#the angles of their heads are for the viewers sake

[superbellsubways]

everyones asleep post cringe queer object heads

[ryiju-muunie]

how the jjk men kiss u? (nanami gojo getou toji hakari choso sukuna)???

Cherry Chapstick

How they kiss you? [GOJO, GETO, NANAMI, CHOSO, HAKARI, TOJI, SUKUNA]

18+ viewer discretion is advised

Fem!reader/JJK MEN Warnings: established relationship, tongue kissing, making out, dry humping, fondling, grinding, sadomasochism [SUKUNA], aftercare Word count: 1209 DESC: On a scale of 1-5 how good are the JJK men at smooching?

If you saw the first one no u didn't

ALL EYES ON RAFAH

Satoru Gojo ★★★✩✩ Tongue!

Satoru isn’t a bad kisser necessarily, but he uses his tongue a lot. If that isn’t your style, you wouldn’t really find it pleasurable. But he loves it. He loves to curl his tongue around yours and lap into your mouth, with your perfect body seated on his lap. It takes everything in him not to push you against the wall and hump your pretty ass until he’s cuming in his pants. 

He has very little self-control, so your make-out sessions don’t stay make-out sessions for long. Within no time, his shirt is coming off and so are his pants. He doesn’t need to fully undress you, just kissing you is all he needs. 

Gojo isn’t gentle and honestly, he doesn’t really think about your pleasure. He can be a careless lover, fucking into you for his sake rather than your own. Doesn’t mean you don’t enjoy it, but it does mean you have to remind him to help you finish. Once you do, however, he’s all on board to make you feel good. He’s just … forgetful. 

Suguru Geto ★★★★✩ Gentle!

Suguru is a good kisser, hands down. One of the most skilled on the list. The only reason why I’m giving him a four instead of a five is because he’s too gentle. His mouth doesn’t dominate you as much as you desire, instead gently massaging your lips with his own. He uses minimal tongue if none at all. 

He opts to use his hands to make you feel better, grinding your clothed cunt on his thigh for you to get more stimulation. Geto prefers if you get pleasure over himself, kind of like a service top in that way? He loves it when you whine into his kisses, breaking away to catch your breath. It’s so hot. 

Kento Nanami ★★★★★ Dominating!

Nanami oh sweet Nanami… Contrary to popular belief I think he’s a harsh and dominating kisser. All that pent-up energy from his days in the office, coupled with pent-up anger and frustrations. He has to take it out somewhere. 

His favorite position is your back to him, against his front, your neck turned at an angle and his mouth planted to yours. He likes it so he can grind into your ass. Almost thrusting, as he tongue fucks your mouth unforgivingly. Kento knows you like it as much as he does, hearing you mewl as you try to keep up with his fast movements. It’s a sort of instant gratification. He starts every fucking session with some simple humping and tongue kissing, to get you throbbing for his cock. He doesn’t always cum from humping your ass, but when he does you know he’s going to fuck you so good. 

Kento is very good about thinking about you as he kisses you, cupping your breasts and fondling your nipples through your shirt. He does every little thing he knows you love, driving you crazy until you can’t bear it. And you’re begging for him to fuck you.

Choso Kami ★★✩✩✩ Needy!

I think Choso is a good kisser, but it’s fleeting. You can’t kiss him for long before he’ll start to grind against you, cock pressed to your thighs. Then he’ll pull away, whining in your ear for you to rub his erection. 

Your make-out sessions don’t last, which could become annoying if you’re in the mood for a long steamy kiss. It starts innocent enough, but by the end, he’s crooning for you to dominate him. You don’t mind, though. It’s cute to see how hot and bothered your mouth makes him. Just from a peck, he can get incredibly hard. It’s cute and pathetic. 

Just like Gojo, he doesn’t think about you in the moment. His head gets so foggy when your lips are on his, he can’t think about anything other than cumming into your plush hands. But after he cums, he goes into a servant-like mode. Begging and pleading to service you in any way he can. It’s sweet. 

Kinji Hakari ★★★✩✩ Sloppy!

Kinji is an inexperienced and messy kisser. He loves to have you in every position you can think of, hands roaming as he kisses you. Slobber and saliva all over your faces as he plants his lips on yours. You can’t take him anywhere. A simple peck turns into a make-out no matter where you are. It could be embarrassing if it didn’t pull you from your body and distract you with a burning pleasurable passion.

He can’t keep it in his pants, rubbing your body against his to get some kind of friction. His tongue licks into your mouth. Teeth collide as he tries to get the best angle, which always ends up in sweet laughter. It’s sweet, he likes you so much he can’t help but kiss you like this. 

I think he’s much more caring than he lets on. You think he kisses you like that because he wants to feel good, rather than making you feel good, but it’s the opposite. He sees how your body relaxes when he entangles your limbs together. He sees how you moan when he swirls his tongue messily. Everything Hakari does is for you. He could care less about his own pleasure as long as he was hearing you moan. 

Toji Fushiguro ★★★★✩ Handsy!

Toji likes to kiss you like there’s no tomorrow. His hands are on your ass, your breasts, your hips. Anything. He doesn’t care for humping, popular to contrary belief, although he’ll do it if you beg enough. He prefers to tease you with his large hands, rubbing your skin as his tongue slides into your mouth. 

His kisses are rough, but they can be sweet. When he’s overstimulated, or just in an intimate mood I suppose, he can be gentle. When you’re upset his kisses switch from being harsh to being soft. He doesn’t just kiss your mouth, he likes to make out with your nipples too. Weird sentence, I know. But he loves to swish your nub around his tongue and nibble on it, like every part of your body. He’ll make out with your neck, your shoulders, your pussy, anything.

He does it for you because he’s in love with you. As simple as that. 

Ryomen Sukuna ★✩✩✩✩ Painful...?

I’m gonna cut to the chase, he could give two fucks if you liked how he kissed or not. The king of curses does it for himself and himself only. His long nails dig into your skin and draw blood. He laughs into your mouth when you cry, and slams his hips into your ass in a way that hurts you so good. He chose you for a reason, you could handle his level of insanity. As he bites your bottom lip, sucking on it and running sharp teeth along the side. 

He knows you like that pain thing, so maybe he plays it up a bit for you. However, he’d never cause you any real harm. I think Ryomen is actually good at aftercare, even though he huffs about it. If he cut up your shoulders too much with his manicured nails, he’ll clean them. Even if he makes a fuss, he’d never let his property be damaged. 

[innocent-artery]

Kinktober 1st: More Than You Can Chew

aka dad's best friend with Bucky Barnes

3.8k words

Summary: You’ve been teasing him for hours, and he makes damn sure you get what’s coming to you.

Pairing: Dbf!Bucky Barnes x afab!reader

For the sake of avoiding spoilers, extensive warnings will not be given. This story includes sexually explicit material, reader discretion advised.

While reading, I recommend listening to guys my age, a spotify playlist by me!

~

Maybe you just woke up like this.

Maybe it was the position of the planets. Maybe it was what you ate the night before. Whatever it was, it stirred insatiable heat in your belly, enough to have you rolling around in bed until you wound up straddling a pillow and riding it for dear life.

You glanced at the clock on your nightstand. 9:43. Bucky wasn't due back at yours until 2. That meant you would have to wait over four hours for dick.

You huffed, eyebrows scrunching together in frustration. You were no closer to release than you were an hour ago. You'd tried going through porn, videos of you and Bucky, but nothing worked. The tingling had settled into a dull ache; you'd hit a wall. All of your clothes had long since been discarded, strewn in all corners of the bedroom. Sweat had matted at your hairline, and your thighs and pillowcase were sticky from your frantic rutting.

You snatched your phone from the corner of the bed.

Bucky: I'll be back around 2. You'll be alright until then, doll?

You huffed, thumbs hovering over the keyboard, finger tapping the side of the phone. You left the messaging app and switched over to the camera, propping it up against your nightstand clock so that it was angled to capture a perfect view of you sat on your soiled pillow, your flushed face.

You pressed record, then sat back on the pillow, pushing hair out of your face. Your fingers were delicate, just barely whispering over your skin. Bucky lived vicariously through the videos you'd send him because you touched yourself in them. He imagined his hands feeling the touch you were displaying in the recording. So you teased the idea. Your jaw was slightly dropped, breathing bated even though you knew exactly what you'd be feeling next. Your eyes threatened to flutter shut but you forced them open, hooded and staring back at yourself, at what would be-

"Bucky," you sighed, hands ghosting over your neck, giving a soft squeeze before snaking down to your tits, your waist, your thighs, before clutching the pillow to ground you.

Your movements were slow, sensual, teasing not only to your viewer but to yourself. As soon as your hips started rolling and you got a taste of that delicious friction against your clit you gasped, eyes nearly rolling back. Whimpers began leaving your lips, growing higher and louder as you continued, swiping your hips faster.

"Bucky, please...more, please..." you sighed, eyes falling shut as your head fell back.

Focus, you told yourself. You reached for the phone, bringing it down to get a better view of your cunt, of the mess on the pillow. A better capture of the sounds your slicked, messy pussy was making.

"Fuck, Bucky, need you so bad. Come home, Bucky, please..."

You: [Attatchment: 1 Video]

You: Yeah I think I'll manage

It was a lie, of course, you knew that even if you did make yourself cum it wouldn't be nearly as satisfying or as much fun as if Bucky were there. But Bucky had a thing for you needing him, even more for bringing you down a few notches.

It took a grand total of four minutes for his response.

Bucky: Jesus Christ

Bucky: You couldn't wait a few hours?

You: Nope

You: [Attatchment: 1 Image]

Bucky: I can't get hard in front of your dad doll

You: Pity. Come home then.

Bucky: You want me to just walk out? You know I can't do that.

You: You have legs

You: Or I can finish by myself if you'd rather

Bucky: If you didn't need something from me you wouldn't have started sending me videos of you riding your pillow like a bitch in heat

Bucky: Stay off the damn pillow. I'll be home at 2.

You opted not to respond with text, rather, snapping a few pictures and videos of yourself sucking on your soaked fingers, your ass rolling as you ground into the poor pillow, et cetera.

As the hours crawled by, you began to grow bored of your plight. Bucky's message telling you to stay off the pillow (by which you did not abide) was the last you'd heard from him. You opted to find something to eat, spending the hours lazing around, scrolling through your streaming options from the bed.

Until you'd become so engrossed in a show you didn't hear the text from Bucky telling you he was on his way home. It wasn't until the rumble of the car engine sounded from downstairs that you jerked up to turn the television off. The heat in your cheeks and gut began to flare up again, and you darted towards the bathroom to check your appearance.

Although the sound of the door opening was relatively quiet, it had you jumping out of your skin in anticipation. You were donning nothing but a long T-shirt, undergarments long forgotten.

You stepped out quietly, leaning against the wall with as little smugness on your face as you can muster. Your arms are crossed as you watch Bucky kick his shoes off, fingers threading through long hair matted with sweat.

You waited, patiently, quietly, for him to glance around the room. And when he did, he stared at you silently for a grand total of two seconds before strolling into the kitchen.

What the fuck?

You tiptoed in after him. You could tell that the nonchalance was ingenuine. By the clench in his jaw, the flitting of his eyes to see where you were without looking at you, that he was practicing restraint.

"Hi, Bucky," you tried, but he only gave you a hum, still avoiding your gaze as he brought down a glass from the high cabinet.

"How was your day?" You tried again, chewing the inside of your cheek.

"Good." He sighed, pouring himself a drink. He gave your hair a ruffle before sliding past you and plopping himself down on the couch and turning on the television.

You turned on your heel, watching him in disbelief. Pretty much your entire lower half was bared to him. Bucky could barely keep his hands off you when you wore shorts.

And yet he wasn't even looking at you. You huff, taking a seat next to him and swinging your legs over his lap. Although he doesn't spare you a glance, he rests his hand on your knee, stroking it with his thumb.

And then an idea sparks in your head. An enormously consequential one, but an idea nonetheless. You pull a leg out from under Bucky's hand and bring it to the other side of you, so that your legs are spread wide. He gives no indication he's noticed. He continues to stroke the ankle still resting in his lap.

Your hand drew up before it had any clear destination; lingering around your face before landing at your jaw, tracing delicate touches along your cheek down to your neck. You released a soft sigh when your fingers found those familiar pressure points to make your pulse race and your vision blur.

You watched him diligently, waiting for a dart of the eyes, a twitch of the hand. Nothing.

Your fingers trailed down over your collarbone, down to your chest. Your chest arched into your own touch when your thumb brushed over your nipple, already hardened under your shirt.

It takes all of your might not to grin when you feel Bucky's thumb stutter in its movement. He was ominously still, and if you looked at his chest, you would notice that it wasn't rising and falling.

You begin pinching and teasing your nipples, resorting to both hands. You give a weak sound, lips falling open to give way to quiet gasps.

If you hadn't closed your eyes and begun focusing on your own pleasure, you would have noticed that Bucky's leg was now shivering, as though it wanted to bounce but was being restrained. His jaw was clenched and his hand now had a firm grip on your ankle. But he still wasn't looking at you.

Your shirt was now bunched up around your stomach, so it was no feat to ghost your hand lower, lower...

"What do you think you're doing?"

You jumped when the words snapped you out of your cloudy headspace. A firm hand gripped your wrist, just inches away from the buzzing ache between your thighs, and tugged it forward. You yelped, eyes flying open. Your free hand had to grasp Bucky's shoulder so as not to fall.

"Fuckin' pitiful, aren't you?" he snarls, breath warming your cheeks. "Can't even wait ten minutes for me?"

"But I've been waiting all day!" You protested, but it sounded more like a whine. Your words trailed off at the end, when you actually looked at Bucky. His figure loomed over yours like a great stony shadow, filled with silent malice.

Bucky scoffs. "Sure you have. So patient, especially when you begged me to come home. Sending me videos of you riding your pillow like the most cock-starved little thing."

"But-"

"Nuh uh." Bucky stands, taking a fistful of hair instead and tugging shortly. Eagerly, you followed suit. "If you're so cock-hungry, go on. Since you want it so bad."

You were face to face with his crotch, a very visible bulge brushing against the tip of your nose. The sting on your scalp and the throbbing heat of your cunt made your brain fuzzy, but at the same time all of your senses were on high alert.

Your body acted on its own, tongue lolling out from instinct. Muscle memory led you to drag your tongue over the bulge, earning a hiss from the man towering over you.

"Jesus fuck," he huffed, grip on your roots flexing.

Your fingers made quick work of his pants, yanking them down with his underwear. Madness itched in the bones of your fingers, as though your very skin came alive at the thought of touching him.

His cock dipped heavily under its own weight, already dripping. You caught the dribble and slicked it over your palm, taking him in your hand. His hips twitch into your touch.

Peering up at him through your lashes, you begin lapping at the tip of his cock, hand working his shaft. Bucky let out a groan, guttural and sinful, raspier when his head kicked back after your lips closed around him.

You knew you wouldn't be able to take him to the hilt. So you matched your fist with your lips, taking him in slow bobs while your other hand held his thigh to anchor you.

Bucky gave a hum, brushing your hair out of your eyes in a manner that might have seemed affectionate. "So fuckin' hungry for dick, aren't you? Poor thing, so dumb, so needy. Probably would've hopped on the first dick you saw if you stepped outside. Good thing 'm here to take care of you, hm? Keep you satisfied, nice and full. Keep you humble too."

You attempted to nod, watching him through misty eyes as he tsked and cooed in what sounded to your hazed brain like loving pity. You were taking him in like your life depended on it, like it was your dying wish to see him cum, to make him feel good.

You didn't even feel the ache in your jaw, the sting of tears in your eyes. All that mattered was him. The flutter of his eyelids, his fingers twitching in your hair, his hips pushing up into your mouth. Even when he held your head down, dark chuckle rumbling in his chest at the sight of you breathing shakily through your nose. You needed to please him.

"Fuck, doll, keep going, just like that, Christ..." Bucky's eyes screwed shut and his jaw fell open, a cue that you'd come to recognize. You doubled your efforts, swallowing around him as hot spurts hit the back of your throat. It began dripping out of the corners of your mouth, but Bucky kept your head down until he was done rutting into it. It dripped down onto your shirt, your bare thighs.

"That's it, fucking take it, take what I fucking give you, atta girl..."

Bucky's deep breathing, topped off with a cocky, hazed grin, made your eyelids droopy with proud exhaustion. Your tongue passed over your lips a few times, fingers swiping away the mess on your legs.

"Good girl, hm? Took me so well. Training's paid off." Bucky hummed, thumb smoothing over your cheek. You nodded dreamily, sucking on your cum-soaked finger.

"Oh, look at that, baby, you made a mess."

You looked around dumbly, then down between your legs. Your arousal had dripped onto the hardwood since you'd been put there. You hadn't came, but it still made you flush red.

"Poor thing, I've been neglecting you. Been so good to me, think you've earned it." You perked up like a puppy at his words. "Yeah? Let's find out."

Bucky scooped you up in his arms, maneuvering into your room and setting you down on the mattress. It dipped again under his own weight as he climbed over you.

"Lay back, sweetheart. Let me take care of you." He tugged your ankles towards him as if to accentuate his instruction, pushing your thighs apart.

"Jesus Christ, doll, you're so messy." Bucky is practically in awe of your pussy, thumbs pulling the lips open just to watch slick web between them. "Woulda told you to clean up the mess you made on the floor so we didn't waste any, but honey... this worked up for me?"

"All for you," you sighed, thigh muscles flexing under his touch, tracing over the dip between your thigh and your cunt. Any sophisticated thought you may have once had had long since floated away as he pushed both legs up towards your chest.

Bucky's lips trace over the skin of your thigh, sending goosebumps up your body. You shuddered when he kissed the skin connecting the backs of your thighs and your ass.

"Relax, sweet. 'M not gonna hurt ya."

That was quite likely a lie, but it sounded so sweet, how could you not believe him? Especially when his tongue traced your lips, drawing a mewl from your throat.

Bucky was nothing if not intuitive. He predicted every jolt of your hips, every increase in volume before you could. He had you wrapped around his finger, and he knew exactly how to make you come undone. How to wind you up and unravel you, and Lord was he doing it. His movements on your clit were slow, deliberate. He never rushed, always thorough and deliberate in everything he did, knowing how much you loved the anticipation.

"So fuckin' messy, doll, so sweet."

"All for you, Bucky, please," you whined, fingers grasping onto the pillow for dear life (not the one you'd previously messed).

"Patience, honey. You'll get what's coming," he hummed, and you could feel the smirk growing on his face.

You let out a gasp when a sudden feeling of fullness engulfed you. Your hands had to fly to your thighs to hold them up; they had begun trembling when Bucky's finger had begun curling, dipping in and out at a torturous pace.

"'Atta girl, y'take me so easily. Greedy, greedy pussy pulls me right back in." You clenched at the praise. "Aw, honey, are y'close? Yeah? Can feel it, feel you squeezing me."

The addition of a second, third finger was pushing you closer and closer to the edge. The edge you've been staring over for the past five hours. Your moans and gasps had long since left feeble and soft, now loud and pornographic.

You could feel the coil winding up in your belly, the bubbling of hot pleasure ready to boil over.

Until it died.

You opened your legs to stare incredulously at Bucky. His face was completely serious, sticky hands now resting on your thighs.

"Why'd you do that?" you cried, throwing your head back on the pillow. "I was so close!"

"I never said I'd let you cum, doll. I said let's find out."

You groaned, nearly kicking your feet in a tantrum. "You're not being fair!"

"Never said I would be."

You sat up slowly, lip trembling. "But you said I was good!"

"I did."

"So I deserve to cum."

Bucky frowned. "You're sounding awfully entitled, princess."

"Because I am."

A single brow was raised in warning. "D'you think you're getting anywhere with that ungrateful attitude?"

"Bucky!" You whined.

"Watch your tone."

SMACK!

You didn't think that through, you realized as soon as your hand came back to your body. Bucky's head was still turned, blinking in shock. The expression slowly gave way to annoyance as he turned back to face you. The threat his gaze held made you feel incredibly small.

"Alright." Bucky claimed a grip on your throat, pulling you forward so that you were face to face. "You wanna cum so bad?"

He didn't give a conclusion to his question, but you knew the answer anyways. Your stomach pricked with excitement.

"Bucky-" your words were cut off by your own broken gasp, when his fingers plunged back into you. His movements were still unhurried, but they were meaner, his fingers bullying into you.

It didn't take long to get you close. You'd be embarrassed at how quickly you'd become a writhing mess under his touch if not for the drunkenness off of it. His groans on your clit and the delicious stretch of his fingers clouded your vision with lust. You searched, desperately, for more of that feeling, even though it overwhelmed you, hips lifting off the bed to meet him.

"Down, doll." He grunted, pinning your hips down. You wanted to wiggle, some kind of movement, but his palm on your abdomen moved to pin your hip whenever you tried.

"Bucky, oh god, Bucky, Bucky please..." all restraint of tongue was abandoned as white-hot pleasure washed over you, blooming from your core out to your toes and fingertips. Your hands flew to his hair when the pleasure had subsided into jolts. But he remained diligent in his movements, speeding up when he noticed your panic.

"Please, too much, Bucky, can't-"

"Yes you can." He said simply. "You were begging to cum earlier."

"Hurts, Bucky..." your legs began to twitch around his head.

"You can take it."

The jolts remained even as he got you closer and closer to your second, third, fourth high, but they became washed over with the same pure need as before. By the time he was working on your fifth, a pool of sweat had accumulated under your back and your bum. Bucky's hands had long since become pruny, but their fervor did not cease. Both of you had hair matted to your forehead and were breathing heavily. You more than him, you were crying and your voice was hoarse.

"Come on, baby, give me one more." He'd said that the last three times, and yet you continued to believe him.

"Can't, Bucky, too much," you sobbed, shaky hands grasping the sheets under you as you squirmed and shivered.

"You can. I know you can, you've done it before, my good girl. You can take it, can't you?"

Well, when he said it like that. Something in your chest bloomed with pride when he called you that. Feeling the sudden urge to prove yourself, to make him proud, you opened your mouth. "Yeah. I can take it. Please, please make me take it. Make me take your cock."

Bucky was swift to change his position, now face to face with you as he lined his cock up with your soaked hole. You clutched his shoulders as he slid into you, so easily with how wet you'd become but still enough of a burn to make you dizzy.

"Fuck, princess, so wet. So ready for me, so greedy." Bucky grunted when you clenched. "Don't fuckin' do that."

You didn't even intend to clench again, but watching his eyes roll back and his mouth fall open at the feel of you pulled that response from you on its own.

Bucky groaned, his hips jerking forward on their own. He began rolling into you slowly, but patience quickly left him and he began pummeling into you, hitting the deepest spots of you. His breath and deep groans were right by your ear as he bit down on your shoulder, stained with tears.

"Such a dumb little whore, huh? Spend all day begging for cock, and even when she has it she can't get enough. Do we need to get a mold of my dick? So you have something to keep you satisfied? Maybe you'd just leave it in, so you can spend all day full of my cock. That way when I come home you'll always be prepped for me."

The mere thought tipped you over the edge, crying his name over and over again as your pussy spasmed around him. Bucky groaned, biting down harder as he pushed his own release deep into you.

"That's it, good fucking girl. Take all of my cum, gotta keep it inside. That's my good cumslut."

When his hips slowed, a strange mixture of relief and disappointment eased over you. You were too tired to discern the two, heavy eyes falling shut.

You heard Bucky moving around beside you, then felt him scoop you up and carry you somewhere. You squinted when a bright light was turned on.

"Here we go." Bucky kicked the toilet lid up and set you down. You suddenly felt very sticky and dirty.

But the sound of bathwater running eased your mind, and Bucky stepped out to leave the room. You sighed, smacking your dry lips as you stepped into the bath. It was relaxing on your leg muscles, properly worn and exhausted.

At some point when you opened your eyes, Bucky had stepped back in, and was leaning against the counter.

"I'm never one to complain, but good god do you make a lot of laundry." Bucky snarked, crossing one ankle over the other as he clicked open his phone.

"I'm not the one who didn't think ahead enough to put down a towel."

"Touche." You watched Bucky's brows furrow, and before you can ask why you're met with the familiar sounds of your moans- the ones you made when you teased him this morning. He must have stopped checking his phone while he was out- he did say he didn't want to be bricked up in front of your dad.

Bucky was completely silent as he watched, but he was intensely focused. By the time he'd gotten to the end of the videos, he was rock hard. When he was done, he set his phone down and stepped towards the bathtub.

"Alright, make room."

~

Bucky Barnes Masterlist

Kinktober 2023 Masterlist

Marvel Masterlist

Main Masterlist

[trashfangirlsworld]

According to Pomme's admin, there has been no indication that they are going to get paid. This, combined with the fact that the egg figurines will only be available for a limited amount of time:

makes me unsure whether the money used from sales will go towards admin salaries (past or future). The only thing we have been told is that the money will go towards server costs (which, as far as a viewer is concerned, could be the infamous translation tool).

This is exactly what I was saying in the tags of my posts. It unfortunately makes sense that pomme's admin hasn't been contacted about payment yet, because, as it's been said multiple times, there are no current funds to pay her rn. If the eggs aren't back because there are no funds to pay the admins who still currently wish to be on the server, then there obviously aren't enough funds to pay back past work for any ex admins. It wouldn't make sense to ask pomme's admin about payment when she can't be payed rn. This would be another matter entirely if the qsmp was financially stable rn, which it isn't.

If the money made by the figurines goes to stuff like translator or server costs, then that is one less thing quackity has to worry about when it comes to expenses as that is vital to keep the server running and then he can start to figure out payments for past and current admins that wish to stay. Just because the money made by the figurines may not go directly into the admins bank accounts does not mean that this won't help them in the long run.

This does not mean that you are obligated to buy anything if you're not comfortable to, you have every right to simply decide not to for your own sake, but I think it's important to look at every angle critically because this situation is not black and white and requires a clear head. Thank you for the respectful ask and discussion!

[saiurangels]

Neurodivergent literature student rant about TDLOSK

Thinking about how TDLOSK’s structure is meta-humorous to meta-fictive. It is quite obvious but it makes the understanding of the manga quite different and even better as a literature nerd LOL :

Putting aside that the narration led by Saiki Kusuo that is directly meant for the watcher / reader, or the few scenes where characters break the fourth wall (e.g : S01E17 where Kaidou says he notices the ?! above Aren’s head that are clearly meant for the viewer / reader to understand his character by a distinctive sign. / that one back to school episode and Nendou directly looks at the camera), TDLOSK if inherently a meta-humourous manga as its entire functioning is built on a comedic device : the time loop.

It is common in comic animes to rely on the temporal blur to extend the number of stories without having a time limit or the need to make a character evolve in a logic of time (maturity, aging, height…). Hence the repeated temporal events (birthdays, Christmas, summer vacations, Halloween…) that build a familiar setting where common situations like a birthday party or a beach day trip are represented in a exaggerated to ridiculous angle ; one of the best comedic mechanism is the surprise caused by an element that is not supposed to be there, or a situation that is not suppose to end this way - provoking a shock or a feeling of ridicule (e.g : Episode where Saiki suffers from allergy and tries to flee Nendou but he ends up flying above him as the extinguisher explodes behind his back). Thus, the socle of comedy in (most) animes lays on this lack of temporal clearness in a familiar context that is completely exaggerated to distorted creating a comical situation.

It’s exactly what TDLOSK is doing, but beyond adhering to the criteria, it uses the comical bit as a plot device ; beyond being a time loop for the sake of comical reasons, the time loop IS the story. It’s the reason why we get to see the characters evolve despite the years repeating, that connections build etc. It is the socle of comedy because it’s how the humour work, but beyond that it is a joke inside of a joke (meta-humorous/meta-fictive) as the repeated time events are a consequence of an actual time loop. The structure of the manga is actually material in the work. I won’t go as far as saying it is a critique of the entire comic genre because it is not, but it’s an original turnaround / take on the structure of a traditional funny manga !

+++ The tragic “double-lecture” is possible as the time loop is an actual material thing that only Saiki is aware of and the bearer of the story. But I won’t get into that now haha

[hiskillingjar]

ugh your kinktober fics ruled so hard!!! Also, if you were up for taking requests, could I request some fox streaming mc with humiliation/general nastiness. I really loved the parts that touched on that for day 29

thank youuuuu and i gotcha ✌

1000+ words, fox/mc, third person. is it humiliation if you're too dumb to be embarrassed? the world may never know. cw for coerced consent :P

"You know what happens, folks! If we get to three hundred tokens in the next hour, I'll turn up the Sybian another notch!"

Fox grinned widely as he watched the subject writhe helplessly on top of the heavy-duty toy, their thick, parted thighs trembling wildly as their hips bucked against the vibrating rubber, desperate and hungry for more.

Thick chains and shackles around their wrists kept their arms held high above their head, and a metal ring between their teeth reduced any pleas or beggings for mercy into mindless mumbles and spittle down their chin and their heaving chest, ample breasts bouncing and moving in time with each of their erratic thrusts.

His own private porno, that he was being so gracious and sharing with hundreds, if not thousands of happily paying viewers.

Seeing such a mindless display of desperation would have been humiliating for anyone, especially when it was played back in real-time in front of their wide, waiting eyes on three full-size computer screens, each screen fixated on a different angle of their naked, shaking body, not an inch of skin left behind or not scrutinised over.

But not for this subject,

Their dead, thoughtless eyes were fixed on a fourth, smaller screen on Fox's computer desk, which was playing their favourite loop of endless VHS static, keeping them in a blissful haze of conditioned thoughtlessness and ignorance, no longer a mind but a body, a body built for service and submission, a vessel for pleasure and delicious pain.

Speaking of which…

"Ah, there we are, three hundred tokens already." Fox mused to himself, turning his attention onto the computer screen with a hidden grin, smiling even wider when the number of tokens kept ticking upwards, showing him just how eager his audience were. "My, my, we're an eager bunch today, aren't we? Of course, I had no doubt we'd get there with plenty of time to spare. I have total faith in my lovely audience!"

Fox let out a playful huff through his nose as he approached the subject, tilting his head as an involuntary spasm shot through their body, making it still and shiver mindlessly on top of the buzzing toy.

"Well, you know what comes next, darling," He crooned, pushing a hand through the subject's hair (for the sake of the camera more than anything else, since they were past the point of feeling any sensation other than the toy between their legs) as he crouched down at their side and turned up the notch on the toy. "Up we go!"

The subject squealed helplessly as their writhing body thrashed on top of the toy, the rumbling vibrations getting louder and louder as they were gradually inched up, vibrating against and stimulating their sopping wet cunt even more.

"God, I hope you can all see that," Fox mumbled hungrily (mostly to himself), hurrying to stand to his feet and take a smaller camera from its tripod, bringing the lens down to his level at the subject's side and zooming in on the wet mound of their slit. The wet sheen of pre-cum totally covered the short fuzz of pubic hair over their mound, their thighs, and the rubber top of the Sybian. "Just look at that, would you?" He said, indulgently running his tongue over his jaws under his metal mask, getting all the more hungry himself. "And not a single thought behind those eyes but getting their cunt wet. Fuck."

He idly palmed himself under his trousers, squeezing as his cock grew harder and harder at the sight of the subject as the camera panned up to their sweaty face.

Their eyes (empty, expressionless, like glass eyes embedded in porcelain or plastic, a doll's eyes) were still glued ahead and fixed on the static, dazed and totally thoughtless, giving away not even an inch of interest towards their audience (or towards Fox) as they huffed desperate little whimpers and whines against the metal ring gag, still drooling thick strings of spittle down their chest.

It was utterly pornographic, but Fox didn't mind that at all. In fact, he'd found that he enjoyed the nature of these streams, even a little more than his last ones.

At least, the clientele wasn't as pushy.

"They don't even have the good grace to be embarrassed about what they're doing," Fox then rasped as he set the camera down on the ground (what would one fucked up angle do, really?) and reached forward to hungrily grope the subject's chest, indulging in their luxuriously smooth skin and the heavy weight of their breast in his palm. "Too dumb, too stupid to even be humiliated. God…" He dragged a claw over the blooming bud of their freshly pierced nipple, giving it a little squeeze. "Can you even imagine how good it would feel sinking your cock into a dumb, little doll like this, that doesn't even have the brain to fight back?"

"Upmff-NNF!"

The subject whined loudly again as another vicious spasm overtook their body, the muscles in their soft thighs tensing up and their thoughtless eyes squeezing shut suddenly, as a sudden gush of liquid shot from their cunt and covered the rubber surface of the Sybian, marking another orgasm earned from their endless torture.

"HA!"

Fox brought his head up with a bark-like laugh, looking over his shoulder to see an explosion of excitement and emojis in the chat, message after message coming in, barely seconds after each other.

"Oh, wow! How impressive! Tell me, was that the third time they came or am I miscounting?" He asked them, ever the attentive showman for his audience, standing back up to his feet and approaching the computer, where the chat was confirming a third orgasm from the subject (and their obvious enjoyment of the display). "Well, well. How sweet, they can't even hold back for a second, can they?" He let out an airy titter as he started to palm his cock again.

"So, you all certainly know what comes next, don't you? If we get to FIVE hundred tokens in the next hour, I'll turn up the Sybian another notch!~"

[hexfloog]

(Episode 404, The Mysterious Angel's Mansion - pt. 2)

This little scene is probably one of my favorite DB interactions in the entire show -v- Everything from the way they got here— that is, Conan deliberately starting shit (and then throwing hands sksksk)— to the way they each react to the situation, to the eventual resolution and their implied state of their relationship with Conan...

To be fair, their dynamic is more than implied and we see it in action all the time, but rarely do we get to see anything apart from the reactionary, situational interactions necessitated by some external circumstance. Friends sometimes fight amongst themselves, kids even moreso, but the DB often get tangled in such dire, life-or-death situations that we usually don't get to evaluate the friendship beyond raw reactions to things like Genta nearly being shot, Mitsuhiko going missing, drivers taking off with Ayumi in the trunk, etc.

You could happily argue that this is just proof of strong relationships, because there's no time to premeditate anything and they're forced to be little balls of instinct-- and I would agree, but that's not the angle I'm taking with this scene.

Obviously, Conan is Team Mom, always spearheading the charge and guiding and looking after the others, but if the DB rarely hear Conan apologize for anything (as is the implication here), it fits right in with his character. He's a proud individual and having to even associate with children is, at least in the beginning of the series, embarrassing to him. Haibara even teases him a little afterwards with an observation that it's "tough" to motivate kids, possibly referring to the mental mountain he had to summit by admitting that he was wrong.

The only thing that could maybe make me like this scene more is if Conan's authenticity were less nebulous, but that same ambiguity is exactly what makes this scene appealing to me, too: reuniting the group by forcing a conflict to overcome despair and hopelessness and press onwards for the sake of someone else is, to Shinichi, probable justification to be both disingenuous or earnest about an apology, so I'm… well, I don't come away from this scene really knowing which one it is, and I... kind of love that. The series struggles with grey areas and I will absolutely take what I can get here

So does anyone think he meant it? Shinichi obviously cares about the children, so the natural answer is yes, but whether he's more or less honest about his apology has no bearing on the result— the kids stop fighting either way— so... at least in my head... there is no correct answer. It's left entirely to the viewer and just comes down to how you interpret his character: if he meant it, cool, the fact that he cares enough about the kids to put aside his pride for them is selfless and delightful; if he didn't, well... that's equally intriguing, isn't it? Maybe he's simply too proud to apologize and mean it, and the fight was just a means to an end (and nothing more) so that they could continue pursuing the solution to their dilemma... which could mean that Shinichi has an enduring problem prioritizing the mystery* over his peers (exactly the thing that got him into the Conan mess in the first place)...

This is a very short scene but goddamn if I don't enjoy the hell out of it. I love the kids and I wish they did more open-ended stuff with them like this (sobbing)

[beevean]

I offer another angle to explain why I hate the Lenector subplot: Lenore and N!Hector drag each other down.

And not in that fun "they make each other worse" way, not as people - as characters. The ways they're both badly written influence each other. And it's hard to see where the problem starts: I don't care about Lenore being a manipulative #girlboss because I don't care about N!Hector's fate in S3, and I don't care about N!Hector in S3 because he was watered down to make Lenore look good (as in, a hot #girlboss to masturbate on).

N!Hector is not a character one can root for in S3. And it's not because he's "evil": after all, fans are quick to cheer for N!Isaac when he kills innocents and defiles their corpses for petty reasons. It's because not only N!Isaac is forcibly made to be the coolest strongest most powerful character in the show, but because the dude has at least solid motivations and reacts to events around him. <- writing so peak i'm forced to appreciate the very basics of writing

N!Hector has lost all of that. In S2, there was a conflict between his morbid goal of turning humans into livestock for vampires, and his principles that made him recoil at N!Dracula's actual plan of mass slaughter. He was evil, but he was also lied to by N!Dracula through no fault of his own, and there was an unique dissonance between his terrible goals and his complete lack of malice. It at least made sense that he'd listen to Carmilla, up to a certain point. By then, I still wanted to follow his journey. I wanted to see him grow, I wanted to see him challenged, I wanted to see him learn empathy for humans. (well, I would have wanted to, if I wasn't spoiled lol. you get what I mean)

In S3? What's the point? What does he want? What does he fear? What does he feel?

Characters going through hell and coming out reshaped, for better or for worse, is the bread and butter of fiction. The CV games themselves have put some of their protagonists through the ringer: Leon lost everyone he held dear in one night in LoI, Shanoa discovered she had been groomed to resurrect Dracula in OoE, and Hector himself suffered a lifetime of abuse, watched Rosaly die in front of him, and then discovered that all of that pain was so that he could become Dracula's vessel in CoD. The thing is that, I care about these characters. They have personalities, a past, relationships, and I want them to succeed. I want them to be happy. Their suffering is a tool through which they show what they're made of.

Hell, it's not just the heroes: Isaac in CoD also has gone through hell. I don't want him to succeed because his happiness is tied to Hector's suffering, but at least I feel bad for what he had to endure, and I feel bad that he died even though it was partially due to his actions: he is both a cruel antagonist and a tragic victim whose tragedy is believable but not a full excuse. He's a compelling, fleshed out character, not to mention charismatic because he has one hell of a personality lol.

N!Hector has nothing. The story itself is just making this character suffer, in a humiliated, undignified way... but not to break him and reshape him into something different. It's just torture for the sake of torture. It's to laugh at him, because he's stupid and that's what he gets for being stupid. It's to find him pathetic when Lenore puts him on a leash: the point is not how disgusting she is, the point is that he's a cute puppy, who barely reacts to this humiliation so that you viewer are not distracted from the kink. It's to shake your head when he can barely have an edge in the interrogation with Lenore, even when he could give some more personal answers like "I followed Dracula because he accepted me and gave me a reason to live", because the point is to make him look dumb and easily malleable. It's to facepalm when Lenore tricks him into having sex so that he can be coaxed into pledging loyalty to her, because he can't even see the very blatant way she lies to him - and it's his fault for being so impossibly dumb.

What does he want? He mentions that he wants to be free, but in the same breath he says that he wouldn't be able to survive on his own, so it's not a goal he fully believes in. He still says that he wants to put humans in cages, to which Lenore says "oh it's what we want to do too", so... N!Hector's goal matches with Lenore's? Then where is the conflict? As I said in the past, Lenore didn't need to resort to rape by deception to tie him down: N!Hector already trusted Lenore and would have worked for her, at the very least, especially if she kept pretending to care about him and improving his life conditions gradually. Morally, he hasn't even begun the process of changing - and, of course, he never does. He is stagnating. He's not interesting.

(this isn't even negative character development. For N!Hector, it would have been, for example, convincing himself that everyone deserves to die, and him becoming more violent and bitter towards the people who hurt him. This could have been one of his developments in S4, even if tragic. We don't even get that. The "development" he has is that he let Lenore kill herself instead of forcing her to live like he did with his pets, which is. so fucked up i can't even put it into words.)

Hell, I even realized recently: the fucking ring would have made much more sense if N!Hector actually showed signs of rebellion, because the way she described it, the ring's only purpose is to prevent rebellion, not to force him to work! If the issue was that Striga was considering hiring mercenaries and that would have made N!Hector useless, the ring doesn't solve jackshit about it, because if he wanted to he could have starved himself to death and the ring wouldn't have hurt him! The ring only solves the issue of N!Hector potentially using his Night Creatures to harm or kill the sisters! Which it's a moot point because he has been shown to be nothing but docile after Lenore beat him into submission precisely to make him docile, and he clearly was on his way to be convinced to peacefully work for the council! If he got convinced that he would be living the best life as Styria's Forgemaster, taken care of by Lenore who at least treated him well, not lied to like Dracula did, and doing what he wanted to do which is forging and working to enslave mankind (remember, he shows no growth in this), he wouldn't have hurt anyone! Lenore saw with her eyes how pliant he is, and in S4 she even calls his ill-thought attempt to threaten her "half-hearted at best"! She got the idea to butter N!Hector up to make him trust her and work with them willingly, and not through torture, and it was going all too smoothly - and then she broke that trust by deceiving him and playing with his feelings in a much worse way than Carmilla did, and realistically, N!Hector shouldn't have wanted nothing more to do with her in S4, let alone work for her! But if he was shown having at least signs of aggression, defiancy or doubts, vulnerable to Lenore's "kind" acts but still wary enough of his situation taking too long to be convinced, then the ring would have been a good solution to "tame" him! Lenore raping N!Hector into slavery would have been more justified and not come off as a vile gratuitous OOC act if he had showed a personality!!

i'm calm.

Anyway. My point is, there is no conflict between these two characters, even though Lenore is clearly the real antagonist. The conflict of Styria's story in S3 is watching this snake deliberately play with N!Hector's feelings for no reason other than sadism and a power trip. And the conclusion we're meant to reach is "wow he sure is a dumbass, he deserved to be enslaved".

Unlike in CoD, N!Hector's life is so miserable, and his conditions so suffocating, that I wouldn't have felt anything if N!Isaac actually killed him. Who cares? No one cares about this character. Least of all the writer. I don't care if he succeeds or not, because he has nothing to succeed in; and I don't care if he suffers, because he doesn't even care, and has nothing to live for. It's literary bullying.

So this brings me to Lenore. If Lenore's whole thing in S3 is that she's such an amazing manipulative bitch who gets her way through deceit and subtle abuse, but she's effectively deceiving a bag of meat... I'm not impressed.

Oh, I hate her, because her actions are disgusting and poorly match what she's supposed to be, which is the selfishly kind diplomat who finds power in taking care of lesser creatures. She doesn't come off as her own archetype, because she is too smug, too happy to force herself on N!Hector in a sexual way (the collar, the ring), and her first scene shows she's just like Carmilla in that she easily resorts to excessive violence to prove she's not weak. So, while this is yet another instance of bad writing, in-universe she also comes off a a raging hypocrite (further proved in S4 where the writing and voice acting imply that Lenore sunned herself because she didn't like the idea of being in the same gilded cage she had put N!Hector in, which makes her look cowardly and pathetic). But she's not fun to hate in the same way Isaac is when he forces Hector to watch Rosaly's execution in PtR. She's bullying a shell of a person. She is weaving uncomfortable lies to a manchild who is not even trying to put up a mental protest to her manipulations. Why should I care? She is getting her way so easily, not because she's that good (she's really no better than Carmilla, who in-universe failed) but because N!Hector doesn't have enough personality to challenge her; and if she succeeds, N!Hector would either be okay with it, or if he's not... well, he'd deserve it for being stupid, according to the show's logic.

Lenore in S3 exists solely to further prove the general message of that season: trust is for fools, and fools deserve to be punished. She is a plot device moved around like a puppet to serve that general message, and on top of that her creepy actions are painted as titillating... well, as long as you either want to be dominated by a pretty woman (which explains the great amount of male fans simping for her) or you want to dominate a pretty failure of a man. Which I don't. Because I have no reason to care about N!Hector, let alone find his sexual humiliation hot.

Do you see the problem here? Lenore cannot shine of her own because N!Hector is not written well; but since she only exists to bully him, she doesn't come off well either, despite her concept being brilliant and actually interesting and deserving of being fleshed out more organically without turning her into four characters clumsily stitched together.

And of course, as you have noticed, I have only talked about S3 so far. What's the point of even talking about S4? It completely destroyed everything S3 set up. Lenore has lost everything that made her allegedly cool in that season, being reduced to a whiny brat who feels so alone and unwanted and cries about it to the man she raped by deception. N!Hector mildly sasses her back and listens to her woes, but doesn't seem to care at all about what Lenore did to him, both positive (being put in a giant gilded cage where he can't be killed and being given some sort of authority) and negative (the mocking, deception and rape). They have chemistry now, a positive chemistry made of mutual respect, but it comes out of nowhere and it clashes with their past.

I don't care that now Lenore feels sorry about her life, because she crossed the moral event horizon and now she doesn't get to regress into being a poor little girl who only wanted to do diplomacy 🥺. I don't care that N!Hector freed himself and tricked everyone in the castle, because his "badass" actions were all for the purpose of bringing Dracula back, which is proof that all the suffering he went through was for nothing - he didn't learn that putting humans in a cage was bad, and now he seems to want back the madman who planned to kill everyone out of personal atonement (plus, he only freed himself from working for Carmilla, Striga and Morana: he still chooses to live with Lenore, so effectively still tying himself to the woman who forcibly tied him to her). He's even worse now, he has regressed for no sensible reason: I still don't want him to succeed. And I don't care that N!Hector has found the strength to let Lenore go, a contrast with how he used to resurrect animals to have loyal companions, because I don't even know why he'd grow to love her. The story wants me to believe his love for Lenore is pure and organic, and not the result of breaking from horrible abuse and accepting the scraps of something barely resembling kindness. As if S3 never happened.

And if S3 never happened... why should I care about these characters and that story?

(funnily enough, I could make a similar post about N!Alucard in S3 and S4. I also don't care about his grief, because he was a cunt to N!Trevor and his own similar trauma. I don't care about the Japanese not-twins raping him, because it's so out of nowhere that it only feels like gratuituous shock factor. I don't care about N!Alucard apparently falling down the same path as Dracula, because he gets better after one episode. His story in S3 - well, what little can be considered a story - is also "trust is for fools, and fools gets punished", although at least N!Alucard isn't painted as a dumbass for trusting these two plot devices, and at least he kills them before he can forgive them. but basically my point is that this writing is bad.)

[ccaptain]

Klee has saved Kaeya many times- and yet, she doesn't know any of this.

He doesn't plan on telling her, either. It'd be an heavy burden to bear, and he prefers to do it alone.

I headcanon that, after that fateful, terrible night between him and Diluc, Kaeya managed to drag himself over Jean's house, where he was promptly bandaged, medlcated, and settled to sleep on a guest room. For the past days, Jean and Lisa did their best to take care of him, worried about his mental state. Both of them, by now, had at least guessed what had happened- they had to.

Kaeya went close to mute for at least a week, and couldn't provide a satisfying explanation. Not to Jean, not to Lisa, not to Adelinde, who came in frantic and held him in a vice-like hug when she saw him.

There's a photo, taken a week after that night, that she regretted taking as soon as she saw the end results. She keeps it face-down in a drawer of her house, and almost never looks at it anymore.

The photo depicts the mint couch of her house. Kaeya is laying on it, his legs criss-crossed, and a little baby Klee is in the space between his legs, happily tugging at the fabric of loose, black pants. Kaeya has put an arm in front of her to prevent her attempts at tumbling off the couch- said arm, and his other, have been covered in freshly done bandages, disappearing in his classic white blouse. Half of his head has also been bandaged, though from the angle where he's angled, you can only see a peek of white. And the cobalt, loose hair around his shoulders is far more distracting, anyway.

Kaeya's eye, the only one that can be seen, is devoid of any light- empty, sucking the viewer in his turmoil, like the depths of a frozen lake. His smile is barely seeable, just a little twitch of his lips upwards for the sake of the photo- and nothing more. 

In this photo, took as a cute moment with Klee, Kaeya looks like he has been through hell, and got spat out barely alive and functioning.

If such an observation was to be made, he'd be inclined to agree that it isn't far from the truth.

Still- as Klee kept hanging onto him, Kaeya allowed his grief to be shoved down and compactimentalized, in favor of helping Jean raise this darling baby Alice entrusted them with.

There's an episode that she recalls fondly: after having spent a few, peaceful hours of sleep, she awoke in alarm due to the missing, ear-splitting wail of an hungry Klee. 

She went in Klee's room, and didn't found her in crib, but could hear sounds from downstairs- where, in fact, she found a very awake Kaeya, with a very sleepy Klee tucked in his shoulder, sleepy and full of milk, the empty feeding bottle on the kitchen table. He was rocking the baby and humming her a lullaby that she had never heard of, his back turned on the door and his hand patting her back gently to soothe her to sleep.

It was the most she had heard Kaeya talk in all week. And the most serene he had looked at the time, too.

The photos taken of them begin, then, to be happier. A two-years old Klee, and a Kaeya with messy hair as little hands have tried their best to braid flowers into those- to his side, an Albedo humorously tucking a white branch behind his ear to complete the masterpiece. Here, he looks like he has surrendered to these two... but his smile is bigger, his eye less empty.

Kaeya, Lisa and Klee baking in another picture, Kaeya holding Klee's hands away from the scalding tray that Lisa has picked out of the oven just at that moment, two funny purple mittens on her hands still. He's holding Klee's hands, and looking down at her with unspeakable, soft fondness, a bigger smile on his face.

A photo with him and Klee on his shoulders, mouth opened in a laugh as Klee does the same, her little hands in the air. It was taken after Klee was made in the Sparking knight, Kaeya lifting her as a congratulations. He looks radiant- beaming, even, just as happy as she is.

Klee helped Kaeya heal. But she doesn't know- and he has no intentions on placing that burden on her little shoulders.

[ask-team-misfit]

@ask-team-grim

Rye and Dravena @ Lief:

Rye felt Dravena tense up beside her. Oh. Rye should have figured this would happen. She scanned the room, searching for the culprit. Wait! There, those feelers…

Rye excused herself from Dravena, and jogged up to the odd stranger, setting down the platter she was carrying so that she could have a word with him.

“Hey, I noticed you look a bit like a Sylveon. You’ve got similar looking ribbons. You’re a fairy-type right?”

Rye didn’t wait for an answer, instead diving straight into what she had already planned to say. “My friend, she’s a Deino. A dark and dragon-type. She can’t really be around fairies. They mess her aura up real bad. So I’d really appreciate it if you could avoid approaching her so we don’t have to leave. We’ll stay out of your fur too.”

Hoping to further convince the stranger to stay away from her friend, Rye shoved a muffin from the platter into the assumed fairy-type’s hands. “Uh, here! For the inconvenience I guess.”

“Wait!”

Dravena stopped a good few feet away from Rye and the stranger. She had to nearly yell so that she could be heard from where she was at. Even with the distance she kept between her and the stranger, she still seemed pretty uncomfortable. Her voice was unsteady. “I- Have we met before? Your aura feels so familiar…”

Rye whipped her head back to stare at Dravena, dumbfounded. Why the hell did she walk over here? “Drav, that familiar feeling is probably your aura getting torn to shreds by a fairy.”

So much for staying out of this stranger’s fur…

[ @ask-team-grim ]

Lief didn't know what to make of this at first; he stayed silent for some moments, holding that muffin in his paws.

Lief: "Right. I have several questions about this, but let us start from the beginning. Get the feeling I'll need to since you both look like you're just kids."

Already, he could feel himself grow exasperated at the mention of them being children. But for the sake of minding his manners for a little longer, he held his tongue.

Mostly.

[ ID: A grayscale drawing of Lief, a hybrid of Sylveon and Ribombee, with a mono-color background. He is shown from the neck up, with his face slightly angled away from the viewer towards the left. He looks puzzled, or curious. His left eyebrow is noticeably raised, while his right eyelid is lowered somewhat. He is frowning visibly. An angular question mark is floating next to his head at the left. End ID ]

Lief: "First off, I'm only half Sylveon. I'm also half Ribombee, though mama was part Vespiquen, so make of that what you will. And yes, that does mean I'm a Fairy-type, but I'm Fairy/ Bug. Get it right next time."

He casually took a bite into the muffin that was handed to him, before continuing to rattle off. He'd pause only to swallow.

He smiled a little at the taste.

Lief: "Mmm, not bad...~ Anyway, second of all. I take it by ribbons, you mean my scarf. It's a scarf, not a part of my body."

[ ID: A grayscale drawing of Lief similar to the previous image, but with a different expression. He looks fairly casual, or otherwise relaxed. A cheeky smile, reminiscent of the ":3" emoticon, is present on his face. In addition, his mouth is open. End ID ]

Lief: "But more importantly, isn't it weird to come up to somebody out of nowhere and ask them to stay away from you when the person in question would have definitely stayed away if you minded your business in the first place? Even I know that, come on. Also..."

Before he could begin to respond to the last part about aura to Dravena, he slowed upon focusing on her. Once again, he ended up staring.

Lief: "... huh. This will sound super weird, but I think you were in my dream. It's a pretty gruesome dream so I won't talk about it, but uh. Did you say you recognize me?"

[glitchydyke]

what's milgram? is it a show?

it’s a series of audio dramas and music videos !!

the basic premise is that 10 prisoners (haruka, yuno, fuuta, muu, shidou, mahiru, kazui, amane, mikoto, and kotoko) have been imprisoned for each committing a murder. except the prison they’re held in, milgram, isn’t a normal one. the prison warden (es, who is in part both their own character and a stand in for the audience, resulting in a fascinating dichotomy between personal identity and collective anonymity. seriously i made a post abt this bc es fascinates me to no end) is in charge of deciding whether each prisoner is guilty or innocent - or more accurately, whether they deserve to be forgiven or not.

each character’s crime (aka the murder they committed) is extracted from their mind in the form of a song and video. we then watch these videos - which is incredibly fun, because everything in these videos matters. colours, lighting, angles, backgrounds, specific word choices, everything is deliberate. based on that, we as the fanbase theorise and draw conclusions on what happened, and then vote on the official site whether we think a character is innocent or not. and the votes cast by the fanbase directly affect the story - in season 1 for example, muu was voted innocent, which then had a drastic impact on her attitude and relationships formed in season 2, and on what her next video included. it’s genuinely really interesting, because you as the viewer get to influence what the characters do, how they act, how they see themself, what information they reveal to you.

there’s also audio dramas which involve es (who like i said, is both their own character and the personification of the fanbase) interrogating the prisoners and talking to them one on one. the audio dramas tend to reveal a lot about a character’s demeanour and how they feel about being imprisoned in milgram, as well as how they get along with the other prisoners.

in summary it’s a series of audio episodes and music videos that each symbolically tell the story of a murder, and why the murderer did what they did. you listen/watch the videos, interpret for yourself what happened, and vote on whether you think the murderer deserves to be forgiven. your votes then affect the next season of the story!

we’re part way (towards the end) of s2 as of now. milgram has an official youtube channel here but for simplicity’s sake here’s a playlist with all the episodes and videos so far !!

it’s fairly heavy though just by nature of what it is so just as a heads up, there’s discussions/imagery of murder (…ofc), abuse, animal abuse, violence, blood, suicide, cults, stalking, bullying, implied ableism, cheating, abortion, and probably more i’m forgetting

[yolowritter]

You...you guys do know that the story isn't framing him to be a hero right??? Like, Gabriel "dies a hero" but that is a bold-faced lie by Miraculous' own admission! It's a facade that he forces Marinette to keep up "for Adrien's sake"! For as many problems as I have with this show, and the sheer amount of writing issues present, they got this right! You know why people are mad about Gabriel "getting a redemption"? Because you all believed the lie he was trying to sell you!

Miraculous Ladybug makes it very clear that Gabriel Agreste is a piece of shit Season 5 and onwards. Poor execution of his Insanity Arc (imo) aside for a second, this is clearly established throughout 26 episodes! Nathalie, is closest confidant, realizes that he's gone past the point of no return in Episode 1! We see Gabriel trying to "parent" with the pancake thing, but he still isn't taking Adrien's wants into consideration since his son doesn't even like the pancakes he makes. Nathalie says in Passion "Gabriel, if you'd spent some time with your son, you'd know he prefers his pancakes plain!" Plainly put, then, Gabriel Agreste is never framed as a good father in any way shape or form. Nathalie constantly reminds us of this, and the scenes where he "is a father" are all framed as having Adrien uncomfortable, or as Gabriel deluding himself into thinking that he is!

The show is very clearly aware of what it's doing, and presents two different narratives. Gabriel's, which is full of delusions and obsession over his goal of destroying the Universe, and Nathalie's, who treats him like he's gone completely insane, and often chastises Gabriel on his behavior towards Adrien. The "your Father died a hero" line from the London Special is just a lie! Because Bugnoire knows she's lying to Adrien's face! Kagami knows it too! The entire point of this whole "Gabriel died a hero" plot is to force Marinette in a position where she feels the need to perpetuate this lie!!!

Obviously Gabriel Agreste did not in fact, die a hero. Miraculous itself tells us this on literally every occassion possible! Like guys c'mon! Can we please not fall for it? We're smarter than that as an audience. Thomas, for all his faults, does not present Gabriel's behavior as "good" throughout any point of Season 5. In fact the writers take great care in showing us how awful he is! Gabriel is delusional and insane by this point in the story, and Nathalie literally says so word for word in Evolution. That is the story telling us, the viewers, and Monsieur Mothballs lost his marbles entirely! He's never framed as the good guy because he isn't! Again, Marinette is actively being put in a terrible position by the narrative, because her lying about it to Adrien is a huge plot point for Season 6!

Dear God do I have to say it louder for the people in the back? Is there anyone left in the back??? Gabriel's narrative is presented as a bold-faced lie in every possible way the story can think of! Miraculous is trying to help you not fall for it! So why are we confusing the obvious lie with the actual narrative of Ladybug lying to Paris about it??? That's what the focus of the Special is, because it gives Cerise an angle to destroy her! The Gabriel is a Lie! What were they supposed to do about this? Animate red neon arrows to a giant LIAR sign above Gabriel's head when he was talking during the finale??? Should we have had Bunnyx pause, turn to the camera and directly talk with Ladybug about the fact that it's a lie? Actually they did talk about it! Inside the Burrow! Bunnyx even makes the "that Gabriel Agreste died a hero?" joke to Chronobug and then caps it off by saying "Too soon, huh? Sorry!" They both know it's a lie!!!

And as for Gabriel's "redemption", nobody in the entire history of Miraculous Ladybug has gotten a real, actual redemption. Nathalie is taking the first steps to one now, and we'll see where that goes. But no other character gets one. Andre gets to run away from the consequences of his actions like a coward, Tomoe is still a villain trying to continue Gabriel's work (despite Kagami's optimism), Lila/Cerise is the next Big Bad, and Chloe we are not talking about her anymore is away in New York! Even Sabrina (who does work towards exposing The Scheme and arguably makes up for some of her wrongs while under Chloe) doesn't have a redemption arc. I'm hoping she'll get one and be a full-on member of the friend group in S6 because I really like her, but there's no redemption arc here. First steps? Yes. A full arc? Nope!

In conclusion, Gabriel Agreste is a Lie. His "Redemption Arc" is a lie. Despite what Nathalie says to Bugnoire about "bringing the last good out of Gabriel" in the London Special, she is not a reliable source here. Reminder that she was so blinded by love that she became Mayura and terrorized Paris alongside Hawkmoth, leveling the city at least once during the New York Special. I haven't fully interpreted that line yet, but it could be anything from Nathalie secretly hoping he'd come to his senses, or the show trying to tell us that Gabriel thought he was doing a good thing. Considering they've established him as delusional already, either is just as likely.

My point is that most of the Miraculous Fandom is not children, despite the show's intended audience. We should all utilize critical thinking, especially when the show intended for children spells out word for word that the narrative being presented by Gabriel Agreste is a lie! Cool? Cool. Now if you all excuse me, I need to go lay down and read some Lilanette. Also, I don't want to have any assumptions floating around, so this is in fact not a personal attack in any way. We're just people on the internet, and I'm respectfully trying to correct that I see as a wrong opinion. Discussion should always be open, and I've said my piece, hopefully without insulting anyone.

It doesnt really matter how the London special frames it.

Gabriel still won and continues to gaslight and manipulate his son while being able to be with his wife.

He did not die a hero.

He was/is/always will be a piece of shit.

[aritamargarita]

ATTITUDE || 013

im sorry if this chapter is kinda shorter than expected. im sleepy and i would’ve put a timeskip to add the next show but it makes sense to wait on it. promise i’ll make it up to you, time out with [name] will return in the next chapter!

i feel like reader is getting sassier every time i write her—also i don’t even like jerry lawler but im going to deal with it for the sake of commentary.…

The match wasn’t too bad so far. You were already a bit in and you focus your attention to the ring. Currently, The Rock had just hit Kurt Angle with a Samoan drop.

You could feel the crowd becoming antsy, even chanting ‘Rocky!’ every second they got. ‘Wow.’ You begin, adjusting your headphones. ‘They’re really coming alive tonight, huh? Hey, Austin! Who’s side are you on tonight??’

It got to the point where both men were crawling over to their respective corners, reaching out their hands for a tag.

He looks over at you with a dumbfounded look. You should know better than to even ask. ‘No one’s side but my own.’

‘It sounds you’re supporting The Rock.’ You conclude. He starts to speak, but you quickly cut him off. ‘Hey, viewers at home! Austin’s supporting Rock! Can you belie—‘

‘Shut your damn yapper!’ It’s not like he denied it either. ‘I told ya’ who’s side I’m on. You need to be put in time out.’

‘Time out? What am I, 10?? You can’t put me on time out!’

The two of you go back and forth like that for a while, but as soon as The Rock makes his hot tag to Kane, it all went out the window. The crowd erupts in cheers at the Big Red Machine taking care of Kurt.

To the point where you kinda felt bad. Of course, just for him. There’s zero sympathy for Jericho. It’s why you smile with glee when Kane takes him down with a Big Boot after trying to interfere.

So this is Kane, huh? He was monstrous. A force of power. For some reason you felt captivated by his strength.

‘[Name], now you and Y2J have your issues. But there’s rumors that say you two are involved with each other.’ JR says. ‘How do you feel about that?’

You look over in disgust. ‘Ew, don’t ever assault my ears like that again. I should be the last person you should even be asking about being involved with Jericho.’ You gag, covering your mouth. ‘I almost threw up!’

Austin agrees with you. ‘I’m right behind ya’. Let loose right on this table here. There’s a stick so far up his ass I bet he can taste it. Between him, little Rocky, and Angle, I’m not sure who I hate more..’

You decide to piggyback off of him. ‘I don’t mind anyone in the ring besides Jericho. I hope he loses tonight. I’ll laugh in his face as soon as that bell rings. If you open a dictionary, he’d be the definition of egotistic.’

‘It really is the battle of egos in the ring!’ Jerry nods.

Back and forth, Jericho and Kurt tag each other in for a double team. The Rock has yet to be tagged in.

‘This isn’t looking too good,’ You say. ‘I don’t know—‘ As soon as you say that, Kane recovers and Irish whips Kurt into the corner. Kurt runs right back into him and Kane quickly power slams him into the mat.

Now, both men were crawling to get a tag. ‘I’ll eat my words!’ You chime. The both of them make their respective tags and they switch, with The Rock immediately getting the upperhand. ‘Wow! Rock’s on fire!’

Austin just rolls his eyes. ‘I hope he burns ta’ death.’

Completely dominating the competition, The Rock goes even further and flips Kurt into the ring, then tosses him out. He then hits Jericho with a Spinebuster.

But then, he starts trying to apply a Sharpshooter! You had to stand up out of your seat, excited to see it. It had to be one of your favorite submission moves. He could really win with this one.

Oops, nevermind. Kurt comes back and slams his forearm into the back of The Rock’s head. Kane was there to take care of things.

Kane picks Kurt up and tosses him out of the ring once more, the latter slamming onto the ground in front of color commentary. Kane then gets out of the ring, hopping onto the floor.

All you can do is stare, and as he’s about to deal more damage to Kurt, he turns his attention to the commentary table. He’s looking straight at you and you stare back.

You wave. He doesn’t do anything back. He just stares.

Austin somehow had mistaken that Kane was looking at him. ‘The hell are you lookin’ at, ya damn jobbernowl?!’ Just for extra measure, he gives him the middle finger. It’s like he WANTED to go to anger management, jeez.

The Rock finally hits Jericho with a DDT and pins him. And that’s it! That’s the match!

You give a round of applause. You’re elated that Jericho lost tonight, it’s what he deserves. You were so excited that you took your headphones off, hop out of your seat, and grab The Rock’s title.

‘The hell is she up to??’ Austin was confused by your actions, taking off his own headphones.

You reach the title through the ropes with a smile. The Rock looks at you warily, but slowly takes the title. You smile up at him. You could tell he’s confused.

Suddenly, a hand on your shoulder pulls you back.

“What’re ya’ doing givin’ him the title?!” Austin yells.

“Um?! I was just being nice!”

He’s already heard that excuse. “What a load of bologna!” He waved his hand at you. “We’re gettin’ outta here!”

Was it really time to go? You had one last thing to do before you left. “Hold on!” You wanted to rub Jericho’s loss in his face.

But before that, you could see the final stare off between Austin and The Rock. Everyone was definitely anticipating something happening between them, but you didn’t want to stay long enough to witness.

You quickly roll in the ring, leaning down so Jericho can hear you. “HOW DOES IT FEEL TO BE A LOSER?! HUH?! HUH?!”

He flinched at your words, but before he could grab at your leg to pull you down, you jump back. No way he’d take you down that easy.

But, hey, you have to remember what Debra said. You couldn’t antagonize him. You had to be the bigger person..

And you damn sure would try your hardest. Maybe if you walked away now, she’d reconsider your classes!

You do so, rolling out of the opposite side of the ring and wait for Austin to meet you there. It’s time to get the hell out of here.

HOTEL ROOM // 8:23 PM

The phone rings, so you roll over in bed to pick it up. “Hello?”

“Hey.” Lita’s voice came from the other side of the line, her voice slightly tired. “What’re you up to?”

“Nothing.” You respond. “What, are you going to ask what I’m wearing next?”

Your words bring a laugh out of Lita. “Hilarious. I was just curious on how things went with Jeff yesterday?”

“Things got interesting. Promise to not tell anyone?”

“Of course.”

“Well, I kissed him when you guys left, but that’s all. We did nothing other than that.”

Lita gasps. “Really?? That’s why he was smiling like crazy the entire night...”

Thank god the room was a single suite. You weren’t sure what you’d do if this information got into the wrong hands. Your clothes were neatly folded once more, this time with no shaky hands! You were proud of yourself.

“Oh yeah? He was smiling the whole time?” It brought a smile to your own face. “That’s nice. But enough about me. What’s up with you and Team Extreme??”

Lita sighs. “Still unresolved. I don’t know what I’m going to do. All of us, all we’ve been doing is fighting and I don’t know how to fix it….’

“Hmm..” You go into thought for a minute. How would you approach a situation like that anyway? It’s hard to talk after all that yelling. You’ve witnessed one argument, and it’s safe to say you don’t want to see anymore. “You know, Debra is forcing me AND Austin into anger management. On that note, maybe you should look into couples therapy. You and Matt.”

Lita’s just starts to snicker. “Oh wow. I’m sorry—“ You could tell she was trying her hardest not to laugh. “You and none other than Stone Cold Steve Austin,” She says the name for a full effect, “..are going to anger management. That is something I never thought I’d hear.”

“It’s a shocker, isn’t it?” You say, rolling over to the nightstand. The cord had gotten stuck, so you had to untangle it. “We were forced, it’s not like we can go against Debra’s word.”

“She’s like your mom or something.”

“Definitely.”

“Hey, wait, you weren’t doing anything, right?“ Lita asks. You give her a “no”, and you could just tell there’s a smile on her face. “Good. We’re going to IHOP. What’s your room number?” A pancake addict in the making, it seems. “I still haven’t gotten any and I think it’d be a good way to talk. There’s a lot I need to tell you that I can’t say here.”

“And what better than doing it over a plate of pancakes, right? Sure, I’ll come with you.” You definitely had a lot to tell her, but you were pretty sure it was vice versa. Before you can talk with her anymore, the phone rings again. “Hold on, I’m getting another call.”

Momentarily trying to figure out what button was used to put someone on hold, you tap it quickly and hit the button to accept the next line. “Hello?”

“Evening, Nitro Girl.”

It’s Triple H. Or should you say Hunter? You were shocked to hear his voice again.

“Evening.” You greet back.

“Got anything new for me?”

“I don’t, unfortunately.” You sigh. “I’m surprised you’re calling me, what’s the deal?”

“I’m returning to the ring in about a week. I’ve already been making my rounds backstage. I’d like you to keep your eyes peeled and your ears open. I know there’ll be a lot of talk.” He said. “If Jericho or someone close to him has a blabber mouth, report back to me.”

You weren’t sure how you missed him tonight, but there’s always next time. “As if Jericho has any friends. His ego is so inflated I’m not sure there’s any room for them. But I’ll do what you ask.”

“Atta’ girl. That’s all I can ask for. Stephanie’s been acting….normal for the most part. Hasn’t talked about anyone else lately since I’ve mentioned coming back to wrestle. She seems excited.”

“That’s a given. You’re coming back to the ring. From what I’ve heard, you two were pretty unstoppable when it came to matches. She helped you out a lot.” It was true. Stephanie always interfered one way or another. You shrug slightly. “I’m sure business partners are out of the window.”

He’s silent for a minute, but before you can begin talking again, he goes first. “I’m still led to believe that she could be sleeping with someone else. You’d better get used to this, we’ll be calling very frequently from now on.”

Oh great! You’ll be talking to him for a while then. Especially if what he thinks turns out to be true.

“You know, I can think of maybe TWO people who definitely wouldn’t approve of this partnership…” You trail off, wrapping the phone cord around your finger.

“Then this is just our dirty little secret. I told you, nothing more, nothing less.”

“Well, what if there’s more?”

He seemed intrigued. “Go on.”

You’ll take your chances. You’ve already made your bed, it’s time to lie in it. Even if the accusations were false, you’d pretend like you never spoke to him. “You and I, how about we get even closer? I mean, if Stephanie’s possibly stepping out, why don’t you give her a taste of her own medicine? I mean, if your instincts are telling you the truth.”

“That’s cute. Listen, I’m only about business. I don’t normally stray past business relationships.”

“Unfortunate.”

“However, I may make an exc—“

Knocks at your door had made you get up out of bed. “Shoot. I’ve gotta go. I’ll talk to you later.” You don’t even give Hunter a chance to respond before you slam the phone onto the base. Getting up, you open the door.

Of course, It’s Lita that’s waiting for you, car keys in hand.

“You ready?”

You were in fact, not ready. Between having to throw something suitable on and haphazardly printing directions, you were a little off.

“[Name]?”

“Yeah?”

“…When you printed out those directions, are you sure they were to go to IHOP?” Lita asks. “Because right now, that looks like a Waffle House.”

“Waffle House?” You repeat. “What?” She stops the car momentarily, pulling over so she can read the directions herself. She points to the yellow sign first, then looks back to the paper.

“Yup. This says to Waffle House. What the hell did you do on the hotel computer? More importantly, how did you mess up?! International House of Pancakes and Waffle House aren’t the same thing!”

You just laugh. It’s all you can do. There’s always something getting in your way. No pancakes tonight!You two were already close to the end. “W-Why aren’t you laughing?”

“…Because it’s not funny.”

“I’m sorry. I don’t know how that happened! I guess we’re eating waffles tonight. We’re already here.” You shrug, throwing your hands out defensively. Lita can only huff.

“Fine. But next time, I get to print the directions and you drive.” She pulls back into the street to enter the parking lot and all you can do is smile.

It’s only about 8:35. You’d probably be getting back to your room at a decent time! Not bad at all. You were pretty hungry, so you hoped they could cook fast.

You two entered the building and were seated quickly. It was sort of busy, but you liked hearing the chatter from nearby. It made you feel comfortable.

Lita takes a seat from across you. “I think me and Matt are done for a while…” She begins. “It’s just too much. I can’t deal with it right now. I feel like all he cares about is himself.”

“I told you, you’d better look into like, some type of therapy. It sounds like you guys are really going through it right now.”

Instead of laughing, she seems to mull over it. “Mmmm, I don’t know. I’m just tired of all the yelling. They’ve got another match coming up so I’m hoping this all goes away.”

“I could invite you to anger management.” Extending the offer to her could only make her scoff.

“Hell no.”

Once you two ordered your food, you felt like it was your turn to say what’s been on your mind. “You know remember who called on the hotel phone? You’ll never guess who it was.” You pause for dramatic effect. “..Triple H.”

“What??” Lita was definitely taken aback. She could remember it like it was yesterday. Funnily enough, it was him and Austin who had terrorized not only herself, but targeted both the Hardy Boys. Even Stephanie got in on it. And it’s not like you had a clue, you weren’t in the company yet. “Are you serious?”

You idly pick up your fork with a nod. “Yeah. Whole thing is, he thinks Stephanie is cheating or something. Now we’re like not-so-official business partners.”

Lita was all for taking Stephanie down. She was a thorn in her side last year for the Women’s Championship. The feud was mostly over, but she had a right to feel bitter. “Whatever you do, I’ll be supporting you.”

For some reason, you felt a bit surprised she didn’t protest. No doubts, no nothing. She just said she’ll support you. “Wow, okay.”

“And I’m sure Jeff will be right behind you.” She gives you a devilish smile, making you roll your eyes.

You weren’t entirely sure about that. “That was only a one time thing, I don’t think it’ll happen again. I’m sure Jeff was still pretty woozy from his last match and the one before.” You can only hope it’s the opposite.

Lita can only reply in a sing-song voice, mocking and mirroring yours from earlier that night. “I don’t think sooooo!”

Your food was set down on the table. After thanking the waiter, the only thing you could do was rub your forehead. “You’re a real piece of work.”

“I’m sure you love me anyway.“

reader + jeff is in fact, not a one time thing. *puts y’all in a tag team match*

i’ve always heard mapquest was used for directions back then…so staying true to the 2001 theme they had to use it LMAO

lita & reader are just fun to write together!! you gotta love team extreme. but im trying to think how to involve matt tbh he is a big meanie. and im sorry i have to say this but y’all gonna be like 😮 at one of the parts next chapter IM SOO SERIOUS it’s definitely in the works

[maystea]

How does it feel, to stand at the edge of the world falling apart?

Mixing the scenes, not accenting on details that play a huge role or confuse the viewers’ opinions by showing the scenes that switch the attention to another topic. It's interesting to see how many layers The Devil Judge has, and even more interesting to discover the new angles of the scenes that seem one-sided.

This post is about how the worlds that were built for many years can be ruined in the span of a few minutes, and I'm not talking about Yo-Han's world. I'm talking about the world of Soo-Hyun, and how it was actually ruined by Professor's words in episode fourteen.

[ Warning ] : massive spoilers for episode nine, eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, and fifteen.

[ Warning ] : please don't read it if you ship Soo-Hyun and Ga-On for your own sake I guess?

— Part one: When the world starts to fall.

It's hard to define from what moment Ga-On started to distance himself from Soo-Hyun. And so it's hard to tell when she started to become a warm memory of carefree and happy childhood instead of his present and even future.

But we do see him coming back to her when his expectations for his relationships with Yo-Han didn't come true (maybe I'll write about it later?..), saying that she's his world and removing Yo-Han's hand from his shoulder.

And yes, she is his world. The only friend he has in his life, the only one thread to his past life, and the one person who cared for him all that thirteen years. And we do see it from the last scene in episode thirteen when Soo-Hyun dies and he crawls in an attempt to save the dying world physically.

Physically, because she’s still alive in his head. He listens to her voice on his phone, wants to get revenge for her... and the moment when Professor decides that it's his time to manipulate Ga-On to stop Yo-Han, everything related to her falls apart.

— Part two: The moment when I understood,

The scene when Ga-On enters Professor's office in episode fourteen is very powerful, has a lot of details, and just shows how much Ga-On had grown up from the beginning of the show. But now, the main topic is not the scene but what is coming afterward: him sitting on the stairs after Professor's last words to him.

For clarification. We have already seen this face and this reaction on Ga-On in episode twelve: Soo-Hyun caught him with Yo-Han when Minister Cha shot herself and he was in the car with Yo-Han. The difference is that back then he had blood on his hands, and now he has thoughts on his mind of him hearing Soo-Hyun's words in Professor's manipulations.

The next scene we see is him remembering what Soo-Hyun said in episode two after Yo-Han broke Young-Min's car in front of them. He's already a criminal for her, and it doesn't matter that Young-Min is not a saint either. The same reaction we see from Professor in episode six when Ga-On came to him after noticing the "tale". He talks about Yo-Han as a criminal who breaks the law in every possible way.

And it's an important thing to remember but that's not as critical as them not wanting to not only hear but also to take into consideration Yo-Han's motives at all. Nothing changes even if Yo-Han has his reasons, and nothing changes even if it's the only way to make Juk-Chang talk.

"Human's Cruel Selfishness" by Jung Se-Rin plays in the background while Ga-On's mind plays Soo-Hyun's words about Yo-Han on endless repeat.

Ga-On remembers the last words Professor said to him before he left the office: "if Soo-Hyun saw you electrocute a person next to Kang Yo-Han, what would she have said?" And we're led to believe that every gesture and every thought he has now are because of it, because he's ashamed to even think about what would be Soo-Hyun's reaction.

But the thing is, Ga-On doesn't care about Soo-Hyun's opinion. He doesn't care what would she say, and we have proof to it: episode nine and him going to kill Doh Young-Chung even when Soo-Hyun said she would arrest him if he did something bad.

The thing is that here, Ga-On understands that even their manipulations are the same. They may be put in different words and have different people talking about, but from the change of places of elements, a sum does not change.

The next memory, is Soo-Hyun catching them at the scene of the crime. And from this flashback we see two things: the answer to Professor's question and her now thinking about Ga-On as a criminal, along with Yo-Han. The same does Professor in episode twelve, accusing him almost right after Ga-On came in.

It's interesting how the role of a "criminal" is now Ga-On's as well. They both treat him as a villain of the story: not wanting to hear nor even take into consideration the existence of his reasons, not giving him even a chance to explain the situations in both cases, even though one of them happened ten or so years ago.

Note from the author that is not on any gif but is also pretty important: in episode five, Ga-On was put in the position of being either an informant or an accomplice. Soo-Hyun asks Ga-On what he's doing with Kang Yo-Han in episode twelve, giving him a chance to retrieve himself by becoming an informant, but when he just cries without saying a word, she repulses him and tells him to not show his face to her ever, making him an accomplice of Kang Yo-Han: the criminal and the devil in her eyes.

In episode twelve, Ga-On had Yo-Han who unintentionally and ironically saved the world of Soo-Hyun, without words comforting Ga-On and telling him it's going to be alright by putting his hand on his arm; back then, it worked. Ga-On calmed down and understood that he's not alone, he has Yo-Han by his side.

And now, no one of the alive people are sitting next to him. Just the ghosts of the past, endless amounts of thoughts, and an unanswered question: how much more manipulations similarities he will find in the words of the ones who were once a world for him.

— Part three: That it all was a lie.

The scene at the end of episode fifteen. When every detail of the grand plan is now open, and it came to its logical end. And we think, isn't it already enough? Soo-Hyun's world has already fallen apart, and there's no way it'll ever be recovered as it was with Yo-Han's world.

Turns out, the scene at the stairs wasn't enough.

Professor leaves, leaving Ga-On in shock. He wants to follow to ask, to confirm, to laugh at the bad joke, when Sun-Ah stops him, and the point of her little speech is not the "you're Master Yo-Han's weakness that I planted," but the "This man is really dangerous."

Because it's when Ga-On starts functioning again, shaking his head in disbelief; the creators hide it pretty well, showing only a few seconds of his reaction and then switching the topic to Jae-Hee.

...But the thing is, the moment when Ga-On hears Sun-Ah's words in Soo-Hyun's warnings, is the moment when Soo-Hyun's world turns into ashes.

[slutneto]

New viewer, yet to watch S3. How much do you think Greg is aware of Tom's obsession with him ? What does he make of it ? What is your understanding of Tom's obsession with him, is there really a romantic or sexual angle or is it in my evil head :D I mean yes I know they are widely shipped. [I am super cool with spoilers and kinda know what happens in s3 so you can include spoilers in your answer]

girl, this will be very long and i'm on mobile, prepare for a wild ride.

i think greg is aware that tom is fond of him, yes, but is willfully ignoring ANYTHING that suggests attraction. but what i find very telling is the fact that he does not do it from the start. he doesn't dismiss the idea of kissing tom once, even thought tom asks him four times; he is the one that says that maybe tom is trying to seduce him (and when tom says yes he does not leave, instead he goes clubbing with him and lets tom take him home for the night); he only asks logan to help him leave right before tom's wedding. i firmly believe greg was very much down in season one and only toned it down after tom got married; a very sensible notion tbh.

but he must be somewhat aware. especially since tom in season three has started showing him there is more to it than fondness and physical attraction. he must have wondered for at least a bit about what exactly was happening between them after tom said he would marry him. must have realised he means a lot to tom when he agreed to go to jail for him and asked for nothing in return. must have seen through all of tom's bullshit when he kissed him. must have realised the enormity of tom's affection when he asked him to join with him, to trust him while he called him sporus again. he simply must have.

what does he make of it? i suspect that most of the time greg writes it off as just tom being tom, for the sake of his sanity. tom can be so chaotic sometimes, greg must do that, otherwise he would have gone mad. but he does it too often, there are times when tom is visibly trying to convey something deep and urgent and greg dismisses it, when he should have been listening. (3.7 actually deals with that a bit, it puts him on the right path with 3 short conversations that revolve around people telling greg meaningful things when he isn't expecting it at all: first tom telling him he should not ask comfry out, where greg assumes tom is joking when in fact the only part of that convo where tom wasn't telling the truth was his reasoning behind this statement; second one was kendall calling greg a parasite and a leech and greg naturally assuming he was joking, only for ken to make him understand that not every cutting comment is a joke, which visibly goes to his head so much, that when tom tells him he ruined his chance at happiness greg, instead of once again taking it as a joke, tries to have a serious conversation with tom and asks him how has he ruined it for him)

i think greg is discovering that whatever he has with tom is way more advanced and deeper than how he has let himself perceive it. I haven't even touched upon the italian proposal. insane.

what do i think about it? i believe that at the heart of it, tom and greg are both unaware of how their relationship affects them. or, rather, if they do, it's extremely inconvenient to them. they both started it thinking they were using each other, greg to get his foot in, tom to have somebody to blame when shit hits the fan (ironic how greg throws away a cosy position for an unsure future with tom and how tom was willing to take the blame for greg's crimes), but it all goes sideways. they end up being each other's only ally. nobody cares about greg more than tom, but the reverse is also true, and they both care about each other deeply.

i there a romantic angle? undoubtedly. tom visibly deteriorating because greg has asked somebody out cannot be mistaken for anything else, not even tom being unhappy with shiv because at that time we are at the calm before the storm stage where they seem pretty okay with each other. it had everything to do with greg moving away from tom in a way that he could not stop. greg, standing next to tom's wife, looking tom dead in the eyes and admitting that the things he wants the more from a romantic partner are: depth, substance, understanding and acceptance (the things he gets from tom only) before starting the most meaningless and shallow courting attempt with the contessa; paired with tom proposing to greg and highlighting that even though greg isn't the best, that he knows greg is mostly interested only in himself, tom has been there for him regardless, and wants greg by his side, not only for worse but for better too.

the sexual attraction is the easiest to spot here, in my opinion. tom, always staring at greg's lips, always touching him, always saying wildly inappropriate, very sexual things to him, that would result in hr firing his ass immediately if greg ever told anyone about it. greg, with his slutty hair tucks, with going 👀 every time tom calls him a good boy, with the wildest ways he reacts to tom telling him he likes something he did, with calling himself a pretty boy and telling himself he would probably enjoy gay sex while putting on his best tom voice, with his brain shitting down completely before blurting out PROVE IT when tom tells him he has a big dick and is phenomenal at fucking.

no way they aren't it for each other. they just don't know it yet.

[beevean]

Honestly? They should've just kept Lenore as a scummy rapist with no redeeming qualities who Hector gets to have revenge against

Not that there isn't any potential in a hypothetical Co dependent toxic relationship, but I think that by Season 3 the show had made it very clear that it did not know the meaning of the word nuance, so at that point you might as well go for the "victim gets revenge on abuser" angle, because for as cliché and safe as it is it still would have been better than what we got

Of course that didn't stop the show from joking about Alucard's little experience with Sumi and Taka, but y'know lesser of two evils

Well, I suppose you can take my rants as what I'd personally write, because I am fully aware the show isn't deep enough to tackle such topics, as much as it pretends to :P

I like Lenore's "redeeming qualities", because they don't redeem her at all. They are there to make her a distinct character from Carmilla, who is a completely flat cartoonish villain - and Lenore in S3 is little more than Carmilla in a cosplay wig and BDSM getup. I don't mind traits like her feelings of inadequacy, because the show uses her to woobify her, but they can also explain her villainy, like the fan theory that she spoke about Hector in a dehumanizing way because she felt looked down on and so put on a façade of a tough vampire to be taken seriously. They give her depth and could have made for an unique villain.

The tone is the issue. And Hector is the issue, obviously. I am so utterly baffled that his big "redemption" from how spineless and submissive he was in the previous season entails... him letting Isaac do the hard work and giving up very easily on his own plan of resurrecting Dracula, and happily clinging onto a woman who doesn't fully respect him without a single hint he feels bad about what was done to him. So he's still spineless and submissive. Bruh. This is active spite down to the last episode.

And you know the clincher? Everything I say, I say it because I'm taking time analyzing the text, reading the expressions, placing scenes together. Since when NFCV expects you do to so?! When it comes to Isaac, the dialogue tells us no less than three times that he has changed. NFCV is not subtle! NFCV treats its viewers like idiots! This is the same show that has characters talk about stuff they in no way should know, for the sake of exposition! So when I'm here scratching my head at understanding Lenore's motivations for her suicide or Hector's feelings, it's because the story, quite simply, didn't care.

Isaac's story was one of growing past your desire for revenge and learning how to forgive and move on. He tells us. With a long epic speech. Hector's story is about nothing. Shippers interpret it as "taking the high road and coming to a mutual understanding". I take it as "forgive your abuser if they're nice enough and be grateful for the scraps". But I can assure you that we are all putting much more thought than Ellis and his crew did. Hector's story is an abortion: proof of this is the fact that, at the end of the day, he ends his story exactly where he started.

I am wasting time trying to reconcile the intended themes with the basics of a good story, but yes, when you put it that way, Hector might as well have blasted Abandoned Castle and gone haywire.