frozen everything - the rain, the cold, your fear. Everything except her.

"Wh-what?" escapes you before you can hold it back. Your voice trembles slightly, like a leaf in the wind, and your mouth feels dry, as if there's sand there.

She doesn't react immediately, letting the silence hang for a moment, as if giving you time to collect yourself. Her eyes remain on the scattered tablets before she slowly looks up at you again.

"If your doctor prescribed these for you..." she finally says, calmly and quietly, her voice little more than a whisper cutting through the night, "...switch to another."

Her tone is serious, but not condescending. It sounds more like gentle advice, as if she is speaking from experience.

"They won't help you," she adds and leans back a little, pulling her hood even lower over her face as the wind moves her hair slightly. "Trust me."

You swallow hard, very hard. Your chest tightens. The cold of the rain, which you had forgotten in the darkness, creeps back under your skin and the silence is suddenly unbearable. Yet somehow it feels as if the darkness of this night has just brought you a small spark of hope.

Who is she and how does she know?

Your gaze sinks to the ground beneath you again, the white pills.

Are they really placebos?

The question burns itself into your mind as you look at the small white tablets that now lie like a warning on the wet ground. The rain hasn't wiped them away; they are silent proof, telling you and her how close you are to the edge of despair.

No one talks anymore and the moment drags on endlessly. You look into her eyes, she looks into yours, and the rest is blind. Her hair is just there, smooth along her face and falling to her shoulders, a dark curtain framing her features. The sight of her black hair intensifies the sense of closeness you feel at this moment, and for a moment it's as if the world around you has ceased to exist.

She slowly raises her hand and brushes a strand of hair out of her face that has fallen into her eyes due to the wind. The gesture is so gentle that it takes your breath away. Her lips form a smile, a sad smile that says more than words ever could.

But then you had to think about DogDay for a moment.

"W-Who..." You say, calm but still stuttering and trembling. "Are you?"

"Who am I?" Her voice is quiet, almost like a secret she keeps to herself. "I'm no one, no one you should know. But I'm here because I know what it means to feel lost."

The lump in your throat gets bigger and you feel your shoulders tighten. The thought of DogDay, the warmth of her closeness and her shining eyes, flashes through your mind. Why are you thinking about her now? Why here, at this moment, with this strange, mysterious girl sitting in front of you?

She is just like me.

The thought hits you like a bolt of lightning. She is just like you. The way she retreats, the way she embraces the darkness of the night, the way she prefers silence - it's as if you both share the same world that exists only in the shadows.

She seems to be just as introverted as you are, only dragged around by the Smiling Critters, just like you are by Karasu. Maybe that's why she seems so familiar - she's the opposite of the loud, pushy world around you. This realization feels strangely comforting, almost like a silent understanding between the two of you.

For a moment, you look into each other's eyes again, red spots on both your cheeks and a curious look that fluctuates between confusion and understanding. The silence between the two of you is strangely oppressive, but also somehow comforting.

And then, almost as if by magic, you start talking. Carefully, you turn towards each other, as if respecting the distance between you and the words that are still unspoken. The voices remain quiet, almost whispering, like two strangers building a fragile bridge to each other in the dark. Each sentence is carefully chosen, tentative, so as not to cross the boundaries of the other.

They are not big words, not meaningful statements, but small fragments - about the weather, about the rain, perhaps about the moon that still shines above you. And yet it feels as if you are saying more than just what is actually being said.

And that's how you get to know her, CatNap.

Notes:

Wow, here it is at last, CatNap. The girl who previously only appeared in your thoughts because of her eyes is now here. What will it be like when you, CatNap and DogDay meet? Which one do you like more, or rather, which one likes you more? This story will be a bit more complicated, however, as I have written out the plot further (internship, slow mental breakdown and worse) and will soon be implementing it. I used to think, when I read a good fanfiction, why do chapters come so rarely. And guys, believe me when I say this: it takes a long time to write something like this. The next story to get an update is the Rat story, and I can only recommend you to check it out if you like it. Generally all of mine, except the first chapters, because I was still quite new and they are pretty shit, at least in terms of writing style. I'll stop talking unnecessarily: I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Leave kudos and a comment!

3 notes · View notes