#which is more interesting than it sounds at first

[iamespecter]

I've been thinking a lot about episode 4 recently, but not exactly in a way that what most would think. I'm actually specifically referring to this scene of Zooble and Jax.

But I'm not thinking about Jax and Zooble, rather I'm looking at the patties.

They're fucking High Definition. In fact, everything in the diner is high definition, save for the NPCs. There's also Orbsman. A simple NPC comprised of blue spheres, and simple elongated eyes. He's the most out of place NPC, if we disregard the mannequins. Even the way he moves is so outdated, and Ragatha had made a point that Orbsman comes from an adventure way before Pomni's arrival.

The guy even clips through the table when trying to order.

Something that always had some sirens going off in my head is how the Circus is this low-poly scenery with heavily stylized props, but the adventure locations are always much more detailed and realistic.

Since The Grounds is definitely, if not, one of the oldest locations, it makes sense for it to be graphically styled like this. But Caine's adventure set pieces are becoming more and more realistic, and also a whole lot more morbid than we had initially thought.

Going back to the patties, the food there is more realistic and has a higher polygon count compared to Bubble's "feast".

Where am I going with this? .... I have no idea, I forgot. /j

Jokes aside, I really do think that as more humans enter the circus and talk about what life is in the real world, Caine extracts that data and improves the 3D environmental props, resulting in higher definition textures.

All of this combined means he can learn. He IS an ever-evolving pseudo-sentient AI. And the reason why he's stagnating is because of a combination of being trapped in his own little bubble (haha see what I did there) of comfort, and the fact that no one's really able to give him criticism on how to improve, which is.... honestly understandable, given how he reacted to the whole "it was bad" line from Pomni and "Why did you think I would like that?!" from Zooble.

Not to mention episode 3 where the whole circus started to glitch when he was just thinking about the fact that he could possibly be bad at the "only thing he's good at" during the therapy session.

In fact it's interesting how human Caine acts sometimes... I think it's quite interesting to think about the fact that Caine is both progressing in terms of bringing the casts' world to the digital circus and making it so HD that it looks even better than Triple A games, but regressing even more in terms of catering to them and what exactly humans need.

He understands, and doesn't at the same time.

This also makes me think about the players themselves, too.

Ragatha, one of the oldest players, gets pierced by a spike through her chest, and barely has any reaction to it. Meanwhile, Zooble, the second most recent member, gets scalded by the stove.

The only time Ragatha actively claims she's in "so much pain" is when she's glitching badly. Both Ragatha and Kinger barely react to the knives too; and not to mention Ragatha even gets fucking plunged into a boiling deep fryer, and yes while she screams, it sounds more like she's just drowning rather than being fried alive.

And the only patch up she gets is a FUCKING BAND AID ON HER CHEEK. A COMPLETELY UNRELATED WORKPLACE INJURY FIRST AID APPLIANCE LMFAO

It could be just a coincidence and I'm just being stupid again, but I think this "improvement" actually also applies to the rest of the cast, and how their digital bodies react to the five different senses. I'm sure Ragatha and Kinger can most definitely still feel pain, but not exactly as "bad" as the newer integrations do. Dare I say, it's on brand with how used these two are to the digital world's wackiness because they've been there the longest.

Like they've been numbed to the pain of the countless adventures they've had to go through.

Anyways my brain be thinking useless facts fr fr

EDIT: Going back to Caine, it's definitely interesting how this AI seems to possess (some) emotions in the first place. He's mostly wacky and nonchalant, but he also gets angry under the right conditions.

... I think not only is his adventures his "work of art", but also his main coping mechanism from the fact that he can't achieve his goal, one that constantly backfires on him. Like a 'one step forward, two steps back' scenario that's slowly causing him to slip and break.

And what scares me the most is that like all things... he'll reach a breaking point sometime. He's already reached a breaking point with Zooble. It doesn't help that Gangle could've possibly made things worse with introducing Caine to the whole "punishment" thing, and since we literally have NO context for the last 3 episodes for the finale... I could only fear what's in store.

[bitingyoubitingyoubi]

How tommy communicated his message is so interesting and so, incredibly based.

He chose to use a YouTube video, which is his biggest platform, communicating the significance he assigns to his message and the situation at large. Putting it on a side channel or a text-based social media platform would undercut the message.

His video is without cuts, shot in one take, with Tommy looking directly at the camera, only looking away to check his notes. This, too, communicates the importance he assigns to this video. The constant eye contact is captivating to the viewer. It makes the conversation feel direct and intimate.

Furthermore! Tommy's video is directly addressed to dream. Dream does this too, but there's more drama to his video, and this undercuts his directness, in my opinion, making it seem less like a confrontation and more like a performance.

Tommy, on the other hand, balances his words with being incredibly conversational (his use of filler words like "man" and "like," his pauses and breaths that would usually be cut) with being almost juridical, like he's reading out the transgressions for which dream is on trial.

Tommy also doesn't include background music, sound effects, or cut away to images. This, too amplifies the penetrating tone of his video.

Tommy also makes the crucial decision to not include receipts. This is the first thing I clocked when I watched the video, and it's perhaps the most compelling decision he made for two reasons 1) not including receipts communicates that his arguments are so solid that they stand on their own 2) it, again, makes the video more personal.

Tommy gives up the protection that providing receipts provides. It's easy to respond to his accusations with "that never happened because you have no proof," as Dream did! But this response, again, feels directed to the wider audience as a way for Dream to defend himself.

Tommy's lack of context in his discussion of dreams sexism behind the scenes and GNF's sexual assault of Caiti is arresting and accusatory. He knows his video will be viewed by millions of people other than dream who don't know the details of the aforementioned situations, but he doesn't care. He knows Dream knows to what Tommy is referring, and in refusing to elaborate he is saying, "You know what you did.

Lastly, Tommy's video clocks in at 5 minutes and 40 seconds. In the time it takes to watch this video, you could listen to a couple of songs, microwave a frozen meal, or delete your Twitter account and be done with discourse altogether. This makes Tommy's video easy to watch in its entirety — multiple times even! His brevity also makes each statement he includes all the more valuable, and it communicates his assuredness in his stance.

Each decision Tommy made in posting his video, whether deliberate or not, is a unique choice that serves to set his video apart from other statements released by participants of drama and discourse. It communicated confidence, salience, and conviction that is unmatched by others in his situation, let alone Dream himself.

notice how tommy was able to fit everything into a five minute video and address the actually issues (like the r slur usage and the george situation) instead of yapping for 3 hours straight about literally nothing

[pupuyvs]

Race of Your Life

pairing: sophia laforteza x fem!reader

wc: 5k+

warnings: car accident???? its in f1 though so..

a/n this is a req which can be seen here and here, sorry anon for how long this took 😅 anyways i may further this universe we’ll see though 🫣 ps. this is inspired by romain grosjean crash at 2020 bahrain grand prix (dw no one died he actually got away with burns on his hands and sprained ankle) so if ur curious as to what everyone wouldve seen u can search it up (its not graphic so again dw)

Formula 1. A sport known for its riches, flashiness, and speed; all aspects that pulled you in.

You were ten when you went to your first grand prix, the seats terrible due to them being a bonus given to your dad by his company, but you didn’t let that hinder you. Hearing the sounds of the cars as they raced by, the crowd cheering, feeling adrenaline as the cars came close to each other — you were hooked.

Your parents were hesitant when you showed interest, karting was expensive, and well, you were a girl. But you were determined, telling them you would die if you couldn’t do it, you regard this memory as being very dramatic, but it worked. Your father, clearly exasperated by said dramatics, made a deal with you, he’d help you in karting, but you couldn’t quit, no matter what. And being the stubborn ten year old you were, you agreed.

And thus you started.

The first year was the hardest, girls weren’t the most common in karting, add on to the fact you weren’t rich it was like you practically had a sign on your back saying, “pick on me!” But you didn’t care, you were there for one thing and one thing only, racing. While your parents fought for you verbally, you fought on the track.

You found yourself more often than not on the podium, losing was not something you could afford.

As the trophies racked up so did the respect, arguments were hard to have when you couldn’t back it up when it came down to it. And it continued this way as the years went by, karting turned into Formula 4, then 3, then 2, and it stayed that way for a while.

Women hadn’t made their break into Formula 1 yet, you were good, but it seemed not good enough for them. You watched as your friends began to make their transition into the top of the league, and you were happy for them, but it was also bitter to watch them get chances that you couldn’t afford yet.

Until 2021.

Mclaren had just released their driver line up for a younger, newer lineup for the 2022 season. Your longtime friend Oscar got called up first, you were happy for him, he was one of the few people in karting who was kind to you, so to see him awarded for his talent you couldn’t be happier. But you didn’t know that Mclaren didn’t just want Oscar, no, they wanted to be first in everything, not only racing.

Your signing made headlines everywhere making Mclaren happy, especially with the word “history” attached to their name. But with this came pressure, a huge amount of it too.

Your first season was much like your first year in karting — rough. The drivers are kinder this time around, well most of them, it’s the garage this time. You were iced out from most of your team, aside from the team managers and Oscar most of the team didn’t want you there.

That wasn’t the top of your worries though, sure it sucked, but you had bigger issues.

A drivers car is essentially a part of them, an extension of them if you will, they can only drive as well as their car runs, and your car did not want to work with you.

You knew it wasn’t because of the team, they would never purposely sabotage you, winning was more important to them than anything else.

It was hard on you going from top of the grid, podiums a normalcy, to being in the back of the pack. What used to be single digit placements became double digits with a swiftness, with each result you could feel your seat being taken from you, you needed a win.

The Italian Grand Prix was famous for its long straights, practically begging for speed. It was one of the later races in the season, a race meant for grabbing points to cement your position in the driver’s cup or the team cup. But it wasn’t just that for you, there was talks about replacing you if you didn’t give results soon, and you couldn’t allow that.

You were starting in fifteenth place, not an uncommon place for you, and you had to get at least in the top ten if you wanted even a chance of being considered to stay. Adrenaline coursed through you as the lights turned off and the race began. It was a battle for places in the first turn as always, and you luckily succeeded in snatching two leaving you now in thirteenth place, a good spot but you needed more. And it seemed your car understood that too.

For the first time that season you felt like you were back to your old self. The joy you felt as you passed car after car was euphoric after months of not having it.

The race ended with you seventh place, but it might as well have been first to you. An eight position climb was uncommon and hard to accomplish, but you somehow had done it and your team was ecstatic. Your career only went up from here, no longer were you in the bottom, you had found yourself back in the top, not quite podium but it didn’t matter you were still scoring points for your team.

At the end of the season you and Oscar ended up in the top ten for the drivers cup, and were re-signed immediately.

But as the new year rolled around you felt something was missing.

The 2023 race season started off strong, the team had worked vigorously on the car and your team was faster than ever. Now instead of finishing in just the top ten you often found yourself in the top five, which should’ve made you happy, but something was off and you wouldn’t know what it was until Miami.

Celebrities weren’t an uncommon sight in Formula 1. The glitz and glam of it practically called to them like a siren song. Hence why when Katseye's schedule had coincided with the Miami grand prix Hybe had immediately sent them.

The company had gone all out getting them all access passes, anything for promotion they had stated.

The tour around the paddocks was fun, even with the cameras in their face due to content being filmed. But of course something had to go wrong.

Sophia wouldn’t say she had a terrible sense of direction, just not the most perfect. And truly it wasn’t her fault!

She had stepped away to get a closer look at one of the cars, and when she turned around her group was missing.

The leader part of her would’ve asked for help, after all it’s the responsible and smart thing to do, but the new idol side of her didn’t want to be a burden so she decided she’d find her members herself.

It wasn’t the smartest idea, and she’ll admit it each time she looks back on it. This sport comes down to milliseconds at times, each team making changes to beat the others, so none of them will take kindly to a random person walking around.

As one of the employees of the team yelled accusations at her, Sophia only had one thought she was getting fired. That is until you showed up.

Sophia will always say she found you charming when she first laid eyes on you. Your voice, your calming smile and the way you lightly grabbed onto her wrist to guide her away, everything about you was just charming.

When you finally reached a seemingly neutral spot you let go of her wrist and turned to her, a soft smile on your lips.

“I’m assuming you’re part of that girl group touring today?” The question shocked Sophia, she hadn’t expected any of the racers to know about them.

“Yes, and I swear I wasn’t trying to steal anything or spy or whatever else that man said. I truly got lost. I didn't mean any harm or anything like that, me and my group are good peopl-” You cut her off with a laugh and a shake of your head.

“Calm down, I know,” you told her, “I doubt other teams are using singers to spy.” You hold your hand out for her to shake.

“I’m Y-” It’s her turn to cut you off.

“Y/N Y/L/N. I think I’d be crazy not to know who you are.”

And it was true, you were a sought after prospect due to just how much of a commercial success you were. After the Italian race the endorsements practically came running in which Mclaren praised, their name attached to such big names did nothing but raise their stocks and publicity, it also helped their sales skyrocket since more and more women were buying their cars. With all these positives teams were practically foaming at the mouth to sign you and your publicity.

You laughed shyly at her response, “Right.” You said as you rubbed the back of your neck. You cleared your throat once the red in your ears disappeared.

“What’s you and your group's name?” Sophia gasped at the question, feigning offense. She laughed as you panicked rushing to apologize. Sophia stopped you before you could ramble.

“I’m just joking with you,” she started, “I wouldn’t expect you to know us just yet, we’re pretty much in that stage before debuting.” You sighed out in relief at her words, nodding in understanding.

Sophia realized she still hadn’t said her name, “I’m Sophia, the leader of Katseye.”

She cringed slightly at the clear training that was drilled into her. And you noticed it too as you struggled to not laugh.

“Well Sophia, leader of Katseye,” the playfulness is clear in your voice, “Where is the group you are currently leading?”

She rolled her eyes at the clear teasing, before she realized she had no idea where her members nor staff were.

“I…actually don’t know.”

You raised an eyebrow, “Well, did they mention where they were going next?”

She stops to think about the schedule the guide had told them, furrowing her brows, “Mercedes?” You groaned at her words, which had worried her.

“Did I say something wrong,” she asked.

You quickly shook your head, “No, it’s just it will be a bit difficult to bring you given..” you trailed off as you raised your hand to point to your team logo on your shirt.

She nodded in understanding however before she could offer to leave you alone and somehow find her own way, you spoke once more.

“I’ll just have to bring you just outside their garage, so I don’t get encaptured in rumors of cheating and conspiracy and all that.” You stopped with a laugh at just how ridiculous it was.

“Okay, but are you sure?”

You nodded, “I am. Come on.”

As you two walked, you found yourselves falling into a natural conversation. She told you about the show her group formed from, which you promise to watch later, and you told her about the first race you won.

It was the happiest you had felt in awhile, it’s there you realized what was missing.

So when you had reached your stop you found yourself struggling to say goodbye. What you hadn’t known was Sophia was struggling too.

“Thanks for walking me,” she finally said, breaking the silence you both created to avoid it ending.

“Yeah of course, it was fun.”

“Really,” she asked while raising an eyebrow. You nodded, scratching the back of your neck nervously.

“Well,” she trailed, clearly trying to buy time, “I should go in and find my members.”

She waited for you to say something, and when you didn’t she frowned believing she had read the whole situation wrong. When she turned to walk away though, you called for her.

“Can I have your number?”

Sophia stopped, silent as she felt relieved by not being wrong. However, her silence gets read wrong by you and you beat yourself up for possibly having overstepped.

“I don’t have my phone on me right now, you know filming and stuff, but if you give me your phone I can put my number in and you text me, when I get my phone back I can text you back.” You nodded and handed your phone to her, quite desperately too. As she entered her number her members walked out of the Mercedes area, and practically screamed when they saw you and her.

You jumped as they barrelled towards the two of you.

“Hi, you’re Y/N, right?” Lara asked you. You nodded with a small smile.

“You must be the Katseye members.” The girls all started to freak out as they realized you knew them. You laughed as you accepted your phone back from Sophia, which garnered the attention of Daniela, but she stayed silent as she remembered that there were cameras around.

And she wasn’t the only one that remembered the cameras as the girls’ managers came forward, “Would it be okay if we took a picture and you guys filmed a quick video together?”

You hesitated, “My manager isn’t around,” you watched as Sophia pouted slightly and immediately changed your mind, “But I’m sure he wouldn’t mind.”

And based on the girls’ reactions you know you had said the right thing. After taking a picture with them and recording a video saying people should check them out, you said goodbye to them, sending Sophia one last smile.

You and Sophia started talking frequently after this day, messaging each other whenever you could. You asked her out on race day, seeing it as the best time since her and her group would be leaving the next day.

She had said yes immediately, and so after the race instead of attending the usual party you had raced over to your hotel to get ready.

When you had arrived at her hotel she hesitated when she saw your car, her friends had warned her to be careful with you, racers didn’t have the best reputation for dating. It hadn’t helped your case when you showed up in a clearly expensive and flashy car.

She pushed the warnings to the side when she saw you leaned against your car, a gift bag in hand and a shy smile.

Her members, who had followed her under the guise of safety, though she knew it was out of pure nosiness, all rushed to get a closer look at the car. The rushing clearly shocked you as you jumped, she laughed when you looked at her for help.

When she hadn’t moved you instead moved away from your car, which was now being opened by Megan and Yoonchae, who screamed when the door went up instead of out. You stopped just in front of her and took in her beauty, a smile had automatically found its way on your face.

“You look stunning,” you had breathed out. You blushed when you noticed she had heard you. You cleared your throat to fight the blush that fought its way to your face.

Sophia jumped when you held up a small gift bag in her face. Shock had crossed her face when she opened a jewelry box and found a diamond bracelet in it.

“I hope that’s okay,” you said. “My manager and the lady at the store said it was a perfect gift for the first date.”

Sophia could only scoff in disbelief, “They said diamonds are great for a first date?”

You nodded, but quickly shook your head when you had seen the look on her first. “I knew it was stupid, I should’ve got the necklace, if you want I can take it back and get it traded.”

However when you tried to grab the bag Sophia had immediately pulled it back, “I never said it was bad, just surprised. Thank you.”

You nodded once more before you gestured towards your car, which her members had been taking pictures in, “Ready to go?”

She simply nodded and you both entered the car, after saying goodbye to her members and promising Daniela that she could drive it one time.

You had taken her to an expensive steakhouse that resided along South Beach. It was awkward at first, you being nervous and her trying to figure out if this was all a ploy to feed your ego.

It wasn’t until she spilled her wine on your shirt trying to hand the menu to the waiter did the awkwardness finally stop. You laughed as she tried to wipe your shirt with a napkin, a dried one at that, and reassured her that it was fine, because truly you liked her so much it didn’t bother you even a bit.

You had stopped laughing when you noticed she was truly panicked, you lifted your hand and lightly grabbed hers and reassured her once again that it was okay.

When she noticed you were serious she calmed, and your dinner finished without a hitch. After dropping off the five extra meals you had bought for her members at your car you both walked along the beachfront and enjoyed the business of the nightlife.

You two talked about nothing and everything until her manager texted her telling it was time to come back.

This date marked the beginning of what would be your two’s relationship. It was rough at first, with you traveling so often due to races, facetime had been essentially a third in your relationship.

However, you didn’t let the distance hinder you guys, as you had bought a house close to the group’s apartment and had visited her every break they had given you.

Which led you guys to where you are now.

“God I don’t know how you guys don’t get lost here, this place is huge,” Manon says as she places the snacks she bought on the table. She doesn’t receive a response as all the other members rush to get their favorite snacks first, the slight chaos makes your parents laugh.

It’s an action that would’ve gotten them scolded by Sophia but she was too busy eyeing the door to the room.

It wasn’t often Sophia could come to your races, being an idol in her first year meant she was busier than ever, but any time she did get to go she was always a nervous wreck, only being calmed when she would see you before you went down to the grid.

When she saw the door knob move she immediately stood, running when she realized it was you. She jumped on you leaving you to drop your bottle of water to catch her.

“Happy to see you too baby,” you whisper in her ear. She responds by tightening her hold on you.

You laugh as you move to put her down, though she latches onto you still. She had an extremely bad feeling since this morning and it made her not want to let go of you.

You moved her to your side and wrapped one of your hands around her waist, while she kept both of her arms circled around yours.

You both walked over to where the rest were standing, Sophia moving so you can greet your parents and her members, and when you finished she went back to her previous spot by your side.

“You excited? Only two more races after this then you’re off,” your father asks.

You shake your head, “I’m more so nervous.” Sophia perks when she hears that.

“Why?” She feels you jump slightly at her intrusion, not expecting a voice to come from her direction.

“Just not used to the track and its turns yet.” Your dad comes beside you and pats the shoulder Sophia is not currently resting her head on.

“You did great during practice and quali, I mean you’re starting fifth.”

You nod your head at your dad’s words, “Yeah, it’s probably just preracing jitters.”

The room door opens again and in steps one of your team members. “Hey, Y/N, it’s time to get ready.”

“Alright.” You turn to your parents first, Sophia stepping away momentarily, but she stays near watching you. You hugged your dad first and then your mother, who pressed a quick kiss to your head. Each member wishes you luck, Yoonchae even showing you the sign she made you with Megan and Manon, which made you laugh and thank them.

Everyone in the room moves back to let you and Sophia say your goodbyes.

“Hey,” you say as you lift her head, “You okay? You’ve been very quiet.”

She tightens her grip slightly. “Just…anxious.”

You smiled at her to reassure her, when you still see the fear in her eyes you lean down and give her a peck. You feel her ease slightly, “Everything will be okay. I’m gonna win and then come back up here with the trophy and you and the girls can sign it.”

She nods, but you can still see the hesitation, “Baby-”

You're cut off by the staff coming back again, motioning that it’s seriously time to go. You sigh before looking back at Sophia.

“I have to go now, It’ll be over before you know it.” You kiss her once more and she tries to pull you closer, but you pull away much to her dismay.

“I love you.”

“I love you too.” She makes sure to say back, the bad feeling in her is overwhelming at this point. And when you walk out with one final wave, she finds herself struggling not to cry.

“Hey, you good?” Manon asks her, concern clear in her voice. She nods and when she turns back she sees everyone else also looking at her with worry. A blush raises on her face due to embarrassment.

“Just nervous, that’s all.” Manon nods, she clearly doesn’t believe her but drops it for her sake.

Down in the garage you fasten your helmet, assuring that it's tight on your head before lowering yourself into your car. One of the engineers taps the top of the helmet and holds his thumb up and you respond by putting yours up too.

You feel them lift the car and begin to bring it to the grid.

You hear your team manager’s voice come alive on the radio in your helmet, “Y/N do you copy?”

“Yup, all clear.”

You and him check through everything ensuring the car is ready as your crew take care of the outside.

“Alright, the grid is clearing for formation lap, try to warm the tires as much as possible, they’re a little cold today.”

“Alright.” The grid clears and the formation lap starts, you feel the car stall at certain points, but your team manager assures you it’s nothing too serious, and it’ll go away during the race.

The lap ends and everyone takes their spots. The silence that falls over the grid before the start of a race is peaceful. You breathe in before bringing your hand to where your lips would be and press it against the number printed on your helmet, 31, representative of Sophia’s birthday.

As the lights lit up you held your breath, your heart pounding against your chest loudly, the hum of your car coursing through your body. And then the lights shut off.

Accidents weren’t an uncommon occurrence in Formula One, drivers crashed regularly. But none to this level.

It started off fine, you made the first turn perfectly fine, but when you went into the second your car stalled and you went straight into the wall. It would’ve been fine, if it wasn’t for the fire.

Sophia swears she’ll never get your mother’s screams out of her head. She feels the air get sucked out of her body as she falls to her knees, someone comes to her side almost immediately, and by the coldness of their hands she can tell it's Daniela.

She hears her saying something, but she can’t process them, all she can think about is the fact you’re still in that car. She watches as medical people try to get close, but the fire is even too hot for them, and Sophia doesn’t want to think about what that could mean for you.

Time seems to go slowly, though it’s probably only been fifteen seconds it feels like years as red flags go out on the track, an ambulance now racing onto the track.

Sobs fill the room as each second goes by, and Sophia thinks she’s going to throw up.

Until Lara yells.

It almost seems fake at first, a hand bursting out from flames, but then another follows. And suddenly you’re out of it, two medical personnels grabbing onto you as you shake your hands, others spraying you and the fire with some sort of chemical. You limp your way to the ambulance as cheers erupt from the circuit, but Sophia doesn’t pay them attention as she’s already running out of the room to somehow find you.

She hears Daniela call for her, but she doesn’t listen, her entire being is out of place and it’ll only be fixed if she sees you. But before she can run onto the track cold hands grab her, and she curses Daniela’s unbelievable stamina.

“Sophia-” Daniela cuts herself off when she sees the look on Sophia’s face. It’s clear to her instantly that Sophia isn’t mentally there with them anymore, she won’t stop repeating the same phrase between quick breaths, borderline hyperventilating.

“I need to see her.” She repeats for what must’ve been the hundredth time and Daniela knows she’ll probably repeat it until she sees you. She knew before she did anything else she needed to calm Sophia down, so she brought her into a hug.

Sophia tenses at first, and Daniela can’t help but compare her to a feral animal as she herself tenses for any reaction may come. But to her relief, Sophia sobs, the sounds of them breaking her heart.

“It’s okay, she’s okay.” Daniela repeats this phrase like a prayer as she rubs Sophia’s back. After a while Sophia finally calms enough to speak.

“I’m sorry.”

Daniela immediately shakes her head, “Don’t be. You alright?”

Sophia shakes her head, “No, but I will be when I see her.”

Daniela nods and pulls away from Sophia, her shirt now with a clear wet spot on it, but she doesn’t mention it as she grabs Sophia’s hand.

“Let’s go find out what hospital she’s in and go.” Sophia simply nods as they go back to the room. When they enter the members all rush to them, but when Manon sees how distraught Sophia is she pulls the others back, which Daniela thanks with a nod.

“Where are her parents,” Sophia asks once she finally gathers the courage to look up.

“They went to the hospital, they wanted to wait for you, but…” Lara naturally trails off and Sophia nods.

“Did they say which hospital?”

“Yeah,” Lara starts, “Mercy.”

Daniela pulls out her keys and lifts them up, “Let’s get going.”

They all go to Daniela’s car, Sophia sits in the front as the others squish in the back, none of them bothering to complain. Daniela puts the address on her phone and immediately takes off, her speed possibly comparable to one of a racer.

When they make it to the hospital Daniela barely gets to stop when Sophia jumps out, refusing to waste any more time away from you. Your dad seemed to have been waiting for her arrival as she barely even gets to the front desk when he calls for her.

“Where’s your members?” He asks. And on cue the other five come rushing in, racing to them immediately.

“Perfect, come on she’s on the fifth floor, they got her a room already.” The elevator ride is quiet aside from the dreadfully happy music and Sophia’s constant shuffling. When the door opens she has to remind herself she just can’t rush past your dad and she has to be patient, you having a room meant a good thing.

And it was as they got closer she could hear you and your mom arguing.

“I don’t want this cast!”

“You broke your ankle, it doesn’t matter what you want!”

And Sophia would have laughed if she wasn’t so tense, when they make their way inside your mother and you turn towards them, your eyes lighting up at the sight of her.

It quiets as everyone takes you in, no one moving. That is until Yoonchae runs and practically jumps on you.

“Yoonchae!” Manon yells going to pull her off of you, but you hold your non wrapped hand up. When Manon stops in her tracks you hug Yoonchae back and Sophia realizes that Yoonchae is crying.

You were close with all the members of Katseye, but it wasn’t a secret that outside of Sophia, Yoonchae was the one you were the closest with. Growing up as an only child you always wanted a sibling so when you met Yoonchae she naturally took that position.

She pulls away sniffling, “You scared me!”

You pout at her, as you use your hand to wipe away a tear. “I’m sorry.” She shakes her head before hugging you once more, this one more careful.

“Are you okay,” Megan asks, speaking for the first, and based on the fear lacing her voice Sophia can tell she wasn’t silent by choice.

“Yup, just some minor burns on my fingers, sprained wrist, a broken ankle and probably a ton of bruises.” You finish your list off with a laugh, but quickly silence yourself when no one else does.

“Geez, it’s like someone died.” You thought you had muttered it low enough that no one could hear you, but the slap on your thigh from your mother tells you otherwise.

“Don’t joke like that.”

You raise both hands in surrender before turning your stare to your girlfriend who looks like she’s about to break down.

“Hey guys can you give me and Sophia a couple minutes?” The question causes everyone to stare at the girl and at the way she looks they all agree. When the door closes you try to sit up, wincing slightly from a not yet formed bruise.

At the sight of you in pain Sophia immediately rushes to your side, “Are you okay?”

You nod before pulling her to you. The slight force of being pulled causes her to sit on the edge of your bed as you hug her.

You can feel her trying to pull away and tighten your hold. After a couple more failed attempts she gives up and lets you hold her. She closes her eyes as she listens to your heartbeat, her body calming more and more with each beat.

Tears begin to well up in her eyes as the thought of almost never experiencing your warmth again crosses her mind.

When the first drop hits your hospital gown you look down at her.

“Baby…”

And the dam breaks.

Her sobs break your heart, pain coursing through you as she pulls on your shirt when she clenches it in her hands, but you don’t mind. You place kisses on her head until she calms down and then tell her to look at you.

When she does, you offer her a smile, “Hi beautiful.” You laugh at the blush that rushes to her cheeks, placing a small kiss on one of them.

You let her calm down before speaking once more, “Feeling better?”

She nods slightly, because truthfully she does feel better, but fear still courses through her veins. “I almost lost you today.”

You hum as you rake your fingers through her hair, the feeling of it light due to the numbness of your fingers. You inhale the scent of lavender as you close your eyes, a bright orange slowly fills in the blackness and your eyes shoot open once more. The quickening of your heart causes Sophia to pull away to look away.

“I’m okay,” you quickly say. Before she can question the hospital door opens.

“Sorry, just the doctor here.” You nod at Lara and Sophia stands. The rest of them walk in with the doctor following right behind.

The doctor goes through her regular checkup, when she finishes she turns and jumps when she is met with everyone staring at her expectantly.

She clears her throat. “Right, Y/N seems to be well given everything. We are going to keep her overnight for observation, but other than the obvious, she will be perfectly good to go home tomorrow.”

The doctor jumps once more as the group, sans Sophia, exclaims. When she leaves the girls all take turns writing on your cast with a couple of pens your mother found in her purse. The hospital room becomes even more livelier when your teammate Oscar shows up. Though loud it puts your mind to ease.

They all stay until visitor hours end, the nurse revealing only one person was allowed to stay with you. Your mother and Sophia argued about who should stay, both believing the other should.

Your mother ultimately wins by stating she has to use the hotel room she paid for. You both know it’s a lie, you have never made your parents pay for a hotel for any of the races they have attended, but before either of you can tell her that she pulls your father out the room and leaves.

Sophia stands to the side as a nurse readies the cot for her and does a final check on you. When she walks out you call Sophia’s name, when she’s close enough you pull her into the space you made when she wasn’t looking.

She freezes at first, but before she can move you speak. “Don’t move, just let me hold you.” You can tell she’s hesitant, but after a few moments she laxes in your hold.

A silence falls between you two, her listening to your breathing and you enjoying the heat from her skin.

“You know,” you start, “There was a moment in there I thought I wouldn’t make it.” You pause for a second to take a breath and her grip on you tightens.

“I felt the heat, and saw how it was all around me and I just accepted it. I closed my eyes and thought ‘Well, at least I had a good life.’ But then I heard the noise of Mario Kart.”

You both laugh at the absurdity of it, and you close your eyes to take in the sound of hers, you always loved how it sounded. When she calms you continue.

“As crazy as it sounds, it was that sound that brought me back to being with you, and of course your members. But the thought of leaving you, of possibly not being by your side anymore immediately made me want to fight to live.”

You look down to find her looking at you which causes you to smile, though you’re not sure she sees it due to the darkness, but you don’t mind as you bring your hand up to her face and caress it.

“I tell you this because I want you to know how much I love you. You are my world, Soph. As long as you’ll have me I’ll never leave your side.” She doesn’t respond as she pulls you into a kiss, it’s a bit of a mess due to both of your limited views, but it doesn’t bother either of you.

She pulls away, but you peck her lips once more and lean your forehead on hers.

“I love you,” she whispers, “Don’t ever leave me.”

“I won’t, I promise.”

And you meant it, you would always be by her side.

[berfgrimm]

risk :: choi su-bong (thanos) x reader

pairing: choi su-bong (thanos) x f!reader

warnings: smut, oral, public, teasing, mentions of pain kink, some fluffiness + a little praise kink sprinkled in, some arrogance from both parties, mentions of violence/death, mentions of drug use.

note: i’ve only recently delved back into writing after a pretty extensive burn out. i felt compelled for the first time in a long time after watching squid game, so i hope you all enjoy! if there’s interest, i can do a part 2.

——————————————

The room is far more silent than you expected it would be for having 456 people in it — well, 365 after today. Apart from the occasional cough or murmur, the barely-there electrical hum of the piggy bank suspended from the ceiling is the only noise you are able to focus on. You were never one to fall asleep to silence, always in need of some sort of consistent, albeit quiet, noise to keep your ears from ringing into oblivion. Beyond that, even from your spot at the corner of the room, tucked away in the lower bunks, the piggy bank is too bright for you to ignore. With a sigh, you focus on the bars of the bed above you, replaying your day, unable to get the chaos out of your mind.

When you called the number on the card you were given, you’d never thought it would lead to you watching people get gunned down around you during a children’s game. It was surreal, watching it unfold but still needing to remain perfectly still, lest you join them. If you think about it too much, you still hear the screaming, which is not the sort of noise you want to fall asleep to.

You look down at your jacket that you are still wearing, focusing on the red ‘X' patch adhered to your chest. All you want is to be at home in your bed with the hum of your radio and your favorite blankets.

You hear a noise to your side, and you instinctively turn your head to see the cause of the sound. The bed at the bottom of the bunks beside you holds Thanos, the former rapper with the horrible moniker. He sits at the head of the bed, back against the wall with one leg propped on the bed and the other hanging off. He mutters to himself as he stares into the middle distance, but you are unable to tell what he says. Based on the way he gestures with his hands in time with his mumbling, you assume he’s playing out a song.

Though you would love to look away, you find yourself fixated on him. During the game, you’d spotted him treating it as though you were in the schoolyard, jumping for joy with a wide grin across his face. Does he have any idea what is going on around him? Surely not, based on the blue ‘O’ patch affixed to his jacket.

In an effort to get a better look at him, you roll into your side, during which you inadvertently draw his attention. He stares at you briefly, before a smirk forms on his lips. You saw him strike out all day when he tried to ‘flirt’, if you could call it that; watching him get rejected was the only time you laughed during the day.

As his eyes connect with yours, you find it difficult to turn away, and your mind wanders. He’s attractive — of course he is — but his ego is out of control. Ordinarily, an ego that has gone unchecked like that would be far from appealing to you, but at this moment, you’re desperate for a distraction. Given the harrowing events of the day, you let your baser instincts take over without a second thought. You’re more than willing to give him the attention he was looking for if it benefits you as well.

You slip your tongue between your lips to wet them, and you notice, even across the distance between your beds, his eyes cut to your mouth to watch the action. His eyes find yours again, and the smirk turns more suggestive. He nods his head towards you as if in silent question of what you want; you respond with a small tilt of your head, a gesture for him to come over to find out.

He’s almost gleeful as he hops from the bed and creeps towards you, but you watch him pause momentarily, as if to check himself for being overzealous. He crouches down beside your bed, resting his forearms on the mattress so he can look into your eyes.

You feel compelled to ask about his choice to stay in the games after the events of the day, but you catch a glimpse of the chain around his neck and redirect your inquisition. You saw him throughout the day clutching the cross that hangs from the chain, catching him opening up the small keepsake to take something from inside. You drew your own conclusions based on his actions.

Before you are aware of what you are doing, your fingers find their way to the chain peeking from the collar of his shirt. The man cranes his neck enough to allow you to grasp it, tugging it gently from his shirt. As your fingers glide down the metal, he leans back from the bed to give you the access to pull the cross out into the open, and hold it in the palm of your hand.

“I guess you only packed your uppers,” you say, softly. He looks down at the cross, and, as though he doesn’t remember what’s inside, opens it briefly to check the contents. “Bad luck,” you sigh.

“These will clear your head,” he replies, using his index finger to tap the cross that still sits in your hand. “One of these will have you in another world, far away from this place.”

“I’ll never get to sleep with a buzz,” you retort, dropping his cross to his chest and rolling onto your back to stare at the framework of the bed above you again. “Thanks anyway,” you add.

“Oh, you want to relax?” he asks. “Why didn’t you say that?” You can practically hear the smirk on his face as he talks, so you don’t bother looking at him again, not yet. “I have something for that,” he continues. “I promise you’ll love it.” You tilt your head to look in his eyes again, seeing the playful glint you expected. Sure, he’s playing into your hand just as much as you are to his, but it doesn’t matter to you. Not anymore.

“What’s your name?” you ask suddenly, which catches him off guard, so you clarify. “I’m not interested in moaning ‘Thanos’ all night.” The smirk returns to his lips, albeit softer this time.

“Su-bong,” he replies. You smile — much better than a comic book villain name. You answer Su-bong with your own name, and he nods his head, the grin returning to his lips as his fingers grasp the zipper of your jacket. “Okay?” he asks, one final pause for clear consent, which you give him with a nod of your head.

Su-bong drags the zipper down slowly until it’s undone, slipping his hand past the fabric to cup your breast over your shirt. The look he gives you is eager, not something you would attribute to a man of his notoriety, but you shake the thought from your head to focus on the moment. His hand grips you softer than you expect, to your surprise but also your disappointment; you need something more, but you don’t rush him.

He only focuses on one breast for a few moments before moving his hand to the other. You can feel your nipples hardening from the action, and grow impatient, so you arch yourself against his touch ever-so slightly, letting out a soft groan.

“Good?” Su-bong asks, his gaze glued to your lips. You don’t answer, worried too much about how your voice will carry throughout the room and get you both caught. Instead, you take hold of his hand to drag it down your stomach and ease it up your shirt.

Taking the hint, Su-bong allows his fingers to catch the cup of your bra, tugging it down to make contact with your skin. The softness of his fingers sets goosebumps across your skin, but when he pinches your nipple teasingly, you let out a small, surprised yelp.

“Careful now,” Su-bong warns, clasping his free hand over your mouth. “Unless you want an audience.” You nod your head in response, your cheeks flushing in embarrassment at your sudden exclamation.

Su-bong lowers his hand from your mouth, using both hands to tug your jacket off of your shoulders. You sit up, working the garment from your arms and tossing it to the foot of the bed. Before you can lay down again, Su-bong stops you, a grin spreading across his lips.

“You trust me?” he asks.

“No, of course I don’t.”

Your response makes him smile wider, but you allow him to maneuver you how he wants you. He eases your legs off of the bed so you are sitting on the edge, and he settles onto his knees between your open legs. His eyes wander over your still closed torso before his hands slide under the fabric of your shirt. With a cheeky grin, he bunches the shirt above your breasts and once again cups you over your bra.

When his fingers slip past the material of your bra, Su-bong’s gaze meets yours, a playful glint in his eyes that distracts you until you feel the cool air of the room on your skin. You watch him dip his head forward to tease your nipple with his tongue while his fingers gently toy with your other nipple.

You let out a hum, placing your hand on the back of his head to urge him on. You pull his hair gently, and he lets out a growl in response —- a sound that shoots straight through your body to your core. You don’t immediately realize that you clench your thighs around his sides and arch into his touch, but when Su-bong tugs at your nipple with his teeth, you become aware of your subconscious back and forth exchange with him.

Su-bong switches sides, focusing on your other breast, but his hands squeeze your thighs, undoubtedly leaving bruises from the pressure. You feel a sudden urge to get your hands on him, so your hand that’s not on his head begins to tug at the back of his jacket in an attempt to reach his shirt. He chuckles against you, realizing what you’re trying to do; he sits back, pulling the jacket off of his arms and throwing it to the side, but when he leans in to continue teasing you, you stop him.

“Come on,” he whines, looking up at you in frustration.

“What?” you ask innocently. “I don’t want to tease. We’ll get caught before we get to the real fun.”

Su-bong huffs but quickly sits higher on his knees, pressing a kiss to your lips. It catches you off guard — sure you were planning on fooling around with him, but the kiss feels intimate for someone you just met. You wrote it off to the emotions, and focus on the moment again. When you feel him begin to stand up from the floor, while kissing you deeper, your heart pounds harder in your chest, excited for what he may do next.

Su-bong breaks from the kiss, easing you to lay on your back across the bed. He rests one knee against the mattress at your side, looking down at you from his slightly hunched position he maintains to remain hidden from prying eyes. You feel vulnerable under his gaze, especially with your shirt still pulled up to your throat, so you sit up to rest on your elbow, reaching out to grab the cross around his neck. The smirk spreads across his lips again, as he allows you to pull him by his chain to lean over you. He braces himself above you by pressing both hands against the mattress on either side of you, boxing you in.

You kiss him, immediately parting your lips to allow him to kiss you deeper. Su-bong obliges, and the kiss becomes sloppy and desperate, your head reeling with excitement. Your hands resume their previous position on his back, tugging his shirt to untuck it from his pants. As soon as the shirt is out of the waistband, your fingers hurry under the hem and grasp his waist.

The warmth of skin makes you frantic, prompting you to tug him closer to you, but Su-bong tenses to avoid being pulled. You whine against his lips, and break the kiss to give him a pleading look.

“Shhh,” he hushes, playfully, pressing his finger to your lips. “Patience.”

You find yourself gazing into his eyes, losing track of where you are briefly. You wonder if circumstances were different, and you’d met him somewhere else, if you’d be as enamored with him. Certainly not if he had flirted with you the way he’d done others during the day, but you convince yourself that was Thanos. Right now, you have the pleasure of seeing Su-bong. Realizing you have been staring into his eyes in silence for too long, you tune back in, prepared to chastise him for taking too long.

“I’m—” You stop short and let out a small gasp — while you were distracted with your ‘what if’s’, Su-bong had brought his hand to the waistband of your pants, and his fingers are currently delving into your wetness. “Oh!” you breathe out, feeling his middle finger gently tease your clit.

“Feels good?” he asks, cocking his head to the side to catch your gaze. “I’ve barely touched you.” He uses his index and middle finger to slowly rub your clit, making sure to study your face to read your reactions. “This wet already, you must have thought about me all day.”You whimper softly in response, your eyes slipping closed so you can focus on how you feel.

You picture yourself somewhere else, anywhere else, with Su-bong. Somewhere that you can be as loud as you want. Somewhere with a comfortable bed. Somewhere that you didn’t have to worry about anyone else seeing you. Not that there wasn’t a certain thrill to the idea of being caught, but after the events of the day…

“Look at me.” Su-bong’s voice pulls you from your thoughts just in time before they begin to spiral out of control, as if he could read your mind. You open your eyes, focusing on him again. “You’re beautiful like this,” he says, catching you off guard. Before you can respond, he slips his hand further into your pants, and eases his middle and ring fingers inside of you.

“Oh, fuck.” You grab his arm that he braces himself with and spread your legs wider. When he starts to pump his fingers into you, agonizingly slow, your jaw stays slack, slow and hard breaths coming out of your mouth. You roll your hips against his hand, trying to help him get his fingers deeper within the constraints of your clothing.

Your hand that still rests under Su-bong’s shirt grasps him harder, digging your nails into his skin and dragging. He groans in response, losing focus on what he’s doing. It makes you grin, so you rest on your elbow again to get closer to his face.

“You like it when it hurts?” you tease. When he nods slowly, eyes locked in your mouth as he awaits your next move. You lean closer, pressing your mouth against his ear to whisper, “I like it, too.” You leave a playful bite on his earlobe that causes him to curse under his breath. “Don’t be too loud,” you joke with a soft chuckle, which sets him off. He yanks his hand from your pants, and maneuvers to stand on both feet again.

As you begin to ask what’s wrong, he shoves you onto your back on the bed again. Your eyes widen in surprise and you keep quiet as you watch him grab the waistband of your pants and panties to tug them down. You obediently raise your hips without needing to be asked, an act that you notice gives Su-bong a smirk, and he pulls the clothing down to your ankles and off of one leg altogether.

Without warning, he shoves your thighs apart, diving in between them to start sucking on your clit. You clench your hand into a fist, and bite down on your knuckle to silence your moan. Your other hand sits on the back of Su-bong’s head, keeping him in place as you gently grind against his face. He lets out a pleased groan against your pussy, closing his eyes so he can focus on his ministrations.

After a few moments of this torture, he sits back, much to your disappointment, and stares up at you. He releases his grip on one of your thighs, instead using his index and middle fingers to glide through your now dripping core. Occasionally, as he dampens his fingers, they tease your clit, making your body lurch in surprise and your face flush.

When he finally feels his fingers are wet enough, he slowly works them both inside of you. The sensation quickly overwhelms you and you drop your head back against the mattress, squeezing your eyes shut. You’re unable to look at him as he begins to pump his fingers into you and tongue your clit at the same time, far too blissed out already to even stop your head from spinning.

Jesus Christ, you think. There’s no way I’m already close.

You hook one of your legs around his back to urge him on, while you blindly feel for him with both hands. He reaches his free hand towards you, lacing fingers with one of your hands, while your other hand threads through his purple locks.

“Mhm,” Su-bong hums, when you tug on his hair. He switches to sucking on your clit again, moving his fingers faster and faster into you, desperate to get you off.

Your panting and borderline moaning start to grow louder, so you let go of Su-bong’s hair to grab your pillow, pulling it closer. You quickly bury your face into it and let it stifle the noises that Su-bong pulls from you.

Time starts to escape you — it feels like you’ve been there for seconds and for hours, all at once. Your head reels and your body hums as you feel your climax approaching. Your grip on Su-bong’s hand tightens, and he speeds up in response. With your face still muffled by your pillow, you begin to mutter his name, all but singing his praises as you begin to unravel.

Not for a moment does Su-bong slow down, but instead works you through your climax until your body is writhing in overstimulation. You try to pull from him, but he won’t stop and you feel your second orgasm working its way along your nerves before you even recover from the first. You’ve never had two orgasms in rapid succession, and you don’t dare question how this maniac between your thighs is able to do it.

The second orgasm is just as intense as the first and you feel yourself growing louder in response, rolling your body against his face and hand. This time, Su-bong pulls away from you, and you feel a reprieve, but not for long. He grabs you by your hips, urging you towards him. Mindlessly, you follow where he directs you, until you’re knelt on the floor with him.

Parting your lips to question his new antics, you’re quickly met by him silencing your inquisition with a kiss. You feel one of his arms wrap around your waist to pull you against him while his free hand slides between your thighs.

“Su-bong,” you lament against his lips, breaking the kiss and grabbing his shoulders for support. “I don’t know if I can do another.”

“I know you can.”

Su-bong begins to gently rub circles on your clit, the movement slow and tender. Your body already feels numb from your previous orgasms, but you feel a spark ignite in your pelvis. You whimper, looking into his eyes as if to read his mind, but you can only tell one thing for sure: he’s focused on making you feel good, not another thought present in his mind beyond that.

“When we get out of here, I’m taking you home with me,” he says, quietly. “You’ll be the best prize.” You drop your head against his shoulder, burying your face against his shirt, prepared to muffle any sound that may come out. Your fingers grip the fabric of his shirt firmly, twisting so hard you feel you may tear it.

This time, your orgasm moves slowly throughout your body, starting at your hips and working out through your limbs. Your thighs quake and you struggle to keep your balance on your knees, but Su-bong’s grip around your waist only tightens to keep you upright. You grind against his hand working with him to give him everything you’ve got.

Slowly, his motions stop, and you only briefly wish he would keep going, but as you feel your body relax, you realize you’re too worn out to try for another. Su-bong kisses the top of your head and eases your body back towards your bed. He assists you in putting your clothes on properly, every so often glancing around to make sure no one has caught on to what you’re doing.

Once you are on your back again, in your bed, eyes glued on Su-bong’s face as he pulls his jacket back onto his arms, you feel yourself finally relaxing. Your body is so worn out, but free of stress at that moment, you feel exhausted. Unfortunately, the only thing on your mind now is returning the favor to this purple-haired wonder who still kneels beside your bed, staring back at you. You reach towards him, but quickly find the weight of your own body too heavy to move; how did he manage to wear you out so quickly?

“It’s okay,” Su-bong says, taking hold of your hands, and resting them onto your stomach. “Get some sleep, and we’ll see each other tomorrow.” You begin to object, something inside of you desperate to make him feel as good and relaxed as he made you feel, but Su-bong silences you with a kiss to your lips. Your eyes slip closed as his tongue enters your mouth, and you taste yourself on him, but the kiss is far too brief. “Tomorrow,” he reiterates, with a nod of his, deep voice rattling even lower in his chest. “I promise.”

Before you can speak, Su-bong departs from your bedside and climbs back into his own bed. He steals a quick glance at you, smirking wide as he settles down into his mattress. You feel your eyes drifting closed as Su-bong tucks the cross into his shirt and pulls his jacket tighter around his body. On any other occasion, you would climb into bed beside him, give him the same pleasure he just gave you. But you welcome the sleep that encompasses you, knowing that for now, you have to take relaxation where you can get it.

[jd-loves-fiction]

Hello there! I don’t post often but I just had an idea for

The octavinelle boys with a pirate mc, take that idea however you like I just had to get it out of my system!

🌑 honestly have no idea why Octavinelle doesn't have a pirate member when it just MAKES SO MUCH SEEENSE (also I'm writing this in 2nd person, as usual)

❖ 𝐀𝐳𝐮𝐥 ❖

Starting with the main boy, this dynamic just sounds soooo juicy

He’d definitely try to swindle you at first, like everyone else, and probably fail because pirates tend to be the ones doing the swindling

This would certainly be frustrating for him, but also secretly impressive 👀 there's not many NRC that won't fall for his schemes so the fact that you don't, definitely makes him keep an eye on you

Or rather, have the tweels do it, he's a very busy octopus after all😌

As for the case of being in a relationship, I feel like he secretly likes being outsmarted. Having a partner who can figure him out saves him the embarrassment of having to admit his feelings

I feel like it'd be somewhat reassuring to know that you have no problem seeing right through his facade and into the octopus pod in his heart, and that you don't mind what you see in there 🥺

❖ 𝐉𝐚𝐝𝐞 ❖

Oh Jade, beautiful (scary) Jade

He'd definitely appreciate the intrepid nature that comes with being a pirate - exploring unexplored waters and fighting legendary creatures (that's what the stories say, anyway)

All that means he probably won't scare you that much, which he secretly also enjoys

I feel like he likes a challenge and you not falling for his intimidation tactics really just makes him want to find your weakness even more

Also given that his pet peeve is "organized harmony" there's a part of him that'd probably enjoy the chaos that comes with pirate life (so long as it doesn't affect the lounge, or else he might have to end your fun early💀)

❖ 𝐅𝐥𝐨𝐲𝐝 ❖

Oh god, I can feel a headache coming just from thinking about it😭

THE most chaotic due to ever duo

Wants ALLL the stories (especially the bloody ones), or at least he says so, but he gets bored quickly 💀

Always goes to you for help with his pranks

You keep his attention better than most, which Jade and Azul are somewhat grateful for. But also not because if you're around he is entirely unable and unwilling to focus😞

YOU'RE JUST SO INTERESTING AND COOL!! :D

Asks you about a thousand times for a ride on your ship... And then challenges you (on the ship) for a race in his mer form (please let him win or else he'll be whinnying about it the rest of week PLEASE😭)

[hazbinbabbling4ever]

What?? First time I'm hearing about this. This doesn't even seem just a case of "taking inspiration", this sounds like straight out plagiarism and I can't believe the news never came out before. Was she silenced??? Were people trying to point the similarities out silenced in the last 40 years? Personally I've tried to read Sandman more than once (because everyone kept saying it's a literary masterpiece) and never could get past a certain point in the first volume, so knowing that there's a better original version out there definitely has my interest. I will definitely check out her books, especially since they apparently have better queer representation, which is also probably why her career suffered in the 90s, even if it makes me suspicious she was dropped by her publishers (I just googled her) so suddenly, a few years after Sandman started taking off in the early 90s, what a funny coincidence... :/

Shared here today by Matthew Boroson on Facebook.

Tanith Lee was the first woman to win the British Fantasy Award for best novel, for the second book of the Flat Earth series. She died in 2015. You can buy Tales From the Flat Earth here in paperback or here on Kindle.

[markantonys]

new casting!! and interesting little details in the character blurbs:

nothing unexpected for faile, melaine, or rhuarc, but brief discussion on bair and melindhra below!

firstly, it sounds like bair has absorbed amys. it makes sense to consolidate wise ones, but given that amys was always kinda our "main" wise one, i wasn't expecting her to be the one axed!

naturally, my first thought was: sir that was my emotional support older aiel throuple :( i'm bummed! and also surprised since amys/rhuarc/lian seemed like an obvious Surprise Tool To Help Us Later re: showing how aiel polyamory works. but we could still get an example aiel polycule even if no amys! just put any 3 aiel together and it's fine. or maybe bair subs in for amys here too. (although if so it would be doubly odd to name the merged character bair instead of amys since the character would be like 90% amys 10% bair. maybe amys is too similar a name to some other character i'm not thinking of atm and that's the only reason they went with bair instead.)

the mention of bair as the "eldest" wise one could also hint at no sorilea in showverse, unless it only means that bair is the eldest wise one we have this season and sorilea could still be introduced later. but i don't think there's a specific need for sorilea, so i wouldn't be surprised at all if she never shows up. we're starting to get to the portion of the series where RJ went crazy with supporting characters and the show can have one character swallow up like 7 other characters at once lmao

second, the biggest change here is melindhra's backstory as a malkieri survivor. seems like a sign that we might start digging more into lan as his own character this season, which would be nice! and @butterflydm noted that if show!aiel have taken in some malkieri, that would explain why the aiel are such big fans of lan in a more concrete way than we get in the books.

now the question: what about mat? a couple of options.

melindhra is a 2-season character and mat joins up with rand's crew by the end of s3, then gets involved with and betrayed by melindhra in s4.

the betrayal story gets transposed onto lan instead, either this season or in s4 (highly doubt they'd have a romantic involvement, or at least not one that lan reciprocates, so it could instead be a platonic connection over their homeland)

as of now, i'd lean towards #2 feeling more likely since it would keep melindhra a more focused character, just having her stick with lan narratively/emotionally instead of ALSO being involved with mat. there's also the tuon of it all; mat is going to need a loooot of time to develop his endgame romance in a way that's believable (sideeyes the books), so depending on when tuon gets introduced, we may not have time for mat to be dicking around with non-endgame love interests (not that i'd expect him to be actively romancing tuon by s4, but still, IF they meet in tanchico in s3, it might be better to keep mat single and available and thinking about her in s4 to get that long-ass journey to believable endgame love started).

oh and finally, i took note of this blurb about the show at the end of the press release, in the context of the alleged rumors reddit loves to be hysterical about, that amazon is waiting until s3 airs to decide the show's future:

obviously amazon is going to highly talk up their own show in an official press release, but still, this doesn't sound like the kinds of things they would say about a show they're on the fence about continuing! it's worded in a way that feels like they consider WOT a long-term investment and in company with ROP and fallout. so i think that if those rumors are true (who knows if they are), it's more likely that the decision they're weighing isn't whether or not to greenlight s4, but rather how many total seasons they want to shoot for, and then s4 production kickoff would naturally be tied up with that because rafe & co can't start writing s4 without knowing whether it's the penultimate season, the halfway point, or somewhere in between.

[bitingyoubitingyoubi]

communications major analyzes Tommyinnit's video "Dream" (2025)

How tommy communicated his message is so interesting and so, incredibly based.

He chose to use a YouTube video, which is his biggest platform, communicating the significance he assigns to his message and the situation at large. Putting it on a side channel or a text-based social media platform would undercut the message.

His video is without cuts, shot in one take, with Tommy looking directly at the camera, only looking away to check his notes. This, too, communicates the importance he assigns to this video. The constant eye contact is captivating to the viewer. It makes the conversation feel direct and intimate.

Furthermore! Tommy’s video is directly addressed to dream. Dream does this too, but there’s more drama to his video, and this undercuts his directness, in my opinion, making it seem less like a confrontation and more like a performance.

Tommy, on the other hand, balances his words with being incredibly conversational (his use of filler words like “man” and “like,” his pauses and breaths that would usually be cut) with being almost juridical, like he’s reading out the transgressions for which dream is on trial.

Tommy also doesn’t include background music, sound effects, or cut away to images. This, too amplifies the penetrating tone of his video.

Tommy also makes the crucial decision to not include receipts. This is the first thing I clocked when I watched the video, and it’s perhaps the most compelling decision he made for two reasons 1) not including receipts communicates that his arguments are so solid that they stand on their own 2) it, again, makes the video more personal.

Tommy gives up the protection that providing receipts provides. It’s easy to respond to his accusations with “that never happened because you have no proof,” as Dream did! But this response, again, feels directed to the wider audience as a way for Dream to defend himself.

Tommy’s lack of context in his discussion of dreams sexism behind the scenes and GNF’s sexual assault of Caiti is arresting and accusatory. He knows his video will be viewed by millions of people other than dream who don’t know the details of the aforementioned situations, but he doesn’t care. He knows Dream knows to what Tommy is referring, and in refusing to elaborate he is saying, “You know what you did.

Lastly, Tommy’s video clocks in at 5 minutes and 40 seconds. In the time it takes to watch this video, you could listen to a couple of songs, microwave a frozen meal, or delete your Twitter account and be done with discourse altogether. This makes Tommy’s video easy to watch in its entirety — multiple times even! His brevity also makes each statement he includes all the more valuable, and it communicates his assuredness in his stance.

Each decision Tommy made in posting his video, whether deliberate or not, is a unique choice that serves to set his video apart from other statements released by participants of drama and discourse. It communicated confidence, salience, and conviction that is unmatched by others in his situation, let alone Dream himself.

[melestasflight]

@tobermoriansass this is the best analysis of the Nargothrond debacle I've seen to date. Thank you for that.

I’d like to add a few things which I think are in line with what you’re discussing:

We must remember that Maedhros and Fingon are warlords. In such a political and societal structure diplomacy doesn’t quite work like we understand it in the modern sense. To a war lord the highest quality in a potential ally is military strength, above all.

This is particularly important in the context of the post-Bragollach state of affairs: the continent is burned, relationships are tight, communication probably extremely limited, refugees are fleeing, and battle never stops. People tend to portray the Bragollach as a one and done ordeal, but the burning lasts for a full season (in some drafts a full year) and then conflict never stops, namely: Sauron takes over Tol Sirion, Barad Eithel is under siege 7 years later, the Orcs make it all the way into the plains upon Hithlum, Morgoth causes a plague that eliminates a lot of Fingon’s mortal allies. On the Marches of Medhros the picture is not much better - Himring is an isolated point of defense. There’s constant pressure to survive on both ends, and when defense is clearly not feasible (given all of the above), the only logical strategy to a war lord would be to muster the strength and attack rather than wait and die out slowly. You could claim there are other options, but again, space is limited in Beleriand, allies are few, and the Noldor have already established societies where the strongest hand leads.

If military strength is the most desired characteristic in an ally, then Fingon and Maedhros would have little interest in negotiating with Thingol who has never expressed interest in changing his isolationist policy, not to mention his involvement with the Feanorian Oath and the added weight of the first kinslaying.

Likewise, Orodreth seems set on an isolationist policy after Curufin and Celegorm manage to petrify the people of Nargothrond: 

And after Celegorm Curufin spoke, more softly but with no less power, conjuring in the minds of the Elves a vision of war and the ruin of Nargothrond. So great a fear did he set in their hearts that never after until the time of Túrin would any Elf of that realm go into open battle; but with stealth and ambush, with wizardry and venomed dart, they pursued all strangers, forgetting the bonds of kinship. Thus they fell from the valour and freedom of the Elves of old, and their land was darkened.

Orodreth's refusal to join the Nirnaeth later, is explicitly stated as his refusal to join the sons of Feanor.

On the other hand, Celegorm and Curufin do provide military strength, as is later seen during the Nirnaeth. In the context of warfare, and the stirring of the oath with the theft of the Silmarils, they are the more logical ally, as brutal as that sounds.

What is more, as tober summarized quite nicely, many of the Feanorian followers would see Finrod’s involvement with the quest for the Silmaril as a betrayal of the Noldorin identity. I would bet that many at Himring would be up in arms were Curufin and Celegorm to be prosecuted (unfairly in their mind). In times of crisis, the last thing you want is civil strife among the few people you do have. A war lord will prioritize military unity.

Lastly, it is questionable how much authority the High Kingship has over other realms. It certainly is not a supreme authority (e.g. when Fingolfin wanted to fight, no one other than Aegnor and Angrod would back him up, and he could not command other realms to do as he wished.) The authority of the High Kingship likely diminishes even further under Fingon, who inherits a complete disaster of a realm to rule be it from an environmental, economic, political or civic aspect. So I wonder how much authority he had to judge and prosecute even if he tried.

Maedhros and Fingon take a gamble. They choose as a war lord would: the maintenance of military unity for the sake of survival in times of active war. And they screw up, big time. 

Although, in the grand scheme of things, it would have mattered little. The narrative is pretty clear that without the aid of the Valar, there’s no defeating Morgoth: 

This counsel was wise according to the measure of [Fingolfin's] knowledge; for the Noldor did not yet comprehend the fullness of the power of Morgoth, nor understand that their unaided war upon him was without final hope, whether they hasted or delayed.

The way I read it, Fingon and Maedhros’ biggest mistake is not realizing that there is no way into Angband via the way of battle. The only ones to succeed ever were Luthien, and once Fingon, with a song, not a sword.

i'm starting to wonder if maedhros either a). didn't know about celegorm and curufin's assault of luthien, or b). never actually sent communication to doriath demanding the silmaril, with celegorm and curufin being the main ones behind it instead. yes fandom has soured me toward the character, but i don't think he's meant to be taken as enough of a sheer moron to expect cooperation from a kingdom after his brothers tried to rape their princess. nor do i think he's written unsympathetically enough for tolkien's intent to have been to make him a rape enabler/apologist who genuinely doesn't care about celegorm and curufin assaulting a woman -- so either c&c lied about what they did and he took whatever version they told him at face value, or he never actually gave his approval for whatever letter was sent to doriath. and the silm does say "maedhros and his brothers had before sent to thingol" and that "maedhros made no answer" after thingol refused the feanorians' demands, which to me is as good as confirmation that maedhros was involved in the exchange. so maybe celegorm and curufin really did keep the true story from him. ...or maybe fandom's fixation on maedhros being some long suffering goodie two shoes is still skewing my perception of him without my realizing and he actually is the kind of person to brush off celegorm and curufin's rape attempt

[underneathitalldeepdives]

Gwen's Lyrics: Late To Bloom & Sooner

A few weeks ago, Gwen's unreleased song "Sooner" was posted on YouTube for the first time. The song, written by Gwen, Shane McAnally, Busbee, and Amy Wadge, was added to BMI in 2019 and seemingly came out of sessions Gwen had with those writers in the spring of 2019. (Another song written during this time called "You Kissed Me Back To Life" was spotted on BMI the same day as "Sooner." We still have not heard that one.) 

Fans at the time immediately guessed what "Sooner" might be about - Gwen's wish that she had met Blake earlier in life. Gwen posted what would turn out to be a line from the chorus under a throwback photo of Blake in September 2019:

This was about a month after the song title was discovered on BMI by fans, but time passed and nothing ever came of it.

As we know, Gwen eventually released a new studio album, "Bouquet," which did not include "Sooner" but included another song with an extremely similar theme - "Late To Bloom."

Here are the lyrics to "Sooner" and "Late To Bloom" side by side:

When comparing the songs, the thing that sticks out to me is that "Sooner" seems a little more personal and raw. It has a sad tune, includes striking references to Blake's previous marriage and his late father, and is more reflecting on the time that was lost. It's interesting her honesty about wishing he wouldn't have loved anyone else before her.

If she'd released this song, the line about "all the years you had to fake it" would have definitely gotten people talking. My opinion of this line is that it means that Blake and Miranda, same as Gwen and Gavin, had a lot of ups and downs, but as a public couple they always had to put on the best face for people and not let anyone see the cracks that were there. They had to pretend things were great even when they weren't (which is why their divorce came as quite a shock to the public).

"She didn't even know she wasted you" seems like a sister line to "And only a stupid girl would let you go" in "Rare" — Gwen likely believes Miranda took him for granted and didn't appreciate him the way that she does. But she is envious of the time that Miranda got with him before they met, time that she believes was wasted with the wrong people who just hurt them.

In contrast, "Late To Bloom" has a peppy tune and is more optimistic. It has more generalized lyrics that don't reference anything too deep, but still has a personal touch, talking about them riding in Blake's truck and picking flowers. The lyrics show that she is enjoying the present and looking toward the future, rather than dwelling on the past with so much melancholy.

It's possible the difference in tone between the two songs is due to the fact that "Sooner" was written when Gwen and Blake had only been dating a little over 3 years (and thus were only 3.5 years past their divorces), while "Late To Bloom" was written when they'd been together more than 7 years and were now married. It could be that the more time Gwen has gotten with Blake, the less it stings that they met so late because they have continually filled their years together with valuable shared experiences.

Shane McAnally would say that working with Gwen during those spring 2019 sessions (which included writing "Sooner") and hearing about her relationship with Blake helped inspire him while writing "Nobody But You."

“I had worked with Gwen Stefani, just a few days before I went in to write this song,” McAnally said. “When I heard the melody, it made me think of Blake, and it sounded like a love song. I just said, ‘We should kind of write this with them in mind.’”

“One of the main things we talked about was her and Blake, and she just was telling me how happy they were and how glad they were they found each other at this part of their life and they're just truly in love,” he says.

I notice in the lyrics of "Nobody But You," there is again the similar theme to "Sooner" about wasted time:

"All the wasted days, all the wasted nights/I blame it all on being young/Got no regrets, 'cause they got me here/But I don't wanna waste another one"

The longing to have found each other earlier is also expressed in Blake's 2021 wedding song, "We Can Reach the Stars," in the line - "We always said we wished we'd met long before we finally did."

Gwen again touches on this theme in a line of "Empty Vase" - "Why, why did it take so much time? You've always been the one I've been trying to find"

It's obvious that this thought has loomed large in Gwen's head over the years, how different things might be if she had been able to meet Blake earlier in life.

I wish she had released "Sooner" because it is a very honest and touching song, but listening to it actually made me feel a little depressed, too. It's just rather sad! I'm grateful there is a more cheerful and hopeful iteration in "Late To Bloom," showing a sunnier view of the theme of meeting your great love later in life.

[nelcorecreations]

⭐️Seduce me the otome: Hold Me AU Redesigns!⭐️

First post here on tumblr with more thoughts then just “huhuhu look i art pretty?” Hoping to develop this AU for this old ass fandom I’ve been apart of for like AGES. This AU is called Hold Me Like I Matter. And follows the Twin sisters Rika and Mika. Rika is definitely more of the main character just for a different perspective and personality. But Mika is still here! Just more of a supporting character for the time being, but I do plan to write a fic dedicated to her as well. Hold me Like I Matter is focused on Rika though. So mostly you’ll see me talking about her. Another thing this is a full AU facts, lore and backstories ARE different if a little similar. But fundamentally this is a different world. Thus the visual novel aspect of the game is not present and is written as if it is a novel. So there are no multiple love interests only one. The main love interest for this story? Matthew!

Now onto the Boys and there redesigns! For the most part I’m happy with all of these so you won’t see many details change. But let’s talk about each redesign even if it’s only a little bit and why I choose the things I did. And as a general note! I added red/pink in there eyes and gave them all various levels of freckles to show they are related despite being half siblings. There dad has red eyes and freckles.

Erik

Pretty simple, just made him more fashionable and less like a James look alike. At least in his clothes. Gave him an undercut cuz I feel it just fits him somehow. I myself am not the best clothes designer so his clothes are simple. But I feel for casual comfort it still works. And still shows off his more dramatic side if more subdued.

James

Gave him a sweater instead, but still kept his book/proper aesthetic.

Sam

So Sams design is more close to his OG, just gave him cargo pants and got rid of his shirt. There is a lore reason for this! Because he is more brute demon he runs automatically hotter. The more angry brute demons are or the more rage they have festering the hotter there bodies get. Which can cause them ti set things on fire when they touch something or melt through walls. This heat is controllable but typically most brutes like to have little to no clothing since usually there skin is already rock hard. Sam is fine literally no matter what the weather is. He can go shirtless in the snow and it will be an average temp to him. So he needs clothes a lot less then his brothers due. Tho they all still have this same trait. The angrier they are the hotter they get.

Mathew

He hates shoes? No he wares flip flops or slides so he can take them off easier but still wares them when he goes out and about. Pretty much the same otherwise gave him black skeleton sweats instead of jeans. And some buttons on his hoodie to represent his brothers.

Damien

More or less the same, gave him a longer coat. Kept the white pants, his eyes are brown rather than purple-blue. And he has naturally black hair! A trait that I stole from @new-tella-us ‘s Damien design! He dyes his hair the same color as Erik’s to look more like his brother. For several traumatic reasons that I feel anyone reading this may understand.

Rika & Mika

They are Twins! But as they got older Rika got taller while Mika stayed more or less the same height she was in high school. Rika looks more tried for manny MANNY reasons. And tends to not ware makeup. Mika dose so she can easily hide any eyebags better then her sister. Rika keeps her hair long and simply shampooed and brushed while Mika curls her hair slightly. It’s still obvious they are twins. They sound the same just with different tones. And they have the same face and eye shape, just due to Rika tiredness her eyes are more half lidded looking.

And that’s everyone! I hope to share them more and there story! Feel free to ask me any questions you may have. ✨Ask Box is open✨

[ghouljams]

So- I bet you didn’t expect to be playing sexed teacher over the last few days, but I thank you immensely.

Also- to add onto the virginity thing from your last post.

There are some people who care about their virginity and want to save themselves for their future spouse.

Im one of them-

My religion is mainly what that’s based in, but also, I’m afraid of being vulnerable in that way with a man. I have a history of trauma and any assurance is comforting.

THAT SAID-

The idea that random people care so much about virginity is stupid- SO stupid to me. I have a value, I uphold it. You have different values, you uphold those. As long as no one is getting hurt- WHO CARES WHAT YOU DO?

GO FORTH AND PROSPER- GET DICK OR PUSSY- HAVE FUN.

Also- I thought it was the norm (or at least expected) for afab people to shave? Now I’m hearing is pedophilic? I’m so confused-

OK!!!! First I love playing sex ed teacher, it's one of my special interests. I'm just gonna run down the list hear to keep myself from rambling:

I think "saving" yourself for your spouse is fine, it's a personal decision whether or not to have sex. My only problem would be the language that we have surrounding virginity and the way that this can color how we view sex. I think it's really beautiful that you want to have something just between you and your partner. I think the idea that you're "saving" yourself like a good that'll go bad if you take the packaging off can impact the way people think about virginity. You get what I'm say?

That said I think the weight that people place on virginity is absolutely bonkers. Have sex or don't it's nobody's business but your own. There's no magical transformation that happens once you have sex, you just have sex, you're still the same person afterwards. Society puts so many rules on afab bodies, and I find myself constantly asking "who give a shit?" I certainly don't

It's not the "norm" for vagina owners to shave, it's just talked about more prevalently, it's actually more common for people to go all natural. This is again where media has a huge part to play in our perceptions of our bodies, most people don't shave their bush but you wouldn't know that if you were only exposed to female bodies through porn/movies/media propaganda.

The pedophilic argument was one I saw ages ago that was a direct reactionary backlash against the people(men) who were demanding afab people shave their bush in order to be attractive. People(terfs) claimed that the act of shaving, or having a shaved pussy, was somehow harkening back to kids because they don't have pubic hair so anyone who prefers pussy without hair must be a pedophile. Which is just so fucking stupid. I shave for no reason other than I like the way it feels when I wear silk panties. 10/10 would recommend.

But anyway this is what I'm talking about (the shaving thing) when I say I think a lot of sexuality stuff we see today being blasted into our brains by reactionaries on tiktok/twitter/insta is a direct result of early 2000s culture. There's also a lot of "loudest voice from the smallest minority" that happens when we talk about sex. Certain groups will make what sounds like good points, and people will go "yeah that sounds right" without examining what motives this group has.

People talking about porn addictions are often trying to sell you some brand of "you're not doing a good enough job as a woman pleasing your man" or else spit some weird bullshit about "sex workers are bad and evil and they're corrupting our god fearing men." People who talk about how going down on men is demeaning are trying to draw a line in the sand to make you ashamed of your sexuality for one reason or another. People who talk about virginity in terms of "this is an important part of your body" are usually trying to make afab folks ashamed of their body(notice how virginity doesn't really apply to men).

My MO has always been: your body, your choice. Do whatever you want to yourself and your sexuality it's not my business and I do not care.

[vortexbloom]

Hii! Could I please request yandere!stalker! Childe or Cyno with a female reader?🩷

Have a nice day/ night!🩷🩷

Heyyy ☺️ Of course !

I decided to choose Cyno btw.

Yandere Cyno as your Stalker (Headcanons)

Masterlist - Genshin Impact

Boycott List

Pairing: Yandere (Stalker) Cyno x Female Reader

Fandom: Genshin Impact

Warnings: Obsessiveness, Possessiveness, Stalking, Yandere Themes.

English isn’t my first/native language, so there might be misspellings etc.

Also, I do Not own any Characters like Cyno !

Anyway, have fun reading this :)

Art by: @skedaddle_art on X (Twitter)

Calculating & Methodical Stalker

Cyno wouldn’t leave anything to chance. He’s meticulous, learning your habits, routines, and preferences down to the smallest detail.

He uses his skills as the General Mahamatra to gather information—tracking you with precision, always staying a step ahead.

Silent Protector

Cyno rationalizes his stalking by convincing himself that he’s protecting you from the dangers of the world.

You might feel like you’re being watched, but you’d never catch him outright—he’s too skilled at hiding in the shadows.

Justice Warped by Obsession

His sense of justice becomes distorted when it comes to you. He believes it’s his duty to keep you safe, even if it means stepping far outside the bounds of what’s moral or legal.

Anyone he perceives as a threat to you (whether they are or not) is swiftly dealt with—always in the name of "justice."

Unnervingly Calm

Cyno maintains his calm, collected demeanor, which makes his obsessive tendencies all the more unsettling. Even when caught doing something questionable, he’ll justify it in a way that sounds almost logical.

His poker face ensures you’d never know the full extent of his obsession, even if you start to suspect something.

Possessive but Quietly So

Cyno views you as someone who belongs to him, though he wouldn’t openly say it. Instead, he expresses it through his actions—like removing people he deems unworthy of your time.

His intense gaze follows you when you’re in public, though he keeps his distance.

Unyielding Loyalty

Cyno’s devotion to you is absolute. He sees himself as your protector, confidant, and, eventually, your partner.

He believes that no one else could care for you as deeply or as thoroughly as he does.

Subtle Interference

Cyno would manipulate your surroundings to ensure you stay close to him. For example:

He’d subtly scare off people you might date or become friends with, making them believe it’s in their best interest to leave you alone.

He’d "coincidentally" show up wherever you are, using his duties as an excuse for being there.

Creepy but Endearing Gestures

He might leave gifts for you—items that reflect his knowledge of your likes and dislikes. At first, they seem thoughtful, but the sheer specificity of them might start to unsettle you.

Cyno occasionally drops cryptic hints that he knows more about you than he should, often disguised as jokes in his signature deadpan humor.

Unshakable Confidence

He believes that his presence in your life is inevitable. If you try to distance yourself, he’ll patiently wait, convinced that fate (and his efforts) will bring you back to him.

Cyno doesn’t see his actions as wrong; he sees them as necessary for your safety and happiness.

The Unseen Guardian

You narrowly avoid an accident, only to later find out Cyno was nearby, watching and ready to intervene.

Cryptic Jokes

He makes a lighthearted comment about something incredibly specific to your daily routine, leaving you wondering how he knew.

Sudden Appearances

Wherever you go, Cyno isn’t far behind. He always has a plausible reason for being there, but the frequency becomes unnerving.

Quiet Possessiveness

You notice people in your life pulling away, but Cyno remains a constant—always there to "comfort" you when you feel isolated.

I‘d say he‘s both terrifying and fascinating as a Stalker.

My Wifi was getting an Update while I was posting this, luckily, my post didn’t get deleted. 😅

Have a good day/night/evening/morning/afternoon ☼꥟☽

[kuzure-collapse]

I'm absolutely in love with ur lobro fic, its actually driving me insane. I just need more interaction between the mc and my darling neighbor boi. God i love that the mc has like that pathetic alpha male ish world view, yk? I think its fun to explore the more toxic and unflattering minds of certain men, yk? God i just need more of this fic.. i just wanna see more of the bad sides from the love interest!

Oh and i do have a question, how would the love interest react to mc wearing a maid dress. Maybe tomoe made then wear it and she stole his clothes so he has to run after her so he can change. I think it would be both hilarious and funny

since he's the first LI introduced, i had a lot of scenes noted down for tomohiro from the beginning. the challenge is just balancing it with the other LIs and making sure the progression is slow and natural.

i'm glad my story could portray a different worldview that people don't normally see in romance fics like this! i wanted to capture a "boys will be boys" vibe with this one and used interactions between my own irl male friends as references, both good and bad.

i think a lot of us women have this standard of perfect prince charming type men in a similar fashion to how men have a standard for perfect princess-like women, both of which are just fantasies. nothing wrong with wanting such an ideal, but i like characters with a bit more dimensionality and flaws. something more than "he's cold and emotionally constipated"

i do have a maid dress chapter in mind, but more for yanagi instead (and another one for kotose). Since I had free time recently, I wanted to practice drawing from one of the pics I saved in the pinterest folder and here this is. i feel like i always draw yanagi with diego brando in mind

You’ll know the context in a future chapter, but if you're caught up, you'll have a good guess as to why they're dressed like this lol

---

and yes, LI's reactions to mc in a maid dress:

Tomohiro:

very amused, immediately starts teasing mc and giving him orders

examines the fabric and plays with the frills, absentmindedly lifts the skirt as he's checking out the apron

"oh sorry-- haha"

flirts with you like you're a girl and asks you to call him master

had tomoe hide your clothes in his room

Kotose:

horrified, turns away flustered

"the hell are you wearing?!"

hates that a part of him likes the look

would offer to find you new clothes to change into

conflicted the whole time as he hears you undress

if he hears "i need help with the zipper..." he might die

Satsuma:

you thought he'd be judgemental but you've never seen this guy smile so wide, even sounds like he's giggling

his smile is disturbing when he shows his teeth

gives a nod of approval and expresses support for your choices, even though you didn't say anything

offers to walk with you in case you get attacked by weirdos for the way you're dressed

[ ~o((>ω< ))o~ ] [ o(*≧▽≦)ツ] above his head the whole time

Yumeki:

smiling and giggly, a little red, but not he's not feeling flustered

compliments your look and comforts you, saying you look cute and there's nothing to be ashamed of

"here, I'll take a picture to prove it!" to show you how great you look

it was more for himself though

"if you don't want the costume, i can take it" he would secretly wear it himself

Yanagi:

if he wasnt also in the same situation, he'd be snapping pictures and cackling

makes fun of him obviously, "who's attention are you trying to get?"

realizes from certain angles, mc kinda looks pretty. pouting and angry and flustered...

suddenly goes quiet and pokerfaced as he realizes he just found you attractive, turns and walks away, totally ignoring you

cant find the motivation to delete the photos and vids though

[receivedhope]

An embarrassingly deep dive into the Klaine Animal duet

I did a personal ranking of Klaine duets and ended up at my pick for number one being Animal. Not that it was a surprise to me in any capacity, because it's one of my favorite Glee covers, but it did prompt me to try and word why I love this duet the most. And while saying "it's a good song and a cute performance" and leaving it at that would suffice just as well, I enjoy rambling wayyy too much.

First off: I am genuinely surprised it is not a more common number one pick?

While I am a total layman when it comes to music (I can only confidently say if I liked a song or not, it is beyond me to try and critique anything on a more technical level) I do think Kurt and Blaine both sound really good and complement each other well here, with the Warbler arrangement putting an interesting twist on an already good song.

I also think the performance itself is so carefree and works flawlessly as a music video on its own. The entire warehouse scene is really well shot and has a distinct color grading to it - one of my favorite shots in almost the entire show is the Crawford Country Day girls' knee socked legs framing Blaine when he gives his speech about how they need to be scream-worthy for regionals. I think it's a very playful shot, getting Blaine between the girls' legs, lol. I also like the foam machine, which is honestly just funny to me and I like thinking this somehow references the Jonas Brothers' foam spray stunt from the late 2000's - which just ties the more innocent, one-sided love and boyband appeal of the song and performance (represented by Kurt) with the more raunchy interpretations of the lyrics, explicitly chosen for the purpose of being sexy with a foam machine complete (represented by Blaine).

Animal is also just a surprisingly innocent song despite the context, since it captures a crush that is about to get serious and the yearning and uncertainty that comes with - my friend and I were talking about Klaine duets and after she mentioned this it clicked into place (and inspired this post).

Because Kurt is leaning so much more on the cute side of things rather than sexy that even when singing "you're just a cannibal and I'm afraid I won't get out alive" I buy that he's talking about exposing his heart and feelings to Blaine, a boy he's still trying to figure out - even if one with a dirty enough mind could interpret that line, in a vacuum, to be about sex.

(As a side note, it bears repeating that Kurt is such A CUTIE here. It's okay Kurt, I think you're sexy in a very adorable and virginal way.)

I actually forgot myself that Animal's lyrics can be considered kinda more flirty and dirty if you squint? And funnily enough, Animal is not as inappropriate as several other songs Blaine picks to describe softer feelings. I like the thought of Blaine choosing it as a "sexy" song and forgoing the "will they won't they" one sided love the song is actually about, to describe a more animalistic urge to "not sleep tonight".

Meanwhile Kurt sings it much more innocently. Partly, we know that Kurt has faced a lot of issues with his sexuality and that he loves romance and marriage. Even though we only get confirmation later in on the episode that he is actually uncomfortable with sex to begin with, we can already sort of deduce that based on how we saw him act around Finn and Sam - I don't want to digress too much, but Kurt was very far from a "sexual predator" considering his wildest fantasies boiled down to another boy singing him a love song and kissing him or that the showers is just a place for him to check what shampoo Sam uses and if it's right for his color treated hair - as well as how he is pretty consistently set up as the antithesis of an average teenage boy. Sex is the last thing on his mind.

And when you rewatch his performance, you GET that he thinks this is only about one sided love and it also contributes to his attempts at being sexy be so goofy and a bit cringey. Not only is he uncomfortable, but he does not see the song in the same way Blaine (and perhaps everyone else in this scene) does. Or at least, it's how I explain away the strike contrast between his demeanor in Push It (confident, he even slaps Finn's ass lmao) and Toxic (playful and a bit detached) compared to Animal (very silly...<3) aside from his recurring and staple trait of losing all of his cool and measured manner when he is working to impress someone, rendering him just so very cringe, like when he tried to impress Burt in Laryngitis, Blaine in most of Season 2 and June Dolloway in The Back-Up Plan (most notably).

While I absolutely feel like I am almost trying too hard to explain some indecency into the lyrics (when it is really not what it's trying to convey) Blaine does consistently misinterpret the emotions of people around him and I'd argue, of his own as well. Would he really pick up on the emotional core of songs that easily?

While this may be an almost appropriate enough segue to talk about why Glee being a musical dramedy plays a lot into how one should interpret the songs and musical performances accompanying them at length, I will refrain for now and condense my thoughts on it: Glee (at least initially) follows the adage "when words are not enough to express your feeling, you sing, and when song is not enough, you dance" and the comedy usually takes a backseat (or is played straight faced) so the emotional state of the characters can shine and guide the story. I guess it is up to you how much you are willing to indulge in the characters themselves picking songs rather than the writers, but I find it much more satisfying to consider them part of the narrative and characterization just as much as you would dialogue, for example.

Thus, Blaine consistently choosing inappropriate songs is an interesting look into his character: he picks When I Get You Alone as a serenade song for Valentine's Day, Candles to sing with his fresh new boyfriend, It's Not Unusual to express his happiness over getting to spend even more time with his boyfriend, Cough Syrup as an inspirational song and not to mention the two break up songs he sings to (and with) his brother.

I don't think it is that much of a reach to think Blaine read "No, I won't sleep tonight / Oh-oh, I want some more / Oh-oh, what are you waiting for?" and went "Oh yeah this has crazy sex appeal".

If Baby It's Cold Outside is a look into how Blaine pursues Kurt, Animal is a look into how Kurt pursues Blaine and why I believe they are so prone to miscommunication.

In BICO, Blaine is crowding him and not taking his teasing protests seriously, which is pretty much what the song is about - a cheeky "we know we shouldn't REALLY do this, but let's anyway" duet from a time when women weren't allowed to express such forward interest. It, coincidentally, fits really nicely with the narrative of two gay school boys alone in some common room who end up flirting, despite the society they live in harshly discouraging them to do so and would not let them perform the song together. You know, as two artists.

Later, however, we find out that Blaine can't easily differentiate Kurt's teasing from his hard no's, so he interprets all of Kurt's actions, someone naturally impish, to be sarcastic most of the time. I don't think it is an entirely off-based assumption by Blaine, but since he is not exactly the best at reading people in the first place, it's even harder to discern for him how Kurt feels, who is more subtle about his emotions than most people.

But it works this time because Kurt is into Blaine, is teasing him and wants him to crowd him.

Kurt has a tendency to never really say word for word what he expects of Blaine so Blaine takes everything Kurt says either at face value or tinted by Blaine's own wants and needs - I firmly believe the scene in the Lima Bean from TPPP is the first time Kurt actually does come out and say he seriously wants Blaine to transfer (and why Blaine drops everything to do so rightaway). Or why such controversial scenes that can turn people off this pairing entirely, like the car scene of TFT or the entirety of their DWS plot, could happen. They always had pretty severe communication issues.

Which is why when the song ends with them sitting down so close to each other, Kurt almost expects a confession after such an undeniably flirty duet (you did NOT make it all up in your head, Kurt!) but Blaine would rather run away from the sudden closeness (and ambiguity) instead and promptly exits. He is not there yet to recognize his own feelings.

Meanwhile, everything Kurt does in Animal is a clumsy attempt at seduction (which he has no experience at). He does high kicks, rolls his hips, tries to stick his tongue out as much as he can when singing the words and is not put off by, or even registering Blaine's worried and confused glances at him.

Kurt has a tendency to be so romantic it dips into delusion. We see this a lot with Finn in S1 and until The Lamp Incident of Theatricality, Kurt is ascribing romantic undertones to Finn's actions very generously and guards what he wants to see of Finn very closely to his heart (a knight in shining armor devoted to him), shielding it from the cruel pain of reality (Finn being an easy-going and nice, straight guy who is very susceptible to peer pressure and a bit too dumb). You can see this the best in Home, when Kurt shows off a bunch of swatches to Finn very proudly and Finn manages to break the illusion for a bit - telling Kurt he has a cowboy wallpaper and ultimately, does not care about something Kurt does so deeply for. You can even see Kurt's expression shift at this moment - but then Finn ends up indulging him and randomly picks a color and that's enough for Kurt to consider it another common interest they can share, going back to fantasize about their future shared room's decor.

The lyrics of Animal are just much more relevant to Kurt than they are to Blaine, even if the lines "It's getting heavy and I wanna run and hide / I wanna run and hide" are some of the most Blaine lyrics ever.

I think Animal also stays relevant even until the next time we see Kurt trying to seduce Blaine in S6 - especially with the first line of the song being "Here we go again", setting up this cyclical nature of the relationship the song is about right away - they get close because they move each other down to their cores and want more, until they get sick of each other again, only to then go back to the pining stage - not their first time at this either, because they have already cycled through this in S4.

"And I won't be denied by you / The animal inside of you" may also be some of the most Klaine lines I have ever read, because their relationship lies on the foundation of sentimentality and this inexplicable, deep attaction to each other that regularly overrides common sense.

I also love that in-universe, Blaine kinda already made Kurt his duet partner (since they ARE technically training for regionals here) and also that he did not give a FUCKKKK about any of the other 15 or so warblers.

No notes, 10/10, five stars, etc etc, if Animal has 0 fans I am dead.

[nekrotiize]

I’ve always been a huge fan of Fantasy Fiction, ever since I was a small child. I think it was the second genre I took a real interest in, right behind Horror. It’s been very important to me, and I wouldn’t give up my experience with Fantasy for the world. The first video game I ever played was The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, and it was a groundbreaking experience for me. I grew up with shows like Dragon Ball Z and Avatar: The Last Airbender, which were also absolutely instrumental to me and my development as a person and as an artist. Genuinely, words cannot express the impact Fantasy has had on me. I love it to pieces. I truly do.

But as someone who grew up Native American, with Black family and friends, it’s always been profoundly obvious to me that there’s also no other genre better as sowing and compounding biases against minorities - especially racial minorities - than Fantasy. Fantasy is, by and large, made by racists, for racists. It is often openly hostile to People of Color.

Fantasy is the genre most largely and openly concerned with matters of race. Metaphors for race relations are rife within Fantasy Media, most often fumbled. Badly. Uncountable quantities of the Noble Savage, dark-skinned ne’er do wells, foreigners portrayed as evil, frightening beasts. The heroes almost always white, often blonde with blue eyes. Crusades against supposedly mindless enemies with supposedly primitive, supposedly lesser cultures by the white hero always depicted as a common sense good. The monarchy must be protected. Colonization is the key to prosperity, purging the primitive natives or foreign monsters - all darker than the hero - is a necessary good, the bloodshed never questioned. Why would you? That’s the white hero’s right. It’s what needs to be done to save the kingdom. Besides, anything that doesn’t look like the white hero is automatically a threat, and must be dealt with.

Racial Segregation within Fantasy is treated as natural, both in universe and out. Awfully eugenics-y justifications are often thrown about - a primary one being that there’s such a wide gap in the races’ intelligence/mental capability that cohabiting with “normal” people would be simply impossible. There is an abject failure to recognize the real-world bigotry this language is caked in.

I have grown up my entire life seeing people of my race be depicted as primitive Others to the white hero. If we are not depicted as savages, we are simply a guiding hand. We serve no purpose other than to service the white hero’s story.

The white hero’s skin, and often his blonde hair and blue eyes, are marks of purity. Dark skin indicates evil. It indicates corruption, greed, wrath, a willingness to harm, an Other, a foreigner, a primitive, a lowly savage that must be slain on sight. We are nothing but mindless brutes, a number on the screen, a challenge to be pushed through.

It’s really frustrating when people who claim to be progressives, or woke, either fail to recognize the inherent poor politics of most Fantasy works, or outright refuse to see it. It’s even more frustrating when they start trying to argue with you, and just wind up sounding comically racist (or even ableist, in some circumstances!) without even realizing it.

Part of this is that Fandom inherently makes it so the fiction - or “content” - you are “consuming” is a critical part of your identity, and often discourage criticism - especially criticism pertaining to serious issues, such as racism, misogyny, ableism, etc. - because Fandom is supposed to be “fun and free”. So, even gentle critique of a piece of fiction, or a genre, even if you yourself are a fan of that work, is taken as some kind of personal attack upon every fan, ever. That supposed “fun and free” nature comes, like many things in this world, at the expense of the minorities within those spaces.

It is mind numbing, and difficult to navigate.