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jjungkookislife · 2 years

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Butterfly Tattoo Studio: Taehyung and Jungkook

pairing: apprentice!taehyung x piercer/tattoo artist!jungkook x f. reader x piercer!hoseok x jimin

genre: poly au, s2l, piercers/tattoo artists au, smut [18+]

wc: 8.1k

summary: Two weeks have come and gone as you step onto the front step of BTS. Unfortunately, you've come at a busy time and Hoseok can't see you as quickly as you'd like, but don't worry, Taehyung and Jungkook are more than glad to help.

warnings: cursing, tattooed and pierced!tae, hoseok, and jungkook, heavy use of petnames (doll, baby, babe, princess, sweetheart, etc), detailed descriptions of piercings, mention/use of needles and fear of needles, blood, sex at a workplace (tae's and jungkook's and hobi's), marking (hickeys, biting), hair pulling, oral sex (f. giving and receiving), fingering (f. receiving), multiple orgasms, threesome, voyeurism, bd!Taehyung, protected sex, slight manhandling, (idk if there's a spank in there but just in case), cum swallowing

date: June 4, 2022

Two weeks passed rather quickly and despite keeping in contact with Hoseok, the two of you hadn’t had a chance to see each other since your last appointment.

Once again, nerves bubble in your stomach, coating every bit of you as you grab the doorknob, tugging at the hem of your yellow sundress.

Music blared from the speakers when you walk in, drowning out the chime of the bells above your head.

Jimin, however, has ears like Dolores from Encanto and looks up immediately, turning the music down. He perks up in his seat, shoving the man beside him off the desk.

The man next to him huffs, glaring menacingly at Jimin before he notices you.

“Oh,” he says simply, eyeing you up and down with a hunger you’ve only seen in Hoseok’s eyes.

“Hi,” you chirp, biting your lip as the stranger’s eyes follow your movement, his tongue swiping along his bottom lip.

Jimin is gazing at you from beneath his long lashes, mouth-watering and pants tightening at the sight of you. Ever since Hoseok had shared you with a kiss, you’ve been all he could think about. It was near torture having to listen to Hoseok go on and on about you and the sweet sounds he got you to make that night.

“Hello! Welcome back,” Jimin grins, and your nerves instantly triple. How could you forget how gorgeous he was?

“Thank you! I’m here to see Hoseok but I also wanted to get two more piercings, maybe,” you bite your lip nervously and Jimin can’t help but wish it was him who was biting and sucking on your bottom lip while his hands gripped handfuls of your ass.

“You’re here for Hoseok?” You turn to the man beside Jimin, meeting his gaze for the first time. He’s gorgeous but you weren’t surprised after the few people you’ve come in contact with. However, he was a different type of pretty. While Jimin was soft and delicate, more angelic than anything else, this man screamed sin! His dark hair curled over the bandana he wore, and his black and white button-down was large over his frame but the sleeves were rolled up to show his toned defined arms. He appeared to be chewing gum but never once did you get a scent or sight of it.

He was broad and tall and the slope of his nose was perfect for looking down at you in an almost pretentious way but then he smiled and all those thoughts left your head. His smile is soft and sweet and it makes him look so much younger. Even the tattoos on his arm appear to be of anime you recognize and watched as a child until you started reading manga instead.

“Sorry, doll,” he gets your attention, still chewing on his gum. “Hoseok has a list of clients a mile long today.”

You look to the waiting room and see at least six people waiting. You forget they always welcome walk-ins.

“I’m sure I can squeeze you in before his next client,” Jimin says as he looks at his list for a moment. He ignores when the curly-haired man pokes him in the side. After a few more incessant pokes, Jimin huffs. He glares at the man and then gives you a friendly, flirty smile that has your heart fluttering.

“Or Taehyung, here, can take you with him and Jungkook,” Jimin finally grits as he points to Taehyung. “Tae’s our apprentice and Jungkook is finishing up a tattoo, but he’s also one of our piercers.”

“You’re in good hands with me and Kookie, doll,” Taehyung licks his lips as he walks around the desk to stand near you. You can smell his cologne, a cedar scent with a hint of citrus, and it has your eyes rolling to the back of your head. Fuck, you were a sucker for a good-smelling man.

“Won’t Hoseok be upset?” You turn to ask Jimin, who’s leaning forward with his chin cradled in his hands.

Jimin smirks. “Hoseok isn’t bothered by sharing with us. He’ll still see you after your piercings are done, and I’m sure he’d be glad if Tae got some new experience. Don’t worry, pretty, Hoseok isn’t unaccustomed to sharing. In fact, he enjoys it.”

You miss the look Taehyung and Jimin exchange as you nod. “Come with me, baby.”

Taehyung takes your hand in his, and you wonder if he can hear the way your heart is pounding against your chest. If he can, he doesn’t say anything as he leads you down the same hallway as last time, humming softly as he goes.

When you arrive at a black door, he stops, poking his head in before turning back to you.

“My studio is still under construction, so I use Jungkook’s. It’ll just be a second,” he assures you as he waits for Jungkook to finish up with his client.

“Here we go!” Taehyung exclaims when the previous client walks out and you walk in guided by Tae. “Just have a seat in that chair, baby.”

You nod, swallowing thickly as you look around the room. Similar to Hoseok’s studio, there are pictures on the wall and certificates as well as licenses. There are a few piercing photos, a few amazing tattoo pieces, and sketches and near the giant desk pushed to the far wall. There’s bright art from every horror movie you grew up watching.

Sitting at the desk in a black leather chair is the man you assume to be Jungkook. He’s got his broad back turned to you but you can still admire his physique and catch a glimpse of his full sleeve save for the wrist down.

You hadn’t even seen his face yet but you could assume he was drop-dead gorgeous, as gorgeous as everyone else in the building. Licking your lips, you sit back as your knee jiggles up and down. You’re not sure why you’re this nervous again, you’d done fabulously with your last piercing and this should be a piece of cake. However, those thoughts do little to stifle your nerves. Oh well.

“This is your next client,” Taehyung points to you, saying your name in a tone that leaves you breathless as you wave meekly to Jungkook when he turns around. His black cargo pants are right against his thighs as he spins in his chair, manspreading as he looks at you.

Fuck, you think. Your eyes immediately focus on his combat boots and for a split second, you wanna ask him to step on you.

Jungkook is even hotter than you thought! His onyx locks are long, reaching the collar of his shirt. His hair is slightly messy, almost as if he’s been running his hand through it enough to keep it off his forehead and some of it falls over his right eye. You can see the shine of an eyebrow piercing beneath his fringe and you’re immediately taken in by the glint on his lip from another piercing.

“Hello,” he says simply, introducing himself as he turns to place his phone on the desk. His right ear is pierced to the max and you wonder just how high his pain tolerance is. You don’t think you could ever get that done all at once.

“What are we doing for you today, love?” Jungkook’s voice is smooth, and for a moment you want him to say your name just so you can store it for later and play it back again and again.

“I wanted to get my nose pierced and maybe my eyebrow,” you state. “If you think it’ll suit me.”

Taehyung leans closer to you, shutting the door after him as he gets a better look at you. You’re very beautiful. That was obvious from the moment you walked in, and after hearing about you from Jimin, he was eager to meet you. You knocked the wind out of him when you stepped through the doors just minutes before, and he was almost thankful Hoseok was busy. Sure, not all the clients waiting in the reception area were here for piercings, but who was he to pass up the chance to pierce you and get you to himself and Jungkook?

“I think it would suit you, babe. What do you think, Kook?” Taehyung moves to the side, allowing Jungkook to walk up to you.

Immediately your breath is caught in your throat as this magnificent specimen leans forward. His dark eyes study you for a moment, his hand raising and you see the tattoos on his knuckles.

“May I?” He asks softly, almost shyly as his hand lingers in front of you. Taehyung chuckles from the side but says nothing as his friend waits for your answer.

“Yes,” you answer as you look up at Jungkook. His fingers grip your chin, turning you this way and that.

“It’ll suit either side you want, love. Which side did you want to do?” Jungkook asks as he releases you, taking a step back.

“The right side,” you answer automatically. Jungkook smirks, “We’ll match.”

“What side did you want for your nostril?” Taehyung asks as he pulls up a chair beside yours.

“The left,” you answer and he nods before turning to Jungkook.

“I can do the nose and you can do the brow. What do you think?”

“That works. Lemme just get the stuff ready,” Jungkook busies himself with grabbing his tools, pulling a small table on wheels to the side as he walks around the room grabbing the essentials.

“There’s no need to be nervous, babe.” Tae tries to reassure you, his fingers lacing with yours with ease. “I’ve been an apprentice for a good while and Jungkook was a piercer long before he was tattooing. You’re in great hands.”

“I’ve seen your work online, both of you. It’s great,” you compliment. “I’m glad you both work here with Hobi.”

Taehyung looks over at Jungkook, smirking. And Jungkook returns the smirk, his eyes a little brighter, filled with mischief as Taehyung turns back to you.

“Hobi, huh?” He teases, noting the way you look up at the ceiling but his hand squeezes yours and you can’t help but meet his gaze. “I didn’t know you were so close.”

“Oh, he, uh said I could call him that,” you flush, biting your lip. Had you overstepped?

“You must be very special, love,” Jungkook states seriously. “He doesn’t let just anyone call him that. He must really like you.”

Your eyes widen, heat heavy on your cheeks. “Oh, I wouldn’t know about that. Maybe he was just being nice.”

“Don’t do that,” Jungkook scolds. “Don’t sell yourself short. You’ve got a lot to offer.”

With furrowed brows, you wonder what he means by that but before you can gather the courage to ask, Taehyung is releasing your hand and rising to his feet.

There’s a slight tension in the room and it almost stifles Taehyung. Instead of letting it get to him, he goes to wash his hands, asking which piercing you would like first.

“Which will hurt more?” You ask, feeling the thundering of your heart against your rib cage. Why were you doing this again?

“Hmm,” Jungkook hums. “The nostril, I’d say. But Tae’s the one who’s gotten that pierced. My brow wasn’t that bad and neither was my lip.”

“It depends on you, doll,” Taehyung adds. “Could be either. But we can do the nostril first if you’d like.”

“Sure,” you agree and he grins before drying his hands and putting on a pair of black gloves. He grabs a marker and a hand mirror before he leans in front of you. Jungkook watches from the sidelines, making sure Tae remembers all his training. He knew he had nothing to worry about, he’d been an apprentice for a while and was doing very well so far.

“Have a look, sweetheart. I can change the placement now, not later,” Taehyung reminds you with a chuckle as he hands you the mirror, his hands purposely brushing yours.

Smiling softly, you take the mirror and admire the black dot for a moment from all angles before deciding it’s a good spot. You hand the mirror back. Taehyung takes it to set aside before he’s grabbing an alcohol wipe. You watch as he rips it open, cleaning your nose gently as he hums.

His cologne pleasantly engulfs you, focusing on not moving as he leans closer and you can see down his shirt. His golden skin looks soft to the touch, flawless as you get a better peek when he leans further to tilt your head up slightly.

“Do you want me to count, baby?” Taehyung’s question brings you out of the myriad of thoughts swirling in your head, almost all of them obscene.

“Please,” you respond.

“So polite,” Jungkook grins mischievously as he steps closer to watch Taehyung.

“Isn’t she? She’s very sweet from what I’ve heard,” Taehyung snickers as he opens a needle.

Jungkook says nothing else, smirking to himself. He too had heard about your escapade in Hobi’s studio. Not that Hobi was bragging, Jimin just didn’t know how to shut the fuck up when they were all together at home snuggling on their giant bed.

“You can close your eyes if you’re scared of needles, babe. No judgment here,” Taehyung clicks his tongue and Jungkook immediately agrees.

In a second, your eyes are squeezed shut. You’re very aware of all the noises in the room and you relax when you feel a hand grip yours. You squeezed it in thanks, inhaling as you felt the press of the needle and grit your teeth. Fuck, that hurt a little.

Taehyung’s deep voice is explaining everything he’s doing, praising you as he goes until he’s finally done.

“Breathe out for me, sweet girl. The worst is over,” Jungkook instructs as Taehyung easily gets the jewelry in your nose. He steps away to grab a napkin, pressing it to your nose.

“Just a bit of blood, babe. Nothing to worry about,” he explains. You give him a thumbs up and realize your hand is attached to Jungkook’s.

You apologize but he just squeezes your hand in response. Taehyung pressed the napkin to your nose, waiting for the bleeding to stop and grinning once it did.

“You’re such a good girl,” he praises as he throws the napkin away in the trash. Jungkook inspects the piercing, praising Taehyung for a job well done as he releases your hand.

Jungkook goes to wash his hands as Taehyung takes his previous spot. His fingers lace with yours as he asks how you’re feeling, making sure you don’t feel faint.

“I’m okay,” you assure him.

“We can take a few minutes. There’s no rush, baby doll. We’ve got all day for you,” Taehyung smiles sweetly and you melt.

Meanwhile, Jungkook is getting his gloves on in preparation to pierce your brow. He waits until you’re ready, listening to Taehyung talking your head off to try and calm you, but you’re nervous, regardless.

“Ready, princess?” Jungkook asks as he lifts the marker. He looks at the dots he’s marked and opens the new needle.

“Yes,” you answer, receiving a squeeze from Tae’s hand.

“You’ve got this, baby girl. You did so well with me. Don’t you wanna please JK?” Taehyung teases, pressing a kiss to your cheek.

“Y-yes,” you stutter.

Jungkook chuckles. “Tae, don’t fuck with her.”

“Hey, I’m just trying to help!”

“Mhm,” Jungkook hums as he stands beside you. “Well, aren’t you pretty?”

Taehyung snickers beside you. “And I’m the one flirting with her?”

“She’s cute.”

“She’s right here,” you interrupt. Jungkook apologizes, asking if you’re ready before you’re squeezing Tae’s hand.

“Yes,” you listen to Jungkook’s instructions, inhaling deeply when he says so. “Oh fuck!”

“Yeah, that one hurt, huh?” Jungkook asks once he gets the bar through. “Worst part’s over though. You took it well.”

Taehyung snickers from beside you. Your hand is still laced with his but the other is on his thigh. You hadn’t even realized you had moved it.

“Sorry!”

“No need,” Taehyung smirks and you feel your face flush with heat.

“Your brow isn’t even bleeding. What a good girl you are, huh? Eager to please,” Jungkook smirks as you look away, squeezing Taehyung’s hand.

“You tease too much, Kook,” Taehyung scoffs as he leans in close to you, his free hand cupping your face, his nose just millimeters from yours. You hold your breath as you look up at him but he just hums in response, his featherlight touch sending sparks down your spine.

Jungkook watches the two of you intently.

“Perfect.” Taehyung hums as he caresses your cheek with his thumb. “Just perfect.”

His breath ghosts your face and you blink owlishly. How were these two worse off than Hoseok? How did you ever think you’d survive them both?

“Just perfect,” Taehyung repeats as his lips press against yours. Your eyes widen for a moment before they’re squeezed shut and you’re kissing him back. Jungkook watches from the sidelines, a smirk on his lips as Taehyung grips your hips to hold you closer and you’re on your feet before you realize it.

You’re not shy in kissing back, your tongue slipping past his lips, surprising him as he allows you in. Your fingers thread through his dark locks, moaning when his hands cup your tits. Your mind is spinning, but who are you to deny someone as hot as him? You can’t pass up the opportunity, not when his kisses are just as sinful as you imagined they’d be.

“Fuck,” a low curse captures your attention, and it’s then you remember you’re not alone.

Jungkook’s eyes are dark, glazed with lust as he watches you with Taehyung. He’s biting his bottom lip, his tongue playing with his lip ring. Your heart flutters.

Taehyung’s large palm cups your face, turning you to face him. “Want him to join us?”

You swallow thickly, nodding. “Yes, please.”

Jungkook chuckles, smirking as he approaches the both of you. He takes you from Taehyung easily, leading you to the table where he hops on first, spreading his legs to situate you in between.

“Easier access for Tae,” Jungkook says simply as your back meets his chest and his hands are gripping your thighs, cursing at the softness and warmth of them. “You look so beautiful in this dress. Tell me, love, did you wear this for our sweet Hobi?”

Jungkook’s teasing tone sends tingles down your spine as his lips brush against the sensitive skin of your neck.

“Is it that obvious?” you ask meekly as your eyes meet Taehyung’s.

“Only a little,” he answers as Jungkook’s tattooed hand grips your hip, moving upward slowly to cup your breast over your dress. You gasp, turning to Jungkook, who closes the distance between you with his lips.

Taehyung watches his boyfriend kissing you, groping you as you make out. He’s been in this position plenty of times before, and he can’t help the heat that floods his body every time he sees Jungkook with someone. There’s something about him that drives him wild, finding it hard to just stand back and watch. Maybe it’s the fact that Hobi already had a taste of you? Maybe it was that his soulmate had as well? Or maybe it was the cute way you shied away from him but still managed to surprise him with little bursts of confidence, like kissing him with tongue? Whatever it was, it made it hard for him to hold back for too long as he stood between your legs.

Jungkook is the first to pull away from the kiss, smiling up at his boyfriend. Taehyung grins, leaning forward and you gasp when he bypasses you to kiss Jungkook.

Despite his lips occupied by Jungkook, Taehyung’s hands grip your thigh. You’re not sure what to do, but he notes this and takes your hand to place on his shoulder. He smirks at you before he’s kissing you again.

“She’s pushing against my cock,” Jungkook says with a grin. You whine in embarrassment but Taehyung nips your bottom lip. “None of that, doll. No need to be embarrassed with us. We just want to please you.”

“Please you,” Jungkook repeats as he pushes your hair over one shoulder to kiss the other. His lips are soft against your skin, teeth gently scraping the heated flesh. You’re overwhelmed by both but Taehyung kisses you, guiding your hands in unbuttoning his shirt as Jungkook’s hands toy with your dress.

“Can we take this off, love?” Jungkook asks as he lets your dress go. You turn to look at him, his beautiful brown eyes taking you by surprise, his cute smile almost looks bashful as you note the hearts in his eyes. How did someone with such a rough-looking exterior look so sweet and soft when asking to undress you? It made your head spin, talk about duality.

“Yes,” you answer confidently, moaning when Taehyung starts kissing your neck, nipping and sucking on the column of your throat until your fingers thread through his hair, mindful of his bandana as his hands and Jungkook’s are helping you out of your dress.

They’re both surprised to see you in nothing but a pair of white panties that cling to you.

“Fuck, you look good enough to eat,” Taehyung licks his lips, biting his lip as his hooded gaze meets Jungkook, who's busy cupping your breasts, rolling the pert nipples between his fingertips as his lips find their home on the column of your throat.

“Tae,” you moan when he grips your thighs, putting them over Jungkook’s. He nips at your inner thighs, loving the softness and warmth of your skin as his tongue laves over your wet panties.

“So good for us, aren’t you doll? Want us to make you come for us?” Jungkook asks in between kisses, your hand moving behind you to grab a handful of his thick black hair, tugging as you beg him to make you come.

“Don’t get too ahead of yourself, princess. We both want to get a taste of you,” Taehyung tuts as he pulls your panties down your legs with little trouble. He tucks your panties in his back pocket so he won’t lose them when they’re done with you.

“Please,” you plead, your eyes softening for Tae.

“My tongue isn’t pierced like Hobi’s, but I know I can get you to come just as easily without it,” he brags as he drops to his knees.

Jungkook grips your chin with his forefinger and thumb, turning you to him, his soft lips meeting yours as Tae licks a stripe along your wet folds. Jungkook chuckles, his breath fanning across your lips as he kisses you again, feeling every inch of your body that he can.

He eventually guides your hand to Taehyung’s hair. “He likes when you tug on his hair.”

Taehyung groans at Jungkook’s words, affirming them. You’re tentative at first but note the way Taehyung reacts, tongue diving deeper into you. You arch into Jungkook, his lips kissing every bit of you within reach as he whispers sweet nothings in your ear, praising you for being so good for them.

“Taehyung,” you moan, hips rising slightly to meet his face. Jungkook smiles at your eagerness, his attention on your face, and the way your expression changes as you grow closer and closer to your orgasm.

“Keep going, Tae. She looks like she’s ready to fall apart on your tongue,” Jungkook groans, cursing as you pull him into a kiss that’s all teeth and tongue.

Taehyung looks up at the two of you, his cock throbbing in the confines of his pants, his hand moving to stroke it over the denim, popping the button open before pulling the zipper down. There’s nothing hotter than watching his boyfriend with someone else, and he knows Jungkook must be just as hard as he is.

Slowly, Taehyung swirls his tongue on your clit, sucking it and nipping it lightly to gauge your reaction. You cry out, whimpering and begging for more as you writhe in his boyfriend’s lap. Taehyung listens, intent on pleasuring you as much as possible, and just like Jimin had gone on and on about you, you taste just as divine as described. He couldn’t get enough of you. You flooded his senses and made him want more and more. Taehyung was sure he could devour you whole if given the chance.

“Do you want to take his cock, love?” Jungkook asks in between kisses. He’s glad the marks he’s left on your skin are slowly blooming, pride swelling in his chest. He tongues his lip ring, lust-filled eyes locked on yours. You’re pulsating, blood rushing in your ears as you nod. “Yes.”

Jungkook pecks your lips, his hand caressing your cheek.

“We can stop whenever you want, okay?” he assures you.

“Yes,” you nod. “I want it. I want you. Both of you,” you look at Taehyung, who nods. He slowly teases your entrance with two of his fingers, collecting your arousal before he’s pushing into you. He maintains eye contact as he curls his fingers, watching your face to see what you like and what you don’t.

When his fingers speed up and Jungkook rubs your clit, you start moaning louder. You try to muffle your moans by kissing and sucking on Jungkook’s neck, but both men want to hear you come apart for them.

“Moan for us, or I’ll stop, baby,” Taehyung threatens. That’s all it takes for you to be more vocal. You lose yourself to the feeling, your body growing hotter and hotter as pleasure pools in your belly, embarrassed by the lewd sounds of your arousal as Taehyung finger fucks you faster and faster.

You fall back onto Jungkook, who steadies you with a firm arm around your waist.

“That’s it, baby. Are you gonna come for us?” Jungkook smirks, kissing your cheek.

“Yes! Yes! Tae! Please!” you nearly sob as he licks your clit and your thighs tremble. You’re so close, you whine. Taehyung doesn’t falter, eyes glued on you as you tug on his hair rather harshly, causing him to groan.

“Taehyung! Tae!” you scream, nearly in tears as you arch into him, wanting to fuck his face as your orgasm hits and you soak him, your thighs, and the table beneath you.

“Fucking hell, baby girl,” Jungkook curses as he watches you combust. You’re panting heavily, a sheen of sweat covering your body as your head falls forward, your hair falling over your eyes.

You’re whining softly, gripping Jungkook’s thigh hard as you try to catch your breath.

Taehyung slowly pulls his fingers from you once he’s sure you’ve ridden your high. He pops them into his mouth, cursing as your essence coats his taste buds.

“Share,” Jungkook huffs with a pout.

Taehyung rolls his eyes, used to his boyfriend getting his way as he rises to his feet. He kisses Jungkook with no hesitation. The younger man’s tongue meets his, eager to get a taste of you.

You watch on, licking your lips. Feeling the heat of your stare, Jungkook turns to you and kisses you roughly.

Taehyung watches for a few moments, licking his lips and running a hand through his hair. When you and Jungkook break for air, he quirks his head in question. “Still want me to fuck you, baby?”

“Yes,” you answer bashfully.

“No need to be shy with us, love.” Jungkook nuzzles into your hair.

“He’s right,” Taehyung nods in agreement as he helps you off Jungkook’s thighs and then the table. Jungkook chuckles at the wet spots on his jeans.

“Whoops,” you grimace when you spot them.

“Don’t worry about it,” Jungkook shrugs as Taehyung turns you to face him. He cups your face, bringing his lips down on yours while Jungkook takes his shirt off. He watches the both of you with hungry eyes, his hand going to palm himself over his jeans, biting on his lip to keep from moaning.

Taehyung is exploring every inch of your body with his large hands. Touching everywhere and lighting a fire deep inside you as he holds you to his body, your arms draped over his shoulders as you kiss him.

“Can’t wait to be inside you,” he murmurs against your lips. You moan in response. Taehyung rests his forehead against yours. “Why don’t you help Kook out of his pants?”

“Yeah. Y-yes,” you swallow audibly, so lust drunk you can barely think as you turn around to face Jungkook, who smiles warmly at you.

“Hey, doll,” he grins.

“Can I?” you ask, eyes glued to his abs as your hands rest on his thighs.

“Go for it, princess,” he moves his hands out of the way, planting them behind him as he leans back to allow you room to undo the button of his pants and tug the zipper down. He raises one leg at a time as you struggle to pull his tight jeans down his thick, muscular thighs.

With a laugh, Jungkook helps you until you’re tugging his boxers with his pants down to his knees. When his cock smacks against his abdomen, cock drooling pre-cum, your mouth waters.

“Please, can I?” you beg as you meet his hooded gaze. He languidly strokes himself. His tongue plays with his lip ring, gaze hard and pierced brow raised as he studies you.

“Why should I let you?” his question befuddles you as he continues to stroke himself.

“Because I want to taste you, Jungkook,” you answer honestly. Jungkook tongues his cheek, nodding his consent as your hand replaces his.

“Don’t scare her,” Taehyung clicks his tongue at his boyfriend.

“Just want her to work for it a little,” Jungkook shrugs.

Taehyung rolls his eyes but says nothing else as he runs his hands over your body. His lips plant gentle kisses on your shoulders, kissing down your spine while he kneads your ass. Your dulcet moans fill the room, and he reaches into his wallet to take out a condom.

You look so delectable bent over in front of him. He loves how wet you are, your thighs coated in your arousal and he knows he can’t go much longer without being inside you.

“Doll?” he hums.

“Yes?” you question, looking at him over your shoulder. He holds the condom up, “Wanna keep going?”

“Yes, Tae. Please!” you exclaim.

Taehyung chuckles, his breath hitting your skin and sending tingles down your back. It takes him a moment to rip the condom packet open, stroking himself a few times with a few guttural groans escaping him as he slides the condom down his length.

Jungkook focuses on your hand as it moves up and down his dick, your spit hitting the head. He grunts, biting his lip.

“Put your mouth around it if you want, love,” he encourages but leaves the choice up to you. You nod eagerly, glad he’d said something because you were too shy to ask if you could take him in your mouth.

Your tongue swirls around the head once, using your spit to coat him.

“Don’t be a tease,” Jungkook warns with a raised brow. You smile, gasping when you feel Taehyung pushing into you. You curse, crying out for Jungkook as you get pushed forward. Taehyung’s big hand grips your hip while the other pushes his cock into you further. He knows it’ll take a few minutes for you to accommodate him enough to take all of him, but fuck, you’re so warm and wet even through the condom. His head lolls back, tongue peeking from between his lips as he pushes past the tight ring of muscles that squeeze him just right.

“Oh, fuck! Taehyung!” you rasp, clutching Jungkook’s thighs, nails leaving their mark on his skin.

“Breathe, baby,” Jungkook says softly. “Breathe.”

“So big,” you utter as you look up at Jungkook.

“But you can take it, right?” Jungkook checks in. You nod, cock hungry and ready for more. Taehyung takes his time, slowly pulling out and pushing back in little by little until his pelvis is pressed to your ass.

He rubs your back, moving down to your ass.

“You’re taking me so well, princess. You’re so tight and wet,” he curses as he gives a tentative thrust and you gasp.

“Fuck me, Tae.”

Taehyung shakes the hair out of his eyes as he thrusts into you, setting a slow pace that allows him to reach deep inside you, right where you need him.

“Fuck,” you groan as try to focus, a hard task when Taehyung’s huge cock is buried inside you and Jungkook’s is inches from your face.

Jungkook smirks, knowing what it’s like to feel stuffed to the brim. He doesn’t say a word as you stroke him slowly, lips wrapped around him as you try to find a rhythm while Taehyung’s fucking into you, smacking your ass and using it to pull you to him.

When you finally bob your head up and down, spitting on his length and twisting your wrist to please Jungkook, he’s losing it. Mind reeling, cock hard and dribbling pre-cum into your pretty little mouth, moaning your name as he hits the back of your throat and you suck him off like your life depends on it.

Jungkook’s fingers weave through your hair, tugging as he fucks your face, listening to you gag around him. You meet his gaze, both fiery and full of lust as you bob up and down, making sure you roll his balls in your hands as your saliva runs down to them. He groans as he leans back further. His eyes flutter shut, his whiny cries making you wetter and wetter as Taehyung grips you hard enough to bruise, fucking you open for his fat cock as you sob his name, muffled by Jungkook’s heavy cock on your tongue.

“That’s it, baby girl. Take my fat cock like a good girl. Come around me, I know you want to,” Taehyung grunts as he fucks you faster.

The table Jungkook is on, slams into the wall with his thrusts and Jungkook curses as he pants, feeling you moan around him. His hair is disheveled from him carding his hand through it, too overcome with pleasure, unsure of what to grab onto.

Taehyung meets his gaze, and Jungkook loses it when you tongue his slit.

“Fuck, fuck. Doll, I’m gonna cum,” he warns but you don’t stop. You continue bobbing up and down, hollowing out your cheeks and tonguing his slit until he’s gripping your hair and thrusting into you, fucking your throat as he cries out for you.

“Baby! Baby, baby, baby!” Jungkook sobs, whining as he cums in your mouth but you don’t stop sucking him off. He whimpers when you tongue his slit again, collecting the remnants of his orgasm before releasing him and he hisses when he falls back onto the table.

His head lolls back as his pretty eyes sting with unshed tears and he stares at the ceiling as he tries to regulate his breathing. “Fuck, you’ve got a mouth on you, love.”

You make a show of swallowing before you grin proudly, but soon it’s wiped from your face as Taehyung grips your arms, putting them behind your back as he uses them for leverage.

“Come for me, baby.” Taehyung urges as he holds your hands behind your back with one hand and the other moves between your thighs, rubbing your clit in rigid circles. Seeing his boyfriend stuff your mouth full of come had riled him up more so, wanting to do the same.

Your cries grow in octaves. Taehyung’s name rolls off your tongue in broken sobs as your thighs tremble. Jungkook watches you intently as Taehyung makes you orgasm once again, soaking his cock and clenching around him until he’s pulling out.

“Can I come in your mouth?” Taehyung asks as he rips off the condom, stroking himself.

“Yes! Yes, please!” you nearly sob as you hastily drop to your knees in front of him. Taehyung curses. Your hand wrapped around him as you press your lips to his cock. You use your tongue to lick at the head and it doesn’t take too long until you’re rewarded with Taehyung cumming in your mouth, spurt after thick spurt hitting your tongue as you wrap your lips around him even as some of it runs down your chin.

Taehyung’s eyes are wild as he watches you swallow, again and again, only pulling away when you’re sure he’s done. You make a show of sticking your tongue out, licking up what you can from your chin before he’s helping you to your shaking legs and slotting his lips over yours, getting a taste of himself and Jungkook.

It’s a dirty, messy, kiss that leaves your toes curling as he walks you back into Jungkook, who kisses you next.

You’re left breathless and naked with your hand over your chest to try and calm the rapid pounding of your heart. You’re relieved to find Jungkook and Taehyung just as breathless as you. Jungkook is the first to get dressed before he’s picking your dress off the floor.

Jungkook helps you get dressed, kissing you as he pulls the dress over your head. He kisses you after you slide your arms into each of the armholes and then Taehyung steps up with your panties in his hands. His tattooed arm gets your attention as he holds your hip and you hold his shoulder to steady yourself as you step into your panties.

Jungkook makes sure your dress isn’t stuffed into your panties before he’s pulling you into a hug. Fuck, he didn’t want to let you go.

Taehyung wraps his arms around both of you. “That was unexpected.”

“But good?” you ask hesitantly.

“So good, princess,” Jungkook assures you as he sits on his chair and pulls you with him while Taehyung gets dressed and cleans the table.

Jungkook places your hands on his shoulder as he nuzzles into your neck, kissing it softly. You melt into him, not wanting to let him go.

Taehyung crouches down in front of you both, his hand resting on your thigh. He wishes you were at his home, he’d be able to cuddle the both of you to his heart’s content but he’s very aware that your activities haven’t gone unnoticed and it’s only a matter of time until Jimin or Hoseok are knocking on Jungkook’s door.

Taehyung steals a kiss from your lips, smiling when you grow flustered.

“We should get you to Hoseok, baby,” Taehyung whispers.

Your eyes widen, and suddenly you remember what you were here for, aside from your two new piercings.

“Oh, yeah!” you flush with heat as you get off Jungkook’s lap in a hurry. Taehyung chuckles as he rises to his full height.

“Come,” he takes your hand while Jungkook gets up and leads you to the door.

Dazed with a bright grin on your face, Jungkook and Taehyung walk with you hand in hand toward Hoseok’s studio. Jungkook wraps you up in his arms, his head on your shoulder as he sways you from side to side while Taehyung steps forward to knock on Hoseok’s door.

“Come in!” comes Hoseok’s response as Tae turns the knob and pushes the door open. Hoseok smiles when he sees his boyfriend looking absolutely delectable with his just fucked hair, he assumes he and Jungkook may have gone at it again in between clients. The two youngest always found it hard to keep their hands to themselves, especially in close quarters.

“Hey, babe,” Hoseok waves him over and Taehyung shakes his head. Hoseok raises a brow. Something was up.

“I brought someone,” he says simply before he looks over his shoulder and Jungkook is bringing you in. Hoseok is at a loss for words for a moment, swallowing thickly.

Well, this wasn’t exactly how he planned on easing you into his lifestyle.

“Hey, sweetheart! I was starting to worry you weren’t gonna show up,” Hoseok greets you easily as you step forward and pats the chair for you to take a seat. You do so, thighs still trembling and face still flushed thanks to your shenanigans with Jungkook and Taehyung.

Smirking, Hoseok rolls his chair forward. He can smell his boyfriends’ colognes on you, a scent he knows he can get used to when it melds with your soft flowery one.

“Ooh, you got two new piercings,” he comments as he gently cups your face. The rings on his hand are cool against your hot skin.

Turning to Jungkook, he asks, “Was this your doing?”

Jungkook looks away, his ears turning red as he finds the ceiling irrevocably interesting. Hoseok tuts, turning to Taehyung and raising a dark brow. Your thighs press together, remembering the last time you were in this studio, and Hoseok notes your movements before he’s turning to face you.

His dark eyes are nearly black as he takes you in, from the heavy rise and fall of your chest to the budding marks on your skin. If he looks a little closer, he’ll note the very, very familiar indents of the younger’s teeth, always a biter, that one.

“I did her nose,” Taehyung finally finds his voice. Licking his lips, he shoves his hands in his pockets as he leans against Hoseok’s desk, careful not to disturb any of the work that lies on it. “Jungkook did her brow.”

Hoseok nods as he leans in closer, noting a bit of swelling on your eyebrow, but nothing looks worrying at the moment. “Did you take it well, princess?”

“I did. It hurt,” you answer honestly as your hand goes to touch your brow, but Hoseok’s fingers wrap around your wrist gently.

“Baby girl, didn’t you promise you’d be good and not touch?” Hoseok asks in a low tone that has you biting back a moan. What was it about him that made you want to be the best girl for him? To please him and be praised by him again and again? Fuck, he was a danger to your health and he knew it; if his devilish grin was anything to go by.

“I did. I promise,” you clear your throat, hoping to rid yourself of the knot that forms. Jungkook giggles beside you, he’s all too familiar with Hoseok’s no-bullshit aura, and seeing its effect on you makes him giddy.

“Good!” Hoseok claps his hands softly. You pout, not liking how quickly his touch has left you. Taehyung snickers, covering his mouth with his hand. He exchanges a look with Jungkook before he’s walking over.

“Well, it looks like you’re in good hands,” Taehyung says with a hint of laughter.

“Yeah, we’ll see you upfront. I think we’re closing in a bit,” Jungkook states as he grabs Taehyung’s hand before either of you can protest.

“Subtle,” Hoseok rolls his eyes but is glad when they’re gone. You seem to relax a bit when they’re gone, and Hobi knows how overwhelming it can be when they’re all around.

“How does it look?” you ask, referring to your septum piercing and Hoseok switches to professional mode. He moves in closer, his hands on your cheeks once again as he tilts your head back a little bit. He inspects it, asking if you’ve been following his directions to the T and you nod as best as you can before answering verbally.

You ask him a few questions and he answers them all before he’s tapping your nose. “You’re the poster perfect client, babe. Did Tae and Kook take your picture?”

“No?” you think back and shake your head. “We got distracted.”

“I bet you did,” he laughs as he moves his leg forward and digs into his jeans pocket to take his phone out. You can’t help how nice his thick thighs look encased in his jeans and your eyes innocently waver over to his crotch.

“Brazen, are we?” Hoseok chuckles as he meets your embarrassed gaze.

“I-I was just…”

“Hoping to see my cock?” Hoseok grins salaciously and you bite your lip.

“Maybe?”

“And here I thought you were my good girl,” he clicks his tongue, feigning disappointment before he’s asking you to sit up. He rises from his seat, taking pictures of your new piercings before he’s slipping his phone back into his pocket.

“Do you have plans tonight, baby girl?” Hoseok asks as he holds his hand out for you to take. His hand is warm in yours and you’re careful as you rise off the chair, smoothing down your dress with your other hand.

“I’m free,” you answer, wondering what it is he has planned.

“Would you like to go out with me tonight?” Hoseok asks as he leads you into the hallway, pausing to turn the light off in his studio. He doesn’t need any of his belongings for tonight and he can pack a different bag for work tomorrow, anyway.

“Of course!” you blurt out, groaning at how overeager you sound. “Sorry.”

“No need to apologize, sweetheart. I like your enthusiasm and besides, you already know I like you, so seeing you so excited to go out with me makes me incredibly happy.”

You smile, feeling the fluttering of butterflies in your stomach.

Hoseok returns your smile, his hand pushing a lock of your hair behind your ear. “You look so beautiful, love. I like your dress.”

“Thank you. I wore it for you,” you say honestly, maintaining eye contact. Hoseok nearly growls at your admittance, gently pressing you to the wall beside his studio as he captures your lips with his. It had been hard keeping his distance from you, trying to remain professional but he’d been hoping to see you since the first time. Work had been drowning him lately and he’d been looking forward to today immensely. He was glad to have you in his arms once again, kissing you and rekindling that initial spark from that night.

“Hoseok,” his name escapes you in a heady tone that makes his cock throb. Fuck, he wants another taste of you but he’s set on taking you out first before any of that occurs again.

“I know, baby. Fuck, you’ve got me losing my mind,” he admits, kissing your cheek before he’s leading you down the hall to the reception area.

Jimin smirks when he sees both of you holding hands as you stroll to the reception desk. “Well, don’t you look ravished?”

Jungkook shoves his foot into the back of Jimin’s chair, causing him to be squished into his desk. Jimin sends a glare over his shoulder to Jungkook, who rolls his eyes.

Clearing his throat, Jimin smiles and tries again. “Don’t you look ravishing!”

“Thank you,” you nod. “I wasn’t sure if the eyebrow piercing would suit me.”

“You look great, love,” Taehyung assures you and you note he’s in the same spot you’d seen him in when you’d first walked in earlier. You thank him sincerely.

“Oh, I need to pay,” you say as you reach for your purse and Hoseok stops you, handing his card to Jimin, who smirks like the cat who ate the canary.

“Hobi, you didn’t have-” Hoseok shushes you with a kiss. “Don’t worry about it.”

“Then dinner’s on me,” you reply and he’s about to protest, but you kiss him before he can say a word.

“Ooh, she’s got you matched,” Jimin giggles as he hands Hobi his card and receipt.

“She does, doesn’t she?” Hoseok asks with sparkling eyes as his heart skips a beat. He wraps his arm around your waist to pull you close and you smile shyly as you lean into him.

Jungkook and Taehyung watch the two of you intently, grinning to themselves before Jimin is rising from his seat, and grabbing his backpack off the desk.

“Well, everyone else has left for the day, and a shop without piercers doesn’t need to be open. Do you want to go to dinner?” Jimin asks Tae and Jungkook, who nod.

“You better not follow us,” Hoseok raises a brow.

“Now, would we do something like that?” Jungkook asks in the best innocent tone he can conjure, his hands over his heart.

“Yes, yes you would,” Hoseok scoffs as he leads you out of the shop and walks you to your car. He tells you where to meet him, stealing a kiss from you before he’s shutting your car door once you’re settled in. He watches you go before he’s looking over his shoulder at his three boyfriends, who have hearts in their eyes along with mischief.

They were definitely going to show up to dinner.

Sigh.

thank you for reading! ♡ if you liked it, please let me know! 💌

<< previous // next >>

#bangtanarmynet #btshoneyhive #btsgoldnet #taehyung smut #jungkook smut #bts poly au #taekook x reader #taekook x reader insert #taekook x reader smut #pierced!jk #pierced!tae #bts tattoo shop au #hoseok x reader insert #maknae line x hoseok x reader #taehyung x you #jungkook x you #hoseok x you #jimin x you

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britt-kageryuu · 2 months

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A stream has started, but it's not in a virtual space. It's in a semi-empty warehouse. In frame are a set of large screens, a variety of tech setup, speakers, and some boxes/containers marked with the Genius Built logo.

The screens activate, a loading animation plays before going to a rainbow gradient background and the base models for all Four turtles walk across with one stopping every few feet in order of Raph, Donnie, Leo and Mikey.

Donnie: Hello members of the Bale, we're testing some new toys I got together for future events!

Leo: Gotta admit this looks pretty cool Dee.

Mikey: We're still going to figure out costumes for going in person right? It would be boring to just use screens.

Raphs model sits down and just smiles at his brothers. He's decided to just watch them have fun with this. He also doesn't have a mic on him for this stream.

Donnie: Of course, or else they would go to waste.

Leo and Mikey look confused, until in the warehouse Shelldon zooms past, and River follows after. They come back into frame a second later. Raph looks amazed.

Shelldon: Hey Dudes! Hope to see you IRL soon!

River: I got an upgrade!! And can't wait to join in on events!

Leo & Mikey: Awesome!

Leo: Wait, when did you last sleep?

Donnie: I got a solid 5 hours.

Mikey: At once or over the course of the last few days?

Donnie looks nervous, but composes himself.

Donnie: We'll worry about my sleep schedule later, I want to show off some of the overlays I had Mikey make for this setup!

Raph looks exasperated, and about ready to drag Donnie to bed, but he's decided this is a Leo's in charge moment.

They mess around with the screens, lights, and other stuff, including Shelldon and River being able to somewhat manipulate what's on the screen, like pushing over one of the turtle models, or objects that are spawned in.

Chat isn't so much ignored as much as the prompter was apparently not able to handle the spam of chat, messages, and notifications.

Masterpost

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esme-elora · 2 months

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WIP: Chwidridera [Another Installment of My Minthara/Karlach BG3 Fanfic]

Description: “As expected, it began with spiders.”

For Lolth, no crime goes unpunished, and Minthara committed the ultimate transgression against her.

(Karlach/Minthara. Body horror with a happy, albeit sexually-charged, ending.)

A/N: Here's the previous installment.

If you like this, consider supporting me on Patreon!

Minthara couldn't hear.

After some focus, she deduced that she could catch some sounds, but they all sounded muffled and far away, as though she was drowning. Understanding what people were saying, especially on the other side of the tent, was a difficult task. Her camp was a cacophony of unfamiliar vibrations that she only faintly recognized.

Your senses will be different now, Lolth said in her head. You will sense things more akin to how spiders do. How does it feel to share the senses of an animal? One you once revered as holy, but now recognize as something to be feared? One you now share flesh with?

Despite her muted auditory surroundings, Lolth’s voice rang loud and clear, demanding to be heard before anything else. It was as though the rest of the world was secondary, and Lolth was the most important part of it.

Minthara had already had her mind manipulated like this. Though her past two hundred years of life were spent worshiping a god she only heard through cryptic symbols and the death screams of her people, she was forced to listen to the Absolute in her mind after her exodus. Now that she was free from the Absolute, she was not about to welcome a new voice in her mind.

“Shut the fuck up,” she grumbled.

(more under the cut)

She heard something outside of her tent then, and she strained to focus on the noise to figure out what it was. She couldn't make out the words, but she recognized the vowels and cadence enough to know it was Karlach.

Your lover thinks you are talking to her, Lolth said. Your isolation begins. How will you feel when you lose what is most important to you, I wonder? I hope you suffer as you made me suffer.

Minthara opted to ignore her, as difficult as it was. “I wasn't talking to you,” she said to Karlach, hoping that clarified whatever Karlach had asked.

You weren't talking to me? Lolth asked, mock-pout heavy in her voice. You are choosing self-isolation before your companions raise their pitchforks? Impressive. And foolish. They will find and kill you regardless. I'm sure Karlach is preparing already!

“Not you!” she hissed to Lolth.

There was a repeated tapping on the frame of her tent which she interpreted as knocking. Minthara sighed. At least Karlach hadn't burst in without warning. She wasn't sure how she would explain her situation.

You won't explain anything. She will kill you.

Minthara ignored Lolth, but suspicion seeped into her exoskeleton with a cold chill. Karlach didn't seem the type to kill her own lover upon seeing something like this, but Minthara had also seen Karlach burn buildings out of rage. Perhaps Minthara would indeed face her infernal wrath.

Exactly, my sweet. Will you choose to face your death? Or will you escape before you encounter it? Or perhaps Karlach will chase you down as you flee from the flames. How exciting!

Minthara took a few deep breaths, resisting the urge to argue with a god. The knocking continued, followed by a few vowels Minthara interpreted to mean. “Are you okay?”

She was most certainly not okay, but she also figured seeing Karlach would make her easy to understand. Perhaps her lips would provide the consonants needed to understand her speech better.

Perhaps she could see her one last time before she left forever.

#wip #bg3 #baldur's gate #baldurs gate #baldur's gate 3 #baldurs gate 3 #minthara #minthara baenre #drider minthara #karlach #karlach cliffgate #lolth #drider #fanfiction #fanfic #forgotten realms #drow #my woven words

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oneatlatime · 9 months

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The Siege of the North Part 2

Last episode of the season! I'll post some season round up stuff over the next few days.

The last episode ended super abruptly, so a refresher: -Aang and Zuko are in a snowstorm and Aang is currently hypnotised by a Yin Yang fish -Katara, Sokka and Yue are in the spirit oasis moping about losing Aang to Zuko -There’s a big fuck off Fire Nation Armada parked out front -All current trends point to the Northern Water Tribe being a finely ground and toasted paste by the end of the day

Episode Time!

I don’t know, did Katara really do everything she could? She could have called for backup. Although given Zuko’s track record with taking out scores of guards when the plot requires (hello Blue Spirit episode), I guess it probably wouldn’t have made a difference.

Ignore Momo for a minute and look at this grass texture. I can't decide if I like it or not. It's certainly doing... something?

Is this the spirit world? I'm loving the colour pallette. Since Aang's dreams tend to be sepia-toned, does that mean he dreams in the spirit world?

This monkey guy has so much personality. I love how our first look at this sacred, spiritual, mystical place is an antisocial jerk. Lovely subversion of expectations.

Roku has unparallelled jumpscare abilities.

I have to say the sound design on the ice cracking under Zuko's feet is spot on. That oddly hollow yet muffled thud is exactly the noise ice sheets make when they go.

Poor Aang getting dragged like a kitten. He's got to have frozen skin by now. Should have taken Iroh's advice and covered his ears.

I don't think Aang moves once during Roku's speech about the spirits crossing over. I think he's a freeze frame of animation, something which this show usually avoids.

Judging by the musical sting it's supposed to be a serious line, but the way Roku feels the need to clarify that the Face Stealer will steal your face got a laugh out of me. Was anyone expecting him to do anything else?

"They call him Coe, the Face Stealer. Be careful, or he will validate your parking."

Where did he get fuel to burn? And why does he feel the need to monologue? And if struggling and fighting is what made you into who you are, maybe you should give being lucky a chance, because you're not exactly well-liked or very good at what you're supposed to be doing.

Inclusivity win! These non-benders get to torch the water tribe too!

Ballistic water canon portholes - that's neat.

Those long range grappling hooks are probably the fire nation's most effective weapon.

Please die please die please die please die please die please die

How rotten do you have to be inside, that when you find a giant underground hidden library, you use it to find out ways to wipe out civilisations? And celestial bodies? Zhao is honestly so pathetic. Ruthless, and somewhat effective sure, but you're gifted a giant underground secret library and all you can think to do with it is use it to kill people? Pathetic.

This spirit world stuff is so neat. The scale, the lighting, the animals, everything is slightly off in a way that feels deeply alien. I like.

Get your mind out of the gutter.

The squealing strings in the spirit world are fantastic. The composition of this shot, also fantastic. The colour pallette; fantastic. I would love to live in the spirit world if I wasn't in danger of losing my face.

The face stealer recognising the avatar is chilling. Really adds a sense of the ancient. And whoever is voicing him had the time of their life. Deliciously evil moustache twirling stuff, but still with an underlying very real threat.

I love Sokka's logic here. Co-opt enemy's strength; make it serve you. Zuko being persistent means that there will still be an avatar to save once Sokka catches up to them.

This whole encounter with the face stealer is a cut above. They really pulled the stops out for this finale.

I don't think this is the Blue Spirit, but it's close.

I KNEW those fish were thematically relevant. What a completely unexpected reversal too! Those spirits you're asking for help? Actually, they're asking you.

It pays to be nice! This is why Aang has to stay such a nice boy! See? It pays off!!!

Looks like someone was a little slow with the whole 'conquering the enemy before their main source of power turbo charges them' thing. We've got floor is lava: tank edition, ice machine guns, and Poophead turning a whole row of soldiers into popsicles. Good stuff.

I absolutely hate Poophead but I have to admit it's satisfying watching him go 1 v dozens in tornado mode and kick fire nation butt.

That panda has some powerful breath. And I love that morphing effect between big cuddly guy and horrors beyond description.

"Oh No! Where's my body?" That's pretty funny. I don't think it's supposed to be, but it is.

Forget about the panda, Aang has powerful breath. He just wallpapered Zuko to the cave wall and travelled like 100 feet in the opposite direction.

Keep inching along buddy.

"That won't be enough to escape" "Appa!" "That probably is."

Forget about Aang wallpapering Zuko, Katara just turned him into a floor mat from 40 feet up. How many concussions has Zuko had in the last week?

If that rope is so quality, why did you cut through every loop rather than untie it and save it for later?

Of course Aang has to bring Zuko back. Aang is a nice little boy. That's what nice little boys do, and they get repaid for their kindness down the line with things like rides from giant pandas.

Imagine if Zhao had grabbed the wrong fish? It's a good thing that the moon spirit has a built in indicator light. What would the ocean do if it was in trouble? Get more blue?

Yue exposition. Yue is a moon horcrux. Oh this won't end well.

How long do you think Zhao spent composing his little speech? How many crumpled up parchments did he go through before he had the words just right? Do you think he practiced in the mirror while holding up a sock in place of the moon fish?

Get his ass Momo! I love how the guard in the back is like "nah, I'll let the lemur do his thing. Dude deserves it honestly."

Could we have some more specific examples of consequences beyond "balance" and "Chaos" for killing the moon? I don't think Zhao the asshole is going to pay attention to consequences unless they directly affect himself.

Zhao is way too fond of the word traitor. That's two people he's called traitor who are actually just people he personally dislikes.

You know you done goofed when kindly tea uncle promises to beat your ass. Zhao, meet consequences that directly affect you.

The face of a man realising he has, in fact, done goofed.

That's twice now these fish have yanked Aang around. Powerful fish. Did the fish call upon the Avatar or was Aang so angry that he went glowy and the fish took advantage?

FISHMAN

oh boy these guys are dead. So dead.

Tired of failing at capturing the Avatar, Zuko instead turns to trying to kill Zhao. Brightest idea he's had all season.

"Then at least, you could have lived!" Bold talk for someone who's already lost one duel to this guy and is currently losing the second. Unless you meant to flop backwards off that bridge?

Ooof. But she was always on borrowed time, wasn't she?

He just batted them away like balls on a pool table. So casually cutting through tonnes of steel and people. Fishman is killing thousands. I bet Aang's not too happy about that.

Ouch. More Sokka trauma!

Fish spirit dropping Aang off like he's bumming a ride to school, not killing probably 10 000 + people.

How am I supposed to take this seriously when Zuko's doing silly little summersaults?

Zhao is such a baby. I sincerely hope he's dead now too.

Bit of an abrupt tonal change. And yes, it's LONG past time you helped out the south. I hope Kanna is informed in exacting detail of her grandaughter's Pakku-bahsing exploits. She'd be so proud.

This scene should have come before the scene with Katara and Poophead. Would have avoided the tone switch. Also is that a tree to the right?

"So proud. And sad." OUCH.

Not-fun fact: there are four humans in this screenshot.

I'm guessing that was the firelord? I suddenly see where Zuko gets his muppet voice.

Mark Hamill?!?!

Final Thoughts

Where is the line between self-sacrifice and suicide? Because I have to say, Yue was very determined to do her duty. I guess that's one way to get out of an arranged marriage.

So glad to not see her fiance again, because then I can pretend he drowned. I bet he and Zhao are having fun out asshole-ing each other at the bottom of the sea.

Sokka!!! Somebody needs to give him a hug and get him into the care of a trusted adult immediately because the last thing he needed was MORE duty-related trauma. I bet he views what happened as him failing in his duty to the northern chief. He pretty much says as much when Yue chooses to save the moon. Obviously, there was rationally no way out of that one, but since when are emotions and trauma rational?

Yue describes her saving the moon as her duty, but it was also her choice, and I bet that's the first free choice she's ever gotten to make. Sokka didn't prevent her; he let her choose to do her duty. He definitely had objections, which he voiced, but he let her go once she brought up duty. It's so awful that Yue's first time having her choice respected (dare I say, having her own agency respected) is when she chooses to die.

She is dead, right? Her body evaporated and she's in the moon now. On the moon? Is she the moon? Did she replace the old moon? Or did the moon let her have a few seconds as a ghost for closure before she went to the afterlife? I don't know the mechanics of this.

Poor Aang just killed thousands of people, even if he was fish-possessed at the time. Katara's about the only person who emerged from this episode ok. She got to one-shot Zuko.

Fish possession-induced mega-fishman is not a solution I could have ever predicted to the problem of a whole fleet that needs getting rid of. It totally fits, despite it being a strange idea to contemplate in isolation. Aang pulls (rather, the fish pulls) a move straight out of Pacific Rim and it works.

The spirit world was really capably done. Creepy yet alluring, seemingly detached and untouchable yet both in tune with the real world and vulnerable to the things that go on there. And how clever was it to have Aang go to the spirits for help, only to find out that the spirits need his help? I love that reversal. It really ups the stakes. In any other fantasy story an appeal to the council of higher beings of whatever would either result in help or a refusal. Imagine calling up your godly bosses with a problem only to have them beg you for help? It's kind of chilling. Both in how close things came to disaster, and in the fact that humans in the real world actually have the power to pose that much of a threat to the spirits. Again you see why it's important to have a bridge between the real and spirit worlds: because traffic either way poses a threat to both sides.

What is up with Zuko? He failed the whole season at capturing the avatar (a task at which he was outclassed by episode 3), and now he doesn't have the resources to even try. So he's no longer a villain (not the he was ever good at it), he's no longer even a threat. He's a concussed vulture's meal on a raft. Is he even going to be in the next season of the show? What role could he possibly fulfill? He'll be just... there.

I had tone problems with this episode. A couple of places where I'm pretty sure I wasn't supposed to laugh, I did. And there were a couple of pretty corny set up lines. Yue discussing how there was no hope gave me Helm's Deep flashbacks. I think maybe this episode should have been a little longer in order to make the tone switches more gradual. And I get that, as a kids' cartoon show, they have to end the season on a happy note, but was there anyone in the main or background cast that didn't have a reason to end this episode seriously bummed out? Momo maybe. Appa's empathetic enough to be sad that Aang is sad. Yes, the North is saved, but the princess is dead, there are presumably thousands of enemy corpses bobbing around beyond the wall, and who knows how many water tribe people got crushed by fireballs.

The last three episodes have really been one big story. Katara's part was really over by the opening scene of the siege of the north part 1, which is about where Aang's part began. The real through line that ties these three episodes together is Sokka and Yue. These last three episodes have been low key Sokka episodes (and Yue episodes by extension). I think it's a sign of good writing and engaging characters, that the season finale of a show named after its main character can put a huge amount of focus on someone who isn't the main character and still have it feel natural.

Turn Sokka into a girl and beat him down with the expectations women face in a patriarchal society, and you get Yue. They are each others' mirrors, which is partially why they connect (the other reasons being Sokka is a breath of fun fresh air and Yue is gorgeous and desperately lonely). While I would give an arm and a leg for a version of the show where Yue joins the Gaang and travels around the world with them, being exposed to opportunities for growth and adventure and becoming her own person rather than an extension of her tribe's will, I think it also makes sense that Sokka and Yue ultimately can't be together. I'm having trouble putting this into words, so bear with me, but I think because Yue and Sokka are mirrors, and largely mirrors of the more burdensome aspects of their lives (ie duty), then wouldn't them getting together limit them? Halt their growth as characters? Would they not drag each other down? Under the right circumstances (like peace) they could help each other grow, but in war time it's probably not a good idea to have two self-sacrificing members on your team.

I know Aang had some crazy stuff happen to him this episode (and last episode too), but so much of what happened to him literally happened TO him. He had no say in the matter. He got yanked around by spirits, fish, and Zuko. Which is why the Sokka x Yue storyline was more interesting to me. Poor Aang may have a hell of a time processing all that yanking around, but that's not in this episode. Sokka and Yue actively making choices are in this episode, and their storyline has had three episodes to develop, so the payoff feels more earned.

The soundtrack was great this episode, especially in the spirit world. Deliciously creepy stuff.

Visuals were gorgeous. I especially liked the beige palete of the spirit world and grey-blue palette during the mega fishman scenes. The creeping blue veins were a good way to express the scale of mega fishman's power without just colouring the whole frame bright blue.

Zhao honestly got exactly what he deserved. It must have been a fitting end for his character because it left me highly satisfied.

Yue deserved better, but if the chief is to be believed, predestination is both a thing and unavoidable in this world, so she got the only end she could ever have. I love characters with quiet strength, but I love them more when they don't have to die.

Overall a good episode! It had to wrap up so many storylines that it ended up going all over the place, with some necessarily expository dialogue that felt clunky. Poor Aang featured surprisingly little in his own show's finale, if you discount when he's fish-possessed. Sokka got his heart ripped out and stomped on, as did the chief. Pakku has hopefully set himself up for a hearty slap from Kanna. Zuko and Iroh survived, but that's about all that can be said of them at the moment. I feel like maybe Katara will be carrying the Gaang for the next few weeks.

#atla #avatar: the last airbender #the siege of the north part 2 #avatar the last airbender

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kyouka-supremacy · 8 months

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(person whose tags you reblogged on that ask about the anime here lol) I think what a lot of Bones defenders don't seem to realize is that this isn't just a case of us whining because we don't get what we want, like us complaining about like "they didn't draw this panel Exactly How It is In The Manga, how dare they!!!", we're not being nitpicking for the sake of nitpicking; these kinds of supposedly minor complaints probably wouldn't bother me in another show, because no adaptation is perfect and there will always be differences in how the panels are adapted, but in specifically BSD it bothers me because of the bigger picture, which is the fact that all of these tiny blunders are a direct result of them not understanding what kind of series BSD is and the tone and feelings each scene in the manga is meant to convey -- they see it as a shounen and adapt it as such, like you said. It's not about these moments in of themselves that are the problem, but because there's SO MANY of them, and they all add up, and they speak to the aforementioned much larger problem. I also just think that's kind of ignorant to just act like a season(s) with a downgrade in art quality, so many reused frames and animations, and disturbingly long static frames sometimes is in any way acceptable as a finished product??? This isn't about me and what I want, this is about the fact that they CLEARLY suffered to get this out and that is NOT OKAY. THERE ARE SO MANY GLARING PRODUCTION ISSUES (have been since season 3) AND THAT IS NOT OKAY. Not for the people who were forced to work on it, not for BSD as a story, and not for Asagiri and Harukawa! And not for the fans either, of course, but I emphasize the first three the most. It's just pure laziness and greed on the part of the Bones higher-ups who wanted it to be like this, and that will never be acceptable, for anyone. The quality of the anime has been significantly better the last few episodes (literally the instant Akutagawa kicked the bucket...) — by which I mean, they're doing the bare minimum for an adaptation, which is better than they usually do! — but I sure couldn't tell you why...! It's left me ecstatic, happy, and excited to watch lately, which is such a relief from constant sadness, outrage, and feeling insulted, but that still doesn't change the fact that it should have been this good THIS WHOLE TIME, and that there's absolutely NO REASON other episodes had to be sacrificed for the better ones: they should have been given enough time to do all of it justice (again, as much justice as Bones can ever do with BSD lol, but still. Season 2 is still so dear to me for a reason, and it's not just because of the nostalgia I have from watching it in 2016). Sorry for rambling more about this in your inbox asldjgflds, but tl;dr I just feel like our complaining comes across as bitching about scenes not being a perfect 1-to-1 panel recreation to a lot of people, when it's so much more than that — it's about BSD as a whole not getting the treatment it really, truly deserves, and how heartbreaking that is to see. It is heartbreaking to me to see how much Asagiri apparently loves the anime, from what he said at Anime Expo, when his story deserves so, so much better than he seemingly is even aware of. And I will always give Bones due credit when they've earned it, like I have the last few weeks, so I'm not even always constantly ragging on them, but even that praise comes with the caveat of "there's no explanation for why the quality is suddenly better now, or why it's so inconsistent in general, and I shouldn't even have to praise it so much, because this level of quality should be a given."

Yeah I agree that Bones has repeatedly demostred a very faulty understanding of the manga tone and even of the themes it carries on– even though there's also a chance that the shift in tone was intentional. They saw that undemanding shonen sold better than seinen (which may now seem easy to disprove, but the same probably wasn't as evident back in 2015 when the bsd anime was announced), so they made the marketing choice to declinate bsd so that it could cater to a shonen audience too, and stuck with that decision. That would make sense although in the end, as you said, it resulted in a series that feels deeply disconnected in tone and themes to its original, all while the narrated events stay the same.

I do wholeheartedly agree that if you need so many reused frames and to resort to static frames that drag on for several dozens of seconds, then your season simply isn't ready for release. C'mon, seriously, an original op and ending are the bare MINIMUM. The only reason why they didn't postpone the season release is greed. Not to mention (very much needed to mention), it's harmful for the animators twice: on one hand, because it necessarily puts them under a lot of stress and overworking conditions in order to churn out an entire season in such a short timespan; but I also feel like we shouldn't overlook the other aspect that is just... How extremely saddening and disheartening it is to not be able to dedicate the time you'd want to your art product, and seeing it published in a way that looks rushed and unfinished. I think it's important to acknowledge the frustration animators are likely to experience when that happens, especially because most times it's people who love their job of artist and of course work hard so that the result is the best it can be. But yeah the thing is: it's important - no matter how unpleasant - to say, it's not okay, because otherwise a low quality product is only going to become the norm.

I agree there was a noticeable quality improvement in the last three episodes (4-6), and I may be wrong, but I think it's reasonable to believe it's because the first three episodes had to be prepared in advance in order to be ready for the pre-screening that took place on the 8th of July in Japan. That may explain why the later episodes have been so much better compared to the first three: they simply had more time to work on them, and it's possible they're keeping working on the episodes even as they're airing. But I do agree... It's very saddening to see. Like of course, I agree, I *AM* happy the last episodes have been good (the last one was especially enjoyable!), but there really is that big ache given by thinking about what the Fukuchi vs. sskk fight could have been if only it was given the time and care it deserved. Sigh. It was just a very unfortunate coincidence for everyone, because, bias aside, it was really a pivotal moment in the whole manga... I mean. C'mon. Atsushi is the protagonist, but is yet again not treated as one because of, once again, marketing choices. It's a bit saddening. With season 4, I was dreading for when the season would have ended; with season 5 I regretfully must admit that I found myself again and again just hoping it would end already. Because even now that the animation has improved significantly, I can't stop thinking of what episode three should have been - what it had the right to be, as no less important than any other episode -, and I feel like my enjoyment of the season is just ruined.

One last note, and I know it's not what you meant when referring to panel-by-panel adaptations, and feel free to consider this my own pet peeve, but. Studios should be able to notice when they're working with the most iconic panel of the entire manga and should treat it accordingly. I'm cool and chill but what they did to the chapter 88 Akutagawa panel is unforgivable and I will resent them forever because of it.

#Anyways I wholeheartedly agree with everything you said Op!! You're my new best friend!!!#bsd #bungou stray dogs #bsd s5 #people asks me stuff #mine #episode 4 akutagawa tw #bones akutagawa tw

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average-giant-kissing-enjoyer · 10 months

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G/t July #5: Caught

Went in a bit of a different direction with this one. Also it might be a bit too silly.

Devon couldn’t move.

He wasn’t even sure how it had happened. One moment he was walking in the forest behind his neighborhood and the next he had fallen prone, his limbs stretched out. He tried to move them but it felt like they were bound by really tiny wires.

Was this some kind of animal trap? Living near the mountains meant sometimes coyotes or cougars would wander down to the outskirts of the suburb. They never came anywhere near the houses but a few cats and small dogs had gone missing recently. Some of the more, uh, “outdoorsy” neighbors liked to set animal traps. No one had caught a cougar or anything yet. Devon wasn’t sure how he was getting out of this one, with his arms and legs constricted as they were, but he was sure he was going to find out who’d set this trap and give him a piece of his mind.

That is, until he saw the small figures walking his way, coming out of the underbrush. He blinked hard. There was no way he was seeing what he was seeing.

These were creatures which walked on hind legs like humans. In fact, they were incredibly humanoid in their appearance, except they were only a few inches tall. They wore human-like clothing, but their exposed legs and arms revealed they were covered in fine fur. Actually, now he thought of it, Devon didn’t see these as tiny people so much as very, very anthropomorphic mice. They even had little mouse ears and whiskers.

One of the little mice people stepped forward out of the crowd that had now gathered. It must have been the leader, Devon assumed, because it was wearing a silly hat. “Aha, a trespasser!” it cried in a voice louder than its frame would suggest. “A mighty giant has dared to invade the sovereign lands of the Bumbleruffins!”

Devon closed his eyes tight. This was definitely a weird dream. If he shut his eyes long enough maybe he’d wake up.

“I am Rimsleydale, great king of the Bumbleruffins. Does the trespasser have any last words?” the leader said.

“Woah, woah, woah - last words?” Devon blurted. “What do you mean, last words?”

Rimsleydale walked right up to the tip of his nose. “The punishment for trespassing on our turf is death.”

“Death!” cried all the other mice as one.

That’s when Devon noticed many of them were brandishing weapons. Tiny weapons, of course, things like sewing needles or bobby pins. He wasn’t sure if they knew how to kill him with those, but they could probably find a way to make it really hurt. “Hold on a second!” he said. “How was I supposed to know? I was just walking around. You don’t even have a sign or anything. That’s not fair.”

One of the other mice walked right up to Rimsleydale and bonked him on the head. “I told you we needed to put up signs.”

“We don’t even have a flag,” said another.

“Don’t you have some sort of ignorance clause in your laws?” Devon asked. “I’ll do community service. I’ll bring you cheese or something. Just don’t stab me.”

Rimsleydale raised both hands in the air in grand gesture, even though the tips of his fingers didn’t even reach up to Devon’s eyes. “I am the king of the Bumbleruffins and my word is law! Death to the giant! Death by mauling! Bring out the creature!”

“Creature! Creature! Creature!” the crowd chanted.

Out from the bushes Devon spied something orange and black prowling his way. He squinted to get a good look. If he didn’t know better, he’d say that was the neighbor’s cat Winston. Winston had gone missing about a week back. Everyone thought the coyotes got him.

“Go, creature!” cried Rimsleydale, pointing at Devon. “Attack! Kill!”

The crowd went nuts as Winston approached, their tiny voices hissing like TV static. “Creature! Creature! Creature!”

Winston was right in Devon’s face now, sniffing at him curiously. And then the cat rubbed his little head on Devon’s nose.

“No, bad creature!” said Rimsleydale. “Kill! Kill the evil giant. Don’t kiss him!” But Winston was gently licking Devon’s cheek.

Another mouse stepped forward with a fish hook and a match. “Time for plan B, boss? Red hot poker in the eye?”

“Red hot poker in the eye! Red hot poker in the eye!” the crowd shouted.

Rimsleydale held out his arms to his people. “No, fate has spoken. The creature has forgiven the trespasser, and so shall we.”

“Thank you,” Devon said, sighing. “Will you let me go now? I promise I won’t tell anyone about you or anything. This will be our little secret.”

“Let you go?” Rimsleydale repeated, laughing. “Foolishness! The giant will be spared, but he shall be made a prisoner of the mighty Bumbleruffins until he has paid for his crimes in sweat and toil!”

At this point Devon was convinced this was an elaborate prank. “Wait, you are going to force me to work?”

“Our elevator broke,” said another one of the Bumblyruffins. “We used it to get up into the trees and collect fruit, but the string holding the basket snapped last week, and we’re completely out of string to fix it.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” said Devon. “How much string did you use to tie me up?”

The Bumblyruffins fell silent and started whispering amongst themselves. “Oh,” they were saying, “ohhhhhhhh.”

“The giant makes a good point,” said Rimsleydale. “How fortunate we are that someone of great size, strength, and wisdom should fall into our hands. You - giant - you will serve in my employ as an advisor and ambassador to the land of the giants. We will pay you handsomely for your efforts. What would you like? Berries? String? Women? Uh… men? What is it giants love again anyway?”

“He is handsome,” said another mouse, “and would make a very capable husband.”

“Please don’t make this weird,” said Devon.

“Husband! Husband! Husband!” the crowd resumed shouting.

Rimsleydale clapped his little hands. “Enough! Bring the giant to the great chamber. We shall have a feast! Bring us… wait a moment, giant person, what exactly do you eat?”

Devon sighed. He might as well make the best of this situation now. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll uber eats something.”

#g/t #g/t writing #g/t july #giant/tiny #size difference #agke microfic #sfw gt #i stay silly

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tokiro07 · 5 months

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Undead Unluck ep.7 thoughts

[Don't Let Your Dreams Be Dreams!]

(Contents: minor griping, adaptation notes)

Okay, we didn't get quite where I expected with this week's episode, as we seem to have gone back to two chapters per episode, this one being 13 and 14. I'm not sure if it's because we used up a little bit of chapter 13 last week, but there were a lot of recycled clips in this episode, something I always find annoying no matter what anime does it. I find it especially annoying when it's using scenes we just saw a few minutes ago!

BUT! Ignoring the reused clips, this episode accomplished the sort of thing I've been hoping to see in this adaptation; expansion on the source material. It wasn't by a lot, but the teacher's scene running at Spoil surrounded by the sunflowers that represent the dreams of the children, lining her path as if they were forming the aisle she always dreamed of walking down in a wedding dress, was such a beautiful interpretation of what was originally two otherwise unnoteworthy panels

The teacher hugging Fuuko also nearly made me cry, as being able to convey Fuuko's initial confusion and her transition into acceptance carries so much more weight when you can see how long it takes her to do so, how much she has to wrestle with the realization and understanding of the implications and consequences. I've always liked that scene in the manga, but I never got this emotional over it

Spoil's transition to Phase 2 was also rad. Seeing his cocoon unfurl into his wings, coupled with that ominous music, was super intimidating, and watching Spoil extend his disgusting, oily neck to Fuuko and Shen was so much freakier than his face suddenly being next to Fuuko with no explanation. Aside from the fact that they don't animate his mouth moving, Spoil looks great, and my favorite part is hands down his hair dripping with sludge that corrodes the earth it lands upon, kicking up presumably noxious sand. And the sandstorm clearing as Fuuko declares her dream, hoo, what a great touch!

Really the only things holding this episode back for me are the recycled bits and non-animated moments (like Fuuko bumping her way through the zombies through freeze-frames), but you know what? They're gonna be sooo worth it with either next week's episode or the one after, cus we're about to hit the midseason climax, and you know they want these two to look good. If they're anything like the Gina fight, I'm stoked!

#undead unluck #fouryearsandananime #4y1a reviews #uu anime

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trainsinanime · 2 years

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Cars and Trains in Spy x Family Ep. 1

Spy x Family is an excellent anime that is officially set in a completely fictional country in a completely fictional world, far outside of any of our actual histories and timelines. Except not really; it’s actually set in east Berlin of the late 1960s. They don’t call it that (instead calling it “Berlint”, of all things), but the amount of detail they put into portraying the setting and the time period is truly remarkable, considering that they didn’t have to at all. Let’s look.

The first car we see in the first few seconds already tells us that this show is going to be a delight if you’re into that sort of thing (it’s also a delight if you don’t care much). An important diplomat gets murdered in his car. And the car is this:

Americans might think that it’s a 1956 Packard Patrician, but it’s not, as the slightly different grill shows. It’s a ZIL 111, the soviet copy of that car. Here’s a real one:

Picture from Wikimedia Commons, by Max schwalbe, published under CC-BY-SA 3.0 license

This was a classic car for important people all over the east bloc, like state ministers and so on. It’s a beautiful rendition and it fits perfectly in this role.

Ignoring some background cars that we’ll get to soon enough, the next car is the coupé Agent Twilight drives away from the fake information trade set up:

That is a Wartburg 311/3, two-dour coupé version of the original Wartburg 311.

Picture from Wikimedia Commons, taken by Torsten Maue, published under CC-BY 2.0 license

I’ve been told that Wartburg sounds weird in english, but in case you’re wondering, it’s the name of the castle near Eisenach (where this car was built), most famous for being the place where Martin Luther was imprisoned for a while and translated parts of the bible. The Wartburg 311/3 was not a mass product, and the whole Wartburg 311 line was soon supplanted by a more famous boxy version, but this is still a classic example of east german car construction.

Then Twilight has to leave for Berlint on a train, and the engine is, of all things, this:

It’s even more clear in the manga:

This locomotive is an east german class 99.77-79 steam locomotive, built from 1952 to 1956. Here are two of them together in Cranzahl:

Picture by me, feel free to use under CC-BY-SA 3.0

These locomotives fit into the time frame and into east Germany as a setting, but they wouldn’t be hauling a train to Berlin. They were built for the 750 mm narrow gauge branch lines of Saxony, and can only run on these narrow tracks. They’re actually still in use today, now as tourist railroads, operated by a company called SDG. Check them out if you’re in the area, these lines are fun.

The passenger coach that Twilight is sitting in does not correspond to anything I know, so the next recognisable thing is the tram that Twilight and Anya use.

This is a tram type “Gothawagen” T4-62. These were used in Berlin and not really much outside of it, and were built from 1961 to 1964 (with some prototypes a few years earlier). Newer types replaced them relatively quickly, but the last ones actually ran until 1996. Here’s a picture of one of them on the same exact line 86:

Picture from Wikimedia Commons, taken by Felix O, published under CC-BY 2.0

If you want, you can point out details that are different, e.g. windows, pantograph or the missing V shape, but the overall impression is very clear. Whoever designed this knew what they were doing.

As the episode concludes, we see a beautiful picture of east german road traffic, featuring two of these trams and in front a Wartburg 353, which I’ll talk about when discussing later episodes:

Beautiful. Yes, the show is made for people who like found family and silliness, and it’s lovely in that regard. But it’s also made for history nerds who get excited about old trams and cars, and in that regards it’s absolutely perfect as well.

Here’s the post for episode 2

#spy x family #trains in anime #cars in anime

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jimblejamblewritings · 2 years

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the imprint or the blood singer | part 18.

Summary: Y/N Black. All about La Push. Shy girl unless you get to know her. Not one to make friends easily despite the fact that she very well could. Friends with her brother’s friends until one Bella Swan comes back to town.

Warnings for the Series: light violence, light smut

Pairing: Edward Cullen x reader, Embry Call x reader

Word Count: 2.4k

Previous Part | (Series Masterlist)

You were relaxing in a bubble bath, watching Netflix on your iPad when the FaceTime feature popped up. It was from Embry. You made sure the foam covered everything before answering.

“Hey, Em.”

“Hey, (Y/N/N). Is now a bad time?”

“No, I’m just relaxing.”

Embry walked into Emily’s house where the rest of the pack also greeted you. He handed the phone to your brother and Bella while he went to the bathroom. You talked to Bella and Jake, who were finally out of the honeymoon phase, until Embry came back.

“How was the date with the trampoline guy?”

“Sean? It was alright. Don’t know if it’s gonna go anywhere but we’ve got a second date.”

“Well, one more date is better than no date?”

Embry nodded. “I think he’s a little uncomfortable that I’ve dated girls before.”

You rolled your eyes in annoyance for your friend. Embry seemed chill about it though so you let it go. It was fun talking to the pack. Edward peeked his head into the bathroom.

“I’m gonna try to hunt.”

“Wait,” you called to him, reaching out an arm, before he could leave. “I want cranberry juice.”

Edward pretended to be annoyed but brought you a cup of cranberry juice anyway.

“Thank you. Love you,” you said in a very high-pitched cutesy voice.

“Mmm hmm.” Edward leaned over to peck your lips.

“Are we sure (Y/N)’s the one who imprinted, you seem kind of whipped Edward,” Jacob joked while the rest of the pack laughed.

They weren’t around to see you and Edward’s interactions and weren’t used to seeing this non-stoic side to the Cullen boy. Edward ignored Jacob’s comment and left you to go hunt. You continued talking to the pack until your fingertips went all pruny. Hanging up, you got out of the bath and started to dry off. You had packed your suitcase but was told last minute from Alice that she added a few extra things in the front pocket.

You finally unzipped it to see lingerie. Very fancy lingerie. With the bed broken in the master bedroom, you and Edward switched to one of the guest rooms. When Edward came back, he was greeted by you in a thin (Y/F/C) chemise slip. You were laying on the end of the bed drawing doodles acting like you didn’t see him. Edward laid down on top of you, pressing into your backside.

“Those are pretty flowers,” he commented.

“Yep.”

“I don’t think I’ve seen these… pajamas before.” He picked at the smooth silk.

“It’s new. Speaking of pajamas, I’m sleepy.”

“Sleepy?” Edward asked before kissing the back of your neck. “Too sleepy for me, little wolf?”

You closed the drawing pad and Edward lifted up so you could turn around and face him. The intensity didn’t fade from the first time. Two supernatural beings, it was always going to be intense. Edward tried his hardest to avoid grabbing at the actual bed frame, not wanting to have to buy Carlisle and Esme a second new bed. Only a few pillows were damaged this time around.

You looked down slightly embarrassed when the cleaners came around. The man looked at the broken bed in horror while the woman just stared Edward down. He came up behind you from where you were sitting in the kitchen, resting his chin on your shoulder. You looked up at him, his gold eyes were very dark.

“When was the last time you ate?”

“The animals here are a lot harder to catch, they’re used to predators around. I got a few small things.”

“Not enough,” you pouted. “You need more, you should spend tomorrow out there.”

Edward looked down and pressed his forehead against yours. “I’ll go out tomorrow, promise. What’ll you do while I’m gone?”

“Hmm, the island’s pretty, maybe do some painting. I’ve always wanted to try watercolor.”

You were about to say something else when you heard the two cleaners arguing. You wished you understood what they were saying but Portuguese wasn’t a language you knew. Edward though, knew multiple. But it wasn’t the words coming out of the cleaners mouths that were interesting, it was the thoughts especially from the female cleaner.

“She doesn’t like me very much,” Edward whispered in your ear. “She thinks I’m going to kill you.”

You two watched as the cleaners left without saying a word, they wouldn’t even look at Edward on the way out.

“So they know?”

“The local people have their superstitions, some believe more than others.”

“I’m guessing that woman is one of them.”

Edward nodded. You walked away to put on some real clothes while Edward started up the boat. The docks were crowded when you got there, it was June after all. Edward looked kind of strange covered up when you were walking around pretty exposed but other tourists didn’t pay him any real attention.

You two had been busy exploring the nearby island, enjoying seeing other people. While you loved the alone time with Ed, being from La Push you were used to people constantly being around. You sat at the restaurant eating barbecue when a random man came into the restaurant handing out flyers. You gladly took one from him, it was for an outdoor party at some restaurant/bar.

“Let’s go!”

“You like dancing?”

“You don’t?”

Edward shrugged. “It’s fine I guess, but if you want to let’s go.”

The party wasn’t until sundown, giving you enough time to roam the stores for a better outfit. It was a dance hall, you had to show up and show out. You had traveled to four different stores, not quite finding the dress you wanted. Edward already had his outfit; you were looking for an outfit with pizzazz.

The flyer said the music was dancehall and samba. You wanted tight but danceable— something to compliment the music. The fifth store was sent straight from Heaven. Everything you wanted was there, including a nice set of plain black open toed heels. Edward sat patiently in the waiting area of the fitting rooms. You stepped out in a full outfit sans makeup.

“This is it.”

You paid for the outfit and went back into the fitting room to put it on again, the store clerk was gracious enough to let you change into the romper there.

“Now we just need makeup and I’m set.”

Edward laughed. “You’re really going all out for this.”

“It’s a party, how can I not?”

The mall had a makeup counter as well. Since there weren’t any huge festivals, the makeup artist had an open schedule. He gladly gave you a soft glam except for the (Y/P/C) lipstick you requested. You hopped down from the chair.

“Sun’s going down, I think I’m ready for a party,” you said excitedly.

“Not quite ready.”

You looked at Edward slightly confused, he pulled a small box from his bag. He opened it revealing an anklet. It was gold like your pack anklet only instead of the pack tattoo, it was the Cullen crest flanked by two sapphires.

“Think of it like a promise ring, I would’ve gotten a real ring but…”

Edward wouldn’t finish the statement in front of the makeup artist, he didn’t have to finish it. A promise ring would get lost if you shifted, the anklet wouldn’t. Edward bent down and tied the anklet on you. Like the pack one, the anklet was slightly loose on your human form.

“Promise anklet,” you said.

“I promise to love you forever,” he said as he stood up.

“You need something of mine.” You looked at the two anklets. “I’ll get you a copy of the pack bracelet.”

“Are they going to be happy about that?”

“They’ll have to be, now let’s go. I don’t want to miss the good music.”

The restaurant was already jumping when you arrived. Not one to immediately jump into the scene, you got drinks and sat down at one of the small tables with Edward and enjoyed the crisp night air.

“Alright, I want all my bad girls on the floor. Show your man how you dutty wine!” The DJ announced, putting on CeCile’s “Hot Like We”.

You stood up very excited and joined the rest of the ladies on the dance floor. While you didn’t know your real parents, dancehall CDs were in a small box of your mom’s belongings. Billy and Jacob used to get so annoyed at you blasting the CDs every Saturday morning when you were younger. You had played it so much, they had the lyrics memorized.

Halfway through the song switched as the DJ told all the people on the floor to bring their partners in. Edward shook his head fiercely as you tried to pull him to the floor but he eventually caved and very hesitantly followed. You tried not to laugh as he stood there stiffly.

“You dance like a prim white boy from the 1900s.”

Edward gave you a look. You grabbed his hands and placed them on your hips.

“Just sway with it, circle your hips.” You turned around in his arms so your back was against his chest.

“I can’t sway with it,” he said awkwardly.

“That’s not what the bedroom said last night. It’s just like that.”

He wasn’t half bad. Still stiff but Edward had loosened up a bit. You turned back around to face him as a new song came on. You smiled widely as Edward seemed to enjoy himself more.

When you got back to the house you were still hype from the party. It was like you were ten again. It was a good thing Isle Esme was a private island because dancehall music was being blasted through the house’s Bluetooth system. Your hips moved in time to the rhythm as you took off your makeup and threw on a big band tee for pajamas. Edward rolled his eyes as you tried to pull him away from cooking you a late night dinner and force him to dance again.

He was happy you enjoyed yourself but had firmly decided no more dancing. Your feet quickly fluttered around him. You soon gave up when Edward didn’t budge. You realized that your strength was no match against the vampire and he definitely let you pull him to the dance floor. Still dancing, you grabbed a water from the fridge and sat on the island counter watching the back of Edward as he finished the pasta bake and put it in the oven.

Edward turned to you. You reached out like a child beckoning for a hug; he obliged and stood in between your legs. You wrapped your arms around his torso.

“I had fun tonight.”

“It was fun,” Edward said stiffly.

“Thank you for trying.”

He chuckled as you started singing the lyrics to the music still blasting. Edward cut off your singing as he kissed you. You pulled away burying your head in his chest before looking up at him and kissing him again. Edward didn’t realize how much he needed to hunt until your lips were on his. The primal instinct was on tenfold. It was in the back of his mind, the need to taste his blood singer. The need to kill.

He kept kissing you hoping that like last time in the shower, it would calm him down. But nothing was working, the rational side of him was slowly disappearing as his eyes started losing any little bit of color they had turning completely black. Edward’s hands gripped you tightly, it was almost painful but not enough to alarm you— he was a vampire after all, you figured it was just his strength. His right hand pinned your thigh to the counter to stop you from going anywhere while his left hand worked its way into your hair. Edward smirked as your breathing quickened when his hand gripped your hair. It was a game, your scent was all he could focus on. You attempted to pull away from him but couldn’t before he caught your bottom lip between his teeth, making it bleed.

It sent him over the edge. Edward barely had any control and now it was all gone. He roughly pulled your hair, exposing your throat to him. If you had known what was going to happen you would’ve phased but you tasted the blood in your mouth too late and your speed was no match to Edward’s. His mouth was on your neck and he bit hard. He only came to his senses hearing you scream his name. Edward backed up abruptly, looking at you scared. You couldn’t say anything as you looked at the blood around his mouth, your blood.

“Edward are you al—”

Pain. Pain kicked in as your hand flew to your neck. Edward ran to get his phone returning in less than a second to the kitchen where he moved you from the counter to the floor. It wasn’t painful like when your ribs were broken. This pain was like fire but you couldn’t scream. Edward rocked you in his arms as he frantically mumbled for someone to pick up the phone, your body temperature was plummeting.

“Alice? Where’s Carlisle… Carlisle? I bit her. Shit, I bit her Carlisle, I don’t know what to do. She’s not human, Aro said the venom could kill her… (Y/N), no no don’t sleep baby please stay up.” Edward propped you up more.

“When did you bite her?” Carlisle asked.

“A minute ago, maybe two.”

“Her neck?”

“Yes.”

“Take her wrist in your mouth, you should be able to suck the venom out. I can’t think of anything else.”

Edward did as his adoptive father said. It took three bites to the wrist before you threw up on the kitchen floor. Edward finally calmed down as your body heat rose back up to wolf temp, the bite marks already closing up but scars had formed.

Edward used his vampire speed to clean up the kitchen and you. You were still sitting on the kitchen floor. He held your face in his hands for a moment, muttering apologies.

“I’m so sorry, I’m so so sorry. I need… I need to go.”

You grabbed at his wrist when he stood up. “No, Edward wait—”

“I don’t want to hurt you again.”

You watched as he ran out of the house. You didn’t bother chasing after him, Isle Esme was huge and like your races had proven you weren’t faster than him. That and you were dizzy. The playlist had stopped and the only sound was the ringing timer signaling the food was done. You crawled over to the oven, carefully taking out the pasta bake and sitting on the kitchen floor to eat it.

(Part 19)...

#edward cullen x reader #edward cullen x black!reader #embry call x reader #embry call x black!reader #twilight fic

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hastings727 · 18 days

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Shangri-La is one of my Favorite Anime Shows in the Last Few Years.

I'm a gaming nerd at heart and this show oozes such a specific vibe.

Our Main Character: Rakuro Hizatome is a fan of playing and beating trash VR games, but is tempted one day by the newest and most popular MMO: Shangri-La Frontier. Armed with his knowledge and skill of bad games, can he succeed in a god tier video game title? And the answer is: yes. yes he can.

I mentioned the specific vibe at the top of this and here's the thing. There's been plenty of VR game anime over the years, but what really sets this one apart is the writing. Rakuro or rather "Sunraku" (His username in-game) is clearly written to be a mix of classic shonen youthful determination, tempered by the knowledge and skill of a veteran gamer. At no point does his personality veer towards the more annoying shonen stereotypes, or veer towards what I would call the "Kiriko from SAO" edgy knowitall. Sunraku is by no means a one note character. He doesn't look or act like a cartoon nerd stereotype at all, far from it. The author (this was a webcomic and then adapted to manga) and subsequent anime scriptwriter clearly either did their research or are very into the gaming scene. Sunraku talks about glitches, bugs, exploiting game mechanics, social gaming aspects, and all manner of other stuff over the 25 episode run. There is also very few specific gaming references in the show either. You're not seeing Mario or Zelda popping in, but you will see pixel art, inventory screens, and other classic gaming tropes. Sunraku is very playfully written. Initially, he's alone in his adventure, and you get a lot of his thoughts about a given situation. And while you get all of that standard anime teenage boy determination, you also get some of the best sarcastic comedic lines you'll ever hear in anime. He's also occasionally punny, and later on when he meets friends from previous games, downright catty during situations. The animation also keeps up with these situations, as you'll see Sunraku and his standard bird mask (Yeah that's not his head don't worry) be twisted and curved about to suit the comedy of the moment.

Speaking about the animation, it's good! At very few points do I ever catch myself looking at a specific shot and thinking that the animation feels stiff or slow. The staff at Studio C2C clearly knew where to allocate the appropriate amount of frames to a given situation. I don't feel like this show ever made my jaw drop with the animation either, but there's nothing to complain about. The cinematography is what really sells this show for me. It's not overly stylistic, but the studio certainly knew how to play up moments with these characters with good posing and fun use of lighting. The direction truly is the highlight of this show.

The initial few episodes where Sunraku is by himself are fun and it does really hammer down that he understands quite alot about gaming stuff and knows how to apply it. That's really the foundation of this shows writing, but my favorite parts are when he meets other players. This is an MMO after all, eventually you'll have to interact with another player, and even the first encounter with two throwaway characters is entertaining and fun. But when he reunites with two friends, Oikatsu and Arthur Pencilgon (yes those are their usernames) is when the writing really pops. You now have three smart mouth gaming nerds all constantly poking fun at eachother, each from different gaming backgrounds. It really helps break up the more serious action sections. What really struck me though is that other shows would have kept the group together, but after the group's goal is completed, the writer lets them each do their own thing. It feels very realistic in that sense, as MMOs these days don't generally require you to do EVERYTHING with a group. It really shows that the author did their research.

Shangri-la Frontier also doesn't ignore the "IRL" sections of a gamers life either. We meet Rakuros family, who each have their own quirky hobbies, such as moms obsession with having bugs as pets, and his dads love of fishing. It's all shown somewhat briefly, but its enough to understand that the family is each quirky in their own way and while a tiny bit dysfunctional, they all care about eachother. Recurring Characters Oikatsu and Pencilgon also have glimpses of their lives too. That being said, while the anime does a good job with these sections, I wouldn't be surprised if the webcomic had more to the IRL parts, but the anime had to cut it for time constraints.

I initially watched this show in Japanese, but tried the English dub and was absolutely charmed. Comedy always hits stronger in a language you understand, but I can tell that the English scriptwriters really put a lot of thought into this show. I didn't watch both versions, nor do I speak Japanese, so I can't tell you definitively if the English dub moves away from the original Japanese writing. What I can tell you is the performances were fantastic. My favorite has to be Eric Vale as Sunraku, who really put his all into this character. He hits the serious moments as perfectly as the catty, sarcastic sections, and is probably the reason I vibe so hard with Sunraku as a character.

Shangri-La Frontier should be out completely by now in sub and dub forms, please watch it!

#shangri la frontier #anime #gaming #video games #MMOs #MMORPG

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phoebified · 3 months

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HUGELY LONG POST INCOMING wait mobile has readmores now wtf anyway this is abt new story quest spoilers ahead

thoughts thoughts thoughts... i liked the new quest! i definitely do still get the "this could be more" feeling i tend to get with newer SSO quests -- they tend to exist in that sweet spot between there being not enough tech in a quest and that forcing you to sort of use your imagination and just enough tech to make it really satisfying that leaves it feeling juuust not quite right in a few spots. THAT BEING SAID, it was so much better this quest than it has been in the past. i definitely felt like there was some on the fly world building that was very jarring, but i can't place exactly why that is as it's just so hard to keep up with SSO lore with all the old quests you've done being unplayable. i'm sure it would be kinda hard for them to make a quest library in this moment with how things are optimized, but my god, it'd be so helpful.

so what i didn't like: the tree?? segment??? where you could only ask "some" questions... this was a little misleading to me because i really thought they were gonna make us choose which questions to ask? but that wasn't the case. i felt really confused by this immediately after doing it, and when this was prefaced before the interaction became available, i kinda rolled my eyes because i thought there would be obvious "right" choices and obvious "wrong" choices. so i was really confused at the wording and then at how you could actually just ask *all* the questions. maybe if they had told us we can only ask 4 it would have felt... no, actually, i'm thinking about that and it still is a weird stipulation to then throw out the window. that being said, ignoring that issue, i did like that "is there anything you're worried about?" was ACTUALLY the question you had to ask. i'm sure i could've picked that up from context clues if i hadn't already forgotten the last quests since i played them LOL my memory is NOT what it used to be.

what else... i didn't really like the runestone rising up from the ground. i FW suspension of disbelief, but this had me neutral facing rolling my eyes and shit. also, i learned the hard way you should have winter snow turned OFF for maximum quest effect... i figured they'd have accounted for players still playing with snow on since it came out during winter. this is NOT a deal breaker for me, it's unrealistic to put out a story quest and account for all the future players who *might* play it during winter (i'm thinking in the future, like, several months from now, or 2 years or so). that being said, DID jar me. watching katja run across ice that was very much also traversible for me as well and have the game be like "see? they're escaping!" was so awkward i restarted the game without finishing the quest so i could re-do it with snow off.

what i DID like: THAT ENDING CUTSCENE WAS SO FUN!!! it was fucking hilarious to see nasty dusty gross weird awkward mr sands there i won't lie but like even still, considering SSO's usual animation limitations, especially in cutscenes, i was blown away. and erissa's little cartwheel was so cooooool and so fun and cute i LOVED IT. and with regards to animations, i DID notice when they gave alex a less LOUD talking animation a while back, and when they gave anne that awkward smile (that she used WAY too much and at rather odd times during this quest), like those small details always stick out to me. i really loved it, i loved the FRAMING??? of the cutscene??? i got like super into it it was so cinematic and fun! i had just been rolling my eyes so hard at sso's nearly condescending comebacks in some of the dialogue writing (c'mon, not even kids think that's cool. well maybe some do, i was a cynic as a child) but the cutscene's cool factor immediately won me back. so dope!

i partially loved and partially hated the stuff from the hollow woods being an important part of the quests... on one hand, it's super cool to see them adding in new mechanics, even if they're ones not everyone has played with yet. On the other hand, though, it was a little odd to just like, do a rune puzzle. very strange. i've already talked about this though, so let me get back on track. collecting the sun energy was way more druid training, which i still do like the inclusion of, so while it did feel a little shoe-horned in, i do love that SSO is trying to make the game more game-y.

Overall, I liked it fine. i do think there's still room for improvement, obviously, but i also see how creative they're getting with what once was considered a very *static* game, so that's super dope. oh, and i LOVE erissa so far. her presence is so fun and i'm so excited because i know she's gonna appeal to SO MANY weird kids like i was as a child. and, restating this again, i'd really love if they took chiyo's model and put her in the game as a new npc. i think that would be so cute and fun. she is in DIRE need of some new clothes IMO and also her face could be um... a little different i guess? you all have probably seen my thoughts on her (once more it's more about context than how she *flat out* is, minus her clothes) but yeah. i think it'd be so fun to have more characters like that, unique and cool and weird. i know i'm getting on a totally different tangent now, but i really would love to see chiyo as a cool japanese kid who's like, i dunno, into creepy cute stuff or whatever. like kimokawaii (But don't get crazy, i don't mean in a weeaboo way) emo, or maybe just an awkward artsy emo kid, or an emo kid who's actually really friendly but tries to be broody to fit in or some shit. i would've eaten that UP as a kid. would be a cute questline too like she could realize she could be happy go lucky AND an emo or something. you help her embrace herself yadda yadda, food for thought!

back on track now, overall i definitely feel like SSO's lore is getting mega murky, and in an effort to make it clear by redesigning starter quests (WHICH, BY THE WAY, I ENDED UP LIKING A WHOLE LOT) it has sorta wrapped back around a bit? like i feel like there's a little less *punchiness* to the quests now. like... these weird teens would NOT be this good at communicating. more mess, more drama, more rudeness and emotions before thoughts. i can see sso hinting at this in lots of dialogue, even in this quest! but it just always feels like... the HINT of issue rather than anything actual. y'know, like, they're teens! but maybe the writing has always been like this and i'm just older now. but yeah, the lore is definitely getting kinda odd to me. i'm sure they'll find ways to fix it all up and tie it in together, but y'know. it's messy. very messy.

overall, generally speaking, i enjoyed. curious to hear everybody's thoughts! wondering how the DC oil rig thing will work out in the open world sense -- i assume you can keep going to it up *until* these quests, but i'm unsure.

#sso spoilers

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dbgmode · 1 month

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a close read of the lyrics/video of "Cheerleader" by Porter Robinson

... the irony of immediately, spontaneously spending several hours doing is extremely not lost on me (and crossposting only deepens)....

(a self-xpost from /r/porterrobinson: from cohost! Deluxe edition! ( peppered with a few additional links for the chosting tumbling crowd)

The song/music video in question: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CzJbz9qSsd0

Based mostly on lyrics

[before I then close-watched the video]

Placed in the context of what we have seen so far in other promotional media,

after a couple listens, it seems to me that this is also, in essence, a work commenting on parasocial relationships and fame in the [early] social internet age:

the potential unhealthy character of idealization of someone you don't know,

the ways in which that idealization drags the sense of self and esteem out of an internal locus for the "object of affection".

I'd go so far as to say "the objectification of affection"

and somewhat in particular the ways both parties in this relationship experience some of both aspects of this.

To that last end, there is some tension in my understanding of who the speaker is and who the cheerleader / "she" is . The most surface level read is to assign those to: speaker = (more or less) Porter, the cheerleader(s) = us, the fans; or like "fame" itself

{The cheerleader archetype also steps specifically onto both American high school "teen movie" archetypes, and (given the use of mask etc.) probably the interpolation of that in anime I am less personally familiar with. [a big reach, but I would contend there is some possibility that there is an invocation here also of like ... homestarrunner absurdist prior art: teen girl squad, trogdor?]. (cohost and tumblr exclusive addendum!: also like ... the idea of the cheerleader as specifically the victim of masked killer in a slasher-film, here (probs not for the first time) directly-inverted.)}

That holds especially for:

The per-chorus " Cheerleader / Thought she needed me, but I need her "

The bridge, which is more or less the extended version of the pre-chorus ("Somehow, I don't ... ")

And it probably can read all the way through the verses and chorus too, but I think its also admits some inversion:

"I can tell you're acting your heart out" applying in some ways more cleanly to a performer per se than a fan, though certainly in the context of like ... fan-sites, stan-accounts, etc. that line breaks down and that's part of the point

"I don't even know what she does now" feeling to me harder to read as any version of porter wondering what his fan base is like (though it does read better when taken as like "what even is fame now?") - vs an enthusiast fanatic feeling spurned by a modern "celebrity" exercising more privacy and/or "going dark"

Video "text" (scene by scene, interpretation-biased description):

Cast (in order of appearance):

frame-story fangirl (FSF) (or possibly femmeboy?) - sits alone in bedroom. implied a high school student.

we have what I'm not-not gonna call 2021 MGK Porter. Idk at this point if this is to be understood as being identically the "Porter weston Robinson" of the broader album cycle or is more constrained to this video. I also used the phrase "cringecore porter" elsewhere, and while I think that applies metatextually, not as much in text.

this is NOT nurture porter. nurture porter had long blond hair and wore loose-fitting clothes. nurture porter was into upright pianos, acoustic guitars, and wide-open spaces.

this porter is un-blonde, plays analog synths and electric guitar. he is on the floor of his bedroom or studio, and while outside is there in the window, he does not go there.

of not no consideration is whom I'd call "nurture Together porter" (also "happy fiance Porter" => the man is allowed to be a person outside of aesthetic choices, but I'm not gonna ignore it either). That man (who first appeared at Second Sky 2022) wore a lot of cardigans and cable knit sweaters, and had brown hair that he kept pretty short and neat. Who we see here is both not that guy (see all the "my chemical robinson comments" and yet is closer probably too that guy than he is to either early nurture era guy, late-worlds anime sadboi, or fuckboi [though ... ])

clothes:

His pants look kinda like his shirt in Get Your Wish, as well as somewhat like beetlejuice (... the musical?) and other ~harlequin figures.

The sweater is somewhere between the styles preferred by nurture-Together porter and late-worlds porter.

Shoes are ... kinda fancy? (cf. bare-feet in Get Your Wish).

His colors are red, white, AND BLACK. the cheerleaders for the most part are just red and white. (by contrast the porter from "scene 8" on is pointedly black and grey)

doll cheerleader. possibly specifically the sort of doll used for practicing pose drawing? or doing doll fashion?

other psudedo-human cheerleaders (whom we can probably assume include frame-story fangirl)

additional porters, introduced in scenes 5 - 8, no spoilers.

Scene 0 :

FSF sits alone in her room, doing her best to embody the cheerleader persona, but needing to remove the mask at least a bit to eat. it is unclear whether their hair under the mask is not visible or if it is also styled like the wig

[P.S. posted as reddit self-comment "I also missed the scene 0 important detail, that the candy is literally a chibi-porter-u head (gummy? gusher)"]

Scene 0.5:

hyperspace/cyberspace tunnel - "going down the wire", bubblegum pop logo

Scene 1:

Meet this porter. he jams alone in fairly-large room (synths, some guitar, room is inside but painted like sky. It is lit as fluorescent drop ceiling. Doll cheerleader vibes. You can see (cartoon) outside (invocative of some specific past work, maybe flicker, maybe easy; probs others), and you can also see [same size, eyes on him] ... bubblegum cat (FSF also has a cat).

zoom out through pixels of screen

Scene 2:

Karaoke amongst the cheerleaders. "Perfect!" and other text on screen invokes rhythm games as much as socializing karaoke. Everyone pretty much is signing. One has maracas. There isn't any food or booze.

Porter walks out of (behind) screen and seizes stage mic, at least initially the cheerleaders stop singing to fangirl instead.

Scene 3:

Someone (we can presume FSF) plays with a character creator, and creates (in miniature) dragon Porter. Next she builds a chibi doll of him. (Is this her OC/custom? or did it already get merchandised by e.g. Funko). It briefly stop-motions before exploding into

Scene 4:

Porter is very pop punk now. He has grown the dragon wings and tail. Both the makeup and the pink/silver confetti do remind me of _specifically_ "Tickets to my Downfall" MGK (and perhaps "congratulations" Post Malone?). Though with the blue of the walls (which sometimes have cliffs that are very "Language" video), also is evocative of a common color palette of nurture tour.

Scene 4.5 [intercut]:

FSF is literally playing out this scene in doll-house form, dropping the confetti on her figure. We see the city models preceding the next scene; she is taping this with a gorilla-podded point-and-shoot ; she is not in frame. Next to the porter-room is another much more "normal" doll-house, it doesn't match this room but ... it might have at some point? (it actually is the room from scene 8, but ... I didn't realize that when I wrote this, and neither can the first time viewer)

she picks up and moves figure to the city

Scene 5:

Dragon porter become Kaiju/Rampage porter. Doll cheerleader is here and hyped, and immediately gets stomped.

Scene 5.5:

Reality break. Kaiju porter has breached containment and is outside of FSF's window. She is initially ambiguously scared or excited but approaches the window

Scene 6:

Kaiju porter eats FSF (who is an even smaller less detailed doll/figure to him), this immediately makes him sick, probably dead. Intercut is cartoon chibi porteru (where? in the mouth/GI of kaiju porter? in the brain?)

Scene 7:

meet hot air balloon chibi porter. Note that there is someone in the basket. In wide, she does not appear to be a cheerleader, but also use of binoculars makes it unclear. In close up, she absolutely is.

The body of pom-pomed cheerleaders (who we did meet briefly earlier intercut in scene 4-4.5) form a landing target(?) with the pom-poms, briefly striped, but then chibi face.

Scene 7.5:

Once we have entered the mountains (of Sad Machine?), Porter of Scene 1 is running from but likely spotted by hot air balloon porter and his basket's occupant. The size scale is implied flipped now from scene 5-6. He seeks refuge in a doll-house-ish safe house

Basket radios to ground and her landing target is gone in pursuit/seige of porter

Scene 8 [bridge]:

FSF returns (un-eaten) to her bedroom and sits down on bed out of frame; zoom into new doll-house which is also interior of safe house. Mid-zoom, FSF removes their mask/wig, but we do not see them without it

Here porter sits also on bed, in largely undercoated (but for much smaller version of pink cat in frame), vaguely sky-blue (but no clouds, no cliffs) bedroom.

Arrangement of synths and guitars lightly suggests that _if_ this is understood from Porter's perspective rather than FSF's that he is maybe been sitting alone in dark-ish on bed the whole time.

Outfit is different from every earlier scene as well; fairly generic, but also (to me) kind of evocative of Virtual Self concert dress specifically

In wide shot, there is no one at window. In close up they press against it.

Scene 9 [chorus]:

cheerleader headbutts in and they precede to fuck up his bedroom, synths, one piece of art, before one of them tackles through the drywall

Scene 9.5:

One cheerleader is briefly alone in the scene 1 room, cat art becomes cartoon and jumps from frame, gives chase (to whom? the only one we saw enter this room was a cheerleader);

brief passage flanked by cheerleaders. shit gets trippier

Scene 10:

tracking shot down a sky space tunnel (scene 0.5) in which Porter of Scene 8 jams while a cheerleader (FSF?) and Scene 1 Porter both get spun around. Cat falls down center of that tunnel until camera is obscured.

Scene 11:

chibi porter (dressed like scene 8 porter but with the legs of dragon-doll-porter) is pursued by now giant doll cheerleader, while cheered on by roughly-same-scale dolls and video walls of selves. Also seemingly some holographic-projection cheerleaders who are holding a synth in way that almost suggests they might be playing it (keytar style) but its backwards so ... probably smashing.

Giant doll cheerleader catches and eats chibi porter. Whereas we saw the vore of scene 6 in silhouette, so we don't know how FSF felt about it. Here we dolly zoom on chibi porter who honestly: fuckin thrilled. (in start contrast to terrified expressions in the rest of scene 11)

Scene 11.5:

We (the camera) follow him down, but he is gone from view quickly. the gullet of doll-cheerleader is the cyberspace tunnel of scene 0.5 except that by strobe it is also explicitly the wall of FSF's bedroom. Not for nothing, but the effect is also Windows 95/98 maze screensaver at those times.

Scene 12:

Scene 8 porter crowdsurfs on the cheerleaders hands. Intercut flash jump-scare-ish (but no, cause context) face closeups including:

the pigeon from the window in scene 2

scene 8/12 porter's face

scene 8/12 porter wearing a cheerleader mask

low poly cgi cheerleader

real fast blinks on what probably is just porter's face in even closer-closeup, but might also include un-masked FSF? (I'm kinda loathe to do the frame-by-frame look that would tell me that or no)

Scene 12.5:

oops, crowd surfing porter became a chibi porter pinata, which is ripped apart by the hands of the cheerleaders, splling out hard candy and rock candy, like FSF had in scene 0.

Scene 13:

a single very quick, extreme closeup of FSF's candy bowl

So yeah... I don't want to over-explain (my over-description), but ... relative scales, who appears to control whom: you probably get it.

---

Video paratext:

The description on youtube here is extensive liner notes style credits. Contrast that to the overwhelmingly self-promotional and (few) lyrics description of last music video release ( do-re-me-fa-so-la-ti-do)

or the major credits and lyrics of most early nurture stuff.

I'll grant that this is a more involved production, probably, but also - I think taken with the late-nurture move to a live band show & what we think this album is about, it is both an artistic and a practical decision that this says

I DIDN'T MAKE THIS REMOTELY BY MYSELF

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release context:

It's a Porter Robinson album first single. It is tone-setting intentionally. He (et al) picked "Sea of Voices" largely cause it was the furthest thing from (for example) 100% in the Bitch / the State - and indeed a big (if smaller, to me) contrast from Language, Easy, Say My Name.

Ditto "Get Your Wish" is not Sad Machine or Lionhearted. And pointedly it is less that aesthetic than even Something Comforting is (Look at the Sky ... idk)

So here, we are doing distortion, we are doing fairly simple analog synth patches, we are doing singing in largely-unprocessed voice. But hey, also, in the bridge, we are doing acoustic guitar - nurture porter isn't actually gone. [Also, while the arrangement works well, I think, there is an amped up section contrast that - in the context of the promotion so far to me - reads as "I know only one part of this is good for tiktok"]

This song is ... about the same things as Get Your Wish. It has a very different outlook on it. but its that, again.

So ... take that as you will.

🌈📣

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metatextual P.P.S

posted as self-comment:

Not to suggest this is any more than happy/unhappy accident (or possibly emergent from user behaviors?), but YouTube does want to auto-play the most meta-textually appropriate thing next:

And the existence of that piece of ~fanon single art did at least passingly occur to me as relevant to Scene 0 / the frame-setting of this video.

[Additional context: this song, "A Sound for Lonely People" was a demo leaked following either the hacking of Porter's dropbox or the loss/theft of a laptop containing it. No finished version of the song was ever released (and its not clear that that was for lack of "done", lack of desire, or it being a mostly-for-self / private work of art)

His discouragement at this (and other?) leaks is a thing brought up both in both:

the "anachronistic video essay from 2028" about his disappearance on March 1st 2024, which he posted on February 29th. (but then instead dropped an album announcement. Whether there is any intention to go through with any back-scrub is tbd, but there has not been within the first 3 weeks. I might have over-reacted and yt-dlped 69gigs of stuff about it)

the tweet / 𝕏 post feigning(?) such discouragement yesterday

following the "early" release of the song to streaming services in only japan (and not other countries in the same time-zone) for a few hours( or less?)

a thing that could certainly have been genuine data entry confusion, etc. but also is speculated in the context of other album promotion to have potentially been intentional

The most popular youtube uploads of this use imagery of a person or people sitting alone in bedrooms, much like Cheerleader (twice) does]

#porter robinson #parasocial relationships #sarapocial relationships #dramatic irony in post form #parasocial moment #porterrobinson #new music #porter robinson cheerleader #porter robinson music video #hyperpop

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